"Where… am I?"
Groggy and disoriented, Lin Feng opened his eyes. Fighting through the intense pain wracking his body, he murmured to himself.
At that moment, Lin Feng was lying in a forest. The air was rich with the scent of soil and the fragrance of flowers and grass. A gentle breeze carried the freshness of nature all around—full of life and vitality.
In the distance, beautiful mountain ranges rolled across the horizon, lush with verdant trees. Near the mountain tops were strange rock formations, ancient gnarled trees, and thick vines as wide as buckets twisting like dragons.
"I... didn't die?" Lin Feng's eyes widened as he looked around carefully, struggling to sit up.
"Ow—damn, that hurts!" As soon as he moved a little, sharp, unbearable pain surged from all over his body, forcing him to grit his teeth and freeze in place.
"Haha, I must have a strong life… to survive that." Lin Feng collapsed back to the ground with a bitter smile.
At the same time, images flashed through his mind like scenes from a movie.
Lin Feng was an ordinary college student who graduated from the unremarkable Moshui Pond University. The school wasn't well-known, and neither was his major, so he found himself "unemployed" immediately after graduation.
However, Lin Feng was proud and determined. He refused to ask his family for money. Instead, following his interests, he found work as a ball boy at a billiards hall.
He worked there for three years. Diligent and humble, Lin Feng earned the favor of his boss, Brother Wang, who even allowed him to practice on the tournament table at night as a reward.
Over those three years, Lin Feng's skills improved drastically. His speed of progression was shocking—even the top players at the hall struggled to beat him.
Outside of work, Lin Feng's biggest passion was Naruto. He was utterly obsessed, able to recall every plot point, every character, even every line of dialogue without hesitation.
To Lin Feng, this life was good enough.
But a pleading phone call from his father changed everything. Lin Feng couldn't refuse and decided to resign and return home.
His parents were both over fifty and needed care. He couldn't let them struggle alone.
However, what Lin Feng never expected was that Brother Wang—usually fair and friendly—suddenly turned on him. On Lin Feng's last day, Wang deducted 800 yuan from his pay, blaming him for a small hole on the tournament table that had been there for months.
To put it into perspective, Lin Feng's monthly salary was only 1,000 yuan.
"Three years… and all it's worth is 800 yuan? Pathetic." A flash of cold anger appeared in Lin Feng's eyes.
Young and hot-blooded, Lin Feng wasn't the type to swallow such injustice. Especially not someone with a strong sense of right and wrong.
Enraged beyond reason, Lin Feng used his savings from three years of work to illegally purchase ten kilograms of gasoline, explosives, and a detonator.
Brother Wang made over 2,000 yuan per day as a billiards hall owner, yet he shamelessly stole 800 yuan from Lin Feng. That was a blow Lin Feng couldn't accept.
He wanted revenge—even if it cost him more.
That thought consumed him.
So Lin Feng took action.
While Brother Wang was out playing mahjong with friends, Lin Feng snuck in through the hall's emergency back exit. He poured gasoline over the tables and lit the detonator with a lighter.
"HAHAHAHA—!" Lin Feng let out a crazed laugh as flames erupted into the air. A fire dragon surged through the hall.
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the ground, smoke thick in the air. The entire billiards hall was reduced to rubble.
What Lin Feng didn't anticipate was that the blast triggered a chain reaction, spreading to the adjacent factory's boiler room. A second explosion followed—this time, it caught him too.
"I remember now. But how am I still alive? And… where exactly is this place?" Lin Feng's heart was full of questions as he surveyed the dense forest.
The last thing he remembered was being struck in the back by an immense force before everything went dark. When he came to, he was here—somewhere completely unfamiliar.
"Heeheehee…"
Suddenly, a pleasant, bell-like laugh came from behind him.
"Who's there?!" Lin Feng jumped, his whole body trembling. He turned toward the voice—only to freeze in shock.
A breathtaking girl stood behind him.
She looked about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a black dress with pale, flawless legs exposed. Under the sunlight, they glowed like jade. Her delicate oval face, crystal-blue eyes, sharp nose, rosy lips, and fair skin, paired with long, silky black hair—she looked like a celestial being.
"Who… are you?" Lin Feng, wary of the strange situation, asked cautiously.
"Welcome to the Naruto World," the girl said softly, her voice melodious like chimes in the wind.
"What? Did you say this is… the Naruto World?" Lin Feng was dumbfounded. First shocked, then suspicious, he forced himself to stay calm. "Who the hell are you? Stop messing around and trying to scare me!"
"Messing around?" the girl giggled. "But I am a god. Why would I need to pretend?"
"You—!" Lin Feng's face turned pale. The girl had floated effortlessly into the air and was now looking down at him from above.
Could gods and spirits actually exist? Could this really be the world of Naruto? If not, why did he survive the explosion and end up here?
Lin Feng's mind raced. Everything he had learned in over twenty years of atheistic education was now in direct conflict with what he was experiencing. It shook the foundation of his beliefs.
"So… you saved me?" Lin Feng quickly composed himself and looked up at the floating girl with awe.
"Yes, I did," she smiled. "But don't thank me. I was just bored… and wanted to find something to play with."
"What… do you mean?" Lin Feng's heart sank.
"Exactly what you think I mean," she said with another giggle. "I'll give you ten years. If you can unite the entire Naruto world and surpass the Sage of Six Paths, I might consider sending you back to Earth."
"You're serious?" Lin Feng's eyes lit up with excitement.
He had disappeared from Earth—his family must be worried sick. He couldn't let them grieve endlessly.
"Of course I'm serious." The girl nodded. "But if you fail… heehee… well, you'll find out."
"Wait—" Lin Feng started to speak, but she had already vanished, as if she'd never been there.
"My body—!" Lin Feng suddenly panicked. He looked down and realized he was shrinking rapidly—his body had transformed into that of a seven- or eight-year-old child!
"Ten years from now, you'll be eighteen. If you succeed, I'll grant you a great opportunity. If you fail, may the wind scatter your soul." The girl's voice echoed one last time in his mind.
And then, she was gone for good.
"Is this really… the Naruto world?" Lin Feng twisted his now childlike body. Excitement, fear, and confusion swirled in his chest—an emotion too complex to name.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal echoed through the forest, along with gasping breaths and furious shouts.
"Orochimaru! Stop right there!"