Legendary
Prologue
A single petrified scream erupted in the night from the tallest building in the village. For a moment, it enveloped even the piercing sounds coming from the thunderstorm that was raging outside. But just for a moment. Flashes of lightning illuminated the sky, showing off the deep grey and purple clouds above. Roars of thunder quickly followed, and it sounded as though the sky itself were ripping apart. This was by far the worst storm the village had seen in years, the damage would no doubt be devastating.
"Tsunade dear, are you hurt? Why are you screaming?" Mito asked sternly as she walked over to the edge of her granddaughter's bed.
Mito stood over her young granddaughter, looking at her with a face that was too youthful to belong to someone her age. Her famous red locks were in two matching buns with not a single hair misplaced. Her words had traces of worry, but her face knew no such expression. Her unwavering composure could always calm Tsunade down.
"I had a bad dream... a really bad dream," Tsunade replied, still trying to catch her breath.
Mito stared at her, watching her closely. It was strange to see her granddaughter act this way. She had heard Tsunade scream many times, but mostly out of anger.
This storm must be getting to her, Mito thought to herself. She could see the sweat that covered Tsunade's face and neck, and her heartbeat was racing still. Mito sat down beside her and started rubbing the young girl's forehead while slightly smiling into her hazel eyes.
"What was the dream about? When you say them out loud, they always become less scary"
Tsunade was still shaking. "It was raining. Just like it is now... but more. So much more. It seemed it would never stop."
"Rain is nothing to scream about dear. You are safe-" Mito began before getting cut off abruptly.
"There was a voice, a voice I never heard before yelling at me, telling me to look down" Tsunade broke eye contact with Mito, choosing instead to stare at the disaster happening outside her window. The lightning had started up again.
"And then I looked down, that's when I saw the bodies. Just lying on the dirt in front of me. They were everywhere"
Mito's smile disappeared.
"I saw your body with them," Tsunade continued. "And not just you, mom, dad, even grandpa..."
Mito was at a loss of words. On any other night, she could say the right thing, and Tsunade would be back asleep, dreaming peacefully. But tonight was different. Nothing about tonight was normal. Nothing made sense, and this exchange only reinforced what Mito already knew. Something terrible was happening, somewhere. She was sure of it. So, Mito continued to sit there, silent. Her silence prompted Tsunade to keep going.
"There were bodies around that I didn't know as well. I walked through all of them, staring at each one. I could see the rain falling directly on their faces. It looked as though they were all... crying. Even though they were dead, I could tell they were sad."
"Why do you think they were sad?" was all Mito could muster, almost in a whisper. Every word Tsunade spoke terrified her more and more.
"Because I couldn't protect them."
Author's Notes: Hi all! Thank you for reading my first fanfic. This prologue takes place a couple of years before where I am going to start in Chapter 1, but I thought it was an important moment to capture. The Sannin have always been one of the most interesting parts of the Naruto-verse to me and I'm excited to explore the complex intricacies of their relationship and history. We know how their story ends but how it begins is just as messy. I hope you stay around for the long haul, as this story will get very heavy. Please Review if you want!