A/N: It's been a long time coming, but I'm bringing it back. And, from now on, I plan(hope) to update at least once a week so, for anyone who cares, if I don't, you have every right to complain.

Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, I own nothing but the concept to this story. This is my only disclaimer.

"Talking"

Thinking

Onomatopoeia!

Jutsu/ Physical Technique

"Different Language"

Location

Flashback

The voices foretell of 5 children…

2 of Light…

"I saw one that way; hurry!"

2 of Darkness…

"There's some more; get them now!"

And one from the Interbetween…

Konoha: Business District

"They're coming ba-aghhh!" Crimson life spewed from the corpse as it fell to the ground, lifeless and torn, his Konoha hitae-ite abandoned and forgotten in a nearby alley. Screeches of glee reverberated in the night sky as a pale pink sphere ascended into the sky, ebony puddles materializing and taking shape. The imp-like creatures danced their twisted dance, their inhumanly bright yellow eyes glistened and their maws snapped with bloodlust at the sight of the quivering Chuunin.

They leaped. And with a flash of silver, they were gone.

The man who had only recently been KIA reappeared, wide-eyed and shivering. "W, what just happe--"

Schling! His body fell in two halves, each one sloshing against the cold stone alley he'd slipped into and deteriorating.

Brushing a stray silvery lock from his teal eyes, the man who had dealt the blow sauntered forward. The inferior Chuunin split into 2 groups of four on either side of the road, opening a path for the assassin. They were afraid of him.

And when he spoke, the justifiably fearful men stood at attention. "Since you have been so kind to me…," his voice was smooth and calm, almost to the point of being cold and monotonous, "…I shall let you off easy. Just this once." And as his unspeakably long blade plunged into each of their skulls row by row, it brought about a bittersweet realization.

This was his definition of "letting you off easy"; a swift and near painless stab to the brain.

With a single swipe, his blade was clean and gleaming, the moon's radiance giving it an ethereal glow. Even the crows celebrated his magnificence, their piercing caws bellowing through the night. But there was something else that invaded the sword's persona. It was yellow and red and brown and gray all at the same time. Chancing a quick glance upwards, he saw that he was in front of Konoha's Medical Headquarters. Staring deeper into the blade's reflection, he smiled a devious smile. His target had been identified.

He deftly leapt to the side, avoiding a viciously electrified palm. He back-flipped over a feeble sword strike and countered with his own, his Masamune easily overcoming his gray-haired opponent's katana. He glared indignantly at this man- no; boy- who had dared to attack him.

Suddenly, he fell to his knees. It had been a mistake, he realized, to stare into the boy's demonic red eye. If it wasn't for his superior skill and speed, he would have fallen on that day.

He landed atop the hospital roof and positioned Masamune at his side. If the insolent boy followed, he would die. No questions asked.

A shriek erupted from the earth.

Konoha: Outskirts

In the forest behind the village, another, just as sinister battle was already being waged. Long, orange tails flailed around, reducing the once luscious flora to mere shrubbery. Commands echoed through the clearing.

"Attack from a distance! Don't get too close!" The Yondaime issued commands to his many subordinates. But to him, they were more than that. They were his dear friends, each one of them, and here they were sacrificing their lives for a losing battle. He let a tear fall as he looked upon the growing pile of corpses in front of him, and for the sacrifice he was about to make. Someone put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not worry, Minato-dono. We are 100% behind you, no matter what you decide." It was Brasca. He was a self-proclaimed master in the arts of summoning and seals, although his abilities were no match for the Kyuubi's wrath. He was also one of Minato's best friends.

Smiling, Minato wiped his face. If he was going down, he would do it like a man.

His head began to throb, his temple pulsating. He could feel it; Death had arrived.

After a few minutes, the pain subsided enough to allow for coherent thought. "Brasca," His speech was strained and came out in gasps, "Get everyone out of here. Now!" Brasca acted immediately, twirling his staff and summoning the remainder of his energy. Kakashi…where are you?!

"Sephiroth…ungh…is here!"

Konoha

The situation in town had gone from bad to worse, the rapidly multiplying Shadows ever intangible to even their greatest abilities.

Somehow, they compressed their infantile forms into the ground and slithered towards their victims, stealing…something; something essential to existence. Kakashi learned this the hard way.

The lump in his throat pounded incessantly, his legs a blur beneath him. It was too late to turn back now. His incompetence had cost him more than could be replaced by genial means. The preciously unmarred bundle in his arms shifted and squirmed, whelping as if understanding his plight.

Konoha: Outskirts

"Minato-sensei, you can't be serious!" I shouted, slamming my fist against 'Bunta's leathery scalp. "There has to be another--"

"NO!!" I fell to my knees and bowed hastily.

"But Lord Braska, why?" He stopped waving his heavily jewel encrusted staff and turned to glare at me. He briskly grabbed both Rin, who had remained silent thus far, and myself and jumped off the great frog's back.

"What are you--" The Daimyo threw us into a bush.

"Quiet!" He interrupted me again and I had no choice but to do the one thing I was good at; I shut up and listened.

"Listen…Kakashi…" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What else can he do? How would you feel if I were to take your son or daughter and condemn them to a life of desolation and loneliness?"

"But Sensei," I didn't understand, "Sensei said he'd be praised and honored as a hero."

"That should be the case, but--"

"But you should know firsthand how quickly attitudes change in this village." Rin spoke up for the first time.

"Exactly. And as much as it pains me to do this, we have to."

I rose to my feet, "I still don't like this," and took off into the woods.

-----

As we scaled the side of Konoha's border, I noticed a faint ringing sound, though I couldn't pinpoint its location. I flipped onto the roof and surveyed the village, as did Rin.

"Whoa…" She muttered; I was speechless. It was as if the entire village had been enveloped in a dome of black. But that was impossible. I had no more time to think about it.

"Let's go." Rin said. I nodded and followed her into the village. We jumped off the edging and I noticed on the way down that, other than the sky, the inside was as illuminated as it would be any other night, if not more so. Landing on a rooftop, I ran parallel to Rin as she directed us.

"The hospital's northwest from our current location."

"Got it." A piercing scream broke through the night air, startling me and causing me to trip. Luckily, I caught myself in time and pushed off the ground, flipping over to the adjacent rooftop next to Rin. "That sounded like it came from the hospital." Rin simply nodded and picked up her pace, leaving me several paces behind her. I was still marveled at how much faster she was than me, though it most likely was due to her Inuzuka blood.

The ringing in my ears had grown exponentially louder until it almost sounded comprehensible. But just ahead of me, Rin stopped at the edge of a slightly high-risen building just across the street from the hospital. I skidded to a halt beside her. "What is it?" She pointed a shaky finger to the side of the building, her eyes wide as noodle cups. I followed her gaze and my heart stopped. Suddenly the ringing in my ear clarified and I understood every word.

Sors immanis…

Et inanis…

"No…It can't be!"

Sephiroth!

I clenched my teeth; my anger was getting the best of me. My hands slowly traveled up to my chest.

"Kakashi, what are you--"

"Rin, get Naruto." I was adamant on getting him back; there was no way I would let him live after what he'd done. "He'll pay…" She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?! You can't beat him!" I was already halfway through the seals.

"I have to try; otherwise I won't be able to look at myself without seeing Him again…." I lifted the bandage that covered my left eye and grimaced. It was now or never. "I'm asking you as a friend, Rin," I turned to her, my blaring red eye locked with her teal ones, and, with the utmost compassion I could muster, I asked; "Please?"

I did not, however, wait for her answer. I thrust my right arm out and, holding it steady with my left, I shouted, "Chidori," and leaped off the roof, the electric storm held in my arm rocketing towards the unwary demon, Sephiroth.

But just before I made contact, he jumped to the side, dodging the blow completely. But I acted quickly, dissolving the Chidori mid-land and using my Anbu-regulated katana to slash at him. He dodged it with a proficient back-flip and countered me with his own strike, easily overpowering me in the deadlock. But I was far from down, not when I was so close. I used the Sharingan's hypnosis to stun him, though for how long, I was unsure. But in the brief moment he was down, I took my chance and, after parrying his sword away, thrust my own at his skull.

"Dammit!" At the last moment, he jumped onto the roof. Now I had to think; do I follow him and risk dying or do I finish my mission? On the one hand, I would regain my honor and possibly lose my life, but on the other hand, I could run like a coward now and save the rest villagers that haven't been destroyed by the Kyuubi, though Sephiroth would still be—

A scream from my left shook me out of my thoughts. When I ran over to the front of the building, I was sure that my head was about to explode.

"Rin, NO!!!" She was being overtaken by a mob of black…children? Or were they ants? Little yellow-eyed, childlike, black-as-night creatures with wobbly antennas is the best I can describe them. I leapt into action, delivering a vicious axe kick to the nearest one.

"What!?" It missed! The creature somehow…melted into the ground and my foot fell into a puddle. I leapt backwards, my eyes welling up with tears. "Rin…I'm so…" I didn't know what to say. What could I say?

I averted my eyes and saw another group of people. There were 3 people in all; a young womanwith flaming red hair that was being carried by a youth with blue-gray hair, whose name escapes me, followed by a burly looking brunette with a large tomahawk, whose name also escapes me. They all seemed to be staring at the mob of creatures with an exceptional hardness. I just couldn't help but look back, despite my aversion to it before.

It seemed like Kami was adamant on giving my eyes a workout today.

The mob of creatures were circled around the spot that Rin occupied just seconds ago, but they seemed confused, almost as if they were searching for something. It wasn't 'til I looked closer that I saw the tiny blonde baby that lay wrapped in a baby blue blanket in the center of the circle.

My mind was made up.

I charged forward at top speed, left arm at the ready. Sorry, Kushina-sama, but I have to do this. Her shouts were drowned out by the beating of my heart as I adroitly jumped through the circle, scooped up the baby, and, after landing, took off as fast as I could.

Konoha: Outskirts

Kakashi replaced the bandage over his left eye. It was no longer necessary; he had reached his destination.

"Did you get him?" Minato asked as Kakashi landed on Gamabunta's head. Minato didn't turn around, nor acknowledge him in any other way.

"Yes, though it was a bit more difficult than planned." Kakashi looked around as he gently placed the baby behind the Hokage. "Where is everyone? Who will hold off the Kyuubi while you prepare?"

"I have issued a relief of duty. Everyone who is still alive is safely resting at Lord Braska's manor." Minato stared at the young Jounin out of the corner of his eyes, "Where is Rin?" Kakashi lowered his head.

"…I screwed up. I thought I could take him…but I blundered and it cost Rin her life." Minato gasped.

So, it was just as I thought…The giant toad moved forward, "Kakashi, go to the Hyuuga compound. I have a feeling that they'll need you." Nodding, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "It seems there'll be at least 2 orphans by the end of the day.

Minato fully turned around and rubbed his forehead. "Sigh…This has been one of the longest days of my life." Oddly, saying that brought an inappropriate smile to his face. Just like when that bald kid came here. I guess our destinies were separate all along…Good times…

"RAWRRRRRR!!!!!!!" The Kyuubi howled in frustration, its tails deflecting the great toad's strikes and slashes. Naruto whelped in pain.

"Aw, shut up, ya old windbag." Minato ordered. If he was going to die, he wouldn't tolerate some overgrown kitty make his son cry. He scooped Naruto into his arms, lovingly rubbing his hair and whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

Hurry up, old friend…time is running out…

Konoha: Hyuuga Compound

Just outside the Hyuuga compound, Zack sliced through yet another shadow. He would protect the children no matter what. "Tifa, how you holdin' up?"

"Seishou Bakufuu(Energy Blast)!!" An amalgam of neon blue spheres of chakra destroyed a group of shadows as they appeared, a cloud of black wisps painting the sky an even darker shade of black. Sighing, Tifa dropped her stance and ran her hand through her long brown hair. She rolled her shoulders and rested her other hand on her hip.

"I'm just fine. It's not as if—ugh!" Tifa fell to her knees, clutching her chest and gasping for air. "Why…why now?" Zack fell to his knees, his blade falling to the side.

"Unacceptable," he muttered, scrambling to pick himself back up, "For Sephiroth to be here now…is simply," Zack finally regained his footing and growled, "UNACCEPTABLE!!" He took off, accidentally leaving his sword behind.

"Zack, stop!"

"WHOA!" He tripped over a rock and crashed into a group of trash cans. He came up rubbing his spiky black hair. "What's the big idea, Aerith?"

"Where do you think you're running off to, mister?" Aerith interrogated, irked by her husband's lack of focus.

"I have to help Cloud! He can't beat him alone!"

"What makes you so sure that that's where he is?" Zack's face contorted into a half-witted stare and his tongue drooped.

"Duh! Why else wouldn't he be here? His kid's right over there." Zack pointed at the three children that sat next to her, red, blue, and brown-haired respectively. Aerith glared at him before facing Tifa, whose face was awash with indecision.

"Go ahead, Tifa, we'll be fine." Tifa shook her head.

"I can't just leave you guys here to fight these things by yourselves!"

"Well then, it's a good thing we're here, right, Squall?

"Shut up! I told you my name is 'Leon'!"

"Oh, shove it, you two!" A trio of children leapt off the roof of a nearby building. Two of them were boys, one with short blond hair and a scar across the bridge of his nose, the other with long brown hair and a scar to match his companion's. The last one was a scrawny-looking girl with medium length black hair.

"But you guys can't handle these things. You're just kids!" Out of nowhere, a faint squishing sound erupted behind Tifa, sending her jumping forward a good 3 feet. When she turned to see who it was, she was just the tiniest bit relieved. "Phew, Kakashi, you scared me."

Kakashi stood erect and sheathed his blade. "You'd better hurry, Tifa-san, before it's too late." Aerith rose her hand methodically.

"Ooh, Kakashi, how are Kushina and the Hokage?" Kakashi averted his gaze

"…I don't know, Fea-san…Hey, what are you three doing here?" He asked, pointing at the three.

"That's beside the point, Kakashi-sempai. Now would you hurry up, Tifa?" The quiet storm muttered.

Tifa looked up into the sky, grimacing at its unnatural hue. Cloud… "Sora…"

"What?"

"That's his name… Sora…" And she jumped towards the place where the massive chakra was cultivating.

Zack sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head. "You know, now that I think about it, maybe sending a woman who just had her baby, ehhh, wasn't the smartest thing to do." The rest of the group sweatdropped as well. Hearing a cry, followed by gurgling and clapping coming from behind them, they turned.

"Awwww…" The red haired baby was clapping and gurgling, as the newly named Sora was laying atop a shadow, baby spit dripping down the side as he sucked on the head of the shadow.

"Oh, man, where's a camera when you need it?" Kakashi searched threw his pockets as Seifer lowered his head.

"Oh, yeah, when he helps, it's cute. And you say we're too young….Hey, what's going on with that other baby?" Aerith shrieked as she saw the blunette baby crying and bleeding from her chest.

"Hinata!" She grabbed the baby and poured green chakra into the wound, closing it up. The ground rumbled and a cloud of dust picked up.

"WHERE'S MY BABY!!"

"Ummm, right here, sir." The black-haired girl picked up the blue-haired baby and handed her to Hiashi.

"Oh, thank you, Rinoa."

"Well, actually, it was--" She didn't get to finish as a new figure had risen from the darkness. It was 2 stories tall, and a large gap was missing from its chest in the shape of a heart. Black hair-like tendrils rested atop its head.

"Aerith, you and Hiashi take the babies and get into the compound."

"But what about-"

"Don't worry about it lady, we can handle it. You just get to safety." Leon spoke up. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning)!!" He slammed his palm to the ground and a cloud of smoke poofed into existence. As the smoke cleared, a grandiose, full maned lion took its place.

"You called?"

"Yeah. We need your help, Mufasa." He directed the Lion King over to Aerith. Nodding, he expanded to allow the woman, Hiashi, and the three babies to ride him.

"Do you want me to get the other one?"

"The other one?" The lion nodded over to a shady corner of the wall, where a tiny little boy lay passed out on the ground.

"I can't believe we didn't even see him. Yes, take him too." With help from Aerith, Mufasa was able to carry the boy away as well.

The giant grew impatient and slammed his fist into the ground, barely missing the now airborne ninja. And as Kakashi charged his Chidori, he found that was focus was not on the battle at hand, but rather the mysterious boy that they had somehow managed to miss. I didn't feel him at all…Who is that boy?

Konoha: Hospital Roof

Sephiroth stared out over the edge of the balcony, watching with a passive disinterest as the pathetic weaklings scrambled on the village floor. "What a pity that boy got away. I was hoping for at least a little bit of a challenge, seeing how I came all this way…" His face lit up with a malevolent flared and he twisted his blade to the side. "Though I suppose you'll be more than enough for now…right, Cloud." Cloud landed squarely on his feet and glared at the bane of his existence.

"Sephiroth…" They simply stared at one another, each one unrelenting and unwavering. Cloud removed his massive blade from the strap on his specially modified Anbu gear and, after pulling the mask away from his face, got into his battle stance, his blade proudly held parallel to his body.

Sephiroth's demeanor grew serious and his chakra flared wildly. "I believe it's time we end this little game of tag…"

"What, no monologue this time?" Cloud quipped, "Damn…." Growling, Sephiroth charged forward.

Spinning, Cloud blocked the Masamune and parried it to the side. Using the momentum from the blade, he spun again, this time kicking Sephiroth in the chest, which was followed by a sweep kick. Seeing his opportunity, Cloud swung his massive sword downward, attempting to cut his opponent in two. But his positioning was too awkward for the blade to fall fast enough and at the last second, he blocked the strike and rebounded away from the blond. They swung madly at each other, their swords mere blurs as they collided and reverberated off each other, the sparks catching onto the nearby electrical equipment and setting them ablaze.

Jumping back, Sephiroth's upper body grew a blue-ish aura and the skies darkened ever more. Cloud was caught unprepared for the for the onslaught of slashes and gashed he received from the sonic blows that rained upon him.

Cloud feebly tried to block, resulting in his sword being blasted 20 feet in the air. Sephiroth lifted his sword, intending a death blow.

BLAM!He was sent sailing by Tifa's monstrous kick. Cloud fell back and sighed, glad for the help. Good thing he did too, he reckoned, as his sword had fallen back down, blade first, landing dangerously close to his nads.

"Sssssssss…." He hissed.

"Oh, buck up….You ready?"

"…Yeah…" He stood up and pulled his sword out of the ground, pouring green chakra into it.

"His name's Sora, you know." Cloud chuckled.

"Oh, yeah? And how long did it take you to come up with that?" She punched him in the arm.

"Shut up! It's not like you could do any better."

His chuckle slowed and eventually stopped. "Heheheh. You're right…it's perfect." No matter how hard they try…the clouds will never surpass the sky…' He looked back down at his opponent, who was glowing a harsh pink.

Tifa grabbed the bottom half of the handle, pouring in her own chakra, and they charged forward, in perfect sync, and collided with Sephiroth, creating a swirling vortex of yellow light that broke through the darkness and spiraled all the way up to the heavens…

Konoha: Hyuuga Compound

Kakashi and crew had managed fairly well against the giant, mainly due to Zack's abilities and his Chidori. But the kids did have their use; the stupid thing summoned wave after wave of shadows, repetitiously replacing each defeated one with two more.

But now they were all tired and chakra drained, while the creature stood strong, despite missing a few limbs. Suddenly, it erupted in a blue light, which spiraled and ascended to the sky.

Konoha: Outskirts

Minato lie on his back, looking straight into the sky, his baby sleeping peacefully next to him, wrapped in his jacket. Hearing footsteps, he looked over and smiled warmly.

"Ahh, so you finally made it, old friend." He chuckled weakly.

"…You did it, didn't you?"

"Don't worry about it, Mick-o, I did what I had to. I only wanted my boy to live happily here, as a hero. I have no regrets." A red light erupted around them, swirling and hazardous on the outside, yet surprisingly warm on the inside.

"Naruto…Uzumaki…"

"Now is not the time to be talking about food, Mina. We're losing you."

"It's his name, Mickey. Tell that to Saru-jii for me, ok? I don't know what his name is, but he has a family…ask Kakashi. If the time comes…when the time comes…let them do what they have to do, as well. If they're anything like their parents, they'd be pissed if you didn't." The 3 beams of light bent to form at a center and mixed together to form a door, encased in a golden aura. Its doors opened wide, and the skies were filled with black.

"Well…I guess this goodbye. Say goodbye to Goofy and Donald for me, will ya? They were always good for a laugh..." His body rose into the slowly rose into the air as he gave in to death.

"You be a good boy…alright?"

Naruto…

13 years later…

Konoha: Uzumaki Apartment

Come on!

Naruto slowly cringed awake, his fist a trembling well of anger. Why did he have to pick this one? He was so tired, though, that his anger quickly diminished.

Owareru youni isoi de iru
Kawai ta mune ga kari tateru no sa
Hitokiwa tsuyoku kagayaku hoshi wa
Ima mo tooku ni aru

Grumbling, he kicked the covers off and threw his feet over the side of the bed. He removed his fuzzy hat and yawned throatily. His nose twitched as he sniffed around for any edible smell nearby. His stomach grumbled disappointedly. "Sorry, stomach." He rubbed it tenderly, a weary frown plastered on his face.

Ushinatte yuku mot--

Click!

"Stupid alarm clock…" Naruto pushed off the bed and headed for the living room.

"Did you sleep ok, Naruto? You sound angry." His brother commented from his desk as he entered the room. Naruto scowled.

"You know I hate that song, Sora!" He yelled, smacking Sora in the back of the head. Sora simply laughed. Ignoring him, Naruto made his way into the kitchen. "So, how long have you been awake?"

Sora removed the objects on the desk and placed them into a knapsack. And in their place, he rested an old, worn out sword that was much too large for him to handle. "I've been up for a while, finishing up my project to show to the old man this afternoon."

"Why don't you just show it to him now?" Naruto asked as he exited the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in his hands. Sora spun his chair around and gaped incredulously.

"Don't tell me you forgot?"

"What…is it my birthday?" Sora shook his head. Naruto scratched his forehead. "Well then, what--" He reached for his head again and rubbed his hand against the fine-inscripted metal. Pulling it off, he shrieked. "WHAT?! You mean it's--"

"Yep," Sora stood and beamed proudly at his older brother, "Today's the day we officially become Gennin!"

A/N: So, there you go, Chapter 1 V.2. As you can see, it's a lot better than the original.

The song for Naruto's alarm clock was the beginning of the 1st opening to NARUTO. Don't worry, I don't expect anyone to know the Lyrics, nor do I care for them. I'm still on the rocks about what language to put the jutsu in, but lyrics-wise, I kept it original, just for the moment. Most, if any, songs will be in English.