Chapter 1: My Name is Rubik, and Uchiha Obito is My Dad
Dave's Cabin, Brain Storage Area
A small village in the Land of Water
A plainly dressed, spiky-haired boy packed his few faded clothes, bid farewell to the villagers who had kindly looked after him and his mother, glanced one last time at the small hut where they'd lived for 8 years, and left with his modest bag of belongings on his back.
"Have you said your goodbyes already?"A white-haired middle-aged man looked at Rubik and asked."Yeah. Someday, I'll come back."
Rubik suppressed the urge to turn around, his gaze firm on the tall man before him.
The middle-aged man ruffled his spiky hair with a large hand. "Brat, what are you trying to pull off looking all cool at your age? But that's my disciple, Jiraiya the Toad Sage! Don't worry— you'll come back one day!"
"Mm."Rubik was a transmigrator. In his previous life, he'd been hit by a truck while saving a kid on the roadside. As he lay dying, a golden light flashed before his eyes. He thought he'd become an Ultraman to fight kaiju, but instead, he ended up in the Naruto world—a battleground of ninjas and aliens.
Thanks to being a fetal transmigration and his background in Japanese studies, he quickly adapted to the ninja world's language and life over the years, gradually piecing together the timeline.
Rubik was born in Konoha 48, two months older than Naruto and the same age as Sasuke. The ninja world was in a relatively peaceful era now.
Even in the Land of Water under its Bloody Mist policy, life could be stable if you kept a low profile.For the record, Rubik later learned his mother, Uzumaki Shinona, had been not even 14 when she gave birth to him.
He nearly dropped his jaw and inwardly cursed his absent father as a total scumbag.
The Land of Water was surrounded by sea on all sides, so villagers mostly made a living from fishing. Shinona had arrived in the village near the end of her pregnancy.
The locals pitied the young pregnant girl and helped her deliver Rubik safely. Mother and son had lived there for 7 years.
For Rubik, those seven years were happy ones. Life was tough, but unlike his lonely previous life, he wasn't alone. Though his mother's age was less than the sum of his two lifetimes, the orphan from his past life felt her deep love and truly accepted her as his mom.
For some reason, his red-haired Uzumaki mother grew weaker by the day, while black-haired Rubik seemed to inherit the clan's sturdy constitution.
Whenever he asked, Shinona would say it was due to an illness from her childhood.
The villagers agreed she'd been in poor health when she arrived, and giving birth to Rubik safely was a miracle.
Thanks to Uzumaki vitality, 7-year-old Rubik had stamina surpassing many adults. Neighbors, aware of their hardship, often helped out.
Though he hadn't trained in chakra extraction, with Uzumaki-level physical strength and his previous life's maturity, Rubik found work to barely support them.Shinona was both proud and guilty when she found out, tears welling up—until Rubik coaxed and coddled her into holding them back.But good times didn't last.
Misfortune always hounds the poor. When Rubik turned eight, Shinona's body finally gave out. That was also when he got the most explosive news since transmigrating.
Rubik gazed mournfully at the frail Shinona before him. Her once-vibrant red hair had lost its luster from illness, her rosy, delicate face now pale. Her eyes still held their usual gentleness, but exhaustion and reluctance shone through.Rubik knew time was short for them.
Shinona broke the silence first."Rubik, you've always been such a sensible kid—sometimes more than me. I occasionally feel like I gave birth to my own little dad, haha..."
"Mom, I've told you so many times, jokes aren't your thing."
He'd meant to play along, but he couldn't muster a smile.Shinona smiled softly and murmured, "It's because Tobi-oniichan was so good at telling jokes. He always made me laugh. I thought you'd like them too. Am I too dumb?"
"Eh? Tobi-oniichan?"Hearing that name, Rubik froze stiff.
"Yeah, your father~"Unaware of Rubik's twisting expression, Shinona continued."I know, Rubik.You've never asked, but you must wonder what your dad's like."
"No, I've thought about it, but it's not that important."
"You must envy other kids with dads around when you see them."
"Nah. Adults would pay me to watch their kids while they worked, and the little ones wouldn't let go when they came back."
"Kids shut up when adults talk! Don't you know filial piety?!"
"Go on."Rubik wisely dropped the clowning; he couldn't stand the heavy mood anymore.
"Ahem, it happened when I was 12..."Shinona's face lit up with a smile as she recalled the past.As a child, Shinona lived with her parents in a small town in the Land of Water.
Her dad told her they'd once been from a place called Uzushio Village, where her grandparents were powerful ninja.
But the country was destroyed, and they died covering her dad's escape.
Too young to learn ninjutsu, her dad fled and settled in that Water Country town. Years later, he met her fleeing mother, and soon Shinona was born.The townsfolk, unfamiliar with such things, found their red hair exotic. There was occasional gossip, but life was peaceful. Shinona grew up carefree until Mist ninja arrived, shattering everything.They were enforcing the "Bloody Mist" policy, branding her family a "filthy clan" with kekkei genkai. Young Shinona didn't understand, just remembered her trembling mother clutching her tight.
Peeking through her mom's arms, she saw her dad arguing heatedly with the lead ninja.Then, a blinding red splash—blood drops hit her face.
Not her dad's; she'd seen the leader decapitate him, but the spray missed her.Stiffly looking up, she saw her mom still holding her, but those eyes had lost all light.
The ninja didn't kill her mom—the neighbor and town chief did. They stared at Shinona in the blood with undisguised malice. The shock of her parents' deaths and their sudden viciousness made the 12-year-old wail in despair.As the neighbor's blade fell, a shadowy figure appeared like a ghost!A black-robed man in a white swirl mask blocked the strike barehanded! Then he punched—the burly neighbor exploded into a mist of blood...Shinona blacked out after that.
She woke in a guesthouse bed, in clean clothes, instinctively seeking that reliable figure.A door creaked open.
"Oya! Awake already? I thought you'd sleep longer ^0^"The goofy voice shattered the silence.
The white swirl-masked man spoke in a weird tone."You're probably confused, huh? Let Tobi-sama explain: simply put, your parents are dead. You're an orphan now. I took out the ones who killed them, including those Mist ninja. Pretty awesome, right, Tobi?!"
He struck a smug pose, hands on hips.Maybe it was her imagination, but his goofy tone turned somber when mentioning the Mist ninja.
Hit by "parents are dead," Shinona sat stunned before bursting into gut-wrenching sobs that filled the room.
Time passed; sunset painted the walls. Shinona timidly eyed the finger-counting masked man beside her. "Are you... a powerful ninja? Why... Did you save me?"
"Tobi" tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hmm~~ If I had to say, it was a whim! I was bored, hated those Mist jerks, so I 'handled' them!" He struck what he thought was a cool pose."Taking lives... is it that... ordinary?" Shinona's voice held confusion and subtle sorrow.
"Tobi" paused; his masked voice deepened. "Ah, in this ninja world... that's how simple it is."
...In the days after, homeless Shinona begged "Tobi-oniichan" to take her along. He neither agreed nor refused.
So she followed him, wandering places and witnessing the world's cruelties.She saw Wind Country parents selling their kids for food; endless small-country wars treating lives like weeds; fellow Uzumaki survivors—some hiding in fear, others tortured as ninja experiments, longing for death…
After a year of drifting, "Tobi-oniichan" asked: "Compared to this nauseating world, wouldn't a world from dreams... be better?"
Shinona replied: "Maybe... I prefer dreams to cruel reality. The other night, I dreamed of Mom and Dad... They asked how I was. I said I was good, still weak, but Tobi-oniichan takes care of me... I wanted to talk more, but I woke up..."
Tobi-oniichan fell silent for a long time. That night, he sat outside under the moon. Shinona spied from the window. Her innate intuition told her parting was near.
Their final journey returned to Water Country, to the town of her childhood—and her parents' graves.But the town was gone, wiped out after she left. No original residents survived; new ones had moved in.
Before leaving, "Tobi-oniichan" gave her enough money to live on, a book on chakra extraction, and basic ninjutsu scroll.
But her frail body could barely extract chakra; trying a few left her coughing blood before her chakra ran out.
On their last night, Shinona mustered courage and slipped into his bedding. She clumsily mimicked parents' intimacy she'd glimpsed.
He seemed startled, starting to push her away, but she pressed into his embrace, bare skin to skin.
She felt his strong heartbeat clearly. In that moment, he shed his goofy mask, revealing his true self.
She gently removed his mask; he didn't resist...In the thick night, she couldn't see his face clearly, but through the mask's hole, she glimpsed one eye—crimson, filled with sorrow and endless confusion. Emotions overwhelmed her; trembling, she kissed him.
Their bodies and minds entwined into darkness. When she woke, his side of the bed was empty.Soon after, Shinona realized she was pregnant.
Joy as a new mother barely bloomed before disaster struck. Lacking proper ninja training, she overlooked their tracking prowess.
Mist pursuers found her via traces from forest training, labeling her a Konoha spy. After a brutal fight, the gravely wounded Shinona escaped and ended up in this seaside fishing village.
She fully abandoned her ninja path, no more chakra or , living as an ordinary fisherwoman in hiding.
"These eight years here... Mom's been so happy..."Shinona's voice grew faint, like a dying candle; Rubik's sobs grew harder to suppress."If I... see Tobi-oniichan again... I have to tell him."
Her gentle eyes fixed on her son, etching him into her soul."The dream world... is beautiful, but it lost... the future... I still miss my mom and dad so much... but..." Her breath weakened; each word took her last strength.
"Watching you grow from a tiny milk-fed sprout... into the little man who takes care of me now... I've felt... truly... happy..."Her voice a whisper, she mustered her strength, her withered hand trembling as it caressed his tear-streaked cheek one last time, eyes locking on his:
"Your eyes... are just like your dad's, full of sorrow... and pain. Promise Mom—this is... the last time. Never... make that face again.Always eat well, don't neglect... yourself... take care of your health... don't end up... short-lived like Mom...Become a strong man... like your dad... and live happily... to over a hundred..."
Tears finally filled Shinona's eyes, sliding down her pale cheeks as she watched her sobbing child.
"The chakra book and scrolls... are in the bottom drawer... of the medicine cabinet..."Her voice barely audible, "Whether you become... a ninja... or just a normal person... Mom respects... your choice..."
Her eyes dimmed, life fading fast, but her love burned bright. "No matter what... you become... I'll always... love you... deeply..."Her final smile froze on her lips as she gently, eternally closed her eyes.
Rubik couldn't describe his feelings. Staring into the mirror at those familiar crimson eyes, emotions clashed until one word emerged:"Fuuuuuuck!!!"