AN: Hello this is Hajimari-to-Owari presenting my first work. I hope you enjoy it and please review if you can, it is all I ask in return!!
The first arc has been mostly outlined and being written. But if you have suggestions, please give them along with a proper explanation that may relate to the plot, thanks.
First Last Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or My Hero Academy, they belong to their original creators, along with any references. It is all done for entertainment.
Enjoy~
Hajimari-to-Owari~
Gone.
Destroyed.
Everything Natsumi ever knew seemed to be ravaged, pillaged, and plundered in the dead of night. Fires blazed across the once peaceful village she once knew. Buildings stood in waste, damaged.
Bodies laid across the streets, civilians and soldiers alike, she could still hear the echoes of the shinobi fighting in the distance.
There had been no warning; it all happened too fast for her to remember everything properly. She had been making her way towards her home, something she had just received two years ago, when the village's alarms blared to life.
Everyone went into a panic, ignoring the calls of the shinobi, and things went dark from there. When she regained her senses, she wished it was all a dream.
Death greeted her wherever she went as she moved through the warzone, but she kept running. Despite the obstacles, she had to find the old-man-Hiruzen and Tsunade.
'They should be able to fix this,' she was sure of it! 'They were always there! Surely they'll be here now! Right?' So why was everything burning?
The heat of the flames burned at her skin, smoke filled her lungs, and her muscles protested at every step. The nine-year-old had been at this for half an hour and was running only in adrenalin.
'This isn't right!! The village should be happy, normal, not this hell.'
Thump.
Blinded by her thoughts, she collided with something, causing her to fall on her bum with a small yelp. She coughed as the smoke rasped her sore throat and prickled at her aching lungs. She brought a hand to her mouth to clear her throat while she lifted her head.
Above her stood a bloodied middle-aged man, someone she knew. The humble old geezer always shared bread with everyone in the orphanage, except for her. He had always shown his hostility towards her, sometimes physically.
His baker's clothing, which used to smell like cream-like flour, had a foul odor, along with hints of blood. Eyes that used to shine with warmth at the village now trembled with madness, seemingly searching for something.
His posture was limp, his feet staggering in every step. He seemed ready to collapse with any small push of the wind.
It took a second for the man to realize that she had run into him, something she wished he hadn't.
His eyes that once shook in madness morphed into confusion before hate and venom settled in. Something told her she should have left at that moment.
"Y-you..." he snarled out slowly.
"P-please, I-i did-dn't mean to..," her pale voice whimpered as she scrambled back. The tone of his voice was rough, filled with so much hate she could almost see it. It was all too similar to that day, the day she saw humanity's true side; her darkest hours.
Cold and frightful memories began to rise from the depths of her mind, where she had once thought them to be gone. Their laughter, contempt, and unrequited resentment rose mockingly in her mind, as well as the phantom pain.
Her old scars of that day began to itch at her, while the trauma she once believed to have defeated rose from its ashes in splendor. Her breath hitched to a stop, making her almost lose her senses, but she miraculously managed to bottled up her feelings and pain, just as she had her entire life. She couldn't afford to succumb herself in a panic, let alone without first finding her guardians.
The man stopped to look at her before he began to laugh bitterly. "Ha!" he exclaimed, throwing his head back.
"You didn't do it? It wasn't your fault? HA!! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!!" Anger rose in waves from his tone.
"HEY!! SHE'S HERE!! I FOUND THE LITTLE DEVIL!! " Following his announcement, various insane-looking people began to emerge from the ruins, their gaze fixed on her figure. She knew many of them.
How could she not? They were the same people that scorned her existence, those who held prominent resentment for her life. The same who helped make her life how it was.
The man's howling laughter snapped her attention back at him. A cynical smile adorned his face as he stepped forward, "Now, now. Don't be afraid." She was afraid. "It's alright," it wasn't, "We'll just do our best to pay you back, Kyuubi."
"W-w-what?" she stammered.
"He, nice try. But, you're not fooling anyone. You have already taken many of our loved ones away," tears began to drop from the baker's eyes. He took a second step, revealing a hidden knife in his hand.
"First you took my wife, then my son, and now you have even taken my grandchildren!" he hissed at her.
"We've been planning this for years. It's time to make it happen." With an ungiven order, they all charged her.
Natsumi quickly turned around, sprung to her feet, and dashed forward, away from them. She didn't plan to be anywhere near close to that man. His smile wasn't right. Nothing from him was.
"Demon!"
"Monster!"
"It's all your fault!"
Focused on her path, she gathered her chakra, the energy within her, on her feet, and outran the growing mob, a mob that had been seeking her blood since her birth. Demon, devil, and monster were words that followed her throughout life. Were they right?
'Am I responsible for all this pain and suffering? Did I cause this destruction? If I just disappeared, would that save others from pain and suffering? '
Crack.
From above, a large wall separated from its frame, heading straight down towards her. She instinctively created yellow chains that sprouted from her back and pierced through the debris, thus clearing her path.
However, today seemed to be the day when her past finally chose to haunt her. A man stood in her path, a haunting white mask covering his face. He wore the same black uniform that her tormentors wore that day.
Why was he here? She was sure that they were gone! Tsunade had assured her of that!
The man drew his blade, striking at her neck.
Natsumi knew that she couldn't dodge that strike. She wasn't prepared, and her chains wouldn't be fast enough at blocking the attack. The blade's tip neared her throat, her eyes widening in panic, knowing that she was dead no matter what she did.
But a fist embedded in his face, cracking his skull, and sent him flying into a burning building.
Her movements came to stop, along with her chains, her eyes searched for the one responsible for saving her life. Standing in the man's place was a blonde woman, her clothes tattered, even her breath heavy, but she stood proudly.
Natsumi's eyes widened before she launched herself at the woman. "Granny!!" she called out.
The woman smiled and brought the child into her arms while caressing her back. "You're okay, you're okay," she repeatedly mumbled, hugging her with all the love she could muster.
"Come, we need to get you out of here." Her tone was shaky, and much like her body, she was tense.
She lifted Natsumi onto her arms and began to run, then jumped meters off the ground, crossing from one roo op to the next.
Natsumi took this time to calm herself. At the moment, there was only one thing she wanted in the world: to be safe with the two most important people in her life. Why did everything have to turn out this way? She had just managed to find a small but loving family. And now that she thought about it, why wasn't the old-man with Tsunade?
"Who did this?" she asked Tsunade, trying to hide the fear in her heart. She needed to know who was responsible. Was it her fault that this happened? If so, why?
Tsunade's brown eyes met scantily with blue sapphirine as a range of emotions played out in them: sadness, longing, fear, hate, rage, and many others. They broke eye contact a moment later, neither of them wanting to see the other's pain.
"Where's the old man?" Natsumi finally asked, her voice all but a whisper.
Tsunade sighed heavily and tried to ignore the knot in her throat. She needed to think carefully over her next words. There was so much to tell and so little time. Much of the information could break Natsuni's heart: more than it already was.
"The old man is… He's gone. I tried to help, but I couldn't. I-i'm s-sorry-y, Nat-chan. I'm so sorry," she responded, wavering at the end. Ultimately, Natsumi had the right to know the truth, no matter how painful. Tsunade could only protect her for so long.
'So, he's gone,' Natsumi thought. 'Old man Hokage is dead.' Slowly, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. She tried to hold them back. She tried to be strong, but she couldn't.
It was too much. One of the most important people in her life just vanished, gone like the wind. She didn't even get to say goodbye! 'It is not fair, dammit!! Why must I suffer!? WHAT DID I DO!!?' So, she bawled her eyes out, silently, on Tsunade's shoulder.
Tsunade's heart shattered at her cries. Among the many things she blamed were the gods, the villagers, Minato, Jiraya, and even the Hokage. But most importantly, she blamed herself.
She was to blame for her lover's and brother's death. Too weak to protect them and lacking the knowledge to save them. Having missed Kushna's delivery day, she was unable to save her from a traitor's hands. The girl she had seen as a daughter had laid cold and bloodied in her arms, unable to do anything.
Had she been there, Natsumi's life might not have been the way it is now. Now she was too late to save the Hokage. And she barely managed to prevent Natsumi's death. Who's to say she won't be late next time?
"W-w-was I-it m-my f-fault? I caused th-this, r-right?" Natsumi asked, trying to contain her sorrows. It made sense. After all, everyone agreed that she was a demon. The village in front of them attested to that.
'After all, I am the reason the old-man died, so that makes me a monster. It's my fault; there's no other way.'
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. Her fault? What? How could she think that!? She didn't have a damn thing to do with this!!
"What!? NO!! It's not your fault it's t-"
Before she could answer her, Tsunade's senses flared to life. Without missing a second, her and Natsumi's position was substituted by a stray boulder. Right after, the very same boulder was shredded to pieces.
Shortly after, a black-haired man softly landed in front of them. One that reeked of blood and indifference.
"Madara," Tsunade spat out, scowling at the man before her.
He was clad in a dark cloak, a spiral orange mask covered his face, and he held a katana in his right hand and a kunai in his left. The only visible facial feature was his right blood-red eye, possessing a black and red pattern.
His posture was relaxed, almost as if saying that everything was in his control.
"You have one chance," his monotone voice echoed in the destruction, "I'll stop this suffering if you hand over the Jinchuriki, do not make the same mistake as the Hokage." Natsumi could tell that he did not even care about their response. Almost as if it was amusing to him.
"You're not getting her," Tsunade replied sternly, "not while I am still drawing breath." Her stance was tense and ready to move at a moment's notice. Looking around, she was able to view her intended escape route. It wasn't far away, and Natsumi would be able to make it.
"Really?" he asked, his voice emphasizing the death all around the village. "All of that just to keep one little girl?" he wondered, shaking his head.
"I am disappointed. Had the Hokage given me the demon's vessel, everything would have been alright. The village would have rejoiced. What did you have to lose?"
The mention of a demon made Natsumi flinch. 'So, it was my fault.'
Tsunade glared at his words and quickly reached into her blouse, retrieving a green gem necklace. Hastily removing it, she placed it over Natsumi's head and onto her neck.
"Granny?" Natsumi questioned, holding onto the gem. Until now, Tsunade didn't allow anyone to touch it, so why now? So why her? A monster?
Finally, she pulled out a small scroll from her vest and gave it to Natsumi. It was barely six inches long and didn't seem to contain much.
"It's okay. Take care of this for me, ne? " Tsunade asked softly, not taking her sight off Madara. "I'll be right behind you, so run and let me take care of this man," she answers, setting her down on her feet.
"But it's your-"
"Take it. It's yours now, please, stay safe."
Clank.
In his rush to attack, Madara found himself hampered by a kunai from Tsunade, who swung his blade at them before Natsumi had time to respond.
"Run!" She shouted, commanding Natsumi to flee. From the diamond seal on the forehead of Tsunade, black marks spread along her face in an x-shaped pattern and further along her body.
Flexing her arm in satisfaction, she cocked back her fist and punched forwards. While her fist came close to Madara's face, it didn't touch him but instead passed through him. He had become intangible.
He thought he had won and reached forward, intending to pierce her head, but Tsunade surprised him by taking hold of his hand.
And without any remorse, she pulled him along as she made a turn and threw his body onto the ground. Powered by momentum, Madara shattered the ground as his body scraped the surface.
Natsumi reluctantly obeyed Tsunade's command and ran, hoping that she could find her later. She felt the ground tremble under her feet, the sound of a fierce battle resounding in her ears. She was sure more fire and destruction would be the result of their fight.
The wreckage covered the village streets, but Natsumi managed to stumble upon a wall that used to stand tall and proud. This same wall used to showcase the village's strength now laid crumbled at her feet as she ran over its remains.
Outside the village's walls, the land was barren and cleared out for a length of sixty meters before reaching the forest. There were weapons scattered around the field, along with corpses of fallen shinobi.
It was a war zone. Enemy shinobi had laid waste to a once beautiful land, all because someone was looking for her.
'A demon vessel, that sounds about right.'
Around the village was a dense forest filled with trees that were larger than any on the continent. Perfect for traversing on its branches.
Foliage began to block her path along with stray rocks. Nodding to herself, she took off the ground and began to hop among the tall tree branches.
She was afraid, terrified even; she could still sense them fighting from this far away. She had to get to safety, but where was that? She now knew that the man would hunt her wherever she went. What if she brought the same destruction to the people she meets?
A silence fell upon the forest a er a few minutes. As the wind rustled through the leaves, the moon's light illuminated her path. It was peaceful compared to the village's state.
Even so, it seemed too peaceful for a forest near a warzone.
She couldn't hear anything anymore. How far had she traveled? Was their fight over? Who won? And how? Was Tsunade okay?
She glanced around the area and was satisfied to find nothing suspicious around. Halting her path, she jumped down to the forest's floor to rest. She felt worn out after enduring so much on that day; she needed rest.
But what was she supposed to do now? She had nowhere to go. Everyone she knew was most likely dead. Would the other villages accept someone like her?
A hand fell on her shoulder, abruptly halting her mind to a stop. Fear pricked her heart, but hope also arose at that moment.
Maybe it was Tsunade?
Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around and looked back.
Dread filled her face, mercilessly crippling any remaining hope.
"Kamui," following Madara's voice, a spiral void molded into existence. It rippled through space, absorbing the surrounding area and anything in it.
However, he neglected one crucial fact: hell has no fury like a woman scorned. Tsunade didn't intend to stand and let him do as he pleased. She had already lost too much, and she would not yield now. Her instincts disregarded her reasoning, and she overlooked her injuries, unleashing her rage on the man.
Madara's technique deviated from its intended design as a result of having to tank the sudden barrage.
Natsumi snapped out of her shock when the void drew her in. Even though she tried to resist, the pull was too strong.
"Granny!!" she yelled out frantically.
After hearing Natsumi's scream, Tsunade turned back in a panic, eyes widening in fear. She felt a deep sense of dread as she watched her get absorbed by the void.
It was a race against time as she dashed toward Natsumi's vanishing figure and grasped frantically for her hand.
They were only inches apart as they reached for each other's hand. The hope that filled Natsumi's heart was snuffed out by Madara when he appeared behind her grandmother. Her heart was impaled by his blade, halting Tsunade's advance.
They gazed at each other as Natsumi let out a silent cry.
A smile spread across Tsunade's face, telling Natsumi that everything would be alright. She mouthed at her to stay safe and to live on.
It took merely a blink of an eye for the void to consume her, bringing darkness over her.
It was too late for Natsumi to respond.
Pain.
She could feel nothing but pain, loss, hate, longing, and sorrow.
Her body was deformed, twisted, and reshaped as the void rejected her very existence.
Her mind was a mess, struggling to keep up with what had happened on that sorrowful day.
Amidst the void and stripped of everything, she was destined for death.
'No.'
'No, no.'
'Nonononononononononono!! This can't be true! It can't! It just can't all be gone!! Please, anyone help!? '
'PLEASE!! Please, please, p..le..se. Anybody. '
'I don't want to be..a-alone...again.'
'Help.'
Drip, drip, drip.
Water drops echoed in her ears.
Every memory she had ignored flooded her mind at once.
The days at the orphanage.
The days she was forced to live out in the streets.
The days she suffered from hunger, sickness, and cold winters.
How the village hated, ignored, and resented her existence.
Indifference and mocking comments from everyone at the Academy.
The torture of that day.
The death of the old-man.
Tsunade being impaled in the heart.
It all lead her to one conclusion.
'It was all because of me, a monster.'
Crimson hue soon covered her vision, and her mind finally shattered.