Chapter 1: Awakening in a Bloody Era
Pain. That was the first thing I felt. A deep, bone-aching exhaustion that made my entire body feel heavy. My vision was blurry, my mind groggy. But as I slowly came to, the sensation of rough fabric against my skin and the distant sound of clashing steel made my heart race.
Where… am I?
I tried to move, but my limbs were smaller than I remembered. It was only when I caught my reflection in a nearby puddle that reality hit me like a Rasenshuriken to the face.
The dark brown eyes. The wild black hair. The red Senju clan markings on my cheeks.
I was Hashirama Senju.
And judging by my size, I was still a child—maybe seven or eight.
My heart pounded. This was insane. I had just been an ordinary guy, living in the modern world, a huge fan of Naruto. How the hell did I end up here? Did I die? Was this some weird Isekai situation?
Then the memories started pouring in. Memories of my past self, training with my father Butsuma, my brothers Tobirama and Kawarama, the endless cycle of war between the Senju and Uchiha. I gasped, gripping my head. It wasn't just knowledge—I could feel the experiences, the pain, the losses.
And then, realization struck.
This wasn't just Hashirama's childhood. This was ten years before Konoha was even founded. That meant Madara Uchiha was still a kid too. The war between the Senju and Uchiha was at its peak.
If I didn't play my cards right, I was going to die long before becoming the First Hokage.
I took a deep breath. This wasn't a game. I had one advantage—knowledge of the future. I knew how this world was supposed to play out.
But did I really want to follow the same script?
No. If I was here, I'd change things. I'd make sure Konoha was built stronger, that fewer people died, that Madara didn't fall into darkness.
But first, I need to survive.