A/N – the long-awaited chapter 2! We need to do some world-building in this one, bear with it! Let me know if you find these details interesting or if you're bored to death lol.
I awoke for a second time in this world to the smell of blood and antiseptic. I groaned as I opened my eyes, finding myself in a dim, grey medical tent. Everything still ached, but thankfully I didn't feel like a strong breeze would kill me anymore. Eying the line of beds around me and the shinobi in various states of injury, I'd say I was relatively lucky in that all my previous wounds were flesh wounds. Experimentally shifting around, I'd say it wouldn't be long before I was cleared for release.
The thought that I'd soon be back in the war sent a cold shiver through me. Eyeing the medic nin doing their rounds on the other side of the room, I closed my eyes again and pretended to be asleep as my thoughts raced.
It was a miracle that Eisen – or myself, now – had survived this far. As I reviewed his – mine – memories, I saw that I was given a battlefield promotion. However, so had a large cohort of my genin corp contemporaries, something driven more by Konoha needing more grunts than any real merit. Oh, none of us were seriously incompetent, but I could barely eke out a grade 4 ranking. I wouldn't be surprised if I was one of the weakest Chūnin in my rank.
That's something new I learned from my memories of this life, is that there are actually many more ranks that just genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin. Each rank is subdivided into four grades, from grade 4 at the lowest to grade 1 at the highest, based on factors like service record, combat ability, connections, and so forth. Thinking about this, it makes sense; after all, how the hell can you have a clear hierarchy in an armed force of several thousand people with only three ranks?
My memories aren't that great, but I can see the respect everyone had for Jōnin; only around 10% of Konoha's thousands reach that coveted rank. The rank of Jōnin is also different in that it has Tokubetsu Jōnin at grade 4, but also a grade 0 reserved for the elite of the elite – people like the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake. I think only a dozen or so people are at that level.
Anyway – my memories tell me that at 14 years old, I was churned out of the academy as a fresh grade 4 genin. Unlike the special clan kids and the prodigies, a talentless orphan doesn't warrant a Jōnin team, and I immediately went into the genin corp. The genin corp isn't really a separate entity from the main shinobi forces, but it's the broad organizational structure that deals with allocating and developing new recruits as useful cogs in the Konoha military machine. Genin are the grunts, the clerks, the guards at non-critical towns, and many other menial jobs that we don't entrust to civilians.
After several years of grinding it out, I managed to climb and get promoted to grade 2, and at 17, the war reached a critical point. I was quickly dispatched to the front to fulfil the usual genin grunt work in wartime. I did things like carry messages, move equipment, and set traps until our camp was assaulted by a platoon of Iwa nin, which got me my first kill and subsequent promotion to Chūnin, grade 4. In the year between then and now, I served as part of one of the many 4-man patrol squads Konoha fields to cover its vast borders… who, I remember with a grimace, died on our last patrol mission.
So where does that leave me? Decent chakra control, average reserves, bog-standard leaf kata taijutsu, no genjutsu, and a pathetic ninjutsu arsenal. At least I was competent with a kunai and had decent conditioning from being on active duty for so long.
Fuck, Eisen really was cannon fodder, it's no wonder I don't remember him from canon at all. In fact, I don't think anyone would remember me if I had died there, as Eisen was just a loner orphan. My closest relationship up until I got placed on my team was my grocer, and now my team's all dead.
I needed to get stronger, much stronger. That's a given, if I want to continue living – I can't count on whatever interdimensional, godly bullshit brought me here to bail me out again. For all I know, next time I die, I could be getting raked over the coals and getting my ass poked by demons in hell.
I shudder at the thought, yes, I definitely need-
"Hmm-hmm," my thoughts are interrupted by someone loudly clearing their throat in that universal annoyed way, and I crack an eye open, seeing the medic nin has now made his way over to my cot. I fully open my eyes and try giving the fellow a smile.
"Good, you're awake," he says, absently wiping his bloody hands on his frock, his face distinctly unimpressed, "you've been out of it for a couple days, but we've patched you up for the most part. Anyway, you don't have any critical injuries, so you're discharged. Just no strenuous activity for a couple days."
He turns around and takes a step away, before seeming to remember something, "Oh, and the Commander wanted to see you as soon as you were up."
I blink as the guy walks over to another patient, and lean up, groaning. Crap, I really hope they don't send me back out… I'm definitely not ready to go back out there.
The camp seems oddly relaxed from how I remember it, with shinobi and even genin not having the same grim disposition. Well, they do suddenly have a thousand less enemies to deal with, I think wryly to myself, as I aim for the command tent at the center of the camp. It's a large, unassuming thing, blending in with the row of tents surrounding it, if not for the two Chūnin who are loitering near the entrance.
They see me approach, "Identify yourself," one says, clearly dead bored.
"Okuda Eisen, Chūnin grade-4, I was told the commander wanted to see me."
"Yeah, he's expecting you," he waves me in.
Slipping into the tent, I see the camp commander, Jōnin Chizuru, standing with someone else, a blonde. At my entrance, they both turn around and I startle, because fuck me, the cloak, the blonde hair, that's definitely Minato.
I remember myself and salute them both, wondering why the hell Minato is here. I'm just a grunt!
"At ease," Chizuru says, looking me over with a critical eye. "I see the medics patched you up, that's good."
He sits down, and gestures me to take a seat.
"You were part of recon squad 143, weren't you?" he flips through a folder, "under Jōnin Ayaka, if I'm not mistaken." He sets the folder down and crosses his arms, leaning back, "Tell me what happened."
I grimace at the mention of my now-deceased team. I glance at Minato, but his face is impassive as he stares at me.
"Yes sir, that's right," I start, my mouth dry.
I tell him of how my team was scouting the Iwa borderlands, the same flatlands I trekked back from. How we discovered the Iwa expeditionary force, how their forward teams caught up to us. I'm almost living the memories for the first time as I describe how my two Chūnin teammates died; one blown to bits with an explosion tag, the other pulverized by an earth jutsu. How our Jōnin lead died trying to get us out, but not before sending a messenger raven back to camp, warning of the impending army.
"The last thing I remember was one of the enemy nin using some jutsu to sink me into the ground. When I woke up, I…" I swallow, the memories of my torture flashing through my mind. It may not have been me, but fuck, I still feel like I lived it. "I was captured, and interrogated, sir."
For a moment I consider lying – tell them I resisted, that I didn't tell them anything, that I spit in their faces. But looking at their eyes, I know they won't buy it. I look down, frustrated and shamed.
"I.. I told them everything they wanted to know," I confess, dreading their reply.
The two men exchange a glance, before Minato speaks up, "Yeah, we didn't really expect otherwise," he scratches the back of his head, "if you had critical information or were in ANBU, it'd be a different story, of course."
The commander clears his through, "Right. It's not ideal, but it's understandable. In fact, you're not here to be reprimanded, but rewarded. If not for your team's intel, we may not have known about the Iwa force until it was upon us."
He slides an envelope across the desk.
"This is a voucher for A-rank mission compensation. You're also being sent back to Konoha on leave."
I take the envelope, surprised, "Leave, sir? I, well, I thought I'd be rotated back into another squad."
"You normally would be, but the war is winding down. Word from what happened to Iwa's forward force has spread. I made sure of it," Minato says, a shadow passing over his face. "Iwa has all but withdrawn, and others will follow suite no doubt. I gave the Raikage some personal encouragement."
Damn, does this mean Minato already had his fight with the Raikage? What the hell?!
"Just how long was I out, sir?" I ask, thoroughly confused. I thought I was only out for a day or two…
"We've been waiting for you to come to for over a week," the commander grumbles, "anyway, we've work to do. You can head back to Konoha on your own or with a supply team, that's your call. You have a month of leave from today. You're dismissed, Chūnin."
After bowing out, I went to find my tent. It was still morning, and I had no desire to stay any longer. I wanted hot food and a bed, damnit! Grabbing my rucksack – while determinedly ignoring the two bare bunks of my dead teammates – I went to the gate, ready to begin the treck back to Konoha.
As I approach, I hear a shout from behind me.
"Hey, you!" a female voice rings out.
I turn around, and startle; the voice belongs to a beautiful red-haired woman.
"Hey!" she jogs up to me, smiling, "are ya feeling better? You looked so awful, and then you wouldn't wake!" she exclaims, concern lacing her voice.
My breath hitches as I look at her, and for a moment I just stand there like an imbecile, looking at her vibrant red hair and svelte form, before I cough and mentally slap myself. It's one thing to see her as an anime character, it's another to be face to face with her. And damn, she's a babe!
"Yes, the medic nin fixed me up, I'm actually headed back to Konoha," I smile back at her, "I appreciate your concern. I don't mean to be rude, but how do you know me?" I scratch the back of my head, embarrassed by genuinely confused why Kushina of all people sought me out.
"Oh, you probably don't remember!" she exclaims, "I was on the squad that found you, I brought you back. So you see, I felt you were my responsibility, you know, to make sure you're OK now!"
A gust of wind blows in from the north, ruffling her hair, and I remember. Strawberries, huh?
I give her a bow, "Then I am in your debt, Uzumaki-san." Everyone in Konoha knows of Minato's paramour, one of the last known Uzumaki clan members, a Bonafide sealing mistress, and host of the Kyuubi.
"Ahh, don't mention it!" she waves it away, still smiling at me, "Safe travels!"
The journey back to Konoha was completely uneventful. I got stopped a couple times by patrols, but made good time otherwise, the journey taking only several days.
Coming from a modern country, it was quite the sight to see forests stretch from horizon to horizon. Other than the odd village and outpost, the land I saw all the way up to Konoha was almost entirely uninhabited. Perusing my memories, I found that the major cities of Fire Country, Tanzaku Gai and Otofuku Gai, are even further south and east of Konoha, respectively. One day, I resolve to see just what civilization in this world looks like and visit them. From my knowledge, they should be several times larger than Konoha. I had an inane idea of introducing concrete…
Nonsense aside, the trip gave me a lot of time to think about my place in this world. What I am, what I can become, what I can achieve. The threats on the horizon, as well as the possibilities.
Sure, I was a weak Chunin now. But I refused to stay like this forever, especially not with the knowledge I brought with me. As I traveled, looking at my map and considering these ridiculous nations, I realized I have the real opportunity to change the world here.
Here, the stars are my limit – with the right moves, I could even become a God! And I'm not talking about a delusional God like Nagato and Pein, I'm talking snap-my-fingers-crack-the-world type God!
The memories of my torture, all the death and suffering I've seen, I may not have lived it, but these experiences are burned into my mind, and I will do everything I can to not be in such a position again.
As I approached the gates of Konoha, the stone Hokage faces peering down on me as if in judgement of my thoughts, I was sure of my decision. I will ascend to the top, and I will create a world of peace, unified under one banner… One empire.