Author's note: some elements of this story are inspired by the Legend of the Five Rings RPG.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Legend of the Five Rings. No financial gain is made from this. This is for entertainment purposes only.


A diamond with a flaw is preferable to a common stone with none - Chinese Proverb.

In the dimly lighted humid room illuminated only by a dozen white candles, a woman cries out in pain.

It is a well-known pain, for she has endured it before. She knows it will be over soon, but this notion doesn't deter her from gripping tightly the bed sheets that crumple around her. A delicate hand dries the sweat that stains her forehead, but it is also a shaking hand, for it is the first time the young apprentice witnesses what is soon going to become her every day.

The woman in the bed curses before it is all over. It is the only time she allows herself to curse and she knows it is the last time she will curse before her death.

The oldest woman in the room moves to her side, calmly, for she has done this countless times before and she no longer feels the eagerness of the inexperienced. "It is a girl," she announces.

As with her other four daughters, the mother extends her hands to rush the midwife to lay the baby in her arms. The elder already knows what is going to happen next.

The mother shakes softly the baby, enough to make her open her eyes. A familiar feeling overwhelms her. Disappointment. Looking back at her, innocent, her daughter's eyes glow golden reflecting the fire of the candles.

The woman starts to cry. Tears of sadness, of impotence, of despair.

The pupil takes some steps back, uncomfortable. The midwife moves quickly and takes the baby away from the mother. "You will curse your baby if you cry like that on her," she spats.

But the woman doesn't care. She continues crying, hitting the bed by her sides with tight fists.

For she knows it was her last chance, for she knows she is now too old to have another baby. For this was her last hope.

For she wished that this time, when her baby opened her eyes, they would show the same all-white pupil that she has.