Prologue

A/N: Prologue is set during the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha. Sorry It's really long (over 3,00 words… oops), I wanted to have a section for each of my main characters in this story to set up an introduction to them. Itachi and Shisui are the 1st two to show up since they are canon characters. The last two are my OC's Jayne Kushinada and Ayato Tennoji. These first few chapters might be a bit slow since I am setting up a lot of stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Itachi

Itachi sat on the porch of his house staring up at the moon. Where could mother and father be? He felt something shift in his arms and he smiled down at his new baby brother. He noticed Sasuke furrowing his eyebrows with a look of anguish on his face. That's when Itachi sensed it, an icy chill in the air.

"What is this feeling?" He murmured. Sasuke began crying as the air grew more intense. "There, there," Itachi tightened his hold on the little one. He looked back to the moon, "It's such a strange feeling." Of all the times mom and dad could be out.

Sasuke's cries got louder as this strange feeling in the air began to grow more violent. Itachi gave the small child a reassuring smile, but he wondered if it was more for himself than the baby.

"Don't cry Sasuke. I will protect you no matter what happens. That's what big brothers do," Itachi cradle the small child's head snugly against his chest.

The sound of people shouting began to fill the air. He could pick out the deep voice of Setsuna Uchiha, one of his father's right hand men, shouting for people to take cover and get to safety. Suddenly an image that frequently haunted Itachi's mind showed up:

It was the end of the 3rd shinobi war and his father brought him to the battlefield. All Itachi saw were bodies. Bodies everywhere. All piled on top of each other. The heavy rain poured down washing the dried blood off the lifeless bodies. All those bodies.

"Remember this battlefield well, Itachi," His father said placing a hand on his shoulder. "In a few years you will become a shinobi. If something doesn't change after this war, this will be your reality."

Itachi's body started to tremble involuntarily, drops of rain pelting his skin. The urge to cry took him over. He could cry, his father wouldn't notice because of this rain. His heart felt so heavy, his chest tight. If he was going to become one of these shinobi he couldn't allow himself to cry, but the tears came anyways.

He looked down at the bodies near him, all wearing different headbands, yet shared the same pain and suffering of war. Everyone suffered from war no matter what country they fought for. They all died secretly hoping, praying, that they wouldn't be the one to perish.

Clenching his fist, Itachi finally choked out, "This is the world I have to live in…"

"Yes," his father gave a slight pause, "This is why I am showing you this battlefield. Being a shinobi means you fight. You fight until the end. Don't forget what you've seen here on this day."

Itachi made a promise to himself that day. "I will change this world," he murmured. He glanced at his crying baby brother, "I will change this for you. This may be my world, but I will do all that I can to make sure it isn't yours."

Itachi stroked his little brother's head while making his promise. He stared up at the moon one more time repeating his promise silently. I will become hokage and I will change this world for everyone. For Sasuke.

Shisui

Shisui watched everyone as they ran in different directions trying to hide and save themselves from the giant, orange, monster towering over the village. The city was in chaos. He clenched his fists while standing in the middle of the hectic streets of Konoha. This is his city, hell if anyone was going to make him stand aside. He ran towards the center of the chaotic heap of people. That's when he saw him.

"Fugaku-sama!" Shisui ran up to the large man that was not only the head of his clan, but also the Konoha police force.

The large man turned at hearing his name called. For a moment he seemed shocked to see the kid running through the crowd towards him.

"Hn, Shisui? What are you doing out here? You should be back at the compound," Fugaku said with a stern expression.

"I can't sit around while my village is being attacked! Please, Fugaku-sama, let me help!" Shisui's voice was full of determination, "It's my duty as an Uchiha to help protect the people of Konoha!"

"Shisui you are just a child. This is no game!" Fugaku's deep voice sent a chill down Shisui's spine.

Shisui stood straight, he had to stay strong, "Please Fugaku-sama! I may be just a child but the elders say I have potential for becoming g a great shinobi like my grandfather."

Fugaku stared at the child. It was true the clan expected great things from this child. He began to think of his own son who showed similar promise. He would like it if Itachi had a friend like Shisui.

"Alright then, my two sons are at my house all alone and I'm worried about their safety. Your orders are to go and protect them."

Shisui's eyes brighten, "Yes sir!"

He ran off towards the Uchiha compound. He had seen the clan head's house several times in passing. What was his son's name again? I think it was Itachi. Shisui saw the house up ahead and could hear the sound of a crying baby.

"You're Itachi, right?" Shisui approached the two boys. This Itachi looked like he was about the same age as Shisui. "I am Shisui Uchiha and I am tasked to protect you."

Itachi had a confused look on his face as he looked up at this strange new boy who had just showed up. "Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?" Shisui frowned.

"You're not a ninja, so why are you tasked with protecting me?" Itachi said trying to seem as uninterested as he could, but something about this boy's presence drew him in.

Shisui pouted, "So? I'm gonna be one so what's the problem with getting a head start. Plus, you should know an Uchiha's job is to protect the people. That's what my grandpa taught my dad, and my dad taught me." Shisui flashed him a thumbs up.

Itachi stared wide eyed at the boy in front of him. Was this the will of fire Konoha is so proud of?

Shisui pulled out the Kunai his dad gave him for his recent birthday. He got in a stance ready to defend anything with his back turned to the two boys. He knew that it was unlikely anything would happen, and if that giant fox monster did attack them he wouldn't stand a chance, yet he wanted to be strong and work hard. He was going to take any kind of training he could get seriously. Even if it was just standing here keeping guard.

The cries of the baby filled the air with an occasional hush from Itachi. Shisui was an only child with no siblings of his own. He found the sight of Itachi holding his little brother to be a beautiful one.

"What's his name?" Shisui asked standing firm.

"Sasuke," said Itachi.

"Is it nice having a little brother?" Shisui asked.

Itachi nodded, "Yes, I love him very much."

He looked back them, a warm smile spread across his face, "it's nice being a family isn't it? I want to be a great shinobi so I can protect something as precious as a family bond."

Itachi's eyes widen at Shisui's words, "I think, I would like that too."

Shisui turned towards him and reached out two fingers towards him, "then let's work together to make a better world!"

Itachi smiled and met Shisui's fingers with his own and they made a firm shake, "yes"

Shisui gave a bright smile to his new friend. Yes, together they can change things for the better.

Jayne

Jayne Kushinada walked along the river as it glowed with the reflection of the moon. She would sleep here tonight. She hated the beds at the orphanage and the other girl in her room snored louder than a walrus, if walruses snored. Jayne was pretty sure they did and that this girl was louder. She sat down on the grass, nothing beat the soft Earth and the smell of the river.

Jayne dipped her hands into the river pulling out a handful of water. She closed her eyes focusing her chakra into her palms. She could feel the weight of the water lift into the air. She open her bright blue eyes to see a ball of water floating in her hands. Now this was the hard part, she knit her eyebrows together and bit her lip as she focused on the water in her hands. It slowly began to take on different shapes until she picked one she like, a little polar bear. Biting her lip a little harder now, she could begin to feel the freeze leave her fingers and slowly take over the water. In a few seconds the water turned into solid ice. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, this was her best work yet. The little sculpture actually looked like a bear, not a deformed aardvark like all her other pieces. She would have to show it to him. 'Him' being that Jonin shinobi who was annoyingly always dragging her back to the orphanage after she'd run away. However, she grew fond of him as the weeks went on. She soon found herself running out for the sole purpose of making him find her so she could beg him to teach her how to become a ninja.

"Ayato-sama would probably be mad I am working on jutsu," she mumbled to herself. He was always telling her she was too young to start trying to use chakra. He said at five years old her chakra is still developing and she should just wait until she enters the academy. Instead she should enjoy her childhood while she still has one. This always made her laugh, what childhood did she even have to begin with? No parents or immediate family to take care of her. Nobody knew who they were and if they did, they didn't tell her.

All she had from her family was a fancy leather chest that had belonged to her father. The outsides of it was worn and had what appeared to be blood stains. Inside contained a lot of scrolls as well as large journal filled with her father's handwriting. Jayne was frustrated she couldn't even read them yet. She's been working hard to learn but reading is really difficult to figure out on your own. That was another thing she begged Ayato-sama to teach her but he would refuse, always saying something along the lines that teaching a dumb baby to read wasn't the reason he became a Jonin.

A sudden chill stung the air, one she knew she didn't create, and pulled her back into reality. The air grew dense and she could feel some kind of pressure in her chest. Her ears started to ring and her throat was swelling. What is this? It hurts. The ringing in her ears turned into screeching.

A deep, hateful voice filled her head, "Kill… Kill... Kill… Destroy Konohagakure!" The voice continued its chanting full of hatred and resentment.

In the distance a giant Kitsune appeared and was attacking the village. An evil red chakra flowing from its body with the same hatred that was swallowing Jayne a hundred yards away. The Kitsune was going on a rampage, destroying everything nearby, killing any ninja that dared approach it. As its anger and hatred grew more and more, the more pain Jayne felt seeping through her body.

With the pain searing through her brain she let out a loud scream and she felt a rush of ice leaver her body. Her vision started fading to black as she slipped away from her consciousness before realizing what she'd done.

Ayato

The streets were in complete and utter chaos as civilians ran for their lives from the monster that just appeared. The nine-tails. Ayato furrowed his eyebrows. I thought it was supposed to be sealed away in the Hokage's wife? Dammit, what's going on? Ayato looked at his companions in the rescue division all hurrying to rush people to the Academy that was considered a safety shelter. Even though he wasn't too fond of being tasked with moving around civilians, it beat going up against that monster.

Ayato ran down a street he was growing all too familiar with. The orphanage was just a few blocks away. His feet seemed to have carried him there on their own. As he got closer all he could hear was the cries of terrified children. He spotted the old lady who ran the orphanage.

"Yo, it's way too dangerous for these kids to be here. We are evacuating this whole area. Gather up the kids and I'll lead you to the academy," Ayato yelled.

"Thank you Tennoji-san," she gave a quick thankful bow, "Alright children, everyone hold hands and follow Mr. Tennoji."

He observed the crowd of kids as they were all crying and sniffling. He was just glad they were actually following orders and not moping around. Maybe this would be easier then he thought. He felt a small tug on his green vest. He looked down to see a small girl with pigtails and large round glasses standing beside him.

"U-um s-s-sir, J-Jayne isn't here" She stuttered while trying to hold back tears.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me! Of all the times that brat could run off she had to go tonight! "Did she say where?" Ayato tried to contain his frustration so he didn't scare the already terrified girl.

Her eyes widened, looks like he wasn't doing too good of a job. "W-well, s-she s-said that she h-hated how I s-s-snore like a 'stupid ugly fat walrus' so she was g-going to s-s-sleep by the r-river."

Yup, that sounds like something the brat would say. So much for this being easy. Ayato looked around to see if he could find someone else in his division to help him move all these kids. And there he was, Hiro Sarutobi, just the man he wanted to shrug off his duties onto.

"Hey Hiro, I need you to take this group to the academy, I have something I need to do," Ayato said.

"The hell, now's not the time to be slacking off you moron! I have things I need to do to!" Hiro turned towards him with fire in his eyes.

"Hey, this is important, a little girl's life is in danger," Ayato snapped not wanting to argue with his rivals attitude.

"Fine," Hiro said with one final glare before turning to leave.

Great, now I have to find that kid. Hopefully she is at her usual spot. Ayato took off running towards the river spot he's been visiting a lot lately. That girl has always been so troublesome ever since the beginning, yet he'd be lying if he said he still didn't like the kid. He's actually grown quite fond of the feisty little girl, insults and all. Hn, 'stupid ugly fat walrus,' he'd have to write that one down.

Arriving at the spot the girl usually spends her time at, he saw no signs of the girl. He ran along the river a little ways and spotted what seemed to be an ice dome. What the heck is that? He tried to sense any nearby chakra flows to indicate if someone was around. He felt a tiny one coming from within the dome. No way, did the kid do this? He approached it and through the thick walls he could hear the faint sound of crying. She is definitely in there, but how? This is some kind of ice release. I've never seen anything like it before. She must have some kind of kekkei genkai.

The ice was strong and won't break easily. Ayato got his hand ready. Wind Slash. He swiped his hand across his body sending a wave of sharp wind to cut into the ice dome. It made a huge gnash in the side. One more. Wind slash. The side of the dome he attack crumbled down and he could see the girl inside. He was shocked to see she was laying on the ground unconscious. Even though she was passed out, she was crying and trembling. It's like she was having a nightmare.

"Jayne!" Ayato ran up to her tiny body. He shook her shoulders trying to wake her up, "Hey, come on. Now's not the time to sleep."

The moment her eyes opened and she gained consciousness her face twisted in pain and she let out a tiny scream. She covered her ears with her hands and her body stared trembling even more than it already was.

"What's wrong? Did you get hurt?" Ayato scanned her small frame for any injuries.

"It hurts!" She cried, "The air hurts!"

"The air?" Ayato murmured. What the hell was she talking about? The air was a bit intense due to the massive chakra being emitted from the nine-tails. Oh, that's it. "Are you talking about the chakra?"

"I don't know! Make it stop!" She cried out clinging onto his vest.

He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. How can the chakra be affecting her this much? Is she that sensitive to it? I guess people being sensitive to chakra isn't unheard of.

"Don't worry I'm going to take you somewhere safe, got it? Everything is going to be just fine," He tried to calm her down. He took off towards the academy. Seeing the rest of her friends from the orphanage might calm her down, even if she does think they are just 'stupid ugly fat walruses.'

"No!" She yelled suddenly.

"No? You don't want to go to safety?" His eyebrow twitched with annoyance. Here he was being this girl's knight in shining armor and she says no. Why does he even try with this kid?

"I don't want to go anywhere. I'm scared and it hurts," She said. She was still trembling and squirming making it hard to hold her.

"Fine," He sighed. He moved over to a tree so he could lean up against it. The girl was still latched onto him as she buried her face in his shirt. Gross, the tears and snot of a five year old, just what I needed.

He hesitantly patted her on the head to try to calm her. Damn, I'm no good at this kind of stuff. He looked out into the distance where the kitsune was. There was the hokage fighting with all his might. This disastrous event was going to change a lot of things around Konoha. A lot of lives have been lost already on this night. He looked down at the girl. Her generation was already born during the war and had to spend their childhood in fear. Now this is happening. What's going to happen to this generation of shinobi? Will they emerge as even better ones than his own generation? Or will they be cold and heartless from being raised in war? Maybe they will all be soft pacifist that despise fighting leaving Konoha weak? Ayato turned his head to the sky. What is going to happen in this land that is hidden in the leaves?