Chapter 1 .1:
...
When I died for the first time, my spirit….my soul, my consciousness, or whatever it was…. separated from my physical body.
It lingered for a few seconds before the strangest sensation washed over me.
And once it passed, I was granted the Gamer System.
That was the beginning of what I hoped would be my one and only story.
Yeaaa…
[GAME OVER]
"…"
[You died
Would you like to start a new game?
Yes/No]
Yeah, I died...
And like I said earlier, not for the first time. No, this was my second death.
But unlike my first death on Earth…. where I didn't have the system or any means to defend myself against the mugger who killed me…. this time, this damn time it was purely and entirely my fault.
Oh, and I have no one to blame but myself and my narcissistic overconfidence, thinking I could overcome everything and everyone just because I had knowledge of the future and a system that made me feel invincible.
So, yep, I got to live the fantasy so many dream of…. receiving the almighty Gamer System and reincarnating into the world of One Piece.
I created my own pirate fleet, sailed across the seas, and slept with more beautiful women than I could count. Yeah, I know how that sounds. I was living the cliché…. and loving every second of it. Back then, at least.
Yeaa… I became the typical protagonist who achieved everything he set his mind to while having all kinds of fun in bed.
You know, the classic cliché story people love to read when they want to clear their heads or, if they're horny, maybe rub one out.
But in the end, life taught me a hard lesson: my arrogance and overconfidence were my greatest weaknesses.
And those weaknesses led to my second death at a young age... Ironically, I didn't even make it past 18 again... yeah, the same age I was when I died the first time.
Coincidence? Probably... but still incredibly ironic.
Anyway, as much as I'm ashamed of all that now, it's better to leave the past behind and move forward, doing everything I can not to repeat the same mistakes.
That's exactly why I selected [Yes] and mentally prepared myself to start over from scratch.
[Warning!]
[Since the player has already died once while having the Gamer System, several functions and benefits have been lost.]
Okay...
It's annoying, but expected.
It made sense that there would be consequences.
Now I can only hope it's not too bad… although just having the chance at a third life is already more than enough.
Who'd be dumb enough to complain? Not me. Not yet.
[Selecting a random world…]
[World: Naruto]
Naruto, huh?
I had this faint hope it'd be One Piece again, but that was wishful thinking. I knew the odds were slim.
Still, the Naruto world wasn't a bad pull. And even though I'd only watched the anime once, I could proudly say I actually finished it.
I wasn't a true expert like some narufans, but I figured I could manage well enough. Or at least, that's what I thought…
Of course, I couldn't ignore the fact that it's still a near-constant war zone filled with overpowered ninjas both in the villages and lurking in the shadows.
A world that uses child soldiers, where most of the ninjas… and even civilians… are just cannon fodder.
Although things might be different now, since my very presence could turn what was supposed to be "canon" into "non-canon."
Yeah, the butterfly effect is real, and I witnessed that firsthand in the One Piece world. Unfortunately, I had to learn that lesson the hard way.
Anyway… now I just need to arrive and figure out for myself where in the timeline I ended up.
Oh, I'm really hoping it's a few years before canon starts… just like I luckily had in One Piece.
Time to prepare and grow stronger is crucial, after all.
[Randomly selecting your Village…]
[Village: Sunagakure]
Huh?
Well, I'll admit…. I would've preferred Konoha, since I know it better and there was a higher chance of landing an interesting origin like being part of a clan. But I won't complain. Like I said… not many people get a third chance at life.
[Randomly selecting your origin…]
[Origin: Jiki Clan]
Jiki Clan?
Huh, that's new… or at least, it's not canon from the anime… or maybe it was just never mentioned. There was a lot of that kind of thing in One Piece...
Let's set that aside for now. I'll get my answers later.
Now the fun part begins...
[Create the Player Character…]
Oh yes!
Thank God this function still exists. I'd hate not being able to customize my character to my personal preferences.
Yeaaa, I felt genuine excitement when I saw the familiar blank body appear… similar to most character creation screens in games, but way more detailed, showing every feature perfectly.
First choice I made? Gender.
I know, some people find the idea of switching gender and experiencing life as a woman pretty intriguing.
Well… I don't blame or judge them…
But sorry, I'll always pick a male body, no matter what.
There's no way I'm giving up the amazing feeling of doing it with a woman using my trusty second head. Well… not always so trusty.
It can be a pain sometimes, but that doesn't mean I'd want to lose it.
Next, I selected the age for my male body.
Since this is the ninja world, I preferred to start as a kid to get used to everything before going out on missions.
Though it could be risky if I start too close to canon. But that's a risk I'm willing to take, considering the advantage of not having to face too much danger outside the village while I develop and strengthen myself.
At least, that's what I hoped… But I need to remind myself that it's Suna, not Konoha.
So… Who knows how things really are there.
Still, I'd stay optimistic.
After dying twice, I've learned the importance of being prepared before diving into danger.
I'll play it safe and won't go fighting ninjas right from the start.
Plus, I don't even know what functions and benefits I still have in the Gamer System. It could be worse than I expect, and things might go very badly for me.
That's why I chose to start at age 7… which is personally my lucky number, even if for others it's the "magic number" or "God's number," I think… not sure
Anyway… This was different from how I started in the One Piece world. There, I decided to begin as a teenager, around 15, because I wanted to stay close in age to what I had in my first life on Earth. Just three years younger.
After deciding my gender and age, I customized my body and how I'd look moving forward.
I have no idea how long it took me, and there was no way to tell since I was literally in the middle of nowhere with only the Gamer System for company.
I didn't change much about my appearance…. I had gotten used to how I looked.
I kept my hair short and black. Sure, I could've gone for something more unique, but I didn't feel it was necessary. I've always liked black and blue, but blue hair just didn't feel right.
So I made my eyes blue instead… I've always loved how unique that looks...
[Player body created]
[Error Alert!]
[The selected starting age could not be configured for entering the Naruto world. Due to the player's previous death, this function is no longer available. Only function available... reincarnation]
[The player will be reincarnated]
Shit…
That didn't sound good.
I hated the idea of being a damn baby. I can't even imagine the hell I'm about to go through.
But I didn't have many options either, so I guess all I can do is blame myself for dying again like an idiot.
[Please choose a name…]
A name?
Oh yes, right.
Well… this could be a problem, considering I doubt Adam… my real name… would fit well in the Naruto world, right?
Adam Jiki...
Hmm… actually, I kind of like the sound of it, but no. Definitely not. It would sound way too out of place.
Still, having to use another name is going to be a pain. Just the idea of getting used to being called something else is definitely weird.
Even so, I guess I'll go with err umm Kiba...
Why that name?
Simple. I knew it was from the Naruto universe, and honestly, I really like it... Oh, and it's easy to pronounce, heh.
And no, I don't care that there's already a canon character from the Inuzuka clan named Kiba.
[Player has selected: Jiki Kiba]
Looks like from now on, I'll have to get used to being called Kiba…
[Processing character sheet]
[System Definitions of each term…]
Name: Your name.
Age: The age of your current body. (Not available)
Level: The quantified measure of power. Leveling up means your body has gotten stronger and is able to get stronger. (Not available)
Title: A title the world knows you by. Titles provide certain effects to their holders.
Rank: Your social or power ranking as perceived by others.
Health Points (HP): The current health and vitality of your body. (Not available)
Chakra Capacity: The amount of chakra flowing through your chakra system. (Not available)
Strength: The max output of physical power your body can produce. (Not available)
Endurance: How much stress your body can withstand. (Not available)
Agility: Your body's speed and coordination. (Not available)
Intelligence: How quickly and effectively your mind processes information. (Not available)
Status Points: Points to allocate across Strength, Endurance, Agility, and Intelligence. You gain 5 per level. (Not available)
Chakra Control: How efficiently you can use your chakra. (Not available)
Chakra Nature Affinity: Everyone's chakra naturally leans toward one or more of the five basic nature transformations. This can be genetic or common to certain families.
Kekkei Genkai: DNA anomalies that allow unique techniques. The name of the kekkei genkai refers both to the anomaly and the technique it enables. Most are passed down through clan bloodlines.
Inventory: A window accessible by inner voice command, showing all the items the Gamer has obtained and stored.
Skills: Techniques and abilities explained in quantifiable terms, showing your progress and limitations. (Not available)
Relationships/Reputation: A list of your current relationships and social standing. How people perceive and interact with you is based on this. Someone might have a 0 relationship score with you, but your reputation might still affect their opinion. (Not available)
Perks: The advantages, bonuses, drawbacks, and defects of the Gamer.
[Warning!]
[Due to player death, all quantifiable/digital interface functions and benefits in the Gamer System have been lost.]
Again… Shit!
That's bad... really bad.
Practically the best thing about having the damn system.
Being able to visually track my progress was amazing and definitely helped keep me motivated, seeing the numbers go up as I worked.
And now I wouldn't have that anymore…. not to monitor my progress or even improve it with the system's help...
Yeah, this sucked.
Still...
It wasn't as terrible as I expected.
Well, maybe it was… because deep down I had this faint illusion that it wouldn't be so bad. But that's all it was…. an illusion. The logical part of me always knew this was possible, maybe even inevitable.
Looking on the bright side, the fact that it wasn't worse is already a big relief.
Yeah… let's try to think positively.