1 Because, I Want to Be the Strongest

"I truly apologize for not letting Sukuna use his full power."

In the sea of memories, the carousel kept spinning, and each replay felt like a sharp knife, piercing deep into the mind of the white-haired man.

Only half of the white-haired man's body lay amidst the ruins, his eyes gazing upwards through the dust to the deep sky, as if searching for answers.

In Shinjuku after the war, every inch of land was filled with the lingering warmth of battle, and dust filled the air, as if it were the silent sigh of the earth.

His eyes, once as deep blue as the sea, were now shrouded in grey mist, losing their former pride and confidence. The sky seemed to have surpassed him, covered in layers of leftover ash.

In his final moments, he felt the mockery of his own powerlessness in his heart: "Is this what I should say, the strongest? Hahaha..."

This laughter was filled with bitterness and self-blame, as if he were announcing his failure to the world.

"If I were to do it again, I would never lose."

"Enjoyable, Gojo Satoru. I may never forget you in my lifetime."

In his last memory, a mad voice echoed in his ears, and then he fell into darkness.

＊＊＊

It is said that death is reincarnation, and after each death, there is the beginning of a new life.

"As you said, Gojo Satoru."

"This time, defeat is not allowed."

＊＊＊

Amegakure (Rain), like its name, never ceased raining throughout the year, falling calmly, soaking the streets and drenching destinies.

"I have seen many war orphans. Most of their fates are tragic. It might be a mercy to end them here."

The man with black hair looked even paler amidst the rain. He stared at the three children in front of him with a deep gaze. A profound gaze in his eyes: "For these children, on the contrary..."

"Quiet, Orochimaru."

At this moment, a white-haired man beside him stopped him from speaking.

"You and Tsunade should go back first, I will take responsibility for taking care of these children." The white-haired man sighed softly, then spoke slowly, his eyes full of determination, as if silently bearing a heavy burden.

Tsunade was surprised: "Jiraiya..."

"At least..." Jiraiya turned with a gentle smile on his face and warmth in his eyes: "When they can live independently, perhaps they can redeem their past sins."

"But..."

Tsunade seemed to want to say something else, but Jiraiya gently raised his hand to silence her.

Slowly, he walked towards the three children. The rain continued to wash away the blood on their bodies, as if erasing their past sins.

At this moment, Jiraiya seemed closely connected to the fate of these children, forming an invisible thread of destiny.

He gently placed his hand on the shoulder of the middle child and said with a smile, "This may also be fate."

"The stubborn man." Orochimaru shook his head helplessly, then signaled to Tsunade, and the two of them turned and left together.

After Tsunade and Orochimaru left, Jiraiya asked softly, "What's your name?"

Among the three children, their leader was a boy with orange hair.

He took a step forward and answered with a slightly trembling voice, "My name is Yahiko."

Then, he pointed to the red-haired boy beside him and introduced: "This is Nagato."

At this moment, a small white-haired boy stood next to them. He reached out his hand, with an expression on his face that was completely unrelated to his age: "This is our first meeting, my name is Gojo Satoru."

"Please give me more advice."

"Gojo Satoru?" Jiraiya murmured this name gently, and then he was drawn to the deep blue pupils of the boy: "This..."

"Beautiful eyes." He praised.

"I am Jiraiya." Jiraiya touched the forehead protector on his forehead: "I am a ninja from Konoha."

"Please give me more advice in the future."

At this moment, Yahiko walked gently to Jiraiya's side and quietly tugged at his sleeve.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Jiraiya was slightly confused and looked at Yahiko.

Yahiko was a little nervous and said hesitantly, "Our comrade is injured, can you help us?"

"Oh, haha, no problem." Jiraiya smiled sincerely.

Under Yahiko's leadership, the four of them hurried towards a simple hut.

Inside the hut, a little girl was lying peacefully on a wooden platform in the middle, her face flushed, and she looked unwell.

"Let me see." Jiraiya immediately stepped forward, after a simple diagnosis, he understood.

"It's just a common cold. I have medicine here. Let her take it and rest well." He sighed with relief and comforted them.

"Thank you so much!" A grateful smile finally appeared on Yahiko's face.

Looking back at the few people, Jiraiya smiled gently. At this moment, a faint voice was heard behind him.

He turned around and found Satoru staring at him with his dark blue pupils: "You're very strong, ninja."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows. He noticed that Yahiko and Nagato were taking good care of Konan, and asked, "Don't you care about your friend?"

Satoru shrugged, according to Jiraiya, this action was clearly not the behavior of a young child.

"I know she just has a common cold and she'll be fine in two days." Satoru said calmly, "Yahiko and the others are just making a fuss."

"And, there are some questions I want to ask you." There was a hint of seriousness in his voice.

"Oh?" Jiraiya became interested and looked at the very calm child in front of him, "Tell me what you want to say."

"How is chakra condensed as you mentioned?" Satoru's face was full of confusion. Clearly, he had been pondering this issue for a long time.

The reincarnation after death had troubled him in his previous life. However, he did not expect to be reincarnated into such a completely foreign world.

There was no Cursed Energy here, no bustling city, and no Jujutsu Sorcerers.

There were only ninjas and the five great nations in ruins.

Satoru was born in a small country where it rained all year round.

His parents had abandoned him since the day he was born. Just because Rikugan (Six Eyes) reincarnated with him, it was considered a bad omen.

However, there was no Cursed Energy in this world. Even if Satoru could understand the nature of chakra, his long-term habit of condensing Cursed Energy had hindered his ability to condense chakra.

"I heard that by condensing chakra, one can become a true ninja." Satoru said calmly, with a hint of questioning in his eyes, "I just want to understand the principle."

Jiraiya walked towards him, gently pressing his shoulder and asking him to sit: "Kid, please sit."

"What?" Satoru rubbed his hair tousled by Jiraiya with a dissatisfied feeling.

"Firstly, I want to know why you want to condense chakra?" Jiraiya suddenly dropped his playful smile and became very serious.

Satoru was momentarily stunned, then he gently lifted his chin with his fingers and said slowly: "Why... There are many reasons. For example, if you want to survive, you have to become stronger, and if you want to protect your friends, you also have to become stronger..."

At this moment, Satoru suddenly snapped his fingers, as if there was a flash of inspiration, he looked directly at Jiraiya and lifted the corner of his mouth: "If you want to talk about the most fundamental reason..."

"It is—"

"I want to be the strongest."