Now do you remember, un?
I lived in a family of twelve on the poorest street of the Hidden Rock Village. Both my parents were without jobs, and all of my older brothers were heavy drinkers, un. All of the elders in my life were never great roll models, un.
So I focused all of my energy on taking care of me and my younger sister. I stole what I could, and forced people out of what I couldn't steal, un. Though things were rough, I managed to keep the two of us alive, un.
Then came the day that I saw my very first sparkler.
I was digging through the trash at a nearby restaurant when I saw some kid playing with a stick--a stick that lit up and crackled like mad. I was mesmerized, un. Never in my life had I seen anything more beautiful, un.
I HAD to have one. There was nothing I wanted more. So I skipped some of my meals and saved up enough money to buy some, un. And if the store selling them wouldn't let me buy a pack, I'd strike a deal with a friend and manage--somehow--to get a hold of them, un.
As I lived my life, those sparklers turned to firecrackers, un. Those firecrackers turned to fireWORKS, and so on and so forth, un. Soon, I was a master of fire and explosives, un...
And my art was born.
I left home as soon as I could, and wandered the desert, practicing my art as often as possible, un. Eventually, I came upon the Akatsuki, which accepted me right away. After all, my art was just what they needed, un.
Once part of the Akatsuki, I met Sasori, un. The two of us... hit it off, you could say. After all, we were both misunderstood artists, un. We were partnered up, and our relationship blossomed from there.
Recently, the two of us have formed a life together, un. We're still part of the Akatsuki, of course, but... we have more important things to take care of, un. Yeah, we argue, and yeah, we disagree about mostly everything. But we're happy, un. And that's all that matters.