Kohona; Naruto. Age: 6.
The world was filled with an endless void of darkness and shadows, glowing electric blue planets circled around, while lightning frolicked around like butterflies. He was certain in whom Naruto was…but he wasn't sure if he was Naruto anymore. He was slowly losing himself, being pulled beneath a darkness that was numbing pale mercury and comforting purple that came from Kagami and soft glowing aqua and violently fuchsia that came from Akira. Those colors that surrounded him like a cloak kept him stitched together. Naruto, the pieces and shards of him where kept within that warm cocoon, not allowing them to stray and become lost. There was also the burning orange from Kurama that seemed to dash around the threads leaving small fire markings behind it. It was endless and yet it was timeless. Minutes and hours mixing with seconds and the now. What importance did Naruto have?
Kagami, Akira, Tsunade, Jiraya, Gaara, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Itachi, Nagato, Konan, Neji, Hinata, Iruka…so many people needed to be saved. Needed to be protected. That was what Naruto was worth…he couldn't allow Naruto to fail. Not again!
Naruto's eyes snapped open and he found himself starring at his old water logged ceiling. He continued to lay there and closed his eyes in annoyance. 'That's right; I have to live through this hell all over again. I can only hope Kagami-Kun gets here soon. I know she'll come before Akira does. At the very least they have to let me know it worked…' He thought sighing as he glanced over to his calendar.
'Crap. I'm a mini midget again. Heh, heh… At least Kagami will always be shorter. I wonder what she looks like at this age. I'm 6, so she would be 7, right? She always did look younger then she really was, like how Akira looked older. I swore Kagami was younger than me when we met, and I thought Akira was Kakashi-Sensei's age. Now I just have to decide how I'm going to do all of this? I will not play the fool for a second time. I finally know things like I should have all along, and there is no need to force others to notice me. Although I'll need some help…' He thought glancing out the window to the Hokage tower.
'And who better than the old man?' He thought with a grin as he jumped up and ran toward the door. 'This time, I will become Hokage! And I won't allow that bastard Danzo or Obito to destroy everything again.' He thought his face set in determination.
'It's time for Ares to make his appearance...' He thought with a slight smirk. 'Let the bloodshed commence.'
Hidden Laboratory; Akira. Age: 10.
Akira opened her eyes in panic as she finally broke free from the void of darkness and shades, only to gulp and panic more when liquid flooded her mouth filling her lungs. She calmed down a few moments later and relaxed when she realized how familiar the sensation was. The liquid wasn't poisonous and she could breathe through it. Her eyes moved around finding that she was once again in a familiar lab.
She sighed in relief seeing that it had passed the time when Orochimaru had handed her off to one of his co-workers. Being a failure came in handy when you knew how to use it… She remembered how depressed and miserable she had been the first time. Her savior and protector had no interest or use of her anymore. It had been painful and had slowly killed her mental strength and will to live. She could remember how desperate she had been to be useful when Kagami had finally found her. She could remember Kagami giving her a reason to live had allowed her to remain at her side. Then Kagami led her to Artemis's Shrine and allowed her 'Mother' to wrap her up in the need to defend and hunt those that wronged her Kagami, those that Kagami needed to punish. Kagami had then led her to Pein-Sama, someone that had been as damaged and abandoned as she had…someone who understood her pain, he gave her a dream of peace that she began to crave. Then she had been led to Naruto, a newborn god of bloodshed and war that was innocent and lost in his way, she gained a need to protect and nurture something Kagami had never needed. Slowly but surely she had found herself and became a person with purpose and confidence in herself.
And now…now she needed to help them, she would finally be able to repay them for all they had done for her. She looked around more looking for a date, her eyes widening slightly when she found a paper. 'I'm 11 again. That means I have more than enough time. All I have to do is get my body and abilities up to my future self and find Pein-Sama. I hope Naruto was right about him.' She thought with longing. Her eyes snapped up when a pathetic sick sounding cackle was heard, she glared harshly at the depraved scientist as he came to take her for more tests. The man was startled at her actions, eyeing her like a wounded and cornered animal. She couldn't help but smirk at him, closing and reopening her eyes, so that her pupils turned silver. She locked onto all of the spots she could see and grinned cruelly when the chamber was opened. Jerking forward, she grabbed the scalpel from his overcoat and attacked. It was almost therapeutic to watch the blood splash through the air.
'The daughter of Artemis has arrived. Let the hunt begin.' She thought gleefully at the thought of future prey…
Iwa, Takeshi village; Kagami. Age: 7.
Her eyes jerked open with crackling blue lightning and soothing tendrils of shadows slipping from her vision, as she felt her arms twisted in their position locked behind her back. She tried to gain her bearings. A soul snapping into place like hers had been and was always a painful process. At least for the others it was easier to a degree; a migraine and vertigo were expected of course. She just had to override their younger selves with their older. 'Mine however, merged… and that's just as painful as when others look into my eyes. At least I can say I know how it feels now…' She thought dazed.
A few moments passed and she finally realized where she was and what was happening. She looked forward straight into the eyes of Kira Kagami, her mother. A sense of pressure was felt at her eyes, and she watched her mother frown in slight confusion. Her mother had been forced on her knees, her once pristine white robe covered in mud, filth, and blood. Her calm eyes staring back at Kagami's, the mirror like orbs reflecting her face, as her own reflected her mothers. Her beautiful silver hair had been cut carelessly and messed with the grime of war, death, and pain. She knew that not far away was the charred and desecrated remains of her family's maid and her protector Amaya Kana. A heavy filling hit her chest as she realized she could never have changed these events. Kana had never deserved what happened to her, she had only protected her. Feeling tears slip over her cheeks she snapped her head up to look painfully at her mother. Her eyes drifted up to glare harshly at the person that had a harsh hold of her mother's hair. Those cruel blue eyes watching her mother's form smugly. His coal black hair was falling around his face and shoulders elegantly. Despite his bloodstained clothes, Kira Takahiro looked damned pristine.
'Why was I brought back here?' She couldn't help but wonder. The man was preaching to the rest of the village, as he held his sword to the woman's throat.
'I can't complain. I always wanted to kill you again, father dearest.' She thought angrily watching the sword slip through her mother's throat and the blood fly splattering. Her mother staring back at her with sorrow as the light faded from her eyes.
She could feel the pressure building, and released it allowing the elements to attack for the first time in this lifetime. The destruction was wonderful and beautiful just as it was horrifying and bloody. This time though she kept her eyes on her father's face, watching the life drain away from him.
'You've brought about the birth of Athena. May you be judged accordingly, you monster…'
Rain Village, hidden base.
Nagato's eyes snapped open. In his mind flashed events and memories he knew had never occurred to him, at least in this lifetime. They all narrowed down to a vision of him and a blonde haired boy in the ruins of Kohona. The fight froze in his mind, as images of nothing but destruction replaced it.
There were no villages, no Shinobi… Finally no fighting…but there was also no life. No one was alive; all that was left were charred imprints of once villages, cities, and towns. They were replaced with an image of the boy and two girls, both of which he had also seen in the images.
"The only one that should have any idea of what's going on is Pein, because of those eyes of his. It took a lot of time to make sure only his eyes noticed anything different. Hopefully, he will gain the memories of his future self as well."
The words rang in his ear as he sat in his chair behind his desk. 'My future…' He thought. 'Is that the future? No… I wanted to end violence, end all wars… Not end all human life. If there is no one left…what does it matter if the world is more peaceful? There will be no one to see it. No one to live through it and realize there is nothing to suffer from. They would have all died in bloodshed anyway… What would the point have been?' He questioned himself.
His mind flicked back to a scene he had witnessed. 'Madara.' He thought with a growl. 'You never wanted a peaceful world. You merely wanted to gain all the power you could. For that damn plan of yours. All so you could have your own selfish peace. You had told me that peace would be brought if you succeeded. I now see that all you will bring is death. It won't matter if you gain your dream, you'll be the only left alive anyway.' He thinks standing and pacing his office. 'Then again you only ever cared for yourself I see now.'
'Uzu- no Namikaze Naruto, Amaya Akira, and Kana Kagami. I'll make sure we live through this…' He declares, then smiles suddenly. 'And you better keep your promise Naruto. I put my faith, my dreams, and my trust in you. Bring us this peaceful world you and Jiraya-Sensei have envisioned. And I will join you when the time is right. I'm sure most of the future Akatsuki will follow as well.' He thinks as he stares out the window. 'I will live up to the title granted to me. Hades will bring forth peace, even at the sake of his own soul.' He declared before summoning Konan.
