Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
A steady patter echoed in his ears before anything else. Cold water slid along his scalp, down his cheeks, trailing the edge of his jaw. His skin prickled at the sensation. Wet.
And real.
He blinked slowly. Vision blurry. Dim shapes in a gray world. The air smelled of damp concrete, iron, and something faintly bitter—smoke, maybe.
Then pain arrived, dull and throbbing at the back of his skull.
He groaned.
Not a dream.
The ground beneath him felt like gravel and rusted metal. A low hum vibrated faintly beneath his body, like far-off machinery.
Where… am I?
He pushed himself up slowly, muscles stiff and aching. His vision steadied—though everything still seemed overly sharp, almost high-definition. There were buildings nearby, tall and narrow, their rusted frames patched together like dying organ pipes.
Rain fell in thin, constant lines, veiling the city in a watery haze.
No mistaking it.
This was Amegakure.
But that made no sense.
"Okay. Did I fall into a coma playing Ultimate Ninja Storm or something?" he muttered.
His voice sounded wrong.
Lower. Rougher.
Startled, he pressed a hand to his throat. Then his face. His cheekbones were too sharp. His nose straighter. Hair—longer.
Something in his gut twisted.
He stood abruptly and stumbled over to a nearby puddle. The surface reflected a pale face framed by fiery orange hair, soaked and clinging to high cheekbones.
His breath caught.
Yahiko.
Not just Yahiko—he was Yahiko.
"...No f***ing way."
The minutes passed in a haze.
He staggered into a nearby alleyway and leaned against a pipe, heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer.
This wasn't a cosplay hallucination or lucid dream. The rain was too cold. The pain too real.
He ran a hand down his arm. The clothes were simple—Akatsuki cloak, old version. Not the black cloud ones, but the patched-together one. This was the early days.
Pre-massacre.
Pre-Hanzo.
Pre-death.
He swallowed hard.
"Okay. Calm down," he muttered. "Think."
His memories—the old ones, his memories—were intact. His name, age, everything from his old life. He remembered watching the show. Reading the manga. Hell, arguing in forums about whether Yahiko could've survived if he just—
"...Oh my god," he whispered.
This is the day Hanzo proposes the alliance.
A brutal cold shot through his chest. He didn't know how he knew—but he just did. Like something in Yahiko's instincts had synced with his own. There was a weight in his gut. A sense of foreboding.
He was in Yahiko's body.
And today was the day everything went to hell.
Ding!
A chime. Electronic and jarringly out of place.
A glowing blue panel appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Rain System] Activated.
Welcome, Transmigrator.
Host Body: Yahiko (Amegakure - Akatsuki Leader)
Timeline Anchor: One week before "Alliance"
Meeting with Hanzō of the SalamanderObjective: Prevent the destruction of the original Akatsuki.
Bonus Objective: ???
Alignment Bonus Detected: Asura's Chakra Affinity Present.
Random Perk Acquired: [World Echo] – Gain passive insight when encountering key moments or individuals.
He stared at the screen.
"...Okay. That's new."
A system. Of course. This was officially transmigration with cheats included. Every webnovel cliché ever. Except it didn't come with a cute tutorial voice or pop-up help menu.
More like a grizzled operator dropping him behind enemy lines with a grunt and a "good luck."
"Right. Thanks for nothing, tutorial."
Host Emotion: Anxiety | Humor Detected. Adjusting feedback frequency.[Mental Stabilizer: +5% Clarity] applied.
Immediately, his breathing slowed. The sense of panic in his chest dimmed—not completely, but enough.
He could think again.
He swiped the screen aside. It faded into his peripheral vision.
He needed to move. Yahiko's memories weren't flooding in like a montage, but basic knowledge lingered in his muscles. This alleyway… this part of the city… he knew where he was. Somewhere close to the slums, maybe ten minutes from their hideout.
He took off at a jog.
Each step felt steadier than the last.
This isn't a game, he told himself. You know what happens. You know how it ends.
But not this time.
The hideout was hidden behind a crumbling industrial warehouse. He slipped through the back entrance, nodding to a young guard stationed there—just a teenager, rain cloak too big for him. The boy didn't question him.
Yahiko's face commanded trust here.
Inside, the room was dimly lit. Pipes lined the ceiling. Rust clung to the corners like barnacles.
He saw them immediately—Konan, arms folded, and Nagato, standing stiffly with his cloak half-draped over one shoulder.
They both turned the moment he stepped in.
Konan's eyes softened. "There you are."
Nagato looked relieved, though he still radiated tension like a taut bowstring.
She spoke again. "We have news. Hanzo wants to meet."
The words hit like a hammer.
There it was. The line. The death sentence wrapped in hope.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at her—really looked. Her expression was guarded, cautious. Beautiful in the way blades are. And Nagato… silent, storm-eyed. Power just beneath the surface, not yet unleashed, not yet unlocked.
These were his friends. His people. They'd die for him. And in the original story, he died for them.
"…And he's proposing an alliance?" he asked slowly.
Konan nodded. "He wants to meet us in person. Tomorrow."
Nagato added, "He says it's time we work together for peace."
Lies. All of it. He could hear Danzo behind those words. Smell the trap.
He let the silence stretch.
Then he exhaled. "We're not going."
Nagato blinked. "What?"
"We're not going," he repeated. "Not like this. I want a scout team to survey the proposed site. I want fallback squads ready. And I want a decoy plan."
Konan's brow furrowed. "You think it's a trap?"
"I know it is."
The conviction in his voice silenced them both.
He didn't bother to explain. He couldn't. "Trust me. Please. This doesn't feel right."
Konan and Nagato exchanged a glance.
Then she nodded.
"…Alright."
Nagato added, "We'll prepare."
That night, he sat on the rooftop, knees pulled to his chest, watching the rain.
The city stretched before him like a broken organ—pipes, bridges, flickering lights, and steam curling into the sky like ghosts.
He checked the system again.
Current Objective:— Alter the events of the Hanzo Meeting.— Survivors must include Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.
[Timer: 18 Hours]
Perk Activation: [World Echo] — Triggered.
You feel a cold shiver as something shifts.The world remembers the death that was supposed to happen here.
His hand clenched.
He wouldn't let it.
Rain pelted down harder, as if testing his resolve.
He closed his eyes.
"…I won't die for this world to stay the same."