James Khan awoke to the sound of an odd, mechanical voice in his mind, clear and crisp against the disorienting fog of sleep:
> "[Congratulations! James Khan's brain data was successfully uploaded to Kurotora Shigeno's body.]"
His first instinct was to dismiss it as a strange dream, but his body felt... different. The ground was cold and hard beneath him, not the usual softness of his bed. Slowly, he forced his eyes open and was greeted by an unfamiliar room: wooden walls, a low table, an oil lamp casting flickering shadows. There was a rustic feel to everything around him, like he'd somehow ended up in the home of a mountain hermit.
Before he could process where he was, a gruff voice cut through the silence, snapping with irritation.
"Oi! Kuro?! How many hours do you intend to sleep?"
James jerked upright, his body protesting with aches and stiffness. He blinked, trying to orient himself, and squinted at the figure standing nearby. An old man, hair white and eyes sharp, was watching him with a mix of impatience and irritation. For a split second, James had a strange sense of recognition, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"Who...who are you?" he mumbled, voice rough from sleep.
The response was swift and harsh. The old man's hand shot out and smacked him on the back of the head, hard enough to make his ears ring.
> "You drunk again, you idiot? Get it together! You're heading to Konoha for the Chunin Exams. Or did you hit your head so hard that you've forgotten who you are?"
James rubbed his head, bewildered. "Konoha? Chunin Exam? Wait, you mean...Konohagakure?" The words sounded strange on his tongue, like a half-remembered scene from a dream.
The old man's eyebrow rose, his mouth curving into a sneer. "Of course. How many Konoha villages do you think there are in the Fire Nation?"
James stared at him, uncomprehending, until something clicked. Fire Nation? Konohagakure? This was straight out of an anime! But he could feel the sting from the old man's slap, the chill of the air, the weight of his own body. None of this felt like a dream.
Before he could grasp the reality of his situation, the old man grumbled, "Honestly, Kuro, stop wasting time asking stupid questions. You've got a long road ahead, and I won't be dragging your useless self all the way to Konoha."
James' mind whirled. He wasn't James Khan anymore—he was Kurotora Shigeno? What kind of shit going on, man? He blinked, glancing down at himself and then back up at the old man, feeling a strange thrill of panic. To cover it, he chuckled, muttering, "Wake up to reality, geezer. Get a life and live happily."
He fell back into a peaceful sleep, only to wake up again on Earth.
The old man's face went red with rage. "Ungrateful brat! I took you in for fifteen years, gave you food, shelter, and training, and this is how you repay me?" He punctuated his words with a swift, surprisingly strong kick to James' butt.
Pain flared through his ribs, leaving him momentarily breathless. He pressed a hand to his side, glaring at the old man. "Alright, alright! You bloody geezer! No need to kick me while I'm down."
Inwardly, he thought, *For Fck sake, I just want to shove a Chidori right into your back!*
"Then get up!" The old man's gaze bore into him with something between annoyance and a strange kind of pride. "You guys will leave at dawn."
With a resigned sigh, James—or Kuro now, he supposed—climbed to his feet. Every part of his body felt stiff, his muscles heavy as if they'd been through endless drills and training. He glanced around the room again, trying to take it all in, and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a nearby bronze mirror.
He froze. The face staring back wasn't his own.
Instead of his usual features, he saw a young man with sharp, dark eyes and a narrow jaw, framed by shaggy black hair. Kuro. He was Kurotora Shigeno, a stranger to himself.
*If this is real,* he thought, *then I really am...Kuro now.*
His heart pounded, and he felt an unfamiliar pulse of something deeper—a weight in his chest, like a reservoir of energy, raw and potent. Before he could focus on it, the old man interrupted.
"Don't just stand there gawking, brat. I thought you wanted to prove yourself. That's why you signed up for the Chunin Exams, isn't it? Or are you too afraid now?"
James wasn't sure if it was Kuro's pride or his own irritation, but he bristled at the challenge. "Of course not. I can handle whatever's ahead."
The old man scoffed, then tossed him a small, neatly folded bundle. "Wear that. We can't have you showing up looking like you just rolled out of bed."
Unfolding it, James found a dark, weathered tunic and trousers, adorned with faint symbols he couldn't quite decipher. He pulled them on, noting how naturally they fit, like they'd been made for him. He felt almost...comfortable, as if the body he inhabited knew these clothes, had worn them a thousand times.
Once he was dressed, the old man led him out into the chill morning air. The world outside was nothing like the bustling streets or quiet forests he knew. Towering, ancient trees framed a narrow dirt path that wound through mist-covered hills. He took a deep breath, the scent of damp earth and fresh pine filling his lungs.
They walked in silence, the old man leading the way with a sure stride. Despite his apparent age, the man moved with surprising speed, barely sparing a glance back to see if Kuro could keep up.
"Oi, Kuro!" the old man called, not bothering to turn around. "I'm expecting you to do better than you did last time. No more stumbling around like a half-blind fool. You understand?"
Kuro scrambled to keep up, the old man's words throwing him. *What had Kuro done in the past?* There were gaps here—large, looming spaces in Kuro's memory that Kuro had no way to fill. But as he walked, he felt a strange clarity, like pieces of Kuro's life were settling into place.
"So," Kuro ventured cautiously, "what's the plan, exactly?"
The old man snorted, glancing over his shoulder with an amused, skeptical expression. "What do you mean, 'the plan'? You're going to prove yourself, that's the plan. Or are you finally giving up on the idea of being a shinobi?"
Kuro swallowed nervously. "Shinobi, huh? I'd die of embarrassment if I said out loud that I want to be Hokage!"
The old man's gaze softened, if only for a moment. "What! You are not even someone from Konoha, why do you think you will even shout that loudly? Well, whatever, remember who you are and why you're here. You're Kurotora Shigeno, the stubborn fool who's been training his whole life for this. Don't start doubting yourself now."
The old man's face twisted in disbelief, "What?! You're not even from Konoha, so why the hell would you think you can shout like that?" The old man's gaze softened, if only for a moment. "Whatever, forget it. Just remember who you are and why you're here. You're Kurotora Shigeno—the stubborn fool who's been training his whole life for this. Don't start doubting yourself now."
They continued in silence, the old man's words echoing in Kuro' mind, grounding him. Despite the alien world, the strange customs, and his own unfamiliar body, he felt it really odd which was new to him. However, he just wants to get out of this world as soon as posssible.
As they approached the gate, Kuro saw two people waiting for them. One was a girl with bright red hair, and the other was a guy with a seriously weird eyepatch.
The old man grunted, "Alright, Reika, Xero, here we are."
Both of them bowed their heads and said in unison, "Hello, Lord Isamu."
Kuro blinked at them, trying to make sense of the situation. Just as he was about to say something, his system buzzed in his ears.
> **[Your two teammates for the Chunin Exam: Reika and Xero. Your village is Tsukigakure. For now, you're just participating in the Chunin Exam. More details will come later. Your old strength is sealed. It'll take some time to adjust to your new DNA. Your power will also be recalibrated to fit this world's standard. The system will go offline until your power fully merges with your body.]**
Kuro's mind froze. *Wait, what? What do you mean sealed? And recalibrated?! You just *dumped* me here and expect me to be fine?*
But, of course, there was no response. The system had already gone silent, leaving him to stew in his confusion.
*Sigh.* *Great. No backup, no instructions... just a "good luck" and see ya later. This is how I die, isn't it?*
Meanwhile, Isamu clapped his hands together. "Alright, you three head out. I'll join you later—I've got some business to take care of."
Reika nodded and flashed a grin. "Got it, Lord Isamu. Come on, Kuro, stop being a sleepyhead! We've got to go!"
Xero cracked his knuckles, eager. "Yeah, I'm ready to take on some strong opponents! Let's go, let's go!"
Before Kuro could protest, both Reika and Xero grabbed him and started dragging him toward the exit.
Kuro just sighed and let them pull him along like a ragdoll, his feet barely scraping the ground. *I feel like a rabbit being dragged off by a hunter who's already planning dinner,* he thought wryly, resigned to his fate."