A young lad, clad in disheveled, poor leather clothes, could be seen at the bottom of the mountain, his shaky, pale hands gripping a wooden sword with what little strength he had. Looking up, he removed the strands of blonde hair that covered his face, clearing his vision of the seemingly endless mountain in front of him. His eyes, however, exhibited a sense of familiarity with the sight, as if the mysterious view before him was something mundane.
'I wonder, how far can I see this time...'
Looking down, he observed his shaking legs taking a desperate first step, then another, and another. As he did, the boy's skin started to gain color, no longer as pale as before. The more he climbed, the better his situation seemed to become. Instead of growing exhausted, the young man found more and more strength within himself to climb the mysterious mountain. As he rounded yet another curve, his disheveled clothes transformed into a fine battle kimono suit, and his wooden sword turned into a steel one. The constant feeling of weakness disappeared, as if it had never existed. Now, he resembled a ninja...like a warrior of legends.
Yet, the young man didn't stop. Far from it, he kept going, slaying any beast that dared to halt his ascent with his steel sword. After what seemed like weeks, the young man finally reached the first peak of the mountain, where a boar was sitting, as if waiting for a friend. For the first time since the beginning of the ascent, a hint of interest flashed deep in his eyes.
'The First One is here...The Boar in the Middle of the Mountain.'
Unlike the other beasts, the boar didn't mindlessly attack nor did it exhibit any signs of animosity. On the contrary, the boar in the middle of the mountain followed beside the young warrior, supporting his ascent. With each peak he reached, he gained a new, intelligent beast follower.
Nightingale, Tiger, Crow, Snake...
Soon enough, he felt himself being followed by hundreds of beasts, singing, dancing, bringing him food and water. The moment seemed to be the happiest and warmest sight one could ever witness on the mysterious mountain. Mortal enemies that should have been killing each other danced around the warrior like loyal supporters.
Nevertheless, this did not continue forever. As the warrior climbed higher and higher, weaker beasts began leaving him one by one, unable to withstand the low temperatures and harsh conditions near the mountain's summit.
Nightingale flew away, singing its sadness to the wind.
Crow stopped following, cursing the warrior for taking him so far.
Tiger, driven by hunger, killed Snake to feast—an action for which he was abandoned by the warrior.
Only the Boar remained by the man's side. A boar, whose body was never meant to reach the snowy mountaintop, kept pushing through its limits just to stay near its human friend. After what seemed like years, the boar and the young man finally reached the highest peak, with only the boundless sky above them. The boar exploded with happiness, oinking so intensely that it was heard by every beast below. However, when the boar finally turned its head, the human was nowhere to be seen. In shock, it looked up, only to see its friend flying toward the scarlet moon above.
That was the moment all the strength the boar had left him, its legs slipping as it rolled toward the bottom of the mountain. The last thing it saw were two deep hazel eyes looking even beyond the moon, to the stars.
To something a mere animal could never comprehend.
In a modest home, an elderly woman gently placed her hand on the sleeping figure's head. Her weak yet warm palm brushed through the young boy's blonde hair as she spoke in the gentlest tone.
"Yuuta, it's time to wake up… today is a special day."
Soon, a pair of green eyes opened, bringing an even warmer smile to the elderly woman's face as she spoke again.
"Good morning, my dear grandson."
Yuuta finally sat up, nodding quietly as he muttered groggily, "Morning, Grandma Mao."
Grandma Mao moved her hand to fix Yuuta's hair as she continued, "Today, you should look perfect. After all, you'll go to the academy and see Lord Hokage. As a member of the Yamanaka clan, you should look your best."
As soon as those words left her lips, a somber feeling rose deep within Yuuta's heart.
'Today's dream was quite clear, unlike before… Looks like it's finally time for me, a person not from this world, to start my journey as Yuuta Yamanaka. To make the first step toward becoming a Shinobi in my favorite anime world…'
His grandma seemed to notice the strange mood of her grandson and immediately spoke in a reassuring tone.
"My dear, it'll be alright. Everybody feels nervous going to the academy for the first time, but the legacy left behind by Lord Second will make a fine shinobi and man out of you. So cheer up!"
Seeing his grandma's cheerful expression, Yuuta couldn't help but chuckle. Without giving a reply, he stood up and closed his eyes to concentrate. Suddenly, a wooden shuriken appeared in his palm and launched directly at one of the walls.
His grandma was shocked by Yuuta's sudden actions, her cheerful expression turning serious as she prepared to reprimand him—until she noticed the tiny, dead mosquito pinned to the wall by the wooden shuriken.
'To think he could sense that mosquito when I couldn't… You sure have grown old, Mao…'
Despite her self-deprecating thoughts, Grandma Mao looked toward the other side of her home with deep pride. There, Yuuta calmly went through his morning routine, preparing for the day.
'He sure is talented. Only seven years old, yet already making his grandma proud… Especially his ability to sense things. It's better than most of his peers in the Yamanaka clan… Keep it up, my excellent grandson. I will always be there for you… After all, I promised Kazumo and Saya.'
Smiling to herself, she looked toward the distant sky and muttered,
"Yuuta Yamanaka, your story begins now."