Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were walking in a forest near their village, taking a little break from their affairs, and remembering their good old days. Naruto seemed relaxed, Sasuke was sullen as usual, and Sakura was amazed to finally be able to walk beside Sasuke as his girlfriend and not just a teammate.

"It's so cool we tend to take little walks like this every once in a while. It brings back so many good memories of being together!" Naruto smiled.

"I'm glad we three are united again." Sakura beamed.

"You actually mean, you two, right?"

"Ugh, you!" Sakura angrily punched him in the face.

"Ouch!" Naruto winced and fell off.

Sasuke rolled his eyes:

"You still can't understand how to talk with girls, it seems."

"Duh, who's to say! I talk at least. You never actually say anything!"

"Feelings don't need words." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura blushed and chuckled. Naruto too laughed:

"Oh, look, now you suddenly became a romantic, huh?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Naruto crossed his arms:

"See? Here you go again, not talking!"

"I'm at least not the one who never shuts up." Sasuke chuckled, but then he felt someone else's presence. He glanced past Naruto and pushed him, "Get down!"

"What is it_"

Sasuke didn't answer, just took out a shuriken and shot it at a nearby tree. Sakura widened her eyes in fright. Naruto seemed startled as well. The leaves of the tree rustled. A strange, covered-faced, grey-cloaked ninja appeared, fallen down the tree which Sasuke had shot. 

Sasuke frowned. Naruto stood up, frowning as well. The ninja had a samurai hat and a grey veil covering his face. He had girt a huge sword with strange symbols on his back. It was fractal, resembling a fir-tree of steel. He wore black clothes, black boots, a grey cloak, and a bandana with a strange fir-needle sign on it attached to his arm.

"Who are you?" Naruto shouted.

The Grey Ninja didn't answer. He just took out a shuriken and shot it at Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, but Sasuke jumped off and easily dodged the shot.

"Who are you, I asked!" Naruto shouted again. "What do you want?"

"It looks like he's not the one to talk," Sasuke puckered, "and I can't even see his eyes to use my Sharingan on him."

"Well then, let's drop his hat off!" Naruto wove signs, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Five clones of his appeared. They all bellowed and ran towards the Grey Ninja. One of them wanted to hit a fist into the ninja's face and blow his hat off, but the ninja disappeared. He reappeared right behind the clone, kicked it hard, and made it vanish. Then he threw a kunai at another clone, defeating it too. He kicked yet another one and blew wind at the fourth one. However, he couldn't see the one remaining clone and the actual Naruto. He looked around carefully.

"Rasengan!" he heard a cry from above.

As he looked up, the powerful blue energy ball hit him right in the face and hammered him into the ground.

Smoke went up. The clone vanished. Naruto jumped down a tree.

"Let's see who was hiding under that hat..." 

He entered the smoke. Sasuke and Sakura watched it. They heard Naruto's horrified cry.

"Naruto!" they ran towards the smoke.

Soon, the smoke lifted and Naruto became visible. He stood before the fallen ninja, his eyes widened in shock. But it wasn't all - the minute Sasuke and Sakura glanced at the fallen ninja, they gasped - he had the head of an eagle! He had brown feathers, a golden beak, sharp yellow eyes, and a piercing look - he was an eagle-headed monster.

He seemed injured. His veil and hat had fallen off. He touched his beak with his pale hands and noticed he was bleeding. He frowned at the startled opponents. Sakura was dumbfounded, Sasuke - terrified, and Naruto - dreaded.

"So, you are..."

"Quit staring as if you saw a demon!" the Grey Ninja squealed in a creepy voice, "I'm no more of a monster than you or your companion!" he glanced at Sasuke.

"But... How... How's that possible?" Sakura trembled, "You have..."

"Eagle head, I know. If you were so scared of birds you could just leave my hat on me!"

"Man, we're not scared of birds, but you're neither a bird nor a human, and that's kind of creepy..." Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"At least not creepier than having a beast inside your body, or having killing eyes."

"Wait... you know I am a jinchuriki?" Naruto was stupefied, "Where are you from?"

"Faraway lands."

"Why did you attack us?"

"I attacked you?! It was you who hit me with a shuriken!"

"You were spying on us," Sasuke said. "Why?"

"It was my mission."

"Wow... But why exactly us?" Naruto got interested.

"My leader needed to gather information on you, Naruto."

"Wait, you know my name?!"

"Yes. My leader asked me to gather information on a boy named Naruto, who lived in the Hidden Leaf Village, so I sent my eagles to watch your village. Through them, I found out you were the one named Naruto, so I started watching you."

"But why does your leader need me? And, um... is that reason a bad one or?"

"No, nothing bad about it."

"Then why were you spying on us?" Sasuke cut in.

"My leader asked me not to make direct contact with your villagers. This mission of ours is supposed to be kept secret. We wanted to fake Naruto's kidnapping, but I guess I, an eagle, am not the only one with good eyes... I should have considered the chance that you, an Uchiha, could notice me with your sharp eyes."

"How do you know he's an Uchiha?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I told you, my eagles told me everything about your village."

"Your eagles talk?!"

"Only with me. I'm an eagle whisperer due to this head."

"What's your mission, anyway?" Sasuke asked.

"I must take Naruto to my leader. She knows the details. She is the organizer of our missions. She will explain the rest. You can follow me by will, but if not, I will have to take you by force."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sakura.

"Don't believe him, I don't like this..." Sakura frowned, "Maybe it's a trap?"

Naruto nodded, and turned back to the ninja:

"Listen, I don't know who you or your leader are, but if you don't explain to me what you want, I'm not quite sure I can trust you enough to follow you!"

The ninja sighed:

"Then, we will have to sort this out with violence."

He squealed, took out his enormous sword, and swung it at Naruto. Naruto widened his eyes, but the sword never struck him - Sasuke's sharp blade opposed it and parried the attack.

"Oh, so, apart from having sharp eyes, you also seem to be a good swordsman!" Nao Lin, for he was exactly that eagle-headed ninja, grinned, "Well then, let's see how good you are at that!"

The battle with swords began.

"Sasuke!" Sakura got worried.

"Don't just stand there!" Sasuke frowned, parrying the attacks of the Grey Ninja, "Go on and warn the villagers! I will sort this out! Naruto, you should leave too! He mustn't get you!"

"There's no way I'm leaving you behind! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto created hundreds of his clones.

Sakura was still scared and frozen - she couldn't decide what to do. One of Naruto's clones cried to her:

"Warn the village, Sakura! Do as Sasuke says! We will handle this bird!"

"Alright... Be safe, guys! I'll be right back!" Sakura nodded and ran off.

"I will take you even if it costs me my whole energy!"

Nao squealed and swung his sword at Sasuke, not getting his eyes off Naruto at the same time. The shadow clones of Naruto meanwhile bellowed and attacked him. He puckered:

"Oh, so now two ninjas are attacking one, eh? Not a fair fight... Let's see how you can handle this - Grey Spirit Style: Eagle Clone Jutsu!" 

He wove strange signs and released two huge eagles. Naruto and his clones gasped:

"What the heck?! What kind of jutsu is that?!"

"That's my kind of jutsu." Nao grinned and parried Sasuke's attack.

The giant eagles released by him squealed and flapped their wings, raising a huge wind. The typhoon blew off Naruto's clones, making them vanish. Naruto was sent flying and hit a tree hard. He coughed, but stood up nevertheless:

"Stupid birds are not enough to defeat me. Rasengan!"

A big energy ball was created in his hand. He blew it at one of the eagles, injured it hard, and made it vanish.

"You have a strong Rasengan, I see..." Nao frowned, and swung his sword at Sasuke, "I think I need to sort this out otherwise. You two are strong ninjas. I cannot defeat you alone, I admit. I need heavier artillery. I hope normal guys will answer the radar..." he started muttering for himself: "Calling Lin Clan. Boys, whoever is free, help me out here! It's the Grey Ninja!"

"What are you mumbling there?! Want some more? Rasengan!" Naruto shot the other eagle clone and it vanished as well. "There you go! Now you surrender?"

Sasuke and the Grey Ninja had a heavy fight, so the ninja didn't answer Naruto. But he still got his reply from behind:

"Actually, the battle is not over yet. It is just the beginning."

"Huh?" 

Naruto looked back and started - another ninja with a fir-needle bandana! This one had pitch-black spiky hair with two strands risen up resembling devilish horns, and three long tresses dropped down his back. He wore black clothes, black boots, and a pitch-black cloak. He had pitch-black nails, pale hands, crystal blue eyes, and three black painted lines on each of his cheeks, giving him a more savage look.

Sasuke started. The Grey Ninja noticed his distraction and swung his sword at him. Sasuke turned around and parried the attack, but couldn't hold balance and fell off. The Grey Ninja grinned, but when he saw the Black Ninja had appeared, he turned annoyed:

"Ugh, not you..."

The Black Ninja smirked:

"Well, our youngest brother was occupied, so, you have to rely on me, grey bird."

"You will pay for that insult later." the Grey Ninja frowned. "Now help me get this blondie to the leader. He's the one named Naruto."

The Black Ninja grinned and looked at Naruto:

"Oh, so you're Naruto, huh? Let's get down to business, then!"

Naruto grew enraged:

"I don't know who the heck you guys are, but I will take you both down, believe it! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Ah, shadow clones? That's a pretty easy trick, you know..." the Black Ninja yawned. "Bring it on, child."

"Who you're calling a child?!"

Naruto's clones rushed towards the strange ninja, but when they approached him, he grinned, wove strange signs, and cried:

"Black Spirit Style: Dark Illusions!"

Sasuke heard Naruto's despaired cry.

"Naruto!" 

He looked back in worry. The Grey Ninja caught the moment and kicked him hard, knocking him to the ground.

Naruto appeared in immense darkness. He could hear Sasuke's cries, but they faded soon enough, and he was left alone in blackness. He could not move, nor could he snap out of it.

"What is it?! What is happening to me?!"

"Naruto..." he heard a voice... of his father!

"Huh? Dad?!" he desperately looked around, noticing his father and mother, all in blood!

"Naruto... We failed you, Naruto..." Minato coughed out blood, "You are alone, because of us."

"What... what you're saying?! I'm not alone! I have my friends, father, and you! You both! In my heart!"

"No, Naruto... Your friends... they're dead..." Kushina coughed as well.

"What?!" Naruto widened his eyes.

He looked aside and gasped in shock - all of his friends lay on the ground, stained with blood, lifeless: Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Kakashi Sensei, Iruka Sensei, Shikamaru, Gaara, all of them - the whole village, and the other villages!

"No... This can't be happening... No!!!"

"It is over... It is over, Naruto. They all are dead, you cannot help them..." A heart-piercing cackle echoed in the darkness.

"No!!!" Naruto fell to his knees, tears wetting his cheeks, "No..."

His vision went blurred. He fainted.