...

-Age: x.x, Year: x.x-

He'd always firmly believed his mother to be the world's greatest danger. The princess's presence over the horizon the one thing that rose above all else. That held every last spot of chakra he had in reserve leaving him unable to risk wasting it elsewhere.

Even as the world he loved rusted. As he watched ninja mutate his teachings. As he witnessed his family's sealing. As he walked battleground after battleground, desperately wishing for peace, alone and drifting.

He'd given up everything to make sure the world didn't wither away under the shadow of his mother, and here he was, witness to what he'd left in his wake.

War after war, after war. With every generation eclipsing the previous in power and destruction.

In ideology and determination.

In recklessness and stupidity.

He wasn't sure when everything had started going wrong. When that first spark of fire ignited in ignorant hands.

He'd left behind a peaceful growing world, his only worry was the inevitable return of his mother. And within decades, the warring era of what would come to be shinobi history had begun.

Century after century he'd kept a silent vigil. He'd seen powers from every scale show themselves. And with every century's turn, he'd seen the escalating skills and abilities of the average person keep a steady rise, never truly diminishing. The martial-oriented state had put the world's focus towards power. And power alone.

And when his children's direct descendants had joined the fray, their temporary peace at last shattered, or rather forgotten. The steady line had turned into a curve. His direct line's talents, when compared to the rest, were simply unparalleled in adapting and learning.

Though a father ought to be proud of his offspring, witnessing the destruction his gifted children had wrought in life and aftermath had soured every notion of pride. Of joy in seeing his once beloved innocent sons shadows.

For it was their very essence that had dragged the world faster towards its inevitable death. That dropped it further down the vicious cycle of hatred and war.

In a matter of decades, the Uchiha and Senju clans had quickly eclipsed nearly everything else the world had to offer. Learning and mastering jutsu's the general populous boggled at. Abilities the likes of which the rest couldn't fathom.

The Senju for their life force and prodigious talents, their mastery of Senjutsu unequal. And the Uchiha for their prodigious talents and bloodline's gifts. Gifts that cemented the existence of the very same cycle of hatred he'd ignorantly set on the world with his teachings.

Yet, for a brief moment, when the Uzumaki had finally shown themselves with their frankly inhumane sealing power and refreshing personalities. He had, admittedly, found himself caught off-guard. Truly, if every clan followed them, the world could've been a better, albeit much more short-lived, place. For though they were not as war-hungry as the rest, the Uzumaki had their own... dangerous Quirks to deal with. The land of whirlpools certainly only received its whirlpools moments after an Uzumaki figured out he could manipulate water.

Of course, even with the number of clans escalating rapidly, the varied powers of Ninjutsu expanded, and with it he'd found himself lulled into a cycle of his own. One that he'd grown somewhat appreciative of even, despite what the world had turned into as Hagoromo had learned that the worst in growth, in escalation, in danger to the world, only truly came during a time his sons reincarnations lived.

Though he hated the fact his view of his own children had turned so... Negative, he simply couldn't help but admit that not having them running around threatening to eclipse their predecessors in power put him the slightest bit at ease.

Yet come it did, again, in the form of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. And while the latter seemed to play well into his following his predecessors, the former had shocked him, just as his eldest son, ironically Indra, had done so those centuries past.

Hashirama Senju had broken the cycle by vying for peace. And for a small moment, Hagoromo dared hope it would last. His dream finally coming to fruition. The world finally ready to take its first step towards change. And given the sheer raw talent possessed by both of the reincarnations, he had for a moment, believed he'd seen the pinnacle of what chakra, and the destruction it left, could reach.

Even as a small part of him feared for what an alliance between the two could do- At the very least, in war, he knew that his mother's return would be a nearly impossible reality- It was at that moment that Hagorommo had realized that peace in truth was far more likely to lead to his worst fears, than he'd ever realized.

Yet, peace after watching so much war was something he felt worth risking that ever so small possibility the shadow of his mother held.

And then... All of a sudden, it felt as if it didn't matter at all.

All of a sudden, a new fear gripped his heart.

All of a sudden, even the ceiling he'd left the world to watch under... A ceiling that by all accounts, was almost impossible to reach, suddenly felt too small.

For Danzo Shimura had joined the fray.

And for the first time in his long-lived life, the shadow over the horizon changed.

...

Hope You Enjoyed! Don't Forget Feedback!