Where is this place? Why is it so dark? Why can't you move?
Hey?
Come here?
Let me out?
"Fourth Hokage, if you don't want your child to die, then leave here!"
Huh? Fourth Hokage? What?
What is this?
Why can't you speak up?
Clang!
So dizzy—stop spinning me!
Can't see anything?
"Hahaha! Come out, Nine-Tails!"
"Aaaaaaah!"
Nine-Tails? What? Screams? Why does it sound so miserable?
"Damn soul seal—I won't let you escape."
"Rasengan!"
Boom!
What is this again? Why is the shaking so violent!?
Rasengan?
Why does that feel so familiar?
"Damn you, Fourth Hokage! Do you still underestimate me!?"
"Don't think you can escape!"
Escape? Who's escaping? Who's even trying to run?
What's going on?
"No!!"
What do you want!?
Aaaaaaah!
It hurts—it's like something is forcing its way in!
What happened?!
Why can't I move?!
Why is it still so dark?
Let me out! I want to go out!
Let me out!
"Did it have to be like this?"
"I'm sorry. For the village... and for Naruto. Trust in our son."
Huh? Naruto? Fourth Hokage? Nine-Tails?
Could it be—!?
It hurts! It's so sad! What the hell is this!? Is that the Kyuubi? No, this—?
No way!
Let me out!!
It felt like a shock shaking the deepest part of my soul.
Like space itself was torn apart in an instant, and a blinding brilliance flashed across the sky.
It scattered the gloom.
And what came into view...
In that moment—
Was a burst of golden light and blood, twisted together.
As though the heavens themselves froze in time.
But it lasted only for a heartbeat.
Another immense force surged through, and once again, darkness swallowed the sky.
There was only a low, aching whimper left behind.
"I'm sorry... Naruto..."
And as the darkness consumed me again—
Only then did I realize I'd come to a world that defied everything I knew.
---
—Dividing Line—
Land of Fire, Konohagakure. Year 53.
This was the heart of the entire continent. As the most powerful village in the most prosperous of the Five Great Nations, the Hidden Leaf Village had long stood at the peak of shinobi power. After surviving three Great Ninja Wars and numerous calamities, Konoha's strength had been deeply eroded.
Yet even weakened, its deep roots and the backing of the Fire Daimyo preserved its symbolic supremacy among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
In such a peaceful and seemingly vibrant land—
There was a figure who stood apart from it all.
A blond-haired boy, about five years old, walked silently through Konoha's bustling main street. As he passed, villagers instinctively stepped away, their gazes filled with disdain, fear—and faint killing intent.
But the blond boy didn't react. He'd long since grown used to it. Keeping his head low, he took slow, measured steps toward his destination. After turning a corner, he arrived at a busy restaurant. The savory aroma from within made his stomach growl helplessly.
The boy crouched by the window, eyes unconsciously drawn to the dishes inside. Hunger reflected in the depths of his blue pupils.
At that moment—
The restaurant's owner noticed him. A dark gleam flickered in his eyes. Moments later, a rugged middle-aged man with a deep scar on his cheek emerged carrying a lunch box.
"Tch. This is for you. Take it—and get lost."
He hurled the lunch box hard at the boy.
It popped open on impact, spilling rice and side dishes across the ground.
The boy immediately knelt down, carefully gathering the spilled food back into the box. As he did, the middle-aged man's eyes filled with visible disgust and hatred.
If it weren't for the Third Hokage's direct orders to deliver food to the boy daily, the man would never have tolerated this. In fact, he might've attacked him outright. The killing intent rolling off him wasn't a joke—it was real.
"Damn monster... why didn't you die back then?"
Though muttered, the boy heard it clearly.
He flinched involuntarily, biting his lips.
Still, he lowered his head, clutched the salvaged lunch box tightly, and walked away. He slipped into the shadows of the village's alleys.
The blond boy deliberately avoided crowded areas.
Winding through narrow paths and back roads, he finally arrived at a decrepit apartment building. This was his home—on the third floor. Once, others had lived here. But ever since the Third Hokage had placed him here five years ago, the other residents moved out.
Now, he lived here alone.
He entered his small room and went straight to the kitchen. Standing on a wooden stool, he carefully sorted the food from the lunch box, picking out the pieces dirtied by dust, washing them clean, removing spoiled bits, and finally reheating the rest with practiced ease.
"This world... is awful. Has it really been five years since I came here? 'Uzumaki Naruto'... what a cruel joke of a name."
Staring at the food warming on the stove, the boy wore a bitter smirk that didn't belong on a child's face.
Yes—his name was Naruto Uzumaki.
But this Naruto wasn't just any child.
He carried the soul of someone from another world—someone who had lived more than two decades before awakening in this new body.
Who he was in that previous life didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was that on that fateful night five years ago, he awakened to the truth.
He was Naruto Uzumaki.
This was the Naruto world.
And as he came to grips with how brutal and unforgiving this world truly was—especially for someone like him—he couldn't even fake a smile. But still, he had to wear the mask of a cheerful, clueless child.
The mask of innocence.
Surrounded by hate, shunned by all, and constantly watched—
Naruto bore the crushing weight of loneliness for five long years.
He had read the manga in his previous life.
He knew Naruto's childhood had been harsh.
But even the manga never showed how truly cruel it was.