I Will Protect the Princess, Not Even Neji Can Stop Me

Mori Takuma never imagined he would bid farewell to his original life in such a manner.

There were no flowerpots falling from the sky, no heroic script involving being struck by a truck after pushing a child out of harm's way, and not even a chance to shout, "I haven't finished paying off my credit card debt yet," before dying.

He was simply walking to work as usual, holding half a scallion pancake, his mind occupied with how to hoodwink his boss during the morning meeting, when everything went black.

It was as if someone had flipped the power switch on the world.

Takuma didn't even have time to curse.

Fragments of information flooded his brain frantically. The streets of Konoha, the faint outline of the Hokage Rock in the distance, the Konoha forehead protectors worn by passing ninjas.

He had transmigrated.

And he had done so without a shred of ceremony. Takuma complained frantically in his heart: What kind of third-rate transmigration script is this? At least give me a truck! Give me a summoning circle! Not a single classic trope—is the person in charge of this transmigration an intern?

Just as he was sinking into the identity crisis typical of a transmigrator, two immature yet malicious voices drifted over from nearby...

"Hey, Byakugan monster, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

Takuma turned his head, remembering he wasn't standing in this alley alone.

Beside him were two other children, cornering a little girl—white pupils, shoulder-length dark blue hair, a timid expression, and a face Takuma knew all too well.

Hyuga Hinata.

He quickly scanned his position. He was standing between the two brats, effectively blocking Hinata's escape route. In other words, he was currently a member of the "trio of bullies picking on Hinata."

Takuma looked down at his own small arms, then back up at Hinata, who was cornered and on the verge of tears.

...Just how much guts did the original owner have?

Daring to corner the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan—if her father found out, he'd probably be scraped off the wall like a stain.

A loud voice echoed through the alley: "Stop it!!!"

A blond-haired, blue-eyed brat with three whisker-like marks on his cheeks stood on the wall with his hands on his hips, wearing a dirty orange jacket, his eyes shining as if they had lightbulbs inside.

The future Seventh Hokage, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the strongest user of Talk-no-Jutsu in the ninja world, the number one unpredictable ninja of Konoha... at this moment, he was still just a fox-demon kid shunned by the whole village, trying to strike a heroic pose.

Then, his foot slipped.

Naruto scrambled on the wall, swaying twice before falling off in an extremely pathetic posture, face-planting into the ground with a dull thud.

The scene was incredibly awkward.

The two brats froze for half a second before erupting into wild laughter.

"Hahaha! You can't even stand on a wall, and you're trying to play the hero?"

Naruto bounced up from the ground, dirt on his nose and a bump forming on his forehead, but his eyes didn't show a hint of fear: "You're not allowed to bully the weak! What kind of skill is it to gang up on someone!"

The two were enraged by his words, rolled up their sleeves, and walked toward Naruto. The three were soon brawling. Naruto took a punch and returned a slap.

Hinata huddled in the corner, watching the chaotic fight helplessly.

Takuma stood where he was, his mind locked in a fierce internal struggle.

Help? Or not help?

If he helped, he was a transmigrator; heaven knows if interfering with the original plot would cause some butterfly effect. If he didn't help... he looked at Naruto, who was being pinned down and having his face pulled, baring his teeth but refusing to admit defeat, and it felt a bit unjustifiable.

After all, the original protagonist was getting beaten up, and if he, the transmigrator, stood by and watched, it would be too shameful for a protagonist.

Forget it, he was already here.

Takuma took a deep breath and lunged into the fray.

He didn't attack directly; instead, he grabbed the two brats by their collars and pulled them back with a sharp tug. Losing their balance, they both landed hard on their backsides. Takuma took the opportunity to stand in front of Naruto and Hinata.

"That's enough."

One of the brats rubbed his rear and climbed up, looking at him in disbelief: "Are you crazy?! You're helping that fox-demon?"

Before Takuma could answer, a voice suddenly popped into his head...

[Event detected: Naruto plays the hero]

[Witness status: Confirmed valid]

[Witnessing complete—obtained one lottery draw]

Takuma was ecstatic. The standard transmigration perk had arrived. A lottery...

Takuma's thoughts were interpreted by the system as starting the draw. A roulette wheel invisible to others began to spin, and the pointer landed on a golden slot.

[Congratulations to the host, you have obtained: Wolverine Healing Factor]

[Effect: Grants the host super-speed regeneration, capable of healing most physical trauma, including but not limited to fractures, internal organ damage, and puncture wounds. Healing speed is proportional to the severity of the injury; minor wounds heal in seconds, while fatal wounds depend on the host's current stamina. This ability stacks with the host's original constitution.]

[Note: You are not immortal. You will still die if your head is cut off, so don't be stupid.]

Before Takuma could digest this information, a scorching heat erupted from his lower abdomen, spreading through his meridians to his entire body. His bones emitted a faint clicking sound, muscle fibers were torn and reorganized at a microscopic level, and every cell felt numb and swollen, as if soaked in warm water.

The entire process lasted only a few seconds, but to Takuma, it felt like being tossed around in a washing machine.

After the heat faded, he looked down at the back of his hand... the small cut he had just received from a fingernail was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, disappearing completely in less than a breath, leaving not even a scar.

Wolverine's healing factor.

One of the most unreasonable abilities in the X-Men series. Wolverine Logan lived for hundreds of years because of it, fighting from the Civil War to the future, and even nuclear bombs couldn't kill him.

Takuma's heart hammered against his ribs, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to look up and howl.

If people discovered he possessed such an over-spec healing ability, Danzo might drag him away to be sliced up for research.

He took a deep breath, pushing his inner ecstasy into the deepest part of his consciousness.

The two brats scrambled up, cursing. Seeing Takuma suddenly staring at his own hand with a blank expression, they felt a bit unnerved, threw out a few harsh words, and scurried away.

Naruto climbed up from the ground, dusted off his clothes, and flashed a toothy grin at Takuma: "Hey, you're pretty strong! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?"

"Mori Takuma."

Naruto tilted his head, clearly having no impression of the surname, but that didn't stop him from beaming: "Takuma! I'll remember you!"

Takuma turned to look at Hinata. The little girl with white pupils had stood up from the corner, clutching her sleeves, her cheeks flushed. Her gaze lingered on Naruto for a moment before she said in a voice as thin as a mosquito's: "Th... thank you both..."

With that, she ran off like a startled rabbit, nearly tripping as she exited the alley.

Takuma watched Hinata disappear at the alley entrance, sighing internally: So the young lady was this shy when she was little. You'd never guess she'd grow up to be a heroine who could stand in front of Pain and say, "I love you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto scratched the back of his head: "She runs really fast."

Takuma didn't respond, as he was checking a new line of small text on the system panel.

[The system does not provide a mission panel, does not issue mandatory tasks, does not gift a starter pack, and does not open a shop exchange function. Please decide your own life path, host.]

Takuma: "..."

Confirmed, this system was truly stingy.

However, drawing a legendary ability like the Wolverine Healing Factor right at the start provided him with some comfort amidst his complaints.

He took one last look at the system panel and was about to close it when his peripheral vision caught a tiny note at the very bottom, so small it was almost illegible.

[Current host identity information: Mori Takuma. Father: Mori Kazuki. Mother: Morimiya Yumi. The Mori clan was originally the Senju clan. After the death of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, clan members gradually changed their surnames and integrated into the civilian class of Konoha. Host has inherited the basic traits of the Senju bloodline: chakra reserves far exceeding peers, significant physical recovery talent, but does not possess the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.]

Takuma's footsteps faltered.

The Senju clan that founded Konoha, the Senju clan of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, who ended the Warring States period.

He was a descendant of the Senju clan.

Takuma shoved his hands into his pockets and walked along the stone path toward home. Behind him, Naruto's voice rang out, shouting, "Let's play together next time!" He didn't look back, just raised his right hand and waved casually.

He didn't know what would happen next; the original plot was still years away from officially unfolding. But he also knew this safety was temporary. The ninja world was never gentle; death and parting were the norm, and the shadow of war had never truly left this continent. The only thing he could do now was to take advantage of this relatively peaceful time to figure out his abilities, plan his future path, and then... survive.

Live long enough to witness those legendary scenes with his own eyes.

Takuma turned into an alley and stopped in front of the third house. A small sign hung on the wooden door, reading "Morimiya Bookstore," and warm yellow light spilled through the door crack.

He pushed the door open to find three pairs of shoes neatly arranged in the entryway.

"I'm home."

His mother's gentle voice came from inside: "Welcome back, Takuma. Wash your hands and get ready to eat."

Takuma took off his shoes, walked through the hallway piled with old books, and entered the brightly lit living room.

Steaming dishes were set on the table. His mother, Yumi, was wearing an apron and ladling soup, while his father, Kazuki, sat at the table reading the day's newspaper, his reading glasses perched on his nose—the perfect image of a bookstore owner in a time of peace.

Takuma sat at the table and took the rice bowl his mother handed him.

"Did you have fun playing outside today?" Yumi asked.

Takuma thought of the two brats he'd scared off, Naruto falling flat on his face, and Hinata running away with a blushing face.

"It was alright."

He picked up a mouthful of vegetables and stuffed them into his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

"Just a bit tired."