Chapter 1: The Time That Has Past…
498 years from now…
#
The land at first laid forgotten for the trees and mountains had grown back. The age of once was was long over and life was starting to come back to the war stained lands. All those who survived it could tell the story but they too were long forgotten now. The only time they were remembered was in the place of stories…legends and myths that once spoke a word called shinobi but to all those who listened they believed it not and it remained nothing more than a story told to imaginative children.
The area was covered with rocks of the mountains, not much of a home to any creature that came across it, but now there was the sound of pitter patter of feet and the birds above could only see orange flashes as the creatures ran and jumped over rocks.
The one running in front, the biggest, had reddish orange fur and big ears, back in the days of shinobi he was known as the horrifying Nine Tails Fox but now he was nothing more than a mountain fox that lived his remaining days in peace. His body had grown much much smaller but he was still big for a fox.
Running alongside him was two similar foxes only smaller. They both sported his strangely colored fur and his glowing red eyes.
The three foxes came to a raised cliff but jumped it easily and when they reached the top the cliff was tall enough to show the land that was hidden behind it.
There were strange ruins and things left behind by the war that took place in the land almost five hundred years ago but the ruins were now covered with beautiful trees and life. The ruins had been abandoned for much longer but the meaning of them still held a strong place in the hearts of those who knew. The sea that had been farther west had come up and now took most of the land that lay in front of them, the water shining beautifully with the sun.
The Nine Tailed Fox, waiting for his children to climb up, took one look at the ruins and raised his head in a loud roar. Both his children joined even though they couldn't muster a roar mighty enough to cloud their father's. Several birds flew past them into the lands, singing at the sea as they flew past.
The sun overhead began to be covered with clouds and time settled back…
#
498 years ago…Northern Cave…
"Jugo! Look at this!" a voice rang out in the still air.
"Huh? …paydirt" the other voice replied after a hushed moment.
"Not a pretty sight, is it?" the first voice said, the voice was light and feminine while the other was deep with strength.
Far ahead was a helicopter with only one person sitting inside. He was flying around impatiently for his teammates to finish up. He was tapping his foot and listening to them make simple conversation.
"Who cares? Just get the damn thing" he said, he sighed.
"Suigetsu, the chopper" Jugo called on the radio.
"You got it" Suigetsu said eagerly, finally, he thought as he turned the autopilot off. He took the steer shift and moved it down into the large carter in the mountain where Jugo and Karin were waiting.
The helicopter was about halfway down when there were sounds of gunfire ringing out in the silent air.
"Whoa!" Jugo said over the radio, it sounded like he stumbled and more gunshots were heard.
"Suigetsu, hurry!" Karin shouted.
"Suigetsu!"
"Who the hell is that?" Jugo yelled over the radio.
The helicopter finally landed on the ground and Jugo and Karin climbed on. Jugo continued to shoot at the unknown enemies. There was sounds of struggle and Karin yelped.
"Karin!" more gunshots.
"Go…get out!" Karin yelled to Jugo.
"…Damn it!" Jugo said but with one final gunshot going off everything went quiet and the radio stopped dead.
Suigetsu, having what Jugo and Karin retrieved left without them and came out of the crater and flew away, heading past the mountains into the wilderness…
#
The Lifestream…
That's what we call the river of life that circles our planet…giving life to the world and everything in it.
I've heard stories that a long time ago it was known as a different name. My mother called it Chakra and she said that everyone that was born had it in their bodies, it's what kept them alive.
It wasn't long before the people with Chakra began using it for other means. They found that through different wielding that they were able to use special powers that only Gods in stories could use. Some used it to make the world a better place while others used it for bad. Because of this the land that we now stand on was broken into five great nations and there was a lot of wars and fighting between them.
But, in the final war, they all worked together to stop a very evil man who went by the name of Tobi. This Tobi wanted peace but in the way of enslaving everyone. Even though the war only lasted a short time there was a lot of death and a lot of sacrifices but the man Tobi was defeated and his comrades went into hiding, or so my mother told me, I don't think anyone really knows.
They were called Shinobi back then but now that word doesn't mean anything anymore, in fact, it's almost frowned upon now. I'm not sure why but mother tells me that I'll understand one day.
After the final war it was peaceful for a long time but then something strange happened…
No one was being born with Chakra anymore…
No one could explain it or prevent it and soon, all the surviving shinobi, not wanting anymore wars and sacrifices gave up being shinobi and started to live a much normal life and for a long time there wasn't anything but peace, there was bad things but nothing like it used to be.
Their jutsus and skills began to get washed away and soon no one believed the term shinobi anymore…
This went on for eight years…and Chakra became the Lifestream and it protected our planet and gave life to all the dead parts.
But then, just two years ago, the Uchiha Electric Power Company discovered a way…to use the Lifestream as an energy source.
Because of Uchiha's energy, we were able to live very comfortable lives.
But wasn't that because we were taking away from the planet's life?
A lot of people thought so…
Uchiha used their power to try and stop anybody who got in their way.
Uchiha had a special group of warriors called Taka. They were a group of shinobi that had lived through the final war. To make them stronger the leader of the Uchiha Electric Power Company, a man known as Sasuke Uchiha, had them get Jenova cells put into them.
Jenova was a calamity that fell from the sky almost seven years ago…and Jenova tried to destroy the planet. It was said that it came into being because of the evil man Tobi but no one believes the stories anymore.
Anyway, one of Taka's goals was to bring back the evil man Tobi but in doing so, with Jenova's cells, they birthed something else.
They later named him Sephiroth and they had him join Taka. Believing he was Tobi reborn they forced a lot of Jenova's cells into him, in an attempt to make him stronger. And with those cells he was better than all the rest…not even the leader of Taka could stand up to him…
But when he found out about the terrible experiments that made him…he began to hate Uchiha.
And then, over time, he began to hate everything.
Uchiha and the people against them.
Sephiroth, who hated the planet so much…he wanted to make it go away.
And the people who tried to stop him…were the only ones that could stand against them.
The shinobi from long since hiding had come back, in order to save the planet from Sephiroth.
There were a lot of battles.
For every battle, there was more sadness.
Someone I love went back to the Lifestream too.
And then, it came…
The Chosen Day…
In the end, the planet itself had to make the battles stop for good.
The planet used the Lifestream as a weapon…and when it burst out of the earth…
All the fighting…all the greed and sadness…everything was washed away.
"Sadness was the price to see it end."
It's been two years since they told me that.
But it looks like the planet was a lot madder than we thought.
They call it geostigma.
No one knows where it came from and it only infected those who still had the Lifestream in their bodies. Even though most people were born without it.
The shinobi of long ago died because of the stigma, there was no cure for it, even though they had much better means of medical healing. That's why there aren't shinobi anymore, I know of a few but I don't see them anymore…
They went back into hiding…for my sake and the sake of others…is what they told me. I haven't seen them since then and I miss them terribly.
But at least Neji came back…
He came back to us with Sakura but she left not much longer after arriving. She said that she needed to do some soul searching but even I know that she is still heartbroken after the recent event. It took a lot of her friends' lives.
Not much time has passed since then…but I do know one thing.
Sakura…please come home…
#
The city of Midgar was bustling like always. The streets were filled with people and cars and buses were making their way around the city. Most of the city was still being rebuilt after the Uchiha incident but skyscrapers were standing tall, giving the city some life, despite the growing stigma.
Children were running around and laughing. All those except the ones with the stigma who were sitting around in the alleys. Their bodies covered with medical tape in the places where the stigma had infected them. The stigma was growing and getting out of hand.
#
Marlene was alone, sitting next to Denzel's bed. He was stirring in his sleep and turning over his cloth fell off his forehead, showing the stigma above his left eye, it was getting worse.
"Hmm…ow…well Marlene? How does it look?" Denzel asked, touching the wound softly, he moved his bangs out of the way so Marlene could see it better.
Marlene bit her lip but then smiled. She got up from her spot and took the cloth to put it back on his head again. Denzel sighed and turned onto his back again.
Please. Please don't take Denzel away.
#
Downstairs, in the bar area…
Neji Hyuuga, who had just turned twenty-six years old, was washing out glasses and seating them back on the counter when the phone upstairs starting ringing to life. Neji didn't take notice of it and continued to wash the glasses.
The phone kept ringing.
"She's not here anymore" he sighed and put the drying towel over his shoulder. He listened to the ringing phone for another moment before tossing the towel into the sink and heading upstairs.
Marlene, who was in the room opposite of Sakura's office, merely looked at the ringing phone with a sad expression, badly enough she wanted to cry at the absent Sakura.
Denzel, still awake, asked from under the covers "Sakura, where are you?"
Neji was halfway up the stairs when he stopped and looked up the stairs at Sakura's room. The door was slightly ajar and from it Neji could tell that Sakura wasn't in there, even though he knew that she had left months ago. He pondered on whether he should answer the phone or not but with the ringing getting annoying Neji went into Sakura's office and picked up the phone.
"Hello, Haruno Delivery Service. You name it, we deliv—" Neji was cut off by the person on the phone.
"May I ask who's calling?"
Neji suddenly grinned and gave a breathless chuckle.
"Yeah, I remember you"
#
The area around the land that the Hidden Village of Waves once stood on was nothing more than dead, isolated, lands now. It was abandoned long ago and there was nothing more than ruins. The sea had gone back miles and there wasn't a hint of water anywhere around.
But, still wedged into the dirt was a long knife. To those who knew it belonged to the demon of the mist Zabuza Momochi. After the final war the blade had been put back in its place, overseeing the land of the waves. Next to it was a small grave with a wooden cross that had 'Haku' craved into it. The wood was old and weathered but still stood strong, just like Haku's spirit.
At of nowhere, arrived, an old dirty gray wolf. He came up to the sword and gave it a sniff before lowering his head, the wolf stayed there for a long minute before looking up again at the ruins of the village hidden in the waves.
The Naruto Bridge had collapsed on the ground and that's where it remained, unmoving. It's nooks and crannies filled with dirt and weeds and it was home to small lizard-like creatures.
Almost as soon as it arrived the wolf had disappeared.
#
There was a loud beep that filled the silent air.
"You got a call from Suigetsu. He's in Healin. Says he's got work for you…Sakura, how have you been?"
"You have no more new messages" the message ended and Sakura closed the top of her phone to shove it in her baggy pants pocket. She stopped and lightly gripped her arm, she clinched her teeth with the sudden pain but it faded away gradually.
She was seated on her back motorcycle. An Uchiha Electric Power Company product no less. Even if there was a lot of bad blood between them Sakura couldn't pass up on a good piece of equipment. This bike had saved her many times over but of course she wouldn't give any credit to him.
Her attire was rather simple. Long, much longer than her legs but they were left unfolded, pants with several pockets, for items. They were worn and old but still useful. On her feet were strong boots and her torso was covered with a simple back tank-top, made from cloth, a bra and fish net was under it, stopping at her neck and shoulders. Her arms were bare except for her left arm which was covered with a black cloth that covered the whole arm. There was a strong arm protector above it with a wolf's head piece that held a ring for whatever use she needed it for, an old gift from her fallen sensei. The shoulder protector was tied across her chest by a belt. The last things were leather gloves, the same ones from her battling days. Her hair was still bright pink and at the moment it was tied back in a messy bun.
Turning on her motorcycle she put on her goggles and leaned forward but suddenly stopped again when a sharp pain went through her body. She stopped dead and bit her lip until the pain went away. When it did she just breathed it off and went roaring away into the land, heading for Healin.
#
Meanwhile…
Back up on the cliff where Zabuza's sword was resting three bikes were coming close, slowly. Each rider was sporting silver grayish hair, the one of the left had wavy short hair, the one of the far right had long, past shoulder length, hair, and the one in the middle was in between with his hair just brushing along his shoulders.
They came up to the blade, the wavy one and the long haired one passing it, while the middle one bumped into it. Annoyed, he gave it a kick and sat back on his bike.
"Hey, Kadaj? Is that where Big Sister lives?" the long haired one asked the middle one. His voice was the closest to their father who was long past gone, a sacrifice in the final war.
"Yeah" Kadaj agreed. He smiled slimly, his bright blue eyes were striking, clearly not his father's.
"Think she'll be glad to see us?" The long haired boy asked.
"Not a chance" Kadaj said
"Not cry, Yazoo" the wavy haired boy said quickly. Yazoo's chin trembled but he held back his tears. He looked away from them.
"But Mother's with her?"
"Maybe not" Kadaj answered, not at all bothered.
"Oh, don't cry Loz" Yazoo quickly said, a smirk on his mouth.
Loz, the wavy haired one bent his head down and for a moment appeared to weep but he picked his head up. He was the biggest one out of the three of them so he strengthened up quickly.
Kadaj just shook his head and then looking down into the lands he spotted what he was looking for.
"Hold on, she's coming"
The three of them looked over to their right and quickly saw Sakura's bike going through the lands below them. Yazoo and Loz turned and looked at each other, both smiling, then without Kadaj having to say anything they turned on their bikes again and leaned forward. Waiting for the wheels to spin fast before jetting forward off the cliff. Their bikes would all terrain so the rough rocks didn't turn them or make the bikes stop.
They rushed forward to Sakura…
#
Sakura picked up on them quickly and when she looked back they emerged from behind a tall rock. Sakura pressed a button on her bike and the sides opened revealing swords and katanas of different sizes. Behind her Yazoo and Loz picked up the speed and suddenly, in the dirt, came a bunch of black shadows that when they came close to Sakura suddenly jumped up from the ground and turned into demon like wolves. They chased Sakura and lunged at her when they were close.
Sakura grabbed a wide bladed sword and one of the wolf demons jumped high and lunged for Sakura. She spun her bike around and slashed its chest. It quickly dissipated and she threw her sword forward at the next one, it died before it could jump close.
The wolf demons were getting close and Sakura killed another one before Loz came to her left side and yelled "where's Mother?" he reared to slam his bike into Sakura's.
He threw his fist forward and Sakura dodged it by slowing down and spinning away. Before she could resurface there was a loud bang and something solid hit her sword. Yazoo was shooting at her with a knife that was also a gun. Sakura dodged them easily.
"We know you hid her, Sister" Yazoo said to Sakura when he got close. She threw her sword at him but he easily dodged it. They both attacked her in rhythm but instead of fighting with them she did her best to dodge them. She turned her bike away from then but a wolf demon slammed into her bike throwing her back into the fray.
#
"Don't tell me you're leading me on?" Kadaj was talking with someone on the phone, he was watching the fight with little interest, he turned away.
"Because I think you do have Mother there" he sat down on his bike.
"No need to shout" Kadaj said jokingly.
"I don't want to talk to you anymore…put the president on" Kadaj said, annoyed.
#
A wolf demon jumped at Sakura but she quickly slashed at it, it dissipated. Normally being outnumbered wasn't that bad but on a bike it was making it harder to fight, plus, the stigma on her entire left arm had shut down those chakra tunnels there and every time she needed to summon chakra or even more her left arm she felt a large stinging pain that made her cry out.
She was being overrun.
She tried to strike at another but her sword wasn't long enough to even touch the demon. More wolf demons were coming out of the ground and giving chase. Yazoo reappeared and tried to block Sakura but she moved her bike just in time.
Loz who was slightly ahead turned and went to ram Sakura headfirst in her side. Using her chakra and amazing strength she made her bike jump over him.
Loz, now even more annoyed, activated his weapon on his left hand. It appeared to be a double barrel Taser.
Sakura returned her blade and pulled out a longer and wider one. She ripped her goggles off her eyes and looked back at Loz. He came up to her side and swung his weapon but Sakura leaned away to dodge, using her left arm she swung her sword but a sharp pain made her miss her mark. Loz blocked her sword and using his massive strength he punched the blade away, landing in the dirt.
Shit Sakura silently cursed before getting some space between her and Loz.
Yazoo reappeared right in front of Sakura and drove straight towards her, Sakura didn't move and braced for the impact but suddenly Yazoo forced his bike to jump up and over Sakura's. Their heads almost touching as Yazoo smirked and pointed his gun right at Sakura's face. He pulled the trigger and the bullet hit Sakura right above the eye. She yelped quietly but didn't stumble. Yazoo sped up right behind Sakura, ready to launch his next attack.
More and more wolf demons were being summoned and they all crowded around Sakura. Yazoo and Loz back up, waiting to see what happened next, both had smiles on their face.
The wolf demons all jumped at the same time and Sakura bent down to protect herself.
But…
Just as they were going to hit her they suddenly dissipated. Sakura looked back at Yazoo and Loz. They gave her a final look before turning completely around and leaving in the opposite direction.
Sakura turned and slowed to a stop. She watched them go.
"Goodbye for now, Big Sister" Yazoo called.
#
"Humph" Kadaj watched his brothers come back, he looked at Sakura with an amused expression. Then he turned his bike around and disappeared from view.
Sakura was left watching him. She waited for another minute before wiping the blood off her eye and turning to head towards Healin.
#
TBC…