There were many things I expected from today: working, complaining about my extremely boring job, eating the awful office food, or maybe reading a new novel, the best part of my day. But the one thing I never expected was what actually happened.
I died.
My name is Victor Leon. I never knew my parents and grew up in an orphanage. Honestly, I have nothing to complain about regarding the orphanage, but my life was painfully dull.
I always felt like something was missing, as if I were incomplete. There was a void inside me, something I could feel but never understand.
That day, I was walking down the same path as always when, all of a sudden, everything went dark.
I couldn't see, feel, or sense anything. It was as if I existed within absolute nothingness. I don't know how much time passed until a light finally embraced me.
I felt calm. Comfortable. As if I were cradled in my mother's arms.
After some time, I opened my eyes, and there she was, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had jet-black hair like the night itself and violet eyes that seemed to see through everything in existence. Her figure was flawless, yet I felt no lust toward her. Looking at her felt the same as looking at my own mother.
My head rested on her lap, and she gently ran her fingers through my hair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I had never felt so at ease. I didn't want her to stop, so I closed my eyes again and pretended I hadn't woken up.
She let out a melodious laugh, clearly aware of my act, yet she played along.
"Who are you?" I asked.
She sighed softly. "I am your mother."
The moment I heard those words, my heart began to race. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, yet none of them left my mouth.
I wanted to ask where she had been all this time. I had always imagined that, if I ever met my parents, I would be angry. But I wasn't. Not at all.
Without waiting for me to say anything, she continued.
"A long time ago, I wished for a child to help me govern and manage everything…"
She paused, her expression turning complex.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the Multiverse. I sacrificed myself to create it. The Multiverse is my very body.
"After countless eras of solitude, I grew cold. I even created demons and malignant beings simply to amuse myself by watching everything unfold."
She spoke with clear guilt in her eyes.
"That all changed the day I decided to have a child. I thought it would be interesting. Using part of my essence, I created a life within my womb. That life was you."
She looked at me with an intensity that made it clear that, compared to the Multiverse itself, I mattered far more to her.
"Because I am so powerful, it took more than a million years for you to be born. During that time, I learned to love you. I wanted you to live as a mortal for a while, to understand mortals. I hoped you would become better than I ever was."
Hearing this, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. She hadn't abandoned me. Somehow, I knew she was telling the truth. I couldn't explain how, I just knew.
I let out a long breath and slowly lifted my head from her lap.
"And now? What do I do?"
She smiled warmly and gently pulled my head back onto her lap.
"You are my son, the only son I have. You may stay here, or you may help me. Do as you wish. Everything I have is yours."
I thought about it for a moment. Staying here felt wonderful, but eventually it would become boring. After all, eternity lay ahead of me.
Taking a deep breath, as if making an important decision, I spoke.
"I want to help. But how can I?"
She smiled kindly.
"Within the Multiverse exist dark creatures that harm living beings. However, I cannot go to those worlds myself without destabilizing their universes. You, however, can go and eliminate them."
"But I'm weak, Mother," I said.
She gave me an arrogant smile.
"Who do you think I am, my son? And who do you think you are? You can be as strong as you wish. Mommy will help you."
After thinking for a moment, she paused, then said,
"Stand up and look into the mirror. See yourself."
I stood up, and a mirror appeared before me out of nowhere.
Reflected there was a tall man, nearly one hundred ninety centimeters in height. My black hair reached the middle of my back, and my violet eyes mirrored my mother's. I was completely naked, my body perfectly sculpted, not overly muscular, yet defined like a god of war, without a single useless muscle. Glancing downward, I was absolutely certain I would make many women happy and give my mother plenty of grandchildren.
A moment later, embarrassment washed over me.
"Um… Mother, could you give me some clothes?"
I said it with a flushed face, making her laugh melodiously.
"Of course."
She waved her hand, and clothes formed around my body. I now wore a black suit, and my hair shortened into a neat fade cut.
She nodded approvingly.
"Very good."
I nodded as well. I didn't really care about clothes, but it did look good.
Still, I had to ask.
"But why cut my hair?"
She smiled at me.
"Because I like it this way. But if you want, I can change it. Once you learn to control your power, you can make it grow whenever you wish."
"No, it's fine like this."
Truthfully, I never cared much about my hair.
"So where am I going first, Mother? And how do I control my power?"
She turned her gaze toward a distant point, her eyes sharp enough to pierce the entire Multiverse. After searching for a moment, she stopped.
"You will go to a world you know well, the world of Naruto. The Ōtsutsuki were once human, but thanks to the God Trees I created, they consume planets to grow stronger. You may eliminate them, or simply destroy all the trees. The choice is yours."
After thinking it over, I understood that this was a lesson. The Ōtsutsuki were far too arrogant. Even if I destroyed every tree, they would eventually find another way to devour planets and gain power.
The moment she realized I understood, my mother smiled, saying nothing.
"When you were sent to the mortal world, I sealed your innate ability."
She stepped closer, kissed my forehead, and suddenly the world became far clearer, as if I understood everything. I instinctively knew how to control it, and simply by thinking of not using that ability, it stopped.
"Mother, what was that?"
She smiled with affection and pride.
"Your innate ability: Multiversal Comprehension. You can understand everything within the Multiverse and create any ability you desire using its knowledge."
I was mesmerized by those words.
"My son, I could give you many more things, but I won't. Beyond eliminating those beings, I want you to live as you wish and be happy. You won't need to rush to deal with the Ōtsutsuki. I will send you to the time when Naruto was five years old and had just started at the Academy. You will be an orphan with vast wealth, a civilian with no Ōtsutsuki blood. Well, you do have my blood, so Ōtsutsuki blood is nothing more than a low-tier, useless thing."
She said it as if it were the most obvious fact in existence. And the worst part was that she was right.
I looked at her and spoke with sadness in my voice.
"And if I want to see you again?"
She smiled gently.
"I am everywhere. I can bring you here whenever you wish."
She kissed my forehead once more, and everything became bright again. I knew, then, that my mother had already sent me to the world of Naruto.