Naruto 1. Kira

**Revenge of the New Generation**

**By**

**Kage of Seireitei**

A/N: I hope you enjoy this story as much as I wrote it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Sadly. T.T

**Summary**: Two decades have passed since the time of the teen ninjas of konoha. Akatsuki won and now that they were unmatched in power, they took over all of the Elemental countries. Kira the lavender pale eyed, blonde haired boy and Kesu the lazy yet strong willed blonde girl have gone through their entire lives without knowledge of their origins or family. Instead, since they could remember they were raised to be highly skilled assassins working for the new Akatsuki regime who are responsible for eliminating any rebel uprising. But a simple assassination mission turns into a quest for the teens who now wonder of their purpose.

Speech/Narration

_Dreams/thoughts_

_**Kyuubi/Demon talk**_

**Chapter 1: Kira**

_Blazing heat, bright and intense flames, melting fury._

_A fire._

_Desperate cries from a woman in the distance._

_A scream._

_Two crying babies lying in a crib, a boy and a girl, alone in the midst of all the destruction and chaos._

_Twins._

_Blurred vision. Dark figure approaches._

_A kidnapping._

_One was left alone that night to die and the other's fate was sealed._

"Kira! Kira! Wake up!"

"Huh, wha?" The 13-year old boy slowly opened his eye lids and took the time to analyze his surroundings. He was sitting on the ground with his back up against a tree in the center of a clearing. It was the middle of the night and a full moon was visible just above the tree line. He finally set his gaze on Kesu (roughly translated to be "Erase") his best friend. She was giving him an annoyed look, Kira (English translation: "Killer") realized that he must have dozed off.

"You were shaking furiously in your sleep. Probably had a nightmare. You alright?" Kesu asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Kira assured his friend, as he got up off the ground and picked up his bag of supplies. The crisp cool night and the feeling of the damp ground on his uncovered feet would have been relaxing to any normal person.

But not to him.

_My name is Kira. Or at least that's what I've been called for as long as I can remember. I don't know my real name and I have no parents. I think I'm around 13 years old but I'm not sure because I don't know when my birthday is. I'm about the same height as anyone else my age. I have spiky yellow hair that I dye silvery-gray to help hide my presence whenever I'm on missions. My eye color is rather strange: lavender-pale. It's unusual for people to have lavender eyes, so I hide them behind my mirror sunglasses which I choose to wear at all times. There is also something else weird about me. Something that only my best friend Kesu knows about: on my face I have three whisker-like markings on each of my cheeks, sort of like a birthmark. But whenever I'm out in public or around anyone else, I conceal them with a cloth mask that covers the bottom half of my face._

Kira pulled out several articles of clothing from his bag and began to dress himself for the mission he was about to encounter. Kesu turned away to give him some privacy but she continued to keep up a conversation.

"Kira do you think we can handle this mission?" she asked casually.

The teen snorted before replying. "It's just an assassination mission, Kesu. We've done plenty of those before. I don't know why you're concerned."

"I know. But I can't help but think that with every mission we go on, it'll be our last." Kesu said furrowing her eyebrows.

Kira put on his black pants and tied a dark violet belt around his waist before strapping his kunai pouch on his right leg and sheathed katana on his left side. "Is that fear Kesu? Are you scared?" he teased.

The blonde haired girl spun around completely disregarding her best friends lack of dress and was about to retort until she saw Kira without a shirt on…….bare-chested. _He's more built than I would have imagined. Ooooh and those strong arms. _Before Kira could notice, Kesu caught herself staring and quickly turned back in the other direction. A small blush dawned on her face.

"I'm not scared. You know for a fact that we were trained in the academy not to fear anything." She stated a matter of fact. _Ugh. Why am I thinking about my best friend like this? Sure he's more handsome than any of those other guys in the village……NO NO NO! Stop that. Anything more than camaraderie is looked down upon and even against the law back home. _Kesu was saddened by this thought._ This is just way too troublesome. _She quickly put her emotional mask of indifference back on and hoped Kira hadn't noticed.

However, the battle hardened teen had noticed. _I wonder why she was sad when she mentioned the academy. _Then after Kira thought more about it he finally realized. Kesu had hated the academy and Kira could understand why.

_Our country is a war based nation that is divided into separate regions: North, South, East, West, and Central. The leader of the entire country is only known as 'leader' or 'king' to the public and resides somewhere in the Central region, former Fire country. In fact nobody has ever seen him in person, not even a single photograph has been taken of him. It's said that he is immensely powerful, the strongest person in the world, almost god-like. Actually those who have seen him are the elite of the royal guard, known as 'Akatsuki'. Only a little is known of this group but what is common knowledge is that they oversee the military and command the battlefield. Each region is leaded by a single akatsuki member._

_The Eastern region, formerly known as Water Country is commanded by a sadistic blood thirsty tyrant known for his command over the navy and powerful water jutsu arsenal. His name is Kisame-sama and he is the third strongest of the akatsuki._

_The Northern region, formerly known as Lightning country is leaded by an emotionless efficient killing machine whose fire jutsu are world renown: Itachi-sama who is the second strongest akatsuki member._

_Kesu and I live in the Western region, formerly named Earth country whose leader is the strangest looking of them all. He actually looks like a venus-fly trap with limbs: Zetsu-sama, the weakest of the akatsuki. However he is still quite strong and his powers remain unknown to even us, his subordinates._

_Then there is the southern region, former Wind country, whose leader is the direct right hand of the 'king'. Her name is Konan-sama and she is most powerful of the akatsuki royal guard, distinguishable by her blue hair. Her abilities are unknown as well but she is famous for being second strongest in the entire world, behind leader-sama._

_Being a war influenced nation, children born into the world are almost immediately enlisted into the military ninja academy as soon as they could walk. Then they were taught to kill at an early age, without remorse or feelings. The military trained an army of emotionless, efficient, killing machines. And if they couldn't learn fast enough, they were either killed, or as some of the lucky ones, sent to slave camps where they would work to supply the growing army._

_Luckily, if you could call it that, Kesu and I were one of the best ninjas at the academy and soon excelled enough to be put out on the battlefield at the age of eight where we both made our first kill. Since then, we have been teamed together and were soon feared as the demonic duo. Our reputation spread throughout the West region and we would always be recommended to perform missions directly assigned by Zetsu-sama._

_Recently, Zetsu-sama has assigned us the task of assassinating the leader of a growing rebel force. Our country is rather large, encompassing most of the earth, but there are still rebellions that pop up every once in a while and that's what the military is charged for eliminating. Not much is known about this man except the distinguishable blue scarf that he always wears and the diamond hard staff he wields._

Kira tied his necklace around his neck and was suddenly attracted to the strange aura it was giving out. The small dark colored stone attached at the end was said to be rare. Actually after doing a little research, Kira found out that it was so rare that he would have been able to buy three mountains with it. The odd thing was that Kira had this necklace with him for as long as he could remember and he would always carry it with him.

Shaking his head out of his daze, Kira dawned his tight black shirt and mask combo before putting on his sunglasses and black coat/cape. Turning to Kesu, he silently watched as she started to disrobe right before his eyes. Kesu had thought that Kira was still changing and decided to get into her uniform as well, not knowing that Kira finished and was now watching her with an unknown feeling creeping through his veins.

Suddenly feeling like she was being watched, Kesu stopped removing her clothes and spun around to glare at her best friend, completely ignoring the fact that she had removed her shirt and pants and was left dressed in a silk black bra and underwear.

Kira's eyes widened behind his sunglasses and his mouth dropped open to a point wear the mask fell off. The next thing he felt was a tremendous amount of heat rush to his face just before a trickle of blood trailed down his cheek from his nose. Immediately, Kira lost all feeling in his legs and so collapsed to the ground in surprise.

Kesu cocked an eyebrow at the strange behavior of her best friend only to look down and realize her state of undress. Her face heated up in embarrassment, as she quickly changed into her kunoichi uniform, and equipped her two small battle fans.

After Kira regained feeling in his limbs, he slowly got up and tried to regain his bearings. He caught sight of his blonde-haired friend sitting on a stump with her legs crossed looking annoyed at him. Kira noticed she had tied her hair into her trademark pineapple shaped pigtail which she only does right before going into battle. Her short dark purple skirt barely covered down to mid-thigh and hugged her very well, showing off her curves, as did Kesu's black top that went over her fishnet undershirt which only left some of the stomach area visible.

"Uhh…..sorry" Kira smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment his cheeks still a blazing red.

"Whatever…….troublesome……..let's just get on with the mission." Kesu said ending the matter, although she tried to hide her small blush at the same time.

Kira coughed and put his cloth mask back on. Finally, both of the teen ninjas pulled out their forehead protectors and tied them into place, displaying the insignia of their country, a fan shaped symbol of a long lost clan. With a deep intake of breath and a large exhale both ninja prodigies vanished into the dark woods where even the moonlight cannot reach.

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(Moments later at the outskirts of the enemy camp)

Two rebel sentries stood guard at one of the makeshift outposts whose purpose was a first line of defense against an enemy attack. The silent black void that was the forest was enough to unnerve any soldier or ninja if they were assigned the midnight watch. However the silence was broken when one of them began to speak.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" The guard dressed in maroon asked his partner dressed in orange.

"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? Why are we here? Are we the product of some cosmic coincidence? Is there really a god watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night." The guy dressed in orange said. There was silence between the two for a moment before

"No, I mean why are we out here? In the dark." The maroon dressed man clarified.

"Oh…..uh….yeah."

"What's this stuff about god?"

"Nothing."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Did you hear that?" the orange guard asked his teammate who tried to look through the dark night with his flashlight for the source of the sound. Both watchmen sighed in relief when they soon found out it was a forest rabbit. The rabbit looked at the two guards curiously before slowly making its way to them.

Revelation struck the guards. _Wait a second! Rabbits aren't nocturnal! _But before either of them could act, they were suddenly frozen into place by an unknown force. This mysterious power then made their bodies move unwillingly, turning around to face their captor.

Kesu smirked triumphantly as she removed her hands from the basic ram hand seal. "I have to thank you guys for setting up these lanterns around your little outpost. My technique wouldn't have worked without light to produce a shadow." The guards looked down to see that their shadows were somehow connected with the intruders and that was freezing them in place.

_This jutsu is like Nara-sama's. _One of the guards thought worriedly. Suddenly, the binds they felt disappeared as the shadow of the girl retracted from theirs. A poof sound was heard behind them and suddenly the two guards fell to the ground unconscious. The smoke cleared to reveal Kira in place of the 'rabbit.'

"Why didn't you kill them?" Kesu asked with her arms folded across her chest.

"They weren't worth the time and effort. Besides, we're only here for the rebel leader" Kira replied evenly before the two ninjas dashed through the gate into the enemy camp.

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"Sarutobi-sama!" a ninja shouted.

A girl of about twenty years shot out of bed at the call of her name and opened the front of her large tent to the sight of panic amongst the camp.

"What's going on?!" she demanded to know as she saw half the tents and buildings were on fire.

"Enemy ninja have raided the camp. We are certain that it's those from the Western region."

"How many of them are there?"

"Two ninjas. One male and one female." The reporting ninja replied.

The girls eyes widened in surprise. Just two ninja were able to cause this much destruction.

"What are your orders?"

"Go gather the remaining forces and try to halt the enemy. I'll go get sensei." She commanded.

"Hai Sarutobu-sama!" the ninja disappeared into the middle of the chaos.

No more than ten seconds passed, as the twenty year old black haired, red-eyed, beauty emerged from her tent, battle ready. In a poof of smoke, the woman disappeared in the direction of her sensei.

An explosion in the west toward the direction of the weapons stockpile, halted the woman in her tracks for a moment.

_Dammit. Whoever these guys are, they're good. They already eliminated the weapons supply. We need sensei for this battle it seems._

About a minute later, the woman found her sensei outside his tent, barking orders and trying to get some organization from amongst the discord.

"Konohamaru-sensei!" she shouted. The tall man of about six feet looked at her at the sound of his name.

"Aiko!" the man shouted back.

Suddenly a colossal gust of wind blasted through the area. Several of the ninja were blown away into the distant forest. Those who remained, used chakra to stick to the ground. After a few more seconds the wind died down and so did the fires.

Out of the shadows appeared the enemy ninjas. Kira and Kesu slowly walked to the center of the cleared area. The group of about fifty ninjas tensed at the sight of the impassive expressions the trained killers had. Half of the ninjas withdrew their kunais and charged blindly at the unmoving teens.

"Wait!" Konohamaru shouted but it was too late. Faster than the untrained eye could see, the group of charging ninjas were blown away into the distant woods.

Aiko was shocked at the speed and power these kids displayed. They took down 25 ninjas, no sweat at all. "Who are you?!" Aiko shouted.

No response.

"I'll ask again! Who the hell are you?!"

Still no response.

The tension seemed to be too great for the rest of the ninja force who charged in just as randomly as the first wave. But before Aiko or Konohamaru could prevent it, Kira and Kesu took them out as well, hurling them far away.

"Who do you think you are to come into our camp and kill our comrades?!"

Silence.

"Aiko, stop!" Konohamaru yelled.

"Grahhhh!" Aiko equipped her trench knives to her knuckles and charged alone. Empowering chakra into the knives, Aiko made a swipe from a few meters away from the enemy ninjas. A thin stream of wind empowered chakra blade exploded out of the end of the knives and struck the two head on.

Aiko jumped back to her previous position besides Konohamaru, a triumphant grin painted on her face. Konohamaru still looked tense though.

When the dust died down, it revealed the two ninjas, without a single scratch or injury.

"Im-mpossible!" Aiko stuttered in surprise. Konohamaru looked thoughtful for a moment, before tossing a single shuriken in the direction of the unmoving teens. Just as the projectile got within a foot of the pair, an explosion of wind erupted outwards sending the shuriken right back at Konohamaru who side stepped out of the way and watched as the shuriken sailed past and split a tree in half.

Konohamaru turned back to the intruders and spoke directly to them for the first time. "That is a powerful wind-based defensive jutsu. I also noticed you didn't kill a single one of our ninja, only knocked them out. Who are you and what is your purpose here?"

"My name is Kesu and he's Kira. That was my own personally developed jutsu used for a battle against a large number of enemies. As for our reason for being here….."

"We were assigned a mission to kill the leader of a band of rebels. You" Kira interrupted, pointing to Konohamaru.

The tall brown-haired man cocked an eyebrow, while Aiko looked furious. "Who sent you?" Aiko growled.

"Zetsu-sama, leader of the Western region sent us personally to assassinate him." Kesu replied as she stared down the man. He was about six feet tall with long brown hair that covered his forehead and right eye. His long blue scarf wrapped around the bottom half of his face.

"As if you two could ever hurt Konohamaru-sensei." Aiko said defiantly.

"Aiko" the season trained shinobi cut her off. "Gather whatever remaining forces we have and collect the injured and unconscious. Then retreat while I fend them off."

"WHAT?!"

"You have no choice. These two were personally sent by Zetsu meaning it can only be the demonic duo we have heard so much about."

Aiko was surprise once more. _These kids are Zetsu's legendary tools of battle._ "Then that's more a reason not to leave you here to fight them alone!"

"Please! I'm not asking as your sensei but as your cousin. I promised your mother Kurenai, before she died, that I would keep you safe from harm. That includes now." Konohamaru said seriously.

Aiko looked worriedly toward her older cousin but finally and regretfully retreated. With one glance back at Konohamaru, she saw something in his eyes, she hadn't ever seen before.

Hope.

She was left confused at the emotion. _Why would sensei look so hopeful at time like this?_

As soon as Aiko left, Kira stepped forward withdrawing his unnamed sword. "Let's get this over with."

Konohamaru nodded, summoning his staff: Enma. "Kesu do not interfere. I want to fight this alone" Kira told his partner leaving no room for argument. Kesu puffed indignantly, muttering troublesome, and jumped over to the roof of the only standing building to get a good view of the fight.

Both combatants stood across the charred remains of the rebel camp, weapons in hand. Suddenly, both disappeared, and reappeared in the middle of the air, weapons clashed with a loud sonic boom. Then they disappeared again using high speed and their weapons met once more with just as much force as the first blow. They continued to exchange blows, neither gaining an advantage over the other.

Konohamaru jumped high into the air, throwing a single chakra enforced shuriken at the grounded Kira. "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Konohamaru shouted, and suddenly one shuriken turned into hundreds.

Kira looked up to see a rain of dangerous projectiles heading for him, no opening left to dodge. Thinking quickly, he attached an exploding note to a kunai and threw it at the center of the cloud of shuriken. The explosion was enough to deter most of the weapons. But a few came dangerously close to seriously injuring Kira.

As soon as the shuriken stopped falling, a loud rumbling sound echoed throughout the battlefield. Suddenly, the ground split and out of it came the head of a mud dragon.

"Earth Style: Mud Dragon Jutsu!" Konohamaru shouted as he landed on the ground and commanded his technique to fire mud projectiles at the evasive Kira.

Kira was starting to get tired of dodging so he stopped and performed a number of seals at a fast pace. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Konohamaru looked in awe as a dragon made of the water particles in the air formed and charged full force at Konohamaru and his Mud dragon.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Konohamaru spat out mud which quickly turned into a gigantic wall. The water from Kira's attack collided with the dragon, eliminating it, then struck the unmoving wall canceling the technique. Konohamaru jumped to the top of the wall and performed a large number of hand seals. He shouted "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu" and blew a large stream of fire.

Kira saw the fast approaching inferno and quickly performed another Water jutsu. "Water Style: Water Shockwave!" Gathering more particles from the air, Kira spit out a huge amount of water, covering the entire field up to the waist. Jumping on top of the water, Kira decided to perform a technique he's only ever read about. Spinning rapidly and releasing chakra from his palms, Kira yelled out the new jutsu.

"Kaiten!"

The water around him started to spin as well, circling the dome of chakra Kira created from his rotation, till it rose high into the air, making a water spout. The fireball struck and the two elements cancelled out. A thick steam rose from the result of water meeting fire. Konohamaru jumped down to the top of the water.

When Kira stopped spinning, he realized his sunglasses fell off at some point in the battle revealing his lavender-pale eyes. The water from the water sprout washed out his hair-dye, leaving the blonde hair in its place. Not only that but the cut up remains of his mask finally fell off due to the amount of elemental chakra it was in contact with during the battle.

_That kid performed Kaiten. Only two other people in the world are left that can still perform that move. His expression, its just as fierce and determined as HIS use to be only it seems he is not fighting for any true purpose. _Konohamaru withdrew his staff and charged at the panting blonde. Kira was caught surprised as he was struck in the side with the diamond hard staff. The wind knocked out of his lungs. But that wasn't the end of it. Konohamaru shifted stance and performed a quick 360 striking Kira's other side.

The grandson of the late third hokage used the Enma staff to uppercut the stunned teen. While Kira was airborne, Konohamaru jumped high into the air and slammed the end of Enma into Kira's gut.

"Extend!" Konohamaru shouted, commanding Enma to rapidly grow and further impale the descending blonde ninja into the ground.

The earth shook furiously when Kira finally collided with the water, then the ground. The hole created from the impact was deep enough to cause a small whirlpool that drained the small lake of water. Konohamaru landed on the damp ground, panting from over exertion in high speed taijutsu. He had to open the first gate to perform that last combo, and the after effects were showing.

A moment later, a beaten and battered Kira jumped out of the hole of water, barely able to stand. "Konohamaru is it? You have been a tough opponent, I will not hold back any longer."

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several poofs of smoke later, and suddenly there were ten Kiras. "This battle is over" all the clones said in monotone.

One of the clones charged forward, palm glowing with blue chakra. Konohamaru's eyes widened in surprise. That technique solely belonged to the Hyuugas. _That's the Gentle Fist style for sure. But his technique seems a little different and sloppy. He must have taught himself. _Konohamaru easily knocked away the first clone with his staff but was caught by surprise when two more struck him in the back forcing their chakra into his system disrupting it. The rebel leader coughed out blood but fought the urge to collapse, swinging his staff horizontally he got one then diagonally, he got the other.

Unfortunately for him, the rest of the clones circled him and began striking him with their open palms. The clones finished with their combo as the real Kira struck Konohamaru hard in the chest exploding chakra throughout his coils and effectively halting anymore jutsu use from the adult for a while.

The clones poofed away as did the Enma staff. Konohamaru collapsed to the ground out of chakra exhaustion and physical fatigue, not to mention the amount of blood loss. Kira fell down on one knee, panting heavily from the amount of chakra he had to use to defeat the rebel leader.

"Kira are you alright?" Kesu asked with a worried tone after jumping off her high platform.

"I'm……pant……alright……I'll be healed……in a minute." Kira nearly passed out, when he coughed up more blood. But then felt relieved when a red chakra leaked out of his sword and started to coat his wounds in a healing energy. _This guy is stronger than anyone I've ever fought. He wouldn't give up and his eyes held determination like I've never seen before._

"Kira. Shall I finish him off?" Kesu asked indicating the severely injured but still alive Konohamaru.

Kira looked intently at his unconscious foe, and suddenly felt a deep connection with him, that he couldn't explain. Maybe it was because it was hard to finally strike him down, or maybe because the rebel leader earned his respect for never backing down, but Kira finally decided not to kill him.

"No. Instead, we will bring him back to the West capital and have him interrogated for any information on the rebels." Kira said finally feeling better, as his wounds were nearly gone.

Kesu shrugged her shoulders and lifted up the knocked out man. Using chakra and natural strength, Kesu was able to easily lift up the much larger man.

"Alright then. I think our business here is done. Lets head back home." Kesu finished turning her back on the devastated field and jumped into the dark forest.

Kira was about to follow when he noticed something on the ground. A closer look concluded it was an old forehead protector. It was severely dented and scratched, displaying its antique age. _It must have been that leader's. _Kira wondered, as he picked it up and studied the foreign design carved into the forehead protector.

_I wonder what kind of village would have a leaf as their insignia. _Kira pondered a bit before stuffing the piece of tattered metal and cloth into his weapons pouch and re-sheathed his sword.

Kira turned away from the scorched land and disappeared into the woods on his way back home to report to Zetsu-sama.

**End Chapter**

(A/N: So how do you like it Reader-sama? Please review and I will update with the next chapter as soon as possible.)


	2. Konohamaru's Rescue

**Revenge of the New Generation**

**By**

**Kage of Seireitei**

(A/N: Chapter 1 was edited and reposted included with a more descriptive summary of the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter it took a while to type. I'm hoping to get more hits and reviews for this story but I understand that is difficult because a new story or chapter for the Naruto category is posted every 5 minutes. So not many people will get to see my story before its pushed back onto the second and third pages.)

**Chapter 2: Konohamaru's Rescue**

The dim lights of the burning campsite slowly faded away. Sarutobi Aiko watched the place she once called home turn to ash and slowly scatter into the cool wind.

Aiko was last ordered to gather any remaining forces and retreat leaving her older cousin to fend off the attacking ninja. She had found some survivors and relayed the message to retreat, but she couldn't bring herself to do the same. So as the group of rebel ninjas departed, she ran back to the campsite as fast as she could, in order to help Konohamaru.

The red-eyed, young woman scanned the battlefield and was in awe at the destruction left behind from the encounter with the two Western region ninjas. Ruble of varying sizes was dispersed amongst the grounds surrounding a large crater at the center of the chaotic landscape.

So much damage was done so quickly. Aiko couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only was she shocked that their entire division was forced to retreat by just two mere kids but the fact that Konohamaru-sensei, the leader of the Western rebels, had lost in a fight against them was unbelievable.

A deep chill crept up her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she approached the center of the fifty meter wide crater. The chakra residue from the battle still coated this area, and the sheer amount of it was still overwhelming despite the fact that most of it had already faded away.

_What the hell are they? This level of power can't possibly be human! _Aiko thought with a deep feeling of fear towards the masked boy and blonde girl.

A sense of worry for her older cousin soon overwhelmed her fear and she proceeded to find any clues to what may have happened to him. An idea struck her. Biting her thumb and performing a few hand seals, Aiko slammed her palm against the earth and called out her technique

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Jutsu)

(A/N: Sorry but sometimes I'll use the Japanese names for some jutsu and other times, I'll use the English name depending on which sounds better. I'll always put an English translation for Japanese ones.)

The poof of smoke cleared away revealing a small, knee-high, chimpanzee with white fur and golden eyes. Its mischievous smirk was wiped away as soon as it saw the serious look its summoner had on her face. Then the small prime ape took a look around and saw the extent of damage done to the former campsite.

"Aiko-chan, what happened here?" the chimp asked not even attempting to hide its shock.

"We got attacked by two enemy ninja and were forced to retreat, while Konohamaru-sensei fought them off." Aiko said solemnly.

"Just two ninja did all this?"

"Yes, they were one of the strongest of the western region. But, that's not important right now. I think they may have taken sensei back to their headquarters for interrogation. So I need you, Hozukimaru to help me track him down so I can rescue him before its too late." Aiko informed the monkey.

"I'm not a dog or wolf, so my sense of smell isn't that strong and I'm horrible at tracking others." Hozukimaru admitted which saddened the kunoichi.

"But, anyone who signs a contract with a summoning animal automatically develops a small connection with that animal clan who in turn can sense the location of the summoner anywhere in the world as long as they still have chakra in their system. So, that means I can still track down Konohamaru as long as he's still alive." The small monkey said, which seemed to brighten up Aiko's expression, if only a little.

"Then let's get to it" Aiko said determined like never before.

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_Ugh………_

Konohamaru groaned as he tried to move but realized he couldn't. He felt as if his limbs were bind together. His eyes were covered with some kind of blindfold. His chest, back, and abdomen were aching and any exaggerated movements would result in a searing pain. What was worst though was that he could smell something cooking and he was dead hungry.

"Ey……cough….oul…. Konohamaru coughed out, his throat unbearably dry.

There was no response for a while until

"Kira, you get him some water, I had to carry him the whole way here." Kesu said nonchalantly.

"Fine" Kira grumbled. He was still annoyed at the fact that he nearly lost in the one-on-one battle with his captive. Not to mention confused as to why he let the rebel leader live.

Kira walked up to the bound Konohamaru and forcefully stuffed a water bottle in his mouth, smirking as the thirty something year old man nearly choked on the liquid. Kira walked back to his spot near the campfire and continued cooking dinner.

"Cough…..cough…….thanks for that." Konohamaru said sarcastically.

"Don't mention it" Kira replied casually with a smirk.

"Maybe you could be nice enough to take off this blindfold." The rebel leader added hopefully.

The next thing he heard was the sound of a shuriken whirling at his head. Quickly moving his head to the side only resulted in the shuriken to pass his cheek, drawing blood, then cut off the blindfold. However Konohamaru then fell to the side hard, and in his present state, it felt even worse.

"Sorry, my aim isn't really good." Kira added, not once turning around from his cooking.

Konohamaru winced in pain as he tried to move his face from the dirt. "Wow you guys are probably the most cooperative captors I have ever had the pleasure of knowing." Sarcasm again.

The rebel leader took this chance to look more closely at his captors. His gaze fell on the lazy, laid back girl who was resting with her head against a log, staring up at the cloudless night sky, the stars reflected in her violet colored eyes.

Then he took a glance at the boy. He couldn't really see much but that he wore a long black trench coat and had silvery gray hair. _Didn't he have blonde hair? _Konohamaru decided not to think too deeply on it.

Suddenly his stomach growled out loudly at about the same time Kira had taken the meat off the fire. Trying to keep his tough façade, Konohamaru just ignored the stinging pains of hunger and closed his eyes in order to keep the sight of food out of his mind.

"Here ya go Kesu" Kira said tossing her some beef. Both ninjas began eating their dinner seemingly ignorant of Konohamaru's presence until another loud growling sound from his stomach alerted the two to his famine.

Kesu scowled in annoyance before tearing a piece of her food and tossing it at the grown man's face. "You had better eat that! I don't want to hear the sound of your growling stomach all night long!" Kesu shouted.

Konohamaru just looked at her in surprise. Usually enemy ninja won't even bother with listening to the complaints of their captive. From his knowledge, the ninja working under the empire were suppose to be ruthless, emotionless, efficient, killing machines. And these two were one of the best ones to work under Zetsu.

But, now that he got to think about it, Konohamaru noticed that when they invaded their camp, the two teen ninjas didn't kill a single person. Sure they may have ruined the camp beyond repair and they may have knocked out nearly the entire rebel force, but taking a life is a serious thing, and neither of them fought to kill.

Konohamaru half expected to be dead by now but surprisingly he wasn't assassinated like he was suppose to be. _Very curious indeed. _The leader just laid on the ground quietly chewing the small piece of meat.

Kesu got up from the ground and sat next to her partner in order to talk to him without worrying about eavesdroppers aka Konohamaru.

"Kira, this guy. Why did you keep him alive, really?" Kesu whispered.

"I already told you. I think Zetsu-sama's army would greatly benefit from the rebel's knowledge of the resistance forces." Kira explained again.

"I can tell you're lying Kira. I've been your best friend for almost as long as either of us can remember and you still don't trust me enough to tell me?" Kesu asked with a small tone of hurt in her voice.

Kira had finished his food a while ago and began to think of an answer to tell Kesu. "To tell you the truth, Kesu, I don't really know why I spared his life. Its just that throughout that entire battle, I noticed that this man was completely focused on defeating me."

Kesu rose an eyebrow. "But how is that unusual?"

Kira continued "He wasn't for a second, afraid to die. I sensed absolutely no fear from him and I could tell that he already knew he wouldn't win the battle."

Kesu's eyes widened significantly. "But, if he knew he was going to lose and probably even die, then why didn't he try to run away?"

"I don't know but he seemed almost determined to die. I guess the reason I let him live was to find out why a human being would face death so openly. Why would he be so suicidal?" Kira thought aloud.

Suddenly a part of the conversation he picked up before his battle with the rebel leader popped into his head.

Flashback:

"_Aiko" the season trained shinobi cut her off. "Gather whatever remaining forces we have and collect the injured and unconscious. Then retreat while I fend them off."_

"_WHAT?!"_

"_You have no choice. These two were personally sent by Zetsu meaning it can only be the demonic duo we have heard so much about."_

_Aiko was surprise once more. "Then that's more a reason not to leave you here to fight them alone!"_

"_Please! I'm not asking as your sensei but as your cousin. I promised your mother Kurenai, before she died, that I would keep you safe from harm. That includes now." Konohamaru said seriously._

_Aiko looked worriedly toward her older cousin but finally and regretfully retreated. With one glance back at Konohamaru, she saw something in his eyes, she hadn't ever seen before._

_Hope._

End Flashback

"Its too troublesome to really think about it. For now I think I'll go to bed." Kesu told her partner and best friend as she climbed into her sleeping bag.

Kira spent a few more moments of pondering before the feeling of exhaustion started to grasp him. The teen assassin quickly put out the fire and slipped under the covers of his own sleeping bag. He stared up at the glistening stars and started to feel the drowsiness of sleep overcome him. But before he could finally close his eyes he saw a single falling star streak across the black night sky.

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(Next Day)

The bright morning sunlight quickly filled Konohamaru's eyelids as he struggled to open them. His attention was brought to the feeling of fresh morning dew on his face. After completely opening his eyes, the thirty-three year old man finally realized that his face was still firmly planted into the ground ever since last night. And because of the chakra infused chains on his wrists and ankles, the rebel leader was left completely immobile. Still though, he tried to wriggle his body to get in a more comfortable position.

One without his mouth filled with dirt.

Kesu and Kira were already wide awake and had just finished packing up their camping supplies. Kira was all set after reapplying the silver gray hair dye and dawning his mirror black sunglasses and bottom face mask. Kesu was dressed up and ready, choosing to wear her long blonde hair in a single pony tail and patting her sides to make sure her two battle fans were secured to her waist.

Kesu finally noticed Konohamaru struggling in his bonds and finally walked over to him. Grabbing whatever tattered remains of his scarf still wrapped around his neck, the blonde kunoichi dragged the rebel leader over to where she and Kira were sitting. A soft thud echoed throughout the small clearing when Kesu just dropped the man's head on the hard ground littered with pebbles.

_I'm being completely man handled by kids not even half my age! The guys back at headquarters would certainly get a kick out of this. _Konohamaru thought sarcastically hoping that indeed this little situation would stay secret less his reputation as Warrior of the West be tarnished.

"Let's see. Clothes. Check. Supplies. Check. Weapons. Check. And captive……" Kesu lightly kicked Konohamaru in the side eliciting a painful grunt. "Check. Okay I think that's it. Let's go Kira. At average pace we should be home in about two hours."

Kira nodded before standing up and tying his necklace around his neck and equipping his katana blade and sheath to his back this time. "Let's go the-"

Kira was cutoff as a lone kunai embedded in a tree just behind him. Kira's enhanced ninja senses picked up the small scent of smoke and quickly spun around to be met with an explosion from the paper bomb that was attached to the kunai.

Luckily his reflexes were unmatched so he was able to easily evade the attack. Kira withdrew a handful of shuriken from his pouch and threw them into the trees from where the first kunai came from. A figure dropped down from the dense foliage in order to avoid the oncoming scraps of piercing metal.

Kira took one glance at his revealed opponent and recognized her immediately from the unruly long black hair and piercing red eyes.

"You're that girl form the rebel camp. What was your name again?" Kesu wondered.

"Aiko! What the hell are you doing here?! I gave you an order to retreat!" The still bounded Konohamaru shouted at her in fury although inside he was glad his cousin was still alive.

Aiko smiled a bit at hearing her sensei's voice again. "Well then I guess you don't have to thank me after I rescue you."

"Pretty big words from someone so weak." Kira said in an unimpressed tone.

Aiko's eyebrow twitched in anger as she tried to calm herself down. "Tch. I was going easy on you guys last time. But now that I've judged your strength, I'm gonna go all out now." She declared. Aiko tensed as she watched Kira move his hand to his sword strapped on his back. In a flash Kira grabbed his sheathed sword and threw it over his back at Kesu who caught it effortlessly.

"Why aren't you gonna use your sword?" Aiko asked.

Kira smirked at her as if he were talking to a child. "Because I don't need it in a fight against you." Aiko's resulting scowl wasn't satisfying enough for Kira however as he continued to taunt his older opponent. "In fact. I will only use taijutsu while you come at me with everything you got." Aiko got even more angry. Kira was waiting for that final moment when her anger would take over any rational thought and make her fight sloppy. _The truth is that since the fight last night, I don't have enough chakra to use any jutsus. But since my wounds are healed, I can still fight hand-to-hand or with weapons._

"I'll show you! Grow Hozukimaru!" the young Sarutobi shouted. The small white furred chimpanzee jumped down from the trees and transformed in mid air. When the smoke cleared a wax wood shafted spear with a red horsehair tassel landed in the girl's hands.

_Interesting. This girl called out 'grow' as a command to transform her monkey summon into that weapon. _Kira thought still eyeing his opponent with caution now.

"I'll let you make the first move." Kira said with a smirk.

Aiko charged at Kira quickly with the spear at her side. Then when she was at close range she attempted to stab Kira who easily dodged. Not feeling discouraged, she continued to make her attacks faster. With each attempted stab, Kira noticed it was getting harder to dodge. He was actually forced to step back several times to avoid some strikes.

Aiko suddenly smirked at Kira mischievously as her striking speed doubled leaving after images of her spear and arm. It got so fast that it seemed there were multiple spears coming at him at the same time. The teen assassin was too shocked to dodge as he was now finally struck in his right arm then slashed across his upper torso. His clothes tore at those points to reveal large gashes in his skin. Blood trailed down Kira's chest staining his clothes.

A bright light flashed in Kira's face stunning him momentarily. But it was enough to allow his opponent to tuck Hozukimaru under her arm and perform a powerful upward vertical strike. Time seemed to slow as Kira watched his own blood gush out of his body and slowly float through the air in large droplets.

Time sped back up again and Kira knew what he had to do but it would be damaging to him in his current state. "Kaiten!" Kira shouted as the speed of his rotation increased dramatically and combined with the chakra output, deflected Aiko's weapon and forced her to retreat back a few meters.

When Kira stopped rotating he dropped to one knee, struggling to catch his breath, unsuccessfully attempting to cover the large gash across his body with his hand. _What the hell was all that?_ Kira thought as his sunglasses fell off to reveal his lavender pale eyes.

"Are you done already? I'm not even going at full power yet." Aiko mocked the struggling Kira.

Kira looked at his opponent with complete seriousness now. Standing fully upright he spat out a mouthful of blood to the side and started to talk back. "Your strength is impressive Aiko. But from now on I won't hold back anymore." Kira extended his palm over to Kesu and Konohamaru's direction. Unexpectedly, except to Kesu and Kira, the sword that Kira gave to Kesu before the battle flew out of her hands and sheath, being drawn to Kira's hand.

The moment the hilt was in the teen's hand he became a blur as he charged at Aiko. The twenty year old girl used her spear to block the incoming slice. Kira then maneuvered out of the way of her attempted stab and tried to strike back once again except this time Aiko dodged the attack by pushing off the ground and jumping high into the air.

Kira followed suit pumping chakra into his legs and jumping to the same height Aiko was at. In midair, Aiko attempted to strike Kira by performing another horizontal slash but Kira was too close to her and he just blocked the wooden shaft of her spear with his sword at a vertical position to his side.

"It's over" Kira said as he was too close to be hit by the spear but far enough to use his katana effectively.

Aiko grinned as she repeated Kira's words. "You're right, it is over."

"Hozukimaru, Split!" As soon as Aiko commanded it the spear separated into two parts, held together by a link of chain. Since the momentum of Aiko's horizontal strike was still in effect, the half of the spear not blocked by Kira's sword bent around to Kira's back. But it was still too long to do any damage. However it wasn't over yet as the spear split once more allowing the blade at the end of the spear to bend around Kira's entire body and slice him across the forehead.

Hissing in pain, Kira was forced to push away and land on the ground hard while Aiko landed softly, her three part spear lying across her shoulders and her body relaxed.

"I honestly wasn't expecting that" Kira admitted as he clutched his head.

Konohamaru was staring at his younger cousin in awe. The rebel leader had no idea his student was able to use her summon weapon so effectively. It is a fact that the contract for prime apes allows the summoned monkeys or apes to transform into a specific weapon. The boss for this contract, Enma turns into a staff and Hozukimaru morphs into a three part spear for example. Each person who signs the contract (usually a person from the Sarutobi line) must train with their summons till they perfected all forms of combat with that specific weapon.

Konohamaru realized that even with his many years of experience he still hasn't fully mastered the Enma staff. While Aiko has mastered Hozukimaru to the point rivaling the last owner of Enma, the late Sandaime Hokage. Both Konohamaru's and Aiko's grandfather.

Aiko wordlessly reconnected Hozukimaru into one solid spear and awaited Kira to make the next move.

Kira's right eye was closed and his breathing was ragged. He was losing a lot of blood from his injuries. _This girl has many surprises. But what I can't understand is why am I being hit so easily?_

Kesu was watching from a distance with a thoughtful expression. _Something is really odd here. Kira shouldn't have been hit so easily. The opponent wasn't even moving that fast, I was easily able to follow each strike._

_That moment from before. That bright flash of light that came before she struck me vertically. Where did it come from? _Kira thought to himself.

Kesu continued to analyze her partner's situation. _His movements are slow and reaction time severely limited. This all must have been caused by…_

"Genjutsu" both Kira and Kesu concluded.

"So you've figured it out. That's right my movements seem faster as if I'm attacking from multiple points at once." Aiko verified.

"But how did she cast a Genjutsu without any hand signs?" Kesu wondered aloud.

"It's in her blood. Her mother was the best Genjutsu user our village had ever seen. And her father is of the Sarutobi bloodline which means that contract with prime apes is more than just for summoning. One who has bonded with their summons for a long time and trained with the respective weapon develops a strong ability. This ability is only found in the bond between the Sarutobi clan and their monkey and ape summons." Konohamaru said answering his captor's question.

"The ability this weapon gives me allows me to use certain jutsu without any hand signs required. And since I was most talented at Genjutsu I was able to incorporate that into my battle style. And the best part is that Hozukimaru also amplifies the power of my Genjutsu to a point where a simple 'kai' wouldn't disengage its effects." Aiko said, finishing her cousin's explanation.

Kira rose to his feet completely upright with his eyes cast down and hair overshadowing the top part of his face. "So now that I've confirmed that this is indeed a Genjutsu that means I have to use my last resort. Let me begin by telling you that this technique I'm about to use has been kept a complete secret from everybody except for my partner Kesu. I found out about it in my village's secret library. It's a technique lost to the world for its clan has been extinct since the great unification of all the shinobi nations under the rule of Akatsuki. I'm the only one I know who can use it."

Aiko watched as Kira looked up from the ground. She gasped as she saw the large bulging veins protruding from the sides of Kira's face running along it till it met the corner's of his eyes.

_That's the Byakugan! This confirms it. He's the one we've been looking for all these years. _Konohamaru thought filled with a sudden warmth and happiness and the long lost feeling of hope.

"Byakugan!" Kira shouted as his vision was now filled with the ability to see his enemy's chakra pathways and so much more.

Kesu knew that Kira was finally going to go all out. This was his last resort. He never used this dojutsu for having one was forbidden in the world except for the Akatsuki rulers and if caught with it that person would immediately be put to execution. _Kira only uses this on extremely difficult missions and only when he is alone or with me._ Kesu thought.

Aiko was a little confused and unsure but soon gained her resolve and waved Hozukimaru in a vertical circle path out in front of her body. Kesu and Konohamaru watched as Aiko disappeared before their eyes in a Genjutsu.

Kira gripped onto his sword tightly waiting for his opponent to make the first move.

Suddenly

CLANG

Kira had moved his sword in a quick defensive maneuver and was now clashing with Aiko's spear who had suddenly appeared beside him. Aiko disappeared again only to reappear at Kira's back who had already moved his sword to block her. Little bits of dust kicked into the air from the force between Kira's continued blocks and Aiko's failed strikes.

Aiko jumped back and performed a cross figure shaped hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" she shouted and Kira watched as two more Hozukimaru armed Aiko's appeared.

Konohamaru watched completely stunned at his younger cousin's power.

The real Aiko disappeared while the clones ran at Kira from opposite sides. When they reached the motionless Kira they attempted to stab and slash him.

From Kesu and Konohamaru's point of view it looked as if each clone was moving at the same high speed as the real one was at the beginning of the battle. After images were left behind as the clones attacked.

Kira, with his Byakugan active was able to see every move and strike against him. He brought his sword up to block an incoming downward slash while he deflected its momentum into his own body to spin around quickly and deflect the other clone's attempted attack.

This pattern of deflecting and parrying continued between the two clones and Kira. Until

Out of nowhere the real Aiko appeared right behind Kira with Hozukimaru closing in on Kira's vital organs. But, Kira saw this coming a mile away with his dojutsu and he was prepared to counter. Ducking low he watched as the real Aiko's spear narrowly misses the top of his head and continues to pass by him almost in slow motion.

Since Aiko put all of her force into that thrust she didn't expect to miss and was forced forward due to the momentum of her attack. The clones were in the middle of bringing their spears downward for a vertical slash attack.

Kira smirked, moving swiftly, he grabbed the real Hozukimaru spear and roughly thrust it backwards into Aiko's forward moving body who then had her weapon knocked out of her hand from the blow of her own spear and sent flying back into a tree which cracked and fell to the ground under the force of the impact.

Now that Kira had Aiko's weapon in his left hand and his sword in his right he spun a full 360 degrees with both of his weapons ramming each one into both Aiko's clones causing them to disappear in a poof.

That last move happened in under a second.

Kira threw Hozukimaru to the side and watched as it poofed away as well. Now that the battle was over Kira's adrenaline ran dry and thus he nearly collapsed. But he managed to keep himself together and limp over to the barely conscious Aiko.

"You have been a tough opponent, Aiko. In the end you forced me to play my last card. And for that your death will be an honorable and painless one." Kira said putting the blade of his katana at the girl's neck. Konohamaru saw this and began to seriously struggle in his restraints.

"Its no use those chains are made of chakra. You can't escape them. Just watch. Be thankful your cousin receives a swift and painless death." Kesu told her captive who must have ignored her since he continued to try to break free.

"I said its useless. Hey are you listening to me?!" Kesu started to get frustrated. _Why is he trying so hard?_

"Before I end your life I want to know……" Kira began, lifting Aiko's head so they made eye contact. Lavender pale to blood red. "Why did you fight me when you already knew I was much stronger? Why did you risk your life for someone else? Where do you get your strength? Why do you fight?!" Kira's menacing stare intensified as his frustration rose. The veins around his eyes only bulged more adding to the intimidation.

Kesu, without blinking, replied in a soft voice but immediately Kira knew what she said was spoken with absolute certainty. "I fight to protect my friends, my family, and those who I consider precious."

Kira's eyes widened as he felt something tugging at the back of his mind like a long lost memory.

_Son. I love you very much. I hope you will grow up strong and fight to protect your precious people. Just as I have. _The deep masculine voice echoed in his head.

Kira clutched his head as if he were in pain. "Aaaah!" In his confused state of frustration he unknowingly pulled the blade of his sword off the girl's neck. Aiko took this chance and withdrew her trench knives that she wore like brass knuckles. Enforcing wind chakra into the blades, Aiko performed a downward X slash on Kira who took the full blow without any defense what so ever. Kira flew into the air only to come crashing down hard where he was left unmoving.

Without thinking, Kesu left the bounded Konohamaru to aid her friend. The second Kesu got out of a certain range of Konohamaru, he noticed that the chakra chains on his wrists and ankles were considerably weaker. So taking full advantage of this opportunity, Konohamaru exerted a considerable amount of his remaining chakra into his hands and after a moment of struggling the shackles came off. After ripping off the ankle binds, Konohamaru dashed toward the panting Aiko who had used up the remainder of her chakra in that last strike. Just as Aiko was about to collapse to the ground, Konohamaru reached her and held her protectively in his arms.

"Thank you Aiko" the rebel leader told her with a small smile. Aiko grinned back and whispered "I told you that you don't have to thank me." Finally she passed out in Konohamaru's arms who picked her up bridal style. Konohamaru turned around to see Kesu kneeling on the ground with Kira's head in her lap.

"Kira! Kira! Wake up! Are you okay?!" Kesu tried to get her friend to wake up but to no avail.

Konohamaru felt a stab of guilt but quickly shook it off. He turned around and jumped onto the nearest tree branch. The older Sarutobi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he zoomed off into the woods to regroup with his troops.

Kira was still barely hanging onto consciousness. His vision blurred and darkness started to overwhelm him. His last vision before blacking out is looking up into the concerned face of his best friend Kesu.

**End Chapter**

(A/N: Please review so I can feel better and post the next chapter: **Returning Home**.)


	3. Returning Home

**Revenge of the New Generation**

**By**

**Kage of Seireitei**

(A/N: Please enjoy. I hope this story eventually becomes popular.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its stuff.

Speech/Narration

_Thoughts/dreams_

_**Kyuubi/Demon Talk/alter ego**_

**Chapter 3: Returning Home**

"Kira! Kira!" Kesu continued to try in vain to wake up her partner who was still losing a lot of blood despite the red chakra from his blade attempting to close the wounds. But it was an arduous task since their was wind chakra forcefully injected into Kira's system from Aiko's last attack. The foreign chakra interfered with the healing chakra which means it would take even longer for the bleeding to stop.

_I have to get him back to the village now! _Kesu thought with such determination. Kesu picked up the nearly dead Kira and zoomed off in the opposite direction of Konohamaru and Aiko

Back to the West capital.

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(About half an hour later)

The design of the outer defense of the West capital was one of the best land defenses in the entire nation next to the protection the Central capital had. About a kilometer out beyond the village walls was the forest. Everything between the edge of the forest and the walls was barren rock.

So if any enemy ninja were to cross into the wasteland from the forest those stationed in the guard towers would be able to see it coming literally a mile a way and plan a counter strike. Plus the fact that the entire area was laid with rock made it easy for the shinobi of West capital, who specialized in earth jutsu, to eliminate the threat from almost any distance away.

The walls themselves were raised a hundred meters above ground surrounding the entire village in thick reinforced granite which itself was covered in half a meter thickness of lead. There was also a guard station positioned at every two hundred meters surrounding the wall, leaving no room for weak points. The village itself encompassed about 80 square kilometers of land with the center being about five kilometers away from any point of the outer walls encompassing the village in a perfect circle.

Presently at one of the guard stations there were two shinobi standing watch. One was dressed in bluish-gray attire and was looking out into the distant forest with his binoculars. The other was dressed in turquoise blue clothing looking bored.

"You see anything?" the one in turquoise asked.

"What?!" the one dressed in bluish gray responded.

"I said do you see anything?"

"Dammit I am so sick of answering that question!"

"You're the one with binoculars! I can't see crap so don't yell at me cuz I'm not just gonna sit here and do nothing!"

"Alright look. There is nothing out there. That's all there is! That's all there ever will be! Nothing! There was nothing there last week! There was nothing there five minutes ago when you asked! And five minutes from now when you ask me 'you see anything?' my answers still gonna be THERE'S NOTHING OUT THERE!" the bluish-gray guard shouted in frustration.

"Hey! There's something out there!" a third guard dressed in blue armor who was passing by shouted out alerting the two guards in the station.

The shinobi dressed in turquoise turned to his partner with a triumphant smirk plastered on his face.

"One word and you're dead" the bluish gray ninja growled.

Without another sound the two shinobi ran out toward the forest to intercept the disturbance.

_We're almost there Kira hold on. _Kesu desperately thought as she tried to draw out the last of her chakra to continue running.

"Halt! Who goes-…Kesu-sama! Kira-sama!" the guards called out in shock.

_Finally we're there. _Kesu thought with a small hint of relief. However the moment she stopped her run she collapsed to her knees. The whole trip from their campsite to the village should have taken two hours at normal pace. But at top speed for a high level jonin it would have taken about one hour with non-stop travel. But adding Kesu's wind affinity into the equation she was able to move at an even faster rate getting to the village in a fourth of the time.

But unfortunately this left Kesu completely drained, thus leaving her fallen to the ground. The guards still stunned finally broke out of their reverie and ran up to the severely weakened shinobi. That's when they finally realized just how injured Kira was. The x-shaped wound was still carved into his chest not to mention his clothes were permanently stained in blood. Kesu was passed out on the ground next to Kira suffering from chakra exhaustion.

With one glance at each other, the two guards lifted up the two shinobi and high tailed it back to the village to get to the hospital as soon as possible if they hope to save two of their strongest shinobi.

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"_Why do you fight?" Kira could hear the words play out similar to today's earlier encounter except the voices sounded different._

"_I fight to protect my family, my village, and my precious people." A man's voice from earlier replied with such assurance that Kira believed him right away._

"_Is that so?" a dark voice echoed._

"_Hell yeah! That's why I'm strong because I have to protect the bonds I have with those I love and care about!" the man replied with child like confidence._

"_That is foolish. You can only be strong when you stand alone. Those who you consider to be 'precious' only hinder the development of your power. I will show you the strength a man has when they have severed all ties that bind him down!" the dark voice exclaimed. An explosion of energy surged through the darkness._

Kira's eyes shot open in alarm. He immediately regretted it as the blinding lights in the room burned his eyes for a moment. Kira closed his eyes and clutched his head in an attempt to ward off the huge headache. After a few moments of deep breathing he slowly opened them again and took in his surroundings for the first time.

Kira found himself in a bed with damp sheets from his sweat in the middle of a small, cold, white painted room. Looking at himself, he noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. Instead bandages were wrapped all around his torso and stomach. The top part of his left shoulder all the way down to his elbow was also covered.

Kira looked to his right to see his trusted sword, sheath and all, leaned up against the bed. His priceless necklace was placed on the nightstand next to his bed.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaching in the hallway just outside the room alerted Kira who realized then that he wasn't wearing his sunglasses nor could he find them anywhere. Performing a few hand signs the silver hair dyed shinobi sealed up the chakra circulation to his eyes changing them from lavender pale white to a soft sky blue color with black pupils.

Kira always had a large amount of chakra that he found it easier to let it run freely than seal it up forcefully just to keep a normal eye color. That's why Kira wears sunglasses to cover up his eyes when he's awake with chakra flowing because they would be the unusual pupil less lavender pale. But when he's asleep, unconscious, or when he seals up his chakra, they would revert to a sky blue color.

The footsteps from before stopped outside Kira's room. The slow creak of the door knob put him on edge. Finally when the door opened Kira was greeted to the sight of one of the most odd looking men he had ever seen and one beautiful looking woman with long braided black hair and an emotionless, almost depressed looking expression on her face.

The man looked skeletal, almost inhuman. All of his fingernails were painted blue and were short except for the right middle finger which was as long as the finger itself. His hands were a pale white and he was wearing a black mask that had holes for the eyes and mouth and had a white color for the nose-piece. He had yellow eyes and a creepy smile. There were dark yellow attachments protruding from his masked chin and ears. A sword and scabbard hung from the front of his waist. And to top it all off he was wearing a white hat with two ends pointing to his right, a large purple scarf, and a white coat with the kanji for captain on the back.

The woman was wearing all black with a miniskirt and white obi sash. The heels of her sandals were thick so that they looked like high heels. She followed soundlessly behind the man. Kira watched as the two approached his bed side.

"Captain Kurotsuchi and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi" Kira mumbled out as he finally recognized the two.

"Ahh Kira-san you're finally awake." The captain said, the disturbing smile never once leaving his face. "I do believe you remember my daughter Nemu, right?" he continued with an annoyingly and fake pleasant voice as he indicated the woman beside him.

Kira could only nod before he asked "Where am I and how long have I been out?"

"You're in the hospital right now Kira-san. You were found critically injured and were brought here three days ago. Even since then, my daughter Nemu has been taking care of your wounds as per my orders." The man known as Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi stated as Nemu began to rewrap Kira's bandages.

Kira looked shocked that he had been out for so long. The last thing he could remember was being blown back hard by Aiko's wind attack and then looking into the face of his worried partner.

"Captain. I just realized I need to speak with Zetsu-sama right away" Kira exclaimed wanting to report to the leader of West capital about the mission as soon as possible and hopefully get permission to go back out and finish the job of assassinating the rebel leader and his cousin.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you. Zetsu-sama left the village yesterday on a trip to the Central capital for the annual Akatsuki meeting." The captain replied his grin widening slightly.

Once per year the leader of each capital in the Akatsuki nation would report to the Central capital to discuss various military issues. That means that Zetsu-sama, Kisame-sama, Itachi-sama, Konan-sama, and Leader-sama would gather for a secret meeting in the former Fire country.

"And while he is away, Zetsu-sama has appointed me as the temporary leader of this village." The captain said 'cheerfully.'

If Kira was surprised, he hid it well. Out of the entire force under Zetsu-sama, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi was one of the strongest men in the Western Capital.

Not to mention the fact that he was simultaneously the head of the Scientific and Research Department as well as the Interrogation and Torture Squads. His daughter though was a complete enigma to everyone but the captain. The lieutenant was officially Mayuri's daughter but nobody could ever remember the captain being, what people use to call, married nor had he been in any close contact of the opposite sex. Plus, Nemu looked nothing like the captain nor has she ever showed any emotion and instead always followed behind her father wherever he went, like a slave.

Now this wasn't uncommon, as 'families' in the Akatsuki nations usually had a master-slave relationship rather than the close ties they would share if they existed about two decades in the past. The head of family would rule over his/her wife, daughter, son, brother, sister, etc with an iron fist. If this was not the case, the family would then donate their newly born children to the military to be raised as a weapon for the army. This was the case for Kira and Kesu.

When Nemu finished rewrapping Kira's injuries he moved around his limbs a bit to test his mobility to find that he could at least still perform basic functions, as long as he doesn't exert himself too much.

"Captain, if I may ask. What happened to my partner Kesu?" the teen ninja asked curiously.

This time the Captain's unnatural smile was at its biggest. "Ahh yes. Your partner. Well the guards stationed on the outer wall found her passed out about half a kilometer outside the village with you in her arms. She was suffering severe chakra exhaustion, probably because she ran the entire way."

"Where is she now?"

"The guards took both of you to the hospital for emergency treatment. Since Kesu was only suffering from chakra exhaustion, while you were on the verge of death, naturally she was the first to recover. When she awoke the next day she reported to me on all the details of the mission." The Captain said in a fake disappointing voice. _Well some of the details required a little more 'persuasion' to get out of her. _The head of the Interrogation squad thought with a smirk.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked, finding it strange the Captain was faking concern.

"Poor Kesu, she didn't realize it at the time but from everything that she told us, she practically signed her own death warrant." The skeletal man continued.

"What?!"

"Indeed. She had told us that during the mission you two had captured the rebel leader whose name you found out to be Konohamaru. Then he escaped with the aid of his cousin Aiko while you were seriously injured." The captain informed.

"How does that put her on death row?! If anything it's my fault!" Kira shouted.

"That is what I thought at first until Kesu said that it was her idea to keep the rebel leader alive instead of killing him like you were ordered to. That is what we call treason Kira-san. Going against a direct order like that."

_Why would Kesu say it was her idea? I was the one who suggested it. Why would she sacrifice herself for my sake?_ Kira thought, both shocked and confused.

"Not only had she gone against direct orders but when the rebel leader was about to escape, Kesu had the chance to pursue him but instead helped you with your injuries and retreated back to the village. This is also considered treason, as the mission is the most important thing, even more important than saving a soldier's life." The captain said firmly.

Kira couldn't reply as words just wouldn't form fast enough to express the torrent of emotions he was feeling at the moment.

"If that's all you needed to know Kira-san I guess I should tell you that you are free to go today. Oh and if you're curious about it, Kesu is still alive at the moment. She is being held in the interrogations building." The captain had his back turned and thus didn't noticed the slightly relieved expression on Kira's face as he walked out with his lieutenant following behind obediently.

"Her public execution is tomorrow in Central square." The captain finished as he finally walked out of the room leaving a stunned Kira in his wake.

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A few hours later, Kira had left the hospital. His necklace was tucked in his shirt and his sword strapped to his back again. He had recently bought another par of black sunglasses in order to let his chakra run freely. To say Kira was stressed was a severe understatement.

Learning that someone who you've known your entire life is to be executed in less than 24 hours, would drive you crazy too. But Kira wasn't sure what to feel at the moment.

_I shouldn't feel anything. Captain Kurotsuchi was right. The decisions we made were considered treason. But, I was the one who made those decisions._ Kira pondered as he continued to walk the streets of the crowded West capital.

The city was large and filled with numerous concrete and rock structured buildings. A symbol of power in the former Earth country. The people were nearly indistinguishable from each other as they wore almost the same thing.

There is a class system in the Akatsuki nations. It varies a little from each region but in the Western region, ninjas, soldiers, and other military authority are dressed in black shinobi clothes. Those of higher official ranks such as captains wear a white cloak over their robes. The leader of each capital wore a black cloak with red clouds decorated on it. This was the true symbol of authority. Nobody else was allowed to wear anything like this.

Below the military were the common people. They wore dull gray clothes. Each one as similar as the last. A representation of the camaraderie everyone was suppose to have. There job was to work to supply their military. Without them there would be no army.

The Akatsuki realized this and thusly ruled over them with an unmatched strictness. Instilling fear was the popular method to maintain control over them. Those born after the Akatsuki rule and their purges had submission to the military, engrained into their minds so deeply it would be impossible to change it. Those born before two decades ago never dared to question their authority for fear of being 'erased.'

Erased was a term used to describe the method Akatsuki used to get rid of someone. They would literally erase there existence. If a man or woman had too much free thinking the purification squads, found in any village, would come in the middle of the night and kidnap that person, taking them back for interrogation and later, a private execution. Any records of their existence would have mysteriously disappeared and for those who dared to wonder what happened to the free thinker, would soon find themselves mysteriously missing.

There was one more step below the 'grays' as they were unofficially called by some of those in the military. They were the slaves. They wore brown, a symbol of there worth: nothing. Slaves were people captured when the army took over a foreign land. They were also the rare few who survived the Akatsuki purges that took place soon after they took over. Slaves also sometimes consisted of those who were erased, except with a different identity and a warning that if they ever once stepped out of line that they would be executed before they even realized it.

In general slaves made up about 60 percent of the population. This large task force was also responsible for supplying the military. With the world population approaching 10 billion, slaves were easy to come around.

Large posters and banners hung around the entire city dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Akatsuki rule coming up in a few weeks. There were posters 30 to 50 meters in length covering most of the buildings. Each one had a face of Akatsuki on it. Most common though was one of Zetsu since naturally he was the leader of this capital, and thus had more direct power over them. The banners displayed the three slogans of Akatsuki:

War is Peace

Freedom is Slavery

Ignorance is Strength

Kira made his way to one of his most favorite places in West capital: The Gray's Bar.

The class system was even more divided to separate places that accommodated grays and places that served the black wearing soldiers. Usually, if a shinobi wanted to drink his stresses away he would go to one of the few bars that served shinobi. But Kira was different than most. Despite being a shinobi he felt more comfortable when he was around the grays. Maybe it was because when he was around other ninja they would always gawk at him in amazed and sometimes jelous expressions.

But with the grays where nobody ever knew the exact going ons inside the military, nobody gave him special attention because he was a prodigy. Instead they just didn't bother him because he was a ninja. He was at content when he finally entered the bar.

Those who were regular customers immediately recognized him. Even though it should have been unusual for a ninja to come to a gray bar, they were used to seeing Kira stopping by. They almost considered him as one of them since he never once bullied the grays or exerted his authority over them.

Taking his seat at one of the empty stools, Kira asked the bartender for the usual. While waiting for his order, Kira looked around the room and briefly noted how different life of a shinobi and life of a gray actually were. The gray bar seemed to barely hold itself up. Some of the wood of the bar tables looked rotten and the place was dusty and dark. A ninja bar was lighted and decorated. But, Kira was content with where he was now.

When his order came, he told the bartender to leave the bottle. The man just nodded in understanding and left Kira alone to drink. Despite being underage, Kira took in his first shot of the day feeling the warm liquid that trickled down his throat.

It was disgusting.

It was horribly industrial grade. It tasted like piss with rubbing alcohol mixed into it. But Kira didn't care. He chose to come to a gray bar of his own free will and this was the best they could offer. Besides he could drink as much as he wanted without anyone bothering him because he was a ninja. He figures, since he was old enough to kill, he was old enough to drink.

A few minutes later two grays entered the bar and sat a little ways away from Kira. He watched as they ordered and began to converse with each other. Kira was close enough to hear what they were talking about.

"So Yamato how is life in the Department of Truth?" one of the men asked.

"Oh well you know how it is Orwell. We do our job like we're suppose to. Today I wrote a magnificent article about a man who fought bravely in a fight against the rebels but died in the end. I wrote that he was given rewards in honor of his fight for the nation." The one named Yamato described.

Kira knew that the man he was talking about didn't actually exist. It was the job of the Department of Truth to alter documents and history to the liking of the Akatsuki nation. With enough time the Department would have made it so that Akatsuki had ruled ever since the beginning of recorded history by altering any historical papers.

"So are you guys making any progress in…….what was it called again?" Yamato wondered.

"The latest edition of the Newtalk dictionary? We made excellent progress today. We have reduced the amount of adjectives down to 50 percent and its expected by the end of the year it will be down to about 5 percent. It's amazing Yamato. All real knowledge of Oldtalk will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. They'll exist only in Newtalk versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually contradictory of what they used to be. Even the literature of Akatsuki will change. Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like "freedom is slavery" when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness." Orwell said in awe of the development of Newtalk.

His friend Yamato however looked a little unsure. Kira sighed to himself. This Orwell character would be lucky enough to survive the week. He is too outspoken and liberal, the purification squads would have him erased in a matter of days.

About an hour later, the bartender came back over to him. Kira had nearly the entire bottle empty but he wasn't anywhere near drunk. It was a curse for him. No matter how much he tried he could never get rid of his problems by drinking.

"I'm sorry about Kesu." The bartender said truthfully to the depressed Kira. The news of the public execution of one of the demonic duo spread fast and everyone was shocked and surprised to hear it. Those who knew the two personally were affected on the inside but they didn't dare show it for fear of being 'purified.' Those who frequented the bar would always see Kira with Kesu. The blonde girl was just as nice to the grays as Kira was and they were very appreciative.

Kira looked down at his half-empty shot glass and saw his reflection. He started to reminisce aloud. "I don't know what to think. One side of me says that what Akatsuki is doing is right, that Kesu should be executed because she failed to complete the mission. But the other side knows that isn't what I truly want. Kesu has been with me through thick and thin. We have always supported one another. The first time I ever killed a man Kesu was there to comfort me when I broke down. I did the same for Kesu. I just don't know which side to believe."

The old bartender looked down at the teen with a solemn expression. "Kira you are more of a man than anyone I know and you're still just a kid. I remember when you and Kesu first came into my bar 2 years ago and you two were as close as could be. I still believe that connection you have with her is still as strong as ever."

The old man placed a hand on the teen's shoulder to comfort the boy. "I believe Kira that you will make the right decision. With all my years of experience, I've learned that a man becomes unbelievably strong when they have something or someone to protect."

Flashback:

"_Before I end your life I want to know……" Kira began, lifting Aiko's head so they made eye contact. Lavender pale to blood red. "Why did you fight me when you already knew I was much stronger? Why did you risk your life for someone else? Where do you get your strength? Why do you fight?!" Kira's menacing stare intensified as his frustration rose. The veins around his eyes only bulged more adding to the intimidation._

_Kesu, without blinking, replied in a soft voice but immediately Kira knew what she said was spoken with absolute certainty. "I fight to protect my friends, my family, and those who I consider precious."_

End Flashback

Kira's eyes widened as he looked to the bartender as if for the first time. He finally noticed just how old he was. Looking at the hand on his shoulder Kira saw a small ring on the man's finger with an engraving that looked like the shape of stones.

"Thank you old man. I'll miss you." Kira said with a soft smile as he paid and left the bar for the last time.

The old bartender watched as the teen shinobi exited into the empty night streets. _Go show them Kira. Show them all that this world still has hope in the new generation. Show them that you can be strong if you have someone precious to protect. _He thought with a confident smile.

The bell hanging on the front door rang signaling the entrance of two people. The bartender suddenly frowned and his expression became serious. "Hello, can I help you?" he asked with fake politeness as he stared down the two black dressed ninjas who entered the bar.

"By the authority of the Akatsuki nation, you are under arrest. You'll be coming with us old man." One of them said.

The bartender sighed as he reached into his pocket to pull out an old rusted headband. It was dented and looked as if it had seen plenty of action back in its prime. "I'll go peacefully" he said as he tied the headband to his forehead firmly. As the two officers escorted him out, the man could only smile triumphantly as he walked down the streets, proudly displaying the symbol of the Village Hidden Amongst the Stones.

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**End Chapter**

(A/N: I'm working on the next chapter at the moment and it will be out really soon. It will be titled: **Kira's Decision**. Please read and review.)

P.S If anyone makes fun of Gray bar being Gay bar, I'll kill them!


	4. Kira's Decision

**Revenge of the New Generation**

**By**

**Kage of Seireitei**

(A/N: Here ya go. Hopefully it wasn't too long of a wait. Oh and did anyone notice that asshole spamming up the Naruto fanfiction category like a few days ago? Because of him my fanfiction got pushed back to like the 24th page after one day!)

Disclaimer: You should know by now that I have no ownership of Naruto.

Speech/Narration

_Thoughts/Dreams_

_**Kyuubi talk/Demons**_

**Chapter 4: Kira's Decision**

(Hidden location in Central Capital)

If one was present to witness this meeting they would be in awe of the amount of political and military power concentrated into one place. The entire commanding force of Akatsuki were all gathered in such a small area.

If you weren't impressed by that then you were probably busy staring at the 'room.' It cannot accurately be described as a room exactly. When one entered they would immediately notice that it had no boundaries, no walls, no windows, just the solitary 'door' used to access it. The 'room' consisted of a model of the known universe. Now this wasn't just some toy model no. When you stepped into the room it would look like you had stepped into outer space. You could see everything in the universe. From the most distant stars, to the center of black holes, to witnessing a supernova as if you were actually there. Planets, comets, white dwarfs, etc, everything and anything that had mass or negative mass was visible in this room of continuously changing scale.

At the center of the room stood a large crystal-like machine with nine mechanical extensions. It was at least 50 meters tall and the extensions themselves were each 5 meters thick. All but one of those extensions were equipped to seals of such complexity that mortals would not have been able to comprehend them. The last attachment to the crystal was left bare.

The whole room seemed to beat like a heart. The energy pulsated through your veins. You could feel the amount of power radiating. At the center of the room, stood a solitary figure his back turned to the others. It looked like he was immensely interested in the crystalline figure in front of him.

Behind him were his four loyal followers: Konan, Itachi, Kisame, and Zetsu. They were standing side-by-side to await their leader's words. Kisame briefly noticed a hologram of a small blue planet pass by him only to realize it was the Earth.

Suddenly the scale of the room shifted, zooming into the small planet Earth until it displayed the entirety of the Elemental nations before everyone present. The surface of the whole planet lay in front of the four gazing Akatsuki.

The leader had not turned his attention away from the crystal once. Instead he began to speak.

"A long time ago, long before any concept of humans had existed, a different kind of life dominated the world." He began his voice deep and penetrating.

The four spectators watched as the landscape around them changed to show large creatures known to them as dinosaurs. Itachi had his eyes focused on a soaring Pterodactyl. His freedom to live in the sky. Zetsu saw the proud stegosaurus trembling the land with its unmovable might. Kisame naturally looked to the ocean and watched as the swift Megaladon took out its prey in one terrifying crunch. And finally Konan noticed the humble mammals living in the shadow of these gargantuan creatures.

And abruptly it all ended in a bright flash. "But this new life, in all its prosperity, was wiped out in a sudden cosmic impact. The scale of destruction was the worst……anything this planet had ever seen."

The blinding light died down to reveal the desolate wasteland that had remained. The carcasses of the Stegosaurus and the Pterodactyl lay rotting in the lifeless desert that was the Earth. The ocean succumbed to sulfuric pollution. The Megaladon was forced to retreat into the dark depths forever.

But, the small mammals who had stood in the shadows of the powerful reptiles, took their chance. They had learned to become the new dominating life forms of this world. "These creatures had adapted to the worst possible conditions nature could throw at them through evolution and generations of experiences."

Soon the Earth shifted again. Millions of years zoomed by in seconds. The Akatsuki watched as the world grew around them.

"Eventually, a new kind of mammal would take command. The human." The leader continued to narrate.

The world had stopped fast forwarding to a frozen tundra most of the Earth had become. Out of the endless snow an animal smarter than any before it emerged.

Man

"As man learned to adapt to severe conditions, they had grown intelligence and this intelligence evolved to such an extent that they had conquered nature." The empty ice covered land melted away to reveal large grassy plains which were soon replaced by large cities that towered over the skies. Concrete and metal coated the land entirely. Soon the humble earth bounded humans learned of space travel and advanced technologies.

"But the so called intelligence that humans were gifted with became overwhelming. Soon they had forgotten the reason why they were so prosperous and began to develop another behavior only found in humans."

"Greed"

The leader of Akatsuki let out a depressed sigh, his back still turned away from the others.

"There was always war back then. Their lust for power had nearly destroyed the Earth." The shadowy leader informed his subordinates. The four watched as the once majestic cities were constantly bombarded by nuclear missiles. Entire countries were wiped off the map in a fiery demise.

"Humans had nearly caused their own destruction. With those strong or lucky enough to remain after the nuclear wars, were able to rebuild and attempt to restart, with the memories of chaos and death deeply ingrained into their minds. It was hoped that people would have learned their lesson from those tragic years. That greed and lust for power would only bring mutual extinction." The room continued to reverberate in an astounding energy pulse.

"But it was not to be. Apparently the humans who did survive began to develop unusual powers. Whether it was from the nuclear radiation or over a gradual evolution, not even I know. But these powers would later become what we know today as Chakra."

The heads of Akatsuki were surprised to learn of the origins of Chakra. It was a closely guarded secret thought to have been lost centuries ago. To find out that their leader had discovered its history was incredible. Even Konan, who had been with the leader since the beginning, had never heard of this story.

"The first to have discovered its uses became immensely powerful and had spread his knowledge to anyone he came in contact with. This Sage of the Six Paths was a benevolent person yet he was ignorant of the lust of power still present in those who he taught his techniques to. Once he died, chaos arose."

"Human greed soon resurfaced and the planet was covered in war once again. Except this time it was a war of ninjas and chakra. The elemental nations were established, each trying to gain an advantage over the other. The three great ninja wars had given birth to heroes and powerful ninjas, praised for their ability to kill, they were called the kages. Eventually the shinobi countries began to develop paranoia to each other and were on the verge of a fourth great shinobi war. But all these years of experimenting with chakra had unexpectedly created a force even greater than the weapons of mass destruction of long ago."

"Demons."

"As you all know the nine tailed beasts ravaged the land. They had annihilated many. But the leaders of the villages had used their knowledge of chakra to capture and seal away these beasts into people. These cursed children grew to become Jinchuuriki."

"Our organization's purpose was to take control of these nine beasts and take complete dominance over the world. To rule over the greedy humans with an iron grip and prevent conflict and war in a unified nation."

Thump Thump Thump. Sounded the continuous beat of the machine.

The hologram of the world soon was replaced by the view of the entire universe once again.

The leader of the most powerful army in the world finally turned around to face his loyal followers. His face was hidden in shadow, yet the piercing eyes of a cursed bloodline shone through.

"We have succeeded in capturing the nations of the world, yet our power isn't absolute. Twenty years ago we began the war against human greed. To this day we are still fighting. But this fight is drawing to a close. The rebels have begun to assemble a force against us in hopes of ending our war. But I will not stand to have anything get in my way of eradicating the human disease of power corruption." The leader ended his tirade firmly.

Suddenly the beating of the room stopped, the holograms disappeared leaving the cold dark room empty of light. The solitary door swung open automatically letting in the white glow from the outside.

"Come. Let us discuss these matters in a more suitable environment." The leader said in a commanding tone. The four country leaders followed suit wordlessly.

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(West Capital)

It was night now in West Capital, the streets were completely deserted. The grays had curfew now but of course the ninjas had free reign to do as they please. Kira made his way down the cold gravel pathway, his mind wandering.

Without even realizing it, his feet had brought him to one of the most 'memorable' places in Kira's past. A place where he spent all of his childhood and where he was raised to become who he was today.

The Department of Peace

Just like the Department of Truth, its purpose is in exact contradiction with its name. The Department of Peace deals with the perpetual war that the nation is involved with. The military's purpose is to carry out the law of Akatsuki and to eliminate any threats to it. This department handles everything from military equipment, ranks, and molding the new generation of soldiers from infanthood.

The entire place was blocked off to the outside. Tall barbed wire fencing surrounded the compound. It looked like a jail more than a training camp. From Kira's point he could see the camp's center, where a twenty story building sat. That was where all the military assignments were handed out. Surrounding that was a smaller collection of buildings no taller than three stories. These were the housing for the shinobi in training. They would usually be separated by age groups. The oldest group of students allowed into the camp were around sixteen years old.

If you were still not good enough to be a ninja by sixteen, you were kicked out and forced to live life as a gray or slave. But if you were one of the lucky ones to pass, you ended up graduating and allowed a place to stay in the city in the military district where all the high class black wearing ninja live.

Adjacent to the student's living quarters was the 'school' where the ninjas in training would go to learn the theoretical aspect of jutsu and more importantly, learn to stay loyal to Akatsuki.

The most outer ring of the Department of Peace was a large courtyard which was divided into different sections for training, practical lessons, and resting between training and lessons. Students were allowed to eat their meals outside if desired but it still wasn't much freedom considering they were all watched carefully.

There was a single solitary tree that stood by itself in one corner of the camp near the barbed fences. It had always been bare and lifeless, and lacking any type of foliage. Its branches seemed weak and fragile yet it was big enough for a few people to lean against it.

Kira was suddenly pulled into a flashback

_A seven year old Kira was just exiting the academy about an hour after lessons were finished. He didn't dye his hair back then so it was the sun kissed blonde color he was born with. The black mirrored sunglasses however had existed back then and Kira was already recognized solely by those. The bottom half of his face was also covered in the cloth mask he would also later become characterized for wearing._

_Kira was exhausted. He was forced to stay behind after lessons with a few other students who were picked randomly to clean up the training field in time for the next class. But now that he was finally done, he wanted to relax by himself._

_Despite being only seven, Kira was already gaining a reputation for his skills and was getting a lot of unwanted attention from his peers. Some would glare at him out of jealousy for the amount of skill he had. Others would look in fear._

_Kira wanted to find a place where nobody would disturb him. The courtyard was almost empty as most of the students had left for their quarters. As the young shinobi scanned the area he noticed the dead looking tree off to the corner of the compound. Deciding that was the best place to rest, the blonde teen made his way over to it and sat on the ground with his back leaning against the tree. He sat so he was facing away from the compound and toward the fencing._

_Staring up at the sky he noticed it was a moderately cloudy day and there was a slight breeze drifting in the air. The minor chill symbolizing the approaching autumn was there as well but it wasn't enough to make Kira uncomfortable._

_The sound of feet walking along gravel caught his attention. Turning to look around the tree he was met with the sight of a sandy blonde haired girl with violet eyes and a bored looking expression. Right now she was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and looked as if she was about to argue something but decided against it and just sat down next to Kira on one side of the tree. She was lying down on the ground with her head propped up against the dead bark. Her eyes were closed and it looked as if she had fallen asleep._

_Kira could have sworn he heard the girl mumble something like 'troublesome.'_

_Kira was about to get up and leave to find a more secluded place when the girl finally spoke to him. "Hey you know you were in my napping spot right? I was thinking of telling you to move but thought that an argument would be too troublesome. Then I was thinking of just leaving you here but realized that it would be too troublesome to walk back to the student barracks. So I decided to give you that spot for today to do whatever you want. But then just as I sit down you get up and leave. I think that's a bit rude myself." She said. She had one eye open and was smirking a bit._

_Kira thought of ignoring her and was about to leave but for some odd reason-he would later blame it on the fact that he was tired-he sat back down and closed his eyes to get back to resting his body._

_The girl also seemed to have drifted back to sleep. Together the two just lied there enjoying the silent comfort their company had provided them. A few hours later and Kira had finally noticed it was getting dark, the cold breeze from before had developed into a bothersome chill._

_The pale eyed teen was about to make his way to the barracks when he noticed that the girl was still in the same spot from before. Kira knew that it would get cold fast and for some strange reason-he would later blame it on the fact that he just woke up and was a little disoriented-he decided to wake up the girl._

"_Hey, girl wake up. Girl. I don't think you wanna be left out here when it gets cold. They're about to lock up the compound." Kira said while shaking the blonde girl's shoulder._

"_Ugh. Fine and by the way my name isn't 'girl'. It's Kesu." The girl….er….Kesu said in annoyance at being woke up._

_Kira satisfied now that Kesu was awake started to walk away but was stopped, yet again by Kesu._

"_You really need to work on your people skills. Usually when someone gives their name you're suppose to give yours." Kesu added with a smirk._

_The boy turned around to glare at the offending girl but was surprised to see that she wasn't affected at all. Kira thought that his reputation as best in his class would be enough to scare her off. But noticing that she didn't look at all afraid despite the subtle amount of killer intent he added to his glare, he asked a question "Don't you know who I am?"_

"_Well if I did, why would I be asking you?" Kesu replied, her smirk remaining._

_Kira thought to retort but found that he couldn't. Sighing in frustration he finally answered her._

"_My name is Kira." He said and turned back around for the compound._

"_Well it was nice to meet you Kira. I hope we can spend more time together in the future." Kesu said sarcastically with a roll of the eyes at the apparent lack of people skills in this Kira person._

_Kira couldn't help but smile inwardly. This was the first person he had ever met who didn't fear him, or ogle him for his skill. She treated him like a normal individual._

_Maybe he would relax outside more often and hopefully run into Kesu again._

End Flashback

That day was the first time he met Kesu. Her personality was a complete puzzle to him, despite the many years working together. That time he met her she was a laid back girl who didn't care of titles or reputation. Later Kira would come to appreciate that certain aspect of his partner.

Over the years they would get to know each other better and better. Eventually they had been recognized for their superb teamwork and together gained the reputation as the demonic duo and had graduated early from the academy to work under Zetsu at his request.

She was with him from the beginning.

Kesu.

Kira continued his trek in the silent night. Eventually he made his way to Central square. Here the entire ground was covered in cobblestone. The buildings were all made of marble here. At the center of the square was the hanging stage, where a solitary loop of rope stood awaiting its next victim.

It was a cruel thing, but public executions became a sort of entertainment for the people these days. But, Kira didn't notice its oddity as he was raised with it being a daily occurrence.

Flashback

"_If that's all you needed to know Kira-san I guess I should tell you that you are free to go today. Oh and if you're curious about it, Kesu is still alive at the moment. She is being held in the interrogations building." The captain had his back turned and thus didn't noticed the slightly relieved expression on Kira's face as he walked out with his lieutenant following behind obediently._

"_Her public execution is tomorrow in Central square." The captain finished as he finally walked out of the room leaving a stunned Kira in his wake._

End Flashback

Kira was struck with worry over the condition of his partner. _I really need to see Kesu now._

Faster than the untrained eye could see, Kira sped off to the interrogations building or more commonly known as

The Department of Love

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(Department of Love)

Love is most certainly the last thing you would find here. The Department of Love was the center for interrogation and torture. The facility itself looked unwelcoming. The fencing around it was barbed as well and there were three checkpoints between the outside and the front of the building. Visitors, who are solely restricted to ninja, must pass through those three guard gates before entering the facility. The inner ring of fencing was also the location of guard towers, equipped with searchlights. The land was a mine field of traps that, when triggered, would set off a reaction with a few other surrounding traps.

The building itself rises above the ground about ten stories and dives beneath the crust for about thirty levels. The bottom level is the location of the nuclear reactor that provides the electricity for the entire structure.

Each level is comprised of three parallel hallways, each connected to a main one that would lead to the only staircase that connects that level with the rest of the building. There are two guards stationed at each hallway, all armed with an array of exploding notes, kunai, shuriken, and a standard katana blade. All of the weapons were coated by a quick paralyzing poison that would take immediate effect even with the tiniest of scratches.

If there is a moment when a prisoner escapes and the guards are somehow unable to handle the situation, they would immediately engage the emergency lockdown system which would shut off the level to the rest of the building and then flood the entire floor of the structure with a poisonous gas that could enter the system through the pores in your skin. This gas is a lethal toxic that would slowly kill a person within hours after immobilizing them in minutes of the gas entering the subjects system.

Out of all the security features found at the Department of Love, this one was the one Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, head of the interrogation and torture squad, was most proud of as it was developed by him. The technology required to construct these security measures were easily accessible to the Captain as he was simultaneously the head of West Capital's research and discovery team.

The skeletal masked man grinned his maniacal grin as he continued down the hall of the high security detainment level of the Department of Love. Passing each prisoner cell he found pride in how each one was custom made to restrain the occupant's abilities. Captain Kurotsuchi took great pleasure in personally overseeing the torture and interrogation of as many prisoners as he could possibly see a day.

His newest and most favorite 'project' was at the end of the hallway. The room designed for this prisoner was special indeed. Three out of four walls were constructed out of the standard lead encased steel similar to what is found in a bank vault. The fourth wall which separates the hallway from the room is made out of pure, clean, chakra proof glass.

Specifically the purpose of the glass wall was for outside observers to have the chance to see the processes of interrogation. The glass itself and the metal in the room were all coated with a chakra restricting mineral known as fyr (pronounced fear).

Fyr was one of the reasons for the quick dominance of Akatsuki when they took over the world during the great purges about 18 years ago. The army under Akatsuki used fyr on anyone they captured or actively fought against. It's chakra binding powers were still a mystery yet the credit for the discovery goes right to Captain Kurotsuchi.

Now fyr was mainly manufactured in the former Earth country about one hundred and fifty miles away from West capital. Today it is used in prisons and interrogation blocks all around the world. It is longer lasting and more durable than the chakra binding paper seals of a few decades ago.

The masked Captain placed his palm on the chakra scanner outside the room. He heard the automatic door open, and stepped inside with his Lieutenant following behind obediently.

"Ah Kesu-san. It's great to see you again. I hope your last few days here weren't uncomfortable." The captain's words were dripping with sarcasm.

_Oh not really. I just haven't eaten, slept, or bathed in 3 days. Ugh. My hair must be a total mess._

"Troublesome" Kesu muttered to herself. She was currently chained to the wall by fyr metal. Each of her arms were extended outwards to shoulder height and locked into place. The legs were strapped together and left to hang vertically down, also strapped down by fyr. In outside perspective it looks like she was nailed onto a cross. Her weapons were long gone and her clothes were filthy from the blood and dirt that had long stained the cloth days ago. They felt like grimy rags.

Kurotsuchi smirked at the obvious discomfort Kesu was experiencing. "Now tonight is the last 'session' we will have together before your unfortunate execution tomorrow." Obviously by session, the captain was gonna have fun tormenting the teen shinobi.

"Let's start with this shall we." The captain indicated the lengths of wire wrapped around her wrists, ankles, waist and neck.

"Three days ago when we brought you in here, I asked you about the mission that you and Kira had been assigned. It was a relatively simple mission for the 'demonic duo', yet you both seemed to have come out of it seriously injured. I had asked you the reason and what was the reason you gave me?"

Kesu remained silent but suddenly a massive amount of voltage passed through her body. She could feel the electricity run down her skin. Her field of vision was flashed in a painful light. Yet she didn't scream.

"I see you have developed a little resistance to pain. But it is futile. As you remember from the first day, if you keep silent you will be receiving a mild shock." The captain informed.

_A mild shock? That wasn't mild at all!_ Kesu thought in alarm.

"Anyways you had explained the results of the mission and revealed that you had decided to capture the rebel leader instead of assassinating him like you were ordered to. I had asked you why and do you remember what you answered?"

Kesu knew what was coming and braced herself for it. She would not yield. Not to the likes of this bastard.

"I told you before no answer results in this!"

The tortuous electricity came rushing back except stronger and longer lasting than the first. Her veins felt like they were on fire. She was being burned from the inside. Despite all of this she had only whimpered a little.

_Her will is as strong as ever. But I will break it! _The captain planned. "No matter, we forced the answer out of you anyways. You claimed that you were the one who chose to capture the rebel leader in hopes of bringing him back for interrogation. The ironic part is that you are the one receiving the pain instead of him. Why is that?"

She didn't even have time to answer if she wanted to. The voltage had increased again, and the pain had blinded her vision in white light for nearly a minute. She began to worry once she started to smell burning skin. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished. She was left struggling to even breathe. The strips of wire around her neck had constricted around her windpipe when the current was on but had receded once it was turned off. She was desperate for air.

"You answered that as well. It turns out that during the return trip, the rebel leader had backup and ended up escaping both you and Kira. And when given the chance to pursue the captive, you decided to bring Kira back to the village for medical aid. THAT is the reason for your sentenced execution. Not because of a failure in the mission but because you had gone against direct orders. You were ORDERED to kill the one named Konohamaru." The captain said with emphasis.

"But you didn't. Actually we would have been much nicer to you, maybe even have rewarded you if you brought him back alive. Yet when he escaped, the consequences became greater than if you had just failed the mission. This is because he was now in your care, to face your mercy or lack thereof. When it really mattered. When he had the chance to escape, and you had the chance to pursue…..the second you refused to attempt the recapture was the second you were convicted of treason. You had instead chosen to save the life of your partner. What I can't understand is why? You must have known this was going to be your consequence?!" the captain indicated the present situation.

"So why did you throw away everything just to save Kira?!" the captain's anger started to rise. When he couldn't understand something, he would get stubbornly murderous and it would usually affect his judgment. Every session, the captain would finish with this question, but every time he asked, he never received a response no matter how much torture Kesu was put through.

"B-be-cause……cough….."

The captains eyes widened in shock. She was actually going to answer him. _It must be because she's going to die tomorrow. _The captain thought with 'glee.'

When she stopped in mid-response, the captain quickly became angry again and switched the voltage back on. This time Kesu groaned in pain. Her thought process was jumbled up, her head started to bob to the side, and she had lost all feeling in her limbs. But she pursued and answered clearly.

"I chose to save Kira because I consider him as someone close to me. He is my precious person who I choose to protect. And because of that I have the strength to endure anything you throw at me!" Kesu exclaimed.

The captain still couldn't grasp the answer, but when he was challenged, he decided to test the amount of endurance Kesu could handle. Turning the dial on the device and hitting the switch, Kurotsuchi watched as the lights in the room flickered on and off as Kesu was bombarded with a voltage that would kill her in seconds.

Mayuri watched in disappointment as Kesu continued to refuse to scream out in pain. A sound that was pleasing to the insane captain when he tortured others, but was denied with Kesu. Crying out in fury, Kurotsuchi twisted the knob on the device and was met with a small explosion. The whole room was cast in darkness and flooded with smoke from the short circuit. The wires attached to Kira had disintegrated, yet she was still alive. She gave one last smirk before she dropped her head and fell unconscious.

"Graaahhhh!" the captain screamed in frustration.

"I'm gonna kill you!!" the masked man was about to follow through with his words when his daughter and Lieutenant, Nemu restrained him.

"Sir, you cannot kill the prisoner. She is sentenced to execution tomorrow at dawn." Nemu informed her father.

SLAP

The captain had hit his daughter hard enough to send her flying into the wall. "Fine. I'll let her live for now. But tomorrow I'm going to enjoy watching her fry!" he exclaimed with a deep hatred. Without another word, he stepped out into the lighted hallway. Nemu recovered herself and followed her captain out with no word of complain. Her emotionless expression still plastered her face.

The hissing sound of the closing doors was heard by no one as Kesu was deep in flashback.

_(Department of Peace)_

_The image blurred into focus. What Kesu saw was the memorable tree, which was rooted at the corner of the compound, and two kids relaxing by it._

"_Hey Kira……." An 11 year old Kesu started. She was relaxing in the same position as usual with her head up against the bark, as she stared at the drifting clouds._

"_Yeah" Kira acknowledged that he was listening. Over the past four years the two had grown closer together. After classes everyday, the two shinobi in training would often disappear to rest beneath the comforting shade and sometimes relate their thoughts with each other._

"_Do you ever wonder………what its like to be a cloud?" Kesu asked. A moment of silence between the two passed until_

"_What do you mean?" Kira was a little confused. Kesu had always been the logical one of the two, though he would only admit that fact with a little reluctance._

"_Well, I've always been fascinated by them. Every chance I get I would lay back and stare at them all day and watch as they drift in the currents until they disappear over the horizon. Will we ever have that kind of freedom?" Kesu wondered._

_Kira never really noticed the philosophical side to his friend and so he was deeply interested in what she had to say._

"_Can you really call it freedom though, if they only travel where the wind takes them?" Kira pondered as well._

"_Or do the clouds have the freedom to choose which winds to travel on?" Kesu added._

"_I……I don't know." Kira finally admitted with a sigh._

"_Well hopefully we will live to see it with our own eyes. The chance for a cloud to choose its path and to reach its desired place beyond the horizon." Kesu said as she ran her hand along the root of the tree, feeling the damp bark beneath her fingertips._

_Somehow, Kira's hand managed to 'accidentally' rest on top of Kesu's wandering fingers. Neither of the two tried to separate, just feeling calm in gazing upon the independent clouds in the comforting summer breeze._

End Flashback

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(Outside the Department of Love)

In the darkness of the night, Kira looked upon the distant building that he knew was holding his long time friend.

"Kesu I……..I have chosen my path……and I……" Kira couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears cascaded down his cheeks.

A shinobi must never show emotion. Right now, Kira didn't feel like being a ninja.

His eyes glistening, he said his final words to the empty night before departing.

"I want you to be there with me……….to see what's beyond that horizon."

**End Chapter**

(A/N: Well I hope this chapter is good enough. And I hope more people get into this. If anyone can suggest a better story summary that would attract more readers. I'd be happy to hear it, and credit would obviously go to you. Thanks.)

Next Chapter:

**Dawn**


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