***
It was a vast, empty world without end.
Touye thought for a moment, then closed his eyes. *This can't be real. I must have opened my eyes wrong. Let's try again, one more time...*
He opened them again. The world was unchanged.
"Wh... why... what is happening?!"
Touye couldn't keep his composure any longer; the urge to complain was overwhelming.
"You're awake?" a calm voice drifted over. "If you're awake, then get up."
Touye shot to his feet and looked toward the source of the voice. A figure stood there. It was humanoid, he supposed, but it could not possibly be human. Humans didn't glow.
*Did I get transported to another world?!*
A realization dawned on him. He looked up at the figure and asked, "Are you... a god?"
The figure, which looked like a young man of eighteen or nineteen, answered directly. "I am."
Touye froze, hesitating for a moment. "Why... am I... here?"
The young man's tone remained placid. "You know why. Think carefully."
A jolt went through Touye, and his eyes cleared. "Right. I remember now. I... I'm already... dead!"
"You are," the young man nodded and continued. "I apologize for your death. It was our mistake."
"What exactly happened...? I want to know..." Touye sat down on the ground, trying to calm himself before asking.
"All you need to know is that one of us caused a surge of turbulent energy while breaking through a world barrier, and it killed you. Anything deeper than that, you wouldn't understand."
"Us?" This was the second time Touye had heard him say 'we'.
"Yes, us." The 'god' nodded affirmatively.
"So gods come in groups now?" Touye said with a hint of sarcasm. After all, not many people could chat so calmly with those who had caused their death, could they?
The god nodded. "Yes. We are not alone. Even a god cannot bear to live in solitude." He paused, then went on. "We are sorry about what happened to you, but it cannot be undone."
Touye's eyes widened. "What? Aren't you gods? What kind of god can't even resurrect a single person?!"
"Resurrecting a person isn't the problem. The problem is that in your world, you are already dead."
"What does that mean? Be clearer!" Touye said impatiently.
"It means that in your world, the World Will has already certified you—Xu Touye—as dead. If I were to resurrect you and send you back, the world itself would reject you. The best-case scenario is that you'd be expelled from reality, left to wander the void between worlds until you faded away."
Touye's face turned pale. He looked at the young man before him. "So you're saying... I can't go back?"
The young man didn't answer directly. "In the eyes of the World Will, the you who is dead and the you who is alive create a paradox. The World Will always eliminates or erases errors. Therefore, you can no longer exist in your original world. The world cannot permit an error to exist."
Touye shot to his feet, rushed forward, and grabbed the young man by the collar, roaring, "Then what about me?! Huh?! You kill me by accident, and now you're telling me there's nothing you can do! What's the meaning of this? Are you mocking me?!"
The young man spoke softly. "Calm down. Don't be rash."
Before he finished speaking, his figure abruptly faded, vanishing from Touye's grasp and reappearing several meters away.
Touye's hands felt light. He stared blankly at the figure, an unspeakable bitterness welling up inside him. Tears began to stream down his face before he even realized it.
The young man didn't disturb him, waiting quietly for him to cry it all out.
After a long while, Touye finally calmed down. "So, what's going to happen to me? Is this it? To you gods, aren't ordinary people like us just ants?"
The young man shook his head. "A mistake is a mistake, regardless of who the victim is. As for what to do with you, we've discussed it and reached a decision. In your words, it's... transmigration."
"Transmigration?" Touye was truly stunned this time. Having read countless online stories, he knew exactly what those words meant. But could he really just leave his original world and go to a new one?
He hesitated for a moment, then made his decision. "Fine. Since I can't go back, I agree... But since you're the ones who got me killed, shouldn't you give me some perks?"
The young man tilted his head. "What do you want?"
Touye pondered for a moment, then inquired, "I'd like to ask, what are your limits?"
The young man suddenly laughed. "You're a clever one. How did you know I couldn't give you too much?"
Touye sighed. "I'm just being realistic. The fact that you're going to all this trouble for me over a mistake means you take your rules very seriously and won't easily break them. Otherwise, you could have just ignored me. So, you can't give me too much, because that would disrupt the balance, right?"
The young man smiled, pleased. "You're very smart. That saves me a lot of explaining. I've actually dealt with a few transmigrators before, and many of them made requests that gave me a headache. People as pragmatic as you are rare."
Touye asked tentatively, "So what can you give me?"
The young man replied, "I can't directly give you things like power. I can give you the means to become stronger, but not strength itself. I can grant you wisdom, but not knowledge. I can give you the method to forge a divine weapon, but you'll have to craft it yourself. That's the gist of it. However, we usually just grant three requests, which you can make yourself. Of course, I'll reject anything too outrageous, and that request will be voided. Understand? Mmm, I have a pretty good impression of you, so I might even give you a little bonus... Now then, let's see how many of your requests I'll actually agree to... Hehehe..."
Touye didn't hesitate. "First, I want to ask you some questions. Please answer them to the best of your ability!"
The young man replied, "No. That's too broad. Five questions, at most."
"Alright, deal." Touye agreed, knowing he had no room to bargain. "First question: what kind of world am I being sent to?"
"Oh? Getting some intel to prepare for your next wishes? Not bad. The world you're going to is... Naruto."
Touye was taken aback. "An anime?"
That was technically his second question, but the young man didn't seem interested in playing word games and simply answered yes.
"Second, what happens if I die in that world?"
"That depends on when you die. If you live there for twenty years, your soul will be recognized by that world. Even if you die, you'll be reincarnated there. If you die before the twenty-year mark, your soul will be rejected by the world. A fragile soul without the protection of a body will shatter. In other words... your soul... will be... utterly... annihilated..."
After a moment of silence, Touye continued, "Third, why can I go to another world but not back to my own?"
"Because in your original world, you are already dead, yet you are alive. In another world, your identity is that of a transmigrator blessed by the gods. So you can live in another world, but you cannot return to your original one."
Touye gave a bitter smile. *So that's how it is.* In an instant, he cast aside his burdens. If it couldn't be helped, he could only look forward. That was his nature.
"Fourth, can I change the plot? If I do, will there be any punishment?"
That was two questions again, but the god didn't seem to mind. This was probably the "little bonus" he'd mentioned.
"The plot can be changed, for fate is not immutable. There will be no punishment. But... are you sure you want to change it? You should know, the advantages we give you aren't enough for you to dominate that world. Your only real edge is your knowledge of the plot. Knowing this, do you still wish to change it?"
Touye nodded. "Of course. When I watched Naruto, there were so many regrets. I have to change them! As for my last question... am I the only transmigrator in that world?"
The young man nodded. "Yes, you are the only one. Only gods can break the barriers between worlds. Alright, all five questions have been answered. You may state your next request."
Touye thought for a moment. "My second request is to defer my third request. Can I make it after I've arrived in that world?"