Thinking about death as a hobby wasn't the best use of time for a 24-year-old man. Although you can't exactly do much other than think, when you are lying in a hospital bed with a paralyzed body.
Death is… an interesting thing. Many philosophers around the world have shared their thoughts on what death is.
Aristotle and Plato described it as the loss of one's soul. Buddhist views treat death as a transition. Atheists say it's a full stop — the end. Christian doctrine sees it as a consequence of sin and a gateway to eternal life.
Honestly? I think all of them are right, in one way or another.
But the one that stuck with me the most came from Confucius:
"We do not yet understand life; how can we understand death?"
That feels true. Maybe we were never meant to understand it. We know everyone dies sooner or later. We know it's inevitable — one of the fundamental laws of the universe.
And… that's about it. And maybe that's what we are supposed to know.
Thinking about death suddenly made me remember something.
About how I have always wondered how it feels to take another person's life. Not in any psychotic way, just in a curious way.
My mind shook as I understood about what I just thought. Wow. Thinking about killing someone when you're at death's door. That must be some kind of record.
My brain should still be working, but my thoughts feel jumbled. Disconnected. Maybe it's the approach of death. Or maybe there's always been something fundamentally wrong with me.
Maybe Maya was right, after all.
…Doesn't matter now.
I caught the faint red glow of the clock from the corner of my eye. I'd lost control of my neck muscles months ago, but peripheral vision still worked.
3:00 a.m.
As good a time to die as any.
My heart stopped.
And I died.
For a long time, there was nothing.
At least… I think it was a long time. It's hard to tell when there's no breath, no heartbeat, no body.
But something changed.
My perception… came back.
The sudden return of perception overwhelmed my senses more than even before. How the hell do humans perceive so many things at once.
The blinding light, the overwhelming smell of iron, the taste of something salty, sounds of shouting and overwhelming pain.
Pain all over my body — but especially in my head. It felt like someone was slamming my skull against stone, again and again. I didn't even know if I had vocal cords, but I did the only thing that made sense.
I screamed.
I screamed like never before. Like a dying animal.
The pain burned in my mind until it was all I knew… and then, just as suddenly, it was gone.
I didn't know how long I'd screamed. But by the time the pain faded, I was spent. Exhausted, body and soul.
Just before the darkness claimed me again, I saw him — a middle-aged man, wild and rugged. His eyes were slitted like a beast's, his hair wild and unkempt. His handsome face marked with a red tattoo.
But behind that feral appearance… I saw warmth. Love.
And then I lost my consciousness again.
***
I don't know how much time passed.
But when I woke again, it was dark.
I was lying between two adults — a man and a woman.
Presumably, my new parents.
I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
I'd watched enough isekai anime to know I'd been reincarnated.
That… and the fact that my body was ridiculously small compared to theirs.
So, either I'd been hit with Doraemon's shrinking beam…
Or I was a baby again.
There was also another possibility that this all a dream I'm having while my body is in a coma state. But I dismissed that thought quickly. I died in that hospital bed. I was sure of it.
So… a life after death. That's hopeful. A second chance sounds like a good thing to me.
My logical mind told me that I should think carefully about my situation. It told me that I should ask questions. Where was I born? What world was this? What time period?
But I didn't do any of that.
I just lay there, staring at the ceiling.
And for some reason… it was beautiful.
Maybe this was what happiness felt like.
I enjoyed my happiness for quite some time as my mind rested. But soon enough, the sun rose up and my new parents woke up. They looked at me — and the way their eyes lit up made my chest ache.
I recognized my father as the middle-aged man I had seen before I lost consciousness. My mother's face was new to me. She did not share the slit in her eyes that my father had. Her eyes were brown, her hair blonde. But she radiated warmth.
She was... beautiful.
After a few seconds my parents started speaking to each other in a language that was not known to me. Not that I expected them to share my language. I only knew English and Spanish. Maybe some Japanese due to my familiarity with anime culture. Other than these three languages, I had almost no idea about the other thousands of languages in the world.
After conversing with each other for a minute or so, my father got out of bed and rushed towards the door. Shouts erupted in the background as my eyes went towards the door. Within seconds my blood turned cold as my eyes met the eyes of a wolf. Its eyes bore towards mine as tension left my body.
My mind was still in shock, but my body relaxed on its own. It was as if the wolf was somehow familiar to me. The feeling was extremely weird.
So, my family has a pet wolf. Or a really large dog? I didn't know one way or another. I am going to take it as a dog. That sounded somewhat better to me.
Whatever. There were worse places to be born. And the silver-furred creature was kind of cute — fangs and all.
My thoughts were interrupted as footsteps and shouts filled the room. Within seconds the room was filled with people that looked much like my new father. They all had messy hair, feral looks and those same red markings.
Voices echoed through the room as I was displayed like a show pony. There were many poking and prodding. But weirdly… it felt okay.
They were loud. But warm.
Also, they had a lot of dogs. All were of different sizes and shapes. But none of them were hostile.
So, my family trains dogs. Or breeds them? That's nice. Maybe even I will have a pet dog in the future. I have always been more of a dog person anyway.
Suddenly, the voices went down as my father entered with an elderly man. He had the same red markings as everyone here. It was obvious that he was important.
With gently yet soft steps he reached me. His strong hands reached me as he petted my head. A beautiful smile reached his face as he opened his lips.
"Rei Inuzuka."
That must be my new name. It was a nice name. I accepted the name instantly. Not that I liked my name in my previous life anyway. I have never felt like much of a 'John' my entire life.
And yet I felt kind of weird hearing my name. It was as if I had heard my name before. It was somehow familiar. My brain worked in overtime as I tried to remember.
Suddenly, everything clicked all at once. The red markings in my family's faces, their loud personalities, their large claws. And most importantly; the pet dogs.
There was only one Inuzuka Clan I knew of that had all these traits.
Konoha.
I have been reincarnated in the world of Naruto.
Well, shit... there goes any chance of having a normal fucking life.