I died. I'm positive about that.
Yet I found myself floating in the middle of absolute darkness. Normally, the dark and the nothingness would terrify me, but instead I felt… comforted. Time didn't seem to exist here. With nothing to do, I simply thought. And thought. And thought.
As a human, I should have feared loneliness, but whatever I was now didn't seem capable of that. Maybe because I no longer had a physical body—just a drifting consciousness suspended in the void.
Eventually, after replaying my regrets, my good memories, and everything in between, the past began slipping away. I realized there was no point clinging to memories I couldn't return to. So instead, I invented my own stories.
Every once in a while, foreign ideas would pop into my mind—stories I vaguely remembered reading or watching when I was alive.
And then something changed.
While trying to recall one of those old stories, I suddenly felt something latch onto me from behind. Genuine terror hit me for the first time since arriving in this nothingness.
I had never seen anything but the void. I had never sensed another presence. But now, something was spreading along my metaphorical body. I looked down at myself—my form was a faint, distorted outline of a human—and from my waist upward, something darker than the surrounding darkness was creeping across me.
A sinking feeling told me I couldn't stop it, but I still tried. I clawed at it, tried tearing it off, even though I wasn't sure I truly had hands anymore.
In my panic I realized it had already reached my fingers, spreading from there too.
I stopped struggling and just stared, watching it engulf my legs, my waist, my arm. Soon half of me was swallowed by it. Then more.
When it finally covered everything, I felt an immense pressure—as if I were being compressed into a tiny ball. There was no pain, thankfully. I couldn't imagine how unbearable this would have been if I could still feel pain.
Then, for the first time since arriving in the void, I blacked out.
⸻
I woke to a beautiful feminine voice echoing through my mind:
"Welcome to the world of Naruto! I will be your guide. Please give me a name!"
I jolted in shock.
"What the hell are you talking about? I thought I'd be… free. Or at least stuck peacefully floating wherever I was."
She spoke slowly, like she was talking to an unruly toddler.
"You should count yourself blessed I found you compatible with me. Otherwise you would have floated in limbo for a few thousand years before entering the normal cycle of reincarnation. Now, once more: please give me a name."
Her tone annoyed me, but arguing with the mysterious voice responsible for my current existence felt… unwise. I thought for a moment.
"…Fine. How about Arata?"
There was a long silence, then a soft laugh.
"That's a wonderful name, my dear! Let us begin with your Gift Box!"
"Gift Box? Why would I need that?"
I had the sudden uncanny feeling she was grinning like a madman—don't ask me how I knew that.
"To help you when you are born into the world, of course~!"
The pieces clicked. I'd made up stories about systems and reincarnation long ago… though I couldn't remember where the inspiration came from.
"Alright. Just open it."
"Coming right up! You've received:
• x1 Body Customization Kit
• x2 Experience Boosters
• x2 Random Jutsu Techniques
• x1 Random Companion
• x10 Stat Points
• x10 Skill Points
• x2 Minor Wound Healing Pills
• x2 Major Wound Healing Pills
• x1 Fatal Wound Healing Pill
"Oh. That… might be useful."
"Arata, do I have a storage or stat page or something?"
"You do have an inventory! Just say 'open inventory.'"
"Alright—open inventory."
Only one thing appeared:
Currency: 0
Well, that's promising.
"Open the Body Customization Kit, Arata."
"Sure!"
• x1 Stat Arranger
• x1 Body Build Customization
"That's it? That's a kit?"
"Mhm! With these, you can adjust your body and stats using your imagination. Hair, skin, and similar traits depend on genetics."
"…I see. Use the Stat Arranger."
"Alright!"
A mental image appeared: an adult female body. Touching any part of the image brought up a slider. I adjusted myself toward a speed-focused build—speed mattered more than anything else in the Naruto world.
Tiny shifts rippled through my form, barely noticeable but present. Hopefully this would translate into real advantages later.
"Open the Body Build Customization."
"Mhm!"
Another image appeared with far more sliders—fine-tuning muscles, flexibility, density. I spent a long time adjusting everything to create a slim but powerful frame—durable, flexible, strong.
"Arata, if I open the random jutsu techniques, will they appear in my inventory?"
She didn't respond at first, distracted by something. I repeated myself.
"Ah—yes! And you can absorb the knowledge directly while still keeping the scrolls."
"Good. Open the random jutsu techniques."
"Sure!"
• x1 Fire–Wind Style: Hellfire Whirlwind
• x1 Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale
"How do I absorb them?"
"Just ask, and I'll do it for you~!"
"…Please do, then."
"Aww, how sweet!"
Before I could respond, the information surged into my mind. Hellfire Whirlwind even came with another technique: Wind Release: Pressure Damage.
"Arata, explain the random companion."
"The creature will appear in your inventory. Once released, it can't be returned."
"Then go ahead and open it."
"Yes, host!"
• x1 Gible Companion
A strange image of a small blue creature with a red underbelly popped into my head.
"What is a Gible?"
"A dragon- and ground-type Pokémon. It evolves into Gabite, then into Garchomp."
Words I should know, but don't. Memories from my past life keep slipping through my fingers.
"…Okay. I won't question it for now. What about stat and skill points?"
"I don't recommend using stat points until you're born—you could harm or kill your mother by accident. Skill points should wait until you're old enough to train."
"I see. When will I be born?"
"Your mother is seven months pregnant."
So two months of waiting. Wonderful.
"Can I do anything in the meantime?"
"Yes—meditation and chakra cycling. Meditation improves control, and cycling expands your reserves. Would you like me to absorb the techniques into your mind?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Normally I'd charge you, but this is something you would figure out eventually. I'm simply giving you a head start. My purpose is to help you survive in the world of Naruto."
"World of Naruto," I muttered. "Alright. Go ahead."
"My pleasure."
The next three months passed in meditation and chakra cycling. Eventually, cycling became second nature—something my body did automatically as I meditated.
And then, finally…
Birth.