"It appears again, this unlucky thing."
"Heh, even though you have Uchiha blood, you're still a lost dog!"
"Hush, you're risking your life. If they hear you, you might be thrown into jail."
"The descendant of a defected ninja will definitely be a traitor in the future. Lord Hokage is too kind to take him in."
...
Shiranui Riku walked through the streets of Konoha with his head slightly lowered, a gloomy expression on his face.
It had been nine years since Riku came to this world, and five years since he arrived in Konoha. In those nine years, his feelings had shifted from initial excitement to a deep-rooted bitterness.
Just as the villagers mocked, Riku carried the blood of the Uchiha clan. But he was not recognized as one of them.
To preserve their bloodline, the Uchiha strictly practiced in-clan marriages. Riku's parents defied this: his mother hailed from the Uchiha, while his father was a member of the Senju clan, the historical nemesis of the Uchiha.
If his father had been a commoner, perhaps things would have been different. But being from the Senju made Riku's existence a disgrace in Uchiha eyes.
When the Uchiha clan discovered his mother's pregnancy, they reacted harshly. The clan leaders and elders confined her and even urged her to abort the child.
But Riku's father managed to sneak into Uchiha territory, rescue her, and flee Konoha.
Of course, the Uchiha wouldn't allow their bloodline to wander freely. They informed the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who immediately labeled Riku's parents as traitors and sent the Anbu after them.
Even so, the couple escaped and went into hiding in a remote village with no ninja presence. There, Riku was born, and the small family lived happily for four brief years—his happiest memories.
Then, disaster struck.
A horde of wild beasts attacked the village. With no ninja to defend them, his parents had no choice but to fight. His mother was forced to use her Sharingan, revealing her identity. Together, they repelled the beasts, but this act attracted the attention of greedy and ambitious shinobi.
Hunters came, lusting for the Sharingan. In the ensuing chaos, Riku's father died protecting him and his mother. Gravely wounded, his mother used her last strength to send Riku to Konoha, pleading for sanctuary.
Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed. Though his parents had defected, they had committed no crimes against the village. Moreover, Riku was of both Uchiha and Senju descent—potentially a valuable asset.
Thus, Riku was taken in by Konoha.
The Hokage sent envoys to the Uchiha, asking them to acknowledge Riku as one of their own. The Uchiha refused.
Konoha then provided Riku with a shabby little house—and left him to fend for himself.
Riku accepted it. He understood the feud between the Uchiha and Senju. Of course they wouldn't accept someone like him. But he didn't know then that his parents were branded traitors. He believed that life in Konoha would be better.
He was wrong.
The villagers despised him.
Eventually, he understood why.
First, his parents were defectors.
Second, the Uchiha clan—more specifically, the Konoha Police Force, which they controlled—had become arrogant and despised.
The Police Force held sweeping authority over internal village affairs. They set rules, enforced them, and arrested anyone with "criminal tendencies." This made the villagers deeply resentful.
But the Uchiha were powerful. No one dared to challenge them. So that resentment fell on Riku—an unclaimed child with Uchiha blood and no family name.
Riku was not Naruto. He did not possess Naruto's boundless kindness.
Living in such an environment for five years would break anyone. Even the most optimistic person would lose hope.
Riku couldn't understand how Naruto could ever forgive.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the man Riku had imagined. He had watched Riku get bullied in public and looked away. Not once had he intervened.
Over time, Riku realized the old Hokage's kind smile was just a mask.
Konoha was now a prison.
And Riku had no way out.
Even if he tried to escape, the village wouldn't allow it. And even if he could escape, he lacked the strength to survive on his own.
Despite everything, Riku knew Konoha was still the safest place—at least for now.
He was determined to change things.
But not because of his Uchiha or Senju blood.
Riku didn't even know if he could ever awaken the Sharingan or the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. He only had half the bloodline, after all.
His hope came from something else: a system called Witness.
By witnessing events, he could accumulate "witness points."
To activate the system, he needed 100 points.
In five years, Riku had earned only 50.
Three years ago, he enrolled in the Ninja Academy. By witnessing the admission of Minato Namikaze, he gained 50 witness points.
But the rest were impossible to earn.
He was isolated. His identity kept him away from key events. And it was an era of peace—the Third Great Ninja War was still far off.
There were no significant events to witness.
But now, a rare opportunity presented itself: Uzumaki Kushina was about to arrive in Konoha and enroll in the Ninja Academy.
If Riku could witness her arrival, he might earn the remaining 50 witness points.
And unlock the Witness System at last.