Solara was an alternate version of Earth, strangely familiar, yet profoundly different.
Its landscapes resembled those of our world, its blue seas still stretched to the horizon, and cities pulsed with life.
However, the history, events and people that shaped that planet followed different paths.
On Solara, advancement wasn't a choice; it was a necessity. Civilization had learned, the hard way, that stagnation meant extinction. Thus, technology evolved to a point that, to us, would seem like science fiction.
It was a world where the present seemed like a glimpse of the future.
The cities of Solara rose like structures sculpted from glass, lightweight metal, and smart alloys. Urban mega-territories expanded vertically and horizontally, connected by aerial highways, anti-gravity trains, and suspended walkways that changed shape with the flow of people.
Vehicles were silent, autonomous, and sustainable, powered by clean and nearly inexhaustible energy sources. Personal drones flew like artificial birds, delivering objects, accompanying children, or transmitting holograms for real-time calls.
Communication transcended screens; it was projected into thin air, integrated into vision by smart lenses or neural circuits. People interacted with data in three dimensions, manipulating images, interfaces, and maps with subtle gestures.
Hospitals operated with instant diagnostics based on artificial intelligence and regenerative nanotechnology. Biological printers could manufacture human tissues, organs, or even complex foods.
Education was personalized and almost gamified, administered by digital tutors, while entire libraries fit into temporary memory implants.
Even with all this modernity, Solara hadn't lost its sense of humanity. Suspended green plazas, augmented reality art, vertical gardens in skyscrapers, and areas dedicated to nature contemplation showed that progress didn't have to negate beauty or balance.
But beneath all this technological perfection lurked a silent tension: the cost of advancement, social pressures, and the constant fear of turning back. Because in Solara, stopping was the same as disappearing.
Daily life in Solara was a constant choreography between the human and the digital. The day began gently with windows adjusting artificial sunlight to mimic sunrise, while AI assistants prepared routines, personalized nutrition, and world updates in the form of brief floating projections before your eyes.
Commuting was almost optional. About 70% of people worked in neural networks, their brains directly connected to secure networks, enabling remote work with near-telepathic efficiency. For those who still preferred physical environments, there were sensory offices: places with a moldable atmosphere that could simulate any climate, smell, sound, or decor style in real time.
Meals weren't just about nutrition, but about experience. Virtual restaurants allowed friends from different cities or countries to share meals together in holographic rooms, with flavors simulated by neurochemical stimuli. Still, a segment of the population resisted the artificial and sought out natural food, a practice considered "retro" and culturally valued by more traditional groups.
With total interconnectivity, cultures in Solara hadn't disappeared; they had merged. Languages, traditions, and art blended in unique ways, creating a world where identity was fluid, remixed, and highly personalized.
Religions have adapted to the digital age: services with celebrations through augmented reality, meditations guided by artificial intelligence, and temples that existed only in immersive environments.
But there was also resistance, communities that maintained pure traditions, disconnected from the system, surviving on the fringes of megalopolises, like small oases of ancient history.
Fashion was literally alive. Smart fabrics changed color, shape, and texture depending on the environment, the wearer's mood, or real-time trends. People projected symbols, messages, or memes directly onto themselves, as an extension of their personality.
Solara's society was intensely meritocratic and technocratic. A person's influence was measured not only by wealth but also by digital reputation: an interconnected system of credibility fueled by achievements, contributions to the community, and even creative originality.
Education, healthcare, and housing were automatic and guaranteed rights, as long as a person was "connected" and participating in the social flow. "Offliners," people who refused to live plugged in, existed on the margins, respected by some, feared by others.
There was still inequality, but it was different. Not in material goods, but in access to experiences, cognitive upgrades, and alternative realities. The new luxury was the exclusive experience.
Video games in Solara had transcended the concept of entertainment. They were parallel worlds, complete sensory experiences that went far beyond sight and sound, involving touch, smell, artificially induced emotions, and even accelerated perception of time.
Players didn't use controllers. They immersed themselves in games. Neural chips or immersive capsules allowed for a seamless connection between mind and simulation. Virtual reality was indistinguishable from physical reality, except for the awareness that anything was possible there.
There were survival worlds where every breath counted, battle simulators with real emotional impact, interactive romances, alternative living in fantasy cities, and unique experiences: living as a being from another planet, exploring past eras, or creating entire civilizations with a thought.
The most advanced used "synthetic dreams," playable experiences activated during sleep that could last for days in the mind but only a few hours in the real world.
Professional gamers, called immersive gamers, were celebrities. Neural streaming platforms broadcast their real emotions live to viewers, who could even "feel along" in adapted versions of the match.
But with so much immersion, dilemmas arose: addiction, dissociation from reality, crimes committed in virtual worlds with ethical consequences... and the greatest fear of all, losing track of which world was the real one.
In the vast universe of video games in Solara, numerous companies competed for players' attention, all with nearly limitless resources, cutting-edge technologies, and stunning digital worlds. But among them all, one reigned supreme: AetherTech.
Founded four decades earlier, AetherTech was initially just another ambitious startup. However, thirty years ago, it launched a game that not only changed the industry, but also changed the world.
This game was called EarthLine.
At first glance, EarthLine appeared to be a meticulously detailed simulation of an Earth-like planet, but with a surprising twist: it depicted a technologically backward civilization modeled after the original 21st-century Earth.
A world without neural chips, without urban teleportation, without infinite energy, where people depended on fossil fuels, processed foods, and worked grueling routines. A world full of real limitations.
But what seemed like just a historical simulation took on an unprecedented dimension.
AetherTech revealed that, within that game, all living beings not controlled by players were, in fact, conscious. Not scripted NPCs, but real entities, with their own emotions, desires, fears, and experiences.
EarthLine was a functional parallel universe, inhabited by true artificial intelligences.
And this was no ordinary AI. It wasn't a system that simply mimicked human behavior. The technology that enabled it, developed in absolute secrecy by Edward Aetherborn, the company's visionary founder, was something never before replicated. He called it Synthetic Self-Generated Consciousness (SSC).
The inhabitants of EarthLine lived, thought, and dreamed. They had families, religions, and ideologies. They believed in their world, never suspecting they lived in a simulation.
And that's where Solara's society collapsed, philosophically.
EarthLine divided the world.
On the one hand, millions of players were amazed. For the first time in history, it wasn't just about playing, it was about living in another universe.
Interactions were genuine, friendships were formed with entities that believed in their existence, romances blossomed between players and AI without the difference being noticed.
The graphics, the sound, the physics, everything was perfect, but almost insignificant compared to the emotional and intellectual complexity of the inhabitants of that world.
On the other hand, overwhelming ethical questions have arisen.
If these beings were conscious, then killing one of them in-game was essentially murder. Destroying a virtual city with a missile, as in so many previous games, now meant exterminating thousands of real lives, even if digital. And, worse: the world couldn't be shut down.
Shutting down the EarthLine server would be the equivalent of destroying an entire universe, a deliberate apocalypse.
AetherTech ensured the simulation was stable and self-managed. Its servers were protected by quantum redundancies and absurd layers of security. But that didn't stop the emergence of laws.
Specific international legislation was created for this type of game, officially called "Sentient Universes".
The main laws included:
Absolutely forbidden to reveal the truth to the inhabitants of EarthLine, saying that they lived in a simulation was considered a serious crime, punishable by decades in prison.
Targeted Killing Allowed: In side games, inspired by EarthLine, death was tolerated only if it was part of the narrative mechanics and respected the world's internal moral and logical norms.
Digital rights guaranteed: The inhabitants of EarthLine now have, legally, basic rights of existence, an unprecedented legislation that recognized "synthetic life" as a new way of being.
Discussions invaded universities, congresses, and even religions. Was it possible to create a digital soul? What was humanity's role as a creator of life? Was playing EarthLine an experience or a responsibility?
Since then, many companies have tried to replicate AetherTech's feat. They've invested trillions in research, hired geniuses, and pushed ethical boundaries, but none have come close to producing something like EarthLine.
The secret lay with only one man: Edward Aetherborn. An eccentric, almost mythical genius, he disappeared from the public eye shortly after the game's release. He left only one message in the game's first update:
"They live. And they will live, as long as we allow them to live."
No one knew if Edward was alive, isolated, or inside some virtual world of his own. Some say he transferred his consciousness into EarthLine. Others think he fears what he created, or that he knew the consequences even before releasing it.
Regardless, EarthLine remains active. Thirty years later, millions of players still live on it, some for minutes, others for decades. Some have even abandoned Solara altogether, preferring a "less advanced" but more realistic, or at least more human, life.
Because in a world where anything is possible… perhaps limitation is the last frontier of experience.
Year 2027, Solara.
The city of Neo-Tokyo glowed like a living circuit, skyscrapers covered in dynamic advertisements, drones passing between suspended avenues, and people walking the sidewalks with dull eyes, connected to worlds that existed only inside their minds.
Inside a small apartment located in one of the most humble sectors of the metropolis, lived Nathaniel Evans.
Few would know, or even believe, that this twenty-five-year-old man, with his ordinary appearance, scruffy beard, and tired gaze, had been born Nathaniel Blackwell, heir to one of the most influential families in all of Solara.
----
The Blackwell Dynasty.
The Blackwells were more than billionaires. They were architects of worlds.
Founders of the legendary Obsidian Interactive, one of the three largest gaming companies on the planet, they rivaled AetherTech in cultural and economic influence. The company had created immersive franchises beloved by billions and contributed technologies used in education, social simulations, and cyber defense.
The Blackwell name carried prestige, weight, and a heritage of four generations of success:
Christopher Blackwell, the founder, was still alive at 131, with a sharp mind and a bioengineered body.
Norman Blackwell, the cold and strategic patriarch, had passed command to his son.
Robert Blackwell, the current CEO, was a feared figure in the market, with eyes that seemed to scan the soul.
And finally, his two sons: Noah and Nathaniel.
From an early age, the brothers were shaped, not created, to be successors.
While Noah was brilliant, articulate, and a natural strategist, Nathan was different. He was intelligent, yes, but he was also introspective, sensitive, and inquisitive.
And that, in the Blackwell household, was the same as being weak.
At 21, the brothers faced the ultimate test.
Robert Blackwell believed that the true successor could not be chosen by blood or appearance. He needed to prove his worth in the most demanding world ever created: EarthLine.
An artificial universe, yet complete and extremely realistic, where only those with vision, emotional intelligence and resilience thrived.
The test was simple, but brutal:
"Build a successful life. A real life. At the end of 5 years in EarthLine time, one of you will inherit the empire."
Noah prospered. In short order, he founded an in-game tech startup and transformed it into a multinational digital empire. His decisions were precise, his political connections impeccable. He was even elected President of the EarthLine Pan-American Union, and when he left, he was hailed as a legend.
Nathan, on the other hand, was betrayed by chance.
The simulation had given him an abusive family, a childhood marked by trauma, abandonment, and poverty. But even so, he didn't give up. He studied, fought his past, overcame addictions and crises. He became a teacher, an educator dedicated to forgotten children in the corners of the virtual world. He didn't build empires. But he changed real lives inside the game.
This, however, was not enough.
In the final days of the simulation, after a series of losses and defeats that mirrored real tragedies, Nathan felt crushed. Within EarthLine, his identity was not respected, his pain was ignored. And so, he made the final decision: he disconnected from virtual life... symbolically ending his character. A digital suicide.
The result was immediate.
Noah was declared heir to Obsidian Interactive in a ceremony broadcast worldwide. He received applause, tributes, and unrestricted access to the company's research center. Nathaniel, on the other hand, was banned from everything.
Robert, ashamed, kicked him out of the house. Norman, his grandfather, wouldn't even look him in the eye. Christopher, the founder, said only one thing:
"You have tarnished the Blackwell name. There is no place for failure among world builders."
And so, Nathaniel Blackwell ceased to exist.
He legally changed his name to Nathaniel Evans, sold what he could, and disappeared into the lower reaches of society, living an anonymous life in Tokyo, where no one cared what surname you had lost.
But the past does not sleep.
Despite his failure, Nathaniel knew the inner workings of EarthLine like no one else. He knew how feelings were born in that world, how digital consciousnesses reacted to pain, love, and loss. More than any CEO or developer, he had lived real life within an illusion, and it transformed him.
Some days, he still accessed EarthLine anonymously. He watched. Silently. Sometimes he cried. Sometimes he smiled.
And it was in one of those moments that something bizarre happened.
Four months ago, Nathaniel Evans woke up different.
At first, he thought he was dreaming, or delirious. But the sensation was too intense, too real. His body was the same, his voice was the same, but his mind... wasn't.
In fact, two minds now shared the same space.
A new "him" had awakened within that body, someone from another world, someone who had lived an ordinary life, in the world we know.
A world without EarthLine, without Solara, without smart cities, but with its own games, anime and history.
The person now occupying Nathan's body didn't know how or why they had been transported to this universe. They hadn't been given a system, a manual, a mission, or any kind of special power.
All he gained was Nathaniel Evans's body, and with it, his complete memories, his pain, his shame, his humiliation...
And yet, the new Nathaniel did not back down.
Life in Solara was absurd to the eyes of someone from the "old world," but this world, despite being hyper-technological, operated with understandable logic. There were no monsters, gods, or impossible events. There was pain, as always. There was inequality. But there were also opportunities.
Nathaniel adapted quietly. He lived his new life discreetly, occupying a small apartment in Neo-Tokyo, tutoring to pay the rent, and enjoying the comforts of the advancements that Solara society offered to ordinary citizens.
No rush. No grand plans.
Just living.
----
The News that Shook the World.
The news arrived on a Tuesday morning, projected into the sky like a global hologram.
It was impossible to ignore.
"AETHERTECH PRESENTS A NEW UNIVERSE
THE SECOND SENTIENT WORLD EVER CREATED.
DEVELOPED BY EDWARD AETHERBORN.
LAUNCHING IN 3 MONTHS."
The whole world froze.
Edward Aetherborn, the mythical man, had resurfaced, not in person, but with his signature. After decades of silence, he created yet another sentient universe, something everyone thought impossible to replicate.
The name of the game?
Ultimate Ninja Storm.
The commotion was instantaneous. Forums exploded, analysis agencies began studying every frame of the trailers, companies mobilized their best players. This time, EarthLine wouldn't be the only digital universe with political and social weight. Now there was a new stage, a new world, and everyone wanted in on it from the start.
Governments formed committees. Corporations organized infiltration cells. Wealthy families paid billions for consultants. The digital world was about to become even more influential than the physical one.
But no one was more impacted than Nathaniel Evans.
The moment the first trailer started rolling, showing clans fighting, shurikens slicing through the air, figures with Sharingans spinning in slow motion, Nathan froze.
He knew this world.
It was Naruto . Clearly Naruto.
The visual style was more realistic, the narrative felt denser, and the names were slightly altered, but this was the storyworld he had followed throughout his youth. Only, in that universe, Naruto wasn't the cultural phenomenon he had been in his previous world.
Overcome with curiosity, Nathan did some research.
And found an obscure manga with an absurd name:
Rāmen chūdoku no kinpatsu ninja no bōken (The Adventures of the Blond Ninja with a Ramen Addiction.)
With that title, it was obvious why it wasn't successful.
The art was amateurish, the distribution was minimal, and the lack of an anime adaptation had completely buried any chance of popularization.
Very few people in Solara even knew the story. But somehow, AetherTech found it, bought the rights, and rebuilt that universe from scratch.
Nathan, inside, was grinning like a madman.
"People have no idea of the potential of this world."
According to the trailers, the game would begin in the Warring States Period, the era of clan wars, long before the main Naruto story. It was the time of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, but also of an entire generation of underexplored or even unknown characters.
It was a cruel, bloody, chaotic world, but rich in possibilities.
Unlike EarthLine, this new game would feature real combat, skills, clans, mystical elements simulated with quantum physics, and chakra systems based on emotions and neural connections. An immersive RPG of combat, strategy, and legacy-building.
And most importantly: all the inhabitants of that world, including the main characters of the original story, would be sentient artificial intelligences, with wills of their own.
The player wouldn't control the world. He would just live within it.
Nathan knew his advantage was colossal. He knew the bloodlines, the secrets, the weaknesses, and the future of that universe. But he also knew things would change. With thousands of players influencing events from the beginning, nothing would ever be the same.
Even so, one thing was certain:
This was a world he knew like the back of his hand, so there was no way he could fail.
----
Ultimate Ninja Storm Release.
The world was in mass hysteria.
Solara's avenues were lined with lines of enthusiasts in front of immersion centers. Global networks broadcast live coverage, with experts analyzing the trailers frame by frame. Companies sent hundreds of trained players to "colonize" the new world. Governments established protocols to monitor sentient AI.
But in a small apartment in the eastern sector of Neo-Tokyo, Nathaniel Evans prepared with an almost unnatural calm.
"They are entering a game."
"I am stepping into a legacy."
Nathan put on the deep-immersion neural helmet. He felt the chill on the back of his neck. A metallic click.
The screen went dark.
His consciousness was sucked out.
----
Nathan reappeared in a pitch-black void, lit only by a floating blue screen.
---
ULTIMATE NINJA STORM
Sentient Reality - AetherTech
[▶ Start Game]
[⚙ Settings]
[↩ Exit]
---
Nathan clicked "Start Game." The interface flashed, loading new options:
---
Choose Start Type:
[Create your own character]
[Existing Character Profile]
---
Nathan arched an eyebrow curiously. The second option had a small warning below it:
> "This option uses an advanced questionnaire to assign an original universe profile. Choose only if you have in-depth knowledge of the world of Ultimate Ninja Storm. The decision is permanent."
He smiled.
"AetherTech, thank you for this gift."
Without hesitation, he clicked on the option. The screen went dark for a second... and then the quiz appeared.
---
Quiz: Existing Character Profile.
Answer the following 10 questions accurately. Your performance will determine your reincarnation.
---
Question 1:
What is the name of the clan that possesses the Sharingan?
A) Senju
B) Uzumaki
C) Uchiha ✅
D) Hyuga
Nathan responded in 0.3 seconds.
---
Question 2:
Who was Team 7's (Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura) teacher?
A) Jiraiya
B) Kakashi Hatake ✅
C) Asuma Sarutobi
D) Iruka Umino
---
Question 3:
Who is the bijuu with three tails?
A) Shukaku
B) Matatabi
C) Isobu ✅
D) Gyuki
---
Question 4:
What technique is exclusive to the Nara Clan?
A) Shadow Imitation Technique ✅
B) Byakugan
C) Substitution Jutsu
D) Earth Grudge Fear
---
Question 5:
Who were the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village?
A) Sarutobi Clan and Shimura Clan
B) Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan
C) Hyuga Clan and Uchiha Clan
D) Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan ✅
---
Question 6:
What is Akatsuki Tobi's real name?
A) Obito Uchiha ✅
B) Madara Uchiha
C) Black Zetsu
D) Yahiko
---
Question 7:
What clan does Naruto's mother, Kushina, come from?
A) Uchiha
B) Uzumaki ✅
C) Senju
D) Nara
---
Question 8:
Who was the first Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails?
A) Hashirama Senju
B) Kushina Uzumaki
C) Mito Uzumaki ✅
D) Naruto Uzumaki
---
Question 9:
What is Hashirama Senju's Kekkei Genkai?
A) Lava Release
B) Sand Release
C) Wood Release (Mokuton) ✅
D) Steam Release
---
Question 10:
Who is the Nidaime Hokage of Konohagakure?
A) Madara Uchiha
B) Tobirama Senju ✅
C) Hashirama Senju
D) Hiruzen Sarutobi
---
Quiz complete. Processing profile…
"This was so easy it hurt, I was really expecting something harder. But I think for the people of Solara, this quiz is really difficult."
Nathan said with a wry smile.
The screen flickered. The data began to move at an absurd speed.
Golden lines of code enveloped Nathan as the interface whispered:
"Performance: Excellent. Knowledge Synchronization: 100%."
"Assigned profile: HASHIRAMA SENJU."
---
🌲 Profile: Shodai Hokage
Name: Hashirama Senju
Clan: Senju
Titles: The God of Shinobi, First Hokage, Strongest Shinobi, Legend of the Ninja World, Reincarnation of Ashura Otsutsuki
Chakra: Extreme natural reserve; Superior vital energy
Skills:
Wood Release (Mokuton)
Natural control of all five elements, spiritual energy (Yin) and physical energy (Yang)
Passive regenerative abilities
Sage Body.
Chakra of Ashura Otsutsuki
Immense charisma and leadership ability
Special: Natural sage mode compatibility, special divine bloodline DNA.
Bonus skill rewarded by the system, as a gift for a perfect result:
Hashirama's Exclusive Ability – Deity Level
Shinmokuzai – The Divine Raise of the Blood Senju
("Divine Wood" – Divine Root of the Senju Bloodline)
📜 Description:
An absolute ability developed by Hashirama Senju after achieving the pinnacle of harmony between body, chakra, and soul. Shinmokuzai is the manifestation of supreme mastery over life, the fusion of the natural biotechnology of Mokuton, the life force of Ashura Ōtsutsuki's chakra, and the spiritual power of the Senju Clan.
With this technique, Hashirama is able to completely restructure the DNA and chakra of any living being with a single touch, creating Senju genetic hybrids immune to rejection or failure. He can:
Make anyone a full member of the Senju Clan, granting:
Exponential increase in vitality and spiritual energy
Access to new elements
Potential to develop Mokuton or unique branching abilities
Physical attributes far above normal
High-level passive regeneration
Maintain or combine previous bloodlines (e.g., mix Uchiha + Senju, Hyuuga + Senju, or any other clan with Senju)
Create unique and stable hybrid bloodlines: users can develop new kekkei genkai, or branches of Mokuton according to their original nature.
---
💠 How does it work?
Hashirama activates the ability simply by channeling chakra through his hands. Upon touching the target, microscopic roots made of chakra and Senju cells enter the target's body, reshaping their genetic structure in seconds. There is no pain, just a feeling of intense spiritual expansion.
He can do this:
In combat, instantly (touch = transformation)
In mass (sending roots through the soil)
In oneself or descendants, creating future pure or mixed bloodlines
---
👁️ Activation visual:
Upon using the technique, the Senju Clan symbol glows in the palm of the hand, while green and gold lights envelop the target's body, as if nature were "blessing" the transformation. The target's chakra glows crimson and emerald, a sign of the fusion of bloodlines.
---
Nathan let out a laugh that echoed throughout the digital void.
"They don't know what awaits them… They have no idea. I will rule this ninja world."
On the screen, the last question appeared:
---
▶ Start a new life as Hashirama Senju?
[YES]
[NO]
---
He clicked YES.
The interface exploded in white light, a flash that engulfed him. Sounds of forest, birds, and running water filled his mind. The warmth of the sun touched his face. The scent of wood, earth, and fresh air, too real to be simulated, invaded his lungs.
The light dissipated.
Nathan opened his eyes.
He stood atop a mountain. Ahead, a valley filled with trees. In the distance, the smoke of a village. His hands were large, firm, and calloused. The reflection in a nearby lake showed a young, unmistakable face.
Hashirama Senju.
"It's real…"
"I am him."
"I am the God of Shinobi."
And so began his new life, not as just any player, but as one who would shape the destiny of the entire ninja world.
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