It all happened so fast… I never would've thought the end of it would come so quickly, yet so quietly.
For a bit of background, the escalating conflict within the Middle East caused an unstable situation, to say the least… various paramilitary groups destroyed multiple nuclear factories, causing essentially a nuclear winter for over 10% of Earth.
To make matters worse, it was discovered that said paramilitary groups were funded by various sources within the Russian government—although most believed it was a frame job… the escalating violence within Ukraine only made things worse.
"No one's going to stop this, are they?" I remember asking my commander, right before we deployed.
He gave me a grim look. "We passed the point of no return months ago."
No one cared about Israel or Palestine when they got nuked off the map… the entire world fell apart in a single year… I never thought that the World War III draft would be a thing, but here I am.
I was deployed to defend a base in Qatar—pretty out of the way and decently defended, while also being next to a decently sized village… people there didn't really like us, but at least they weren't hostile.
It wasn't until the bombs fell… I could almost hear the Fallout music start to play, as even from miles away, multiple nuclear strikes were confirmed across Europe, Asia, and the United States. The last few dropped right next to us.
The last moments of my life were spent crawling along the ground in utter and complete agony—my skin charred and broken—and as I looked around and saw the burnt bodies, as well as the crushed specimens of human beings, I saw a small girl with half her body just simply gone, her other eye still open, staring at me.
As I began to cough up blood, I found a small boy huddled against a nearby wall, crying and screaming as much as he could in pain. As I tried to crawl next to him, I felt each and every cell in my body begin to die.
But as I made it next to him and laid against the stone, I saw the child beg for his mother and father. And as I held the kid close, I tried to tell him that things would be okay… that we would make it out of this. But I didn't want to lie. In those final moments, he hugged me.
He kept saying that he was scared… I was too. In those last moments, I thought on every moment of my life. I felt disappointed.
And as my internal organs began to fail, the child coughed up blood. As he took his last breaths… I heard over a radio how we have to protect the VIPs… What did they matter? All that will be left are those hiding in their bunkers… In the end, it wasn't global warming. It wasn't disease… Hell, it wasn't even an alien invasion… All it took was one shot before everything went to hell.
I looked into the skies, and past the radiation-fueled haze I saw the sun still shining. And as I held the child close, even knowing he was already dead, I wondered what things would've been like in a better world…
And as quickly as they closed my eyes for the final time, I reopened them to find myself in a completely different place… What once was an endless desert was now an endless white room. All that was inside the room were two white chairs and a gigantic white table.
I looked around and found no one around. I questioned if this was simply the hallucinations of a dying brain, but as I felt the cold material of the chair and table, I knew that this was real… I turned around and found that the entire room was surrounded by an empty white void. The nothingness seemingly went on forever. The silence was the same.
Trying to speak, I found I had no voice… I wondered if this was my punishment—to simply be alone forever, with only my thoughts to keep me company… I could still feel everything. The burning sensation of nuclear ash, choking on your own blood as your body shuts down slowly.
I started to shake. Whether it was out of rage or terror, I didn't know. The unknown is one of humanity's greatest fears… The worst thing is not knowing how things are going to end.
For what felt like hours, I sat in that chair trying to remember everything I could… The foster care homes, the public schools that could barely teach their kids even if they wanted to, the interviews and failures, the envy for those who I thought would never have to worry about a thing in their life. I wondered how they felt seeing everything they knew beginning to crumble to dust.
When the next moment came, I looked forward again and found what appeared to be a normal man sitting opposite to me…
"Is this where I am to be judged?" The simple question was met only by a smile on the being's face.
"No… at least not now. You see, we are here under particular circumstances. There are things that need to be set in motion… I was sponsored by a being of immense power—someone who could shape reality to their whims with barely the thread of a thought. I have lived for a very long time. Now, I do believe it's time I grant this opportunity to someone else… your world is dead, but your new life is just beginning."
My mind tried to understand what this being was saying, but all I could focus on was the fact that my world was dead.
"How—?"
In the next moment, he waved his hands and showed me a barrage of images.
"Humanity never really came back from the nuclear apocalypse. Any of those who survived caused intense genetic mutations within future generations. The human race barely survived the next three until it died in the fourth… It's hilarious thinking that some thought they could ride out the apocalypse with their billions of dollars… Most of them didn't even make it into their bunkers. They've been sent to Hades now…"
He looked back at me again. He seemed familiar somehow. Every motion of his face was too perfect… calculated, as if every motion was measured and every expression was made using the utmost thought.
"So again, I ask… are you willing to take this opportunity?"
As I went to ask what said opportunity was, he handed me a pamphlet, of all things. The almost mundane nature of this made me want to laugh, but again I could find no voice.
Looking into the pamphlet, I found it mentioning something called the Jump Chain… essentially a body-hopping adventure… However, this one was slightly different. Each jump, I would be restricted to my initial body modifications and the perks of that jump.
The only exceptions would be training boosters, defense perks, appearance/charisma boosts, and perks that didn't really have to do with the specifics of various dimensions. It essentially explained that this process was meant to create the perfect chimera. Every jump, I would have my own body—either inserted into a main character or as a suitably created vessel.
I questioned why I would need to lose my abilities, and as I went to talk to him, he simply said:
"This is my first time doing something like this, so I don't want to do it wrong… Do not worry. You won't be losing them completely. If you go to worlds like DC, Marvel, or Warhammer, you will have access to all of your abilities. But in the lower-level worlds, you won't really need access to higher-level abilities. That, and it's less fun."
I grimaced at the thought. However, I could understand slightly. Why would you want your entertainment to be boring? It's not a total loss. All items I purchased will transfer over along with any properties. The only thing I'm losing out on is access to esoteric forces. I simply retain everything else.
(So if any of you guys are confused, he will essentially go from one body to another, but only have access to power sets available to him in that universe… but as mentioned before, he keeps all of his training, boosters, appearance boosters, and other miscellaneous perks and upgrades. But yes, it is technically a nerf every jump, but he will have the potential to become the strongest in nearly every single one, and in fact, it'll get faster as the jumps progress.)
For a few moments, I thought of my next move. I'd like to think that I was a decently intelligent man, but I could never really kid myself, as I was never the most astute learner. Everything laid out within the pamphlet sounded too fantastical to even exist.
My first thoughts were of what I would do with such power… but then my mind went back to my final moments… seeing that child begging for his life… damned by the choices made by the ignorant few.
"The boy… my comrades… where are they now?" The question was met by another wave of the being's hand, and a barrage of images appeared in my mind.
I saw them being judged for their virtues and sins. The children, innocent as they were, were given paradise, as well as a majority of my comrades. Some of them, however, who had less than noble intentions during the conflict, were judged accordingly.
I leaned back in the chair and took a breath. I would question why a being like this would grant me such an opportunity. But as I looked him in the eyes, I saw that same familiarity. And as I placed the pamphlet down on the table, I outstretched my hand.
With a wide smile, he took it, and as our entire surroundings disappeared, I felt my form beginning to break apart… there was no pain, but I felt like I was being separated from myself. My consciousness faded away.
And in the next moment, I found myself waking up in a bed… I took a breath, and as I found that my heart was still beating, I began to take in my new environment. It was a basic hospital room—green walls, hospital bed, a table next to me, and a window to my right. But outside is what surprised me.
Outside, I could see a cliff face with multiple faces etched into the rock… as well as buildings that stretched for miles until they stopped at a high wall. But before I could observe anything further, images began to flood my mind. Years of memories presenting themselves to me all at once.
However, the most prominent one was a repeated nightmare of a man standing over "my" parents and killing them in front of me, over and over and over and over…. I could hear the screams of pain, and I saw the moment on repeat.
In the very next moment, however, I'm snapped back to reality… and as I look at the mirror in front of me, I see them. My eyes had changed color… from the normal black to completely red—at least for a moment—until I blinked, and they disappeared.
Before I could take in my situation anymore, I heard a knock at the door, and as it opened, I saw an old man with a red and white topped hat… and as he smiled at me, I had never felt more disgusted.
"It's good to see you awake, Sasuke. How are you feeling?" The question was innocent enough, and as I began playing the part of the somewhat traumatized child, I shakily answered:
"I… I am all right, Lord Hokage… Itachi… what happened to my brother?"
I could see the beginnings of a grimace begin to form on the old man's face.
"He managed to escape… We're still continuing the manhunt. However, given his level of skill, I don't want to put too many forces trying to hunt him… I am sorry, Sasuke."
You should be sorry, given the fact that you were a primary cause of this.
But to be honest, no one was really innocent in this. However, the methods it was solved in were probably… now definitely… the most gruesome.
"I understand, Lord Hokage… Will I be able to return home?" I saw the man's eyes flick to someone behind me, and as I turned my head, I saw one of his guards give him a nod.
"Once you have rested, Sasuke, you will be able to return home. However, I would like to ask—what are you planning to do?" Fishing for information, I see….
"Grieve… clean… try to go on as if everyone I know isn't dead… Other than that, I'm not entirely sure. I apologize if the answer is lackluster, Lord Hokage." The old man just shook his head, seemingly trying to placate me.
"I understand, Sasuke. The nurses will allow you to leave soon, given the fact that you suffered no injuries other than being exposed to his genjutsu… You will be given a stipend until you begin to take on normal missions. All of your family's assets will be given to you once you come of age. You have my word."
As if that word means anything… But I simply looked back down toward the bed and nodded.
The old man took the hint and simply disappeared. Before I could think of anything else, the small pamphlet appeared in my hands, and as I read through it, I was slightly annoyed to see that the perks I had were somewhat hidden from me. I assume I'd have to find out their uses myself.
I could feel my eyes… the Sharingan… I could feel them evolving in my skull. I could see the individual traces of chakra within my brain. In fact, I could see much more than that—I could sense all chakra within my direct vicinity, essentially half a mile in every direction…
I could see the various guards around my room. However, I'm not able to make them out—just silhouettes of people… I wonder if I'm going to have to live with all the stalkers…
That was until I reached the end of the pamphlet, and as I took a small key from the end of it, the key then absorbed itself into me, and I felt an access being granted in my mind.
Sweet… looks like I just gained a pocket dimension… The only tough thing is going to be figuring out when I'm able to use it… Flashes of that same moment keep trying to appear in front of me, but that's not me… that's not who I was. I am unsure if I should follow that same path.
However, as I stared at the rising sun, I smiled. This was my second chance, and I'm not going to waste it.
(If you guys couldn't tell, the first jump is Naruto based on the generic Naruto fanfiction jump. He has been inserted into Sasuke Uchiha right after the massacre, and the next chapter will be getting into him returning home and discovering his various items as well as other abilities…. Although similarly to my own character, I'm not entirely sure where to take his character… the next chapter will be the perk list. If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask and to be honest, even I'm not fully into the whole nerfing after every jump so I may change that. Also feel free to add anything you may wish to see.)