From a corner, he watched as everything around him was consumed by a terrifying death.
The smell of rotting corpses, the smoke rising into the air, dominating the morning.
And above all, the destruction of almost everything around him.
Kimimaro walked slowly, as if the earth beneath his feet would swallow him like quicksand.
His fragile body trembled, his ribs visible from afar, his dry lips begging for water, and his white hair turned brown from the dirt and grime.
Looking down, his eyes held a gleam they hadn't had before.
"Food."
Without a second thought, he grabbed the moldy bread with his thin hands.
And devoured it.
He didn't leave a single crumb.
He knew it wasn't right, but they had no food.
The Land of Flowers had been a brutal battleground for ninjas.
What was once a land filled with the scent of flowers... of a peace that was nowhere to be seen
It was stripped away, changing the entire landscape into a dystopia
Splashing...splashing...
She heard hurried footsteps approaching her place; they were walking, no, running like a pack of rabid dogs looking for something to bite
She ran towards a town hall... Or rather, what was left of it
She ducked between two giant stones to squeeze into a tiny, confined space
She felt like prey escaping its predator
She saw ninjas in green jackets looking around
Suddenly they were talking amongst themselves, gesturing, or giving instructions
She clenched her small fists; a single thought crossed her mind
Rage
She didn't like being in this position. At night, they heard other ninjas looting part of the village's supplies
And they were also raping women and children...
A pale man entered the The town hall had eyes different from ordinary people's, different from his own.
He glanced around until he looked back at that spot.
He covered his ears and closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
He would die without ever seeing her again. He felt...
Useless.
Suddenly, the touch of fingers pulled him from the pool.
When he opened his eyes, he met the gaze of that man.
Eyes like a snake.
It was strange.
He looked him up and down, into his eyes, at his forehead, trying to find answers to all his questions.
The rocks were gone.
Behind that man approached a woman with blonde hair and honey-colored eyes, followed by a man with long, white hair.
"What's wrong, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru, so that was his name.
He didn't respond, he just kept staring at him.
"We can't leave this child in this condition here."
Both the white-haired man and the blonde-haired woman were surprised by their companion's attitude.
The three of them went off to argue elsewhere, while he remained seated on the dirty wooden floor, covered in rock dust.
It was clear that this man was powerful; he radiated a respect that made one lower their head.
The woman approached to check on his condition, making a worried and surprised face.
"How did this poor child survive in this state?"
She lowered her head and looked him in the eyes.
They couldn't leave him alone in this place.
Orochimaru was right.
"What's your name?"
—My name is Kimimaro.
As she carried him in her arms, she watched as the village that once smiled, shone, and smelled of life became a boxing ring where men and women killed each other because of the decisions of men who hated each other and didn't dare fight each other; cowards were the only word for them.