From the Ashes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I only own my own characters.

A/N: Hello there, and thank you for clicking on this fanfiction out of the multitudes of other ones! Before we get started, I'd like to tell you a little more about this particular story. This is a Naruto Next Generation fanfic, meaning it revolves mostly around the offspring of the familiar main cast. The pairings I have were chosen for specific reasons and I have no intentions of changing them, so please do not bash me because you don't like a pairing that I chose. You can bash me for my writing if you'd like, but that's a whole other story.

When I first began working on this fanfiction, the series was at the Five Kage Summit in the manga. I've struggled with waiting to find out what happens in the war to start this, but I've decided to move on ahead. There are a few events that are different in this fanfiction, but those are only the most recent developments such as *SPOILERS* Neji's death, Obito being revealed, Sasuke changing sides, etc. For the most part I try to keep everyone as in character and canon as possible.

Though many of the characters are children of the people we know and love, I tried not to make them too similar to their parents while still trying to retain the 'history repeats itself' aspect of Naruto. I'd love feedback as the characters are introduced~!

Without further ado (and after much rambling), I present you with Chapter One of "From the Ashes".

Chapter One: You Really Think You're Worthy?

'Tch, missed again!' A bead of sweat formed on the brow of the dark-haired young man, only existing for a split second as he quickly dashed it away with his forearm. Charcoal colored orbs narrowed as he squinted in the sunlight at the red-ringed, scarred target on the tree a few hundred feet away. The senbon that he had tossed with his nimble hand rested on the second ring away from the center. It was close, but for the young Yunagi Uchiha, it wasn't good enough. The ground in front of the tree that bore the victimized target was speckled with an assortment of weapons; shuriken, senbon, and even two kunai knives, which he had been advised not to use for target training. With a sigh of frustration, the male approached the tree and began reorganizing his weapons in the tan pouch attached to his left leg.

This day was particularly warm, but the breeze and light cloud cover made it bearable for training. Then again, even if the weather wasn't appropriate for working out, Yunagi would be out in it regardless, strengthening his body by assaulting the poor trees, targets, and sandbags that made up the training field. Many believed that he was training to raise his rank in the Konoha Ninja Academy in order to be placed on a better team upon graduation, which his mother insisted on reminding him, was only four weeks away. There was no concern that the hard working young man would be close to the top of his class, but the fact that he was only third grated his nerves and made the thought of any activity that wasn't studying or training seem pointless.

With a stretch and a yawn, he gave a slight hop and grabbed the lowest branch of the tree he had been battling against to swing himself up, climbing to a more stable branch. Here in the shade, he dangled his legs and extracted a canteen from his pouch, deciding to take a well deserved break. In the privacy of the shade, he pulled off his baggy, navy colored training tank-top and leaned back, absorbing the breeze as he closed his tired eyes. He had been sunning more often, secretly tired of being picked on for his "farmer's tan," as his mother called it. As was the usual these days, his thoughts immediately went to his father.

Uchiha Sasuke was not in the best condition. Yunagi had been told that his father had done something terrible and had been forgiven by the Fifth Hokage almost twenty years ago, but the act was no to be spoken of. All that Sasuke had informed his child of was that he was once a great ninja with amazing powers that didn't truly suit him, and as punishment for what he had done, his chakra had been sealed away under the notion that without any jutsu or ninja abilities, he could never harm anyone again. Yunagi had never questions his father, but he had noticed that his dad seemed to be getting up later and later ever day, and he had heard him have coughing fits on occasion.

Yunagi's dear mother had been able to use her Medical Ninjutsu on a few occasions to ease the pain in Sasuke's lungs, but the real issue was that the remaining chakra he had was waning; and he only had enough left for basic functioning. If the Sealing Jutsu was still ebbing away his life energy, then it would only be a matter of time before-…

'Don't think like that, I can do something!' Yunagi's grip tightened on his canteen, and his brow furrowed as he dashed away the thought of his father wasting away. For years he had been avoided as the son of "that man." Though the parents of the village respectfully acknowledged Sasuke, their children had been told in secrecy that he was a bad man, and as such Yunagi had been given the cold shoulder by many of his peers. When he came home crying with bruises or gibberish retellings of the names he was called, Sasuke had always protected his son. And now the time had come for Yunagi to repay his father. Did he know how? No, but he was damn sure that becoming stronger would be the first step. With more work, he could just-…

SPLAT! Yunagi's brooding was interrupted by a very painful and a very wet smack to the face. He barked a swear word that his mother would certainly have smacked him for and tipped over backwards, barely managing to grab onto a limb to catch himself. He yanked the object away from his face, giving it an enraged glare as he determined it to be a soaked shirt. His shirt, to be exact. With a look of bewilderment, he dropped carefully to the ground and looked around for the culprit. Quickly his eyes fell upon two familiar figures; one a tall, dark skinned male with a long brown braid; the other, a younger girl hiding half behind him, her hair done up in cute brunette pigtails. She wore a delicate little Kimono while the other bore standard training attire; a pair of black shorts and a brown t-shirt. He quickly recognized them as Heiki and Azami Hyuuga, the children of Yunagi's uncle from his mother's side. Azami, only a few days from joining the Ninja Academy, was her older brother's shadow; it wasn't a surprise that she came here to watch him train.

"Trying to fly away?" The taller of the two spoke, his voice hinting on the edges of arrogant. This particular young man bore girlish features but a strangely deep voice, one that Yunagi mocked him for in the silence of his own mind. Heiki crossed his arms, giving a chuckle at the sight of his sopping, confused relative. "You promised to train with me today, Cousin."

Yunagi ignored the first comment, wringing out his soaked shirt as he adverted his gaze away from the four lavender eyes that were watching him. He half-wanted to know how Heiki had gotten ahold of his top, but with his speed and the benefits of his Byakugan eyes (an ability that Yunagi still didn't understand, despite his mother having the same ability), he really couldn't say he was surprised that he didn't notice. Odds were Heiki nabbed it and tossed it in the lake before launching it at the poor Uchiha's face.

"I'm done for today, maybe you shouldn't show up so late, Heiki," Yunagi finally responded, giving a pout. "I didn't feel like waiting around until you felt like making an appearance, the world doesn't revolve around you."

"Well, you still seem spirited to me! Are you sure you don't want to have a little sparring match? Azami wanted me to show her how to immobilize an enemy in one strike." Heiki bore a smirk on his matured face, one that made him look downright troublesome.

"Come on, we didn't just come here to pick on him, Nii-sama!" Azami gave a bored roll of her large eyes, placing her hands on her narrow hips. This motion reminded Yunagi very much of his aunt Tenten; with the amount of time Azami spent helping her mother at her store, it was no surprise that she was so much like her. "If he's going to be a bore, then show me how to use senbon instead! We don't have to train with him!"

While she spoke, Yunagi flicked a shuriken from his leg pouch and gave a powerful jerk of his wrist, sending the weapon flying at the band that held Heiki's high braid in place. He had no intention of hurting his cousin, but getting the best of him would be well worth the trouble!

Unfortunately, his target was well prepared. "

No so fast!" With a speed that Yunagi's eyes couldn't follow, Heiki appeared at his elbow, digging his fingertips into the joint. In the time it took Yunagi to register the dull pain and pull back to elbow the other male, Heiki was a safe distance away again, hands on his hips.

"Nice try, but unless you step it up, you won't ever touch me. Maybe one day you'll get that Sharingan, but who knows, maybe since your dad's is gone, there's no hope for your useless crow eyes. You might just be that weak forever!"

The Uchiha had no response, or at least not one that was appropriate in front of Azami. Recalling his father's lecture to never let words get to him, Yunagi grabbed his wet shirt and walked past the pair, his eyes neither scanning them nor looking down at the path under his feet. His jaw was set firmly with harmful words that he burned to insult the Hyuuga with.

"When you're in a corner, look at your goal, not the enemy and not at the ground. Always look forward, and you can get where you're going."

Heiki made no chiding remarks, at least not any that Yunagi could hear. His eyes were focused on the gates of Konoha just past the training field, and that was his goal now; just to go home. Stiffly he continued on until he had passed under the gate to the village. His knees trembling, Yunagi broke his stride and ran home, trying to shove the encounter out of his mind.

"I walked away again, Father."

"Why would Hokage-sama summon us?!"

"Uh, come on Lee, can you really stand to call that dork Hokage-sama? Yeah, I think he's a good leader, but he hasn't started calling me Kiba-sama yet!" There was a loud bark in response to this. "Yeah, you'd be Akamaru-san, totally!"

"You won't get called Kiba-sama because you haven't earned a respectable title yet, Kiba. You are just… Kiba."

"Why don't you shove it, Shino!? I don't hear anyone calling you anything but creepy! Most folks don't even know your name!"

Sakura Haruno gave her green eyes a roll as the footsteps and voices rose in volume outside of the door to her office. What a shame, they had arrived before Naruto, meaning that she would have to keep the lot of jounin-level shinobi company until her husband decided to make his untimely appearance. She glanced towards the other person in the room; a woman wearing a full-length kimono who was glaring at her with slate colored orbs. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, but her bangs had seemed to escape and framed her serious face, curling away from her features.

"Sheesh, how long is she going to sit there and glare at me without saying anything? And who wears something like that in late Spring?!" The pinkette heaved a sigh, pushing her own bangs back from her forehead. "Uh, Shibata-san, would you like a glass of water?" Sakura gave a nervous chuckle, trying to break the tension.

"No." The response was immediate, and the woman didn't even move an inch as she spoke. Sakura's hand balled into a fist, and she let out a growl of annoyance that was interrupted by the door flying open, revealing the three noisy men who had been in the hallway. One was much taller, and was wearing a full length trench coat and a pair of dark, goggle-like glasses. His hair stuck out in all directions, but it seemed like he had tried to tame it somewhat. The one in the middle wore a full body green jumpsuit and bore a slightly terrible bowl cut, and on the far left was the almost handsome but messy-haired man who had had been doing all of the yelling in the hallway; he sported a pair of triangular tattoos on his face. The lot was followed by a massive white hound who seemed to think himself just as much a part of the group as any of them.

"Hello, Sakura-chan!" The one with the bowl cut stated, giving a respectful bow.

"Hi, Lee…" She seemed exasperated, and was just ready for Naruto to show up and take over his duties, but it seemed that may have been a little too much to ask for; she would have to relay his message herself. She cleared her throat and came out from behind her desk, placing her hands on the hips of her lithe form. She wanted to look professional, as she always did to those who were meant to speak with the Sixth Hokage, but this lot she had known her entire life, and surely they would just giggle if she tried to be too serious. "Alright!" She gave a pleasant smile before beginning. "Kiba Inuzuka! Rock Lee! Shino Aburame, and Kubomi Shibata! You have all been called here because-…"

Shino quietly interrupted, giving an inquisitive glance around the room. "…-Because we got a letter." He noticed Kubomi and turned to face her, or presumably face her due to the fact that his eyes remained hidden. "Who are you? I ask because… you look familiar. I could be mistaken, but that's not something that happens often."

"Are you trying to say that you think you recognize me?" The woman raised her eyebrows and then lowered them, her face contorted into annoyance. She opened her mouth wide to respond in her authoritative tone, but as she stood Kiba nudged her aside with his elbow, stepping closer to Sakura so that he could be heard.

"So where's Naruto, huh? How come we had to show if he didn't?" Kiba's voice boomed as he demanded, raising a fist. "I'm gonna show him a thing or two about manners!"

"Will you just SHUT YOUR TRAP and open your EARS!" For a moment, Sakura's green eyes flashed as her volume doubled and she raised a threatening fist of her own. "I've got work to do so be quiet and listen to what I have to say, SHANNAROU!" Silence was her polite response. She cleared her throat now that she had the attention of all four and reddened a little at losing her temper, though Sakura was inwardly pleased that they were respectful enough to be quiet now.

"Please listen. You four have been selected by your Hokage to participate in the training of our upcoming Ninja Academy graduates. The class will be advancing in about one month, so in that time Naruto will give you all of the information that you need to know about your new position." Sakura wasn't sure if her method of relaying the news was too blunt, but she wasn't sure how to deliver it. "Any questions?"

Kubomi's hand shot up in the air immediately. "Excuse me? I follow the samurai way, I didn't attend this village's academy and I know nothing about the curriculum! Besides, I'm just a peace ambassador, I have nothing to do with-…" She was once again interrupted, but this time she simply closed her mouth and seemed to brood, her storm-cloud eyes focused on Sakura's features in frustrated confusion.

Kiba gave a shout; of course, Akamaru barked merrily behind him. "What d'ya mean? Me and Akamaru are going to be trainin' some new ninja up? Yahoo! That sounds fun! Why didn't you just say so, Sakura?"

"I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE EXCITED EVER! I WILL MEET MY TEAM TODAY AND BEGIN TRAINING IMMEDAITELY!" Lee's voice was much louder than the others, and it instantly gave Sakura a headache.

"Why have I been selected!?" Kubomi leaned closer to Sakura and delivered her same glare, waiting for the woman to respond. "I am not originally from this village. I've resided in my home here for ten years without ever once interacting with the Hokage. Suddenly I am trusted with the fate of children? I demand to know why!"

The other buzzing shinobi immediately fell silent, looking for Sakura to answer the question. For a moment, the pink-haired woman didn't seem to know what to say. She blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, and shrugged it off with a giggle.

"Well, you four are well qualified for the job, you see. We need great leaders, this is our next generation of shinobi! This is really a great honor, you guys!"

Kubomi didn't seem pleased with this answer. "I understand that this is an honor, but I cannot fathom why your Hokage has chosen to trust me. I've done many missions alone and I have no one that could provide a reference besides General Mifune, who recently passed."

"Perhaps, Shibata-sama, this is a sign to the Land of Iron that the Hokage truly trusts samurai. Maybe by you helping with the upcoming generation, a new future where samurai and ninja combine their unique skills could be pieced together. You can help start something new!" Lee flashed the female a winning grin, accompanied by a thumbs-up that signified that everything would work out right. Kubomi only blinked rapidly in response as if trying to glean what she could from this. She gave a flustered mumble in response, apparently at a loss for words.

'Thank goodness for you and your positivity, Lee,' Sakura heaved a mental sigh of relief at how well he had diffused the situation.

"If you've lived here for a decade and haven't met the Hokage… aren't just just a hermit, then?" Shino's quiet question silenced the room once more, and again the samurai woman seemed to be brooding.

"Come on, let's not question this! It just proves we're the best, that's why we were picked! Well, some of us more than others. I think ninja hound defeats wildly swinging a samurai sword any day!" Kiba rolled his eyes, giving a smirk at no one in particular though once again Kubomi flinched as if she had been stricken with an arrow that increased her anger. Sakura was at a loss for words, and only rested one palm on her cheek, feeling an ulcer forming as she dealt with these people.

"I know why we were chosen." Shino spoke up, adjusting his glasses. Everyone fell quiet once more and looked at him, eagerly awaiting his infinite wisdom.

"Kiba, do you have a girlfriend?" Kiba cocked an eyebrow, slowly shaking his head to confirm that he did not. Shino nodded. "And what about you Lee?" The question caused the man to lower his gaze at the ground and place his hands behind his back as Shino continued. "With your attitude, am I wrong in thinking that you're single as well, Shibata?" Kubomi responded with a red-face and a huff that confirmed his hypothesis. "Don't you see? Naruto appointed us because… we are all childless. He thinks that we have nothing better to do. We're being put to work because we couldn't get married and didn't contribute to this generation. It's as simple as that. So very expected of our Hokage."

A heavy sense of disdain filled the room, one that caused Sakura to sit back down in her chair and place her head in her hands. 'Naruto, you idiot! Was this really how you went about choosing the people who will raise our kids?!' There was nothing that she could tell them to disprove this, but on the other hand, it didn't seem right to assure them that this was a fact. "Listen, please-… I'm sure there's more to it than that. Naruto trusts you and-… hey, where are you going?!" Incredulously, Kubomi had left the room at a fast clip, and the other three had started to follow.

Only Kiba turned back, giving a snappy salute. "We got the message, we're going to be teachers! That's awesome, but I don't see no point sticking around to talk about it when we've got what we need to know. We've got training to do in preparation!" Lee dashed past him, and could be heard shouting "I AM SO EXCITED!" as he bolted down the hallway, most likely going to seek his own former teacher and relay the news. Sakura blanched, motioning uselessly at the four massive envelopes on her desk.

"I don't know how they think they're going to get anything done without this information. This is looking like it might be a bad move on your end Naruto. I guess-… I guess I'll have to just trust your judgment…" Sakura found herself reddening in embarrassment. Maybe Shino was right; maybe Naruto had simply appointed those who he felt weren't busy enough. As if that weren't baffling as it were, he had chosen a samurai who knew nothing of the shinobi way. "You simpleminded idiot-…"

"I am still here, Haruno-san. I could at least be sensible and accept my paperwork, can't I?" Shino uttered, holding out a pale hand expectantly. In all honesty, Sakura hadn't even noticed him still standing there.

"Oh yes, of course." She handed over the folder with his name on it. "That's top secret information, so please be careful with it, but I know you will. Also could you-…" She put back on her pleasant voice again, trying to sound as sweet as possible. "Well, I'm swamped with work right now, otherwise I would personally take these to the other three. And I definitely know I can trust you not to open anyone else's envelope, Shino. Would you-…"

"Fine, I'll take them." He grabbed the other three, scooting on out the door. "As assistant to the Hokage, maybe you should practice being a little more proactive. Because… if you don't, people might start calling you lazy."

Sakura bit her tongue and only glared at the empty door where Shino had been, but her angry facade fell with a defeated sigh. More than anything she felt stress for her child; it felt so strange letting one of these people take care of her baby and teach him to become a hardened ninja. To imagine her loving, outgoing child using weapons, hurting others-… to imagine him hurt or bleeding, or potentially dying on a mission.

Being a mother was the most difficult task she had ever been faced with.

Alright, there we have it! Since there will be a lot of new characters, I don't want to introduce them all at once because that seems it would be a little much, and it would make the characters a little less special if they were all thrown in there together. I may do a mini-bio at the end of each chapter once a character has been revealed, though~! Please let me know your thoughts or suggestions.