"The peace of time had run out. Cries of war echoed upon the wind." *Villages consumed by fire.*
"The remnants of the past scarred the land, which was besieged once again by conflict." *Shinobi collapsed as roots erupted from their chests.*
"Heroes arose to challenge fate and lead their people to battle. As mortal ninja rushed blindly toward their doom, the prideful gods came to consume you all." *A colossal tree loomed in the distance, its branches heavy with cocoons-each one pulsing with stolen life*
"And you, Narumi Yuki—will you remain frozen in your fate, or will you fight for it?"
Narumi woke with a start, his heart hammering. The cave was dark, the only sounds that could be heard are the pounding rain and distant thunder. His body—small, filthy, and weak from hunger—shook as he sat up.
"Where am I?" he muttered.
"What was that dream?" He clutched his head, dizzy. "That voice… who was it? Why did it feel so real? The world was destroyed… lands burned… people fed to that tree."
He looked at his hands—cracked and caked with dirt and blood.
A sharp pain flared in his chest. He remove his ragged shirt. What he saw is a stabbed wound that slowly sewed itself shut before his eyes, flesh knitting together like invisible threads pulling tight.
"What happened to me? How is my wound healing by itself?" he muttered in disbelief, baffled by what he was seeing. He scanned his surroundings again.
Beside him, a bloodied kunai gleamed dully.
"I can't remember anything… except my name." His stomach growled viciously.
He scanned the cave. No food—just a puddle of murky water. He scooped it into his mouth, then froze. His reflection stared back.
Black, uneven hair framed a gaunt face. His left eye was white pale, pupil-less. His right eye was dark, but the iris bore a white diamond-shaped mark.
"Is this how I always looked?... My eyes look weird," he whispered.
"Never mind. I need food. Can't think when I'm this hungry."
He staggered out into the storm.
---
One hour had passed as Narumi aimlessly searched for food. The pouring rain continued as if the sun would never shine again.
"When will this rain stop?" Narumi complained, clutching his stomach. His movements slowed as his body weakened from hunger.
"Am I going to die from starvation?" he whispered, his steps growing sluggish.
Then he saw something—a house. He ran to it and knocked. "Excuse me, is anyone here?" The door creaked open slightly, and an old woman peered out.
"What is it, young man?" she asked, eyeing his filthy appearance.
"Do you have any spare food I could eat?" he asked politely.
"Go away. I have nothing to give. Food is scarce with this endless war," she replied before shutting the door firmly.
Narumi tried to beg again but stopped when the door closed. "Why is she like that?" he muttered as his stomach growled.
Defeated, he trudged away, hoping to spot food somewhere along the path.
As he climbed a steep, muddy road, his strength failed him. His legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the wet ground. "I can't go on," he whispered.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, followed by distant voices.
"Look, Yahiko—I found someone!" a young girl called out.
Narumi tried to see who they were, but his vision darkened. Unbeknownst to him, his exhaustion wasn't just from hunger—his chakra had been drained from constantly healing his chest wound.
---
Narumi slowly opened his eyes. "Ughh..." A groan escaped his mouth. He sat up and scanned his surroundings.
"Where am I?" he grumbled. *It seems like I'm in a cave again, but much bigger than before. There are also some crates and a lamp.*
"Oh, you're finally awake." A young girl's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to his right and saw her—amber eyes, short straight blue hair, wearing a simple brown t-shirt and a grey skirt that stretched past her knees. Narumi's gaze locked onto the bread she was holding.
"You look hungry. Here, have some bread," she said, handing it to him. Narumi immediately took it and bit into it. Though the bread was quite hard, a blissful expression spread across his face.
The girl smiled at his reaction. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Mwy name ish—" he mumbled through a mouthful of bread.
*Gulp.*
"Narumi. My name is Narumi Yuki," he corrected himself. "What about yours?" he asked before taking another bite.
"I'm Konan. Eat slowly, Narumi-kun, or you might choke," she replied, chuckling as she watched him devour the bread.
"And I'm Yahiko," a young man interjected, joining their conversation.
"Be glad we found you when we did. You were on the verge of death," he added. He had medium-length spiky orange hair and wore a green t-shirt with grey pants.
"Thank you very much," Narumi said, bowing slightly.
"You're welcome, Narumi-kun," Konan replied.
"I really thought I was going to die from starvation. So, thank you again for saving me," he added.
"Are you an orphan too?" Yahiko asked.
"I... I don't know. I can't remember anything. When I woke up, I was in an unknown cave, starving, and just wandered around looking for food until you found me," Narumi muttered, staring at the ground.
"So you lost your memories?"
"That's right. Woah, this place is amazing—so much food!" Narumi marveled, looking around their well-stocked hideout.
"Never mind. If you can't remember anything, asking more won't help. If you want to stay here, I expect you to help gather provisions too."
"Provisions? How?" Narumi asked.
Yahiko walked over to a crate and hopped onto it before answering, "By stealing."
"Stealing?"
"That's right. Stealing."
"Sure, I can help with that," Narumi replied quickly, as he swallowed the last crust, the unseen white pale, pupil less left eye and the diamond-shaped marked in his right eye pulsed in excitement.
"If stealing means food and survival, then I'll do it."
And so, the trio's mischievous thieving began.