AN: Sadness is that painful feeling that clutches at your heart when you lose something precious; that feeling that stabs you like a knife, yet exponentially more painful. People may do a myriad of things when they are sad, they may turn to anger, they may instead find happiness in their sadness... or they might do nothing, preferring instead to wallow in self-pity, taking refuge in their perceived loneliness.

At the very least, remember that you are never truly alone.

Thanks for all the reviews last chapter!

Note: The Academy acts as the introduction to ninja life mainly for civilians. Mostly, Clan children already have personal training regimens organised by their own clans. Still, they attend the Academy more as a custom than anything else; the ninja operate in squads, so it would be highly impractical to stunt their social growth. It is in the Academy where the children grow together and form bonds of friendship for the future.

For those wondering if Hinata is in the Academy, well, yes she is. After all, although she is training in the medical arts, if one wants to be recognised as a genin of Konoha, one must first pass the Academy test. So Naruto as well is not a ninja yet (not in name at least).

To Ookami: Thanks for your opinion. Actually, I also don't really want to kill Hinata off, but I can think of all kinds of ways to twist the plot if it goes down that road.

To: Sloucher94: Again, thanks for the review. Good idea with how to do away with Kurenai. Also, what Orochimaru was reading will be revealed, but it isn't very important. Mostly, he deduced that the Kyubi was dead from events. The other Jinchuriki will be introduced later on, so just wait and see.

Thanks to Ryuujin96, naruhinalover, redspud, Legionary Prime and Reviewer for your opinions, and hope you continue reading!

After the jump!

-A Week Later-

Naruto sat, hidden in the shadows, watching the Academy students file into the arena.

The area was simply a small clearing right behind the looming, brick Academy building. He saw them practicing with blades and kunai, honing their chakra control, trying, then failing, then trying again. Most of all, he saw them making friends. They talked amongst one another, motivated each other, picked their friends up when they fell.

Unbidden, his thoughts shifted to the Third Hokage. He heard him, with that coarse old voice, teaching him, talking to him when no one would. When you get hurt, you pick yourself up. There are many times when you doubt yourself, your ability to succeed and your reasons for trying. Then you may fail, you always fail before you succeed. But you have your friends, and with them you become stronger. Someday Naruto, you will make friends, and when you do, never let go of them.

His blue eyes dulled, Naruto paid closer attention to the class of students he was watching over. Jiraiya had surmised that Orochimaru was targeting the Academy for experimental subjects, and had given him the task of guarding them. The white-haired man had taken Naruto's suggestion, and ordered Kurenai to 'accompany them in eliminating a security threat'. Of course, the true nature of the matter was never revealed to her.

He saw the smiles on the faces of the children, all the same age as him, and smiled a little himself. They were all so lively! They sparred with each other, bruising each other, then laughed together; it was like a family. It amazed Naruto that such happiness and innocence could exist in a world so tainted with darkness; outside the confines of the Academy, the adults were gearing themselves up for war, yet in here seemed another world altogether.

He saw a pink-haired girl arguing with another blonde over the affections of a bored looking, grim-faced boy; then there was the chubby kid, probably from the Akimichi Clan, stuffing his face with snacks and talking animatedly to another, albeit slimmer, boy

Then he saw her. Hinata. The familiar lavender-eyed female was, as usual, shy and reserved. She seemed different, more somber than before actually, if that was possible. Still, she seemed to get along just fine with another similarly reserved student, who wore a pair of black goggles, with a grey jacket wrapped tightly around him.

The teacher himself was a kind looking man. He wore his Leaf hitai-ate proudly, a vertical scar running from cheek to cheek, reminiscent of previous battles. The man was a Chunnin as well, but what struck Naruto most was his strict but kind attitude; truly a role model for the children under his care. Still, Naruto could see why he was taken off the mission roster and sent to teach the Academy children - how could such a man have what it takes to kill mercilessly?

In the distance, he saw the pink-haired girl excuse herself. 'Better follow her to be safe.' Naruto thought.

Stealthily, Naruto tailed the girl back into the building, only to realize she was relieving herself.

'I'll just wait here...' Naruto mused, waiting right outside the building. The ninja school was located right at the heart of Konoha, although a stretch of forest separated the main building from the rest of the village; in a way, it was isolated. Still, far from feeling the familiar pangs of loneliness, Naruto instead felt at peace.

Yawning, he lay down on his back on a soft patch of grass. He could see branches swaying in the wind, the leaves falling and dancing to the tune of the breeze.

Then he heard a shrill scream emanate from nowhere and everywhere at once.

His heart palpitating, Naruto dashed forward toward the Academy, intent on finding the source; it was the girl, no doubt about it. At the moment, every Academy teacher was outside tending to their respective classes, so he was alone. As always...

Bounding into the Academy courtyard, he drew his kunai... only to come face to face with yet another grotesque monstrosity. The monster was short, yet still hunched over; hideous appendages hung from the body, which was little more than skin and bone. The right half of the monster's face seemed intact, and it was the face of a girl, probably no more than five; the entire left face seemed blurry, as though the skin had melted off as if it were wax. The small body belied its strength, for in its hands lay the unconscious form of the pink-haired girl, which it carried with ease.

Oh my god... who is sick enough to do this to a little girl... Without wasting a second, Naruto brandished his kunai, sprinting to the monstrosity's position and striking at it. He hit air.

With superhuman strength the thing used the girl's body like a bat, smashing her into Naruto and sending him flying away.

Damn it... I can't use my jutsu for fear of hurting the girl... Flashing through his hand seals, Naruto vanished and reappeared behind the monster, taking advantage of its vulnerable position by plunging his knife into its back. Twisting the blade, he severed the body's spinal cord, causing it to collapse to the ground, blubbering uselessly. In one swift motion, Naruto brought his sandaled feet up and smashed it on the thing's face, spattering its brains all over the courtyard.

Picking up the unconscious girl, he thought, 'I've got to notify Jiraiya-sensei...'

That was his last thought before he felt something hit the back of his head, causing him to black out instantly.

-Somewhere In the Konoha Sewers-

Naruto awoke to a sickening stench, causing him to retch.

"Awake now, I see." The voice was sibilant, the syllables of the words contorted in such a way that it resembled the hissing of a snake.

As Naruto gained his bearings, he noticed his four limbs was chained to a white table, effectively restricting his movement. The chamber he was in was dark and gloomy; numerous glass bottles could be seen littered around the room, carrying strange, otherworldly things that seemed to pulsate in the darkness. Growling, he yelled, "Who the hell are you! Let me go!"

The voice returned, words dripping with malice. "How about... no."

"You are Orochimaru, I take it?" Naruto snarled.

"You seem well-informed, my child. Yes, I am Orochimaru."

"So what do you want with me. And where are we? What is that infernal stink?" Naruto sputtered.

"So sorry about that. We are in the sewers, of course, and this is my laboratory. Just sit tight; you'll find out what I want soon enough."

A man with skin too pale to be completely healthy appeared in Naruto's view. He seemed to have grown fangs; everything about the man reminded Naruto of snakes, from the sounds he made to his serpentine visage.

In his hands, he held an ancient leather-bound tome. Its pages were dog-eared and browned with age.

"You were supposed to be Konoha's Jinchuriki." the man stated.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto kept silent. The man put down the book, then grasped Naruto's arm. Brandishing a syringe, Orochimaru forced the needle into Naruto's vein and drew out some blood.

Walking to his desk, Orochimaru analyzed the blood he had drawn with various scientific instruments. "It is as Manda told me... The Kyubi may be dead but a remnant of his power remains. It seems a small sliver of demon chakra is in your blood, Uzumaki."

Naruto was wracking his brain, trying to figure out an escape route. Orochimaru's words made absolutely no sense at all, and the blond feared he might turn his madness upon him. His hands were bound, so he had no way of unleashing any ninjutsu.

Then he remembered the Third's lesson. You require hand seals to mould your chakra into something recognizable, but with time, and training, you might be able to perform some of the simpler ninjutsu without the help of the hand seals.

After he had borrowed the Forbidden Scroll from the library, he had trained to master the very first jutsu listed - the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu). Apparently, unlike the Academy Bunshin, which he still had some trouble performing, the Kage Bunshin came almost naturally to him.

Now, he concentrated on moulding his chakra mentally, delving deep within himself and trying to pull his energy out... until pain seared through his body, disrupting his concentration.

Looking up, he came face to face with a smirking Orochimaru. "Now, my child, don't waste your energy. Just stay put."

The snake-like man smashed his hand into Naruto's stomach, eliciting a gasp from the blond. Slowly, but surely, Orochimaru wormed his fingers into Naruto's flesh. Then the man channeled his chakra inside, and the pain started.

He knew not how long he was made to endure the pain, only that it never stopped. Every inch of his body felt as if it were on fire, always burning, always hurting. He had long ago stopped screaming, his throat dry and parched.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he earned some brief respite from the torrential pain.

Barely conscious, Naruto picked out the tell-tale groan of wood in the distance, as though a door was being opened.

Raising his head and pausing in his ministrations, Orochimaru turned. "Kabuto, so nice of you to join us. Have you erased the traces of our presence?"

Clad fully in black robes, and carrying the limp body of the pink-haired girl, Kabuto answered, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I brought the girl as well. Can't afford to leave witnesses."

"Hmmm? Useless. She's from a civilian family. Put her on operating table number 3 - I'll work on her later."

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine. "N-no! Get your hands off her!" He shouted weakly.

"Quiet down, my child. It's all for the good of humanity, nothing you would understand. But unlike her, you hold treasures in your body, treasures I would like extracting. You should be honored - you are also the first Uzumaki I could get my hands on after all.

"Why a-are you doing this... why do you do such horrible things... Jiraiya once thought of you as a friend..." Naruto rasped.

"The fool. I've heard you were under his protection, but he won't find you. Even if he did, there's not much he could do."

Suddenly, Orochimaru's tone turned nostalgic, "I still remember those days when we were young; he was always bullied, always shunned for his incompetence... It was always I who talked to him, comforted him. Even now, as Hokage, he flounders about in the dark, losing sight of the forest for the trees."

"You are like them all, young Uzumaki, hating what you do not understand. I was his friend, your Jiraiya-sama's first friend, yet even he did not try to understand my motivations. Science is my life, it is the only rule I pander to..." Orochimaru said. "My experiments seem frightening do they not? And without a second thought you cut them down. What if you knew they were aware of everything that was happening to them? You see, I only... modified... their body somewhat, modified it so that I controlled their bodies instead of their own minds. But through those eyes of theirs, it is them who see everything, them who you kill."

"Why... why do you do it to them in the first place... you maniac... you're insane!" Naruto snarled through clenched teeth.

"We are all insane in some way, Naruto. I am simply more selfless than you all. If I do not do what I do, then the whole world will burn. I see confusion in your eyes. Let's just say, I'm saving the world, and to do it, I need sacrifices."

Taking that old leather-bound book, he began scrawling frantically into it. "Do you see this? It's my life's work, all the things I ever discovered, how things work; why the sun shines, why the moon shines, why things fall down instead of up. More importantly, it catalogues all my... interactions with non-humans. Listen carefully Uzumaki, the Kyubi is dead, and his legions are falling upon this world in abandon. Can't you feel it in the air? A war of cataclysmic proportions is approaching. I need his power to save it, and that is why I do what I must do."

"And for that you kill so indiscriminately? You make me sick!"

"I see. Well then, I'll show you just how sickening I can be! Kabuto, bring the girl here!"

Muttering his assent, Kabuto shifted the operating table, bringing it to Orochimaru's side. The man then inclined the table Naruto was put on, so that he had a full view of what was about to happen.

"Watch, Uzumaki. Watch me work my magic."

-The Hokage's office-

Jiraiya sat in his office, waiting in vain for Naruto's report. At the side sat the Chunnin Kurenai Yuhi, having just came back from a fruitless search for any security breaches in the village perimeter as well as the sewers.

Where is that boy... he was supposed to come back from the Academy six hours ago...

Just then, the doors burst open to reveal a flustered Chunnin, obviously very disturbed by something.

"What is the meaning of this, Iruka? I don't remember having an appointment with you today." Jiraiya inquired.

"It's urgent! Another student has disappeared! It's Sakura Haruno - her parents reported her missing from home even though its already past the curfew!" He rambled incoherently.

Eyes widening, Jiraiya got to his feet and practically flew out of the office, leaving Iruka behind. "Kurenai, come with me; perhaps we can find some clues from Orochimaru's old laboratory!"

"Sir! I already checked that area for a Genjutsu presence!" The crimson-eyed woman said, keeping up with Jiraiya as they bounded across the rooftops toward the Konoha Sewer entrance.

"He's somewhere in the sewer! I'll be able to sense him if we get in range of five hundred metres... We don't have much to go on, but it's all we have!"

I could send the Inuzuka and Aburame trackers out to scour the area... but it's too risky! If they find out the true reason why I had to leave the village, Konoha would crumble. No matter what, I cannot allow that to happen!

It was one of those days; she woke up to a blistering headache and an aching back. She had had a nightmare of a monster snatching her up, about to eat her, when she opened her eyes; sighing, she tried to get up... only to find she was chained to the bed.

Only she wasn't on her bed. The stench of faecal matter hit her, and she was hard pressed not to vomit. The first thing she saw was a blonde boy, chained similarly, looking straight at her, his blue eyes widened. She looked down, seeing a pale man cutting open her legs with a scapel, his mouth set into a grim line. Her blood was pouring out now, and she watched on with morbid fascination.

Then she screamed.

Her ear-piercing shriek was the single most horrifying thing he ever heard. Looking at her, helpless, Naruto found himself screaming along, their voices raised in a warped hymn that fueled Orochimaru's madness.

"NOOOOOOOO! STOP IT! LET GO OF HER!" Naruto shouted with all his might, straining against the chains that bound him.

Orochimaru opened his mouth to say something, but was drowned out by the pink-haired girl's screams.

"I'LL KILL YOU! STOP IT!" Naruto snarled. That a man could be so warped, so far removed from humanity that he could mutilate even children in his experiments angered Naruto. He felt rage, a rage so pure that it blotted out all his senses, robbing him of reason and allowing him only to yell incoherently. He wanted to tear this sick excuse for a man limb from limb, then burn what remained until only ashes remained.

"The fun has just started, children."

Jiraiya and Kurenai searched every inch of the sewers, even splitting up to cover a wider area, to no avail. Orochimaru's old laboratory was, as it had always been - empty and desolate. No trace of the man remained.

The Sannin could take it no longer. His student was facing his old teammate, a man who had once been his friend, a man that seemed the devil incarnate.

Jiraiya had in fact found Orochimaru, two years after leaving Konoha. He found the man by a stream just outside a village, whistling a haunting tune, and had approached him. They had talked much, and the white-haired man held on to his hope that Orochimaru could still be redeemed. Jiraiya let down his guard, believing that he had done what Sarutobi deemed impossible, believing that he had won his friend back by the pureness and strength of his devotion and loyalty. A naive belief, it was.

Orochimaru overpowered him, binding him with chains he could not break in a small clearing, and then day after day, he would bring the inhabitants of the nearby village in front of Jiraiya. Day after day, he dissected, he cut, and he mutilated, scarring the white-haired man deeply. He would plead for his friend to spare the old woman, spare the child, and spare the pregnant woman; he screamed and roared for the man to cease, screamed until he could scream no more. But always, Orochimaru would have his way, and there was nothing he could do.

For gods knew how long he would perform his horrible experiments, creating grotesque monsters. Then there was not a single soul left in the village, and Orochimaru had freed Jiraiya, his mind shattered, and left him in the wilderness.

It took years to come to grips with what he had witnessed, the Sannin simply wandering, lost. He knew not why Orochimaru spared him.

Now, for the second time, he felt the same gall-wrenching fear, the fear that his folly had cost him.

Kurenai knew not the nature of their mission. She did not know why Jiraiya seemed so angry, seemed so fearful for Naruto.

His reaction to Iruka's news scared her - what could shake the Sannin so?

Crimson rage mixed with the blackest of hate. Naruto never gave up, always struggling, always trying to break his bonds. His anger mounted to levels he had never before experienced... and suddenly he felt a power rising inside of him.

The power was warm, then it turned red-hot by his insurmountable anger.

He was underneath the sakura tree, together with the Hokage. It was peaceful, and the slowly descending sakura petals made it seem that the peace would last forever. The old Hokage had told him, "It is a sin to give in to anger, a shinobi always keeps calm. You can pretend to show it, but you should never give in to it."

"What if they hurt your precious people? You told me to never let go of my friends... What if they hurt my friends?"

"Rage is easy to feel. You can feel it even when people hurt those you do not know. Being calm will help you more than rage ever will."

With all his rage, Naruto unleashed that power he had; all he wanted was to kill. It no longer mattered who he killed.

From his body emerged blood-red chains, chains stained by his blood. his skin broke, more red fluid dripping to the ground. The sharp tips poked out of Naruto's chest, then all at once it burst out of his breast, sending shockwaves of pain through his body. The chains seemed to have a mind of their own, wrapping around the accursed pale-man and his assistant.

Then he smirked, "Ahh... interesting. I have only ever heard of this ability, it was rare even among the elites of Uzushiogakure. Oh how I will enjoy stripping your body of its secrets!"

Howling in bestial rage, the boy strained at his bonds. More chains appeared, easily shredding the shackles and leaving Naruto free. "You. DIE!"

The chains whipped around, shearing Orochimaru's body in two. Then the blond turned his attention to the assistant. Kabuto. The man was quivering in fear, pleading with the enraged boy to spare him. The unbreakable links wrapped around the man's four limbs, then constricted, crushing the bone to dust.

Naruto had enough; he willed the red chains to pull Kabuto apart, showering the entire chamber with hot, steaming blood. He dropped the dead torso, then proceeded to smash the body until it was unrecognizable.

"Poor Kabuto... he was a promising youngster, but easily replaced. I still remember the day I met him, he was crying over his poor bedridden mother... how he pleaded for others to help him! But everybody ignored him... except me. I promised to heal his mother, in return he would work for me... too bad he's dead now, killed by your anger!" Orochimaru's voice cackled madly.

Whirling around, Naruto found the snake-eyed man whole and standing as if nothing had happened. His chains thirsted for blood, the snake's blood, and he was going to get it.

He tore into the smirking man with abandon, shredding him, ripping him apart in the most gruesome ways, but always he would reform, flashing Naruto that damnable smirk, as if he was playing with him.

"Yes! I know you want to kill me! Do it; rend me limb from limb!" Orochimaru goaded the blond.

With a final strangled cry, Naruto pulled out all of his power, infusing it with the chains that sprouted out from his body like the tentacles of an octopus. The chains grew, turning black, spikes emerging from the tainted metal. Tainted by my emotion.

Smashing them into Orochimaru, Naruto destroyed most of the laboratory, causing the man to disintegrate from the force.

As always, he reformed. "Yes! Destroy! I have no more use for this place!"

Then Naruto fell over unconscious, the chains retracting, leaving no indication they had ever existed, besides the bloody corpse of Kabuto and the thrashed room.

Orochimaru stepped over to Naruto's limp body, marvelling at his capacity for emotion. That he could draw out such power from the strength of his anger alone... What strength!

Grow, my child, grow in hatred, give in to the darkness. Already, I sense my old teammate approaching; remember me Naruto, I will come for you when you become stronger.

But I have more pressing matters to take care off now. I have to save the world from the supernatural forces trying to destroy it. For now, I have gotten what I wanted, a small part of the Kyubi's power. With this, I will seek out the other missing pieces of the puzzle. When we meet again, true immortality shall finally be in my grasp...

With that, Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke, taking his old leather-bound book and leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Jiraiya and Kurenai burst through the door, shattering the wood in a shower of splinters.

What met their eyes was a scene of carnage that shocked the two to the core. Damn it! I was too late... Orochimaru is gone again! I just sensed him not two minutes back...

Rushing over to Naruto's side, Jiraiya sighed in relief; the boy was still breathing. But why had the snake spared him?

Kurenai called his attention to another body that lay on a white table. The arms and legs were slit open, revealing the bone underneath. This must be Sakura... it looks like Orochimaru hasn't implanted her with anything yet. Still, she needs a blood transfusion soon, she's lost too much already; it amazes me that she's still alive. If we don't apply antiseptic in the next five minutes, she definitely won't be.

Together, the two adults picked up the limp bodies of the children, vanishing from the gloomy, depressing chamber in a swirl of leaves.

Unknown to them, There was, in the adjacent room, hunched over, one of Orochimaru's creations; his last one. The face was mutilated, although it bore vague resemblance to that of a female human. Looking down, it saw its own reflection on a piece of mirror. In horror, it recoiled, and opened its mouth to scream.

Only its mouth was sewn shut.

-Two Days Later, Konoha Hospital-

"How are you feeling, Naruto?"

No answer. The blond simply lay on his bed, gazing at the ceiling.

Jiraiya sighed, he had been like this ever since he woke up. Orochimaru had really done a number on him. "Come on Naruto, you can't lie there forever, talk to me."

Silence.

Sighing again in defeat, Jiraiya made for the door. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better day.

Just as he was about to open the door, an unusually subdued voice addressed him. "He was Jiji's student, wasn't he?"

Surprised, Jiraiya went back to Naruto's side, sitting back down on the stool. "He was. But the old man was the best sensei possible. I don't know how he turned out like this."

Turning, Naruto stared straight at Jiraiya, his eyes blazing. "How could such a man do that? Is he even human?"

"He had forsaken his humanity long ago. There was once when he was a dear friend, now he is my worst enemy."

With conviction, Naruto said, "I will kill him, for what he has done. I will become stronger, then personally deliver his head to you."

"Naruto, I have seen much in my life, so many people corrupted by vengeance. I feel the same as you, but never forget we are human, and so we must never let go of our compassion. If you let vengeance drive you, you will never achieve what you truly want." Jiraiya counseled sagely.

They sat like that, in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"How is the girl? The pink-haired girl who the bastard cut?" Naruto inquired.

"She's fine. She seems to have forgotten the incident; amnesia, it appears. The trauma was too much for her to take. Remember Naruto, the incident is a secret, do not reveal anything."

"I understand. What am I doing here? Teach me a new jutsu now!" Naruto leapt from his bed shouting in a show of childish exuberance. Jiraiya could see that the blond had taken his words to heart. He knew the blond was not truly happy, but was simply distracting himself from his own dark thoughts. Even now, he's far from broken.

He's stronger than you think, Orochimaru.

-Three Years Later-

It had been three years since Jiraiya had taken him as a student. three years of blood, sweat and guts, three years of pouring every ounce of strength he had into training.

He was by no means a prodigy, much less naturally gifted in the ninja arts, but he had the natural aptitude for working hard; and Jiraiya was not lenient, not by a long shot. He worked Naruto to the bone, forcing him to weather intense chakra training and physical conditioning. His days were filled, from the second he woke up to the moment he collapsed on his bed, with near constant exertion.

Had it been anybody less driven, they would surely have broken long ago. But Naruto took strength from the Third Hokage's sacrifice, using the anger, the hurt and sadness as fuel to become the strongest he could. Then there was the incident with Orochimaru. Every time he hit the training dummy, he imagined he was smashing the snake-eyed bastard's face in. Every time he practiced a new technique, he pictured it ravaging the pale man's body. What puzzled him most was why he had spared him; And then there was the fact that he had killed a man with the chains coming out from his own body.

Naruto never once mentioned this to his teacher; he could never draw his chains out again anyway, no matter how hard he tried. Then he remembered that he had killed a man. He remembered the man's pleading eyes, remembered as he ripped him to pieces, showering the room blood. He grappled with this feeling of uncertainty on his own, and the fruits of doubt sowed its seeds in his heart. Angry though he was, he could remember every word Orochimaru said. I still remember the day I met him, he was crying over his poor bedridden mother... he's dead now, killed by your anger!

He could still feel the warm blood hit his face, still remember how sick he felt when he woke up for the first time after the incident. He refused to talk with Jiraiya then, not because of Orochimaru, but because he was still coming to grips with what he had done. But as always, he picked himself up with his iron-willed determination, not allowing the uncertainty to rule his life.

That he was uncertain was an understatement. Orochimaru had told him pointedly that the Kyubi was dead... that meant that he was no longer the Jinchuriki of Konoha. Again, he added this to the list of things he kept hidden from his mentor.

Still, in Jiraiya he found a good teacher, and an even better friend. Granted Naruto disliked the man's perverted antics and lecherous behaviour, but he had on more than one occasion showed himself to be a fount of wisdom. As Sarutobi was like the father Naruto never had, so Jiraiya was the caring, yet strict brother.

A month after he had arrived in Konoha, Jiraiya was officially inaugurated to the position of Hokage, and thus began the preparation for war. Food was stockpiled, weapons were hoarded, and the finest of Konoha's warriors outfitted with equipment made by the best of the Land of Fire's blacksmiths. Konoha was crippled, psychologically and militarily, by the Uchiha Uprising, but it was by no means helpless; Jiraiya had made up his mind - he would see every single Konoha ninja dead, including himself, before surrendering. In essence, they would stand to the last man.

Escape routes were meticulously planned out, safe-houses set up for the women and children of the Leaf Village to take refuge in should the situation become too dire.

Light skirmishes between Kumo and Konoha forces broke out frequently throughout the years of the new Hokage's rule, testifying to the worsening situation. War would break out at any moment, and all anyone could do was wait and pray for the best.

On that cold winter morning, five days after Naruto's birthday, the hordes of enemies descended upon the village. Many died that day, piled up behind the great gates of Konohagakure.

Clouds of blue and black flies hung like smoke in the air, filling the space with a keening buzz that played counterpoint to a chorus of ragged screams that echoed through the forest.

AN: Thanks for reading! Read and Review please!

Naruto is eleven by the end of the chapter.

Blood, gore and flying limbs will be a staple in the next chapter.