Konoha: Preparing to Defect, the System Arrives

Boom!

A wave of heat blasted against Asuka's back. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look in the direction he came from.

The sky above the Naka Shrine was dyed deep red by flames. Fireballs occasionally exploded mid-air, looking like fireworks. From a distance, it was a spectacular sight.

It seemed like those old men couldn't convince each other with words after all.

"Um..."

Just then, Asuka heard a child's voice coming from the nearby bushes. He turned toward the sound and saw three kids holding cameras, their faces filled with fear as they looked toward the shrine. One of them, his voice trembling, asked:

"B-big brother... Is it an enemy attack?"

Asuka walked over to the kids, gently patting their heads. He gave a slight smile and shook his head.

"No, that's just the Uchiha Clan's shrine. They're... having a discussion."

Really?

The kids looked at him, still doubtful, then glanced back at the sky filled with fiery explosions. No matter how they looked at it, it didn't seem like a normal discussion. It was terrifying.

But this kind-looking big brother wouldn't lie to us, right?

"Oh, right!"

Asuka's eyes fell on the cameras in the kids' hands, and he asked curiously:

"You're not from the Uchiha Clan, are you? What are you doing here?"

"Well..."

The kid holding the camera waved it excitedly, his fear slowly replaced by excitement.

"The Hokage's wedding is coming up soon! We wanted to find a really beautiful spot to film a short message to congratulate him. Big brother, do you want to join us?"

Huh?

A congratulatory video?

He'd never even talked to Minato Namikaze before. What was there to congratulate?

Looking at the kids' expectant eyes, Asuka brushed his hair back and said:

"Sure."

Once the camera was ready, he made a peace sign and spoke the lines he'd already prepared:

"Fourth Hokage-sama, Kushina-sama, congratulations on your wedding!"

"All done!"

After finishing, he waved goodbye to the kids and left. He needed to go home and pack. He was planning to slip away during the Hokage's wedding when security would be more relaxed.

The village of Konoha, with its peaceful people and mix of modern and traditional beauty, was hard to leave behind.

Asuka didn't want to leave either.

But he had no special abilities. Compared to those eight-year-old prodigies who could destroy the village, he was several leagues behind. He wasn't good with words, either. After living here for 18 years, he hadn't been able to talk his way out of anything.

Once, on the battlefield, he tried talking his opponent down and ended up getting stabbed with a kunai.

And even though he had tried to change Itachi Uchiha's fate, who could guarantee there wouldn't be another Itachi?

These things were impossible to guard against. The real problem lay with Konoha's elders.

After 18 years of training, he wasn't even sure if he could defeat Danzo. As for Hiruzen Sarutobi? Definitely not.

"Kushina-sama."

Lost in thought, Asuka snapped back to reality when he heard respectful greetings ahead. Looking up, he saw Kushina Uzumaki standing in the middle of the street, carrying a small basket and greeting the villagers.

The basket in her hands was filled with baby supplies.

Asuka's lips twitched slightly. A sense of urgency crept into his heart.

"So... Naruto Uzumaki is already on the way?"

As he passed Kushina, he greeted her casually and quickly bought some food before heading straight home.

If Kushina was pregnant, it meant the Nine-Tails incident was less than 10 months away.

One month later, on the morning of the wedding day—

Bang!

Asuka dropped a heavy bag onto the table and looked around his now-empty home. He sighed softly.

Over the past month, he had sold everything he could, using the money to stock up on kunai, explosive tags, and other weapons from Granny Cat's shop.

Being a rogue ninja meant everything cost more than it did for official shinobi. The black-market merchants took full advantage, knowing rogue ninjas wouldn't dare cause trouble for fear of being reported.

Unfortunately, he couldn't sell the house. If he could, he might have had enough money to buy even more essentials.

Over the month, he'd watched Kushina's belly grow larger and larger. Anxiety, fear, frustration, and sadness churned inside him.

Even though he had never touched Kushina's hand, and the baby wasn't his, the thought of what was coming filled him with unease.

But he was an Uchiha.

After the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha Clan's situation would sharply decline. Without knowing the full picture, there was no way to explain why the Sharingan appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes.

And in the entire ninja world, even children knew that the Sharingan belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

In a few more years, Itachi—the devoted son—would raise his blade against his own clan.

Looking out the window at the Uchiha district, Asuka burned the familiar scenery into his memory. Then, he pulled out his Leaf Village forehead protector and muttered to himself:

"Don't worry. During holidays, I'll burn some paper offerings for you all."

After saying that, he turned his attention to the forehead protector in his hand.

Since this was his first time becoming a rogue ninja, he wasn't sure—should he slash it horizontally or vertically?

Ding! System detected. Activating the Reversal System.

Name: Uchiha Asuka

Age: 18

Identity: Uchiha Clan Ninja

Rank: Jonin

A mechanical voice suddenly rang in Asuka's ears.

He instinctively pulled out a kunai and looked around cautiously. But as the voice became clear, Asuka froze, unsure whether to feel excited or helpless.

"Seriously? The system only activates after I decide to become a rogue ninja?"

Whatever the trigger was, a system was a system. He had to check it out.

This is the Reversal System, designed to help the host surpass Naruto Uzumaki and become the strongest in the ninja world.

Would you like to receive the beginner's package?

Reading the short introduction, Asuka's eyes lit up. Just from the description, he could tell this system had serious potential.

It claimed it could make him the strongest in the ninja world.

Feeling a rush of excitement, Asuka immediately opened the beginner's package.

"Accept!"

As soon as he spoke, several items appeared on the empty table.

Taking a deep breath, Asuka picked up a coupon-like item. Reading the large text on it, he muttered aloud:

"Honey Mustard Fried Chicken Family Bucket.

Quantity: Unlimited.

Usage: Crush it to summon."

After reading, Asuka stood frozen, silent for a long time.

What did this have to do with getting stronger?

If he remembered correctly, eating too much fried chicken made people fat.

He picked up the next few items and read their descriptions.

"Ninja School Textbook Accelerated Learning Card (3 days).

Each day counts as one month of learning, saving time for training."

"Fire of Will Course Notes—includes teachers' annotations and insights. Memorize this to completely avoid Danzo's schemes."

"Ninja School Teacher Habits and Preferences Guide. Memorize and use this to skip classes for training without teachers noticing."

"Unlimited Battery, Unlimited Storage Mini Camera. Use this to record every moment in ninja school."

Huh?

Asuka stared blankly at the items on the table, completely puzzled.

"System, I admit this beginner's package is decent... but don't you think it's meant for ninja school students?"

"System, what's my current rank?"

Jonin!

"Did you give me the wrong package? I graduated from ninja school eight years ago! What do I need this for?"

No errors detected.

"My rank?"

Jonin!

"Who is this package meant for?"

Ninja school students!

"Are you sure you didn't mess up?"

No errors detected.

"Ha... ha..."

Asuka stared at the items on the table with a blank expression. He put down his backpack and turned to leave for the village park.

For now, he decided to delay his plans to defect.

The Fourth Hokage's wedding banquet was starting soon. He might as well grab a free meal first.