"Neo Uchiha, the clan leader has ordered all Uchiha ninja to gather at the Konoha Police Force Hall."
"I got it, I'll head there right away."
Neo Uchiha nodded calmly while answering, pulling an empty soda can out of the river.
The Uchiha chunin who delivered the message glanced at him in surprise and reminded him in a low voice before disappearing:
"Kid, the Third Kazekage has gone missing, and the borders are getting increasingly tense. The Third Shinobi World War is about to break out."
"You're just a genin right now. Don't act tough by taking missions beyond your ability!"
Then, the chunin frowned as he looked at what Neo was doing and muttered with disbelief:
"As an Uchiha, you should be training hard to improve your strength, not wasting time on trivial cleanup missions like this."
With that—
Swish—
The chunin vanished.
Neo's eyes immediately lit up with barely suppressed excitement. He tossed the trash pick into the water, leapt onto the riverbank, and tossed the soda can into a sack filled with garbage.
"The Shinobi World War is finally about to break out?"
Neo's face was filled with joy.
"I can finally leave the village and die on the battlefield! This past year has been so boring!"
"Picking up trash, catching cats, babysitting kids, clearing the river..."
"How the hell am I supposed to die honorably doing these boring missions?"
Neo took a deep breath, his hands trembling with excitement.
"I... I can finally go home!"
It was obvious that Neo Uchiha was no longer the same person as the original Uchiha Neo in history.
He was a transmigrator.
However, he wasn't just an ordinary transmigrator.
He was one of the few chosen by the will of the heavens—a "Heaven-sent Hero"!
What is a "Heaven-sent Hero"?
In simple terms:
He would be randomly assigned a special talent,
then sent into chaotic worlds where he was tasked with rewriting tragic events and pushing history toward a happy ending through his efforts.
If Neo completed his mission, he would receive a huge reward and return to his original world.
But if he failed or acted selfishly and maliciously, he would be erased by the will of the heavens at the story's conclusion.
Fortunately, as a legitimate "company," the will of the heavens provided Neo with insurance.
If anything happened to him during his heroic mission, and he died unexpectedly, he would be compensated.
He would be sent back to his original world with a generous payout—five billion yen.
Of course, the cause of death couldn't be below the minimum "heroic death" threshold, and deliberate suicide wouldn't qualify for compensation.
Neo had been waiting for this moment to arrive.
The original Neo had lost his parents at a young age and was bullied by his clan for his lack of talent. Even now, he was only a genin.
In the Naruto storyline, there wasn't even a mention of such a minor character—he was likely fated to die during the Third Shinobi War, the Nine-Tails attack, or the Uchiha massacre.
In short, he was cannon fodder.
And what is the fate of cannon fodder?
Neo didn't even have to think—
The battlefield!
As long as he went to the battlefield and got killed,
Even the stingiest celestial insurance company would have no choice but to pay up!
Conveniently, this was the eve of the Third Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure, having lost the Third Kazekage, was about to formally declare war on Konoha and push the front lines forward.
This would soon escalate into chaos with battles erupting across multiple fronts:
The Battle of Ryudaira Rock The Cloud and Lightning Gorge Invasion Third Raikage's Last Stand The War of the Gedo Statue in the Land of Rain The Battle of Kannabi Bridge The Battle of Kikyo Pass
These legendary battles,
Featuring iconic shinobi,
In what would be the bloodiest war in history!
Every whispered scheme, every greed-driven line redrawn on maps—
Would soon culminate in a single, catastrophic war!
Neo thought to himself—there were so many iconic battles. If he dove into any one of them, there was no way he could survive as weak as he was!
Being cannon fodder would get him killed in no time!
Even if, by some miracle, he managed to survive through sheer dumb luck, Neo was confident he could still keep a calm mind.
After all, after the war, there was still the Nine-Tails attack and the Uchiha massacre waiting for him!
Of course, Neo had thought about trying to be a real "Heaven-sent Hero" and rewriting history.
After all, there were many regrets in Naruto's storyline.
But after analyzing the situation, he realized...
With his abilities, trying to pull off an ending even better than Naruto's was nothing but a pipe dream.
Naruto had numerous advantages—natural talent, parental sacrifices, ancestral bloodline, and multiple cheat powers like the Sage of Six Paths' blessing. And even he barely survived against the world's top threats.
But Neo? He was just a weakling who hadn't even awakened his Sharingan.
He didn't have access to Indra's chakra or Hagoromo's genes for a bloodline mutation.
And with his limited knowledge, he couldn't build giant mechs or become a technological god.
What was he supposed to fight with?
If he had a cheat like "Mangekyou Sharingan from the start," things might've been different. But the will of the heavens wasn't some shady black-market cheat dealer—it was a proper celestial company. And so far, his so-called "talent" hadn't even been activated yet.
With no other options, Neo figured that the only logical move was to embrace his role as cannon fodder and aim for that sweet insurance payout.
After all, five billion yen—how could that not be appealing?
As for saving the world...
Neo shrugged.
Let's leave that to Naruto!
As for Neo Uchiha, he was just going to find the right time during the war—
And honorably die for the village!
What a noble sacrifice—even Hiruzen Sarutobi would shed tears!
The Third Hokage would probably burn offerings at his grave!
"This gathering is definitely a war mobilization meeting. There aren't many high-risk missions to go around—I can't let anyone else take them!"
"I need to get there fast!"
"This is my time to shed blood for Konoha!"
"It's time to charge!"
Neo's eyes shone with determination. Without any hesitation, he kicked off his wet boots, turned, and sprinted toward the Konoha Police Force Hall.
He left the sack of garbage and the trash pick behind without a second thought.
Meanwhile...
On the rooftops nearby, Shisui Uchiha was leaping toward the hall when he overheard Neo's words below.
He froze mid-step in disbelief and almost slipped off the roof.
His eyes brightened.
"An Uchiha with the same determination as me?"
Shisui Uchiha studied Neo as he sprinted against the backdrop of the setting sun and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"But... the task the clan leader is about to issue is incredibly dangerous."
"No, I can't let someone this young and dedicated throw his life away!"
With that thought, Shisui's gaze sharpened.
As someone who loved the village, he understood Neo's resolve.
But this kind of zeal could easily lead to reckless choices—taking on missions that others wouldn't even dare to glance at, all to prove oneself.
So many brave shinobi had thrown away their lives for such foolish reasons.
It was such a waste.
But Shisui Uchiha...
He would never let that tragedy unfold in front of him!
Especially—
When the next two missions that were about to be assigned were essentially suicide runs!