While Rin and the others were busy teaming up to "bully" the darkened Servant Cards, Shinji was lying half-dead on a beach in another world.
In the ruins of Uzushio, the Land of Whirlpools, in the world of Naruto.
Due to differences in quantum theory and the flow of time, although only a short time had passed in his original world, Shinji had already been in the Naruto world for a month and a half!
It was the end of December, and Shinji was lying on the frozen beach, covered in a thin layer of snow. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked dead.
His face was unshaven, looking like it hadn't been trimmed for a month, his blue hair looked unwashed for at least that long, and his clothes were tattered, making him look like a homeless person. Nearby, there was a small, dilapidated wooden raft.
"Hoo—"
Shinji took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his eyes still closed.
After more than a month of training (drifting at sea), he had finally adapted to his new body, which had twice the cells, and could use it skillfully. The initial awkwardness and lack of coordination had completely disappeared.
Shinji had arrived in this world the day after Obito and his wife had sacrificed themselves for their son's future as the protagonist.
Feeling that his body had returned to peak condition, Shinji slowly opened his eyes, intending to explore the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools for anything interesting. However, as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw two towering peaks blocking his view.
Based on their height and steepness, Shinji immediately thought of a certain unlucky woman from Naruto.
Never won a gamble, lost her brother and boyfriend—what else could it be but bad luck? But come to think of it, the first person he met in the Naruto world was her. Could this be a sign?
More and more, he felt it was the choice of Steins;Gate. He decided to embrace his helpful nature and comfort her. But just as he was about to speak, she squatted beside him.
With a sudden quake, Shinji's mind went blank. He suddenly understood what Goku had felt back then.
Caught off guard, the Five Finger Mountain pressed down on him. Who had seen that coming? His mind went blank, and he forgot everything, just waiting...
Wait? Why did it stop?! It hadn't pressed down yet!
Seeing the Five Finger Mountain hovering above his head, Shinji wanted to scream. If you're going to press, just press! Why stop right above my head?
"Body is cold, heartbeat weak, only faint brainwaves..."
Tsunade, after checking Shinji's arm, heart, and forehead, made her final diagnosis.
"Seems like a vegetable with no cognitive function..."
You're the vegetable! And your grandfather too! Shinji cursed inwardly but kept quiet, silently appreciating the rare view of such worldly evils from above.
"Left unattended, he will die..."
Looking at the blue-haired young man, Tsunade initially wanted to leave him, thinking he was beyond help and would die in a few days.
But, feeling a bit of pity, she hesitated and then reached for his neck, intending to give him a quick end.
At this moment, Shinji felt he couldn't keep pretending. Being strangled would be too much.
But he couldn't just suddenly come back to life and scare her; he needed a gentler way to stop her.
Weakness... hemophobia!
Instantly, Shinji thought of her weakness and found the most fragile capillaries in his body, causing them to burst!
Perfect!
Feeling his blood flow, Shinji nodded inwardly. She would stop because of her fear of blood.
Slap!
Tsunade suddenly slapped him, leaving Shinji stunned. What happened to hemophobia? Why wasn't she afraid of blood?
He had just burst two capillaries in his nostrils! The bleeding wasn't small!
"Do you want to die, kid?"
Standing up, Tsunade's eye twitched, her fists cracking. She hadn't expected to be fooled by a kid pretending to be dead.
Realizing there was no need to pretend anymore, Shinji got up, wiped his nosebleed, and said, "Well, I was just scared...no, shy...I mean, excited? Yeah, that's it."
Watching him scratch his chin and confirm his excuse, Tsunade frowned and turned to leave.
Not even a ninja, he must be an ordinary person fleeing from the Land of Water, no threat.
Seeing her walk away, Shinji didn't pursue or speak to her. He guessed she came here to hide from debt and reminisce.
But from her expression, she might have heard about the Nine-Tails incident in Konoha and was contemplating whether to go back.
Unconcerned, Shinji decided to continue searching the ruins of Uzushio for anything valuable. Despite being a wasteland, there might still be hidden scrolls.
Three days later...
In the ruins of Uzushio, a hand pushed aside a concrete slab, and a dusty Shinji emerged.
Like a weasel raiding a chicken coop, he had thoroughly looted the place! He had turned the ruins upside down and only found a handwritten Three Basic Jutsus manual, two 500-ryo coins, and an old map.
But even small gains were valuable, so Shinji stored them in his system space. He might need to rescue some poor kids in the future, and having the Three Basic Jutsus would be helpful.
With a system, he learned instantly, but those kids would need to start from theory.
Dusting himself off, Shinji headed north. According to the map, if he hurried, he could reach the famous Land of Hot Water by tonight!
Having been in this world for over a month, it was time to plan his future and find a dream client (like Naruto).
Seeing the snow-covered ruins, Shinji wondered how many robbers had come when Uzushio was destroyed.
A gem can't be hidden, and in this world, that was Uzushio.
...
Just leaving the ruins, Shinji saw a 500-ryo coin on the ground and hesitated. This was clearly a trap, but should he pick it up?
After pondering, Shinji bent down to pick it up. Suddenly, a familiar green figure rushed at him!
"Kid! I saw that coin first!"
Seeing Tsunade, with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at him, Shinji felt exasperated. He knew she had been secretly watching him for three days.
What was she thinking? Did she think he found treasure and wanted a share? Why didn't she dig herself?
"Here."
Shinji handed the coin to Tsunade, surprising her. Why wasn't he arguing that he found it first?
What was her plan now?
"Cough, cough!" Tsunade cleared her throat, glancing at his map marked with the Land of Hot Water. "You seem pitiful, so I won't argue. But you owe me a meal in the Land of Hot Water."
Before she finished, Shinji suddenly vanished without a trace!
He had been watching him for three days. Although she didn't know what he found, it was something! Maybe a hidden treasure!
She had planned to wait for this moment to take her share. But he ran without a word!
Leaving her with 500 ryo...
Angry, Tsunade searched for Shinji but found nothing. The area was all ruins, but no sign of the kid!
"Space-time ninjutsu..." Tsunade mused, "But no chakra detected..."
...
While Tsunade pondered this, a four-year-old boy with gray-green hair and emerald eyes entered the recently ravaged Konoha village with some Konoha ninjas.
The boy's name was Chloe Kozuki.