Naruto: The Zodiac

Naruto: The Zodiac

The Zodiac

I am Sakura… I was once nothing more than one of twelve guardians of the Court of Konaha. I was the bookkeeper… the librarian… and all was quiet in our land.

But as I said I was not alone. I had my most trusted and kindest friends to help guide me along the way to keep our village at peace with others.

The King of our court was an ex-thief, Naruto was his name, and he was the best. A good king and ruler of our land, he had a strange way of changing people for the better and becoming friends with them. That is how our court was formed. He used to travel our lands far and wide and soon made various friends, the other ten members of the court other than myself.

The first friend that Naruto had made was Sasuke, the court adviser. He had met our king back when he was the adviser to a tyrant king in the land of fire. He had ideas of his own which had been repressed and Sasuke could see the suffering of the people. Long he did nothing about it but finally he tired of the tyrant king controlling his will and planned to overthrow him. He met Naruto, back when he was still a thief in that land and so they brought down the king and allowed his kindly son to take his place.

After the two became friends Naruto decided that it was wrong to steal and so instead he would take back things that had been stolen and get paid for it. Sasuke offered his skills in return for a cut and it was during a mission that the two met the court dancer.

Temari was a maiden of the land of Wind’s Sand village. She was princess and the first born to the King but being female her father refused to let her rule and the thrown instead went to her eldest younger brother Kankuro. She took up dancing and so danced for the halls of the kings in her land until one day she met Naruto. He was on a mission to return a stolen Samurai sword of great importance.

She danced for them in her court and learning what they did for a living and how they traveled she offered her assistance. She had a very keen mind and was great at measuring distances and so she came along to find the sword. That is where our next member came in.

Shikamaru was the one who had hired the duo. He was a samurai of incomparable strategies and was very intelligent. A genius, but during the night someone had stolen the sword which his dearest friend had made for him, and he had hired them to retrieve it. He was far too lazy to do it himself and so the trio retrieved it and the dancer caught his eye. She in turn fell for him even though he did not like it. Naruto told him of their story and recognizing his genius and talent, the thief asked Shikamaru if he would join them.

As before I told you of how Naruto had an almost mystical way of bringing people together and so the samurai joined them, keeping the balance between the small group when fights broke out. But he refused to go unless his friend would come as well.

Choji was a farmer, he was kind, and he loved food. A young huntress named Ino had caught his heart and they were eventually married. She hunted the meat, and he grew the rest. He had known the samurai for so very long and the three had become great friends. So when Shikamaru told him of what had happened and what he asked, Choji and Ino both agreed, she longing for adventure again and he wanting to go somewhere new. So Ino took up her spear and with her husband the small group grew.

They next traveled to the land of Water where they met two twins. Hinata and Neji, each with their own special gifts. They had been hired to retrieve a sacred mirror which was very special to Neji. Through it he could see evil things to come that involved himself, his friends, family, or his home. His sister however knew that the group would retrieve the mirror for in her dreams she could see the opposite of Neji and see good things to come. She also however had seen in her dreams that good things were to come if they were to join the group of misfits, and so telling Neji of this they accompanied the group and became friends as well.

It was somewhere in between here that they all met me, for I had already known Naruto as a childhood friend and so he invited me to join with his newly made companions. There still were only nine of us at this point and Naruto was perfectly fine to go back home, but instead we kept going for a bit and that is when we met him.

It turned out that we met Akamaru first, the puppy had come to Naruto seemingly without owner, and he began to pet him. When out of nowhere an arrow whizzed by the king’s head. We searched for where it was but all we heard was a cry to step away from the dog. We did and out came Kiba... bow in hand. He saw that we meant him no harm and apologized for what he had done, telling us he just was afraid we might have hurt his friend. He offered to defend us on our journey in return and everyone agreed, soon adding him to our group of allies.

It was on our way home that his skills came in handy. We were suddenly ambushed by two people, a woman skilled with a bow even more so than Kiba and (we later found out) her fiancé, a person named Lee who used to be a knight. We made piece with them after explaining that we meant no harm and learning that they mistook us for an old enemy and so they too joined us, and Lee introduced Tenten, the archer.

There were now twelve companions and Naruto then and there decided something. He had been a thief for a very long time and had known and seen the terrible things that come with poverty and unjust rulers. So he decided that he was going to change that. With his eleven friends he was able to defeat the tyrant king who used to rule where Naruto had once lived before his journey, and the villagers who new him for his kind things elected him king. Because there was no true heir Naruto agreed and soon he formed the Council of Konaha.

This is where we begin, with our story. Of how friends were lost, we were betrayed and Konaha almost fell to ruin…

It was a while after the council members had been given their positions. I was to be the bookkeeper, for I craved knowledge and though I was not as smart as many, I was the perfect suitor according to the King to be a librarian and documenter for the court and council.

Sasuke became the Adviser to the King. He used his knowledge of things Naruto had never known or seen to help the king make the right decisions for the village. He was happy with his position for even though he could not be king which he had once wanted, his opinions could still be heard over almost all others.

Ino was called the Bringer of Dawn for she was always up the earliest. However her position in the council however was to be the huntress for Konaha. She hunted the meat when there was a shortage and it was distributed throughout the village. She was also one of our recruits in case the village came under attack.

Choji, Ino’s husband, was still a farmer. He was a sort of peacemaker among the council for he did not wish to quarrel. He was the head farmer in Konaha and so he made sure that everyone loved their kind leader in the farming expertise.

He had some help with keeping the peace for Shikamaru had been labeled the Keeper of Balance. He was no longer a samurai however he still wore the uniform of one and he also carried his sword at all times. He did use his skills if ever needed and with his strategies and intelligence there were no wars or unneeded deaths and the other council members looked to him for guidance with each other. Whenever there was a dispute that was of very high importance, especially good against evil even though it rarely happened, he would look to the golden scale he almost always had with his.

Tenten was the Archer. She was almost always happy and very talkative. She was our way of communications when the time was needed and she was our own second line of defense in a time of attack. She had her special bow and a single golden arrow with red feathers that she would always make sure to get again if she ever used it.

Her fiancé, Lee was the Protector. He was the most trustworthy and noblest of all of us and he would give his life to protect not only the council but also the entire village. He could always be told apart by the large ram’s horns that he wore on his head along with his armor instead of a helmet.

Then there were Hinata the Dreamer, and Neji the Wise. Through her dreams Hinata told of the good things that would happen when she saw them and with his mirror Neji foretold of terrible events so they could be stopped before they started. Their positions in the court were the Oracles and the mirror was both of their symbols for sometimes Hinata could see short images of good things in pools of Water as well.

Temari remained the Dancer of the court and provided entertainment as well as helping Shikamaru in strategies where he was unsure. Together the two grew quite close and they were unstoppable strategists. Being from the land of Wind she wore intricate cloths of the desert when she danced and her symbol, the crab, was emblazoned on the back of her gigantic fan.

Last was Kiba the Defender. He was gentle to all creatures especially Akamaru and when it came to the protection of animals that were in danger around the village, he was called to duty as well as when it came to protecting and defending the village itself.

And so we were the Twelve Guardians. The village was happy, there was almost no crime, and not many if any at all were poor. It was a few years after life became almost perfect when winter suddenly became harsher than usual. That year the crops were smaller, animals were scarcer, and the poor began to be noticed more. Everyone began to lack and so the council was summoned together.

We had decided after some discussion that we would take less. The Council had always had the same amount of provisions as the villagers unless the citizens themselves insisted on giving gifts but even so we had less. The council chambers where we met were stripped. Though even the palace where the council met had never been lavishly furnished we still had some things that we had bought before we came to Konaha. As well as gifts that had been given to us from villagers. Some were simple and others were rare and intricate. A lot were hand made but we took them and we sold them.

There were some we kept, personal items that had a very high and memorable significance, things such as the samurai sword, the scale, the fan, the mirror, and a few other possessions but most was sold. With the money we bought food and distributed it evenly. If one family had less because of bad crops they got a little more than the family who had better crops and more food. That way everyone was even and the villagers agreed and understood.

Of course there were people of the village who had to rent houses and the money went to cloths, houses, and food for the entire village… normally. However this year many did not have enough money for they could not hunt or their food supply was low and so the council decided upon it and those who were renting did not have to pay until the hard times were over.

Having sold almost everything and going without more than usual, one of the Council members got worried. The Council was running low and fast and no one was permitted to take from the money reserves for the villagers. Sasuke felt that there was a problem and he felt that he knew the best and only way to fix it.

He came to the king and told him of his thoughts. Sasuke believed that if they started to cut down on what they gave the villagers then they would have all they needed. Naruto however did not feel the same way. He would have rather done without instead of taking away from the citizens. A dispute arose even though Sasuke defended his idea saying that they need only take a tiny amount from each person and they would be fine.

They of course looked to Neji and Shikamaru for council. The Keeper of Balance foresaw that it was an idea that could work but what happened if the supplies got lower? They would have to keep taking more and more from the villagers to be satisfied. Neji too could see this and he saw war and fighting in the future through the mirror. So it was decided that all was to stay as it was.

The long winter passed and though for a long time the council did without they knew it was for the greater good of the people. Nothing bad happened, no fights and no war. People even shared if others ran too low too quickly and it was not their fault. It was soon spring and the crops thrived. The snow had rejuvenated the Earth and the animals had returned, turning everything back to how it had been before the winter months.

However Sasuke was more unhappy then he had been. He felt betrayed by the council, feeling that they had looked down upon him. He, the one who should have had the best ideas, and the one who the king should have listened to. And so his anger grew. In his anger he began making bad decisions as well as giving wrong advice and so it seemed to him more and more that the council was deserting him, and pushing him away.

So he decided it one night. He was going to make them listen... by taking control. He plotted while he went about his usual business and the closer he came to his plans the more furious he became and in turn the darker his heart was becoming. Neji looked often in his mirror as usual and saw something bad coming, but it was faded and foggy, and he could not tell what it was.

It was not long before Sasuke had made his secret plans. That was a mistake for his part. As cunning and devious as Sasuke was there was no stopping it. Whenever a secret is made, a scroll or book will suddenly appear in the archives telling of the secret and all that goes into it. If someone is told this secret or knows it as well, their name will be written on the scroll along with what they have to do with the secret below it. Well Sasuke had created a secret, and so one day it was Temari who found out.

Temari was only the dancer and so she often had free time. She would go into the library and scan the rows of secrets and knowledge as long as Lee, the protector of the most sacred secrets, allowed her to. So she had almost memorized every secret and book in the archives. However one day she came upon a scroll. It was not like other scrolls and instead of being normal parchment it was black with gold.

Temari was a curious sort and fearing that Lee might keep her from this particular scroll, she took it and left the library without my knowing, going to her quarters. When she opened it, she froze. The words on the scroll were in gold, a slanted and snake-like penmanship. It read:



Creator: Sasuke Uchiha

I am going to remove the king. On the night of the full moon I plan to go to my bedchamber early after supper in the great hall. Under a false pretense of an illness I will ask to be left to sleep. Midnight is when all will be asleep and that is when I shall strike. After midnight is when the spell of sleep is always cast over the land by the bookkeeper, so that there can be no late night wrong-doing in the village, so no one will see me.

The king will be snoring most peacefully in his chambers and nothing will be able to wake him. I will make sure of that by slipping him a little potion in his water at dinner. Lit only by the light of the moon I can carry the sleeping king out into the courtyard.

It will be quick and easy. There is no need for a knife or sword, that will only be needed if he awakens. Instead I shall take a different approach. I shall push him into the river, attaching to a branch a piece of that idiot Lee’s uniform. Sakura may believe him but I will not be blamed.

However that will not be good enough. Slipping into the palace once more I need only to gather items, clothing anything that would make it look like the council members rose up against their leader in the night and drowned him. The ones I hate most of all, those who turned against me most. Neji, Shikamaru, that stupid little peacemaker Hinata oh yes and Kiba, for he was the one who banned hunting in certain areas so that ‘the population will not die out or go away’. To make this more believable I will hit my old friend on the head to seem as if he was knocked unconscious.

That poor and insignificant little bookkeeper will be forced to break the council and turn on her friends. Then once it has been broken I shall take up the throne and then no one will be able to bash my ideas aside. They will all have to obey me…

Temari had finished reading it, her hands trembling in the candlelight of her room. But then to her surprise she suddenly saw something moving in black on the page. It was as if an invisible hand was writing in the same slanted handwriting on the page. She watched as it spelled out the name:



Temari:

She knows the secret…





Temari was terrified and she knew only one person she could tell at this point. She rushed to Shikamaru's room where she locked the door. She told him everything and showed him the scroll as proof. Wise Shikamaru knew only one thing to do. He decided to stop Sasuke before anything could start. He warned Temari not to tell the others for if they knew of Sasuke’s betrayal panic would break out in the council and then the village.

She tried to warn him of what might happen for Sasuke had a grudge against him more than some of the others, he was a target, and Sasuke was going to try to frame him. He assured her he would be alright and made her swear not to come after him for she might get hurt.

Temari finally agreed and so left and reading the scroll she saw even more words underneath a name:



Shikamaru:

She has told him of the secret, and now he is going to try to keep it from becoming truth...




The day of the full moon was one day away and so finally the image became clear to Neji in his mirror. The horror he saw knocked him off of his feet. Images of Sasuke, putting poison in Naruto's drink, pushing him in the water, and falsely accusing his friends... even his sister! But it was worse, now he saw his friends in there as well. Shikamaru and Temari being killed by Sasuke and his other friends, Ino, Choji, and his sister as well. All of his friends he saw dieing at the hand of the Adviser but suddenly he heard footsteps and a voice in his chambers.

Before he knew what had happened darkness took Neji and when he awoke he saw Sasuke smiling in the Darkness and walking towards the door of a cell. The door shut and there was a click and Neji found himself chained to the wall facing his also chained mirror in the top of the highest tower.

Being chained where he was Neji was forced to face his mirror and so he saw in it a swirling darkness, one that was so impenetrable a terrible fear began to swell inside of him.

In the meantime, Sasuke began to set his plan into motion, setting everything up and going over his plan over and over again in his head. It had to be perfect.

The night of the full moon came far too soon and so Sasuke believed he was ready as did Shikamaru. Hinata had been very worried having not seen her brother since the previous day but Sasuke assured her that he had very important business to attend to in the village.

After dinner was finished then it was time for Sasuke to get the drinks and for Shikamaru to serve as always. It was time to start the plan to dispose of the foolish prince.

Shikamaru had not told the King, in fact no one who knew had told him. So Naruto was perfectly happy during dinner. Sasuke got out the drinks in the kitchen, adding the sleeping potion to the king’s glass. It was easy to make sure the king was the one poisoned for he always had a glass that was larger and fancier than the others. So, believing that no one other than Neji knew of his betrayal, Sasuke foolishly handed the tray of drinks to Shikamaru.

He of course knew what to do as did Temari. He pretended to accidentally knock over one of the other’s glass and so took the tray into the kitchen to refill. It looked believable and Sasuke suspected nothing. In the kitchen he refilled the spilled glass and dumped Naruto's out. He took another one of the king’s glasses and refilled it perfectly.

Shikamaru apologized and gave everyone their drinks. Sasuke knew that the poison would not kick in until midnight so he was perfectly happy thinking his plan was falling into place.

Well midnight was approaching and Shikamaru was ready as he went to see the King who he found in his room. He quickly told him that he needed to be in the village for a gathering at midnight for a dispute about a certain clan. Of course he was lying but Naruto believed him and so safely departed unnoticed. Shikamaru knew he would be back in at least a few hours but that should be enough.

By now Hinata had had enough. She decided that she was going to go look for her brother but she knew she might need protection and some help. So she went to the house of Choji and Ino. They were delighted to help her find her brother so Ino took in hand her spear and started off with Hinata.

Choji on the other hand was going to ask Shikamaru, being his his most trusted friend and adviser, to help with the mysterious hunt. But he found his quarters unoccupied. He was about to leave thinking that his friend was in the library but something shiny caught his gaze. It was Shikamaru’s scale.

This was very strange to Choji for he knew Shikamaru almost never left without his scale. It showed the balance between good and evil and his friend even took it to his meals. So he decided that he would take it for his friend would not mind and if he saw him along the way he could give it to him. Choji departed and soon caught up with the others who were headed for town.

Now we return to Sasuke. He had gone to his quarters early as his plan had said and so now it was almost midnight. He got on his armor, but the light kind and took up his sword in hand. He waited until it was midnight and then after all the lights had gone out… he crept out of his chambers.

Not everyone was asleep however. Hinata, Ino, and Choji had been told that Neji had not come to the village anytime in the past four weeks even by a villager and so they had returned to search the castle. In fact, though they did not know it until later, the trio had just narrowly missed Sasuke.

Now is where I came in. Lee had been looking through the archive of secrets as usual and he saw something was out of place and there was a new scroll, even if it was very small. Upon reading it he found that it said that Temari had taken an unknown scroll to her room which was now hidden on the third floor in a closet that was rarely used.

Lee took the scroll and went to search for the other. He soon found it and of course opened it. The moment he read the first section he ran back to seek my council. I took the scroll and read the part about Sasuke. I was taken aback but understood somehow how it had happened.

I saw that the scroll continued and soon read that Temari knew and how Shikamaru was going to try to stop Sasuke. I realized then that Naruto was still safe and that what Shikamaru had done so seemingly clumsily at dinner was on purpose. It said how he had lied to the King so he would safely leave.

But that was not all and I now had a sort of secret of my own. Not only was my own name now scribbled in the snake-like writing with the words ‘she knows too’ but there was also another entry:




Neji:

He learned of the betrayal through his mirror and now Sasuke has locked him in the highest tower’s cell. He is forced to see into his mirror and the horror that could come.




Lee had read this as well and they both new that many of their friends were in grave danger. Shikamaru was going to try and stop Sasuke on his own, and it said that he made Temari not try to help. Neji was locked in the tower and they soon found out something worse.

They heard a noise, as if someone had stumbled outside and Lee went to the window. He called me over and we saw Hinata, Ino, and Choji heading towards the towers. They would not find Neji for a while for his was farther back but they would need assistance for I feared then that Sasuke was waiting there…

But at the moment he was not. He crept in to the chamber of the King and slowly made his way silently to his bed where he could see his friend’s figure. Sasuke was about to pull up the covers when he heard something like a half laugh and half smirk. He pulled the covers and found… pillows?

Sasuke turned in rage and his sword clashed against another’s. Shikamaru came out of the shadow and in to the light that was coming through the window from the full moon.

Sasuke’s anger only grew at seeing that not only was the King gone, and that someone knew his plans but that the person that knew was the lazy and good-for-nothing Keeper of Balance.

Sasuke tried to force the samurai to drop his sword but Shikamaru had strength even if less than Sasuke and he held firm.

Sasuke offered his compliments that Shikamaru would find out about his plan and Shikamaru intern told him to thank Temari for she was the one who found the scroll in the archive of secrets. Cursing Sasuke realized that anyone could find out now… of course by the look in the young samurai’s eyes the two had not told anyone.

So he decided that he would have to get rid of this secret keeper who dared to clash swords, and he would have to do it quickly…

By now Hinata and the others had scanned many of the towers but just as they sat down on some flat rocks to rest they heard a clang and a shout from somewhere above. They could not tell where it was and so they stood up again but suddenly Choji heard a crack.

He turned to where it had come from and froze. It had come from behind him so the others had not heard it; however behind him was the scale that he had set on a rock.

The only thing was… there was a large crack going through one of the dishes where items were put to be weighed and it was on the side of light…

He could think of only one thing and that was Shikamaru. Something told him that wherever that yell had come from that was where Shikamaru was. He told the others that they should hurry and find Neji and they agreed. They searched tower after tower and soon there were only about five left…

In the meantime Neji was still in his tower. He was too far away to hear the call of his friends and to weak to answer when he did. He was horrified for there was only one thing he could always see and that was the mirror.

He had began to see shadowy figures clashing what he believed were swords and he could feel that one was in a rage and the other was beginning to falter. It scared Neji for he did not even know who they were though he believed one to be Sasuke… the one who was winning.

He felt that his heart could not take to see if anything happened to his friends and he began to see other images as well. A group of people. The only one that he was able to make out was his sister and they seemed to be close. He then heard their calls and he was pretty sure who the others were.

He then saw someone… was it the bookkeeper? And what he thought might be Lee. He saw them leave and come back with others…

Neji was correct. After what we had learned and read Lee and I went to go find the others. We awoke Kiba and Akamaru along with Tenten and then we began to prepare. Lee got his armor on, I took my book of spells, and Tenten took up her bow ready to protect all of our friends. We headed for the towers and towards the others…

Shikamaru was still fighting Sasuke when we were gathering our forces. He had held up for the most part even injuring Sasuke’s right leg, but Sasuke had one thing that the samurai lacked, and that was a good stamina. Shikamaru had never been one for offense and usually defended with his sword while the others took the lead and now Sasuke was gaining for his anger drove him forward.

Shikamaru still held up though even though his arm was injured slightly along with other small cuts, but he had a job to do. If Sasuke was not defeated all his friends could die. The council would break… and the village would fall.

No... That would not happen. But this was still not enough. Many times Sasuke knocked the sword from his opponents hand and Shikamaru was only just able to retrieve it in time. But this was bound not to happen eventually… and it did… This was when the scale cracked…

Choji began to become even more worried as he still did not encounter his friend and he feared the worst. He was right. Sasuke left the king’s chambers after hearing the others and now finished with his job he decided to meet them at Neji’s tower.

And meet them he did. By now we had met the others and explained as best we could. We told them what Shikamaru had planned to do and where Neji was. They all listened and after we finished we all decided that we must find Neji. We were headed for another tower when we spotted him… Sasuke…

We were all ready but we suddenly realized that someone was missing. We shrugged and prepared for the battle that was to come as Sasuke drew his sword with and evil grin in the shadows.

Now Neji could bear it no longer. Not only had almost all of his friends gathered to fight and he was locked up but before they had come, even before Sasuke had come, something had happened. In his mirror the image that had once been of fighting became suddenly black. He waited and then a flash of red appeared only for a second on the screen and he knew something was wrong.

But all was not as it seemed. It was true Sasuke had stabbed Shikamaru, but the blow was not fatal. It was when he was about to re-strike when suddenly his sword was backed aside by something black and rectangular. Temari had felt that something was wrong and so broke her vow. She knew where he would be but it was long before she reached him and yet… it was just in time. Temari bashed Sasuke aside where he hit the wall from the sneak attack. Shikamaru who was now unconscious lying with his back against the wall on the floor, his eyes closed.

Temari went over to him and found that he was still alive. Sasuke however snuck up on her and was about to attack when he heard a commotion outside. To his horror he saw all of us, Hinata, Ino, Choji, Lee, Tenten, Kiba, and even I was heading for the tower with Neji in it. He felt that his job was done well enough for now and so he left then and cut the group off before they reached the tower.

This is where the fight began. I asked Sasuke to stop his foolishness for already people have most likely been hurt, people that used to be his friends. However Sasuke would not listen instead he was about to throw me aside when Lee stepped in. their swords clashed but neither struck a blow.

Neji could see a new duo fighting and he feared for his friends. He struggle against his bonds and struggled to get free but it was no use. He was able to start but he could not get free. So he watched on hoping for the best…

Sasuke was angry. How could this fool be starting to beat him? It was true. Tired from his first fight Sasuke was starting to lose the upper hand of the fight. But he decided there was no use for honor in such a fight. Suddenly and before Lee could react, Sasuke dodged his attack and headed for the others. Hinata was his target for she was the weakest and the others were farther away from her.

Neji’s eyes widened. No… it could not be? It was his sister… he heard Hinata scream and again there was a streak of red that flashed for a second across the darkness of the mirror and that was enough. Neji could no longer sit there. He pulled and pulled at the chains and used his chakra to weaken them. There was no way he would be held in and… BANG!

Neji was on his hands and knees panting for a moment before he got the strength to stand. He had done it… he had broken free and now he would go kill Sasuke for what he had done to his sister… or would he?

As before everything was not as it seemed. Sasuke was inches away from killing Hinata when something had stopped him. Hinata opened her eyes and who should stand in frot of her? Guarding and protecting her? She screamed as she saw that Sasuke’s sword had gone into Kiba who was the only one close enough to protect her, but he did not have enough time to deflect the attack.

Kiba took hold of the sword and pulled it out, breathing heavily and Hinata fell to her knees. She had been useless and now he had defended her. Kiba took out his bow and arrow and aimed it at Sasuke who only laughed.

How could they work against him when Kiba was in such a frail state and he could easily dodge? Well the grin wiped from his face soon when an arrow stuck into his shoulder from behind. Kiba smiled as Sasuke spotted Tenten and Lee now charging up from behind. I had awakened now and was beginning to recite a spell. It would be able to stop Sasuke but not kill him for I did not wish to hurt my friend. The spell however took complete concentration and it would be a while so the others had decided to distract Sasuke.

Ino stayed behind with her husband to protect me but soon it was clear that at least one would be needed. Tenten had been hit on the head and lay unconscious on the ground, Kiba trying to fight with his wound and failing and only Lee was left to truly attack our adversary.

Ino was about to go but instead Choji stepped in front. He told her that she must protect me if any of them were to survive and Sasuke to be defeated and he had a debt to settle with Sasuke for what he had done. Ino tried to stop him but Choji took out an ax that he had been hiding and smiled at his wife telling her not to worry. He was a farmer, but he had learned to fight nonetheless.

It was now that Neji had come out. He saw that his sister was fine and at seeing one another the two hugged. Hinata told her of what Kiba had done for her and Neji saw the wound he had been given in the process. Neji decided then that he was going to help. While Lee was distracting Sasuke with what chakra he had left, Neji used the sacred art of the gentle fist. This power had come to him and his sister when the spirits fused their power with the two also giving them the Byakugan which allowed then their visions.

Just as Sasuke turned around Neji hit him on the right side of his chest with the palm of his hand. This sent chakra, the life force of our people, into him and it shut off that section of his chakra network. Sasuke stumbled backwards and in his rage he threw his sword at Neji who was now on the ground, his sister at his side, exhausted.

But worse was to come, once again fate was against some and helping others. How many more innocent friends would be hurt because they tried to protect their friends? At least one more…

Choji had seen the throw and with his ax he deflected it while it was far from the others, but Sasuke would not have his strike go in vane. As Choji was about to pick up the ax he had thrown Sasuke got to his sword first and as Choji stood he slashed at his side.

From afar Ino screamed, seeing her husband fall she ran towards him and the others with her spear in hand. But Sasuke saw her flaw… I was alone now... unprotected. I was feeling strained and tired from the spell but it was going to be at least a little longer.

However, though many were now injured, with their friends at their side… fate seemed not to allow a death and just as Sasuke was about to break through the protective barrier I had made for protection, the most unlikely of things happened…

Sasuke’s sword was stopped, but not in the way it had been stopped by the others… no… someone had caught it between his hands. As my spell was ready to be cast I opened my eyes and saw Sasuke with his sword pointing towards me, and someone, his yellow hair looking gold in the moonlight, holding it steady with his hands.

It was Naruto, our King of Konaha and as I looked at his face when he turned around he was smiling. His voice when he spoke was calm and not accusing. He asked Sasuke why he had done it. Why he had tried, not to kill him, but to kill his friends... Why had he hurt them?

Sasuke did not answer and tried to stab at Naruto but the king brought out his own sword and stopped Sasuke’s.

He tried to move it aside but could not. Naruto asked again, this time he started to step forward, pushing Sasuke back. With an angry yell Sasuke clashed his sword against Naruto's and he told him how he wanted to get even. How the council had pushed him away. It had not bothered him at first but then they continued, they said it was best for the village but all that we were trying to do was get rid of him.

Naruto said that that was not true and Sasuke accused him of lying for his own greed. But Naruto stayed calm. He just looked at his friend with his caring blue eyes and Sasuke’s force began to slacken a bit.

I watched as Naruto told him why they had not accepted his ideas. He told Sasuke that he could see it bothered him but he could do nothing about it. He only wanted the best for the village and he knew that Sasuke did as well, but it was an easy mistake to think that one thing might work but it will not.

Sasuke denied this statement, saying that he was right and they could not see it. But Naruto just shook his head. He explained that that was exactly why he had created a council. He had learned long ago that because of one’s point of view, whatever it is he or she is going to do would seem right for the situation. But others see different parts. For instance Shikamaru had seen that taking from the people would eventually lead to the council taking more and more, and Kiba had known that if they hunted too much the animals would leave or become too few.

Sasuke had not known this because of his experience. Kiba spent a lot of time with animals and Shikamaru and Neji could see what would happen after time had passed, Neji with his mirror and Shikamaru with the calculations in his mind. Sasuke began to understand and he let his sword and his arm dangle at his side.

But… they had betrayed him… or did they? Sasuke began to ponder what Naruto had said. There was something in the way Naruto was acting, how he had said it and the look of concern in his eyes that made Sasuke know… he was not lying.

Naruto looked at Sasuke in a strange way and Sasuke stared back as if he did not know what to say and then… Naruto held his hand out. Sasuke hesitated a moment but then I nodded at him as if to forgive him of what he had done and then he took Naruto's hand and they shook in agreement. It was then that I noticed something in Sasuke’s eyes… or more so something that was not there. The anger had left them and now there was friendship and some concern

What about the others? Sasuke was now filled with guilt. He turned to see them. Tenten was helping up a tired Neji, Ino standing beside Choji who was lying on the ground, and Hinata and Lee standing over Kiba looking worried. Where Temari and Shikamaru were… he could not be sure.

At the thought of his friends the way they were he suddenly fell to the ground on his knees. What had he done? For all he knew any one of them could be dead… by his hand… his sword, and it was all because he had wanted power…

It was at this moment that my jutsus, as we called the spells, was ready to be cast. In a single moment light engulfed Sasuke and I and no others could be seen. He was still kneeling and I looked him in the eye. I asked him if he was ready to join us again and he agreed. So I took his hand and light swirled around the both of us until it finally faded and I began to fall from the loss of strength. The king caught me and Sasuke looked at his hands. What had happened?

It was then that I told him I had purified him, taken any darkness that had found its way into his heart during his planning and destroyed it forever. He thanked me and Naruto laughed saying that that was what friends did.

But Sasuke was still not happy. He came up to me then on his hands and knees and bowed to me. He begged to lend his assistance for he knew that if I had the proper chakra I could heal the others, but his might not be enough. I of course agreed and so first went over to Choji. Naruto and Sasuke fallowed and I told Ino that it was alright now. She wiped the tears from her eyes and I put one hand on his chest and the other I took Sasuke’s own hand in.

With the proper incantation my hands glowed green and though I could feel my chakra completely draining, Sasuke lent his and so in a matter of moments Choji sat up weakly and Ino hugged him, thanking us.

We next went over to Kiba. Hinata was listening to his heartbeat. She said that he was alive, but fading. We needed to hurry and I was not sure by the look of Sasuke that we would make it. Kiba was pale, even more so from the ever shining light of the full moon, cast on his pain stricken face. I knew Sasuke must feel awful for his sword had gone deep into the young man and Kiba had still continued to fight on for his friends with the pain. Finally I put my hand to his chest and spoke the incantation. My hands glowed faintly but it still worked and Sasuke added almost all of his chakra. I could feel both of us weakening, but we had to save Kiba.

He was still not getting any better and I feared that he would die. Hinata looked at me worried, looking about to cry. I decided that I could not give up for her sake most of all and Sasuke nodded. My chakra grew and I could feel that it was from Sasuke. Finally just as I was about to give in, it worked.

I finally felt Kiba’s breathing even out and I collapsed to the ground. I was awake, but too tired to do much more than sit where I was. Sasuke on the other hand had given his all. He collapsed to the ground completely unconscious, but alive nonetheless. Kiba may not have woken up but at least he was alive.

Naruto came over to Sasuke and I, and put a hand on both of us. I suddenly felt my strength coming back and Sasuke awoke, even though neither of us could heal anyone else’s injuries, small or not.

But I was still needed. The battle having been finished a shadow began to walk towards us. We could not make out the shape until it came into the moonlight. It was Temari with Shikamaru in her arms. His arms dangled down and Temari was breathing unsteadily, as if she was trying not to show her feelings.

Sasuke suddenly recalled the terrible battle he had had and tried to stand up. As Temari came over she knelt down and set Shikamaru on the ground.

She told us that he was dieing fast, and that we must hurry. But I told her, there was no strength left in me. The look from her eyes was too much to stand though, and so I figured I would try. But just as I spoke the incantation, fearing nothing would happen… a hand grasped mine.

Naruto was giving me his power. He had saved his chakra for he had not battled as the rest of us had and the spell was stronger than ever. In a matter of minutes the samurai groaned a bit and began to breath regularly. Temari thanked us dearly, finally showing her feelings for Shikamaru and we all were happy.

The days that fallowed were good ones. The others awoke after a few days and were fully healed by the next. Shikamaru's scale was repaired and Sasuke said his deepest apologies. The whole story was explained and Sasuke decided it was best to leave his post as adviser, feeling that another deserved his place. It was to my surprise when the council voted me as the new adviser to the King.

I accepted, but also stayed the bookkeeper, and Sasuke was officially knighted the palace head of guard which suited him fine. He was still in the council and the others had forgiven him. In the end everything was fine and even better than was expected. Lee and Tenten who had been engaged finally got married, and Neji was chosen to be Lee’s best man to his surprise.

Temari actually proposed to a stunned Shikamaru who accepted after a bit of time to think about it. Choji and Ino ad wonderful crops that year and Hinata and Kiba? They too got married even with the short notice, the shy flower realizing how much she had really come to love the animal lover over the years and how he too, loved her.

For a long time everything was fine and even in the hard winters we knew what to do, and even Sasuke agreed. Nothing bad ever happened and eventually Temari and Shikamaru married and even I found myself a husband. After that I was called the queen of Konaha as I sat by Naruto, my husband. But everyone in the council would always remember me as the bookkeeper, and that… is who I am.

The End


Notes: The characters that the Naruto personnel are playing are supposed to be the Zodiac signs. I made personalities that differ slightly from those of the original Naruto characters for this Fan-Fiction. I hope you enjoyed! I have made another non-Naruto version and below I have provided a key as to which Naruto character corresponds to which sign, what the signs name is in Japanese and how to pronounce the Japanese names.








Kaniza: Cancer
Otomeza: Virgo
Futago: Gemini
Tenbin: Libra
Oushizo: Taurus
Ohitsuji: Aries
Iteza: Sagittarius
Uoza: Pisces
Sasorizan: Scorpio
Shishizo: Leo
Mizugame: Aquarius
Yagizo: Capricorn
Kamisori: Means Razor
Kihakume: Means Soul Eye
Kusando: Has no meaning, from my mind...


Kaniza: (KAH-nee-zah)
Otomeza: (Oh-TOH-may)
Futago: (Foo-TAH-go)
Tenbin: (TEN-bin)
Oushizo: (Oh- SHEE-zoh)
Ohitsuji: (Oh-HIT-soo-jee)
Iteza: (Ih-TEH-zah)
Uoza: (Oo-OH-za)
Sasorizan: (Sah-SOH-ree-zah)
Shishizo: (Shee-SHEE- zoh)
Mizugame: (Mee-zoo-GAH-may)
Yagizo: (Ya-GEE-zoh)
Kamisori: (kah-mee-SOH-ree)
Kihakume: (kee-HA-koo-mee)
Kusando: (koo- SAHN-doh)


Kaniza: Temari
Otomeza: Sakura
Futago: Neji
Tenbin: Shikamaru
Oushizo: Kiba
Ohitsuji: Lee
Iteza: Tenten
Uoza: Hinata
Sasorizan: Sasuke
Shishizo: Naruto
Mizugame: Ino
Yagizo: Choji
Kamisori: Akamaru
Kusando: Kankurou