I know, another story, when I'm so silent on my other one. This one is gonna be a slow burner outta the gate I've just had this idea rattling around in my head and I can't focus on my other story till I get this thing out, Classes are still a major pain, a bigger pain than they've ever been…
Also, I'm just gonna let y'all know now, it's gonna start out dark, and progressively get better. Also the updates are gonna be slower than a herd of turtles going through chunky peanut butter. If you wanna stick around, awesome, if not, meh.
A figure shot through the trees, porcelain mask gleaming in the moonlight as the figure raced the edge of the forest, throwing themselves through the air they landed in the tall grass, orange es scanning the empty field as three figures dropped down with her, the glowing gold eyes of a pack of wolves lighting up around her as they fell in step behind the two humans.
"Captain…?"
"The target is thirty Kilometers ahead of us, Weasel." The dragon masked ANBU captain spoke, not glancing behind her at the other man, "We'll be upon them by morning, prepare yourself, we need to pick up the pace now."
"Understood."
Without warning the two shot off again, this time their movements were quicker, their frames no more than a flash of black, the wolves kept up with little difficulty, the four large creatures forming a box around the young ANBUs as they raced through the shadows.
Hang on, Kakashi. The Dragon masked captain mentally pleaded, glowing eyes narrowing behind her mask as they drew nearer to their targets.
~.~
It had been a peaceful night, the bright silver of a full moon casting the Mountain village in a cool light. Children had been tucked into bed just moments before it happened. Their parents still softly tinkering away with various small tasks as they relished in their limited freedom.
It was a small village, tucked away high in the mountains, the cliff face dropping steadily to the forest below, a small river slithering along the edge of the town. The heavy mist from the falls cast eerie shadows across the ground, the unnatural glow of the moonlight painting a beautiful ghostly image.
Slowly the shadows began to move, clawing their way through the mist until two glowing orange orbs appeared from the night, emotionless and passive as they locked on the village. A small child slowly crossed the river, footsteps silent and stead as they moved across the slick rocks spiking up from the river.
Slowly a man turned towards the girl, his eyes widening as he spotted the child, his black orbs shocked as he quickly rushed to the helpless child, pausing briefly he whispered comforting words, trying in vain to coax the young girl forward.
She was too young to be alone, too young to be so close to the rushing river. Slowly the girl's eyes rose to meet his, the ghoulish orange eyes glowed brightly in the moonlight. The man stumbled backwards, the girl's eyes were unnerving, on top of the molten color the girl's orbs lacked emotion. There was no fear, there was no confusion, they were dead. Corpses the man had seen before held more life and expression.
The man was ripped from his thoughts when the girl moved, her hand slowly pulling back to reveal a wicked kunai, the multipronged weapon was rusted, the wind picked up tossing her messy hair to the side, the faint glow of a seal catching his attention.
Stumbling back he tripped over a rock, hitting the ground painfully he quickly crawled backwards, wide fear filled eyes locked onto the creature before him, a demon masquerading as a girl, the inhuman eyes remained locked on him, dark shadows moving behind her in the mist.
In the blink of an eye the man found the demon in front of him, soulless eyes locked onto his as the knife was plunged into his throat, cutting his scream of warning off with a gargle, his vision began to darken, his eyes shifting form the demon's molten gaze, to the ghouls appearing behind her. The shadows were alive, a small cluster of humanoid monsters racing into the village behind him, numerous weapons drawn, gleaming dully in the moonlight.
The girl stood slowly, rising to her feet she watched as the ghouls moved, her eyes flickering down to the gargling man who was trying despite the wound to reach towards the village, tears welling in his eyes as the screams started to pierce the air. The heart wrenching cries of alarm and desperation cutting through the peaceful night, curved talons hooking into the man's heart as his life finally slipped through his shuttering fingers.
Molten eyes watched as the man's shaking stopped, his gargles dying away, the outstretched hand falling to the dirt, slowly the girl's gaze lifted form the man, locking onto the village—now fully awake—as her ghouls silenced the screams.
She should have felt guilty.
She should have felt disgust over the death.
It was grotesque.
It was senseless.
It was Wrong.
But still the small child couldn't force herself to feel anything as she watched the members of her small team kill the villagers. Men, women, and children they all lay dead in the streets. The blood on the packed dirt was sickening, the thick metallic smell twisting through the air with the wind as it dripped from the walls and fences of the small town.
Four hundred and ninety three people died that night. Cut down by a group of faceless ninja unmarked by a village or country, the killing began only minutes after the sun disappeared from the sky, ending hours later with a gargle as the last man fell to the ground, a long kunai embedded in his throat, protruding from the back of his neck.
She didn't know why so many people had to die, she couldn't force herself to feel curious, couldn't force herself to feel anything for the senseless death dealt to an innocent village. To any normal person such an act would be unforgivable, unthinkable. But to the Ninja of the Village Hidden in the Ashes it was just an order.
Impassive orange eyes shifted from the carnage in the streets, turning up to the pale moon that sat high in the star filled sky above. Inhaling deeply through her nose the child closed her eyes, basking quietly in the moonlight as her mind wondered from the mission, relishing in her limited freedom her eyes snapped open without warning, turning on a heel the girl began walking away from the village, her team falling instep behind her as they disappeared into the shadows of the mist, the village's blood had leaked into the river, turning the crystal liquid an inky red.
The next morning villagers from a neighboring town would see the crimson brown in the streams, rushing to their mountain allies to find the carnage, blood still soaking into the river, its waters still dyed red. It would come to be known as the night the mountains bled.
~.~
A scream pierced the afternoon air, echoing through the hallways with such raw emotions the hardened Shinobi were forced to stop, the heart wrenching sound forcing even the experienced ANBU to fight back their chills. The sound was so anguished, so filled with fear and pain that the adults quietly wondered what could have brought such a young being to the brink, what could have happened to the small girl to push her this far.
The girl in questioned curled in on herself, hot tears leaking down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead into the ground, another scream building in her throat as she clawed at her head, knotting her fingers in her head as the intense burning in her neck grew, outweighed only by the excruciating pain in her chest.
She felt like she was being torn in two, the devastation and sorrow twisting in her heart like a white hot shuriken, ripping and tearing so strongly she had to clutch her chest in order to make sure it wasn't physical.
"What's going on?!" A voice shouted, the figure was nearly floored by the heavy emotions in the room, the raw panic and fear forcing their muscles to tense, the anguish and sadness clinching the woman's throat closed, bright eyes burning as they landed on the crumpled figure of the child.
"Her emotions are overwhelming her! She wasn't ready for them all to be released!" a man shouted,
The woman rushed forward, her warm hands clutching at the broken girls shoulders, trying in vain to comfort the tormented girl.
~.~
The room was painted a morbid red. The crimson color splashing against the walls and ceiling, tripping form the high metal observation decks steadily, hitting the splintered concrete below in a steady rhythm, the dull drip being the only sound.
In the middle of the room sat a small girl, the red color splashed against her skin, soaking into her bones and matting her hair to her face, burgundy hair melting into blood coated skin as unseeing orange eyes remained locked on the ground, staring unnervingly back up at the girl form the puddle she knelled in.
A long rusted blade was held loosely in her hand, the deadly—multipronged weapon looked out of place with such a small wielder, the dangerous knife biting into the splintered floor next to the kneeling girl. Inhaling deeply the girl closed her eyes, her mind blank as she waited for her next order, a small group of adults stood along the railing above, each smirking down at the grotesque scene with varying levels of satisfaction.
"She's the best we've bred." One of them spoke up, breaking the silence as a sick smile pulled at his lips.
"It was only a few lowly Rock Ninja." One sneered,
"A fact that would be taken into account if she had received even one mark." Another argued,
The girl was undisturbed by the feeling of eyes on her, scrutinizing gazes searching every inch of her skin for a wound she knew they would not find.
"Six!" Orange eyes snapped open at the command, her grip tightening on the blade as muscles coiled beneath pale red painted skin, "On your feet!"
The girl's body responded without question to the bellowing voice, unseeing eyes remaining locked onto the stone, the faint splashing of footsteps not drawing her attention as the knife was ripped from her grasp,
"The perfect weapon. Carefully bred and trained to be the perfect tool." A woman stated, the slick tones echoing around the room, "If you want that man dead. She is the best option."
"When I paid your village for the assassination, I did not expect a seven year old child."
"Six is the perfect one for the mission." She stated smugly, "Six may be young, but she is trained. There is no other Ninja like her in this world. Even amongst her peers, none of the others have the skills you require."
"She is still a child."
"Our village is not like yours." An elderly man stated, "We've learned that the best way to breed weapons, is to make sure all they've known is fighting."
The client merely frowned, clearly still unimpressed by the village's methods.
"Think of it like this." The woman began, "When you're not using a weapon, you leave it on a shelf, or in a drawer, yes?" She waited for the man to nod confirmation before continuing. "The same is applied here. When Six isn't training, or isn't on missions, she stays in her room. No contact. No childish games."
"The only things they know are to follow orders, and kill. Their communication skills, are minimal. They've spent their life without mercy, so they will show none to their enemies. Rather than killing an animal, to desensitize them to death, they kill their parents. Not only to they lose those ties, but the genetics cannot be duplicated. They've seen their peers killed for showing any signs of emotion, or disloyalty, so they are hard wired to stay in line. Then, as a final touch, they're emotions are Sealed when they become Chūnin, so no one gets any ideas while on missions. The Seal keeps them locked on a solid mode, nothing comes before the mission."
The girl—Six—stood in front of the adults silently, her expression monotone and blank, empty eyes trained on the floor in front of her, she was being studied, measured. Her abilities were being weighed against those of other Ninja.
She hated it.
At least, she thought she did.
She hated being stared at like an animal in a cage. Hated performing tasks—vile, unforgivable tasks, for a village she did not respect.
They'd sealed her emotions, sealed her ability to disobey, but they'd failed to seal the mind behind her eyes. She'd found it difficult to force her body to perform different tasks, without emotions or a conscience to guide or fuel them, it was difficult to discern the difference between innocent and target.
"What's this?" The man questioned slowly, the feeling of warm hands on the side of the girl's neck snapping her out of her daze, though she made no outward movements of any kind.
Intricate symbols started on the girl's throat, near the right side of her collarbone, traveling up towards her face, running along the tendons and veins, a single line running along her cheek bone, resting under her eye.
"It's the Seal. The Perfect Shinobi operates without feelings, rather than simply training it out of our Ninja, like the other villages, we've developed a seal, to literally lock the emotions away. It also prevents them from roaming free; they keep only the most basic thought processes outside of war making."
Unfortunately for them, training a weapon as a leader, gave her a higher level of thinking, a mind that noticed and remembered everything. What the Village leader didn't know, was when you take a child such as Six, and force her to sit, without speaking or moving, she would watch. People, animals, Ninja, she'd memorize everything from appearance to personality to their gait and scent, what made her a perfect weapon, also made her a dangerous one.
~.~
"This is wrong, she's a child, and she shouldn't be interrogated like this." A soft voice mused quietly, "She's a victim."
The small group watched through the two way mirror as a small red haired girl sat across form the towering form of an ANBU interrogation officer, burly shoulders contained by grey plated armor, an intimidating aura leaking from his person as he stared down at the girl across from him.
"What's your name?" The ANBU questioned, breaking the silence. The girl's brows furrowed, mild confusion crossing her features as she frowned. "Your name," he tried again, forcing his voice to become softer, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.
The girl stared at her reflection, orange eyes swimming with confusion as she debated about the question, she knew she had to answer, she wanted to trust these people, they'd saved her, brought her out of that forest alive when they didn't need to, furrowing her brows once more she inhaled deeply, she would try her best to answer them.
"Six…" her voice was raspy from disuse, a tone suggesting it was more of a question than an answer, causing the man to growl lightly.
"Not your age. Your name. What do they call you?"
"Six."
"This is hopeless." He muttered, causing the girl's eyes to narrow.
How dare he assume she was mindless, she was struggling with this new situation, struggling to adapt to the new environment and the raging storm of emotion inside her, but she was not as stupid as he seemed to believe her to be.
"Six isn't my age you idiot." She croaked irritably, "That's what I'm expected to answer to."
"I guess a code name is a start." The Hokage sighed from behind the glass.
"It's not a code name." The girl turned to the two way mirror, molten gaze locked onto where she knew the old man was standing.
"A number is not a name." The Hawk masked ANBU tried to defend the Hokage, trying to ignore the fact the girl not only heard the man, but knew his exact location.
"We don't have names." The girl stated bluntly, shocking everyone in the room, "We have numbers. Names are pointless. They instill a false sense of familial emotions. Useless to tools of War."
"To think someone could do this…" A young woman frowned, "To a child!"
"There is an evil in this world… Beyond what we can imagine… this is just an example." The Hokage spoke, tired eyes watching as the girl was led from the room, old eyes aging considerably. The thought of a village producing children in such a way disturbed him well beyond his years. "She starts a new life now."
The room glanced over to the Hokage, his eyes glowing with determination as he spoke,
"Her origins will be above S-classified. All physical evidence, scrolls, reports, will be destroyed. As far as anyone is concerned, she was a victim Minato's team found. Any and all involved are sworn to secrecy, she is a refugee, her skills and seals will be kept away from the Elders, she is young and has already seen too much. We cannot allow them to pressure and bully her into war again." The old man frowned lightly, "We will need to find her a place to stay, where she can be looked after, she will need her emotions watched, they are still too new to her."
"She will stay with me." The woman spoke up, bringing the old man's gaze snapping to her, "Minato and I will look after her."
"You both know what that means?"
"Of course we do." Kushina spoke up, her mind going over the conversations she and her fiancé had over the past few weeks that the girl was hospitalized. "We have the skills necessary to assist her, as well as the knowledge of her background."
~.~
"I… I don't understand." The small girl mused, brows furrowed as wide open eyes took in the details of the village, her curiosity burning brightly, shifting her attention to the man a frown pulled at her lips, confusion lighting in her eyes, "I killed your client, I nearly killed your fiancé… Why are you allowing me to stay with you?"
"We're not going to kill you, if that's what you're thinking." The man joked lightly, warm blue eyes smiling down at the girl,
"Why?"
The man's heart clinched tightly in his chest as the girl stared up at him with such an innocent confusion, the act of mercy the Hokage bestowed on the child was completely lost to her, she could not understand why they chose to allow her to live. A girl no older than seven was expecting to be murdered. The thought made the man's stomach churn uneasily, the world of the Shinobi was never easy, he knew that, his own village turned children into soldiers but he would never expect such a young girl to be so jaded.
"You also tried to save her." He commented, referring to the girl's act that gave Kohana's loudest Jōnin the chance to escape.
"That was only because she weren't our target." The girl deadpanned, still confused by the man's words.
"This will be your room." Minato redirected the conversation, opening a sliding door to a small, simple room, the girl was shocked she didn't notice they had already arrived, stepping through the threshold into the man's home. Orange eyes scanned the room, a plain blue bed was pushed against a wall, near the foot of the bed sat a small desk, numerous scrolls and papers spread messily across it, the other wall was lined with bookshelves, numerous other scrolls and books taking up every possible space, "It's not much, but-."
The blond trailed off as his gaze fell to the girl, her wide open eyes staring in wonder at the small room, to his own eyes it was small and humble, not something nearly as remarkable or exciting as the rooms of the other children in the village, as the only spare room in his and Kushina's small apartment it was used as an office and a storage room, up until four hours ago they would have been unable to see the floor through the papers and ink brushes. Despite all that the girl looked at it as though he had given her keys to the village.
"It's more than I expected, Minato-sama."
"It's nothing really, you can decorate it more tomorrow, once we get you settled in."
"It's already more than I've had."
"What do-?"
"Minato!" A voice screamed to life, drawing the pair's attention to the flaming red haired woman who stormed out of the small kitchen, "Minato where the hell have you been?! Do you know wha-." Spotting the child the woman stopped, calm eyes locking on to her small frame.
Orange eyes clashed with green, the girl was short, clearly underfed when she was younger, shorts that were too big were held to her hips by a belt, an oversized shirt slung off one side of her shoulder, revealing bandages that wrapped over her shoulder and neck. Choppy hair fell past her shoulders, the color not unlike Kushina's own, though it was multiple shades darker.
"Minato…"
"I do not have one, Leaf-Nin-Sama." The girl's voice broke the silence, causing both adults to shoot their gazes to her. "If I may be dismissed, I wish to retire."
"A-ah, of course you may," Minato stuttered out, Kushina watched as the girl walked into the old office, slowly shutting the door behind her with a bow.
"…As far as everyone knows, she's an Orphan from the Tea Country." Minato explained,
"She can't spend the rest of her life as Six." Kushina mused, letting out a groan as she fell back against her fiancé, her lips puffing out in agitation, her arms folded across her chest. "She needs a name, a Real name."
"Why don't you pick one out for her?" Minato questioned, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Aiashi." She mused after a short pause.
~.~
"Aiashi?" Six drawled, brows furrowing as she tested the name the next day.
Kushina had taken the girl, the intention of purchasing the small girl clothes that would fit properly and the supplies necessary for the girl to attend the academy in the following weeks. It was a warm summer afternoon, the village was bustling with activity, and the small crimson haired girl remained close to Kushina's side, eyes staring at the people as they passed. Given the situation the elder Kunoichi would have found the child's awkwardness amusing.
"You don't like it…" Kushina frowned slightly, her brows furrowing
"No." Six shook her head, turning her orange eyes up toward the girl "It's not that… I've just always been Six… It's… Strange. Having my own name. There were three other Six's within the village…"
"Well. I don't think there is another Aiashi in this one." Kushina mused, a small smile pulling at her lips as she watched the girl limp down the path.
"What are we doing?" Aiashi questioned a few moments later, orange eyes looking around the market place.
"We're going to get you some things." Kushina smiled, "You can't very well go around in those clothes, and we're going to put you in the academy, so we'll need to get you some weapons."
"But, Kushina-sam-chan." The girl noticed the glare and quickly corrected herself, pausing briefly with a frown. "I'm a Jōnin. I've been one for a few months now."
"It's more of a formality." Kushina explained, dragging the girl into a clothing store and immediately tossing multiple things into the girl's arms. "You'll go through the final Exam, and when you pass you'll further your training with a Jōnin."
"A-ah. W-why do I need so many?"
"I think they'd all look adorable, but you need to decide for yourself." Kushina grinned, "So take all of these, and go in there, try them on, let me see a couple and we'll pick you out some kick ass clothes!"
It took Aiashi and Kushina three hours to find clothes both girls could both agree on, with Kushina wanting the girl to wear something colorful while Aiashi wanted neutral colors that wouldn't be so flashy.
Aiashi tugged lightly on the orange scarf, pulling it up to hide the bandages at her throat, over her torso she wore a simple navy blue shirt, the sleeves falling past her fingers, over her legs she had simple black pants, and close toed ninja shoes. Glancing slowly around the village as the two moved along the pathway towards what the elder woman had excitedly explained was 'the best restaurant ever' to meet up with a waiting Minato.
~.~
Aiashi stared up at the large building warily, puffing out a sigh she frowned lightly. Her life had taken a rather abrupt change in the last month, fully recovered and in great control of her emotions Kushina and Minato decided it was time for the girl to start the Academy, having no doubts that the girl would be more than capable to catch up with the other students despite her late start.
She was not looking forward to the idea of having to associate with other children. She'd never been fond of them, she was a weapon, she shouldn't have to tolerate snot nosed brats. The sudden thought caused a frown to pull harshly at her lips, narrowed eyes glaring down at the dirt beneath her feet.
A weapon.
The frown deepened, Minato and Kushina had made it very clear the past few weeks that she shouldn't consider herself a weapon, that she wasn't a tool. That she was in fact—much to her dismay—a child, and they intended on making sure that she was able to live as one as long as she could. She appreciated the dedication they had expressed, the kindness they had shown her, but she did not think she had it in her to behave as a child should.
It scared her. Scared her more than she'd experienced in her life, interacting with other people, children, that had no idea of the world beyond the village walls, of the horrors of the life they were signing up for. What if she broke, allowed one of the creatures to escape, for even the briefest time, she could kill the entire class, the teacher as well.
Her frown deepened, eyes closing, she didn't want to risk hurting Minato and Kushina, they were so nice to her, something she was unaccustomed to. She didn't want them hurt, didn't want-.
"Hey," the voice snapped her from her thoughts, causing her to jump to the side, wide orange eyes locking onto a black haired boy. "Are you new?"
The girl studied him, he was taller than her, older if only by a year or two, and wore a simple navy shirt, a strange white fan on his back, orange goggles rested on his forehead, choppy black hair sticking out. Orange eyes locked on his curious coal, remembering the question the girl nodded, glancing over at the building.
"I'm Obito Uchiha!" He grinned, offering a hand, "I'm going to be the next Hokage!"
"I'm sure…"
"Hey! Just because I'm last of my class, doesn't mean I won't be Hokage!"
The girl blinked at him, shocked by his suddenly agitated outburst, wide confused eyes caused him to stare,
"I-I believe you… I didn't say you wouldn't."
"But you said-."
"I said I was sure.. You spoke with such a seriousness. I believe you can be Hokage, given enough time."
"Oh… So what's your name?"
"Si-… Aiashi."
"Aiashi, huh? We're gonna be great friends I can tell! Come on! I'll show you to your class!"
Aiashi sputtered lightly as she was dragged into the building by the over excited boy, wide orange eyes staring at him in shock, a small smile pulled at her lips at the thought of having her first friend, Minato and Kushina would be so proud. Not even in class and she had already managed to make a connection with someone her own age, she hadn't been sure it was possible for her, but she'd somehow managed it.
"Obito you're late!"
"Hey! I was helping an old lady-."
"Liar." Aiashi watched the exchange silently, calm eyes glancing between the teacher and the boy who had helped her, the boy in question was now standing in front of her, his cheeks puffed out and arms folded across his chest. "Go have a seat, we've already assigned the homework."
The man's gaze trailed to Aiashi, noticing her for the first time his eyes widened slightly,
"This is Aiashi! She's new, She's gonna be in our class, right sensei?!"
"A-ah. Yes." He confirmed, "Aiashi, why don't you introduce yourself to the class."
The girl had been studying the group, unswayed by their curious stares,
"My name is Aiashi, I just moved to this village recently."
Realizing the girl wasn't going to speak anymore the teacher quickly dismissed her, informing her to take a seat next to Obito, class passed by slowly for the girl, who had known all of the information prior to sitting down, she'd spent most of her time staring blankly at the clock, one hand propped up on the desk as she rested her chin in her other hand, the very essence of boredom leaking form her in waves.
She'd been asked to stay late, going over what she would need to do in order to catch up to the class that was already ahead of her in their age group, nodding quietly she left the classroom, a frown pulling at her lips as she spotted Obito's familiar black hair, the boy sat quietly on the long swing in the yard, his eyes down cast. Glancing around she noticed the other children had already disappeared, letting out a frown she slowly moved towards him,
"Obito-chan," she began, drawing the boy's attention from the dirt, "I'm sorry to bug you…" She rubbed the back of her neck, "I'm still new to the village, and my foster parents are out on missions," She bit her lip lightly, holding out a piece of paper, "Could you, would you be willing to tell me how to get here? I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention to where I was going when I came here this morning.
The boy grinned, excited that he had someone noticing him, seeking him out for help. Jumping up with more energy than necessary the boy grabbed her hand, laughing at the sputtering girl as she tried to understand his sudden mood change.
Neither one of them knew it yet, but that single moment would set their friendship in stone.
Time flew by quickly for the girl, days turned to weeks, weeks turning to months until she had graduated the Academy in a matter of weeks. Such a feat did not surprise her foster parents, who had become increasingly proud of the girl's growth emotionally more than her skills in school. With the help of Obito—who was invited over numerous times—the girl was beginning to behave a little more like a child her age, though her maturity was still hundreds of years ahead that of her peers she no longer struggled with the simple things of interacting with another human being., no longer struggling to adapt to the life within the village walls.
The boy had become increasingly interested in training with her once he'd learned of her graduation, the pair becoming closer and closer until they had realized that what Aiashi lacked in social skills Obito was more than capable of teaching her, and in turn the girl would help him with his training, trying her hardest to pull him out of the bottom bracket of his classes.
It's glossing over some stuff that will be circled around to in the later chapters, but here's the start of Ashes to Ashes.
I'm off to homework now, Whoohoo.