Yūji hadn't been sleeping well lately. It had been three days since he last got proper rest. Karin didn't know this, but she was deeply worried about her beloved brother. She often tried to force Yūji to rest, but to her surprise, the boy stubbornly refused, even as his head would occasionally droop from exhaustion.
Karin could only hope that her dear brother would eventually sleep. She didn't understand why he couldn't rest and, at one point, even went so far as to try to make him bite her forearm to relieve whatever burden he carried. Of course, Yūji scolded his older sister for even suggesting such a thing, creating an oddly humorous moment between them.
At that moment, Yūji was busy doing chores to help his beloved sister, cleaning the small space the ninjas had given them. Despite being utterly exhausted, he refused to stop, though his body occasionally betrayed him, causing him to fall asleep where he stood. Since the day he had seen his adult self, he hadn't encountered him again.
A week passed. Karin and Yūji were playing in their room, their laughter filling the air. But a sudden knock at the door disrupted their joy. Yūji noticed how his sister tensed, her jaw tightening before she went to open the door. The boy's curious red-haired head peeked out behind her.
"It's about time you opened the door, brat! We've got a lot of injured people that need treating!" barked a Kusagakure ninja, clearly irritated as he barged in, bringing with him a group of injured individuals.
Karin frowned but felt her younger brother clutch her hand. "Sister, what's going on?" Yūji asked, confused. She had explained to him before that they were supposed to help heal people, but he didn't know how to do it himself.
Karin's gaze wavered. Something deep inside her urged her to run far, far away from this place. But she knew she couldn't stand against these advanced ninjas. Her eyes kept returning to her brother's innocent face.
It felt as though that light in him might soon disappear.
"Stop talking! Hurry up and bare your arms! You too, kid!" ordered one of the ninjas as he held an injured man by the arm draped over his shoulder.
Karin watched as they roughly grabbed her little brother. Yūji didn't understand why they were hurting him by handling him so roughly. Karin noticed too and immediately acted. She ran to the ninja exposing Yūji's arms, her expression a mix of anger and worry. "Don't touch him! Bite my arms instead! He's still just a child! He's too weak to endure it!" she shouted, pulling her little brother to her side, trying to shield him from the ninjas.
But what chance did she really have of stopping them?
"Ugh!" A grunt of pain escaped her lips as a blow struck her left cheek, sending her flying into a dilapidated piece of furniture. Her head hit with a loud thud, and Yūji's heart filled with panic.
"Sister!" he cried, trying to run to her, but they grabbed him firmly again.
"Stay still, or your sister will suffer worse!" barked a female Jōnin, her patience clearly wearing thin as her comrades bled out nearby.
Karin struggled to get up despite the blow, but they easily restrained her. One of the injured was brought to her arm, biting down hard enough for blood to begin dripping.
"AHHH!" Her scream of pain shattered Yūji's heart. Tears flowed slowly from her eyes as her legs kicked instinctively to escape.
The sound alone was unbearable.
"SISTER! Let me go! Get away from my sister!" Yūji shouted, unable to bear the sight of multiple people biting her arms. His face was a mix of terror and concern as he thrashed against those restraining him. But soon, he felt sharp bites on his own arms as well.
"Gnh!" The pain was sharp and searing, making him squeeze his eyes shut as thick drops of his blood fell to the ground, echoing with the sound of splatters.
Karin's tear-filled eyes showed nothing but worry as she watched her brother suffer alongside her. She wanted to protect him but had no strength to push the others away.
All she could feel was helplessness.
"Let me go!" Yūji screamed again, struggling despite the pain.
"Damn brat, stop moving!" snapped the Jōnin, glaring at him. If it weren't for their healing abilities, she would have killed him already.
"You leave me no choice! Kusoka!" she called out to the man holding Karin. The named ninja smirked cruelly.
He pulled a kunai from his left pocket and, without hesitation, stabbed Karin deeply in her right thigh. Blood began to pour.
"AHHH!" Karin's scream was far worse than before, raw and full of agony. Her tears streamed freely as her body shook uncontrollably.
"DON'T HURT HER!" Yūji cried, his voice filled with rage and anguish. Tears streamed down his face as anger boiled inside him. His small frame trembled with frustration at his powerlessness.
But his emotions churned wildly, his bloodshot eyes locked onto the scene of his sister's pain, and the cruel smirk of the ninja. His small hands clenched into fists, his teeth grinding tightly.
It all felt like slow motion. Karin's pleading eyes begged him to stop resisting and accept what was happening, even as bites covered his arms.
But he couldn't accept it.
"LET GO OF MY SISTER!" he screamed, his voice breaking from the sheer force of his cry.
The ninjas, mocking him just moments before, froze, their expressions shifting to shock.
"What—?"
They didn't know what happened next. All they felt was a sudden surge of energy as four vibrant, golden chains erupted from Yūji's back.
Fueled by his chaotic emotions, the chains moved on their own, coiling tightly around the ninjas, binding their torsos, legs, and necks. They restrained those attacking him and Karin alike.
"Damn it!" one of them managed to gasp, his eyes wide with fear as the chains tightened around him. He tried to strike Yūji with a kunai, but the chains held firm, unyielding.
A grotesque, wet sound filled the room, followed by the sickening splatter of flesh.
Yūji, unconscious, had tightened the chains with such force that the ninjas were reduced to pulps of flesh, their bodies exploding into unrecognizable masses.
When the boy opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a nightmare. The entire room was bathed in red, chunks of flesh and viscera strewn everywhere.
No one had survived. His small body trembled violently as his eyes searched for his sister. When he finally spotted her, Karin was equally stunned, her tear-streaked face frozen in shock. Behind Yūji, the chains receded into his back, disappearing as if they had never existed.
" sis-sister..." Yūji's trembling voice broke as tears streamed from his wide, terrified eyes. It was the first time he had witnessed such a horrific scene—a scene he had caused.
Karin snapped out of her daze and immediately pulled Yūji into her arms. Her breathing was frantic as she realized her brother had killed all the ninjas.
"We have to leave now, Yūji," she said, grabbing whatever food she could find in their small home.
She didn't care about her injured thigh; adrenaline drove her forward. All she could think about was fleeing, far from the carnage they had left behind.
Yūji cried silently in her arms, his small body trembling uncontrollably. He was just a child who had now witnessed—and committed—the cruelty of this world.
Without a second thought, Karin ran, her breath ragged, her mind blank, and her brother clutched tightly in her arms. They had to get away before anyone realized what had happened to the ninjas.
"Big sister, I-I didn't mean to hurt them... I-I just didn't want them to keep hurting you, really," Yūji whispered, still in shock. His wide eyes sought his sister's gaze, hoping for her understanding. She looked at him, and though she seemed to know, it was clear she forgave him for what he had done.
He didn't want to hurt anyone else.
Karin kept running as fast as her legs could carry her. She silently thanked all the practice and training she had put into building her stamina because, without it, she would have collapsed long ago. She didn't know where they were heading or if they would ever find a place where they'd be accepted. Her mother had always warned them that the world was cruel, that people were filled with hatred and malice toward them because of their crimson hair.
She just wanted to live in peace with her brother.
Her breath came in ragged gasps as exhaustion overtook her. The weather, once calm and pleasant, had turned ominous. Thick, gray clouds gathered above, heavy with rain. It seemed they had managed to escape their former home, but Karin's body couldn't endure the strain any longer. She collapsed, her strength drained, as the adrenaline that had fueled her finally dissipated.
Yūji stared at her in alarm, scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. The rain continued to pour harder, drenching him and masking the tears that wouldn't stop falling. He was terrified that those evil men might come after them and hurt them again.
The rain mixed with his guilt and sorrow, flooding his heart.
"I don't want to feel this way anymore... I want to protect my sister. I have to protect her," he thought, determination flaring in his chest.
Without realizing it, a faint, gentle glow began to heal the bite marks on his arms. It was something different from what his sister had described as chakra.
This time, Yūji stopped crying, standing firm despite the trembling in his small body. He had to find a place for them to stay. He approached his sister, wrapping his arms around her to lift her up. She was heavy for his small frame, given the age and size difference. His legs shook, but sheer willpower drove him to carry her, no matter how uncomfortable the position. He began searching for a safe shelter where they could rest.
In the distance, hidden among the trees, he spotted a cluster of small, decrepit houses, their walls warped and rotting. Despite their poor condition, Yūji didn't care. All that mattered was that his sister could rest.
Everything had happened because of him. If only he had allowed them to harm him instead, maybe they wouldn't be running now. His sister had acted on instinct, fleeing to protect him.
A determined look replaced his sorrow as he reached the first shack. It was barely standing, with gaping holes in the walls and decayed wood everywhere. But it was hidden, surrounded by roots and trees. Nearby, strange metal structures loomed ominously, their pipes stretching skyward. They intimidated him, so he avoided them entirely.
Panting heavily, he entered the shack and gently laid his sister down. He quickly left again to gather leaves and whatever else he could find to make a bed. His small body moved swiftly, driven by a desperate desire to ensure Karin wouldn't suffer because of his mistakes.
Once he had finished arranging a makeshift bed for her, he collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted. His face still bore a sorrowful expression as the sound of rain and dripping water echoed in the small space.
"I'm so sorry, sister... It's all my fault," he muttered, his voice heavy with regret. His eyebrows furrowed deeply as guilt consumed him.
Flashes of the massacre replayed in his mind—chunks of flesh strewn across the floor, horrifying sights he had never encountered before, and those empty, lifeless eyes staring directly at him.
Fear gripped him as his hands trembled uncontrollably.
The memories hit him like a storm, and he clutched his head tightly, his expression tormented.
"I... I killed them. They didn't even have time to scream. I didn't mean to... I didn't want to..." he murmured, his voice trembling. The trauma of taking lives for the first time was a crushing weight that left him shaking violently.
The sinister energy within him, usually dormant, stirred chaotically in his core. It had been awakened by his emotions and the bloodshed he had unleashed.
The haunting scent of spilled blood...
Yūji squeezed his eyes shut as a sharp, piercing pain erupted in his head. He wanted to scream, but before he could, his vision turned white. A high-pitched ringing drowned out all sound, amplifying his agony.
His small body collapsed onto the floor, face-first. In the silence, only the rain and the echo of his fall could be heard.