"Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!"

Kiba stared dumbfounded as a large jet of water blasted into the masked-shinobi, sending him crashing into one of the brick walls with a thud.

"Take that, cha!"

Kiba blinked, before he realized before him stood a man wearing a blue kimono and a yellow obi, as if he was one of the civilians. He certainly didn't look like much, and the Inuzuka boy would have quickly dismissed him, if it wasn't for the full head of pink hair in the shape of a cherry blossom.

Don't tell me that's Sakura's—

"Dad!" Sakura shouted, throwing her arms over the man, Haruno Kizashi.

"Sakura!"

Before the two could embrace, though, there was a flash of movement, too fast for Kiba to even see. All he heard was the clash of steel against steel, and a blur of colors, before Kizashi was sent flying backwards, slamming into the ground.

"You caught me off guard," the masked-shinobi growled, pointing his tanto at Sakura's father. "I do believe I still maintain the advantage. You're only a civilian, and I'm a Jonin, a part of the special Ops."

Kizashi barely heard his words over the ear-splitting ringing in his head. Still, the man shot a half-hearted grin, stumbling to his feet.

"Chunin, actually. Just not wearing my vest," Kizashi spat through grit teeth. Regardless, the two men (and probably even the children), already knew the odds. It was the highest shinobi rank below Kage, versus an average ninja; one of them was an elite assassin, while the other delivered packages. It really didn't look good.

A small trickle of ice threaded its way down his spine, sending shivers throughout the pink-haired man's body. Feasibly, there was no way he could win—the man outclassed him in every aspect. The little taijutsu or ninjutsu Kizashi actually knew was barely above Genin level, whereas any genjutsu was completely out of the question. He wasn't naturally gifted like Lord Hokage, nor was he genetically blessed like any of the major clans in Konohagakure. He was simply Haruno Kizashi, one normal Chunin in a world of shinobi.

I'm going to die, he thought to himself.

"My dad's going to beat you up, cha!" The pink-haired girl ran forward, throwing her fist in the air. "He's the strongest shinobi ever!"

For a moment, Kizashi was speechless, not sure whether to reprimand or praise his daughter. After all, what a stupid thing to say to a cold-stone killer ready to murder you and your friends, but when he saw the girl's face, realization began to dawn on him.

She believed it.

Sakura's eyes twinkled with hope, determination spilling from her. To her, Kizashi was the strongest shinobi, and right now, no one could ever take that away from her, not even the Anbu standing before her. And so the Kizashi's smile grew, until his teeth were full-bare in a mad grin. A low chuckle began from the pit of his stomach, rising until it exploded into his chest and out his mouth in full laughter.

"She's right. I'm not just any Chunin. I'm the Cherry Blossom Chunin, and I'm gonna kick your ass."

Cherry Blossom Chunin, really?

"Sakura, run!"

Channeling his chakra into the pit of his gut, Kizashi began to weave the hand signs to his jutsu.

"Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!"

A large force rumbled from within him, the chakra in his stomach rupturing outwards into his throat, exploding from his mouth in a jet stream of water.

I'm gonna get you now, you bastard.

But this time, the Anbu was ready, dashing away from his jutsu in a cloud of dust. Kizashi continued to follow, shooting the jutsu towards the shinobi, but it was no use—he was too fast.

"I told you before: you caught me off guard," the Anbu said, dashing towards the man in a blur of color. Kizashi's jutsu faltered and disappeared. He scrambled to throw up a kunai, just in time to deflect a strike. There was a clash of metal, the impact shooting up the man's arm. He barely had time to grit his teeth, however, before the Anbu leapt into the air with a spin, smashing down an axe kick onto Kizashi's head. The man's vision flashed bright white, an incessant ringing filling his ears. Instinctively, he put up his hands to guard his face.

A sharp pain rammed into his jaw, sending Kizashi crashing to the ground. His head slammed hard against the ground, reverberating a loud crack through his skull. He felt the cold sting of snow bite into his bare skin, followed by something warm trickling down his neck.

Through clenched teeth, the man screamed, willing himself to his feet.

He felt his heart drop, when a small head of pink swarmed into view.

"God dammit, I told you to run!" Kizashi shouted, his voice a strained wail. Suddenly, the world came barreling back into view, just in time for him to duck under the Anbu's blade. With a warcry, Kizashi rammed the tip of his kunai into the shinobi's chest—or at least, tried to, before the Anbu caught his wrist, and spun, slamming the pink-haired man onto his back. Immediately, the oxygen left Kizashi's lungs, leaving him wheezing for air.

The Anbu didn't give him any time to recover this time, quickly twisting the man's arm, breaking it. There was the sharp sound of something snapping, like a small branch, before the night was filled with Kizashi's screaming. Tears flooded the man's view, blurring the Anbu above him into a muddled shape.

"No!" Sakura screamed, charging forward towards the Anbu. He was ready for her, though, swinging his sword at the approaching girl. Before she could get sliced, Kiba tackled her out of the way, sending the two of them tumbling into the snow.

"Are you crazy?" Kiba shouted, scrambling to drag her away from the shinobi. "He's too strong for you!"

Sakura was rabid, thrashing against her classmate. She clawed at the boy's face and bit at his hands. "Let go of me!"

"He'll kill you!"

"I'll kill him!"

Kizashi was oblivious to this at this point. There was a weird pulsing darkness swarming in and out at the edges of his vision, where the only thing in view was a white animal mask. The man slowly reached up with his good arm, seemingly grasping at nothing.

"Why?" he croaked, though even speaking now was difficult for him. "You're supposed to protect us. You're sworn to the Hokage."

The Anbu's blade flashed, and for a moment, Kizashi thought this was it for him, before, to his surprise, the shinobi knelt down, close enough that if the Anbu wasn't wearing a mask, they could have felt each other's breath.

"The Hokage is the one who ordered this," the shinobi whispered, his voice even, devoid of any emotion. Then with one fluid motion, he raised his tanto and plunged it into Kizashi's throat.

Kizashi didn't die immediately. Sure, it hurt like hell, and he would have screamed, if he wasn't drowning in his own blood. However, at this point, everything in his body felt as if it was being incinerated, so what was one more injury?

Somewhere out there, he could hear someone screaming.

Who was that?

It almost sounded like his baby girl, Sakura, but that couldn't have been right. She was at home, away from this all. She didn't have to see him like this, broken and crippled, dying like some animal. No one, especially not a child, should watch their own father die in front of them. He was happy she wouldn't.

Just one day, he hoped she would leave this shinobi dream of hers, and maybe find a nice, clean job in the village. He had heard that the salon down their street was hiring. Sakura would be good at that.

He never even wanted her to be a shinobi in the first place. It was too dangerous, especially for people like Kizashi and Sakura—normal people, people without kekkei genkai, powers passed down through bloodlines. The world of shinobi was a brutal one. Only the strongest survived.

Which is why Kizashi drew his last breath and died.

"Lock the village down, now!" Sarutobi Hiruzen barked at the two Anbu kneeling before him. "Where are all the Jonin? Gai, Kakashi?"

"They've already been alerted, Lord Third."

This was bad. Really bad. Not only was there massive unrest in the city, but the Sandaime had gotten word that there were supposedly rogue Anbu killing the villagers, which could mean only one thing—Danzo had shown his hand.

It wasn't a bad move, the old man had to admit. Only he and a few select shinobi knew about Danzo's secret Anbu corps, hidden underground the village. Root, they called themselves, and while Hiruzen had ordered Danzo to disband them, the Sandaime would have been foolish to believe his friend would comply. Because of their secrecy and so called separation, almost everyone would view those Anbu as his Anbu, as if the Hokage, himself, had ordered the massive slaughter.

How could he have let this happen?

Truly, he was too old for this. It was only a matter of time before he dropped dead from the amount of trouble he had to deal with in such a short time—the Uchiha Massacre, Danzo's little assassination attempt, and now this? Surely it wasn't at all amusing, but in the context of the God of Shinobi's life, it was a little funny. How ironic that would have been—to have lived through three Shinboi World Wars only to die of stress.

It wasn't his first choice, either, to be the successor of his successor, Minato. After he had resigned the hat eight years ago, the old man had expected a long, happy life with his dear Biwako, with whom they'd watch over their grandchildren and grow even older together. With Minato as Hokage, Konohagakure was safe. The Sandaime didn't have to be its protector any longer.

That was, until the Yondaime had died, and his old friend, Danzo was vying for the seat, and so, Hiruzen had to once again step up.

This was all because of the kyuubi. Hiruzen could understand the sentiment of the village towards Naruto, as even he had suffered great loss that night, including his wife. Not a night passed where the old man wouldn't replay in his mind all that he could have done differently, where perhaps he could have saved Biwako and Minato and all of the countless lives they had lost that night. He was the damn God of Shinobi, after all, how could he have not saved them!

And for that, Hiruzen himself wished he had been the one to finish the kyuubi, using that jutsu, instead of Minato. Perhaps he could have even found a way to kill the demon. But the Sandaime knew there was a line. Naruto certainly wasn't that demon, only a prison for it. Many people believed it was him, the Hokage that was protecting Konohagakure from the kyuubi, but Hiruzen could only chuckle at that thought. No, it wan't him—it was Naruto, that little boy, who was holding that monster back, all by himself.

In fact, the old man had accomplished nothing in his long existence. To some, including himself, he had caused more harm than he had done any good; for it really was a regretful life he lived.

One of those regrets was allowing Danzo to continue this game he was playing. He had gone too far, tonight, murdering the ones he had sworn to protect. Except now, it would look really bad if Hiruzen were to take his old friend down. Instead of what it really would be, it would look like Hiruzen was trying to fully take power in Konohagakure by killing one of the most influential men in the village.

Hiruzen cursed under his breath, shaking the thought out of his head. There was a bigger threat looming, one that could rival the night of the kyuubi attack.

"Tenzo. Tell Tenzo to find the boy."

Stepping out of the shadows, head bowed, was an Anbu. He remained there for a brief moment, before disappearing, in search of the shinobi called Tenzo. While he didn't look any different than any of the other Black Ops ninja, Hiruzen knew Tenzo wielded was one of the most powerful assets to Konohagakure, perhaps just behind Naruto. Yes, he was going to need to be on the front line.

One of the other Anbu stepped forward, crossing their arm over their chestplate. "Lord Hokage, and what will you do?"

Hiruzen pushed past the shinobi before him, heading straight for the door. Without missing a beat, the old man stripped off the white Hokage cloak and hat, revealing the man's battle armor underneath. Beneath his skin, the God of Shinobi could feel something pulsing, something he hadn't felt in a long time. It boiled hot like lava, bubbling inside of him.

Maybe it was fear. Or it was anger.

Would it be possible for the seal to already be weakening? Was it that more and more of the kyuubi's chakra was corrupting Naruto, making him feel more and more hatred for the people of Konoha? If the villagers really pushed that far tonight, then who knew what could happen? If the kyuubi really did come out, hundreds, even thousands could be killed. Then it would be his fault.

Again.

"I'm going to atone for my sins."

Elsewhere, a masked shinobi knelt on a roof, overlooking the carnage ensuing below. He had done great work today, his blade dripping red onto the snow.

"Lord Danzo, the Sandaime is moving," the Root-Anbu reported.

The bandaged man, face unbetraying as always, only gave a small nod. To some, it would have been concerning how little emotion he really showed, but to his men, that was all they knew. The cold, calculating savior who would do anything for their village, to protect them from what he had experienced long ago. They knew of it, the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, how it had pushed humanity to its worst. They figured it was a lonely position to be in, to be the only a man that had the will to do what needed to be done.

And soon it would be even lonelier, when all his old comrades were dead.

"Sakura, stop!" Kiba yelled, dragging the girl by her arm. While the Inuzuka boy was strong—maybe even the strongest in their entire class, as brute strength was concerned—he was a taken aback at the ferocity of the pink-haired girl. Little by little, as she continued to thrash, he could feel his grip on her weakening. Slowly, she was prying herself free.

Before them, the Anbu member stood up, retrieving his tanto from Kizashi's gaping throat. Although Kiba did his best to avert his eyes, he still saw a little of the mess. His stomach churned, realizing there was a little resemblance to that of a spewing fountain.

"We have to go," Ino managed between a few breaths, somewhat recovered from before. She bounded over to her two friends, wrapping one of her arms Sakura. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

"This is nothing personal, I assure you," The Anbu's voice was void of any feeling, as if he was only a shell of a person. He turned to face the trio, his white animal mask glistening in the winter moon. At his side rested his blade, now dripping red with blood.

Kiba's chest began to seize up, as if something was clamping at his heart. All his muscles began to scream for him to run, to move, to escape.

I'm not scared.

The snow crunched under the snow, as the Anbu took a step towards them.

I'm never scared.

Tears were beginning to build in his eyes, followed by the shaking in his arms and legs. Underneath his skin trickled cold ice, freezing his blood solid. It was a feeling Kiba knew all too little, yet was particularly familar with.

He was terrified.

The Anbu's tanto glinted a sickly crimson, as the shinobi rushed forward, straight for Kiba. Instinctively, the boy cursed aloud, letting Sakura out of his grasp, falling to the ground in horror. While the blade soared right over his head, he couldn't help but feel as if someone had plunged a dagger right into his heart, paralyzing him.

Get up, damn it, get up!

Before he could move, the Anbu kicked his foot into Kiba's face, sending the back of his head smashing into the floor. Quickly, the shinobi planted his foot onto the boy's chest. Even if he wanted to escape, there was no way, now. He was trapped.

Why... We're just kids...

"An Inuzuka clan boy," came the voice from behind the mask. For a moment, there was silence, as if the shinobi was studying him. "Maybe we can use you."

But before Kiba could even digest the man's words, there was a startling war cry, as a head of pink-hair crashed into the Anbu.

"You killed my dad!" Sakura screamed, throwing her entire body into the shinobi. While he was much bigger than her, barely moving at her weight, he was a little taken aback, letting a few of her punches land. After a while, he clutched her by the throat, lifting her up in front of him.

"This one appears to be overtaken with emotion."

Kiba knew what was going to happen next. It was as if everything began to happen in slow motion. The Anbu twirling his blade. The glinting metal streaming in the air. Sakura's widened eyes. A gloved hand clasped around the girl's throat.

God damn it, you fucking worthless piece of shit! Get up!

He watched as the Anbu thrusted the blade into Sakura's stomach.

Or at least, he would have, before there was a flurry of movement, and the Anbu was sent flying backwards, crashing into the wall behind him. Immediately, Kiba felt the weight of the man off of his chest, as he took one long breath, his vision swirling back to him.

There, standing above them was a man, dressed in a standard Konohagakure shinobi uniform. Spiky white hair stood from his head, almost as if it was it was a flame, and covering most of his face, including his mouth and nose, was a black mask. Most notably, however, was that the man's forehead protector was drawn down over the man's left eye, and Kiba wondered why—wouldn't that block an entire half of his periphery?

"That little pink-haired girl's fiesty," the man said, gesturing at Sakura, who was now lying on the ground, stunned. "She could be a great kunoichi one day."

"Who—who are you?"

The stranger turned his back towards them, stepping towards the Anbu, who was now picking himself to his feet. Without looking at the children, the man spoke, his voice aloof and distant.

"Kakashi."

They had killed him. He was dead.

Or at least his clone was dead.

Peering down at the carnage below, Naruto didn't know why, but he knew the exact moment when the clone died. Not only that, but he also knew how, as if the clone's memories were his own. The boy could feel it—the way the man's fingers locked around his throat, slamming him into the dirt. The overwhelming mass of people crushing him, suffocating him in a grave of flesh and blood. The last few moments of gasping for air, only for everything to fade into darkness.

It was strange, because the real him, the original Naruto was up on his roof, with Genma, the entire time.

And he saw himself die from another perspective.

Naruto's blood boiled, as he eyed the screaming mob below. It wasn't entirely a surprise to the boy. He knew it was bound to happen eventually—the villagers trying to kill him, that is. It wasn't like they hadn't gotten physically violent with him before. Nonetheless, the boy found his mind in freefall, unable to find the words to explain his feelings. His stomach churned and his legs tremored. His hands were balled fists. Around him, his seething breath turned the frigid freeze fire hot. From his feet to his head, his entire body began to burn, as if he was becoming engulfed in an insatiable flame—consumed by an unstoppable rage.

I did nothing to them.

Naruto sunk to the snow on his knees, digging his fingers into the plated roof. His chest tightened. He clawed for air, and yet his lungs continued to gasp.

They hate me.

Somewhere nearby, the boy could hear Genma saying something—screaming something, even—but he could not hear. All he could focus on was the voice in his head.

Kill.

Them.

All.

"What... the... fuck... is..."

The words fell short from Sarutobi Asuma's mouth, along with his burning cigarette. He knew all too damn well what it was; he relived it every single night. It was the same chakra that had shown up seven years ago, just before his mother and countless of others had died.

But there was no way, unless that kid had actually...

Fuck.

This was fucking bad.

Author's Note:

This chapter came out much quicker than the previous one, and even though it's a little shorter, I'm gonna toot my horn just a little here! But, I hope you guys enjoyed it! It's a little violent, I know. I apologize in advance, but I just wanted to write a story that seemed much more realistic, regarding the shinobi world. Phew, what a chapter! So, we see the Sakura's dad had died... I wonder how that's going to affect her in the future? And wow, I wonder what that is Asuma feels at the end there. I suppose we'll have to wait for next chapter, huh?

Again, thank you guys for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing. I do read every review, so if you have any comments, feedback, questions, or suggestions, feel free to leave them; it really does make my day to hear from you guys!

And just a quick side-note, since a few of you have been wondering about the pairings: For now, all bets are on the table, so if there are going to be any pairings, they really depend on how the story and characters progress. In other words, anything can happen, but do keep in mind, the focus of the story isn't to fulfill those sorts of fantasies. ;)

You guys are awesome, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

- boringfirelion