[Bond] Ch 1: Shimura Yami

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Year 52 of Konoha

It had been a year since the Nine-Tails attack, and the wounds left by the beast were slowly healing.

The village was gradually returning to its former liveliness.

Maybe?

"Madam, you don't want your son to be bullied at the Academy, do you?"

On a bustling commercial street, in front of a dango shop, the shopkeeper, Lady Mihoko, stood in shock.

In front of her was a little boy with jet-black hair and deep, dark eyes. His delicate features made him look like an exquisitely crafted doll—utterly adorable.

She couldn't believe that such a threatening statement had come from his mouth.

Forcing a smile, the young woman responded, "Little one, you didn't bring money, did you? It's okay, you can go home and get it. Next time, you can—"

Before she could finish, a chubby boy came rushing out from the back of the shop, he was her son, crying and begging her not to charge him.

In the end, at her son's desperate pleading, she not only let the boy have the dango for free but even threw in a few extra skewers of three-colored dango.

Only then did the boy smile in satisfaction. "Auntie, you're very sensible. Don't worry, from now on, your son is under my protection at school. My name is Shimura Yami."

With that, he grabbed his takeout box, turned around, and strolled leisurely into the crowd.

Mihoko stood frozen for a long moment before looking at her relieved son. With a worried frown, she asked, "Tarou, is that kid bullying you at school?"

The boy, called Tarou, timidly shook his head. "N-No, but Yami-kun is the grandson of the Hokage's advisor… Any student who crosses him has a terrible time…"

Thinking about the classmates who had been beaten so badly they couldn't attend school for a week, Tarou shuddered.

It was terrifying. Not only did the teachers not punish Yami-kun, but they even praised him for his impressive combat skills! If Mom had taken the money today, wouldn't he be the next one to get beaten up?

"Hokage's advisor?"

Mihoko's heart skipped a beat.

She was no ninja, but she knew that the Shimura clan was a formidable one in the village.

Shimura Yami.

Mihoko made sure to remember that name.

For the sake of her son's well-being—and to keep her business running smoothly—she decided that as long as Shimura Yami came to her shop, she wouldn't take a single coin from him.

— — —

At the same time—

[Ding—!]

[Congratulations, host! You have established a "fear" bond with Mihoko and Tarou.]

[Reward: 'Dango-Making Mastery' and '0.1 Standard Units of Genin-Level Chakra.']

The system notification echoed in Shimura Yami's mind. After reading the reward description, his lips twitched slightly.

Yep, this system was definitely unreliable.

Shimura Yami was a transmigrator who was reborn into the Ninja world.

He had been reincarnated from birth, opening his eyes to see a gentle-looking woman smiling at him… before closing her eyes forever.

His father had already died on the battlefield while his mother was pregnant with him.

A classic orphaned protagonist backstory.

Unfortunately, he still had a grandfather—Shimura Danzo.

In this world, no matter how villainous someone was, there were always die-hard fans willing to justify their actions.

Obito, the devoted simp.

Madara, the embodiment of raw power.

Even Itachi, who slaughtered his entire clan, had an army of defenders.

But Shimura Danzo? Not only did no one try to justify his actions, but he somehow ended up taking the blame for everyone else's crimes, too.

'It wasn't my fault! If you want to blame someone, blame that old bastard, Danzo!'

His title as the 'Scapegoat Kage' was well-earned.

Honestly, when Yami first learned his own identity, he felt like his future was doomed.

But after spending a few days nestled in his nursemaid's arms, he had a change of heart.

Actually… it wasn't that bad.

Compared to other transmigrators who ended up in the Ninja world, his situation was practically a golden ticket.

Just look at all the prodigies in the Ninja World or even in Naruto fan-fictions—every single one of them eventually got targeted by Danzo. But Yami? He had nothing to worry about on that front.

As long as he kept an eye out for assassination attempts from enemy villages, his childhood would be smooth sailing.

And when the Fourth Great Ninja War rolled around? No problem.

All he had to do was steer clear of the battlefield, dream a sweet dream inside Infinite Tsukuyomi, and wake up in a world of everlasting peace.

Would he be held accountable for Danzo's actions?

Not a chance.

In a classic shonen series, whether it was Uzumaki Naruto or Uchiha Sasuke, neither protagonist would ever punish the family members of their enemies.

Life was good.

After figuring that out, Yami stopped worrying about unnecessary things and started enjoying the perks of being the young master of the Shimura clan.

In Konoha, the Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen—had a reputation to maintain.

Danzo wasn't the Hokage. And he didn't care about appearances.

Because of that, while Sarutobi Asuma suffered under strict discipline and constant clashes with his father, Yami was living the dream as the village's most notorious rich kid.

The true 'Prince of Konoha.'

Even in the future, Konohamaru's privileges wouldn't come close to what Yami had now.

Of course, being a transmigrator came with certain perks.

Since birth, he had a progress bar in his mind. It wasn't until three days ago—on his sixth birthday—that it finally finished loading.

[The Strongest Ninja Bond System.]

By forming bonds with others, he could extract traits from them as rewards.

These traits could include chakra natures, unique abilities, raw chakra, or even mastered jutsu.

The rewards varied based on the depth of the bond and the strength of the person he connected with.

Just now, by introducing himself to the dango shop owner and leaving a lasting impression, he had successfully formed a preliminary bond.

If he deepened it further, he could earn even more rewards. 

But… seeing that the only thing he got from her was 'Dango-Making Mastery,' Yami figured there wasn't much else worth taking. He immediately lost interest in strengthening the connection.

"Young master, it's time for your training."

A low-profile young man wearing sunglasses appeared behind him, completely unnoticed by the bustling crowd.

Aburame Seiji. A Root ninja. He had the strength of a special jonin and was one of Yami's bodyguards.

His partner, Yamanaka Ryo, remained hidden in the shadows—so well hidden that Yami had never even spotted him.

"Got it."

Yami responded lazily. He made a quick stop at a classmate's fan shop, used the same trick to gain two more bonds, and ended up walking away with a bag of free uchiwa fans.

[Fan-Making Novice, Standard Genin Chakra +0.1]

Satisfied, he finally left the commercial district and returned to the Shimura estate.

"Good thing I received the highest two bonds formed since the day I was born as a gift from the system."

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