SHADOWS OF THE VILLAGE (Naruto)

Chapter 1: Training Ground 3

The sun was at its highest point in the sky when a young girl rushes through the thick foliage of the third training ground. Sweat dripped from her brow, down her cheek and bruising jaw. Branches created small cuts on exposed skin before she made it to the clearing in the middle of the grounds.

Deep breaths and aching legs forced the girl to stumble over to the tree stumps. Her back dug into the harsh bark as she slid down, hands locked above her head desperately trying to get air into her lungs.

Harsh sun bit at pale skin giving it a red glow after god know how long. Time was hazy. Her panic had made her unable to process her faults of the day.

In her own mind, Sakura Haruno was an embarrassment.

She had recently picked up her shinobi gear and tools she would need to start at the academy later this year. A wet spot was all it took for her to slip and whack her jaw on the table. Kids that would surely be in her class, laughed.

Sakura was so embarrassed, that she didn't know how she was going to face them at orientation. She had even heard someone say she had a huge forehead. Looking down at her reflection in the river, hands tracing her face, Sakura had never thought anything of her forehead until that moment. Now she hated it.

There was sudden movement on the other side of the river. Sakura wished more than anything, that it was just another friendly animal and not a human being.

Her wish didn't come true.

A boy around her age staggered from the foliage, his gait was uneven. A swollen left knee was twisted at an unnatural angle. Dislocated. Finger nails were filthy and black.

The boy's hands were drenched a deep scarlet colour that faded and smeared as it worked its way up his arms. It surely wasn't all his. Blood spatters were visible against the pale skin of his cheeks. And his left ear was coated as the top of the ear was sliced off.

He looked like hell.

The boy dragged himself to the edge of the river before dropping down into it. The once clear blue water became a blood bath. Sakura panicked when he didn't resurface quickly. Afraid that'd he'd drowned, she rushed to the edge scanning for the boy.

It was only a couple of minutes until he resurfaced. Blood and debris scrubbed out of his hair and off of his skin and nails. His body was painted hues of red, black and blue. But he was alive.

The boy didn't even spare the girl a glance as he pulled himself out on her side of the river, propping his mangled leg in front of him. After a few sickening minutes of manipulating the joint, the dislocated knee was back in place.

The boy was almost inhuman in his movements.

Sakura was traumatised by the scene and wondered how he wasn't vocalising his pain. She felt like screaming but any sound was trapped in her throat as she watched him take care of his wounds.

The tip of his ear bled horribly down the side of his face and neck but caring for lethal wounds was the main focus. His dark blue hair was slick against the left side of his head and neck. The boy removed the unsalvageable black shirt revealing scarlet soaked bandages around his mid section. Blood dripped from the punctures littering his lithe frame.

An almost inaudible hiss was heard as the bandages were removed. That was the first time she heard him make any noise of discomfort. Maybe he was more human than she thought.

Before Sakura could even think about the repercussions, she had stepped forward and into his line of sight. His eyes didn't stray until the heavy bandages were dropped to the grass.

Sakura fumbled in her ninja pouch, thankful she had brought it along and out grabbing rolls of bandages. She didn't dare open her mouth, not trusting her voice at this time.

Grey eyes met her emerald green ones, and there were no questions or protests. The boy just watched Sakura as she mustered up all the courage she had and held the rolls of clean bandages to him.

A few minutes went by and Sakura believed he may of rejected her assistance. She almost pulled away when a pale hand met hers, fingers skimming hers as he wordlessly took the bandages.

Sakura thought she was going to pass out from the amount of blood she was seeing. Her body trembled but a rough hand steadied her, mid way through wrapping a wound. A dark blush stained her cheeks as the boy guided her into a sitting position. Once she was seated and seemingly comfortable, he continued from his spot on the grass.

She didn't have the confidence to move and couldn't look the boy in the eyes as he tended to his wounds. As if sensing her fear, he avoided eye contact and adjusted his movements to remove the possibility of contact, despite their proximity.

Sakura Haruno didn't know what the nameless boy had been through and couldn't bring herself to ask. She just sat and watched him work as bandages hid both new and old injures alike. She caught sight of a marking on the side of his neck but didn't know what it meant. It just reminded her of a branding an animal would have.

Why would a kid have such a mark?
How did the boy end up beaten and bloody?
And why did he act like it was the most normal occurrence?

Sakura wondered who would do that to anyone... it was so wrong. But she remained voiceless as he handed the remaining roll back to her. He then formed a hand sign, rotating his hand over the edge of the river.

Sakura watched closely as water lifted from the river forming a small ball. The boy brought the water close to his face and forming another hand sign, breathed air which caused the water to slowly crystallise.

Sakura learned closer to the boy, in awe of the solidifying substance in his hand. After a few moments and upon inspection, the boy deemed that it was solid. He then held the ice towards the pink haired girl and pointed to her jaw.

Taking the hint, Sakura placed it to her bruising jaw and sighed at the sensation. Sakura closed her eyes briefly but when she opened them again, the boy had disappeared.

She stood up from her position wondering if she had imagined the whole thing. Between the ice in her hand and a scarlet stains on the grass where the boy and bandages were, Sakura was very sure he was real.

A/N: Not edited.