Atari's Story
A Thirst for Revenge
Ninja Legends #1
Prologue
A dreadful truth is discovered…
Swords clash…
Evil Reigns…
They say it came from the mountains. Where it came from did not matter, all that mattered was that it was there. The night was quiet in Honamochi, a village lost deep in the valley, surrounded by the lush green mountains of Japan, until news of it arrived to the Hokage. The Hokage was the fourth since the village existed, his great-grandfather, the first. This man was the wisest man in Honamochi, and undefeated champion in combat. He was a fierce and strict military leader that waged war wisely and cunningly. The news was abrupt, brought by two soldiers with blood splattered over their shinobi shozokus. One removed his hood, aware of the dishonor he was showing. While the hoodless one panted, the other stood straight and spoke, his voice shaking with fear:
"Master Hokage, a beast has torn down from the mountains! It has red scales and black, heartless eyes. Its scales are ruby red, and it scorched lookout tower number 24. It breaths fire and burns anything in its path. Its tail is long and it whips daggers. I believe it is a dragon, but never has a dragon been this strong to take out a whole lookout tower. Only the two of us survived. Everyone else is…"
He stopped, tears welling in his eyes. The Hokage lifted his hand for silence and instructed guards to take the two soldiers to the hospital quarters. He said:
"You have suffered much, my young ninja. I will take care of this beast. From your description it is indeed a dragon, one of much power. I know this is dreadful, but those ninja will be avenged. But before I go, I tell you…this mission will be my last."
His cloak whisked behind him as the Hokage exited the house. Anger bulging in his fists he muttered: "Those people…my people…have died at your hand…so you shall die in repentance for your reckless and evil deed. They will not have died in vain."
As he passed threw the village, he saw smoke rise from another lookout tower. The dragon was coming closer. He saw arrows fly from rooftops of other lookout towers that still stood. Screams of terror and cries of mourning and grief filled the air. As the Hokage neared the house of Garu and Haro Lachapta, he felt a strong presence within the house. He heard an unfamiliar scream and ran to the door. Their 18 year old son Yuchi answered the door. He bowed and allowed the Hokage inside. Haro had been pregnant with a son for 3 months, and now she was screaming in the kitchen. The Hokage looked inside to see her on her back on the floor, panting and screaming yelling:
"No, not now, not yet!"
The Hokage sent Yuchi to fetch what little doctors and healers they had left to come and help Haro. Although it was against his will, the Hokage forced himself to leave Haro screaming in pain, and continued toward the forest.
Many ninja flew between trees as the Hokage climbed to the top of the peninsula, where the beast stood. On his way, he past litters, piles, dumpsters full of dead bodies…of lost husbands and wives. Even some sons had lost their lives to this heartless beast. Anger boiled with each passing body. However, as he passed a dead woman, he heard a faint cry from a basket nearby. He pulled back the cloth and found a baby, and underneath the baby, was a folded shinobi shozoku with a sword labeled the "Sakabato". The Hokage guessed that it was probably his fathers. It was a boy, a boy that screamed as if he too, was upset with all the suffering. A note was attached, and was somewhat hard to read threw blood stains, and it looked as if it was written in a hurry:
Haro,
This baby boy was found just a few hours before this dragon appeared. I have gone to fight, and this boy has no parents. I feel you are the one to take care of him. I don't know if I'll return, but keep this boy safe and raise him with Yuchi. I will give a good report to your ancestors. Good-bye my beloved sister.
There was no signature. From what the Hokage knew, Haro had no sisters, but either way, he was dishonoring this newborn baby by keeping him from his rightful mother. As he lifted the basket carrying the baby, a chain dangled around his neck with a tag. The Hokage did not read it, but carried the boy up to the top of the peninsula with him.
Only two ninja were left to fight the dragon. Both fired shuriken rapidly, but no damage was done. The giant tail whip lashed at them and one barely managed to dodge the blow. One ninja fired a dagger at its eye, but missed. The dagger was chopped up by the dragon's sparkling molars and it smiled, as if taunting him. Unfortunately, the second ninja was struck fully on the neck. His body flailed around wildly as he was thrown helplessly down the peninsula to join in a pile of dead bodies. The lucky ninja stood shaking with fear at the dragon's colossal size. A quick snap and the dragon had the ninja by the hood. With taunting ease, the beast hurled the man toward the Hokage, and he landed on his back at his feet, his eyes showing only white, and his mouth wide with horror…there was no breathing or heartbeat. Furious with seeing death before his eyes, the Hokage was boiling and frustrated. The Hokage dashed toward the dragon, zigzagging like a slalom skier. He jumped with amazing height, landing on the dragon's head. He held two shuriken stars between his middle, index, and ring fingers. He hollered in frustration at the dragon:
"YOU EVIL BEAST OF A CREATION! YOU ARE A BURDEN TO THIS WORLD! YOU KILL INNNOCENT PEOPLE FOR YOUR OWN GAIN! YOU HAVE GAINED NOTHING, EXCEPT TO DELIGHT IN THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS! I CURSE YOU DRAGON! YOU WILL BE KNOWN AS THE LIVING DEMON FOR ALL OF TIME AND YOU SHALL BE IMPRISONED IN A STONE TALBET THE COLOR OF YOUR HEART. YOU SHALL BE HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD, AND WILL ONLY BE RELEASED WHEN SOMEONE HAS A HEART AS TERRIBLE AND EVIL AS YOUR OWN!
The shuriken glowed in his fingers, and the black metal turned a bright yellow. Using lightning-quick agility, the Hokage jabbed the stars into the dragon's heartless and dark eyes, one in each. He then back flipped off the beast's head leaving nothing but a trail of dust behind him. The beast's howling could have shook the whole peninsula to dust, however, it held up long enough for the Hokage to leap off the edge, the basket and baby tucked snugly under his arm. Pebbles and rocks tumbled down the hill like tumbleweeds. As he passed the woman in whom he had found the baby with, he tossed a small nugget of gold that had laid in his pocket at her. This was to wish her, whoever she was, that maybe she would rest in peace. His shoes slid across the rough dirt like he was snowboarding. Suddenly, the Hokage felt a jerk as his cloak ripped, and the cloth with his chakra symbol of peace was left in the bush. The howling from the dragon soon dissolved into a high wind that brought trees to their knees. The Hokage jumped to an existing lookout tower that had a clear view of the dragon, wobbling around with its eyes pinched shut. Suddenly, the wind swirled around the dragon, picking up a wall of dust and dirt as it went. Dark, ominous clouds hovered above watching carelessly. A sudden lightning bolt flashed across the sky, cutting it in two. Little bolts streamed off the original and surrounding the beast. Flashes lit up the sky and as quick as it had come, the winds calmed down and the trees could stand again. The dust and dirt settled down again, and instead of the giant beast that once stood, was a black tablet as large as a soccer goal. A carving of the dragon, angry with rage, was engraved on the front, with letters written in ancient rune that read:
The Living Demon:
A Heartless beast that devoured in the suffering of Honamochi.
All was still for a moment, but then the ground shook, and chucks of ground on the peninsula broke, covering the tablet before settling into the perfect position they had started in. All the bodies were covered too. The Hokage smiled proudly, but soon returned to the baby.
Carrying him proudly, the Hokage returned to the Lachapta home. Blood was splattered over the kitchen, but Haro was up and walking. She greeted him with rice cakes, but he politely refused. A bloody bundle lay next to the door. Haro explained that she had given birth, but the baby had died on its way out. He handed the basket to Haro and explained that this boy was a replacement for her dead son. Haro looked into the baby's eyes, and you could see that they needed to be together. The Hokage eyed the bundle sadly mourning for Haro's lose; and a black smoke was suddenly covering the whole house. The Hokage could not make out any shapes or outlines. As the smoke covered the room, he could make out Yuchi's sandals. He heard who he thought was Yuchi walk into the room, taking no caution as to the disability of sight. Squinting did nothing to help. A sudden pang burst threw his skull, and just like that…the Hokage's world went black forever.
After the smoke cleared, a note written on rice paper was found on the counter. Haro read it aloud.
Dear Mother,
I have dishonored our family greatly, and I apologize. If we meet again, I will explain thoroughly. But until I set things right, I will be gone from our table and household. Take care of the new boy, for he shall never dishonor you as greatly as I have.
Your Dishonoring Son,
Yuchi
Haro soon found the Hokage, dead and slumped against the wall, his eyes closed as if sleeping. However, his face was beyond pale, his lungs did not move, and his heart did not beat. The Hokage was buried along with the many tombs that encased bodies that were destroyed by the dragon. The one studying under the Hokage, Lord Sancha became the fifth Hokage.
Filled with mourning and grief, Haro soon told Garu about their new son after explaining about the Hokage's death, the dragon, Yuchi's leaving, and the original son's death. Garu and Haro Lachapta became official parents of the newborn boy. A large happiness filled their hearts. But deciding on a name was difficult. Haro finally noticed the tag. The letters imprinted on it spelled out Atari. Smiling warmly, Haro and Garu named the boy Atari, which meant the "wandering swordsmen". They felt he would do great and only wished that Yuchi could have seen his younger brother.
12 years have passed since the fourth Hokage defeated the Living Demon, but the people of Honamochi still remember him as the Greatest Hokage.
