White.
That's all there is. An endless, pristine void—no sky, no ground, no sound. Just me, suspended in nothingness like a forgotten thought in the mind of the universe.
I don't know where I am. But somehow... I do know how I got here.
I died.
Yeah. Plain and simple. No angels, no devils, no dramatic last words—just a straight ticket to this blank limbo.
It's funny, though. I don't remember how I died. My memories are mostly intact: my family, my hobbies, my obsession with anime—especially Naruto. All there, all vivid. But the moment of death? Gone. Scrubbed clean.
I should be panicking. Screaming. Bargaining with whatever cosmic force is watching. But instead... I'm just standing here, oddly calm.
That's when it happens.
A booming voice—deep, commanding, laced with divinity—echoes across the void, as if it's coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
[That is because you are in my domain, mortal.]
My head snaps toward the source. Standing just a few feet away is... well, the best way I can describe him is a buffed-up version of Master Roshi from Dragon Ball Z. Old, wise, bald, long beard—and wearing a robe that looks like it belongs in some ancient celestial courtroom.
"...Are you Kami?" I blurt out, part in awe, part in panic.
[If that label makes you feel better, then sure.] He snorts. [But no, I'm not here to judge you. That's a full-time job for people with no hobbies.]
I blink. "So… you're not here to judge me for, say, the things I said in those Call of Duty lobbies?"
[Please. I have better things to do than listen to the tortured screams of 12-year-olds losing to you in multiplayer.]
That's... oddly comforting. Maybe this is one of those isekai situations—the kind where the protagonist dies and is given another shot at life with a cheat ability. I might be special! Maybe he sees my potential and—
[Don't flatter yourself.] The old man waves a hand. [I could throw a stick in any direction in your world and hit someone more impressive than you.]
Ouch. Ego shattered. Self-esteem obliterated.
"So why am I here then?"
[Because of your karma.]
"...Karma? I thought you said you weren't judging people?"
[We're not. Judging implies morality. Karma is balance. Cause and effect. You tipped the scale before you died.]
I squint. "What did I do? I didn't exactly live a life of heroic selflessness or anything…"
[No, you didn't. You were average. Spectacularly so. But in your final moments, you did something... uncharacteristically heroic.]
He raises his hand. Images—fragments—flood my mind. Screaming passengers. A plane cabin. A gun. A struggle.
"Oh… Oh my god. I remember now."
I was flying to San Diego Comic-Con. Long-awaited trip. My dream event.
Then the terrorist hijacked the plane.
He had a gun. People screamed. Froze. Did nothing.
But I didn't.
I lunged. Grabbed the weapon. Struggled. Got shot in the process. I... I died trying to stop him.
I died trying to save everyone else.
[Indeed. That act, in the final moments of your life, elevated your karmic balance significantly.]
I feel... pride. Real pride. For once, I was the hero in someone's story.
"So what happens now?"
[Ordinarily, souls are reincarnated with no memory. Fresh start. Clean slate. But every now and then, someone's karma surges high enough to qualify for a special reward. You, boy, barely scraped by. But scraped by you did.]
That... sounds promising. "So… do I get a cheat ability or something? A system? Magic?"
[Better.]
The air in front of me shimmers, and two massive roulette wheels appear. One marked "Worlds," the other "Bodies."
I raise an eyebrow. "Is this a... gacha reincarnation?"
[You'll retain all your memories. Spin the first wheel to determine the world you'll be reborn into. Spin the second to determine the form—the body and core abilities. Once that's done, your remaining karma will determine which family you're born into.]
Now that's exciting. I step up to the first wheel. Titles flash by like a nerd's dream buffet.
Marvel… Star Wars… Attack on Titan… Halo… One Piece… Death Note… Demon Slayer…
And then...
Click. Click. Click…
The wheel slows and lands with a soft ding.
NARUTO.
A grin spreads across my face. "Naruto? Hell yeah! This is a good one. I know this universe like the back of my hand."
But as the implications settle in, so does the reality: Naruto is brutal. War, massacres, genocides, tailed beasts. And power scaling that goes insane.
No time to dwell. The second roulette waits. I place my hand on it, heart pounding.
"Come on, give me someone busted. Give me Goku. Or Gojo. Or—"
[Sorry, your karma's not that high. You don't get to choose. It's all up to fate.]
The wheel spins.
Superman… Saitama… Dante… Alucard… Shirou Emiya… Gohan…
Then—
Akashi Seijūrō.
I blink.
"…You mean Akashi? From Kuroko no Basuke? The basketball dude with Emperor's Eye?"
[That's the one.]
I sigh. "Great. I'm gonna dunk on Madara and cross over Kaguya…"
But then I remember something.
"Wait… Emperor's Eye in a shinobi world might not be useless. Adapted to the Naruto universe, that could be like a proto-Sharingan. Predictive vision. Precognition. Reflex amplification…"
[Correct. Your abilities will be molded into the framework of chakra. Expect your Emperor's Eye to evolve beyond what it was in your previous world.]
Alright. Alright! This might actually be awesome.
Now comes the final and most important step.
"What are my options for a family?"
[You'll be born as a child. Your final karma score determines the list of options. You barely qualified for this reincarnation bonus, so don't expect top-tier picks.]
He waves a hand, and a list unfurls in glowing script.
---
Normal Options:
Civilian shinobi family
Hyuga clan branch family
Orphan with deceased shinobi parents
Sakura Haruno's family(seriously this even a choice)
ROOT operative child experiment
---
I stare at the list. "ROOT? Really? Who in their right mind would willingly choose to be raised by Danzo?"
[Someone very stupid. Or someone who wants a speedrun to trauma.]
"Alright. Show me the gamble options."
[Very well. But be warned: fate does not play nice with fools.]
He raises his other hand. The white space darkens slightly as blood-red script appears.
---
High-Risk, High-Reward – Gamble List:
Uchiha Clan – 10 seconds before the massacre
Kaguya Clan – 1 hour before being wiped out
Chinoike Clan – after the hell valley incident
Senju Clan – as a lab rat on Danzo's table
Moon Ōtsutsuki – during the rebellion
Uzumaki Clan – 1 hour before the Hidden Mist invasion
Hyuga Main House – during the 4th Shinobi War, mid-White Zetsu ambush
---
"…You call this a reward list? This is a horror movie character selection screen!"
[It's what your karma allows. A chance to gamble. The right choice may give you power, prestige, or a swift and painful death.]
I pace nervously, analyzing each.
Uchiha Clan: If I survive the massacre, I could inherit a Sharingan and possibly even Madara's legacy.
Chinoike: Ketsuryūgan users. Blood manipulation. Rare and powerful.
Uzumaki: Huge chakra reserves and sealing techniques. If I survive, I'm golden.
Moon Ōtsutsuki: Insanely powerful bloodline... but also instant death if I'm caught in the civil war.
Senju lab rat? Nope. Screw you, Danzo.
My brain screams Uchiha, but my heart? It whispers Uzumaki.
"...Kami," I say, voice calm but determined. "I choose the Uzumaki Clan—1 hour before the invasion."
He raises a white brow. [Interesting. You choose the burning crimson spiral. Very well.]
Suddenly, the white void starts to shimmer.
[Prepare yourself, child. Rebirth awaits. You'll awaken as a member of the Uzumaki Clan, with your memories and adapted powers. The roulette has spoken.]
The light floods my senses. I feel myself falling—not through space, but through reality itself.
My last thought before everything fades:
This time, I'll make my life worth it.
---
End of first chapter
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