The first thing I saw were dunes upon dunes of desert from the arms of a person around 23 years old, and a great wall. From where we were, I didn't know how old I was. I only knew that I had been in an accident and died, with memories of things I did in what seemed like a past life.
This scene reminded me of something—I wasn't sure what—but from here, you could feel the warm winds, the sun beating down with full force. And though everything looked scorching hot at first glance, there was much more to it than that.
I only knew that I was a baby and couldn't do much more than close my eyes, already tired, and fall asleep while listening to the clear words of the man who was now my father.
"This is the village I protect, Daigo. The one I hope you will protect too. I hope you become the genius we so desperately need in these bloody times and bring change to this desert," said the man. Something notable about him were his pink eyes, shining with emotion toward his son.
Time skip: 5 years
Five years have passed, and I've learned far too many things to tell anyone from my past life—especially if I told them that I'm exactly in the world of Naruto, in the Hidden Sand Village.
The worst of the five great villages, from what I remember of the series. This entire village was looked down upon simply because none of the other villages cared to live in the desert. They didn't have anyone at Kage level in Naruto's time except Rasa, who, without being in the desert, lost 30% of his power and relied on his gold dust.
From what I remember and Kishimoto said, the strongest Kazekage was the Third, who controlled the Iron Sand blood line —quite powerful, as I saw when Sasori used the puppet and displayed an incredibly strong ability to form all kinds of weapons, especially with his poison.
Then there was Shinki, Gaara's adopted son, who before the Boruto time skip was the strongest. To me, that tells you that Sunagakure had potential—they just never took advantage of it.
There was also Pakura with her Scorch Style bloodline, a version 10 times better than regular fire. If Madara had that, Hashirama's wood-style trees would have been pulverized. She was a great asset to the village, and Rasa ended up killing her out of fear of losing his position.
Mistake after mistake caused Sunagakure to become the weakest. I can say Rasa was like the Hiruzen of the Sand—the same thing that happened with the Third Hokage.
This time, if I can become as strong as possible, I won't let that happen. I'll try to change everything I can if I'm in time to do it.
From what I've heard from my father, the Second Shinobi War just ended a few days ago, leaving all of Suna devastated and in need of shinobi to fill its ranks after years and years of continuous war.
So I think I'll have enough time to start training before the Third War begins, make a name for myself, and secure the position of Kazekage before Rasa does.
Because if he gets it, I won't be able to change things the way I want—including the chance that he could send me on a suicide mission and I'd die. I don't want that.
My current plan is to join the ninja academy—or rather, the attempt at an academy like Konoha's. It's essentially there to teach you the basics and then throw you into the field to earn money and regain strength.
And try to catch the attention of the teachers and get a sensei. Here in the Sand, I don't think they have enough jōnin to look after genin, so the only way for me to get strong is to attract the attention of the few jōnin or even the Third Kazekage himself.
In these five years, I learned to control my chakra at a basic level with my father in his free time, though I also trained when he wasn't around. In this world, the only way to survive is by being strong, and I would achieve it no matter what.
Today was my first day at the academy, and I was nervous. What kind of kids and people would there be? My mother hardly ever lets me leave the house since the village is on maximum alert.
Arriving with my mom, she gave me a kiss on the forehead and let me walk with a smile on her face. But as they say in my old life, the mouth lies, but the eyes don't. I could see she was very worried about the path I had chosen.
"Mom, don't worry. I'll become the strongest and learn everything I can from the sensei," I told her, giving her a thumbs-up.
Unlike Dad, I inherited her ash-gray hair and her physical features. The only thing Dad's genes tried to do was give me those pink eyes—which look great on me—and my male body. Otherwise, I'd be a copy of Mom.
"Heh, you've always been smart, Daigo. Be careful. Mom will always support you. Go without fear—I'll be waiting at home when you get out, with food ready," said Ilsa, waving her hand side to side as Daigo ran off with the other kids.
With Daigo
I walked for several minutes until one of the teachers guided us to the classroom for the new students. Most in Suna came from shinobi families—there are almost no civilian families here, at least not when it comes to shinobi.
In my case, Dad is a shinobi, and my grandparents were too—they died a long time ago—so I was able to register and be here.
Arriving at the classroom, it was simple. Unlike Konoha's, there were no wooden chairs—everything was made of stone, including the seats and desks.
Looking closely, it resembled the rooms where presidents meet with senators behind them, with the desks arranged in a half-moon shape rising upward.
Looking for a free spot, I noticed the last seat on the right, near the window opening, was empty. So I took it. Behind me was a boy about my age with red hair, staring out the window with no expression on his face.
He didn't even move when I sat down and looked at him. Something about him seemed different from the other kids, but I didn't ask questions—I didn't know him. I just sat and waited for class to start.
A few minutes later
"Finally, it's starting, and these kids are shutting up. My head was already hurting," Daigo muttered under his breath, now focusing on the teacher standing in the center.
"Welcome to this year's academy, students. If you're here, it's because you want to become proud ninja of Suna and protect the village. So I ask you to learn everything I teach you so you can survive once you become shinobi. Any questions? Raise your hands," said the teacher, who looked quite typical for a Suna resident.
A boy in the front row raised his hand, and the teacher let him speak.
"Uh, sensei, how long will it take us to become shinobi?" the boy asked.
"Good question. Currently, if you have the necessary level, you could become a shinobi. If not, you'll have 5 years in which you'll be taught all the basics, as well as the jutsu needed to graduate," the sensei replied.
This time, a girl raised her hand.
"Sensei, what are the basic jutsu to graduate?" the girl asked.
"Well, the basic jutsu to graduate are: Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), second is Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique), and third is Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique). You also have to pass a physical test, exams in all the subjects covered in the academy, and finally a genjutsu knowledge exam," the sensei said.
Another boy raised his hand.
"What is genjutsu, sensei?" the boy asked.
"That will be explained later. Normally, you're not expected to graduate in the first year. Any more questions?" the sensei asked, looking around.
No one answered, so he began the class, explaining what chakra is and what it's used for, showing the different ways people use chakra: improving physical strength, speed, controlling elements, even walking on water—all sorts of things you could think of. He also talked about the first training exercise the students would have to do: stick a good amount of sand to your forehead and not let it fall while you move.
And that was the only useful thing Daigo got from the class. He would have tried it with a small rock, mimicking the leaf they used in Konoha, but the result wasn't as good as he thought—since it was a piece of rock, it fell easily. When he mastered it, it wasn't difficult.
With sand, it would be simpler, but you need more control so that not a single grain falls. So it would be the necessary exercise for every new chakra user.
Storing all that in my mind, I stood up, but a rather flat voice sounded behind me.
"What a waste coming here. I learn more at home," said the monotone voice of the red-haired boy, whose grayish-brown eyes didn't show much.
"Huh? Why do you say that? I'm sure you've never done that chakra exercise—it was the only valuable thing in this class," Daigo said, looking at the boy, who didn't seem surprised by what Daigo said.
"It would be useful for you, but not for me. I can already control chakra threads," he said, standing up from his seat and starting to walk.
Hearing that, Daigo got excited at the prospect of learning more about chakra and walked behind the shorter boy.
"Huh? Chakra threads? Are you a puppet user at such a young age?" Daigo asked the boy, who now glanced at him a little.
"You know what puppets are? That surprises me. Yes, I am one," the boy said.
"That's awesome! I hadn't thought about being a puppet user—it would be super strong, but it's not my style. Though using chakra threads sounds cool. Could you teach me?" Daigo asked the boy, who didn't stop walking.
"No," the boy said simply.
"Huh? Why not? You'd have a training partner. Think about it—it sounds good, right?" Daigo said, trying to reason with the boy.
"I don't even know you. Leave me alone," the boy said, moving away from Daigo and taking the first turn to try to lose him. But Daigo just followed, whistling calmly.
"That's true, but why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Daigo. Nice to meet you. And you?" Daigo said, offering his hand. The boy just looked at it.
"I'm Sasori, and stop following me. I'm not teaching you anything," said the now-named Sasori, quickly moving away from Daigo, who was in shock at the boy's name.
"Huh? It's little Sasori, and he's in my same academy class? What a coincidence—one of the key people for Suna's growth in puppetry," Daigo whispered to himself, watching Sasori gradually disappear among the people.
A bright smile appeared, making his normally bright pink eyes shine even more as he clenched his fist tightly.
"Don't worry, Sasori. I won't let you become a rogue ninja. You're going to be my first friend I make here... and my helper when I become Kazekage. HAHAHAHAHA!"
End of chapter