Unveiling Truths and Back Home

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A/N:

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Name: Hiruzen Sarutobi

Title: The Third Hokage, The Professor

Affiliation: Konohagakure

Age: 68 (when Naruto was 7)

Mastered Natures:

---- All five basic natures

---- Yin Release

---- Yang Release

Nature Affinity: Unknown or Universal

Kekkei Genkai: None

Summon: Enma, Shinigami

Level: Kage (Hokage)

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LET THE CHAPTER BEGIN

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A war doesn't just end the moment leaders reach a truce or an agreement. It takes time for orders to reach the subordinates, it also depends if the subordinate wants to kill their current enemy ignoring the orders.

Aki stood by Ay as the camp settled down. The ceasefire had taken effect, but the atmosphere was far from peaceful. His mind raced with thoughts of the war, the lies, and the bloodshed that had spiraled out of control.

"We need to talk to Hiruzen," Aki said, his voice cutting through the silence.

Ay nodded grimly. "Agreed. But we'll also need to inform the battlefield."

Without waiting, Ay made a gesture to one of his trusted subordinates, who immediately activated a communication seal attached to his arm. The seal glowed, linking to Kumogakure's communications network, a system designed to quickly relay information across large distances.

Ay's order was short but final. "Relay the ceasefire order. All units are to halt combat immediately."

Back at the negotiation grounds, the Hokage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage stood waiting, their expressions grave. The temporary truce held, but the tension in the air remained thick. This was only a fragile peace.

Ay and Aki approached, their presence commanding attention. Hiruzen turned to face them, his weathered features betraying the exhaustion of a leader who had seen too much war.

"Raikage," Hiruzen began, his voice even, "I trust the ceasefire is holding."

"For now," Ay growled. "But there's something we need to address."

Hiruzen's eyes flickered to Aki for a moment before he said, "Go on"

"Danzo." Ay asked in a voice laced with fury. "He's the one responsible for this war, for kidnapping Aki, and for throwing him into the ocean to die. You've always claimed to have control over your village, but this… this was your own man."

Hiruzen's face darkened, but before Ay could continue, he raised a hand. "Danzo… is dead."

Ay froze, Aki froze, Rasa froze, and even Yagura froze at those words.

"What the actual fuck," Aki blurted out before holding it in, 'Who was so goated to have killed one of only 2 real villains of Naruto'

"I'm sorry, please continue."

Ignoring the kid, Adults and the old men continued with the negotiations, 'Thank goodness, I'm still a kid.'

"He's dead, Raikage," Hiruzen repeated, his voice firm but lined with deep sorrow. "Danzo was killed a few months before the war started. I kept the news quiet to prevent further instability."

Ay asked the question gnawing at Aki's mind, "Dead? How?"

"That we are still unsure of" Hiruzen answered and took a puff from his pip before he continued, "His death has too many uncertainties we are still trying to figure out."

'That answered nothing'

Ay's shock slowly turned into a simmering rage. "You mean to tell me… that all this time, we've been fighting over something that could have ended the moment Danzo died?!"

Hiruzen held his ground, though his voice softened with regret. "Would you believe me if I said something like that,

even though I didn't know he prevented Aki's escape and he didn't even report to me."

"I wouldn't" Ay answered calmly and Hiruzen continued.

"I had hoped to stop the fighting long before it escalated, but it wasn't as simple as revealing Danzo's death. The damage had already been done, and tensions were too high. I tried to reach out, but by then, the war had already gained its momentum."

"Hahahahahaha" Ay the 4th Raikage suddenly started laughing, "Well done Hiruzen, you handled him the same way I handle rogues of my village."

Onoki raised an eyebrow, his sharp voice cutting in. "A shame, really. One would think you'd have tighter control over someone like Danzo. The man ran his own private army for years, did he not?"

Hiruzen's jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Rasa added, "If you had kept Danzo on a leash, we wouldn't be in this situation. So many lives could have been spared."

Aki watched the exchange with narrowed eyes, feeling the weight of their words. The war had started over him, and yet here he was, a mere bystander to a conflict he wanted no part of.

Ay stepped forward. "We all made mistakes. But the question now is—how do we stop this war from reigniting?"

Yagura, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke. "We need more than just a ceasefire. If we withdraw now, the underlying issues remain unresolved. Peace will be fragile."

Onoki's gravelly voice joined in. "I agree with the Mizukage. A truce isn't enough. The conditions that sparked this war haven't been fully addressed. We need a real solution, or this conflict will resurface."

Rasa nodded. "Suna has suffered as well. We need assurances, not just words."

Hiruzen sighed, looking older than his years as he responded. "Agreed. The ceasefire is temporary. But lasting peace will require concessions—on all sides."

Ay grunted in agreement. "The Shinobi Alliance… We'll need something like that if we want this to hold."

The idea hung in the air for a moment, heavy with possibilities. This wasn't just about stopping the war—it was about ensuring it never happened again.

"Then let's start by agreeing to transparency," Hiruzen said. "No more hidden agendas. No more secret operations like Danzo's. If we want peace, we need to trust one another."

Ay's eyes narrowed. "You're asking a lot, Hiruzen. Trust doesn't come easy after what's happened."

Hiruzen nodded. "I know. But we don't have a choice."

Aki glanced at Ay, then back at Hiruzen. The weight of the situation pressed on him, but he spoke up, his voice steady. "If this is going to work, we need to address the real problems—why the villages are at each other's throats in the first place."

Ay looked down at Aki, a mixture of pride and concern in his gaze. "You're right. But that's not something we can fix overnight."

Rasa crossed his arms. "It starts here. With us."

Onoki's expression remained stern. "We have an opportunity here, but let's not fool ourselves. This will be a long process."

The negotiations dragged on for hours, each side carefully weighing their words before the Kage withdrew from the meeting, returning to their villages with their forces.

Aki followed the Raikage back to Kumogakure, it was time for celebration. After all, the war had just ended and the village got their prince back.

The festive atmosphere in the village as they entered and were welcomed by the people. It reminded him of the thought Aki had been having ever since he was born into this world.

'Kumo is the best'

"Yo, my nephew's back, ain't no need to slack!" Bee rapped, his voice bouncing with energy as they entered the village.

Ay gave a nod to Bee but quickly shifted his attention to Aki. "Let's head to my office first," Ay said, throwing a large but firm hand over Aki's shoulder.

Despite the casual tone, Aki felt a trickle of sweat form on his brow. He had been very brave and confident on the battlefield, but now he knew the questioning was coming.

Ay smiled, his voice dropping into a serious tone. "Now, Aki," he began, "care to tell me where you were for the last two years? I want everything."

"It all began with my Jonin promotion mission," Aki started to explain, "But lets skip the details Yugito-sama would have already reported to you."

"Once I was rescued by the two Leaf Jonin…"

Aki went over the previous events on how he was brought to Konohagakure and then the part about making Naruto his brother to his escape plan and finally Danzo thwarting his plan by being lucky.

Ay listened intently, his expression unreadable, though his eyes flickered with a mix of surprise and growing anger—surprised at how well Aki had been treated in Konoha, and furious at Danzo's interference.

"I don't know how I got there," Aki continued, his voice quieting as he reached the darkest part of his story. "But I woke up floating on broken pieces of a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean. If Captain Drake hadn't found me… I would've drowned."

Ay's fists clenched at his sides, his face hardening. He hadn't expected this.

"Can you imagine my surprise when I found out I couldn't locate a single place even with my Byakugan's enormous range?" Aki asked a rhetorical question before continuing.

"Now I needed Drake's help in finding my way back, but after hearing his failed love story… I decided to lend a hand. Obviously, this decision delayed my return."

Ay's expressions shifted multiple times as Aki went over the story of how he helped this miserable sea king get his princess.

"It took us an entire year to not only plan the castle raid to rescue the princess plan, but also to reach the shore… we were a bit too far."

Aki went over his adventures with pirates, the life he never wanted but nonetheless enjoyed.

"While rescuing the princess, I couldn't ignore the dire straits her country was in. So, I decided to play the hero." Aki chuckled at the irony, continuing, "Now the princess and the pirate king are the king and queen of that very country."

"With their help, it took me the rest of the time to find my way back.

I returned to the village expecting to surprise everyone, only to notice high tension in the air. I asked a Genin about what happened and then immediately moved to the battlefield."

"And you know everything that happened afterward."

(A/N: Who wants the full love story as a filler arc?)

Ay was surprised at Aki's entire tale. It was a story a war-torn world like theirs would rarely encounter. But he still had some questions for his adopted son.

"Now that we know what happened, let's focus on your progress" Ay smiled with satisfaction, "When did you master lightning chakra mode and any new jutsu learned? What about range of your Byakugan now?"