Luz the Ninja Witch

It was early evening, the sky glowing orange as the sun began to sink.

Luz stood alone in front of two gravestones. The gravestones of her parents, Manny and Camila Noceda. She placed a flower at each gravestone.

"Hola mamá, hola papá," Luz began, not quite knowing what to say. She rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke. "A lot has happened since I was last here." She pulled out a new flak jacket and slipped it on. It looked too big for her. "I passed the final test, and as of today, I'm no longer a chunin, but a jonin. And not just any jonin, the youngest jonin in the history of Konohagakure!"

Although she said everything with a delighted smile, she felt no reason to be happy. While she was happy that she passed the test and was no longer a chunin, she had no one to talk to about it. She has no friends, no relatives, and even her senseis don't seem to care about her. The fact that she passed the test is entirely thanks to her own abilities.

Unlike with the other students or genins, the senseis never helped Luz much or taught her properly except for one. She taught herself all the jutsus she mastered, including one that was passed down only within her family.

Then there was the fact that her senseis never did anything when her classmates bullied her or teased her in any other way. To everyone, she was just the weirdo.

Luz continues, "I don't know what it'll be like being a Jonin yet, but I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow."

At that moment, a pigeon flew by with a note on its foot. She picked up the note and read, "Be at the edge of the village in 10 minutes at the latest. It's about your first mission as a Jonin." The second she read it, it ignited itself and turned into ashes.

She sighs and looks at the gravestones. "It looks like I'll be having my first mission sooner than I thought." Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "Goodbye mom, goodbye dad, I'll be back soon."

With that, she left her parents graves and set out to begin her first mission.

———————————————————————
10 minutes later, at the edge of the village.

When she arrived, it was already starting to get dark. She stood at the meeting point, surrounded by a dense forest, and waited.

She didn't have to wait long when she sensed a presence coming from the direction of the forest.

She turned in that direction and saw a man with broad shoulders, short black hair, and a narrow scar on his left cheek emerging from the woods.

Luz bowed respectfully to him. "Sensei Anrokuzan."

Anrokuzan smiled kindly and replied respectfully. "Chunin, I mean Jonin Noceda, I'm glad you accepted my invitation. Are you ready for your first mission as a Jonin?"

Luz replied. "To be honest, I didn't expect to see you here, of all people, nor did I expect to receive my first mission just hours after being appointed as Jonin."

Anrokuzan takes out a scroll and hands it over "This is your first mission. When you're ready, go to the location written on the scroll."

When she accepted the scroll, she didn't have time to ask anything as he leaped high up in a tree, jumping from branch to branch.

As Luz watched him leave, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. Although Anrokuzan welcomed her warmly and generally treated her rather neutrally, she couldn't help but be suspicious of him.

She opened the scroll and looked closely at her first mission.

She rubbed her chin. "Strange, I'm supposed to steal a scroll from a secret location." She put the scroll away and shrugged. "I find the mission more than strange, but at least it has the Hokage's seal."

So she set off for the location described on the scroll.

———————————————————————
An hour later in the forest.

Luz stood in the forest with a huge scroll strapped to her back, waiting. However, she didn't know who she was waiting for. The mission was far too short and vaguely described.

As she was slowly losing patience, she heard a bush rustling behind her. Turning around, she saw a familiar figure emerging from the bushes.

He has brown hair, slightly tied back. He wears the Konoha headband on his forehead and, most notably, he has a distinctive horizontal scar across his nose.

Luz bows respectfully and says, "Sensei Iruka, so you're the one I'm supposed to meet here."

Iruka seemed angry and confused as he spoke, "Luz, what's all this about?!"

Luz didn't seem to notice his angry tone, or she's so used to people addressing her like that that she ignores it.

Luz points to the giant scroll still attached to her back. "I rocked my first mission as Jonin!"

Iruka raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

Luz takes out the mission scroll and hands it to Iruka. "My first mission as a Jonin. I was supposed to retrieve the Scroll of Sealing." Iruka accepted the scroll and read through it while Luz continued. "Honestly, this mission was more than easy. After the attempted theft five months ago, you would think that they have increased security measures. I just walked in and out, and the guards didn't even notice me."

After reading the scroll, Iruka couldn't believe his eyes. This mission he was holding in front of him was clearly a fake mission with the Hokage's seal.

After the Scroll of Sealing was stolen, both he and all the other high-ranking jonin from the village were tasked with finding the scroll and the culprit and bringing them to the Hokage.

He concluded that whoever assigned Luz this mission was the real culprit. A culprit with access to the Hokage‘s office.

He didn't have a chance to let this realization sink in when Luz suddenly pushed him aside and shouted, "Watch out!"

The second Luz pushed him aside, multiple shuriken pierced the spot where they had been standing just seconds ago.

Luz grabbed her kunai and shouted into the darkness, "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

The bushes rustled as several figures, led by a familiar figure, stepped out.

"Anrokuzan/Sensei Anrokuzan!" Iruka and Luz shouted simultaneously.

"What's going on here?!" Iruka demanded angrily, grabbing his kunai.

The ninjas around Anrokuzan prepared their weapons but still held back. Anrokuzan took a few steps forward, smiling smugly and folding his arms across his chest. "I have to admit, Noceda, I didn't think you'd get the scroll so quickly. If this had been a real mission, you would have truly made a name for yourself." His smile widened, as if he were thoroughly amused. "But unfortunately for you and him," he said with a quick sideways glance at Iruka, "it was all just a trick. And now? Now give me the scroll, or this won't end well for either of you."

Luz took a step forward and clenched her fists. "I won't give up the scroll! And especially not to someone like you!" she cried resolutely. "I've proven myself as a jonin, but not to betray my own village!"

Iruka stood beside her and drew his kunai. "You've made a huge mistake, Anrokuzan. Do you really think you can just disappear with the Scroll of Sealing? We won't let you get away with it!"

Anrokuzan looked at them silently for a moment, then began to laugh. It wasn't a happy laugh, but one full of mockery. "Your own village, you say?" He shook his head and looked at Luz with amused eyes. "How touching. You're loyal to a village that has never given you anything but rejection. A village that treats you like an outsider. And yet you cling to it?"

Luz's gaze narrowed. "What does that mean?"

Anrokuzan grinned and made a dramatic gesture with his hand. "Oh, you really don't know, do you? The truth about your parents deaths?"

Luz's eyes widened as Iruka tensed noticeably. "Anrokuzan..." he began warningly, but Anrokuzan ignored him.

"They must have told you they died on a mission, right?" Anrokuzan paused briefly, letting the words sink in. "But that's not the whole truth. Your parents weren't killed by enemies. They were lured into a trap and murdered by their own comrades from Konohagakure."

Luz felt her heart racing. "Liar!" she cried, but a terrible feeling crept up inside her.

Anrokuzan shrugged and smiled coldly. "Oh, I'm not lying. Your beloved parents weren't simply killed on a mission, they were used as scapegoats." He paused briefly, observing Luz's reaction, before continuing. "There was another man, a high-ranking and respected man of Konoha, who was guilty of serious crimes. But instead of bringing him to justice, the village decided to make someone else pay for his actions."

His eyes sparkled with amusement as he noticed Luz's tense posture. "And so, Manny and Camila Noceda were sacrificed. They were portrayed as traitors, a threat to the village. They were eliminated and their names were dragged through the mud, just so that the terrible crimes of that one man would never see light."

Anrokuzan sneered. "Since then, the Noceda name has been discredited. Your family was declared a disgrace, and you? You were raised in a village that despised you from the very beginning. Not because you are weird or incapable, but because you are the child of those branded as traitors to protect someone else."

Luz's hands trembled as her mind tried to process what she had just heard. She looked at Iruka, searching his face for a contradiction, for proof that Anrokuzan was lying. But Iruka's gaze was hard, and his silence spoke louder than a thousand words.

Anrokuzan smiled triumphantly. "And here you stand, loyal to a village that sacrificed your family without hesitation. So, Luz..." He took a step forward. "Tell me, do you really still want to fight for a village that destroyed your family?"

A silence fell that stretched for several long seconds. Until a sudden sound broke the tense silence.

Luz laughed. Loud, shrill, and full of irony. Her laughter echoed through the trees, momentarily freezing everyone present. Anrokuzan's smile froze, his eyes narrowed, while his men looked at each other in confusion. Even Iruka seemed worried as he watched Luz.

Slowly, she calmed down, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, and took a deep breath. "You know, Anrokuzan... if you really wanted to take the scroll from me, you should have just attacked me sneakily instead of giving that whole villain monologue." Her grin widened, almost mocking. "Because that would have turned out much better for you and your men than what's about to happen."

Before anyone could react, Luz quickly made a hand gesture.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With a loud bang, a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the area. Seconds later, not one, not ten, but a thousand Luz copies surrounded Anrokuzan and his men.

The attackers froze. Anrokuzan's expression was panicked.

Iruka asked, astonished and stunned, "How do you know this jutsu?!"

The original Luz asked a counter-question, "How do you think I learned so many jutsus in such a short time and rose in rank so quickly?" She turned back to Anrokuzan and said to the group, "Well then, have fun with it."

She crossed her arms as her clones, with a battle cry, charged at Anrokuzan and his men.

What followed was a chaotic but brief bout of fighting. Screams, the sound of fists on flesh, the clash of weapons, then silence.

The one-sided battle lasted only a few minutes. All of Luz's copies disappeared.

Anrokuzan and his entire group lay bound in a heap on the ground, with obvious bruises and swelling. Most were unconscious, while Anrokuzan, still half-dazed, tried to process his situation. Iruka stood nearby, still holding his kunai, but his gaze wandered in disbelief between Luz and the defeated attackers.

"That... was impressive." Iruka cleared his throat, still speechless.

Luz dusted her hands off but didn't reply.

Iruka put away his kunai and slowly approached Luz.

"Luz, are you okay?" As he was about to place his hand on her shoulder, she took a few steps away from him.

Iruka paused, his expression softening. "Luz..." he began, but she shook her head.

"No." Her voice was calm but firm. "I don't want to hear lies. No excuses."

Iruka opened his mouth, but Luz glared at him. "Say it to me to my face, Iruka-sensei." She clenched her fists, her whole body shaking. "Is it true?"

Iruka hesitated.

"Was it the village?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the anger and pain cut like a knife. "Did the village sacrifice my parents?"

The silence that followed was all she needed to know.

Luz laughed bitterly. "So Anrokuzan was telling the truth."

Iruka closed his eyes briefly, his face filled with regret. "Luz, it's not that simple..."

"Oh, it's quite simple." Luz stepped closer, her voice dangerously calm. "My parents sacrificed everything for this village. They fought, served, risked their lives. They were even on the front lines in the battle against the nine-tailed fox. And what did the village do?" Her eyes blazed with rage. "Led them like cattle to the slaughter."

Iruka didn't look away from her gaze, but he couldn't say anything.

Luz shook her head slowly. "And me?" Her voice almost broke. "All the sacrifices I made. The pain, the bullying I endured. The looks. The contempt. I always thought I just had to prove myself enough. Study enough, train enough, fight enough. Then I'd belong here."

She laughed softly, coldly. "But that was a lie, wasn't it?" She looked at Iruka, her gaze piercing. "I would never have had a chance. Not with the name Noceda. Not after the village dragged our name through the dirt."

Iruka lowered his gaze.

Luz took a deep breath. Then she said quietly but firmly, "Anrokuzan was right about one thing." She turned her back on Iruka. "I can't be loyal to a village that killed my parents."

"Luz..." Iruka began, approaching her. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, she vanished in a small puff of smoke.

It only took Iruka a few moments to understand, "A Shadow clone!" He quickly looked around, but couldn't sense Luz or her presence.

It took him a little longer before he noticed something important "She still has the scroll!"

———————————————————————
Meanwhile.

Luz is at home, packing her things as quickly as possible. Luz sneaked away after summoning the 1,000 shadow clones. Thanks to her shadow clones, she was not only able to buy some time, but also create a distraction while she packed her things.

Thanks to the connection she had with her clones during the jutsu, she managed to perfectly time and coordinate her interactions with Iruka. But she knows from experience that even though this action gained her time, it wouldn't be enough.

When Anrokuzan told her why her parents had to die, she decided to turn her back on the village and everything associated with it.

Aside from the Scroll of Sealing, Luz packed only the essentials in her satchel and backpack. All her savings, ID, some documents, clothes, sleeping bag, food, some regular-sized scrolls, her Azura books 1-5, and, most importantly for her, the family photos.

When she finished packing, she was about to leave her house when she happened to see her reflection in the window. It wasn't her appearance that caught her eye, but the headband with the symbol of her village.

Before, she had always felt pride at the sight of the symbol, but now she felt nothing but disgust and regret.

She ripped off the headband, slammed it against her dining table, took out her kunai, and crossed the symbol. The moment she cut the symbol, she felt a crowd of people heading towards her.

The windows shook as heavy footsteps thudded through the wood. The door flew off its hinges with a loud crash, and a group of shinobi stormed into the small house. They were led by the Hokage himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, whose serious expression left no doubt about the explosive nature of the situation. Beside him stood Iruka, his expression wavering between determination and concern. Among those present was Asuma Sarutobi, who remained standing at the door with a drawn chakra knife. Besides these three, there were a dozen ANBU ninjas surrounding Luz.

Asuma studied the small figure in the middle of the room. Luz stood calmly in the room, looking out the window as if she hadn't even noticed her uninvited guests.

Asuma was the first to break the silence: "Luz Noceda, you're surrounded. There's no way out. Be reasonable and return the scroll." His voice was calm but firm.

Luz didn't react immediately. She took a moment before slowly turning to them. Her eyes, which had once burned with youthful zeal, now seemed cold and aloof.

Iruka cautiously took a step forward. "Luz, listen. This doesn't have to end like this. I know you're hurt, but we can talk about anything. If you return the scroll, I can speak up for you."

Luz regarded him with a detached gaze. Then she snorted softly. "Talk?" Her voice was calm, but there was a razor-sharp coldness in it. "You want to talk to me after the village murdered my parents? After the village treated me like dirt my entire life?" She paused briefly, her eyes blazing dangerously. "I don't owe you anything."

The Hokage stepped forward, his deep voice piercing the tense air. "Child, I know you feel betrayed, but what you're doing isn't the right path. If you leave with this scroll, there's no turning back."

Luz looked at him for a long moment. Then she shrugged. "Then there's no turning back."

She raised her hands, and before anyone present could react, she quickly formed a series of complex hand signs.

"I'd rather get out now if I were you," she said calmly, her chakra flaring. "The fireworks are about to start."

Asuma's eyes widened. "Damn it, she-!"

But before he could finish, Luz vanished in a whirl of energy.

It took a split second for those present to realize what had happened.

"She teleported!" Iruka exclaimed, stunned.

But then the Hokage noticed something even more worrying. The faint smell of burning paper, and then he saw it. Small, barely visible seals placed all over the house.

Blast seals.

"GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Hiruzen yelled.

The shinobi whirled around and sprinted for the door. Just in time, because in the next second, Luz's house exploded with a thunderous crash. A massive ball of fire devoured the night sky, sparks and debris flying through the air.

When the smoke cleared, the shinobi stood gasping on the surrounding rooftops. The Third Hokage looked down at the burning remains with a somber expression.

Iruka clenched his fists. "She planned everything meticulously..." His voice was filled with frustration, but also sadness.

Asuma took a cigarette from his pocket, rolled it between his fingers, but didn't light it. "She consciously chose against us."

Hiruzen took a deep breath. His expression was dark. "Luz Noceda is no longer part of this village."

The flames blazed as the truth seeped in. Luz was gone. And she had taken the Scroll of Sealing with her.