With a gasp, John opened his eyes.
He was lying on a couch in a house. Dim light filtered through half-drawn blinds, casting dusty rays across the floor. His limbs felt like lead. His head—like it had been used for batting practice.
"Ugh… my head…" he groaned, rubbing his temples.
Then the pain hit—a pulsing, blinding throb behind his eyes, like someone hammering from the inside. And then, the memories came.
Memories of this new body.
A young man—twenty years old—who'd lost his parents in a car crash two years ago. There'd been a fight just before it happened. He'd blamed himself ever since.
The following years blurred into alcohol and depression. And what led him here?
The guy had gone out to buy booze, heard a girl scream, and ran toward it. A mugger stabbed him in the gut and ran. Instead of calling for help, the man had collapsed in the alley—bleeding, broken, and quietly ready to die.
Somewhere in the void, John must've taken his place.
And then he simply got up—bleeding, half-conscious—and walked home. No police. No hospital. Just the quiet shuffle of feet through empty streets, the world passing by unnoticed, until he reached his front door. He hadn't even locked it behind him.
Now, John sat up, pressing his palm against his chest in search of any wounds.
That's when a voice echoed in his mind.
[Don't worry, Host. Your body has been fully restored to peak condition.]
John froze. "Wait… is that… my system?"
[Yes, Host.]
John blinked. "What can you do?"
[Host now has access to the Shinobi Interface System. You may exchange points for Naruto-style ninjutsu and items. Currently, you may unlock ninjutsu below C-Rank. Points are earned through combat, completing weekly challenges, and discovering ninja events.]
"Ninja events? Weekly challenges?"
[Weekly Challenge: Host may enter a simulated battlefield and fight three random opponents per week. Win to gain bonus points. Currently available: Genin-level opponents.]
"That… actually sounds awesome."
A grin tugged at his lips. "At least I won't be just another background casualty in a superhero fight."
He thought the word: System.
A glowing panel materialized in front of him.
HOST: John MercerNINJA RANK: Ninja Academy StudentCHAKRA: 0CHAKRA NATURES: Lightning, Fire, WaterPOINTS: 0WEEKLY CHALLENGE ATTEMPTS: 3
A golden gift icon blinked below the stats. Instinctively, John tapped it.
🎉 Congratulations, Host! 🎉You have received:— Experience of an average Ninja Academy Student— +500 Points— Uchiha Bloodline
He felt it immediately—like warm water rushing through his veins. Power. Vitality. Bloodline.
But before he could celebrate, something hit him—the smell.
It was awful. A mixture of damp socks, rust, and old garbage. Groaning, he finally looked around.
The place was a mess.
Empty liquor bottles were scattered across the floor. The couch he was lying on was soaked in blood. He sniffed his shirt and recoiled.
The rusty smell—it wasn't just the couch. His shirt too.
Originally gray, it was now stained a sickly brownish-red, the color of dried blood. A massive hole was torn through it, right where the stab had gone in.
"No wonder the guy died…" John muttered.
He poked at the hole in the shirt. If the position was correct, the mugger probably stabbed him right in the heart.
"Great," he said dryly. "It's gonna take forever to clean all this up."