Prologue

NOTES: The story begins around the time of Pein's invasion of Konoha. For sake of this story, all other details have been kept the same up to this point with one exception: Kakashi has not been killed (he has been incapacitated though). Shizunet is dead, and Lady Tsunade is badly injured. I reserve the right to change anything beyond this point…

"The world will know pain. And through fear of that pain they will find peace." Pein turned his gaze downward at Naruto. "It will be an end to war as we know it."

"But that kind of peace is just a lie!" Naruto yelled.

"It is the only way peace can be achieved. Otherwise, someone will rise up to claim power and the cycle will continue to repeat itself." Pein pulled out the final chakra rid and prepared to completely incapacitate Naruto. "And it all begins with the tailed beasts!"

"Stop!" A distant voice grew closer and louder as both Pein and Naruto turned to the sound of footsteps. "Stop this now!" the voice cried persistently. Hinata through herself between Pein and Naruto, staring into Pein's eyes with the sort of fierceness no one would expect from such a gentile girl.

"I suppose you think you can stop me," Pein taunted. "No matter, the world will know our pain!"

Hinata began to remove the chakra rods, determined to free Naruto. Pein used the almighty push and through her against a wall of rocks. Still, she got back up. Pein pushed her again, and still she got back up.

"Why would someone so weak try to resist?" Pein wondered. Hinata paused and looked up from her crawl back toward Naruto. "It's because I love you Naruto. I never give up, because it's my ninja way."

Almost seeming touched, Pein picked her up with his jutsu and flung her higher into the air than Naruto could see. Then she began to fall at a great speed. "HINATA!" Naruto called. Hinata fell to the ground with a bang and her body went limp…

Itachi awoke to complete white space. Nothing existed around him, but empty space. The world was gone. So Sasuke had finally done it. He had gotten his ultimate revenge and killed his hated big brother. If only had known the truth, but Itachi knew he could never know or his vengeance on the Leaf would lead him down a twisted path that no one knew the destination.

"He knows," cam a voice from the void. Itachi turned to look for its source but saw nothing. Suddenly, he heard footsteps, and a figure of a man approached him. "He knows, the man calling himself Madara Uchiha already told him."

"Who are you?" Itachi called out to the man. As the man approached, his blond hair became visible. "Naruto?"

The man shook his head. "You're close though. My name is Minato, I am the fourth hokage, and Naruto's father."

Itachi's eyes widened. Never before had he expected to come face to face with the fourth, especially after what his clan had plotted to do. "I thought I was dead?"

"You are," Minato reassured him. "But your task is not yet complete. You have done so much Itachi. All for the sake of the village, and protecting your little brother. But now you must save him from himself."

"What do you mean?"

"As I'm sure you're aware, the knowledge revealed to Sasuke has made him furious with the Leaf elders, and he has become dangerous. If left as he is, Madara will destroy the village, along with everybody in it."

Itachi fell to his knees. Sasuke. I have failed you. I tried to protect you, but I failed. Itachi turned to Minato. "So what will you do? Are you going to send me back?"

"No," Minato replied. "But you will be revived. And when that time comes, you must speak with Sasuke, and set him straight. He will listen."

A chance to help his brother. A chance to save the village! Itachi was flooded with hope. "I will do as you ask. In the meantime I will wait here until I'm needed."

"No," Minato responded once again. "There is another task for you. Someone else is in need of your help. Your partner has joined with Madara, remaining with the Akatsuki in order to make their nightmare a reality. You must go to him and speak with him."

"I understand." And with that Minato vanished, and the void was once again empty…

Chapter 1- Invasion of Pein

NOTES: Not all parts of the story will be mentioned here. Since you should have already watched the anime, only the important parts and changes will be mentioned. There will be some significant changes though! J

Naruto lost it. The nine-tails consumed his body as three tails emerged from him. "Do you hate me now?!" Pein shouted. The fox roared and charged at him. Pein's evasion proved costly to the village, as even more building crumbled into rubble. Pein shoved a Chakra rod through Hinata's body, drawing more rage from the fox and the fourth tail to emerge. With Yamoto unable to help, the rage of the fox was uncontainable and continued to grow.

"See, you are full of rage, just like the rest of your world! The destruction you have caused is felt across the world as the strong prey on the weak." The fox continued to rampage and destroy the entire area. Pein assembled the other chakra bodies, and led the fox away from the village, and the assistance of anyone there. Not that much help would come though, with nearly the entire village wounded.

Pein led the fox away until they reached a small coastal grove. As the fox's rampage continued, all but Yahiko's chakra body were destroyed, and eight tails emerged from the fox. "You are an opponent worthy of a God," Pein shouted. He used his jutsu to pull together an enormous amount of earth, seemingly nearly as large as the moon. "Almighty push!" With those two words, the earth crumbled on the fox, and it let out a loud roar.

"Now I can begin sealing!" Pein ran over to the rubble and began to cast a jutsu. However, before he could even finish his signs, the earth shot up, and the fox emerged with a roar. The ninth tail began to emerge, which would mean freedom for the fox spirit. However, it only emerged halfway before the fox stopped dead in its tracks. Minato had reached out to his son, and prevented the takeover. The fox spirit broke apart, and Naruto emerged from the body of energy.

"He comes to face me alone once again," Pein laughed. "How noble. Tell me, how well did that work for you the last time?"

"You were right," Naruto said. "I can't depend on the fox's destructive force if I want to achieve peace. I will stop you, and you will pay for all the lives you have taken! But not at the expense of others. Would you continue to fight, knowing everything you have taken from people?"

"I have taken nothing when compared to the cruelty the world has brought upon its people," Pein argued. "You're just like the others, you will never understand true pain."

Naruto entered sage mode. "I guess I have no choice but to fight you." Naruto charged Pein, who pushed him back with his jutsu. Pein managed to get a chakra rod in Naruto's right arm, but he broke the rod. The shattered rod lay between the two. Pein laughed. "You're quite persistent aren't you? No matter, I will outlast you. You're skills aren't enough to beat me."

Naruto recognized the truth in Pein's statement. Suddenly, he realized that the chakra rods Pein had been using to control people's movements had to be broadcast from a source. Naruto shoved the chakra rod in his body and traced the signal. He was led back to a tree, where he saw a glimpse of the controller. "So that's where you're hiding!" Naruto shouted. However, as he tried to escape the battlefield, Pein struck him with a chakra rod, rendering him incapacitated.

"We will meet one day Naruto, but not today," Pein said. "If this battle continued, you may well beat me, and cannot let that happen. There is a task for me that I must complete. My name is Nagato. I am a former student of Jiraya, and standing leader of the Akatsuki. We will accomplish our goals, despite your wishes. Come seek me out when you have regained the strength to defeat me. Until that day, goodbye." With that, Pein fled from the battlefield as Naruto watched him, helpless to try and pursue him…

Several hours later, Naruto was woken up by Sakura. "Naruto are you okay?" Sakura sounded worried. Had he fallen unconscious? As Naruto became more conscious of his surrounding he realized he must have as he was now back in the village. "Naruto, you saved us!"

"What are you talking about Sakura? I failed. Pein got away."

Sakura shook her head. He would have killed all of us, probably wiped out our entire village. You drove him off. And now there's only one of them!" Sakura embraced Naruto. "They're calling you the hero that saved our village!"

Naruto didn't understand, but when Sakura brought him to the center of the village, sure enough they were all there. Everybody in the village was cheering and shouting his name. "You're their hero Naruto," Sakura said. "You saved all of us and they love you for it."

Naruto was greeted by everybody. They all embraced him, shook his hand, and smiled at him. The boy who had been an outcast for all his life had become loved by everyone.

Unfortunately, the heartfelt moment was short lived. Shikamaru approached Naruto, and his expression seemed much more serious than everyone else. "Naruto, Sakura, they want to see you in the hospital. It sounded important." They both headed there right away.

When they entered the hospital, a medical ninja approached them. "I want to tell you both that Kakashi is expected to make a full recovery." Both Naruto and Sakura looked relieved upon hearing this. "However, you're needed in the high security tent. You'll have to see for yourself."

Both ninjas entered the tent, and were shocked to see their hokage laying in the hospital bed. "Lady fifth!" They ran to her side and peered down at her. Tsunade was conscious, but appeared to be in a great deal of pain. She looked up at them, but her stare was so weak it seemed like she might drift out of consciousness at any second.

"Naruto, Sakura, I was hoping I'd see you," Tsunade said with a weak smile. "You've both grown so much and made so much progress." Tsunade paused and looked up at the roof of the tent. "I'm proud of both of you, especially you, Sakura. I see so much of myself in you." Tsunade grabbed a piece of paper with a list of items written on it. It appeared to be a will. "When I'm gone, I want both of you to your best to keep growing as ninjas. I know what you both are capable of. You will be some of the best the Leaf has ever had."

Sakura began to cry as she sensed what this conversation meant. "Don't cry for me," Tsunade said. "I'm going somewhere you can't follow me. I know you both will leave a legacy even greater than mine. And Naruto…" She paused as Naruto looked at her. "Try not to do anything too foolish." With that Tsunade smiled and fell unconscious as her final hours began to tick away. Tears fell off Naruto's cheeks as he looked down on Tsunade.

Sakura, still cryng (she couldn't help it) turned to the medical ninja. "What's on the will?" She choked.

The ninja looked it over. "There's several items on here, including the most important…"

"What would that be?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi Htake will succeed Lady Tsunade as sixth hokage of the Hidden Leaf."

…