Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou

Amid the pattering rain, an orange-haired boy, caught stealing, was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen. In a world torn by war, the compassion of ordinary shopkeepers had long since disappeared.

After all, they were trapped in the quagmire of war, uncertain of what tomorrow would bring.

"So much for teamwork—you took the goods and ran off. Good thing I kept my guard up," the orange-haired boy muttered angrily, climbing to his feet from the muddy ground. His face and body stung as he rubbed his injuries.

Hidden in his arms was a piece of bread, squashed and stained with mud. Ignoring the grime, he devoured it ravenously, his black pupils darting around cautiously to assess his surroundings. Even as he watched his fleeing companions, there was no trace of betrayal in his eyes.

"No one here knows this town better than I do. People like you don't deserve to be my partners..."

It was clear that the boy's earlier actions had been a test to gauge the reliability of his newfound companions. To his disappointment, a few pieces of bread were enough to reveal their true nature.

"If I want to survive, I'll need at least one or two partners to cooperate with. But they can't be too strong…"

As he licked his wounds while hiding in a corner of the wall, the orange-haired boy's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. His gaze suddenly froze upon seeing a frail girl with short, pale blue-purple hair rummaging through a trash bin.

It was as if fate itself had guided him.

In the dim, drizzling corner, the frail girl cautiously searched the garbage bin, which had already been picked over by stronger vagrants and war orphans. She clung to the hope of finding something that could help her survive.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed softly. The girl instinctively recoiled, shrinking into herself as she crouched by the trash bin. She spoke in a weak, trembling voice:

"I… I only found a piece of bread paper… You… you can have it…"

Her frail and pitiful voice echoed in the rain. Even in times of war, survival was a cruel competition.

The girl belonged to the weakest of the weak. She could only scavenge what others had abandoned.

She kept her head down as she reached out with her malnourished, scarred hands, trembling as she offered up the piece of bread paper that still held a few crumbs. Her face lowered in resignation, betraying her reluctance as her throat swallowed dryly.

A tall figure loomed over her, and the girl's frail body shivered. When she finally dared to look up, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Before her was a clean, fragrant piece of bread.

"Perhaps you need this to survive," a calm voice echoed in the dark corner.

The girl's pale orange pupils trembled as she stared at the scene before her, unable to believe her eyes.

Standing before her was a young man in pristine white clothes, exuding an air of nobility and arrogance. Yet, in his hand, he held out a piece of bread. In that instant, he seemed to her like an angel radiating a sacred light in the rain.

"For… for me?" she stammered, her voice hoarse and filled with disbelief. Her gaze darted between the bread and the young man, a mixture of fear and longing in her eyes. The enticing aroma made her mouth water, and she couldn't stop herself from swallowing.

Uchiha Shirou nodded calmly. The girl hesitated before nervously accepting the bread. In the next moment, she devoured it ravenously, her dirty hands still stained from rummaging through the trash. Survival was all that mattered now—nothing else was important.

"Th-thank you, ninja lord. My name is Konan," Konan stammered after gulping down a few bites. Despite her timid demeanor, her sharp instincts had already noticed the ninja forehead protector and equipment pouch on Shirou.

Shirou's eyes flashed with recognition upon hearing her name, but he merely nodded slightly, his expression unreadable.

"If you don't want to starve again, follow me," he said, turning without hesitation and walking away.

Konan hesitated for a moment, clutching the bread tightly. Gritting her teeth, she quickly followed him. In times like these, survival was the only hope.

As they left the corner, an orange-haired boy who had been hiding nearby watched in silence. He had planned to invite Konan to partner with him, but now he remained in place, observing the scene unfold.

As Shirou walked away, his gaze swept briefly toward the boy's hiding spot. Something seemed to shift in his eyes as he made a decision.

"If you want to survive, you can come too," Shirou said, his voice carrying through the rain.

The orange-haired boy froze for a moment before springing to his feet and running to catch up, speaking nervously:

"Ninja lord, my name's Yahiko. If there's anything you need, just say the word. I know this town and the surrounding area like the back of my hand."

Behind him, two nervous children trailed after Shirou, their expressions uncertain. They didn't know what awaited them, but in a war-torn world, they had no choice but to follow.

…

Moments later, Yahiko and Konan stood in stunned silence, gazing at a warm, brightly lit room.

Such a sight was something they hadn't experienced since they'd had homes of their own. The memories and emotions tied to those days resurfaced in their hearts.

"Two bowls of porridge and some bread. After you've eaten, get a physical checkup. If you have the potential to train in chakra, you can stay. If not, I'll give you a chance—there's work in the mines. You can cook or carry supplies. It'll be tough, but you'll survive," Shirou said calmly.

He nodded slightly toward Mikoto, signaling her to make the arrangements.

The nervous Yahiko and Konan nodded repeatedly, their voices trembling with gratitude: "Th-thank you, ninja lord."

They had imagined countless possibilities, but none of them had included such an opportunity to survive.

Mikoto, a strikingly beautiful and gentle woman, smiled warmly at the two children. "Come with me."

Overwhelmed by her kindness, the two children followed her almost mechanically. For war orphans who had endured hunger and cold, no one could resist the warmth of her smile.

A surge of warmth rose in their hearts as they followed Mikoto down the hall.

Meanwhile, Shirou stood alone in his office. Gazing through the window at the ordinary little town, his expression grew distant.

"So this is the place," he muttered.

His mind pieced together countless clues, drawing connections to the information he already knew.

"In the original story, the legendary battle between the Sannin and Hanzo took place in a hilly area. Aside from their ninja abilities, there's another critical clue—it happened near the area where Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were living."

Shirou's thoughts raced as he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk, a habit he had unconsciously picked up from Tsunade.

"From the original hints, Yahiko and the others were living in a cave outside the town. To survive, they scavenged daily in the town. Their hideout couldn't have been far.

"One day, they narrowly escaped being caught in the blast of an explosive tag. That's when they discovered the battle between the Sannin and Hanzo, sparking their desire to become strong ninjas…"

Recalling these details, Shirou nodded to himself.

"Combining all these clues, the decisive battle between the Sannin and Hanzo must have taken place outside this town. And since this area is part of the Konoha's war zone, this place is very dangerous," he concluded, his expression growing more serious.

"This is the first crisis. And then there's the second…"

The words "Rinnegan" and "Uchiha Madara" surfaced in his mind.

With a heavy heart, Shirou tightened his grip on the desk, pondering the challenges that lay ahead.