A/N: Hey guys, woke up this morning and decided to go back to writing anime fanfics once again. DC and Marvel are beautiful Universes, but I can't bring out their essence as much as I can in regards to anime related Fanfics.
With that in mind, I quickly penned down this chapter as the idea struck me during my morning meditation. Hope y'all enjoy it.
The first 10 chapter will be released to the public but subsequent ones will be locked. Hope y'all continue to support 🙏.
***
It all happened so fast.
One moment, I was there, the next moment, I'm here.
Some might wonder what I am talking about.
Well, I've just been reincarnated into a fantasy world, and to make matters worse, it's one of the most dangerous worlds for kids.
Gazing into the cracked mirror, I see a pair of wide, uncertain eyes staring back at me.
The room is dimly lit as the weak glow of moonlight filtered through a dusty window. My skin feels oddly smooth, my limbs lighter, almost foreign.
I raise a trembling hand to my face, fingertips grazing my forehead where a faint throbbing pain lingers, as if my skull itself rejected my presence.
I vividly remember having a life on Earth. I had parents, siblings, a few friends here and there and…hmm. I can't remember much else.
It's funny. For some reason, despite knowing all this, I still cannot determine the other little details concerning my previous life, only that it was lackluster.
Joseph Grant.
That was the name I went by back on Earth.
I still remember my childhood and although I can't be called extremely smart, I was right up there in that department and due to that, I was forced to grow up quickly.
It wasn't a matter of pressure, but simply a matter of my grade limiting my learning experience. So following a series of extra tests, I always end up being promoted to a higher grade while my mate remains behind.
It's not something to brag about since I lost a lot of good friends and made a lot of fake ones who never saw me.
All they saw was a smart kid who just happened to be in the same place as them.
My family wasn't of much help either.
One might think having a Professor and a Doctor as a father and mother was good, but wait till you grow up under their strict educational discipline.
I remember being extremely depressed that I even attempted suicide by overdose in my early university days but surprisingly, I survived.
That was the turning point in my life.
Following my survival, I came to a realization. It wasn't yet my time to die.
This was evidenced in the fact that I didn't even develop a sickness following the overdose. In fact, I was hale and hearty the very next day.
At 22, I had already finished my university education and was waiting for my clearance. That was when I came to question everything I've ever known.
Everything I was told growing up all turned out to be a lie.
Read books, get good grades, go to a good university, study harder, graduate with honours and get a good and stable job.
Well, that was a thing of the older generation. In my generation, it only turned out to be a brainwashing process.
Although I realised it late, I came to understand that in life, only two things actually mattered.
Money and Life.
Money is self explanatory as with money, 99% of one's problems will undoubtedly be taken care of, as for life, well, it was a wonderful experience.
When I say life, I don't mean the time between birth and death, but rather the experience between birth and death.
Happiness, sadness, love, hate, anger, joy…all these were experienced during one's life and shape them into what they're meant to be in the eyes of God(Destiny).
I learnt that all these were necessary in that journey called Life, and to fully experience this, one must be of sound mind and body.
"Sigh…" I shake my head, but the moment I move, a sharp jolt of pain spikes through my skull in reminder that It's not a dream—the dull ache in my forehead and the stiffness in my joints tell me that much.
The rough fabric of my clothes itches against my skin, the air around me stale and slightly damp. The faint musty smell that clings to the bedding beneath me, like it's been washed one too many times but never truly clean.
However, I still can't recall how I died. I just went to sleep after an entire day spent reading this new novel about an MC who gives himself tasks and is rewarded for it by his system only to wake up here.
Yup. I'm an otaku. Depression has a way of making people do things they never thought they could.
I remember calling my siblings' kids who didn't want to grow up when I came back for a holiday and saw they were deeply engrossed, watching anime on their respective phones like their life depended on it.
However, life has a way of making us eat back our words.
Due to…familial pressure, I decided to see what my brothers found interesting in what I had initially termed Cartoon..a blasphemous act in itself, and imagine my shock when upon watching the first episode of Attack on Titan, my life took a drastic turn.
Cartoons didn't have this level of World building. They didn't have this level of gore. They didn't have this level of action. Hell, cartoons were basically for kids while anime…anime was for men.
I still remember the snickering expressions on my two elder brother's faces as well as my younger brother's when I asked them which website they downloaded their anime from.
They were annoying by the way, asking me to first apologize for calling them big kids, however, how could my pride allow that?
I prided myself with being smart, so smart that I'd rather try to solve a problem first before asking for help. It wasn't a good attitude to have in life, I know, but my pride wouldn't let me change it.
Anyways, upon discovering the website, I went on a marathon of uninteresting anime until I chanced upon what was called the Big Three on various anime social media.
Naruto. One Piece and Bleach.
I had the fortune of watching Bleach earlier than Naruto, but upon watching Naruto, my life changed.
Following the young Naruto as he journeyed from an ostracized child to becoming a war hero and later on, the Hokage, I felt so moved that my outlook on life changed entirely.
Though, life didn't allow me to watch One Piece as it was another marathon on its own. However, those who watched it never cease to mention how it also changed their outlook on life.
Where am I going with all these…you might ask.
Well, upon my awakening in this new world, I was bombarded with four years worth of memories from the owner of this body, which I have occupied.
Haruki Murakami.
That is the name of this kid I'm looking at and just the night before, he had been moved into this orphanage following the death of his parents who were both Chunins.
Due to the grief of losing his parents, young Murakami cried himself to death only to be replaced by me.
"What a way to go." I muttered. Not that I am any better. Who just goes to sleep and dies suddenly?
…Well, it happens, but I'm still a young man at the beginning of my life.
Being barely 22 years of age, I still had a bright future ahead of me. I had a Nascent business which had a lot of prospects but now…
I'm in the body of a kid, in a village still protected by the First Hokage with three-no, four major wars looming ahead and a bunch of Ten-Tail people…all within the space of a hundred years.
From the memories of this kid, I was supposed to begin my studies in the academy soon, but with my parents dead, I wonder if I should still enroll.
In this world, unlike Earth, personal strength is the only true safeguard one can have. Not money, not health, not friends, not family…nothing.
Friends and Family need no explanation as they could easily betray you at a moment's notice all because of an order. Health…well, what's the use of good health if a Jonin randomly decides to off you just because you saw him when you weren't supposed to? And money? What use was it in a world that's…
Wait a minute! That's it!
Money.
Even here, the scent of ink-stamped ryo bills and the clink of coins is more powerful than any jutsu.
Shinobi? They act like loyal hounds, but the moment you wave enough cash in their faces, they'll turn on their masters without hesitation. How could I forget that?
I'm a civilian without a clan so I am sure there's no Bloodline limit waiting for me somewhere to unearth, but money…I can make money…lots and lots of it.
After all, in comparison to the knowledge of science, arts and technology I have from earth, nothing can stop me from controlling this world's economy.
Hmm? What's the weird chilly feeling I'm getting?
I hastily paused my thought process as my heart? or was it my brain thumped loudly enough to make me realise something was wrong.
Yeah, something was definitely wrong.
How could I arrogantly believe I could control this world's economy without a personal strength of my own?
Couldn't any random Genin just off me the moment I become a threat to some wealthy merchants who could just post an assassination mission, one which these foolish and mindless puppets known as Shinobi would be so happy to take up.
"Sigh…life." I let out a slow, quiet breath, watching as the moon floats high, cold and distant, much like my fate in this new world.
My fingers curl into the threadbare sheets beneath me. Is this one of those protagonist moments?
Still…If there's something I've learnt from my past life, it's that overthinking won't solve my problems. Only proper planning and execution will.
And with that in mind…I just have to get enrolled into the academy.