1 - 1 - Three Gifts, One Destiny

Ryo, an ordinary college student, was making his way back to his apartment one late night after a long session at the library. Lost in his thoughts about an upcoming test he had been cramming for, he barely noticed the quiet streets as he made his way home.

As he passed a narrow alley, a masked man walking in the opposite direction 'accidentally' bumped into him, shoving him into the alley where the person's accomplice was waiting.

Knocked off balance, Ryo hit the ground hard, the masked assailant's ambush leaving him sprawled on the pavement, the cold, hard asphalt biting into his skin.

"Give me everything you have, and you don't have to get hurt," the second aggressor threatened, towering over him with a menacing demeanor.

Despite the shock of the situation, Ryo's resolve hardened. Ryo, who was an athlete in high school, was still in good shape and was not one to back down from a challenge. Seeing that the two attackers seemed to be unarmed, he decided to confront them, hoping to create an opportunity to flee.

He had his laptop that he needed for school in his backpack, and right now, he could not afford to get a new one. So, he summoned all the courage he could and stood up, ready to fight.

As he stood up, adrenaline coursing through his veins, Ryo rose to his feet and unleashed a swift punch toward his opponent. The blow landed, catching the man off guard and bringing Ryo within striking distance.

In a swift and unexpected move, the attacker charged at Ryo, sending them both crashing to the ground in a tangled mess. In the chaos of the takedown, the attacker pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed Ryo in the gut.

The mugger's initial aim was to deliver a non-lethal blow. Yet, in the chaos of the fall, the attacker's thrust missed its mark, landing squarely in Ryo's liver, causing unintended lethal damage.

Seeing that Ryo was down for the count, the attacker quickly grabbed Ryo's bag and took off, leaving Ryo there, lying in his own blood injured and helpless.

Ryo, barely conscious from having his head slammed onto the concrete, could do nothing but stare at the stars, hoping someone would find him. But nobody did. After 30 minutes, he passed out due to the concussion and blood loss.

After 4 hours, he started to have organ failure, and after 6 hours, just as the sun was starting to come up, his body could finally not hold on any longer, and he died all alone in that alley.

Ryo woke up in an all-white room, confused and with a slight headache.

He said, "Where am I? What happened?" Then, all the memories of what happened came flooding into his mind.

He surveyed his surroundings, puzzled, and murmured, "Am I in a hospital? Did someone find me? No, I don't know where I am, but this can't be a hospital." When he pushed himself to stand, he realized that he couldn't.

When he looked down at his body, what he found was his soul just floating there.

As another thought struggled to emerge, he turned around and noticed a being standing there. This being was shrouded in all white, with no defining features.

Rooted in place, the being's attention was firmly on Ryo when it finally said, "Hello, Ryo. I've been watching you your entire life, and I'm sad to see your life get cut short. So, I've decided to give you another chance."

Confusion etched across Ryo's face as he struggled to comprehend the situation. Who was this being, and why would he give him another chance? How would he give him another chance? So he asked, "What do you mean? Are you going to revive me?"

The being gave a subtle shake of its head, conveying a gentle refusal. "No, I cannot revive you in your old body, but I can allow you to be reborn into a world of your choice."

Ryo's mind raced, and after a brief hesitation, he pondered aloud, "So, I can pick any world? What about the Naruto world? Can I pick that?"

The being nodded in agreement and said, "I'm surprised you would pick a world as dangerous as that, but it's your choice."

Ryo hurriedly responded, "No, no, I wasn't picking that; I was just asking."

He wanted to make it clear that he didn't have any intentions of picking such a dangerous world.

The being replied, "Well, it's too late now. I've already selected the world; there's no going back."

The being continued, "However, because I like you and your good karma from throughout your life, I will allow you three things. The first is an affinity with all elements, even Kekkei Genkais, if you can figure them out. The second is chakra. I'll give you 50 times the amount of chakra you're supposed to have. This means you will start off with low levels, but as you grow, like any person in the Naruto universe, your chakra will grow with you. And the last thing is, I'll allow you to choose what clan you would like to be born into. So, which clan will it be?"

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[A/n I know the early chapters are on the shorter side, but at around chapter 32, the writing quality and length of the chapters get much better, so I would suggest reading until there if the writing quality and length are big turn-offs for you.]

[I'm a new author, so please treat me kindly and with patience. My writing should hopefully get better with time.]