MHA: Akatsuki

Kaito's eyes fluttered open, his mind a haze of confusion. The moment he became aware, something felt off. The air around him was heavy, unfamiliar. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the sparse but functional surroundings—stone walls, dimly lit by candles, and a bed he found himself lying in.

This wasn't his home. This wasn't where he was supposed to be.

He blinked, trying to process the situation. His hands moved instinctively to his face, brushing over unfamiliar skin. His fingers paused when they met the sharp contours of his new face. Panic shot through him, his mind still reeling from the strangeness of it all. His gaze locked onto a mirror across the room, and what he saw made his breath hitch.

Dark violet eyes stared back at him, glowing faintly—the Rinnegan. The powerful eyes of Nagato, or rather, Madara Uchiha.

Kaito stumbled back, his heart pounding. "No way… no freaking way!" His voice cracked as he gripped the sides of his head. A manic grin spread across his face, excitement bubbling up inside him. "This is insane! I'm really in another world! And I—" He cut himself off, staring at his reflection again. His hands trembled slightly. "I… I can actually do something now. No more just being a geek stuck behind a screen. No more wasting away in some boring life."

For a fleeting moment, a rush of exhilaration filled him. But then—cold reality slammed into him like a punch to the gut.

In his previous world, he would have most likely died.

His parents… they would be devastated. The same parents who had practically funded his laziness, who never forced him to do anything he didn't want to, who let him drift through life without pressure or expectations. And he… he never repaid them. Never even tried.

His stomach twisted in guilt, his earlier excitement draining away. His breathing became uneven. "Mom… Dad…" His voice was barely above a whisper. His knees buckled, and he pressed a shaking hand against his forehead.

And then, it got worse.

A sharp pain erupted in his skull, searing through his mind like a blade. He gritted his teeth, barely able to think before the flood of memories began.

Nagato's memories. His pain. His loneliness. His suffering. The countless battles, the faces of people he had never known, the crushing weight of loss. Every cry, every scream, every desperate plea for peace.

But it didn't stop there.

New memories forced their way in—memories that didn't belong to him, nor to Nagato. His current body's memories. The past life of the person he had become. They flooded him all at once, twisting his sense of reality. Who was he now? Kaito? Nagato? Someone else entirely?

His breathing turned ragged as his body trembled, unable to handle the onslaught of foreign experiences. The room spun, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision.

And then—nothing.

His vision blurred, and he collapsed onto the bed, unconscious once more.

...

Kaito's eyes fluttered open once again, the haze of confusion slowly lifting as his senses began to adjust. He was still lying on the bed, the dull throb of a headache lingering at the edges of his consciousness. His gaze shifted automatically to the mirror across the room, once again searching for answers in his reflection.

The reflection that stared back at him was unmistakable—his own features, but not quite. There was a newness to it all, an unfamiliar sharpness. His dark, violet eyes shone faintly with the power of the Rinnegan, and as he studied himself, the weight of his situation settled deeper in his chest.

He exhaled slowly, still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened, but for now, deciding to let it past and worry about it later. His mind was still reeling from the sudden rush of memories—the flood of Nagato's past, his pain, his battles. But more than that, there were the memories of the body he now occupied.

Kaito's hand instinctively reached up to touch his face again, feeling the unfamiliar contours. His fingers brushed over the smooth skin, sharp lines that didn't feel like his own. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't this—this strange, new identity.

This body, this sixteen-year-old boy, was nothing like him. The previous owner had lived in a world where survival was the only goal. No parents. No aspirations. Just a quirkless existence, scraping by in a world that didn't care for people like him. This wasn't his life—this wasn't a life that had ever belonged to him. And yet, here he was, in the body of someone who had lived in poverty, in a rundown house, with no future.

He gripped the side of the bed, looking around the room as the weight of it all sank in. The bare walls, the cheap, worn-out furniture—it all screamed neglect. It was as if the boy had never truly lived, just existed. Kaito could feel the emptiness creeping into his chest, a hollow echo of the life this person had led. A life without hope, without dreams.

Kaito's gaze drifted to a yellowed calendar on the wall. One date was circled in red.

"UA Test."

The letters "UA" hit Kaito like a wave, and he frowned. For a moment, they didn't make sense. But as the memories of the body flooded in, he understood. UA. A prestigious academy. A place for heroes, where people with quirks—abilities—trained to fight for justice. That was the dream of so many. But this boy—this boy hadn't had that dream. His dream had been smaller, more practical. He hadn't aimed for the hero course. No, his dream had been to get into UA's general studies program. A future that seemed so far out of reach for someone like him—someone who had nothing to offer.

A soft sigh escaped Kaito's lips. The boy's life had been one of survival. There had been no chance to dream, to hope. Just the barest possibility of a better life. But now, things were different. He was no longer that boy.

With the power of the Rinnegan and the memories of Nagato at his fingertips, Kaito knew that his life was no longer limited to the mundane. He had been reborn into this body, with new abilities, new power. And the future—his future—was his to shape.

But as he sat there, the reality of it hit him harder than anything else. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He didn't want to squander this opportunity, but he was shaken. The excitement of his newfound strength faded as another thought crossed his mind.

The system.

"System," Kaito muttered under his breath, his curiosity piqued. He had no real idea of how or why he thought of it, but something told him it was time to call it out.

A screen materialized before him, glowing faintly in the dim light of the room. The text was simple, direct, and to the point: You have arrived in the MHA world.

Kaito blinked, processing this information. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Was this some kind of... game? Some higher power manipulating things? He didn't have the answers yet, but his instincts told him he had a lot to learn.

"Is there a starter pack?" Kaito asked, his voice tinged with skepticism, unsure of what he was even asking for.

A brief pause hung in the air, and then the system responded, its text flashing across the screen: Starter pack available.

Before Kaito could ask for further details, something unexpected happened. The air around him seemed to thicken, and in an instant, a corpse appeared in front of him, sprawled on the floor with an eerie stillness. His eyes widened in shock as the sight caught him completely off guard.

And then, almost as if it was a natural consequence, a blue-haired girl materialized beside the corpse, her expression blank and unreadable. The sight of her—her presence—felt both foreign and familiar, and Kaito's heart raced as he tried to process the situation.

The girl seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and her calm, unbothered demeanor contrasted sharply with the sudden appearance of the corpse.

"Who... are you?" Kaito asked, his voice catching slightly in his throat as he glanced between the girl and the lifeless body in front of him. This situation was rapidly spiraling into something he hadn't anticipated.

Before the girl could speak, the screen before Kaito flickered again, its text changing rapidly. He read it with wide eyes, the details startling him.

Kaito's eyes darted between the lifeless body of Yahiko and the blue-haired girl standing before him, her expression unreadable. His mind raced as he processed the message that appeared in his vision.

Starter Pack Contents: Yahiko's corpse, Konan.

The message continued.

Through your achievements, you now have the ability to summon a member of the Akatsuki. The system will stockpile your progress until enough achievements are accumulated to summon a character. Once summoned, the system will reset its record, and you can begin working toward your next summoning.

Kaito's gaze narrowed as more details appeared.

All summoned members of the Akatsuki will take on the body of a quirkless person from the MHA world. They will vary in age, but they will retain their memories and experience, including their knowledge of the Akatsuki and their previous lives. Each summoned member will remain loyal to the Akatsuki and will view and respect you as their leader.

He paused, trying to absorb it all, but then the next part caught his attention.

The powers of the summoned members will be altered to match the MHA world's system of quirks. For example, Konan will be limited to controlling paper and making it explode; Kisame can only control and absorb water; Tobi can only use Kamui. Essentially, their most prominent ability will be transformed into a quirk suited to this world's rules.

Kaito took a deep breath, trying to wrap his mind around the enormity of it all.

Then, the screen vanished, leaving Kaito in stunned silence. His mind struggled to process everything at once. The system had just summoned Konan—one of the original members of the Akatsuki—and Yahiko's body now lay before him.

Konan's now amber eyes finally shifted to meet his. There was no hostility in her gaze, but there was no blind obedience either. It was the gaze of someone who had lived through war, loss, and pain—a soldier bound by loyalty not to Kaito himself, but to the Akatsuki.

Kaito froze, his mind racing as he tried to think of what to say. The weight of the situation pressed down on him—Konan, one of the strongest members of the Akatsuki, was standing before him, waiting for his words. This was a crucial moment, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with the right thing to say.

Then, suddenly, an idea struck him.

He remembered Cid Kagenou. His way of leading Shadow Garden. The way he spoke with unwavering confidence, acting like he was always ten steps ahead—even when he was making things up on the spot. That was it.

Kaito straightened his back, meeting Konan's gaze head-on. His violet eyes gleamed with the Rinnegan's power as he spoke in a calm, measured voice.

"Konan," he began, his tone deep and steady, "Are you ready to restart the Akatsuki? To work for peace once more?"

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, something changed in Konan's expression. The hardened look in her eyes softened, and for the first time since she had appeared, her face brightened.

Her amber eyes shimmered with a light that Kaito hadn't expected. It wasn't just surprise—it was hope.

She nodded, her lips curling into a small but genuine smile. "Yes," she said, her voice steady. "If this is a new world, then I will place my faith in it. I hope that, here, our dream of peace can finally come true."

But then, her expression shifted slightly, and she spoke again, her voice calm but firm. "But before I follow you, I need to ask one thing."

Kaito's brow furrowed, sensing the seriousness in her tone.

Konan continued, her amber eyes locking onto him. "I've been reborn into a body of someone from this world. Naturally, I now possess its memories. And with those memories, I've come to understand the reality of this world—the villains, the corrupted heroes, and the politicians who control everything. How do you plan on bringing peace to a world so deeply flawed?"

She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice tinged with quiet sorrow. "My current body… it's that of an orphan. Her parents were murdered by a so-called 'hero.' So, I've seen... or at least, I've remembered... firsthand the consequences of a world where those who are supposed to protect you can just as easily destroy you."

Konan's words hung heavily in the air. She was no longer just a soldier of the Akatsuki—she was someone who had lived, felt, and lost in this new world, with its own painful reality. And now, she was looking to Kaito, waiting for an answer to her very real question.

Kaito took a deep breath, his mind racing as he considered her words. This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped.