NARUTO: The Village Doused In Rain

© NARUTO/ Mashashi Kishimoto

Scroll Three: "Graduation: Blood Covered, Trembling Hands…!"

"You pass, graduate!"

All Ena had to hear were those words and a wide grin found itself on her face. She was now a true ninja and could show off her title by baring the treasured hitai-ate headband as proof.

Kiri and Katone joined her outside after the ceremony and chattered away like little birds in the early morn.

"I can't believe the final test was a written exam!" exclaimed Kiri, with an exasperated tone.

"Me neither. Oh, and you should've seen Ena's face when Iruka-sensei explained that to us! Her jaw almost hit the desk top! Even her eyes bulged to the size of oranges! Ha, ha!" laughed Katone, elbowing the black-haired Kunoichi in the ribs.

She brushed her obnoxious friend off. "Yeah whatever. So how're you guys gonna wear your head bands? I've already put mine on, see?"

It was true. Ena had tightly wound her ninja emblem on her right bicep, not only to make it look fashionable, but to cover up the vile mark that throbbed every time she even thought of manipulating her chakra.

Katone sternly stared at her sparkling headband and then snapped her fingers in sudden thought. She tied it around her neck and beamed at her make-shift scarf.

As for Kiri, she seemed to struggle in her decision on how to apply her ninja verification. Sighing, she simply pressed it against her forehead and knotted it in the traditional style.

"I think that may be the best style for you, Kiri-Chan," Ena complimented kindly, slightly flinching from the pain that was returning to her limb.

"Thanks," the fiery-eyed Kunoichi replied. "But I've been wondering something…"

"Hmm?" Ena perked up

"Me too," Katone added. "All afternoon you've been wincing and grasping your arm. Are you feeling okay? Did something happen last night?"

The killer Shinobi's face soured. Her friends always seemed to hit the bulls-eye when it came to her personal life. Were they freakin' psychics, or was her face just easy to read? She could never tell around her kin.

"Uh, well," Ena started, sensing a hint of uneasy bile rise up from her stomach. Then a puff of heavy smoke shrouded around the trio, and from it, appeared Kakashi and all his glory. "Yo. Sorry I'm late."

"That's okay," said the black-haired Kunoichi, slightly glaring at her guardian with her hazel-green eyes.

He didn't seem to notice her assaulting eye contact and instead sharply whispered, "How is your arm?"

The bile rose quickly into her throat and Ena struggled to swallow it down. 'He knows… well, no, duh! Of course he knows! Kakashi's the one who brought me to Uchiha-kun's house!'

"It's doing fine."

"What's doing 'fine'?" Katone and Kiri interrupted, wanting to know what all the hush was about.

Kakashi gently turned to them and said, "Listen, girls, I need to spend some 'family bonding time' with ol' Ena tonight, seeing how she graduated and all. Will that be all right with you two?"

"Sure," they nodded, giving second glances at Ena that read "You better continue your explanation next time, or else…!"

Giving a watery laugh and wave, the Konoha school graduate trotted off with the silver haired Shinobi at her side.

"You almost blew my cover, Uncle Kakashi," she emphasized, ruthlessly.

He coldly glimpsed at her. "Serves you right for cursing me this morning."

'Damn, he heard that,' Ena sighed and glumly kicked a stone off of the road. "I wouldn't even have this bite mark if you hadn't spared with me last night."

"Oh, so now it's my fault?"

"It is your fault! You should've escorted me home or something! But noooo! You're too caught up in missions and crap to even bother with my well being! One of these days you're going to end up dying doing your job, you know that?!"

Slap.

A burning hand mark was molded on the side of Ena's face. Kakashi had striked her for her rude remarks and utter disrespect. "Don't even start that, Ena. I go on missions that entrust the safety of not just the village, but of your safety as well! This place would be a war zone if it weren't for missions like mine, and I know better than anyone that you understand this as a personal fact. The Hokage even sends you, a mere Genin, on 'B' and 'C' ranked missions! So just because you bare the symbol of an adult now, doesn't mean you're my equal. You still have a ways to go, understand?"

The arrogant female Shinobi tenderly rubbed her burning cheek and trivially bowed in apology, mumbling a grim, "Sorry, it won't happen again."

Her guardian exhaled and sympathetically tosseled her hair in affection. "Now how about some Katsu-don? I hear there's a new stand that cooks it fast and serves it fresh and hot."

Ena gave a soft laugh. This was typical Uncle Kakashi: sternly scold one with bitter cold-heartedness, and then lighten up the mood hastily with a carefree slacker-like attitude. However, despite the informalities, she couldn't help but inquire, "But what do I do about this bite mark? Should I worry about it? Will it heal? Who is it that gave it to me? And why… why did…?"

Suddenly a stray ninja teleported beside Kakashi and muttered something in his ear. He nodded and the ninja disappeared.

"Ena…," started the elite shinobi, sounding a bit downhearted.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. Thanks for showing up anyway. You were right, the missions you go on are for everyones well-being... including mine. They're important."

He patted her on the shoulder and literally left the scene with a "poof". Ena rubbed her cheek and then her right bicep. But instead of her bandage, she now felt the frigid metal of her headband.

'…But why did that snake-like ninja want Uchiha-kun? Is he in danger, too…? Should I warn him? Should I…?'

Pushing the thought aside, the Kunoichi remembered the tidbit about the new Katsu-don restaurant that had just opened up, and headed over there.

Food not only filled the stomach, but warmed the soul as well. Even a troubled one.

...

The evening rapidly fell victim to the night, and rushed a long hour of nightmares into Ena's subconscious.

Ena, at nine-years-old, hesitantly slid open the waiting room door. The flower pot she had been carrying, in order to use later in her flower arranging project, crashed to the floor and shattered into thousands of tiny fragments that scattered across the hard oak floor.

Her father was tightly grasping a blood-stained katana that hovered over a motionless figure that was his wife--Ena's mother.

"Wh-what happened?" the black haired Kunoichi quivered, immobile and in a slight disposition of distress. "Why is Mama…? Why did you…? Papa…?"

He said nothing to his daughter and failed to ungrip his sword that dripped droplets of crimson that began to produce a wide spreading puddle.

Ena gripped the cuff of her shirt and her mouth became irritatingly dry. She took two steps towards her father and came to an abrupt halt as she sliced open her toes on the sharp, broken clay pot pieces.

Finally her father spouted, "It is the end of our clan, Ena. He will kill us all, and there is nothing we can do to stop him; it is how fate has declared it."

There was then a chilling silence that choked the air around them and sent shivers down Ena's back. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes as she bellowed, "And that's why you killed Mama? How could you?! How could you, Papa?!"

That said, the head of the household began then began a steady pace towards Ena, the blood soaked edge of the katana glaring at her with deep malevolence. "I did it because of love. I couldn't bare to see her die by the hands of someone else, so… you will share the same end as well, my daughter."

Ena exhaled and took in a wavering breath that squeaked like a frightened sob. The tears that had once threatened to fall were now trailing down the side of her face in small rivulets. She backed up with her weak legs that refused to move, and pressed her back against the sliding door.

"Come, Ena," cooed her crazed father, who seemed to have no sense of humanity left within him. "Let's all go someplace safe together… someplace safe…"

The tip of the katana was drawing nearer and nearer, and the sight of her mother's horrific bloodied corpse was completely horrendous… Ena's eyes could only focus on the objects that where splattered with the sickening red color of blood and everything else just seemed to spiral around her in an endless cycle.

Her father ominously towered over her and brought the sword above his head, preparing to strike...

The miniscule Kunoichi felt a surge of adrenaline, fear, and power coarse through her being as her life was about to end at any moment…

'No,' she pondered as she clamped her teary, hazel-green eyes shut. 'I don't want to die! I don't! I DON'T!'

"NOOOO!" Ena screamed as her eyes shot open to reveal the sacred Sharingan technique embellished upon them.

The head of the household brought down his sword, anticipating the sound of slicing flesh, but it never came. Instead, he hit the bamboo of the sliding door and stood in a stupor as he bewilderedly contemplated his daughter's whereabouts.

Unexpectedly, a powerful blow released the katana from his grasp and it landed in the palms of Ena, who was wielding it with trembling fingers.

Her father chuckled maniacally. "Yes, I see now… You're going to extract revenge on me, right? Ha! How could you ever slay your own flesh and blood, Ena? How could you ever even think of murdering your own father…?"

"Sh-shut up!" the little Kunoichi retorted belligerently. "What about you, Papa? You slayed your own flesh and blood! You killed Mama! You had thoughts of murder! You're the one who did it all! Why shouldn't I kill you… you-you… YOU DEVIL!!"

With that, Ena released all of her wrath and molded it into vigor, in which allowed her to swing her sword and slash at her father with cruel retribution.

When the last slice was delt, the man of the household fell to the polished floor in a slaughtered heap of blood and meat.

Snapping back into reality, Ena realized what she had just done and the Sharingan faded from her eyes. She dropped the Katana, which fell to the ground with a "clang", and lay limply in a crimson puddle. She looked at her shuddering hands, which where completely covered in the red, metallic-smelling fluid, and closed them into tight fists. Her shoulders began to shake as sorrowful tears began to reproduce themselves in her eyes and once again trickle down her cheeks.

Subsequently, a pair of footsteps sounded from behind and entered through the demolished slide door.

"Well, well," commented the voice, preferably a male's. "Now what has happened here?"

Ena was already on her knees with her hands shielding her face from exposing her shameful and morose expression.

The trespasser continued into the room in order to thoroughly look over the details of the grotesque scene. He observed the corpses and sarcastically applauded.

"Hmph," started the stranger, "I was going to do this myself, but it looks like you took care of it for me, Ena. Maybe I'll spare you… seeing how death would just end your misery. But I guess its better this way... I'll let you slowly suffer over the mourning of your parents' death. That should suffice for now, no? Anyway, just like I noted the only other survivor, your cowardly cousin, if you want to seek revenge on me, then you'd be best prepared to kill. It's the only way you'll survive in a fight against me…"

And the stone-hearted killer walked away with the click of his heals, not even faltering at the fact that he was the cause of Ena's parents' death, and the massacre of his own family and clan.

Everything had just been a trial for him. A session to try out his power. And with this power came the prompt end of their clan… the only thing remaining were blood, tears, and agony...

Ena awoke in a cold sweat and hastily clutched her right bicep; it was burning as if it where aflame. Taking in deep breaths, the female shinobi squinted at her clock to see that it was only two a.m.

'What a nightmare,' she contemplated, still mentally disturbed. 'But I haven't had that one since way back…nor have I remembered it…'

Sluggishly laying back down on her soft mattress and pillows, Ena shut her heavy orbs and rubbed her ringing temples.

'That's right,' she continued to ponder. 'I need to exact revenge on he who killed my clan…but how can I if I don't even remember his face…? More importantly, how can I even get revenge if I don't even remember my real clan name? Hunh, I guess I must've gone through such an extreme trauma that it wiped my memory clean... I also have that cousin or what not…'

The black-haired Kunoichi yawned and turned over onto her left side. 'I shouldn't worry about it now… I just need a good night's rest…tomorrow's picture day for the class book and I need to…to…'

Ena's mind blackened and she re-entered a more pleasant dream state.

She could forget, but the scars would still remain…

...

A past that has been clouded due to the passing of time...

I remember that this initial idea came from a certain line from "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories". In the "Nightmare Before Christmas" arc, it was mentioned that (don't exactly quote me on this one) "... memories tend to warp and fade over time. We manipulate some into more pleasant memories, while others become more dark." (Or something along those lines.) But in reference to this, Ena's rough experiences and painful endurance of the curse mark are causing her to remember the grotesque memories of her past. Faces and names have been erased from her subconsious, but the heavy details remain...

But we can all guess that she is a survivor of the Uchiha massacre... along with Sasuke.

As for the chapter title, "Graduation: Blood Covered, Trembling Hands" comes from the fact that Ena and her class have graduated from the ninja academy, and in her dream, she was a terrified, small child who took out her own father with blood covered, trembling hands. Rather angsty, if I do say so myself...

Anywho, that's all for now... next time, there's some comedy and action! Please stay tuned!