Underlined speech is thought.

Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character.

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Bold words are author notes.

I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.

This is my first long-term story, so don't expect perfection. I will update every Sunday. You should expect each chapter excluding this one to be at least 3000 words long give or take, mostly give. One of the things I pride myself most in this story is my ability to avoid any and all plot holes. If anyone manages to find one, point it out so that I can confirm that it was an honest mistake. I will not only correct it but also release an extra chapter as soon as possible, so look carefully. I won't release two chapters on the same day though. Now I give you the disclaimer.

One more thing. I have a very funny OC in this story if you go far enough. I am talking about Tobi episode 99 funny.

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND WILL ONLY SAY THIS ONCE!

SUMMARY: A prophecy predicting an endless night, a man seeking a doomed revenge, a pair of determined students, and the most powerful shinobi to ever exist. How will these four factors connect in a single outcome?

About thirteen years before the Kyūbi attack, during the Iwa/Konoha war.

Kunai sailed through the air attempting to hit a single target, a fairly aged man wearing a large black cloak that covered everything but the forearms and the head. His arms were bare not including a blue wristband with a scroll tied to it on the left and a red wristband on the right, each with a gemstone of the corresponding color. He had quite a few wrinkles along with short spiky gray hair and a long thick mustache coming down to his chest area. His wizened brown eyes showed experience far beyond even his advance years. He leaped through the trees with agility and speed that would be thought to be impossible for someone like him.

Dozens of kunai flew by him, yet strangely enough, a fair number of them hit the cloak but simply wound up coming out the other side. A stray kunai passed by the man slightly grazing the blue wristband, almost cutting the string keeping the scroll attached to it. The man looked at the wristband then looked back with a scowl. Behind him were five men wearing brown jonin outfits. Around their foreheads were headbands adorned with metal plates. In the center of each were etchings looking like a large rock behind a smaller one.

The man looked back to his front and doubled his evasive efforts. With an old and tired voice he said, "That was far too close. If I don't lose them soon it could mean dire consequences. Why can't those baka realize that everything I do is for the good of everyone, not just Iwa? All they care about is their own strength or making sure their enemies remain as weak as possible, regardless of the consequences. I have never led them wrong before and now, when it is most important, they decide not to trust me. I was against this war from the beginning and now the future may depend on their enemy. No mater, this just means that they no longer deserve my loyalty. The problem is that I need to ditch them."

As soon as those words were finished, a single kunai with two extra points branching off of the center and a slip of paper tied to the back passed him and through the pursuing shinobi's area. After a flash of yellow light all of them began to drop like flies, completely clueless to what happened to them. In the center of the area where they were was a single man wearing the green flak jacket of Konoha with the dark blue clothes under it. His back was turned so that you could only see his bright yellow hair and the knot of his headband.

Even without seeing his face, the elder man knew full well who it was. "Fancy running into you here of all places, I expected you to be in the front lines. Instead I find you deep within the territory of your own country. Regardless, your timing is impeccable."

The blond man turned around revealing a set of large sideburns that framed his face almost down to his chin. His blue eyes were as sharp as any blade the cloaked man has ever seen, filled with unwavering determination. His voice was as fierce as his eyes along with an underlying kindness as he spoke. "Can you tell me why Iwa shinobi would be chasing you?"

The elder waved his hand dismissively. "I see no reason not to. For years I have had a temporary alliance with Iwa as an individual. Unfortunately, the time has come for me to go elsewhere and they were not very keen on letting me go even though I told them that the alliance would be a temporary one when I first joined them, but you know how people are. Once they get used to something positive, it is hard for them to change back. One of the many flaws of society, don't you think so?"

The Konoha shinobi narrowed his eyes at the suspiciousness of the elderly man then spoke commandingly. "With what you have just told me, I see no reason to trust you. Explain your purposes."

The elder man laughed. "I see that you are not one to mince words Yellow Flash." His expression became hard and his tone, serious. "I to, will not mince my words. Something horrible is about to happen. I am quite certain that if it is not stopped, hundreds if not thousands of innocent lives will be lost in a blink of an eye. The only possible way to prevent this is to get this scroll to your village." He held out his left arm showing off the blue wristband and the scroll. "This must be placed anywhere close to the Hokage's office. When it comes time, the acting Hokage will be able to open it and read its contents. I implore you, fulfill my request."

The Yellow Flash closed his eyes and crossed his arms, contemplating the proposition. "If you speak the truth, then that would mean that you hold no allegiance with any country but with life itself. Regardless, how am I supposed to know that there isn't an Iwa shinobi sealed within the scroll, prepared for an attempt at Hokage-sama's life?"

"As long as the room the scroll is place in is not soundproofed, it will do. Nothing else really matters."

The jonin opened his eyes and gazed at the other man fiercely. "And why exactly does the scroll have to be placed in a room that is not soundproofed?"

"When it comes time for the scroll to be opened, it will give off both sound and light. Sound to alert the Hokage to its presence and light to help him or her locate it. A soundproof room defeats this purpose, don't you think?"

"You have still shown me no reason to trust you, but I also see no possible way that this scroll can cause any problems if I am allowed to store it however I chose and to look at it beforehand." He leaped from the branch to the one next to the other man. The blond reached for the outstretched arm, but not to grab the scroll. Instead he moved to swat the older man's palm only for his own hand to pass right through. "I noticed how those kunai passed strait through you. Care to explain how you are doing this?"

Laughter could be heard coming from the cloaked man. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. The only parts of me that are tangible are my wristbands and this scroll. The only reason I can carry this scroll is because it is tied to one of my wristbands for they are the only things in this world I can interact with."

"I hope you do not mind if I test this." Seeing the man spread his arms, the jonin released a flurry of punches to every part of the body excluding the wristbands, each one passing through harmlessly. After this, the man presented his red wristband which the blond proceeded to grab. Sure enough, his hands were able to come in contact with them. "What would happen if these wristbands were to be removed?"

"Like I said, these wristbands are the only way I have to interact with the world excluding the bottoms of my feet. And even if I were to kick someone, only I would feel the effects. I would be little more than a phantom." That instant, he launched a kick faster than the jonin expected from such an old looking man. The result was the kick connecting solidly.

Despite the fact that he could not feel a thing the blond could tell that the kick connected with him by the way the elder mans legs buckled. "It appears that you have yet to lie to me. Will you by chance tell me the true contents of the scroll? That should do no harm."

"If you must know, it is a mission request. I would expect it to be A-ranked because Iwa shinobi may still be after me when the mission is assigned. As for the payment, it is well worth it as all those lives I spoke of will be saved along with a considerable increase in Konoha's power. That is all I will tell you for now."

The jonin's eye widened noticeably then he blinked. "If this is about a mission request, then why don't you take it to Konoha yourself instead of asking me to do so?"

"I rather not explain all of this again to your Hokage. It would be easier if you do it for me"

The blond got into a position for contemplating all that he has heard. His piercing blue eyes snapped open reveling the usual fierce gaze. "I will do this for you, but if you betray my trust, I will seek you out and take those wristbands from you, considering I can't kill you"

"Arigato Yellow Flash. I hope that I will be able to gain your full trust in time, sayonara." The man left after allowing the scroll to slide of the blue wristband by dropping his arm.

The Yellow Flash bent down and picked up the scroll. Standing strait, he stared in the direction the strange old man left. "Just who in the world was that man and what are his intentions?"

Back with the old man.

The elder man walked through the forest floor with a smile under his long mustache. "That actually went far better than I expected. I won't have to worry anymore until the mission is assigned." His eyes became serious and his forehead became shadowed. "I am curious though. With every one of my predictions before now, something good came from the fulfillment of those predictions. Conversely, every time one wasn't fulfilled, there were dire consequences. The wording of each always reflected this. So why now is the wording so negative? I fairly comprehend the first three lines, but the meaning of the last one completely eludes me." He sighed, letting his head drop slightly. "Oh well. I may figure it out when the time comes."

"From the same tree of grief.

A dark leaf, a light leaf.

When these leaves, meet as one.

They will stop the rising sun."

About a year before the Kyūbi attack, at the gate of Amegakure

A single man completely covered in a dark cloak left Amegakure as the gate closed behind him. His face was completely cast in shadow. In a voice filled with hurt and anger, he spoke. "I promise you this. As soon as I know I am strong enough, I will return to this village and take my revenge upon you. Just you wait, you will pay for the wrong you have inflicted on me. But before then, I will succeed at everything that you have failed to even attempt. I will not be what you want me to be."

Little did this man know, his chance for revenge will be taken from him a year and a half later by a man going by the name of Pein.

Please go into my biography and check out the stories I have written about there. Trust me when I say that reading any of them is not a waste of time, especially the ones at the top of the list.