3 years later
Asna (14 years old)
Trying to be as quiet as possible, I searched through the pile of junk. Here, on the outskirts of Sunagakure, the inhabitants threw away all the things they no longer needed. It was a gloomy corner, not far from the Quarter of Ashes. There weren't usually too many people around here either. But you never knew.
Once a month, all the stuff was taken away. But first I was able to help myself to it. There were all sorts of useful things to collect. From worn belts and old kunai to practical wood. Some even threw old, broken furniture here. I hoarded wood like a precious treasure. Especially for the freezing cold nights. I still lived alone in my hovel. But every now and then Akuma and his sister came to visit me.
We were like allies by now. We acted together to survive. They never told me where they came from. And that wasn't important either. Only that we could rely on each other.
Satisfied, I pulled out several iron cogs from among the scrap and put them in my pockets. Extremely useful for what I was working on. In general, I tried my hand at a lot of things. I didn't want to fight or defend myself like the others. Instead, I wanted to be prepared in case things got uncomfortable. To have surprise on my side.
I had no kekkei genkai or outstanding talent. Everything was self-made. I could defend myself reasonably well by now, but not as well as I would have liked. And the images I sometimes had in front of my eyes when I touched someone were more of a hindrance than a help in a fight. That had almost cost me my life a few months ago.
Without Kairi, I probably would have died. It had seemed like a miracle that she had been nearby. Somehow we had a connection. I kept an eye on her and she kept an eye on me. I also kept an eye on her daughters whenever I could. They had also grown up a bit in the meantime.
They both went to the academy now. While one of them preferred to keep to herself and pursue her own thoughts, her sister spent a lot of time with the son of the Kazekage, Kankuro. They seemed to have formed a little friendship. He probably wouldn't recognize me now. Apart from Kairi, no one knew that I was still alive. They had all written me off. How was an eight-year-old supposed to survive alone in the alleys of Sunagakure? Especially in the Quarter of Ashes? When there was practically nothing there but ruins.
Kairi had now accepted that I wouldn't take her help. Only once, a few months ago, when a street gang had beaten me up, had I approached her. I could still remember her face well. If it had been up to her, she wouldn't have let me go. But she couldn't. We lived in different worlds. I had chosen life on the street and would do so again. Not least because the violence of the shinobi towards the Asshubōn, the ash-born, had increased recently.
At the market, people were increasingly on the lookout for dirty, homeless-looking adults or children. Shortly before my accident, Yun had approached me. He said I could come back at any time. That he could help me. Again, I had refused. He knew I didn't trust him. For sure. So why did he keep coming back to us? He also spoke to other Asshubōn from time to time. I watched the whole thing with a suspicious eye.
Akuma and Yui had been put in quite a bit of trouble by a chunin a week ago. They hadn't actually wanted to steal from him, but apparently he'd had a good laugh at us Asshubōn. And Akuma's nerves burned out pretty quickly. We had only managed to escape thanks to a little trick on my part. Fortunately, the chunin hadn't had me on his radar.
The escape had been quite difficult, as the reinforcements had consisted of a few all-too-familiar shinobi. Raidon and Akio, among others. I didn't know whether the jonin had recognized me. He had probably forgotten me long ago.
He didn't really seem to care about his son either. I could often see him crossing the large main market on his way to school. I was there as often as I could. This was where the traders set up their stalls and sold their wares. This was the place for temptingly bulging wallets. I was still giving a large part of the ryou I had looted to the orphanage.
The situation in the country had not improved in any way. If anything, it had got worse. After two very dry summers, I was now longing for one with lots of rainfall. The public wells had been closed at the time. You could only get to the water if you paid. It was the same now. You could quickly sneak past the guards to fill up small bottles or containers. But things were getting tight.
For weeks, I had been thinking of a plan to get past the chunin at night without using violence in order to get to the water. Apart from Akuma and Yui, I hadn't told anyone about this plan yet. It was still better if the other Asshubōn knew nothing about it. If everyone rushed off uncontrollably, we'd end up with nothing.
What I wouldn't give for Kaito's extensive knowledge. The Uōkā had already shown me a few things. But that was nowhere near enough to put my plan into action. I had already dared to sneak out into the desert once during the changing of the guard to find a certain plant. The leaves of the neru plant gave off a pleasant smell. A scent that would put any strong man to sleep.
Kaito, whom I hadn't seen for a year, had told me that he sometimes used them to escape unpleasant situations. He tended to resolve his conflicts without violence. Nevertheless, his kind had a high level of knowledge when it came to self-defense and attacking. At least that's what Yugure had once told me. While she was still alive. I still wasn't quite sure how she knew Yun, as he was a member of the city guard and she had hated the shinobi to death.
What was the point?
I met Yun in a friendly manner, but refused his help. Until I knew who he was, I didn't want him to find out that I distrusted him. And so the game continued. But I trusted that the stones would eventually start rolling. Usually when no one expected it. Nevertheless, I wanted to be prepared.
I had set up a few traps around my little hovel in the quarter of the ashes. There were also some inside. Just to be on the safe side. I didn't want any unwanted guests to think they needed to spread out and discover the tunnel system.
Yes...that was something I had only come across a year ago. Directly under a kind of trapdoor at the back of Yugure's former den was the entrance to a tunnel. In some places it had not yet been developed and in others I had discovered that it was also a natural underground cave.
I hadn't been able to explore all the branches yet. After all, I always had to make sure that nobody was following me. In the meantime, I had firmly closed the trapdoor. At some point, when I was stronger, I wanted to put a sealing jutsu on it that only I could break. But for now, a strong bolt and something heavy on top of it, as well as a trap in front of it, would have to do. What's more, my sleep had become even lighter. Even the slightest noise could wake me up. Even a mouse scurrying past.
Yugure's fate had taught me a lesson. Whenever I checked the garbage cans, I made sure that there were no rats around, and I tried to take as little as possible.
Somewhere above me, a bird of prey cried out and I looked up. The sun had now moved over the rooftops. So it was indeed time to leave. Akuma and Yui were certainly already waiting.
I carefully hid a few more things in the wide pockets of my coat before returning to my shed to deposit them at the back. Then I marched towards the market square. By now I knew the alleyways almost inside out.
Every little path, every shortcut or even trapdoor was more than familiar to me. When I hadn't yet found my way around so well, I had once hidden behind an old wall nearby in the hope that the shinobi I had stolen from wouldn't find me there. Unfortunately, he had called for help.
To this day, I was sure that Akio had seen me, but hadn't snitched. Maybe because he still felt guilty. Even though it had happened six years ago. Even when we ran into each other, he only nodded at me. There was nothing left of the boy who had terrorized other children in the home.
Some days I caught myself envying him. That he had a roof over his head, warm food and a family who loved him. I thought about that, especially on cold nights. Once I had even dreamed of sitting at Kairi's house. Talking to her daughters, letting them eat. But the reality was different.
And not every family was so harmonious.
By the time I reached the market square, most of the traders had already removed the tarpaulins from their stalls to reveal their tempting offerings. Just looking at the delicious fruit, herbs and other dishes made my stomach growl. I cautiously crept closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Yui and Akuma standing at the edge of a side alley. But they had their attention on something else.
„And I'm telling you. The losses I'm making are unbelievably high," said a slightly broader-built merchant, throwing his arms up in the air in despair. I knew him, he was originally from Kirigakure and was known everywhere for his delicious fruits. The assortment was truly gigantic.
„Not even our thieves are that talented, Daichi," someone else said. „Invisibility. What a load of rubbish."
„Well, I saw it with my own eyes, the way she struck," a second merchant intervened.
Daichi turned to him and blinked thankfully.
„The intangible is clever. I've already tried to set Chunin on her. But she covers her tracks very skillfully. No one has been able to catch her yet. It was only through the use of Nin-Ken that it was discovered that the thief is female."
I smiled slightly. It was always amusing to listen to the old Daichi getting upset about the intangible, invisible thief from Konohagakure. She must have a kekkei genkai if she couldn't be caught at all. I'd heard of jutsus that made you invisible. But to disappear completely, even for a Byakugan, was almost impossible. Somehow she was like a role model for me. I, too, would like to get from place to place unseen and, if nothing else, dance around on the Chunin's nose a little. Such an ability would also be very useful for getting to the well at night.
It wasn't just the merchants who listened attentively to Daichi. A few other familiar figures had also gathered nearby. Kairi's daughters were standing next to Kankuro and Temari. Curious, they asked Daichi their questions, who seemed to find this kind of attention rather annoying.
„You can ask the Hokage to send the copy ninja after her. She probably won't be able to lose him that quickly," suggested another trader. However, an oppressive silence descended on the square almost immediately. This man's father had killed many people from Sunagakure during the Second Shinobi World War.
Eventually, the people went their separate ways again and I hissed angrily, realizing that I could have taken advantage of this situation. But now it was too late. So I had to try it this way. I glanced at Akuma and Yui. Neither of them had noticed me yet. Now was the right time to...
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I jumped back to escape the hand that had otherwise closed around my neck. In the darkness of the alley, I drew the kunai and watched my opponent. But then I relaxed.
„You always have to scare me like that, Kaito."
