Chapter 1
It hurt to walk now, the scorching sensation beneath her feet becoming unbearable. Even under the pale moonlight, beneath the vast night sky, the desert terrain wouldn’t relent. It forced itself upon her, ensuring every step was agonizing. Yet still, she carried on.
A young girl, barely older than eight, marched across the burning desert sands.
Black hair cascaded down her back, dragging through the sand as fine particles wove themselves into its strands. Her sunken, dark eyebags were as deep and hollow as a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean, her gaze cast downward as she continued forward.
All she had to her name was a short black dress—tattered, ripped, and barely reaching her knees.
But the most striking detail, the sound that echoed through the empty, silent night, was metal. The chains clanked together, wrapped tightly around her wrists, the one around her neck rattling as it struck against them. They were broken now, her arms hanging at her sides as the shattered links dragged behind her.
All of it was witnessed by eyes as orange and bright as the sun.
Her throat was dry, every attempt at any sort of sound drowned out by the guttural sound she produced. She could see something in the distance, a large structure, built almost entirely out of sand.
“H-Help…” That was all her weak voice could muster out, hurting as it did. She felt her stomach turn, ready to toss up whatever it hadn’t eaten. Still, she tried to go on, feet somehow still dragging her. As she approached, she swore she saw two figures in the distance. They may have been a simple mirage, or perhaps a true saviour.
Her legs gave out, so she figured she would never know.
She collapsed into the sand, trying to reach an arm out, desperate for anyone to take it. Her vision became blurry, dark at the corners now as the shadows got closer.
“A-Anyone…please…help.”
It hadn’t been but a few seconds before her vision finally gave, and in the few seconds of consciousness she had, she felt the slightest touch on her skin.
Then a complete fade to black.
════════════════════════════════════
Everywhere around her was a mass of blood and flesh. Bodies littered the field, the green grass a strange hue of red, fire lighting up the night sky. It was if a second sun had dawned upon the earth, highlighting tragedy.
“M-MOM! PLEASE! HELP! DADDY! DADDY! HEEEEEEEELP-“
That was the sound heard across these killing fields. Houses had been set alight as a mass of villains descended upon what could only be a small town of hardworking people. As children cried out, they were met with silence in reply. If they looked to whom they were calling too, they would only see the most gruesome imagery one could conjure.
Among it all, a girl with jet black hair was being dragged by four people of unknown sex. They obscured themselves perfectly, professional bandits one might even call them. Each of them had her by a limb, laughter and chuckles among them as they walked past the mayhem. She had tried and tried to struggle, but the relentless assault on her had made her body tired.
She couldn’t scream; she couldn’t move.
All she could do was be taken away as the fog cast down upon a memory, upon this nightmare, and suddenly she found herself whisked away somewhere else.
════════════════════════════════════
“MOM!”
That was what she screamed as soon as she shot up, grasping her throat in pain. It was still dry, still hurting, still hoarse. Raising her voice above a whisper became nearly impossible…yet, she could at least speak now.
The girl sent herself into a panic, looking around the room in confusion. It was adorned with medical instruments, neatly arranged. It was small, a few medical beds with a few medical stations, clearly not something built for mass treatment. The girl stared down at her own bed, the sheets perfectly clean.
She couldn’t help but stare in confusion again, as when she looked down, she was met with her own body. It was…healthy, that was the only she could describe it. She was bandaged in many areas, multiple across her torso and a string of bandages running all the way up her arm to her shoulder, concealed under an array of white.
She reached out to touch the bandages, grasping at one, before wincing in pain. It was painful to the touch, grasping her hand back. Her one good arm managed to reach down, slowly lifting the quilt off her. Her black dress was replaced with a medical gown, covering her nicely. Her legs were thankfully in better condition, though her feet were admittedly a sight for sore eyes. They weren’t bandaged, but it was obvious some form of treatment had been applied to them.
They were an off colour from her usual skin, burning sensation gone but now replaced with scarring. She winced again, reaching down and tapping her foot, before her eyes widened. It hadn’t hurt, but the touch felt…numb. It was as though she was only describing how it might feel to herself.
It took her a few minutes to muster the courage to move. It was like shaking a mountain, the entire action itself taking heavy amounts of energy. However, once she rolled off and her feet hit the cool tiles of the floor, she let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t known possible. Pushing herself off the bed, the girl gripped a bedpost to steady herself. She moved one foot forward, hearing the pat against the tile, before hearing another door slide open.
Her head quickly turned, in panic mode again, her brain trying to scream at her to move. Yet her body was too weak, she herself incapable of much. She tried to climb back in, but the strain itself took too much. A wrong step and she found herself losing the grip she’d gained on the post, slipping and falling on her behind. Admittedly, the cool tiles made even this pleasurable.
However, the slam she had done caused her a wince, rubbing her back in pain. She tried to hide under it still, leaning under it with heavy breathing, before a sigh came out and filled the room.
“You know I’m aware you’re here, right? Even if I couldn’t sense you, I saw and heard you fall.”
The voice was…calm. It held no rage, it held no fear, it held nothing. It only carried with it the sound of stepping against the floor, as it leaned over the bed, catching her form on the floor. A smile carried itself to the face of this woman, a woman who by all intents and purposes was…stunning.
She bore hair the same colour as the sand on which she’d walked, laser beams of brown staring at her from those eyes. Her skin was a beautiful bronze, kissed by the sun. She placed her head in her palm, a small smirk coming to her face as she continued to stare.
“Now, how’d we end up down there? That’s not your bed, silly girl.”
Before she could protest, a small bump in the floor pushed itself upwards, causing her to jolt to a standing position. She rubbed her behind, wincing, as she saw a piece of stone retreat into the floor. She hadn’t even the time to process it, before the other woman picked her up with ease, laying her (borderline tossing, even) into the bed.
“Now! More comfortable, isn’t it…Eh, don’t answer, I know those beds are basically rock.”
The girl tried to respond, but instead, the woman shot out a palm.
“Ah ah ah! Not yet, c’mon, you just woke up. Give that voice of yours a few minutes to adjust! Hey, you thirsty? “
Again, another attempt, another cut off.
“Who am I kidding, of course you are! You were found outside in that desert nearly dead of severe heat stroke. Man, you got it bad! How the heck did a kid like you end up there? You certainly aren’t anyone I could ever pinpoint from Suna. What was I doing? Oh, yes, water!.” She spoke this again, walking away to a nearby tap, grabbing a glass and filling it. The water seemed to come out slowly, as though it was barely struggling to get through. As though there wasn’t much to give.
Eventually, however, it reached to the top.
The lady came over, holding the glass, as she held it out. Suddenly, this little girl was reminded of how thirsty she was. She reached over and tried to grab it, before the older lady took It away, holding out a finger.
“Now now, small sips! Got it? I don’t want to shock your body or something just cause you drank this in a second flat. You went without this for…jeez, I think we worked out at least 4 days. You were out for a week-“
How long?
“We managed to drip-feed you, y’know so you didn’t die, but jeez you were…the absolute worst case I’ve ever seen. I’m just running on now though. C’mon, drink.”
She held the glass out again; a stern looks in her eyes demanding that this little girl listen to her. Nodding, she took the glass in her hands. The older lady still held it, as when she began to drink, she pulled it away with ease.
She felt her throat tighten as she swallowed, yet after a minute, it felt…better. It was less hoarse, less sore. It felt like she could say…
“T-Thank you-“
However, instantly interrupted.
“Aha! There we go, speaking! Man, I needed you to be able to do that. We don’t exactly have a plethora of mind readers, so figuring stuff out about you was going to be a real pain if you couldn’t!”
It was only in that second did she finally pull up a chair, sitting down beside her bed, still holding the glass.
“Now, I know this is a bit sudden, but this is dang important! I’m Hana Tanaka, I’m the doctor that made sure you didn’t fuck- Oops, apologies, language! I’m the doctor that made sure you didn’t die while out there. Now, I bet you have questions- “
A heck of a lot, judging by the look on the little girl’s face, one of confusion, anxiety, terror and a whole bunch of negative emotions.
“We can save those for now. I just need to ask you a few simple questions, then we can get to the dialogue. Trust me, it’s important. Got it?.”
The doctor, or Hana as she called herself, didn’t even wait for the girl to nod. She reached over, cupped her chin, and nodded for her. She pulled back after doing that, content.
“Haha! Great, great!. As I said, my name is Hana Tanaka. I’m a…well, doctor is boring. Medical Professional, as I said. I just need to ask a few basic questions, work out how your cognition is doing. Understood? Nod if yes.”
It took her a second to think about it, before a pen tapped on a desk.
“Yes Is kind of your only option, I should state.”
It was a nod on instinct after she’d said that. A smile broke to her lips as she wrote something down, before nodding.
“Great! Now, on to the questions. Name?.” That was the first thing, the most basic question. At the top of the page were the words “Name of Patient.” It was something everyone knew, something everyone could say without even thinking.
Yet, after a minute of thinking, the little girl let her shoulders slump before shaking her head. She stared at the bronze skinned lady, opening her mouth.
“…C-Can’t remember.” That was all she could push out, clearing her throat. Hana, however, seemed to nod. She scribbled “N/A” at the top, and moved down.
“Understandable. Your brain is probably a bit messed up after all that exhaustion. It’ll come back! Trust me on that. We can move on to the next question. Name of paren- Ok, well…uh, no we can’t do that. You don’t even know your own name.”
She scribbled “N/A” to that as well, not even bothering to ask. It wasn’t necessary though. She genuinely had no clue what her parents names were.
Did…did she have parents? Her nightmare from earlier was a jumbled mess now, she couldn’t remember the contents. Only a few vague horrors. Something that, when she tried to remember, she decided to push those deep away.
She…she couldn’t deal with those.
“Ugh, doesn’t this questionnaire have anything we can do?”
Hana interrupted her thoughts, still scrolling down the page. “I mean, I doubt you remember your Village or Land of Origin?.”
A quick shake of the head, no.
“Thought that. I mean, I’ll just put physical characteristics for now. We can do this later.”
She rose out of her seat now, reaching over to the bed. She picked up the little girl, gripping her under her shoulders like a cat, before placing her feet back down on the cool tiles. Her hair now draped down again, touching the cool floor. It was still dirty, dirtier than it had been. The lumps of sand still hung in it, but now It was an even greater mess. She’d ask about a shower sooner or later.
Hana flipped over the page, looking over the little girl, before her eyes widened slightly.
“Holy crap…hey, you remember how old you are?.”
That was easily answered. The girl thought for a second, before speaking again.
“Eight…I’m…I’m Eight.”
Hana let out a low whistle at that, before stepping back. She reached into a cabinet, pulling out a large stick, before walking back over to her. She placed it beside her, looking up.
“Just to reference, out of heels…I’m just a bit above 5 foot 8. To also state this…I’m thirty-two. You, kid, are the exact same height as me.”
She took the stick back, placing it back, before writing down on the paper.
“I guess that gives me something to work with, both your parents must’ve been giants. I’ll say by the time you turn eighteen, you’ll have outgrown most adult-male Jonin.”
That caused the girl to turn her head, unsure at the term.
“…Jonin?.”
Another gaze of confusion beheld Hana. This girl hadn’t heard of Ninja? It wasn’t uncommon, admittedly. People as young as this one usually didn’t learn about the intricacies of the whole society until they started academic studies. However, they would usually at least know the names.
“Uh, don’t worry about that, you’ll figure it out later. Just…know you’re developing well! Even if you…” She cut herself off, reaching a hand forward. Her wrists looked like they could fall off at moment’s notice, skin so thin and the look it so weak it was as though the girl was malnourished. Couple that with how she came in and what she was wearing…
No, she probably remembered all that. No use in bringing it up.
As Hana moved to grasp her wrist, to truly feel it, she felt a singe of fear shoot through her. The girl slapped her hand away, walking backwards. Hana stared at her, in confusion…and was met with a form of fear she hadn’t known possible.
Her eyes glowed bright as the sun, the orange pulsating off them. It was though beams were shooting out of them, beams of light directed into her own pupils. Hana found it difficult to stare away, yet the anxiety and fear brewing within her only grew. Admittedly struggling, Hana took a hand to her eyes, covering them as though she didn’t have to stare.
Heavy breathing came out soon after, as she felt a bead of sweat drip down her…and a tear that followed soon after. She wiped her face with her sleeve, turning back to face the young girl, only to see the lights dim.
“…Sorry.” That was what the girl responded with, sheepish admittedly. “I-I saw you reaching for my wrist and…It scared me. Having something be around it again.” The girl rubbed her own wrist now, trying to calm herself.
Hana just nodded, trying to calm her own heart. Had she not realised what she’d done? That was pure directed fear. Hana was a medical professional, not someone very versed in everything to do with how the world operated. She saved lives, and she enjoyed it. Yet from her early days, from remembering the little lessons she was taught.
She was able to detect Chakra being pulsed outwards…had this girl caught her in a Genjutsu simply by looking her way? Capturing her without even knowing it at that.
It would be different if the girl had been formally educated, perhaps by some rich clan. However, she seemed to be a runaway captive, someone who must’ve been abducted from some poor family. There was no way she had any training in ninja arts, especially one as advanced as Genjutsu. Especially by doing it on command with no preparation.
Jutsu as a concept had to be done with intent, with specific knowledge of wishing to do it. Genjutsu itself required very precise chakra control. This girl had managed to both do it with no knowledge and possess great enough control to do it with such ease.
Considering It was done through her eyes…Hana stopped for a moment.
Could this be a hidden bloodline?
She gulped, scribbling down whatever she wanted on the rest of the page. This itself was profoundly important knowledge, the physical exam could be taken later, whenever it was deemed necessary. If this girl was truly a runaway, with no knowledge of origin and a bloodline never seen…
Then she needed to alert some instantly. Suna could hardly let someone like this pass.
She slammed her clipboard down, leaning forward with a smile, inspecting her all over.
“Little girl…would you like to meet someone very important?.”
Hana knew this was a dirty tactic, probably profoundly immoral, to use a child like this. Yet she rationalised it.
This wasn’t for her own advantage, nor some sick desire. It was genuine curiosity. This girl had stumbled out of nowhere with Amnesia, incapable of remembering her past, and had landed right outside Sunas gates as such a time where they were considered one of the weakest nations?
This was monumental or, perhaps, even a sign. What else could she do after all? Send the girl back out into the desert, send her to an orphanage with no knowledge of anything she could do? It would be cruel to not at least try.
Hana had been thinking for a while now, but the little girl was still deep in thought. Hana, this time, took it more seriously. She would have to say yes on her own.
“Hey, what if I sweeten the deal, hm?.”
That instantly caused the girl to look at her again, curiosity in her eyes.
“Considering you know nothing about yourself, how about I help you piece all that back together? That’s what we doctors are good at, after all, putting people together. If you say yes and come with me to meet a very important man…I’ll even give you a name. How does that sound?”
It hadn’t even taken a second for the girl to instantly nod. Childlike wonder, putting Hana back to earth and reminding her this was a child, finally filled her face. It was a definite nod.
Smiling, Hana put a finger to her lips, thinking. She was never good with names, so this was possibly the most difficult promise she could’ve made. She looked around her room, trying for hints. Beddy? No, that’s horrible. Raggy? Ugh, even she’d bully someone with that name.
Then, her eyes landed on them. Hana had taken off her chains, sliding them off her wrist and legs with ease, as they were barely hanging on to the skin and bones this child was anyway. Sighing, Hana nodded. It wouldn’t be a pretty name, nor would it be proper…it would be akin to reminding the girl of what she escaped, but it could be temporary. At least until she asked someone for better recommendations.
“Ok, I got it! How about we name you…”
Hana reached out a hand, yet this time, placed it on her head. She rubbed the dirty hair, sand falling to the floor, as the girls eyed sparked with joy.
“Shackle. Cool, right? I mean, you’re so mysterious and dark.”
Internally, Hana hoped she didn’t hate it. She hoped the girl wouldn’t cry and see how awful it was, so she shut her eyes, waiting the bawling.
Yet it never came.
The girl, instead, threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Hana. Instantly she was confused, not responding in time before the girl finally spoke up again, a hint of a tear in her voice.
“Shackle…I like that.”
So, Hana smiled, hugging her back. So it’d be for, at least for now.
Shackle would come with her to see the Kazekage.