I am TobiOro trash and I am making it my goal to drag as many people down with me as I can. This was originally going to be one of my drabbles, but I liked the idea too much to leave it as such and thus 'A Moon Made of Longing' was born.
Firstly what parent in their right mind would notice two of their children are missing, but don't do anything about it? Secondly Kurama has every right to be done with all of this. Thirdly Orochimaru should not be allowed to train these four.
I really shouldn't be allowed free reign of my ideas.
While it wasn't the way he had wanted it, he has lived for a very long time and from the looks of it he will live for many more years to come. He has seen various clans all but diminish to then rebuild themselves thoroughly, and the same went for the shinobi lifestyle.
As it stood, though, it had been over five thousand years since he had originally been born. The life of shinobi villages was long over, and now the world was a mere husk in his opinion. After two-and-a-half thousand years the world dropped out of the practice of the shinobi lifestyle, and it hasn't gone back.
He couldn't adjust like everyone else because being a shinobi has always been what he's known. And he hasn't died like the others so he's never forgotten.
So now he is the only one who knows. Knows about the hidden villages, how to control chakra, how to fight. He lives hundreds of miles from society because there are so many more people, and he couldn't stand it any longer.
Well. Maybe reuniting with everyone he's ever cared about a couple hundred times only to watch them die over and over and over had something to do with it as well. What definitely had a part of it were the large advancements of technology, not quite what Naruto had managed to bring around after the Fourth War.
It was similar, but more advanced. He had managed well at first; it was easy enough to figure out how to use things even if it were from trial and error. But he preferred minimal contact with such things; just having what he was used to certainly was sufficient.
In a valley surrounded completely by mountains, he'd created a building that would become his new home. It was a reasonable size, it certainly was more than large enough to house a singular person and still have enough room to store many things. He was by himself, and he was thankful for that because being alone was something he knew.
Well, he was never quite alone as he still had his summons and truthfully any other of the summoning animals if he wished to call them. But alongside them were the bijuu, Kurama specifically as the other eight had requested to be sealed away to slumber.
The Kyuubi, however, was much too prideful to be sealed away and now would most likely reside in his current Jinchūriki for many more years. The two of them never spoke much – mainly due to various levels of loathing and more or less civil snarls – but it was still an unspoken comfort for him to know that he wasn't really alone.
He's fallen out of all memory, he's almost certain of that, and it's a miracle no one has managed to find his secluded home after all this time. For now it's simply a matter of keeping himself occupied, keeping his vow to teach the way of the ninja should it ever come back into interest.
Out of all the places in the surrounding woods, where he'd chosen to start a garden was likely his favorite. Now it had grown quite large with plants of all kinds throughout the area, it was shaded and the perfect temperature in most weather. Because of this, it was by far the best place to train in just about everything except ninjutsu.
He had an area cut out solely for that kind of training, a bit farther from his home but closer to the lake. Being so close to water was helpful, especially when Kurama wanted to blow off some steam.
Currently the demon fox was asleep, if the snores rumbling through his thoughts were anything to go by. He can't help a faint snort as another deep snore comes from the fox, and he rolls his eyes as he continues training with his shakujō. The morning was strangely more peaceful than usual, quieter, and that made him faintly wary.
There were no sounds of animals in the forest; even on the worst days there was at least the sound of birdcalls. After a moment he stopped his movements, eyes narrowing at the four points of chakra he could feel approaching. The chakra was too strong to be any type of animal other than a summons, and he knew that none of them were prone to wandering around in this new world.
Not even within his little haven, as they tended to call it, they preferred to stay to their respective areas.
So that could only mean one thing. Those four chakra signatures were human, and the fact that they felt heavy indicated humans with a lot of chakra. Were it even a century ago-
"Hey," growls Kurama, startling him faintly as he hadn't heard the bijuu wake. "Snake, someone's approaching."
With a huff, he slid back into his practicing even as he focused onto the signatures. "You sensed them too? Is it possible for you to tell their path?" he asked calmly, planting the end of the shakujō into the ground to fling himself off his feet. He lands lightly, ducking as though he were dodging an attack before swinging the weapon around while he rolled to stand.
"They're coming directly towards us, how did they even find this place?"
Blinking slowly, he lunged forward to kick off one large oak and flip over the head of his imaginary opponent. "We're hundreds of miles away from any city, I've had my snakes go out at least once every year to make sure of that. Either this is happenstance or someone was looking for a secluded place, and they found one here." Kurama growled again, his chakra flaring violently. "Let me chase them away, they don't need to be here."
"And what, have you start another forest fire? Last time you did that I nearly lost my home. The area is large, it's unlikely they'll get anywhere near us." He retorted venomously, half focusing on his movements as he flicks a pair of kunai from his sleeve. The Kyuubi grumbles darkly, still clearly tense but settling down nonetheless, "They couldn't be tracking your chakra, or mine, could they?"
That certainly got him to freeze in his movements, his mind instantly racing for an answer. "No technology can track chakra, not even large chakra like our own. Unless someone had managed to be born with a sensor's abilities and were near it's not likely." He answered slowly, choosing his words with care to still make his point but not over complicate the explanation.
They both stay silent for a while after that, and Kurama breaks it with a huff, "There's an unless. There's always an unless with you, snake, so spit it out."
He sighed, reluctantly returning to his training as he spoke again, "Unless it were an incredibly strong sensor. Like a sensor as strong as the Nidaime Hokage, that's the only way anyone would be able to find us from such a great distance." A distasteful growl rumbles through the bijuu at that, and for half a moment he contemplated going to scold the fox face-to-face. The silence was back rather quickly, and that truly made it easier for him to train while watching the approaching signatures.
"They're twenty feet to your south, snake, I'd say it's safe to say that they are tracking us."
Of all things, he thinks pettily, why now when I've been safely tucked away for two millennia at the least?
Eyes narrowing sharply, he continued on as though he didn't feel them approaching, listening intently. Three sets of footsteps and faint snores, their footsteps were light for the most part indicating someone small. When the footsteps stopped at the edge of the garden, he swung his shakujō around sharply to aim it in the general direction of the people. Two heartbeats after his movements completely stopped he was stunned to see four children.
Two of the four had black hair; the next had dark brown hair that was choppy, and the last with shaggy white hair. One look at ruby-red eyes, pale skin and white hair handed him his answer, and he'd be damned if he were wrong. "That's Madara Uchiha, snake, kill him! Kill him now!" Kurama snarled before growling in fury as he lowered the weapon. Eyes as wide as moons, the boy that was indefinitely Madara Uchiha stared openly with his mouth slightly open in awe.
The boy he was carrying sighed sleepily before rousing himself, black eyes blinking a few times before widening in surprise. "What is it?" the brunet boy crowed in awe before yelping as all of his companions hit him. "Brother," the palest of them hissed, red eyes narrowing. With a scoff of both annoyance and offense, he stood to his full height and subtly let his chakra free.
"What could possibly bring four children not even ten years old nearly one thousand miles away from any society?" he asked pointedly, not letting his gaze waver from the boys before him in hopes of unnerving them into leaving. "I can't believe you were right, Tobirama, this has to be the person the book was talking about!" the boy with a bowl cut said excitably, his dark gaze shining as he looked at the white-haired boy.
Tobirama lifts a condescending brow at his brother before heaving a disgruntled sigh. "We don't know that for sure, brother, just because we found someone out here doesn't mean it's the right person." Narrowing his eyes sharply, he let go of all restraint on his chakra because it clearly didn't matter to staunch it, "I asked a question, and I have no patience for being ignored."
The boys looked at each other for a moment, Madara allowing the one on his back to climb down. A few more beats, and Tobirama looked at him again with an unwavering gaze. "We're looking for someone who can give us answers." He states and slowly golden eyes blink in uncertain surprise. "Answers to..?" he left his question hanging on purpose to let them finish it.
"Do you have a name," the smaller of the two black haired boys asks, tilting his head curiously and unknowingly mimicking an owl – it was slightly adorable. "It'd make us more comfortable if we have something to call you."
"Why are you not chasing the brats out of here? All four of them are bad luck, Sannin, and you know it!" Kurama bursts back into speaking without losing a single drop of the anger in his tone. His chakra, burning and dangerous, spikes and nearly escapes in a violent lash before it's quickly smothered by the chakra of the Jinchūriki.
Calmly, he lets his shakujō hang idly next to him as he contemplates answering the boy's question. It would probably be better if he didn't give his name, especially not to four children he'll hopefully be sending away within moments. "I have a name, yes, but I will not share it. If you want you can find something to call me for the conversation." He said ignoring the indignation that flickers through the boy's expression, merely cocking his hips and raising a brow at them.
"Hebi," the brunet offers – he suspects that this boy would be Hashirama seeing as Tobirama and Madara were already identified, possibly the last was Izuna – and he grins when the others look at him in confusion. "Don't tell me no one else is thinking 'snake'."
Tobirama heaved a longsuffering sigh, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned his attention elsewhere. "I found this book, it was rather old and battered but still could be read without worry of destroying it, and it mentioned something called 'chakra'. It also said there was only one person left that knew anything about chakra, and what one can do with it." He confessed, his brows furrowing as he clearly fought down the urge to shift under everyone's gazes. "We wanted to find out if the person was still around, we need answers only they can provide."
He watched the boys for a moment, keeping his expression carefully blank before he inclines his head faintly. "And if I'm not this person you seek?"
Hashirama makes a noise of distress, his shoulders slumping and oh how that was strangely familiar. Tobirama glared at the other briefly before answering briskly, "If you are not we will continue looking. We need to get answers."
"You're crazy, don't you dare actually answer them! Get rid of them already."
Completely ignoring the bijuu, he glided over to the tree his kunai had embedded into before turning to the children. "You're tired, hungry as well, I'm sure. Follow me and after you've bathed and eaten we'll see if I am the one you're searching for." He says, tipping his head in the direction of his home and snorting at how each of their faces light up. Madara plucked Izuna up into his arms once again, ignoring the glare it gets him, and the three of them follow eagerly as he sets off to the building.
He sunk down gracefully next to the table, one he tended to use for tea and not much else, picking up his teacup as the boys gorge themselves on their food. "Moderation, it's wise to remember that. If you eat too much too quickly you'll make yourself sick." He chided into his cup as Izuna raises his head curiously. It was truthfully a bit pleasing to have properly identified the boys even without having known their names first.
Tobirama simply began to eat at a regular pace, snorting as Hashirama burns his mouth with a yelp. The boy snatches up his glass of water and downs more than half of it in one go, making him quirk an eyebrow. "So are you a man or a woman?" Izuna asked after a cautious moment, shifting under the bright gaze that's turned on him and ducking his head faintly. "You look like a woman, but your voice sounds like a man's."
After an endless moment, he places down his cup in favor of grabbing Hashirama's to refill it. "I do not care what you see me as, use whatever pronouns you wish and are comfortable with. However, I am more familiar with male pronouns." He says indifferently, ignoring the confused looks he received from both Hashirama and Izuna. The brunet cautiously began to eat again, slower and being sure to blow on his food to make sure it was cooled.
"Tell me," he murmurs, lightly brushing his hair from his face before studying the boys. "What else did the book say of the person you're seeking?"
Tobirama stopped his glaring at Hashirama – who had already finished his plate of food, clearly he hadn't been paying attention to what was said earlier – in order to turn and respond, "Well, truthfully it was rather vague. It said they were part of a team of the strongest in their time, and that they had a deep affiliation with some animal..? I don't remember what it was, but I know it wasn't warm-blooded." He, as ever, makes sure his expression is carefully blank while he plucked his cup off the table once again.
"Cold-blooded animals," he asks simply to amuse the children, taking a measured drink of his tea. "And best of their time?"
The white-haired boy nodded as he sets his chopsticks down, quietly thanking him for the food before responding. "Yes, I believe it called the team… The legendary…" he frowns in frustration, his eyes narrowing and eyebrows scrunching together.
"How," Kurama drawls – his voice a mixture of seething hatred and bubbling frustration. "Could a brat have found a book old enough to mention you?"
Not replying to either of them, he stared at his reflection in his tea for an endless moment, a nostalgic smile tugging at his lips. It had been nearly one hundred years since he's thought about his old team, or anyone from his past for that matter, and it was… painful. Tobirama is watching him curiously while Madara stares at him warily. Izuna and Hashirama aren't paying attention any longer and were snickering as they pushed rice around on the black-haired boy's plate.
He had been careful to gather everything that could lead anyone to him, not wanting to be found and forced to rejoin the cities. Apparently he missed at least one book, and while that was annoying, it made him realize that one can't disappear forever. "You're stupid, snake, don't you dare tell them anything!" the Kyuubi snarled, clearly seeing through his silence.
With a steadying breath, he sets his teacup down to fold his arms in his kimono sleeves. "The Legendary Sannin," he informs the red-eyed child, forging on even as he perks up hopefully. "That's what the name was, and the three of them were the strongest of their generation. One had connections to the toads, one the slugs, and the last had affiliations with the snakes. I think the one contracted with the snakes is who you're looking for."
Hashirama finally had turned his attention to the conversation, and he slammed his hands on the table in excitement. "Do you know them?!" asked the brunet eagerly, all but bouncing in joy even as he's glared at by his companions. "What were their names, could you tell us?"
Kurama starts snarling and cursing at him, clearly more than furious now, and he unremorsefully ignores the bijuu. Lifting his chin a little and inclining his head ever so slightly, he studied the four boys one more time before giving in with a sigh. "One was renowned as the Toad Sage, his name was Jiraiya. The next was granddaughter to the founder of the first shinobi village; her skill in medical ninjutsu was unmatched for a long time. She was known as the Slug Princess, and she was named Tsunade."
He snorted, smirking in amusement at the fact each of them were watching and listening in rapt attention. "The last was known as the Snake Sage. Recognized – feared – for his appearance, his contract with the snakes as well as powerless in battle. His name was…" Izuna puffs his cheeks out in aggravation while the others shift and glance at one another at his pause. "What was his name?!" the feathery-haired boy demands impatiently and it made him chuckle.
"Orochimaru, my name is Orochimaru."