Chapter 1

Time is the unsurpassed teacher for those permanently prone to learn new things, superlative friend to those aware of its significance and the merciless nemesis to those absorbed in their own utopia, ignorant of reality. Time is what we desire most, yet it's also what we use the worst. Ironic isn't it?

A man and a woman were wandering through the quiet streets of Karakura Town in virtual silence. The man was a tall 6ft, 7 inch with red hair extending up to his waist, quivering in the early afternoon breeze.

The man was garbed in a sleeveless black coat with red flames licking the bottom, a crimson skin tight T-shirt showing the man's chiseled torso, bulging pectorals and washboard abs, no doubt a result of intense physical training.

Some kind of gleaming black metal bands with a Tree design were wrapped around his wrist reaching up to his elbows, black leather pants with bloody red combat boots reaching up to his knees and a black staff with several rings hanging from the top, jingling with every step.

However, the strange attire was immediately overlooked by anyone seeing a glimpse of the man's face. The man had two bangs hanging on either side of his crimson slitted eyes, giving him a somewhat demonic appearance

The woman on the other hand could be considered as the epitome of beauty with delicate features. She was a well-endowed blonde woman of average height, her long silky hair tied in a high ponytail with two long bangs hanging on either side of her beautiful face and eyebrows cut short.

She was garbed in a orange high collared hime-kimono with a black design of a ten tailed creature embroidered into the back and the front opened a little to show a temping amount of cleavage.

Peeking from underneath the orange kimono was a black kimono style blouse worn barely containing her massive assets, black form-fitting pants tightly clinging to her seductively long legs, thick thighs and plump rear with black high heel sandals.

"It's been a long time since we last came here," the voluptuous woman started with a nostalgic expression on her delicate features as she stared at the scene they had come across. Many things had changed, many things had evolved and the technological evolution was evident… but the feel and the sensation of the place remained the same.

"That it has. You know as well as I do why I didn't want to come to this place or any place associated with Japan," the tall and muscular man answered with a sad smile. Just being here was resurfacing his long forgotten and desperately buried memories.

"You can't escape from your past; eventually you'll have to face it."

The delicately featured woman knew how painful it was for her redhead companion to return here—she could certainly understand his pain as she too was hurt—but it had to be done, for him to once again return to the loving enthusiastic redhead she knew.

Besides, he being moody was putting a damper on certain activities that simply could not be helped. In their immortal lives, they needed to indulge in these 'activities' once or maybe thrice a day to keep a straight mind!

"Coming from you, it's not very convincing," the man teased, only to earn an elbow to the rib for his troubles.

"Oh shut up!"

"Just kidding, Naru," the man assured, gazing at his blonde companion with a small smile on his face.

"If I didn't know that even after all this time spent with you, then I need to get my head examined."

"I wouldn't mind 'examining' you," the redhead retorted with a perverted grin and gave her plump rear a teasing squeeze through her long kimono.

Naruko's cheeks tinged slightly red at the suggestive tone and mumbled 'perv' under her breath, getting a loud chuckle from her redhead companion. She wouldn't mind that at all, especially since he was so good at 'analyzing' her!

Yup, still got it! the redhead thought triumphantly.

"All right, let's find us a hotel room to stay for the night."

"Sure thing… Haru."

***

A solitary red haired man could be seen staggering absentmindedly through a landscape of gloomy sky and scorched ground, the pungent smell of dead bodies, animals and trees lingering around in the air. The eyes of the man devoid of life, so dull, lifeless and without light as he stared at the dead bodies of his comrades.

The people he played with, laughed with and shared happiness and sadness with, lay broken and drowning in their blood.

Utter destruction.

Sheer Annihilation.

Unreserved Genocide.

All for the sake of what?

Just the idiotic ambition of a delusional madman hell bent on creating a perfect world!

The same man tore limbs to limbs by the vengeful lone red haired man.

He was all alone in this cruel world; he now had all the power he needed, yet it was useless. What's the point of having power, yet can't use it to save your comrades, your loved ones?

Hearing a cough among the endless pile of dead bodies ignited a glimmer of hope for the future, he dashed in the direction of the sound and came across a blonde woman covered in her blood, her once flawlessly silky blonde hair covered in dirt and blood, her once ethereal beauty nothing but a mere shell of her former glory.

"I-it seemed we s-succeeded… eh Haruto?" The woman addressed the red haired man with a pained smile on her bloody face, staring at his red slitted eyes, once the most alluring and attractive golden eyes she had ever seen, now a dull and lifeless red. "Don't look so… dejected Haruto, we triumphed. And look at you… so powerful and handsome, if I do say so myself."

Chuckling softly to herself, she continued "Live your life as contented as you can be. Don't mourn us as we did what we thought was right and because… we loved you. My only regret is that I won't be able to see what the future brings for you, to see you… settle down, have a family, have small golden eyed redhead brats calling me auntie."

Tears swelled up in her clear ocean blue eyes as she gripped Haruto's hand with her own. "But my greatest regret right now is that we will be leaving you alone again. I-I wish I just had the power to stay with you… to keep you company through happy and sad times. D-do me a favor Haruto, never change who you are and what you stand for… Don't let the power you now possess seduce you towards the dark side as there is no future on that side. If you r-r-remain the same as you are now, you won't be lulled or corrupted by darkness."

Coughing up blood, she gazed at the concerned redhead for the last time. "Leave the past in the past and look to the future. Time wasted on regrets is… even more wasted time. R-remember me."

Slowly closing her tired eyes, the last thing she saw was the freely falling tears of the red haired man, Naruko the seventh Hokage passed away with a peaceful expression on her face.

"C-c-come on, Naruko. This isn't funny! Get up; you can't leave me here! What happened to your promise of raising a family with me? Was that just some empty promise?" Frantically shaking the prone body of the legendary kunoichi, hoping against hope that this was all just a nightmare, an illusion, but deep down, he knew it was all real, not an illusion but the cruel joke of fate and reality.

"C-c-come on, y-y-you can't leave me," the sobbing of the redhead could be the only sound heard throughout the hellish and grimly scorched landscape.

All that they had been through, all those nights of comforting her with the assurance of a better day… all those days of endless bloodshed and battles with the White Zetsu… all those rivers of blood flowing from the prone bodies of his people… all the nights he and his friends had spent around a campfire sharing stories of their childhood and hoping that they would more to come… were now nothing but memories of the distant past.

Everything was gone!

He would no longer be able to share a peaceful moment of camaraderie under the serene blue sky with a certain Lazy Nara, all the while sharing stories of women being troublesome!

He would no longer be able to challenge a certain plump Akamichi to a ramen eating contest with his Surrogate Big Sister's musical laugh lingering in the background!

He would no longer be able to have a youthful sparring session with the ever youthful and enthusiastic Rock Lee!

He would no longer be able to have a battle of wits against Kiba! No longer able to insult Sakura and have her chase him around the village only to tire themselves out in the Forest of Death and lean against each other without any violence involved.

And more importantly, he won't be able to fulfil his dream of marrying Naruko… won't be able to argue with her on every single insignificant thing… insult her for her drinking and have her insult him for being obsessed with ramen. He would no longer be able to see her beautiful face flanked by her silky long blonde bangs.

He won't be able to see her full pouty lips stretched into a fond smile when she would see his comical antics… no longer able to feel those lips upon his forehead, cheeks and lips whenever he would do something dangerous and she would heal him back to health.

He would no longer be able to hear her tempting smiles, alluring giggles and musical laugh!

Everything was gone!

A terrifying aura of death and absolute power washed over the charred land as Haruto stood up, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He had his eyes closed as he attempted to come to terms with the genocide, his mind repeatedly showcasing the pained smiles of his comrades especially Naruko.

A slit opened on his temple to reveal a third red eye with concentric rings, each ring having three tomoes swirling around three rings, forming a nine tomoe combination, the same eyes appearing in his two eye sockets, pulsing with power as a black and crimson fire like aura surrounded his body.

Almost on instincts, his hands came up to form a single hand seal as he screamed to the heavens, the ground around him blasted away in a massive explosion of power as a shield appeared above the dead Hokage in a protective gesture.

"Gedo Art: Rinne Rebirth!"