The sun shone brightly. Spring blossoms bloomed, and the streets of Konoha were filled with laughter and liveliness. Friends greeted each other warmly, and children chased each other through the streets in carefree games.
Merchants loudly advertised their goods, their stalls bustling with activity. The whole village radiated peace and harmony—a place anyone would think was wonderful to live in. But Ye Han didn't see it that way.
He knew the darkness hidden beneath this peaceful surface. It was absurd to him. After all, this was the world of Naruto—a manga that began serialization in 1999 and was still ongoing in 2014, spanning fifteen years.
When Ye Han was still a student in his original world, he loved manga, anime, and games. Naruto was world-famous, and naturally, he had read it too. Back then, he had daydreamed about punching Uchiha Madara and kicking the Ten-Tails into oblivion. But now, after somehow waking up in this world, he realized it was far more dangerous than he ever imagined. This was no longer just a story.
What confused him even more was his current appearance. He had become a child again. Though the thought crossed his mind briefly, it was quickly overwhelmed by another realization. This wasn't some casual isekai (other-world) story. This was Naruto's world—full of brutal deaths, shinobi wars, and god-like threats.
And worst of all, he was now part of the Uchiha clan.
His full name was Uchiha Ye Han—a distant, almost forgotten branch of the Uchiha family. His lineage was so diluted that the probability of awakening the Sharingan was practically zero. Throughout his life, Ye Han had rarely even seen his own relatives.
Yet, as an Uchiha, even from a distant branch, he was still considered part of Konoha's noble class. His parents had died in the previous war, and the village had provided him with a house and a basic stipend to live on. On the surface, everything seemed fine.
But Ye Han wanted nothing more than to leave this place.
Don't tell him that knowing the story is some kind of cheat. He was currently a four or five-year-old kid! Knowing the story didn't mean he could survive in it. He wasn't sick enough to test whether awakening the Sharingan by suffering trauma would really work—he wasn't about to go find someone to kill his parents, not that it mattered since they were already dead in this world.
What terrified him the most was this: right now, the Uchiha clan was still intact. In a few years, they would all be massacred by Itachi Uchiha. And before that? He could easily end up caught between the schemes of Danzo, Orochimaru, or even be targeted by rogue ninjas. This world was simply too dangerous.
But perhaps fate pitied him.
A strange, almost miraculous power had crossed over with him—a System Mall.
It wasn't some overpowered, world-breaking cheat. It had no tutorial and no explanation. It simply existed within him from the moment he woke up here. Ye Han recognized it immediately—it resembled the cash shops from the online games he used to play in his original world.
In those games, no matter how skilled you were, the wealthiest players could always dominate by spending money. The strongest "pay-to-win" players could crush anyone, stacking stat-boosting items and potions, wielding weapons others couldn't even afford to look at.
Ye Han still remembered the despair when he was outclassed in one of those games by a player who bought a single rare upgrade stone worth hundreds of dollars. His painstaking effort was rendered worthless. In anger, he had rage-quit and uninstalled the game, swearing never to touch such pay-to-win games again.
But right before he uninstalled, a strange message box had popped up:
"Do you wish to understand the meaning of life? Do you want great power? Do you desire everything?"
He hadn't paid attention back then. He clicked "Yes" without hesitation.
That was the last thing he remembered before waking up here.
Now, the System Mall existed within him, though it was mostly grayed out and inaccessible. He had no idea when or how he could unlock its features.
"When can I start using the exchange function?" Ye Han sighed as he lay on the rooftop, staring at the clear sky. The most painful thing in the world wasn't death—it was knowing that you had power but couldn't use it.
Suddenly, a voice called from below.
"Ye Han! Come play with us!"
It was a little girl's voice—young and sweet.
Her name was Hinata Hyuga.
She was cute and kind, already showing signs of awakening her Byakugan. In the future, she would grow into a powerful kunoichi, stronger than Ye Han could ever hope to be right now. Though she was still just a child, Ye Han couldn't help but think, She's going to be stunning when she grows up… but no, I'm not that kind of person!
Besides, playing with children was not something he found exciting—but since he was now one of them, he couldn't avoid it.
"Yeah! Ye Han, come down! We're playing ninja games!"
"I'm coming!" Ye Han called back as he stood up and jumped cleanly from the rooftop, landing steadily on the ground.
"Whoa! That's amazing, Ye Han! You jumped from so high!" one of the boys gasped.
Ye Han felt a small sense of pride rise in him. It had been a long time since someone looked at him with such admiration. He casually rubbed his nose, pretending to be humble. "That's nothing. Real ninja can run on walls and jump even higher. You'll all be able to do this too one day."
After arriving in this world, Ye Han knew he couldn't just sit around. The world of Naruto was too dangerous. To survive, he had to get stronger. Over the past six months, he had trained his body relentlessly. What he could do now wasn't extraordinary by ninja standards, but for a child his age, it was impressive.
"I want to work hard like Ye Han and become a great ninja one day!" one of the boys declared.
"I want to be an amazing kunoichi like Lady Tsunade!" Hinata added enthusiastically.
"I'm going to be Hokage!" another child shouted.
The group of children eagerly shared their dreams of becoming strong shinobi. Ye Han just smiled quietly, listening to them. In this world, the ninja profession was everything. Almost every child aspired to it, just like children in his previous world dreamed of becoming rich or famous.
But Ye Han knew too well: without talent, bloodline, or destiny, these dreams were mostly illusions. Not everyone could become a hero.
"Ye Han, what should we practice today?" Hinata asked.
Ye Han often led their training games. Even though it was just child's play, he made sure they took it seriously.
"Let's practice shuriken throwing today." He demonstrated the correct hand position for holding a shuriken.
Shurikenjutsu wasn't the strongest skill in the ninja world, but it didn't require hand signs and was essential for all ninja.
They moved to the woods and set up makeshift targets on the trees. One by one, the children took turns throwing shuriken, trying to hit the center. Villagers who passed by would sometimes stop to watch proudly—these were their children, the future of Konoha.
After the session, the kids collapsed on the grass, exhausted. Ye Han also sat down to rest. He wasn't a training fanatic; he just wanted to stay alive in this dangerous world.
"Ye Han, tomorrow we're going to the Ninja Academy! You'll come too, right?" Hinata asked.
"Of course, we'll go together and learn to become strong ninja," Ye Han replied.
The other kids cheered, excited about their new journey.
Some, like one younger boy, were still too young to enroll. "I have to wait another year before I can join…" he pouted.
"Don't worry, time flies. You'll catch up to us soon."
That evening, the children all returned to their homes. Ye Han walked back to his own house—a small, empty place provided by the village. Though it felt a little cold, he had come to enjoy the solitude.
Tomorrow, he would enter the Ninja Academy.
He didn't know what awaited him, but he had made up his mind.
Standing in front of his mirror, Ye Han looked at his reflection—short black hair, fair skin, wearing the Uchiha clan's signature fan symbol on his back. Despite everything, he looked like an ordinary, handsome kid with decent potential.
After breakfast the next morning, Ye Han joined the stream of parents and children walking toward the Ninja Academy, ready to take his first step in this world.