Zhong Hao and Kurenai Yuhi (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

Prologue

Eternal darkness, bitter solitude, stifling oppression—this was the "Endless Space-Time," the origin of time and space.

Occasionally, a faintly glowing sphere drifted in from afar, then floated away toward another distant horizon.

At some unknown moment, a rolling drop of blood appeared. Accompanied by the sound of a man and woman bickering, it plunged into one of the spheres of light, which instantly blazed with radiance.

Zhong Hao and Kurenai Yuhi

In Naruto, within a tranquil forest, a drop of blood on the ground was bizarrely expanding bit by bit, gradually taking the form of a sleeping infant.

Who knew how much time passed...

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

Three cloaked figures wearing masks appeared beside the infant. The leader carefully picked up the baby, staring at it through the eyeholes of his mask.

After a moment, he flicked his wrist and wrapped the infant in his cloak. The three leaped onto the branches and vanished into the forest after several bounds.

Six years later...

Early in the morning, the red sun had just risen. Dawn struggled out from behind the mountains, illuminating all of Konoha and waking its sleeping people.

Villagers emerged from their homes in twos and threes, stretching and greeting one another.

Suddenly, a chaotic patter of running footsteps came from the street, accompanied by clear, childish shouts.

"Keep going! One more lap, then we'll rest."

In the distance, four small figures ran toward them with the sun at their backs. Leading them was a black-haired boy around six or seven years old, loudly encouraging those behind him. Three children of about the same age followed—two boys and one girl—all panting heavily and gasping for breath.

"Brother Zhong Hao, I'm hungry. I can't run anymore," the girl said in a clear voice.

"Yeah, yeah, Brother Zhong Hao. We started running around the village before dawn. We're starving," the other two boys agreed.

Zhong Hao, who was running at the front, stopped and turned around. Seeing the pitiful expressions of his three fellow orphans, he gave a bitter smile inwardly.

How could he not know they were exhausted? But ever since he had come to this world and learned what kind of world it was, he had given up all comfort and ease. Even in the relatively peaceful Konoha, that had not changed.

Naruto! Without strength, one could die anywhere, perhaps merely from the aftermath of a ninjutsu.

"Fine, let's eat breakfast first." If only the two boys had complained of being tired, Zhong Hao would have been strict with them. But the one who had spoken was the little sister he had always doted on, and he could not bring himself to refuse.

"Hooray! Brother Zhong Hao is the best!"

The three children cheered loudly, their fatigue instantly swept away. They immediately became lively again and vigorously shoved Zhong Hao along.

Their antics drew the attention of the villagers by the roadside, who all turned to look at them.

One young man said, "It's them again. I heard they don't have any talent for being ninja, yet they're always making such a racket."

A middle-aged man beside him chimed in, "Exactly. No talent for being ninja, yet they keep dreaming in broad daylight. Hey! Give it up, brats."

Neither of them lowered their voices in the slightest, loudly speaking without caring whether Zhong Hao and the others heard them.

A baby suddenly began crying loudly nearby. A middle-aged woman held the infant and soothed it carefully, while pointing at Zhong Hao and the others as she cursed, "You uneducated little wild brats again! You scared my Saki into crying. Get out of the way already!"

The cruel words of the three people made Zhong Hao and the others' expressions change. Their cheerful laughter immediately faded. Zhong Hao clenched his fists and cast the three a dark look before sweeping his gaze around. The passersby along the street either watched coldly or went about their own business without a reaction. For a moment, the four of them seemed as though they had been abandoned by the world.

"Heh, orphans really have no rights." Zhong Hao was not troubled by such idle remarks, but the three children had lowered their heads and walked in silence, their steps quick and their faces filled with grievance.

"A bunch of fools." With a cold snort, he led the three away from that detestable place.

After walking for ten minutes, Zhong Hao saw that they were still dejected. He clapped his hands to draw their attention, then smiled. "Who was saying they were hungry just now? You don't look hungry. I was going to take you to Grandma Minako's for ramen..."

"Ramen?" "Ramen?" "Grandma Minako?"

Children's moods came quickly and went quickly. The three instantly came back to life, their smiles returning. Cruel remarks could make one feel hurt and depressed for a while, but they had been orphans since childhood and had long grown somewhat accustomed to gossip and bullying.

Grandma Minako was a sixty-year-old woman living in a corner of Konoha. Her husband and son had both died on the battlefield, leaving her alone. Kindhearted as she was, she often invited orphans to her home for a good meal.

There were also people like Uncle Taino and Auntie Jixiang. It was precisely their kindness and affection that had kept Zhong Hao from losing hope in this village.

At dusk, a sliver of the setting sun hung over the distant mountains.

This was a small training ground surrounded by forest. Towering trees requiring three people to encircle them stood all around it. Aside from a cleared space fifteen meters long and wide in the middle, there was nothing else. Though crude, it was extremely well hidden.

Zhong Hao and the other three had spent an entire year carving it out. After all, it would have been highly conspicuous for a group of children destined never to become ninja to train so desperately. Perhaps it was also because of the inferiority they felt as orphans.

It was already evening, and Zhong Hao was the only one in the training ground. He gripped a standard steel sword in both hands, seriously repeating slashing motions.

"998."

"984."

"985."

"999..."

"1,000—"

As the final slash fell, Zhong Hao, drenched in sweat, could no longer hold on. The steel sword dropped to the ground, and his entire body fell backward.

Just as Zhong Hao was about to collapse, a fragrant breeze blew over. A slender figure a head taller than him appeared behind him and caught him in her arms.

"Sister Kurenai." Zhong Hao was not surprised. His whole body was weak and sore as he leaned against Kurenai Yuhi, calling to her softly.

Every time he finished training, she appeared on time to carry him home, rain or shine.

"Did you train all day again? Do you always have to push yourself until you're completely exhausted before you'll stop? You're only six years old, and besides... you're not even a ninja. There's no need to work this hard." Kurenai complained reproachfully, gently carrying Zhong Hao onto her back. She did not mind his sweat-soaked body at all. After picking up the katana, she headed toward their home.

"This world is too dangerous. Without strength, I'm afraid. Afraid that someone might crush me to death on a whim someday. Even more, I'm afraid that you, Sister Kurenai, or Ji Mei and the other three might be in danger while I'm powerless to do anything." Zhong Hao spoke seriously.

"But you can't even refine chakra. Even if you train desperately, it's destined to lead nowhere. Besides, your big sister doesn't need your protection. I'm a ninja. It's more like I should be protecting you." Kurenai was delighted to hear that he wanted to protect her, but she could not help arguing back.

"That still isn't a reason to be weak." Zhong Hao stubbornly shook his head, shifting slightly to find a more comfortable position.

"You don't act like a child at all. You're really not cute." Kurenai pouted in dissatisfaction.

Zhong Hao possessed a mature mind, so he truly could not act childish. He also never concealed his adult mentality, and Kurenai often teased him about it.

Kurenai continued chattering away while Zhong Hao closed his eyes and quietly listened on her back. Their shadows overlapped, stretched into a warm, elongated shape by the last rays of the setting sun.

"Sister Kurenai, why can some people extract chakra while others can't?" Zhong Hao suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure either. But ninja's children can definitely extract chakra, while most ordinary people's children can't." Kurenai tilted her head in thought, then added, "If the father is a ninja and the mother isn't, or the other way around, their child can also extract chakra. But if both parents are ninja, the child usually has greater talent."

"Is that so..." Zhong Hao began to ponder.

"It's fine if you can't become a ninja. Just live safely in the village. Your big sister will protect you. You should know that I'll become a great female ninja like Lady Tsunade one day. Just mention my name, and no one will dare bully you. Hehe." Kurenai laughed softly, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Zhong Hao casually gave an "Mm," but a few guesses had already formed in his mind.

Based on the plot he had watched in his previous life, this planet originally had no chakra. Otsutsuki Kaguya became the ancestor of chakra after eating the fruit of the God Tree, while the one who truly spread chakra was her child, the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo.

After sealing Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths believed that if all power were concentrated in one person, their mentality would eventually change drastically over time and cause turmoil, just as it had with his mother.

To achieve eternal peace, he founded the Ninja Sect, distributing the power of chakra and connecting the chakra of every member of the Ninja Sect. In that way, power did not belong solely to any individual. With everyone's chakra connected, their strength was equal, preventing inequality.

After the Sage of Six Paths passed away, the Ninja Sect began to split apart, and the chakra connection was severed. The original members of the Ninja Sect married and had children, eventually forming the various ninja clans of the Warring States period. Perhaps the original chakra connection had altered the physiques of the Ninja Sect's members, allowing chakra-compatible bodies to be passed down through the generations.

From this, it could be seen that ninja were actually descendants of the various members of the Ninja Sect from a thousand years ago.

As for Might Guy, who had nearly kicked the story to its ending with one kick, he was merely inept at ninjutsu, not without chakra. After all, the Eight Gates themselves were the locks that restrained chakra. This could be seen from his ability to use the Summoning Technique.

"If Ice Release and the Sharingan are Kekkei Genkai among ninja, then a physique capable of extracting chakra must be a Kekkei Genkai among ordinary people."

That was Zhong Hao's guess. He could not help muttering, "Looks like I have no hope of obtaining chakra."

"What?" Kurenai asked in confusion when she heard him.

Zhong Hao let out a breath and smiled. "Nothing. I just figured some things out."

He was not too disappointed. Even if he was destined never to possess chakra, he did not mind. After all, there were countless planes in the Endless Space-Time, and countless planes meant countless cultivation systems. Chakra was not the only path...

"What did you figure out? Tell your big sister."

"No."

"You little brat, I'm your big sister!"

"You're only one year older than me. If I'm a brat, then you are too..."

"Even one second older still counts as older."

"Haha! Even so, I still won't—"

[The book title has been changed. Since this is fanfiction, few people clicked on it without a prefix, so following the suggestions of some friends, it has been changed from Supreme Swordmaster to Supreme Swordmaster of One Piece. Please continue supporting it. An is the type who gets stuck like constipation without an outline, so this book had a complete outline before it was written. I will definitely put my heart into writing and finishing it. Please feel free to bookmark it.]