AN: For disclaimer I don't own Naruto, otherwise Boruto never would have happened.
For reference this is the 2nd Shinobi War, Protaganist is 8 at the start placing him at around the same age as the Ame Orphans.
Everybody hates me.
Okay, that isn't true. There are plenty of people in the world I haven't met who are on the fence about whether they hate me or not.
But my clan despises me. Or maybe despise is the wrong word. They…revile me? They're jealous of me, and that jealousy turns to anger when I'm out of earshot.
Even my parents can't help but feel that jealousy when I'm near. Jealous that I can feel the sun's warmth on my skin and the cool wind hitting my face without fear of being killed by it; turned to smoke like the others and whisked away never to be seen again.
That's how Taka-ni died. Tired of living in fear. Tired of waiting.
Maybe that's why I leave the cave so often. The others think they can mask it, disguise it, but they all reek of it. Fear, jealousy, uncertainty, hate.
I should just go.
Leave them all and find my own way, see cities, hell, I would take villages over this dank cave.
But no, even if I am despised here it's where my family is, and I can not just abandon them.
"Nii-Chan!"
Letting out an exasperated sigh, I turned around to see my tiny sister and all the other kids from the clan trailing behind her. It seems they followed me up.
Usually the clan restricts couples to 1 child, but given my mutation they all hoped a second would share it but no luck. Yukime is as normal and vulnerable as the others.
"Yuki, take your friends and go back."
Her eyebrows scrunched together in childish anger, and she turned the sadness upto max. She clasped her hands together and looked up at me, tears threatening to spill and hoping to charm me like she does our parents.
It only works for a second.
"No, you can't come with me, you know what'll happen."
"Niiii-chaan!" She whined.
"The rest of you go back to your parents." I smiled wide at the group of 5 year olds and raised my arms to terrify them, "Remember what happens when you step outside? Monsters will come and swallow you whole! Kids as small as you would be nothing but snacks!"
They all scattered back down the tunnel giggling and laughing at the imagery. The only one left being Yukime.
She sat and crossed her arms, pouting at me, "You never want to play!" She shouted at me then her eyes dropped to the floor, "You're always leaving…"
I put a hand on her head and ruffled her short black hair. Unlike me Yuki adopted the clans signature hair color.
"I'm the only one who can Yuki. I'll be back, promise."
She glanced at me from the ground then lept up to hug me, "Swear it! And when you get back we'll play onigokko!" She held up her pinky and I grasped it with my own.
"I promise, so long as you promise not to follow me up here anymore."
It's futile I know, but is it so bad to hope she'll keep her promise this time?
"Okay, should I tell Ka-Chan and Otou-San you left?"
My breath hitched, "Uh n-no I'll be real quick."
She tilted her head then smiled, "I'll wait for you! Then we can go back together!"
"Fine, just don't leave this spot until I get back."
"Hai!"
I smiled and gave her another pat in the head, "Good Imouto, be back soon."
Compared to the cave the outside world is much nicer. Pretty obvious observation I know, but I had to say it.
My favorite spot is this hollowed out tree that faces a small pond hidden away by the massive trees that make up the forests of Fire country. When the oppressive feelings in the cave get to be too much, I sneak out here to think and to dream.
Dream about the life I had before, and the new one I have now. I can only catch glimpses of my old life in dreams, or sometimes a word will trigger a memory, but it's always fleeting.
I' spent these 8 years of my life trying to remember anything at all with very little success. The questions of who I was before and where I came from going unanswered. I decided to chalk it up to a botched reincarnation. Instead of starting from a clean slate some of my memories continue to bleed through.
I've thought of looking to the God or gods of this world and trying to find whatever information about them I can, but the clan worships ancestor spirits, those of us who died and turn to smoke, although I did overhear Tsuki-San talking about-
My ears popped, heat bristled on my skin, and my vision was filled with dirt, rocks, and woodchips, all tearing and scraping at my skin. An explosion, one close enough to burn me, had rippled through the forest, rocking the trees and blowing me clean off the hollowed tree into the dirt.
I stumbled to my feet, my vision and hearing slowly adjusting. I could make out the sounds of metal banging together, and I saw what used to be a pond was now a smoking crater with men and women in uniformed clothing killing each other.
Balls of fire were being thrown against giant walls of upturned earth or water, people being stabbed or ripped apart by invisible wire, great geysers of water being sent at and ripping the skin off of people…
They all moved so fast I couldn't even begin to count the amount of people, but judging by the scale this isn't an isolated event. This? This is a battle between nations. My eyes widened, my breathing picked up pace, adrenaline pumped into my system, and I made a break for it back to the cave.
There is a war going on right outside my home!
As I ran I heard voices emerge from behind me, close enough it felt like someone was breathing down my neck.
"This one of Konoha's Genin?" A female voice.
"Hm, I don't think so, look at those rags. Probably some civ kid." A man this time. He was muffled, like he had a mask on.
Another older man spoke, "Guess again he's got enough chakra in his system to match a genin, let's kill him and get back to the perimeter."
Shinobi!? Shit. Shit!
Something entered my field of vision from the left. I don't know what caused it, maybe the adrenaline or maybe my refelxes just automatically responded to the danger, but I threw myself to the ground rolling beneath the shuriken thrown at my neck.
One of the ninjas let out a whistle. As I picked myself off the ground I got a good look at the red and brown clothes with a brown flak jacket protecting their bodies. An Iwagakure Hitai-ate wrapped around their heads.
"Sheesh check out the tiny genin, he's got some moves." The woman spoke out on my right. They surrounded me. And they were smiling.
"Please just…just leave me alone! I'm not part of this!" I shouted.
"Where are your teammate's little genin? They hiding around here?" Another spoke up from behind me, three of them, probably more close by.
More than I can hope to beat.
I frantically looked between the three surrounding me, I can't let them get too far out of view. I was trying to focus but my heart keeps pounding!
The woman took out a kunai and started spinning it between her fingers, pacing infront of me. "How about you tell us where you were running off to, and I'll make your death quick?"
"Please..just go away."
A muffled sigh emanated from one wearing a red mask and he-
"Shit!" I yelped. He lunged at me with a kunai poised for my throat but I'm so much slower than him, I can't dodge.
My body dissipated into smoke as the man fell through me, clearly not expecting to miss his target. As I reformed I felt the narrowed eyes of the Iwa nin prickle on the back of my neck.
"See? Told you he was a genin. And a special one at that! That's a blood limit if I've ever seen one."
"Capture?"
"Yup."
I don't want this, I really don't want to do this.
"Now!"
The three rushed me, as soon as I felt one touch my arm I dissipated and went for the closest threat.
Enter through the nose, fill the lungs.
The man started coughing, then choking, then…then dying.
I could feel it, the burning in his lungs, the heat. His heartbeat starting to slow...
His teammates just watched in horror as his eyes started to water and grow red, and as he tried to breathe. To get any air into his lungs, to push me out. All in vain.
My mutation doesn't just allow me to control my form. My body emits smoke, lighter than what comes off a fire, but enough of it in someone's lungs? Pop…
The twitching stopped and I surged out of the dead man's body and onto my hands and knees.
Bile at the back of my throat rose up and I retched.
My lungs burn, my head is pounding, and the battle is getting closer.
I think my nose is bleeding too.
"What the fuck was that!?"
"Reiko...Fucking little brat! Blood Limit or not you're dead!" The woman screamed at me.
She took a step towards me and I couldn't, I can't change!
She started running and kicked me in the stomach, the blow driving the rest of my lunch up my throat and blasting the air from my lungs.
"Ack! Please.."
She kicked me again, "Please!? After what you did you're lucky I don't have more time to-"
Another explosion. More pain, my skin was burning, my eardrums burst I think, I don't know, but I can't hear anything but the ringing. The woman was gone, same with her masked teammate, although I suspect the, uh limbs are what's left.
I tried to will my body to move but it wouldn't, I can't change either, I closed my eyes and hoped this hell would end soon.
I don't want this. I didn't want to kill him, it was me or them.
Me or them.