Prologue: "And then..."
Year 15
A man was sitting behind a wooden desk. That piece of furniture was notoriously old and that could be seen in the various marks and cuts it had. Above it was a crystal ball, resting on a small wooden pedestal.
The man, whose pointed beard was beginning to show some gray hair, looked straight ahead. Smoke came out of his pipe and rose until it touched the ceiling. It also expanded sideways, forming a white cloud that covered part of his face.
The skin on his face was brown and dry; with some wrinkles, despite not being that old. Despite the continuous smoke, he was not smoking. His lips were parted as he chewed into the mouth of his pipe. Although his expression was stoic, a book should not be judged by its cover.
Sitting on four cushions placed on either side of the desk were four other people. His advisors. His lifelong teammates.
On the opposite side of the room was a platform somewhat higher than the one on which the desk stood. There, seated on a silk cushion was the feudal lord. Adorned in opulent silk robes, with fine gold details and, of course, his hat, that crown that had been worn by the lords of the Land of Fire since time immemorial.
However, neither his elegant dresses nor the light makeup he placed on his skin managed to hide the wrinkles on his skin that revealed his age.
The nobleman was flanked by two somewhat younger men. One with a completely shaved head and dressed like a monk. The second had short hair, as well as a spiky and bushy beard that covered part of his chin. They both had a very special scarf tied around their waists. The kanji symbol for 'Fire' indicated that they were part of the elite guard that protected the monarch's life.
Despite all the people inside, the only sound that filled the space within those four walls was the breathing of all of them. The silence was almost sepulchral.
Going down a couple of steps from both platforms, the central portion of the room was reached, which led to two doors placed in opposite directions.
It was from the right door that the relevant subjects of that day entered.
A simple boy, skinny, with skin so pale that he seemed sickly and fine straight hair. Flanked by four elite ANBUs who, as soon as they entered, quickly jumped into each of the four corners of the room. Their gazes, of course, remained fully riveted on the boy, whose slightest movements would be carefully monitored.
The feudal lord narrowed his eyes. He looked at the boy from head to toe, and from toe to head. It was not at all what he expected and he did not hide his disappointment.
"Is it him?" He consulted as he looked toward the Hokage.
Sarutobi nodded. He didn't seem exactly enthusiastic either.
"You say that it was this boy who defeated the entire Iwa army and wiped their village off the face of the earth?"
"Yes, sir." The Hokage insisted. "That is indicated by the reports of the last battle, which bring together at least seventeen different testimonies from shinobi that were present."
The boy slowly turned to the feudal lord and looked him straight in the eye. Something in his eyes sent a shiver down his spine.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Shimazu Hiroyasu, although lately I've earned some nicknames." He replied in a monotone voice.
The monarch raised his open hand, signaling to stop. "Your name will be enough. How old are you?"
"In a month I will be fifteen."
He raised an eyebrow. "Very young..."
One specific counselor turned to the Hokage. Various scars plagued his face, although the most striking was an X-shaped scar on his chin. One of the sleeves of his hakama fell empty, for he lacked his right arm.
Sarutobi remained stoic, chewing on his pipe. His gaze did not move from the feudal lord.
"Shimazu... Do you come from any special clan?"
"No, I was given such a surname when I became a genin. My father was a simple merchant."
The lord's grimace twisted almost in disgust.
"And how are you supposed to defeat an army of seventy-one elite shinobi from one of the most powerful nations in the world?" The feudal lord questioned. His gaze judged the child's soul, as if the old man had such a right.
However, the boy was not intimidated. He didn't go back, he didn't start hyperventilating, he didn't move a finger. He didn't even blink.
"With the gift bestowed upon me from the heavens."
Confused, the monarch raised an eyebrow again. Then, a smile escaped his control and formed on his face. "What? 'A gift from the heavens?"
The soft laughter of the monarch tensed the representatives of Konoha. A drop of cold sweat fell from the Hokage's forehead.
Sarutobi turned to his rival, who was accompanying him as one of his advisors. The man whose face was scarred nodded his head as he made eye contact.
The initial plan would proceed.
"You have no idea how many times I've had to deal with charlatans like you. Although, I'll give you credit, I've never seen or heard of one who managed to have support from none other than Konoha. My dear military vassal." His laughter ceased as the words continued to come out of his mouth. "Tell me, tell me. What is your blessed gift?"
They will listen, but never understand, for their hearts have become calloused.
His face remained the same. Neither the laughter nor the comments of the feudal lord affected his confidence in the least.
He stretched his arm behind him and quickly clenched his fist.
The Hokage's crystal ball quickly rose upwards before exploding into a thousand pieces. The small pieces of glass, however, never touched the floor, or the walls, or the skins of the village advisors. After a short trajectory, they all stopped and remained suspended in the air.
Slowly, they flew towards the boy, who placed his arm in a normal position. Then, he made a few seals with his hands, while the crystals grew and took on round shapes. Within a minute, each and every small piece of glass formed a new crystal ball identical to the one that had been destroyed. The boy placed one of them on the small pedestal in front of the Hokage, who gulped nervously.
Not only did he manipulate crystal at a considerable distance, and destroyed a magical object as if it were anything. He created at least twenty or thirty new crystal balls. He created matter spontaneously.
The feudal lord's smile fell. He swallowed hard, too. His two guards adopted their combat stances, also intimidated by such a demonstration.
"Excuse me if you were frightened by my humble demonstration, but I hope you now understand the abilities that have been granted to me."
Blessed are your eyes, for they see!
"What kind of kekkei genkai is this?" The feudal lord asked. Sweat began to accumulate on his forehead.
The Hokage finally withdrew his pipe from his mouth and raised his voice.
"We don't know. There is no record of anything similar." He swallowed between sentences. "The closest thing we have are the old legends of the Sage of the Six Paths."
The feudal lord gritted his teeth. He looked down.
"What's your rank?"
This time Sarutobi oversaw the answering of the questions.
"Genin."
"And what was he doing on the battlefield?"
"Konoha was under attack. It was not a conscious decision on our part."
The monarch's eyes widened. "I thought you said that he was responsible for the total destruction of Iwagakure."
"And so it was." He reaffirmed the Hokage. "We don't know how, but he did it from the walls of Konoha."
He clenched his jaw so tightly that he felt a certain sensitivity in his teeth. What began as an ordinary meeting had become a matter of urgent concern for his entire realm.
"Well. I accept your proposal for the time being, Hokage." He said finally, almost like a sigh. "But I want him under constant surveillance. I will study the issue and soon we will have a private meeting to discuss it in depth."
Sarutobi nodded. In spite of everything, he seemed satisfied.
The boy turned to the Hokage. His gaze, however, was avoided.