Chapter 1: Aftermath
4:00 Am: It had been a long night for Lord Hiruzen. He had been sitting in his ratty old chair all night, dealing with this situation. He had been sitting here so long, it felt like his butt had been glued to the chair. The overhead fluorescent lights were giving him headaches.
He had popped a few motrin, but they weren't seeming to help. He had gone through many of the remedies for headaches taught to him over the years. Though they never worked like they were supposed to. Shutting your eyes for a few minutes. Hot compress. Cold compress. None of them worked.
A good old headache, was the only real unbeatable force in the world. You just had to let it pass through you, and you had to deal with the pain and constant throbbing.
Upon his desk sat files and files, reports, and letters. Demands for action, kill orders, mission requests. All requesting to hunt down the newly adorned pariah. Naruto Uzumaki.
6 hours earlier, he had broken into the Konoha state library, snuck past the librarian, and got into the deep records. He had then somehow got past the numerous defenses set in place, and had stolen the Forbidden Scroll. A scroll chalk full of things a boy like him could easily die attempting to cast.
Hiruzen wouldn't even begin to name all the things that could cause major harm to everything around the boy.
God only knew what Naruto was thinking at that moment. Hiruzen knew that Naruto had recently failed the Genin Exam. Naruto was also a prankster, so maybe this was his way of getting back at the world.
Though, something like this, no less how would he know where it was or what it was, was simply out of Narutos reach.
He rubbed his forehead, which was moist with sweat. He had requested for an air conditioning unit to be put in his office. But it had yet to be installed, which meant the office was muggy and swampy with heat. It didn't help with the humming lights overhead, and the paperwork being sent in every hour.
When he had taken up the job again after Namikaze died, he hadn't remembered how much the paperwork took a toll on you.
It was even worse now that he was getting on in years. He wasn't the oldest man in the village. That belonged to the two eldest members, brother and sister Hamura and Sakurma. Both were ancient. Both needed constant aid, and neither could walk. Yet they are still together. Even after 150 years of being alive.
Hiruzen was sitting at a ripe 104. He had experienced 2 wars, killed countless shinobi, loved many women, married a few, had 5 children, 1 grandchild, been Hokage twice, the second time after the 4th Hokage died while defending the village, and had most likely filled out hundreds of thousands of papers.
This night was one of the nights where the paperwork seemed to never end. He had been woken up by a messenger dog, used by many of the ANBU, alerting him of an emergency. He had been fast asleep,laying in his bed. Until the dog somehow got in through the window. Hiruzen had no idea how they did it, since his bedroom was on the third floor of his house, but nevertheless they got to you, no matter where you were.
He supposed that this was a good thing, but he was too annoyed to think about it. He shooed whatever mix the dog was away. But the dog wouldn't budge, still propped up on his couch, barking his head away.
He didn't feel like getting up and going to do some emergency paperwork so late at night. He was too tired for it. But the dog wouldn't let up, so he started getting dressed. He would try to postpone the paperwork till tomorrow, if he could. But he would never be able to that night.
He slipped on his Hokage garb, which was a red robe, with a white coat on top. Along with a hat that was in the shape of a diamond. It had the symbol of the land of fire on it as well. He had worn this so much, it was almost like a second skin to him.
He headed toward the Hokage Tower. It was located behind Hokage mountain. A large mountain that was the backdrop of the village. Across it, were the faces of the hokage, all carved in with expert detail. The tradition was started by the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju and it stuck with the next Hokages. The latest one to have his or her face carved was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
He had died 13 years, protecting the village from the Nine Tailed Fox Demon. One of the nine tailed beasts, and the most powerful of them. He had one of the shortest reigns of all the hokage, but he was the most beloved of them all.
He had been a major part in ending the Third Great Shinobi War, and had sacrificed his life for the village when the Fox had attacked. Every year, at the anniversary of his death, thousands of people took a trip up Hokage mountain and left flowers, candles, food, or drinks up there near his grave. Each hokage was buried on Hokage mountain, above their heads. But no one got as much love as Lord Fourth.
After he had died, Hiruzen had assumed his position as Hokage again, taking back the office. Hiruzen didn't see too many worthy candidates for Hokage, so he had came out of retirement to take the mantle back up again.
Hokage Tower was the largest building in Konoha, standing tall above all other buildings. It was painted red with black trimming, and it was larger at the bottom, almost like a pyramid, and got thinner moving up.
The symbol for Land of Fire hung on the top floor, made of black metal. His office also sat at the top floor, which looked out upon the village.
It was the second best view in the village, only beaten out by the platform at the top of Hokage Mountain. Sometimes, he would look out upon the village at night. Seeing people mill about. And the hundreds of lights flickering down below.
Knowing that each light was a life, was a spirit of the land of fire. He would look at shinobi having drinks and partying. Young men and women holding hands. A child and a mother having a moment. It filled him with joy and passion.
A passion to see his village prosper, to see young and old smile at each other, and not have to worry about war and death. It motivated him to complete all the paperwork even at his age.
He would retire, he surely needed it. He had even retired once before, but there wasn't a candidate for hokage that lived to Hiruzen's standards, and those that did, had no interest in becoming Hokage. Two of them were his last students. Two of the legendary Sannin that fought in the Second Great Shinobi War.
Jiraiya ran the underground spy network that had been created for the Third Great Shinobi War and Tsunade was off someone, drinking and gambling her life away.
There hadn't been so much as a wink of controversy or major upset since the Uchiha Massacre, and he planned to keep it that way. Until now. With last night's events threatening to teeter the peace Konoha had built.
Hiruzen had known the boy ever since he was born. His parents, being well known shinobi, had died defending the village from the Nine Tailed Fox demon 12 years ago. Hiruzen had kept an eye on Naruto throughout his childhood, making sure he got into the good orphanages.
He never succeeded in getting him adopted. Though he knew he didn't do his best.
Naruto had grown up without a lot of attention, which meant he had resorted to doing outlandish and rude acts, like pranking people he disliked. He was a loud and energetic kid, so coupled with having little to no attention, it meant he had become a trouble maker and a brat.
Naruto's pranks were always complex and involved mutiple steps. He had secretly enjoyed some of them, even when upset parents and villagers were ranting to him, usually covered in something Naruto had dumped on them.
But this was way beyond anything Naruto would or could do. Anything a failed academy student could do. First stealing a forbidden scroll, than murdering his own academy instructor in cold blood. Right in the village walls. It harmed his passion for the village. It filled him with sorrow, and distaste.
He never could've thought he had failed the boy so much. To the point where he kills his own teacher.
Naruto shouldn't even have the capability to kill a chunin. But Iruka had been out of practice for years, so he was sure to have grown sloppy. Naruto had become an expert at planning traps and pranks, so he most likely got the drop on Iruka. Maybe he lay hidden in a tree, waiting until Iruka passed over, and then at the right moment, he would drop down. Kunai in his hand, and stabs him in the back.
He quickly banished that thought from his brain, locking it away forever in a file cabinet deep in his brain. He suspected… no, he knew that Naruto was not capable of this. Despite the reports from that disgruntled jonin, he knew this was wrong.
Yes, Naruto was a troublemaker, and had a distaste for all authority figures, yet, killing the man who had been helping him for years. After stealing a scroll that he couldn't have ever known about. It was out of Naruto's scope.
He would voice his opinions, but the masses couldnt be controlled. It seemed that one of the jonin sent after Naruto, who had failed to catch him (Hiruzen reminded himself to punish that Shinobi) had talked about it with his buddies and they had spread it around.
Around 3 hours after the events had occurred, he had scores of shinobi lining up to take a job to capture Naruto. He had calls from disgruntled parents and shinobi, telling him "Told you so", or "always knew something was off about him"
Hiruzen did his best to calm their fears, and their anger, but he failed in dissuading most of them down.
Then the thing he dreaded the most had come to pass. Danzo had strolled by to talk about it. Danzo was the reason why Hiruzen had made the decision to come back as Hokage again.
Danzo was well known in the space of old shinobi. He was a key member of the underground spy network that helped end the Third Great Shinobi War. He was a veteran member, having known Hiruzen since he was 15. Hiruzen had been his teacher once, but they eventually became colleagues and equals.
Though Hiruzen hoped he hadn't taught him all he had. Danzo had been a thorn in Hiruzen's side his entire career. Danzo said all that he did was for Konoha but what he did was less than morally right. Taking young boys and girls at night to use for testing, even building a secret spy organization behind Hiruzens back and teaching them to be emotionless killing machines.
Danzo went against Hiruzen often, which meant Hiruzen was constantly rallying against him. Now, Danzo had come to him with another proposal that night. It seemed he had to came to know the situation long before he did. Hiruzen already suspected Danzo had shinobi on his payroll, but this confirmed it.
He walked into Hiruzen's office at 3:30 in the morning, right as Hiruzen arrived in his office. He was waiting there.
Most of his entire body was covered in bandages. He had gotten major burn scars across his entire right half, and used those bandages to hide them. He was leaning on his cane. His right foot remained damaged from the Third Great Shinobi War, so he required a cane to walk.
Hiruzen remembered the story. He was in the plains of the Land of Grass. The land of the grass was the small country situated between The Land of Earth and theirselves. It was a major battleground for much of the war, with both Hidden Stone, Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud shinobi battling at all times of the day.
The plains were a no man's land of sorts. If you went there today you can still see signs of battle. Strewn kunai and shrunken, broken blades, bones, craters. Some are filled with bones. Scorched sections of earth. Raised land and crackled rock, some stained with dried blood. Many areas of the Land of Grass were like this.
The Land of Grass never really recovered. Its capital city had been devastated. Most of its infrastructure had been completely eradicated. Thousands of innocent civilians had been lost to war. The War left deep scars in the Land of Grass's histoy
There were many villages that had been wiped off the face of the earth. Only having ruins of the once prosperous villages. Most of them didn't even stand anymore. Only torched homes with their roofs caved in, toppled structures. Only memories of a lost time.
It was in one of those bloody battles that Danzo had gained that hideous scar.
Most of his platoon had been slain, leaving only 5 alive, including him. While they fled the battlefield, Danzo has given himself up to the enemy, and fended them back till reinforcements came.
Though when the reinforcements came c permanent damage had been done to Danzo. Danzo had been sitting in a crater, his entire right side burned and chatted. His leg was bent in several places, with bone sticking out of his knee. Crippling him, and forever resigning him to the underground spy network.
The Third Great Shinobi War was one of the most bloody wars in the history of shinobi. That's what made Danzo be able to do anything for Konoha.
Everything he has experienced in that war, from losing his lover, seeing so many young man and woman die in a pointless war and done something sinister to Danzo.
To never have to experience a war like that, Danzo had grown cold. He shied away from human interaction and had created the idea of a perfect soldier. An emotionless weapon was what Danzo saw as a perfect soldier. It was almost like the impact would be smaller.
Danzo's proposition had been an outlandish one. Hiruzen felt anger growing in him as he looked at it.
"Capture Uzumaki Naruto, bring him back, and kill him"
7:00 Am: Sakura Haruno had spent a long night celebrating with her parents. She had finally graduated from the Academy and had become a fully fledged member of Konoha's genin population.
She had imagined this moment from the first day of academy, 6 years ago. When she had walked through the arch that led to the front doors for the last time, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. A warmth spread through her, when she remembered all the times at the academy.
The academy had a special place in her heart and she was going to miss it a lot.
Her parents had gone out and bought a cake before she took the test, and had gotten the house decorated for her. A banner hung above the kitchen doorway reading
Congratulations Sakura
It was pink with white lettering.
Sakura usually passed tests with flying colors. She was a Straight A Student and her parents were very proud of that fact. So her parents had bought the fake ahead of time.
When Sakura had walked in the front door, her new headband displayed proudly on her forehead, she had been surprised by a host of family members and friends.
Her cousins, aunts, uncles, and more were there. She
Even her grandparents, who rarely left their cozy home in the heart of the Land of Fire, had come out to see her. They were old. Civilians never lived as long as people in clans, since clans usually had a larger chakra reserve. They were getting on in years so she treasured every moment she got with them.
She was so excited. Sakura was the first person in her family that had become a shinobi. They weren't a big family, and weren't that rich either.
It had taken her mom and her dad both working two jobs to be able to afford the academy.
They had spent the day, partying, and eating. Sakura had spent most of the time talking to her cousins and receiving hugs and kisses from her relatives. Her younger cousins had been constantly asking her questions about it. Some had asked to touch her headband and she happily allowed them too.
They ogled at it a few seconds each and passed it back and forth.
Her older cousins were interested but they weren't as enamored as her younger cousins. She talked to her female cousins most.
Her mother had even allowed her a tiny sip of alcohol, since she was legally designated as an adult now. Though she wasn't physically an adult.
She had gone to her bed, with her belly full, and tired out. She eventually fell asleep, snuggled up in her covers, her headband on her nightstand, ready to get her assigned genin team tomorrow.
Soft morning light lit up her room. Light peaked in from the blinds and connected with her face. She raised a hand up, blocking the sun's rays from bothering her anymore. She sat up, shrugging the covers off of her. She was wearing a baggy shirt and pajama shorts.
She stretched, waking herself up slightly more. Her brain flashed through the memories of last night, instantly putting her into a good mood. She smiled, and slowly opened her eyes. She swung her legs over her bed and shook her pink hair out her face, finally getting used to the brightness level in her room.
Her mother had the same shade of hair as here, while her father had a deep red.
She had a makeup station to the right of her bed. A mirror was set up on it, and strewn across it was make up products.
Foundation, lipstick, eye liner, brushes, brushes, hair curlers, makeup removers etc.
On the opposite wall stood a bookshelf, filled with books, most of them were fiction, but a few were non-fiction, most of them being books the school gave her. Things like guidebooks on how to throw projectiles, textbooks on chakra:
The color of her walls was a light teal. She remembered painting her room with her father when she was younger. An overhead fan, with a light attached to it was turned on. Sakura remembered her mother pestering her about turning it off when she went to bed. But she enjoyed the way it felt when she lay down on her bed, so despite her mothers warnings she left it on. She stood up, feeling the cold air envelop her. She walked over to the switch near the door and flicked it off.
The droning of the overhead fan slowly diminished. She stepped out into the upstairs hallway which overlooked the living room. No one was staying over. Many of her relatives were staying in the Hidden Leaf Hotel, and would come down later. There were still some traces of trash left over from last night. She was so tired that she completely missed picking up. She shrugged it off, making a mental note to pick it up when she went down.
By that time, her parents would already be at work. Her father worked at a lumber mill, and also worked as a chefs assistant in a ramen shop. Her mother worked as a part-time medical assistant at the Mito State Hospital, and she also sometimes watched the Inuzuka clans dogs. She walked over to the bathroom, which was to the left of her bedroom.
She stepped into the bathroom. The tiles were freezing against her feet, which made her jump back onto the warm carpeted floor of the hallway. The window was open in the bathroom, which let in a cool breeze. It must have cooled down in the bathroom overnight. She quickly stepped over the tiles and onto the gray floor mat.
She went through her morning routine, which consisted of brushing her teeth, flossing, washing and brushing her hair, and putting on some light makeup. She had started wearing makeup because of her friend. They both had a crush on the same boy, so they were constantly competing. They used to be great friends but had grown distant because of the boy.
She dressed herself in her school clothes. And made sure to put her new headband on. She used it as a hair town, tying it in a bun.
She headed downstairs, excited for the day to come. When she got into the kitchen, she was met with the sight of her parents. This surprised her, since they both went out early in the morning. They were sitting at the table and had worried expressions on their faces.
Sakura made sure to be quiet. Her parents never let her in on anything they talked about, so she was always curious.
They seemed quite distressed. Her mother was drinking coffee, which Sakura had never seen her do. Her hands were clasped tightly around the mug, and she was kicking her feet up and down.
He caught a few words.
Really, killed? Her mother asked out of disbelief, worry permeating her voice.
"Yeah right outside in the forests." Her father replied. He sounded more angry than distressed. His brow was furrowed and he was frowning.
"Right in our backyard!" Her father shouted.
Sakura wondered who could've died, no less in Konoha, and she heard him say killed? How couldve that happened? Last night too. Thinking of a man being killed while she was celebrating last night made shivers go up and down her back.
After having enough eavesdropping, Sakura stepped out of the corner, and announced her presence.
Hello mom, hello dad She said, waving her hand. Her mom jumped a little, spilling some coffee at the table, and her dad quickly darted his eyes towards her. Her mom quickly pushed her chair back and got up, rushing to get towels.
Oops She said while grabbing paper towels from the roll. Sakura apologized for barging in so quickly. She sat down at their table, as her mom was wiping away the coffee.
"I've never seen you eat coffee mom Sakura said. Her mom didn't respond. Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion, but didn't say anything more. This had to be about the guy who died. She wondered who it might be. Maybe a ninja, or a classmate. She thought about all her classmates, and what they might be doing this morning.
After a few awkward more seconds, her mother sat down and gently clasped Sakuras hands in hers. Her mother's mouth was turned downwards, and she had that expression where she was worried or sad about something.
Her mother opened her mouth to speak, before closing it again, clearly rethinking what she was going to say. Sakura was patiently waiting for it.
Sakura, we are very sorry this has happened. She said, squeezing Sakuras fingers. Sakura, still swamped in confusion, let out a noise of confusion, which her dad responded to.
Someone you know has died. Last night, and well, he was killed Her father said, looking directly at her. Sakura let out a gasp of surprise. Someone she knew? So it might actually be a classmate. Her mind immediately marked off Sasuke. In her mind, no one could kill him, not even a Kage.
She marked off the frail girl Hinata. She always had bodyguards following her, so she couldn't have been killed. She marked off Kiba and Shino, because no one wants to fight dogs and bugs. Just thinking about Shino made her arms burst out in goosebumps. That boy gave her the creeps.
She also marked off Choji and Shikamaru. Shikamaru would be sleeping by then, and Choji would be eating at a restaurant with his family. His family was known for being able to eat a lot. So they probably had emptied out a whole restaurant with their appetite.
She also marked off Ino, since she had told Sakura she was going to celebrate with her family too. She was left wondering who had died.
Sakura looked at her mother, awaiting an answer. Her mother recognized this, and sighed, looking downward. This was hard for her.
Sakura, the person who died was your teacher, Mr. Umino Sakuras mother had a hard time getting it out. Once she released those words, the air became thick with something Sakura couldn't identify. Sakura wondered why she felt like she couldn't breathe, or why everything had seemed to grow misty.
Sakuras leg started to bounce up and down, like it usually did when stressful things came about her. Her parents looked at her expectantly, waiting for her reaction. Waiting for a blow up, for her to burst out in tears, or maybe for her to have a breakdown, yet those never came.
Sakura looked at their old and scratched table. Littered with little bumps, scratches, cuts, stains. The table was older than her. She found her mind wandering, wanting to get away from the oh so horrible thing her ears had just presented her. She nibbled on her lip as her leg bounced up and down, up and down. She expected it to slam into the table and snap her out of her stupor yet it never did. It jittered wildly, up and down, up and down.
Is Mr. Umino dead? Dead? No, she told herself, no this isn't true. Her mind tried to come up with answers to this. She was dreaming, she told herself. This was some sick dream thought up by her mind JJK. This was her mind being worried, being excited and using it in the wrong way. Any second now, she would wake up and find herself in her bed, the day before her.
But that moment never came. She was only here, sitting in an old rickety chair, because her parents couldn't afford anything nicer. Because they were paying so much monthly for her to go to the Academy.
That's why she wanted to become a ninja, she remembered, to get more money for her parents. So they could live nicer. That's why she had spent so many long nights studying. That's why she sacrificed her childhood years to become a genin.
Sakura managed out one sentence. It was hard because of her shock. She whispered it, barely audible, but still heard by her parents.
"Who killed him?" She asked. Her father looked down at the table, and her mother grasped Sakuras hands even more tightly.
The suspense was killing her. This news was already horrible enough, she just wanted to have it be done for, for it to be over. She wanted to run upstairs, hide under her covers and sob.
Her mother stared at her with those pleading eyes, asking her to just say "nevermind" and just carry on with the day. Instead Sakura looked at her mother back, staring at her with the same expression.
Her mother sighed.
"The boy with the blonde hair… Naruto I think his name was"
That was when she broke down
5:00
The Uchiha compound was dead silent. It had been that way ever since 7 years ago. That day 7 years ago, the entire Uchiha Clan, one of the largest clans in Konoha, had been erased in a single night.
Sasuke, even though he barely thought about it much anymore, couldn't get away from his memories during the night. Laying down on the futon in his father's room, the same way it had been 7 years ago, (he never once moved anything out of place) he writhed and squirmed, imagining that moment over and over again.
The misery that consumed him, the shock. Every night he replayed the worst moment of his life, over and over again. The duel thuds, the reaper looming over twin bodies, both headless. Evil red eyes swirling wildly.
The head. The woman's head. Eyes widened, a tear sliding down her cheek. Not knowing she was already dead. The man's head, resigned, calm. Serious, stoic. He was always like that. One of the few things Sasuke remembered about him. Always trying to earn his approval, his pride. But always failing under the shadow of the Reaper.
The Reaper standing atop a light pole, the moon silhouetting his figure. Dead bodies strewn around. They started out still, always still, as the Reaper looked down from above. Then the faces revealed themselves to be his friends and family. But they were different. Theyre flesh hung limply off their faces. Everything was missing. Eyes, noses, teeth. Slashes and cuts marked their faces. Some didnt have heads.
Some were little boys and girls with a face of horror forever struck on their faces. Others were young couples holding hands. Others were elders, slowly limping forward.
They stunk to high heaven, their flesh rotting and falling off in chunks. Their eyes held anger, hatred, horror. Sasuke knew what those eyes said,
Why are you alive?
What gave you the right to be spared?
Those phantoms, those corpses all hated him, all wanted him dead.
He would try to scream, but nothing would come out. Their hands would grab onto his arms and legs. They would grip his throat and hair, and pull. They would tear out his hair in chunks, rip apart the limbs from his body.
Tearing flesh, bone, and muscle. They would tear him apart until he was just like them. Broken, killed, the victim of the Reaper. Then as he lay down, in a pile of flesh and bones he would look up into the Reaper's eyes.
He saw years, decades, centuries of torture and death. He would see the very embodiment of death. He would see crimson eyes, spiraling into black. Into the nothingness of death.
Then he would bolt up, his hair sticking to his moist head. The moonlight shining in from the windows, and creating shadows. The covers would fall off of him, and he would look down at his body, expecting to see something out of a horror movie, but he only saw himself. Perfectly fine.
Some nights he would sleep with a knife, thinking it would help him in the dream. Other nights he sobbed into his pillow, waiting for the Reaper to come back, to finish him off. Finish the job.
Each night his anger grew, his animosity grew. It pushed him further and further. Sometimes he wondered why The Reaper had spared him. To humiliate him? To shame him?
Assume didn't know. Though every night he yearned for that answer. It was early. Really early. Night was still out. He was still shaking from that dream. It was the same dream. It always was.
He shrugged the covers off of him. This was quite a normal day. Wake up early because of the nightmare, and then spend the early morning training.
Sasuke was an insomniac but that didn't mean he wasted his time. He walked across the room, hearing the boards squeak under his feet.
He had gotten used to the room so much that he didn't need any light. And the Uchiha genetics also helped him. Their sight was notoriously impeccable. He flicked on the light switch and the room was quickly flooded with light.
Sasuke immediately got used to the change in light and slid open the sliding door. He stepped out in a hall. Sasuke hated the Uchiha compound. He hated the empty hallways that creaked. Half of it was in ruins. Not being able to care for it for years, nature had snuck its way in and now, the other half of the compound was swamped in overgrowth.
But most of all, he hated the emptiness. The feeling that something should be here, but wasn't. He knew what that something was. Life. There was no life here. It was cold, emotionless.
Sasuke imagined kids running down these halls, playing tag, innocently having fun. Filling the compound with a spirit, with soul, with happiness. Now that all was all gone, ripped from his life by The Reaper.
The compound was now a soulless building, forever to be soulless. Sasuke imagined how many other places The Reaper had left like this. Spilled, vacant, leaving dead bodies to be found, for others to have nightmares just like him.
He walked down the empty hallway, the panels squeaking as his feet out weight upon them. He walked into the bathroom and flicked on the light.
Sasuke stared into the mirror. Dark bags hung under his black eyes. The nightmares had started when he had finally returned from the hospital. The Reaper hadn't put a hand on him, but they still wanted to keep him out. They wouldn't tell him, but Sasuke knew it was because of the bodies.
He knew that his whole clan was gone, which meant hundreds of bodies, lying there in the compound. After a month, he returned, but that was when the nightmares started.
He started only getting 6 hours of sleep. Then a few months later, only 4. Eventually it progressed into getting barely 3 hours. Lord Hiruzen had noticed this on one of his monthly checkups, and had ordered him to see a doctor.
The doctor, a young woman who seemed to be right out of med school, diagnosed him with Insomnia. And gave him some sleep meds. He has tossed them out when they made the dreams longer, instead of stopping them.
He never told Lord Hiruzen. He still respected the man dearly. He stepped into showe and tried to let the water wash away the nightmares, but they had become a part of him now. There was no cleaning it away. After 10 minutes, he got out and patted himself dry.
He walked down to the kitchen and made himself some bacon. He ate it in 7 minutes while sitting at the kitchen table.
He sifted through Tv Channels to pass the time. Idly skipping past documentaries, reality Tv shows, and some animated cartoons. None of them interested him.
He shut it off after an hour and he lay back in the chair his mother had bought before he was born. The chair was very old, and felt like crap to sit in.
It had various scratches and stains from decades of abuse but Sasuke never threw it away. He kept much of the same things in the same spots and places they had been when everyone had died. It was almost like they were still there because of that. He felt changing all those things would flip the fragile balance he already had.
Yesterday he became a genin, his first step in finding The Reaper. It wasn't a surprise to him. He already knew he was going to pass. He was by far the most athletically advanced of the entire classroom, and was smarter than a large majority.
He had to be. He trained day and night for years to get where he was. If he hasn't become a genin, he would be a loser, and a failure. The Reaper might've just come back out of pity and ended it then.
The status, the graduation. Didn't mean much to him. It was his goal that pushed him. It was The Reaper that pushed him.
He would kill him. Slit his throat and end it all. Then he would be at peace. He was far away from it.
The sun started to rise, filling the room with warm light. Sasuke could see light rising over the trees which closely bordered the Uchiha Compound. The courtyard lit up and Sasuke looked out, remembering a time when he had played with his brother in that same courtyard.
Sasuke got up from his Mother's chair and headed back into his Father's room. Once he got in, he looked at the forehead protector. Sitting neatly on the ground next to the futon. His hand gripped the door frame as his hatred lighted anew.
The forehead protector resembled something, it resembled his passion, his goal. That forehead protector would be with him when he killed The Reaper. And it would be with him when he ended it all.
Later
Sasuke had gotten ready for the day, putting on a dark blue t-shirt and white khaki shorts. He had put on his contact lenses. They didn't actually assist him in seeing, but it protected the eyes from dangerous particles like dirt and other things.
His father had taught him to always protect his eyes. The eyes were the pride of the Uchiha Clan. Their eyes were a precious weapon and tool.
Hundreds of enemies had tried to take them but had never succeeded. On the battlefield their eyes were undefeated by other clans carrying Dojutsu.
The Byakugan paler in comparison to the Sharingan's power, which the Uchiha prided themselves on for centuries.
Sasuke hadn't unlocked the Sharingan yet, but he was patiently awaiting it. He had heard stories from older Uchiha when he was younger. He remembered one old man he knew.
His father had introduced him as his mentor. He had trained his father and had fought with Lord Tobirama during the Second Great Shinobi War.
He had been sitting on his front porch, sitting in a rickety lawn chair. Sasuke expected it used to be white but it wasn't anymore. All the paint had been chipped off, but there were some white bits left.
He was smoking a cigarette and was looking past at the street.
"Now listen here, I know you've heard some stuff from your friends at the playground about your eyes but they're all wrong. That's why your father gave you to me for a day. He wanted you to know the truth about them."
He looked at Sasuke, waiting for a reaction of some sort. Sasuke just nodded. He surmised he was being taught a lesson.
"Now, some Uchiha will say that Sharingan is only used for battle… for uh, killing people. But t-that's wrong. The eyes are for way more than that."
Sasuke found himself listening intently.
"So, why are you telling me this, you ask? Well, if the eyes are the window to the soul, then that means the sharingan is the transportation in the soul. You don't just predict someone's movement, see inside a wall, or be able to see what someone can do before they do it, you can feel with the Sharingan. It's a sixth sense. Much more than just a simple tool."
Sasuke always went back to that memory when thinking about his eyes and what was to come.
He grabbed his headband, and wrapped it around his forehead, stuffing his hair upward. Getting ready for the day.
He stepped out of his family's home, feeling the cold morning air wash over him. He took a deep breath of it, and walked out into the courtyard, looking at the barely visible hopscotch squares written in chalk from years ago.
He started at the basketball hoop. Spider-webs and dirt covered it. The hoop had been rotted through, threatening to fall with every light breeze. There were no basket-balls to play with.
He walked past all of them, and walked to the compound gateway. The compound was off to the very left of Konoha, relocated by Lord Tobirama. His father didn't like Lord Tobirama at all, saying that he relocated them because he didn't like the Uchiha.
Sasuke just thought it was a petty clan rivalry.
He walked down back alleyways, through wide roads that went by orchards and abandoned houses. He eventually got into Market Road. Where hundreds of people traveled 24/7. On every side there was a vendor trying to sell you something.
Fresh fruit, meat on a stick, dango, barbecue. There were shops, restaurants and everything you could think of. Sasuke traveled through fairly easily. Everywhere he walked someone would stare at him, maybe whisper behind their breath as he passed.
He has gotten used to it, even though it annoyed him. Ever since the Uchiha Massacre, he was the only Uchiha left in the village, which meant he was the center of much gossip.
Rumors spread about him after it had happened, all of them untrue. Everybody had wondered what would happen to the Last Uchiha. Sasuke has no answers.
He eventually made his way to the academy. The large red bricked building. It's 5 stories tall. The red gate with the fire symbol was closed.
Odd, Sasuke thought. It was still a normal day for younger academy students. They were told to come back in the morning today to get assigned Jonins and a team. But the gates were closed.
He walked up to the gates and knocked on them. After he got no reply, he cupped his hands and shouted.
"Where is everywhere!" No one answered. Sasuke was thoroughly confused until the gate peeked upon.
"Sorry, the Academy isn't open today" The person said. Sasuke couldn't see who it was, since he was behind the gate. He sounded sad, whoever it was
"Why, I need to get my team and jonin assigned today." Sasuke replied.
"A teacher died," The man responded. This surprised Sasuke. His mind immediately turned to one of the older teachers. A thing like this has happened before. Mr. Orio, a half blind old man had died and academy teachers took a day off out of respect.
He was silent for a moment before asking which one fully expected it to be not his own teacher, but one of the teachers standing on his or her last leg.
The man held silent for a few moments. Anticipation built up in Sasuke as he awaited the answer.
"Mr. Umino," The man said silently. Sasuke stood there, shocked and speechless. His mind searched for a logical response. Maybe it was an accident, he fell and broke his neck, he was hit by a cart running out of control.
Sasuke stood there for a few moments, completely shocked.
"What happened" Sasuke got out. The man had seemed to be closing the gate before Sasuke could ask anymore questions.
The man paused, deciding what to tell this boy. He knew him, everyone knew the last Uchiha. He didn't hate him, or like, or have any strong opinions about him, but he was getting on his nerves.
There was a pregnant silence before it was broken again. "He was killed." Sasuke's world had been flipped upside-down again. He hadn't been close to Mr. Umino, he just saw him as his teacher. But, he did have a measure of care for him.
Sasuke's mind, always logical, searched for an answer. Sasuke restrained himself from asking who had killed him, because he could see the man was clearly not wanting to talk to him anymore.
The man shut the gate. Sasuke could hear the familiar sound of a metal latch clicking.
So Sasuke stood there, in the empty street, looking at the hit of oak doors of the Academy, shocked and bewildered at what had just been told to him.
The street was silent, nothing but Sasuke's breathing could be heard. No one was around. It was like death had flooded in Sasuke's life once again.
He felt a familiar feeling of anger seep back into him. But it was new. This anger was new. The anger was for the person who had killed him. His own teacher. This anger felt good, it was new, just born in fact.
It reignited the flame of hate in his heart. It energized him. It was like he was back there 7 years ago in the hospital, anger and hatred and rage exploding in him.
Sasuke told himself killing this man was his next goal. The next step in killing The Reaper. His father had always told him, the hardest step in becoming a Shinobi was ending another human being's life, so Sasuke was going to do just that.
To be on The Reaper's level, he had to be just like the Reaper. The Reaper wouldn't hesitate to kill him, so Sasuke shouldn't either.
Sasuke turned away from the academy, intent on obtaining more news about the death of his teacher. Specifically who had killed him.
10:00
You would think an ANBU Captain would be up at the crack of dawn training, or working, but Kakashi Hatake wasn't. He was sleeping, resting in his one story apartment, sitting on an old futon he had used for 20 years and had never replaced. He had constantly made mental notes, physical notes he had put on his fridge, but he had never done it.
The futon was special. He had used it for so long, it felt like a part of him so much he wouldn't be able to sleep with a new mattress or futon. He was getting his much needed beauty sleep, which most ANBU operatives would call lazy, when one of his many ANBU tracker dogs nudged him awake.
He nudged it away, and turned over, pulling the covers over his head.
Go away Paku, Im sleeping. Kakashi. Paku started barking, and wouldn't stop. Kakashi knew this wouldhave happened, since he had trained Paku himself.
Paku was a pug mix, but had been genetically enhanced. All ANBU Service Dogs had been. His muscles were stronger, along with his bones. His eyesight, hearing, tastebuds, and eardrums were all improved. He could run faster, and carry heavier objects than most dogs. He sighed, knowing that he had to get up and pulled the covers off of himself. He was only wearing boxers, and a white shirt. His mask and headband were on his nightstand.
He unhooked the scroll which had been tied to Pakus back, and unfurled it.
Urgent
Addressed to Kakashi Hatake:
A failed Academy Student by the name of Naruto Uzumaki has escaped after killing his academy teacher. He escaped last night at 11:32 PM and is currently on the run. He has a scroll in his possession that would fetch a high price on the black market. Meet up with two other ANBU operatives at Konoha's gate. Find him and return him to Konoha shortly.
Kakashi put the scroll back onto Pakus back, and clipped it on. Paku trotted away, out of Kakashi's apartment. Kakashi knew this would be so easy it would be boring. He stood up, and headed into his bathroom. He took a piss, and stepped into the shower.
He had heard of Naruto Uzumaki before. An orphaned body who had turned to troublemaking because of the lack of attention given to him when he was younger. His pranks were elaborate and always worked.
Kakashi thought he would've been smarter than to kill his own Academy Instructor and to steal a highly valued scroll. He was even more surprised he had failed the Academy. But he did steal a very valuable scroll.
He could sell that for hundreds of millions of ryos if he gave it to the right guy. Shady businessmen and people with dark plans would be lining up by the hour to get a chance at looking at that thing.
He finished his shower after 30 minutes and got dressed. He put on his mask, which covered most of his face. He picked up his headband and looked at it.
Many scratches, cuts and scrapes littered the surface of the metal plate. The fabric which had been attached to the plate was frayed and discolored after many years of use. He looked at himself in the reflection.
He never would have thought he would join the ANBU when he was younger, but he did after his entire team had died on a mission into the Land of Lightning. It was well into the Third Great Shinobi War when that mission had taken place. He had been newly awarded the rank of Jonin at the age of 14.
Becoming a jonin in of itself was an accomplishment worthy of celebration, but he had done it younger than 95% of all shinobi in Konoha. He had been a once in decades shinobi. He thought he would be able to finish the mission with ease.
It was a simple reconnaissance mission. See what was the situation in one of the many Hidden Cloud Bases strewn across the Land of Lighting. But they had been caught. On the team was Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara.
Obito was a good friend to Kakashi, but they had constantly butted heads while on missions. Kakashi had been a prodigy and had passed the academy with flying colors. Obito had showed up to graduation late, and with mismatched socks.
Kakashi looked at Obito with scorn at how lazy he was.
They always had different ways of doing things. Obito had been much more emotional than Kakashi and that had driven him. Kakashi recalled Obito's goal. To become Hokage. At the time, Kakashi thought it a fool's dream. Obitio was clumsy, lazy, and his emotions swayed him too much. Now though, Kakashi knew he could've done it.
Being compassionate and caring was what Hokage's were good at, and needed to be good at. Obitio wouldn't have given up ever, and that's why he could've become hokage. Kakashi was the direct opposite of Obito. He had been cold, and rude to everyone around him.
His father had died saving his teammates. He had broken a vital shinobi rule by going back for his teammates and had failed the mission because of it. He was shamed when he got home. Crowds gathered around their house. His father was stripped of his rank and fired. Leaving him to drink at home all day.
He was shamed on the street, he was embarrassed, ashamed and depressed. Kakashi was only 9 then, unable to do anything but look as it all unfolded.
His father got depressed and depressed, until he couldn't take it anymore. He took his own life in their home when Kakashi was only 9. Kakashi was left fatherless (his mother had died at childbirth) and that had given him a valuable lesson. The mission is more important than teammates. Those who forgo their mission to save their teammates are scum.
He hated his father a lot after that. Mainly for leaving him, deciding that his life was too horrible for him, even though he had a son right in front of him.
Kakashi took his fathers suicide to heart, and had forsaken any attachments to his team. He had followed the shinobi handbook to the letter. But Obito and Rin dying had taught him a much more valuable lesson.
Rin had been captured by an enemy shinobi on the mission and brought to a low hanging cave. They were able to rescue her, but the battle with the enemy shinobi caused the ceiling to cave in. Rocks had crushed Obito's right side completely.
Rin had been shot down by enemy fire soon after. Kakashi vividly remembered seeing Rin falling as kunai and shurikens poked out of her back. Her face as she fell, the life leaving her brown eyes.
He remembered the thud her body made as she fell.
He was reminded of that memory everyday by his right eye. His right eye socket bore the Sharingan. A gift from Obito as he was dying.
All of these coupled with the fact, he was an excellent shinobi, had been a major reason for him joining ANBU. He strapped on the forehead protector, positioning diagonally so it covered his Sharingan. He also slipped on a green vest, which had several pockets. He put his supplies in those pockets. Shuriken, kunai, wire, paper bombs, etc.
The Sharingan was very useful in battle, but it also drained him of chakra faster than if he wasn't using it. Meaning he had to hide it behind his headband. Also it weirded people out if it was out in the open all of the time.
He walked through his small apartment. It was a part of a small complex in the middle class areas of Konoha. He could definitely afford a big house on his ANBU payroll, since the job required him to be constantly doing life threatening missions, but he didn't like living in big houses. It reminded him of his father, and all the bad memories that were associated with them.
His apartment wasn't that big, but it was big enough that it had multiple rooms and he could walk through it without hitting a wall in 5 seconds. It consisted of a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. The living room was quite small and the only things in it was an ancient TV, and a sofa he had found on the side of the road with a paper reading "free" taped onto it.
It was brown and a fake leather, but it did the job.
He eventually got to his door and opened it. There was lots of bustle about. People heading back and forth, shopping, etc. his apartment looked out on a street that had many people moving through it throughout the day.
Oh well hi there Mr. Hatake. His landlady said.
Kakashi had already heard her coming from a mile away. He had learned to pick up the slightest movements from far away in his time in ANBU. His landlady was a nice old woman who didnt know his true job.
Of course she couldn't know his actual job. ANBU operatives were specifically supposed to keep their identities secret. If an enemy was able to learn your name, they could hunt you down through people you know.
She thought he owned a little store in downtown Konoha. To her Kakashi was just a middle aged man running a shop wii hio could only afford her apartments. Kakashi never had told her what kind of a shop it is, but Kakashi figured out she didn't really care.
She just wanted to seem nicer so he feel more inclined to cough up rent. He always paid on time, which was one of the few things he did do on time.
He waved to her, and walked past her. The transformation jutsu had already been cast so she saw a slightly overweight man who had a bald spot on his head.
He walked past her. She was holding a watering can and was wearing overalls and a sun hat. Kakashi knew everything about her. He has been given a file on her. He knew she enjoyed gardening as well as over charging her tenets.
He walked down the steps to the street, and started heading towards Konoha's gate.
Hknew it was going to be a long day. The boy couldn't have gotten that far, but he was still probably a ways if he hadn't stopped to rest.
After around 30 minutes of walking he reached the gate. He took the scenic route to the gate. He recognized the ANBU Operatives standing there. They were all cloaked in transformations. In ANBU, no one knew your actual name. You went by code names, so not even your teammates, if they were captured, could give you your name. ANBU agents were also put through grueling training involving pain tolerance so they have a stronger mental and physical tolerance.
The two ANBU Operatives were standing in the large square that sat below the gates. Hundreds of people milled about there.
Some going in and out of Konoha, others traveling through the square.
Rat was there disguised as a young adult, around the ages of 21-25. He had a large pack-back on. Then there was Parrot . He was disguised as Rat's child. A 6 year old boy. He also had a large backpack on. An odd transformation to say the least, but if you had the same disguise every time, the border shinobi would begin to be suspicious.
Someone wouldn't be going back and forth into and out of Konoha so often.
Being ANBU meant you were always against someone. Didn't matter if you were fighting for them or for their village, everything and everyone was against you. That was what they taught you.
He waved towards them, but only put up 4 fingers. They both waved back. Rat acting like an energetic child.
As Kakashi looked up at the 30 foot gates that stood tall over the entrance into Konoha, he got to thinking about the boy. What had got into him? To go from pranks to murder was quite a leap.
So as Kakashi Hatake, the ANBU captain, was meeting up with his teammates to capture Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno was crying herself to sleep in her covers, Sasuke Uchiha was doing training exercises, and Lord Hiruzen was swamped with paperwork.
And Naruto Uzumaki sat alone in a forest far away from Konoha.