Amidst the endless forest on the vast land, a pristine white ribbon flows quietly. It flows past a village built alongside the mountain. Three somewhat stern and solemn faces gaze down at the village.
On either side of an ancient Tang-style street paved with long strips of stone in the village, a few shops are still open, with light spilling through the windows and occasional drunken and muffled shouts emanating from within.
In a secluded spot away from the market, behind a dense forest, stands a quaint and elegant old-style Japanese mansion made up of three rooms encircling a courtyard, enclosed by a vine-wrapped fence.
With double roofs and a gabled design, it bathes in the moonlight, appearing refined and serene. A gentle breeze stirs, causing the wind chimes to jingle softly...
The gentle evening breeze carries the sound of the wind chimes, intoxicating the night. The silvery moonlight pours onto the wooden corridor and through the window into a bedroom.
Lying on the small bed in the bedroom is a small figure. The blanket, which should be covering him, has been kicked to the side. If you look closely, you'll see a cute and delicate little face with a hint of baby fat.
From the constantly twitching eyelids and the kicked-off blanket, it's clear that he is not sleeping peacefully.
"Ah..."
A terrified scream echoes from the room. Almost simultaneously, there are the sounds of hurried footsteps and the door opening.
"Tōshirō! Are you alright...?"
Rushing into the room upon hearing the noise is a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old!
She cradles the small figure on the bed in her arms, with one hand around his head and the other gently patting his back, as if comforting a child.
"I'm fine, Mika-nee!"
Even though the person holding him like a child is a very kind and beautiful girl, as a thirty-year-old adult man mentally, he still feels an inexplicable "embarrassment"!
Despite the child's struggle, the girl rests her chin on the child's forehead. One hand tightens around his wriggling body, holding him closer, while the other continues to pat his back, as if to ease the child's fear and anxiety.
"Had a nightmare again?"
"Mm..."
After several futile struggles, the child gives up, inhaling the scent of the girl's body, a mixture of body wash and the unique youthful fragrance. The child named "Tōshirō" slowly begins to calm down from his earlier tension and anxiety spurred by the dream.
Seeing the child calm down, the girl sighs in relief, mixed with a sense of pity.
The child is the product of the eldest sister and a clan elite, meant to grow strong under his parents' care. But four years ago, when she was barely half a year pregnant, the father died during a mission.
The mother then fell gravely ill after giving birth and was overwhelmingly sorrowful, eventually passing away just as the child turned four. Many elders in the clan sighed, lamenting that this might be the fate of a ninja.
"I'm really okay, Mika-nee. I can't even remember what the dream was about!"
Seeing the child doesn't appear to be lying, the girl lays him back on the bed, pulls up the blanket, and shows him a gentle smile.
"Really, Mika-nee! I'm fine! I've completely forgotten about the dream!"
Hearing this, and seeing the child's dark eyes, the girl finally turns and slowly exits the room.
As she turns, the crest on the back of her coat comes into the child's view.
"It's Uchiha..." he sighs inwardly. With the sound of the door closing, the bedroom falls into silence, and the child's thoughts begin to drift.
As a modern-day man over thirty years old, he fought hard to cross the single-wood bridge, then ventured into society after leaving the ivory tower at twenty, experiencing quite a bit.
Just as he was entering the golden years of his life and preparing to make a great career, he unexpectedly ended up in this both strange and familiar world.
"Naruto"—this anime, which accompanied his youthful days, still leaves a deep impression on him.
But what's up with the name "Tōshirō"? Isn't that a character from "Bleach"? How did he end up in Naruto World? And with a dangerous surname like "Uchiha."
Thinking about the dream just now, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. How could he forget! He clearly remembered that figure—a white figure in the sky, forming seals with both hands facing the full moon, either laughing in relief at fulfilling a lifelong dream or feeling pity for severing all worldly attachments.
"Illuminate the world, Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
Yes, the nightmare he just had featured Madara performing the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Yesterday, he dreamt of an orange-haired guy floating above the village, chanting, "How many floors does a sack of rice need to be carried up?"
And the day before, he dreamt of a small figure wearing an Anbu uniform and carrying a short sword, squatting on the electric pole at his door.
"Sigh! Life is unbearable!" Sighing silently again, the four-year-old "Uchiha Tōshirō" didn't know what to do.
"I just hope that as memories merge, these occasional dreams will gradually disappear."
This crossing seems a bit off! Other people's crossings come with cheat abilities, a guiding old master, or various systems.
Why did he end up with nothing? Maybe this crossing is counterfeit, or he's in the wrong setting!
Being the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō wielder from "Bleach" would've been one thing, but how did he end up in "Naruto" and as an Uchiha at that, a clan almost wiped out from the start?
"Sigh! Since I'm here, I should adapt. I can only take it one step at a time."
As his thoughts continued to drift, it didn't take long for him to slowly fall back asleep, hoping to avoid more nightmares.