Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just a few of the videos!!

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Prologue

The two met in the dim room, looking deep into the swirling water of the silver bowl that sat on a granite pedestal in the center.

"It seems he is slipping further into madness as time progresses." The speaker was a bearded young man, dressed in a white kimono with two white katana's strapped to his back.

The second figure, wrapped in a pitch-black kimono, nodded agreement and looked back into the bowl. "If we have any hope of righting the balance before Amatsu Mikaboshi becomes too powerful, we are going to have to help him."

The figure in white sighed. "I already lost my best messengers in an effort to prevent this exact outcome. We should send one of your messengers this time."

The figure in black chuckled. "Why Inari, I never knew the kyubi was your favorite."

The other god merely smiled. "It's hard not to get attached to such a prankster. Who will you be sending Tsukuyomi?"

The dark god scratched his head in thought. "It can't be anyone to mischievous, and preferably with experience dealing with that particular village." He snapped his fingers. "I have the perfect aid." He reached into a fold of his sleeve and withdrew a tiny carved onyx dragon. Bringing it up to face level, he breathed on the small figurine. He then placed it on the floor and watched as it dissolved into a cloud of dark vapor; only to coalesce into a human figure dressed in dark ninja gear.

"You called Lord?"

The Moon god nodded. "You have been keeping updated on the situation in Konoha?"

His servant nodded, her dark auburn colored hair bobbing with the movement. "I was very disappointed when my cousin had to be forcibly brought back from the clutches of that snake." She fiddled with a kunai for a moment, restlessly rolling it over her fingers, evidence of her inner agitation. "Kyubi's vessel is growing stronger at an astonishing rate. He should be ready for the next phase of the plan soon."

"It is good you think so then. I want you to go and fix what is broken, we must limit the strides Mikaboshi has made in the last several years."

Her eyes widened in surprise before she could hide her emotions. The last time she had been sent on a mission to Konoha, fifteen years prior, the aftermath had prompted her Lord to forbid her ever returning. She bowed low, grateful for the chance to revisit old haunts. "I will leave as soon as I gather a few things." She turned to leave, only to be halted by a last comment from Tsukuyomi.

"Two rules before you go. First, you may tell no one who you truly are, unless they already know. Secondly, you may not use your other form, unless they have already seen it."

She nodded stiffly; glad to be released with only those stipulations. With another bow, she vanished in puff of black vapor.

The two gods turned back to their perusal of the silver bowl. White turned to Black, "Are you sure about sending that one after what happened last time?"

"Yes, she will be motivated not only by the ties she has to that bloodline, but also her desire to make up for her mistakes."

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Chapter 1: The First Morning

He was dreaming, in the on-again off-again way he had adapted to during the past year. He dreamed of blood, covering his hands and dripping down his arms in mimicry of a dark tattoo that had already wrapped itself across his neck and chest. He could see the body of the boy in front of him, head turned drunkenly away in the sprawl brought on by death. For a moment, he was afraid, dreading what he would find if he looked at the face. Would the eyes be red, blue or green? The voice in his head called him at that point, told him to leave the body and go searching for more excitement deeper in the woods. He turned, faintly remembering another dream where by this point the sky had opened up and rained tears on him, but he was unable to fight the voice and so he left. He stepped into the darkness of the wood, and found himself awake.

The dark eyes opened and slowly scanned around the bedroom. Dirty clothes and discarded weapons lay scattered across the floor, forming drifts where he had dropped them and then later kicked them out of the way. The walls were scarred and pocked from where he had taken out his rage in the moments he lost control to the voice while awake. He lay still, trying to focus on why he was hearing somebody downstairs if he was awake. Due to wards placed long ago, only those carrying Uchiha blood could enter the main house without being repelled. This meant he was either dreaming, or his brother was downstairs. He grinned feraly, and grabbed several weapons from the floor, slowly making his way towards the voice.

He slouched along the wall heading towards the kitchen; surprised that his brother had not noticed his presence yet. He got ready to throw open the door when a feminine voice interrupted him. "I know you're out there. Come and get something to eat." He paused, wondering if he really was dreaming and had now lost the ability to distinguish between it and reality. The choice was taken from him when the door was pushed open. He stared stupidly into the brightly lit kitchen. "You're not Itachi."

She laughed, and then sobered, studying him quietly. "I should hope not."

He snarled in anger, the seal on his neck flaring a bright red. "How the hell did you get in? What do you think your are doing, and who the fuck are you?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes at his lack of control. "The door was unlocked, so I walked in. Since it's almost lunchtime and I was hungry, I figured I'd make us something to eat."

He readied himself for an attack, stepping back to gain some room when she held up her hands. "That still doesn't explain who you are? And how did you get past all the watchers?"

"Oh, by watcher's you mean all those guys in the funny masks? They were pretty easy to avoid. Who I am, is a distant cousin through your Uncle's Father-in-law's Grandmother's Father's side of the clan. I go by Kuragari Tsukitatsu, but seeing we're family, you can call me Tatsu." She turned her back on him, going back to the stove and the soup she had boiling there.

He gritted his teeth at the obvious dismissal, mind furiously trying to determine if he was still asleep or if this was some kind of sick joke. After a moment of hesitation, he drew back his arm and threw two shuriken at her, only to watch stunned as she stepped out of the way and casually plucked them from the air.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't like what I would do if you force the issue."

He narrowed his eyes in a patented "Uchiha Death Glare." "What do you want?"

She looked at him calmly for a moment, and he had the urge to fidget underneath her gaze. "I 'm here to teach you."

"I don't want your help." He thought in passing if she was really a relative why hadn't she shown up after the massacre, why now?

She shook her head. "I'm not asking you if you want it or not. I'm telling you."

He laughed, a harsh biting sound at odds with his age. "What, do you expect me to just learn from you if I don't wish to? Save yourself the trouble and get out."

They stared at each other, but he was the first to break eye contact.

"You have strange dreams, and a voice speaks in your head whether awake or asleep, doesn't it?" She watched as his eyes widened before the seal began glowing again.

"It's none of your business what I dream about. Stop wasting my time."

"Fine. You want power? I can give you that. Fight me, and if I win, you become my student until I release you."

He grinned maniacally, having been denied sparring partners for the last few months since he had almost killed the last one. "You're on. Don't blame me if you get killed though."

She grabbed the two shuriken from the counter where she had dropped them earlier. "Pride go-eth before a fall. Let's take this outside since I don't want to clean up the house later."

Author's Notes:

Inari is the god of rice. He uses foxes (hence the Kyubi) as messengers. I thought it was too coincidental not to use when I was looking for an appropriate deity.

Tsukuyomi is the god of the moon.

Amatsu Mikaboshi is the god of evil.

If you couldn't figure it out, I ignored the fact that in the manga Sasuke managed to beat Naruto.(Which I think sucks!) Naruto's leaving with Jiraiya did take place however, so the SasuNaru will take place much later. Hope this entices your appetite for more! Reviews are always welcome and normally enjoyed!!