Year 30 of Konoha, Spring.
On a training ground at the village outskirts, two figures darted and twisted in rapid motion. They were locked in a sword duel.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Their blades met with explosive force, sparks flying as metallic echoes rang through the air.
What was surprising was that though both were Genin, their ages were separated by more than two decades—
One was just fourteen years old, the other forty.
Throughout the match, the older man in his forties maintained the upper hand. In contrast, his young opponent—barely into his teens—seemed to be retreating step by step.
"Heiyan, let's stop here for today."
At this moment, the middle-aged man took a step back and sheathed his blade.
His left eye was covered with bandages. Over a black mesh shirt, he wore a blue vest. A large black wok hung on his back, and from behind his left shoulder protruded a metal spatula and several wooden chopsticks.
His name was Kosuke Maruboshi—a lifelong Genin of Konoha's very first generation. Once a disciple of both The Second and The Third Hokage, he had voluntarily turned down the chance to be promoted to Jonin. Unknown to most, he was a quiet but formidable expert.
And above all—he was the boy's mentor.
"Heiyan, I know you've lost someone dear and are feeling unbearable grief. But you shouldn't release your pain like this. Your body… won't be able to take it."
Kosuke Maruboshi gazed at the boy and spoke sincerely, his eyes filled with compassion and sorrow.
Standing across from him, the boy named Heiyan made one thing clear—
Too thin. Way too thin.
He was nothing but skin and bones. His eyes were sunken deep into their sockets, and his cheekbones jutted out like sharp ridges. He looked practically starved. Combined with his short white hair, he seemed to be suffering from some kind of illness.
The grueling sparring session had already soaked him in sweat, his breath ragged, like a broken accordion wheezing for air.
"Teacher Kosuke, I understand..."
Heiyan strained to prop himself up with his ninja sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand, forcing a weak smile. "Thank you for taking time to train with me."
"Let me walk you home."
"No need. I can manage on my own."
When Heiyan insisted, Kosuke Maruboshi could only watch helplessly as the boy dragged his exhausted body away from the training field.
"Sigh..."
Maruboshi shook his head and exhaled heavily.
...
Ichiraku Street (Konoha's Main Boulevard) was the village's most bustling commercial street, running straight from the village entrance all the way to the Hokage's office.
Heiyan kept his head lowered as he slowly walked along this road.
With his appearance, he naturally drew many strange looks. Yet, those who actually knew the truth about Heiyan usually changed their prejudice...
A mother and daughter—tourists from another land—passed by him.
"Mom, why does that big brother have white hair, and why is he so skinny? Is it because his family is too poor to feed him?"
The little girl hid behind her mother, staring wide-eyed at Heiyan—curious, yet afraid.
"Perhaps he is."
Instinctively, the kind-hearted mother opened her wallet, planning to buy some food from a nearby stall to give to Heiyan.
"That's not right!"
The warm-hearted villagers noticed the mother and daughter pair and began explaining things to them all at once.
"Heiyan's family is anything but poor! Quite the opposite—his father was a well-known wealthy merchant, a truly great man who funded many public facilities for the village over the past decade including an orphanage, hospital, library, and more."
"That's right. Just the other day when Heiyan's father passed away from old age, even the Third Hokage himself attended and officiated at the funeral!"
"What a pity. Good people never get good fortune. The child Heiyan has suffered from some strange illness since childhood, with his physical condition deteriorating year by year. Even Tsunade-sama couldn't find a solution."
"With the loss of his father and burdened by illness, enduring both physical and mental pain... I fear this child may not have long to live..."
As the villagers continued talking, their expressions turned sad and sighs followed one after another.
Heiyan walked silently, his heart as still as an ancient well, completely accustomed to others' gossip.
He crossed the stone bridge over the Konoha River, turned right onto an unnamed street, walked about ten meters, then took a left down an alley—finally reaching home.
Heiyan's home was a three-story mansion.
This property occupied a prime location—on the right bordering Ichiraku Street, while on the left lay a commercial street filled with family businesses he owned, including sake bars, ramen shops, ninja equipment stores, and even a large boutique hotel.
After his father passed away, he, being someone who preferred quietude by nature, dismissed all the servants and chose to live alone.
Upon returning home, Heiyan didn't head upstairs immediately. Instead, in the courtyard, he splashed cold water from the hose onto his face, resting briefly and regaining just a bit of energy.
"Huff~"
He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, adjusted his state, then quickly formed hand seals, completing Boar-Ram-Bird in half a second.
Seals completed.
[Water Release: Wild Water Wave]!
He channeled chakra up to his throat, placed his right hand next to his mouth, index finger raised, then suddenly thrust forward, releasing a stream of water with force.
Splash!
A blue stream of water about as thick as a finger shot out from his mouth. Unfortunately... it began weakening after reaching one meter out, then merely struggled with two feeble twitches before vanishing entirely.
In the end, this jutsu only created a small puddle beneath his feet, containing roughly...
Less than half a wash basin's worth of water.
Still only capable of this level of chakra, huh?
Heiyan stared blankly at the small puddle.
The only reason he managed to graduate from the Ninja Academy and become a genin was through his family's wealth and powerful connections.
After all, he didn't even have enough chakra to perform the basic Transformation Technique.
As for theoretical classes...
Though he had entered the Ninja Academy at four years old, finished six years' worth of curriculum by five, and achieved a perfect score as the top student in final exams—what difference did that make?
"Ahk... ahk~"
Just then, a woman's coughing sound came from nearby.
Heiyan looked toward the source, where he saw a young woman in her early twenties—radiant and full of energy—with golden hair tied into a ponytail. She had delicate facial features and a stunning figure, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt. Her slim waist wrapped with black mesh fabric, paired with a red mini-skirt below. She radiated youthful vitality.
Obviously, she had unintentionally witnessed Heiyan releasing a jutsu in an awkward situation and felt too embarrassed to laugh, so she could only cover her discomfort with coughing.
"Tsunade-sama."
Heiyan bowed—not just out of respect for her rank, but also because she was his doctor.
For the past three years, every Sunday afternoon, Tsunade would visit Heiyan's home and treat him for two hours, administering Medical Ninjutsu.
Of course, the payment was quite generous.
"Didn't I tell you already? You don't have to keep calling me 'sama.' We're close enough. Just call me Big Sister," Tsunade said as she strode forward, greeting him with her usual habit—slapping his shoulder hard.
But then—
Her hand abruptly stopped less than five centimeters from landing on his shoulder.
Because she suddenly remembered: Heiyan wasn't someone as tough as Jiraiya. One slap from her might lead to unimaginable consequences.
"Thanks to you, I've been feeling much better lately," Heiyan replied with a smile, though there was a faint trace of bitterness hidden within it.
"Don't lose hope. As long as you keep going, there's always hope!"
Seeing Heiyan's gloomy mood, Tsunade gave him a cheerful pep talk. "It's getting late. Let's begin."
Though she appeared careless and boisterous on the surface, she was actually a woman of great sensitivity.
"Then I'll trouble you, Tsunade Big Sister."
Touched inside, Heiyan exchanged small talk with Tsunade as they made their way upstairs together.
Inside the treatment room.
Once inside, Heiyan obediently lay down on the bed and unfastened his upper garments, revealing his emaciated body where each rib was clearly visible.
Still no improvement, huh?
Seeing this, Tsunade's brows gradually furrowed, her expression growing serious.
Then, she leaned forward and gently placed her pair of pale, slender hands on Heiyan's chest.
[Murmuring...]
A warm, gentle chakra flowed continuously from her cool palms into Heiyan's body, spreading from his heart to all limbs and internal organs along with his heartbeat.
As time passed,
Under Tsunade's careful treatment, Heiyan's complexion visibly improved, becoming more ruddy, while his breathing grew deep, calm, and steady.
This continued for two hours.
"That's enough for today."
Wiping sweat from her forehead, Tsunade looked drained, her face pale from exhaustion.
Even with the constitution of the Senju clan, sustaining such prolonged, high-intensity chakra output eventually wore her down.
"Tsunade Big Sister… thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you."
Heiyan murmured softly, his face filled with apology.
"Haha, what trouble? Five hundred thousand ryo in just two hours—that's like picking money off the ground! Alright, no more talking—I've got to hit the casino. See ya later!"
Laughing heartily, Tsunade urged him to rest well and not carry any psychological burden, then left the room whistling a tune, feigning ease and lightheartedness.
However, once she reached downstairs and stepped into the courtyard, she felt a sudden dizziness, as if her very insides had been hollowed out.
Uzumaki Heiyan struggled silently against fate alone in the dark of the medical room.
Time passed. Night fell.
Heiyan rose from the sickbed, drank some water, and walked into the living room.
Every day at this time, the streets outside would come alive with sounds and activity — Konoha's vibrant nightlife had begun.
Inside the living room, the southern balcony offered a panoramic view of the bustling hot spring district and the river nearby. From the massive north-facing floor-to-ceiling window, you could even see the brightly lit Hokage Office in the distance and the towering majesty of Hokage Rock above it all.
Yet, Heiyan had no mood to admire these beautiful sights.
After each treatment by Tsunade, his body and mind felt strong and healthy — but only for a few hours. By nightfall, he would inevitably fall back into that weakened state.
He stepped up to the mirror and stared at the gaunt teenager staring back. Raising his hand, he touched his short white hair and murmured,
"This symptom is truly identical to that of Uzumaki Nagato, whose chakra was completely drained by the Rinnegan."
Heiyan carried a secret buried deep in his heart.
His real name was Uzumaki Heiyan.
Moreover, he didn't belong to this world — he was an isekai traveler.
In his previous life, Uzumaki Heiyan had attended a Konoha-themed comic convention where he bought a necklace with six tomoe-shaped charms — an exact replica of the one worn by the Sage of Six Paths. Unexpectedly, when he woke up the next morning, he found himself transported into this world.
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