I'm going to just put my warning here, since I really don't want to have to deal with additional reviews with complaints.

This is not an AU, this happens in the canon-verse, so the events are going to take place as usual, but with twists and additions, and minimal, but still present divergences from canon. These divergences will grow, slowly. I'm not going to give away all of the details at once, because that would be boring and no fun at all. So if you're going to read, please be patient, and buckle yourselves in for the long haul, because this is not going to be a short story.

Also, flashbacks, there will be dream flashbacks, and a few conscious ones that relate to particular people, objects, or events.

Public Service Announcement is now over.

Please enjoy the story.


I was only five years old, sleeping peacefully in my bed when the attack happened. No one saw it coming, especially not after the war ended. There must have been a traitor somewhere in the Leaf, because somehow, they managed to slip past the impenetrable barrier, and without alerting the entire estate. But I have no idea who the traitor could be, seeing as our clan had influence spread widely throughout the village, and contained members of many other clans, through inheritance, or through marriage.

Someone outside of the clans must have had a deep grudge against us. One that they decided to act on.


What wakes me up that night is a burst of scarlet fire outside my window and a terrifying scream. I know that screams are bad, so I tumble out of bed, pull some clothes on, and race downstairs as quickly as my little legs can carry me. I don't know what's going on, but I know enough to realize that it isn't good. No one trains out in the open this late at night, and especially not so close to my bedroom window, let alone the clan leader's residence. We have training rooms underground if people want to train, as well as a huge space over by the lake. I know, I've been there before with Dad.

A mighty roar shakes the house, and on instinct, I drop to the floor and roll into a closet. That roar is one that I know well. It's Dad. That roar only happens when he's fighting as hard as he can. It means that he's desperate. But it also means that he's protecting us, all of us.

I tremble in a tiny ball, curled up in a corner as I hold my hands over my head, waiting for the roars to die down. It isn't safe to be around Dad when he's fighting like that, that's what my aunts and uncles all tell me. But with the roaring calmed, it should be safe to go outside. So I totter out of the closet and down the hallway, finding the main hall, as well as the door that leads outside. I stumble to the door, and tug on the handle that I can just barely reach. I tug over and over, until the door swings open. But I'm not the one who made it swing open.

I tumble backwards from the force of the door opening, and when I look up, I see the masked face of an intruder. I may be small, but that doesn't mean that I'm helpless. I jump to my feet and run past the intruder as quickly as I can, desperate to find Dad. If the intruder made it this far, then it means that Dad is in trouble, or he's hurt somewhere. Otherwise, he would never have let one of them slip past and get to me.

But when I make it out into the front courtyard, I see a horrific sight. I must have slept through most of the fighting, because in front of me, are bodies strewn all over the grass, both the bodies of intruders, as well as the members of the clan. Blood everywhere, seeping into the ground, turning the bright green grass a dark and dirty crimson. I may be a child, but that doesn't mean that I don't know what a battlefield is supposed to look like. I just never thought that I would see one on the grounds of my home.

I stop in my tracks when I see an all too familiar form lying in the grass, surrounded by a pool of blood. "Daddy!" I run towards him, tears leaking from my eyes and streaming down my cheeks. "Daddy, no!" I skid to a stop next to him and kneel down in the blood-soaked grass. But he isn't breathing, his eyes are just barely open, but glazed over. I touch his face, and it's cold against my tiny fingers.

"So, you're the dragon's little brat?" A terribly cruel-sounding voice materializes behind me, making me shiver and shake like a leaf in a storm.

I turn around, to see one of the masked intruders behind me. Rage overcomes my sadness and fear, and I get to my feet. "Who are you!? Why did you do this!? What did we ever do to you!?" More tears pour out of my eyes. "Go away! I hate you! I hate you all!"

He glares menacingly at me. "We are here to destroy the Palace of the Four Dragons."

His words ring in my ears. The Palace of the Four Dragons? What is he…? Then it occurs to me. "The Four Dragons' Palace…the Shiryugu Clan? Why? Why are you here to kill us!?"

"Shut up, brat!" He raises a short-sword and points it at my face. "Orders are orders. We are to carry out this mission at all costs, even if that means that all of us die bringing you abominations to an end. Now die!"

He slashes at me with his sword, his advantage being that he's much bigger and faster than me, and catches me in the stomach, ripping me open and spilling my blood all over the grass. I collapse to the ground, trying to hold in the blood coming from my stomach. But I'm dying, and he knows it. And instead of killing me in one blow, he leaves me there, bleeding to death. My vision starts to blur, and I feel cold. It's the end for me.


But before everything goes completely dark, I see a pair of red eyes above me, a lovely, fiery scarlet. "Lady Ciara…Lady Ciara! Wake up!"

I blink and my vision clears, but only a little as I start to feel warm again. "Uncle?"

He nods, clearly showing me the eyes that belong to my youngest aunt's husband. "Good, I thought I'd lost you as well." He looks at me, and uncovers the wound in my stomach. "A fatal wound…" He shakes his head. "No, not today. The main house will not disappear today." He turns to the sky, as it brightens suddenly, filling the sky with light and fire. "Please help me, she must survive."

A soft, whispering voice reaches me on the breeze. "Very well, but she will be marked for the rest of her life…" Gold, orange, and scarlet light pulses above my head, though not in a form that I recognize.

"I know." He looks back down at me, and chakra flows into his palms as he heals me a little, keeping me alive as long as he can. It gives him time to start weaving a complex series of seals. "Five Dragons Secret Art: Holy Dragon Seal!"

He places his hands on my stomach, and his touch burns. The light above me crackles and shines, and comes closer, growing brighter but smaller. It descends towards me, and I can see red, silver, gold, blue and brown markings extending over my skin. They turn white suddenly, and the ball of light falls into my stomach, burning as it enters my body.

I start writhing in pain, but my uncle holds me down. "It's alright, it's all going to be alright. You will survive this night. Be calm and rest now…" And the black markings inside his crimson eyes spin quickly, hypnotizing me. "Sleep…"

I don't want to, but a heavy warmth falls over me, forcing me into a deep sleep.