Opening my eyes, I jumped up abruptly and looked around. This isn't a dream! I guess I'll have to accept it — I've somehow ended up in the world of Naruto!
Judging by my reaction, it's obvious: I haven't been here long. Actually, it's only my second day.
As usual, I woke up at seven in the morning. Without opening my eyes, I instinctively reached for my phone — but it wasn't there!
Opening my eyes wide, I immediately noticed something strange. This wasn't my ceiling. Mine was always white, but this one was wooden, as if handcrafted. Panic swept over me. Adrenaline surged through my body, and I jumped up on the bed.
I've been kidnapped! — the thought shot through my mind.
Scanning the room frantically, I became more convinced of it. But why would anyone kidnap me? I hadn't done anything wrong... Could it be because I refused to let that bully copy my test answers? Did he seriously resort to kidnapping? Nah, unlikely.
Maybe I'm just overthinking it? What if I came here and simply forgot about it?
I needed to take a look around. The room was small with an old-fashioned design. Clothes were scattered all over the place, and the whole room was a mess.
My thoughts were jumping around like wild animals. I decided to get off the bed. Jumping down automatically, I suddenly remembered my leg injury. I braced myself for the pain.
But it didn't come! In an instant, I was already standing on the floor, pain-free.
"Whew…" I sighed, glancing down at my leg.
I was dressed in pajamas. Strange — I usually sleep without clothes. But whatever. Right now, the main thing was to find a way out.
The doorway led me to the kitchen, and from there I could see a path into the living room. There must be an exit to the street, I thought, and rushed to the door.
I pulled the handle — it wouldn't open.
Of course... Who kidnaps someone and leaves the door unlocked?
But when I glanced down, I saw a key in the lock. Quickly turning it, I opened the door.
A cold wind hit my face.
Strange... — I barely had time to think when a view of old houses and a river unfolded before me.
What is this? — I wondered as my brain simply stopped working.
A moment of shock passed, and then I saw a shadow leaping across the rooftops.
Without thinking, I quickly shut the door and retreated back inside.
In just a few minutes since waking up, countless questions flooded my mind, but three stood out:
Where am I? Why does my body feel different? What was that shadow jumping across the rooftops?
Lost in thought, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror.
"Who is that?!" I blurted out, instinctively jumping back from the mirror.
But there wasn't enough space, and I slammed into the wall.
"Ow..." My head throbbed, and I instinctively reached for the spot I'd hit.
But I didn't sit still for long. Suddenly, a torrent of memories flooded my mind — an overwhelming rush of information that flashed before my eyes in mere moments.
It wasn't just anyone's life. It was the life of Kotetsu Hagane.
My head was pounding. I got up, looked at the mirror again, and made sure nothing had changed except my face, now contorted in pain.
Walking back to the kitchen, I opened the fridge and found a bottle of soy sauce — the only thing cold enough to relieve the pain.
Sitting on one of the two chairs in the kitchen, I decided to think about my next steps.
Even though I had Kotetsu's memories, I still needed to sort through all the information.
Kotetsu Hagane, 6 years old, from the Village Hidden in the Leaves (Konoha).
I had just enrolled in the Ninja Academy, and tomorrow was my first day.
From what I remembered, Kotetsu was one of the two guys guarding the village entrance. He fought alongside Asuma against Hidan and Kakuzu. He also appeared in the first season and other minor scenes.
As for strength... he was a chunin, if I recalled correctly.
"Not much to brag about," I sighed. "Couldn't I have ended up in someone more significant... like Kakashi?"
But then I scolded myself:
"Alright, enough with the wishful thinking. I'm here, so I need to act. Complaining won't help."
Having this internal dialogue, I realized the pain in my head was gone. I returned the soy sauce to the fridge and surveyed the mess in the kitchen.
"This place is a disaster," I muttered.
My voice was childish, and the language was different. At least I wouldn't have communication problems, it seemed.
My thoughts were interrupted by the loud growl of my stomach. I remembered I hadn't checked if there was anything edible in the fridge. Opening it again, I confirmed there was almost nothing.
The question of why Kotetsu lived alone was answered after reviewing his memories. He was an orphan. His father had died on a mission. From the remaining memories, he had been a chunin patrolling the outskirts of the village. During one of the attacks, he was killed.
In the kitchen, aside from the fridge, table, and chairs, there was a sink with a cabinet below. Searching there, I found a small stash of long-lasting foods: instant noodles, regular pasta, and rice.
Cooking didn't sound appealing, so I grabbed the instant noodles and looked for a kettle. It was sitting on a small stove. I quickly filled it with water and set it to boil.
"I need to look around," I thought, heading to the bedroom.
Inside were a bed, a wardrobe, and a small desk with shelves. Only now did I notice the window I had missed earlier. Pulling the blinds apart, I let bright sunlight flood the room, revealing an even bigger mess than I'd seen before.
Clothes were spilling out of the wardrobe, documents were scattered across the desk, and candy wrappers littered the room. It was clear this was a child's room with no supervision.
There wasn't much time — the kettle was about to boil. So I decided to check the money I now had. It was hidden under the mattress. Lifting one side, I pulled out a small bundle of cloth.
A quick count showed 40,000 ryo. If I bought enough food for a week, it would cost around 210 ryo — quite a hefty sum.
As I pondered this, the kettle boiled. I turned it off and poured the hot water over the noodles.
Three minutes to let them steep... Perfect time to rummage through the pile of stuff.
I knew from Kotetsu's memories that his father had left him some basic techniques and a wind-style C-rank jutsu — Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
His father had bragged about it a lot, even taking Kotetsu to the training ground to show it off.
I found the scroll on the bottom shelf of the wardrobe. Unfolding it, I saw a lot of text with detailed explanations and numerous tips. It looked like his father had personally written everything down to make it easier to learn the technique.
Closing the scroll, I realized it was useless to me right now. Even with the explanations, someone who couldn't control chakra wouldn't be able to use it.
Tomorrow was the first day of school, and there was no point in training now — as they say, you can't breathe enough before death.
It would be more productive to review all the knowledge I'd received, clean up, and prepare everything I'd need for tomorrow.
I thought about my next steps while eating.