Creak—
The grating sound of the prison door opening startled Haruto Saito awake after only a few hours of sleep. Leaning against the cold, damp wall, he slowly lifted his head, squinting as the dim torchlight illuminated a masked ANBU ninja stepping inside. In the ninja's hands was a filthy, chipped bowl containing two rice balls wrapped in seaweed.
It was breakfast for the prisoner.
The mysterious ANBU operative strode forward with cold, emotionless eyes, set the bowl down in front of Haruto, and turned without a word.
Creak—
The door shut once again, plunging the cell back into partial darkness. Haruto glanced at the rice balls inside the dirty bowl and immediately lost his appetite.
He was starving, but that bowl was disgusting. Even if he were dying of hunger, there was no way he would eat food served in that.
"Damn it… I need to find a way out of here. If this keeps up, even if they don't execute me, I'll starve to death," Haruto muttered under his breath, lowering his gaze to the shackles around his wrists.
A few hours ago, he had unlocked the handcuffs—but then voluntarily put them back on. He hadn't found the right moment to escape yet. The desire to flee was overwhelming… but this was the ANBU Black Ops Prison in the infamous Hidden Leaf Village. One of the most secure detention facilities in the entire ninja world.
"Too bad my chakra reserves are too low. Seems like I barely have any power."
Earlier, he had attempted to channel chakra. Being well-versed in the lore of this world, he was familiar with chakra control. Since this body's original owner had been a trained ninja, the process had gone smoothly.
"They'll interrogate me again soon…" Haruto thought, his mind now significantly clearer than when he first woke up in this world. He had fully accepted his reality. He was no longer panicking. Instead, he was analyzing the situation rationally, searching for a way to turn things around.
He needed an opportunity.
An opening to escape.
Thirty minutes later.
Creak—
The heavy iron door swung open again.
Two ANBU operatives stepped inside first, placing torches into the wall brackets on either side of the door before silently retreating.
Then, three more figures entered the cell.
All familiar faces.
Aside from the ANBU Captain, White Fang, and the interrogation officer, Kato Ki, the third person was the ANBU medical ninja, codenamed "Green Cable." Haruto had only seen him once, but with his True Sight, he never forgot a face.
White Fang led the way, stopping a few steps in front of Haruto. His masked gaze flicked briefly toward the untouched food on the floor. A glimmer of insight flashed through his eyes.
"You're refusing to eat?" White Fang asked in a low, measured voice.
"The bowl is dirty," Haruto replied bluntly, locking eyes with him. To be honest, he was quite curious—what did White Fang actually look like beneath that mask?
White Fang didn't press the issue. Instead, he got straight to the point.
"If you've truly lost your memory, then your past is no longer relevant to your future. You can start over. Do you understand?"
"…What do you mean?" Haruto asked cautiously. Then, something caught his attention. In the relationship section of White Fang's status display, the hostility level had changed—from Hostile to Neutral.
"After deliberation, we have decided to recruit you into the Hidden Leaf Village," White Fang stated plainly. "If you agree, then starting today, you will be a Leaf Village ninja. However, you will also officially be labeled a rogue ninja from the Hidden Rain Village."
"Recruit me?" Haruto's eyes widened.
This was a major turn of events!
But at the same time, he found it strange. Would the Leaf Village really accept enemy captives so easily?
"Yes. However, you must sever all ties with the Hidden Rain Village. If we find out you are still in contact with them, then… I'm sure you understand the consequences."
"I accept!" Haruto replied without hesitation.
Betraying one's village and defecting to the enemy was generally disgraceful, but Haruto had no personal ties to the Rain Village. If he could have chosen his "starting location" in this world, he would never have picked the Hidden Rain.
In the original story, the Rain Village was a dark, oppressive place—whereas the Leaf Village, while not perfect, was far more stable.
Besides, both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha—the main protagonists—were Leaf ninjas, as were most of the other key figures in the story.
Leaving the Rain Village and joining the Leaf? That was an upgrade.
"Good." White Fang stepped forward and extended his hand. "Welcome to the Leaf Village."
Haruto quickly lifted his hands and shook White Fang's.
White Fang yanked him up to his feet with a strong pull and added, "However, I must warn you—since you're defecting, you'll face a lot of pressure in the village. Many will view you as an enemy for a long time."
"I understand."
"More importantly," White Fang's voice became serious, "since you've betrayed the Rain Village, they will send assassins after you. They will hunt you down to eliminate a traitor. The village will protect you… but we cannot guarantee your safety. You will have to watch your own back. Understood?"
"Understood!" Haruto nodded firmly.
Honestly, at this moment, White Fang could have told him anything and he would have nodded along.
All he wanted was to get out of this disgusting prison, take a proper bath, and put on clean clothes.
White Fang noticed Haruto's lack of real concern and sighed. "Looks like you still don't fully grasp the situation. Let me make this clear—you are the ninth enemy ninja we've recruited in the past year."
"I'm the ninth?"
"…And the only one who's still alive."
"Wait, what?" Haruto's body stiffened.
"The first eight? All dead."
"Four were assassinated by their former villages. Two died on missions under suspicious circumstances. Two vanished, most likely killed in secret.
Every single enemy ninja who defected to the Leaf in the past year has died.
"And to protect them, the Leaf has already lost over ten of our own men—including two ANBU operatives."
"…" Haruto blinked, his expression turning strange.
After a long silence, he finally asked, "…If that's the case, why do you still want me to join? Doesn't seem beneficial to either of us."
White Fang hesitated, then finally admitted, "Because this is an order from the Third Hokage.
"It is part of a strategic initiative—a plan to turn enemy captives into loyal Leaf shinobi. The key to its success is proving that any ninja who truly joins the Leaf will receive fair treatment and protection.
"If this plan works, it will make it easier for future enemy captives to surrender rather than fight to the death.
"And in war, that could mean the difference between victory and defeat."
Finally, Haruto understood.
No wonder White Fang had so suddenly offered to recruit him.
The Leaf needed this plan to work—and Haruto was now a critical part of it.
"…I see. That makes sense," Haruto mused.
And for some reason, he felt excited.
"I accept. I will join the Leaf!" Haruto declared.
Though he acted as if he had thoroughly considered it…
The truth was, he never had a choice to begin with.