Chapter 2 – A Life in Darkness I
The distance between the hospital and the central village building was short, so after leaving the baby in the care of the medical team, Chiyo quickly reached the central building.
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In the largest building in Suna, in a simple office, a man in his 30s was flipping through some documents when suddenly a figure wearing a mask appeared beside him and whispered something to him.
"Chiyo?" Raising his head, the man's face reflected deep fatigue and indifference.
"Yes," responded the masked figure beside him.
The man paused for a moment before giving a slight nod to the figure, who quickly disappeared.
Letting out a tired sigh, the man leaned back in his chair and looked at the door in silence.
A short time later, Chiyo entered the room, and they stared at each other in silence.
"Rasa—"
"Elder Chiyo, to what do I owe this visit?" the man, Rasa, spoke in a cold tone as he looked at the elderly woman before him.
As the Kazekage of the village, Rasa held the highest position anyone could attain in the village. He had held the post since the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War, and since then, he had done his utmost to maintain the stability and development of the village. Unfortunately, he had largely failed in this regard.
Currently, the support received from the Daimyo had been steadily decreasing since their defeat in the last war, forcing Rasa to use his magnetic style to offset the deficit by finding and developing mineral deposits in the desert. Unfortunately, even with this, the village was barely able to sustain itself.
The weight of his position was heavy, but that wasn't the reason for his hostility toward the elderly woman before him. No.
Rasa held a grudge against Chiyo because he believed she was partly responsible for his wife's death. Of course, he knew this wasn't true, but Rasa needed someone to blame.
His youngest son, Gaara, as the only one compatible with the Ichibi, had become its Jinchuriki even before he was born. Because of this, he was born prematurely, which led to complications during his wife's labor.
Rasa blamed Chiyo because it was she who had recommended and sealed the Ichibi in Gaara, and she knew it.
Chiyo didn't blame Rasa for this, nor did she feel guilty. As someone who had lived through three great wars, Chiyo knew that such a sacrifice was necessary. Whether it was right or wrong, honestly, it didn't matter. She had already sacrificed everything she had, and long ago, she had put such concerns aside, which was why she didn't care about Rasa's hostility toward her. In her eyes, what she had done was right.
Ignoring Rasa, Chiyo gestured lightly, and a masked figure appeared, kneeling by her side.
"Call Ebizō and Miura," she instructed. The masked figure gave a slight nod and disappeared. Chiyo then looked around and continued, "Everyone else, leave the room."
Rasa saw the scene and frowned. Although he didn't like Chiyo, he knew she wouldn't do anything disadvantageous to the village, so he gave a slight nod, signaling his guards hidden in the shadows to leave, leaving just the two of them.
"So, what happened?" Rasa asked again, this time in a calmer tone, though still cold. Chiyo removed a scroll and placed it on the table before recounting what she had found in the desert.
Rasa listened in silence, understanding the importance of this information.
"What do you think?" Rasa asked, to which Chiyo simply sighed and sat down on a nearby sofa.
"We'll wait for Ebizō and Miura," she said, pouring herself a glass of water. "They should learn more about the woman and the overall situation."
Rasa nodded, and together with Chiyo, he waited in silence for the arrival of the other two.
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In a large estate, a girl sharpened a sword with a look of anxiety on her face.
She didn't seem to be more than 10 years old, yet here she was, sharpening a sword and preparing to go to war.
She was frightened, afraid of what was to come, but as a ninja and, even more so, a member of the Senju clan, it was her duty to protect the village.
'Senju…' she thought, wondering if that name was truly something good.
After finishing sharpening the sword, the girl prepared the rest of her equipment and then headed for the door.
"I'm leaving," she said with her immature voice, but no one answered. Her parents had already perished on the battlefield, and now she was the only one living in the house.
Outside, a large family compound was basically empty. The few who were still there, like the girl, marched with a somber expression toward the village entrance.
Everyone there knew why they were fighting—it was to protect their home, but that didn't make things any easier.
As one of the founding clans, and even more, as one of the two clans that gave rise to the village, the Senju clan had always been a formidable force on the battlefield, always at the front lines.
The girl looked at her clan relatives and joined them, specifically the other children like herself.
The clan members, with the exception of a few children, walked in silence, which only made the situation feel heavier.
The clan's adults looked at the children with heavy gazes; some noticed the girl's anxiety but said nothing. They knew the truth about the front lines and knew that after this war, the Senju clan that hadn't merged with the village would essentially cease to exist.
This was a bitter price that many weren't willing to pay, but they recognized the necessity of such a sacrifice. For them, their only wish was that these children would come back alive.
With this and much more on their minds, the Senju clan marched toward the village exit.
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The scene shifts.
Explosions and sounds of clashing metal echoed from a great distance, indicating the presence of a nearby battlefield.
In a forest near that place…
The girl, once innocent and fearful, had grown up. Now, at 12 years old, she wore a cold expression as she stabbed a boy her own age with her sword.
"That was the last one," she said, looking at the dead boy before turning to look at her companions.
The first was an older man, in his 20s. Like her, he belonged to the Senju clan and was responsible for this operation.
The other was a boy from the Uchiha clan. He was somewhat arrogant but quite reliable, and they both had good synergy in combat. He was looking around, his eyes glowing red, indicating that he had awakened the Sharingan, the Uchiha's kekkei genkai.
There had also been a fourth member on the team from the Sarutobi clan, but he had died a few days earlier and had yet to be replaced.
"What are the Kumo ninjas doing here?" the young Uchiha spoke in a serious tone as he looked at the bodies of the team they had just killed.
"I don't know," the team leader spoke tensely as he bandaged his injured arm. "But it can't be good. If Kumo joins the war, we'll be under even more pressure."
He then cut off the head of the enemy team leader and sealed it in a scroll before looking at his students.
"Let's go. The information we have must be delivered as soon as possible."
"Yes." x2
The team quickly ran toward the battlefield, and when they arrived, they were greeted with a wider view of the place.
On one side were the ninjas of Konohagakure—their village, their friends. On the other, ninjas from Sunagakure, and a little farther away, ninjas from Iwagakure were also joining the battle.
The death toll was rising with each passing moment in that hellish clash. Whether men, women, or even children, bodies kept falling without cease, making the place a true meat grinder.
Though it was a terrible sight, they didn't take long and proceeded with their mission; after all, with the information they held and Kumo's intervention, it was almost certain that the situation would worsen even more.