(Secret Art: Brain Seal Technique!)
Konoha, Year 38.
"Hayato, welcome to the world."
A voice as gentle as a spring breeze softly brushed Hayato's tender ears, like a whisper from nature, tenderly awakening his consciousness.
He slowly opened his eyes. Instead of dazzling sunlight, he saw a hazy, cozy scene beneath the flickering candlelight.
The world around him was wrapped in a soft halo of light. Hayato's gaze held a trace of newborn bewilderment and curiosity about the unknown world.
He tried to find the source of the voice, but all he saw was a face pressed close to his, blocking his view.
In that intimate moment, an unusual chill quietly touched his skin, bringing a fresh, strange sensation.
Hayato struggled to turn his little head and finally glimpsed the object that had brought the chill: a Forehead Protector.
It bore a lifelike spiral pattern resembling a bird's head, as if it held some mysterious power.
Fragments of memory surged in like a tide, and the familiar feeling made his heart jolt.
That's right, it was the symbol of Konoha!
Had he actually been transported into the world of Naruto?
Even Hayato couldn't help marveling at the thought.
Transmigration, a miracle that had once existed only in his imagination, had actually happened to him.
And in the purest, most original way possible—as a baby born into this world.
Yet along with his shock came even more confusion and bewilderment.
He didn't know what year it was, much less which clan he belonged to.
After all, in the world of Naruto, bloodlines and clans were crucial factors that determined one's fate.
Just as Hayato was lost in thought, a man's voice, tinged with delight, interrupted him.
"Misaki, is this our child?" The man's voice was filled with joy and anticipation.
"Mm."
Misaki gently handed Hayato to him.
The young man was a new father. His eyes held the joy of fatherhood, mixed with a touch of nervousness and uncertainty.
He carefully took the tiny life into his arms, feeling a softness and warmth unlike anything he had ever known. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Seeing this, Misaki smiled tenderly and stepped over to his side.
"Hayato, this is your daddy." Her words brimmed with love and warmth.
With a little more distance between them, Hayato finally had a chance to take a closer look at the parents who had given him a new life.
He wondered whether one of them might be someone he knew.
But after looking carefully, he had to admit that both of them were complete strangers.
He'd confirmed it with a glance: he didn't know them.
Unable to find any clues from the people around him, Hayato decided to examine his surroundings instead.
He struggled to turn his little head and look around.
At last, he spotted a clan crest on the wall to his right: a red-and-white design shaped like a ping-pong paddle, yet imbued with profound meaning and mystery.
Yes, it was the Uchiha Clan's symbol!
Hayato immediately understood. He had become one of the Uchiha.
But his behavior made the young man uneasy and confused.
According to the clan elders' experience, a newborn should cry upon entering the world to show that he was full of vitality.
"Misaki, did Hayato cry earlier?" the man asked with concern.
She was a first-time mother, too. At first, she had been so caught up in the joy of her child's arrival that she'd forgotten all about it. Her husband's reminder made her realize something was wrong.
Misaki gently shook her head, worry and anxiety in her eyes.
Hearing this, the young man furrowed his brow. This wasn't good.
They exchanged a glance, silently coming to an understanding.
"Do you want to do it, or should I?" Misaki asked softly.
The man shook his head. "You do it. I'm afraid I'll hit him too hard and hurt him."
"All right."
Misaki replied, took Hayato from the man, and gently laid him on his side on the soft bed.
Hayato saw Misaki's right hand curl into a somewhat "sinister" shape, ready to perform the legendary "flicking-finger technique." He immediately understood what she intended to do: help open his air sacs so he could breathe easily.
However, Hayato didn't wait for her to do it.
As if he understood his mother's intentions and worries, he let out a loud cry ahead of time.
His cry rang out like heavenly music, breaking the quiet and tense atmosphere in the room.
Misaki's hand froze in midair. When she heard her son crying, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"It's all right now. As long as he cries, he'll be fine."
Hayato, who was bawling, also breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he hadn't realized that he'd become a baby. And just as he was giving his all to his "performance," a voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"Ding! The host is detected to be in dire straits. The Counterattack System has awakened."
A system?
Hayato abruptly stopped crying and froze in surprise.
He was glad the system had arrived, but what did it mean that he was in dire straits?
Could someone be targeting him right now?
Suddenly, a blue screen appeared before his eyes, covered in text.
Hayato looked at his parents and saw that neither of them could see the blue screen. Only then did he relax and prepare to inspect the system.
He wanted to know what sort of dire straits he'd gotten himself into. He focused on the words on the screen:
[In Year 58 of Konoha, you are in the prime of your youth. As the direct grandson of the Uchiha Clan's Grand Elder, you were born into a prestigious family, yet your talent was no brighter than a faint glimmer in the night sky. You had not even awakened the clan's signature One-Tomoe Sharingan, leaving behind a faint regret in this land where ocular prowess reigned supreme.] [On the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, you awakened memories of your previous life in the darkness, flooding in like a tide. But the light of your awakening could not turn the tide. The enemy's blade was already upon you, and despair froze into an eternal regret.] [Now, you are like a candle flickering in the wind, swaying at the end of your fate. Looking back on your life, you were as ordinary as a drop in the ocean, leaving no glory in the long history of the Uchiha. It was only natural to feel regret. Yet as the final chapter of your life drew to a close and peace descended, you came to understand that every existence has its own unique value.] [An unyielding soul cannot let life end so carelessly. At the brink of life and death, awaken the strength of your will. Grit your teeth, gather your remaining strength, and rise to your feet. Challenge fate with your own power, fight back, and swear to forge a legend.] [Accept the mission? Yes/No] [Mission completion reward: One-Tomoe Sharingan in both eyes]
Good grief, there was something wrong with this system.
Hadn't he just been born? How could it say he was in the prime of his youth?
Wait, could it be... that the system had arrived early?
Before you continue