A/N: This story is rated M due to strong violence, language and suggestive themes.

Summary: The Ripple Effect dictates that one interaction can affect other interactions not directly related to the first. I found myself reborn after my death, and like a stone that is cast into the water, I altered everything. A semi self-insert (SI) OC story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. I do own any original characters featured in this story, whether major or minor.

Big thanks to my beta and best friend Kanae14!

"Life is an endless cycle of souls, swirling along the path of the universe, being reborn, but never truly dying before being reborn again.
As long as this cycle continues, we will never really die." ― Ameila Wolfe

Arc I: Chapter 1

As I lay in a warm cocoon surrounded by comforting darkness, I reflected on what had been my life before death, because surely I was dead. I was a certified genius with an IQ of 188 and an only child, isolated and surrounded by my favorite things. I obtained my PhD in Astrophysics and B.A.s in Psychology and Physiology by the time I was 17 years old. Naruto was my all-time favorite manga and anime series and kept me going every day. The cheerful persistence of the blonde haired boy and his ability to inspire strength in those around him is what inspired me to come out of my shell. Inspired by Naruto, I decided to pursue teaching and became a professor at my alma mater, Tokyo University.

By the time I died at 23 years old, I became the head of the psychology department at Tokyo U and was a student favorite. I would like to say I died quickly, but that was not the case at all. I was shot in the middle of a lecture on, ironically, serial killers and psychopaths and the bullet entered my chest and pierced a lung. I was vaguely aware of the chaos that broke out around me as my lungs filled with blood. My pained gasps went unheard and my life literally flashed before my eyes, my eidetic memory pushing forward every detail of every event in my life.

My first trip to Disney. My first graduation. My first time making a friend. My first kiss. My brother's birth. My parents' death. Who's going to take care of Derek now? Eventually I fell into a calm acceptance of my death and my thoughts turned towards Naruto, standing strong during the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Guess I'll never know how it really ends…

As I drifted off for the final time in that life, I briefly wished that I could have made more of a difference in the world.

When I became aware again I was in my darkness. I could barely move and I could sometimes hear muffled voices. I was unable to make out words but the voices brought tremendous comfort. I am not alone. One voice was soft and soothing. It was the voice I heard the most. Another one was deep and resonated through me, bringing me to attention every time I heard it. Sometimes there was a voice that was loud and jarring, causing me to squirm in my new environment. I would kick out and my feet would knock against a soft barrier, which told me that wherever I was, it was a small space. I could barely move but sometimes would feel a tug in my belly button. I figured out where I was exactly when my feet tangled a bit in what must have been an umbilical cord.

Not long after I realized I was in a womb, my world changed again. An unbelievable pressure bore down on me, pushing me from my safe place. I came into my new world wailing and screaming, uncooperative limbs heavy and flailing. Giant hands wrapped me up in a blanket and handed me off to someone else with slightly smaller, but still large, hands. I opened my eyes for the first time and connected with the brown eyes of my new mother. My world was a bit blurry but I could make out long red markings on her face and brown wild and shaggy hair. I figured she was my mother because she looked at me with adoration and utter devotion. She cooed and rocked me in her arms. My vision started to adjust to the harsh light and I could make out a few more features, sharp cheekbones and the markings on her face resembled those of the Inuzuka Clan from Naruto. Must be a cosplayer I thought as I settled in her arms.

Let's just skip over the breast feeding that came next, I am still somewhat traumatized from the experience but a girl's gotta eat. Wait, am I still female? I didn't feel anything dangling between my legs but I couldn't be completely sure. After I was fed, she handed me to someone with the largest hands so far. I was held up against a broad chest and I looked at my new father. He lacked the markings on her face and had onyx eyes with jet black hair. He had a bit of a broad nose and the prettiest eyelashes I had ever seen.

Hoping that I inherited that feature, my eyes zoomed in on what I recognized to be a forehead protector with a symbol for Konoha on it. My new parents are so cool ran through my mind before he opened his mouth and spoke Japanese. They don't look Japanese was my next thought before I began to pay attention to the conversation around me that I had been tuning out this whole time.

"Pou, have you decided on a name?" his deep voice asked. I could feel it in my bones and recognized right away that it was one of the muffled voices from my time in the womb.

"Mimi. Inuzuka Mimi," the soothing voice from the womb replied, which I associated with the name Pou. Okaa-chan.

Wait...What?

While I was thinking about how they were taking this cosplay thing a little too far, Pou continued, "Are you sure you don't want to present her (Ha, so I'm still female!) to your clan?"

"No, the Uchiha Clan (OH MY GOD WHAT?) will exploit her like they have done with Itachi. I don't want her to deal with that kind of pressure and holding this miracle in my arms, this piece of you and me, just cements my resolve. Until she develops the Sharingan, no one must ever know she is an Uchiha. By then, she will be too much a part of the Inuzuka Clan for them to make any kind of claim," the deep voice belonging to the man that held me replied.

Oh ok, so not a cosplay. Was I really just reborn into the Naruto-universe?

A/N: Oh wow, I did not think I would 1. ever write a Naruto fic and 2. write a self-insert story. I was inspired, however, by stories like Silver Queen's "Dreaming of Sunshine", Lang Noi's "Catch Your Breath," and shadownumera's "Clearing Mist." I found myself wanting to write my own and if you haven't read any of those stories, please check them out, they are absolutely incredible.