Ever since that day, I've been sitting in this bitter darkness. My consciousness fluttered about in the sea of endless shadow. While no longer having a body, I still had his conscious thoughts. What have I been thinking about lately? Well, well, I'm glad you asked. I've been thinking about how long I've been here.
"-ji!"
Had I been sitting in the dark for days? Months? Years? It's hard to tell. But what I do know is that I've been around here for a long time. It's a wonder that I haven't gone insane yet. I guess shoutout, God?
"G-ji?"
I'm still wondering how long this is going to take. It's been boring just sitting here, but man, Chakra, and I can meet Naruto's kid?
"Genji!"
"This is gonna be awesome!" I had erupted out of my seat. A seat in the middle of a classroom. A full classroom filled with both children and adults. Woah! I had regained my consciousness. I took a look at my hands. They were golden sand-colored, rough, and rugged. Obvious wear and tear from constant use. I smiled as I stared into my hands. I can't believe this is real! I can't believe God exists! I can't believe-
"Awake are we? Genji Chi. Ma. Sa." A gruff voice said rather close to my ear. Their breath made me twitch. Startled, I jumped and turned slowly to see a large green Kasa hat. It had a white triangle in the center with a symbol I recognized, the Japanese symbol for wind. Dark maroon hair flowed from below the hat, neatly parted right above his pale green eyes. Those very eyes stared at me, emotionless as they were in the series; however, right now, his voice clearly showed he was annoyed.
"Ha ha hi Lord Kazekage. Fancy meeting you, um, here." This apparently was not the right answer, as a swift fist landed on my head. As I held my head, I swear I saw steam coming from his fist. I thought Gaara was supposed to be the chill guy?
A couple of chuckles rippled through the class as I groaned. "Genji, when will you start getting serious about school? This is the last week to practice for your graduation exam." I felt the pressure of confusion and anxiety rush to my head as my head struggled not to explode on the spot. God, Shmod. What part of the beginning of academy days did they not get?
Standing up fully, I faced the Kazekage. He stiffened in surprise as I gave him a curt bow. "I apologize, Lord Kazekage. I promise to take your words to heart and will train to be a great ninja!" I continued to bow, waiting for his response, and was once again met with a fist on my head.
"Claiming to repent as usual, I see." The Kazekage finished his sentence with the crossing of his arms. The class once again erupted in giggles, watching me clutch my head and groan. Regaining his composure, the Kazakage just pushed me back into my seat, shaking his head. "Foolish boy," I sat in the last ten or minutes of class in confusion before the class ended, and everyone started to clear out. Unfortunately, what brought me out of my daze was anything but peaceful.
I felt them before I heard them. A sharp jab in the side of my ribs. "I'll train to be a great ninja!" The voice mocked. I clutched my side and waved my hand frantically to fend off what must have been a knife. Instead, what I batted away was a smooth-to-the-touch feeling. Like my fingers gliding on water. Silk! I turned my head quickly to see a girl hiding her smirk with a sleeved hand. In fact, her sleeves were so long that even as she held her hands to her face, her sleeves still hung limply to her waist.
The long sleeves were part of a coat she wore. The edges of the trim were all black, but the rest of the fabric was brilliant pinks and greens that snaked and intertwined into rows of flowers, Araliyas mostly. It was beautiful. Looking up at the girl's face, he noticed that her gleeful brown eyes peeked out over her sleeves. Her dirty-blonde hair seemed to mesh well with her clothing. Even her personality itself was bright and loud.
"Che che che," she giggled smugly. "Never thought you would go that route to save your hide, Gen-Gen. Saying you've repented a hundred times? Worked like a charm, right?!" The girl, still giggling to herself, kept poking me with whatever was in her sleeves.
Now I'm no Uchiha, well, I don't think I am, so I can't slow down my thinking with chakra, probably, but adrenaline sure slowed everything down for me. My thoughts raced through my newly acquired brain. I hadn't had real time to sift through my memories and understand who and where I am. The last thing I want is for the paranoid ninjas to think I'm a spy and try to torture me or, even worse, kill me. Just as the girl's eyes recognized my face's involuntary look at her unfamiliar face, a voice called out.
"Yuko! Your Father is waiting for us at home. Let's get going." The girl in front of me and I turned to the sound, our eyes settling on the adult looking back up at us.
"Coming, Mom!" Yuko called out as she hopped down the steps. Each step she took gradually slowed to a stop in front of her mom before she turned and looked at me once again. "I'll see you later! Ok, Gen-Gen!?" She smiled brightly at me with an expectant look in her eyes.
I smiled as I realized the only answer that I should give back to her was, "Bye, Yu-Yu!" I gave Yuko a slight wave, and her smile almost tripled in size. With that, I was the last one left in the classroom. At that very moment, a blue translucent letter flashed in front of my face. And luckily no one was around to hear my very manly scared scream. I folded over, my elbow resting on my knee as I tried to catch my breath. My heart felt like it was beating at a million per minute. Even with my eyes closed, I saw the letter very clearly.
As my heart stilled, I raised my head above my desk again, peering deeply at the envelope. Swiping the letter, my hands went right through it, grazing the desk. "How do I open this thing?" I muttered, half a thought to myself. As if by a magic incantation, the envelope opened. It unfolded with fanfare and confetti. Actual horns protruded from the envelope, dramatically growing larger with each note. Soon after, a letter widened in my view. The words wrote themselves on the page, and God's voice seemed to resonate in my head.
"Welcome to consciousness! You're in the Village hidden in the sands, where Gaara is the Kazekage. As you can see, I gave you consciousness the week before the final exam! I couldn't make your life too easy, right? But don't worry! You already have the ChakraGod skill, which puts you ahead of most people. I've also decided to give you a neat parting gift! A final apology for everything. I've also altered the Chakra God skill to assist you throughout your lifetime, making it a little more useful. At the end of this message, a power button will start flashing. Pressing that will activate your skills and help you process your memories. I would recommend turning it on when you get home because of the after effects. Have a wonderful second life, Mat- Genji Chisama!"
At the bottom of the letter, a flashing power symbol flickered repeatedly. I couldn't help it. I jumped out of my seat and silently cheered, jumping from desk to desk until something interesting happened. I overjumped. I don't mean "I missed the desk by an inch." I mean, I jumped so high that I accidentally flipped headfirst, splatting on my back into the wall. As if to add insult to injury, I slid down the wall and landed on my head. It hurt, but my excitement totally overrode my nerves. I stared at my hands, feeling the chakra flow throughout me for the first time. My muscles, my veins, and even my skin felt like they were in peak condition. My old self was riddled with problems before. Allergies, asthma, hell, just sleeping wrong used to end up with me choking in my sleep. But this energy within me made me feel free; I felt alive.
Swiping the pack of dust bunnies off my clothes, I gathered my stuff at my desk and started the walk to the entrance of the Academy. I took my time taking in the academy's architecture. It was a mix of hardened sand and marble, giving a minimalist look. Occasionally, I did spot some wires bunched up in the corners of some rooms. Any questions about who or what used these wires and what for were quickly forgotten as I had reached the academy's entrance.
The sun shone fiercely on the desert sands of Sunagakure. It was such a pain that I had to shield my eyes so I could see. In a word, the village was, "Whoa." Admittedly, the surroundings were mostly just different shades of brown, but the buildings themselves were incredible. Contrary to what the series had shown, every building, every sand-made stool, every sandstone step, was decorated with intricate engravings in various golds, reds, and silvers. It was breathtaking.
If I had any second thoughts in the back of my mind, as Matthew, when I saw the beauty of this place, my new home, those thoughts fully disappeared, and Matthew finally let himself fade away, and my life as Genji Chisama had just begun.