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"Finally!" I gasped, collapsing backward onto the stiff hospital bed with a satisfying creak.
The overhead lights buzzed faintly, flickering against the sterile white walls. Machines beeped rhythmically at my side, their calculated tones always discomforting.
"I can finally rest… No-hit-running the entire Souls series in one sitting was not a good idea."
A weary, triumphant smile touched my lips. My eyes drifted to the fluorescent lights above, their pale glow blurring into halos.
Then came the pain.
A white-hot spike lanced through my chest, stealing the air from my lungs.
"H-huh?"
My body seized. I tried to breathe, but my lungs refused to obey. My limbs trembled as I slid off the bed and slammed into the cold tile below.
"W-w-what… what is happening?" I wheezed, every breath a stab through my ribs.
"This hurts so fucking bad." I clawed at my chest, nails biting into thin fabric. "I knew pushing myself this hard would kill me..."
A wet cough tore its way from my throat, and the coppery tang of blood bloomed on my tongue.
'I should probabl—'
The heart monitor beside me erupted into a storm of beeps. My heart felt like it was folding inward, crushed by an invisible fist.
'FUCK! This hurts!'
Then—I heard it.
"Understood. Attempting to find a body that feels no pain.
The voice echoed inside my skull—cold, mechanical, detached.
'H-huh...? Wait. No way—SHIT!'
I curled up, my muscles convulsing.The voice was so familiar, yet buried beneath layers of pain and fading thought.
Why can't I remember where I've heard that voice before...?
My vision blurred, colors smearing like melting paint.The sharp clinical ceiling became a dim tunnel of light.
'Is this… is this really how I die? Alone, in a hospital room with no one beside me?'
"Understood. Attempting to acquire [Unique Skill: Company]… Skill acquisition
That voice again. Messing with my very existence like it was a game update.
'Mocking me...'
I still had so many anime left to watch…
A beat.
Wait—Tensura! That show was supposed to get a new season!
My eyes widened—not that I could move them anymore.
That voice… It's the Voice of the World!
A pause.
'…No snarky response? Not very immersive, Voice.'
I forced the thought out through clenched teeth.
If this is like Tensura, then... what did Satoru Mikami say again? Something about wanting to be a Predator?Yeah, no. I'm not saying that... sounds weird out loud.
"Notice: Individual 'Jacob Adams' is acknowledging that he wishes to acquire [Unique Skill: Devour]. Correct?"
(
'H-huh… it actually responded… YES!' I screamed inwardly, even as my body began to shut down.
"Attention: Doing so will forfeit all other skills that would have accompanied you in death. Do you still wish to proceed?"
'Well… that sucks. But [Devour] is kind of broken. YES—I accept!'
"Understood. Using additional soul power. Sacrificing [Unique Skill: Company] and [Resistance: Pain Nullification] to acquire [Unique Skill: Devour]."
A deep, draining sensation pulled at me like I was being unraveled.
'O-oh wow… that t-took out more than I thought it w-would…'
Out of the corner of my dimming vision, shadows moved.Doctors rushed in—too late.
'A little too l-late, don't you think…?'
The steady beep of my heart monitor stretched into one long tone.
Just like that—Jacob Adams died.
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A cool breeze drifted through a half-open window, carrying the scent of moss and fresh earth.
Moonlight poured through the slats of old wooden blinds, casting silver bars across the wooden floor. A cricket chirped somewhere outside, its rhythm calm and steady.
A small dark-haired boy stirred beneath a patchwork blanket.
"…Where am I?" he murmured groggily, voice high and childlike.
He blinked slowly. The world around him felt real—too real. A wooden desk sat against the far wall. Dust floated gently in the air, catching the glow of the moon.
The boy looked down at his tiny hands. Small. Soft.
"Oh. I guess I really did die, huh."
He rubbed his face, ignoring the childish proportions of his new body for the moment.
'This place isn't half bad. A bit drafty, but it beats a hospital room.'
The moonlight stretched farther now, revealing tatami mats and sliding shoji doors.
The boy—I—stepped toward the window, only to realize I was too short to see over the sill.
"If I had to guess… I'm around three and a half? Maybe four years old?"
I grabbed a small wooden stool from beside the desk and climbed up for a better view.
And froze.
"…Wait a second—THIS ISN'T TENSURA!?"
Across the distant village rooftops stood a towering mountain, and carved into it—three familiar faces.
No. Freaking. Way.
A sudden voice pierced the night air from outside:
"I SWEAR TO KAMI, ISHADO, IF THAT'S YOU AGAIN, I'M MAKING YOU DO EVERYONE'S CHORES TOMORROW!"
I yelped and slapped a hand over my mouth, diving back into bed like a criminal avoiding detection.
That... that was the Hokage Rock.Which means… this is the Naruto world. But if that's true—
I sat up, heart pounding.Time to test something.
I pointed toward the pencil on the nightstand, eyes narrowing with focus.
"[Devour]!"
A swirling black mist surged from my palm, spiraling around the pencil like hungry smoke.
It vanished.
Just like that.
"..."
'Wow.'
A slow grin spread across my face.
That… was… SO. COOL.
Striking a dramatic pose, I raised my hand to the heavens.
"I am Suraimu, devourer of the shinobi world!"
A silence followed.
I cleared my throat. "Excuse me."
I sat down on the futon and yawned, arms stretching overhead like a lazy cat.
"My skill works. And I'm in Naruto... but why?"
I turned toward the window, the mountain still glowing in the distance.
"Sage?"
No answer.
"...Nothing, huh? That's a shame. I was kinda hoping all my questions would be answered the moment I woke up."
I curled up again under the blanket, letting the soft warmth lull me.
"I guess I should get some sleep. Staying up all night won't do me any good."
With that, Suraimu—formerly Jacob Adams—closed his eyes beneath the moonlit sky, a new story just beginning.
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1091 Words