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.