A small figure with spiky blond hair and an orange tracksuit floated inside a black void.
"Where… am I?"
Naruto asked himself. His mind was hazy.
"Ah! Iruka-Sensei!"
He suddenly remembered how Iruka-Sensei had thrown himself in front of him to protect him.
Naruto felt a wave of emotion he couldn't name. He remembered his Sensei's bloody back, the pained expression etched across his face as he fell. Then everything had blurred… and now this.
He couldn't understand where he was or why.
"Is this a dream?"
Naruto asked himself, confused. A rare sense of peace settled over him, one he couldn't name but had quietly longed for deep in his heart.
He closed his eyes to savor the sensation.
Time passed.
Naruto floated in the emptiness. He didn't even question why he was here anymore.
His eyes quivered. Faint, muffled sounds reached him at first, barely noticeable. But as more time passed, the sounds sharpened, demanding attention.
Naruto opened his eyes. In front of him floated a projection.
"Whoa!"
Naruto exclaimed, startled.
"What is this?"
He asked curiously. The projection showed something completely foreign.
"Hoooo~ looks fun. I should watch this… not like there's anything else to do. But seriously… what is this? What are they wearing? They look so weird. But somehow, I can understand them. Interesting."
Naruto rubbed his chin as he watched the projection of a hospital room filled with people in strange clothing. They spoke the same language, at least, so that was a plus.
Curiosity grew. He watched intently as the projection displayed the baby's life. At first, it confused him. But gradually, he realized the focus was on the child.
He watched as the baby slowly grew. Socialized. Learned about the wider world. He saw the child learn both good things and… things that made Naruto blush.
Yet his concentration never wavered.
The more he watched, the more he understood: this wasn't a normal show. This was someone's life laid bare.
He observed the child's life unfold. Learned how people lived, laughed, and entertained themselves. The world's name was Earth. The country was Japan—a world without Chakra, without Shinobi.
It stunned him at first, but he adapted quickly, immersing himself in this new reality.
Naruto learned many things about the world and how its people spent their days. One interesting way they entertained themselves was through anime.
The first time he saw it, he felt the same fascination as the child, both of them captivated, immersed.
Time passed.
The child grew into an office worker. Naruto had become fully accustomed to the ordinary rhythm of Japanese life. The child wasn't obsessed enough to watch anime like a social outcast, nor detached enough to ignore it.
Over the years, Naruto watched many animes, but one stood out above the rest.
Naruto.
Not just the title, but the world, characters, powers—almost everything mirrored his own life, and the things he didn't know about yet.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence. But as the story unfolded, revealing the protagonist's backstory, it mirrored his own life with eerie precision. Down to the smallest detail the projection had shown.
Naruto's jaw tightened as he watched. The anime version of himself lost people close to him yet still smiled. He endured hatred, curses, pain… and still smiled.
Rather than inspiration, Naruto felt—
'Pathetic. Pathetic! How could he smile like that? Why would he smile despite all that pain? Why is he such an idiot? Why?"
He felt disgust at this projection of himself. He had always shouted, "I will be the greatest Hokage!!" And now he saw what that led to. Not only did he achieve it, but he became the savior of the Shinobi world. And yet Naruto felt dissatisfied.
'He's too optimistic! Too kind! Too forgiving! And… and TOO FUCKING CRINGE!!'
Naruto internally screamed in secondhand embarrassment. He couldn't believe he would turn out like that.
"Naaaah~ there's no way. No way I would be such a cringe character, right? …Right?"
Doubt gnawed at him.
The man in the projection agreed, in a sense. He began exploring fanfics. And through them, Naruto learned things he had never known.
He discovered parents who loved him deeply—more than he had ever imagined from canon alone.
He learned his father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki. He traced the source of his incredible energy.
He uncovered countless secrets of the world, through canon and fanfics alike.
Most importantly, he discovered how to change the fate of those he loved. Seeing Jiji die in canon shook him to his core. He vowed to prevent such tragedies at any cost. Power was essential—and it was something he already possessed, but had never fully controlled.
Fierce determination burned in Naruto's chest as he watched the projection's final moments. Seeing someone die left a lasting mark.
The dream ended. It had felt both long and instantaneous, leaving an ambiguous ache.
Naruto stirred awake, finding himself in a hospital room. The sharp scent of sanitizer filled the air.
"Huff~ what was that?"
He exhaled, tugging at his facial skin as if to confirm he was awake. The experience felt surreal, an odd weight settling in his chest. He was too exhausted to think.
"…I'll think about it later. Maaaan… I'm tired, even though I just woke up."
With that, Naruto drifted back to sleep, this time entering a normal dream. A dream of his parents, whom he had never met.