R&R: Fae, thank you for your reviews on the previous chapters! I'm glad to see you've been enjoying the story so far! There are still many things to come for this cast of characters and yes, some troubles are heading Hashirama's way in the coming chapters…
Disclaimer: All my love for this saga won't change the fact that I do not own Naruto.
English not being my native language, please forgive me for the eventual errors I might do, I'll do my best to avoid doing them in the first place or remove them after the fact.
Summary: A story of Hashirama Senju, the one who revolutionised the Shinobi world. AU.
Season III
Chapter Two: Parleys
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The journey to Sora-ku was always uneventful for the Uchihas: a pacified territory under the control of one of their longest and oldest allies: the ninnekos.
Besides, in this day and age, civilians cowered away from the sight of shinobis, especially the likes of the Uchihas, whose might was both renowned and feared across the continent.
And none was more renowned - and feared - at the moment, than the scion of Tajima Uchiha himself: Madara.
He had crossed the city like a conqueror, celebrated and cheered by an adulating crowd.
And if it had been in any other circumstances, Tajima would have looked at his son with proudness in his eyes, as he approached him after his journey, leaving his troops to rest in the city.
Pride, instead of anger.
A smile, instead of the scowl he was now harbouring.
For the words his son had pronounced only instants ago were the last ones he had wanted to hear…
"No."
The answer came naturally, firm and definitive.
Cold too, as chill as the atmosphere suddenly became in the vast arched room were the senior Uchihas and their Ninnekos counterparts were reunited to discuss the logistics of their campaign…
And now, Madara' scowl was matching his own, both from the rebuttal and the absence of leeway to negotiate.
"We have to retaliate", repeated Madara stubbornly, his anger now boiling to the surface - and in that way too he was matching his father's. "The Senjus will be too busy with Tanzaku Gai to do anything about us here, so shackled they are to their daimyo…
We should make them pay for what they did to our party: I say we bring war to the Senjus' doors!"
"Enough of your quibbling, Madara", stated Tajima, steel in his voice. "Our priorities lie in settling that accord with the Sarutobis, not in dealing with the fallout of current warfare, regardless of the ones involved…"
The stance of his son was now defiant.
For a mere instant, he reminded Tajima that of a hungry tiger: poising to pounce after having been initially denied its due… In the fine rooms of their Sora-ku' stronghold, this would have made for a fiery painting.
"Hikako is your niece", growled Madara.
"Hikako… is a trueborn Uchiha: she will deal with the loss of Rûta by accomplishing her duty as diligently as her sister would have, if the role were reversed…", retorted the Uchiha patriarch.
"This is an outrage!" exploded Madara. "This is a member of my inner circle who's been attacked; it's an affront to her and, hereto, an affront to me! I won't let this humiliation slide."
"'You will!" snarled back Tajima. "I command you! And 'your' circle? Haven't you become a prideful one…!"
The bloodlust in his son's eyes as his Sharingan flared didn't deter him: he would crush any rebellious streak in this son of his, if it came to it…
"Milord, if I may…" intervened one of the senior Uchiha advisors, a veteran called Bushi. "There can be a solution to this."
Tajima stared down the tiger in front of him, unflinching, refusing to let his son have his way in this matter…
"Talk."
Bushi played with the crest of his hand, black eyes flickering between their leader and his son.
"We are at an advantage, now that Lord Madara has pacified Shangri-la", he started. "Send Lord Izuna to resolve that settlement deal with the Sarutobis. He carries the voices of our clan as good as some of our finest shinobis! He is strong, the vassal clans will listen to him. Once gathered, with him at their helm, he will crush the Shimuras and please the Sarutobis - enough for them to enter the deal proposed by Lord Matsudaira and do our bidding with daimyo Yoshimoto. Once it's done, they will join us, and our vassals, into wiping out the Senjus once and for all."
Approbation could be seen on the faces of some, uncertainty and distrust on the ones of others… Izuna had distinguished himself in recent months, but in the end, he was still considered as a junior by most of the village: to task him with such a crucial mission was a tremendous test to burden him with.
"...And why would I allow such things when it is my first son's role to deal with matters essentials to the clan?" asked Tajma.
"Because milord, in the meantime, Lord Madara can deal with the Senjus, keep them on their toes… Actually, now might be the perfect time to strike at them. Hard. So that when the time comes, they won't be able to resist us...", detailed Bushi. "And what better way to do that than shatter their alliance with the Uzumakis for good? I suggest we kill the Senju future inheritor: Senju Tobirama."
Tajima remembered the boy from a long while back: a talented genius like his own Izuna was. And the reports had shown that he was developing into quite the superb shinobi and future leader for his clan…
Killing Tobirama Senju would be a serious blow to the Senjus ambitions in the Land of their Uzumaki cousins… It might even fold the clan of Whirlpools in their protracted wars with the clans of Water Country, and deplete the Senjus furtheir from their quite significant combat strength.
However, …
"What about his sister?" asked Tajima. "That kunoichi, Hashirama Senju?"
Several members of the Uchihas in the room shifted uneasily, looking sideways at his indifferent son. Everyone knew of the involvement of the girl with Madara when they were both children.
If it hadn't been for his status and the prowess he achieved as a shinobi, the boy would have been executed a long time ago, instead of flourishing as the best Uchiha ninja they had in their ranks…
"The Senju girl hasn't been seen in months, ever since that disaster at Port City…" answered Bushi uncertainly. "Rumour has it, she's dead."
That Hashirama had almost cost everything to his older son… Rumours wouldn't cut it: since they weren't sure, he needed to assume the opposite end result... and if he did that…
"Maybe", conceded the Uchiha leader. "Or maybe she was injured during that battle, and shied away by the Senjus to hide their failure, no doubt… What's more likely, to you?"
The ninja named Bushi remained silent, taken aback by his retort.
"But still: your idea isn't without merit, Bushi-san", continued Tajima. "Though I think we need to go further than what you suggested: we need to kill both inheritors of the Senjus' future: Tobirama and Hashirama, Butsuma's infants."
More silence welcomed his words as he pursued.
"If the girl is alive, there's a chance Butsuma Senju will use her as a bargaining chip to enter an alliance with another powerful clan and tip the balance back in their favour against us. The Senjus are wary…
They must have heard of our dealings concerning the Sarutobis and they are fretting; as it is, nothing stops them from hijacking the deal proposed by Lord Matsudaira on our behalf, nullifying the advantages our vassals give us over them…"
"Lord Tajima speaks the truth", reacted Kon, one of the older Ninneko assisting the reunion. "Their leader Sasuke Sarutobi had been impressed by the Senju wench when he met her almost two years ago… I'm sure he would listen to Senjus' duplicitous words if she were to be betrothed to him."
"How do you know such a thing?" asked Daichi Uchiha, the master-at-arms, sitting next to him.
"We make it our affair to know that kind of trivia, master Daichi… It's useful intel to our allies for example, don't you agree?"
The statement was met with an assembly of concerned murmurs among the Uchihas present.
"I know of the Sarutobi boy's reputation… Something like this could theoretically happen", hammered Tajima.
Though Lord Yoshimoto would immediately ask them to avenge the affront made to his retainer Matsudaira, this would come at a cost Tajima wasn't sure he wanted his clan to pay… yet. And the vassal clans would be destroyed attempting to do it in their stead, taking with them all the effort and progress made to trapse them behind the Uchihas with little to no dent made to the Senjus...
Leaving their confrontations with them back to where it was: a stalemate.
Tajima watched his eldest son: his expression was impassive. Was he really indifferent to the girl now? Last time he confronted her, he had been rattled by the level of power she had achieved.
Would he be able to kill her with his new strength?
Would he want to?
But just like for her brother, dealing with Hashirama would reduce the battle strength of the Senjus by a lot as well… Though, the year had just proved they could face multiple fronts without her, including against their clan.
"What do you think, son?" asked Tajima suddenly.
Madara frowned in distaste.
"How would that be any different from all the other times we tried to dispose of one of those twos?" asked the Uchiha heir grimly.
"The scale of the offensive, my son. The scale of the offensive…"
And so, their plot began, in the heart of Sora-ku…
A meeting poised to change the fates of many.
A meeting poised to change the fate of the Uchihas, forever…
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Shibuya snarled.
The creature was towering over them, dwarfing them both in nature and aura. Its power seemed without limitation; its multiple eyes focused on them.
There would be no escape, understood the older shinobi immediately.
They would have to stand their ground here.
In order to survive, or to die. Unless…?
"Lady Mito!"
The Uzumaki princess was pale, both from the shock and the fright. Yet, Shibuya noticed she had shifted stance somewhat, readying herself for a fight regardless - a true shinobi despite her status.
"Can you stall it?"
Banking on her Uzumaki heritage was truly bold, but years of acquaintances with this clan had taught Shibuya they were capable to achieve wonders even under the direst of circumstances…
And theirs was certainly a dire one, if there ever was any.
Mito smiled faintly, as if realising herself the foolishness of the demand.
"I… can try", she finally said, thinking fast. "But Shibuya-san, can we even fight this?"
"Distract it, more like…"
Given the circumstances, there was only one jutsu she could think of readily to stall that… that giant creature…
"Right…" mumbled the Uzumaki princess, already making preparations while garnering her chakra.
Boar…
"When I move, launch your jutsu", ordered Shibuya. "Itama-san, you need to cover Mito-san as much as you can."
…Dog…
"But-"
"No time to argue! We do it NOW"
… Ram.
The silver-haired shinobi darted forward at full speed as Mito completed her technique.
"Fuin: Kongō Fūsa!"
Itama yelped, moving sideways just in time as thick, glimmering chains emerged from Mito's chest, crossing the distance between her and the giant creature so fast they appeared like a blur to the sight of the Senju…
Shibuya didn't stop to see whether or not Mito's jutsu had worked, for his twin swords laced with chakra clashed at this moment with the amber spire.
And as Mito's chains were taking roots and seized the giant Slug, Shibuya yoked to him the flying piece of amber with Hashirama in it, before delving into the sparse vegetation below.
Moving became a terrible ordeal almost instantly: even with chakra coursing throughout his every muscle, transporting the Senju girl like this was beyond difficult.
The amber was so much heavier than he could have fathomed…
Outrunning the Slug in such conditions was impossible… but despair and determination kept the older ninja running with his charge, burning his chakra in the task.
"FOOLS."
Mito watched in bewilderment the creature she had managed to restrain with her fabled Uzumaki hidden technique, completely melt under her eyes…
Or more accurately, explode in hundreds of small portions of itself that latched onto her and Itama immediately, breaking her concentration and control over her technique.
The shouts coming from afar told Shibuya his companions had been dealt with by that Katsuyu - and the same fate was waiting for him if he didn't manage…
"...ENOUGH."
The ground gave way beneath the shinobi's feet and, before he could do anything, Shibuya found himself ensconced in a gelatinous substance that constricted him on the spot and made him drop his charge to the ground.
It took him a moment to realise this was a smaller version of the creature that had attacked him.
A spawn.
Ludicrously, he saw the Slug reform itself high above the canopy, the hundreds of parts reassembling as the three shinobis struggled to even move.
Their failure was now complete.
A strange, fuming substance was hissing from beneath it, pearling to the ground, piercing it… The same acid that had been laid as a trap around Hashirama, understood Shibuya, almost resigned.
Try as he might, he couldn't move even an inch from the creature's constrictive power.
No access to his weapons.
No possibility to use his jutsus.
Only the understanding that their failed attempt at saving the Senju girl would end in their deaths.
And as their executioner loomed above menacingly, Shibuya felt sorry he couldn't help his companions in the end, the same way he couldn't help his wife and son all those years ago…
"NOW YOU DIE, TRESPASSERS."
The man closed his eyes.
Maybe the kamis would allow him to join his family in the Pure Land.
Maybe this was meant to be…
An explosion suddenly occurred, and Shibuya snapped his eyes open, confused.
Itama Senju was laying on the ground not far from him, his armour fuming and torn to pieces, his left arm bleeding as the giant Slug hissed in fury.
Without missing a beat, two kunais flew straight to the alarmed Shibuya and Mito from his good hand, his bloodied one finding its way to the ground.
"Kuchyiose no jutsu!"
"Mito-san! Brace yourself!" warned Shibuya as the two kunais landed at their respective feet.
The twin detonations blasted the two shinobis away, Shibuya recovering his balance faster despite the burning sensation of pain coursing through his entire side.
The explosive tags had done their work though, liberating him and Mito from their entrapments.
"Katsuyu or whoever you are… DON'T STAND IN MY WAY!" yelled Itama while darting forward. "You will let me get my sister back! Grab her, Gamakouji!"
The words of Itama echoed afar, provoking a stir in the giant Slug that turned its multifaceted eyes toward the youngest among them, just as the Toad he had summoned jumped forward, seizing the ambered Hashirama.
"RUN!" ordered Shibuya as they all followed suit after him.
They launched themselves forward, just as the giant Slug hissed once more: a geyser of acid emerged from her underside, a deadly rain that would strike them from above.
"The acid!"
Mito shifted her run, her hand finding the scroll she was looking for, and throwing it high above their heads.
"Futon: Kekkai Fujin!"
A howling wind surged from the scroll, so powerful Shibuya had to force chakra in his feet to remain steadily on the ground. Above, he saw how the raining acid turned into an archway of deadly stream.
And despite Katsuyu's renewed efforts, the Uzumaki technique held, protecting them from the mortal acid as they rushed in unison toward the forest.
They were so close!
Suddenly, Gamakouji halted his bolting course: the ground around him had erupted to life.
"RUNNING IS POINTLESS."
They all stopped, caught up with the reality of their situation, as they were suddenly ensconced in the same gelatinous substance from earlier, seeping in droves from the ground… A sea that extended in all directions, far beyond any limits he could try to find.
The vision overwhelmed Shibuya as much as the substance overwhelmed him and his companions once more, latching on their limbs then their entire bodies...
"NOW, YOU UNDERSTAND", thundered the feminine and terrible voice of Katsuyu. "I AM THIS LAND. I AM SHIKKOTSU."
The ground and the trees were uprooted, dissolved, obliterated: a torrent of constant fumes and heat filled the air around the tiny group, while what they thought was the titanic Slug, moved next to them, fluid, throughout its own white sea.
"THERE IS NO ESCAPING ME."
They remained silent, wrestling with their own uncertainty and the fear of what was to come.
"NOW, ANSWER ME THIS: WHO IS THAT FOR YOU?"
The capsule where Hashirama was ambered emerged from the pool of white substance, moving to a grinding halt before the titanic form of the Slug.
"My sister!" yelled Itama, almost seething with despair. "My beloved sister, Hashirama!"
The creature didn't say a word, but they all saw the tendrils harbouring its multifaceted eyes turn toward the Senju boy, seemingly considering him under a new light.
"Let me get her back, I beg you…", asked Itama again, struggling pointlessly against his restraints.
"We all do", added Mito spontaneously, blinded that she was by her own Katsuyu' spawn.
Shibuya understood painfully the plea from the boy - were he in the position to do so, he would have done the same if it meant his family could have lived.
"We all do", repeated the older shinobi, his eyes coming to rest on Gamakouji-san.
The warrior Toad had a low grumble, before sighing. Humans…
"Itama-boy speaks the truth: he just wants to retrieve this sister from his clan…"
The Slug didn't answer right away. The weight of its spawns grew on their backs as she slid closer.
"HIS CHAKRA… THEY ARE RELATED INDEED", noted the Slug non-comittaly.
The Slug's eyes flickered, turning toward the others in the group, resting a moment longer on the armoured Gamakouji who had been summoned.
"STILL. YOU BROUGHT A FROG HERE," said Katsuyu, and her tone made it clear the word was meant as an insult. "WHY SHOULDN'T I CRUSH ALL OF YOU WHERE YOU STAND?"
"Toads are not honourless dogs like the Snakes are", corrected Gamakouji coldly. "The cause of Itama-boy is noble, I wouldn't be crossing you otherwise, Katsuyu-dono."
The Slug seemed to be surprised at his answer, for she remained excruciatingly silent after Gamakouji's words. Shibuya could almost imagine her pondering and meditating on the words she had just heard…
"SO, YOU DIDN'T COME HERE IN SEARCH OF PLUNDER OR GLORY…"
"No!" assured Itama, missing the clipped gaze Mito sent to Katsuyu.
"If I may… Why trap Hashirama? Why trap her in that prison?" asked Shibuya.
Once more, the Slug took its time to answer, seemingly considering the older ninja's words as well. The tendrils of its eyes turned away, looking at a horizon beyond the canopy of the forest.
"IT'S NOT A PRISON, CHILD… BUT A BARRIER, TO PROTECT THIS REALM FROM… IT."
"What do you mean?" asked a confused Mito.
The multifaceted eyes landed on her immediately, sending shivers to her spine.
"IT MEANS THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY GUARDIAN OF THIS FOREST."
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Tôka was nervous.
For two days, she had come down here to wait on her cousin's return.
For two days, she had come back to the surface alone and worried.
Two days, unlike the one that had been initially promised…
If it weren't for the intricate trap that had sprung between the first day and the second before the stairs, she wouldn't have been certain that her cousin was still there…
Only he could come up with something involving explosive tags and Uzumaki seals, at least, as far as she could tell in their village…
Still.
She felt so negligent… Tobirama's absence had been noticed and had raised questions among the Elders, prompting the young woman to make guarantees she doubted she should have given now.
If something wrong had occurred down here in her absence, if Tobirama…
A faint rustle coming from below interrupted her train of thoughts.
"Tobi-kun?"
Silence echoed in the dark stairs, as footsteps, slow and steady, approached her, more and more.
"I'm here…" finally came the tired voice of her cousin.
Emerging from the shadows of the stairs, came the white-haired figure of Tobirama, traits fatigued yet harbouring an unusually obnoxious air on them. His palm came to rest on one of the tags, deactivating the trap, before joining her in the room.
Tôka was about to make a remark to him before halting herself.
"... and here."
Tôka watched in confusion the second figure emerging behind the first one, just as tired, just as smug, just as obnoxious.
A clone?
As soon as the thought formed in her mind, the visual dissonance screamed at her, making her recoil reflexively in distrust and fear.
The first Tobirama stood in front of her, arms crossed and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
The second was now leaning back against a wall, still self-satisfied and smug.
"What is this treachery?" growled Tôka, eyes calculating, kunais finding their way in her hands. "Explain yourself!"
"A jutsu, what else is there to explain?" said the second Tobirama with a grin.
"A bunshin? What kind of jutsu allows you to make clones like… like this!?" hissed Tôka.
"The kind that will allow me to continue to work here, while I deal with the council elsewhere", answered Tobirama amusedly.
Tôka watched him apprehensively.
There was no body of water here… She knew her cousin was extremely proficient with Suiton techniques, maybe the best specialist of their clan currently, but still: it was taxing to generate a water clone in a waterless environment…
No, this?
This felt somehow different.
"I'm not a water clone", said the stern Tobirama in front of her, as if reading her mind. "I'm something new."
"Is that so…" murmured Tôka, unleashing both of her kunais in a fluid and deadly movement.
Surprised, both Tobirama scrambled to defend themselves, the first one grabbing a kunai of his own to parry the flying weapon aiming for his throat, while the second one caught the offending weapon by the handle… barely.
Both Tobiramas looked at Tôka with the same steeled expression, a spike of anger flashing in their eyes, before the first one put his own kunai back inside his pouch, while the other presented his caught weapon to the Senju kunoichi by the handle, his smirk coming back in full force on his face.
"Are we done?"
Tôka watched him, then the second Tobirama next to him, before cursing loudly, a grin of her own finding its way on her face.
"Goddamn genius, how the hell… how did you… HOW?" she finally laughed, grabbing her second kunai on the ground and putting it away.
Both Tobiramas looked at each other, smiling; the first one inclined his head, prompting the second one to take the lead in the conversation.
"The time spent studying the Uchihas has been quite fruitful: I have a better grasp of how they use their visual prowess now, the way their Sharingan activates … and the special chakra generated for that activation process… before invading their target's chakra network.
All that gave me the inkling to explore a new approach to some basic techniques..."
"... like this one», completed the second Tobirama, adjusting his posture. "Watch."
Ram.
Snake.
Tiger.
"Wait, that's no different than-", commenced Tôka.
Cross.
Tôka watched with bewilderment the index and middle fingers from both Tobirama's hands form a crux.
She had never seen that hand sign before…
And before she realised it, a puff of smoke erupted around this second Tobirama…
… leaving him with a new copy standing behind him, looking at her with a satisfactory smile.
The first Tobirama continued his explanation as Tôka looked from one to the other with wild astonishment.
"I call this technique Kage Bunshin."
"Figures…" murmured Tôka, examining meticulously the new arrival. "These clones, they really are like shadows of you…"
"Aye. The key is to split one's chakra properly and distribute it evenly as one materializes the clones' images in reality…" said the first Tobirama.
"That process is essential", continued the second one,"its timing too: a small nudge of yang chakra to create the body is all that's needed, as visualization alone won't be enough to materialize what the mind imagined and create the shadow clones…"
"And once it's done, they are tied to the original via the chakra they received from him", finished the third and last one.
"Nice trick…" smirked Tôka. "But Tobirama, that means the shadow clones, their strengths… your strength…"
The first Tobirama nodded, confirming the implicit supposition of his cousin.
"The shadow clones are powerful… but it's true, the strength of the original is splitted as much as there are of them…" he stated, forming a release sign. "Kai!"
The created clone was dispelled instantly, as the second Tobirama moved forward, directing himself upstairs.
"It's a new technique, its limitations are still for us to discover…" he added, stopping just as he was about to take the stairs. "But it'll open up a great number of possibilities for me - and for the ones I'll share this technique with."
He winked at her before disappearing in the flight of stairs, under the gaze of Tôka and the first Tobirama.
"So, you'll be staying here for a while again, huh?" asked Tôka, turning her sight on him. "Unless… You already are… aren't you?"
The first Tobirama smirked as much as the clone that had just departed, made the release sign and shouted "Kai!", disappearing in a puff of smoke as well.
Tôka sighed heavily, both annoyed and genuinely impressed by the creativity of her cousin.
"Such a brat…", she mumbled as she took the flight of stairs herself, starting her journey back with a grin on her face.
It persisted on her all the way to the surface.
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.
.
"… I BELIEVE YOU."
Mito blinked.
The words had come just like that to the giant Slug. Moving around, its immense body delved in front of their lot, to the ground, slipping through it in a thunderous cascade of sound.
Moreover, the stinging pain the Uzumaki kunoichi felt ever since Itama had launched her the explosive kunai, the burning sensation associated with it… was subsiding.
Her arms felt better.
She felt better.
Confused, she realised quickly her companions were just as surprised: Shibuya had a deadpanned look while looking at his sides, while Itama seemed astounded by his arm now healthy and uninjured.
Katsuyu had healed them, healed their grievous wounds like it was nothing…
What kind of uncanny powers did the giant Slug have?
Only Gamakouji-san seemed indifferent to this development.
The titanic body of Katsuyu finished disappearing into the ground, just as the white substance that had latched onto them did, by every crevasse it could find…
A sole spawn of the Slug remained, easily as large as the Toad of Mount Mobyokou - it was wrapped around the ambered coffin of Hashirama, dissolving it in a spray of fumes.
"I believe you", repeated the spawn of Katsuyu, working its way through the amber. "I will free your sister, young Itama, but it won't be without a cost to you."
"Thank you, thank you!" bowed Itama deeply. "If it means Hashirama can come back to us, I'll deal with whatever that cost is."
"Does this have anything to do with that other guardian you were speaking of, Katsuyu-dono?" asked Mito, following her intuition.
"It has everything to do with it, yes", confirmed the creature, grinding the amber steadily.
"And what do you mean by that?" asked Shibuya Hatake, observing with flat interest the last remnants of Katsuyu's body disappearing into the ground.
The creature worked diligently and with astounding precision, despite its grotesque appearance. Shibuya couldn't help but be impressed by the level of control it seemed able to exert.
"It's a being from beyond this world... Untied to it", Katsuyu stated calmly. "It lies in an area remote from here, beyond the gates of Rashomon... Asura's treasures are hidden there, on its territory."
"Asura? Asura here?" exclaimed Mito with controlled interest.
"The Heir of Ninshu, yes", confirmed Katsuyu softly. "He came to this realm when it was still young, when Shikkotsu and I were still apart from one another, spreading his philosophy and accomplishing wonders… Not unlike his father…
He sealed that great evil beyond the gates, stopping it from spreading its influence in Shikkotsu, and asked me to be the guardian of his legacy, hidden within it. I agreed."
"You knew him", Shibuya realised.
"I did."
"To be a contemporary of Asura himself…", murmured Mito awed. "He was in this place, yet we have no records of it in Uzushio..."
"Maybe Asura's journey here wasn't meant to be known, even by your clan… Both of your clans, actually", said Shibuya toward Mito and Itama. "... How old are you?" added the older ninja bluntly.
The multifaceted eyes of Katsuyu turned to him shortly, while the amber under her crumbled piece after piece, before turning its attention back on its work.
"Old enough to remember the day Asura and his disciples came here… vividly. "
"You thought we were here for his treasures..."
"I thought so, yes, among a lot of things."
"... You never tried to oppose this… being, directly?" questioned Shibuya carefully.
A hiss stronger than the previous ones occurred, just as more amber melted under their eyes. The Slug turned its antennae toward Shibuya, considering him carefully.
"I wasn't then what I am now", Katsuyu finally said. "Victory was an uncertainty, probably still is to some degree... Besides, Shikkotsu is the home to many - a true battle between me and that being would ruin it, maybe irremediably.
It's on our behalf that Asura challenged the creature himself and bested it."
Katsuyu almost sighed.
"But on the other hand, the one you call Hashirama - your sister -", she added while inclining her antennae toward Itama, "she has the same blood running in her veins as Asura himself."
Mito gasped, her hands coming to her mouth promptly, embarrassed.
A shocked silence welcomed the words of the creature - then Mito moved toward her, recollecting herself and forgetting all about being intimidated by the Slug.
"Impossible", were her first words. "We would have realised it in Uzushio!"
Shibuya scoffed mercilessly.
"Is it? Lady Mito, even though your clan is renowned for its ties to the Sage of Six Paths, surely even you realise the Uzumakis don't know every secret in this world when it comes to his legacy - let alone his progeny's…
And you can't tell me you haven't realised how special Hashirama-san is, even in Uzushio…"
Katsuyu watched their reaction dispassionately, not seeming to care, as she pursued her explanation in the same tone.
"The moment she emerged here, the creature felt it and moved in its slumber. Once your sister is free, that ancient evil will wake, making the battle unavoidable. And the ruin of Shikkotsu complete."
"If you know she's a Senju, Asura's heir, then you know she's strong enough to oppose him and defeat it…", stated Shibuya.
"And she won't be alone in that", added Itama proudly.
"... My point being: you shouldn't have trapped her the way you did", Shibuya finished. "She could have helped you defeat this thing."
This time, not just the eyes and antennae of the Slug turned to face the Hatake ninja, but its entire upper body, contorting itself inhumanely toward him - a sight that unnerved him, despite himself.
"I understand your perspective", said Katsuyu, and there was a surprisingly compassionate undertone in her voice this time. "But the truth is… I couldn't take such a risk for this realm when she arrived here, the same way I won't risk this realm now that I am freeing her…"
Her body squelched back upon the amber coffin, now reduced to only a thin layer of translucent material.
"Itama Senju, for you and your companions' sake and hers, I'm making a gamble with all your fates: as I said earlier, freeing Hashirama will cost you. I'm almost done with the amber I caged her in. As soon as she's able, you will face the Beast in its domain, where no harm can be done to Shikkotsu. The Gates will see to that."
"...Agreed."
"To face an immortal beast and die young…" lamented Shibuya.
.
.
.
"You finally deign showing yourself to us… How nice of you", cranked Tolerama right off as Tobirama's doppelganger and Tôka entered the room.
The day was still young, yet the three older Senjus gave the impression they were ready for its end already, long faced and visibly fatigued.
Tôka had a hard time suppressing a smile as "Tobirama" next to her bowed deeply in front of the Council, under their watchful stares and that of the guards.
"Pardon me for this delay, milords. But it was crucial that I spent time with those Uchiha prisoners…"
"I wonder in what manners they were useful to you, Lord Tobirama, since your uncle Tenma has been thorough with their interrogation…" asked Akanji Senju, eyeing him intently.
Tobirama inclined his head graciously once more.
"The insight I gained on the Uchihas is invaluable, I assure you", he insisted, sitting himself on the floor, facing the three elders.
"Hnn", grumbled Tolerama, still dissatisfied. "Be that as it may, it was high time we had this discussion, as you are the one we defer to in the absence of your father…"
Tobirama nodded.
Following the capture of Jigan, Butsuma had continued the campaign alongside their daimyo's troops and a mixture of Senju forces, never stopping, never wavering despite Hashirama's disappearance…
And now, he was organizing the ninja forces who would strike Tanzaku Gai and allow Lord Otada and Lord Otaka's troops to advance and seize the city.
Tolerama sighed deeply.
"The war is taking a toll on our village", stated the older man gravely. "The rate at which we are currently sustaining casualties is unsustainable. Whether regarding our situation opposing the Uchihas in the countryside or supporting the confrontations of our Uzumakis brethren with the land of water clan, something has got to give… for we are at our limits."
"Tell us of the situation with the Sarutobis… I want to hear it from your tongue, not from someone else", demanded Akanji.
"The Sarutobis are not averse to forging an alliance with us", said Tobirama as neutrally as possible, "... if they gain something precious out of it."
"Hashirama", deduced Akanji.
"... So, our ruse still holds; our enemies are still bereft as to the girl's true condition and whereabouts if they are valuing her this much."
"The Sarutobis' new leader, Sasuke, is a renowned womanizer and still unmarried…", commented Akanji. "That his clan sees the opportunity of bonding with us through the union of Hashirama with Sasuke is a realistic possibility…"
"Is there a chance that it's a trick from the Sarutobis?" asked Kojirama, the quietest of the trio of elders. "A way for them to stall as they prepare themselves to move against us?"
"There's always the possibility of deception, of course", acknowledged Akanji, "but I wouldn't rate it that high in our case here: the Sarutobis are pressed heavily by the Shimuras on their eastern borders, they want assurances from the Uchihas that they will commit to push them back, before agreeing to an active alliance with Lord Matsudaira…"
"The Uchihas are embedded with Shangri-la. It will take some time for them to pacify it before moving elsewhere, let alone all the way back to the north to deal with the Shimuras… If we can delay the Sarutobis' response, they won't push the issues.
The Uchihas are as pressed as we are", dismissed Tolerama with a wave of the hand.
"Assuming they don't mobilize their vassal clans to do their bidding."
The room went quiet with that statement. That was a real asset the Uchihas now had in those clans - if they used it here to quiet the worry of the Sarutobis, the consequence would be an alliance of both clans on the Senjus' territory, with little else distraction and the support of daimyo Yoshimoto to strike them down.
"It'll offer us an opportunity, at the very least…" commenced Kojirama.
"There is another issue we need to talk about, lord Tobirama", interrupted Tolerama gravely.
The Elders watched each other warily before Tolerama talked again.
"We have received a missive from Uzushio: Lady Mito never reached your father's troops near Tanzaku Gai… They urge us to send an emergency party to try and locate her and ask you to lead it. A detachment of some of their best trackers is on their way to your father, they'll be there in two days' time."
Tobirama remained stoic, his blood frozen in absolute horror: Mito had vanished?
"More importantly, your brother missed a rendezvous point on the long-ranged patrol he's been on the past two weeks", continued the elder man, "and we have proof someone slipped past the village's defences to retrieve something in your home two days ago."
"An infiltration of this magnitude reeks of an inside job, at least someone familiar enough with the workings of this village..." said Akanji, eyes piercing and traits suddenly harsh.
"That timing… cannot be coincidental", stated Kojirama, nodding.
"We agree. Your brother is working with Mito Uzumaki. More aggravatingly, he probably works with an unknown third-party as well" declared Tolerama bluntly. "To what end, we cannot say yet and right now, that's beside the point: the whole lot has to be found quickly before the situation escalates between our clan and the Uzumakis."
The older man stared down Tobirama, as he was trying to piece together what he had just heard... Itama wouldn't go to such extreme lengthes behind his back, and for what reason at that? And just when the situation was becoming difficult for their clan at that? This whole story felt maddeningly off...
"We won't hesitate to brand your brother as a missing-nin if you are unable to retrieve Mito Uzumaki in time", whipped sharply Tolerama, eyes burning with a strange fire.
"Tolerama!"
"Cousin, be mindful of your tongue!" admonished Akanji immediately. "Even for you, that's too extreme…"
"Don't minimize this incident!" retorted Tolerama fiercely. "We are warning Lord Tobirama out of respect for Butsuma-sama and as the future leader of this clan, but even his family has obligations they should be respecting!"
"I understand", placated Tobirama. "I'll deal with that situation."
"You better…", menaced Tolerama.
"The infiltrator… Did you track his whereabouts in the village?" asked the young Senju.
"Hardly", answered Kojirama, still disturbed by Tolerama's words. "We only know he was at your house because the Fire Monk came to us saying a relic had been relieved from your care that night."
A relic?
There was only one relic that… Ah.
Tobirama mumbled under his breath.
Yes…
Yes, it could be that…
He was starting to form a picture of what this whole situation was actually about…
An ugly one.
.
.
.
Hashirama.
A murmur.
Soft, reassuring... encompassing.
Distant and yet… close…? as if the call was made in the crest of her ears…
Come to us, daughter of the Senjus.
It felt like a dream, vivid and powerful.
The words, compelling, were drawing her in, inexorably…
And it felt right.
Come to us, daughter of Shikkotsu.
Through her slumber, she could see the forest and her millions of trees, from the mightiest of giants to the youngest sprouts piercing the ground for the first time, and all manner of creatures lurking, living, dwelling amidst them…
And beneath, was a warm sea that extended beyond the farthest point she could feel… A sea without seams...
Why was she so cold then?
So heavy in her heart?
What was that blot on the horizon, stirring it, blurring it? A wall of uneasy horror, a shadow that felt just as vivid, just as powerful than the voice she kept hearing, that kept tugging at her from deep in the warmth…
COME TO US, HASHIRAMA.
The Senju girl woke up with a start, opening her eyes to a blue, cloudless sky.
The air was chill and prickly against her skin, sending shivers through her body… A contrast to the warm feeling she felt only moments ago.
She froze.
A creature unlike anything she had ever seen was facing her, towering over her easily.
Long and formless, white with a substance she dared not identify, eyes protruding from two juting tentacles, facets that were staring at her just like she was staring at them…
The creature moved and Hashirama's heart moved with her, an absolute certainty grasping it wildly.
It was her.
She was the voice that had been encouraging her, guiding her back to this place.
She was part of the sea that laid beneath… everything.
She could trust that creature - her. She could trust her, she knew instantly.
Hashirama opened her mouth, to ask who she was, to ask where they were - and her eyes landed on the distressed face of someone she knew very well as she did so.
Someone she remembered loving dearly…
Someone she loved dearly still, she realised simply.
Not the child she could have sworn he normally was - yet childish enough to have instantly sparked the mark of reconnaissance in her, and her bond to him…
And his face… Marked and concerned - and relieved, as if he had been through the deepest of despair only to come back from it… now.
The words escaped Hashirama's lips before the thought finished forming in her mind.
"My… Itama…"
"... Hashi…"
Intentions and words were strangled into the young boy's throat, as the figure seized her in a desperate yet compassionate hug.
For a second, Hashirama felt like being back in the warmth, nurtured and protected… by her, the creature.
The moment was gone when he released his embrace.
Her little brother.
"Hashirama!"
A new pair of arms succeeded to the ones just before, as Hashirama's eyes met those of Mito Uzumaki, watery and warmfull.
"Mito…"
Skin to skin, she realized it wasn't she that was shivering anymore… A wetness on her cheek informed her of how distressed Mito-san was - and relieved.
Her own eyes felt dry in comparison…
"Lady Hashirama…"
That voice… and those white hairs…
Hashirama recognized the figure of Shibuya Hatake, gaze intense and satisfied, as he settled next to Mito and Itama. A lot more dignified, quite more distant than those two, but with a petulance in his eyes that was unusual for him.
Satisfied.
Yes, that was the term.
"...Welcome back."
An armoured Toad croaked its approbation from the sides, as tall and uncanny as the white creature from the warmth, settling Hashirama's mind once and for all.
She was back… but back where?
.
.
.
The men were playing dice in the middle of the outpost with barely contained enthusiasm and ryos moving from hands to hands easily, while the sentinels above them were checking the surroundings unimpressively.
Only two, and he made them pretty easily through the foliage…
Him.
The one-eyed bastard.
Byakuren swore, dropping to the ground as he approached quietly the sentinels in the dead angle between them.
The atmosphere at this camp had become lax and disorderly, just as the previous one he had visited, and the one before that… and this recurrence was grating more and more on his nerves.
Deep down, he knew he should have expected this kind of behaviour to occur - the surprise was that it didn't occur sooner actually.
Those men were like all the men from water country's clans: they could barely be called proper ninjas.
The truth was, they were first and foremost raiders.
Plunderers.
Nomads.
Wandering the seas in quest of places to pillage and enslave for the sake of themselves had been shaping their lives, as it did those of the previous generations…
The perspective of overwhelming Uzushio had never been the endgame to most, but a means to an end, in order to free the access to the ports and villages on the continent… For with its current state of turmoil and conflict, the Land of Fire was a prime target for exactly that kind of attack without fear of a proper, organised retaliation…
And one year in a conflict that was stalemated was one year too many for people who weren't accustomed to this kind of protracted warfare…
The failure with their assault on Uzushio had at least led the Uzumakis to cordon off themselves on their main island, allowing the land of Water clans to strengthen their foothold on their archipelago and develop the means to ensure a blocade of the Uzumaki forces whenever they decided to rear their head outside their self-imposed prison…
Byakuren had been the one suggesting and leading the organisation of that matrix of encampments on their territory - the leaders of the clans were too busy quarrelling between themselves and delve into coastal raids to care about the long-term planning of their occupation of the Land of Whirlpool.
And so far, Byakuren's plans had worked: Uzumaki incursions had occurred only a few times, in a manner of skirmishes that had little impact on their morale and their battle strength.
The Uzumakis that had been outside the fuinjutsu barrier when it was initially set up were actually much more bothersome and aggressive than their brethren in it.
But Byakuren was no fool.
All this time behind their walls and fuinjutsu barriers with little to show for opposing their invaders meant the Uzumakis were preparing something big against them down the line…
Something radical was coming on the horizon, he could smell it as much as he could smell the blood gushing in droves of the lazy bastard he had just silently gutted...
And when it would come, it would find something with more teeth than gambling warriors and sleezy sentinels… He would make sure of it.
.
.
.
"...Where are we?" she asked, voice rough and small, looking her people in the eyes, "...and who are you?" she added, same eyes settling on the Slug.
The creature stirred once more, her white translucent flesh moving rhythmically to Hashirama's utter fascination.
Could it be…?
"I remember… I was losing my battle…", the girl murmured, as she was helped up by Itama and Mito. "The jashinist was too strong and Maoru-san performed a special jutsu… He sent me here… He saved me…"
"Probably."
Hashirama winced.
Her body ached in a way she hadn't been expecting.
Stiff, and grinding painfully at her slightest move… Though she felt the sensation would dissipate soon, as all injuries usually did with her…
"You were here when I came… You attacked me."
"I did."
Hashirama almost asked why - before the answer made itself clear in her mind.
"You are the creature tied to this place, aren't you?" she asked rhetorically. "A summon?"
"I am so much more than a summon…" assured the giant slug, eyelids turned toward her.
Her monstrous body moved swiftly, closing on her fast - but Hashirama felt no ill-will coming from this move. The creature slid to an alt next to her, her opalescent flesh trembling as she touched her tentatively with her tendrils.
"My name is Katsuyu… Lady Hashirama", the Slug said as she continued her apparent examination of the Senju girl. "And you are in the domain I was tasked to protect, one of the Five Great Realms: Shikkotsu."
Shikkotsu.
A rich name. Fitting, for a land that seemed so luxurious…
"Your voice… I kept hearing your voice in my head… Felt your presence all over me, and around…" said Hashirama.
"In a sense, I was… I am as much part of the Forest as it is a part of me…", explained Katsuyu simply. "This connection I share with the land, I also shared with you… The amber I trapped you in initially fortifying it."
"...But how?" insisted the Senju teenager. "I've never been here before… and I never met you."
A strange jingling came from the core of Katsuyu, and Hashirama realised with a start that this was her way to laugh…
"Lady Hashirama, your blood… your chakra itself… is the same as Asura-sama."
Hashirama blinked.
"No way…" she murmured.
The others around her didn't seem to react the way she did, Itama and Mito looking at one another in silence, whilst Shibuya kept his gaze on the creature - making the Senju girl wonder when had the creature shared with them this piece of information…
"I only speak the truth, dear girl…", pursued Katsuyu, watching Hashirama intently. "Lord Asura ensured the continuation of this place through perilous times. All creatures here owe him their lives."
Even though their clan knew of and claimed proudly their ties to Asura, no Senju would have ever dared to assert they were of direct descendance of the Sage's younger son…
"Just like him, you made your way to this realm, and just like him, your journey to Shikkotsu is fated to preserve and save it from a great menace…"
Hashirama perked up at those words.
She remembered why she was here, and who sent her… Maoru-san, in his desperate attempt to save her… Save her from…
"The jashinists. What of them?"
"... Katsuyu-dono isn't referring to them, Hashi."
"... What do you mean? Isn't that why you are here? Didn't Maoru-san sent you after me following the battle?"
A horrible feeling gripped her heart as she saw the sombre and sad looks on everyone's face. The one named Gamakouji, who had been somewhat indifferent to their discussion up until that point, grumbled with a veil of anger.
"Don't bring up that name so casually, Senju… Maoru-boy has been dead for many moons now…"
A shocked Hashirama watched the armoured Toad with wide eyes, confused.
Maoru-san… dead?
For many moons?
"But… how… I've been here only a few days, right? I was just asleep… wasn't I? And your voice…"
This time, it was Katsuyu that manifested herself next to her.
"You were on death's door when you landed here, Hashirama…" she explained. "I nurtured you, healed you, protected you from the evil that lay beyond the Gates of Rashomon… The evil that you will have to face now that you have emerged, so many moons after I first helped you."
"An evil…?" Hashirama repeated, confused. "And this place… It's the same as when I arrived! If so much time has passed, how-"
"You don't understand, Hashirama Senju", cut Gamakouji-san, visibly irritated. "The Five Realms are not bound to your earthly seasons. Shikkotsu always has and always will remain in the state you find it in today, the same way Myobokou will remain that immutable, snowy mountain…"
"What do you mean?" repeated Hashirama fearfully.
Shibuya sighed, locking his eyes into the Senju girl.
Sometimes, bluntness was the better instrument to wield in a situation like this…
"He means that, between the time of your disappearance and us finding you here… a whole cluster of seasons has come and gone, and winter is at our door again."
A year.
An entire year.
Hashirama blinked, slowly taken over by the horror of this realization.
Impossible.
Seasons had come and gone, and with them…
"... What of the jashinists?" she asked vehemently. "The one I fought was… he was so different from the others… And… Mito! What of Uzushio?" she added, grabbing one of the Uzumaki girl's arms. "Did Tobirama succeed?"
Mito shared a grave look with Shibuya, as Itama looked suddenly down and sullen.
"Uzushio is under siege…" said Mito quietly. "A stalemate where the inner island has been cordoned off while the rest of the archipelago is occupied by land of waters shinobis."
"... And the jashinists have carved open parts of the Aburame's territory", added Shibuya gravely. "They still hunger for the power of the Silima. We fear they are going to strike the Fire Temple sooner rather than later."
Hashirama paled.
Maoru-san, dead… Uzushio isolated… The jashinists swathing through the Land of Fire like a plague…
How had the situation become so dire in her absence?
"The war has escalated this last year", said Itama as if reading in her mind. "It's becoming difficult to burden our responsibilities toward the Uzumakis while fending off the Uchihas and operating for the sake of our daimyo.
Our clan is at its limit, Hashi. We needed to find you, not only for our own sake as your brother and your friends, but for the sake of everyone else..."
He had matured, Hashirama realised as she looked at her little brother. That's what a year of fighting for survival could do to someone, she supposed…
"I see…" murmured Hashirama, eyes casted down. "Struggles lie everywhere ahead of us… and my strength…"
She tasted it… felt it.
She felt it in her bones.
Her strength was still there, she was still whole… Katsuyu hadn't been lying she had taken care of her so well, she hadn't wanned despite the passage of time.
She felt… good.
Good enough to do something - anything - about the challenges waiting ahead…
Hashirama dropped to her knees, grateful to be alive when so many had been lost in the battles she had missed… She would avenge them.
All of them.
"...Tell me everything."
.
.
.
Toshîro stopped his movement, as the cold sting of metal kissed his neck out of nowhere.
"Having fun?"
That voice… he recognized that voice instantly, and a dread as cold as the weapon against his skin gripped Toshîro's heart.
He gulped, his hands coming up almost in supplication.
"Byakuren-dono…"
"Please, don't let me interrupt you in your… game", continued the voice of Byakuren behind his back, as the other men around him looked at the two of them uncertainly, half-ready to bounce away, half-willing to stay put, wondering how things would play out.
"Actually, pick up the dices."
"Sorry Byakuren-dono, we were…"
"I said: pick up the dices, you son of a whore."
Toshîro cursed his misfortune, as he obeyed the command. That old fucker, jumping him like that…! Moreover, Byakuren had a reputation to be deadlier than the shark-bastards he served…
The Maw of the Hoshigakis.
If he had set his sight on him, he wouldn't let things go easily…
"Well, what are you waiting for? Play the dices, boy."
Toshîro's eyes met those of the ones in front of him: he could read uneasiness and even fear in some of them. It was contagious, for suddenly Toshîro had the urge to get as far away from this place, from this man, as possible…
"I said: play."
There was no escaping the Maw. Toshîro resolved himself, made a small prayer to the kamis, and dropped the dices.
Two.
And five.
"... That's seven, right?"
"... Yes, Byakuren-dono, that's an odd numb-"
Ka-chink!
"Who talked about playing Cho-han, you dog?" snarled Byakuren as Toshîro watched his hands uncomprehendingly.
…What happened?
Blood was dripping from them profusely… and before him laid what should have been on his left hand… and a large portion of what should have been on his right one…
"The game was about the number of fingers I would take from you, bastard boy… Your gambling game was over the moment I arrived."
And as pain registered, and Toshîro dropped to his knees, his yell inhuman, Byakuren turned his attention to the frightened assembly of warriors.
"Next time, it won't be fingers that roll with the dices… but heads!" he stated, words laced with killing intent.
The crowd in front of him cowered, also disturbed by the sight of the injured Toshîro moaning with pain on the ground…
Good.
"Now, I want three of you to go replace the corpses that were supposed to be your sentries… You can burn their bodies, or throw them to the animals, I don't care! Just do a better job than they did if you want to keep your lives. Go!"
"Shit Byakuren, that's cold even for a bastard like you!" snarked a figure emerging from the shadows.
The one-eyed ninja recognized one of the many subordinates of Fudotan Hoshigaki, the leader of that clan. Byakuren wondered how long he had been tracking his whereabouts, as the man came to a halt next to him, observing the crumbled figure on the ground with stark curiosity.
"We have no need for sentinels that cannot actually guard… nor for gambling addicts that shit themselves when they are caught with their pants down", answered Byakuren as he kicked down the now sobbing figure of Toshîro.
"An example had to be made", he added simply. "You hear me boy? From now on, you'll be a servant to the others - or their fool if you can't manage. And if you fail at that too, I'll remove your head myself… Now, scram."
Toshiro collected his fingers pitifully and made himself scarce, pale and sobbing.
"No one needs a cripple on a battlefield… You've doomed his future."
"Why do you care? Or are you saying that just so you can go put him out of his misery yourself? You don't fool me."
"... Careful, Byakuren", said the man with a dangerous smirk. "If you rock the boat too much, you'll have to contend with the sharks beneath it soon enough."
They stared at one another briefly before the eyes of the Hoshigaki wandered to where the crippled ninja had disappeared, betraying his deadly intentions.
"... What do you want? You had an errand?" cut Byakuren.
"Sort of…" mumbled the shinobi, his focus back on the older ninja. "You need to come, there's a gathering on our main encampment at the edge of Uzushio tomorrow night… to discuss the issues with the jashinists."
Byakuren didn't say anything.
They had been fools to allow this sect to prosper, and to collaborate with their leader… Right off he knew these jashinists would be a problem in the future, one more thorn in their sides among the many mounting ones... But the man in front of him was like the leader who sent him, like many of the clan's representatives that would be present there: thinking little of the future, content with the silly pillaging and obfuscation of resources…
While he and others like him spent their energy trying to organize a semblance of competent fighting force, fighting in the dirt a ground war with the Uzumakis, amidst the laughter of the Hoshigaki clansmen. And having to deal with the zealotry of the jashinists tomorrow, he was sure…
Their arrogance would be their downfall.
It was obvious the Uzumakis were biding their time, before launching a counter-offensive to root them out.
And when that time would come, when the fools would be about to be doomed, he would be right there to deal with them in a heartbeat.
The jashinists would wait their turn, he would bid his time no matter what.
"I'll be there…" Byakuren assured the messenger before he departed. "I sure as hell will…"
.
.
.
Author's note:
Uchihas, making preparations…
Senjus, making preparations…
Heirs from both clans facing challenges from their fellows…
And a battle with an ancient evil for the braves of Shikkotsu!
The coming chapters are going to be restless!
Thank you for reading the second chapter of Hashirama's journey, season 3!
Life got in the way (in a very good sort of way, don't worry) but still: I'm sorry I couldn't update the story for such an extended period, dear readers!
Fear not, I'll have an easier schedule in the coming weeks! And new chapter next week, that much is a guarantee! ;)
Hope you enjoyed this read, dear readers!
See you next week!