The biting raindrops, mixed with the scent of dust, pelted Uchiha Ling's young face.
He stood by a stretch of Konoha road in utter chaos. All around him, people fled amid the shouts of ninjas and the crashing sounds of collapsing buildings. The night sky was stained an ominous red. In the distance, a gigantic fox demon with nine tails rampaged, every swipe of its claws shaking the earth.
"So I crossed over—and at the worst possible moment."
Ling's soul belonged to another planet, yet now it was trapped inside the body of a five-year-old Uchiha orphan. His parents in this life had been minor members of the Uchiha Clan. They had died in the recent Nine-Tails rampage, and now he was experiencing the disaster firsthand.
He knew the story. He knew that tonight Obito would control the Nine-Tails, that the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his wife would give their lives, and that Naruto would become an orphan.
"I need power! In a hellhole like this, even staying alive without overwhelming strength is a pipe dream!" A fierce survival instinct surged from the depths of his soul.
[ Ding! Strong will detected at a major turning point in the world. God-Level Choice System binding in progress! ]
A cold, emotionless mechanical voice rang in his mind.
[ Option One: Save Kushina Uzumaki and face Uchiha Obito and the rampaging Nine-Tails head-on. Reward: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Uzumaki Clan bloodline. ]
[ Option Two: Take Uzumaki Naruto away amid the chaos and leave your homeland. Reward: Flying Thunder God Technique, complete Sealing Jutsu compendium. ]
[ Option Three: Save Naruto and use yourself as a vessel to seal half of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Reward: Nine-Tails Chakra Mode (evolvable), Sage Body (basic), Naruto's unwavering trust and faith. ]
Three glowing options hovered before him.
Ling's pupils suddenly contracted.
A system! The standard equipment for a transmigrator! These three choices would practically determine the course of his future.
Option One offered an incredibly tempting reward: an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Uzumaki physique, letting him start at the very top. But the risk was enormous! With his current body—a five-year-old's, with barely any chakra—he'd be facing Obito, who could control the Nine-Tails, and the rampaging beast itself. It would be like an ant trying to stop a chariot: a sure path to death!
Option Two was the safest by far. The Flying Thunder God could be used to attack or escape, and there was no end to what he could learn from Sealing Jutsu. If he took Naruto and fled, they might avoid many of Konoha's early dark secrets. But that would mean giving up the advantage of being in Konoha, abandoning the chance to rewrite more devastating events, and turning himself into a "runaway."
His gaze locked onto Option Three.
Saving Naruto and becoming the vessel for half of the Nine-Tails was undoubtedly a dangerous gamble. Becoming a Jinchūriki—especially in Konoha—meant enduring constant surveillance and possible discrimination in the early years. But the rewards were extraordinary! Nine-Tails Chakra Mode meant he could immediately wield this immense power, while the Sage Body would give him unmatched growth and recovery. And "Naruto's unwavering trust and faith" were priceless!
In the original story, Naruto's bonds were the foundation that could move the entire Shinobi World. If Ling could earn his trust from the very beginning, he'd have the strongest pillar of support in the future. Besides, he knew the story. Becoming a Jinchūriki was certainly risky, but it was also the best path to becoming the strongest!
"I choose Option Three!"
Ling made his choice. High risk, high reward! He wasn't after a miserable existence—he wanted control over everything! He would become Naruto's big brother, the only light in his dark childhood, and claim the power of the strongest Tailed Beast for himself!
[ Choice confirmed. Proceed to the designated location immediately. Rewards will be issued upon task completion. ]
The system's voice faded. A faint current of air seemed to guide him toward his destination.
Ling's frail little figure darted through the ruins and shadows. Guided by the system's vague prompting and his knowledge of the story, he hurried toward the place that would decide their fates.
He could sense two immense chakra signatures clashing up ahead. That must be Minato fighting Obito—and ultimately sealing the Nine-Tails at the cost of his life.
At last, he broke through a pile of rubble, and the sight before him stole his breath.
In the center of a gigantic Sealing Jutsu array, its markings shaped like tadpoles, Kushina Uzumaki lay on the ground, her red hair spread around her and her life hanging by a thread. Beside her was newborn Naruto. Ling instantly understood: Minato had just split the Nine-Tails with the Reaper Death Seal and was about to seal its Yang Release half inside Naruto. This was the critical moment!
Minato's fading apparition was on the verge of being swallowed by the Shinigami. When he saw Ling appear, surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a look of trust and hope. He was out of time.
"Naruto... I'm counting on you."
Those were the Fourth Hokage's final words.
In the next instant, Minato's soul vanished completely. The half of the Nine-Tails that radiated a cruel, malicious aura let out an unwilling roar as a tremendous force dragged it toward the crying baby on the ground.
Now!
A resolute glint flashed in Ling's eyes. He lunged forward and threw himself in front of Naruto!
"Sealing Jutsu! Activate!" He didn't understand the technique, but the system had given him the ability to carry out his choice. He pressed both hands against his small body. A power from the system combined with his meager chakra, forcibly forming a vortex!
"Roar!"
The immense, crimson Nine-Tails chakra had been heading for Naruto, but now it seemed to find another outlet. It poured into Ling's body in a frenzied torrent!
"Gaaah!"
Agonizing pain tore through him in an instant! It felt as if every inch of muscle and every meridian were being stretched to bursting and crushed. The Nine-Tails' hate-filled chakra surged against his fragile life like a raging tide. The irregular pattern of a Tailed Beast's cloak appeared on his skin. His body convulsed violently, unable to withstand the power, and blood seeped from his nose and mouth.
But he gritted his teeth and didn't retreat an inch! His body shielded Naruto, bearing the brunt of the impact and the pain. He knew that in the original story, Naruto had borne the seal as a child—perhaps thanks to his powerful Uzumaki heritage and the ingenuity of the Sealing Jutsu. Ling was fusing with the chakra under the system's influence, and the ordeal was even worse!
He didn't know how long it lasted. It felt like an entire century. When the last trace of the Nine-Tails' chakra had been drawn into his body and the Eight Trigrams Seal containing it gradually faded from sight, the pain that had threatened to destroy the world finally ebbed away like a tide. In its place came a heavy sensation of power, as if a volcano lay dormant inside him.
He had done it.
[ Ding! Task complete. Rewards issued: Nine-Tails Chakra Mode (evolvable) activated, Sage Body (basic) integrated, bond with Naruto—"unwavering trust and faith"—established. ]
The system's announcement sounded like heavenly music.
Almost as soon as the rewards were issued, a warm, vibrant power welled up from deep within him, rapidly mending the damage he had just suffered. Sage Body! He could feel his vitality growing enormously, and his senses had become several times sharper.
Even more extraordinary was the spiritual connection. He lowered his head and looked at the blond child he had been shielding. Naruto had stopped crying at some point. He stared up at Ling with pure, flawless blue eyes. There was no fear in them, only complete, wholehearted trust and affection. One tiny hand had even unconsciously caught the edge of Ling's dust- and blood-stained clothes.
"Big brother."
The unclear words, spoken with childish clumsiness, immediately reached Ling's heart. It was the bond's effect, transcending the barriers of communication.
Exhausted, Ling sank to the ground and gently gathered Naruto in his arms. Looking at the future Child of Prophecy in his embrace and feeling the surging power of the Nine-Tails and the flourishing Sage Body within him, a cold, all-controlling smile slowly formed on his pale face—a smile utterly at odds with his age.
"Don't worry, Naruto." He murmured softly, as if making a promise to the child in his arms. His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept across the battlefield reduced to scorched earth. "From today on, I'll be your big brother. I'll put an end to your tragedy. I'll reshape the future of this Shinobi World!"
The Nine-Tails' wild power gradually settled inside him, reaching a subtle balance with his Sage Body. In Konoha's shadows, a new star capable of overturning everything quietly rose that night.
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