Revised 6/26/2009

This story takes off after the end of a final battle in JFalcon's New Blood which I have dubbed, the "Fourth Great Shinobi War." I used it as a template to allow a proper timeline for my story to begin. I use some of his characters from New Blood, but the story itself is completely my own. This chapter basically gives you all the information you need from New Blood to understand the events occurring in Root: The Kazegan.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters created by Kishimoto in this story nor do I own any of the characters created by JFalcon. The only thing I own about this fan fiction are the characters I create and the storyline I am about to unravel.

The Prologue to Root: The Kazegan

Living in the Land of Fire was peaceful, at least where he was. Apparently, he had heard from the people in the town that there was a war going on all around the country. Fortunately, his town had yet to be affected by it.

He lived in a town on the very southern tip of the Fire Country. It was right on the water and had a very thriving community. It was self-sufficient and there was no trouble in these parts, so they never had to worry about the fear of an attack or anything of the sort. Occasionally, there would be traveling groups of samurai but that's the most the town had ever seen of combatants.

In the village, he was known as the guy with the yellow eyes. Few knew his name because others didn't bother to approach him. The people kind enough to befriend him were honest and trustworthy people. They didn't judge him because of the way he looked or because he was an outsider, they just accepted him. He never had to explain where he was from or why his eyes were the way they were, nor could he if he wanted to. He just lived his new life without the worry of trouble.

However, every night he would lie in his bed and try to remember what his former life had been like. He had slight memories, nothing tangible. Every time his mind would catch a glimpse of something, it would wither away. The only memory he had managed to recover was the memory of a night where he engaged in a deadly battle. He had small pieces which would flash back and forth through his mind, but nothing else.

He could remember using his eyes to their maximum; using their strength to increase his speed within the wind and to focus on the chakra around him. He knew that for him to be using his eyes to such an extent the battle must have been a matter of life or death . He remembered hearing his enemies scream for help and beg for mercy. But what he remembered the most was them begging for him not to end their lives.

He remembered a feeling of anger and rage within him, which he had never felt before. He couldn't remember why he was attacking these men or why they were attacking him. All he could remember was that he had to kill them. They had done something to him that for some reason he couldn't remember. Everything after that seemed to whither within his mind.

For some odd reason, he was able to remember his fighting style completely. It angered him though that he couldn't remember his life. He didn't know whether or not he had a family, where he had come from, or who he was. The only thing of his past that he knew was his name. He didn't know his last name, just his first. It wasn't much, but it was the only piece of his past that he had.

Ever since the day that the blond man had found him nearly dead in that forest, he had been waiting for the right time, a sign that he should start searching for answers. His life had become a wait for the truth. He knew that one day he would have to leave the village in an attempt to find answers, but for now he would stay here and live the quaint life he was living, or so he thought.

That same day he made that decision, his life took a turn he had not expected. That same man who had saved him that long time ago was back. This time though, it wasn't he who needed the man, but the man who needed him.

Konoha had become a land of peace. Much had changed after the final battle. Konoha, Suna and the surprise ally, Kiri, had emerged as the victors. Oto, Iwa, and the treacherous Kumo led by Kabuto's iron fist, failed to succeed in their attempts to crush Konoha and unite the land under one Shogun.

Every village had suffered a vast amount of losses, agony, and suffering after the war was over. Bonds were strengthened and ties which were once considered inseparable were severed in midst of the angst of war. The once thriving and prosperous Konoha was struggling. It's walls needed to be repaired, relations between foreign daimyos and it needed to be straightened out, and most important of all, it needed to replace its most important weapon and it's most important defense.

Shinobi were nothing but a tool, a weapon, a means of protecting its land's daimyo in exchange for money and sometimes, their lives. The people who hired them disregarded the fact that in a reality parallel to theirs, shinobi also had their own lives and families that they hoped to go back to after every mission.

The figurative "calm after the storm"" would not last long. It wouldn't take much time until the remnants of Oto rebuilt itself. Whether it be under the command of the now missing Kabuto or a new dictator, once they were stabilized they surely would not hesitate to make another attempt at destroying Konoha. On the other hand, Iwa would have less trouble getting back on its feet. The Tsuchikage had managed to survive and they had plenty of ninja left to maintain their standing as one of the five most powerful ninja villages.

Kumo was on the fence. After the death of the true Raikage, Hattori Tetsuo reclaimed his position as Raikage. His clan had suffered many losses at the hands of Konoha. His little sister had defected from his village and joined the ranks of Oto to later be slaughtered by Leaf shinobi. His father made an attempt at the now Rokudaime Hokage, Naruto, but failed miserably and fell to his death. No one knew whether or not the Village Hidden in the Clouds would side with or against the Leaf.

As for Konoha's allies, they were no better off than any other village. Suna was on the brink of ceasing to exist. There was an ongoing political battle going on in the Land of Wind for the position of Daimyo. There were barely any missions being sent to the village and they were depending on foreign feudal lords to send them requests which paid less than half what their own land once paid. Konoha had been trying to offer them any extra missions they could but the Leaf needed as many missions as they could get. The only time they would pass anything on to Suna is if it were more convenient to them or if they had a shortage of shinobi.

Kiri made the trip back to its homeland after the battle. Kumo had forcefully pushed them from their home and now they were back to continue on with business as usual. When they had arrived, rogue ninja were attempting to take control of the village but were easily overpowered by the full force of their army. The current Mizukage, Hozuki Suigetsu, began the process of rebuilding the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu. They notified their new partners, Suna and Konoha, of the revitalization of their program and let them know that the methods they will use will be very similar to those used in the past. Whether or not Suna and Konoha condone their methods is unknown but neither village is in a position to attempt to dictate another village's actions.

Konoha had a long, hard road ahead. Naruto realized that it would not be easy and he would need to cooperate with his allies if he hoped to restore his village's former glory. Rebuilding the village would be no easy task. The East, South, and West walls had been damaged during the final battle, several homes were destroyed, and even its natural barrier, the trees, needed to be replanted and kept.

He had not seen such devastation to his village since the last time it had been infiltrated nearly 15 years ago by Nagato. He would not let the village go in to the dark time it had gone in to before again. In an attempt to gain the advice of his fellow shinobi, he called a meeting of the leaders of Konoha's most well known clans.

During this meeting Naruto would reveal a program Tsunade and he had kept behind closed doors for the last year or so. In preparation for the aftermath of the then upcoming war, Tsunade consulted Naruto about rebuilding Root. Both of them had experienced firsthand the devastation of the once hidden branch of ANBU so she knew there was no better person to consult. She knew that whether Konoha faced victory or defeat, the village would be in a state of weakness.

After the last invasion of Konoha, Danzo, the former leader of the now defunct Root and past candidate for Sandaime Hokage alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen, attempted a coup d'etat against her in her fragile state but her star pupil, Sakura, came to her rescue alongside Gamakichi and several other Konoha shinobi, including Sai. To finally end the threat of Root, Tsunade made sure that any remnants of the program were destroyed and any shinobi who didn't agree to join the ranks of ANBU or the other Konoha shinobi as an alternate punishment for their betrayal would face death.

However, many would criticize the Godaime and him for their secrecy, but they would thank him because if it were not for their reconstruction of Root, the village would ultimately crumble from within. He would consult Shikamaru, his head advisor, on the matter before the meeting on how he would present this to the clan leaders. Naruto knew that Shikamaru would have the best plan of action for the situation than anyone else in Konoha.

The shinobi in Root were going to surprise even Naruto, let alone the rest of the village, with their skill, intelligence, and performance. It would take time, talking, and patience to have Konoha accept their new residents, but it would all pay off in the end.

Glossary:

Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu- The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

A/N: There is not much in this chapter except for a way to lead you into the actual story. The first section about a man who has lost his memory is the main character of this story, which is my own Original Character. The information after that is just the back story from New Blood so that you can understand why certain things are happening. There is nothing in the rest of the story which should confuse you, I don't use any information from New Blood which I haven't elaborated on beforehand, I just used the war in his story to kick start mine. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it. If you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, please feel free to send me a PM or leave me a review with anything I stated before.