Naruto - The God of Shinobi

He turned his gaze toward the Daimyō. "I only want his life. The rest of you can leave."

I stepped forward. "I won't let you."

A sigh. "Then, like your friend... you will die."

He moved. Faster than anything I had ever seen. I barely had time to react. My body screamed to move, but—

A flash of silver.

A new voice.

"Chidori!"

A streak of lightning cut through the air, forcing the masked man back.

Kakashi Hatake had arrived.

The masked man stared at him, silent for a moment. Then, with a quiet whisper, he said,

"Kakashi..."

And vanished.

I dropped to my knees. My hands were shaking. Tenma's blood was still warm on the ground beside me.

The world blurred.

I had failed.

I was eight years old, and I had failed.

That night, I didn't sleep.

As I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, one thought consumed me.

The mission was completed. The daimyō was safely escorted to Konoha. And none of it mattered.

I am not strong enough.

I turned my head, glancing at Sasuke, sleeping peacefully beside me. His small hands curled into his blanket, completely unaware of the horrors outside.

This world…

This ninja world…

It was wrong.

And I would change it.

No matter the cost.

I have to become stronger.

Stronger than my father.

Stronger than Shisui.

Stronger than him.

Some days later-

Shinko didn't speak for days after we returned. And then, one day, she simply left.

"I can't do this anymore," she told me when we met for the last time. Her voice was empty. "I thought being a shinobi meant strength. But it just means losing people over and over again."

I didn't try to stop her.

Because deep down, I understood.

Shisui found me again that night, just like before, sitting on the rooftop, staring at the village below.

"This isn't fair," I muttered, my voice low.

Shisui sighed, sitting beside me. "It never is."

I clenched my fists. "I was strong enough to see it coming. But not strong enough to stop it."

Shisui placed a hand on my shoulder. "Then get stronger, Itachi." His voice was quiet, but firm. "Not just for yourself, but for the people you want to protect."

I looked at him then, something burning in my chest.

I didn't want to just be strong. I wanted to create a world where people like Tenma didn't have to die.

Where people like Sasuke would never have to experience this pain.

And that was the moment my path was set.

No matter the cost… I would change this world.

///////////////

Hokage office , Konoha -

Third Hokage closed the file in his hands with a quiet thud, letting it rest on the table before fixing his sharp gaze on me.

"I was reading your file," he said, his tone even but laced with curiosity. "Your birth, your parents, their lineage… but there's nothing extraordinary about them. So tell me, why is your soul so strong?"

I blinked, my mind stuttering for a moment. 'What the hell is he talking about?' I knew I had transmigrated, but I never considered that my soul was somehow… special. And yet, here I was, sitting across from the Hokage himself, who seemed genuinely intrigued by it.

Had something happened between my death and my arrival here?'

My mouth went dry as I hesitated before asking, "Soul?" My nervousness eased slightly—at least he wasn't probing into the things I was trying to hide.

Hiruzen studied me for several seconds, his piercing eyes searching for something.

 'Was he trying to read my reaction? 

My expression? Whatever it was, I had no answers for him. I was just as confused as he was.'

Finally, he spoke again.

"Your soul is strong—too strong. I've only seen something like this once before, in the First Hokage himself. Your soul is slightly inferior in quantity but equal to his in quality." 

A shiver ran down my spine.

"I assume you feel exhaustion constantly, like you're dragging a rock through water with every step?"

My eyes widened. A slow, creeping realization settled over me. That was exactly what I'd been feeling for the past two years—this overwhelming, soul-crushing fatigue that clung to me like a second skin. If I hadn't known how strong people could get in this world, I wouldn't have even pushed myself to train this much.

My head jerked in an involuntary nod, too stunned to do anything else. I must have looked ridiculous because Hiruzen chuckled at my reaction.

"As I thought," he said, his voice laced with amusement. Then, his tone turned serious. "The real reason you feel this exhaustion is because of your soul's overwhelming power. Can you guess why?"

I sucked in a slow breath, forcing myself to think through the haze of emotions flooding my mind. 'So this whole time, my body wasn't just weak—it was struggling to contain my own soul. Will this last forever? Or will it stabilize in the future?'

I hesitated, then spoke, my voice laced with uncertainty. "Because my body is too weak for my soul?"

Hiruzen nodded, his expression grim. "Correct. Your body—your vessel—isn't strong enough to contain the quality of your soul. 

Chakra is formed by combining physical and spiritual energy, which is why shinobi meditate to enhance their reserves. 

Since your soul is strong, your spiritual energy is naturally high. That means, theoretically, you should have an abnormally large chakra pool for your age."

I frowned. That made sense, but…

"If that's the case, why isn't my chakra higher?" I asked, still trying to piece things together.

'I was only showing him half of amount of chakra I have '

'he didn't notice my real chakra level .Does this means I can hide my chakra from even a Kage level Shinobi ? What is this power I have?'

Hiruzen exhaled, folding his arms. "Because your body is still too weak. Right now, your chakra levels are far lower than they should be. But if you train seriously, your body will slowly adapt. By the time you reach fifteen, you should be able to handle it. However—" his voice darkened slightly, "if you neglect your training, your soul will start to deteriorate your body from the inside out. And you will die."

A cold chill ran down my spine.

I was walking on the edge of life and death this entire time… and I didn't even know it.

I clenched my fists, my breathing shaky. If Hiruzen hadn't told me, I would've died again—just like before, without knowing the reason why.

I forced my body to tremble slightly, my voice coming out smaller than I intended. "W-Will I die, Hokage-sama?"

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