Chapter 2 The Nightmare

One summer night I came home and saw my mother in the kitchen cooking our dinner. I put my book bag next to the door and went into the kitchen hugging her from behind as she smiled,

"Hello Isamu! How was your day dear?"

I went to look behind her to see what she was making for dinner, ramen with pork…my favorite.

"It was good mom…I just did some more studying at the library and walked around the village for some time…"

I looked to the side trying to hide my sadness from my mother, she knew me too well to buy it though.

"Did you run into mean villagers' sweetie?"

I crossed my arms and went to go sit at the table with my head down. I did not want to look up or answer her, because if I did I might start crying. Showing emotion was something we were not supposed to do…especially being heir chieftain. I got my emotions under control pressing them far down so they would not come out when I answered her.

"No mom, it was surprisingly quiet today…it was strange actually. There were not many people out like there normally are in the market area."

I looked up at her with a small smile.

She turned around and started cooking again to ensure not to burn the noodles. She grabbed a large spoon and filled two bowls with ramen and sat down next to me. She slid me the bowl and as she sat down, she looked at her food and started stirring the contents.

"You know Isamu…you can be honest with me. I know you have a challenging time being open and talking about your feelings. Your father has done that damage to you...but I am not like him…I will not expect you to hide your feelings or emotions. It will damage you in the end if you continue to keep pushing them down."

She took a spoon full blowing on it to cool it down as she side-eyed me to see my reaction. I looked down at my bowl and began stirring the contents. I looked up at her with a half-hearted smile and nodded.

"I know mom…and I appreciate you for doing that…for everything …"

I looked down again trying not to make eye contact. I know my mom has been having an exceedingly challenging time with being pushed aside and shunned by my father just because she was supporting me. She had to do everything around the house, cooking, cleaning, organizing, helping me with my studies and schooling, and with all of that trying to find a moment to rest. I felt bad that she was constantly busy and never had a moment…nor had my father.

It was always strange to me, the stories of their youth she used to tell me, I could hardly believe that was my father. She used to tell me how caring and sweet he was with her, how he treasured her and how he treated her like the queen she was…I just never understood, to be honest, a lot of the time I hated myself for this. I hated myself because if it were not for me being born…surviving the transfer…this is not how my mother would be…this is not how my father would be. I could not help but slam down my fist on the table to this thought. I was the problem! It was like I was a disease that plagued this village and if I were ignored and secluded maybe…they were hoping I would just wither away. Run away…so no one ever had to deal with me ever again.

Do not get me wrong…I have thought about it numerous times. Running away to a different land and a different village. Starting a new life, not being known as the plagued heir to the chieftain but just as…Isamu. I dreamed about this consistently, but I also knew how devastating that would be to this village even if they did not see it now. No chieftain has ever left the village and not returned. The seal and the spirit bound them to lead and protect this village. That was the life I was born into and the curse I was forced to bear.

Just as I calmed myself and grabbed a spoonful to my mouth to eat, I heard a loud BANG and screaming coming from outside of our kitchen windows. I dropped my spoon looking over at my mother to see if she heard it to. She did…she looked at me putting her finger up to her mouth to tell me to be still and silent. I did as she asked sitting there watching her every move.

Multiple BANGS followed and the screams began to grow louder and louder. My mother jumped up and ran to the kitchen window. She peered through the blinds to see what the commotion was about. Just then she put her hand over her mouth and started backing up slowly. She turned around with fear in her eyes as she ran over to me.

"Isamu…we are being attacked. Our village is being attacked…I do not know by whom, but this is not good…you are not safe here."

She grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me up to a standing position. She bent down so there was only an inch or so between our faces. I could see tears start to well up in her eyes as I looked at her deadpan face.

"Mom…"

She gave me a half-hearted smile and hugged me tightly. As she pulled away, I saw her face grow with fear. Tears started falling down her face as she looked at me with her fear-filled eyes. She began to look down at her chest, there was part of a katana sticking out right in between her breasts. It barely missed me, only an inch more and I would have been impaled too. I saw blood start running down the sides of her mouth as she looked back up at me.

"Run…run Isamu!"

She used her last bit of strength and breath to tell me this. When she finished, she fell sideways to the ground and collapsed. A pool of blood forming under her…she was gone. I slumped down to my knees burying my face in her hair.

"No…mom…mom wake up!"

I started wailing and shaking her hoping she was going to wake up, but she never did. As I collected myself, I stood and realized I was now stained in blood…her blood. Then reality hit me, I heard multiple footsteps coming from the kitchen window and around to the front of the house. There were many…at least 4 or 5 leading their way to my door. I saw the knob begin to jiggle and my heart sank.

I realized that if I did not run now, I would end up just like my mother in another few minutes. I could not let that happen, I had to run but why couldn't I move. I was frozen, paralyzed to where I was standing. I kept yelling at myself in my head, "MOVE DAMNIT MOVE YOUR FEET RUN!"

Just as I was about to turn and start heading out the back, the front door blasted open. The force of the blast knocked me down and I was disoriented. I sat up trying to make clear of what I was seeing, then someone grabbed me from behind holding me at least a foot off the ground by my hair.

I screamed in pain as I began to claw at the hand that was holding me, but it did not seem to phase them. I then opened my eyes trying to see clearly…there were three shinobi in front of me. They were all dressed in black and all I could see were their lifeless eyes. The middle one, which looked the biggest started walking towards me. He grabbed my face and pulled me up so that our faces were only a few inches apart.

"Ah…yes…this is her."

The shinobi chuckled as he turned my head to the side and then to the other side as if getting a better look at my profile.

"Yes men, this is her…this is princess Isamu…"

He let go and I dropped to the ground with a great THUD.

I struggled to try to push myself off the ground. I looked back at the bigger shinob staring at him. Too frightened to move, I was waiting for his next move.

What was he going to do next? They were looking for me. What do they want from me? How do they know who I am?

The large shinobi then pulled out his small kunai knife and crouched down where his elbows were rested on his knees and his kunai was spinning on his right index finger. He tilted is head and from what little I could see, he was smiling under that mask…a sinister smile that made my stomach drop.

I finally got enough courage and strength to jump to my feet, as I turned, trying to run I got pulled back again. This time the large shinobi had me by my neck with his left hand as his kunai pointed right in between my eyes.

"You can't escape us little girl…there is no where you can run…you're not getting away from us."

I began to kick and thrash trying to break free from this shinobi's grasp, but he was…too strong. I got tired, starting to lose my will and strength to keep fighting. The shinobi then slammed me on the ground holding me down on my back with his hand still around my neck. I could barely breathe he was choking me, tears started to fall down the side of my face. I looked at the man hovering over me, I tried my hardest but only a whisper came out,

"What-what do you want with me?"

The shinobi laughed and looked at one of his other shinobi gesturing for him to come over. He looked at this other shinobi who was much smaller in portion to the one holding me down. He pointed to my face as the other shinobi bent down, holding my face down with one hand. He then held my left eye open with the other hand. He held it open wide to where I could not blink, I could start to feel the air sting my eye. It began to water and there was nothing I could do. I tried thrashing and kicking again but it was no use…these men were too strong for a 5-year-old girl to fight off. I laid there, stopped my fighting as I held my other eye shut as tight as I could.

The larger shinobi took his kunai bringing it closer to the eye being held open.

"Okay little girl…this is going to hurt…a lot"

The shinobi laughed and then it happened…my vision began to go black in my left eye and the pain…the excruciating pain…I have never felt anything like this in my entire life. I began to scream out as the other shinobis came over to hold the rest of my body down. Then the pain stopped but…all I could hear was loud ringing in my ears. I then saw it…The shinobi that was hovering over me stood up, he had…yes…it was my left eye in his hand. He held it up blood dripping to the floor as he looked at it, then back to me.

"Oh, how wonderful! One down…one to go…do not worry little girl once we have both of your eyes your suffering and pain will end."

I looked at the large shinobi with fear as I began to cry again…this was all too much I could not bear to look up at them, so I kept my eye shut. Then suddenly, I heard a big THUD next to me. I jerked my eye open and turned my head. One of the shinobi holding me down was now on his back lifeless. A pool of blood forming underneath his back. I looked around to see what had caused this and to my surprise I saw…my father.

He was standing next to the large shinobi holding my left. In less than a second he had snapped this shinobi's head clean off his body and threw it to the side. The shinobi's body fell to the ground, I could see my eye rolling across the floor. I looked back up to my father who was finishing off the last few shinobi in the house. Once he was done and all the bodies were lifeless on the ground, he ran over to me.

"Isamu! Isamu!"

He dropped to his knees next to me lifting my head up in his hand, so I was facing him. I covered my left eye with my right hand as blood continued to run down my face. I looked up at my father with tears filling in my right eye as I was lost for words. I could not speak, even if I could I had no idea what to say.

"Oh Isamu…I am so sorry it took me this long to get to you."

He looked over at my mother's lifeless body on the floor, then back to me and his surroundings. He made sure everything was clear as he put me up on my feet.

"Isamu…listen and listen to me good we do not have much time."

I nodded holding my eye and staring straight into his as he grabbed a satchel from the kitchen placing it on my shoulder.

"Take this…you need to run Isamu…you need to run and never look back do you understand?"

I nodded slowly but I was confused and whispered,

"Where will I go father?"

He stood up pointing to the back door in the kitchen.

"Go out the back door... follow the path behind our home that goes through the treeline. I need you to take this path down the mountain. Once you are at the bottom of the mountain, I need you to head east…keep going until you have reached the Hidden Leaf Village. This is in Konoha, I need you to go there and seek out their Hokage. His name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, he will protect you and keep you safe."

I shook my head as tears fell even harder now.

"Father…are you not coming with me?"

My father gave me a very saddened smile as he pulled me in close hugging me for the first time. I hugged him back and cried even harder because of this action that I have never felt from him before. It was so comforting and warm, yet…I knew I had to let go...so I did.

"No Isamu…I am Chieftain, I have a responsibility to this village. I am going to stay and fight protecting my people with my life. This is my duty and one day it may become yours."

I nodded, I understood but still, I did not want to go off alone. I was scared, what was I supposed to do anyway? The Hidden Leaf Village is 5 days away…how am I going to get there all on my own? I shook my head clenching my fists.

"Yes father…I understand"

I turned my back and was about to run out the back door when I felt my father's hand on my shoulder. I stopped turning around to see him looking at me with a small smile, but his eyes showed a different emotion…sadness.

"Isamu…I need to do this before you leave…it may hurt but it needs to be done and be done quickly."

He held his right hand out with my left eye in the palm of his hand. He gestured to my hand covering the closed eyelid of my hollow left eye. I let my hand fall to my side as I nodded at my father. I clenched my fist closing my right eye shut. I felt a stinging pain that radiated all over my face down my neck and spine. I wanted to scream out in pain, but I held it in as best as I could. I wanted to ensure no one would hear and come barging in after us. I then felt a warm calming sensation as I felt my father's hand lift from my eye. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He shook his head crossing his arms.

"Isamu…. I am sorry I do not have much chakra left to fully heal your eye…when you arrive to the leaf village, they will have medical ninja to assist and fully restore its use."

I looked up at him noticing how my vision was still cut in half even though my eye was returned. This was not the time to dwell I needed to run and get away, and I had to do it now.

With one last hug to my father, I began to run out the back door. I never looked back…but as I got outside starting on the hidden path behind our home, I heard a loud BANG from behind me. My steps slowed until I was at a standstill. I looked behind my shoulder and saw my house was now engulfed in flames. I clenched my fist as tears started streaming down my face.

"Father…Mother…I love you."