The Festival of the Nine Tails was a great celebration for the Konoha. Its lights, sounds and occasional fireworks echoed through the vast and lush forestry that surrounded it. As to match the sight the moon also lay full, coating the village in a glow. It was a pleasant sight for the likes of a scarecrow. He whom didn't cheer nor gloat at the games but stood vigilant rather at the memorial stone, looking to the carved names for guidance to the questions that plagued him day in and out for he the scarecrow was a man in shape and form but made hollow by the very things that caused the creation of the stone.
Further away, a blaze roared and perished atop the lake's surface causing a sort of glow to flow over the surface. Another fireball smaller followed quickly behind but perished even more quickly. The ragged heaves of breath drew from the pale guardian of the grounds abound could be heard from even the other side of the lake. There were no festivities in this portion of Konoha for this was hallowed ground for most but home to one. The pale guardian yelled in a fury and breathed out a fire bigger than any of the formers. The guardian collapsed as the fire receded.
Among the onlookers was a blossom, a blossom that hoped valiantly for her desire to come to fruiton but the blonde fury that was her companion laughed at her tragic demise. Tis the commodity of young love.
The light of the moon shined through the windowsill of the room. The room was barren at best with what might be called a couch if the armrest wasn't missing had an occupant. The occupant was a boy who stared out the window to the cheers of the festivities with an envy so green a certain azure beast would wear it and consider it fashionable. The boy looked to the floor was a misshapen and oddly coloured cake with a variety shades of orange for the palate of icing. The moonlight caused a glimmer for sparkles at the tears that ran down the boy's cheeks. The boy spoke with a sort of singsong tone that was so hoarse from crying that an elderly chain smoker would be impressed at.
"Happy Birthday Dear Naruto…." The o dragged into a sob.
"Happy Birthday to you" The u ended in an abrupt hiccup. The boy named Naruto starred out into the windowsill with red rimmed eyes.
X
The desert of the Land of Wind is famous for its hazardous conditions. It is often the key point of arrival for travelling caravens or shinobi to know they have arrived at friendly or hostile terrority but now it welcomed a different sort. Two men had just arrived at the coast of the sea with a strange boat at their back. They looked at the desert with a sort of awe. The taller of the pair was a solemn sort. Garbed in mostly black with grey for arm bands and straps on his shoulder attachment, it seemed to be filled with papers, while the simple attire of loose fitting black long sleeve and a matte black pants that seemed slightly snug at his calves with looseness at his hips. Comfort was the key in his attire. The taller seemed the exhurbent sort with a long sleeve green shirt, navy scarf of a sort and black pants same as the black clad to his right. He had a series of small knives strapped to his calves and thighs. The green clad individual seemed to have a change of mood from awe to anger.
"Two Years!" The black clad shrugged and turned the boat behind him. The green clad starred at him and waited for the response so the black clad humored him.
"Yes and your point is Mekeyl?" The former flopped onto the desert floor in a dramatic fashion.
"Two years to arrive to the Land that we are destined to discover no longer godless, heratic and a death sentence. Instead we get a barren land with nonsense for climate." The black clad shrugged.
"The boat got us here like it was made to and gave us all the things to survive". The former was clearly not listening.
"It gave us no damn wings you liar, I would kill for a wing" A sigh for a response is what he received.
"Just sent it back so we can head upon our chosen path." Mekeyl muttered to himself before he noticed a rock at the ship's interior, hitting a metallic plate on the deck. The response was loud grind of gears and the shift of the mast and sail. The ship moved by itself in position and before long was heading off back to see with no occupants aboard. The ship was a dot where Mekeyl's eye watched as it dipped and rose in the distance. It had been his home for two years and for better or worse so seeing it leave was not easy.
"Now what, oh masterful Devoki?" The sarcasm dripped from his tone. The pointed glance for a response spoke that this was a common tone.
"We move." His hand was inches from the sands surface, sparkles of light shined from his palm. His other hand was outstreatched with his index finger pointing towards northwest.
X
"Im hungry!" A hefty sigh weighed on Devoki. He was tiring of Mekeyl's complaining.
"You know you have your bars for sustenance. You are a solider, act like it." Mekeyl ran up beside the solemn companion and threw his arm and exaggerated his walk to be like a strange caricature.
"Just think about it when we get there. Good food, a decent place to sleep and a bunch of pretty women to be shown my other favorite solider." Devoki grimaced.
"Our job is not procreation, it is enstilled into your brain from when we were paired at 4 years old. Forget your duty upon this route and your eccentrics will not be met with leniency."
"Devoki you are such a ….." Devoki pushed off Mekeyl and put up 4 fingers and motioned straight ahead. Mekeyl nodded and smiled widely.
"Incoming?" Devoki nodded in the affirmative.
A dune that rose several hundred feet high just donned four ninja at the peak. They paused a moment before the person to the middle right held their hand up. From that motion they moved down the hill and approached the pair.
As they approached the pair noticed the four to be three male and one female. Mekeyl's eyes were drawn to the female, obviously. She was a dime with the cleavage bursting forward. She was armed with a bo staff across her back while the apparent leader had a katana on his waist. The two males were identical in uniform with the standard sand village headband and vest to dignify as a member of the Hidden Sands military force unless you are a traveller like this two. The leader had a combat vest for a change in fashion. The leader stepped forward and spoke with a sort of deep drawl like boulders grinding.
"I am Jounin Leader Eshta Maleza, captain of squad 19. These of my squad members and fellow members of the village hidden in the sand. Your presence was noticed a day ago and we are sent to investigate." Devoki starred at each member with a majority laying on the leader. Mekeyl simply starred at the girl with no interest in the others. "I spoke to…"
"Whos the cute girl?" The jounin looked strange at Mekeyl and wondered what his deal was.
The Jounin persisted. "Why are you here? Why are heading toward our village?" Mekeyl smiled and for the first time starred at the Jounin. The Jounin just realized the strange purple that his eyes were.
"We were sent to investigate the potential Land of Chakra. If it is habitable or not? vMyself and my partner were distinguished at birth to be the ones sent to this land." Mekeyl flashed a toothy grin that made the Jounin guard more. "This land seems weak enough for easy settlement based on you four and your clear strength." The Jounin growled and Devoki sat down, he knew the upcoming event.
"Devoki, my forest." Devoki simply nodded and placed his hand in the sand. The four were beginning to flank the pair. Small spike seemed to protrude from the sand in the entire area around the group before exploding forth in crystal like spires. The spires grew to fifteen feet before branch like adaptions grew off from the crystal trees. The entire fifty foot area around the area was now completely covered in a crystal forest.
"Mr. Eshta Maleza would you say you are a strong man?" The four sand members shout questioning looks at Mekeyl as he removed his gloves , scarf and shirt to reveal a network of tattoos that would mimic a circulatory system.
"I am a Jounin so yes."Mekeyl smiled while he drew a knife from his thigh. The knife was clearly blunted with no more an edge than a butter knife.
"Then I will make you a deal. If you survive my humming tune for fifty cuts you may leave. Seeing as how you are the leader, I will only give your subordinates twenty five cuts." The group of sand shinobi were openly on guard now from the sheer level of confidence this man exuded. Then Mekeyl clinched his fists and slammed them together.
"Speed Formation: Lightning!" Like a sort of container filling with water, a bluish colour formed in replacement for the black tattoos at his fists and crept along his body til he was coated in a bluish network of veins on his skin.
To any onlooker to the forest the only thing they would see is the slight shaking of the crystal trees but what they would hear is the utter terror and despair of the group with a terrifying hum that seemed to come from the forest.
All that remained of the group of shinobi was the young man that stood furthest to the right of the group. He was coated in blood and shook terribly but remained standing. Mekeyl was leaning on the nearby tree looking at the fallen and blood coated remains of the blonde shinobi. "You alive over there?" A gurgle of blood is all the man could manage but he remained standing. Mekeyl was then standing in front of the man with two resounding hums following behind. "You live then after twenty five cuts." Mekeyl seemed to lose his exuberance and the colour blue changed to deep green and he grabbed the man. Within seconds, the man gained his own stretching green network on his arm. Mekeyl let go and wiped the blunted blade on the man's shoulder. "In about an hour, you will be healed to a moderate degree. Superficially that is. All it will do is heal the minor tissue cuts and restore some blood. Something like a really accelerated cocking gel for windows. Anyways, whats your name?" The man starred at the green network on his arm before looking into the eyes of Mekeyl.
"Katsukia"
"Okay Katsukia. You passed my game. Now go home and tell them we are coming. Tell them specifically this Mekeyl is coming. If you do not and when I get there you did not say this. We will play my game again only your cuts are doubled." The terror in the man's eyes as he ran out of the forest seemed to delight Mekeyl. Devoki was watching from afar with a disapproving look on his face.
"Why heal him and then leave that nastiness of a timebomb. You even made sure he will say the trigger." Mekeyl giggled and lifted the corpse of the Jounin onto his shoulder and walked out of the forest.
"They need to know we mean business. We are here to see if they are alive, if they are strong enough to be worthy allies or weak enough but worthwhile enough to conquer. I know our job. They either show us they are one of the two or we shall choose." The sqleuch of blood made Devoki turn away.
"Tell me when you are done." Minutes later, Mekeyl nodded and Devoki got up to walk again. The pair walked away from their forest with a parting gift. The bodies of the remaining shinobi spiked onto the ridge of the forest with the crystal branches for any traveller to see.
"Im ready." Mekeyl spoke with assurance as he stared along his path, the path to the village hidden in the sand.
Hey Guys hope you liked it. Im trying to incorporate some elements I have wished the Naruto manga had available and with the end now gone and past I think my ideas are ready. This is my OCs that will be the first piece to the story to give a new start to the story. Naruto is just beginning his story as a young boy. Watch what I have planned. See you guys around and don't forget to review and follow.
Btw if you are wondering about the special powers and the changes in characters. Enjoy:3 it's a surprise.