A bright flash of pain, like a lightning strike, split his existence into "before" and "after." The world around him collapsed, giving way to an all-consuming void. Nothingness seemed to be eternal, but suddenly it was replaced by new, weak sensations. The warmth of someone's hands, the soft touch of fabric, muffled, unfamiliar voices that sounded as if from afar. Slowly, painfully, his vision returned, the world appeared as blurry spots of light and shadow, gradually folding into the outlines of an unfamiliar room.
He was a baby. A helpless lump of flesh, enclosed in a tiny, unfamiliar body. The memory of a past life - of bustling Tokyo, of a bright laptop screen broadcasting his favorite anime "Naruto", of a sudden, absurd death - seemed like a ghostly dream, an obsessive vision imposed on the fragile fabric of a new reality. But these memories were more vivid than all his current sensations, cutting into his consciousness with sharp fragments of the past.
His name was Ren. Now his name was Ren Uzumaki. He heard this name spoken in a gentle, unfamiliar voice, felt the warmth of his mother's hands. His mother was a woman with radiant, kind eyes and a shock of unusually bright, red hair, the color of the setting sun. His father was a simple, laconic man whose hands smelled of wood and earth - a merchant from a small, quiet village nestled not far from the mighty Konoha, the Hidden Leaf.
He grew up surrounded by warmth and care, but inside this small body lived the mind of an adult, observing the world around him with a detached, analytical look. He learned to breathe again, to feel touches, to distinguish sounds, and each new experience was at once alien and painfully familiar.
The first years of his new life dragged on slowly, like thick honey. He watched the life of the village, listened to snatches of conversations about mysterious shinobi, about great clans, about the war that hung over their world like an ominous cloud. Knowledge of the future, which had once seemed like an exciting anime plot, now took on an ominous, frightening reality. He knew about the coming conflicts, about the betrayals and losses that would inevitably fall upon this fragile world.
'I was reborn,' thought little Ren, lying in a wooden cradle and looking at the cracked ceiling. 'I was given a second chance. Not just to live another life, but also... to change something? No. Not to change. To survive.'
Childhood passed in a strange dual state. On the one hand - a serene existence in a loving family, the first steps, the first words, the first games with the village children. On the other hand, there was constant internal tension, awareness of the fragility of this world, understanding of the impending catastrophe. He saw the naivety and carelessness of those around him, their unpreparedness for the horror that awaited them.
'I won't be like that,' Ren firmly decided, clenching his tiny fists. 'I won't let this carelessness destroy me.'
He watched the training of rare shinobi, their incredible abilities, the power they possessed. This power attracted him, fascinated him. He understood that in this world, only power could give him independence, only it could protect him from the coming troubles.
'I must become stronger,' this thought became his obsession, his guiding star in this new, dangerous world. 'I will use my knowledge of the future to prepare myself. I will study, train, become stronger than anyone can imagine.'
His new family… they were kind to him, they loved him. He felt their warmth, their care. But there was no room in his heart for deep affection. They were a part of his new life, nothing more. His main goal was to survive and gain strength. Independence – that's what he really wanted. To be free from someone else's will, to determine his own destiny.
'I will not be a pawn in someone else's game,' Ren silently vowed, looking at his reflection in the murky water of the village pond. The child's eyes already showed adult determination and cold calculation. 'I will become strong. Strong enough that no one can control me. So that I can decide for myself what to do and where to go. Freedom… that's my true goal.'
He would use this second chance. He would wrest his freedom from this world. With strength, cunning, knowledge – any means available. And if he had to go through pain and hardship along the way, he would be ready. In this world, the strongest survive, and Ren intends to become one of them. Not for power, not for glory, but for his own independence and freedom.