Darkness, warmth, drifting.
Those were all Ling initially perceived.
He seemed to have slept for a very, very long time, so long that time had lost all meaning. Deep within his soul, something lay tightly wrapped, like a butterfly yet to emerge from its cocoon, slowly taking shape amid the chaos.
Occasionally, cold, scattered "fragments," imbued with a powerful sense of order, slipped into that chaos.
[...Chakra pathways beginning to take shape... stability far beyond that of an ordinary infant...]
[...An exceptionally resilient soul... interesting...]
[...A natural affinity for the water element... almost instinctive... is this... "Pure Water"? Could it be an extreme manifestation of that surviving Yuki bloodline?]
These fragments were like soundless whispers. Rather than reaching him through his ears, they echoed directly in the depths of his still-dormant consciousness. Cold, rational, and utterly devoid of emotion, they nevertheless brought a strange, steadying strength, nourishing his fragile soul and making it increasingly substantial.
Sounds and sensations from the outside world occasionally filtered through in a blur: a woman's soft murmurs, jolting movement, damp air, and... an overwhelming reek of blood and sense of despair. Finally came endless travel, followed by a relatively peaceful place filled with the cries and clamor of many children.
He instinctively absorbed everything, his soul gradually growing stronger, nourished by the chaos and those cold fragments.
Until one day-
It was as though a final drop had filled a vessel to the brim, or the light of dawn had pierced the last veil of night.
Ling abruptly "woke."
Not physically, but with complete clarity of consciousness.
Memories of his previous life burst into his mind like a flood breaking through a dam: towering buildings, bustling traffic, the joys and sorrows of another world... and a story called "Naruto."
Immediately afterward came the hazy impressions of three years in this life: wandering from place to place, his mother's warm embrace and eventual cold stillness, being carried across mountains and seas, and finally being left somewhere bearing a sign that read "Konoha Orphanage."
The sheer volume of information froze his little body. His obsidian-black eyes widened as he stared at the orphanage's slightly shabby ceiling, trying to process everything that had happened.
I... crossed into another world? Became a child at the Konoha Orphanage? And it seems to have started at birth? I've only truly "woken up" now?
[Oh? Fully awake at last? Considerably earlier than expected. It seems the resilience of a soul from another world, combined with my nourishment over these past three years, has produced better results than anticipated.]
That cold, rational voice, already intimately familiar from three years of whispers amid the chaos, sounded directly in the depths of his mind again. This time, it was perfectly clear, no longer merely fragmented information.
Ling jolted, his little hands instinctively clutching the thin blanket covering him.
That voice! It was the source of those cold fragments he had heard in his sleep!
"Who are you?" he asked inwardly, startled and uncertain.
[Hmph. Asleep for three years, and only now do you think to ask?] There was a hint of mockery in the voice. [I am Tobirama Senju. As for why I am here, entangled with a child like you, I would very much like an answer myself.]
Tobirama Senju?! The Second Hokage?!
Ling's heart raced. Even though he had already suspected it, the confirmation still stunned him. Hadn't this man died at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku long ago, his soul resting in the Netherworld? How could he...
[To be precise, I am not whole.] Tobirama's voice seemed capable of seeing through his thoughts as he spoke coldly. [I am merely a fragment attached to your soul for reasons unknown. I have been here since you were born in that little village on the border of the Land of Water and gave your first cry.]
The border of the Land of Water? A little village?
Ling tried hard to remember, but all he could recall were vague images mingling warmth and bloodshed.
[It seems your mind was not yet awake then, leaving your memories incomplete,] Tobirama said dispassionately. [Very well. There is no harm in telling you. The person who brought you to Konoha called your mother "Rin." She seemed to sense an approaching disaster and entrusted you, still in swaddling clothes, to a destitute Wandering Ninja. She spent all her savings asking him to take you to Konoha, the strongest shinobi village, to seek protection. She stayed behind to hold off the pursuit.]
[That woman... your mother, possessed the rare Ice Release kekkei genkai. Although she deliberately concealed it, the nature of her power could not escape my perception. When she looked at you before parting, her eyes held resolve and hope. As for her pursuers, their ninjutsu bore the hallmarks of the Kirigakure Anbu.]
[That Wandering Ninja did at least keep his word. He evaded pursuit along the way, crossed the Land of Fire, and finally delivered you to the gates of the Konoha Orphanage. Then his old injuries flared up, and the hardships of the journey exhausted him. He died there. Hmph. It is difficult for the weak to survive in this world.]
In the calmest of tones, Tobirama recounted the cruelty and wandering that had marked Ling's first three years in this world.
Mother... a surviving child of the Yuki bloodline... pursuit by the Kirigakure Anbu... the Wandering Ninja's death... the Konoha Orphanage...
It was an enormous amount of information, difficult for Ling to digest when his memories of his previous life had only just awakened. His little face grew slightly pale. He had certainly been given a rough start.
[There is no need for that expression.] Tobirama's voice remained cold. [Grief and fear are meaningless. You survived, and you possess a starting point far beyond that of ordinary people-my guidance, and the "absolute Pure Water" constitution you inherited from your mother. That is what you should focus on.]
[Starting today, your training will begin ahead of schedule. First, learn to sense and control the chakra within your body. If you cannot manage even that, you deserve neither this talent nor knowledge of further secrets.]
Ling drew a deep breath, suppressing his churning emotions.
That's right. Now that I remember Naruto's story, I know how dangerous this world will become. Mourning the past is useless, and so is fearing the future. Only strength truly matters.
And now, he seemed to have one of the world's finest mentors-even if only a fragment-as well as extraordinary potential.
He looked at his tiny palms, a glimmer of resolve flashing through his eyes.
"What should I do, Tobirama... Sensei?"
The voice in his mind seemed to pause for a moment, then gave a snort.
[...A little sharper than you look, at least. First, close your eyes. Sense the flow of energy within your body and follow my guidance...]
Outside the window, warm sunlight shone over Konoha.
No one knew that within a three-year-old child in this ordinary orphanage, a soul from another world had awakened, and a master of the shinobi world who should have been resting in death had officially begun honing his sole disciple.
Here, the first page of a new story began to turn.
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