Uzumaki Naruto still hadn't figured out what was going on in the classroom. When he saw Iruka-sensei leave in a hurry, he assumed class was over.
"What are you guys sitting around for?! Iruka-sensei is gone! Let's get excited!!!"
With a loud yell, he leaped onto a desk, pumping his fists in the air.
However, Uchiha Sasuke remained wary. His sharp gaze scanned the room, and he still held a kunai tightly in his hand, ready for anything.
"This idiot…" Haruno Sakura groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration.
Annoyed, she stomped toward Naruto, who immediately lit up. Seeing Sakura walk toward him was always a good thing, right?
He was about to say something when—
BANG!
Sakura's fist came down on his head with full force.
"NARUTO UZUMAKI!!! BE QUIET! SOUTA KAZUKI HAS DISAPPEARED!!!"
Naruto clutched his head, groaning. "Owww! Sakura, what was that for?! And wait… What did you just say?! Who disappeared?!"
Still rubbing his head, he turned toward Souta Kazuki's seat—only to find it completely empty. His eyes widened in shock.
"Souta's gone?! What the heck happened?!"
Souta Kazuki was one of Naruto's few real friends—someone who never judged him, never called him a monster. He was one of the rare people who actually shared food with him and treated him like a normal person.
How could he just vanish?!
Before anyone could answer, the classroom door swung open.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, entered with Iruka right behind him. The old man's expression was serious, his eyes scanning the room.
Iruka had already explained everything to him. And now, Hiruzen had a sinking suspicion about what might have happened.
"Did anyone see exactly what occurred before Souta Kazuki disappeared?" the Hokage asked, his voice calm but firm.
A moment of hesitation filled the room before Yamanaka Ino timidly raised her hand.
"Hokage-sama… I saw it…" she said hesitantly. "Iruka-sensei was teaching about summoning techniques, explaining the sequence of hand seals. Then, I saw Souta forming the seals himself… and suddenly, with a bang, he vanished into thin air."
Iruka and Hiruzen exchanged glances, both coming to the same realization.
Reverse Summoning.
It was rare, but not impossible. In the past, there had been instances of shinobi accidentally summoning themselves to unknown locations, including legendary places like Mount Myoboku.
If that's what had happened to Souta… he could be anywhere.
"Iruka," Hiruzen ordered, his voice steady.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Go inform Kazuki Haruto about what happened. As the head of the Kazuki family, he deserves to know that his son has vanished."
Iruka swallowed hard. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
As Iruka rushed off, Hiruzen took out his pipe, deep in thought. His gaze lingered on Souta's now-empty seat.
Jiraiya…
Years ago, one of his own students had vanished in a similar way—accidentally summoning himself to Mount Myoboku, where he learned the ways of the Toad Sages.
Could this be fate repeating itself?
Or was something else at play?
Meanwhile, in a place shrouded in mist and darkness…
Souta Kazuki stood frozen, his heart pounding.
"What… what the hell just happened?!"
He had simply been practicing summoning, trying out the seals Iruka-sensei had demonstrated. But now, he was in a completely unfamiliar world. The air was thick with an eerie chill, and there was no sign of sunlight or even a source of light—only endless darkness stretching in all directions.
No toads. No slugs. No snakes. Nothing.
His mind raced.
Did I just get Reverse Summoned?!
But where had he ended up?! Was this some kind of legendary summoning realm?
Just as panic began to set in—
[Host detected. System binding in progress…]
A cold, robotic voice echoed in his mind.
[System successfully bound.][Host is currently located in Konoha's Undead Realm.]
Souta froze.
"…What?"
A chill ran down his spine.
Undead Realm?
What the hell did that mean?!
[Clarification: The host was never meant to be alive.]
Souta's blood ran cold.
[In the original timeline, the host was supposed to be stillborn. The soul should have passed into the afterlife. However, an anomaly occurred, leading to the host's survival. This system has forcibly broken through the boundary between the living and the dead to bind with the host.]
Souta felt his breath hitch.
He was… never supposed to exist?!
Had his entire life been a mistake?
But there was no time to dwell on that. The system continued.
[This system was originally designed as a 'Many Children, Many Blessings' system.]
[However, due to interference from the Undead Realm, it has undergone a mutation.]
[New System Type: Undead Summoning System.]
Souta clenched his fists. His mind was still reeling from the revelation, but he forced himself to focus.
"…Explain."
[The host now possesses the ability to summon and command the spirits of the dead.]
[Currently, the host can only summon deceased ninjas from Konoha.]
[If the host gains control over the entire Ninja World, then the entire Undead Realm will be accessible.]
Souta's heart pounded.
Summon… the dead?
This was nothing like the summoning technique he had learned about in class. This was something entirely different.
"So… I can summon the spirits of Konoha's fallen shinobi?"
[Correct. The summoning ranks are as follows:]
White Rank: Genin-level undead
Green Rank: Chunin-level undead
Blue Rank: Jonin-level undead
Purple Rank: Elite Jonin-level undead
Gold Rank: Kage-level undead
Souta took a deep breath, his fingers trembling slightly.
This wasn't the life he had expected.
But maybe… just maybe…
This was an opportunity.
A new path, carved by fate itself.
"Alright then… let's see what this power can really do."