Hey ho guys! Hope you read the announcement from the chapter before.
In any case, hope you enjoy!

And yes, this takes off right after The Kireha Clan tome 1.

It was simpler than I had previously thought. A lot simpler. So much simpler that I had thought that this would probably be a trap to kill all of the Kireha clan. I was pleasantly wrong, which put me on edge.

All in all, it took Kireha four months to finally meet up with the Konoha founders, namely, Senju Harashima and Uchiha Madara. 4 months. Very, extremely fast. And that's without mentioning that the timem, in general, passed by extremely fast as well. First of all, for the first week of receiving The Letter, the whole compound was in chaos.

"This is a horrible idea, please Keno-sama, please tell me you're actually really not considering this!" shouted Roku as literally two one-year olds clinged onto him while gurgling and laughing. Apparently Roku finally managed to have kids, which, considering his wife is a higher up kunoichi, has mostly left him to raise the kids. That already made the office louder than it needed to be. At least he seemed livelier now and less like the stuck-up higher-up he usually is. While I didn't mind that he had essentially rejected the idea, "It's purely idiotic to not consider potential outcomes," I shot back, crossing my arms. Keno-sama, our leader, just sighed and waved us off. Roku had been extremely pissy that week as well. It didn't help that each time a higher up, so also me, walked on the streets, kids and people would come up to me and ask me about news. Everyone in the compound was beyond curious.

"Will we really live in Konoha?!"
"You're going to talk with THE Madara?! The one that tried to kill you so many times?!"
"Can we please go! I want to see the guitarist hedgehog!"

I blinked and looked down at the kids surrounding me. "...Guitarist hedgehog...?" I mumbled, questioning what the hell brought that up. Tenso, the small boy, nodded and grinned. "Yeah! You know, with the red eyes and stuff?" I blinked. "Madada I think he was called..."

That was the highlight of the week. Knowing that the young of the clan called my (former?) nemesis 'guitarist hedgehog'. I had laughed and told them I was proud of them. They all scurried away with red faces.

Two weeks after The Letter came, the clan calmed down because things were actually getting serious. We had sent them a letter of our own. Saying that we were interested but that we wouldn't risk any lives if this meant this was a trap. The owl came back with a second letter. These were arrangements. A place and a time, two people from our clan and two people from Konoha. An exchange of objects. A lead handband for a kunai with a signature from Kireha.

Two shinobi from our clan went two weeks and three days after Kireha received The Letter. The people had waited anxiously for the return of the two shinobi and the leaf headband. A sigh of relief swept through the compound when the laughter of the two shinobi emerged from the gates, one of the dumbly wearing the Konoha headband on their forehead.

"How did it go?" I had asked, and one of them grinned and nudged their partner. "They sent a pretty Uzumaki kunoichi and I think Maya is in love!" All in all, the exchange went well.

There were two similar exchanges like that after that one. The fourth one was a bit more stressful because a second or third hand in command had to go. I had immediately raised my hand for that but it was over throne by both Roku and Keno for some reason. "I will go," Roku said after I just said I would go. I sent him a look and was about to argue but Keno-sama slid right in. "Roku will go. He is better at talking at since the Hyuga will be the ones going, Roku is best at keeping his feelings concealed." I wanted to argue but I knew I wouldn't win, so I sat back down and let my irritated chakra slip through my pores.

Four days later, Roku left. Two days after that, he came back with a scroll.

"It seems like we have passed all of their tests," is what he first said to Keno-sama and I when he entered the office. Now that a certain ground of trust has been formed, it was time to negotiate and to talk about politics. I was left out of most talks, as they knew I wouldn't be much use. I sometimes simply listened though and added in a few ideas. But most of the time it was Keno-sama, Roku, Maya and Uha discussing.

Months and weeks of exchanging letters led us to this fateful day.

"Incredible Keno-sama, you've gotten so weak that now we have to-" I was painfully nudged on my side by Roku. "Have some sensibility Yasu! Keno-sama is wise and doesn't mindlessly use his prowess." I glare at him ever so slightly but sigh anyways. For a one armed bastard, he could still nudge painfully. I watch as Keno-sama climbs on Fupo's back. He sighs in bliss, "ah, this is so much better..." I roll my eyes.

I personally blame the merry atmosphere and the end of the war for my change in attitude. I caught myself answering less seriously now and then and even I hear myself comment on certain things dryly. As shown. I blame Shouta, darling big brother's, more recent and reoccurring real smiles. I look back at the clan that gathered at the gates. They all were saying their goodbyes and good lucks to us. I see Shouta, limping, towards the front and then smiling at me.

I would do everything to make him and my clan happy.

X

After passing through flower fields, a down pour, crossing a large river and traveling through an extremely thick forest that was oozing chakra, the group of 10 Kireha shinobi could finally see the top of an obnoxiously big statue head. "Incredible," I remark dryly, making Keno-sama laugh. "It shows their drive. While it is less subtle than I previously thought, it works well for a Senju!"

I close my eyes, more comfortable with my eyes closed. I sense all around me with my chakra, seeing without my eyes. The eight days trip was quite tiresome, as we did our best to travel as fast as possible. I could proudly say we were going faster than most. And maybe we were showing off our speed, but a shinobi must do what they have to do.

Step by step, I could sense the people in this 'Konoha' better... and it was shocking to say the least. To have so many different chakra scents all in one place was surreal. I could tell an Uchiha was talking to a Nara, and a Akimichi was talking to a Shimura. It was so... unbelievable. I stopped myself from halting and continued walking by my comrades. I knew this was going to happen with my previous life's knowledge but... after living 20-something years in this cruel world, those past memories seem more like hazy dreams now.

I quit thinking when I could completely sense HIS chakra. My lips were tugged downwards. Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara and Senju Tobirama were waiting for us by the gates. "They are waiting for us by the large gate," I informed the group. It was funny to sense chakra's from different clans so close to each other... of course the majority were split up in their compounds in the village, but they are nonetheless still close to each other.

My gut feeling worsened by the second, probably due to Hashirama's out of the world, insane chakra. Looks like the big three had the honors to greet us. Good, I couldn't expect anything else, or else it'd be an absolute disgrace.

Soon, we were only meters away from the large gates and meters from the Big Three. There was a tense silence. One that would only be cut by either blood or words. Tensions of decades of war passes through this silence. I forced my heart to remain steady because I knew that they could hear absolutely everything. My face was blank, my eyes were still closed, and I gave nothing away. I wasn't exactly wary of the Senju's, it was more of Madara. The man that I have battled with too many times and almost died at his hands too many times. This man was the reason for so many deaths of my clan members, one of them being Kin. Keno-sama's brother and my father figure. I have too many scars caused by him and he has too little caused by me.

Keno-sama had begun walking ever since the statue was in view and stepped forward, towards Hashirama. None of the men budged, with Hashirama in the middle, Madara to his right and Tobirama to his left.

There was another few seconds of silence, until the wood user grinned. "Welcome to Konoha, Kireha clan!"

I stopped myself from gulping. He was being too cute and too positive and even his chakra emitted positive energy. Keno-sama smiled in response, "Thank you Senju-san. You must be Hashirama-san?" My leader asked, ever so politely which was quite rare to see back at the compound. Hashirama nods at him, "Ah yes! Unfortunately, I do not know what your name is..."

Right, as explained before, the Kireha clan never exposed each other's real name and identity in battles. We referred to each other as numbers that never stuck to remain secrecy. "Right, let us introduce ourselves." Keno commenced. "I am the 31st leader of Kireha, Keno. This is Yasu, I do believe people call her the 'Blind Seeker' sometimes. Then we have-", why yes of course Keno, why don't you introduce me and say my horrible war nickname. I didn't let my frustration show and simply sensed around me.

Sometimes I wondered why people wanted to use their eyes if they could use their chakra sensing and quickly concluded that not many people were reincarnated into a previously thought-to-be fictional world and haven't experience chakra like I did. In any case, the three 'Konoha' men seemed to be keeping their chakra in check… except for Hashirama, who was actually emitting positive chakra waves. This guy. "dara, and this is my brother, Senju Tobirama. If you need anything, please do not hesitate any of us three. Now, I bet you had a long journey, let me lead you to refreshments and lodgment for these following days."

Before Hashirama could turn around, Keno-sama, without mercy, decided now would be the perfect moment to slam him stupid ass cane into my foot. That was wounded. He would know because he's the one that wounded it. I froze, let out a violent shiver and sent my leader a very unamused scowl. "Yasu! Stop being a brat and open your eyes! This is your future after all," he scolded and took his cane back properly.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Conceal don't feel Yasu.

You're fine.

I slowly opened my eyes and set them on him, glaring at him with a non-deadly desire to strangle him. "Yes. Leader-sama." I managed to say. He seemed more satisfied by that than he ought to be and smiled. I avoided eye contact with our new allies. It would be the first time I'd truly see Madara and Hashirama. And Hashirama, being the kind soul, just laughed and guided us in.

I don't miss the curious and somewhat shocked looks from the three men though. Or maybe not their looks but their posture. To be fair, I'd be too if their leader randomly hurt their fellow comrade… or was it because they thought I'm blind? I roll my eyes at that, they'd be fools if they thought that I'm blind. War names were just that, war names. Nothing necessarily true comes out of them.

Well, with my eyes open now, I can actually look around me. I can already tell the resemblance with what this village already has, to what it will look like in the future. It's hitting me like a deja-vu. It's very weird. The construction of houses were still being made, and everything still seemed very empty but I left like it was slowly getting there. People would start wondering around sooner or later.

I breathed in the air. It's fresh and pure. The air resembles this opportunity, or Konoha as a whole. This would be the best place to be if Kireha would want to survive. It will be a tough few years, but hardships will be always need to be dealt with.

"This is a very good start," Keno said to Harishima. Harishima, flustered, grinned, "I believe so too. I can only wish things improve from now."

They will, slowly but surely.

The Kireha group half listened to the conversation Keno-sama and Hashirama were having and were also looking around. Soon we arrived the building we would be staying at. It was made of wood and Hashirama's chakra lingers inside it. A creation of dear Hokage it seems. I touch the walls and idly wondered if Hashirama could grow crops for many people. My mind slowly drifts off to the laws of conservation and perpetual motion laws and as quickly as I slipped in those thought, I slipped out. I would have those thoughts, fueled by my past life's knowledge, later.

The building was very nice by all means, looking more like a fancy hotel than anything that was close to the Hokage tower. Hashirama then asked Keno-sama what he wanted to do for sleeping arrangements and Keno-sama didn't need to think to know how this would be orangized.

Keno-sama decided that eight people will be paired up to fill 4 rooms. "I am not meaning to offend Hashirama, but you know us ninjas and paranoia," Keno-sama explained, to which Hashirama said he would have done the same thing in any case. Looks like I'll be sleeping in the room alone, closest to Keno-sama. I inspected the room, one king sized bed with a decent area. Reminding me a lot of a good hotel room back from Earth. Everyone would be sleeping in the second floor, where the ground floor would occupy the entrance and such, while the first floor would contain a sort of common room.

Once we dropped out luggage, Hashirama and his two very silence companions were waiting in the common room. He clasped his hands together and sent the Kirehe squad a smile, which only Keno-sama sent back, equally vibrant as his. "I have no doubt that everyone here is too tired for any formal meeting, so it would be best if we were to meet tomorrow. I will send a messenger to alert you of the time. Would that be acceptable?" Hashirama asked, to which Keno-sama said yes with a nod.

"Great! Now, clans have started restaurants all over the place. I am sure Tobirama and Madara can show you around. I unfortunately have a meeting with the Nara clan leader."

Three different emotions spiked at once.

Cheekiness from Hashirama, shock from Tobirama and annoyance from Madara.

I hold in my snicker and quickly concluded that Hashirama came up with this last-minute plan on the spot. Breathing in deeply, I finally decide to avoid looking at the three's faces and went to thoroughly inspect them.

They…

They look a lot younger than I thought.

Madara and Hashirama don't have any wrinkles anywhere. I'd thought that being a leader would automatically make you gain those. Hashirama's hair was long and very soft looking, and those eyes. He looks so friendly, so welcoming.

It's Hashirama!

That friendly smile.

Quick, his wood attack is killing everyone. Qui-

I switched to Madara. His arms were crossed and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was scowling. His messy black hair is longer than Hashirama's hair and its volume is definitely bigger. He caught my eye and we both looked straight at each other. Calculating eyes.

It is the first time I look into the eyes of an Uchiha. Or into anyone besides a Kireha.

What a beautiful black color.

So much more beautiful than the sharingan.

Tobirama stepped up when Hashirama excused himself to leave, "We can do a small tour of the village. Please, follow me."

X

It took around 30 minutes and we ended at the main street. Madara hasn't spoken a word while Tobirama briefly mentioned future plans and establishments. His voice was cold, precise and to the point. Something that I was not shocked by the slightest but was still interesting since the first time he spoke to me, it was with so much venom.

"This is the main street, you can see vendors are opening up and we are hoping to flourish as many businesses as possible," with that, he promptly ended. Keno-saa let out a happy sigh, "Yes, this is very promising indeed…" he looks around himself. "All of it is making me tired, I think I will retire early for today," I quickly stand next to him.

"I will accompany you Keno-sama," I look at the Kireha squad who all went to look at me, as if waiting for orders. "You four, you're are dismissed, have fun-"

"You reject my offer as a leader and then you act as a leader, very two sided dear," I send Keno-sama a look that I knew he knew translated as 'I know you're the leader but shut up'. "Don't think I did not feel your chakra spike up when we passed the ramen stand." My eyes widened, has he been training his chakra sensing? Has he finally submitted to the training I've been telling him to do for the past 5 years?

"I didn't feel it, but your expression tells me yes. Now go, I know Sayu is as tired as me. Come child." Before I could say another word, Keno walked off with Sayu… who did look tired. But if someone attacked Keno-sama, Sayu won't be able to protect him… well, yes, but not as well as me. I'm the damned official leader's body guard! What the hell is he even thinking, that dumbass old man- "If that is all, I will take my leave as well," Tobirama said, nodding. But Senso, just had to jump in. "Ah, excuse me Tobirama-san!"

That loud mouth, you talk too much. And then he proceeded to ask him about the best places to eat at. Do you think, one of the strongest ninja's alive would care about- "I personally like fish, especially the fresh caught kinds. I would recommend-"

I stare blankly at the interaction with my dumbass friend, Senso, with a probably just as equally socially dumbass, Tobirama.

When did everyone start being friends? I held in my groan and internal blush of Tobirama being an absolute dork. I suddenly felt a stare on me. I looked up, my eyes caught Madara's again. I need to do something about that… better now than later. Stepping slightly away from Senso, I went towards Madara. He narrowed his eyes at me, but his posture stayed the same.

Or stiffened ever so slight.

We both stared at each other, thinking, calculating.

I then extended my hand to him. Our eyes were still connected.

He extended his as well and we both firmly shook hands.

Former enemies and new allies.

With a nod on both sides, we retreated our hands. This is a good start.

I would never forget or forgive him about what has happened. He has killed to many of mine, and me to many of his. It would never be forgivable or forgettable. But we could accept it and move on. And acknowledging that was a step towards the right direction.

Putting my hand to my back, I send him a smirk and he continuously scowls as me, but some tension seemed to be lifted off the group's shoulders for some reason.

That's the first chapter of tome 2 done! I've decided to go with a lighter mood for the tome, at least for now at the beginning ^^

7 - November - 2018

Tsuki