The Red Crimson Bride

Chapter 10! Please review I would still like to know what you think about it. Ja ne!



Kazegakure. Naruki couldn't think of a better place than her own childhood village.



Borned in one of the most respectable clans from the Wind Country, Hirayama, she was the youngest child in the family of of five sons and one single daughter, her. Hirayama, was also a prestigious and a noble clan, it's ancestors founded the village and also it was known for it's excelent ninjas and powerful jutsus based on wind.



Naruki, since she was little, always lived in the shadows of her older brothers and always tried to become like them. Her parents, Kenshin and Yumiko Hirayama were the captains of all ANBU squads and also her grandfather was the leader of the village. Only greatness would run through the veins of such family, except one person.



Because his sons became already top ninjas like him or even greater, Kenshin had the same expectations for his only daughter as well. He loved his only daughter very much and knew that she was different from all of them and that she would be greater than anyone, but seeing her clumsiness, shyness and her fear of fight or blood, he couldn't believe that she would become even a ninja. He kept on telling her to do better when she would reach her limit or that it wasn't enough. She was little right then, she couldn't understand what her father meant when he told her that she had to do better or why. But she understood one day.



When his oldest son, Kenji, activated the Ryakugan, Kenshin always mentioned him to anyone anywhere, he kept on telling that he was truly his son and that he was proud of him. Naruki saw something in her father's eyes which she never saw before, acknowledge. He acknowledged Kenji as his son. She knew that if she wanted her father to be proud of her she had to do the same thing as Kenji, activate the kekkei genkai.



Back then, Ryakugan was known for it's own will of choosing the user. Not everyone in the Hirayama clan could possess the bloodlimt, it was said that only the worthy ones could do it. But she had to activate it, worthy or not, she had to be acceptable in her father's eyes. She can't be a little girl forever and she can't let her father look at her with the same eyes telling that she had to do better.



When Kenji had recently become an ANBU captain at age fifteen and had to go on his first mission, things changed in just one single day. Naruki was seven and was training hard back then so Kenshin would recognise her, Kenji and the other four brothers knew about Naruki's stubborness when it would come about their father, some of them would cheer her but some of them wouldn't, telling her that she shouldn't be affected by his words. But she wouldn't listen, she had to make him recognise her no matter what.



Before his departure, Kenji thought about visiting his little sister. He was very protective with her and cared for her very much. He would sometimes supervise her training or even help her. He knew that under the cover of a shy little girl stood a very strong person. That day, she also had her final exam in order to graduate at the academy and become eventually a Genin. In Kenji's opinion that wasn't a problem, she was very intelligent and had only A's but she thought that it wasn't enough for her father.



He got out of the house and went towards the training grounds that morning, Naruki would practice before breakfast there. He went silently and hid behind a tree so he wouldn't disturb her. He watched how she hit the targets with the shuriken or kunais in the center perfectly, surprising him. Such speed, such agility, it was better than even his.



"Not good enough. Otosan won't be pleased." she said in a tiny voice while she was panting hard on her back on the ground. "One more time." she said and got up shaking. Kenji wide his eyes open at the sight, she was practically exhausting herself even more. The determination he heard in her voice and how her body moved because of those words, it gave her somehow strength but that's not how it had to be done. She didn't have to push herself that much. Naruki hung her head backwards in order to remove the red hair from her face and started to throw weapons again at the targets with more speed.



"She doesn't have to be like this, she's just a girl." Kenji murmured.



"She has to be so she'll be ready for becoming Kage." a voice said. Kenji turned his head to his right and saw Kenshin sitting a few meters away from him. His dark hair covered his face but Kenji could see he had his blue eyes blocked on Naruki.



"Kage?" he asked.



"That's right, it has been settled since her birth that she would become Kage." Kenshin said and made a smirk. Kenji stared at him surprised but he immediately frowned and stared at his father with rage.



"It's a great honor for her becoming a Kage but that doesn't mean that she had to be like this ." he said and moved his gaze at Naruki who was panting hard on the ground because of the exhaustion. "She does this so you, her father will accept her greatness. She just wants you to look at her proudly and say that she is your daughter. You never told her how great she was, you just said that she had to do better." Kenji said.



"I know I didn't told her those things. I said that it wasn't enough so she would understand what lies ahead of her when she'd get older. We are at war now, Kenji, Kazegakure won't be the village that used to be and when she'll become Kage she'll understand what it is to be done." he said and made a pause. "Even if I don't tell her, I am proud of her. I am proud of her since she was born. I knew that she will become a great ninja despite her clumsiness and habits and I'm sure of that."



"But it wouldn't have hurt if you told her that. It would have given her even more strength knowing this." Kenji said.



"Just watch her and you'll understand what I mean." Kenshin said and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kenji stared at the place where his father used to be still thinking at his words until something caught his attention so he looked down.



"Kenji nii-san, are you ok? You seem a little spaced out." Naruki said in a tiny voice smiling while pulling by his shirt so he would look at her. Kenji stared at her smiling face for a while and he smiled also.



"I'm ok, Naruki." he said. Naruki blushed and turned her gaze down.



"Ano... you saw me earlier?" she murmured. Kenji leaned on his knees and put his hand on her head muffling her red hair making her pout.



"Of course, you were better than ever." he said smiling.



"Do you think that otosan will say that it was good?" she asked still blushing. Kenji's smile broke and stared at her face covered with bruises and some cuts.



"Ne, Naruki, why do you do these things to yourself? You have bruises all over, don't they hurt?" he asked concerned. Naruki rose her head and stared at him confused.



"No, they don't hurt. What things?" she asked.



"This training, why are you doing it?" he asked looking in her eyes. She thought about his words for a few seconds then a smile appeared on her face.



"I am doing it so I will become just like you and otosan. You two are very strong and I'm not that good so I want to be like you." she said in a cheerful voice. "I want to become better and better so I will be a ninja someday." she said. Kenji stared at her confused.



"What about otosan? What did he told you?" he asked.



"Oh, you were worried about that, nii-san?" Naruki chuckled. "Okasan explained to me yesterday." she smiled. "I know that otosan tells me to do better than I always do but that doesn't mean that he doesn't like me, right? Okasan told me that I'm still his little girl and he will always love me like he loves the five of you older brothers and not less. So now I'm training hard so he would like me even better and to show him that I followed him in becoming a great ninja like you did." she smiled.



Kenji stared at her smiling face with eyes wide open. 'That's what he meant?' he asked himself. 'She's right, he didn't do anything which meant that he didn't recognise her as his daughter, he just made her more ambitious so she could gain more strength than ever to become a Kage.' he thought and a smirk crossed his face.



"Also, otosan had always been watching me while I was training." she said smiling then her smile broke. "Promise you won't tell anyone? But I sensed him everytime sitting there." she whispered and pointed to the place where Kenshin stood a few minutes ago. Kenji smiled and leaned forward to hug his little sister.



"I'm sure he watched you like me." he said and kissed her cheek after they broke apart making her blush. "Want me to get you at the Academy? This is a great day for you, becoming a Genin." he said smiling. She shook her head.



"Iie, this is a great day for you too Kenji nii-san, you have your first mission as a captain." she said smiling. "If you'll go with me you'll be late." she said blushing.



"Are you sure?"



"Hai and I'm sure that otosan will be there to watch how I'll become a Genin." she said smiling.



"He told you that?



"Iie, but something tells me that he will." she said cheerfully. Kenji stared at her then nodded in agreeance.



"You're right." he said and got up. "Let's get you ready for the graduation, shall we?" he asked and Naruki jumped in air smiling.



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And she was right, Kenshin had been at her graduation. Sensing her father's chakra there with her she did all she could and passed the exam being on top of the class. Of course, it had beed a great joy for her, she showed finally her abilities and she was on top. But right when she was receiving her hitai-ate from the teacher, she didn't sense him anymore. Did he just left her right when she was about to receive the true evidence of her success?



After receiving many cheers from her friends, schoolmates and teachers she went finally home. Happy and dissapointed in the same time she went slowly towards the Compound. Even now she still remembers what she saw that day.



The mission which Kenji received was a fake one, the enemy ordered it so the top three ninja squads would be sent to accomplish it. The enemy squds ambushed them and killed every single person weakening the village even more. It was a great loss for Kazegakure but it was an even greater loss for the Hirayama family, they lost one of their strongest children. But the one who suffered the most was Naruki. Her protector, her best friend, her own brother died that day after he just wished her good luck for her exam. The success of the graduation didn't matter any more now that he died, she couldn't show him that she was going to follow him in becoming a great ninja.



Because of the great loss, Kazegakure had no more powerful defense leaving it open to the enemy. Because of the chaos there had been even battles between villagers. The supplies were getting lower and lower now that the only source had been cut by the enemy leaving the villagers die in hunger or in need for medication. The Hirayama clan used thir strength and fought against the enemy for the sake of the village. Naruki could still remember the lonely nights which she spent at house only to hear the sounds of battle being carried just outside the walls of the village. Each day she watched how the village was getting destroyed little by little and each day she watched how members of her family died. Uncles, aunts, cousins, even all her brothers died in battle, she couldn't understand why this had to happen to them. They were part of a random peaceful village so why would anyone attack it? But another blow came to her one day.



Without expecting anything, Naruki stayed home that day as usual only knowing that it was a terrible fight outside. But when her mother rushed in her room and started to cry very hard telling that Kenshin died in battle too, the whole world collapsed. Kenji, all her brothers and now her father died leaving her and Yumiko alone. Why did it have to happen to them? Have they done something wrong to suffer a punishment like death? What is the true motive of such brutal killing?



Knowing that there was nothing to be done, the Kage, her grandfather, went to their leader finally admitting defeat and tried to make peace with the enemy, but for their surprise they refused it saying that they will make peace only with the extinction of Hirayama clan. That was even the day when her grandfather had been seen for the last time, such disgrace to kill a man when he comes to surrender and to make peace. It seemed that they didn't even held honor nor respect for the dead. They didn't even return Kage's body.



Thoughts like these made Naruki shiver, everything collapsed within one year. She watched how everyone who was close to her died until she remained alone. She still remembers now her mother face when she died to protect her. When the Kage died the enemy finally took over the village and started to rule it as they pleased. The village even got weaker than before, man killing each other just for nothing or fun and ravaging the remaining good things.



Yumiko and Naruki, the last remaining Hirayama members tried to escape the village but they got caught and Yumiko remained behind so her daughter will survive. She was just eight years old and the fact of her mother dieing had been imprimed on her mind for an eternity. Why someone pure as her mother had to be killed like that? She even witnessed how her mother got beaten, stabbed, hit and finally killed. It was beyond words how a child would feel when he would see his own parent killed. But she died to protect her child and when she saw that Naruki was safe she passed away with relief.



For her dismay, Naruki couldn't get out of the village and continued to live in that world of death not knowing her true existence for the next four years, until three man came to get her out of that place. In the same day she obtained the Ryakugan, just feeling threatened by one of them made the kekkei genkai appear. She failed the test of hurting the person but somehow they still held interest for her so they took her.



She was grateful for that, now she didn't have to fight for food or run away from anyone, it was freedom. But it also had a price, those three men even destroyed the remaining village. Even though she didn't considered it her village anymore she still had been born in it and lived her childhood there.



And now it was reconstructed, would it be another village of chaos? Or the one she always knew?