Chapter 1
Chapter 1: A Two and a Half Year Journey as a Ninja Academy Student!
Chapter 1: A Two and a Half Year Journey as a Ninja Academy Student!
"Taiping, wake up… You’re going to be late!"
The persistent calls woke Taiping from his deep slumber on the desk. His eyes met the faces of two teenagers—one fat, one thin—in an empty, dilapidated classroom.
"Did you forget? Today is the graduation exam!"
The fat boy's eyes were filled with exasperation.
'Graduation exam?'
Taiping remembered.
Today was the day of the graduation exam, so he quickly stood up.
"Kawasaki, Koji, let's go!"
He hurriedly walked out of the classroom.
"Wait for us!"
The two boys followed closely behind.
Yes, Taiping was a Transmigrator.
The world of Naruto!
A world he had watched in anime before his transmigration. However, this was a real world, far more vast and real compared to the anime. Many aspects of it were deeply unsettling.
He found himself in the heart of this world.
Konoha Village!
It was a decent start, considering he had successfully transmigrated and was still young, fit, and handsome. But transmigrating into a ninja world was a different story.
In this world, human life was as cheap as grass, and ninjas had to start fighting on the battlefield at a young age, with a terrifyingly high death rate.
Faced with such a dangerous world, and having been here for two and a half years without any system to aid him, Taiping naturally chose to "lie flat."
He had no other choice!
If he dared to shout something like "My fate is in my hands, not the heavens," he'd be sure to end up in the Interrogation and Torture Division.
Ninjas were incredibly sensitive to information and would act on the slightest suspicion. Even the dead couldn't keep secrets, which was why ninjas had to dispose of their own bodies after death.
In such a brutal and dangerous world, how could Taiping not resign himself to lying flat?
And today was his last chance.
If he failed the exam, he could lie flat and live off others.
Becoming a ninja meant becoming a tool of the village. Even if you were given a mission you knew would be fatal, you had to execute it. Leaving the village without permission would be considered treason, and you would be hunted down.
Only by becoming an ordinary person could he escape the dangerous and cruel system of the ninja world.
So, from the moment he transmigrated, Taiping had been planning.
Now, he finally had his chance.
As long as he performed poorly enough today, he might have a chance to "lie flat."
With these thoughts in mind, Taiping led his two best friends toward the training ground.
The fat boy was named Honda Kawasaki, and his dream was to become the greatest merchant in the ninja world. The other, with a cold expression, was Yamashita Koji, from a small clan, and his dream was to restore the glory of the Yamashita family.
After two and a half years of careful cultivation and manipulation, they were now as close as brothers.
As a transmigrator who had watched the Naruto anime, Taiping had also encountered the future main characters.
But his attitude was to "respect from a distance."
In the dangerous ninja world, the people who died the fastest were those around the main characters.
Without that kind of destiny, getting close to them was a death sentence.
For a transmigrator like him, with his small frame, it was best not to get involved.
Survival was the key to victory.
Just like Obito, who maintained his cool and dignity while lying low, but lost everything the moment he came out of hiding. Or Madara, the master of lying low, who was invincible while hiding but was betrayed the moment he revealed himself. And then there was the ultimate master of lying low, who not only survived but became the final victor.
These examples all proved one thing.
Lying low, we can win.
With these excellent role models, it was no wonder Taiping was determined to lie flat.
Who could blame him in such a dangerous world, where the more active you were, the quicker you died?
Practice… after two and a half years, he was the bottom of the class, the kind who couldn't even become a ninja.
Note, he was the real bottom of the class, unlike Obito, who was only at the bottom due to various accidents and was actually quite strong.
Soon, they arrived at the training ground.
But something was off.
There were too many people!
Figures stood on the walls, trees, and rooftops, all of them important figures from the village.
The most prominent among them…
Naturally, the figure wearing the Hokage hat and a long robe, surrounded by a group of people, stood at one corner of the training ground.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
He was also the pillar of Konoha.
However, Tang Ping's gaze fell on the figure beside him, with his right eye and right hand wrapped in white bandages, holding a cane in his left hand.
Danzo Shimura!
Bold, ruthless, cold-blooded, and selfish—these were the best words to describe him.
Even the Third Hokage, known for his gentlemanly demeanor, wouldn't dare to offend him.
Tang Ping, due to his status, always avoided Danzo, fearing he might be favored by him.
Fortunately, Danzo's favor only extended to geniuses.
He had no interest in someone like Tang Ping, who was a true underachiever. Otherwise, Tang Ping would have had to find a way to run away.
When he first crossed over and realized he was in Konoha, his first thought was to escape.
But the village, which in the anime seemed so loose that even a low-ranking genin could leave, was entirely different in reality.
With its strict security and defenses, not even a high-ranking jonin could escape.
After understanding the true nature of this world, he was even less willing to leave.
Human life was worth less than a dog's outside Konoha.
Ordinary people barely had enough food and resorted to eating grass or even each other. They had to rely on straw for warmth, and cotton blankets were considered a luxury. If they fell ill, they could only tough it out. Bandits and wars were rampant.
It was a world akin to hell.
The average life expectancy was less than thirty years.
In contrast, Konoha was relatively safe with a decent standard of living. That's why countless villagers refused to leave, even if it meant dying.
For outsiders, moving to Konoha was nearly impossible. Only someone with a low IQ would think of leaving.
Besides, he had latched onto a powerful ally.
To achieve his goal of a laid-back life, he needed to fail today's exam and lose his ninja qualifications.
Once he became a ninja... congratulations!
He would be controlled by the village for the rest of his life.
No basic salary (no pay for no duty), no pension, and early retirement only through death or severe injury.
The mortality rate for ninjas was shockingly high!
This might explain why people in the academy started dating and got married in their teens.
They died too early and too quickly, so they had to leave descendants quickly, or the profession of a ninja might have gone extinct long ago.
While Tang Ping was lost in these thoughts, his classmates completed the exam one by one.
The practical exam.
Passing it required defeating a chunin examiner in combat.
The easy exams in the anime might have been changed during a future period of peace.
It was the 42nd year of Konoha, and war was brewing. The village needed more cannon fodder, so they wouldn't be too strict with the pass rate.
So, it was really easy to graduate.
However, graduation was one thing; the future was another.
If you were a genius, you'd be fought over by the great clans and teachers. If you performed poorly, you'd end up as a workhorse or cannon fodder.
This might be why anyone with a bit of talent would strive to become a 'genius.'
While the title came with risks, the benefits were real.
But Tang Ping was definitely not one of them.
If he were a 'genius,' he'd be invited to Danzo's Root organization.
The reason was simple—he was a member of the Uchiha clan.
Yes, the 'strong but tragic' clan of emo, proud, and flashy ninjas.
His last name was changed later; he didn't have one before.
He married into the clan.
You get the idea.
He was completely living off someone else.
Here is the revised text with the non-English character replaced with its English equivalent:
To Tang Ping, the original owner had never experienced the harsh realities of life.
Wasn't it better to live off someone else when so many people couldn't even get the chance?
Tang Ping enjoyed living off others and planned to continue doing so.
Even if he couldn't continue, he could at least get a 'severance package' from the other party. Either way, he wouldn't lose.
"Uchiha Tang Ping!"
His homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Chokichi, called out his name loudly from the training ground.
"Good luck!"
"Don't let anyone look down on you!"
His two best friends cheered him on, and even the usually stoic Yamashiro Koji managed a small smile.
(End of Chapter)
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