My previous life wasn't interesting at all. I was an average man, 1.8 meters tall, with black hair, brown eyes, and an okay-looking face. I was born into a working-class home as an only child. At home, I always had food on the table, and my parents provided me with everything they could. I didn't have many friends, but the few I had were good ones. At school, I was an average student; teachers liked me because I did my work and kept quiet, while other students didn't care about me.
After I finished high school, I studied software engineering at a local college. I was great at making security protocols and fortifying networks, so I was hired by a local bank. My job was to update security programs, detect any anomalies in the system, and fix them. After a few years at the bank, I was promoted to head of my department, along with a nice raise. I was living comfortably. After some saving and good investments, I was able to buy my own house and a car.
I was happy with my life. Everything was going well, I was young, healthy, had a group of supportive friends, a stable job, and a great house. The only thing missing was a girlfriend. Over the years, I had gone on many dates and had some short relationships, but nothing lasting. It wasn't a top priority, but eventually getting married and having children were some of my goals. Still, I figured I had all the time in the world to make it happen.
That year, I fell in love with anime.
Specifically, an anime about a young knuckleheaded ninja named Naruto. The world-building, colorful characters, and amazing fights enchanted me. I was glued to the screen, rooting for my favorite characters for hours at a time. Though I watched many shows like One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Pokémon, Naruto always held a special place in my heart.
One ordinary, quiet day at the bank, as we were about to close, four armed, masked men entered. They shot the security guard and forced everyone to their knees. Three of them went to the vault while one stayed to watch over us.
After some time passed, one guy tried to be a hero and attacked the robber. The robber managed to break free from the scuffle and shot the man, but in the process, his mask slipped, revealing his face. Realizing we had seen him, he panicked and started shooting everyone. People scrambled for the exit, but I wasn't so lucky. I was hit by two bullets—one in the abdomen and another in the chest. The impact knocked me to the ground. I was in terrible condition, and after a few minutes, I eventually bled out. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but I saw nothing.
I never believed in the afterlife. I thought death meant lights out,your brain stops working, and everything turns black. How wrong I was.
I found myself in a wet, dark, confined space. The sensation was like floating in a pool, comforting yet strange. *Where am I? What's happening? Why is everything so damn wet?* I quickly calmed down and thought, (Dark, wet, tight space… Oh damn, I'm being born again!) So the Hindus were right about reincarnation after all,or was this just me? Please don't let me be a pig or a chicken. I'd heard stories of people claiming to be reincarnated. Maybe I'd get lucky and be human again.
As time passed, the space grew tighter, and the pressure became uncomfortable. Months dragged on until, finally, I felt a powerful pull toward the outside. I didn't resist, and soon, my birth was imminent. As I took my first breath of air, I instinctively cried out,not because I needed to, but because I knew a silent baby would raise suspicions. The louder the cry, the healthier people assumed you were.
I heard a voice say, "Congratulations, it's a boy!",before I was handed to someone else ,my mother I assumed. In a weak voice, she whispered, "Your name will be Roan". A voice said something is not write her vitals are dropping. I was taken from my mother to somewhere else. It was the last time I'd see my mother. I didn't know the cause of death but assumed complication.
Time passed pretty regular stuff for a newborn all bodily functions, pretty boring. So I tuned out thinking about what was going to happen to me from bits of conversation I heard I realized I was in the world of Naruto. This excited and terrified me at the same time.
On one hand the possibilities where endless, chakra basically meant superpowers. on the other hand I would have to face tremendous hardships depending on the time period. Every era had its problems. The warring era was basically a battle royal between all the clans. After the villages where created the first three wars desimated the land and killed thousands of people. In the Naruto era, I would be called to fight the Akatsuki, Kabuto and the edo tenseys, Madara and Kaguya. So my first priority would be to understand when was I born, so I could plan my future actions.