"Hokage-sama, the results of the Genin Corps evaluation have arrived," Akari announced upon entering the Hokage's office, tightly clutching a substantial file.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of the strongest shinobi in the world, displayed a gentle smile. Despite his appearance as an ordinary middle-aged man with a receding hairline, within him resided the tremendous power and determination required to safeguard an entire village.

“Why, thank you, Akari-chan. Please, place the files over here,” Hiruzen replied, gesturing to his already cluttered desk. Despite the limited space, Akari deftly found a spot and set the files down.

"I will be taking my leave now, Hokage-sama," Akari said, to which the Hokage waved his hand absentmindedly, already engrossed in the files before him. As she exited, Akari couldn't help but ponder, 'The desk could certainly hold a few more files,' her mind already calculating the additional workload the Hokage could bear.

With Akari's departure, the sound of pages being flipped resonated throughout the office.

The Hokage, after casually flipping through the reports of all the genin, came to a specific one that caught his attention. His brows scrunched up in confusion as he perused the file of a certain individual named Musashi, a 15-year-old. Typically, the Hokage wouldn't invest much thought into a genin of that age, as they often lacked the exceptional talent required to become very strong shinobi.

The kid had poor chakra reserves and abysmal chakra control—attributes expected from someone with a civilian background. Yet, what intrigued Hiruzen was Musashi's exceptional record in Taijutsu. The young genin had reportedly defeated every competitor with a single move. Despite Musashi's advantage of age and experience, it seemed implausible for him to overpower every other genin in such a manner.

Nevertheless, considering his low chakra reserves, the Hokage was aware that Musashi's fighting prowess would likely be significantly constrained. Despite this limitation, he was willing to extend an opportunity to anyone displaying even a faint glimmer of potential. 'You never know,' the Hokage thought optimistically, 'This kid might make something of himself.' His own student, Jiraiya, served as a glaring testament that exceptional talent is not always the sole factor in achieving great strength.

After flipping through the remaining reports, the Hokage finalized his selection of genin and relaxed in his seat. A smoke pipe somehow found its way to his lips.

Glancing past the window beside him, the Hokage realized the sun had already begun to set. Similarly, the time for him was also drawing to a close. Hiruzen was growing older, and his strength had already started to wane. With future war threats looming, he feared he wouldn't be able to stave off the beginning of a new conflict for as long as he wished.

The odd 13 years of peace following the First Shinobi World War were hard-won through numerous trials and tribulations. The village had made significant sacrifices to preserve itself, Notably his own sensei, the Second Hokage, Tobirama. That was why it was all the more important to foster as many shinobi as he could with what time was left.

Even still, Hiruzen would not give up. He was determined to fight until the very end to ensure that another war didn't take place again. The memories of just one had left too many scars on the village.

Just in time, Akari made her way in again, with another stack of reports.

The Hokage mused that it would be a while before he could rest.

…

Turning off the shower, I picked up the towel on a hanger beside me. It still amazed me how water from a faraway source had been made so accessible. It was only fair that I had to pay for such water maintenance services, which took a good chunk out of the wages I earned through daily missions.

Exiting the bathroom, I moved towards my bed and grabbed the clothes I had placed on it. As I dressed, I began contemplating the day ahead.

Rustle

Hmm. Three days have gone by since the selection test I went through. Today was supposed to be the day the results were to be announced. Should I go and take a look?

Fully dressed, I sat on the bed, feeling the fabric against my skin. The room held a quiet vibe as a gentle breeze from the open window brushed against me. Sunlight streamed into the room, casting warm rays that played on the walls. The ticking of the clock created a subtle background noise. Unintentionally, I began snapping my fingers, each motion in sync with the ticking clock. Time passed at its own pace, and I lost myself in thought.

Sometime later, I eased down onto the floor, finding support against the bed. Placing my hands on my lap, I began the unfamiliar practice of meditation. I hadn't done it before, but the image of old man Ashura meditating frequently lingered in my mind. It felt like the right moment to explore what it was all about.

In a sort of trance, my hands settled naturally, fingers interlocking with a quiet precision. I closed my eyes, allowing the stillness of the room to envelop me. Breathing deeply, I attempted to mimic what I had observed from Ashura, the rhythm of my breath becoming an unconscious guide. The outside world seemed to fade away.

I could feel everything around me. The world pulsated with life, and a sense of connection with the world enveloped me. It was as if, with my eyes closed, I could perceive more than I ever could with them open.

Stunned, my concentration broke as I opened my eyes. This feeling was not entirely foreign; I had experienced it every time I faced a life-or-death battle. It was sage mode. The old man, it seemed, reached sage mode through meditation, a revelation that left me momentarily awestruck. I had only entered this heightened state during the heat of battle.

Pushing aside my thoughts, I resumed meditating, slipping back into the trance. Sage mode had always been a tool for enhancing my strength, but now I aimed to use it to observe my surroundings.

Inhaling deeply, I focused on the various chakra signatures around me, each glowing in a deep blue hue. As I delved deeper, I began to sense fragments of their emotions. Many emanated happiness. Suddenly, a massive chakra signature caught my attention—a shinobi with dominant fire element traces. The difference in chakra volume between a shinobi and a civilian was staggering.

Navigating through the signatures, I encountered the largest chakra presence yet, dense and potent. It felt familiar—'Senju,' I exclaimed.

Further exploration led me to a small settlement with another recognizable signature—the Uchiha, numbering in the hundreds. Complex emotions bubbled forth in me. Forcefully suppressing my emotions. I tried to focus somewhere else.

Finally, I located the largest chakra signature, right at the Hokage Tower. It must be the Hokage. No wonder he led the village; his power felt substantial.

Realizing I had spent a considerable time immersed in this state, I decided to withdraw. However, my attention was suddenly captured by another familiar signature. This chakra seemed to be suppressed, to the point where it released chakra lesser than even a civilian. But I could never mistake the chakra for anything else.

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It was a tailed beast. The strongest-tailed beast at that—the nine-tailed fox. A bitter feeling was evoked in me. The chakra emitted a red hue, containing malevolent and destructive power. The tremendous hatred the beast held was palpable, and it had increased by a lot since the last time we met. What’s more, the nine-tailed beast's chakra seemed to be suppressed to an astonishing degree, held captive within another chakra signature, that of a human.

‘No way,’ I exclaimed again. These crazy fucks had sealed a tailed beast in another human. Focusing on the chakra, I realized it belonged to an Uzumaki, and it seemed to be a young girl. If what I felt from the nine-tailed was enormous hatred, what emanated from this girl was endless sorrow. The sorrow was coupled with fear, anxiety, and a sense of loneliness.

I broke off from sage mode and stood up. A heavy, resigned sigh escaped me.

What else could you expect from humans?

And I was no different from them. I'm more of a monster than any of them.

I sank onto the bed, lifting my arm to scrutinize my hands.

All I’ve gone through. All the corpses I’ve made, have not made me strong. There’s nothing to it. Nothing but death.

All the killing has given me nothing. I have nothing. I have simply been a stain on this land, spreading death wherever I go.

But even after all of this, someone decided that I still had to live and brought me here. So, I had to do something.

A tired sigh escaped me as I closed my eyes. Various thoughts flowed through me, and time passed.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, I made a decision.

Screw the shinobi. Screw the selection test.

I now know what to do for the day.

…

I sat on the rooftop of Takehiko’s sweet shop. The sun was about to set. Casting its fading glow on the village. Disappearing behind the mountain with the Hokage faces. My focus shifted back to a red-haired girl, the one with the nine-tailed in her..

She didn’t seem as lonely as I thought. A kid with blonde hair was beside her, both with smiles on their faces. And a couple of shinobi behind them. Keeping watch.

The girl seemed to be well protected, or, well restrained. Wouldn’t want a nine tailed on the loose. I would know the best.

Watching over the girl while avoiding the eyes of the shinobi was not much work. I expected more but they don’t seem to be good sensors. Probably fighters, more suited to subduing a tailed beast. There was nothing much for me to do now but wait. So I started taking out some sweets I picked from the shop. Stuffing them in my mouth. Patiently.

The sweets and setting sun gave me company until the girl reached the spiral shaped building, the one with Fuinjutsu surrounding it.

The girl grew sad at leaving soon but she separated from the blonde-haired kid and went inside the spiral-shaped building- her home.

Well then. How do we do this? I mused and scratched my chin……. I missed scratching my beard. If only I got into an adult’s body.

…

The sound of a brush could be heard as a hand glided through a scroll, brushing black ink in odd structures. The one drawing these seemed to be in complete focus. Blue eyes locked in on the scroll, drawing runic structures with some grace which must be due to constant practice.

At some point though, those blue eyes became hazy and lost sight for a moment. The brush slipped just a bit. Fuinjutstu demanded perfection, even a single mishap was not allowed on the seals.

The blue eyes grew shaky as frustration bloomed inside of her.

The brush still in contact with the scroll twitched, and all hell broke loose as the girl let loose strokes on the scroll, completely wasting away an hour’s amount of work.

“Haah.” She groaned and grabbed her hair. The nights were always the worst. That was when she was alone when she had to face herself. It was funny. With so many people around her, she still felt alone. Minato was the only light in her life. The only one with whom she felt at peace. But now that it was night, she had to be alone.

The stupid hokage wouldn’t let her out of this place until she could control the nine-tailed well. It was understandable really, she wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, so she trained as hard as she could. But doesn’t make it any less bearable.

A lone tear flowed through her eyes.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be in Uzushio, with her family, her clan. Happily.

She didn’t want to be here in Konoha, as a foreigner. She didn’t want to deal with the nine-tailed beast all by herself.

It was so unfair.

She wiped away that lone tear. She won’t let this consume her. She will make her clan proud. A true Uzumaki will face any challenge with no fear. Just like her clan faced their end with no fear.

There was work to be done. She had to be more proficient in Fuinjutsu if she were to control her seal.

With that thought, she looked for her brush.

Suddenly, blue sparks of what seemed to be lightning flashed in the room. A moment later, the sparks were replaced by a figure. A human, she realized. Her hands started searching for a kunai and grabbed onto it from a table behind her. She got a good look at the figure while positioning the kunai and herself in a combat stance. Her kunai held forward.

The enemy seemed to be a boy, at least a couple of years older than her. Black hair, violet eyes, and a tired face to match it. The boy raised his arms to say that he meant no harm.

She would have none of it. This could be an enemy shinobi in disguise. She wouldn’t be fooled again. She wouldn’t be kidnapped another time.

…

She stood firm. Kunai pointing at me. I took a good look at her. Red hair reminiscent of the Uzumaki and blue eyes. All to go with a round face. She stood stiff, brows scrunched up in tension.

Damn. I… didn’t think this through.

Of course, she would be alarmed. What was I thinking?

I scratched my head. Which seemed to alarm her even more. Raising her kunai a bit more.

No words were spoken yet. I can’t keep standing like this for the whole night.

I sat down. Folding my legs and making myself comfortable. The girl only bounced more in terror, her head bobbing, spraying strands of her red hair along with it. I raised my hands again, signaling her to calm down. Which did not seem to work.

Leaving out a resigned sigh, I decided to eat some more sweets again and picked some leftovers from my pocket. Munching on them while completely ignoring the girl. I took a good look around the place. This seemed to be the bedroom. A single bed lay to my right and a wooden table with a chair which seemed to have fallen in front of me.

The girl by now, clutched a kunai in one hand and placed the other on the table in a tight grip. She was leaning on the table with eyes still focused on me. There was a window beside her, it was nighttime by now. Today was a full moon, which was completely covered by the girl’s face, only leaving the corners of it to peak through from the sides of her face, leaking moonlight through it.

By now I was done with even the leftover sweets keeping aside just one in case the girl wanted it. Snack time’s over, which means I have to make some progress.

I shifted my eyes back to her. She seemed to flinch for a brief second but tightened her grip on the kunai. She was brave.

“I don’t want to stare all night you know… I mean no harm” I said.

The girl pushed herself from the table and moved a step closer. The moon seemed to be covered by her neck now.

“What do you want then?” She said. Her voice held some steel to it.

Moments before teleporting here, I was in sage mode, observing the chakra signatures around here, only to sense the girl’s chakra thrum with a bag of negative emotions. It made me teleport without thinking much. A rash move.

Right, what was I thinking, coming here?

I let out a sigh.

“ I could sense a lot of pain from you. Just moments before coming here. So I just blitz in here with no thought.”

Her eyes grew shaky. Her hands trembled. She gulped nervously, kunai still on me.

“What are you talking about?” She questioned nervously.

I shrugged my shoulders and pointed my finger at her stomach, an action which made her tremble even more.

“I also know you have Kurama in there.” I said. Her eyes grew confused again. Realizing what it meant, I corrected.

“I meant the nine tails.”

“So that’s what you meant by pain.” She said.

“No”

That did not seem to cease her trembling. She had been a fidgeting mess for a while now. This wouldn’t do.

I patted the floor beside me.

Pat

“Let’s talk.”

…