I sat cross-legged on my bed, eyes closed, focusing on the warmth in my stomach. I tried to move it — it barely shifted. It felt... lethargic, as if something heavy was tied to my chakra.
I took a deep breath and forcefully pushed the warmth. I tried over and over until —
My chakra burst out like a broken dam.
Vast waves of it poured from me; even the bedsheets rippled with each pulse. I frowned, then quickly reined it back in.
'I wouldn't be surprised if someone was sent to check on the sudden burst of chakra...'
I sighed, running a hand through my hair before flopping back onto the bed.
I closed my eyes — and immediately felt it.
A second chakra source.
I tried tapping into it... and my consciousness slipped.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a sewer. I looked down — somehow standing on water.
'I know how… but that doesn't make it any less weird.'
I lifted my feet experimentally, watching the ripples form. Eventually, I began walking through the endless, echoing tunnels.
After a while, I came across a gigantic cage.
And by gigantic, I meant gigantic.
It had to be at least 20 to 40 meters tall. Something massive lurked behind the bars. Its eye alone was bigger than me.
I stepped forward, curious.
"Woah…" I muttered unconsciously.
A deep, rumbling voice spoke.
"So you've finally decided to pay a visit?" It scoffed. "Took you long enough."
I blinked, still a little stunned, but finally snapped out of my stupor.
"Hi! I'm Naruto. What's your name?"
The beast snorted.
"I have no need for a useless conversation with a brat."
And just like that — I was kicked out of my own mindscape.
I sighed, staring at the ceiling of my bedroom.
'Yeah… I knew it wouldn't be easy.'
---
After a quick rinse, I left the apartment, heading out to gather some leaves. A while later, I returned home with a bundle of them, ready to begin the leaf concentration chakra control exercise.
It was simple: keep the leaf stuck to your body using chakra alone.
And like most simple things, it was ridiculously hard at first.
---
Timeskip: 1 Week Later
I'd finally gotten the hang of chakra control. It was time to move on.
'Alright. Transformation Jutsu… imagine what or who you want to be… then perform the hand seals.'
Rat → Tiger → Boar.
Poof!
After the smoke cleared, I stood there: a little taller, average-looking face with short brown hair and glasses. I wore a generic shirt, black pants, and some boots.
'Not bad. Not bad at all.'
I stretched a bit before heading out. I approached a random civilian, flashing a friendly smile.
"Hi! I'm new to the village. I'm looking for the library — mind giving me directions?"
The man nodded warmly. "Oh? Nice to meet you, sir. Well, you wanna…"
After getting the directions, I thanked him and headed to the library.
---
Eventually, I arrived at a tall building. Climbing the stairs, I entered. The librarian, a young woman with glasses, turned to look at me.
I waved. "Hello! Are there any rules I should know before I start exploring?"
Expressionless, she nodded. "Civilian books can be borrowed freely and must be returned on time. As for shinobi materials, higher-ranked techniques require special permission."
'Makes sense… gotta protect village secrets and untrained civilians.'
I nodded and made my way to the bookshelves.
I started with a survival manual. I needed to learn how to hunt.
I was petty — I refused to rely on the village for anything except clothes.
---
A few hours later, I had finished the book and walked to the forest outside the village. It took some time, but eventually, I spotted rabbit tracks —
Or rather… hare tracks.
'Tch. This complicates things. Hares are a whole lot stronger than rabbits.'
I took a deep breath and crept closer. I sent a tiny bit of chakra to my fingers — tiny for me, but probably massive for anyone else. I leapt forward and grabbed the hare's throat.
It thrashed hard, kicking my torso with enough force to bruise.
'That's definitely gonna leave a mark.'
I sent more chakra into my fingers — until snap.
Its neck gave out.
The moment I felt it die, I dropped it. My blood rushed to my head. Everything spun. I collapsed against a tree, hyperventilating.
'Okay. Deep breaths. You knew this was coming. Just breathe.'
It took a while, but I calmed down.
In my past life, I'd never taken the life of anything — not directly. I'd eaten meat, sure, but it was always something already dead, already cleaned, already packaged.
That's partly why I wanted to hunt for my own food.
It was a step —
A harsh, necessary step — toward preparing for the inevitable.
Killing humans.