Amid the ruins.
Uchiha Hui stood atop a two-story building, looking over his surroundings with lingering confusion and bewilderment in his eyes.
A few hours earlier, just last night, he had gone from an incoming college student to a ninja.
This was the world of Naruto.
Unfortunately, he was now an Uchiha ninja.
Worse still, before he arrived in this world, Konoha had suffered a catastrophic attack—the prologue to the anime's story, the Nine-Tails' Rampage that Konoha would rather never mention!
Just great!
As if landing in the world of Naruto, where even little kids could be sent to war, wasn't bad enough, I got the worst possible start: an Uchiha, right after the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
What else was there to say?
Just wait to die!
There were probably only six or seven years left before that great philanthropist Itachi wiped out the clan. If I ran now... maybe there was still time?
"Hui!"
As Uchiha Hui pondered, a voice came from the distance. He turned to see a black-haired ninja wearing a flak jacket like his own. Judging by the "ping-pong paddle" on the man's clothes, he was also a member of the Uchiha Clan.
What was his name again?
Uchiha Hui had not inherited all of his predecessor's memories. Only a few scattered fragments remained in his mind, with his name and age among the few things he knew.
"The clan head has ordered every clan member to return to the compound immediately. There's an emergency meeting!"
The newcomer stopped a short distance from Uchiha Hui, looking a little puzzled. He seemed unsure why Hui had left the compound so early in the morning. Had he come just to look at Konoha's devastation?
Everything last night had happened far too suddenly. The legendary strongest tailed beast had appeared in Konoha without warning and begun rampaging. Yet despite being members of the police force, they had been ordered by the village leadership not to leave their compound. The higher-ups had even sent Anbu to keep watch over them.
"Understood."
Uchiha Hui nodded in response.
As they spoke, he finally found the man's face among his remaining memories. Uchiha Tekka had recently been promoted to Jonin and was a powerful ninja. Like most Uchiha ninja, he also had the temper to match.
"Mm."
Uchiha Tekka gave a slight nod, showing little dissatisfaction with Hui's reaction.
Although Hui was only a mediocre Chunin and would apparently never amount to anything more, his older brother was Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan.
Even if the two brothers did not seem to get along very well.
That connection still gave Uchiha Hui standing within the clan equal to that of an ordinary Jonin.
Uchiha Tekka quickly darted away. Judging by his direction, he was heading straight back to the compound.
Watching Tekka leave, Uchiha Hui considered for a moment before setting off himself, stepping over the surrounding broken walls as he hurried after him.
Although he was already considering leaving Konoha, he still had to act normally and keep anyone from noticing. Otherwise, he would be in trouble!
The Uchiha had enormous potential.
But Uchiha Hui did not believe he could become a figure who stood above the Shinobi World through talent and hard work like a certain filial son or Uchiha Sasuke. He was just an ordinary person. Better to escape the conflict and live an ordinary life in some remote corner of the Shinobi World.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Uchiha Hui stopped in his tracks. He landed on a patch of rubble below and covered his eyes with one hand as waves of stabbing pain assailed his brain.
What's happening?!
Uchiha Hui had no idea what was going on. Soon, the pain began to fade. When he opened his eyes again, he found that the world had not changed at all. It seemed to have been nothing more than phantom pain, or perhaps someone had caught him in a genjutsu...
But something did seem different.
His gaze fell on a ninja nearby who was clearing away a collapsed building.
-- Name: Hirano Dachun Identity: Genin of Konohagakure, Land of Fire Reputation: 455 points Relationship: Dislike --
What's this?
My cheat ability?
Uchiha Hui stared in surprise at the simple panel that had appeared in his field of vision. Soon, understanding dawned on his face. Of course a transmigrator had to have a cheat, especially one who had become an Uchiha ninja after the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
After briefly taking it all in,
Uchiha Hui managed to work out some of his cheat's functions and how to use them.
First, its most basic function was what he had seen upon its activation. It could perform what amounted to a reconnaissance scan on anyone he looked at, revealing their name, identity, and even their relationship with Uchiha Hui.
Clearly, this ninja named Hirano Dachun was not fond of him. There was no way Hui could miss that glaring "Dislike."
But seriously.
Who the hell are you to dislike me?!
Do I even know you?!
Fuck!
Uchiha Hui cast a disdainful glance at the busy ninja, then set off again. As he moved, his attention returned to "Reputation."
Reputation was an indicator of strength. The higher it was, the more likely a person was to be powerful and hold a high position.
Of course, reputation did not correspond perfectly to strength. Sometimes, the boost from a person's status could make it highly misleading.
Uchiha Hui quickly looked down at his own hand.
-- Name: Uchiha Hui Identity: Chunin of the Uchiha Clan, Konohagakure, Land of Fire Reputation: 878 points --
Logically, as a Chunin, Uchiha Hui should have had a reputation of at least a little over a thousand. Yet unexpectedly, he was still some distance from that threshold, only slightly higher than that random ninja from earlier.
That was downright insulting!
After a brief bout of irritation, Uchiha Hui calmed down. He had his cheat now, so he would surely grow stronger in the future. There was no reason to get upset over something so trivial.
Once he had adjusted his mood, Uchiha Hui turned his attention to the "system's temporary storage." Inside was a chest that appeared to be made of refined iron. From the information he had received, this was his "starter pack," the first gift from his cheat.
"Open it right now!"
Uchiha Hui did not hesitate. He felt deeply insecure right now, so he eagerly welcomed anything that could increase his strength. He could not wait another second.
As his intent was conveyed,
the refined iron chest slowly opened, spilling out an enticing glow, just like opening a loot box in a game.
Hopefully the drop rates won't be as predatory as those in a certain gambling game.
The thought flashed through Uchiha Hui's mind. Then he realized that opening this chest had not required a key. Even if he got no gold or purple drops, he would not really be losing much, would he?
Reassuring himself,
Uchiha Hui soon reached the edge of the clan compound. At that moment, the refined iron chest in his mind finally opened all the way.
Light burst out, filling his vision with a soft purple-gold glow.
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