eighteen.

(—attack on the hidden leaf)

Winter was floating, everything muted out by a faint buzzing sound that grew stronger by the minute. The last thing she remembered was a white hot pain in her chest and the final handsigns the Sound nin had done— Dosu, that ninja's name had been Dosu —but what were those hand signs for? The buzzing grew too intense and the girl winced, her black hair hanging loose and floating around lazily. She suddenly landed on her feet in a familiar part of a forest.

Trees were slashed and broken slightly, parts of grass smoking from direct contact from lightning. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked down, seeing her reflection a small puddle. Long black hair hung down to her ribs, a single braid on the side. She was a little shorter, a little weaker, a little more naive and most of all, she was a little younger. Her eyes were sparkling with the happiness she didn't have anymore. Without meaning to her feet started moving as the younger version of herself skipped towards two redhaired twins.

"No." She whispered horrified at what she was seeing. "I-I can't see this, not again." 

The three Genin talked happily as they discussed their new Jutsu that required the three of them to do. They were so close to completing it and had decided on their day off, the only day their Sensei was out on a mission, to practice it until they got it right.

Eventually they did get it right... and that's when everything went downhill.

***

"She'll be fine, the wound is already healed and she is just exhausted. Most likely she won't wake up for a couple more hours so why don't you go enjoy the last match?" The medic nin told Inazuma calmly. 

The purple haired Jonin looked down at Winter who was lying motionless in the hospital bed. Winter was paler than normal, which was hard to believe seeing how she had alabaster-like skin. Her lips were parted slightly as she breathed slightly, her chest rising and falling showing she was still alive. Inazuma bites her lower lip before nodding, walking over to Winter and brushing some stray hairs out of her face like an older sister would. "I'll tell you all about the match when you wake up." She tells the younger girl softly before walking out. 

The medic nin smiled at the sight before exiting the room as well.

It was silent for a long time before Winter started breathing heavily, her face twisted up into one of pain. Unlike the several hours the medic nin had said it would take for her to wake up, Winter woke up within a half hour. Something was, terribly wrong and she could feel it in her bones. The last time she had this feeling was when her team had been shattered apart.

Winter jumped out of bed, stumbling slightly as dizziness make black spots dance across her vision. She was still shaken up from the Genjutsu that had brought forth one of her worst memories. She hated feeling weak, and right now she felt unbelievably weak and vulnerable. She quickly located her weapons and changed from the weird hospital gown into her clothes from the exams, ignoring the fact they were ripped and bloodied.

Vaulting out the window and landing in a crouch in the shadows of a nearby alley, Winter furrowed her eyebrows at the desolate village. What is going on? She frowned deeply and unsheathed her katanas, spinning them around with deadly precision before bolting off towards the arena. She had to be careful, combining with Minato's spirit had taken a huge chunk of her chakra leaving her with perhaps thirty percent, if that. Not only that but she had several scrapes on her body that ached and she was slightly dizzy from blood loss.

She barely had time to dodge as several Sand nin appeared in front of her. 

"Hey wasn't this the pipsqueak who beat Dosu?" One sneered at Winter who growled lowly, her grip tightening on her katanas. 

"Just because you beat Dosu, doesn't mean you stand a chance against us." His accomplice finished, an ugly smirk plastered on his face.

She took a deep breath before darting forward, aiming to kill as she fought her way to the arena. By the time she arrived, Winter was breathing heavily, splattered with blood. Though none of it was hers she still looked horrible. She rammed through the gates, looking around as she caught glimpses of Kakashi and Gai engaging enemy shinobi. Inazuma was in the middle of the fray, a feral look in her eyes as she became a blur of midnight lightning.

Seeing a couple of her kunai still scattered around for some odd reason, Winter body flickered next to Kakashi. She used his shoulder to vault over him, wrapping her legs around some poor nin's neck and snapping it with ease. 

"So, is it just the Sand nin invading?" She says standing back to back with Kakashi, whose eyes had widen slightly in shock at her appearance. 

"No the Sound is here to... and Lord Hokage..." He glances up at the purple barrier where two figure could be seen fighting inside. 

"Orochimaru." She hissed lowly slicing through enemy shinobi.

"Possibly. Anyways, shouldn't you be in the hospital?" He questioned, the two dodging kunai before killing each others opponent. 

"I don't do hospitals." She says, jerking back as a kunai grazes her face. 

"Inazuma's going to kill you." Kakashi states firmly, engaging a man in taijutsu before getting rid of him. 

"Yeah..." She suddenly disappears, flickering next to Inazuma and running her sword through the nin's heart that was about to stick a kunai in her sensei's back.

"Thanks kid... hey! Get back in the hospital." Inazuma spits out as they fight flawlessly together. 

"No, I'm not letting anyone else die." Winter states firmly, sheathing her katanas before biting her finger and summoning the Head Cleaver. 

Inazuma hesitates before sighing, "Fine, but if you die on me I'm going to kill you." 

Winter laughs, "Of course." She wields the massive sword, using it like the name suggests.

While the two's teamwork was flawless, the enemy had the advantage in numbers and Winter frowned deeply. "If it's like this everywhere else..." She murmurs softly and looks around briefly, seeing the many enemy shinobi slowly overpowering Leaf shinobi.

I... I can do something about this.

She takes a deep breath before unsummoning the giant sword, quickly doing several handsigns before slamming her hands onto the ground. A poof of smoke clears revealing a huge wolf with dark gray fur and markings on her right eye. 

"Nyx, make sure they can't reach me." Winter orders the wolf, running up the arena wall and landing on the rim at the top. 

The giant wolf flicks her left ear back, signaling she heard what Winter said. Straightening up to her true height of nine feet the wolf let out a terrifying howl that reached the heavens, daring anyone to challenge her. And those stupid enough to do so? They didn't even last long enough to scream.

This was idiotic of her to do, Winter knew that. She also knew the price she would half to pay for casting this particular jutsu, yet the only thing on her mind was what she saw after the Genjutsu showed her the memory. That vision, that terrible reality that could come true, is what was driving her to this. To be perfectly honest she could do something else, but to Winter this appeared to be the best option.

Fitting her thumbs and pointer fingers into a diamond shape and keep the rest of her fingers curled up tightly against her palm, Winter raised her hands to the sky. Her turquoise eyes gave way to a brewing storm, black mist rolling over the top of the walls and down into the arena. Her chakra became visible as she poured everything she had left into the jutsu, the mist shaping in ghastly looking wolves with electric blue, demonic eyes. They howled, creating a chorus of terror before descending down.

They snarled and sprinted through out the Leaf village, running straight into the body of any enemy shinobi. The affected shinobi would feel chills racking through their body before collapsing, their chakra rising into the sky and adding to giant black mass of clouds gathering over the arena. The shinobi were still alive, but barely. 

Nyx disappeared in a poof of smoke, Winter not being able to keep her there and do the jutsu.

The wind whipped around Winter as she felt her chakra draining rapidly. The battling Leaf shinobi in the arena quickly get rid of any remaining shinobi that weren't caught in Winter's deadly jutsu. When the last of the mist wolves had found its victim Winter turned the diamond upside down pointing it at the purple barrier surrounding the Hokage's battle. Trees were inside the barrier and the sickening feel had grown so strong Winter almost tipped over.

The clouds start to gather into the form of something massive... a towering black wolf with red eyes and massive jaws stared down at the arena. I

nazuma's eyes widen finally recognizing the jutsu. "Kid, no!" Her shout was lost in the wind as Winter's eyes narrowed at the barrier. 

"Arkisi... skein." The wolf howled, sounding the swirling winds of a storm before rising up on its hind legs. It charged down from the sky, its massive head ramming into the barrier.

The barrier shuddered and the Sound Four strained to keep it up. The wolf rammed it again, and before it could do it a third time the barrier vanished. The Sound Four escaped with the Snake Sannin, staring at the girl on the wall with blood trickling out of her mouth as she stared at them with defiance.

Winter felt her chakra drain to practically nothing and the wolf vanished, the sky clear once again. Her knees shook, her mouth felt dry and her right eye's vision turned grainy fading to gray. Yuki my child, this jutsu that I'm leaving to you has a consequence if you use it before you come of age. Her mother's words rang out in her ears as she remembered finding the scroll in a box left to her. You can use it normally once you are sixteen, but before use it before then and the goddess Nirea will take something from you. Use it only when you feel as if you have no other choice.

Her throat closed up slightly, her vision wavering between a painted grayscale and pure darkness. She'll take something essential to being a shinobi. Winter's legs collapsed and she fell from the wall, her hair whipping in the air as she let out a huff of air. She felt the air rush out of her lungs as Kakashi catches her, the last thing she saw being his Sharingan eye.

Your sight.