"The greatness of mankind knows no bounds; step by step, the glory of humanity will reach the sky!" - A mad scientist.

Luke was sweating heavily, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Construction was hard, demanding labor, especially under the searing summer sun that baked the very air he breathed. A sharp, persistent pain radiated across his entire back; it made sense, after all, as he had slipped and fallen hard on the solid ground on his way out of the site.

Despite the growing exhaustion that clouded his thoughts and the fuzzy, disconnected feeling in his head, Luke managed to push himself to his feet, instantly regretting the forgotten protective helmet that should have been on his head.

Dusting off the grime and grit that clung to his work clothes, Luke reached into his left pocket, his arm fishing around for his phone. He pulled it out, the screen’s reflection showing a face he barely recognized. He stood moderately tall with well-defined features, his skin a deep, sun-drenched brown from long days spent outdoors. Strands of dirt were still tangled in his dreadlocks, a testament to the morning's toil.

"Thankfully, there's a bathroom I can change in when I get to my next job," Luke muttered to himself, his voice a low rasp. "And then, I'm sleeping all day tomorrow." His boots scuffed against the pavement as he began the long walk down the street, the sweat on his skin mixing with the dirt to create a muddy film.

For thirty minutes, the only sounds were the rhythmic slap of his feet on the sidewalk and the distant hum of cars speeding by, each one a capsule of cool, conditioned air. He finally reached a bus stop, the metal bench hot to the touch, and sat down with a dazed expression on his face, the world seeming to warp slightly in the shimmering heat waves rising from the asphalt.

Luke's mind drifted back to his expectations before high school. Sure, he hadn't been the most disciplined student, but he had harbored dreams of becoming a researcher, of working in prestigeous, clean, air-conditioned offices alongside the brightest of minds. Those dreams had dissolved like mist when he discovered that by the time he graduated, his bad study habits, careless lifestyle choices, and merely decent grades had bitten him in the ass.

"I thought I could stand with them at the starting line," Luke said, thinking out loud, his words swallowed by the empty street. "But I didn't even qualify for the race. The worst part of all is that I'm the one who disqualified myself." It didn't matter that he spoke; he was utterly alone, an island of misery in a river of passing vehicles.

After another ten minutes in the mind-numbing heat, Luke considered just going home instead of heading to his second part-time job. "This bus is running late, and I forgot my water..." he reasoned, his throat dry and scratchy. "But then again, I really need the money."

Thankfully, Luke did not have to wait much longer. Shortly after closing his eyes, a loud, blaring honk ripped through the air directly in front of him. Startled, he opened his tired eyes, and the weariness instantly morphed into sheer horror.

"This is it," Luke thought, a wave of cold dread washing over him. A semi-truck was rapidly speeding towards him, a metal behemoth against the hazy backdrop of the city. With the profound exhaustion he was feeling, both physically and mentally, there was no way he could avoid dying here.

Accepting his fate, Luke closed his eyes in preparation, a strange mix of despair and hope settling in his chest.

"If there is a next life, then I—" Luke was unable to finish the thought before he was brutally run over by the truck. In an instant, the soul of Luke was sent into the great cycle of reincarnation.

An unknown amount of time later, a young boy, around six years old, left the Konoha village academy. He walked alone, without any parents or guardians, having just finished his entrance exam. The boy could easily be mistaken for a girl with his beautiful, delicate face and long, silver-white hair that cascaded down his back.

His eyes were narrow and slightly slanted, a rich, warm brown that contrasted sharply with his pale hair and sharp eyebrows. The boy wore the basic clothes you would expect for an orphan his age, but unlike the rest, his were cleaner and had fewer patches. He had opted for a simple green shirt and brown pants.

This boy was formerly Luke, and now, he was called Ginryū.

Ginryū smiled to himself as he walked towards the Hokage Mountain, bathed in the amber light of the setting sun. The test had started in the early morning and had only just ended as the day came to a close. It covered everything from basic knowledge to ninja skills and thankfully his studying and training managed to pull it off.

Upon arriving at the famous Mount Rushmore of Hokages, Ginryū laid back against the cool grass and gazed at the reddish sky, his mind filled with wandering thoughts. In his past life he was a loser and in his opinion a failure, now he has a second chance at everything in a story that marked his childhood and teenage years.

"In this life," Ginryū thought to himself, a silent promise made to the heavens, "I want wings." He reached his small arms into the sky as if he could truly leave the ground and take flight his voice filled with all the gravity a little boy could muster.

Chapter 1 End.

Authors note: "Hey guy's currently this website doesn't have an authors note feature so I'm going to type at the end of the chapters until then. I can't wait to share the rest of the story with you guys and I am excited with what's to come. Leave a comment and tell me what you think or leave predictions on how the story will go I haven't written in years but here's my attempt at entertaining you guys." - GrandSage