Reborn

"Yeah, baby!! I finally unlocked the Rinnegan! I'm the first player to do it! Hell yeah!"

A young man exclaimed to himself, eyes sparkling with excitement as he grinned ear to ear. He was so engrossed in the game that he didn't notice his surroundings until—

HONK! HONK!

"What the—?"

BANG!! CRASH!

'Oh no... am I seriously getting hit by Truck-kun?!' he thought, panic setting in as he felt the world go dark.

'Mom, you were right. I should've kept my eyes off my phone while crossing the street.'

***

"Ryuuji! Ryuuji! Wake up! It's already past 8 AM. How long do you plan to keep sleeping?"

Snap!

Ryuuji's eyes fluttered open as he bolted upright, his head throbbing slightly.

"W-wait, I'm... not dead?"

SLAP!

"O-Ouch!"

"Uchiha Ryuuji! How dare you say such a thing?!"

"That hurt! What in the world—hold on, did you just say Uchiha?!"

"Are you going deaf, or did I hit you too hard?" The old man asked.

"..."

Ryuuji sat in stunned silence, trying to process what he'd just heard.

'Wait a second... I thought I died? But instead, I've woken up in the world of Naruto?'

"Ryuuji? What's wrong? Look, I didn't mean to—"

"YESSS!! I'M REBORN! AND AS AN UCHIHA!! HAHAHAHA!! OUCH!"

"Stop shouting, you idiot!"

The old man shouted at Ryuuji to stop him from screaming.

'C-crap! This old geezer packs a punch! But… who is he? Should I ask him?' Ryuuji thought, his mind racing with questions.

Before he could speak, a sudden, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:

[Synchronization Complete.]

[Host 'Denji Touta' will now gain memories of 'Uchiha Ryuuji'.]

Ryuuji's breath hitched, his thoughts freezing. 'Is this… is this real?' he muttered, disbelief heavy in his voice.

"What are you mumbling about?" the old man asked, watching Ryuuji with raised eyebrows, clearly puzzled by the boy's strange behavior.

But before Ryuuji could respond, a sharp, sudden pain surged through his mind.

"AAARRGH!!" he screamed, clutching his head, eyes wide in shock and confusion.

The old man's expression turned frantic. "Ryuuji! Are you alright?!" He rushed over, fear flashing in his eyes. 'What's happening to him?!'

Seconds later, Ryuuji collapsed, his body going limp as he fell unconscious in the man's arms.

"Oh no… he's fainted! I need to get him to a hospital," the old man murmured, his heart pounding. 'Reborn? What was that about? No… I'll think about that later. First, I have to take care of him.'

***

Inside the vast emptiness of his unconscious mind, Ryuuji groaned.

'What's up with all these memories flooding in? It's giving me a friggin' headache!' he thought, squinting as images and thoughts spun through his mind.

[Congratulations! You have gained the memories of 'Uchiha Ryuuji'!]

[A reward will be given out.]

[Would you like to accept the rewards now?]

A blue screen appeared in front of him, shimmering in the void. He blinked at it, his mouth hanging open in silent shock.

After what felt like forever, he whispered,

"I've finally got my cheat! Hahahaha! I'm gonna be unstoppable! Hahaha!" He laughed out loud, voice echoing.

Excitement buzzed through him as he clicked 'Yes,' his mind whirling with possibilities.

"Could it be? Hagoromo-level powers? Unlimited chakra?! Oh man, I can't wait to see!"

[Reward: Increased Chakra.]

[Would you like to accept?]

He stared at the words, his enthusiasm slightly dimmed. 'Wait… is that it? Increased chakra?' Sighing, he tried to calm himself. "Okay, so maybe it's not unlimited, but who knows—it could be an epic boost! Maybe something like Hagoromo Otsutsuki's level!"

Convincing himself, he clicked 'Yes' once more.

Instantly, a wave of energy flowed through him, and he felt his body grow lighter, renewed, as if he could take on the world. But as the sensation ebbed, he was left with an unsettling thought.

"Is it over? Have I gained Hagoromo-level chakra?" Ryuuji's voice resounded in his unconscious world as he asked.

[Congratulations! You have gained a high-level Genin's worth of Chakra!]

"..."

Once more silence reigned in the unconscious world as Ryuuji stared at the message in front of him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Only after a long time had passed did Ryuuji open his mouth to speak.

"This @!#$%&! I'm going to@#%$! this #$%&!!"

He started to say things not appropriate for children....Haah... What a drag.

He continued spouting profanities for a long time before stopping.

"What type of useless cheat is this? You should have at least given me Uzumaki-level Chakra! God damn this useless #$A&*%!!"

Thus, started another round of profanity spewing.

Just as his irritation was starting to fade, another prompt appeared:

[Would Host 'Denji Touta' like to go through the memories of 'Uchiha Ryuuji'?]

[After going through the memories, an appropriate reward will be handed out.]

His eyes lit up, hope blossoming once again. "…Maybe this time, it'll be something good."

He hesitated, not wanting to get his hopes too high, then finally pressed 'Yes' again.

As memories cascaded through him, he felt the life of Uchiha Ryuuji, the fragments of the boy's past merging with his own.

"..."

[Congratulations! You've went through the memories of the former owner of this body 'Uchiha Ryuuji'.]

[A reward will be given now.]

[Would you like to accept?]

[Yes/No]

Some time later, after Ryuuji finished going through the memories he stayed silent for some time before opening his mouth to say the following.

"So, that's how it is? Don't worry. I'm going to live life to the fullest in your place!" Ryuuji said with determination in his voice as he clicked on the 'Yes' option.

***

Outside, he stirred.

"Ryuuji…? Ryuuji, are you awake?" The man's voice trembled as he held Ryuuji close.

Slowly, Ryuuji opened his eyes, taking in the world around him, the colors sharper, the details vivid.

"Gramps? What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, his voice raspy.

The old man's eyes went wide, and his hand trembled as he pointed. "Ryuuji… your eyes…"

"What about my eyes?" he asked, confused.

"You… you've unlocked the Sharingan!" the man exclaimed, his voice breaking with shock and pride.

Ryuuji's heart raced as he realized what had happened, a small smile forming on his lips.

***

A/N: The 1st 10 Commentators and Power Stone Supporters get a shoutout!!