Kakashi is on his way home from his early morning visit to the Monument in Training Ground Seven. The sun is shining, birds are singing, Tenzou is sitting in that tree over there crying.
…
Kakashi stops in his tracks and heads over to that tree. He jumps up beside Tenzou and puts a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asks. Tenzou does not cry very often.
"Hashirama is gone," sniffs Tenzou, looking up at Kakashi, with tears and snot running down her face. "I had a Dad...and now he's gone."
Kakashi settles down in the tree beside Tenzou and puts his arms around her. Tenzou cries into his chest, getting his jounin vest all damp and slimy. Kakashi pats her back a little awkwardly. "There, there," he says.
Tenzou's ANBU team waits restlessly for their captain to turn up. "What's the bet that she forgot?" asks one.
"She didn't forget, don't worry," says another. "Most likely her kids made her late."
When Tenzou finally turns up, she is an hour late, and looks as though she's been crying. "Sorry I'm late," she says, quite seriously. "I got lost on the Road of Life." Then she puts on her mask. "Let's go."
The team exchange looks and shrugs, and put on their own masks. Whatever is wrong with the captain is none of their business, but they plan to find out.
Now ready, Tenzou sets out with her team for their two-day long mission.
Aki pouts as she trails along behind her new undead Grandpa. What did the cool one have to go and leave for? She knew Grandpa Hashirama would have to leave, just like Grandpa Sakumo did, so she is putting on a brave face. Aki already decided she would not cry when Grandpa Hashirama left. Her new undead Grandpa, Grandpa Batsuma, is a meanie. He refuses to hold her hand, and the only reason he's holding Minoru's hand is so that he will not run off. Aki glares at Grandpa Batsuma. He might think she's too big to need her hand held, but that doesn't make her too big to want her hand held. Not that she wants to hold that old meanie's hand anyway!
"Hurry up, Aki," says Batsuma, looking over his shoulder and frowning at her. "We haven't got all day."
"We're just walking through town," says Aki, sulkily. "And we DO have all day. So there!" She sticks her tongue out.
"Don't stick your tongue out at me, girl," Batsuma growls, wagging a finger at Aki. "Hashirama might've let you do whatever you wanted, but I will not stand for any of your nonsense!"
"Still a control freak, I see, Batsuma," says a new voice.
Aki turns to look across the road. The ugly duck-hair zombie is there, with Ajisai in a sling on his back and one twin swinging off each hand. Aki grins and waves. "Hi Sazanka! Hi Yatsude!"
"Hi Aki!" says Sazanka, waving back.
"This is Uncle Madara's Dad!" says Yatsude. "We're showing him around while Uncle Madara trains Sekitei and Tachi."
"Can I go with you?" asks Aki. "Grandpa Batsuma is a big meanie."
"No, you stay away from those brats," says Batsuma, grabbing Aki by the wrist and marching away down the street. "They are wards of the Uchiha Clan, and you must not associate with the Uchiha clan."
"But one of Daddy's students is an Uchiha!" protests Aki. "And so's one of his friends! Plus Daddy is called Sharingan Kakashi. I like Uchihas anyway. Maybe I'll even marry one when I grow up. So there!" Aki sticks her tongue out again.
"I told you not to do that!" Batsuma snaps.
Aki sticks out her bottom lip and makes a rude gesture she learned from Sasuke.
"Hey!" snaps Tajima, marching across the road and getting all up in Batsuma's face. "That brat is teaching these boys bad manners. She's your great-granddaughter, take responsibility!"
"I don't care if she teaches your son's foster-brats bad manners, I only care if she teaches them to her brother!" snaps Batsuma.
Aki tips her head to one side. Why are the ugly old zombies arguing with their chakra all riled up?
"Oooh, are you gonna fight him, Gramps?" asks Yatsude, grinning maniacally.
"If you fight him, you better win, Meanie-Grandpa!" says Aki, getting fired up herself. "Real shinobi don't lose to guys with ugly haircuts!"
"Have you been hanging out with the Hyuuga clan as well, girl?" demands Batsuma.
"Daddy's rival has a Hyuuga student!" says Aki. "But you can't fight here. We have to go to a training ground."
"What do you say, Uchiha?" says Batsuma, with a bloodthirsty grin. "Shall we?"
"Challenge accepted," says Tajima, with an evil grin. "I'll grind you to dust."
"The nearest training ground is this way," says Aki, grabbing Batsuma's hand and pulling him along. Minoru stumbles in his efforts to keep up, so Batsuma tucks him under his arm. Tajima follows with the twins and Ajisai.
Ten minutes later, they reach the training ground. Thankfully, it is unoccupied. There is a clearing in the centre of the training ground, so they make their way there for the fight. Aki takes Minoru and sits down under a tree at the edge of the clearing with her brother sitting on her lap. Sazanka and Yatsude take Ajisai and her sling from Tajima and sit down beside Aki. Ajisai sits in Yatsude's lap and watches the two zombies with interest.
"I've been looking forward to this moment since we were revived," says Tajima, drawing his sword.
"As have I," says Batsuma. He glances sidelong at Aki and the other kids, as he draws his sword. "It would be more fitting if the children had a fight of their own, as Tobirama and Izuna used to."
"Go Gramps!" yells Yatsude, punching the air. "Kick the ugly Senju's butt!"
Aki, feeling unusually fired up, yells, "Don't lose, Meany-Grandpa! Show me your power!"
Batsuma and Tajima charge at each other, yelling horse battle-cries. Their swords clash together, ringing and scraping. Aki claps her hands over her ears and winces. Batsuma and Tajima leap backwards, and start circling each other, watching for any sign of attack.
Then they charge each other, and their blades meet again, this time in a flurry of strokes that flash in the sunlight. Aki cannot follow the battle properly - it is too fast. All she can see is the flash of the blades and the colour of the two reanimations' armour as they leap, dodge and run back and forth across the clearing.
Aki waves her fists in the air and yells, "Get him, Meanie-Grandpa!"
"KICK HIS ASS, GRAMPS!" Yatsude hollers, punching the air with both hands.
Minoru gets up and toddles towards the fight. Ajisai crawls out of Yatsude's lap and crawls jerkily after him.
"No, stay back!" Aki grabs Minoru, pulls him back onto her lap and holds him there.
"Waah, Ajisai, no!" Yatsude grabs Ajisai by the back of her dress and pulls her back into his lap.
"Fire style: Grand Fireball!" Tajima says, and breathes a blazing inferno at Batsuma.
"Pwetty!" says Minoru, reaching out and trying to grab the fire.
"Gaah!" Ajisai claps her hands in glee and laughs as Batsuma barely manages to dodge.
"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!" Batsuma strikes back with a water style jutsu that floods the clearing. Aki and Yarsude climb into a tree with their baby siblings to escape.
"Hey, watch it!" yells Aki. "We're still here, you know!"
"Huh?" Batsuma and Tajima turn to look at them.
"I forgot they were here," says Batsuma.
"Isn't there one of you missing?" demands Tajima. He shrugs. "Whatever. Just keep out of the damage zone."
Aki and Yatsude turn and stare at each other.
"They don't care if we get hurt…" says Aki, her eyes shining.
"These old guys are awesome!" says Yatsude grinning. "I like not being coddled!"
Aki grins. "If they aren't going to hold back around us, we can watch a real fight!"
"Hang on...where's Sazanka?"
"Umm...Maybe he went to get popcorn?"
"Whatever," Yatsude shrugs. "He'll be back."
"Fire Style-" Tajima begins a jutsu.
"Water Style-" Batsuma begins one of his own.
"Ah-hem!" The Hokage appears out of nowhere, his arms crossed in annoyance, and clears his throat pointedly.
"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Tajima launches his jutsu
"Water Dragon Jutsu!" Batsuma replies in kind, and both zombies ignore the Hokage.
Fugaku turns into a glowing blue, fully armoured, winged chakra giant and simultaneously wacks the two zombies over the head with his giant fists. "None of that!" he says. "Shame on you!" Then he turns back to normal and walks off, leaving the two zombies lying in craters shaped like their bodies.
Tajima's foot twitches slightly. Batsuma's arm twitches.
"I'm glad you guys weren't hurt," says Sazanka, sighing in relief. "Their fight was too dangerous."
"YOU SNITCH!" yells Aki, jumping down from the tree and setting Minoru on the grass. Then she leaps on Sazanka and starts to beat the crap out of him.
Yatsude leaps down from the tree, dumps Ajisai next to Minoru and joins in. "TELL TALE! WE WERE HAVING FUN!"
"Hey, stop that!" Uncle Tobirama and Uncle Madara appear, and drag Aki and Yatsude off Sazanka.
"We saw the susanoo." Uncle Madara demands. "What is going on here?"
"Meanie-Grandpa and Duck-Hair were having an awesome fight, and Sazanka snitched on them to the Hokage," yells Aki, pointing to the two craters full of twitching zombie.
Uncle Tobirma and Uncle Madara turn to look at the reanimations. Their faces twitch, and then they both burst out laughing.