A Ninja's Sorrow
Chapter One: Great Losses
By Jeane Sierra
Cold rain droplets fell from the grey clouds in the gloomy sky. Chilly breezes blew through the swaying trees. Wet leaves slowly dropped to the ground from their branches. Sasuke was training in the woods during a drizzle.
His solemn, youthful face was wet with a mixture of sweat and rainwater. The brown hair on his head gracefully danced as he practiced. His movements flowed swiftly like living liquid, each turn of the hip and step of the foot was precise, certain and significant. Several of his shuriken gleamed shiny silver as the streamed on them.
It has been a year since the end of the Dunan Unification War. Kasumi, Mondo and Sasuke aided Riou, the leader of the Riou Army, during the war but the three ninjas decided to return to their peaceful, timid village of Rokkaku.
Sasuke was only thirteen years old when he joined the army. He always said that he was only ordered by Hanzo to help Riou out but in reality, he really likes the outdoors. Accompanied by Mondo, Sasuke had one of his major roles in the war, the retrieval of the great kobold general, Ridley.
Mondo is the one who is overly obsessed with his fitness and training. He especially loved the Dunan Castle Dojo, where he hung out often. He also used to train with Kasumi a lot.
Aside from the fact that he is a training freak, Mondo always has a strong sense of duty. He would protect any of his comrades at the risk of his own life.
Kasumi is the Vice-Chancellor of Rokkaku Hamlet and a good friend of President Lepant of the Toran Republic. She is a kind and compassionate ninja but equally strong and determined. Her fellow ninjas describe her as diplomatic. She always thought of force as a very desperate alternative for peace treaties. She would rather have peace conferences to end the war than command thousands of soldiers whose lives are dependant on her decisions.
Hanzo is the chief of Rokkaku Hamlet. He has been leading the Rokkaku ninjas since the Succession War and the devastation of the first Rokkaku Hamlet by Teo McDohl. He has experienced his share of grave times. He rebuilt the village back to its former secretive glory and allied with the powerful Toran Republic. Hanzo also adopted Fuma into the Rokkaku Clan.
Fuma is a lone ninja who had no relation to Rokkaku whatsoever but Hanzo adopted him into the clan anyway. He participated in the famous Gate Rune War. He also is useful in dangerous stealth and espionage missions. Fuma is very secretive but he seems to be slowly opening himself up.
Darkness fell over the forest. Sasuke jerked his head upward. He could not see clearly because of the foliage in the treetops blocking the sky but the sun was obviously setting already. It was still raining but Sasuke decided he would head back to the village.
He plucked several shurikens from the trees he used to practice targeting on. They still shined faint silver in the darkness while pieces of wood and soil were scattered on the small deadly blades.
As Sasuke turned to return home, a deafening explosion startled him. Sasuke focused his eyes on Rokkaku Hamlet and his serious expression grew into both tense and afraid.
The village was soaked with giant orange-red flames. Blood-curdling screams came from the little town. Clashing of weapons could clearly be heard from the distance.
"No..." Sasuke gasped fearfully. He hastily darted back to the village, quick as lightning.
The shy, young ninja reached Rokkaku with most of the hamlet on fire. Dead bodies of Rokkaku Ninjas and ninjas in black lay on red puddles of blood on the wet, muddy earth. Flames sprouted from and consumed walls, rooftops and trees. The remaining Rokkaku ninjas to be seen, Kasumi, Mondo and Fuma, were surrounded by ninjas dressed in a cold, spooky black. They were surrounded like three rabbits against a pack of wolves. Hanzo, the village chief, was nowhere to be seen.
Sasuke thought that he must protect his comrades. He ran at hyper speed, took a high jump and did a somersault in midair. While he seemed like flying, he drew three shurikens from both of his arm guards. Six of the tiny weapons glided through the air, three hit one enemy and the other three hit another. They dropped down to the earth, lifeless.
Everyone below looked up to see the ninja in blue land on the ground like a bird. Sasuke threw three more shurikens at the invaders' feet. They hit one ninja and forced him to fall to the ground along with the other two.
Sasuke then again dashed, took another jump and kicked hard onto the nearest ninja's face. He fell to the ground, along with the other guy whose skull just broke. Sasuke glared fiercely at the other ninjas.
Fuma, Mondo and Kasumi rearmed themselves with their last once of hope and went into their own fighting stances. Fuma charged into four ninjas and slashed mercilessly at them. Mondo used his brightly glowing Mayfly Rune to slash through the fragile bodies of six others while Kasumi brutally cut through five others with her Max Sakura claw. In a few, brief, crucial, critical seconds, the four Rokkaku ninjas barely defeated their opponents.
Sasuke started towards Hanzo's house. Kasumi, Fuma and Mondo quickly did the same. Kasumi slowly gained on him during the run.
"Thank you for saving us." she managed to say while the force of the wind blew her words away.
Sasuke didn't reply. He just sped up while running to leave the ignored ninja in pink lagging behind.
They arrived at Hanzo's house in no time. They were tired, wounded and drenched in rain. They opened the doors to the chief's training dojo to find a mysterious-looking man sheathing his sword and Hanzo standing motionless.
They were too late.
Fuma, Mondo, Sasuke and Kasumi watched in an unbearable horror as blood suddenly poured out from him from different sides of his body. He fell dead on a lake of his own red blood on the wooden floor of the room.
"He is out of the way." said the mysterious man in black. Then he disappeared in a puff of grey smoke.
Cold rain droplets fell from the grey clouds in the gloomy sky. Chilly breezes blew through the swaying trees. Wet leaves slowly dropped to the ground from their branches. Sasuke was training in the woods during a drizzle.
His solemn, youthful face was wet with a mixture of sweat and rainwater. The brown hair on his head gracefully danced as he practiced. His movements flowed swiftly like living liquid, each turn of the hip and step of the foot was precise, certain and significant. Several of his shuriken gleamed shiny silver as the streamed on them.
It has been a year since the end of the Dunan Unification War. Kasumi, Mondo and Sasuke aided Riou, the leader of the Riou Army, during the war but the three ninjas decided to return to their peaceful, timid village of Rokkaku.
Sasuke was only thirteen years old when he joined the army. He always said that he was only ordered by Hanzo to help Riou out but in reality, he really likes the outdoors. Accompanied by Mondo, Sasuke had one of his major roles in the war, the retrieval of the great kobold general, Ridley.
Mondo is the one who is overly obsessed with his fitness and training. He especially loved the Dunan Castle Dojo, where he hung out often. He also used to train with Kasumi a lot.
Aside from the fact that he is a training freak, Mondo always has a strong sense of duty. He would protect any of his comrades at the risk of his own life.
Kasumi is the Vice-Chancellor of Rokkaku Hamlet and a good friend of President Lepant of the Toran Republic. She is a kind and compassionate ninja but equally strong and determined. Her fellow ninjas describe her as diplomatic. She always thought of force as a very desperate alternative for peace treaties. She would rather have peace conferences to end the war than command thousands of soldiers whose lives are dependant on her decisions.
Hanzo is the chief of Rokkaku Hamlet. He has been leading the Rokkaku ninjas since the Succession War and the devastation of the first Rokkaku Hamlet by Teo McDohl. He has experienced his share of grave times. He rebuilt the village back to its former secretive glory and allied with the powerful Toran Republic. Hanzo also adopted Fuma into the Rokkaku Clan.
Fuma is a lone ninja who had no relation to Rokkaku whatsoever but Hanzo adopted him into the clan anyway. He participated in the famous Gate Rune War. He also is useful in dangerous stealth and espionage missions. Fuma is very secretive but he seems to be slowly opening himself up.
Darkness fell over the forest. Sasuke jerked his head upward. He could not see clearly because of the foliage in the treetops blocking the sky but the sun was obviously setting already. It was still raining but Sasuke decided he would head back to the village.
He plucked several shurikens from the trees he used to practice targeting on. They still shined faint silver in the darkness while pieces of wood and soil were scattered on the small deadly blades.
As Sasuke turned to return home, a deafening explosion startled him. Sasuke focused his eyes on Rokkaku Hamlet and his serious expression grew into both tense and afraid.
The village was soaked with giant orange-red flames. Blood-curdling screams came from the little town. Clashing of weapons could clearly be heard from the distance.
"No..." Sasuke gasped fearfully. He hastily darted back to the village, quick as lightning.
The shy, young ninja reached Rokkaku with most of the hamlet on fire. Dead bodies of Rokkaku Ninjas and ninjas in black lay on red puddles of blood on the wet, muddy earth. Flames sprouted from and consumed walls, rooftops and trees. The remaining Rokkaku ninjas to be seen, Kasumi, Mondo and Fuma, were surrounded by ninjas dressed in a cold, spooky black. They were surrounded like three rabbits against a pack of wolves. Hanzo, the village chief, was nowhere to be seen.
Sasuke thought that he must protect his comrades. He ran at hyper speed, took a high jump and did a somersault in midair. While he seemed like flying, he drew three shurikens from both of his arm guards. Six of the tiny weapons glided through the air, three hit one enemy and the other three hit another. They dropped down to the earth, lifeless.
Everyone below looked up to see the ninja in blue land on the ground like a bird. Sasuke threw three more shurikens at the invaders' feet. They hit one ninja and forced him to fall to the ground along with the other two.
Sasuke then again dashed, took another jump and kicked hard onto the nearest ninja's face. He fell to the ground, along with the other guy whose skull just broke. Sasuke glared fiercely at the other ninjas.
Fuma, Mondo and Kasumi rearmed themselves with their last once of hope and went into their own fighting stances. Fuma charged into four ninjas and slashed mercilessly at them. Mondo used his brightly glowing Mayfly Rune to slash through the fragile bodies of six others while Kasumi brutally cut through five others with her Max Sakura claw. In a few, brief, crucial, critical seconds, the four Rokkaku ninjas barely defeated their opponents.
Sasuke started towards Hanzo's house. Kasumi, Fuma and Mondo quickly did the same. Kasumi slowly gained on him during the run.
"Thank you for saving us." she managed to say while the force of the wind blew her words away.
Sasuke didn't reply. He just sped up while running to leave the ignored ninja in pink lagging behind.
They arrived at Hanzo's house in no time. They were tired, wounded and drenched in rain. They opened the doors to the chief's training dojo to find a mysterious-looking man sheathing his sword and Hanzo standing motionless.
They were too late.
Fuma, Mondo, Sasuke and Kasumi watched in an unbearable horror as blood suddenly poured out from him from different sides of his body. He fell dead on a lake of his own red blood on the wooden floor of the room.
"He is out of the way." said the mysterious man in black. Then he disappeared in a puff of grey smoke.