Chapter One: First Steps into Konoha!

“Oh, hey there, young man! Are you Uzumaki Naruto or Uchiha Sasuke?” Hao Yun immediately recognized the blond boy before him. Since this wasn’t the real world, he crouched down and took the initiative to tease him.

“I am not Sasuke! I’m Uzumaki Naruto! I’m Uzumaki Naruto, who will definitely become Hokage one day!” The moment Sasuke’s name was mentioned, Naruto—locked in a love-hate rivalry—suddenly grew agitated, forgetting his sadness entirely. He jumped up and pointed at Hao Yun’s nose, loudly proclaiming his dream.

Hao Yun barely suppressed his laughter. He’d always found Naruto amusing when watching the anime, but seeing him in person, he was even more hilarious.

“All right, all right, I get it. You’re Naruto, the future Hokage. But you know, Hokage isn’t a seat for someone who can’t even become a Genin. Hmm...” He was about to say more when an instinctive wave of thought reminded him someone was approaching. He glanced sideways—damn, it was Mizuki, that traitor.

“Kid, we’ll talk again some other time.” Hao Yun had no intention of interfering with Naruto’s cheat code. Without the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto could hardly live up to his destiny as the Child of Prophecy! After Hao Yun left, Mizuki approached Naruto.

“Naruto, who was that?”

“I don’t know, that guy just said a bunch of stuff to me and left. He’s probably from the village. Mizuki-sensei, you came to tell me about the exam, right...”

Naruto replied casually, his heart once again focused on the Genin test. Mizuki didn’t give it much thought either. Although Hao Yun’s clothes were strange, the village had plenty of oddballs. Mizuki wasn’t exactly a loyal ninja of the Leaf; he’d much rather focus on stealing the Scroll of Seals.

So Mizuki promptly forgot Hao Yun and began persuading Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals.

....................

Meanwhile, having left Naruto, Hao Yun wandered through the streets of the Hidden Leaf. To someone born in a modern city, the way of life in the ninja world seemed backward, yet it had its own unique charm.

Never mind the fascinating specialty shops for ninja tools—the sight of ninjas leaping across rooftops made Hao Yun want to pull out a slingshot and shoot at them.

After seeing famous shops like TenTen’s Ninja Tool Shop, Yamanaka Flower Shop, and Nara Pharmacy, Hao Yun asked around and found the Uchiha residence.

Why did he want to visit the Uchiha estate, you ask? Well, isn’t it obvious? Besides Sasuke’s, which residence is so easy to get into, free of charge, and spacious? Naruto’s place was small, dirty, and messy, not to mention constantly watched by the Anbu. As for Sasuke, his whole clan was gone, his talent far inferior to Itachi’s, and with his brother as his backing (Itachi), no one was watching him. Living in the most remote corner of the village, nowhere could be more suitable for Hao Yun to settle down.

After all, he couldn’t start causing trouble the moment he arrived in the world of Naruto, could he? Even mischief had its rules!

“Knock knock!” The gate of the Uchiha residence rang. Hao Yun waited for a long time before someone finally opened the door.

“Who is it?” The door swung open, revealing Sasuke’s proud, aloof face.

“I’m a friend of your family. Oh, and I know your brother, Uchiha Itachi. By the way, I know the truth behind your clan’s massacre!” Hao Yun winked at Sasuke, deliberately mentioning Itachi’s name.

Instantly, Hao Yun saw Sasuke’s eyes redden as he reached out to grab Hao Yun’s collar!

However, Sasuke never expected that this seemingly eccentric stranger would easily brush his hand away and zap him with such powerful electricity that his body froze, unable to move!

“Relax, I told you, I’m a friend of your family. If you want to know about Itachi, can’t you just ask? Why resort to violence?” Hao Yun unleashed the full power of a Level 5 Electromaster; his right hand crackled with electricity as he ruffled Sasuke’s hair, shocking him until every strand stood on end. Only then did Hao Yun let go, stepping past Sasuke into the Uchiha mansion.

Inside, Hao Yun looked around—elegant rock gardens, lush trees, traditional tiled houses reminiscent of courtyard homes, all well-kept. In the corner, there were targets for practicing weapon throws.

Truth be told, though the Leaf had stripped the Uchiha clan of all their assets, they hadn’t mistreated Sasuke. At least, outwardly, Sasuke still maintained the grandeur befitting an Uchiha.

“Who...who are you really?” Sasuke finally recovered from the shock, closed the door, and asked again. This time, his tone was no longer so arrogant.

Hao Yun smiled. In the ninja world, strength was respected. Sasuke wasn’t nearly as stupid as the internet made him out to be.

“I know everything about the Uchiha clan, from ancient times to now. Do you want to hear it?” Hao Yun stepped into the house, slipped off his shoes, and sprawled on the tatami. He tapped his fingers on the floor, his words filled with temptation.

“Do you want to know the truth behind the massacre? Your brother didn’t want to destroy the clan—he was framed by others.”

“I want to know everything!” Sasuke glared at Hao Yun, his teeth clenched. Itachi had always been his idol, but that night of the massacre had plunged him into darkness. He never believed his gentle brother would slaughter their clan. Now this man before him was his only hope!

“So, is this how you treat your guest? If you want the truth, first give me a delicious dinner!” Hao Yun patted his stomach and shamelessly demanded.

“All right! I’ll go right away!” Sasuke didn’t hesitate, grabbed his wallet, and dashed out, even using chakra to speed up. With his lack of control, he smashed quite a few roof tiles along the way.

Hao Yun shook his head, amused. Poor child, let me tell you all the truth.

As for whether the plot would unravel...what did he care? Besides, that was precisely why he’d come—to break the story apart! When he used to read Naruto, he often found the plot infuriating. Clearly it was the drama of the Otsutsuki family, yet it ended up nearly destroying the world. Now that he had the chance to enter the story, how could he not shake things up, after all those tears he’d shed?

That tragic fate—he was determined to change it!

“Sir, you’ve eaten and drunk your fill. Isn’t it time you told me about the Uchiha?” Once Sasuke had brought in a table full of delicious dishes and Hao Yun had eaten his fill, Sasuke couldn’t wait any longer. Hao Yun didn’t keep him in suspense; he lay on the tatami and began to tell the tale of Naruto from the very beginning.

“A long, long time ago, in another world, there was a clan called the Otsutsuki. They were obsessed with planting trees on different planets...”