Her name didn't matter, for the world had already abandoned her; she was of no use to anyone. When she was 7, she had been diagnosed with cancer
She spent most of her life bedridden; however, she only had one wish: she wanted to be strong, she wanted to be fierce. One of her favorite pastimes was watching anime
One of her favorites was Naruto. She adored the action and the characters; she wanted to experience that for herself. The thought of power was amazing to her
For you see, someone like her is valued by no one, forgotten, and caged in a place of her own misery every day, getting closer to death, the only time she moved around was to swing her plastic training sword she got off Amazon for her birthday
Even then, she would almost collapse from the strain she spent countless nights just listening to her monitor beep, the only proof that she was still living, still okay, her family was off living their own lives
Not even thinking about her, and honestly, if she were them, she wouldn't think about her either. She was a burden, a dead weight, the weak link that only served to drag others down
She lay in bed watching the last few episodes of the pain arc. She had never had a full watch through. As she watched Naruto fight against pain and overcome her own despair, she felt an empty feeling, no, that wasn't right, she felt only one emotion, jealousy, Jealous she couldn't be the one to overcome her own despair, Jealous she couldn't be the one to rise to a hero she watched feeling her own wet tears run down her cheek
Then, with cold resolve, she sat up on her bed, giving all her brittle body could handle, pulling the IV in her arm out, she got up, detaching herself from the machines the nurses didn't even pay attention to, and who would blame them
She had been there since her childhood, and she was now 13. They expected her to die any day now, and using that as her reason, she walked forward with only resolve and hatred fueling her, taking her first steps through the halls, then finally outside the door, each step feeling like knives slowly being pushed up her legs
She finally made it to her destination, the roof of the hospital. It was ironic that the place was supposed to help people, but it only brought her grief. The cold rain hit her cheeks, mixing in with her own tears
It was a cloudy day, almost as if the heavens were reflecting her pain for one last time. She took it all in the world around her, the air, the cold rain hitting her, and finally the place that dammed her to this existence in my next life, or whatever comes after this life. There is one thing I know: she took a step toward the ledge. I want
She jumped off the wind rushing past her. I want to be strong. Just before she hit the floor, the rain froze in place, the wind stopped blowing the trees, she looked around, panicking, it was almost as if time came to a standstill
You want to be strong, hm? A voice carrying no hint of masculine or feminine features responded to her thoughts, her desire. She looked around, dazed, floating mid-air. What is happening? She panicked
You want to be strong the voice repeated I can grant that. There is a price, however, before he could finish, she asked, or more correctly thought in her head, " Who are you
You could call me the world, you could call me God, you could call me all you could call me one, I exist to grant humanity's wishes, I exist to grant humanity's despair, and I am here to grant you both
She stayed silent, now human, " Do you want me to grant your wish, my wish she asked, dazed, " Yes, your wish, the desire that is at the very core of your being, you want to be strong, don't you? I can grant that, however, there is a price
Price? She responded, "Yes, price. As I mentioned before, I exist to grant humans' wishes; however, I also grant despair." The greater the wish, the more despair you take on. For example, if you wanted your favorite type of fruit to be blue, you would have to sacrifice your favorite red vegetable. Everything comes at a price. Now, what are you willing to pay
She thought long and hard about my memories before my cancer, the ones of my childhood, where I was loved. The being laughed, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once
Are you sure it asked with an almost cocky tone? Think carefully now, you do realize once it's gone it's gone, and you'll always be able to rememberyou had them, never recall them like a distant memory always there
She simply stayed silent, with resolve, those memories only drove her to kill herself in the end, why would she keep them
Seems like you made up your mind, the god said, " Well, if you're sure that is the price you'll pay, now what is your wish? I want to be reborn in a world where I can be strong
That's all, anywhere specific, she thought, it's thinking why she jumped in the first place
Naruto, she said, "I want to be reborn in Naruto." The god laughed in response. If that is your wish, I shall grant it; however, you paid a great price. Anything else you would like to add? Don't be too greedy now, as I can't do much. The price you paid wasn't that much for anything major, any minor talents you would like?
She thought it over. What do you mean by minor talents? The god responded, I could make you mcub faster than the normal ninja, noticeable but not extremely effective
She thought, what would she want to be good at? Naruto had many diverse abilities and techniques to master. She thought back to her simple, dingy plastic training sword, which she got for 20 dollars from Amazon
She responded with resolve I want to have the ability to master the blade she said. The god responded with that same laugh, which almost sent a chill down her spine that's what you want? Think carefully, now you can't change this once it's been set
She only responded, " Yes, that is my full wish. The god hummed in a pleased tone, " Okay then, off you go, I can't wait to see what hope and despair you find in the world of ninja. If she didn't know any better, she would think the god with no firm was smirking
Before she could mull over her thoughts, though the wind came rushing into her back, rain falling again, and she could only think one thing in this new life of mine, I will be strong, I swear it
Before she knew it, she finally made contact with the hard concrete ground, and with a simple thud, her life ended, and it all faded to black
4 years later
A young girl was swinging a wooden sword around her blonde hair, flapping behind her as she used all her might on the wooden training doll
Her father sighed, watching his daughter, Artoria. He called out, " Take a break, the man in question, Taka Yamanaka," was her new father
The young girl halted, only looking back, clenching the sword in her fist, and responded with abnormal resolve for a 4-year-old, " No, Father, I Artoria Yamanaka will be the strongest swordsmen there ever was, and no one is going to get in my way
The man only sighed. What was he going to do with her