Prologue

Fifteen years

Fifteen years since I woke up in that burning house. Fifteen years since I ran away from the war. Fifteen years since everything began

I guess I should explain to you what I'm talking about, shouldn't I?

My name is Kevin. Well, it used to be. I took on the name Ryo nearly seven years after everything began after I finally decided that talking to people would be smart. I used to be a man living in the States, calmly going about his daily life with minimal worries. A stable job, a house given to me by my grandparents, and even a... somewhat-loving family

Then, I just... woke up here. Inside of a Japanese house about to collapse from flames. When I got some of my bearings together and realized that there were other people inside the house - unfriendly people - I ran as fast as my little legs could take me

It was only sheer luck that they didn't chase after me

After that, it was a blur. Having only minimal knowledge of outdoor survival, mostly acquired from various videos, it was a struggle trying to stay fed most of the time. I could only scavenge from what was left of the village I ran away from or risk it and eat whatever berry or green that I could get my hands on. Sometimes I would get lucky and an easy rabbit would come my way

Seven years would pass like this, with no contact to the outside world. The only way I could keep sane was to carve letters and numbers into the bark of trees. Imaginary games of Tic-Tac-Toe or Sudoku were commonplace among the grove I would find myself in

Then, I found another town. It hadn't been too far from my clearing. When I'd gathered the courage to walk towards them and try to communicate, only for them to speak in an unfamiliar language, I knew I would have a hard time

Those people didn't throw me out, thankfully, but they didn't exactly welcome me with open arms either. It was a sort of... give and take relationship, only with me taking quite a bit and not giving much back

They taught me their language first. Tossed me with a group of young children and said 'learn' before leaving me there. Not the best impression to make, but it worked. Well enough, at least

I don't know if it was because of my new body, simulating the constant development of the brain from a growing child or if it was because of something else. Whatever it was, it allowed me to learn the language extremely fast. Extremely. Fast

The townsfolk were understandably surprised when I came to them a few months later, speaking fluently with them when I couldn't even pronounce 'hello' when I first appeared

Information was the first thing that I had asked for. Where I was. What was happening in the world. It might have been smart to ask something relating to my home, but I came to the conclusion long ago that this was no longer earth. At least, no longer the one that I was familiar with

The first clue was me becoming a small child. Everything else was just icing on the cake

They told me everything that they knew. That I was in a village in the northeast of the 'Land of Fire' and that they hadn't had much news around here for a while beside the occasional trader that came through the area. I asked them what they knew about the town that was burned down - the place that I ran away from - and they said they knew nothing.

"If it was burned down it was likely because of them cultist members up in the Land of Frost. They been up in the cold so long they think its a blessin' when they see someone on fire. A group of them had a little pyromania spree a few years back so bad that Konoha down south needed to send a group of their magic users up to take 'em out. If it was about seven years ago like ye said, it was likely because of them, or at least a branch of 'em" One of the older members of the village ended up telling me after a long moment of silence

Now, I wasn't an idiot. 'The Land of Fire' and 'Konoha' don't just come together in the same conversation as that. I'd seen my fair share of 'Naruto' back when I was a kid and I'd left a few carvings of the blonde jinchuriki on a tree a few times when I was bored

It was only right that that was the sign telling me where I was

I'd thanked them and left after that. Well, I'd stayed in the town for a few more months to gather some pocket change, but eventually, I left for good, making sure to thank everyone I'd met for their hospitality

Now, if there was anybody else in my place, I'm sure they'd have run off to the Land of Frost to get revenge on the group that had burned the house I woke up in down. I saw that as pointless, however. I had no attachments to that place, nor did I really care about the rest of the 'cultists'. As that old man said, Konoha already took care of it

No, instead I began to wander around. Seven more years passed as I walked across the world, discovering places that I've only ever read about.

As much as I would have liked to learn the same tricks as people like Kakashi or Naruto had, that meant staying in one place and dedicating myself to one country

I wasn't going to do that unless I knew everything about the five major villages. What benefits they could offer, what connections they could offer, while also considering the downsides. No one village was better than another. Iwagakure could offer me the secrets to Dust release if I climbed the ranks high enough, but then again, I could be sent out with the same army that got wiped out outside of Kannabi

Kumogakure could give me the secrets to the Lightning Armor, but the downside is their highly militaristic ideals. I didn't mind war but being someplace that had a leader that would actively seek it out was not what I wanted to do

Mizu could give me one of their seven swords if I trained hard enough, but in a few years they would start mass genocide on their own people. As much as their swords seemed cool, being in a place that actively resembled WWII Germany was, again, not what I wanted to do

Suna had magnet release, but... it's Suna. Why the hell would /anyone/ want to live in a desert

Of course, the most appealing was Konoha. They had S-Rank Shinobi coming out of their asses, Forbidden techniques that took up a scroll nearly the same size of a small child, and were more than likely to be a lifetime ally once I prove myself to them. Then again, /everything/ happens there. That is the center for plot and trouble. So while it can provide me with the tools necessary to learn, it also attracts roaches like a dead body would

It was hard to choose from these options the lesser of evils. I was even debating whether or not I wanted to actually learn Shinobi tricks. I didn't have to leave myself open to a life of combat and death.

But, as much as I debated that option, ultimately it was taken away from me. This is the start of something big. Fifteen years in the making. And it all started with a meeting between a group of Kumo shinobi and one girl