"There it is again… that cursed brat."
"Hah, he might have Uchiha blood, but he's nothing more than a stray dog!"
"Shh! Are you crazy? If they hear you, you might get thrown in prison."
"A deserter's kid will always be a traitor. Lord Hokage is just too soft for taking him in."
...
Arima walked down the streets of Konoha with his head slightly lowered, his expression dark and brooding.
It had been nine years since Arima arrived in this world—and five years since he came to live in Konoha.
In those nine years, his excitement had long faded, replaced by deep resentment.
Just like the whispers of those mocking villagers, Arima did indeed have Uchiha blood running through his veins.
But the Uchiha clan refused to acknowledge him.
Because in order to preserve the purity of their bloodline, the Uchiha only married within the clan.
And Arima's parents were an exception.
His mother was an Uchiha, but his father was from the Senju clan—direct descendants of the Uchiha's sworn enemies.
Had his father been an ordinary man, maybe things wouldn't have been so bad. The Uchiha might have reluctantly accepted him.
But of all people, his father had to be a Senju.
When the Uchiha elders and clan head learned that Arima's mother was pregnant, they immediately confined her and demanded she abort the child.
Arima's father, upon hearing this, secretly snuck into the Uchiha compound, rescued her, and fled the village.
Of course, the Uchiha couldn't let their bloodline slip away like that. They reported it to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen declared both of Arima's parents rogue ninja and sent the ANBU to hunt them down.
Despite this, they managed to escape and eventually settled in a small village without any shinobi presence. Arima was born there, and they lived happily together for four years.
Those four years were the happiest of Arima's life.
But disaster struck.
A horde of wild beasts invaded the village. With no shinobi to protect it, the villagers stood no chance.
Arima's mother was forced to awaken her Sharingan and, alongside his father, managed to drive the beasts away.
But that moment of exposure sealed their fate.
Like blood-scenting hounds, shinobi began to pursue them, all aiming to steal the Sharingan.
In the fierce battle that followed, Arima's father gave his life to protect him and his mother.
Gravely wounded, his mother carried Arima to Konoha, begging them to take him in.
Hiruzen agreed. Although his parents were deserters, they hadn't harmed the village. Besides, Arima carried the blood of both the Uchiha and Senju—there was a chance he could awaken a kekkei genkai in the future. That kind of bloodline couldn't be left to rot outside the village.
And so, Arima was allowed to stay in Konoha.
Hiruzen sent people to the Uchiha to ask if they would accept Arima as one of their own.
But the clan refused.
So the village gave Arima a rundown shack to live in… and that was the end of their concern for him.
Not that Arima minded too much.
He understood the deep-rooted animosity between the Uchiha and Senju. With Senju blood in his veins, it was only natural for the Uchiha to reject him.
But back then, Arima didn't know his parents had been declared traitors. He thought that life in Konoha would improve.
He naïvely believed that, as long as he wasn't a Jinchūriki, the villagers would treat him kindly.
He was completely wrong.
Everywhere he went, hatred followed.
Eventually, he learned why.
First, his parents were missing-nin—deserters.
Second, the Uchiha clan, particularly those in charge of the Konoha Military Police Force, had become arrogant and overbearing.
At this point in time, the Uchiha were at their peak, holding power and prestige in Konoha thanks to their control over the police force.
The Military Police Force was tasked with maintaining internal order in the village—establishing rules, enforcing them, and arresting potential criminals or dangerous individuals.
Drunk on their power, the Uchiha would arrest anyone who dared to criticize them under the excuse of "criminal intent."
This made the villagers deeply resent the Uchiha.
But no one dared oppose them directly—they were the largest and most powerful clan in Konoha.
And so, all that resentment was redirected at Arima, the half-Uchiha child without even a surname.
But Arima wasn't Naruto. He didn't have Naruto's endless patience and kindness.
Five years in such an environment would break even the most optimistic person.
Arima couldn't understand—how did Naruto manage to grow up in this village and still choose forgiveness?
The villagers were one thing, but even Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't as kind and benevolent as Arima remembered from the stories.
In his five years in Konoha, Hiruzen had seen Arima being bullied multiple times—but he always just glanced at him and walked away, pretending not to notice.
Over time, Arima became convinced: Hiruzen's compassion was nothing more than a well-crafted facade.
To Arima, Konoha had become a prison.
And he couldn't escape.
Even if he tried, Konoha wouldn't allow it. And even if he somehow did, he lacked the strength to survive on his own.
As much as he loathed the village, Konoha was still the safest place for him.
But Arima believed he would change his fate.
Not because of his Uchiha or Senju heritage.
With only half of each bloodline, there was no guarantee he'd ever awaken the Sharingan or Wood Release.
No, Arima had something else—a system called The Witness.
By witnessing important events, he could earn Witness Points.
But to activate the system, he needed 100 points.
After five years, he'd only managed to collect 50.
That was thanks to enrolling in the Ninja Academy three years ago, where he witnessed Minato Namikaze's enrollment, earning 50 points.
The remaining 50, however, remained elusive.
Because of his awkward status in the village, Arima had no access to other significant events.
And besides, it was a time of peace—far from the Third Shinobi War—so there were no major happenings for him to witness.
But now, a golden opportunity was right in front of him.
Kushina Uzumaki was about to transfer into the Ninja Academy.
If he could witness her arrival, he'd likely gain 50 Witness Points—and finally unlock the Witness System.