Chapter 0

The light flickered as I flipped the switch, illuminating the small room I called my own. As usual, a familiar thought crossed my mind as I stepped through the threshold. "I should clean this place." In my own defence it wasn't like the place was a pigsty, just could use some reorganizing, dusting, that sort of thing. The bed was unkempt, sheets left wherever I had kicked them off that morning. The dresser stood along the right wall of the room. Random books and picture frames all caked in dust after having sat undisturbed for possibly years. A long yawn escaped me, I'd take care of it over the weekend. A promise I had broken countless times before. In the corner beside the window sat a small black desk, the cleanest thing in this room due to continuous use.

I sat down and flipped opened the laptop sitting there. The fan whirled to life as the screen flashed and I groaned as it turned blue with the words 'Now updating, please don't turn off your computer.' "Stupid automatic updates..." It would be a few minutes before the computer was good to go so I leaned back, the old chair squeaking in futile resistance. My attention turned to the television, with the computer being stubborn I decided to turn it on. I couldn't remember the last time I had used it. Network television hadn't played anything worth watching in years. Sure I had a streaming service but more often than not, I simply had a podcast or some other thing on play in the background as I went about other tasks on the computer. I should probably get some use out of the service since I was paying for it right?

"Over a thousand shows and nothing all that interesting, huh?" Boredom was an interesting thing, when you're stuck in a rut of it, you search for means of escape but when they're staring you in the face, you just don't care enough to act on it. My eyes settled on an old show, a favourite from my childhood as it was one of the few that aired on TV at the time. A show about a hyperactive ninja wearing a bright orange jumper. Feeling a little nostalgic, I selected the show and sat back as the old theme music kicked in.

Memories floated to the surface of me sitting in my mom's basement, catching the show on that crappy old CRT she had. Can't say I missed those old things, weighted a ton and the manufacturers loved filling the bottom with jagged lines of sharp plastic. And now I sound like an old man, soon enough I'll be yelling out my window at those dang kids with their hoverboards to get off my lawn. Things were so much better in my day, yadda yadda. I snort at the thought.

The sound of notifications snapped me out of my trance, my laptop having long finished it's update. The clock in the bottom corner of the screen read it was almost quarter past seven. It appeared I had lost track of time watching the old episodes. I certainly wasn't getting the work I wanted done tonight. Shrugging, I checked the notification to see who was messaging me. To my pleasant surprise, it was a name I had not seen in a long time. It was also an interesting coincidence considering how I had met, and knew this particular fellow.

Me: "Oh hey, long time no see! How you been?"

K: "Hi dude, been alright."

K was an old gaming buddy, specifically we met on an old role play forum. Our characters happened to team up for an event, we set up a messenger room and that was that. That particular forum died shortly after but we kept in contact. From there the group expanded into a near dozen members as we hopped to a new home. That one lasted a few good years and I had many memories of it. As it would so happen, K had some news regarding it.

K: "You remember the old forum right? I was bored so I went to check it out."

Me: "Oh man it has been forever, is it still around?"

K: "No, they finally nuked it. Everything is gone."

That was disappointing to hear. While the forum had been 'dead' for a long time now, it was still an archive of what we had done. The stories we had written and characters we made. I myself had visited a few years back, sure it was filled with dead links, broken images and bots galore but it still had the old threads, old memories. I turned to my TV, watching for a moment a masked man shoved his fingers up a kid's butt. Snickering I turn back to my monitor.

The forum we were discussing was based off the same franchise I was currently watching on the side, Naruto. Albeit, the forum was its own thing, we took inspiration from the series but we left out anything canon. In my personal opinion it made things simpler, we just worked within the setting without having to worry about canon characters or events. I myself had created several characters over my tenure, the final one was my favourite by far.

This character was a Leaf Shinobi by the name of Meiko Kirikuzu. Yes, I just threw words into a translator until something cool sounding came out. As for what it meant, I completely forgot. She was the daughter of a blacksmith and specialized in using weapons. Big weapons in big quantities. If she wasn't hitting you with them, she was probably throwing them at you. To facilitate all this, I also had her specialize in sealing techniques known as Fuinjutsu. Granted I kind of abused the limits of what a 'seal' could do but hey, if the rules allowed it. Other than that, she was a ruthlessly positive tomboy. Someone who would always strive to do the right thing. Overall a basic Chaotic Good personality, it made her easy to write for.

As for why a female character? I found a cool piece of character art.

Blinking, I came back to the present. K had continued writing messages while I was lost in the abyss that was my inner narrator. Catching up with the messages, they too were reminiscing about the old forum, of our characters and plot points that never came to be. The topic eventually changing to a third member of our group. While K and I occasionally spoke on and off, M was someone who we had lost contact with after changing messenger programs. As it turned out, K had managed to get a hold of her and invited me into a new group chat.

Accepting, I was greeted by M and K. It appeared we were the only ones to answer the summons.

K: "And now, the old team is back together!"

M: "Hey!"

Indeed, the three of our characters were in the same squad on that forum. With the three of us reunited, the chat quickly devolved into chaos. M and I had the habit of feeding off each other's stupid ideas, much to K's torment and our entertainment. My small room echoed with dumb, uncontrollable laughter before long. It got so bad, my dog ran into my room whining, worried I was losing my mind. It was a good thing too, as thanks to her I finally noticed how late it was. Time really does fly when you're having fun and unfortunately, I had to be up early in the morning. I said my farewells and shut down my computer.

Quickly working through my routine I got myself ready for bed. My faithful pup following me and trying to steal the comfy spot on the bed. It took several minutes of begging and pushing to get her to slide over so I could tuck myself in. As my consciousness drifted away, my mind spun over thoughts of the forum, our characters and the series it was inspired by. While it would be fun to find another forum and rebuild the old team, life had a habit of getting in the way of things. It was hard enough to get a group together regularly for a tabletop session once a week.

With those final thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

What awaited me there was a familiar dream.

Chapter 1

This dream again.

Darkness surrounded me, implacable, impenetrable. I would struggle to move as it squeezed me from every angle. And yet, despite all that I was not afraid. Rather than an oppressive crushing force it was warm, comforting. I likened it to a full body hug. There was also the voices, muted and distant, I could still hear them all the same. While the words escaped me the tone did not. They were gentle, soothing and most of all, expectant. Sometimes, they would even sing for me. As time passed, the dream became longer, the sensations more visceral. I almost found myself looking forward to these dreams. They brought me a unique sense of comfort that left me feeling refreshed the next day.

This night however, something was different. The comforting pressure was now convulsing, pressing hard against me, rejecting me. The voices had changed too. They were in distress, screaming in time with the convulsions. Something was happening, something big. Confused and increasingly worried, the only thing I could do was lie and wait for whatever this was to pass. I prayed it would stop, that everything would return to normal. Instead the convulsions became stronger and more frequent. The voices devolved into screams of pain and concern.

How much time had passed since this had begun? I couldn't tell. All I wanted was for this to end, to wake up in my bed and give my dog the biggest damn hug. Yet it continued. New, unfamiliar voices were here now. Authoritative, their presence calmed the familiar ones. The screams continued yes, but now there was guidance. I felt my own anxiety clearing as the sense of panic died down. Not completely of course, that was pretty difficult when the walls around you would occasionally squash you without warning. I hoped the worst was now behind me, things were finally under control so all I had to do was wait it out.

I was wrong.

The darkness squeezed tighter and tighter, the convulsions were forcing me to move. I tried to resist but I could barely wiggle a finger. Pressing, pushing, I was completely and utterly helpless. All I could do was entrust myself to the voices and pray.

As if to answer my prayers, something gave way. I felt myself sliding from the darkness into blinding light. The voices were clear now, overwhelmingly so. Shouts and screams deafening me as the walls pressed tighter and tighter.

I could not tell what was happening. Panic set in once more as I was lifted higher and higher into the cold, uncaring light. The whole experience made all the more terrifying from my effective blindness. I wanted to run, to fight back but my limbs would not listen to me. They felt weak and I could not control them as I wished. I wanted answers but no words came out of my mouth. The best I could do was make random, squeaking noises. Anxiety was like an anvil pressing down on my chest as the panic became unbearable. Helpless, I did the only thing I could.

I screamed.

The unfamiliar voice of the one who held me spoke in a soft tone. I could hear his words clearly now, but they were utterly alien to me. I was lain upon something soft, wrapped in it all the while calm words of comfort were muttered by this strange being. Now cocooned in this soft material, I was ferried into the soft embrace of one with a feminine voice. I recognized this voice, it was the one from beyond the dark. Hers was the one that often sung to me during the dreams. Although sounding exhausted, I could hear the overwhelming happiness in her voice. Who ever this being was, I found myself relaxing in their gentle grasp. Enough that the panic subsided and with it, my need to keep screaming. A part of me was glad to finally hear this voice but at this point I just wanted to wake up from this dream. I wanted to go home.

This whole ordeal left me exhausted. Could you fall sleep while within a dream? I was about to find out.

... ... ...

It wasn't a dream.

I did not wake up in my bed. In fact, I could not tell where I was. My eyes were far too sensitive to any amounts of light. My body did not want to respond to my commands either. What little control over my moments I did have was undermined by the absolute lack of strength I possessed. All I could do was struggle to make any sort of movement until sleep took me again. Time practically lost all meaning as I had no method of tracking it, nor even any real use. There was only sleep and the maddening hours when I was not. The mind-numbing monotony of it all broken by the occasions I was carried away for food and cleaning.

Cleaning... that was a hell in of itself.

It had taken some time for me to clear my head but I was finally able to get my thoughts in order. There was only one answer I could come up with to describe my current situation. Somehow, some way, I had been turned into a baby. That thought alone was enough to cause an existential crisis. Did I die somehow? The last memories I had before this happened was lying down in bed for the night. Maybe this was all just a dream within a dream?

While I had the habit of talking to myself too much, here it may have been the only thing keeping me grounded. Or was that a sign of going insane? It was too hard to tell at this point. This was one thing that no one touched on in all those Isekai series I read. The absolute hell that was being a baby with the mind that can comprehend what is going on. Utterly helpless in every description of the word, trapped in a prison that is your body. The only thing you can do is wait, cry and sleep. Was this what it was like for every baby? The very thought was horrifying. What if every child born was an older soul slowly losing their mind. Eventually, something just breaks and their brain would, in essence, hit a factory reset. The old persona gone forever.

If something didn't change soon, I felt like I'd be slamming that reset button with all my being.

So many times I wanted it all to end, to let my mind drift away. Long having given up hope of awaking from this nightmare I instead just tried to let go. To allow the old me fade into oblivion and whomever I would become take over. A clean slate. Yet stubbornly my self refused to go quietly. As such, I had to look for ways to keep myself preoccupied. I started with movement. Trying to understand this new, tiny form I inhabited. One limb at a time I created an exercise routine to slowly try and expand my range of motion. When I was too tired to do that, a baby's body having little stamina, I would retreat into my mind. Recalling old games, anime, books, whatever came to mind and replaying them. Anything to keep my mind off of my current predicament.

My eyes were slowly adjusting to this new world. The light was no long an all-encompassing flare, shapes were starting to come into form. I was starting to make the outlines of what was likely my new parents. Speaking of, there was one thing that truly helped me keep my sanity. One thing that granted me solace in this hell. My new mother. The times she came to care for me were the times I was most at peace. She did not do anything special, but I was eternally grateful for the human contact. Her voice alone brought me great comfort. The language still evaded me but there were some words I had started to recognize, names I believe. For my mother, I came to know her name as Ginko. My father's name, I guessed, was Kenji.

As for my father, I did not have as much contact with him. I knew he had tried to hold me several times but he must have a beard or something because when he held me close my skin felt as though it was on fire. Later, I recalled something about babies having extremely sensitive skin to the point they even tried to avoid touching things like grass. So in the case of a rough beard like that, it was akin to rubbing myself against sandpaper. I don't remember what he said but he was certainly dejected after that incident. Mother found my suffering hilarious.

I still did not even know what they looked like. I could still only see in blobs and vague silhouettes, yet I was thankful for them. I could feel their love through their every action and in every word. While it made me happy, I could not help but notice the pain deep in my heart. What happened to my old parents? My old family? Were they looking for me? Did they just find me dead on my bed one day?

I prayed they were doing well.

About a year had passed and I had finally escaped that hell. No I did not find a way back home, to my old world. I could simply move under my own power now. The freedom I felt the first time I was able to crawl was indescribable. I did not want to stop. My new parents roared with laughter as I constantly tried to evade their capture. I wanted to move, to be free. I crawled and crawled and when they grabbed me I cried out until they let me go again. It was such a liberating feeling I did not even notice how much energy I was burning. One moment I was scooting along the floor of what I guessed was my living room, the next I was out.

My next goal was to be able to walk. I would find whatever I could to try and pull myself to my feet. Each day slowly growing in strength as I pressed forward. Weeks, perhaps months later I took my first steps. The pride in my father's voice when I did that is something that would stick with me for years to come. Words came soon after that, I spent many hours learning to control my vocal cords. My parents caught on and began encouraging me, they repeated single words that I assume meant father and mother. When I was finally able to properly form them, my father froze up.

Father is a large man, very large. Now that my eyes could see properly the man appeared to me as a giant. Wide as he was tall and brimming with muscle. The best way to describe him was as a dwarf you'd find in most fantasy stories, but in his case someone broke the scale. Instead of being stumpy, he stood taller than a giant. It may have been simply my perspective but if I had to make a guess, he had to be at least two meters tall, if not more. Even as a toddler the man could practically hold my entire being in the palm of his hand. When I was first able to see him clearly, I found him to be rather intimidating. His head and face almost obscured by his wild red hair. Sporting a beard so large it ran down to his waste. Yet despite all this, the phrase 'Gentle Giant' fit him to a T. Whenever he held me, he took great care to make sure I did not come to harm. This was exemplified when I spoke my first words. I watched that giant man break down into tears. Mother too, found herself crying at the sight.

As for my mother, she was the complete opposite of father. Tiny and demure. My parents were literally one of those couples where the height difference could have them mistaken as father and daughter. I would later find out mother was four years my father's senior. Standing side by side, she came up to around the bottom of his chest, a full three heads shorter. What struck me most about her however, was her hair. Father's hair was a striking red, rare yes but not unheard of. Yet mother's hair was far more unique. While silver was often a way to describe the greying of one's hair, hers was not due to age. Instead it was almost metallic in not just it's colour but sheen. When the sun hit it, one might mistake it for actual strands of metal extending from her scalp. In my hands however, it was as soft and silky smooth as one would expect.

With my ability to express words also came a budding understanding of the language. I still had a long ways to go but I was slowly able to associate words with objects and concepts. When Mother brought me picture books I followed along almost enraptured, trying to teach myself how to read. The words of this world were different from what I was familiar with, but not as alien as I had expected. While I could not read it in my past, the language here looked rather similar to Japanese. At least, that was my best estimation. It was kind of funny when I thought about it. While I was not exactly a slouch in school, studying was never something I had a passion for. Yet here I was, going over each symbol over and over, trying to pronounce it, write it, memorize it. That euphoria I had when I was finally able to crawl, to gain that smallest bit of freedom became a driving motivator for me. The more I could do, the more free I could become. So I studied. I practised, I grew.

Another aspect to that freedom came when I was taken outside. I'm sure it wasn't the first time I had left the house, clutched in my parent's arms. Now, I could comprehend my surroundings it was a far different experience. The walls I had become familiar with gave way to open blue skies. My curiosity was boundless and my head was on a swivel as I tried to absorb as much detail as I could. The people, the buildings, everything was so shiny and new and... familiar? It was strange, the architecture here was nothing like my old hometown. These buildings were made mainly from wood from what I could tell, the roads consisting of packed dirt, having been trampled down countless times to the point that only the most persistent of weeds had a hope of growth.

It was those buildings that stood out the most. They almost looked as though they had been built, collapsed and rebuild over and over, rough additions added on top of other additions. And the wires! The pipes! Countless cables and pipes ran over everything in an intricate web that made my head spin just trying to untangle it. I did not envy the city maintenance crews who had to decipher that. Still, I could swear I had seen this before.

My suspicions were soon confirmed when I caught sight of that. It was something I knew from my old life yes, but that was not possible. There was no way. In this quaint town there stood a cliff overlooking all. Upon it was carved four faces, silent guardians immortalized in their eternal vigil.

"This... this can't be. I really must be dreaming... right?"

I did not speak the words aloud, I could not. I could only look upon these faces of people I had never met yet knew each of their names in stunned silence. My parents noticed and followed my gaze. "Look dear, she's looks so surprised seeing the Hokage Monument".

Hokage. That was a word I did not need to translate. So it was true. This really was that world. Not only was I reborn into the body of a newborn babe, but by some inexplicable, impossible twist of fate, I had been reborn into a fictional series. Into Naruto.

It was so crazy, so incomprehensibly insane, all I could do was laugh.

I really was living an Isekai.

Author's Notes: So first of all I should preface that two OC characters who have yet to be introduced were created by friends of mine. All three of our characters also star in Captain Claymore's Tales of a Ninja Magician fanfic. You should go read that, as of writing she's working on chapter 1000 (yes, really!). Other than that, I hope you guys enjoy reading this. I'm having fun writing it at least!