AU: Kaguya doesn't exist and some jutsu are nerfed. (I.e Shadow clones, Edo Tensei and Orochimaru's seal.). Strictly speaking, it's inaccurate to call this fic an SI, considering the only intentional similarity between myself and Kure is our shared fear of death. Sorry for the sudden change from first to third person after the first few paragraphs, I was still experimenting with what kind of style I wanted to go for. Feel free to tell me which you preferred.
Being reborn in the Naruto world was quite the jarring experience. My earliest memory in this life was being passed around as a baby. I could clearly distinguish Konoha's insignia on the forehead of everyone that was holding me. I did entertain the notion that my new family were simply ardent and very dedicated cosplayers, but witnessing The Hokage Rock instantly dispelled my doubts. I'm surprised my birth is when i became sentient, considering that babies develop consciousness while in the womb.
Being a baby was awful, no seriously, it was purgatory. I found myself in a state of perpetual boredom, unable to undertake even the most mundane activities. When I finally was capable of crawling I was ecstatic, giggling with glee as I finally gained some semblance of independence.
The worst part was my inability to communicate, considering all i could do was make gurgling noises or cry. Yes, I occasionally cried. Not because I was incapable of controlling my emotions, but because I found that it the most effective way of communicating that I wanted something. It was honestly quite humiliating, but I found it preferable to lying in a pile of my own waste.
The first week of my new life was a dull affair, I spent the majority of it thinking or sleeping, not that i had much else to do; at least it gave me ample time to come to terms with my new situation. Initially I assumed I was born within a shinobi family, but I started to question that, given the physique of my caretakers was hardly ninja-esque. In my first month I had only seen my caretakers, I had yet to see my father, and hadn't seen my mother since birth. At the time I assumed they were on a mission.
With little to do my thoughts drifted to contemplating my current situation. I was in the elemental nations. Being reincarnated in the Naruto world was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. On one hand, the chances of a gruesome and early death are absurdly high, considering i'd be expected to put my life on the line; moreover I'm sure that i'll be expected to carry out all manners of nefarious deeds `for the sake of the village'. Despite that, I couldn't be happier. Immortality. Immorality is legitimately attainable in this world. Had you asked me in my past life what my greatest fear was, without hesitation i'd have said `dying', I am and always have been terrified at the prospect of dying. I should clarify, I don't live everyday in crippling fear that I may die, nor am I a hypochondriac. It's just that the prospect of ceasing to exist after I die is utterly and truly terrifying. I can't remember how I died in my past life, as far as I know i died in my sleep for some inexplicable reason at the ripe old age of twenty. I have no way of understanding the circumstances of my reincarnation, but i'd be a fool to assume that I would be reincarnated with my memories again.
It didn't take long for me to become enthralled by the prospect of immortality. I can't recall a time that I've been so determined to achieve something; I'll do whatever it takes. I'm under no illusions that it will be easy. The only ones in the Naruto series who had immortality, or at least pseudo immortality, were Hidan, Sasori, Orochimaru and Kakuzu. In other words, only S class missing-nin had managed to obtain some measure of immortality. This wasn't surprising, considering techniques relating to immortality were kinjutsu.
First and foremost, Kure found that the most prudent course of action was to assess the value of each form of immortality.
Hidan's immortality was the only one which practically made him invincible, providing he didn't get dismembered or evaporated, making it seem like an attractive option on the surface.
The problem with it was that it likely required devotion to Jashin. Devotion being the keyword, not faith; that distinction is incredibly important. If it was just a matter of faith, Kure had no problem on that front, as knowing Hidan can survive having his head cut off and having a spear through the heart is more than sufficient for him to believe in Jashin's existence. Devotion however, requires accepting and adhering to whatever insane principles he suspects Jashin demands to be followed, for instance he's pretty sure Hidan was required to regularly kill people and conduct sacrifices. Being required to follow Jashin's principles is the equivalent to being subservient to a nutjob deity that seems to crave death, despair and nothing else.
Kure also had suspicions on just how immortal Hidan was, whilst he knew he couldn't die in combat via ordinary means, he wasn't sure if Hidan was immune to simply dying of old age. It seemed unlikely, but it was certainly possible. After all, judging from Hidan's attitude he was likely relatively young.
In terms of the available forms of immortality, this was certainly the least preferable. Having to follow whatever barbaric tenants Jashin had was one thing, but the fact that Jashin could likely revoke the immortality on a whim and without notice was unacceptable. Which was unfortunate, because interestingly enough Hidan's immortality was the most human.
One of the most interesting parts about Sasori's immortality is that he wasn't required to kill others to extend his life, unlike the other methods of immortality. However, Sasori's method of immortality was inferior to Orochimaru's and Kakuzu's for two reasons. Firstly, being subjected to live in a `container' that didn't even have flesh would feel like some sick form of torture. Secondly, he was incredibly fragile. Not to say he was weak, he was S class for a reason, possessing numerous techniques and abilities to easily decimate his enemies. But his immortality hardly presented him an advantage in combat, other than not feeling pain; all it took was one good shot to the heart and it was game over. He was formidable, but fragile.
Hidan's immortality wasn't even worth considering and Sasori's was a last resort, which would be pursued only in desperation. Which left Orochimaru and Kakuzu.
Frankly, Orochimaru's version of immortality was an enigma, Kure didn't fully grasp how it worked. From what he remembered, it allowed him to transfer his soul into another's body with the caveat that the new body got weaker over time and had to be replaced roughly every three years, and the longer he stayed in the body the more it rejected him. From Kure's perspective it was probably as good as he could hope for; it was incredibly high maintenance, but that's a small price to pay. The only problem was that Orochimaru was the most dangerous and cunning of the lot, and it's not like Kure could just go up to him and ask him nicely if he'd be willing to share a jutsu that he worked on so hard it got him kicked out of the village.
Kakuzu's immortality was almost perfect. The maintenance of having to take the still beating hearts from live shinobi wasn't ideal, but Kure could work with that. Ideally, the whole having multiple hearts thing could be done without simultaneously becoming a tentacle monster, but if that's what it took then it wasn't too bad when considering that it had lot's of practical uses, such as increased combat potential, extra durability, and the ability to reattach limbs. Yep, not bad at all. Stockpiling money should definitely be added to the to-do list.
~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Month old
Kure despised being held, it was even worse when the person doing the holding wrongly assumed that he would enjoy listening to baby talk or watching them pull ridiculous faces. Even now, a grown man was pulling various faces to try and get a response, did this clown not realise that his lack of reaction indicated disinterest. It was infuriating. Normally Kure was a tactile person, but that was only among those he was close with; otherwise he found it extremely uncomfortable and annoying, he couldn't wait until this man finally subsided with his futile attempts to elicit a response. Unfortunately, this man proved more persistent than most; apparently he was also somewhat important, given that Kure's regular caretakers were calling him "Takao-sama". Kure found that the most effective way to get people off him as a baby was to ignore them, however dread settled in his stomach when he realised that this man seemed to take getting a reaction out of him as some sort of challenge.
Thirty minutes. It took thirty entire minutes for Takao to give up and leave. Takao was clearly eccentric. Kure couldn't decide whether he was impressed at his tenacity or astonished at the ridiculousness of it. He didn't find himself disliking the man though, even after being ignored he was a good sport about it. Much better than the last woman who held him, who was seemingly indignant that she wasn't graced with an appropriate amount of attention. Towards the end Kure was tempted to reward his tenacity with a reaction, but decided against it, considering the last thing he wanted was to encourage others to do the same.
Five minutes later Takao returned, carefully picking Kure up whilst humming a song and bouncing on his toes, a wide grin etched on his face. "Well Kure, looks like it's finally time, i've been looking forward to this all month"
Kure had no idea what was happening, the man had suddenly taken him outside for the first time since he was born, excluding when he travelled from the hospital he was born in. Outside was pitch black, the only source of illumination being the lanterns spread out among the vicinity.
Takao was walking at a lackadaisical pace, clearly unhurried. Before long it became clear that he was intentionally taking his time, given that he had gone in a circle as they were now almost back to their original location. The question was why. Was he simply going for a stroll? No. The man said he was waiting for this all month, and seemed quite excited. He'd be waiting all month and Kure was a month old, was this merely a coincidence? Was he waiting for someone to approach him, a meeting perhaps? Kure was interrupted from his reverie by the man's voice, "It should be fine now, they've had more than long enough to finish the preparations", after that, everything became a blur. Around a minute later Kure had no idea where he was. From what he could summarise, the man likely shunshined among rooftops after his initial jump.
The foreign sensation of traveling at such high speeds was invigorating, it felt like riding a high speed roller coaster. It was Kure's first encounter with the superhuman abilities that are commonplace in this world, he found it fascinating and took great delight in that he'd soon be capable of such feats.
Takao braced his ears for the sound that never came, glancing down, he noticed that rather than crying, as babies are prone to do if they're ever shunshined, Kure's face was marked with pure delight. At this, he couldn't help but roar with laughter "That's the spirit Kure! I'm glad you finally decided to grace your grandad with a smile, if I knew you'd enjoy me running around so much I'd have just done that in the first place instead of trying to contort my face in every way imaginable. I'd run about some more, but it's about time for your baptism to formally become the clans heir to commence and i'd rather not get chewed out by your father for being late."
Unsurprisingly, this new information set Kure's mind whirring. Knowing this man was his grandad was useful, but it's importance paled in comparison to what else he said. Clan heir. Kure was ecstatic, whilst he didn't have time to consider the full implications, he knew being a clan heir, regardless of the clan, would go a long way in helping him achieve his goals. It meant that already he was guaranteed to have protection, status and resources at his disposal.
As for the baptism, it was probably safe to assume it wouldn't proceed in a traditional sense, considering religion didn't seem prevalent within Konoah. It was likely a ritual of some sorts, officially marking his position within the clan. Sensing that they had stopped moving, Kure looked up to notice that they had arrived at their destination, in front of him was one of the largest buildings he had yet to see in Konoha, likely his clans hall.
A man stood slouched against the entrance to the hall, immediately straightening as he saw Takao. Takao didn't seem interested in reproaching him for his actions, instead electing to ask whether the preparations were complete. The man replied in the affirmative, then we waited as he entered the hall to announce our arrival.
Entering the hall after being given the go-ahead, Kure was astonished by the sheer amount of people present. An eerily silence stretched throughout the room, despite the abundance of people there was dead silence. All that could be heard were the footsteps of Takao.
Takao walked with purpose, the crowd quickly parting to make way for him as he took long strides to the end of the hall, in which he ascended the steps of a platform. Once on the platform, Kure was handed to a man he recognised well. Fugaku Uchiha. Upon being placed into Fugaku's hands Kure noticed who was stood next to him, Mikoto Uchiha, his mother. At the time of his birth he was overwhelmed with a whirlwind of emotions so he wasn't sure, but he did think the woman who looked to be his mother looked similar to Mikoto. However, at the time his memory on her appearance was foggy, and after not seeing her since his birth he assumed she was simply a lookalike, as he doubted the Mikoto he knew would have parted from her son so soon after birth.
Kure's eyes widened as he noticed the loving gaze and warm smile given to him by Fugaku. His look was unmistakable; it was the look of a parent seeing their son for the first time. Fugaku placed Kure onto an adjacent chair, which was surrounded by four braziers, with sets of two positioned slightly in front and behind the chair. Kure's breath hitched seeing the scene before him, he could see what he thought was the entire Uchiha clan watching; they had all come to see their heir. Distracted by the scene before him, Kure noticed Fugaku was no longer besides him, instead he was in the middle of the hall, positioned behind a pile of thick timber placed within a makeshift pit, meanwhile Mikoto started lighting the braziers surrounding him. Kure could immediately feel the heat emanating from the flames. Whilst it was hot, it wasn't uncomfortable. On the contrary, it was actually quite pleasant; it was a nice contrast to the cool room temperature, like sitting next to a campfire in chilly conditions. As the fourth and final brazier was lit, Fugaku instantly went through numerous hand seals, his hands a blur, subsequently a torrent of flames were expelled from his mouth, igniting the timber. Afterwards, the hall erupted with cheers, marking the completion of the ceremony to formally recognise the new heir of the Uchiha.
Kure eagerly took in the spectacle, watching everyone congregating around the fire and chatting animatedly. It felt surreal to be the source of such a large celebration, the feeling was indescribable. The joy in the atmosphere was palpable, to the extent to which Kure found himself jealous he couldn't partake in the festivities. Kure wasn't exactly close to any of his family members in the past, with the exception of his parents; but seeing that he now had such a large extended family that were here just to celebrate his birth he couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie towards them.
Despite that, it's not like he knew any of them personally, so he didn't have any real attachment towards them. He wouldn't let them interfere with his goal. He'd play the good little ninja and build his reputation, and barring a ridiculous suicide mission he'd follow orders, for now. But unlike most of the ninja populace he had no intentions of letting himself being indoctrinated by propaganda to think that self-sacrifice for the village is the is unequivocal choice. As always, first and foremost he'd look out for number one; himself.
Rating may be changed to M in the future, if it is changed then I'll notify you at the start of the chapter that leads to its change.
This chapter was brought to you by: the two cakes principle.
50 Points to anyone who catches how I hinted towards Kure being an Uchiha.
Shameless plug: Go check out my other fic, "Worse than trash". It's Kakashi centric.