Tale of the Nine-Tailed Ninja

The Village Hidden in the Leaves

As I had expected, my time with Orochimaru was short lived. Only a year after we had begun (which was actually longer than I had had any other sensei), I left him. Orochimaru was about to set his plan of destroying the Hidden Leaf Village in motion. He had wanted me to do some special mission but I refused and that's when he realized I wasn't there for him. He sent me off, not wanting to fight me anymore than I wanted to fight him. I was sure I could win but it'd be a long, arduous fight that just wasn't worth it. Someone else would take care of Orochimaru. I was sure of it.

Still, I wasn't going to pass up my chance to finally earn the trust and respect of the village that I really wanted to accept me. I set out for the Village Hidden in the Leaves, thinking that when Orochimaru attacked, I could fight alongside their ninja. That way they'd know, at the very least, I was an ally.

It took me a little over a month to reach the village because of all the distractions I encountered. I stared up at what should've been my childhood home, at the huge walls, and grinned. I could already tell that it'd take more than Orochimaru to defeat this village. I was in the trees above the road to the entrance to the village. Other foreign ninja were entering as well, and I saw them take out passports to show they had the right to be there. I frowned. I didn't have a passport, nor did I have a way to get one. It didn't take me long to devise a plan to get around that issue.

I went a ways away from the entrance and started to use my staff as a cane. I leaned on it heavily and limped towards the entrance. The foreign ninja that passed by didn't say a word as they saw me hobbling along. A few of them had the desire to help "such a poor kid," but they resisted for fear of criticism from their teammates. I didn't care. It'd be better for me to enter the village by myself, not accompanied by potential enemy ninja to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

I didn't slow as I approached the gates (mostly because slowing at my pace meant stopping). I tried to walk straight through and nearly did it, too, until one of the two guards spotted the headband at my waist. "Hey, you. Halt," he ordered. I fumbled as I stopped and stared at him in a faked surprise. He thought it was real. How is this kid a ninja? I heard him think, studying how I rested on my staff. "Where's your passport?" he demanded.

"P-Passport?" I cried out in shrill confusion. "What – What do you mean? Why – Why do I – I need a passport? I – I – I l-live here." The two guards were shocked.

"You're a ninja here?" the second guard asked incredulously.

"N-Ninja? I'm not a n-ninja." That makes a lot more sense, the second ninja decided. Poor kid probably can't even do ninjutsu.

"Then why are you wearing that headband?" the first ninja demanded. I glanced down at my headband as if I had forgotten all about it.

"This?" I replied, holding it up. "My – My dad gave it t-to me. I – I – I always wanted t-to be a n-ninja but I – I – I always got s-sick, so the a-academy didn't want me. My – My dad gave it t-to me t-to make me feel bet-better." I bet the girl hasn't been out of the hospital more than a few times in her life, the first ninja assumed.

"What's the symbol then?" he demanded anyway.