Chapter One: Kato Gofu

What Kato Gufeng would later take pride in was not having once stood atop the ninja world, but in having a woman like Tsunade by his side for a lifetime. — Green Pepper Abalone Threads

...

“Smack!”

The stamp of approval landed on the mission report, marking another successful B-rank mission for every member of Kato Gufeng’s ninja squad. Another mark of experience, another line of credentials.

As the Chunin leader of his squad, Kato Gufeng exchanged a few polite words with Jin Kubiotani, the seasoned administrative ninja in charge of mission handover, inquiring about the latest rumors circulating in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Their task had been a patrol and security mission on the eastern border, keeping them away from the village for quite a while. Counting the journey there and back, they had been absent from the village for over four months.

For professional ninjas, gathering intelligence is an instinctive skill—one etched into their bones. Collecting information at every moment had become a well-honed habit for Kato Gufeng, a habit that greatly aided his survival in the ninja world.

Kato Gufeng was born into one of the smaller clans of the Leaf, the very family famed for its secret Spirit Transformation Technique: the Kato clan.

Expanding his network, cultivating connections, increasing sources of intelligence—knowing more, being well-informed—these things made it easier to survive both in the Hidden Leaf and the greater ninja world.

With the task handed over, Kato Gufeng’s squad dissolved on the spot, granting them three days of leave.

After a brief chat with his teammates, Takeuchi Ki and Nanri Yuta, agreeing on a rendezvous in three days, the squad dispersed.

Kato Gufeng left the Hokage’s residence and made his way toward his own home within the village.

Why not seek out the Hokage for a chat, to build rapport?

Sorry, he was just an ordinary, unremarkable Chunin.

The Hokage, as the leader of the Leaf—the greatest ninja village in the world—was swamped with affairs every day, hardly able to spare a moment for a personal meeting.

Kato Gufeng was in no hurry. He strolled leisurely along the bustling streets of the village, observing its lively scenes.

To him, wandering through these safe, familiar streets was a rare and welcome relaxation, especially after nearly half a year spent on edge during his latest mission.

The year was Leaf Year 35, a rare period of relative peace in the ninja world.

The Leaf’s prosperity was self-evident—shops and buildings arranged gracefully, unique cultural sights everywhere.

Yet Kato Gufeng’s heart was not with the scenery.

No matter how beautiful, after seeing it for ten or twenty years, one grows accustomed. He walked the wide avenue, thoughts drifting to his own matters.

...

Kato Gufeng—that was his name in this life.

Originally, his parents gave him a single-character name: Hawk.

Nothing wrong with a simple “Hawk,” but paired with the surname Kato, it always reminded him of a certain obscure figure from his previous life, and brought odd thoughts to mind.

A bit older, he insisted his parents change it, and so “Kato Gufeng” became his name.

...

In his previous life, he was merely a wage-earner in Shishi, a third-tier city in Rabbit Country. An orphan, with no parents, no siblings, playing ranked matches in League of Legends’s Zaun server—a natural advantage.

He’d graduated college a few years before, originally working in the capital, but the city gave him a vivid lesson in society. After enduring countless trials, he returned to his hometown, Shishi, the provincial capital.

Unexpectedly, even by 2022, Shishi had grown so competitive it was on the brink of grinding him into dust.

With the pandemic dragging on, he was barely scraping by.

Then, after waking from a drunken night, he found himself in the world of Naruto.

He felt little attachment to his old world; as an orphan, he had never fared well, nor had much to miss. The only lingering concern was that he’d crossed over just before a repayment day—his social credit score was sure to plummet.

Naruto was his childhood memory. He’d watched the anime in the orphanage, following it all the way to the start of Shippuden, up to Gaara’s abduction.

The rest of the story, he caught up on during college and work, seeking it out online in moments of nostalgia. He hadn’t seen it all, but he understood the gist of the original plot. At the very least, he knew more than the Boruto series.

Back then, all he remembered was the passion, the thrill—the excitement was leagues above Boruto.

He’d dreamed of becoming a ninja himself, surrounded by Naruto, Sasuke, and the other twelve Leaf prodigies, kicking Obito, Madara, and the white-haired witch with three eyes into oblivion, ushering in lasting peace.

With Tsunade as his wife on one side, Mei Terumi on the other, he’d imagined reaching the pinnacle of the ninja world and living a blissful life.

But reality was far harsher.

The ninja world’s cruel truth made it clear: only the truly powerful could taste that passion and excitement. You needed to reach the level of Elite Jonin at minimum, otherwise, without protagonist powers, diving headlong into danger was just suicide.

The ninja world was a place where people died.

...

Kato Gufeng was born in Leaf Year 13, on May 20th.

He was born the same year as Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Sakumo Hatake, and Might Duy—one year younger than his cousin Kato Dan.

All of them belonged to the same generation.

Subtracting the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, by bronze, silver, and gold standards, Kato Gufeng’s generation counted as the Leaf’s “Silver Generation.”

He was born with memories from his previous life, and after the initial bewilderment of transmigration, he realized he was in the world of Naruto.

At first, he too reveled in visions of a happy future.

He believed that, with his dual-life experience, foresight, and familiarity with the story, he would surely thrive in the ninja world.

But the brutal reality soon taught him another lesson—the ninja world was not so forgiving.

He had been overambitious, chasing unattainable dreams.

Daydreams were harmless, but reality demanded effort.

...

Without striving, his name would soon be etched onto the Leaf’s Memorial Stone.

His parents showed him firsthand that people died in the ninja world.

In his fifth year, Leaf Year 18, the Hidden Cloud attacked first, sending waves of ninja into the Land of Fire. Battles broke out between Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist, and the First Ninja War began. The Leaf declared war on the Cloud.

Led by Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, the previous generation’s elite—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and others—formed the main force, halting the Cloud’s invasion.

Leaving aside the Second Hokage’s death, the rise of the Third, and the impact on the Leaf, the war affected Kato Gufeng personally: his father died in battle.

His mother, saved by his father’s sacrifice, survived but never fully recovered, left with hidden injuries.

She could only become a non-combat ninja.

A few years after the war, longing for her husband and suffering from her wounds, she too passed away shortly after Kato Gufeng graduated from the ninja academy and became a full-fledged Leaf ninja.

Still, Kato Gufeng was grateful to his parents. At least they gave him a relatively complete childhood, letting him experience parental love he’d never known before.

Their deaths made it clear: this was a real, ruthless ninja world—a place where the weak could die at any moment.

Far harsher than his previous life; at least in Rabbit Country, even as an orphan, basic survival was assured.

There were beautiful sights in the ninja world, but only the strong could enjoy them.

For a young Kato Gufeng, survival—living well—was everything. Only by staying alive could he hope for a future.

Though his parents were gone, he had other relatives—his older cousin Kato Dan, and several other brothers.

After their deaths, he grew up under the care of clan elders and the Leaf's support.

The Kato clan was small, with few members, but as an early ally of the Leaf, and the secret Spirit Transformation Technique, it enjoyed some prominence in the village and the ninja world.

Through ninja academy graduation, Kato Gufeng never displayed extraordinary talent.

Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, chakra, mental strength—his skills and chakra reserves were above average, barely at the tail end of the "genius" category.

With a slightly above-average aptitude, steady progress might eventually allow him to become an Elite Jonin.

If luck held, and experience accumulated, by the end of the story he might, with great luck, reach Kage-level and play a minor role.

Until he graduated and completed his first official mission as a ninja—

Something changed.

Because Kato Gufeng’s cheat finally arrived.

PS: New author begging for support, recommendations, and favorites.