Chapter 1: The Last Curve
The wet road reflected the streetlights like fresh blood on asphalt. He laughed loudly inside his helmet, the wind cutting across his face, the beer still warm in his stomach. One more curve. Just one more.
The rear tire lost traction.
The world spun. Metal screeching, glass shattering, the dull impact against the guardrail. For a second, there was pain — a sharp, crushing pain. Then, nothing. Just black silence and the metallic taste of regret in his mouth.
*'Damn it... dying in such a pathetic way...'*
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The darkness didn't last.
Something warm and wet enveloped him. A strong grip, almost suffocating. He tried to scream, but what came out was a weak, hoarse, pathetic sound. A baby's cry.
*'No. No. This can't be real.'*
Warm, calloused hands held him. He forced his eyes open — still blurry, heavy — and saw a face. A woman with wild features, red marks on her cheeks, disheveled brown hair, sharp red eyes like a wolf's. Young. Strong. Exhausted. There was dried blood on her forehead and a fierce smile on her lips.
He knew that face.
*'Tsume...?'*
The initial panic exploded inside his tiny chest, but it didn't last long. Beside her, a little girl of about four or five was hopping in place, her round face lit up with excitement. Two red marks on her cheeks. Brown hair similar to her mother's.
"Kiba! Kiba! Look over here, little brother! It's me, Hana!"
The voice sounded distorted at first. As if underwater. The words made no sense... until, little by little, they started to click into place. Japanese. He was understanding Japanese.
*'Konoha. Inuzuka clan. Tsume. Hana.'*
He was Kiba Inuzuka.
The world of Naruto. The world where children became weapons. Where villages were massacred. Where gods and monsters walked among the living.
And he had just been born into it.
*'There's no going back... so be it.'*
The guilt of his old death still burned, but it was quickly pushed to the back of his mind. He had a second chance. Full youth all over again. A naturally strong body, a clan with power, and knowledge of the future.
*'Not the worst deal I could have made.'*
Tsume lifted him closer to her face, sniffing his head with a satisfied grunt.
"A strong male. Good. He's going to be a great Inuzuka."
Her scent was wild: wet earth, sweat, dog fur, and something metallic — blood. The same scent now coming off him.
He let out a loud cry, but now it was more instinctive than emotional. Hana laughed, clapping her hands.
"He's angry! Just like you, Mom!"
Tsume let out a hoarse laugh.
"Better that way. This world isn't for the weak."
He watched it all in silent observation, his small body still squirming.
*'If I have to live as Kiba... then I'll use it to my advantage. All of it.'*
Tsume pressed him against her chest, murmuring something about "being strong" and "biting the world before it bites you."
Inside that tiny little head, the new Kiba thought coldly:
*'If I'm going to live in this hell... then I'll live it my way. And I'll get every bit of advantage out of it that I can.'*
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End of Chapter 1