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'ABC' -Bijū Spoken

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Stranger Than Fiction

Prologue: Truth Within Fiction

I guess I should start from the beginning… It'll help make what's to come easier to understand or maybe it won't. Either way… what I'm about to say, you need to hear and accept as fact…

Demons are real and they walk amongst us… it is a simple yet terrifying truth. Since before the dawn of man these beings have walked the earth, their exact origin or purpose to this day remain a mystery.

But, as with all things there comes an end to the way things were and a beginning to the way things are… that time, that moment was the Dawn of the Ninja.

Now, when I say the word Ninja you probably already have a preconceived notion of what one is and it most likely includes images of someone dressed entirely in black, creeping through the shadows, while disposing of their targets with a single blow before vanishing as if they where never there.

And, that would be correct for the most part… killing a mere man with a single attack is child's play when compared to killing a demon…

And, in that statement lays the true purpose, the origin, of the Ninja. There was a time in which demons walked the earth in numbers equal if not surpassing that of man. These beings of enormous power preyed upon man, attacking villages, laying waste to crops, and taking men, women, even children captive to meet their unknown, supposedly twisted needs.

So, it is in response to this ongoing onslaught that the Ninja came to be. Powerful, ruthless, and cunning, the ninja where beings of, until then, unheard of skill whose sole purpose was to rid the world of these evil monstrosities; these men and women banded together under this single ideal.

It came to be that the Ninja were seemingly successful in their crusade. As, sightings of the demon menace slowly became something of the past, and with it came an era of peace and prosperity.

Now, with ninja numbering in the thousands a place for them to live and train while ensuring the continuance of their way of life and ideals was needed. These refuges came to be in the form of the Hidden Villages.

Soon, these villages where sprouting up all across the land, a lasting refuge to an old way of life in an increasingly modernizing world. With the demon menace slowly being a thing of the past, a new purpose was needed, a new way of life, and thus the nindo of today came to be.

Alas, as with all things time changes everything and soon the truth about demons and ninjas became lost and forgotten. It became the things of myths and legends, a part of our dreams and nightmares.

Yet, as I stated before there comes an end to the way things were and a beginning to the way things are… that moment came during the Great Shinobi Wars when the demon menace emerged once more… this time in the form of the Great Beasts.

Years had passed since the demons apparent decimation and with it a lost of the fear they had instilled in man. So, with the war raging on with seemingly no end in sight, the need for a trump card became painfully clear.

That card came in the form of a legend about the leaders of the demons, nine beasts from nine ruling clans, who possessed a power so enormous that whoever could harness it would clearly be the victor of these seemingly endless battles.

It's said that it was the leader of one of the Hidden Villages who found the legend and it was under his command that the harnessing of this power was attempted. To say the least, their attempt proved futile as the village was wiped from the face of the earth. And, in its wake it left the menacing visage of the nine Great Beasts awakened and set loose upon the world.

It's quite simple to imagine how with the appearance of an even more dire threat the war came to an end, as each village scrambled to plan a defense against the horrifying beasts.

The problem was every village had sustained heavy losses already and even at full strength, they probably would have been no match for the angry beings.

But, alas, a plan was made, a way to attack and defend against if not defeat the great beings was discovered. This plan took the form of one's who became know as… vessels.

One's who are man and demon, sinner and saint, one destined to be hated and feared, yet is one needing love and acceptance. One who was created to serve a purpose of immense importance, to bear an unspeakable burden, a power of unfathomable origin, and destined to be remembered as a hero for doing so.

Or, at least, that's how it was supposed to be… a vessel is one who is damned. Cursed to live a life beyond their control… a life of hatred for something they did not do…

It was thanks to these beings, these people… that peace returned once again to the world. For when the strongest of the Great Beast, the leader of the greatest demon clan, was sealed within one… the remaining Beasts fled. Some escaped, others where sealed as well. It was these moments that lead to the world we know today… and they where accomplished through the sacrifices of great men and women, both alive and deceased, who all put our future, our happiness before their own.

Now, you maybe be wondering how is it I know such things… well, it's quite simple really. My name is Kyu, I'm a Ninja, but more importantly… I'm a vessel and this is my story.

- Excerpt taken from The Kyu Ninja Chronicles written by 9-T

To Be Continued…