Chapter Text
It was interesting, looking at things from a different view. I genuinely found it interesting how much having lived a lifetime before this could impact my worldview so much.
I guess I'd better explain, huh? My name is Shimizu Shion. But my name is (was?) also Kang 'please don't even try to pronounce it, just call me by my American name Jace' Jinhai.
I was a Chinese-American guy, born in China and spent the majority of my life travelling between America and China, courtesy of parents that divorced shortly after my birth.
I changed schools like other kids went through shoes. The longest I can ever recall (in my admittedly fuzzy memory) staying at a school was 7 months.
Because of this, there was never time for me to actually make friends or anything. I was just a figure at the edge of the crowd that nobody ever remembered. Hell, my own parents barely remembered I existed - I was only there as a novelty show. Something they pulled out for friends and colleagues, a little monkey that was only there to make them look good. Other times, I was a ghost. Since I could walk, I had figured out everything by myself. I cooked, cleaned, and did my laundry. Basically taught myself how to read. They did nothing.
It wasn't a big deal or anything. Despite the lack of stability in my life or the lack of appropriate guardians/parental figures, I turned out relatively normal.
'Relatively' being the key word here.
Okay, so maybe I was slightly bitter.
Just a bit.
I graduated from high school and went onto university, studying linguistics and cryptography. I was aiming to become a computational linguist. Once I graduated from uni, I then scored my job. I lived a relatively cushy life. Made a friend or two. Dated a couple times. Explored some of my interests.
So far, so good. I was content. Almost happy, actually. I had what I wanted right there in the palm of my hand.
When I died, I was 28. I don't remember a whole lot about my death. Little snippets, here and there, just enough for me to know that it was unnecessary, painful, and hugely unfair.
So when I woke up, to people speaking another language around me, all I could think was: hey, this might not be so bad after all.
Of course, this was before I found out I was in the Naruto-verse.