Hey everyone, sorry I've been inactive for a long time. My Quarterly Exams just finished and while I was taking my exam in Soc Sci, I thought of this! Anyway, to those who want to know when I'll update the Black Sorcerer, maybe sometime this month.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

"The Great Shinobi World War was often referred to as the Grand-Scale War." Said the red-headed teacher up-front as the class of aspiring shinobi-to-be jotted down their notes in their respective notebooks on one of shinobi history's most important events; listening intently to the instructor who continued to delve into their rich history of bloodshed. The sounds of pens and pencils scratching paper filled the room as they continued to jot down word-per-word that came out of the instructor's mouth.

"It was to be the war that would end all wars. Loyalty to one's village, economic rivalries, the alliance system, and the arms race were four of the most significant factors that provided the impetus for the carnage that was to be The Great Shinobi World War." The red-haired teacher said, a dainty hand holding open a book that rested on her palm. It was leather-bound and was rather worn-out, looking as if it had been around much longer than the teacher herself.

"Now, if one person were to analyze the events that led to the outbreak of the Great War, one would realize that the gears of war started to turn from the assassination of Sunagakure's Yondaime Kazekage, Sabaku Rasa, who was famously known for his use of the golden dust." The instructor read on. She closed the book and looked towards her class. "Of course, the events that led to his assassination are just one of the topics we will be covering this semester."

The class nodded with rapt attention, all their focus directed towards the teacher in-front of them. While many of them had heard the story of the Great Shinobi World War from their parents, not many of them knew the details pertaining to said event. The way their parents described one of the bloodiest events to occur in their history was that it was a world filled with strife, suspicion and paranoia; village leaders and underground organizations constantly tipping the scale of balance of the already fragile peace that was formed between the villages of that time to the point it teetered over the edge.

While the event happened about a century ago, the scars and wounds that the war left still made their mark on the consecutive events that followed the Great War. The effects still made a lasting impression on many of the shinobi that now served their respective villages and states. It was an impression that was made to last; construct from the horrors that filled that war-riddled world.

"Now," their sensei up-front coughed to get their attention. "Compared to first three Shinobi Wars, they were miniscule in comparison to the Great Shinobi World War. The reason for all the nations going to war and the assassination of Sabaku Rasa was, as devastating as it was, was loyalty to one's village."

A student raised her hand from the back. "Sensei, why loyalty? I mean, of course that loyalty to the village is an absolute must, but to that extreme?"

The red-head instructor made a mental note to add recitation points in the grade of the student, Uchiha Kigome, if she remembered right. She nodded towards the aforementioned student.

"Yes, while loyalty is still required up until this point, back during those days; the peace that they had was much more fragile than what we have today." She explained. "They didn't have the options that we now possess just because of the refusal to listen to reason."

Seeing the still confused look on her students' faces, she sighed.

"Loyalty is a requirement that must be met by all shinobi; there is no dodging that immutable fact to our way of living." She spoke, her tone crystal clear and monotonous. "However, loyalty back then was valued as the highest as even a simple betrayal could cause an outbreak of war; which eventually did happen."

"Why?" a student voiced their question.

"Shinobi know the inner workings of their respective villages. If even an inkling of the information were to be heard by an opposing village, it would put not only the village, but everything that resided in it in great jeopardy." The red-head explained. "Keep in-mind that the villages at that point in time were very volatile and prone to violence. It stems from a legacy of hatred that started ever since the Founding Era of the first villages. Villages would battle for dominance over another, sacrificing soldiers for the sake of protecting their village's pride and honor."

"But sensei, what would they have to gain from it all?"

She nodded in silent approval of her students. "Remember that during those times, the borders of every state and village were not absolute. A rival village could take another's territory provided the means necessary. The more victories that their shinobi would win, the more resources and spoils of war they would gain."

The class nodded in understanding.

"Now back to the topic," the red-head cheerfully stated, turning her attention back to the blackboard, a piece of chalk in her hand. "Compared to the first three wars, the Great War differs in terms of what events and goals set things in motion. Some villages went to the extremes, others were lax. However it all started after the end of the Third Shinobi War wherein all villages were still recuperating from said war; Konoha even more so after the attack of the Kyuubi, having us loose the Yondaime, one of our most gifted shinobi, in the process. It also began with the betrayal of Orochimaru of the Sendetsu no Sannin and the attempted coup d'Ă©tat of the Uchiha Clan, which would later lead to the event known as the Uchiha Massacre that would set a chain of events moving towards arguably the most catastrophic war that the world has seen, barring the Second Great Shinobi World War which was even more destructive than the first."

She coughed from her dry throat. Taking a sip from the bottle of water on her desk, she continued. "It was after the Kyuubi attack and the attempted betrayals of Orochimaru and the Uchiha that events started to spiral out of control. The villages had heard of our weakening strength as at that time, Konoha was known as the greatest of the Hidden Villages. Our military was now weakened from the loss of the Uchiha Clan and the desertion of one of the strongest shinobi the village had ever produced, Orochimaru. We don't even include the losses we suffered from the Kyuubi attack and the loss of the Fourth."

"Many sought to remove our village from the arena of competition permanently. However, the event the arguably truly caused the Grand-Scale War was the Hyuuga Kidnapping that was attempted by Kumogakure no Sato when they tried to establish a peace treaty with us."

A student raised a question. "But sensei, if they were here to establish a peace treaty, why would they kidnap one of the Hyuuga?"

The teacher responded in kind. "You see, there was a loophole in the treaty that Kumo had exploited. Their plan was that if they could kidnap one of the Hyuuga, preferably an unmarked one, before the signing of the treaty could be finished; they would have in no way violated the treaty and the village (Konoha) would be unable to do anything to retaliate as they would have already been bound by the treaty."

Silence filled the classroom before the red-headed instructor spoke once again. "It was after the Hyuuga kidnapping event that things truly started to go downhill. Suspicion and fear filled the air of each village after the attempt of Kumo at attaining a Kekkai Genkai from an opposing village. It was at this point that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage and the Kami no Shinobi at that time and with the help of his former teammates Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo, created and drafted the war plan that was known to the ones in the know as Keikaku Seifuku Shimasu."

"Keikaku Seifuku Shimasu?" a student inquired.

The red-headed teacher nodded. "Yes, at that time, Konoha was at a much weakened state and the leaders of the village of that time knew that the peace that followed the Third War was basically a temporary ceasefire. And the only nation that could disrupt that peace at that time was Iwagakure no Sato."

"Why?"

"Iwa was bitter at their loss in the Third War at the hands of Konoha, or more specifically; the Kiiroi Senko, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage." Explained the red-head. "The fact that the Yondaime basically handed us victory during the Third Minor War with his Hiraishin no Jutsu and slaughtered over half of Iwa's forces was what made their hatred for us even greater than it already was."

A student raised their hand in inquiry. "Why does it seem like you know from personal experience; like you were actually there?"

All eyes turned towards the instructor up-front in curiosity and wonder.

The red-head teacher sighed and let out a small chuckle. "Well, it would classify as a lesson. So I guess it won't hurt to tell you all."

The class erupted in murmurs and gasps of wonder. All attention was now solely focused on their instructor who looked towards her class with eyes filled with mirth.

"I guess," she said, closing her book and placing it down on the table. Re-focusing on the class once more, she spoke "I should start from the beginning; the real beginning. From where it all started…"

And done for the prologue!

Thank you to all those who support my writings despite my being a novie! Pls leave a review and what you think I can improve on.