NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Chapter 1
[MC— IMAGE]
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A teenage boy sat alone, staring blankly at the ground. A deep frown marred his face as a wave of memories crashed into his mind, leaving him stunned. His fingers clenched into fists, his breath uneven.
"I think... I remember my past life," he muttered to himself, the words feeling foreign on his tongue.
But as the realization set in, confusion turned into frustration. The last thing he could recall before regaining his memories was ridiculous—absurd, even.
"How the hell does a truck end up at a hot spring? What kind of rotten luck do I have?" He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head.
Minutes passed as he processed everything. And then—his eyes widened.
"So I lost my memory, huh?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.
For fourteen years, he had been living in ignorance, unaware of who he truly was. Fourteen whole years… wasted. He had done nothing meaningful. No intense training. No pushing himself beyond his limits. No preparing for the harsh reality of this world.
"How pathetic," he spat, his anger rising. "I'm already fourteen, and I'm still just a genin? Absolutely pathetic."
The boy slammed his hand against the hard ground, pain shooting through his palm as blood began to drip onto the dirt. But he didn't care. The sting was nothing compared to the storm raging inside him.
"How much of a coward was I?" he muttered, his voice laced with self-loathing.
He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, forcing himself to remember.
Nine years ago… the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. That night, everything changed. His father and mother—both exceptional shinobi—died along with most of his clan.
His father had been a respected S-rank ninja, a warrior feared on the battlefield. His mother, an elite jōnin, a kunoichi with talent and skill that many envied. And yet, despite their strength, they fell.
Just like that.
Just like most of the Satake Clan.
His clan… Once one of the strongest in the world, standing on par with the Uchiha, Senju, and Hyūga. Now? They were a shadow of what they used to be.
"The Satake Clan," he murmured. "Once the strongest ninja clan in the world… and now, in just fifteen years, we've lost 80% of our members."
he continued.
"Our power didn't just come from our techniques or our skill on the battlefield. It was in our bloodline. Before the Warring States Period, my ancestors took three wives—one from the Uzumaki Clan, one from the Senju, and one from the Fūma. That lineage gave us strength beyond measure."
He took a deep breath.
"And I… I am a direct descendant of that bloodline."
His thoughts drifted to his grandfather—the man who had once been a legend, a warrior whose name was feared and respected.
"He was called the Man Slayer in the last stages of the Warring States Period." A small smirk tugged at his lips. "A fitting name for someone who singlehandedly killed twenty-seven Uchiha and escaped before Madara Uchiha himself could track him down."
That kind of feat was nearly unheard of.
"But his legacy didn't end there," the boy continued. "In the First Shinobi War, he was unkillable. He fought the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki and won. While other clans suffered huge losses, we lost less than 5% of our members. My father was born in the middle of that war… raised in bloodshed and chaos."
But the teenage boy frowned as the memories continued to unravel.
"Then… nineteen years later, my grandfather died on an S-rank mission. His death marked the end of an era. After that, my father—at just twenty years old—was appointed as the new clan leader."
"My father was an elite jōnin by then… stronger than any other jōnin in the village. And when the Second Shinobi War began, he was given command over an entire unit. The Third Hokage himself trusted him to lead."
"And he did not disappoint."
His father's unit had the highest number of enemy kills with the lowest number of casualties. His reputation as a commander was unmatched.
And then… five years before the Kyuubi attack… he was born.
"Satoshi Satake," the boy whispered his own name.
He let out a slow exhale, letting the weight of everything settle in.
"Anyway..."
After the Third Shinobi War, everything changed.
"We lost over 40% of our remaining members in that war. And my father wasn't the commander this time—Danzo was. Our people were thrown into missions where survival was uncertain."
"And my father? He was one of the strongest candidates for Hokage."
But in the end, it was Minato Namikaze who was chosen.
Satoshi Satake sat there, his mind reeling with everything he had just remembered. His clan's history. His bloodline. His past. His wasted years.
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[First person pov]
Danzo, that fucking bastard. It's always him. No wonder he's called the Darkness of the Ninja World. That night, he sent my clan members to confront the Kyūbi alone, and my father actually trusted him? What the hell was he thinking?
I still can't wrap my head around it. Father, were you losing brain cells that night? Trusting your enemy like that? Seriously?
I let out a sigh, shaking my head. Despite everything, I truly loved my father and mother. They were strong, respected, and did what they thought was best. But that doesn't mean they were always right. And that night? That was their biggest mistake.
But what's done is done. No point in dwelling on the past.
I push myself up from the floor, stretching out my limbs. This body… it's strong. My chakra levels are insane. Honestly, I'm gifted. I don't say that arrogantly—it's just the truth. My reserves are massive, way beyond what a normal shinobi should have at my age.
I start my training, warming up with some light exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats—basic stuff. Then, I move on to more intense drills. My muscles burn, my breath comes in short bursts, but I keep pushing.
One Hour Later…
I wipe the sweat off my forehead, looking at the scrolls laid out before me. Seals, techniques, and strategies—everything I need to refine my skills.
"Well… in terms of genius, I guess you could call me an ordinary genius," I mutter to myself, cracking my knuckles.
I don't struggle with ninjutsu, at least not the lower-ranked ones. E-rank to C-rank? No problem. B-rank? A bit tricky, but doable. A-rank and above? Now that's where the real challenge begins.
Luckily, my clan is rich, and we have an insane collection of jutsu scrolls. Shadow Clone, Multiple Shadow Clones, Earth Style, Fire Style, Lightning Style, Wind Style, Water Style—you name it, we have it. And as the heir of my clan, I have full access to all of it.
Not to mention, money isn't an issue for me.
But there's one major downside to having this much chakra—my chakra control is absolute trash. I have more reserves than the average Jōnin, but controlling it? Yeah, that's a whole different story.
I let out a deep breath, cracking my neck as I reach for one of the scrolls. Time to change that. If I want to live up to my potential, I need to master my control.
No excuses. No shortcuts.
Just hard work.