WAR NEVER ENDS – A MYSTERIOUS VISITOR
A Field, Outside the Hidden Leaf Village
Hashirama gazes into the near distance. His gaze in one filled not with emptiness or longing but instead with obsession. He does not flinch as the gusts of wind throw his hair from around his head into his face, the picture of concentration, a man with unwavering focus. The source of that obsession is not a great anomaly, a mighty warrior nor a beautiful scene. It's a tree.
There are many trees in this area. It is these very trees that gave inspiration to Hashirama many years ago. A village hidden amongst them, a village to stop the wars, a village hidden amongst the leaves. That is what went on to become the first and last surviving hidden village. Even now it is his proudest accomplishment, to be part of the village which has nurtured so many wonderful people.
The trees sway as the wind hurls past them. This is not a natural wind but one caused by a jutsu that Hashirama cast not a moment ago. As the trees move backwards and forwards in the wind, the 1st Hokage watches as they are rooted firmly to the ground, unwavering, constant, unyielding. A terrible realisation comes to him however, he doesn't understand them at all.
'The element of wood. I thought I understood it better than anyone else. I thought it would be my path to a breakthrough' he thinks to himself. 'Yet three years of trying have passed and I have accomplished nothing. Perhaps my destiny lies elsewhere'.
For three years he has done just that. He has not only worked on training Boruto in this time, he has worked to improve his own strength. There is one shinobi he cannot help but compare himself to. Uzumaki Naruto. Hashirama weaves a series of signs, exercising his powers in the wood release once again. In the distance, it takes a couple of short seconds for a tree to sprout from the ground, a perfect copy of the adjacent plant.
'At the end of the day, wood can be part of something living or dead, something big or small, something near or far' Hashirama notes, trying to find that important feature, that relevant truth that will help him to make a fundamental breakthrough in his understanding. 'Perhaps I am unable to understand all the computations. Perhaps something else is calling to me'.
"It's very realistic" a feminine voice calls to him from behind.
Normally it would be impossible for someone to sneak up on him, save for a few elite shinobi such as Kakashi or Minato, however, his intense focus on the task at hand had averted his attention for the last few moments.
He turns his head slightly he smiles at the new arrival. "Hello Sarada, I didn't expect to see you here".
"Boruto and I are swapping masters for the day" the 9th Hokage explains. "He needs to speak to his father".
"I see".
Sarada understands Hashirama's anxious training. While other members of the circle have slowly been coming to understand different elements, the two of them have yet to achieve that level of comprehension. It is clear to her that Hashirama is trying to understand an element that has always been closely linked to the 1st Hokage, the element of wood. Activating her Sharingan she inspects the tree with enhanced vision.
"Even with my Sharingan I have to look closely to find faults in your wood release" Sarada admits. "The way you can copy a distant tree from this distance and be so close to perfection, it's truly impressive Lord 1st".
"Thank you" the elder Senju brother mouths before gently nodding. "Sarada, I have to ask, why are you really here?".
"What do you mean?".
Hashirama may have acted like a fool at various stages in his life. His personality has been noted previously to be different to what people have expected from the 'god of shinobi'. The wood-user is though, not a fool, he is incredibly perceptive about these matters. He and Naruto share an ability to understand the hearts of the people who surround them.
"There is something else going on. I've noticed it in the way you and Boruto act. The tension has only increased during this three-year period. You're always nervous around one another".
Sarada takes a deep breath, she has never been directly confronted over her behaviour around Boruto, not in a situation like this. "If I tell you the truth, do you promise not to tell anyone?".
The man who found the village chuckles to himself. "Sarada, do you think I am a gossip?".
"No. Not at all" Sarada answers nervously. Truthfully, Hashirama is rarely seen socialising with others. He occasionally speaks with Tobirama after attending a meeting for The Circle, other than that, most of his human contact covers his teaching Boruto.
"The truth is…" Sasuke's daughter begins hesitantly, "Boruto and I are together, we have been for a while now".
"Together?".
"Yeah, together" the 9th Hokage continues, "We uh live together and uh…".
"I understand Sarada. You don't need to give me details of your private lives, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable".
A moment of silence passes, an awkward moment. Hashirama is the first person to know about the relationship between the 9th Hokage and her Shadow Hokage. The two of them represent opposing viewpoints yet they remain close to one another, even closer than their parents were when they shared the same roles.
"Are you not annoyed that we didn't tell you" Sarada asks.
"No, it doesn't matter to me, as long as the two of you are happy" Hashirama answers indifferently, "I'm sure you make him happy. I can tell from the glint in his eyes when I train with him".
"Really?".
"Yeah, I hope he makes you happy too Sarada".
Sarada smiles, "He does. Yes, he definitely does". 'At least when he isn't trying to hide things' she continues in her head.
"If he doesn't, you let me know and I will be extra hard on him during training" Boruto's master offers, earning a laugh from his 8th successor.
"Thank you".
"Speaking of training, attack whenever you like" the 1st Hokage offers.
Hashirama doesn't adopt a fighting position or anything of the sort but his gazes is fixed firmly on Sarada's head. Naturally, he has the wisdom not to tempt fate by looking into her eyes but he makes sure that he won't miss anything. Despite his lack of words, his posture speaks loud and clear to Sarada, he is ready.
"Are you su…" Sarada stops her sentence mid-way before leaping at Hashirama and throwing a hard quick towards his head.
The 1st Hokage attempts to dodge but his opponent is no pushover, she is after all the 9th Hokage, Naruto's student, someone capable of bringing him to the future. He instead calmly rises his hand to the side of his head, catching her foot and easily resisting the gust of wind that emanates from the point of contact.
'Don't tell me I can't hit him either' Sarada groans to herself.
"That was pretty close Sarada, it seems that Naruto has taught you a lot. But, you will have to be a little faster than that if you want to hit me. Do you think you can do it?".
Her surprise attack has not worked but Sarada has many more tricks up her sleeve and the raw power to give her opponent a run for his money.
She activates her rinnegan, "I don't know…".
"… but I intend to find out".
Another Field, Outside the Hidden Leaf
Naruto trains on the other side of the hidden leaf to Hashirama. This is only natural, while they seldom go all-out or have any reason to do so, when the 1st and 7th Hokage use their full strength they are capable of creating unrivalled levels of destruction. Adding their students to the equation only increases this need. If Naruto and Sarada were to fight using their full power, it would be dangerous to anyone around them.
Currently the blonde shinobi has his head in the clouds. Unlike his counterpart, he is not focused on increasing his strength or comprehending any great mysteries. He is lost in the excitement of his wedding.
'I guess I'm also going to need a best man if I'm getting married' Naruto notes as he looks up into the sky. 'Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, all three of my teammates and Konohamaru too. All of them are…'.
Every time Naruto thinks about this it is very sad for the young shinobi. Having been brought forward to the future, of course, all of his old friends are older than him now, with the exception of Hinata. Even then, Sasuke, Sakura and Sai should all still be alive if they were allowed their natural lifespans but each of them had died in service to the hidden leaf. Sasuke had died fighting alongside the future Naruto against General Clyde. Sakura had died trying to save the village from a brainwashed Sasuke. Sai and Konohamaru had died together in order to detonate a bomb under the hidden leaf, to save the retreating villagers.
'In the past, I thought we would all be going back to the leaf together… I guess it hasn't turned out that way in the future'.
Smiling, Naruto continues to think to himself. 'Sasuke, after you came back to the leaf you did so much good. As the shadow Hokage you worked hard to protect not only the hidden leaf village but the entire world. I don't know how I can possibly repay you'.
'I hope what I am doing at the moment makes you happy'.
'Sasuke, Sakura, I'm training your daughter. She gets more amazing every day and perhaps one day she could even surpass me'.
With this thought in mind, Naruto places his hands on his hips and laughs into the sky.
"What are you doing" a voice asks from behind him.
"AHH" Naruto shouts as he removes his hand and spins around anxiously. "Hey, you're not Sarada!".
Naruto has quite obviously been stunned by the unexpected arrival of his son. "It's good to see you too, old man" Boruto sarcastically replies as he places his hands deep into the pockets of his black jacket.
The 7th Hokage pauses for a moment to recover his composure. Never had he expected to be found in such an embarrassing position, laughing to himself as he boasted to his deceased teammates in his head. "Sorry" he deflects the situation, "You caught me off guard".
"So it would seem" Boruto begins, "I never caught you doing anything that embarrassing even as I was growing up".
"Hey" Naruto shouts as he points rudely at his son, "Just because I'm your father doesn't mean you get to make fun of me".
The Uzumaki pair laugh between themselves for a few moments. Regardless of how much they have gone through, of how many times they have argued or disagreed on important issues, they are still father and son. United by time travel with a backwards relative age, they will always be united by the mutual respect they have for one another's abilities and personality.
"It's good to see you Boruto" Naruto declares as he stops laughing, "I wasn't expecting you".
"No" Boruto replies, "Sarada and I decided to switch masters for the day".
"I see, is there a reason for that?".
"Yes but it's a bit difficult to say, dad".
"Don't hold back" Naruto says as he pats his son on the back. "You know that you can tell me anything".
It is unusual for Boruto to not feel comfortable talking to his dad. While, in his youth, he felt that his dad neglected to pay attention to his family, this viewpoint changed as the shadow Hokage matured. Like most other people in the village, Boruto later came to accept that Naruto is one of the greatest shinobi in the history of the not just the village but the entire world. It is because Boruto has this great respect for his father that he told him about the portal to the other world and the strange substance that has afflicted him. He has given Naruto confidence in these things more than anybody else.
"The thing is dad, I haven't been honest with you in a very long time".
"I find that hard to believe" Naruto says as he scratches the back of his head, Boruto may be dark and controversial at times but he is rarely deceptive.
"No it's true. There is something about me, about Sarada and myself that we have been hiding for a very long time" he begins "We haven't told you that we're ah… you see…".
"Sarada and I are… we're in a relationship".
"Boruto I…".
Boruto raises a hand to interrupt his father, "Please, let me finish".
"I have been a coward. I haven't told you this for all so long and all because I was afraid of how you would react" he says with his voice getting ever more urgent and rapid.
"I know that you would never react badly but some irrational part of my brain wanted to keep it a secret".
"No, that part of my brain still wants to maintain this secret but there is a reason I can't. A reason you understand very well".
"What is it?" Naruto asks patiently.
"I love Sarada, father. Sarada doesn't really have a family any more. Her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, they are all dead. She only really has one person left, that person is her master, that person is you".
"I didn't want to tell anyone. I was a coward and wanted to keep it a secret but I have to ask you this".
Naruto smiles and shrugs his shoulders questioningly, "Ask me what?".
"Uzumaki Naruto, I would like to ask for your blessing to marry your student".
Boruto finally stops speaking, taking a deep breath as he does so. He looks into the unwavering eyes of his father, who is largely expressionless. He has no idea how he will react.
Finally, Naruto smiles, "I see, is that all you wanted to say?".
"Yes".
Naruto grabs Boruto and tightly hugs his son as he pats him several times on the back, a hug of the most genuine paternal affection.
"Both you and Sarada are really important to me" the 7th Hokage declares as the two separate and he looks into his son's eyes. "To know that you two are happy together is all I need to answer your request".
"You have my blessing Boruto, of course you do".
"Thank you, dad" Boruto says finally relaxing for the first time in a very long while, "Thank you".
Hashirama's Field
Sarada places her hands on her knees as she struggles for breath. When she has finally recovered she removes her glasses and wipes the sweat from her brow. Upon putting them back on her gaze comes to rest on the man who is teaching her today, and she makes a single conclusion about him. He's a monster.
"I can tell you have been working hard these past three years" Hashirama compliments her.
Sarada is too proud to take the compliment though. "I really couldn't land a solid hit on you".
"Don't worry about it" Hashirama dismisses his temporary pupil's concerns with a casual wave of his hand, "Neither can your blonde friend".
While it brings Sarada some pride to know that she has not fallen behind Boruto she gets to her feet and makes an honest confession. "I am not putting myself down here. I know that I am strong, stronger than most Kage through history but you made me seem like a mere beginner. Lord 1st, how strong are you really?".
The Senju clansmen considers for a moment if it is wise to reveal the truth but he does. "If you took away Naruto's control over the invaders' power, I could defeat him".
"I see" Sarada puffs, slightly disbelieving of the boast. She cannot land a solid hit on Naruto during training either, it is clear to her that the 1st and 7th Hokage's have reached a godly level as shinobi. For one of them to claim to be above the other though, is a tough claim to swallow.
"Thanks for your training, Lord 1st" she continues, "Let's do it again some time".
Sarada leaves and waves behind her to Boruto's teacher, happy at not only the level of instruction she received but of his approval of her relationship with his student.
Hashirama smiles as he watches Sarada leave.
'Boruto. It's just like we discussed three years ago. No matter how far you fall, there is always someone who can bring you back. For you, Sarada is that person'.
As Sarada fully disappears from view, it finally happens.
A hand reaches for Hashirama's back.
Despite not seeing the hand coming, the 1st Hokage feels it, he spins on his heel and aims the back of his fist at the side of his assailant's head.
The attacker leaps backwards, dodging the full-speed attack of Hashirama, something not even Naruto could do.
Hashirama would gasp and demonstrate his astonishment but he has no time for that. Even so, it has been a long time since he met someone who could dodge one of his attacks, excluding Naruto.
The 1st Hokage's brain begins to focus on fighting, however, he is conscious of the fact that this fight won't be easy and should be avoided at all costs if such a thing is possible.
He observes his opponent. His clothes are largely torn but are mostly ordinary. Old black cotton trousers, a torn white shirt with a red and green patterned jacket over the top of it. His most distinct piece of clothing is the cloak adorning his back. It is not bronze, nor silver or gold, it is black, appearing almost grey from the wear and tear it has clearly been through.
This man's appearance is clearly not something he concerns himself with. His hair is long and straggly, seemingly uncut for several years. Long strands hang down in front his pale blue eyes, meeting with an enormous beard at the bottom of his face. At a medium height, he appears in his middle fifties. This man is unlike any that Hashirama has seen before.
"Who are you" Hashirama asks after taking this in.
"My name?" the man repeats before laughing maniacally, as if he has heard the funniest joke in the world. "My name is Tao Ma".
The 1st Hokage takes advantage of this situation, he continues to probe this newcomer. "Where do you come from?".
Once again, he is greeted with a laugh, as the man throws his head backwards, his hair flying backwards off his face to reveal the crazed expression beneath. "Just as you suspect, I am not someone from your world, nor am I from the group who has inhabited this world for the last few years".
"You are not from General Clyde's group?".
"No, I am not".
"Who are you then?" Hashirama snaps, "Why are you here?".
"For a long time I have been here, Senju Hashirama, watching".
"Why? What are you hoping to accomplish"?
Tao Ma reaches his foot forward, as if stepping carefully on the ground. Before Hashirama can react, he has already dashed forward, narrowing the distance so much that the 1st Hokage can smell his adversary's breath.
"I've come to tell you of destiny, Senju Hashirama, I have come to tell you of the future".
"Of the future?".
"It's written clearly now. It's right there for everyone to see. You are a marked man, Senju Hashirama". Tao Ma proclaims this before laughing again, communicating with the gods of destiny as he tells Hashirama of the future he has foreseen. "I've seen your future and it doesn't look good. Any day now, you are going to die".
"I'm going to die…" Hashirama repeats it.
"Your death will be a herald for what is to come" Tao Ma proclaims, his tone now far more serious than before, the pace of his voice quickened. "You will be the first to die and the hidden leaf will follow".
Hashirama closes his eyes and lowers his head unintimidated.
"I don't care what destiny you claim I have. I don't care about what you claim my future will hold".
"For a while, I felt like everything had ended for me when my wife died. I felt like there was nothing left".
"I made it my mission to kill all the people from your world and let me make it clear, that is still my mission".
"But, I was wrong when I said that I had nothing left. My student Boruto, my brother Tobirama and my granddaughter Tsunade".
"And I have friends like Naruto and Sarada".
"No matter what, I won't let you hurt the hidden leaf village".
"If that is the future that you have foreseen then prepare to be disappointed because I am going to change that".
Tao Ma finishes listening to Hashirama's speech, the smile holds on his face though as he chuckles more lightly to himself, like a child hiding a joke from their parent.
"I see" he says, "You're just as interesting as I thought, Senju Hashirama".