And HELLO! I am back with a new chapter all ready for you guys! By the way, in the middle of the chapter, I threw in a bunch of random names for the sake of making a squad, you'll see what I mean. But all of them, except for one, won't come back after this chapter, so you don't have to worry about more OC's invading. Anyways…

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

With that, let's move on with the story :D


Chapter 9: Breaking Dawn

"Woah."

"This is awful…I didn't expect to see this."

"None of us did."

An ANBU squad, clad in their black and silver uniform, stood at the gates-what used to be gates-of the fallen Hikunakure. Whatever reactions they had were hidden by their white and red masks as they gazed upon the aftermath of one night's chaos.

Dawn came, painting the somber sky with pinks and blues. The sun peeked over the east mountain range, slowly pouring golden light into the destroyed village. The rain from last night had put out the fires, leaving stacks of smoke lifting from blackened buildings.

The captain took a few steps into the village, looking left and right at broken windows and scattered kunai. He saw a valley ninja laying stomach-up on the ground. Bending down, he put his index finger and middle finger together and pressed them against the ninja's neck. No pulse.

He stood up, and breathed out a tired sigh. Straightening his back, he looked ahead of him, his eyes focusing on the empty air.

"Search for survivors. Be on the alert for enemy ninja."

His team responded with a quick "Yes, sir!" then poofed or dashed off their separate ways.

The captain clasped his hands together with his index fingers pointing up. He slowed his breathing, seeking for any signs of life in the area with his chakra.

Nothing.

The Hokage…this isn't going to be easy for him…


Shun hopped from tree to tree, scanning the ground below for anyone who might have survived. He thought he should search the area outside of the village, since the rest of his team was already inside. Smart? Effective? Oh yes, absolutely. But…then again…what if his efforts were wasted and he couldn't find anyone? Darn…

Wait, what was that?


It was well into the morning now, and the sun shined vainly on the desolate village. A breeze of wind blew by as the ANBU captain waited for the rest of his team by the village gates. He had no luck finding anyone. Everyone here was dead, and any townspeople that fled had probably found refuge in nearby villages.

The rest of his team came back with the same results. No survivors were found.

"Where's Shun?" one of the teammates asked.

"Captain!"

And there he was. Shun ran up to the gates, with something hanging limp in his arms.

"Captain! I found someone. Look."

It was a young girl, who couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve years old. Her hair was long and white, but it was tangled and caked in dried mud. A purple bump sat on her forehead. The rest of her body sported black and brown smudges, surrounded by tiny cuts of dried up blood.

The captain widened his eyes, but no one saw it behind his fox-face mask.

That must be…!

"Well done, Shun." He hesitated, then said, "The rest of you didn't find anyone, correct?"

They shook their heads.

"Alright, then. We're heading back home. There's a river nearby here. We'll stop there to take an early lunch, and Aida will treat to the girl's wounds. After that, we're going to split up. Shun, Aida, and Toguchi will return to the village. Toguchi, you'll be in charge, and you'll give our current report to the Hokage. Shun and Aida, take the girl to the hospital when you get home. Ronbun, Hachigo, and I will travel to the different villages around the area and ask if they know anything about what happened to the Hidden Valley. We should return one to two days after you. Understood?"

Everyone nodded once, and replied with a "Yes, Captain!"

They headed out.


Where am I?

Kagami found herself floating, suspended in space.

Am I…dead?

She saw a mirror hovering, slowly approaching her. When it faced her, she saw an all too familiar face staring back at her. His long black hair framed his pale face, and when he opened his mouth, those words shot through her again.

"This is All. Your.Fault."

"They died because of YOU!"

She shut her eyes, trying to push the malicious voice out of her head. But she couldn't stop from questioning herself.

Was it really my fault? Did I really kill them? Did they really die because of…me?

She wanted to cry, but when she opened her mouth, nothing would come out. Anger, frustration, pain, and sadness built up in her aching heart. Another mirror began to float towards her, but she refused to open her eyes until she heard the softness of the voice. It was her sensei. Her sensei who had betrayed her, her sensei who had saved her. She slowly opened her eyes, and found herself face to face with the man she knew as Yokotoro-sensei.

"Kagami…Don't ever…lose sight…of who…you are…"

Who am I?

She didn't know who she was without her family, without her home. She was the daughter of Lord Saiyon. She was the sister of Roji, Daisuke, Taoru, and Chiyo Watanabe. She was a ninja-a ninja in-training-of Hikunakure. But who is she now?

As she continued to drift in this unknown space, the reality of it all had smacked her across the face. Her family was gone, and her home, as she knew it, was gone. They were frozen in time, and they would be forever still in her memories.

Another mirror slowly flipped around and around a distance away from her. She saw herself, and her papa, in his office. It was sunset, and the light glowed on her papa's face as he smiled at her while petting her head with a gentle hand.

"Child, do not worry. Everything will be alright."

What she wouldn't give to feel his hand on her head again. She tried running towards the mirror, towards her Papa Saiyon, but no matter how fast she moved her legs, she didn't move anywhere. The mirror kept spinning, but now it spun away from her, and faded away.


"Oh?…She's moving! Lord Hokage!"

What?

Kagami cracked an eyelid open, but the brightness of the light made her shut it again. She tried once more, easing the light in little by little. When her eyes were fully open, she saw that she was in a hospital room. Nurses skittered around, with clipboards and vials of liquids. Kagami moved her eyes around, unable to turn her head because of the throbbing pain that boomed inside.

She saw an old man approach her. He wore red and white robes, and a red and white hat that was in the shape of a wide leaf. He had a kind face, worn out from years of living. His eyes were understanding, yet authoritative. A short and white beard stuck out from his chin, hinting that he was in his older age.

"Hello, Kagami. It's good to see that you're alright."

Kagami widened her eyes.

"How…how do you know my name?…Who are you?"

The old man's mouth curved up into a small, but friendly smile.

"My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. I was a friend of your father. I've known you since you were a baby."

Old people tended to say that a lot to her. "I've known you since you were a baby." But this man…this was the Hiruzen Sarutobi. Her father…her papa's best friend. The friend that wrote the letter she read. That letter.

"You need not worry about any danger. Right now, you are in the Hidden Leaf Village, Konohakure. You're safe here."

Kagami barely nodded, then a tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a trail of salty sorrow.

The Hokage furrowed his brows, his mouth tightening.

"I…I'm deeply sorry for what has happened to you. You've been through much suffering, too much suffering, and I understand that the pain…the pain is truly…"

More tears quietly trickled down her face. She didn't sob, she didn't wail.

The Hokage saw the pain in her eyes, but something else was happening.

Then he saw that something else. He saw her strength.

Kagami took a bandaged hand and wiped the tears from her face. She slowly got up into a sitting position, and stared at her palms.

"There must be a reason why…I'm the only one left. There must be a reason…why I'm still alive."

She balled her small hands into tiny fists, then turned to look at the Hokage. With a lump in her throat, she still managed to speak firmly.

"The man that brought chaos upon my family, upon my village…I hate him. I hate him with everything I've got. But I'm not going to take revenge…No, I won't, because if I destroy myself, then I…"

The faces of her family flickered in her mind. They were all smiling.

"Then I won't be able to live for them! I won't be able to do anything. My life would be a waste. So I'm going to rebuild my village. I'm going to bring back Hikunakure, and I'm going to protect all the people in it. If that man comes again, then I'm going to fight him. He's gonna have to come at me first…then I'll take him down."


PHOOO….so that was kinda cheesy…I'm sorry :[ Uhh…but yeah! There's the 9th chapter for ya ;) Hope you enjoyed.

BY THE WAY! Shun is pronounced "shoon" and not…"shun." I can tell you right now, there will be wordplay with his name. So until next time, ta-ta!