There was no air, no ground, no sense of direction—only an endless, luminescent blue stretching in every direction like the inside of a sleeping star. The boy floated at the center of it, suspended as though the universe had forgotten the concept of gravity. He opened his eyes slowly, instinctively pulling in a breath he didn't need.
For a long moment, he simply stared at the void.
"So… this is what being dead feels like?"
His voice didn't echo. It didn't fade. It just existed, swallowed instantly by the emptiness. He raised a hand—but even that felt strange, like he was moving through warm water instead of air.
Nothing answered him.
Not until a soft hum—like the vibration of a thousand distant bells—shivered behind him.
He turned.
A figure was forming out of the light. Human-shaped but not human. Composed entirely of shifting, radiant energy, as if galaxies lived beneath its surface. It had no face, no eyes, no distinct features, yet when it spoke, the boy felt as though the voice resonated directly inside his skull.
— **Welcome, wandering soul.**
The boy flinched at the sudden clarity of the voice.
"Who—who are you?"
— **A guide. A custodian. A ferryman. Call me whatever you wish. What matters is simple.**
The entity's presence grew heavier, almost solemn.
— **You have died.**
The words struck harder than he expected. Not because he doubted them, but because they explained the strange calm in his chest, the absence of panic, the way everything around him felt detached from reality. He tried to grasp the memory of what had happened—how he died—but nothing came. There was only a flash of feeling, the echo of an ending he could no longer recall.
"So this is really it." He swallowed despite lacking a throat. "Am I… supposed to move on? Or reincarnate? Or—how does this work?"
In response, the entity raised an arm of pure light.
Something tore open in the void—a ripple, like the surface of a pond disturbed by a single drop. Out of it rose a towering **cosmic wheel**, larger than a house, spinning lazily in the air. It was composed of concentric rings filled with stars, symbols, and faint glowing text he didn't recognize.
The boy stared in awe.
It was beautiful.
And terrifying.
— **Every soul spins the Wheel of Passage,** the being explained.
— **This first wheel determines the world in which you will reincarnate.**
The boy blinked.
"That's random? Seriously?"
— **Randomness is a deeper law than you think,** the entity said, its tone amused.
— **Go on. Touch it. Let fate turn.**
The boy hesitated only a moment before placing his hand on the handle embedded at the wheel's outer rim. It was warm—strangely alive, like touching a heartbeat. Gathering what courage he had, he pulled down with all his strength.
The wheel roared to life.
Stars spun. Rings blurred. Colors surged so fast they became a single streak of light. When the wheel slowed, the glow condensed into clear, shimmering letters at its center.
### **NARUTO / BORUTO**
His breath caught.
"You're kidding… I got the shinobi world? That one?"
— **Indeed.**
The entity didn't sound surprised—if anything, it sounded faintly entertained.
"But… that world is dangerous! People get blown up every five minutes! I could die again in like, five seconds!"
— **That is the nature of life, no matter the world. Now—**
Another ripple of space opened. A second wheel, smaller than the first but still enormous, materialized beside it.
— **This wheel determines your new identity. Who you will become.**
The boy wiped his palms on nonexistent pants and stepped forward. There was no point hesitating now. Grip. Pull. Spin.
Light exploded outward.
The wheel slowed.
Stopped.
The name shone like a seal of destiny.
### **BORUTO UZUMAKI**
The boy felt his brain short-circuit.
"…Boruto? As in—*that* Boruto? The protagonist? The trouble magnet? The kid literally cursed with alien eyes and apocalyptic drama?"
— **Correct. You will take his place at birth. His life becomes yours.**
The boy staggered backward a step, overwhelmed. Boruto's future was complicated, messy, and borderline catastrophic. But then something occurred to him, a spark of curiosity slicing through the shock.
"Wait. If I become Boruto… will I still have the Jōgan? I mean the real one? Not just the teased-one-in-the-anime version?"
The entity's glowing form shifted, the light folding as if it were smiling.
— **Yes. The Jōgan is bound to your soul now. However… unlocking its true abilities will be up to you. As in the original timeline, its secrets are not freely given.**
A thrill shot up his spine.
The Jōgan—one of the most mysterious and potentially powerful abilities in the entire Naruto universe.
He almost forgot to breathe again.
Before he could ask more, a third wheel materialized—this one pulsing with deep crimson and gold, covered in ancient patterns that felt older than any universe.
— **The final wheel. It will grant you one unique blessing. A gift that shapes the foundation of your next life.**
The boy didn't hesitate.
He spun.
This time the wheel didn't flash wildly. Instead, it slowed almost immediately—as if it already knew where to stop.
When the glow faded, a single phrase hovered before him:
### **FULL UZUMAKI PHYSICAL HERITAGE**
"…Uhm. What exactly does that mean?"
The entity swept an arm outward, and the space around them vibrated.
— **It means your body will possess the qualities of a pure-blooded Uzumaki. Immense chakra reserves. Exceptional vitality. Natural longevity. And an inherent proficiency with sealing techniques far beyond anything seen in generations.**
The boy's jaw fell open.
— **Furthermore,** the being added,
— **your Uzumaki traits will not interfere with your Hyūga lineage. Instead… they will strengthen one another.**
A fusion of ancient clans.
An heir to two bloodlines.
A reservoir of potential unlike anything in Boruto's original fate.
The boy felt like lightning was running through his veins.
"Okay… wow. That's… incredible. But—" He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Can I ask something else? It's not that I hate Boruto's design or anything, but visually he always felt too similar to Naruto. And that's not really my style. Can I… change the appearance? Customize it, maybe?"
The entity snapped its fingers—though no sound followed the gesture. In front of the boy, a massive floating screen appeared, glowing softly.
It resembled a character creation menu. Except far more detailed and alive.
— **Modify your appearance as you wish. This is your vessel. Your identity. Your choice.**
The voice grew faint, distant.
— **I will return once you are finished.**
And then the entity dissolved into the void, leaving him alone with the screen.
For the first time since arriving, a sense of normalcy washed over him. Something familiar. Something human.
"So… customization, huh?" He touched the screen, and ripples spread across its surface. "Let's see."
The first thing he removed were the whisker marks—those iconic streaks on the cheeks. They had meaning, sure, but they tied too strongly to Naruto. He wanted something that felt like *him*.
Next, he reshaped the face. He pulled the sliders, blended features, refined contours until the reflection staring back at him was a perfect fusion of **Hinata Hyūga's soft, elegant beauty** and **Minato Namikaze's sharp, regal lines**.
Finally, the eyes.
He kept them blue, but adjusted the iris pattern. The result was striking: cold, crystalline eyes reminiscent of **Satoru Gojo's**—not the abilities, just the mesmerizing aesthetic.
He stared at the final result.
"That… that's actually perfect."
For the first time since awakening in this void, he smiled.
A new face.
A new lineage.
A new destiny.
And somewhere far away, he felt the faint pull of a world waiting for his arrival.
The beginning of a life.
---