Ninjago Pilot Episodes - The Beginning

Way of the Ninja

          The afternoon breeze brought a distant chill as the villagers roamed their farms. Citizens of Ignacia walked past hills, often returning with buckets of water to feed their plants. It wasn't a luxurious place with a high economy, with rich suits and outfits, but the people of the village were perfectly content with what they had. They found it rather comfortable to wear plain clothes and straw hats to prevent sunburns. It was what they lived with and what they would keep living with. Trees with auburn-colored leaves surrounded the area, and a stone path, not too far from the crops and hoed soil, lead to a relatively small blacksmith shop perched on top of a low hill, containing a symbol of two weapons—a sword and a staff—clashing against each other, whilst a pair of nunchucks was below it, along with a shuriken right in the middle.

          Walking towards the small village was an old man wearing a white kimono and a straw hat, like the rest of Ignacia's residents. He supported himself with his father's staff, soft clacks echoing against the still air with every step he took. The wise man observed his surroundings, eventually catching sight of the shop he recognized many years prior. He stopped in his tracks, noticing two young teens. An average-heighted girl stood at the front counter, whereas the boy, who was slightly older and taller, worked on crafting a perfect sword.

          The girl had short black hair that reached her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless red kimono, yellow symbols trailing down one side of her outfit. Her eyes were a shining blue, which was rather rare, and she bore a look of slight confidence. The boy she worked with wore an apron. He had spiky brown hair, deep, coffee-colored eyes with hints of amber visible in the irises, and a small chip on his left brow. He also looked like a rather confident young man, perhaps even a tiny bit complacent. They were both somewhat slim, yet they seemed healthy enough to keep working.

          With loud clangs, the boy hammered the iron to get it into shape, beads of sweat trailing down his face from the heat of the sun.

          "To forge the perfect weapon," he murmured to himself, "you first need the right metal and plenty of heat. Cool it off, and... presto!" A cloud of smoke rose from the basin, and a disappointed look grew on the blacksmith's face as the blade of his sword curled inwards, the complete opposite of what he was going for.

          He groaned with dissatisfaction, really wanting to give up right then and there. His sister laughed. "You made it too quickly, Kai. Be patient! If father was still here, he'd say—"

          "I know," Kai interrupted, gazing back at her. "No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you can learn overnight." He turned back round. "That might work for you, Nya, but I'm gonna be a better blacksmith than Dad ever was."

          Sudden footsteps sounded behind them, and they turned to see a strange old man unlike any other they had seen. They watched him enter their shop and hum thoughtfully.

          "Hm... your metal is loud and heavy," he said at last, raising his head to look at them properly in the afternoon's light, "useful to slow one down. Useless in the Art of Stealth. All tools for a samurai," he added, whacking a pile of helmets placed next to the wall. "But nothing for a ninja?"

          "A ninja?" Kai asked, letting out a small chuckle. "You're a long way away from finding a ninja in these parts, old man." He gestured to the sign at the front of their store. "And the shop is called 'Four Weapons', not 'For Browsing'." He approached the unwanted guest. "Either buy something or go pedal your insults somewhere else."

          Seconds passed with the two glaring at each other, then the elderly man scoffed. "That's too bad. I thought I'd find something special here."