Chapter 3

The night sky was transformed into a canvas of dazzling orange, painting vibrant flashes against the darkness. Screams of panic echoed like discordant notes in the air, drowned out by the crackle of flames and the roar of buildings collapsing under the onrushing enemy assault.

The girl clenched her left arm tightly, feeling the stabbing pain seeping through her fingers as she struggled to contain the blood that threatened to escape from her wound.

-Why? - whispered the girl, her voice laden with anguish and bewilderment, like a faint echo in the midst of the chaos.

-Aiko! -The father's roar resounded like thunder despite the surrounding turmoil. He was an imposing man, battle-scarred, with a gleaming katana at his side and his face drenched in blood. One eye remained closed, witness to the fight he had fought. -Run! -he commanded, his voice hoarse and urgent, as his sword rose to intercept a volley of kunai aimed at him.

-Run as fast as you can and don't turn back! -he shouted, launching spheres of compressed air that whistled through the air and exploded in precise impacts against the ninjas hidden in the shadows of a nearby tree.

Aiko obeyed her father's command, and the roar of her battle cry was left behind as she advanced. Each stride echoed like the racing beat of her heart, and the wind ruffled her hair as she ran, like anxious whispers in her ears.

The shattered landscape devoured her village, a scene of desolation and flames. "Why did this happen?" wondered Aiko, her inner voice a steady murmur of sadness and despair. A moan escaped her lips as a burning ember leapt out and left a burn on her leg, a searing sensation competing with the emotional pain that assailed her.

But she kept running, driven by the deluded hope that at least her grandparents would be safe.

-Grandfather, Grandmother," she whispered in a trembling voice as she reached the place that had once been her home, only to find the charred, motionless figures that had been her loved ones. Her knees gave way and she fell on her face, defeated, her tears mingling with the trail of ashes that covered her face.

Images of peaceful days flickered in his mind like fireflies in the dark: Mr. Masaru offering him a piece of freshly baked bread, the farmers laughing in the market, the friends who once shared laughter in the forest while chasing frogs.

All that was now a distant memory, an irretrievable past fading before her eyes. And in the midst of her pain, a nagging question kept echoing, "Why?"

Tears soaked her face, mixing their salt with the trail of ashes. Aiko looked up with a mixture of fear and hope when an unfamiliar voice reached her.

-There is still one survivor! -The male voice cut through the air, and Aiko turned in the hope of finding help, only to meet the cold gaze of a man covered in blood, with a stained sword and an unfamiliar forehead guard.

Beside him, a figure emerged from the shadows, whispered and powerful words that the wind carried to the man's ears.

-Kill her. The Lord Kazekage ordered that there were to be no survivors. -The order echoed in the air, and the man nodded before vanishing into the shadows like a specter.

Slow steps brought the man to Aiko, his presence invading her personal space with an uncomfortable intensity. Her eyes, filled with fear but also resignation, met the stranger's.

The cold gleam of metal rose into the air, and the sword descended swiftly. Aiko felt barely any pain, only a momentary sensation of cold before darkness overcame her vision.

-I'm sorry, little one," the man whispered, his words laden with regret, before turning away and vanishing in a speed technique.

----

-Aiko-sama... The man dressed in the green protective vest of the Chunin called out, his voice echoing with respect and sadness, like an echo that faded into the sorrow-laden air.

-Ryota, was anyone left alive? -The woman, with the green vest and the protector of Konoha on her forehead, spoke in a soft tone but tinged with disgust, as her eyes swept over the desolate panorama of devastation that unfolded before them. Every corner, every nook and cranny seemed permeated with the bitterness of suffering.

-No... -Ryota replied, struggling to keep his expression unperturbed as he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale, betraying his apparent calm.

-Who could perpetrate such an atrocity? -Aiko muttered as a distant building collapsed in a shower of debris, like a surrendered sigh in the midst of chaos.

-We believe it was an attack from some hidden village," Ryota explained cautiously. No bandit group would dare wreak this magnitude of destruction on a village guarded by a ninja clan. Least of all a village so close to the Daimyo's castle.

-Keep looking, maybe they left some trace, something that can shed light on what really happened?

He had barely uttered those words when a ninja emerged from the shadows, kneeling urgently before Aiko.

-What's wrong? -asked Aiko, noticing the messenger's agitated state.

-We've found something," the ninja replied, his voice charged with urgency and expectation. Please follow me. -Aiko exchanged a fleeting glance with Ryota, who watched her with equal parts surprise and bewilderment. Following the ninja, she retreated from the village, entering a small forest that seemed to offer a refuge from the desolation.

Finally, the ninja stopped his step next to a tree whose trunk housed a buried Kunai.

-Please look closely at the Kunai," the ninja pleaded, causing both Aiko and Ryota's eyes to widen in astonishment.

-Suna Ninjas.... -Aiko whispered, her voice barely more than a whisper, as her gaze focused on the distinctive design of the weapon. It was as if the Kunai was a mute message, a grim hint that shed light on the perpetrators

-. But why would they do something like this? -Ryota asked puzzled, "This could provoke a war that would not benefit them.

-I don't know, but it is not our duty at this time," explained Aiko with a harder look than usual. Ryota, return to the village and transmit to Lord Hokage what you have discovered here," ordered Aiko with determination, getting a quick affirmation from Ryota, who disappeared in an obedient blink of an eye.

Aiko turned her attention back to the Chunin standing beside her, her face reflecting a mixture of concern and resolve.

-Gather all the ninja in the village," Aiko ordered, her voice firm but carrying a tinge of trepidation. Prepare to march. If a large village has committed this atrocity, it is likely that the Daimyo requires our protection. -His words echoed in the air, charged with the seriousness that only dire circumstances could evoke. The future seemed bleak and threatening, but Aiko was ready to face it with courage and determination.

----

-Come on, just three more laps," Saito tried to encourage us, but all of us who were left running gave a tired groan.

-Don't complain. And so they want to be ninjas? -He scolded, but half of them were already panting on the ground and the other half was about to join them. The only ones still standing next to Saito without looking too tired compared to the rest were Kato and me. It was funny, for even then we could have filled an entire lake with all that sweat.

But still, I tried to complete the entire training without complaining too much. It had already been two weeks since I came into this world. The first few days were difficult, both physically and mentally. Even now I am not completely used to it, but of all the places I could have finished, this was among the most favorable.

-Come on, just two more laps. Since Saito was in charge of training us, we had only done this training, along with some warm-ups. Never anything as great as chakra control or simple combat. Just physical training. And when any of us would ask Saito when we would move on to something like Ninjutsu, he would just laugh at us and reply, "If you can't even do 15 laps around the orphanage before you fall exhausted, how can you even think about using a Jutsu?" And he would just keep laughing as he watched us walk around angrily. But even then, as annoying as it was to admit it, I knew he was right.

-Very good, congratulations. Two of you were able to complete the 15 laps," Saito congratulated, snapping me out of my thoughts and startling me at his words, unable to believe it. So I looked back with everyone on the ground, gasping for air, and beside me only to see Kato sweating profusely and panting hard.

This made me notice for the first time the difference between him and me. Sure, I was sweating as much as he was, but unlike Kato, I wasn't panting as hard. I didn't feel as tired as he did. I even felt stronger, only to have all that strength completely vanish a second later when I saw Saito looking for an answer, only to be greeted by eyes full of surprise.

-Very good, you two did very well," Saito quickly came out of his stupor and pretended nothing had happened. Tomorrow you can start with the next part of the training," he reported, looking carefully at our excited faces, but I could still notice that smile, no more than a shadow, but promising too many things, many of which would be more fun for him than for us.

-I hope everyone can follow Kato and Eiji's example for tomorrow," he said before disappearing in a flash.

-Eiji-nee -Little Mari called me running towards us with a bottle of water and an innocent smile on her lips.

-Take it," he said, offering me the bottle, which I received and drank as if I had found water from a spring after walking for days in the desert, which is what it felt like after running those fifteen laps with this weak infantile body.

-Is there none for me? -Kato asked as he watched her drinking.

-No," Mari replied sticking her tongue out at Kato, causing his expression to darken.

-You're bad, Mari-chan," he pointed out as I lightly slapped him on the back trying to cheer him up, while an amused smile rose on my face. Living with all these children had made me feel something that even in my previous life I didn't remember having: a family.

-Now, don't fight," I said, trying to calm the situation.

-By the way, Eiji, are you going to the village again today? -Kato asked, receiving a nod from me.

After getting used to the idea of living in this place, my second action was to get to know the village where I lived. Seeing the symbol on Saito's protector gave me an idea of the village I was in. This alone almost caused me to have a panic attack, but calming down, I took Kato as a guide, which made me realize that the orphanage was almost at the edge of the village.

-Yes, I will also go out today," I answered, "I already asked Nana-onesan and Yumi-san for permission.

-Then I'll go with you. Hyashi and his brother invited me to play with them today," Kato explained with that silly grin he always wore on his face.

-And you, Mari-chan, do you want to come with us? -I asked, only to receive a denial from Mari, who lowered her head.

-I can't go out today," she replied sadly, "I promised Yumi-onechan I would help her in the kitchen today.

Mari was a good girl, always trying to help Yumi and the other caretakers with the orphanage duties. And when she wasn't doing that, she received lessons from Nana along with the other children who hadn't awakened chakra or given up with Saito's training. Her goal was to become a great artist, so her goal was to enter the civilian academy.

-I'd better go get ready, I'm too sweaty and I'm starting to smell bad already," I said shaking my hand trying to get the smell away from my nose after sniffing myself, receiving a laugh from Mari and a sympathetic nod from Kato.

-I'll see you on the way out," he reported and ran straight to the showers.

------

End of chapter