The lost soul..

It had been three days since the end of the Konoha civil war.

The list of dead were in the hundreds.

The list of wounded hadn't been compiled yet.

After the defeat of the Hyuuga clan Naruto organized whatever troops he could and placed them on guard duty in and around Konoha to keep any from leaving, and to keep spies from entering. The longer he could keep news of the civil war under wraps the better.

It came as something of a surprise the boon that Naruto had been granted by Danzo's death however. The dead had been gathered by the survivors of Danzo's Root Anbu, a group which was far easier to keep in line now that the old war hawk was dead. They were also quite…obedient now that they had no master to follow. They were fast becoming Naruto's primary black-ops specialist. He was tasking them above most to keep the reports of the carnage he had caused under wraps, especially that of the clan heads.

He had also acted accordingly, accepting missions no lower than C rank and no greater than B rank to keep the currency flowing while hiding the ninja he was assigning the missions as Chuunin, when in reality they were Anbu and Jounin from both his faction and the surviving ROOT Anbu. While their currency had been cut nearly by half of their former intake Naruto estimated that if they could keep word of their condition a secret for at least two weeks the next stages of his plan could be taken into action.

He stood from his chair in what had now unofficially become his office. The Hokage's office, so as not to stir up unwanted resentment from some of the remaining citizens he had decided to wait before declaring himself the Gondaime.

He remembered what had happened just the other day when he had stepped into this office again after the Hyuuga estate..

Jiraiya had been waiting for him, his clothes slightly torn and bloody from the battle he had been involved in.

Flashback.

The toad sannin stared at the blond teenagers slightly disheveled appearance and tossed him a hat that was on the table beside him. Naruto caught the piece of headwear with a lazy hand and stared at it blankly, the symbol of fire staring right back at him.

He looked back at the Toad sannin. "Congratulations." He said simply.

"Hn." Naruto said staring at the symbol for a good long while nt really knowing what to say or feel.

The toad sannin stood and walked up to the blond. Placing an arm onto his shoulder he spoke seriously. "I think…if you ever feel like you don't know what to do just ask yourself…'What would he do in this situation?' And the answer will come to you."

That said he continued walking, opening and closing the door with a soft click.

Flashback end:

He looked over to the hat that rested at a stand. He stood and walked over to it, he took the article of clothing and stared at it again for a few moments.

'Am I worthy of this?' He silently contemplated. He walked to the balcony and stared out at the city of Konoha. He remembered that he had done this once before. A few years ago when Sarutobi was still in office. Back then the streets were vibrant with life.

Now however it was all but barren, people stayed in their homes, fear keeping them in place. He narrowed his eyes slightly at that. He turned and replaced the hat again on its stand.

'Not yet.'

He turned and sat down at the desk. No, he would not wear it yet.

Hinata, Hanabi and several Hyuuga's that were formerly from the branch house stared at the charred remains that was once the pristine estate of the mighty Hyuuga clan.

Now reduced to a smoking, blasted ruin

Hinata knelt and wiped some ashes from a picture on the floor before picking it up, seeing it was a picture of one of the branch members she set it on the night table, leaving it there for whoever might want it.

She silently walked through the halls of the estate, her sister and two other branch members following her. She was now the clan head, something she was forcing her mind to wrap itself around

She moved past the splinters that remained of the door that led into the council chamber of the Hyuuga elders, bloodstains and slashmarks as well as small craters caused by explosive notes marred the inside of the circular chamber. She looked at the walls for a long while seeming in silent contemplation.

Hanabi looked down sadly. "Its seems so much colder now." She remarked rubbing her left forearm.

One of the older branch members, a man in his mid sixties with thinning gray hair and short goatee spoke. "Yes, it does seem so."

Another, even older man spoke up, he had a bushy moustache and large beard that reached his chest. His name was Kojihiro. "It is not as it was." He remarked walking up the stairs with the sound of his cane hitting the white marble floor echoing from the walls.

"No. It isn't.' Hinata said kneeling and picking up a small stone and pushing it aside, revealing a white flower that had survived the massacre. She smiled sadly. "But…perhaps…that is for the best."

Kurenai's eyes were slightly teary as she walked into the hospital room of one Sarutobi Asuma. Machines were hooked up to him and his face was incredibly pale, his head was mostly wrapped in bandages, only the left side was visible, his two arms were in casts as well as a brace to keep his waist from shifting along with a cast on his left ankle and right femur.

She shed some tears looking down at him on this state.

She let her eyes travel to the clip board at the edge of his bed.

Name: Sarutobi Asuma.

Rank: Jounin

Age: Twenty eight

Severe concusion, fracture in the left collar bone, both forearms suffering multiple fractures,, left hip bone has been shattered along with the left ankle and right femur.

Current condition: Comatose

Expected time of recovery: Unknown

She let her tears fall down her pale cheeks before walking over and sitting down on one of the chairs. Letting her hand grip his.

He did not respond.

"OHHH FUCK ME!"

That was the cry of pain that tore its way out of the throat of one Umino Iruka as Anko re-broke his left forearm which had been placed back together by an amateur medic nin who had done a piss poor job of it.

"Ohh quit being such a little bitch, I barely touched you!" She said shaking her head.

"Barely touched me! Look woman I don't know if you break your arm in three places everyday for fun but I'm actually sane!" He yelled at her as his forehead dribbled with sweat.

Anko smirked and her eyes flashed with a deadly gleam in them. "Ohhh, you don't think I'm sane Iruka-kun?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice that sent chills up and down his spine.

But still he glared at her. "Your following that lunatic, so yeah, you have a few screws loose."

Anko shrugged. "He killed Orochimaru. So it really doesn't matter to me what he does from here on out.

"So you'll follow him even if he leads us to another great war?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked. "He killed that snake. So…yeah. I'm with him until the end…no matter how this plays out.

A Hyuuga walked in through the door. "Anko-san. Naruto-sama requests your presence." He said bowing

She nodded and stood, as she made it to the door she paused. 'And who knows…a world of peace…might be good for a change." She said before leaving the academy teacher alone.

Iruka looked thoughtful for a moment before he leaned back on his bed and looked to the ceiling. 'A world of peace huh?'

Kakashi sipped a bit of Sake from his saucer. "Want another?" He asked as he extended the Saucer to Gai, who sat across the table from him.

The green beast nodded and took the saucer pouring himself some more of the alcoholic beverage he shoved it down in one huge gulp. "So…what now?" He asked, somewhat subdued.

Kakashi shrugged. "We made our choice. Now we gotta play it out till the end."

Gai sighed.

Kakashi looked at the green clad Jounin. "Your worried about your students aren't you?"

He nodded.

Kakashi swirled his Sake. 'Leave them be for now. Time is the only thing that can heal that particular wound." He drank through his mask. "They'll be fine."

Gai nodded, pouring himself another drink before smirking at the Copy ninja. "You do realize I defeated more opponents than you did in that last battle don't you?"

"Hmm, did you say something?" Kakashi said peeking up from his book.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! DAMNYOU HATAKE!" He yelled startling the birds in a five mile radius.

Tenten knelled setting down a bundle of flowers on a small simple collection of stones Lee and herself had placed. Also on the stones was a picture with their third teammate, Neji.

Tenten felt tears prick the back of her eyes and bit her lip in order to keep from crying out. Lee saw the girl's shoulders tremble slightly and placed a comforting hand on her. "Come on Tenten-chan. I'll take you home."

Naruto sat in his desk in the middle of the night staring absently at the bright moon that hung over the city of Konoha, his hood was down but his mask was still in place. A knock was heard at the door. "Enter." He commanded.

The door opened revealing the former sound Five along with one Hatake Kakashi and one Mitarishi Anko.

"Good your all here" He remarked standing tossing Kakashi one scroll and Kimimaro another.

The two elites caught the scrolls and looked at them. They stared back at their leader who began to explain.

"Oto is all but non-existant with the loss of Orochimaru. You five were influential when he still held power. You are to go and recruit ninja." He said looking to the five former sound ninja. "You are not to return here until you have a force of at least thirty at minimum. Am I understood?" He asked with authority.

They each nodded.

"Good. Now Hatake and Mitarishi. Your mission is simple. You are to infiltrate Kiri. Disguise yourselves, I don't care as what. Kiri has been locked in a civil war for over a decade. You are to go and discover which side has the greater chance of victory as well as which side is the more complacent of the two. Report back here in two months time. You all leave by at least two days time."

They each bowed and left the room.

Naruto leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes settling himself into a meditative state. More plans needed to be made.

Hinata calmed her breathing as she stood infront of the waterfall behind her family estate, practicing her water based techniques. It always calmed her after a troublesome day and today was no different. The position of clan head and all of the responsibilities that presented themselves with it. Naruto had essentially left Hyuuga affairs within the Hyuuga affairs.

Meaning essentially that she had to oversee the reconstruction herself.

She sighed, when a rustle in the leaves to her right was heard she took a stance with the Juuken. "Who's there?"

She recognized the intruder. "Shino?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. What the hell was her former classmate doing here?

Her question was answered as he held up a small jar. "The bug colonies of my clan suffered casualties. I've been assigned to help…recruit some more."

"Oh." She said simply. As an awkward silence descended upon them she resisted the urge to shuffle from foot to foot.

Finally after several seconds she spoke. "Do you need help. My byakuugan can find the bugs faster maybe."

He pushed his glasses up and she twitched in annoyance. 'Incase you didn't notice Shino, it's the middle of the night, there's no need for glasses.'

She didn't say this and merely kept quiet.

Finally after a moment he spoke. "If it is not too much trouble."

She smiled and nodded.

Near Suna, the group of Gennin, civilians and some Chuunin and Hyuuga main branch members that had managed to escape the massacre trekked through the dune sea of wind country.

Hana was carrying a small child that had collapsed from exhaustion, they had been moving for three days straight, they were exhausted both physically and mentally. Ino, who hadn't stopped crying was being helped by Shikamaru, while Chouji and Sakura helped the civilians as best they could. The chuunin were infront and the remaining main branch Hyuuga were covering the rear, keeping their Byakugan's active in order to make sure no pursuit parties caught them by surprise.

Suddenly however, the sand seemed to sprout up in a great wall to the rear, right and left of the group, the civilians panicked, the ninja drew their weapons, but all eventually found their eyes on one Sabaku no Gaara, who stood at the only opening available to them.

"Konoha Shinobi." He spoke, his voice calm and collected. "You have some explaining to do."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forests. A young girl staggered across the foliage, her form covered in sweat, blood, dirt and leaves. Her hair, matted against her forehead in deep red and brown, showing the dried blood on it.

She held crystalline blue eyes her right arm was twisted at an awkward angle and her breathing was labored.

Every step she took was more painful than the last, as if someone was taking fire and running it up her leg each time her foot touched the ground.

Her lungs burnt like the flames that had consumed her mother. Each movement brought a sharp pain that coursed through her arm with every abrupt movement it made. Like the blade that had cut down her father.

She tripped and collapsed, no longer having the strength to stand, she merely lay there, as her breathing became shallower and the edges of her vision darkened. Dark…like the black void one stared at when they looked upon him.

Her head throbbed with pain, as if someone was pressing down on her skull with crushing force…like the gauntlet that had crushed her brothers skull.

She blinked, and as she opened her bleary eyes again, a dried leaf- colored a fiery orange red fell before her.

Red…like the eyes of the demon that had taken her family.

As her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her consciousness finally left her, she barely heard a faint call of 'Tsunade-sama' before…nothing.