Chapter 0
- In an unknown time, place and world -
...
...Flames.
Flames everywhere.
Bright, unyielding and scorching red hot flames.
Aside from the ever present darkness that covered nearly everything in sight, that was all that remained as the whole world seemed to burn away all around the young man continuing to slowly walk up the stairs towards the only source of light left in this dying world, his cold and seemingly emotionless amber eyes fixed solely on that one single, flickering light off in the distance.
'Just a little farther and I can finally keep my promise to you all, my dear and beloved friends,' the young man thought as he ever so slightly tightened his grip around the scroll held in his left hand. '...Yes. Just a little farther and I can put an end to this whole mess.'
After a little more walking, the young man finally reached the top of the platform where the source of the world's sole light rested; a sphere of bright blue and green light slightly larger than he was that gently pulsated very much like a living, beating heart would.
"...To think that all it took for the 'Heart of the World' to reveal itself was for it to come to an end," the young man mused to no one in particular, a slight smirk on his face as he appreciated the irony of his admittedly very dire situation. 'Though perhaps, maybe that's just how world ending crises are like, I guess. Well, not that it matters either way now that I'm here.'
Taking the scroll in his hand and moving closer to the sphere of bright blue and green light, the young man slowly and carefully began to unfurl the ancient parchment before activating the array located on the bottom right-hand corner that let it float in place in front of him, nodding that everything was in place and ready to go. The young man then took out a pocket knife and proceeded to make a small cut on his finger. Then, seeing as blood started to flow out, he quickly moved to draw another array on the blank and bottom half of the scroll before infusing it with the necessary amount of ether. A moment later, the scroll began to faintly glow as the arrays began their work.
'..."
Satisfied that he hadn't messed anything up and not wanting to waste any more time, the young man gently tapped the glowing scroll and watched as it gently floated over to, and then be sucked into, the sphere of bright blue and green light.
With his main objective complete, all that remained was to buy time until the scroll finished its own task. Just then, and almost as if on cue, the young man heard the sounds of footsteps off in the distance clearly headed his way. With a sigh, the young man scratched the back of his head in mild resignation even as he made his way down the stairs to meet them. "Oh well, no point in complaining now that I've come this far."
Thankfully, it was far too late for his enemies to try and stop what he'd done now so there wasn't any real need to rush. Still, that didn't mean the young man was just going to stand there and do nothing though. And, if he was going to die soon either way, then he figured he could really cut loose before his time inevitably ran out.
'Damn. Looks like there's a lot of them too... Great.'
Even at at a time like this, or perhaps 'because' it was a time like this, the young man couldn't help but recall a certain phrase his mentor was fond of using whenever she needed to gather up her courage couldn't help but say them himself.
"...May my heart be my guiding key," the young man whispered to himself, slowly gathering ether, gradually molding them into his ever familiar chains. 'Still, I have to wonder who it was that she learned those words from though.'
Shaking his head to empty his head and refocus on the tasks in front of him, the young man moved to meet his final moments with all the dignity and bravery he could muster. And then, with a final shrug and a sigh, he prepared his chains and drew his blade before charging forward certain that no matter what came next the world and his friends would be saved.
...
...
Still, no matter what ended up happening, his fate would always be the same.
No one would sing his praises even if he succeeded.
No one would condemn him even if he failed.
No matter what the outcome, not a single soul nor the very world itself would remember him after today.
After all, that was the price he had to pay in order to save his friends and the world they lived in.
But, before either side could strike any final blows and end their long and drawn out 'final battle', a giant pillar of incredibly bright blue, green, and while light shot up from the top of the tower alongside the chain shaped mark on his left wrist.
...
'Time's up then, huh.'
When the light slowly faded away, the young man let out a small smile as the once pitch black, starless void above that was once the sky was slowly filled in with blue, white, and yellow. The unending flames dying down as they were being replaced with everything they burnt to ash.
Yes, the world was being 'reborn', 'reset', and restored from the memories contained within the bright sphere of blue and green.
Really, what better a price could be paid for saving the world than the very life and existence of its Hero?
...
'...Huh. This doesn't feel half as bad as I thought it would, though I had no idea what I was expecting, to be honest.'
His strength drained, battle won, and price paid, the young man simply let gravity do its job and fell onto the ground as he took one last long look at his handiwork, proud of a job well done even as he was slowly being claimed by chains of pure darkness slowly dragging him into the abyss that formed beneath him. And, as odd as it sounded, the young man felt no malice or anything truly 'evil' from the darkness that now claimed him and was severing his ties to his soon to be fully restored home; rather, he felt a sense of comfort and peace. Not too warm, but not too cold either, It just felt... right, somehow.
'Well, there could be worse ways to go out I guess. Beats hellish and unending torture anyway. I wonder, will I ever wake up again, or is this really where my story ends?' Strangely, it was often at times like this that the young man tended to be at his most introspective, much to his mentor and friends' amusement. Still, that was just who he was... 'I guess it doesn't matter either way, but if I do ever get a second chance... I hope my life will be just as exciting and memorable as this one was. Hopefully full of pretty girls too. Yeah, some pretty girls would be nice. I think I deserve at least that much, right?'
And, with those final (slightly shameless) thoughts, the young man closed his eyes and let the peaceful darkness take him away, completely erasing the proof and memory of his existence from the very world itself and leaving absolutely nothing behind.
xxx xxx xxx
Night time, October 11th in Konoha, 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves' located in the Land of Fire.
In the heart of the village, Hokage Tower's Council Chamber -
One day after the sudden and devastating rampage of the Kyuubi no Youko, strongest of the nine Bijuu, Hiruzen Sarutobi - student of the 2nd Hokage, Tobirama Senju and currently out of retirement 3rd Hokage - was busy (re)reading one of the letters left by his successor, now deceased predecessor, Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki while he waited for those he'd summoned to arrive. Naturally, as what was to be discussed was strictly a Shinobi matter, the Civilian half of the council was not invited and would be informed of a redacted form of the meeting's proceedings the following day. Curiously, what was next to the old and wizened Hokage was a crib currently occupied by a blonde infant with three distinct whisker like birthmarks on both cheeks he'd finally (admittedly with some effort) managed to put back to sleep. It certainly took him awhile, but Hiruzen was able to recall both his experiences as a father himself as well as the tips his late wife Biwako gave him so very long ago.
"Lord Hokage, the Clan Heads have now arrived and are awaiting permission to enter," calmly announced a now kneeling ANBU wearing a wolf mask.
After putting the late 4th Hokage's letter down, Hiruzen nodded. "Good, good. Now then, Wolf. Notify them that they may enter."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," acknowledging his leader's orders, Wolf then body flickered away.
After Wolf left, the 3rd Hokage took one final look at the child sleeping peacefully next to him, 'Minato. I know you wanted the people of the village to see your and Kushina's child as a hero but we both know that would likely never happen... Still, I promise that I will do my best to protect your legacy.'
- Several minutes later -
"Thank you for coming on such short notice and in spite of your own ongoing efforts in overseeing Konoha's restoration," the aged Hokage began as he faced the various Clan Heads, the two Elders, and the commander of ANBU came in and seated themselves along what was normally their half of Konoha's governing council.
"Think nothing of it, Lord Sarutobi," spoke up a tall man with long, dark brown hair with sharp features and the characteristic pupiless lavender eyes of the Hyuga Clan. "I take it then that whatever we have been summoned for has to do with the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack and the Hokage's absence then?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed it does Hiashi. But first, let us begin with getting the unpleasant news out of the way before moving on." The 3rd Hokage paused a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "As you no doubt already may suspect, the reason that I am here now and not Minato is because... he passed away while dealing with, and ultimately stopping, the Kyuubi's rampage as well as driving off the one who was apparently responsible for the attack in the first place. That being the case, I have elected to retake the office of Hokage until such time as a new, more suitable successor can be found and/or until I no longer draw breath."
Naturally, hearing their worst fears confirmed was bad enough, but to suddenly be told that the attack on Konoha was in fact orchestrated by an unknown third party, threw the entire council room into chaos. Eventually, it was Shikaku Nara, Head of the Nara Clan who spoke up and asked about the elephant in the room.
"Lord Hokage. What do you mean by 'apparently'? Also, am I right to assume that whatever it was that the 4th did to stop the Bijuu has to do with the newborn sleeping next to you?" Hearing that last part surprised more than a few of the assembled Clan Heads. Even those who had noticed the child earlier had, until that moment at least, chosen to adopt a wait and see approach rather than jump to any conclusions.
It was no exaggeration to say that many Nara, particularly among the male line (when they could be sufficiently aroused from their general lazy idleness, that is), were often hailed as geniuses and were quite adept at picking up on what was 'underneath the underneath'. A fact that the old Sarutobi was quite grateful for as it allowed him to better move things along.
"The facts concerning the mastermind's identity are, to be quite frank, rather disconcerting, if not more than a little far-fetched."
"... 'Far-fetched'?" asked Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka Clan.
"Just as it happened during the time of the 1st Hokage, the one responsible for this most recent Kyuubi attack not only seemed to possess the Mangekyo sharingan, but even declared himself to be Madara Uchiha himself."
"WHAT!? But that is impossible!" shouted Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha Clan, in a mix of both disbelief and outrage. "Madara Uchiha died at the Valley of the End, so how could he possibly still be alive!? And to say that he was the one controlling the Kyuubi using the Mangekyo sharingan as well!?"
"Fugaku is correct. It is quite difficult to believe that not only was the mastermind an Uchiha, but one who should have died over a century ago, no less," pointed out the ever logical and stoic Shibi Aburame, head of the insect using Aburame Clan.
"And normally I would agree, but I was there when the man attacked and clearly heard him when he introduced himself as that very same Madara Uchiha," Hiruzen replied as he placed a certain tag on the table and infused it with chakra, causing a large holographic display popped up. "But, if my words alone will not suffice, then please have a look at this."
What the display showed was a slightly fuzzy and somewhat garbled first person recording of his and the 4th Hokage's battle with the man who claimed to be Madara Uchiha. Few words were exchanged, but what was clearly heard and seen were both his announcing his identity and the distinct crimson and black of the Uchiha Clan's vaunted sharingan after their short fight before the man used an unknown spacetime jutsu that warped the space around him, allowing him to escape. Needless to say, everyone present was rendered wide-eyed and completely speechless.
"...H-How...!?" was all Fugaku could manage to barely ask as his gaze stayed fixed on the image of the man who so boldly claimed to be his traitorous ancestor.
"This recording was made possible using one of Minato's experimental recorder tags he had on him at the time of the attack," Hiruzen explained as he deactivated and put the tag away. "Unfortunately, since this tag was a prototype still in its testing phases, the quality isn't exactly the greatest. Even so, I trust that this should suffice in corroborating my own account then, yes?"
"..." Fugaku and many of the other gathered Clan Heads didn't, or rather couldn't, say anything and caused another bout of long silence before Hiashi once again spoke up to address the other mystery in the room.
"...And what about the newborn?"
Slowly, Hiruzen moved to the crib next to him and bent over to gently pick up and cradle the miraculously still sleeping infant in his arms while making doubly sure he didn't wake her up and send her into another (very loud) crying fit. He'd suffered through more than enough of those already. Then, with baby in hand, Hiruzen turned to face the others and introduced them all to the 4th Hokage's greatest and final legacy. "This is Natsuha Uzumaki; the only daughter of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki... heiress to the Uzumaki Clan and current Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko."
If the news of identity of the one who caused the recent attack on Konoha was shocking, then the reveal about the 4th Hokage's child was on a whole other scale of unbelievable. Predictably, almost everyone present, minus ANBU Commander Dragon (who already knew) was thrown up into an uproar over the news, especially a certain trio of very close friends.
"Inoichi, Shikaku. Pay up!"
"...What?" "I beg your pardon?" both replied at the same time while looking over to their big boned friend and former teammate.
"Remember? We had that bet on whether or not Minato and Kushina's first child would be a boy or a girl. Hiashi and I won, so pay up," answered Chouza with a giant, triumphant grin on his face. Incidentally, Hiashi also cracked the smallest of smug grins. Fugaku cursed under his breath about missing out on getting in on that action while the other Clan heads were still too busy digesting everything they'd just learned. Tsume Inuzuka, for her part, was especially enthralled by the sheer adorableness of the 'little pup' and was all but begging Hiruzen to let her hold the giggling blonde little bundle of joy. Seeing little in the way of negativity, the wizened 3rd Hokage couldn't help but smile, proud that they seemed to hold no ill will towards the innocent new life and the burden she now carried. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for everyone though.
"Well, Lord Hokage? What do you plan to do with that child?" asked his former teammate turned Elder Homura Mitokado in a somewhat cold and even tone.
"About that. After reading Minato's last will and testament, as well as having reviewed several decades worth of reports concerning how the other Jinchuuriki have been treated in their own Villages, I have come to the conclusion that should the truth about young Natsuha come out... it is very likely that she would either suffer the same fate or worse as her brethren, be made a political tool of some poor misguided, power hungry fool or manipulated into becoming a soulless weapon for the 'good of the Village'," Hiruzen said with no small amount of disgust and a cold, hardened look in his eyes. "Ah, I almost forgot," continued the 3rd Hokage as he turned to face Minato's best friend and former teammate, Hiashi Hyuga. "I already had Dragon sweep for bugs or wiretapping seals along with setting up our own privacy and silencing seals before the room was emptied, but could you run one final sweep using your byakugan? Consider it indulging an old man his curiosity and desire to be thorough, if you would."
Hiashi could could only appreciate Hiruzen's desire for caution, gladly obliging his request as his the veins around his temples bulged with the activation of his clan's bloodline and watched as the whole world around him completely black and white, giving him near total and unimpeded 360° vision and the chakra pathways of anything with a chakra circulatory network nearby.
'...!' Instead of answering, the younger Hyuga just silently pointed to a spot behind and to the left of Hiruzen.
Without another word, Hiruzen blurred away in a burst of speed that only a Kage level Shinobi could have as he vanished from his seat only to immediately reappear right where Hiashi had pointed, hand outstretched and gripping the throat of what, at first glance, looked like just another ANBU agent. However, before anyone could say or do a thing, the entire council chamber was quickly flooded by a subtle yet undeniable wave of killing intent as Hiruzen slammed the captured intruder against the wall behind him, tightly locking them in place as he quietly growled out a single word, "...ROOT!"
Unbeknownst to the others -
"...UUUWWWAAAAA!"
- Little Natsuha was quite sensitive to the intent and emotions of those around her... especially negative ones such as Hiruzen's subtle anger, as well as the slight panic, fear, and resentment saturating the room. Overwhelmed by it all, the little blonde couldn't help but cry out, flailing her arms about tossing and turning as she desperately sought help in a way that only a infant could... by crying her brains out.
"...!"
"...Be grateful that I that I can at least grant you a quick end," Hiruzen coldly said, staring straight into the captured ROOT agent's mask covered eyes without an ounce of mercy in them before placing a binding, muting, and incineration tag onto the now doomed would be spy. "...Goodbye."
Unable to move or scream, the bound ROOT agent could do absolutely nothing as his body was quickly consumed in bright azure flames, leaving nothing behind but ash and Natsuha's crying to mourn his death.
"As much as I might have preferred otherwise, I must admit that Danzou's agent served as the perfect segue into matters concerning young Natsuha, as well as just how serious they are," Sarutobi said as he moved to gently take back the still fussing and crying Natsuha from a slightly shocked Tsume, gently trying to rock her back to sleep as he spoke to the others.
"Lord Hokage?" Hiashi asked with no small bit of (very well hidden) curiosity and concern; feelings and sentiments shared and more easily seen by everyone else gathered in the room.
"It's quite simple," calmly began the aged Hokage, gently cradling a now quiet yet still awake Natsuha gazing back at him with her large and vibrant violet eyes. "We are going to discuss the fate of Minato's legacy and how best to proceed from here on out." No one in the room dared to raise anything close to an objection.
...
From there began a very, very long meeting between the 3rd Hokage, the shinobi half of Konoha's governing council, the head of ANBU, and his old teammates turned Elders to decide not just the fate of one barely day old infant, but all of Konoha as well.
xxx xxx xxx
A/N:
And that wraps up the start of this strange little tale!
To be honest, I have no idea what prompted me to write this story, but I guess since the urge was there I should just let it loose and see what happens, y'know?
As for the 'Naruto' of this world? Well, I've already seen a ton of Narukos, Narumis, Mitos, and Natsumis... so I figured, why not? Oh, this WILL be a harem, but NOT a yuri one. Just not my thing so don't bother asking or hoping for it. It will be centered around an OC, so if that grates on your sensibilities than don't bother continuing on. The harem roster itself is more or less set and Natsuha is still the 'central' protagonist. the OC is more of a deuteragonist. Again, if you don't like that, then quit reading. Not my problem and I don't care.
Natsuha's name is derived from the kanji for summer - 夏 and leaf/leaves - 葉 which references both her character and Konoha as the 'Village Hidden in the Leaves'.
I was tempted to go for using variations that used the kanji for 'waves' or 'feathers' in the second character of the name, but felt that they wouldn't quite fit for the version of 'Naruto' I wanted to write/create. 'Leaf' just fit the best to me is all I guess.
This story is an AU and won't necessarily adhere to, or care about, canon as much as in other stories and will contain crossover elements for worldbuilding and character usage purposes: namely from Bleach, Kingdom Hearts, and Tenjho Tenge. Nothing big or drastic, but vital for world and story 'I' am creating built around the 'rules' I use for my other stories/worlds. Just don't go in expecting anything other than what you read and we'll be good.
That's all I wanted to say I guess so yeah. I hope you enjoy and see you next update!