The gentle drops of water poured from the dark sky which hid away the gentle face of the sun. They gathered on the roof of a magnificent temple that lay hidden amongst the trees of a majestic mountain. There was a stone path along the front of the temple, leading to a flight of stairs that led to another path heading towards the bottom of the tall mountain. Due to the cold temperature, fog had gathered around this mountain.

However, as hidden as it was, a beautiful garden belonging to the priests and priestesses of the temple situated. The bonsai that grew in the garden was beautiful and healthy, its branches arched in a crooked yet graceful manner. There were a lot of other flowers that hid shyly within the fog, hiding their pretty petals.

The wind's breeze played with the curtains and bells, making them sway gently. It caused the bells to chime, and their beautiful sound echoed throughout the compound. Incense burned in front of an altar, its sent permeating throughout the entire chamber.

The silence of the chamber was broken by the beats of drips, and they came from the soaking garments of a certain intruding individual. He donned a hooded cape that completely hid his form and face from view. The man was tall, thanks to the tall teeth of his geta (the wooden slippers' stands), and by his side was a katana paired with a daisho. Calm and composed, he approaches the altar without regard of his drenched state, ignoring the wet trail he had left behind him.

Once he was in front of the statue of the god of the temple, he places his hands together and bows respectfully to the stature in front of him.

"Stranger, you must be a fervent believer of Bishamonte-*sama to come all the way here to pay your respects," a priest dressed all in black cheerfully remarks. He was a man of average height but underneath all that clothing, he has quite a muscular stature.

"My belief in Bishamon has been instilled in me since I was a child. My faith has not once wavered," replied the hooded figure.

The priest chuckles.

"So, what brings you all the way here, stranger? It's unusual for someone to come all the way here just to say a prayer so early in the morn."

For a moment the stranger said nothing, perhaps he contemplated if he should divulge information regarding his mission. But afterwards, he turns to face the kind priest who continued to smile warmly at him. Removing his hood, the stranger reveals himself to be a beautiful woman. The priest couldn't help but gawk.

The stranger's face was pale from lack of sunlight, but her skin appeared as smooth as porcelain. Her eyes were as bright orange as the dawn and as fiery as fire. However, they were as calm and composed as the waters of the lake on a windless day. Her hair appeared tied back and it was as dark as the darkest night with no sign of light. She had locks of hair that framed her face.

"Kind sir, I am currently searching for the village hidden amongst the leaves, Konohagakure," her calm, melodious voice replies.

"Why do you seek that village?" the priest asks calmly. "Are you a warrior, as I can see that you have two katanas and a daisho. Only samurais carry such things, only that you carry a ln extra katana."

The woman frowns.

"Sir, I hope that you're not inquiring for conspiracy."

Smiling, the priest chuckles at her response, amused.

"There's no conspiracy here, young lady," he calmly replied. "It's just that you're in time for a festival, especially that it's a new year the day after tomorrow—Oshogatsu."

The woman turns back to the statue without saying another word. Her fiery eyes gaze at it calmly, perhaps contemplating on things that were running through her thoughts. She remained composed the entire time until her lips began moving.

* * * * * * * *

"Naruto!!" a pink-haired girl yells loudly, resonating throughout the snowy village. 

She wore a red jacket that had fur on around the edges of the hoodie. But underneath was her usual sleeveless red qipao dress that reaches her upper thighs, with white trimmings and a white circular design on the back tied with a black obi. The top was paired with black shorts underneath the dress, black gloves, and grey elbow and knee protectors. 

The girl stood tall with her fist resting on her hip, while glaring at her blond friend who was stooping over a smashes vase. Her face was twisted with disgust and frustration, and her fist white from her grip. 

Trembling before her was an eighteen-year-old, blond shinobi with short spiky hair and three lines on each of his cheeks. The boy was tall with a black elastic forehead protector around his head. Over his pants and sandals, he wears a black uniform jacket with an orange zipper and buttons on the waist and sleeves, which can be folded up at times. He has a red armband with an Uzumaki crest on his left arm.

"*Gomenasai, Sakura-*chan! It was an accident, I swear!" Naruto cried, scratching the back of his head.

"You should have been more careful with that vase, seriously!" she scolded him as she face palmed. "Anyways, you'll have to apologize to Tenten!"

Naruto groans nervously.

"Why does this stuff always happen to me. . ."

"Just learn more to be careful already," sighed Sakura, bending down to collect the broken porcelain pieces from the snow-covered ground.

"Man, you guys sure are loud for eighteen-year-olds," groaned a ninja, donning the village's standard Konoha-nin uniform with green-lined mesh armour on his wrists and ankles and the plate of his forehead protector sewn into his left sleeve.

"Some things just never change, huh?" a feminine voice remarks, chuckling afterwards.

"Shikamaru! Ino! Choji!" Naruto greets his friends. 

The ninja grinned back, but rather more calmly compared to Naruto's. 

Ino was a pretty blond whose tied hair reaches until her waist while her bangs cover her right eye. Ino's outfit is slightly more revealing as she discards her forehead protector and bandages while exposing her midriff and wears mesh armour on her thighs, elbows and knees. Choji was their plump friend with swirled markings on his cheeks. The ninja also has spiky, brown hair that reaches waist-length He sports a red suit with plated armour on his torso, arms, and upper legs, having the same kanji for "food" on the front. 

"Naruto, the Hokage was calling for you," said Choji, his fists on his hips.

Naruto's eyes widened with excitement. "Something up?"

The ninja shrugs his shoulders.

"Don't ask me, but you better hurry. He seemed pretty excited about it," he replied.

"Alright!" the blond exclaimed, suddenly all pumped up. "Gotta see Pervy Sage! *Ja ne!"

Before Sakura could do anything to hold him back, Naruto leaps away swiftly and is long gone in moment's time. 

From his view, Naruto could see the entire village, Konohagakure. It was a beautiful village, flourishing with trees and other plant life. But the cold and ice have driven the life to hibernation, waiting patiently waits for the return of the sun. Standing on the pole steadily, the boy could see the Hokage Rock, a mountain that overlooked the village. On it, the faces of the five Hokages were carved on it, the fifth belonging to his teacher and now honored Hokage.

"Ah, Naruto!" cried Jiraiya when he saw the blond ninja walk in from the front door. He seemed to be examining some papers in his hand, while his assistant's snake-like eyes simply gazes at Naruto with a looked that seemed to say, 'he's an idiot, completely incompetent with his work.' But at the same time, he was clearly amused with his friend's frustration.

"I hope you didn't call Naruto-*kun here just to help you with—"

"Shut it, Orochimaru!" snapped Jiraiya, irritably throwing a bunch of papers at his friend. "You're seriously being a pain in the ass!"

"I'm simply trying to protect Naruto-kun from your idiocy and senseless humor," the man chuckles slyly.

The handsome man had soft facial features that were comparable to a youth, his skin being fair though with black markings around his eyes which somehow points to his nose. He ties his silky, long, black hair in a loose ponytail but allows two locks to frame the sides of his face. He donned plain white haori with a black polo and pants underneath. 

Jiraiya had a kind face, always cheerful, and his face was painted with two red lines on either side of his face. Seeing Naruto lifted his mood completely. He donned in the Hokage outfit, consisting of the traditional white headpiece and haori, along with a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which he wore mesh armour that is visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side.

"Neh, Pervy Sage, Choji told me that you had something up. Is it a mission??" Naruto asks excitedly.

The Hokage laughs.

"No, actually. I wanted to ask you if we should use special fire jutsus for the New Year! To make things special. After all, it's been a year since the war, and it should be commemorated of the victory of peace throughout the Villages," said the white-haired Hokage, getting up from his seat. Patiently he walks towards Naruto and held the boy's shoulder firmly for a moment, and then lets go. He then playfully wraps his arm around Naruto's neck and leads him out the window.

The blond couldn't help but feel puzzled, wondering what was going on in his teacher's mind. As he gazes at the Hokage, he noticed the pride and joy in his eyes. "Pervy Sage?"

"Do you see the village, Naruto?" Jiraiya asks his student.

Naruto felt baffled by the question, lifting an eyebrow of disbelief.

"Am I supposed to see something?"

"Just answer the question, kid."

Sighing, the boy scrutinizes at the village. He scans the edifices that were screened by trees and wires. They were practically everywhere, their shape and sizes in several different variations. Inside were people: men, women, children, minding their own businesses which was preparing for the new year. He could see the excitement in their faces while they were buying fireworks, trying out firecrackers, cooking snacks and food, and decorating around the town. It would be natural for people to be happy to still be alive after the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

He could feel the cold breeze kiss his cheeks, the touch of the ice floating in the air. The magic of the white snow covered the entire village, but it was kept at a minimum as the sun in the sky shone warmly, although not enough to melt all the ice. However, from under the light, he could see the crystal glitter under the rays of the sun.

"So, what do you see?" Jiraiya, the boy's master asks.

"I see the people of the village," replies Naruto, this time more meaningfully. "They're preparing for the new year and. . they're happy I guess."

"Do you know why they're happy though? It would be natural for them to be happy to celebrate the new year, but deep inside, they're happy to be alive. We would not have any idea what could have possibly happen during the war. There could've been several different outcomes, but now we know we're free and safe from world wide danger. For years we worry for the wellbeing of our village, but through everyone's hard work we were able to gain what we have now. So, as the guardians of this village, don't we have the leisure to at least celebrate a little extravagantly? It's not everyday that we get to celebrate this way anyway," the Hokage explained with a bright but meaningful smile on his face.

Naruto grins in agreement.

"Alright! *Dattebayo!" cried Naruto, suddenly feeling pumped up. He felt proud to stand beside his master, a person whom he could trust and depend on. And just like him, the blond hoped to become a wonderful Hokage someday and protect the village just like the other Hokages before him.

"That's the spirit!" cried Jiraiya, slapping his pupil hard on the back and grinned. "So, got any ideas?" he asks Naruto as they went back inside the office.

"Hmm, let's see. ."

"I suggested that we use dragons as mascots as it is the year of the dragon after all," Orochimaru's voice interrupts the boy's thoughts. "But he thought that it was a terrible idea."

"It is a terrible idea! Who uses dragons nowadays?" exclaims Jiraiya, his face clearly unimpressed.

"But I think that's an awesome idea, actually," Naruto's remark surprised Jiraiya. "Although why are you discussing it just now when the festival starts tomorrow..."

The Hokage glares at his assistant for his suggestion that Naruto accepted so easily, even thinking that it was awesome. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed and jealous, but there was nothing else he could do. All he wanted was to see the smile on his pupil's face, and since it wasn't so bad he didn't have any choice.

"A dragon it is then," he said with a sad face. "Orochimaru! Go get the managers to finalize the dragon fireworks, just as you have already instructed them."

The man smiles and quickly makes a hand sign that made him disappear in an instant, but it didn't faze the other two in the room. Although the Hokage's remark left Naruto stunned.

"Already?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

Jiraiya gives him a disgusted, disapproved look in the eye.

"He actually made pre-preparations for the new year three months ago! Without actually discussing with me! Can you believe it?? Three months??" Jiraiya wailed, throwing his arms around in despair. His student though simply keeps quiet but chuckles nervously as he witnesses his master's state.

* * * * * * * *

Along the wondrous allure of the beauty of crystalized ice were the distorted images of the villages who stood in all their curiosity watching some acrobats practice in the town square. They marveled at the sight, their eyes sparkling in all awe. The children were the most ecstatic; they couldn't wait to see the final performance. The upcoming festival seemed so amazing as people were preparing decorations like never before. Rumors of the arrival of a great dragon mascot was going around amongst the villagers themselves; it seemed they were more aware of what was happening with the preparations for the New Year compared to their ridiculous Hokage.

Amongst the crowd of excited participants, young shinobi assisted in the preparations. Some took care of the decorations, some helped design, and some had fun tasting the food that were full of sweet aroma. Without a doubt the village was incredibly lively, and it surprised Naruto. He roamed through the streets observing people, watching them prepare for the festival that only happens once a year. Although he was often overwhelmed by his very own fangirls, and he had to continuously excuse himself just to get away. Everyone seemed to recognize the young hero.

"*Ohayo, Naruto-senpai!" squealed a kunoichi, who giggled with her friends as they passed by.

"Ohayo!" Naruto replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Ohayo, senpai!" a couple of girls chorused.

"Ohayo!"

"*Konnichiwa, Naruto-senpai!"

"Senpai, are you free later?" another girl asks timidly, who was pushed towards the boy by her friends. She managed to shoot a glare at them as she waited for the blond's answer.

He chuckled.

"Maybe, but I'm planning to hang out with my friends later. Some guys volunteered to make hot pot!" he excitedly exclaimed.

The girl felt down to hear this, but Naruto tried cheering her up by giving her a gentle pat on the head. She felt her cheeks heat up at the sense of his touch, and her heart fluttered when her eyes caught his smile before he went on his way.

Walking down the streets, Naruto explored the new Konohagakure, which was reconstructed after the Fourth Shinobi War. There were many new structures, and a lot of things became more beautiful thanks to the efforts of the villagers. He could hear the laughter coming from the villagers, and the music they made was cheerful. It was so cool that he couldn't help but smile as he observed.

Not far from him was a beautiful ninja, whose dark, blue hair reached to her waist while her bangs were cut right above her eyebrows. Her eyes inherited the generic trait of milky white color, containing their  precious Kekkei Genkai. She donned a light lavender jacket and wore a pair of short dark navy shorts with thigh-high stockings and has changed her regular ninja sandals to black high-heeled boots. Evidently her eyes were stuck on the blond who remained oblivious to her presence as he walked by. Her cheeks burned as her heart pounded inside her chest. She had to keep herself together to avoid fainting.

From the distance, she longed for the boy whom she bore feelings for for many years—for as long as she could remember. She held a package in her hands, with which she kept it so close to her heart. Whatever was in the package seemed really dear to her.

"From whom are you hiding from, Hinata-sama?" an all-familiar voice asks the girl from behind.

She lets out a small gasp at the sound of his voice, quickly whirling around and hiding the package behind her. Her cheeks went red as tomatoes, the girl hoped that her cousin before her didn't see anything.

He looked similar to the girl, having long but brown hair and milky white eyes. He was taller though, naturally, and wore a white jacket to protect himself from the cold. He looked at his cousin warmly, but almost seemed entertained at the sight he was witnessing before him. Unlike  her though, his forehead was covered by his head protector.

"N-Neji-*nii-san!" she stammered.

"What are you doing, Hinata-sama?" the boy asks with a grin, but it quickly disappears and his expression becomes calm again. "Is that Naruto?"

Hinata quickly pulls him back before the blond could notice the two of them, suddenly panting from panic. Desperate, she engages him into a conversation. "U-Um, where's Tenten-san?"

"She's helping prepare for the New Year, apparently. I heard that she was going to be a part of the parade tomorrow night, so they're doing the last minute practice with the costumes," Neji explained calmly, although confused with Hinata's strange behavior. "Aren't you one of the dancers as well? Why aren't you with them"

Hinata's eyes widened in amazement. 

"O-Of course!" she quickly agreed, chuckling nervously. "P-Practice finished early since we memorized the dance steps already, so..."

"I hope that the festival would go smoothly, it would be outrageous if something terrible would interrupt the celebration."

Hinata nods.

"I agree with that, Nii-san," she replied gently. 

Silence ensued after that, and it brought them to recall the war that had occurred a little over a year ago. It was traumatizing and they hope that nothing catastrophic would happen again, only to lose their loved ones in the process. Hinata was grateful. She may still be awkward, but the war allowed her to be at her best. Hopefully, her friends could depend on her more. And perhaps, she would overcome more of her weaknesses.

Turning to Neji, she asks, "By the way, aren't you supposed to be part of the management team?"

"Oh, yes. Then I'll be on my way then," said Neji, stepping back away from the wall to leave, only to glance at Hinata suspiciously. "By the way, is that package for Naruto?"

Hearing this, the girl's neck and face reddened from embarrassment.

"I-It's nothing!" the girl cried, quickly dashing away.

Perplexed, Neji raises an eyebrow but decided to leave Hinata with her own personal problems.

The long-haired kunoichi doesn't look back and didn't realize how far she went until she stopped at her tracks once she felt exhausted. She couldn't believe how scared she was just sensing that she was being confronted about Naruto. Hinata felt very embarrassed that her entire face heats up again because of it. A squeal of frustration escapes her lips, but she quickly recovered from it.

She realizes that she has reached the children's playground where she often used as a place where she indulged herself in her thoughts and in her problems. Recalling a memory from the past, Hinata recalls how much she has been bullied as a child for her eye color. The girl smiles when a younger version of Naruto appears and defends her, only to get beaten up for his courage. It made her feel warm in the chest and the girl smiled at the memory.

Deep in her heart, she wishes that she would have the same confidence Naruto has in order that someday soon, she would be able to tell him her feelings.

As these thought went through her head, she witnesses tiny flakes of snow fall from the cloudy sky.

* * * * * * * *

While everyone else was enjoying the day before New Year's Eve, not everyone had the leisure or option to temporarily be relieved of their duties for the day. Most of the shinobi who were part of the Konoha Military Police and the Anbu Black Ops had to continue doing their usual daily duties, which includes patrolling the village and making sure that no accidents or criminal cases occurred, which may include senseless pranks, standing guard. Several shinobi didn't mind this; their hearts were set on serving their precious village.

But maybe some couldn't help but complain about it.

"Man, we're so unlucky!" cried a disappointed shinobi. "Why did my shift have to happen today??"

As disappointed he was, he couldn't help but smack his forehead on the desk of their post, banging his forehead in a continuous pace. He was alone with the last person he wanted to stay alone with for an entire day since his partner was no fun. Reading was all his partner did, which was practically equal to ignoring him.

Who would want to spend an entire day watching nothing happen?

"I don't see why you're complaining about an easy job," his partner remarked nonchalantly. "At least we won't have anything to do but sit here."

The shinobi stops his little tantrum and gave his friend a glare.

"That's the whole point! We're stuck here doing nothing!"

The other  ninja grimaces at the other.

"You're just upset about not being able to interact with the civilians, perhaps you hunger for the companionship of some girl you so happen to have met the other day," he spits out a snarky remark.

"You're cruel," the other ninja replied, slamming his face on the surface of their post. "I don't want to stay single forever you know."

"I'm not asking."

"Tch, you sure know how to sullen the subject."

"And that's what I honestly like about myself," the ninja replied, as he continued reading the book in his hand.

Sighing, the ninja gives up on arguing with his friend and simply rests his chin on his arms, which were rested on the desk of their post. But not long after that did they suddenly hear an unfamiliar clapping sound approaching the gates. It alarmed them and the two shinobis quickly got out from their post and faced the entrance with ready stances, their kunais drawn from their pockets.

Their eyes widened when they saw a cloaked figure seated on a stallion as black as the dark night. The stranger's face was hidden by the wide hat he wore, the only thing recognizable was the fact that he bore swords. Realizing this, they became more alert for the incoming visitor, and their curiosity rose when they couldn't identity a headband through which they could determine where he has come from. Gathering courage, the stoic shinobi lifted his hand for the stranger to halt. But he didn't stop on his tracks until he towered on the two shinobi.

"Are you a civilian or a shinobi?" he strictly asks.

Lifting his hat, the stranger revealed himself to be a woman when his face caught their eyes. The two shinobi froze in amazement and surprise when they met the burning color of fire in her eyes. But the mysterious expression on her face was the one that caught them off-guard: calm and noble.

However, the words that slipped from her lips made them even more surprised.

"I'm a samurai."

~~~

Number of words: 4550

*sama (様 【さま】) is a markedly more respectful version of san. It is used mainly to refer to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. When used to refer to oneself, sama expresses extreme arrogance (or self-effacing irony), as with ore-sama (俺様, "my esteemed self").

*gomenasai (ごめんなさい) means "I'm sorry" in Japanese.

*chan (ちゃん) is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. Thus, using chan with a superior's name would be condescending and rude. In general, chan is used for babies, young children, and teenage girls. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, or any youthful woman. "Chan" in general is for females who know each other well.

*ja ne or jaa ne (じゃあね) means "see you" in Japanese. It's used to say "goodbye" to friends casually.

*kun (君【くん】) is used by persons of senior status in addressing or referring to those of junior status, or by anyone when addressing or referring to male children or male teenagers. It can also be used by females when addressing a male that they are emotionally attached to or have known for a long period of time. Although kun is generally used for boys, that isn't a hard rule. For example, in business settings, young female employees may also be addressed as kun by older males of senior status.

*(Da)ttebayo! (「(だ)ってばよ!」) is Naruto's catchphrase used at the end of most of his sentences as a way of making his speech unique. Naruto inherited this from his mother Kushina, who would instead use the catchphrase when she got excited or angry, something she had hoped her son would not inherit. Naruto's son, Boruto, also inherited a variation of this verbal tic.

Dattebayo and its variants have no literal English translation; however, "Believe It!" was used in the English dub whenever Naruto is making a big statement to keep a similar tone in the English version of the series. It is also used to match the lip movements from the original Japanese release. Around the start of the Chūnin Exams, however, "Believe It!" fell out of use. Later in Naruto Shippuden, Dattebayo and Dattebane would be used as to say "ya'know" as if Naruto inherited the catchphrase from his mother.

*ohayo (おはよう) means "good morning" informally.

*konnichiwa (こんにちは) means "hello" or "good afternoon" in Japanese.

*nii-san (にいちゃん) means "big brother" as a name term.

This chapter is dedicated to -chiakii-! Thank you for your comment, it really made me happy. All the comments made me happy, of course, as they have motivated me to finish this chapter quickly—honestly, I can't wait for the exciting stuff to happen.

Okay, I could guess that you're all surprised about just seeing Jiraiya's name mentioned as the Hokage, and all the more realizing that Orochimaru is his assistant. You probably guessed what that means.

Yes! This is an AU fanfic people, woohoo! This is so cool, my first AU fanfic, ehehe. Well, I would want to say that all my fanfics would be AUs since they do not follow the original timeline and everything. I hope you guys don't mind ;v; And yeah, I made Neji live—cuz he's my baby—but I had to exchange his life with someone else's. It'll be revealed who in the later chapters.

When I consulted my sister about the further changes in the anime, she went like, "What the hell, it's so AU!"

"Well, duh, of course," I replied.

I needed to change a lot of stuff to adjust it with the story I have in mind, and I hope you guys are excited for it :D

Anyways, thank you all for reading this and don't forget to tell me your thoughts! Your comeback regarding the story is very important to me and it would mean a lot to hear your opinions regarding this AU. I hope you guys enjoyed this, and see you next time! <33

- R, with lots of love //hugs and kisses