Reason

Fire

All that one could see was fire for miles and miles, until the only thing left to see was the infinite darkness of the night. One boy stood atop a cliff, staring out into this raging inferno, while the screams of the dying sounded out from below. Tears streamed down his eyes as he turned around and ran through the trees.

He ran and ran until he found the path leading down the mountain and into his village. He continued to run as fast as his small body would allow until he finally reached the sign that would always welcome him home.

"Welcome to Hani Village!"

The boy ran past the sign and into the burning village. He encountered many charred, and mutilated corpses, but he ignored them as he continued to run. Eventually, he stopped at a small house with a bamboo roof, polished wooden walls, and sliding doors that had blood splattered all over it.

The boy slid the doors open with all the strength he could muster, only to see his mother lying dead on the floor, and his father kneeling in front of a man wearing a black kimono with his black hair tied up in a ponytail.

The man had his sharp fingernails pointed at his father's throat and, when he noticed the boy enter, he lifted his hand toward him. Suddenly, the boy's father yelled and jumped at the man, tackling him to the ground, before yelling "Run, Akatsuki!"

The man snarled and sliced the father's head off before standing up and brushing his now bloody kimono off. "Oh dear, look at what you've done. Now I have to clean my favorite kimono..." Akatsuki's eyes were wide with fear as the reality of his situation caught up with his adrenaline filled body.

Akatsuki fell to his knees and began to cry as he let out a scream of rage, hatred, and sorrow. The man covered his ears and winced before walking over and kicking Akatsuki in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood as he landed next to his mother's mutilated body.

Rage built up inside of his body as his eyes turned red and his pupils turned into slits. Akatsuki roared and leapt at the man as his fingernails extended and hardened. The man let out an intrigued 'Hoh' before batting Akatsuki to the side and stepping on his throat.

"Tell me, boy, just what are you?" The man asked. Akatsuki growled and yelled "Damn you!! You killed them, how could you!! I'll fucking murder you! I'll kill you!" The man seemed genuinely taken aback as he wondered how such a little kid could be filled with such rage.

The man chuckled and kicked Akatsuki across the room as he said "If you wish to kill me, then nurture that hatred and live your life seeking the revenge you desire. Only then will you become strong enough to beat me, little half-breed..."

The man disappeared after saying these words; his glowing red eyes burnt into Akatsuki's soul forever. His father's last words rang in his head as he lay on the ground, beaten and crying.

"Run, Akatsuki..."

---

Akatsuki jolted up with sweat dripping off his body. His breathing was erratic as he relived that nightmare over and over inside of his head. Akatsuki wiped the sweat from brow and got up before putting his clothes on and walking outside. The sun had just rose over the mountains in the distance and many people were still asleep in the rather large village.

Akatsuki roamed the streets until he found the exit and began to walk to the forest ahead. He continued to walk until he came across a clearing in the forest. Akatsuki walked past a puddle and glanced down into it before doing a double take and looking at his face.

He was a rather handsome man with shoulder-length white hair, dark eyes, and a scruffy black beard that was barely even able to be called a beard. His sharp features and angular jaw were his most prominent features, however, and it earned him many encounters with the village women, but he was never interested in them.

He only lived to get stronger.

Akatsuki walked to a nearby tree and jumped up to a branch before starting his workout. He always thought that stretching would hinder his progress and eat up his time, but this just gave him back problems at a young age, however, it's not like that stopped him from training nonstop.

Akatsuki finished his pull-ups and began to take deep breaths before getting down into the push-up position. He always completed two-hundred push-ups before planking for two minutes, and that's why he had such a sturdy body at his age.

Akatsuki's mind was wandering during his workout, and even when he had moved to training his fighting style. His father used to be a master in a fighting style named Sido-no-Senju, and it focused on utilizing fast movements with unpredictable attack patterns.

Akatsuki sighed and stopped moving before saying "I know you're there. Come out." A girlish laugh sounded out from behind him as a rather beautiful young woman with short red hair and deep blue eyes walked out from behind a tree.

The woman smiled sweetly before saying "I wish you'd workout without a shirt, you know..." in a seductive voice. Akatsuki let out a wry smile and responded. "I don't because of people like you who stalk me. I'm not doing this for you." Akatsuki steadied his breathing before turning and walking back toward the village.

He stopped mid-step before saying "Come on, if you wait for too long a Demon will come." The woman laughed and skipped over to where Akatsuki was before trying to hold his hand, arm, and basically everything else, to which Akatsuki brushed her off every time.

The two made it back to the village after a half hour walk, and the woman waved Akatsuki goodbye as she made her way back home. Akatsuki could only sigh, as this was the third woman in two days to do something similar as she had done today.

Akatsuki made his way back to his house before grabbing an axe and moving over to a lumber mill at the other side of the village. Akatsuki's job was to cut lumber and stack it up so that the villagers would have enough for the winter.

He did this job willingly, as it would help make the lives of many easier, and he enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere as he chopped a seemingly endless supply of logs for hours on end without tiring. Many believed him to be a blessing due to his superhuman strength and stamina, but many saw him as a curse because of this as well.

Although Akatsuki remembered the Demon, who killed his parents, calling him a "half-breed" he didn't really know what he meant, and he still doesn't. He sometimes thought that this strength of his was due to him being this so-called half-breed, but others thought it was from working out day-in, day-out.

Akatsuki sliced through a piece of wood, splitting it into perfect halves, before moving them to the side in a large pile of wood. Girlish squeals sounded out from behind him, but he ignored them as usual and continued to work until it was midday.

Akatsuki wiped the sweat from his brow before breathing a short sigh and hauling a large pile of lumber over to an equally large container used to keep the wood dry. He stacked the logs neatly before closing the top of the container, picking up his axe, and heading back home to rest for the afternoon.

He passed by many people, who thanked him for working hard as usual, and he smiled and gave them a wave or a short dip of his head as a sign of respect as he admired the peaceful atmosphere of the village.

Children scampered around as they played games and laughed, while the elders sat on their porches and sipped their tea with relaxed smiles on their faces. This peace was something that Akatsuki wanted to keep at all costs.

Thinking about this, there was only one solution that he thought would work, so he put his axe up in his house before heading out once again, however, this time he was heading toward the village chief's house.

He knocked on the door and a kind old woman answered before raising her brows in surprise and saying "Oh my, what a surprise! Yazura, Akatsuki is here to see you!" Akatsuki bowed in respect before walking in and taking his shoes off at the door. Soon, a middle aged man with graying brown hair and two tired, yet energetic, brown eyes that brimmed with intelligence.

Yazura smiled widely, showing his pearly white teeth, before walking over and giving Akatsuki a big hug as he said "Ah, my friend! It has been too long, too long! Come, I'll have some food prepared as we talk." Akatsuki smiled slightly as he said "Sorry, Yazura, but I'm afraid I can't stay for too long. I've come to ask about the test..."

Yazura's smile faded as he muttered "The test, eh?" While putting his clean shaven face in his palm. Yazura stood there in thought for a second before, eventually, nodding his head and gesturing for Akatsuki to follow him. The two walked toward the back of the large house before entering a rather large room with a single desk at the back of the room, and two large bookshelves on the left side of the room.

Yazura sat down behind the desk with a tired sigh before saying "I'm getting too old for this! Now, I'm sure you're aware of what you're getting into, correct?" Akatsuki walked over to the bookshelves and nodded his head as his finger slid over the countless books on the shelves.

Yazura nodded his head and sighed before reaching into a compartment in his desk and pulling out a folded map. "Now, I'm sure that you also know what the test is about, and how difficult it will be. Correct?" Akatsuki nodded his head once again as his gaze landed on a black book with golden letters on its spine.

"Shinoki Family Breathing Technique"

"Yeah, I know what I'm getting into, and I'm sure you know a few ways to help me out, not that I'll need it." Yazura chuckled before responding. "Good, I like that foolish confidence of yours. You'll need it. First things first, you'll need a sword and proper teaching on how to use it."

Akatsuki went to turn his head and say something, however, he was forced to catch an object heading straight for his head. He looked at the object and noticed that it was a katana with a dark blue saya and a dark blue cord wrapped over the black ray-skin hilt.

Yazura stood and retrieved his own katana from under his desk before walking toward the door and looking back toward Akatsuki. "You coming, or are you just gonna stand there all day?" Akatsuki looked up and said "Yeah, sorry about that." before moving over to Yazura and following him outside and into the training field behind his house.

They entered and Yazura stood opposite of Akatsuki with his back facing him. A gentle breeze blew and ruffled their hair as the hair on Akatsuki's body stood on edge. The aura Yazura was giving off was completely different from just a few moments ago, and Akatsuki knew that he was serious.

Akatsuki drew his katana before settling into a loose stance as Yazura put his hand on his katana's saya before saying "I hope you're ready, boy. I won't go easy on you..." Akatsuki's body was telling him to run, but he refused to give in, not when he was so close to achieving what he dreamt of.

Not when he was so close to gaining the power to get his revenge.