Waterside Town was a newly established settlement, born from the union of several small villages and the ambitions of traveling merchants.
Though its streets were lined with fresh cobblestones and bustling stalls, the undercurrents of lawlessness still flowed freely in its darker alleys.
In one such street, K' walked with a scowl on his face, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his tight jacket.
His tinted glasses sat firmly on his nose, shielding his sharp gaze as he muttered under his breath.
"If I had been given more time to adjust to this body, I would've made those dog ninjas eat dirt."
As he approached the narrowest, dimmest part of the street, several figures stirred from the shadows. Five men stepped out from the alleys, forming a loose semicircle that blocked his path.
"Hey, mister," a fat man with a jiggling belly sneered, his voice thick with mockery. "You lost or just dumb? This ain't a street you wanna be in. Turn back."
Another, tall and bony, about K's height, grinned with a sly chuckle. "Nice jacket you've got there. Where'd you buy it? Mind letting me have a look?"
A third man added, "And those glasses... classy. Bet they'd look better on me."
K' stopped. His brows furrowed behind the glasses as he scanned the group. Their cheap threats and crude remarks only worsened his mood.
'Do I look like a pushover?'
His gaze fixed on the thin man who had dared come closest. Without a word, K' drove his fist forward in a swift, brutal punch.
Crack!
The tall thug collapsed instantly, his nose bent sideways, blood spurting across the cobblestones.
"You! Die!" roared the fat man, drawing a rusted knife from behind his back and lunging with surprising speed.
But K' was faster.
His right leg snapped up in a savage front kick that connected directly with the man's face.
Crack!
The force behind the blow was monstrous. The fat man's skull caved partially in, and he collapsed with a wheezing gurgle.
"Bastard!"
The remaining three charged, shouting curses and threats—but K' had already moved.
His fists and feet struck with deadly precision, each blow crushing bone or rendering limbs useless.
In less than a minute, all five were writhing or unconscious on the cold ground.
K' straightened his coat, adjusted his glasses, and knelt beside them.
"At least you worms had some coins."
He counted the money with practiced ease, pocketing the bundle with a rare smirk. It would be enough to last a few days—perhaps longer, if he was frugal.
***
In the blink of an eye, day gave way to night. Yet, Waterside Town remained wide awake.
Lanterns glowed with a warm hue, and the clamor of traders, wanderers, and drunkards continued undisturbed.
Here, the notion of rest seemed like a myth—this town knew no hour too late for business or danger.
K' moved through the streets with a thoughtful scowl, a cloth bag of newly bought food and clothes in one hand.
His mind raced. Only recently, he had uncovered the shocking truth of his whereabouts.
He was in the Warring States Period—a violent, chaotic era long before Naruto Uzumaki was even born.
An age when hidden villages were mere seedlings, and legendary names were still being carved into history.
After overhearing the names Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Senju Tobirama, and Uzumaki Mito, everything clicked into place.
"So I've arrived decades before Naruto's time," he muttered under his breath, still trying to wrap his head around it.
The sights around him confirmed what his ears had heard. There were no signs of modern civilization—no phones, no cars, no electric poles.
Instead, there were swords, scrolls, chakra, and shinobi in traditional flak jackets.
Ninjas and samurai moved openly among the crowd, and chakra-based tools were sold in place of digital goods.
K' sighed and turned down a quieter alley, hoping to find a shortcut to his temporary lodging.
Then he stopped.
His senses, though new to this world, had already begun to sharpen. And now, they screamed.
"I know you're there," he said calmly, his voice echoing faintly in the empty stone corridor. "No use hiding anymore."
A tense silence followed before a voice replied, cool and steady.
"When did you notice?"
From the shadow of a stone pillar, a familiar figure emerged—the same ninja leader from their earlier encounter.
The forehead protector of the Hidden Leaf shone dully in the moonlight. His eyes narrowed, scanning K' with a mix of caution and reluctant respect.
Though they had already clashed once, the man had yet to grasp the full scope of K's strength.
K' smirked, dropping his bag gently to the side. "When your men grew bold enough to approach. I could feel your eyes before... but now, they lingered too long. That's what gave you away."
More figures stirred in the shadows. Dozens of eyes, barely visible, watched from the rooftops and alley corners. The trap had long been set.
K' cracked his neck, his mood shifting from weariness to readiness. "Before we start, tell me something. Why wait this long? Why not ambush me in the middle of the town when I was exhausted?"
The ninja leader's voice remained calm but firm. "Because of the civilians. We don't endanger the innocent. That's not how we of the Leaf operate."
K' raised an eyebrow, then nodded, amused by the answer. "Fair enough."
He stepped forward, stance tightening.
"Let's begin."
"Ya!"
Bam!
They clashed in a blur—fists against kunai, footwork sharp and deliberate. Chakra flared subtly around the Leaf ninja's limbs, while K' met each strike with raw, honed instinct.
At the same moment, shurikens came slicing through the air in a flurry of metallic whistles.
K' twisted mid-step, ducked, and spun. His reflexes screamed at him, and he obeyed without hesitation.
Even while trading blows with the ninja leader, he managed to slip between the spinning blades like a dancer weaving through spears.
The alley echoed with metal ringing, boots scraping stone. K's fists struck with precision, disrupting the ninja leader's stance.
Each blow was backed by unnatural strength and experience not native to this world. The Leaf ninja gritted his teeth as he parried, barely keeping up.
Clang!
Another shuriken clashed against the stone wall as K' twisted his body to avoid it, his coat fluttering with the momentum.
He seized the moment—his elbow crashed into the Leaf ninja's ribs.
"Gah!"
The man staggered back, winded. K' didn't relent.
In a surge of movement, he kicked off the wall, rebounding forward and grabbing the leader by the vest. With a heave, he threw him over his shoulder and across the alley.
Boom!
The ninja smashed through crates and dust flew into the air. The ambushers above hesitated, shaken by K's sheer dominance.
"You've underestimated me again," K' said coldly, stepping forward. "Let me show you the price."
The Leaf ninja forced himself upright and bit his thumb.
"Summoning Jutsu – Smoke Hound!"
A cloud of smoke burst beside him, revealing a large hound with ash-grey fur and chakra-laced fangs. It growled and lunged at K'.
K's eyes flashed.
"Too slow."
With a sidestep, he evaded the beast's jaws, grabbed its fur mid-motion, and used the momentum to hurl it into a wall. The hound yelped and vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Retreat to open ground!" the leader barked to his squad. "He's too dangerous in close quarters!"
The group scattered, and K' gave chase. The fight spilled out of the alley, across rooftops, and into the dense outskirts of the forest. The trees thickened, shadows deepening as they crossed into the moonlit woodland.
"Now!" the ninja leader shouted.
From the trees, kunai rained down, followed by a barrage of jutsu.
"Fire Style: Scorching Ash Flame!"
"Earth Style: Mud Binding Coffin!"
A wave of flame swept toward K', crackling with cinders, followed by a surge of mud aimed to trap his legs.
But K' was already moving. He launched himself into the air, flipping over the fire, then spun midair, hurling two kunai with surgical aim. They struck the casters in their hands, disrupting their seals.
He landed smoothly on a branch, crouching low like a predator.
"You fight like you follow a manual," he taunted. "Predictable."
He leapt again—this time toward the leader.
"Taijutsu won't help you here!" the man yelled, forming quick hand seals.
"Water Style: Serpent Whip!"
A whip-like stream of water slashed out, curving unnaturally through the air.
But K' slid beneath it, grabbed a fallen branch, and snapped it in two. Then he vanished from sight.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The sound of bodies crashing followed—one by one, the hidden shinobi were struck down. K' reappeared behind the leader, calm and collected.
"You're hesitating. You don't want to kill me."
The leader turned, eyes wide. "Who... what are you?"
"I'm still figuring that out."
Without waiting for a reply, K's palm struck the man in the chest—just hard enough to knock the wind out and send him crashing into a tree trunk.
The forest quieted. All the ninjas were down. K' stood among them, breathing steadily.
He dusted off his jacket and glanced toward the moonlit canopy.
"This world keeps sending tests," he muttered. "Good. I'm just getting started."
***
The forest was quiet again.
The scent of scorched bark and disturbed soil lingered in the air, mingling with the faint chirping of early birds.
K' stood motionless among the fallen Leaf shinobi. Though he had emerged victorious, his gaze held no pride—only a weariness born from countless battles.
He looked down at the unconscious shinobi scattered around him. One by one, they began to stir, groaning and clutching their sides. None had been killed.
Soon, the leader sat up, leaning against a tree. He wiped a smear of blood from his lip and looked up at K' with guarded eyes.
"You… held back," he muttered.
K' nodded.
"I didn't come here to kill anyone," he said quietly. "I just want peace. I don't know how your world works, but I'm not your enemy."
The leader stared at him, frowning. "Then why break through our patrol lines? Why sneak into our territory?"
"I didn't plan it," K' replied. "I'm trying to survive, nothing more."
There was a pause. The tension in the forest hadn't vanished, but it had shifted—no longer the sharp edge of battle, but something heavier, more uncertain.
The leader exhaled and rose slowly to his feet, clutching his ribs.
"Even if that's true… we can't ignore someone like you. You're too strong, too unknown. We have to report this."
K' said nothing.
"Look," the leader continued, brushing leaves from his flak vest, "I don't want another fight. But you've seen too much. Unless the Hokage gives approval, you can't be left wandering around. That's just the law of the land."
K''s brow tightened. "So what then?"
"I'll take you to him," the leader said firmly. "Meet the Hokage. Speak for yourself. If you truly want peace, this is your only chance."
K' hesitated. His instincts screamed at him—walking into the lion's den was the last thing someone like him should do.
But he also knew this couldn't go on. Running would only draw more hunters.
"Fine," he said at last. "One meeting. No seals. No tricks."
The leader gave a solemn nod. "I'll see to it."
K' went to retrieved his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He glanced at the slowly brightening sky.
"I'll go… but understand this," he added, eyes narrowing slightly, "if I sense a trap, I won't hold back next time."
The leader met his gaze. "Neither will we."
With that, the small group—wounded, wary, but no longer hostile—set off toward the Hidden Leaf Village.