The sun had set hours ago, and the Konoha 11 now sat around a campfire in silence. Even the ones who were usually filled with energy were now quietly sitting on the ground with hands in their laps and eyes on the fire, but minds on the past.

It was yesterday they received orders from the Hokage of their next mission. At dawn, they were to head out to retrieve scrolls stolen by missing nin. It seemed like an easy mission, however, it would have been easier if these ninja had a village to return to. Then, the group would simply go to that village to get their scrolls back. But the ones who'd taken the scrolls could be anywhere. It was unclear of how many enemies there were and what they were capable of. That's why the large group was required to go. The variety of skills and abilities, not to mention the comradeship that could lead to mission success, was important in every aspect.

Just as requested, they all met at the gates and left at dawn. Neji and Shikamaru were to lead this mission, as they'd both been deemed geniuses. With a larger group, they could split up into two smaller groups with a leader calling the shots for each. They ran all day surveying the ground and routes that could have been taken by the enemy.

By noon, they found a place to grab a bite to eat right by a waterfall that turned into a river at the bottom. The group ate outside and, of course, a few of the boys jumped into the river and began playing chicken; Naruto on Choji's shoulders against Lee on Kiba's shoulders. Soon, everyone else wanted to join them in the water. Naruto summoned a few toads and asked them to bring back a couple of large lily pads for everyone to relax on and jump from, just to, as Lee said, enjoy their youth.

And so went their various activities. The girls huddled on one lily pad and cheered on the boys playing chicken. Shikamaru laid down on his watched the clouds roll by. With his legs folded, Neji meditated on his. When he was done, he moved his lily pad nearer to Shikamaru's to discuss their strategy. Shino stocked up on bugs because, lucky for him, he managed to find the exact kind he wanted. Even Akamaru was dog paddling and jumping from lily pad to lily pad.

It didn't last long. There was still the mission at hand. But for the Konoha 11, being able to forget ninja duties, even for only half an hour, was worth it to just be regular teenagers. The ninja world was big and full of things that can never be unseen, but little moments like that, where they all came together, played a big roll in helping them recover and remember that the world wasn't entirely full of evil.

By sundown, things took a drastic change. Without knowing it, they encountered the enemy and were placed in a genjutsu. When the genjutsu was first cast, it was the exact same as the forrest and the trees they were jumping from, completely unnoticeable. It was Sakura who first noticed it because even though everything looked the same, nothing felt the same. She informed the group and stopped their running. They were told to proceed with caution and slowed down their running pace when they resumed action. Suddenly, the forrest stopped and in front of them was a large, open, grassy area. They all stood on a large tree branch and looked down to see something they all hoped to never encounter again.

It was each of them, all at various ages, coming to the end of a battle with the first person they killed. Not only could they see their own, but they could see everyone else's first kill as well. Once each opponent was dead, the genjutsu was gone, and so was the enemy.

Part of being a ninja is knowing that killing is involved. It was one of the those things they learned in the academy, but no one wanted to pay attention to. But no matter who you are, your first kill will always be with you, it will always be a part of you. Although it may not define you, it's hard to forget.

None of the 11 were ready to face that again. A few of the boys were enraged at what they were forced to see, as well as the pain the ones they were close to felt as well. They were ready to head out and kill, no longer only to regain their scrolls. The girls were still paralyzed with fear, in no shape to fight. Noses in the air, Kiba and Akamaru couldn't catch even the tiniest scent of another presence. Shikamaru concluded it must have been a trap set up much earlier for anyone who stumbled upon the area. Unfortunately, they were the ones to find it. Neji ordered they find a place to rest for the night and continue their search in the morning. No one objected.

So now, here they were. All sitting quietly around the campfire, thinking back to their first kill. They tried to focus and pay attention to their surroundings in case of enemy attack, but between Ino's silent sobs and an occasional sniffle from Lee, it was incredibly hard.

Kiba broke the silence. He stood up and said, "Okay...I know what we all saw back there. But we can't let it get to us like this. I mean, c'mon, how did we all get over our first, first, you know..." he trailed off.

"We all may have been able to get past it, but there's a difference between thinking back to it and seeing it again in front of you," Shino replied.

"Not to mention we didn't see it through our own eyes like the first time," Tenten continued. "We saw ourselves, our bodies and our opponents at the same time."

"It was a whole new perspective, watching ourselves..." Choji chimed in.

Naruto finally spoke up, "And I saw you, and you, and you," he pointed to everyone in their cirlce, "k-k-k- you know what I mean. I saw all of you do it and you all saw me do it. And we all saw each other's experience."

"We've seen each other kill before," Shikamaru said, all cringing at the K-word. "But we all did it for different reasons at different ages. We're ninja, after all. I don't see you guys any different after that."

"Looks like it's story time," Naruto said. "Who's first?"

They all looked around the campfire, none wanting to go first, but knowing it would be their turn eventually.

"I'll go first," a voice said. Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and looked at Neji. He took in a deep breath and let it out, preparing to tell his tale. "I was 12..."

And with that, the stories began.