The morning sun peeked through the small window of his orphan home, casting light on the wooden floor. He sat shirtless on his bed, quietly staring into a cracked mirror propped against the wall. His eyes weren't focused on his face, but on the mark glowing faintly on his chest.
A beautiful swirl of four symbols, fire, water, earth, and air, intertwined like a celestial knot. Only the fire sigil glowed dimly, a quiet warmth pulsing beneath his skin.
"So… this isn't chakra," he whispered, tracing the edges of the mark with his finger. "It's deeper than that. In my soul."
His thoughts wandered back to yesterday.
Hinata, the soft-spoken girl with pearl eyes, being bullied… The anger that surged in his veins… The burst of flames that sent those brats running in fear…
He smiled slightly.
Even if his body was that of a child, his soul was still that of a man in his late twenties. And a man always protects his future wife.
He stood up, tying the standard Konoha ninja student uniform over his torso. Today was the day, the truly first day of the Ninja Academy, yesterday there were no class since we just enrolled. And he had every intention of standing out.
But quietly.
---
The classroom buzzed with energy as new students filled the seats. Laughter, shouting, and chatter echoed in the room. He stepped in and scanned the familiar faces:
Naruto Uzumaki, shouting something about becoming Hokage.
Sasuke Uchiha, sitting cool and quiet, avoiding eye contact.
Sakura Haruno, already staring dreamily at Sasuke.
Ino Yamanaka, flipping her hair, glancing around with confident eyes.
Hinata Hyuga, sitting in the corner, eyes low… but looking up just enough to catch his gaze before looking away, red-faced.
He quietly took a seat by the window.
"Alright, settle down!" Iruka-sensei called from the front. "Today is your first step toward becoming a ninja of Konoha! But before you throw kunai around, you need to understand what it means to be a shinobi!"
The class groaned, but MC's eyes narrowed in interest.
Iruka began the lecture, chakra basics.
"Chakra is the mixture of spiritual and physical energy," Iruka explained, drawing diagrams. "You use it for ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu reinforcement. Today, we'll just be talking about control, not using it yet."
As the others yawned, he leaned forward, pen scratching quickly across a notebook.
So this is the foundation of their power…
Even if I don't have chakra like them, I need to understand how it works.
He could already feel the difference. Chakra flowed through the body like energy through veins. But his flame… it lived in the soul. Raw. Untamed. Elemental.
If chakra was a tool, his power was a force of nature.
---
Break time came quickly.
Naruto immediately started bragging. "Hey! I'm gonna be Hokage, dattebayo! You'll see!"
MC smiled faintly. *The future Hokage, huh? You've got a long way to go.*
He was approached suddenly, by Ino Yamanaka.
"You're the quiet guy, huh?" she said, twirling a strand of blonde hair. "You've got this cool, mysterious thing going on. Kinda like Sasuke, but more… mature."
He blinked. "Thanks… I guess."
Ino leaned closer, smirking. "You're kinda cute too."
Sakura, overhearing, scoffed in the background. "Tch, whatever, Ino-pig."
Ino shot her a look. "Jealous much?"
Meanwhile, Hinata, mustering courage, stepped forward. She held out a juice box with both hands, looking down.
"Th-thank you… for yesterday," she whispered.
He smiled softly and took the juice. "Anytime."
She blushed furiously and ran back to her seat, nearly tripping over her own feet.
She's already falling for me, he thought with amusement. This world's not ready.
---
After school, the academy bell rang, and the kids scattered across the village. He walked alone, down a quiet path leading to a wooded clearing just outside the village limits.
The forest was silent. The wind was still. The shadows stretched long under the afternoon sun.
He dropped to his knees.
Time to test it again.
He focused, not on chakra, not on physical exertion, but on his will. The same feeling from when he protected Hinata. The anger, That fire in his soul.
His breathing slowed.
And then, whoosh.
A small flame bloomed in the palm of his hand. It danced, flickered, and hovered obediently in place.
Not wild like yesterday.
Controlled.
His chest mark pulsed once with faint red light.
He smiled. It wasn't ninjutsu. It wasn't chakra. It was bending.
He held the flame for a moment longer before closing his fist. The fire vanished like smoke in the wind.
---
He stood, looking up at the reddening sky.
"This world… belongs to chakra," he said softly. "But I'm not from this world."
A smirk formed on his lips.
"I'll master my Elements. I'll grow stronger than any ninja. And I'll take the women, the power, the wealth I deserve."
The mark on his chest flickered again, like a heartbeat.
And thus… his journey began.
---
[End of Chapter 2]