Chapter 1

[This book adopts the Databook canon, ending with Shippuden, covering 68 years of historical lore.]

Pain.

This was the first sensation Chen Cheng felt after regaining consciousness. His entire body felt as though it had been dismantled and haphazardly reassembled, every single muscle screaming in protest. He forced his eyes open, and his blurred vision slowly focused.

A strange ceiling.

Wooden structure, simple lighting fixtures, the air permeated with the scent of antiseptic. He tried to turn his neck, a sharp jolt of pain causing him to draw in a sharp breath.

"You're awake?" A gentle female voice drifted over.

A woman dressed in a white medical uniform approached, a metal headband tied around her forehead, engraved with a symbol he found both overwhelmingly familiar and utterly unbelievable—a swirl-shaped mark.

This is... Konoha's headband? Am I dreaming? Chen Cheng's mind buzzed, an absurd notion bubbling up uncontrollably. But he immediately dismissed it. No, impossible, I must have bumped my head and gotten confused.

"Where am I?" he blurted out, only to be astonished to find he was speaking an unfamiliar language, yet the meaning was clearly reflected in his own mind.

"Konoha Hospital. You were in an accident at the entrance ceremony, remember?" The female medical ninja handed him a cup of water. "Don't rush, you've been unconscious for three days."

Konoha... Hospital? These two words acted like a key, violently picking the lock of his chaotic memories. The image of five-year-old Kyohaku Uchiha holding his parents' hands as they walked toward the Ninja Academy; a massive flying creature suddenly appearing in the sky; that split second when his parents pushed him away; the sound of explosions, screams, the piercing agony of rubble smashing into his legs...

Uchiha... Kyohaku? Am I not Chen Cheng? What on earth is this... The memories of twenty-eight-year-old forensic pathologist Chen Cheng and the memories of five-year-old Kyohaku Uchiha collided and fused like two turbulent currents inside his brain. He furrowed his brows tightly, trying to sort out this incredible situation.

"Dad... where's Mom?" he heard his own childish voice ask, though deep down he already vaguely knew the answer. This question was both Chen Cheng's calm deduction based on the scene's information and Kyohaku's residual emotions making an instinctive inquiry.

The female medical ninja's gaze flickered for a moment. "I'm sorry, Kyohaku-kun. Your parents tragically lost their lives to protect you."

Although he had a premonition, his heart still shrank violently upon hearing this—this wasn't entirely his own emotion, but rather a fierce reaction stemming from the original owner of this body. He lowered his head, seeing his palms, which were obviously a size smaller, and his slightly slender arms.

The body of a five-year-old child.

Time travel... and body snatching? And it's actually the world of Naruto? The massive influx of information almost crushed his sanity. He forced himself to calm down, dealing with the situation using the professional habits of his past life's forensic work: Observe, gather information, confirm the environment.

"My leg..." He noticed his right leg was tightly wrapped in bandages, sending dull throbs of pain.

"It's broken, along with multiple muscle injuries. But don't worry, the medical ninjas have already treated it, it will get better." She tried to comfort him, but the hesitation in her tone didn't escape his ears. It seems the injury is far from optimistic, and it might leave permanent damage.

After the female medical ninja left, he leaned back against the pillow with difficulty and began frantically sorting through his thoughts.

Twenty-eight-year-old forensic pathologist Chen Cheng, and five-year-old Uchiha orphan Kyohaku. Two souls, two sets of memories rapidly merging. He was both Chen Cheng and Kyohaku.

Through Kyohaku's memory fragments, he learned the language, writing, and basic common sense. Through Chen Cheng's memories, he realized the earth-shattering implications represented by words like "Konoha" and "Uchiha."

No system, no golden finger, both parents dead right at the start, and disabled to boot... and in this high-risk world, no less. Chen Cheng smiled bitterly and muttered in Chinese under his breath, fortunate that no one in this world could understand Chinese. The worst possible starting scenario for a dungeon couldn't possibly be worse than this.

In the afternoon, a cold-looking man with black hair and black eyes came to visit. The round fan family crest on his clothes stung Chen Cheng's nerves once more—this was undoubtedly someone from the Uchiha Clan.

"Kyohaku, I'm sorry this happened." The visitor's tone was calm. "Your parents were the pride of Uchiha; they sacrificed themselves to protect you and the other children."

Chen Cheng (Kyohaku) nodded in silence, neither daring to speak much nor knowing what to say. As a forensic pathologist, he excelled at observation and analysis, but from the other man's tone and demeanor, he sensed more ceremonial politeness than genuine warmth.

I must be cautious. I can't let anyone discover that a different soul has taken over this body. He warned himself inwardly.

As night fell, he finally had the chance to think in solitude. Outside the window, the village lights flickered on one by one, the distant silhouette of Hokage Rock looming vaguely in the night.

Year 40 of Konoha, the Second Shinobi World War just ended... The merged memories gave him a grasp of the timeline, and Chen Cheng's portion of memories began frantically blaring alarms, the dangerous future of this world flashing past like a revolving lantern.

Since you're here, make the best of it. Finally, he whispered to himself, his gaze gradually growing firm. First I have to survive, then I can think about anything else. Step one, absolutely do not expose myself!

The pain remained, but his mind was exceptionally clear. Beneath the strange ceiling, a soul both familiar and foreign had finally completed its initial integration and begun calmly plotting a path of survival in this dangerous world.