Naruto: Another Side, a New Story
Prologue: Prelude Part II
The Hidden Leaf Village, several days after the completion of the bridge…
The sun rose slowly over the horizon, blanketing everything in its warm glow. People were just starting to stir from their sleep, while some just continued to sleep. There was only one person who was already up; he had been up even before the sun had even peeked into the sky. He was standing in front of large stone, the names of multiple people written on its surface. These were people who had given their lives to protect their home and their friends from death and destruction. Of course, there were only three names on this stone that interested this lone person. Those were the names of his sensei and two old comrades, whom he had lost over the years. The figure was wearing a typical Hidden Leaf Jônin outfit; what was unique about him was that he had a mask that covered most of his face, silver spiky hair that stood up and his Hidden Leaf headband covered his left eye. He was Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja, a true genius of the Hidden Leaf Village. But standing before the Memorial Stone, he didn't really feel like a true genius, for if he had been a true genius he would've been able to save the lives of those he cared about. He wouldn't be standing there, all alone, staring at their names written in the stone.
"Hello Obito, Rin, sensei," Kakashi whispered in a sad tone, "Sorry I haven't been by recently to see you. I've just been so busy…" Kakashi chuckled when he said that. "Listen to me; it seems I picked up your old habit, Obito. I think it's probably one of the few things I have to remember you by; other than this…" Kakashi lifted up his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye, the one he received from Obito all those years ago. It was rather odd though; his right eye was dry, but his left was full of tears. "Obito…sometimes, I wish I could take back all the things I ever said to you." With that last remark, Kakashi pulled his headband back over his left eye. He then became quiet and began contemplating all the mistakes he made in his younger years, not even realizing that he was being watched.
Off in the distance, another person had come to the Memorial Stone to honor those who were gone from this world. She had just come out from behind a tree and looked towards the Memorial Stone, where she saw someone already standing there. She couldn't make out who it was at first, but as soon as she saw the silver hair, she immediately knew who it was.
"Kakashi, is that you?"
Kakashi quickly turned around to see who it was. When he turned around, he was a little surprised by what his eyes beheld; the person he saw had earth-brown eyes, long rose-red hair that went just past her shoulders and a smile that always made him happy whenever he thought about it. He was a little surprised to see this person again, though, for it had been years since he had last seen this person. And now that he was seeing this person again, he was unable to say any good words to start a proper conversation. All he was able to say was…
"Sayuri," Kakashi said in astonishment, "Sayuri Nikki, is that really you?"
"Kakashi!" Sayuri yelled in happiness.
Without any warning at all, this girl, Sayuri, ran to Kakashi and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him with all her might. Kakashi didn't hesitate; he responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in even closer. What came next was the biggest surprise of them all; Sayuri reached up, took hold of Kakashi's mask and pulled it down revealing his true face. It was really amazing, especially since Kakashi didn't do anything to stop or even slow her down. He just stood there and let Sayuri have her way. Sayuri stared into his eyes, running her hand gently down his cheek, smiling as she looked into his face. She then placed both her hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a soft kiss. Kakashi wasn't surprised by Sayuri's actions at all; truth be told, he had been waiting for this feeling for so long himself. He rarely even caught a glimpse of her and when he did, he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. After what seemed like an eternity, Sayuri released the kiss and looked once again into Kakashi's eye with love and happiness.
"Kakashi," Sayuri whispered in a tone that was both happy and sad, "I've missed you so much. I've wanted to see for so long…"
"And I you," Kakashi answered as he leaned his forehead against hers, "I often wondered if I'd ever get the chance to see you again. But now that I am seeing you again, I've got to say it was worth the wait. You've become a very beautiful woman…"
It was true; Sayuri was now 26 years old and was the same height as Kakashi. Her figure was slender, her skin was soft and smooth and her lips were covered with a deep red lipstick that really brought out her eyes. Kakashi noticed that she was wearing a jônin vest like his, but it was different from Kakashi's. Hers was dark blue instead of green. On the back of her vest was a symbol her clan: two trees standing side by side with vines intertwined between them.
"Paying your respects to Obito," Sayuri said, "like you do every morning."
Kakashi smirked as he pulled his mask back up and covered his Sharingan eye. "You're probably the only person in the entire Leaf Village who has ever been able to read me so well, even with my mask on."
Sayuri smiled, giggling a little over Kakashi's comment. The two of them then turned to face the Memorial Stone; Kakashi had one arm slung around Sayuri while she had one arm slung around his back. The two of them just stared at the Memorial Stone, at the names of those whom they had lost. Staring at this stone stirred up old memories within Sayuri and begged her to ask the question…
"Kakashi, do you remember the first time we met?"
Kakashi sighed deeply. "How could I ever forget…?"
The Hidden Leaf Village, just one year after the Third Great Shinobi War…
Kakashi stood in a large group people, dressed in black attire. It was a cloudy day; it represented the mood of all the people of the Hidden Leaf Village who had gathered at the Memorial Stone for the eulogy. But this eulogy was much different from most others, for this eulogy wasn't just for one person; it was for a whole clan. A clan that had given everything they had to protect the Hidden Leaf Village and protect its people during the Third Great Shinobi War. That clan was known as the Nikki clan, a clan that had ties to the First Hokage. They wanted protect his home, for the Nikki clan cherished family above anything else. They had made a great deal of contributions during the war; in fact, if it wasn't for them the war would've lasted much longer. They had been one of the greatest clans ever in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village.
However, just when it seemed like the death and bloodshed had finally ended; the entire Nikki clan was found murdered in their own complex. Every last man, woman and child had been found hacked to pieces, their blood splattered on every wall. As if that was bad enough, symbols had been drawn all over their walls, symbols of hatred and prejudice, as if to show that the hatred towards the Nikki clan would continue long after their deaths. Regrettably, whoever the murderers were, they had managed to cover their tracks. There was no evidence to suggest the involvement of another shinobi village, so the case had to be dropped regardless of who objected.
As Kakashi stood in the large group of people, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic and regretful. It only seemed like a short time ago that he was standing before the Memorial Stone after his father had committed suicide. That day, he cursed his father, Sakumo Hatake, for being so weak and just giving up like he did. But while he may have said those things out loud, on the inside he was cursing himself for not being there when his father needed him and not helping him when he needed as much support as he could get. He also remembered how he had stood before the Memorial Stone at the end of the war, looking at the name of his dearest friend Obito Uchiha, who had given him a very unique gift; he had given Kakashi the Sharingan from his left eye. All that pain seemed to just come rushing back to him as he stood there in the large group of people facing the Memorial Stone.
He then saw someone walk towards the Memorial Stone from the side. He knew immediately who it was, even if that person wasn't drabbed in his usual attire. He was teacher, mentor, and the newest Hokage of the Leaf Village; he was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. As he stopped in front of the Memorial Stone and turned to face the crowd, the rain started to pour.
Minato simply ignored the rain; he cleared his throat, getting ready to speak. "To all of you who have come out here today, I thank you. This is truly one of the saddest days ever in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village; for we did not just lose one person, but a whole clan. The Nikki clan was truly one of the greatest clans, for they gave us hope when most of us had given up…" Kakashi looked around when the Fourth Hokage said those words and noticed that some people were hanging their heads in shame; others looked like they were crying though it was hard to tell with the rain pouring like it was. Kakashi was so depressed that he didn't pay much attention to most of the eulogy until he heard something that caught his attention, "…almost all of the clan was murdered in pure hatred…"
Kakashi quickly realized what his sensei had just said. Did he just say "almost all of the clan? Kakashi thought as the eulogy continued. Does that mean that there is a survivor of the clan? Kakashi quickly began to look around, eventually lifting up his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye, looking for the survivor. Eventually, he found the survivor; but it was quite a surprise for him, because he discovered the survivor was nothing more than a young girl, probably about as old as he was. Kakashi knew she was the survivor because she had her clan symbol embroidered on the sleeve of her shirt. So she's the only one left, Kakashi thought as he covered his left eye again, The poor thing…she's all alone…just like me.
Kakashi then noticed that the young girl was whimpering trying her best to hold back her pain, but she wasn't doing a good job. Even with the falling as hard as it was, Kakashi could see the tears running down her face. The Fourth Hokage's speech went on for what seemed like forever, but nobody really bothered to try and stop him, for everyone there wanted to show their respects to such a great clan. But eventually, the eulogy had to end for the Leaf Village had much to do; as the crowds parted and people started to head for their homes.
Kakashi stood in his spot for a few more moments before he was ready to head back. The rain had finally stopped, but the clouds still hung overhead prolonging the gloomy tone. Kakashi then noticed the young girl was also still there. He noticed that the young girl wasn't whimpering anymore, but tears were still running down her face. Then he noticed the strange look on her face; it wasn't depressed, nor was it happy. Her face just looked blank, with no sign of emotion anywhere. She then turned around and started to walk away, the vacant look still on her face. She only took a few steps forward before she was surrounded by what looked like flower petals and disappeared. Kakashi couldn't help but be concerned…
That poor girl, Kakashi thought, she's lost her entire family; I know that pain all too well. But what was with that look of hers, it seemed so familiar… A vision of Kakashi's father suddenly popped into his mind. Oh no, I've seen that look before. It was just like my father's, before he…oh no, she isn't going to…I've got to stop her, but where would she go? Hmmm, maybe…
Kakashi quickly ran up to his sensei who was still standing before the Memorial Stone, reading all the names that had just been added to it.
"Minato-sensei!" Kakashi cried out as he approached his teacher.
"Kakashi, you're still here?" the Fourth Hokage said as he turned around to see his student. "Are you planning to pay respects to Obito, again?"
"No, I need information, right now," Kakashi said frantically, "Tell me, where is the Nikki clan complex?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I can't explain everything; I just need to know where the complex is! Please, don't ask questions, just tell me!"
"Okay, okay, relax," Minato said, surprised to see the usually calm ninja acting so frantically, "do you remember where the old neighborhood is, the one that was abandoned when the village grew because of the Second Hokage?" Kakashi nodded his head. "Well, that's where the Nikki clan built their complex when they came to the village. But tell me, Kakashi, why are you so-"
Minato didn't finish his sentence for Kakashi was already racing back towards the village, pouring his chakra into his feet to give him an extra burst of speed. The Fourth Hokage just stared after Kakashi and shook his head, hoping that Kakashi wasn't going to do anything foolish. It was true that Kakashi was already a jônin, but even jônin were capable of doing rash things from time to time.
Kakashi raced through the streets of the Leaf Village, sometimes jumping up onto the roofs to get his bearings. He was halfway through the village—the old neighborhood his sensei had mentioned was on the opposite side. He had just reached the halfway point when he saw a green blur out of the corner of his eyes, which was followed by a whooping holler and a quick glint. Kakashi immediately knew who it was and quite frankly, he didn't have any time for such nuisances.
"Hey Kakashi, how's it going?" said the boisterous voice of Might Guy. "Shall we take care of our usual business? The day may be gloomy, but that doesn't mean-"
"Not now, Guy," Kakashi interrupted, "I don't have time for any of your idiotic games."
Guy had a completely bewildered look. "What did you say? Come on, we went over this before. I won't leave alone until you agree to challenge me; I'll follow you all over the Leaf Village if I have to!"
"Fine then, I forfeit!"
"What did you just say!?"
"You heard me, Guy, whatever your challenge is I forfeit. You win, now leave me alone!"
Might Guy came to a screeching halt as Kakashi continued on, not even looking back once to see the ridiculous and rather funny look on Guy's face. His face showed signs of shock, disbelief and bewilderment. For the first time ever, Guy was completely speechless. He didn't know what to say, all he could do was stare at the fading speck that was his greatest rival. However, after a few moments of silence, Guy finally called out: "I did it! I'm ahead of Kakashi by one whole victory!" Guy could no longer contain his excitement and began to leap for joy, not even paying attention to the people who were staring at him. Kakashi would regret his decision in the future, but he didn't really care about that right now.
Kakashi eventually found the gates to the Nikki clan complex. Kakashi quickly pushed on the doors and slowly opened them to reveal the now dark streets and alleys of the complex. He tried to look for some source of light, but it was no good, all the houses were dark. How was he going to find the girl if there was no way to detect her? Kakashi nearly slapped his head when he remembered what he had and quickly lifted his headband up to reveal his Sharingan eye. He quickly scanned all of the houses until he found a single lone chakra signature in one of the houses a little further down the street. Not wasting any time, Kakashi quickly rushed to the house.
As soon as Kakashi arrived, he quickly opened the door and looked inside. What he saw nearly made him freeze; the young girl sat in the middle of a dark room, with a kunai knife in her hand pointing towards her throat. She was whimpering again and tears were streaming down her face, but she was going to go through with it. Kakashi then saw that the kunai was slowly moving towards her neck.
"No! Stop!" Kakashi cried out as he ran towards her. In that instance, time seemed to slow down as Kakashi ran to the girl and quickly grabbed her arm, stopping the kunai just inches from her throat.
"What are you doing!?" she cried out. "Let me go!"
"No, I won't let you go through with this!" Kakashi said sternly as he forced the girl's arm away from her. "How can you just give up like this!?"
"Because I'm all alone," the girl whimpered as she tried to break free Kakashi's grip, "I have no one left, I have no reason to go on."
"What about your team, won't they-"
"They're dead too! Don't you see, I'm all alone…I have no one left. Everyone I've ever loved is dead…" With that the girl slumped and hung her head in despair, but she still held the kunai. "What reason do I have left to go on…tell me, TELL ME!?"
Kakashi didn't know what to say; for he didn't know what words could possibly comfort her. That's when Kakashi stopped thinking and did the one thing in his mind that seemed like the best course of action. He reached up, pulled his mask down, turned her face towards his and kissed her with all of his might. The young Nikki girl was in complete shock, she didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to think, but as she felt his warm lips on hers, she suddenly didn't care. It was as if this person was telling her that he knew what she was feeling and what she was going through. Soon, nothing else mattered and her sadness slowly melted away. She eventually dropped the kunai just so she could wrap her arms around Kakashi and pull him in even closer.
Neither one of them knew how many hours had passed since they had kissed; all they knew was that the clouds had parted and the moon was out. It was a very beautiful night, the sky was dotted with stars and the moon was full. The two young lovers were sitting on the roof, just enjoying the view. It truly was a romantic night.
Kakashi sat up right with the young Nikki girl leaning on his shoulder. He still had his mask down, but he didn't care; he was so lost in the joy of the moment he didn't care if anyone else saw his face. Time just seemed to drift by, until the young girl finally found her voice again…
"Um, thank you," the young said meekly.
"For what?" Kakashi asked.
"For what you did back there, for stopping me from doing something terrible. Thank you so much!" She began to nuzzle his shoulder.
"Oh, well…it was nothing; I just couldn't let you die."
"By why did you stop me? You don't even know me?"
"Well, truth be told, I've also lost some very important people in my life. One of them committed suicide and I wasn't able to stop him; I guess when I saw that look in your eyes, I couldn't help but feel like I had to stop you from making a terrible mistake. Sorry…"
The girl just chuckled and blushed a little as she looked at Kakashi's handsome face. "It's okay, I'm glad you did stop me. You know, you just occurred to me, you never told me your name."
Kakashi was surprised. "You really don't know my name! I'm shocked…well, if you must know, I am Kakashi Hatake."
"Kakashi," the young girl said intriguingly, "that's an odd name. Well, my name is Sayuri Nikki…"
"Sayuri," Kakashi said, "its beautiful name."
Sayuri blushed a little bit more. "Thank you…I've never felt this happy in my life." Kakashi smiled as he took hold of her hand and rubbed it gently. As Kakashi rubbed Sayuri's hand, a thought occurred to her that made her giggle. "Hey, I just thought of way neither one of us could be lonely again."
"Yeah, what's that?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, when we're old enough…would you…m-m-marry me?" Sayuri's entire face turned crimson.
Kakashi was completely speechless. Even though he had the Sharingan eye, he would've never seen this coming. Sayuri took his silence as sign of rejection and started to cry. Thankfully, her tears were enough to break Kakashi out of his trance.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little shocked is all," Kakashi said quickly, "I really don't know what to say, honestly. But, you know, I'm tired of coming back to an empty home everyday. So yes, when we're old enough, I will marry you."
"Promise?" Sayuri asked, wiping the tears away.
"Promise," Kakashi answered gently.
Sayuri had a gentle yet beaming smile on her face. "Thank you…"Sayuri then looked up into the sky at the full moon. "You know there is a bit of a tradition in the Nikki clan: if a promise is made underneath a full moon, it has to be kept no matter what. So you've got to keep your promise no matter what, understand?"
Kakashi smiled and nodded his head before he gently pulled her in closer and kissed her.
Leaf Village, present day…
Kakashi and Sayuri were still standing in front of the Memorial Stone, reflecting on that day so many years ago.
"You know, Kakashi," Sayuri said softly, "that was both the first time and only time we were ever really together. We haven't really seen each other since then."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Kakashi said scratching the back of his head.
"It's okay," Sayuri said with a warm smile, "it was worth the wait in my opinion. You've become a very handsome man."
Kakashi didn't say anything; he just smiled underneath his mask and looked at Sayuri. He wanted to say something, but with Sayuri words weren't needed at all.
"Well, I better get going," Sayuri said as she pulled away from Kakashi and started to walk back to the village, "my team's been a little annoyed because I tend show up late almost all the time."
Kakashi cocked an eyebrow as he turned to look at her; he was surprised that Sayuri had the same habit he did. Sayuri took only several steps before she stopped and looked back at Kakashi.
"You know, Kakashi, it has been thirteen years since you made that promise to me." Sayuri looked a little disappointed, but she was still able to smile. "But that's okay; I know you still have some things to sort out first. Besides, I'd wait forever for you." Sayuri then disappeared in a twister of flower petals just like she did that day, leaving Kakashi standing there.
She always knows what I'm thinking, Kakashi thought, one of the many reasons I love her so much. Kakashi then reached into one of the pockets on his vest, pulled out a small box and opened it up to reveal a small golden ring with an emerald and ruby imbedded in two flowers. Don't worry Sayuri, I haven't forgotten my promise. I will marry you someday…and when I do, neither of us will ever be alone again…
To be continued…
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Sayuri Nikki, Nikki Clan © M. Z. Hamma
This here is the second part of the prologue of my fanfic. It helps introduce a new character who will play a pretty significant part as the story progresses.