Chapter 3
Sacrifices
Akina had arrived at her house. It was so dark...so quiet. Everyday, she would always be greeted by her parents whenever she arrived home from school. But that all changed when she was chosen... "Otou-san! Oca-san! I was given the mark!" six-year-old Akina yells as she ran to her house. "Oca-san! Otou-san!" Akina says, breathlessly. "My child, what is it?" Karin says, supporting her. "I've been chosen!" Akina says. "Nani?" Akira says, worried for some strange reason. "Look!" She pulled up her right sleeve and there, near her shoulder, there was a small picture of a phoenix spreading its wings, ready to fly. It's the symbol of their clan. In the legend, a blue phoenix fell from heaven and into a forest in Konoha. Realizing where it was, it turned into a beautiful girl that looked exactly like Akina. This woman had magic powers. Her favorite was the Kurome, the black eyed; Byakugan and Sharingan mixed togeher.
It has the power to read and see anything: past, present, future, mind, chakra points, chakra circulatory system, etc. Realizing she can't fly back to heven, she took up the last name Kurome and the name Miyuki. She fell in love and married a handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes whose name was Tomoyuki. They started the Kurome Clan. She told everything about herself to Tomoyuki when the right time came. He understood her and made her seal--a picture of a phoenix at her upper right arm--as the seal of the clan, giving only tp those who are worthy. Akira and Karin looked grave. "Oca-san? Otou-san? What is wrong?" Akina asks. Karin smiled. "Nani mo nai. Go up to your room and rest. You've had a tiring day." She nodded and ran up to her room. "I didn't think she would get it..." Karin says. "There's nothing we can do. Didn't you realize she looks exactly like our ancestor?" Akira asks, hugging her.
"But she's still too young to face what it is to come." "We can't change it now. We have to do it." A week later, Akira and Karin was sacrificed to pay for the seal. Akina was devastated. She wonders if the power is really worth it. Since then, only Kuroyuki and Shiroyuki was the only ones who took care of her... Shiroyuki noticed the sad expression on her face. "Is something the matter, Akina-sama?" he asks. She didn't answer. She spotted the photo when she was six and her father and mother were there. Shiroyuki understood now. He put his paw over her hand. She looks at him. "Don't worry. They are fine," he says. She smiled. "Arigatou." Then they went to sleep. The next day, Neji woke up in a good mood. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. He went to training only to find Tsunade talking to Gai.
"Are you sure you haven't seen her?" Tsunade asks. "Not at all, Godaime-sama," Gai answers. "She was suppose to meet me earlier this morning. She is never late." Out in the woods, an anbu was running away from a group of jounins from the Village of Rain. His face was covered by a cat mask and the rest of his body was covered with a hood. He was heading for the training grounds. "Who are you talking about?" Ten Ten asks. "One of our anbu leaders," Tsunade answers. Out from the woods came the anbu followed by the jounins. "Where have you been?" Tsunade asks. "Gomen nasai, Godaime-sama. I was busy," the anbu answers, taking out a kunai.
The anbu sounds like a girl. 5 jounins came from the forest. They attacked him but he easily dodges it. Every move, he dodges it. One of the jounin threw a kunai and it broke the anbu's mask. It breaks into two to show Akina. 'Akina-chan?' Neji thought in surprise. She activate her Mangekyou Sharingan and made them believe that she was using Amaterasu (Divine Illumination Jutsu) on them. They screamed and fainted. "Amazing," Gai says. Akina went to Tsunade and bowed while saying, "Gomen nasai, Godaime-sama." She shakes her head. "Iiye. It's alright. Gomen nasai, Gai, for taking your time. Let's go, Akina." "Hai." Before she left, she glanced at Neji and said in his head, "I told you that we'd see each other again."
He smiles which made her smile back. Then she and Tsunade disappeared with a jutsu. Gai noticed Akina's reaction to Neji and asks him, "Neji, do you know her?" "Hai." "Really? Then can you set me up with a date with her?" Lee asks. His eyes twitched and an anime vein appeared. "I am not a dating service!" he says, trying to control his anger. "How do you know her?" Ten Ten asks. "I'd rather not say." "Anyway, let's start training," Gai says. They trained and when they are dismissed, Neji immediately went home. Kuroyuki knew what had happened. "You saw her, didn't you?" he asks. "Hai." "Why don't you go see her?" "What will her parents say? I haven't seen them for 9 years." "Neji-sama, she has no parents." He was shocked. "No...parents?" Kuroyuki nods his head. "They were sacrificed."
"Sacrificed? What for?" "At the age of six, Akina-sama was given the seal of the clan. But her power had a price. It was the clan's way." "I can't believe she is the same as me..." "Do you want to go?" He smiled and nodded. "Let's go." They both went into the woods. They heard a sound of training. They hid behind a tree and took a look. Akina was training with a katana in graceful movements like in the legend of the condor hero; the Tomb Sect. Soon, she was practicing her kicks, punches, and moves like in the sects. 'How many moves does she know?' Neji decided to try out something.