In the middle of a forest, while an incessant rain was falling, there was a squad of Konoha ninja fleeing at top speed.

I looked back. Since the rain greatly affected the range of my hearing, my vision was more reliable; I still couldn't see the pursuers. I kept jumping through the trees; inwardly, I cursed Hanzo and his ninjas. Using an entire village as bait to lure a team of ninjas is beneath them, even for them. I tried not to think about the civilians who died in the initial confrontation and move on.

My -Shadow Clone-, which I left behind us, was eliminated. I knew then that we were being chased by six ninjas and that they were close by. From the ambush, only the three of us managed to escape, at first, all members of my team: Sora, an old friend from the academy, who barely had the strength to stand up to two Genin, and Aoi, a recent graduate of the academy. I could fight a Chunin, but if he is together with more than one Genin, I could only delay the inevitable.

We are slower than them and have used a lot of chakra to escape. We have to take them on and at least reduce their numbers, or make them expend chakra.

“Follow me,” I said, changing course and looking for a good spot for an ambush.

When I found a suitable spot, I stopped.

“Sora, place -explosive tags- on the trees, in the shape of a circle,” I said, as I handed him more seals. “Aoi, you place them behind this area,” I instructed him while scattering -wire strings-, one of my favorites for traps. I hoped to at least manage to take out a few with them.

“Wouldn't it be better to keep running away?” asked Aoi.

“They're close and faster. You're not as fast as us, we can't use all our chakra with the -Body Flicker Jutsu- to run away. We don't know if there are more enemies ahead or if, still, they will catch up with us because they have more chakra.”

“I'm done,” Sora said.

“You and Aoi hide behind that bush. You have to make them think we're trying to hide, not that we're setting up an ambush. Be ready to move; they will attack us from afar with jutsus or shuriken.” I wasn't done yet, but I could detect sounds from the trees; they were close.

“Get ready, there are at least six of them.”

I hid using -Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique- and activated -Gokan: Earth Vibration Jutsu-, which allows me to have more perception of what's going on underground. With my mastery level, I can detect a bit of what's going on in the trees as well.

Apparently, they will not approach as I assumed; by their training, they have a leader at least, who should be a Chunin.

There is no choice but to start the confrontation strong. I began to make the hand seals for my strongest jutsu, -Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique-, which allows me to launch fireballs from my mouth at high speed, as well as control their direction briefly. I waited for a vibration to indicate that they had started attacking Sora and Aoi.

The instant it happened, the attack began. I stepped out and spat the fireballs, trying to enclose them; my idea was to damage as much as possible or take them to the surroundings.

I noticed that Sora and Aoi launched -explosive tags-. I wasn't surprised that the leader was the first to dodge. Trying to control as much as I could the fireballs, I managed to kill one and severely burn another. As soon as I saw that they thought they had dodged it, I used -wire strings- to move the shuriken hidden inside the fireballs, managing to wound two and eliminate another.

I would have been happier to eliminate three enemies with one jutsu if it wasn't for the fact that I saw two new ninjas approaching from further back. In half a second I thought about what to do and all that was left for me to do was to take a gamble.

I touched my armbands and used -Summoning: Lightning Flash Blade Creation-. Three kunai appeared in each hand with -explosive tags-, connected by a thread. I threw them hoping that most of them would dodge backwards and join their incoming comrades.

It worked out in my favor; most of them positioned themselves where I wanted them. I activated the -wire strings- traps, trapping their legs in place. I used chakra so I could shout loudly, “SORA!”

After a second all the -explosive tags- on the trees were activated, creating a cloud of smoke in the shape of a circle. I don't know how many I caught, but I'm sure a couple died or are out of combat.

I saw that two went straight out to confront Sora and Aoi. I wanted to interrupt, but I noticed someone nearby coming out of the smoke. I ran towards him, throwing several shuriken in his direction, which, despite being stunned by the explosions, he blocked with a kunai and dodged.

As I approached him with kunai in each hand, he struck his first blow. I used the threads held by the shuriken I threw earlier to catch him for a moment, just long enough to slit his throat.

I heard someone else take off in Sora's direction. I stopped him by forcing him to block the kunai I threw and engaged him in taijutsu, waiting for him to leave an opening. Out of nowhere, I heard something approaching from behind me. I had no choice but to take a hit and block the kunai my enemy was wielding with my arm guard, so I could jump; even so, I couldn't avoid all the shuriken. Some hit me in the leg and one landed behind my right knee.

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I immediately positioned myself so that the Amegakure ninja was between me and the shuriken thrower. Apparently, the one I had burned in my initial attack was not out of combat; he could use one arm despite having half his body burned.

A few seconds of combat passed; I felt that the wound on my knee was serious and I could not move well. Soon after, I saw a torrent of water rushing through the air; if Sora was using that jutsu with little chakra, it meant he was on his last legs.

The situation was not good; we could not prolong the fight in enemy territory. After a few seconds of fighting, I knew I couldn't get out of here fast. Between fighting a ninja head-on and avoiding shuriken, it would take me too long to gain a victory.

I had to create an opportunity. “Damn!” I yelled, putting on my best desperate face.

I pulled out an -explosive tag- in my hand and tried to get closer to my enemy.

“You're coming with me.”

Luckily, he panicked, backing away a lot, giving me time to, with my other hand, throw my kunai at the burned ninja's head. He dodged the first kunai, but not the second, hidden in the shadow of the first kunai. -Jutsu: Shadow Shuriken- it was still saving me, even so many years after the academy, when I learned it.

I threw the -false explosive tag- from my hand into the face of my last opponent to buy time. I went back to fighting with taijutsu until I saw the opportunity. I threw one of the kunai in my hands; he dodged to the right, which gave me enough range to pull my katana from my bracers and stab him in the chest. It was not a fatal blow, but it was already a serious wound.

Within seconds of intense combat, he began to make mistakes. We kept it up until I was able to decapitate him.

I tried to take a breath, leaning on my katana so as not to put weight on my injured leg; however, it wasn't long before I saw another enemy ninja approaching.

I cursed at our bad luck.

I had a few seconds to think. I'm too injured to continue melee fighting, so shuriken jutsu and ninjutsus was what I had left. I have to do this fast; I must bandage my cuts soon, I'm still losing blood.

I waited for him to approach with my katana in hand, aiming. When he was a few feet away, I threw several smoke bombs and returned my katana to its seal. The smoke wouldn't last long in this rain, but I needed a distraction. Although this hellish rain affects my hearing, if I actively use chakra in my ears I can mitigate the effects, I will have no problem fighting without vision.

I threw kunai nonstop for a few seconds; then I started throwing them at different speeds and angles as I moved. Until I saw an opportunity: I threw shuriken with threads to his right and left, locking him in. I had to use chakra to do this as fast as possible and strengthen the threads to prevent him from cutting them.

I jumped back, caught him with the threads and pulled him to me. I released the threads and made a hand seal.

-Fire Release: Flame Bullet.

I spat two fire bullets; one severed his arm and one pierced his chest. Due to the force with which I dragged him towards me, his corpse hit me and we fell to the ground.

I pushed his body aside and took a moment to bandage my wounds. From helping Yumi so many times and bandaging others in this war, my experience was vast; it took me little time to mend myself. My only major wound is the one on the back of my knee.

When I went to see Sora and Aoi, the situation was bad. Sora was losing the fight, he was staying on the defensive, surely buying time, and from the pool of blood near Aoi's body, I guessed he was dead.

I threw some shuriken and kunai at the enemy ninja to get him away from Sora.

When he did, Sora shouted something between exhalations of exhaustion that chilled my blood.

“CHUNIN!”

As the Second Great Shinobi War raged in the Land of Rain, in Amegakure, in the Hidden Village among the Leaves, Konoha, a woman was fighting her torment in a hospital. Her cries of pain, along with the doctor's instructions, flooded the room.

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I felt only intense pain in my belly. The doctor's screams, minutes ago, sounded like whispers. Not that I need to know what to do; I'm a doctor too.

I don't know how much time passed; my vision was blurring and I felt as if my body was screaming at me to rest. Even though I knew that if I did so one of us would die, I couldn't help but think of Byu, of his last words saying that he will bring us memories when he returns, speaking as if he was going on a journey and not a war.

I couldn't help but smile, which I think made the doctor think I was hallucinating, by the expression on her face.

“One last push,” she kept repeating to me. I would not let it all end like this; after so much pain, I will welcome Byu with our child, no matter what. We promised each other that we would raise him with love, both of us.

I don't know when I heard my son's cry, but I do remember the relief it brought me.

Everything went black; my last thought was that if the gods were just, they would not let me die without even seeing my son.

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In the waiting room was a tall man, 6'4”, with black hair with white highlights, a rough face and good musculature. He was restless, although he was trying to calm down, which he was unable to do because of the constant movement of his legs.

It wasn´t until he saw a female doctor come out that he moved so fast he seemed to have teleported in front of her.

“My daughter, how is she, is the baby okay?” he said, almost shouting in front of the doctor.

The doctor, used to the actions of ninjas, was not surprised. She just back up from him a little and said:

“The baby is fine and healthy. You will be able to see it shortly. However, there were complications with the delivery.” She paused.

“Mrs. Yumi was transferred to the emergency area; she lost a lot of blood and chakra in the delivery.”

The man's face couldn't even smile at the knowledge that his grandchild had been born without any problems; he couldn't help but curse. His daughter had gone through so much to now have her chance to have her family taken away.

“Doctor, no matter the cost. If a jounin needs to be brought in, I will pay for it. She has to be safe at any cost,” he said, but before he could continue, the doctor interrupted him.

“Mister Ren, there is nothing to be done. Her chakra veins are still unstable from childbirth; we have to wait before we can use medical ninjutsus on Yumi.”

“There is no...”

“There's just waiting. I've dealt with cases like this before, and very few end fatally, especially with Chunin-ranked ninja. When she is stable, we will inform you. Someone will come for you when you can see your grandson.” As soon as she finished speaking, she left; in wartime doctors are never free.

Ren sat waiting, anxious, trying to remember all the names of the gods to ask them all that his daughter would be safe. At least one would have to work.

It wasn't until he was called to see his grandson that he stopped. He realized that it had been half an hour since the birth. As soon as he saw his sleeping grandson, he couldn't help but smile; he wouldn't have believed he would live to see his own grandson.

Another reason to be thankful is that he had followed Yumi's advice to enter the Fuinjutsu Corps and the Barrier Team. Since then, he has had to be less on dangerous missions until he could retire from active duty.

However, his joy was short-lived. Seeing his grandson, he could not help but think that the fate of both his parents was uncertain, with Yumi in the emergency room and Byu at war. He truly prayed to the gods that it would not be his job to raise an orphan again.

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Ninjas, known as silent assassins for hire, trained to be the last defense among the -Daimyos- of the great countries, the highest nobility. They are usually hated, respected and feared by all. It is said that many of them have bad luck due to the bad karma they carry because of the amount of blood on their hands.

On a full moon night something almost unheard of happened: the birth of a baby that brought luck to its parents. The mother, Yumi, made a miraculous recovery in just a few days and her chakra circulation improved. Soon after, it was learned that the father, Byu, had been saved from an ambush, being one of the few survivors.

The birth of a baby, the birth of Shin Gokan, would be a harbinger of good fortune for his family, and would become a blessing for all those around him.