"Hiruzen, hand Hagawa over to me!"
Danzo Shimura's expression was grim as he got straight to the point. "He is too dangerous! He could be a spy from the Village Hidden in the Clouds!"
"He is not." Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, his voice calm.
"Don't forget what happened with Kushina being kidnapped by the Cloud Village!" Danzo snorted coldly. "Hagawa is an orphan adopted by Nonō. He should have joined Root from the beginning."
"Are you telling me how to do my job?" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. "You need to be clear about this: the orphanage belongs to Konoha, not to Root."
Hearing this, Danzo grew angry and couldn't stop himself from retorting, "Hiruzen, you—"
"Are you going to say that I will regret this?" Hiruzen cut off his tirade. "I will not regret it."
Danzo choked, his train of thought thrown into chaos. Damn you, Hiruzen! Was this also part of your plan? Should I congratulate you on learning how to buzz in with the answer first? Those are my lines!
He wanted to declare, 'I am the Hokage,' but he couldn't.
Bang!
Danzo stormed out of the room in a rage.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back and yelled, "Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
Having finally said it, he felt much better.
"..."
Hiruzen looked at the empty doorway and shook his head. This was the life of the Hokage's Advisor—all he had to do was talk back. But as Hokage, he had to consider many more things.
"Haru, have someone replace the door. Put the bill on Danzo's tab."
Hiruzen looked down at Hagawa's file on his desk.
Hagawa, Male, Age 6. War orphan, adopted by Nonō Yakushi.
During a screening by the Yamanaka clan, he had exhibited a terrifying level of spiritual energy. The investigation confirmed it wasn't triggered by a pre-planted espionage jutsu, but was an issue with his spiritual energy itself. Without any training, his spiritual power was several times stronger than his peers.
Nonō is one of Danzo's subordinates. I can't let him stay at the orphanage, Hiruzen thought to himself.
Yin Release was the manifestation of spiritual energy, seen in the secret techniques of the Yamanaka and Nara clans, as well as in the Sharingan. However, a clan's secret techniques were never taught to outsiders. Unless... he was a civilian-born ninja.
"Shinku Yuhi."
An idea sparked in Hiruzen's mind. Shinku Yuhi was a Jonin from a civilian background who specialized in genjutsu. He was also an instructor for Chunin and Genin, making him a very suitable choice.
Hagawa's eyes shot open. His entire body ached. He felt like he'd been simultaneously hit by a truck and mauled by a dozen women. He stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, his eyes scanning the room as a dazed expression crossed his face.
Where the hell am I? Is this even my room? Where are my Rin Tohsaka, Celestia, Tsunade, and Tifa figures?
As his mind swam in a daze, something suddenly and forcefully inserted itself, and countless memories began to flash before his eyes.
He had transmigrated. Or rather, he had awakened the memories of his past life.
The good news: He was now in Konoha Village. Having watched Naruto, Hagawa knew that in the chaotic shinobi world, Konoha was one of the safer places to be. If he was careful and waited for the overpowered protagonists, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, to save the world, he could probably survive until the finale.
The bad news: He was a spy from the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
Hagawa was born in Kumogakure and, due to his exceptional cleverness, was chosen as a spy to be sent to Konoha to gather intelligence. Soon, he would face his first major hurdle: the screening process.
In Konoha, the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques could make even a corpse talk, let alone a living person. But he had passed out during the examination.
Thinking of this, Hagawa broke out in a cold sweat, unable to sit still.
Was I exposed?
The fate of an undercover agent was well-documented in the movie Infernal Affairs.
Just then, several lines of text appeared in his vision.
[System loading...][You have loaded the Ninja Trait System.][By meeting specific conditions, you can obtain corresponding Traits. Some special Traits can be evolved into higher-ranked Traits.][Traits are ranked E, D, C, B, A, and S. They are divided into three major categories: Ninjutsu, Ninja Tools, and Talents.]
"Huh?"
Hagawa's eyes widened. Has my cheat system finally arrived?
As a "three-no" ninja—no bloodline, no secret jutsu, no clan—life in the shinobi world was incredibly difficult. Now, there was finally a glimmer of hope. The thought made him hum a little tune.
Hagawa examined the system and found it remarkably simple. There was only a single Trait panel displaying what he had currently obtained.
[A-Rank Talent Trait: Deep Cover Operative]
Activation Condition: Newbie Gift Pack.
Effect: When others probe your mind, your memories will be falsified.
Note: Cannot be evolved.
Excellent. A classic Newbie Gift Pack.
Hagawa breathed a long sigh of relief. Now he didn't have to worry about the Yamanaka clan's techniques.
[C-Rank Talent Trait: Innate Full Soul]
Activation Condition: Fusion of two souls from different lives.
Effect: Yin Release talent increased by 100% from its base level.
Note: Cannot be evolved.
Why does Innate Full Soul Power not awaken the Blue Silver... oh, wait, wrong series. Why not Wood Style?
Hagawa fell silent. Yin Release was a difficult path. He didn't have a Sharingan, nor was he from the Yamanaka or Nara clans. Was he supposed to learn genjutsu? But genjutsu specialists... it was better not to even mention them. Kurenai Yuhi trained in genjutsu her entire life and was still outclassed by any Uchiha who casually unlocked their eyes.
Well, what's done is done. Time to eat.
Hagawa felt a powerful wave of hunger. Suddenly, a look of regret washed over his face.
"F*ck! My Holy Sword!"
Hagawa remembered what he was doing before he transmigrated. He was pulling an all-nighter, playing a fighting game and spamming the "head pat" taunt. Then he blinked, and a lifetime had passed. He didn't know what happened to his body in his previous life. If he was just listed as missing, his phone would surely be unlocked and searched. The mere thought of it made him see red.
The sound of a door opening creaked through the room.
Hagawa instinctively looked up at the girl who had just entered. To call her a girl wasn't quite accurate; she was a loli as cute and perfect as a jade carving. The most striking thing about her was her pair of ruby-red eyes.
Hagawa couldn't help but look confused. Who is this? Where am I, really? This definitely wasn't the orphanage; he remembered all the children there.
But for him, this was a good thing. The orphanage's matron, Nonō Yakushi, was a subordinate of Danzo Shimura. If the "Scapegoat-kage" had his eyes on him, he would have the "Will of the Root" brutally drilled into him, with no escape from a tragic fate.
"You're awake?" Kurenai Yuhi said with a bright smile. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi."
"Hagawa."
Looking at the pretty loli's smile, Hagawa couldn't help but relax. So it's the Sunset Red... oh, no, Kurenai Yuhi? In the original story, she married Asuma Sarutobi and eventually became a widow.
"Can you walk?" Kurenai paused for a moment before continuing, "I'll take you to see my father. He will explain everything."
"I can walk."
Hagawa got out of bed, his mind racing. Kurenai's father is Shinku Yuhi. So his name is Crimson Yuhi... Did he name his daughter "More Crimson"?
Although the name was a bit silly, the important thing was that he wasn't Danzo's subordinate. As a genjutsu Jonin, the person who gave him orders was most likely the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He figured it was Hiruzen and not Minato Namikaze because Kurenai was still very young, meaning it was likely before the Fourth Hokage's era.
While Hiruzen Sarutobi was a controversial figure, he had indeed dedicated his entire life to Konoha. Compared to Danzo, he was the picture of benevolence—at least he wouldn't place a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal somewhere private.