Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me but the story is. First attempt at fanfic writing so--please be considerate.
DRAFT
CHAPTER ONE
Konoha, The Future
It was a bright, beautiful morning and in the ruins of an old fort, a group of young children were happily relaxing after an intense bout of training demanded by their relentless Sensei. They lounged all over the grounds, oblivious to their exhaustion as they chatted about the simple goings-on they have missed, recounted events that occurred while the other was away and focused on teasing each other about their recent mishaps. Some were spread out on the lush grass, trying to catch their breath; some were up on tree limbs while others simply remained on the large boulders that once formed the ramparts that surrounded the fort.
Suddenly a pair of boys fell in their midst, appearing in a swirl of sand. The assembled teens simply stared at the two with varying degrees of interest, annoyance and boredom. They waited for them to speak. The first one to break the silence was the smaller of the two boys; his usually happy visage was painted with deep concern. His voice, more often than not was bright and cheerful, but was now eerily calm
"Minna…you have to listen… there's something you all should know…"
A loud yawn broke the expectant silence that suddenly gripped them. Lazy, utterly bored slate-blue eyes cracked open beneath the fall of dark blonde locks swept back in a high pony that faintly resembled a blonde pineapple. A pewter earring glimmered in the sunlight as he turned to speak. Even now, as he spoke, he gave the impression that each word was an exhausting chore he couldn't wait to get rid of.
"Tell me this isn't one of your more subtle forms of boring me to death Nataku…because I'm still wondering how you ever got into the academy with that brain…"
A slightly heavy-set boy sitting next to the despondent young one suddenly turned towards Nataku giving him a grin before asking, "Hey, before that, what's for lunch? I'm starving! Did you bring anything to eat Shiroku?"
Shiroku slapped his forehead and groaned, "Seiji-!Teme-!" However, despite his irritation, he dug into his back pocket and tossed to Seiji a small bag of nuts. His best friend gave him a bright smile and noisily dug into the snack.
An amused snort echoed behind him but Shiroku refused to acknowledge it. He knew well enough who had made it. It would do him no good to fall for that rejoinder. The suspect, apparently have no qualms about irritating him further.
Inoue stared at her older cousin with unholy amusement spitting sparks out of her distinctive blue eyes. She tossed her long fall of ash-blonde hair as her hands fiddled with the strings of her treasured marionette. However, her lips didn't move one bit as the scathing remark poured forth. Surprisingly, it was the marionette that spoke.
"Come now, Shiroku-nisan…even a sloth like you can have some interests other than simply plopping there in the sun like some lizard…I know that breathing is a chore for you, but surely that isn't the extent of your talents, ne?" she purred as one of her wooden hands waved elegantly.
Light shifted across his languid form as he sat up and struck his bright locks turning them impossibly black. His slate-colored eyes narrowed in irritation but he remained silent. He focused his stare at the two boys that continued to stare at them expectantly. He would've remained that way if not for the wickedly amused smile that lighted the eyes of everyone around him. He stared at the young girl and smirked.
"We shouldn't talk about talents Inoue-chan…not when you're old enough to go to the academy but you still cling to your dollies…and oh…that ribbon is so not flattering…you look like an over-sized gift. And next time, make sure your dolls actually have some sense."
An angry flush painted her cheeks and she was about to launch into another verbal harangue when she heard a weary sigh beside her. She glanced at the pair of twins seated next to her.
"Don't rile him…you know how he goes on and on…." The boy muttered good-naturedly as he stretched and performed a series of graceful katas. The spiky end of his dark brown hair glistened with sweat as his reddish-brown eyes shimmered with contentment. His customary green, Chinese outfit emphasized his lean, graceful form.
"But Tien Xin-! Look at him! He's one to talk when all he carries are those puzzle boxes and that pair of war fans!"
His twin, a girl who bore a striking resemblance to the boy except that her long flowing locks were confined to two pigtails on either side of her head and wore another Chinese Cheongsam in shades of pink glared at Shiroku, pointing a miniature naginata towards him.
"You are such an obnoxious man, Shiroku-kun…Have you no respect for the fairer sex that you speak to Inoue-nechan so scandalously? You must apologize at once!" Mei Lin demanded. Her passionate outburst was studiously ignored by everyone but her brother who gave her a thumbs-up and a good guy pose, one that would rival even the ones made by the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha.
"Is she always like that?" Sagara asked Nataku in a subdued voice. Nataku just nodded and gave him a sheepish smile.
"Yeah…but Tien Xin is much worse, believe me…"
Shiroku sighed before pulling out a Chinese puzzle box out of his pocket. He asked a question as his nimble fingers worked along the smooth panels of the intricate game.
"Tell us again why you two are forcing us to pay attention Nataku…it's late and I haven't eaten a thing. Tell me if it's important enough to skip lunch for."
"Don't be an idiot Shiroku! You're the smartest of us so you have to be here ahou!" grumbled a young boy with a shock of bright yellow hair. His spiky locks were tamed somewhat by a blue headband that matched his blue eyes perfectly. He had curiously enough, what looked like cat whiskers and a red tattoo peeking from his shoulders through the electric blue tracksuit and white open long coat that he constantly wore. A tiny, cute fang peeked out of his pouting mouth.
"Don't contradict yourself…it might give you a headache Nataku." The boy teased.
"Ugh…here we go again with another demonstration of dumb and dumber…" muttered Inoue.
A sigh escaped the lips of a tall, ebony haired lad that stood in the cool shade of the tree. His long, silky locks were caught at the waist in an old-fashioned tie more suited to ladies of the old imperial courts but somehow the archaic hairstyle suited him. He wore a long sleeved, black and white tunic and black pants that contrasted beautifully with his coloring and his hands and arms were wrapped in bandages. His handsome face was made more arresting by a pair of cool, colorless eyes that seemed to see straight into a person's soul. It was a delightful contrast to the flash of the silver ear clamps he constantly wore. When he spoke, his voice carried a calm dignity that soothed even the fiercest of tempers.
"Enough. This is suppose to be a meeting…it would be best if we proceed to this unveiling of facts…the sooner we listen to their tale, the quicker we can go on our way."
"Hijiri…"
"Shiroku-kun, wake yourself up enough to listen and use that brain of yours for something other than tracing patterns in the sky. Inoue-san, don't make the habit of annoying him. It only takes time and it makes everyone irritable after half an hour…" He stared at the two and both gave reluctant nods. He turned towards the energetic blue-clad boy, "As for you Nataku-kun, patience is a virtue...you can't railroad people all the time. It would do you some good to actually wait for some things."
"Hai!!" he answered with good cheer, making Hijiri pause. Shaking his head, he turned towards their otherwise silent companion, "Now tell us what this is all about."
Nataku immediately spoke, "Well, Sparky here said we have a serious problem…in his own words I think he said we are royally screwed."
A scandalized gasp followed his statement. "Onii-chan!" The gentle reprimand was uttered in a soft, sweet voice that made everyone, even the normally stoic Hijiri, blush. Sagara cocked an eyebrow in amusement, giving the offended girl a slight bow to convey his apology. He was awarded with a shy nod and a small smile.
Nataku grinned and bowed towards a smallest girl in their group, no older than six, who stood clutching onto Hijiri's jacket. He gave her head a gentle pat, rubbing his own blonde top in amusement.
"Gomen nasai, Yukina…"
One look at her face and form would make one easily assume that she was the younger sister of the ebony haired Hijiri. And no one would blame them. In point of fact, the young girl bore more than a passing resemblance to Hijiri. She had the same delicate features, the same fair, alabaster complexion that betrays her every emotion, and the same jet-black hair that looked like watered silk that flowed down to her hips. The silken mass were divided into two, confined with silk ties and decorated with miniature silver bells that chimed every time she drew breath. She also possessed the distinctive clear eyes that set Hijiri apart, although hers were tinted with a slight bluish hue.
Yukina shook her head, making her bells sing softly as she gently admonished the energetic boy standing before her.
"Really Onii-chan…what language you use…"
A dark-haired boy wearing a dark clothes and dark shades gave a small laugh, addressing the young girl as he handed her a small flower. She thanked him softly and tucked the fragrant bloom behind her right ear.
"You should him hear him when you're not here."
A bark of laughter followed Shinobu's statement and another boy, this one with a wild growth of snow-white hair and piercing gold eyes rapped Nataku on the head, as a small, brown wolf sat docilely by his feet.
"Itai!"
"Hah! That would really give you something to tell your father then." Tsume teased.
The blonde boy simply laughed, "Hey! No fair! Don't tell her that you guys!" He turned towards his companion who has remained silent since they arrived. "Ne, Sagara, why don't you tell them what's going on?"
The one addressed simply nodded, the sun's rays caught in his blood-red hair. A gust of wind blew the long, flowing locks held back in a high ponytail and as it settled, it framed his handsome face and gave prominence to his startling aquamarine colored eyes. His unique coloring was even more highlighted by the unusual mark that was present on the center of his smooth forehead. The contrast of his vivid coloring with his completely black shinobi ensemble gave the illusion of a flame caught within the ebony smoke it created. The sea-colored eyes betrayed no emotions as he stared at the assembled group. When he spoke, it was with a surprisingly deep voice that belied his young appearance.
"A few months ago as I combed through the archives I found a strange note in my fathers old log of missions when he was still in the early stages of being Kage. It denotes an event that occurred in Konoha nearly fifteen years ago. In his notes, he mentioned that a large group of young strangers once appeared in Konoha. They were the ones that aided the unification of our two nations."
"Sagara-san… begging your pardon but your father is Kage…of course his mission logs would be filled with such reports. What seems so interesting about it?" Tien Xin pointed out politely.
Sagara drew an item out of the many hidden pockets of his black ninja ensemble. It was an old photograph.
"This is what really made me pause…"
The gang all peered at the photo. It was taken in Konoha, in front of the Hokage's Tower. What was really startling about it wasn't the presence of the Hokage or their own faces imprinted on the thin sheet. It was the faces of the other children that stood beside them. The children that grew up to be their parents stood side by side to their own images.
"This is-!" Hijiri exclaimed. "How is this possible?"
"Is this some kind of hoax maybe? Trick photography of some sort?" Shinobu asked as his eyes stared hard at the picture held in Hijiri's hand.
"It can't be…it is old…very old indeed…"Mei Lin ran her fingertips across the paper. "The paper is grainy…not likely to be machine manipulated."
Tsume sniffed the photograph before pronouncing, "Mei Lin is right…this smells aged…around ten or fifteen years…probably more…"
"Do you have any idea how this came to be with your father's things?" Inoue asked.
"I don't know…" came the gruff reply. Sagara's voice however remained controlled as he calmly pointed out, "The thing that concerns me is the fact that since I got this we have been slowly fading from this photograph…"
All of them stared at the usually stoic red-haired boy, waiting for his next statement but it was Shiroku who delivered the final blow.
"If what I think is correct…then it's only right that Sagara-san brought this to our attention…You understand perfectly well what this means right Sagara-san? That's why you had to tell us…"
"Is this really that important Shiroku?" Nataku asked.
He nodded solemnly. His eyes, now fully opened revealed their intense, brilliant depths. "If I'm right…we are about to find out if time-travel is possible…"
Tien looked at him skeptically, "Time travel? But why?"
Shoji stared at the dark look that pooled in the depths of Shiroku's eyes. He rarely saw that steely look in his friend's eyes…and the only times he ever got that serious, the problem they had been facing had been near insurmountable for the rest of them. The glint in his eyes now gave the rest of them an uneasy shiver.
"What does time-travel have to do with this Shiroku?" Hijiri voiced out the question that hovered in all their minds.
Sagara pinned Shiroku with a look piercing enough to terrify those of the faint hearted. It however, served only to make the tactician to smirk.
"Are you telling us that we need to make something improbable possible— something like traveling through time?" he asked derisively, his voice conveying his skepticism.
"That's right…"
"Why?" he asked bluntly.
Shiroku gazed back at him with an unholy light in his twilight colored eyes. "Because if we don't, we may never come to exist at all."