NARUTO : BORN TO LOVE AND LEAD

by happylove123

Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is a genius who pranks all 5 nations to do what he wants, to achieve peace. He brings hope for people drowning in darkness. His burdens are heavy. So, his sensei Kakashi, helps his future hokage as dutiful shinobi and helps himself in return and Shikamaru is the advisor & brother. Strong Naruto, Strong Kakashi, Grey Kyubi, Good Itachi. Kakanaru. No underage.

9. THE PRINCE ARRIVES

Summary:

Konoha's future is shifting to a brighter side. Some clans are reinvigorated, some ninjas get new license on life. The hokage stops being delusional and see the real ugly state of Konoha. Then he also sees the hope for Konoha and wonders if he found his successor. All because of the arrival of one person. The person who completely uproots Kakashi's life and rouses his Will to live.

Author's notes:

This chapter is different from what I wrote first. I have been rewriting chapters. Please wait until I catch up to the existing chapters before I upload new ones.

CHAPTER 8 – THE PRINCE ARRIVES

It was a fine day. Birds chirping, children playing, flowers blooming and ninjas gossiping. Everything was normal for everyone, except for the three fathers in Konoha.

Three of them were gathered in a cozy restaurant in a private room specially made to meet the needs of ninjas. They are looking at each other with oddly scrutinizing eyes.

Nara clan head, Shikaku noted the hesitation in his fellow clan heads' eyes. He knew they all wanted to talk about the same thing, but they were not sure if the other knew about it and they did not want to betray the trust of their benefactor.

Shikaku sighed lazily at having to deal with this. 'The things you make me do. This is not even my headache, Naruto brat. I am going to get you for this. Why can't I have normal children? One wants to be the hokage surpassing Shodaime and the other wants to be his advisor rivalling Nidaime. Too much for my sleep. Troublesome kids.'

Shikaku poured tea for his friends and himself and slowly took a piece from the deliciously smelling snacks on the table.

He started leisurely. "So, I have a new genin who is doing well on the D-rank mission I have issued to forage grass for deer."

Shibi looked at him for a second before sipping the tea and answered calmly. "I like the new genin who is growing herbs for me too."

Choza let out a relieved sigh munching on the snacks. "I too like my new vegetable harvesting guy."

"So, we agree to hire him again?" Shikaku raised his eyebrow in question.

Shibi and Choza silently nodded agreeing with him.

Shikaku sighed again with relief. "Troublesome! I did not expect my little fawn to like that grass foraging guy. He motivated my boy to train and made him improve so much. I was kind of anxious that he was under trained for ninja life. The academy glorifies ninja career and have a very relaxed schedule. They don't even introduce the concept of pressure, let alone to work under it."

"I am glad he helped my son build stamina to help him fight without chakra. Even though I wanted my little beetle to enjoy his childhood, I was getting worried when he neared graduation. Who knew our academy standards were so low? They don't even teach chakra control there anymore." Shibi could not help faulting the logic that academy sending unprepared ninjas out.

"True. I am glad my vegetable harvesting guy exposed the cruelty of ninjas to my little bear. I was worried that his hesitance to hurt others will endanger him instead. The genins graduating in the recent years have no idea of the life they are signing up for. The academy doesn't even have first-aid classes, no idea about proper nutrition and no physical training except taijutsu." Choza complained.

Shikaku slowly started the matter. "Not all are lucky like us to have met a good comrade. I mean Ino's daughter is still running behind a boy and not eating."

Choza agreed. "I heard the civilian girl who is in Uchiha's team is also like that. Inoichi kept complaining that their rivalry ruined all the chance to redeem his daughter."

"There is another kind like Hisashi's little daughter. She 'doesn't talk' is different from she 'could not muster' to talk. Thank Kami we use sign language and lip reading in high rank missions."

"Then there are overconfident kids like Tsume's son." Choza said in disapproval.

"Let's not talk about the Uchiha kid." Shikaku did not want to get into that when he had not had ten hours of sleep.

"Then there is the Uzumaki kid." Shibi very much wanted to talk about the kid. "Konoha does not make ninja like him anymore."

"Konoha does not want to make him ninja at all. He made him himself." Shikaku snorted. 'With the genes and sacrifices of his parents. They not only gave him life but dreams too.'

"That kid did not receive any help from us, but he helped us so much starting with our sons and now….. our clans and entire Konoha." Choza said vaguely making Shikaku give a nod followed by Shibi. He let out a sigh of relief as all were in the know now.

"We just turned the other way when our sons were acquainting him. The most we have done is not stopping their private training."

Shikaku identified with his friend's guilty countenance which was also mirrored by Shibi.

"What we did was insignificant compared to what we have not done. We could not even ensure fair ninja training for him. Look at Mizuki incident. The council did most things they could to not let him train properly. But he beat them, along with our children."

"Who knew they would surprise us this much! Our kids are splendid and that kid, he is one of a kind." Choza praised all four kids generously. "Like his parents."

"He is Minato and Kushina's kid alright?!" Shibi smiled reminiscing the past.

Of course, his friends were among those ninjas who guessed Naruto's legacy. No one spoke outwardly but they all three of them and Inoichi wanted to help Minato and Kushina's son, Naruto, but was denied. While thinking that Shikaku reminded them something else, in time.

"Above all, he might have saved us. I did not know we were under utilizing our potential. Troublesome!"

"I did not know all the problems sneaking on our backs that we have neglected to notice. Thanks to him thinking on behalf of us. He is a…." Shibi was still searching for right words.

"All the lives we could save by the solutions he brought. We have been slowly declining, and we had no idea. Glad he found the solution for us. He is a …." Choza was not computing properly.

"I cannot get how he could be this magnanimous. Logic states that the kid should hate Konoha and all of us, yet he does not. All he wants is for Konoha and its ninja to flourish, like his father, maybe more. I mean…." Shibi was searching for right words.

"He is selfless and yet his mind was like that of savants but on many fields. He is a great prankster too, like his mother, maybe more. He pranked the entire village including the hokage for years, the best one is he hid his intensity and grew secretly strong for years. He is ready to reveal his sharpness to the world without fear now and he is using his stealth for good cause. I mean he is…he is …" Choza was still not computing properly.

"A miracle, the word you are looking for my friends is 'miracle'. Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, is a miracle." Shikaku, the wisest guy in Konoha for a reason, summarized for them.

"You are right. He is a Kami blessed miracle." Choza agreed wholeheartedly.

"I agree. He is the miracle ninja of Konoha." Shibi gave the future hokage of Konoha, his first title.

Shikaku came to the main agenda. "Well, I will come and say this in open. I have been in contact with him in secret for a long time."

"Shikaku! " Choza was worried for his friend. Talking about training in open was different. Saying in codes vaguely was ok but this, might bring unnecessary problems to his friend. Walls have years. This was ninja village after all.

"Calm down Cho. Shikaku is not someone without measure." Shibi comforted him. If Naruto were here, he would have had Déjà Vu.

Shikaku made some hand seals and intoned, "Fuinjutsu: Arawasu (Sealing Technique: Reveal)". There was a red ward surrounding them with a seal glowing from the tag in Shikaku's hand.

"This is the new ward that could be erected with this single seal. No one could see or hear us, even with doujutsu, for half an hour when this is on." Shikaku explained.

"Shikaku? Where did you get this? Is it your clan's?" Shibi was impressed.

"Not my clan's. This was drawn by the main topic of our secret conversation." Shikaku replied with a hidden pride in his tone.

Choza was surprised. "Naru-He could draw seals? Who taught him fuinjutsu?"

"You can say his name confidently. The seal is active. Naruto is self-taught. He learned from the scrolls his parents had left." Shikaku said sipping his tea.

"How did he get it?" Choza asked.

"He didn't say. He said and I quote, 'Knowing less gives you plausible deniability, ojisan.' He told me not to stake my family and clan for him and he was glad for the help I provided him already."

"He calls you ojisan?" Shibi raised his eyebrows knowing Shikaku was bragging. "Are you showing off your closeness with him?"

"Yeah Shika. How can you do this? You never told us and went and claimed 'Uncle' spot without our names in the hat. It is not fair." Choza complained.

Minato and Kushina were close friends with Choza and Shibi too. Minato never discriminated against Aburames or Akimichis and they wholeheartedly supported him when he was the hokage.

"Finders, Winners, my friends. You mistook this lazy guy for the slow guy." Shikaku smirked.

"More like cunning guy." Shibi grumbled and Choza agreed.

Shikaku came back to the topic. "I want to discuss what Naruto supplied us with. The long-term benefits are clan matters but for short-term effects, I want to propose a collaboration with our three clans for a year, at least, two at most."

"Let's hear the details." Choza was interested and Shibi too.

"I want to implement the new techniques in a selected group of chunins from my clan. I want you guys to do the same, so they can make a demonstration."

"Our sons already said that they are going to make a demonstration in chunin exams to support their team leader." Choza said with a smile at their children's apparent idolization of Naruto.

"You mean their taicho." Shibi corrected with a slight upward curve of his lips.

Shikaku laughed at that. "They certainly want to be poster boys for one Naruto Uzumaki."

"I take it you have something else in mind." Shibi was always perceptive.

"I want to prove how useful those techniques are, in jonin exams as well." Shikaku said.

"Yeah, while chunin exams will prove Konoha's improved style to the world, proving in jonin exams will bring change inside Konoha and our ninja force will be more susceptible to changes in training methods, procedures and otherwise, to increase their strength and efficiency. It is a two-pronged approach, better than one our children proposed. Good idea Shika." Choza complimented his friend.

"Not me, Naruto. He came up with that. I am just his spokesperson." Shika was proud to see Naruto's growth, from playing shogi to playing people.

"Ah, I see. He did not want to overwhelm our children with many things, so he filtered their parts and told them what they could and should do. But he had already made plans to benefit entire Konoha, which is beyond their scope, with a simple show-and-tell." Shibi summarized.

"With that, he is getting the Konoha ninjas warm up and they will want to do changes in their training to not let the rookies overshine them, thereby improving all of them, gradually, without catching attention. This thing is better than making abrupt rules and changes and ask them to follow new ways of things." Choza concluded for him.

"Exactly, guys. As you said, we will make a demonstration by chunins with a wider audience and let others chew on how these guys could perform these things, making the other ninja villages anxious, all the while the jonins are evolving, without flashy rules and announcements, so other nations won't know Konoha is growing strong. Not slapping them in the face but keeping them in their toes. Moreover, I don't want the civilian council to stop this before they get strong. At an appropriate time, well after we improved, I want to put the actual results in front of hokage and if required, in front of the council, to do big changes, officially." Shikaku strategized.

"What do you propose, Shikaku?" Choza asked.

"I want a selected number of chunins from each of our clans and train them with new techniques and send them on missions together. We will see the success rate and after some months, let's make them compete in jonin exams." Shikaku said the outline.

"You want us to collaborate to form chunin teams with one Nara, one Akimichi and one Aburame." Shibi said.

"What about the leading jonin?" Choza asked.

"Six to nine depending on the number of chunins we can afford. No more than ten jonin, which mean thirty chunins, and importantly, no one popular, all underdogs. That way, as a jonin commander, I can manipulate the mission roster easily and send them on selected missions. The parameters for missions and safety guidelines could be negotiated among us clan heads." Shikaku said.

"That could work. I agree." Shibi said after few minutes of pondering.

"I have no problem." Choza agreed.

"This plan has two parts. One is to prove to ninja forces and other is to clan elders. I am thinking about taking some clan children and implement long term plans for them. After three months, we could show them to elders and implement long term ones throughout the clan." Shikaku proposed with a faraway look.

"Within three months?!... You want to tell them it is from Naruto." Shibi understood the unsaid.

"You want to amass their support for Naruto so we can back up his promotion." Choza added.

"Even though, Naruto said it was not needed, I want to support him. Though our clan elders do not oppose his entry in our house, we still have to cover them up as missions, it shows that most of them do not have anything against Naruto, but they are afraid of retaliation from the council. If they get favors from Naruto, they will be more open to accept him, especially if that benefit our clans for generations. It is good to have their support so we can be more vocal and support Naruto explicitly, even in council meetings. But Naruto is hellbent on not revealing him. Still, I want to do something. Nothing much, I want to meet him in public, not turning my face away but approach him to enquire if he is okay, invite him to lunch, buy him a birthday cake and the like. The bare minimum we should be able to do for Minato's son in all these years." Shikaku spoke in length and the other two listened with attention.

"I agree Shikaku. I want to invite Kushina's son for Choji's next birthday without having to think much. We can't close our eyes to that kid anymore." Choza said energized.

"You right Choza. It is time we pay our debts to Naruto. We can't sit still and let the kid do all the work. The minimum we can do is support him and not let him face the council sharks alone." Shibi was determined.

"Konoha is up for a change and as fathers of children who is going to bring it, it is time to make a stand." Shikaku was resolute. "Let's do it." Shikaku raised his teacup.

"Count me in." Choza raised his cup too.

"Showtime." Shibi raised his cup as well.

"To think that a single meeting with him changes our fates." Shikaku sighed. "Too troublesome."

All three of them looked at each other remembering what happened few days prior.

The day after Squad One's meeting:

Under Naruto's instructions, Shino, Choji and Shikamaru spoke with their fathers and brought them to their spot near the Naka River on a bright Saturday morning.

When Aburame Shibi, Akimichi Choza and Nara Shikaku entered the clearing there were three seats arranged for them. Four genins appeared in a single line standing next to each other and bowed to them in greetings.

Naruto spoke first. "Welcome Aburame-sama, Akimichi-sama and Nara-sama. Your sons will explain some things later inside the safety of your home. But today, we invited you here for judging our graduation."

Shikaku raised his eyebrows in interest. Whatever the plan was, his brats did not explain it to him. One look at Shibi and Choza said they were not informed by their sons as well.

"Judge Graduation? Your hitaite says you are already graduated." Choza pointed out.

"Why here in secret? Are you guys hiding something from us?" Shibi asked agreeing to Choza's point.

"We will answer your questions later. Please lend us couple of hours of your time." Naruto inclined his head in a request and other three genins did the same.

"Troublesome. Don't cut more time off my cloud watching session, kids." Shikaku said already having some ideas. But the question was, why making this big and invite them? What was Naruto cooking?

Naruto made some clones while manipulating the ground to form an arena making the clan heads raise eyebrows in unison at the skill he displayed. Shikamaru gave red and green flags to the clan heads with a knowing look. Shino sent kikaichus to spy on their surroundings to avoid unnecessary interruptions. Choji set up the scoreboard to keep scores.

Naruto announced: "Group performance."

Next hour and half were spent on four kids first competing in the makeshift arena for taijutsu first, followed by kunai, shuriken and senbon throwing from them. All three fathers were impressed because the skills displayed were well solid and ahead of the most high-level genins. 'Their private training time was well spent.'

And then they did a mock scenario of retrieving documents proving their stealth with Naruto and his two clones acting as enemy team. Of course, they retrieved but not without difficulty.

Till now, Naruto was in first place in everything, Shino in second place for taijutsu, Choji in second place for weapon throwing and Shikamaru in second place for stealth. But none of them got a red flag and all passed with a green flag.

Naruto announced: "Individual performance."

First went Shikamaru, then Choji and Shino. All of them displayed eighty percent of the jutsus they learnt so far. Two of clan jutsus, high genin level taijutsu, all five chakra control techniques, few E and D-rank ninjutsus and one C-rank jutsu of fire and earth nature.

Moreover, in the last, they displayed, one more clan jutsu they have not been taught by their fathers showing the effort they put into learning new things on their own.

After that, Naruto created many clones and Choji came to the arena first with nun chucks. An intense fight happened for fifteen minutes displaying their skills followed by Shino absorbing and reabsorbing chakra from Naruto's clones and his kikaichu. Then came Shikamaru with his chakra wire that can be manipulated by chakra and his shadow without moving.

All three clan heads were shocked. They did not know their children could do this. They looked at each other and their children who were on and off the arena, but all the children were focused on the compet-, graduation and not on their fathers.

Naruto announced: "All out spar."

Three genins surrounded the original Naruto in the middle and the match started. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, shadows, senbons, kikaichus, nunchucks, sneaking, strategy, academy clones, academy jutsus and increased speed by releasing weights, all of them exploded in the arena for half an hour, displaying shocking skills making their audience inch near their seats and spewing comments and ideas. They were enraptured by their performance when the half-an-hour mark reached and the genins topped, the clan heads were pulled into reality to their disappointment. But they were not impressed with what they saw in short time.

When all four them stood there panting, well, all three except Naruto, their audience clapped, and all showed green flags.

"I don't know what the graduation in particular for, but you all graduated, especially in your drive to improve." Choza said proud of Choji and others.

"You continuously performed this long and still have some chakra left. Your reserves are far bigger than genins." Shibi noted and glad that Shino and others would not be handicapped.

"You learned many things on your own and improved beyond the limits we set. You guys are more motivated than most chunins." Shikaku praised proud of all the children, especially Shikamaru. "So far for the results, without doubt, Naruto won the first place."

"Of course, our taicho is the best." All three said in unison and Naruto's eye widened in shock.

"Guys!"

"Sorry taicho!"

They said in unison again to the amusement of the three clan heads. They announced the results of each field and gave them advice and useful tips to improve some things. Then they congratulated them with few words of praise.

"Thanks for your time Aburame-sama, Akimichi-sama and Nara-sama. We will improve ourselves and if a chance arises, we will invite you again. Choji, Shika and Shino will be able to impress you even more and bring honor and glory to their clans and Konoha. Above all, they will return safely after their missions."

The clan heads were pleased to hear the last words of Naruto more than the second. At the same time, they could not help noticing all three of their children looked at Naruto hanging to each and every of his words.

"We will do it. Right guys?" Naruto asked.

Their kids puffed up their chest and clenched their fists. "Hai taicho." Naruto sweat dropped at their address and scratched his head nervously looking at the clan heads. The three genins did not see it and still looked overly determined like they were ready to take over the world for Naruto.

The clan heads found it funny how much chicken blood Naruto could inject the three genins with just few words. Their small dissatisfaction at not being able to see Naruto do his magic and change baby ninjas into parrots by the word 'guys?' was rectified today and they were glad to see it happen in person.

Under their children's insistence they all went home and awaited Naruto's visit to their homes in the evening after a small debrief by their children in the afternoon after lunch.

Later that day at Shibi's house:

Naruto and Shibi were sitting, setting up shogi board in one of those sparsely visited gardens in the Aburame clan house, which was only open to clan heads and high-level clan members.

Naruto had left his clone to do the D-rank mission of Aburame clan he picked up earlier. "Thank you for meeting with me in short notice, Aburame-sama."

"It is nothing. You have been friends with my son for years now. I should have invited you sooner. Also, call me by my name and no sama."

"Thanks anyway Shibi-san, because you already are aware that I am not here to meet my friend's father but his clan head." Naruto said moving the first piece in as a way of starting the game.

"What does a genin have that is worthwhile to have to talk with a clan head in person?" Shibi asked wanting to test the boy, at the same time making a counter move.

"No great ninja would underestimate a single kunai, no good businessman would despise a penny and no wise leader would discard the help to improve his people, despite it being a drop in the ocean. Moreover, I am not an ordinary genin, an orphan yes, but I am also a clan heir, correction, heir of two clans with responsibility to uplift and honor both of them."

Shibi and Naruto looked at each other in the eye. Shibi guessed Naruto knew of his heritage. Shibi appraised the genin with a scrutinizing look and Naruto let him look openly. Shibi was already impressed by the way Naruto carried him so far, but he could not help appreciating the boy more because some grown-up ninjas were unnerved by the Aburame's stare with an emotionless face. Naruto behaved by like a clan heir cultivated by a great clan for years, not an orphan who had never seen his parents. Shibi knew he himself was not this self-assured and courageous at twelve.

Shibi gave him a nod of approval. "Very well. Go on then."

"You must have seen and heard from Shino about the 'chakra absorption technique' I have given. Based on that, I have a preposition for you." Naruto made another move.

Shibi might be a kind father, but he was also a veteran ninja. "You want to give that to our clan? Let me ask you first, what is stopping me from learning that technique from my son without your permission and implementing it myself." Shibi blocked Naruto's piece.

Naruto gave a shrewd smile. "What makes you think that is all I have. It is a sample product to attract the customers. My main business is something else."

Naruto and Shibi moved their pieces intensely testing one another.

"It is foolish of you to let me know it. What if I were to take it forcefully?" Shibi intimidated in a subtle way but also wanted to teach the boy he should not be so forthcoming. Just because a son was kind, it would be foolish to expect the same from his father. It's okay. Naruto was good but he was still a child lacking experience. Shibi could teach him.

"Everybody wants golden eggs but no man with a brain will cut a golden goose open, especially one like me, who occupies significant position in Konoha's military power, who roused the protective streak of the grandfatherly hokage after Mizuki incident and not to mention, the student of concern of one of the powerful shinobis of Konoha, the last Hatake. Moreover, if you had any evil intentions towards me, which you don't have as sensed by the gigantic nine-tailed being residing in me, he helps me to detect KI even in slightest, your son will go against you." Naruto said leisurely as if he was not threatening an elite jonin and a clan leader.

"You will use my son against me?" Shibi asked sharply.

"I don't have to. He will volunteer. But that will only happen if you have problems with me. Do you?" Naruto still spoke in a relaxed manner.

Both of them confronted each other and slowly Shibi's lips curved upwardly recognizing Naruto was not a boy he thought him to be but an unofficial ninja long used to the predators in the ocean.

"You got my approval to discuss clan matters Uzumaki-san."

"Please call me Naruto, Shibi-san. I am not a fan of suffixes behind my name good or otherwise."

"Go on Naruto. What is the golden egg that you can give the Aburame Clan?"

"Imagine Aburame clan children not having to be isolated by others and can be easily held and hugged without having to worry about crushing your mishus (bugs), like if Shino was little and could be held by Inuzaka-sama or Nara matriarch like they did with Choji , Kiba or Ino."

Shibi was surprised but he did want to pipe dream. "Chakra absorption technique is good, but it is not enough to do that, so I assume you have advanced methods."

"It is not an advanced method per say but advanced applications. I took Nidaime as inspiration when I learnt he said it is not only a big technique that gives big results but small methods when used right in conjunction with other small techniques, you can get groundbreaking results too. Would you like a demonstration Shibi-san?"

"I am interested."

When Naruto took few plants out of his storage scrolls and sent five clones to plant them in the garden after getting permission Shibi was wondering what Naruto was going to do.

"Shibi-san, these plans are already made with my chakra, and I would like you to send mishus that are non-generic and not bonded to anyone."

Shibi was curious but trusted Naruto would not be this confident if he did not have a solid plan. So, he sent his hive friends to command a general hive used for other purposes. When they came with their leader bug, they directly went to the plant brimming with Naruto's chakra and start absorbing it. They were afraid of Naruto's chakra in his body but not Naruto's chakra stored outside without Kyubi to intimidate them.

"That looks like a special chakra tree, but it would need years to grow them, and we need to spare more chakra for growing them. Even then, it is ok for replenishing, but it won't let our children away from the mishus. The mishus need to be close to us and our chakra to be able to help us efficiently." Though what Naruto said was good, but the practicality of this method was difficult.

"Don't think big Shibi-san, small methods, remember? I agree that you have to form bonds with the hive from a young age and use it at all times to get used to keep your emotions in check. But what if you can delay 'getting your own hive' initiation for few years and give your children more time to make friends with other students in academy for one or two years, to experience normal life, while they can still bond with the bug colony."

Shibi had some ideas as to what Naruto was saying but he asked something else, first. "What do you what from my clan by giving this? Are you expecting political support or material? I apologize for asking this first but as much as I want you support you; you are not an easy person to support explicitly Naruto and I need my clan's approval for that." Regret for being upfront was apparent in Shibi's voice, coming from a Aburame, which implied utmost sincerity.

"I understand Shibi-san. I personally don't want anything apart from improving Konoha's strength." Naruto said with a gentle smile.

Shibi did not expect that answer and was shocked. It was unbelievable because Naruto had lot of things to ask for as far as he knew.

"Don't be surprised Shibi-san. Let me ask you something. Do you know not all insects are impervious to inbreeding but prone to genetic diseases, recessive genes that makes them vulnerable and such? But humans are not that immune. Have you ever thought about what that would do to a clan that was not the first choice to get married into or out of? It will not happen today but what will happen in another fifty years when no Senju or Uzumaki was there to invent medicine for those diseases? Can you guarantee it will not happen? Take a look at this Shibi-san."

Naruto provided a file that contained data and graph clearly projecting the declining efficiency of their clan. A same jutsu made with same type of bugs of same level ninjas worked far better in the past years. Shibi wondered where Naruto got the mission reports from Shodaime time, but the pointed-out issue was a major question making Shibi to sit on it for few minutes.

"So, you want to improve the clan that is impersonal to you except that it would make Konoha better?" Shibi came back to the matter earlier.

Naruto delivered the crucial piece of information. "A war is coming Shibi-san, a big one and we are not ready for it."

Shibi opened his mouth to ask but Naruto stopped with a shake of his head. "I have not told the hokage yet, but his spy Jiraya had informed him already, but he did not make it public. It is not a classified secret but if you should not confront him once you know it."

Naruto raised his eyebrow in question and Shibi nodded yes after a moment. As an Aburame ninja, information and preparation were important. Anyway, they had already kept many things from the hokage and it was not a lie or betrayal if the hokage already knew, just an overheard information.

"Twelve years ago, the Kyubi tragedy that happened, was man-made." Naruto explained to the shock of Shibi. "My father had left means to confirm it and the man responsible was associated to or to the disciple of Uchiha Madara and he was an Uchiha himself. He will come for the Kyubi again and with the way he had been waiting for years without any more tries, he had been planning something big and bad, for Konoha and if I had to stretch, for the entire ninja world."

Shibi processed the information and came to a startling realization. While everyone was immersed in a false peace brought by his father, Naruto was continuing his father's fight and preparing for a war for at least five to eight years, wanting to improve overall Konoha before that. 'What a young man! Minato would be proud.'

Naruto continued once he was sure Shibi was listening again. "This is as much for Konoha as much my safety, Shibi-san. If that war happens, I can't win it alone and I can't watch my people die knowing I had means to improve them. That's why I am not giving you these techniques, I am gifting you. Konoha is built on teamwork, and I am asking for us to work together." Naruto inclined his head in a bow requesting Aburame's clan head.

Shibi touched his shoulder to stop him and gave him an encouraging look. "Speak young ninja of Konoha. I am waiting to hear what you have come up with to improve our clan and ninja force."

"Of course, for grown ninjas I have advanced chakra absorption methods, but for the root issue, I am offering the saplings for immediate use and seeds for next batch usage for free. You can ask children of your clan who had not got their hive yet, to send chakra to this plant regularly making it grow and acclimate to single person's chakra, one personal plant for each one. Then introduce the new hive of baby bugs with few already controlled ones to get used to this plant, the right words would be making a hive on this plant. This way, the bugs will get used to an Aburame's chakra and the child can practice controlling it every day in evenings or free time without having to bring them along everywhere, for the academy, letting them mingle with other children in another clan's birthday part rough house around, even you guys can throw your child in the air and smother with a hug. Once they are in third or fourth year for academy, when they learn to fight or use jutsus, they can go for full time."

Shibi was getting more hopeful, and this idea could work. Use the plant as your substitute to familiarize your chakra to engage with them effectively while not having them on your body constantly, making your children mingle and play like normal children without having to be careful like others and not get discriminate for having bugs on your body by other children. By that time, their children would have made friends already. At the third year, children would be taught about different clans and their bloodlines, so it gives more understanding about their bugs way and more opportunity to make more friend.

Naruto continued. "Even grown-up ninjas can use them. They can have their hive with them on-duty and leave them on their personal tree to go for dates if they have other methods to protect them without the need for bugs. When carrying a hive with you eighteen hours is not mandatory, many clan civilians without bloodlines or with, will be open to date more Aburame men because you guys are calm and reasonable which can only be beaten by Naras. And these plants are of different kinds, generic and chakra inclined. I can give more generic and fire and earth based to suit your clan needs and less other natures to diversify so your mishus resistant to inbreeding effects and with lot of practice, make your mishu clones do other chakra nature jutsus."

Shibi listened to Naruto's words with rapt attention, and he was getting the picture giving him a new way of operation for his clan. Naruto was not done yet.

"Not everyone can use Shino's chakra absorption chains and it is my gift to him to symbolize he is an ally of Uzumaki clan. The chakra absorption technique could make existing ninjas more powerful, but I would prefer some weapons to go along. I have a list of non-chakra weapons here Shibi-san. Pick three and I give you methods customized to your clan. You can modify it to your clan methods and use their full potential."

Naruto said giving him a list. Shibi picked bow and arrow, throwing knives and suddenly Naruto suggested the never seen before jet thrower. Naruto grinned. "They can release high pressure air or water depending on the type, putting off fires and save your bugs from it." Shibi knew Naruto was right, their bugs were vulnerable to fire, and this could help a lot.

Shibi took few minutes to go through what Naruto had given him and could not help being impressed as it was already redesigned for Aburame fighting style.

After few minutes, Naruto asked in lazy tone tinged with mischief, making Shibi remember Shikaku. "Say Shibi-san, want to make a deal with me?"

"I thought you did not want anything in return, Naruto-kun?"

"That's different. Gift is gift, business is business. What say Shibi-san, are you interested in doing business with me.?"

Shibi smirked. "I will not go easy on negotiations Naruto -kun."

Naruto chuckled and continue the game.

After everything was done, Naruto asked to be excused for the day. Shino who was waiting inside the house and left to see Naruto when his father asked him to escort Naruto to the main gate. "Naruto, you are leaving already?! You have not even finished your game." Shino said pointing to the shogi board and curious as to what Naruto said to his father for him to look cheerful and Aburames don't do cheerful. His father looked like he had acquired a new license for life.

Naruto looked at Shibi for a minute and said meaningfully. "This game was not about winning. It was about not letting the other one loose."

Shibi smiled at the euphemism and nodded at his son. Shino's curiosity peaked now.

"I will come and meet you for training, I mean D-rank missions later. I have another two meetings today." Naruto said comforting him.

Shino asked escorting Naruto still within his father Shibi's earshot. "Have you got what you wanted with my father?"

"Yes."

"I know it. You are the winner." Shino said not realizing he was despising his father. Shibi complained about his own pig picking their own cabbage.

"Not yet. I am on the way though." Naruto said and Shibi wholeheartedly agreed. 'Naruto will win one day, definitely.'

Later at Choza and Shikaku's house:

Same kind of meetings happened in Akimichi and Nara clan compound. Except, Akimichi got ways to improve their nutrition to control and regulate their growth, improved soldier pills and shock absorbent gloves and weapons. Nara clan got new medicine making process, chakra enhance of shadows and chakra channeling weapons. Naruto also got two other business deals out of them.

Present day some hours after Kakashi left Naruto's home:

Kakashi was sitting in front of KIA stewing on his emotions. He had lot of things to tell his sensei, Kushina-nee and friends, a lot to apologize for but he could not muster up the courage to utter any of these words outwardly or otherwise. His mind is full of noise and his unvoiced silent screams. Kakashi had been sitting there for at least for two hours.

"Grieving is a necessary passage, it is not a permanent rest stop."

A voice suddenly spoke startling Kakashi. It was a long time anyone had ever been able to sneak upon him. Whoever it was, they must be skilled to achieve this feat.

Kakashi was alert and up in a blinking speed searching for the intruder. He found someone half sitting and half lying with his eyes closed on the branch in the nearby tree. Kakashi threw a kunai, and the person caught it without opening his eyes.

"Relax, Hatake-san. I thought you would be expecting me. Naruto did say I would make an entrance, didn't he?"

Kakashi suddenly realized who he was. This was Naruto's savior and the last Senju heir. He was shocked to see him in person. There was something surreal about seeing this supposed dead man in flesh as opposite to him being legendary and just a name on a summoning scroll.

"I didn't expect you to come this soon. Senju-sama."

"The situation called and don't call me that."

"Then call me Kakashi." The Senju heir said opening his eyes finally. They were a tinge of light green in his pupils making one remember the Konoha forests. There was a depth to it making people mesmerized and unconsciously relax.

Kakashi woke up as if he was splashed with cold water and released the genjutsu. "Kai." The feeling dissipated and he was warier of the man more than ever. 'This man is dangerous.' That was the only thought Kakashi had going on his mind. Before he could shift to battle mood, the man sat straight on the tree and looked at his single straight eye.

"Calm down. It is not a genjutsu. I am just proving I am who I say I am, by releasing some of nature chakra. Senjus are closer to natural chakra and some of us more than others, easy to soothe people who are in distress. And I may be flexing a little I guess, after all, I am in front of Kakashi, the silver lightning."

It was a long time Kakashi heard that one. Normally, when a sentence started with after all, it always ended with Kakashi of sharinghan or copy-nin Kakashi.

"If you want people to calm down maybe you should not manipulate their emotions." Kakashi was irritated with this man for some reason.

The man in front of him managed to save Naruto and mentored Naruto before him, when it should be Kakashi that should the one to do it. Naruto spoke of this man as his back up and trust this man as if he was strong and powerful as mountain Naruto could turn for anything. It should be Kakashi, the one closer to the blonde and made him look for whenever he had a problem. Though it was Kakashi fault for not being all of this, he could not help feeling unjustifiable jealous that this man stole a major piece of his remaining family. That thought made him dislike this man. Kakashi knew it was unreasonable and he should be glad the Senju was there for Naruto when he failed, but after the revelations today about how bad Naruto's life was just a couple hours ago and being made aware of his terrible failures, Kakashi was feeling unsettled and irrational.

The man let out a chuckle. "I did no such thing. Don't go accusing me of something I didn't do. All I did was release my chakra and it had a big effect on you because you were in despair. In simpler words, the medicine is as potent as the disease."

The man said jumping from the tree and Kakashi agreed he was right and tried to get his emotions under control. Now that Kakashi could see him, his face was nothing that something stood out. He was average build about eighteen to twenty years old, black hair and as tall as Kakashi.

"How can I help, Senju- ah, how should I address you?" Kakashi asked since the Senju heir's given name was redacted even in the summon scroll copy. If the actual summons that could only be summoned by Nidaime-sama who knew the Sandaime from his genin days under Tobirama Senju did not appear in person as soon as the sealed envelope was opened and came with a copy of summons scroll to explain everything, they would have doubts regarding the authenticity of the existence of this person.

"That depends on my ongoing discussion with your hokage." The man said smirking. "Also, be a little more subtle in your probing next time."

Kakashi was already in a bad mood and the men before him was irritating him more and more because he started by seeing him when he was down, sneaked upon him, advised him, manipulated his emotions and now, he was reading him like an open book.

"What can I do for you then, shinobi-san?"

"I just came to see how Naruto's sensei is doing. An inspection, per se, to see whether you are a loggerhead like all his other senseis."

"And what you have found?"

He was actually standing in front of Kakashi without intruding his personal space. "I have a found a broken man walking a thin line between emotions and duty. Contrary to the popular misconception, it is not that he can't, but he doesn't want to let go of his grief because that is all he has as a proof to show that he has loved them and still do. He thought he was doing well but unknowingly his failures were piling up and he is in a cusp of being overtaken by them. How am I doing so far?"

The man said all those things without a judging tone, just a see and tell and that made everything he said raw.

"Good for seeing me for the first time." Kakashi grudgingly admitted. "Also, be a little more subtle in your judging next time."

The man gave a small chuckle. "Not as much as judgment as experience."

The man went to stand straight in front of the KIA and threw the blanket on the ground.

"Sit." The Senju said giving Kakashi a déjà vu.

Kakashi complied warily and neither said anything for some time.

"What are you looking at?" Kakashi asked.

"I have few people in here I want to pay respects too, yet I cannot do so in public. Years ago, when I first saw you sitting here for hours, I was glad someone was remembering and honoring the people forgotten by others like they were nothing but a name on paper. So, not the first time seeing you for judging you."

Kakashi looked bewildered at being spied at and the young man eye rolled. "Whatever you are thinking it is not it. I was not trying to spy on you. I saw you few times accidentally, when I was passing through and wanted to pay respects to my family. You were already here at early mornings."

Kakashi was not trying to probe but he was curious. "To be precise, you are a royalty of Konoha. Why did not you appear in public? How are you able to walk through Konoha without anyone noticing you?"

"All the personal questions will be answered in half an hour. Don't ask me why. As for how I could sneak upon you, I am sure a genius like you will be able to guess soon."

Kakashi nodded accepting the answer. "As I said earlier, I was happy someone was here paying respects and confused why more people were not here. Later, I understood why after the incident involving your student."

Kakashi felt like the man had slapped him in the face hard. The young man continued as if he was not aware of his companion's turmoil.

"It was not that they forgot about the ones that passed away, but they found the real meaning of honoring these admirable ninjas. You could stand here singing praises professing love to them and dishonor them at the same time by ignoring their wishes and blood, like people did with me. I can assure you so many people inside and outside Konoha will want to kill me once they know I am a Senju heir. The only way to honor them is taking their ideologies and bringing meaning to their sacrifices. Because people die but they only truly die, when their dreams die. And remember, sometimes, okay?... sometimes, death was not the worst thing that can happen to them."

Kakashi did not look like he agree with that last part, but he did not put words into it. He had not recovered enough from earlier emotional attack to argue. The man continued despite Kakashi's lack of response.

"I have lost a fair share of people in my life, and I have let down some people who mattered. I wanted to do many things for the people who should I have done more but could not muster up the courage, did not have enough strength, yada, yada, yada. My lack of strength and your lack of emotional stability may not be the same, but the failures those reasons caused are real and the ones who suffered, suffering, will not un-feel their sufferings just because we repent. The reasons for our failures may sound valid or bullshit, conscious or unconscious, but the end product is what matters, and it is not what we are hoping for or holding candle to. So, trust me when I say it is not as much as judging as you put earlier as much as from my experience."

Kakashi did believe that. The man's visage did express his sincerity. So, in a moment of temporary friendship build on shared failures, Kakashi asked something he normally he would not, but he should have probably sought help for much earlier in his life. "What do you do next?"

The man looked at him sidewise from where he was sitting in hugging his knees in an unguarded posture. "What I said earlier, you don't stop. You focus on what you could do to protect their interests. The reality is that, you will grieve forever. You will not just 'get over' the loss of a loved one, but slowly you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You just have to give yourself a chance. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same kind of whole you once were, nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. It is perfectly okay to be not okay."

This was the first time Kakashi heard someone telling him to not move on and one could also focus on the present without letting go. This man was telling him it was okay to grieve forever if you wanted and if the present you built was upon your loved ones, that was okay too, but don't lie to yourself that you were honoring them and yet disrespect them with your actions, was the message he was trying to say.

The youngest Senju spoke in soft words. "Your grief is a journey, not a destination. You can grieve as much you love, but make sure your love does not become toxic. What is a toxic love anyway? At least for me, it is to feel something about someone with lot of passion, convincing yourself that something is good for your loved ones all the while ignoring their wishes and emotions. You understand what I am getting at?"

Kakashi did not reply but he did understand. He had been so focused on 'it might have been', he failed to honor sensei and Kushina nee-san's wishes, in this case, protecting their last blood, which would be something Obito and Rin would have done if they were alive, and it was something they would expect Kakashi should do now that they were gone. Instead Kakashi thought he was doing a favor for Naruto by staying away. Look what it did? Kakashi knew even if giving Naruto a home was not an option, he could have thrown around his weight and subtly threatened and influenced people, to ensure his safety.

That was why it weighed more threatening to buckle him under his failures, because if Kakashi was true to himself, he knew he had that kind of political sway over the council. Even Danzo won't go against him in public and not without caution in private. He did get Tenzo from Danzo's clutch and protected under his wing for years after all, but he did not do that for Naruto who was helpless and alone.

One look from that man told Kakashi that he knew what he was thinking. But he seemed to ignore his thoughts and continued on the earlier conversation. "I am getting that in this instance, losing yourself to self-loathing and driving yourself crazy on self-blame and self-hate, does nothing, other than proving to the very people you are trying to apologize to, that you are not coming as assured you want them to be in your resolve to protect their legacy. While you are breaking down here, the sufferings of people you promised to protect, still goes on. Again, I speak from experience, a ton of regret never makes an ounce of difference."

Kakashi knew everything he was saying was true. "I see it now. It is just, I don't know what…. how-"

The man gave a look that was so understanding Kakashi could feel the same hurt echoing in him. "I am not an expert, but I am going to share what made me better at handling my loss and pain."

Kakashi had more confidence since he did not say it would make the pain go away. So, he was more interested in listening to what he was going to say next.

"There are three things a griever needs. To find the words to verbalize their grief and the associated feelings, to vocalize them aloud and to know that the words have been heard. So, I suggest you, to take time to analyze what you are feeling, you need not be clear on what you are feeling just that you feel something. Let your emotions stew strongly that overflows with words. Yes, I am saying you have to break down before you build yourself. So, find words before your grief sends you on an even more destructive path, then you talk to someone who you are sure will listen. Listen without a response of any kind, vocal or otherwise to treat you differently after your sharing. Even your ninkens will do or someone you don't hang on to resemble any normality in your life, so Gai isn't an option, but Asuma maybe. Because what you need is not help or someone who tries to fix it for you or fix you, just a listening ear and then treat you normally, maybe a piece of advice or guidance after you sober up from the ejected poisonous feelings."

Kakashi could see what he was getting at. It would be easy to face Asuma after a break down than Gai. Gai was his constant who never changed despite what happened his life, so Kakashi used him as an anchor to pretend everything was normal when they both knew it was not.

The man gave him an encouraging smile after that. "Or, if my talk with hokage goes well, I am saying as a last option since you don't know me well, as a last resort, you can even talk to me. I don't mind lending an ear and some of my time. Well, you have to find me first for that. Don't worry If my talk with hokage goes well, you can find me easily though."

Kakashi looked at him surprised at the last comment and felt he was not telling him something.

The man smirked. "I am just saying as a fellow Konoha-in. After all, you preached Naruto the words of which he is absolutely fond. The ninjas who break the rules are scum but who abandons their comrades are worse than scum."

Kakashi shook his head in fondness. It was like his student to take his words seriously and he was glad that Naruto spoke fondly of him to his other mentor.

The man gave him a minute before speaking. " Let me tell you some truth. I know someone who stood by those words before your friend said them. That man is one of my heroes." The Senju said looking at the memorial stone.

Kakashi was curious as to who it was. He wondered if asking him would be intruding in his personal life. But he decided to ask since this man already knew most about him and it was only fair, he knew something about him too.

"Who?"

Kakashi was expecting Shodaime or Nidaime since they promoted teamwork. But the words that came out of the young Senju's mouth next made his blood freeze in his veins.

"White fang of Konoha. I bet you have heard about him."

Kakashi knew all about him. How could he not? The white fang, Hatake Sakumo was Kakashi's father.

"He saved his comrades but was shunned by this entire village for that. He refused to leave his comrades die. See, your friend wasn't the first one to say that." The man pointed out the logic without showing much emotion in his tone.

Though Kakashi was mad and confused he brought his father into this, but he couldn't help but see the irony of the situation he pointed out.

The Senju was right. Sakumo, his father, saved his comrades at the cost of mission. The mission failed and it caused a war leading to the death of more people. The whole village accused him and ostracized him. Even the comrades he saved; told him he should have prioritised the mission. As the result, Sakuma fell into depression and Kakashi became pariah for his father's actions. Everywhere he went, gossips and glares followed. And one day, six-year-old Kakashi found his father dead in his study. His father committed suicide leaving behind his son, Kakashi, all alone as Kakashi's mother died much earlier. She died shortly after his birth and Kakashi barely remembered her.

"See, you agree. He is a hero Konoha should symbolize to promote the idea of teamwork."

Kakashi winced internally and he was about to argue his father was no hero. His father left him alone after all.

Unaware of Kakashi's thoughts the man spoke in a relaxed manner. "But there is a chance he was a hypocrite, you know".

"Why?" Kakashi asked.

"I heard he committed suicide. If he had a family and left them behind, it will be like giving up on his comrades. At least, that's what I think. I don't know if he had any family members, but it would also explain why he killed himself instead of just retiring." The Senju heir mused.

'Is he saying Kakashi's father killed himself because of his own family, his only son, me?' Kakashi's thoughts were racing at an alarming level. This whole conversation was like a heavy weight pulling himself down an abyss.

Somewhat guessing Kakashi's inner turmoil, the man continued to stop Kakashi from spiraling thoughts.

"Think about it Kakashi-san. If doesn't have any family, he can retire, and people will just forget him after some point. But if he has family, even if he retires, everywhere the family members go, this village will mistreat them, point at them and gossip about them. To them, that family members are the remainder of what they lost in the war. Take Naruto for example. They fear him for the fox, yet they despise him openly because to some of them, he is a constant living reminder of what they lost."

The man explained, and the words stabbed Kakashi's heart. It was true. Even to Kakashi, Naruto was a living reminder of his dead sensei and the second family he lost making him avoid Naruto for the better part of his life.

The man did not give him much time to stew in self-blame. "If the White fang kills himself though, soon, there will be another gossip about his death. The villager's will take his death as repentance of his sins and there will be less anger towards his family. Over time, White fang's family members will have a chance to make a name for themselves irrespective of his actions."

Kakashi was stunned to see the logic in that. After his father's death, the villagers started talking about his father's death and pitied Kakashi. It was a gossip regardless, but the hatred was less. Once Kakashi became jonin and all his accomplishments started to accumulate, he was treated with respect and admiration albeit certain incidents. He got his own share of nicknames, some of which Kakashi weren't proud of. But it was all because of his own actions, not because of his father's.

"This would only be a good idea if White fang's family members were able to look after them by themselves. Considering White fang's strength and IQ of Kage level, he would have thought well before taking such a decision. He should have believed that his family would be able to fend for themselves or they had someone to look after them like their own." The man was still talking looking at the memorial stone.

Kakashi's heart was thudding like a drum inside, but he was a statue to anybody seeing him. He showed no reaction outwardly at all. But the Senju knew Kakashi was mulling over what he was telling. Kakashi was in fact mulling over that, in fact at that time his father knew, Kakashi was a chunin already and had been taken under Minato Namikaze's tutelage, Konoha's yellow flash. He should have known Kakashi would be taken care by Minato sensei, which apparently was right because Minato did treat Kakashi like his own son. Not just Minato sensei, Kushina-nee and later his team, did treat him like their own family.

The man sighed looking at the sky attracting Kakashi' attention. "I just hope his family, if he has one, has forgiven him and understood his sacrifices."

Kakashi didn't know what to say. He understood the logic, but he was still seeing his father in the study drowning in his own blood.

"I told you sometimes death was not the worst thing that could happen to them."

Kakashi seemed to disagree, but the man stressed his point by saying something making Kakashi lose his cool.

"After all, what could be more hurtful than his own son not visiting his grave as much as he was to his friends and his sensei and his family."

Kakashi stood up abruptly and his whole body was filled with tension. His previous emotions affected mood did not help and he was furious. The man too stood abruptly in response and put a two feet distance between them in a blink.

"What do you know? Huh? You don't know what you are talking about. And who are you to talk about my father? Don't lie that you don't know I am his son. I know you know it. What do you know about what I went through? Who are you even to talk about any of the ninjas of Konoha and their sacrifice? You have no right to talk to me about those who stayed unlike you, who ran away from Konoha to save your life like a coward, and you are even more pathetic to not even showing your true face when talking about big truths."

The man who was hiding his true appearance under genjutsu replied. "I am not going to apologize for what I have to do survive. But getting this worked up….., can't handle the truths ah? I lied. It is not even a big truth. Want to know a big truth? Your father was set up to fail. How about it? Is it bigger than last one?"

All Kakashi's plans to get his composure back flew out of the window the second the Senju said his father was sabotaged. Kakashi was a human too and he also had a breaking point.

"What do you know? Explain, now." Kakashi did not speak, he growled. The wolf within him threatened to overtake his human sanity.

"Nah. Don't feel like talking about it. Also, you commented I am a coward for covering my face while you are wearing a mask for whatever purpose. I am taking that as a personal insult. How about this? You try to dispel the genjutsu on my face if you can, and I may tell you the whole truth."

Kakashi could see the man was clearly goading him and it was working. Kakashi was seconds away from throwing hands.

"Is this a joke to you?" He went closer to the young man to clutch his collar, but the man held his wrist.

"I never joke about a fight or a promise. Catch me if you can." The man said disappearing into the forest.

Kakashi still spent two seconds to think through this among his mess of the brain and heart. He still followed him pursuing him into the forest. The man gave him a smirk when Kakashi was few feet away and sped up, making Kakashi chase him for another ten minutes. In those ten minutes, Kakashi somewhat calmed down even though the fire to know about his father was not diminished even a little, it is just his mind became clear with the increased muddled situation as his sensei trained him. Once he regained his clarity, he realised many things that he did not note earlier.

Kakashi was faster for a normal jonin but the man was still few feet ahead of him, provided Kakashi was not at his maximum speed, so was the man as far as Kakashi could guess. The man was not intent on fighting him, at least this second, as Kakashi could clearly see he was leading him somewhere. Kakashi did not think it was a trap because the man could have definitely ambushed him earlier when he appeared, no, sneaked upon him, when he was losing his mind. So, he could only assume that the man was leading him somewhere private to fight as he did not want to make a ruckus in public. Moreover, with the man breezed through the forest with the practised ease, he was sure he had done this many times before and was familiar with Konoha's forests.

They were about to exit the forest when the man turned sidewise beckoning Kakashi with a sway of his head. The man waited ahead of him near the cove.

"Go in. I don't want fight in public while holding a barrier stopping anyone from digging into who I am, yet." The man said and dispelled after opening an entrance in the cove.

'Was it a clone all the time?' Kakashi entered while wondering what the man had planned. Because this was clearly preplanned.

Kakashi entered the cove and was met with the hokage and a man standing opposite to him with his back to Kakashi. He turned with the same genjutsu in his face when Kakashi entered.

"Come in Kakashi-san. We can continue here."

Kakashi saw the cove was filled with lot of pits and looked like it experienced many explosions. Now that Kakashi had reached them, he could see the hokage was sporting some bruises as if he had suffered in a fight and the man looked like he went on a jog, not went against a Kage.

"Hokage-sama, are you ok?" Kakashi did not know if he should intervene because the old man did not look like he wanted him to, even though he looked at the man opposite to him in awe like he could kill him if he so wished.

Before the hokage could answer, the man went near the old man making Kakashi tense. Whatever it might be, that man was his hokage, Konoha's biggest authority every ninja swore to serve and protect.

"Oh, give it a rest, you ever loyal copy-nin, if I have wanted to kill him, I would have already and if I wanted you to see, I would have when you entered."

The old man nodded at Kakashi saying it was true and he was not in any danger. The Senju man eye rolled at their antics implying he had seen their little movements. He then proceeded to put his hand on the old man's shoulder and the hokage's bleeding injuries started to close up. He stopped once when only some scratches and bruises were left.

"You can heal the remaining with your chakra yourself." The Senju hair said to the old man approached Kakashi who could not help but be surprised at the healing technique that could only come from Senju clan.

'So, he is not just a strong Senju but a skilled Senju too.' Kakashi would know in few minutes how skilled he was.

"So, do you still wanna try to dispel my genjutsu?"

"Do you still won't tell the truth without me taking it off?"

"Then we might as well." The Senju said and Kakashi got ready to fight.

"What truth? Are you guys going to fight?" The hokage asked.

"Stay out of it old man." The Senju heir ordered.

"But you just fought with me. Kakashi might be too much for you." The hokage advised good naturedly. From their fight, he kind of developed a good impression on the young man.

Kakashi was surprised to know the young man could fight the hokage on par without sustaining injuries, or nothing serious at least. Even if the Senju could heal, he would be seeing some bruises or something, which was absent.

'Might be stronger than I gave him credit for.' Kakashi would know in few minutes how strong he was.

"True. Though I have not personally witnessed it, I already have heard about Kakashi-san fighting style. It would be unfair of him to fight with me knowing nothing when I am in peak condition and has 100% chakra."

The man them looked at Kakashi. "I will tell you three things about me that can help you with this fight. 1) I still have more chakra than you at this moment. 2) When you use sharinghan on me, don't go for genjutsu, I am immune to that. 3) Don't pick up a weapon other than standard ones, because I get excited when I see a sword." The man said scratching his neck as if he was a child doing something his parents forbade him to.

Kakashi wondered just how old the man before him was. But he did not ask it aloud and advised kindly. "You can't tell your opponents, details about you. If this is a serious fight, I might use this to kill you."

"Try me if you can." The man smirked at Kakashi with a single perfectly arched eyebrow.

And then proceeded to show Kakashi, why he said those words. It was ten minutes into the fight and Kakashi had not got in a single hit. The man was not even fighting him, he was just evading Kakashi's blows as if Kakashi was moving in a slow motion. Kakashi went with multiple shuriken shadow clone technique. The man moved way too fast combining Kawarimi and Shunshin, it looked like a flash reminding Kakashi of his sensei. He still could not put a single scratch on him. So, Kaashi decided to bring in the big guns. He went with a ninjutsu, and the man defended every single element he could throw. He still did not attack, and it went on for another ten minutes.

"You got only ten more minutes Kakashi-san. This is the right time to bring in your sharinghan and shadow clones. Come at with everything you got. Remember what you are fighting you for."

The last words relit Kakashi's spirit and with the thoughts of his father, Kakashi discarded the guns and brought out the missiles.

Kakashi revealed his eye and formed clones at all sides. The play was still going on without a single hit on the Senju and only one minute remaining, Kakashi decided end with his Chidori. When he approached the man's left bottom side ribcage, he expected him to dodge because the man was smirking, but he did not expect the man would reposition himself and stand still as his hand was approaching the man's middle stomach. That would hurt the Senju badly and Kakashi could not stop the approach midway, and he feared something could happen as it did with Rin.

The man simply stopped his hand with a hold on his wrist with his left hand and his right hand which glowed blue with what Kakashi assumed to be a water chakra and he slowly dissipated the Chidori, making Kakashi gasp, as it impossible to fight against lightning with water, especially Kakashi's.

The Senju then looked at Kakashi squarely in the eye answering his questions. "It does not matter what jutsu of which nature. It only matter who uses it how."

Kakashi was panting after his hand was let go and looked at the Senju. "I agree. It has been years I was outclassed like this. You are incredibly fast and strong. You did not even get hit once!"

"I take my fights seriously, real or trial. I told you twice, you did not listen."

Kakashi chuckled in agreement.

"So, I lost but you do realize I am still going to nag you into saying the full information?" Kakashi asked.

"Hmm... I will give you another chance. Unlike thirty minutes like with me, I will give you fifteen minutes. Withstand my attacks for that period, after all, it was unfair to me if I don't attack at all. Are you up?"

Kakashi did not express anything with his countenance, but his pride took a serious hit by this man today. He completely floored him in the fight earlier, so Kakashi was determined to win this round. "What are you waiting for?"

Kakashi was waiting for lot of things to happen, but the man did not move at all. He stood where he was without moving and flicked his left index and middle finger in upward motion. Kakashi was expecting plants to erupt from the ground since his opponent was a Senju but only the shurikens and kunais he threw earlier rose up. Before he could be disappointed with the absence of Mokuton, he was impressed by seal-less manipulation of more than ten projectiles and suddenly all the weapons multiplied into double with a flick of his right hand.

The hokage's mouth gape in shock because the young Senju did not show off like this to him. Maybe he was taking him seriously or he just did not want hurt Kakashi, but the Senju did not mind whacking the old man. Something told the hokage he should bet his money on the latter option.

Kakashi used his own Kunai and deflected all the weapons. Three minutes of this, he heard the voice from the man he only saw today for the first time.

"Have you warmed up enough? Because they are going to move faster."

Kakashi's eyes widened, and he moved faster too. He almost got hurt once in the first minute and decided to open his sharinghan again. This went on for another five minutes and Kakashi was getting tired. But Kakashi was someone who had fought with worst odds and at least his opponent this time was not trying to kill him. So, Kakashi spent the last two minutes fighting with all his might proving under all the hurt, he still loved his father so much.

The young Senju clasped his hand in a single seal and a small dragon made of five different chakras glowing in blue, gold, brown, silver and red scales moved towards Kakashi. Kakashi aligned himself for the minimum impact but instead of knocking him the dragon dived and moved around him slowly, and Kakashi felt the soothing chakra making the singed and scratched wounds less painful.

Once it dissipated Kakashi could not help but feel a little of his chakra was restored. He did not know it was because of mending his wounds or something else the Senju did. This man was more mysterious than anyone Kakashi had ever seen.

Kakashi was thoroughly impressed by that man. He just used Futon: Kaze Fuuchuufuyuu (Wind Release: Wind Levitation) seal-less and manipulated many weapons with just a flicker of his hands, not to mention the Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) with a single seal. And then he broke many rules of chakra manipulation known to the world by simply manipulating his weapons without ninja wire, just with his thoughts. The man was still standing there with his hands folded against his chest looking at him passively. "Thanks for letting me win." Kakashi said knowing that was a fact.

The man chuckled when he heard the hokage's snort. Kakashi turned to his hokage along with the man.

"Don't look as if you were wronged Hiruzen-sama. You deserved what you got, and Kakashi-san deserved to win."

The man then turned to Kakashi. "Don't look distraught Kakashi-san. Your hokage, the strongest man of Konoha, officially or at least if you don't count his students frolicking outside Konoha, did not fare better either and your strength is below the hokage. So…" The man shrugged not having to finish the remaining words.

But he said something else. "Join my special force, I can make you fight the sannin on par, like your esteemed father."

Kakashi wanted to ask so many details, but he wanted something else above all. "I want to know the truth first."

The hokage was still hiding some things from Kakashi and if they get out, they young shinobi, ex-ANBU captain, would not hold back this time as last time, about Naruto's kidnapping. He knew on that day at hokage's office, at least twenty five percent of Kakashi's anger was directed at him. Now, he did not want anything to throw Kakashi further off the edge. So, the hokage interrupted them, because he was not sure what could come out of the young Senju's mouth. "What truth?"

Kakashi and the young man turned to the hokage as one. One with a knowing despising look and the other with a scrutinizing look in a single grey eye. Both men seemed to be assessing him as if they could see right through his thoughts.

Kakashi somehow had the feeling among all the three standing here, the Senju man held the highest authority over others. He was strong too and something told Kakashi this man would not be under hokage's service, rather the hokage would be accommodating him. Only the Senju's opinion matter, so Kakashi looked at the Senju first.

"You don't have to look at him, Kakashi-san. He can't stop me from doing anything I want, at least if he does not want to cripple Konoha." The man's response validated Kakashi's assumptions.

"It is just Kakashi."

"Ok, Kakashi. Become my second hand in the task force, you don't have to worry about his bullshit instructions either." The man extended the invitation again.

"What is that?" Kakashi asked curious.

"This is not the place to talk. Let's sit and discuss further." The man said touching Kakashi's shoulders with permission and sending a clone to the hokage.

All three of them appeared in what seemed to be a temporary office somewhere underground in Konoha. Three of them entered the room that looked like a meeting room. There was a table in the center piled with files organized in a clean manner and there were three chairs around, all set for discussion.

"Where is this place?" Kakashi asked.

"The old man might have some idea. This was one of the Orochimaru's labs he had in Konoha before he was exiled. Don't worry. Everything was disinfected scientifically and with chakra. This place is completely healthy and just temporarily prepared for our meeting. I don't use this as much as my room in Senju compound. Take a seat."

There was a hot tea steaming in front the chair the Senju heir was sitting which was coincidentally the head of the table.

"The task force or as I would call it, Squad zero, is what I want to create and head, to undo the mess you guys have created out of Konoha. I need less than or equal to ten people. The purpose of the squad is to find traitors and spies among our ranks."

The Senju man then addressed the hokage. "Konoha will not know we exist. I won't answer to you unless an important rule pertaining to the ninja force needs to be broken or changed, or unfortunately one of the council abhorrent abominations and any ninjas above chunins have to be eliminated immediately, for the good of Konoha. If the above situation has to occur, ninety percent of the time, I will try to give you a word in advance. It is never a permission, just an information but there can be some negotiations."

Then he addressed both the hokage and Kakashi. "The ninjas who work in squad zero will be under my jurisdiction and protection. To maintain anonymity, they will take missions from their hokage as usual but if I have to give them one at the same time, it takes priority over the usual ones. Of course, I will pay them from my own pocket. Their training, missions and identity will remain secret to everyone except for you, Sarutobi-sama. Under no circumstances, you are to question them regarding their time in Squad Zero, unless you suspect us threatening Konoha, the probability of which happening has as much chance as you betray Konoha, even in that situation, you come to me first and then my squad. If I suspect, not knew, just suspect you interrogate them for any information without my knowledge, you will face the consequences, which I can assure, won't be pleasant."

At the last sentence, the man narrowed his eyes leaking what seemed to be a KI or chakra but both Kakashi and the hokage was sure it was not that, but they didn't know what it was, only that it made them uncomfortable. That was saying something because they two were one of the strongest shinobis in all five nations. The feeling disappeared as the man unnarrowed his eyes and he clapped his hands in a cheerful manner. "So, when shall we start the task force?"

The old hokage looked at the Senju as if he had grown a second head and Kakashi found the situation more amusing than anything. If Kakashi was not perplexed by the man's aura he would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation. This man straight up told the hokage to stay clear of him and he was blatantly trying to rob the hokage of his power. If he did really succeed in getting what he wanted today, when the council got wind of this, they would bash their heads and beat their chests in injustice, that this man could achieve what they had been trying to achieve for decades in a day. Kakashi wanted to be there when it happened, and he could see it happening because something told Kakashi the Senju would win this round too. He came prepared, after all.

"Don't you think your conditions are excessive? Also, the purpose of the squad seems to be redundant. Our ANBU and Intelligence division was already doing that." The old man pointed out.

Kakashi turned to the man too. He had heard people getting lenient terms like Jiraya-sama or the ANBU commander. But this young man was neither and he had not done anything to contribute Konoha. Kakashi halted that thought remembering the photo sent by this man. This man not only saved Naruto, by that in turn saved the last Namikaze, youngest Uzumaki and politically important jinchuriki. And if Kakashi could take a wild guess with the way Naruto reacted to the topic, he was on the verge of losing himself and this man might have saved Konoha from another Kyubi attack, without a single loss of ninja life, at least of those ninjas whose life mattered. To Kakashi, the life of those who harmed Naruto did not matter, Konoha ninja or not. That contribution alone put this young man heads and shoulders above many Konoha ninjas.

In response to the hokage's question, the Senju relaxed back in his chair with his hands linked together and looked at both of them as if he was pitying their incompetence.

"Read the first file from the pile in front of you."

The man nodded to Kakashi and the hokage.

There were only two sheets of paper inside the file but the hokage's and Kakashi's frame became tensed and emitted a light KI.

They both looked up from the file into the stoic eyes of the Senju sipping his tea.

"Go on, the second."

The hokage and the ex-ANBU hardened their heart and reached for the second one. Both of their eyes were becoming red, and they gripped their respective files tightly.

"Now the third."

Both of them were ready for this one but it was not as worse, but it was not any less impactful.

"Do you think what I proposed is excessive now? Do you still think your ANBU and Intelligence division is aware of what happening? The three files you read are from three different aspects regarding Konoha. The first one is your social structure crumbling. The number of orphans disappeared from your orphanage without counting non-orphan children including the clan ones, are in couple hundreds over the years. What if I count them?"

The man looked at the hokage and Kakashi in question and addressed the next issue.

"Your military structure is crumbling. That file shows the missing time of some of your ninjas on the missions outside Konoha. They take five days to complete a three-day mission and you don't know what they do in mean time. I know what they do. It is between pages 7 and 12 on the fifteenth file in the third pile. The gist is that eighty percent of the time when they were missing time on the missions, Konoha changes a trade route, supplier, a merchant or in some cases, some other Konoha ninjas either lose their life or lose a limb. Basically, some of your usual ninjas, not including ANBU, just disappear for some time in the name of mission and few of your loyal ninjas retire from the field or ninja life altogether. What if I count ANBU? Do you want me to tell the exact number of ninjas who are forced to retire from their forces unnaturally? Because I can and I remember every single of them I found. "

Every time the man spoke Kakashi could feel the hokage visibly drooping in despair, but he could not say it was not deserved because how could the man in question who was supposed to lead them not see the bigger picture where many ninjas suffered unfairly.

"The third one shows your finance is crippling. Your ninja forces had to fight for their budgets while your civilian council member's luxurious wealth increased 200% in twelve years. I am not comparing the amount before Yondaime's reign. Should I compare with that amount? Do you know the lack of proper medical instruments and medic-nins causes more damage to the ninja's life span in longer run? The medical budget of Konoha has not been raised in a decade while the injured ninjas percentage keeps increasing. How could you guys not see this? I mean why do you think we even have archives."

'Good question but I don't think the old man has the answer for that.' Kakashi thought listening to the man's speech.

"They files are archived, not just for reference to a particular mission, they are our database to compare our performance. All you need is compare the data every few years, rank wise, jutsu wise, clan wise, geographical, physical, medical, client base, money wise, success/failure rate wise and so on. It is easy to capture and all it needs is an hour every few years to track our improvement so we can see where to improve. Otherwise, how will you even know where you stand from where you started?"

The man shook his head in obvious disappointment at the hokage. "This is just the example of what is going on in Konoha. Coming back to the topic, I don't have to explain it to you. You could see by now what happened with the orphans. Obviously, Danzo's ROOT, the organization that should have been disbanded under your orders is still active and you know it. Don't dare bullshit me like others. I know you suspect Danzo and his little organization. I also know that you subconsciously know that he did not disband it but you did not confirm it because if you do, you are obligated to take action, so you just pretend like you don't know but I know you don't do anything because you could use that as a leverage over your friend if a situation arises. You can pose to people like a righteous hokage, you can fool them with your babblings 'I am tired, I am too old for this, I did what I thought was best at the time, I did it for you, I did it for Konoha', but you can't bullshit me. I mean, come on, before today, even Kakashi would not have suspected you are aware of ROOT, would he?"

Kakashi shook his head in no, very slowly and looked at the hokage as if he was seeing him for the first time. The previously drooping hokage was looking confident and looking at him and the Senju as if he was assessing the threats. The change in demeanor from the guilt-ridden man repenting his mistakes to a warrior saying, in a war there was nothing black and white and we had to close eyes to the necessary evils should come as a surprise to Kakashi, but he always knew the old man was cunning. Moreover, after the meeting with Naruto on the forest on their introduction day, he had been starting to see the old man in a different light. Some of the old man's mistakes might be not unintentional was becoming apparent to the copy-nin.

"As a person who has been playing survival game from the day I was born, with my genes and having bird view of Konoha, I see lot of things the people usually don't show to others. Why do you think I hid myself even from you, student of my grandfather and the supposed staunchest promoter of Will of Fire, Sarutobi-sama? I know even my life might not be saved if I entirely depend on you and I would become a Spintop in your hands. So, I became skilled, strong, rich and found leverage on you people."

Kakashi looked at him in mild surprise.

"I mean, if you were to ask me Kakashi, why the old student of my grandfather here would close his eyes to his old friend's activities and might even use me for his political games, all three, four of them are partner in crimes. Let me tell you."

The Senju said making the hokage tense. Kakashi was curious as to what this man could say that make the man handling him like a warrior reduced to the criminal waiting for his crimes to be proved and sentenced.

The hokage started. "Senju-sa-"

The said man stopped him midway. "Scared of exposing yourself? Ooh…sorry Kakashi, that is one of my main leverages on the man sitting here. But I can give you some clues. See, it is like this. Danzo is obviously evil. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, not as bad as Danzo but definitely deserving to be fired, like this man here, also has doubts on him. But obviously they can't investigate because they are also involved in missing mission times and money laundering. So, unless they want to expose themselves, everyone turns their head other way to each other faults. After all, they are safe and who cares about poor ninjas staking their lives for Konoha right?! And this man here, turns other way, because he believes for a village to flourish some dark things needed to be done and someone has to do it. He does not have the stomach to do it and he also believes the village needs a pure leader to project Konoha aspires peace. But the problem with that is, the darkness necessary to harm others and protect Konoha is eating Konoha inside out and the village my ancestors gave their blood and sweat for, is slowly rotting."

That was the first time anybody had the gall to point out the things straight to the hokage's face and Kakashi wondered what leverage the Senju had on the hokage to tongue lash as he wished.

"Don't get your blood pressure up. What I said is true, but I had to agree you are way better than your peers for being the hokage. Despite you being a ninja almost all of your life, you managed to hang on a little conscience and that's the only reason I am still sitting and trying to reason with you. In your place, if Danzo was sitting, that would be the last place he would have ever sat."

"Then why he is still alive? Danzo, I mean." Kakashi asked.

"Because right now, Danzo's reach is high and back up plans are slippery, I can kill him, but I can't kill the ideology of him. I want to purge him entirely from Konoha and believe it or not, he is a deterrent against Raikage and Tsuchikage. He knew some of their secrets. Even then I would have killed him but unfortunately, I have reasons to believe his untimely death will cause more chaos Kakashi. Moreover, Danzo's hands are everywhere in Konoha. I want to gradually cut his hands to minimize the impact on our ninja force when he is gone. And why it happened? Because even though the old man here is far better than the other three, he let them get away with many things, now he is too deep, and the swamp is swallowing him and his spirit thereby Konoha as whole. The result now is Sarutobi-sama himself is convinced some things are bad but not as worse as it could be."

Kakashi listened to everything the man said, and it made lot of sense. "But the reality is much worse, isn't in hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked the hokage pointing to the files.

The old man exhaled and looked as if he aged ten years further. "I did not know it was this bad. I do review the ninja files every two years-"

"By the same corrupted people who put it together." Kakashi interrupted him. He was talking as a fellow ninja and his countenance looked as majestic as his father at that moment which Kakashi did not realize himself. "I wonder how many of my acquaintance in the force was discharged unjustly by your ignorance."

"I can tell you…. but you will be charged for attempted murder of your Kage." The man said surprising the other two.

'What more the hokage fucked up?' Kakashi was not even sure he wanted to know but he knew ignorance would only hurt him more in the future.

'He can't know, can he?' The old man nerves were highly strung. "You can't -"

The Senju man opened his mouth when the hokage was about to stop him. "A crime that was committed by one and supported by other two covered up by this man. For that crime alone, he along with his friends should be executed in the middle of Konoha. My grandfather would have if he was alive."

The KI emanated from the man roused up slowly and suffocated both Kakashi and the hokage. "Excuse us for a moment, Kakashi." The man went near the hokage with a raised hand.

Suddenly, the man and the hokage was engulfed in a barrier leaving Kakashi outside. He could not hear anything from the outside and could only see the man's back and with each second, the hokage who was facing him, was looking as if he was a brainless student being educated by a strict teacher.

Inside the barrier:

As Kakashi described Naruto standing with his legs two feet apart and hands folded on his chest reminding Sarutobi Hiruzen of Tobirama Senju who used to reprimand him during genin days.

"What the hell have you been doing in the name of my grandfather? Have you lost your mind? One of the founding clans is massacred under your eyes and you made that clan's heir a scapegoat?"

The hokage looked shocked. "You knew? How?"

"Who do you think ensured he was not hunted secretly behind your back? Did you really think, if a founding clan was murdered, the Daimyo would sit and watch? Killing hundred people is less serious than killing even a small clan of ten and it is entirely different if a founding clan with hundreds of people. That's why Daimyo's side ignored Orochimaru, but could that be the same case for Itachi? Did you seriously believe Danzo would not take advantage of that fact and ask for Daimyo's help behind your back?"

"You helped him? You knew Itachi-kun." The old man was shocked.

"Spare me your 'kun' bullshit. I cashed in few favours to ensure Weasel weaselled himself safely out of Konoha ghosts' grasp. I won't tell anything about it to Kakashi, not because of you, but because Itachi asked. But don't think you can get away easily, cooperate with me to clean up your mess."

The man said removing the barrier. Two took their seats and Kakashi looked at both of them. One looked extremely angry another looked extremely guilty.

Outside the barrier:

"Sorry about that Kakashi." The Senju looked at Kakashi with an apology.

"It is ok."

"I have to save some dignity for the old man and keep a promise to an old friend. The first one was only because of the good things he has done to support my blood kin, Uzumaki Naruto."

Th name passed a slight current through Kakashi not enough to shock him but enough to him remind him that the man in front of him was the reason he did not completely failed in his promise to his sensei.

"Thanks for,- Naruto, he-"

The man stopped him with a rise of his hand. "If he consents, I will talk about that incident, but I doubt he will. Just focus on the fact that he survived, and he is alive, no thanks to the man sitting here. You don't have to feel guilty because the best I can do myself after leaving him here is talking to Daimyo about him. Daimyo may come as indecisive, but he was cunning and resourceful, as you might know from your time serving him. I asked him not to intervene as long as Naruto's life was not in danger."

Kakashi nodded agreeing, it was a best course of action to act as insurance. The Daimyo was resourceful, and he did have spies in Konoha. Kakashi would not put past him to put some people in guise in Red Light district to keep an eye on Naruto to ensure Minato son's safety. Daimyo and his sensei were close when he was alive.

The hokage was about to open his mouth but the Senju stopped him. He seemed to be doing it a lot. "Yes, Daimyo is fully aware of Naruto's existence and my existence. He knew I am of Senju heritage. Speaking of which, I am ashamed to my face my ancestors because of your doings. My grandfather must be rolling in his grave."

The anger that subsided was beginning to come back in full force. "You fucked up bad and one of the founding clans is gone now. Before they were gone, they were not living good lives either. They were ostracized and unfairly accused causing them to suffer many mistreatments. More importantly, I am angry that you did that all in the name of my grandfather, Tobirama Senju. You four said you were rightfully wary of Uchiha as per my grandfather's teachings. He taught to be wary of them? Yes. He wanted to let them die? No. You had no idea about that man and got everything wrong except his Will of fire and that is not without any misconceptions either."

Kakashi wanted to know more about the Nidaime hokage from his grandson as his father always admired the man for his military administration.

"Tobirama Senju was someone who was strong but not as strong as his brother Hashirama. His brother was stronger than him and left many enemies for him after his death to handle alone. Tobirama had big shoes to fill, and he did that without asking for anything. He continued on his brother's goals but made them realistic and practical. Hashirama was all about power and optimism but without Tobirama giving structure to his ponders, nothing like Konoha would have been possible. He was not the strongest of the two Senjus but he had more political and military skills than his brother. He introduced the ninja system in Konoha which is being followed by every ninja village now. He was one of a kind like Hashirama too, but he was also the most misunderstood hokage."

"How so?" Kakashi asked in interest.

"I can't tell all the details but his most misunderstood ideas, by everyone including his own students, was his ideologies on Uchihas. I will go not into what happened before Konoha was formed, but I can say it was not entirely Tobirama's fault that Izuna, Madara's brother died. But what I can say is that due to his strong ties with Uzumakis, he found few things regarding Uchihas. Even most Uchihas didn't know about Nikushimi no Noroi (Curse of hatred) in detail as much as he did. His wariness of them only increased after Madara defected and became the first traitor of Konoha. Some things happened after that and the Uchihas population started to plummet. You are aware that there were only about two hundred something Uchihas at the time of the massacre as opposed to Hyugas' four to five times more population when both clans started with same number of people when Konoha was found right?"

Kakashi did remember it, so he nodded.

"That's why he decided to form a police force making them stay inside Konoha." Nidaime saw their destructive nature and he was afraid that they would harm themselves and others. He wanted to uphold his promise to his brother Hashirama Senju that he would not harm but protect the Uchiha clan, so he made a police force to keep most of their young members who had not weathered by experience to gain mental maturity, inside Konoha. It was working, the infighting stopped and decline in Uchiha population was stalled. Despite little dissatisfaction, the Uchihas did not develop any enmity against Senjus."

The Senju man continued between the curious stares of Kakashi and the hokage.

Everything he said was historically and factually true making his audience wonder that the idea of Tobirama hating Uchiha clan might be exaggerated.

"Let me explain to you simply. You could only stay he hated Uchihas, if he oppressed the Uchiha clan, meanwhile making his own Senju clan living in luxury making others fight and toil for them. He didn't do it; he did the opposite. Under Tobirama's reign, it was Senju clan that lost many of its members and declined, not the Uchiha clan. He did not ask the Uchiha to got to the front lines risking their life while Senjus stayed safe. Him and his clan, my clan, fought, bled and died for Konoha while the Uchiha clan flourished. Think about it for a minute. After Hashirama and Madara was gone, Tobirama had power, strength and hokage position to wipe out the entire defenseless Uchiha clan who did not have anyone with strength and skill like Tobirama to oppose him, but he did not do that, he never discriminated against them. Was he wary of them? Yes. But did he refuse equal opportunity to them? No. Tell me Sarutobi-sama, was not Kagami Uchiha, one of his favourite ninjas?"

The hokage who was contemplating what was being said, answered in positive remembering how his sensei, Tobirama said Kagami was one of the few ninjas who have overcome Uchiha's clan Curse of Hatred. This was all new to Kakashi, but he could see there was a malicious propaganda in portraying Nidaime hokage as a person who hated Uchiha, when he was apparently not.

"But after his death, his students and others talked as if they knew him better and sang in your ears that you should be wary of Uchihas, didn't they, Sarutobi-sama?"

The hokage nodded again smelling the same conspiracy Kakashi did earlier.

The Senju raised a logical question. "But why would you listen? Danzo was not even his student, a common genin and a man in his squad only during the time of war. How could he know your sensei better than you?"

The hokage did not have the answer. "Koharu and Homura were his students but not as good as his part time disciple Kagami in understanding his Will of Fire, who coincidentally was also crippled after his death."

The old hokage took a sharp breath in shock and Kakashi was surprised too. He talked on behalf of the speechless hokage. "You mean, he was also maliciously discharged from ninja force?"

The Senju answered Kakashi confirming the hokage's fears. "Because of some meddlesome villains? Yes. I don't have any substantial proof, but I believe, that was the beginning of something dark within the war hawk Danzo and now it is continuing as missed mission times. My grandfather's unofficial disciple was broken in spirit and body in his name."

The Senju exhaled and shook his head in disappointment.

"Tobirama was accused of things he didn't do and so many bad things happened disguised as his teachings. But the reality was far from different. He started the police force to make them stay inside Konoha, but he didn't stop any Uchiha from working in ninjas forces. Was it the best solution? No. But it was a damn good one that did not harm anyone. He positioned Uchiha police building at the end of the village and ninja building at the front to construct a proper village. Yes, he had plans to expand the village with police force, so he constructed Uchiha building at the center point of the village, so they could reach everywhere in the village as soon as a mishap occurred."

This was news to the ancient hokage. The Senju man nodded at him in confirmation and explained further.

"My grandfather wanted to bring Uzumakis from Ushio and settle behind the police force building as there were hidden dangers emerging for Uzumakis. The Uzumakis would be safe, and they can also keep Uchihas in check as they had potential to stop and seal a genjutsu or a sharinghan if required. It was an exact balance to keep Uchiha clan in check, as Senju clan was declining at a faster rate and other clans couldn't hold a candle to growing Uchiha's power without Senju as back up. Only one clan, who could rival Uchiha and on par with Senju strength at that time was Uzumakis, so he wanted to bring more Uzumakis to Konoha to make one clan not overpower the other. He had no plans to let the Uchihas be ostracized causing their death to reduce their power, instead he wanted to increase the opponent's power. That's what a wise leader would do, what Konoha should have done and not ostracize them."

His tone was even but the accusation rang loud and clear between his words.

"Remember, I did say, Uchiha police building, but I did not say, Uchiha's clan compound. Tobirama had no ideas to touch them. He knew how sacred a clan land was to people, unlike you Sarutobi-sama, under Danzo and your friends' ministrations, without any proof and just assumptions, you displaced the Uchiha clan, sending them away from the clan land on which they had been living for generations even before Konoha was formed. You uprooted a clan from a place for which they have been fighting with Senju for hundreds of years, a place where they had sacred feelings and connection to. Based on what? Some speculations and guesses? Does it make sense? Don't give me Kyubi attack nonsense. It was not proved to be done by an Uchiha. Why would they do it when they could not play heroes and gain popularity? Why would they do it when they actually had a hokage they liked after many years? They did not like you but they like Minato-sama, everybody knew this. So why they would shoot their own feet?"

Both Kakashi and the hokage, damn entire Konoha knew every clan loved Minato. He was probably the most loved hokage after the Shodaime Hashirama Senju. Heck, the Yondaime was loved even by allied nations and well respected and feared by enemies.

The man spoke stopping their reminiscing about Minato. "Leaving all that aside, after Kyubi incident, Uchihas were the only clan that was displaced. Reasons aside, you made them refugees inside Konoha, the very village their ancestors helped founding with your sensei's clan's agreement. How would they have felt? You needed proof when my blood and the youngest Uzumaki, Naruto, come to you about the mistreatment of teachers which you knew, was apparently true and yet, you did not have that acumen when booting the Uchiha from their clan land to the outskirts of Konoha based on what again? Guesses? Guesses. Does it seem fair? If it were me, I would be dissatisfied with you too."

Kakashi was seeing what he had missed in his time after the incident twelve years ago. He knew Uchiha were ostracized but did not think their dissatisfaction rooted not just from false accusations but the frustration and helplessness stemming from their eviction out of their clan land. No wonder, they wanted a hokage from Uchiha clan. In retrospect, Kakashi could see why because they might have thought with an Uchiha hokage, they could redeem their clan land easily.

The hokage was thinking the same. He sighed in defeat, but the Senju was not yet done.

"Tell me Sarutobi-sama, on your tenure of being the hokage for half a century, how many meetings you have offered time for Uchiha clan head privately when compared to other clans? I have the numbers and it does not speak highly of you."

What he said made more sense and the hokage could see, how his decisions led to the disaster that was Konoha today.

"My grandfather did not ever think about touching their holy land and offend them in such a lowly way. He just wanted to put Uchiha police building in the middle and increase the inflow of Uzumakis to keep the Uchihas in check. He might have been on to a right path. Imagine, if there was another clan to rival Uchihas like Senjus, people wouldn't have feared Uchiha clan as much they did before the massacre. The mindset of people would be like, sure, Senju was not here but the Uzumakis or whatever powerful clan was still here, so no single clan could cause one side harm. If people knew Uchiha could be controlled, they would not suspect and speculate Uchihas alone, in a bad light and Uchihas wouldn't have felt like outcasts in the village they co-founded. You don't have to think all that, just think if one side is too strong, you control them, not way too much that they think they are suppressed, and gradually increase the strength of the others so a balance is maintained. Like the kings do. Hello, ever heard the story about a king with multiple princes play game of thrones?"

Seeing put it like that, it made so much sense Kakashi was doubting the IQ of Sandaime and the entire Konoha council.

The Senju continued. "Instead of following that, you took an easy way out and oppressed the one side and caused civil unrest. They were so isolated to the point they got killed and did not even try to get your help till the end. And you guys conveniently used Tobirama Senju's name to achieve that while all he wanted was to keep them inside Konoha as a central power. His idea was to keep their power in check, not make them loose hope. Maybe his methods would have ended in the same unrest that was prevalent before the massacre, but your decisions accelerated that result, at least by half a decade. My grandfather suspected something like that might happen and to avoid that, he needed Uzumakis were needed. Nidaime knew all the Uzumakis would not shift from Uzushio but many families with children would. He wanted to enlarge and process the land behind Konoha lake, for their arrival. That was why even an Uzumaki temple was built at the outskirts of Konoha, not just for Mito obaa-san, but for all the Uzumakis could have a place of worship. But he died before all that could happen. His legacies failed him, betrayed him in a brutal way and he became the one who started the demise of Uchihas."

Kakashi could not help feeling sad that one of the brilliant minds the ninja world had ever seen, was labelled as the man who started the demise of a clan from his village. At least his grandson seemed to be clear on his ideas.

"Traitorous elders of the council used Tobirama's name and blamed Uchiha for everything. After Kyubi attack, you and the council sent them to the outskirts of the village citing his instructions as the reason. But he understood who Uchihas were and embraced anyone who had overcome the Curse of Hatred. He didn't send them to the outskirts of the village, you guys did. Uchihas were never against Konoha, they were against you and your elder friends who were biased against Uchihas. Nidaime fought for three days and three nights in a war using him as a decoy to cover younger generations escape and ultimately died, but Konoha still won the war. Do you think Nidaime gave up his life on the war for the children of a particular clan, or entire Konoha? Just touch your heart and tell me, even if particularly you guys weren't there at the battlefield, but it was entirely Uchiha clan children, the Nidaime wouldn't he have protected them willingly and died for them? He certainly would have. He wanted a village, a concept in which welfare of all and any people is above the clan."

Kakashi looked at him in less of a question as his father had talked about it before when he was very young and not clear on details, but the hokage looked as if this was the first time he was hearing it.

"Why are you looking at me like that? At least Kakashi is young, what is your excuse in not knowing? You are Nidaime's student, and you babble about Will of Fire all the time, yet you don't know what he was working for? You are the hokage of Konoha and still you did not realise why Konoha was formed?"

The Senju shook his head in so much disappointment, Kakashi wondered how long this man would sit in front of KIA, voicing his frustrations and apologies for not interfering much earlier.

The hokage felt as if his sensei Tobirama had appeared in person and chastised him. "You behave so much like your grandfather."

"I know. I have been told." The Senju replied and Kakashi wished he had seen Tobirama in person to validate this statement but what he had heard of Nidaime was enough to see it was true.

"My grandfather wanted a village where the children would live in peace and not become child soldiers. But look at Kakashi, me, Naruto and the Yondaime who became hokage in his early twenties. What the hell are you doing? And don't get me started on the man, sorry, twelve-year-old young boy, ANBU captain at that age, who snapped and killed his clan members."

Kakashi and the hokage was suddenly hit in the face that Itachi was only twelve years old when he massacred the whole clan. Itachi used to act like a matured man, they forgot that he was a just a child who needed proper support too.

"My grandfather would kick you all the way to Iwa and let you die there at the hands of their jinchuriki if he was alive. He created ROOT for wartime purposes, and he made it clear that should be the last batch and the minimum age of the members should be above twelve, which was way better than the normal age of eight to ten at that time. Same for civilian council, for wartime purposes to facilitate logistics for civilian welfare. But you created child soldiers and a greedy council. Well done!"

The sarcasm was thick in the air.

"My grandfather hated Madara and Uchiha's power for greed, but he never wanted to harm them or oppress them. If he wanted to, he could have done it easily as he was so strong and there was no Uchiha like Madara to rival him. All he wanted was to put their power to good. But all of his efforts went to drain after his death. The bad part in all this was that you always knew what Danzo was capable of, you suspected him, but you never did anything. Your friends' words influenced you too much and you became wary of Uchihas too, to the point, you acquiesced in stopping Uchihas from helping during Kyubi incident. They could have helped in suppressing the Kyubi but you ordered them to stay back. You didn't trust them, and the rest is history. Hypothetically, if you had let them help, may be Naruto's parents would be alive now. The Uchihas could have been a backup for Yondaime to fight Kyubi and maybe the Shinigami seal would not have been required. If the Uchihas were allowed to help them with the Kyubi, even if not Yondaime-sama, at least Uzumaki-hime Kushina-sama could be alive now."

The last few sentences shook Kakashi and the hokage to the core. Obviously, the later in guilt and the former in what ifs. Both of them needed few minutes to adjust their mood to concentrate again.

"You trusted your friend too much. You trusted your crystal ball too much. If I can outsmart it, Naruto can outsmart it, your friend who knows everything about you and wants your job for years, obviously would have come up with a solution better than ours, before years."

The hokage felt his throat was dry. "I should not have let Danzo grow this much. He caused more harm than good. I am sorry about the Uchiha clan and Naruto's parents."

The Senju's anger came back with a full force but instead of KI he let out a Power of Command. It was similar to KI in suffocating people but instead of murderous rage it was full of majesty and authority, screaming refined power.

"Is that all what you think you did? What about the others? What about Konoha?"

"The others?" Kakashi asked suspecting if there were more massacres but for the first time today, the Senju ignored him and addressed the hokage.

"What has happened to you? You are not the man my grandfather wrote about in his journals. Do you not realize it yourself or are you pretending like nothing happened? Any chance you are deluding yourself? Under your reign, four clans disappeared from Konoha. Four. You painted Uchihas as villains, but they didn't kill any clan in Konoha wanting to destruct this village, it was destructed under your hands. Not one, four clans wiped out of the map and just less than five survived in each clan, no thanks to you."

The hokage flinched as if someone had slapped him. He wished the Senju had slapped him instead of assaulting him with words.

"Don't look at me like I have wronged you. You brought upon this yourself. On your hands, The Uchiha, The Yakumo, The Hatake and The Senju clans declined in numbers which would have taken half a century to a whole century under others. Yeah, think about it. Aside from the obvious, that is Uchiha clan being wiped out under your reign, not under Uchiha hating Nidaime's reign, your reign, the Yakumo clan declined too. Their remaining members hates Konoha now, because similar to Uchiha, based on rumors, you took away their voting rights in Konoha council after their clan head got sick, which have not been given back until now. When the clan heir grew up, you used that Yuhi clan's jonin to seal the memories of that child or something but did not give back voting rights to anyone else from their clan."

The hokage was looking mortified at having missed the obvious mishap.

"Let's talk about Senju clan. The Senju family declined under your hands. I don't believe for a second my grand aunt losing her fiancée and her brother causing was an accident. Before Danzo even thought about Uchiha, he targeted the Senju clan. All the front-line medic-nins of Senju clan did not make it past second ninja war but the other medic-nins did. Not suspicious at all huh?" The sarcasm was heavy as he addressed the Sandaime. "Even my grand-aunt Senju Tsunade left Konoha in despair because of her loss under your reign."

The hokage did not have answer to any accusation because all of them were true. The Senju's voice roused him from his musings.

"Did you think all that there is? Under your nose, the Senju things started to disappear one by one. Best example is that bastard Aoi stealing my grandfather's sword, Raijin no Ken (Sword of the Thunder God). I am not going to get in the details of how a founding ninja clan's vote is in the hands of your advisors who are not in ninja main forces. But the honorable mention would be the wealth of Senju and Uzumaki clans. Don't bullshit me about Tsunade gambling her money. Mito obaa-san knew her grand-daughter's habits very well and made it clear every year she could only withdraw a certain amount of money. That's why despite losing money all the time she could still parade the five nations without losing all the money at once. So, what if I ask what the remaining money is doing?"

Kakashi could see the hokage was starting to droop for real this time. But the Senju did not show mercy.

"Speaking of which, why in the hell after the massacre, Uchiha's vote is also with elders who does not deserve the title of elders? What about all their money? Let me ask you in simple words so you would understand, if I walk to the bank now and wants to claim the Senju money do you think I will be able to see it? What if Itachi do the same? Murderer or not, he has legal claim over it."

"Did they appropriate the money as they did with my sensei's?" Kakashi asked getting the insinuation and fully judging the old man and his cronies.

"Oh yeah, you have to know this since this could be, I am sure, it is happening to Hatake clan's money too."

"What do you mean, they cheated my clan's money?"

"To answer your question, yes, but not in a general sense we are familiar with. Let's say you have 10 gold bars deposited in your bank. The bank used your bar of gold to make jewels and sell it to see profit, invested in other ways and buy new gold bars at put it in your safe in the bank. Since it is gold, it seems immoral but if it is money that how loans work. Nothing wrong one would think unless the bank waits for some time, but you did not come and claim the 10 gold bars, so the bank gets little bolder and do the same again and the cycle repeats. Now, suddenly you want to take it back, so you go to the bank for claiming it, but the bank says they need a few days to give it back because they did not think you would come back. 10 gold bars are ok but what if it is 10,000 gold bars? While you are absent, using your gold bar as a collateral, the bank has made many businesses and put it in rotation and the bank extended its credit limit. Now imagine the customers were also aware of your absenteeism and they ask the bank to store their money in their account physically so they can withdraw their money whenever they want beyond the specified limits while using your gold to run the bank."

Kakashi applied it to here. "So basically, Konoha used Senju clan's money-"

"Senju and Uzumaki clan's money." The Senju-Uzumaki reminded.

"Right, so basically Konoha used Senju and Uzumaki clan's money to boost the running money and reserved their personal money with them. If you ask them to open the safe to show Senju money, there will be nothing as opposed to the percentage of amount that should be reserved in material but everyone else have 100% money in their account that could make them withdraw all their money at once. So, all of Danzo's money could be withdrawn and he could disappear from Konoha any time he wants as opposite to only 20% that could be withdrawn from the savings accounts a week if your cash deposit is huge and the free money that is rotating among masses to run day to day operations and small loans are entirely from our clans since they froze their money."

"Exactly. Not only that, most of Konoha's military orders were taken showing their banks' turnover and frozen cash available at any point of time, as in our clans' money as collateral and even their emergency budget depends on our money."

Kakashi gave a stink eye to the hokage sweating bullets. "So, if we were to freeze our money, what will happen to Konoha?"

"Well if they can't use our money and had to freeze the physical money in the safe, for the next few months even the mission payments to ninjas will be hard. If we time it right, we can even make the budget terms collapse. Let's say, most of the civilian council merchants will face severe backlash, buying supplies and rolling out salaries to employees will be difficult. Most of Konoha have to go bankrupt just to pay back all the money to sum up our account in the timeframe we have to offer. The monthly merchants coming to Konoha will get the news and the other hidden villages will know of the situation, tarnishing Konoha's reputation and they will try to poach our tradesmen, trade route and clients. To rectify the situation, Konoha will have to get help from the other clans like Ino-Shika-Cho or get help from Daimyo. If the Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha and Hatake clans unite, we can disrupt entire Konoha's balance and cripple it within months without violence."

Both of them turned to the hokage as one giving him a playful smile and the hokage felt ganged upon. He could not help but think Kakashi was getting more loyal to the Senju and would join the task force with or without his permission. "I don't think your grandfather will approve of it."

Kakashi snapped before the hokage could close his mouth. "He will when he knows while you are enjoying his money, a Senju-Uzumaki and an Uzumaki had to get by their own means and that Uzumaki literally had to starve some days while you stood by and watch your gangs solicit his ancestors and parents' money. Yeah, I am well aware not just my sensei, Kushina-ne had comfortable money on her account given by Uzumaki clan and Mito-sama as she was the next Uzumaki clan head."

Kakashi growled at the hokage at looked at him with so much contempt and disdain that the hokage could not face him in shame. "I did lot of mistakes. I am too old for this job. I should not be sitting in this seat still." The old man sighed, and his face betrayed his age.

It was Kakashi who thrashed him with words. "Yes, you did, yes you are. Yes, you should not. But you are the sitting in the seat with a hat. So, get your shit together and act as you should because your opponents are as old as you are, and no one is asking you to fight them one-on-one. It is a mind game which you should be good at. Aren't you a professor teaching all of us and talking in riddles as if you know better? Then act better."

Contrary to the expected usual pity that roused in Kakashi every time the old man apologized, this time Kakashi had no sympathy for the hokage after knowing the hell Naruto was going through to survive in Konoha while the old man did nothing. The worst thing in all this was that Kakashi was beginning to see, the old man was more or less aware how hard Naruto's life was, yet he consciously looked away and he was content that Naruto was not complaining. So, Kakashi lost his aloof manner and snapped without mercy. He wasn't done schooling the hokage yet.

"If you feel that old, why didn't you choose another hokage? I mean why didn't you train a successor in all these years? You keep saying you are tired, and your students are not ready, so why don't you train someone else? If you don't trust others, Asuma is as wise as you are. I am beginning to think you don't even want to choose a successor."

The hokage didn't answer and it was Senju who answered. "He won't answer you. How could he? He knows what will happen if he were to announce a successor or attempt to train one."

The hokage looked at the Senju in shock. "You, how-"

The Senju raised his hand and stopped the hokage and turned to Kakashi. "The response is linked to the decline of your clan too. Let me explain this one first. Have not ever wondered how selecting a successor skipped a generation before Namikaze-sama. I mean there should be a hokage after Sandaime in Sannin's generation."

"Is it not accidental? Honestly, I thought hokage was competing with Tsuchikage to see who will be in the seat longer and Minato sensei was so exceptional that hokage had a change of heart." Kakashi was curious.

The Senju shook his head in no. "All the hokage candidates except your sensei were assassinated or harmed in other ways, like killing relatives of Tsunade to send her out of Konoha in despair or influencing Orochimaru. Until, Minato Namikaze appeared, who could not be touched by an enemy, not get caught in genjutsu, with the support of a sannin teacher and married to Uzumaki clan head as a backup, who was also a jinchuriki, he was pretty much untouchable. But he did not long live either and after that Sautobi-sama gave upon choosing a successor."

"Why and who?"

"He was afraid they would fall under Danzo's eyes and their life would be in danger. One of the reasons why he was glad his son Asuma Sarutobi, decided to leave Konoha and join twelve guardian ninjas. A little coincidental, after his consistent fights about his father's methods on dealing with council and a Uzumaki newborn, if you ask me."

The hokage looked at the Senju unbelievingly. "Told you, I have the bird's view on Konoha." The man then addressed Kakashi. "The old man knew, his son's support of jinchuriki or if his son followed his footsteps to be trained as a successor, it would put him in danger. So, he encouraged his departure and was glad he didn't return for a long time. He might be a distant one nevertheless a good father. Anyway, from then until now, that's why there was no hokage successor and he is still waiting for one of his students to take up his mantle, who would be able to handle Danzo."

"Did Danzo assault the hokage candidates?" Kakashi wondered whoever else life was spoiled.

The Senju man looked sad, grim and apologetic. In fact, that was the most emotion he had displayed since his appearance. "I am sorry Kakashi."

There was a bad premonition in Kakashi's heart. "Remember, when I said four clans declined under his rule?"

Kakashi swallowed feeling uncomfortable as the steady feeling of horror growing inside him. "Yeah, The Yakumo, Senju, Uchiha and-"

"The Hatake clan."

The man continued for him and looked at the hokage strictly making Kakashi sit up in attention. "Sarutobi-sama, it was under your reign the Hatake clan lost most of its members and were almost wiped out. Once a clan which was known for living in pack, their compound is bare and lifeless now."

"What does it had to do with decline of my clan?" Kakashi asked fearing the answer.

"I have reasons to believe your clan members were purposefully sent on dangerous missions in the name of loyal soldiers. In fact, they might be the start of missing mission times. And finally, Sakumo Hatake, the man said to be on par with the Sannins, lost his spirit under this hokage's reign because of a sabotaged mission."

"What?!" Kakashi shouted and stood up in shock emulating KI and looked at the Senju intensely. In reply, that young man looked at the hokage making Kakashi turn to him. The hokage was in shock too. Kakashi did not know whether the old man knew about this or not and he was not ready to assume that the old man as innocent just by his expression. If anything, today seemed to be exposing the hokage as an accomplice who covered up his friends' faults.

"I am sorry Kakashi. I had no proof to give you but only 'hear and tell' from one of Tsuchikage's old subordinates. I could only gather this much after I heard what happened to your father."

"Why do you care this much about Hatake clan? You put lot of effort and time for them. You also want Kakashi to be in your team since you arrived." The hokage asked suspecting there might be something more.

"Two reasons one is Naruto, and the other is my grandpa."

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked still processing earlier information, but he did not miss a single word coming out of this man's mouth who might know what happened to his father.

"I asked you on my team because you are Naruto's sensei and someone who was ready to promise him to be there for him in his life. By so, you will face his enemies and yours, while on missions and otherwise. I want to make you stronger so you won't go sacrificing your life and add to the list of people he lost, or you might get injured and useless in saving him when the time comes. Moreover, when I first heard of your father's story, apart from marveling at someone grasping my grandfathers' ideology of Will of Fire accurately, I was hit with a sense of familiarity. Someone leaking highly confidential information, which was not a common knowledge among civilians, spreading malicious gossips, swaying public opinion and turning masses against one individual, to isolate them and make them hated and powerless, doesn't it seem a little familiar?"

'Could it be, like Naruto's jinchuriki status, my father was also….. oh my God!' Kakashi's mind started running in multiple directions connecting many dots. Everything this man said at the KIA, it all made sense now. But one question stood at top more than others.

"Was he murdered or did he really-" committed suicide?' Kakashi swallowed unable to finish the question.

"He did turn the weapon on him by himself but if someone gave the idea to an already depressed man was anyone's guess. But his depression was caused by malicious instigations, so he was a victim of unfair discharge of ninjas too."

Kakashi felt his heart break once more in knowing his father did commit suicide and left him by choice but knowing his father's depression that killed him indirectly was because of someone else, confused Kakashi's feelings between relief and rage. He composed himself after few breaths and asked a question that might set his rage on fire once again.

"Why? He was only one of two, left in the clan. My clan was already declined at that point anyway. So why do all this? Why him?"

Kakashi was not expecting an answer or maybe a generic one in response to why him, why me kind of questions, but the man surprised him by having answers for all his questions.

"Remember this conversation turned to your clan because Danzo has been a danger to hokage candidates?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes in focus. "Yes."

"Your father Sakumo-sama, was getting stronger and famous. He was being compared to Sannins. His strength was enough to be considered to be the next candidate for the hokage since none of the old man's students wanted that position. If your father had succeeded in that mission and stopped the war from happening, he would have been a hero and would definitely be promoted to the hokage. But others wanted to become hokage, so he had to be stopped. So, sabotaging his mission, slandering his reputation, making his son's life difficult by calling him, pointing at him, and telling him he was making his son's life difficult was their way to go. I am not sure, if I had to guess, somebody also told his son his father brought shame to the ninja's code of life. They also might have instigated others to call him shameless to show his face in public after what his father had done. Hence the double mask on his face, till today."

Kakashi remembered hiding his face behind a mask not able to withstand their criticisms. The first mask was used to cover his face to hide his emotions on his expressive face while the other was because of what happened with his father.

Kakashi was sad, angry and furious all at the same time. 'Fucking Danzo. Just to become hokage, he destroyed my father.' Kakashi wanted to murder him. Before that, he turned to the hokage who was sitting in shock. "Did you know it beforehand Sandaime? Did you know what Danzo did and still you turned the other way like you did the other times?"

The old man was confused as to what his answer should be but thankfully for the first time in the day, the Senju spoke in his defense. "No, but after your father and few more incidents, he should have guessed. That's why he did not choose a successor until someone like Minato-sama who was invulnerable to Danzo's schemes came along. Yondaime's Hirashin and Rasengan put him levels beyond Danzo's grasp at that time. But the old man did not want to dig deeper about his friend afraid of what devil will come out of Danzo's hide."

Kakashi took few minutes to compose himself and did not want to lose his mind in front of others. So, he changed the topic and the Senju complied.

"What is the second reason for worrying about my clan?"

"My grandfather liked Hatake clan so much. Wonder why? It is not just because of their love and brilliance, they were also cousin/nephew to Senju clans, at least Kakashi's father was to my grandfather, I guess. Senjus were not into exclusive marriage until Shodaime, if I had to pinpoint, until Uzumaki Mito Obaa-san. The main reason Senjus and Uzumakis split and moved into different lands, in the first place."

Kakashi did not know that tidbit of information about his clan.

The Senju smirked in a good way with raised eyebrows questioning him. "Why do you think Senju compound and Hatake compound or adjacent to each other? My grandfather wanted to protect his mother's clan, the Hatake clan, even if you guys did not need it. What I mean is, Tobirama and Hashirama had different mothers and one father. Tobirama's mother is from Hatake clan from where he got his white hair from making his nickname 'White Ghost'. Even my grandfather's summon was not an antelope as everyone thought, they were wolf-stag hybrids with branch like horns, as similar to Hatake clan's initial wolf summons. They seemed impossible yet it exists, the last lord of forest Sumaiyo, was my grandfather's familiar and Sukiyo, the current leader is mine."

Kakashi was intently listening not knowing that part of the history. "You said he fucked up Konoha. I mean apart from the obvious, what else happened?"

The hokage did not refuse any accusations because all of them were true. The Senju's voice addressed the hokage rousing him from his musings.

"Konoha's medical system, the sealing units, sea trades, naval army, I mean building ships and sea weapons, everything is gone because he could not manage to send people to help Uzushio or salvage it and take away the spoils of the war to give it to the rightful owner Mito obaa-san."

The Senju's anger spiked along with Kakashi's irritation at the hokage. It was a valid point. So many nations took away many things as spoils of war and Konoha did not even made arrangements to deal with their remains.

"I am sorry I could not do something good for Konoha."

The Senju abruptly stood from his seat with KI and Power of command swirling around him. It was so powerful Kakashi could see chakra solidify around him to be visible to the naked eye. Kakashi was impressed that the Senju could control himself at this point as even Kakashi was slighted by the old man's words, and he was not remotely related to the Uzumakis.

"Is that all you care about you fu-reaking old man? You think I am talking about Konoha's lost economy. Need I remind you I am much as Senju as much as Uzumaki? In fact, I am the only one Uzushio has allowed entry after her gruesome death of her children, not even Mito-sama and Kushina-sama had that privilege. I am connected to her and Uzumaki clan as much as I am connected to Konoha. Don't. ever. Forget. that."

Kakashi's made an interesting observation. 'Uzushio chose him? So, he is a walking royalty huh? He is not only the prince of Konoha by being Senju clan's heir, but also the one who inherited Uzumaki holy land. Well, with the way he is handling himself with power and authority, he is certainly a prince even without those.'

The hokage was also thinking along the same lines but the Senju did not give him much time to ponder.

The Senju was back to sitting but his momentum was not any less majestic. "Not just four clans, you could not help a nation from getting destroyed. Uzushio destroyed and you could not send help. One of your allied villages was attacked and you did not help? What kind of message it sends to our other allies like Suna if you did not even help a nation when a sister clan of Konoha's founding clan is residing there? Let me tell you what it says. It says you are unreliable, ungrateful and worse than your enemies because the Uzumakis that fled from their demise did not approach Konoha for refuge even when they had no place to go. It also made me suspect whether they were sent away or harmed in any way on their way to Konoha by an internal evil from Konoha. Guess what?"

The Senju did not have to answer it himself because his audience could guess themselves.

"And you did not even suspect why no Uzumaki approached Konoha after they fled. You are like a cat that closes its eyes and pretending the world is dark. Just from my calculation, four clans including the founding one, a nation made of many clans, yes not just Uzumakis but clans like Kaguya also resided in Uzushio, a nation where the sister clan of your founding clan resides which is coincidentally is also a clan that offers human sacrifices to Konoha for containing Kyubi, that nation was destroyed, not because of enemy traps but because of your corrupted advisors and council, and you are telling me, Squad Zero's purpose was redundant and my conditions are excessive? With all due respect, I disagree Sarutobi-sama."

The Senju man rounded up the topic and Kakashi could see why he asked for those conditions back then.

"According to me, desperate moments need desperate measures and believe it or not, the great tree of Konoha needs weeding desperately. That's why I want to form Squad Zero. It is not an assassination unit even though we might do some, but it is more of an anti-corruption unit to burn your decaying ROOT, so the old ones will not be completely infected, and the new ones could take root, properly. I am asking for anonymity to keep my unit safe and away from the eyes of your council and its spies. I am asking you not to poke your nose here because it gives you plausible deniability in front of the council. There is nowhere safe in Konoha because even the ninjas passing information to the key figures of Konoha did not know they are leaking information. That's how smooth the elder's and council's skills are. A ninja maybe just talking about upcoming mission to the amicable leader asking for advice, but the despicable leaders may make other plans behind it."

Kakashi could admit that was devious and dangerous. You could not change that thing in a single day. Ignorance was not a bliss on this case.

The Senju sighed and continued as if he was tired of their bullshit and Kakashi could understand the soul wearing sigh.

"I knew it all along, but I could not do much at that time without revealing myself. The maximum I could do manipulate something and secure your safety by pitting reliable ANBU on your guard, getting the young Uchiha way from the clan compound where others let him continue living and be reminded of the massacre each living moment, securing and organizing information about Konoha mission so I could see what was going on, and saving the lives of few ninjas, something like that."

'If this man could do all these without anyone knowing what else he was capable of?' Kakashi and the hokage were just realizing when the man said he could assassinate Danzo and the council, he was not kidding.

"And saving and teaching Naruto." Kakashi added to the list of things he did.

"Naruto is not a job. He is my responsibility." The man replied and Kakashi could see he was sincere.

"Anyway, after I see what was going on I wanted to eliminate threats in secret, but I found that the mindset and approach of entire Konoha was dull and delusional. Yeah, Konoha ninja still thinks they are the strongest hidden village. May be, but they are also the village with strongest traitors and corruption. I wanted to change Konoha as a whole and make it ready for Naruto to become the hokage."

Kakashi and the hokage's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yeah. By now, you two would have known he wanted to become the hokage. But I don't want to wait until he become the hokage and clean our mess. As his elders, it is our job to clean at least some of the pitfalls and make Konoha ready to accept the changes he brings on later. He will also be having a hard time fighting the council to get recognition and I want that to go smoother as I can't eliminate the obstacles on his path completely."

The hokage and Kakashi could imagine what Naruto would have to go through without a proper support with the council.

"Anyway, later I realized I can do this clean up by violence, alone or I can do better and improve overall Konoha by using the concept on which Konoha was built upon by my ancestors, teamwork. I chose the second. So, I went and got myself strong, rich and powerful. I am back here and want a team. Of course, just because I beat two strongest guys in Konoha in spar does not prove I am reliable. So, I came bearing presents."

Both Kakashi and the hokage was curious as to what it was.

The Senju smirked and threw a scroll away from them and within which came the heads of more than twenty people all from Uramada brutes, who were responsible for hunting many Senju members. They were bandit like people who plundered villages and harassed women, but they were like ghosts and difficult to kill. Konoha tried to hunt them multiple times, but they got away and could not be fully eradicated. But this man single-handedly wiped out the remaining all members.

"Now the second." The Senju threw out another scroll. The scroll spilled the bodies of sea pirates. The hokage and Kakashi stood up in excitement because Konoha was worried about their port in south which was bare and lightly manned most of the time, was attacked last month. After sea trade from Uzumakis stopped, Konoha barely used the port, but a news sent from ninjas stationed there said some pirates hired by other nations might use this way to sneak into Konoha. They also said the pirates were difficult to kill as Konoha ninjas were not that familiar with fighting on the sea. The last squad sent suffered a crushing defeat. Konoha was worried about what they could do but this man single-handedly solved the problem.

"How?" The hokage asked.

"Uzumaki, Remember? Sea is my home as much as the forest."

Kakashi could not help but be impressed. He counted at least five A-rank people in there who were wanted for many things in the bingo book.

The Senju then threw a scroll to Kakashi. "The scroll contains new trade routes for our medicine business."

Kakashi studied the scroll and nodded to the Sandaime.

The man threw another scroll to the hokage. "The scroll contains important information that you might need along with the measures I have taken and take in future to safeguard Konoha. It is for your eyes only, maybe show it to Kakashi. Don't discuss it with your spy student or the council. I don't trust them. Until I personally meet and validate your student, he is not on the list of people I would trust despite him being the only student of yours loyal to Konoha. Don't cross me on trust factor, you will not like it Sarutobi-sama."

Kakashi was amused how the man could politely threaten a hokage and get away with it as if walking on the park.

"I am sure all the above would have shown you my strength, skills and commitment to Konoha. But I also agree you need something to keep me in line."

Kakashi was curious as to know what the man would offer as a collateral and even the hokage perked up for many different reasons making the Senju give a knowing smile.

"I got one thing in Konoha that I will fight tooth and nail for. The person sharing my blood. Not Tsunade but Naruto. As long as he is safe in Konoha's hands, Konoha will be safe in my hands. Harm him, I will destroy the very land my grandfathers created, leave this place taking him with me and you will never find us."

"That won't happen." Kakashi did not want his sensei's legacy and the last part of his family to leave him. "Right hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked in threatening tome and the hokage looked insulted.

"Of course, I would never let any harm come to Naruto."

The Senju and Kakashi scoffed simultaneously making the hokage squirm in chagrin.

The Senju then gave a smile. "The we don't have any qualms with each other. That gives you things you need to know about me to form this squad. Moreover, Kakashi is going to be here. I mean despite his plummeted views of you, he might not be trust you anymore after today, but he will never betray Konoha. I mean this man went through Danzo's circus and despite being emotionally scarred he held on to his clear head. He did not go with his assassination plans to kill you and saved you, right? What more guarantee you want he will stop me from doing something harmful to Konoha?"

The old man did not express much but that fact about Kakashi did ease his heart about this squad. Kakashi was as loyal as they come and his heart and head were always in the right place despite everything he lost. The hokage trusted Kakashi more than his ANBU and he was seeing this Senju was reliable too.

"Remember Sarutobi-sama, to fight a ghost, you have to be a ghost or a god. Either way, you should make yourself invisible and intangible too, otherwise the ghost will get away like a smoke in your palms. You are not equipped to fight with the devil in daylight. Leave it to me, us, squad Zero, we will definitely destroy the devil and protect the great tree of Konoha. As my grandfather would say, no sprouts should suffer when a tree is there to protect it. Let's make Konoha safe for next generations."

Kakashi and the hokage, both were captivated by his speech and unconsciously squared up to make Konoha better.

"What say Hiruzen-sama? Is Squad One on the table officially?"

"Is there any other answer if he wants to make Konoha better?" Kakashi snorted making the old man wilt and the Senju laugh.

The hokage cleared his throat and regained his hokage composure. "Yes. As of now, Squad Zero is formed and it will be headed by Senju-you according to the all the conditions you proposed."

"Wait what is your name? It was always redacted, and you said you will tell me later." Kakashi was confused as to why the hokage changed his words.

"Ah that, I told the old man my name is same as the founder of Uzushio. But he did not know the answer."

"Isn't it Arashi Uzumaki?" Kakashi was confused as he thought he was the leader during Shodaime's reign.

"Nope. He is first generation Daimyo of Uzushio. Not the founder of Uzumaki clan or Uzushio."

"Who is it?" Kakashi asked wanting to know some more history today.

"Guess and you will find my name."

"But you said you will tell me later."

"I did say that right. How about this? Since the hokage has given officially agreed to this squad, you can call me Captain Zero."

The man said snapping his fingers and the genjutsu fell from his face. Except that, now it was coved with an ANBU style blue-green mask painted with green and blue lines in contrast.

"Nice to meet you, Sarutobi-sama and Kakashi."

The hokage and Kakashi looked at each other and then the Senju with eyes as wide as saucers. Because they knew this man, the correct word would be they knew of this man. He was called 'Black ghost' in bingo book, known for destroying many bandit troops and killing many A-rank ninjas. He had been popular in the last two years and the only known thing about him was his black cloak and a dark mask. It seemed no one had seen his mask color in light as he was always gone in and out like a ghost. To know that he was from Konoha was a great relief and pride to them.

"You seem to know me." The man gave a playful smile which could be seen somehow in his eyes on the otherwise covered face.

"You are the Black ghost." Kakashi accused.

"I prefer Captain Zero, but Black ghost isn't bad either if you consider my grandfather is White ghost and my hair is black."

"Yeah, yeah, you killed a squad of Yakino ninjas consisting of twenty-five A-ranks all together in a fight within a span of thirty minutes." Kakashi quipped.

"Yeah, it was a good fight." The man said musing over the past.

"You are an A-rank ninja as well." Kakashi said but inwardly he thought the man deserved S-rank at least. His thoughts were confirmed by the hokage's words.

"Actually, he became S-rank according to the new bingo book released before two days." The hokage said as it was his habit to read through bingo books as soon it was released to be updated of all new threats and potential dangers.

"What did you do?"

"He killed two S-rank ninjas." The hokage answered Kakashi.

"Since I plan to be here in Konoha for the foreseeable future, I decided some threats needs to be eliminated in advance."

The man shrugged as if it was only logical. Kakashi decided maybe to him it was.

"Please do as we discussed earlier Hiruzen-sama. For now, I want Kakashi and Hayate in my team. When I get few more people, I will inform you to reshuffle and co-ordinate their missions."

"Understood. If that is all, I will take my leave and leave you young people alone." The hokage said and the Captain Zero's clone appeared soundlessly to Shunshin the hokage out of the temporary office.

The Senju and Hatake looked at each other.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Thanks for letting me know about my father."

"I know it is not easy, Kakashi. But you should try to forgive him." The newly minted captain advised in a soft tone.

Kakashi swallowed trying to swallow his sorrows. "I will try, but…"

"But it is not easy." The man gave a sad smile. "Despite their reasons being selfish or noble, the ones who are left behind, will have to bear the pain of loneliness. To bear that pain, to overcome it and heal isn't easy. Seeing your parent die isn't easy and seeing them die for you, it is not even more easy."

"You seem like you speak from experience, Captain."

The man gave a light chuckle. "Well, my parents, at least my father, more or less killed himself. He was brilliant but he somehow fucked up when it came to me and chose to die, despite having options. But my older brother committed suicide in front of my eyes."

"You had a brother?" Kakashi was intrigued.

"Not a blood one but not any less lovable. He was harmed by someone before his death too."

Kakashi could see the parallel between the man sitting before him and himself. But the man was handling his losses better than him. "How did you forgive them?"

"Remember when I said, death may not be the worst thing happened to them?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Can you imagine your father being alive seeing you losing everything you held dear and still exist just for you?"

Kakashi just realized he was feeling relieved that his father was not here to see it happen. He father would be happy rather dead than being alive and seeing what a trainwreck Kakashi's life was.

"It may be worse for the bereaved, but it might be the good thing happen to them, you know like cutting the head of the samurai, who committed seppuku, so they would not suffer any more pain. As long as there is someone to carry on their torch, they will rest assured to leave in peace. And the grievers, mostly their legacies, with the flow of time, we will survive, and we will find purpose in the chaos. Moving on doesn't mean letting go and I won't let go either of my family, ancestors or their dreams."

"How old were you when it happened? Wait, how old are you? How could you be grandson of Tobirama-sama? You should be his great-grandson."

"It involves a stasis seal, summons and different side of relatives. Story for another day." The man smiled. "Take some rest today to deal with everything you learnt, Kakashi. I will send you summons tomorrow after your time with team seven, so we can meet up."

Kakashi agreed and the Senju shunshinned them to the KIA in front of Minato's grave, where they first met.

"As your captain, I promise you, your father will get the respect he deserved, and I will make sure his grave is added here."

"Thanks." Kakashi felt his throat constrict.

The Senju parted Kakashi with few final words of wisdom.

"Remember, healing doesn't usually happen instantaneously, instead it manifests itself in small yet delightful doses on 'normal'. Allow it if it happens and if it does not, it time to start with a small thing. Baby steps, yeah?"

"Baby steps." Kakashi was ready to walk on the path of healing after almost two decades of suffering.

Later that night, Kakashi pondered over what the young Senju and now his new captain, said. He realized that he could forgive his father. He didn't yet, but he could definitely see it happening.

'I understand you now, father. I will stop cursing you for leaving me behind. And I have always loved you.' Kakashi slept with a tear sliding down his pillow already feeling somewhat better, and he might be dreaming but he felt his father's hand tousling his wispy silver hair in love and affection muttering 'I love you too, always pup'.

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