A/N: So...I'm back! This is an updated version of Chapter One NG, and I will edit the rest of the story, so prepare to face new plots, new characters and more love triangles.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Naruto, that is the property of the creator.
Chapter One
Konoha had often been remarked as a sleeping giant, waiting for the right time to wake up from deep slumber. Staring down at the flickering lights of the endless village, the Priest smiled a feeble smile, a sense of pride inflicted in his chest as he stared down at his own village...his own people that shared history with him in the village. The pale rays of the moonlight bathed the village, creating an unholy glow to it as it casted shadows at the eaves of the village. Above him, the sky stretched on, stars shimmering as it made a lovely contrast to the dark, velvety sky above. The Priest took a small bite from the loaf of bread, and sighed heavily as he raked a hand through a tousled mess of black hair.
He would be residing at the inn of the hospitality of a woman who people found repulsive due to her burnt face, hidden behind a porcelain mask given to her by her deceased father. The Priest collected his belongings; a mere, shabby coat, bag and food, before making his way down the dirty path from the tall, towering mountain with the faces of the Hokages carved on it. He felt the dirt roll up against his feet as he moved quietly past the trees, and felt a gentle, Summer breeze past him.
A shimmer of light exploded behind him. The Priest halted, his breath hitched on his throat as he spun around, eyes blinking furiously as it tried to decipher what was going on in the far distance. His feet began to walk vigorously as he broke into a light jog, and stood at the edge of the mountain, peering at the light glowing from the thick, dense woods. The Priest hurried down the path twisting across the mountain, and landed nearby a clear, trickling stream that led down the hill to the village. He crossed the stream, hesitating before the wood, before firmly gripping his coat and entering the forest.
Looking up at the sky, through the tree branches, he saw a trail of dust-like rocks, vanishing into existence as it melted into a fallen trail of mysterious, silver liquid that fell down to the direction of the light. Looking straight ahead, the Priest braced himself for the worst, and headed down a path formed by humans, through the twisting cypress trees. Mud collected around his feet, and he panted as he ran. Determination gripped his heart as he plunged deeper into the void of darkness, before finally, he collapsed down beside a tree, and was met by a blinding display. The light ceased, and revealed a destroyed clearing, the Earth broken to reveal the stems of the great oak, shady trees. In the middle, amongst the turmoil, lay a small shaft of pale moonlight, before it ceased to a quiet end.
The Priest gripped the tree branch, and steadily walked into the clearing, his eyes shakily trying to decipher what was in the middle. An unholy glow from the sky casted down into the clearing, bathing it in a white, milky light, and the...thing in the middle seemed to respond to the light, for it stood up, a white robe covering it's small, frail body. His mouth parted in shock as the white robe fell to the floor, and revealed a young girl, sobbing into the palms of her hands. Her strange, ethereal pastel pink hair gave off a pale light, and rested against the blades of her shoulders. Sympathy arose at the pit of his stomach as he approached her from behind, a soft look in his dark, smouldering eyes. The young girl turned around, suddenly aware of his presence, and stared up at him in bewilderment and surprise. There was a silence as he tried to adjust himself, and crouched low to face her, and was met by a shock. For her eyes seemed to be carved by the angels, an unholy neon green, framed by matted lashes tinged with tears. Those neon green eyes searched his face, and her lips curved to a small, sad smile.
The Priest felt his heart break into halves like the Earth below him. For her face was so splendid yet so depressing in that expression she wore of sadness. The young girl stared up at the sky, her face calm and yet twisted with emotion, before she glanced back at him, fingers curled behind her as she blinked dreamily. "Where am I?" she whispered, her voice shaky and captivating. He was stunned for that moment, inhaling sharply the fresh air around him. The girl blinked at him, giving off an eerie atmosphere to her lithe body.
"You're safe" he found himself saying, as he gently prodded her skin. The girl flinched, her eyes closing firmly, before it opened again to peer at him curiously in a sly, charming manner of hers. There was another silence, before the Priest was met by another shock as her eyes...those pools of green, turned to a clear, sapphire blue. He gaped at her, swallowing down that flurry of questions as he blinked. "You're a Priest" she said, blinking at him in that manner that children do.
"What's your name?" he asked in a whisper. The girl looked perplexed.
"I-I don't know…" she whispered weakly, her eyes staring up at him in fear. The girl looked up at the sky, strange energy formulating around her as the man paused to watch. She gripped her small, milky-white hands as her face darkened by the shadows that passed. A single tear rolled down her cheeks, dropping to the floor as it formed a single, smooth pebble-shaped emerald. The Priest gawped at it, bending down to inspect it, before he looked up at the fascinating creature that stood in front of him-vulnerable and yet powerful.
His eyes drifted at her lithe body, before he paused at the mark left on her throat. It was a bright, cerulean blue, in a shape of a complicated form of a star. The mark started to fade away, leaving a small, raw shape of what it had been. The man held his breath, confused and yet beautifully transfixed by the otherworldly creature that stood in front of him. A soft smile graced upon his kind face, and he took her hand gently in a fatherly way.
"I'll take you away" he said gently, and stood up to dust the dirt from his clothes. Slowly, his hands pulled her small body along his masculine back, and the girl snuggled deeper into his neck, feeling the warmth, for the first time, human flesh. She felt a tingle of excitement at the depths of her stomach as she gripped the cloth of his clothes tighter, and felt the branches all prod her gently as he walked through the twisting path. Warmth spiralled across her chest, and she closed her eyes gently.
She would be safe.
Ten Years Later
She stared at the arched, wooden doorway that led to the bed chamber, a place where she did not wish to be. Outside, the dark sky thundered, and a rush of rain came pouring down upon the world. Staring out at the window, her heart thudded gently against her small chest, and she swallowed thickly before tearing her gaze back to the doorway. Raising a hesitating hand, she twisted the golden door knob, and let the door noisily open, to reveal the room bathed in moonlight. Her lips shook, and she gripped the edge of her dress tightly.
Bare feet prodded on the floor, before she entered, her eyes downcast and staring at the wooden floor. All around her, the moonlight seemed to press against her soft skin, moulding her into some sort of inhuman figure. She looked up, her eyes taking in the space in front of her, of the sight of the large, canopy bed, a drape of muslin covering the human form laying on the soft mattress. There was a low cry from the bed, and she flinched.
"S-Sakura…" it whispered, echoing through the room like a leaf causing ripples at the lake. A single droplet of a tear rolled down her cheeks, and she let out a strangled sob that broke her heart. Staring at the shadowy figure behind the muslin, Sakura took shaky steps towards the canopy bed, her eyes taking in her surroundings as her fingers grasped the muslin, and tore it from the wooden canopy from above. The material fell to the floor like a whisper, and she stared at the horrifying truth that had haunted her from the past three days.
It was not a secret that her father was heavily ill from battle, the wounds and the cuts affecting the disease growing at his lungs and his heart. Sakura stared at the burnt face of her beloved father, and let out a small, frail sob as she hung her head in shame. But what could she do, but watch her father die in his own bed? Sakura chewed down on her bottom lip, her eyes shakily looking up to meet his gentle, steady stare.
The Priest stared at his own child whom he established and loved as if she was made from him. He stared at her beautiful, enigmatic eyes, and felt a pang of pride at the sight of how much she had grown, into a benevolent, wild lady who fought alongside with him, and had the fiery spirit and courage of the stars. He beckoned for her to come closer, and she did so, hesitantly at first, with a heartbroken expression on her exquisite face.
"I am so proud of you" he said, his voice breaking at the end as he beamed at her through the light. Sakura clasped a hand across her mouth, and bent down on her knees to grasp his hands and kiss his knuckles. He swallowed the pain down his throat, and smiled again, gripping her hand as she stood up, a flow of pink hair falling over her shoulders as she wiped the tears away. "Don't leave me…" she moaned, her shoulders shaking as she helplessly tried to hide the void of emotion that would plunge out of her.
He laughed shakily, the sickle Moon outside glowing brightly, flourishing the world beneath it with pale shafts of moonlight. The window opened suddenly, and a rush of air entered, causing the place to shake gently as several vases fell to the floor, and broke into shards of glass. Sakura felt the wind pick up her hair, and rake a hand through it. She gripped the bedsheets, a cry escaping from her parted mouth.
"I-I have a gift" he began, his voice desperately clinging on to the last pieces of life. Sakura looked up, through the pieces of pink hair and her tearful eyes, and let out a small, shaky breath. Suddenly, chakra generated around his hand, an energy so strong that it caused him to age even more. That chakra formed into a speak that pointed directly to the sickle Moon, and Sakura watched with a terrified silence, captivated by what was happening, as her father smiled up at her.
A small, silver heart rose from the chest of her beloved, and vibrated in the air wildly, pumping small tendrils of silver liquid. Sakura met the gaze of her father, and watched, with wide, horrified eyes as he pushed the heart into her own chest. Pain ripped her body in half, and she screeched wildly, tears springing out from her eyes as she doubled over in immense pain. Her father's strong hands, despite near death, pulled her up, and he formed a seal in the bare expanse of her flat, small stomach. It burnt wildly, spinning in the shade of sapphire blue, before Sakura felt her eyes roll to the back of her head. Her body burnt, feeling as if it was millimetres away from the scorching Sun.
"I'm so s-sorry, Sakura" he whispered, holding her fallen body in his arms. He struggled on the verge of collapse, his eyes gripped open as he let out a small breath as the body in his arms started to vanish in a swirl of apple blossom petals. Looking down at the face of his daughter, a face that he would never see again, a single tear raced down his cheek, and dropped down at her smooth forehead, before the apple blossoms took her away. Now, nothing more than empty sheets were spreaded across his arms, and he let out a small moan of distress for never seeing his daughter again. But she would be safe...in another place...in another time.
An explosion of white chakra from the sickle Moon flooded the room, and his body burnt into grey ashes. Outside, the tranquility of the forest was broken as the great, stone manor sitting on the hill exploded into a flurry of violet butterflies, flying towards the direction of the sickle Moon. And, on the place of the once-manor house stood a single, grey tombstone, with the man's name carved deeply into it, a single apple blossom petal in front of it, hidden beneath the blades of grass. A single light gently looked upon the tombstone, before everything ceased to an end.
The New Generation
It was known that, deeply hidden amongst the valleys of the dead, of the untouched-the forgotten, was a tree. A large tree, spiralling up to the clouds, and hidden behind mountains and endless oceans that separate it from nearby villages. This tree, this vastness of life, held special, blue liquid fluid that could cure any disease in the world that came upon existence. This tree was pure of sin, pure of anything evil in this tarnished world.
The tree was surrounded by a lake, and it's stems crawled across the water's surface, and stretching out to make the mountains and the valleys. All around it, animals and plants flourished, and the Sun and the sickle Moon would always cast pale shafts of light onto it, each day without fail.
One, clear day, where the skies were blue, and the birds freely moving across it like the tufts of clouds, the tree begun to move. The animals cowered in fear, and the plants wilted as the trunk began to creak open noisily. A rush of butterflies escaped from the tree trunk, flying overhead throughout the forest, and to the mountains that reigned cosily amongst clouds.
The tree had been split in half, and it was open, to reveal a circular chakra ball in the middle, with such immense power and spirit. It floated in the air, and within the chakra ball was a straw basket, with a baby inside. The baby was fast asleep, nestled in the finest silk of her small bed. The circular chakra ball was thrusted out of the tree trunk, and it fell down upon the water gently. It detached itself from the basket, giving the baby a single drop of it's powerful chakra, before retreating back inside the tree trunk.
Then began the journey of the baby within the basket. It was led by the forest spirits down the stream safely, where it was overlooked by the large ghosts and spirits with great care. For the Prophecy child had come, and was making it's way to the nearest village. Mountains moved for the child inside the basket to float by the rivers, and valleys would stretch and open for it to make a safe journey. By the time it had arrived in a stream, towards the direction of the nearest village, the basket was coated lovingly with flowers, several portions of medicine and sacks of gold. The village was home to kind, elderly people, whom the tree and the spirits thought best to send the baby. For everybody was working for the good of the child, since their almighty Father, the Sage of the Six Paths, had condemned them to. Now, as the basket passed, an elderly male, cutting wood at the side, caught sight of the basket.
For he had a generous heart, he did not notice the gifts, but the minute he saw the baby, he fell in love with it, as if it was his own child. For the man loved children, and as he collected the basket from the stream, he noticed the gifts laid out, and thanked the Gods for the gifts and the child. And then, as if by chance, he decided to call her Sakura, for he felt as if a spirit had whispered the name to him.
The man grew up to be a rich man, alongside with the baby. Soon, the village they lived in became a great nation, with rich, fruitful lands and various geisha houses, with Lords and Princes coming to delight and indulge themselves in the craftsmanship of the silk making business, and the delightful geisha parading around in wondrous kimonos.
But though the nation was prosperous, it's downfall would come.
This was just the beginning.
