In a war-torn battlefield lay a single black-haired boy. His lifeless green eyes gleamed beneath the moonlit sky, his face stained red from the corpses of his fellow shinobi.
All sorts of jutsu flew across the battlefield. Some landed dangerously close, kicking up heaps of mud and dirt that splattered across the boy's bloodied face.
Suddenly, a girl with short, chin-length blue hair ran up to the boy and began trying to shake him awake.
"Reiran! Wake up, please! Don't leave me too!" the girl wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks like two miniature waterfalls.
Just as she was about to continue with her screams, a fireball landed beside her, with a few Genin from Konoha, the Fire Country, running toward her.
She was slightly winded from the fireball, so she couldn't move away. Instead, she embraced Reiran tighter, not letting go as the Genin finally arrived.
Their ages ranged between 12 and 15, and from the few scars riddling their bodies, it was clear they had been on this battlefield for a while.
One of the Genin leaned down, a puzzled look on his face.
"Huh? It's just a kid."
"Move it, Kokoro," another Genin chimed in, pushing the first Genin aside.
Unlike the previous Genin, this one was much more forceful as he pried the girl from Reiran's body and lifted her into the air by the neck.
"Ugh! Let me go!" the girl protested.
But it seemed like her words fell on deaf ears as the Genin holding her by the neck merely let out a chuckle.
"And why should I?" he asked, pointing to the Hidden Leaf headband over his neck. "Do you see this? We fight for the Hidden Leaf Village! If we spare just anyone, then they're going to come back and bite us in the ass in the future!"
He eased his grip slightly, letting the girl speak.
"A-And how does killing me change the outcome of this war, huh?" she said, coughing out more blood.
She extended her hands outward. "I don't have any kunai. And I can't even control my chakra yet—"
"So?" the Genin interjected. "Does you being a useless trash have anything to do with us? Besides, a little girl like you wouldn't be running around the battlefield if your parents were alive."
As the Genin's words faded, his grip on the girl's neck tightened.
"Sorry about this," he said with a distant smile. "War is war, and your death is nothing but collateral damage."
And like that, he was prepared to kill the girl. But that was when his movements halted, and even the distant screams from all the shinobi on the battlefield suddenly froze.
The world had turned still, and yet, the previously lifeless eyes of Reiran twitched slightly.
.
.
.
Where am I...? Reiran thought, glancing around the endless darkness.
He had just left the grocery shop, ready to treat himself to six packets of ramen.
He wasn't fat. He was just really damn hungry.
But when he was just across the street from his house, he remembered his vision turning blurry.
Reiran wracked his head, trying to remember. And after just a few minutes, he did.
There was a homeless person who had been trailing him back home.
He didn't think much of it. Perhaps the lad was hungry or something.
But when Reiran had taken all his attention away from the homeless man, he felt a prick on his neck, and upon reaching his hand out in shock, he realized he had been stuck with a needle.
Yet the contents looked a bit strange.
It looked like space in the bottle, literally. There were miniature stars, alongside a blackish liquid, some planets, and more.
Then, he fell face-first onto the concrete ground and split his head open, likely dying on impact.
And now I'm here... wherever here is, Reiran tried taking a step forward.
To his surprise, he was able to, and at the same time, he heard a loud ding which echoed throughout the darkness.
Moments later, he saw a blue interface appear in front of him, resembling a system he had only heard about in novels and manga.
[Congratulations! You have been chosen!]
[Your life was an endless cycle of repetition, filled with nothing but failure and despair. You lost your job because you overslept, and you skipped out on your arranged marriage to watch anime.]
"...Ouch?" Reiran muttered. "First of all, my cat swallowed my alarm clock. Second of all, I skipped out on the arranged marriage because she wanted 10 kids. Do you think my balls are made of steel? Do you think money grows on trees? Bastard..."
Just thinking about that late-night conversation pissed him off.
But it seemed like the system didn't care as it continued.
[Your life has been weighed, and after careful consideration, you've been offered two choices.]
[Choice number 1: Live]
[Choice number 2: Die]
"What's the catch?"
[If you choose Choice number 1, you live. If you choose number 2, your soul will be obliterated from the plane of existence, and you will no longer be able to reincarnate.]
"..."
"I'll choose the first option then."
Immediately, another one of those loud dings resounded.
[Choice number 1: Live has been chosen!]
[Choose your way of living!]
Reincarnation: You will be reborn on Earth as a newborn baby. All memories will be wiped. This is the regular choice for mortals.
Transmigration: You will be reborn in a different world in a recently deceased body. All the body's memories will be inherited, and you may keep your current memories. This is a special choice that has been granted to you because you were chosen.
"Hmm... isn't there an option where I can be reborn as a baby or something? You know, get all powerful and stuff?" Reiran mused.
[That would require you to be special. You are chosen, but you are not special.]
"Aha..." Reiran grumbled. "Well, I definitely don't want to go back to that shithole Earth. Knowing me, I'd turn out the same even if my memories are erased."
So with that in mind, he decided to choose the latter.
"I'll go with Transmigration. Can I pick the world?" Reiran asked.
[You may pick any world you please.]
"Any world I please, huh?" Reiran mumbled.
His most recent watch was Naruto. It was a pretty good show, but he really hated a few things in particular.
Especially how his favorite characters went out.
And even Konan... she died in such a stupid way, it almost felt like the author killed her off because she would've been too overpowered to have around.
Sure, it was a symbolic death, but it was a death Reiran refused to accept.
There were a few others like Itachi Uchiha, Jiraiya, Shisui, and many others who could've easily lived had plot armor not gotten them killed.
Therefore, Reiran made his choice.
"I pick the world of Naruto."
The moment he announced that, the darkness shook briefly, then settled down.
[Your mental state and thoughts have been evaluated extensively. Date of Transmigration chosen. Body has been chosen, perks have...]
[You may choose 3 Minor Perks!]
Immediately, a giant, seemingly never-ending column appeared, displaying all sorts of perks, some of which made Reiran's eyes widen.
[Space Affinity: You gain minor proficiency in all jutsu related to the Space element.]
[Frost (Dormant): Unlocks a latent Kekkei Genkai tied to frost. Full control requires awakening through extreme emotional or combat stress.]
[Sharingan (Progressive): Gain access to a 1-Tomoe Sharingan. Visual clarity improves slightly, and you may instinctively react to basic taijutsu.]
There were many more, thousands, millions maybe.
Therefore, instead of making any rash decisions, Reiran decided to look through each and every perk that he could.
And as for how much time that would take, he was unsure...
.
.
.
"I think I'm done," Reiran announced, exhausted.
He wished he could plop down to the ground, but he didn't exactly have much control over his body, only his mind.
Still, after a thorough search, he had chosen his three perks.
[Photographic Memory: You retain every jutsu hand sign and movement you witness. Doesn't grant mastery, but drastically improves learning speed.]
[Chakra Control (Beginner+): You possess above-average chakra control for your age. Techniques consume slightly less energy, and medical or precise jutsu are easier to learn.]
[Eclipse Eye (Progressive): Gain access to a 1-Star Eclipse Eye. Grants dual-layer vision of both chakra flow and physical movement. Once per day, reflect one jutsu back at 2x power. May evolve after deepening the understanding of the Eclipse Eye Dojutsu.]
There were some perks that increased his chakra reserves, and some that gave him increased reaction time, more power, speed, and all of that.
However, he had to cut his losses and pick something that he could actually use.
In this case, he chose a combination.
Eclipse Eye synergized perfectly with his other two perks, and in the end, he decided to pick it over the Sharingan or the Byakugan.
After all, the Eclipse Eye seemed more overpowered early on, and he could only imagine how overpowered it could get after evolving it.
Therefore, he had pressed on each of those perks, and in the next moment, the interface flashed again.
[Everything has been set in order. You are being Transmigrated.]
Suddenly, his vision distorted, and he got a massive headache all of a sudden.
But as his vision began to fade, he saw one last message that appeared before his eyes.
[Good luck, Reiran...]
.
.
.
Moments later, his eyes shot open, and the moment they did, another fierce headache assaulted him.
Memories came flooding in, just as the system had said.
This body belonged to an 8-year-old boy named Reiran Yozora. An orphan from birth who had a slight talent in taijutsu.
But more importantly, he was the friend of Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato. A childhood friend at that.
But... Reiran's brows furrowed. He... I had died a few minutes ago. So this is transmigration, huh?
As he looked ahead, he noticed his beaten and bruised body with a single hole where his heart was.
But bit by bit that hole patched itself up, and eventually, the pain vanished.
Yet when he glanced ahead, he noticed a peculiar sight.
An extremely familiar girl was being held by the neck.
Konan...?
His eyes widened at the sudden surge of emotions.
Fear, affection, and the will to protect.
These were the emotions of the former Reiran. And honestly? The current Reiran shared the same sentiment.
He had seen Konan die for simple visual flair, and now, he wasn't planning on seeing that repeat itself.
Reiran let out a groan as he rose to his feet, his knees slightly weak and his body frail.
Even so, he realized there was a kunai stuck in his side, so he took it out. Almost like he was on an anesthetic, he didn't feel the pain.
So he stood there, holding the bloodied kunai, which was pointed at the three Genin.
Yet instead of reacting, they all stared at him in shock, Konan included.
"Y-You're alive?" the Genin holding Konan's neck muttered. "How? I thought I stabbed you through the heart? Did you get reanimated somehow? No way... that's not possible."
Reiran tilted his head as he realized something interesting.
The bodies of these Genin were transparent, and he could see faint orange energy traveling throughout their veins. It was chakra.
The one who held Konan tightened his grip, causing her to pass out. He threw her aside, and then glanced at Reiran.
"You don't have any chakra left, so what are you going to do with that little kunai?" the Genin chuckled, approaching Reiran.
He stopped right in front of Reiran and leaned down, a faint smile forming on his face as he pointed at the kunai.
"Stab yourself in the neck, and I will let the girl live. How does that sound?"
"Pretty stupid," Reiran replied plainly. "But wanna know something interesting?"
The Genin tilted his head. "What is it?"
"You see... when you're an orphan in wartime, you get to see a lot of death. So much so, that when their lives are in danger, they would do anything to survive," Reiran mumbled, meeting the Genin's eyes. "So what I'm trying to say is... thank you for coming so close to me."
In the very next instant, Reiran thrust the kunai forward.
Instead of aiming for the Genin's neck, he aimed for his elbow.
And because they were in such close proximity, Reiran managed to stab the kunai into the Genin's elbow just in time for the Genin to push him away.
Reiran was sent skidding across the ground a few meters, feeling as if his shoulder had been broken.
But once he glanced back at the Genin, he noticed that his gamble had paid off.
"Huh...? Why can't I move my arm?" the Genin muttered. "I can't gather chakra in my arm!"
Reiran had spotted a weak chakra flow in the Genin's elbow, and when he cut into it, he managed to permanently sever the chakra thread which connected the Genin's arm past the elbow.
Basically, he managed to cripple the Genin, courtesy of his Eclipse Eye perk.
However, that was where his luck ran out as the other two Genin approached rapidly, and before Reiran could do anything, they delivered heavy punches on his body, shattering his ribs, breaking his left arm, and finally, just as they were about to deliver the killing blow, the crippled Genin stopped them.
"Wait. Let me do it," he said in a cold voice.
He approached, his arm limping to the side as he arrived in front of Reiran, then stepped on his chest.
"Kugh... fuck," Reiran mumbled, bearing through the pain with a smirk. "What is it? You feel helpless now that your arm is gone?"
The Genin's eyes narrowed. He pulled out the same kunai Reiran had used to stab him, and then, he crouched down.
He placed the kunai on Reiran's neck, drawing blood.
"Any last words?"
Reiran gulped inwardly. This was the chance he was waiting for.
"Could you honor one of my requests?" Reiran asked, his lungs screaming in pain.
"Why should I?" the Genin asked.
Reiran let out a pained chuckle. "No reason. But you see... my family's tradition used to be death by fire. My parents went out that way, and so did those from my village."
He put on a pleading look. "So can you please grant me the same death?"
The Genin paused, his expression puzzled. "Fire?"
Then, a wide grin appeared on his face. "You want fire? Sure. I'll give you fire."
He waved his hand, causing the two Genin holding Reiran down to back off.
"Ha... you bastard. I'll enjoy your pained screams," the Genin mumbled.
All of a sudden, the Genin exhaled hot vapor as a faint glow appeared around his mouth.
The temperature around them rose, and in the next moment, the Genin opened his mouth and breathed out a fireball that lit up the battlefield.
It headed toward Reiran rapidly, but as it was about to burn him alive, Reiran subconsciously activated his Eclipse Eye ability.
[Jutsu reflected!]
[Reflection power: 2x]
In an instant, the fireball that had flown toward Reiran reversed its course, then doubled in size.
Before the Genin could even react, the fireball enveloped them, turning them to ash in an instant as it traveled high into the sky.
And then, it simply exploded like a firework, marking the end of the battle.
But once he realized that this was the end, his adrenaline finally went away as his consciousness began to fade rapidly.
The system pop-ups flashed in front of his eyes, displaying all sorts of information. Yet he couldn't read a single word.
Right as his eyes were about to close, he saw the flustered Konan running toward him.
And then, it all went black.