A New Beginning

"Am I going to die again? How frustrating... I was so close to finishing it."

As Zeyu lay sprawled on the ground, time seemed to slow, and a flood of memories washed over him.

He thought of how he had come this far, step by step, and how he had managed to keep his own life hanging by a thread on the front lines of the Great War.

The countless moments of heart-stopping terror, the endless threats of death.

In battles between the truly powerful, an ordinary person would feel suffocated just by standing on the sidelines.

Yet, throughout this life, because he had to tag along with the main cast, he had often stood on the front lines, enduring that bone-chilling sensation of being on the brink of death.

How many nights had he lain awake, unable to sleep, his entire body aching as he recalled those moments?

He also understood the meaning behind those words from Sasuke.

It was the warning he had given when the Uchiha clan was being wiped out.

Sasuke must have seen his clansmen being slaughtered with his own eyes, Zeyu thought.

But what Zeyu didn't know was that because of his warning, Sasuke hadn't just seen his clansmen being killed; he had even heard them crying out for help before they died.

Despair wasn't the most painful thing; seeing hope after experiencing despair, only to be unable to grasp it, was the true definition of despair.

That expression was one Sasuke would never forget for the rest of his life.

After rushing home, he had seen his beloved brother raise his blade to kill their parents, right before his very eyes.

It was to the point that Itachi didn't even need to use his Sharingan to replay the night's events for Sasuke; Sasuke had awakened his own Sharingan right then and there.

Even Itachi had been slightly surprised at the time. He knew his younger brother, Sasuke.

He was just a little kid who hadn't gone through any real trials; if not for what was happening now, he should have lived a very happy life.

But that wasn't an option. He had to become stronger—strong enough to protect himself, his friends, and the village.

Don't end up like me, Sasuke, Itachi thought to himself.

But he still had to play the part. Only hatred could force someone to grow strong quickly—strong enough to eventually defeat Itachi, awaken the Mangekyo, transplant Itachi's eyes, and unlock the Eternal Mangekyo.

Of course, how could a three-tomoe Sharingan possibly defeat a Mangekyo?

He would just have to keep acting when the time came.

What truly bothered the current Sasuke, however, was learning the truth later on.

His brother could abandon the Hidden Leaf, could abandon his clan, but he could never abandon him.

Itachi had paved the way for him with his own life, even dying by his hand in the end, and had even prepared something like Kotoamatsukami for him.

Yet, a brother who cared for him so deeply hadn't even been able to say goodbye to their parents, or to his own kindness, in the end.

That was what Uchiha Itachi had told him after defeating Kabuto with Izanami and undoing the Reanimation Jutsu.

"Sasuke, if I had been open with you from the very beginning, if I hadn't looked down on your existence and had told you the whole truth..."

"Perhaps you could have changed our parents, and the Uchiha clan as well."

"It's a pity that I couldn't even apologize to our parents in the end."

Because of Zeyu's warning, Sasuke had returned a little earlier, which meant Itachi hadn't had time to say more to their parents and hadn't heard their final wishes regarding Sasuke.

The hesitation he had felt, the tears that had been on the verge of falling—all of it had vanished the moment the door opened.

He had been forced to kill his parents right in front of his younger brother.

This had always been the hurdle Itachi couldn't overcome in his heart.

When Itachi released the Reanimation Jutsu, Sasuke had taken those words to heart. He hadn't interrupted his brother's final words, focusing instead on savoring those last moments with him.

After hearing the words, "I will always love you," Sasuke made his decision.

Zeyu had to die!

A new name had been added to Sasuke's kill list, a sacrifice to honor the brother who had loved him so much.

[Life signs of the host have ceased]

[Mission aborted]

[Collecting soul]

[Restarting world]

[Current rating: B]

[Returning to starting position]

In the dark, alien space, Zeyu slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the mission pop-up window he had seen countless times before, he felt a wave of exhaustion.

"Sigh, dead again," Zeyu muttered, lying back and closing his eyes, wanting nothing more to do with it.

This space was completely empty. There wasn't even enough room to lie down; the moment he tried to lean back, he ended up doing two backflips.

The task window, which offered no other options, followed Zeyu and reappeared before his eyes, looking incredibly annoying.

"Sigh, I really just want to lie flat," Zeyu said, shaking his head with a sigh.

But sighing couldn't change anything. He couldn't do a single thing in this space; even dreaming was a luxury.

"This time it was because of Sasuke. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered. Sigh, the real problem is that you can't rely on anyone else. You have to be strong yourself." Thinking of this, Zeyu was so angry he felt like he might explode.

After so many lifetimes, he either died shortly after birth, or he played it safe, only to be wiped out as a 'hidden boss' at the last second, falling short of success. It was truly suffocating.

Being reborn in Konoha was already a luxury, but he still had to guard against the Nine-Tails' attack, otherwise, he'd be done for.

Yet, during the Nine-Tails' attack, he was only a few months old. It was entirely up to fate; it was truly too difficult.

The mortality rate was higher than in small countries or villages.

Thinking of this, Zeyu wore a mask of agony.

Looking at the pop-up window, he couldn't suppress his frustration. In a fit of agitation, he threw a punch at it.

When people are emotionally unstable, they lose control of themselves; he hadn't thought about his actions or the consequences at all.

The window flickered twice, and Zeyu immediately panicked.

"Huh? Oh crap, it didn't break, did it? I didn't mean it! Little Window, don't scare me like this. I don't want to stay here forever!"

In truth, Zeyu actually quite enjoyed the Naruto world. Although he was weak and prone to dying, as the saying goes, you get used to it after a while. Dying here was just dying; he'd gotten used to it after doing it so many times.

Anyway, if he died early, he could just start over, and if he died later, he could at least experience life. It was still better than staying in this empty space.

And if he happened to be reborn into a good situation, he'd really take off.

Relying on his knowledge of the plot and his long-standing experience, he could successfully nurture his 'cheat.' Although the cheat was hard to pull, if he managed to get one, it would be a massive return on investment.

After flickering twice, the system window returned to normal, which made Zeyu instantly heave a sigh of relief. He had thought it was broken and that he would be trapped here forever.

"Whew, seems like it's fine. You scared the life out of me," Zeyu said, patting his chest in relief.

He immediately calmed down and began to pray.

"Little Window, Brother System, God! Let me pull an SSR! I don't want to be a noob anymore. I want to become strong, I want to obtain those heaven-defying abilities, and take everything! Beautiful girls, power!!!"

This wasn't the first time he had prayed like this, but Zeyu went through the routine every time just to put his mind at ease.

What if it actually worked? A person has to have dreams, right?

How would he know if he didn't try?

After finishing his prayer, he took a deep breath and clicked [Yes] without hesitation.

It was the familiar bright light, the familiar start.

But this time, it seemed a little different.

Zeyu, still an infant, was finally able to see his mother for this lifetime.

She was a very beautiful woman. Her eyes were red, as beautiful as rubies, with a delicate nose, soft pink lips, and long red hair tied simply behind her head with a hairpin. Even though she had just given birth, she didn't look tired at all, and a smile always hung on her face, shining like the sun.

"Oh, honey, come take a look. The baby opened his eyes," the woman named Rilu Yangmei said to her husband, Rilu Aihua, who was flipping through an account book nearby.

The smiles on both their faces grew even brighter.

"Oh, let me see." Aihua ignored the account book, walked straight to Yangmei's side, and hugged her while looking at the little baby in her arms.

At this moment, Zeyu saw his father.

He had black hair, black eyes, and a short wolf-cut hairstyle that revealed a bit of his forehead. His nose and mouth were also very handsome, and he wore round-rimmed glasses. He was a total hunk, just a bit thin.

Zeyu knew it was his turn to perform. Having been reborn so many times and having been a baby many times before, he knew how to act; it had become a habit.

The baby in the woman's arms reached out his chubby little hands toward his parents, laughing happily as his hands waved in the air.

"Wow!" The mother's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim, turning to Aihua beside her.

"Honey, have you thought of a name for the baby?"

Aihua was also very happy. He extended his left index finger to the baby, teasing him, and said, "Let's call him Zeyu, Rilu Zeyu."

The woman, having received an answer, happily called out to the baby in her arms, "Zeyu, Zeyu, you have a name now! You're called Rilu Zeyu."

So it really is this name? Zeyu thought. Even though that was my name to begin with, it's a bit strange that every set of parents picks this name.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the index finger that was teasing him and laughed even more happily.

The couple had never seen anything like this; they were beaming.

"Honey, honey, look! The baby likes the name!" Yangmei's eyes were already filled with stars; the baby in her arms was just too cute.

"Mm, as long as the baby likes it." Aihua was also very happy.

The couple spent a pleasant evening together.