I don't remember much of my past before I met my former caretaker. All I remember is living in the sand village with, from what I believe to be, my grandmother who never told me what happened to my parents. Whenever I asked her, she will just tell me they disappeared, which lead me to assume that they were dead. I remember her calling me by a different name at that time, but I don't remember what it was. During an outing with her, a sandstorm hit the village and blurred everything in sight, making me lose sight of my grandmother. I ran for the closest shelter that I could see through the storm and waited for the storm to pass. Minutes later though, I heard bombs going off in the distance and an explosion went off close to where I was. Not knowing any better, I ran out into the storm only to run straight into another explosion. I shielded my face, which severely burned half of my arms and legs. I was scared. I was in panic. I was in pain. I made the choice of running with the storm with scorched arms, hands, legs and feet that stung with each step in the sand. I don't know how long I ran for, but I ran and ran until I passed out from pain and exhaustion.

Hours later felt like moments to me when I woke up. I woke up in a bed under a blanket, and assumed that I was in my room again. I was wrong. Looking around the dimly lit room, I saw that the room was not my own, I also felt that my arms and legs were not in pain anymore and I could feel them once again. Joy instantly filled me as I looked at my arms under the dim lighting and saw that they looked different; they were wood. I pulled off the blanket and saw that half of my legs were wood as well. I began to panic and asked myself repeatedly, "What happened? What happened?! WHAT HAPPENED!?" The door opens, a shadowed figure came in, and I panicked when the figure held me. The more I struggled, the tighter the figure held onto me; I gave up, letting the shadow hold me, and rested my head on his chest and cried. The cloaked figure turned out to be a man with a smooth, relaxed voice. I gradually began to relax my sobs and my breathing slowed.

"I had to replace them," he said. "It was either that, or amputation."

I looked up at him and asked, "Amputation?"

"I would have had to cut off your arms and legs, leaving you with stubs."

"But you already did that." I whined.

"You can feel them can't you?" he asked. I nodded yes, still looking at him.

"And you can move them right?" I moved my hands and feet, and nodded again.

"Then there's nothing to worry about is there?" he said. I said nothing, and rested my head on his chest.

"What's your name?"

It should be easy to remember ones name, somehow, I couldn't remember mine since I passed out. I told him I didn't remember it and he laid me back down on the bed and threw the blanket over me. Before he walked out of the room, he turned to me, and told me "From now on, you'll be living here. I will be your caretaker and you will live by my rules. Goodnight." He turned off the lights and left.

For the next three years, I lived, ate, and slept in the same room I woke up in, my caretaker never revealed his face, let alone who he was to me. He also trained me in the ninja arts, teaching me everything that he knew from jutsus to weapons, and eventually upgraded my arms to shoot out poison needles on command. I developed a "unique" technique that I dubbed "Ghosting." I could turn my whole body, or any part I wish, into an energy-like vapor and go through objects and people, hide in the shadows and most impressively, bring inanimate objects to life. Every time I use my Ghosting jutsu, however, it grew stronger. My caretaker warned me not to let it control me. While living with my caretaker, I adopted my new name – Ayano Kanpeki.

At ten years old, I constantly thought about who my caretaker was. He revealed himself to me even once and was talking to me more openly about what modifications he wanted to make to his puppets – and me. Me? Why do I need more modifications? In addition, my caretaker forbade me to leave my room apart for training. I developed the feeling that something drastic was about to happen to me soon. One day, my suspicions were confirmed while I was readying my weapons and tools. I heard my caretaker conversing with someone about me being his "flawless design". I continued my way to the training area and spotted a door that was wide open. Curiously, I peeped inside and saw puppets and puppet parts everywhere. A lamp was burning bright over a desk with papers, pencils and part scattered all over. Upon looking at it, the papers were schematics of puppet designs and modifications. My eye caught a rolled up schematic with my name written on it. I unrolled it to see many different designs and modifications and realized what was going to happen to me if I stayed – I was going to turn into a full-blown puppet. Panicked, I bolted out of the room and down a hallway, where I spotted a door with light spewing from the cracks and busted through it. I never returned to that place.

After an hour of running, I saw a caravan rolling by and hailed it down. The caravan stopped and a man asked me what I needed, and I told him briefly about my current situation. He looked at me and asked me what kind of talents I had. I showed him my ghosting jutsu and he immediately took me under his wing, introducing himself as Toru, the group leader of some sort of circus gig. I lived with Toru and the troop, learning even more techniques and jutsus from the groups own ninja, Sako. Sako was the one who got me into using puppets as weapons, saying it was a perfect match for my fighting style and taught me how to upgrade and fix them. I even earned money by performing with them as well. It was a small amount of money, but at least it was something. After awhile, I realized that the group was my first real family to me. Even though my former caretaker took care of me, I was not as connected to him as much I was with Toru, Sako and the group. Unfortunately, after a year with living with them, I had to leave them for fear that my caretaker was onto me, and that I would put the group in danger.

Days later after I left, I was staying the night at an inn when word got around that the Toru's troop was murdered. Toru, Sako, every one of them. I thought leaving them would not put them in danger, but they ended up paying for the consequences. Every single one of them horrendously killed like lambs to the slaughterhouse. For days, I mourned their deaths, and since that day, I quickly grew cold, distant, people conscious, and more violent and ruthless. In order to keep from being recognized, I created a beige gauze mask and covered my arms, hands, feet and legs in clothing. I was on the run for another year before I finally settled down permanently. I found a secluded little hut off the side of the road that I was walking on one night. Upon inspection, the house was old and run down in some rooms and some of the appliances were not working properly, but overall, it was habitable.

I patched the house and fixed the appliances the best I could, just enough to where they would work. I found some clothes in a closet in one of the rooms; whoever lived here did not bother packing everything and just left the place abandoned. I then went out to explore the village that was nearby with what money I had to buy the necessities. I passed this poster board with flyers of ads, missing animals, and wanted posters. One ad caught my eye out of the rest - The Ninja Academy. I read over the information and immediately applied at the academy, to further my training and to sharpen my skills and learn new ones as well. I made my way out of the village and back to my permanent home, when I saw an old man and his cart topple over onto the ground, spilling the contents. I made my way over to the man and helped him with his mess, the contents being puppet parts and other components.

"Thank you," he said afterwards. "Not a lot of people do that for me."

I nodded my head towards him, letting him know I accepted his thank you.

"What's your name?"

"Ayano, Ayano Kanpeki."

"Well, thank you again Ayano." The old man said. "Now if only I had someone as helpful as you around the shop, that would be fantastic."

I have been considering a job after I had settled into the area and getting into the academy. So maybe this old man was offering me a chance to work at his shop.

"I can help you." I said. "I'm new in the village and can use something to do."

He stopped, turned his head and said, "Well you can start right now then! They pay is good and I'll be needing help with putting away all of this anyways." And the old man continued to tote away with his cart.

Wow, normally it takes me awhile to find work with decent pay, but that was rather easy. I walked along side the old man and learned that his name was Ugo and that he sold puppets, puppet parts and puppet modification instructions. I also learned that he is the only person in the leaf village that sells custom parts as well as parts for war puppets. Ugo and I pass by my new home and the old man stopped and went off to another beaten path that directed us to his shop.

"You're more than welcome here anytime, day or night, Ayano."

I turned to look at him; he gave me a simple smile. At least it is good to know that he welcomes my presence. A lot people tend to distance themselves from me due to my heavy and dark aura.

Regardless of how comfortable I feel in my now permanent home, the nagging notion of my former caretaker still wallows in the back of my head. Tugging on my senses and provoke them to the state of paranoia. That he is still out there looking for me. Waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment take me back and finish his design.