"Wake up, you damn old man!"
A boy with bandaged eyes stood before his parents' bed, poking his small fingers into his father's face. Usually, his father woke up very early, almost at the first rays of the sun, but today he decided to make an exception and sleep in.
"Go away, Rudy, your daddy is very tired from his shift..."
I heard my dad take a deep breath, then his breathing became slow and measured, indicating he was deeply asleep. Mom had long since left for her job as a healer, and the maid with tired, swollen eyes was unsuccessfully trying to wake the master.
The boy, noticing the dissatisfied grunt, crossed his arms and pondered what to do next. Then he decided to make one last attempt. This time, his father would definitely wake up...
"What's the noise about... Old man! Roulz has been waiting for you for several hours! Get up already!"
"Young master..."
The red-haired maid tried to calm the extremely terrifying child peacefully, but he stomped his foot so hard that the floor shook.
"Lilia, why do you always indulge his whims?! He's been sleeping like this for several days in a row! I need food! I'm huuuuungry! Meat! Cutlets! Get uuuuuup!"
What the hell? Who would have thought I'd be describing myself in the third person now... Today I'm in a very "good" mood. Yesterday I thought it couldn't get worse, but it turned out it could. So, the day before yesterday wasn't so bad after all. And that gives me the motivation to keep living.
It's been two years since I ended up in this family. I still don't understand where I've landed, but I'm persistently trying to figure it out. The "Gray Rats" have a clear daily routine: father gets up early and goes to work, mother a bit later, but both have a busy schedule.
When my father came home for lunch, he always brought my favorite foods. I tolerated his laziness for several days, but now...
"Lilia, why is he still sleeping?! What kind of royal vacation has he arranged for himself?"
"Young master, please, your father is really very tired..." Lilia tried to smile, but her voice clearly conveyed helplessness.
I heard her voice tremble, and when she came closer, I felt a light pleasant fragrance. It always calmed me down a bit, but not this time.
"Yeah, yeah, he's tired. I'm tired too — of being hungry! Lilia, do you even understand what it's like to be in this body for two years and constantly want to eat? I'm a hungry ninja in a baby's body! It's worse than any torture, by the way, awaiting the springtime of youth!"
Haa... My patience snapped. Under Lilia's frightened gaze, I climbed onto the wardrobe and jumped high. "Well, if this doesn't get him out of bed, I don't know what will. Maybe next time I should try an alarm clock with a surprise? Or a couple of drums?"
"Hope everyone saw my jump? Because I refuse to repeat it!"
"Thud!" With all my little weight, I landed directly on his stomach.
"Ugh...!"
"Wake up, dad!"
I probably crushed a couple of his organs. Never mind, they'll heal. Kids are the best alarm clocks.
Hello, my name is Rudeus Greyrat, and I'm a little two-year-old brat. Despite my age, I've already managed to learn to walk on my two feet and even perform some dangerous acrobatic tricks. I'm blind and look extremely thin and sickly, but that doesn't bother me at all. My parents, however, worry a lot about my condition, so they decided to temporarily bandage my eyes so I wouldn't struggle trying to see something.
My appearance, with these thin arms and legs, resembles a gaunt, emaciated child, yet I try to interact with the world as actively as possible. I orient myself by sounds and sensations, feeling the breeze, trying to compensate for the lack of vision. I use every opportunity to explore the world around me and understand where I have landed, not letting my condition become a barrier.
Due to a series of very unusual circumstances, I ended up in this strange "world." I have several theories about how this might have happened, but I can't remember the last moments of the battle on Eris-2. All that's left in my memory is the destruction and annihilation of all matter in that already dead sector. Explosions, twisted bodies, bright light — these images flicker before my mental eyes, and I can't piece together the whole picture of what happened.
As for my current state as a child, I attribute it to a special kind of resurrection, reminiscent of my previous incarnations. From Asura Ootsutsuki to the current Rudeus Greyrat, one could say that for my chakra, this is already a familiar practice.
The history of my chakra has a long practice of reincarnations and transformations, and despite the unusual circumstances, I accept this as part of my path. This resurrection process, though extremely complex, proves quite possible thanks to the knowledge and technologies available to the most important people of the Federation, to whom I entrusted the key to my genes. The words of my comrade Aikyo still buzz in my mind...
And now regarding this world... This is not a world of ninjas at all. At first, I thought I was seeing memories of my past incarnations, which didn't significantly affect the fate of the ninja world. However, after some research, I concluded that this assumption is incorrect. My old man and mother read me books that tell the history of this world.
"What the heck?!" I thought, hearing the first lines of a book my father was reading, titled "Wandering the World." The other books about the three swordsmen and legends about "Farting Perugius" interested me little, despite how much my father wanted me to listen to them.
The place I found myself in was completely foreign. Instead of the familiar lands and epochs I remembered, here there were mentions of the Kingdom of Asura, which involuntarily reminded me of my incarnation, and that was just the beginning. My father spoke of the Central Continent, the Eastern and Western lands, and even the Demon Continent, each of which sounded like something from a completely different reality. I listened with my mouth open...
And then I heard the words "magic" and "mana."
"Magic?! Mana?!" — I almost had a nervous tic, dattebayo. I was used to working with the world based on complex sciences like quantum physics and other advanced theories, but magic? It sounded like something out of children's fairy tales!
So, mana... mana? Is this a new form of energy we knew nothing about? At first, I thought magic and mana were just different terms for the same phenomena in my understanding. But soon I realized that entirely different laws apply here.
And not only that. The technological development of this "world" is simply astounding in its primitiveness. There are no computers, no trains, not even basic electricity, damn it! People here use candles for lighting and travel in horse-drawn carts. I smell wax and hear the creak of wooden wheels. This reminds me of ancient times when technology was at its most basic level...
The hygiene products here also leave much to be desired. No showers, no modern toilets, just simple basins of water and wooden toilet seats. Of course, I'm used to harsh conditions, but even for me, this is too much. In winter, I nearly froze my butt off under the cold wind using that hole of a toilet! I almost fell into it too... A creepy story!
But still, I can't help but admire Lilia. Despite all these limitations, she manages to keep the whole house in perfect order. Always fresh sheets, floors without a speck of dust, and constant cleanliness — it's a real skill in such conditions. She clearly puts her heart into her work.
After some conclusions, my head was boiling from all these new things... In "our" world, we had long mastered space-time warps, the standard model, theories of the Grand Unification and the Universal Chakra Theory, but magic and mana... this is something completely new. Looks like I'll have to reconsider my deep scientific understanding of the world considering these new, strange laws. Though it's too early to draw conclusions. I can't even confirm the truth of the words of my surroundings.
The only confirmation of this "magic" and "mana" became mom's healing spells.
"What the heck?!" — I asked myself again when mom was healing my broken nose after I tried to use a washing board as a surfboard and crashed into a wall. Her "boo-boo, pain go away" sounded so cringeworthy that I barely held back laughter despite the pain. However, I have to admit, the effect was evident — my nose quickly healed.
When I asked her how she did it, I got a very vague answer. Then I asked her again if she knew what cells, mitosis, the cell cycle, and other basic biological processes were. I tried to explain the simplest biological terms like cell division, mitochondria, ribosomes, and DNA, simplifying my explanations as much as possible. But her answer only deepened my disappointment.
"Oh dear, Rudy, you say such strange things..." — said mom, smiling and clearly not understanding anything from my childish babble.
I felt frustration overwhelm me. How to explain to a person what a cell membrane or the metaphase process is if they don't even know the basics of anatomy? Although mom knew anatomy, but that's not the point. My attempts to convey to her how important mitochondria are for cellular respiration or how the endoplasmic reticulum functions, were met with her good-natured incomprehension.
"Mom, do you understand that without knowledge of cells we can't fully treat diseases?" — I desperately tried to explain, but her good-natured smile and repeated "oh dear" only heightened my sense of helplessness.
These basic knowledge, which were so obvious and necessary for me, turned out to be something completely incomprehensible and strange for her. I sighed and decided to put aside attempts at scientific enlightenment for now.
Nevertheless, I couldn't help but marvel at her healing magic. Despite not knowing anything about cells, mitosis, and the cell cycle, her healing magic quickly and effectively healed my broken nose. It was amazing and at the same time confusing.
"In the ninja world, medics need to know these things," — I muttered to myself. — "It's the basics, what they teach the most beginners. How can you heal someone without understanding what's happening at the cellular level?"
I could understand if they used traditional medicine with herbs or some ancient healing methods based on centuries of experience and observations. But just waving hands and muttering spells? That goes beyond my understanding.
Mom just smiled and continued to heal me with her "magic," which, although seemed absolutely illogical and primitive to me, worked with amazing effectiveness. No amount of experiments can prove a theory, but one experiment is enough to disprove it.
"Lilia! I need your help!"
Lately, because of my monstrous appetite, the family budget is bursting at the seams. Dad and mom's salaries barely cover enough to feed me, this eternally hungry ninja in a toddler's body. Thus, almost the entire day I'm under Lilia's care, who seems to secretly dream of putting me on a diet.
"Yes, sir?" — Lilia asked nervously, anticipating my next words. I definitely know that in her eyes, I'm quite the strange child.
Only absolutely correct people bore me to death. I like to surround myself with strange and interesting personalities because they give me a sense of fullness in life. Yes, I like weirdos, and Lilia is one of them. She did such strange things in front of my bed that I thought she was going to perform some creepy ritual.
"Drop these formalities! It annoys me," — I said. Formalities are good only when they simplify life and help people better understand what they need to do. But in her case, for a snot-nosed kid like me, addressing me as "sir" just isn't worth it.
According to my plan, we will soon become comrades.
"Lilia! Perhaps you've noticed that we're barely making ends meet. And I'll die if I don't eat goodies every hour."
She probably smiled crookedly. No wonder, I once managed to eat a wooden spoon, which greatly scared her. Now my new ideas evoke in her a mix of anxiety and curiosity.
I made a thoughtful look. Honestly, considering Lilia's salary in Asuran currency, the costs of food, daily needs, and me, who eats more than we can earn, our family bankruptcy is not far off. Soon we'll be not just broke but at the bottom of the ocean! And I have so many plans that I could write a whole scroll. We urgently need money! Otherwise, I'll die of hunger before I can do everything I've planned! Although the rats in the basement are not an ideal option for lunch, but if there's no other choice, I can munch on them too.
First, I need to conduct several experiments to regain my "sight" first. By the way, those disturbances I constantly see are not disturbances at all. It reminds me of the state I'm usually in on the battlefield, simply put, my states when activating modes. Enhanced sensory perception allows me to see the world in a new light. And as for the eyes, there's still more to think about.
What did Aikyo mean by heritage? And what's with Kurama? I want to find the answers. That old fox has always been connected to me, so I'm sure he's somewhere nearby, maybe hiding and laughing at me. But I still haven't finalized my plans, so the first task I set for myself is to earn money. A lot of money!
I'll become a capitalist...! Oops! I mean, an entrepreneur!
I know, if you offer a good price, capitalists will sell even the rope on which they themselves will be hanged. That's how we got rid of the rule of daimyo. Feudalism is such a hassle! These lords only sit in their castles and inflate their bellies. No roads, no schools, no hospitals — only private armies and lavish feasts. If I can offer something useful, I have a chance to change everything.
That's why I want to become an entrepreneur. In a new world, I can implement ideas that will bring real benefit to people and help me earn enough money to support my family and realize my plans. Yes, I'm not thrilled with capitalism, but here, it seems, there are no competitors at all. Therefore, I need to completely capture the market and set my own rules of the game.
"Hehe..." — My creepy grin probably scared Lilia even more.
In my childhood, I remember preparing a thing that deals excellently with stains and dirt. I decided to create a simple but extremely useful thing — soap! Since dad can hire a maid but can't afford simple soap in the first years of my birth, this pushed me to this idea. The market will be in my hands!
Alright, Rudeus Uzumaki, focus. You know how this is done. A bit of chemistry and some patience — and we'll have soap. Let's start with what we have.
Stage 1: Gathering ingredients
"Lilia, I need animal fat and wood ash," — I said with a serious expression.
"W-what are you planning this time? I-I'll try to find it," — Lilia answered, clearly not knowing what to expect. Her anxiety only made me smile.
"Yeah, I look like a little mad scientist," — I thought, imagining myself in a white lab coat and with a test tube in my hands. A spitting image of Orochimaru! — "But if everything goes according to plan, we'll become soap magnates!"
"Lilia, trust me, it's for the good of all of us. Well, and for our wallet too."
She sighed and, still doubting, went to fulfill my requests. And I, in turn, already imagined us swimming in money and soap suds. This time, my butt will be clean!
Stage 2: Preparing lye
Creating a universal cleaning agent requires patience and skill. I decided that soap would be our first step towards financial independence. We needed to start by preparing the ingredients and boiling the soap. This turned out to be more complicated than I expected. I won't go into details about how Lilia got the animal fat; I only heard a loud squeal that sounded like a pig or a cow.
"The first thing we need is lye. It's made from wood ash and water," — I explained. — "Lilia, can you fill a large wooden barrel with water and add ash to it?"
Lilia nodded questioningly and began filling the barrel with water, then added the ash. I stirred the mixture carefully with my little hands to start the formation of the lye.
"Excuse my bluntness, but are you sure you know what you're doing?" — Lilia stood nearby, watching me with doubt.
I heard her breathing become more frequent, and her voice trembled.
"Of course, I'm sure! If we succeed, I promise you I won't eat wooden spoons anymore."
She continued to watch my actions, her thoughts seeming to flit between fear and curiosity. She sighed and seemed to resolve to ask:
"But where did you get such knowledge? This isn't something a two-year-old child usually knows."
I smirked.
"I read a lot, Lilia. I read a lot. There's a whole library in my head!"
She shook her head, still doubting. Lilia continued to work, but I could feel her anxiety from the way she moved around me. She stirred the mixture with caution, as if afraid everything might go wrong at any moment.
"I've never seen anything like this, to be honest," — she muttered, continuing to stir the mixture. — "I hope you really know what you're doing, young master."
Her words sounded not just like doubt but also like a quiet prayer addressed to herself. I knew I had to justify her trust.
Stage 3: Rendering fat
"Now we need to melt the fat," — I continued. — "Can you put the pot on the fire?"
Lilia nodded and placed the pot on the fire, adding the animal fat. We started to melt it over a low heat until it became liquid and transparent. Surprisingly, she didn't ask any questions. Apparently, she thought I'd soon leave her alone. She's very mistaken.
The melting animal fat emitted a strong, heavy smell that filled the entire room. The water with ash had a sharp, alkaline smell that tickled my nose.
Stage 4: Mixing
"Now the most important part — mixing the lye and fat..."
I carefully poured the lye into the melted fat and began stirring slowly. By "eye" I wasn't sure, but some senses were guiding me in the right direction. The process was long and required patience, but we didn't give up.
"Lilia, keep stirring, and I'll stand guard and watch how it's done," — I joked, pretending to be the boss. Just kidding, I simply didn't have the strength for such an action. I'm only two years old.
Stage 5: Molding
"Now we need to pour this mixture into molds and let it set," — I explained, pouring the soap mixture into pre-prepared wooden molds.
"And how long will it take to set?" — asked Lilia.
"A few days. But trust me, it's worth
the wait."
Stage 6: The Result
A few days later, we took out solid bricks of soap from the molds. I felt like a winner. The soap smelled just amazing! I was pleasantly surprised by its quality, thinking it would take much longer to achieve this. It seems the local trees are perfect for making lye.
The texture of the soap turned out to be smooth and uniform, without a single bubble. When I tested its lathering properties, it quickly formed abundant foam, which was a great sign. When testing its cleaning properties, the soap performed excellently, easily washing off dirt and grease from a cloth. And when I tried it on my skin, it left it clean and soft, without any signs of irritation.
Lilia stood nearby, looking at the soap with amazement and delight. During the process, she began to understand that I wasn't making some sort of fat porridge but something different. Perhaps she noticed my confidence. And then she thought and looked at me seriously:
"Isn't this the stone of purity?"
"What? So here it's called that?" — the word "soap" or "Sakken" I took from our dialect of the shinobi world, which doesn't exist in the language of this world. Lilia last looked at me strangely, and then began to explain:
"Yes, the stone of purity. But making it is very difficult. The process involves using rare ingredients and secret techniques known only to masters. It's very expensive and time-consuming, so only noble families and royal courts can afford the stone of purity."
I mentally repeated her words. So, the locals indeed know about soap, but they make it in such a complicated way that it becomes a luxury. Using rare oils and herbs probably makes the process so expensive. Hehe. And here I am, a two-year-old brat, managed to make it from simple ingredients.
"This thing is made much simpler. We don't need rare ingredients or complex techniques. We can produce it in large quantities and make it accessible to everyone."
Lilia looked astonished and gasped. She looked at the soap again and then at me, seemingly realizing the full potential of our discovery.
"This is incredible, sir... If we can produce this 'soap' en masse, we can change many people's lives..."
"Exactly. This is just the beginning. We'll make our world cleaner and, moreover, earn from it."
At this, I thought... Quality soap in the shinobi world was invented 500 years before the beginning of the warring states era in the Land of Water. Local residents used unique sea minerals and vegetable oils to create it, and this first-class soap quickly spread throughout the land in just 20-30 years thanks to trade routes and knowledge exchange. Shinobi also played a significant role in spreading this recipe.
I can't help but think that here too there's a chance that the soap formula will soon be deciphered and copied. Historical data shows that after the invention of soap, the Land of Water became the main supplier and holder of a world brand. They managed to maintain leadership thanks to several key strategies.
What do I mean? I have several options for not letting competitors catch up with me. Despite the apparent primitiveness of this world, I must not underestimate its inhabitants. There are always geniuses who can unravel even the most complex secrets.
"Lilia, we will create our own brand! And we won't stop at just soap!"
This time she didn't look at me like a weirdo. Although I'm blind, I could almost see her eyes light up, and with determination in her voice, she replied:
"Young master, I'm at your complete disposal!" — Her enthusiasm and faith in our idea gave me even more confidence. My first comrade in business. We will achieve great success!
First of all, we told my parents about our discovery. In the few days we were making soap, they noticed we were up to something, but didn't know what exactly. When we showed the result, mom was over the moon. Turns out she also knew about soap and last used the "stone of purity" a long time ago. Her joy was boundless; her eyes sparkled, and a smile never left her face. She almost had tears in her eyes as she looked at us, holding a piece of soap as if it were a precious treasure.
Dad, Paul, first looked at us with surprise, then with disbelief. But when he saw how much mom admired our creation, his face also lit up with interest. He took a piece of soap in his hands, squinting, examined it closely, and deeply inhaled the aroma.
"Holy cow!" — he exclaimed. And then, scratching his chin thoughtfully, added: "By the way, where did our livestock go?"
Lilia and I both fell silent.
"Alright... Lilia, tell me more about how you made this stone?" — he asked, addressing our maid.
"Young master gave me instructions on what to do. He knew how to gather the ingredients and mix them," — Lilia answered with evident concern in her voice. I could feel her fingers nervously fiddling with the edge of her apron.
"But where did he get such knowledge?" — Paul continued, his voice becoming more tense. — "Rudy, you're just a child. Who taught you this?"
I tried to look confident, although I couldn't see his expression. "Dad, I read and listened to a lot of stories. You can find a lot of useful information in books."
Paul was silent for a moment. I heard him sigh heavily. Oh crap! I forgot that I... "This is not ordinary knowledge for a child your age. You're two years old... And you're... you're blind, Rudy. How could you have read these books?"
Mom joined the conversation, her voice soft but firm:
"Paul, our son has always been special. Maybe he really has a talent. Let's give him a chance."
Paul sighed again, and I felt the tension around us ease a bit: "Alright. But Rudy, be careful. We don't want you to get hurt because of these... games of yours."
"I promise, dad," — I replied, hoping to convince him of my ability to handle this task.
After lengthy explanations and conversations, I suggested to my parents to try selling soap to our village neighbors. There are many people in the village, and I'm sure everyone would want to try this "stone of purity," which they only heard about in rumors. We decided to start with a small amount to test the reaction and interest. Given the previous experience, now I need to be especially careful...
Phew... I knew dad has a close friend Roulz who works as a hunter, so we decided to not sell the soap at first, but exchange it for animal fat. Roulz quickly agreed since he didn't need the fat from monsters at all. It turned out to be very profitable for everyone.
I thought: What country bumpkins I live among... Science is power! And I need even more power! I discarded the feeling of tension and returned to my plans again.
A hundred million percent I'll become rich, given my knowledge! Even without using chakra or so-called "magic," one can create many useful technologies that will change people's lives. But with the presence of chakra, progress can be accelerated even more. That's why we decided to work with ordinary people who don't have talents for becoming shinobi but who have talents to become brilliant minds of humanity. Thanks to our mutual understanding, we achieved significant scientific progress!
Telegraphs that connected the first villages and allowed messages to be transmitted in seconds. Now you can gossip with friends in real-time, even if they live in the neighboring village!
Simple and effective water supply and sewage systems providing clean water and hygiene for all. Finally, you can say goodbye to buckets and greet the water supply. Who would have thought you could wash without going to the river?
Mechanical tools and machines that significantly eased labor in agriculture and construction. Forks and shovels can now retire, and tractors and excavators are ready to take over. Imagine villagers riding tractors like amusement rides!
Heating and lighting systems using geothermal energy and a bit of chakra for more efficient and safe house heating. No more hauling firewood and night dances with torches. Now homes will be warm, and evenings — bright as if fireworks every day!
Medical devices and methods based on scientific principles that helped treat diseases and save lives, complementing the use of chakra. Now even without chakra, you can treat people! Antibiotics, diagnostic scanners, surgical instruments... We took the best from traditional treatment.
Educational centers where they teach the basics of science, engineering, and math to raise a new generation of scientists and engineers. No more "I don't know how it works." Now every child can build a catapult from sticks and ropes and learn what integrals are before going to the first grade.
A nuclear bomb... Oops, no, that's probably too much. In the shinobi world, it doesn't compare to the power of some S-rank techniques. Unless its radiation and toxicity — that's what really scares. Let's leave this invention for disaster movie scenarios. We don't want such problems here, do we?
All these technologies significantly influenced the development of the shinobi world, improving the quality of life and opening new opportunities for all residents. Even an ordinary day in the village can become a real scientific adventure!
Maybe I'll become a revolutionary and genius innovator of this world! And the main thing...
The main thing... I shouldn't end my life...
My mask of an energetic lad is just a cover for my true feelings. I smile and laugh, trying to inspire others and hide my own pain.
But deep down, I feel emptiness and loneliness, as if lost in this new world where no one understands my true experiences.
When night falls and everything around quiets down, I am engulfed by despair. Memories of past battles, fallen friends, and shattered dreams fill my mind... Sometimes it seems to me that all this struggle is meaningless
, that no inventions and scientific breakthroughs will fill the void I feel inside.
I... must keep fighting, not only for myself but also for those who believe in me. And maybe... one day I'll find a way to regain myself...