The night was alive with terror in the Hidden Leaf Village. A crimson moon hung low, its light fractured by swirling clouds that churned above the rooftops. Screams pierced the air, sharp and desperate, as the ground trembled beneath the weight of an unseen force. In the distance, a monstrous roar echoed—an unearthly sound that shook the trees and rattled the souls of those who heard it. The Nine-Tails, a beast of legend, had broken free, its nine tails lashing like whips of fire, carving ruin through the village's heart.
Amid the chaos, in a modest home on the eastern edge of the settlement, a young woman named Hana Kamizuki clutched her swollen belly, her breaths shallow and ragged. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her dark hair clinging to her skin as she leaned against the wall. Her husband, Toru, knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he gripped hers. He was a shinobi, a chunin of no great renown, but his eyes burned with a fierce determination to protect his family. Outside, the flickering glow of flames illuminated the night, casting jagged shadows through the window.
"It's too soon," Hana whispered, her voice tight with pain. "The baby—"
"It's time," Toru interrupted gently, forcing a smile despite the dread gnawing at him. "Our child will be strong, like you." He glanced toward the door, where the distant clash of steel and shouts of ninja signaled the village's desperate stand against the beast. Duty pulled at him, but love anchored him here.
A midwife, an older woman with steady hands, bustled around them, her face lined with worry yet focused on her task. "Push, Hana," she urged, her tone calm despite the chaos beyond the walls. "You can do this."
Hana nodded, gritting her teeth as another contraction seized her. The world outside faded—roars, explosions, the cries of the fallen—all drowned by the intensity of the moment. With a final, anguished cry, she brought forth life amidst the shadow of death. The midwife lifted a small, squalling infant, his tiny fists clenched as if already defiant against the night's horrors. A faint silver streak glimmered in his jet-black hair, catching the dim lamplight—an oddity, but no one had time to dwell on it.
"A boy," the midwife announced, wrapping him in a cloth and placing him in Hana's trembling arms. "Healthy, strong."
Hana's exhaustion melted into a weary smile as she cradled her son. "Rei," she murmured, the name a whisper of hope. "Our little light."
Toru brushed a hand over the infant's head, his heart swelling—until a deafening crash shattered the moment. The walls shook, dust cascading from the ceiling as the Nine-Tails' rampage drew closer. A tail swept through the eastern district, a wave of destruction that spared nothing. Toru leapt to his feet, drawing a kunai as the roof splintered above them.
"Stay here!" he shouted, shoving the midwife toward Hana. "I'll hold it off—"
But there was no time. The beast's chakra surged, a red tide that engulfed the house in an instant. Wood and stone crumbled, and with a final, futile cry, Toru threw himself over his wife and child. The world went dark.
In that same heartbeat, far beyond this reality, a young man in a distant world closed his eyes for the last time. His name didn't matter anymore—only the life he'd lived, hunched over manga pages, lost in the tales of ninja and sacrifice. Naruto had been his refuge, its panels etched into his mind. As his breath faded—perhaps from illness, perhaps from chance—a strange pull tugged at his soul, a thread of light weaving through the void.
When awareness returned, it was not to silence but to the wail of a newborn. Rei Kamizuki opened his eyes—amber, piercing, and impossibly alert for an infant. The midwife, dazed amid the rubble, lifted him from the wreckage, her hands shaking as she realized he alone had survived. Hana and Toru lay still, their bodies shielding him to the last. Smoke curled around the ruins, the Nine-Tails' roars fading as the Fourth Hokage's seal took hold miles away.
Rei's tiny chest rose and fell, his gaze fixed on the crimson sky. Within that fragile frame, a mind stirred—not blank, not innocent, but sharp with memories of another life. Images flashed: Naruto's grin, Sasuke's scowl, the Akatsuki's cloaks, a war that would one day come. He knew this night, this loss, this village. He knew what lay ahead.
The midwife clutched him close, tears streaking her face as shinobi arrived, their voices a blur of shock and orders. "An orphan," one said, peering at the silver-streaked babe. "What's his name?"
"Rei," she replied, her voice breaking. "Hana called him Rei."
He didn't cry—not then, not as they carried him to safety amid the village's grief. Inside, his thoughts churned, a quiet resolve taking root. This was no mere story anymore. This was his world now, and he would shape it—stronger, smarter, step by careful step. The Nine-Tails had taken his parents, but it had given him a chance.
In the distance, the Third Hokage stood atop a rooftop, gazing at the sealed beast and the cost it had exacted. His eyes lingered on the eastern ruins, unaware that within them, a soul reborn had already begun to plan.