Shut Down

The flickering glow of the streetlights outside my window does little to warm the empty stillness of my apartment. I step inside, tossing my gym bag to the floor with a dull thud that echoes off the bare walls. My muscles ache from hours of relentless training—lifting, running, pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion—but none of it dulls the hollow ache gnawing at my chest.

Work. Train. Sleep.

That's the cycle. A routine that once kept me grounded. Now? It feels pointless.

Because Shinobi Online is shutting down.

I drag a hand through my damp hair and slump into my desk chair, my fingers moving on autopilot as I power up my PC. The screen flares to life, casting pale blue light across the room. A notification pings in my inbox.

[Shinobi Online – FINAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT]

This is it, Shinobi. The last battle.

No respawns. No second chances.

Log in now to face the ultimate challenge.

Will you make history? Or fade into nothing?

I stop breathing for a second.

"…What?"

My phone vibrates on the desk, screen lighting up with frantic texts.

Rai: YO, GET ONLINE NOW. FINAL RAID. PERMADEATH. WE'RE ALL IN.

Kai: One last ride, man. Don't flake.

Saya: Hurry up, it's started.

My heart pounds. So this is how it ends? One final fight. No do-overs. If you die, you're gone.

A smirk tugs at my lips. If this is our last ride, there's no way in hell I'm missing it.

I grab my VR headset and pull it down over my eyes.

The world goes black.

When my vision clears, I'm not in my room anymore. I'm standing in a warzone.

The air is thick with the scent of ash and burning chakra. The battlefield sprawls before me, a ruined temple bathed in the crimson glow of a shattered sky. Monolithic stone pillars lay in ruins, their surfaces scarred by the aftermath of countless jutsu. The distant howl of wind carries the dying screams of fallen players, their avatars winking out of existence as their health bars hit zero.

And in the heart of it all—the monster.

[Final Boss: Ōkami, The Devourer]

Level: ?????

Danger: Unknown

My breath hitches.

It's enormous. Ten meters of pure nightmare—black fur shifting like liquid shadows, golden eyes burning like twin suns in the abyss. Every step it takes cracks the earth beneath its massive paws. It moves like a living calamity, an unrelenting force of nature that doesn't just fight—it devours.

Players attack from all sides, hurling jutsu that light up the battlefield—fireballs, lightning strikes, earthen spears. Explosions shake the air. And yet… it doesn't flinch.

The beast lunges.

A single swipe of its claws carves through dozens of players. Bodies are torn apart, vanishing in digital dust. The death count skyrockets.

"Holy shit…" I exhale.

A familiar voice cuts through the chaos.

"Finally decided to show up?"

I turn to see Rai, his wind chakra-infused spear humming at his side. He looks calm, like we aren't staring death in the face.

"Thought you'd flake," Kai adds, flexing his fire-coated gauntlets. Always the reckless one.

Saya smirks, chakra seals glowing along her wrists. "Bet he was crying first."

I scoff, rolling my shoulders. "Like I'd miss this."

Something in me awakens. Heat surges through my veins, primal and untamed. My breath turns ragged as power floods my limbs. Fur ripples across my arms, claws extend, my muscles coil like a predator ready to strike. I feel my teeth sharpen, my senses sharpen—my heartbeat syncing with the thrill of the hunt.

[Bloodline Trait Activated: True Inuzuka Awakening]

The beast inside me roars.

I bare my fangs.

"Let's hunt."

We move as one. Rai darts through the battlefield like a phantom, his spear slicing through the air with deadly precision. Kai detonates the ground beneath the beast's feet, explosions forcing it to stumble. Saya moves like a ghost, weaving illusions that flicker in and out of existence, confusing the enemy.

And me? I get in close.

I claw, tear, rip through its shadow-flesh. My regen keeps me alive where others would've fallen. We chip away at its armor, leaving deep, gaping wounds. Thirty minutes in, and we're still standing.

But then—

It snaps.

The Ōkami rears back and howls.

The sound shatters the earth.

Fissures open beneath us. Players scream as they're swallowed whole. Saya is too slow—her avatar crushed beneath a massive claw. She vanishes. Deleted.

Kai hurls every last explosive he has. A set of fangs clamp down—gone.

Rai makes a final gamble, launching himself at the beast's eye. He lands the hit—but it's not enough. The claws catch him midair.

A splatter of pixels.

He's gone.

I stand alone.

My breath is ragged. My health bar is red. My chakra is flickering, barely a whisper.

The Ōkami looms.

A moment of silence stretches between us.

Then—I snarl.

"…Not yet."

I throw myself forward, the last of my strength propelling me into the air. Claws slash. Fangs sink in. I tear through its throat.

The world explodes in light.

When my vision clears, I'm floating in an empty void.

A notification hovers in front of me.

[Congratulations.]

You are the last Shinobi standing.

As the final survivor, you have earned a unique reward.

A second prompt appears.

[Would you like to reincarnate into the Shinobi World?]

[YES] / [NO]

I stare. My mind races. What the hell is this? A prank? A hidden event?

I let out a shaky breath. My hand hovers over the prompt.

I smirk.

I hit YES.

The void swallows me whole.

And the world shatters.