Chapter 2 - Pain

Yahiko stood in horror as he heard the words. His mum immediately slammed the door shut, and began barricading the entrance.

"No, get Yahiko somewhere s-safe. I'll do it … there's no time." His dad gritted his teeth and stood up, pulling chairs and tables over to the door.

His mum held his hand at once and immediately dragged him towards the back of the house. The sound of cries, wails, and more explosions from the outside were getting louder.

"B-but dad …"

Another huge explosion sounded. From his periphery, the door was blasted open, and his dad charged at the two intruders.

He was about to shout when he felt a hand being placed over his mouth - it was his mother. She pulled him into a room and closed the door.

"Don't let your dad's sacrifice be in vain." His mum said, tears running down her cheeks. "Live well, Yahiko. I'm sorry we couldn't give you a better life." She gave him a kiss on the forehead and made some movements with her hands, then pressed his chest.

Yahiko suddenly felt his body turn light, his head dizzy. He tried to fight against it, but darkness began to crept into his vision. His mum lifted the loose wooden floorboards in a corner, revealing a small hidden space.

Outside, there was a loud cry and the sound of something tumbling to the wooden floor. He recognized that voice - it was his dad's.

"Mum. Dad he is …" his voice trailed off, and Yahiko found himself too weak to speak anymore.

His mother let out a muffled sob and lowered him into the hole.

"We will love you always, Yahiko."

She carefully placed the floorboards back over his head. Yahiko could no longer see her, and the whole place was pitch black, except for a crack where light peeked through.

There was the sound of something breaking, and foreign voices.

"Tch, there's nothing to take at all from this crappy village, well well ... What do we have here."

"What a fine woman! She's mine, Ritsugu. You can have your turn after I'm done with her."

Yahiko mustered the last remains of his strength to drag himself closer, towards the gap in between the wooden boards, then darkness closed in on him completely …

…

…

…

When he had opened his eyes, Yahiko pushed the floorboards away, finding himself alone amidst a destroyed landscape. The entire village was reduced to rubble, traces of his parents nowhere to be found.

He stared up at the sky that rained mercilessly upon his face.

"Even the skies are crying …" he uttered quietly.

Just when he was finally able to experience family warmth in this new world, it was cruelly taken away from him.

The priority for him now was to survive.

Iwagakure, he swore one day they would pay for it. If he lived through this ordeal and obtained power, he would teach them the meaning of pain; many times greater than what he suffered.

Yahiko gathered whatever he could from the remains of the rubble - a bag, a raincoat, and any essentials he could find. Thankfully there was some food in the small space his mum hid him in earlier - they probably had prepared that in case of an emergency like this.

When he was done, he set up two small stones to serve as tombstones for his parents.

"Farewell … Mum, dad."

Choking back his tears, Yahiko bowed and thanked his parents for the final time, then set off on his journey. There was a large town further south and he decided to head there first. The food he had wouldn't last forever.

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(2 weeks later)

"Where's that brat!!!"

Yahiko hid stealthily behind a stack of cargo boxes, watching the furious shopkeeper scream and shout and stomp his feet. The man ran the shop by himself, making it easier for him to swipe some of the bread whenever he was serving the customers that dropped by. It was an important source of supply for his stockpile.

"Sorry, but I need to survive." he quietly uttered. Once his 'foe' was out of sight, he took a few more glances to make sure the street was clear, then ran across and slipped into an alleyway with his loot. He was soon out of town, making his way amidst the drizzle back to a cave, hidden by a thick overgrown bush - his hideout.

"Eh?"

He found a blue-haired girl that lay motionless on the ground, right in front of the entrance to his secret hiding place. She wore a faded maroon shirt and ankle-length blue skirt.

It was probably another child starving to death. Yahiko had already become used to such sights over the weeks. The Second Shinobi World War had consumed Amegakure, leaving many children homeless. War orphans like him could only survive by thievery - there was no other way.

Yahiko was no saint, and he definitely wasn't going to go out of his way to help others. However, he wasn't heartless enough to ignore a dying child at his doorstep.

Carrying the girl in his arms, he entered the cave and lay her down at a corner. He grabbed a thin sheet and covered her with it - blankets were a luxury and he had none, but this was better than nothing. Afterward, Yahiko immediately got to work; setting up a fire to try to starve off the chilling cold.

Beside him, he noticed the girl's eyelids fluttering open, revealing a pair of amber eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The girl responded with a nod, hugging her knees as she sat up. Her face was pale, her body trembling. Clearly, she hadn't eaten for quite some time.

He plucked a piece of bread from his stash and handed it to her.

"Eat up. You nearly died back there … My name's Yahiko. I'm eight this year. What's yours?"

"T-thank you." Her face lit up, and she chewed hungrily on the food. "K-Konan. My age is eight as well ..."

Yahiko didn't run a charity, and he had no intention of letting the girl be a free rider. However, the girl now knew where his hideout was. If she left, the location might be leaked and he would have to start all over again.

An idea flashed across his mind.

"Interested in a partnership?"

"Partnership?" Konan finished the food and looked blankly at him.

"Yeah, that means we'll be stealing food together. The vendors are getting more and more alert. The same trick won't keep working so we'll need to get creative. You can help to draw their attention while I nick the goodies from them. We'll share the loot we get." he fanned the flames. "How does that sound? You can stay here as well too."

"Okay!" The girl nodded excitedly, her stomach making a loud, growling noise that caused her to blush and look away.

Yahiko couldn't help but laugh at Konan.

"That's a deal, then." He reached for another piece of bread and passed it to her.

(1100+ words)

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A/N: Age wouldn't be canon-compliant. Konan and Yahiko will be the same age rn - 8.