Land of Fire, Konoha Shinobi Village.
Kakashi stirred awake, the pungent scent of blood instantly assaulting his senses. His stomach churned, nausea rising in his throat.
"Why does it smell like blood? Was I in a car accident on my way home from work?"
No, that didn't make sense. His last memory wasn't of heading home—it was of still being in the office...
Confused and disoriented, Kakashi slowly opened his eyes. What he saw next made his blood run cold: lying before him on the floor was a man in a blood-soaked kimono, his abdomen slashed open in the traditional manner of seppuku.
"Wha—!"
Kakashi sprang up in alarm, pushing off the floor with his feet and scrambling back until he was pressed against the wall.
"Oh my god! What's happening?!"
He looked around. The room was styled in traditional Japanese fashion, complete with tatami mats. The corpse lay eerily still, the crimson stain beneath it expanding like a dreadful blossom.
Unable to bear the grisly sight, Kakashi bent over and vomited violently.
After what felt like an eternity of retching, he wiped the tears from his eyes and stumbled out of the room. Taking a deep breath, he felt a flicker of life return to his body.
"Where... am I?"
As if in response to his confusion, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind. Within moments, it felt as though years had passed.
He was now Hatake Kakashi, five years old, a newly enrolled student at the Ninja Academy in Konoha Village. His innate talent in ninjutsu had just begun to reveal itself.
His father? None other than Konoha's famous Elite Jōnin, once a top candidate to succeed the Third Hokage. But everything changed after a certain mission...
White Fang had abandoned a high-priority operation to save his comrades. Though noble, his actions had led to the failure of the mission and considerable losses for the Land of Fire. The villagers, blinded by rage and nationalism, turned on him. Shunned and slandered, he finally succumbed to despair and took his own life.
"I've... transmigrated into the Naruto world? And I'm Kakashi?"
Kakashi groaned, feeling a headache coming on.
In his previous life, he had been a software engineer—burning the midnight oil, grinding away under the torment of the infamous 007 work schedule. He'd worked three months straight to complete a project. Just when he was finally about to apply for leave, he lost consciousness.
And then, he woke up here.
So this was the day Konoha's White Fang had committed suicide. A crucial time—just after the Second Great Ninja War and before the Third.
Drawing from his past life's knowledge of the Naruto storyline and combining it with the inherited memories of this body, Kakashi quickly pieced together the reality of his situation.
The world of Naruto—one of endless bloodshed and strife.
Here, conflicts between major nations had been ongoing for decades. The ultimate weapons of war? Ninja—highly trained soldiers organized into powerful mercenary villages.
Konoha, the village Kakashi now resided in, was the most formidable among the five great villages. At its core stood the Third Hokage and his advisors, backed by powerful clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga. Around them, commoners and craftsmen made up the civilian population.
But those political intricacies paled in comparison to Kakashi's immediate concern: how to conceal the fact that his soul had crossed time and space.
If anyone found out, he might be labeled a spy and dragged into Konoha's infamous interrogation chambers.
The image of Morino Ibiki's scarred, intimidating face flashed in his mind. If this era's head of torture was anything like that...
Kakashi shivered, his scalp tingling.
"I can't wait around. White Fang's death will be discovered soon—I need to act quickly."
Suppressing his fear, he tried to formulate a survival plan.
Outside, in the residential district of Konoha, villagers were going about their day when a silver-haired child suddenly stumbled out of the Hatake household, his face pale and eyes filled with terror. After just a few steps, he collapsed to the ground.
"Hey, what happened to that kid?!"
"Wait, isn't that Kakashi? From the Hatake family?"
"Why is he covered in so much blood?!"
Startled, a crowd gathered. Nearby guards, alerted by the commotion, rushed over.
"Maintain order! You two, check the house!"
The team moved efficiently. Moments later, two guards emerged with grim expressions.
"Captain, White Fang is dead. Looks like seppuku."
"This is serious. I'll notify the Hokage immediately. Take the boy to the hospital. The rest of you, secure the scene and keep civilians away!"
"Yes, sir!"
"The guards have taken over! Everyone, clear out! Do not interfere!"
Konoha Hospital
Lying on the hospital bed, Kakashi watched as the Third Hokage exited the room. He finally let out a long breath of relief.
First hurdle: cleared.
The Third had found nothing amiss. He merely expressed sorrow at White Fang's passing, offered words of comfort, and promised that his father would be honored as a hero and engraved on the memorial tablet. He even pledged support for Kakashi as the orphan of a martyr.
If this were truly young Kakashi, such words might have moved him.
But the soul within now belonged to a man who had seen the tragedies of this world unfold—who knew all too well how Naruto himself had suffered under the shadow of these same ideals. Kakashi instinctively distrusted the Hokage's political sweetness.
He waited until the room was empty.
"System?" he asked tentatively.
Silence.
"System… System-bro?"
Still nothing.
"Tmall Genie? Xiaodu?"
No response.
Kakashi sighed and gave up.
[Hey, I'm here~]
"HOLY—! System, you're finally awake!"
A voice echoed in his mind, filling Kakashi with elation.
Finally! With a cheat like this, he could punch Ōtsutsuki, trample Six Paths Madara, and dominate the ninja world!
"What are your functions? Can I sign in and get a Rinnegan? Or spin a wheel for the Ōtsutsuki bloodline?"
Kakashi was practically trembling with excitement.
[None of that. This system is customized specifically for the host. Its functions are tailored to your unique abilities.]
"Exclusive customization?" Kakashi's eyes lit up. That sounded fancy.
[With this system, any ninjutsu the host witnesses can be directly learned.]
"What?! So I can just copy Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Kamui, even Kotoamatsukami?!"
He could already see himself breaking the power scale.
[No.]
[Bloodline abilities fall into two broad categories: physical constitutions and elemental kekkei genkai.]
[Physical types—such as Sharingan, Byakugan, and Shikotsumyaku—are bodily inheritances. These cannot be copied.]
[Elemental kekkei genkai—like Dust Release, Wood Style, Lava Release, and Ice Style—can be copied and learned.]
"Wait, so you're telling me I can't have the Sage Body or Rinnegan?"
Kakashi's excitement deflated. After all, wasn't every transmigrator's dream to drive a Susanoo Gundam?
[Also, to use copied techniques, the host must meet minimum physical and chakra requirements.]
[This includes chakra volume, physical resilience, and spiritual strength.]
Kakashi sighed. "So it just saves me from overusing the Sharingan?"
But after thinking more deeply, a realization dawned.
In his past life, he'd read fan theories analyzing why bloodline abilities couldn't be acquired through training. If that weren't true, then the Third Hokage—master of all five elements—should've awakened at least one kekkei genkai.
He hadn't.
And even Kakashi himself, despite having all elemental natures and a Sharingan, still couldn't replicate Yamato's Wood Style.
The only exception? The Third Tsuchikage, who awakened Dust Release. But given that he was the Second Tsuchikage's student, it was highly probable he carried the bloodline trait, at least in diluted form.
Which meant: with this system, Kakashi might really be different!
"I've got another question," he said, eyes gleaming. "Can I fuse bloodlines I already possess?"
[Yes. The host can fuse compatible bloodlines.]
That was it! With the ability to merge bloodlines, he could pursue the ultimate goal—mastering the Bloodline Network!
The Bloodline Network was the power Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had gained after consuming the fruit of the God Tree. It represented the pinnacle of bloodline evolution.
Although this system couldn't directly copy physical traits like the Sharingan, Kakashi still held one critical advantage:
He lived in a world with ridiculously advanced biotechnology.
And who was the crown jewel of that science?
Orochimaru.
Uncle Snake, the master of core technologies...
Now that Kakashi had a plan—and a system—his rise in the ninja world was only just beginning.