Her life had been going somewhat bearable. But that fragile peace came to an end that day.
After years of running, hiding, and escaping death, Uzumaki Yuri had finally settled in a small town in the Grass Country. She had managed to live there for nearly a year in relative peace. For her, that one year had been the best time of her life since the destruction of her clan. No longer constantly looking over her shoulder, no longer moving from place to place. It was almost like a dream.
It was, without doubt, the best year of her life since her clan had been destroyed.
But dreams are fragile things.
The peace was shattered when a group of Grass nin arrived in the village, sent to investigate a minor border conflict. They weren't looking for her. She had been careful. Quiet. Just another face in the crowd.
Then it happened.
One of the village boys—Tota, a curious child who often brought her fruit in exchange for stories—was caught in an explosion during the ninja's inspection. He was badly hurt, his small body broken and bleeding.
She liked him, he reminded her of the brother she once had. She couldn't stand to see him suffer, especially when she knew she could help. And so, after the ninja left, she snuck into the boy's home and used her most sacred ability. It was part of her bloodline, one of the rarest gifts of the Uzumaki: when someone bit into her skin, she could transfer pure vitality—the essence of life itself.
It was a gift of life few could comprehend.
The treatment worked. The child healed.
But someone saw.
And someone spoke.
word got out.
Someone must have informed the Grass Ninja Village. Maybe it was one of the villagers. She didn't even feel surprised. She had grown accustomed to betrayal. Time and time again, she saw kindness repaid with fear, admiration turned to greed. It was the curse of her bloodline.
That night, she fled. Again.
But this time, luck was not on her side. Four Grass Ninja intercepted her path. And so, the chase began. It had already lasted three days.
She was only ten when her village was destroyed. She had never received formal training. Never learned powerful ninjutsu. She knew many types of seals, yes, but none that could help in direct combat. All she could do was run, desperately, for her life and her freedom.
Her strong Uzumaki body and iron will had carried her this far, but the gap between a trained ninja and a chakra-possessing civilian was too vast. Three days of evading their pursuit had drained her to her limit. Her chakra reserves were nearly empty, and her sleep-deprived mind teetered on the brink of collapse.
Finally, her body gave up.
She collapsed under a tree, her chest heaving, her limbs trembling. Her heart felt heavy with despair.
"Mom... I did my best. I really did," she whispered, her voice barely audible, tears gathering in her eyes.
She knew what would happen if she got caught.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, sharp knife. It was a gift from her father on her fifth birthday. A single tear slid down her cheek. Her hand trembled, but her grip tightened. Her face became resolute.
If she was going to die, she would die on her terms.
But fate wasn't done playing with her.
Just as she raised the knife, a kunai came flying from the shadows. It knocked the blade from her hand and nailed her palm to the tree behind her. Blood burst from the wound as pain shot through her body.
She gasped, eyes wide with agony, but there was no time to process it.
"Bitch! You think you can just die like that after we chased you for three days?!" one of the ninja barked. He was the one who threw the kunai.
"Tie her up! Seal her chakra! Don't let her move an inch!" he commanded. "This stupid bitch is too valuable. If anything happens to her, Kiriomon-sama will skin us alive."
The other ninjas immediately grew serious at the name.
Yuri could only watch, her breath coming in short gasps, her mind screaming. She forced her body to draw in what little chakra she had left. If she was going to die, she would go down fighting.
But before she could act—
"Bang," she haired a soft whisper.
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted through the area as a cloud of dirt and debris erupted around them.
The sudden explosion disoriented everyone. One of the Grass Ninja quickly performed hand signs. "Wind Style: Air Burst!" he shouted, releasing a gust that blew away the dust and cleared the battlefield.
They assumed the girl had pulled off some desperate jutsu.
But what they saw next was something they couldn't have imagined.
One of the four ninja lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, his body mangled beyond recognition. Half of him was simply gone. His remaining leg twitched slightly, the last spasms of a body in its death throes.
Yuri's eyes widened in shock, disbelief coursing through her entire being, her breath caught in her throat.
And then she saw him.
A man stood beside her. Calm. Confident.
His presence overwhelming.
He had one hand extended outward, the other lazily stuffed in his pocket. His left eye was closed, his right eye focused on his own hand, where only two fingers were raised, almost like a gun from child's imagination. His right eye stared down the ninja, calm and unblinking.
"Bang,"
[Yuri Uzumaki]
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