Akira entered the front gate of the Leaf Village with Satoshi, and the first thing that caught his eye were the Hokage faces carved into the mountain.
"Wow..." The words escaped his mouth involuntarily. He had seen this structure countless times in the show, but seeing its grandness in real life hit differently.
Satoshi smiled a little at Akira's reaction. "Must have hit your head pretty hard to get this excited after seeing the Hokage faces."
Akira smiled nervously, not replying, just following Satoshi.
After a twenty-minute walk through the village, they stopped in front of a large building that Akira immediately recognized as the hospital.
"Alright, let's get you checked, and after that, we'll head to the Hokage's office to check for your squad leader," Satoshi said.
Akira broke into a cold sweat at Satoshi's remark. 'Fuck. I don't know anything about this body. The chances of this body being in the records are slim. I didn't see anyone like him in the show. But he was wearing a Leaf Village headband, so maybe he was a minor shinobi...'
Akira offered Satoshi a smile to mask his inner panic.
Satoshi, unaware of Akira's turmoil, led him into the hospital. Akira did his best to appear calm, but Satoshi, being a trained shinobi, could easily read his nervousness.
He chuckled softly. "Shinobi shouldn't be afraid of hospitals."
Akira gave him a tired grin, scratching the back of his head, before shaking it and following Satoshi as he pushed open the double doors.
Inside was a clean, white room with two beds. A medical ninja sat in the middle of the room.
"What may I help you with?" the medic asked, rising from his chair.
"I found this kid in the woods near the Leaf Village while patrolling," Satoshi explained. "I don't know what happened, but he has some memory loss."
The medic walked over, examining Akira from head to toe. "Interesting. No signs of major head injuries." He paused. "Are you sure he's not an infiltrator faking memory loss to gain access?"
Akira's heart began pounding. 'How do I get out of this?'
But his thoughts were interrupted when Satoshi spoke again.
"I don't think so. I had my doubts at first, but the admiration and excitement he had in his eyes when we entered the village tell me he's not an enemy."
Akira sighed in relief. 'Safe for now.'
"And even if he is faking it—which is unlikely—we'll know after checking the records," Satoshi added.
Akira clenched his fist, forcing himself not to react strongly. He simply nodded in agreement.
The medic ninja, convinced by Satoshi's point, motioned for Akira to lie down on the bed as he began to check him over.
The medic touched Akira's head and forehead in several different places, inspecting every inch for any signs of injury.
"I don't think it's a head injury. Maybe someone cast a genjutsu on him," the medic said, raising his index and middle fingers to make a seal to release the genjutsu.
The room fell dead silent.
"Sooo, do you feel anything different?" Satoshi asked, breaking the silence.
Akira shook his head, signaling that he didn't.
The medic let out an annoyed sigh before placing his hand on Akira's stomach. He closed his eyes, trying to sense any irregularities in the chakra.
'I really hope this body has chakra, or if not, I'll have a hard time explaining.'
The medic moved his hand around, carefully feeling for any discrepancies, before pulling it back with a defeated look on his face.
"I sense nothing abnormal. I have no clue why he lost his memories, but let's hope he gets them back."
Satoshi felt a bit sad for Akira, but Akira was happy to have survived the ordeal.
Satoshi thanked the medic before heading back outside with Akira.
"Well, don't be sad, okay? I'm sure the records will tell us about your past. Maybe being around people you love will help you get your memory back," Satoshi said, rubbing Akira's back.
Akira was a bit confused. 'Is he trying to comfort me? Does he think I'm sad because the medic couldn't tell anything?'
Akira gave a small nod, playing into the act. "Yeah... maybe."
He didn't know if it was luck or fate, but for now, he was safe.
But the real test was coming—the records. If the Hokage's office didn't have any mention of the body he now possessed, things could spiral out of control quickly.
They walked side by side in silence, the sounds of the bustling Leaf Village surrounding them.
Akira's eyes couldn't help but wander.
Children ran and laughed through the streets, shinobi moved in and out of shops, and merchants shouted out deals at their stalls. It was surreal.
His gaze fell on a trio of familiar figures in the distance: Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, still young and energetic, chasing each other with paper shuriken.
'I can't believe I'm seeing them in person! People I watched from the screen are living their lives around me.'
Akira thought, still finding it difficult to process that he was actually seeing the characters in real life.
Akira smiled to himself, excited to see others he adored.
Before long, they stood at the foot of the Hokage tower. Satoshi turned to Akira and asked, "You ready?"
Not even a little.
"Yeah," Akira lied, offering a weak smile.
They climbed the spiraling stairs, each step echoing in his mind like a countdown.
'What if there's no record? What if they throw me in ANBU interrogation? What if Danzo shows up and stabs me for being suspicious?'
He shook the thoughts away.
They reached the office, where a Chunin behind a desk looked up and blinked. "Yes?"
Satoshi stepped forward. "This kid has some memory loss. We want to confirm his identity with the records. Can we access the archives?"
The chunin gave Akira a curious glance. "Name?"
Akira nervously gave his name, "Akira Ryujin... But I'm not sure about it."
The Chunin gave him a suspicious look and began checking the documents of all the active shinobi.
The Chunin's finger tapped lightly against the old parchment folder, dragging it out with a practiced motion.
Akira stood there, biting his lips, waiting for his world to collapse.
'God, please do something. You didn't reincarnate me just to die again, did you?'
"Akira Ryujin… Yeah, you're in here. Genin. Orphan. Currently assigned under Team 8 with team leader Kurenai Yuhi."
Akira blinked. 'I'm... real? I mean, this body is real? And it even has the same name as me?'
His legs nearly gave out from relief.
'But wait, I never saw Hinata, Kurenai, or anyone react to anyone like this character. WTF is even happening?'
The Chuunin flipped open the file and continued, reading aloud in a neutral tone.
----
CONFIDENTIAL REPORT:
Name: Akira Ryujin
ID: #11294
Rank: Genin
Affiliation: Hidden Leaf Village (Konoha)
Status: Active - Assigned to Team 8
Age: 14
Chakra Nature Affinity: Not evaluated
Academy Graduation: Passed with minimal scores
Mission History:
D-rank: 3 (Escort, herb retrieval, courier)
C-rank: 1 (Assisted in patrolling eastern forest border)
Medical History:
Mild chakra exhaustion (2 months prior)
Treated for bruised ribs (sparring injury)
----
The Chunin closed the file and glanced back at them. "You should head back to your assigned Team. They might be looking for you."
Satoshi looked at Akira with a relieved smile. "Let's go."
Both of them started heading downstairs, but there were many questions in Akira's mind.
Why had he reincarnated into this world?
Who was this guy, and what happened to his consciousness after Akira took control of this body?
Why did he have the same first and last name as him?
And most importantly, if he was part of a Team 8, why didn't he remember seeing anyone like this in the show?