A light fog filled the streets, chatter sounded all around as those who passed by talked amongst each other. The soft quiet of silence sparse between the bursts of chatter as life filled the village. Daichi sat in the shadow of a tree hidden as he watched the ebb and flow on the streets. As fogged rolled from the mountains around his village to obscure the scene and dusk began to fall Daichi began to get tired of the task. His master had given him a simple task, be a shadow and not seen. Silent and not heard. For the vibrant youth this was like asking water to stop flowing. Daichi was energetic and this silent stillness was beginning to grate on his ability to obey. At ten years old Daichi didn't understand the importance of silence. He didn't understand the importance of stillness. He knew this was why his master had ordered him to remain silent and still in the shadows of the great tree and to simply observe. Daichi also knew that his master was close and watching.<br/><br/>Fighting yet again the urge to twitch and move even slightly. Growing tired of standing and wanting to complain about the stiff muscles and boredom, he fought down the urge to wiggle. Or as his master put it make himself known and obvious. He heard the man's deep resonant voice filling his head.<span style="font-style: italic">How can you be a ninja if you cannot even remain still for a minute?</span>He would prove master Itsuki wrong. Daichi Tanaka wasn't a failure. He would prove his father proud. Pride, honour, loyalty. Those were all that had been drilled into him for countless years. Or at least that is what Daichi felt even if it had only been ten years that he had been subjected to those rules and to the strict code of conduct for his life. Daichi's father Kenji Tanaka was once a great Ninja and he wanted his only son to be just as great. Daichi was to follow in his father's footsteps. To make his family proud and uphold the honour of his name.<br/><br/>True dark was falling. Daichi wanted to sit down and fall asleep he was so tired. His legs hurt. His back hurt. His head was hurting and his stomach was rumbling. He was hungry and he wanted to complain. He couldn't complain. It wouldn't be seen as manly to complain. Even at his youthful age Daichi understood that he must always appear to be the dutiful son. Always. No matter what. It was simply the only way things were to be. It was expected.<br/><br/>A sharp shriek pierced the air.<span style="font-style: italic">What the?</span>Daichi thought startled from his woes by the sudden sound. Another scream followed, and then another. Fear made Daichi stand stalk still as the night turned into endless screams. From where he hid he could see faint shapes moving and falling in the dark. As night fell in truth he could see nothing at all. Trapped in the darkness with only his master's instructions to rely upon Daichi stood still and attempted to control the raging fear that flooded his being. His heart thundered in his chest and his hands felt slick with sweat. His body trembled slightly and his breathing became ragged. Each breath coming in a short gasp as he tried not to panic. Tears prickled his eyes and fell down his cheeks as his ears were deafened by the screams. Every instinct in him screamed to run, but fear froze him to the place. He was so scared that his body took over. His mind was frozen.<br/><br/>Intense bright light speared the darkness as a house took fire no doubt from a fallen lantern. Daichi suddenly saw the scene before his eyes. The road was empty, but only next to where he was just a short distance down the hill there were bodies. Since the village was small he knew them instantly. His heart pounded harder and though fear made him feel ill and his body trembled and felt weak he moved slowly towards them. Drawn by the sight of their sprawled shapes. They were not the first bodies the boy had seen, but they were the first so openly dead. As he drew near he could see the blood that coated them. Bile rose in his throat at the sight. Thick and soaking into their clothing. Their glazed eyes looking up at him. He screamed in utter terror and backed up stumbled and over something and fell.<br/><br/>He landed sprawled in the dirt. Blinking his eyes to get dust and tears out of them the boy's blue eyes focused on what he'd tripped over. The face of the body was turned unnaturally towards him while it's back faced away. He screamed louder and crawled away from the body on his back. Until he hit something else. He spun rising into a half crouch and saw yet another body. He jumped up and started running. Blinded by tears and fear and driven by the need to find his father. He ran into the village and froze at what he saw. The destruction and death that filled the place was more then he could stomach.<br/><br/>It took him a long moment before he could face the nightmare of this night again. Shaking and terrified he walked forwards towards the shape he recognized the most. Lying on her side with her face away from him was his mother. He fell to his knees beside her and screamed until he couldn't scream anymore. His lungs burned for air and his eyes were swollen from crying when he saw the dark shape coming towards him. As if in a waking nightmare the boy knew he was going to die.<br/><br/>He saw the face for one moment through the drifting fog and the soldering fire of the house that had lit his way. The face of a man who would haunt his nightmares for years to come. It was the last thing that Daichi saw.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~*~*~*~</div><br/><br/>Daichi blinked his eyes open slowly to find a bright light making it hard to see. He was laying on his back in a wagon. He could tell by the unsteady motion. His head hurt to the point he feared he'd be ill. He could hear the faint echo of distant voice. He sat up slowly pushing himself up to his elbows and pausing as he saw the same of a woman sitting next to him.<br/><br/>"Shhh little one be still," the woman said gently. Daichi regarded her with confusion. Who was she?<br/><br/>"Whe-Where am I?" Daichi asked startled to find his voice shaking.<br/><br/>"Safe," The woman answered, "I am Kimina and we are taking you to Konoha you'll be safe there. They will know how to help you." The woman spoke so softly as if talking to a dying person. Or someone very sick. Daichi grew frightened by her tone.<br/><br/>"Where is my mom?" Daichi asked panic rising inside of him. "I want my mommy! I want my mom!"<br/><br/>The boy's historical screams filled the wagon as the woman attempted to comfort him and he squirmed away from her and huddled in a corner screaming for his mother and crying hysterically. He couldn't keep the sleep from taking him under as he cried and gasped for air and panicked. Darkness soon took him and next he woke he was in a small room in Konoha.<br/><br/>The only reason he knew that he was in Konoha was because the woman had told him that was where they were headed. He sat up, the pain in his head had eased and the minor burns on his arms were bandaged and no longer ached. He didn't know how long he'd been out, or even what was going on. The only thing that Daichi could remember was the face of his mother, father and sister. Everything else was a blur of images swirling inside his head. He could hear distant conversation and he crept out of the bed he was in until he stood in the doorway and saw a man and a little girl a few years younger then him. He watched them from the shadows of the doorway in silence.