Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for the duration of this story.
Prologue
The years had become turbulent, and war raged across the nations. People were dying, and an uncontrollable famine had begun to spread throughout every land. The people were afraid, and everywhere they turned there was nothing but destruction and death. They screamed for change, for someone to rise up and bring back the peace and prosperity that they felt certain must have once ruled.
And one did rise up... a powerful man, who claimed that the blame for all this wrongness lay with the soldiers who fought, these ninja who were said to have fearsome and almost magical techniques.
Their powers were anathema to the gods, he claimed, and this blight was the punishment for their sins.
And the people rose up as one, determined to rid themselves of these cursed ones, these shinobi with special powers.
Thus began the greatest war of their time.
Shinobi were slaughtered throughout the realms, entire clans massacred. They spared no one in their fear and rage; both newborns and the very old perished at the hands of the mobs. Many attempted to flee, but there were few hiding spots for these special shinobi and their kin.
And from the tattered remains of these various countries, the man who had risen to answer the calls of the people formed a new nation, a joint union of all the various lands. They accepted him with open arms, turning a blind eye to the destruction that had only become worse with this crusade against the shinobi, this holy war that had killed more of them than any war fought previously.
They listened to his every word, believing in his promises of a better life, his promises of salvation.
They listened, and believed.
And around them, the world still crumbled.
- TBC -
Ending Notes: Notes to follow at the end of Chapter One.