Prologue

The start

The Hokage's room was eerily silent.

Two men flanked the Fire Shadow, and his face was hidden under the heavy hat.

The jinchūriki stood facing him, the length of the room seeming impossibly long.

His eyes were crimson, as they were most of the time, now. His face was blank, even though many contradictory emotions meant his stomach felt as if it were on fire.

The beast inside of him was laughing. He'd have to do something about that, too. Later.

The Hokage stared at him.

"You've heard the news, I presume?" He simply asked.

"Why? Why did you do it?" The two of them had been friends, once. And his students, too.

The younger man nodded, not letting anything show.

"Then, you know what must be done."

He did.

"For the murder of Hatake Kakashi, as well as the theft of his Sharingan eye, Uzumaki Naruto, now an S-rank missing-nin, must die. Will you do the job…?"

Uchiha Sasuke nodded.

On October 10th, hours after the Nine Tails attacked, the citizens of Konoha mourned their fallen leader.

Days later, when the news reached the other hidden villages and the initial wave of skepticism faded away, there were just as many — more, maybe — people celebrating, particularly in Iwa.

Young, bright and charismatic, he was as feared by his foes as he was loved by his friends. The fact that he was cut in his prime, well before reaching his full potential was bad enough.

But the announcement Sarutobi Hiruzen made the day after revealed a real tragedy.

The Fourth's pregnant wife, Kushina of the now gone Uzumaki clan, had died during the attack, along with their child, Naruto.

And if their late Hokage managed to take the Nine Tails with him in death, the way he had managed to do it would remain a secret.

With their leader gone, and many of their best ninja dead, there were many who expected Sarutobi to step up and take the hat once more.

Though it pained him to do so, he didn't, opting to take care of his injured wife, Biwako instead.

He appointed someone else, a Third War hero, and stepped off.

Somehow, everything changed.