Akira stood quietly in the corner, doing his best to mimic the others as they practiced Taijutsu. His movements were clumsy and unrefined, but he kept trying, determined not to fall behind.
"Alright, that's it for Taijutsu," Kurenai said, clapping her hands. "We'll practice a bit of basic movements and Ninjutsu, then call it a day."
The others nodded and took a short break. Akira took a deep breath. If Taijutsu was hard, Ninjutsu would be even worse. He still didn't know much about chakra control or techniques.
"We'll start with focusing chakra into your legs to walk on trees," Kurenai continued. "Focus your chakra into your legs and move forward. Like this."
She demonstrated the technique with ease, climbing the tree in front of her with great speed.
"Now you try."
Akira nodded and tried to copy her. He focused as hard as he could, then placed his feet on the tree—
He tripped almost immediately and fell flat on his face.
Kiba burst out laughing. "What was that? You looked like a flying fish!"
Shino raised an eyebrow. "At least he tried. For someone with memory loss and no practice, he did pretty good."
Hinata stepped forward, her voice soft. "Y-Yeah, Shino is right… You did fine…"
Akira got up slowly, brushing dirt off his face. "I'll do better next time."
Kurenai gave him a small smile. "Don't worry. Just keep practicing, and everything will come back to you—hopefully."
After a few more failed attempts, they moved on to substitution practice. Kurenai demonstrated the hand signs again and guided Akira through them step by step.
"Ram, Snake, Tiger," she said patiently.
Akira tried to follow, but nothing happened. No puff of smoke, no log, nothing.
"It's okay," Kurenai said. "You probably just need more time to get your chakra under control."
Eventually, training ended.
"Good work today, everyone," Kurenai said. "We'll meet again tomorrow."
As the others walked off, Akira stayed behind for a moment, staring at his hands.
'Finally, it's over… But where will I sleep now? I don't really have a house in this world.'
Akira thought, rubbing his temples. He thought for a while before giving up.
He was exhausted—both physically and mentally—so he just gave up and quickly laid down in the corner of the training ground behind a bush.
He stared at the sky as the sun began to set. His stomach was grumbling from hunger, but he tried his best to ignore it.
He moved around a bit, trying to get comfortable, but the uneven ground combined with his empty stomach made it impossible to sleep.
'Why am I the one who always has the worst luck?'
Akira thought, tears forming in his eyes.
'My previous life turned into hell, then I died alone with no one at my side… and now this.'
Akira clenched his hair. 'Why is it always me, God?'
Eventually, his body gave in. Exhaustion dulled the pain in his stomach, and the fatigue from training all day finally caught up to him. His eyes grew heavy, and despite the hard ground, sleep took over him.
Akira curled himself into a ball, hugging his knees tightly to sleep through the cold night.
As he drifted into sleep, he felt a bright flash surround his body. He didn't want to open his eyes, but it was too much to ignore, so he briefly opened them to check.
What he saw made his sleepiness vanish.
He was in a white room.
He quickly got up and looked around. There was nothing in sight.
He rubbed his eyes and pinched his face, trying to wake up from the dream—but he soon realized it was real. He could feel everything.
'The fuck… did a rogue shinobi cast genjutsu on me? No… that wouldn't make sense…'
Akira spun in place, his heart beating fast in his chest.
"Hello?!" he called out, but his voice only echoed, swallowed by the void of the endless white.
He took a cautious step forward, but the scenery didn't change. The ground beneath his feet felt soft.
Then a faint humming filled the entire empty void.
Akira looked around in panic, trying to find the source of the sound.
Finally, he heard a sharp sound in his head.
"You have no reason to fear me," a calm voice echoed in his mind.
"What…" Akira was at a loss for words, trying his best to understand what was happening to him.
"I know you have questions—how you came here, who your body belonged to—but all those shall become clear as well."
"Who are you?! And why can't I see you?!" Akira shouted, clenching his hair.
"Like I said, you have no reason to fear me. I am on your side, and you are on mine. I can't reveal too much to you right now, but as you solidify your position in this world, everything will make sense to you."
Akira staggered back. "Wait. You said you're on my side. But I don't even know what sides there are!"
The voice grew quieter—more distant.
"You will. In time. For now, survive. Learn. And grow stronger."
Before Akira could say another word, the world around him shattered—like glass breaking into light.
His body jolted as he awoke with a gasp. Cold. Dirt. Bushes rustling around him. He was still in the training grounds.
Akira sat up, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, running a hand through his messy hair.
'There's so much happening around me that I don't even wanna bother thinking about it.'
With that thought, he lay back down on the ground. But even though he didn't want to think about anything, he couldn't empty his mind.
'How did someone like me—who had nothing to do other than watch shows and sleep—get trapped in a mess like this…'
He stared at the darkening sky. For a moment, he wondered if maybe he'd gone crazy. Maybe everything—from the chakra to the ninjas to the talking voice in his head—was a fever dream his dying brain had conjured in its last moments.
But the ache in his muscles, the bruises on his knees, the growl of his stomach—none of those felt like a dream.
'What would happen if I die again…? Will I reincarnate into a better place?'
Akira thought, placing his hands around his neck—but he couldn't tighten the grip.
'What if I just vanish this time around… I got a second chance. I should use it to the fullest. It's not my place to question the circumstances. I just have to make the best out of it.'