Oliver Throne was a man who appreciated the simple things. He wasn't looking to change the world; he was just trying to live in it. By day, he held down a steady corporate job in the city, but his true passion came alive at night.
He was an aspiring novelist, spending his evenings hunched over a laptop, carefully crafting worlds and saving up manuscripts for his growing circle of online readers. He wasn't famous yet, but he had that stubborn optimism that he'd make it big one day.
He had a plan, a stable life, and a quiet ambition.
But today, his phone was making that very difficult. A garish pop-up had hijacked his screen—a chaotic mess of red and blue pixels titled Journey Through the World of Naruto.
That wasn't the problem. The problem was the [YES] button. It was flashing with a nauseating intensity, surrounded by cheap, flickering banners that looked like they'd been designed in 2005: CLICK TO ENTER AND TRANSCEND!
"Give me a break," Oliver muttered, swiping at the screen. "Is this what mobile marketing has come to?"
He tried to hit the [NO] button, but it was dead—a flat image masquerading as a control.
"Digital kidnapping. Great."
Oliver squinted, bringing the screen inches from his nose. Finally, he spotted it: a microscopic "X" tucked into the far bottom-right corner, camouflaged perfectly against the red and blue border.
"Nice try," he smirked, triumphantly tapping the tiny cross.
The screen flickered, went pitch black, and vibrated violently in his hand. Then, a single line of stark black text appeared on a white background:
Do you want to understand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly... live?
[YES] / [YES]
"Clever. A real 'No-Win' scenario," Oliver hissed. Frustrated and just wanting to clear his screen so he could check his email, he jammed his thumb down on one of the options.
Then, things got weird.
The display didn't change to a game or a website. It switched to a battery icon—the charging screen. He watched, bewildered, as the percentage climbed from 0% to 100% in a heartbeat. And it didn't stop there.
Boom.
The phone exploded. Being the one holding the improvised "Samsung" grenade, Oliver was the first to bear the brunt of the blast. As his consciousness faded into a void, only one thought remained: I knew I should have bought the extended warranty.
The next day, Oliver Throne finally made the headlines. Unfortunately, he wasn't there to read his own press:
Local Man Killed by Exploding Phone While Charging
Samsung's New "Fighter" Model Hits New Explosive High
But Oliver wasn't dead—not exactly. He felt a lingering spark of awareness, though his head felt like it had been put through a industrial shredder. A cold, mechanical voice began to echo in the darkness of his mind.
[Beep. Host detected. Conditions met. System binding... binding complete.]
[Beep. Initiating one-time Transversal System. Target World: Naruto.]
[Beep. Warning: Unknown obstacle detected. Recalculating route... Route planned.]
[Beep. Warning: Secondary obstacle detected. Energy levels critical. Insufficient power to reach "Naruto" world.]
[Beep. Emergency protocols activated. Selecting random alternative world...]
[Beep. Destination confirmed: "Marvel".]
[Beep. Arrival successful. Please await further instructions.]
Oliver initially thought he was just hallucinating from a massive concussion. He'd heard that head injuries made your ears ring, but this was a bit too articulate. Wait... Marvel? Did it say Marvel? Like the comics?
Before he could process the "traffic jam" in his brain, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He drifted off, only to be jolted awake by a biting, frigid wind and a pungent, mildewy stench.
"So cold... and it smells like a dump," he tried to say, but no words came out.
He tried to stand, but his limbs felt heavy and unresponsive. With an effort that felt like it required every ounce of his willpower, he managed to look down at himself. He saw small, pale limbs—the soft, undeveloped body of an infant.
And he was completely naked.
"What the hell? I'm a baby? A naked baby in a trash can?" His inner monologue was screaming in a panic.
[Beep. The host's current physical state is a direct result of the emergency landing.] The voice was back, flat and emotionless.
"Who's there? What system?" Oliver shouted internally.
[Beep. Hello, Host. I am the Naruto World Traveling System.]
"Naruto system? Then why am I in trash can? And how many people are in your family? Where do you even come from?" He do not know why he asked these questions.
[Beep. The system was created for Naruto world travel. Due to energy depletion during the 'traffic jam' through the multiverse, we landed in Marvel. The system has no family or home.]
Oliver took a long, shaky breath—or as much of one as a newborn's lungs could manage. "Let me get this straight. You got stuck in traffic, ran out of gas, and dumped me in a New York alleyway because you couldn't make it to the Hidden Leaf?"
[Beep. Correct. System energy is at 0.01%. Warning: System shutting down to preserve core data. Initiating Novice Gift Pack distribution...]
[Beep. Newbie Task Issued:]
[Main Task: Survival of the Fittest]
Objective: Survive until adulthood and accumulate enough energy to reboot the system.
Current Progress: 0/100
Reward: Adult Growth Pack * 1
[Beep. Energy depleted. System entering hibernation. Good luck, Host. Have a nice life.]
"Wait! Don't just—!"
It was too late. A massive influx of data burned into his mind: the fundamentals of chakra extraction, the hand signs for basic ninjutsu, and the theory behind the Three-Body Technique.
The strain on his tiny brain was too much. Between the cold, the exhaustion, and the data dump, Oliver's body finally gave out, and he spiraled back into unconsciousness.
When he woke up again, the smell of trash was gone. He was wrapped in a soft blanket, lying in a small cradle. He checked his mental interface. The system was dead quiet, but the "Novice Gift Pack" had been unpacked.
[Novice Gift Pack Contents:]
Chakra Extraction Method
Clone Technique (Bunshin no Jutsu)
Transformation Technique (Henge no Jutsu)
Substitution Technique (Kawarimi no Jutsu)
Body Refinement (Passive)
"That's it?" Oliver lamented inwardly. "Other writers dream of getting the Rinnegan or a literal god-tier bloodline on day one. I get the graduation requirements for an Academy student? I really am the poorest traveler in history."
His self-pity was interrupted by a sharp, sudden discomfort. His face scrunched up, and he let out a reflexive, high-pitched wail.
Footsteps rushed toward him. A young woman with kind eyes appeared over the cradle, cooing at him. She clumsily lifted him up to comfort him, but Oliver's face stayed bright red. He continued to flail his tiny arms, crying out in sheer embarrassment.
The woman suddenly paused, feeling a spreading warmth against her shirt. Oliver went instantly still, his face pale with a different kind of horror.
He hadn't been in diapers in nearly thirty years, but here he was, experiencing the ultimate indignity in a world full of superheroes.
But as the woman started to change him, Oliver's eyes went wide. An even more terrifying sensation was bubbling up in his gut.
Oh no. It wasn't just a pee.