The sun was high. My shadow was small under my feet.
I had walked since dawn. No food. No water. Just dust and tired bones.
CRUNCH
My sandals on dry earth.
Ahead, something appeared. Walls. Wooden. Tall. A village gate.
Not like Konoha. Smaller. Poorer. The paint was peeling. The guards were young. Maybe fourteen years old.
They saw me. One raised a spear. His hand was shaking.
STOP!
I stopped.
Who are you?
A traveler.
The second guard stepped closer. His eyes looked at my forehead. No headband. No village symbol.
Where are you from?
Nowhere.
SWISH
He pulled a knife. Small. Rusted.
Liar. Bandits sent you.
I looked at his eyes. Brown. Scared.
If I was a bandit, you would be dead already.
Silence.
The first guard lowered his spear.
CLATTER
Let him pass. He's alone.
The second guard did not move.
He could be a spy.
For who? The rats?
HAH.
A dry laugh. From me.
The second guard stepped aside. His face was red.
Go. But if you cause trouble...
You will kill me. I know.
I walked through the gate.
The village was small. Maybe fifty houses. Dirt streets. Chickens running.
CLUCK CLUCK
Children playing with a ball made of rags.
THUMP THUMP
The ball hit my leg.
A boy ran up. Maybe six years old. Dirty face. Missing two teeth.
Sorry, mister!
I picked up the ball. Handed it to him.
It's okay.
He stared at my hands. At the scars. At the calluses.
Are you a ninja?
Yes.
His eyes went wide.
Wow! Can you do magic?
Hah.
A small laugh.
Maybe.
He ran away. Screaming.
MOM! A NINJA! A REAL NINJA!
The children followed him. Laughing.
HAHAHA
I stood alone in the street.
An old woman opened her door. Looked at me. Her face was wrinkled like dried fruit.
Hungry?
Yes.
She pointed inside.
Sit. Eat.
The house was small. One room. A pot over a fire. Smelled of vegetables. Old meat.
She gave me a bowl. Brown liquid. Floating leaves.
SLURP
Hot. Salty. Good.
Thank you.
She sat across from me. Her eyes were sharp.
Why are you here, ninja?
Passing through.
Where are you going?
East.
Hmph. She clicked her tongue.
East is death. Nothing there but old battlefields and ghosts.
Hah. I almost choked.
I know.
She stared at me. Long. Hard.
You are not afraid of ghosts?
I am a ghost.
She laughed. A cackle.
CAW CAW CAW
Good answer. Finish your soup.
SLURP
I finished. Stood. Reached for my pouch. Coins.
She pushed my hand away.
No. You paid by coming. This village has not seen a ninja in ten years.
Why?
She looked out the window. At the street. At the children.
Because the last ninja who came... brought enemies.
CRACK
A branch outside. Loud.
I turned.
The door opened. A man stood there. Tall. Scar on his face. A sword on his back.
His eyes found me.
You. The one from the gate.
Yes.
He stepped inside. The room felt smaller.
I am the village leader. We don't get visitors.
I know.
He walked to the table. Sat down. His sword scraped the chair.
CREAK
Why are you here?
Eating soup.
THUMP
His fist hit the table.
Don't play games. Bandits attacked us last month. Killed my brother. Now you show up. Alone. A ninja.
He leaned closer.
Are you with them?
No.
Then prove it.
I looked at him. His eyes were wet. Not from tears. From rage.
How?
The bandits have a base. Two hours east. A cave. Their leader is a rogue ninja. From the Hidden Waterfall.
He pulled a map from his vest. Unfolded it.
CRACKLE
Kill him. Bring his head. Then I believe you.
Silence.
The old woman looked at me. Her eyes were begging.
The children outside were still playing. Laughing.
HAHAHA
I took the map.
I will be back by sunset.
The leader stood. His hand went to his sword.
If you are lying. If you run. I will find you.
I looked at his sword. Rusted. Chipped.
No. You won't.
I walked out. The sun was lower now. Afternoon.
Two hours east. Through dry forest. Dead trees. Black birds.
CAW CAW
The cave was dark. A hole in a hill. Smoke coming out.
CRACKLE
Fire inside.
I walked to the entrance. No guards. They were confident. Stupid.
Inside. Torches on the walls. Men sleeping on the floor. Bottles everywhere.
SNORE
Loud.
And there. In the back. A man sitting on a throne made of stolen wood.
He wore a headband. Scratched. Waterfall symbol.
His eyes opened.
WHO ARE YOU?
His voice boomed. Echoed.
I walked toward him. Men woke up. Grabbed weapons.
CLATTER CLANG
I kept walking.
The rogue ninja stood. His hands formed signs.
Water Style: Water...
I was behind him. My hand on his shoulder.
No.
He froze.
My fingers touched his neck. The system hummed.
Extraction.
His chakra flowed into me. Not much. Weak. But something.
A technique. Water Clone.
Acquired.
He fell. Unconscious. Alive.
The bandits stared. Their weapons dropped.
CLATTER CLANG
Run. I said.
They ran.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Feet. Screaming. Gone.
I looked at the rogue ninja. Tied him with rope from the corner.
CREAK
I dragged him outside. The sun was setting. Orange. Red.
Two hours back. The village gate.
The leader was waiting. His sword drawn.
I dropped the rogue ninja at his feet.
THUD
He is alive. Your choice what to do with him.
The leader stared. His mouth opened. Closed.
Why?
Because you asked.
I turned. Walked away.
Wait!
I stopped.
The leader's voice was soft now.
Thank you.
I did not turn around.
Do not thank me. Fix your walls. Train your boys. The next ninja might not be friendly.
I walked into the forest. The sun disappeared.
Kurama spoke.
That was stupid. You wasted time.
No. That was necessary.
Why?
Because a ghost must remember what he is protecting.
Hmm.
The fox was quiet.
The moon rose. Silver. Cold.
My first village. My first enemy.
Not the Collector. Not the dead.
Just a broken man with a rusted sword.
Hah.
A small laugh.
The road was long. But every step mattered.
I walked east. Into the dark.