Being the middle child of 5, I found myself often ignored as a young girl. I was not the strongest; that was my eldest brother, Yoshio. I was not the smartest; that was my eldest sister, Natsumi. I was not the center of attention; that was reserved for the new born twins, Hana and Hiro. Lost to my day dreams and following the grains of sand drifting through the wind, I found I had wandered far past the walls around the village. I wasn't afraid. I loved the sand, and the voice that called to me for the first time. I was only 4 years old then.

There was a male voice on the wind and in sand that wrapped around me. He called to me, wanting to know my name and why I had wandered so far away from home. He wanted to know all about me. He was probably the only one. So, I went in search of him day after day as I rambled on meaninglessly about my silly life. To my disappointment I could never see him, but I could always hear him.

Then one day, he asked me to find him and help him. I considered him a friend, and he was really the only friend I knew. How could I say no? I searched for hours, day in and day out as I followed his voice and instructions.

When I finally found him, he was buried in the sand just below my feet. Never did I question how. I knew only that I had to help him. I began to dig, but it wasn't enough. I would never reach him this way. He told me to use my chakra and move the sand. At first I couldn't understand. It took several days of practice until I was finally able to move the sand. When I moved those first few grains, everything changed. It was the spark he needed to be free. The demon Shukaku.

Everything went black, and the next thing I heard was explosions. I remember cries of pain. I ran home. There were bodies of dead and injured in the streets. The buildings were broken or burning all around me. Out of the shadows, I was grabbed and taken to a dark place. I remember a lot of shouting and angry words being thrown around. The words seemed too hard to make out, but I remember seeing my father's face and watching in horror as he turned away from me.

Then there was only pain. When I opened my eyes again, I would never be able to close them to sleep again.