Chapter 1
Disturbing the Eerie silence, small but measured footsteps echoed throughout the large and cavernous tunnel. Somehow, they sounded light and heavy at the same time. Like a trained soldier who knew to diminish their presence, but had something else on their mind- preventing them from acting on their training.
And If you were to follow those footsteps to the source, most would be shocked. Because the light, measured, and distracted steps came from a gangly child with fruit colored orange hair.
And she looked devastatingly calm.
The face looked ghastly on the child. Calculating and murderous. It was an emotion that could only be seen on a spartan before battle. The calm before the storm. While anger was a commonality among her people, the rationality within her face was not.
It had only been a few months since she had entered the cave previously. In a testament to receive her clan’s birthright, she partook in a deadly trial to determine if she was worthy. Some kids never returned, but she had successfully carried out her training with the white Snake Sage.
Now, she was running back. She had to have answers.
It had all started from the moment her trials began. Snake-sensei told her that she was different. They said that she would ‘not be limited by her bloodline’ and that ‘she had no maximum to what she could reach’. She had left the cave early, before any of her peers- and the snake had declared her a prodigy at 10 years old.
Her mother had cried out at the news, but when she told Her brother about it he hadn’t believed her, and lectured her over the ‘delicacies of Senjutsu’.
Apparently he had missed the point of his own lesson that day.
Juugo had grown extremely violent in the weeks following her announcement. He had always had the worst effects from their kekkei genkai, so naturally, she would be the balance to his rage. While he was brash and bold, Reina was analytical and reserved(at least by her clan’s standards). Maybe it was her nature that balanced out her bloodline, but no one could be sure.
Well at least now they wouldn’t.
As the days went on, and her parents tried to calm his rage, she was kept further and further from her brother. Her mother and father would also break into their own rage at times, almost as a result of being around her older brother.
The madness seemed to spread on to the whole village, until She had inevitably taken shelter in the deepest part of the caves. Her people knew them well, but several paths were not traveled, as they were only meant for the young of Ryuuchi to enter.
That’s how she had gotten to where she is now.
Searching desperately for her teacher- for a way to stop the madness- she ran deeper and deeper, until her feet were raw. The treck from her clan’s place in the caves to The white Snake Sage was long. It was the first trial young members of Ryuuchi had to endure, but luckily, She had a shortcut.
Feeling the natural energy around her-she pulled, and immediately, felt her eyes change to black. The Snake had described this as her ‘sage mode’, something that would increase her natural ability, and with guidance from her clan- even more powers.
Feeling out with her enhanced senses, she felt the large amount of chakra in the tunnel to her left and followed. Running faster, she got closer and closer, until she saw her sensei.
As soon as Reina made eye contact with the large albino serpent, 2 medium sized scrolls appeared in front of her, and she felt a voice echo in her head.
“Reina, you must leave the cave and travel west.”
Huh? But, what about her village? Her Clan?
“Your brother has slaughtered everyone in the village, the madness of your clan’s blood has brought the end to the Ryuuchi.”
Reina choked out a sob at the snake's words, “It can’t be! We have been fine for centuries!”
The Snake peered down at her, but there was no pity in her tone for the young kunoichi. The girl knew her clan wasn’t “fine”, and the old snake would not allow the bright girl to delude herself.
“The line had become unbalanced, the energy too saturated. Your clan had become greedy with power, and the balance had to be restored.”
Her facade of calm breaking, white hot tears fell down the young girl's face. It was hard, but she stayed silent as her sensei went on.
“These two scrolls are complete sets of your clan’s jutsu. You will travel to Konohagakure, and provide the hokage with one of these scrolls. In order to restore your bloodline to balance, you must master your kekkei genkai, and carry on these jutsu as intended.”
Reina looked up at the last part, forcing her tears to subside. She didn’t understand how her village and clan had slowly succumbed to rage, but she understood the importance of balance. Somewhere along the way her ancestors had royally screwed up, and passed unnatural rage to her and her family.
And apparently they were all gone. She was the only one left to help carry on the tradition of the Ryuuchi. Reina couldn’t help but feel anger, the emotion surprising her. Had the clan’s madness spread to her?
The great snake lowered its head to look in the girl’s eyes.
“You must leave, any longer, and you won’t be free of the madness. It could never fully take you, not like the others, but once it takes root…. It’s almost impossible to purify.”
Reina slapped her hands to her face, trying to remain calm.
“When must I leave Sensei?”
“Now”
And with that, Reina sensed her way out of the caves, and to the biggest village in fire country.
Darting through the trees at unhuman speeds for a young girl, she pulled on her surroundings to supplement her chakra. Much like the Sage had declared, she was somehow able to take in the exact amount she needed.
In a trip that would have taken an inexperienced chunin 4 days to finish, the girl made her way to the Hokage’s tower in well under 3 days.
Pupils still black, and white energy flowing around her, she didn’t stop once. The girl was on a mission with two scrolls of great importance, and would not risk being caught in her enhanced state. Her kind were rarely seen beyond their cave, and any experienced sensor would be able to find her in seconds- that was the drawback to having almost unlimited chakra.
She had never been trained in how to diminish her presence. So almost immediately when she passed the village gates, the trackers had found her. Ninja as they were, they launched several attacks. 10 years old or not, she was an unmarked ninja running into a village. They were only doing what was right for the safety of the village.
Reina felt several kunai pierce her skin, but because of her natural ability to heal in this state, they just stuck in her while the wounds provided no pain at all. She wasn’t sure if it was just her senjutsu, or a mix of adrenaline and exhaustion from running for over 24hrs, but she kept on to the center of the village.
In the dead of the night, running through the streets at breakneck speeds. She poured the last of what she thought was wise into her chakra network. Despite having access to so much chakra, the constant flow would no doubt have consequences on her coils. While chakra exhaustion was a non-issue, the prolonged strain would wreck her chakra control, and with a pack of ninja hopping above, no doutbedly stronger than her, she had to be careful.
Turning the corner to the chakra she had guessed as the hokage, she felt her energy start to falter.
No, not now!
The ninja were hot on her trail and she was unfamiliar with the city, but with her senses, she was able to reach the tall tower. Pulling on the dregs of the chakra- her chakra- she used her only learned skill from the white snake, and turned into her true sage form: A weird almalamation that could only be described as vaguely tengu looking.
Practically flying up to the hokage, she landed and dropped her Senjutsu. The hidden ninja in the room jumped for her, but she fell on her knees and held up one of her familial scrolls.
“The Ryuuchi have fallen”