My day started like any other.
As a United States Marine, days tend to blur together, routine stacked on routine, each one bleeding into the next. But when I opened my eyes, I knew instantly something was wrong.
I was staring down the barrel of an AK-47.
There was no time to react.
No chance to warn my unit of the ambush.
No last stand. No heroics.
Just the sound of the shot... and then nothing.
My life ended like that. Unable to fight back. Unable to protect anyone. Unable even to hope that my brothers would survive what was coming.
Darkness swallowed everything.
I drifted through it for what felt like years.
Then a voice spoke.
"It seems your time on that earth has come to an end."
The voice was calm. Detached. Almost amused.
"A pity," it continued. "A warrior like you deserves a proper ending."
I tried to respond, panic rising but my body was gone. My senses were gone. All I had was sound.
"If you wish," the voice said, "I can offer you another chance."
My attention snapped to it.
"I can send you to a world full of warriors, one you are quite familiar with."
Hope flared inside the darkness. I tried to speak. I tried to scream. I tried to accept.
Nothing.
Then…finally
"YES!"
The darkness cracked like shattered glass. Light poured through the fractures, forming a blue, holographic screen suspended before me. It reminded me of JARVIS from the old Avengers movies I used to watch.
WELCOME, WANDERER
You have been reincarnated into the world of Naruto.
Please select your starting village.
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf Village (Land of Fire)
Sunagakure – Hidden Sand Village (Land of Wind)
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud Village (Land of Lightning)
Kirigakure – Hidden Mist Village (Land of Water)
Iwagakure – Hidden Stone Village (Land of Earth)
I couldn't believe it.
Naruto. My favorite show.
Without hesitation, I chose Konohagakure.
SELECTION CONFIRMED
Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf Village
The screen flickered.
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE
Cause of Death: Sudden hostile termination
Time to React: 0.3 seconds
Emotional State at Death:
– Regret: Extreme
– Suppressed Rage: Extreme
– Protective Instinct: Unfulfilled
– Attachment to Unit: Absolute
Summary:
You died with the will to protect others and the certainty that you failed.
That combination produces only one outcome in this world.
My chest tightened.
Custom reincarnation denied.
– No clan selection
– No attribute selection
– No starting condition customization
Bloodline Compatibility Detected.
Bloodline Assigned: Uchiha
This decision is final.
I couldn't help it. I laughed.
This is awesome.
No choice… and I still ended up exactly where I wanted.
Though a thought crept in, will I even have a clan when I arrive?
The screen vanished.
Light exploded around me bright, blinding, overwhelming. Like a flashbang.
Then
Crying.
Mine?
Another sound followed. Slow. Rhythmic.
A heartbeat.
Why do I feel… crushed? Smothered?
Voices echoed around me, distorted and unclear.
"It's a healthy baby boy."
"That's good… a shame his parents didn't live to see him."
"He's too young to survive on his own."
"We'll take him in for now. It's the least we can do."
"Mmm… I suppose I owe him that much. His father saved my life during the war."
I couldn't understand the words but I understood the meaning.
I was crying.
That pounding noise was my heart.
And just like that…
My new life had begun.