The Living Doll || Sasori

Ch. 2 - Snow White

A groan escaped from under a blanket as a hand reached out from under it and smacked the ringing alarm clock on the bedside table. It took a couple of tries before the ringing stopped. A few minutes later, a head peeked out from under the solid green quilt, snow white hair sticking in every direction and tired eyes opening. It was yet another day in Kusagakure and the poor child was dreading what was to come. It was a training day.

Slinking out the bed, the female padded over to the bathroom to take a quick shower then settled down in front of her bedroom vanity to brush the tangles out of her hair. Once she was satisfied, she quickly tied her hair in a high bun and slipped on her ninja uniform - black pants, a black quarter sleeve shirt, and her forest green flak jacket. Picking up her traditional, dark green headband, she tied it around her forehead and fixed her bangs before deciding she was ready to face the day.

"Shizuka, you're leaving already? I'm almost done with breakfast." A voice called as the girl left her room and walked past the kitchen. She turned to see her mother donning an apron as she made eggs on the stove. "Your father should be coming out soon."

Shizuka sent her mother a sympathetic smile. "If I stay, I'll be late for training." The toaster sprang alive, showcasing two pieces of slightly burnt toast. The female picked one slice up and ran for the door. "I'll be home for dinner though! I promise!" Her mother shook her head in disapproval as the young girl disappeared out the front door.

"You better not use any forbidden techniques!" She called after her.

Shizuka frowned at her mother's comment as she bit into her piece of toast and headed for the training grounds. Forbidden techniques... Was that really what her clan had been reduced to? Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she hurried along. If she took the shortcut through the farmer's land, she would make it right on time.

◤◢◣◥◤ ◢◣◆◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

Just as she had expected, training was hell. All the newly appointed chunin were assembled at the training grounds and one of the top jonin, the Kusakage's assistant, greeted them with a new meaning for the word 'training'. It had been almost six hours since they had started and Shizuka's chakra levels were depleted, not to mention that she couldn't feel her legs and arms. Laying on the ground, she looked up at the sky during their rare break and watched the clouds slowly pass by. Things could've been worse; it could've been raining.

Suddenly, an explosion in the northwest region of the village went off, alerting everyone. Ignoring the previous exhaustion she was feeling, Shizuka immediately got up from the ground, fully powered by adrenaline. The jonin narrowed his eyes and faced the chunin.

"This is it, brats. The village is under attack." He gathered their attention. "Your job is to go to the front lines and follow your seniors. The genin will take care of evacuation procedures. Now go!"

The chunin scattered, Shizuka included. As they moved, a couple more explosions appeared in various parts of the village. Civilians screamed as they ran out of their homes and there were already casualties. Another explosion went off a meter away from the female and she watched in horror as a man was blown out of his home's window, his limbs detaching from his body due to the sheer force from the blast. The female could feel her stomach churning at the sight and she stopped running, placing her hand on a nearby wall to steady herself as she willed herself not to throw up at the gut-wrenching sight.

"Shizuka, are you alright?" A girl came over to the white-haired adolescent, but she couldn't hear her. As she heard more explosions and screams, she could only think back to the Academy. She had heard and read so much about war, but she had never experienced it. After all, she was only ten years old. Was this... was this what war felt like? What it looked like? What it smelled like? What it tasted like?