Naruto: Faint Smile.

Author note:

I know I've been missing for... wow, quite a while to be honest, and well, a lot has happened in that time, and the time before that, which is when my updates started to slow down and stuff. 

I was sick, hospitalized... multiple times, and then after I got better, I had to see people I loved die in a hospital bed. Hell, my father died not too long ago, and by not too long ago I mean I'm still answering messages or comments about the funeral. These things, affected my mental state quite a lot, at first I tried to ignore it, but it didn't do any good.

It got to the point where I couldn't do anything. Write, read, or even talk to friends, it kind of felt like my life had been put on pause, and not by me.

As many of you can imagine, this eventually affected my writing. 

Now, I won't go out and say all of my hiatuses or shit have been because of this, I will be the first to admit that. 

But anything after DC has been... affected by the worse year of my life, or should I say years? Seeing shit started to go downhill in 2023, and we are in 2024... anyway.

I'm much better now, and this time is medically/family approved. Hahaha, but most importantly I recovered the will to write. Though due to the circumstances, certain projects are on hold until they stop bringing me... bad memories so to speak.

What projects you ask?

Stars Wars, and DC. 

Each one has a different reason as to why I... really don't want to write for them more than its absolutely necessary. 

DC, its mostly the fact I am... disconnected to the project after everything that happened, and now when I try to write it feels like I'm doing an essay about essay making about the history about essay making.

Star Wars its... more of an emotional reason. This fandom was one my dad introduced me to, and... well, now every time I try to write for it, I... its a constant reminder he's gone. I will eventually come back to this project, because I personally love Star Wars, but I need some space from it, at least for now.

Now, you might be asking. What do you want to write Corn?

Well, once shit started to go back to normal, or as normal as it could go back to after such a short period of time, I decided to start writing about whatever excited me at the moment, which usually tends to be whatever I'm hyper-fixated at the time. This time, it happens to be very well known animes, well three, but the third idea I haven't even fleshed it out yet.

Naruto.

One Piece.

And last but not least, Dragon Ball.1

In case you haven't realized by now, I have decided to start posting for the Naruto one first. Why? Well, for one, I already know how it ends, and two... I still have like 600 episodes of One Piece left to watch.

Right about now, you might be asking yourself. But Corn if that's the case, why not Dragon Ball? I mean, that anime is also finished.

Well, in case you didn't read the info note left above, it's because I'm at the bare bones with that one. And well, I've been on fire with the Naruto Project, so why mess with what is working?

Anyways, there's a lot more I would like to share with you guys, but... it would take a novel on itself to do so, regardless of that, I would be happy to answer your questions if you have any. Just make a comment, and I'll answer eventually.

Now... onto the story!

Before we begin, there's a few things you should know about this project.

Timeline: Itachis generation.2

Protagonist Name: Takeshi Arata

Gender: Male.3

Powers: The powers of Teresa of the Faint Smile. But instead of Yoki he will have nature chakra. And yes, he can still awaken. He basically has Teresa's template in terms of powers and abilities.

What does his name mean?

Takeshi: (武) means "warrior" or "military," indicating strength and bravery.

Arata: (新) means "new" or "fresh," suggesting a new beginning or a new era.

So, his name can be interpreted as "The warrior who brings a new era" symbolizing a new beginning or a new kind of strength.

Now that we stablished that. Let's begin!

And like always, remeber if you want to read up to 10 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer

I'm currently updating the novel 2-3 chapters a day in patreeeeon.

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Enjoy you sexy bastards.

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I didn't know exactly what I expected would happen after my terrible car accident, but it certainly wasn't this.

Of that much, I was sure.

One moment, I was in the middle of the street, bleeding out, and the next… Well, the next, I was standing in an endless white void. Needless to say, confusion clouded my mind quite heavily. How could it not?

However, before I could gather my thoughts on this entire situation, a raspy voice broke the silence, startling the hell out of me.

"Welcome to the afterlife, kid," the voice drawled, dripping with a mix of sarcasm and a distinctive sense of not giving a flying fuck about anything.

I turned to see an old man with disheveled gray hair, a lab coat, and a permanent scowl etched onto his face. The old man took a swig from a flask, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and gave me a lopsided grin.

Was… God cosplaying Rick Sanchez? Wait… was God Rick Sanchez?

"Who are you?" I asked, wondering if this was hell… or heaven? I mean, I was never an overly religious guy, so I had no idea what to expect. Even if I did, I imagined my expectations to be by my religion's standards. Then again… considering there were many religions out there, chances were I would be wrong anyway.

The old man rolled his eyes. "I'm God, obviously. And before you ask, no, this isn't some dream or hallucination. You're dead. Kaput. Finito."

I blinked. I already knew that, but I might have leaned into the coma angle of this weird dream. "So, what happens now?"

Now that I think about it, I was glad he hadn't sugarcoated it.

The strange-looking God shrugged. "Usually, this is the part where I tell you about heaven, hell, and all that jazz. But let's skip the boring stuff. I'm feeling generous today. How about a second chance?"

My eyes widened. Was I about to pull a Jesus? "A second chance? You mean I get to go back?"

God waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, not back. That timeline's done for you. But I can send you somewhere else. Think of it as reincarnation, but with a twist. You'll get a fresh start, new world, new rules. Maybe some cool powers if I'm in the mood."

"Isekais are a thing?" I asked, holding back a chuckle. "And why me, for that matter?"

God chuckled. "They sure fucking are! I invented them! And as for why you? Why not? You think there's some grand cosmic plan? Pfft. I'm bored, and this sounds entertaining. So, what's it gonna be? You in, or you wanna take your chances with the afterlife roulette?"

I didn't need to think twice. I didn't want to die, and having a second chance seemed fun. "I'm in."

"Atta boy," God said with a smirk, pulling out a strange device that looked like a cross between a remote control and a Game Boy. "Let's make this interesting. How about we decide your powers game show style?"

Before I could respond, a large, colorful roulette wheel materialized in front of me, complete with flashing lights and a big, gaudy sign that read "Spin to Win!"

God gestured to the wheel like a cheesy talk show host. "Step right up and give it a spin! Who knows what you'll get?"

I stepped forward and grabbed the handle. With a deep breath, I gave it a good spin. The wheel whirred, the lights flashing in a dizzying array of colors.

As it slowed down, I could see various names of powers and abilities on the segments: super strength, telekinesis, invisibility... my heart pounded with anticipation.

The wheel clicked to a stop on a segment that read "The Powers of Teresa."

"Who the fuck is Teresa?" God muttered, scratching his head. "A nun or something? The name feels like it belongs to a Catholic nun… Hmm…" He shrugged. "Guess we'll find out. Well, good luck, kid. Try not to die too quickly; otherwise, it would mean I wasted my time with all of this. Anywho… off you go!"

With a snap of his fingers, the white void disappeared, and I felt myself falling, hurtling towards my new life in an unfamiliar world.

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The sensation of falling was both terrifying and exhilarating. The white void gave way to darkness, and the next thing I knew, I was enveloped in warmth. It felt as if I was floating in a cocoon, my senses dulled yet somehow aware of a distant rhythm. A heartbeat? No, several heartbeats.

I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't.

Wait, why couldn't I open my eyes? And why did everything sound so muffled?

I tried to move but felt an odd resistance all around me. It was as if I was submerged in some thick fluid. Panic started to creep in, and I flailed my limbs, trying to make sense of my surroundings.

'Alright, where the hell am I?' I thought, confused as to where that fucker of a God had sent me.

I took stock of my situation. Warmth, a rhythmic heartbeat, muffled sounds, and a distinct lack of mobility.

Could it be? No way. There was no way I was…

Am I in a fucking womb?!

Oh. My. God.

That bastard did say reincarnation, but this? This was beyond the pale.

I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The fluid, the rhythmic sounds, the muffled voices from outside. It was like something out of a bizarre sci-fi movie.

Then it hit me, I was literally starting from scratch. From the very beginning. As a baby.

'Seriously?!' I thought, or tried to think. It came out as more of a mental scream. 'Reincarnation with a twist, you said! You didn't mention the twist was prenatal!'

I settled into my new reality, trying to find some humor in the situation. 'Well, I guess this gives a new meaning to the term "reborn."'

The muffled sounds became more distinct, and I realized they were voices.

I couldn't understand a lick of what they were saying…

There were three, no… four people outside this amniotic prison.

Wait… how the fuck do I know that?

….

I can… feel them?

I can hear one of them speaking, but the other three I can feel them?

How can I feel them?

Why can I feel them?

What is going on- ah fuck! Some of the fluid got in my mouth.