The warm summer air was tainted with smoke, and roar of fire and of battle drowned out almost all other noises. However, an infant's wail rose above the noise and could be heard throughout the village as an enormous shockwave rent the ground and sent up an enormous dust cloud, obscuring even the moon from view.

Two figures ran desperately down a deserted street, their feet pounding into the soft dirt of the path with an almost desperate sound. As the two darted into a side alleyway, one figure lingered in the entrance, staring into the roaring fire, his red eyes reflecting the carnage that he beheld.

"I'm so sorry…" The man said softly to the warm wind as it gently brushed his black hair in front of his eyes from which warm, salty tears fell, staining his ash-covered cheeks. The man turned into the darkness of the alleyway and disappeared into the safety of the shadows as the fire engulfed the street where he had stood only seconds before.

As the man and the woman raced out of the alleyway, burnt clothing streaming behind them, footsteps resounding in the quiet air. Ahead of them was the looming, wooden village gate, painted with ash from the fires that were roaring behind the two as the panted and coughed to a halt as they stood in front of it.

"We're almost safe," the man said with a small, sad smile as he looked back at the burning village. The woman next to him nodded her assent silently, unable to speak through the sadness and panic that gripped her heart.

As the two began to run again, a shadowed figure stepped out from behind the gate, clapping softly, his piercing, harsh red eyes shining through the darkness and shadow of the night.

"Bravo Kiyoshi, my brother… But did you really think you would be able to hide from the wrath of the Uchiha forever?" The man said as he strode into the dim flickering light cast by the fire from the burning village behind them.

Kiyoshi stepped in front of the woman instinctively, his ash-and-tear-stained face bared in a snarl.

"Your fight is with me Kazuya, my brother." He said, spiting the last word with contempt, and he turned whispering softly to the woman standing next to him who nodded tearfully and ran with the bundle in her arms away from the two men, tears tracing lines on her ash-stained cheeks as the fire roared.

Kazuya lunged at her with an enraged roar, his hands forming the fateful seals, but Kiyoshi barreled into him, sending him to the dust, but even as he did this, he felt his body explode in pain, seeing a bloodstained, sword protruding from his chest and hearing the telltale pop of a shadow clone dissipating into smoke. As a final tear rolled down Kiyoshi's cheek, the blade twisted forcefully, and Kazuya Uchiha's red eyes saw no more…

As dust rose and fell, Kazuya roared in anguish, clutching his face, his nails digging into his face, leaving deep, slashes as his eyes burned savagely. Kazuya roared again, but as his voice trailed off into the darkness, he opened his eyes once more, which now burned with an even darker light; falling to his knees, Kazuya exhaled, a savage sneer stretching across his face as he grabbed ahold of his brothers glassy, sightless eyes. Blood spurted from Kiyoshi's empty sockets as Kazuya wrenched his lifeless eyes from his corpse, holding them up to the harsh flickering light of the fire, roaring with insane laughter as he looked at the red orbs in his hands.

"Do not let the Senju woman escape!" Kazuya Uchiha roared as several masked figures appeared beside him, and nodding their assent, flitted out of sight.

Kazuya turned to the corpse of his brother with a distasteful sneer upon his lips, and spat onto the ground next to Kiyoshi's motionless body. Wrenching his bloodstained sword free, Kazuya turned away from the body on the ground, leaving it to be swallowed by the flames of the burning village as he walked into the darkness of the night.

The woman stumbled through the forest, a line of crimson blood dripping down her chin, hitting the soft bundle of cloth and leaving streaks of red in he fabric. The warm night air was free of the roaring of the fire, and as the woman fell onto the worn dirt path in front of two green wooden gates, she whispered words of comfort to the wailing bundle, turning to look at the twisted bloodstained roots protruding from the ground, which had impaled her pursuers.

"Grow up to be a strong and brave shinobi like your father, Minoru." The woman said with a bright, tear-stained smile on her face, before she coughed crimson blood onto her hands, and fell forward next to her son, the five kunai embedded in her back were stained with her blood as she shuddered and was still…

Minoru Yamato sprinted through the sunbathed streets of Konoha, his eyes set in a determined glare as he skidded around a corner, almost toppling an elderly lady who was laden with groceries. Yelling an apology to her as he ran down a cool, quiet pathway, shaded by trees and strewn with leaves, Minoru slowed to a walk as a large tree and well-known building came into sight. As Minoru approached the building, where a small crowd had gathered around the large, shady tree, he could hear the familiar voice of Iruka-sensei as he congratulated the new Genins on their accomplishment. Minoru sighed and jogged over to Iruka-sensei, who was now leaning against the solid trunk of the tree, looking exhausted. When the spiky-haired Chuunin saw Minoru approaching, he smiled tiredly and twirled a last polished, metal headband with the Leaf Village's insignia engraved into the metal around his finger.

"We all thought you'd forgot that you graduated today," Iruka-sensei said with a laugh as he handed Minoru the headband and patted his head," you earned it, buddy."

As Iruka-sensei was whisked away by another parent, Minoru silently admired the artifact that identified him as a Shinobi of the Leaf, reverently holding it in his hands. With a glow of happiness, Minoru attempted to find a friend to talk to, but looking around the small crowd, all he could see were his classmates being happily embraced by their parents, a feeling he had never experienced. The feeling of his accomplishment diminished, he walked away, a gentle breeze brushing his face as he left the Academy behind and began to walk down the main streets of Konoha, a warm summer sun beating down on his back.

The soft worn dirt path left a trail of his wandering footsteps as Minoru went from stall to stall, eying the many varieties of food that his pocket money couldn't buy, but mostly looking for congratulations on his new headband from the shopkeepers, who knew him well from countless visits.

Feeling slightly dejected after visiting his regular haunts and not receiving any remarks on his headband, Minoru began the long walk home as the final rays of sunlight brushed the buildings of Konoha before fading into starlight. As Minoru sighed once more, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look into the grinning face of a whiskered boy whom Minoru knew well.

"Naruto!" Minoru said with happily giving his friend a gentle shove.

"Hey Minoru!" Naruto said, laughing and flicking Minoru's headband." Iruka-sensei told me you'd graduated today so I came to congratulate you! So, how 'bout a celebration at Ichiraku's?"

Minoru laughed happily and nodded his assent, grinning widely as Naruto began to tell him about all of his adventures off fighting powerful Shinobi.

As night fell and the street lights in the road below began to flicker to life, a shadowed figure stood atop a building, watching Minoru and Naruto as they approached the Ramen stand with minor interest shown in his bright red eyes before turning and dissipating into the darkness.

Thanks for reading the story, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review as I need the feedback and constructive criticism because this is my first Naruto Fanfiction.