《Naruto: Stormbreaker》


 Chapter 1: I am shocked!

    A light flickered, and someone reached for a lever. He was tense but steady in his movement, pressing it down before looking up from the floor to the people sitting on the other side of the reinforced glass. The view began to clear for them.


    At the center of the room was a chair. A man sat on it. Shaved head. Yellow irises and clear whites. He looked at the people witnessing his final moments with mockery.


    The bald, tense man glanced back at him.


    ¡°Do you have any final words?¡±


    His hands hesitated, unsure whether to give the signal to the executioner to activate the current. I looked at him with pity, knowing the guilt he would carry. But my attention shifted to the people behind the glass.


    ¡°I have no regrets. All I did was avenge my big sister who took care of me. Everyone who died by my hand was involved, one way or another. And I got them all.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hide the mocking in my voice.


    ¡°I was just unlucky that some rich and powerful asshole happened to be one of them.¡±


    I looked away from them, trying to focus on the ceiling, trying to see beyond it, to reach for her smile buried in my memories, searching for one last ray of light. But my whole body was restrained. My head too.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy. They got what they deserved. I¡¯ll go in peace.¡±


    Then the sound of the current hit. Loud. Sharp and Final.


    I wish I could describe what it felt like. But all I truly felt was peace. Then darkness.


    It was comfortable. Like bliss. No pain. No sadness. Just... nonexistence.


    Then I was sitting there. In the middle of a destroyed village. Surrounded by bodies and fire.


    I wanted to go back to the darkness. Why was I pulled out of its embrace just to feel pain again? Was I destined to suffer? Was what I did a sin worth this?


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    ¡°No.¡± I clenched my hands.


    ¡°I did what was right. Those monsters deserved it.¡±


    Then the thought hit me. My mind weirdly clear. That something was off about my body. I looked down. My eyes widened.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    My hands were tiny. My body small and weak. I didn¡¯t know what was happening. Or where I was.


    I looked around again. Nothing but destruction. Fire. Death. The sky above was orange, lit up from the flames and smoke.


    My once-clear mind was now clouded with fear and confusion.


    ¡°Did I go back in time?¡±


    Looking at my clothes and what was left of the buildings around me, I muttered,


    ¡°No¡­ this doesn¡¯t look like my world.¡±


    My eyes went wide with realization.


    ¡°Is reincarnation actually real?¡±


    My thoughts were a mess. I always believed humans get judged after death. Heaven or hell. But maybe¡­ maybe something else happens.


    I focused harder this time. Scanned my surroundings. Then I saw something that shook me.


    A dead man. Wearing a headband.


    Konoha.


    My entire reality cracked.


    Konoha is real?


    I remember reading the manga. Watching the anime religiously when I was younger. But it was fiction. Wasn¡¯t it?


    Was Earth even real? Was I?


    Am I hallucinating? Dying forever in some endless dream?


    I moved my weak, bloodied hands. Pain shot through them. I smelled the smoke. Licked my fingertip. Tasted that sharp, metallic blood.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t finish the sentence.


    My mind went blank. I only knew one thing to do.


    Meditate.


    It was what I always did. To suppress my anger. To stay rational. Letting rage control me would''ve ended my revenge before it ever truly began. I had to be clear through the journey. Till I got the last one.


    So I slowed my breathing. Closed my eyes. Blocked out the smells. The screams. The heat. Everything. Like I did before.


    Just my breath.


    There, in the middle of death, fire, and ruin, a child sat still. Calm. At peace.


    The fire was creeping closer, but he didn¡¯t care. His chest rose and fell in rhythm.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    That means her memory lives on. My sister¡¯s. It was always just the two of us.


    No matter what kind of existence this is, as long as I carry her with me, I¡¯m okay.


    A smile crept onto my face. Tears followed. Dark, red, mixed with blood rolling down my cheek.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be forgotten, sister.¡±


    Suddenly I felt something move me. My body shifted.


    I looked up to see a young shinobi, maybe not even twenty. Blonde hair. Green eyes. He was carrying me, jumping across rooftops.


    It was surreal. Like gravity didn¡¯t apply to him. The felling was incredible, It felt like freedome.


    He was speaking. His voice cut through my daze.


    ¡°Kid, are you okay?¡±


    He looked at the blood running from my eyes. A few dried streaks near my ear. Concern was all over his face.


    ¡°Hang on, kid. Looks like your ears took a hit. I¡¯m taking you to the hospital. Just stay awake, alright? Don¡¯t die on me.¡±


    I turned my head, barely able to focus, and saw something I never thought I would witness in real life.


    The Nine-Tails¡­ was destroying Konoha.

 Chapter 2: Youre finally awake

    For someone who came from the modern world with its relative peace and structured systems, the sight of a monster on that scale wreaking such destruction was a shock. Even though I remembered the scene from the anime and manga, the reality was terrifying.


    Death was everywhere. The sheer size of the monster and the devastation it caused were monumental. I witnessed Kurama swinging its claws and tails, turning humans into bloody mist and demolishing buildings with people still inside, all in the blink of an eye. I could feel its rage and fury even from far away. Then it happened. An incredible amount of chakra, or perhaps mana, began to concentrate in its mouth. My eyes widened.


    The Biju Bomb was coming.


    Before I could witness the arrival of the Fourth Hokage, my head began to spin. The blood loss and the shock were finally catching up to me. My vision blurred, and before I knew it, my eyes closed and coldness took hold of my body.


    I woke up in a panic. The dread I had felt from Kurama was still sitting heavy in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I looked around and found myself lying in a hospital bed. There were a few other patients in the small room. I looked down at my body, trying to confirm whether I was dreaming or not, and there it was. The small, malnourished body of a bit over four years old boy.


    I turned my head to the window beside the bed. The sunlight was warm, and the breeze that drifted in helped calm me. That was when I noticed a faint reflection of myself in the glass.


    My hair was short and a little wavy. My face still had some baby fat. But my eyes were exactly as they had been in my previous life, a strange mix of gold and green. I kept staring at the window, still not fully believing what was happening. I had fallen asleep and woken up again in Konoha. Maybe I really had reincarnated.


    I was still unsure. My beliefs made it hard to accept something like this. But after a moment of silence, I came to a conclusion. I really am in Konoha. This is reality.


    I was deep in thought when a short, clearly exhausted medical-nin entered the room. She looked around briefly, then hurried over when she noticed I was awake. Her hands gently touched my shoulders.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake" she said with a warm smile.


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    She glanced around at the others still lying in their beds. Her expression softened with sadness.


    "Everyone else in this room has been in a coma since the attack. You''re the only one who''s woken up." She sighed quietly, then turned her attention back to me with a gentle smile.


    "I''m glad you did. You didn''t have any critical injuries, but you were in a coma for almost a week."


    I blinked, surprised. She noticed and gave me a slightly puzzled look.


    "You didn''t understand what I said, did you, kid?"


    I looked into her tired eyes, marked with dark circles, and replied calmly, "I understood you perfectly. Thank you for taking care of me. I appreciate your kindness."


    She looked genuinely surprised at how clearly I spoke. My articulation and composure must have thrown her off. That made me think. Should I start pretending to act like a child? I was still young when I died, but not four years young. I doubted I could pull it off. Then again, I remembered that Konoha had many geniuses who were far ahead of their age. Maybe it would not be too hard to believe.


    The nurse scratched her head awkwardly and asked, "Do you know your name?"


    That question caught me off guard. I had no memory of who this body originally belonged to. I had not inherited any memories. But I knew exactly what I wanted to be called.


    "My name is Noa," I said confidently.


    She gave a soft smile. "Not a very common name, but I¡¯ve heard it before. How about your parents, family, or friends?"


    I shook my head. "I don¡¯t remember anything about them."


    She frowned with concern. "It might be related to your mental state and injuries. Maybe your memories will come back later. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?"


    I nodded. "Yes. And thank you again."


    She smiled again. "You¡¯re such a well-mannered kid. We¡¯ll keep you in the hospital for a couple more days just to observe you. Hopefully, your memories will return."


    She seemed like she wanted to say more but hesitated. Then she gently patted my head and continued.


    "I¡¯ll go check on the other patients now. Try not to move too much. If you need anything, just call for me. My name is Ayaka."


    I gave her a small bow as she walked away.


    Turning back to the window, I let my thoughts drift.


    Konoha isn¡¯t exactly a safe place. Knowing what the future holds, I need to start thinking seriously about getting stronger. Luckily, I arrived before the main Naruto events. When things start spiraling, I¡¯ll be ready. There is no time to play around. I am a man in a boy¡¯s body, after all. I had enough fun in my previous life.


    A small chuckle slipped out of my mouth, quickly replaced by a deep sadness.


    Sister, I carry your name now. I kept my promise. I will keep your memory alive for as long as I live.


    I closed my eyes and began to meditate again. Only one thought remained clear in my mind.


    I died for my sister. I avenged her, and I will never regret it. But in this life¡­


    I clenched my tiny hands with a quiet resolve.


    I will live with one goal. To become strong. What happened to me in my previous life will not be allowed to repeat.


    Never again.

 Chapter 3: Nature lover

    A few days later, I was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health. I didn''t witness how they healed me so quickly. It was done during my coma, but I was still amazed by it. My modern worldview was challenged on a daily basis, and soon enough a less pleasant aspect of this world revealed itself. I was transferred to an orphanage.


    The orphanage was packed with miserable children of all kinds. It was overcrowded due to the Nine-Tails incident. I was sent there because I had no memories of who I was, nor did any family recognize me.


    My first few days there felt like hell. I had to sleep on the floor multiple times due to the lack of space. The village was still addressing its most urgent matters and hadn''t yet turned its attention to the orphanage. Those days served as a harsh reminder that this world was vastly different from my previous one. Hunger, loneliness, and cold became my constant companions.


    Several days passed in this state of misery, but things gradually improved. The village began relocating orphans to newly established shelters, and I finally had a bed to myself. The first thing I did was sleep in it for more than twelve hours. I was utterly exhausted and desperately needed the rest. When I woke up, I felt extremely hungry, but unfortunately, the limited food available had no meat. Meat was something I sorely needed if I intended to strengthen this frail body. Although I was still just a child, I wanted to start training as early as possible. In a world filled with shinobi, every advantage mattered.


    After finally getting enough rest and an acceptable meal, my mind felt clear. Sitting cross-legged on my bed in a meditative pose, I reflected on my past life and the new reality I now faced. I reminded myself of my resolve, closed my eyes, and let go of all distractions. Breathing gently, I reached inward. For hours, I sat silently from early morning until sunset. Eventually, I felt it. a warm sensation deep within me. Chakra. Every creature in the shinobi world possessed it, but the ability to wield it was what truly mattered. I tried grasping it, but it was elusive, slipping through my mental grasp like water through open fingers.


    I exhaled slowly and opened my eyes. I realized my body was still too weak. First, I needed to find meat and then begin exercising lightly. My physical level needed to catch up to my spiritual capability if I hoped to harness chakra properly.


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    Fortunately, I lived in the Leaf Village. Several areas around the village had small forests suitable for hunting. The issue was that the orphanage did not allow us to leave freely. However, it wasn''t exactly a high-security prison. I knew because I had experienced one in my past life. The fence had small openings that could be widened enough for me to sneak through. After breakfast, the supervisors usually left us to our own devices. They were overworked, understaffed, and lacked sufficient funding due to overcrowding. This provided me a window from breakfast until sunset each day to leave unnoticed.


    I didn''t interact much with the other children in the orphanage. They were just kids with nothing particularly interesting to say. Unfortunately, they reminded me how mean children could be. After a few days of digging and several broken fingernails, I finally managed to sneak out at sunrise. I headed quickly toward the nearest small forest, approximately an hour away. People gave me strange looks when they saw a child, barely five years old, walking alone. To avoid suspicion, I carried a grocery bag I have found, hoping it appeared like I was running an errand. Children in this world were typically smarter than those in my old world because of chakra, so while my behavior wasn''t exactly common, it didn''t attract much attention. Just in case someone questioned me, I prepared a believable story: my sick mother had sent me for groceries, and I memorized directions to a house near my orphanage.


    When I finally reached the forest outside the village, I saw it was more like a small wooded area than a true forest. Most of the animals there would be small, but it was better than nothing. I was only a small child myself, after all, and didn''t need large portions of meat yet.


    Holding a rock tightly in my hand, I entered the small forest, alert and ready to strike as soon as I spotted a bird or small animal. Hunting humans had been part of my previous life, but hunting animals was an entirely different matter.


    I soon saw a bird perched on a tree branch ahead. As I stepped forward, I wasn''t careful enough, and my foot snapped a small twig beneath me. The bird panicked and quickly flew away. Frustrated, I reminded myself that this was a shinobi world, and if I didn''t start acting like one, I would soon die of malnutrition.


    After wandering for a short while longer, I spotted another bird. This time, I carefully lowered my small body, moved slowly, watched each step, and breathed quietly. Once close enough, I threw the rock with a swift, fluid motion, striking the bird in the chest. It let out a pained cry as it fell to the ground. Worried another animal might steal my prize, I ran to it immediately. Thankfully, no animal seemed interested in my tiny catch. I picked up the bird, which was still alive but suffering. Looking at it, I felt a pang of guilt.


    "Sorry, bird," I whispered softly, "but survival of the fittest and all."


    Then, with a sharp twist, there was a quiet crack.