Looking at the System Screen in front of him, Uchiha Hayato's eyes widened in disbelief.
[Name: Hikozaru]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Blaze (Increases the power of Fire-type moves when HP is low)]
[Type: Fire]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Scratch, Leer, Double Kick, Fire Punch, Fake Out]
This… this can't be real! It's actually a Pokémon!
Hayato touched his forehead to make sure his temperature was normal. His body wasn't feverish, and a grin slowly spread across his face.
Everything started to change the day he sparred with Namikaze Minato. That day, Uchiha Hayato achieved his 100th victory in their battles.
"Hah… hah… you really are something, Hayato. But I'm not throwing in the towel yet," said Minato, lying on the ground. Despite being out of breath, his face was lit up with his usual sunny smile.
Uchiha Hayato, also barely standing, leaned against a tree and said nonchalantly, "Is that so? Well, I won't let you get ahead of me. I'm the one who'll become Hokage!"
Yes, Uchiha Hayato was a transmigrator. Upon discovering that he was born into the Uchiha clan and was in the same generation as Namikaze Minato, he almost lost his mind.
With three Shinobi World Wars looming ahead, he had no idea if he'd survive that long. As an orphan of the Uchiha clan, Hayato's initial goal upon entering the Ninja Academy was simple: graduate, become a ninja, and then "accidentally" die on a mission. That way, he could live peacefully in some corner of the shinobi world, far from danger.
The main plot? The characters? Regrets? He didn't care about any of that.
Who was he kidding? He didn't have any cheat powers. The Uchiha clan's prized Sharingan required extreme emotional upheaval to awaken, and in the original story, every activation came at a heavy price.
Overusing it drained visual prowess, and once someone achieved the Mangekyō Sharingan, blindness was a real possibility. Uchiha Itachi was the perfect example, constantly battling illness due to his bloodline.
This was why fans joked about "Healthy Itachi"—imagining him in peak condition, wielding the Totsuka Blade to seal the entire world.
Because of this, Hayato outwardly acted like an ideal student, pretending to believe in the Will of Fire while living a modest school life. Secretly, though, he was plotting where he could lay low in the future.
That said, he didn't mind roughing up the not-yet-mature Namikaze Minato now and then.
The blond-haired boy was also a war orphan, boldly proclaiming in his introduction that he would become Hokage.
Talk was cheap without action to back it up, so it wasn't surprising that he came across as odd.
"Just wait. Someday, they'll all see him in a different light," Hayato thought.
Over time, Hayato and Minato became friends. They sparred often, with Hayato winning more frequently due to his physical advantage. However, as time passed, Minato's win rate began to climb.
"Should I stop sparring with him?" Hayato mused. As much as he hated to admit it, the Fourth Hokage's talent was the real deal. Once Minato matured, Hayato wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hayato, even though we're friends, I won't let you have the Hokage title," Minato said, standing up and dusting himself off with a smile.
"Let's grab some ramen—I'm starving. Or do you plan to cook?" Minato scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly.
As a transmigrator, Hayato's cooking skills were pretty remarkable. Even if he couldn't create dishes that literally shone like golden fried rice, his food was hard to beat. Because of that, Minato often freeloaded at his place.
But Hayato, leaning against the tree, didn't respond. Instead, he stared at Minato like he'd just uncovered a huge secret.
Startled by Hayato's intense gaze, Minato waved a hand in front of his face. "Hayato? Hey, Hayato?"
Snapping out of it, Hayato quickly apologized. "Sorry, Minato. Something just came up. You go ahead without me!"
With that, he ran off, leaving Minato scratching his head.
"What's with him? If he didn't want to share food, he could've just said so," Minato muttered, watching Hayato's retreating figure before heading to the village ramen shop.
What Minato didn't know was that Hayato was over the moon.
His cheat power had finally arrived! Arceus, you've outdone yourself this time!
After his 100th victory, a familiar tune suddenly played in his mind.
"Dun dun… dun dun… dun!"
Hayato immediately recognized it—it was the Pokémon Center healing sound!
[Pokémon System Activated: Congratulations on becoming a new Trainer. Strive to become a Pokémon Master!]
[Complete tasks to earn rewards. Use draws to obtain random items.]
[Show the world the charm of Pokémon and expand your influence to reach the summit!]
A translucent screen appeared before Hayato's eyes.
The interface included his Pokémon, personal stats, task panel, and draw panel. Skipping the currently empty task list, he focused on his own attributes.
[Name: Uchiha Hayato]
[Egg Group: Human-like, Field]
[Ability: ???]
[Type: Fire, Lightning, Water, Dark]
[Moves: Clone Technique, Concealment Technique, Escape Technique]
[Pokémon: None]
[Bag: Potion ×1]
[World Alteration: 0.1%]
Although excited, Hayato couldn't ignore one oddity—why did he have egg groups? Humans are mammals, not egg-layers!
Quickly, a strange realization dawned on him. This cheat power was Arceus' way of making up for its mistake.
In his past life, he had been playing the latest Pokémon game late at night when a blinding light from the screen engulfed him. In his daze, he heard a faint voice. By the time he came to, he was an infant in the shinobi world.
"Arceus, what are you playing at? I wasn't even on the train yet!"
[T/L: Do not know what they are talking about.]
The protagonist in Pokémon Legends: Arceus faced a similar fate, being sent to Hisui, the ancient Sinnoh region.
Hayato was supposed to be transported to the Pokémon world but was mistakenly dropped off in the shinobi world. Realizing its error, Arceus belatedly gave him a cheat power as compensation.
"Well, better late than never," Hayato muttered, shaking his head.
The Pokémon world was much safer. Most crises were resolved by the protagonist or capable Trainers, and even in the anime, ten-year-old Pokémon Masters handled them.
The shinobi world, however, was a powder keg. Even after the Fourth Shinobi World War, the casualties were staggering.
But with this cheat power, Hayato saw a chance to rewrite his fate and avoid becoming cannon fodder.
By completing tasks and altering the shinobi world, he could earn powerful Pokémon and items, steadily growing stronger.
The system's progress tracker aligned perfectly with Hayato's goal. The constant fighting in the ninja world seemed dull, and the shinobi system—where even the strongest villages answered to daimyos—never made much sense to him.
Without further hesitation, Hayato's eyes locked onto the glowing button on the interface.
[Ten-Draw Start!]