Haruki cast an illusion on himself, diving into the painful memories of his past life.
High school biology classes.
Even though the illusion lasted only a second, a flood of information rushed into his mind. When he opened his eyes again, he felt a wave of emotion wash over him.
If he had chakra back then, wouldn't he have easily gotten into a top university like Harvard or Oxford?
Of course, there was also a good chance the government would've dragged him off for research.
"You were just under an illusion, weren't you?"
The voice came from the person sitting in front of him, a pale, sharp-featured man with cold, snake-like eyes.
Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin and his only student.
Haruki sighed, turning his gaze toward the blackboard. He never expected to find himself back in a classroom.
But this time, he wasn't a student, he was the teacher.
"There's only the two of us here. Who would put me under an illusion?" Haruki replied, tapping the blackboard with a pointer.
"Alright, let's go over last class's material. What is a gene?"
Orochimaru licked his lips before answering,
"Genes determine an organism's traits and characteristics."
"Not bad." Haruki nodded. This reminded him of his own school days. His teacher used to give that same compliment all the time.....just never to him.
If it weren't for the rows of transparent cylinders filled with green liquid, the dismembered limbs scattered around, and the sharp, metallic smell lingering in the air, this might've felt like a normal teacher-student moment.
Four hours later, Haruki stretched and yawned.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Class dismissed."
Orochimaru simply stood up, put on a pair of medical gloves, and got straight to work on his experiment.
Haruki was speechless after seeing his actions. 'Four hours of teaching, and not even a word of thanks? What a heartless guy'
Then, as if remembering something, he smirked. "Oh, by the way, Orochimaru, I'm assigning homework."
Orochimaru didn't bother looking up. "What homework?"
"Crack and modify the Caged Bird Seal," Haruki said casually.
"Not interested." Orochimaru rejected the idea immediately.
Haruki narrowed his eyes. "You know, students who don't turn in their homework are bad students." Seeing that Orochimaru was still ignoring him, he added, "And bad students don't get to attend class."
That made Orochimaru pause. He frowned slightly. 'Does this guy think he can do whatever he wants just because he knows a few things?'
Haruki leaned in. "So? What's your answer?"
Orochimaru finally responded, his tone cold. "Fine. But I'll need a Hyuga clan member."
Haruki clapped his hands, and immediately, two people entered the room, carrying a stretcher.
With a rough shake, they dumped a young man onto the floor. He was wearing a Konoha Chunin uniform, and on his forehead was a seal.
A blue cross with two hooks.
Orochimaru's expression darkened as he looked at the unconscious Hyuga. "You already knew I was going to agree? More importantly, why do you even have this body?"
Haruki shrugged. "Relax, he's still alive." Noticing Orochimaru's displeasure, he added, "His name is Hyuga Makoto. He was injured on the battlefield and sent to me for treatment."
Orochimaru glanced at Makoto, confirming that he was indeed still breathing.
Haruki's tone turned serious. "The war with the Sand Village is almost over. You don't have much time. If you drag this out too long, the Hyuga clan will get suspicious."
"I don't need you to tell me that," Orochimaru muttered, already moving Makoto onto his laboratory table.
His time was far too valuable to waste.
He wanted to obtain Immortality and master every technique in existence.
If not for Haruki's knowledge, he wouldn't even bother looking into the Caged Bird Seal. It simply wasn't relevant to his goals.
"Well, then, I'll leave you to it." Haruki turned and walked out.
______________
Three years ago, Haruki had opened his eyes and found himself in the world of Naruto. The worst part was that he wasn't in any of the Five Great Villages.
Just some random part of the Land of Fire.
With the outbreak of the Second Ninja World War, his parents died, leaving him alone and on the run.
That was when he met Tsunade. And when he awakened the Favorability System.
The system was simple.
Bind with a woman, increase her favorability, and earn rewards based on different actions. But there was a catch. Only the first time counted. Repeating the same action wouldn't earn him anything.
Despite the system's potential, Haruki had only ever chosen Tsunade as he genuinely liked her.
To him, Tsunade was the definition of a badass woman. She was crazy strong, could punch through walls like it was nothing, and still looked gorgeous while doing it. She had that mature, confident vibe, but she wasn't afraid to kick back with a drink and have some fun. Despite her tough attitude, she deeply cared for her people.
Plus, she went through hell but she never truly gave up, which made her even more lovable.
The first reward he obtained was Tsunade's medical skills.
At the time, medical ninjas weren't taken seriously. Tsunade had repeatedly urged the village higher ups to implement a proper medical system, integrating trained medics into every three-man squad.
Haruki had been the only one who fully supported her idea. Both of them had a lot in common, and with a little help from the Favorability System, their relationship progressed smoothly.
As time passed, Haruki and Tsunade naturally became a couple. Unlike in the original timeline, she never developed hemophobia. In fact, she had never even developed a liking for Dan Kato.
Thinking about the original story again, Haruki knew that if he wanted a future with Tsunade, he had to deal with the current state of the world and those red-eyed troublemakers.
Leaving the lab, he walked down the streets, taking in his surroundings.
Old brick houses, ninjas in green vests, and outdated electric poles that looked like they belonged to the last century. For someone who had grown up in a country obsessed with infrastructure, it was hard to get used to.
"Ha—Haruki-sama!"
A female ninja spotted him and couldn't hide her excitement, blurting out his name before hesitating.
Her expression immediately turned nervous. 'We only met once. What if he didn't remember me? That will be so embarrassing!'
Haruki looked at the woman, noting the slight tension on her face.
"Oh, it's Nako," he said after a brief pause, recalling her name.
"You actually remember me?" Nako's eyes widened in surprise.
"Of course," Haruki said with a smile. "Your performance on the battlefield was impressive."
To maintain his carefully crafted image, Haruki made it a point to remember the names and stories of many mid- and lower-level ninjas.
During the war, he had used every opportunity to build his name, modeling himself after Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash.
A sunny guy with a kind personality and a genius who perfectly embodied the Will of Fire.
With his current reputation, as long as he avoided doing anything reckless, like competing for the Hokage position, he wouldn't have to worry about Danzo coming after him.
Speaking of which, both Hiruzen and Danzo had some of the worst decision-making skills imaginable.
They had all the right pieces but somehow managed to ruin everything.
For example, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang. A ninja of his caliber would have been on top-secret missions, so how did the entire village find out about one failed mission?
They pushed him so far that he took his own life.
The whole situation was ridiculous.
In the end, if he wanted to secure his future, he had to overcome two major obstacles. Hiruzen and Danzo who were currently in their prime.
Haruki soon arrived home. He adjusted his clothes and knocked on the door. "Tsuna, I'm home!"
________________________
Soldiers, keep the story moving forward with your [Power Stones]
Support me at patreon.com/SparkyXD and read upto 10 Advanced Chapters