Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Humanity among Demons: The Call ❯ Prelude: Under One Moon ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.
Humanity among Demons: The Call
 
Prelude
 
Under One Moon
 
A Passage from “The Unseen World”
 
Through the many years of my journey I have reached nearly every corner of the world. I've seen the vast forests of the Fire Country, an infinite sea of sand surrounding Suna, and even the bare remains of villages long forgotten; ones that cannot be found in the pages of a history book.
 
The most amazing, however, are not the places themselves, but what resides there - untold mysteries that have remained hidden for untold centuries. The things described in this simple book could not compare to witnessing them firsthand, to fill every sense with the phenomenon and experience of standing within an aged structure untouched by humans for thousands of years, or to speak with creatures seen only in your wildest dreams, or in your darkest nightmares.
 
One of these experiences hovers in my mind, above the others - an age-old legend that, until now, has disappeared from the minds of mankind. In order to accurately retell the story, a brief lesson is required.
 
The subject is chakra: a force of life and nature known to many.
 
Whether it is a garden weed or a whale, all living things contain it. This energy is what sustains life, allowing for the world to exist as it does. You may have heard the term `Circle of Life', referring to nature's course; how life itself is maintained through a complicated cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Chakra is at its core.
 
It is simply a force. Involved in both the beginnings and ends of existence, chakra is not only what allows for this process, but also what keeps each and every event a part of that delicate cycle. An example would be if a certain type of plant ceases to exist - even something so small can have a profound and disastrous effect on the world. Each and every thing is connected in some way; the effect of this one single plant's nonexistence may work its way through the complicated chain of living things, killing off animals and other life forms, all of which are necessary for a great many others to survive, and so on. This ripple effect, in the end, could destroy the circle by tipping the scales in favor of death - all life would end.
 
What, then, keeps that single plant from disappearing forever?
 
The answer, once more, is chakra. In this perfect circle, bumps or ridges may begin to form as either life or death begins to outweigh the other. Given time, these blemishes could eventually cause a break or fracture in the cycle, thus ending the existence of a specific or group of life forms, destroying the cycle and bringing about the end of all life. It is chakra that `smoothes' these imperfections and creates a balance, allowing for the harmony between life and death to continue.
 
However, these `balancers' are not part of the Circle of Life. They are outside forces that, when called upon, must act to restore order and protect the delicate equilibrium. Unknown as to their origins or appearance, the Balancers are presumably composed of chakra themselves, acting on and within their own limitations, their own boundaries, but with capabilities far beyond that of humans.
 
It was in my travels that I witnessed such an event. The Balancers are sentient. They hear the call and work accordingly to restore stability.
 
What are they then?
 
Chakra…come to life.
 
Five Years Ago
 
Village Hidden in the Clouds
The night was lit by fire.
 
Infinite walls of smooth rock flickered in and out of darkness, painted by the inferno licking at its surface. The jagged goblet, formed of numerous peaks and slopes, stretched away as if the mountain itself were reaching out and holding it. Streaks of red and orange shot into the air and over the side, fizzling out in the heavy downpour of rain. Stones and rubble escaping the rims of the bowl were resigned to disappear into the black abyss, occasionally crumbling against the mountainside during the plummet.
 
The thick storm clouds that hovered over the village capped the series of crags into a torrential prison. The sky shifted and rumbled angrily. With each bellow came a sudden flash of lightning - the light illuminated a wasteland, a graveyard littered with rubble and debris. With each surge of light came the split-second visual of the earth dyed crimson, before it was cast once more into a silent darkness, the only sounds being the pitter-patter of rain and crackling blaze.
 
There were so many bodies.
 
Nearly the entire ground was littered with them - hundreds upon thousands of corpses, all mangled or shredded. Rainwater and blood mixed together, pooling in the small dips and bowls imbedded in the uneven granite bottom.
 
In one of these crimson puddles sat a small child, huddled under what remained of a shop's thin tarp overhang. Heavy sobs cut through the deserted ruins and racked the small frame. The freezing drizzle brought violent shivers to the child's body, soaking through the colorless and shredded rags that he wore. The corpses were more condensed nearing him, as if simply getting closer to the child had resigned them to their horrible deaths.
 
Another bolt of lightning sliced through the blackened skies.
 
“DELICIOUS…”
 
With a violent jerk the child jumped back against the splintered wall of the empty shop. The rain pounded mercilessly at the fearfully pale face, his eyes, bloodshot from crying, now as large as saucers. With trembling lips his words came out as little more than a shaky whisper.
 
“H-hello…?”
 
A suffocating silence answered. The sounds of the surrounding inferno and heavy downpour all ceased instantaneously, leaving nothing but the boy's own heavy breathing and the drips from his soaked and shivering form.
 
Another drop of water rang loudly in his ears. The sound seemed to echo off of unseen walls. With each drip it grew louder as the surrounding world became darker. Night slowly converged, leaving the child in stunned silence, staring at a place he had never been before.
 
When he looked down he was still sitting in water, but the red color was completely gone. The entire floor was layered with shallow water, continuing on into separate hallways, each seeming to stretch on into infinite blackness. The source of the water droplets lay above: steel, rusted tubes melded with the concrete ceiling, intertwining and with portions splitting off into each passage.
 
The boy pushed himself up unsteadily; still completely awestruck and befuddled at what was happening. The village had disappeared to suddenly be replaced by this strange place.
 
With one shaky step he moved for the only tunnel with light at the end. It felt surreal, almost as if he weren't moving at all, yet the glow intensified with each passing second. It should have felt warm, but there was nothing. No feeling, no change - just the luminosity that seemed to pull him in, as if calling to every fiber of his being.
 
All at once the light enveloped him. It was blinding, and he was forced to shut his eyes.
When he reopened them the horrid sight of bodies and destruction welcomed him back. The icy sting of the rain and horrid stench of death assaulted his senses. The sounds, devoid of human life, pounded in his ears. The sheer confusion of it all kept the boy momentarily oblivious to the bodies he had been so afraid to look at before.
 
“Check over there!!”
 
The first human voice in what seemed an eternity. It was deep and sounded urgent. The boy couldn't make himself move from the minute safety of the awning's wooden framing.
 
That place…had it just been a dream?
 
“No luck! Just more bodies!” came a delayed reply.
 
“There might be more! Keep looking!”
 
The sounds of shuffling feet just barely registered in his ears. The unfamiliar sound shook the boy from his confusion. He hugged his knees, fresh tears welling up as the bleeding corpses lay strewn about.
 
“Look - over there! Someone's still alive!!”
 
Over the beating rain it became louder - feet running, splashing through water and slapping against hard stone. With heart-wrenching realization the boy tried to force his body to move, to get up, to run away.
 
They can't find me! No! I can't let them-!
 
“Hey kid, are you all right?”
 
His head came up, eyes wide in horror as he stared into the face of a tall man, completely soaked by the rain, leaning over and smiling worriedly at him. The shadows of others shifted behind, going from corpse to bleeding corpse. The surging flames all around provided enough light, so no one carried torches or flashlights. The shadows cast on their grim expressions only intensified their looks of sorrow and anger. It made the boy nauseous.
 
The hand offered to him only made him flinch back.
 
“Don't worry - I'm not going to hurt you. We're all here to help-” His voice suddenly caught. The kindly expression vanished in an instant.
 
“You…”
 
The boy pressed his back against the wall. Others around stopped what they were doing when they heard sudden change in the man's tone. He started to slowly shake his head, wishing desperately to simply disappear from under the intensely hateful glare.
 
“It's him.” Figures all dressed alike and completely soaked from their long hours of search surrounded the shivering form.
 
“P-p-please…” the boy began.
 
The rest came out as a gurgle of blood rising up in his throat and out his mouth. No less than ten shuriken buried themselves deep into his abdomen.
 
The child's head fell of its own accord. Light danced on the metal of each sharpened tip. Fresh blood flooded out, glowing as if his very life force was being drained.
 
With blurring vision the boy's surroundings disappeared. The same blinding light that had returned him now dragged his mind back. All sound died once again and the shrill drip of water brought vision once more.
 
He felt his body frozen. An infinite darkness, preceded by metal bars stretching to unimaginable heights, kept his eyes locked in place.
 
His voice refused to work. All his confusion, his fear of the death, his death, that he was sure he had witnessed just moments ago, shattered when the blackness before him was broken by two enormous, gleaming, yellow eyes.
 
They focused in on him. Hell itself was staring down at him.
 
“I…SEE…YOU…”
 
Five Years Ago
 
Uchiha Residence
 
All at once Sasuke felt his mind exploded.
 
Time itself had no meaning. A world stained of black and crimson stretched on for eternity.
 
Sasuke watched as all of his clan, his aunt and uncle, his mother and father, were killed. He couldn't stop it. He couldn't look away. He couldn't do anything. Over and over his family died, and all Sasuke could do was watch, feeling every bit of his sanity slip away with each passing second.
 
Dead - all of them.
 
When the walls and floor of his home reappeared Sasuke realized he was on the ground. It had felt like days since he had seen this place, seen the bodies of his parents lying together in a pool of blood.
 
The rain outside still pounded against the walls. The thunder still boomed in the skies above.
 
And Uchiha Itachi still stood at the far side of the room, his emotionless face appearing out of the darkness with each crackle of lightning.
 
Five Years Ago
 
Leaf Shinobi Memorial
 
“I meant to visit earlier.”
 
Kakashi placed both hands in his pockets, doing his best to ignore the uncooperative weather. At least it allowed for privacy - today, after all, marked the day seven years ago when the Nine-Tailed Fox had killed so many and destroyed so much. It was one of the few days that others would be at the memorial, and Kakashi would be forced to wait.
Only when it had begun to storm was he given his chance.
 
“Seven years…” he muttered to himself. “It's been so long, but it feels like it happened yesterday.”
 
Today was always different. No matter how many times he came to this place, came to talk with friends and family long dead, and came to ridicule and insult his former self, today was always when Kakashi's sorrow felt as if it could crush him.
 
He had lost two precious people seven years ago. Both of their smiling faces only made it worse. He and they had been so close, almost inseparable.
 
Now he was the only one left.
 
Both dead: his sensei, and his brother.
 
Five Years Ago
 
Konoha Apartment Complex
 
On a small balcony overlooking Konoha stood the silhouetted figure of a young boy. Seeming to ignore the heavy shower, he remained on the small outcropping, supporting himself on the metal guard railing.
 
Naruto's crystal-blue eyes gazed out over the vast sights, drinking in every aspect of the village. Unruly blonde hair matted his face, obscuring the identical birth marks positioned on either of his cheeks.
 
Why they looked so identical to whisker marks, Naruto didn't know.
 
With a heavy sigh he placed his chin down onto the cold, dripping steel. Seeing the enormousness of the village always made him feel so small and insignificant. In the darkness he felt as if Konoha itself was ignoring him, just like everyone else did.
 
Why did they hate him so much?
 
A bright flash of lightning streaked across, casting the entirety of Konoha in instantaneous light before fading just as quickly. Naruto shifted his eyes to see the faces of the past Hokage looking down upon the village, just as he was now. The shadows danced upon the stone features, making them almost look alive.
 
The protectors of the village. They were loved by all.
 
Naruto couldn't have felt any lonelier at that moment.
 
All living things, no matter their origins, are connected. Facilitating each other and continuing this cycle of life, they carry on with their own paths, sometimes unaware that what they do will effect many others.
 
Whether formally or informally, the links of this world undoubtedly exist. Even the tiniest, seemingly most inconsequential of factors can reveal a web that binds us all.
 
Sasuke stared into the red irises. He felt his body quaking with the images of slaughter still fresh in his mind.
 
With a pathetic cry he ran. Tears streamed down his face. His limbs moved on their own, desperate to flee from those horrid, soulless eyes.
 
Fear…
 
Kakashi felt a lone tear drop from his exposed eye, quick to be swallowed up by the harsh raindrops pelting his face.
 
“I'm so sorry…Sato.”
 
Sorrow…
 
Naruto suddenly fell to his knees. A burning, clawing sensation assaulted his stomach. Tears from the intense pain fell unbidden as he wrapped both arms tightly around his mid section. Even with his eyes closed he was seeing white.
 
He could barely breathe. The agony was splitting his mind, blackening his vision, cutting off his senses. The world around him seemed to fade.
 
“Damn it…what…the hell…is this?!”
 
Suffering… We are all bound by commonalities which reinforce what we can not see. What may be small to one could be crucial to others; an action can bring fortune or despair to another. The ripple effect becomes profound when considering that the tiniest of events can decide the fate of lives, and of this world.
 
I finally realize it: humans are the core to which balance and imbalance is achieved. Sentience is a risk; these unseen connections have the potential to cause chaos and destruction just as easily as they can bring life and prosperity.
 
Is it, then, impossible to make the `right' choice? Can we act on what we know is right, and not risk the wrath of the Balancers? Is it possible for humans to even know what is right? To be aware of the invisible strings that binds us?
 
Can we, ourselves, become the Balancers?
 
A flutter of light.
 
With pained effort Sai opened his eyes. Every inch of his body ached in protest, even as he lay motionless. A small film of water flowed over the rocky surface of the ground, soaking his body and clothes.
 
He blinked a few times. The pair of wide, horror struck eyes staring back at him registered in his mind with a jolt. Before he knew it Sai was on his feet with his back against a wall. The person at his feet was undoubtedly dead. The flood flowing from him was still fresh.
 
Sai could see the other half of the man's torso lying a short distance away.
 
“What…happened?” Sai brought his hands up to his face, shaking unconsciously from both the pain of standing and the fearful confusion surging through him.
 
His eyes widened. Sai felt his chest, searching frantically for something. No marks, no scars, no cuts, nothing. The shuriken he had seen jammed into his chest weren't there, and no indication was left to the damage.
 
For a brief second Sai wondered if it had just been a dream. Maybe he was just going crazy from the nauseating smell and fearful scene of death.
 
When his hands felt the multiple tears in his shirt, all in front of his stomach, he knew it had been real. His eyes descended down to the corpse at his feet. The same man who had offered his help, then turned on him, now gazed out at nothing, every ounce of life gone from his eyes.
 
That's when the pain hit.
 
Sai let out a loud, painful scream. His knees and elbows hit the ground before his mind registered what had happened. Not even the feeling of those shuriken could compare to the agony. His stomach felt as if it were on fire. Something was trying to get free, clawing its way out of him.
 
With a strangled cry the pain intensified. It was beyond unbearable. Sai could feel his mind being torn asunder, his very soul being ripped to pieces. Every breath was a battle.
 
Then it began to dissipate. As unexpected as it had come, the intense pain was now lessening. Sai's mind slowly returned to reality. His surroundings began to come through the haze of his vision. When the last of it had disappeared he rolled onto his back, spreading out his limbs and sucking in full, deep breaths of the putrid air.
 
The skies had cleared. The storm had left along with the unexplained agony. All of the fires around him had died away. Peace was descending upon the scattered remains of the village.
 
The moon had come out. It was a surreal image; tranquility where there had been raging chaos. Sai felt his eyes drawn to it; its soft glow bathed him, commanded his mind, making him temporarily forget what was around him.
 
Behind iron-clad bars, imprisoned within an infinite, confining darkness, a dark chuckle echoed.
 
Whether or not we may acknowledge this, the time has come for us to be aware of it.
 
We are all connected.
 
Five Years Ago
 
“Yuugito-san! Yuugito-san, wake up!”
 
Within the darkness she felt a hand shaking her, desperately trying to reawaken her from the peaceful, relieving sleep. The voice called out to her again - she could hear the concern in it.
 
In a daze Yuugito opened her eyes, noticing that the sky had suddenly cleared; the stars all shown in greeting to her regained consciousness.
The face of her escort smiled at seeing her awake. He offered the hand that had gripped her shoulder as an aid to bring her to her feet. Yuugito's mind, still disoriented, took it without question.
 
Daisuke's compassionate, worry-filled face stared back at her. “Yuugito-san, are you okay? You had me worried…”
 
“I'm fine,” she responded flatly - she hadn't meant it to sound that cold. “I'm sorry,” she added with a sigh.
 
“I'm just glad you're not hurt. Do you know what happened?”
 
She gazed out at the rolling hills that surrounded her village. The central mountain stretched high above the others, the tip looking as if it were holding up the clouds that constantly hovered there. The fierce storm she had seen was now gone; everything around her seemed calm, as if it had never even existed.
 
“I…” she began uncertainly. “I just remember pain.” She looked over at Daisuke worriedly. “It was centered on my stomach, where the seal is.”
 
“The seal? Are you sure?” His eyes searched hers warily.
 
Yuugito pulled away from his scrutiny, feeling her gaze drift upwards. The moon hung in the sky, a beautiful lunar glow casting itself across the cluster of crags and mountains that stood sentry around the Cloud Village entrance. The pure white shape was hypnotic.
 
“It felt like something was trying to…get out.” Yuugito paused, ignoring his questioning face. “I think we should go now,” she finally said, still fixated on the moon. “I have a bad feeling.”
 
Will we go our entire lives without seeing this intricate web?
 
Or, in the briefest of glimpses, do we see it? Do we sense it?
 
“Are you sure?” Daisuke set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We can rest if you-”
 
“We need to go now,” she repeated urgently. Her suddenly panic-stricken face caused Daisuke to release his grip.
 
Slowly, he nodded. “All right.”
 
Naruto felt the last waves of torture begin to ebb. Grunting through his teeth he grasped the balcony railing, using every bit of energy to stand. One hand gripped the fabric of his shirt, right over the strange tattoo on his chest.
 
His chin resting on the cold metal bar, Naruto took in long gasps of the cold night air. The images of buildings and lights became clearer. Everything looked as it had been before the inexplicable burning had assaulted; not even a minute had gone by.
 
“What was that?” He didn't expect an answer from the empty air, and of course none came. With a disappointed sigh he straightened his back to stretch, oblivious to the sudden change in weather.
 
The tranquil light of the moon, however, caught his attention immediately.
 
It was beautiful. Naruto felt himself smile when the Old Man's story about a `face' hiding on its surface came to mind. Naruto, of course, hadn't believed him; he had just retorted, loudly, that the Old Man's vision was so bad he was probably just seeing things.
 
However this time it didn't seem too impossible. Out on his small terrace, alone in the dead-silent, gloomy evening, Naruto could almost see its features; the moon smiled down on him with a calming radiance.
 
And for once…Naruto didn't feel so alone.
 
We are not a blind species; the sights of this world all lead our eyes. Though separated by vast and unfamiliar lands, we are all under one sky, one sun, and one moon.
 
We are all connected.
 
But will we ever grasp this, and become the true Balancers of our world?
 
Yes. It is our destiny, our future.
 
Present Time
 
Fire Country
 
The soft, rhythmic chirp of a cricket pervaded the dense woodland. Cast in shadows of the night, everything had a surreal, almost spiritual quality. It was a private sanctuary; the only life either silent or adding a unique hum, a resonance, to the world.
 
Sai, his back resting against the natural curve of the tree, gazed wordlessly at the black canvas of sky through parted foliage and twigs. The ground below was distant, but it was the star-filled night that remained an unreachable mystery of serenity.
 
The Moon, clear and phosphorescent, cast a glow that reflected upon his crimson irises.
 
All it takes is a single moment.
 
“He's here.”
 
A pause.
 
“Right. I'll make sure he doesn't leave my sight. We'll have him before the morning is over.” The darkness hid an even darker smirk. “It shouldn't be too difficult; he's only a kid, after all.”
 
The transmission ended. Hideaki took his hand from the ear piece, steadied himself on the coarse bark of a tree, what shielded him from the target's view, and carefully peaked his head out to look.
 
He could see the silver coloration of hair stand out slightly in the deepening gloom. The moonlight illuminated his form resting near the forest canopy, back facing Hideaki and staring dazedly off into space.
 
The smirk returned to his face, darkening every feature with its sickly malice. His hand unconsciously lowered to the sword at his waist - a reassurance that it was there, ready to be drawn when the time came.
 
And Sai, feeling his drowsiness overtake him, succumbed to sleep under the shadowed presence of predatory eyes.
 
Will we be ready when our time comes?
 
Will we be ready…when the call is made?
 
Author's Note: It's not the “Sai” you know. It's the Sai you don't know, who no one but myself knows, and who will be known. He, along with others, will serve as the main characters of this story.
 
These select people, not yet aware of it, will shape the future of the world. In the next chapter, their paths will begin - set in motion by a single decision.
 
Next time: Humanity among Demons, chapter 1: The First Ripple