SHIMMERING MIST : HATAKE SI (Naruto)

[Drkest]

Chapter 1- A secret revealed!

Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake learned an important life lesson: people could be quite fickle. Fickle. Cruel. And they were capable of changing in seconds. They would worship you, place you on a pedestal, and then, in the next second, curse you and call you names.

Just mere weeks ago, the same people now made faces at him as he walked past them on the streets. They sneered and murmured behind his back, cursing. Cursed child. Honorless cur. Pathetic.

Kakashi heard them all. Initially, he had been angry and wanted to argue, yet his father had stopped him, apologizing that it was his fault, that they were just angry. Kakashi hated that. Hated seeing them shame his name.

They blamed him for the war and for not completing his mission. Even those whose lives he had saved had turned their back on him and joined the populace.

He should have let them die. They did not deserve to be saved.

"How can they show their face around here?"

"They should have expelled him from the academy?"

"The nerve!"

He heard their murmurs, his enhanced hearing allowing him to hear each of their words, yet he only clenched his fists as he picked up his pace and walked toward his house. He adjusted his mask and walked into the clan district. Not stopping to greet anyone, he made his way to their house at the end of the street.

Despite only having two occupants, it was the largest house in the surroundings, though there had been a time when it had housed more than just him and his father. Coincidentally Kakashi frowned as he found the door open, and shouting came from inside the house.

He frowned as he approached the door, and the voices became clearer.

"I told you! I warned you so many times, yet you still chose to save those fucking bastards!" shouted a voice quite similar to his, cracking slightly. It was Ohashi, his half-brother.

"I know it's been hard on you, and I am sorry for all this, Oha…" his father apologized once more, but the voice from earlier cut him off.

"I don't give a damn about that! You put your life in danger all to save those curs! And those bastards are using you to hide their incompetence! And you are not even retaliating!" shouted his brother, and Kakashi agreed with that statement.

The truth was that Kakashi had seen little of his half-brother, for they were quite a bit apart in age. Ohashi. He knew that his brother had only visited their home a couple of times and lived alone.

"I am their leader, Ohashi! I am the one who should carry the blame," his father replied.

"Bullshit! They all should be investigated, and their records should be examined on how they even made it past genin! Even Sarutob-sama wouldn't have been able to manage that mission with such baggage!" came the retort, and as his father was about to reply, Kakashi felt eyes focus on the door, onto him.

"Who is there!" Kakashi's hair stood up as his father's sharp voice cut through the air. And he gulped before he suddenly opened the door and entered the door, behaving as if he hadn't listened to anything that had been said earlier.

"It's me, Kakashi," he said as he walked in and found his father standing opposite an early teen shinobi opposite to him. Ohashi was a bit older than twice his age and was already a chunin, evident by his uniform. Both of them shared little besides the coloring of their hair, while his hair resembled their father's in their Ohashi's were flatter.

His father smiled at seeing him and greeted him as usual.

"Welcome back, Kakashi. How was your day at the academy?" his father asked him as usual, and Kakashi just shrugged, not mentioning their teacher's hateful and snide remarks once more.

"It was ok," he replied before facing his half-brother, who tried to give him a smile as he waved hesitantly.

"Hi, Kakashi," Kakashi nodded as his father spoke up again.

"Ahh, Ohashi had come in to deliver some stuff. He will be joining us for lucn…." But before his father could finish, Ohashi cut him off once more.

"I am afraid I can not join you for lunch. I have to leave for a mission in two hours, and I need to pack up," came the reply, and Kakashi noticed his father stiffen up at that.

"Oh, I am sorry," his father apologized once more, and his brother just waved away the words and began to walk past him to the door.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't beat yourself up. Things will get better soon. Don't do anything idiotic. Please!" came the plea, and had Kakashi known his elder brother more, he would have noticed the nervousness in his tone. Yet alas!

"Don't worry about me! And be safe!" said his father, and his brother nodded before vanishing into a puff of smoke.

Kakashi began to take off his shoes and also spoke up.

"You do know that he is right. Don't blame yourself like this. Things will sort themselves out soon enough," and he saw his father turn toward him with a frown before a smile came over his face.

"AHH! So, you do care about your poor old dad! How lucky I am to have such filial children!" gushed his father making Kakashi scrunch up his nose. And his father broke into a small laugh, something Kakashi had not seen the man do for quite some time. So, he decided to keep the retort he had come up with to himself.

Kakashi then glanced behind him at the place where his half-brother had stood a minute earlier and decided to ask again.

"Why doesn't he stay with us?" Kakashi asked his father once more as they moved towards the dining table.

His father sighed and replied the same way as he always did to questions regarding him.

"Ohh! You are too young to know. I will tell you when you are a bit older," he replied as he ruffled his hair, and Kakashi struck away his hand as he looked up.

"I am not too young. I will be a genin soon enough, giving me the same status as an adult!" he retorted. And saw his father's eyes focus on him before he sighed, and his face saddened a bit.

"Well, perhaps it is time," he said before he sat down and closed his eyes. Kakashi patiently waited for him; after a bit, his father finally began.

"Well, years ago, I saw someone else before I met your mother. There were some circumstances, and long story short, Ohashi was born, and she died giving birth to him, and due to some huge lapses, he ended up in the Orphanage."

And Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard that. Orphanage!

"What! Why? Why didn't you bring him home?" he questioned, and he saw guilt appear on his father's face.

"It was a huge mess, mostly because of the war. I was continuously running missions those days, and truthfully, only years later would I come to know of my son's existence. But by then, he was already old enough to enter the academy."

And Kakashi was shocked by the words. Exactly what was going on with the village? How many shinobi had silver hair like that? How the hell had they missed it?

"So, he doesn't stay with us because he blames you for all that?" he tried to guess, and his father just shrugged.

"I don't know! So, when I heard from him, I met him and tried apologizing. I had just married your mother, and she also met him."

And Kakashi was surprised to hear that, and his mind raced. Was it because of his mother? But from what little Kakashi remembered of her, she had always been happy to see his elder brother. Perhaps seeing his perplexed state, his father added.

"Your mother also tried to have him move to the house, but Ohashi refused. And despite our insistence, he refused to budge. He did not blame us, but he had grown up quite by then. He graduated from the academy at seven, is now a highly acclaimed chunin at ten, and could be promoted again by the end of the year."

And Kakashi's head snapped towards his father as he heard that. And he saw a look of guilt though there was some hint of pride on his face as well as he continued.

"Despite his circumstances, he grew up to be an excellent shinobi."

Kakashi began to process everything he had heard, and everything began to fall into place. Those awkward dinners and those awkward smiles all made sense now, as well as his status as the Hatake heir.

"Is that also why I am the clan heir?" and his father nodded.

"Ohashi said that it was your birthright, and he didn't want to steal it from you. Though your mother had him registered in the family so he could officially carry the Hatake name."

That was good. By the laws, no one could use a clan's name without having registered into it, which meant all children born out of marriage had to be registered by their parents. And that power usually lay with the matriarch of the clan. So, this was why Ohashi carried the name Hatake despite everything else.

Though something still bugged him in all this, he looked up at his father and asked away.

"But what's so complicated about all this?" His father just spluttered at this and laughed once more, perhaps thinking his question was a joke.

"Haha!" his father laughed.

However, if anyone were to ask him, Kakashi thought that it was completely valid. None of it was as complicated as he had expected it all to be. Honestly, he found it more tragic than complicated.

"Well, I should have expected that," his father began after stifling his laugh and looking quite relieved.

"No matter. That is the gist of it. Despite his behavior, Ohashi cares a lot about you, so try to get along with him. Maybe you could ask him to spar with you the next time he comes. Perhaps he could give you some tips!" his father said, and Kakashi nodded, considering the suggestion. Maybe he would. Perhaps he would have some tips on dealing with annoying classmates like that, Uchiha.

"Maybe I will," he replied, and his father smiled once more, relief apparent on his face and a certain glint in his eyes.

"Well, that's enough of that. Let's eat before the food gets cold!" his father cut off his thoughts as he began to place food into his bowl. Both of them ate in silence and finished their meals, and just as his father had tidied up the table, Kakashi spoke up once more.

"What was her name?" he asked and saw his father halt at his words momentarily.

"Sumiko. Her name was Kato Sumiko." came the reply seconds later, and Kakashi frowned as he tried to recall exactly where he had heard that name before, for he was sure he had heard it before.

'Kato Sumiko? Kato?'

0000

Outside of Konoha, a whole platoon stood assembled, waiting to move out to their destination. The platoon commander, Uchiha Fugaku, stared at the men assembled before him and frowned, finding one notable shinobi missing from the line.

Just as the clock was about to strike four, a shinobi appeared with a pop right in front of him, his approach remaining unsensed by everyone. There were some murmurs as everyone recognized the silvery hair of the iconic.

"Ohashi Hatake, reporting for departure to commander Uchiha Fugaku," said the young chunin as he knelt before him.

Fugaku nodded and scanned the platoon before him.

"Fall in! Let's move out!"

0000

JIRAIYA

Jiraiya had returned to the village after quite some time. His skill set was essential for the village; hence he had not been able to return to the village at all. Now, though, upon his return he had been shocked to find the behaviour of the people in regards to Sakumo.

Of course, he had heard rumors about this, but the reality had been much worse than he had thought. It was all so idiotic. It was like the people had lost their senses. That or someone was orchestrating all this from behind the scenes. But for what reason?

As he walked towards Sakumo's house, these thoughts ran through his head, planning to invite the man to one of his relaxing trips.

Though he saw that the door to his house was open, he frowned as he walked up to the house, and his eyes widened as he saw the scarlet blood on the ground. And the scene inside would shake him to the core.

Hatake Sakumo lay there, unmoving, with a knife plunged into his heart, his body pale and soaked in crimson blood. A number of bottles of alcohol were strewn across the room, and his six-year-old son lay unconscious beside him in the puddle of blood.

0000

Surprise, I decided to post it a week earlier. So, here is my newest voyage into the world of shinobi.

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot and allows me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely grateful.

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Thanks for reading!

PS: Patreon now has annual billings with discounts available.

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 2

HIRUZEN SARUTOBI

Being a Hokage was the dream of every shinobi, yet few understood the weight of the hat. The sacrifices that the position demanded. The burden it carried. He was reminded once more of that burden as he stared at his student's disappointed and enraged face.

"How could you let this happen? How could you!" Jiraiya screamed, his face filled with anger as he stared him straight in the eyes, and Hiruzen could see the damage this had done to his image in his student's eyes. Jiraiya had always been the idealist amongst his students, a trait he shared with the First Hokage, yet this very trait had been the source of the man's ultimate demise.

"You allowed them to vilify him for saving his comrades! YOU ALLOWED THEM TO MAKE HIM THE VILLAIN! SAKUMO!" Jiriaya screamed, and Hiruzen tried to intervene.

"It can not be denied that the man broke the rule…." yet Jiraiya was having none of it.

"FUCK THE RULES! IF THOSE RULES WERE SO FUCKING IMPORTANT, THEN THE SANIN WOULD HAVE DIED THAT DAY IN AMEGAKURE!" Jiraiya screamed, and Hiruzen was reminded once more why his stubborn student often reminded him of the Shodaime.

"JIRAIYA!" Hiruzen let go of his chakra and felt it fill the room. Yet Jiraiya did not relent as he did not cower as he would have years ago. He continued to glare at him.

"One word! You could have prevented this with ONE WORD! Yet you chose to do nothing and let everyone vilify him. Gods, if he weren't covering for those incompetent bastards, the mission wouldn't have been a failure. Yet they blamed it all on him to hide their incompetence! BASTARDS!" his student said through gritted teeth cursing the incompetent teammates of Sakumo.

"Debating over the past is useless. We cannot change what has already happened, Jiraiya," Hiruzen replied to Jiraiya as he reeled in his chakra though Jiraiya's temper did not change. He had always been close to the Hatake clan head, having a unique friendship.

"You could declassify the mission report and let the whole village know what went wrong! Then those bastards will learn exactly what Sakumo went through," and Jiruzen shook his head.

"You know I cannot do that. Doing so would lower the morale of our forces. In these trying times, it would cost us greatly in the war," Hiruzen reasoned. He was not happy with those shinobi as well. Yet he couldn't public the report. Though that did not mean they would get away scot-free, neither them nor the one behind all this mess.

"And Sakumo's loss will not! He could easily rival you in strength. The man's very name made our enemies tremble. The White Fang was a name to fear. Are you saying that to you he was just a regular shinobi?" Jiraiya said through gritted teeth, and Hiruzen shook his head. Standing up, facing the window, and looking over the village.

"NO! Jiraiya. I did not mean that. But Sakumo is gone, yet the war rages on. We are on the back foot. We cannot have our forces face a second morale collapse. However, I assure you that I will deal with them. I promise," and he would. He definitely would.

"You better, or I will, and you will not like what I will do to them," Jiraiya said as he turned and walked out of his office, though he did stop at the door, his eyes glaring at a certain corner of the room before he closed it behind him with a bang.

Hiruzen brought his pipe to his mouth and took a huge puff, savoring its effect for some moments before he exhaled it out.

CRACK!

And then he let go! His chakra roared as he finally let his eyes focus on the shadow in the corner.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, DANZO?" and his old friend walked out of the shadow, his body bandaged, his cane clicking into the ground. And not a shred of remorse on his face.

"Your student has improved. He seemed to have sensed my presence," Danzo remarked casually.

"If the next words out of your mouth aren't the answer to my question. I will cut off your tongue!" Hiruzen said, focusing his chakra on his bandaged friend. He saw Danzo gulp before he spoke.

"I did what was needed. What was necessary. War is won by following orders and respecting the chain of command. Not with compassion and love," Danzo snarled derisively as he continued.

"With Sakumo's death, all of the force will learn to follow orders to the letter lest they suffer a similar fate! This will make Konoha stronger. Plus, I did not kill the man. It's all his fault if he couldn't even handle such pressure. I would say it's a net positive, for his name was thrown out as the next Hokage. Imagine what would have happened if such a man had gotten the hat!"

"You don't fool me, Danzo. The rumors, the propaganda. I know exactly what you did, and from the look, Jiraiya gave you, he knows as well," Hiruzen said. Danzo simply snorted.

"So what? As I said, I did not push the knife into Sakumo's heart. The man did that to himself," and Danzo shrugged. A part of Hiruzen wanted to strike down Danzo right there. Kill him and be done with it.

Yet a smaller part of him saw the sacrifice the man was willing to make for his village. The extent he was willing to go for his village. In the end, he decided not to deprive Konoha of such a devout leader out of sheer ideals.

So, he reeled in his chakra, his face softening as he sighed.

"You may be right, but the cost is too great. Too great, old friend," and it was. It truly was. Even with the benefits, Danzo pointed out, losing the white fang, losing Sakumo Hatake was a huge blow for Konoha.

"Yet it is only temporary. The man left two children. And if the rumors are to be tru…."

"NO!" Hiruzen immediately cut down that conjecture, gazing at Danzo again.

"You will stay away from both Hatake children. I forbid you from recruiting them into it. And don't test me on this, Danzo. DON'T!" Hiruzen clarified the threat, and Danzo gave him a nod, backing off.

"All right, but I am right in saying that his children are prodigies. The elder is on the border holding back Kumo under Fugaku's command. There have been many recommendations to promote him to Toukubetsu jounin. Some even propose a direct promotion to jounin," Danzo finished, and Hiruzen thought about the elder Hatake son. Hiruzen still remembered the whole debacle surrounding his living circumstances. How a child like that had been placed into the orphanage had been a mystery though he had his suspicions.

"Maybe we could have him return. He could even train his own team a couple of years later," he mused, and that would be good. There was a mark in the boy's file about being a good teacher.

"Maybe, but the younger one is even more promising. Sakumo has trained him and is extremely skilled for a six-year-old," mentioned his friend, and Hiruzen lamented the fate of the young kid. Perhaps he would have to call back the older one to the village for some time.

"I will have the boy apprentice under someone before putting him onto a team. He is set to graduate early, right," that would help round out the boy's skill set, and hopefully, the mentor would be able to help guide the young Kakashi.

"A sound idea. May I suggest Orochimaru? I believe he would be a suitable mentor," and the suggestion didn't fool Hiruzen. Jiraiya would never agree to something like this, not that he thought that Orochimaru was suitable for this.

Kakashi needed someone more human than his student. Someone who couldn't just turn the boy into a deadly shinobi but someone who could act as a role model. Sakumo's son deserved that. And thankfully, he had someone quite suitable in his mind. However, he wouldn't mention it to Danzo.

"I will need to think about it. Now, about Sakumo's team. I want you to take care of them. Throw them to the wolves and leave no loose ends!" he commanded seriously, and Danzo nodded.

"It will be done. Though, I believe I have heard a received a rather interesting piece of information," muttered Danzo with a smirk, and Hiruzen could feel a headache coming.

"I believe there are rumors that Princess Tsuande is coming back," and those words took Hiruzen aback. And suddenly, he remembered the middle name of Sakumo's elder child and sighed.

It was going to be a big headache.

0000

UCHIHA FUGAKU

Uchiha Fugaku watched the young Hatake crouch before closing his eyes, as he placed his hand on the ground. An action reminiscent of the Second Hokage's special long-range sensing technique. Though from what he knew, the boy had yet to master this but was proficient enough to outclass any long-range sensor in his platoon.

Minutes passed in silence as the boy remained still before he finally opened his eyes and stood up.

"There are three platoons surrounding us. It's a pincer attack. We need to act immediately," and the whole platoon became queasy at this. This was an intelligence failure. Their movements had been leaked beforehand. That was the only explanation.

Fugaku frowned as he scanned his own platoon and thought about the numbers. There was no time to focus on the intelligence failure now. There was nervousness in the shinobi. Though the environment was favorable to them, with the forests giving them an advantage, they were still outnumbered three to one.

"Three platoons!"

"We need to retreat! Perhaps we should move back to the border outpost and then ask for reinforcements!" spoke one of his subordinates, yet Fugaku did not respond as he thought up any other plan.

Retreating would not be a good option. They would be letting enemy shinobi into their territory, something which should never be allowed. But facing three platoons being outnumbered three to one wasn't a good option either.

Perhaps he would have to use those eyes finally.

"Permission to speak, commander, Fugaku," spoke out the young Hatake, and Fugaku nodded.

"Commander, I believe instead of retreating, we should attack one of the platoons," and everyone was stunned by these words, including Fugaku himself.

"Explain!" he ordered, and the silver-haired chunin rolled out a map on the ground.

"The three platoons are at our North East, East, and South, respectively. Their movements make me suspect that they have just landed and plan to encounter us as soon as we enter the Land of Hot Water, hence losing our advantage from the terrain."

And Fugaku nodded. That was his assessment as well. But that still did not answer his earlier question.

"Indeed. But you are proposing that we attack them ourselves, heading straight for them. Why?" he questioned once more and could see that the commanders under his command were also intrigued.

"Indeed. I propose that we send one small unit to distract one of the platoons and attack the other one with the rest of the force. I can give you pin point locations of their commanders and their strongest membered, and we could try and attack them as well. Since they have yet to detect our movements, we would have the element of surprise."

And the plan was sound. But the issue was that they weren't facing two. They were facing three platoons.

"But what about the other one," Fugaku began pointing towards the one at the North that had been left unmarked. That was the one platoon that was further inland than the rest but still near enough that it could overwhelm their forces.

"After you have defeated one platoon, we simply retreat back into our territory. We can lay the traps right now, and then if the two remaining corps join up and attack, we could take them out with the trees as our cover and already prepared traps. It would be easy."

Fugaku nodded and looked towards Nara at his side. Ensui Nara was his second in command and probably one of the smartest shinobi in the whole platoon. The Nara clan jounin seemed t be in deep thought before he shook his head.

"The plan is solid. But we don't have someone to engage the second platoon while we ambush the first with our main force. Unless?" the man said, looking at the chunin, who nodded.

"Yes, I would be able to do this. Give me a team of ten shinobi well versed in genjutsu and fire release, and I can distract the second platoon for enough time for you to annihilate the other one."

Fugaku looked at the Hatake again, examining him from head to toe. This was a huge risk, and Fugaku was tempted to end this plan. Yet it was also the most viable option they had.

"Hatake, stay. Rest of you leave us," he ordered, and his commanders vanished with a nod leaving him alone with the silver-haired shinobi.

And Fugaku sighed as he looked at the young chunin once more.

"I know you are skilled, Ohashi, but this could go wrong at any second. Holding back a hundred shinobi with merely ten is no easy task," he told the young kid, who nodded slightly.

"Of course, you are right, but this is the only option," the boy said, pointing at the map, and Fugaku nodded, sighing again.

"Ok. But I want you to understand this, Ohashi. If things go awry, you retreat instantly. Understood!"

And the boy nodded. "Understood, commander."

And Fugaku hoped that the boy would listen to his orders, for if anything were to happen to him, Mikoto would kill him. After all, the boy was her student.

"So, tell me your plan. How do you plan to keep them occupied?" Fugaku questioned, and the boy seemed hesitant before he finally replied.

"I believe you must be aware of Mikoto sensei's special genjutsu technique," and Fugaku's eyes widened. Of course, he was aware. So, he nodded, already dreading the next words of the young Hatake.

"Yeah, so I have somewhat replicated it. It's different, of course, but the base idea is the same."

And Fugaku nodded, shaking his head at the outrageousness of the kid in front of him.

"Well, that will be good enough. We need to time this to perfection."

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot and allows me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely grateful.

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 3

OHASHI HATAKE

War. It had been a rather foreign concept to him long ago. Yet now, he had been involved in one for about half a decade. The very acts that would have made him nauseous, were now the source of his livelihood.

Ohashi shook his head as he shelved all those useless thoughts, for his time on the battlefield had taught him one thing. Any small distraction at any time could be your downfall. Though despite his efforts, he couldn't stop thinking about his father. Ohashi had not gotten to know the man intimately. The misunderstanding and his subsequent marriage with Fumiko-san made it queasy for him to return. Plus, as a genin, he enjoyed the feeling of being an adult, and Sakumo had been very generous to him with money and other resources, so he did kind of like the man.

Yet the man was a mess at this time, and while Ohashi would have loved to be in the village to keep an eye on the man, he could not. Now, he could only pray that the man would be wise enough to listen to his words and not take any rash action.

He raised his hand as he landed softly on the ground. His team landed similarly behind him, and he closed his eyes as he put his hand on the ground. The sensing technique of the Nidaime Hokage was something he had asked Lady Tsunade about, and she had indulged him, and after five years, he had brought it up to an acceptable level.

"Ok, they haven't sensed us," he began speaking in a muffled tone as he brought out his map. The ten shinobi that he had been given were all a bit tense, probably at being commanded by someone who wasn't even a teen yet. Though they kept their mouth shut, for Commander Fugaku's orders had been quite clear.

Though, he suspected his own reputation also played a part in that. For he wasn't exactly an unknown entity.

"All right, I will need you all to run the perimeter along the North- East and don't. Your objective is to stop any kind of communication between this platoon and the one further inland," all ten of them nodded, and Ohashi realized that he did not know the name of even one of them. However, he couldn't care about that. And one of them raised his hand in question, and he nodded, prompting him to speak.

"So, you plan to engage the whole platoon yourself!" asked the Uchiha jounin, and Ohashi recognized him as one of Fugaku's aides.

"Technically, no. I will simply try to contain them for some time so Fugaku-san can ambush them. Right now, they would have already begun their attack. So, I must engage this platoon, distracting them so they can both not provide backup and become vulnerable to an attack," he explained and he could see that they were feeling a bit queasy.

In the end, he did not mind. He would have to let his skill talk.

So, he closed his eyes as he began to cycle through a series of hand seals. He felt his team vanish from behind as they probably went to take their positions. And soon, he felt a substantial drain on his chakra reserves, and he began to exhale.

The Nidaime Hokage was said to have such a mastery over Suiton that he could use massive Suiton techniques even in the desert. Sadly, Ohashi wasn't at that level. Yet. But what came out of his mouth was Mist. Clouds and clouds of thick mist began to spread across the area.

A trick that he had realized early on was that water generated by using his chakra was much more versatile. It behaved as an extension of your body. It was extremely draining, and if not for his massive reserves, using it like this wouldn't even be an option. But it was! And it was all that mattered.

And just as the whole area had mist covering it, he stopped. And the drain on his reserves stopped. He closed his eyes, and felt his presence fade into the very air. Ohashi then stepped into this mist, and his senses were enhanced. He felt connected to each and every drop of moisture. He felt like the master of an orchestra.

A rather bloody orchestra.

"NINPO: SHIMMERING MIST!"

And he vanished. The mist had already taken their opponent by surprise, and their various efforts to get rid of it had failed, for they had failed to notice how chakra had been manipulated to tie it down to the very ground.

And soon enough, chaos descended on the Kumogakure army.

"AGHHHH!"

"AGHHHH!"

There were screams. There were shouts.

"He is right behind you!"

"What are you doing attacking me!"

"I hit him! Yet my attack simply passed through!"

"That hair! Is it the White Fang!"

"It's more than one shinobi! It's an ambush!"

And right in the middle of that chaos was a single shinobi. A single silvery shimmer.

This would be the first showing.

Konoha's Shimmering Mist.

0000

OROCHIMARU

Orochimaru wasn't fond of war. War was messy and time taking. Time that could be spent on much more useful ventures. Yet it was also an opportunity. War brought with itself a plethora of opportunities for growth, rare specimen, and little foresight.

He walked through the tunnels under Konoha to meet his sensei's paranoid friend. People thought of him and Shimura as allies, yet they couldn't have been more wrong. Orochimaru was sure they would both take the first chance they could to gut the other one. They were not friends, just two people with similar moralities.

He stopped at the large intersection. Shimura stood there facing the giant sealing stone placed in the center. Orochimaru had not missed how Shimura's mindless dolls seemed to be getting ready for deployment.

"Sakumo Hatake died yesterday. The man took his own life," began Shimura, and Orochimaru scoffed. He had heard about that as well. Jiraiya had been shocked by the man's demise, filled with rage and pain. He had left the village shortly after the funeral.

"And that calls for a meeting?" Orochimaru asked, and Konoha's Warhawk turned to face him.

"Kumo has gotten its hands on this intel." Orochimaru scoffed at that, as he saw right through that. The man had leaked the information himself.

Yet for what.

"They have pushed up their plans to attack the northern front. Uchiha Fugaku is in command over that border," finished the bandaged paranoid man, and Orochimaru shook his head at the level of man's treachery and ruthlessness.

"The man will have to make a request for reinforcements. I plan to propose your name for leading this," and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Danzo.

"You do know I do not like being disturbed! So, why would I take on such a demanding mission!" he spoke up. Shimura simply tapped his cane, and two body bags appeared before him.

"This should be payment enough! Though I believe you would be interested in knowing that Princess Tsuande is set to return to the village any day now."

And Orochimaru was surprised by the news. Tsunade was coming back. He was in no mood to see her, for Tsuande Senju was way more preceptive and stubborn than the idiot. Though unlikely, he did not want to have her sticking her nose in his business. After the death of Nawaki, their relationship had never been the same.

He glanced at the two body bags with the symbol of a certain clan on them and licked his lips. Yes, this was payment enough. He gave Shimura a small nod. And the man threw him a scroll which he caught.

"These shinobi will be placed on the reinforcing force as well. Take care of them discreetly!" Orochimaru scanned through the list and recognized the names. These were shinobi that had been on Sakumo's team.

Shimura was purging the loose ends though he did not mind.

"You can deal with them as you wish!" added Shimura, and his lips turned up at the prospect of gaining so much material.

Ohh! He was going to have so much fun!

0000

UCHIHA FUGAKU

"I need everyone ready for this. We are already late for the ambush," Fugaku ordered through gritted teeth as they approached the second platoon. The plan had gone awry. Despite having the element of surprise, he had underestimated the resilience of the Kumo forces.

He frowned as they rushed through the forest, his mind going through the worst-case scenarios. His eyes blazed red as he scanned the sky above the location of their target, looking for any sign of an emergency flare. Yet there was not even a hint of smoke. That meant either things weren't dire enough or they were beyond dire.

"Medics! I want you to be ready! Rest of you, get ready for the attack!" he ordered, not pausing to stop for a second. However, his eyes widened as he came to a halt and saw the huge cloud of mist covering their target platoon.

"Hyuga Hitori! Tell me what's going on," he commanded the Hyuga captain, who jumped to his side and activated his Byakugan. And Fugaku noticed the color fade from Hyuga's face as he spoke up after gulping.

"It's….. It's a massacre," Fugaku's heart hardened as he heard those words, and he regretted not having given the kid more backup.

"The kid is slaughtering them. But he won't last a minute at this rate! He is heavily injured, and his chakra reserves are gone!" reported the Hyuga.

Fugaku's eyes widened as he heard that, and a small smile appeared on his face as the man pumped chakra into his eyes.

"Send out the flare! And begin the attack!" he shouted as he rushed into the mist along with his platoon, his Sharingan not missing the scattered corpses.

"AGHHH!" "Where did these guys come from?"

"They have gotten reinforcements!"

And Fugaku dodged the desperate attacks from the Kumo shinobi, slitting their throats as he continued to rush towards the silvery shimmer he had sighted earlier. Now that he was near him, he could see the injuries on the kid and was concerned to see his body battered with cuts and cruises. His whole body was bathed in blood, much of it his own.

Ohashi was still surrounded by three Kumo shinobi who were at least chunin, and he saw the kid struggling to dodge their attacks. Fugaku pushed chakra into his legs and shunshined right in front of the kid, intercepting the attack.

"What the? Where did yo…." but he did not let the Kumon finish, as their enemies made the fatal mistake of looking an Uchiha in the eye. And then, before they could react, his kunai had slashed through their necks.

He glanced back at his wife's ex-student. Ohashi had now fallen to the ground and was heaving.

"Hitori, take him to medic!" he ordered the Hyuga, who came and carried away the kid. By then, a number of shinobi had now surrounded him. They had taken quite some losses in their first assault, yet that had been expected, so they held a numerical disadvantage going into this.

A disadvantage that had been corrected by the kid single-handedly. And Fugaku couldn't let a kid outdo him. So, he pushed chakra into his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was sure the pattern in his Sharingan wasn't the regular one but rather a unique one.

"Fujin!" he whispered as blood dripped down his eye, and Fugaku felt his senses expand, and the very air around them call came under his command.

He saw the eyes of the Kumon nin widen as they tried failed to breathe, and watched as Kumon in all in his surroundings began to collapse, each clutching their throats, struggling to breathe. Yet he stood there as Konoha nin slayed the suffocating Kumo rapidly before moving to take care of the rest. Fugaku closed his eye, cutting off the chakra to them as he wiped away the blood from his face.

"Take care of it all. We retreat back in three minutes!" he commanded before rushing forward again through the now-clearing mist to join the ongoing battle.

By then, the Kumo forces had lost all hope and barely held on. The battle would be concluded in less than two minutes, and they would retreat back into the Konoha territory, a territory that they had riddled with traps.

This battle would be Kumo's first major defeat since the start of the war and would allow Konoha to focus a bit more on the threat from Iwa in the Amegakure. Konoha had also sustained significant damages, yet they had not lost any territory and had thwarted Kumo's plans for a quick invasion along the Northern border.

But the greatest loss for Konoha wouldn't take place on the battlefield. No, it occurred in the village as they laid the infamous White Fang to rest in his grave. Laid to rest a man whose very name kept Konoha's enemy at bay.

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot and makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely thankful.

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[Drkest]

Chapter 4

UCHIHA FUGAKU

The forces of Kumo had taken a huge setback from their offensive, and a kind of stalemate had been achieved. Both sides were now waiting for reinforcements, for they might have won the previous battle the war was far from over. His forces had now made camps and filled the whole area with traps, making any offensive from Kumo highly unlikely.

"What the hell even was that technique? How the hell did he manage to stall a whole platoon singlehandedly?" muttered his second-in-command for probably the hundredth time. Fugaku did not reply to him as he continued to read the missive from the village, feeling pity for the young Hatake. However, Ensui Nara had another question as he suddenly turned towards her.

"Didn't he learn under Mikoto as a genin? Did she teach him that?" Nara questioned her, and he shook his head.

"No. He developed it on his own. And I hope I don't need to remind you about how unprofessional it is to question a shinobi about their technique," he warned the Nara, who shut up immediately. Though according to the message, Nara wouldn't have much time to question the kid.

He passed the message to Ensui as he looked up at one of the guards at the camp entrance.

"Bring Ohashi Hatake to me!" he ordered, and one of the guards nodded and walked out of the camp. He watched as Ensui gasped as he read the letter.

"Sakumo-san is dead! How?" the Nara questioned, yet he had no answer himself. The Nara placed the missive down as he looked at him.

"I have no idea. The missive doesn't mention anything about that," he replied to Nara's question.

"Was the kid close to him?" questioned the Nara. He nodded.

"They were cordial," he replied, and suddenly his guard entered his tent, followed by the boy in question. The boy's injuries hadn't healed completely a week after the confrontation. Even now, his whole body was covered with bandages, and Fugaku was sure some of those injuries would leave permanent scars.

"You summoned me, Commander Fugaku," the boy greeted him and gave Ensui a nod. Fugaku could tell that the kid was a bit nervous. However, there wasn't any easy way to do this, so he decided to be straight.

"There is no easy way to say this. But Ohashi Hatake, you have been ordered to return to the village. Your father is dead," and he watched as the words registered to the boy. The kid's face became pale, and Fugaku watched the kid's eyes tear up a bit.

Ensui got up to comfort the boy and guided the kid to a seat and left the tent along with his guards. Fugaku was quiet as he let the kid process the news. And a couple of minutes later, the kid finally spoke up.

"When can I leave?" questioned the kid.

"As soon as the reinforcements arrive. According to the missive, they are a couple of days away," and then Fugaku glanced at the kid's injuries and asked once more.

"Shall I send a team with you?" he questioned, and the kid shook his head.

"There is no need. I will be fine," replied the young silver-haired shinobi, and Fugaku nodded. Then he picked up another piece of paper and passed it to the kid.

"What is this?" questioned the young Hatake as he opened the paper, his eyes widened as he saw its contents.

"These are your promotion papers. You have been promoted to a jounin. The youngest since Lord Third himself," he finished with a bit of pride. Miktoto would be happy for him. After all, she adored the kid. The kid seemed taken aback by the news.

"Two promotions at once!" the kid spoke out, and he nodded.

"Indeed! Though I must say, you deserve this. I believe that they must have been impressed by your showing in the last mission," and the kid glanced at him at that.

"Thank you, commander," and Fugaku nodded.

"You should go rest and make preparations for your journey back. You can leave as soon as the reinforcements are in sight," and the kid nodded and began to walk out of the tent though he did stop at the exit.

"Commander, may I ask, whom are they sending as reinforcements?" questioned the kid, and Fugaku was surprised a bit at this but still answered him.

"Orochimaru. They are sending a new platoon under Orochimaru's command," he told the boy, and He noticed the boy's fists clench a bit at that. And with a final nod, Ohashi Hatake left his tent, leaving him alone to plan how to deal with the Kumo forces.

0000

KAKASHI HATAKE

Death for shinobi was meant to be grand. Fighting enemies, protecting the village, sacrificing yourself for a greater cause. You were meant to be honored as you were laid to rest in your final resting place. People were supposed to cry and wail. Yet there was no such thing for Hatake Sakumo.

There was only quiet. And the rising smoke from the incense he had brought, and nothing else as he stood alone in the dripping rain. There was no one else here.

Kakashi balled his fists as he stood there all alone. The rain made his hair fall and covered his eyes as he stood rooted.

"You were a hero. A hero! They worshipped you. Yet here you lie, and none of them even bother to show up," he complained, his voice raspy from his week-long silence. He looked up to stare at the sky, hoping that he was looking at him.

"Why couldn't you just complete the mission? Why did you have to save those ungrateful bastards!" he cursed, and his eyes were wet as drops dripped down from his chin.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps, and Kakashi's head snapped towards the source, and his eyes widened as he saw his half-brother, clad in a black mourning dress walking towards him. He hurriedly wiped his eyes as he spoke up.

"They told me you were away on a mission. When did you return?" he questioned as Ohashi came and stood by his side and nodded.

"I was, and I just returned. My posting was changed, and now I will be in the village for the foreseeable future," replied Ohashi before bringing his hands together and praying. Kakashi joined him, and only the sound of falling rain remained as the only two of people prayed for one of Konoha's most prolific shinobis.

"How are you managing?" questioned his brother suddenly, and this was now the longest the both of them had talked from what Kakahsi could recall. However, Kakashi understood the underlying question.

"I am fine. Kimiko-san comes in the morning and cleans and makes the food. She brings the groceries as well. It's working," he replied, and Ohashi nodded, and Kakashi found it refreshing that Ohashi did not push further. Kakashi was getting tired of the fake sympathy.

He saw Ohashi glance at the sky as the rain's intensity increased.

"Let's walk. We can talk on the way," and Kakashi nodded as they began to walk out of the cemetery. Ohashi removed an umbrella and pulled him in, covering him as well.

"Let me take care of the water. You could get ill if you stay wet in this weather," and he watched as he placed a hand on his clothes, and suddenly Kakashi felt the water coalesce out of them as they become dry in a second or so. He glanced up to see a ball of water in Ohashi's hand, which he had extracted from his clothes.

"My chakra nature is water. It's a small trick," his half-brother commented lightly as he swatted away the water ball. However, Kakashi knew better. What he had just observed must have taken excellent nature and chakra manipulation mastery.

Something not many could boast.

"So, how's the academy going?" questioned Ohashi, and Kakashi became quiet as he thought of a suitable response.

"It's ok. I will be graduating by the end of the year," he replied, skipping over all the prejudice and biased behaviors.

"That's impressive, that is very impressive. I was seven when I graduated. You will be graduating even earlier than me, but there are no team placements during mid-term. Perhaps they will apprentice you under someone for some time," replied Ohashi, sounding impressed.

"Maybe," Kakashi commented as they rounded the last corner and reached right in front of their home.

"Oh, we are here," Ohashi said, leaning down and handing him the umbrella.

"Now, I know we haven't talked much. And you probably don't know much ab…."

"I know," Kakashi cut him off, and his half-brother seemed a bit surprised. And Kakashi nodded.

"Father," and Kakashi stopped at that as he recalled the last conversation with the man before continuing."Father told me about you when you came here the last time. So, I know," he finished, and Ohashi nodded slowly.

"Well, that makes it a bit easier. As I said, I will be in the village for some time and moving into the house down the street. So, if you ever need anything, you can call me, and I will be there," Kakashi nodded as he glanced at the house his half-brother was pointing at.

He knew the previous owners and guessed that his half-brother had probably bought or rented the house to keep an eye on him. So, he gave the unmasked Haktake a nod as he finally turned toward his house.

Just as he was about to open the door, he stopped and glanced back at the silver-haired shinobi outside as he contemplated voicing the question before finally deciding to say it.

"Would you be willing to spar with me? In the morning, if you have time?" he asked slowly, expecting an apology, yet the answer came promptly.

"I will be there. The hospital will clear me by tomorrow, and then we can spar the next day. I will be here at dawn," came the reply as Ohashi gave him a smile.

"Thank you," Kakashi spoke up, turned to face the door again, and opened it with shaky hands. Suddenly as he glanced at the familiar corridor, he began to hyperventilate as he remembered it being covered in scarlet.

Kakashi was rooted to the ground once more as he simply stood there, unable to move. His chest heaving as he hyperventilated. Suddenly he was broken out of his stance by a hand on his shoulder.

He snapped back and saw a silhouette of his father smiling at him though it was just Ohashi.

"Perhaps you would like to help me move. I have some stuff to move, and then I could make you dinner afterward," said his half-brother, and after glancing at the gloomy halls and corridors, he nodded slowly.

"That's good. I was thinking I might have to call my old classmates," began Ohashi. As he closed the door, they began walking towards his house, with his half-brother carrying the light conversation.

And if Kakashi found himself sleeping in one of the rooms of his brother's house, he was just too tired from all the moving.

0000

Deep into the night, when the commotion in the village had died down, a shadowy figure entered the Konoha's hospital. Yet in the morning nothing from the whole hospital would be missing except a single post mortem report. A report of a recently conducted post mortem of one Sakumo Hatake.

Days later another shinobi would try and search for the report yet would fail to find it and hence would have to return empty handed to his master. The masked shinobi kneeled infront of his master as he reported.

"The report was missing, Lord Danzo. Someone has already taken it away," and Danzo would stiffen at that.

"Was there any trace to who it was?" and the masked shinobi nodded, as he took out a plastic bag with a single strand of hair. A very uniquely colored strand of hair.

"I found this in the room," and Danzo recognized the coloring and smiled as his mind raced to understand the implication behind this.

"It seems we have a small problem."

During this whole ordeal, Ohashi Hatake sat in his room, his fingers touching the floor as sweat dripped from his forehead.

"Ohh, I can assure you Danzo. Your problem is anything but small!"

And it didn't matter that the same report that was being talked of, sat there right in front of him.

0000

As, always you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot and makes it possible for me to write. So, of possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely grateful.

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 5

TSUNADE SENJU

Disappointment wasn't a foreign concept to Tsunade. Neither was disgust, yet when she sat on the chair opposite her sensei, she felt disgusted with herself for returning to this cesspool of hurt, treachery, and pain.

Her sensei seemed a bit heavy to see her, a sentiment she did not share at all, given the recent reports she had gotten about the village. Reports that made her remember the deaths of Nawaki, Dan, and the rest of her family.

"I had never thought you could condone such behavior," she began, finally breaking the silence of the Hokage office. The smile on her sensei's face stiffened as she continued.

"I just think what Grandfather would have done in your question?" she finished as she glanced at the portrait of the Shodaime Hokage on the side wall. She felt her sensei stiffen at her words, for they knew exactly how he would have reacted.

The Third Hokage sighed at her words, and she knew that had this been anyone else, such words would have gotten them killed. But there were perks to being Tsunade Senju.

Her sensei put down his smoking pipe and began slowly.

"You blame for things you don't understand, Tsunade. I did nothing….," and she scoffed as she cut him off.

"And isn't that the issue? You did nothing! You think grandfather would have done nothing! You think Granduncle would have done nothing! You just let the whole village turn Hatake into a villain and pushed him so much that the man killed himself," she finished in a single breath, and it seemed her sensei was surprised by the vehemence in her tone. But her sensei did not relent as he narrowed his eyes, his back straightening as he spoke up in a much stronger voice.

"The man failed a critical mission, as he prioritized his teammate's lives, jeopardizing the whole village's safety. I was merciful that I did not have him executed as soon as he stepped back into the village," and before she could retort, he continued.

"And don't talk to me of duty and legacy. You and I both know what would be the fate of anyone who would abandon the village like you!" she saw a glimmer of the professor as his chakra began to radiate off of him in waves. Yet she wasn't the young student as she had been years ago and did not cower off as she let go of her own chakra.

Their chakras clashed, and she sensed the ANBU getting agitated by this, yet they correctly chose to stay out of it.

"You speak of duty! Then what about my clan, my family? Can you tell me how the hell does a whole line from one of the major clans gets picked off one by one? Answer me!" she shouted through gritted teeth. Yet there was no answer.

Just as there had been no answer all those years ago. She scoffed,

"Tell me, did you even carry out an investigation? Did you even try to look for any…," but she stopped as she heard a knock on the door. Her sensei frowned a bit though immediately reeled in his presence when the door was opened suddenly to reveal the bandaged form of his old friend.

She groaned internally as she reeled back her chakra as Danzo Shimura walked into the Hokage office. The frown was wiped away from her sensei's face as he looked at the interrupting party.

"Why are you here, Danzo? Is there an emergency?" her sensei questioned the bandaged man who was now standing to her side and seemed to be staring at her with his sole eye.

"Ahh! Princess Tsunade, you arrived earlier than I expected. It is good to see you in the village once more. One would have thought that you would have returned when the war had started," the man criticized her though Tsunade did not deign the man with a reply.

"Danzo," her sensei interjected once more, probably knowing that her temper was running short, "why did you interrupt us?" questioned her sensei once more, a bit more forcefully. Shimura turned away from her, took out a scroll, and passed it to her sensei.

"There are reports of movements in Iwa. I believe they could be planning an attack. We need to fortify our border on that side," spoke the bandaged man, and suddenly she felt his eyes land on her once more as her sensei skimmed through the scroll.

And Tsunade knew she wasn't liking where this was going.

"Perhaps you could serve as the commander on that front. Having a Senju as a commander would go a long way to boost the mora….."

"NO!" her sensei cut him off before she could retort.

"Shikaku will be fine as the commander on that side. Tsunade will be serving in the hospital to retrain our medical corps," her sensei ordered, and she had truly had enough. So, with a small nod, she got up and began to walk out of the room.

"It seems even after all this time, you haven't changed Princess. You refuse to carry on the legacy of your forefathers as you refuse to lead from the front," muttered Danzo derisively, making her stop as she opened the door.

"You are a disgrace to your famil…."

CRACK! BOOOM!

There was the sound of an explosion as the piece of the door she had thrown was blocked by her sensei's earth wall. She glared at the bandaged man as he stood there behind her sensei, who seemed livid. A part of her wanted to squash Shimura like the bug he was, yet the look on her sensei's face stopped her.

"Don't you ever run your mouth about my family again, Shimura!" she warned as she let go of her chakra, making the very ground she stood on crack up. And with that, she finally walked off.

Perhaps she would go and finally see that cousin of Shizune's she had been hearing so much about.

0000

KATO SHIZUNE

Kato Shizune had learned of her cousin Ohashi about five years ago. She wasn't in the village and was traveling with Tsunade-sama when she received a letter about one of her cousins having a child. Along with the official letter had arrived another letter from her unknown cousin as well, hoping to obtain a writing partner.

She had consulted Lady Tsunade and, with her blessing, had decided to take up a correspondence with her distant family member. They had kept up their correspondence over the years, with him asking her for advice and her asking him about the village. This was her first time seeing him, and she felt a bit saddened by their lack of resemblance.

Ohashi's features resembled his father more than the Kato side of the family, especially with his silvery ashen hair. However, she did notice they lacked the special Hatake prickliness and were rather tame. She smiled as she finished the family examination, and it wasn't a surprise that they would run into each other in the hospital minutes after her arrival in the village.

"So, your injuries are healing nicely though I would advise you not to exert yourself for a couple of days to avoid any needless complications. Otherwise, you are clear to carry on with your regular activities," she concluded as she gave him the slip and took the seat opposite to him.

"Thank you," he replied, taking the discharge slip and looking up at her continued.

"So, what brings you to the village? Weren't you enjoying the delicacies in the capital the last time you wrote to me?" and she nodded, for indeed, their return had not been planned and had been rather a spontaneous decision from Lady Tsunade.

"Yeah, but Tsunade-sama seemed a bit concerned over the worsening of the war and decided to return. And I am sorry about what happened to Sakumo-san," she began slowly, and Ohashi nodded as he replied with a small smile.

"Thank you," came the reply as Ohashi stood up.

"So, how about you join me for lunch? We could catch up and have a nice chat," proposed her cousin, and she nodded. It would be good to have a nice and candid talk with him face-to-face.

"Sure, why not," she said as she joined him as they both stepped out of the room. At the outpatient desk, she told the med-nin to inform Tsunade-sama of her leaving. Though suddenly, she heard someone call out Ohashi's name.

"Ohashi, is that you?" came the whisper, and she looked to find Ohashi looking at a kunoichi. An Uchiha kunoichi with a child by her side. Ohashi seemed a bit surprised to see her, and the smile on his face made it evident who the lady was.

"Mikoto-sensei, what brought you to the hospital?" questioned Ohashi, a bit abashed, as the Uchiha patriarch scrutinized him like a mother, examining him for any injuries.

"Nothing, it was just the time for little Itachi's regular check-up. On the other hand, why didn't you visit me? I had thought you still had returned from that mission of yours!" commented the Uchiha matriarch as Shizune finally stepped forward. She noticed the eyes focus on her and saw the realization dawn on her as she gave her a smile.

"Oho! Is she your gir…" but Ohashi cut her off.

"Cousin. She is Kato Shizune, my cousin from my mother's side," Ohashi intervened, and the Uchiha matriarch smiled as Shizune greeted her. They exchanged pleasantries, and she found the lady to be as perceptive and intelligent as Ohashi's assessment. Though suddenly, Ohashi intervened from the side

"You said you were here for a checkup for little Itachi. Perhaps Shizune can look him over. She has been trained by Lady Tsunade herself," but the Uchiha matriarch waved away his request.

"Ohh, it's fine. You both should go. The regular healer will do just fin…," but Shizune decided to speak up.

"No. No. It's no hassle," she said as she kneeled down to the young Uchiha's level and put forward his eye.

"Hi, I am Shizune. How about you join me in the room," she asked with an encouraging smile on her face. The almost two-year-old child seemed a bit hesitant but shook her hand after a while.

The Uchiha matriarch thanked her for her help as they all began to move toward her room. Though, Ohashi suddenly stepped forward and came to her side as he whispered to her in a barely audible tone.

"Please examine his lungs thoroughly?"

And Shizune nodded, remembering his interest in inherited respiratory system diseases. Then her eyes focused again on the quiet two-year-old walking by her side.

Well, there was nothing wrong with being extra cautious.

0000

OHASHI HATAKE

Ohashi sat on the benches outside the examination room as he thanked for the circumstances of having brought Mikoto-san to the hospital at such an opportune time. It was as if the stars had aligned in his favor for once. Now, hopefully, Shizune-san would be able to find Itachi's illness, and that would prevent the kid from dying early.

He sighed as he waited for the other kid that Mikoto-san had brought with herself to show up, his mind going to the times he had first met her. Ohashi had been surprised when he was assigned to a team under the Uchiha matriarch. Their team had lost one of their teammates, and he would be the replacement.

Getting a good jounin sensei was a rarity. It would literally be the thing that could make or break your career. And he had been lucky that he had been assigned to Mikoto-sensei. With their modus operandi aligning, she had helped him reach his full potential. Hence, this was his way of repaying her, hoping that Itachi's illness could be discovered and treated earlier.

Suddenly he spotted the other little chipmunk that had come with her, as a kid with curly black hair looked around with wide eyes, probably searching for Mikoto-san.

"Hey, little shrimpy, here," Ohashi spoke from his place, and Shisui's eyes immediately snapped towards him, and he rushed towards her. Stomping his foot as he came to a stop right in front.

"I am not a shrimp. My name is Shisui, and look, I have even gotten taller since we last met," rattled out the young Uchiha as Ohashi smiled, seeing the little kid getting irritated by his words. Though suddenly, Ohashi ruffled the young kid's hair as he motioned for the kid to sit beside him.

"Mikoto-sensei is inside with Itachi for his check-up. I was sitting here waiting for you to come back," and the kid nodded as he glanced at the door. Ohashi decided to continue the conversation to pass the time, for it had been quite some time since he had met the kid.

"So, how old are you now? You should be three now, right," Ohashi asked teasingly, and the young Shisui just huffed.

"Four. And I will be turning five soon," the kid said before he turned to face him.

"Mikoto-san tells me she will train me once I am five," and Ohashi raised his brow at that.

"Oh, did she. Then I will become your senior officially," and the young kid's eyes lit up. And before the kid could reply, someone else decided to interrupt them.

"Ohh. So, you are the kid that's been bugging Shizune for all this time," came the voice making him look up, and his eyes widened as he found Tsunade Senju staring straight at him, examining him from head to toe with a complicated expression.

"Who are you? And what do you want with Ohashi-senpai," muttered Shisui with a frown as he stood up in front of me. Tsunade-sama's eyes shifted from him to the little Uchiha.

Ohashi immediately stood up and bowed to the Senju princess.

"It is good to see you, Tsunade-sama," he greeted her and watched Shisui's eyes widen as he finally recognized the person standing before them. But before the kid could speak up, Shizune-san had come out of the room and was already by Lady Tsunade's side.

"Oh! It is good that you are here! I need you to look at something Tsunade-sama!" she said, her voice serious and grave, and Ohashi thanked the gods in his heart for this. Then she turned to face him.

"Ohashi-kun, this could take some time. Mikoto-san asked if you could look after Shisui for a bit more?" He nodded as he ruffled the kid's hair again.

"Tell her that it's fine with me. And about that lunch, we could meet up at dinner instead?" he proposed, and Shizune-san nodded with a stiff smile.

"Yes, that will be more manageable," and with that, she and Lady Tsunade vanished into her room again, leaving him alone with Shisui again.

"Is everything okay?" Shisui questioned him, and he nodded.

"Hopefully, it will be," he replied before he stood up.

"So, how about I treat you to a sumptuous lunch? It's been quite some time since I have eaten out. Perhaps you could recommend someplace good," the kid was still a bit concerned but nodded and joined him as they left the hospital.

0000

Just our Ohashi, casually saving a life.

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot and makes to possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime if you can. I shall be extremely thankful.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Thanks for reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 6

OHASHI HATAKE

His new house did not have a dojo for sparring, so he was in the ancestral Hatake's home dojo as he sparred with Kakashi. Shziune-san had been unable to meet him yesterday, so they had postponed their meeting to today. And he still had to go and visit Mikoto-sensei.

Yet all that would come later, as he focused once more on the silver-haired monster that was attacking him relentlessly. Even at six years old Kakashi's skills were highly polished as Ohashi parried a barrage of attacks. He was sure that he had not been that skilled at six or seven for that matter despite his advantages.

Suddenly he grabbed Kakashi's wrist, and it caught him off guard, and he tried to twist his arm using his body weight and aimed a kick at his head, yet he decided to simply let it go as he finally retaliated and began his own attack. Kakashi tried to block them, yet Ohashi was both stronger and more skilled, and with a kick, Kakashi was sent tumbling back.

"Ok, that will be enough for today," Ohashi spoke, stopping Kakashi as he looked at the clock. They had been at it for over an hour, and the whole floor was covered with sweat from their excursion. Ohashi walked to the side, sat down, and gulped down water.

"Here!" he said as he passed Kakashi a bottle Kakashi sat down next to him, still huffing from the sparring. Ohashi looked at the six-year-old, who seemed to be in a better place than the day before yesterday. Ohashi looked around the dojo once more and found it impressive, the wooden flooring was robust, and the latest equipment was stored in closets along with weapons for training.

"So, I must say I wasn't expecting you to be so skilled. I bet you could take on most genin and even take them down despite your age," Ohashi complimented the kid, and Kakashi's only response was a small nod.

"How about ninjutsu? How far along are you with it?" he questioned Kakashi, and the kid replied after placing down the water bottle.

"I have mastered academy three, and father had me working on the basics of nature transformation," Kakashi replied, his voice getting a bit low as he mentioned his father. Ohashi nodded at that, highly impressed.

"Well, I haven't worked on lightning nature myself so I won't be able to help you with that. Perhaps I could teach you Shunshin. With your fast reflexes, it would be a perfect technique for you or some genjutsu would be helpful," Ohashi thought out aloud as he considered his options.

"I can learn both. There is still time for my graduation, and you could train me in both," Kakashi interjected in a strong voice, and Ohashi was taken aback a bit.

"We could try, though. You will find out that genjutsu isn't as simple as it is made out to be. But sure, we can begin training in them," he relented. It wasn't like he was busy with much himself. Though he noticed Kakashi nod and glance towards his home from the window.

"Are you sure you want to stay here? There is plenty of room in my house?" Ohashi asked once more, and Kakashi just shook his head as he clenched his fists.

"I will be fine. Kimiko-san is already here. She will take care of the chores. I would like to stay here," he concluded, and Ohashi nodded. Well, he would be checking in on him every day for their sparring session, and he knew Kimiko-san, so it would probably be fine.

"Ok, as you wish. But if you need anything, you can call on me anytime," Ohashi began as he got up from the dojo and began to stretch his muscles. It was almost time for him to go and meet Shizune-san.

"All right, I will see you tomorrow. Don't forget to stretch and be safe," he finished before he began walking out of the dojo.

0000

KATO SHIZUNE

After the whole emergency situation yesterday, she hadn't been able to make time for the lunch with Ohashi, so they had pushed it to the next day, and hence here she sat in Akiniku Q with the silver-haired jounin, something she had only just heard.

"Why didn't you tell me you had been promoted to jounin! Jounin at thirteen! That must be some kind of record!" she congratulated him, knowing that few in his life would be there to celebrate such news for him. Though Ohashi simply shook his head.

"Not yet, actually. I still have to be cleared for active duty to get that promotion officially. Moreover, this isn't a record. Lord Third actually holds it for being promoted to a jounin at age eleven or twelve, I think," he replied downplaying his achievements, and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Gods! You cannot be serious. Do you have any idea what it takes to become a jounin even in wartime. You didn't even mention it to me at all. I haven't even gotten you anything," she said a bit ashamed since Ohashi had always mailed her a gift for her birthday over the years.

"There is no need, though tell me about Itachi," and her smile stiffened as she thought about the case of the Uchiha youngling. And that brought another question that had been bugging her since yesterday into her mind as she looked ahead once more and asked with a frown.

"Tell me did you study medical ninjutsu?" Ohashi stopped eating and placed down his chopsticks, and wiped his mouth as he shook his head.

"Not except the basics. My focus is in other fields," and this was what had been bugging her.

"So, how did you know? Itachi Uchiha's condition was so subtle that even a normal medical ninja would have missed it yet you were able to catch it. How?" she asked, and she saw him stiffen at her question before he began slowly.

"You remember when we started corresponding how I made you ask Tsunade-sama about the sensing technique of Nidaime-sama?" her eyes widened as she nodded. Tsunade-sama had been intrigued by the interest in her grand uncle's sensing techniques and had given her a bit of information to share with him.

Though she hadn't known he had been able to make progress on it.

"So, over the years I have been working on it, and while not as proficient as him. I am quite good at sensing and I had sensed something wrong with the chakra tenketsu point in Itachi's chest. I asked a medic to check yet they found nothing wrong so I asked you for confirmation and I was proven right," he finished, and she nodded, still reeling from the shock that he had been able to replicate one of Nidaime's techniques at his age. A technique that even Tsunade-sama had not been able to replicate despite being a direct descendant.

"How long?" she questioned, and when he frowned, she clarified.

"What's the longest distance you can sense accurately?" and she saw him hesitate a bit, before he leaned forward and spoke while covering his mouth. And the number shocked her.

"That much. And why are you whispering like this? Don't they have privacy seals for these booths?" she asked him, and he just narrowed his eyes as he suddenly looked at the tinted windows.

"These days, you need to be overly cautious," and she frowned as she glanced out of the window.

Had he sensed someone?

"Well, that is how I knew something was wrong. But you still haven't answered me what is wrong with him?" he questioned her once more. She thought about what she could tell him, for her duties as a physician prevented her from telling him everything without the patients' consent.

"Well, I obviously can not tell you everything. You can ask Mikoto-san if you want to know it all, but it was good that you caught it early on. At the stage his illness is right now, it can be managed easily, but if it had gotten beyond a certain time, then it could have been disastrous," she told him all she could, and he nodded.

"That's good," and with that, they began to discuss other mundane topics as the meal went on, and just before it was about to be concluded, he spoke up.

"For how long are you in the village?" he questioned her, and she put down her chopsticks as she replied.

"I don't know. Tsunade-sama hasn't told me though we might be here for a couple of months if the situation of the war doesn't improve," and he nodded.

"And Lady Tsunade will be in the hospital?" and she nodded.

"Probably. Do you need something from her?" and he shook his head.

"Nah. I just had a gift for her, for telling me about Nidaime-sama's technique. I thought I could give it to her," and she nodded though she was a little intrigued by what he had gotten her.

"You can come to the hospital. Though can I ask what it is?" he nodded and replied slowly.

"I had heard rumors that she liked exotic drinks. So, I got her a box of some special sake from Land of Iron," and alarm bells rang in her head as she heard those words.

"Rumors! You are telling me there are rumors about Lady Tsunade's drinking problem!" and he nodded, making her sigh. Though knowing Lady Tsunade, she would probably laugh it off and enjoy those rumors.

"Gods save her reputation! And what were you doing shopping for Sake at your age? Don't tell me you drink at your age Ohashi because you need to put a stop to this!" she immediately began to question her cousin though thankfully, as of right now, she was only associated with one person having a drinking problem.

0000

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato Namikaze stood in the Hokage office as the Hokage rifled through a file in front of him. He had been surprised when he was suddenly called into the office. Perhaps he would be re-enlisted though he had just returned a week ago from his deployment near the Earth border. Or he might even be sent to Amegakure to hold the line there.

"Minato, it is good to see you. Come have a seat," spoke the Third Hokage in a rather jovial tone as Minato took the seat, still unaware of what he was doing here.

"Is there any specific reason you called for me, Hokage-sama? Am I being deployed?" he decided to ask directly, and the leader of Konoha shook his head.

"No, not yet. The situation at the Iwa border is turning dire though Shikaku says he will be able to hold the line. I have called you here for a different matter," began Lord Hokage as he passed him a file.

Minato opened it and found himself staring at the file of an academy student, Kakashi Hatake. And the file would have been impressive for any graduate, let alone for a six-year-old. The younger Hatake was a prodigy, much like his elder brother, it seems.

"What do you think of him?" questioned Lord Third, and Minato looked at the man and found his piercing gaze focused on him.

Was this a test? So he decided to take his time as he thought of everything apart from the file he knew of and about the kid. And after thinking for a bit finally began.

"I would say that his skills are impressive for an academy student and enough to grant him the rank of a genin. However, I wouldn't be in favor of having him graduate so early. He has just lost his father in an extremely tragic way and probably suffers from mental trauma due to that," and he saw the Hokage's eyes tighten a bit at that though he continued.

"So I would have him remain in the academy for some time mayhaps a year or two, before he is allowed to graduate," he finished, and the thought of the death of Sakumo-san made his heart bleed. He had not been in the village when the whole debacle had taken place, and even now, he could hardly believe the man's fate.

"So, you would disagree with my opinion," and Minato seemed a bit surprised that it had been the Third's opinion on the file yet the facts remained the same. So, he decided to nod his head.

"I respectfully would, Lord Hokage. Putting him in the field right now would be detrimental to him and whichever team he is paired up with. Kakashi Hatake is too young and needs some nurturing before he is ready for the field," he spoke resolutely. The room became quiet after his rant as Lord Third leaned back into his chair. Minato's eyes lingered on the ceremonial hat lying on the table as he thought of wearing it one day. Lord Third would cut the silence after a while.

"I agree with you. Moreover, I believe you are the best man for nurturing young Kakashi," and as the implication behind those words registered, Minato was taken by surprise.

"Me?" he asked once more, and the Third Hokage nodded.

"Yes, I believe you are the right man for the job. And so, I want you to apprentice young Kakashi for six months after he graduates," and Minato was surprised by the news. This meant that he would soon be getting a team to train. He stared at the file again and saw the picture of the young Hatake before giving the Hokage a nod.

"It would be an honor to train the son of Sakumo-san. I will work hard to live up to your expectations, lord Hokage," he said, and the Hokage nodded.

And he thought how excited Kushina would be with the news. Perhaps he should invite her to supper and share this with her.

0000

AS always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me a lot and makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely grateful.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Thanks for reading!

 

[geraldrold]

thanks for all the fish. also moar pls

 

[Lord Sia]

Like it so far; please, do continue!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 7

OHASHI HATAKE

Ohashi Hatake sat on the porch as he stared at the starry sky. The silence in the Uchiha district was calming, and distinctive for the rest of the village was rarely this quiet. He sat on the porch as he waited for his sensei to come back, she had gone to tuck in young Itachi and Shisui. Both of whom had fallen asleep after their hour-long excursion with him.

"Thank you for playing with Itachi and Shisui, they were both excited to see someone they could play along with," Mikoto sensei spoke up as she sat down beside him and he waved away her apology.

"I don't mind. They were both pretty well-behaved," he replied and she gave him a warm smile as she nodded though he noticed how her eyes were a little strained. And he could guess the reason for her stress.

"So, what was the issue with Itachi-kun?" he asked and he noticed her eyes drop at that as her smile vanished and was replaced with a forlorn look.

"Lady Tsunade told me that his lungs are chakra sensitive and that could affect his life as a ninja. It can be managed but I am quite concerned about it and don't know what to do," she told him and he nodded along. He turned to face her, and found her fists clenched in frustration, and decided to assure her.

"It will be fine, sensei. Itachi's an extremely bright kid and he will not be affected much by this," and he noticed her smile at the praise for her son before he continued.

"Have you told the rest of the clan or Fugaku-san?" and she shook her head.

"Not yet. I plan to tell him when he returns, such information is too risky to be written in a letter," and he nodded though he saw her eyes narrow suddenly as she focused on her.

"Speaking of Fugaku, he wrote to me about your recklessness during the mission Ohashi. How many times must I tell you to not take such risks? He said you were barely breathing when he found you, what were you thinking taking on such a risk?" and she scrunched his nose as the conversation turned towards him. And then his ear was in her hands and getting twisted.

"What if anything was to happen to you? Did you even think at all before you risked your life like that?" she twisted it a bit more making him shout out in pain.

"Ouch! Ouch! I am sorry sensei. But there was no other choice!" he begged her and after a minute or so leaving him whimpering in pain, as she shook her head in stark disapproval.

"Honestly, you haven't changed a bit from your genin days. And they have even promoted you to a jounin now. Though listening to me Ohashi!" she made him look towards him as her tone became serious again.

"I don't care whether you are a chunin or jounin, you cannot do something like this," and he noticed her voice tremble a bit as she continued.

"I cannot have you die as well. So, please. Promise me you won't do something so reckless again!" and he nodded along as he thought about his lost teammates. Izuna and Ikumo had both died in the chunin exams in Iwa when their team had gone to participate in them. They had been with Mikoto-sensei for a year longer than him when he had joined the team though he had served as her apprentice as a chunin as well. He nodded at that, knowing he had taken an irrational risk during the last mission. Something which he did not plan to take any time again.

"I promise, sensei, I won't do something so risky again," and she saw him nod at that as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. And Ohashi felt her care and maternalistic warmth wrap around him as he let himself get lost in her warmth for a second.

"I am so proud of you, Ohashi. And I know if Sakumo-san was here, he would have been equally proud of what you have achieved," she muttered as they separated and she wiped away the tears welling up in her eye. He bit his lip at the mention of his father before he nodded.

Sakumo Hatake had been one of her instructors from what he knew. There was not any official file though Ohashi had his suspicions about how much mentorship had happened in a rather infamous masked organization. He looked at the darkening sky and stood up.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Mikoto-sensei, but I think I will leave now," though she shook her head as she stood up as well.

"It was nice seeing you, Ohashi. Please be careful in the field," she advised him one last time as he said the final goodbye and left the Uchiha district. Outside, the village was still bustling with activity. He stopped to look at one of the stalls selling musical instruments, his eyes lingering on a harp placed on display before he continued walking with a shake of his head.

Not missing the shadowy silhouette following him throughout it all.

0000

HIRUZEN SARUTOBI

Hiruzen watched the young shinobi standing in front of him and smiled, for this was the future of the hidden Leaf standing there. Ohashi Hatake was still a teen and, from his file, had recently turned fourteen and was now the third youngest jounin in Konoha history.

His mood soured a bit as he thought about the fate of his father, Sakumo. Yet, it was done, and he couldn't change the past—only the future.

The kid's white hair was darker than Sakumo's, and his eyes were of a different color together, favoring his mother, a cousin of the famous Dan Kato.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Jounin Hatake," he told the young shinobi, who gave him a bow.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," and Hirzune recalled the first time he had seen the young kid. He had been brought into his office from the academy by a teacher who had caught onto the uncanny resemblance between the kid and his father. A very strange debacle that had been but thankfully it had resolved itself without any major mishap.

"I must say, I was highly impressed by your efforts on the Northern border. Your commander Uchiha Fugaku mentioned that you were instrumental in the success of the offensive," and the kid perked up at his praise, and Hiruzen motioned for him to take a seat.

The kid nodded and sat down on the chair opposite him. He wore a simple dark blue uniform, and instead of the regular jounin jacket wore a black one over it.

"Commnader Fugaku is very kind. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be sitting here," the kid replied and Hiruzen smiled at that.

"Yes, Fugaku did mention your recklessness as well. But I believe that greatness often lies on the edge of such daring. Though I would caution you to be careful in the future, you have made quite a name for yourself with your last mission," and he picked up the latest edition of the Bingo book from Kumo and passed it to the young man.

Ohashi opened the book to the folded page, and Hiruzen saw his eyes widen a bit.

"The Kirameku kiri- The Shimmering Mist. An apt name considering the special technique you used," he mused, and Hiruzen was quite intrigued about the technique itself. He hadn't seen it for himself yet from what he had. He mused it was a combination of all three of the basic, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu.

Quite impressive for any shinobi, let alone a fourteen-year-old. Hiruzen felt the chakra of the young shinobi sitting in front of him and was reminded of his sensei. Their natural affinity for Suiton gave their chakra a calming edge to it, and yet such affinity wasn't the only thing he shared with his sensei.

"I must say I was quite surprised with your progress in Nidaime's special sensing technique," he said, breaking the kid out of his trance. The kid closed the bingo book.

"Thank you for the praise, Lord Hokage but it never would have been possible without the help from Tsunade-sama. She was kind enough to give me some guidance in my early days," and Hiruzen shook his head.

"I can assure you, you weren't the first person to ask her about it yet none before you have ever succeeded. It is quite an achievement that you were able to replicate it," he praised the kid who nodded again at the praise.

"How is young Kakashi, I believe you have been helping him train for some time," Hiruzen questioned him and the kid nodded slowly.

"Yes, I often spar with him. He is still adjusting but it is expected with all that happened," and Hiruzen sighed as he thought about Sakumo's fate.

"Indeed. What happened to your father was tragic and you have my condolences for your loss."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage," and Hiruzen hadn't missed the slight sharpening of the young Hatake's chakra. But this was enough small talk, it was time to get to the real reason he had called the young jounin into his office.

"I believe we must now speak of the issue at hand. Our forces are now engaged with Iwa and Kumo along the two borders. But there are rumors that they have made common cause with Kirigakure. This is troublesome for us as this would could open up a new front," he began in his official voice as the silver-haired Hatake straightened up.

Hrizuen pointed at the map, at the southern border along the shoreline.

"We have a small force guarding the border here, yet they wouldn't be able to hold back a large invading force. So, I am deploying you with a small team to bolster the defenses and hold back any invading force from Kiri," Hiruzen finished and passed the kid the mission scroll.

"This is an A-rank mission, and you will be serving under Minato Namikaze as his vice commander. The names of the rest of your team are inside," and he noticed the young Hatake perk up at that name. Well, it seems Minato had left a lasting impression on the kid.

"Will that be all, Hokage-sama," Hiruzen nodded.

"Yes, you are dismissed, jounin Hatake," and with a nod, the silver-haired shinobi left his office, leaving him alone once more. Hiruzen picked up the file of the young jounin once more and began to skim over it. And it would be an understatement to call it impressive.

He had consulted his sensei Mikoto Uchiha about his promotion, and she had supported his decision staunchly. A shame that she had retired now. She had been an invaluable asset and an extremely good teacher. She had also served as an ANBU under Sakumo for a time, and that had been one of the reasons, young Ohashi had been assigned to her.

"Perhaps, I should assign him a team to train," he thought as she thought of the graduating class. There was still time, and Ohashi would be nearing fifteen when the graduation would come along, and from what he recalled there was someone who would flourish under someone like him.

"Perhaps, I will consult Danzo over it,"

0000

Deep underground, a bandaged man stood tall as he read a scroll.

"Ohashi Hatake. Jounin. Impressive," came a whisper before he closed the scroll and burned it to a crisp.

"Such a shame that he got away from us," All that effort to obtain a Hatake had been wasted by a single mistake. Danzo Shimura shook his head as he stuck his cane on the ground summoning a ROOT operative.

"Has there been any communication from Orohciamru?" he questioned. Ohashi Hatake had soured his plans when he had helped Uchiha Fugaku defeat two of the three Kumo platoons. Kumo had doubled down despite their losses and sent reinforcements to the border.

"Not yet, Lord Danzo," and this news troubled him. With the fighting resumed, Orochimaru should have sent a confirmation about completing his mission. Perhaps, he shouldn't have trusted the man with such an important task.

Well, it was good that he had prepared alternatives.

"Leave me!" he ordered, and the masked operative vanished again. Danzo closed his eyes as he sensed any presence around him, and when he found none, he began to cycle through a series of handseals.

"NINPO: Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal: ACTIVATE!"

Miles away on the northern border of Konoha, a dozen or so shinobi suddenly choked before their bodies exploded, destroying friend and foe around them indiscriminately.

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot and makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely thankful.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Thanks for reading!

 

[Tetriyananos]

Nice story !
I find the take on Sakumo's story particularly interesting, as it gives an explanation on the village turning so viciously toward someone who should have been one of their greatest assets at that point and made one mistake.

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 8

TSUNADE SENJU

In the hospital of Konoha, Tsunade Senju sat in her office as she took a break after working for more than a day straight. She had felt exhaustion creeping in, yet she couldn't stop. There was so much work to be done. The hospitals had been ravaged by mismanagement, and the med nins lacked proper training. The hospitals had lost their standard since the last time she had been here.

Her office was filled with mess, as reports of various cases lay strewn across the room, and she knew she would need to clean up soon. Or she could just wait for Shizune to show up. Yeah, that plan was much better.

Just like the wine she was drinking, she once more looked over the shinobi sitting in front of her. Ohashi Hatake, son of the White Fang and a Kato Sumiko. Kato, and hadn't that name been a surprise to her? A cousin of Dan's whom she had never met, she had been surprised when she had first heard of his existence.

The kid belonged to two prominent bloodlines yet had been raised in an orphanage. He had refused any help from his father Sakumo, an idiotic move in her opinion. The kid should have sought every advantage, for that was what kept Shinobi alive, and that was all that mattered.

However, he had written to Shizune about his reason, and she found it honorable, if not naïve. And so when he had asked for some instructions about her Grand Uncle's techniques, she had decided to tell him the basics.

And then he went on to do the impossible. He went on and reengineered it. A feat that even she hadn't been able to achieve. They had maintained communication ever since and she would often send him some training tips, and the kid had continued to shatter her expectations.

And coincidentally, the kid even looked like her Grand Uncle. His hair was a shade darker, yet she noticed both had similar facial structures. She picked up the bottle and brought it to her mouth as she took another gulp of the special wine from Land of Honey, a delicacy that must have cost him quite a pretty penny.

"AHHH!" she brought it down and placed the bottle back on the table, using her chakra to wipe away the excess alcohol in her system. She was in no mood to get wasted.

"You didn't have to bring this kid. From what I have heard, you would have been able to succeed even without my help," she said as she looked over him and felt a pang of regret as she saw him in that special jounin vest.

Nawaki would have been a jounin by now.

The kid was abashed by her praise and replied awkwardly.

"I don't know about what kind of rumors are going on about me, and I am flattered that you think so highly of me, but your help was instrumental in the breakthrough I achieved. So, consider it a token of my appreciation," he said with a smile, and Tsunade was surprised for a bit as she saw the resemblance the kid shared with his father.

"Ahh, well, it's just the standard kind of rumors. Youngest jounin, upcoming prodigy," and she took another gulp of the bottle before she looked the kid straight in the eye as she added with a huge smile on her face.

"And I also remember hearing about a fiery forbidden romance with a very fiery Kiri nin," and the kid spluttered at that as his eyes widened, and he spoke out scandalized.

"Where the hell did you hear about that?" he asked her, and she laughed, for the small flush on his face told her everything she needed to know about that. Many would have asked her to discourage the kid, but Tsunade would never stand in the way of young romance. Especially one as speicy as this one.

"Ahh, it seems it's true. Well, you've got a challenge on your hands kid. You might even have to steal away that girlfrie…." And he cut her off.

"She isn't my girlfriend! Gods, I am going to kill whoever spread that around!" he said through gritted teeth and Tsunade shrugged as she stifled her laugh. It seemed it was worth reading those letters from her old teammate.

"Yeah. Yeah, and it's a complete coincidence that you saved her life in the chunin exams and have somehow run into her on every other mission you take," she said with a raised brow, and the kid shook his head.

". I didn't save her. We made a strategic alliance in the chunin exams. It happened thrice, and it was a pure coincidence each time. Three! And I have completed over fifty missions now," he argued, and Tsunade smiled as he tried to rebuff her claims. However, seeing the kid, she was reminded of the times when she had been young. Young and unbroken.

"Well, whatever you say, kid. But I heard that you were deployed on the southern border once more. Perhaps you might even run into her again," she teased him again, and the kid just sat down and huffed. And Tsunade's mood soured as she thought about the kid's deployment. Even though he was a jounin, he was still barely fourteen, and now he had already served on the front lines.

She looked down at her hand, and clenched them as she lamented her own powerlessness. Before she suddenly stood up and looked straight at the kid.

"Well, why don't you tell me if the rumors are true? I wanna see just how strong is the Shimmering Mist of Konoha?" she challenged the kid, who seemed a bit taken aback at first before his eyes hardened and she got her first glimpse of the jounin ninja sitting in front of her.

"You want to spar with me, Lady Tsunade?" he confirmed in a serious tone, and she nodded as she felt excitement bubbling inside her. How long had it been since she had sparred with someone? She had kept up her training, but sparring was another ball game.

"Well, then I would be honored. But I am to leave for my mission tomorrow, so when do we do it," he questioned.

"Why don't we do it right now. I have the keys to a special training ground. We can use that," and he nodded as he got up from his seat as well. And then she began to walk out of the room with him following her.

"And don't worry, kid. I will heal you up when I beat you to a pulp," she challenged jollily and noticed a smile on his face.

"I am afraid you will find bashing me to the ground isn't as easy as you think," he replied before they were interrupted by an intruder—an intruder who seemed to be staring at her.

"Where are you going, Lady Tsunade?" questioned Shizune as her eyes narrowed as she glanced at the bottle in her hand. Tsunade smiled as she looked at her apprentice.

"I am going to have a spar with your dear cousin, and could you please clear up the mess in my office for me? It's becoming a hassle," and she walked past her student, who was still processing her words. And when she did, all Tsuande heard was a small shriek.

"WHAT?"

0000

KATO SHIZUNE

She had decided to follow Tsunade-sama and Ohashi to the training ground in the end, as both of them had been adamant about having that spar regardless of her reservations. Tsunade-sama had a special permit to Hokage's training grounds. And hence here they were, with both Lady Tsuande and Ohashi getting ready for their spar.

And they had a special guest. She looked to her side at the excited face of Konoha's greatest prodigy, Minato Namikaze. Unlike her, Namikaze-san seemed excited about the spar, and finding him in the training ground had been a rather welcoming surprise.

"Thank you for agreeing to referee the match. I don't think I could have done anything if both of them took things too far," she thanked the famed jounin once more. He seemed a bit abashed as he spoke.

"Ahh! I don't mind it all. There is so much that I could learn from this fight, so I should be thanking you," she smiled as she straightened up and sighed once more as she watched Ohashi and Lady Tsunade doing stretches.

"I just hope Tsunade-sama holds back appropriately. I wouldn't want Ohashi-kun to go to his mission tomorrow with an injury," she said with a shake of her head when the jounin by her side suddenly interrupted her.

"Well, I think Ohashi-kun is going to surprise you. And I believe Lady Tsunade will not find it as easy as you think to face him," and her head snapped towards him. Of course, she was aware of Ohashi's prowess, but they were talking about Tsunade Senju here, the Senju princess, the strongest Shinobi of the continent.

Yet Minato Namikaze seemed dead serious. She looked over at Ohashi once more, who had his eyes closed in concentration.

"I know that he is strong, but we are talking about Lady Tsunade here. She will win, right?" she said with a frown, and arguably the fastest shinobi alive answered her.

"There is a high chance that she will win. But it's not a surety. Ohashi can be a very tricky opponent," he argued, and she frowned as she looked at him again.

"Why do you say that?" she decided to ask him directly. Shizune herself wasn't focused on the martial side of things, so having his insight would be helpful. Minato-san seemed to think about it for a second before he finally began.

"Do you know why Lord Third is called the God of Shinobi?" he countered with his own question. She nodded as she answered his question.



"It's because he has mastered all the known techniques and, with his wealth of experience, can counter any offensive in the most efficient way," she replied before her head snapped towards Ohashi, and she frowned.

"Yes, that is the gist of it. I would say Ohashi-kun is a crude replication of Lord Third," and she frowned at his words.

"I do not see it. From what he told me, he is still working on mastering his third nature, and even then, his arsenal of ninjutsu isn't quite as vast as Lord Third," and Minato-san broke out into a chuckle.

"Yeah, Ohashi-kun is struggling to master fire release right now. But as I said, he isn't a complete copy but rather a crude one. He doesn't have Lord Third's experience or arsenal, but he has an uncanny ability to have counters to whatever you throw at him," and he suddenly reached into his pocket before taking out a kunai. The special kunai for his infamous Hiraishin, a technique the man had mastered.

"When I first met him about a year ago, I had almost mastered my technique. We talked a bit and then we decided to have a little spar ourselves," he continued to her surprise, and she had never heard about this from Ohasi at all.

"And what happened?" she questioned, rather excited about the outcome of their spar. Minato-san smiled while looking at the serious combat-ready form of her cousin as he replied.

"To this day, he is the only shinobi who lasted over thirty minuted while facing me," and her eyes widened as she heard those words. Minato-san stepped forward and looked over at both Lady Tsunade and Ohashi-kun before he raised his hand, and suddenly brought it down.

"BEGIN!"

BOOOOM!

And Shizune barely saw her sensei move as Tsunade-sama suddenly vanished into a blur, leaving a huge crater in her wake. She looked towards Ohashi, and she was right in front of him. In the blink of an eye, with a punch headed straight t his head. Her heart nearly gave out when Ohashi did not move to dodge, but before she could say anything, Tsunade-sama's fist hit him.

Her body moved on instinct to help him as she noticed a splatter, but before she had taken her second step, she felt herself getting pulled back.

"What are you doing? Gods! Look at all the bloo…." But she stopped mid-sentence when she got a good look at Ohashi-kun's body. And she found no blood, as his body suddenly dissolved the water itself.

"Didn't I tell you before? It's not going to be as one-sided as you think?" suddenly, she felt the air around them thicken as mist began to cover the whole training ground.

Thick Chakra-laden mist that made it impossible to see through it at all. She looked toward Minato-san as he jumped back.

"How will you keep track of the spar with all this mist?" she questioned as they landed on the ground. His eyes were closed in deep concentration as he answered her.

"Don't worry. I placed special seals on them. Even with the mist, I will be able to intervene instantaneously if anything goes wrong," and she nodded, feeling a bit more reassured.

"I will guide you through what's happening as well," he suddenly added, and she nodded as she leaned in closer as he began to tell her of what was happening inside the thick mist cover.

0000

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[Drkest]

Chapter 9

TSUNADE SENJU

Tsunade Senju was impressed as she looked around and found herself surrounded by a thick chakra-laden mist that made it impossible to see or sense the location of her attacker accurately. Her initial attack had passed through the kid's body, which dissolved into mist, something which reminded her of times when she had faced the famed Hozuki clan of the Kirigakure.

"Well, at least now I can see where he gets his moniker from," she muttered as she suddenly ducked and blurred past exactly where her head had been moments ago. She punched the space yet only hit the air. Before suddenly, she felt a cut on her arm that began to bleed lightly.

And then the assault began, and she dodged on instinct alone as her body got littered with cuts. Each time her attacks would fail to hit anything and would only hit the air. Then she finally had enough.

"CHAAAAA!" she pushed chakra into her arm and punched the ground.

BOOOM!

The whole ground cracked up, and Tsunade jumped up to escape the prison of Mist that she had been entrapped into. And as she had predicted, She felt a shadow appear in the mist right above her, and she smirked at her plan working.

"Found you," she said as she finally glimpsed the young Hatake. She punched him. However, just like all her previous attacks, it went right through him, and her senses screamed at her when he suddenly placed a hand right on her torso.

"SUITON: WATER DEVASTATION!"

And Tsunade felt herself getting blasted by a jet of water as she was pushed back violently. Her back hit the ground, making her Vince a bit as the ground cracked beneath her. An attack like this would have killed many shinobi, but Tsunade Senju wasn't any regular shinobi.

She stood up once more and spit the blood in her mouth, smiling as she felt excited for a spar in a very long time. She looked ahead and found the mist thickening as Ohashi's body began to materialize once more. Gone was the usual cheer on his face, and his eyes seemed sharp, like a wolf eyeing his prey.

"I must say your technique is quite impressive. No wonder you fought a whole platoon with this," she commended him for his self-made technique. Shizune had told her that he had a small arsenal of techniques and his stubbornness in focusing on his Suiton over trying to master other natures. And the results spoke for themselves. Tsunade was sure that even at this stage, he was one of the best Suiton users on the whole continent.

"Using sensing, genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu in such harmony with extreme precision like this is extremely impressive," she complimented him. She still did not fully understand the mechanics of his technique. However, she had gleaned the basics from their short interaction. Technically it was a mix-up of a couple of Kekkei Genkai of Kirigakure.

"There are very few shinobi who could pull this off, but let me tell you something," she began as she pushed chakra through her coils, harmonizing it with the one in her surroundings. She then closed her eyes as she felt her senses expanding through the mist. She noticed his body stiffen as his chakra rattled as she almost hijacked his technique.

"Impossible," she heard him whisper as he tried to wrestle away her intrusion; however, she pushed back and glanced to her right, exactly where his real body was. And then she pushed chakra into her feet.

"FUCK!" he screamed as he shunshined away, but inside this mist, she had complete awareness. So, she kicked the ground hard and turned to her left as she chased after him once more.

"CHAAA!" she shouted as she pushed chakra into her arm, but he had cycled through a series of handseals before she could hit him.

"DOTON: GREAT MUD WALL!"

And an earthen wall rose up in front of him. However, she didn't stop as she punched through it.

CRACK! BOOOM!

It was blasted off, but it had given him enough time to establish distance between them. He was panting slightly now, looking at her with thin lips. Then he suddenly raised a tiger seal and pulled his chakra from the mist, allowing it to disperse.

The thick mist cleared up, and Tsunade smirked as she saw him grunt as he put away the tanto in his hands. To the side, Shizune and Namikaze stood gazing at them with narrowed eyes. She noticed the look of surprise on Jiraiya's prodigious student.

Tsunade had her own bag of tricks, just like Jiraiya.

"I can see why the other villages fear the Sanin so much now," said Ohashi as he stood up, and despite his words, there was no hint of that fear in his eyes.

"Well, the number of shinobi who could pull off what I did can be counted on the fingers of one's hand," she replied as she got in her regular stance. The young jounin did the same as they both got ready for round two.

And this time, it was he who initiated the fight as he vanished into a blur as he appeared right in front of her. And their taijutsu brawl began. She dodged his barrage of attacks. Suddenly just as she was about to block a punch to her face, her senses screamed at her to move, and her eyes widened as a jet of pressurized water shot out of his hand.

SCHING!

It blew apart the tree behind her, but it also gave her an opening to retaliate, and she aimed a punch straight at his torso. Surprisingly, he did not move. However, as her hand was inches away from his body, she felt her body getting pulled back. She glanced back and found hands extending out of a puddle behind her pulling her legs.

Ohashi did not miss the chance, and a chakra-coated fist was headed straight for her neck. Tsunade was highly impressed. Yet she was the taijutsu master, and this was her domain.

So, she pushed her feet inches off the ground before she brought it down instantly with full force.

BOOOM!

0000

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato had offered to officiate the spar between Lady Tsuande and Ohashi out of sheer curiosity. He trusted both of them not to take things too far, yet he would be an idiot to miss the chance to see a Sanin battle someone like Ohashi Hatake.

Minato had been lauded as a prodigy for a number of years, and the truth was that many shinobi in their youth got labeled with that title. Yet few lived to fulfill the promise of their youth. Death took half of them, and the rest failed to match the expectations placed on them. That was the reality of the ninja world. Minato had proven to beat the odds when he had risen above those expectations despite his ordinary pedigree.

Ohashi Hatake was the second prodigy after him to show the promise of greatness. And from what he had witnessed, he had fulfilled his promise. Despite the difference in their age and experience, going toe to toe with Lady Tsunade showed him that he had been right about the young Hatake.

BOOOM!

And had he not been paying rapt attention, he would have missed the trickery employed by Lady Tsuande as the ground cracked and smoke covered the area of their tussle when suddenly Ohashi was blasted away, and Minato winced as the young Hatake hit a tree and grunted in pain before falling to the ground.

The dust cleared up to reveal the form of a triumphant Lady Tsunade eyeing the young jounin who was now struggling to get up. However, Minato could tell that the fight had not been as one-sided as one would think, and it was made evident by the cuts and bruises that littered the Sanin's body.

"What the hell just happened?" spoke the other spectator, Kato Shizune, with a frown, and Minato did not blame her for missing the exact move of Lady Tsunade.

"She just kicked away the hidden water clone. Her chakra control must really be mind-boggling for her to generate so much power under these circumstances," he explained, and the medical ninjutsu specialist nodded, understanding his point.

"Lady Tsunade is in the ninety-ninth percentile in the Uzu-Mi-Ko scale, so she practically has perfect control. However, Ohashi's control is pretty impressive as well. I suspect him to be above the ninetieth percentile, at least with the control he must need for that Mist trick of his," Minato agreed, and given his larger growing reserves and his gender, that was quite an accomplishment. He himself had just crossed the ninety-second percentile, and any improvements now would be incremental.

Ohashi finally got to his feet as they got ready to continue, and Minato thought about whether he should intervene to stop the spar now, yet the look of excitement on the faces of Lady Tsuande and Ohashi made him hesitant to stop.

Ohashi cracked his neck as he adopted a rather loose posture.

"I haven't used this before, but I believe this is as good a time as any to try this," and Minato frowned as he felt Ohashi's chakra thicken, but he did not seem to be planning on using any ninjutsu. He noticed a frown on Tsuande-sama's face, meaning she had no idea about this technique. He noticed chakra in his body getting concentrated in the brain's left hemisphere, and suddenly he understood what he was doing.

"Impossible," he muttered, and Shizune-san caught his whisper.

"What is he doing?" she asked, and he didn't take his eyes off Ohashi as he replied to her.


"I am not sure, but I think he is opening the eight inner gates," and her eyes widened at this.

"WHAT! You have to stop him. It will kill him," and his common sense screamed the same thing yet the chakra buildup was too controlled and deliberate. This meant that Ohashi knew what he was doing.

However, he still got ready to intervene.

"KAIMON: KAI," shouted Ohashi as he opened the first of the inner eight gates and his muscles got flooded with chakra. But he did not stop there.

"KYUMON:KAI!" and he also opened the second gate. Tsunade-sama seemed taken aback as well. Minato sensed Ohashi's chakra, which was controlled, meaning that he had mastered the technique.

"Well, now let's get this party started," said Ohashi before he vanished in a blur, and Minato could barely keep up with him as Ohashi appeared right above Lady Tsunade in an instant. A kick aimed straight at her head.

Yet she wasn't a Sanin for no reason, as she managed to duck just in time to dodge the attack. However, Ohashi simply blurred away once again, his speed substantially greater than it had been earlier in the fight.

The high-paced battle gave him goosebumps, and while he wasn't aware, there was a smile on his face as he witnessed the clash of the titans.

0000

OHASHI HATAKE

His body aches had vanished, and he was feeling reenergized as he blurred past Tsunade-sama's attacks before he appeared behind her and pushed her back, and he knew he had the initiative again. He still had room to push himself further, for he had opened up to the fourth gate, yet he needed to conserve himself for the mission he had tomorrow, so two were enough.

Lady Tsunade ducked and tried to kick him in the gut; however, he used her leg as a platform to jump up as he aimed his heel at her head. She was smart enough to jump back as his chakra-laden heel cracked the whole ground.

CRACK!

Lady Tsunade had also gotten serious now and did not give him time to relax as she plucked out a tree and swung it straight at him, Ohashi decided not to dodge as he rushed forward instead and pushed chakra into his fist.

"IRON FIST!" and as he grounded his feet, he punched the tree, and broke it into pieces, and just as he was about to rush forward again, Lady Tusande appeared in front of him. She ducked under his punch and, before he could react, aimed a well-timed kick at his torso. He could only bring his arm up to block the major impact but he was still sent blasting off.

However, he wasn't done yet, as he took out a scroll out of his pocket and unsealed the gourd of water he had brought.

POOF!

And then he began to cycle through a number of handseals as the water coiled around him and cushioned his impact with the ground.

"SUITON: FLUID DEFENSE!" and the water cocooned around him as it protected him, and then he finished another set of handseals.

"SUITON: WATER BULLE…." But then suddenly, a blonde figure blurred right into the middle of the field, stopping the fight.

"That will be enough," Minato spoke resolutely, and Ohashi let go of the chakra as the water dropped down. On the opposite side, Tsunade-sama eased up as well before she turned to face him.

"Consider me impressed, kid. It has been years since someone has managed to push me so hard," and Ohashi nodded as he eased off the chakra flow through his coils, closing off the inner gates. A wave of fatigue hit him immediately, and he faltered when he suddenly felt someone support him.

"What the hell were you thinking, messing with the inner gates? Do you have a death wish!" Shizune-san berated her as she ran a diagnostic scan as Minato-san and Tsunade-sama joined us. Only after double-checking did she sigh as he could stand up without help.

"At least you had some idea of what you were doing. But still, you better rest as much as you can before you move out tomorrow," she advised him, and he nodded.

"Well then this has been a pleasure, I will be expecting you at the gate at 0800 tommorow then," said Minato-san before he gave Tsunade-sama a nod and vanished. Tsunade-sama was looking him over when she suddenly spoke out.

"Since you have such good chakra control. Have you ever thought of learning iryo-ninjutsu?" and he frowned as he nodded.

And then she smiled as she nodded.

"Take him to his home, Shizune and Ohashi. Before you leave, visit me in the hospital for a moment," Shziune-san nodded, and then they began to walk out of the room with her continuously berating him over his carelessness.

Later, in her own room at the hospital, Tsunade Senju stood in front of a mirror as she looked at the various cuts and bruises scattered across her body. However, they weren't anything to be concerned about, but when she put her shirt up, there was a huge laceration there bleeding out. She winced in pain as she brought her mystic palm there to heal it.

"Either I am way out of shape, or the kids these days are just freaking monsters!"

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would mean a lot.

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 10

KAKASHI HATAKE

Kakashi Hatake finished his wiped the sweat from his forehead as he finished his morning katas. Over the last couple of weeks, his routine had become quite regular, with him sparring with Ohashi in the morning, followed by going to the academy and returning home, doing some cleaning and training before sleeping again. It was a rather monotonous life, yet he had gotten used to it.

His brother had also been helping him train, yet that was about to come to a halt. Ohashi had been redeployed and would be leaving for his mission today. It was supposed to be their last spar, yet Ohashi had fought someone else yesterday and had been advised to rest completely. He still came to watch him and corrected his mistakes, yet they did not spar today.

"Well, you are improving rather quickly," said his half-brother from his side as he simply sat there watching him. Suddenly he threw a notebook at him, which Kakashi caught on instinct. He looked down and found himself looking at a manual, and from how it was worn out, it was a used one.

"That's my manual, and it has some of my notes from when I was a genin. You might find something interesting in there," said Ohashi. And Kakashi nodded as he opened it and found it filled with jotted notes about basic techniques and training schedules.

"Thanks," said Kakashi as he sat down as well.

"So, do you know when you will be returning from your mission," asked Kakashi, and Ohashi shook his head.

"No, but I don't expect it to be early. There is a chance I might miss your graduation. I apologize in advance for that," and Kakashi shook his head. There was no need for him to be there. Already, he had done more than enough for him with their regular spars and guidance.

"That's okay," Kakashi replied. Ohashi looked at the time, got up from his place, and stretched out as he spoke out.

"Well, then, this is it. I will be leaving now. Take care, Kakashi, and don't overexert yourself in your training," advised Ohashi, and Kakashi nodded as Ohashi began to walk out of the dojo, leaving him all alone.

0000

TSUNADE SENJU

Tsunade Senju sat in her office, lost in nostalgia, as she stared at the notebook placed in front of her. It had been years since she had gathered the courage to finally take it out. And even now, staring at the familiar handwriting on it made her heart scream in pain.

Property of Dan Kato

She sighed as she picked up the book and began to flip through it. Each of those pages reminded her of their past, his dreams, and her failure to save his life. The notebook was filled with notes, ranging from medical ninjutsu to his special Spirit Transformation technique. Shizune had failed to replicate the technique and had given her back the book when she had first given it to her.

But perhaps, Ohashi could succeed where Shizune had failed. Though his style differed greatly from Dan's, Ohashi was still young and could probably pick up a thing or two from it.

There was a knock on her door, and as she leaned back, the door opened to reveal the form of the person she had just been thinking of as Ohashi Hatake entered her office in his proper mission attire.

"Good morning Tsunade-sama," he said, and she returned the greeting as she motioned for him to sit. She looked him over, and he was dressed in a modified uniform that was colored black. He had a backpack strapped to his back. There were several storage scrolls tied to his back as well.

"So, you mentioned that you had looked into iryo ninjutsu before," she got straight to the point, and he nodded.

"Yes, I have, but it wasn't my priority at the time, and I haven't had the time to get into it again," he replied, and she shook her head in disappointment. On the inside, she cursed Sensei for his nonsensical graduation policy.

"Well, at least you know the basics. That is good. But I believe that with your chakra control, it could be a massive boost for you," she began, and Ohashi seemed a bit hesitant, not that she blamed him. Iryo ninjutsu was hard. Actually, it was very hard and time-consuming, which was why so few shinobi focused on it.

"And from the fight yesterday, I believe you could seriously boost your taijutsu with it," she said and saw the gears turning in his head. Opening the eight gates like that was something she had never seen.

"Nonetheless, this belonged to one of your family members, and I want you to have it. It has his notes on his techniques. I believe they might help you progress further," she said as she slid Kato's journal forward. Ohashi picked it up, and his eyes widened as he read the name before they looked at her, and the glint in his eyes told her that he was aware of her connection with him.

"Kato Dan," he began slowly as he looked at her.

"Wasn't he your…." And she nodded.

"He was," she did not let him finish the words. Even now, years later, the word fiancée made her recall all her painful memories. His face morphed through a plethora of complex emotions before he nodded slowly as he placed the book in his pocket.

"Thank you for this, Tsuande-sama. I will be sure to look into it," he said, and she nodded as he stood up, getting ready to leave.

"Be safe out there, kid," she spoke just as he was about to step out of the room, and Ohashi stopped with a final nod.

"I will try," said Ohashi before he closed the door behind him, leaving her all alone. Tsunade leaned back in her chair as she closed her eyes, thinking about the man whose legacy she had just entrusted Ohashi with.

"I hope you wish him well, Dan," she whispered as she sat there dusting off old memories in search of a better future.

0000

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato watched Ohashi skimming through a book as their squad journeyed toward the southern border. They were equipped with two long-range sensors, and it was now the Hyuga's turn to serve as a sensor as Ohashi rested. He could still see some hints of fatigue in the young Hatake, so he decided to move up as he tried to talk to him.

"Ohashi," he said as he jumped near him as the squad continued to move. Ohashi closed the book as he turned to look at him.

"What is it, Minato-san?" questioned Ohashi as they jumped through the forest side by side. Minato looked at the young Hatake and asked with a smile.

"Are you fine?" he questioned, and the young jounin nodded.

"I am. You don't have to worry about me," said Ohashi as he put the book in his backpack and continued.

"So, you will be with us only for a week after we reach our destination?" questioned Ohashi, and Minato nodded. The mission details made it so he would stay with the squad for a week once they reached the southern border.

"Yes, and then you will be the leader from that point onwards. I have to return to the village after I complete an errand to the Amegakure," and Ohashi nodded before a smirk appeared on his face as he looked towards him and spoke in a hushed tone.

"To meet your new apprentice," and Minato was surprised that Ohashi knew that. There had been no official announcement about his placement as a sensei. His surprise must have been apparent, as Ohashi added.

"Kushina-san told my sensei when she came to visit, and Mikoto-sensei shared it with me," and Minato sighed at Kushina's antics. Well, now it was out of the bag.

"Yes, and I believe you also know who that student is," and Ohashi nodded. He had a proud grin on his face as he spoke of his brother.

"It's Kakashi, well he is lucky to have you as a sensei," and Minato felt a bit of pride at having the confidence of Ohashi though this also presented a good opportunity to know a bit more about his prospective student.

"So, how is he?" he began as Ohashi nodded his head indecisively.

"Well, he seems fine, if not a bit quieter, but that's expected. As for his skillset, let's just say he is his father's son," and Minato nodded as he remembered the kid's file. It was anything but extremely impressive. Though given the pedigree, one could say it was expected.

"He is already working on his lightning nature chakra training. In the end, he had to pause it since I don't know Raiton yet," said Ohashi in an equally impressed and bamboozled voice, and Minato was also impressed. He hadn't started working with nature transformation until age eight, and Kakashi was six.

"Well, I could teach him that. I mastered Raiton nature transformation some time ago," and he had, despite it not being his main chakra affinity, learning it had helped him with his Hiraishin a lot.

"Yeah, that's why I had him pause ration training. I didn't want to cause an accident or something," said Ohashi, and that was mature of the kid. Suddenly Ohashi frowned as he turned to face him.

"Have you mastered Katon?" questioned the young Hatake, and Minato nodded, already knowing where the conversation was going.

"Then could you help me with it? Katon is giving me the most trouble," said Ohashi and Minato smiled.

"With suiton as your natural affinity, that is reasonable, tell how far along are you and I will see what I can do," said Minato and just as Ohashi was about to speak up, they were interrupted by the sound of a crow.

CAW! CAW! CAW!

Minato looked up, and his eyes narrowed as he saw a crow circling over their squad. The unit came to a halt as they recognized the signal.

"It's a messenger crow," said the Hyuga, their other sensor, as the crow rushed down towards them, settling on the shoulder of their Hyuga. And Minato noticed a scroll tied to its feet. He jumped near the sensor and began to untie the scroll slowly.

CAW. CAW. CAW.

And just as he finished, the crow cawed as it took flight once more, leaving him there as he unfurled the scroll. He skimmed over its contents, and his eyes widened with each word he read.

"It's from the Southern border," and he saw the whole unit perk up at his squad perk up at his words.

"They are under attack," and the tension in the air was palpable when he said those words. He saw everyone's eyes focus on him as they waited for further instructions.

"We make haste towards the border. I want everyone ready for combat," he ordered, and the men nodded.

"Yes, sir," they chorused as they got into formation. Ohashi joined him on the side as the vice commander, his eyes narrowed.

"What are the enemy numbers?" questioned Ohashi as they began to blur through the woods.

"It's a small force, they aren't sure, but they suspect it's not more than twenty," and he saw Ohashi frown at his words.

"Twenty? Shouldn't the border forces be able to deal with such numbers?" said Ohashi as he seemed surprised by the numbers as he should be. The force present at the border should have been able to deal with such a force. Unless they were special, and in this case, they were.

"Normally, that would be the case. But the force is being led by three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," replied Minato, and he saw Ohashi frown at his words as the young jounin vocalized his inner thoughts.

"Fuck!"

0000

SHINKO YUHI

Shinku Yuhi was pushed back once more as he tried to block another attack, yet when he felt a sudden pain in his left leg, he knew he had failed.

"AGHH!" he grunted in pain as he swung his sword again, yet it was futile as it hit nothing but the thick mist that had spread everywhere. He looked down and found a cut on his leg, though thankfully, it was shallow.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" came the crackling voice of his enemy, and Shinko Yuhi could openly admit that compared to the monster he was currently facing, he was indeed mediocre at using a sword.

Mangetsu Hozuki was amongst the youngest members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist yet was more skilled than any other kenjutsu user he had ever faced.

"Everyone remain alert and group together. Sensors in the center and everyone else protect them," he ordered his unit, and the dozen or so chunin huddled into groups though he knew that it was futile.

The Silent Mist Killing Art used by the Kirigakure's special squad made it impossible to sense anything.

Suddenly his senses screamed at him, and Shinku ducked as a sword passed and cut through exactly where his head had been seconds ago. He jumped back as sweat dripped from his head, as he remained alert.

"Stop playing with him, Mangetsu. My patience is running thin," came the crackling voice of another shinobi, this one sharper and cut through the air.

"Don't tell me what to do, Ameyuri," came the retort, and hearing them argue over taking his life like that made him grit his teeth, yet he couldn't do anything rash. All he could do was stall, wait, and pray.

"Tch, you brats are idiots wasting so much time in your petty games. I will have to take care of it myself," came the voice of the last member of the Kiri special squad that was leading the attack.

And for the first time, a silhouette appeared in front of him, a huge sword raised in the air. And Shinku Yuhi immediately put up his sword as Juzo Biwa brought down the famed Kubikiribōchō aiming to cleave him into two.

CHING!

There was the sound of metal clashing though Shinku's eyes widened as he saw his sword crack, and before he could react, his blade shattered, and he watched as the blade descended straight at him.

THUCK!

SCHING!

Yet the pain he was expecting never came, and the sound of metal clashing again reached his ears. He slowly opened his eyes and found a shadow covering him, and his eyes widened as he saw that mane of characteristic white hair.

The White Fang, he thought, yet the shinobi in front of him was shorter than Sakumo Hatake. And Sakumo Hatake's recent demise meant that there was only one shinobi with those hairs in the force.

Metal screeched against each other as the young jounin blocked the attack before he finally noticed the special kunai stuck on the floor.

"Well, it seems you win this round, Ohashi," came the sound as another shinobi blurred in front of him, and relief ran through Shinku's body as he saw those characteristic blonde hair and blue eyes.

They were all saved, for Konoha's Yellow Flash was here!

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would mean a lot.

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Thanks for reading!

 

[CHOSEDEATH]

THX FOR THE CHAPPY

 

[Nuitblanche]

The Yellow Flash AND the Shimering Mist ! Don't forget our boy !

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 11

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato scanned his surroundings and saw the littered bodies of leaf shinobi around him. Behind him, he saw barely over a dozen leaf shinobi huddled together, most of them barely cut and bruised but alive nonetheless.

Such savagery, he thought as he looked at the bodies littered around before his eyes finally landed on the one responsible for all this carnage.

Ohashi stood there, blocking the attack from Juzo Biwa, one of Kiri's seven ninja swordsmen of the mist, yet the man wasn't alone. And Minato stiffened as two shadowy silhouettes walked out of the mist, each with their signature sword in hand.

"White Fang?" questioned Biwa Juzo as he pushed down his sword, yet Ohashi did not budge as he ground his feet and held his place.

"NO! Have you already forgotten the report," cut in one of the shadowy figures, and Minato recognized the considerable sword strapped to his back? It was the Hiramekarei, which meant that the person wielding it could be the infamous Mangetsu Hozuki, the young kenjutsu prodigy from Kiri.

"He isn't the White Fang. That old geezer died a month ago," and Minato's eyes narrowed. He knew that the news of Sakumo's death would spread, but he was surprised that it was already out there.

"Huh, then who are you?" said Juzo as he stared at Ohashi with a narrow gaze.

"He is a fucking imposter, he is. A fucking faker!'" snarled Mangetsu with heat in his voice as he glared at Ohashi, and Minato seemed a bit surprised at being ignored, but it seemed Ohashi and Kiri's rising prodigy had a bit of history.

"Oh, hello there, Mangetsu. What a shame that you are still alive," japed Ohashi, and it seemed his guess from earlier was right as the young Hozuki's eyes flared in rage.

Minato quietly took advantage of the opportunity, reached into his pocket, and threw his special kunai at the Kiri nin. And instantly, he was behind Juzo Biwa, his kunai aimed at his neck.

"Not so fast, blondie!" came a snarl.

But his senses prickled, and he vanished from the spot, appeared on a tree nearby, and watched as a storm of lightning arched right behind Biwa, exactly where he had been.

Juzo Biwa and Ohashi disengaged, and the Kiri shinobi landed with his group. Minato decided to join Ohashi as well.

"It seems our intel was wrong. Konoha decided to find someone to send in the big guns with their newest rising jounin," and Minato's mind raced at those words. This meant only one thing.

A breach. No, a massive breach of intelligence. It seems that the Kiri nin were aware of Ohashi's arrival yet weren't aware of his arrival.

The wielder of the infamous Kiba Blades, Ameyuri Ringo, stood there and pointed her blades at him.

"But it's good. I have always wanted to see all this commotion about this yellow flash business," said the lightning mistress with a huge smile.

"Tell me the details, Shino Yuhi," Minato ordered the injured jounin who stood behind him, and the man nodded shakily.

"Yes," said the man as he began. " we were doing regular patrol when the visibility suddenly dropped to zero at 0800, and then the whole force ambushed," and the jounin stiffened at that. However, he continued after gritting his teeth.

"Our opponents were three members of the seven Ninja swordsmen of the mist, and they cut through unit after unit. We tried to regroup and retaliate, yet all our efforts were rebuffed. The only members alive are the dozen or so shinobi behind me," finished the man, and the veteran jounin seemed deeply traumatized by the whole ordeal.

And Minato could understand why. The man was in command of the whole force, and most of his men had just been butchered. It was enough to shake any man.

"Thanks for the report, Jounin Yuhi. The reinforcements are en route and have medics with them. Take your injured men and rendezvous with them. Leave the three of them to us," and before the man could protest, Minato got into his stance as he finished in his hardened tone.

"That's an order," the man gulped, and Minato noticed how the three kiri nin shifted at the change in his demeanor. The veteran genjutsu master behind him nodded and sheathed his sword.

"Yes, sir," and with that, the man rushed towards the remaining men of his force and began to convey the orders. He finally looked up and found himself looking straight into Juzo Biwa's eyes.

"Huh, I don't like that look in your eyes," muttered the man as he crouched down. Minato saw Ohashi getting ready for his stance.

"I will take Mangestu. Can you handle Ameyuri and Juzo?" questioned the young Hatake, and Minato nodded at the plan. With both of them beings sensors, they could provide support to the other if needed.

He saw Juzo Biwa cycle through a characteristic set of handseals and felt the Mist thicken, but they were truly helpless either as Minato and Ohashi began to cycle through the same set of handseals.

"NINPO: HIDDEN MIST TECHNIQUE!"

"FUTON: MONSTEROUS GALE!" they shouted as they spewed the equivalent of a tornado from their mouths and watched as a storm began to brew in front of them, a massive storm that began to tear out trees and even cracked the very ground they were standing on.

But it was also clearing out the mist that had begun to gather unnaturally, and Minato watched as the three Kiri nin stood there, shocked at the spectacle in front of them, as they cut the uprooted trees headed at them.

"What the hell is this!" screamed the young Hozuki as he looked at the storm in front of him with sheer horror in his eyes. On the other hand, Ameyuri Ringo had a huge grin on her face as her swords crackled with lightning.

"OHO! This is going to be so much more fun than cutting through all that fodder," Minato took out his kunai and swung them at the storm, and they were sucked up and began to circle in the storm like everything else. He began to cut off his chakra supply to the jutsu, and just as the storm eased up a bit. Both he and Ohashi vanished from the side.

He appeared in front of the young Hozuki, and before the Hiramekarei wielder could react, Minato had kicked him in the gut sending him barreling away. Minato ducked as he avoided the massive swing from Biwa Juzo and vanished once more to appear right below the man, kunai in hand.

He saw the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō's eyes widen as Minato tried to plunge the kunai straight into his chest, yet he was interrupted once more. By none other than the lightning mistress, Ameyuri Ringo herself, as she swung her swords, trying to cleave his head off.

Minato abandoned the attack, ducked down, and swiped Juzo off his feat before he parried away the Kiba blades and cycled through a set of handseals instantly.

"FUTON: VACCUM BULLET!"

And highly compressed air bullets were shot out his mouth straight at Ameyuri, who could only bring forward her sword to block his attack. But not all of them, and he heard her grunt in pain as one of his bullets passed right through her shoulder.

"AGHH!" she grunted, but this had given Juzo biwa enough time to attack him again, but by then, Minato had long vanished from his location and appeared a couple of yards away from the two Kiri nin, his eyes sharp and focused and his signature kunai in hand.

"Are you still excited, Ameyuri Ringo!" he challenged as he saw the Kiba blade wielder glare at him as she cradled her injured arm while lightning arched around her body.

"I am gonna enjoy tearing you to pieces!" you bastard.

0000

MANGETSU HOZUKI

Mangetsu grunted in pain as he was sent crashing back into the forest by the Yellow flash. He somersaulted in the air, landed on a branch, and was about to spring back when suddenly, the major reason for his annoyance appeared right in front of him once again.

"You faker!" he snarled as he was forced to jump back to avoid the Hatake's attack.

Mangetsu Hozuki had met Ohashi Hatake over half a decade ago in the chunin exams in Iwa. Mangetsu was at that time training to become a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and for that, he needed the rank of chunin.

And that fucking faker had stopped him from achieving that.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mangetsu? I did not steal from you. Our techniques are different!" Mangetsu gritted his teeth as he took out his sword and pushed chakra to his feet, heading straight at the lier.

"Shut up, you liar! I am going to tear you to pieces for insulting the Kekkei Genkai of the Hozuki clan," snarled Mangetsu, and his temper flared as he saw the white-haired bastard's lips turn up in a smile at his words.

Mangetsu pushed chakra into Hiramekarei, separating it into its two parts as he swung at the bloodline thief.

"AHHHH!" he screamed, yet the blades simply passed through the kid as Hatake's body dissolved into water, just like the Kekkei Genkai of their clan.

And it was only his instincts that forced him to duck when suddenly a tanto passed from where his head had been earlier. He looked up and found Hatake right there, smiling down at him.

"See, I don't even see a single resemblance between our techniques," the bastard teased her before he began to circle through a set of handseals. Yet Mangetsu hadn't gotten to his place with sheer luck.

"SUITON: WATER DRAGON BULLET!" screamed Hatake as he spewed a water dragon straight at him.

He twisted his body in an inhumane way to an almost one-eighty-degree turn. He felt his backbone twist, but the special nature of the Hozuki clan Kekkei Genkai made it so that it didn't even hurt.

"SUITON: AQUA MIRROR!" he screamed as a water mirror appeared in front of him, surprising the white-haired bastard. His attack hit the mirror and then was reflected back at him.

"AGHHH!" Hatake grunted in pain as he hit a tree with massive force and vomited blood before his body began to fall down. Mangetsu raced towards him, aiming to end his miserable life.

When suddenly, he felt someone grip his feet. He looked down and found a pair of hands gripping his feet.

"DOTON: HIDING LIKE A MOLE TECHNIQUE!" Mangetsu grunted as his body was suddenly pushed into the ground, and he felt the ground close up on him, making him immobile.

Ohashi jumped out of the ground in front of him, blood dripping from his head and mouth. Mangetsu tried to wiggle out of the ground yet failed.

Hatake walked up to him and spoke to him in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

"You said that you had intel about me coming in as backup," snarled Hatake as he kneeled to his level.

"Tell me who the leak was," and Magetsu scoffed as he spat at his face.

"Like I will ever tell you anything, you imposter cunt!" snarled Mangetsu, and he saw Hatake's face harden as his lips tightened as he swung his sword straight at his head.

Yet at that moment, Magetsu could wriggle free, so he brought up Hiramekarei to parry away the strike as he jumped back to get a sure footing.

Hatake jumped out of the dust and landed on a tree in front of him, huffing like him. Though suddenly, he noticed Hatake's face shift as he glanced back, and Mangetsu frowned at his behavior.

Though the reason would soon reveal itself. As, an orange blur suddenly appeared right where Hatake stood and began to attack the white-haired bastard.

Mangetsu recognized the shinobi, and his annoyance rose as she saw Terumi interfering in his fight.

"You could at least say hello before attacking me, Terumi. After all, we were comrades for a time," snarled Hatake as he landed a kick at Terumi, pushing her towards him.

Terumi Mei landed by his side, and stood straight as they both stared and got ready to face the white-haired bastard.

"Why are you here, Terumi?" he questioned. And he saw her look at him with an annoyed face.

"Are you really asking me that? It was your job to send back a report after every thirty minutes. What the hell were you doing, Mangetsu?" snarled Mei. And Magetsu shrieked at this. Ao was going to be angry at him for his mistake. But it wasn't his fault. He had just gotten lost in the excitement of killing all those tree-huggers!

"Shut up! I just forgot about it. Plus, the reports can go to hell. We need to kill that fucking imposter! I will not allow him to insult the Great Hozuki lineage like this," he screamed at her, and Terumi also got ready.

As they both got ready, Hatake sighed as he sheathed his tanto and looked straight at Mei.

"Hello there, it seems fate that we meet again," said Hatake.

"Shut up, Hatake!" snarled Mei from his side, and he saw the white-haired bastard look at them both before suddenly he felt a huge buildup of chakra from the bastard.

"I think I might have to get a bit more serious!" said Hatake as Mangetsu felt shivers run down his spine as chakra pulsed from the white-haired bastard in massive waves. Mangetsu's grip tightened on his sword, and suddenly Hatake vanished from his position, and it was only his experience that made him raise Hiramekarei in time to avoid a decapitating strike aimed straight at his heart.

"Ahh, you were able to block that. Let's see how long you can pull this off," whispered the white-haired bastard before he vanished once more Mangetsu could barely avoid another strike as he skidded to the right, but this time the blade left a cut on his face.

"Magetsu! JUMP BACK!" screamed Terumi at Mangetsu jumped back as he recognized the set of handseals.

"YOTON: LAVA FLOOD!" screamed Mei before she flooded the whole area with sizzling hot Lava, and the heat lit the forest around them on fire.

Mangetsu saw Hatake land on a tree, and he smirked as he pushed chakra into his legs, his grip around his sword tightening. He vanished into a blur and saw the surprise on Hatake's face as he appeared right in front of his face.

"Hiramekarei, Release!" and all the chakra he had built up was released as Hiramekarei lit up with chakra. Mangetsu smirked as Hatake failed to jump away as the tree began to fall due to the fire burning through its base, and he swung his sword.

"This is the end for you, you imposter!"

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would mean a lot.

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Nuitblanche]

Mangetsu is a bit optimistic I see.

 

[Lord Sia]

Mangetsu is a bit optimistic I see.

Click to shrink...

That's a good thing; a man should die with a smile on his face!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 12

MEI TERUMI

The heir of the Terumi clan watched as Mangetsu blurred in front of Ohashi. His sword lit up, and waves of pressure came from the massive twin swords.

"HIRAMEKAREI: RELEASE!" screamed Mangetsu as his grip around her swords tightened, and the massive dual sword began to glow up with chakra. Even at her distance, she could feel chakra rolling off of the sword.

She watched as Hatake grew pale and tried to jump off of the branch, yet the tree's roots gave out in the same second. Her eyes widened as Hatake lost his footing, and Mangetsu smirked as he swung the Hiramekarei.

And instinctively, she knew the attack would hit. And if it did, it could spell the end of Ohashi Hatake. Yet for some reason, it didn't fill her with the sense of triumph and accomplishment that she had thought it would.

She had known Hatake for over half a decade and had waged battle against him over more than twenty times now due to some stroke of luck. Yet the first time she had met him, they hadn't bared their blades at each other. Rather they had fought together.

Yet in war, that meant little. Very little, as she hardened her heart and narrowed her eyes at Ohashi. And suddenly, she felt his chakra thrum suddenly, and then his lips moved.

"…. KAI!" and it was the last word she could hear before suddenly the area in front of her exploded.

BOOOOM!

She was pushed back, her feet grinding on the ground. Dust covered the whole area as Mangetsu launched his attack, an attack which Hatake had little chance of dodging! Hiramekarei glew as it released a massive blast of chakra aimed straight at Ohashi.

"AGHHHH!" suddenly a body was thrown out of the dust and Mei's eyes widened as Mangetsu appeared out of the dust, eyes glaring straight ahead. He tried to stand up yet he winced in pain as he coughed up a lot of blood before he dropped to his knee and began to huff.

"Mangetsu!" Mei was broken out of her trance and jumped towards her fellow Kiri nin who continued to look straight ahead.

"Monster!" she heard him whisper as he wiped away the blood staining his chin, while his eyes remained focused straight ahead. Right, where Ohashi had been, waves of chakra continued to roll off of the area.

And her chakra quivered a bit as someone stepped out of the dust, that someone being Ohashi Hatake. Yet even his appearance had changed, with his skin tinged red as his chakra rippled out, but she didn't miss the blood dripping from his mouth or the way he huffed for breath.

Mangetsu got up and picked up his sword once more.

"I don't know what technique he is using, but I can tell it's taking a toll on him. Back me up, Terumi. I am not letting him get away this time," ordered Mangetsu, and she nodded as she pushed her own chakra through her coils.

"Boil Release: Decaying Mist!" she said as she decided to turn to her other Kekkei Genkai, and then Mangetsu jumped away. She bathed the whole area in front in acidic boiling mist.

Hatake caught on and jumped back, though Mangetsu was already there waiting for him, with his blade in hand. She watched as Hatake and Mangetsu engaged in a short exchange, and she aimed her jutsu toward them.

Mangetsu's body suddenly dissolved into water and began to form a cacoon around the silver-haired shinobi.

"Got you!" said Mangetsu as he appeared right behind his clone, his hands finishing a set of head seals.

"Suiton: Water Prison Jutsu!" spoke Mangetsu from behind, as the water nearly wrapped itself around Hatake. But before the jutsu was completed, she felt the same pressure she had felt earlier. As the red shroud around Ohashi thickened, and she finally heard him whisper.

"Shomon: KAI!" he screamed before the water prison was blasted away, and he jumped away into a blur. But this time, she had closely sensed the shift in his chakra and noticed something rather unique.

"Mangetsu! Whatever technique he uses is disturbing the flow of his chakra through his body. He probably cannot use ninjutsu in his current form!" she shouted at her comrade who struck Hiramekarei into the ground to stop himself before he sprang right back towards Hatake

She cycled through another set of seals.

"Katon: Phoenix Flame Jutsu!" and the fiery projections rushed at Hatake, aimed straight at him. Mangetsu caught up to him due to her intervention and just as he was about to engage him. They were interrupted by a sharp whistle.

A sound that was a signal for her.

Mangetsu continued to chase after Ohashi who was limping now, probably from a fracture. Mei expanded her senses to feel his chakra when she suddenly felt a massive build up of chakra from right behind her. She glanced back and saw a massive sky high tidal wave appear right behind her and she knew that this was it.

"MANGETSU! WE NEED TO GET AWAY!" she screamed and Mangetsu glanced back and his eyes widened as well as he saw the massive wave behind them. She saw him curse, before he nodded, and joined her. They both suppressed their chakra as they jumped away from the path of the suiton jutsu and as she was moving away. Mei couldn't help herself as she glanced back, and saw Ohashi struggling to stand up.

"Huh, at least, I won't have to deal with this guy ever again. Fucking Imposter!" cursed Mangetsu as he jumped ahead, and for some reason her heart lurched as she saw him struggling there. She didn't understand why it pained her seeing him die. She should be relieved that one of her most troublesome opponents was dying yet her heart still ached.

So, she decided to turn her gaze. And close her eye, as she made a prayer for him in her heart.

0000

MINATO NAMIKAZE

Minato Namikaze frowned as he felt Ohashi's chakra ripple in an uncontrolled fashion. Someone else had joined Mangetsu in his fight, and since then Ohahsi had been on the back foot.

Suddenly, the clouds rumbled, and Minato instinctively jumped back as a lightning bolt hit the ground, exactly where he had been standing moments ago.

But that wasn't all, suddenly the air behind him buzzed as Biwa Juzo appeared there and swung his massive sword straight at him. Minato ducked as he avoided the strike from the executioner's blade and plunged his kunai into the man's chest.

Yet there was no blood as the body dissolved into a water clone, and he watched as Ameyuri Ringo stood right behind the clone. Lightning arched around her.

She struck her sword into the ground touching the water.

"Raiton: Waterfall Shock jutsu!" and the lightning arched through the water, aimed straight at him.

Though it never touched him as he vanished and saw Ameyuri's eyes widen as he appeared right behind her, the kunai he had thrown earlier was now right behind her and he caught it in his hand and swung it straight at her neck.

Ameyuri's eyes widened as she saw him, but the bruised Lightning Mistress finally failed to respond to his attack.

"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" screamed Juzo Biwa and a water dragon rushed straight at him. Minato felt her kunai cut through flesh, and just as the water dragon was about to hit her he vanished once more and appear a meter or so away from both the Kiri nin.

And he frowned as he saw, that the Lightning Mistress had managed to somehow didge his attack, not unscathed though for she bled heavily out of her neck, as she dropped to her knee and glared daggers at him.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ameyuri? Letting him get so close!" screamed Juzo Biwa, who was older and more experienced of the two. Though he was in no better condition himself and was littered with cuts and bruises, and stood there grunting in pain as he bled out of his gut.

"SHUT UP!" screamed Ameyuri at her compatriot. And Minato found their comradeship unique for the both continued to insult and bicker with one another during their whole exchange. Yet their attacks were rather well coordinated, and both covered each other well.

"It seems all those rumors about you are true, Yellow Flash," said Juzo Biwa and Minato suddenly frowned as he felt the shifts in Ohashi's chakra. He had pushed past the third gate and had just opened the fifth gate. Ohashi had told him that he hadn't mastered the fourth gate and had informed him of the toll using it took on him.

Mianto's eyes hardened as he looked beyond the two Kiri nin at the forest where Ohashi was and he knew that he had to help the kid. And for that, he needed to end this right now.

Suddenly their fight was interrupted by the sound of the whistle. And he saw the shift in the demeanor of the two Kiri nin. It was meant for them.

"Well, it seems we are gonna have to cut this short, Yellow Flash," said Juzo Biwa and Minato understood what that meant. Ameyuri to his side continued to glare at him, and despite the massive blood loss she stood there and screamed at him.

"I am not going to forget this Namikaze, I am going to get you the next time we meet," she screamed and Minato simply exhaled as he closed his eyes and got into his stance once again.

"I am afraid I cannot let you go," he said before he blurred and appeared right behind Juzo Biwa and swung his kunai at his throat but to his surprise, Ameyuri Ringo had reacted faster than he could imagine and was already behind him. Sword in Hand and he barely moved his head out of the way of her strike yet the word managed to graze his face.

And Minato winced as he felt lightning course through his body, making him wince. He vanished once more and appeared right above the two Kiri nin. As he cycled through a number of handseals.

"Futon: Vaccum Bullets jutsu!" he whispered, as he molded the chakra and laced hi mouth with wind-natured chakra he inhaled slowly before he fired half a dozen shots of the invisible wind-natured technique at the two below.

Juzo Biwa did not react and continued to cycle through a complex series of handseals, and the amount of chakra he was fathering felt ominous.

Ameyuri stepped up and struck his swords into the ground.

"Raiton: Lightning Prison jutsu!" Lightning arched and covered them both and formed a cell around them blocking his attack.

"HOW LONG IT'S GONNA TAKE BIWA!" screamed Ameyuri coughing up a mouthful of blood as she dropped to her knees. And he frowned as he saw Biwa smirk.

"I am done!" said the wielder of the executioner's blade yet Minato's eyes widened as he saw that Biwa did not turn towards him. No, the man turned his back, and finally, Minato realized exactly whom he was aiming for.

"Suiton: Bursting Water Collision Waves!" screamed Biwa as he slammed his hands on the ground. Minato's senses rumbled as he saw the massive build-up of chakra, and the whole ground shook as a massive tidal wave appeared and washed over the two Kiri nin heading straight for where Ohashi was.

The massive volume of chakra messed with his sensing as the two Kiri shinobi used the distortion to vanish from his senses. Minato could try and give chase or try and rush towards Ohashi, whose chakra signature was still very messed up.

He closed his eyes and focused on Ohashi's chakra signature, and his decision was made, he placed his kunai back in his pouch and began to push chakra into his hand.

Juzo Biwa's jutsu was massive, and he only had one technique in his arsenal that could stop it. For he couldn't let the whole wave cause devastation across the forest, for it would remove one of Konoha's strategic advantages across the Southern Border.

And he noticed how the other two Kiri signatures vanished as well, as the jutsu barreled through the forest, causing absolute devastation and heading straight for Ohashi who remained still.

Minato's eyes narrowed as he rotated the chakra in his hand, and felt a faint blue shimmer appear in his hand. Before that shimmer began to take the solid form, of a rampaging blue ball of concentrated and raving chakra.

And then Minato Namikaze vanished once more, just as the massive tidal wave was inches from his comrade.

0000

OHASHI HATAKE

Ohashi had messed up. He had messed up greatly. His whole body screamed in pain, and his attempt at trying to stand up failed as the shattered bone in his legs made it impossible to put even a little bit of weight on it.

He senses Mei and Mangetsu's signature vanishing as the tidal wave continued to rush towards him, ravaging the forest as it made its way towards him. He tried to cycle chakra through his coils to use ninjutsu yet using the fourth gate without mastery had its consequences. His chakra flow was distorted and turbulent making it impossible for him to mold it for ninjutsu.

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!" Ohashi screamed as he tried to stand up once again in an attempt to jump away. Yet with his shattered he could only take a couple of steps before he stumbled to the ground once more.

He crawled as he huffed and sat against a tree, huffing as he saw the massive suiton justu barreling towards him.

"HaaaHaaa," he huffed as he pushed chakra into the kunai Minato had given him hoping the man would receive the signal in spite of the massive chakra disturbance.

And the jutsu was barely forty meters from him, yet he didn't close his eyes. As he forcefully pushed the chakra through his coils and made himself stick to the tree. Yet his eyes widened as the rea in front of him buzzed, and very familiar shinobi blurred right there.

Relief rushed through his body as Minato Namikaze appeared opposite to him, and then Ohashi's eyes widened as he saw the blue orb of chakra spinning in his hand.

And Ohashi smirked as Minato swung the massive ball of chakra straight into the incoming tidal wave.

"RASENGAN!"

And then the last thing Ohashi remembers was a massive blast before his consciousness left him.

0000

Sarutobi sat with his three teammates as they discussed the major happening from both inside and outside the village. Despite their faults and troubles, Sarutobi knew in his heart that he could trust them implicitly for he had fought and bled with all three. He knew that much like him all three held absolute loyalty towards Konoha, despite having different viewpoints and modus operandi than him.

They were almost done with the discussion when his mind raced towards the other matter he wished to discuss with them. So, before they could get up. He decided to ask them about it.

"Ahh, before you go. I wanted to hear your thoughts about a decision of mine," and all three stopped getting up as Koharu spoke up.

"What is it Sarutobi?" and Sarutobi picked up the file from the table and passed it to her.

"I am considering allotting a genin team to Ohashi Hatake," and he saw all of them still at his words. Understandable, given the recent demise of Sakumo and the whole stigma that had become associated with the name.

Koharu and Homura frowned as Koharu began to rifle through the file. Yet his eyes were focused on his last teammate. Danzo sat there looking at him and was the first one to reply.

"Hiruzen, I would advise against it."

And his eyes narrowed as he sipped his tea before he finally spoke up.

"And why would that be, Danzo? Every other jounin I have consulted has spoken in favor of the idea. So, tell me, dear friend, why do you oppose this."

0000

Minato is strong! He is very strong but he is facing two of the Seven Nija swordsmen of the Mist who have decades of experience on him and are elite jounin.

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Pa-tre 0n. Your support makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would mean a lot.

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Nuitblanche]

Wait, in my headcanon the two swordsmen of the Mist facing Minato were as young as him, I think it was about the bickering, they didn't pass as experienced and seasoned shinobi in my mind ahah

 

[UponAPaleHorse0]

Thanks for the chapter, just a little frustrating though that there were no real consequences for mist. Maybe it was just the situation, and that they were ambushed, but it seems odd that neither Minato nor the MC was able to get a kill. So just some constructive criticism that you may want to avoid the whole every named character has plot armor.

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 13

DANZO SHIMURA

Danzo watched as Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, and he knew that he had to be careful. Not for his life. No, he cared little for that but for the village. While many believed Konoha to be built on a foundation of idealism, he was amongst the few who saw that idealism for what it really was.

A façade. A lie.

A curtain to hide the darkness, sacrifice, and bloodshed that had taken to build this village. Hashirama Senju hadn't built the village. He had just envisioned it. No, the village had been built by Lord Tobirama. While the first laughed and drank with foreign emissaries, it had been Lord Tobirama standing in the shadows, constructing laws, negotiating with the clans, establishing the shinobi ranking, and most important of all, culling the clans that could pose a problem.

The Hyuga are too independent, forcing them into a conflict with some Iwa nobility forcing them to seek refuge in his brother's safe heaven. Having Kumo's lightning samurai exiled by their lord, the Hatakes weren't actually ninjas. They had been samurai under the lightning daimyo who had been forced to flee for some reason.

Danzo had never been able to tie it all to his sensei, but he didn't have to. He could read into the flow of things and tell that he had to be very careful with the person sitting before him. The village was at war and needed both him and Hiruzen.

"I mean to say that the kid is young, and the Hatake name has a stigma attached to it. Clans will not want their kids under his tutelage, and giving him civilian fodder would be nothing but hampering him," he explained slowly, and Hiruzen didn't react and simply picked up a folder and passed it to him.

"You may be right, but this would be an opportunity for the village to show that they still have faith in one of their member clans. And I have chosen the team very carefully, and I can assure you the parents will not complain," Hiruzen replied. And the way those eyes were still narrowed at him, he knew that he had to make a move. And so, he glanced at his other two teammates, and Hiruzen's eyes glinted before he leaned back.

"Homura, Koharu leave us," Hiruzen said to the other two and they were smart enough to not say anything and got up and left the office leaving him alone with Hiruzen.

CLACK. CRACK.

Hiruzen'c chakra filled the room, making the table crack. It was suffocating how the chakra spread everywhere, just with the life of a finger. Had it been any other shinobi in here, they would have begun to sweat, would have begun to shiver, yet it mattered little to him. For Hiruzen would never do anything to him, for Hiruzen knew of his importance to the village.

"I think I told you to stay away from the Hatakes Danzo. Yet it seems to me that you refused to listen to me," said Hiruzen as he placed back his teacup. His suffocating presence still encompassed the whole room.

"You and I both know I could never ignore something that could jeopardize this village's safety," he replied, and those words did the trick. Hirzuen's eyes glinted, and his chakra sharpened up. And Danzo felt as if his whole body was at the edge of hundred kunai.

"Explain!" was the order, and so the dance began. The village needed both him and Hiruzen, and it was kind of like a plant. Just like a plant needs its unsightly roots to nurture its beautiful flowers, Konoha needed both him and Hiruzen. And Ohashi Hatake was a threat to that.

"Ohashi Hatake may be compromised," he replied, and the effect of those words was instant as Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"His interactions with Kiri's Lava Mistress raise suspicion. And with the recent major intelligence leak I am investigating him," and he knew Hirzuen was angry. The whole mess at the Southern border had shaken the village. It had been a massacre.

A disaster. And it all would have been worth it, had Namikaze not been there. Hiruzne had been furious about the leak, and Inoichi Yamanaka had been promoted to replace the old Intelligence head. And the man was cleaning up the department well. He had to dispose of a couple of his me just to avoid getting caught.

"Ohashi has been an exemplary shinobi. There is no way he would betray the village," Hiruzen said.

"He is an exemplary shinobi yet his record paints a picture of a man with a foreign entanglement. There isn't anything substantiative yet, but I want to be vigilant. We cannot have a repeat of what happened at the Southern border," Danzo began. Though Hiruzen shook his head.

"His records are impeccable. There is no evidence to believe that he has betrayed the village," Hiruzen denied him.

"They may be, but they also show that he has faced that kunoichi from Kiri over a dozen times on missions and somehow they both manage to come out of it alive. It cannot be a coincidence," Danzo argued.

"Do you understand the implication of the allegations you are making, Danzo? Over something so small," and Danzo leaned back and shrugged.

"I do, but you know Hiruzen that I will always look out for the best interest of the village," he tries to convince Hiruzen to time to rope him up. Yet Hiruzen wasn't convinced.

"This investigation will remain covert, and I want all the details on my desk in an hour. But unless there is substantial, I will choose to trust the shinobi who has served our village valiantly for half his life," Hiruzen concluded standing up and dismissing him.

Danzo nodded. It was a win-win. Now, he would have a bit more time to take care of his Hatake problem.

"And Danzo," called Hirzen just as he was about to walk out.

"If words of this investigation circulate, then that will be the end of you. I am beginning to lose patience with all of your lies, friend."

He nodded and continued to walk out.

"I understand!"

0000

OHASHI HATAKE

"So, you finally completed that move of yours!" Ohashi spoke to Minato as he walked towards the man.

Minato was busy talking with the only other jounin alive, Shino Yuhi. Around them, the platoon had set up tents to provide first aid to all the injured shinobi and to house all the bodies. Bodies were still being found.

"Should you be up? You were pretty beat up," said Minato-san as he sent away the only surviving jounin of the three stationed here.

"Ahh, I am fine. It wasn't any major injury that had messed me up, it was just my chakra being a bit out of control from that mistake I made. If I hadn't messed that up I could have taken the two of them," and Minato-san smiled as he joined me. I was right. Mangetsu was good but he still was far from the monster he would go on to become and I knew most of Mei's tricks.

If I hadn't messed up my coils the way I had, I would have been able to go toe to toe with both of them.

"And thanks for saving me," he said, and the infamous yellow flash waved away my gratitude.

"You are welcome, and I did. So, how was it," said Minato as he stood proudly for his completed technique.

"It was quite good," he replied as Minato led them to his tent. Finally getting the hand signals I had been making him.

We entered his tent, and as soon as the flaps closed, the man's demeanor changed. Gone was the cheery smile, and now stood in front of him a stone-cold killer. The yellow fucking flash.

"So, I believe I have an idea what this is about," he began as he sat down. My smile was gone as well, for as I sat on the bed as the medic treated me all I could think of was that how close I had come to death once more. How close had I been to losing this life?

Though thankfully, the Kiri bastards had been kind enough to give me a clue.

"Indeed. And I believe it is time we talk about that leak," I said emphatically a frown on my face as I sat down opposite to him. Minato-san nodded as well.

"The Kiri-nin were surprised to see you, not me. Their chakra signatures confirmed that for me, and what does that tell us," I began as we played the wordy game of arriving at the same conclusion. Minato-san's eyes lit up, as he leaned back into his seat. His blue orbs focused on me. And then he finally broke the permeating silence.

"Why don't we cut whole this foreplay and say the name of the person we are both thinking of," he said with a smile and Ohashi couldn't help himself and smiled before he finally took the name.

"Danzo. Shimura Danzo, though how do you suspect that I suspected him as well," Ohashi questioned and the man nodded.

"Ohh, I have suspected for quite some time that you were cautious about him. Your career speaks to it, but then one night I sensed someone breaking into the Hospital's record room. I think that it might be one of his men, and so go out and surprise. It isn't," said the man his brow raised at Ohashi.

"It's you. Leaving the record room with a file tucked under your arm," finished the man his eye bearing into him.

And Ohashi was surprised that he hadn't been able to sense the man. His eyes bore into the man as his mind raced before a smile appeared on his face, and he broke out into a small laugh.

"You learned it from Kushina-san," Ohashi told the man and Minato-san nodded with a small smile on his face.

"She did. She has been helping me keep track of the movements of his men. And one night, she noticed your signature in the hospital and told me about it. I had had my suspicions before, but that confirmed it."

Ohashi nodded along, Kushina-san's sensory abilities were legendary in the village. If anyone could pull this off, then it was supposed to be her.

"Then this shortens our talk by a lot. I believe it was him who leaked this info to Kiri," and Minato-san nodded to his statement.

"He may have, but first I must ask you what was on that report," he questioned me, and Ohashi's lips thinned as he remembered the report.

"The report found was inconclusive. According to the postmortem, the med nin concluded that there was evidence that Sauko Hatake may have been murdered," Ohashi told him, and Minato-san's eyes lit up. Ohashi's fists had balled up by then, and he quashed the man's hopes quickly.

"But it doesn't matter. Because the rest of the evidence had been destroyed by the time I returned. Everything was wiped clean. So, we cannot use the report," he told the man. And Minato-san's lips thinned, and he nodded.

"And that is why he wanted to kill you," and Ohashi nodded.

"Yes, I suspect so. I refuse to believe that all this was a coincidence," he argued, and the experienced jounin nodded.

"I know. But we cannot do much without evidence. I will be here for a week before I have to move out for my other assignment; we should share what we know," and Ohashi nodded.

"We should. We definitely should."

0000

TSUNADE SENJU

The infamous sanin waited in her office as she stared at the massive book in front of her. It had been years since she had gathered enough courage to even stare at the book in front of her.

It was a clan's lineage book. A book that was used to keep track of a whole clan. Yet that was useless to her and her clan. It had been for quite some years.

She hadn't had the courage to look into it, but thankfully she hadn't needed to. Her apprentice sat opposite her, her face pale and white as a sheet. Her eyes glinted with rage, though the slight puffiness underneath them told her all she needed to know.

"So, what did you find?" she questioned her apprentice as she hardened her heart for a response.

Shizune nodded and gulped and took a moment before she finally replied.

"Ohashi was right. The demise of the Senju clan wasn't regular," and Tsuande was a flurry of emotions as soon as she heard those words. A part of her had always suspected this yet had lacked the courage to pursue it, for she knew that if she did, then she would have to face things she never wanted to, like the betrayal of her own sensei.

"Can we trace it to the one responsible?" Tsunade questioned Shizune. Her voice was cold and apathetic as she buried all her emotions as deeply as she could. Shizune shook her head.

"I am sorry, Tsunade-sama, but the evidence has been wiped off. If Ohashi hadn't told me where to look, there was little chance that I would have even made the connection," and that brought to her other question. How the hell did a fifteen-year-old jounin figure it all out? Yet that question would come later, for he had given her a name as well.

"And he mentioned him as the one responsible for this." And Shizune nodded.

"He did. He said it was all him. He suspects that he was also the one who kill…," but Sizune couldn't complete her sentence, and Tsunade saw her fists balled up as she finally found the strength to say the words.

"….had Dan-san killed!" and Tsuande was struck dumb by those words.

"I never would have considered it. But then I tried to look at the connection, and the modus operandi was the same. Leaked intel. Bogus missions! Ambushes! It was just like the Kiri case from a week ago. This all cannot be a coincidence."

And Tsuande stilled at those words as Shizune struggled to speak up.

"At this rate, there is a high chance that Ohashi is right. That all this wasn't natural. That he was behind all this," she finished and Tsunade felt her world still as the implication behind those words finally registered. And she felt something inside her snap.

CRACK! CRACK!

Tsuande's chakra roared, cracking the table in front of her. And it took all her control to not just get up and kill the man right then and there. Her blood boiled in rage and indignation yet it was sorrow that filled her heart and she felt her eyes tear up as she remembered all the loved ones she had lost, all the people she had buried.

"I am going to kill him, Shizune. I am going to kill Shimura!"

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Pa-tre 0n. Your support makes it possible for me to write. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would mean a lot to me.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Thanks for reading!

 

[JamesEye]

Enraged Tsunade is awesome! I can't wait to see Danzo get smeared across Konoha.

From an outsider PoV Danzo really just doesn't help the village at all

 

[Nuitblanche]

Well, it seems that the Danzo parasite is meeting is fated end rather soon now.

 

[Yzarc]

Enraged Tsunade is awesome! I can't wait to see Danzo get smeared across Konoha.

Click to shrink...

He may have pointed her at Madara instead, because it really makes no sense for Danzo to go after the Senju clan. The Uchihia? Sure but the Senju?