"Is this me? I look so young..."
Large silver eyes, white hair almost like snow, and pale skin.
His body was slim and seemingly weak, but he could feel a faint warmth inside. When he closed his eyes, he seemed to see thick threads of energy flowing through his limbs, spreading throughout his body.
"This... this in my body—is this what they call chakra?" he murmured, unaware that four or five children were watching him from the doorway.
"Yosuki, what are you doing in the bathroom? Are you going to take much longer? We need to use it too," a boy called out, confused by his friend's strange behavior.
Wasn't he just a little more handsome than the rest? No need to keep staring at himself all the time.
"Yosuki? Who's that?" he asked suddenly, feeling the boy's gaze on him. He turned around to see if anyone else was there, but he was alone in the bathroom.
Could it be...?
"Wait, I'm Yosuki?" he shouted abruptly, startling the other kids, who took a few steps back.
"Kaien-kun, do you think there's something wrong with him? He seems weird," a girl whispered, watching Yosuki cautiously.
"Yeah, maybe he hit his head while he was sleeping. We should tell an adult," Kaien, the brown-haired boy, whispered back.
"Wait, wait! I'm fine, I'm fine. Look at me, nothing's wrong. Oh, right—you guys want to use the bathroom, huh? Go ahead, I'm leaving," Yosuki said quickly, waving his hands in front of his face as he walked out under the odd stares of his classmates.
"There's definitely something weird about him," one girl murmured, watching Yosuki's back as he walked away.
Yosuki ran, trying to get as far away from the others as possible. That's when he realized he wasn't in a house—but something more like an orphanage.
"Am I an orphan in this world? Where are my parents? Dead, maybe?" he wondered, but without any particular emotion.
He began to take in his surroundings—many rooms, an old two-story building. Each room housed about six children. The one he had been in was probably his, and the kids who showed up were likely his roommates.
"But this is strange... where are this body's memories?"
Yosuki kept walking, exploring every corner of the place. Suddenly, his eyes glazed over as a flood of memories rushed into his mind. It wasn't painful, just... strange.
Two minutes. That's how long it took for him to understand who he was.
Yosuki Sōten.
He had become an orphan at the age of three, after losing his mother during the Nine-Tails attack. He had been quiet and withdrawn at the orphanage, a silent child—maybe that's why the others found him strange.
There were also memories of the village he was in, called Konohagakure, or the Hidden Leaf Village. It was led by the strongest man in the village, who held the title of Hokage.
Hokage was the highest title in a village. Below that were Jōnin, Chūnin, and then Genin, the lowest rank. There were also classifications like ANBU and Special Jōnin, but he wasn't sure if those were real.
The rest of the memories were mostly about the orphanage itself, and the adults who took care of the children. Nothing too important—except one thing: the "Nine-Tails."
"The Nine-Tailed Fox? Could that be one of the Tailed Beasts the glowing sphere told me about? It seems to be extremely powerful."
He didn't know how many tailed beasts existed in the world, but considering the nine-tails had caused such destruction in Konoha, fought the Third Hokage, and even killed the Fourth despite all the elite shinobi in the village—that said a lot.
"And that power is now inside me? No... the sphere said it was only a part, so it can't be that strong." Yosuki murmured, though he still felt a strange emotion stirring in his heart.
"If I want to control this power and grow stronger quickly, I need to become a Genin first. But to do that, I have to join the Ninja Academy. How am I supposed to do that as a child?" he stopped, deep in thought.
While he was standing there, a woman around thirty years old approached him carefully.
"Yosuki-kun, are you alright?" Her voice was soft and gentle, pulling Yosuki from his thoughts.
He turned, surprised, and saw her standing beside him. Her black hair swayed slightly, and there was a curious expression on her face, as if she were trying to figure out what he was thinking.
"Aiko-san, I'm sorry. I was just thinking," he said, stepping back a bit and straightening his wrinkled clothes. From his memories, he knew she was one of the main caretakers at the orphanage.
"If you keep thinking that hard, your head might start smoking," she said with a half-smile. "What's going on in there, hmm? Want to tell your big sister about it?" she added, crouching down to his level.
Yosuki looked at her, thoughtful. In his memories, she had always helped the children—whether with chores or everyday problems. She didn't seem like a bad person.
Finally, he let out a deep sigh, as if deciding it was worth saying what was on his mind. At least then he'd know if it was possible—or if he'd have to find another way to grow stronger.
"I..." He hesitated, choosing his words so they wouldn't sound too abrupt. "I was wondering if I could enter the Ninja Academy."
Aiko froze.
She was quiet for a moment, studying him closely. Her eyes lit up with genuine interest.
"The Ninja Academy?" she asked softly, almost smiling. "And what made you think about that, Yosuki?"
Yosuki paused for a moment, quickly coming up with a suitable answer.
"Well, I saw the shinobi of Konoha. They're cool... They use jutsu and have amazing abilities." He gestured with his hands, his eyes lighting up as he spoke. "And I want to be like them. I want to learn jutsu... protect my friends... protect the village. I want to be strong—just like them."
Yosuki spoke with such conviction that, for a moment, he truly felt like a pure, innocent child.