Part 1

Haruka jumps from branch to branch, making sure to stay out of sight as she trails the Samurai. Her teachers had fed an enemy clan false intel on the location of one of their bases, tricking them into sending a samurai to survey the area. She had been tasked with following and assassinating the Samurai as her final test before officially becoming a ninja. The mission had been easy so far, the Samurai seemed unaware of her presence, so all she had to do was take him by surprise and kill him.

Haruka patiently waits for nightfall and watches as the Samurai sits down to eat some food he had stored up for the trip. Haruka quietly maneuvers down the tree and behind the Samurai, and before he knew what was happening, her blade pierces his throat. He collapses to the ground, clutching his bleeding neck and trying to fight against his mysterious attacker, but he quickly bleeds out and dies. Haruka stood and watched as the Samurai died, wanting to make sure that her target was terminated before returning to her teachers with a successful mission. Once she was certain, Haruka became giddy, hopping up and down with a massive smile on her face, as she had now become an official ninja, all that was left to do was to head back home and tell her teachers the good news.

Haruka begins rushing through the forest, heading in the direction of her home. She is admittedly a little disappointed she didn't get to use her disguise; Haruka had spent days learning what the enemy clans ninja outfits looked like and recreating them so that she could fool the Samurai, so it stung that her hard work had been wasted, but she could use the outfit for a future mission and to mess with her fellow ninjas. Haruka was so eager to get back home, she never noticed the ninja following her from the treetops.

Haruka home is just entered her view, peeking through the thick forest, when an unseen force slams into her and throws her into a tree. The sudden collision leaves her too dazed to react before a heavy weight smashes into her back and pins her body to the ground. She tries to push it off or escape its grasp, but nothing she does works, she can only manage to move her head.

She begins to panic, wondering if the Samurai had ninjas following him that she hadn't noticed. Had she led them to her home? Did they know the entire time that the information was a hoax? She tries to scream, to warn her people about the intruder, but the weight on her lungs barely gives her enough air to breath, much less yell. Then she fells something caress her face and hears a voice speak behind her.

"Do they think we'll have mercy because you're a kid? Well, I guess I'll just show them how wrong they are."

Haruka thinks she recognizes the voice for a moment, but she doesn't get the chance to say anything, as the hand next to her face grabs her chin and pulls. A sickening crunch can be heard as Haruka neck snaps like a twig, and she now faces her killer. Her mind holds on only long enough to recognize him, an older Ninja in the clan that she had seen around but never talked to, with the most sadistic and evil smile she had ever seen on his face.

Her body starts to convulse underneath his, but he holds her down, not wanting her to make any sounds. Once it stops, the older ninja stands up and holds Haruka corpse up by her neck, slowly examining her body.