The life of a ninja is one filled with turmoil, hardship, death and despair - and yet we continue to do it, selflessly putting our bodies, minds and lives on the line for the country that we call home. Is it the call of glory? The promise of your name immortalised in the scrolls? Maybe human nature really is one of sacrifice and we are not all as bad as some would have you believe. For me? I just needed the money.

My father left when I was young, I don't even remember his face although I'm told that I looked remarkably like him, with dark brown hair and eyes that matched. That left my mother to look after me alone, her hair was lighter, closer to the colour of a mouse. She worked hard, but there is only so much that one can do owning a small book store in one of Konoha's many back alleys. I guess I always knew that I would have to step up to provide, even if I didn't want to.

"You know that you don't have to do this Daichi." Mother had told me while we knelt at the table eating our evening meal. "This path is not an easy one."

"I know." I had said with a nod. "I want to do this." I had reiterated with the usual bullheaded confidence that a seven year old possesses.

"Then I suppose I can't stop you." She had laughed with the usual content smile on her face, her eyes betrayed her fear, but I don't think I realised it at the time. My mind was narrowed on the sole reason I wanted this, to support and provide for my mother, to give back and double all that she had given me. That was how I ended up at the Academy either way, at the age of seven with wide eyed enthusiasm preparing to start the journey that would alter my life far more than I ever anticipated.


I spent a few years studying at the Academy, Iruka-Sensei taught with vigor, determined to pass on all of his knowledge to the younger generations, driven by a need to see them survive, a seemingly insurmountable task given the people placed in his class. Yet still he soldiered on, even teaching the seemingly useless Naruto Uzumaki, the town's outcast and laughing stock.

"The Clone Jutsu is one of the most basic and necessary jutsu that a ninja can perform." Iruka explained to us, his eyes darting to make sure everyone was paying attention. "It allows us to create a copy of ourselves to confuse and hinder our opponents." He looked at us again, his face had hardened slightly as he spoke again. "And if you can't do it, you won't graduate from this academy." I had expected something like that, after all, what use is it to graduate if you can't perform the most basic of techniques. Although I remained calm, I could see that it worried a few members of the class more than it should have.

Having trained our chakra for years, along with mental and physical conditioning to make sure that our bodies were ready for the job ahead of us, it was a simple task for anyone who tried to understand it. This basic clone technique didn't even create physical copies of you, just shadows, fake images that could do nothing but confuse the most green of enemies, it would hardly save your life against real ninja.

But still I practiced it relentlessly, running through the hand seals, slowly at first but with increasing speed. The flexibility of one's fingers was vital to being a ninja, I remember that being one of the first things that Iruka taught us, right as we began at the academy before we even really knew what chakra or jutsu even were. Straight away we were taught exercises to make sure that our joints were agile and capable of quickly bending into the seals needed to perform even the most basic of techniques. It worked as I found that my hands were now capable of quickly adjusting to even long winded sequences at a pace that seemed decent for someone of my level.


I helped at the bookstore after school, restocking our shelves and checking out customers as my mother took a break. We weren't all that busy but there were enough regulars to keep us open.

"You're graduating soon." She told me one evening as we closed up the store for the night, that same content smile on her face that never quite reached her eyes.

"Right." I nodded, "The final exam is soon." I replied with a straight face. I couldn't lie, the thought of being a ninja actually terrified me, putting my life on the line wasn't actually really what I wanted to do. I liked living far too much. I was too far along to quit now, but that didn't mean that I couldn't play the system. There were rumours that once you graduate, you still have to pass another test to be allowed to continue as a ninja - if you failed, you would be sent back to the academy or left to continue doing low rank missions without the promotion opportunities. To most people I would imagine that there would be nothing worse, but to me it sounded perfect. A life of earning a steady pay without the danger of fighting enemy ninja or dangerous bandits. Everyone wins.

"Are you feeling confident?" She asked, pottering around, making sure that the shelves looked presentable for the morning.

"Yeah. I think so." I informed her with a smile of my own, dusting down the coater with a small rag we kept under the desk.

"Ah that's good." She sighed happily, "You make me incredibly proud you know." She tacked that last phrase onto the end quietly, almost like she didn't actually want me to hear it. It caught me off guard and I wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to react and I think she noticed that because she quickly started to laugh, a bright and clear laugh that made my chest warm. She quickly moved across the small store and wrapped her arms around me, holding my head tight to her. She said nothing more and neither did I, the two of us knowing the unspoken rule to say nothing at all and simply exist in this moment together.


A few more days passed and everyone at the academy knew what was approaching - it was the day of the exam. We'd already been drilled and graded on various aspects of being a ninja: taijutsu, ninjutsu, intelligence and teamwork just to name a few. However, now was the time for the final test, creating a clone. I had practised endlessly and held no qualms about creating one. It seemed that the majority of the class were the same. I watched as Sasuke Uchiha, often heralded as a prodigy by his instructors effortlessly came back from his exam with his usual expression

"Kiyama, Daichi." Iruka-Sensei called my name and I nodded, following him into a separate classroom that was designated for students taking the exam. I saw other students being led to and from classrooms, other classes of hopeful ninja. It made sense, having more than one class, but it was a thought that never really crossed my mind. Inside the room was just a simple desk which Iruka promptly sat at as I took a spot in front of it. Next to him was a man I vaguely recognised as one of the other teachers here at the academy - Mizuki was his name.

"Whenever you're ready Daichi." Iruka smiled at me with his usual warmth, if I were nervous I would have indeed found it comforting, but I didn't need it. I nodded at them and quickly ran through the hand seals required. I could feel my chakra build up as I went through the sequences.

"Clone Jutsu." I spoke aloud, at a normal volume. They taught that saying the name of the jutsu helped to focus your intention and make it easier to pull off. It was something that even the most advanced shinobi would do. I felt the chakra pour out of me as suddenly in an instant three more versions of me stood around me. I gave them a once over and nodded with satisfaction, they looked enough like me.

"Very good Daichi." Iruka praised with a smile, he looked over at his co-examiner who nodded and gave me a small clap.

"Very impressive indeed."

"I think it's only fair then that I pass you and say that you have officially graduated from the Ninja Academy." His smile was wide, like a proud parent and I knew that he gave that smile to every child who got through it. I bowed to them both and walked over to the desk where Iruka held out the most prized possession of any ninja - their headband. I saw the sign of Konoha on the front and smiled, just a small one, at the fact that the first part of my plan had succeeded.

"Thank you Iruka-Sensei, Mizuki-Sensei." I said as I walked out of the room, I assumed that I would be allowed to leave now, I wasn't really too bothered about seeing if anyone else passed, I didn't have time to make friends in the academy and I wouldn't have time to do so now that I was a real ninja anyway.

I stepped outside and saw the one person who mattered most - Mother stood outside the doors, her eyes lit up when she saw the headband around my head, she waited for me to walk over before evelopping me in a tight hug. I followed and wrapped my arms around her, it was a nice feeling.

"Well done." She remarked, she pushed me away slightly to get a look at me. "You already look so grown up." She gushed, quickly pulling my headband tighter on my head, starting to fuss over other parts of my appearance.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me." I sighed, swatting her hand away, causing her to quickly pull away and place her hands down by her sides.

"Sorry." She said quickly, with a slight grin, like she was enjoying it. The mood quickly changed as she kneeled down in front of her, not worried about the ground dirtying the knees of her trousers. She lost her grin and her eyes gained this sincere quality in them, her gaze never faltered from my own and even though I wanted to break away, I found that I couldn't.

"You are special my son, that much I know, and you will grow to be one of the names this world knows - the clouds will part due to your gaze, the seas will flow to your rhythm and the Earth will tremble as you walk." She closed her eyes and wrapped me up in another hug. I stood there incredulously as she did, struggling to internalise what it was that she had told me.

The Earth will tremble? I had to hold in a small laugh as I thought about it again. Fat chance of that one.


I really did get hit with all the inspiration rewatching Naruto again, and I guess this is where I've ended up. This is only a prologue and I understand that it must feel very disjointed as I was trying to fill in a lot of information quickly so we can get to the meat of the story quicker XD. Either way, I hope you can all enjoy this story and what is to come for it.