Hope you all enjoyed the holidays!
You can skip all my Author notes by the way, these are just to clarify some in story things.
This chapter will cover many of the changes to this world's history and detail some of the geopolitics involved. Because of this story's premise 'breaking the cycle of violence' I think it's important to set the field, so to speak, early on as countries will play a big role.
Also, on the topic of Tsunade and other characters having their lineages changed. That's because in the early parts of Naruto the Senju were portrayed as being more a composite clan than a bloodline one like the Uchiha. The name Senju literally translating to 'Thousand Techniques' this was in stark contrast to the Uchiha who were depicted as innately powerful.
Basically, hard work vs natural talent.
But as the series went on many things were retconned or ignored for the simple reason that Kishimoto had not planned everything out, which is not necessarily a bad thing mind you. It's called pantsing instead of plotting. I do it too.
However, because of that approach to writing he made changes to core themes like choosing your own fate taking a back seat to children of prophecy, reincarnations, alien gods, etc.
In this alternate universe I'm trying to fit most of canon, fanon I like, most if not all filler, and my own preference. While still keeping a core theme so things are going to be different in a case by case style, but this is my first time writing a fanfic so I'm sorry if it gets messy! On that note, I don't know what 'crunchy heavy' means, I'm assuming it has to do with the '+EXP intrusion thoughts' which hopefully this chapter manages to address that. If that's not what it means then I don't know lol.
Anyways, sorry for the extra long AN.
I hope you enjoy!
Edit: typos and corrected dates.
What are the three Eras, their abbreviations, and what are they used for?
The three eras are:
E.B.H.(Era Before Hashirama)
E.O.H.(Era Of Hashirama)
E.A.H.(Era After Hashirama).
and they are used to keep track of years.
How and when did the Warring Clans Era Officially and Unofficially end?
Officially The Warring Clans Era ended on E.O.H Year 20, with the Senju and Uchiha Alliance.
Unofficially The Warring Clans Era ended on E.O.H. Year 0 with Senju Hashirama's birth.
Hashirama had made a name for himself during The Warring Clans Era by allying with Nameless and Clanless shinobi or kunoichi. His charisma was so great that he gained followers by the dozens and then hundreds. Once his 'Clan' reached 1,000 followers he took on the surname of Senju, meaning a thousand skills or a thousand hands.
At the time, it was completely unheard of for non-blood related shinobi or kunoichi to form a bond with each other. Yet, Hashirama was so charismatic that he turned his enemies into rivals, rivals into allies, allies into friends, and friends into family.
With each member having a Hidden Technique, The Senju rose to prominence and achieved great fame. Hashirama's own Hidden Technique The Wood Release was used to create not only our Hidden Village, but also terraform The Land of Fire from an almost inhospitable country to a prosperous place. It is difficult for me to imagine my home land as a barren place devoid of greenery.
The Senju grew so quickly in The Land of Fire that eventually only the Uchiha could rival them. So it was unsurprising that an alliance between them was eventually reached. In a way, The Senju were the proto-Hidden Village, and they founded the first of its kind.
Konoha.
Once that occurred, The Senju served as a foundation for which its members could grow their own clans.
Objectively speaking, he was a Nameless Shinobi who founded a Clan, but good luck convincing the upper echelons in Konoha of that. As far as they are concerned, Hashirama's background was irrelevant given his 'divine' origins. Thus, any Nameless Shinobi or Kunoichi trying to claim him as one of our own, was look down upon for being 'unenlightened'.
Though..
Given my personal 'Info', I probably have no right to claim him either.
But it was obvious that most of these noble Clans which are derived from The Senju, were simply ashamed of their family's more humble beginnings.
'Info: Time Remaining.'
01:55:21: Time Remaining.
I was only a few pages in, but each one held 30 or so questions. Guess this is equal parts a test of endurance and knowledge. Still, it was clear that a pattern did exist to their layout.
First: they present a simple question like, who was Kage, when, and for which village?
Second: it's followed by increasingly obscure information.
Third: it looped back to asking simple questions.
However, passed a certain point, the questions asked weren't something we covered at the academy. I guess they were also measuring independent study, and checking to see who was more proactive than reactive in their pursuit of knowledge. Yet, it was thorough to the point of useless trivia. Such as, what was Uchiha Madara's third favorite vegetable?
Of course, it was complete propaganda.
A timeline heavily curated to instill a sense of loyalty. I seriously doubt Hashirama's 'divine' birth had signalled a time of peace.
Then again..
Up until a couple days ago, I believed the Sage of Six Paths was nothing but a myth.
01:42:54: Time Remaining.
When was Konoha founded, and how old is the village currently?
Founded on E.O.H. Year 25, and Konoha is currently 232 Years old.
Who are Konoha's Two Founders?
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
Who was The First Hokage, when did they take office, and how old were they?
Senju Hashirama was 35 years old when he became Hokage on E.O.H. Year 35.
What is The First Hokage's other title?
The God of Shinobi.
What was The First Hokage's Major contribution?
Konoha's Shinobi Council.
01:30:17: Time Remaining.
What are The Tailed Beast?
Creatures made of chakra.
How many Tailed Beast exist, and what are they called?
There are Ten Tailed Beast.
The Zero Tailed Worm
The One Tailed Racoon
The Two Tailed Cat
The Three Tailed Turtle
The Four Tailed Monkey
The Five Tailed Horse
The Six Tailed Snail
The Seven Tailed Beetle
The Eight Tailed Snake
The Nine Tailed Fox
When were the Tailed Beast captured, and by whom?
Senju Hashirama captured the Tailed Beast on E.O.H. Year 45.
When, where, and who distributed the Tailed Beast?
Senju Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beast on E.O.H. Year 50 at The First Five Kage Summit.
What Tailed Beast did each Great Hidden Village receive?
Zero and Nine went to Konoha.
One and Eight went to Suna.
Two and Seven went to Kumo.
Three and Six went to Kiri.
Four and Five went to Iwa.
What is a Jinchuriki?
Human containers for The Tailed Beast, which are sealed inside of them.
What happened to The Tailed Beast, and where are they currently located?
The Zero Tailed Worm was lost in The Second Shinobi War, when used by Konoha to destroy the Lesser Hidden Village in The Land of Sky.
The One Tailed Racoon is currently in Suna, and sealed inside The Fourth Kazekage's child Sabaku no Gaara.
The Two Tailed Cat is currently in Kumo, and sealed inside an S Rank Nameless-kunoichi named Nii Yugito.
The Three Tailed Turtle is currently in Kiri, and sealed inside The Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura.
The Four Tailed Monkey is currently in Iwa, and sealed inside the S Rank Nameless-shinobi Roshi.
The Five Tailed Horse was lost in The First Shinobi War, when Iwa attacked The Land of Snow.
The Six Tailed Snail went missing near the end of The Third Shinobi War.
The Seven Tailed Beetle went missing after The Third Shinobi War.
The Eight Tailed Snake went missing during The Third Shinobi War.
The Nine Tailed Fox is currently in Konoha, and sealed inside The Hero of Konoha's only child Namikaze Naruto.
When and how did The First Hokage pass away?
Senju Hashirama was 150 years old when he passed away of natural causes on E.O.H. Year 150.
'Info: Time Remaining.'
01:22:34 Time Remaining.
The sound of pencil scratching, paper flipping, and Suzume-sensei's occasional giggling filled the room. She was sitting at her desk, and nose-deep inside an orange book. While her chakra no longer felt itchy, there was now an odd silky-sensation in its place. Yet, she still lacked the control needed to keep it from saturating the environment.
+10 EXP: Chakra Sensing!
'Info.'
Book: Make-Out Paradise
Rank: S
+100% EXP: Charisma while in use.
'A worn and signed copy of a limited edition hardcover run.'
Whoa, that's the first S Rank object I've seen.
Doubling my rate of growth while reading a book, were can I get one of those?
"Focus on your test, sunshine," Suzume-sensei's eyes met my own, and I turned back to my test.
"Sorry."
+10 EXP: Reputation with Suzume-sensei!
Did she have to call me that in front of everyo-
-1 Lifeforce Energy Point
A sharp poke on my left ribcage caused me to look at Tenten, who was smirking while speeding through her test. Damn, she was more than half-way through. Meanwhile, I was only just now getting to that point.
"Hmm.."
Who was The Second Hokage, when did they take office, and how old were they?
Hatake Tobirama was 25 years old when he became The Second Hokage on E.A.H. Year 1.
What is The Second Hokage's other Title?
The Shadow of Shinobi.
When did The First Shinobi War start?
The First Shinobi War began on E.A.H. Year 1.
What were The Second Hokage's Five contributions to Konoha?
Konoha's Shinobi Academy.
Konoha's ANBU.
Konoha's Police Force.
Konoha's Hunter Force.
Konoha's Intel Force.
When did The Second Hokage die, how, and why?
The Second Hokage Hatake Tobirama was executed by Konoha on E.A.H. Year 25 to officially end The First Shinobi War.
When did The First Shinobi War end?
The First Shinobi War ended on E.A.H. Year 25.
I couldn't think of a more controversial figure in Konoha's history than The Second Hokage. Having written 'The 100 Rules of Shinobi' that all in our profession followed, he was arguably the golden standard; cold, unfeeling, and ruthlessly proficient.
Yet, his accomplishments and contributions that shaped the world of shinobi from the weakest Hidden Village to the strongest, were all shadowed by the atrocities he committed in The First Shinobi War.
He sacrificed so many of Konoha's shinobi and kunoichi to win, it's estimated we lost around 50% of our population. No one was unaffected, and Konoha were the least to suffer at his actions. His infamous Edo Tensei technique being one of the lesser monstrous actions. Entire Hidden villages and not, were raised to the ground.
He even sacrificed his own wife and first born child during the war.
It was only his execution at the age of 50 that brought an end to The First Shinobi War. However, the most baffling thing about it was that he willing went to his death. No one had forced him, and there were few shinobi or kunoichi in history that could have made Tobirama do anything.
Ultimately, The First Shinobi War was one of attrition that nobody won and everyone lost.
The Hatake Clan themselves turned their backs on him, and founded The Inuzuka Clan. Replacing their wolf companions with dogs, and Patriarch leaders with Matriarchs. In an effort to distance themselves from Tobirama, they now follow their Five Creeds of Loyalties.
1. Loyalty to Village.
2. Loyalty to Comrades
3. Loyalty to Family
4. Loyalty to Partners
5. Loyalty to Self
The highest of which is to the village, and the lowest is self. However, his second son did continue The Hatake line, and there is currently a single descendant alive.
The Legendary copy-cat Shinobi, Hatake Kakashi.
Moreover, even to this day there are those who still defend Tobirama's actions by claiming they were made out of necessity.
I get their reasoning, it was the first time militarized shinobi had gone to war. So the written and unwritten rules of engagement had not yet been established.
But I can't say that I agree completely.
00:45:31: Time Remaining.
Who is The Third Hokage, when did they take office, and how old were they?
Sarutobi Hiruzen was 15 years old when he became The Third Hokage on E.A.H. Year 25.
What is The Third Hokage's other Title?
The Professor of Shinobi.
When did The Second Shinobi War start?
The Second Shinobi War began on E.A.H. Year 45.
When did The Second Shinobi War end?
The Second Shinobi War ended on E.A.H. Year 60.
What are The Third Hokage's current contributions to Konoha?
Konoha's Orphanage System.
Expanding Konoha's Shinobi Academy to include orphan and civilian students.
The Civilian Council.
Konoha's Archive.
Konoha's Libraries.
Konoha's Sensor Force.
Konoha's Medical Force.
The Shinobi Ranking System.
Konoha's Training Fields.
...
There were just too many to fit on this one page, and that wasn't including The Chunin Exams or his dipolomatic achievements. It was easy to see why The professor was my and most people's favorite Hokage.
While Hashirama laid the ground work and Tobirama build the infrastructure, it was Hiruzen who expanded Konoha's breath of power and depth of knowledge. Not only did he master every single one of Konoha's Jutsu, he created so many of his own that have become staples of every shinobi and kunoichi alive.
The clone, the substitution, and transformation jutsu were only a few of them. From simple utility based jutsu that keep one clean when out on mission to the creation of summoning contracts that have made several in our profession into legends.
Three of those being his own students
Hell, there was a time when The Uchiha Clan's fireball Jutsu was considered the pinnacle of fire release techniques, but after The Third mastered and expanded that jutsu they now learned it as a coming of age technique. Then you have the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi who were lesser clans that became greater ones after he did the same with their Hidden Techniques.
It just cannot be overstated how impactful Hiruzen's leadership as Konoha's most prolific Hokage truly is.
Sure Hashirama created the village, but Hiruzen gave it The Will of Fire. While Tobirama build Konoha's academy, it was Hiruzen who allowed orphans and civilians to enter. Further growing the village's population as more flocked to join.
Granted the inclusion of Nameless shinobi and kunoichi-in-training was somewhat inevitable. As the aftermath of The First Shinobi War, left so many without families and every Hidden Village's military force depleted. Yet, it was still something that should have been allowed from the beginning, after all The Senju were originally comprised of Nameless individuals.
Though, I can see why that wasn't initially the case back when Konoha was much smaller and everyone who lived here was a shinobi or kunoichi. Now it's far closer to a small city than a big village.
And sure, The Civilian Council is still subservient to The Shinobi Council, but it does serve a vital purpose in all things commerce.
00:24:18 Time Remaining.
When did The Third Shinobi War start?
The Third Shinobi War began on E.A.H. Year 77.
Who was The Hero of Konoha?
Namikaze Minato.
What is The Hero of Konoha's other Title?
The Lost Hokage.
When and how did The Hero of Konoha pass away?
On E.A.H. Year 97 Konoha was attacked by the Nine Tailed Fox, and Namikaze Minato sacrificed themselves to seal it inside their son The Savior of Konoha Namikaze Naruto.
When did The Third Shinobi War end?
The Third Shinobi War ended on E.A.H. Year 97.
It's tragic.
Namikaze Minato was to be The Fourth Hokage. He met all the criteria, beloved by the village and powerful enough to defend it himself. Yet, towards the tail end of The Third Shinobi War, The Nine Tailed Fox broke free and attacked Konoha. The Hero of Konoha sacrificed his own life to seal it inside his child a few weeks before his Hokage coronation.
It just wasn't meant to be.
'Info: Time Remaining.'
00:10:42 Time Remaining.
Placing my test on Suzume-sensei's desk, I turned away from the sleeping and drooling kunoichi to make my way back up the steps. My mind felt sluggish, and I bet the veins on my temple made me look like a Hyuuga half-breed.
'Info: Unchecked EXP and LVL gained last two hours.'
+250 EXP: Intelligence!
+2 LVL: Intelligence!
+25 EXP: Wisdom!
+5 EXP: Endurance!
The ability to 'recall' my growth in a single pulse, instead of being drip fed the information was a welcomed discovery. The constant barrage of intrusive thoughts had gotten so bad I tried compiling them into smaller 'packages'. Sure, it's more forceful this way, but it's also less disruptive.
Most of my peers, having finished earlier, were resting their heads on their arms or leaning back with closed eyes. Approaching my row and taking my seat, I noticed Tenten was one of the former. She had finished twenty or so minutes before me, and seemed far more relaxed than before.
I still don't know what to make of her, it's not like we had interacted much in the past. All I knew about Tenten, other than what my 'Info' ability revealed, is that she's a Nameless Kunoichi from one of the western orphanages near the Uchiha Compound. I being from an eastern one close to the Hyuuga, meant we traveled opposite directions to and from the academy.
Sure, we had similar backgrounds to bond over, but I could just do that with others who lived at The Elder Matron's place. Which wasn't something I cared to do even there.
Besides, you never know who's going to drop or be kicked out the following year. Something that was more prevalent among orphans.
However, looking at her calm form, and now that she wasn't being annoying, an odd feeling coursed inside me. Like a river that was flowing upwards in my stomach and crashing into multiple rock formations. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable nor was it comforting.
Just weird.
Laying my head down over both my arms as I observed her posture, It was obvious from her toned and tanned arms that she trained long hours while following a strict regiment.
Maybe I could ask to train with her?
I frowned.
That question just made my stomach swirl even more than when molding chakra. It wasn't like I was oblivious to crushes or 'love' at first sight. One need only read a history book regarding clans to put two and two together.
However, this just came out of nowhere. We had maybe spoken a word or two prior to today, and she now has a 'crush'? That didn't make sense to me, nor the possibility of me having a crush on her.
Was this the gamer system's doing? If it was a genjutsu I would be able to sense a change in her energies, as would anyone else especially Suzume-sensei. Yet, nothing appeared to be interfering with her chakra network.
For that matter, any oddities in my own chakra network would be obvious to the village shinobi population. The security sensors kept a close eye on Konoha's population, there's no way I'd go unnoticed.
So either, my three advanced nature affinities and this gamer power were something I was born with or the system was able to fool even our village's best sensor shinobi.
It could just be puberty. Our lessons last year had covered this period in our lives, and I am experiencing 'changes'. Yet, it feels like they could have explained how to deal with this sort of thing better.
Do I have a crush on her?
Though she's definitely not conventionally attractive, I don't find her unattractive. Her personality is a bit rough and sharp, but I can see the appeal.
It's weird.
It's rare that I don't arrive early to the academy, today being the first time that I was almost late. In fact, the only other classmates I knew here who always arrived before me were the Hyuuga prodigy and the dead last.
If I hadn't stayed up last night fretting over this strange power and spend so much time reviewing it in the morning, we wouldn't be sitting next to each other. A small change atop a larger one, and now I can't tell where my trajectory in life is going. Like a kunai thrown without care, where will this lead?
I had my future all planned out, graduate, serve a few years, don't die, save some money from missions, then retire, and open a small shop. But now, that's off the table, because if The Sage of Six Paths really does exist and I'm to serve a purpose, then the world is almost certainly about to change drastically.
-1 Lifeforce Energy Point
"Hmm.."
"Sure you don't want a picture?"
Our eyes met, she was smiling, and her left hand was poking my ribcage.
She really is cute..
"Maybe I do."
It was subtle and without chakra passively enhancing my eyes I wouldn't have noticed, but there was a blush rising on her face.
+50 EXP: Reputation with Tenten!
"When you make up your mind, I'll tell you how much it'll cost."
-1 Lifeforce Energy Point
This time I grabbed her left hand with own, it was as soft as I remembered.
+50 EXP: Reputation with Tenten!
+1 LVL: Reputation with Tenten!
With our hands interlocking between us, we waited in semi-silence as the last of our classmates turned in their test and our chunin-instructor's loud snoring echoed in the background.
'Info: Time Remaining.'
00:03:21 Time Remaining.
Those are quite a few changes to this world's history, and as you can imagine a lot of ripple effects have occurred because of them.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this!
Constructive criticism welcomed!