Sacrifice

The Village Hidden in the Shadows

Sunlight dappled the landscape, dim in the early morning light. Big fluffy clouds cast blotches of shade in strategic patterns among the dense foliage. The gentle breeze ruffled the leaves above, sending a shower of them down to the ground below, eliciting a groan from the girl sleeping on the green moss. She immediately shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight that filtered through the trees.

Startled, she quickly sat up and looked around. Unfamiliar plants and trees grew all around her. Yasuna stood up slowly, taking in her surroundings. Huge trees loomed overhead with wide, sturdy branches strong enough to hold a house. She lept into the tallest one and looked around for something, anything familiar. The forest stretched as far as the eye could see, broken only by clearings and the sheer cliff behind her.

Deciding to wait until nighttime, she headed to the cliff in hopes of finding a cave. As she wandered, it became increasingly evident that she was being followed. Yasuna struggled to ignore them as she exited the trees and stood before a huge cave that gaped at the side of the cliff, but she was restrained by invisible chakra threads before she could take a step toward it.

"Well, look what we have here. A spy."

The boy spat out the last word like poison and advanced. He was rather small, with bright red hair the color of spring apples.

"I'm not a spy!"

There was a snort of disbelief from the blonde that walked from the trees. Most of her hair was in a high ponytail, while the rest framed her face, covering one eye.

"Then why are you here, un?"

"Because I'm lost," Yasuna growled in frustration. "I just woke up in a random forest and seemingly traveled across the country overnight."

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard," the blonde retorted. "You could've at least come up with something a little more convincing."

The red-head reached her and pulled her headband off her neck. Yasuna snapped at him, but he pulled his hand away before she had the chance. The metal plate showcased three black rings surrounded by small, reversed circumflexes that formed a sun shape.

"I've never seen this before," remarked the redhead, handing it to his companion.

"Me either."

"Oh, oh, I've seen it!"

Another guy ran up. He had a swirly orange mask covering his entire face with only one hole for one of his eyes. Yasuna noticed that all of them wore the same cloak- black with red clouds. The new guy pointed at the headband while Yasuna wiggled around just enough to sit in a more comfortable position.

"That looks like it's from the Village Hidden in the Shadows!"

"The what?" snapped the blonde.

She didn't seem to like her other companion.

"It's not well-known," he explained.

"Or recognized by other countries," Yasuna added.

All eyes turned on her.

"But isn't it in the mountain range west of the country of Fire?"

Yasuna nodded cautiously and asked tentatively,

"Where...where are we?"

They all shared a look full of confusion, which irritated her.

"We're in the far west of the Country of Wind," the blonde finally responded.

"Do you know who we are?" the redhead cut in. "Any clue? It should be obvious, considering our cloaks."

Yasuna shook her head.