It had been eleven years since the Nine Tail Fox's attack on the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The destruction from the attack had been fixed up very well to the point where you wouldn't know that the village was on the verge of destruction. Hisen walked at a steady pace towards the entry gates of the village taking in the sight of the marvelous village. It wasn't often that he left the confines of his village due to safety reasons. Hisen was the leader of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall and only left his sanctuary for diplomatic missions. The current mission however was too important to be placed in the hands of one of his subordinates.
"Are we almost there yet, I'm really tired Hisen Sensei" The young girl beside him asked while stretching her legs.
"Yes Fu, we're here" Hisen replied with a smirk as he eyed down the chunin level guards patrolling the outskirts of the village. It was understandable that the security presence of the village had increased due to the possibility of bandits and rival village spies when political diplomats travelled between villages.
Hisen looked down at the amber eyes of the young girl following him with a wholesome smile on her face. The young eleven-year-old had eyes of amber that shined in excitement of finally being able to explore the world and mint green hair that shined in the sun. Fu was wearing her short sleeve gray shirt with her blue shorts which was held by a shinobi pouch which contained a variety of ninja tools such as shuriken and kunai. Over her shoulder was a medium sized red backpack with ton of essentials needed to survive and some extra clothes. Some would say she overpacked, but Fu had never left the waterfall village until this point because she was the of the seven tailed beast. Fu was selected as the jinchuriki from birth as she was an orphan with no attachments and could serve as a military asset for the village once it began its ninja program. Because of this, Fu was one of the two most treasured military assets that carried a jinchuriki and thus could never leave the village.
"Why the hell did I have to come, I didn't even want to go on this stupid trip." Said the black-haired boy dragging his heels behind the two.
"Language Kenji" Hisen sighed as he turned to give Kenji a look of annoyance.
Kenji folded his hands on the back of his shaggy black hair while grumbling his complaints silently. He had a black short sleeved shirt with kanji on the back which said Demon along black shorts and black ninja shoes. He also had a large backpack slung over his shoulder full of snacks, emergency supplies and a special kunai he got for his fifth birthday by Hisen. Kenji Takahashi was the second jinchuriki from the Waterfall Village and his history had always been one of mystery. He was abandoned at the age of one and left on the doorsteps of the village entry path only to be found by Hisen while coming back from a diplomatic trip. After having some sensory ninja check the child out, it was quickly discovered that the child possessed a huge chakra source unknown to the ninja world. Up to this point, there were only nine tailed beasts with nine containers known as the jinchuriki so it was a surprise to everyone when Kenji appeared to have sealing kanji on his back which appeared to hold back whatever was inside him. Many in the village saw this as a gift from the gods and a chance to bring the Waterfall Village into prominence but Hisen did not like the idea of the consequences it could bring. The news spread very quickly much to the dismay of Hisen who wanted to keep the existence of Kenji a secret as it would make major waves in the current power dynamic. Spies were a common thing in the ninja world, but it was very worrying to have the news leak as only the highest officials of the waterfall village knew this secret. The last thing Hisen needed was the attention of power hungry villages like the Hidden Cloud Village who were no strangers to conquest but now his village seem to be the crosshairs of most villages.
Hisen was pulled away from his thoughts as he made it to the gates of the leaf village and had to show his identification papers to the chunin at the gate. The leaf chunin nonchalantly looked at the identification papers before giving the three a quick nod of affirmation signifying that they could pass.
"Can we stop at a dango shop" Fu asked in her usual lively manner.
"We've got more important stuff to deal with. Let's get this over with so we can get straight home" Kenji replied stoically although Hisen knew that Kenji was also interested in seeing the festivities of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"You know people would like you more if you weren't such a buzzkill all the time"
Kenji frowned as he heard Hisen snicker from Fu's comments before focusing his attention at the crowds of people walking through the villages center. The center was filled with citizens and ninja alike interacting with each other at the many shops and for a second Kenji felt like the trip to the Leaf may not have been all that bad. He still was curious as to why he and Fu had to come with the old leader but if it meant that he got some air room from the constant guarding from other ninja in his village, then he had no room to complain. Even then, he felt in unchartered territories and it made him on edge. The little training that he had got from the Waterfall Village's Ninja Academy taught him to never be comfortable in enemy territories and it made him very irritated that Fu seemed to forget this with how nonchalant she seemed.
The three made their way through the village and made it to the Hokage Residence. At the outside of the Hokage Residence stood two men chatting at front of the building. The taller white ninja male looked younger from what Kenji could tell and had spiky white hair. The ninja wore dark blue pants and a long-sleeve dark blue shirt with a flak jacket over it. He wore sunglasses and had a mask that covered the bottom half of his face. The second man was much shorter, much tanner and much older. He wore a haori with a red full-length kimono that is tied using a white sash and a white hat. Kenji figured that the old man was the Hokage and the other man must have been a Chunin or Jonin. The Hokage was much older than Kenji expected but he had a feeling that he was not to be underestimated.
"It's been a long time Hisen, how have you been?" Hiruzen said with mirth
"Way too long my old friend, I am surprised to see you are still the Hokage of the village"
"Someone has to do it and I have yet to find a suitable apprentice"
"I am glad. I don't think I could trust another soul with what I am asking of you. Most of my village think me a fool to even think of such an action but these are troubling times"
"We can discuss this more inside. Are these the two young shinobi you were telling me about?"
"Yes, this is Fu" Hisen said as he motioned for Fu to greet the Hokage. Fu nervously approached the old Hokage and gave a small bow to show respect. Hiruzen smiled from the polite gesture and gave a nod of acknowledgement. Hiruzen then turned his attention to Kenji.
"And this is Kenji Takahashi"
Kenji was less concerned with the Hokage and Waterfall Village leader talking and more interested with the white-haired man standing beside the Hokage. He had to admit that he was very curious with the appearance of the man.
"What happened to your eyes?"
"KENJI!" Hisen practically shouted in embarrassment due to the blatant disrespect shown by Kenji.
"It's fine, I just think that it's a daring fashion statement"
Kenji facepalmed at the ridiculousness and could not believe that a ninja would limit his own eyesight in the name of fashion. He had a sneaking suspicion that the ninja was lying but he decided not to press it further.
"Kakashi, I have business to attend to, but I will keep your request of one of the Uchiha children in mind"
"Thank you, Lord Hokage"
Kakashi gave a quick wave before pulling out an orange book and vanishing in a cloud of smoke. The Hokage lead the group to his office and used up a hand seal to activate a noise cancelling jutsu which was primarily used to keep noise from leaving the Hokage's office. Kenji stood in awe as multiple seals appeared on the walls of the office and glowed in a cyan hue.
"Now we can talk without any wandering ears" Hiruzen said before taking off his hat and sitting down in his chair.
"Thank you Hiruzen, I know I am asking a lot of you with this request, but you seem more suitable for it than anyone else. My village is split between thinking that I am insane for giving up both jinchurikis. Truth be told, I am having second thoughts about this"
"So why have you decided on it?"
"In the past three months, we've had issues with multiple scouts infiltrating the village. None of them have gotten very far but it has been ramping up. We ended up interrogating the last one to no avail. Our intelligence has concluded that they are either from the Village Hidden in the Clouds or the Village Hidden in the Stone."
"Hmm, I see, you believe that a rival village could be preparing an operation to capture the two"
" Yes and my village cannot afford to deal with the military capabilities of most villages but a war against the Raikage or the Tsuchikage could result in the destruction of our entire village."
Up to this point, Kenji had no idea why he and Fu were brought to the Leaf Village but after hearing the conversation, He knew that the trip was more permanent than the Waterfall village leader meant it to be and he could tell that Fu realized the same judging by the slight frown that showed on her face.
"Hisen-Sensei does this mean that we are staying in the leaf village"
Hisen looked down to Fu pouting at him before giving a bittersweet smile. "I'll come back for you the moment things get better"
Fu nodded but still looked like she had a lot of questions on her mind. She wanted to know how long she would have to stay in the village and how often they would get to see Hisen-sensei. Kenji on the other hand had an unreadable expression on his face. He didn't know whether to be upset that he was being abandoned by the waterfall village or whether to be excited that he at least was being kept in a village that was huge and had tons of things to do. The Village hidden in the Leaves was massive compared to The Waterfall Village and there were tons of people here who wouldn't give him strange looks. The trip had been lackluster thus far but this felt like a turning point that he could be content with.
"I will make begin preparations for the kids immediately. You should take the time to say your goodbyes" Hiruzen replied before undoing the noise cancelling jutsu.
Kenji turned the knob and opened the door to what would be what he would call home for the near future. A two-bedroom luxury apartment free of charge thanks to the Hokage pulling some favors. He had been spending the last few hours with Fu and Hisen going to multiple shops to get essentials that he and Fu would need to live on their own. Earlier he had been told that they would be attending the Leaf Village Ninja Academy, so he'd spent some time getting books on various subjects along with some basic ninjutsu scrolls and chakra induction paper, so he could prepare. Despite being a military asset, he never actually went through the academy and only had personal training with the jonin in his former village but even that training was a bit underwhelming. He felt his and Fu's taijutsu was good at their age, but they would have to train extra hard make up the lack of experience in the program over those who have been in the ninja program for years. The Leaf was known for its excellent shinobi program, so he assumed that the current crop of shinobi being groomed and trained would be on a level above where he was at.
He was brought out of his thoughts when Fu and Hisen came in with the remaining bags and then they began to start sorting items out. When they were finished, Hisen began preparing the dinner while Fu took notes since she would have to learn how to cook for herself and Kenji. She had no idea what Kenji was doing in his room, but he took the liberty of locking the door, so she didn't want to bug him yet. She instead opted to help Hisen with the beef stew they were making. She took the liberty of chopping down the carrots and lettuce that would be included in the meal while Hisen focused on the beef and seasoning the broth. Hisen brought a wooden spoon filled with the broth to his lips before taking a taste and smiling at how well seasoned he made it. He hoped that Fu was paying attention so that she could at least provide for herself instead of waste the fixed income they were getting by the Hokage on unhealthy meals. After he finished prepping the meat, he added it to the stew broth to be boiled while Fu added the vegetables
"Kenji can you come out for a second?" Hisen said as he moved away from the stove to let the stew simmer.
After a couple of seconds, Kenji came out of the room he was in and walked to sit on the couch. Fu realizing that Hisen had something to say went to also take a seat on the couch next to Kenji. The atmosphere in the room seemed to tense
"Tomorrow I'll be heading back to the Waterfall village, you two will stay here as residents of the Hidden Leaf Village. I know this is going to be a huge change for you but it's for your safety as well as the safety from our village"
Hisen paused to see if there would be any objections or questions before continuing where he left off.
"Does anyone know about us" Kenji asked wondering how many people
"Only the Hokage and a select few of the elders in the Rainfall Village know about your relocation. Right now, I would like you to keep it a secret."
Hisen could see the tears in Fu's eyes starting to build up but he knew that she would respect his wishes as she was always one to follow what he said. He was really surprised that Kenji was taking it so well.
"I know this is a big change for you two, but I know you both will grow up to be tremendous shinobi. Remember everything that you were taught and remember everything that you learn here"
"You start the academy tomorrow and you have a lot to learn so I want both of you to focus on your studies. The sooner you become capable shinobi, the faster you will be able to come back if you choose to"
Fu leaped towards Hisen and gave him a large hug. Hisen was used to Fu's hugs but he would always feel sore due to her abnormal strength. Kenji also got up and went to join the hug, his hair covered his eyes but Hisen could see the tears flowing down his face. Hisen knew that Kenji wanted to be strong, but he just couldn't hold himself back. The three shared the hug for several minutes before Hisen broke the hug.
"I have to leave tonight. You two should get some sleep as the academy starts at sunrise"
"Yes Hisen-sensei" both jinchuriki said with new determination showing in their eyes
'These two are going to be great shinobi, I regret that I will not be here to see it' Hisen thought
The three sat down and ate mostly in silence with the realization that today was the last day the three would be together for a long time. After eating, Hisen gave one last hug to both Fu and Kenji before taking his leave to begin the long trip back to the Waterfall Village. Kenji and Fu began preparing to go to sleep. Kenji had been halfway through setting up his bed before Fu walked in his room.
"Kenji…. Can I sleep in your room for tonight"
Kenji knew Fu sometimes would sometimes feel afraid to sleep alone so she would have to share the room with someone else It was understandable to Kenji since Hisen was gone and he was pretty much the only person she could trust.
"Sure, but don't expect to be sleeping here all the time" Kenji said nonchalantly although he had a sneaking suspicion that this would be a common theme among their new place seeing as a lot of Fu's stuff was still in his room.
Fu got onto Kenji's bed and laid on her back while staring at the roof. Kenji went to the restroom to brush his teeth before coming back and doing the same.
"No matter what, we will always be together right?" Fu shyly asked
"Always" Kenji said flashing a bright smile at Fu only to realize that Fu was already drifting to sleep. Kenji looked back at the ceiling thinking about what tomorrow would bring before slowly drifting to sleep.
A/N: Took me a while to churn this chapter out but I beat my expectation of releasing it by the end of the week. Hope you guys like it, I look forward to the reviews, questions and criticisms that will come from this one. For the most part, I have most of the arcs and interactions I want planned out and all that's left is writing the story. I am striving to make this one of those long drawn out fanfictions that gives my own spin on the Narutoverse. Expect the chapter sometime in the next week.