Chapter Two — The First Night
Ren woke to the sound of rain.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
His small body was curled beneath the thin blanket, and the cold had settled into his bones. The roof above them continued to leak, drops of water falling through the cracks and striking the floor with a soft, repetitive sound.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Ren opened his eyes.
He didn't recognize the room.
Then he remembered.
The gates.
His father.
The mud.
The word tainted.
His stomach tightened.
He turned his head.
His sister was asleep beside him, curled against their mother. His mother looked exhausted. Her clothes were still damp from the previous night's rain, and a few strands of wet hair rested against her face.
Ren sat up quietly.
His stomach growled.
He covered it with both hands.
He was hungry.
Very hungry.
He looked toward the small bag their mother had managed to bring from the compound.
Maybe there was food.
Ren crawled toward it and opened the cloth carefully.
Inside were two small pieces of bread, a few dried vegetables, and a flask of water.
He reached for the bread.
Then stopped.
He looked back at his mother and sister.
He wanted it.
But he remembered his sister hadn't eaten much the night before.
Ren pulled the bread apart.
He placed one piece back into the bag and held the other in his hands.
He took a tiny bite.
It barely helped.
"Ren."
He froze.
His sister was awake.
She pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes.
"You're eating?"
Ren nodded.
She looked at the bread.
"Did you save me some?"
He held the piece toward her.
She stared at him.
Then smiled.
"You're a good little brother."
Ren smiled back.
She took only a small bite before returning it.
"You eat the rest."
"But—"
"I said eat."
Ren obeyed.
His sister looked toward their mother.
"Mom?"
Their mother slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up and looked around the abandoned building.
For a moment, sadness crossed her face.
Then she forced it away.
"Good morning."
Ren crawled into her lap.
"Can we go home now?"
The question hung in the air.
His mother didn't answer immediately.
She wrapped both arms around him.
"No, sweetheart."
Ren lowered his head.
"Why?"
"Because your father doesn't want us there."
Ren thought about that.
"Did I do something bad?"
His mother's expression broke.
"No."
"Did Sis?"
"No."
"Then why?"
His mother pressed her forehead against his.
"Because sometimes people are afraid of things they don't understand."
Ren didn't understand that either.
His sister did.
She looked away.
"They hate us because we're different."
Their mother gave her a warning look.
"Don't fill his head with hatred."
"I'm not."
"You are."
His sister fell silent.
Ren looked between them.
He didn't know who was right.
He only knew that he didn't want his father to hate him.
Their mother stood.
"We need to find work."
"Work?" Ren asked.
His sister nodded.
"Work means money."
"What's money?"
She stared at him.
"You really don't know anything."
Ren frowned.
"I know things."
She smiled.
"Like what?"
Ren thought carefully.
"Father's angry."
His sister's smile disappeared.
Their mother turned away.
"Come. We need to leave."
They stepped outside.
The rain had stopped, but Konoha was still covered in grey clouds.
The streets were beginning to fill.
Shopkeepers opened their doors. Shinobi moved through the village with purpose. Children ran toward the Academy carrying bags and laughing with one another.
Ren watched them.
One boy ran past wearing a clan crest.
Ren looked down at his own clothes.
Nothing.
No crest.
No symbol.
Nothing that said where he belonged.
His sister noticed.
"Don't worry about them."
Ren looked at her.
"I want friends."
She smiled sadly.
"You'll make some."
"Will they be Yamanaka?"
She hesitated.
"No."
Ren looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because we don't need to be Yamanaka to have friends."
Their mother glanced back at them.
She smiled faintly.
"That is exactly right."
They spent the morning walking.
Their mother asked several shopkeepers if they needed help.
Most refused.
Some barely looked at her.
One man laughed when she mentioned the Yamanaka clan.
"You're telling me a Yamanaka woman is looking for work?"
His mother stiffened.
"I am not asking for charity."
The man shrugged.
"Then try somewhere else."
They did.
And somewhere else.
And somewhere else.
Each time, the answer was the same.
No.
By midday, Ren's feet hurt.
His sister carried him for part of the journey.
"You're heavy," she complained.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I can walk."
"You were complaining five minutes ago."
Ren frowned.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Their mother smiled despite herself.
For the first time since they had left the compound, Ren heard her laugh.
It was quiet.
But it was real.
They eventually found a small market on the edge of the district.
An elderly woman noticed them.
"You three lost?"
Their mother shook her head.
"We've been looking for work."
The woman studied her.
"You have children."
"Yes."
"Can they work?"
Ren's sister immediately answered.
"I can."
Their mother looked at her.
"You're seven."
"I can still help."
The elderly woman looked at Ren.
"And him?"
Their mother shook her head.
"He's four."
The woman sighed.
"I have no work for a child."
Ren's shoulders dropped.
"But…"
The woman reached into a basket and pulled out three bruised apples.
"Take these."
His mother immediately shook her head.
"We can't accept that."
"It's food, not charity."
The woman placed them in her hands.
"Come back tomorrow. I might have something for you."
His mother bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
They walked away with the apples.
Ren stared at them as though they were treasure.
"Can I have one?"
His sister laughed.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because we need to save them."
Ren looked disappointed.
His mother handed him one.
"You can have this one."
His sister stared at her.
"Mom—"
"He's hungry."
Ren took a bite.
The apple was bruised and sour.
To him, it tasted wonderful.
That evening, they found a slightly better place to sleep beneath an old storage shed.
It wasn't comfortable.
It wasn't warm.
But it was dry.
His mother divided the remaining food.
His sister ate slowly.
Ren noticed she was giving him more than herself.
"You're hungry."
His sister shook her head.
"No."
"You are."
"I'm not."
Ren pushed some food toward her.
"Eat."
She looked at him.
Then she laughed.
"You really are my little brother."
That night, Ren fell asleep beside his sister.
His mother stayed awake, staring into the darkness.
She didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
She didn't know how long they could survive.
She didn't know where they would eventually live.
But she knew one thing.
She would not let the Yamanaka clan decide what her children would become.
Outside, Konoha continued to sleep.
Inside the small shelter, Ren dreamed.
He dreamed of the compound.
Of his father.
Of endless hallways.
Of people whispering about him.
But beneath those dreams was something else.
A strange sensation.
A voice that wasn't a voice.
A feeling that he could sense something inside the people around him.
Fear.
Sadness.
Anger.
Even asleep, Ren could somehow feel them.
His eyes opened.
His sister was sleeping beside him.
His mother was nearby.
Ren looked toward the darkness.
For just a moment, he felt something brush against his mind.
Then it disappeared.
He didn't know what it was.
He didn't know that it was the first sign of the bloodline ability buried within him.
He simply closed his eyes again.
Tomorrow would bring hunger.
Tomorrow would bring hardship.
Tomorrow would bring another fight to survive.
And Ren was still only four years old.
But the world had already begun teaching him its first lesson.
No one was coming to save him.
So he would have to learn how to save himself.