Chapter 1: Prologue.


"Lady Koyuki, we have arrived." said the voice of one of the advisers that were along side her in this diplomat trip.

"Understood. Let´s move them, otherwise we will make Lord Otori waiting more than necessary." responded Kazahama Kuyoki, ruler of the Land of Spring. She was a beautiful woman by many standards, and had a royal presence typical of a person on her station. But pass her beautiful facade, one could see a woman dedicated to the well being of her people. And that's why she had came this far, to the west lands, to meet somebody that will help her protect what she held dear.

The West Lands, as they were known in the Elemental Nations, were know fro a long time for a land full of conflicts and poor, thanks to the recurrent droughts and their arid soils. That was until three decades ago, curiously half way the Third Ninja War, a man called Otori Takeo took control over the lands and unite its people. At the moment, Ihai no Kuni (Country of Ashes) with their symbol of a Royal Phoenix, was the premier example of prosperity.

Somehow, they had fixed their soil problems, because they had been blessed with big farming fields. The towns that Koyuki had seen, on her way to meet the man responsible of these people blessings, were prosperous and each person that she had seen had been smiling, full of happiness. That's how she knew that she had made the right choice into coming to meet this man.

The house was simple and modest, for someone ruling vast riches, but delicately designed and built. It had the warm welcoming feeling, the way a home should feel. At the moment, in front of her, was a young lady in a beautiful kimono. She had long straight brown hear and shiny onyx eyes. A small, courteous smile adorned her face, a sense of peace and calmness exuding from her.

"Welcome to our home, Lady Koyuki. My name is Otori Shigeko and I hope that your trip have been pleasant. My father is waiting for you and those that accompany you." said the girl with a sweet voice. She couldn't been older than sixteen, and yet she was this beautiful.

On her part, Koyuki was frozen for a second. A princess, the daughter of the Lord of the lands nonetheless, had been the one to welcoming her, a job of lower subject. It was weird, and definitively not common amount royalty, but the Daimyo of Spring found herself pleasantly surprise. She responded in kind with respect.

"Thank you for your receiving me, Otori-hime. And yes, I had a quite trip through your lands. They are beautiful."

"I'm glad to hear that. Please, fallow me. Our staff will take care of your luggage." And with that, the group followed the young princess to meet her father. When they arrived, they entered a big dojo where a man in a beautiful green jaded kimono, and blindfolded, was swinging ad shining long katana with a mastery that could only be achieved after years of intense training. "That's outo-sama, Lord Oroti." answered Shigeko at her awed faces. "He usually practices a these hours so his skills don't get dulled. This is an special occasion since Kawazu-sensei- that's the man over there-" pointing to a man that the group hadn't seen until them. They were facing his back, so they couldn't see his face, but a blond spiky mane fall from his head, a blond hear that Koyoki found oddly familiar, "had restore outo-sama's sword, Jato, and added some interesting features to it."

And indeed, the craft of the sword was so skillful that even Koyuki, someone that didn't knew more than the basics of swords, could recognise. The katasm the motions that Lord Otori was doing made the blade to shine with the afternoon light and produce a low, quite hum that gave the illusion that the blade was singing.

"The blade," said Koyuki without realising it while she saw the last moments of the hypnotizing dance, "is like the blade is singing."

"Everybody that had seem it had shared similar thoughts." Shigeko commented.

After a couple of minutes past before the show, to the presents dismay and relief, was finished.

Taking the blindfold from his eyes, Otori Takeo, Lord of the West Lands, saw with his onyx eyes that he wasn't alone anymore. Sheathing his katana, he approached the man knelt infront of him.

"Kawazu-sensei, once again you had outdone yourself. I hope that the order ofr my men has recieved similar treatment."

"Indeed my Lord. I will finish them by this weekend tops." said the man with spiky blond hear. His voice brought memories to the last Kazahama, memories that, though happy ones, were painful.

"No, it can't be him." thought Koyuki, trying to convince herself of one of the most painful facts on her sad live.

And then, the blacksmith, this Kawazu Kaeru, turned around to face the newcomers. He bowed and proceeded to silently get out of there before greeting them respectfully. Nobody thought something about it, nobody except Koyuki, who stood there, froze, trying to look through the closing doors the retreating back of the blacksmith. It was for a few moments, but she recognized him without doubt. His blond hair, the same azure eyes, those whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Naruto. You are alive!" while tears fought their way out of her eyes, she reined over them though, hiding her tears of happiness and disbelief (it wasn't proper for someone in her position to show emotional weakness, they will be time for tears later).


"It have been 7 years, eh?" murmured Tsunade while gulping down the last of her current bottle of sake. Today was October 10th, a day for celebration and mourn. For her, it was the later.

Seven years ago, after Naruto miraculously defeat the leader of Akatsuki, the man called Pein, and somehow revive all the victims of that fiasco, Konoha became a darker places. She had fallen into a coma but woke up just in time before Danzou could gain the Hokage position, the war hawk had retired after that ordeal, retaining the hat, THAT dammed hat. Konoha had taken the life of her precious people and Naruto was just the last straw. After that Tsunade wasn`t the same ever again. For one thing, she crashed down the civilian part of the council after they literally throw a party after Naruto had been MIA.

Naruto.

Even to this day it hurts that they weren't able to dig set a grave fro him because all that they found of him was his left arm and a bunch of paper flowers soaking in puddle of his drying blood. It was a blow for everyone, but soon that didn't matter because most of the civilians were so dammed happy now that their nightmare was gone. The ninja side, though, they were demoralized. Most of them had came to understand and respect the little whiskered prankster, and most of them understood that they had lose a valuable asset and comrade, one that did the impossible and defeat a monster with god complex when the whole village couldn't land a hit on it.

At least, they had manage to put his name in the memorial stone.

Among his peers they news of his dead had hitting in various ways of hardness. Shikamaru was a drastic change. After the dead of his friend, the once lazy Nara had drown himself in such rigorous training that even Gai admitted that his "flam of youth could diminish at some point". Ino and Chouji weren't far behind. Maybe the most radical , the one that was hit the hardest was, wuite unsurprisingly, Hyuuga Hinata.

After the news of his dead, the girl started to use a black mourning kimono and declare to her clan that she would not take any suitors for the rest of her life. Of course the Hyuuga Elders were ballistic after that, but anyone more that Hiashi. He tried to force her but it was for naught. In the end it came down to match against him. If Hinata won, the clan would respect her wishes, and if Hiashi won, she would had been branded, literally sold to a ramdon noble in marriage. She had agree.

Tsunade was there and, if she hadn't see it with her eyes she wouldn't have believe it, to see little, shy and gentle Hinata viciously redecorate the floor with Hiashi's body. It wasn't a battle, because a battle implied that one could fight back somehow, no, it was a total massacre. Hiashi wasn't able to perform his ninja duties after that.

Hinata's tale had become a tale of romance and tragedy, and set model for younger generations of kunoichi. She had become a woman of beauty on her own league and her ninja skills were actually stuff of legend. Yeah, Hyuuga Hinata, The Lavander Maiden, was something to behold now.

"Tsunade, I'm coming in." said a voice that Tsunade had become familiar with. Uzumaki Kushina entered her office.

It was 5 months after Naruto's death when the presumably dead woman showed up on their gates, literally. Tsunade almost kill her there and there after comfirming it was her. Months of stress, little sleep and drunk stupor had take the toll on her, and thus, it wasn't the best moment for a reunion. Harsh words were thrown to Kushina, for not being there for him when he needed, for made him believe that his parents abandoned him, for not being there when he was down for the lack of friends, for not being there when he finally succeeded becoming a genin, fro not being there after his firts kill.

The sin was simple pointed out for her: she wasn't there.

Kushina, of course, refuse to believe that her little boy was dead and she was in denial until Tsunade dragged her, literally, in front the memorial stone. The redhead broke down after that, and not only her, but also the little surprise that she had brought along with her: a little redhead girl, at that time of 9 years old, called Natsumi.

It seemed that, somehow, Kushina had appeared with amnesia somewhere in the Land of Water without an idea who she was. That didn't stop, though, a critic case of postpartum depression. At some point she had found little Natsumi and had raised her under her wing as her own daughter. It was only a month before her appearance that she got her memory back. It took a while, but she was finally accepted by everyone on the village.

Talking about Natsumi, the little one had grown in a wonderful person and a great kunoichi. Naruto's peers, specially Hinata, had told her histories of his youth, his determination, his harships, his life, and the girl look up to her nii-san. She wanted to be like him, to him be proud of her and thus had train and devoted to her ninja life like there was not tomorrow. At the age of sixteen, two months ago, she had obtained the rank of jounin. being the first one of her generation.

Another surprise after Naruto's death had been the return of Sasuke 4 months after his death. After he had killed his brother he had made investigation fo the true facts about the massacre of his clan. Having kill Orochimaru and Zetsu from Akatsuki eased his way back among Konoha ranks, though he was resent, little less each day, but he had accepted it and had continue looking forward. He even got married with Haruno Sakura and they were bless with a happy marriage.

"Did she Shizune sent you to stop my drinking time?"

"Nah, Shizune has been gone for a couple of hours now. She went to check on Konnan. And, unlike her, I know that sometimes we need sake to smooth our problems." said Kushina, sitting down and taking out a new bottle full of delicious sake. Tsunade smiled in appreciation letting the redhead to serve her.

Konnan.

She was another twist of destiny. After they had found Naruto's arm next to the bunch of flowers that the Paper Maiden had give to Naruto, it was easy to assume that she had been the responsible of her death. Imaging the surprise when she showed up badly injured with the cremated bodies of her two friends. Needlessly to say that she almost got killed on the spot, but later it was confirmed what had really happened. She wasn't the culprit. Actually, she had let Naruto live after Nagato's and Naruto's conversation, believing in his words. how she got those injuries then? It seemed that the self-named Madara wanted the Rinnegan for himself, and almost got it. At the last moment, Konnan had destroyed de bodies with fire and somehow scape from the enraged injured madman.

"I see." Sigh. "It had been 7 years." said Tsunade after looking through the window for a while, lost in her memories.

"I..." whatever Kushina was about to say it was interrupted by a Tsunade's voice.

"Show yourself."

Out of the floor, literally, an ANBU with a boar mask showed up in kneeling position.

"Tsunade-sama, Lady Koyuki from Spring Country had arrive to the village and she is being scolted on her way here. She asked for an audience fro you."

That surprise Tsunade. After Naruto's death, some hard facts fo his life somehow reached the Damyo ears, and, it was easy to guess how angry the woman was against Konoha. She had considered Naruto like her own and thus she was so close to severe her ties with a village that treated so badly her personal hero.

"Is because of him that I don't do it" Tsunade remembered her saying something like that after somebody asked her why she had continue their allience."He gave his life for you, even after all the damage that you have done. I will step on his grave and dreams if I just end something that he worked so hard to achieve."

Lady Koyuki still didn't think to kindly of Konoha and its habitants, but she was civil towards them. Still, she hadn't put a foot on the village ever since... until now, that is.

"Roger. Please, sent her in." The ANBU only nodded, before dissapearing in the same fashion as he got in the office.

"Well, it seems that our time has been cut short. I'll see you later Tsunade-sama." and with that Kushina also went home. Natsumi got depressed also around this time, so maybe some company would help both of them.

After few minute, Lady Koyuki entered her office. Without words, she approached Tsunade's desk and put a recently taken photo on her desk. Tsunade, surprise by her sharp attitude, she was about to ask what the whole deal was about, when her words died in her throat the moment she focused on the picture.

It was man with a teen girl on his lap. The girl had long blond straight hair and deep red eyes, similar to Kurenai's if looked closely, and beautiful smile on her face. She was quite charming an cute and it was obvious that she would made jaws to drop when older. But what caught her attention was the man. Blond, really built and azure eyes. A unique mark on him was that three whiskers on each cheek of his face. Only one person that she knew about filled the bill.

"Naruto..."

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Cut!

This idea was born a couple of days ago thanks to kouken9493 and his awesome story. At the moment, I'm focussing my eforts on Bloodline, but this idea got stuck in my head and didn't want to live so just wrote it so it can left me alone. It worked so far. I also want to dedicated to a fellow wirtter, devilzxknight86, who had help me alot and have given me a lot of inspiration too. Check out his stories, I promise you that you will not be dissapointed.

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