Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Pieces of Our Past ❯ Prologue: Lizo ( Prologue )

(A/N) Hello, this is paralleltodarkness speaking. My friend Crystalazer and I have decided to write a fic together, and this is what we have come up with: Pieces of Our Past. Anyways… Crystalazer wrote this prologue.

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto in any way. We do however, own all OC characters in this fic.

Prologue: Lizo

Kaikoza Lizo. He had hated that name, hated it more than anything in the world, but now…he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the newly graduated academy students in the schoolyard, chatting eagerly and comparing how good their new forehead protectors looked on them. Lizo smiled to himself as he remembered how he felt when he first received his forehead protector, a symbol proving that he was a real ninja. They didn't know what it truly meant…

Twelve…how long had it been since he was that age? Seven years had passed since he himself had graduated and two since he had become a Jounin. He passed the Chuunin Exam at the age of fifteen, the first to become a Chuunin at the --- Academy in ten years. “Extremely gifted,” he had been called countless times and “One of the last of the Kaikoza Clan” even more. The truth of the matter was, even though he smiled and accepted the praise, inside, he was furious. Furious at his sensei's, furious at Sound, and furious at himself.

Was it his fault that he just happened to be one of the only ones the Sound-Nins, the village's dreaded enemy, had decided to spare? Why did they spare him, and not Ghiki, his best friend? Why couldn't he stop them? His father, Kaikoza Anzo, had taught Lizo at a young age how to use kunai. Before his eyes flashed the scene that had occurred beneath the Cherry tree, twelve springs ago.

--

“Be careful, Lizo. This weapon I'm about to give you is very important. Use it to protect the ones you love, not to fight and hurt and kill. Do you understand?” His father looked him straight in the eye, and Lizo nodded slowly.

“Yes, father, but why?” he had chirruped in return. “Why are you giving me a weapon, if not to hurt someone?”

“When blood is spilt, it does not matter whose blood it is. Here, let me show you.” Anzo took the kunai from Lizo and took his son's hand. Gently, he pressed the tip of the kunai in the forefinger and a drop of crimson blood swelled and pooled out of the cut. Then, he cut his own forefinger with the kunai.

“Do you see?” he asked, as Lizo looked from his own blood to his father's.

“It looks the same.” He replied, taking his father's hand for closer examination.

“That's right. In war, it does not matter whose blood is on the battlefield. All it means is that someone might not go home alive, never mind if it's a friend or an enemy. It is your duty to make sure that they will live to see their families again.”

“But what if they don't have any family?”

“Everyone has family. It doesn't matter if they are related in blood; all that matters is that they have someone to protect, to fight for. Everyone must have a purpose for living. I'm entrusting you with this kunai because you have someone to protect.”

“Who?”

“Your clan and all of Rain village.” Anzo smiled and ruffled Lizo's black-silver hair fondly. “I must go to the academy now, and you should be getting back to your classes.”

“But the history of Rain village is so…boring! When will you get to teach me to be a real ninja and learn ninjutsu and taijutsu and everything?” Lizo asked, reaching for the kunai in his father's outstretched hand and holding it tightly.

“Learning of the Kages past and how our village came to be is just as important as learning to fight. I promise that I will teach you the finer points when you are older. Come along, now.” Anzo turned and walked towards the house. Lizo watched him until he closed the screen door behind him. Only then did he look at the kunai still clenched in his hand.

“I'm going to be a ninja.” He whispered to himself. “I'm going to learn to fight and kick all the other shinobis' butts!” he cracked a grin and ran to catch up with Anzo.

--

“Lizo-sensei?” Lizo opened one eye lazily. One of the graduates was bending over him, forehead protector tied around his neck like a bandana.

“Hmm?” he answered. It was Irakinu, one of the highest-scoring students that year and also one of Lizo's favorites. He scored highest in the stealth field test, being able to sneak up on his sensei and catch him by surprise 45% of the time. The boy also had superior eyesight, being able to spot a series of scrolls 50 meters away and telling Lizo exactly which scroll it was. Irakinu reminded Lizo of himself, actually.

“Is it true about what you said?” he asked, and Lizo sat up.

“About what, Irakinu?”

“That all blood is the same?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“A very wise man told that to me when I was younger than you. He also told me that being a ninja is about protecting your family and your village.”

“How long have you wanted to be a ninja?”

“Oh, a long time, Irakinu.”

“Are you ever afraid that you are going to be killed?”

“If I were to die to protect the village that I love, that would be enough.”

“Do you know anyone who has died to protect the village?”

“I do.”

“Have you ever almost died?”

Lizo laughed and stood up. “That's for another day, Irakinu. Now go on and play with your friends, okay?”

“Okay.” The young pupil looked disappointed and turned away, but Lizo put a hand on his shoulder.

“I promise that I'll tell you the finer points of all the times I've almost died one day soon, okay?”

Irakinu brightened up considerably. “Alright, Lizo-sensei! Bye!” as he scampered off to join his friends at the gate, Lizo smiled to himself as he remembered how Anzo had said almost the exact same thing ten years ago. He was also forcibly reminded of his first mission. It was the mission that had almost started another war.

--

(End Prologue)

(A/N) *prodding reader* Anou sa, Anou sa, what did you think? (Hey, it's about 10:30 at night and I'm hyperactive right now… Sorry about that...) Anyways… read and review! And congratulations to Crystalazer for writing such a great chapter!