Eastern Continent, 45,000 feet in the air.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh*
Lightning streaked through the clouds, advancing at a speed too swift for the naked eye to see, leaving only sonic booms in its wake.
"Second Prince, how much farther until we reach the barren lands? Traveling at this speed is exhausting my primal qi to dangerous levels! Must we go so far?"
A man cloaked in long black robes spoke, struggling to keep his strained expression under control, his robes fluttering wildly in the wind.
"Silence! If Father catches wind of what we've done, my chances of ascending the throne will be ruined. I won't risk anything when disposing of my elder brother's corpse. No one will find his remains in the barren lands. Take these pills; they'll help restore your qi."
The Second Prince tossed a handful of qi pills to his companion as they sped through the air, both of them moving at extreme speeds while he carried a bloody corpse over his left shoulder.
The two raced as fast as they could toward their destination. When news spread that the First Prince was missing, the entire continent would be in turmoil. The First Prince, being the next in line for the throne, had fallen victim to his younger brother's secret assassination.
---
*Two days later.*
A thousand feet above the barren lands, two figures hovered in the midst of the darkened sky.
"Second Prince, this is as low as I'll go. I refuse to get any closer. Throw the corpse—the beasts below won't even leave a trace of his existence."
The Second Prince's expression twisted; he too felt an intense fear looking down into the abyss. The barren lands had been overrun by powerful beasts for as long as history remembered. No cultivator entered and lived to tell the tale, and no one knew how far the land stretched.
Lowering the bloody corpse from his shoulder, the Second Prince released his elder brother's lifeless body, letting it drop a thousand feet into the abyss, where it quickly vanished, leaving not even an afterimage.
The Second Prince steeled his resolve and looked to his companion. "Let's get out of here. Elder Brother is gone, and we must return before Father grows suspicious."
His friend solemnly nodded, and, as if they had never been there at all, they disappeared into the clouds.
---
*Barren lands, the next day.*
On the ground lay a lifeless body, adorned in luxurious robes embroidered with dragons. A fatal wound marked his neck, dried crimson blood staining the fabric.
His features were sharp, exuding power, yet his body had not decomposed or lost color—a testament to his previous cultivation level. His jet-black hair still held its grandeur, falling nearly to his shoulders.
This was Tian Long, the First Prince and heir to the throne, renowned for his charisma and poise. A once-in-a-millennium genius who had outshone all his peers.
The prodigal son of the king and the pride of the royal family, he had inspired hope for a prosperous new era. Fate, however, had other plans, and he had been reduced to a lifeless husk, his death orchestrated by his younger brother's greed.
Soon, the Eastern Continent would awaken to news that would shake its core, reshaping alliances and altering the balance of power. Such was the importance of the First Prince's succession.
*Caw caw caw*
A small, pitch-black crow descended from the sky, drawn to the body on the ground. Curious, it began inspecting the corpse, hopping around it before noticing the gash on the neck. Enticed by the scent of blood, it edged closer, salivating as it prepared to take a nibble at the wound. But then—
*CAWWW!*
Startled out of its wits, the crow took flight. What it had seen defied its understanding of nature. The corpse it had assumed lifeless had opened its eyes!
The First Prince's eyes flickered open, his expression blank as he struggled to sit up.
After several attempts, he finally managed to sit upright.
"I'm… alive?"
He looked down at his hands and then at his clothes, confusion written across his face.
"These clothes… What is this? I've never worn such robes."
Suddenly, Tian Long grunted in pain and clutched his head.
"Ugh!"
A flood of memories assaulted him—dark, twisted memories he would have preferred to forget. Trauma and despair.
"Sasuke…" he whispered.
"I had hoped I'd never wake up to see the sky again… and yet here I am."
The soul of Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf had been reincarnated into the royal body of the First Prince, Tian Long, retaining all his memories.
"Where is this place? Something tells me I'm no longer in the world of shinobi. The air here feels different… the trees, the ground, even the sky—it has two moons," he mused, examining his surroundings.
Inspecting his body, he found the wound on his neck.
"The cut is too deep; the vital veins have been severed. Without blood reaching my brain, I shouldn't be alive… So how is this possible? This feels too real to be a genjutsu."
Groaning, Itachi summoned all his strength and managed to stand, albeit unsteadily.
Spotting a nearby pond, he slowly approached, his body screaming for water.
Crouching by the pond, he noticed his reflection.
"This isn't me," he murmured. "Seeing this face stirs a memory. This body belonged to someone named Tian Long. That's all I remember."
After drinking from the pond, Itachi resolved to get accustomed to his new body.
"It seems the cycle of reincarnation has claimed me, and this isn't the ninja world, nor is it the afterlife. Whatever my feelings, I can't sit idle and wait to die."
Without hesitation, Itachi tried summoning chakra and activating his Sharingan.
After several minutes of effort, he gave up.
"There's not a trace of chakra… It's impossible to summon. This world lacks it."
With practiced calm, he accepted this setback. Unfavourable circumstances were nothing new to him.
"The scent of blood here is strong, and the air is thick—I can hardly breathe. This place isn't safe. I wonder if there's any sign of human civilization. If there is, I need to learn about this world."
Closing his eyes, Itachi began strategizing his next move. The surroundings were dense with jungle-like trees and damp soil, the vegetation thick and robust. Moving through it would require a sharp blade. And who knew what dangers lurked—beasts or humans with ill intentions? Above all, he needed food and shelter.
"Welcome, young shinobi."
A cold, robotic voice echoed behind Itachi, shattering the silence.
Alarmed, he turned, trying to steady himself.
Seeing no one, adrenaline pumped through his veins as he scanned the surroundings. Finally, he sighed in relief.
"That voice… It didn't sound human. And it called me a shinobi. Do shinobi exist here?"
Regaining his composure, Itachi dismissed it as a hallucination, a side effect of this injured body.
"System initializing… 1%… 5%… 25%… 50%…"
The same voice resonated around him, drowning out the surrounding sounds.
Itachi clutched his head as pain surged through him, the dull voice seeping into his mind. Unable to comprehend what was happening, he lost consciousness.
"System activation complete. Healing host's injuries…"