Darkness. Cold, suffocating silence.
Naruto Uzumaki opened his eyes.
Or rather, he thought he had — because there was nothing to see. Just an endless, empty void. He floated in it, weightless. His body didn't ache, but something inside him felt… gone.
A soft sound echoed in the silence: ding.
Then a translucent blue screen faded into view before him, glowing faintly.
> [LIFE COMPLETE.]
Status: DEAD
Cause of Death: Classified
Would you like to restart?
Naruto stared.
His heartbeat — or what felt like one — pulsed loud in his ears. "A game?" he whispered. "Was my life a game?" The irony twisted in his gut. After everything — the pain, the loneliness, the battles, the friends lost — and it all boiled down to this?
A simple yes or no?
He clenched his fists, then slowly, shakily reached out.
He pressed YES.
---
[System Reboot: Loading… 1%… 50%… 100%]
---
With a sharp gasp, Naruto jolted upright in bed. Sweat drenched his back. His chest heaved.
He knew this bed. He knew this room. The cracked ceiling. The flickering light. The dusty curtains that barely kept out the sun. It was his apartment in Konoha.
But his arms — they were small. His legs too short. He scrambled to the mirror.
"No way..." he breathed, staring at his younger self. Wide blue eyes. Round cheeks. Short, messy blond hair. No scars from battle. No Sage marks. No Hokage cloak. Just...
"I'm a kid again."
> [SYSTEM ONLINE.]
Welcome, Naruto Uzumaki.
Body Age: 11
Time Remaining to Graduation Exam: 2 Months
Memory Sync: 100%
New Mission:
• Rewrite Your Fate
• Optional: Abandon the Leaf Village
• Optional: Contact the Akatsuki
Rewards: ???
Naruto stared at the screen hovering in the air. Only he could see it. Only he could hear the faint ding that came with each message.
The memories… they were all there. The wars. The betrayals. Jiraiya's death. Pain's invasion. Kaguya. Kurama. Sasuke. Even Boruto.
He stumbled back, gripping the edge of the sink, trying to breathe. "This… this isn't just a dream. I'm really back."
He looked at his hands again. No chakra burns. No scars from war. Just… a second chance.
---
That evening, Naruto didn't go to Ichiraku Ramen. He didn't pull any pranks. He sat in his room, staring at the system screen, thinking.
> Optional Mission: "Leave the Village"
His thoughts returned to the cold stares of the villagers. The years of being ignored. The beatings he remembered in back alleys. The way no one told him who his parents were.
The way they made him a weapon. A symbol. A container.
And even after saving them all — they still called him monster, under their breath.
"What am I supposed to protect?" he whispered.
Then another thought. If the Akatsuki were the enemy… what if he used them differently? What if he got close to them, learned their truths again, and changed the future from the outside?
"I won't follow the same path," he said aloud.
He packed only what he needed. A change of clothes. Some food. A few kunai. Then opened the window quietly. The streets were silent. No one would expect him to leave — he was "Naruto the dead-last", after all.
> New Quest Unlocked:
Runaway
Objective: Escape Konoha undetected
Bonus Objective: Reach the border within 48 hours
He dropped silently to the ground, landing with the grace of someone who had done it a thousand times in a future no one remembered.
---
As he leapt through the trees under cover of night, Naruto paused once to glance back. The village lights flickered in the distance. His childhood home. His prison.
"Goodbye…"
He turned his head forward.
The Akatsuki awaited.
So did the rest of the world — and this time, he wouldn't wait to be chosen. He'd choose himself.
———
The morning sun peeked over the horizon, casting golden light through the Hokage's office windows.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sipped his tea with a distant gaze. His old bones ached more than usual — maybe a storm was coming. Or maybe it was the feeling he couldn't shake since the day began.
Usually, by now, a certain loud blond boy would have crashed through the door or climbed in through the window, or dragging mud into the room with another failed prank attempt.
But today…
Silence.
Hiruzen set his cup down just as the door opened.
"Lord Hokage," Iruka Umino stepped in, looking slightly off balance, "Have you seen Naruto today?"
Hiruzen's eyebrows lifted. "No. I assumed he was attending class."
Iruka shook his head. "That's the problem. He wasn't at the academy. I waited... he never showed. He's never been late more than a few minutes since he started improving in taijutsu."
Hiruzen's frown deepened. "And last night, he didn't visit me either…"
He stood abruptly. "Come. Let's check his apartment."
---
Naruto's Apartment – 20 minutes later
The door creaked open with a key Hiruzen had used only once before — when Naruto was six and hadn't come home for two days after running away from a beating by some drunk villagers.
Hiruzen was pissed off, He send ANBU after those people and throw them at Anko to do as she pleases with them along with Ibiki. Both of them wasn't merciful with them.
The room was quiet. Neat. Too neat.
Iruka stepped in and scanned the area. "There's dust on the windowsill. No footprints. The bed's been slept in, but the blanket's are on the floor..."
Hiruzen picked up a folded sheet of paper on the desk. Blank. Naruto's notebook. The last few pages were torn out. And his school bag was missing.
His gut clenched. "He's gone."
Iruka turned sharply. "You don't mean—"
"Let's not assume the worst yet." Hiruzen's voice betrayed the fear rising behind his calm. "He may just be roaming around."
They moved quickly to the next logical place.
---
Ichiraku Ramen
The warm scent of broth and noodles wafted through the air, but there was no comfort in it this morning.
"Lord Hokage!" Teuchi greeted with his usual smile, but it faded when he saw their faces. "Something wrong?"
"Has Naruto been here today?" Hiruzen asked quietly.
Teuchi blinked. "No, not since yesterday. Strange—he usually shows up early. I even made extra miso."
Iruka stared down at the empty stool Naruto always used. "He didn't come here either…"
A cold wind seemed to pass through Hiruzen. His shoulders tensed.
"Umino," Hiruzen said firmly, his tone shifting to that of a shinobi leader. "Search the village. Check the rooftops, the training grounds, and the hot springs. Talk to anyone who might've seen him."
Iruka nodded and vanished in a flicker of motion.
Hiruzen turned slowly, walking toward the center of the village.
Then, with a heavy sigh, he formed a single hand sign.
"ANBU – Report."
Three masked shinobi dropped silently around him.
"Uzumaki Naruto is missing," Hiruzen said. "Initiate full search protocol. Discretion only until sunset. If he's not found by then... alert the elders."
The ANBU nodded and vanished into smoke.
---
Meanwhile – Deep Forest, Land of Fire, Far beyond the outer reaches of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki sat in the crook of a tree branch, chewing quietly on dried fish and stale bread.
He had traveled all night.
His body ached. His chakra was strained. But his mind was sharper than it had ever been at this age. He pulled up his System interface with a thought.
> Distance from Konoha: 27.8 km
Estimated Tracker Arrival: 6 hours
Suggested Action: Create Diversion
Naruto smirked.
"Right."
With practiced ease, he weaved a sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Four identical copies of himself appeared. Each received a scroll with a simple map and sprinted off in different directions — north, west, northeast, and one doubling back slightly to confuse scent trails.
As the clones disappeared into the trees, Naruto descended to the ground.
He knelt down, carefully packing away crumbs, burying leftover food, and brushing over any signs of his presence.
Leaves replaced disturbed dirt. Tree bark was untouched. Campfire? Never lit one.
It would be as if he had never been there at all.
He slung his small backpack over his shoulder.
> New Objective:
Locate Akatsuki Movement
Estimated Nearest Sighting: Rain Country Border
Naruto exhaled, eyes narrowed in determination.
"No more playing the fool," he whispered. "No more waiting for people to accept me."
He stepped into the shadows between trees, disappearing deeper into the unknown.
Behind him, not even footprints remained.