Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Naruto universe; so don't sue me if you think I do. I do, however, own Hirashi and Serra.

The Hirashi Chronicles

Chapter 1: Memory

BOOM!

A thunderous crash erupted from the center of the peaceful village of Saib.

"The Kryubi is here!! The Kryubi is HERE!!!" The hysterical shout rang strong and true, jolting the villages from their unwary slumber.

From his vantage point at the window, the young boy saw the Kryubi thrash its majestic nine-tails about, cutting wide swathes into the village houses. Ninjas threw themselves valiantly at the enemy, sacrificing their lives to save those who were fleeing to the nearby village of Konoha.

The demon fox suddenly leapt into the air and landed right in front of the young boy's window. A casual swish of its tail removed the rooftop and upper levels of the house. Surprisingly though, the one-year old was unharmed.

Letting out a piercing scream, the little one tried to escape the demon's wrath, inadvertently attracting the monster's attention. A terrible visage suddenly filled his sights as the Kryubi turned its face towards him.

The lad could easily see and almost touch the silverish- yellow fangs of the demon, which were coated with deadly saliva. The hot, chakra-charged breath of the demon seared his throat and seemed to scorch his skin. The child may have been young, but he knew enough to fear the owner of the blood-red eyes that pierced into his very soul.

The monster stretched his humongous jaws to swallow his prey whole. It's breath threatened to suffocate the young kid. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw ninjas trying to draw the Kryubi's attention away, but they were easily fended off by its massive nine tails. He saw his impending doom in the vast darkness of the demon's mouth.

Paralyzed with fear, he could only whimper in terror and feel hot, wet tears flow down his chubby cheeks. His spirit seemed to have detached from his body and he was simply watching another child about to be killed by this great evil.

"I will not allow you to have my son!" The challenge rang out from his father, bringing a glimmer of hope to the young boy's eyes. Strong arms grasped the deadly jaws of the Kryubi in a vice-like grip.

"Save him, Tasuni." His silver-eyed mother suddenly wrenched the boy away from his position. Using his own Byakugan in his left eye, the kid looked back desperately for his father. Sai Uchiha took one last look at his son and sighed in resignation as the powerful demon flung him upwards and crushed him between its teeth.

The demon was still not satisfied with the sacrifice lying between its teeth. It smelt the scent of its prey and lunged forward. It would not let it go. Soon, it sighted the female ninja who had taken its quarry away from it. A mighty leap had her in its jaws. The crunch of her body was sickeningly sweet to the beast. The boy had been flung into the dense forest below.

He did not see the decisive battle between the Kryubi and the Fourth Hokage. He did not see the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice to seal the Nine-tails fox demon inside the body of a child. He barely even saw the death of his mother. But he did remember something through the intense shock of the events. His name was Hirashi.