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Peerless Darkness by SocialistBukharin

Anime » Naruto Rated: M, English, Adventure, Hiruzen S., Danzō S., Mito U., Words: 43k+, Favs: 636, Follows: 749, Published: Jun 27 Updated: Nov 12184Chapter 5: The Will (4)

DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha.

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Chapter 4 – The Will (4)

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

My breath itched as I tried to conjure my third Fireball Jutsu.

The fiery sphere of murder traveled through the air like a messenger of death before colliding with the target in front of me.

The training ground was quiet, with only my moving and the noise created by my chakra techniques disrupting the silence that lingered in that tortured land.

Madara was staring at the scene as he sat by a nearby tree's branch.

The Uchiha looked interested in the display of raw destruction, yet seemed more more intrigued by my initiative in spending weeks to increase my reserves and further sharpen my skills with the Jutsus I currently knew about.

Even though I don't have to worry about Tobirama pitting me against his apprentice, I still figured that I shouldn't lose my current pace, now that my sensei is spending more time to check on my progress.

Days swiftly passed bye as I tried to master the troublesome sensation that came with the usage of even the simplest Fire Jutsu.

The Fireball Technique was the beginning of a lengthy journey that I needed to go through for the sake of lessening the issues brought by this natural weakness I had, and Madara was quick to provide me with the next step via the 'gifting' of a scroll.

The paper contained the hand signs for the usage of the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, and the Jutsu was far from easy to get to an average level despite it being the same rank as the Fireball Jutsu.

Fire Release was the priority for now as I took a brief pause from testing the only Earth Release technique I had. Not like I really wanted to delay these particular sessions, but Kagami had mentioned something about having nightmares of being buried alive.

Did I exert his childish mind a little bit too much?

…

Nah, I could tell he was just bringing up the best reason to skip being the target.

Hiruzen seemed to be unwilling to replace the young Uchiha, citing that he was 'training so hard' under his father and his sensei, that adding this stress to his body would get him scolded by his mother.

A tragic predicament that I was sure going to resolve with enough patience and persuasion.

A child I might be, but I was still Danzou Shimura. Well, in name at least.

Two months had gone away ever since I 'fought' against Hiruzen, and while training proceeded smoothly and quickly, I still found myself struggling with a few issues that I had long ignored and that now were starting to become… difficult to avoid.

The first problem was that Mito seemed to have taken a strange interest in both me or Hiruzen. While this could've been easily ruled out as a young woman just wanting to play around with children, my suspicions of this being a little more than that ended up proved right as the woman started to clutch her stomach each time she had to crouch during her visits.

At first I thought that she had managed to already seal the Kyuubi within herself thanks to Hashirama's help in suppressing the Nine-tailed beast's negative chakra, but this assessment was already disproved when Madara made no remark over a possible battle being behind the strange behavior.

And then it all hit me at once.

Ninja don't have a correct way of figuring out if a woman was pregnant before the formation of a noticeable bump on the woman's belly just yet.

So it came quite as a surprise when I felt a noticeable growth by her belly when she was giving the umpteenth hug to both her 'adorable friends'.

Mito was pregnant with the Hokage's heir or heiress.

This news was good to hear, and it confirmed my early suspicions that the woman was going to conceive a child before becoming the first Jinchuuriki.

It wasn't an important dilemma considering that it didn't explain why the Senju Clan was going to somehow thin out to only have Tsunade as its leader and remaining member, but it did defeat the chance of the family dying out to some birth complications encountered by Mito as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

Still, despite the lovely novelty, the fact that we were going to spend a lot of time around Lady Hokage meant that both Hiruzen and I were going to become the prime targets of the redhead's moodswings once the pregnancy had entered an advanced stage.

And that prospect left me morbidly curious to see the full destructive capacity of a pregnant Uzumaki, and horrified at the fact I was going to be subjected to this without any safety net about the matter.

Yep, these were going to be a couple of dreadful months…

It didn't help that poor Hiruzen was clueless about the disaster that was soon to come, allowing himself to be pampered and spoiled by the happy Mito whenever she decided to invite us for some time together.

But I knew for sure that Sasuke Sarutobi, the young boy's father, was more than aware of the hell that we were being forced to walk into.

Differently from what I had imagined about the legendary Shinobi and founder of the first clan that joined Konoha, the man seemed to be perfectly levelheaded and a good conversationalist.

None of the 'impressive' charisma allude to in the rare times he was brought up in the lore, but he really gave off the impression of being someone loyal and trustworthy for most things.

He was supportive and proud of his son, and he seemed to be glad of the fact I was friends with Hiruzen.

The first time I was invited by the brunet to have a sleepover at the Sarutobi compound, I was taken aside by his father for a simple discussion.

Nothing too heavy, or nothing that I could consider a threat in any shape or form, but the talk opened a curious glimpse over Hiruzen's life before he joined the Academy.

A loner, the reason that drove him to be friendless before he met me was related to Sasuke's legendary status within his own clan.

Many saw the boy as the second coming of the brilliant Shinobi, and various children had tried to befriend him out of respect for the man rather than simple and personal interest over making friends.

I was the first 'true' friend he had the chance of making and… that very detail left me incredibly unhappy for the remainder of the day.

Thinking back at how things went when the original Danzou cut the friendship ties with Hiruzen, I could now see how that was perhaps worse than the show displayed it.

How much damage would've the original owner of this body done had I not been chosen to replace him?

The answer was possibly easy to establish, but I felt very unnerved to think too much about it without aching in the self-loath.

I was going to fix things, and they are going to stay fixed this time.

And one of the things I was going to fix was… getting Madara away from my mother!

The simply creepy staring that I took notice about when I 'sparred' with Hiruzen ended up becoming far more of a pressing issue that I wanted.

First came the sudden visits early in the morning at my house by the Uchiha Clan leader to 'pick me' for training. The visits would result in 'unplanned' conversations between the two adults, with Madara doing his best to be subtle with his interest in learning more of the woman, while my mother was… just chatting about me.

Any progress, if I had some issues or if I complained with how things were… and that very development left me glad and perplexed at the same time.

One would think that a widow would've been unable to display this degree of denseness with someone as 'subtle' as Madara could get. But looking back at the state of mind she had been under because of our current situation as a family, I could see her thinking about this but swiftly dismissing it over some unfounded self-hating.

Still, it was good since the man found himself facing a resilient wall that he hadn't planned to deal with just like that. The only bad thing of this instance was that this could easily turn into a positive factor in Madara's eyes considering how this could all remind him of his 'rivalry' with Hashirama.

And the Uchiha Clan Leader was someone that wouldn't back away at the first hint of a challenge. Not when I existed as a reason to pursue this endeavor.

At first I was confused by what had driven him to try this and… I knew that I was mostly at fault about it. With my meddling, I gained his interest and curiosity as a child he could actually tolerate if not more.

And that set up a strange precedence that reminded him of a topic he had never pursued about either for a reason or another.

He was celibate, and as the Clan Leader he had a duty to his family to sire an heir.

In the original timeline, Madara never had the 'proper' chance to think about starting a family on his own. Hashirama managed to do this thanks to Mito, but the Uchiha ended up dying without a wife just like Tobirama was going to.

When I came by, Madara perhaps saw something worth of studying with more caution and genuine seriousness. And when he realized that my mother was single… he felt like he had discovered the winning formula behind flawless romancing.

Spoiler alert, the man wasn't good at Math from the way he messed up various encounters.

The fact that I was actively blocking his means to score something successful also interfered with his chances of ever winning that senseless war.

I wasn't going to allow a prick like Madara to settle down with my mother. While I wasn't the woman's original son, I wasn't heartless enough to let her live the rest of her life together with the bastard.

That would just be plain cruelty on a living being, and I wasn't aiming to become a monster before and beyond the temporary years of war that were soon to come.

A sigh left my lips as I recollected my thoughts away from those distracting topics. The session was far from over, and I carefully walked toward the nearby lake to start exercising my water-walking skill.

The troublesome chakra-refining technique was tough early on and I had yet to get a decent grasp over it, but I knew that I was making grand steps toward a good result about it.

I wobbled while pushing energy to my feet, moderating the stream as to neither sink into the cold lake or propel myself off the liquid's surface. And I was more keen to feel the chills considering how the latter option was far more dangerous and painful than the former.

Distracted for good enough reasons, I didn't notice that someone had arrived at the training grounds.

Madara did, and he jumped off the tree's branch before calmly approaching our unexpected visitor.

Ten minutes flew away as I felt happy with the progress made for today. I quickly backtracked to proper ground, jumping off the water's surface and almost tripping in the process.

A sigh left my mouth before I turned my attention to where Madara had gone. The man was talking to someone I was familiar with.

Someone I wasn't planning to encounter just yet since I had last seen her the day before.

Mito was smiling as she waved before rushing towards me. I paused, tension forcing my posture to straighten up as I felt a higher number of chills going down my spine as I felt that something was indeed wrong about this unplanned development.

A giggle left the redhead's lips as she lifted me off the ground and twirled around as I was pressed on her chest.

"Da-kun, I found you~!"

These were the scariest words I could've heard from someone as levelheaded and serious as Mito.

The surprisingly happier mood I was being subjected to not only left me worried, but I was also unnerved by the fact I was being coddled like this.

To be reduced to this behavior… pregnancy is sure a frightening thing.

"Mito-hime-" I tried to greet back.

"Did you miss me?" She interrupted with a giddy query. "Did you?"

"I-" I felt my throat tightening at the chilling scene I was being subjected to. "Y-Yes?"

"Good!" She replied, ignoring the uncertain tone that I had while answering. "I missed you too. A lot. Like with Hiruzen."

That's… good to know?

"Mito-hime-"

"Today is a beautiful day, Da-kun," The woman interrupted again with an eager hum. "In fact, I wish for you to come with me to my house. Hiruzen is already there."

A sudden visit? Why?

Before I had the chance to ask about this, she nodded. "We've guests from my home, Uzushiogakure."

Blinking in surprise, I finally got an idea of what could've gotten her this much ecstatic. Considering that everyone in the recently 'built' village were all part of the Uzumaki Clan, it was simple to see that the envoy coming to visit was part of her close family.

Still, I decided to bite the bait and ask.

"Family-"

"Yes!" She exclaimed before giggling. "The Uzukage, my older brother, and my niece are going to arrive at the manor soon and… I want you and Hiruzen around to entertain little Yoshiko-chan."

And now I could see another reason for the Lady Hokage to be this giddy. Another child, this time her niece, was visiting together with the current leader of Uzushiogakure.

"And we should start moving already, or else we will turn up late," The woman muttered as she started to walk away from the training grounds, sparing a mere nod in Madara's direction, and… keeping on carrying me.

"Mito-Hime?"

She blinked, giving me a wide smile. "Yes, Da-kun?"

I was starting to hate that blasted pet name.

"I can walk on my own," I pointed out, only to be granted a simple nod.

"You could, but you're also tired from training."

"I'm sweaty," I added, trying my best to get let go at once in the most polite of ways. She was wearing a high-quality kimono, surely she had the common sense to-

"I'm more concerned about your wellbeing, Da-kun. My dress will not be ruined by some sweat drop."

I gritted my teeth, glad that my face was obscured by the way I was being hugged.

"Mada- Sensei will try to get on with my mother if I'm not there and-"

"I've already asked for Lady Sarutobi to invite your Mama for a tea party," Mito interjected with a thoughtful nod, a brief break from her current state of mind. "What a responsible boy. Thinking about the plight of your poor Mama in dealing with the rough romancing of Madara. I can understand your worry, especially since Hashirama-kun wasn't always a man that would quickly realize what I meant with my early efforts."

I blinked. "You think that-"

"Madara needs time and attention to refine his methods if he is serious about that. While it's fine to meddle while he is so silly with his antics, I wish for you to realize that your Mama is an adult that can judge and choose for herself," The redhead brought up. "So trust your mama's judgment, just like you trust your Auntie Mito's decision to invite you to this family gathering."

I didn't answer to that, merely nodding as I conceded defeat at that unbreakable defense.

With that topic 'solved', my attention turned elsewhere.

Now that I thought about it, this was going to be my first interaction I had with the Uzumaki Clan where I had no proper foreknowledge of these people. I was going to delve in some mysterious waters and this was indeed concerning.

Despite this unpleasant feeling I was having trouble shrugging off the uneasiness off as I expected this to be a chaotic but overall good family reunion.

It's the Uzumaki family. Surely they were going to be all friendly and sympathetic.

I was partly wrong with that silly assumption.

While it was correct to think of the Uzumaki Clan as a family-centered group that were quick to integrate new individuals among their ranks, the little expectation that I had over the envoy was easily subverted when I had the chance of meeting 'Yoshiko-chan'.

Hiruzen was as clueless as I was when we were first introduced to the Uzumaki entourage.

Ryuuji Uzumaki, the Uzukage, proved to be Naruto's ancestor when the first thing he did was rush up to his sister to give her a tight hug.

Mito giggled at the affectionate approach, and Hashirama was legitimately frightened when his brother-in-law saw it fit to give him some not-so-subtle threats about what would've happened if he failed to make sure 'their princess' was taken care properly during her delicate phase.

The fact he also added 'you better believe it!' at the end of his final threat made me realize that I was never going to hear things like 'Dattebayo!' or 'Dattebasa!', or any other nervousness-induced catchphrase that seemed common in the Clan.

But while that was a relief since I wasn't planning to get tortured by decades of that stuff, I was also aware that I was going to hear 'similar sentences' to the catchphrases. And I was going to hate each and every moment of that blasted development.

Still, the current issue took priority over my annoyance as I ended up making first contact with a Grade-A Tsundere.

One can joke about this kind of encounter, but when these happened, things were quick to get bad.

Especially when said Tsundere was a self-proclaimed 'high-tier Kunoichi' with a superiority complex aimed at us.

Yoshiko was five, and while being a brat was fine in most occasions, the brattiness she was quick to display was enough to get me to groan already.

The girl looked like a mini Kushina with a darker shade of red hair and a pair of dark violet eyes. Her hair was a little curlier compared to this example, but that was hardly a defining feature since her personality was doing all the work for her to bring me to a state of incredible irritation.

My companion in this dreadful lunch proved to be less inclined to directly address the matter as he tried his best to ignore and be ignored.

The thing was that ignoring someone was never within the intentions of a standard Tsundere, and the moment we were led to another room while the adults started to talk about serious villages-related matters, Yoshiko employed her full arrogance against us.

Sitting on some pillows, I was trying my best to keep my attention locked onto my friend when a shadow loomed over us.

"So, Auntie Mito said that you two were training to become Ninjas," The girl muttered with a mocking tone. "I bet you two can't even handle shuriken properly."

"We can, Yoshiko-san," I replied with a dry voice.

"As if I would ever believe any lies coming from your mouth, Da-kun."

My lips twitched in clear annoyance, but it wasn't the comment itself that got me this irked. It was the way this brat had taken a liking in addressing me as Da-kun.

Why the hell was this becoming a thing? Why the hell Mito thought this to be a good idea?!

These questions I really wanted an answer about, but I wasn't going to risk my safety by bringing those up to the only individual that could answer those. I preferred life to death.

I didn't continue through that conversation. With politeness failing to at least dilute the effects of her bitchiness, I just leaned back and turned away from the smug looking Uzumaki.

I allowed her this empty victory, just for the sake of me holding back from getting a more practical one against her.

With me 'dealt with', her next target was Hiruzen. The brunet tried to look away and follow my example, but this only fueled the interest of the Tsundere to press her 'advantage'.

"Your father, he is Sasuke Sarutobi," She hummed in malicious mirthfulness. "I bet he knows that you're actually a crybaby."

The insult was weak, and considering the training we had to go through, Hiruzen was hardly fazed by it. Learning from my recent mistake, he decided against giving a proper response to that, merely keeping himself quiet after that comment.

Yoshiko was… irritated by the lack of a reply. That was one of the weaknesses to the bravado she was displaying. Considering how arrogant she was, I knew that while her training was above-average, she was far from being a genuine threat to either me or Hiruzen. Which is why I was paying her little to no attention whatsoever as she seemed to contemplate this strange 'retaliation'.

Silence reigned as dominus, and for a moment I thought that we had indeed found a way to drive her to stay quiet.

Once again a silly allusion that was proven wrong when she decided to aim higher and strike harder.

"But I bet it has to be tougher for Da-kun since he only has his mommy," The girl resumed, her maliciousness barely grazing at my mind's thick armor. "Always crying for Daddy that is never coming home. A nobody, someone that probably died in a ditch and-"

"And that's enough," I muttered as I stood up from my seat. The action got a surprised look from the cheeky brat, and her wide eyes were matched with my stern look.

I was no longer beneath her, and the sudden closeness got a shiver out of her and a quick step back.

"You think you can just insult us because your father is important?" I asked with an irked tone. "That you can come here and demand respect when you're so eagerly mocking the passing of people that died in the past age of wars?"

A scowl slowly appeared on her face, but she didn't have anything to say back at me.

"You're all talk and no bite. That's the truth," I continued calmly, my stare never leaving her. "And if you think I will just allow you to disrespect my father like this, then you are incredibly wrong."

Narrowing her eyes at me, she tried to reply. "R-Really?! Then prove it! Prove that you're not some crybaby that Auntie Mito took pity upon."

To be fair, it was Madara that took 'pity', but then again- WHY WAS I THE ONE THAT NEEDED TO PROVE SOMETHING?!

I wasn't the one prancing around talking of being some amazing Ninja or stuff like that.

I have class, and I definitely wouldn't want my enemies to know how amazing I am.

Despite my initial interest in pointing these 'mistakes' out, I decided to follow up the threat with one of my own.

"Fine by me. The mansion has a training courtyard that I'm sure we can use."

She scoffed. "Of course we can, this is Uncle and Aunt's house, and they would allow me to have you humiliated."

...

I didn't hate kids, in fact I mostly saw them as cute and adorable in most instances. But Yoshiko was making me regret having such a soft-hearted approach towards children.

I was quite sure that after today my perception of my peers was going to change a lot.

Instead of lingering any further on those thoughts, Hiruzen and I led the girl to where the courtyard was and we started to set up the rules of this stupid challenge.

Shurikenjutsu, and a display of our best Jutsus.

I was more than glad that I had recovered enough Chakra to use a technique without straining my body, but what really made me ecstatic was when the first task started.

Yoshiko took the first turn, throwing three kunais at the central target and getting all of them on the middle spot of the target. Her gloating smile was partly legitimate, and she looked surprised as I decided to clap at her successful display.

If only I had been more mindful of the fact that this kind of praise only aggravated her kind of people.

…

Yes, I was aware of that a few moments before going through with it. Which is why I still did that.

As I ignored her furious stare, I took four shurikens on each hand, allowing the sharp projectiles on the openings between my fingers as I took aim and… threw them at the three targets all at once.

The lateral targets had two shurikens each stabbed onto their middle spot as closely as possible, while the remaining four had been embedded onto the central spot of the target directly in front of me.

Hiruzen clapped at the performance, while Yoshiko's jaws dropped very low at the unexpected results.

While I had given priority to techniques and chakra-reinforcement, I still left some space to sharpen my shurikenjutsu to an impressive degree of precision.

I was a ninja first and foremost, so abilities that revolved around subtlety were to be improved to the very best.

With the first half of the challenge concluded in my victory, the next bit proved to be somewhat bizarre considering that I was expecting something flashy from the red-haired girl. I really was.

And yet, as she took a few steps toward one of the main pillars of the room, the girl smiled smugly… before starting to walk up onto it.

I blinked, unimpressed by the fact she was using a simple chakra-control technique and not a proper Ninjutsu, but I still looked at her as she walked up to the upper section of the ceiling.

"Ah! I bet you can't do this!" Yoshiko exclaimed victoriously, happily preparing to descend and expect a failure for me. But as she walked back to the pillar, her left foot slipped and she almost fell down off the ceiling.

Panic surged within my brain as I saw her arms moving just in time by wrapping around the piece of ceiling she had been standing off. Her legs were waving in fright and she looked fairly desperate.

"H-help! I-I can't-"

I glanced at Hiruzen, the brunet providing me a concerned look, but I quickly calmed him down by giving him a simple nod before I walked up to the pillar and started to climb it up.

The young Uzumaki looked incredibly afraid as she held as much as she could onto the wood, the piece groaning and slightly bending at the sudden weight.

Reaching the height she was struggling by, I carefully leaned towards her and started to help her move towards me. She continued to flail, but her desperation had calmed down a little bit as she took notice of my presence.

Finally, she wrapped her arms around my neck as tightly as she could, burying her face on my shoulder as I quietly started the descent procedure.

Moments passed silently even as we reached the floor, and her desperate embrace continued despite the fact we were no longer in a dangerous situation.

"Yoshiko," I said, trying to sound as polite as possible. "Can you please-"

I paused, a muffled sob reaching my ears and forcing me to address the fact that she didn't look particularly fine.

And I guess it's pretty normal since she was a kid. And so was I. And Hiruzen.

How the heck is it possible that young Sarutobi wasn't fazed by this circumstance? I had the Self-Insert card to play, what about him?

Ninja parents? He IS Sasuke Sarutobi's son after all.

Just as I tried to pry her off, and hopefully calm her down with some proper words, my attention was stolen away as I noticed someone rushing towards us.

I was yanked away without having the chance of saying anything, my butt hurting as I landed a few meters away on the cold wooden floor.

The Uzukage was embracing her daughter as tightly as possible, and the little girl, albeit surprised by this curious event, didn't shy away from returning the hug.

I could see Mito gasping and rushing toward me while the Hokage kept by Hiruzen's side and started to speak with him.

"My sweet Yo-chan, what happened? Why was that boy hugging you and-"

"D-Daddy," The child muttered nervously, but before she had the chance to continue, the man turned to me with the most furious look on his face.

"What did you do to my baby girl, boy?!"

I opened my mouth-

"Stop yelling at the children, Ryuuji!" Mito remarked sternly. "I want to know the truth myself, but you can't behave like this."

The Uzukage seemed ready to retort this but he stopped as soon as he felt his daughter tugging at his coat.

"I-It's my fault, daddy," Yoshiko pointed out quietly. "I-I tried to climb up that pillar and- and I got stuck."

"Did Da-kun help you back down, Yo-chan?" Mito inquired, getting a nod from her niece. "Then I think you owe Da-kun an apology, Ryuuji."

The man tensed up, looking unhappy about the situation. He glanced at me, and I gave him a deadpan glance. He was also embarrassed from the way he quickly looked away at my intense gaze.

"A-Apologies, kid."

I would've wanted a lengthier apology… but then the situation would've become awkward once more and I really wanted to get done with this predicament.

The visit didn't continue for long, and in the end I accepted the meek apology from Yoshiko when she later decided to talk with me in private.

Hiruzen and I were finally allowed to go back home, and I expected for this entire debacle to be settled with the envoy leaving by the end of the day.

But when the next morning struck, and I was woken up by my mother as she asked for me to check at the front door as a 'cute visitor' was waiting there for me, I found myself gawking at the giggling form of an issue I had expected gone with the end of the previous night.

"Good morning, Danzou-kun. Do you mind if I join you for breakfast?"

Turns out that Mito made a compelling point with the Uzukage to let his daughter stay for a couple of months. Just for the sake of providing some training while also fostering the relations between Konoha and Uzushio.

Once again, these were going to be a couple of dreadful AND long months…

The worst thing happened. Danzou got himself a little stalker!

The horror and… the stalkering!

I swear, the Uzumaki seems to have an attachment of sort to any 'protagonist' of a story one way or another…

REVIEW Q&A!

Abdur Rauf Aymaan: Most of the time my stories are updated on a bi-weekly basis. There are still some exceptions whenever I need to finish a story, or if there is a RL situation that got me to skip writing for a day or two.

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Peerless Darkness by SocialistBukharin

Anime » Naruto Rated: M, English, Adventure, Hiruzen S., Danzō S., Mito U., Words: 43k+, Favs: 636, Follows: 749, Published: Jun 27 Updated: Nov 12184Chapter 6: Peace by Power (1)

DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha.

Please support the official release.

Chapter 5 – Peace by Power (1)

Two simple weeks went by ever since Yoshiko was allowed to stay in Konoha, and my life had taken a drastic turn towards a particularly unpleasant direction.

While many would shrug my plight as the struggle of a child trying to stay away from any girls with 'cooties', the reality was a little more about a 'grownup' dilemma.

Even as I keep trying to politely decline the aggressive 'friendship-based' attempts of a redhead with massive chakra reserves and plenty of techniques to give me chase around the village, the fact that nobody was offering me some legitimate support on the matter was infuriating.

Sure, I was 'little Danzou', but the mind and soul behind the kid's body was one of an adult.

The idea of me being one of the two kids that were parried by some women 'just because we are cute together' was as chilling as disgusting.

I really didn't have much against Yoshiko. She didn't know that her crush was way older than he looked to be, and she was a kid. And kids of her age have yet to develop the proper means to understand the intricate thing that is love.

Which is why I considered her pseudo-stalking kind of cute to a fair point, as I could play around with it by going for smart but hilarious ways to screw with her covers. But as funny as it was, there was no denying that it was also immensely annoying whenever I was busy training.

She would be perched by one of the trees, merely watching and doing nothing else. Nothing that could allude to her eventually turning in a yandere just yet, and I was quite sure that the Uzumaki had not gone for the 'Hinata pattern' just yet.

My hopes were grand, and I sure wasn't going to allow for anything less than that. I really wasn't planning to create a Yandere by being the nice guy of the situation.

But the compelling question now is… Danzou-kun, why are you still considering the development a terrible thing if Yoshiko is that manageable?

Well, my dear imagined friend for this specific example, while Yoshiko wasn't that horrible, the same wasn't for the adults that were cheering for something cute to happen out of this.

Mito was the one that spearheaded this, and my own mother had been more than happy to invite the girl for lunch from time to time.

The discussions during these events were tame, but the 'shy blushing' and the safe questions used by the girl were hints that the redhead knew that going overboard with her interest was going to end poorly for her.

Hiruzen was mostly… neutral about the matter. The brunet wasn't that much surprised that this happened by his own words, and he quickly explained that his father ended up marrying his mother in a similar manner.

My next attempt to gain solace was through Kagami but… he was still ignoring me for the fact I had 'used' him as a training target.

Well, It's not my fault that mastering the Earth style technique in my arsenal required a moving enemy to use it on!

Just as I had predicted, Yoshiko was also enrolled in the Academy and the first steps of chaos were quick to appear during the first day.

The young Uzumaki was by no mean a troublemaker, but when she ended up targeted by some girls, Yoshiko showed an efficiency in quickly dealing with the bullies that was… unexpected.

Lord Hokage was still called to answer about this event, but the situation eventually ended with a minor settlement that slightly favored the girl as she was recognized as the victim of the attack that used self-defense.

And with that mere act, the redhead ended up gathering a following that was awed at the might of the 'Princess from Uzushiogakure'.

Nobody knew that Yoshiko was the Uzugakure's daughter, which made the title fairly amusing to listen to from time to time.

And with the girl slowly gaining a degree of presence wherever I was, the only moment I genuinely saw some freedom was when Madara began taking me out of the village for small patrols around the forest.

Nothing truly dangerous, especially since I would stick around the Uchiha during the whole trip. Conversations would ensue from time to time, but nothing really meaningful considering how much attention was needed on speed and direction.

We weren't even going that far from the walls, and the nature beyond civilization was somewhat… relaxing.

The patrols were something that had been pushed by Hashirama. To give Madara some time away from the village whenever the head of the clan felt the need to stay away from the crowds of people in Konoha.

I would've expected the man to make a fuss about being 'pushed' to deal with something this menial and 'boring', but I was mostly surprised when he said he had been the one asking for a way out from dealing with his own clan.

While the lore saw Madara as the absolute controller of the Uchiha clan, the truth was slightly different considering the noticeable influence exerted by the elders with the family.

The group of old men had been supporting my teacher for several years now, but one of their main concerns had started to grow 'frustrating' and unnerving to Madara himself.

They wanted for an heir to be produced. They needed proof that their leader was ready to father an offspring and continue the long line that had governed the family from the Warring States period to the creation of Konohagakure.

In the original timeline, this concern was pretty much ignored since Madara was aiming at the Hokage's role first, relegating the rest of his duties to secondary dates.

With my meddling, this situation was subverted, and I slowly realized that the one that was to blame for throwing my sensei into trying to court my mother was none other than myself.

…

Fuck. I had already screwed myself over and I hadn't realized that until now?!

Despite the grim thought that I was the idiot behind this very annoyance, I still found the discussion noteworthy as it gave me more insight over the politics of the Uchiha.

The idea that there was so much more that I had yet to learn about this nice but somewhat deadly village was regarded with a degree of hopefulness. I really didn't want to die by ignoring a possible danger.

Speaking of 'possible dangers', the conclusion of the second week saw me dealing with another situation that not only I hadn't expected to deal with, but also I was surprised to see unfold in the most bizarre of manners.

It all started by the afternoon. School day was over, I had already eaten my lunch, and I was making my way to the training ground to meet up with Madara.

It was pretty standard, and I was glad that Yoshiko had been busy because of her homework. Despite her interest in me, she was still unable to refuse her aunt's stern reminders that studying was more important.

I was in a good mood, and I could already feel that something was indeed off about today.

Starting with the Hokage pacing around the Academy's building for some unknown reason, and then Mito being seen using her chains by one of the unused classrooms while her husband watched.

Their respective attitudes just had something that I couldn't help but worry about. They were concerned themselves, and they were preparing for something.

But what? And why?

I couldn't remember anything that should worry the strong couple. The first Kage Summit was still a far possibility, and that was the biggest event I could remember that was going to happen in the next couple of months.

So what was I missing?

The answer came in the form of a serious-looking Madara enlisting me for another patrol, this time a little further than the areas that we usually checked by. I was surprised by his tense voice and lack of arrogance, but I knew to not refuse the request as I knew that nothing bad was meant to happen to me.

...Or so I expected this to be the case.

Worries of this being a flag about him bailing from Konoha were taken with a cautious approach, especially since I knew this possibility wasn't as doable as it was in the original timeline.

Trusting my instincts that this was just the usual patrol session, I proceeded to follow my teacher out of Konoha's gates and deep in the green forest that spread on the right side of the entrance.

We were going fast and far, with my mind building up thoughts and theories about what was going on. Some foreign ninja was trying to go for a border clash? Bandits? Maybe something sillier than that?

Nothing was spared in that solo brainstorming, but I could still feel like I was missing something important. Something about the context of the situation.

Eventually we arrived at our destination, with Madara stopping and gesturing me to stand on the tree branch I had just landed. The wood creaked, but it survived my weight as the two of us started to… wait.

There was silence and quiet, and the chances of this being a convoy of raiders from another village passing by started to grow more concrete within my mind.

I was so sure of it, there was no other way possible.

But I had forgotten that shock and awe were the major key of grand events. Especially those that history books in the original timeline might have forgotten about.

While my eyes were on the road nearby, my attention slowly left my attentive gazing over the muddy line dividing the forest in two and started to shift to the small vibrations making the tree I was standing on shake.

It wasn't an earthquake as the vibration wasn't a prolonged one. No, there was something… unnatural about this phenomenon.

It continued to grow in its intensity, and soon my mind connected dots about possible culprits for this predicament.

Something was approaching. And it had to be quite big for making the earth shake so much.

We waited, my tension increasing as I started to see a shadow in the patch of trees over the main road and several meters away from us.

It was humongous, with several tendrils spreading from its behind- Nine.

Nine… tails.

You gotta be kidding me!

Why were we here? WHY WAS I HERE?!

I was hardly capable of holding a fight with a high-tier Genin, so how does my presence make things easy for Madara to handle?

The Kyuubi, it was here.

It shouldn't be there as there was no mention of the Tailed Beast ever coming to Konoha before Hashirama decided to have it sealed away.

So why? Why was it here?

While I would've wanted to ask as quickly as I realized this dreadful situation, my lips were sealed shut as I was finally hit by the passive aura of hatred coming off the Kyuubi.

The miasma was manageable, but I could feel my chest tightening over the unpleasant setting I had been thrown into

"I-Is that the-?"

"Kyuubi no Youko," Madara curtly confirmed. "Scouts had spotted it making a straight line towards Konoha. It isn't the first time this happens… but it never came this close to the village until today."

And that was bad. Like… could it be that Hashirama and Madara actually fought the beast before the Uchiha had betrayed the village? How much of the lore did I need to study before I was certain of every historical aspect of this era?"

Still, while I was lost in my musing, I started to realize that maybe… just maybe this was an opportunity to make a dangerous move against any enemy interested in the Tailed Beasts.

Technically speaking, if I tried to stop the Kyuubi head on, I knew that I was going to die a quick death.

But if I tried something a little unorthodox and partially dumb, I was sure I could've swayed some interesting chance out of this unusual event.

Plus, why wouldn't I want to capture an overgrown Vulpix?

"Sensei- I don't want to sound foolish-"

"Then don't speak at all."

The quick denial got a flinch out of me. That degree of sternness was a novelty, but I knew that it was legitimate since the monster we were looking at was capable of swatting high-tier Ninjas around as if those were flies.

The only ones that could currently handle him were Madara (through his Mangekyou Sharingan), Hashirama (through his Mokuton), and Mito (with her golden chains and Sealing mastery). And I clearly was far from being as powerful as they were considering the circumstances.

But I had a degree of leverage over the big fox. Knowledge that wouldn't not only have him pause in his pursuit of food and human extermination, but also get him to become my ally.

"Sensei-"

"Enough. We will return to Konoha and-"

"I can stop it."

He narrowed my eyes at me. "Perhaps you're not thinking straight. Maybe I should've expected the hateful aura coming from it influencing you but-"

I'm quite sure the worst influence I was dealing with was the tiredness of going through a painstakingly slow school day. That could hardly be beaten by anything.

Instead of speaking once again, I knew that it was time to make a decision that could easily put an end to the 'youthful adventures of Danzou-kun' if I wasn't careful enough with my approach.

I could see gold, and now I couldn't help but jump towards the shiny pot.

And like that, I bolted off the tree branch and up for the sky. I went well above the trees and soon I was in sight to reach my target.

The Kyuubi had barely noticed my presence, perhaps deciding that I wasn't worthy of his attention. Soon I found myself right above the spot I wanted to land on and quickly dive bombed for my destination.

The hateful aura intensified the more I got closer to the origin of it, and I was about to start shivering uncontrollably before I found peace within the fluffy landing spot I had eyed from my previous position.

The fox stopped, the behemoth pausing as Kurama realized that the 'little issue' was slightly bigger than he had expected. I didn't linger on the soft fur of his, knowing that if I didn't move now I was going to be swatted and probably erased by one of his tails.

My walk through the tailed beast's back was a tense but speedy one, and I ultimately arrived at his right shoulder before taking a seat in there. The Kyuubi tilted his head so that one of his red slitted eyes could take note of my presence.

"A human kit? Are you perhaps suicidal?"

"I've been asked that an unhealthy amount of times… but no, I'm not craving death."

A blink, then two.

"Then why are you annoying me if you aren't seeking death, little mortal?"

"Oh you know, just passing by and admiring nature… plus I think you're going toward a place I don't want you to trash and destroy."

"Your home?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, so you're from that village… I think you humans call it 'Konoha'?"

"Maybe."

His posture tensed and a little snarl replaced the neutral take from his lips.

"And now you're irking me."

"It's not my fault you learned to like hate more than love," I pointed out dryly. "Nor I think it's yours."

"Now, isn't that a curious thing to say," The beast mused out loud. "You speak as if you know me."

I shrugged. "I've heard about you. And your backstory."

"A lie to spare your pathetic settlement?"

"Nah, I'm quite… sure of the info I've on you," I replied calmly, fighting off the little uneasiness that was returning despite the softening of his hateful aura.

"I think you're a little kit that doesn't know anything about the world."

"Are you comparing me to your younger self, Kurama?"

He was ready to rebuke at that little jab, but he paused as he realized what I had just said.

We were pretty far from where Madara was, and I was speaking as quietly as I was allowed without passing to whispering.

There was silence, with the fox thinking about my words before offering the best he could come up after a solid minute of quiet.

"How?"

"I know stuff. But people don't know I know," I tried to explain as shortly as I could. "I know that your father, the Sage, created you from the Juubi and he wanted you to guide humanity through the right path… but we messed things up."

"I would say you tarnished, crapped and then barfed over his legacy."

I shrugged again. "I mean, kinda? I don't want to say I don't give much weight to the gravity of the situation, but you're right about it."

"I can tell there is a 'but'. Speak up, I'm feeling… interested."

"I want to make a deal. Consider it more of a temporary solution so we can come up with a proper apology for the shit you and your siblings had to go through."

The fox huffed, easing up a little bit. "And that is?"

I merely smiled. Yep, I just got my overgrown Vulpix.

"Forgive me if I'm sounding a little bit insensitive, Danzou-kun- But what do you mean you offered the Kyuubi the mountain over the village as a resting ground?!"

I flinched at the loud tone taken by the Hokage. The office was significantly packed with important ninjas.

Sasuke Sarutobi, Madara, Tobirama, Mito, Hashirama- yep, I think I managed to make this a fun grilling to be subjected to.

"Do you understand the danger you've subjected yourself and Konoha to? The possibility of the fox just abusing this deal to attack us by surprise."

Yes, because the currently napping fox that was visible from the window behind him would certainly strike the village… with yawns.

"I'm being serious-"

"And I know that my decision isn't driven by stupidity," I rebuked tensely, gaining a frown from Hashirama.

But before the Hokage had the chance to inquire about my sureness, Mito decided to speak up.

"Da-kun, I want you to answer this question without omitting any truth you might know of," The woman began saying with a serious tone. "Can you guarantee that the Kyuubi will not attack Konoha?"

"I can guarantee it with my life," I stated with a calm tone, drawing some perplexed looks at the degree of seriousness I was displaying for someone of my age. "I have two details that cement this belief of mine."

Hashirama sighed, shaking his head at the maddening situation I had brought to the village.

"And… those are?"

"I know its name and its purpose."

The Hokage frowned at the response. "And those are?"

"The Kyuubi's name is Kurama. And it was created by… I think the book my dad showed me said something about a sage-"

"The Sage of the Six Paths," Hashirama offered and I nodded in faux realization.

"Y-yeah. This Sage created the Tailed Beasts to guide humanity through the right path, to lead everyone towards peace."

"And yet the Kyuubi is known for being a creature born from hatred," Tobirama opposed with a confused tone. "Why would the Sage create a being of that composition and nature?"

…

"Maybe because Kurama isn't made by hatred?" Hiruzen's father proposed.

And this got a curious look from the Hokage's brother, surprised that the head of the Sarutobi Clan was contemplating my words.

"You mean that the accounts about its attacks were false?"

"Not truly," The brunet answered. "I think that while the attacks were indeed true, the reason that drove the Kyuubi to strike at humans weren't born from instinct."

"He was attacked first," Mito muttered quietly. "And it wouldn't be the first time we see fear and misunderstanding driving attacks and wars against us."

Differently from the canon's time when the people started to regard the Kyuubi in a more positive light, it was easier now to do so by comparing its existence to what had been the time period that had just come to an end.

People were still weary about it, and many could still remember that most of these conflicts were driven by stupid reasons that hardly materialized by the end of each war.

I gave them what they needed to hear… and now it was up to them to make their own mind about the situation.

Despite my knowledge, I wasn't going to screw my cover for the sake of protecting this decision. I needed to have my 'interrogators' do that for me.

Or else I was going to risk a little more than a stern lecture.

"You should also tell them about the points you've agreed with the Kyuubi," Madara decided to pull me back in the conversation, perhaps interested to see how I would handle being pressured again.

The smug bastard was going to feel my wrath once I got some laxatives in his ramen when we would have lunch at my house tomorrow.

"Points?"

I gulped nervously, as Hashirama inquired and I knew that one of the individuals in there was going to be annoyed by what I had agreed with Kurama.

"Considering that Kurama isn't a… tool, nor a weapon for Konoha to use whenever there is a war," I started to say with a tense voice. "We've agreed that he will only defend the village, and not attack targets outside Konoha's proximity."

Tobirama tensed up at this. "You mean that- that he will not-"

"He isn't a toy for anyone to use," I pressed nervously.

"And yet it would favor the village immensely," Madara rebuked calmly. "Still, I can see that convincing the fox would be too difficult, especially since it would be like imposing our will upon him."

Tobirama sighed tiredly. "And that would mean losing the advantage altogether. I suppose we couldn't have asked for more without jeopardizing this undoubtable boon to the village."

"I can tell that now we've reached a conclusion to this little meeting… and I think I have the proper punishment for Da-kun," Mito proclaimed calmly, turning at me with a smile of the sickly sweet kind.

A chill went down my spine while the rest of the ninjas present nodded in agreement, allowing the redhead to speak up about the matter.

"While Da-kun gave the village an addition that will improve our defenses, I believe that he put himself at a risk that could've seen him lose his life," The Uzumaki resumed calmly. "Which is why I think the best way to help him understand the error of his way is by having him spend the three full weeks as an assistant to aid me during my activities. He will start his 'shift' once he is done with lunch and his homework, and he will be done by the time of dinner."

At first I didn't see anything bad with that punishment… but then I realized that I was going to be forced to stay even closer to Yoshiko than I planned.

"What about-"

"I can invite your mama whenever she is free and you need her. I don't want you to miss her after all, Da-kun."

And cue the babying from the pregnant woman.

Goddammit.

"Also," The redhead added happily. "I would like to make a suggestion about Madara's own punishment."

The Uchiha frowned. "My what?"

"Weren't you close enough to prevent Da-kun from going for that act?"

"Yes but-"

"Then I think you will do well by replacing Tobirama for three weeks in aiding Hashirama-kun with the paperwork."

The Hokage paled a little bit, while his younger brother took the news with a frown.

"And… what am I supposed to do about it?"

"Don't you have projects beyond your work here with your brother?" The Uzumaki inquired calmly.

"Yes-"

"Then you have the answers to that question already."

Despite my attempt to limit the damage I was meant to take at that brash decision, I could tell that the hand life had just given to me wasn't one to chuckle at. I could already imagine the kind of games Mito was going to push both Yoshiko and I to do during my time at the Hokage's Mansion.

And I sure was going to regret my stay there as one of the few win-loss situations I would end up facing in my long and hopefully uncrippled life.

You can call cliché as much as possible… but I could see pregnant Mito being this much bossy, and Hashirama being a pushover because of his kind nature.

By the way, I've started the rewriting of 'Angel of Death', a Tokyo Ghoul story with the MC being an investigator. The plot is set months before the original 'story' begins and it explores the working of the CCG.

REVIEW Q&A!

Middernacht: She isn't to that level (maybe yet). She is just a kid after all.

MisterJA: The main worry for Da-kun is for his mother to become a target by being attached to Madara. But no, it will not a completely kind Danzou, there will be some major characters' that will change the plot by a lot.

Viviene001: These kids have seen the last moments of the Warring States Era. They have 'tasted' war in a diluted way, and many have lost their families because of this. Hiruzen's father was a powerful active ninja during the period, and the one that brought the Sarutobi Clan to prominence. Danzou lost his father and his mother still has some depression.

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