Chapter 99 - I Am Not Alone

Hiruzen was in his office going over the various mission reports. There was a pile of documents on his desk and he went through them as quickly as he could while still memorizing all the relevant information. He quickly finished his work for the day and his mind went to the conversation he had with Kensei.

It has been a couple weeks since his chat with Kensei. His mind then drifted to young Daichi. 'Having him learn medical ninjutsu will be beneficial for the village. But who exactly do I assign to teach him without attracting any more attention to him?... He could wait till he's genin but… That's just wasting his potential… What should I do?'

He let out a sigh and as he was pondering on how to proceed regarding everything, his secretary came in.

"Sir, Inoichi Yamanaka is here to see you."

"Send him in."

The secretary left and a blonde long haired man who was the head of the Yamanaka clan came.

"Sir, I have what you asked for. Based on your specifications, I believe this should do."

The Yamanaka then handed a scroll which the Hokage took.

"Thank you Inoichi. And keep this to yourself."

"Yes sir." The clan head left the office leaving Hiruzen alone with his thoughts.

'One part of the problem is solved. But there are still several other factors that need to be in play. The bodies of the criminals who die at Hōzuki Castle are burned in a chamber in the lower floors. Faking his death would be for nothing if he gets burned to ash. So I need another body. One with identical build to Isen. And I need the best medic nin to make the necessary changes so it's indistinguishable from Isen… Tsunade could do it… But she's roaming the country gambling and drinking. She won't set foot in this village. I don't think I can count on her… Even if she is the best damn medic alive.'

At that moment Hiruzen's eyes widened. 'Medic! She could be a perfect teacher for Daichi. With Daichi's learning curve he could learn most techniques from her within two or three years. And since she's not in the village Daichi will have to go along with her… And out of Danzo's sight. And with the protection of a Sanin, Kensei will be more assured of Daichi's safety. Daichi is in his 4th year. There are three more years before his class graduates…'

Gears turned in Hiruzen's mind and he formed a plan. But he needed help convincing Tsunade to take on a student. 'If I hadn't known of Daichi's talents I wouldn't have even considered this. I have no doubt Daichi will reach Tsunade's level before long. Having someone like that in the village is a boon to us.'

Hiruzen bit his thumb and went through several hand seals and slammed his palm on the table.

"Summoning Jutsu."

A seal spread across the table and then a small monkey around 60 centimeters tall appeared.

Its chest and torso had black fur but the rest of his body had silver fur. It was wearing a small coat with beautiful patterns that would attract most people.

"Hiruzen. You haven't called me in such a long time." The small monkey spoke. It had a deep voice that made it seem a lot older.

"Goji! Forgive me. It's just that I've had a lot on my plate."

"Yes. I understand. You have a village to run. It's good to see you."

"You too."

"What's this about Hiruzen? I know you wouldn't call me without a reason? Go on. What is it?"

"I need you to track down Jiraiya and I need you to deliver a message for me. Tell him to return to the village immediately but not alert anyone of his presence. This is of utmost importance."

"What's going on? Is there any trouble?"

"Let's hope not. I've put some things in motion and I need the help of Jiraiya and my other wayward student."

Goji nodded and didn't say anything else. The next second he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'Goji should be able to track down Jiraiya in a day or two and depending on where he is, Jiraiya should be here within the week.'

—-

Daichi and Kensei were sitting on their porch discussing several topics.

"I'm thinking about starting on the lightning change in chakra nature now." Daichi said when the topic of his training came up.

Kensei sighed, hearing the answer he expected. 'This kid doesn't know how to take it easy. And once he starts training he'll go at it like a maniac. Exhausting himself to the brink everyday. And for the life of me I can't understand why.'

"Daichi, we need to talk!"

Daichi looked up in confusion at that.

"Why are you training so hard?" Kensei asked the boy.

"I told you, I like training. I enjoy it." Daichi replied and his confusion at the question was evident on his face.

"No, I get that. I know you like training but lately you've been training like you have to, not because you want to. Using shadow clones and training to the point of total exhaustion."

"I want to utilize the time I have and make the most of my healing abilities." Daichi replied.

"You talk as if you're running out of time… Daichi, you have all the time in the world to get stronger. It's not a bad thing to slow down and get stronger at a slower rate."

Daichi looked down at that. "But what if I don't get strong enough and I meet someone stronger who has less than good intentions towards me."

"You'll have a capable Jonin with you when you become a Genin. You won't have to worry about something like that."

Daichi thought about the enemies he would have to face in the future. His palms tightened on his knees. Kensei saw the signs of someone who was stressed and didn't even know it. He spoke in a gentle tone.

"What exactly are you afraid of, kid?"

Daichi was surprised at the question. He then slowly answered. "The future."

Hearing that answer, Kensei looked at Daichi in understanding. "The future is a scary thing. For almost everyone, thinking about the future can be frightening. It'll be for different reasons, sure, but thinking about it is scary for everyone. For most civilians it'll be how to put food on their family's plate tomorrow. For us ninjas we worry if our next mission could be our last. For the Kage's, they worry about the future of the village, for a father and mother, it's the worry of their child's future."

Daichi looked up at his grandfather.

Kensei looked at Daichi and he had a gentle smile that he had never shown the kid before. "I want you to keep this in your heart. Daichi, you are not alone in feeling that fear. It's a shitty feeling, but that's what it means to be human… What you can do, the only thing you can do, is accept it."

Daichi's eyes widened as he heard the words.

Kensei continued. "I want you to stop all training and meditate for a while. I don't think even you're aware of your true fears yet, but I have a feeling that you'll find your answers if you meditate… Etch this in your heart. You will never be alone. Just as you look out for that baby Reo, someone else will have your back."

Daichi had a tear fall from the corner of his eyes. He quickly wiped it off and smiled. "Thanks old man."

Kensei smiled and nodded.

Daichi took Kensei's advice. He spent the next several days doing nothing but meditation.

Slowly, over the weeks a change began to occur. In the academy Daichi's friends noticed that Daichi was spending more time with them. Playing around and having fun with them.

During one of Daichi's deep meditation he found the reason for his need to get stronger as quickly as he could.

A lack of trust.

'Since the day I awoke, I felt that I could only rely on myself to survive. And with each passing day this lack of trust only grew. I know Naruto and Sasuke would one day save the world from Kaguya but I couldn't bring myself to trust that knowledge. I feared that I might do or say something that would create a different darker future. All this time I never truly trusted that they would become as strong as their future selves because of my interactions. And not just Naruto and Sasuke, but Shikamaru and the rest as well… I always worried that my influence, my very presence could have a negative impact on the future… So the faith I had in my future knowledge diminished day by day. And because of this lack of trust in my knowledge and in Naruto and the others, I trained to become as powerful as I possibly could. Because deep down I arrogantly believed that only I could save them. That only I could become strong enough to face the coming threats…'

"Daichi, you will never be alone…"

Daichi remembered the words of his grandfather and inwardly smiled. 'I need to have faith in them. I don't need to bear the burden of the world on my shoulders. When the time comes, I need to have faith that they will be ready… I won't slack off and give up on my goals but… It's not a bad thing to slow down a bit once in a while.'

Daichi meditated for a few more hours and then let out a breath and slowly opened his eyes as he came to accept that realization.

[You have confronted and won against the insecurities that have been growing in you since the day you were awakened.]

[Your mental fortitude has become stronger.]

[You have achieved a brief enlightenment.]

[+10 WISDOM.]

'Wow… I feel so much better now… It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.'

Daichi got up and went to see Kensei. He saw the old man tending to the garden.

Kensei heard the footsteps of his grandson and looked up. He noticed the change in Daichi's face.

"I take it the meditation helped!?"

"More than you know. I feel a lot better now."

Kensei nodded at that. He then spoke. "Daichi, I want you to spend more time with your friends. Enjoy the simpler things in life. Work on those hobbies of yours. Or pick up another one… And since we don't want to completely waste time, you can train one change in chakra this year."

Daichi tilted his head. "Which one?"

"Water. Train only the water nature. And take your time."

"Why water?"

"Some say that water nature has a calming effect on the mind." Kensei replied.

"Alright. I'll train just the water nature this year." Daichi agreed. He decided to spend more time on his hobbies and friends.

—-

Hiruzen was gazing at the stars through the window of his office. It was night time and there weren't many people on the streets of the village. He had sent his guards away for the night as he waited for someone. As his eyes roamed the night sky he heard someone speak.

"Did you find something interesting up there, sensei?"

The Hokage smirked. "Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered… if there was something more up there?" Hiruzen then turned to his once student and asked.

"When I was young, Yes! But not anymore… We have plenty going on right here after all."

Hiruzen smiled at that. "How have you been Jiraiya?"

"I was in the middle of some delicate research when master Goji showed up." One of the Legendary Sanin - Jiraiya had a smirk as he answered the question.

Hiruzen smiled at that. He was also a fan of Jiraiya's literature. "When is the next book coming out?"

"Soon. I need some inspiration to finish the final touches."

"I'm sure you'll manage."

"How is everything with Asuma?" Jiraiya asked his former sensei.

Hiruzen's smile vanished and he looked down in sadness. "We haven't spoken in a while…"

"I'm sorry old man." Jiraiya took out a pack and threw it to Hiruzen. "You're favorite tobacco."

Hiruzen nodded his head, appreciating the gift.

After a minute of silence Jiraiya spoke. "What's this about sensei? Why did you drag me halfway around the world?"

"I'm going up against Danzo and Orochimaru and I might need your assistance and Tsunade's as well."

The toad sage's eyes widened as he heard that.

Hiruzen had a serious demeanor. "There is a lot I need to catch you up on."