Rosuto Rakuen (Lost Paradise)
XXXVI: Looking Back
By: Datenshi No Uzumaki (aka Kat Lee V)
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Neiji stood up straight, a bit uneasy. "There was a message, from supposedly agents of darkness." Everyone looked up at the ex-Hyuuga. He bowed his head, and frowned. "It looks like there is only ten days left, Naruto-kun…" The blond widened his eyes as he felt his heart suddenly stop.
'Ten days until It finally awakens and the world will end in eternal darkness…'
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It was raining hard upon the lands, but three figures were not deterred as they ran through the wet forests. A white haired teen paused on the branch of the trees and looked back. He was drenched, wiping a few of his bangs from his eyes. "Oi, baka! What are you doing? They might still be chasing after us!" A voice called out.
The white haired teen glared and jumped through the trees, chasing after his two teammates. "I know that, teme! And I'm not an idiot!" He growled. He tried to catch up the long haired raven male.
"Stop it you two, and keep going. We don't want to be caught by those stupid Soldiers with the scroll we have." A blonde female teen said, running a bit ahead of the two other teens. She looked up at the dark skies that cried hard drops of rain.
The raven haired teen glanced back. "Hopefully the rain has given us an advantage of getting away from them."
"If they do catch up, we'll just kick their asses!" The white haired teen exclaimed.
The blonde female somehow appeared beside the white haired teen, and hit the back of his head, sending him to fall from the tree tops. "Idiot!" The blonde shouted, gritting her teeth in annoyance. The raven sighed and stopped in his tacks, turned around to look at his Senmin.
The white haired teen sat up and groaned in pain. He looked up to see the sparse light of the rain clouds. "Why did you have to do that!?" The teen heard a noise, and looked down. He squint his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the forest grounds. He heard it again, and he tried to strain his ears to listen carefully, ignoring the sounds of the rain.
He stood up and took a step forward. "Who's there?" He called out.
Then his two teammates landed behind him, frowns on their faces. "Jiraiya, you idiot! Let's hurry and go! We can't always wait for your lazy ass!" The blond haired teen hissed, irritated. She wiped a few strand of wet hair from her face. The raven haired teen, with his arms cross, shook his head and sighed.
"Shut up! Something is down here." The teen, Jiraiya, hissed back, almost in a whisper. His two teammates looked at him questioningly, and looked around their dark surroundings.
The raven tilted his head slightly towards his Senmin. "Tsunade, why don't you use your Light?"
The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. "If we get caught, I'm blaming everything on you, Jiraiya!" Tsunade said harshly. She lifted a hand up, and a small ball of light appeared on her palm, lighting up the area like a torch.
Jiraiya scanned the area and saw something move. The white haired teen furrowed his brows and took careful steps towards it. Tsunade was grumbling, as the raven haired teen raised a brow, watching his partner. "What is it?" He asked out.
"Shut up, Orochimaru!" The white haired teen hissed. The raven haired teen grunted. Jiraiya parted the bushes, and jumped back when a little child lashed out at him. Tsunade and Orochimaru watched in surprise as the white haired teen began to dodge the sloppy moves of the child.
"Stay away!" Tears stains were on his face, mixed with dirt and blood. His clothes were torn and stained with dirt and blood as well. The rain was slowly washing them away when the child stepped into the small clearing.
"Whoa there!" Jiraiya said, seeing the child harmless. He raised his hands up, trying to stop the child. "Calm down there. We're not going to hurt you."
The kid glared and swung a hand at the man. "Liar!"
Orochimaru watched the child carefully. "Most likely an orphan from around here."
Tsunade looked at her partner. "With the wars going on, it's no surprise that there are so many… but why isn't the country doing anything with their war orphaned children?"
Jiraiya grabbed hold of the kid, restraining the kid's arms. "Man, this kid is strong."
The raven snorted, and rolled his eyes. "Probably stronger than you."
"What was that!?" The white haired teen glared hard at his partner.
Tsunade shook her head. "Boys, please."
Then two more children popped out from the same bush, running up to the white haired teen. "Let go of him!" They began to pound their hands against the male, and pulling on his arms to let the other child go. Jiraiya looked down to see tears streaming down the small girl and boy's eyes. He could also see their fear.
The blonde woman frowned, and walked up to the two children. She knelt down behind them, and placed a hand on the blue haired little girl. "It's okay. We promise to not hurt you." The girl backed away from the blonde teen's touch, and bumped into Jiraiya's leg.
Orochimaru sighed, and shook his head. "Let's just go and leave them here. We still need to deliver the scroll, remember?"
Jiraiya looked at his partner and glared. "No way! Let's take them with us, and help them out."
"That's just like you, Jiraiya. You're too soft hearted. That's what makes you weak." The raven replied, not looking at the younger teen.
"What did you say, teme?" The white haired teen growled, glaring hard at his partner.
Tsunade groaned, and stood up. "Stop it you two. Let's just take them with us, until we reach a boarder city. They're most likely to help them more than in the inland of the country." The blonde replied, wiping her eyes from the water. She looked down at the three children, seeing them slightly calm, but still scared.
The white haired teen grinned widely, still holding on to the braver kid. "Don't worry, Orochimaru, I'll be the one who's responsible for them. Maybe I'll teach them a few things."
The raven teen grunted. "Just don't make them as stupid as you are." Then he leaped into the trees.
"TEME!"
Tsunade shook her head, and glanced back down at the children. "Can you walk?" She asked them in a gentle tone. They just stared at her mutely.
"They'll kind of slow us down. So why not carry the girl, and I'll take these two." The white haired teen said, shifting the boy in one arm, while lifting up the other boy who squeaked in fear.
The blonde sighed, and nodded. She offered out her hand to the girl, giving a kind smile. The blue haired girl blinked her eyes, and slowly reached out her hand to the young lady. Tsunade smiled wider. "Let's go?"
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Months gone by, and Team Tsunade were given mission after mission, not really allowing them to go back home. After passing the boarders, they didn't have the heart to leave the three children, as Jiraiya begged to keep them with their team. After an encounter with some Soldiers that were against Konoha Soldiers, the children showed potential of being a Soldier, even if they never had training in their lives. What shocked them most was that they were a Senmin-Shugorei team, a complete set without even knowing it.
Jiraiya learned of their names, being the one who was mostly teaching the trio. Yahiko was the head strong kid, who fought with all his might and had a lot of courage. He was the eldest and the strongest. He turned out to be the Senmin among the tree of them. The only girl, Konan, was always cheerful, but was very bright and reasonable. She had a knack for making beautiful and elaborate origami out of a small piece of paper. The other Shugorei was the shy and sensitive Nagato, who turned out to have a special kekkei genkai, the Rinnegan, which Orochimaru took a special interest in. The kid soon became eager to learn to become a better Soldier, so that he can protect his Senmin and Konan.
For months, they all stayed in a small cabin, hiding in the forests, close to a cliff. Tsunade and Orochimaru were not often in the cabin, completing missions, while Jiraiya insisted of staying and watching his students. The three began to grow on the white haired teen, as he watched them, enjoying their company more than the prick, Orochimaru. He didn't mind being with just Tsunade though. That thought earned him a monstrous hit to the face that knocked him out for five days.
"Sensei!"
The white haired teen turned around to see the three children run up to him. They had eager expression on their faces. Yahiko grinned widely at the tall teen. "Are you going to teach us something today?"
Jiraiya placed a finger on his chin. "For today, why don't you rest? I have to finish something with my team. So stay inside, okay?" Nagato and Konan nodded, while Yahiko pouted. The white haired teen grinned, and ruffled the little Senmin's head.
Jiraiya, along with Tsunade and Orochimaru, didn't return to the cabin until three days after. The white haired teen was in front of the other two, eager to check on the kids. 'I think I am growing soft…' He opened the door, and greeted in his usual loud way, but there was no response. He blinked his eyes to see the cabin dark. "Oi! What's wrong? We need to get it. It's raining hard you know!" Tsunade pushed her Shugorei inside. Orochimaru easily slipped in after the female.
"They're not here!" Jiraiya exclaimed. The teen looked around the room, frowning deeply.
"SENSEI!" The three Soldiers turned their heads to see the familiar blue haired girl at the door.
"Konan?" Jiraiya carefully watched the girl. He saw the dirt and blood on the girl's clothes, with many cuts on her skin. "What happened? Where are Nagato and Yahiko?"
The girl ran into the cabin, and tugged on the white haired teen's arm. "Please! You have to hurry! I went to get help, and I was lucky to find you back!" There were tears streaming from her pale eyes. Then Jiraiya ran off following the girl. Tsunade sighed and glanced up at her other Shugorei, who just shrugged.
They were running deep into the forest. There was an explosion, and Jiraiya pushed back the little girl behind him when debris were flying at them. When they looked up, the trees were taken down, making a clearing. Jiraiya slightly widened his eyes to see a Soldier holding on the neck of Yahiko, lifting him up in the air. Nagato was limply behind held by the back of his shirt, by the other hand of the Soldier. The Soldier stood at the edge of the cliff.
"Yahiko! Nagato!" Konan cried, and she ran towards the Soldier.
"No, wait!" The white haired teen couldn't stop the girl.
The Soldier looked over his shoulder and grinned maniacally. Jiraiya could see that the man wasn't left unscratched, with blood running down the side of his face. With a loud audible crack, everything became in slow motion. The white haired teen widened his eyes. The Soldier threw Yahiko over the cliff, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes wide. That crack was the sound of the poor boy's neck being broken. 'No…'
Then the Soldier threw Nagato over the edge with the other boy. Konan's body just fell to the ground, as she almost neared the Soldier who held her friends. '…When the Senmin dies… then the Shugorei follow…'
It was like the white haired teen had no more control over his body. He remembered thrashing the Soldier, never stopping until the body went over the edge of the cliff and fell into the running river below, gone, just like the two boys. The effect of Jiraiya's fighting with that Soldier caused the ground to loosen and break. The white haired teen wasn't able to save the body of the girl.
He just knelt over the edge of the cliff, staring at the running waters of the river below. He did nothing, just letting the rain pound against him. A warm hand came to his shoulder, but he didn't dare look back. "I'm sorry… Jiraiya…" A soft feminine voice whispered to him. Another hand was on his other shoulder, and the three were gathered together in silence.
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Three years passed, and the Team Tsunade grew to be known throughout the lands. The Three Sennin of Konoha were the most known of the time. The wars were still being fought between countries, and the Soldiers of the Gods fought against one another.
The three finished a mission, and were a week away from coming back home. The blonde Senmin decided to camp for the night, before continuing on back home. She heard that her baby brother was finally being allowed to go enter the academy. Their grandmother, the only living relative since their parents died in the wars, was convinced by Tsunade's Shugorei's sensei and the Sandaime to allow the little boy to attend. The boy was already training as a Soldier, even behind their grandmother's back, and was dubbed a genius. Tsunade wanted to be home in time to see her baby brother go to the Academy, even if he was joining in such a late time.
There was a small fire burning at the center, as their sleeping bags were laid out around the fire. Jiraiya was snoring loudly as usual. Tsunade slept to her side, facing away from the fire. Orochimaru was on his back, but his head tossed and turned, with bead of sweat forming.
Then two pairs of small hands reached out, and placed them around the head of the raven. Small heads lowered to hover over the young man's face. "All your darkest desires will finally come true."
"You'll be the one to fulfill its wishes…"
"You'll be the one to destroy its enemy…"
"You'll be the one to destroy the world…"
Golden eyes snapped open, and widened more with fear seeing recognizable faces above him. It was Jiraiya's students, the two Shugorei, that were grinning at him with empty eyes. "No… You're supposed to be dead…" Orochimaru felt as if his body couldn't be moved. He watched as the two children lifted one hand, and reached out to his chest, where his heart was. Then the Senmin child appeared, standing at his foot. His eyes were black, unlike how he remembered them to be. The boy closed his eyes, and his body erupted into black flames. Then the darkness floated along close to Orochimaru, to the hands of the other two children. It went into his heart.
Pain flared, and a chilling cold washed over his body. Orochimaru opened his mouth to a silent scream. The two children were giggling in an eerie way. "You'll be the one to kill the Child of the Prophecy… and when the Darkness takes over the lands, all your darkest desires will come true…"
With a gasp, the man sat up, panting hard. He looked around, and the children were gone. He glanced over at his other team mates, who were huddled into their blankets, fast asleep. He reached a hand and clutched on to the front of his shirt. 'What… what was that…?'
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A pair of golden eyes slowly opened, and stared up at the torn sky. The sky was its normal blue color, with a few clouds in the sky, but the rip in it, with a black mist coming out from the edges, stood out, and contrasted to the usual peacefulness of the sky. "Taking a nap? I never thought you were the one to do so. It's usually Jiraiya I find snoozing at random places." A feminine voice spoke out.
Orochimaru looked up at his Senmin, who smiled at him. The raven haired man turned his head away, looking down at the city. "No… I was just remembering. Ever since I got away from the Demon Castle… it feels like a heavy weight was lifted, and some memories are coming back to me, especially those happy times…"
The blonde woman raised a brow, and then moved her way to sit beside her once lost Shugorei. "Oh? What was it you remembered?"
Brows furrowed. "The appearance of those two messengers bothered me."
"Ah, they looked very much like the children Jiraiya took as students when we were stationed close to Amegakure, during the wars." Tsunade said softly, staring ahead.
Orochimaru nodded. "I think… they are the reason that somehow… I was blinded by the darkness…" Tsunade blinked her eyes and glanced over at the raven haired man. "No, it wasn't when they were still alive… but somehow they came to me, three years after they were said to be dead." He raised his head staring into the torn sky. Tsunade gave him a confused and questioning look. "There was that one night, as we camped out somewhere close to the boarders of the Fire Country… we were coming home because you wanted to see Minato before he attended the Academy. They came to me in a dream, but it felt more real than a dream."
"They told me… I was chosen by 'It', to be the one to kill the Child of the Prophecy… My darkest desires will be granted, when I help in covering this world in darkness… and they did something…" Orochimaru said, his voice softly becoming a whisper.
The blonde woman turned her head away. "Now that I think about it… after that night you… changed… you became more distant and cold to us… And…"
"When Minato was chosen as the next Hokage by that old man, something inside snapped and took over… I think that's when I lost myself and let myself be over come by the Darkness…" The raven haired man replied.
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Everyone was celebrating, but one man was furious. He watched from the side as the blond man's sister hugged him tightly, and his white haired teacher was patting him on the back. A young red haired woman was smiling widely at the young blond man, standing next to the old man that was once his teacher. He growled darkly, and clenched his hands tightly into fists. He didn't know what he did to catch the attention of the people in the room, but they were staring at him, with questioning, yet slightly frightened looks.
"You will regret your decision old man." He said darkly, a dark aura slowly seeping out from the man. He looked up and narrowed his eyes at the young blond man. "And you… you took away my dream… I'll take away what is most important to you. Mark my words!" Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke, and he disappeared from Konoha.
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There was laughter, and two little children ran out from the house. A small raven haired boy with puppy-dog ears was chasing a smaller child with golden hair. They ran around the garden, and went further away, close to the back of the large garden. They no longer could be seen from the house. "Come back here!" The raven haired child called out, laughing merrily.
"Nuh-uh! Me no wanna be tagged by puppy!" The blond child squealed. The child was no longer looking ahead, checking back to see the raven haired child catching up to him. Suddenly the child hit against something, and the raven haired child ran into the smaller child, not able to stop right away. They fell to the floor.
They groaned in slight pain, rubbing their heads. "Why you stop, Naru-chan?" The older child asked, blinking his charcoal eyes open. The raven haired boy looked up to see a tall man, looming over them. "Huh? Who are you, Mister?"
The blond child blinked his crystal blue eyes open, and looked up as well, craning his neck to look at the person. He had long raven hair, and he looked suspicious and scary with the strange smile on his lips. "Child of the Prophecy, you are mine."
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Teal eyes widened, and a red haired woman shot her head up. The dark haired woman that sat in front of her looked up at her friend in worry. "Kushina, what's wrong?"
The red haired woman brought her hand close to her racing heart. "…He's… he's here!" She stood up, and looked around, running to the living room. "Naru-chan!" She looked around the empty place, with toys scattered on the floor. She looked up and widened her eyes to see the doors open, leading to the backyard. "…No…" She ran out to the gardens.
"Kushina!" The dark haired woman appeared, and caught the other woman running out to the gardens. "Kushina…" Her brows furrowed in worry, and ran after her best friend.
Kushina's heart was racing faster, and frantically looked around in the big back yard of her friend's. She ran further away from the house, and froze when she felt a strong surge of power, and heard a high pitched scream. The dark haired woman was able to catch up to her best friend, and stopped when she heard and felt the same thing. Kushina ran towards the direction. "NARU-CHAN!"
When the two women found the children, their hearts felt like it stopped. The raven haired child was lying on the ground, un-moving and on his back. The tiny blond was crying loudly, sitting on the ground very close to the older child. There were blood stains around them, and on their faces and clothes. What scared Kushina the most were the dead snakes around the children that were sliced open or cut in half.
"Sasuke!" The dark haired woman cried out, and rushed to her son that laid on the ground.
The red haired woman ran to her blond child, pulling the crying boy into a tight embrace. "Naru-chan, it's okay. Kaasan is here." She was trying hard to calm the child, but tears were spilling from her pale eyes from fear. She looked up at her best friend, who was also holding on to the raven haired boy. "Mikoto… is Sasuke-chan, okay?"
The dark haired woman raised her head and looked at her friend, tears glazing her dark eyes. "Yes. He's just passed out… I…" She looked around the area, feeling dread. "Was it…?"
Kushina tightly closed her eyes. "I don't want to believe it… but…"
Mikoto stared at her friend with sorrow and sympathy. She pressed her sleeping child close to her heart. "Our babies… their lives… I'm so scared for them, Kushina."
"I am too…"
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A week after, the Uchihas and the Hyuugas carried their sleeping children in their arms, watching their closest friends leave. There was a dimensional gate in front of the Namikaze family. The blond man, who was carrying a red haired boy and pink haired girl on each shoulder, turned around and looked at the people gathered there. The red haired woman also turned around, carrying on to a small blond child. "I'm sorry… but this is the only way to protect them… especially…" The blond man murmured.
Mikoto shook her head, carrying her child. "It's okay, Minato… we understand."
"We're sorry that Itachi had to be away…" Fugaku said with a hand on his wife's shoulder.
The blond man shook his head. "No, it was my fault for sending him to a mission… but I trust him, and there is no need to erase his memories."
The wife of the Head of the Hyuuga Clan, Nijiyo, inched a bit forward, carrying her sleeping daughter. It was evident that she was pregnant with another child. "Is there no other way? It's sad that the children have to forget each other." Hiashi placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, carrying their sleeping son.
Kushina turned around, not wanting to look at the hurt in her best friends' eyes. "It's to protect them." The red haired woman said with a crack. She mostly said it to herself. She turned back to look at the two families, giving her best smile. "Please be safe. I won't forget about any of you." With that, she quickly turned around and walked through the dimensional gate.
Minato gave one glance back at the two families. "I'll be back." He sighed, and closed his cerulean eyes. "It's… for the best…" Then he turned around and walked through the gate, and it closed.
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"Why do you think Nagato and Konan are with the Darkness?" The blonde woman asked, staring up at the torn sky. A small breeze passed by, and Tsunade brushed a few loose strands of hair from her eyes.
Orochimaru closed his eyes. "I think, the Darkness found them, that time when Jiraiya saw them die. It gave them a chance to live again, but it was the Senmin's choice. Yahiko probably chose for the chance to live, and sacrificed himself to the darkness to keep his Shugorei alive. He allowed the Darkness to take over his soul… and a piece of the Darkness was put into that soul… The Darkness used him to get to me… That night, Yahiko's dark soul went into me… that's how I got controlled… even though I was conscious the whole time…"
"You were just being pushed to the Darkness's wishes, blocking your true sense of thought." Tsunade replied.
The man opened his golden eyes. "Nagato and Konan's bodies are the Darkness's now… I don't think we can save them… like those three that your niece and nephews fought against." He said. "We can't save them again…"
Tsunade frowned, and bowed her head. "Jiraiya will be affected by that… you know his way of thinking… he thinks he couldn't save Sensei or his student, and that it is his fault they died…" She sighed, and closed her eyes.
"What shall we do now?" Orochimaru carefully asked.
"Fight by the Ten'yo's side, and make sure he won't die…" She clenched a hand to her side. "I can't risk losing any more of my family…" The raven haired man just nodded, and stared ahead in silence.
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It was quiet, as the couple slept on in the comforts of their bed. After a long day of working and training, the pair passed out on the bed, sleeping through most of the day. The doors to their room slammed open, and something jumped on their bed. "Kaasan, Tousan up!" A loud tiny voice called out.
The tiny girl, though just turned one, was very intelligent and strong for her age. The time that she learned how to climb out of the crib, the parents thought that their family life would be more tiring, especially with their very energetic daughter who was eager and hyper. She was now jumping on her parent's bed, loudly trying to get them to get up from their very comforting bed. "Up! Go see, go see!"
The two were shifting around under their blanket, groaning at their energetic daughter, who made a convenient alarm clock since she always woke up very early. There was a loud thump on the ground, and the girl stopped jumping to see her Tousan on the floor. He was sitting on the ground, rubbing his head and his side. His wife just kicked him out of the bed.
Neiji opened his pale eyes, and turned his head to his daughter that was standing on his side of the bed. "Morning!" The girl chirped happily.
"Good morning, Yuka." He grumbled, and began to get up from the floor. The girl jumped up from the bed. Neiji quickly caught her in a bit of a panic. The girl was very unpredictable at times. "What was it that Yuka wanted to show us so early in the morning?" He said sleepily, blinking his eyes to stay awake.
"Not early! It late!" Yuka protested, giving a cute pout.
The raven haired young man turned around to look at the clock. It was early, seven in the morning, but late for Yuka, as she usually woke up an hour earlier than seven. Usually Gaara woke up at around six-thirty to get ready to head to the Hokage Tower. When he was done with his morning routine, he would go to Yuka's room to see her sitting at her crib, waiting to get out. Now that she knows how to get out of her crib, she would wait in her crib for thirty minutes, watching the clock, and then climb out to follow and watch her 'mother' get ready. Neiji wonders what she had been doing before she came shouting and bouncing on their bed.
The girl began to sway her body to make the young man move. "Go see! Go see!" She was pointing to the curtained windows. Neiji sighed, and walked to the window with his daughter in his arms. He drew back the curtains, and then froze with his eyes wide. "Sun so big and red, Tousan!" The girl exclaimed staring at the sky with wide eyes.
Neiji didn't really hear his daughter, as if everything to him was in slow motion and no sound came to him. This dreaded feeling washed over him. The sky was totally black, nearly blending with the rip in the sky. What shocked him was the big moon in the sky, but it was red… red like blood.
"On the ninth day, the sun would no longer rise in the sky, blanketed by darkness and the moon bleeding crimson."
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Everyone was in a state of panic. No one could miss the black sky with the red moon. The people in the city cried out that it was the end of the world. The Soldiers were uneasy, not really knowing what was really going on. Everyone was definitely scared.
They were all gathered in the Hokage's office, the Namikaze siblings and their Shugorei and the Godaime and her Shugorei. Naruto was sitting on the couch, with blank eyes. Sakura sat beside him, a hand on his shoulder. Their Shugorei stood close to them. Gaara was sitting on the Hokage's chair, with his Shugorei on each side. Tsunade and her Shugorei stood close to the window, behind Gaara.
"On the ninth day, the sun would no longer rise in the sky, blanketed by darkness and the moon bleeding red." Neiji said.
Hinata carefully glanced at the small blond teen. "Is that… part of the real prophecy?" She asked.
Naruto nodded. Sakura bit her lip. "Then, isn't this the 'time' when we're supposed to get the real prophecy?" She asked.
The blond shook his head. "We're not supposed to know what would really happen further. My guess is that the real ending to the prophecy is scattered into each of you." He glanced at the Uchihas, the Hyuugas and his siblings. "You will only get a piece of the prophecy when that time progresses…"
"Then… it's not very useful…" Sai said, frowning.
Naruto closed his eyes. "Maybe not, but it could be…"
"'On the ninth day,' that's what Neiji said. Could it be the prophecy is also counting down to the last day of the message given to Naruto by that Pein and Konan?" Jiraiya questioned.
"The Ten Days of Hell." They all turned their heads towards Orochimaru who spoke out. "We were told in our academy days that every sixty or so years the world faced what is called 'The Ten Day of Hell'."
Hinata raised her head in recognition. "Ah! That's right! I read something like that yesterday night." The Hyuuga Heiress said. "For ten days everyone experienced some sort of unpredicted disasters that struck the whole world. It was unclear of what really happened on those days, but it was recorded in every text exactly how Orochimaru-san phrased it. But it was not specific that it happened exactly before the Darkness came." They were watching the pale eyes young woman. "I'm guessing that the reason no one would record exactly what would happen is because they were all too terrified to relive those days…"
"That means for the next eight days… we'll experience horrible things until… the Ten'yo finally faces the Darkness." Sakura nearly whispered.
Itachi frowned. "It could be a way for the Darkness to show off its powers and what it could do."
"But what happened on the tenth day? What was so horrible about yesterday?" Lee asked, furrowing his brows.
Sasuke released his breath, bowing his head. "The messengers of Darkness come, spilling blood in their paths to the Ten'yo, marking the beginning of the days in hell." They all widened their eyes and looked at the youngest Uchiha.
"You mean to tell us you knew about it?" Sakura cried out. She stood up from her seat, staring at Sasuke. Gaara and Tsunade frowned and glared at the Uchiha.
Naruto sighed. "I told him to not tell anyone…"
"What? Why?" The pink haired young woman nearly shouted, a bit angry.
The blond's head was still bowed, not wanting to look at his sister or the others. He sat in silence. Gaara narrowed his eyes. "What else are you hiding?" He's tone was low. Everyone glanced at the Uchihas and their Senmin.
The blond stood up, his bangs covering his eyes. "I won't say, unless we somehow get to the ruins where our mothers made the prophecy." Naruto said nearly unemotionally.
Sakura looked at his brother. "But…"
Itachi pushed himself off the wall, and stood up straight. "It's unclear what Naruto knows, but going back there may confirm something."
"It can also probably help us in trying to unlock the pieces of the real prophecy." Sasuke said. "If that was the place our mothers made the prophecy, then maybe it will reveal to us the ending."
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((And I end it at that! So the countdown to the end is near. What discoveries will they uncover, and what will happen during the Days of Hell as it was dubbed?
See, Pein and Konan have an important role to the story. Plus, I needed some baddies in the story. I saw them as the strongest, by far, in the Manga… save for Madara… ahem. I somehow added the connection they had with Jiraiya in there, but I twisted it to fit the story. Sorry for the spoilers again! Eek!
I thought it was fun to have the Three Sennin as the main characters in the chapter for awhile. I feel sorry for Orochimaru really. Every story that I have read always made him as the main bad guy. I thought, maybe this time he could be some good guy, just that he was mislead. Hm, I think in the past I made him nicer and forgiving, and gave a reason why he was so evil during the beginning of this fic. Huhuhu... I have plans on what may or may not happen to the three…
I think I made another turning point that leads to more confusion and lots of questions. Gah! Why!? I guess you'll just have to all wait and see what will happen in the next chapter. My classes are going to start up in two weeks. Hopefully I can add a chapter or two before that. I know you're all eager for this fic to draw to a close.
Oh! And, since the dark days that I blanked out in trying to remember what I wrote for these three chapters, I also started on a new story. I know, how bad of me! I got six chapters done already, and it will only be about fifteen chapters total, since I got my outline on it done. It's another AU so yeah. If you want, you can check that out too, but it's only the prologue. If I get enough positive reviews to satiate my imagination, I may update depending on my schedule. It's called Hana Taisen… that's if you're interested. I won't focus too hard on that fic, because my main priority is finishing this one! Yosh!
Thanks again for the reviews and your support! Please give me some positive comments. I'm still trying to finish the next two chapters, and your support helps a lot! Until next time!))
EDIT 2013: Fixed a few things here and there. Nothing too significant.
So, adding to the history time line of this story:
-At 16 years of age, Tsunade and her Shugorei met with the Ame trio, Yahiko, Konan and Nagato (who were about ten years old).
-At 19, Orochimaru met with the 'ghosts' of the trio, and received the darkness. Minato was 11 years old, entering the academy a bit later than the usual age of 6 years of age for Soldier training.
-Minato was named successor to Hokage title when he was 18 years old. He married a year later, took over as Hokage, and two years later, Sakura and Gaara were born.
-Ichibi and Nibi attacked Konoha when Minato was 21 years old. Then a year later, Kyuubi attacked.
-Orochimaru defected from Konoha when he was about twenty-six. He appeared before Naruto and Sasuke (5 & 6) when he was 35. Then he killed Minato and Kushina (both 29), when he was 37.
-Tsunade took the title of Godaime Hokage when he was 37 years old.