Satou Kazuma was what one would refer to as a hikikomori. Or a NEET, if they were trying to save time. And sometimes, if they wanted to be particularly cruel, they would combine the two, and call him a Hiki-NEET. Kazuma couldn't really say they were wrong, but honestly, he didn't mind all that much. He had his lifestyle, and they had theirs. It wasn't his fault they were jealous that he could so easily leave his worries behind.

Still, as much as he was slandered, Kazuma was, at heart, a good (decent) person. So, when he saw the girl about to get hit by a truck which hadn't stopped at the red light, he acted without thinking about it too much. He shoved her out of the way, and then-

He was sitting in a wooden chair, in a dark room. Across from him was a fancier chair, made of some shining white material, with armrests and a small little vanity next to it.

"Satou Kazuma-san, welcome to the afterlife." A blue-haired woman appeared from behind him, walking past and settling in the other chair like it was a luxurious throne. She wore a sapphire-blue, short-sleeved top and low-cut skirt, along with sapphire-blue stockings that went up to her thighs. Her arms were covered in long white arm warmers. A green ribbon was attached to the front of her shirt, an aqua-colored gem set in it. A pink scarf, or something, fanned out behind her, almost like a pair of wings.

"Unfortunately, you passed away moments ago. Your life was a short one, but you are, in fact, dead." Then, the woman had the audacity to smile at him, as if it was amusing that he'd gotten crushed by a truck.

Wait, if I'm dead, then… Oi, oi, oi! What's with these Isekai-vibes I'm getting!?

"My name is Aqua. I'm a goddess who guides humans who die young to the afterlife."

Okay, so maybe not Isekai…? Is this just how people get sent to Heaven now? What happened to the Angels? Not that this Aqua lady isn't cute, but I thought Angels were supposed to wear more white.

"You have two choices; you can start from square one in a new life, or you can go to Heaven and carry on like an old man." She leaned down and began whispering to Kazuma conspiratorially. "To tell you the truth, Heaven isn't the dreamy place you all imagine it to be. Not only is there no TV, there's no manga or games. You don't even have a physical body, so you can't even do anything sexual, either. There's nothing to do but bask in the sun for all of eternity."

...Heaven's starting to sound a lot more like Hell now.

Aqua seemed to understand what Kazuma was thinking, because she nodded. "Yeah, you don't wanna go to a boring place like Heaven, do you?"

Kazuma shook his head.

"On the other hand, starting over as a baby isn't that fun, either. So, I've got a great offer for you! You like video games, right?"

Kazuma nodded rapidly. Considering he pretty much dropped out of highschool to play games in his room all day, that was kind of an understatement.

"That world!" Aqua proclaimed dramatically, spreading her arms wide like a high-class actress, "Which has been at peace for so long, is now under threat from the Demon Lord's army! The livelihoods of its citizens are being trampled over by monsters! Everyone lives in fear of the Demon Lord's army's merciless pillaging and slaughtering!" A golden light appeared overhead, shining down on Aqua and wreathing her like a halo. Then, it vanished, and she went back to talking like normal. "Since that's the sort of world it is, everyone refuses to be reborn there, so the population is declining. So, we decided, why not send people who've died in other worlds there with their bodies and memories intact?"

Kazuma blinked. NEET vs. Demon Lord? "What's the point in sending me if I'm just gonna get killed?" he asked.

"That's why I'm doing you a big favor; I'm granting you the right to bring any one thing of your choosing with you. It could be a powerful weapon, or a tremendous talent. You'll be able to redo your life with all of your original memories, along with the thing of your choosing, and the people of that world will get someone who's ready to help them fight back the Demon Lord! Not a bad deal, don't ya think?"

Kazuma pursed his lips, head tilted in consideration. He'd read a few Isekai manga and light novels, and some of the protagonists had a single, glaring weakness that could really hamper them for the first few weeks, or even months, of their new lives, and Kazume really didn't want to waste that kind of time.

"Um, will I be able to speak and read the language of this other world?"

"That won't be an issue at all," Aqua replied, waving her hand. "Consider it a freebie, since it'd just be troublesome to send someone who can't communicate with the people they're trying to save, right?" Kazuma nodded- that made sense. "Any more questions?" Kazuma shook his head. "Alright, then let's move on to picking your ability." Aqua held out a hand, palm-up, and a stack of papers appeared. She handed it to Kazuma. "Now, choose! I'll give you an ability that is second to none!" she cried.

Kazuma spent at least a half-hour flipping through the pages. There were just… So many options! And they were all totally broken! Lightning magic that would basically make you Zeus, a tamer ability that would let you enslave nearly any non-human creature (except the Demon Lord himself, of course), enough strength to turn you into One Punch Man, but without having to go bald! It was all so amazing, and the gamer in Kazuma was watering at the mouth!

A crisp crunch interrupted his orgasmic thoughts, and he glanced up at Aqua, who sitting in her throne, snacking on chips and twirling her hair. He smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, sorry, there's just so many options," he said apologetically, staring at the black-and-white tiled floor.

"It's fine," Aqua replied, waving off his concerns. "Despite how many people die all over the world every minute, there aren't that many of them who are both young and have died before their time due to a freak accident. Plus, I'm not the only goddess doing this, so it's not like there's many people waiting on you."

Kazuma was relieved, the tension in his shoulders easing up. A thought came to mind, then. "Hey, so, this special ability… Does it have to be something that's on these papers?" he asked, gesturing at the pages spread out across the floor.

Aqua bobbed her head side-to-side and hummed thoughtfully. "No, those are just options. If you have an idea for a unique ability, then tell me, and I can grant it to you."

Kazuma pumped his fist in the air, then immediately retracted it once he remembered there was someone else there. He grinned anxiously. "So, have you ever heard of this manga character called Uchiha Madara?"

Aqua blinked. "That's a new one. Usually, they ask for something like their smartphone, or unlimited money or something. Luckily for you, though, I have read Naruto, so I have an idea what you're talking about."

"Awesome!" Kazuma shouted enthusiastically. "Then, can I have his abilities from when he's an Edo Tensei? Before he becomes the Juubi's Jinchuriki, though, 'cause that was just a cringy mess to be honest."

"...I don't think I'm allowed to make you immortal, or give you infinite energy. I can give you close to unlimited energy, but I can't go further than that."

"That's fine!" Kazuma said. "Alright, let me be specific, then. It'll count as one thing, too, right? Since it's all rolled under the category of Uchiha Madara's abilities."

Aqua nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. A few people have asked for an affinity with all magical elements, so I can do this."

"Cool. So… Hm. I want the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, since it's badass, but objectively speaking, the Rinnegan is stronger, and I really wanna use the Chibaku Tensei… Oh, can you make it so I have a Sharingan that can change into the Rinnegan and back at will?"

"Madara could already do that, couldn't he? It was Nagato that was stuck with the Rinnegan all the time, but that was only because those weren't his own eyes," Aqua pointed out.

"You're right! So, the Sharingan and Rinnegan. Uh… Mokuton! That's really cool! I wanna be able to do that Deep Forest Emergence thing!"

Aqua nodded in agreeance. "That was pretty badass."

"Right? And, since I have the Sharingan, which has photographic memory, will I have access to all of Madara's jutsu?"

"Yup. You'll also get his insane chakra reserves, which rivaled some of the lesser Biju, and his pinpoint chakra control."

"Wait, a Biju!? How much chakra did he have!? I mean, he had a bunch when he was an Edo Tensei, but apparently all the reanimations had literally unlimited chakra- which was complete bullshit, by the way."

"Back when he was alive, he fought Hashirama for an entire day. That is, twenty-four hours of straight combat, with no breaks. Madara had a lot of chakra."

Kazuma was nearly drooling at the thought. "Woah," he whispered, then swiped the sleeve of his tracksuit across his mouth to clean the drool that actually came out. "And, uh, how pinpoint is his chakra control?"

"Even with those reserves, you'll still be able to make a single perfect Bunshin."

"What!?" Kazuma screeched. "But, Naruto literally could not, even back when he had, like, twice the chakra of Jounin!"

"Hence why I called it pinpoint. Although, he was just really bad at control, so I don't know if he's a good example."

"Damn. Okay, so that's Sharingan- can you change the design of that to Sasuke's, by way? I just think it's cooler. Then there's the Rinnegan, Mokuton, jutsu, chakra reserves and control… Reflexes?

"Yup."

"He could go Sage Mode, right?"
"Yup."

"Ooh, what about being able to summon the Kyuubi?"

"Yup."

Kazuma wracked his brain for anything else, but came up blank. As far as he knew, those were all of Uchiha Madara's abilities (not that it wasn't enough, no, Kazuma doubted he'd ever need anything else. The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan probably would've been enough, but he wanted more!). So, he finally straightened up, and looked Aqua right in the eye.

"I'm ready."

"All right, then stand still and don't leave that magic circle." A purple light flashed into existence under Kazuma's feet, and quickly faded to blue. It kinda looked like the All Seeing Eyes of God from Kekkai Sensen- and damn if he didn't wish he could get those too! The design was insanely beautiful, and the sound it made in the anime whenever Leo used them was bliss. "Your wish- the abilities of Uchiha Madara- complies with the regulations, and has been accepted. Then, Satou Kazuma, I wish you luck!"

Goddess and boy waved at each other, and Kazuma was sucked up into the blackness, disappearing from this world between worlds.