Author's Note/Introduction:
The following story is a much delayed tale on my part where I've been having this idea to write a FanFiction based on the Sage's life for a few years already, but haven't been able to do so before now due to being caught up with my other works/projects on here. Now that I finally have got to this point, I basically had a choice to make. Stick with the original plot which I panned out long before any major details about the Sage's life and his family were revealed in the manga (information revealed in the last 150 chapters or so), or scratch the whole FanFiction all together...
I decided on the former, but in doing so, I also decided that I would incorporate some of the new details/elements from the manga into this work to make it more familiar rather than to make it seem like a completely different story all together. For most parts, this tale is based upon the background-story I came up with for the Sage of Six Paths in my The Legendary Sage of Konoha Series (my sequel, Returns, mainly - for those of you who remember that), and therefore, this upcoming tale will not seem to have much similarities with the manga's background-story for the Sage of Six Paths, at first. Still though, this tale is readable to anyone, and it's not necessary to have a broader perspective on my overall Timeline/Universe here on the Base either (which would be the case for most of my other works/projects which all ties in together in the same Timeline somehow - more on that for those interested at the end of the chapter). Hope as many as possible will give this a chance as I have a good feeling about what this one might bring! Oh and another thing... This will be my first try, or rather, experiment on a totally new writing style (for me personally at least)... This is my tribute to the Naruto Manga ending, enjoy!
[...]
The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 1;
"The first significant-... event in my life-... must have happened around the time when I was f-if..teen yea-rs old..."
In a cold and dark sleeping-chamber, somewhere well-hidden away from an unusually quiet and peaceful existing world, where only a few candles lit up the room around them, an older man sat angled up in his bed as sweat-drops were visible all over his face. They were revealing that he was very weak and tired at this point, breathing heavily as he was trying to retain himself with what little power he had left, struggling to hold out just a little longer. It was just as he had foreseen, how he had expected it to be. This was his time to leave for the afterlife...
His two sons- both well matured in age and both with long dark hair and two weighty expressions on their faces, and one daughter- with short red hair and a more caring yet saddened expression on her face, were also present. The daughter was trying her best to tend to him while the two brothers were paying close attention to what was taking place before them, kneeling before his bed with their hands enfolded in front of them as they were awaiting for their father's final orders.
The daughter had with her a small bucket of water where she occasionally wet her green-striped towel, as she gently folded it together and tried to wipe some of the sweat away from her father's forehead. It wasn't much else to do now and they all knew it. The Monster sealed within him was tearing him apart, more than ready to wreak havoc once again on the outside world as his long lifespan was finally coming to its end. With the little power he had left, the older man had two tasks left to fulfill before it was time...
The first was to bestow upon his two sons his legacy and to choose one worthy successor among them to continue his lifelong work. The other, was to divide the Monster into nine different beings, to prevent its treacherous evil powers to cast the world into complete and utter chaos again. He was the only one who could keep the tailed beast in check, and he knew very well that this was the only way to keep the world safe from its harm after his passing; at least for a little while longer. It would take all the powers he had left to do so, and time was already starting to run away from him.
Before choosing his successor however, he had to put reason behind his choice. He had to try and make his two sons understand his reasoning, for them to be able to cooperate together in the future and to continue securing the hard-established peace. In order to make them understand his choice, he had to go back to the very beginning, to tell them how he came to be known as the Sage of Six Paths, the Savior of this World...
[...]
I hadn't traveled far from the small hut we were living in, up in the mountain-side as I knew very well that there were dangerous times with evil lurking around every corner. I was still young at that time and I wouldn't have been able to defend myself against any significant danger if I came across it. My loving mother always told me to be careful and to not wander too far away from our home as the reason behind why we had moved away from the mainland to higher grounds before I was born, was because there was a great war going on between the different samurai clans across the land, and anyone caught between their constant battling would end up becoming just another casualty. It was a war-torn land soaked in blood from all the battling beyond our reach, and for my generation, we had never truly witnessed peace. In fact, the war had been going for several generations, and there seemed to be no end to it. They called it, 'The Thousand Years' War.'
I had never been off the mountain, but I always wanted to lay my eyes upon the fields below, outside the territory I was allowed to move within by my parents. I had heard terrifying tales from my father about how everything was down there, but I was still hoping that the day where I would be strong enough to fend for myself would one day come, so that I could explore the world by myself. 'There is no gain without risk,' I always thought, much to my father's annoyance. He was a rather laid-back guy really. Not as careful as my mother, but not as energetic as myself either. He was the perfect mix between the both of us, to keep our family together with just the right balance of stability and harmony. I never complained about our simple life, never questioned our rather obscured existence, yet I never really understood the danger either. It was just beyond my imagination to even think what lives they must have had before they had me and moved here away from all of it.
Out of the several clans fighting for domination, the most powerful of them all was the Oda clan; lead by their notorious leader, Nobunaga Oda. They had most of the empire under their control by now, and they were reckoned as a fearless, ruthless clan, whom utilized power to create peace instead of love. With many skilled officers, warriors and mysterious assassins among their ranks, few of the other clans in the empire could stand a chance on their own against an all-out attack from the Oda Clan if they so desired. Their leader was originally a man of great benevolence and honor, seeking justice and glory with the needs of the people always first in mind as he rose in ranks among the different warlords and clan-leaders in the land, ultimately becoming the most powerful one amongst them over the years of war. In order to do so however, he had to sacrifice many of his most sacred and established values as a hero of the chaos, and even many of his most trusted men, to be able to get there. He eventually lost most of the great and cherished man he once was known as to the darkness in the progress, with his mind twisted by those around him and his greed for power fueling his newfound path even more. Among the other clans fighting for power in the empire, the Sanada clan was one of its currently strongest and fiercest opposers, which generally lead to daily battles across the land.
One evening as I was heading back home after a small fishing-trip to the small pond just two layers above our hut towards the top of the mountain, I noticed black smoke coming from our home resting on the cliff below. I quickly ran towards the edge as I saw our home on fire below as screams of pain shortly followed. I completely froze on the spot as I dropped my homemade fishing-rod to the ground, baffled and quite shocked to see what I saw, something which I never even had dreamt of being possible happening to us. I did not know what to say nor do at first...
Before me on the platform below, I witnessed as three men dressed in full black attires slaughtered my family, the only ones I had ever known in my life, in this world. The bodies of my father and mother falling lifeless on the ground caused a greater agony in my heart than I had ever felt before; an imagery that never truly left my memory afterwards... I was shocked, scared, and didn't know whether to attack, hide or run. I tried not to cry too loud to avoid their attention as tears began to stream down my chins. I was certain that I too would be done for if they discovered that I was there. Overhearing two of the men, I discovered that they were on a mission from their clan-leader to wipe out our entire family under the belief that we were leaking information about the Oda clan to one of the rival clans, more specifically the Sanada clan, and because of this assumption, we were set for elimination.
They started discussing amongst themselves whether there was suppose to be a kid as well and it was then that I instantly knew I had to get as far away from there as quickly as I could if I wanted to live... There was simply no time to grieve that night. Tired, starved and wandering all alone in the dark, I finally came down to the foot of the mountain on the other side of where we used to live. I was so dead-tired as I stumbled down the last climb, crashing to the ground with still about two meters left to go. I struggled, struggled hard to get up to my feet again as I tried to think. To clear all the thoughts from my mind to come up with a plan on what to do next. I knew nothing of this world in front of me, I had no idea where to go, and above all else, how would I survive? I wiped the tears away from my chins as the flashing memory of my father and mother getting slain in front of me kept repeating itself over and over again in my mind. I cried hard as I finally let my feelings go. If I wasn't at a safe distance from the assassins now, I would never make it anyway.
I finally understood what my parents always talked about, about the danger below, but I had never quite understood it before now. Pain, sorrow, death and agony, all words, all feelings that were still pretty new to me. Why would some men go through all the trouble climbing up the mountain-side just to get to us? How did they know we lived up there, that we had sheltered us away from the land below? What had we done to deserve this? What had mother and father done to deserve death?! This was where my hate for the Oda clan first emerged. This would always be my first pain, and I immediately knew there and then that if I was able to cling on to life just long enough, I would eventually get strong enough to seek my revenge one day, on all of them. Revenge... Such a strong word for a kid my age, but I certainly had my rights to seek it. For now though, I had to get away, but I had still no idea where to go... But I knew, I knew I had to keep going.
Wandering across a dusty hot field, I finally came before a well hid-away pond surrounded by small hills on all sides of it as the path ahead of me came to an abrupt end. I collapsed by the exotic lake, trying hard to drink whatever water I could get down my throat. Silencing my thirst, I again tried to get back up to my feet, but this time to no vain. I passed out of exhaustion as my eyes slowly closed before me with the burning imagery of approaching footsteps being the last thing I saw before it all went dark. I woke up a day later in a rather comfy bed. 'Where on earth was I and how did I end up here??' Trying to exit the bed, I was quickly approached by a man wearing a brown robe as he entered the room I slept in. In his hand, was a glass of water as I quickly snagged it from his reach and drank it as fast as I could. Removing the hood that covered his head, a bright, kind smile came to view on an older man's face. He laid his hand on my forehead as he continued to keep his smile intact. He then said; 'You sure are lucky to still be alive son. Do you know where you are, or even how far you have traveled to get here? What is a child your age doing wandering all alone in this dangerous world we live in??'
I looked at him but I had lost my tongue. My head was still spinning, and it was not easy to retain my focus. I knew one thing for sure though, and that was the reassuring fact that I was safe now, wherever I was. That mattered the most for now at least. I returned the empty glass to the man as he then told me that there was food as well if I felt like walking. Getting up and getting dressed, I was soon lead through the halls of something the gentle old man described as the 'temple,' in which I at that point had no idea what was. After all, this man was the first other friendly human-being beside my parents that I had ever laid my eyes upon. I was still struggling to just grasp what was happening before me, yet along even beginning to open my mouth to talk. I had no idea where to start, it was just too hard to remember that terrifying moment.
I would eventually, as we continued walking down the hall, manage to utter my first words though as the older man seemed pleasantly surprised at this, stating that he at first thought I had lost my voice, my ability to speak, or something like that. He did however assure me that there was no haste to spill any beans, and that I could take my time and come to him when I felt like I was ready to talk. To talk about who I was and exactly what had happened to me.
The older man described himself as a monk, part of a holy sacred sect who spread their teachings about peace and harmony across the land, urging the people to turn towards peace instead of war; to draw towards poem, not harm; to love, not hate; towards passion, not greed; to joy, not sorrow... The sect was founded on benevolence, placing the heart, the will of the people in front of efficiency or profit. 'To truly be able to achieve peace, one must seek love instead of power, so that each and everyone of us can connect with and understand each other, what we all feel deep inside our hearts, minds and souls. As long as there is hatred, there will always be war, and true peace can never happen.' He often said. Words that I always cherished and held close to my heart for as long as I've lived, helping me out in tougher times and to shine light on the darkened roads ahead.
As we walked through the dark illuminating temple, passing by several pillars supporting the roofs of the different corridors as we did, the monk told me that he had found me by the lake just outside the temple, that he had pulled me inside to tend to me to make sure I did not meet with an imminent and premature death. I never got a chance to thank him for that... The sect wasn't a large gathering of people, but there were enough folks around to help keep it going. Even orphaned kids my age were there too, and because of this, I felt even more at home. He then lead me through a large wooden door as a wide arranged table full of food and drinks meet my eyes. I was devastated, not because of what I had been through although that was still fresh on my mind, but because I never thought I could or even would experience such kindness away from my father and mother's care.
Over the next few days, I spent my time here learning about the old, about the ancient gods of past times, the creators of the earth. I decided that this was the place I wanted to be from now on, and that I really had no other place to go. I wanted to become part of them and the sect gladly accepted me as their own shortly after my arrival. They became my new family and I made many friends here as I helped spread their teachings as far as I could, or more precisely dared, in the time to come. Everything now seemed to have turned out for the better, but was I really safe here? This 'utopia' I was living in would not last for long... Spending the next year of my life here under the sect's sacred teachings, I quickly became adapt to their virtues and their values of peace, and of life. I decided early on that I would make it my goal to remove hatred from this world and to stop the never-ending war. That I would suppress my own hatred for the Oda clan and cleanse this world from pain. But first, I had to gain some strength of my own. I would remain here until I felt it was time to move on, and then I would travel the land to rally the different clans to lay down their arms and to come together to a mutual agreement benefiting all, and thus establishing peace...
My plans however, was cut short that fateful night. The Oda clan who was still in constant battling, had taken their war all the way over to within close proximity of the temple's location. It did not go long before their lust for bloodshed reached our very doorsteps. The Oda clan never wanted peace, they only sought power to control the land now that their leader had forsaken everything he once stood for in the past. Quickly learning about our ways of peace and harmony, they swiftly decided to get rid of us on a whim. 'Who wanted something as stupid as peace? To lay down arms and go hand in hand towards a better future? What was the fun in that??' It went completely against the Oda Clan's code, as they were only ever thirsting for blood, and as a result of their evil greed, our annoyance, being present so close to their territory, to their war-zone... Ended up becoming a bit too much for their seasoned war-veterans to handle. That fateful night, they sent a group of their most skilled assassins, to get rid of us once and for all...
Fun Facts & Author's Note:
1: For those of you wondering about the most obvious matter- the Sage's family, I have a huge twist coming up later on in my story. I don't want to spoil anything yet, but in "fear" of someone starting to point out the intriguing question that the Sage had a brother, Hamura, and that Kaguya, his mother, never died like that, I'm just going to say; "Don't worry. It's all in the story!" I still have to stay true to my original plans for this plot, so I've rather decided to work that into this tale later on. Please read on to find out exactly what I am talking about!
2: As I mentioned early, this is my first take on 1st person perspective narrative/writing; well at least 75 per cent of it anyhow for this chapter. I'm trying to move more and more away from my usual 'script' style, something which I have used and adapted for most of my previous stories, and therefore, I thought it was refreshing to try something entirely new. Also, since it's a totally new experience, it's also good practice in a sense. Better to be familiar with all styles than to stay glued to just one, imo.
3: I mentioned a shared Timeline/Universe at the beginning before the actual chapter begun as well. For any of my past readers (starting to get very thinned out at this point), it was a reference to something I call the "Master Timeline." I've currently written three stories on the Base (this is my forth), and the previous ones are; The Legendary Sage of Konoha, The Legend of Link & The Master Sword's Origins, and The Forgotten Tale: A Link Through Time. What's important with these different stories is the fact that in each one of them, a recurring "item," or more precisely a sword, appears, which vaguely ties them all together into one big universe. At this stage, I'm not really paying as much attention towards it anymore like I did in the past (due to losing most of my older readers obviously), but I am still trying to stay true to my original plans as much as possible, with still other projects to come after this one taking place within this said timeline. Like with most of my other works also, there will be references made to my other stories through that said mysterious item, and even the appearance of a certain character will help tie them together. Unlike two of the other stories I've written though, this one stands completely on its own (just like the One-Shot I did) as far as the actual story goes (with connections to the Naruto Manga & Anime, as well as my own Naruto based FF that was mentioned above). As for length, I haven't really decided on it yet, but as of now I'm thinking 6-9 chapters, about this length for each of them.
4: Like Kishimoto himself, I've drawn inspiration from Japan's long history into this work, and taking some of the story's characters, and quite possible plot as well, from the 'Warring State Period of Japan (for those of you who knows about it),' I've set out to write a tale that doesn't only lay foundation, and sets up for 'Naruto' itself, but also somewhat maps out the origin of the samurai clan/tribe from the Land of Iron in the world of Naruto, and how they came to be.
5: If you don't have much to say about the actual plot taking place in this chapter (although I'm sure you do if you think twice about it), please do share a few words on what you think of the style I'm using for this project and how well (or bad?) I handled it. Any words of appreciation or criticism are welcomed as well. Hope for even just a few readers for this story although I don't exactly keep my hopes up these days with little to no expectations (which is sad really). Let me know what you think as I would love to hear it!
Next chapter titled; Massacre .
Release date: Out now!
The following story is a much delayed tale on my part where I've been having this idea to write a FanFiction based on the Sage's life for a few years already, but haven't been able to do so before now due to being caught up with my other works/projects on here. Now that I finally have got to this point, I basically had a choice to make. Stick with the original plot which I panned out long before any major details about the Sage's life and his family were revealed in the manga (information revealed in the last 150 chapters or so), or scratch the whole FanFiction all together...
I decided on the former, but in doing so, I also decided that I would incorporate some of the new details/elements from the manga into this work to make it more familiar rather than to make it seem like a completely different story all together. For most parts, this tale is based upon the background-story I came up with for the Sage of Six Paths in my The Legendary Sage of Konoha Series (my sequel, Returns, mainly - for those of you who remember that), and therefore, this upcoming tale will not seem to have much similarities with the manga's background-story for the Sage of Six Paths, at first. Still though, this tale is readable to anyone, and it's not necessary to have a broader perspective on my overall Timeline/Universe here on the Base either (which would be the case for most of my other works/projects which all ties in together in the same Timeline somehow - more on that for those interested at the end of the chapter). Hope as many as possible will give this a chance as I have a good feeling about what this one might bring! Oh and another thing... This will be my first try, or rather, experiment on a totally new writing style (for me personally at least)... This is my tribute to the Naruto Manga ending, enjoy!
[...]
The Legendary Sage of Six Paths, Chapter 1;
How it all began, the
Tale of The Sage of Six Paths Begins!:
Tale of The Sage of Six Paths Begins!:
"The first significant-... event in my life-... must have happened around the time when I was f-if..teen yea-rs old..."
In a cold and dark sleeping-chamber, somewhere well-hidden away from an unusually quiet and peaceful existing world, where only a few candles lit up the room around them, an older man sat angled up in his bed as sweat-drops were visible all over his face. They were revealing that he was very weak and tired at this point, breathing heavily as he was trying to retain himself with what little power he had left, struggling to hold out just a little longer. It was just as he had foreseen, how he had expected it to be. This was his time to leave for the afterlife...
His two sons- both well matured in age and both with long dark hair and two weighty expressions on their faces, and one daughter- with short red hair and a more caring yet saddened expression on her face, were also present. The daughter was trying her best to tend to him while the two brothers were paying close attention to what was taking place before them, kneeling before his bed with their hands enfolded in front of them as they were awaiting for their father's final orders.
The daughter had with her a small bucket of water where she occasionally wet her green-striped towel, as she gently folded it together and tried to wipe some of the sweat away from her father's forehead. It wasn't much else to do now and they all knew it. The Monster sealed within him was tearing him apart, more than ready to wreak havoc once again on the outside world as his long lifespan was finally coming to its end. With the little power he had left, the older man had two tasks left to fulfill before it was time...
The first was to bestow upon his two sons his legacy and to choose one worthy successor among them to continue his lifelong work. The other, was to divide the Monster into nine different beings, to prevent its treacherous evil powers to cast the world into complete and utter chaos again. He was the only one who could keep the tailed beast in check, and he knew very well that this was the only way to keep the world safe from its harm after his passing; at least for a little while longer. It would take all the powers he had left to do so, and time was already starting to run away from him.
Before choosing his successor however, he had to put reason behind his choice. He had to try and make his two sons understand his reasoning, for them to be able to cooperate together in the future and to continue securing the hard-established peace. In order to make them understand his choice, he had to go back to the very beginning, to tell them how he came to be known as the Sage of Six Paths, the Savior of this World...
[...]
I hadn't traveled far from the small hut we were living in, up in the mountain-side as I knew very well that there were dangerous times with evil lurking around every corner. I was still young at that time and I wouldn't have been able to defend myself against any significant danger if I came across it. My loving mother always told me to be careful and to not wander too far away from our home as the reason behind why we had moved away from the mainland to higher grounds before I was born, was because there was a great war going on between the different samurai clans across the land, and anyone caught between their constant battling would end up becoming just another casualty. It was a war-torn land soaked in blood from all the battling beyond our reach, and for my generation, we had never truly witnessed peace. In fact, the war had been going for several generations, and there seemed to be no end to it. They called it, 'The Thousand Years' War.'
I had never been off the mountain, but I always wanted to lay my eyes upon the fields below, outside the territory I was allowed to move within by my parents. I had heard terrifying tales from my father about how everything was down there, but I was still hoping that the day where I would be strong enough to fend for myself would one day come, so that I could explore the world by myself. 'There is no gain without risk,' I always thought, much to my father's annoyance. He was a rather laid-back guy really. Not as careful as my mother, but not as energetic as myself either. He was the perfect mix between the both of us, to keep our family together with just the right balance of stability and harmony. I never complained about our simple life, never questioned our rather obscured existence, yet I never really understood the danger either. It was just beyond my imagination to even think what lives they must have had before they had me and moved here away from all of it.
Out of the several clans fighting for domination, the most powerful of them all was the Oda clan; lead by their notorious leader, Nobunaga Oda. They had most of the empire under their control by now, and they were reckoned as a fearless, ruthless clan, whom utilized power to create peace instead of love. With many skilled officers, warriors and mysterious assassins among their ranks, few of the other clans in the empire could stand a chance on their own against an all-out attack from the Oda Clan if they so desired. Their leader was originally a man of great benevolence and honor, seeking justice and glory with the needs of the people always first in mind as he rose in ranks among the different warlords and clan-leaders in the land, ultimately becoming the most powerful one amongst them over the years of war. In order to do so however, he had to sacrifice many of his most sacred and established values as a hero of the chaos, and even many of his most trusted men, to be able to get there. He eventually lost most of the great and cherished man he once was known as to the darkness in the progress, with his mind twisted by those around him and his greed for power fueling his newfound path even more. Among the other clans fighting for power in the empire, the Sanada clan was one of its currently strongest and fiercest opposers, which generally lead to daily battles across the land.
One evening as I was heading back home after a small fishing-trip to the small pond just two layers above our hut towards the top of the mountain, I noticed black smoke coming from our home resting on the cliff below. I quickly ran towards the edge as I saw our home on fire below as screams of pain shortly followed. I completely froze on the spot as I dropped my homemade fishing-rod to the ground, baffled and quite shocked to see what I saw, something which I never even had dreamt of being possible happening to us. I did not know what to say nor do at first...
Before me on the platform below, I witnessed as three men dressed in full black attires slaughtered my family, the only ones I had ever known in my life, in this world. The bodies of my father and mother falling lifeless on the ground caused a greater agony in my heart than I had ever felt before; an imagery that never truly left my memory afterwards... I was shocked, scared, and didn't know whether to attack, hide or run. I tried not to cry too loud to avoid their attention as tears began to stream down my chins. I was certain that I too would be done for if they discovered that I was there. Overhearing two of the men, I discovered that they were on a mission from their clan-leader to wipe out our entire family under the belief that we were leaking information about the Oda clan to one of the rival clans, more specifically the Sanada clan, and because of this assumption, we were set for elimination.
They started discussing amongst themselves whether there was suppose to be a kid as well and it was then that I instantly knew I had to get as far away from there as quickly as I could if I wanted to live... There was simply no time to grieve that night. Tired, starved and wandering all alone in the dark, I finally came down to the foot of the mountain on the other side of where we used to live. I was so dead-tired as I stumbled down the last climb, crashing to the ground with still about two meters left to go. I struggled, struggled hard to get up to my feet again as I tried to think. To clear all the thoughts from my mind to come up with a plan on what to do next. I knew nothing of this world in front of me, I had no idea where to go, and above all else, how would I survive? I wiped the tears away from my chins as the flashing memory of my father and mother getting slain in front of me kept repeating itself over and over again in my mind. I cried hard as I finally let my feelings go. If I wasn't at a safe distance from the assassins now, I would never make it anyway.
I finally understood what my parents always talked about, about the danger below, but I had never quite understood it before now. Pain, sorrow, death and agony, all words, all feelings that were still pretty new to me. Why would some men go through all the trouble climbing up the mountain-side just to get to us? How did they know we lived up there, that we had sheltered us away from the land below? What had we done to deserve this? What had mother and father done to deserve death?! This was where my hate for the Oda clan first emerged. This would always be my first pain, and I immediately knew there and then that if I was able to cling on to life just long enough, I would eventually get strong enough to seek my revenge one day, on all of them. Revenge... Such a strong word for a kid my age, but I certainly had my rights to seek it. For now though, I had to get away, but I had still no idea where to go... But I knew, I knew I had to keep going.
Wandering across a dusty hot field, I finally came before a well hid-away pond surrounded by small hills on all sides of it as the path ahead of me came to an abrupt end. I collapsed by the exotic lake, trying hard to drink whatever water I could get down my throat. Silencing my thirst, I again tried to get back up to my feet, but this time to no vain. I passed out of exhaustion as my eyes slowly closed before me with the burning imagery of approaching footsteps being the last thing I saw before it all went dark. I woke up a day later in a rather comfy bed. 'Where on earth was I and how did I end up here??' Trying to exit the bed, I was quickly approached by a man wearing a brown robe as he entered the room I slept in. In his hand, was a glass of water as I quickly snagged it from his reach and drank it as fast as I could. Removing the hood that covered his head, a bright, kind smile came to view on an older man's face. He laid his hand on my forehead as he continued to keep his smile intact. He then said; 'You sure are lucky to still be alive son. Do you know where you are, or even how far you have traveled to get here? What is a child your age doing wandering all alone in this dangerous world we live in??'
I looked at him but I had lost my tongue. My head was still spinning, and it was not easy to retain my focus. I knew one thing for sure though, and that was the reassuring fact that I was safe now, wherever I was. That mattered the most for now at least. I returned the empty glass to the man as he then told me that there was food as well if I felt like walking. Getting up and getting dressed, I was soon lead through the halls of something the gentle old man described as the 'temple,' in which I at that point had no idea what was. After all, this man was the first other friendly human-being beside my parents that I had ever laid my eyes upon. I was still struggling to just grasp what was happening before me, yet along even beginning to open my mouth to talk. I had no idea where to start, it was just too hard to remember that terrifying moment.
I would eventually, as we continued walking down the hall, manage to utter my first words though as the older man seemed pleasantly surprised at this, stating that he at first thought I had lost my voice, my ability to speak, or something like that. He did however assure me that there was no haste to spill any beans, and that I could take my time and come to him when I felt like I was ready to talk. To talk about who I was and exactly what had happened to me.
The older man described himself as a monk, part of a holy sacred sect who spread their teachings about peace and harmony across the land, urging the people to turn towards peace instead of war; to draw towards poem, not harm; to love, not hate; towards passion, not greed; to joy, not sorrow... The sect was founded on benevolence, placing the heart, the will of the people in front of efficiency or profit. 'To truly be able to achieve peace, one must seek love instead of power, so that each and everyone of us can connect with and understand each other, what we all feel deep inside our hearts, minds and souls. As long as there is hatred, there will always be war, and true peace can never happen.' He often said. Words that I always cherished and held close to my heart for as long as I've lived, helping me out in tougher times and to shine light on the darkened roads ahead.
As we walked through the dark illuminating temple, passing by several pillars supporting the roofs of the different corridors as we did, the monk told me that he had found me by the lake just outside the temple, that he had pulled me inside to tend to me to make sure I did not meet with an imminent and premature death. I never got a chance to thank him for that... The sect wasn't a large gathering of people, but there were enough folks around to help keep it going. Even orphaned kids my age were there too, and because of this, I felt even more at home. He then lead me through a large wooden door as a wide arranged table full of food and drinks meet my eyes. I was devastated, not because of what I had been through although that was still fresh on my mind, but because I never thought I could or even would experience such kindness away from my father and mother's care.
Over the next few days, I spent my time here learning about the old, about the ancient gods of past times, the creators of the earth. I decided that this was the place I wanted to be from now on, and that I really had no other place to go. I wanted to become part of them and the sect gladly accepted me as their own shortly after my arrival. They became my new family and I made many friends here as I helped spread their teachings as far as I could, or more precisely dared, in the time to come. Everything now seemed to have turned out for the better, but was I really safe here? This 'utopia' I was living in would not last for long... Spending the next year of my life here under the sect's sacred teachings, I quickly became adapt to their virtues and their values of peace, and of life. I decided early on that I would make it my goal to remove hatred from this world and to stop the never-ending war. That I would suppress my own hatred for the Oda clan and cleanse this world from pain. But first, I had to gain some strength of my own. I would remain here until I felt it was time to move on, and then I would travel the land to rally the different clans to lay down their arms and to come together to a mutual agreement benefiting all, and thus establishing peace...
My plans however, was cut short that fateful night. The Oda clan who was still in constant battling, had taken their war all the way over to within close proximity of the temple's location. It did not go long before their lust for bloodshed reached our very doorsteps. The Oda clan never wanted peace, they only sought power to control the land now that their leader had forsaken everything he once stood for in the past. Quickly learning about our ways of peace and harmony, they swiftly decided to get rid of us on a whim. 'Who wanted something as stupid as peace? To lay down arms and go hand in hand towards a better future? What was the fun in that??' It went completely against the Oda Clan's code, as they were only ever thirsting for blood, and as a result of their evil greed, our annoyance, being present so close to their territory, to their war-zone... Ended up becoming a bit too much for their seasoned war-veterans to handle. That fateful night, they sent a group of their most skilled assassins, to get rid of us once and for all...
~ End of Chapter 1 ~
Fun Facts & Author's Note:
1: For those of you wondering about the most obvious matter- the Sage's family, I have a huge twist coming up later on in my story. I don't want to spoil anything yet, but in "fear" of someone starting to point out the intriguing question that the Sage had a brother, Hamura, and that Kaguya, his mother, never died like that, I'm just going to say; "Don't worry. It's all in the story!" I still have to stay true to my original plans for this plot, so I've rather decided to work that into this tale later on. Please read on to find out exactly what I am talking about!
2: As I mentioned early, this is my first take on 1st person perspective narrative/writing; well at least 75 per cent of it anyhow for this chapter. I'm trying to move more and more away from my usual 'script' style, something which I have used and adapted for most of my previous stories, and therefore, I thought it was refreshing to try something entirely new. Also, since it's a totally new experience, it's also good practice in a sense. Better to be familiar with all styles than to stay glued to just one, imo.
3: I mentioned a shared Timeline/Universe at the beginning before the actual chapter begun as well. For any of my past readers (starting to get very thinned out at this point), it was a reference to something I call the "Master Timeline." I've currently written three stories on the Base (this is my forth), and the previous ones are; The Legendary Sage of Konoha, The Legend of Link & The Master Sword's Origins, and The Forgotten Tale: A Link Through Time. What's important with these different stories is the fact that in each one of them, a recurring "item," or more precisely a sword, appears, which vaguely ties them all together into one big universe. At this stage, I'm not really paying as much attention towards it anymore like I did in the past (due to losing most of my older readers obviously), but I am still trying to stay true to my original plans as much as possible, with still other projects to come after this one taking place within this said timeline. Like with most of my other works also, there will be references made to my other stories through that said mysterious item, and even the appearance of a certain character will help tie them together. Unlike two of the other stories I've written though, this one stands completely on its own (just like the One-Shot I did) as far as the actual story goes (with connections to the Naruto Manga & Anime, as well as my own Naruto based FF that was mentioned above). As for length, I haven't really decided on it yet, but as of now I'm thinking 6-9 chapters, about this length for each of them.
4: Like Kishimoto himself, I've drawn inspiration from Japan's long history into this work, and taking some of the story's characters, and quite possible plot as well, from the 'Warring State Period of Japan (for those of you who knows about it),' I've set out to write a tale that doesn't only lay foundation, and sets up for 'Naruto' itself, but also somewhat maps out the origin of the samurai clan/tribe from the Land of Iron in the world of Naruto, and how they came to be.
5: If you don't have much to say about the actual plot taking place in this chapter (although I'm sure you do if you think twice about it), please do share a few words on what you think of the style I'm using for this project and how well (or bad?) I handled it. Any words of appreciation or criticism are welcomed as well. Hope for even just a few readers for this story although I don't exactly keep my hopes up these days with little to no expectations (which is sad really). Let me know what you think as I would love to hear it!
Next chapter titled; Massacre .
Release date: Out now!
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