Prologue: History

Long ago in the Hidden Leaf Village, there were two prominent clans. There was the Uchiha clan, who was known for their role in Konoha's law enforcement and doujutsu specialty called the Sharingan, and the Hyuga clan, known for their doujutsu called Byakugan. One of these clans was wiped out in what the villagers called the Uchiha Massacre. The Uchiha clan was murdered by the head of the clan's own son, leaving only himself and his younger brother alive, killing a total of fifty-seven.

Hidden in the shadow of these clans, there was another clan with a special ability. The Kurama clan was small, then made of only fifteen members. Every few generations a member was born with incredible talent for Genjutsu. Their illusions could actually produce tangible effects that occurred in reality. The Genjutsu was so powerful that it caused the brain to make anything that happened to the victim within the illusion physically real, allowing the clan member to potentially kill their opponents with Genjutsu. It was completely irresistible and the only way to save a victim was to knock them out cold.

However, the user could rarely control the full extent of their abilities. Their subconscious would often regulate that power to help them effectively use the Genjutsu, but it led to the creation of a second personality who eventually developed complete control of the ability. This new personality would then become blood-thirsty and, with time, the individual turned into a psychopathic monster, a danger to everyone around them.

Chapter One: A Lost Bet

Kisho Kurama was addicted to gambling. Every chance he got to place a bet, no matter how ridiculous the bet itself was, he would and inevitably lose. At first the residents of Konoha found this to be amusing but once they realized how reckless he was, they started to distance themselves from him. He was cousin to the mysterious Kurama clan, however, because of his addiction, they disowned him to prevent him from bringing embarrassment to the family name. Ashamed, he quietly left Konoha and became a wanderer until he reached the Hidden Rain Village in Rain Country. There he was able to restart his life, joining the local police force. He did well for the first year. He met and fell in love with a woman named Akina, who owned a floral shop. After four months of dating, he proposed to Akina and they were wed two months later. Kisho eventually told Akina about his past and amazingly she loved him just the same. Akina became pregnant and Kisho was overjoyed. He believed if he had a son, the child could restore his reputation and they could be accepted into the family. Even though Akina told him that it wasn't certain the baby was a boy, Kisho began to believe it was the case and even began to buy stuff intended for a boy.

One day as Kisho was coming home from work, he spotted an elderly lady. She was hunched over, wearing a brownish, slightly torn dress that hung from her skeletal frame. "Come here, young man." Her voice sounded like something was scraping on concrete as she beckoned him with a long bony finger. He stopped and looked around. She pointed at him. "Yes, you. Come here." He looked at her skin. It was very ghostly with brown age spots on the back of her hand. He stepped to her cautiously. "You seem like the type to place a good wager." She smiled. Her black eyes were dull and lifeless, and the smile on her face seemed to be forced.

"I don't like to gamble, ma'am." He shook his head and backed away from the table.

"Oh? Are you sure? This is one bet I'm sure you can't lose." Her smile was wicked, yet Kisho couldn't resist the urge to approach her table once more.

"What's the bet?" He asked anxiously."Oh, it's fairly simple." She reached under the table and pulled out a deck of cards, peeled off three of them, put those three on the table, and returned the rest back under her table. She turned the cards over for him to see. Each had an animal on it: a black crow, a brown weasel, and a white dog. Kisho was very familiar with this kind of bet.

"Which one do I have to find?" He asked looking at her.

"Actually, you pick for yourself. Then you try to find that card again." She explained pushing the cards towards him. He reached for the cards but abruptly stopped himself.

"What's the wager?" He looked at her as if she would suddenly attack him.

"How about your home?" Her voice now had a suspicious tone of malice to it.

"What?! Are you nuts? My wife will give birth soon. I can't bet our home!" Kisho turned preparing to walk away. Overhead, thunder boomed as clouds darkened the sky. The old woman reached out and caught his wrist in a death grip.

"But, if you win, you get what your home is worth." She tried to reason with him. Kisho looked down at her hand on his wrist and she reluctantly let go. "You can't possibly turn down this opportunity."

He thought about what Akina would say. He pictured her in the kitchen, her swollen belly making her waddle around like a penguin. He then looked at the woman who looked to be days from death and sighed. It was an opportunity of a lifetime... "How do I know that you will be true to your word? You can't possibly have the money on you now."

She tilted her head to the side and said, "That is true, I suppose. I work for an organization called the Boshoku. They will ensure that you get your money, or that we collect should you lose."

Kisho shook his head as light raindrops began to sprinkle the ground. "Well, let's hurry. I don't want to get caught in the rain."

The woman clapped and smiled broadly, revealing that she was missing several teeth. Kisho reached forward and pulled a card from the middle of the pile, the dog. He looked at it then put it back face down and watched her shuffle them around. Finally she looked back up at him expectantly. "Pull the one you think is your card."

Kisho said nothing as he stared at the card he was certain to be his. He reached forward and turned it over. His eyes widened with shock as he stared at the weasel. The old woman made a sound of disappointment as she picked up a card on her far right and revealed the dog. "It seems the weasel has fooled you as well."

"There's no way! I watched you with my own eyes." He whispered.

"It cannot be changed." She looked at him solemnly.

"What do you mean?" He sensed that she wasn't talking about the bet anymore.

"These cards were dealt to you for a reason, Kisho. The--"

"How do you know my name?" Kisho asked but she ignored him.

"--dog will soon come into your life. Heed my warning; treat it fairly or it will surely be the cause of your demise. In the dog's company will be the weasel. Don't be fooled by its appearance. It has been exploited and mistreated. Its blood will boil with vengeance and hatred, and if the dog is not careful, the weasel will make it hateful too. You must love the dog, Kisho. In the weasel is the crow. It is pure evil. It feeds on the weasel's pain, suffering, and hatred. It uses that pain to make the weasel do its bidding. Only the dog can save the weasel...You must love the dog, Kisho. Love her. For if you don't, not only do you put your own life in danger but everyone on this earth. Kisho...love her." The old woman's eyes were wide with fear and she had begun shaking. She grabbed his vest and stared into his eyes. "Please love her, Kisho. For all of our sakes."

"Ma'am!"

She blinked several times and her eyes returned to the dull, lifeless black they had been. "I'm sorry. A man from the Boshoku organization will be along to collect the deed to your house." She put the cards underneath the table and turned to leave. Kisho followed her, attempting to reason with her. There was a loud clap of thunder and lightning lit up the sky, causing Kisho to stop and look around. The streets were empty. He turned back to the woman but realized she was gone...

Kisho went home, his mind racing to find something to tell Akina. When he got in, she quickly wrapped a towel around him and asked where he had been. He explained the bet with the old woman and how he had lost. As expected, Akina threw a tantrum but in the end, she forgave him.

"I was beginning to get tired of the rain anyway. It's time for some sunshine, don't you think, Kisho? Can't we just move away?" Akina asked. Kisho thought about it. There was nowhere else he wanted to be. The Hidden Rain Village had allowed him to rebuild his life and reputation.

"We can't. We'll just have to find a way to talk them out of it. Or offer to pay them money instead. I can't just get up and leave everything behind again. This time will be different. I won't run away again, Akina." Kisho stood and left her there holding his towel.

- - - - - - - - - -

Months went by and Akina finally gave birth. Unfortunately, she had a baby girl. Kisho was so angry with this that he went to the nursery that he had made and destroyed it. Akina listened to his yells of frustration and held her baby girl close to her chest and kissed her forehead. "My darling angel, maybe you can heal your father's broken heart." The baby opened her eyes slightly and looked up at Akina. Akina chuckled and let her grab her fingertip. "You're an angel, Mitsukai."