A/N: After lots of research and writing and editing…the final version is finally here! I get that Yagura isn't a popular character in Naruto (for those who don't know, he's the fourth Mizukage and the three-tails jinchuuriki) but he has an interesting past…never told unfortunately. So, there you have it! I don't really expect many views for this one…because it's sad no one bothers looking him up, but I'm trying. And I thank Isis for giving me some inspiration to write this!

*katana = Japanese sword

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto, nor do we own Masashi Kishimoto.

…What? Human cags exist. Look at Orochimaru and you'll know.

Chapter 1: What Hurts the Most

Two figures were sitting on a wooden balustrade not far from the village's academy, peering at the bustling streets of Kirigakure. The bigger figure drummed his fingers against the mahogany coloured baluster as the smaller figure swing his legs back and forth, with no greater concern on his mind than how he was going to be tested in order to pass the academy. The child sported a green tunic and a comfortable pair of cargo pants, with eyes that matched the colour of Amethyst filled with eager to move on to the next stage of his shinobi life.

"Don't get too excited and over-confident." A large hand landed on top of his messy, light gray hair.

"Sensei, how are they going to test us?"

"Well…it's a secret."

"Why?"

"A secret is a secret. There's no why."

The child pouted and swung his legs harder. He considered it to be the biggest secret ever, for an eight year old child, that is. Regardless how much begging and cajoling he did, his teacher wasn't going to budge. Groups of children three years older than him were already entering the building beneath them, hand in hand with their respective parents. Some habouring nervous feeling, others anxiousness. But the child felt nothing other than excitement. He was confident he was going to waltz into the examination field and woo the examiners. The paper test was already given a week earlier, and he along with half of the candidates passed. Today was the day he was going to own it again.

"My exam is starting." The child whispered to his teacher with excitement.

"Hmm, let me give you an advice." The teacher faced his student with his heart beating faster as the examination time was closing in. "You're the youngest of the group, and also the smallest size of all. You'll easily be the target for all the other bigger kids there, yeah? So be careful."

The kid cocked his head to the side in confusion, gazing at his teacher. "What are they making us do?"

"Ah…you'll see, you'll see." The teacher rubbed his hand in the child's hair. He then dug into his pocket to retrieve a dagger about six inches long and handed it to him. The kid accepted it, admiring the sharp edge with his fingers. The dagger's metallic feature brought out a glimmer under the sunlight, except a red dolphin watermark located at the heel. The kid looked up. "What is this for?"

"Just a gift, for going to graduate. Thought I might give it to you first." His teacher merely said with a sad smile not before gesturing to the academy with his chin. "Go on. Good luck, Yagura."

Yagura jumped off his seat after bidding goodbye with his sensei and sprinted towards the abandoned building. Words can't describe how excited he is. He just couldn't wait to graduate. He couldn't wait to be the youngest of the genin level and have so much reverence. Mediocrity wasn't what he lived for. But at the moment, he had to pass, and before that he had to figure out a way to squeeze through myriad academy students. The moment he stepped into the building, someone called out for him.

"Yagura!"

He craned his neck up to search for him in the congested hall. It didn't take him long to spot one of his rather taller friends waving at him from outside a room. He squeezed pass the crowd, muttered a lot of apologies for stepping onto people's foot, ducked under several adults' arm swings before finally arriving at his destined spot. He peeked into the room, finding only the groups of students whom he always trained with were seated on plastic chairs chattering among themselves.

"It's hell in there, eh?" Gozu, who was three years older than Yagura laughed, mocking his small figure.

"Stop tormenting him. You're not that strong either." A black haired Mai who was seated next to Gozu snorted at him.

"What? It builds character. What we're about to face is going to be wayyyyy harsher than everything he had gone through." Gozu defended himself.

"How are we tested?" Yagura asked, hoping his older friends knew. He at least wanted to be prepared.

"We don't know. Ao here tried to bribe Kiza-sensei, but we got nothing." Kushimaru pointed to Ao, who pushed his hand down almost too immediately.

"My brother heard rumours that it's going to be different this year." Jinpachi who stood at the doorway asked, looking out of the room. "Why are they keeping the details so secretive anyways?"

"Maybe it's to test us to be prepared for anything, so we have to expect the worst." Mai suggested while picking at her nails. Some of them nodded in agreement but Jinpachi still wore a skeptical look on his face. Yagura, who was three years younger than everyone in the group took a seat beside Kushimaru. A jounin entered the room minutes later after the last of their group arrived just to wish them luck and led them out of the building. While his groupmates were wondering aloud where they were going, Yagura was occupied with peeking into his pocket once in a while just to make sure the dagger his sensei gave him was still there. He considered it his lucky charm. It was the first gift he actually liked that anyone had ever given him.

After what seemed like hours of walking, they finally reached an area with thickening mist and a training ground gated by wired fence was seen. A sign hung at the entrance read 'restricted area; those who bypass will be prosecuted'. Other candidates with their respective mentors were already there, announcing the fact that they were the latest.

"It's your fault we're late." Jinpachi scolded the girl who arrived latest in the group, Rui, who gave him a gesture most eleven year olds shouldn't even know.

A jounin pushed the wired gate open and allowed all the candidates to enter. The mist in the area was unusually thick compared to the heart of the village, and there were countless water puddles which Kushimaru and Ao had accidently fell victim to. Gozu laughed at them until he felt his stomach connecting to a fist belonging to Ao. Mai stopped them from progressing further into a fight, reminding them they have to save energy for whatever exam they were going to put to test at.

The sound of the gate slammed shut jolted everyone's head back to look at the sealed entrance. Everyone was stunned and confused. All of their mentors had somehow, without any of their students' knowledge, slipped out of the training ground, leaving only students in the ring. A female jounin began speaking through a megaphone.

"This is what you're going to do in order to pass your graduation exam. There's a rack on your right hand side containing ninja tools and swords. Before you begin fighting, you are well advised to pick a weapon to defend or fight."

"Fight what?" Rui loudly asked, almost shouting. Jinpachi lightly elbowed her after the female jounin ignored her question and proceeded towards the rack of weapons along with everyone else. Yagura reached the rack, only to be dazzled at which weapon he would choose. He glanced over at Kushimaru who picked a long, gleaming sword before anyone could land their hands on. Ao just grabbed a bunch of senbons and kunai whilst Mai snatched a long, humongous katana Yagura doubt she could even lift over her shoulders. One by one, all the weapons that he eyed on were swiftly snatched by someone else. Some of the students were even fighting over weapons and got injured in the process, but the jounin and chunin standing outside didn't interfere.

Soon, there were only about seven weapons left that Yagura had to choose from. Seven unpicked weapons. Jinpachi placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "There was this blade I wanted but Rui took it from me, so this is all we have left, huh? Curse that girl."

Yagura shrugged. "I don't know which to pick. I'm not a weapon wielder."

"Right…Saruki-sensei only taught you ninjutsu…" Jinpachi said in a rather sympathetic tone.

"Do you think we can use ninjutsu?" Yagura wondered aloud.

"I'm sure you can. The only reason they provided us weapons was because pre-genin students don't know ninjutsu. But hey, maybe you'll pass with flying colours if you impress them with your ninjutsu skills." Jinpachi assured him. He stepped forward and began scrutinizing a wooden club as if there was anything interesting about it while everyone else did the same with their weapons, which were less mundane than an old wooden bat. He moved slightly to the right to examine another badly rusted blade no one dared to land their hands on. From there, Yagura conceded that Jinpachi was a connoisseur of weapons. Not everyone can find a wooden club so interesting as he could.

Jinpachi suddenly turned around and shoved the blade into Yagura's hands, causing him to stumble backwards due to the weight of the weapon. Yagura stared at him as he swung the wooden club over his shoulder with a satisfied smile spreading on his face.

"You're taking that?" Yagura asked Jinpachi, thinking his friend had lost his mind.

"You can have the blade, since you aren't that good in weapon wielding. An old wooden club like this is enough for me."

Yagura had to admit, he was touched by the sacrifice Jinpachi was willing to make for him. That, or he just wanted anything other than a rusted blade. "But what can a club do?"

"Do not underestimate the power of any weapons, Yagura-kun." Jinpachi spoke like a professional philosopher. "Anything can be a weapon, even a jacket."

Yagura, who wasn't a professional in weapons, didn't quite understand what a jacket can do either, but that was the least of his concerns now. He glanced at his blade. Almost every part of it was covered with rust, suggesting that it was a very old blade. He wondered who on earth would make a blade out of pure iron.

"I assume all of you have picked your weapon," the jounin spoke. " The exam starts as soon as I blow this whistl-"

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at Mai, still struggling to balance her katana on her shoulders. "How do we pass? Are we supposed to hurt each other?"

There was a long silence. The female jounin was shot with hundreds of confusing gazes. Yagura thought of what Mai herself said earlier, 'Maybe it's to test us to be prepared for anything, so we have to expect the worst'. If Yagura could guess, to expect the worst was to expect hell.

The jounin raised the megaphone to her mouth."You're supposed to kill each other."

And there it was. Hell started to break loose. Some students stood frozen with their mouths agape. Some were still confused, thinking it was just some metaphor, while the others were just stunned. The only person Yagura noticed who wasn't one bit surprised was Jinpachi. He watched as a wide smirk spread across his friend's face.

"I thought we were fighting like in training!"

"This is supposed to be illegal!"

"The jounin hates us! She wants us to die."

Without saying a word, the female jounin blew the whistle, but no one moved. Yagura glanced around him. Every expression on the students' faces revealed the same thing he was thinking. Friends that once sat at the same lunch table and laughed together were about to be pitted against each other – to fight to the death. What came to Yagura first was the feeling of quitting, but the desire to become a ninja had been haunting him for the past six years, and is the only reason he kept on living to this day.

Which was more important, the abhorrence for cruelty, or his dream?

Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to think anymore as a scream caught his attention. Blood was gushing out from the chest of a female academy student. The tip of a blade can be seen from her back for a moment before the blade was withdrawn. She went limp. Kushimaru stood atop her with his bloodied blade. Everyone started to back away from him, except for an enraged friend of the girl, pointing her sword just inches away from Kushimaru, shaking violently. She hesitated a moment before driving her sword into his abdomen, only to realize that it wasn't his. She stared in horror. The face of another boy stared back at her with his wide eyes reading a curse. He slumped onto her feet, revealing Kushimaru's stoic face. Before she could react further, blood was already streaking down her legs. Kushimaru lightly pushed her from the back and she fell flat on the ground. Everyone stared at him in shock. He looked around him.

Kushimaru leaped forward.

The next few minutes were the most violent moment an eight year old Yagura could handle. Students were scrambling for their lives as others were blindly slashing at them. The star of the show was no other than Kushimaru and Jinpachi, who seemed to be having the time of their lives. Some students seemed to have been influenced by the duo, turning to their friends and muttered an apology before stabbing them in the throat. A short, easy death. Yagura could only stand there, frozen. Everything his sensei said came flooding back at him.

'You're the youngest of the group, and also the smallest size of all. You'll easily be the target for all the other bigger kids there, yeah? So be careful.'

And sure enough, his teacher was right. A group of students with long swords approached him. Without wasting a breath, one of them swung his sword at him. With the help of his instincts, Yagura dodged the first and met the second with his rusted blade. He staggered back from the impact – but not far enough to lose his balance. Yagura panicked. Without a bigger concern in the world, he striked his blade forward.

Tear. The shot sliced the fabric of the boy's shirt. It missed the flesh behind by merely a hair's breadth. His opponent shot him a deadly glare. The sight made him angry.

Swing. Swing. Swing. The first two missed its mark on the nimble Yagura, but the third found flesh on the left side of his face. For the first time in his life, Yagura felt the stinging and burning sensation on his cheek. He felt as if someone was trying to cut open his face but didn't finish. Someone was out of their mind, and that person drew blood out of Yagura.

Swiftly, Yagura continued to block all of his opponent's attack while his gangmates cheered him on. He could feel his opponent's weight releasing on him. As seconds passed, every one of Yagura's clumsy blows and blocks got heavier and harder. Not taking weapon wielding seriously was surely a huge disadvantage for him now. His opponent managed to leave cuts and slashes on Yagura, whilst he landed none. He was getting frustrated. He was getting furious. He was getting scared.

Slash. Slash. Slash. The weight of the sword sent his blade back, back…and knocked his blade off his hands. The sense of vulnerability tackled him in an instant. Finally, he locked eye contact with his opponent for the first time.

It was Gozu.

Yagura scrambled to the floor to retrieve his blade but the pain on the left side of his face held him back. He didn't have the luxury to think why Gozu would want to kill him, even if for the purpose of passing the test. Sure, Gozu's words can be condescending, but he was a friend who also cared for Yagura. He gave up his lunches for Yagura several times and had taught him the basics of holding a dagger. He was a friend, and this was not what friends do.

"Why would you do this?" Yagura's trembling voice whispered barely above a whisper as Gozu pointed the end of his sword at him.

"I want to pass. I don't have a choice."

"Then why me?" Yagura cried desperately as the tip drew closer to his chest.

"You're the easiest to kill."

Blood splattered. Both Yagura and Gozu cried in pain, except that Yagura had expected it. Gozu's blade had stabbed through Yagura's left shoulder, and Yagura held something to his throat that caused Gozu to fall and bleed profusely. Gozu's fingers twitched before going pale. Yagura stared. He lifted up his right hand in front of him to see. His friend's blood covered most of his skin – and the dagger he just got at a wooden balustrade from his teacher.

What he did suddenly became normal to him.

A thunder of footsteps approached him from the back. A boy with spectacles, two sizes bigger than Yagura began charging at him. Slice. The boy stared wide at shock before realizing he got slashed. He, too, collapsed. Yagura held back the cries that he was supposed to release when he pulled out the sword from his shoulder to slash him. He wiped his finger on his shoulder and looked. Just the colour red was seen.

More students started charging towards him with the mentality that he would be an easy target. Half of their swings managed to hurt Yagura, but he stood with the pain. He gripped his dagger in fear and rage, dodging and receiving cuts and slashes as he thinks of another way to wake up from this nightmare.

Then it struck him.

Yagura familiarly performed a few hand seals , and the next few seconds were peaceful.

The whole row of students who were slashing at him fell to the ground. Severe slash marks decorated their bodies. Yagura knew he was supposed to feel shock at himself, but he felt relief instead. Soon, he assured himself, this nightmare would be over. As his vision began to blur, he looked around him. Red covered the ground everywhere. Puddles of blood stained bodies of children. What seemed to be hundreds of students at first was instantly reduced to just thirty. Just when a violent figure was about to slash another on his right, several jounin appeared and held him back. Someone spoke through a megaphone, announcing that the exam is now over. Yagura spotted several figures fall to the ground, and some even crying over their friend's bodies, screaming apologies. White spots started to appear in his vision. He took one last look at all the survivors' expressions before blacking out. They were thinking of the same thing. No matter the cuts, bruises and slashes they've endured, it wasn't what hurts the most.

What hurts the most, was being so close.