Chapter 1

Year 29 of Konoha.

In a spacious courtyard in the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Whew-"

Six-year-old Uchiha Xunjing abruptly opened his eyes and sat up on the bed.

His small, thin body was still trembling, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

He had finally refined his first wisp of chakra just now.

But immediately afterward, his mind seemed to explode as a flood of strange images poured into it.

Those images felt both familiar and foreign.

There were skyscrapers, cars, planes, and all kinds of fragmented memories.

"What's happening to me...?"

The little boy stared blankly at his chubby hands, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

Had he transmigrated?

And only now remembered his previous life?

Even crazier, had he actually ended up in the Naruto World?

Once he had sorted through his memories of his previous life, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Host's contact with supernatural power detected. Memories of the previous life successfully awakened.]

[Talents awakened: Space-Time Gate, heaven rewards hard work.]

Immediately afterward, two streams of information poured straight into his mind.

Two things appeared in his mind at the same time.

One resembled a door, radiating a mysterious light.

The other resembled a twelve-sided crystal, floating steadily in place.

"Hiss-"

Xunjing sucked in a sharp breath.

His eyes shone with startling brightness.

"Cheats?"

He pinched his thigh hard.

It hurt.

This was real.

He could use [Space-Time Gate] right now.

It started with a small intermediary world spanning ten kilometers.

Most importantly-it could lead to the Pirate World!

He could not help breaking into a grin.

Now he'd hit the jackpot.

Uchiha Xunjing quickly worked it out in his head-anyone whose affection for him reached eighty points would automatically be bound to his Space-Time Gate talent, allowing them to travel freely between the two worlds from then on.

Of course, ultimate control would remain firmly in his own hands.

And once someone was bound, their affection for him could never fall below eighty. More importantly, nobody could reveal anything about the Space-Time Gate without his permission.

That effectively shut off every avenue for betrayal.

If anyone actually dared turn against him, their fate would be simple-all memories and benefits related to the Space-Time Gate would be wiped away completely.

(Affection levels: 0-9 meant strangers, 10-29 meant friendly, 30-59 meant good friends, 60-79 meant confidants, 80-89 meant close friends, 90-99 meant friends who would face life and death together, and 100 meant following him even into death.)

Then there was his other talent-heaven rewards hard work.

Its meaning was straightforward: whatever he did, as long as he was training, he would gain something. Once he reached the peak, he could even trigger an epiphany and suddenly develop stronger arts, skills, ninjutsu, and the like.

The more preparation he made before an epiphany, and the more related knowledge he possessed, the more powerful the result would be.

"All right. With these two talents, I finally have something to look forward to."

"Otherwise, with this sickly body's congenital weakness and my identity as a member of the Uchiha Clan, I could die someday without even knowing what happened."

After getting to the bottom of both talents, Uchiha Xunjing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With a thought, an attribute panel that only he could see popped up-an interface his heaven rewards hard work talent had automatically generated based on his preferences.

Simply put, the panel itself was just another manifestation of his talent.

[Uchiha Xunjing]

[Talents]: Space-Time Gate, heaven rewards hard work

[Remaining lifespan]: 6 months

[Chakra nature]: Water, wind, fire, earth, yin

[Skills]: Uchiha Chakra Refinement Technique (1/100, beginner), traditional Chinese medicine (2314/10,000, proficient), Life-Nourishing Art (1/5000, minor accomplishment)

[Skill proficiency ranks]: Beginner, practiced, proficient, minor accomplishment, great accomplishment, perfection...

"Half a year?"

At the sight of the lifespan field, the joy on Uchiha Xunjing's face froze, and his brows knotted tightly.

"I knew this body was in bad shape, but I never imagined it was this bad."

"Looks like my first priority is finding a way to restore my health and extend my life. Otherwise, no matter how good my talents are, I won't live long enough to use them."

At that thought, his gaze settled on the entries in the skill field.

Aside from the Chakra Refinement Technique, traditional Chinese medicine and the Life-Nourishing Art were clearly memories carried over from his previous life.

In fact, he had held a doctorate in traditional Chinese medicine in his previous life, but he had also suffered from a terminal illness. He had kept himself going with his medical knowledge and the Life-Nourishing Art, yet he still had not made it to thirty.

Uchiha Xunjing sat cross-legged on the bed, fully aware that surviving this long already meant heaven had shown him mercy.

In his previous life, he had not even made it to twenty.

The Life-Nourishing Art had certainly proved useful. After awakening his memories of his previous life, insights into the art's minor accomplishment stage had appeared in his mind out of nowhere. They were only experience and understanding, though; he still had to do the training himself.

"I wonder if this art will work in this world."

He got to his feet and slowly assumed a stance, following the movements in his memory.

After completing one set of the Life-Nourishing Art, a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his breathing had grown a little heavier. Yet the heaviness throughout his body seemed to have eased slightly.

Was it just his imagination?

[Completed one session of the Life-Nourishing Art. Proficiency +1, lifespan +1 day.]

A notification popped up directly on the panel.

"It really works?"

Uchiha Xunjing's eyes lit up. Staring at the extra day of life in his attributes, he could not suppress his smile.

One session added one day. If he practiced several times a day, wouldn't his lifespan shoot right up?

Even if he only gained one day a day, he wouldn't have to worry about running out of time for now.

He let out a long breath and rolled his aching shoulders, his mind beginning to work-he could set the lifespan problem aside for now. Next, he needed to use his medical knowledge and combine the medical resources of both worlds to thoroughly restore his body's foundations.

If he did not resolve his congenital weakness, getting stronger would be nothing but a dream.

At that thought, he remembered this body's mother-Uchiha Chisato.

The grand elder of the Uchiha Clan.

Yes, she was the woman who had created the forbidden technique Izanami.

People online in his previous life had argued endlessly about her. Some said she had been born during the Warring States Era, while others said she had only appeared after Konoha was founded. Now it seemed that, at least in this world, she had lived past Konoha's founding.

But her health was not good either.

She had been getting worse over the past few years, especially noticeably over the last six months.

In Xunjing's judgment, unless he intervened soon, the mother he had inherited might not last much longer.

That wouldn't do.

If he wanted to change the Uchiha Clan's fate, he would need Jiri's support.

Moreover, if he wanted to gain a foothold in the Pirate World, he would need this powerhouse to watch his back during the early stages.

With his current sickly body, going to the Pirate World to seize resources? He probably couldn't even keep himself alive.

Uchiha Chisato's heart softened as she gazed tenderly at Xunjing. Eighty points of affection was already rare enough, but when it came to his own mother, there was nothing to worry about.

Maybe Sister Mikoto was a sure thing too.

Xunjing considered teaching his mother the Life-Nourishing Art later, though he did not know whether it could restore her health. If it truly failed, he could always take her to the Pirate World to find a renowned doctor. That old woman named Dr. Kureha ought to have some skill.

But the most pressing matter right now was to talk everything through with his mother.

He took a deep breath, pushed open his bedroom door, and walked into the living room.

Uchiha Chisato was sitting there, as if she had been waiting all along. When she saw her son emerge, her face immediately blossomed into a smile, her voice as soft as melted sugar. "Out already? Well done. You successfully refined chakra."

With her strength, she could see through the faint fluctuations of chakra inside Xunjing at a glance.

She was genuinely happy for her son.