Chapter 1 – Assumptions and Reality

Hatorama Senju - that's what my new name is. As far as names went it was one of the most unimaginative names to give to a boy. Seriously, they had taken "Ha" from Hashirama and "To" from Tobirama and had bundled the common "Rama" to make it into a name.

I rolled it around my mind with both trepidation and a strange sense of ecstasy. I looked up with my baby eyes at my cousin who was gently cooing at me after informing me of my name. While my eyes hadn't developed yet - all I could see was a hazy image of a person above me - I could vaguely guess the identity of my cousin.

I am sure most of you would have at least guessed what had happened to me. I was dead and now I was reincarnated in the Narutoverse. I won't bore you with the details about how I died and got reincarnated, because, that's not important. What's important was that I was reincarnated as a goddamn Senju.

While most of you would complain that it is a great thing to happen, I, for one, don't think so. Yes, I agree that I get to play with chakra, which I would have given my left arm to happen in my earlier life. But, I would have preferred to be born in some obscure clan or even to a civilian. Being a Senju, I tell you from the experiences of someone who had already experienced it before me, is not an easy task.

There are so much expectations and even worse a ton more of responsibilities. My cousin had been dutifully filling in me, or more like ranting to me for the past two hours, about what she underwent as a Senju. While I couldn't understand most of the things she said, I could at least guess at the gist of the things. From what I gathered from her, I don't see it as a good thing. It was no wonder my cousin, Tsunade, left the village after her heart was broken.

Bloody responsibilities and expectations!

Now, don't get me wrong, my cousin was not all sunshine and roses. Nah! Nah! Tsunade was a petty little witch. The reason she was telling me about what she had gone through before growing up was to take sick pleasure in telling me what she would make me go through. Apparently, I am the last descendant of Tobirama and the slug princess was going to take her revenge on Tobirama through me.

But, I digress. I don't know what was running through her mind to rant at a baby like this. I think Tobirama must have given her a hell of a time. It was so bad that she had taken to vent her frustrations about him to a baby. The situation was so hilarious that if I had developed my vocal chords I would have at least let out a chortle to it. Too bad, all I could do was smile at the direction of my cousin.

"Don't smile at me Hatorama Senju! I am serious. I am going to make you go through all those horrible lessons your grandfather made me go through!" Tsunade exclaimed in irritation.

"Hime, you realize that he is not going to understand any of what you are saying right?" a slithery voice sounded from the opposite direction giving me goosebumps.

Yeah right! The snake bastard was also in the room. Being so close to someone who conducted experiments on children was not a comfortable feeling. Furthermore, I am a Senju. If what I know about this world is right, I am going to be one of the last living members of a famous clan with a Kekkei Genkai. I fervently hoped that I didn't inherit Hashirama's bloodline limit. If I did, I wouldn't be safe from the snake bastard.

I didn't know at what point in the timeline I was in. I could only vaguely guess at it. Tsunade hasn't left the village yet. So, the Second Shinobi War must not have happened yet. If the bubbly tone of her was any indication, the events that led to her heartbreak had not happened yet either. But, other than that, I was drawing a blank.

Whatever, I was feeling sleepy again. While I wasn't ready to go to sleep when the snake bastard was in the room, my body wasn't cooperating with me. It demanded that I sleep and I reluctantly embraced the one thing I was good at this point in time – sleeping.

Days or maybe months, it is very hard to track time if you are a baby even when you have an adult's intelligence, rolled by and I realized that I was wrong in my assumption. Earlier, I had assumed that the Second Shinobi War was yet to happen. But, I got to know later it was over months before I was born.

My first clue was the presence of teenage Shizune. In hindsight, there has been always someone who took care of me. I had assumed it was the Slug Princess. But, Shizune had been a silent presence in my lives for a long time before I even recognized her. The day I realized who she was the waterworks had flown uncontrollably.

What! I am a baby. Do you even know how hard it is to control your body as a baby? Yes, I cried. I cried not for me, but for the terrible heartbreak my cousin had experienced. When I realized Shizune's presence, the only thing I could think of was how hard Tsunade was masking her pain in front of me. And with it came a wave of sorrow that engulfed me that resulted in me crying uncontrollably.

With that being said, I would like to take some time to point out here that I wasn't a terrible baby. I tried my best to be a good one. But unfortunately, the only way a baby knows to ask for food or let others know that it had soiled itself was to cry. And NO! I am not going to humiliate myself by telling you about the problems I faced because of my lack of strength to do the necessary things like pee by myself.

Nevertheless, since that day several questions have been nagging at me. Why was Tsunade still here in Konoha? Shouldn't she be roaming around the Land of Fire by now? Am I the reason she is still here? Have I tossed canon out of the window by my merely existence?

While I was grateful that Tsunade had remained behind, I couldn't help but be scared. I could easily imagine the impact of her presence in Konoha during the Third Shinobi War. The possible ramifications of such a game changer like Tsunade being involved in the Third Shinobi War were unimaginable. It would surely throw the entire canon out of the window. At the minimum, Minato would not be the only candidate for being the Fourth Hokage.

My mind whirled with the idea of Tsunade being the Yondaime Hokage instead of Godaime Hokage. And for several days, all I could think about was the impact of Tsunade's brand of administration to future Konoha. If not much, the medical expertise of Konoha alone will reach an unparalleled amount. Not to say the empowerment of Kunoichis. There is no telling what the future now holds.

Strangely enough, I wasn't scared of losing the future I know. Not that it promised much. Konoha went through a meat grinder in the original storyline. Maybe with Tsunade's presence, things might get better. Maybe, Minato and Kushina don't need to die.

With that comforting thought, I passed the next several days imagining how Naruto's life would be with the presence of parent figures.

This is not fair. Screw you fate! This is not fair at all.

The thing I had been dreading most did really come to pass. I imagine that a year hadn't even passed yet after I was born. If the ongoing conversation was any indication, I would even bet my life on the line of that fact.

"…. don't understand sensei!" my cousin was shouting at her sensei Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Tsunade! You are being selfish," Hiruzen said in a disappointed tone.

"Don't you dare use that tone with me!" my cousin raged. "Not you too! Don't act like Uncle Tobirama!"

"Fine. Then what about Hatorama?" Hiruzen asked angrily.

"He…. he will remain here," my cousin stated in a broken tone.

"You are abandoning him?" Hiruzen accused angrily.

"I am not abandoning him!" Tsunade defended herself. "I am a broken shell sensei. Hatorama deserves better."

"Hatorama deserves his family," Hiruzen bluntly stated and I could imagine the flinch my cousin would have had at that statement.

"They are all dead sensei…," Tsunade said in a broken tone that made my heart hitch.

I was struggling valiantly to refrain from crying. It was the hardest battle I had battled ever since being born. I knew what my cry would do. It would only postpone this conversation. Out of my earshot. And I will be damned if I am going to let it happen. Whatever her reason was, I deserved to know. While I could empathize with her situation, it didn't mean that I liked it.

"Oh hime!" Hiruzen said softly and I heard my cousin break down in sobs.

"Every moment I spend in this compound, in this village, I am reminded of them. Of Natsuki, of Dan, of Uncle Tobirama, of all of them. I can't take it any more sensei. It is tearing me apart. Hatorama is the only reason I am even here."

"Then, live for him hime."

"No," Tsunade vehemently refused, "I will not allow him to grow up seeing my broken shell. He deserves better. He deserves to see the joys of Konoha, not its sorrows. And even if it is the last thing I do as a Senju, I will see it done."

"Oh hime, I thought you were getting better." Hiruzen said softly.

"Overcoming my fear of blood during the childbirth was one thing, sensei. But, this," she let out a dry chuckle that made me sad.

"I see," Hiruzen murmured.

"I ask you a favor sensei. Look after him. Shizune will stay here to look after him, just keep an eye on him,"

"No, I won't. I will be coming with you Tsunade-sama," Shizune's forceful voice interrupted the conversation.

"Shizune!" Tsunade said in shock at her reply.

"You need someone to look after you Tsunade –sama. Don't think I haven't seen the amount of sake you have been drinking," Shizune stated firmly.

"But, Hatorama .." Tsunade stuttered.

"She is right. Shizune will go with you," Hiruzen replied firmly.

"I can't…. he… Hatorama needs…"

"He is a child Tsunade. You told him you are leaving now so that he doesn't remember you. The same would apply to Shizune. He wouldn't remember her. But, I think that is what is best for all of us." Hiruzen's voice was like a frozen ice.

Hearing it, it dawned on me. The reason for Tsunade leaving me. She had lost the Will of Fire. She had lost the faith on which the village operated. Repeated deaths of close members of her family had shattered her belief. And she didn't want me to lose it either. Hiruzen realized it too. And his disappointment of her stemmed from it.

"Leave! I will take care of Hatorama," Hiruzen stated bluntly and I felt anger rising up inside me at him.

But more than anger, sadness filled me. While I had subconsciously known that it was going to happen, I wasn't prepared for it. Yet, I understood her reason for it. Soon, things were settled and it was decided that I would be looked after by Hiruzen and will be staying in the village.

Tsunade hugged my baby body tightly for a long time before she parted. And I reluctantly fell asleep in the ensuing chaos of her departure.

So much for changing canon. I once heard a theory that whatever ripples may occur, fate would eventually realign itself to its original course. And it was that moment I decided that it would be better if I kept my knowledge of future to myself. I have read several fanfics where the reborn ones act like oracles and eventually get into trouble for that shit. I wasn't keen on repeating it.

A secret shared is not a secret any longer.