Chapter 1: Newborn
Mist Village Calendar Year 27.
The southern part of the Land of Water, an extremely remote fishing village.
Beside a lake far from the village, a boy in white sat quietly, his eyes vacant and his face showing bitterness as he stared at the lake, looking deeply troubled.
Actually, it wasn't quite spacing out; the boy was organizing some memories that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
The day before, an 8-year-old boy named Kiyoshi was training his world's power called Chakra as usual when a large number of memory fragments suddenly flooded his mind.
The boy, suddenly receiving so much information, fainted directly. When he woke up again, he found many memory fragments in his mind that he had never seen before.
It took Kiyoshi most of the day to go through all the memories that had appeared in his mind, and he gained a clear understanding of his situation.
It turned out that he was not a native of the ninja world but a genuine transmigrator.
Eight years ago, on Earth, 24-year-old James had just graduated with a master's degree. On his way to a job interview, he was hit head-on by a truck running a red light and speeding, dying instantly.
Orphaned, James had grown up relying on the kindness of others. Perhaps his early life had been too difficult and troubled, so under the influence of some mysterious power, his soul had transmigrated to the Naruto world, born into a baby who was later named Kiyoshi.
Although the ninja world possessed a supernatural power called Chakra, the soul of an ordinary adult was too large for an infant's small body. Therefore, the soul of the transmigrated James instinctively sealed most of itself deep within his mind until the day before, when it finally unsealed.
Having sorted out his past life's memories, James, or rather, he should now be called Kiyoshi, though filled with the joy of a second life, felt more lost about his current situation.
The good news was that he had come to the Naruto world he knew. The bad news was that he hadn't watched Naruto completely, only catching various exciting clips while scrolling through short videos in his spare time.
Organizing his thoughts, Kiyoshi shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter smile.
"The Naruto world! It's full of conflict!" Kiyoshi sighed.
Failed in political struggle and expelled from the clan, exiled to a remote area in the southern Land of Water. His father was injured, his mother died young from depression, and the living environment was harsh. For Kiyoshi, who had read many fantasy novels in his previous life, this was a textbook protagonist template.
Although he didn't know the detailed plot of Naruto, Kiyoshi knew the ending of Shippuden: Kaguya Otsutsuki, Black Zetsu, Madara Uchiha – names filled with pressure flashed through his mind one by one.
Looking down at the lake surface, Kiyoshi's face was reflected.
His handsome face revealed a hint of delicate beauty, his fair and smooth cheeks showing distinct angularity, and with two red dots adorning his forehead, his handsome face exuded nobility and elegance.
Looking closer, Kiyoshi noticed two horns growing on either side of his forehead. However, this did not detract from Kiyoshi's overall facial structure; on the contrary, combined with his features, it gave him an unusual, bewitching beauty. (Appearance reference: young Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki)
This might be the only good news for Kiyoshi. Having seen clips about the Otsutsuki clan of the starry sky in some unremembered content, he clearly knew that he had inherited not only the Kaguya clan's bloodline from his parents but had also experienced a kind of atavism.
Horns on the forehead were a sign of the true Otsutsuki bloodline. Although his bloodline was still thin and he hadn't awakened the signature Byakugan, he at least had the foundation for evolving into a complete Otsutsuki.
Composing himself, Kiyoshi decided not to train today.
Having awakened his past life's memories and gained a lot of information, he decided to give himself a break and properly sort out his abilities in order to survive in this dangerous world.
Standing up, Kiyoshi strolled along the lakeside, his mind constantly racing. Memories from his past life and his current life flashed alternately in his mind.
Eight years ago, due to internal power struggles within the Kaguya clan, coupled with the unusual horns on Kiyoshi's forehead when he was born, Kiyoshi's father, Kaguya Genji, was accused by his elder brother, the current head of the Kaguya clan, Kaguya Musashi, of Kiyoshi being a mutated monster who did not inherit the Kaguya clan's bloodline. Musashi used this as an excuse to refuse to acknowledge Kiyoshi as a member of the Kaguya clan and exiled Kiyoshi's family to this remote village in the southern Land of Water, a place so insignificant it couldn't even be found on the map or even had a name.
Before being expelled from the Kaguya clan, Kaguya Genji was arguably the strongest member of the clan. Genji awakened the powerful taijutsu-based Kekkei Genkai, Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), at a very young age and was considered by the entire clan as the hope for restoring the glory of the Kaguya clan's Warring States period.
And Genji lived up to his genius reputation, growing rapidly in battle. At just 14 years old, he became an elite Jōnin of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village), ranking high even among the elite Jōnin and earning a formidable reputation in the ninja world.
However, perhaps heaven was jealous of his talent. At the age of 20, near the end of the First Great Ninja War, Genji followed the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, in a surprise attack on the Land of Earth. They were ambushed at the border by the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, who had already received information and prepared. After a fierce battle, both Kage perished. The Mist ninja scattered and retreated, with only eight survivors, including Genji, returning heavily injured.
At a time when medical ninjutsu was not well-established and extremely underdeveloped, Genji suffered incurable injuries after returning to the village. The meridians in his body were shattered, and the flow of Chakra was restricted, leaving him with strength close to that of an ordinary Jōnin.
In the Kaguya clan, which highly valued martial prowess, Genji's influence rapidly weakened after losing most of his power.
Originally, according to the clan's agreement, Genji was supposed to succeed as the head of the Kaguya clan after returning victorious from the mission with the Second Mizukage. However, due to his severe injuries and reduced strength, this was put on hold. His elder brother, Kaguya Musashi, seized the opportunity, colluded with several elders, and successfully ascended to the position of clan head, subsequently suppressing Genji within the clan in various ways.
Utilizing his authority as the clan head to acquire various resources, Kaguya Musashi's strength rapidly increased. Within three years, he rose from an ordinary Jōnin to an elite Jōnin, and with the added power of the Shikotsumyaku, he was considered quite strong among the elite Jōnin. Although he didn't possess the same outstanding combat power as Genji in his prime, he gradually solidified his position as the clan head.
Despite Kaguya Genji being frequently targeted by Kaguya Musashi within the clan, he was, after all, a former top-tier fighter of the Kaguya clan. Although his strength had stagnated after his severe injuries, he still possessed the power of an ordinary Jōnin. Within a Kekkei Genkai clan that highly valued bloodlines, Genji, who had awakened the Shikotsumyaku early and developed it to a profound level, was still highly regarded.
The Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku is an extremely powerful Kekkei Genkai that greatly enhances the body and close-quarters combat abilities, while also possessing long-range ninjutsu such as Ten Finger Drilling Bullets.
However, this power also meant it was difficult to awaken. Currently, there were only eight members of the Kaguya clan who had awakened the Shikotsumyaku, and only Kaguya Genji before his injury could use the legendary ultimate dance, Shikotsumyaku: Sawarabi no Mai (Dance of the Seedling Fern).
Therefore, when Genji was 24 years old, for the sake of inheriting the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, Genji married Kaguya Yukiko, the second daughter of the Sixth Elder, who had also awakened the Shikotsumyaku. The following year, they had a son named Kiyoshi.
Not long after Kiyoshi was born, the Sixth Elder disappeared during a mission. This further weakened Genji's influence within the clan, and he was constantly restricted by his clan head brother, Kaguya Musashi.
Subsequently, when Kiyoshi was about 7-8 months old, using the excuse that Kiyoshi's bloodline had mutated and he had horn-like protrusions on his forehead, Musashi intensified his actions and expelled Kiyoshi's family of three from the Kaguya clan, exiling them to the border of the Land of Water.
Having experienced successive blows of losing her father and being expelled and exiled by her clan, coupled with the harsh living conditions, Kiyoshi's mother, Kaguya Yukiko's physical condition deteriorated rapidly.
Located in a remote border area and strictly monitored by Musashi's men, preventing her from receiving timely medical treatment, Yukiko finally passed away to the Pure Land when Kiyoshi was 3 years old.
Genji, already half-crippled and only able to exert the power of a Jōnin at most, could not defeat two Jōnin sent by Kaguya Musashi to watch over them without using a life-risking forbidden technique. And if he burned his life force using a forbidden technique, the entire family of three might not survive. Helpless, Genji could only watch his wife leave him.
His broken body and deeply traumatized mental state tormented this once most brilliant genius of the Kaguya clan every day. His wife's departure was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Genji completely collapsed. If it weren't for Kiyoshi, his only remaining concern, he would have long wanted to end this muddled life.
The glow of the setting sun gradually faded away. Kiyoshi stopped walking, and his memories also ceased.
After briefly orienting himself, Kiyoshi turned around and slowly walked towards home.