1 Chapter 1

I rubbed my eyes tiredly and slowly looked towards the sobbing child in the bed beside mine. The boy seemed to notice my gaze and paused his tears to observe me, before going back to his lonely crying.

I rolled my eyes and pulled my pillow over my head, trying my best to get to sleep.

My name is Lei Kazumi, and unluckily enough, I died and currently find myself in the world of Naruto. Where people's worth is determined by what clan they were born into, child soldiers are a norm, and war crimes are not only common, but encouraged.

Even more unlucky for me is that I've been born an orphan.

And without a gamer system! If I was gonna be reborn against my will, the least you could do is throw me a bone!

At least I'm in Konoha…is that even a good thing? Well, I guess it's better than Iwa, Kiri, and Suna.

Apparently my parents died in the Kyuubi attack that happened five years ago. I don't have any memories of them since I was thrown into this body three short weeks ago.

I've practically resigned to my fate of being a background character. I'm not dumb enough to believe in any way that those fanfiction stories where the clanless orphan rises to the top of the food chain without a system are true.

Though, being a background character ain't half bad. Shikamaru was one as he's one of the coolest guys in the show!

Knock

I frowned as the matriarch of the orphanage, Lady Reiko walked through the door.

She's a middle aged woman with long brown hair, brown eyes, soft features, and wears a cheap dress. Most noticeable about her though is her well endowed chest and curvy backside that I've noticed plenty of the older boys looking at.

"Rise and shine boys, time for chores, then you can all eat." She said with a friendly smile.

The room of thirty boys started to shift out of their beds and make their ways out of the room. I sighed as I got up. I had barely even gotten any sleep, due to the annoying kids in here crying.

Don't get me wrong, I feel for them, but I did just die three weeks ago, so sue me if I feel a little bit bitter.

Once I was out of our bedroom, I quickly made my way to the broom closet, and grabbed a broom and dustpan. My job in the orphanage was to sweep out the main rooms in the morning, and mop them in the night. A lot of work, but I chose this. In this orphanage, your worth is determined by how useful you are. The more you do, the more you eat, and for some reason this body of mine needed a lot of food.

Within an hour I had finished sweeping all the main rooms, and had grabbed my seat in the dining room. I smiled as Lady Reiko, or as I call her, Mama Reiko brought me a plate filled to the brim with food.

"Thank you, Mama Reiko." I bowed my head slightly as I took the plate and immediately dug in.

"You earned this Lei, enjoy." She smiled, rubbing my head before heading off to give food to the others.

I scarfed down the food quickly, thanked Mama Reiko again, and left the orphanage quietly.

Normally we would not be permitted to leave the orphanage on our own since we aren't even academy students yet, and that still stands. I'm not supposed to be out.

After three weeks of living in that orphanage I learned how it works. How the older kids move around and how kids my age do. I've learned where Mama Reiko spends her time and where her fellow caretakers are watching.

I've made sure to spend my time in this world avoiding everyone from after breakfast all the way to dinner.

Which will leave no one asking questions as to where I've gone.

I started running down the snowy streets of Konoha, a bright smile filling my scarf covered face as I explored the village I dreamed of seeing since I was a child in my previous life.

"You'll all have to wait until you're academy students before you can go out alone." Mama Reiko would say to us.

Haha! She must have lost her fucking mind if she thought I was going to wait half a year to visit Ichiraku's Ramen.

A large smile worked its way onto my face as I found the very ramen place I was looking for. The legend himself, debatably the most powerful man in Naruto, Teuchi was currently making ramen for a single man who was sitting there.

"Excuse me Mister." I said, cringing at how childlike my voice is.

Teuchi looked? He turned my direction, although his eyes were closed like always.

Can he fucking see?

"Hello lad, what can I do for you?" He asked in a gruff voice, although I could tell he made an attempt to soften it.

"Can I have a bowl of ramen? I heard it's the best ramen place in Konoha from…a friend." I smiled out, as I struggled to get myself on what of the seats.

"Of course, what kind would you like?" He smiled back.

"Miso with extra pork please!"

I recall that being Naruto's favorite ramen, how could any true Naruto fan come to Ichiraku's and not get the Naruto special?!

"Coming right up!" He nodded before turning around and getting to work. I observed with wonder filled eyes as he prepared the food.

The very delicious looking food, and it wasn't even cooked yet.

"So what's your name, kid?" The other man who was already eating his bowl of ramen asked.

I looked at him and my eyes widened in realization. I wanted to facepalm. How the fuck didn't I notice this man was Iruka?

He raised an eyebrow at my expression. Damn, I can't forget these guys are shinobi, a slip up like this with anyone dangerous could probably gain their attention…which would be the end of me.

"U-Um...I'm Lei, nice to meet you sir?" I stuttered and bowed my head slightly.

"You sure this is the first time we're meeting?" Iruka asked with a small smile.

Shit.

"I think so, sir. I'm sorry if I was acting weird…this is my first time seeing a real life ninja!" I beamed at the man.

Please, take the bait.

His smile grew a tad larger at my enthusiasm. "The technical term is shinobi, but you could call me a ninja if you'd like."

He was teasing me…wasn't he. They mean the same fucking thing.

"What does technical mean?" I asked back.

Iruka paused before answering. "In the sense I used it, It means something according to the facts."

"What does' according mean?"

His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he noticed my shit eating grin.

"You're messing with me." He deadpanned.

"Sorry sir, but nobody likes a smarty pants. If it makes you feel any better you'd make a good teacher."

"Thanks." Iruka chuckled before taking another slurp from his bowl of ramen.

"Here you are." Teuchi said, placing my bowl of ramen in front of me. My eyes widened as I looked into the bowl and saw a slight shine of gold to it.

Is this what they call the food of the gods?

Teuchi eyed me as I picked up my chopsticks, and took my first bite of heaven.

And heaven it was. I felt as though I ascended. The noodles alone were simply divine. I went in for a bite of the pork and for a moment I wasn't in Konoha anymore. I was staring at the whites of the heaven gates.

Is this what they mean by the saying 'the first bite tastes like heaven, the second takes you there'?

Tears started streaming out of my eyes as I looked back up to Teuchi.

"It's…divine."

Teuchi and Iruka looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Glad you like it kid, it's on the house." Teuchi crossed his arms over his chest and nodded proudly.

"Thank you sir."

I'll leave that I had no money anyways left unsaid.

I spent the next hour sitting down and eating the ramen, never once contemplating on rushing. Every single bite was savored, and every gulp of the golden broth was reassurance that dying and being reincarnated was worth it if only to taste this great man's art.

As I finished the bowl of ramen I looked up firmly at Teuchi.

"I've decided."

He stopped his cleaning to look at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, and what have you decided, son?"

"I'm going to become a shinobi, a great one, and when I do, I'll use my influence in the village to promote this heavenly ramen stand of yours."

Teuchi looked at me dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before chuckling.

"I look forward to it…I don't think I got your name son."

"It's Lei…Lei Kazumi."

"Right, then I look forward to it, Lei." He said with a wide grin.

My own smile grew as I got up and waved to him.

I was only half joking about my goal. Becoming a great shinobi is great and I'd love to share his great gift with the rest of the village, but it's not my main reason for doing it.

No, to live in this world that is threatened by people like the Akatsuki, Black Zetsu, Madara, and Kaguya, one must grow to jonin level just to survive, and kage level to make an impact.

Becoming a great shinobi was never a question, but a requirement.

I spent a great portion of the rest of the day looking for landmarks that I remember from the show. I did find a few. Specifically the hot springs, a few restaurants I recall, that one bbq place Team Asuma would eat at, the Yamanaka flower shop, and the Uchiha district.

Which is currently bustling with visibly angry Uchiha, so I didn't actually get too close. Seriously, they're not even trying to hide the fact that they're dissatisfied with the village.

By the time I was satisfied with roaming, it was already nearing night. I sighed happily. Completely content with the way today had gone. I'm sure I can sneak out a few more times, but doing so everyday would be risky.

"Hey, what's up with those weird eyes of yours, seriously, they're creepy!"

"Aren't they! I had the same thought, Kosui."

"She's so ugly!"

I turned my head and raised an eyebrow at the sight of three annoying children laughing. Curious, I started walking over and my eyes widened when I saw a crying black haired girl kneeling in the snow.

Is that Hinata? Oh shit that's Hinata!

"You guys think you're cool picking on a girl."

The three boys quickly looked back at me. I watched their eyes scan my brown hair, before dropping to my green eyes and baby face.

"Who's talking to you turd hair?" The fat one chuckled. His fat cheeks jiggling all the while.

I was honestly taken aback. For a kid he was decent at dishing out jokes…but could he throw hands though.

I instantly started running towards them, which left them surprised for a moment before they threw up their guards. The fat one was the first to be introduced to my fist as it slammed into his face. I dodged his right hook that was heading towards my face and punched him again in the stomach. My eyes briefly widened as he seemed unaffected by it and threw another punch that rocked my head backwards.

"Shit, do your jelly rolls act as armor!?" I asked in genuine surprise and pain. I hit him with all my strength!

"Heh, he's calling you fat, Junbi" The tallest one of them laughed. I assumed he was their leader.

"No one calls me fat!" Junbi shouted, the jiggling of his body would have brought a chuckle from me if I wasn't actually scared shitless.

I dodged his right straight that he threw and knocked him back with a left hook of my own to his face.

A smile worked its way onto my face as I saw a small amount of blood start leaking from his nose.

"Got a problem with that tubs?" I chuckled.

"Junbi's getting beat, let's help." The other kid said, as he rushed me.

I froze. That's not good. I was barely beating this goddamn tank of a child and now it's gonna be a 3 on 1.

"What's going on over here!"

A childish voice shouted. Everyone paused as we looked at the newcomer. My heart stopped for a few moments and my eyes widened as I gazed at the very protagonist of this world. However my surprise exceeded my excitement when I noticed the long smooth hair and feminine eyelashes.

Holy shit. Naruto's a chick!

"Mind your own business!" The tall kid growled, which gave me all the time I needed to run up to him and drop kick him in his chest.

"Kosui!" The other kid shouted, before turning his angered gaze on me and charging.

The fat kid also wasted no time in rushing me.

"A little help!" I shouted as I blocked the first kids attack only to get gut checked by the chubby one.

"Leave him alone!"

The golden haired girl brought her hands up for a hand seal, which actually made the two kids step back.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

Two very small clones the size of squirrels appeared next to the girl. One of the clones pointed at the fat kid and shouted, "I'm gonna beat you up!"

I raised an eyebrow, and the two bullies looked at each other before breaking out into laughter. While they were laughing I grabbed a handful of snow and hid it behind my back.

"You beat her up, I'll handle him." Junbi grinned.

The unimportant kid rushed the blue eyed goggle wearing girl and socked her right in the mouth. I cringed as I watched her body fall to the ground. She struggled to get up but got kicked in the side again.

"Just you and me." Gorlock the Destroyer chuckled. I frowned, getting up from the ground and rushing him. Just before I reached him, I threw the snow in his face, blinding him, then crashed my entire body weight into him, taking him to the ground.

I hit him with punch after punch straight to the face. Only once I saw his consciousness leave his eyes did I stop.

Getting back up with a tired breath, I made my way to the down girl who was getting beat on and hit him hard in the back of the head. I repeated my earlier action by climbing on top of him and punching him until light left his eyes and he embraced unconsciousness.

"A-Are you alright?" Hinata asked the girl Naruto who was slowly getting up off the ground. Once she was up she wiped the snow off her face and clothes.

"Yeah, of course I'm alright, I totally had those guys!" The blonde grinned.

Is she fucking high?

"Yup, thanks to you buying me time, I was able to handle them." I played along with a twitching smile.

The girl gave me a shit eating grin, crossed her arms and nodded proudly.

"Yup, it was thanks to my greatness!"

I deadpanned, and switched my gaze to Hinata who was fidgeting uncomfortably while looking between me and…fem Naruto.

"So why were they bullying you?" I asked the white eyed girl.

Her fidgeting increased and her frown deepened.

"Nevermind you don't have to answer. They won't bother you again after today…I'm certain of that."

Hinata looked at me with wide eyes for a second before they softened.

"You both got hurt because of me."

"Ah, don't worry about it, those guys were jerks!" the knuckleheaded future ninja giggled.

"What she said." I smiled as I moved forward to pat the adorable hyuga's head. "Bullies who judge others by their appearance without getting to know them deserve to be beat down."

Hinata looked between both of us with wide eyes before bowing deeply.

"Thank you!"

""No problem.""

We both answered and the girl Naruto started running away.

No fucking way this anamoly is going to randomly pop in and get away on my watch.

"Wait." I shouted as I started running after her, leaving Hinata.

The blonde either didn't hear me, or is just trying to piss me off. Considering that she's most likely still a social outcast within the village, I'm going to assume the former.

Finally when we reached a very familiar apartment building, she stopped.

She's way faster than me! Like easily double my speed. How the hell is she so physically gifted? I don't think Kurama helped with physical strength…right?

"I…said…wait." I said between pants as I struggled to get oxygen flowing through my lungs.

The girl finally took notice of me.

"Eh…who are you?"

She's gotta be fucking playing with me.

"The guy you just fought a bunch of bullies with!" I shouted out.

"Huh…? Yeah! That did happen." She giggled as she rubbed the back of head with a sheepish smile. "So did you need something?"

I tried my best to suppress my anger. Key word being tried.

"You're pretty fast and you can take a hit. I wanted to know your name." I smiled, or at least twitched my lips up. The boiling anger in my heart wouldn't allow a genuine smile.

"I know! Open your ears and remember my name! The name is Naruko Uzumaki! Believe it!" She exclaimed with a peace sign.

I cringed a great deal as I witnessed her do that anime smile with closed eyes unironically.

It's not that it looks bad or anything…just weird.

"My name is Lei Kazumi. Want to be friends?" I asked. A question that would seem weird or otherwise just unnatural if we were older, but considering we're five years old, I wasn't surprised when I heard her response.

"Sure!" She smiled. "My apartment is right here, want to head in? I have a bunch of games from Grandpa Hokage."

"Mhm!" I closed my eyes and smiled wide.

Nah it feels weird, not doing it again.

We moved up to her apartment and walked in. It was honestly a lot cleaner than I expected.

"You can sit here." She pointed towards a small couch and I obliged. Once I was sitting, she walked towards a cubby and pulled out a few different board games and cards.

"What do you want to play?" She asked as she put the various games in front of me.

I picked up the cards and smirked. "You know how to play blackjack?"

The shake of my head only deepened my smirk. "Well, why don't I teach you."

—

As I ran back to the orphanage, I couldn't help but let the smirk resurface.

Once I had taught her blackjack, I proceeded to win every game. I didn't know if it was because she was five years old, or if it was because she's Naruko, but she kept busting everytime. We had played for an hour before I realized that I really needed to get back or I'd be found out.

Naruko seemed upset, or at the very least a bit downcast that I had to go, but I'm sure she knew I couldn't stay forever.

As much as I'd love to keep visiting her and stay a close friend she can lean on, I'd much rather not garner any unwanted attention. Specifically from Danzo and his Root. It's also why I haven't been doing any chakra training yet. To show promise in an orphanage that I'm almost certain is constantly monitored by Root would be the height of stupidity and I'd have better luck in just signing my life away.

I cracked the backdoor open and smiled when I saw no one around. Once I was inside and in the clear I casually walked towards the broom closet and grabbed the mop and water bucket. Since I was already a bit behind, I quickly got to work.

After around five minutes of mopping I heard faint footsteps approaching.

"Lei, you're mopping a bit late." Mama Reiko noticed, but I could hear a small smile in her voice.

"Sorry about that, Mama Reiko, I fell asleep in the cabinet again."

The cabinet was one of the places I went to chill in during the three weeks leading up to today. It was a good place to use as an alibi since no one actually knows which cabinet I'm in since I would hop around.

"Well it's a good thing you got some sleep. A growing boy needs plenty of sleep and plenty of food to grow big and strong!" She giggled as she started tickling me from behind. I'm not ticklish, but the feeling of her very large bust pressing into my back didn't go unnoticed."

"What happened to my little Lei, you used to be so ticklish." She pouted cutely.

"I've grown!" I smiled back, earning a giggle from her.

"So you have." She agreed before turning around. "Make sure to finish up soon and get to sleep, Lei."

I watched with a frown as she walked away. Even though she was an older woman she had very attractive features, one being her dump truck of an ass, but no matter what I simply wasn't aroused by her. I guess this childish body of mine simply lacks the necessary testosterone to see her as anything other than a mother figure right now.

Pushing that saddening thought aside, I continued mopping and went right to bed. I won't be sneaking out tomorrow, but I am looking forward to my next adventure.