I opened my eyes.
Darkness. Damp stone. The faint smell of earth and moisture curling around me.
I tried to move. My body was light, agile, and… young. Too young. Twelve, maybe? My hands shot out instinctively to touch my face, my arms, my chest. Everything felt strange. But powerful. Every muscle hummed with potential energy, every tendon screamed of hidden strength.
I looked down. I was in the body of Indra Ōtsutsuki as a child. His piercing aura radiated from me, raw and unstoppable. Memories flooded my mind — countless jutsu, countless battles, endless strategies. The weight of ancient shinobi history pressed against my consciousness, but it didn't overwhelm me. Not yet.
I pushed myself to my feet and scanned the cave. Stone walls curved around me like a natural fortress. My eyes caught movement in the shadows — dozens of scrolls stacked neatly along the cavern walls, each sealed and humming with barely contained power.
I moved closer, heart racing, my hands trembling with anticipation.
The first scroll I unrolled was heavy with old chakra. Dozens of kunai tumbled from it — the standard ninja knives I had wielded in countless battles in memories that weren't technically mine. But now, they were mine. Shuriken followed, throwing stars sharp enough to cut through steel, their four prongs glinting in the dim light. Explosive tags, fūma shuriken, flash bombs, ninja wires… hundreds of tools scattered across the floor in an intoxicating chaos of deadly potential.
I inhaled sharply, my pulse racing. Each weapon whispered its purpose to me. My mind, supercharged with Hiruzen's knowledge and the memories of every shinobi I had absorbed, cataloged them instantly. I didn't need to experiment — I already knew their weight, balance, chakra channels, and optimal applications.
Deeper into the cave, I found something that made my chest pound harder. A single scroll, thick and heavy, embroidered with sigils I recognized even before I touched it. I opened it carefully, reverently.
Inside were the legendary artifacts of the shinobi world:
Kusanagi — sharp, straight blade pulsing faintly with lightning chakra. I could feel its edge slicing reality itself.
Samehada — the living, scale-covered sword that devoured chakra. Its hunger was palpable.
Hiramekarei — a versatile blade capable of storing chakra and transforming it into weaponry on the fly.
Kubikiribōchō — immense and brutal, capable of regenerating with the iron of its victims. I could almost feel its thirst for battle.
Chakra Blades — a pair of trench knives imbued with wind chakra, capable of extending their reach and shredding targets in a single strike.
Sword of Totsuka — ethereal, perfect for sealing anything it pierced, glowing with spiritual authority.
And then… the legendary treasures:
Kohaku no Jōhei, Bashōsen, and Benihisago — relics of the Sage of Six Paths, exuding power older than most nations.
Gunbai — Madara's fan, weightless yet immovable, capable of reflecting attacks and summoning wind like a storm.
I staggered back slightly, overwhelmed. Every artifact thrummed with the kind of power that could topple nations, annihilate armies, or rewrite history itself. My mind raced as I cataloged their properties, calculating combinations and battle strategies before I even touched them.
A smile spread across my face.
I had everything I could possibly want. Ninjutsu, kenjutsu, genjutsu, fūinjutsu… enough weapons to arm an entire army. And me? I had Indra's body, Hagoromo's bloodline, the knowledge of a hundred lifetimes, and chakra to rival gods.
I took a deep breath and ran my fingers over Kusanagi, feeling lightning pulse through the blade into my veins. I could already imagine the battles I'd fight, the enemies I'd crush, and the world I would remake.
This was only the beginning.
The cave was my starting point. My weapons, my scrolls, my body… all tools for something far greater. I wasn't just a child anymore. I was a storm waiting to explode.
I sheathed Kusanagi at my side and surveyed the scrolls again. Hundreds of tools, hundreds of weapons, all waiting for me to claim them, master them, bend them to my will.
I knelt down, rolling out a particularly large scroll that hummed with energy, and whispered under my breath:
"Let's see who can stop me."
The cave seemed to echo my words, as if the walls themselves were anticipating the chaos I would unleash. And somewhere deep in my chest, I felt it — the first flicker of excitement for the adventures that awaited me in this new world.