Two line breaks is a somewhat significant passage of time. Three line breaks is a change in PoV.
With this somewhat huge lorewise chapter, this story's caught up to the one in SB. Updates will take a little longer and will either be split into chapter parts of 1-2k lengths or delayed until the entire chapter's been released altogether.
...
-Year: 13.2, Age: 9.2-
Senju security sucked.
"This is becoming a habit of yours." I idly remarked as I tentatively played with the 10-month-old Senju baby's hands.
Well, not exactly ten months- Tsunade, due to minor complications, had been born just over a month earlier than intended, which made her eleven months old, though thanks to Uzumaki seals, mixed in with Senju healing, she didn't actually face any potential problems having spent the first two months in a tank of sorts.
Three guesses as to whose idea that was- Wait that was already covered.
Who am I even thinking to right now?
Was that going to become a habit? Thinking out loud to non-existent people? At least according to Aizen anyway.
Maybe I should start thinking out loud in general... At least then I'll get a response for my crazy.
...Oh right, I was supposed to make a point using that... Uh.
I am starting to think I really am going crazy.
Okay.
Redo.
Three guesses as to whose idea that was- Wait that was already covered- Oh goddammit I wasn't meant to redo all of that!
I took in a deep breath.
Okay.
The third time's the charm or so I hear.
Three guesses as to whose idea that was.
Hint, it wasn't the girl that had broken into the Senju compound. Or, well, had been let in.
Ugh. Just doesn't hit off as well after the third try... Or maybe it wasn't a good point, to begin with?
Regardless, Tsunade's parents had decided to completely ignore that particular fact- Wait which fact..? Oh, right, the fact she was born early! Wew. Losing track of all of this! I should really be paying more attention! Mostly on account of babysitting but also for sanity points.
Anywho, the Senju baby's parents had decided to designate the day her mother had been free from her stomach-kicking terror as Tsunade's birthday.
Today, was a rather important day for the Senju and Konoha as a whole.
It was the first official Kage Summit! Or, well, meeting.
That was definitely done by now.
Kinda late on the uptake, but Hashisama and co, barring his overworked brother, were actually supposed to be back soon.
Which was why, one, I was currently babysitting and two, most of the main family wasn't home.
I had, of course, argued against them attending, or even believing it'd lead to anything worthwhile given my knowledge of the canon timeline.
Hashirama, the never-ending optimist, refused to see my way.
Though he at least agreed to leave his granddaughter behind.
Unfortunately, I was the only choice he was willing to let oversee her while his family was away.
I had a feeling it was because Hashirama had taken the whole 'Baby Helper' shtick and practically ran with it, but who knows?
Where was I-
Oh right, the girl that had broken into the compound, or had been let in?
I blame Hashirama for giving his household guard free leave to let any child that used my name in.
I'd asked for that, mostly because I figured Hiruzen would check up on me the moment I skipped our academy lessons today.
Supposed to be pretty important... Something about this been our third year? And graduation exams coming soon? Eh. I dunno, kinda stopped paying attention to... Um.
Well.
All the teachers.
Still, Hiruzen's decision to skip out on said lessons was one thing... I definitely hadn't expected Koharu to.
I was genuinely starting to think the girl was obsessed with me.
She was currently a few feet away, gawking at the room as she sat ramrod straight and still, her gaze every so often staring at me in shock as she watched me take care of a baby.
I wasn't sure if I should feel offended, or embarrassed, so I settled for ignoring her.
Hiruzen should be on his way here soon.
The guy had left to get us some snacks some time ago.
"...Why are you taking care of her? Doesn't Hashirama-sama have better options for babysitting?"
I shrugged, idly throwing Tsunade a few feet into the air, the girl giggling all the way, while Koharu's eyes seemed to budge wide in response, her hands instinctively reaching out for a moment.
"Why are you stalking me?" I questioned, earning a twitch.
"I am not!"
"Mhm."I nodded my head absentmindedly. "Then I guess Hashirama-sama ought to know you tried to break into his son's home with devious intentions."
"That's not-" Whatever she'd elected to say disappeared as she narrowed her eyes. "I wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything devious!" She eventually settled on.
"Why?" I questioned, turning to glance towards her.
"Because! You skipped school today!"
"So?" I deadpanned.
"We have our tests coming up soon..." She answered warily, searching my gaze for something.
"I don't see the correlation."
She blinked at the word, furrowing her brow for a moment before shaking her head the slightest. "You shouldn't be skipping days."
"How did you know I'd be here?" I questioned idly.
"Sarutobi-kun told me."
"Why were you asking about me?"
"Because you skipped class."
"And you missed my presence?"
"Ye- No, the last time you skipped you were spying on the Hyuuga!" The girl remarked, standing up as she pointed a finger at me.
I promptly turned Tsunade around to face the girl. The blonde gave off another giggle as she stretched her hands out.
Koharu blinked in bemusement for a moment, unsure of what to do before she tentatively held her own hands out and immediately retracted them, her head shaking the slightest again.
I shrugged and placed the blonde on the floor between us and watched as she made to crawl back towards me. Clearly offended at the rejection.
"Let me guess. You thought I was spying on the Senju?"
Instead of answering verbally, the girl warily nodded her head.
"Well, I am not."
"I can see that." She deadpanned in response.
"So why are you still here? If not for my company?"
"Uh..." Koharu blinked once, twice, and promptly frowned, "To make sure you don't do anything wrong!"
I snorted.
"Like what? I'd love some ideas."
She repeated her blinking and promptly crossed her arms. "I am not telling you anything."
"Ooh, now I reall-" My words were cut off as a very small hand promptly slapped my chin, forcing my gaze to go down toward an irate blonde baby.
"Up!" Tsunade demanded, her hands raised upwards.
I rolled my head and obliged the little princess.
Koharu snorted from her side.
"I don't know what you're laughing at," I deadpanned. "She's done more damage to me there than you've ever done in our spars."
The girl's expression twitched, a haughty look filling her face up. "You and I remember our spars differently."
"Mhm." I nodded sagely. "I remember taking it easy on you,"
She rolled her eyes, turning her nose up at me.
"I also remember you using those spars to try and feel me up," I added on, a deadpan tone to my voice. I was lying of course- She was a kid. I doubt she even knew what that meant.
Regardless, the shade of red, and anger that promptly took over was worth the second slap I got from Tsunade.
"Rood!"
I rolled my eyes at the blonde, and at the mollified expression on Koharu's face.
"Like you'd know." I deadpanned towards Tsunade.
The baby tried to cross her arms only to flail about helplessly and settled on raising her nose at me as well.
When Koharu started laughing, I turned towards her and-
"I don't know why you're laughing. Like you knew what I meant either."
"I do too!" The girl immediately replied affronted.
"Then you clearly need help." I deadpanned immediately.
Thankfully, whatever explosive reaction the girl had been about to settle for was interrupted as a bemused and wary Hiruzen walked through the door. "...What'd I miss?" The boy deadpanned, turning between me and the other student. "Utatane-chan, when did you get here?"
The girl crossed her arms and lowered her head. "Danzo was been rude again. I was about to punch him for it."
"Oof, good thing you didn't," Hiruzen replied, walking further into the room before throwing a bag in front of me. "Wouldn't be a good idea to end up in the hospital just before the tests."
"Ha!" Koharu remarked, a grin on her face as she pointed towards me. "Even your best friend gets it."
Hiruzen and I shared a knowing look at that.
"You do know he means-"
"Danzo... Unless you want to prove it, don't provoke her."
I rolled my eyes at the words, as Koharu's expression changed to a bemused one as she stared between the two of us. "What are you talking about?"
I slowly handed over the blonde Senju to a resigned Hiruzen, the boy had immediately taken notice of my expression. "The fact you're a tsundere," I joked, unable to help myself.
Needless to say, the girl wasn't happy, judging by the academy-grade dull kunai she threw at me.
"Not on your life." She replied with a huff.
I grinned in response.
"How do you know I was talking about me? And here I was about to give you a chance." I shrugged, raising both hands.
The girl opened her mouth to retort, closed it, and uncrossed her arms before yelling out: "You'd never have a chance!"
"I'll hold you to that." I grinned, expecting to see a satisfied look from the other. Though all I got was a passive one in return, the girl was probably unsure of how to respond.
Which was admittedly fair in truth, I don't think I would've known how to properly respond if the shoe was on the other side- Though according to Hiruzen that applied to every conversation I had... But what did he know- Ooh, there's an idea.
"Congratulations Hiruzen, you have a tsundere," This time getting more sputtering and indignation that ended in a frustrated sigh from the girl.
"Leave me out of this." The boy deadpanned, a betrayed look on his face. "Or you can pay for those sweets next time."
The heartless bastard.
"You'd make an orphan do that?" I mock-gasped, a hand on my chest. "How cruel of you."
Koharu visibly winced for some reason, her expression seemingly changing towards me. I watched as she made to open her mouth, a question on her tongue before Hiruzen spoke over her.
"Your parents dodged a kunai on that one." Hiruzen deadpanned, idly going through the bag he'd brought for himself before he plucked a sweet out.
My eyes genuinely widened, my mouth practically frozen as my head tilted at the guy for a moment.
Just as Koharu was about to add her own two cents in, her gaze angry as she turned towards Hiruzen, I promptly started laughing and quickly took the sail out of whatever she'd been about to say as she simply returned to staring at me, this time utterly baffled.
"Well done," I deadpanned. "That might be the first time you've actually said something funny."
He grinned in return.
"So...You're not an orphan?" Was Koharu's only response.
"No, no, I am." I nodded my head.
"...Why would you laugh-" She turned her gaze towards Hiruzen, her anger surfacing back. "Why would you say that?"
The two of us looked at each other for a moment and shrugged.
"It's funny?"
"What is wrong with you two!?" The girl suddenly questioned alarmed as she moved towards Tsunade, picking her up with ease. "I can't believe Hokage-sama trusted you with a pure soul!"
We both rolled our eyes at her, before snorting at the utter look of discomfort on Tsunade's face as she tried to push herself away from the other student.
"The pure soul's decreed you to be worse."
The utterly confused expression on Utatane's face was rather amusing. "No, no, no, Tsunade-chan, I am the good one!"
...
...
-Year: 13.3, Age: 9.3-
The timeline was fucked.
I wasn't entirely surprised about that, my existence this early was always going to cause it to fluctuate- And it wasn't like I'd even tried to keep it on any rails. Hell, Tsunade's birth this early into the timeline practically cemented that but...
I grit my teeth, and held in my anger- It wouldn't do to accidentally reveal my location, now would it?
I had a lot of leeway with the Hokage but considering what had happened, I very much doubted he'd forgive this little trespassing.
Not that he'd notice anyway.
His office was under lockdown- Had been so ever since he'd returned from the so-called Kage Summit. He'd been the only Senju, besides his wife, to return.
Tsunade would never have a younger brother.
Her parents had died. And as I'd learned so far, they'd died on the route back.
I calmly walked past the Jonin on security, the three currently guarding the so-called prisoner.
The prisoner that was responsible for the so-called deaths.
Keeping myself shrouded under Observation Haki, I calmly swept my way past the security detail, my gaze and chakra quickly taking in and dismantling the seals surrounding the room enough to let me pass.
No one noticed anything.
Which was unfair to them, really. The only three that would've noticed anything were currently in mourning, dealing with false promises and arguing to speed up Konoha's development.
Mito Senju had looked heartbroken when she'd showed up at the gates, even if she'd tried to hold her emotions together- Her chakra, and Kurama's likely as well, hadn't been kept under wraps. It hadn't helped that Tsunade, in response to that chakra, or perhaps the mood in the air- Hell, maybe it was the fact her parents had been in caskets, had started crying on site of them. Had refused to go anywhere near them, with the threat of raising said cries for the other bloody villages to hear whenever her grandfather or mother tried to reach out for her.
In the end, the baby had simply cried herself to sleep in Tobirama's arms.
Hashirama on the other hand had barely restrained his anger as he dragged the so-called accused across the streets of Konoha., as he swept into his office and dealt with the fallout of what had occurred. Dealt with dignitaries who came and promised recompense for allowing such a thing to occur. That promised the heads of a clan of cultists despised throughout the region. All of them with smiles on their faces. With glee. With contempt for what they witnessed in the village. It was the so-called promise, false as it was, that three of the great villages would work together, regardless of the reason for it, that likely stayed Hashirama's hand. He certainly didn't believe their tales. But he held the slightest bit of hope in what said tales promised overall. It was that sheer optimism that made him stand out amongst the rest of the world. That light could never truly be diminished, no matter what.
But, as Tobirama had pointed out, they were false all the same.
The fact was, that Hashirama's son and daughter-in-law hadn't been the main targets, only those affected.
Whoever had instigated the plot had targeted Hashirama himself.
They'd failed of course... But only marginally so.
Hashirama was going to die. I wasn't sure how long he had left, but his life expectancy had been cut. Granted, his life expectancy despite what others believed of it, hadn't been all that long to begin with- What with how much he abused his bloodline ability, how much he abused Senjutsu, and the biggest cause, his battles with Madara and the Tailed Beasts. But all the same, whether it was a minuscule effort, whether it would've had any effect or not at all, someone had tried to take him out. Had tried to destabilize Konoha.
They'd failed on multiple accounts, most of which they didn't even realize.
Me personally?
I'd always known the man didn't have long to live. I just hadn't expected his kid to bite it so soon. I just hadn't expected it... any of this in truth.
Which was why I was glad for Tobirama's point of view.
The man, in response to it all, had been eerily silent- In fact, he hadn't done much of anything except to tell the so-called dignitaries that Konoha would heal on their own terms, but they were more than happy to consider such cooperation in the future... And the moment said dignitaries had left, I'd watched him effectively push Hashirama into preparing for war.
I had a feeling my school days were about to be over.
That was fine. So long as Hashirama remembered what I'd asked for, it would all be fine- And even if he didn't... Well, that was fine too.
Truth be told, I had very little left that I could get out of the academy- Besides helping my so-called classmates learn how to survive better, but it wasn't like I couldn't do that as a Genin anyway, nor had that even been my initial reason for joining to begin with.
Odds were, I'd get what I wanted. Even if Tobirama wasn't put up as my sensei, all it would take would be a few missions and I'd have the man's attention anyway. That's all I really need.
But as far as this little debacle goes... I wasn't interested in the political situation at hand- I wasn't interested in Konoha's response to it all.
I just wanted a little bit of closure.
Out of everyone affected, the one most affected was arguably the blonde baby I've practically been babysitting since she was born. To say I am peeved about all this, was an understatement. I'd never known her parents that well, and besides being somewhat airheaded, clumsy, and a tad ditzy on top of it all, they seemed a decent sort.
...I idly let out a sigh as I watched the man the Tsuchikage had put a crosshair on, my back against the wall. He looked tired and hurt for that matter. Unsurprising all things considered.
That's generally what happened when you admitted to poisoning the Kage's kid and daughter-in-law as revenge for some slight that happened decades ago. For a slight that couldn't even be verified.
Torture, a lot of it.
Maybe it was to get information, maybe it was to get even- I couldn't read the interrogator's minds, nor did I particularly care to.
My civilian days were officially over given this was likely to be my last year in the academy. It meant my days sandbagging were just as done.
It meant that I could finally stop pretending.
I could finally be myself.
I was going to drag this world, kicking and screaming if I had to, to a new age.
A better age, hopefully.
I don't know who I was doing it for, nor why, but all things considered it was a challenge worth trying for.
A small part of me even looked forward to the kind of repercussions it was going to have.
But first... I took in a deep breath. First, I needed just a little bit of closure.
I walked up to the prisoner, placed a hand on his head, and took a little peek inside.
Fifteen seconds later, he started screaming.
By the twentieth second, even as Jonin after Jonin entered the sealed cell, he started crying for mercy. Crying that it wasn't him. That he hadn't done it by his own will.
That he'd been ordered.
That he had no choice.
And all the Jonin could do was stare helplessly, flabbergasted even as to what had changed.
It wasn't like they saw me. For all they could tell, the man had just randomly started screaming.
By the thirtieth second, he was dead and I was halfway across the continent, my mind a blur, my eyes almost glazed over.
By the third minute after leaving, the Earth Daimyo had a gift waiting for him.
His son and daughter-in-law's head on his bed.
A small part of my mind whispered of a world long gone. Whispered of a balance I'd fought against.
Maybe it was right. Maybe it wasn't.
I knew it didn't matter. To kill the Daimyo himself could've led to a pointless war. Killing his heir, sent a message, and if that resulted in war all the same, at least that war wouldn't be for a lie.
I had no guarantee that Daimyo's son was involved, nor even knew what his father had done. But I knew the Daimyo was involved. Knew it was at his order.
If war is the result, at the very least it'll be a war built on truth instead of a lie.
By the fifth, I was back in the village, almost out of chakra, and the only one who'd noticed my return was a little girl.
Evidently, my chakra control wasn't as good as I thought it was if I managed to slip up enough to let that happen, or perhaps it was my lack of chakra. Still, the girl was the only one to notice, given I'd landed directly in front of her window.
Not that it mattered, it wasn't exactly strange for ninjas to be flying about- The body flicker was a thing after all. For all intents and purposes that was all it'd look like to a child.
So I put it to the back of my head, briefly looked at said girl, and went home anyway.
There was something familiar about her- But that could've just been my chakra exhaustion speaking.
The next day, I went to class like nothing had happened. Like nothing had changed.
Hiruzen noticed all the same.
News of that level spread fast after all.
Oddly enough though, he didn't ask for confirmation. Didn't ask if I even had anything to do with it... But the look in his eyes told me he knew.
"...You know, all things considered, I am just glad we're friends."
What a strange choice of words, yet all I could do was nod.
The next day, however, I'd been called into the Hokage's Office.
I guess, Hiruzen might've not been the only one to put two and two together, even if he'd only done it on instinct.
...
I walked into the Hokage's office, my mind idly noting the fact there was only one other ninja nearby, keeping an eye out.
The idiot 'guarding' the door didn't count.
No, there was only one Jonin currently keeping an eye on things, which boded well for me.
It meant I wasn't being called in to answer for my crimes- Yet, anyway.
"Danzo-kun," The Hokage remarked, finally noticing me. There was a very tired, almost depressed, look on his face.
Considering what he'd gone through, I was more surprised that he'd managed to keep at just that. Losing your kid tended to make people look a lot worse from what I figured.
Despite it all, I was rather impressed by the man's sheer will to keep moving forward. Though I had a feeling the news of the Earth Daimyo's misfortune probably helped. Out of everyone who knew the real cause behind the attack on the Senju family, the Hokage was definitely one of them.
Tobirama as well, for that matter- That was part of the main cause behind the man's sudden leave earlier in the morning. People from differing clans had been called up to represent said attack, this time in the Fire Daimyo's court, both the attack on Hashirama and the Earth Daimyo.
I figured they'd asked for the man's brother, given none of them wanted to meet a pissed-off God of Shinobi.
"Yo," I replied, idly taking a seat. "You called?"
Oh, did you mishear me? Yes, they called up regarding the attack on the Earth Daimyo. They hadn't accused Konoha of anything- They wanted help with investigating the matter as it clearly went much further than just some random no-name with a grudge.
Investigate.
Turns out, Konoha hadn't been blamed for the response. Double turn out, it hadn't even occurred to me that, given the circumstances, it wasn't even considered possible for Konoha to pull it off.
Odds were, I'd more than likely accidentally set the Earth Daimyo against his Tsuchikage, because the level of planning- Snort- that was needed to do what I'd done would've required months of preparations, and the Tsuchikage was the only one that had that time given he was the middle man of it all. Even Konoha thought it was the Tsuchikage's fault that the Earth Daimyo's family had been attacked! Scratch that not just Konoha, Tobirama, the most suspicious fuck on the planet, believed that theory.
How I found out wasn't important, but it definitely involved spying on shit I shouldn't have.
"I did," Hashirama remarked, a somewhat genuine smile on his face. "I never got to thank you for taking care of Tsunade during my journey."
"Oh." I blinked, somewhat surprised. "I mean, it's not like I could've refused the Hokage," I deadpanned.
He let out a chuckle at that. "No, I suppose not, but thank you all the same," The tired look on his face seemed to grow. And just as much, it cemented what I'd done the two nights ago all the more.
My only regret regarding it all was that I probably could've gutted the Earth Daimyo and gotten away with that instead- Though, I certainly could still do it...
Bucket list.
I'll put that on my bucket list for the time being- Scratch that, as soon as the inevitable war kicks off he's visiting his son.
"Unfortunately," Hashirama's voice brought me out of my murderous musing. "That's not all I've called you here for." The man took a deep breath and looked me in the eye-
In hindsight, maybe this was about my crime? It wasn't like Hashirama needed his Jonin to appre-
"I need you to babysit her a little more!" The man bowed his head low enough to hit his table and reel back the slightest bit in a subtle attempt to ward off the no doubt embarrassing accident.
On the other hand, never mind.
"I don't know why, but..." Hashirama continued, hesitant. "Out of everyone that's interacted with her since... She's been somewhat... difficult." Sheesh I could practically feel the self-pity! "She keeps calling out for a 'zo' whenever someone tries to, well, do anything with her..." The man slowly raised his head and looked at me again. "I think that's you, Danzo-kun."
"Jeez, what gave it away?" I deadpanned again, before wincing the slightest bit given the man's emotions, and nodded. "Of course, Hashi-sama." A beat passed. "I am more than happy to babysit the little shit." ...Whoops.
"I appreciate it- Did you just call my grandaughter a little shit?"
I should probably deny that.
"...Uh, yeah. Yup. I just called my Hokage's grandaughter a little shit. To his face." I nodded.
"...Well, at least you're honest about it." The man sighed after a moment, before letting out a chuckle. "Very brave of you, I must say."
"So I've been told." I snorted.
He snorted at that.
"Was that all?" I questioned easily as I leaned back into my seat. When the man shook his head, I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You recall the favor you asked of me before?" I blinked at that. "About how you wished to have my brother for your Jonin sensei?" My eyes widened the slightest bit as I watched Hashirama briefly turn absolutely serious as he stared at me. "Well, I am afraid the time for that, given the circumstances, is rapidly running out." He let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, your classes's graduation is coming up a lot sooner than planned."
Oh for fuc- "Goddamit, which idiot am I gonna end up having to put up with if the motherfucker ain't it?" I blurted out, somewhat peeved, before quickly realizing what I'd said and blanching the slightest bit. First his granddaughter now his brother-
"Oh, no I am not saying it won't be- What did you just call him?" Hashirama questioned, evidently ignoring the utter lack of decorum on my part as I watched him barely, and I mean barely hold in the urge to start laughing.
"Uh, a respected Jonin of Konoha?" I chuckled, uneasily.
After a brief moment, I watched the Hokage take in a deep breath and promptly start laughing anyway. "Oh, oh sage, I might just throw you at him anyway! Test be damned!"
My ears perked up at that. "Test?" I questioned, somewhat eager. "Oh, you want to test me! That's why I am here!"
He nodded, in between the bouts of laughter. "I did, but right now I am genuinely just considering thro-"
"No!" I promptly stood up. "Nope, I refuse!" I pointed a finger at him and watched as his laughter turned slightly confused. "I want the test- No, no, I insist on the opportunity to kick your ass! You're not taking this away from me!"
After a few, very confused, blinks at me, the man nodded slowly. "Um. Okay then." He shrugged. "It'll certainly put my mind at ease if I know you can handle what's coming- Not that I have zero faith in my brother in his capacity to take care of three Genins but... Rather his capacity to..."
"Give a shit about three genins?"
"Not the words I'd use but yes, that." A beat passed.
"Speaking of your brother, you recall the whole baby-helper incident right?" He raised an eyebrow at that before confirming that he did in fact remember it.
"Did he tell what exactly happened during that incident?" I questioned while idly reaching a hand out towards him. "You know, besides the fact his sword broke? I was just curious what class he put the whole debacle under?"
He opened his mouth, looked at the hand in confusion, and closed it. "Right... My brother labeled it..." His face went through a swirl of different expressions. I quickly started waving my hand out in front of him and watched as he almost in a daze, grabbed hold of it. "...I suppose you an... In hindsight, maybe I should've questioned him when he called a child an-"
I promptly flash-stepped the two of us to the last place in the world he'd expected.
"-S-rank threat..." He finished what he'd been about to say and quickly noticed the fact we'd been relocated to the Valley of The End.
When he finished swirling his head around, utterly confused, and landed back on me, I idly started stretching.
"How..." He blinked a few times and took a step back. "What? We were just in the- Danzo-kun What's going on?"
"Honestly?" I chuckled as I quickly got into a stance. "I wasn't expecting the test to be today- Really thought you called me in to talk about what happened on Monday."
Yes. I did in fact kill the Earth Daimyo's son on a Monday night.
Here's hoping it becomes a holiday of remembrance or some other shit.
With something to latch onto, given his still continuing daze over everything else, I watched the Hokage take the bait like a fish to water. "Two nights ago?" His expression turned slightly worried. "What about two nights ago, Danzo-Kun?"
"Know that this is true, Hokage-sama." I took in a deep breath and got into a stance. "Know that I say this only so that you may take this test as seriously as possible." I watched as his eyes widened. "Know that despite the impossibility of it, I only did so after I'd learned the truth, from that piece of shit they sent Konoha, as compensation for Tsunade's parents."
"I killed the Earth Daimyo's son and his wife." I shrugged. A beat passed as an unreadable expression slowly morphed over the Hokage's face. "I left their heads in the Daimyo's bed as a gift." I paused to really let him process those words. "And it took me all of five minutes to do it from Konoha's walls."
"...You could've started a war..." Hashirama muttered, uneasily. "...It might stil-"
"War is inevitable Hokage-sama." I cut him off, locking eyes with him. "I just want to make sure the fuckwits that start it have sleepless nights like the rest of us." I let out a breath. "But honestly? They killed Tsunade's parents- Frankly, they should be glad their whole country wasn't burnt to the fucking ground."
I watched Hashirama calmly process all of that before he got into a stance of his own, his expression a mixture of surprise, shock, and... something unreadable, in his eyes.
Not exactly what I'd thought it to be, expected more disappointment really- Unless the fucker was looking at me for that hat of his, in which case hell to the fucking no!
"Very well then, Danzo." He remarked with a heavy sigh. "At the very least, give me reason to believe Konoha will survive my passing."
"Survive?" I snorted. "Oh Hashirama, I'll do you one better and show you the path to World Peace itself... Whether it's bloody or not, you can rest assured, Konoha will be responsible for it."
His expression dimmed at that, his stance loosening up as I felt the chakra in the air turn heavier. "That's not the kind of world-" He blinked again, frowning. "It was you, wasn't it?"
I tilted my head at him, the waves around us swirling around faster as I noted the chakra in the air had grown.
Cheeky, cheeky. The Hokage wasn't fucking around.
"You broke that ninja." He remarked a hint of fascination growing on his face. "How? Even my brother couldn't get through to him."
"Ninshu," I answered, watching his expression turn bemused. "I used Ninshu Hashirama-sama, to show him Death."
Needless to say, that confused him- Though it did make him throw out a few jutsus into the air. Evidently, he wanted to end things quickly to send a point or something.
"Death? Ninshu?" He questioned, bemused. "Meaning what exactly?"
When the last of his seals, and presumably Wood-style Jutsu's promptly fell into place, I answered.
"No meaning behind it Hokage-sama." I disappeared from his sight and reappeared right above his shoulder, my haki-clad leg outstretched as I watched his eyes quickly lock back onto me, his arms tensing to block- Before he quickly found himself crashing across the untamed river, his shoulder broken.
With a burst of chakra, I promptly shattered every seal and jutsu he'd thrown around us and watched him right himself back up bewildered as he stared at me.
"I showed him Death, plain and simple," I stated and promptly showered him in pure utter killing intent.
Needless to say, he activated Sage-mode.
...The sudden grin on his face would've been worrying, if not for the fact the man had elected to raise a fucking forest from the bottom of the fucking river, directly beneath me.
Evidently, I'd missed one of his jutsus.
...
...
...
That... That had hurt.
Hashirama had never felt so much pain course through him as he did the moment that leg had landed on his shoulder.
The bloody kid was nine and had hit him harder than Madara ever did!
Even now, despite the fact his shoulder had for all intents healed, he could still feel the shadow of pain that had accompanied it. The pain that had set his body on its absolute highest sense of fight or flight.
The less said about the killing intent a child had showered him with, the better- The only thing he sincerely hoped was that Danzo hadn't used that exact same level on his classmates.
Even the Nine-tails hadn't scared him as much- Scratch that, barring his fear for his family, he'd never actually been scared for his own life. Ever.
That was an entirely new concept for him.
Truth be told, it felt invigorating.
...The bloody kid was nine years old.
The other villages were screwed. Oh gods, the other villages were screwed when he grew up.
His brother was going to kill him, he mentally added on as an afterthought.
He shook his head and quickly focused back on the situation at hand, his gaze taking in the forest he'd created out of instinct, his mind balefully noting the fact he'd tapped into Sage Mode as well.
...Against a nine-year-old. His instincts had decided that Sage Mode was the appropriate amount of power to use against a child-
His instincts pinged again as he felt the build-up of chakra come from the middle of his forest, his eyes widening the slightest bit when he noted the fact Danzo was building up for a fire-style jutsu.
He let out a slight sigh at that. Despite everything, that at least proved he was still a child given his first thought to burn a forest down was to use fire.
"Fire Style: Grand... Dragon... Burial!"
Cool name, unfortunately however, it wouldn't do any good against his bloodline-
Hashirama distinctly noted the fact his face had taken on the look of a fish as his forest rapidly started burning down, the air quickly filling with steam as the blasted water level lowered itself courtesy of the sheer heat that had swept out of a nine year old's mouth!
Despite the ridiculous notion- No, he was not imagining his forest rapidly burning down. Something even Madara would've had trouble accomplishing, and his flames were certainly not normal!
Idly replaying the event over his head, even as he rapidly swept through the water for some cover, his chakra doing its absolute best to hide itself- Yes, Danzo had in fact used a regular jutsu, to burn down his bloodline ability.
...Neat.
Shaking his head again, he focused on his sixth sense- One of the many benefits of Sage Mode- to try and find the boy...
He blinked a few times in a frown, even as he momentarily forgot he had to hold his breath because the boy wasn't appearing-
"Yo." He froze, his eyes blinking a few times again as he swiveled his head behind him and tilted it when he found said child standing there, arms crossed, behind him underwater. The boy made zero attempts to even pretend to hold his breath as he spoke. "Fancy going for a swim?" He watched the boy uncross his hands and pull an arm back.
He shook his head, and tensed his body, though given they were underwater, and he was in his sage mode, there was likely no reason- He cursed as he suddenly found himself flying out of the water, his body landing with a heavy thud against the mountain, his hair sprayed out as his face twitched while his hand instinctively covered the no doubt broken ribs because holy hell that hurt!
How!? Why!?
What the hell was going on!?
His gaze rapidly locked onto the boy that slowly swept out of the water and looked up towards him with a grin, before he crossed his arms again.
This was absolutely ridiculous. This couldn't be real- He had to be dreaming right now... Though that'd imply he'd somehow imagined new heights of pain he hadn't even thought possible.
Right now, this very instant, Hashirama decided vehemently that he would rather take another Biju Bomb from the Nine-tails himself than let another hit land.
Forcing himself out of the slight crater he'd made, he took in a deep breath, latched his feet on the side of the mountain, and pulled himself together. Rapidly going through a set of hand seals, he promptly let loose a veritable storm toward the still-smiling child.
Konohan or not, those hits of his deserved punishment.
He was the Hokage! This was far, far too embarrassing to let pass-
"Sage Style: Fifteen Armed Kannon!" But that didn't mean he had to overdo it after all-
And the brat proceeded to dodge every single hit.
Hashirama amped it up to thirty.
Nothing landed.
The boy was clearly far too fast for that- Every time it looked like one of the palms would land, the boy's body would disappear and reappear elsewhere on the river.
With a twitch, he doubled it.
When his attacks failed to land, even as he slowly started questioning whether he was in a Genjutsu he hadn't noticed, he promptly doubled the amount again, and again, and again-
It wasn't long before, despite his shock, Hashirama found himself launching all one thousand arms and... And...
His eyes widened in pure disbelief as he watched the boy dance around every single one.
His... His attacks just...
He blinked for the first time since he'd started his onslaught, and immediately regretted it as he felt sheer utter pain swell from his stomach, his body flying through the air as it was guided by the fly-kicking brat- With a grit of his teeth, he promptly substituted his body with one of the wooden palms of his sage-jutsu and-
Time for a moment seemed to stand still as the moment his eyes adjusted, very quickly at that, to the displacement of his technique, he found Danzo's foot rocketing towards his face.
...That was impossible, was all he could think of as he found himself flying backward, the pain this time ignored.
The boy... The boy hadn't just read the fact he was going to use the substituting technique... He'd... He'd perfectly predicted exactly what he'd switch with. Before it had even occurred!
That was...
He slowly got up from the ground, once again on top of the depleted river, in shock as his gaze roamed over towards the boy standing on the other side. He blinked a few times as he processed the fact that...
That Danzo Shimura had practically seen the future.
His body, for a brief moment, as he took in the boy, felt cold.
As he took in the image it painted.
As he took in the false silhouette of Madara Uchiha staring back at him with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Idly wiping his lips, he dullely noted the fact he was bleeding, rather heavily.
No... Not even Madara could've pulled that off. Not that easily.
...What on earth was going on? Just... Just how was this child doing this?
He was Hashirama Senju, and though he'd never brought into his infamy as much as it was exaggerated, by all accounts this was... was... impossible.
"Hokage-sama." He broke out of his stupor as he took in the boy's smiling words and watched as he raised a single finger towards him. "Grit your teeth for this one," He quickly stiffened as he felt the overwhelming presence that filled the air- "Hado One." Rapidly going through his hand seals, the Hokage summoned his strongest defense, the five-walled Rashomon quickly taking the field between him and the demon before him- "Sho." Was all he heard as he watched every single wall get blown away, the after-effect of whatever the hell that jutsu was, causing his head to rock back the slightest bit as he felt his legs slip backward a few feet.
Blinking away his shock he found himself noting the fact, despite the inconspicuous amount of damage that transpired, that his Sage Mode had reacted badly to that attack. He felt the nature energy in him practically lash out for some reason.
As if it wanted to run.
Taking in the grinning boy, Hashirama balefully noted that the false illusion of a Madara looking at him disappeared, and in its place was a strange cloaked being holding a staff of sorts- His eyes widened when he realized he was... Imagining the Sage himself.
The boy, despite the impossible feat he'd just pulled off, calmly latched both hands behind his back and tilted his head at him. "Hokage-sama," He felt the slightest hint of trepidation course through him as he tensed and waited for something else, his strongest jutsu quietly building up-
"That golem, I am afraid, won't help you-"
He took a step back as he haphazardly sped up the very same jutsu, his breathing uneven as the golem rapidly rose up from beneath his feet, his gaze quickly lowering down to stare at the utterly indifferent child below.
Was he going crazy? Or was the brat seeing the future? Reading his thoughts?
Whatever the hell it was-
He briefly ignored his ramblings and focused on the situation he'd found himself in as he stared at the boy and then at his own golem.
He'd used this against the Nine-tails itself, what was he doing using it against a child?
Screw it. The brat's pretty much got it coming at this point.
Yet, everything from his instincts to his experience told him it wouldn't be enough- Sucking in a breath he quickly poured more and more of his reserves into the Golem, taking the time offered to him to its absolute maximum advantage as he made it as durable as possible.
"Say," His skin felt cold at the voice of the child. "Do you know what happens when one reduces his chakra into its basest form, and then forcibly transforms it-" Every word felt as if it was vibrating against his very soul. "-Into Physical Energy?"
That wasn't possible. No. That was downright fatally impossible- Transforming one's chakra into an element was one thing, but to mess around with its very foundation was... To actively degrade one's own chakra into its origin state was akin to somehow cutting open one's own Tenketsu point, but to then somehow know exactly how to knit it back together into physical energy was-
"It turns into a force that no longer affects a target's physical form..." His eyes rapidly widened as he realized exactly why the boy's attacks had hurt- "But rather, their physical energy." Which meant that not only had Danzo managed a fatal, impossible, chakra transformation but... But had managed it with such absolute ease-
Yet ignoring the impossiblity of it, it occurred to the Hokage that it meant he could never truly dodge the boy before him. That every interaction with him would end in pain!
Naturally, he elected to effectively rid his Golem of any such trace-
"Do you know, Hokage-sama, what happens when you do the same, but instead turn it into Spiritual Energy?"
It didn't take long before he realized how the boy had managed to read him so well. It wasn't his thoughts- The boy wasn't a mind reader, he was just- He couldn't help but start laughing. The boy had been reading his chakra, like an open book!
"...Incredible..." He couldn't help but say out loud. "What incredible chakra control, Danzo-kun!" He practically whooped that part out loud.
Konoha... A small part of his mind, one that remembered the viciousness of the previous era sang loudly- Konoha, so long as it had him at its back... His laughter returned.
Konoha was absolutely going to thrive!
"Come, Danzo-kun!"
He couldn't help but shout as he started building up chakra. "Show me what you can really do!"
In a fight of endurance, he quickly realized, he would outlast the boy- Even now, after everything, despite his control, he could tell the boy was slightly winded- Or that might've been because, as Hashirama dimly realized, the boy had been monologuing to distract him from the fact he'd been building up his own jutsu.
Honestly... He couldn't help but think as he watched Nature Energy start visibly swimming around the boy's right hand. He also noted the fact that the boy wasn't taking it into himself as one was supposed to. Though, in all honesty that didn't seem as particularly important right now, for whatever reason.
All the same he let out a chuckle when he took in the knowing look on the boy's face.
He didn't even need to say anything for him to understand what had just occurred, as he let out another chuckle and watched the very same nature energy forcibly get turned into both, Physical and Spiritual Energy.
When the boy seamlessly molded his own chakra into his other free hand, the Hokage just shook his head.
That level of control was just cheating at this point.
Once he passed, Hashirama knew he was going down as the biggest backstabbing Hokage in history-
The boy cocked his hands back, the Nature-transformed Physical and Spiritual energy coelicising together before being once again forcibly broken down to match what Hashirama assumed was the boy's own chakra system ratio of the two.
To put it in layman's terms.
Hashirama had never felt this type of energy before, in his entire life.
The pure power that escaped it. The sheer utter presence that radiated out of it.
The complete utter shadow that metaphorically covered him.
When the boy clasped both hands together and he himself felt the proverbial drop in the amount of chakra the boy had left in his reserves, Hashirama mentally nodded to himself.
He wasn't going to be remembered for charitably giving out Tailed Beasts.
"Conqueror's Style!"
No, he was going to be remembered as the selfish piece of crap that found a terror-inducing Weapon of Mass Destruction-
"Six King Gun!"
-and told no one about it.
Hashirama could do naught but stare ahead as he watched the sudden utter destruction that echoed out of the boy's hands.
One moment he was standing atop his golem, and the next he was staring at the sky, his sage-mode knocked out of him, his healing momentarily shut down with everything from his bones to his thoughts radiating nothing but pain. The clouds in the sky had disappeared and so did all the water around him.
Tilting his head back, despite the sheer pain, he nodded to himself as he dimly noted the fact the mountain was gone too.
"Good fight." The little brat had the nerve to say to him from the other side of what used to be a river. "We should do that again."
Nope.
So much nope to that.
"Yeah. Sure." He deadpanned, his mind idly noting the fact his body was barely restarting its ability to heal from his wounds. "Definitely gonna do that." He added on. "This was so fun."
"I can't tell if you're-"
"Danzo-kun, effective immediately, you're my brother's problem now."
"Oh? Does that- Woah, what happened to the mountain!?"
Of course, the little brat was back on his feet first. With a sigh, he forced himself into getting up, his body shaking from the pain it'd gone through.
"You did, Danzo-kun..." He blurted out with a heavy sigh. "You happened you little shit."
...
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