"Dad! Don't go... Please, please don't go" A sorrow-filled childish voice begs as a slumped figure continues to walk away without a second glance.
Ah, It's this dream again. I lay afloat in a pool of pure white, as far as the eye can see. Witnessing the scene that has replayed in my mind a million times already.
"It's all his fault, bastard. Everything went wrong from that point... everything... Sister" Sighing, I close my eyes to the memory and feel a motion similar to that of drifting along the sea, before suddenly my quiet reflection is ripped apart and I feel a great force appear.
"This... what's happening?!" Feeling as if the weight of the world is pinning me to the ground, I strain to look upwards. This has never happened before.
"LUCAS BLAZE" An overwhelming thought invades my mind, my very soul. So much like a voice, yet somehow alien.
Every syllable bored into my brain, inducing a headache as a sound similar to gears grinding and the static of a TV combine into one singular, yet vast voice.
"AMONG THE MULTIVERSE THERE ARE INSTANCES OF RIPPLES IN SPACE-TIME. THOSE RIPPLES DISTORT WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD BE. YOUR DEATH IS ONE SUCH INSTANCE."
Finally able to open my mouth, I form a meek response to the all-mighty presence "My... death?"
Continuing, the voice says nothing in reply as if not able to even hear me. With how it communicates, that very well may be the case.
"GIVEN THIS INCIDENT. A REBALANCING OF NATURE IS NECESSARY."
I'm... really dead? Well, I'd always thought I'd end up in hell if it even existed. Somehow, limbo seems worse. There aren't even any Roman philosophers here!
"YOU SHALL BE REBORN. YET YOU HAVE UNPARALLELED FREEDOM IN SUCH A CHOICE. THIS IS A FREEDOM AFFORDED TO ONLY THOSE SUCH AS YOURSELF. CHOOSE WISELY. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THIS CHOICE AGAIN. NOT IN A TRILLION LIFETIMES."
Without warning, the immense pressure holding me down, the presence of this deity disappears.
"Huh... I really am dead. I wonder if..." I stop myself, before cackling. "Hah, idiot. There's no one left who cares about you. Still, there are so many questions. Who the fuck was that? God? Rebirth is the cycle of life and death... that would mean almost all religions in the world are wrong." A grin appears on my face as my heart thumps excitedly, the universe is so much more exciting now, there are more possibilities. Gods, rebirth, who wouldn't be excited by such things?"
Standing up, I look down at myself for the first time, spotting scorch marks and bloodstains all over my white t-shirt and jogging bottoms. "How the fuck did I die? Oh well, it's not important anymore. That god, let's call him Morgan, he said I had unparalleled freedoms? All I see is an empty dimension."
As if waiting for such a remark, a video game-like popup screen appeared, asking if I would like to retain my memories during rebirth.
"Well, it's not like I have any particularly good memories" The image of a smiling girl appears in my mind. "But they are all mine, I would never get rid of them. I would never get rid of myself if I had a choice in the matter."
Another question appears, asking which world I would like to be reborn into.
"Hahaha, this really does feel like some cheap power fantasy isekai" After saying that a list appears, under the header of 'Fictional'.
"Hmmm, it would need to be a world where I have enough knowledge to amass power, to keep myself safe... I'm certainly not going to pick a boring or especially dangerous world." Clicking my fingers, my teeth show as a smile shows itself on my face. "The Naruto world! The very first anime I watched... the very first escape." With those last words, the smile dims slightly.
"Which Clan would you like to be born into?
O̶t̶s̶u̶t̶s̶u̶k̶i̶
Senju
Uchiha
Uzumaki
Hyuga
Kaguya
etc..."
The list went on as far as I could scroll, with the most powerful being at the top.
"Hmmm, if I pick any of the clans outside of Konoha, then there's a good chance my knowledge of events and people will be useless, even worse, I could end up in extremely dangerous places, like the Blood Mist Village. Okay, those are all off the table. Still, why is Otsutsuki on here, if I can't even pick them? Curious."
Tapping my fingers against my left hand, I contemplate which would be the best.
"Wait! Do I even know what time period I will be in? If it's the Warring Clans Period then I'm fucked whatever I pick and if it's after the collapse of the Uzumaki Clan, there's a good chance I'll be made a slave or test subject of other villages. If it's around the time of the Nine-Tails attack, then I'd get slaughtered by Itachi later on as an Uchiha; plus, the Sharingan is a double-bladed sword and hard to unlock. The Senju disappear and aren't inherently that powerful, to begin with. Hahaha, is the Hyuga Clan really looking like the safest option? No... their ceiling is too low and I'd probably end up a slave of the Main Family."
Who knew rebirth could be so complicated? I laugh, stretching my arms out.
"Damn it all to hell. I'm just going to have to risk it. Power is absolute in the Shinobi World. Uchiha it is then."
"If the Uchiha Clan is chosen, there will be an unknown consequence. A result of their power and potential. Do you wish to proceed?"
"Ah, whatever, I've already died once. Besides, the Naruto world literally has an afterlife. So long as I'm not sealed into a Shinigami or by the Totsuka Blade, I'll be fine. Yes, I will proceed."
"Which talent(s) do you wish to possess? Warning, choosing powerful talents and/or multiple ones will also produce unknown consequences proportionally."
"Damn, I guess there really is no such thing as a free lunch. Well, Shurikenjustu and Taijutsu can come naturally with the Sharingan and Uchiha training. Fuinjutsu, Senjutsu, and Space-Time Justu are the most powerful ones, the ones that can challenge even Sage of Six Paths level characters."
Thinking, I sit back down, legs crossed. "The real issue is the unknown consequences, what if I get a deadly disease like Itachi and Kimimaro? Seeking out Tsunade is definitely important... If she's even alive."
"I doubt choosing both Space-Time Justu and Senjutsu would be good for me... Fine. Space-Time Justu and Ninjutsu, that's what I pick!"
"Do you wish to have large chakra reserves or excellent chakra control? The former will bring with it unknown consequences."
"Ha, what's the use in having excellent chakra control without much chakra? I'll go with the first one"
"This is the end of the options afforded to you. Do you wish to be reborn with these chosen options?"
Laying back down among the pool of white space, I put my arms behind my head and close my eyes. Going through my past life once more, a final goodbye. "Sure, take me to new beginnings."
DANZO POV
Frowning, the spiky-black-haired man with a cross scar across his chin and a bandage covering his right eye studies the newborn baby. The Uchiha.
"The little demon survived." He mutters as the researcher performs various tests on the infant, occasionally jotting things down.
"Danzo-sama, his health seems to be in good condition. In fact, his body is even better than Orochimaru-sama predicated!" The young scientist exclaims with some excitement, despite his emotional training.
"Hmm, send it to one of the facilities with the rest of the children. We shall see if it can be of use to the village." Danzo dismisses the child after staring at it for another moment and walks away. Tch, to think I would even have to go as far as raising an Uchiha in my Root. But anything that will benefit the village must be done. Forgive me, Tobirama-sensei.
Main Character POV
While this is my first time conscious during birth, I doubt anyone would wish to see the face of Danzo Shimura himself when they opened their eyes for the first time in their life.
Damn it! So, this is one of the consequences of my choices. Well, it could be worse... right? As long as I am smart, I will neither be caught nor actually indoctrinated by Danzo's insane cult. Thinking this, I am brought to a dark, sterilized room, full of babies and machines by the doctor. Then he unceremoniously drops me into a small crib and attaches a tube to my mouth.
"Strange, most of the test subjects usually cry at this stage..." He gazes upon me with suspicion.
Mentally facepalming, I begin to wail as if my life depended on it. The tube begins to produce milk as I uncontrollably swallow it up. Is Danzo trying to breed his own little army? I always thought he recruited from the clans.
Before long, the man shrugs and walks away after pressing a few buttons on the crib's side. Then, the milk also stops being released, it's efficient if nothing else. Looking around, I spot many other children in similar cribs. Row after row of cribs held near-identical babies, all with the same raven black hair and eyes of darkness. I wanted to gasp as loud as possible on instinct.
What the fuck? An army of Uchiha's? This never happened in the canon timeline. I need to be very careful from now on. At least I wasn't born during the Warring Clans Period, at least there's that.
From then on, I acted the part of a baby as best as possible. Often mimicking the behavior of the other Uchiha clones. Just like that, seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
