The Legacy of Project Inugami

The truth was given to those at Jonin-rank and higher. Hiruzen would never forget the looks of shock, disappointment, and disgust on some of their faces. Try as they might, the battle had shaken them and these expressions could not remain hidden for very long. As a result, the Inuzuka clan had come under heavy fire. Trade, stocks, and capital in dealing with the Inuzuka clan took a heavy toll. Sarutobi had counted at least five cases of aggravated assault against a clan member over the week, and the worst part was that most of the clan did not know why.

Hiruzen managed to quell most of this opposition by stating that assault on village operatives would be met with severe consequences. That...seemed to stem the bleeding for the moment. It was times like this that the Sandaime was reminded of the deep fears and hatred that laid in the human heart. As much as he wished it not possible, he feared that the Inuzuka clan...would too feel what Naruto had felt for so many years.

If there was anything that helped Hiruzen through this week, then it was that none of the other nations had made any infiltration attempts...yet. In the immense casualties that laid within the village at least a good portion of that was the shinobi forces. Security was already tight and people were tired. Some had to pull double shifts and it was grating on the nerves.

Thankfully, not that he didn't have faith in the Yondaime Hokage's seal against the Kyuubi, Hiruzen had placed several countermeasures just in case the incident ever arose again. That made the transition a bit...easier, but the strain of the mental trauma on the village would be lasting for a long time.

Aside from all these things, Hiruzen had been in several meetings with high-ranking shinobi officials to discuss what to do with Hana. In that time, he had to unveil the more delicate details of Project Inugami. He gave them every detail that he could regarding Hana and how she had been made.

Sarutobi was very thankful that none commented on this even though they had every right to. Even now, as he looked down upon the sheet of paper that detailed Hana's lifecycle, chills ran down his spine.

"Hokage-sama, be frank with us. What exactly is Hana-san?" someone asked.

"That is not an easy question to answer. Hana is...many things. A young couple thought it was the solution to their problem, so they did not know any better. We took their unborn fetus and nurtured it carefully. Utilizing improved medical technology and techniques, we carefully inserted the chakra of the Kyuubi, the blood of three wolves, a modest portion of the blood from an Uchiha, the...lifeforce of an Uzumaki, and...the chakra of a Senju. We attempted to create...the nation's first Dog Soldier," Hiruzen replied.

Dog Soldier, that was the term that he, Tsume, and other facilitators of the project had given to Hana and the group that would come after her if her tests proved successful. Obviously, they did not. In hindsight, it was a good idea. The wolf, one of the world's most dangerous apex predators combined with the regenerative properties, potent chakra reserves, destructive prowess of the Kyuubi, talent and shinobi prowess of the Uchiha, the vitality of the Uzumaki, and...chakra density of the Senju, all wrapped in the intelligent brain of a human.

That...was Hana.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Hana was supposed to be happy, thrilled, even excited when they told her of the hidden potential which laid within her body. From the time that she could crawl, Hana had an unnatural perception of the world. By the time she could read and write her brain was functioning faster than anyone was prepared for. All tests performed on her read better than they could have hoped. Yet, there was one incident that terrified them all into the realization that...Hana's power was growing too fast. When she was a genin, the only one who had chakra comparable to her was Naruto when he was three years old.

Since that incident, Hiruzen and Tsume had been supplying Hana with meals that would sate her blood so that they could test her body for more abnormalities. When Hana had spoken to them that she knew what they had planned, Sarutobi felt like his world had been crashing down. There was no choice. He had to place Hana in the Bingo Book as an S-rank threat. Alive was highly preferred, but...not a necessity. That only left one problem.

Who...had told Hana about what was going to happen to her?

Sarutobi knew that whoever had supplied her with this information was also the reason she escaped. If they were the reason she escaped, then they were a threat to Konoha. The only problem was...Hiruzen had no leads.

A knock on the door surprised the Sandaime from his thoughts. How he wished he could just tell the person behind the door to go away. Then again, what kind of leader would he be if he did that? He had already burned pieces of his reputation away with the select high-ranking shinobi knowing what had happened before.

"Enter," he said.

The elderly man looked up from his work to see the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan walking through the door. She didn't look good. Aside from the dark rings that surrounded her eyes, there was a bruise against her head that he didn't remember seeing over the week.

"Training accident, Tsume-san?" Hiruzen asked.

The female head of the Inuzuka clan grumbled to herself as she rubbed the side of her cheek that had been unfortunately struck by a flying stone on her way to the Hokage Mansion.

"...Yeah, something like that. Hokage-sama, I have to ask. Do you think we made a mistake?" Tsume asked.

"I cannot answer that, Tsume-san. I do believe we made a mistake in our approach, but I can only hope that everything works itself out in the end. I will never deny that it was for the sake of the village. We must have an end goal in sight. If we don't, we will be driven insane by the actions around us," Hiruzen replied.

He watched Tsume muddle over these words for a little while before she decided that she would speak. "Are you sure it's a good idea to keep Jiraiya-sama here? Shouldn't he be out there looking for Hana?" she asked.

"Right now, Jiraiya is working with Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun. If anything, this incident has shown me that Kakashi was right. We will need both Naruto and the power of the Kyuubi to deal with Hana and other outside threats. If Sasuke-kun can get stronger from his rivalry with Naruto-kun then we will have two defenders against threats as well. Even now, there is a thought to have them on the same team if they graduate," he answered.

"Shouldn't it be 'when'?" Tsume asked.

"There are no absolutes in life, Tsume-san. As much as I will try to protect Naruto-kun, I can't save him from everything. I can only hope that fate needs him as much as Konoha does. I feel the same way with all our forces," Sarutobi replied.

Tsume slowly nodded. "Heh, the arrogance of humankind is trying to play like the gods. Hokage-sama, be honest with me, what makes us different from Orochimaru?" the Inuzuka matriarch asked.

Hiruzen stopped writing. He looked at the papers under his gaze with a dim fire behind his eyes. Memories of times that he wished he could forget. He exhaled. Perhaps...now would be the time to start looking for a successor. Sarutobi was not sure how much longer he could keep up the pressures of being the Hokage. Sometimes, just having the wisdom is not enough.

"That is a reason that you must find for yourself, Tsume-san. As for me, what keeps me going is the village. We perform the bad deeds so that they can keep smiling, so that they can live these carefree lives, and so that they don't have to experience the negative side of Fate's cruel hand. Orochimaru seeks knowledge for himself. I believe that we seek this knowledge for the benefit of others," he stated.

Tsume touched the window pane that separated the Hokage from the outside world. "A monster...is still a monster, no matter how many smiles it may try to bring," she said to herself in a mumble.

A sigh, the Inuzuka matriarch cleared her throat. "I pray you're right Hokage-sama. Because while sacrificing the one for the many may be a good excuse to help us sleep, it's a different matter when the one is capable of...what happened here,"

Tsume didn't wait for Hiruzen's response. Instead, she excused herself and walked out the door. Once she left, the Sandaime stared out his window. Yes, it truly was time to find someone else to perform this job. However, until that time...he would keep trying.

....

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