Chapter I

Shadows in the Night

The night shelters the darkness where dance the shadows enslaved by light. Darkness creates waking nightmares since the human eye is unable to pierce this far too dark veil. Fear and paranoia distort reality and invent demons wandering into the most abstract, spooky corners. Like Chinese shadows, the blind eye hallucinates entities waiting for the perfect moment to pounce, snatch life until they are swept away by the light. Humankind has always feared the night lulled by obscurity, convinced of being spied on by a predator that the brain imagined on its own to justify its terror of finding itself in the oppressive darkness.

Of course, this all goes back to times long forgotten. Humanity has conquered the darkness and has become the ultimate predator; the true master of the day and night. With their use of chakra, the shinobis and kunoichis of this world are at the top. Nothing can outclass this established order and it is inconceivable to believe that there is a worse predator than the king of predators.

I am also at the top, maybe even more. I am a legendary ninja; a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village whose name marked the five great countries of his exploits.

And my name is Kakashi Hatake, more commonly known as "Kakashi of the Sharingan."

Perhaps it's the new moon night, camouflaged by clouds and devoid of the slightest star, that made me procrastinate on disturbing but interesting ideologies? I can't say, although it's a habit I have when I'm about to finish one of the volumes of Make Out Paradise. I know the end by heart; I would be able to recite the dialogues perfectly. And yet, I always delay reading the epilogue that closes my favourite novel, this masterpiece of unequalled and delicious eroticism for the eyes and the creative mind.

While continuing to wander nonchalantly, I take a deep breath to empty myself and forget everything, then start the last chapter as if I were reading it for the first time. However, familiar voices pull my nose out from my book. Walking towards me, I recognize my precious students, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. In their company is Sai, the root orphan who replaced the darkest of the three I couldn't save three years ago, Uchiha Sasuke. Of course, there is also Tenzō—aka Yamato, my junior, who leads Team 7 in my place. Thanks to his abilities inherited from the cells of the First Hokage, he's capable of controlling the nefarious essence of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox locked in the most brainless of my disciples, Naruto.

To see the backpacks and the fatigue in their faces, not to mention that I hadn't seen them for quite a while, they just came back from a mission. Sakura is the first to notice me and she hastens to sweep her arm obviously to greet me and thus capture my attention.

"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei! Good evening!" she yells, smiling.

Mechanically, we come to meet the other.

"Yo!" I greet them with a wave of my hand. "Y'all just came back from a mission, right?"

They nod in agreement.

"From the Land of Tea to be more precise," Yamato sighs wearily, putting a friendly hand on Naruto. "As usual, Naruto did as he pleased and nearly made the mission fail."

"That's not true! It was that guy's fault!" explains the sapphire-eyed teenager, pushing away the unwanted hand before sliding his owns in his pockets.

"If you had kept your cool and not responded to his taunts, the customer wouldn't have been hurt," Sai retorts calmly.

"I didn't ask you anything!" the blond hisses between his teeth, annoyed.

'An escort mission, I see,' I guess as the young girl sighs, exasperated.

"If you hadn't frozen like that without warning, the mission would have gone off without a hitch," Sakura disapprovingly adds.

To my surprise, Naruto remains silent and directs his gaze to the ground. Only now do I notice that something seems to be bothering my student. His face suddenly darkened. Obviously, something happened…

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Yamato laughs, easing the somewhat heavy tension. "The important thing is the success of the mission despite this small mistake. I invite you to Ichiraku's once the report has been submitted, is that fine with you, guys?"

"No thanks. Not hungry."

Naruto's affirmative response takes us by surprise, and the mood drops suddenly. His refusal to eat at his favourite restaurant drives me to silence.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Sakura dryly asks, her eyebrow arching.

"There's nothing! I'm just exhausted. You can go without me to talk to Grandma Tsunade. I go home!"

Without even greeting us, the sapphire-eyed boy separates from the group to—as he just said—go home. Surprised, I blink a few times before questioning the others about his unusual behaviour. "Did something happen?"

They exchange a brief look.

"During the mission, we faced some shinobis. One of them was the perfect Sasuke look-alike," Sai explains. "This disturbed him a bit to petrify on the spot."

"If I hadn't rescued him, he would have been seriously injured," Sakura adds with a sigh.

"I see," I say, glancing in the direction the blond has taken. "Well, there's not too much to worry about. He'll probably be back to the good old smiling Naruto that we know from the first light of day tomorrow."

In heart, they nod and we bid each other a verbal and non-verbal goodbye. Without further ado, they set off for the offices of Godaime to report on their mission. As for me, I stay put for a few moments before wandering again, so deep in thought that I stare blankly at the pages adorned with intelligible scribbles. My own words… I hardly believed it myself. To say that I am serene would be a lie; I'm a little worried about Naruto. It's not like him to turn down such a tantalizing invitation so abruptly for his noodle-obsessed taste buds.

Nevertheless, if what they said is true, I understand that Naruto must not be on his plate. Despite leaving Konoha, becoming a renegade ninja, Sasuke holds a very special place in his heart. Sometimes I suspect it's more than friendship or that unacknowledged brotherly bond they share. Naruto is still just as determined to bring him back to his senses, to the village and save him from the clutches of Orochimaru who wants to appropriate his body to satisfy his thirst for power. Although Sasuke refuses to be rescued, I believe in my student. He's clumsy, a complete idiot, but his convictions and his determination surpass those of the other ninjas, by far.

After all, he's not the most eccentric shinobi in the country for nothing.

Lost in my thoughts, I notice after an unspeakable time that I started going back to the same place again and again, more precisely in the neighbouring street of where Naruto lives. Similarly, I can see his apartment from where I am looking up. Is it worry that pushes me to unconsciously return to this street, as if fate were trying to tell me something of great importance?

Conflicted, I observe with insistence his residence. I wonder if I shouldn't check on him to make sure he's okay and thus silence my torments at the same time. I hesitate. The idea of inviting him myself to Ichiraku crosses my mind. He made his refusal clear, sure, but knowing the boy's voracious and obsessive appetite for ramen, he might just change his mind. Moreover, I almost never invite him; feeding him is expensive and my money takes a hit. All in all, it's always less damaging than the late Asuma when he invited his students to a good barbecue.

I stand there for a long time, debating with myself. Then I shake my head and continue on my way.

It can wait until tomorrow.

Naruto surely needs to be alone.

After all, there is no fire at the lake.

Sweeping these unnecessary little anxieties into a corner of my mind, I focus on the object of my desire. I chuckle at the thought of rereading these golden pages born of a true literary genius. With excitement, I read meticulously, each sentence with excruciating slowness as if it was a gastronomic alcohol that must be savoured with eternal patience…

Unfortunately for me, when I reached the last page, all my senses are on red alert.

"Ahh… I wanted to savour it in one sitting," I sigh in disappointment, closing my book wearily.

In a fraction of a second, I grab a kunai and parry the one of my opponent behind me who was about to assassinate me. Immediately, the enemy throws other mortal blows that I block with flexibility and finesse. As soon as an opening presents itself, I kick his abdomen, propelling him a few feet away from me. Without flinching, without making the slightest complaint of pain, the individual stands up on his two feet, the weapon brandished. I take advantage of this moment to put away my book while analyzing the assassin.

Dressed entirely in black up to his irises and his short hair, I notice a headband tied on his forehead… However, I do not recognize the engraving; this is the first time I've seen this symbol looking like three intertwined triangles and it's not scratched. So he's not a deserter ninja either. I'm on my nerves. I don't know why there is a shinobi out of nowhere trying to kill me. There is maybe a bounty on my head or something like that. Plus, his blank eyes and expressionless face send chills down my spine. I have the feeling that he's in a trance or completely possessed…

I don't have time to finish my analysis that he relaunches his deadly assault on me, attacking me with two kunais this time. Furiously, he tries to reach my throat or touch my vital points. To my dark eye, his movements are slow. Without the slightest misery, I dodge each of his blows and I counter-attack by slicing his pecs with my bladed weapon. The blood spurts, but once again, he doesn't react to the pain which should make him flinch, make him wince for a breath. This short destabilization of such a realization allows him to graze me, tearing the sleeve of my clothing in the process. With a well-placed blow, I disarm him before imposing a distance in order to execute a series of hand seals to shorten this fight won in advance so that I can finish my book…

On the point of composing the last seal, the man becomes completely petrified. Blood flows from his eyes, followed closely by his nostrils and mouth. Perplexed, I catch sight of his glassy, extinguished gaze before he falls to the ground with a thud. Suspicious, I remain on my guard, sweeping the surroundings and I wait; in case it's a way or a technique to launch a surprise attack in my blind spot. However, nothing happens after long seconds. Silence, and I no longer perceive the slightest presence. Curious.

I pounce on him to carefully place two fingers on his carotid artery.

Nothing. No beat.

There can be no doubt.

His heart stopped.

I frown. What does that mean? After only a few kunai exchanges, he dropped dead. The blood escaping from his orifices, including his ears, suggests that he have been poisoned, yet I don't use any. An ephemeral image comes back to memory, thus explaining the cause of his death; an almost imperceptible tongue movement before his teeth crunched and shattered something that was already in his mouth cavity. In the heat of the moment, I hadn't really paid attention to it. Considering the state of his swollen skin, of the bloody pool created by the many crimson and incessant flows, it must have been a drug … at first glance quite powerful, terrifying and immediate.

I scan the surroundings once again; I sniff the air with my sensitive nostrils. No soul around. Despite our brief fight, the noise did not attract anyone and yet, although it's late and the sky is completely black, we were only a few tens of metres from the nearest dwellings. If they were planning to assassinate me, why send this weakling shinobi incapable to match me? It doesn't make any sense. I suspect there is something else at stake and that he's not alone—rather, I am certain of that. I don't know what the mission of this ninja or this group is, but having to resort to suicide without the slightest hesitation in order not to be captured, it's of absolute discretion.

What is most disturbing is how the group managed to enter Konohagakure without the alert being given. Since I seem to be the only one in action and no one came to help me, these ninjas managed to bypass our security system. How? I don't know; I have no leads in mind. All in all, the immediate thing is to warn Godaime of this disturbing invasion…

As I get up to leave, something catches my attention. In one of the pockets of the lifeless body, the tiny corner of some random piece of paper sticks out briefly. If it wasn't for my sharp gaze—besides my Sharingan—I probably wouldn't have noticed. It seems to be a vulgar parchment without interest, but given the strangeness and the severity of the situation, I take the object in question. I unfold it to discover its mystery…

A missing beat, a dark anguish and a cold sweat.

It's the drawing of a person and my eyes widen when I recognize the portrait of my student.

Their target is Naruto.

Not a minute to lose; it's only a matter of time before they find him. I have a very bad feeling and I fear the worst. Although I must warn Lord Godaime immediately, I prioritize the blond not far from where I am.

I abandon the inert body, and I rush towards Naruto's apartment. At high speed, I jump from roof to roof. My intuition tells me to hasten the pace. My heart in the middle of a raging marathon, I still keep my cool. If this group managed to stealthily infiltrate the village, taking into account the current upset state of my student, I sincerely fear what will happen if these ninjas find him before me. It is very likely that I faced some small fry and that they are much more talented than this loser; I suspect they are specialists in silent assassination.

'What are you thinking, Sasuke?' Naruto wondered, lying nonchalantly in his bed while staring at the black sky.

Although it was late and his body was mentally and physically exhausted, the sapphire-eyed boy was unable to sink; he hadn't even bothered to change before lying down. His backpack was still on the floor of his bedroom, which—for once—wasn't a mess. He had just returned from a mundane B-rank mission as interesting as ramen without noodles or meat. The client was hateful; a spoiled rotten rich man who treated him and his companions like garbage. If Naruto had blindly listened to himself, he would have given him the worst beating of his life.

However, his pout and his melancholy were linked to the fact that they had met a shinobi from the hidden village of Kiri who was the perfect look-alike of Sasuke. Due to the disturbing morbid resemblance to him, Naruto was petrified, no longer able to react to anything. He would have been seriously injured if Sakura had not come to rescue him; more fear than harm. Even though the teenager pretended that everything was fine, he was somewhat upset to the point of refusing the invitation to Ichiraku. Normally, he would have jumped like a child expressing his exuberant joy. But this time, he needed to be alone. All his thoughts were about his best friend who had left an unlivable void in his heart. He had sworn to rescue him and bring him back to the village.

It was a promise and a promise was sacred to him.

Completely obsessed with this time when Team 7 was one, the blond stared at the sky. Overwhelmed by this blank tapestry of glowing ornaments, Naruto didn't notice the strange shadow behind him. Slowly, in the darkness, the blackish silhouette came out of the floor in a disturbing and absolute silence. It took on the appearance of a man in ebony clothes, only his orange eyes were contrasting; a mask of the same black covered the lower part of his face and he was wearing a headband fixed on his forehead with the engraving of three intertwined triangles.

Once tangible, his left hand armed itself with fine needles whose lack of lustre made them invisible in the dark. In an icy breath that wrung a shiver of dread from the boy, his whispers were those of a voice from beyond the grave. "Found you."

Naruto felt his hair stand up on the back of his neck. No sooner did he turn his head than the needles were thrown straight at him at close range. Five identical sounds resounded when the projectiles reached the now pierced window; the glass cracked all the way. The blond had skilfully dodged them using a kunai which he had used to deflect them despite the metre that separated the two ninjas…

However, under his mask, the man sketched an evil grin on his lips.

One hit the bull's-eye and grazed the teenager's cheek. A thin, insignificant cut made a scarlet drop appear.

"Who the heck are you?!" Naruto growled, frowning while staring at the enemy.

The mysterious individual ignored his prey and chuckled—something that enraged Naruto.

"I can know what makes you laugh?!"

Again, the intruder turned a deaf ear. Despite the first assault, he wasn't doing anything. The difference was that he had stopped sneering and seemed to be waiting now. His amber irises stared at the blue ones in front of him.

Grinding his teeth, Naruto leaped forward, kunai in hand. However, the weapon passed through the enemy as if he did not exist. Strangest of all, the man disappeared like an undulating shadow blending into the darkness.

'A genjutsu?' Naruto wondered as he passed through.

In his fall, Naruto was preparing to land on his feet to assume a combat or riposte posture … but he fell on his left shoulder which took the shock of his own weight—tearing from him a complaint of pain. As he struggled to get up, his body was in constant tremor. His now heavy limbs grew numb further to the point of being unable to stand except on all fours. Any movement requested an immeasurable effort. Breath jerking, heart racing, Naruto couldn't understand what was happening to him. His thoughts became more and more muddled and thinking was just as hard as not collapsing to the ground. The more seconds passed, the more difficult it was to breathe; his lungs were pushing out more air than they were taking in.

Wearily turning his head to look behind him, he saw the shadowy intruder materialize back into his true form. He stretched an arm out the window and—in ways just as mysterious as his abilities—drew the previously thrown needles to his palm to absorb them and make them disappear.

"The longer you resist, the more the pain will increase," the man whispered before slowly approaching his prey, one step at a time, staggering right then left. "My venom is already flowing through your veins. You are at my mercy."

Naruto swore to himself, constantly telling his body to get up, his legs to stop shaking, but it didn't change anything. He struggled to crawl one arm at a time in front of him to maintain distance. He couldn't breathe and his organs were burning in agony.

Then, Naruto reached the wall at the same time as the shinobi who roughly grabbed his golden mane at the root. The man forced him to look at his amber eyes which shone in the darkness; strange shapes appeared on the irises, betraying that the pupils were equipped with an unknown dōjutsu.

Naruto froze and his eyelids became excruciatingly heavy.

Unable to resist, Naruto fell unconscious.

Along with the dark abyss came a short thought.

'Stay awake and fight.'