AN: Chapter one received some decent feedback so I'll take it as a good job on my end. At least so far. It is definitely motivating and feels really good to see the reviews, favs, and follows - so thank you! Anyways, not too much to mention, still need to flesh this out a bit more.

As the first rays of sunlight filter through the window, they fall upon the face of a groggy and disoriented figure lying in the bed of an apartment room. The room can be described as chaotic at best. Clothing was thrown and strewn all over the place - almost making three piles. These piles, belonging to what is literally a man-child, definitely represented the three piles of clothing that almost every single and alone living young man had. One for actually dirty clothing. One is for clothing that is somewhat dirty but could be worn again. And then one for clothing that was recently cleaned but not folded. After all, what sort of young shinobi-in-training had time to put away their clothes?

The light gleaming through the window seems to dance across Naruto's closed eyelids, causing them to stir and the boy to slowly awaken from slumber. Naruto stretches his arms and legs, feeling a sense of soreness and stiffness that has settled into his body from the events of the day prior. The feeling of waking up sore was such a foreign feeling to him. He had yet to be put in a situation where the kyuubi's healing factor didn't get him back to 100% after a good night's rest. Had it not been for this instance where he felt soreness and damage from the events prior then one might consider the idea that a simple long rest is Naruto's quick fix for any sort of damage dealt to him.

He rubs his eyes and tries to clear the fog from his mind, but his thoughts are still muddled and unclear, almost as if he had been drinking heavily the night before. He sits up, and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, then notices a strange sensation in their limbs. It is as if his body is not his own, as if he was somehow disconnected from it. After a few stretches, back and neck pops, and a large drawn-out yawn, Naruto felt fine - albeit quite sore. "Wow, that was such a wild dream…" he pondered aloud, looking around his room to make sure it is as he remembered it.

"Pile one. Pile Two. Pile three. PHEW. Here I thought something crazy happened like I died or-" before the blond could even finish his sentence a familiar scroll popped up in front of him, causing him to yelp, fall back into his covers, then jump out of his bed while wracking his clenched fists in the air. "NO NO NO NO NO! This cannot be happening!" He wailed, then in a much softer tone said the words "Did I… did I really die?"

The scroll in front of him did a little wagging motion, almost as if to say "yes". It then opened up to reveal the following:

Naruto Uzumaki, you have been granted a second chance at life. However, this comes with a price. I, the Shinigami stuck in your stomach, have decided to make you become my own personal entertainment for the time being.

"Oh great, so that DID happen" Naruto mumbled to himself. The words fainted and the scroll returned to its neutral color before dawning new text.

Yes. Yes, that DID happen.

The words reformed yet again.

Listen here Naruto, nothing in this world is free. Nothing. Life is no exception. You get this one chance to have a do-over. Just one. To ensure that you do not fail so early in your journey yet again

"HEY!" Naruto yelled at the scroll as he read that last part, only for the scroll to slightly crumple, almost as if it could actually hear him screaming.

Please do not yell. Your thoughts are sufficient enough you know. After all, I am imprinted onto you

Almost as if to prove the point scribbled upon the scroll a faint glowing started to emit from under Naruto's blue shirt. Once the shirt was lifted Naruto could clearly see the markings of the reaper death seal glowing with an earnest golden glow.

Whoa… so you can really hear me, Naruto thought.

Yes, I can. I will be able to listen to all of your thoughts, at least when I care to. A shinigami does get busy you know. Now, back to what I was saying. And DO NOT interrupt me again, as I hate repeating myself to mortals. Did you get that?

Y-yeah. Sorry Mr shinigami sir, please continue

As I was saying. I will be sitting in on your life for a while. At the very least until I find myself too bored to watch. At that point, I'll simply leave and you'll return to a more normal life. In the meantime, however…

The scroll rewrites itself again.

I have granted you a special ability. I believe this would be something akin to what you mortals in this realm call a kekkei genkai.

The world realm wrote in such a way as to imply there was a multitude of realms and worlds that existed in the universe.

This kekkei genkai shall be a way for me to ensure that you do not perish too soon. It is going to give you the ability to treat your life as if it were a video game, one of those role-playing games.

Naruto's excited expression quickly turned blank as he could feel a massive sweat drop form out of embarrassment. I uhh… Mr shinigami I'm sorry, but what is a video game? And what is a role-playing game?

The text immediately went blank with a poof.

…

…

…

Ahhh. That is right. The mortals in this world have no knowledge of such a thing. Hmmm, let me see. What is the best way I can explain this ability…?

The scroll seemed to also be able to think to itself.

Okay, so, you know how shinobi have stats like their chakra pool, ninjutsu strength, physical prowess, intelligence, and things like that? Well, you will have the unique ability to be able to sense these stats within yourself.

Uh-huh… Naruto thought in a completely unconvincing tone. No, I uh totally get it! The shinigami could tell this was more of a self-convincing tactic.

Idiot. Look!

The scroll then turned from its horizontal form back to vertical. A menu of sorts appeared.

Menu - Stats

Name: Naruto Uzumaki | Affiliation: Konohagakure | Rank: Fresh Genin

[Strength: 10 | Intellect: 4 | Dexterity: 7 | Constitution: 35] [Points Avail: 0]

[Ninjutsu: 3 | Genjutsu: 2 | Taijutsu: 12] [Points Avail: 0]

Whoa, that is so COOL! Wait, my intellect is a 4? That can't be true! I'm not an idiot! Wow, my constitution is high… wait what does constitution mean? Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

See, you are an idiot. Besides, that intellect stat is well-earned kid, having a 4 is really hard!

Naruto smiled, giggled, and rubbed his nose at the "compliment".

Constitution is the amount of damage you can take before going down. You, my newly found associate, can take a lot of damage.

Naruto frowned at the notion of associate.

Anyways, there are tons of these screens. Tons of ways for you to see what you are good and bad at. Tons of ways for you to see how to improve yourself as well. On top of that, you'll also be granted the ability to acquire quests, er I mean missions. Missions that are just for you, and upon completion will give you power-ups. Things like stat points to immediately make yourself stronger, or jutsu points to give you the knowledge of figuring out how to learn or even create your own jutsu. On top of all this, you'll also be able to see an inventory tab of everything that you can access, as well as the stuff in which you're wearing and how that affects you. I will take great pleasure in seeing how you, my newfound associate, interact with these abilities. And, of course, I will always be here, watching and listening. Of course, I can always turn back and take your soul with me - so do we have a deal or not kid?

Naruto clenched his fists at his side and looked at the scroll with his sharp piercing blue eyes. He shook his head and once he witnessed the text on the scroll disappear he glared through the blank parchment. "No…" a slow growl emitted from his mouth. "You wanna use me for entertainment, and give me all these special abilities, and sit there and watch me as I go through my life. Listen here, Mr. Shi-ni-ga-mi" he ensured that every part of that word was drawn out as much as he could, his tone going from angry, to mocking, and now to resilient and willful! "Unless you give me the respect that I deserve then there's no shot that I'm willing to make this work, YOU got that! My name is NA-RU-TO UZUMAKI, and there is NO CHANCE that I'm just gonna be entertainment for some associate. No kid. No associate. You call me my name," he paused, a smile growing on his face, "and one last thing. We're friends from here on out. If we're gonna be stuck together then we both will enjoy it."

The scroll continued in its literal blank stare back at the boy. Silence. The deafening silence was upon the boy yet again. Naruto remembered the feelings of the void and gulped. It felt as if an eternity had gone by, the scroll slowly jostling up and down in front of his face. Then, in one swift motion, the scroll wrapped itself up and went poof into a cloud of smoke. It then slowly collected itself into the seal on Naruto's stomach.

Well… If I am going to die, at least let it be on my terms. The thought raced in Naruto's mind as he clenched his eyes closed, his face scrunching and wincing into a form of sadness. A tear even fell upon his cheek and slowly made its way down the whiskered skin. This single tear held so much of the boy's emotion, falling down his face and flying through the air as if it were the first raindrop of a storm cloud about to burst.

The tear shattered against the floor of the apartment with almost a glint sound. Sparkles imitated from the tear. The deafening silence of the room was then broken by the sound of cackling. The rain did indeed come before the storm. This storm was no ordinary storm, instead one characterized by the sound of the cackling of a familiar old raspy voice. The smoke that collected itself in Naruto's stomach began to fly out of his body and reform itself into the shinigami being that Naruto had seen the night before. A lone bony finger pointed at the boy as the sound of bones shaking and a voice chortling could be heard.

"You, haha, you should have, oh my god a-hahaha, you should have seen your face kid," the being barely got out as he was still laughing - somehow even heaving and haunched over. "Man, I gotta say, THAT is entertainment."

Naruto sat blankly staring at the figure in front of him.

"What, you were all talkative before this and now you can't say a word?"

"Does this mean… wait does this mean you accept my deal?!"

The skeleton nodded, "Yes, it means I accept your deal. You know, in my entire, uh let's see here, eternity, of being ali- well thats not the right word. Being a being there has yet to be any mortal to stand up to me with guts like you. I like you, and I do think we could maybe become friends. Just don't push your luc-" before the being could even finish the sentence Naruto jumped up for one of his massive lung-crushing bear hugs. He flew through the bony creature, and the shinigami's body simply turned into smoke. "I just said, don't push your luck ki- I mean Naruto. I do not like being touched. Period."

Naruto lay on the floor dazed from his previous jump. "Ughh. Okay okay, no touching…" the boy trailed off when he finally realized something - "WAIT, YOU COUL'VE BEEN TALKING TO ME LIKE THIS THE WHOLE TIME?! WHAT THE HELL WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THIS EARLIER!" If the loudness of the boy couldn't be heard by the neighborhood before most definitely could be now.

The shinigami chuckled a bit as he said "Well, for one, I thought it would be incredibly hilarious to mess with you." Naruto crossed his arms and turned away, "And for two, you are the only one alive who can see and hear me. That goes for the scroll too. So, you understand, by communicating through thoughts and the scroll it is going to be our easiest way of talking to one another without you drawing unnecessary attention to yourself."

Naruto perked up, finally understanding what the shinigami was saying. "Ohhhh, I get it. So this makes me, like, super special then right?"

The creature deadpanned. "Yes Naruto, you are super special. Another reason for me not being in this form - I hate feeling anything. I am much more accustomed to the void. For that reason, I shall return home to-" the creature disappeared into smoke and reentered Naruto's body.

To your body - and don't make it weird!

Naruto grinned as he continued the internal conversation, of course not!

Good. Anyways you better get used to your 'new' body and prepare for tomorrow. That's when you will leave for the land of waves, again. Remember what I said, you get ONE do over. That is it. Don't mess it up this time.

Naruto nodded as he got up. Despite feeling still disorientated, he pushes himself to make his way into the kitchen where he put on a kettle to boil. Of course, his plan is to have ramen, what else would a young adult boy who lives on his own make for food? He stood waiting for the kettle to boil.

As they stand there, trying to piece together everything that just happened as well as make sense of their current situation, Naruto finally realizes that he had been changed in a very fundamental way. The world around him looked the same. His apartment looked the same. He even looked the same. Yet everything felt so different, almost as if he were seeing it all through a new set of eyes.

He made sure to use this time to try and figure out exactly what an RPG game was, and exactly what tools he had at his disposal. He thought about willing the 'menu scroll' back into existence, and with that conviction in his mental command, the scroll did pop back into existence. He found himself cycling through a myriad of menu prompts, each one seemingly more complex than the last. With each new choice, Naruto's mind danced across the scroll settings, selecting options and going back and forth trying just to figure everything out. He pictured himself in his thoughts, continuing to metaphorically dance like that of a seasoned warrior, his movements deft and sure as he navigate through the various menus and sub-menus.

In reality, though, he was simply flipping through menus and barely even reading a word. As he scrolls through the various options he could tell he was peering into a world beyond that of his own imagination. The information and paths before him were not only vast and varied but confusing and difficult for the boy to understand. Statements on 'type of character to play' and 'types of quests to undertake' and things like 'skill trees' were such foreign concepts to Naruto.

Yet, even as he haphazardly read through the menu, Naruto knew the journey ahead of him will be met with ferocity and determination. He would ensure that he is ready for anything, always vigilant and prepared to face whatever challenges come his way! With a final 'tap' the menu closed. The kettle was close to a boil. The world is mine to explore, and I will make the most of it.

That is nice and all, but you know, you did look like you were struggling. You could always try bringing up the 'help' menu… The shinigami's voice emanated, rattling Naruto out of his thought.

He jumped. He jumped so high he almost hit his head on the ceiling. Oh god, that is going to be SO HARD to get used to. You can just like, chime in, whenever, just like that? Kaaaamiiiiii.

The being laughed another hearty laugh. Yes, yes I can. And I am going to love it every time I scare you.

Naruto snorted. Y'know, if you're gonna scare me you could at least give me your name. I'm not going to call you Mr Shinigami every time I need to talk to you.

There was a short silence followed by Oh, my name. It's been so long since anyone has ever asked me for my name… well you're right. We should call each other by name. You can call me-

By the end of the shinigami's statement, the kettle was flown to a full boil, whistling and chiming aloud. Naruto smiled as he poured the piping water into his noodle cup and walked back to his bedroom. On the way, he made a mental promise to his new friend to never forget his name and to always appreciate this second chance at life.

Inside the bedroom Naruto opened his curtains fully, letting sunlight drape into the room. He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth and took a deep breath in. Remembering his promise he said, "That's right. I refuse to simply exist. I will truly live, and never let the void consume my precious moments or people ever again."

With that, and the sun shining down upon him through his now-opened curtains, Naruto began his journey into the uncertain world that he had been thrown back into, unsure of what lay ahead, but determined nevertheless to discover the truth about this new reality that he found himself in.

AN: I found myself hitting 1,000 words quite early in writing this. Cannot believe that by the end I pushed over 3,000. Usually, I have a difficult time beginning a project or beginning the start to the continuation of a project. This, however, was much easier to do than I thought it would be. And that thought excites me! I really like what I've done with the shinigami, and I had the idea midway through writing this to have this astral being serve a purpose in this story beyond simply just giving Naruto a second chance. For those of you who watched death note, this shinigami is going to be Naruto's Ryuk! Sure, there is no death note involved, but I think the idea of having some sort of omnipotent being that can somewhat guide Naruto is going to play out very well for a story where there are unique and weird powers that no one else in the universe is going to know.

Anyways, I've rambled on long enough with this AN.

Questions and Suggestions - You already know where to put it.

PS: Since you've made it this far, how about you answer the question of the day?

What specific "ability" or "spell" would you like to see Naruto obtain?