24 Chapter 24

Chapter 24

TSUNADE SENJU

Tsunade Senju had never imagined that she would be sitting in the seat of the Hokage. It had never been her dream. It had been Kawaki's and Dan's but never hers. And yet she sat in it, to save the village, to do right by the village for which both Kawaki and Dan and many others like them had sacrificed their lives.

Nearly a year had passed since she had taken this seat, the Third Hokage's retirement had come as a surprise to many. Yet the name Senju still carried a certain influence among the populace, and when the people came to know who was set to become the Fourth Hokage, they were content.

As for the shinobi forces, they knew the whole truth about this whole ordeal. The betrayal of someone like Danzo had shocked many, and though they had kept the details under wraps to protect the morale, the shinobi were at an edge.

Danzo's corruption and rot had run deep. The man had practically established a parallel ANBU force that had been at his beck and call and had numerous bases scattered across the continents. The details about his training methods and experiments had been gruesome and vile.

ROOT had been shut down now, and its members were incorporated into the ANBU squads. The bases had been quickly located and brought under control, and Danzo's followers had been identified and judged accordingly. His people in the orphanages had been captured and processed.

His network was vast, and though Ohashi had given them some basic information, it wasn't nearly enough. No, the person that had provided all that information was someone else. Someone who now sat right in front of her.

"I must say, I still find it rather ironic seeing you sitting in that seat, Princess," came the slithering voice of her most obnoxious teammate. Orochimaru had been in bed with Danzo in a number of his projects. Experiments that had made her skin crawl and a part of her had wanted to gut her teammate.

Yet, he had been quick to offer himself up after Danzo's demise and had been a well of information about the man's operations. He had given the excuse that all he did was under orders of the man, and though she could tell with a single glance that it wasn't true. The fact was that Konoha couldn't afford to lose another S-rank shinobi. The war was at a critical stage, and losing someone like Orochimaru would be a major loss.

"Let's end this tirade right here," she cut in, having neither the patience nor the time to deal with these word games.

"Tell me why you are here, Orochimaru?" she asked, and her teammate smiled cryptically, his golden eyes focused on the Hokage hat lying in front of her.

"Why such hostility, Princess? Even after a whole year, you still have those pesky little ANBU following me around throughout the village," he complained jokingly. And, of course, he knew about the ANBU tailing him. He was Sanin and perhaps the most resourceful of the three. However, that was no excuse for the ANBU, who were going to get a very strict talking to from her after this about their falling standards.

"Haven't I proven myself to you yet?" he said magnanimously, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me what you want, Orochimaru?" she didn't let herself get drawn into his word games. The only hint of frustration she got was a slight narrowing of her eyes. In the end, he sighed, his eyes narrowing as he began.

"It's such a shame that you still don't trust me after everything I have done for you," he said with a shake of his head, pretending to be hurt, despite both of them knowing full well that he was merely pretending.

"Ahhh, though I believe the next piece of information might change that," and she frowned at his words.

"Do you have any more intel about Danzo's operations?" she questioned, quickly and he shook his head.

"Ohh, no. I have already given you everything I had on that," he replied quickly, and she didn't believe him for a second, as he continued with an ominous smile, as he stared into her eyes.

"No, I believe this information is about the shinobi who brought Danzo down," and she stilled at those words. Information about Ohashi. What could he possibly have?

"You have information about Ohashi?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Indeed I do," he answered. And her eyes narrowed, as she contemplated whether he was telling the truth or not. Orochimaru was as slippery and conniving as a snake, this all could just be a ploy. And the fact that he came here offering something like this, meant that he needed something. Something massive.

"What do you want?" she asked and saw him smile as he pulled out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it with a frown, and her eyes widened as she skimmed over its contents.

"You wish to leave the village!" she asked, perplexed by the insinuation.

"Ahh, don't make it sound so scandalous Princess. Afterall it's not much different than what you did after the second War," he replied with a smile as he leaned back into his chair, making her grit her teeth as he reminded her of those wretched times.

"I have been offered the hand of the Rice Daimyo's only heir and daughter, it is a perfectly valid reason for me to…."

"Stop this bull shit Orochimaru! And tell me what you are planning?" she asked, her chakra thundering across the room, as she glared at her teammate, who seemed unbothered by her killing intent, and answered in a serious tone.

"Freedom!" he answered, and it was the first time he had been fully honest during this conversation.

"And don't consider this offer a sign of weakness, Princess," he suddenly said in a serious tone, letting go of his own chakra as it clashed with hers, making the whole room shake as he continued.

"You and I both know that you couldn't stop me from leaving without incurring massive losses, losses that Konoha cannot afford. So, I would advise you to accept my offer, and in return, you will have a treaty with Rice Village, otherwise," he shrugged, and both of them pulled back their chakra, as she thought about the offer.

Could she ever come to trust him again after everything he had done? And the answer was no. Yet he was intimately aware of village secrets that could endanger the whole village. But he was also right, that if he were to try and leave on his own, stopping him would have her put extremely valuable village resources at risk, and though she was confident that they could neutralize him, he wasn't a regular shinobi.

"I will consider it, though this will have to wait until the war ends," she began and then narrowed her eyes, "but first I need you tell me this information you have?" she questioned him and saw him smirk.

"Well, consider it a sign of my goodwill," he started as he began to stand up and walk out of her office.

"I believe that our little apprentice is not as dead as we believe him to be!"

0000

HIRUZEN SARUTOBI

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his blood heat up, as he found himself standing on the battlefield once more. It had been quite some time since he had stepped into the field, and though he continued to spar with ANBU and other shinobi from time to time, the battlefield was a completely different beast than those spars.

He stood in the front with Fugaku Uchiha as they waited for their counterparts from Kumo to show up for the parley. Kumo's forces were being led by the Third Raikage, Ay himself. It was probably the final offensive of the war, a needless war. And Hiruzen hoped that, they could come to an accord in order to prevent the mindless bloodshed that was set to happen otherwise.

"They are here," informed the Uchiha clan leader, and Hiruzen nodded as two figures landed in front of the tent. The chakra signature from one of them was massive enough to rival his own, though the man in question was nearly twice as large as him. His dark and rugged skin was covered in roaring lightning armor. He had changed somewhat from the last time, Hirzuen had seen him. However, there was no doubt, that this person was none other than Ay, himself.

His white hair dropped behind him as a mane. The kanji 'kaminari' tattoed on his arm. Their eyes met, and Hirzuen saw a hint of surprise on the man's face as Third Raikage entered the tent. His right-hand man, Dodai, right behind him.

And Hirzen didn't miss a dozen or so other signatures surrounding the tent. And from the way, Fugaku perked up, he hadn't either. Well, they had expected this. Yet no matter, it seemed like, this parley was doomed from the start.

"So, you have finally decided to step out, Hiruzen," said the leader of Kumogakure as he came and stood right in front of him. His two elongated canines became visible as he smiled.

"Indeed, though I wish I hadn't had to," said Hiruzen, genuinely saddened by the whole idea of all the unnecessary bloodshed. Hiruzen let go of his own chakra, letting it run rampant, and the very air crackled as he looked the leader of Kumogakure in the eye.

"There is no need for this bloodshed, Ay. Pull back your forces, and that will be the end of this whole conflict," he offered. He had discussed it with Tsunade and she had given her blessing to the offer as well, though the wat the man scoffed and perked up. It seemed to him, that bloodshed was inevitable, and so now it was up to him to make sure that he put an end to that as quickly as he could.

"Have you no thirst for battle, Sarutobi? Let us not waste any more time, in this futile exercise," said Ay, as lightning arched across his body, his lightning cloak thickening. And Hiruzen's hands moved towards the scroll tied to his back as he pushed his chakra to call upon his most trusted companion.

"SUMMONING JUTSU: ENMA!" "NINPO: BLACK LIGHTNING!"

BOOOOM!

And the whole area exploded as he was pushed back, the tent blown away from the force of the attack, and dust covered the whole area. He landed on the ground once more, with Fugaku landing behind him as Ay rushed through the smoke, his body covered in lightning chakra as he rushed towards him, four fingers of his hand extended as he rushed towards him.

"I will deal with him. I leave the rest to you," said Hiruzen to Fugaku as he gripped Enma's staff form and pushed his chakra into it.

"Yes, Lord Third," came the reply as he saw Fugaku's eyes shift into the sharingan as the Konoha squadron blurred behind him, before they vanished once more, moving forward, as they moved to strike first.

"Extend!" "Four Finger Thurst of Hell!"

He felt Enma shake in his hand from the force of that strike, though he didn't let go and felt the staff push Ay back.

"He is strong!" came Enma's voice, and Hiruzen nodded, his blood boiling in excitement, as an acrcos and arcs of lightning rushed towards him.

Though, they were nothing for him as he simply pushed his hands to the ground,

"Earth Style: Great Mud Dragon!" and the ground beneath him shifted as a dragon coiled itself around him, before it rushed towards Ay, who stood there with a smile on his face as he pushed down one more of his fingers and slashed widely at the mud dragon's head, as he rushed towards him once more.

"Three Fingered Thrust of Hell!"

BOOOM!

0000

OHASHI HATAKE

Ohashi Hatake opened his eyes, as the genjutsu vanished. The enormity of the task he was about to take on wasn't lost on him. In order to change the world, to bring everlasting peace to the world, he needed strength. And while he was strong, the prowess required to go against the whole world was something that would elude him for years.

Or at least it would have. He took a deep breath, and cracked his neck, the hours and hours of disue had made it a little bit stiff, and though his appearance and musculature hadn't changed a lot, his experience was a whole different matter.

"Impressive," came the raspy voice of his mentor, and he looked up and found Madara Uchiha sitting there on his throne, the Gedo Mazo prolonging his life, though even with that, his time was coming.

"I have now taught you everything I could," continued the old man, and hadn't that been an experience. Madara Uchiha was a god among men, a shinobi of unrivaled experience and prowess, and in order to assist him in his mission to change the world, the man had used genjutsu to pass on all he could to him.

Madara Uchiha glanced up and continued in a raspy tone.

"My time is coming to an end, but before I go, I have one last gift for you, my successor," said the man, making him frown. The man then beckoned him towards himself, and Ohashi slowly walked towards the old man, coming to a halt in front of him.

"The Sharingan is a gift bestowed on my clan. It is a power we guard with our very lives," began the man, and Ohashi's eyes widened as he realized the implication behind those words.

"Our clan is the only clan who could use these eyes to their full potential. However, with the changes the Gedo Mazo has brought to your body and my tutelage, you shall be able to use this eye to its full potential," and so, Ohashi stilled as suddenly, he felt pain ripple through him as he felt Madara's fingers gouge out his eye.

He wanted to scream, but his body was stuck in a trance as Madara Uchiha gouged out his eye, and then placed it in his bleeding socket, as blood dripped down his face. His hand lit up with a green hue and Ohashi felt the agony lessen, as the pain began to subside.

"So, I leave my eye to you, Ohashi. Show me the world you build with this eye."

0000

In a land where it only ever rained, and the Sun remained hidden behind a gathering of dark clouds. A land ravaged by war and strife. Surrounded on all sides, by the Great Nations. Its borders were kept secured by the daunting presence of a single monster. And so, despite being surrounded by the five great villages, their forces remained cautious entering into these lands for Hanzo the Salamander took no prisoners.

And yet, as the rain fell a dozen or so shinobi, lay on the ground, the wet ground had turned a ghastly scarlet from their blood, as a single shinobi slowly entered these dreary lands.

A black cloak covering his body, and a mask hiding the lower part of his face, as one of the shinobi whimpered back, trembling, as he tried to move away from the monster that slowly walked towards him.

"Do you know what you are doing! Hanzo-sama will find you and kill you! Stay away! Stay away!" he screamed frantically, clawing back as that sole figure continued to walk towards him, his wet hair fell down and covered his eyes, as he simply raised his hand, stopping the falling rain drops in their track, before they suddenly morphed into long sharp needles, with a single wave of his hand.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" shouted the man, as he realized that his fate was sealed, as thousands of water needles surrounded him.

"I am retribution!"

00000

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Have fun reading!

A/N: Man, you have no idea how many times I rewrote the last time. Every time I wrote it, the scene from Batman came to my mind. ( I am Vengence! )~Love that line~

Orochimaru has nothing in Konoha, so he is planning to get out. Will Tsunade allow it or risk a defection? Should she? Let me know your thoughts.

Ohashi has been trained by Madara himself, so expect the dude to have some power. Plus, if Madara can use Hashirama cells to learn Wood's style, he could definitely mess with Ohashi's body to make his body more attuned to Sharingan.