Year 59 of Konoha, on the eve of the Ninja Academy graduation exam.
Orange twilight light filtered through the classroom windows, illuminating the dust in the air. On the podium, Chunin teacher Iruka Umino was encouraging the students, his voice tinged with excitement.
"...Remember, becoming a Ninja is for the sake of protection; this is the inheritance of the Will of Fire!"
The reactions of the boys and girls below the podium varied.
Some clenched their fists nervously, some had eyes full of longing, and others looked impatient. Uchiha Sasuke rested his chin on one hand, looking out the window as if everything around him had nothing to do with him. Uzumaki Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't sit still, eager to prove himself.
In the corner of the classroom, a figure seemed out of sync with the surrounding atmosphere.
Uesugi Toru sat quietly, his back straight, hands placed flat on his desk. His face was expressionless, showing neither the nervousness before graduation nor any anticipation for the future. His gaze fell on the clock on the wall, watching the second hand tick by.
He was simply undergoing a countdown that had lasted for six years.
"Time remaining until the end of the preset logic self-check program: three hours, twenty-four minutes, seven seconds..."
A cold, mechanical voice was reporting precisely in his mind.
Six years ago, he came from a highly developed civilization to this world that valued bloodlines and heritage. After a brief moment of panic, Uesugi Toru's rational thinking quickly calmed him down.
He quickly analyzed his situation: a war orphan, no background, no Bloodline Limit, adopted by the Konoha Orphanage—an insignificant minor character in the machinery of war.
The only variable was the cheat that had crossed over with him—a super artificial intelligence called the Intellectual Brain.
Unfortunately, when he tried to activate the Intellectual Brain, he received a notification that made him wait for six years.
"Alert: Unknown energy system 'Chakra' detected, conflicting with the underlying logic library. Initiating highest priority self-check and compatibility adaptation program. Estimated time: 2190 days."
From then on, the Intellectual Brain went silent, leaving only this cold countdown.
Uesugi Toru did not complain.
He knew very well that in a world full of schemes and killing, a six-year-old child showing extraordinary wisdom or power would only invite trouble. Whether it was Danzo's Root or Orochimaru's laboratory, neither was something an orphan like him could handle.
The Intellectual Brain's six-year silence had instead provided him with the best cover.
Thus, he began to execute his Dormancy Plan.
He worked hard to absorb all the knowledge of this world. From basic writing and history to the principles of Ninjutsu and the nature of Chakra, he treated the Ninja Academy's library as a database, recording all information in his brain.
He precisely controlled his exam scores, keeping them consistently in the middle range. His performance was so "average" that neither teachers nor classmates had much of an impression of him.
He became an inconspicuous observer.
In his classmates' eyes, Uesugi Toru was just a somewhat withdrawn, ordinary person.
No one knew that while they were practicing on the playground, Uesugi Toru was building an "Optimal Mechanical Model for Kunai Throwing" in his head; while they cheered for a successful Clone Jutsu, Uesugi Toru was analyzing the irrationality of the Chakra consumption of that technique.
He had been silently doing preparatory work.
Now, the preparation period was about to end.
"Ring, ring—"
The school bell interrupted Iruka's words. The students immediately became active, pouring out of the classroom in small groups, discussing tomorrow's exam and where to eat barbecue and ramen.
Uesugi Toru blended into the crowd and quietly walked out of the school gates.
Konoha Village looked very peaceful under the setting sun. People came and went on the streets, and the Hokage Rock stood silently in the twilight.
To most villagers, it was the Village's guardian deity.
But in Uesugi Toru's eyes, those four giant faces represented different levels of power in this world. The First Hokage's Senjutsu, the Second Hokage's Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Third Hokage's various Ninjutsu, and the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God.
All of these needed to be parsed, quantified, and surpassed.
He crossed the busy streets and returned to his studio apartment on the edge of the Village.
The room wasn't large, but it was tidy. A bed, a desk, a bookshelf—everything was arranged in perfect order.
He didn't turn on the lights or eat; he just sat down at his desk and closed his eyes.
Deep in his mind, the cold countdown continued.
"...Three, two, one."
Time reached zero, but nothing happened on the outside.
Only lines of data streams emitting a light blue glow unfolded silently in his mind.
[Underlying logic self-check complete]
[System Integrity: 100%]
[Database has completed preliminary compatibility with the current world's Chakra energy system]
[Intellectual Brain officially activated]
Uesugi Toru slowly exhaled.
This breath seemed to release six years of waiting. His nerves, which had been tense for six years, finally loosened a bit.
He opened his eyes; the room was still dark. But his world had completely changed.
"Status."
He issued his first command in his mind.
The next second, a translucent blue panel expanded before his eyes.
[Name: Uesugi Toru]
[Age: 12]
[Physiological Status: Healthy]
[Core Parameter Analysis]:
[Total Chakra: 4.7] (Reference: Standard value for Ninja Academy students of the same age is 5.5)
[Physical Energy: 5.1] (Reference: Standard value for Ninja Academy students of the same age is 5.0)
[Spiritual Energy: 6.0] (Reference: Standard value for Ninja Academy students of the same age is 5.0)
[Bloodline Limit: None]
[Comprehensive Evaluation]:
[Individual Quality Rating: Mediocre. Chakra extraction efficiency is below average, physical energy has no outstanding features, and only spiritual energy is slightly higher than average. No known bloodlines or special talents.]
[Survival Strategy Suggestions]:
[Based on the current data model, if the individual chooses to become a combat Ninja, the estimated mortality rate within three years of missions is 78.4%. It is recommended to give up the Ninja path and apply for a civilian position, which can increase the survival rate to 97.2%.]
The Intellectual Brain's first report directly declared his mediocrity.
Any boy who wanted to be a Ninja would probably give up immediately upon seeing this report.
But there was no change on Uesugi Toru's face.
He read the data line by line, as if reading a report that had nothing to do with him.
The low Chakra amount met the expectations of his six-year Dormancy Plan. The higher spiritual energy was likely the only benefit brought by his adult soul.
The data was accurate.
But the suggestion given by the Intellectual Brain was an incorrect calculation based on static data. It ignored the biggest variable—the Intellectual Brain itself.
"This report shows that your basic analytical ability is fine," he judged calmly in his mind, "but your strategic planning module still needs more data for calibration."
He waved away the panel in front of him.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night outside. Tomorrow was the graduation exam, and there was only one night left.
He didn't think about those powerful forbidden techniques, nor did he fantasize about the Mangekyo Sharingan or Sage Mode. Those things were too far away from him.
A qualified researcher always starts from the basics.
For a Ninja, what is the foundation?
It's the things that everyone takes for granted, even being too lazy to study in depth.
His gaze became sharp.
"Intellectual Brain."
He issued a second command in his mind.
"Initiate first priority sequence task. Task objective: Parse and optimize the core Ninja basics—the Three Basic Jutsu."
[Command received... Task confirmed: Parse and optimize Clone Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu]
[Calling basic database...]
[Starting to build the underlying Chakra operation model for the Three Basic Jutsu...]
The world before Uesugi Toru's eyes was instantly decomposed.
Countless blue data streams cascaded down, constructing three complex 3D models before him.
On the left was the model for Transformation Jutsu, where countless nodes simulated how Chakra enveloped the body, changing cell morphology and arrangement.
In the middle was the model for Clone Jutsu, where energy lines branched out from the core to form an incorporeal illusion in the outside world.
On the right was the model for Substitution Jutsu, a more complex spatial displacement model clearly showing how Chakra marked two spatial coordinates and instantly completed the exchange of matter.
These D-rank Ninjutsu, which Ninjas could perform based on feeling and experience, revealed extremely complex internal laws under the parsing of the Intellectual Brain.
[Model construction complete... Starting redundancy screening and structural optimization...]
[Alert: Found 17 unnecessary Chakra energy overflow nodes in the Transformation Jutsu model; optimization possible.]
[Alert: Found 11 redundant movements in the conventional hand seal gestures of the Clone Jutsu model; simplification possible.]
[Alert: Found a 3% failure rate and 5% latency in the spatial coordinate marking algorithm for Substitution Jutsu; correction possible.]
[Starting to establish a unified optimization plan... Correcting algorithms... Reconstructing energy circuits...]
[Optimization plan under construction, estimated time: 7 hours, 28 minutes...]
Uesugi Toru stood in the center of the dark room, the rapidly scrolling data streams reflected in his pupils, his whole being enveloped in a digital halo.
Outside the window was the peaceful Konoha Village.
Inside, a process that would change Ninja common sense was quietly beginning from the most basic foundations.