Chapter 1: Enter, New Chapter
Ugh, dying sucks. It really fucking sucks. No, I didn't get hit by the almighty Truck-kun, that stupid virus from the pandemic finally got to me. It didn't make any sense, I got my vaccines and booster shots while always keeping myself clean... except maybe that one time I was having too much fun gaming with a friend of mine.
A day after we hanged out, he quickly called me about him contracting the virus. I thought I was fine until my heart rate weirdly accelerated to higher levels, never was born with a healthy body when I was a baby. And now a few hours later... well I think you got the rest.
At least I had a fulfilling life, wouldn't exactly call it the best but I wouldn't trade it for another. My mom is a nagging pain in the neck, but she tries to help in her own selfish way. My sis was a fun, immature yet explosive adult, mostly because she's a mom as well of two girls. Speaking of which, I hope those two troublemakers won't keep giving everyone too much of a hard time. Hehe, I'm gonna miss hugging them. And my brother is a jackass though not a complete jackass and that's... the best compliment I can give him.
As for my dad, he passed on a year earlier than me due to cancer reactivated by the vaccine shot. Fucking hell, the pandemic took so many lives directly and indirectly, I almost went into depression because of it too. At least I'm dying relatively quickly without too much pain, dad had to suffer slowly for a few months despite the entire family's best efforts to save him. Not to mention my pet dog, he died six months after my dad and... yeah, I'm gonna stop with all the depressing talks, it's not helping with my psyche.
On the bright side, I can go to heaven and see if I can find them as well as my grandparents, assuming that I'm not going to hell. Pretty sure I'm good enough to go to the former though it's always best to prepare for the worst.
Come to think of it, when am I gonna pass on anyway? I've been here for like what? 30... 40 minutes? Is there a line of spirits waiting to get approved of where to go in the afterlife like in Dragon Ball? While having time to grief of leaving my family is nice, I've already done most of it on my hospital bed when they were bawling in front of me.
Wherever here is, it's dark everywhere and strangely comfy, like I'm floating in space without a care in the world. Not to mention the constant rhythmic beating is so soothing, calming my entire being as the pulse travels harmoniously through me.
Oh wait, I see something. It's a light. Finally, the exit to this tunnel. I never completely believed in spirits and the afterlife until now though it's not the time to get nervous to know the next chapter of my life- wait a second, is something pushing me?
Woah! My body is trying to squeeze through the light. Wait? I still have my body?
"Uguahh! Waaahhh!"
"Congratulations-..."
The fuck? Why am I crying? And why do I sound like my baby niece needing a diaper change? Why are the images and sound so blurry? Why did I hear some guy say 'congratulations' in Japanese?
Ah, I suddenly... feel exhausted. Ugh, questions later, sleep now. The last I could make out were two... silhouettes...
Okay, I've been sleeping for most of the time. My visual, auditory, and olfactory senses are completely shot. And during the short times that I do wake up, I could hardly move my body. I've been doing this for a couple times now for the past who-knows-how-long, discovering three facts:
A) I am soft and squishy
B) I am treated with care and affection
C) Whenever I cry, there are at least one of these two different people checking either my tummy or my diaper
... There's no fucking way. I mean, I've seen it countless times in anime, manga and such, but seriously!? Is this really possible? Does this mean that gods, heaven, karma and all the superstitious stuff are also real?
Well, I've never seen them yet considering my situation, I've got to seriously think they're all real. What else is real then? Why am I here? Is the god here benevolent who wants me to save the place or just plain cruel who's watching me as an entertainment as I struggle to survive like a certain spider? My ears aren't developed much but since I know a little bit of Japanese, at least I know it's not some weird fantasy world.
Let's think of the possible options. For all I know, I might be reincarnated in the same world as my previous life, just in a different country. Luckily due to my developing physical brain, I'm not going insane from all the boredom of not doing anything. It's similar to sleeping like a log, one moment you slap your alarm clock to sleep for five more minutes, you wake up two hours later. Same principle. Since I'm being raised with love by my new parents, then maybe the gods aren't using me as a game for their-
[ROAR]
Yup... guess tempting fate is also a thing here. And also... What the flying fuck!? A fucking loud roar spooked the shit out of me, literally! And the ground is shaking! What could be possibly be big enough to make a noise that loud and cause the earth to rumble that much?
"Dear! Don't go-... die-..."
"-... protect-... love-..."
I am liking this less and less. Baby instincts kicked in, causing me to wail loudly. I felt being carried by strong protective arms, straining myself to see who was in front of me. My eyes aren't that good yet, I could make out the brown hair and brown eyes, he was looking at me lovingly yet sadly. So this is my new father? A little upwards, I could see an insignia around where his forehead is, it looks like a... leaf...
"My son."
No... Please no! Not again!
"I will always love you."
"WAAAHHHH!" I cried louder, not because I was a baby, but because I knew what could happen if he went out. My heart bled, it ached. The pain of losing a family member from my previous life resurfaced, I can't bear of suffering that again. 'DAD! NO! Don't go! There's no guarantee you'll survive! Please don't!'
Another pair of arms took me despite my feeble attempt to latch onto dad. I couldn't tell what was going on anymore, dad was leaving to the battlefield, 'No... I just got this new life dammit! What did I do to deserve this!? Does god really want to see me suffer on TV while munching popcorn!? Why... Why again... I just...'
'I just don't want to lose any more people...'
Welp, the fourth emotional rollercoaster (first was grandma, second was first dad, and third was my dog) didn't last as long as the fist three. The pain doesn't get easier, it's just that we need to move on if we want to survive in life.
"Ken! It's time for grocery shopping!"
"Coming kaa-chan!"
Bumbling down the stairs was a four-year-old me. That's right, four years have passed since the Kyuubi incident, hope Kurama isn't going too crazy inside Naruto right now. My name is Takamiya Ken, a kid with black spiky hair and black eyes, the typical Japanese male looks with not bad-looking appearance if I do say so myself.
Passing by the photo of my dad, I thought about the events from that night. My father, Takamiya Hiraku was a chunin from Konoha, he never made it to jounin standards though he was one of the top shinobis of his rank. The surviving shinobi and colleges told me he was brave and got lots of civilians to safety before joining the fray. I didn't know him that long at that time, but it made me proud of my dad.
"So what's for dinner?"
"How about curry? The veggies are on discount today."
"Extra mildly spicy?"
"Extra mildly spicy."
"Alright!"
Takamiya Chika, my mom is a retired shinobi. She only made it to genin before she found her passion for sewing and opening her own clothes store. She never told me much about her former shinobi life, probably because she didn't get a lot of exciting missions and got stuck on forever D-ranks. She long black locks tied into a bun and quite a nice figure for a woman who already gave birth.
No you perverts, I'm not perving on my own mom. That's gross, even if she is my second. Get your head out of the gutter.
At first I thought she might be a possible Uchiha judging by the appearance until I realized her attitude didn't fit as one. Besides, our home is nowhere near the Uchiha compound and I would've gotten the Sharingan by now from losing my dad. Plus, I don't even want to be a shinobi anyway. No offense to the super cool jutsus and powers, the nice peaceful and death-free life suits me more. I already died once in my twenties, got to live longer this time.
Naruto will take care most of the major problems anyway. Me interfering in this world may cause drastic changes, don't want to risk anything that can mess up all the way to the Boruto timeline. However, giving the important parts of the future might be a good idea, that and meeting my number one idol is too big of chance to fucking pass up!
Our house is in the more rural area, it's quite unusual for me to have the sight of short buildings instead of tall skyscrapers in the urban cities all the time. However, even on our way to the market in the rural areas, we can still see the Hokage Rock all the way from here. Man, it feels so nostalgic. The OG Naruto when there was only four faces at the time, it's like I'm watching history.
"Do you have anything you want to do later Ken?"
The smell of raw fish wafted to my nostrils, we're almost at Mohawk Fish Market, the same place where Sakura first learned the basics of medical ninjutsu if I remember correctly, "How about going to the library?"
"You've already been there yesterday."
"There's some stuff about Konoha I was interested in." Especially when I learned that the Hatake Clan was actually real. I was shocked as fuck about something I thought I already know everything about, not sure if it's actually canon though. Then again, it's been a long time since I last watched Naruto.
"Children like you should be more active and running around. To play and make friends."
Come to think of it, children do need to learn their motor skills when they're still young, their learning curve is at their peak at this stage. It's a bit earlier than planned, but maybe I can start my next training, "Then how about the park?"
"Par-..."
Mom hesitated for a second. Weird, what could've gotten her agitated from a place where kids build sandcastles and ride the swings?
"Why don't we go to the Hojonji Park? The playground there is bigger and you can have more fun."
"Isn't the Senju Park closer? We have to walk for over an hour to get to Hojonji."
"Well..."
"Ah Chika-san, are you interested in some salmon? We received a fresh batch this morning from the Land of Water."
"Kurata-san, yes please. Do you also have any tuna?"
Her attention was diverted or more like, she changed the topic. Whatever's at the Senju Park, it's obvious she doesn't want me to go there. If there's one plausible reason, I'd say it's probably because she doesn't want me to hang out with Naruto.
One major change from canon is that Naruto's parents are still alive in this timeline, the Third Hokage took his place and used the Reaper Death Seal instead to seal Kurama. Since then, Minato tried to proclaim that both the Third and Naruto were heroes for keeping the Tailed Beast in check. There's no law saying that everyone needs to stay quiet about the blonde's status as a jinchuriki, though I haven't heard anything about actively discussing about the topic in public either.
Regardless, I've sensed a lot of animosity for Naruto from Konoha. Can't say I blame them, the lives of their loved ones were taken away and the reason for that was still alive. It would take time for the pain and scars in their heart to heal, I'm one of them actually.
Welp, at least Naruto can experience the love of a family in this reality, which leads me to another question. How would this affect canon? Meh, the filler showed that it went well enough, shouldn't be too much of a trouble. Also, RIP Sarutobi Hiruzen, you've already grown old and did a lot for the village, get your well deserved rest in the afterli... the reaper's stomach as much as possible.
"Hello there Ken, following your kaa-chan for some shopping again."
"Uh huh."
"Still not much of a talker I see. Most kids your age are much more hyperactive."
"I guess I'm just different."
"Pretty confident too if you can say that so casually. Have fun."
"Bye bye." Mom grabbed my hand as we continued shopping, I glanced at her worried expression, she was clearly still upset about earlier, "I'm fine with Hojonji Park."
"Wha- what was that sweetie?"
"It's fine, I can tell you're bothered about something. We don't even have to go to a park, I can just take a stroll around the house."
"... Oh dear, you have your father's sharp senses." She smiled sadly yet fondly, "You'll make a great shinobi one day."
"I don't want to be a shinobi."
"Really?" Flabbergasted, "Most children would... Of course, you are different. If that is what you want, then go ahead and slowly think about your future. Your kaa-chan will always support you."
"Does that mean we get dango on the way back?"
"Okay wise guy, don't go playing smart with me."
Whistling innocently, I acted the part as the pure four-year-old boy who could nothing possibly wrong.
"But I can take you to Senju Park."
My hand nearly stiffened from the comment, "Are you sure?"
"It is fine honey." Mom smiled gently, swinging my grabbed arm in a wider arc merrily, "It's just some adult stuff, no need for you to think too much about. Go have fun, it's healthier than you cooping up in the house reading all day anyway."
An assumption is just that, an assumption. The reason might not be the jinchuriki. Besides, there's no guarantee that he'll be there if he really is the reason, "Thanks kaa-chan."
After buying the rest of the ingredients, we dropped them at the house and went for outside fun. While mom took out a book to read to pass the time, I met some kids around my age there and gave a brief introduction, none were from any noticeable clans. We had a game of tag, with a boy with messy blonde hair being it. It was quite fun, being a kid again without needing to brood over homework or assignments.
At least until school and puberty comes.
"Now let's play hide and seek!"
"Eh? No way, what if you leave us and we had to hide forever."
"Come on, don't tell me you're scared."
"I-I'm not scared, I'm just looking out for Ken."
"What do you say, Ken? You're not afraid of hiding out alone, ain't you?"
"Fine by me." I smirked confidently, getting on the boys' nerves, "Ready when you are."
"Tough guy huh? Then, I'll start. One. Two-"
"Hey, no fair. We need time to hide."
We scampered, searching for hiding spots. Some girls had a slow start and couldn't make it in time, easily caught. I took my place behind the bushes, the colors from the environment and sunlight should mesh well with my shirt and hair, blending me into the surroundings better. Exhaling, I tried to enter stealth mode, pretending to be shinobi.
Okay, I know I said I didn't want to become one, doesn't mean I can't pick up a few of their tricks for myself.
It was only a matter of time before everyone else was found and eventually, I was the final person still in the game. They were running around for my trail like headless chickens and it was kind of funny. To be fair, I am quite a distance away from the playground. It was getting so funny that I lost my cool and chuckled.
The bushes rustled, indicating that someone was here, I was tired of laying low anyway. Then suddenly, a small figure tripped over and landed next to me. Her long blonde pig tailed hair had leaves in them, her orange clothes messed up slightly. After rubbing her eyes, we met face to face, her big blue eyes met my black ones. She was happy, smiling ear to ear from locating me with those cute whisker marks which made her even cuter.
...
'What the actual fuck?'
AN: It has happened. It has finally fucking happened! I'm writing a fucking Naruto fanfic! With how much of a fanboy, I guess it would be weird that I didn't write this sooner. Well, I write fanfics when I think that the story or plot could use some adjustments or doesn't make sense to me. And to me, the Naruto storyline was good enough to not require me to write out a fic. But after seeing the 20th anniversary video, nostalgia hit me hard and compelled me to write this.
It's mostly a rewrite to enjoy Naruto all over again for my own personal sake, no big changes to the plot... probably. This is my secondary focus and will be much shorter compared to my first fic, like maybe 3-5k words per chapter. Well, I hope you all like it. Please leave a review... Wait, this is just to relive the nostalgia for my own sake, no need for reviews. Either way...
Ja Ne