Chapter 1: A new beginning.
Minato and Kushina could sense the Sandaime and his personal guard getting closer. They could not let them intervene, so Kushina raised a barrier to prevent them from getting closer. Soon after that, the Sandaime and two ANBU arrived at the scene.
"Remove the barrier, Kushina! Let me through!" – The sandaime yelled, but Kushina and Minato had resolved they would sacrifice themselves to protect Naruto and the Village. "Don´t worry, Naruto, everything will be all right. Your mamma and daddy will look after you even if we're not there with you."-Kushina said, sobbing.
Minato started to perform a series of hand seals that the sandaime recognized immediately – "Don´t do it, Minato! There is no need for you to sacrifice! We can still save Kushina, but you must let me through!" – yelled again the sandaime. Both Minato and Kushina were perplexed; Minato stopped the jutsu midway and stared, stunned, at the old man. "Trust me, Minato! We can save her! Remove this barrier and let me help you." – begged the old retired Hokage.
The couple looked at each other, and as if they were reading each other's minds, they nodded. Kushina lifted the barrier. "Minato, let Kana take care of your baby. Kazan, share your chakra with Kushina. Kushina, I need you to hold the Kyubi a little longer with your chakra chains" – the former Hokage then approached Minato – "We´ll use the eight trigrams sealing jutsu to seal the Kyubi back into Kushina. I've used a large amount of chakra while containing the kyubi, so I'll need your help" – "But how can that save Kushina, Hiruzen-san? Once a biju is extracted from its jinchuriki, the jinchuriki is doomed to die" – "There is no time to explain, Minato! Let´s do it," – The old man urged Minato.
The Hokage and former Hokage performed the hand seals. A stone table and candles appeared in front of both shinobis. "Kuzan-san, place Kushina on the altar," – Minato ordered. The ANBU did as was told. Again, both Hokages continued with the sealing jutsu. "Eight trigrams seal," – exclaimed both shinobis. The tailed beast was then absorbed by Kushina. "I curse you, Yondaime Hokage!" – yelled the kyubi as it was sealed again into its previous jinchuriki. The kyubi was again sealed inside its jinchuriki. Kushina was lying down on the altar, unconscious. Minato got closer and held her wrist, looking for a pulse. He then hugged his wife, crying, and she hugged him back. "I'm OK, honey. I'm OK," – said Kushina with tears on her face. The sandaime fell on his knees, exhausted but relieved.
"Minato, we need to take Kushina and your son to the hospital. And I need you to explain to me what happened. Is Biwako OK?" said the old man, trying to catch his breath. "Hai, Hiruzen-san. I´ll explain everything," – said Minato, avoiding giving an answer to the former Hokage about his wife. He approached Kana and took his newborn son in his arms. "Both of you, go back to the village and help the others." – the Yondaime ordered the ANBU. "Hai, Yondaime-sama," – they responded and disappeared.
Minato went next to his wife, placed his son in Kushina's arms and held her hand. Hiruzen stood up and put his hand on Minato's shoulder. In the blink of an eye, they were all in Minato's and Kushina's house on the village outskirts. "Why didn´t you take us to the Hospital, Minato?" – questioned the old man. "I can sense how Kushina is getting better. She is out of danger. I'll get a medical shinobi, but first, we need to tell you what happened" – after an hour or so, Minato and Kushina had told all the events to the sandaime.
"Uchiha Madara?! That's impossible! Hashirama-sama killed him. And Tobirama-sensei himself buried him somewhere only he knew. There is no way!" – the sandaime was shocked. It couldn't be true. "Besides, I don't remember him being able to perform any time-space jutsu. It just doesn't make any sense!" – he continued in disbelief. – "I can't tell for sure it was him. But who else could've been? He controlled the kyubi quite easily! And he knew the seal would be weaker now. I cannot think of any other shinobi capable of that. And from what I've heard. Everything is possible when it comes to Uchiha Madara," – replied Minato.
The sandaime was trying to take in all the information he had just received. The loss of his wife, the return of the most dangerous shinobi the world has ever seen and the threat against Konoha. "I'm afraid we have some damage control to do, Minato. When the Kyubi appeared in the village, I noticed the Sharingan in his eyes, and I'm sure many other experienced shinobis noticed too. Danzo insinuated that someone within the Uchiha clan was behind the attack. That they were trying to get ahold of power. Watching the Sharingan in the Kyubis eyes made me concur with the idea. We didn't let the Uchihas participate in the fight against the Kyubi. I fear this will sever the relationship between the Uchihas and the village. If Madara is alive, we can't let him get supporters from his clan," the old man concluded with regret.
"We'll figure it out, Hiruzen-san. I can't blame you for that. Hadn't I fought myself this masked Uchiha, I would've come to the same conclusion with the little information I had. Fugaku-san is a reasonable man; I'm sure we can find a way to patch up things with the Uchihas. However, for that to happen, we'll need to make sure the village knows the Uchihas had nothing to do with the attack. In the meanwhile, …" – Minato couldn't continue talking.
"Sorry to interrupt. But I need to know. Sandaime-sama, how did you know I would survive if the kyubi was re-sealed inside me? Why didn't you tell us before?" – questioned Kushina to the former Hokage.
"I wasn't completely sure it would work. It was only a theory from Ashina-dono," – explained the sandaime. "My great-grandfather?" – replied Kushina, astonished. – "Yes. As you well know, Mito-sama was Ashina's-dono little sister. She became the jinchuriki because of her unique chakra, a similitude you share with her. Ashina-dono agreed to this only because he suspected that given the vitality of the Uzumaki clan and her special chakra, in the event of the kyubi being set free, she wouldn't die immediately, as any other jinchuriki. When I arrived and saw both the Kyubi and you, I knew Ashina-dono was right. He also suspected it meant that if the Kyubi was resealed inside her, or you, in this case, she wouldn't die. They were only suppositions, but Ashina-dono was the wisest man I've ever met. And trying to save his great-granddaughter was worth trying to prove his theory" – Kushina smiled, tearing up happily. Knowing that she had been saved indirectly by her great-grandfather made her very happy. She will honor her clan.
"Thank you, sandaime-sama. You saved my family. We'll always be in your debt." – Minato said while hugging his wife and son. "There is nothing to thank for, Yondaime. And I don't mean to be rude, but the village needs you too. We need to go back and help the people. You should bring a medical shinobi to look after Kushina and a few ANBUs to protect the area." the former Hokage responded.
"I want Mikoto here with me while you are gone, please, Minato." – Kushina said, still holding her baby in her arms, who slept quietly. – "Are you sure it is a good idea to bring Mikoto? I don't think it is wise to bring her in. Fugaku and the rest of the Uchihas must be upset." the old man questioned. – "What better way to prove to Fugaku we trust them than letting his wife look after Kushina and Naruto? I think this is the best opportunity we may have to start mending our relationship with the Uchihas. I'll bring Kakashi, Guy, Genma, Raido and Iwashi to patrol the area while I'm gone. I'll be back in a few minutes." – said the Yondaime Hokage before disappearing.
Minato came back with Mikoto and her children, Itachi and Sasuke. She immediately went to Kushina's side and comforted her in such a rush that she didn't notice the sandaime was there. – "Are you all right? Why aren't you in the hospital? What the hell happened? When I saw the kyubi, I feared the worst." – Mikoto said while sitting on the edge of Kushina's bed. Kushina only replied with a smile. Mikoto smiled back and then touched Naruto's face gently. She got Sasuke closer to Naruto. Both babies were asleep. Suddenly, both babies held hands and didn't let go. – "I'm sure Naruto-kun and Sasuke will be best friends one day, Kushina. Just like us." – Both mothers looked happily at their babies. Mikoto noticed Kushina was still in her labor robes. She stood up and called her eldest son – "Itachi, come here. There, hold your brother carefully," – she said while placing Sasuke in Itachi's arms. And then, she noticed the Sandaime standing next to Minato – "Sandaime-sama! I didn´t see you." – Mikoto was surprised, but the sandaime and Minato could sense the resentment in her voice and face. She was surely mad at how her clan had been treated during the attack. When Minato was looking for her, he heard civilians and shinobis whispering about the sharingan in the kyubi's eyes. The sandaime was right; sooner than expected, the village had already found someone to blame for the tragedy. He was sure Danzo had had something to do with word spreading so fast. But he didn't have the time for that now.
"No worries, Mikoto. You were concerned about Kushina." – responded the Sandaime gently. - "We better go now, Minato. There is much to do." – "Hai, Sandaime-sama. Kakashi and the others should be here any minute. Mikoto-san, please take care of my wife and son." – Minato approached Kushina and whispered in her ear – "You can tell everything to Mikoto; I'll bring Fugaku-san as soon as we're done in the village." – He then kissed her and Naruto. He walked towards the sandaime, put her hand on his shoulder and disappeared.
Minato and Hiruzen appeared atop the Hokage's tower. Minato made his chakra burst so he could be sensed by the shinobis. In just a few minutes, the heads of the military force arrived at the tower. The elders Koharu, Homura and Danzo; the jounin commander Shikaku; the head of intelligence division Inoichi; the head of the hospital Nono Yakushi and the military police captain Fugaku. The head of the ANBU wasn't there. He had died in the kyubi's attack.
"Nono-san, what is the situation in the hospital?" – questioned the Yondaime – "The hospital is at its full capacity. We have too many injured and not enough medical shinobis to treat them all. There is only so much we can do, Hokage-sama. If only Tsunade-sama were here. I'm sorry." – the head of the hospital looked exhausted. She had arrived in her scrubs, still covered in blood. – "You don't need to apologize, Nono-san. You are doing your best, and Konoha is thankful for that. You can go back to the hospital. You are more needed there." – Nono bowed to the Yondaime and left the tower.
"What is the situation out there?" – questioned the Yondaime to no one in particular.
Shikaku was the first to speak – "We have deployed all the shinobis to help the injured and take them to the hospital. We set up temporary camps surrounding the hospital since, as Nono said, it is at its full capacity. The search for survivors in the debris is still going on. Most of the casualties so far are shinobis. The civilians were taken to safety during the attack by the military police, and the casualties are low." – Without even noticing himself, Shikaku stopped for a moment and stared at Fugaku. He was pondering the implications of the Sharingan in the kyubi's eyes and their lack of action against the kyubi. The head of the Uchiha clan, as well as the rest of the present, noticed it. Fugaku frowned and was about to speak when the Yondaime said.
"I can only thank you for that, Fugaku-san." – Minato bowed to Fugaku, to everyone's surprise. Danzo, while calmed on the outside, cursed Minato in his mind. – "It is a shinobi's purpose to die protecting its village. I feel deeply about the loss of our comrades, but they died as shinobis, and as shinobis will be remembered and honored. The civilians cannot defend themselves. They chose a life away from the dangers that come with our path. Keeping them safe and away from all danger is a core value for us; doing so is as important as fighting the danger. Konoha is in debt with your clan, Fugaku-san." – concluded Minato, and raised his head.
Everyone, except for the sandaime, was trying to understand the Yondaime's action, even Fugaku. The sandaime knew Minato was making sure the high commands of the village knew the Uchiha clan was trusted and had no blame for the attack. Fugaku bowed back to Minato – "Thank you, Yondaime-sama."
"Everyone here knows Kushina's status as junchuriki, and I'm sure you should have lots of questions. We'll have time for that later. For now, I can assure you that Kushina is all right. Shikaku-san, while a new head of ANBU is appointed, you'll also take command of the ANBU. Prepare patrol troops, word spreads fast, and I don't want shinobis from other villages getting anywhere near Konoha. Inoichi-san, inform the heads of the clans that we'll have an emergency council meeting tomorrow at dawn. Do not inform the civilian representatives of the council. After that, you can rejoin the rescue troops to help the village. Fugaku-san, I took Mikoto with Kushina to look after her. Your wife and children are at my house. I'll take you there when everything is over. You're all dismissed. I need to have a word with the elders." – after this, Shikaku, Inoichi and Fugaku left to continue helping the village. Only the elders and the Yondaime remained atop the Hokage tower.
Minato and the elders went inside the Hokage tower. To the war room. Once inside, Minato performed a series of hand seals, creating a barrier inside the room. This barrier prevented anyone from getting inside and nullified any sound to come out of the barrier. So no one could hear what they said.
"Do you care to explain what you just did, Minato? How dare you thank the Uchihas? They sure are behind the attack. We saw the sharingan in the kyubi's eyes. Hiruzen saw it as well." – Danzo spoke in a condescending tone. He was infuriated with Minato.
"I don't care for what you saw, Danzo-san. I know what happened and fought the man behind the attack. I can assure you that Fugaku and his clan had nothing to do with it. I already told everything to the Sandaime. And I remind you that you must address me as Yondaime." – Minato was tired of Danzo's manipulations.
Danzo was surprised to hear this. He didn't know how to respond. Minato had just confirmed that someone was responsible for this, but it was not an Uchiha. How could it be possible? He clearly saw the Sharingan in the kyubi's eyes. Could it have been Orochimaru? He had been experimenting with the Sharingan. His right arm and right eye were proof of that.
"So it was indeed an attack and not a natural accident?" – questioned Koharu. – "Who was it? Did you capture or kill him?" – asked Homura.
"I know that it might sound unbelievable. But I'm sure it was Uchiha Madara" – The elders were shocked. There had to be a mistake. That man is dead for good. – "Nonsenses! Madara died decades ago. And I was starting to take you seriously. Quite disappointing, YONDAIME HOKAGE-SAMA" – Danzo emphasized the title. He was smirking at him ironically.
"ENOUGH OF THIS, DANZO! He is speaking the truth. You three know as well as I do that only Hashirama-sama and Madara could control the kyubi this easily. That man was able to penetrate the barrier Minato and I placed to protect Kushina. Not only that, but He also summoned the Kyubi in the middle of the village. I don't need to remind you all how a summoning works. Madara is the only man in history who has signed a summoning contract with a tail-beast. And based on what Tobirama-sensei told us, Madara forced the kyubi to create and sign that contract with his Sharingan and kept it hidden. Minato, please, tell them everything you told me. They need to know."
Hiruzen words left speechless to his former teammates. Not even Danzo said a word. He had been so naïve. He hadn't thought about the summoning contract. There was no way Orochimaru or any other shinobi, not even an Uchiha, could have found that contract. Not even the Shodaimfound had been able to find the contract. The Shodaime wanted to destroy it, while the Nidaime thought it would be an excellent asset for Konoha. It had to be Madara, but how? How did that man survive?
Minato told everything that had happened to the elders. He was unsure if telling them was wise, but he trusted the Sandaime's judgment. The elders were taken aback. If that man was indeed Madara, he was just a shell of what he used to be. There is no way he would've lost against Minato.
Danzo had an idea now of how he had survived. He was evaluating if it was wise to tell Minato and Hiruzen. He wanted to be Hokage and needed both of them dead for good. But he knew he was no match against Madara, no matter how weak the man was after losing against the Shodaime. Konoha's survival was far more important for now. The only shot Konoha had was keeping those two alive.
"I might know how Madara survived and how not even Tobirama-sensei realized he was alive." – Danzo declared after a few moments of silence. Minato, Hiruzen and the elders were surprised. The old war hawk was never willing actually to help. He always diminished Minato's and Hiruzen's decisions and questioned their authorities.
"Explain yourself, Danzo." – demanded Hiruzen.
"You described the masked man with only one eye visible. Any Uchiha who blocks one of his eyes in the middle of a fight would be stupid. I think Madara kept his left eye hidden because he lost the light of that eye." – Danzo started to explain. Suddenly, it all made sense for Hiruzen. How could he have forgotten about it?
"You know where I'm trying to get, don't you, Hiruzen?" – questioned the old war hawk. The former Hokage nodded. The others still had no clue. Danzo continued talking – "There are a few forbidden jutsus within the Uchiha clan. Those jutsus come with a high price. My guess is Madara used one of those jutsus, Izanagi."
"Izanagi? What does that jutsu do?" – Minato asked.
"It allows you to rewrite reality. You could heal all your injuries, no matter how bad they were. You can even cheat death. If you activate Izanagi in time, you could return from the dead. However, as I said before, it comes with a price. The user must sacrifice the light of one of his eyes." – Danzo explained the kinjutsu.
"So, you say he could have used Izanagi to make the Shodaime believe he died? But how? The Sandaime said the Nidaime himself buried Madara's corpse." – Minato still needed to ensure there were no loose ends in their suspicions.
"That's true. Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sensei knew about Izanagi. That's why Tobirama-sensei kept Madara's body for a few days to ensure he was dead. However, they knew so little about it. It is not like the Uchihas shared their secrets so willingly with the Senju clan. Not even after the end of the war of clans. Madara was a powerful shinobi and possessed the eternal mangekyou sharingan. It is possible he could have programmed the Izanagi to be activated after some time to prevent others from finding out about it." – The sandaime concluded. Madara being alive was a more palpable truth after all the facts.
"So, what are we going to do now? How in hell are we supposed to fight back, Madara|? He might be weak now, but he's surely trying to find a way to recover his power. He wouldn't have risked being exposed without certainty that he could succeed in his intentions." – Homura questioned.
"The best way to fight Madara is in equal circumstances. We need the Uchihas on our side. That's why you need to stop harassing them, Danzo-san. You will stop spreading the rumor that they are responsible for the attack. And from now on, you will no longer act freely. You and the root will respond to me now. You won't act on my back, every single mission, every move the root makes, will have to be approved by me. Is that understood?" – Minato burst his chakra, oppressing the air. Only the sandaime remained calm and undisturbed by this. Danzo could do nothing but accept. Or at least, he'll let Minato think things will go his way. He didn't want him nosing around his business so much. Danzo nodded – "As you order, Yondaime."
"As you should expect, this is top secret. If this information is revealed, whoever is responsible for this will be accused of high treason. Besides the presents here, I only plan to let Shikaku, Fugaku and Mikoto know about it. We need Fugaku on our side." – The elders nodded. – "You are dismissed" – Minato lifted the barrier. He and the sandaime went to the cave where Kushina gave birth to collect Biwako's and the ANBU's bodies. After that, both joined the shinobis to help in the village. By 3:00 am, Minato decided it was time to go back home. He asked the Sandaime to join him. They went to find Fugaku and then went to his house.
Minato, Kushina, Mikoto, Fugaku and Hiruzen sat on the floor in the living room. Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto were sleeping in Naruto's bedroom.
Minato and Kushina told everything that happened to Fugaku (Kushina had already briefed Mikato). After this, the sandaime explained their theory about how Madara could have survived. Fugaku, Kushina and Mikoto were processing the information.
"I'm deeply sorry for how I managed the situation, Fugaku. I made a terrible mistake by preventing your clan from helping." - the sandaime said and bowed until his forehead touched the ground. Fugaku and Mikoto were aghast. They knew Hiruzen's apology was sincere. Yet, they couldn't believe such a strong man was bowing before anyone else. He had looked upon the sandaime while growing up to such a point that he named his son after the sandaime's father. It was true that lately, his clan had been resenting the sandaime and the elders, and yet, here he was, the strongest shinobi in the village, bowing and asking for forgiveness.
Fugaku couldn't deny that Danzo's and Hiruzen's suspicions about the Uchihas' involvement were well founded. The sharingan reflected in the kyubi's eyes was a tell-away, and they were not entirely wrong. It was Uchiha Madara, after all, the one responsible. After everything that had been said, he could forgive the sandaime. However, the discrimination against his clan came from long before. The way his clan was being treated needed to change. Minato and Hiruzen needed to correct it if they were truly sorry.
"It's all in the past now, Sandaime-sama. I must admit that things were not playing in our favor. I appreciate your gesture. However, I hope the council assures the village that my clan had nothing to do with the incident. In addition, measures need to be taken. My clan has been discriminated against for the past few years, and I blame Danzo for that. He was always jealous of Kagami-san. I guess his resentment against my clan comes from his rivalry with him. And I'm going to be honest with you. I don't trust that man. Within the clan, even Kagami's-san wife and son suspected Danzo killed him in the last war to get his Sharingan. The kagami's-san body was never found, so we could never prove it. He even had the nerve to offer to take Kagami's grandson Shisui into the root" – Fugaku would take this opportunity. He knew Konoha needed them. Minato and Hiruzen needed them. It was the perfect situation to get things resolved.
During the last war, several Uchihas were declared MIA. It's not strange to happen in the middle of a war. However, he always had a bad feeling. Most MIA Uchihas were in the same platoon as Orochimaru or Danzo. Three years ago, Orochimaru became a rogue shinobi when the sandaime discovered he had been kidnaping shinobis and experimenting on them. That only made his suspicions regarding Uchiha's MIA worse. He always suspected Danzo was involved as well. One day the old war hawk just reported that Kagami had died in battle, but they had been unable to retrieve his body. Kagami-san possessed the mangekyou sharingan, and the other villages knew about it. If his body was never recovered, it was only logical to expect to find out later that a shinobi from another village had stolen his eyes. Yet, that never happened.
"Those are serious accusations, Fugaku." – Hiruzen pointed out. "Are you sure about it? Kagami and Danzo were teammates. I can't deny that Danzo was always jealous of Kagami and me. But I don't think he would get that far to kill his comrade."
"I know you trust him, Sandaime-sama. But you trusted Orochimaru as well. I suspect Danzo was aware of everything Orochimaru was doing. Perhaps they were even working together. I'm not asking you to act against him, at least not yet. But I would appreciate it if you investigated it. As a sign that the village really wants to make amends with my clan." – Fugaku commented.
"You can count on that, Fugaku-san. I give you my word that I'll dig into it myself. I'll be as discrete as possible not to alert Danzo." – Minato said.
Hiruzen sighed. He knew deep down that Fugaku was right. He had suspected since he discovered his student that Danzo had been working together with him. He had let him act freely for so long that he became arrogant, and his lust for power was too big despite his intentions being noble and for Konoha's prosperity. Danzo needed to be stopped. He was glad he was Hokage no more. He was glad Minato had taken the mantle and the hat. He would do what he couldn't.
"There is something else we need to discuss, Fugaku-san. The sandaime trusted me to lead Konoha four years ago when the war ended. The day he informed me of his intentions to appoint me as Yondaime Hokage, he told me it was time for the new generations to guide the village. I'll always be thankful for that, and I think that for his vision to be carried on as he intended when he made me Hokage, we need to renovate the council as well. I want the elders to take a secondary role. They'll still be part of the council but with a less active role. I want you to be part of my council. I already have someone else to complete the new council. But I'll discuss that with him after the meeting later today. Do you accept?" – Minato expected Fugaku would accept immediately. However, he remained silent. It was Hiruzen who broke the silence.
"This is great news, Minato. Although I'm not sure how Homura, Koharu and the Fire Court will react to this." – The sandaime said with a smile on his face.
"There shouldn't be any problem. I plan to let Koharu-san and Homura-san continue with their roles as liaisons with the Court of Fire. In that way, my new council can focus on leading the village and dealing less with the boring politics of the capital." – said Minato.
"I accept. But I do not intend to leave my position as captain of the military police." – Fugaku finally gave his answer. They all stood up. It was time to leave. They would have a hectic day, and the meeting with the council was just in a few hours. They all needed some rest.
Mikoto took Sasuke in her arms while Fugaku carried Itachi. They Minato's house full of hope for the time to come for their clan. The sandaime was about to leave as well. He still needed to inform his sons about their mother's passing. Before he left, he made a request to Minato:
"Minato, I need you to send a message to Jiraiya. He must come as quickly as he can. There is something I need from him."
"I will do, sandaime. I expect he was already informed my Gamabunta-san. However, I'll send a message to Mount Myoboku." – "Thank you, Minato. I'll see you in a few hours in the meeting room."
Minato went back to his wife and son. He didn't sleep at all. He was just so happy his wife and son were alive. He spent the remainder of the night just looking at his wife and son sleeping. He knew Naruto would grow to become an extraordinary shinobi. He was grateful he got a chance to raise his son alongside his wife. He would make every moment count. He would not waste the opportunity the sandaime had given him. And to do so, he needed to defeat Madara. He had to become stronger.
It was a new beginning for him.
Just a few comments. In order to make sense of the timeline, I needed to adjust some of the character's ages. Below is a timeline of events in Konoha.
Year 0 – Foundation of Konoha and the other four great nations.
Hashirama – 29 years old.
Tobirama – 26 years old.
Madara – 30 years old.
Mito – 28 years old.
Hiruzen – 6 years old.
Oonoki - 8 years old.
Year 1 – Madara "dies" (31 y.o.) / Mito becomes Jinchuriki (29 y.o.)
Year 2 – Morimaru is born (Hashirama's son – Tsunade's father).
Year 20 – Tsunade / Orochimaru / Jitaiya are born.
Year 24 – Hashirama dies (53 y.o.) / Tobirama becomes Hokage (50 y.o.).
From the manga, we know that Tsunade knew Hashirama. So, for her to remember Hashirama, she should've been at least four years old when he died. In the manga/anime, Jiraiya and Orochimaru look pretty much the same as Hashirama and Tobirama. In the anime, they are in their 50's. So doesn't sound so wild that the Hokages died in their 50's. Tsunade's old appearance will disappear. It makes no sense that she looks older than Oonoki and Hiruzen. Her normal looks are good compared with Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Year 26 – First Shinobi War breaks out.
Year 27 – Tobirama dies (53 y.o.) / Hiruzen becomes Hokage (33 y.o.)
Year 29 – First Shinobi War ends.
Year 30 – Nawaki is born.
Year 31 – Team Hiruzen is formed (Hiruzen 37 y.o. / Sannin 11 y.o.)
Year 40 – second Shinobi War breaks out.
Year 41 – Hanzo the Salamander VS Sannin (21 y.o.) / Jiraiya meets Nagato (8 y.o.), Konan (8 y.o.) and Yahiko (9 y.o.).
Year 42 – Morimaru dies (40 y.o.).
Year 43 – Nawaki dies (12 y.o.).
Year 44 – Dan dies (25 y.o.) / Sannin (24 y.o.).
Year 45 – Second Shinobi War ends / Mito dies (73 y.o.) / Kushina becomes jinchuriki (10 y.o.).
Homura Mitokado is an expert in fuinjutsu, trained by Mito Uzumaki when he was Tobirama's student. Homura and Hiruzen extracted the Kyubi from Mito and sealed it inside Kushina.
In manga 503, we can see Homura with some scrolls on his chest when fighting the Kyubi. That's why I decided to make him a fuinjutsu master.
Year 47 – Team Jiraiya is formed (Jiraiya 27 y.o. / Minato 12 y.o.).
Year 55 – Team Minato is formed (Minato 20 y.o. / Kakashi 10 y.o. / Obito 11 y.o. / Rin 11 y.o.).
Year 56 – Third Shinobi War breaks out.
Year 57 – Obito "dies" (13 y.o.).
Year 58 – Rin dies (14 y.o.) / Madara really dies (88 y.o.).
Year 59 – Yahiko dies (27 y.o.) / Third Shinobi War ends / Minato becomes Hokage (24 y.o.).
Year 60 – Orochimaru leaves Konoha (40 y.o.).
Year 63 – Current year: attack of the kyubi.
Hiruzen 69 years old. (Homura, Koharu & Danzo 69 y.o.).
Oonoki 71 years old.
Minato / Kushina 28 years old.
Fugaku 29 years old.
Mikoto 28 years old.
Sannin 43 y.o.
Nagato / Konan 30 years old.
Kakashi 18 years old.
Guy / Obito 19 years old.
Kazan 25 years old = Hiruzen's oldest son. (Konohamaru's father).
Kana 24 years old = Kazan's future wife. (Konohamaru's wife).
Shikaku / Inoichi / Choza 29 years old.
