"Uchiha Hero, the clan head has summoned all active shinobi to the Konoha Military Police Headquarters."
The voice came from behind, crisp and commanding. Hero looked up from the riverbank and gave a casual nod. With one hand, he fished an empty soda can from the water.
"Got it. I'll be there right away."
The Uchiha chunin who had delivered the message narrowed his eyes in slight surprise. His gaze lingered on Hero's casual demeanor—on the half-full burlap sack beside him, the trash spear resting lazily against a stone.
Just before vanishing in a blur of movement, the chunin added in a low voice:
"Listen, kid. The Third Kazekage has gone missing. Tensions are boiling at the borders. Another Great Ninja War could break out any day now."
"You're just a genin. Don't get cocky. This isn't the time to play hero."
He paused, eyes scanning the creek, then muttered in quiet disdain, "As an Uchiha, you should be training to strengthen the clan… not wasting time with garbage-clearing missions."
With a soft whoosh, he disappeared.
Hero waited a beat. Then…
His entire face lit up.
"Yes!" he exploded, tossing the spear aside and flipping onto the riverbank with a splash. He gave the waterlogged soda can a casual toss into the sack and clenched his fists with trembling excitement.
"The war's finally starting?! Finally~!"
His grin stretched from ear to ear.
"I can finally leave the village ! I've been going crazy waiting for this all year!"
For the past year, Hero had been trapped in an endless loop of mundane genin assignments.
Trash collection.
Cat retrieval.
Babysitting.
Unclogging irrigation ditches.
"Lame missions like these—how the hell am I supposed to die with honor doing this crap?!"
He exhaled deeply, chest rising and falling with exhilaration. Anyone watching would've thought he'd just won the lottery.
"I can finally go home."
Because Uchiha Hero was not of this world.
He was a transmigrator—a soul from another reality, reborn into this world under the watch of a mysterious force.
The Will of Heaven.
And Hero? He was one of its chosen. A divine wildcard dropped into the timeline of chaos, gifted a task no one else could bear.
The rules were simple:
He would be granted a random talent, inserted into a storm-ridden world… and tasked with steering that world toward a better future. If he succeeded, he would be richly rewarded—and returned home.
But if he failed… or acted selfishly?
The Will of Heaven would erase him. No second chances.
Naturally, as a "benevolent" system, it had insured him.
If he were to die on the mission—unintentionally, within reason—he'd receive a massive insurance payout of $500 million and return home.
Of course, that death had to be justified, it couldn't be more meaningless than what would've originally occurred in the timeline. No suicide loopholes.
But that was fine.
Because Hero had already figured it out.
His original self in this world had been utterly ordinary. No notable family record. Parents dead. Bullied for years. Forgotten even among the clan.
And nowhere in the Naruto timeline had a character named "Uchiha Hero" ever been mentioned.
Odds were, the original body would've died in one of three places: The Third Great Ninja War, The Nine-Tails attack or the Uchiha Massacre.
A total throwaway.
A disposable canon's extra.
And what better fate for a disposable pawn… than to die a glorious death on the battlefield?
Hero didn't hesitate. His goal was crystal clear:
Find a battlefield. Die meaningfully. Get paid.
And now? The timing couldn't be more perfect.
The Third Kazekage had vanished. Sunagakure would retaliate. Tensions would escalate. Konoha would be pulled into war.
The gears were already turning.
Hero's mind raced with future events:
The Mist Ambush at the Cliffs.
The Invasion of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
The Third Raikage's final stand.
The Gedo Statue's rampage in the Land of Rain.
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge.
The chaos at Kikyo Pass.
So many legendary battles. So many places to die with honor.
Just get into one of those missions, Hero thought, and there's no way I survive.
Even if I do? The Nine-Tails Night and Uchiha Massacre are waiting, right?!
Of course, part of him had considered trying to rewrite fate like a proper divine envoy. Maybe save the Uchiha. Maybe stop some of the greater tragedies.
But reality was sobering.
Compared to Naruto— a legendary father, a powerful bloodline, and god-tier powers like Kurama and Sage Mode. And even he nearly died facing the world's top threats, Hero on the other hand had nothing.
No awakened Sharingan.
No special famiy.
No Sage of Six Paths chakra.
No tech genius mind to invent mechs or gadgets.
Hell, he hadn't even received his promised "talent" yet.
If the Will of Heaven had given him something like Eternal Mangekyo at the start, maybe he would've taken the mission more seriously.
But as things stood… Dying with honor?
That was the real mission.
"Five hundred million dollars for a heroic death?! That's a win."
"Saving the world?!" Hero grinned. "That's Naruto's job."
As the sky turned red-orange with the fading light, Hero looked up.
"They're calling the whole clan together at a time like this… must be a war deployment briefing."
"The dangerous missions will be limited. I can't let them get picked before I do."
He bolted to his feet.
"I need to hurry!"
"This time, I'll spill my blood for Konoha!"
"Time to charge!"
Without even glancing at his trash bag, Hero took off at a sprint—kicking up dust as he ran straight toward the Police HQ.
***
Far above, on the rooftops, another figure moved swiftly through the village—Uchiha Shisui.
He was headed to the same destination.
Mid-leap, Shisui's ears twitched.
From down below, he heard Hero shouting about giving his life for the village.
Shisui nearly missed his footing.
But then he paused atop the tiles, his expression thoughtful.
"…There's someone else in the clan who thinks like I do?"
He watched as Hero disappeared into the distance, eyes burning with passion.
"But the mission the clan leader's about to assign…"
"It's too dangerous."
"No… I can't let a bright, hot-blooded fellow throw his life away like this."
Shisui clenched his fists.
He had always loved the village. But he'd seen too many good people die, burned up by their own loyalty.
He wouldn't let that happen again.
Not this time.
-------
(A/N:
- Dialogue will be shown between quotation marks. "…."
- Sounds and thoughts will be written in Italic
- System notifications will appear inside square brackets [….] )