Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Moonlit Sorrow ❯ Lighted Leaves ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One: The Lighted Leaves

 

A haunting wind blew through the night, rustling through the trees like a lovers whisper. A beautiful pale full moon shone in the sky, her gaze watching down upon her children who ran through the forest like predators after a prey, some in groups while others were not. They were all kinds really; big, small, young, old, the quick, the slow, every single village was there, all except one. It was the one that they were all heading for, the one that none had seen towards for three years.

 

Three years had passed since the destruction of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konohagakure no Sato. Three years had passed since the day the sky went dark and fire seemed to rain from the sky and the once powerful village, one of the Great Shinobi Villages, was brought to its knees. In a split moment it had happened, the Leaf, who had survived the betrayal of their own Sanin Orochimaru, had fallen to the mysterious and dangerous group known only as the Demonata who before that had only threatened and caused minor damage. Never anything as big as the collapse of an entire village. The allies of the Leaf; the Sand, the Mist, the waterfall, even the star ninja, left them to die and as punishment became afraid for their own villages one by one. They hid away, no longer taking missions and in the following years it became common thought that all ninja were dead, that the shinobi soul was gone, though there were those who just thought them cowards. Then the message came.

A week before the night of the haunting wind and pale moon, a mysterious letter had been found posted in every town and village in the entire shinobi world. It had read as follows:

“To those who want power, those who no longer want to hide as cowards, for those who feel the guilt of past mistakes and those who wish for the safety of the world, I call to your Nindo, your Ninja way. Come back to the village destroyed by darkness, to Konohagakure no Sato, and there you will gather and fight and in the end one alone shall stand supreme. That will be the true Shadow, the Gekkokage who will save everyone….”

 

That was why they were all there, the shinobi of the world returning for a tournament of epic proportions. Under the trees, not running like their comrades, seeming a bit too calm almost, a black hooded figure walked, a black messenger bag at their side. Like the others they was heading fort he village, but for them it was for a different reason; the fight did not interest them.

They continued their way, ignoring the shouts of overly-excited people above them and the rustling as those people ran through the trees, causing leaves to fall onto the figure, until finally they came to a stop. They were in an open space, a meadow with a ring of trees surrounding but no trees within, only the moon shining down on it, illuminating it. The figure looked to be still, lifeless, until suddenly it turned its head up, looking up at the moon as it's hood fell.

It was a boy, no older than 17, with long jet black hair tied back into a ponytail and bangs that hung over his slightly pale skin. He had these strange onyx eyes that seemed both mysterious and deep while also very clear and revealing, like a well one had just throw a coin down to hear it land but not see it. His expression was soft, unsmiling but not really frowning, a single scar on his right cheek, totally out of place with the rest of him. On his head, his forehead to be exact, slightly titled to one side, was something uncommon in that day and age; a Shinobi headband on which was the snail-like symbol of the village of Konoha. This boy was a Leaf ninja, maybe one of the last.

“What a beautiful moon,” he spoke to himself, speaking soft and low so none but the moon could hear, `”A truly……marvelous moon.”

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a falcon flew over to him, the collar around its neck having the same symbol as his headband, circling him until the boy, as if knowing just what to do, held out an arm absently and the bird landed. It fidgeted, shifting its feet, the boy smiling softly as he petted the falcon then touched the collar symbol, undoing the jutsu that caused a small parchment to stay within it. He started to read:

“The ones to whom this birdie flies

Know just how to reach the skies

A winter storm of steely night

Let the dancing leaves be your light.”

“Hm,” he said, looking from the paper to the bird who cooed at him, giving him the feeling that he knew it.

He was about to put the paper away when he noticed some writing on the back. He turned it, and his heart leapt as he recognized the slightly messy but somehow elegant writing.

“Whisper far, whisper clear,” he read aloud, “dance in darkness but never fear. Home is where our hearts reside, changing like the moon and tides. I will be,” he felt dread in his heart, knowing the poem, “your eternal bride.”

Once finished he closed his eyes, the falcon flying off as he lowered his hand back to his side, relaxing as he remembered a past he hadn't thought about in years…….

 

(Flashback….)

“Hey Naruki.” He was still in the forest, the world around him drenched in the warmth of the sun and the sound of birds chirping. Only a few feet away, sitting against a tree, was a girl with the most beautiful gossamer black hair, most of it hanging over one shoulder as she wrote in a notebook. She stopped writing for a moment, looking at him out of the corner of her amethyst purple eyes before going back to her writing with an obvious smile.

He smiled as well, something only this girl, this Naruki, could bring out of him and walked towards her even more, “Naruki?”

Still no answer. He went even closer when…

“Sasuke!” she yelled jumping him quickly from her spot, taking him off guard enough to have him scream in surprise, both falling over.

They rolled once on the ground until he had managed to pin her down, a grin on both their faces. He pretended to be annoyed “Naruki, what were you told about jumping people?”

“You're not people,” she said with a risen eyebrow, still smirking, “You're Sasuke, you're my childhood friend. I reserve a right to glomp you like this.”

He sighed and got up off her, closing his eyes as he turned his head away with a pout, “No one reserves any right to me.”

“Oh really?” she was leaning up towards him, her face inches apart from his.

He opened one eye to look at her, “No one.”

Naruki looked sad, childish sad and also upset sad. After a few minutes of taunting her he smiled, `Well, maybe I'll let you have some rights…. But first you have to tell me what you were writing.”

“Why?” she asked pulling back with a look of confusion.

Sasuke shrugged, “I want to know, is something wrong with that?”

She laughed, not the tomboy one she usually had, this was bell-like, and it was sweet and angelic. Naruki nodded, “I was writing a poem, Sasuke.”

“What for?”

“`For the one I love of course',” the real Sasuke Uchiha said, back to the present, to the darkness that surrounded and the only sounds being shinobi above, “Naruki……” he pulled the hood back over his head, whispering into the darkness, “I'm so…so sorry.”

He then returned on his way, this time in a quicker way, as if running from his past, from everything and his memories. Too bad because he was heading right for the place they were mostly rooted.

 

About fifteen minutes later he arrived at the village gates, or at least what was left of them. The tall walls, once seeming so large and protective to Sasuke, were all but gone, remains still holding up despite their obvious uselessness. One could see right into the vaillage if there wasn't a strange ominous mist covering it starting from the gate walls. To tell the truth the only thing the were the same was the doors, the huge doors un which as always the symbol of Konoha were, with the villages full name written on a large plaque above it.

Konohagakure no sato, Sasuke read in his mind, ignoring the crowd already there. Really they didn't matter to him, though his eyes did wander once or twice when he caught sight of a Sand headband. Maybe he was searching for old friends, or maybe he was angry because he thought they'd be the first to go and help his village, it didn't matter. He walked towards the doors, resting his hand upon the doors. Without thinking he touched his headband, making sure at least not to disturb his hood to much as he thought; Once upon a time I was one of them, wasn't I? Once I was a Leaf shinobi, a so-called prodigy, one of theirs. I had a best friend who loved me and a rival who was like a friend. I had fan girls, I had a purpose, I had back-up in case I couldn't reach my purpose, in case I couldn't kill him. But I..I….

He didn't want to think about his betrayal, he didn't want to think about Naruki or Konoha or anyone from then. He pulled his hand away, looking anywhere but there as a voice in his head spoke, /You don't deserve to return here, you don't belong here anymore. You left them, get it Sasuke? You left and if you hadn't, Naruki and Naruto and everyone else might have survived. Weakened by Orochimaru then left by an ungrateful genin. Everyone looked for you and that's why it was weak…./

“Stop it,” he muttered as one of the other shinobi spoke, “Come on, how can NONE of us know how to solve this stupid riddle?! I mean really, what's all this `a winter of steely night” mumbo-jumbo?!”

Sasuke turned to look at the speaker, a Waterfall ninja. How annoying, Sasuke thought before answering the man, “Idiot, It means we use….”

It came to him finally and he looked at the doors, whispering, “The kunai. Hit the points on the leaf…. The Kunai storm….”

He immediately reached into his bag and took out five kunai knives. He took a step back then faced the door again before…

Whoosh! The kunai flew threw the air, each hitting a connecting point on the Leaf: The triangle tip, the two points the connected the triangle to the spiral and the ends of the spiral. There was silence and then suddenly the symbol glowed and the doors opened Sasuke running back towards them until…

He stopped and everyone gasped upon seeing the mist clear and the village revealed.

To tell the truth they had all heard about the destruction, about the travesty that had occurred, but no one expected that much; a field of broken and fallen buildings, burnt remains all around and dusty wind blowing through the silence. Tattered bits of clothes were hanging off rusty poles, blowing with the wind as if waving. The only good thing was that the bodies were removed, but still….it was horrible.

Sasuke's heart sunk as people walked past him in. all he could think was: It was not my fault, it wasn't. But if I had just ignored Orochimaru……..

“How did you know?” a familiar voice came from behind him and he turned to see two more figures, one his height and the other a bit taller. They were wearing matching black cloaks with red clouds on them, their faces hidden by the straw hats upon their heads. The shorter one had spoken.

“What?” he asked suspicious of them.

“How did you know about the symbol?”

“None of your business,” he nearly hissed.

The shorter figure snickered and then both walked past him into the village, disappearing like smoke before he could ask their names.

 

 

The two reappeared in a less desolate part of the village, standing before the old house of Naruto Uzumaki. The landing caused the taller figures hat to fly off, showing an older looking Sasuke with longer hair and bloodred eyes with black specks. He looked at his partner, something that he never would still be able to do without her help, a soft smile on her face, `That was my darling brother Sasuke wasn't it? Or was that my imagination?”

“It was,” the other figure said, `though he seems not to have recognized us,” a smile was evident in her voice.”

“So sad,” said the man, shaking his head, `And I was sure he'd at least recognize you, my darling companion.”

The figure laughed then seemed to turn their head to look out into the village, “well, Itachi, it has been about four years since last me and him met, I dare say he wouldn't know me anymore.”