I was walking around in a very lively garden. I was in a kimono that reached to my bare ankles. My long raven hair was put up in a bun that had a hair or two out of place.

My name is Kashi Meifen. I am twelve and a half. I have no parents, but I do have guardians. They are Torikage Akuma of the Village Hidden within the Birds and his lover Kyotowara Yue.

I have admired him throughout my entire life. I am his assistant and his adoptive daughter. He raised me to be a strong fighter. He taught me all these things in life that I wouldn't be able to live without.

I walked over to the Sakura blossoms, except they were red instead of pink. Torikage-sama said they were his favorite flowers, Akasakura.

Our home has such a fluttery feeling to it. Torigakure is a very small and desolate place. We have very few shinobi and warriors, but we are the makers of weapons and new ideas. You could say we are Renaissance people. That is why Torikage was chosen to be the leader of this small village. We get help from our neighbors, Konohagakure and Sunagakure, when we need assistance.

Since Torikage is one of the few shinobi we have, he has taken in many students and apprentices. He is know through the land as "The Kind Devil". It always made me wonder why his name was Akuma, the devil.

"Meifen-sama!!!!" a voice shrieked, disturbing my thoughts.

It belonged to Taro Konichi, one of Torikage's many apprentices.

"What is it, Konichi-san?" I asked, wondering what had made her so frightened.

"Its terrible! Torikage-sama. Torikage-sama...is dead," she said shakily. She bawled her eyes out when she fell.

I waited seconds for the information to process into my cranium.

He's...Dead?

I repeated the words in my mind over and over again.

I dropped everything in my hands. "Torikage ...dead?" I said blankly, scared beyond belief. Konichi nodded gravely. I rushed over to his office as fast as I could.

Torikage cant be dead! I thought.
I ran through the building. My eyes were of pure shock. I ran up the stairs and in front of a door with a golden mask hanging on it.

My hands were trembling, scared to find out what was in there. I slowly opened the door and saw the dead corpse on the ground. A pool of blood surrounded him. I felt tears come to my eyes and fall down my cheeks. I walked slowly over to his corpse and knelt down next to him. I slowly put my hands to the face of my beloved father figure. His brown eyes were hollow, without the life that he lived on. His brown hair had the remains of blood.

"Torikage-sama!! Torikage-sama, are you there?" I asked, with little hope that he would awaken, saying that it was all a dream. My voice was croaking, with the urge to cry and sob on his chest kicking into me.

I started to shake him. No response. I collapsed onto him. I gave into my temptation. I sobbed on him. I let the tears fall for a very long time.

Then, a crow cawed loudly and I noticed something. A letter was on his desk. I got up, rubbing my red eyes that were leaking out watery liquid, and walked over to his desk. I opened the letter, my hands shaking and the tears falling onto the papyrus. I read it to myself:

Dear Meifen,

If you are reading this, I am already dead. This parchment is my will. I had a feeling that something like this would happen, so I wrote it, just in case.

It states that you will go to Konohagakure. There you will meet the Hokage Sarutobi. He will get you situated. I sent you because it is a place that will guarantee your safety.

My belongings are yours and the next Torikage will be Yue. I have to tell you something. Something I was sworn to keep secret.


So he knew he was going to die. But what is this he wanted to say to me?

I kept reading, hoping that an answer would come.


You are in Grave Danger


Danger? What danger? I asked myself, Did it kill Torikage-sama?

People are after your life. You have to be careful.

Did you ever think what happened to your parents, Meifen? They were kind people.

When you were young, your father and mother were killed in the Chinese Massacre. The people who killed them are the same people who are after my life.

Your family name Kashi is the name of the Royal Family at the time. Your clan has a power that could rank out a Kage's.

A power larger than a Kage's?!

Slowly, I was learning more about myself than I did before. It seemed like a whole new dream.

The Kashi no Genkai, Meifen, never use it.

I looked at the parchment of information, shocked beyond conviction. I was confused. I was so confused.

Announce the will to the whole village. The village needs to know the truth. Mail the parchment in the desk drawer to the Hokage in the neighboring village.

Goodbye, my adoptive daughter. Your parents were lucky that they had you. Tell Yue, I'm sorry.

Yondamie Torikage

I looked at the calligraphy in disbelief. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

I was speechless. I was someone I never dreamt of being. Why didn't he tell me before? Did he want to die?

I walked over to his dead body. I took off his necklace and put it around my neck.

"Meifen!" said a scared voice. The door flew open.

A turned to the door, tears falling onto the floor. At the door there was a woman with long livid hair. Her cobalt eyes lit up with fear. Her hands covered her mouth.

"Yue-san," I said, tears coming again.

She ran over to him, her hands shaking. She touched Akuma's face, one last time. Tears fell. I heard her lamenting, weeping for her love. I just sat there, hearing her sad noises.

"Akuma..." She said, smiling with a salty face, "You look so peaceful. Have you reached your peace?"

I hugged Yue, trying to calm her. I was starting to cry, wanting to be rocked to sleep.

The ANBU came and inspected his body. I just stood there with the letter in my hand and Yue and I, holding each other, waiting for the ANBU to clear out.