Author Notes:

Hello!
First of all, I would like to apologize for the late publishing of the latest chapter.
And second, I know that the story is a bit confusing, and you may have many questions regarding it. But everything will be eventually addressed and answered in the story as it progresses. So, please read the upcoming chapters with patience. I will certainly try my best to make it as enjoyable as possible.

We have concluded the preludes. That means, the real story starts from now on. Please enjoy it. :)

Standing atop the highest platform in the lands of Kiri, the gaze of three figures loomed upon the vast expanse under them. Two of them wore dark blue cloaks that covered their total body while the other one simply wore a plain grey shirt with black pants underneath them fastened with a thick purple rope around his waist.

"So, this is the final part of your plan?", inquired the mad scientist of their bunch. His voice sounded slippery and hissing, almost as if he was a snake. A nod was given as his reply. Orochimaru silently stared at the cloaked figures infront of him. He could feel the immense power radiating from them. Such a level of strength would have unnerved most shinobi. But to him, it was not good enough to even intimidate him. He had faced far worse and dangerous enemies than them. While facing both of them together may prove to be an annoyance, he was fairly confident in his chances of winning or if the situation somehow turns south, he was also sure he could escape from both. Either way he was sure that he could guard his life against anything that they could throw. What irked him was the presence that was under him, waiting inside the cave of the mountain they were standing on. He could feel in his bones how dangerous this mysterious entity was. Just the aura he felt seemed more terrifying than any foe he had faced till now. It was almost to the point that his instincts went high alert. There were not many things out there that could unnerve a Sannin, so to make him feel this way, he could only imagine the power that the being inside the cave beholded. He licked his lips in anticipation. As much as his instincts screamed him not to mess, he could not curb the mad scientist inside him. He was willing to face the danger even if it was the only way to satisfy his curiosity.

"Say Mr. Black and White, Can I meet your head?", he asked hiding his excitement.

The figure looked back at him impassively and turned away, "No. Not yet. You haven't proven yourself to meet him. If he needs you, he will call for you."

The Snake Sannin had a surprised look on his face.

"Prove myself? Forgive my negligence if I haven't introduced myself properly. I am Orochimaru, one of the three Sannin and soon to be the leader of a village. I believe this info alone gives you a clear picture of my capabilities to let you know that you will find your tasks going even more smoothly with my help.", he said calmly with a proud yet cunning smile on his face.

The figure infront of him remained silent as ever as if it was not even impressed in the slightest. After a moment, it sighed - "You still don't understand who you are trying to meet, Sannin. Do not be hasty. Patience is a virtue that a shinobi must have. When the time comes, you will know everything."

Orochimaru frowned at the answer he received but kept his calm and accepted it for the time being. He may have the power to fend these two off, but the mysterious entity is not something he wanted to headbutt with without any prior information or precaution. He opted to just observe the situation now.

He shifted his eyes as both shinobi ahead of him stood up.

"It's time. Tobi, check everything once more", the monochrome guy ordered his companion.

Wasting no time, Tobi flew from his spot to quite a height and observed from there. After lingering there for some time, he landed on the same spot with a soft thud and gave a nod as affirmation.

Meanwhile inside the cave:

The red eyes glowed fiercely as it sensed the chakra spike up all around him.

'So, it is starting. Time to do my part I suppose.'

Slowly the figure of the mysterious entity came into light. If one looked at him right now, the first emotion they would feel is pity. Yes, the person who even made a Sannin take a step back in approaching him was in such a pitiful state. His body was lean and frail. There was not an ounce of muscle in there. It would not be so far-fetched to say that he was all bones. Traces of battle scars ran among those folds of skin. All that remained was his strong spirit and potent chakra in him. Once a great shinobi has been reduced to this.

He got up from his majestic throne with great difficulty. His arms could not even support his weight. He felt as if they would snap if he exerted more pressure. If it wasn't for the chakra aiding him, he wondered if he could even move. He took slow and steady steps. A large pipe could be seen connected to his neck. The other end of it was attatched to the huge tree behind them. This tree was what sustained him till now. He was using it to get his body back to prime. But the rate of recovery was absurdly slow with the use of the tree. He needed to recover faster. There is only so much patience a man can possess. And he had hit the bottom of his. The hunched figure moved forward to the giant glass tube infront of him. He closed his eyes and sighed thinking what he had to do for this to succeed. He did not want to resort to this method, that is why he spent all those years trying to gather information about any other ways to heal himself, but every other method he tried ended up in vain. Finally, left with no choice, he decided to proceed with this method. He may not like it, but that did not mean he would not resort to it if necessary. He was willing to bear the risk and responsibility that came with it. Glancing at his pitiful stature once more he stripped himself naked and stepped into the giant tube that was a good 4 foot taller than him. He also removed the giant pipe from the back of his neck and waited inside the glass tube as he closed it with a snap that indicated the latches had been attached together are leakproof now.

Without wasting anymore time, Tobi's companion raised both of his arms to his chest and performed a series of complicated handseals. As each one was forming on his hand, huge amount of chakra radiated from beneath them. Somewhere between the sheer intensity of the radiating chakra, Orochimaru could have sworn that he heard a loud scream. He watched with a curious expression as to what was going to happen. A good ten minutes had passed as the handseals slowed down along with the chakra spike decreasing gradually. Understanding nothing from his observation, the Sannin decided to ask about it. Before he could say anything, the hooded figure joined his palms and raised them towards the sky straight above. The Sannin's eyes widened at the amount of chakra that surged suddenly. A stream of azure light propelled through his palms. The floor below them trembled as writings of the seal appeared. The magnificent light pierced through the skies. Slowly the light began to expand, it flowed from the sky downwards as if it was a fountain. A dome of unique chakra was beginning to take shape. It was so vast in size that if the Sannin's calculations were correct, it could engulf 80 percent of Kiri. Most of the Kiri would be trapped inside it.

The Sannin did not know what they planned to achieve with this, but he suspected it would be anything good. With a wide smile, he waited in anticipation for their next move.

His excitement dimmed a little as Tobi turned to him and signaled him to follow. Taking another look at the dome that was soon going to swallow Kiri, he made his way into the cave along with Tobi.

The hooded companion just sank himself into the ground and reappeared where the glass tube was. He could see the glass tube was already filled with a lustrous liquid to the brim. He could also make out the faint traces of a human figure inside it. He meticulously moved to the glasstube and attached the necessary connections it needed to various parts. Finally, he lifted the pipe which was attached to the tree and plugged it to the glass tube completing the structure.

'The light will draw shinobi from all across kiri. We have to move before we encounter any annoying pests.', he mused with a frown.

Making some handseals, he pressed his palms to the ground. An array that engulfed the whole room lit up. In an instant everything that was inside just vanished. It was as if nothing had been ever here.

While Tobi's companion finished his task, the Sannin and him were navigating through complex tunnels inside the cave. After he reached a specific part Tobi stopped and stared ahead.

"I know you might be curious about a lot of things but I'm warning you. Keep your hands off everything. ", he said in a serious tone without looking back.

The Sannin chuckled at the warning and gave a yes as response.

With a slight push he opened the door infront of him and stepped inside. The smell of corrupt blood assaulted the Sannin's nose. He looked around to find the room to be extremely dirty and messy. It was literally stained with blood everywhere. The tables had bodies on them which looked like they had gone through several attempts at horrifying experiments. But what caught his interest was the kneeling figure at the end of the room. The whole body was filled with numerous cuts and severe wounds. He looked like a total mess. Glancing at the figure, the Sannin's eyes widened in realization who that was.

The once lively Mizukage has been reduced to nothing more than a bleeding sack of muscle. His pitiful state even made the hard hearted Sannin squint his eyes. Even though he felt a bit of pity at the wasted creature, he still shrugged it off nonchalantly and continued his gazing around the room. Personally, he would have liked to run his own set of experimrnts on a live Jinchuriki, but he doubted that the duo with him would approve of him playing with their leashed beast. So, he just stayed there as he was asked to be, content with just satisfying his curiosity for now.

Tobi moved like a ghost across the room without making any noise. The snake-like eyes of the Sannin shifted its focus onto him. Tobi was a bit of a peculiar character. Reserved, quiet and methodical to boot – this summarized him. There was not another thing that could be used to describe him.

'Maybe powerful could be added too.'

While Tobi could be considered powerful, he was nowhere near the level to make a Sannin worry. At least not yet. Right now, his power could certainly merit him to acquire atleast the title of a Jonin albeit it would be a close one. He certainly has potential. It was all just a matter of when. Motioning the Sannin to move closer to the bounded Jinchuriki, Tobi stared ahead at the carnage with his emotionless eyes through the mask. Or eye to be more precise since his mask consisted of only a single hole.

His hands blurred through the necessary signs. After a moment, a huge ball of fire engulfed the whole room. There was no doubt in the Sannin's mind that nothing was going to be found anymore in this room after this destruction. Tobi turned his attention onto the Jinchuriki, with is eye fixed on him the Sharingan blazed to life. Three tomoes swirled in his eye to form a specific pattern that indicated his Mangekyo. Orochimaru eyed the uchiha infront of him with a predatory look in his eyes, but he managed to rein himself in.

'It's not worth the trouble. Plus, I can always snatch some of those eyes from the leaf if needed. On that note, I wonder how those genius brats of uchiha are faring these days. They must have some nice eyes ready with all the potential unlocked for me', He snickered to himself with a glee.

He watched in amazement as the body of the Mizukage was dragged into nothingness through a strange swirl in space. After sending the Jinchuriki away, he turned his eyes to the Sannin that elicited a sigh from the latter.

'Guess this mode of transportation is all that is available now.'

In another swirl of space between them, both the figures had vanished amidst the dense fire.

Some years later:

Present Kiri:

Mei twirled the confidential file in her arms with a bored look on her face. She once again opened the file and stared at the profile inside it. The smiling face of Kushina's late husband greeted her. Her eyes ran through the details. The file was a lot more detailed than Mei imagined it to be. Like it was detailed down to the last information that even she, who was close with him didn't know. For instance, the fact that he came from the 'Islands of Aspen' was something she knew after reading it. While the info would not have invoked an interest from anyone who read it because those islands were famous for their harsh living conditions, even a surprising amount of people had migrated from there which further accentuated the aridness of it. Strangely enough, this piece of info caught her attention. There was a nagging feeling in her mind that there was a clue hidden in it. Unable to contain her curiosity anymore, she looked towards the figure across the room that seemed to be meditating. His middle age looked even more pronounced when he seemed to be concentrating on something. Mei did not exactly know what he was doing staying still like that, but she had an inkling that it had something to do with his right eye that's covered.

Without having any second thoughts, she asked him, "Hey Ao, what do you know about the 'Islands of Aspen'?".

He replied even without opening his eyes, "There is nothing special about them. They are located to the far northeast of the lands of Kiri beyond the Snowy Mountains. Life there is pretty harsh. Unbearable cold assaults on a daily basis that make even the natives shiver unconditionally. Most people migrate from there to the Mainlands. They were quite famous back in the days because most of the 'Hyoton' bloodline users were from there. Sadly, those times were extremely short lived because the users of those limit went rare to the point it seemed they were extinct. The fame of those lands had far waned through the times. Other than that, there is nothing interesting about them. Why the sudden interest in the trivia?"

Mei regarded the information with an aloof expression that ticked him off. Spinning slowly on her rotating chair, she relayed the information in her head.

'Extreme cold. Migration. Hyoton users...', at the last part, she abruptly stopped her spin. She eyed Ao with an expectant look and threw the file at him. Expressing his surprise with a raised eyebrow he snatched the file expertly from the air. His face scrunched up a little as he looked at the profile inside it.

"Are you still investigating about this?", he asked in an even voice.

"Yes. And I think I finally found a small clue". His curiosity was piqued.

"Oh, what is it?"

She just pointed her index finger at the open file and uttered a single word - "Hyoton".

Ao turned his attention back to the file and scrutinized the young man in the picture. The theory seemed to fit perfectly fit with the situation that happened back then, but he still had lingering suspicion about it.

"So, you are saying that Yoshi was killed because he 'might' have been in possession of Hyoton bloodline?"

"Think about it, it makes perfect sense. We know that those dark factions are killing and collecting people with bloodline limits at an absurd rate now a days. But we also have recently come to know that they have been doing this for a long time. It's just that they hid their tracks well and hunted scarcely at first. But recent times gave them a chance to pounce out. Back then, cases like this were scattered and could not be linked, so we didn't know who or even why. But thinking it this way, it all fits perfectly, don't you think?" she explained in a serious tone.

"Yes. I believe it is the most probable answer for now. But you also must understand that no matter how much he tried to hide or even if he himself wasn't aware of having a bloodline limit. He could never have not used it in those final moments. His body unconsciously would have activated it to fend off his killers. But we didn't find any clues regarding that during our inspection, did we?", Ao pointed out a certain point that nagged him.

Mei stayed silent contemplating the issue Ao put forward. Their conversation was interrupted as a voice rang out, "A variation!"

Both of them turned their heads to see a teenager wearing glasses come into the room. He stepped inside without any hesitation as if it was a normal thing. Sure enough it was, as both had no visible reaction to his intrusion. The teenager continued to talk again, "what I am saying is that Hyoton was one of the most powerful Kekkai Genkai of Kiri. It would not be weird to have variations that are far inferior to the real deal", He emphasized.

With a complicated expression on his face, Ao conceded in after listening to that.

"Let's look into this in detail. I will personally search for any other clues", a comical tick appeared on his head as he looked at the young lad, twisting his ear in a mild manner, "And what did I tell you about barging into the room without permission, Chojuro?".

"Ow ow ow … Please don't. I forgot; I won't repeat it again. Let go. Let go", he thrashed around squealing.

Not wanting to listen to their bickering, she let the both of them see out. Picking up the file once again, she flipped through the pages once more. The next page after Yoshi's profile consisted of her own. Her face went still looking at the picture portrayed in there. A dark anguished smile came upon her face.

'Couldn't they have atleast used a good picture?', she thought with an indignant gaze in her eyes.

Steeling her nerves, she read the file further down in her profile. With each new information she read about herself from it, the dark shadow loomed on her face grew darker and darker. The air turned stale. Visible emotions of comical rage can be seen around her. She was half ready to raze the whole government department of information to ground at all the bullshit written inside. A tiny wisp of flame can be seen in her eyes as she crumpled the edges of the file. She bit her lip in frustration as she remembered the details that caught her interest.

'Insufficient hold on emotions, easily angered, childish, naïve... and a hopeless romantic! What the actual hell? How could they write such absurd claims so nonchalantly? Childish? Who are they even calling childish, I am a Jonin for fucks sake, gimme the respect I deserve dammit! And hopeless? I am still young so, what is wrong with indulging in a slight romance?'

Unable to control her anger anymore, she flipped the page. As if a switch had been turned on, her whole mood plummeted at the sight of the next profile. A serious expression came over her. Relaxing her shoulders with a deep sigh, she inspected it in detail. KUSHINA UZUMAKI. The name hit her with emotions that she could not describe properly. Anxiety, anger, worry, all kinds of emotions swirled in her heart. She did not need to read further to know about this person. After all, she was once best friends with her. But now, she did not know anymore. She threw her head back and stared at the ceiling.

Her fingers absentmindedly brushed on the picture. With a strong, confident and carefree smile, Kushina looked charming in the picture. The fingers slightly trembled as they met the huge cross(x) marked across the picture.

'It has been a year, right? A whole year has passed since that impregnable and undestroyable giant dome enclosed Kiri. A year since she went missing huh'. She let out a rueful sigh.

That mark made her much more anxious than she wanted to be. Did it mean that they managed to kidnap her? Or in worst case, kill her? She did not know. She investigated in every way possible, but everything was in vain. There was no trace of her bestfriend. The only important thing which she managed to learn was that the Mizukage himself had commissioned a private mission to her a week before the sealing of kiri happened. What the mission entailed or what happened to her is most likely to be known by only a single person across whole Kiri. Yagura Karatachi. If she had to have any answers, she had to confront him. A snort escaped her lips.

'As if. The moment I meet him now will be my end'

The thought of him made her remember all the things that had transpired in Kiri since last year. Some things that happened in the meantime even made her stomach churn. It all started to go down after the erection of that giant barrier. With communication and access to the outside world cut off, people started to panic. This mass panic initially had been suppressed by the officials saying it was just the aftereffects of an experiment gone wrong and everything would go back to normal once again. However, it didn't take those officials much time to recognize that they cannot do anything about the barrier. No matter the efforts they put in, they could not even make a dent in it.

The next catalyst was the dark factions that came out of nowhere. They killed and maimed the innocent citizens. Their goal seems to be to acquire the bodies or blood of the victims with bloodline limit. However, mundane citizens and shinobi too were not exceptions to this. Everyone fell to their ambushes. They instilled a dreaded fear in the masses. Most interesting fact about them was how meticulously they operated; it was almost like they knew when and where to attack so that shinobi cannot approach on time. It happened so many times that it was confirmed within the ninjas that a mole among them was present which led to an even bigger catastrophe. Internal strife struck them once more, but this time it was on a much deeper level.

Shinobi lost their trust in eachother. Each one regarded the other with suspicion in their eyes. Clashes and petty fights increased among the ninjas. Even the elites were not exempted. If the situation had turned out like this among shiobis, one can only imagine the scope of killing happening outside to get to this point. The final nail on the coffin was hammered by none other than the Mizukage himself. His laid-back responses and uncharacteristic way of dealing with things worsened the situation even more. No matter what kind of issue you present to him, he would weave around it and find a way to give an answer that makes subtle sense but is also utterly stupid to follow. Even when all those strifes were taking place among the ninjas, he just smiled and dismissed them as nothing important. Sometimes he even openly disregarded some issues.

This was all subtle at first. The officials regarded his actions as that of someone who was inexperienced and young. But as the days passed by his actions became even more outrageous. He implemented strange laws and customs in place. He even went as far as to kill people to prove some points which was totally unnecessary. Slowly but surely people and shinobi alike came to the conclusion; Something was very wrong with their Mizukage. He was not the man he once was. They could only fathom what had happened to him. But still, people put their trust in him hoping that things would change. It can be argued why the citizens would trust him after all this, but we must remember that, for the people Yagura is not just another powerful shinobi. He was the hero who risked his own life to liberate these same people from the tyrannical rule of the 'Lord Third'. It was that emotion of hope in them that let them hold onto a small part in their heart which still believed in him.

But reality was much more cruel than what they thought it would be. Days passed and Yagura's rule transcended tyranny itself. It was no longer just him ruling a nation without any opposition and sheer power. It turned out to be a nation that just became the plaything of a madman. Heads rolled if anyone spoke out against him. It was even more unbelievable when the council of elders started to support him. It was as if he learnt from the mistakes of Lord Third and created a perfect empire accompanied by all the important pieces in his hands. With all the major pawns and powers in his hand, his ruling position was almost impossible to usurp. He let fear seep into the hearts of the masses with various acts of cruelty. Many shinobis and brave citizens opposed him at first, but most of them weren't seen afterwards. There was not even a trace of them after that. If the third was just known as the incarnate of devil, Yagura was known around Kiri as the Devil himself.

'It is frightening to witness how much things can change in a year'

The latest rule that Mizukage brought forth only reinforced his name as the 'Devil' even further. He ordered that the shinobi school system that the present Kirigakure has was unbelievably and utterly stupid, to grow more hardened and powerful shinobi, he was going to bring back the old systems again. The system from a time they were known as - 'The Bloody Mist'. The announcement sent an uproar among the whole nation. But he cared for none of it and implemented it forcefully. Kids were dragged to those butcher houses without any mercy. Parents begged on their knees, some even offered their lives, but nothing was able to shake him. Sometimes the kids were even kidnapped to the institutions. With killings and terror gripping them the people just succumbed to this worst fate.

Not wanting to think things any further, Mei shut her thoughts down and flipped the page again. Involuntarily, a small smile crept onto her face. Her eyes softened looking at the picture of a small white-haired boy with red colour at certain tips of his hair. His round face, violet eyes and innocent expression melted her heart in an instant.

'Naruto', she whispred subtly as her fingers moved gently across his adorable picture.

He had celebrated his third birthday the last time she checked on him. It had been a few months since she met him. She wanted to spend more time with him and look after him personally. But considering the mission they were supposed to accomplish, she needed to maintain the distance for his own good. Naruto had been hidden away safely during all this chaos. She made it her first and foremost priority to keep him safe. To Naruto, she was the big sis who took care of him. He loved and cherished her greatly. However, if one observed Mei, they could see her treating him as a son more than a little brother. That was how much she doted on him. It pained her heart to part with him. He was glued to her and was always with her playing and laughing. It devastated her even more to send him to the orphanage that was run by the insurgents. It aimed to keep the children safe from the grasp of the government. Technically, right now he is an orphan, but Mei never made the kid feel that way, she was always there for him in need. She rushed to him even during the small breaks she received during her missions. He was her emotional anchor.

As she was smiling and thinking what gift she was going to buy him when she was going to visit again. The panting figure of a chunin barged into her room. His face looked pale, and he had small wounds all over his body.

Without giving her any chance to reply, the chunin started talking, "We...we received a message Mei-sama, the orphanage; it is under attack."

Her eyes went wide hearing it. The face of young naruto flashed her mind. Clenching her teeth in frustration and anger, she dropped the file and disappeared from the chamber.

End Notes:

zx20000006 - I know you have questions regarding many things. And I really appreciate you for pointing them out too, since it helped me get an insight of some of the core issues in my writing which I am trying to rectify now. But rest assured each and every question will be answered in the story itself. I intend to give explanation for everything that happens in this story. From certain decisions to even mundane comments, there will be a reason for it. so please bear with the tale and I guarantee it will satisfy you.