Distant screams echoed through out the battle grounds. I stood still, muscles tense and twitching with every smaller noise around me.

This, was our "election" process. All those who wanted to become leader, would gather here, on sacred Chi ground called the "bloody fields" to fight to the death. Last one standing becomes our leader. The "fields" contained a mountain like section, a forested section south of that, and an actual field in-between. I, Chi Koojiru, was basically thrown into the ring by my "oh so loving parents", the current leaders. My mother and father both fought together, and stayed together somehow. Very rare I feel because most of this fight seemed to be very...

Free for all.

Suddenly the noise of a twig snapping too close to me had startled me from my thoughts. Soon, before me stood a big ass mother fucker. His name was Yamasho which was quite accurate a name.

"Heh, I didn't think they would actually throw you into the ring!" he bellowed out a maniacal laugh, causing me to reach for my kunai and shuriken.

"Not so fast princess" he spoke firmly causing me to freeze, because I knew he had made it behind me with a knife to my throat.

"Don't worry" he said licking my face "I'm not here to hurt you..." my heart sank down to my toes, my finger tips turned cold, right before he threw me and pinned me. His hands found their way all over my body and...

I actually don't remember much after that moment. Just random flashes of steel, blood and his final words...

"what the hell are you?! You crazy bitch!"

Truth is I didn't know then, what I was beyond the pain between my legs and the spilt blood coming from me, leaking from him. I felt, so inhuman, mechanical as I took what was left of his miserable life. After that winning felt easy…

Carelessly slashing and hacking away at any foe. It wasn't until the echoes stopped that I can fully recall a damned thing for a few moments. I walked back to Yamasho's body and stared at it trying to piece together anything that happened. My parents, were so pleased with me...

so...

proud. As the cleaners came one dragged me lightly by the arm, my eyes still fixed on the body. I walked with a limp for a while, the side of my face was swollen and tasted like blood. To this day I feel like I should have fought harder, as if that would have changed anything. Days perhaps even months slid by all feeling like one day, one long twisted suspension in time and space where life moved around you, and you stood still. My parents only spoke of my victory, never questioning any of the subtle changes that took place, pieces of me floating away with even a gentle breeze, colours fading. I mean I wasn't happy to begin with, but before that battle I never thought of dying, never put cold steel to my wrists, letting it bite in to spill my blood, all for pleasure. I may have not been aware of being human, but I never felt like a robot either. Not until after...

I didn't even notice what was going on around me when I should have been much more aware, clan members winding up dead or missing. All I did was vaguely give orders my parents told me to give, I never registered what I was saying, launching investigation after investigation but too lost inside to piece it all together. Not until the day that everything literally came crashing down in a blaze of glory. The clan member murdering Chi was none other than Yamasho's brother. At this point I guess he truly lost it, a lot of his family had gone into the election process, none ever returned. It was coming to our next time to start training again for the new election coming up in five years. I don't remember much about when he got to our house, just that I was awake to hear the screams and smell the smoke. I do vividly remember seeing nothing but red skies, illuminating the night with its hellish amount of flames. I turned and ran, and yes without a second thought...

I knew my parents were done for, deep down I knew. I cant do justice as to how it felt, conflicting, sorrow and relief…freedom and despair. I dove into a house that had yet to be cast into flames and hid close to the back entrance with every sense alert. Seriously if I had been a cat, every hair would have been poofed. It didn't take long for the crash of a window to be heard after my arrival, causing me to worry he had seen me. It took even less time for the house owners to attempt to fight off the mad man attacking them. My hand moved a door open bit by bit and just as I got a view I could hear the cry of infants. The sounds of struggle grew quiet, and so I wasted no time. As quietly as I could, I snuck up the stairs towards where I had last heard voices. I slowly poked my head over the top of the next floor where the stairs met it. Our…pushed too far "friend" had his back to me, ranting insanities on and on and on.

"We will all soon be free! Cleansed of our sins! Ashes to ashes as they say" he stopped to either laugh or catch his breath, I'm not sure which, sounded like both.

"Yamasho! Are you watching?! Mother! Father! Our dawning over this retched clan is at hand!"

I crept up a bit more until I was fully on the second level. Two Chi clan members sat tied up being forced to listen to this purely mad man. I met eyes with one of them, a man who I assumed was the infants father. He remained remarkably calm to my presence and was excellent in pretending I didn't exist. The infant cries sounded once more, causing me to duck again quick as the lunatic turned.

"Shut up I will deal with you next!" he called out to the babies, only making them louder. With the little time the second person, the mother I assume had she quickly showed me with her head and eyes where exacty the infants were. Upstairs two doors down and left…also probably praying that I saw her and understood her message so as soon as buddy boy turned around I quietly darted up to the second level and gave a nod before disappearing up the stairs, which by the way never seemed so long in my life. Moonlight was shining down revealing two cribs placed side by side. I moved as quickly as possible and scooped them both, one in each arm. I heard the steps creak once...twice...

It was almost as if he was savoring each step, as if it brought him pleasure to hunt down children. Fuck…maybe that whole family was just messed in the head. I saw no way out, if I jumped through the window there was a high chance that I could injure the babies…or kill them…I tried to calm them down as best I could and headed for the closet and began looking for an attic and a more suitable escape but the foot steps drew too close too fast and I had no choices left. I tried to hide us in the items and covered their mouths as well as I could without suffocating them. Finally the rooms door slid open still keeping to that slow pace. My heart began racing so fast that for a paranoid moment I thought he could hear it, though logically I knew if he heard anything it was the damned crying infants! His face lit up like a child who just got their first dog would, full of glee stomach flipping glee. He stepped closer, still savoring each step, I knew this now by his face. Luckily seconds before he could put a finger on the closet door smoke bombs masked the room ridding all sight, and all I knew was that someone somehow had gotten in. I cant be entirely sure but I feel like I threw up behind me right after this happened. The closet doors flew open causing me to cover the infants attempting to create a human shield.

"There's a girl alive in here!" called a woman's voice.

"The twins?" another voice replied from down the hall

"Parents are dead!" spoke a 3rd person

"Any word on Tada?" the woman called back to them. As the smoke cleared I realized that these people were part of the ANBU team.

"He's dead" the second ANBU said as he came into the room pointing to an unusually still body

"What appears to be the cause?" the woman spoke with authority. She then shifted her gaze down to us and bent down to point at the infants.

"Are they..." her voice showed some concern and fear, so I sat up to show her that they were alive. She nodded, stood and turned to her team member.

"What appears to be the cause of his death?" she asked coolly.

"He must have taken a cyanide pill as soon as he realized we were here" the 3rd ANBU replied.

"Christ" was all she could say with her head hanging low. After her moment of silence she turned back to us and knelt deeper into the closet.

"Its okay, you're safe now" she spoke to us softly and then picked up the severely traumatized babies. As she turned to walk away a strange sound escaped my lips causing her to focus attention onto me.

"Yes? Oh don't worry, you'll be okay we wi-" I cut her off

"I don't care about that" my voice was so quiet she had to bend down to hear the rest

"Can I make a request?" I asked locking eyes to, where I assume her eyes were

"Of course" she said

"Its more of a plea..." I admitted looking down at my hands.

"Please…never let them know that they are born Chi..." after I spoke the ANBU woman seemed taken a back, silent waiting for me to finish, as if it required further explanation. I cleared my throat trying to sound more confident this time and spoke

"I want this clan, and our whole ideology gone. Tada went about it the wrong way I know, but I understand how someone could be pushed that far by our election process" the second ANBU was now listening, even the other one seemed intent on letting me finish.

"This is what it can do" I pointed to Tadas dead body "he could have had a normal and happy life but because I was forced to kill his brother, his last standing family member all lost to it, he snapped! He actually just sincerely lost his mind and wouldn't you? Wouldn't you feel powerless? Knowing that every five years there will be a massive death toll? We fight in the blood of the fallen! He was simply trying to end the cycle, we did this, we made him sick" I said the last four words with as much impact as I could.

"So please, keep this horrific circumstance out and away from the lives of these children. They have nothing to feel pride over it only pain. So please I'm begging you, end it, help me end it let me be the last one". All three nodded in unison and the second man spoke to me

"you're right, this fire threatened the south end of the village" he was speaking about the fire

"This clan was a danger to all of us all along" said the woman.

"Very well, we will tell the orphanage that we found them south of here while making sure the fire didn't spread" they all kept their faces on me and the third one stood walking over to me

"But we cant hide who you are, the village knows very well about the wars with the Uchiha before..." I nodded to cut him off, had enough tragedy for one day.

"Like I said I really don't care just end this" my mind went numb, my words escaped like hollow tubes of air.

After I got out of the hospital I was set up with an apartment and given instructions, to be assigned to a genin team. In one week, I would be part of a four man cell, apparently an odd number, but I could have sworn it was an even number? Anyways I would have a "normal genin life" until I advanced, Jonin leader, missions, training the whole ordinary mess. Ordinary felt impossible, but hope did glimmer within me, perhaps normal was attainable. Once the ANBU thought I was asleep they left for a bit to talk, they were going to guard me in case Tada had any supporters.

So there I was, stuck in a limbo, a new world after hell.