hEY rEADERS! i AM BACK WITH ANOTHER STORY! sORRY i KEEP CREATING MORE STORIES AND NEVER FINISHING OLD ONES. tHEY WILL GET FINISHED AT SOME POINT, i AM SLOWLY WORKING ON THEM. pLEASE ENJOY THE NEW STORY. iNSPIRATION CAME FROM READING STORIES THAT WERE NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE MAIN TEAMS LIKE THE LEAF TEAMS AND SAND, BUT FOCUS MORE ON THE OUTER RINGS OF THE nARUTOVERSE.
pLEASE rEAD AND rEVIEW!
Thoughts
Memories
pREFACE:
"Oh my gawd, he's so cute!" Eleven year old Anko squealed as she sat next to Kurenai and Asuma in the academy. "Why does he have to be so mysterious with that mask? What does he have to hide?"
"Leave him alone Anko, he just lost his father. He doesn't have anyone left," Kurenai whispered as the young silver haired Kakashi Hatake walked past them to the back of the room.
"He must be so alone now, but I could fix that..."
"Give it up Anko, he'll just turn you down again," Shikaku Nara yawned as he propped his feet on the desk as eye sat next to Choza Akimiki and Inoichi Yamanaka. "Let him be."
"You're so mean Nara!" Anko huffed, her face turning red.
"No, just honest," he smirked.
"Why you...?!"
"Settle down everyone," their teacher, Riku entered the room with her arm around an unfamiliar girl that had crimson hair darker than blood and her left arm in a sling and tied to her chest as if broken. "Anko, you okay? You look like you have a fever?"
"I'm fine Riku sensei," Anko mumbled getting a couple snickers from her classmates.
"Sensei, who is that with you?" Choza asked.
"This is Ryuu. She was from the water country. She was brought here since she has no one left to care for her," the older woman smiled, light brown hair pulled back into a single ponytail. "She is our newest student at the academy."
"Ryo as in money?" Asuma asked and Choza giggled quietly as he munched on some chips.
"Ryuu as in dragon," the girl replied and it became silent. She lifted her head, revealing eyes the color amethyst gems would envy. The purple was deep and hypnotic.
"Ryuu, why don't you go sit next to Kakashi in the back corner there?" She smiled as she pushed the young girl towards the aisle.
"Okay," she shrugged and walked down the aisle. Anko glared at her and as her amethyst eyes glanced at her she just stared blankly back before finally getting to the back and sat down in a single fluid motion smoother than a feline's in the seat besides the masked boy.
"Such swift grace," Rin whispered awed as she sat next a sleeping Obito Uchiha.
"Rin please wake up your classmate so we can begin class," Riku smiled as she walked to the center of the room.
"Yes Sensei," Rin smiled back before poking Obito's cheek and he almost jumped out of his seat. "Time for class Obito."
"Sorry Sensei," the Uchiha blushed as he adjusted the goggles on his head.
The brown haired woman just shook his her head with a laugh before clearing her throat. "Alright, so who has perfected their clone Justus yet?"
"You barely taught us last week!" Anko growled. "How are we supposed to learn that fast?"
"Well Anko, if you spent less time focused on boys and more on your training, you could easily have mastered it by now," Asuma laughed.
"Wait, does the new girl even know ninjutsu?" Inoichi frowned.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
The class turned to look at the crimson haired girl and she smirked as she put a single finger on her lips as if telling everyone to be quiet and there was a poof as she grinned and several clones of her were around the room and she sat there as if it was nothing.
"Whoa! Single hand combination?!" Obito gasped. "Isn't that like Jounin level?"
"I can't exactly use my left arm right now," Ryuu spoke before there was a shatter of glass and all her clones exploded into crystal before disappearing and the crystal shards disappeared as well in a poof of smoke.
"What happened?" Kurenai asked.
"That's really none of your concern, is it?" She whispered coldly, narrowing her amethyst eyes as their teacher cleared her throat.
"Good job Ryuu. Alright who else thinks they have perfected their jutsu?"
Sarutobi stood in the hallway outside the teacher's lounge with the two Leaf councilors, Riku and Minato. It was the end of the day and most of the students had left already except one. Ryuu was still sitting in the classroom waiting to be told what to do and where she was going to stay.
"They shattered into crystal? Are you positive?" Sarutobi asked
"Yes, the clones shattered into crystal before disappearing themselves," Riku spoke quietly.
"Besides that fact, the fact that she didn't do any jutsu signs to summon them is astounding," Minato commented, running a hand through his spikes blond hair.
"Is the child a threat?" The councilor woman asked, eyes narrowed.
"I don't think so, she seemed to want to stay and she did everything she was told to do," Riku smiled. "She just seems a little scared after seeing her village get destroyed like those by rogue Nin."
"Where is she going to stay?" Minato asked. "My wife, Kushina and I would take her in..."
"She'll stay with me," Sarutobi smiled. "Besides, you already have your hands full with Kushina being pregnant."
"She's only a couple months in," Minato smiled.
"That may be but she is already a hellion being an Uzamaki and in the early stages of her pregnancy. She may scare her off," Sarutobi laughed and Minato chuckled in agreement. "Besides, if she starts to trusts me, then we'll gain more information about who she is."
"Where is the child?" The councilor man asked coolly.
"She's still in the class room," Riku replied. "She saw you come in and knew it would be better to wait than to try finding her way to the tower."
"Good."
"Goodnight lord Hokage, Riku, and Minato. We take our leave." The two councilors left the building as the three remaining walked to the classroom and Riku opened the door.
"Ryuu, it's time to go," she spoke calmly with a smile.
"Yes ma'am." She got up quietly and came out of the room and looked at her superiors. "Hello."
"Ryuu, you're going to be staying with the Hokage," Riku smiled as she put an arm around the young girl gently.
"Okay," she spoke as she pulled her teacher's arm away from her shoulder. "It still hurts."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Riku gasped and pulled her arm away.
"It's okay."
"Are you hungry young Ryuu?" Sarutobi smiled as the four of them walked out of the academy and down the road.
"A little but I'm supposed to go over to the hospital to get my arm checked. Doctor Yuza wanted me to come in right after school got out but I had to wait for you."
"We can have her come to my home. Hospitals are such dreary places."
"Okay."
"Dinner should be ready by the time we get home. See you two later."
"Have a good night Lord Hokage," Minato and Riku smiled before going their separate ways.
Sarutobi watched the girl as she looked around the village as they walked down the main road. She looked amazed at the size and the different culture than what she had in her former village. It really had been a bad night in the Water nation when that village had been destroyed and Leaf Nin had been close enough to feel the heat of the fires that rogue Nin started to burn the village down, killing everyone but she survived.
At the Hokage residence, Sarutobi sent one of his servants to bring Ryuu's doctor to the house as they went in and got ready for dinner. The servants had made chicken and dumpling soup which Ryuu devoured as soon as she was sitting at the table and wanted more, making Sarutobi laugh. Dinner was enjoyable, Ryuu talked about different events that were always held throughout the year and delicacies from her village. Soon Ryuu's doctor arrived and they went into the living room while the servants cleaned up dinner.
"Any pain while at the academy?" Dr. Yuza asked as she undid the sling and pulled the bandages off carefully, blood spotting in many places on her upper arm.
"Only some mild discomfort," Ryuu replied as she sat stiffly.
As the last of the bandages came off, Sarutobi had to grimace. Her upper arm was burned badly with a cut running through the middle of it and her forearm was a discolored purple and blue. Dr. Yuza ran her chakra along her whole arm and smiled.
"Good news is the broken bones didn't shift back out. The bad news is that stab wound is not looking any better than it did the other day. Are you sure you don't want me to heal it immediately? You know I can do it Ryuu..."
"Just because we have the ability to rush things because of chakra doesn't mean we always have to use it," Ryuu smiled. "Yes it will take time, probably a couple weeks, but that's okay."
"You're wise for being so young," Sarutobi commented from his seat across from her and Yuza.
"That was one thing they focused on for my village. Don't rush everything otherwise you'll miss things or it will kill you. Too many shinobi do just the opposite."
"Can I at least heal you enough that your bones won't shift back out if place?"
"That's fine."
"How old are you Ryuu?" Sarutobi asked as he watched her.
"I'll be nine this winter," she replied, not a hint of emotion on her face.
"So mature for being so young..."
"I started ninja training as soon as I could walk," the child shrugged as Yuza rewrapped her arm and put it back in the sling. "Thank you Dr. Yuza."
"If you start feeling more pain, notify me immediately and I'll get you a stronger dose of pain killers."
"I will."
"I'll see you later then. Have a good night, you too Lord Hokage," Yuza smiled before leaving.
"What room will I be staying in?" Ryuu asked as she got to her feet and stretched her unbound arm above her head.
"This way." Sarutobi got to his feet and led the way down the hall but frowned in thought. 'How did she manage to survive with only her arm injured? According to ANBU, the rogue Nin were slaughtering everybody as if looking for something... Or someone... Is she what they were after? Why is she important to them?' They went up the stairs and he opened the door to a spare room that was down the hall from his. "This will be your room Ryuu. If you need anything, I'm just down the hall."
"Thank you Lord Hokage," she smiled a little before walking into the room and looked around.
"Goodnight young Ryuu."
"Night sir."
Sarutobi smiled as he closed her door and headed down the hall. 'I hope no danger falls on her if she is special. This crystal ability with her clones... Only a few from the Water Nation could do it... I hate being old, I cannot remember the clan for the life of me...' He entered his room and sat down at his desk and opened the book he read every night, history of the five nations.
Ryuu pulled off her shoes and laid down on the giant bed, carefully propping her injured arm up on some pillows and stared at the ceiling. It had been a couple days for her. Three days ago she had woken up in the Konohagakure hospital to people tending to her. Then this morning she had gotten released, only to be enrolled in the local school immediately once they realized she was of the same skill level as the soon-to-be genin she was in class with.
As she closed her eyes, sleep claimed her and took her to her last memories before she found herself in the hospital:
"Momma why is the village turning red?" Ryuu asked as she looked out her bedroom window. "Looks like fire..."
"Tati, they're here!" Her papa came in, covered in sweat as if he had been running. "They're killing everyone looking for her."
"What are we going to do?" Her mother gasped holding Ryuu a little too tightly.
"She has to hide..."
"What's going on?" Ryuu frowned struggling out of her mother's suffocating grip.
"Ryuu, remember when you were younger and bad guys came after you because of your ability and took you away? More have come after you. You must run and hide in the woods. Do not hesitate to hurt anyone trying to take you away," her father spoke as he pulled her and Tati to their feet.
"But what about you?" Ryuu shook with fear as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"We are going to make sure that they don't get you," her momma smiled. "Then we'll come for you."
"They'll kill you! Just like they are doing to everyone else! Why is it me that they are after?! Why am I so goddamn important?!" Her parents looked at Ryuu appalled at her language as she fell to her knees and cried. "You two are important to me, please don't leave me alone."
"Ryuu..."
"A momma and a papa are not supposed to leave their child! That's why you're parents not some childless family...!"
"Silence!" Ryuu flinched and looked up at her papa in shock. He had never yelled at her. "Keeping you safe is our highest priority as your parents. You know that as soon as your ability revealed itself, people would be after you, to use you and turn you into a weapon."
"If I'm fought over so goddamn much, then just kill me! I'm tired of always having to hide because of this fucking ability that I was born with! Or let me harness the full power of it so I can protect those I love!"
"It is too dangerous right now, your body would not last under the strain. We'll leave a clone with you so you're not alone but we must protect you from being captured."
Ryuu huffed, knowing that she would not win this argument and grabbed her coat and pulled it on. Both her parents summoned a clone and the three of them ran out the back door and into the forest. Screams of villages echoed around Ryuu and she tried to not look back, knowing that all her friends and their families would not make it. The clones of her parents made small talk but she ignored half of it until after ten minutes of running, the clones disappeared with now warning.
Ryuu skidded to a stop in the tree she was in and looked back at the burning village. Heat boiled in her blood and she growled as she dashed back to the village. The clones had disappeared way too soon for her parents to have made it out. She jumped over burning rooftops towards the most commotion was and froze, seeing both her parents against the water fountain, bleeding into the once pure water. She jumped down in front of her parents as let out a heart-retching scream before looking around, anger fueling her every move.
"You bastards!" She screamed, as she looked around and waited for them to come back. "I'm the one you want!"
"So it is," A voice behind her laughed before she felt a foot in her back and she was thrown to the ground and a blade was shoved into her upper arm. "Not so tough now, are you kid?"
"You killed them...!" She snapped.
"Look guys we got ourselves a rabid dog," the man laughed as several more appeared. "We have killed everyone one here. You're the last one and turned out to be the weapon we came for."
"I am a weapon for no one! No one uses me ever!"
"Silence you brat!" A larger man snapped and slammed his foot down on her forearm. She cried out as she felt her bones give out with a sickly crunch. "That's better."
"Don't kill her, you idiot! Boss wanted her still in full working condition!"
"You're the one who shoved a sword in her arm," he shrugged.
"You broke her fucking arm! She can't use that hand now for her jutsu boss wants!"
"She'll heal."
"I'm going to kill you," Ryuu muttered feeling her anger overflow past her pain.
"What was that?" The first man growled kicking her back.
"You are all going to fucking die!" She screamed as amethyst crystal surrounded the ground around her and the sword in her arm turned to crystal before shattering and she got to her feet painfully.
"You little Runt, that was my best sword!"
"Die!" She screamed as the crystal on the ground expanded before spikes shot up under each man, insta-killing them except the first guy who seemed to be in charge. Two large spikes went through his arms and lifted him off the ground. "You all are stupid to think I need my hands for anything. Now you will die, just like them!"
She summoned a spike and shoved it into his chest as darkness blinked before her and she fell to the ground, her injured arm landing in a fire as she passed out.
"Ahhhh!" Ryuu bolted into a sitting position breathing hard and looked around panicked.
"Ryuu, what's wrong?" The old man Hokage ran into the room and looked around worried. "What happened?"
"B-bad memory," she sagged against the pillows and tried to calm her breathing.
"Want to talk about it? I already know about your crystal abilities, young one, you do not need to be afraid here. No one will harm you here."
"Why do people want people like me with abilities that are different?"
"They are greedy people who crave power, even if it is not their own and will go to no end to try and obtain that power. Same reason why the Jinchuuriki are being hunted down," Sarutobi replied as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Why do you not crave my power? I don't even know the full amount of it..."
"I do not want power, I want to protect people, that's why I became a Hokage. We have a Jinchuuriki in the village, you met her husband Minato. Yes she has the power to destroy a village in one hit and you may too, but you do not wish to destroy. You want to protect others from being hurt. To protect those who try to protect you from the bad people out there and cannot succeed. That is where the strength of power matters, not to harm, but to save."
"I guess," Ryuu frowned as she looked at her hands.
"Your parents would have been proud of you, young one. They tried to protect you during that attack on your village, didn't they?"
"Yeah, but they didn't last long. I had been running away with one of their clones but when those disappeared I went back and lost control after they broke my arm and stabbed a blade through my upper arm. I don't know what happened, I panicked... I don't want to be a prisoner again..." She sobbed.
"You're safe here," Sarutobi whispered as he pulled her into his lap and held her close. "You have me and those I command to keep you safe. When you are put on a team at the academy, they will protect you as well. No one will hurt you ever again."
"Thank... you..." She yawned as she started to fall asleep again. "Thank you papa..."
Sarutobi blinked in surprise and looked down at her as she slept in his arms with drying tears glistening on her cheeks. 'She had already been a prisoner once as a child? She definitely has had a hard life. What clan is this child from?'
