Earth, Solar System
The afternoon sun shone brightly over the bustling streets of an unnamed country.
A sixteen-year-old boy walked down the sidewalk carrying several grocery bags. Music blasted from his phone's speakers as he strolled along without a care in the world.
Today was a special day.
He had finally graduated from high school.
No exams.
No assignments.
No teachers.
For the first time in years, he felt completely free.
Naturally, fate decided this was the perfect moment to kill him.
A massive truck suddenly burst through an intersection.
Its horn blared.
Its headlights flashed.
Its speed was so absurd that it looked less like a vehicle and more like a guided missile.
The boy turned his head.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze.
Most people would try to dodge.
Some might scream.
A few lucky ones would faint.
Our protagonist did none of those things.
Instead, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"If anime has taught me anything," he thought, "it's that protagonists survive impossible situations."
The truck disagreed.
BOOM!
Darkness swallowed everything.
Silence.
An endless, suffocating silence.
The boy frowned.
Or at least, he tried to.
Why couldn't he move?
Why couldn't he open his eyes?
More importantly...
Why couldn't he feel his body?
"Am I in a hospital?"
The thought appeared instinctively.
Maybe the doctors had put him under anesthesia.
That had to be it.
Right?
As he desperately searched for answers, an unfamiliar voice echoed through the darkness.
"You are dead."
The boy froze.
"..."
A pause followed.
Then he asked the most important question he could think of.
"Who hurt you?"
The voice remained silent.
For several seconds.
Then—
"I said you are dead."
The boy considered this.
"No."
"No?"
"No. Dead people don't hear voices."
The voice sighed.
A deep, ancient sigh carrying enough disappointment to crush mountains.
For the first time, the boy began to feel nervous.
Whoever—or whatever—this being was, it didn't sound human.
"Interesting," the voice said.
"Most souls panic when they arrive here."
"Most souls don't get told they're eating dirt."
The silence returned.
The boy couldn't see the speaker, but somehow he felt an intense stare directed at him.
"...Fair point."
A moment later, the darkness trembled.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon the void.
The boy suddenly felt as if the entire universe had appeared before him.
"I am Yama."
The voice resonated like thunder.
"King of the Dead."
The boy immediately made a decision.
"I want to reincarnate."
The pressure vanished.
"..."
"..."
"That's it?" Yama asked.
"What do you mean?"
"No fear? No existential crisis? No concern for your family?"
The boy thought about it.
"I mean, those are important."
"And?"
"But if I'm already dead, I can't exactly file an appeal."
For the first time in countless years, Yama found himself amused.
This soul was different.
Most mortals begged.
Some cried.
Others denied reality until the very end.
This one simply accepted the situation and immediately started planning for the next life.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Fine," Yama said.
"I can arrange a reincarnation."
The boy's nonexistent eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Hope filled his heart.
Then Yama continued.
"Otherwise I'd just eat you."
"..."
The hope disappeared.
"Please reincarnate me, Great Lord Yama."
The boy immediately changed his tone.
Yama laughed.
The sound shook the surrounding void.
Now this was entertaining.
"So tell me, little soul."
"If you could choose any world, where would you go?"
The answer came instantly.
"Naruto."
"No hesitation?"
"None."
"And who would you become?"
The boy grinned.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
Yama stared.
"..."
"After the massacre."
"..."
"With a system."
"..."
"And knowledge of every jutsu in existence."
"..."
"And talent enhancement."
"..."
"And—"
"Enough."
Yama rubbed his forehead.
Even gods weren't immune to shameless requests.
Still...
Compared to some of the wishes he'd heard over the millennia, this one was relatively modest.
"Very well."
The boy blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
Yama waved a hand.
A crack appeared in the darkness.
Beyond it lay another universe.
Another life.
Another destiny.
"Go then, little pup."
A grin spread across the King of the Dead's face.
"Let's see whether you become a legend..."
"...or die like an idiot."
Before the boy could respond, an irresistible force dragged him toward the crack.
His scream echoed through the void.
Then he vanished.
Silence returned once more.
Yama watched the crack close.
A strange smile remained on his face.
"Humans truly are fascinating creatures."
Far away, in another universe, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
The story was about to begin.