Pain, anger, and sadness.
That's all I feel when I look back on my life.
I had spent years chasing happiness, clawing my way toward something that always slipped through my fingers. Contentment was an illusion—something I glimpsed but never held. Instead, all I ever truly knew was self-doubt, sadness, and a quiet, repressed resentment that festered beneath my skin like an infection.
If someone were to hear this, they'd probably think I was just some melodramatic wreck, an "emo loser" whining about his miserable existence. Maybe they'd be right—at least for a brief moment when I was fourteen. But come on, everyone has their weird phases during puberty.
The truth is, on paper, I had everything. I was fit, attractive, intelligent, and talented. I had two loving parents who gave me everything I could ever want, a little brother who annoyed the hell out of me but whom I still cared about deeply, and to top it all off, I had grown up with a golden spoon shoved so far up my ass that it practically shone through my mouth. Wealth, privilege, opportunity—it was all handed to me, and I knew people envied me for it.
So why was I unhappy?
Well… that's a long story.
But I suppose I have time to tell it. After all, it's not like I have anything else to do.
I'm dead.
My name is… well, was Maximilian. Age 19. I died during mandatory military service due to the incompetence of another recruit, some idiot named Jack, who couldn't handle a firearm properly.
A bitter chuckle escaped me. How pathetic. Years of surviving my own self-loathing, my insecurities, my struggles—only to be killed because some dumbass didn't know the basics of gun safety. All of a sudden a presence to my left or well where my left would have been if I still had a body ripped my out of my monologue.
"So… you're what? God?" I asked, looking up at the strange, formless presence before me. There was no face, no body—just a voice, cold and amused, reverberating through the endless void surrounding me.
"I suppose you could call me that," the voice replied. "Welcome to my domain."
I sighed, rubbing my temples as if I still had a physical body. "Fantastic. So, what happens now? Hell? Purgatory? Or do I just… cease to exist?"
"Neither," the voice said, almost lazily. "You will be reincarnated into the Naruto universe."
For a moment, I just stared—though without eyes, that was a questionable action. My mind struggled to process what I had just heard.
"...Excuse me?"
"You heard me," the voice continued. "Before you ask why, the answer is simple—entertainment."
I frowned. A strange mix of irritation and disbelief surged through me. "So, what? People's lives are just a game to you?"
"More like a show," the voice corrected. "I need something to keep me entertained. And, well… the things you humans do are interesting. Besides, it's all your own choices, your own actions. I don't interfere—I just watch."
I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Wow. You're kind of a dick, you know that?"
The presence chuckled, unbothered. "Probably. But I'm the one offering you a second chance, so maybe a little gratitude is in order?"
I clenched my fists—or at least, I imagined I did. "And what if I say no? What if I refuse to be reincarnated?"
"Then you cease to exist. No afterlife, no soul, nothing. Just... gone."
I hesitated. The idea of reincarnation into an anime world was absurd, but so was the idea of completely ceasing to be. Nothingness scared me more than anything else. At least at that moment.
I sighed. "Guess I don't really have a choice then, do I?"
"Splendid," the voice said, clearly pleased.
With a snap, a giant wheel materialized before me. It hovered in the void, its golden frame shining against the abyss. Five sections were marked on it, each labeled with the names of the five great villages:
Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure.
My lips thinned. "I don't get to choose where I go?"
"Of course not. Where would be the fun in that?"
I grimaced. "Please let it be Konoha or Kumo… the other villages suck."
The wheel spun, blurring as it turned before finally slowing down. My stomach twisted with anxiety.
The pointer landed on Kirigakure.
"Fuck," I muttered.
"Congratulations," the voice said, completely ignoring my despair. "Now, let's see if you get a clan."
Another spin, another moment of tension. The pointer clicked to a stop.
Yuki Clan.
I blinked. "Okay, that's actually not bad."
Being born into the Yuki clan would give me an edge over the average ninja. The Hyōton (Ice Release) kekkei genkai was powerful, and if I could master it properly, I could—
"Of course," I muttered, my stomach sinking, "as long as I'm not born during the bloodline purges."
The voice chuckled. "We'll get to that later. Next up—chakra reserves."
Another spin.
"...Uzumaki-level chakra."
My jaw dropped.
"Nice," I whispered. That alone was a huge advantage. Chakra reserves determined stamina, jutsu output, and endurance. If I had Uzumaki-level reserves on top of a powerful bloodline, then maybe—just maybe—Kirigakure wouldn't be the worst fate.
"Glad you're happy," the voice continued. "Now, chakra control."
The wheel spun again.
"Extremely high."
I exhaled slowly. Chakra control was just as important as chakra reserves. Having massive chakra meant nothing if you wasted it all on inefficient jutsu. But extremely high control? That was insanely rare.
"I think this balances out being born in Kiri," I murmured.
"Let's see… talent in ninja arts?"
Another spin.
"...Extremely high. Again."
At this point, I felt like I was either the luckiest or unluckiest reincarnator ever.
"Fuck yeah," I whispered. "I might actually survive this."
The voice hummed in amusement. "Don't get ahead of yourself. There's still one last thing to be determined."
I swallowed. "Right.When exactly am I being reborn?"
The wheel spun one final time. The sound of the spinning wheel only adding to my rising anxiety.
Silence.
Then—
"The start of the bloodline purges."
A cold dread sank into my bones.
I felt my stomach drop into a pit of icy fear. My breath hitched—except I had no lungs. My mind raced, a storm of panic and denial crashing against each other.
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Let's talk about this," I pleaded. "If I'm born during the purges, I'll die immediately. That's not fair! Can't you reconsider?"
"That sounds like a you problem to me" the voice said, utterly unbothered.
"Wait—please!"
Darkness swallowed me.
A low chuckle echoed through the void, amused and expectant.
"Let's see what your story will be like. I hope you won't disappoint me, Hyouketsu Yuki.