Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story, not even my OC. She belongs to my subconscious. Everyone else belongs to Kishimoto-san.
Some called it the Devil's Cave. Others said it was haunted by the ghosts and spirits of those who had wandered in there and gotten lost, never to be found again.
Mothers told their children stories of the cave, telling them about horrible witches and monsters that would come out at night and steal naughty children from their parents. Older kids whispered about it, daring each other to go inside, although no one actually ever did, fearing the dangers of the cave more than the ridicule of their peers.
It was a small, unassuming cave, wedged somewhere in between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. But to those who lived in both countries, it was spoken of in reverence and in fear. Its fame had even spread to the other countries and it was said that even the kages themselves refused to enter the cave.
And then, one day, the cave collapsed. Quite suddenly, in fact. The Hokage, sitting in her office, was pouring herself a pot of coffee to help her recover from her hangover when the tower suddenly began to shake, causing her to spill the burning liquid all over her paperwork. She cursed, immediately looking out the window for the source, but could find nothing.
The Kazekage, poring over a scroll, looked up thoughtfully. Sandstorm…or earthquake, he thought, moments before his office began to tremble, knocking the pictures off his walls. He sighed, furrowed his non-existence eyebrows, and settled back in his chair to wait it out.
The Tsuchikage scowled as he noticed the hands of the messenger trembling as he handed him a scroll. "Stop shaking, boy!" he barked.
The messenger flinched, but replied in a steady voice, "It's not me, sir."
The Raikage glared at his dining table. The plates and bowls were shaking so much that he could barely eat out of them. With one swift move, he punched the table, smashing it to pieces. Seeing his meal on the ground did not help his mood. He punched a hole in a nearby wall.
The Mizukage felt the ground only shaking slightly, but it was enough to unnerve her. "What on earth?" she muttered. Scattered as they were, none of the islands of her country had ever had an earthquake. She frowned. She was never one to be superstitious- superstitions were for civilians, not ninjas- but even she couldn't help but feel anxious.
After hours of shaking, the dust finally settled. What was once a small and unassuming cave was now a large and unassuming pile of rocks. Some said that perhaps the spirits of the dead had a fight, causing the cave to collapse. Others said that perhaps a brave shinobi had gone into slay the devil within, sacrificing his life in the process. More practical folks said that perhaps the walls of the cave had weakened and were no longer able to support its weight.
A year passed by and the cave slowly began to fade from people's memories. No one looked at the pile of rocks and remembered the fearsome stories that had been told of that place. No children dared each other to go up to the rocks and touch them. No one really thought about the earthquake that was so large, it had shaken all five countries.
A year passed by and the pile of rocks stood unmoving, a reminder that no one paid attention to of what had once been there.
A year passed by and a lone farmer was passing by as he did once a week to collect firewood for his family. He stopped, frowning as he noticed something move. He dropped his tools and rubbed his eyes. Was the sun playing tricks on his sight?
No. It wasn't. A large boulder at the bottom of the pile shifted to the side and a hand slowly reached out from beneath the rocks, scrabbling weakly for purchase. It touched solid ground and another hand followed, both palms pressing hard against the earth, as a grubby-looking kunoichi pulled herself up and out of the tiny space she had been wedged inside.
Carefully crawling forward on her elbows, she collapsed on the ground. Rolling over onto her back, she coughed. Her eyes blinked open. Golden irises rimmed with black stared up at the sky.
The farmer rushed over to her, gasping, "Miss! Are you alright?"
Weary eyes slowly turned towards him. The young kunoichi parted her lips as if to speak, but no sound came out. She licked her lips, trying again. Finally, she croaked, "Ow."
Then her eyelids fluttered shut and her head lolled to the side, dropping off into the darkness of oblivion.
Sorry that was so short! It is a prologue though...the chapters will get longer as we get into the actual story! Read and review!