Chapter 1: Ranking My Way to Survival

Chapter 1: Ranking My Way to Survival

I woke up in a place that shouldn't exist.

Blue skies. Towering Hokage Monument. Villagers bustling around in familiar yet terrifying surroundings.

I was in Konoha.

I was five years old.

And I was absolutely screwed.

Step 1: Don't Die

No chakra. No clan. No overpowered bloodline to bail me out. Just a civilian-born child in a world where monsters disguised as men could erase me before breakfast.

I needed information. Fast.

That's when the voice echoed in my head.

[Ranking Power Activated]

Set a sorting criteria.

A power? No, a tool. This wasn't a game system, no quests or hand-holding. Just cold, brutal reality—sorted.

I had to test it.

[Ranking Criteria: "Who in Konoha is most likely to kill me in the next five years?"]

1. Danzo Shimura (99.8%) – Eliminates potential threats with extreme prejudice.

2. Orochimaru (89.3%) – Conducts experiments on promising individuals.

3. Random Chunin #27 (83.6%) – Can be bribed to remove nuisances.

4. Angry Uchiha Shopkeeper (79.1%) – Absolutely hates kids who steal from him.

5. Me (75.0%) – Likely to die from bad decisions.

I stared.

First off—screw that shopkeeper.

Second—Danzo was a problem. I didn't know if I was on his radar yet, but it was only a matter of time before he came sniffing around for new recruits.

Orochimaru? He had bigger priorities. The Chunin? Probably took side jobs.

But number five?

I made my own damn list.

...Fair.

Step 2: Make Myself Useful (Or At Least, Not Disposable)

Danzo kept useful tools. The useless ones? Gone. If I wanted to live, I needed value.

So I set a new query.

[Ranking Criteria: "What's the fastest way to become strong enough to survive?"]

1. Become an Uzumaki (100%) – Too bad, loser. Should've been born lucky.

2. Steal Hashirama Cells (97.5%) – Enjoy getting hunted.

3. Learn the Eight Gates (92.1%) – Requires suicide training.

4. Master Genjutsu (88.4%) – High return, low risk, requires proper teacher.

5. Get Adopted by a Jonin (85.9%) – Must not be annoying.

Genjutsu? That was unexpected. But it made sense.

Required no bloodline bullshit.

Could be trained early.

Allowed control over perception itself.

One problem: I needed a teacher.

[Ranking Criteria: "Who is the best genjutsu teacher in Konoha?"]

1. Kurenai Yuhi (98.7%) – Too young, won't train me yet.

2. Danzo Shimura (95.4%) – Specializes in mind-breaking genjutsu. Avoid.

3. Some Old Lady (88.2%) – Retired, but trainable for the right price.

4. Random Uchiha (83.6%) – Requires groveling.

Kurenai was out. Danzo? Hell no.

That left one option.

Step 3: Acquire a Teacher (Through Shameless Bribery)

After a week of surveillance (totally not stalking), I found her.

An old woman named Chiyo, sitting outside a tea shop, grumbling about the "weak new generation."

Perfect.

I approached, putting on my best harmless child expression.

"Hi, Granny! Do you like money?"

She squinted. "What?"

"I heard you were the best genjutsu master ever but these dumb villagers don't appreciate your skills." I widened my eyes. "Would you be willing to train a hardworking, eager, and totally not-annoying student… for a small fee?"

She snorted. "Hah! And what can a brat like you even afford?"

I grinned. "I ranked all the rich old men in Konoha by 'easiest to scam,' and I've got a plan."

She stared.

Then she laughed.

"Fine. You intrigue me, brat. I'll teach you. But if you waste my time, I'll put you in an unbreakable nightmare for a week."

…Alright. Maybe this was a bad idea.

But it was my best shot.