The rooster crowed before the sun crested the mountains.
Hamura awoke on a straw mattress in the worker's barracks, muscles aching from a body that still felt unfamiliar. Despite his young age—or perhaps because of it—the labor ahead was real. Grueling. Unforgiving.
A village elder handed him a wooden hoe and led him toward the terraced fields. "We till. We sow. We live," the man grunted. "Simple life."
Hamura spent the morning planting rows of grain seeds. His small hands struggled to keep up, dirt caking under his fingernails. As the sun rose, sweat beaded along his brow.
Then, the voice returned.
⮞ Notification: Host is located in the Naruto World.⮞ Era: Pre-Chakra Age.⮞ Reason for absence of chakra: The Sage of Six Paths has not yet spread chakra to humanity.
"What?" Hamura muttered aloud, blinking in confusion. "So people don't have chakra yet… because my brother hasn't shared it?"
⮞ Affirmative. Your brother, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, has yet to begin his journey.
Hamura sat back on his heels, his mind reeling. He was truly in the past—a time when chakra was unknown. No ninjas. No Hidden Villages. Just struggling farmers and wandering survivors.
⮞ Daily Quest Generated: Foundation of Power – 100 squats – 100 sit-ups – 100 push-ups – 1 km run Reward: +1 to all base stats and increased system synchronization
"Of course," Hamura muttered with a nostalgic sigh. "Anime logic."
For a moment, he thought of his old life. That dull office. Cold fluorescent lights. The cheap whiskey with Taji. The stabbing. The slow bleed into death.
Was this world… his second chance?
He stood up in the field. "Guess I've got a quest to do."
After finishing a row of seeds, Hamura started on squats between furrows. The old farmer watched with confusion.
"You tryin' to crack your legs off, boy?"
"Training," Hamura grunted through clenched teeth.
He powered through 100 squats. Then, he dropped into sit-ups right next to the planted rows. Push-ups followed in a shaded corner. Once done, he took off running down the village path, earning a few amused glances from passing villagers.
When he finally finished, the system chimed.
⮞ Daily Quest Complete +1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 CON, +1 VIT System Sync: 3%
Hamura wiped his brow with his sleeve and grinned. "Not bad."
As evening approached, he wandered to the town's small bar—a single-room building where adults gathered around a stone hearth, drinking fermented plum wine and exchanging stories.
Chiaki was there, chatting with a gray-haired merchant and a blacksmith with arms like tree trunks.
"Hey, kid," the blacksmith grunted, waving him over. "You heard about the stone?"
Hamura blinked. "What stone?"
"A big one fell from the sky yesterday," said the merchant. "Blue, glowing like fire."
"Nearly crushed Taro's cows," Chiaki added. "They say it's still warm."
"They're calling it the Stone of Gelel," the blacksmith said, voice low with wonder. "We've never seen anything like it. Maybe it's a sign from the gods."
Hamura's pulse quickened. Gelel… That sounded familiar.
"Where is it now?" he asked.
"Near the cliffs, in the east woods. But stay away," the merchant warned. "Strange things happen near it. Like voices. Whispers."
Hamura's eyes narrowed. That wasn't just a sign—it was opportunity. The Stone of Gelel was powerful, legendary. In his past life, it was part of a forgotten Naruto filler arc. But here, it might be his path forward.
As the villagers resumed their talk, Hamura sipped from a cup of water and stared into the fire. A world without chakra. A legendary stone. A system that wanted to turn him into the First Spinjitzu Master.
He might be ten years old.
But destiny, it seemed, didn't care about age.
And tomorrow… he would visit the stone.