12 YEARS BEFORE THE SECOND GREAT SHINOBI WAR
What's in a name? What did names even mean? Why did they matter? Those questions had meant little to him in his first life. He'd been named Victor, a simple strong name that any man could be proud of. It lead to a lot of Victor Von Doom jokes, but he'd long acknowledged that those jokes were entirely a consequence of his own actions. After all, he'd been the one to make the choice to hang out with the 12 people in a thousand who knew that the famous MCU villain had a name as common as Victor. In this world, however. In his second life, for lack of a better term, things could not be more different. His name was a million things in one. A statement to others, and a warning to him.
Shorirama Senju. The Triumph, his first name translated into. An innocuous enough name if one didn't consider the context. His mother, Hinori Hyuga, the twin sister to the Hyuga Clan head had chosen to bestow the name on him because he'd been born on precisely the day that the news returned to Konoha that the Great Shinobi War had come to an end. Even in his thoughts, he did not dare to refer to it as the First War. When he'd called it such, it was only his age that saved him from a spontaneous lynching in the crowd of grieving parents, spouses, and children. His name and his blood, as well. Whether he carried the stereotypical Senju looks or not, little could be done to deny the fact that he was the Grandnephew of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
"Pay attention" his minder hissed at him, and he nodded, looking down at the crowd of mourners. That was what had brought his thoughts to his age. Once again, the Festival of Remembrance had come about, and this time like all others he was forced to attend dressed in a mournful sober black and forced to maintain a sober contemplative expression. He chanced a glance to the side and noted his older cousin looking boldly bored out of her mind. A fifteen year old Tsunade Senju was a force of stubborn energy that could not be denied. She'd thrown a stinker at being summoned to stand at the same position she'd occupied in every procession. The same stinker she threw last year, and the year before that. Regardless, she stood. She made it clear she didn't want to be here but that was the best that she could do.
A cough drew his attention to the man that forced the stubborn slug summoner to his will. Tobirama Senju. Second Hokage of the Leaf. Uncle. He moved the hat on his head before he tossed it to the side completely. He bared his pale skin to the audience and showed off his long white hair. "Welcome. Once again, we stand together in mourning. In mourning for what has been taken from us. Fathers. Mothers. Sons. Daughters. Brothers. Sisters. All gone at the hands of the enemy as they sought to do the impossible. They tried to extinguish the will of fire. Every year, we hold this procession to mourn, and every year I remind you all that they have failed. What they sought to extinguish burns hot and bright. Eight years ago my nephew, Itama Senju son of Hashirama, was killed in an ambush from cowardly shinobi of Iwagakure at the twilight of the Great War. Now, I present to you his son, Shorirama Senju." What? What did he mean? I felt my minder push me forward and my legs complied before my brain could stop them.
I covered the few steps that separated me from my Granduncle on the Rooftop of the Giant Hokage Tower in what felt like slow motion. My eyes twitched as I looked for some sort of salvation from whatever this was to be. Searching for my mother was a waste of time. She didn't attend. Few things could rouse her from bed, and a memorial in her late husband's honour was not one of them. I met Tsunade's eyes as I walked past her, and for the first time today she was paying full attention. Sharp eyes followed me on every step I took. When I finally reached him, I felt strong hands grab on to my shoulder as I was turned around to look at the crowd. I gulped at the sight. It looked like all of Konoha was here. Thousands of citizens lined the walkways, surrounding the tower and stretching back far and wide. This was the Village Hidden in the Leaves in her full glory.
"My nephew will continue his education at the Konoha Shinobi academy in the hopes of living up to his father's legacy. The Hidden Stone thought they would rob us of one of our own with their cowardly attack, but here Itama's son stands. Ready to take up his father's mantle in defence of the Will of Fire. I urge you all. Follow Shorirama's example. Enroll your children and wards in the academy today" After that, I zoned out. My thoughts were flooded. The shinobi academy.
I'd never been an idiot. I knew that as a descendant of both the Senju and Hyuga clans, I'd be expected to become a shinobi one way or another. But nothing had ever been said about the academy. From what I knew, the academy was for civilian children. Clan Children received their tutelage at home. My tutelage had been handled by a rotating contingent of retainers from the Hyuga Branch Family. Everything from etiquette and caligraphy to taijutsu and shurinkenjutsu had been covered in those lessons. They told me of my genius loudly and often. I had no doubts that I was quite ahead of my age group. So why was I being shunted off to the academy?
XXXXXXX
"What kind of stunt was that?" One thing most people didn't know about Uzumaki Mito was that apart from being a wise old woman, she had one hell of a temper. And the second that she'd gotten wind of what had happened at the Remembrance Festival, she wasted no time in showing up to the Hokage Tower. In fact, she was sitting down on the Chair that her husband had once occupied by the time that we'd returned from the Festival. After Tobirama's speech came a ton of ceremony. There would be music, and dancing, and various ninjutsu performances. It was still a somber affair, but every year it became just a little bit less so. Just four years ago, the thought of music would have been ludicrous. Tobirama was a genius when it came to using progressive overload to make the citizenry get used to adding more and more celebratory tones to the Festival.
"A necessary one" He replied with a sigh, not contesting her presence on his seat. A decision that I was sure was a wise one. Mito was on old woman, but she was still the Nine tailed jinchuriki for a reason. She had strength aplenty.
"How? Please tell me how announcing the whereabouts of my grandson to every spy and agent of the other villages can count as necessary?" She asked, tone calm but having the subtext of something dark. I looked up at Tsunade, not sure if I should even be here in the first place.
"I know the risks. We'll have to trust in the academy security but the enrolments in the academy from the civilians still hasn't recovered to the levels from before the war. Every analyst assumed that after a few years along with all the new benefits being created for families with children in the academy, that we'd get the numbers back up but we haven't. I chose to change tacks. The truth is they won't trust the academy because the clans don't. If they see the Son of Hashirama's eldest going to the academy as well then that might be enough to get them to consider it, at the very least. It's also going to be good for enrolments from Clan ninja. The other clans still want to get as close to the Senju as possible. Having Shorirama in the Academy tells them that that's the place to do it." He explained, trying to win Mito over with pure logic.
"Even with the best of the best watching over him, Hashirama had to deal with assassination attempts every other week. That was how much the others feared him. Even Tsunade, his Jounin Granddaughter has had to deal with much the same over the years. Now you want to present them the target of my other Grandchild? No, Tobi. No. I refuse." She said, the edge in her tone was now unmistakable.
"You don't really get a choice in this" The Second Hokage, well known Negotiator said next. Even I could see it was a blunder. It didn't take a second for the chakra in the room to begin to choke the air out of my lungs.
"Nope" I heard from beside me, and the next thing I knew I was back on the rooftop safe in Tsunade's arms.
XXXXXX
"Shorirama-sama, do it like this instead" the Hyuga branch member said, directing me through the forms of the advanced gentle fist kata once again.
I made my best attempt at copying his movements, but even I could tell that I wasn't getting it quite right.
"Is everything alright, Shorirama-sama? You usually pick things up faster than this" He asked, making me want to snap at him. In fact, when I opened my mouth after whirling to face him, I could see that he expected me to snap. He cringed backwards a little, and that little movement was enough to make me snap out of it..
"I just have a lot on my mind. Why am I even learning this in the first place? It's not like I'm ever going to get the byakugan" I said to him, running my hands over my black hair. I thanked the gods that I hadn't inherited the rough hair of the Senju. Hyuga hair was much easier to manage. Looked better too.
"We've covered this before, Shorirama-sama. Even without the byakugan, the gentle fist can still be utilised as the basis for a devastating taijutsu style. Even beyond this, while the inability to see individual tenketsu means that you'll never get to use the gentle fist to its full potential, a liver shot is still a liver shot. And with chakra added to your strikes, you'll cause as much damage as any gentle fist user. Besides, you've only been practicing for five years now and you're already working through the advanced forms. Not letting a genius like you work with the gentle fist would be a travesty" he said to me, combining legitimate feedback with some good old arsekissing. I nodded at him, scowl still on my face and returned to the session.
From the corner of my eyes, I could see Grandmother Mito watching me from the balcony. Even though Mother was the sister to the Hyuga clashed, I was still the grandson of Hashirama. There was only one place where I could be expected to grow up. The Senju Clan Compound. Sure, the Hyuga sent dozens of their household staff to ensure Mother lived in the luxury she'd grown up used to (and probably to make sure they had some influence on my upbringing but don't say that one too loudly).
When I failed my next attempt, I heard clapping from the balcony. I turned again, and noticed that Tsunade had joined Grandmother on the balcony. And now was being scolded for her mockery. The smile that spread across my face at Tsunade's abashed expression was bittersweet. I turned back to my instructor, his byakugan focused on me as I went through the forms once again. My head still wasn't in it, but I managed to make sure that I didn't make any mistakes as I went through the forms.
"Well done, Shorirama-sama. Now a few more tries and it will be perfect" He said with a smile on his face. Hayate was a man who smiled easily and acted like a puppy in the body of a man. He was skilled, easily on the level of a jounin, but his easy going nature and timid personality meant that he got to spend his days training brats like me instead of writing his name in the history books with the blood of Konoha's enemies. He got a good deal. Not a deal that I'd ever get, however. I had _expectations_.
"Alright. That's enough for today. I'll take over my grandson's training for today" I heard from above as Grandmother Mito began descending the stairs. She did it slowly for the first few steps before turning to my cousin and barking "Come help your Grandmother you fool girl"
Tsunade wasted no time in catching up to her and helping her down the stairs.
"But Mito-sama… Tobirama-sama agreed with the elders to.." Hayate was cut off almost as quickly as he began.
"I don't care what my brother-in-law has agreed with your clan. This is my grandson" She said firmly.
Any other member of the Hyuga clan would have stood their ground. Not Hayate. The man bowed and disappeared with a shunshin almost immediately. I had no doubts that he was going to report to whatever elders he answered to.
"Now that its just family here. What do you say we do something fun?" She asked me and my smile could have blinded the sun. There was one thing that lessons with Mito meant. Sure, she'd been a skilled enough Shinobi in her time but what made her truly special was her prowess with fuinjutsu. That was what she spent her time trying to pass down to me.
"Come along with us Tsunade" She said, dragging my cousin with us once she noticed her attempt to disappear in a shunshin of her own.
"Fuinjutsu is so boringggg" Tsunade drawled as Mito began to physically drag her with us towards the practice room, her act of being a frail old woman long abandoned.
"Yay fuinjutsu" I said, pumping one hand in the air. Pretending to be an eight year old could be fun, sometimes. Especially for annoying foolish cousins.
"What distinguishes a seal in fuinjutsu from a hand seal used in ninjutsu?" She asked the both of us as we sat in seiza before her, scrolls out and brushes at out left hand sides. That was an interesting trait we shared- Tsunade and I. Left-handedness. i racked my brain for an answer, while it looked to all the world that Tsunade had mentally checked out from the lesson. I knew that in canon, Tsunade would become competent with fuinjutsu- competent enough to have a seal on her literal forehead- but the fact that even then she'd be considered lesser to both her teammates said a lot. With a pedigree like hers, no one should have been able to come close. She just wasn't interested.
A direct opposite to me, at the very least. I had a passion for fuinjutsu. Partly because of how easy it came to a brain that had aced University-level physics, and also partly because of how necessary it would be. Fuinjutsu was one hell of an equaliser, and it was one of the few things that could bridge the gap between Jounin and the literal natural disasters in human skin known as S-rank ninja. It was my theory that only the Flying Thundergod could have made Minato a monster capable of running circles around two or even three S-rank shinobi at the same time. Sure, he never managed to actually kill them but surviving to tell the tale was a feat on its own. Needless to say, I had a shit ton of motivation feeling my interest.
"Fuinjutsu seals are written, but handseals are done with the hands" I finally said after wracking my brain trying to come up with something at least more inspired. Tsunade's instant chuckle at my response was not the most encouraging thing but I'd long since learned not to expect encouragement from this version of the Sannin. She was firmly in her troublesome teens and had somehow decided that being a sarcastic bitch to everyone who shared blood with her was the ideal way to assert her independence and maturity. Nevermind that she still lived in the clan compound and spent clan money on whatever whims caught her fancy. Sure, she donated her entire pay to the clan but that was besides the point.
"Something slightly more than the readily apparent, Shori-chan" Mito deadpanned, making me flush entirely against my will. That was a good one.
"Fuinjutsu seals are more varied- there's as many as three-hundred and sixty nine characters in the Uzumaki Script alone and it's just one of dozens- but there are only twelve hand signs. Twelve standard ones, at least" Tsunade suddenly said, making me turn to her. The way she rolled her eyes at me once she noticed my attention made me want to curse out loud but I just took the loss. It stung to lose to someone who wasn't even trying, but that was the way the world worked.
"Slightly better, and close to the actual answer. But wrong still" Mito said, making me want to jump up and celebrate. Tsunade's smug look was wiped off her face quicker than grime in the face of a pressure hose.
"An accurate answer lies in their purpose. Hand seals regulate the flow of chakra in the body. They act as a crutch for ninjutsu or genjutsu, telling your chakra to contort itself in a pre-determined manner. That is why when you get skilled enough, you can shave a few seals off a jutsu or even abandon the use of seals in their entirety" As she spoke, as if to demonstrate her point, the world around us began to shift as she seamlessly placed us both under genjutsu while her hands were on the table for us both to see. First of all, my view of the scene became monochrome before the world started to shift as colour swam into my vision from the edges in a chaotic mess. I looked to my right, only this time I wasn't able to see Tsunade anymore. Suddenly, everything crashed around me as I felt myself return to reality.
"While Fuinjutsu does something else. It couldn't care less about how chakra flows within your body- although there are quite a few seals that can help with that. Instead, fuinjutsu seals tell reality itself how to behave. Fuinjutsu allows you to impose your will on the universe. To master Fuinjutsu is the closest humanity can come to visiting the realm of the gods. That is why you can never remove seals from a matrix without finding a way to compensate for it. Reality is a dense, unyielding thing. And to even bend it, you have to play by its rules. That is what separates the seals we Uzumaki use from the seals that the rest of the world is familiar with." She said, staring at the both of us, trying to convey the importance of her words with her stare alone. I thought I understood it then. I'd find out in time that Mito's words were the tip of it.
"Why do I have angry Hyuga elders bombarding my secretary with requests to meet?" We heard a voice from behind us. A familiar voice. I whirled around tp come faced with the familiar white robes that Uncle wore on a daily basis. The robes that marked him as the Hokage. Well, not just the robes. The robes and feet adorned with shinobi sandals. I looked up to his face to see him looking down at the three of us with a raised eyebrow. Neither Tsunade nor Mito looked shocked to see him. Of course, they'd sensed him coming.
"I wanted to have a lesson with my grandson. Surely, your politicking can not rob me of that?" Grandmother said with a snarky voice. I could already tell that she wasn't in a good mood for the interruption.
"You were privy to every aspect of the negotiations, Mito. You know that we had to make compromises for us to even get to raise him here. The marriage agreement Itama signed was very specific, and getting out of it was a feat in and of itself."
"I don't care. He is my grandson. I wanted time with him, and I got it. You're the one sending him to your foolish pet project and reducing the time he spends at home in the first place" She said, pointing right at him in an accusing tone.
"I already explained my reasons for having him join the academy. It worked, even. We'd got as many as thrice the number of applicants n this year's batch" He said, looking very proud of himself as he reached up to adjust his hat.
"Still, his tine at home is reducing and I wanted time to teach him valuable skills. The Hyuga were teaching him some useless kata among a dozen that no one would even get to use in a real battle" She said, not having the best opinion of Hyuga taijutsu. Mito didn't have the best opinion on many Hyuga things. If I didn't share their appearances so thoroughly, I was sure she'd have had a few choice words to say about their looks as well.
"I will speak with the elders. We will renegotiate Shorirama's schedule to make room for your lessons with the inclusion of the academy." "And free time for him to play as well" Tsunade added, tossing in her two cents
"There aren't enough hours in a day for such frivolity. Don't be ridiculous" He denied without even giving his grandniece a look.
"If that is settled then, I have Shorirama now. He's the right age for him to start with the trials" Uncle said before reaching down and grabbing my shoulder. I didn't hear Mito reply before I found myself in a completely different location. Looking around told me we were on the cliff face that would become the Hokage rock in time. It overlooked the rest of the village, and the view was truly breathtaking.
"Do you know why I've brought you here Shorirama?" He asked, joining me at the edge of the clip, looking over the village.
"No. You said something about trials" I replied.
"Well, trials might be the wrong word to use here. Are you aware of the clan traditions?" He asked.
"No" I replied simply. That was the truth. I knew so much about the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans, but when you compared that knowledge with what I had about the Senju, it was pitifully lacking.
"Yes. I am to blame for that. As the eldest male in your family, it is my duty to teach you about the clan history and traditions, but duty has kept me away for much of your childhood." He said, sounding slightly apologetic. That was enough to make me look up in surprise. I'd known Tobirama for all of my new life, and if there was one thing he never did, it was apologise. He and Mito had had so many fights about it.
"Well, this is one tradition that we can't really negotiate" he said, turning away y from the village to look at me. I mirrored his movements and looked up to meet his eyes.
"Our clan name. Senju. One thousand skills- or one thousand hands, depending on how you see it. It comes from the fact that even back in the warring states period, no two senju shinobi were the same. We had such a wide range of skills and focuses. Just look at my brother and I. We were both trained by our father, Butsuma, and the arms master, Kentetsu, but our fighting styles could not be more varied." He said, launching into an exposition that I found difficult to relate with our previous conversation
"I know, Granduncle" I said, in reply. All these were things I knew already. I might not have had fixed lessons on Senju clan history, but even the most proud Hyuga wouldn't dare lecture me about my proud ancestry without even glossing over the most famous men on either side of my bloodline. Hashirama and Tobirama. One whoo ended the warring states period, almost singlehandedly, and another who led Konoha through the largest war that the world has ever had the displeasure of witnessing.
"What you don't know is why. Each one of us is unique. It is a feature of our clan. Everything, from our affinities to talents tend to be varied. That means that unlike the Uchiha who have a single test for determining when one becomes an adult, we wouldn't dare put something so limiting. They have the Great fireball jutsu as their test. This is ours" He said, turning to me and beginning to weave seals.
I watched him with sharp eyes, catalouguing and forcing everything to memory. My lessons had included a lot of the things I needed to be a successful shinoboi. One of them was the ability to memorise things with only one look. Not everything, but a string of hand seals was easy enough for even me. Tiger then Ox, tiger again, and ending in the rat seal. Tobirama smiled at my attention on him. I must have salivated as I focused on him. The Hyuga clan weren't known for their ninjutsu prowess, and with the earliest parts of my education being entirely in their control, it was no surprise that this was the first true piece of ninjutsu I would ever be learning.
"Water Release: Water Bullet" Tobirama said and spat out a condensed stream of water that shot through one of the trees in front of us and continued to go forwards, covering the distance at an impressive speed before it dissolved. He smiled at me before he started going through more seals. More than one jutsu? Boar → Ram → Snake → Horse → Dragon, his hands moved through just as languidly as the first time, and this time he stretched out both hands at the end of the string of seals. "Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder" He said as his hands flashed white and multiple streams of electricity shot out of said hands before slamming into a conveniently placed boulder that they shattered into nothing more than a collection of loose stone.
Still, Tobirama did not stop. He formed only a single seal this time. The Bird Seal. "Wind Release: Air Bullets" He said before inhaling and breathing out a condensed series of breaths. The jutsu was invisible to the naked eyes but I noticed its effect when it landed, tearing through several trees and leaving small circular holes behind. More seals began as Tobirama turned away from the forest to the cliff face. This time, they were seals I was more than familiar with after seeing them so many times in the anime. Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger, he used, holding the tiger seal in front off his mouth as he inhaled an impressive amount of air before breathing out what could only be described as a fire storm. It was loosely contained in the shape of a ball of fire as it streaked across the village sky. I wondered then why he had chosen this spot of all others to show me ninja techniques. It was also curious that of all jutsu to overpower so heavily, it just happened to be this one. "Fire release: Great Fireball Jutsu" He said as we watched the ball fly over the village before it began to dissipate as Tobirama cut off the stream of chakra and it found nothing to latch onto.
"And now the last one." He said to me before he began to flip through the next series of seals, Tiger → Hare → Boar → Dog or Ram → Dog → Ox → Snake. My suspicion that it would be an earth release jutsu were proven accurate when he bent and slapped his hands on the ground before saying out loud, "Earth Release: Earth Wall" A massive wall of pure stone rose from the ground in front of us in seconds. As I beheld ninja magic in person. This was just something else. One powerful jutsu from every element?
"That's the test?" I asked, looking at him in shock.
"That's the test for the Clanhead's bloodline" He specified, giving me a significant look. So this wasn't what the rest of the clan had to go through. It was for us and us alone.
"Tsunade passed this?" I asked him, shocked. She never seemed like a ninjutsu specialist to me.
Here, Tobirama scoffed in reply. "Barely. Your cousin was content to display the barest competence with each of the techniques. Enough to pass but definitely not what I will be expecting from you" He said to me.
Of course. No pressure at all.
He seemed to realise the impact his words could have as he turned towards me and bent down on his knees. "You, Shorirama, are the product of two of Konoha's strongest clans. Two of the strongest clans in the entire world. The Hyuga enjoy a long history that goes back just as far as ours, and you are the product of the best of both those bloodlines. Grandson of Hashirama, the Greatest Senju to ever live, and Great Grandson of Hiashi, Greatest Hyuga to ever live. You have so much potential in you. Potential to be greater than every single one of us who came before you." No pressure, indeed.
A/N; Finally posting this. The next three chapters are up on the place of patrons- same username as up here so feel free to check it out if you want to support my journey, but don't stress if you can't. Everything will come up here in its own time.