Naruto: A Fanfiction
I ran as fast as I could, my bag and sword bumping against my back as I fled for my life. I heard the men chasing after me, cursing and threatening. My expensive kimono dress was being torn to shreds by the brambles and tree branches, and my feet blistered in my high heeled boots. But I continued to run. I could not be captured. The consequences would be too severe. One of the men caught up to me, grabbing my knee-length red hair. I panicked and unsheathed my sword, swiping at my hair and cutting some off, along with some of the man's fingers. He screamed and I ran on, my hair now jaggedly cut and reaching the middle of my back. My feet pounded on the earth to the rhythm of my heart as I continued to flee. They were catching up. I began to run so fast it almost felt like I was flying. My heart threatened to burst out of my chest with fear. Then I heard one of the men yell, "Ninpou: Kenbo no Jutsu!" and I felt a searing pain in my lower back. I howled in agony. As I ran, my vision went red. I felt fury. I turned to fight. When I walked away, all I saw was blood. I walked on for what seemed like days, until my legs could no longer carry me. I could not think of anything but pain. I saw a large oak tree through the haze of pain, and I sat against it, sliding down until I fell to the side, unconscious.
I woke up to someone repeatedly jabbing me in the ribs with the toe of their foot. My eyes opened slowly to a haze of green. My head was pounding. "Hey, are you alright?" someone asked, and I moved my head to the side. Three people stood with masks and assorted weapons strapped on them. They also had on some kind of ninja gear that was vaguely familiar. All the same, I was terrified. My hand slowly reached behind my back for my sword. Right as I lunged at the men, someone hit my neck from behind. Then, one of the men in front of me kicked me on the side of the head. I dropped to the grass, unconscious again.
I was jolted awake again as I was roughly thrown to the ground. "Get up," a man commanded, yanking me upright by my hair. Delirious with pain, I plopped back on my butt, looking around. My hands were tied behind me, the rope bound so tightly I could feel trickles of blood running down my wrists. There were three masked men behind me, weapons ready.
I looked up fearfully at an old man who stood before me in a white and red robe, smoking a pipe. There was also a silver haired man next to him in ninja gear, wearing a mask that covered the lower part of his face and a headband that covered one eye. Clearing my dry, scratchy throat, I asked, "Who are you people? Why am I here?" The old man chuckled. "Why, we should be asking you that question. But I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of this village. You are in Konohagakure, the Leaf Village. What is your name?" The word Konohagakure was vaguely familiar for some reason. But when I tried to think, my head only pounded harder. It was the same when I tried to remember my name. "I… I don't remember… I don't remember anything…" Sarutobi puffed his pipe and lifted an eyebrow dubiously. "Really?.. Well, can you remember why you woke up in the woods, bloody and disheveled?" I shook my head slowly. It hurt so much.
"We should let Ibiki look at her," one of the men chuckled, kicking me in my side. "Maybe a little pain will help her remember." Sarutobi glared at the man. "Get out of here. And stop mistreating her at once." The men said "Yes, sir!" in unison before disappearing in a puff of smoke. I sat on the floor, still looking up at the Hokage and the other man fearfully. The masked man stepped forward. "You don't need to be so fearful of us," he said casually, smiling under his mask. "My name is Hatake, Kakashi. " I nodded, and looked back to the Hokage. "Can you please let me go?" I am not a threat to you. I don't want to be here." The old man exhaled some smoke before looking me over again. "You may leave whenever you please. However, I insist that you remain at our hospital for a day or two. You don't look so well." I was about to protest, but then a sharp pain in my back made me wince. "Fine. Untie me, please." Kakashi took out a kunai and walked behind me, slicing my ropes in one swipe. Sarutobi noticed me wrapping a hand around one bloody wrist to try to stop the throbbing, and frowned. "I will talk to those ANBU men. They had no right to treat a lady that way." I smiled weakly in thanks.
Kakashi gently placed his hand under my arm to try to help me up. I flinched, but since I was too weak to walk by myself, I let him assist me. For some reason, his touch made my skin crawl. He made a quick hand sign, and we were in front of the hospital. He helped me limp inside, where we found Sarutobi waiting with my bag, sword, and a doctor to look me over. "Hello, I am Shizune," the doctor greeted me, waving slightly with her slender hand. I nodded in acknowledgement. My vision was blurring. Damn, my head hurt. Shizune led us to a hospital room and had the men wait outside while she examined me. "Now.. what is your name, dear?" "I don't remember," I said flatly. Shizune blinked. "Well… alright. Will you please remove your clothing? I want to make sure you're not injured." I stumbled to the bed, staining the white sheets with my bloody hands, and slowly peeled off my torn dress. As I bent down to try to remove my boots, I felt a strong burning sensation in my back. I suddenly cried out in agony, falling to my knees. Everything was blurring. The last thing I heard was Shizune's worried voice and someone bursting in the room. The pain was fading, and I mercifully slipped into darkness.
Kakashi's mouth went dry as he stared at the girl's half naked body. He and Shizune had put her on the bed, and Sarutobi removed her boots. The sight of her feet made them all gasp. Her small, slender feet were blistered, bloody, and raw, as if she'd walked for days without stopping. Her striking red hair was matted, dirty, and jaggedly cut. There was a slight bruise on one side of her face. Her body was coated with dry blood, and bruises and cuts littered her legs and arms. What was truly peculiar, however, was her back. As she was screaming in agony, Shizune had glimpsed something red glowing on her back. When they all looked, they saw an intricate dragon tattoo that took up the right side of her back. Underneath it was a seal. "What does this mean?..." Shizune asked, her eyes glued to the girl. "Who is she?" Sarutobi squinted at the seal on the girl's back. "This is a seal that causes amnesia. No wonder she cannot remember anything." "Can we break the seal?" Kakashi asked, still studying the girl. She was quite beautiful. Why was she in this condition? Sarutobi shook his head. "This seal can only be broken by her. And she might not be strong enough to." Shizune glared at the seal on the girl's back. "This is … who would do this? Why?" Kakashi closed his eyes briefly in disgust. "Someone wanted to make sure she couldn't access her memories. I'm very curious about this girl.. did you notice how jumpy she was? She looks like she had been fighting for her life."