Reincarnation.

As Jin felt the cold grasp of death come upon him, he was prepared for anything. Anything except...well, nothing.

He didn't feel any change.

His body felt the same.

His mind felt intact.

What was going on?

'My thoughts are still active too...'

Jin opened his eyes to find himself in a white room with a giant slot machine in front of him. Right next to the machine was an equally large whiteboard with giant black letters printed on it, stating, "When you are ready, say begin."

Jin was extremely confused about the current situation.

"Is this how it's done in the afterlife? This is...unexpected. I guess I should give it a try huh? Um...begin?"

The machine shook and the words changed on the board as the slots started to spin.

"You have been selected by the God Of War to be reincarnated in a world of your choosing. Since he likes a bit of gambling, he has chosen this method to determine the boons you will receive. As a bonus, you may choose your appearance. Be aware that whatever body you choose has all of its known biological abilities within."

After reading this statement from the board, to say that Jin was excited would be an understatement. If he still had his motor functions he would be physically jumping for joy. Unfortunately, he was unable to move due to some mysterious force holding his body in place.

"This...is real? Dammit, I don't have time to think of that! I could only find out if I try. I want the body of Jin Kazama! And wait, wait, wait! Send me to a world where the battle between numerous martial arts is prevalent!"

The slot machines immediately stopped and a picture of Jin Kazama emerged on the screen above the slots, devil form and all. The words on the giant board changed again.

"Granted. The world you will be sent to is based on a story that would be made in the future, after your death. You will be satisfied. Now, say spin and you will be given three boons, in this case, martial arts, that will aid your journey."

Jin tried to calm down as he heard what was happening. This was a literal dream come through.

"Phew...alright spin!"

The slot machines immediately started roaring as they spun with blinding speed. Jin's eyes were pasted on the white screen above the slots, waiting for the results. About ten seconds later, they abruptly stop and the first boon appeared.

[Mishima Style Fighting Karate]

Jin's smile was so wide that it physically hurt.

"Okay, that cannot be random but I'll take it! Spin!"

The machines started again and just like before they ended in about ten seconds.

[Snake]

Jin went into deep thought for a second.

'Snake? The snake style isn't rare by any means, especially in Chinese martial arts, but since it's just "Snake" then it could only be Soichiro Kuzuki's style from Fate. That makes the most sense.'

Being the martial art connoisseur that he was, Jin was quickly able to identify the style in question.

"Spin!"

Ten seconds later, another art popped up on the screen.

[Bajiquan]

Jin's eyes lit up. He didn't even need to think about that to know where it was from. It was definitely from the world of Fate just like [Snake]. With these, survival was almost guaranteed.

Just as Jin was waiting for something else to happen, the machine suddenly exploded and its shards turned into a portal. He didn't need to be a genius to know that it was probably where he would be reincarnated.

He couldn't resist anyway so he went in completely expectant of an adventurous new world on the other side.

[Sometime later. At Daisen Temple on Mount Shirobara.]

The sound of a woman screaming and a baby crying rang out within the main temple hall. The two Shaolin monks who were there hurried to wrap up the baby which they just delivered and wasted no time in showing it to the mother.

While the mother was happy and she smiled, she could not mask the pain in her heart. Tears flowed unceasingly from her eyes as she held the baby in her hands, shaking him slowly while rubbing his soft cheeks.

"Your name will be Jin Kazama. A strong name for a strong boy. Hehe, I know you'll make me proud. One day, when you get older, come and look for me...till then these nice men at the Shaolin temple will take care of you. Grow up well, okay?"

As she said that, she took a few more minutes to look at her baby boy and struggled her way up to her feet. After cutting the umbilical cord, one of the Shaolin monks allowed her to put her hand around him and said, "Ma'am, you don't have to leave. You can hide in here with us as long as you wa-"

The woman put one finger over his lip and smiled.

"You all have already done enough. The fact that I managed to bring my son away from the inside and deliver him at safe place gives me enough comfort. I'm afraid if I stay any longer that I wouldn't be able to leave...please just take good care of him and tell him that his mother will always love him."

The Shaolin monk sighed deeply as he thought, 'Such is the life of someone from the "Inside". How unfortunate.'

He slowly took her away from the hall, leaving the baby and an older Shaolin monk there, who was a high priest of the temple. His name was Eiei.

As he saw the woman's department figure, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Life is truly too tragic."

He looked down at that baby in his arms and gave a slight smile. He then looked at the statue he was standing in front of and down at the baby again as a realization struck him.

"Young one, you were born under the statue of Guan Yu, the Bodhisattva deity of war. That means you'll be big and strong! Hehe! Your fists will shake the heavens and the earth! You know, many people probably haven't had this sort of luxury. Make sure you train hard in the future!"

At this point, the baby has already stopped crying and was looking at the monk with curious eyes. Of course, the baby was Jin who had just gained real consciousness.

'A monk of the Shaolin temple! A real one! I can't believe I get to meet one close up!'

As Jin was staring at the Shaolin monk, Eiei stared right back at him with a kind smile on his face.

"Little one, you're already curious about the ones around you eh? Come, let me take you inside before you catch a cold."

[Five years later]

"HAHH!"

On a hot morning in the summer, a young boy with black hair that spiked to the back of his head and a fringe hanging over at the front was training arduously in a lone courtyard.

He wore Buddhist slippers and light tan pants. His upper body was exposed to the elements as sweat bounced off of it with every movement, slowly darkening the ground around him.

His brown eyes fluttered around as his left fist kept flying outwards in strange angles as if it were a snake. This was of course, [Snake], one of the martial arts he received from his reincarnation.

As it turns out, this was an assassination art, completely focused on catching an opponent off guard and dominating them with crippling blows before they could retaliate.

This was what Jin practiced every morning after praying in the temple. In the afternoon after lunch, he would practice [Mishima Style Fighting Karate] while in the evening/night, he would practice [Bajiquan]. This was his routine for the past few years.

The reason he practiced so hard was that although he loved martial arts, the feeling of having working legs was intoxicating. He couldn't stay off them. Sometimes he felt that sleep and rest were punishments as that meant he couldn't run around as usual.

He couldn't ask for anything more.

"HAAH! HAAH! HAI!"

With every move, Jin's strikes just became a little bit sharper, with every step, his footwork a little bit steadier and with every breath, his mind a bit more focused.

Nothing could beat this feeling of gaining strength.

As Jin was completely focused on his practice, an elderly monk was watching him from a balcony a few hundred meters away.

It was the high priest who delivered him, Eiei.

"The arts this boy practices, they are very unique. I've never seen anything like that. And he claims he came up with that by himself...hm. I guess I'll let him keep some secrets as long as he doesn't get himself into trouble."

After this, the monk turned around and went into solitude within his own courtyard.

Just like this, a few days had passed with Jin continuing the same routine. But this particular morning, something special happened.

One of the young monks ran into his courtyard breathless and shouted, "Brother Jin!! The sparring session is today! You're finally five this year so you can join us!"