Jay was just cursing the Boruto while walking along the road when, all of a sudden, his foot slipped over a pile of dog shit, sending his head diving straight into a dustbin.
After a while, he slowly opened his eyes yet instead of finding himself in a hospital bed, he saw a lone light gleaming in endless darkness. A voice drifted through the void, laughter echoing
"Bawahaha! Haha!"
Jay groaned and muttered "Ah… someone's laughing in the hospital?"
But the voice turned serious and answered "Kid! This isn't a hospital. You're dead now"
Jay jolted "What? I'm dead? How?"
The voice sighed, a mocking lilt in its tone "How, you ask? Hmm… in quite the strange way. I know you were just a 19-year-old kid, but still…"
And then, Jay recalled his inglorious death "I see… then, who are you?"
"Oh, kid! this place belongs to the one you might call The Soul Warden. The one who sends souls to their next life"
"So… I'm going to be reborn now?" jay asked
"Right, right" the voice chuckled
Jay's eyes glimmered with a spark of hope "Hey, mister… is it possible to be reborn in a world I wish for?"
The voice paused "Huh? You wanna go to the Naruto world?"
Jay blinked "How did you know?"
"Kid! you can't hide anything from me here"
"I see…"
The voice softened "I understand, little one. Once, long ago… I too was a human"
"Huh?"
"Anyway it's time now"
"Hey, hey… can you give me—" before jay could complete the voice interrupted
"A cheat skill? I can't do that"
Jay took pause and said "Just this little…"
The voice chuckled "Hmm… this is fine, I guess. But you'd best be off before The Soul Warden comes"
Jay's brow furrowed "Wait! you're not The Soul Warden?"
As the surrounding light began to dim and dissolve, the voice answered "No… I'm not. I am just substitute for a while. I am—"
But before Jay could hear the rest, the world was swallowed by darkness.
After a while, he opened his eyes rays of sunlight filtered gently through the rustling leaves above, dappling his vision.
"Huh? Where is this place?"
He rose, sitting up, and beheld the world around him. Endless greenery stretched far and wide. To his left, a vast open ground lay, and beyond it stood a temple with a towering Buddha statue visible even from this distance.
"What is this place? …Oh, I remember… I had a weird dream"
Yet, to be sure, he looked down at himself. To his surprise, he was dressed in simple white robes, his body thin and unfamiliar.
"Huh…?"
He stood up at once, running his hands over his body and face in disbelief. Without another thought, he rushed toward a pond not far from the tree. The surface of the water shimmered under the daylight. As he leaned over, what stared back at him was a boy with snowy white hair, clear blue eyes, and a delicate, almost ethereal face.
He rubbed his hands over his reflection in disbelief "It's… it's not a dream. It's real. Those were my memories… I'm actually in the Naruto world"
...
It was the first time he had opened his eyes in this world. A lady cradled him in her arms, humming a gentle tune, her face with a tender, beautiful smile. She had long white hair that flowed like silk down her back, and her eyes, soft light brown, held warmth. Her honey like voice that soothed even restless winds.
Then, another figure appeared and said in soft voice "Saturo"
A man took him into his arms sharp, strong features, deep black eyes, and a cat-like mask resting on top his head. The moment Saturo saw this man's face, his infant mouth tugged upwards, and his innocent laugh bubbling.
These two figures were his parents his father, Gojo Takumi, and his mother, Gojo Yuzuki once known as Yuzuki Kamishiro. And he had been given the name Gojo Saturo.
The another memory he remembered of crawling on his knees and palms, making his way toward his mother in the kitchen, laughing and showing his two tiny teeth.
"Ma… ma…"
Yuzuki smiled, picking him up "You're awake again? I just put you to sleep" And she laughed, a sound as soft as falling snow.
Then, as memories grew clearer he was three and a half years old "Mama!"
"Saturo, stay at home. I'll be back in a little while, okay?" she said, preparing to leave.
He made a pout "Mama~"
"I'm going to bring something for you."
His eyes gleamed with excitement "Haa!"
She placed a cat-like mask over her face, the same kind his father wore, and stepped out.
Saturo, ever restless, began playing on the balcony, squashing herbs with a stone, delighting in their scent. After a while, boredom caught him. And his little feet pattered inside, where he rummaged through a chest and found a small panda-shaped mask. Placing it over his face, he returned to the balcony, his heart light.
Then a butterfly, with wings colorful green, fluttered near the entrance. Its colors made his eyes sparkle. He ran after it, stopping halfway, uncertain. He had never stepped beyond the house without his mother.
Yet the butterfly landed on a tree's bark just within reach. He ran towards it, little hands eager to catch its delicate form. But the butterfly flew again, and Saturo laughed, chasing it farther and farther. Unaware of where his tiny feet were leading him.