Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did the manga would be far more serious and logical than it is. And there would be more women.
This isn't my first fanfic in general, but my first story in English. If you find any mistakes, please leave a comment or write me a Message, I will immediately correct them. :)
This is a story about the happenings in Naruto from another point of view. This is the story of the world of the shinobi, about the harsh facts of life and the people the manga doesn't mention.
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Chapter 1: The last one
'Finally.'
Rinshi sighed and leaned back to look at the sky. It was midday. He started working at dawn. Already this mission was taking too long for his liking.
'I honestly hope that this was the only precaution they took because there's no way in hell that I will spend another six hours on breaking a seal...'
'I don't think they have. After all for them it takes some time to get around it, too.'
'You're probably right. But I don't get these people. Why did they stay here? All the other clans and families left for the villages, only they stayed in this godforsaken country.'
Benso only shrugged. 'I don't know and I don't care. They won't stay here any longer.'
There was a moment of silence between the two comrades.
'This is like a historical moment. The last shinobi family in Mizu no Kuni. We are causing the final extinction of a traditional way of living. Well, in this country at least.'
Benso snorted. 'They caused it themselves. It was bound to happen one day. Kirigakure doesn't like them, but they have other problems at the moment. And now they've got too confident. Working with the mafia was a bit too bold. Come on, the village doesn't pay us for sitting around.'
Rinshi reluctantly got up and followed the other Ninja to a huge rock formation they could hide in and watch the family from. 'Don't remind me of the pay. There are many things that suck about being a nuke-nin and the thing that sucks most is the lousy pay.' He continued to rant about their money problems and all the other disadvantages of leaving the village but shut up as they drew nearer to the old mansion.
The building was rather big and obviously used to house far more people. This were the remnants of a once great and proud clan. They were great in numbers and strength and too proud to join the other clans in Kirigakure. Now they were only about fifteen people, among them four children and two old women. That makes nine shinobi. They already killed seven of them outside their shielded property.
They spent a few hours watching the family. There was only one guard and he got distracted very fast. They obviously didn't expect anyone to break the seal. The hags were sitting on the porch and watching the smaller children play. The oldest brat was training on the other side of the house. They were waiting for the return of the others.
It was boring to watch them but interesting at the same time. The children were taught at home of course, the old hags sharing their wisdom with the youngest generation. Rinshi noticed that the youngest child was very... different. It was a small girl by the look of it, three maybe four years old. She didn't play with the others, just sat there and watched and the adults seemed to ignore her. He soon found out why. The child was intelligent, frighteningly so. She asked questions about everything she was supposed to do and if she got no satisfactory answer she refused to do them, she understood the taught material faster than her older cousins and even though weaker she used her advantages, her speed and small size, so well in a fight that she won anyway. The fighting was a thing to note as well, the kids weren't sparring. One of the older ones teased her about something and she reacted in a very aggressive manner. The hags let them fight, they only watched with very contradicting expressions on their faces. One looked somewhat proud and hopeful and the other had a look of masked horror on her withered features.
Rinshi only understood too well. This one was a real prodigy, as much of a gift as a curse. She could bring the glory of the family back and she could destroy them all. The fear was only natural. She may be strong and intelligent but at the same time she's already aggressive and questioning her elders. This kid meant trouble.
They waited until nightfall before they attacked. The fight didn't last long. They killed the guard, the oldest child, the hags and the patriarch of the clan. The younger children didn't even wake. Because none of them was very keen on going in there and murdering the children they set fire to the house and decided to stay and make sure no one gets out.
'Is this really necessary? I take it back, there's one thing about being a nuke-nin that sucks even more than the pay...'
Benso didn't need to answer. Rinshi knew the reasons just as well as everyone else. But he answered anyway. Maybe he needed to repeat the reasons to himself, reassurance that they didn't really have a choice. 'If we don't kill them they will grow up and seek revenge. Imagine waking up and finding your whole family dead. Better to get it over with now and spare us and them the trouble. We have enough enemies as it is.'
'Pity about the kid though. She was bound to become a great shinobi.'
Benso only nodded. She would have become powerful, probably one of the most powerful shinobi of this century.
'I mean... actually she's still pretty young and it's all about the education. She was doubting her family anyway. So if you know what to say you can raise such a child to become what you want her to be...'
Rinshi was only thinking aloud with no special intention behind his words but Benso was thinking about Zabuza and the kid he took in and started to train. One day the kid would fight with them and enhance their chances to win the civil war. He made a decision.
'Go and get her.'
Rinshi was just about to say some other nonsense but the order from his comrade shut him up.
'Go and get whom?'
'The girl.'
'But why?'
'Why? You just said that it's possible to raise her the way we want her to be and then use that talent that is about to go to waste in the fire while we talk.'
'Yeah, but I didn't mean it like we should raise her...'
'I know but I did. Now go and get her before she dies in there.'
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I know this is a bit short but I like reading short chapters and I definitely like writing them. So that won't change.
Rinshi and Benso, as well as the girl, are my own characters. I assure you I don't intend to create another Mary Sue and this is not going to be a love story.