Under the warm sunlight, standing on top of the water tower of the high building, Logan looked down at the Konoha Village below with a slight sense of nostalgia.
People came and went, ordinary folks and Shinobi traversing through the undulating architecture. Amidst the bustling scene, across his line of sight, stood the majestic rock wall, with the carved images of past Hokage illuminated distinctly by the sunlight.
In his mind, there had always been a clear calendar, and this year marked the Konoha's Year 54. For most people in Konoha Village, this number held no particular significance. However, as a transmigrator, Logan knew that this was a moment of great historical importance.
In the original serialization of Naruto's story, except for the Nine-Tails attack on the village, the plot started in Konoha's Year 54.
The water tower beneath his feet stood about six to seven meters tall. Coupled with the nearly twenty-meter-high building floors, this is already a considerable height. Without any railings or safety equipment below, only those experienced with high-altitude work could stand there without flinching.
Logan wore a long black hooded coat, and in his right hand hung a fox mask he had recently acquired. He stood steadily in the narrow space, and with his keen eyesight, he could faintly discern a golden dot in the distance, running and leaping, followed by several black dots in frantic pursuit.
It all felt so familiar and nostalgic, making Logan, who had lived in this harsh Ninja World for twelve years now, almost involuntarily smile.
'At this time, Naruto must have been caught by Iruka for being mischievous... According to the original work, he had just entered the Ninja Academy, right?' Logan thought to himself.
Regarding the Ninja Academy, he held a curiosity that had always been fueled by the anticipation of encountering something interesting and popular from the original work.
Of course, he had been successfully promoted to an ANBU not long ago. The Ninjutsu and Chakra that he had constantly fantasized about in the past, and even the thing where he shouted out moves when he was young, has now been truly integrated into his body's instincts.
ANBU, the full name of the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, was a special force dedicated to protecting the Hokage and advanced assets of the village.
Having survived and thrived in this environment for so long, Logan not only avoided death but also managed to rise among the elite. Luck and effort were indispensable, along with a bit of foresight from having glanced through the original work.
Before transmigrating, Logan is just a high school student, indulging in phones, staying indoors, living a carefree life. But now, even though he was only eighteen, his life was completely different from before.
"What are you looking at? Standing so high."
A somewhat cold voice came from below, and a middle-aged man dressed similarly to Logan appeared beside the water tower, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Nothing much, just soaking up the sun." Logan replied nonchalantly, without a hint of surprise.
The other party didn't hide his aura, and Logan didn't even bother to look at him. He still maintained his posture of being high and mighty.
The middle-aged man's name is Hyuga Aida, who had joined the ANBU several years before Logan. According to what was usually said, he is a hero who silently contributed to Konoha Village.
In fact, it was more or less true. Despite Logan's complaints, his mindset was still positive about ANBU. However, Aida had gradually stopped taking on high-risk missions, which was why he was now assigned to accompany Logan, a new ANBU recruit.
Their relationship was fairly good, and Aida has basically fulfilled his responsibility as a mentor quite well. According to a conversation they had once, Logan learned that due to the period of peace, Aida was planning to retire and live a peaceful life next year.
"This kind of flag should never be raised casually." That's what Logan blurted out to Aida at the time, but the mature man with a family completely ignored him. Well, him not understanding what flag is was also a significant factor.
"The mission has begun." In the golden light, the heights of Konoha Village were quiet, slightly away from the bustling activity below.
At first glance, it still had a poetic feel, but unfortunately, Aida directly and solemnly began the mission procedures, ruthlessly breaking the atmosphere, while also donning the mask of a white cat.
Logan curled his lips at this. With business at hand, he didn't hesitate and put on the white fox mask he held in his right hand. He wasn't standing up here just to admire the scenery and reflect on life. Instead, it happened to be close to the starting point of the mission.
Like most Ninjas who had experienced wars and countless missions, Aida seldom smiled or joked.
At first, Logan didn't understand this phenomenon, but when he transmigrated into the Land of Fire, which was still reeling from the aftermath of war, and his body reverted to around six years old, he gradually realized that it wasn't about showing off, but rather passively accepting this process.
In times of war, no one could maintain a smile through the grueling cycles of arduous training and near-death experiences. If it weren't for Logan's unique experiences, he might have ended up the same way.
A young and handsome boy like him shouldn't become poker-faced so early.
When Logan pulled down his hood, Aida uttered two words, "Let's go."
With a slightly warm breeze blowing, his black coat swayed in the wind. By the time the wind passed, there was no one around the water tower.
…
With stable chakra under their feet, Logan and his partner traversed the walls of the houses, jumping and leaping between houses easily. Feeling the wind rushing past, Logan couldn't help but remember the genuine joy he felt when he first learned to climb trees using Chakra.
This way of traveling, which is unique to Ninjas, required not only basic skillsm, but also a certain level of psychological and visual ability. The reality was different from what was portrayed on screens, but Logan was already well-versed in it.
The weather today was really nice, with the sun shining warmly on him. Perhaps it was due to some sentiment, or maybe because of this particular moment, Logan took a glance back as he leaped off a roof — the halo in the sky expanding from small to large.
The water tower he had been on was already far away, becoming a small and swaying dot in his line of sight, while the massive Hokage Rock remained clear.
Logan tried to spot a hint of gold amidst the crowds of streets and alleys, but unfortunately, the protagonist, Uzumaki Naruto, who would become the future Hokage, had long disappeared.
Wanting to see Naruto was merely symbolic. Logan suddenly understood that what truly mattered at this moment was the present time, Konoha's Year 54, when the plot began. And he, whether in this Naruto World or his previous Earth, had just turned eighteen. On Earth, he was about to start a new semester in high school, but here, he was embarking on his first mission as a new member of the ANBU.
What would the future hold? All the exciting dramas and conspiracies lurking in the darkness.
Logan didn't know.
Training and survival, persisting continuously, had consumed all his energy. Becoming a respected member of the ANBU was mostly a result of 'going with the flow'.
"Raiden Hattori, focus."
A somewhat dissatisfied voice came from Aida. His name is Raiden Hattori. This is his name here and the one he had chosen for himself.
Nodding, he smiled sheepishly and sped up, moving forward into the light.
(Note: The original Naruto in this story is different from the Naruto in the original work, so please bear with the differences.)