3 Prologue III

When Danzo stepped out of the Hokage's headquarters, he knew his plan to deal with Emiyo before speaking with Daichi's mother was over before it began.

Nanako was standing across the street, the wife he hadn't spoken with since Daichi left the village. Her usually pristine auburn hair was in tangles. Judging from the redness in her eyes and the unstable waves in her chakra, she already knew about their son's fate.

She flashed across the street, coming face to face with Danzo.

"Where is Daichi?" She almost screamed. "I want his body. Give him to me."

Danzo's face remained an emotionless mask as he considered his wife's demand. Inwardly, he mused that not being able to hide her emotions and analyze a situation calmly was always Nanako's greatest flaw. A shinobi always needed to be in complete control of their emotions.

Reaching into his robes, Danzo pulled out the storage scroll containing his son's body.

Seeing the scroll, Nanako's face reddened in anger. She snapped, "You hid him in a common storage scroll. Like he was some piece of trash."

Danzo explained, "It was the only way. The people Daichi killed today were not insignificant. If news of this gets out, the lull in fighting we are currently in could end, and things could spin out of control."

Nanako's eyes narrowed as if she sensed what Danzo was about to say.

"That's why no one can know of today's events. As far as the rest of Konoha and the world is concerned, Daichi died years ago. Tonight, I will have my men place his body in the empty casket we buried."

"No," Nanako pleaded to her husband. "Daichi deserves better than to be forgotten. He deserves to be remembered."

Danzo coldly rebutted, "Daichi made his choice years ago. This is simply the consequence of those actions."

Nanako flinched at Danzo's remorseless remark about their son.

"He didn't abandon the village," She spat. "He was saving himself from you."

Nanako drew herself up to her full height and once again demanded, "Now. Give me my son's body, or I will take him from you."

Nanako's earthy colored robes shifted, and the slight rattling of chains could be heard.

.

Danzo paused when he heard the chains and considered his next move. It seems as though Nanako wasn't going to take no for an answer. He knew better than most how dangerous those chains were.

Shifting tactics, Danzo acted like the decision wasn't his, "The Hokage has already made the decision."

"Of course he did," Nanako sneered. "But, whose idea was it? Knowing you, I'm guessing it was yours."

"Perhaps," Danzo admitted. "But, I had good reason. And if Daichi were here, he would agree with me."

"I doubt that." Nanako bitterly scoffed. "He couldn't stand you."

"He would," Danzo insisted. "After all, it was Daichi who decided to put on a rogue headband when he killed those cloud ninjas. He did it so the Hokage could deny that Konoha sanctioned their deaths, and he wanted to make sure the Hokage wouldn't have reason to turn them away."

"Turn who away?" Nanako asked, looking bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

As if he were commenting on the weather, Danzo revealed the truth, "Daichi wasn't traveling alone. It seems that while he was away, Daichi got married. His wife is currently pregnant with their unborn child.

Nanako recoiled in shock, then accused Danzo. "You're lying."

Danzo raised an eyebrow. "What would be the point of lying about something is so easily proven false? You know me better than that."

Nanako hesitated. Now that she thought about it, Danzo was probably telling the truth. A simple blood test would confirm whether Daichi had a child.

Seeing his wife's hesitation, Danzo made her an offer. "She's at the hospital right now. We can go there right now."

Subdued by the new information, Nanako silently nodded in agreement. After Danzo returned the storage scroll containing his son's body, the pair made their way to the hospital.

At the Konoha hospital, Danzo and Nanako watched over an unconscious Emiyo. Standing next to them was a nervous medical ninja. His nervousness stemmed from the four masked-ninjas standing guard, Danzo evaluating him with his frozen eyes, and Nanako glaring at him as if she held him responsible for Emiyo being unconscious.

"What's wrong with her?" Nanako demanded.

Before explaining, the medical shinobi nervously pushed his thick glasses back to their proper place. "She's suffering from severe chakra depletion. Normally, this wouldn't be too much of an issue. A day or two of rest and everything would be back to normal. But, her being pregnant complicates things."

"There is a reason why women are told not to exhaust their chakra while pregnant. One of the biggest dangers is when a pregnant woman's chakra is completely exhausted. Their body seeks to replenish their chakra, and while it isn't much, the unborn child does have a small amount of chakra. If pushed to the brink, it isn't unheard of for a pregnant woman's body to try to cannibalize the chakra of their unborn child. If that happens, there could be complications."

Nanako's eyes widened in horror, and her face turned pale. "What sort of complications? Is the baby ok?

The medical ninja held up a hand. "We know the baby is alive, which is a very good sign. But, unfortunately, we won't know more till the baby is born. I'm only bringing this up because it's a possibility, and I wanted you to know everything. For now, the best thing you can do is be patient and let the patient recover in a safe and calm environment."

Nanako narrowed her eyes when told there was nothing she could do.

She turned to Danzo and announced, "I'm sending for Tsunade. I want a second opinion, and she should be here to help with the birth."

Danzo calmly pointed out, "Tsunade might not come. She's retired from shinobi life. She hasn't even been back to the village in years."

"I write the letter myself. She'll come back if I'm the one asking," Nanako replied with certainty.

Danzo nodded his acceptance, then turned to the medical-shinobi. "When will she be awake?"

"I've given her a sedative that will keep her unconscious while her body recovers. She should be awake by the morning."

After answering the rest of their questions, the medical ninja briefly paused when Danzo gave a secret signal with his fingers informing him that he had orders for him.

After the doctor excused himself, Danzo turned to Nanako. "I still have many things to attend to. Are you planning to stay?"

"Go." She replied. "I'll watch over her."

After leaving the room, Danzo motioned the medical ninja to follow. Once they had exited the hospital, Danzo turned the medical ninja and pulled out a vial of his son's blood. "I want you to run a bloodline test on the unborn child. No one is to learn about this, not the mother, not even my wife. You will report your findings to me directly."

"Lord Danzo, is that necessary?" The ninja fell silent when Danzo handed him a scroll with the Hokage's Seal.

After reading through the scroll, the medical ninja bowed his head, accepting the mission, "Very well. When do you need this done."

"Immediately, Danzo replied.

"I'll have it done by morning." The medical ninja assured him.

As night turned to morning, Danzo rubbed his weary eyes. So much had changed for him in a day. The son he had written off years ago returned only to die. But, he had left behind a child. It was a chance to try again. This time, he would do it better. He would mold his grandson into the perfect shinobi, one worthy of being the great-grandson of the Second Hokage.

But, there were hurdles he needed to overcome. Danzo turned his attention back to a lengthy proposal Orochimaru had given him, containing the idea of improving a ninja's bloodline. As much as Danzo was reluctant to admit it, the Second Hokage bloodline had thinned. While his daughter, Nanako, had inherited his strong chakra, Daichi never reached the same level. Danzo suspected that Diachi diluting the bloodline further with Emiyo would continue the trend. And while it was certain that his unborn grandchild would have decent chakra reserves, better than most shinobi, it wouldn't be enough.

Hashirama and Tobirama Senju were the product of generations of carefully managed bloodlines growing stronger and stronger over the generations.

If what Orochimaru suggested was possible, it might be possible to ensure his grandson had the potential to reach the same level as the first two Hokages. Now, all he needed was to find Orochimaru and see if a deal could be struck.

With a plan in mind, Danzo got up and went to find the white snake.

Danzo found Orochinaru fairly easily. Anytime he wasn't on a mission, he was in his underground lab. Out of the three Sannin, Orochimaru was the one Danzo respected most. He had a fearsome reputation that made most shinobi retreat when he took to the field, and he was relentless in his pursuit of knowledge. They also shared a willingness to do anything to accomplish the mission.

Danzo stood silently watching Orochimaru dissect a Flame Spitter. Flame spitters were large lizards that could grow to the size of a man. They were all naturally born with the fire element. Their favorite method of attack was to spit fire on their prey. While they weren't very dangerous to an experienced shinobi, the fire they shot had a unique clinging effect. Judging from all of Orochimaru's notes, he was trying to replicate that effect in a new fire-related jutsu.

Danzo felt a twitch of annoyance as Orochimaru ignored his presence, continuing his work. But, since he was here to ask for a favor, Danzo decided to let the slight go unanswered.

When he was finished with the dissection, Orochimaru turned his snake-like eyes towards Danzo. "Danzo." He greeted in a raspy voice. "What brings Konoha's shadow to my lab?"

Danzo reached into his robes, grabbing the file containing Orochimaru's proposal. Once he had it, he tossed it onto the table next to Orochimaru.

The file landed with a thud, and a disdainful sneer crept out on Orochimaru's face when he realized what it was.

"When I suggested the idea to the Hokage, he balked when I told him what it would take to achieve bloodline manipulation."

Danzo nodded in agreement, "The Hokage has always been sentimental. At times it has served him well, but at others, it has led to mistakes."

Danzo shook his head, "Sentimental fool. Whatever the cost that it would take, it would be well worth it in the end if we could get your ideas to work. After that, no nation would dare challenge us ever again."

Orochimaru carefully evaluated Danzo, trying to determine his intentions. Sensing they agreed on the matter. He said, "I pointed out the benefits numerous times before he finally forbade me from ever mentioning the subject again."

Ever so carefully, Danzo pointed out, "There are avenues to get things done in the village without alerting the Hokage."

Knowing that no gift came without strings, Orochimaru uttered, "I assume that there would be some sort of price involved in gaining access to those avenues."

Danzo hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if this was the correct path. But, he banished the doubt away. He was doing what was necessary for Konoha's future. One day, everyone would understand and realize he was right all along.

"I was most interested in your proposal about possibly creating shinobi with the same chakra levels of the First and Second Hokage."

Orochimaru corrected Danzo's understanding of his proposal, "I said potential. The 1st and 2nd Hokage's incredible chakra reserves didn't happen overnight. While the Senji clan carefully managed their bloodline over centuries to produce shinobi with powerful bodies that held massive chakra reserves, the only way to reach that level was to spend a lifetime going through intense training and combat."

Danzo frowned for a moment before acknowledging the point. "Regardless, how long would this take to achieve?"

Orochimaru shrugged, "Years. Possibly decades. Even then, there are no guarantees. It's entirely possible that it can't be done."

Danzo stood in silence, wavering whether to reveal certain information. "What if you had a direct descendant of the main Senju branch that was still in the mother's womb? Would it be possible then?"

A gleam appeared in Orochimaru's vertical pupils, and his long tongue licked his lips in hunger.

"That would indeed change things." He greedily hissed.

"But, Tsunade is the only remaining descendant of the head branch of the Senju, and she has repeatedly said she had no plans to bring a child into this world."

Danzo decided to reveal a truth only known to a few in Konoha.

"Tsunade is the only remaining descendant of the 1st Hokage," Danzo agreed. "But, what if I told you there is an heir to the 2nd Hokage's lineage?"

Orochimaru eyed Danzo, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. Finally, he pointed out, "There are no records of him ever having a child."

Danzo explained, "That's because his child wasn't raised in the Hidden Leaf, but rather in the Land of Whirlpools."

The confusion in Orochimaru's eyes cleared. "Of course, The Uzumaki."

"It has to be Nanako. Being raised in the Uzumaki clan made everyone assume she was the First Hokage's wife's niece. But, in reality, she was Hashirama's niece."

The wheels continued turning in Orochimaru's head. "That means your son, Daichi, was the grandson of Tobirama, the 2nd Hokage, But he died years ago. Didn't he?"

Orochimaru closed his eyes now that he saw the whole picture, "Ah, I see now. His death was faked, and now he's back with an unborn child."

"Not quite," Danzo replied. "Daichi never made it back. He fell in battle yesterday against the Rakiura Squad. He was able to take down twenty Jonin before succumbing to his wounds. But, you are correct. He did leave behind an unborn child."

"A good death," Orochimaru said, offering his brand of sympathy. "The Lightning Dynamo will surely feel their loss."

Danzo coldly remarked, "His death is exactly why I'm here. Had he matched the potential of the 2nd Hokage, he never would have fallen to the Rakuria."

Careful to keep the amusement from his voice, Orochimaru pointed out, "The manner of Daichi's death is almost poetic. Didn't the 2nd Hokage fall in battle in a similar situation?"

Danzo's usually dead eyes came to life and burned with hatred as old memories resurfaced. "It's not the same," He countered. "Tobirama was ambushed by the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who were both highly skilled S ranked shinobi that even the 2nd and 3rd Raikage feared. Although he was heavily wounded, he escaped their ambush and met up with his apprentices. But, the Golden brothers led 18 S-ranked cloud shinobi and continued the pursuit. Had Tombirama been alone, it would have been simple for him to escape and return to the village. But, in the end, he chose to stay behind so his six apprentices would survive. At his age, it was too much, even for someone as strong as him."

Regaining control, Danzo put away his memories once again. Only a few things could stoke his feelings, and remembering that day was one of them. He had been one of the six who the second had sacrificed himself for. That day he swore to himself that he would do whatever it took to safeguard Konoha.

With a sigh of disappointment, Danzo added, "My son was stronger than most shinobi, but he never developed the chakra reserves that the Senju's main branch was famous for, if he had. I'm sure he would have survived."

"It's hardy Daichi's fault that he never had their potential." Orochimaru chided. "Even in the best circumstances, genetics are a roll of the dice. Perhaps if you and Nanako had more children, you would have gotten the heir you so desperately wanted."

Danzo eyed Orochimaru emotionlessly, not responding to the bait. It was merely Orochimaru testing him, seeing how he would react. For now, the best response would be to ignore it because he needed something from him. But, one day, he would make Orochimaru aware of the consequences of disrespecting him.

"Perhaps," Danzo reluctantly agreed. "But that time has long passed. This is why I need you to give my grandson the potential of the most powerful shinobi the Senju ever produced. Do that, and I will give you everything you need to continue your research."

Orochimaru considered Danzo in silence, trying to consider every angle. "Very well." He agreed. "But I will need something from you if this is to work."

He leaned forward, trying but ultimately failing to hide the hunger in his eyes. "I'm going to need samples from the 1st and 2nd Hokage's bodies."

Having expected this request, Danzo nodded. While he loathed the idea of desecrating his mentor's body, he also believed the 2nd would do the same in a heartbeat for the village.

After hashing out a few more details of their agreement, Danzo left Orichimaru satisfied with the deal they had reached. He had to confirm that the baby was a descendant of the 2nd Hokage. Otherwise, the agreement would be moot.

"You're sure," Danzo probed. "If you're wrong, there will be consequences."

Inside a plain-looking office, the medical ninja Danzo tasked with testing his grandson's blood answered. "I'm positive. The test we used is extremely accurate. Plus, I retested the results several times. Each time it came back positive. Also, I can confirm that it is a boy."

Danzo remained silent. More plans unfolded in his mind now that he had confirmation. He had half suspected that Emiyo was a spy who duped his son. Especially when considering she was a member of the Chinoke Clan. The Chinoke had been exiled from the Land of Lightning over a century ago, and they faded into obscurity. Information about their eye-dojutsu remained sparse, only that it had to do something with genjutsu.

He knew Orochimaru revitalizing his grandson's bloodline would lower the chance that he would inherit the Kekkei Genkai of his mother. But since Emiyo didn't awaken the Chinoke Clans Dojutsu, the chances that her son would awaken it were only around 30%. Had she married one of her fellow Chinoke clan members, that 30% would have risen to almost 60%. That was why clans with Kekkei Genkai rarely married outsiders unless they were trying to bring in new blood.

Danzo also knew that his grandson would also probably miss out on his wife's Kekkei Genkai. Nanako had inherited the famous Uzumaki Adamantine Sealing Chains from her mother. She was always disappointed that Daichi had never awakened them.

The Uzumaki clan actually held several Kekkei Genkai. One was Accelerated Healing that could be activated by burning chakra. While most could only use this ability on themselves, some could heal others by giving them their chakra. Then they had the famous Adamantine Sealing Chains and the even more rare Adamantine Attacking Chains.

Regardless of Kekkei Genkai's benefits, Danzo still believed that having the potential to reach the chakra levels of the 1st or 2nd Hokage was an even trade. Besides, it wasn't like it completely removed the chance of awakening. His grandson could still awaken those Kekkei Genkai.

When Dazon made his way to Emiyo's room, his eyes narrowed in anger at the empty bed. The four masked subordinates that he had tasked to watch over Emiyo were each frozen like statues with chakra tags plastered to their mask. Each chakra tag had an inscribed seal that sealed each person's movements.

Danzo ripped the seal off one of his subordinates. "What happened," He growled.

"Sir, it was Lady Nanako. She decided that it would be better for Emiyo to rest at her compound. When we tried to stop her, she hit us with her chakra chains, then applied the sealing tags."

Danzo resisted the urge to thrash his subordinates severely. Once Nanako's sealing chains were on you, you couldn't use any chakra. And trying to break through the chains with mere muscle was a pipe dream. The Adamantine Sealing Chains were strong enough to restrain the nine tails.

Before leaving, Danzo slapped the tag back on the masked shinobi, leaving them frozen for the time being. Perhaps being sealed for some time would teach them not to lower their guards. While escaping the chains is almost impossible, had they been more watchful, they wouldn't have gotten caught in the first place.

Danzo sped through Konoha. He knew precisely where Nanako had taken Emiyo. The Senju compound. Technically, the Senju Clan had disbanded when the Hidden Leaf was created. Hashirama did so to show the other shinobi clans that they weren't becoming subordinate to the Senju by joining the village.

The 1st Hokage's decision to disband the Senju Clan also had the added benefit of raising the collective strength of Konoha as former Senju married into other clans or started their own families. But, the main branch of the Senju kept the name alive and had a small, heavily guarded compound in the heart of Konoha.

When Nanako came to the village from the Uzumaki when she was in her late teens, she moved into the compound. Later in life, after Daichi left the village, she returned and rarely left. They hadn't seen each other in years.

As much as Danzo wanted to march in there and remove Emiyo, he knew that would only bring a spotlight to his actions. No, he would have to be patient. Luckily, he still had months before his grandson would be born—plenty of time for Orochimaru to get everything he needed and lower Nanako's suspicions.

He found Nanako waiting for him at the Senju compound.

"What have you done with Emiyo?" he asked. "She should be recovering at the hospital."

Nanako snorted, "She'll be a lot safer here at the compound. Last night I sent a letter to Tsnuade requesting her to return.

Inwardly, Danzo mentally calculated how much time it would take for Tsunade to receive the letter and return. Her last known location had her somewhere in the Land of Rice. Assuming she doesn't drop everything and rush back like a madman, it will probably take her a month to return to the village. So whatever Orochimaru was going to do, it would have to be done in a month. Any longer, and they risked something going wrong.

As Danzo got closer, Nanako warned him. "It won't happen."

Danzo considered his wife, "What won't?"

Nanako sneered, "Whatever plans you have for our grandson, forget them. If you think I'm going to let, you do to him what you did to our son. You have another thing coming."

"I was only trying to make him strong," Danzo explained.

"Strong." She spat. "No, you tried to make him into a tool that you could wield."

"There were mistakes," Danzo admitted. "I hadn't yet refined my training methods. This time it will be different."

Nanako scoffed, "You're right. This time it will be different. You won't be getting near him."

Danzo scowled, "I'm the boy's grandfather. I have a right to see him."

"If you want to see him, you can do so in the safety of the Senju Compound." Nanako countered.

Sensing that it was pointless to argue, Danzo let the matter drop. Nanako would only dig her heels if he argued.

"Does Emiyo know about Daichi?" Danzo questioned, changing the subject.

Nanako softened her stance. "Yes, I gave her some privacy so she could mourn Daichi's loss."

"I'll need to debrief her. We still need to know why Shinobi from the Land of Lightning decided to pursue them so deep into the Land of Fire.

Nanako frowned before reluctantly agreeing. She knew the Hokage would need answers.

After a gentle interrogation, Danzo left feeling unsatisfied. Emiyo had told him the story of her distant ancestor becoming the 2nd wife of the Lightning Dynamo. After the Dynamo died under suspicious circumstances, the first wife convinced her son, the new Dynamo, that the second wife was responsible. As a result, a death mark was placed on the Chinoke clan, forcing them to flee.

Suddenly, Danzo felt incredibly tired. All this had happened more than 150 years ago. The current Lightning Dynamo was the great-great-great-grandson of the Dynamo who died. Daichi was dead because of something that had happened more than a century ago. Sometimes the violence felt like it would never end.

Inwardly, Danzo felt his resolve harden. This is why he was needed. He would do the dirty things so the rest of Konoha wouldn't have to worry. If Orochimaru's research panned out, the Hidden Leaf would finally be safe.

Feeling the urge to make someone pay, Danzo headed to the interrogation complex. There had been one survivor, and he planned to wring as much information from him as he could. Danzo privately hoped that the shinobi would resist. He needed a project to distract him.

As time went on, Orochimaru continued his research. By the time he was ready, a month had gone by, and Tsunade had yet to return. Danzo and Orochimaru made their move when Emiyo went to the hospital for a checkup.

While Danzo distracted Nanako, Orochimaru gently put Emiyo under a deep genjutsu. Then, he penetrated her stomach with a large needle and injected a mysterious substance into her unborn child. Emiyo left the hospital unaware of the changes that were happening to her unborn son.

A week later, Tsunade returned to the village and was stunned to learn that a new member would be joining the dwindling Senju line. Nanako had formally brought Emiyo into her household and adopted her, giving her a new last name, Senju.

A few months passed, and the war the Hokage hoped to end flared up again. But, life continued in the Hidden Leaf, and a new Konoha shinobi was born.