Youth Arc: Error

[Warning, warning, teleportation coordinates incorrect, suspected interference by an unknown entity]

[Teleportation interference by an unknown entity confirmed. Beginning correction]

[Correction complete. A different [Player]'s piece has now been teleported]

[Correction confirmed complete]

When I regained consciousness and opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by a forest... But hadn't I been on the battlefield?

I scanned the area. Other than tall, straight trees and the occasional moss-covered rock, there was nothing.

"Holy shit, where the fuck did this little bastard send me? Is this even still in the country?"

Yeah, obviously this wasn't the Land of Fire. I remembered the ground beneath my feet glowing, and then...

Hey, hey, I'd only just started wondering about the meaning of my existence, and now this happened? Why send me to a place like this?

[Lord Qingyue!]

That was... God's voice! Hill was back!

[Teacher Hill, where have you been all this time? And what exactly is going on?!]

Like I'd grabbed hold of my only lifeline, I hoped Hill could give me an answer.

If someone got teleported in the Naruto world, either I'd been hit by some kind of space-time ninjutsu, or... the person who'd sent me to this world was up to something.

[Lord Qingyue, I'm sorry I was only able to contact you now. Until just moments ago, our connection had been continuously blocked. You were forcibly teleported by the Power of Fate, but because of my interference, the destination was slightly displaced.]

Wait, wait, that was a lot to take in. What did she mean, forcibly teleported?

[I imagine it will be difficult for you to understand right away, Lord Qingyue, but due to authority restrictions, I cannot reveal the entire matter. Please forgive me.]

It seemed my reincarnation into this world was far more complicated than I'd imagined. Hill probably had superiors, and one of them had forcibly teleported me here so I could encounter something. But Hill had interfered, causing the destination to deviate.

If that was the case, they should have teleported me again. Since they hadn't interfered further, that meant things hadn't strayed too far from their intended course.

[Teacher Hill, are there other reincarnators in this world besides me?]

Actually, I was already certain there had to be others. I'd never believed I was the only one chosen for such a lucky opportunity.

[Yes.]

Just as I thought.

[Then can you tell me what identity the other reincarnator has in this world?]

Hopefully it wasn't someone like Madara Uchiha. Otherwise, this would be seriously hard to play.

[I'm sorry, Lord Qingyue. I truly apologize, but I can only speak of such matters if I possess the highest authority. Otherwise, our connection will be blocked.]

She was allowed to tell me other reincarnators existed, but not who they were. What a nasty temperament.

Hill had never mentioned this sort of thing before. Either she wasn't on my side, or she'd been restricted all along.

I wanted to believe the latter. Hill had always encouraged and pushed me forward. I didn't want to think of her as a bad person.

Then a bold thought suddenly came to mind. Alter history, and immediately gain the Power of Fate...

This setup was like saving gold in a game, then using it to buy upgrades. There were even benefit packs handed out after a certain amount of time, not to mention the huge gift pack you got just for logging into this world...

No, once I start thinking like this, I won't be able to stop.

It was like some foul-tempered person had picked out several souls, casually stuffed them into this world, and made them play a game together.

Forget it. There was no point thinking about this.

So far, I had no way to resist them. All I could do was proceed carefully and stay on guard against these teleportation interferences that could happen anytime, anywhere.

And right now, I should probably comfort Hill.

She had seemed rather downcast while answering my questions. Maybe it was because she couldn't answer them, or maybe because she could only watch me fall into danger without having any way to solve it.

Maybe that was a little presumptuous of me, but after spending so long together, Hill had never acted like this. Even when I couldn't bring myself to leave the house, she had calmly pulled me up and given me a push.

[It's okay, Teacher Hill. I'll clear the shitty stage they set up as soon as possible, then return to Konoha.]

[Lord Qingyue... I'm sorry. This is all my fault.]

[No, Teacher Hill has already helped me so much. Without you, I couldn't have come this far in this world.]

Facing a new challenge at a time like this made the world even more interesting, but I didn't really like these interesting developments.

As I wandered around, Hill and I compared information in my mind, trying to figure out the current situation.

[By the way, Teacher Hill, on the day I enrolled, I think I saw you take human form and hold my hand as we left together. But no one else seemed able to see you. What was that about?]

Her long blue-and-white hair was tied behind her head into twin braided tails, and her aqua-blue eyes were like gemstones—impossible to look away from, yet embarrassing to meet directly.

She was small and short. I'd been around 178 centimeters tall in my previous life, and she probably only reached my chin.

Despite being so petite, she gave off a mature air that made her seem both adorable and worthy of respect.

She wore a white shawl, a water-blue shirt-style top with white sleeves designed to look like layered clothing, a black lace-trimmed pleated skirt that stopped above her knees, and white boots.

That figure had pulled me out of the house and into the academy. One glimpse had been enough to make her unforgettable.

[Well... I'm sorry I never told you before, Lord Qingyue. Actually, I have a physical body.]

A physical body! That was truly incredible information. It meant Hill could appear in this world as a person.

As for how to make her appear in this world, it probably required exchanging the Power of Fate.

[Then what do I need to do to bring you to my side, Teacher Hill?]

I asked just in case. At least that would give me a general direction.

Judging from the time Hill possessed me and used Water Saint-level magic, she should have considerable combat ability.

If I were merely following the original plot, I might not have considered such things. But now that I had new problems, I needed to pay attention to them.

Putting all that aside, I also really wanted to meet Hill. After all, she was the teacher I respected most.

[You only need to exchange the Power of Fate, but it requires a great deal of it. It may be strange for me to say this myself, but exchanging for my appearance is not very cost-effective. Please think carefully before making your decision, Lord Qingyue.]

[Don't say that, Teacher Hill. You're an important teacher to me. You're the one who has spent the longest time with me in this world. If I get the chance to bring you here, I'll definitely do it!]

Was it my imagination? Hill seemed to have fallen silent for a long time again, not answering me.

[Teacher Hill?]

[Hm? Wh-what is it, Lord Qingyue...?]

Huh? Why was Hill stammering?

[It's nothing. You suddenly stopped replying, so I thought our connection had been cut off again.]

[I'm sorry to worry you, Lord Qingyue. I was merely handling some information just now, so I couldn't reply in time.]

[Is that so? Then that's good.]

Before I knew it, I had walked out of the dense forest and reached the foot of a mountain.

The trees were no longer as dense here, and there was even a small stream. The sun was nearly setting too, so I decided to rest here for the night.

With that thought, I came to the entrance of a cave. It was neither too large nor too small, just right for spending the night.

The moment I stepped into the cave, I suddenly sensed human presences. Then several beast-like growls reached my ears.

As I walked deeper inside, I saw a... girl? She was sprawled on the ground, covered in mud, with a head of bright red hair.