Shien's Story: Konoha's Next Generation

by PsyBomb

More than 20 years after the series, The children of the Leaf are on missions of their own. Future assumes NaruHina, SasuSaku, and NejiTen, but they don't play a really direct role in the story. Reviews are appreciated.

1. Prologue

Shien's Story: Konoha's Next Generation
Story by PsyBomb
World by Masashi Kishimoto

This is my first major work of fanfiction, although I think it is a good one.I have much more written than just this short prologue, and it will all be up soon. That said, this is still a work in progress. Feel free to comment, just keep things civil.

Prologue: The Fourth Secret World War

"Why, Ero-Sennin? Why did you have to leave us? Why did you have to die in such a stupid battle?"
"Naruto-kun… please don't cry…"
"How troublesome this is, he was one of our last standing pillars of strength…"

Ten years after Naruto's return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha mourns the loss of his teacher, the great Jiraya. The combined forces of the Mist, Rain, Cloud, and Rock villages watched in awe and fear as Konoha rapidly recovered from the Sound's invasion, taking a mere 5 years to get back to full fighting strength, from a blow that would have ended any of the others. Seeing them now as a true threat to their own countries, the four launched a surprise attack, taking the forces of the Leaf completely off guard. With the sole exception of their now-close allies, the Sand, none of the other villages stepped in, deciding that it would be best to watch from afar. These four years, from 7 to 11 years after the election of the Godaime Hokage, became known as the Fourth Secret World War.

It was a time of bloodshed, a time in which the children of Konoha could no longer be children. Any who could fight, from the lowliest Gennin up to and including Tsunade herself, were pressed into the service of their village. None were spared, and many unproven shinobi became living legends for their roles in the war.

At the age of twenty-two years, Uzumaki Naruto finally earned his Jounin title, at the Battle of the Thousand Shinobi. This is mostly because he was 500 of them. Had it not been for the Kyuube inside of him, giving nigh-limitless energy to each of his 500 Kagebunshin, the battle would have been lost, and Konoha with it. Less than two years later, he received yet another promotion, to the rank he'd always dreamed of.

The death of Jiraya turned out to be the downfall of Tsunade. Feeling that she was alone, as her two starting teammates were both now dead, she could no longer take the stresses of the Hokage. She let her age-defying Jutsu slowly slip, and by the end of the war finally looked her age, now approaching 70. Her time coming close, she named Naruto as her successor, to be the Rokudaime Hokage. As it turns out, she did so just in time, as the next battle, fought at Konoha's gates, proved to be her last. Her sacrifice at the Last Battle was significant not for the blade it was lost to, but rather for the effect it had on Naruto. Not yet truly over the death of Jiraya, Tsunade's death sent him over the edge, releasing the Kyuube's final two tails and unleashing the greatest power yet known. However, in this, he finally made his peace with the monster inside of him, and the Kyuube with him.

This story takes place fifteen years after the death of Tsunade and the rise of the Rokudaime Hokage, named Uzumaki Naruto.