"Where am I?"
Naruto woke up in complete darkness. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. Panic crept in as he looked down heavy chains were wrapped tightly around his wrists and ankles, locking him to a bed.
"What… what happened? Did someone kidnap me?"
A sharp click broke the silence.
The door.
Naruto lifted his head, squinting into the darkness as it slowly opened. A figure stepped inside, a boy about his height, with dark hair and eyes that seemed to blend into the shadows.
Naruto's vision cleared, and his breath caught.
"Sasuke…?"
Sasuke didn't answer right away. He just stared at him, his expression calm as he walked closer.
"This is your fault, Naruto," he said quietly. "You were supposed to look at me. Only me. But you didn't."
Naruto's chest tightened. "What are you talking about…?"
Sasuke leaned in, his voice dropping.
"You're the reason I ended up like this." His gaze didn't waver. "So now.... you have to take responsibility."
Naruto felt his heart pounding in his chest. "Sasuke, stop… this isn't funny. You're scaring me." He swallowed. "Can you just… let me go? We can talk about this"
A finger pressed gently against his lips, cutting him off.
"Sshh," Sasuke murmured. "You're not going anywhere."
His voice softened, but it only made things worse.
"You pulled me out of the darkness. Gave me a reason to live." He paused. "So now… you don't get to leave me."
Naruto stared at him, his thoughts spinning. After a moment, he let out a slow breath.
"…How did things end up like this?"
---
It happened three years ago.
"Naruto, wake up! Hey don't scare me like that!"
After the incident with Mizuki, Naruto was walking with Iruka, heading out to celebrate; Iruka had promised him ramen once he became a Genin. As they were making their way there, Naruto suddenly collapsed out of nowhere.
"Hey! Naruto!" Iruka dropped to his knees beside him, tapping his cheek, trying to wake him up.
After a few tense moments, Naruto's eyes slowly opened.
He looked up at Iruka but something was off.
"Who… are you?" Naruto asked, his voice uncertain. "And… where am I?"
Iruka froze. "Naruto, what are you—"
Naruto tried to sit up, but his head spun. His body swayed, and he nearly fell, but Iruka caught him.
"Easy! Just stay still," Iruka said quickly. "I'm taking you to the hospital."
"…Naruto?" Naruto repeated under his breath.
The moment the name left his mouth, a sharp pain shot through his head.
Memories that didn't feel like his flooded in all at once and he colapsed and everything went white.
---
Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He found himself lying in a hospital bed.
"Naruto!" Iruka leaned forward immediately. "You're awake!"
The Third Hokage stepped closer, his expression serious but gentle. "Naruto, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"
Naruto blinked, looking between them with a brief hint of confusion before forcing a small grin.
"I'm okay, Old Man Third… Iruka-sensei."
Iruka frowned slightly. "You suddenly collapsed out of nowhere. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" Naruto said quickly, waving it off like it was no big deal.
Hiruzen studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod, letting out a quiet breath. "Very well. Still, you'll remain here for the day. I want the doctor to run a few checks just to make sure you're alright."
He turned toward the door. "Iruka, come with me. Let the boy rest."
Iruka hesitated, glancing back at Naruto. "…Get some sleep, okay?"
Naruto gave a lazy thumbs-up. "Got it."
The two of them left the room, the door closing softly behind them.
Naruto's smile slowly faded.
"…So I really transmigrated into Naruto."
He raised his hand and pinched his cheek hard.
"Ow—"
The pain was real.
He stared at his hand for a few seconds, then let out a slow breath.
"So it's not a dream…"
He looked around the hospital room again, trying to process everything. The smell, the walls, the bed everything felt real.
"…This is bad."
He ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts starting to race.
"Out of all people… I became Naruto?" he muttered. "Why not some random civilian? Or at least a background ninja?"
He clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
"In the future, I'm going to be targeted by the Akatsuki… hunted down for the Nine-Tails…" He paused, his expression turning more serious. "And later… even the Ōtsutsuki show up."
Naruto leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling.
"The entire ninja world basically depends on this guy. And now… that 'guy' is me."
He covered his face with one hand.
"Back on Earth, I was just a normal high school student. I don't have fighting experience, no survival skills… nothing." He let out a dry laugh. "And now I'm supposed to deal with people like Itachi, Pain, Madara…?"
He shook his head.
"This is ridiculous."
For a moment, he didn't move, just thinking.
"Running away…" he murmured. "If I leave the village early, hide somewhere far away… maybe I could avoid everything."
He sat up slowly, starting to consider it seriously.
"…Yeah. That might actually—"
[Ding Dong]
Naruto froze.
"…What?"
A strange mechanical voice echoed in his head.
[Host, do not worry. Your cheat has arrived to support you.]
Naruto blinked a few times.
"…A system?"
He looked around the room like he expected someone to jump out.
"Am I seriously getting one of those?"
The voice continued, calm and emotionless.
[Objective: Change the fate of important characters in the story.]
[Based on your actions and your favorability with specific targets, you will earn points.]
[Points can be exchanged for rewards such as jutsu techniques, kekkei genkai bloodlines, and various powerful equipment.]
Naruto stayed silent for a second.
Then—
"…Wait."
His eyes slowly widened.
"Change the fate… earn points… buy abilities?"
He stood up from the bed, completely ignoring the fact that he was supposed to be resting.
"So basically… I can get stronger without relying only on training?"
A grin started forming on his face.
"And I can get kekkei genkai too…?"
He clenched his fists, excitement clearly building.
"Heh…"
A low chuckle escaped him.
"Hehehe…"
He stretched his arms, looking much more relaxed now.
"Alright… now this is more like it."
He looked up slightly, as if addressing something above him.
"Thanks God, Buddha, Jesus, whoever's in charge of this stuff."
He hopped off the bed, full of energy now.
"Just when I was thinking about running away and hiding somewhere at the edge of the world…" he said with a smirk, "my cheat shows up right on time."
Naruto cracked his knuckles.
"If that's the case… then maybe this situation isn't that bad after all."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Akatsuki… Ōtsutsuki…"
He let out a small breath.
"…Let's see how things go."
"System, show me my status."
A screen appeared in front of him.
[Host: Naruto Uzumaki]
[Title: Official Genin]
[Intelligence: 15 (Enhanced by reincarnation; human average: 11)]
[Charm: 7 (Below average; current appearance gives off an 'idiot' impression. Normal human average: 10)]
[Techniques:]
• Oiroke no Jutsu (E-rank)
• Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu (A-Rank)
[Host, you have received a beginner gift pack. Would you like to open it?]
Naruto stared at the screen.
"…Wait. Charm 7?"
His eye twitched.
"Who are you calling an idiot?!"
He looked like he was about to start arguing with the system, but stopped himself and took a breath.
"…Forget it. I've got more important things to deal with."
He focused again.
"Yeah. Open it."
[Opening beginner gift pack…]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received:]
• Rasengan (A-Rank ninjutsu)
• 100 Points
[Points can be used in the shop.]
[Would you like to open the shop?]
Naruto froze for a second.
"…Wait."
His eyes widened.
"Rasengan?!"
He jumped out of bed, completely shocked.
"Are you serious?! That's one of Naruto's strongest techniques early on!"
He clenched his fists, clearly excited.
"With this, I won't be completely helpless at the start…"
After a moment, he forced himself to calm down.
"Alright…."
He looked back at the screen.
"… Open the shop."