Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Naruto, please support the official release.

Chapter One

I was having a seriously bad day. Firstly, I'd woken up late having slept straight through all 6 of my alarms meaning I was also late to class. While usually that wouldn't bother me so much today was the day of my exam, so in some way the fate of my life hung in the balance. I don't think I'd ever gotten up, got dressed, brushed my teeth thought about sorting my hair before deciding against it and sprinting out of my house while calling a quick goodbye to my pet owl.

My blitz through the streets towards class was accompanied by a chorus of shouting and insults as I somewhat successfully cut between both people and traffic in the hope of making it before the final bell. Just before turning a corner, I looked over the back of my shoulder to check for traffic and upon realising there was none I was beginning to turn back around to my front before I felt a solid impact to my chest followed by a moan of pain and confusion. As I got my bearings back, I realised I'd ran straight into an old lady. I contemplated just ignoring her and continuing on my journey to get to class but my conscience got the better of me, after all I couldn't just spear a 90-something year old and run off. I helped the lady to her feet while apologising profusely and helped put her shopping back into her bag before turning and sprinting off again.

Due to my unforeseen detour, I didn't make it to my exam on time, as such I was now sat in the principal's office getting a great lecture on the importance of punctuality and apparently good sleeping habits.

"Look Connor, I'm not here to give you a bollocking or to try and make you feel even worse than you already do, you just need to understand that I try each and every day to help the students of this school and people like you don't make my job any easier. Being punctual is one of the first steps, not only in creating a good career but in creating a good life. I hope you understand that."

"Yes Sir, it won't happen again, I promise."

"Good, because you missed your exam, you'll be able to resit next Tuesday. Don't screw this chance up, because it's the last one I can give you."

I looked firmly into the principal's eyes, "I'll try my best".

Swiftly I turned and got out of the room missing his muttering of "That's all I can ask".

Very quickly I managed to dodge everyone else in the hallways of my school and was once again back out on the streets making my way back home, albeit this time with a lot less intensity and for what was probably the first time in my 19 years on earth I slightly regretted staying up so late the night before but I just couldn't pull myself away from what I had been reading.

My reading "journey" as some would say followed a pretty standard route through classic novels into tv/movie adaptations then onto anime which led into the beginning of manga and both its Chinese and Korean counterparts, from there to lightnovels and webnovels before ending up in the world of fanfiction. I'd dabbled before but it was only now when I truly dove headfirst into this world, I'd explored through Percy Jackson fics, harry potter fics and even game of thrones fics. There's one in particular I really enjoyed *cough* The Heir of Raventree Hall *cough* and last night it was a Naruto fic that I just couldn't get my nose out of. I adored the anime, and it was definitely in my top 3 so being able to see and experience even more of that world was incredible. Yet now it felt kind of hollow. I resolved myself to never put myself at a disadvantage through my own actions, from now on I had to live more purposefully.

Or at least I had resolved myself to do that moments before I was flattened by a truck.

I mean seriously, it couldn't get anymore stereotypical, I actually chuckled slightly before realising that might not be the best idea especially when it felt like my ribs had shattered into a million tiny little pieces. As I laid there clutching my broken chest I looked up to the sky and for the first time, damn today really was a day for firsts, I prayed that this wouldn't be the end of me. It seems my prayers went unanswered…

Darkness… pure darkness was all I could hear, taste, smell, see and touch. The lack of sensation was nearly a sensation in its own right. I imagine most people would have begun to panic or to stress at the feeling but for now I could do nothing about it, so for now I was content to wait. At least until it felt like I'd waited for over an hour, at that point I was pretty sure my breathing was starting to get erratic, well if I even could breathe anymore. Somehow in all this dark space I felt claustrophobic something I traced back to my experience of caving during a school trip back when I was a child. Some people liked the dark winding passages but me, I infinitely preferred forests and rivers, wide open plains and hills. As long as I felt free it didn't matter. The darkness seemed to be the reverse.

I floated in that abyss for what could have been either days or minutes, it was astounding how quickly I had lost my sense of time. My senses returned to me one at a time. First it was touch, I could feel hardwood underneath me. Then my hearing, a harsh barrage of rain assaulted what must be a window. My taste, I'd never been so happy to feel my mouth once again. My smell didn't reveal much else, I must have caught a cold during my recovery. Then finally my sight revealed what was in front of me. Firstly, it had been the dark tones of a wooden ceiling that I knew was neither my bedroom nor a hospital ward but then my vision was taken up by a half transparent window.

-WELCOME PLAYER-

You have been granted another chance, use it wisely.

Then I blacked out once again.