1050 years before Naruto's birth (B.N.)
Author's note: B.N. means "Before Naruto's birth"
January 1st
The forest breeze felt different. It wasn't the scent of Italian olives, nor the steam of feudal Japanese rice. It was… new. Virgin air, untouched by bloodstained streets or the smoke of gunfire.He awoke in a small, rustic wooden bed. The walls were thin, made of pressed clay and straw. In the distance, crickets sang their accompaniment. There was no electricity or machinery. Only nature and silence.He was five years old —he knew it—. His body was that of a child, but his soul… carried centuries.
The first blow was emotional. Luciano Gravina, the modern mafioso who sowed chaos in Italy's streets, remembered every stolen kiss, every betrayal, every whispered order in the shadows. His obsession with power and his secret love for Katekyo Hitman Reborn had marked him.And so had Giotto, the noble Vongola Primo, the just and serene leader who founded a family to protect the weak: he too remembered every battle, every laugh, every sacrifice.Both memories exploded in his mind, fusing together as if they had always been one.
—"So... I've been reborn again?"— he whispered, in Japanese tinged with his old Italian accent.
He looked at his small hands, still clean and innocent. But he knew they wouldn't remain that way for long.Looking at his clothes, he recognized the fabric: it was from the Yayoi or perhaps the Kofun period. He was in ancient Japan, a primitive world. No firearms, no political systems as he knew them. People spoke of clans and a nameless spiritual energy: there was no chakra, no known techniques, no structure. It was a virgin world.
He felt it instantly: there was no established power system here.And that's why… it was perfect.
In that forgotten corner of the continent, he began his silent investigation. He couldn't trust anyone. No one could discover who he was or what he knew:—not about the Dying Will Flames,—not about the anime that inspired him,—not about his past lives.
But one question disturbed him:—"Why was I called 'Vongola Primo'… if that name only exists in an anime from my world?"
The revelation shook him. Investigating the origin of that name would be his first objective. If there was a connection… then someone, or something, knew of his former existence.And that thought was as fascinating as it was dangerous.
The first few months he dedicated himself to adapting to the forest; it wasn't his first natural challenge. In his previous life, as a mafioso, he had survived in the Amazon after a sabotage on his helicopter. He was rescued by a tribe —ironies of fate— the Yanomami, reminding him of his Latin mother yelling at him during beatings: "¡Ya no, mami!"He learned to survive: in the jungle, weakness meant being prey. He later returned to civilization to take revenge with the brutality of a Rambo scriptwriter: he destroyed the base that had betrayed him, leaving only the leader alive to torture him and erase his trace. Compared to that, the forest surrounding him now was paradise: no piranhas, no deadly mosquitoes, no jaguars or poison frogs. No hellish winters. Here, he explored without fear.
The morning air was dense and humid. The forest seemed watchful as he trained beneath a waterfall, eyes closed, letting the icy water punish him.In his mind, the memories of Giotto Sawada Vongola began to float until he realized he was living inside the world of his favorite anime. Something inside him —Luciano— filled with excitement.
At five years old, others would have cried. He, however, chose to name himself Giotto Luciano Sawada Gravina, adopting "Vongola" as a title: the first step in fusing two existences —Luciano's, ruthless and manipulative, and Giotto's, empathetic and kind.He was not an ordinary child —he never had been—. He was the union of two souls: Luciano Gravina and Giotto, the first Vongola. Now, in this primitive world, with rudimentary clans, he had been reborn in a fragile body, with no allies or structure…But his will had never left him.
And then it happened.A subtle vibration ran through his mind, and before him appeared a floating interface: semi-transparent, ancient and precise, fusing the mystical with the mechanical.
[Template System – Activated]Welcome, Giotto Luciano Sawada of Vongola GravinaYour bloodline has been restored. Your original world has vanished, but your will remains.
System:User, this is the Template System. I have been designed to assist you in the integration, evolution, and manifestation of abilities from another world.
Giotto (thinking):—"What the hell is this...? A voice...? A system?"
System:Confirmed. The System will allow you to recover skills, knowledge, weapons, and entities tied to your previous existence.
Giotto:—"Previous existence...? Wait... What do you know about me?"
System:Access restricted. Memories are partially unlocked. Your progress will determine how much you recover.
Giotto:—"Tsk… And how am I supposed to use this?"
System: AVAILABLE FUNCTIONS• [Observation]: Physical status — 5-year-old child: fragile (needs improvement to survive).• [Missions]: Complete tasks to earn rewards. Some are automatic, others require acceptance.• [Rewards]: Upon completing objectives, you'll obtain abilities, elemental flames, special weapons or summons.• [Templates]: Grant roles or specific abilities, with passive and active effects, such as the First Vongola.• [Summons]: To call Guardians and allies.
Giotto:—"So… I can recover the Flames?"
System:Affirmative. The essence of the Dying Will Flames lies dormant within you. This world doesn't recognize them, but this system will adapt them. Synchronization requires time, intense emotions, and specific conditions.
Giotto:—"And if I refuse?"
System:You may refuse, but you will be abandoning the only path to reclaim your true power.
Giotto (resigned):—"Tsk. Fine. If this gives me back my legacy…"
Active MissionsMain Mission: "Rebirth of the Will"• Objective: Build the foundations of the Underworld. Recruit agents, secure a secret base, establish your rules.• Progress: 0%• Rewards:o Summoning of your six Guardians and one beasto Ancient fragment of the Will Ring
Objective 2: Adaptation to the Sky Flame• Train and actively use the Sky Flame. Continuous exposure will improve compatibility.• Progress: 0%• Rewards:o Dying Will Modeo Hyper Modeo Negative modes (locked)
Side Mission: "The Beginning of an Empire"• Objective: Recruit 3 talented young civilians in the nearby village.• Progress: 0/3• Rewards:o Sky Flameo Vongola Hyper Intuition
Daily Mission: "Forge the Temple"• Strengthen your body with at least 3 hours of training.• Rewards:o +0.1% synchronization with the Flameso Increased physical resistanceo Progress toward passive "Iron Body"
Giotto closed the interface with a gesture. He didn't need more explanations. This was the sign: to rise again, from nothing, in silence, with fire in his eyes.—"First the body, then the mind... and at the end, the world,"— he whispered, punching a tree at dawn.A smile crept onto his face. He didn't know what world he'd been reborn into, but it didn't matter. He always wins——even without knowing the name of the board.
Abandoned Field, about two months after Giotto's awakeningWith his mission clear and his first rewards activated, Giotto took his first step. Recover the Flames, rebuild the mafia, fuse his two lives… in a world he still didn't fully understand. His goals burned within his soul.
He walked toward a desolate field, surrounded by misery, on the outskirts of a hostile region. Dry trees danced with the winter wind under a leaden sky. The ground was covered in frozen dirt, debris, and the remains of burned buildings. He knew that if children lived there, they must possess hidden talent.
There he found a group of ragged children, between four and nine years old, injured and abandoned. One had a wounded leg wrapped in a dirty cloth, another had a face covered in mud and bruises. Some stepped back, feral; others remained still.
But Giotto advanced calmly. His clothes, a Yayoi-Kofun hybrid, flowed with his cape: the Vongola emblem shone on his chest in the cold sunlight. That cape had been with him since his rebirth.
"I'm not here to hurt you," he said, slowly raising one hand. "I'm here to offer you something different."
The children looked at him, a mix of fear and disbelief. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
A freckled boy eyed him warily.Why is this guy helping? Nobody gives anything without wanting something back…
Another, older, with a hard gaze and a stick in his hand, asked in a rough voice:"Why are you doing this?"
Giotto knelt and gently ruffled his hair."Because someone has to."
Silence took hold of the place.
A short-haired girl with deep, serene eyes watched him while holding a trembling toddler.Could this be the "dream" the older ones used to talk about?
A shy boy clung to Giotto's cape, as if seeking rescue.
The older boy muttered with anger:"I don't need saving…"
But he didn't leave. Deep down, he hoped the man was telling the truth.
Giotto looked at him:"What's your name?" he asked the freckled boy.
"Haru," the boy replied in a raspy voice.
"Do you have a family, Haru?"
The boy shook his head."They abandoned me when I was three… I never saw them again."
Giotto turned to the older boy:"And you?"He raised his chin, defensive."Daiki. I don't need help."
"Then help me," Giotto said. "I need someone strong to look after the weaker ones."
Daiki blinked, confused, then looked at the group. For the first time, his hostility wavered.
"I could help… if you feed me."
"You'll have food. And something even better: purpose and direction."
Giotto turned to the girl."And you?"
"Sana, sir. I take care of them."
"Since when?"
"Since the older ones stopped coming back. Someone had to."
Giotto nodded."You won't be alone anymore. I'll take you to a better place."
Sana looked at him with hope, while Daiki gripped his stick… and something else: emotion.
"And once we get there," Giotto added, "I'll teach you how to live, how to fight, and how to never be abandoned again."
The march began.
System Notification:Mission 1 Complete: "Find your first group of followers."Rewards:
Sky Flame
Vongola Hyper Intuition
Bonus: Base Management Skill (Level 1)
Giotto smiled as he felt the Sky Flame flow within him. His next step was clear: train in silence and guide these children. The world would know that the Vongola Primo had been reborn.
The following days were harsh but revealing. Turning a weed-covered shelter into something livable reminded him of his past after Brazil: he reused Yanomami survival techniques to build shelters.
Haru was the most curious: he asked about Giotto's past, why he had those memories, what he knew."I'm not a hero," Giotto replied while teaching him how to use medicinal leaves. "But I learned to become someone others can follow."
Daiki trained with sticks, repeating movements he had observed. Silent and focused, like restrained fire.
Sana organized the beds, assigned tasks, and learned medicine with surprising speed; she could become a formidable strategist or healer.
One night, as he looked at the crackling fire, Giotto thought:"They're wounded… but not broken. They're like me: abandoned by the world. I'll turn them into formidable warriors."
Then Haru asked, breaking the silence:"Do you have a family?"
Giotto looked into the fire; his two lives —Luciano and Giotto— intermingled."Yes. But they're very far away…"
"Will you ever go back?"
"No. This is my place. You are my family."
The children said nothing, but something new gleamed in their eyes: hope.
The routine took root, silent and intense.Giotto woke early and trained: push-ups, squats, running, lifting rocks and logs. A child's body, yes, but inhabited by an underworld leader.
And he would repeat it.
The children watched. First curious, then admiring.
"Why does he train so much?""Maybe he wants to be strong enough to protect us."
Giotto didn't reply; he simply showed them through his example.
System Notification:Daily Mission Complete: "Exercise for 3 hours."Reward: +0.1% synchronization with the Flames.
Little by little, he felt the Dying Will Flames reverberating within. Still weak, still fragile… but real.
One night, the fire crackled as he reflected:Protecting them is not enough. They must learn to survive on their own. They need discipline, structure, and power. And that… can only be born in the shadows.
System Notification:New Main Mission UnlockedTitle: "Seed of the Underworld"Objective: Establish hierarchy, assign responsibilities, and create internal rules.Reward: "First Guardian of the Storm – Legacy Fragment"Requirements: Upgrade base level and interact with at least 5 children.
Giotto drew a cold smile. The game had only just begun. This time, he wouldn't make mistakes. He wasn't looking for redemption… he sought control.
"Sleep well, little ones. The world we'll build will have no mercy for the weak."
And thus, under the cloak of night, the first whisper was born of what would one day be feared by all:the new mafia of the ninja world.