Chapter 2

"So... I reincarnated? Transmigrated?"

Christopher, or rather...

'Free, huh?' He looked at himself in the mirror once more, a hint of fear lurking in his heart. After gaining the memories of the child he resides in, he came to know that he was not in any normal place, but the dangerous world of Naruto.

Along with fear, though, was a bit of excitement. Christopher had dreamt of experiencing what fiction felt like, but he couldn't help but regret that thought now. After all, he was just thrown into a world full of Shinobi, supernatural powers, and much more. And being reincarnated into a world where the law of the jungle prevails, it was not a good experience for his mental health.

"Damn it... Why this cursed place of all the others?" Free took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and analyzed the situation... Well, there was nothing else to do.

'So I'm in Kirigakure... In the bloody Mist era. The examination is pretty close if memory serves right, where I am forced to slaughter every single competitor. Just great.' He rubbed his temples in frustration. Not only did he lack any sort of combat prowess, but his time was also ticking. Free couldn't help but pull his hair in bitterness.

[ Reincarnation successful ]

"What the..."

Free's eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice. However, his puzzlement grew when he failed to notice any other presence than himself. Then, another whisper echoed into his ears, making his brows rise.

[ Cursed Energy initialization successful ]

[ Chakra removal successful ]

[ Good luck in your pursuit of freedom, Free ]

Then, Free's eyes widened as realization hit him. The lost hopes ignited again, showering his eyes with life once more.

"A... A system?" He stood from his bed, excitement coursing through him... But it died down when he recalled the heart-breaking words of the whisper.

"Chakra removal... Bloody hell."

He fell back onto his bed, feeling vulnerable and defeated, even though he received something else in exchange. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was an unfair trade. Cursed Energy was not as potent as Chakra... or so he thought.

'Why, of all things, this?'

He asked to no one in particular. Sighing, he spoke...

"Status Window." At his command, a set of shimmering runes appeared in front of him, hooking his attention.

[ Name: Free ]

[ Cursed Techniques: None ]

[ Cursed Tools: None ]

He stayed motionless, his lips slightly parted.

"That's it?" Free tried to scroll down, but his fingers simply went through the runes, leaving him helpless. He threw his head back in frustration.

It was the first time he felt this overwhelmed; not even the time when he lost 12 ranked games in a row made him feel like this... Because this wasn't a simulation, it was a matter of life and death.

As a tinge of anger crept onto his face, he felt a tingling sensation run through his body. It felt like a swarm of icy worms wriggling through his veins... No... It wasn't his veins, but something else—an organ he wasn't aware of until now.

As time ticked, it finally happened.

'What's this?'

It felt as if a bonfire started inside his abdomen, but instead of the scorching heat one might expect, it was cold, small... Calm and chaotic. Free hesitated for a brief moment, but he finally decided to explore this feeling.

As weird as it was, he felt like he could control whatever was burning inside, and he did.

It was almost instinctual.

He channeled the born fire through his newfound organ and then brought it to his palm. Nothing appeared at first, but closing his eyes, Free imagined a small flame flickering on the palm of his hand.

Swish

His eyelids slowly opened, revealing a purple flame with a slight black hue dancing on his palm. He tried to make the flame bigger, but the fire inside seemed to flicker and threaten to extinguish, stopping him from fully exploring its potential.

He quickly extinguished the flame and gazed at his abdomen.

"Cursed Energy."

One thing he found out from the experiment was that his reserves were pitifully low, too low to investigate further.

Another whisper played into his ears like a haunting symphony, making his pupils shrink in curiosity.