AU: The Sage of Six Paths was alive and ruled over all of the nations as one single entity whilst maintaining a seemingly everlasting peace amongst them. On the Sage's one hundredth birthday the Sage passed away, creating the moon in the sky and sealing the body of the Juubi within it. The Sage was the first Jinchuuriki of the Juubi. Before dying the Sage split the Juubi's chakra into nine Bijuu which he divided and sealed amongst the land in hopes to hide their power from the world due to his mistrust in mankind. After the Sage passed, his six students were left to rule the continent. Five of the students became the Kage of the Five Great Nations and the last student was left to be the Shogun of the Land of Iron. The Sage also had two sons, the elder of which being an ancestor of the Uchiha Clan and the other being an ancestor of the Senju Clan. These eight individuals proved to be ninja of such a high caliber they could alter the landscapes during their battles. In the history of Shinobi they are regarded as the fathers and mothers of modern Ninjutsu. After passing down their teachings to the next generation, these ninja passed away and left the world to itself. They kept the peace and stability to the best of their ability, yet they could not hold it together after they passed away. Over the years, each village slowly grew distant from the others and became involved within itself. New Kage took power and over time the values and teachings of the sage were lost. The peace shattered and soon fighting began. The First Shinobi World War began during the time when the Second Kage each lead their villages. During this time the land was divided up into countries and each border was drawn up. Militaries began to stockpile and grow. There were no clear winners of the war, only losers. Every country lost men in the war with the result ultimately being nothing more than a stalemate in which all sides signed an agreement to cease military action against one another. At the end of the war the Five great Nations were left with much tension which has rolled over onto the young, growing generation.
In his earlier years, Kazou Hakena was a bright and aspiring ninja, but he had no particular abilities that made him stand out any more than others. He was only a slight bit above average, at the most. The prodigies in the ninja academy out shone him in everything. He has the mind to become a ninja, but while he could ace written work, putting these things into action was something entirely different for him.
"Next up... Kazou Hakena and Shiki Kemoki." The instructor called. He adjusted his headband as he did so, the four waves on it moved a bit. The Kirigakure instructor waited for the two academy students to face each other. Shiki Kemoki was one of the prodigies, the Kemoki clan being one of the founding families of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Of course, because of that, Shiki was a stuck up brat. He glared at Kazou, who tried to force a smile. "Shake hands before you begin your sparring." The sensei instructed. Shiki held out his hand, but didn't even bother to make eye contact as Kazou reached for it. Once the deed was done, the instructor just needed to signal the start of the fight. "Begin!" Kazou barely even made it into a stance before Shiki leapt forward and put him on the defensive. Kazou managed to block a swift jab aimed for his face, but a kick to the side caught him off guard. Kazou was already down on the ground when Shiki stood over him, a look of superiority on his face. Kazou got up, trying his best to control his temper as the instructor signaled the end of the match.
About a year passed before Kazou became a Genin, along with mostly everyone in his class. He was placed in a squad with another shinobi called Taku Yokan, an under-average ninja when it came to Ninjutsu, but strong in Taijutsu. He also had a very care free personality. The other member was a kunoichi named Maiko Tatsunimi, who was a very strong-willed girl that was proficient in Genjutsu and Earth Release Ninjutsu. Their squad leader was a strict man named Tendo Katsu. However, through his harsh words, you could always feel the kindness behind them. Kazou and his squadmates knew he wasn't a bad man, he just wanted them to succeed. They went on countless missions, but never adventured above C-Ranked. They prepared for the Chuunin exams like anyone else and while they each failed a few times, soon enough they became Chuunins by the time they were sixteen.
Kazou didn't have many talents yet, so he began to study Medical Ninjutsu and for that, human biology and anatomy. He was capable of keeping the information in his mind, so he thought it was a good career choice. After a while, his team was given a mission to go towards Takigakure, the Village Hidden in a Waterfall. According to the mission briefing, Takigakure was attacked recently by a group of ninja and needed some help in clearing up the aftermath. They were also being evaluated on how well they handled this mission and if they were legible to become Jonin. Kazou and his squadmates wasted no time, heading there as soon as possible.
When they arrived, they couldn't believe their eyes. Takigakure was in ruins, large chunks of rocks sticking out of the ground indicating a large scale battle. A few bodies could be spotted underneath the ruins of broken houses and buildings. Taku swallowed his saliva as sweat dripped down the side of his head. "Guys... I don't think we should stay. We needa report this to the Mizukage." He said. Kazou, however, wasn't listening. It was as if he was drawn by something, but he leaped down into the rubble without listening. "Kazou! Aw man." Taku sighed and jumped in after him.
"Wait, guys!" Maiko yelled after, but they were already a bit far to hear her. "Agh... Damnit!" She simply face-palmed, before also jumping after. "Kazou! Don't you think we should head b-"
Maiko was interrupted by a quick "Shhh!" from Kazou, who crouched behind rubble. There were two shinobi, who were standing in front of what appeared to be a shrine, the only standing building that seemed to remain.
"I heard it was up here. The boss wants 'em." One of them spoke. He had a deep voice and wore a bandana on his forehead. His ninja headband didn't seem to be visible.
"Well, hurry up! The more we have to stay here the more nauseous I get." The other one had a head band, but it wasn't a ninja headband. He wore it around his forehead and let his hair pop out. They both headed up towards the stairs while Kazou looked at his teammates. They both gave him a nervous nod as they began to silently track the other two. The two ninjas walked into the shrine, finding two scrolls. The one with the head band walked up to one of them. "So these are the legendary Kinjutsu, the Earth Grudge Fear and... What's this? Life Siphon Art?"
The one with the bandana scratched his head. "I've heard of the Earth Grudge Fear, but never that other one. What's it do?"
"Hm... Let's see." He began to read it. "'Forbidden Technique; Life Siphon Art is a technique that transfers into the user extreme knowledge and the ability to take other's abilities like it's parent technique, the Earth Grudge Fear. However, the user himself can call upon the abilities straight from his body, without the need of catalysts like the Earth Grudge Fear. The Life Siphon Art also makes the user younger, as opposed to immortality like the Earth Grudge Fear. The user's body can remain in top physical condition and complexion. Although the user of this technique will need certain requirements, that of which we have not yet figured. Do not use this technique unless under desperate circumstustances.'" The man smirked. "Hey, if we use these, we could take the boss down and take control of everything! What do you say?"
"I don't know... Doesn't it say you shouldn't use this technique?"
"Psh! Don't believe that! It's just to scare villagers away from using it." Then he turned back to the scroll. "'If you are prepared, please place a sample of your blood in the circle and place your chakra into the scroll.' Hmph. Watch this." The man took a kunai and pricked his thumb, dropping the blood in the center of a circle. Then he slammed his palm down on the blood, as a blue glow emanated from his hand. Suddenly, the paper crumpled up, then flattened itself out, before the man's arm began to twist. He yelled out in pain as blood sprayed from the single point in his thumb like a hose, enlarging the once small wound into a gaping hole. The man's body suddenly curled up and shrunk, until he seemed to disappear into the fabric of air.
The other man stood, dumbstruck. Then the scroll had a few words at the bottom, which said; 'You are not worthy.' It took a bit of time for him to process, before he yelled out in panic and bolted out of the shrine, not even noticing Kazou and his squad. Taku and Maiko had their eyes wide, in a horrified state. However, Kazou rose to take a closer look, reading the scroll. The words suddenly changed to a single line. 'You want power. You wish for power. Perform the ritual and it shall be granted.' The words seemed to be the exact things Kazou wanted to hear, for he was suddenly drawn to the scroll in a hypnosis-like state. Half-conscious, he bit his thumb and slammed his hand hard on the center of the scroll, his chakra forced into it. Everything blacked out for him then.
Note: I realize that after reading this over, it isn't that entertaining, but I do hope you read the next chapter, because I have a lot planned for that which will make this story a lot more interesting. If you do manage to read it all, please leave a review on what you think and if there's any mistakes I've made. Thanks for reading!