1. An Old Room & Distant Memories
It was deep into the night.
In a small, worn-out inn tucked away inside Konoha, the dim glow of a dying candle flickered against the wall, casting long shadows over the two silent figures sitting motionless in the corner of the room.
Satoru and Eren.
Both sat in quiet meditation.The soft whistle of wind slipping through the window crack...The gentle chorus of crickets chirping outside...The quiet hum of an early summer night wrapped around them like a veil.
The faint scent of rotting wood lingered in the air, and suddenly—
Ah… it's April. Crickets start singing this time of year because summer's near.
Crickets… summer…
Satoru closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift away into fragments of a forgotten past.
He remembered another world.
A small country where he once lived.
Vietnam…?
The memories were broken—like scattered puzzle pieces that would never fully fit.
He recalled running beneath the blazing summer sun, chasing crickets with friends, staging fiery battles to see which bug would come out on top.
He remembered sweltering afternoons under a merciless sun, rooftops sizzling with heat, the buzzing of cicadas in the flame-red branches of flamboyant trees.
He remembered a house…a father…a mother…
But then—
THUD!
A sharp pain stabbed through his skull.His eyes flew open.His breath turned ragged.
"I… can't remember…"
He clenched his jaw, fingers digging into his thigh.
Something deep in his mind was locked tight—A wall he couldn't climb. A veil he couldn't part.
"Did I… really have a family?"
He sat there for a long while in silence—Then sighed, letting the past slip back into the shadows of his thoughts.
2. The Will of a True Shinobi
He shook away thoughts of his old world and returned his mind to the present.
The kids.
Obito, Kakashi, Gai, Rin, Shisui, Asuma…
Eren...
"The late hours always bring out too many feelings,"he whispered to himself, staring at the ceiling.
He thought back to earlier—That moment when the children made their vow beneath the moonlight.
"Truth is… I didn't offer them rewards because of the system.""It wasn't about prizes. Or weapons."
He closed his eyes.A soft, honest smile formed on his lips.
"I just wanted to give them something to chase.""To help them understand… it's not power that makes someone great."
"It's the bonds we build, the hearts we protect, the ideals we hold dear."
He had no love for that obsession with strength—The kind people like Orochimaru or Danzo chased.
What use is power… if you're the only one left standing?
Jiraiya didn't have a kekkei genkai.Minato didn't have one either.
And yet—They became legends.
He didn't need the system.
He only needed himself.
3. A Silent System & a Quiet Warning
After a long silence, the system finally spoke.
"Well said, Satoru."
"But remember—one day, you'll face beings that rival even me."
"What right will you have to stand before them... if you remain a child begging for handouts?"
Satoru didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
He'd known that truth for a long time.
If he wanted to survive in this world—He would have to rise.On his own strength.Alone.
4. A Mysterious Spy
And then—
Tap. Tap.
A strange sound echoed across the rooftop.
His ninja instincts snapped into action—Combined with his sensory Haki, every muscle in his body tightened like a drawn bowstring.
"Damn it… someone's spying on us."
He cast a quick glance at Eren.
Still deep in meditation, his breath steady and calm—Completely unaware of the disturbance.
"Can't risk breaking his focus."
Without even stopping to grab his cloak, Satoru rose silently—bare-chested, his upper body lean and taut, clothed only in basic shinobi pants.
In a split second—
Fwoosh!
With a gentle push of his toe, he launched himself through the window—and like a midnight panther, he landed softly on the roof, eyes scanning coldly across the horizon.
"Who's there?!"
He caught sight of a dark figure bolting toward the forest.
No hesitation.
He gave chase.
5. Footsteps of the Reaper
The figure moved swiftly—gliding across the rooftops like a ghost, leaving not even the sound of a breath behind.
But Satoru was faster.
Whoosh!
The wind howled as he activated Soru—his figure vanished, only to reappear atop a roof more than ten meters ahead in the blink of an eye.
"Not faster than me…"
"But definitely suspicious."
As both figures raced into the trees, Satoru reached for a kunai.Infusing it with chakra, he locked onto the target and—
SHNK!
The kunai tore through the air, slicing through the silence like thunder.
The shadow ducked low—Just barely avoiding a clean cut to the throat.
But then—
It vanished.
Right in midair.
Satoru skidded to a halt, eyes narrowing.
"...Teleportation? Body Flicker Technique?!"
A heavy silence fell over the forest.
"This one's no amateur."
The wind swept through his silver hair.
Under the pale glow of the moon, Satoru narrowed his eyes—his stance lowered, hands poised for combat.
Somewhere in the darkness ahead,something was hiding.
Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The hunt was about to begin.
End of Chapter 104