In a crater in the ground, there laid an infant boy, newly born, screaming for attention. The boisterous boy echoed his cry of new life across a barren waste. Ash and soot were scattered about this ruined landscape. The charred ruins of a city lay before the boy, who could think nothing of this situation, for he was yet to experience anything like the hell on Earth that had just occurred. He was, for a long while… alone, it seemed. His cries still echoed into the distance of a lifeless landscape; ever-yearning for a listening ear. The scream waited for a reply that would not come for some time.
"It's my water, I found it!" cried the man angrily, clutching his freshly-filled canteen, "If you knew what was good for ya', you'd keep off of it!"
"Have a heart, you bastard!" sounded a cry in retort, "These boys are going to die if we can't get them some water!" The voice belonged to a brown haired woman who looked to be no older than 30, sporting tattered cloth for clothing. She was accompanied by 3 malnourished boys. One was a baby, cradled in her arms; the others were toddlers, standing frightened behind their mother.
"Well, that's your problem, ain't it? Maybe you should think before you go and have 3 fucking kids you can't provide for!" the man shouted back. He pulled out a blade from a holster on his shoe and pointed it at the thirsty group, his eyes wide with rage. "Now get the fuck off my land before I worsen your situation!"
The woman gave the man a look of disgust before bolting away into the forest behind her, pulling her dying children alongside her. The man held his stance and continued to curse at the group until they were well out of sight. He then relaxed his threatening pose, holstered his weapon and let out a long sigh. He was alone once more.
The man began walked back to his hut in the forest. It was a small hut, made of wood and clay he had collected from the oak trees and earth surrounding a clearing. HIS clearing, he would correct. This clearing had been his home since the day he was born. This large crater, the man had thought, was the remains of some ancient civilization that had long ago died out or warred itself into its own demise. It was an ideal spot for a city. There was plenty of vegetation surrounding the village in the form of a forest; which provided food and created a natural barrier against wanderers.
'Except that damned woman and her kids,' thought the man 'what a bunch of freeloaders'
He opened the door to his home, sat down on his bed and had a drink of water from his canteen. The furniture in the house resembled the makings of an old log cabin. He had a kitchen, a bedroom area and a dining room, complete with wooden furniture. It wasn't elegant by any means, but he got by. The man lay down on the bed. That woman had been the only person to speak to him in over a year. 'She was pretty damn aggressive too,' he thought. He was used to thieves and bandits intruding on his secluded hut, trying to get food and water. He had killed many of them, but never once did they confront him with such a desperate plea. Most simply ran from him based on his appearance. He had dirty, blonde hair with blue eyes, and wore a leather tunic for protection. He was also quite large, over 6 feet tall, looming over most would-be invaders. Before he had more time to ponder this peculiar encounter, he heard a loud banging on his door. "Resident!" shouted a commanding voice from outside his hut, "it is demanded that you vacate the presence immediately under the decree of his Lordship!"
"I don't answer to any lord!" shouted the man, confused by this sudden demand.
"All citizens of this land answer to his Lordship! I will ask you to vacate the hut one more time before using deadly force!"
Faced with this threat, the man walked to his front door, and slowly opened it.
On the other side of the door, there were three men, dressed in matching black uniforms covered in steel plating. Their faces were covered with masks resembling the faces of different animals; a hawk, pig and bird respectively. The masks had decorative marks on them, drawn in black and red paint.
"What is your name, resident?" asked the middle man. He was the tallest, owner of the bird mask, and his voice matched the voice shouting from outside. He stood with a pencil and notepad, presumably from taking down information.
"I ain't got a name, but who the fuck are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am. I'll ask you again, who-"
"Sir!" Interrupted the man on the right, "Isn't that… it's him! It's the boy!" The men drew blades from holsters on their backs and charged at the man. He quickly slammed the door in their faces and sprinted to his back window. He dove through it, rolled on the ground and dashed into the forest at the end of the clearing. Just as he made it to the tree line, a shuriken whizzed past his face and hit the bark of the tree beside him, sending splinters of wood into the air. The man peeked behind himself; the 3 men in black were on his tail, closing in fast. If only I could get to the river, I could ditch these guys!' panicked the man. He continued his run through the forest, dodging tree branches and bushes. He could feel the footsteps of the men in black growing closer. BAM! He'd hit something very hard. It knocked him to his back. "Ow!" cried the woman he had just run into. The both got their bearings and stood up from the forest floor. "You again?!" cried the woman. It was the same one from before. Her canteen lay on the ground; she had been collecting water from the river. "I swear to god, I'll-" a blade suddenly pressed against her throat. The man looked down, he, too was being held hostage by a katana. The 3 men had caught up. "Well, well, well." Said the man in the bird mask slyly, pressing his blade against the woman's throat, "It's not every day you capture Haruno Sakura and an Uzumaki."
To be continued….