Authors Note

So it has been awhile since I have looked at this and read it. I see many errors and believe in the time I have been away I have become, at least in my own mind, a better writer. I will replace/update the current chapters to blend more fluently together and add in more details here and there. I wish to see what all I can do, those who read this seemed to love it so now I wish to do it justice. Thank you for all your support throughout these years, I really do appreciate it. You guys are what gave me my motivation to keep writing even after life got so busy. By the way I don't own Naruto just my characters thanks I hope you enjoy!

"When the world burns, which side will you be standing on? The one trying desperately to put the fires out, or the side who created the flames that now engulfed the world you once knew? Will you help save the world or watch it burn at your hand?"

-A man asked a monster

"If you can perform the Katon right now, I will…" The tall man looked to the sky as if he was deep in thought, he then snapped his fingers and smiled at the little boy.

"I'll let you date my youngest daughter!" He had a smile but not a toothy one, just a small, simple smile. Sasuke looked at the man like he had lost all sense. He knew the man before him had three daughters, one way older than him, one his age, and one a year younger than him. Though, he had never met any of them.

The man he was looking at was his mother's best friend's husband, Zero. That's about all he knew about him, his name. The man stood at six feet tall with white hair that was cut nice and short except for some bangs that hung in his face. The man was lean and well in shape. Sasuke had heard many women call him a "Delicious snack" though he never understood why, or how any person can be a snack. His face had cold onyx eyes and a cool expression at all times, except when he was with Sasuke, he was silly with him, he could never understand why. He wore simple clothing, just a black long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black pants and for his shoes he wore black shinobi sandals, which was weird cause he wasn't a shinobi, he was a history teacher at the school nearby.

Sasuke was 7 now and he had just gotten the hand of using the Katon and had just shown it off to his father, who told his mother, who told Zero's wife, who told him. Sasuke has met Zero a few times but that's it. He has never met his wife, which is weird considering that was his mom's best friend. But he didn't mind it. He and Zero were standing on the small landing where he had shown his father the katon not two days ago.

"I don't think I would want to date one of your daughters Zero-san." He said, shaking his head.

"Why not? They are all beautiful and nice….okay well I admit I think the middle child might be a little crazy, but she's not the one I'm suggesting." He spoke with a tone that told Sasuke he was joking, well that and the big grin on his face.

"Just being your child must make them all crazy to some extent" Sasuke said looking up at the man, who looked at him shocked.

"Hey….their mother is the crazy one not me." He said looking away with his arms crossed, it looked like he was almost pouting like a child. Sasuke couldn't help but smile, Zero was weird but he was nice.

"How about I just show you to show you?" Sasuke suggested to Zero. Zero looked at him and let a small smile appear on his lips.

"Alright, I can agree to that." Sasuke felt his smile before he turned his back to him and took a deep breath. He concentrated his chakra and made the hand signs. He felt the warmth of the fire start in the pit of his stomach, then it climbed. To his chest, in this throat, then he let that warmth fill his mouth till it felt like it was about to come out, then he blew. The Katon he created was even bigger than the one he had shown his father. Sasuke felt so proud of himself, he was getting better. He turned excitedly to see Zero who was silent but he had a smile on his face.

"When you get older, I'll be sure to introduce you to my youngest, you know just to show you" He said with a smile and a bit of laugh in his voice. Zero ruffled sasukes hair and as he looked up, he was still smiling at him.

"Good job kid. You really are Itachi's little brother. Actually you may be better than him" Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up a bit. No one had ever compared him to his brother before, well not in a good way. Zero turned around to walk away and Sasuke followed and he knew he was taking him home. He was happy; Zero's comment had put a new confidence in him. One day he will be just as great as his brother. Maybe even better. Sasuke was now excited for the future, and not just to be as good as his brother. He couldn't help but be happy about one day meeting Zero's daughter. He was smiling ear to ear in excitement when he got older.

Sasuke stood in the rain crying in his empty town that once held his happy clan members and his family. The rain wouldn't stop, he had left the hospital hoping it was all a dream, but it wasn't. It really did happen he lost everything, his friends, his parents, his brother. He couldn't stop crying. He felt the rain stop hitting him but still heard it falling. He looked over to his side and there was Zero. He was holding an umbrella over Sasuke's head and was looking at him with such sadness in his eyes. He knelt down so he was at Sasuke's height and wrapped his free arm around his small frame. Sasuke cried even harder into the man's shoulder, he couldn't stop. It just kept coming out. He noticed Zeros' back was moving slowly, he was crying too. Sasuke held the man and kept crying hoping the rain would wash away his pain.

Zero had been a very constant part of Sasuke's life after the massacre. He helped him get set up in his little apartment where he will live and would come by once a week with groceries. He even taught him how to cook and clean his little home. As Sasuke grew older he came by less and less. Not because he didn't want to but because Sasuke told him not to. Zero had told him vengeance was a waste of time and was against Sasuke going after Itachi. Sasuke didn't feel like getting the lecture more than once so he told him if that's all he was going to tell him then he shouldn't waste his time coming by. He actually did not expect him to keep to it. It gave him an ache in his heart for him to come by less, but he knew what he had to do. Zero could never understand, he was a teacher nothing more. He knew nothing of pain and loss. Once he was a Genin Zero only came by to congratulate him and talk with him about what he thought of his team and sensei. He came and saw him when he saw Itachi again. They did not speak though they just looked at each other and for the first time in his life Sasuke swore he saw pain in Zeros eyes, as if he could actually understand the pain he had been through. But he couldn't, could he? After that Sasuke did not see him again until the night he left The Hidden Leaf Village.

Sasuke was walking down the street, it was quiet. He was more in a neighborhood then the main street. He saw Zero leaning on the side of a building with a cigarette in his mouth. Sasuke stopped and looked at him. Zero looked over at him noticing the backpack he carried but he said nothing.

"I didn't know you smoked," Sasuke said bluntly. Now that he thought about it he knew next to nothing about Zero. The man he had known since he was a child, the man who raised him like a father after the massacre.

"It's an old bad habit, I only do it when I know something bad is going to happen." He said and took a hit of his cigarette and watched the smoke float into nothingness.

"It won't make you happy." Zero said without looking at Sasuke. Sasuke knew Zero wasn't dumb, one of the few things he knew about him.

"I will be the one who determines that." Sasuke spat back a bit snippy. He then looked at the building Zero was leaning on. It read Haruno Sweets. This was Sakura's house. Something clicked in his head.

"Hey…do you live here?" Sasuke asked, a bit afraid of the answer. He saw Zero chuckle a little as he took another hit.

"Yep" His voice was even and devoid of emotion.

"Sakura is your daughter isn't she?"

"Yep" Zero looked at him with a smirk on his face.

Oh good fucking god was all Sasuke could think. Sakura, his teammate, was one of Zero's daughters. He shivered a little, and it wasn't because it was cold outside.

"Your gonna break her heart." Zero said bluntly, taking another hit. Sasuke looked at him with a sharp glare so he knew he held no empathy.

"Are you going to hate me for it? I never liked her like she does me in the first place." He said with a bit more aggression then he ment. He knew Sakura's feelings for him, but he never liked her that way. He never had those feelings for anyone, he appreciated her help as a teammate but never anything more.

"I won't have to hate you." Zero said looking at Sasuke with his cool onyx eyes. "By the time this is over you are going to hate yourself more than anyone ever could hate you."

Sasuke stared at him. He was confused, what did he mean by that? Sasuke decided not to dwell on it; he had to get going. He walked by Zero then stopped a few feet away from him.

"Thank you" He said it quietly but Zero heard it and he knew he meant it. Sasuke kept walking and Zero stood there smoking knowing he will hate himself in years to come for not stopping him. But he had to let him go; it was the only way, the only way he would ever learn the truth.

It was the next morning, the squad had already left to go look for Sasuke. Sakura was at home crying in her mother's lap.

"S-Sas-Sasuke-kun" She kept saying his name over and over again. Zero stood outside the living room, he was leaning on the wall listening to his daughter cry. He looked to his side and saw his youngest daughter, Rose. She had her back to the wall and was sitting on the ground hugging her knees. Rose was small; she was maybe 5'3. She had long light pink hair that went down to the top of her thighs and her bangs were short but waved to the right so she could see. Her eyes were blue and red. Not purple, but a clear blue and red color merring together and dancing in her eyes. Many people thought they weren't her parents because of them, but Zero knew why they were that color.

She sat there looking at the room where her sister was crying, she looked concerned and uncaring at the same time. Zero sighed. Sakura and her two sisters did not get along.. Her older sister, Ami, was fourteen years older than Sakura. That made her the same age as Sakuras teacher. The age gap was only one reason that separated them, Ami is strong being the close second. She was gennin at the age of three, chunnin by four and joinin by five. She was an ANBU, and a strong one at that. She became an ANBU by the age of six. She was on par with Kakashi himself. Sakura couldn't keep up with her older sister. She was gone so much. As for Rose, well, Sakura would rather be locked in a room with her older sister who called her a dud over her younger one. Sakura really didn't like Rose. Zero would almost say she hated her.

Rose was in a boat like Ami. She was a gennin by five, chunnin by six and an ANBU before ten. Both her older and younger sister were stronger than her by mile stones, hence why Ami called her dud, because she wasn't as strong. A rude and mean name by all means considering Zero and Harukos heritage, but they knew from the beginning that their children having their power would be rare. But the odds went in the favour of Ami and Rose leaving Sakura the "dud" not getting either families power, not that Sakura knew there was anything special about their families. She just thought her parents were boring and normal. A sweet shop owner and a teacher was all she knew. It was all she could ever know.

It hurt Zero to watch one of his daughters feel left out and weak because the other two were born with the kekegenkai she didn't even know she could have had. But it did save Sakura. She would never know the hell her sisters have to live. She will never be a slave, she will only ever know freedom. And for that Zero would be grateful. She can live a normal life, she can have a normal family. Her future was bright. Whereas her sister's futures were nothing but death and darkness.

Pushing the inevitable pain of his daughters to the back of his mind he tried to focus on the good he could see before him. He looked at Rose, he saw her beautiful bright pink hair that all his daughters got from their mother. They were all beautiful like Haruko. Even Sakura was beautiful but she didn't hold the confidence of Ami or the uncaring attitude of Rose. Because of these traits many boys have tried to woo the sisters. Sakura understood why her older sister got attention, but her little sister getting more, that bugged her, for whatever reason. He assumed it was a girl thing.. But more guys were into Ami and Rose than Sakura. Yet another reason she didn't like them.

Zero sighed thinking of the rivalry of his children. They have tried to get Sakura to like them but all in vain. She just stopped caring and usually never told anyone she had siblings. Not that it bugged Ami or Rose at all, at least that's the face they put on in front of her. He knew his children better than that though.

Zero looked at Rose on the ground and knew she was fighting herself to not go in there and help her older sister. Zero could tell by the conflicted look in her eyes. She didn't like her second older sister but she did care for her. They all sat like that, no one moved at all.

Later that day Ami came walking in, and she was covered head to toe in weapons, she just got back from an S rank mission with Kakashi. No one had moved since that morning. Sakura was still crying, Rose and Zero were still against the wall. Ami needed no explanation, once they returned the Hokage told Kakashi what had happened and he went after them, after dumping all his things on her while telling her what happened. Ami didn't live with the Harunos; she lived in the same barracks as Kakashi. But she came home, which is rare. But she felt bad for her little sister. She looked at her father who looked oddly young for his age, but the worry he wore on his face almost showed his age, almost.. He was conflicted but she knew why. She looked at Rose on the floor and saw her sister's annoyance, and pain. She wanted to help her sister but she knew better than to try. Neither one of them would step in to help their sister, but they would quietly hope that their sister doesnt know this pain for very long.

Zero looked at Ami and he saw the black collar on her neck and cringed a little. It was there because of them, because of the bloodline of Haruko and him their children must bear this curse. He looked at Rose. She had one too but you currently could not see it with the way she was sitting. It pained him to see them wear those things. He took one more deep breath and looked to the ceiling. He could hear Sakura still stifling tears and the sweet words of her mother to soothe her. His thoughts drifted to Sasuke, the only son-like figure he had ever had. Zero hoped no he prayed. He prayed Sasuke wouldn't make the same mistake he did. He hoped he would learn the truth before it was too late...