An Unfathomable Rebirth

In some obscure year of the Naruto era... Well, to be honest, the protagonist has no idea what year it actually is in the timeline of Naruto.

Our protagonist's name is Yun Kong, six years old, and he has somehow been in this world for six baffling years. The reason for saying "somehow" is because, within the body of this young boy, lies the soul of someone from the real world.

But right now, it's this world—the world of Naruto—that feels like reality.

What's that? You're asking what the author's family name is? Does a humble commoner family even deserve such a noble thing as a family name? Clearly not. So, for all six years of his life, all Yun Kong knows is that his name is Yun Kong.

Originally, his father, who ran a little weapons shop, named him Kong Yun. But as soon as he could talk, Yun Kong confidently changed it to Yun Kong.

Kong Yun, cargo transport, what nonsense—it was bad enough to land inexplicably in this brutal, murderous world, let alone be burdened with a name like "Kong Yun."

Today was a special day. Why, you ask? Because today was the annual opening day of the Ninja Academy in Konoha Village.

Originally, Yun Kong had absolutely no interest in stepping into the high-mortality career of a ninja. Unfortunately, the world of Naruto doesn't care if you're a civilian or a ninja. In simple terms, in this world, "the powerless are left to die."

Whether it was the great Shinobi Wars, Orochimaru's schemes to destroy the Leaf, or even Pain's invasion—none of these incidents ever took civilian casualties into account. Actually, it wasn't "none"; they simply didn't care at all.

And so, under the relentless pressure from his father, Yun Kong reluctantly enrolled in the Ninja Academy. Surprisingly, he turned out to have the potential to become a ninja, which led to his unexpected acceptance.

Today was indeed special, Yun Kong thought to himself. Why? Because today he would finally have the chance to figure out which period of the Naruto world he was living in.

Even though Yun Kong had watched Naruto in his past life, he had no idea what year it was in Naruto terms. All he knew was that Konoha Village was still under the rule of the Third Hokage. However, as an ordinary civilian, he'd never seen the Third Hokage, not even from a distance. This puzzled him a little, as he remembered the Hokage frequently wandering around the village for no particular reason.

Therefore, Yun Kong hoped he might come across a few notable characters in the academy, or maybe even see the Hokage. Ideally, he'd meet some of the famous ninjas—after all, the Hokage himself didn't look that different between forty and fifty, at least to Yun Kong. This way, he'd have a better idea of the current timeline.

In his heart, Yun Kong silently wished he'd be in the same cohort as Naruto and Sasuke—not because of any peculiar preference or attraction to any particular heroine, but because that time period in Konoha was relatively peaceful.

Of course, "peaceful" is a relative term. Yun Kong recalled that the biggest events around that time involved Danzo's covert machinations and the Uchiha massacre.

"But none of that has anything to do with me. I just want to survive," Yun Kong muttered, shaking his head to dismiss the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He waved his hand in farewell. Although the area was crowded with parents and new students, Yun Kong knew his father saw him.

With a suave wave of his hand and what he believed to be his most dashing turn, he headed towards the academy.

Although parents were allowed to observe the opening ceremony, they didn't stand with the students.

"Today, I should see the Third Hokage—yeah, he'll definitely be here to show his goodwill on a day like this," Yun Kong nodded to himself, convinced of his own reasoning.

"I can't believe I came up with such a clever idea; I must be a genius," Yun Kong mentally praised himself.

"Wait a second, why does that kid look so familiar?" Yun Kong thought as he walked toward his instructor with a blank expression, catching a glimpse of a white-haired, masked boy walking past him.

"Could it be…?" Yun Kong swallowed hard, recognizing the iconic look. "Is that the young Kakashi?"

As Yun Kong stared at the boy, Kakashi glanced back at him, a sharp, wary look in his eyes—a gaze that could pierce the soul. As expected from Konoha's famed technician, the Copy Ninja Kakashi.

Thankfully, after a quick glance, Kakashi nonchalantly turned away without further interest.

Yun Kong let out a quiet sigh of relief. Why was he relieved? It wasn't that Kakashi's gaze was particularly intimidating. Rather, it was because Kakashi hadn't uttered that classic line from his homeland—a line almost guaranteed to start a fight.

"What're you looking at?"

"Looking at you, so what?"

And then, Yun Kong would be dead.

Yun Kong silently mourned for himself for a moment. "Wait, isn't it a bit early to mourn myself? Damn it, this period… the Second Shinobi War just ended, and it won't be long before the Third Shinobi War breaks out. After that comes Orochimaru's defection, the Nine-Tails incident, and a string of turbulent events."

Heavens, you really curse your talents! Yun Kong could barely hold back his tears—this must be a curse on prodigies!

So many brilliant talents of this era were lost before they even had a chance to shine. They just withered away.

For instance, Kato Dan, who caused Tsunade's fear of blood, and Uchiha Obito, the later big boss.

"Wait, does that mean Obito should be here too? Where, where?" Yun Kong suddenly realized, his gaze sweeping frantically around, hoping to spot Obito.

"The Uchiha clan really has a lot of people!" Yun Kong glanced around and counted more than a dozen young Uchihas. Some might be girls, though at this age it was hard to tell—especially since a few boys wore their long hair loose, as if it had even been straightened.

Why was he sure they were boys? Frankly, they were just too unattractive, enough to make even the most tolerant auntie cringe.

As Yun Kong got lost in his imagination, a chunin suddenly appeared in front of him, cutting through his thoughts without ceremony. "Quit daydreaming! Go get your line-up card and confirm your identity."

It turned out that after Kakashi left, Yun Kong had unknowingly stationed himself right in front of the line for registration and card distribution. Those behind him had simply waited, assuming he was in line when he was actually just... spacing out.

What? I'm deep in thought, and you're saying I'm just spacing out? This chunin's a nobody anyway, bound to be cannon fodder. I'll let him strut around for now.

Yun Kong quickly ran through these thoughts but kept a straight face. Instead, he offered the chunin a polite apology.

Clearing his mind, he stepped forward to receive his number card.

Around the corner, several columns of students were already lined up on the academy's practice field.

Just as Yun Kong stepped onto the field, a senior student wearing a forehead protector approached, took Yun Kong's card without a word, glanced at it, then pointed toward an open spot in one of the queues. "That's your spot," he said.

The boy then moved on to help the next student, his expression noticeably more respectful.

Uchiha, Yun Kong realized. He turned back for a quick look, noting how the senior had treated the next boy—an Uchiha—with extra reverence. He scoffed. "Just you wait, I'll make sure you see things my way soon enough."

With a smirk, Yun Kong took his place.

"Wait, that's familiar!" Yun Kong turned, realizing he hadn't paid attention to who was standing in front of him. Now, he noticed it was none other than Kakashi, the same boy who had passed him earlier.

Kakashi, too, had noticed the boy slowly moving in behind him. But he only cast a brief glance before looking away, signaling that Yun Kong, a mere civilian, wasn't worth his attention.

Yun Kong didn't mind. He wasn't aiming to stand out, anyway. Keeping a low profile and making quiet gains is the real path to success, he thought. Sticking too close to Kakashi now would be pushing my luck.

But Yun Kong already had a plan: while Kakashi was indeed gifted, Obito Uchiha was still an underdog. Outcasts like Obito and Naruto always longed for someone to acknowledge them before their moment of glory. Better to make friends with Obito first, he thought. Once I've got him on my side, Kakashi's as good as mine.

A small grin crept across his face. Thankfully, he was ordinary enough that no one took note of him.

After glancing around to make sure no one had noticed his sly smile, Yun Kong let out a relieved sigh and settled into position behind Kakashi.

Half an hour passed in a flash as more students filed onto the field, until finally, the flow stopped.

When are we starting? I got here late, and I still had to wait another half hour. I should've left home even later, he thought, growing impatient.

As if on cue, just when Yun Kong started to shift in place, the Hokage and his advisors made their way to the stage.

The Third Hokage walked with a slow but firm step toward the podium, his advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane trailing behind him. The Third Hokage was in his prime, with jet-black hair and no hint of the weariness that would come with age.

Looks like the village is still thriving, Yun Kong thought to himself.

Behind the advisors stood the village's prominent clan leaders, including Orochimaru and representatives from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. Further back, Yun Kong even caught a glimpse of Minato Namikaze—the future Fourth Hokage, famed for his speed. Now, however, he was just a promising jonin, his talent recognized but without the reverence he would one day command.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Danzo aren't here, Yun Kong noted.

As for the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, they were still just regular shinobi, without even the standing to be present here.

It was no surprise that Danzo didn't attend. As the secret leader of the Root, the hidden branch of the ANBU, such a public gathering wasn't the place for him. Yun Kong felt a bit relieved—if Danzo had taken an interest in him, he could only imagine the brutal training he'd be forced to endure.

"Seriously, Orochimaru, what's your deal? Didn't you notice that Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't show up? Why are you here causing a ruckus?" Yun Kong muttered to himself, secretly complaining.

What Yun Kong didn't know was that Orochimaru, now seen as the Third Hokage's successor—soon to be the Fourth Hokage—was actively involved in events like this, one of the most significant occurrences in Konoha: the opening ceremony of the Konoha Academy.

As for other important matters? Well, Yun Kong could only laugh awkwardly to himself, then sheepishly mumble, "I don't know."

As for why the opening ceremony was so important, all he could say was, "Children are the future of the nation." Although, who knew how many would truly blossom?

Alright, Yun Kong was drifting off into random thoughts again.

At this moment, the Third Hokage stepped forward slightly, making himself more prominent. Apparently, while Yun Kong was lost in his daydreams, the teachers had finished their opening speeches, handing over the floor to the highest authority in Konoha.

The Third Hokage stood with his hands clasped behind his back, appearing calm and composed. Though he stood there without much movement, his presence exuded an air of reverence, like a towering mountain that demanded admiration.

"Now that's what I call putting on a show, this is the real deal!" Yun Kong thought to himself, though he wasn't sure how the other new students were feeling.

The Third Hokage continued to stand there, exuding his aura for a moment longer before he lightly clenched his hand into a fist, bringing it to his mouth to clear his throat softly—a cue to begin his speech.

At this, the crowd—whether new students, teachers, or parents—quieted down immediately. It was clear that everyone in Konoha had a great deal of respect for the Hokage, and they were now eager to either witness his performance or, more accurately, to listen to his lecture.

Seeing the Third Hokage smile benevolently, Yun Kong thought, Hmm, he seems pleased. It's obvious he's enjoying himself.

"First..."

But before the Third Hokage could even get two words out, a loud, commanding voice interrupted from the entrance of the courtyard.

"Wait!" The voice echoed from a distance, causing those who were ready to applaud and flatter the Hokage to pause in their tracks.

Among them was Yun Kong, whose unwavering spirit would never bend. Hearing the interruption, he thought immediately, Who is that? Who's so bold to interrupt the Third Hokage's speech?

Following the collective movement of the crowd turning to look at the source of the voice, Yun Kong followed their gaze, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit two eggs inside.

Now that's what I call someone important! His mind was filled with this thought as he took in the scene.

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