A/N: So this is my first Naruto fic, and it's all thanks to Smile-Evily. This whole story is entirely her idea, i'm just the pen (or keyboard as it may be) that writes it. So she should get most of the credit, because I could of never come up with a fic like this XD

With our powers combined...we hopefully have come up with a story you will enjoy :P

A little background, this is an AU story (maybe) set in the future when our beloved hero's are approximatly 23 years old. It will mostly center around Hinata, Gaara, Naruto, and Sasuke. Many more chapter to come!

This isn't exactly where I wanted the first chapter to end, but it was getting kinda long, so I decided to split the first chapter into two. I truely hope you enjoy it! I've had A LOT of fun writing it! Rated teen for charecter death...for now. May be rated M later for more...adult themes, if you get my hint hehe. (Lemons are great!)

Please R&R, I love the feedback! Feedback helps me improve the stories, correct mistakes, and let's me know what you want to see XP

And now I will shut up so you can read...I hope you like it! ~V

Hinata's POV

All I could smell was burning. Burning wood, burning cloth, burning flesh.

I tried to open my eyes, but everything was black. What had happened?

I activate the byakugan, trying to see through whatever it was that I was under. What I saw was...nothing.

No chakra signatures. None. That's not possible. Even the birds gave off chakra, if only a small amount.

I try to move an find I can. I'm burried under some sort of rubble, but i'm not sure what. I still can't remember what happened.

I push at the stone above me with all I have, hoping to the gods that it doesn't collapse in on me.

I see light, I keep pushing. I can smell the air now. It smells like death.

I finally free myself of the debris, and almost wish I hadn't.

Everything is gone. Everything has been raised to the ground. Bodies are strewn about, mangled and disfigured.

I immediately recognise two bodies closest to me. Neji and Naruto.

Naruto is on top of the pile of rubble that I was buried under. His stomach is torn open, insides spilling out. My hands fly up to my mouth, breath catching in my throat.

How could someone kill Naruto? How, after everything that he had endured, could he die?

Again I rack my brain, I still can't remember what happened here.

Neji is a few yards in front of us. His skull is crushed, blood drying and sticky in his long hair.

I swallow down the stomach bile threatening to come out my mouth. I can't break down, not yet.

Naruto and Neji may be dead, but someone besides me had to of survived...right?

I spend the next six hours searching what was once the leaf village. Not a single soul was spared.

I found Sakura in what was left of the hospital, shielding a patient even in death.

Kuranai-sensi was curled around her daughter, Shikamaru across the room. He tried to protect them to the end, just like he promised Asuma-sensei.

Kiba-kun and Akamaru were found by the creek. It looked like some giant had torn Akamaru in half, Kiba's neck snapped.

Ino and Chouji were with their fathers. All dead.

Everyone was dead. Killed in the most horrific ways I had ever seen.

Sai had a gaping hole in his chest where his heart should be.

Shino had been crushed, his kikiachu scattered about.

Tenten was burnt over most of her body, Lee next to her.

Kakashi-sensi was missing an entire arm, Pakun and Iruka-sensei near by.

My sister's spine had been snapped. My father at the entrance to what was once our home. He had been decapitated.

I stared at the setting sun. "Lady Amaterasu, what happened here?"

No answer from the goddess. I didn't expect one.

I find an open patch of land outside of the village proper and sit there, eyes closed, legs folded under me.

What did I do now? I needed help.

An image floated to the surface of my mind. A man with fair skin and feral green eyes, shocking auburn hair.

Gaara. The Kazekage of the Sand. The Leaf village's greatest ally.

If nothing else Gaara needed to know what happened here. If something could destroy the most powerful of the hidden villages and everyone in it, it could take out the smaller Sand village easily.

I made up my mind. I would make the three day journey to the Sand. I didn't know what Gaara could do to help, but I couldn't just sit here.

There was nothing left for me here.

Everything, everyone I loved was gone. Dead. Destroyed.

I still didn't know what had happened, or why I survived.

Maybe Gaara would have some idea.

I could only hope.

The journey to the sand village was difficult. The never ending sands of the desert undulated and caused confusion. I had to watch the stars to keep from getting lost.

The sun was beginning to rise and I was ready to collapse when I finally see the cliff face that was the entrance to the Village Hidden in the Sand. I could read the chakra signatures of the posted guards. I sincerely hope they don't attack me, I don't have enough strength left to fight them. They shouldn't, seeing as the Leaf was allys with the Sand, but accidents happen.

I enter the narrow corridor of rock, watching the Sand shinobi with my byakugan. Finally I stop. "I need to speak with the Kazekage. Something terrible has happened to the Leaf village." I call out, voice cracking from thirst.

A chakra signature I recognise approaches. It's Kankuro. "Hinata? What happened?" He asks, confusion plain in his voice.

"The Leaf. It's gone. Everything and everyone has been destroyed."

Gaara's POV

I sit in my chambers. The sun is just now starting to break over the rocks that surrounded the village. This was one of my favorite times of day, just before dawn, when the desert hasn't had time to heat up and the general populace is still slumbering.

Even after Shukaku was removed I found sleep was something that didn't come easily to me. At first all I wanted to do was sleep, but after, I found I might only sleep three hours a night, if I was lucky.

The door to the office creaks open softly, it's Temari with a tray of food. She still had a habit of mothering me, worrying that I didn't sleep enough, didn't eat enough. Watching her pad silently into the room, belly swollen with a child made me smile slightly. She was going to make an excellent mother, and Shikamaru an excellent father. They balanced each other out.

I was more excited then anyone would ever know at the fact that soon I would be an uncle. I wanted to give this child everything I was denied. A loving family, a safe home. As Kazekage I would do anything to ensure that this child, and all the children of this village would be protected.

Though the idea of Shikamaru and Temari's intelegance being combined into one being was slightly terrifiying. The child would undoubtdly be overly intelligent. In my experiance overly intelegent children got into more trouble then average children.

But maybe it would inherit its fathers laziness.

Who knows, Temari may be carrying the next Kazekage of the Sand. I know my sister has the potential to be Kazekage, and Shikamaru has been told on more then one occasion that he would make an excellent Hokage, though he seems content being Naruto's adviser. Just like my sister was mine.

Though I think in Shikamaru's case it was his lack of motivation to do anything that kept him content being adviser. I know Temari's reason was she believed I was a better Kazekage.

She said other leaders feared me more, which is funny to me since Temari could be one of the most frightning people you'll ever meet when she is fighting for something she believes in.

Kankuro was great at heading the Sand's military forces, but he could never be Kazekage. He doesn't have the political savviness of Temari or the patients of me. I know this, he knows this, and Temari reminds him of this at every chance.

Temari sets the tray of food and coffee infront of me and lowers herself into a chair. "Eat." She commands, pulling a stack of papers to her.

"Did you eat?" I ask, taking the mug of coffee. It's pale and smells sweet, just like I like it. My big sister knows me to well.

I see her blush in the dim light and avert her eyes. I shove the tray of food at her, repeating her earlier command. "Eat."

"I'm not hungry." She mumbles, not looking at the food.

I stare her down, this doesn't effect her. Most people would run screaming at the glare I was giving my eldest sibling, but she just ignored it. Of course she had grown up with me when I was more murderous demon then human.

Temari had always been able to talk me down. It was her gift.

Kankuro's gift had been to piss me off. He was exceedingly good at that.

Funny that he was my best friend and closest confidant now.

Though my big brother could still piss me off in a heart beat. I think he enjoyed it. Knowing that I wouldn't snap and kill him.

Just last week Temari had to talk me out of crushing Kankuro's arm with my sand after he punched me.

Temari and I had reached an agreement. We shared the food. I was drinking some miso soup and Temari cutting apart an apple when the door was kicked in.

"Gaara!" It was Kankuro, he was carrying someone in his arms, a woman. I was instantly on my feet, as was Temari.

It only took me a moment to recognise the female he was carrying, "Hinata?" I ask, confused. What was the Leaf ninja doing here? The only person in the Leaf who came and went as they pleased without announcing their arrival via hawk was Shikamaru, and that was because of my sister. The journey to the Sand was a dangerous one, and usually we sent someone out to meet the shinobi from Konoha when they ventured here.

"What's going on Kankuro?" Temari asked, obviously as confused as I was.

My brother carried the young woman over to the couch, setting her down carefully. Temari and I headed over to them. Hinata looked horrible. She was covered in scrapes and bruises of every color. Ash was smudged over her light colored jacket. Temari walked over to the desk again, pouring a glass of water out of the little pitcher sitting on the tray.

"I'm not really sure. One of the guards spotted her about twenty minutes ago and called me out. When I got to her she said the Leaf had been destroyed, that everything had been destroyed, and collapsed." Kankuro explained, kneeling next to the unconscious woman, checking the pulse in her wrist.

Temari and I froze, staring at our brother. "What do you mean everything was destroyed?" Temari asked in a hushed voice. The hand holding the glass of water was shaking.

"I don't know. That's all I got out of her before she passed out. She's seems okay, if not a little beaten up. I think she just dropped from exhaustion, she should wake up soon." He answered, shaking his head.

I turn to my sister, grabbing the glass from her before she can drop it. "Temari, go order a hawk sent to Konoha. We need to find out what happened," I turn back to my brother, "Kankuro, send out the guards and put them on full alert. If something did destroy the Leaf there's a high possibility it could attack us too. We can't take a chance of being caught off guard."

Kankuro nodded, jumping to his feet. He looked at Temari, who was still just standing there. Finally he gently grabed her wrist, leading her towards the door, "Come on Tem."

As my siblings left the room I headed towards the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it down with precious cold water. How could someone destroy the Leaf? It wasn't possible. Naruto was Hokage, the same Naruto who had beaten me time and again. The same Naruto who never, EVER, gave up. The same Naruto who had saved the Leaf when he was still just a teen. The same Naruto who had saved me...in more ways then one.

And there wasn't just Naruto. There was my sister's husband, Shikamaru, the most intelligent man I had ever met. The best strategist of our generation. There was Sakura, with all her strength and determination. The two byakugan users, Neji, who had surpassed any Hyuuga before him, despite being from the cursed branch of his family, and Hinata, who had inherited the title of head of her clan just two years ago.

There was Rock Lee, who was like Naruto in the way that he never gave up, even when he should. Ten Ten with all her specialization in weapons. Ino and her terrifying mind jutsu's. Chouji and his loyalty to his friends that allowed him to accomplish the nearly impossible. Sai with his gift for deadly art. Shino and his army of kikachu. Kiba and Akamaru and the fearsome bond.

There were others besides them as well. There was Konohamaru who was so like Naruto, and the rest of his squad. There was Hinata's sister Hanabi, her father, and the rest of the Hyuuga clan. There was Chouji's clan, Shino's clan, Kiba's clan. There were the sensei's who taught the most powerful generation of shinobi to come from the most powerful of the Hidden Villages...

The idea that the Leaf was gone was ludicrist, but for what other reason would Hinata make such a trecherous journey in her state?

I brushed raven bangs away from the woman's pale face, placing a cloth on her forehead. I used a second one to wipe down her face and throat, finally lifting her head gently and putting it at the back of her neck.

I reach down and grip Hinata's hand. I can feel the callouses from years of handling weapons, but her hands are softer then most shinobi's. This surprises me slightly, but then I remember the Hyuuga's fighting style. Her palms are clammy. She's in shock. It takes a lot for a ninja to go into shock...

I glance around the room for something to cover her with. Her head may be burning up but the rest of her is freezing. Seeing nothing adequate I finally stand, removing my Kazekage's robes. I carefully drape the white cloth over her, tucking it in around her body to keep in as much heat as possible, leaving only her head and arm exposed.

I notice that her skin is the same color as the robe. Hinata was always fair, but was she this pale before? Or was it the shock that had drained all the color from her face?

The door opens again, it's Temari. "We haven't received any word from the Leaf. I sent our fastest bird there. How's she doing?" She asks as she moves to look at the younger woman on the couch.

"She's in shock." I tell her, glancing into her dark blue eyes for a moment. She turns on her heel and heads back to the door, opening it. "Matsuri, go fetch a medic." I hear the responding, "Yes, Lady Temari!" coming from my former student in the next room, her footsteps hurrying away.

I hope Hinata awakes soon. Finding out whats happened to the Leaf, to Naruto... What Kankuro reported couldn't be true, could it?