Four more months passed since I won against Himeko and I sure felt like I made those months matter a lot with all the hard work I put through those.
Developing my skills was the priority, and I got through the last limitations that prevented me from unlocking my unique Wind Armor. Good news, it allowed me to fly. Bad news, it also drained a lot while in 'flight mode'. It didn't drain as fast as long as I remained to fight on a surface, so I was quite 'careful' to not overextend myself while using it. Taijutsu was further explored in terms of potential, and I kept on 'improving' my physique, which was possible without damaging my body and hurting my growth.
It seems odd to say, but I grew a bit taller since I started this whole idea of conditioning my body to harsh training and then using my own chakra to 'stimulate' my muscles and let them heal quickly. I also kept on 'expanding' my own stance by adding some other martial arts techniques to it. That and also investing more into chakra-based weights to further expand my overall balance and power. I didn't try to 'exploit' the system, not when I was well aware I was no blond knucklehead with inherent insane healing factor from Uzumaki bloodline and a certain lazy fox.
Speaking of knuckleheads of the Uzumaki kind, I had a few run-ins with Yoshiko while I was jogging and training outdoors, prompting her to grow fascinating at… the technique. It was clear the girl wasn't ogling at me. None of that. It wouldn't be- yes, she was ogling at me. Hormones were already coming up and I couldn't exactly do much beyond doing the usual 'warning' to stop doing that. Or telling her I would have told Mito about it.
Still, she was quick to listen to me when I called her out on that and told her that she could give it a shot herself. Cue an argument about 'pretty girls having to still keep a healthy lifestyle to keep in form' against 'abs look amazing on chicks'. It was a bit of my shameful thing to appreciate toned ladies as they were the representation of peak hard work.
Yoshiko listened, she was skeptical about it, I told her to ask her auntie and eventually I saw her jog around with Mito herself joyously dragging her tired niece around so she could develop 'a proper healthy body'. I might have cursed the little redhead to a world of pain, but at least she didn't get the whole Maito Guy package out of it. And I really didn't want to find her, one day, wearing the Taijustu Specialist's unique outfit. That's not a sight I was hoping for to ever be cursed with.
Still Taijutsu wasn't exactly the only thing I went with, not when my schedule saw an interest in expanding other paths that could easily heighten my current skills even more. Specifically my rudimentary step on puppetry. I finally got the first pieces to outfit two of the numerous puppets I planned to use, and I was quick to test them out. The first one was given steel to reinforce limbs, torso and head. I made sure to keep the armor to a minimum necessary as to not cripple the speed too much. I also used some seals to further reduce the weight applied to the puppet when it was activated. As offensive equipment, the puppet was granted a medium-size rapier that had a unique elemental feature of the wind kind.
All sides were meant to cut things with ease if enough strength was put behind the blow. The result was that I now had the first of my collection, with the creation of a proper 'Silver Chariot' puppet to use in case I needed to pierce through some strong barriers or kill anyone or anything at short-medium range off my normal reach. The real hassle was trying to get all 'commands' memorized while using my chakra strings and… it worked. I felt incredibly relieved to see that this project was already yielding these positive results.
Next was an incredibly upsetting attempt to involve myself in one of the few arts I had ignored for a while. Yes, I tried Genjutsu and it proved to be as terribly unpleasant as hilarious. It was like being stuck for two whole hours to see a dark humor movie. It was fun at times, it missed a few lines, and the overall result had me questioning my choices in life. And yes, I was unironic about the feelings I got from the first few efforts. After all, you need to have a target to employ those, so I decided to rely on… someone that wasn't Kagami. He was a bit surprised when I asked Hiruzen, but he sure loved it when it became clear that the reason I did so wasn't just because I wanted to go soft on him for eventual experiments. No, I wanted Hiruzen to pay for something incredibly horrible he did to me. Scarring even.
"N-No- Stop it! I don't like it- Why is there a purple lizard and- I don't love you! Stay away from me!"
I chuckled, having finally unleashed on the world the horror that was creepy childhood shows on a youth… the first of many victims. Once I let the brunet go from that illusion-based nightmare, I decided to explain why he was subjected to it. Why he got my scorn and my vengeful actions aimed at him.
"Do you recall that bit where you agreed to your pesky monkey summon, that cheeky Enma, about stealing my clothes while I was showering and telling Yoshiko, Reira AND Himeko to go and check for me as quickly as possible? Do you recall ditching me to handle three ladies that were after me and saw an opportunity to try things, Hiruzen?"
…
"S-Sorry?"
"I forgave you already," I replied flatly. "But I didn't forget, hence why you got punished. Tell your summon I'm coming for that hide of his and getting him some fitting retaliation for that."
Yes, it would seem like, to match up Madara's bragging in terms of having given me the chance to pick up a summon a while ago, Tobirama had finally invested in Hiruzen getting his own contract. It was the same as canon, and I sure was surprised when I learned that Enma was actually a bastard early on. It would take a few decades before wisdom came and knocked at his door from the looks of it.
Which in this circumstance also saw me discussing with Kiara and the boss of the Phoenix Clan about trying to get into the Monkey Clan's domains from within the Summoning World. I wasn't sure if it was possible, but if it was, then I sure as hell was going to come visit and prank him there. No one pranks THE prankster of Konoha. No one, but himself. Plus, Kiara wanted to burn chimp's butt after I was hit by that betrayal. That and because he did it while she was away from approach and couldn't vision the scene herself.
Still, Genjutsu was still… a bit of a losing cause. It was good if I managed to overwhelm the target and subject them to my inner shitposting nature, but against specialists? I wasn't that confident. Plus I couldn't see myself going that quiet ever again. I was reaching the degree of Chakra Bullshittery that transcended standard ninja and was going into a level only a few had ever dared to go for. Hence why, on a lovely weekend day, I decided to pull a rather silly but deeply amusing move that saw me challenging one Madara Uchiha to a rematch. This time, I had confidence on my side about at least putting the fear of God in him.
He knew that I had improved. A lot. But he didn't know how much and thus, in his usual giddy self to challenge strong opponents, he decided to accept the challenge. The idea behind the spar was one that would still work regardless of the outcome. I wanted him to realize that I, someone that was way younger than him, was close to beating his ass despite him being one of the strongest Shinobi in the world. If he trained, then Hashirama trained and, if Hashirama trained, then Tobirama would follow the example. I was going to employ maximum domino effect to draw these three to get their asses back to training and sharpen up their skills rather than let them to waste.
Training ground, it was just us… kind of. I could see a certain Uzumaki and also a certain Uchiha perching off by the distant trees to see how this was going to be. I didn't feel confident to gain a win as, despite my progress, I still had little to nothing to break into Susanoo. Something that I knew Madara was aware about. But I had a plan. And I really hoped it worked well enough to frighten him up to drop the barrier.
As soon as we were all set, he didn't hesitate to start the match as someone with his personality would. I jumped over his S-Tier fire jutsu as a massive river of flames stormed the ground and forced me to shift into my Wind Armor to fly over the attack. I used the opportunity to dive towards him before he could redirect it back at me, but he swiftly stopped the jutsu to get his Gunbai. The massive fan cushioned the blow, reminding me that it wasn't going to be easy to cut into that thing considering the pure damage it could take before getting worn off. So, I merely switched to my Lightning Armor and rushed to the side, picking up speed and rushing even further to dodge an effort to intercept me with that blasted Gunbai. I wasn't going to get swatted away like a fly by that shitty fan. And my plan succeeded as I outpaced the weapon and got a few openings to play with.
My lightning-enchanted fists struck his leg and the arm on the same side, possibly disabling for a couple of minutes his limbs, and forcing him to fall on his good knee and sheathe back his Gunbai to… Body-Flicker away from the proximity. I gritted my teeth, swiftly looking around and then I looked up in shock as I felt and then saw numerous fire balls descending from the sky. I rushed away, darting from a position to another to dodge the various elemental projectiles. The barrage continued for a while, and yet it slowly grew less intense, giving me the chance to unleash Silver Chariot and try to intercept Madara mid-air. I managed to get proof that the seal and the puppet's strength were top-notch at the initial stage, the rapier actually cutting into his armor but stopping mid-point.
I pulled the puppet before it could get destroyed, the bastard swiftly pulling out his gunbai once again. He finally landed, and he could actually stand properly. It took me a moment to understand the reason why he recovered this quickly… was because of me. I taught him how to use medical skills to heal himself. It was minimal as an improvement, but it sure helped getting that kind of incapacitation to be solved as swiftly as necessary. He smiled, already feeling that the heat had picked up a lot since the last time we fought.
And boy, I was about to show him that this was just the very beginning. I rushed straight towards him, but instead of just going for a mindless assault, I actually relied on some quick actions mid-run. First, I created two Shadow Clones, then I used two smoke bombs that were to be confused as the technique's unique way of creating copies, but lasting a little longer for the preparation of what I had in mind and then… I unleashed the ultimate distraction. I exploded the clones, causing Madara to be flung upward due to his quick-thinking urging him to use his gunbai. Again. I'm going to find a way to destroy it in a spar. That was definitely rising in priority in my bucket list.
Still, I decided to distract him for a second time, this once deciding to employ a little special weapon I had kept for the occasion. As Madara was busy shielding himself against numerous wind-based pellets slamming onto his big fan, he failed to see the massive Fuuma Shuriken I had thrown mid-barrage. He caught it only when he saw its shadow looming over his head right before I pulled the strings inside it and unleashed the multitude of multiple small blades onto him. I literally stuck him between a windy issue and an iron-made quandary.
Despite the seemingly successful attempt, I was well-aware from trying to call it a win. Not when something I expected finally happened. All those shurikens, kunais and rocks soon impacted on a blue surface that formed around the jerk. Madara's Susanoo formed swiftly, just as I had predicted and landed down rapidly as it formed to its half full-glory. At this point, I would have surrendered but… there was a trick I wanted to employ that was based on some experimenting I had with Kiara as she asked me a really compelling question: "If you can create perfect copies of yourself, can you actually create copies of those individuals or things you have seen in the past?"
At first my response was the clone and then use the most basic genjutsu to alter the clone's appearance. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that actually there was something that I could do about it that wasn't that kind of simplistic element. In fact, in a way, I sort of created a new Jutsu out of the Shadow Clones. I could technically create copies of things that I had seen, but only in terms of size and appearance, not of power and resilience (one punch was enough to kill this kind of behemoth).
In this case, as I faced Madara's Susanoo, I employed the best 'counter' to it. More smoke bombs, and I copied Hashirama's Wood Human Technique. The golem that suddenly appeared within the smoke didn't enjoy the cover for long as Madara rushed in to try and end the battle and… stopped as soon as he realized what he was facing. It was that moment, that distraction, which gave me the chance to react.
The golem wasn't as strong as Hashirama's Mokuton jutsu, but it was still strong and big enough to give me a chance. It grasped the Armored construct's neck and then proceeded to slam it down and expose its back. The least armored section of the entire construct. I jumped from atop the fake golem's forehead and gained extra height for the big effort to breach inside. Since I studied and learned how to use the Lightning Armor, I also dabbled into Chidori and Raikiri. Surprisingly enough, the process was incredibly simple, but also complicated due to the fact I was accustomed to spreading the electricity all over my body rather than a single spot like my right arm.
Still, I got my 'knocking glove' on and I rushed downward to get into that Susanoo. I cut inside as if it was butter and I was a hot knife, standing right in front of Madara as I tried to overwhelm him with the Raikiri. I was so close to success and I was moments away to actually win that match but… my feet stopped and I tripped forward. My electrified hand slammed on the floor, disabling the development as I realized that… Madara was no longer there. An illusion- And that I hadn't tripped on some rocks, as a pair of arms had gotten hold of my lower legs and swiftly pulled me into the ground.
"Gah! Are you serious?!"
I struggled, but I was stuck inside the ground. Meanwhile the Susanoo faltered as soon as he slapped the big clone out of the way and freed itself from its hold. Madara appeared shortly after, the man looking a bit frustrated, fairly annoyed, but all in all… satisfied. And proud.
"Hi dad," I muttered dryly. He didn't say anything, but I got a damn smile out of him as he pulled me out of the ground. Instead of standing, I just lied down on the ground, defeated.
"Another loss. Dammit."
He chuckled as he sat down beside my tired lying form, looking over the destruction we had caused during the spar.
"It wasn't that… big of a loss."
"Nope," I agreed. "Almost got your ass with that last trick, didn't I?"
He chuckled again, this time remaining quiet as we both enjoyed some peace together. It was a bit surprising to see how things had turned, but I decided to ask a few legitimate questions.
"When did you catch me in your Sharingan?"
He hummed. "It was while you were trying to enter my Susanoo. I'm impressed you found out a method to not only distract me, but also gain a solid sight over the weak spot of the armor and pierce it."
"So close-"
"I will have to train again. I can't allow anyone to know I was almost beaten by my brat of a student."
I could tell he was joking, so I scoffed. "How about you just chill and go old and let me win. Isn't it morally right to allow
"I doubt there is a good morality in letting you win this easily, Danzou."
Fuck, so much to ask for a stupid win for once.
Meanwhile, I had totally forgotten about our intrusive spectators, and as we were leaving, I noticed they were no longer there in their previous spots. Either they left mid-battle, or as soon as it was over. Either way, I was sure to receive some flak from one of them in particular. In fact, I almost facepalmed as my prediction proved to be correct.
When it came to actually go through an official diplomatic business.
A week after the fight, I was summoned by the Hokage to discuss the tensions between Kiri and Uzushiokure.
Both villages were claiming both were betraying their part of the deal, the very one that was used to gain their firm support during the war. In my eyes, that very deal which I had initially seen as a means to gain more troops on the front ended up costing more than needed as Kiri proved to be an unreliable faction to rely on. I blamed their paranoid leader for this. If I remember correctly the bloody education system that would make them become the 'Village of the Bloody Mist', the one where only the 'best' lived at all graduations due to some stupid battle royals between students, had yet to be implemented.. It was clear that this system born for meritocracy was going to be a true issue to be really worried about as it fostered crazier shinobi and kunoichis to take charge of the nation as a whole.
In this particular case, my 'visit' wasn't one aimed at Kiri itself. No, I was going to the land of the redheads to escort Lady Hokage, her children and Yoshiko to see how things were going 'back home'. Sure, Mito saw Konoha as her primary home now, but it was clear that someone like Hashirama would never dare to cage his wife, so she desired to visit her homeland. So, since the entire situation was quite difficult and extremely important, I was given quite the 'escort' in the form of a lazy fox currently napping on my shoulder.
The plan was fairly simple: spend a week in Uzu, get accustomed with the people, enjoy the scenery, learn some ancient seal technique, and try to keep a war to erupt over fishing rights. Considering past issues I had to handle, this looked like a child's play. Of course, there was the issue that Kiri didn't exactly see me eye-to-eye despite the fact I was part of their allies in the First Shinobi War. The reason why I was quite sure of that was that they put a bounty on my head.
I was Konoha's 'Glory-Hound' in their eyes, something that was considered unofficial as many bounty hunters preferred 'Ankoku no Shi' (Dark Death), 'Nidaime Madara', and my actual favorite since it was the canon one but coming out quite earlier than expected: 'Shinobi no Yami' (Darkness of the Shinobi).
The only major villages that had bounties on my skulls were Iwa and Kiri. I believe Kumo just didn't have the coffers to afford it, and the lack of major impositions over their surrender prevented any true hatred to really develop out of my involvement in their defeat. It was an odd switch I didn't expect to happen, but I was nonetheless curious to see what Kiri really had in mind at this time and age. If I remember correctly the Mizukaze had what I could only define as 'Stalin-level kind of paranoia'. In fact, I wasn't even going to be surprised if I learned that he was the one that would eventually create the system that ended up screwing up the village. I was curious, but not suicidal and definitely far from stupid when it came to dabbling in that kind of affairs until it was really necessary. So I planned to enjoy those 'holidays' in as much peace as possible.
…
At least, as much as Yoshiko was willing to let me enjoy those during the trip. Considering the number of people taking part in this trip didn't favor me picking Kiara for transport, it was decided to set up a more expensive route. A carriage with some ninja covering it while we were inside and moving into the closest port available, and then taking a ship manned by Uzumaki loyalists right up to Uzushiogakure. Nothing too extreme, but it was going to take a while.
And making a trip with Yoshiko pestering me about teaching her some of the 'cool moves' she saw me use against Madara and also babysitting the twins while Mito tried to handle Yoshiko herself proved to be… troublesome. Really troublesome. I barely found the time to nap, especially when I became the target of instant cuddling from the young redhead as soon as I closed my eyes for a brief moment to catch up on some rest.
I didn't have anything against it… had I been younger and without the advanced mind I have at the moment. I was now eleven bordering twelve, and I knew that hormones were only now starting to become a really nasty thing to keep at bay. I wasn't planning anything stupid, and I was going to wear a chastity belt if necessary.
Ah yes, the years of me being a teenage Part 2, the Revenge. I hope I will be less moody since I've gone to the first one without much of a hassle.
The real issue was going to come when it was the girls' turn to be more aware of how interactions worked. I was already seeing it in full swing with Himeko, and I sure as hell knew it was going to be a thing with Reira but even worse in Yoshiko. She was clutching at me as if I was the only lifeboat in the senseless sea that was this world. The moment she knew of the things many adults were aware about at the passing of age, I knew it was going to be an extremely tough life for me to keep myself away from her. Especially since I was literally giving her the tools to eventually be a formidable hunter when it came to tracking me down.
Still, I was hopeful that others that weren't Mito were going to move in and do something about it. In fact, I expected the Uzukage, Yoshiko's overprotective dad, to actually greet me as if I was the worst kind of threat in his entire life. I was expecting the stereotype to strike now more than ever. And yet fate decided to slide in and shock me when I was pulled in a tight hug by the man himself, the guy chuckling and saying words that damned me forever.
"Welcome, Danzou, my future son-in-law!"
I'm dead, my body and brain had yet to catch up with that thought crossing my mind at that proclamation at our arrival and the giggles coming from Mito and Yoshiko.