As I left home to go to school today, my mind, as always, was filled with thoughts about anime worlds. So many things were racing through my head: What would my favorite character do in the new episode? What would happen next in the last series I watched? Maybe I could set aside some time tonight to read more manga. Everything was ordinary. Everything was normal. It was just another day in my life until that moment...
As I walked on my way to school, I heard a scream. It was a woman's cry of pain. I turned around and saw, in a dark alley, a man trying to snatch a woman's bag by force. I hesitated for a moment. Something inside me stirred—a kind of instinct. Fear on one side, a sense of humanity on the other. Without thinking, I started running.
The woman had fallen to the ground. The man was still tugging at the bag when suddenly our eyes met. Something inside me shifted. In those moments when my heart pounded, I suddenly found myself on the ground. My feet had slipped. My head hit the concrete, and everything instantly turned black. Time stopped in that moment.
For a few seconds, I remembered nothing. There was only emptiness. Then... a light appeared from somewhere. I felt a gentle breeze. Slowly, I opened my eyes, but nothing around me was familiar. I lifted my head, and what I saw left me speechless.
I... had become a child. Yes, truly. My arms were tiny, my legs weak and short… My voice was almost gone. I wanted to believe this wasn't real. But something about it felt too real to be false. This couldn't be just a dream. Something was different here.
In the distance, there was a village. The people, the buildings… Everything started to seem familiar yet so foreign at the same time. Something was strange about this place... This... This was Konoha?
Was this the world of Naruto? Had I somehow ended up inside the magical world I had seen in my TV? Slowly, I stood up.
I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. I paused for a moment. Being in this world, in this body, felt strangely distant and surreal. Dying and being reborn in another world... It was something indescribable. But there was one thing I knew: I had no idea what to do here.
As a child, I had to adapt to the rules of this new world. But when and how I would use this chance was a mystery as I took my first step into this new life.
Before I could even begin my new life, someone shoved me from behind, and at that moment, I realized...
"MOVE IT, SLAVE!"
Yes, I was a slave... I had been so overwhelmed by excitement that I hadn't even noticed the chain around my neck. Damn it...
I only felt the weight of the chain at that moment. The cold metal clamped tightly around my thin neck, leaving a stinging pain with every step. I stumbled, but a harsh blow to my shoulder sent me crashing to the ground.
"Get up!" someone shouted, their voice rough and cruel. My breath hitched, and I pressed my hands against the stone floor, blinking rapidly. The sky was still blue, the sun was still shining... but everything was different. I didn't belong here.
Beside me were several other children like me. Most wore ragged, dirty clothes. Some were crying, others stared blankly ahead. But the worst part was that none of them tried to run. It was as if they had long since given up hope. As if they had accepted being here.
I couldn't accept it. I... I wasn't supposed to be here! A familiar anger rose inside me. I clenched my fists, but a sharp pain spread from my back to my head. A whip! I let out an involuntary scream. I felt my skin burning and tearing open. My eyes welled up, my breath grew erratic.
"Be quiet!" one of the men ordered. He was taller than the others, his eyes hollow and empty. "Crying slaves don't sell."
Slave… That word struck me like a dagger. My throat tightened. I collapsed onto the ground, struggling to breathe. This had to be a dream. I would wake up soon, right? I had to wake up!
But I didn't.
Hours passed. Or at least, it felt like hours. Our feet were chained as we traveled in a filthy cart. Every bump in the road sent fresh waves of pain through my battered back. The child sitting next to me looked at me. He had large, brown eyes. "You're new, aren't you?" he whispered.
I barely managed a nod.
"Don't cry. If you cry, they'll beat you more," he said, his voice hollow. It shattered something deep inside me.
Finally, we arrived. Chains still around our ankles, we were dragged into a dungeon. A heavy iron door creaked open, and we were shoved inside. The air was damp, and the stone walls reeked of mold. My legs trembled as I collapsed onto the cold floor. The pain in my body was nothing compared to the unbearable fear growing inside me.
How was I supposed to survive here?
I tried to escape. Many times...
At first, I attempted to run despite my chains, but I tripped and fell flat on my face. Then, I secretly searched the walls, hoping to find a way out. But every time I was caught, I was beaten. My arms were covered in bruises, my open wounds never had a chance to heal.
I was weak. I was only four years old. My fists were powerless. My frail body collapsed at the slightest hit. But still, I refused to give up.
One night, as we lay in the dark, I whispered, "We have to escape. There must be a way." No one answered. Most of them had lost the light in their eyes. But I still wanted to believe.
For weeks, I kept trying to escape. But every attempt only brought harsher punishments. I was starved, whipped, humiliated in front of the others. Months passed, and eventually… I lost my strength.
One evening, I sat in the corner of the dungeon. I no longer tried to escape. I only thought. Who was I before this?
But… I couldn't remember anything.
I didn't even know my name. My face was a blur. My voice… My mother's voice? My father? There was nothing. The only thing left in my mind was anime. The only memories I had were of the worlds I had seen—Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball… The courage, the determination of those heroes… But me…
Who was I?
Months passed. No one bought me. Every week, I was beaten and starved. But instead of trying to escape, I decided to grow stronger.
Every morning as soon as I woke up, I forced myself to move. My body was weak, but if I wanted to escape, I had to change. Despite the chains, I tried doing sit-ups, squats, and whatever exercises I could manage. I fought with the other children. At first, I lost every battle. My punches were weak, and I was knocked to the ground with every hit.
But every time I fell, I got back up.
I watched the stronger children closely—how they moved, how they fought. And as the days passed… my weak fists grew slightly stronger. My blows were no longer as ineffective. Even when I was beaten, at least I could fight back. The more I was hit, the more I learned to endure pain. I tried to erase fear from my mind.
Yet, one question still haunted me.
Who was I?
What was my name?
One night, screams erupted outside. Metal clashed against metal, followed by explosions. The slavers shouted in panic. Inside, the children huddled together in fear. Some of us peered through the iron bars.
The doors burst open. Shadows in black and gray uniforms moved like ghosts. Glinting kunai, swift sword strikes… Screams echoed. Blood splattered. One by one, the slavers fell.
I was in shock. Should I be afraid or relieved?
My eyes locked onto a pair of crimson irises. That woman… Long black hair, deep but gentle eyes. She was looking at me.
Was this… Kurenai?
She stepped closer, scanning my face. "This child… what have they done to you?" she whispered.
I couldn't say anything. I just stared at her. And then, without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her. Tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably. My trembling hands clung to her clothing.
Then…
**Slave System Activated.**