《NARUTO RONIN TRAIL: REINCARNATE WITH THE POWERS OF MALENIA》 Chapter 1: Reborn In The Darkness The first sense to return was pain. It was a dull, deep-burning as if every fiber of his being was being torn and rebuilt at the same time. It was not the pain of a common wound. No. It was something more... ancient, insidious as if something inside him was devouring his own body in an eternal cycle of death and rebirth. He tried to move, but his body felt heavy, trapped in a viscous liquid that squeezed his chest. -Where am I, the darkness surrounds me, I can''t see anything, I don''t know where I am, my memories are blurry, am I alive, I feel a little cold and my body feels damp. The thought came as a whisper in his mind. His eyelids struggled to open, and when they did, the first thing he saw was a reddish glow, flickering lights reflected on the surface of what looked like... glass? He wanted to speak, but only bubbles emerged from his mouth, dissipating into the liquid around him. His vision was blurred, but with effort, he distinguished wires connected to his body, inserted in his back, his arms... something was injecting him with a strange fluid. Fear and uncertainty flooded his being, about what was happening around him. Although it was not easy to distinguish what was beyond the glass, a loud deafening noise that mixed screams, voices, and alarms was present in the place. He had been in dangerous situations before. He remembered the smell of iron, the sensation of a blade piercing soft flesh, and the last breaths of those whose lives he took without hesitation. But this... this was not what was supposed to happen. He was dead. His memories were slowly coming back with clarity. The confrontation. The lethal wound. The darkness. So why was he alive? A high-pitched beeping echoed in the room. Something had changed. The pressure in his chest eased as the fluid began to drain with a sucking sound. His previously heavy limbs regained mobility. A metallic clang announced the opening of the capsule, and he fell to his knees on a cold, slippery floor. He coughed. His breathing was erratic as if his lungs did not recognize the air in this place. His hands rested on the floor, and that''s when he felt it. The burning. The rot. His veins throbbed with a poisonous energy, he didn''t know what it was, but he was sure it was something threatening to devour him from the inside. He looked at his hands and saw the marks: reddish scars, patterns that spread like withered roots across his skin. This was his original body, but something different dwelled inside him. A sound made him look up. All around him, the room was a laboratory in ruins. Shattered test tubes, some with what appeared to be the same stuff that flooded his body. He could almost recognize it as if it were a part of him, papers scattered on the floor, a chemical smell permeating the air. And in the gloom, shadowy figures watched him. -It can''t be...¡± whispered a voice in the distance. He looked up, his eyes burning with a strange light. His rebirth had begun, and with it, the curse he carried. - ¡°We have to take care of him, the lord told us to investigate him, we can''t just leave him here.¡±-he pointed to one of the figures in the room. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. -You''re kidding, we don''t know what that guy is, you saw what happened to the last one who touched him,¡± said one of the scientists, ¡±we''d better get out of here as soon as possible, they''re getting closer. The two scientists who were in the room run out leaving the man still limp on the wet floor. For a moment the room was filled with a desolate silence, a silence that did not last long. A crash shook the walls of the laboratory, followed by screams and the metallic sound of clashing weapons. The flickering light from the monitors illuminated corpses strewn across the floor, scientists and test subjects who had not had a chance to escape. He staggered to his feet, his body still feeling alien. Reddish scars glowed faintly on his skin, and the burning in his veins did not cease. Another impact. The ceiling shook, and a portion of the wall collapsed, revealing a long, dark corridor. From there, a new sound came: hurried footsteps, agitated breaths... and a stifled scream followed by the wet sound of a body falling to the floor, Something was hunting in here. Still disoriented, he kept walking. He didn''t know where he was or why, but he did understand one thing, when an environment becomes a death trap, the first thing to do is to look for a way out. With his strength. His bare feet touched the cold, wet floor, sticky with something he didn''t want to inspect too closely. He advanced down the corridor, following the only possible direction. Emergency lights tinkled in shades of red and yellow, illuminating from the rocky walls surrounding the place. As he turned a corner, his foot bumped into something. He looked down. A body. It was a man dressed in dark clothes, covered with some kind of armored vest. His neck was open from side to side, a precise, clean wound. It was not an impromptu execution. Next to the corpse was a metal bandana with a carved symbol... an emblem he didn''t recognize. He frowned. -A militia? Soldiers? I''ve never seen a uniform like that before,¡± he thought. He didn''t have much time to reflect. A new sound came from up ahead. His eyes lifted just in time to see a figure moving in the shadows. A man dressed in black, with a white fox mask covering his face, appeared with a kunai dripping blood in his hand. The man recognized the stance immediately. This was no makeshift criminal. He was a hunter, someone with special training, a similar training he had undergone as a young man in his other life, special training to assassinate people. The masked man sensing another presence, saw the staggering man holding onto one of the rocky walls. He tensed, with a combat stance that screamed danger. -A survivor...¡± he muttered. It was not a statement of relief. It was a confirmation of something more dangerous, a sign that the next victim would be him. The assassin did not respond. His body still felt clumsy, but his combat instincts, those that had defined him in his past life, were quickly awakening. If this man was coming to kill him, he needed a weapon. He couldn''t make a move before a second explosion rocked the hallway. Both were thrown backward by the shockwave. The assassin slammed into a wall, his vision blurring for an instant. The smoke from the explosion was slowly dissipating, leaving behind a trail of destruction. When he managed to get to his feet, he saw something terrifying. The explosion had blown a hole in the wall, revealing another ruined corridor, and a smell of ash and burnt flesh permeated the air. Dozens of bodies littered the floor, bodies of scientists and men in the same clothing he had seen earlier, some with deep burns, others with clean cuts, many with expressions of horror frozen on their faces. The assassin blinked, trying to clear his vision. The ninja in the fox mask had disappeared. His gaze swept down the ruined hallway, there was no trace of his body, not even blood. Only ancient corpses and the distant sound of combat elsewhere. Had he fled? Or was he moving in the shadows, waiting to strike again? He didn''t have time to think about it too much, In front of him, someone else had appeared, in the gloom of the tunnel, another figure was standing. A new enemy was standing in the rubble, not moving. His silhouette was tall and firm, his posture carefree but charged with confidence. His dark hair fell in dark locks over his face, and his tactical vest, similar to that of the fallen ninja earlier, was stained with alien blood. His front shield bore a different emblem than before. the man knew immediately that he should not underestimate whoever was there. The ninja noticed it too. -Another one, no one can be left alive,¡± he mumbled. But the man did not understand. He didn''t know who was an ally and who was an enemy. He only knew one thing, this place was a death trap, and he needed to get out before he got caught in this shadow war. Chapter 2: Blood In The Labyrinth This new enemy''s eyes fixed on the man, as the smoke dispersed and the man''s image became clearer... she frowned as she noticed the wires still dangling from his body. -One of the test subjects...? -he muttered, more to himself than to her. The man did not respond. His muscles still felt stiff, and his breathing was not steady, but something inside him told him that this woman was not going to waste her time with questions. Nothing could be further from the truth, he was right. In an instant, the ninja moved. Her hand slid to her vest and with a swift twist she threw a kunai straight at the man''s neck. Reflexes took over before her mind could process it. He dodged on instinct, his body leaning back at the last second. The kunai blade whistled through the air, passing inches from his throat before embedding itself in the wall it had earlier collided with behind him. The man had barely had time to steady himself when the ninja was already upon him. -Too fast, too fast, the man thought. The enemy''s leg came up in a brutal swing, seeking to impact his side. He couldn''t quite dodge it. The blow hit him in the rib, sending him against the wall with a dry clang. - ¡°Shit...¡±-for the first time since waking up the man could generate a groan. His body was still weak. He couldn''t keep up with this pace and no one knew that better than him. The ninja gave him no respite. In one fluid motion, he already had another kunai in hand and lunged forward, this time seeking to plunge the blade into his heart. The man knowing that his chances were slim ran in the only direction available with his limited strength, looking for more time until he could come up with an idea to attack and have the victory despite his current state. The ninja resigned to let him escape and took one of the wires hanging from the man''s back, perhaps she thought it was some kind of medical device. She tried to immobilize him by throwing him to the ground and end his life with a sure stab. But as soon as the ninja pulled hard and the wire tore away from the man''s flesh, a considerable amount of blood escaped with it and landed on the ninja''s arm. The scream of pain was immediate. A horrible sound, like the hissing of melting flesh, the gut-wrenching scream echoed down the hallway as the man''s blood touched the ninja''s skin. Dark vapor rose from the point of contact, and a fiery wound instantly opened on the enemy''s forearm, as if pure acid had eaten away at his flesh, the smell of rottenness rose intensely in the place. The ninja jumped back, her face contorted in confusion and pain not taking her eyes off his arm. -What the hell...what did you do to me?!¡± the ninja shouted as she looked at the large wound on her arm. The man also looked with surprise. He did not understand what had just happened, but he was not going to waste the opportunity, the opportunity he was looking for was right in front of his eyes. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Still unarmed, he advanced at great speed. The ninja tried to react, but the wound on her arm affected her mobility. The man dodged a desperate attack and with a quick movement, plunged his fingers into the ninja''s throat. The strength was not the same as in his past life, His body was still unstable. But it was enough. The ninja let out a gurgle of blood from her mouth, as her hands tried to cling to the man''s. -Gh... ah...- the ninja''s moans became more and more desperate. He didn''t give her time to struggle anymore. He twisted his wrist and with a dry crunch, the ninja''s windpipe collapsed. The ninja collapsed, without generating any more whimpers. The man stood over the body, breathing heavily, his mind still confused, still processing what had just happened. His blood... his own blood was lethal. He brought a hand to his back, where the wound still burned from the ripped cable. There was no immediate healing. He had no instant regeneration...but he did carry the curse in his veins. The man stared at the ninja''s limp body a second longer. Then, he bent down and picked up the fallen ninja''s kunai, Now, at least, he had a weapon, one that was of great help to him in that maze of death, where he did not plan to die without a fight. The air in the subway corridors was thick and heavy. A metallic stench permeated every corner, a silent testimony of the carnage that had taken place in that place. The man advanced with measured steps, the kunai steady in his hand. His body still felt strange, but the adrenaline kept him moving. As he descended the rock corridors, the signs of the massacre became more evident. Dismembered bodies, not simple deaths from precise cuts or explosions. No, this was bloodier than I could imagine. Here bodies had been mangled, torn in unnatural ways. Some limbs lay meters away from their owners, pinned to the walls as if they had been shot with inhuman force. Blood still dripped from the ceiling in certain spots, forming dark puddles on the uneven floor. The man passed by a corpse whose head had been completely pierced by a white fragment... it looked like a bone. -What the hell did this do? he thought to himself. A sound made him stop. -Voices? He leaned against a rocky wall, sharpening his hearing. Ahead, a group of men spoke in whispers. - ¡°Apparently the reports are false, the informant lied to us. We were told that Orochimaru would be here... but there is no trace of him."- says one of the men with masks of different white animals. -Tch... we have lost too many men because of this false information. Who the fuck sold us this mission?"- asks indignantly a man with a white owl mask. -Orochimaru?¡± thought the man, the name meant nothing to him, but apparently these men were looking for him... a whole massacre done to find one man, and still, they didn''t find him. Before he could process it any further, a piercing sound rent the air. - ¡°Wh-what...?!¡± -A stifled cry from one of the men is heard as he sees one of his companions fall. The man peeked out cautiously... and saw him, a new figure had appeared among the ninjas, A white-haired man, tall and thin, with an elegant but unnatural bearing. His attire was strange, completely unlike that of the fallen ninja. His attire was a white tunic with wide sleeves, with a slit in the chest giving it a ceremonial look, dark pants, suggesting comfort and mobility in battle, gray sash or belt, with a yin-yang symbol on the front, bandages on the legs and shinobi sandals, which are common among ninjas, offering support and protection in combat, a large purple rope tied in the back. This man had weapons in one of his hands, which appeared to be swords, but these were of the same white hue of the projectile that the man had seen a few moments ago in the lifeless body, which reinforces the image of a lethal warrior and specialized in unique techniques. The set transmits a mixture of authority, tradition, and danger, ideal for a person with advanced skills in combat, despite its appearance, this was not the most disturbing thing, what really made the man doubt if what he was seeing was real, was what was coming out of the body of that man in strange clothes. -¡°Ah... what a disappointment,¡± he muttered in a calm voice. With a grotesque crunch, his right arm snapped in half... and from within sprouted several sharp bones, lengthening like spears. One of the ninjas tried to react, but the white-haired man moved with a speed impossible to detect at first glance, unhesitatingly thrusting the spears into the masked man''s body. -Shit, he''s a subordinate of Orochimaru,¡± shouted one of the masked men. author''s note: remember to visit my website if you want to support my work. there you will find advanced chapters. Chapter 3: The Price Of Renaissance They had no chance to defend themselves, With one fluid motion, the attacker pulled one of the bones from his own forearm and used it as a dagger, piercing the ninja''s chest and pushing him against the rock wall with brutality. The victim coughed up blood, his terror-filled gaze visible even through the mask that had been largely broken by the impact. But the man did not stand by and watch as the man was brutally murdered, so he turned his eyes to the bones and noticed something else. The bones were not normal, they were dense, sharp, almost crystalline... and worse, they kept growing out of the guy''s body as if he had an endless supply of them. Another ninja tried to run. - ¡°We must reagru-!¡±- the ninja couldn''t finish his sentence because a white projectile shot out of the attacker''s palm and embedded itself in the ninja''s head with a wet sound. The corpse fell to the ground with a thud. -He fired his own bone as if it were a bullet.- The last enemy, trembling, tried to pull out an explosive seal, but failed to activate it. The white-haired fellow sighed, and calmly walking slowly, he came closer and closer, bowing his head in mock disappointment. - ¡°Too slow.¡±- said the white-haired fellow dismissively. With another movement, his spine emerged from his back, sliding out of his skin like a living chain. He pulled it and used it as a whip, wrapping it around the ninja''s neck. A sharp tug was more than enough for the masked man to fall, a echoed through the cave. The body collapsed. Silence. The man, hidden in the shadows, watched the scene with an expression of astonishment to see how this guy was able to perform such techniques with his own bones and still continue as if nothing had happened. He was still surprised by what happened, he felt neither horror nor pity. Only curiosity. He had seen many ways to kill in his previous life, but this... this was new, it was something ruthless. The white-haired man turned his head slowly, his eyes were fixed right where the man was hiding. For the first time since he awoke, the man felt that someone was hunting him, a ninja with unreal power. And after what he witnessed something was clear to him... this ninja was not like the others, he was worse, the man did not move, he kept his breath held, he knew when someone was about to attack. One false move and it was a condemnation to his imminent death, by strategy he kept his composure, he had learned long ago that sometimes, the most lethal predator is not the one who attacks first, but the one who waits for the right moment to do it. The white-haired ninja watched him intently. His posture was relaxed, but his body radiated danger like a predator deciding if it was worth tearing into its prey. The man braced himself, he was in no condition to fight, but he wasn''t going to die without trying either. But this white-haired fellow... this being that ripped his own body as if flesh and bone were nothing more than replaceable weapons... was superior to anything he had seen before. The white-haired ninja still stared at him, The fresh blood of the fallen ninja dripped from his bony spine, which slowly slid back down his back, hiding in his skin with an unpleasant sound. His pale eyes and sadistic smile gave the impression that he was amused by the idea of finding someone else in this maze of death. without warning a dry sound echoed down the rocky corridor. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The white-haired ninja swung his arm... and from his forearm a bony projectile shot out. The man reacted instinctively. He turned his body to the side, but he wasn''t fast enough. The projectile grazed his side, opening a thin but deep cut. The pain was searing but bearable. He''s had worse wounds. - ¡°Interesting, You''re not one of them...¡± -he muttered, taking a step forward. the white-haired ninja smiled. The man tried to block the next attack with the kunai, but the enemy was incredibly fast, too fast. The enemy''s arm lengthened in a deadly twist and a curved bone emerged from his elbow, like a sword growing from his body. The man jumped back just in time, dodging the slash. The bone blade impacted against the rock wall and cut it like butter. -Shit... that was close.- The man who knew he couldn''t win this fight. Not even when his body was at its maximum capacity, much less in his current state. The man who knew he could not win this fight. Not even when his body was at its maximum capacity, much less in his current state. The white-haired ninja moved in the blink of an eye and, in one leap, closed the distance between them, while from his unnaturally bending arm, a new bony fragment emerged from the palm of his hand, sharp as a spear, headed straight for the man. The man barely had time to react. He turned his body at the last second, dodging the deadly thrust that was headed straight for his heart. The man who knew he could not win this fight. Not even when his body was at its maximum capacity, much less in his current state. The white-haired ninja moved in the blink of an eye, in one leap, closed the distance between them, while from his unnaturally bending arm, a new bony fragment emerged from the palm of his hand, sharp as a spear, headed straight for the man. The man barely had time to react. He turned his body at the last second, dodging the deadly thrust that was headed straight for his heart. But the ninja was fast, his leg came up in a brutal swing, seeking to break the man''s ribs with a devastating kick. The man raised an arm to block, but the impact threw him several feet back, sliding and spinning across the stone floor. His arm hurt along with his torso, possibly fractured. -Damn, that hurt.- This guy was strong. It was something he knew for sure, not only that, but his fighting level was superior. The white-haired ninja advanced, preparing another lethal blow, but just as he was about to attack again, his eyes caught on something, and he stopped immediately. The wires still dangled from the man''s body, His expression changed. His smile disappeared, and then he fixed his gaze on the man''s body. The man noticed that his opponent had lowered his guard, at any other time he would take this opportunity to finish him off, but he had not seen or heard anything like this monster and did not know what he was capable of doing. He didn''t understand what, but it was clear that there was a reason why it stopped attacking him. He felt the white-haired ninja''s eyes bore into his neck and frowned. He didn''t understand what the hell he was looking at, but something made him stop. The white-haired ninja sighed and his posture became more relaxed. - ¡°Heh... interesting.¡± -He folded his arms, a strange smile on his face. There was no longer murderous intent in his gaze. ¡°I didn''t think Orochimaru-sama would have awakened another one of his toys by now.¡± The man did not respond. -Orochimaru? That name again. Who the hell was he? Why did he have one of his markings?- - ¡°If you continue down this path, you''ll end up dead.¡±-She turned, turning her back on him as if she no longer considered him a threat. ¡°I''ll tell you how to get out.¡± The man did not let his guard down. - ¡°Why help me?¡±-the man asked the ninja. The ninja smiled arrogantly. -Because you bear Orochimaru''s mark,¡± replied the white-haired ninja. The ninja watched him a second longer before letting out a sigh and turning his head, as if deciding something. The ninja bent over the corpse of one of the fallen ninjas, Then, as if remembering something, the white-haired ninja reached out his hand towards his own forearm... and pulled out a long, sharp bone fragment, almost like a makeshift sword, but tough and lethal. He threw it toward the man, who caught it in mid-air. -¡°Listen, new thing,¡± he said in an amused tone, ¡°I don''t have time to play with you, and it looks like he took the trouble to mark you. I''m not interested in fighting with Orochimaru-sama''s experiments.¡± The man remained silent. -¡°You''re lucky I don''t care what you do,¡± he continued, ¡°But if you want to live, you''d better get out of here before more of those bugs get here,¡± he said pointing to the corpses, ¡°If you find Rock ninja, use it well, stick it in their necks and watch them fall.¡± The man looked at the bone in his hand. It was dense, firm, sharper than any knife, and light, but incredibly solid. It was a deadly weapon. It could be more useful than any melee weapon. - ¡°Keep going straight down this tunnel. There''s a secret exit before the next cave-in. If you hurry, you''ll get out before more reinforcements arrive.¡°-the ninja pointed his head toward a side tunnel, one narrower than the rest-¡± Follow that corridor, and after ten minutes of walking, you''ll see a stone door. There is a hidden mechanism in the wall to the right. Open it and you will exit the complex.¡± The man kept his gaze fixed on the white-haired ninja, not arguing. He didn''t trust him, but he had no choice either. Giving the ninja one last look, he began to move down the tunnel. author''s note: remember to visit my website if you want to support my work. there you will find advanced chapters. Chapter 4: The Path of Death - "Tsk..." -The white-haired ninja clicked his tongue- "You should feel lucky. Others in your place would be dead by now." The man didn''t respond. His priority was to get out of there. When he looked up, the ninja had already started walking in the opposite direction. - "Now beat it. I''ll take care of the ones coming."- said the ninja. The man said nothing more. He turned on his heels and began to run down the indicated corridor. As he walked through the dark corridors, the rock walls seemed to close in around him. The tunnel was long, with rough, narrow walls. The echo of his own footsteps echoed around him, that and the echo of the slaughter still echoed in his mind. -A labyrinth of death.- Minutes passed in the gloom, Every so often, he passed by forgotten corpses. some were old, dust-covered skeletons. Others were fresh. The minutes passed. He counted mentally until he reached ten. Then he saw something, the stone door, hidden in the rubble. -"The secret exit."-the man approached cautiously, feeling the right wall until he found what he was looking for, a small hidden slot. He dug his fingers in and pulled, a deep sound rumbled in the rock... and the door began to slide slowly to one side, A cold, damp air came in from the other side. At last, he had found the exit, The man slipped through it without hesitation, he crossed the threshold, he had made it out. The outside world greeted him with a dark sky. He was in a dense forest, full of tall trees and crooked roots. There was no time to rest. He needed to move. But before he took a step... he heard something, the echo of screams and the sound of bones piercing flesh. He turned on instinct. In the distance, back in the compound, the white-haired ninja was facing a new group of ninjas in the same garb as the bodies he saw on the way to the secret exit. There, in the darkness, the white-haired ninja continued on his way... to more blood. Because of that small distraction, a new group of ninjas had managed to reach the man. This time, the enemies wore bandanas with the symbol of two rocks together. Ninjas from the Hidden Rock Village. The ninjas braced themselves as they saw the massacre around them. The man didn''t know much about this world, but he understood what he was seeing. The white-haired ninja was not fighting. He was slaughtering. - "How annoying."- said the white-haired ninja as he swiftly positioned himself between the man and the ninja in front of him. Bones emerged from his back, his fingers transforming into bony daggers. The ninjas'' screams were drowned out by their own blood. The man did not wait to see the massacre. he watched the scene for a moment, but then, without a word, he turned and disappeared into the trees, continued on his way aimlessly. He had seen enough death for today, this was not his battle. Not yet. This world... this world of ninjas, war, and blood... was not so far away from his past life because in it death also lurked in the darkness and dim light of day, you could not live in peace, nor sleep in peace, because death always accompanied them. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. After a few minutes walking the only thing that accompanied him was each gust of wind that whistled through the leaves, each broken branch sounded like thunder in the midst of silence. The moon barely illuminated the dark forest due to the great height of the surrounding trees. The man advanced slowly, each step calculated, his body still resentful from the escape. His mind was a hotbed of thoughts, but there was no time to process it all. The only clear thing was that he was being hunted, the voices came before he could see them. - "Damn... where is that bastard?" -grunted a deep voice, barely a few feet away. The man stopped dead in his tracks and held his breath, instinctively sticking to the trunk of a tree. -I don''t know, but he must not have gone very far,¡± another, younger voice replied. They say those experiments of Orochimaru''s don''t last long without his medicine. -Medicine? - Without making a sound, he peeked through the bushes. They were three subjects in the same clothes as the ones in the tunnel, dressed in dark clothing, combat vests, and metal bandanas with a symbol of two rocks together. His eyes scanned the area carefully. They were looking for him. -What happened to the other guy, the one with the bones, did they kill him? - The man with doubts in his head could not allow these men to raise the alarm that they had found him, that would mean that more ninjas would be after him. He moved slowly, stepping only where the leaves were softer, where the ground would not betray his stealth. One of the ninja broke away from the group, moving a few meters away as he inspected behind some bushes. That ninja was his target, the man slipped behind him like a shadow, approaching step by step until he was close enough to strike. There were no words, only action. In one swift movement, he covered the ninja''s mouth with one hand and with the other plunged the sharp bone into his neck. A precise piercing, he felt skin, muscle, and windpipe give under the pressure. Warm blood washed over his hand. The ninja tried to struggle, but his movements became jerky and weak. His eyes went unfocused, When the body stopped shaking, the assassin laid him carefully on the ground. -One down.- The other two didn''t notice anything. They were still talking to each other, they were together, and getting close was dangerous. Still, he moved fluidly through the bushes until he positioned himself behind another tree, in his hand he now held a kunai, taken from the corpse of the ninja he had just executed. He took a breath. He aimed and with great precision threw the kunai. The weapon cut the air with a whistling sound and stuck in the neck of the second ninja, the ninja drowned in his own blood and fell to his knees. The third barely had time to turn before the man was already upon him. A brief struggle, a quick twist,t and a knife plunging into the ninja''s heart was all it took to finish off the last of them. And then... silence, it was over. The man took a deep breath and looked at the corpses. He could not stay long in the area. He hurried to grab some of his clothes, covering himself with a light vest to protect himself from the cold. Some Kunais, shurikens, and smoke bombs, he was now better prepared. But this forest...It had more dangers than just ninjas, the rustling of leaves alerted him. He spun immediately, his body responding before his mind. Something was stalking him. Among the trees, only a few feet away, a pair of eyes glowed in the darkness. Fangs exposed, a low, menacing growl, it was a predator. Upon closer inspection, the man had no doubt what he was seeing... a huge wolf, bigger than any he had ever seen in his past life. Its fur was as black as night, its muscles marked beneath its skin. The assassin didn''t hesitate. He moved the instant the beast leapt, and rolled to the side, dodging the attack by inches. The creature landed with a thud and spun immediately, lunging again with a ferocious roar. This time, the assassin was more heavily armed, raised the kunai, and embedded it in its eye. The wolf''s shriek echoed in the forest, the creature staggered, shaking its head furiously, but the assassin did not give it time to react. The sharp bone in his hand went straight to the throat. A spasm and a last growl were the last signs of life he gave before his death. The man caught his breath. But he was still not alone, he heard more movements in the bushes and saw more eyes glowing in the darkness, little by little through the undergrowth more wolves were approaching. -Shit...- The man couldn''t fight them all. Not in this state, as a quick escape measure, he picked up one of the smoke bombs and threw it to the ground. The gray mist enveloped the area, blinding the animals. The man took advantage of the confusion to run. The growling and barking faded into the distance, he had survived, For now. author''s note: remember to visit my website if you want to support my work. there you will find advanced chapters. Chapter 5: The Forge of Assassins After a few long minutes in absolute silence, the man found a cave, his legs no longer responded, and his tiredness was evident due to how fast everything happened. The cave was a small shelter, hidden among the rocks. Deep enough to feel safe. The man entered and let himself fall against one of the walls, his breathing was ragged. And he could barely move. Now that the adrenaline was dissipating, his body began to take the toll of overexertion, his muscles burned and his wounds throbbed a deep, unbearable pain. One he had not felt until now. He looked at his hands, he was shaking, The drops of blood from the ninjas that covered his skin mixed with the dirt. He was a mess, he let out a dry, humorless laugh. He had died once. He had come back to life in this strange world. But his body was still human, weak and mortal, definitely not invincible. Slowly his consciousness began to fade, his eyelids grew heavy, and blackness enveloped him. His body slid down the wall and fell to the floor. At last, he had fallen, his exhaustion was such that without realizing it he slept indefinitely, and while he slept... he dreamed, he dreamed of blood, he dreamed of screams, he dreamed of a woman wrapped in gold. He dreamt of the weight of a curse that he still did not understand and more importantly he dreamt of the name of someone who had betrayed him. The dream began a silent abyss where not even his breathing existed. In the darkness, he could hear orders shouted in a language he recognized, dry gunshots breaking the silence, and screams suffocated by blood. -Voices? No, it was childish laughter. Sounds of boots echoing on a metallic floor. Echoes of boots echoing on a metallic floor, footsteps in narrow corridors. And then... A blinding glow that enveloped everything. The world took shape. The light of spotlights shining on a wide concrete hall, no windows, no colors, just cold and hardness. A training camp surrounded by high walls and electrified fences. There, his childhood had passed. He and other children, children who did not know the meaning of ¡°home¡± or ¡°family¡±. Children who only knew how to obey orders, train, and kill. There were no families or toys. There were only children, like him, training endlessly under the watchful eye of men in dark uniforms. his life began, and it was molded according to the ideals of a killer. The days at the training complex were sunless and moonless, gunfire, beatings, cold and hunger were his daily companions. Running until the legs gave out. Lifting weights until bones creaked. Enduring pain until the mind ignored it, regardless of the missions that were imposed by their superiors. All that mattered was to be better than yesterday, a succession of relentless tests. Although their appearance to the common people showed that they were only children, to those adults who lived with them daily in their training and care, they knew something that the rest of the people did not, they were not common children. they were soldiers. They infiltrated dark buildings, and eliminated targets with precision, without mercy. Without remorse, every time they went out, they came back with blood on their hands, you''re just a bunch of desperate kids. But among all those children, among all those faces marked by the same misfortune... Only one mattered. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. - Him. - His friend. His brother in everything but blood, they looked almost alike: two slender but strong bodies, two pairs of calculating eyes, two souls marked by the same destiny. - ¡°Tied again.¡± - Said the boy, his words full of mockery. He didn''t need to turn to know who was standing next to him. The man saw his reflection in the eyes of his only friend, breathing heavily, with a knife in each hand, his friend was smiling in front of him. Both were covered in sweat and dirt, surrounded by shattered targets, the knife throwing test was over, each with knives in their hands as usual, they had tied. The hit count... even. -You can''t be better than me, you still can''t beat me, huh? -mocked his friend with a tired smile, dropping his knife. The man who was now only a boy just exhaled through his nose, smiling barely, without replying. They didn''t need words, he just dropped his knives. For as long as they could remember, they had always been together in everything, from the moment their hands were big enough to hold a knife, they learned to kill together. From the time their bodies could bear the weight of a gun, they learned to shoot together and likewise, when their muscles endured the pain of blows, they learned to fight together, And when their souls were marked by the blood of their first missions... They learned to survive together. The days in the compound had no names, There were no Mondays or Sundays, No vacations or rest. Only training, every dawn, a new test, Racing to collapse, Hand-to-hand combat until one was unconscious, Disarming and assembling weapons in less than thirty seconds, Precision shooting in the dark. And when the daylight faded, the tests only got crueler, Sleep deprivation, Pain resistance, and Psychological torture to eradicate fear. Even through it all... They always had each other. Together, they were unstoppable. Every mission, every kill, every bloodstain on their hands, they faced it together, There was no doubt. There was no fear. There was no remorse. But there was something deeper that they never dared to say aloud, a buried desire, a longing that burned within them.... That night, as the compound slept, they gazed at the sky from the rooftop of the tallest building, lying on the icy concrete, they saw the stars for the first time in years. On one of the few nights where there was no training. His friend broke the silence first. -Do you think we''ll ever be able to... not do this? -he asked, staring up at the sky. The man did not answer. -I mean... what if we escape? If we find a place where no one is looking for us. Somewhere quiet, where we can be normal. The word sounded strange. ¡°Normal.¡± The word was almost strange. What did it mean to be normal? The man looked up at the stars, wondering what it would be like to be a normal person. What it would be like to wake up without being ordered around. Without the need to kill. Without the obligation to survive every day. -Maybe. -Her voice sounded more hopeful than she expected. Maybe they could, Maybe they could be more than killers, Maybe they could live, Together. But this was only a child''s dream, something that only mere children wished for, considering the great cost of leaving their place in the ranks, a dream that as the years went by became more fragmented. One of the hard nights the stars in the sky were covered with blood. The world became distorted and memories twisted. The night was filled with screams and blood, and the last thing he saw before waking... Was the image of his friend, holding out his hand... with the other one stained with blood. ____________________________________ He gasped. The cold air of the cave greeted him like a blow. His body was covered in sweat, and his chest rose and fell violently. His hands were shaking, but it wasn''t from the cold. For a moment, his mind was still trapped in sleep. He brought a hand to his face, feeling the warm skin, felt the heat from the lights of the compound, feeling the scars, The memories still burned inside him. his friend''s voice echoing in his head. The stars. The fire. He still felt the weight of the weapons in his hands. He exhaled with difficulty. He wasn''t there anymore. That world no longer existed. He took a deep breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow. No matter how much the memories hurt. Now, he had to survive. He stood up, ignoring the pain in his body. He still had a long way to go, and whatever was waiting for him outside...It would be no more unforgiving than his own past. author''s note: remember to visit my website if you want to support my work. there you will find advanced chapters. hi guys, i''m writing a new story together with another fabulous writer, based on the world of warcraft world, don''t forget to follow and support us: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/108762/world-of-warcraft-ashes-of-war