Chapter 1 - My Second Chance

Darkness… All around me was nothing but darkness.

I couldn't see anything, hear anything or even feel anything. It was like I was floating in a dark void.

'How long has it been?

How did I even get here…??

Oh! Right... Now I remember.'

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"Ring…"

The sound of a bell ringing throughout the school could be heard.

"That will be all. Class dismissed."

"Yes!" "Whoohoo!!" "Finally!"

The sounds of a teacher eager to leave and reach home and students even more eager to enjoy their holidays came.

Almost all the students chatted amongst each other in groups. Excitedly discussing their plans to spend their vacation. Amidst all the students enthusiastically chatting, almost no one paid attention to the lone student quietly gathering his things and leaving the class.

His name was Thomas Kane. He was the son of a wealthy industrialist. Shipped off to boarding school at a young age and with two older brothers who outshined in everything they did and deemed as prodigies by everyone, Thomas didn't have the motivation to excel in anything.

Even though he was above average in IQ and could easily attain top marks in all subjects, his scores in studies were average due to his lack of motivation.

During the first few months of boarding school, he tried to make friends. He managed to make a few but after a short while he figured out they only became friends mostly due to the fact that he came from a wealthy family.

He cut ties with them and then found the task of making friends tedious and tiresome. He was smart enough to not make himself a social outcast. He made neither friends nor enemies. He maintained an average score. He had an everyday ordinary life.

But there were two things in life he loved. Chess and comics. He was very good at chess. Predicting his opponents moves from the start and outsmarting them by a wide margin was one of his favourite ways to win the game. As he played more and more he got really good at it.

He also played poker with his brothers whenever they would come to visit. He couldn't beat them but each time they played he learned a couple of his tells that would give him away. So with each game he got a little bit better at trying to control his emotions from showing on his face. He wanted to learn to make the perfect poker face.

The second thing in life he loved was comics, manga and anime. He loved them. The stories they tell. The characters they portray. It brought him endless joy reading and watching their adventures. He was a hardcore fan.

He spent his days in his apartment alone reading all kinds of comics and mangas he could get his hands on. He fell in love with them from a young age. He enjoyed reading about the different adventures and he often imagined what it would be like if he were in that world.

He left the school and reached his apartment building after about a 15 minutes walk. His apartment was situated on the third floor. The apartment was a modest one. Comfortable for a single person. He started climbing the stairs. And as he reached the second floor, he suddenly began to feel dizzy. His hands suddenly grabbed onto the side rails to steady himself. He felt like the world was spinning around him.

"Wow. What the hell?" After a few moments, the vertigo he was feeling slowly disappeared. "Oh, man.! I must be more tired and hungry than I thought." He slowly started to walk and he reached his apartment doors.

"Hey, Tommy." Thomas heard the voice of his neighbour. He turned around and saw an old man with a white beard wearing round glasses and a deerstalker hat standing behind him.

"Hey, Mr. Mark. How you doing?"

"Fine kid. Was just gonna go out for groceries. Oh, and I got a package delivered with your name."

Thomas's eyes widened excitedly. It's finally here. "Yeah. It's something I ordered from overseas. It's a new comic book series that's recently released. I can't wait to read it." His eager anticipation could be heard in his voice.

"You really love those books don't you?" Old man Mark said with a good-humoured voice.

"Hold on, I'll get them for you." The old man turned around and walked back to his apartment and Thomas took out his keys and opened the doors to his home.

The old man came back holding a brown package box. Thomas was about to grab the package box when the vertigo he was feeling earlier came back. The feeling was more intense this time. As Thomas was falling down and blacking out, the last thing he heard was the scared shouts of old man Mark.

When Thomas regained consciousness and opened his eyes, he realised he was in a hospital room. He saw the hospital gown he was wearing and he could smell the antiseptics lingering in the air. He tilted his head to the side and saw old man Mark sitting beside him in a chair slowly nodding off.

"Mr. Mark."

Thomas's voice woke up the old man with a startle and he looked at the boy lying on the bed. "Oh my god! Tommy, you woke up. Hold on I'll get the doctor." He rushed outside to find the doctor. He returned shortly afterward and behind him came a man in his late forties wearing a doctor's coat.

"Hello Thomas. I'm Doctor Phillips." The man introduced himself. Thomas nodded to him.

"You were brought in unconscious and we did a workup of your blood and did an MRI and it isn't good... Son, you have stage 3 brain cancer and it's progressing quickly. We need to start treatment right away."

Thomas couldn't hear anything else. His whole body went numb. He felt as if his whole world was breaking apart.

"How bad is it?" He asked with a low voice.

"It's really serious. Even with treatment, I am afraid you won't have much time." The doctor replied with a serious tone.

Seeing the distraught look on the boy, the doctor decided to give him some time to digest the news.

"I'll give you two some time. I'll be in my office if you need me." Said the doctor and he left the room.

"Tommy, I called your parents. They're flying over. They'll be here tomorrow. You're gonna get through this." Old man Mark said holding Tommy's hand.

"I….I don't…"

Thomas didn't know what to say or even think. He felt like he was suffocating. All he could hear was the heart that was pounding in his chest.

"I need some air." He said while slowly getting up.

"Tommy. I…"

"Mr. Mark. I need a moment. I'd like some time alone now… Please."

Old man Mark looked at him with concern and then nodded. "I'll wait outside." He slowly left the room.

Thomas went to a window and looked outside. It was nighttime. And yet the outside was still buzzing with activity. Tears slowly fell down from his eyes. But he didn't make a single sound.

He spent the next few minutes just standing there and looking outside with tears running down his face. He then slowly looked at himself and then around the room. He saw his school uniform folded on a nearby table.

"Screw this. I'm not staying here." He felt angry and ripped off the gown he was wearing. "I gotta get outta here."

He quickly put on his school uniform and left the room. When Mark saw him leaving in his uniform he was bewildered.

"Tommy where are you going?"

He asked. "Out for a walk."

That was the only reply he got. Mark got up from his chair "It's too dangerous. You need to stay here."

Thomas didn't reply and took off running. He reached the entrance of the hospital and quickly left the place.

He didn't know where he was running to. After a few minutes, he reached what looked like a park. He slowed down and came near a bench.

Thomas sat down and felt his whole body quivering. Since it was nighttime there wasn't anybody around. He started whimpering and cried again. This time small sobs started coming out. Thomas sat there crying for some time.

He was in denial but it soon turned to anger. "Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT." He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Damn it Thomas! Get a grip! Don't let this be your end." He shouted to himself.

He quieted down soon after and slowly calmed himself. He was startled when he felt water drops slowly falling on his face. He realized it was starting to rain. Just as he was about to get up from his bench he saw a shadow moving in between the two trees in front of him. In any other circumstances he wouldn't have cared but this time, curiosity got the better of him and he started walking slowly towards the two trees.

He looked down and saw a fat black cat with golden eyes. Thomas felt as if the eyes of the cat were shining in the dark night. Strong winds started blowing and the rain was getting heavier and heavier by the second. It was as if a giant storm had engulfed the city. Both the boy and cat were staring at each other as the rain continued to pour down on them.

Thomas didn't know why or for what reason but he decided to pick up the black cat and go home. He didn't know why but when he looked into its eyes he felt as if he was being judged by something far more intelligent than him.

He went near the chubby black cat and gently picked it up and slowly started walking and went to the nearest street to call a cab. As he was standing there by the side of the road, soaked in the heavy rain, he suddenly heard a small explosion. He looked and saw scraps of a tire flying everywhere and a car out of control speeding toward him.

"Oh no!"

His eyes widened and before he could even move to get out of the way, the car was right in front of him. The cat in his arms jumped away right before the car sent him flying.

He flew back a good 10 ft in the air before touching the pavement. He tumbled a few times on the ground and came to a stop. He could feel the blood flowing out of him and his consciousness slowly fading away.

The last thing he saw was the black cat coming towards him and touching his hand with its paw and its golden eyes peering into his own.

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Am I alive or dead?

What is this place?

How long have I been here?

Then I heard a voice in my head

[You have obtained the right to become a player. Do you accept?]

Become a player? Accept?

What's happening to me? What does it matter… I'll be dead soon anyway.

[Your time remaining is limited. Should you refuse, your heart will stop in 3 seconds. Do you accept?]

Whether or not this was a hallucination, Thomas was certain of one thing. His impending death.

[2 Seconds]

At this point, Thomas gave himself up to resignation. He wanted to live. To have a second chance at the life that was taken from him.

[1 Second]

I WANNA LIVE. I ACCEPT.

He couldn't move his lips and utter those words but he screamed them in his mind. And then a voice answered.

[Welcome, Player]

Suddenly something started to change. 'Wait a minute. What's this feeling? It's as if I'm in a dream and trying desperately to open my eyes. Come on wake up. Damn it WAKE UP.' Suddenly my eyes opened in a snap.

The first thing I saw was a blue box floating in front of me.

You have slept in a bed. HP, CP and SP have been fully restored.

What the F*ck? I looked around in a daze and found that I was lying on a bed in a room that was definitely not mine. When I saw a window at the end of the room, I stood up from my bed and went to look. The view that greeted me was something I couldn't prepare for.

Four majestic faces adorned a mountain with the sun slowly rising from behind. I quickly realised that what I was looking at, was in fact the Hokage Mountain. I did a double take and then...

"WHAT THE F*CK?"

That was my first reaction after realising that I was in the Naruto universe.

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Author's Notes:

Ok. A few things first. English is my second language. So please forgive any minute grammatical mistakes you might see. Second: I plan on completing this story. I will see it to the end. Reading a good story and then seeing it not be updated is disheartening. The next thing is, I haven't decided on a pairing for the main character. And even if I do decide, it won't be for a long while. And before you ask, No. This story won't have a harem.

Your reviews, ideas, criticism and thoughts are welcome. They will be a great motivator for me to keep going and improve my writing.