Hey! Hey! Kids … I mean readers… It's your old pal Krusty the Cl…. Sorry bout that folks, I've been watching old Simpsons episodes, the new stuff isn't all that good in my opinion.

Anyways Kyuubi here, looking to try my hand at something new and here it is.

Enjoy!

Legacy of the Nidaime Hokage

This is a work of Fan fiction. All of the original characters, organizations, techniques, and events portrayed in this fictional literature are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Though the majority of the events and most characters take place in and are a part of manga artist Kishimoto's world Naruto.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any other manga or stories. I do have ownership of the techniques, the originality of this plot, the story I created and some others things in this story. But the elements from manga artist, etc I do not own.

Jutsu, Japanese translation: Iaijutsu: Itto no Hissatsu (Iai Technique: Certain Death in a Single Stroke)

Normal speech: I hate paperwork. I bet Sarutobi retired just to escape this.

Demon/Summon or Fusion speech: Finally, I am free!

Human Thinking: Oh, no you're not!

Demon/Summon: Shit! I don't wanna go back! Old man save me!

Summary: Tobirama was a master of Suiton and Kenjutsu and admired by all. But the legacy he left behind was that of a man who created Konoha's most controversial techniques and spent much of his life in the dark to ensure Konoha's survival, by whatever means necessary. Fewer knew he left another legacy. Ready or not, only time would tell if Naruto was worthy of the mantle forced upon him.

Prologue

(Konohagakure no Sato; A Few Days after the Kyubi Incident)

Konoha, strongest of the Great Five, was facing a dilemma. Like any other village or settlement, Konoha was far from perfect, having its shares of ups and downs. Financial crisis, loss of manpower, civil war, espionage, ec cetera; in Konoha's case it was simple.

"What am I going to do with you, Naruto?" Hiruzen sighed as he gently stroked the sleeping newborn's head. The past few days had been rather hectic to say the least, the last thing the veteran ninja needed was a crying baby to take care of at the moment.

"Several members from both the civilian and ninja council want him gone," Koharu, Hiruzen's old teammate answered as she went through some scrolls and files.

"Let them bark and froth all they want. The civilian and ninja council can only advise the Hokage, they have no power of authority over this matter," Hiruzen added as a matter of fact.

The woman merely scoffed at the weak argument, never taking her eyes off the pieces of paper in front of her, "You and I both know Tobirama-sensei made laws that can overrule you if they have the backing of Hi no Kuni's Daimyo. Not to mention that Konoha's currently emotionally ardent don't care about those laws," Hiruzen frowned but had no choice but to acknowledge her words. Hiruzen and Minato had faith in the village populace, who had proven themselves during such turbulent times. But the Sandaime's faith had taken a severe hit when many began calling for the newborn's life; he could only trust a select few now. Naruto was under his care until further notice as a result.

"All they care about is vengeance," Koharu continued and looked her old teammate in the eye, "You of all people know what revenge filled people are capable of."

Hiruzen once gain had to acknowledge that it was true, on both cases. While the Hokage and Daimyo of Hi no Kuni had an agreement of sorts, one that dated back to the founding days of Konoha, the Daimyo was the absolute ruler of the country and any one in it, not the Hokage. Whenever a village was to be founded, permission from the Daimyo was needed, whenever a declaration of war occurred the backing of the Daimyo was always sought … usually. Virtually everything revolved around the Daimyo.

Luckily, the current Daimyo of Hi no Kuni was a friend of Hiruzen that date back during his tutelage under Tobirama. The leader of the Land of Fire trusted him in making these types of decisions whenever they occurred. The other countries' Daimyo weren't as generous. Unfortunately, despite their friendship, the current Daimyo wasn't without his flaws. He was tad fickle and indecisive at times and could be easily swayed in his decisions through biased as well as external influences, mainly his advisors, or those who put money in their pockets.

When certain situations called for fast important decisions, he made his advisers do the work. When an argument that thoroughly convinced him the most was declared the winner, the Daimyo would then side with them.

While the Daimyo allowed Konoha's ninja and Hokage free reign in his lands, anything the Hokage or other village rulers did that ended up slandering his name or ended badly for the people of Hi no Kuni that could cause either an international or civil turmoil was dealt with harsh consequences.

If it became known that he let Orochimaru go scot-free during their last confrontation, friend or not, Hiruzen was certain that the Daimyo would be forced to have had him step down as Hokage, and that was the best case scenario. At worst, he could be incarcerated or even executed due to the amount of people in the elemental countries that ended up suffering by Orochimaru's hands. It was one of the many things that kept Hiruzen up at night.

"Case and point, it didn't stop some of them from leaking out what was supposed to be a highly classified piece of information. And we both know that it's not just civilians who want him gone. Konoha doesn't even know the boy's name or what he looks like. Many simply don't care all they want is restitution and retribution! Even with your laws our control and the stability of Konoha's masses are still in disarray!" Koharu further added.

"Yes, but those who broke them and paid with their lives showed them we don't tolerate insubordination. They'll be much more hesitant to try anything," Homura defended his old teammate. Though even he knew it was a weak argument.

"Enough!" Hiruzen put an end to the argument before it got out of hand, "Unfortunate as it is it had to be done. Also, I'm not fully reinstated yet and many will try to delay me long enough to find some form of loophole just so they can get to the boy."

Though it was a necessary evil, as many liked to call it, politics was a fickle and twisted game that Hiruzen hated playing most of the time. Sometimes he wondered why a ruling council was ever created in the first place and why his former mentor, Tobirama, was so adamant about them along with certain rules.

As Danzo would say, the man was a custodian of political and legislative integrity, the epitome of a true ninja, unlike his older brother. To Hiruzen; however, affairs like these should remain shinobi affairs. If only it were that simple.

"Our focus should be on Naruto at the moment," Hiruzen pointed their attention to the babe.

"I thought you planned on sending him to the orphanage? He'll be safe there."

"Especially when you remember who's running it now."

Hiruzen merely looked contemplative as he listened to his advisors. It was true that being in the orphanage run by none other than a former Anbu operative and captain of the Combat-Medic Division, especially one known as the Wandering Miko, one of Konoha's bests, did offer a certain degree of guaranteed safety.

"It was my initial intent, however, Nonō-chan hasn't been active for a few years and after the recent events she and the orphan caretakers will have their hands full," Hiruzen explained, the guaranteed safety wasn't as great as initially thought. Though Hiruzen knew he may have no choice in the end. With their forces stretched thin as it was with the loss of over three thousand active ninja – almost triple that if counting their recent losses from the war – not to mention them burning the midnight oil for the next few months, he couldn't spare – or trust – someone else to look after Naruto.

"I thought of asking Yuhi Shinku, being Konoha's Jonin Commander the boy would have been properly raised under him, but he passed away a few hours ago from his wounds and his daughter Kurenai isn't taking it too well at the moment. I have no doubt that Fugaku's wife Mikoto wouldn't be against adopting the boy."

The official story told to the council was that the Yondaime's wife had gone into labour sometime during the Kyubi Attack and both she and the baby had been hiding in a building outside Konoha. Unfortunately, the newborn had been crushed to death when one of the beast's swinging tails caused part of the building to collapse.

Koharu doubted that Mikoto was ignorant or gullible enough to believe the lie they concocted, she was one of the more gifted kunoichi of her time for a reason. Being best friends with Kushina and being one of the very rare few who knew of her special condition also helped.

"Impossible," in a heartbeat Hiruzen would have loved nothing more than to let a friend of Kushina's adopt Naruto. "With the clan being suspected of foul play in this whole debacle the last thing we need is for the people of Konoha to be distrustful of them even more if they have the boy."

Hiruzen would have loved nothing more than to make a personal example to whoever started the rumor. The trust between the Uchiha Clan and ruling body of Konoha had been shaky for decades, more so now because of the rumor. The fact that some from the Uchiha Clan didn't want anything to do with the boy, some of them still practiced the old ways of their ancestors, reinforced his decision. Another negative.

"Come now, Hiruzen, are you still going on about that? The only individuals in Konoha that ever had the ability control one of the Tailed Beasts, especially the Kyubi of all things, were Uchiha Madara and Hashirama-sama. Both are long gone and no one from either clan inherited their ability," the entire idea was absurd when Homura thought of it.

Koharu; however, wasn't entirely sold on the notion, "I'm not convinced. With the treatment the clan's faced in the past we don't know for sure what they are entirely capable of. Sensei always stressed us to expect the unexpected, no matter how small or farfetched. When you take into account of their unique emotional state they suffer from it could very well happen."

By emotional state Koharu referred to her late mentor called the Curse of Hatred, a state where the love an Uchiha possessed was capable of turning into something incredible twisted and dark in the blink of an eye should tragedy befall them. It had been a topic of conversation that Tobirama always stressed about.

Hiruzen groaned as the conversation veered away from the matter at hand once more, putting a small silencing barrier around Naruto, Hiruzen began to draw their attention.

"Focus!" his bellowing had the desired effect and both elders looked at him once again.

"We have other matters to deal with first before we deal with the Uchiha," by the looks of him both Koharu and Homura knew it wasn't a topic he was looking forward to. Hiruzen had always been one to prefer settling disputes diplomatically, though they hoped it worked both Homura and Koharu had an inkling that they'd be forced into conflict.

"This boy has just lost his parents and was giving a huge burden few wish to have on the same night whilst simultaneously gaining the animosity of virtually everyone in Konoha. Putting him in the orphanage isn't wise at the moment, after tonight they'll have more than enough of their share of orphans and burdening them with the one who holds the reason for their suffering would be like pouring salt over a fresh wound."

Before Koharu and Homura could add their piece Hiruzen promptly silenced them by continuing, "Nor is it wise for him to be adopted by any allies of his parents. We're weak from the attack and we've still yet to fully recover from the last war, our enemies no doubt even some of our allies will see this as an opportunity to potentially strike us, taking down the legacy of the Yellow Flash and one of few remaining legacies of the Uzumaki Clan will be an added bonus for some."

"… Why don't you take him in then?" Homura asked his old friend, "You might not like hearing this but a jinchuriki is an invaluable part of one of the Great Five's balance of power and more often then not have some form of relation with the leader of their respective village. It's only a matter of time before some come to the conclusion that he's Minato-san's son. Not everyone is blind to their emotions," a good ninja knew how to deceive another. What better way to fool an audience then by pretending to sympathize with one of them?

"Those not clouded by their hate will start to see the similarities after a while. If you adopt him into your care, maybe change his appearance just enough to fool everyone, they'll believe he's your grandson and stay away. We're not as young and versatile as he once were a decade ago but weren't called the Three Wise Ones for nothing. Our names and deeds bring fear to the hearts of others. Especially since you hold the current title of God of Ninja," Hiruzen was the third man and the second Konoha ninja to hold the title.

Though much of what he said was a good idea, it still wasn't possible, "And how pray tell can I look after him? With my reinstatement and everything that's happened I'll be too busy to properly look after him. The war only just ended and before this nightmare occurred Minato was still burning the midnight oil," the Kyubi Incident would only make it worse, and since Hiruzen had past experience it would be more beneficial for a previous Hokage to fill the role than nominating an inexperienced and untrained one right now.

A successful village's hierarchy would groom a village leader's successor over the course of a few years. By having them experience their future duties it also gave the current leader an idea on how well their protégé would do when the time came, or if meant having to reconsider their choice.

It wasn't always the case, as Hiruzen had been chosen at the last minute during the First Shinobi World War, and his training to become Hokage had been minimal to non-existent. At the time, Hiruzen was the leader of the Sarutobi Clan and as the heir had been trained, but running a clan, while difficult and arduous, to running one of the Great Five during times of war paled by comparison.

"Why not have Asuma help out?" Koharu regretted asking when she saw Hiruzen's face.

"Ever since Biwako's death Asuma's been distant, more so than usual; he's thrown himself into his training like many of his generation. They feel betrayed and hurt that they weren't allowed to help," Hiruzen lamented the fact that he and his youngest son weren't as close as he would have liked. Growing up during warring times coupled with his responsibilities as both Hokage and clan head, Hiruzen had been hard and stern on both his sons to make sure they survived. Asuma didn't take it in stride at times.

"What about your eldest son?" Homura added.

"I can't ask him. This event really shook him and his wife. After things have settled down the two are planning to start a family. I can't burden them with this," it wasn't an option.

As he thought of his eldest son, whose resemblance to Hiruzen's father was frightening, something else came to his mind. Hiruzen cursed that he had been unable to complete the training for Sage Mode with the monkeys like his father before him. It was one of the reasons why Sarutobi Sasuke was a renown and legendary powerful ninja of his era like Madara and Hashirama, though to a lesser extent. Having Sage Mode probably could have changed the outcome of the Kyubi Incident. Perhaps Minato and Kushina would have survived while he perished instead.

Once gain, due to the turbulent times, as well as being Hokage, Hiruzen had little to no time to complete the training. Now that he was older his body was no longer capable of properly utilizing Sage Mode without a large amount of risks being involved. It was one of the many reasons why the training to become a Sage was done at a young age. The body could withstand and adapt to the stress much more easily. Not to mention his chakra levels were nowhere near as high in his prime, another requirement for Sage Mode.

"Don't I get a say in this?" a voice rung out suddenly, though none of the veteran ninja in the room seemed startled, in fact they looked quite relieved yet somewhat annoyed at the same time.

"You always were one for theatrics, Jiraiya," Hiruzen smirked as his student became visible. The man's talent when it came to stealth based ninjutsu both astonished and frightened him. Then again it was no surprise given his perverted nature. He wasn't called the Village Madness of Konoha in his childhood for nothing.

"You damn well know it," Jiraiya's grin faltered for a moment when he laid eyes upon his godson. "So it's true. Minato and Kushina are dead."

"Regrettably so," the thought always made the mood that much sour. Hiruzen could tell his wayward student was in pain, Minato being like a son to him. It was basically a parent burying a child. The old lingered and suffered while the young perished too unexpectedly.

"… How's Kakashi taking it?" Jiraiya wondered how Minato's only surviving student was handling all this. Jiraiya had gotten to know him through Minato, it was how he found out the boy had a pretty tough life, especially when it came to the death of those closest to him. First was his father, who committed seppuku, then his fellow teammates were killed during the last war, one of them by his own hands, and now he had lost Minato to the Kyubi.

Thinking of Sakumo, Jiraiya thought it was a damn shame really. Hiruzen had originally wanted Sakumo to become his successor. The man was a powerful and prodigious ninja after all, one that surpassed any of his students. Though he didn't state it, even Orochimaru knew it was true and respected the man's power.

"Nothing as serious as Sakumo's state of mind was, thankfully. However, Kakashi's asked for a transfer into the Anbu when he was told he couldn't take care of Naruto," Hiruzen informed him.

Thinking about it though it was still pretty damn close to suicide. Over sixty percent of the Anbu members didn't make it pass their first year. Most dying on the missions they undertook or the intense training requirements became too much and they resigned.

Tobirama had formed the Anbu with the intent that only the best of the best were allowed to join. The elite guard of Konoha that undertook missions no one were allowed to know about, or had the stomach to pull them off. Even then it sometimes became too much and some were forced to resign. Though Kakashi informed him he had no intention of dying, only getting stronger to protect his teacher's legacy.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Jiraiya waved it off, "I've seen the kid a few times and I can honestly say that Kakashi's got enough guts and determination in him to make it through. Besides, it's best he keeps his mind focused on something else rather than Minato's death."

"You're awfully calm about this, Jiraiya," Koharu noted.

Though he looked calmed Hiruzen knew otherwise. Like Kakashi the man before him was devastated but didn't show it. Minato had been like a son to him and his passing wasn't going to be easy to get over.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than to take a page out of Tsunade's books and go to the nearest bar," despite Jiraiya's look, Hiruzen saw the crack in the man's mask, "but now's not the time to mourn. We need to prepare," Jiraiya's tone gained their immediate attention.

"What is it?" Hiruzen knew immediately something was amiss and cursed their luck on the unfortunate timing of it all.

"Just before this began I followed a rumour: Orochimaru's up to something. From what I heard, the snake was approached by some very furtive organization and any organization that's welcoming him with open arms after what he's done can't be good. Then there's Iwa and Kumo, they're planning something… maybe"

"They know already," Koharu muttered with concern. As they were Konoha stood little chance against the combined might of both Kumo and Iwa, despite their own losses and the two not liking one another, she knew they joined forces in a heartbeat to get rid of Konoha. With Iwa they knew it would most likely be due to a personal vendetta against Minato more than anything, the man did after all annihilate a little over half of their active forces that fought in the frontlines of the last war thanks to his use of the Hiraishin. With Kumo it would be more about capitalizing on their weakened state to obtain more power. It was always about being top dog for them.

"I can't say anything yet," Jiraiya's hated not knowing about potential plans, "For all I know they could be bluffing. What I do know is that they're potentially up to something. My spy network is working overtime to instil them with false rumours and see if there's truth to the buzz going around, but be prepared anyway."

Though it wasn't much Hiruzen was still grateful for whatever piece of information, "Thank you, Jiraiya," though he didn't like it Hiruzen knew that he'd have no choice but to amend for his mistake when he last confronted his student.

Whispers from foreign travellers and merchants had begun to spread about him, whether they were true or not was irrelevant, none of them were good. Hiruzen had no doubt they were true. The fact that this unknown organization had approached one of Konoha's most former, finest and one of its most powerful ninja set off alarms in his mind.

"No prob," Jiraiya decided to direct his attention Naruto's way. "So what's this you have planned for my godson?"

"Godson?!" both Homura and Koharu nearly exclaimed at that tidbit of information.

"Yup! I'm his one and only godfather," Jiraiya beamed and boasted with utmost pride before his demeanour changed, "But as much as I want to, godfather or not, I can't take care of the kid. With Sakumo gone, I'm the only one capable of running our spy network at the moment and it's going to be a full time job if we want to keep our enemies from breathing down our necks. Then there's the snake and this organization."

Though he accepted his reason, Hiruzen had hoped it wouldn't end like this but it seemed like there was no choice. What he said was true, with Sakumo dead; Jiraiya was their best and only spymaster. Others were probably gifted but they were either too few and unknown, and Hiruzen didn't know whom to trust with such a responsibility.

"Then it seems, once things have simmered down, Naruto will have to be placed in the orphanage," Hiruzen sighed.

(Elsewhere: Undisclosed Location)

"Then it seems, once things have simmered down, Naruto will have to be placed in the orphanage," the device repeated itself.

"Hiruzen you fool," a shadowed silhouette could only shake his head in disappointment, "Once again, for the good of Konoha, I will have to intervene once again," with a gesture of his hand the individual waited until a kneeling figure appeared before him.

"Operative four seven three awaiting your orders, Danzo-sama," the operative said.

Danzo merely rose from his seat and walked over to the ninja, "As of now, Root is initiating phase one of the Legacy Initiative," though trained not to show emotion or question his motives, the operative couldn't help himself or herself.

"So soon, Danzo-sama?"

Though his face was impassive, Danzo mentally frowned and performed another hand gesture. A moment later another operative in the same kneeling positive appeared and repeated almost the exact same phrase.

"Operative three nine zero awaiting your orders, Danzo-sama," a more feminine oriented voice came from the ninja.

"Phase one of the Legacy Initiative is now in effect. Tell the rest," he told her before he looked at the other ninja, "Take operative four seven three for reconditioning," he ordered.

"Hai, Danzo-sama," unlike the previous ninja this one didn't question Danzo's command. Grabbing on to his arm, both operatives disappeared in a whirl of dust and leaves.

Moving to the door, Danzo spotted the picture of the founder of Root and the Konoha Anbu out of the corner of his eye and remembered one of the last words of advice his master had given him, "We've all done things we aren't proud of. Things that many will hate us for, I know I certainly have. But I'd gladly shoulder that hate and willingly sacrifice my life if it meant the safety of those I care about. A true ninja can endure anything, even being hated by the whole damn world. So long as the next generation learns from our mistakes, so long as they keep improving, it will be worth it."

Thinking on those words, Danzo could only think about how disappointed Tobirama would be with the current generation. Despite how many saw him, Tobirama was a ruthless and unforgiving ninja, a stark contrast to his optimistic older brother. To the public Senju Tobirama was a loveable leader, but to those who knew him personally the man was known as a pragmatic and ambivalent individual, which had earned him the love and respect as well as the hate and loathing of both enemy and ally alike. The man had been an unswayable maverick of the highest degree.

The man had been of the opinion that it was the duty of the next generation to surpass the previous one and that was only accomplished when both teacher and student gave it their all. The only problem was that Konoha's current set of soldiers didn't understand or endure hardships as well as the old ones did. They had become placated during the times of peace that followed after the end of the Era of Warring States. After the Kyubi Incident, many had

"Peace. Peace amongst ninja is a nothing more than a lie. A fabrication and hopeful desire that only the foolish and ignorant delude themselves into believing. Sadly my brother is one of them, but, then again, I was always the smart one," the man had been half serious and half jesting at the end; it had been another of Tobirama's lessons that Danzo had taken to heart.

Peace was a dream. Nothing more. The only thing that came close to peace among ninja were cease-fires and alliances, and even then they were nothing more than mere illusions that blinded those foolish enough into falling for them.

But Danzo knew better. Just like he knew that if Konoha were to thrive in the near future he would have to permanently stain his soul black by performing something even he hoped never came to pass. Were he still that naïve youth that hesitated to sacrifice himself against the Kinkaku Forces so many decades ago because of the risk and moral ramifications implied he doubted he'd have been able to do it.

But Danzo was a seasoned veteran. He was a man who had lead and ordered black ops many would deem so heinous that even the most hardened of Anbu would be hard press to go through with them. Danzo knew that he pulled this off nothing would ever be the same.

But was like Tobirama said, "In order for a better world to come forth, sometimes you need to burn the old one. If their strong enough, life will spring forth from the ashes."

(One Night Later)

After he was told that Hiruzen had finished up for the night with Koharu and Homura, Danzo began the first phase of his plan. Fortune smiled upon him over the years as several of his Root agents had infiltrated the ranks of Konoha's ordinary Anbu, which allowed him easy access to the room that held a multitude of scrolls and documents. Before the man known as the Darkness of the Shinobi, was a pedestal that held Konoha's coveted Scroll of Seals.

Looking at it, Danzo released a rare chuckle at the humor of it all. Truthfully the scroll before him wasn't the Scroll of Seals. Known only to him and perhaps those higher up in Konoha's chain of command, the large scroll on display was nothing more than a decoy. A true ninja worth their salt would realize that a village wouldn't blatantly leave such a powerful tool in such a manner. It was just common sense. Assuming the Anbu weren't doing their jobs, a child would be capable of taking it. Though decoy or not, stealing it was still a crime.

While the decoy did have some techniques in it such as the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and its kinjutsu variant the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, no other noteworthy techniques one couldn't find or learn from anyone else was written into the rolled up parchment. It did, however, have a particularly nasty surprise hidden within it.

Putting that though aside, Danzo placed his hand on the wall of the room behind the scroll and began releasing a small pulse of chakra in a manner similar to Morse code. The action revealed an intricate seal that made the wall shimmer and warp to reveal the true Scroll of Seals. "Space-Time Ninjutsu, Tobirama-sam always said they were the best of safes."

It was true. Personal space-time dimensions were only accessible to the originator of the techniques or those who knew the right sequence, or key as it were, to enter said dimension. Danzo wasn't a practitioner of Space-Time manipulation like Tobirama or Minato, nor did he allegedly know a thousand techniques like his rival, but the man wasn't ignorant on the subject.

Grabbing the scroll, Danzo began to feel a bit nostalgic. The last time he held it had been when he put in a few of his own techniques that Tobirama had deemed too dangerous for the public to know. While the public had been told that the scroll held many of the prize techniques of the past Hokages and other noteworthy ninja, which was true in some regards, in truth the true Scroll of Seals held the village's most dangerous and darkest techniques.

The scroll held many controversial and forbidden techniques, most of which belonged to Senju Tobirama, the man justifying their creation by saying, "Better to have them and not need them than to not have them and need them." A philosophy he and Tobirama had shared.

"To think it would come to this," Danzo frowned before pushing such thoughts aside. The man wasn't second guessing himself, but a tiny part of him couldn't believe he'd be forced to do this. Going through the scrolls contents quickly, Danzo nicked his finger to draw some blood and then pressed the digit against certain characters on the scroll. When he was done, the blood that once covered the characters disappeared just as the characters danced out of the scroll and formed a complex seal array on the wall.

With part of phase one now complete, Danzo rolled up the scroll and placed it back into its hiding place as it shimmered out of existence once more.

The man few knew to be Tobirama's apprentice soon began a sequence of unique hand seals and as soon as he finished did the seal array glow brightly before room was illuminated by a blinding flash of light. When it subsided, Danzo was nowhere to be seen in the room.

(Somewhere in an Unknown Location)

Arriving in a brilliant display of light similar to how he disappeared, Danzo opened his eyes and nodded; he was in the right place. Lighting a nearby candlestick that he used to light the nearby lamps and lanterns, the once darkened space now revealed much.

Dust covered much of the room, like mud on a pig. The room was of decent size, similar to that of a small but comfortable apartment, enough that it allowed the placement of a futon bed as well as a desk and a drawer, which was covered with books and various scrolls, and various wall-mounted weaponry. To his left was a door that led outside, where he was greeted with the sight of a traditional forge surrounded by rusted weaponry, tools, materials, and pieces of armor used during Konoha's founding years.

"That I'd see your home away from home once more, master," Danzo muttered as he looked around.

Though it was his first time being here… alone that is … without a doubt he remembered that it was indeed the personal hideout of Senju Tobirama. As much as he knew only he and Hashirama, and perhaps Hiruzen, were aware of the hideout's existence.

The exact location was another story altogether, having only really seen the inside, but Danzo ventured a guess that he was perhaps situated or near the mountains of Hi no Kuni judging by the rugged terrain and rocky paths visible to him. It was still night so he couldn't make a proper assessment.

"Time to begin," steeling his resolve, banishing the weak youth that lingered within the edges of his souls, Danzo took out a black scroll from a hidden compartment and began what was most likely unlocking his personal room in hell; his descent having begun many years ago.

Two things played an important role in the life of a ninja: secrecy and deceit. Without these two aspects one could not begin to comprehend the ninja way of life. They were some of the few things Danzo and Hiruzen had in common; both of them practiced them well, too.

Contrary to his image in the general populace's eye as a grandfatherly individual and pacifist that sought peace whenever available, Danzo had long ago acknowledged that Hiruzen hadn't been made Hokage for nothing. True, he sought peace – perhaps out of misguided attempt to live up to Hashirama's standards? – not only because of the unnecessary bloodshed conflicts caused, in most cases, but also because he didn't wish the younger generation to go through the same ordeals they went through as children.

However, Hiruzen was by no means a pushover. During his youth, whenever someone crossed him or Konoha, Hiruzen made sure that retribution was dealt with in one way or another. Whenever war threatened to break out, Hiruzen gave no quarter. No one attacked his family and got away with it.

Unfortunately, there were those times where one needed to grin and bare it, and as the years went by, Danzo had since suspected that Hiruzen had become too placated in keeping the peace rather than take action against those who wronged Konoha. Finishing up what was required, the room suddenly filled with a cloud of white smoke and Danzo prepared himself even more for what was to come next.

(Five Days Later in Konoha)

Hiruzen frowned as the two councils before him bantered back and forth like schoolyard children. If he were being honest, Hiruzen would rather be dealing with children. Children could at least be reasoned with in his opinion.

True to form, someone had gone to the Daimyo and informed him of Konoha's predicament. Aid was being sent but in addition to that an order to deal with the unrest revolving around Naruto, despite explaining his intention on placing the boy in the orphanage, had also been issued.

The Daimyo had stressed that if Hiruzen didn't get his village under control, then the lord of the land of fire would personally become involved should the matter look like it would lead to civil unrest. And he'd also be forced to reconsider Hiruzen's reinstatement.

The last thing the man wanted was the loss of his strongest hidden village under poor leadership. The end of one of the Great Five Hidden Villages would not only result in a power vacuum but would also weaken Hi no Kuni as a whole with the loss of one of the land's largest sources of income.

Unfortunately, this presented them with a dilemma that wasted many hours of valuable time: the councils were equally divided on the issue. On the upside, it gave him more time to resolve the matter, though this also benefited the opposing side, too.

While divided, several key members weren't present due matters drawing their attention away or due to being deceased and no replacement have since come forth. Most of the missing seats were on the civilian council side, ironically, though the shinobi half were missing their fair share. As Konoha was currently in a state of emergency, the normal voting process – for that was what it came down to – was forgone for the time being.

"Hiruzen, it's time," Koharu informed her old teammate.

Hiruzen wanted to sigh but nodded instead. Better to get it over and done with and then move on to the next matter, "Council members, it is time to cast your votes," Hiruzen announced.

As that took place, Hiruzen realized that there were a few new faces amongst both councils, "It seems some have finally chosen a representative," Hiruzen informed Homura.

"About time," the man muttered. "Hopefully they'll listen to reason."

From the sound of his tone, Hiruzen knew his old teammate had his doubts. So did he. Idly did Hiruzen wonder where Danzou was in all this given it was a matter of village security. The thought worried him. Danzo had almost been stripped of his voting privileges and seat on the Elder Council years ago when he went behind Hiruzen's back when he learned of certain unsanctioned black ops. Had those black ops not benefited the village in the long run the matter would have been different. But Hiruzen had kept a close eye on Danzo as much as possible ever since.

Now Danzo had gone quiet. Hiruzen hoped it was merely because he was trying to ensure Konoha's safety in such turbulent times, but the veteran ninja couldn't help but be worried nonetheless. Danzo's actions had always been hard to predict at times.

"Not good," he heard Koharu mutter. "Even with Choza elsewhere, and none of the other representatives being chosen yet, we'll be forced to vote again by the looks of things."

"If Danzo were here we'd at least lead by one," now was one of the rare times Hiruzen needed his old rival to make an appearance on village matters.

"That's ten against and ten for, Hokage-sama," Aburame Shibi declared.

Hiruzen frowned and suppressed the urge to release killing intent on those ignorant fools. Years of practice forced the urge down and Hiruzen would have to come up with another way to placate them. Konoha wasn't a democracy per say, as the Hokage had the ultimate ruling, but as things were now, Hiruzen couldn't exactly ignore the input of his councils either. The last thing he wanted was to be seen as a tyrant, and the last thing Konoha needed was to be divided when others were looking for an opening.

"Make that twelver against ten, Shibi-dono," a voice from down below suddenly called out. Hiruzen didn't know whether to punch or gift the man with his own personal stash of high-end sake.

"You're late, Danzo-sama! Regardless of your position the votes have already been carried out!"

"And despite your position, you seem to forget yourself," Danzo counter with a cold look. "Were this meeting over my input would have no say. But it's not, isn't it? Regardless, no winner has been declared so another vote must occur either way."

"Enough of this! The vote is over!"

"Rid us of that creature and be done with it!"

"Kill it! Kill and be rid of it once and for all!"

"What is the matter with you all!"

"How can you defend that creature?!"

Hiruzen was about to interfere when the room suddenly shook; the walls cracked and split like raging rivers; many – ninja and civilian alike – buckled under the sheer intensity of the might that dominated the room, while many more fell into the realm of nightmares.

Hiruzen was a veteran of three great wars and many smaller ones, and during that time he had faced foes that had even the strongest of ninja contemplate suicide. Their killing intent didn't come close to being compared to what was currently being felt. As quickly as it washed over them did the oppressing intensity vanish, but the after effects lingered nonetheless.

"What in the name of kami was that," Yamanaka Inoichi managed to say. The man was shaking like a leaf in the wind and his former teammate Shikaku mimicked the Yamanaka Clan head.

Danzou gave him the answer with three simple words, "The other voter."

The entire council listened as steps from the entrance were heard and Hiruzen would vividly remember the sound of each individual step in the years to come the moment the figure became visible to all.

The man remained impassive, but his gaze fell upon Hiruzen and said Hokage felt ready to faint, "You've gotten old, Saru," the man said as a matter of fact.

Many eyes widened and Hiruzen swore he and his teammates simultaneously went into cardiac arrest the moment they saw him. Of all the people that came to mind, he was furthest from the list. And for the first time in a very long time, Hiruzen was a lost for words. How could he not be?

Before them, living and breathing and looking as though time had forgotten him, was Konoha's Nidaime Hokage: Senju Tobirama.

So, I know what most of y'all are thinking... When are you gonna update your Gamer fic? That will be soon as I was dealing with personal stuff (Potentially the Big C) stuff that was while easily treatable, even though it didn't progress that far, still scared the shit outta me as it had the potential to despite lack of family history and me being in good shape. Then I kinda lost my muse for fantasy when the final season of GOT came out and turned into pure shit, thanks a lot D&D, but I got over it and stopped watching the series after the third episode.

This was developed from an old story but I thought what if instead of the conventional route, I did something else. You're all wondering, why is Tobirama alive? I'll let now right now, it's not what you think it is and leave it at that. To find out how, you're gonna have to keep reading.