This is the rewritten prologue, so I hope it's a lot more interesting than the one before!

So, after randomly thinking of an old game I used to play with my big bro, I thought up this little fic right here. Anyone ever heard of/played Phantasy Star Online? I've kind of based it off of the game, but Naruto style!

Just a few pointers:
This is not a basic ninja fic, so there won't be much justu and there won't be any bloodlines. It's going to be based on pure skill, for the Naruto character's benefit. It's set, like PSO, in the future. I'll try and describe things as best I can.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: (As I never write these) I do not own Naruto or Phantasy Star, as you can tell by my amutaur-ness.

Rating: M for a reason; for swearing and future violence, blood, and gore. May also have a possible future lemon.

Summary: The year 3677; the future. A new generation of scientifically adapt ninja that are born and raised to protect the world from the bijū; the Tailed Beasts. With Akatsuki on the move; a group of S-class former hunters, the seals keeping the bijū immobile are at stake. Haruno Sakura, with a past she'd rather forget, takes it onto herself to stop the Akatsuki before the Tailed Beasts are released. She never expected to receive help from Konoha's most unlikely team.

Beyond The Solar Horizon

By Koneko Onee-chan

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Prologue

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Year 3677 – Haruno Sakura's Apartment Complex – 03:16 A.M.

There were always sirens sounding in the middle of the night and all throughout the day lately. The flashing blue of the emergency hover car's lights kept her awake when she so desperately needed the sleep; the neon blue lighting her room up like a solar beam. The pink-haired young woman groaned, throwing her favourite black covers over her head to block out the light. But it did no good; she could literally feel the harsh lights glaring at her. She growled, throwing the covers off and standing up in nothing but dark red briefs and a loose black tank top. Her shoulder-length, choppy-styled pink hair was a splay of messy waves around her face, the sides curling gently under the curve of her jaw-line. She yawned, her hand automatically coming up to cover her mouth in a very lady-like gesture.

The sudden beeping of the small device attached at her neck was almost lost in the wail on the sirens, but being right next to her ear, she picked the sound up deftly. She groggily pressed the button at her neck, a small holographic screen appearing and instantly her eyes were alert. The small screen blazed two-o-two in bright red letters; a high alert code that required immediate attention.

"Shit." Her friends, the few that she had managed to keep because of her attitude and violent nature towards others, often picked at her usage of words. Of course, she had said a lot worse, and to a lot of 'so-called' higher ranks, too. But because of who they were, and what they did, they all took it in stride or simply ignored her. Being a hunter for their home, Konoha, wasn't something just anyone could do; and because of it numerous people of jounin rank and even higher died every day. It was a harsh occupation, especially for an eighteen year old.

Sakura rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, grinding them against her sockets before she made her way to her two-seater breakfast table where a fresh pile of her usual hunting uniforms sat. Her clothing consisted of a tight, white midriff shirt that clasped together with a red iron plate body, shoulder guards and arm guards. Tight white shorts matched the shirt; form fitting over her athletic thighs that also clasped onto leg guards. Her red and white knee-high boots were decorated with iron protectors, clanging heavily on the ground with every step she took. It never hindered her, though, as she walked with a feline-like grace as though she were walking on air.

Her thoughts mulled over to the numbers on her Nano-Link while she finished adjusting her uniform. Considering the colour code of the numbers on her device was red, it meant it was the bijū, or Akatsuki. They were a group of ex-hunters from different nations that didn't fare well with fighting for their home or the world. They were a severely powerful group of nine, each having once been the best of the best in their countries. To take down at least one member would need at least a Special Ops team. They consisted of four individuals grouped into one team; usually set as three males and one female.

But now Sakura was considered one of the best in Konoha, and had taken down Sasori of Akatsuki when he and his partner attempted to release the Ichibi; the One Tail seven months beforehand. Her tag-team partner at the time had been killed; overpowered by Deidara who was well known as a world-wide terrorist. She had never teamed herself with someone since; she always went solo, no matter what the mission rank.

She sighed and pressed the still blinking red hologram, hoping that it wasn't Akatsuki that had once again showed up.

"Platform Five; Hokage Tower." She murmured. The screen blinked green at her until it suddenly teleported her away to her desired destination.

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"Sakura, good to see you're here on time." The pinkette nodded at the woman who spoke in greeting, oblivious to the other occupants watching them curiously from across the room.

Sakura sighed and gave the busty woman a pointed look, clearly not in the mood for sarcasm.

"Shishou, please get to the point as to why I'm here." Sakura said, not even indicating her words as a question. The Hokage's honey-coloured eyes glared at the young woman in front of her, refraining herself from beating some manners into her top student.

"Fine. Fine. You demanding little brat..." A smirk tugged at the older woman's lips as she linked her fingers together, resting her chin on top of them. "I have another solo mission for you, Haruno Sakura. A-rank. Do you accept?"

Sakura nodded, feeling a little put out to only receive an A. The Hokage continued, unfolding her hands to swipe in front of her, a glowing holographic list appearing. Her fingers danced over the many letters and buttons applied for the Hokage's use only, before Sakura's own device beeped, indicating she had received the mission objective.

Without wasting time, the young pinkette began to read through the main objective, a small smile tugging onto her lips.

"I accept, Shishou." The blonde, busty woman smiled and nodded, pleased that the pink-haired young woman had not made a fuss over the mission she had given her, unlike numerous times beforehand. She decided to read the mission out loud for the eavesdroppers she had gathered in the room, fighting off the smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Akatsuki have been sighted near the Land of Snow. I want you, Haruno Sakura, to find out what their goal is. It is still unknown whether a Bijū is sealed there, so be prepared for any worst-case scenarios. You have twenty minutes to gather what you need before you leave through Warp Gate 13 on Level Four. Dismissed."

Sakura bowed before turning to leave, her eyes narrowing at the three males she only just noticed were there all along. A tall man with silver gravity-defying hair stood leaning against one of the many pillars in the Hokage's Tower, his face a mystery due to the dark blue mask hiding everything but his right eye. He watched her with a sort of calculation, eyeing her special jounin uniform wearily.

She lowered her eyes slightly, feeling like she was being assessed as though she were an enemy in her own country. She looked at the golden-blonde next to him and he blushed, turning his sight elsewhere and scratching his cheek. She sighed and glanced at the last male, her eyes turning blank at the glare he directed at her.

"You got a problem, chicken-butt?" Her tone was bored and slightly cold. She could feel a tick of irritation beginning; sick of the looks she received not only from the hunters, but even from civilians.

The obsidian-haired male stiffened at her words, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he took a step toward her. It was only the hand of the older male that stopped him from going any further.

"Now, now, Sasuke-kun. You were being quite rude with that hellish glare of yours."

Sakura's narrowed eyes darted to the taller man, her hands clenching at her sides.

"Sasuke, huh? I heard the little brother of that traitorous bastard Itachi was called Sasuke. I'm guessing that's you."

A feral growl trickled out of Sasuke's throat before he tore himself away from the silver-haired man, lunging himself at the pinkette. She merely teleported to the side with speed even the Hokage had to blink at.

"You don't want to go doing that, Sasuke. I don't want to brag, but people call me the 'Crimson Wasp'. Do you want to know why?" She suddenly appeared beside him, locking his arm behind his back in a tight hold. He choked at the pain, struggling against her arm but she only tightened her grip, stilling his thrashing body. She leaned over to the side of his face, her warm breath tickling his ear.

"I'm called that because I can sting and make people bleed. But it's not all I can do, Uchiha." Her fingers dug into the joint of his wrist, popping the bone and emitting a cry of pain from his lips.

"You four will stop this now! You are meant to be comrades of the same nation; not to fight one another over such pettiness!" The blonde Hokage roared, seeing things go too far for the last time, slamming her hands on her desk as she stood in one swift movement.

Sakura released her grip on him abruptly, her heeled boots clanging against the marble floor as she appeared next to the Hokage's high seat, her eyes shadowed by her long bangs.

Honeyed hazel eyes glared down at the pinkette before she slowly sat back in her allocated seat, her long manicured fingers clenching into fists on top of her cracked desk.

"I told you before, Sakura, that any violent behaviour against another citizen of Konoha, and I will ban you from missions for three months, as well as confiscate your treasured blade."

Sakura's teeth grit together, her hands balling into shaking fists at her sides. She remained silent.

The Hokage sighed after the silence became too much, propping her elbow on the desk to rest her head in her hand. "This is your last chance Sakura. I may be your ex-teacher, your Hokage, but there is a limit to what I can do. If you continue to act reckless and cause disorder in this city, the Council will take things into their hands, and I'm not a hundred percent certain if they will strip you of your rank."

The pinkette slowly relaxed her clenched hands, letting her fingers fall limp at her sides. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, muttering a heavy "Okay" before teleporting herself away.

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The Hokage sank in her chair, eyeing what remained of the three males. The blonde had vanished without a trace, leaving the tall silver-haired male and Sasuke alone before her.

"I think the first impression I have of Haruno Sakura is that she has one hell of an attitude. But nevertheless, she is skilled. If memory serves correctly, she is almost at ANBU rank, am I correct, Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage nodded solemnly, sighing. Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief; his mind not believing that a pink-haired brat like her was really at an ANBU's level. 'Just how much was she holding back when she nearly broke my damn wrist?'

"Hai. I was planning on her taking the exam when she came back from this mission, but after that little scene she displayed, I'm not so certain the Council will allow it. She is a valuable asset to our city, our country, but there are a large majority of people that doubt her." She reached under her desk and pulled out a half-full bottle of Sake, pulling the cork free and drinking straight from the bottle. She gulped the alcohol and continued; her expression showing how tired of it all she really was. "Rumours fly, Kakashi. Some say she has killed the partners she's rarely teamed with; but the truth is she's not as monstrous as others may think. She feels as though she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, because of who she is and what she is. She has this... need to protect everyone, even if they hate her. But there are times where she can't save everyone." Tsunade left it at that, not wanting to delve too far into Sakura's personal issues. The rest was Sakura's story to tell, whether she wanted to leave it in the past or rise from the guilt and regret.

The three were consumed in a heavy silence, neither one knowing what to say.

Sasuke's eyes lowered after Tsunade's speech, feeling something akin to regret for attacking the pinkette over the truth she had spoken. He just didn't want to accept the fact that his brother was a traitor, a person who actually did murder his partners and even his family in cold blood. He felt an almost overpowering urge to apologize.

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"Hey, um... Sakura-san."

The pinkette turned to find the blonde from before, a pink hue across his cheeks and his eyes avoiding her. She sighed and leaned tiredly against the wall next to Warp Gate 13, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"I know you might not care either way, but Teme's not that bad of a guy." Her lips quirked at the name he must have obviously referred to as Sasuke. "So whatever you have against Akatsuki, please don't take it out on Sasuke, Sakura-san. I can tell you're also a good person; so, please?"

She remained silent for a few moments after he finished speaking, mulling over what had happened before voicing her thoughts.

"Tell him I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to lash out, it's just Akatsuki... fucked up my life. Knowing he's the brother of one of them makes it hard to not be on guard, you know?" She pushed herself off the wall and began walking towards the Warp, her eyes set in a fierce determination.

"I'll do whatever it takes to bring Akatsuki down, so finally, my family and everyone else can be at peace."

What was meant to be a murmur came out louder than she thought, letting both the blonde and the hiding Uchiha both hear her unbreakable promise to herself.

A/N: Better than the first, if you read it? I think so. If you see any grammar mistakes are the such, please feel free to tell me. Constructive criticism is always welcomed! And once again, please tell me if you think it's good enough to continue! Ta!

~Koneko Onee-chan