Chapter

"Deal," I say, knowing I don't have other alternatives. The ninjas will soon discover this sanctuary. I'm battered, my chakra depleted. I must place my trust in this voice, my sole beacon of hope.

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A young girl, her long green hair flowing like tendrils of emerald, framed her pale face adorned with piercing orange eyes. Before her stood a blackened sarcophagus, casting shadows that danced with the faint imitation of light. Her surroundings cloaked in darkness, the sole illumination emanated from the sarcophagus, revealing glimpses of her injured form, veins pulsing with unrelenting streams of crimson.

With a kunai clutched tightly in her right hand, she stood as a symbol of both vulnerability and resilience. Slowly, she traced the blade against her left palm, each movement a testament to her endurance amidst the chamber's oppressive silence. Each drop of blood that cascaded upon the sarcophagus seemed to satiate its hunger, drawing sustenance from her pain and anguish.

Unbeknownst to her, ten shadows converged, their intent veiled within the depths of the cavern. They had hunted her relentlessly, tracing her to this secluded sanctuary. As they closed in, drawn by the flicker of light, they sensed the pulsating chakra, the mark of their quarry. Yet, an unsettling revelation dawned upon them – she was not alone.

Beside her lurked another presence, shrouded in an aura of darkness and power, an enigma within the shadows. Questions hung in the air, whispered among the ninja as uncertainty clouded their resolve. Must they confront this unknown entity, risking the wrath of forces unseen?

One among them, his voice trembling with apprehension, questioned the wisdom of their pursuit.

"Do we have to approach it? The darkness around the stranger is unsettling. It reminds me of our Kage's formidable chakra,"  he voiced, fear and hesitation palpable in his words.

Amidst the turmoil, a figure emerged – a man of steely resolve, his demeanor unwavering against the tide of doubt.

''It is our mission to eliminate the girl and erase any trace of her existence,"  he declared, his voice resolute. To him, the identity of the stranger mattered little; only the completion of their mission held significance.

As the weight of his words settled upon them, the resolve of the ninja faltered, their faces drained of color. None dared to contemplate the consequences of failure, the specter of unknown fates looming over their hesitant hearts. Yet, in the eyes of their leader, there burned a fire unquenched, a determination unyielding against the shadows that threatened to consume them all.

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As the blood met the sarcophagus and it began to pulsate, emitting a brilliant light so bright and intense that the girl had to shield her eyes from its sun-like radiance, her pursuers, who were close behind, also noticed this intense light, which alarmed them, prompting them to swiftly approach its source without hesitation. However, by the time they arrived, the light had vanished, leaving only the girl's back against the sarcophagus they had been following.

Upon realizing that there was no other person beside the girl, nor any hidden presence, their leader signaled for them to attack the girl, disregarding the sarcophagus entirely. The girl with the green hair immediately sensed the presence of her pursuers but didn't attempt to defend herself or even turn around.

What was the use? She was at the end of her strength, unable to fight or protect herself. Her eyes remained fixed on the sarcophagus, holding onto a small glimmer of hope that something would happen, that the voice would speak to her again and grant her the strength she so desperately needed, as it had promised.

But nothing happened. Nothing! The voice was gone. No matter what she did, no matter how much she called out, there was nothing. Only silence. Her hope, her last sliver of hope, was shattered.

'What did you expect?'  she said cynically to herself.

'I shouldn't have believed. I shouldn't have placed my hope in someone else. The only person I can trust is myself. Only I can't betray myself. Haven't we been betrayed enough? Why do I have to place my hope in others anyway?' the girl wondered heartbrokenly.

'It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore. It'll be over soon. Soon, I'll be with you, Father, Mother, and Brother,'  she thought for the last time, her eyes closing as she felt the opponent's sword touch her neck, ready to sever her head from her body. But just as the sword was about to cut, it suddenly stopped.

Clatter

Clatter

Clatter

Then,

silence!

The ninjas couldn't believe their eyes. Before them stood a man who had suddenly appeared, shattered the sword into thousands of pieces, and then, with a mere movement of his hand, caused the poor soul holding the sword to burst.

The girl, realizing she was still alive and hearing the sounds, widened her eyes and turned around. In the dark surroundings, all she could see was the back of a person. The person turned around, revealing glowing blue eyes that gazed at her thoughtfully and appraisingly.

"You..."

Before she could hear more, she felt herself growing increasingly faint, her senses dulled, and she fell unconscious.

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