In a forest clearing near the border of the Land of Fire, Haruto slowly regained consciousness, feeling an overwhelming pain coursing through his body.
"Ugh… what's happening? Did I get beaten in my sleep?"
Groaning in agony, Haruto gingerly sat up, his muscles screaming in protest as though they had been torn apart. His head throbbed intensely, as if someone had split it open.
Suddenly, a flood of foreign memories rushed into his mind. After a moment of confusion, he froze, struggling to process what he had just learned.
"The Land of Fire… the Third Great Ninja War… the Uchiha clan…"
"Did I… did I actually travel through time? And I've become a member of the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Haruto?"
Haruto sat still, stunned by the realization. Fate had certainly played a cruel joke on him. He never would have believed that something as absurd as time travel could happen, let alone that he'd become an ordinary member of the prestigious Uchiha clan.
After a few moments, however, he came to terms with the truth. There was no denying it now. He had been given a second chance at life, and whether he liked it or not, he was now Uchiha Haruto.
"Fine. I'll think of this as a fresh start. There's nothing wrong with the name Haruto. Who knows? Maybe I can do something great in this life."
As someone who had been an avid reader of novels in his previous life, Haruto quickly thought about what all time travelers had: a cheat ability. He couldn't help but hope that he too had one.
At that moment, a synthesized voice echoed inside his head.
[Ding! Traveler benefits have been activated!]
[Congratulations on awakening your heaven-defying comprehension ability!]
Haruto's body jerked at the sudden voice, but after a few moments of silence, no other words followed.
"That's it? Heaven-defying comprehension? What does that even mean?"
Haruto was left baffled, but before he could think further, he suddenly felt his mind clear, and his body no longer ached as intensely. The throbbing headache that had plagued him began to fade, along with the deep fatigue that weighed him down. Although his mind was refreshed, the pain in his body remained, especially in his chest and head.
Looking down, Haruto saw the source of his agony: a wound on his chest, a fatal injury sustained on the battlefield.
He quickly pieced together the reason. The Third Ninja War was in full swing, though nearing its end as the major nations prepared for peace talks. However, each country had poured more resources into the final stages of the conflict, hoping to secure better terms at the negotiation table. The fighting was now more brutal than ever, and many shinobi, including those from Konoha, were losing their lives daily.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, Haruto had been sent to the Eastern Front to support other Konoha forces. Unfortunately, as an inexperienced fighter, he had fallen in battle, nothing more than cannon fodder amidst the chaos.
Even the Uchiha, one of the most powerful clans, could not shield themselves from the devastation of war. Many of their own had perished.
Haruto, who was familiar with the world of Naruto from his past life, knew this was just the beginning. Worse trials awaited the Uchiha clan.
Soon after the war, the Nine-Tails Rebellion would occur, and the Uchiha would be blamed for using their Sharingan to control the beast. This would mark the start of their decline, as they would face suspicion and oppression from Konoha, a legacy of mistrust that began under the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Shimura Danzo, leader of the Konoha hawks, would conspire to destroy the Uchiha, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would do little to stop him. Eventually, this would lead to the near-total annihilation of the Uchiha clan in a tragic massacre.
Haruto knew all too well that he, a nameless figure who didn't even appear in the original storyline, stood little chance of surviving these monumental events. Even if he managed to live through the Third Ninja War, the future crises would inevitably catch up to him.
"What's important now is understanding how this 'heaven-defying comprehension' works."
Haruto pushed aside his troubling thoughts and decided to focus on the cheat ability he had received. There was no use lamenting his fate. If he wanted to survive, let alone change the course of Uchiha history, he would need strength—power strong enough to defy destiny itself.
The name of the ability, heaven-defying comprehension, was pretty self-explanatory. Haruto guessed it granted him some form of advanced learning or understanding, like photographic memory or the ability to grasp complex concepts quickly. If that were the case, it would be immensely helpful in a world where mastering ninjutsu could mean life or death.
Excited by the possibilities, Haruto decided to test his theory by attempting a basic Fire Style technique.
"Let's start with the Fireball Jutsu," he thought.
Following the hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique, Haruto felt the flow of chakra in his body react to the movements. He was no stranger to the basic mechanics of ninjutsu from the memories of Uchiha Haruto. However, as he continued to perform the seals, something extraordinary happened.
Information he didn't consciously know began to flood his mind. Chakra circulation, hand seals, the principles of Fire Style—it was as if he suddenly understood everything about Fire Style ninjutsu in perfect detail.
He paused, awestruck. This knowledge was far beyond anything his original memories could explain. Where had it come from?
At that moment, a system notification appeared in his mind:
[You tried to recall the Fire Style Ninjutsu seals and suddenly comprehended the entirety of Fire Style Ninjutsu!]
[You have now learned all Fire Style techniques from D-rank to S-rank, including their hand seals, chakra distribution ratios, and the effects of their power!]
Haruto was stunned. In just a few seconds, he had gone from being a novice in ninjutsu to understanding every Fire Style technique imaginable. And not just in a theoretical sense—he could feel the knowledge deeply ingrained in him, as if he had practiced these techniques for years.
"This… this is incredible!" Haruto marveled. "If this applies to all ninjutsu, then…"
He realized the true scope of his cheat ability. Heaven-defying comprehension didn't just make him a quick learner—it allowed him to instantly and completely master anything he focused on, at least when it came to ninjutsu.
With this kind of power, Haruto's chances of survival had skyrocketed. No longer was he a nameless, expendable member of the Uchiha clan. He had the potential to rise above even the strongest shinobi, perhaps even to rewrite the fate of his entire clan.
But first, he needed to test his newfound abilities in practice.
Haruto took a deep breath, forming the seals for the Great Fireball Technique once more. This time, as he finished, he felt an immense surge of chakra gather in his chest, and with a swift exhale, he unleashed a massive fireball far larger and more powerful than any beginner technique should have produced.
The fire roared through the clearing, scorching the earth and setting nearby trees ablaze. Haruto stared in awe at the destruction, hardly believing what he had just accomplished.
"I… I did that?"
The implications of his cheat were becoming clearer by the second. With this kind of power, Haruto realized he could not only survive but thrive in the brutal world he had been thrown into.
However, this was just the beginning. The Third Ninja War was still raging, and the future held even greater challenges. If he wanted to change the fate of the Uchiha, Haruto knew he needed to master more than just Fire Style techniques.
But with heaven-defying comprehension at his disposal, for the first time since waking up in this world, Haruto felt a surge of confidence.
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