A Weird Morning
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"Ugh..."
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I don't care what anyone says... turning off the alarm in the morning is one of the hardest things to do in life. You're comfy, relaxed, and tired. The last thing you need is incessant beeping. Yet, everyone has to live like that, and must continue to do so in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. At least, that's how I justified getting up in the morning.
Of course, that was after a snooze or two.
When I finally awoke, I remembered, today was going to be special.
Today, all my hard work in college was finally going to pay off. I was starting my high-paying job at an extremely popular tech company, one that I had always wanted to be a part of.
"Hopefully I can move out of this crummy apartment soon," I said to myself, looking around. Small spaces, old dry walls, my crummy futon, the place really stank. My apartment was something I hated thinking about because whenever I did, in my head I would always hear th-
And then I felt it, the shaking of the passing subway or metro or whatever it was called, right outside my window. It made everything shake and even the pots fall and shatter. The vroom and rattling of the rails were so loud it felt like they were physically touching my eardrums. I clenched up in anger, but quickly relinquished. Today was a good day, and the train wouldn't get to me this time, and neither would this stupid apartment. I knew what would calm me down, and I walked over to a picture of my aunt and uncle.
Up until this moment, I've had a tough life. My parents died when I was young, so I barely remember them. I grew up with my aunt and uncle, whom I loved very much. They got me through a lot of hard times and many ups and downs. Sadly, they passed away a couple of years ago, but I know they would've been proud to see me where I was. I've never really had any good friends, especially after high school, and I've never really experienced true romance. Maybe I'd try talking to girls sometimes, but I was always too much of a wuss to try anything. I was kind of a loser. But my aunt and uncle always made sure I was happy and never too down. They were my biggest supporters.
A little ways from my pseudo shrine of my relatives was a closet I had with many comic and anime memorabilia.
I went through my morning routine and got ready to step out the door, grabbing a muffin on the way. 'Although that might not be for a while...'
I didn't have a car, there wasn't really a need for one since I couldn't keep it anywhere. Plus, it'd probably get stolen due to the high crime rate in my area. My usual mode of transportation was my bike, which I kept at least three locks on. I especially enjoyed the rush of going fast, with wind brushing past my face. It felt like I would be going at super high speeds at times, which made me feel excited every time I hopped on.
I checked my watch: 9:20. Crap. I had to be there in 10 minutes. Now, slightly panicking, I rushed down the stairs, nearly bumping some girl over and apologizing in the process.
Once I was on the bike, I started to relax, I could enjoy myself for a bit now. Kicking up the stand and putting on my helmet, I was ready to go.
"Here we go..." I thought, "my new life starts now! Let's do th-"
"HELP! Someone, hel-"
"Shut it, bitch! Don't make me gut you!"
I whipped my head around, the girl I bumped into, she was in the nearby alley, being mugged at knifepoint.
The knife was dangerously close to her abdomen.
'Crap,' I thought to myself, 'Surely there was someone around who could help?'
Turning around, there was no one else in the vicinity. Even if there were, it would have been drowned out because of the metro that was STILL passing by. I was the only one close enough to hear this woman's cry for help.
'Should I call the cops?' I took out my phone, hesitating. 'No, there isn't enough time, I… I need to do something… damn it.'
Getting off my bike, I ran towards the situation. Cursing myself that I was going to be late for my new position.
"Hey! Back off!"
The bastard heard me, slowly turning his head but still having his knife near the girl, ready to strike. He grinned at me.
"Buddy, look the other way. Don't make this difficult at all, we're just having a business transaction, nothing more."
What? He expected me to just… go? Leave this defenseless woman to fend for herself? How shallow did he think I was?
"Hell no! You let her go or else I'll… I'll…" I put my fists up, "I'll kick your ass!"
The thief said nothing, then proceeded to laugh, hard, as if what I had just said was the funniest thing he ever heard.
"Now that's something," he said, wiping a tear with his free hand, "What would you do if I, say, did this?"
He thrust his knife forward, piercing the girl's stomach. He ripped his hand upwards, leaving a large, gnarly gash in his wake.
Besides the sound of the knife piercing flesh, everything else seemed to drown out around me besides the sharp gasp that came from the girl before her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, bleeding out.
"NO!"
I ran towards the killer, how could he do such a heartless thing? He needed to pay, and I was thinking, somehow, that I was the one to make him do so.
Nearing him, I didn't make much progress as I threw a punch towards his face. He barely dodged it, and retaliated with his knife, swiping in a swift motion.
I tried to throw another punch, but then had the urge to cough, a lot. Looking down, I saw blood all over my shirt. The murderer had slit my throat in one fell swoop.
Covering my throat with my hands, trying to stop the blood, I managed to hear sirens. The sound of the police.
"Damn it," the killer said as he picked up the girl's wallet and ran in the opposite direction.
My knees seemed to stop working as I fell face forward.
Was this how I went out? Failing to defend one person, dying in the process? Such a lame way to go…
I thought of my aunt and uncle.
'Sorry guys, looks like I let y'all down.'
That was my last thought before my entire world went black.
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A black void, that's all that surrounded me. I couldn't see anything, anyone, or even myself. It was like I was a bodyless mind, drifting through space.
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Why was I still conscious? Is this what death was? Just an endless, black, abyss? How depressing.
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Why did I do that? Of course the cops would come, they were stationed everywhere around my complex because of the crime rate. If I just waited, I might've lived and made it to work.
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And that girl… maybe she would have lived, my actions cost her life, her whole world.
'She looked the same age as myself,' I thought, 'She had her whole life ahead of her, and I robbed her of that…'
Or maybe she would've still died, the police being too late to save her. How was I to know? Was she destined to die? Was it her fate?
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I guess I'd just have to wait for some powerful deity to fish me up and plop me somewhere, at least I would have to hope on that, because otherwise, frankly, this sucked.
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How long has it been? Hours? Days? Years? I lost track of time completely as I sat in this emptiness.
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I suppose I could think back on my life.
One of the main things that got me through life was manga and anime. Dragon Ball, Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack on Titan, and more. All generic, sure, but they were loved for a reason. Naruto, however, was my favorite. I always found the characters, lore, and abilities to be so fascinating and exciting. Naruto especially resonated with me. His unwillingness to give up in the most difficult situations, his ability to make the most out of the worst, and his kind demeanor that attracted even the foes around him made the character so endearing and fun to read or watch. The whole story, being about Naruto fighting against hypocrisies and proving said hypocrites' beliefs to be wrong was something so unique to Kishimoto's work that I loved every second, even the "talk-no-jutsu" portions, which were the best. The sequel series Boruto was solid as well, especially where it is now with the timeskip, despite the hiccups in the beginning.
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If this whole death thing was a reincarnation stunt, I would hope that I went into the world of Naruto… that would be sweet. Thinking about all the abilities I could have while interacting with my favorite characters would be such a treat.
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Although now that I think of that, it would definitely be hard. I mean, their whole "way of life" is to be trained as, essentially, mercenaries for hire in their preteen years. Someone like me would probably die pretty early. I guess… kind of like I had just done…
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My actions, Naruto would have done the exact same thing. Maybe what I did wasn't so wrong, maybe that girl and I were just destined to die at that moment. Although, if Naruto taught me anything, it was that fate was what you made of it.
"Ah, so you have finally come."
What? What was that? God? I was raised Christian but was never too religious, but this was different.
"My time here is finite, unfortunately, but I am here to ask of you a favor."
My favor? But I'm… dead… aren't I? And why is that voice so familiar?"
"Please, guide the reincarnates of my children, Indra and Asura, and help them build a peace unlike any other before."
Wait. Did he just say-
"I have seen the future in which they succeed, but it did not last long and was filled with much suffering."
The voice began to fade.
"I believe you to be the missing piece. So, I am sorry to ask, but selfishly, I am entrusting this task to you. Farewell."
Then the voice was gone. Just as fast as it had appeared.
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Okay. I am beyond confused. That voice was most definitely H-
Light. Blinding, piercing, light then filled my retina. It was so bright, I snapped my eyes shut. At least it was different from the never ending darkness, but still, I would've liked a warning.
I realized that someone was… holding me?
"It's a healthy baby boy!"
I decided to open my eyes at that moment, very slowly. It was fuzzy, but I could definitely make out one thing. What I saw was red. A deep red, unlike any shade I've seen before. It was beautiful. I followed it until I stopped at a rather roundish face, one with violet eyes. She was sweating quite profusely yet had the most loving smile on her face. This, I instantly realized, was Kushina Uzumaki, mother of Naruto Uzumaki.
What was going on?!
"Why… why is he not crying?" Kushina seemed very concerned with my wellbeing.
"Well," this voice came from the person who had held me, "It's not impossible for babies to be quiet after birth, but it's very rare. Perhaps this is one of those cases?"
"I see…" Kushina smiled warmly at me, tears streaming down her face.
"Menma… we finally meet."
"Ha ha!" This voice came from behind me, it was definitely a man. "I'm a father now!"
She was holding my hands, and in that second I realized that she was extremely large for a human being, as my hands looked so small in hers.
Wait.
There's no way.
I got isekai'd? Really? That was kind of cliché. I mean, into Naruto of all things too. So that WAS the Sage of Six Paths. Am I Naruto? I guess that's good, I'm not some random shinobi fodder. But I'm definitely going to live a tough life…
At least I wasn't "truck-kun'd."
And hold on a second, Menma? The Naruto counterpart in the Road to Ninja movie? Was that who I was? I thought I was Naruto.
"All right Kushina," the man said, who I assumed to be Minato. The other woman came, picking me up, "It's rough having just given birth… but we need to completely suppress the Nine-Tails again!"
"Yeah…"
I was beginning to think this day couldn't get any weirder, but then I remember what happened next in the manga.
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But… it didn't happen?
Minato continued repairing Kushina's seal, as the woman, who I now recognized as Biwako, held me. I looked at the both of them, Minato and Kushina. What was going on? Shouldn't Obito be appearing, anytime now? Killing the woman holding me and taking me for a hostage?
It never came, instead, Minato finished the repairs on Kushina's seal.
"Phew…" The Yellow Flash wiped the sweat from his brow. "We did it! Kushina, how are you feeling?"
"Fine! Just let me hold my child again, ya know?!"
I was quickly handed back to Kushina, who I supposed was now… my mother?
"Hi Menma..." The tears were gone, but her face was still red and puffy. She still had that warm smile on her face.
CRASH
Everyone looked at the source of the sound. Minato prepared one of his special kunai, and many ANBU came down from the ceiling, ready to attack.
A short, black-haired teenager in a blue jacket came through the door, who had slammed it open.
"Is that him? Is that the baby? I KNEW I heard it was all done!"
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!"
There was another teenager pulling on to the black-haired kid's arm. This one had white hair and was, notably, wearing a mask that covered half of his face from the nose down.
"Hands OFF Kakashi! Don't make me turn you into pulp!"
"What are you talking about!? You didn't even last a minute in our last sparring match!"
A girl then came through, walking past the two boys and immediately bowing towards us.
"I'm so sorry sensei, Obito just rushed right in here, the whole time his ear was pressed to the door and, besides him, we couldn't hear a thing. So, we couldn't react in time to stop him from barging in. Please forgive us!"
At this last sentence, she bowed even further, her head almost touching the floor.
For a moment, there was complete silence, besides the argument the two boys seemed to be having over how their last match went.
"EXCUSE ME!" Biwako started yellowing at the trio, "Do you have ANY idea of how many rules you three are breaking right now!?"
Minato and the ANBU put away their kunai, all looking extremely sheepish.
"Biwako… please, let's not upset Menma."
Biwako turned towards the voice, Kushina's eyes were closed and she was smiling still, but something about her tone expressed that she was anything but pleased. She was trying her best to suppress her unyielding rage.
"I guess," Kushina said, "now that you three are here, you can come see the baby."
Obito came rushing forward, eager to see what I looked like.
He was right next to me, Obito, one of my favorite fictional characters, presumably right before his whole life got shattered. It was honestly disturbing to think that this kid, who was beaming at me and exuberating nothing but happiness, would be the one to essentially start a World War.
"Th- The baby's…"
"Menma."
"Menma's hair… it's just like yours Miss Kushina!"
Really? So… maybe I wasn't the EXACT Menma from the movie? Was I still replacing Naruto?
"Yes," Kushina smiled, "I suppose it is. But he definitely inherits his father's face, ya know." She then frowned slightly, "Unfortunately, he seems to have these whisker birthmarks on his cheeks. Probably a byproduct of being born to a jinchuriki mother…"
"So?" Kushina stared at Obito, "That just means it's more proof that he's a product of someone as awesome as you Miss Kushina!"
At this, Minato and Kushina smiled warmly towards Obito. Minato then looked towards Kushina, who gave him a nod back.
As Minato approached the three of us, along with the rest of the kids, he started to speak.
"Obito, Kushina and I put a lot of thought into this… and after careful consideration, we wanted to ask you to be the Godfather of our child."
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"What…? Me? Are you serious?"
The couple nodded, "Yes," Kushina said, "And Rin, we wanted you to be the Godmother."
Rin gasped, putting her hands together, "Really? I would love to!"
Obito still seemed confused.
"But… Why me? Surely someone like Lord Jiraiya would be better. And isn't he closer to you guys then I am?"
"That isn't the case at all!" Kushina frowned towards Obito, "we actually had a realization after we caught Jiraiya doing… research… that he isn't fit right now to be a Godfather, and after thinking more, we thought you would be great!"
Taken aback, Obito stared at Minato.
"Really, sensei?"
"Yes, Obito." He smiled brightly, "We want you to be the Godfather."
Obito started beaming yet again, even more so than before, which I thought was impossible.
"YES! That's great!" He peered over to me, "Menma, we're gonna have the best time together! I really can't wait."
"Ahem."
Kakashi was a little behind the group, honestly looking a little down.
"We should probably get back to guard duty while they clean up, we don't want anyone to come and flank us by surprise."
"Kakashi c'mon! I just met my Godchild!"
"No, he's right, you all need to head back while we sort some more stuff out. We can talk later," Minato said.
After the crew left us, I closed my eyes to just think about what had happened.
So, I am now a part of this Naruto universe, in an event that never happened, to a character that did not exist, but also was born to two of some of the most important characters in the story. Was I taking the place of Naruto? How could I check what year it was or what had happened recently so I could know? Did Naruto even HAVE official calendar systems? What about my old life… my new job? That… that girl?
I then became very sleepy and decided to close my eyes.
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Kushina's arms were very comfortable.
So I published this story 4 years ago, and recently deleted it to start a new one. This is more revised, and I believe has more thought put into it. Let's see where it goes!