Hey ya'll this is one of the first full fanfiction I've done in close to 8-10 years. I basically grew up with ninjago since I was 10 back in 2011 and it's been with me ever since. What I'm about to post has been in the making for close to 10 years in of itself. It's basically a complete rewrite of the show with a more impactful narrative and story cohesion with deeper themes and more meaningful character interactions and moments and some big overhauls here and there. Basically the fanfiction of my dreams, so I hope you'll be along with me on this journey for how ever long it takes me to finish or however long intil my Audhd ridden self has the executive function to carry this out haha

Enjoy!

Ninjago Retold: Legacy of Shadow

Chapter One: Sister of Fire

The day was coming to an end over the village of Ignacia. The red treetops swayed back and forth in the light, refreshing breeze. The amber-orange light draped Nya in a strong, warm glow as she tidied up some heavy armour and other knickknacks around the blacksmith's shop.

She sighed to herself. It always felt like the responsibility fell on her to keep things in order, on top of her intensive training with the town's marshal. It always seemed like she never had time for herself. What did she even want for herself? She was so focused, determined, and dedicated to becoming her idealised self. She was going to be the village's lead shinobi warrior someday, or maybe even a prized samurai—or die trying, at least. That part she kept from Kai. But she needed this; she needed to have control of her own destiny. She was the one who was going to decide where she ended up. She didn't want tradition to define her, at least not by the typical expectations placed on her. No, she was going to bring her own honor to herself, her name, and her family. In spirit, she wanted to be the first son, and she would fight the odds to make it a reality. She would convince Kai, her father, and everyone else that she was deserving of this, and that they were not merely humouring her.

She tightened her fist. She swore she would prove herself—just like she did every night, every day, every month every year. So many people wanted to force her into marriage or make her a pretty envoy or some other "lady-like" profession, but no. She was a warrior, and she would die by the sword as she lived by it.

"Ding, ding, ding," followed by grunt after grunt. Nya sighed and rolled her eyes. She knew Kai was working on his own project again.

"To forge the perfect weapon, you first need the right metal and plenty of heat," he murmured to himself. She turned her head to face him and watched.

"And cool it off, annnnd…" He pulled the sword up too quickly from the bucket, and it bent and contorted into a distorted spiral.

Nya sighed again and let out a laugh. "You made it too quickly, Kai. If Father were still here…"

"I know, I know," he cut her off, the corners of his mouth twitching with agitation. "No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something that comes overnight. I know, I've heard it a million times before. And it might work for you and everyone else here, Nya, but I'm going to be a better blacksmith and a better martial artist, and everything else Dad ever was…"

"Whatever else he was exactly," Nya responded with a slight shiver, it was the one topic they both avoided going over in great detail. She recomposed herself and shot a look in his direction "Also…" Nya then chucked a ball of loose scrap metal toward him. It hit him on the right side of his shoulder.

"Ooouch! I didn't even have a chance to catch it, sis." he exclaimed being taken aback by the sudden pain

"That's what you get for insulting my progress in my own ambition. You don't just insult a warrior initiate, Kai, even if I'm still your sister. Insult me all you like, but do not insult what I am. You of all people should know the dishonour in that," she said, pointing at him.

"I could do it myself if I wanted to" he responded while rubbing the spot on his arm that stung with pain. "I just think they're lame, and I'm better off training myself, just like Dad taught me. He was better than everyone else here, and they know it."

Nya couldn't deny that much—Kai was right about that. Their father did basically dominate any field he put his mind to, and everyone respected him for it. She hated to admit it to herself, but it was probably the only reason they even let her train with the guys as a guy, and not as some honourary "woman warrior." She knew they feared the spirit of her father, even in death, and she and Kai were still living manifestations of that power. Even as a woman—and that made her shiver—they were afraid of her ferocity. And she trained and practised hard to keep it that way. She had to be feared to be respected. None of them could even be allowed to think she was a woman, or else she'd beat it out of them. She clenched her jaw and furrowed her brow as she thought about all of this. Again and again, she went down the same thought loops.

Suddenly, something caught her eye on the horizon, breaking her out of her thoughts. Just over where the local farmers were picking the last bits of rice before the day ended, the sky suddenly turned a dark purplish blue-black, and it was gaining momentum. It made her heart sink and a pit form in her stomach. Something about it felt unnatural.

Then, a massive truck-like vehicle appeared on the horizon, hopping over the furthest hill that marked the border of the village. About five to six smaller skull motorcycles flanked it on each side. They paused for a moment before rushing down the hill. The people working on the farm began to scream and scrambled in different directions.

Another thing caught Nya's eye from the far right of her line of sight. An old man dressed in white with a straw hat suddenly appeared from nowhere. Stick in hand, he looked oddly composed for the situation unfolding. It made Nya feel a bit queasy.

"Kai… what are they?" she asked, turning to look at her brother. But by the look on his face too, she could tell he felt just as uneasy about the situation as she did.

"I don't know, sis…" he said, his face slightly ghostly pale. He clomped a piece of samurai armour onto his head and began to walk outside the shop. "Stay here, though," he continued, as he ran off into the fray.

A mix of bitterness and concern churned within her, and the tip of her tongue felt like ice. "Stay here? Are you serious, Kai? With all I've done…" But he was already gone, sword in hand, too far to hear her lashings. She sighed, grabbed the closest weapon she could find, and hopped into the chaos herself.

Kai was already surrounded by three Skulkin, dressed in blue and black armour with wild, crazed looks in their eyes. He decapitated one and kicked its head over the roof of the blacksmith's shop. Some other Skulkin seemed amused by the commotion, cackling and hollering at the sight.

Nya seized her opportunity and lunged at them, staff in hand. She floored them and struck fiercely. Then, she charged into the centre where Kai was being enclosed by more Skulkin.

"I thought I told you to stay back!" Kai said with a tinge of frustration as he fought off the attackers.

"And let you have all the fun?" Nya responded, lunging at another approaching Skulkin. "You really think I'm incapable of helping in a situation like this?" She let her bitterness fuel her as she delivered a fierce kick to one of the boneheads with her dominant leg.

"You always do this, Kai. No matter what I do or how I try to improve myself, you always treat me like I'm *still just a girl*."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have to if you kept yourself safe for once, instead of doing something reckless and unnecessary," he retorted, slashing at a Skulkin's bone arm.

"Hehe, that tickles!" the owner of the arm responded. Kai kicked the skeleton away in frustration, and it slammed into a nearby tree with a resounding wallop.

"Unnecessary? Aren't you one to talk?"

Suddenly the wind was knocked out of Nya as she was blown back by the impact of something large crashing nearby. She groaned for a moment before looking up and seeing a massive figure of bone and armour, its large jaw hanging wide open. Its red eyes burned with malice as it faced Kai. It pulled out four razor-sharp bone daggers with its four massive boney arms and lunged at Kai with relentless fury.

He jumped to dodge most of the attacks, but one of the daggers landed a hit and sent Kai reeling backward. He landed with a thump on the hard ground.

Samukai raised his four daggers in the air, cackling as he prepared for another lunge. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the old man reappeared. He shot daggers from his eyes at the large monstrosity and lunged, shouting, "NINJA-GO!" In an instant, he became a spinning tornado of gold and white.

Nya felt a sense of relief as the whirlwind cut through the darkness, bringing her a semblance of peace with its heavy elemental presence.

The twisting tornado battered Samukai, pushing him back and creating a good deal of distance between him, Nya, and Kai.

Samukai shook his head to regain focus. "Sensei Wu?" He shot piercing glares at him. "Your Spinjitzu looks rusty," he sneered.

Wu glared back at him. "Nothing like bone to sharpen its edge, Samukai," he retorted, striking a battle-ready pose.

Samukai, feeling slightly outmatched, noticed a water tower above them. He launched his daggers toward one of its legs, causing it to crash down. The tower fell between the four of them, forcing Nya and Wu to jump back to avoid it. Kai rolled away with a grunt to escape the fall.

Samukai jumped back onto his truck, followed by Kruncha and Nuckal, who carried a map. "I hate to cut this short," Samukai said, turning to Kruncha and elbowing him, "but the boss wouldn't want us to lose our prize." He chuckled maliciously. "On my orders, take the boy. The boss will be very pleased. Oh, and Wu… Garmadon kindly sends his regards." Without warning, a large skeleton arm lunged at Kai and pulled him toward the deck of the truck. He cursed as they tied him down. "I swear, if you boneheads even think about laying a hand on me, I'll… I'll…" Samukai laughed again and pointed toward Nya. "Next time, you won't have this frail old man protecting you, girl. Move it! We've been here long enough. Move out, move out!" And just as quickly as it started, it ended.

"KAI!" Nya screamed as she rushed after the vehicles as they sped away into the distance. The old man leaped towards her and planted his long staff in front of her. "It will do neither of you any good to both get caught and to be dragged down there together." Nya could still feel the adrenaline pulsing through her ears still and she let out tired ragged breath.

"Caught and taken to where? What do you mean dragged down to that place? Who are you, and why did they steal my brother?" She shot him a look of deep mistrust. Wu sighed and stroked his long beard. "It's a long story, my dear. I will tell you as we travel. And yes, before you protest, you cannot stay here for your own good, it's much too dangerous here and to be on your own right now " he said, meeting her gaze.

"I know deep down you understand that protesting will do you no good. Trust my judgement, and we will go when you are ready but do not lessen your haze." He gestured toward the horizon where Kai had been taken and began to sit down cross legged, a light blue teapot now in his hand as was pouring it into his cup. "I will give you as long as it takes to finish my tea and we will then go" he looked up at her and nodded. Nya sighed in frustration, knowing he was right despite everything. She turned away from his piercing gaze. "I know you're right, old man. I know what to grab and we'll go wherever it is you're taking us."

She rushed back into the house and grabbed a bag she always kept ready for circumstances, as she put it to herself. Packed with essentials she's ever needed on the go. As the adrenaline began to wear off even more a deepening pit was forming in her stomach, and the tension inside her grew. "Why again?" she thought and she banged her first across some of the armour stands she just finished stacking not an hour before, her mind reeling with thoughts of the events that just transpired. Then to Kai and then to her family at large. First Mom, then Dad, and now Kai. Why couldn't she just have her family without it being snatched away, why did this always happen and why did her fear of Kai being gone come true?

A small sob escaped her as the tears began to roll. It had been years since she allowed herself to let this pain and suffering out, especially with Kai now gone so he couldn't her like this. It didn't matter anymore. She needed this moment of respite, just once, before she had to close herself off again in front of the old man and the world but at least Kai wouldn't see… that made her sob even more.

I already have chapter two in the works. Should be uploaded in a day or two. Would love to hear your feedback and suggestions!