"Takayama Haru-kun, Kushina has been captured!"
Takayama Haru looked at the group of young men and women rushing toward him. Suddenly, a wave of familiar yet strange memories surged into his mind, and he froze on the spot.
He had transmigrated into the world of Naruto!
This was Konoha Village.
If his memory served him right, it hadn't even been ten years since the Second Great Ninja War ended!
Although hidden dangers still lurked beneath the surface, from the outside, this was at least a rare period of peace.
As for Takayama Haru, he was just an ordinary subordinate.
His background? He was a war orphan picked up by the Uzumaki Clan on their way to Konoha, sent by Kushina.
The young men and women standing in front of him were fellow young ninjas, just like him!
Led by Uchiha Mikoto, the group included Namikaze Minato and a pair of Hyuga brothers.
Uchiha Mikoto and Takayama Haru had grown up together, childhood friends. Mikoto was also one of Kushina's closest companions.
As for Namikaze Minato and the Hyuga brothers, they were peers from the same generation of shinobi.
From his memories, Haru learned that Namikaze Minato was a gifted ninja, having mastered various types of ninjutsu over the years. Though technically still a Chunin, his actual strength was already at the level of a high-ranking Jonin.
Wow, this was the man who would become Hokage in his early twenties!
The Hyuga brothers were also respected leaders among the Chunin.
As for Takayama Haru himself, he was just an ordinary subordinate, nothing special.
While Haru was still trying to digest all the memories flooding in, a line of text suddenly appeared in his mind!
[System starting. In light of the host's current situation, three starting options are now available!]
[Option 1: Be a salted fish, stand by and stay out of the plot! Reward: C-rank taijutsu – Konoha Great Whirlwind.]
[Option 2: Create chaos, obstruct the rescue, and join the villains! Reward: Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Option 3: Leave Konoha immediately and participate in rescuing Kushina! Reward: Supreme Starter Gift Pack!]
[Task will be settled immediately upon completion!]
Takayama Haru's eyes widened in shock!
The real transmigration benefits were finally arriving!
As expected, the system might be late, but it would never be absent.
Takayama Haru thought carefully.
This was the classic "God-Tier Choices" situation.
Choosing to be a salted fish was definitely the safest... but also the least profitable.
Konoha Great Whirlwind—that was the unique taijutsu technique taught by Guy-sensei to Rock Lee!
Clearly, this was the "low-end" reward.
The second option seemed tempting, but in reality, it was basically a death sentence.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
But Haru wasn't an idiot—given his current skills, he wouldn't even survive long enough to cause any real chaos before being captured.
The dark side of Konoha, and the Root organization under Danzo, weren't to be underestimated.
Even if he somehow succeeded, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would make him an instant target.
Being someone not from the Uchiha clan with a Mangekyō? They'd slice him up for sure.
As for the third option—the "Supreme Starter Gift Pack"—it sounded much more promising.
He didn't know exactly what it contained, but surely it couldn't be worse than the Konoha Great Whirlwind, right?
He definitely didn't want to end up just kicking in circles like a maniac.
Moreover, Haru realized that to fulfill the third option, he simply had to leave Konoha immediately and participate in Kushina's rescue mission—then the task would be complete.
He even double-checked with the system.
The system replied: Task completion would be based on system settlement.
Still, the kidnapping of Kushina was filled with strange elements.
Normally, how could a few low-level ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village sneak into Konoha and kidnap the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails without being noticed?
Konoha currently had Sarutobi Hiruzen, still in his prime, and the three legendary Sannin in their youth, plus elite ninjas like Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf.
It reminded Haru of the beginning of Naruto's story, when Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals, only to be defeated by Naruto's Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
These two incidents were suspiciously similar.
It looked like someone had intentionally allowed it to happen.
Regardless, Haru had made up his mind: he would complete the third option within his abilities—leave Konoha immediately and participate in Kushina's rescue!
Meanwhile, Uchiha Mikoto gritted her teeth and said, "Those bastards took advantage of the Uchiha clan's festival to kidnap Kushina when our security was at its weakest!"
"I heard it was undercover agents planted by Hidden Cloud Village trying to capture Kushina!" someone added.
Namikaze Minato frowned and said, "I'm heading to Kushina's place to check the situation!"
The moment he finished speaking, Minato's figure blurred and disappeared from sight, leaving only an afterimage behind.
Instant teleportation!
Everyone present couldn't help but look at him with admiration.
"So fast!"
"I heard the Third Hokage even passed on some secret techniques to Minato."
Takayama Haru knew that wasn't exactly correct—the Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't from the Third Hokage, but a legacy from the Second Hokage.
Although the Third Hokage seemed disappointing in the anime, from the memories Takayama Haru now had, Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation in Konoha was still immensely strong.
Takayama Haru turned to Uchiha Mikoto and the Hyuga brothers and said, "Let's head out and look around—maybe we'll find some clues."
Uchiha Mikoto glared at Haru and said, "You? You want to go?"
The others burst out laughing.
"Haru, you should stay in the village. With your strength, you'd just get in the way."
"Trying to play the hero, are you, you weakling?"
"If you're this useless, don't go looking for trouble…"
Takayama Haru rolled his eyes and ignored them.
He immediately started channeling chakra into his feet and sprinted toward the main gate of Konoha.
He had to admit: the basic D-rank running technique was really slow—it was only about twice the speed of normal running.
Compared to Minato's instant teleportation, the gap was enormous.
Soon, Haru had made it to the main road leading to Konoha's gates, but when he looked ahead, he saw a crowd already gathered there.
No way he could get out through the main gate.
Fortunately, he remembered there was a small side path he could use to climb out of the village.
Haru immediately turned around.
However, that little road wasn't unguarded.
Standing there was none other than a young Uchiha Fugaku—the future father of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
"Takayama Haru, what are you doing here?" Fugaku asked suspiciously.
Thinking fast, Haru pointed off into the distance and said, "Fugaku, look over there! Someone's acting suspiciously!"
The moment Fugaku turned to look, Haru bolted past him.
"Hey! Stop! It's dangerous out there—Hidden Cloud Village has spies lurking around!" Fugaku shouted.
Fugaku tried to chase him but soon saw Uchiha Mikoto and the Hyuga brothers walking over too.
"Forget it. If that kid wants to run off and get himself killed, that's on him," Fugaku muttered.
He turned to Mikoto and the others and said sternly, "You guys shouldn't be outside either!"
Meanwhile, Takayama Haru quickly scaled the village wall and escaped into the surrounding forest.
[Ding! You have left Konoha Village. Task Completion: 50%!]
What's the next step?
Just then, Haru spotted something on the ground—a strand of dark red hair.
"This is Kushina's hair!"
[Ding! Clue found! Task Completion: 60%! Please continue tracking!]