Author Notes : Alright everyone I had planned on not having a time skip yet but ehh fuck it. This story is a guilty pleasure of mine. Hopefully you all will be happy with the choice. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 3 : The Seed Is Strong

The Senju heir was sneaking around his childhood home making sure to be very "ninja-like" as he would say. He was 6 years old and was pretty tall considering his age. He had a slender build and spiky white hair that was constantly a mess and was currently wearing a dark red kimono with the Senju seal on the back. He had spent the majority of his childhood running about the estate and driving his mother half mad, so much so that she had often thrown shoes at him for irritating her so much. Constantly begging him to just sit still for 5 seconds, he never did. He was getting pretty good at dodging the projectile shoes tho. A fact that only irritated his mom even more. He found it hilarious and would make faces at her while he would dodge saying she was getting slow in her old age. He did regret the taught whenever a shoe made contact tho, because when it did it felt as if he had been hit by a brick. His mom had quite a throwing arm. He was currently stalking his prey who was sleeping undeath a desk at a busy Shizune's feet. She seemed to always be sitting there keeping the accounts of the clan in order. He had once asked Shizune during one of his many lessons with her why his mom didn't manage the accounts herself. Shizune just replied with "Trust me, it's better this way." The ninja pig TonTon had successfully been evading his capture for the past couple days, but he was determined to cuddle the pig who only ever let Shizune cuddle her without a struggle. As he inched closer to Shizune he ducked down and without hesitation lunged at the pig screaming "Got ya!" As he pulled the pig close to his chest the ninja pig exploded into water. Shizune stood up slightly irritated "Damien! What have I told you about being mean to Tonton!" Damien ignored her and stumbled back scanning the room realizing he had been duped by the water clone. He saw movement in the corner of his eye and tried to turn to face it. He was too slow to react to being tackled to the ground by an angry TonTon. The ninja pig stood triumphant standing on the boy's chest cursing at him with oinks he couldn't understand. He just smiled and looked at the pig with a look of satisfaction on his face "You almost had me Ton." A look of misunderstanding crossed the pig's face unaware that behind him forming out of the ground was another Damien who tackled the actual pig and hoisted him over his head in victory, "Victory!" The pig managed to wiggle out of the twin Senju's grasp and jump into Shizune's hands. The other Damien stood himself up high-fiving his twin when Shizune yelled at him. "Damien! What have Lady Tsunade and I told you about using the Wood Release!" The two twin Senju's crossed their arms in rebellion "If you and Kaachan weren't busy all the time or would let me leave the house and play with other kids I wouldn't have to resort to wood clones." Shizune gave the twins a glare, "release the jutsu right now." The twin's shuddered and shared a look, seeming to read the other's mind they both tried to escape the angry kunoichi. They were to slow, Shizune cut them off from retreat and released a terrifying amount of killer intent. "Where. Is. Damien."

Scene Break

Damien felt the first clone pop and nearly fell off the tree branch he was standing on. I'm going to die. Then he felt the second pop and the clones memories shot into his mind. The first clone popped when a foot struck him in the face and the second was so terrified by what it witnessed that it just popped before giving Shizune the opportunity to hit it next. Once Shizune finds me or god forbid mom finds me. Damien visualized all the horrible ways his mother could potentially punish him, each one was more terrifying than the last. If I hurry home maybe I can get away with it. Shizune doesn't know I've left the estate, I can just say I was hiding in the garden. Damien was deep in the Forest Of Death standing on a branch that was attached to the treehouse he made with Wood Release a year ago. He had been sneaking off the estate whenever he could slip past the ANBU. Which wasn't as often as he would like at first, but once he figured out their patrol pattern it was just a matter of shooting the gaps and being inconspicuous. "Wood Style Transformation!" Wood surrounded him and changed his appearance to an ANBU ninja with an owl mask. He quickly shot himself into the direction of the estate jumping from tree to tree. It took about 20 minutes of pushing himself to reach the border of the forest. He was sweating profusely from the amount of chakra he had used to maintain that speed. He leaned against the tree breathing in as much oxygen as possible then placed his finger on the bark of the tree and sent out a pulse of chakra. What a lucky break the route back to the estate is clear, I should be able to make it back in about 10 minutes if I really push myself…. His thoughts went grim when he noticed that Shizune's chakra was absent from the complex of buildings that made up the Senju estate. Oh no she's not there she's probably already left to tell Mom that I'm missing! Breathe just breathe. Stick to the plan you can still get away with this, just say you were practicing being stealthy and that you were hiding in the garden. Yea that'll work. Damien then shot the gap to the nearest building roof and dashed his way across the buildings heading towards his home. When he finally made the last jump into the garden he hit the ground and rolled but stayed on one knee releasing the transformation technique. His chakra reserves were getting pretty low he could as his whole body shook with exhaustion. That's when the killer intent hit him in the chest causing him to fall to his back. Mom is going to murder me.

Scene Break

Tsunade had been in the Hokage tower when Shizune burst through the door. Interrupting her conversation with her sensei. Sensei only slightly shifted at the young girl bursting into his office making sure to hold up his hand so that the guarding ANBU knew not to attack the girl. Tsunade knew immediately something was wrong, Shizune wouldn't just bust down the door if it wasn't important. "What is it Shizune?!"

Shizune straightened her posture to attention "It's Damien. He isn't at the house me and the ANBU searched the whole complex up and down he's gone."

Hiruzen saw the explosion coming before it happened. The words "calm down" didn't escape his mouth fast enough before Tsunade let out a burst of killer intent that he would bet the whole village had felt.

Tsunade was seething, the killer intent flowed of her but not directed at any single person just at the situation as a whole. Damien was the easiest baby to handle, he was kind and sweet and never cried. She had thought her luck had finally changed for the better but as soon the child could talk he never seemed to stop. He was extremely inquisitive and if he could reach it he wanted it. Didn't matter how many times you told him not to, he always seemed to push the rules. Don't touch that Damien and he would touch and cut himself. Don't drink that Damien and he would drink and be drunk on sake. He was a spitfire who only would sit still for two things and that was food and sleep. She thought she had managed as mother quite well regardless that her son seemed to enjoy pushing every single one of her buttons. "What do you mean he's gone!"

Shizune reeled from her master's outburst and quickly explained the situation with the wood clones along with the search of the estate that followed. Which resulted in Tsunade seething even more and the Hokage smiling. The Hokage had been informed about the boys abilities with the families once thought extinct Kekkei Genkai. Lady Tsunade had told him herself when she caught Damien manipulating some of the plants in the garden 3 years prior. Lady Tsunade and her were not as ecstatic about the reemergence of the lost ability.

Hiruzen took charge of the situation before his student decided to go on a witch hunt for the Senju heir and destroy half the village in the process. "Tsunade he couldn't have gotten far let's all just take a breath." He signaled for his ANBU to appear and they did in a quick fashion awaiting their orders, clearly having overheard the commotion . "Wolf, can you sense his chakra for us and tell us where the boy is?"

Minato was on Hokage protection duty wearing his chosen wolf ANBU mask. Kushina and him had pulled the short stick for the most boring ANBU assignment but today was turning out to be more than he had expected. Of course everything he had overheard should be assumed to be S ranked classified so he couldn't speak to anyone about it but still the news of the the young Senju having the Wood Release was surprising to say the least. The two ANBU saw the summons and appeared immediately in front of the Hokage. The Hokage asked and Minato bent down and put his finger on the ground and found the boys chakra in a place that confused him. "Sir, he's in the Senju estate in the gardens."

As soon as Tsunade heard the location she was off, she didn't even take the door, she just bolted out the window followed by Shizune, the Hokage, and the two ANBU. She hadn't the slightest clue why her sensei followed after her. Her thoughts were currently on more violent matters. I swear to God I've had it with him. I'm going to tie him up and leave him in his room for a week and see how he likes it. He knows not to leave the estate without Shizune or myself.

Scene Break

Damien was shaking, he felt the four huge chakra signatures heading towards him and the huge amount of killer intent was getting equally more terrifying as his mother got closer. Maybe this wasn't such a good plan, I could still head back to the Forest Of Death. Maybe I'll get lucky and a giant snake will eat me. The thought was interrupted when his mother appeared in front of him accompanied by Sarutobi, Shizune and two ANBU. He tried to control the shivering when spoke "Hey mmom what's wrong?"

Tsunade looked at her son with fire in her eyes as she approached him. "Don't you hey mom me! You know exactly what you did! You know damn well that you aren't allowed to leave the estate without an escort!" She was right in her son's face now and took a breath and lowered her voice. "I've told you a million times Damien not to use the Wood Release. This isn't a game if people find out about you having the ability you will be hunted for it." Her anger slowly turning into a softer shade as she saddened at the thought of some ninja trying to steal her son away from her or worse someone killing him before he could potentially threaten them.

Damien got braver as the killer intent faded. He was never one to keep his opinion to himself something that he no doubt inherited from his mom. "I asked you to let me go to the academy years ago. I want to be a ninja like you and be just like Great Grandpa Hashirama! I've been practicing with the scrolls from the family library and I've gotten really good! Why won't you let me be a ninja!

Tsunade's anger climbed again, the killer intent spiked with it. "You what! I told you you to not!" Tsunade didn't finish, rememberIng that her and her son weren't the only ones here during the conversation "Go to your room now! And I swear to God if you aren't there when I get there I'll" She didn't have to finish the sentence her son got the point and headed towards his room equally upset.

Hiruzen had taken in the scene between his student and her son as both the boys grandfather in heart and also as the Hokage. "After what we've spoken of Tsunade it wouldn't be a bad idea for the boy to go to the academy, we both know what's coming."

Tsunade made a fist at her old sensei's comment. "He won't be apart of that, I won't allow it."

Hiruzen closed his eyes considering everything and then spoke. "Damien managed to sneak off the estate to go who knows where for however long and return without being caught by a single ANBU. That either means I need stricter requirements for ANBU agents or your son is a prodigy, Considering that he's able to use Wood Release well enough to maintain at least two wood clones I think we both know what the answer is. The boy is probably at Chunin level with only self instruction Tsunade."

The whole situation pissed Tsunade off. Her son wasn't supposed to be a prodigy he wasn't supposed to be the second coming of her grandfather Hashirama. He was supposed to be that good little baby who she could protect from the world. "I. Will. Not. Lose. Him." The words destroyed her as she spoke them. She allowed herself to cry a single tear but still keep her strong composer.

Hiruzen seemed to age ten years in that moment. He wouldn't ask Tsunade what the Hokage should order her to do. He couldn't demand that she allow her son to go to the academy knowing that a war was brewing again. The border skirmishes were already happening, no direct confrontations had happened yet and he was trying to seek peace with other villages, but sadly his words fell on deaf ears. They gave him empty words with zero commitments, and daily the fight to maintain the peace was becoming more and more difficult. "Just think on what I've said Tsunade" with that Hiruzen left the estate flanked by his ANBU. Slightly sickened with himself.

Shizune slowly approached Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade is there anything I can do, I want to help."

Tsunade wiped her tear from her face. "No Shizune you've done enough for today. Thank you, this is a conversation that I need to have with my son. Take the rest of the day off. Go do something nice, use as much money as you like you're family."

Shizune was disappointed that she couldn't help her sensei but she understood and nodded in acceptance. She walked in the direction of the entrance to the estate with no clear plan in mind. Still subconsciously dealing with the drama of the day.

Tsunade still was standing there in the garden meditating on all the events that transpired in the day. The world was changing rapidly and she was trying to hold on to the past with a blind refusal of everything she was experiencing. It was time to approach things differently, she knew the war was coming. She had heard about the injuries from the skirmishes. Nothing fatal yet but it was only a matter of time. She thought about taking Damien and running on more than one occasion but she knew she could only run for so long. Her original plan of raising Damien to be a normal boy with a normal childhood died as soon as her grandfather's ability appeared. Her visions of the simple life for her son died with its discovery. Of course Hiruzen had immediately suggested that he be put into the Academy early when she informed him. She had shot down the suggestion as soon as it was spoken and left hoping that her son would find other interests. She had even instructed Shizune to teach him how to handle the affairs of his clan. Damien responded like any 3 year old would to the idea of learning numbers all day regardless of his mother's insistence. Tsunade sighed and started in the direction of her son's room. If he wanted to be a ninja she would paint out that picture clear as day for him with no filter included.