"A dangerous thing, keeping enemies of your home alive only to further your gains, more often than not you end up regretting it." Hashirama spoke with the same empty tone of his brother, forced in unnatural immobility from the condition of the Edo Tensei.
...
I shrugged, with Sage mode, and Orochimaru no longer protected by Sarutobi's sentimentalism, I knew that the Snake summoner would never leave the Elephant Plane alive.
"The first part of my orders was to end the threat that Orochimaru presented to Konoha, the second was to find a way, if possible, to use the attack to shape up and grind some of my skills, you'll have noticed my improvement in the past months.
The only question I have now is if you want to serve under my commands, or find a way to return to the Land of the Pure Souls."
"Why under your command? It seems convenient for you, even in that shallow imitation of our old bodies, we were on the lower tier of being S-rank." Tobirama immediately objected.
"Either you believe that I'm actin under orders, and then you'll follow me, or you don't, and we have to figure out how to get you sorry dead asses back to your graves."
I was blunt, but I really disliked Tobirama, besides being a stuck up asshole, he was the inventor of the Edo Tensei. How batshit crazy must one be to figure out a way to create countless disposable zombies?
"The dead should stay dead." Hashirama replied.
"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to figure out a way to solve the mess you left behind?" I answered him.
"Giving Biju around worked only while you were alive and capable of taking them back, now the jinchuriki are no longer used only for a deterrent, but there are people moving to collect back the Biju, and create some sort of big ass weapon."
"Your orders would see us hunting these people? Why you? Why would Hiruzen-kun entertain the idea of keeping his dead sensei bound to this plane?" Tobirama asked again, his voice, while still flat and without any intonation worthy mentioning, managed to convey his scepticism.
So I gave them the rundown about Akatsuki, that in the canon timeline had started moving only after Naruto had once again been accounted for in Konoha, and then I dropped the bomb.
"Danzo always resented Tobirama because he chose Sarutobi over him as his successor when Sandaime-sama offered himself as a distraction against Kumo.
Since then, he kept up with Root, his secret police, using it indiscriminately in order to further the position of Konoha, even if it meant causing an incident that would lead Konoha to war."
"Danzo-kun is a loyal..." Tobirama managed to sound affronted before I stopped him with a shake of my head.
"How do you think the missing-nin Orochimaru managed to infiltrate Konoha along with your corpses during the Chunin exams?" I asked, revealing a conspiracy that may or may not have existed.
"Orochimaru was going for the kill against Sandaime-sama while we had the Tsuchikage and Kazekage in our midst, the plan was gutting Konoha, and Danzo sweeping in with his secret forces to save the day and being named Hokage."
Given the picture of events that I had given them, there were a lot of coincidences that could easily be explained by some mole among the Higher Ups pulling the strings, from the Hyuga incident, to the condition that pushed for the Uchiha Massacre, there was enough dust in the air to throw doubt in both of the First and Second Hokage, and that doubt was all that I needed.
"Would speaking with the one responsible for the Uchiha Massacre help? He'll confirm that he acted under orders if it means that Konoha against you two on the lines for the next conflict, the Fourth Great Ninja War had been brewing for a while now, if it hasn't begun already.
It won't be long ..." I added, hoping that the blatant urgency of my words could convince them that there were less articulate ways to betray their home.
"This Itachi sounds like a brave soul... it would be difficult for him to fool us when being asked about the death of his family." Hashirama stated, and with that, I knew that I had won.
"If we accepted," Tobirama spoke again in his unnervingly flat tone: "We would first need to figure out a way to give these bodies some kick, at least to the point in which we can keep up with you."
I grinned unashamedly, I had them in the bag: "I guess we should start with fuinjutsu."
...
( SASUKE )
Sasuke Uchiha had been labelled a genius, but he never let it go to his head, not really. He knew of the gulf between himself and those that called themselves his peers, and rightfully treated them dismissively, more often than not with barely veiled scorn.
Why shouldn't he? Sure as hell mediocre friends wouldn't help him in taking down ... that man.
He had been called a genius, but he knew what genius actually looked like. There was no pride in being the first of his class, it wasn't needed, nor warranted.
The kids that dragged their feet trough training should have simply remained at home, with their parents, playing cat's cradle or something equally asinine to waste their time. At least they would stay out of his way.
At least with the was Sakura has been pushed back with the Genins and the Gods know what the Idiots orders are.
He thought with a hint of relief, finally, the dumb idiot with more luck than chakra and the useless wimp were no longer his responsibility, while Kakashi had been sent to much more important missions than keeping an eye out for the Team 7, which had been disbanded in all but name.
Between marching together and camping near each other, Sasuke' eyes had picked up more and more habits from the occasional jonin, turning movements he didn't recognize as sloppy in sleekier and less energy-expensive acts.
Since... that night, Sasuke showed the due respect to those who clearly outclassed him, be they the Hokage to whom he 'owed' his loyalty or Kakashi. With the others, he couldn't be bothered to feign interest, and if they got annoyed when he pointed out their blatant failings, well.. it was no skin off his nose.
He showed some kind of respect to Daiki too. It wasn't only due to the blatant difference in power between them, it was something... different.
Their relationship had started out with him camping out in the Uchiha Compound, and not in an out of the way alley, no, but in front of his own house! As if he was saying 'I'm here to stay, if you have a problem, come at me'.
...
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