A/N: Hi folks, I hope you are all safe and sound. Here is the next chapter. This one will have some light-hearted moments along with some heavy stuff. But, overall you can see how things change for Hatorama after his last deployment.

We are nearing the end of the Third Shinobi War. There is just a year of war left in my timeline and a lot of things will happen in this and the next few chapters. There will be a lot of hints and foreshadowing as to where the fic is moving in the future. If you figure it out, I ask you not to spoil it for everyone. Just sit back and relax.

Also, I am absolutely floored by the response to the last chapter. Considering that it's only been a day, I have received a bunch of PMs and quite a few positive comments for that.

Here are a few things I wanted to clarify.

1) Hatorama will not get an S rank bounty. The reasoning behind this is that he took out mostly chunnins and few jounins. And also, he didn't take them out directly like Minato. He used a trap. That is vastly different from actual combat.

2) One of the comments mentioned about my penchant for using wrong plural forms. I will take note and correct them from the next chapter. Thank you for bringing it to my notice.

3) Most of you are fed up with MC's defense for Tsuki. Things will change from this chapter onwards.

Also, once more, follow the safety precautions. While it might be cumbersome, it is for our safety. Stay safe folks.


Chapter 26 – Battle in the Mist – Demon vs Devil


My return to the village was both joyous and triumphant in a sense. I could feel the surrounding shinobi eye me with more respect and if I could strain a little I was able to catch glimpses of conversation that revolved around my deeds.

I was no longer the last of an illustrious clan who had lot to prove. Others were beginning to look at me for who I really was instead of just focusing on my surname. It was a liberating feeling.

But, I wasn't totally joyous either. With Roku is in a critical condition, it kind of made me more anxious than anything. Tsuki sensei too was in critical condition. According to the field medic, they had both lost a lot of blood and were in need of immediate treatment.

Even, I had lost a lot of blood during my escape. Luckily, none of my wounds were lethal hence they were able to patch me up quickly. Fugaku allowed what remained of our platoon to return a few days early, not that he had much choice with the only remaining active members were one non-combat chunnin, a very angry genin and a field medic.

So, a week later found us entering Konoha. I admit, I let out a relieved sigh when I stepped into the gates. For one, the return trip was the first one where I was put in a leadership role. We were also transporting two critically injured shinobi and had minimal firepower if we were to run into a skirmish.

While I was healed, I wasn't hundred percent either. The chunnin was relatively fit, but his specialty was information gathering. Roku and Tsuki sensei were out cold and in treatment. And you couldn't expect much from a field medic in case of a fight. Sure, while she could handle her own, she couldn't turn the tables like a combat-oriented shinobi did.

And Fujita – well, the only thing I could say about him was that he was angry, sullen and irritable ball of emotions who was picking fights on each and every opportunity. Me being the leader didn't sit well with him either. But, we all had the same goal of reaching the village as soon as possible and it was the only thing that held us together.

No one complained when I pushed each day to cover as much distance as possible. The medic wanted her patients admitted into hospital as soon as possible. The chunnin wanted to get rid of a moody Fujita as soon as possible. Fujita wanted to get out of my command as soon as possible. And I wanted to be done with this whole thing as soon as possible. Hence, we all silently agreed to return to the village in a hasty manner.

The moment we entered the gates, Fujita took off with the medic to the hospital along with the two patients, leaving me and the chunnin to report to the Hokage. I had all the necessary papers in my possession. Since it was the last deployment our platoon went on, the only report I had to make was the final battle report. Considering how chaotic it was, I did the best I had to. Luckily, Fugaku had his own report on the same with probably more information that was sent through me. So, it didn't matter much.

We walked into Hokage's room to be greeted by his entire assembly of councilors, Danzo, Orochimaru, Shikaku and the Hokage himself. I could feel the nervousness oozing out of the chunnin beside me. Since, I was both the leader and have more experience with dealing the higher-ups I took the lead. Luckily, the chunnin didn't seem to hold any grudge and was more relieved with me taking the lead than anything else.

I reported the events that led up to me taking command of the platoon and went over the battle as much as I remembered it in short, succinct sentences. Once done, I gave the documents to Shikaku who went through them with a critical eye.

"So, tell me, can this seal of yours be mass-produced?" one of the councilors asked eagerly.

"No, it can't be." I shook my head trying not to drown in the memory of blood and limbs flying.

He looked at me as if he didn't believe me at all.

"Are you sure?" the other councilor asked in a skeptical tone.

"As the creator of the seal, I am absolutely sure," I said in an annoyed tone.

"Don't take that tone with me boy," the councilor snapped, "we will see if what you are telling is true."

"Koharu, enough," Danzo snapped causing the tension to rise to a new level.

What followed was a silent contention between Danzo, Hokage, and his councilors.

"Maybe, Hato kun could explain why it can't be mass-produced," Orochimaru's smooth voice interjected making them to look away.

"You don't ask a shinobi for his secrets, Orochimaru," Danzo said a little testily.

"Yeah, let him explain," one of the councilors said at the same time.

What followed was another round of staring contest.

I let out a huge sigh getting all their attention, "it's a personalized seal," I said hoping that it would be enough for them to get off my back.

"Ah," Danzo said in realization as Orochimaru and the Hokage nodded in understanding.

However, the two councilors were still looking clueless.

"So?" one of them asked.

"Koharu, a personalized seal can only work for the creator. If another person has enough fuinjutsu knowledge they can take it as a base and modify it to create their own personalized seal. However, it can't be standardized," Danzo explained patiently.

"Is that so?" the other councilor looked a bit skeptical still.

"Consider this," I interjected smoothly trying to reduce the tension in the room, "most of our sealing knowledge comes from Uzushio."

If their looks were any indication, neither Danzo nor the two councilors liked that little fact.

"However, we have only scratched the surface of what they have done with the seals. It is because most of them are personalized. While standardized seals like storage seals and explosion tags can be used by anyone, personalized seals can only be used by the creator. The best example would be my grandfather's Flying Thunder God seal. One has to understand its concepts and have deep fuinjutsu knowledge to create a personalized version of the same."

"That's true," Orochimaru continued. "While these kinds of seals are powerful, there is also a certain limitation towards them when it comes to practical use. We can't arm many people with them. That is why one needs to study fuinjutsu to work with any kind of powerful seals. Otherwise, we would have thousands of people using seals as weapons. It is also one of the reasons fuinjutsu masters are feared. Because, a single fuinjutsu master can kills countless people with the proper application of a single seal."

"And mine isn't even perfect, I still have to do some tweaks," I grumbled.

"You mean to say that what you used was an imperfect seal?" one of the councilors asked in visible shock.

"Yeah, the ideal seal could be triggered remotely. But, I still haven't gotten to that stage. Even with Kushina san's help I could only include a workaround to create a small safety net to trigger it manually and not get eviscerated," I scrunched my eyebrows in distaste.

While Orochimaru was looking amused at my reaction, Hiruzen, Shikaku and Danzo were leveling me with a deadpan expression. The two councilors were looking at me like I was some kind of monster. The chunnin near me was looking at me as if he was seeing me for the first time.

"Anyways," Hiruzen spoke bringing the attention to him, "Hatorama, until you perfect the said seal, I forbid you from using it any longer. Only in the case of truly exceptional circumstances are you allowed to use it from here on."

As much as I wanted to argue against him, I couldn't find fault in his logic. Hell, even I wanted nothing to do with that seal after seeing how brutal it was. If there was a single mistake in the safety circle, I would be chopped meat by now. And it isn't as if I was planning to use it regularly in the first place.

"Now, if there isn't any other question," he asked looking around at others in the room, luckily no one spoke in reply. "Then, you can get going."

(*****)

"What is the meaning of this?" Kushina slammed an open Bingo book in front of me.

I looked up at her not knowing what she was angry about. I could see her hair dancing behind her as chakra leaked through into them. It was one of the very visible signs that Kushina was enraged. Her glowering eyes met mine and I had to flinch back from the intensity of her glare.

I lowered my eyes at the Bingo book that she had demanded an explanation from. A very life-like image of myself stared back at me. Curious I let my eyes roam across the page taking in the information present.

Name: Senju Hatorma (The Red Eyed Devil of Konoha)

Hidden Village: Konohagakure

Rank: B (possible A)

Taijutsu: 3.4/5

Ninjutsu: Unknown

Genjutsu: Unknown

Sex: Male

Age: 10 (Approx)

Birthdate: Unknown

Chakra Affinity: Unknown

Eyes: Red

Hair: Silver

Crimes: Destroyed two platoons using a seal based trap.

Wanted by: Kirigakure

Identifying Features: Three red stripes across his face (possible clan markings. Wears a happuri. Carries a Warbow.

Notes: Looks very similar to Senju Tobirama – Nidaime Hokage. A possible relation. Fuinjutsu expert and a trap master.

KILL ON SIGHT.

I hummed taking in the information listed there. For what it was worth, they did have a pretty good grasp on my profile. My eyes scanned the Kill On Sight listed below by picture. I felt that they were valid enough to do that after I had decimated two platoons. I was indeed surprised that they have ranked me with a B (possibly A) rank. But, I guess they were being cautious since this was my first appearance on an international scale. Maybe they would lower it after a few run-ins.

However, I still found that they could have gone a little bit more creative with my moniker though. What's with Kiri and calling people demons and devils? I lightly scrunched my eyebrows in distaste of the name.

"Explain, now!" Kushina demanded as she glared at me from above.

It was truly a terrifying sight. With her hair dancing around, from my position she did really look like a demon.

"It's a bingo book entry Kushina nee," I said defensively not knowing what to say.

"Do you think I am an idiot, Hato Kun? I am asking why they have kill on sight order on my otuotu?"

"I might have used that trap seal you helped me to perfect," I hedged knowing this was not going to go well.

"Perfect? You call that lame excuse for a seal perfect!" Kushina raged at me causing me to back up. "What have I said about using imperfect seals Hatorama? You are just like Minato, reckless and have no sense of danger."

"Ah, Kushina nee, I think I was justified in …"

"I heard from Stoneface you were close to death Hatorama," Kushina cut in angrily. "You think you are justified in using an imperfect trap seal that you haven't tested? Considering the lethality of the seal, one would think you would have the brains to not use it. I think helping you to make small adjustment to keep you safe had gone to your head and you now think you are invincible."

"No, no, no. Nothing like that," I hastened to reply. "Wait, who's Stoneface?"

"That dumbass Fugaku," Kushina scrunched up her nose in distaste.

"Fugaku, as in Uchiha Fugaku?" I asked to confirm and she nodded irritably. "Ah, that does seem perfect. His face does look like stone with no emotion."

"Tell me about it," Kushina huffed sitting down beside me. "I don't know what Mikoto sees in that idiot. He doesn't deserve sweet Mikoto at all."

I stared blankly at her.

"Not to mention, now even Itachi kun is beginning to look like his father. He is not even two years old. And he used to be so cute."

Itachi as in Uchiha Itachi – the one who killed off an entire clan. My mind blanked for a few seconds as Kushina began to gush about how cute Itachi was. She might have seen my confusion on my face, for she stopped abruptly.

"Ah, you wouldn't know about them, would you?" she said sheepishly.

I stared at her dumbly and shook my head to clear away any other thoughts that was running through my mind.

"I would have introduced you, but considering that you are a Senju, I decided not to," she said hesitantly. "Do you want to come with me to visit Itachi kun?"

And she was back to her usual bubbly persona in a second.

I shook my head to indicate that I didn't have any desire to do so. My experiences with Uchihas haven't been pleasant so far. It would be better if I stayed away from them.

"Anyways," I said nodding towards the Bingo book, "at least now we have some common point in our names."

"Huh, what?"

"Well, you are the Red Hot Habanero and I am the Red Eyed Devil," I spoke with an amused smile.

"Yuck, I don't like your moniker at all," Kushina screwed up her face in disgust.

"Same here," I said nodding along. "Anyway, I always wanted to ask if the hot in that meant anything special?" I wagged my eyebrows suggestively.

"You!"

Kushina blushed, before bouncing back to her usual response – shouting. And I had to scamper away before being pummeled into the ground with what she called as an affectionate bonk on my head.

(*****)

After my first deployment, I received a downtime of three weeks to rest and recuperate. I visited Roku occasionally in the Hospital. Her wounds on back were more critical than I had first thought. Luckily, she had medical attention within a few hours. It would take two more months before she was ready to bounce back into the field.

As for Tsuki sensei, he has been in medical coma ever since he was brought back to the bunker. Fujita occasionally visited him, but I didn't bother. It is not as if the man was going to miss me. After a week of treatment, Roku was released from the hospital. I went up to pick her up, only to find Fujita already sitting there waiting.

I merely took a seat opposite to him and ignored him. He did the same. It was kind of comical to see both of us waiting for the same person, but trying our best to ignore each other. The hospital staff released Roku after doing one last check-up.

Fujita scampered to help Roku. I merely watched his enthusiastic fussing with a bored look. In the end, Roku managed to calm him down and the duo walked out of the hospital with me following them a few steps behind.

Roku eyed both of us a few times, but didn't say anything. In the end, she was the one to break the heavy silence.

"How's sensei?" she asked Fujita.

"He's in a medical coma. He is expected to wake up anytime this week," he replied back in a subdued tone. "At least you care about him," he then murmured.

"You didn't visit," Roku turned her accusing eyes towards me.

I merely shrugged in reply to that.

"What's the deal between Tsuki sensei and you? I thought you guys were getting along and all of a sudden you both are ignoring each other," Roku asked sullenly.

"Don't know what his problem is," I said not meeting her eyes.

"It's you that is the problem," Fujita said hotly.

"Oh is that so?" I asked amusement dancing across my eyes.

As usual, he didn't take it well, "Teme, you are the problem in the team. You think you are so high and mighty. You don't even treat sensei with respect."

"Respect is earned," I scoffed not bothering to reply to his accusations.

"You!" Fujita fumed, his eyes blazed red as Sharingan activated.

"Stop it, both of you. I am tired of this. Why do you have to fight always?" Roku cut in angrily.

I looked at Fujita who was glowering me with active Sharingan. An unnatural itch was forming inside me to test myself against it, but Roku wouldn't like us fighting. So, I held it in.

"Fine," I said reluctantly. "Tell him to stop taking shots at me and I will stop."

"Fujita kun, please," Roku pleaded making Fujita to turn away in anger.

The rest of the walk to Roku's house was spent in silence. It was the first time I came to Roku's house. Situated in the Akimichi compound, it was relatively boisterous compared to other clan compounds. I took in the sight enjoying the change in the atmosphere.

"Guess this your first time here, huh? Figures, why would the high and mighty Senju deign himself to sink low to visit his teammate's house," Fujita jibed noticing my actions.

My lips thinned and I was already about to retort when Roku cut in.

"Fujita, what did I say?"

"Fine," he huffed and turned away.

"I'm sorry, it never occurred to invite you over." Roku apologized.

"Don't worry," I waved her off.

"But I should have. Obaa san is going to be so disappointed in me," she mumbled to herself.

In an uncharacteristic show of affection, I fussed her hair causing her to look up.

"Don't worry about it. I am glad you are alive," I said to her as we reached her home.

"And me too," a man with typical Akimichi build spoke from inside causing Roku to rush into his embrace.

"Fujita kun, I am sorry for your loss," the Akimichi continued making me wince.

Of course I forgot all about Fujita's father dying. He must be hurting inside trying to come to terms with the gaping hole in his life.

"Its fine, Uncle" Fujita sniffed.

I turned away as the Akimichi enveloped Fujita in a hug too. I felt like an intruder watching a family drama. I passed the next few moments trying and failing to act nonchalant. I surveyed the room and found a few things of note like the old sword hanging on the wall, a huge Akimichi sigil adorning another wall and so on.

"Senju sama," the Akimichi began making me turn towards him. "Thank you for saving my daughter's life."

It was awfully formal and his usage of sama made it clear that he wanted to keep the relationship that way. Something within me didn't sit well with it. It was screaming at me to get the hell out of here and let the family and friends have their peace.

"No need, she is my teammate after all. We Konoha shinobi must take care of comrades whenever possible. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave," I was immensely glad that I didn't fumble or stutter while saying that.

My response had been formal enough to let the man know that I understood his intentions. Not wanting to intrude any further, I waved at Roku before leaving.

"But, papa…."

"Shhh, he must be busy Roku. He has numerous duties to fulfill," I heard Roku's father say from behind as I walked away.

Somehow, between meeting Roku's father and taking my leave, my enthusiasm in her leaving hospital was crushed to cinders. I wore a wan smile as I walked away from the Akimichi compound.

(*****)

"I think, Roku's father blames me for endangering her Sakumo san," I voiced out those guilty thoughts that has been festering in my mind ever since my run in with Roku's father.

Strangely enough, I felt better. It wasn't anything good, but I felt that the guilty feelings became bearable once I said it aloud. I was currently in front of Hatake Sakumo's grave. I didn't know why I came here, but my legs took me to the one place I found solace in without consulting my brain.

"And I get it," I said letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "That's the worst part, you know. I understand why he is unhappy with me. If not for me being in a team with her, Roku wouldn't have been sent to the frontlines this soon."

"You know, when they assigned me a team, a part of me was hoping that I would have two loyal teammates who I would eventually become friends with. And a sensei who would guide me along in my shinobi career and help me find my feet. But, none of that happened. The only friend I managed to acquire almost got killed because of me. My sensei hates me. I think that small part of me that was hoping for friends and a mentor was merely a childish notion."

"After all, I am Senju. And it comes with a lot of privileges. But in the eyes of the village, I am merely a weapon with great potential. That's it. They don't think that a weapon like me needs friends or family. As a Senju, I was born to fight. Fight in this war, the next one, or even another one, till my breath stops. It doesn't feel good Sakumo san."

I stayed staring at his grave for another ten more minutes after pouring my grievances out to a dead man. In the end, I left the graveyard feeling more morose than when I had come in.

(*****)

"So, what brought this on?" Hiruzen eyed me critically as I played with my food.

We were having dinner and strangely enough Hiruzen was there was dinner once. Asuma was eyeing both of us contemplating something. Biwako looked as if she ate a melon.

"Nothing, my team is effectively combat ineffective. My sensei is in a coma. My teammate will take another two months to recover. My other teammate is only holding me back. So, I thought it would be better to be deployed soon with other chunnins. After all, I am a chunnin now."

"You have one more week of downtime."

"But, then when I come back to doing active duty, I will be stuck doing C ranks," I pointed out chewing my food thoughtfully.

Hiruzen seemed to buy my excuse. He nodded and gave me a grave stare before returning to his food.

"I think it would be better if he did more C ranks," Biwako said from the side. "With all this new Bingo book nonsense, it would be better to keep him away from frontlines for now."

"Biwako san, they will always be out there for me. I can't keep hiding inside the village for a long time. This way, I will at least gain more experience," I whined as much as I could trying not to tip her off.

"Enough! Leave that talk for later," she admonished me, "now, eat up!"

I didn't push much after that. But, two days later Hiruzen came through. I was to be deployed to the frontlines near Kiri border once more. This time I was a part of a chunnin cell and the deployment period was for six whole months. That's half a year. Half a year of not dealing with the mess that is my team. Needless to say, I was very glad for the opportunity.

For the village was becoming more and more suffocating as each day passed.

(*****)

I was put in an auxiliary platoon this time. While it was a step up from a backup platoon, it was not the primary platoon either. Still, we ran into a lot of skirmishes and small scale battles in just a single month. Compared to my previous deployment, this one was more draining. The patrol duties we had were all in hotspot areas where the possibility of battle was higher.

In my free time, I trained like a maniac. I didn't waste a single second. If I wasn't training my speed or stamina, I was working on my fuinjutsu. I had lost my bow during the escape to keep the Kiri Jounin occupied to buy me precious time. So, now I was left to engage in close quarters more.

Slowly but surely my presence was beginning to be felt on the battlefield. It took some time, but by the third week into my second deployment Kiri Jounins were beginning to eye me. Those who are elite chunnin or a little less were the ones to challenge me these days. Occasionally, one of the jounins will attack me.

However, my platoon took preventive measures for such occurrence. Two jounins can always be found fighting beside me at all times. To say that I was an eyesore to Kiri ninja would be an understatement. In every battle or skirmish, Kiri ninja flocked to attack me unmindful of the consequences. I stopped using sealed weights altogether. These days, my kill count was increasing in a steady fashion.

By the end of the first month, I was beginning to hit a bottleneck in my taijutsu. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn't able to increase my speed or strength in a short time. I understood that it was gradual process and me forsaking my training weights didn't help it much either.

Given, I was already very proficient in taijutsu. I was one of the most brutal and deadliest shinobi when it came to engaging others in taijutsu. I have seen several Kiri ninja become flustered the moment they started to engage me in taijutsu these days. Recently, long-range specialists were the ones targeting me. Because, by now most Kiri ninja knew that meeting me in close quarters is surefire way to die.

The only exceptions were jounins. Even then, I could hold my own against them until help arrived. The only thing that was keeping me from becoming a threat to jounins was my relative age. No matter how good I am, I still can't compensate for their extended reach or sheer power, especially if they are jounins themselves.

Even though I hadn't planned to turn out as such a taijutsu monster, things happened. Constantly being on the verge of being impaled by kunai or sword did wonders for your reaction time and helped you to develop a healthy bit of instincts.

Most of my bad habits were shed in the last month. Currently, my taijutsu form was way too brutal for a kid of my age and very, very lethal to anyone below Jounin. With no bow to help me keep my enemies at bay for however much time possible, I had to start relying on my speed and instincts to ensure that I don't get surrounded. That forced me to improve at an alarming rate.

Being away from my team for just one month, helped me understand how much Tsuki sensei was holding me back. While he didn't necessarily sabotage me, he ignored me in my ideal time for growth. With Tsuki sensei focusing on Fujita, I was forced to become a part-teacher for Roku. While I didn't feel bad about that, it made me realize that there was no one there in my team to push me to improve. I was already the best among my teammates. And the only one better than me was Tsuki sensei – who ignored me.

Simmering rage blossomed in me as I realized how very easy it was for Tsuki sensei to halt my progress. Now that I had time and proper inclination to think about it, my Taijutsu had stagnated after the initial months. While I had busied myself with other things like my marksmanship, fuinjutsu, and others, needless to say, I had stagnated a lot during the time I was under Tsuki sensei.

And Fujita thought I didn't respect the bastard. He should be glad that I didn't try to kill Tsuki sensei.

Two months into my deployment, I began to vibrate my chakra in an effort to get a grasp on lightning transformation.

(*****)

Yet another ambush!

I felt like cursing the kami for our recent streak of bad luck. The fourth month of my deployment saw our platoon running into constant ambushes. I even had a sinking suspicion that there was an imposter among our platoon.

As a result, half of our platoon was already dead. Only the luckiest and strongest were able to manage to survive. I didn't know which category I fell into honestly. I would like to believe that I was the latter, but three jounins chasing after me begged to differ.

These days there were no clear boundaries. Everything was a constant mess. Our platoon was deployed last month to attack the enemies. Konoha was no longer trying to only defend the border. Things were escalating rapidly.

Nevertheless, I digress. The streak of misfortune began two weeks ago. Ever since then, we were running into constant ambushes. And the worst part was that we didn't know if a spy had managed to infiltrate or Kiri had surrounded us and we keep running into them any direction we took.

It has been three days since I had split up from my platoon after the last ambush. We all silently agreed that moving in a group was more dangerous than moving alone at this point. This way, at least a few of us will return to the bunker. Who it would be will probably up to luck.

The past three days have been a constant chase of cat and mouse between me and six jounins. I have successfully thrown three of them off my trail. But, the other three were being far too persistent in their desire to behead me for my taste. Honestly, they sent six freaking jounins after a mere chunnin like me. The assholes!

I hid under a bush and with a twist of my chakra a water clone led my pursuers away as I suppressed my chakra to the limit. If the past three days have taught me anything, it was to never underestimate basic jutsus like the academy three. The clone jutsu and substitution was becoming an invaluable survival tool during a chase.

I also knew from my experience, that my sleight of hand wouldn't last long. The buggers always seemed to figure out that it was a clone within a few minutes. Then, they would probably backtrack and try to find me again. I wasted no time in pulling off a substitution replacing myself with a rock I had left my chakra mark on a few miles back and took off in the direction of the bunker.

It took me another day to shake off those annoying jounins for good. By that time, I was truly exhausted beyond humanly possible. If not for my chakra sensing, I am sure I would be a dead body in the nameless countryside by now.

I found a small river and finally collapsed in exhaustion. I decided to find a place to hide and recover before resuming my journey to the bunker. As much as I wanted to go towards the bunker with all haste, I knew running around in my exhausted state would be suicidal.

So, without further ado, I found small cave near to the river and promptly fell down into exhausted sleep after booby-trapping the hell out of the entrance and casting a basic genjutsu to hide the presence of the cave.

(*****)

It took me three days to recover my energy completely. Even then, I made note to myself to not use any chakra intensive jutsus until I made it to the bunker. I started off with a normal genin pace making sure to hide my tracks. Weeks of being chased around will do wonders for your stealth skills.

I have learned a few techniques from experienced veterans who had survived the last war in the bunker. But, until I was being chased by six jounins I had never had the opportunity to test them out in a real-time environment. It took almost a day of trial and error to get into the proper usage rhythm and polish my skills. That was one of the reasons it took me so long to escape the damned bastards.

I passed by a clearing and took to the trees for a few minutes before coming to an abrupt stop – half from sheer surprise and half from the sheer irony of the situation. For Momochi Zabuza was standing across the next clearing with his tanto strapped to his back, as if he was waiting for me.

I contemplated making a getaway, but in the end decided not to. It was clear from his lack of surprise that he has been expecting me. I didn't know how he was able to intercept me, but his mere presence made alarm bells ring in my mind.

I subtly crouched down eyeing him and pressed my fingers to the ground. As my chakra sensing provided me a detailed input about the vicinity, I can't help but be surprised. There was absolutely no other chakra signature in the vicinity for miles. He was truly all alone.

I stood up masking my surprise and scrutinized him. I didn't know what his plan was, but I was willing to keep myself refrained by giving a chance to explain.

"Momochi Zabuza, to what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked him.

"Senju Hatorama, the Red-Eyed Devil of Konoha," he replied, "you don't have red eyes."

I paused at the sheer incredulity of his statement. It confused me for a few moments.

"It only turns red when I am enraged," I supplied hesitantly.

"So, you aren't enraged now," he said with smirk.

"No, I am merely exhausted Zabuza," I said knowing that revealing such a thing could be dangerous, but it could also be used as an advantage. I wasn't that exhausted now.

"Tell me, are you related to Nidaime Hokage?" he asked with a gleam shining in his eyes.

"If you want an answer to such a mundane question Zabuza, you could have written me a letter," I sneered at him raising my guard up.

"I take it is a yes then," he said unsheathing his tanto and taking a kenjutsu stance – I had to admit that he did strike a cool pose.

I didn't reply. But, my silence spoke all the answers he needed. We both knew it.

"Then, I didn't waste my time after all," he smiled at last – at least that is what I understood with the widening of the bandages covering his mouth.

In reply, I merely took my taijutsu stance.

"I have recently become bored with killing other pests of my age. I am being sent back to start my training as the next generation Seven Swordsmen," he said haughtily as if he was talking to someone inferior.

I merely raised my eyebrows at that. I didn't know why he was telling this.

"You might be confused why I am telling this," he said in an arrogant tone that truly suited him.

"That thought has crossed my mind," I admitted my curiosity.

"Being one of Seven Swordsmen is no joke. Only the very best of the best are even considered to be trained," he went on rabbling.

"Mah, mah, I get it you are one of the best of Kiri's next generation. Get to the point already," I said picking my ears.

If anything my dismissive attitude made him angry, he looked like he wanted to kill me already. The Killing Intent he leaked was so dense that it made me pause in my actions. But, I leveled an unimpressed stare at him. After exhibiting Orochimaru's KI, Zabuza's was child play.

"Recently I have been hearing about this new child prodigy from Konoha. Most of the Kiri ninja are talking about how he is far better than me. So, I have come to see for myself how great he is," Zabuza at last spat out his reason with pure loathing etched across his face.

"Be careful Zabuza. Cattle shouldn't willingly seek out a tiger," I said my easy demeanor disappearing as I at last became serious.

"You will be a worthy sacrifice to offer to the beginning of my road to greatness," he sneered at me.

"You think you have a chance against me?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Don't compare other dimwitted idiots with me. You know what gets me, I have killed far more men than you, but those bastards keep talking as if you are better than me," he spat.

"Then I will show you why they feel that I am better than you," I smirked and launched into action.

Zabuza did the same.

We met halfway, my kunai against his tanto. While his tanto had the range, my taijutsu was far more better than his. We remained in a lockdown for a few moments before disengaging. Things escalated quickly. There was no testing out. We were both out for blood.

As good as Zabuza was, he wasn't a match for me at this stage. The only thing that kept him from being killed off in just a few exchanges was his tanto. I was fast, brutal and every hit of mine was aimed to be lethal. Zabuza struggled to cope with such a brutal style.

From his size, it was clear that he had always had overwhelming advantage when it came to power against someone of his age. But, unfortunately for him, I was used to fighting against more powerful opponents. Compared to some of the Kiri jounins, Zabuza was nothing. I easily negated his power by either redirecting it or shutting it down completely with my lethal attacks. More often than not he had to hastily change from offense to defense. That threw him off his rhythm completely.

Pretty soon, I was dominating him completely. He was trying very hard to stay in the fight. His wide eyes indicated that how big of a surprise it was for him. I could see him beginning to panic. For a moment, I felt like killing him off and let the entire canon go to hell. These days, there was this overwhelming itch to just fuck with canon.

I caught him with a brutal kick to his ribs and I could almost hear them break. My follow up to his throat was way too close to finishing him off. He scrambled back and hastily put some distance between us. I didn't follow him at all. I watched him with a disdainful sneer etched across my face.

He looked livid. It was clear that he was way too overconfident and had never thought about losing the fight. In his mind, he would be easily dispatching me off and walking away as the one who killed the Red Eyed Devil.

"Looks like you are not anything special Zabuza. Leave before I kill you," I taunted him.

His body went rigid and his eyes were wide in anger, but I didn't care much about it.

"What? Scared now? Beat it before I rip off your throat and gouge your eyes," I smirked at him.

For a few moments it looked like he would fall prey to my taunts and rush in like an idiot. But, in the end, his sanity prevailed.

"I admit that you are better than me in taijutsu. But, it doesn't mean that I can't kill you," he growled.

"Want to give it a try? Let's see who walks off from here alive," I smiled at him to further infuriate him.

Zabuza merely growled before initiating the Hidden Mist technique. For a second I stared at him in disbelief. Did he seriously think he could harm me buy creating some cover? Did no one tell him that I could use it too? Then again, the only time I used it against Kiri was when I was making my escape in the valley. So, it might be possible that he thought that I merely used it as a distraction.

Well, this is going to be fun. I cracked my knuckles in anticipation as the thick mist enveloped the surroundings.

"There are eight points in human body that are the best kill points," Zabuza's voice echoed in the mist.

Seriously, was this fucker expecting me to panic like a no-name genin. With a twist of my chakra, I left a water clone at my location and slinked off into the familiar territory of the mist as I suppressed my chakra.

"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart," Zabuza mouthed off as I made a beeline to his location and neared him all the while suppressing my chakra.

"So, which should I choose?" I asked as innocently as possible into Zabuza's ears making him panic and start waving his tanto around.

"Idiot, don't you know that I am a sensor?" I asked ducking under his tanto and delivering a kick to his ass.

"What?" he asked in panic as he realized how fucked he was.

"How did you think I escaped from six of your jounins after being hunted for four fucking days?" I asked him as I broke his nose with a sick elbow.

"Aargh," he cried out in pain.

The situation was becoming more and more comical as each second passed. For the next few minutes, I taught Zabuza how deadly my taijutsu was. Especially in a visibility hindered area like this. When I took control of the mist despite his chakra lacing the entire thing, it finally dawned on Zabuza how outmatched he was.

In the end, I broke both his arms and completely turned him into a pretzel. For a moment, I felt like finishing the job and throwing the canon into disarray completely. I didn't know what it could result in, but it would be interesting to see the ripple effect of Zabuza's death. But, in the end, I managed to restrain it.

I knew it was my stress speaking. Being hunted for four fucking days by six Jounin did take its toll on my mentality and decision-making skills. Luckily, in the end, I restrained that impulsive desire to fuck with canon. But, leaving Zabuza just like this didn't sit well with me. The fucker had actually tried to kill me and make a name for himself. So, as a reminder of our meeting, I took his tanto and shaved his head with it before sheathing it on my shoulders.

"It was nice meeting you Zabuza. The next time we meet, I won't be just taking your hair and tanto. It will be your head," I growled at his body that was beaten bloody before disappearing from the scene.

It took me another one week to return to Konoha's bunker. I had to retrace my steps several times and take some alternative routes to bypass the Kiri ninja roaming around. When I reached the bunker, I learned that only one-fifth of our platoon made it back alive.

One good thing that came out of this recent fiasco was that I was getting more and more proficient in my sensing. The ordeal of being constantly on guard for enemies and having to work in a semi-exhausted state helped me to hone my skill to a decent level.

That and I was now the proud owner of a tanto.

(*****)

The thing that bugged me most of that fiasco of deployment was that we never found if anyone had infiltrated us. It left a sour taste in my mouth. But, there was nothing I could do. So, I let it rest.

In the fifth month of my deployment, I came into contact with an interesting character. Shunshin no Shusui. While, he hasn't yet earned his moniker, it was clear that he was also making a name for himself on the battlefield. Unlike other Uchihas I came across, Shusui was kind, always smiling and cheerful sort. He had a playful sort of personality and he brightened the surroundings with his mere presence. He was so different from typical Uchihas that I couldn't help but notice him. Yet, I still maintained my distance from him.

Whether it was due to guilt or fear, I didn't know. I never bothered to think about it much either. Being on the battlefield, it left us very little time to spend on introspection. If you are not working, you are always in training and had very little time for socialization. And most of the nights were spent in battling nightmarish visions of the gruesome deaths you had witnessed or committed.

When the sixth month rolled around, I was sporting heavy bags under my eyes. Sleep deprivation was beginning to look more dangerous than I had ever thought them to be. Everyone knew that in the battlefield there is little room for mistakes. One slip up is all it takes to end up with a kunai in our jugular.

Apart from that, things progressed in monotony. There isn't much to do in the bunker other than training and chatting with the few comrades you actually got along with it.

Two weeks before my deployment was coming to an end, I received a news that saddened me to some degree. I was walking out of the bunker after a rough practice session. Trying to convert my chakra into lightning nature wasn't going well. Chakra burns were beginning to form on my fingers. But I came to an abrupt stop seeing who was in the vicinity.

Roku, Fujita, and Tsuki sensei were on a courier run to our bunker. The moment we saw each other, Tsuki sensei's lips thinned. Fujita looked as if he has seen a ghost. Roku looked nervous for some reason. As my eyes took in them, I found the reason readily enough. There was another genin who was looking between us in confusion.

They had already replaced me. And from the way the new member was behaving, it showed a level of comfort that no newly established team should have. If I had to guess, they had at least been a team for more than three months.

Something ugly reared in me. Even though, it was what I had wanted, I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed with how easily my team had moved on without me. I gritted my teeth and nodded politely at Roku before walking away.

"Hato san, Hato san" one of the jounins in my platoon jogged up to me as I walked away from them. "Be ready to be deployed in an hour. We are going to the area where there is frequent activity of Kiri ninja. With how eager they are for your head, you will need to be prepared."

"That isn't anything new, is it?" I asked jokingly before nodding at him.

"Don't worry, two more deployments and you will become a Jounin. If not for your relative age, you will be already one," he smiled at me amicably.

"You are just jesting," I replied good-naturedly.

"I wish," he said bluntly. "Anyways, I need to leave and inform others in our platoon."

I nodded as he took off with shunshin.

"Roku!" Tsuki sensei, scratch that, Tsuki's stern voice made me turn.

Roku was looking at Tsuki sensei with a pleading expression. After a few moments, he huffed and turned around.

"Make it quick. We will go and deliver the missive," he bit out angrily before marching off.

The new genin looked at me and Roku in confusion before trotting off behind Tsuki sensei. As I waited for Roku to reach me, I observed Fujita. His face betrayed that he was angry with something. But, there was also a subtle hint of jealousy mixed in it. I didn't know what he was jealous about. He had everything I wanted. A sensei who actually guided him, two teammates whom he could be friends with and relative safety from the frontlines.

I looked away from him before I could lose my cool. As Roku neared me, Fujita looked like he wanted to say something. But, he refrained. He let out a sneer and marched off to find Tsuki.

"Hi," Roku said nervously.

Watching her tiptoe around me, my anger subsided. Isn't this what I wanted? Roku is safe from being deployed to the frontlines. I no longer had to deal with Fujita or Tsuki's bullshit. Then, why was I angry? Before I had left, I had told Hiruzen the same thing. Now, it had become a reality.

"Hi Roku, how's your injury?" I asked with a fake cheerful voice.

"I am fully healed now. There are no issues," she said nervously.

"So," I asked gesturing at the direction Fujita and others had gone.

"Yeah," she struggles to speak up.

"Who's the new one?" I asked.

"His name is Daichi. He is a new graduate. Hokage sama assigned him to our team after…. Tsuki sensei recovered."

After you left.

That's what she wanted to say and I could read between the lines.

"So, how's it going?" I asked faking interest.

"It's…. different," she huffed. "Now that I have seen Tsuki sensei interact with Daichi, I can understand why you left. He is very different. Not like what he was with you."

"Hmmm," I nodded along.

"And Fujita…. he is different too. Not by much. But, he doesn't get into fights that often. Its all very different," she said voicing out her confusion.

"How are you?" I asked a genuine question at last.

"I don't know… Like I said, everything is different. Its almost as if things are better. And I don't know how to feel about that. I miss you, you know. Daichi is a good kid, but… he isn't you. I miss having you around. You always know how to cheer me up and you were always there to help me. Now that you are gone, I don't know. It feels like something's missing."

Tears started pooling in her eyes making me sigh. At least, someone missed me.

"Hey, hey," I consoled her. "What's this all about? Relax, I am still here. When I return to the village, we can still hang out. I can even train you to kick Fujita's ass in Taijutsu. I have learned a lot in these six months, you know," I waggled my eyebrows causing her to break out a small smile.

"Look, this is what I said. You always know how to cheer me up," she said sniffling.

"Is Fujita still being an ass?"

"Nah, he is always an ass. Now that you are not there to beat him down a notch, he is acting as if he is all superior to us. And that new kid is like a lost puppy, he always agrees with whatever Fujita says. It is getting to his head," she smiled in reply.

"Then, it's decided. When I return, I will train you to beat him up," I said laughing myself.

"Promise," she asked gracing me with a genuine smile.

"Promise," I said rustling her hair knowing full well she didn't like it.

"You!"

"Fine, fine," I lifted my arms in surrender.

"Anyways, I gotta go before Tsuki sensei gets mad at me. Make sure you get back in one piece. Don't forget that you promised to train me," she said as she prepared to leave.

"You too, take care. And don't ever hesitate," I said solemnly.

She nodded before engulfing me in a surprising hug. I stood there not knowing what to do. I gently patted her back as she sniffled a little.

"I gotta go, bye," she said before rushing away.

I stood there watching Roku go with a wistful expression. I consoled myself stating that it was all for the better. This way, Roku will be relatively out of danger.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel a little sad.


A/N: And that my folks brings the end to Hatorama's team. While this isn't what many had expected, I think Hato moving further away from his team due to his progress was the right way to end this team. However, there is still a bit of loose ends that will be tied up when it comes to the team in the next few chapters.