You chose: <Kirigakure>

<Please choose in which family you would like to be born.>

If you choose to be born into a <Shinobi Clan>, please proceed to >17<.

If you choose to be born into a <Civilian Family>, please continue below.

---

You chose: <Civilian Family>

"B-Buh!" You wave your small hands at a woman, who smiles kindly at you. She has soft blonde hair and dark green eyes.

A man with black hair and blue eyes enters. He squeezes your cheeks and cooes at you something you don't really understand, but you giggle anyways. You don't know why, but you feel like you're related to him somehow.

The woman scoops you up from the nice, comfy box you're in and begins to cradle you. Soon, you fall asleep.

---

<Congrats! Thanks to food and love, you are now three years old.>

"K-Kaa-chan! Tou-san! Hungry!" The two adults, who you now know as your parents, turn and smile at you.

"Don't worry, lunch'll be ready soon." Your tou-san shifts the pan he's holding slightly, a look of slight concentration on his face as a delicious smell begins to waft up from the metal cooking device. Your kaa-san simply watches; the last time she tried to cook, everything turned a really pretty orange, but then gray stuff started filling the air and you didn't like it at all.

You reach for your chair, still too short to properly sit on it. Your kaa-chan, seeing your struggle, picks you up and gently deposits you on the piece of furniture.

"A-Awigado!"

"Arigato," she corrects. You beam.

"Awigato!"

"Better!"

---

<Congratulations! Because of lots of vitamin D, you are now six years old.>

"Kaaaaaa-chaaaaan!"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go to the library soon? I need more books. . ."

Your kaa-chan laughs. You like her laugh - it's kinda high-pitched and the skin around her eyes crinkles like a page in a book when she does. She looks really pretty when she laughs and you can't help but hope that you can look like her someday.

---

<Congrats! Because of. . . reasons, you are now seven years old.>

You're walking down the street, nose buried in a book. You love books. You love reading! Books are so amazing, especially the ones that tell all those epic history stories, too! Like about the Sage of Six Paths, and the Otsutsuki Clan, and the Rabbit Goddess. . .

You're so engrossed in your book about Kaguya Otsutsuki's ability to fly that you don't realize you're about to bump into someone. You yelp, stumbling back at the same time as the mysterious person mirrors your movements. Without looking to see who it is, you instantly begin bowing.

"G-Gomen! I wasn't looking where I was going. . ."

"Hm."

Looking up, you see a boy and a girl stare back at you, the girl still recovering from the collision. The boy looks kinda like a shark - which is really cool! He has gill-like markings on his cheeks, and blue skin, and he's really really tall. You stare in awe a him, before you realize that you're staring and that now, he's giving you a sharp-toothed smirk. 

Your gaze shifts to the girl next to him. She smiles politely at you, and you note the headband wrapped around her forehead. Her hair is black and she has really pretty green eyes. At her friend's grunt, she elbows him. "Sorry about Kisame," she tells you. "He's just kinda antisocial when it comes to new people."

"I am not."

"You are to!"

"Am not."

"Are to!"

"Am not."

"Are to!"

The girl turns away from the shark man, sending you an apologetic smile. Meanwhile, you're watching with wide eyes. Though you'd never admit it, you are kinda scared of getting caught in an argument between two shinobi. Even if they're friends.

"Hi, my name is Sukachi Ai. This is Kisame Hoshigaki. What's your name?"

"M-Mizu Kotori. . ."

"Ah. It's nice to meet you, Mizu! And I'm sorry for bumping into you."

"N-No, I'm sorry I bumped into you."

And that is how you started a friendship with two shinobi.

<You are now ten years old, thanks to Village_Of_Strawhat.>

"K-Kaa-chan. . . what's going on?"

"Oh, the village is simply being mean to some of our shinobi. Don't be mean to them, though, okay? They didn't do anything."

"Wh-What do you mean?"

". . . You'll see."

---

"I-I'm here to see S-Sukachi-san. . ."

"Pass?"

"H-Here." Your fingers fumble nervously with the simple cloth kimono you're wearing. It's blue, your favorite color, and embroidered with flowers.

Pulling out the pass into the Ai clan compound, you hand the guards the pass. They glance at it, nod, and let you through.

The moment you step past the willow tree five feet away from the entrance, you are swept up into a hug by none other than Sukachi Ai. You can't figure out how she does it - how she knows exactly where you are and when you're in the compound - , but whenever you ask, she just winks and whispers, "magic". Which, in your opinion, is not a satisfactory answer at all.

"You're just too cute," she rants. "I wanna adopt you. Can I adopt you?"

"S-Sukachi-san!" You squeak.

She pouts. "I'm gonna get you to drop the "san" one day, believe it!"

"I-I believe you," You assure her, before realizing what you just said. But it's too late, because she's holding you by the shoulders and staring you dead in the eyes.

"Really?!" she cries, over-exaggerated happy tears flowing from her eyes. You sweatdrop as she she starts squealing.

"S-Sukachi-san. . . P-Please calm down. . ."

"Aw, darn it! I thought you were gonna drop it!"

---

Tension is growing between civilians and shinobi.

You've noticed, but you never pay much mind to it.

Until the day it happens.

You skip down the path towards the Ai clan compound, a book clutched tightly to your chest. It's so interesting, and even though Sukachi doesn't really like reading (she's more into sports), she still enjoys listening to you blabbering about interesting stories. She says it's because you add in your own opinions to make it more interesting.

You pause midstep. What is that smell? It smells like the bad gray stuff that came from your kaa-san's kitchen - smoke! Maybe someone was cooking and accidentally burned something?

You continue down the road, but the smoke smell only gets stronger. When you round the corner and the compound comes into view, you skid to a halt.

The entire compound is burning. Orange flames rise up and lick the stormy gray sky, a tornado of smoke spinning furiously in the wind. The book drops from your arms as you stare, horror overwhelming your senses.

You finally snap out of it and run towards the compound, book forgotten.

"S-Sukachi-san! Can you hear me?! Sukachi?!"

You stop at the entrance. The flames have risen in a large orange wall, right on the other side. You can feel the heat from here. Going in would mean certain death.

You turn, eyes wide and frightened. "Sukachi!"

You race around the side of the compound walls. Maybe she made it out?!

"Kill!"

"Kill the demon!"

You hear shouts and run, as fast as you can, towards the voices.

And you see her.

Sukachi Ai, back to the crowd of villagers surrounding her, tears streaming down her face as she stares at the burning compound.

The villagers are the ones that are shouting. With a jolt, you realize they're talking about her.

Someone raises their hand, holding a rock. Sukachi makes no move to dodge as they pull back their arm to throw.

If you wish to <Help Sukachi Ai>, please go to >18<.

If you wish to <Run Away>, please go to >19<.