Konohagakure, the Village Hidden In The Leaves, possessed the strongest military output in the great Land of Fire. The village was gifted in its populace of powerful shinobi clans and their ability to adapt, survive, and intimidate any who would dare attack their land. The village was formed by two of the oldest and most powerful clans this world would ever encounter, the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. The two, after countless years of battling one another over the vast land, created a peace treaty that united the two clans together to create one of the first political landmarks in the Land of Fire. The village had amazingly withstood the three Great Shinobi Wars since it's making, reminding the shinobi world of its immense strength and unity. While the village faced off against any nation and shinobi that would put its people in danger, the village was under a greater threat than any before…
From within the village, the bright hues of orange and red lighted up the streets of the village and the intensity of the heat coming could be felt not only from the large flames eating up the buildings, but from the shinobi who stood drenching in sweat and awe at the colossal beast that looked down upon them. Taller than any building, larger than any tree or mountain, the ferocious beast let out a horrific holler towards Konoha, spitting out vile and death in its breath. It raged and throttled its gigantic red orange body insanely, displaying its powerful tails that created earthquakes as it slammed down mountains and trees flat. Men and women everywhere made haste around the beast, avoiding to be squashed under its large paws with their razor sharp claws or avoiding to be burned by the immense heat the beast itself expelled from his body.
"Where is Lord Hokage!?"
"The beast is approaching the center of the village!"
"Half our squad is down! We cannot stop the beast like this!"
"There is no time, we need Lord Hokage immediately!"
Shinobi and civilians flooded the road where the Hokage's tower stood, seeking out for shelter and safety from the village's most powerful shinobi. Since it's establishment, Konoha would be under the guidance and rule of the Hokage, the Fire Shadow. The Hokage was chosen based on not only their strength and skill, but on their wisdom, honor, and dedication to bring peace to the village and is often chosen by the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire and the previous Hokage. The Hokage was the absolute figure of authority and salvation for the people of Konoha and would always fight for their village until death. People crowded around the Hokage's tower, screaming and crying out for salvation against the terrifying beast that was destroying their land.
At the corner of the room during the entire discussion was observing a young girl with bright emerald eyes and soft pink hair. The young girl, no older than 5, looked up at the Hokage and the woman that stood by him. The girl stared at their lips as they moved and frowned upon what the jonin told them. Their conversation could not be heard though as her ears picked up the shouts and crackling of fire coming from the outside. She looked at the large window momentarily and saw the orange glowing of fire eating up trees and buildings while shinobi jumped from place to place avoiding the fire. The girl did not understand what exactly was going on but there was a sick feeling in her stomach. There was a feeling in her that ached out loud that something bad would happen and that something bad was happening.
"Sakura…"
"Sakura, remember that we are so proud of you, and whatever happens, remember that you are never alone." Her voice sounded solemn and guilty, but what the young girl did not understand was why the woman sported a gentle and comforting smile towards her. Everything around her slowed down as the woman and Lord Hokage both embraced the young girl together in an avalanche of tenderness. The girl stood with both her arms on the sides of her bodies, not sure what everything meant. They patted and kissed her head gently.
"Be brave Sakura." Lord Hokage whispered to her, removing his arms from her. Lord Hokage and the woman both gave one last look at the young girl before swiftly leaving the office in the blink of an eye. The young girl stared at the doorway where the two had left through, wondering when they would come back. She squeezed the necklace Lord Hokage had given her inside her small fist as her body began to shiver immensely and her eyes began to swell up with tear drops. She sniffled, startling the jonin Lord Hokage had instructed to protect her.
"Princess Sakura, please don't be sad, they will return-" Before he finished, a tremendous rumbling sound shook the room in its entirety as the shock wave of the beast's feral holler caused the windows of the room to explode violently one by one. The young girl, scared beyond all belief, cried out for her parents to return to her…
A stream of sunlight and the chirping of crows filled the large estate of traditional and robust homes that belonged to Konoha's founding clans. The Uchiha compound was eerily quiet in the midst of the morning. At this time, the Uchiha elite would have been awake and squandering around the compound searching for the head of the clan to update on reports concerning the clan and the village. Today was different however. The largest building inside the compound was home to Fugaku Uchiha and his family. At the time however, the home was partially empty aside from two small boys who sat near the viewing area of their lush garden and pond. Around the entire garden echoed the hollow sound of a shishi-odoshi hitting against a stone after releasing its water.
One of the boys, who seemed to be the oldest, bit his lip nervously while watching the sky as the sun rose. At first he wasn't to sure if his mind was playing trick on him or not, and while it was still dark, his inept vision could not make out what was hovering in the clouds above him. But now with the sky brightening up his view, he discovered that what he didn't wish he saw was right above him. The sky itself was setting a pale-blue shade but something out of the ordinary made it stand out. He followed the long puffs and streaks of grey and black that floated over his home as the smell of charred wood filled his nose. There had been a fire and a large one too. Something had been burned down.
On his lap laid a small head with unruly black hair, snoozing peacefully under the gaze of the older boy. The small child was his youngest brother and he was being taken care of by his older brother while their mother and father, the heads of the Uchiha clan, were out after being urgently called. The oldest boy put the pieces together and assumed that the village had been under attack. But by what, and what had been left, he did not know. The young boy on his lap moved a bit as his older brother placed a gentle head on his head to reassure him that he was still there with him.
"It's okay Sasuke, you're big brother is here to protect you.." He softly whispered to him just before two figures appeared from behind him. His gaze turned towards the figure where he recognized that it was his mother and father. His body relaxed at the presence of his parents but their faces told something that made his mood drop down again. Both of his parents had battle marks all over their uniforms and the dark circles under their eyes confirmed their deep exhaustion. He had never seen his parents in this condition. His mother kneeled beside him, kissing his cheek and picking up his younger brother from his lap, hoisting him over her shoulder.
"My sweet boys," she lovingly said. "Your father and I are here…"
The oldest stood up and turned around to face his father. The leader of the Uchiha clan, his father, usually was surrounded with an aura of authority, confidence and power. But he sensed other wise. He noted the painful grimace on his father's face along with the relieved tone of voice his mother spoke in. He looked up to his father with a stern look, knowing that he would answer him.
Fugaku let out an exhausted breath before leaning towards a wall and slowly sliding downwards, plopping down on the tatami mat below him. He looked at his wife, watching her be tender with their youngest son and then turned too look at his oldest.
"The village was attacked Itachi," he began. "The village was attacked by the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox," the oldest boy, Itachi, felt his stomach becoming upset at what his father mentioned. "Many have died…the village is in ruins…but we are victorious." It was wonderful news; the village had managed to survive the attack of the dreadful beast. But Itachi knew there was more.
"Father, what has happened..?"
His father turned his gaze away from his oldest son, "…the Hokage has died."
The young girl, Sakura, opened her eyes slowly. She flinched at the blinding light above her and jerked her body upwards. Once her vision relaxed, she observed her surroundings but did not recognize where she was. It was a small room with white floors, walls and ceilings. There was a small window towards her right, where it showed the sun rising, marking the start of a new day. She looked down at herself and saw that she was tucked into a white bed and that she was wearing a white robe as well. She pulled her arm from under the sheets, and reached for her head when she felt something taped on her forehead. She poked at it slightly but flinched at the sudden sting of pain. There was a small bandage on the corner of her forehead but she did not understand why she had one.
A figure walked into the room, making her jump a bit. It was an old man who she did not recognize. He had wrinkles that adorned his entire face, gray hair that was balding on his head but he sported a gray goatee as well. He wore a long white coat with a reddish uniform underneath. Sakura took note that he held a large red hat with the kanji reading of 'Fire' marked on its front side. She had recognized this hat from somewhere.
"Hah-," Sakura had let out a small whimper before the old man stood before her and laid his hand at the top of her head. He sighed softly and looked into her green eyes, knowing the news would be difficult to deliver so such a small child. "Princess Sakura," he began "realize that both your mother and father fought bravely in battle against the tailed beast that threatened our home." Sakura looked at him, not exactly following or registering what he was saying. She didn't understand why she was here, why he was here; all she had wanted to know was where her parents were. She was scared, in pain, and-
"Your mother and father are both dead."