p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. KISHIMOTO DOES, and I love him for it 3/p
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p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"strongPROLOGUE/strong/p
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p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"The remnants of the Great Shinobi War was devastating. Bodies of fallen comrades and foes scattered in distances too great to be finished in 3 days./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"emWe need more time... Or more shinobi./em The Raikage looked up at the sky, thinking to himself as he looked past the gray sky and toward the horizon where he can see more bodies scattered in random quantities at various areas./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"The number of fallen comrades outnumber their enemies bodies in a ratio of 3 to 1. Raikage sprints North from where he stood, seeing a rock jutting out from the barren ground he jumps on it and surveys the area further. emToo much loss./em He looks even further North, and faintly sees a dark crater that must have been the base of the Allied Shinobi Forces - the one disintegrated by the Ten Tails, taking with it many brave men and women such as the Nara and Yamanaka fathers./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Everyone!" Raikage suddenly called out to the 50 men he had taken with him in order to gather the bodies of the dead. They immediately turned to their leader, awaiting instruction. "Make sure to categorize the bodies of the fallen based on their village of origin."/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"The men who had gathered before the Raikage had their eyes in determination, though they were all from one village, they understood the necessity of giving respect to the dead by returning them to where their families would be waiting to bury their dead./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"The Raikage looked down solemnly on the bodies of two shinobi who looked no more than 18 below the rock he stood on. He jumped down and carried both of them in his arms, too small and fragile that they barely took up space when he carried them bridal style. "We must respect our dead comrades, our friends. They died for our freedom, for our world." Setting both Konoha shinobi bodies on the ground, side by side, in front of the gathered men, he said, "Let's go! Start collecting our comrades bodies!"/p
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p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Shizune!" Tsunade's voice thundered from her office./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"Shizune quickly entered the room, with Tonton the pig in her arms. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?"/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Is there any word from the other kage about the status of their villages?"/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""We've received word from the Kazekage and the Raikage, Tsunade-sama." Shizune replied, producing two scrolls and handing them over to Tsunade's waiting hand./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"Tsunade immediately opened both and proceeded to reading them side by side, simultaneously. Her face remained passive as Shizune waited. After a short while, Tsunade stood up and looked at Shizune. "Shizune," she began. "Make sure to inform me ASAP when the other kages have sent information. For now," Tsunade instructed, taking a scroll of her own and writing quickly a response she later on instructed Shizune to send back to the Kazekage and the Raikage regarding the situation in Konoha. When Shizune left, she walked toward the opposite end of the office, facing the window that overlooked the slowly rebuilding village of the hidden leaf./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"emSo many lives lost... I hope we can rise up from our loss./em/p
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p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"It took more than a week in order for the Raikage to complete the body collecting in the expanse of the area near his village. He had requested more shinobi from his village to work with the 50 already with him in order to lessen the time it would take to complete their mission, but even then it had taken 3 more days with the extra help. They were already on their 11th day and they were still having trouble piecing together the bodies that have been cut or separated into different limbs all over the battlefield. There were bodies missing parts that they couldn't seem to find anywhere in the vicinity and the Raikage's instinct prickled with worry at the notion of anyone - or anything - taking specific parts of the dead shinobis' bodies./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"emTsunade must know about this.../em/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""You," Raikage pointed to the nearest shinobi to his right to catch his attention./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Hai, Raikage-sama?" The man immediately presented himself to the leader of his village. His form, looking like that of a child's in front of the great Raikage./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Do you have a scroll?"/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"The man rummaged through his clothing, trying to look for a blank scroll. When he finally produced one, he handed it to the Raikage who had already taken out a writing instrument. The Raikage immediately went to work, writing in speeds that would shame any typewriting machine wielded by a typing expert. In just under a minute, he had filled up the scroll with all the information needed to be known by the Hokage, omitting specific information should the scroll be read by anyone other than the Hokage, herself./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Here," the Raikage handed the sealed scroll back to the man who provided it. "Go back to the village, or find someone nearby who can send the message to Konoha as quickly as possible."/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;""Yes Raikage-sama!" The man immediately raced off in the direction of their village, making sure to secure the scroll in his jacket inner pocket and simultaneously thinking of the nearest place to find a messenger bird available to deliver the message as soon as possible./p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"The Raikage looked on, placing all his trust on that one man to deliver the scroll safely though he did not know him personally./p
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p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"strongA/N/strong: HELLO LOVELY READERS! This is my first try at writing a fanfiction on my much loved anime series, NARUTO 3 Woot woot! Much applause! /p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"I hope you found this to your liking, and if you have any comments feel free to comment below! I love receiving comments because they pump me up to write more and faster!/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"OH AND ALSO, If you're wondering about the tags and why I placed NaruHina, SasuHina, and KibaHina (i'm not saying Hinata will 3 time these adorable and sexy men, it's just my way of saying the story can go in any direction where Hinata will choose among the three men MWAHAHAHA)/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"I'm also planning to put up this story on when i get the chance, but right now I wish to post it here where there's barely anyone writing good fanfics... HAHA no offense meant!/p
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS PROLOGUE!/p