A/N:
After reading an excessive amount of SI-OCs, I decided to try my hand at writing an OC-Insert fic.
Apologies for the awkward formatting, but ffnet doesn't like spacing so I had to use an excessive amount of lines and slashes. This is also on ao3, if you want better formatting
Aaaand this is posted on Wednesdays, but I already have 2 chapters on ao3 that I'm just now posting here.
I opened and closed my mouth several times, absently wondering if I'd finally lost my mind. Otherwise, I didn't have much of an explanation for the glowing, white text that floated in front of me within the expanse of the surrounding void.
Welcome, [PLAYER], to the Naruto RPG!
I let out a nervous laugh, because surely I was reading that wrong.
Select your gender: Male/Female.
Oh christ.
Select your gender: Male/Female.
I didn't even remember how I ended up in this situation. Actually, I didn't remember much of anything except for—
( It was hot - incredibly so. My body was trembling and my lungs were burning, but I could see the exit. It was so close, and even if it seemed so hopeless at first, I would make it. I would—
A broken sob caught my attention, and my eyes snapped onto a blurry shape within the smoke. My eyes narrowed, and I felt the air leave my lungs when I saw the little boy whose leg was buried beneath the rubble.
I swallowed, eyes flicking towards the exit. There was no reason that I had to go save the kid. A firefighter would probably come for him in just a few minutes, and he'd be just fine. I'd feel pretty terrible, sure, but at least I'd be alive.
Except…
"SORA!"a desperate voice cried, and I watched as a mother fought against a group of men to try and burst through the door. "He's still in there! My son is still in there!"
I turned back towards the boy, feeling my jaw tense. Going after him would be stupid. Incredibly so. I wasn't a trained professional, and if things went especially poorly, I could somehow get us both killed.
The boy let out a choked sob and I withheld a sigh, already moving in his direction.
"Hey," I whispered, crouching next to him with a forced smile on my face. "Hey, it's going to be okay." The boy looked up, and my smile faltered at the dazed look in his eyes. He must've already inhaled a lot of smoke. "Are you Sora?" I asked quietly, repeating the question when his face scrunched up. He gave a hesitant nod, and my smile became slightly more genuine. "Your mom's waiting for you, Sora. It's gonna be okay. We're gonna get you out of here."
The little boy paused for a moment before fresh tears sprung to his eyes. "M-mommy?"
"That's right," I murmured, glancing towards the wood that was hindering his movement. I suppressed a grimace when I saw the blood underneath, knowing immediately that he wouldn't be able to move on his own. "Alright, Sora," I began, feeling my eyes burn from the smoke. "You're gonna need to stay strong for me, alright?" I placed my hand on the broken beam and made eye contact with the boy. "I'm gonna take this off of you, and then I'm gonna run, okay? But you need to be completely still so I don't hurt you. Can you do that?"
Sora hesitated for the briefest of moments before giving a sharp nod.
I smiled. "You're very brave, Sora." I waited another moment, making sure that he was still, before jamming my fingers underneath the beam. I suppressed the urge to take in a deep breath at the burning sensation on my skin and slowly raised the beam, internally swearing up a storm. "A-alright, Sora," I let out, offering a strained smile as my arms shook. "Change of plains - can you crawl?" The boy adjusted his foot and winced, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright, then. You don't need to move much, just get out enough so I can drop this back down, okay?" He looked back at the beam and nodded with a determined glint in his eye, and although there was a deep grimace carved into his face and his eyes were watering with unshed tears, he managed to pull himself free. Then, the moment he was out of the way, I dropped the smoldering beam, letting out a choked cough as I wiped my tingling fingers against my pants.
I looked up, and upon noticing that the ceiling looked as if it might collapse at any moment, I gritted my teeth and scooped the boy up. "Try not to breathe too much," I muttered absentmindedly, feeling the effects of the smoke on my hazy mind. Then, with as much precision as one could have in such a situation, I weaved in between burning masses of wood and dashed out towards the entrance. A small grin slipped onto my face the closer we got, and I couldn't help but feel a spark of pride in my chest when I saw the woman outside - Sora's mother - gasp at the sight of us.
And then I heard a cracking sound overhead.
My gaze snapped upwards, and my eyes widened as I watched another beam crack at the edges. It was still on fire, and it'd break off any second.
We wouldn't make it.
Closing my eyes, I forced as much energy as I could into a final sprint and, just as the descending beam entered my vision, I launched Sora towards the door, causing him to let out a startled cry.
I barely caught a glimpse of him being pulled out with a horrified expression before my vision went black.)
I let out a shuddering breath as the memory faded, feeling hand twitching towards a phantom burn.
I died .
Select your gender: Male/Female.
I died doing just about the only selfless thing I'd ever done in my life. After a lifetime of avoiding people like the plague and trying not to get caught up in their issues, I finally helped someone out, and it got me killed.
…Except, it wasn't all that terrible. It wasn't like anybody would miss me. I didn't have any contact with my family for years by that point, and I'd never gotten close enough to anyone that they'd care enough to cry over my death. The only people I'd ever seen who were even remotely emotional about something I'd done were Sora and his mother. Two complete strangers, and they were probably the only people who'd care enough to show up to my funeral.
So… a second chance didn't sound terrible, given the circumstances. It was weird as hell and the whole mention of Naruto of all things was pretty goddamn terrifying, but maybe I could make something of myself in that universe. Amongst all of the superpowered psychopaths and rampaging chakra beasts, there was a message about 'precious people' and whatnot, wasn't there?
Select your gender: Male/Female.
I pursed my lips, staring at the text box in front of me.
It was a second chance. A very, very weird one, but it wasn't the worst universe I could've been placed in. And it was one I had at least some knowledge of. If I'd been placed somewhere else, like One Piece or Bleach or some other show I'd given up on, I'd have been screwed.
So… all things considered, I wasn't completely fucked. Just… mostly.
I withheld a snort. Optimism for the win.
With a shake of my head, I selected 'Male.'
Are you sure about your choice? [Y/N]
I tapped the 'Y' option, then raised a brow when the next box appeared.
Reincarnation complete. Commencing the tutorial.
Quest Alert!
Tutorial: Complete the tutorial.
/
Rewards:
+100 EXP
I stared at the quest, surprised. I expected there to be some sort of quest system, but I didn't think it'd appear so early on. Though , I considered, It would make sense to give an easy one right off the bat to introduce the system…
First, think of or vocalize the word, 'Menu.'
I glanced at the new notification, and after a moment, I thought, ' Menu .'
Menu:
Profile
Perks
Skills
Titles
Relationships
Inventory
Map
Quest Log
Save Point
Help
Options
In order to access your character profile, think of or vocalize the word 'Profile.'
'Profile.'
INFORMATION:
*Name: Renma Matsumura
Age: 6 years old
Gender: Male
Title: 'Quiet Child'
Birthday: January 17th
Level: 3 (10/93 EXP)
HP: 167/167, *1% HP/min when HP is above 30%
CP: LOCKED
Chakra Control: LOCKED
*Matsumura is the given surname for all orphans in Konoha without a known surname.
/
*STATS:
Strength: 5
Vitality: 16
**Intelligence: 56
**Wisdom: 32
Stat Points: 0
*Max stats = 200
**Intelligence and wisdom points have been awarded due to the player's previous life
Stats can be upgraded through either training or with 'Stat Points.' Stat points are gained with level-ups and occasionally as quest rewards. Visit the stat-based 'Help' section for information on how to train stats.
I absentmindedly glanced at the newest window before continuing to observe the information and stat pages. I could note, with not a small amount of pleasure, that, aside from the added 'ma,' my name hadn't changed between lives. The last name was a bit on the nose, but considering that Ren literally meant 'rebirth' in Latin, I supposed I couldn't judge all that much.
Generally, I wasn't too concerned with the rest of my stats. Even the partially carried over intelligence and wisdom made sense, since, if I was retaining my memories, neither would have a reason to 'reset' - at least not entirely. As for the chakra-based stats being locked, I assumed that it was because I hadn't consciously used it before. If I truly was an orphan - which was unfortunate, but not entirely terrible, since I wouldn't have to try and pretend to be someone I wasn't - and I wasn't in the academy just yet, there'd be no real reason for me to have even known about it, let alone use it. It did bring up the question on how to unlock it, though. Maybe meditation, like I'd seen in fanfiction before…?
To access your perks, think of or vocalize the word 'Perks.'
… Right , I thought with slight exasperation. This is a tutorial . 'Perks.'
?: The player is ?.
+125% chakra reserves, +5% chakra control, +10 base vitality, +2 vitality every 5 levels
/
Reincarnate: As a reincarnated soul, the player retains their memories from their previous life. Additionally, when the player is asleep, their chakra and health regeneration will be boosted.
+50 intelligence, +25 wisdom
I glanced over the listed perks, frowning at the blocked information. I didn't know what, exactly, would cause such significant - or what I assumed was significant - boosts, and I could only hope that it wasn't dangerous. My best guess was something biological instead of spiritual since that seemed to be handled by the ' Reincarnate ' perk, but that could mean a number of things. Maybe, for example, it meant that I was related to a specific clan, which would probably be the best case scenario, and the one I was hoping it was. It being a result of something like experimentation or adjusted chakra was not appealing to me, no matter what kind of boosts it offered - especially if it was related to Orochimaru or Danzou.
…God, I hoped it wasn't the latter thing. This new life would be weird enough without being some sort of fucked up clone or a mutation.
In order to access your skills, think of or vocalize the word 'Skills.'
I let out a slight sigh, glancing once more at the mystery buff before deciding to store my thoughts for later. Hopefully, I'd be able to figure out what was causing the perk sooner rather than later. For now, though…
'Skills.'
Player 'RENMA MATSUMURA' has no available skills. When skills are gained, they will appear here.
I stared at the notification, unimpressed.
Wow. Thanks, game.
In order to access your titles, think of or vocalize the word 'Titles.'
Guess we're pretending that didn't happen, I thought with slight amusement. 'Titles.'
Quiet Child: The player who bears this title is generally quiet and doesn't make a fuss. This can make them more convincing, but others aren't so partial towards their aloof behavior.
Adults trust you more easily
+Some children will look up to you
-Some people will be uncomfortable due to your maturity
Well… that title was alright, I supposed. It'd be nice that adults trusted me, since I'd likely have to do a lot of lying in the future, whether it be to get away from everyone else or just to cover up whatever odd behavior I might display. I didn't exactly mind the negative boost, either, considering the fact that I doubted I'd do a whole lot of talking to other children in the first place, unless they were at least minorly mature. While I didn't mind children and they had a tendency to like me in my last life - for some reason that I could never figure out - I wasn't looking forward to them being my peers once again; my paste-eating days were far behind me, thankyouverymuch.
In order to access your reputation, think of or vocalize the word 'Reputation.'
'Reputation.'
Orphanage Matron - Neutral (50/100)
*Orphanage Caretakers - Trusted (250/1000)
*Note: this trust is based on the player's maturity. They are otherwise neutral and hold no further relationship with the player.
Nozomi Fukushima - Liked (90/500)
Orphanage Peers - Familiar Face (30/100)
Kenta Takahashi - Hated (50/1000)
I nodded as I went down the list, already having expected decent caretaker-based relationships due to the title I held, only to pause when my eyes fell upon the last relationship. Clearly, I had upset someone enough for them to hate me, which was absolutely baffling when I took my disposition into account - not to mention the fact that I was literally six .
…Though, I supposed that could explain it. People - especially children - could hold some petty grudges, and I wouldn't be surprised if the original Renma had somehow slighted him by taking a toy he wanted, or replying in the 'wrong way,' or something along those lines. I hoped that was the case, anyway. If I somehow managed to make a mortal enemy at the ripe old age of six, I'd be pretty concerned.
…Speaking of the original Renma. Did I end up taking some random kid's body, or was he 'created' specifically for me? The relationships suggested that I was a bodysnatcher, which was… something I did not want to think about. I already felt guilty enough half the time - I didn't need the possible death of a child to be on my conscience.
In order to access your inventory, think of or vocalize the word 'Inventory.'
I took in a deep breath and shook the thought away. Later. 'Inventory.'
As soon as the word echoed within my mind, a small grid appeared before me. A blacked-out version of my body - which I assumed would be revealed when I actually saw myself - sat in the upper lefthand corner, with a column of boxes sitting beside it. Most were empty, but the biggest boxes were filled with simple clothing, so I assumed that specific set of boxes was connected to me, whereas the extra row below my body was meant to act as a sort of interdimensional storage. Or at least that's what I hoped, since that'd be a pretty great trump card. Nothing I could use regularly since that could lead to uncomfortable questions, but something available as in just-in-case scenario. Something to test later, I supposed.
Once I was done looking over the space - which was clearly labeled 'Renma Matsumura's Inventory' - I closed it out and watched as the next notification appeared in front of me.
In order to access your map, think of or vocalize the word 'Map.'
…Huh. 'Map.'
A larger box - though not unreasonably so - replaced the original notification, showing an expansive area that could be scrolled through and, with a thought, zoomed in or out on. Unfortunately, the map seemed to be exploration-based. Konoha was 'visible' in the sense that its basic outline was shown, differentiating it from the shadows that encompassed it, but the only things that was actually recognizable as an actual area was the orphanage I apparently lived in, with it being colored and able to be interacted with. A few areas were noted with a point - such as a nearby park and the Hokage Monument - but otherwise, it just showed the relative size of the grayed-out city.
Along with a map key that could be added to, there was also a marker feature that I was quick to notice, which allowed me to change its shape and write little notes that became visible when I tapped on the point. They were presumably infinite, and could be placed anywhere, even if I'd never explored the area before.
Generally, the map seemed pretty useful, and something I'd be using a lot in the future. Sure, I had to actually explore a place before I could see a decent rendition of it, but I'd only have to do that once . After that, if I ever returned, I'd know exactly where I was going without having to fumble around, which would be a boon no matter what career path I chose to follow.
After looking over the general area of Konoha, I zoomed in on the orphanage and, upon noticing another box, tapped on it. Barely a moment passed before a layout of the building - or at least everything I'd seen of it - was provided for me to the side, complete with multiple layers for each floor.
Yeah, the map was definitely going to be useful - especially since I was absolutely terrible with directions.
In order to access your quests, think of or vocalize the words 'Quest Log.'
I hummed, closing out the map. 'Quest log.'
In-Progress Quests
Complete Quests
I glanced over the two new options before picking the first, which brought up another window.
Quests in Progress: 1
Tutorial
Huh. This was actually pretty organized. 'Tutorial quest.'
Tutorial: Complete the tutorial.
/
Rewards:
+100 EXP
Obvious quest was obvious.
'Complete quests,' I thought next, absentmindedly closing out the previous window.
Completed Quests: 0
No quests have been completed at this time. Check again later.
I let out a slight huff of laughter. I don't know why I expected anything else.
In order to access your save points, think of or vocalize the words 'Save Point.'
I blinked, surprised that such a feature was added. From what I'd seen, the 'game' seemed pretty basic, without an excessive amount of boosts and whatnot, but having save points just seemed… game breaking.
'Save point.'
No saves available.
Every time the user is made unconscious - whether it be through sleeping or being knocked out - the game will be autosaved. Manual saves may also be made, if desired. Only one save is available at a time - any previous saves will be overwritten.
Ah, I thought when I finished reading, that makes more sense.
If the game autosaved every time I went to sleep - which would likely be nightly, or every few nights if I needed to push myself for whatever reason - then the most I'd be able to get out of a save was a few days. So nothing too powerful, but not entirely useless, either.
The 'Help' command can be used for clarification. Think of or vocalize what needs to be specified, then 'Help' - for example, 'Save point help' - if you wish for further information on a subject related to the menu.
In order to access the options menu, think of or vocalize the word 'Options.'
After noting the first notification for future use, I glanced at the second. 'Options.'
Leveling Notifications: Enabled
Gained Perk and Skill Notifications: Enabled
Reputation Notifications: Enabled
Stat Checks: Enabled
I doubted I'd have to mess with the options much, though I didn't discount the ability to disable notifications entirely. If I were in serious danger or if I needed to be paying close attention to something, it'd probably be better to not have notifications cluttering up my vision. For now, though, I left them enabled, and with a thought, closed out the options screen.
Quest [Tutorial] Completed!
'Complete the Tutorial'
/
Rewards:
+100 EXP
Level up!
You are now level 4.
You have completed the tutorial. Now commencing Reincarnation.
I began reading over the newest notification, only to startle when the pitch-black world around me began to crack. Streams of light burst through the slits, and, only a moment after a shattering sound rang through the air, I stumbled forwards, letting out a strangled noise when I noticed that the ground was getting closer. My hands shot outwards in an attempt to catch myself, but alas, my arms were unexpectedly short, and my face smashed into the wood paneling that made up the floor.
Reincarnation complete. The Naruto RPG has begun.
Something between a dry laugh and a pained groan escaped my lips when I saw the notification out of the corner of my eye.
Lovely.
A/N:
initially, i wanted to write a mildly OP main character who had the abilities of 'The Gamer,' but I didn't read a whole lot of the the webtoon and quite honestly, decided that I couldn't be bothered with as much complexity as writing a story with those abilities required, so instead of slapping a bunch of perks on the MC, I gave him an underpowered version of the ability that I hope I won't regret later on
don't get me wrong, the MC will likely become OP - or at least close to it - later on, but i'm attempting to make it more slow-going than i've read in other fics... it just never made sense to me, how after like, a single year of training would have the MC toppling characters who had trained for years; i understand that they have an ability that provides a pretty powerful helping hand, but you'd think it'd take at least a *little* longer to get used to everything - idk, whatever, i've rambled on long enough
long story short, the character will be strong, but it'll take longer than a few months in the academy to start beating down everyone he sets his eyes on
also: apologies for the MC's awkward personality/introduction; i know that the fire thing is pretty weirdly written (and makes no sense, since he'd probably be dead or dying sooner, but plot ig), but anyways
i promise that he's not some self-righteous nutjob or super-shounen-protag-hero type or anything, but intros to fics like these are pretty weird to write and i've rewritten it several times now, so ;/
aside from that, this MC isn't going to be the 'rude type' or whatever, and he's not going to have a harem or anything resembling one, so if you like that... well uh, sorry
...kneeways
thanks for reading, and im sorry for these paragraphs of notes - hopefully this won't become a commonality ;P