Ch. 12 Kojiro, head of the Shinsengumi

At the private training field Yo used to train at, Benimaru has been sitting in meditation under the waterfall for a few hours. A faint white aura radiates from him accompanied by an intense heat that boils the water around him. He even seems to be suffering from the heat as his body steams and singes here and there, but he ignores it all with steadfast focus.

Eventually his aura dies down and the boiling of the water along with it. The area around him seemed much clearer and cleaner than the rest of the water. Finally finished with his meditation Benimaru lets his steaming body drop beneath the surface to cool down. He calmly watches the still world above the surface as he gently drifts downward.

"The celestial refiner's fire, it can purify any target I choose to burn…including myself. That's only one of the benefits the Celestial fire rose has afforded me in this second life." He thinks, looking down at the five petaled rose tattoo on his chest. It had been there since he was born and was assumed to be a birth mark, only he knows it has something to do with the strange flower he died near in his last life. "Using it in tandem with the body refinement technique is proving very effective in building my foundation." Benimaru pulls back his little fist and looses a punch with enough force it causes water to burst up passed the surface in a big column that climbs to the top of the waterfall. "Still a ways off, but I can easily surpass my former power without half of the effort now.

Satisfied with the rate of his growth Benimaru swims up to the surface, and with a quick flash of fire, dries himself off completely. Benimaru likes to use the spot to train as it's very peaceful because not many people pass through the area. Really just Yami and Toph, Kushina on rare occasions. They would interrupt training from time to time, but he usually sensed them first so they didn't catch him off guard. Fugaku would never question his activity too much if it was in the name of training. "I suppose I should be going to meet teacher," he says after a good stretch.

...….

Knock! Knock! Knock! "Come in!" At the Hokage's manor, Benimaru meets with the third hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been reinstated to office shortly after the fourth's untimely death. Currently he is bickering about something with his advisors Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura. They all stop when he comes into the room.

"Teacher, elders." Benimaru greets everyone with a respectful bow.

"Ah Benimaru! Hello." The third addresses his disciple with a friendly smile, though he looked a little surprised to see the boy.

"Benimaru," "Homura nods to him.

"Hello young man." "Koharu greets him with a smile as well.

"Bah! You're all fools! It will never work!" Danzo on the other hand was still upset about some decision that the others had come to prior and walked towards the door. He doesn't notice Benimaru until he is passing by, but when he does Danzo gives him an icy glare. "Uchiha…" with that he was gone.

Benimaru had come to understand early on that these old geezers will do anything if they think it will benefit the village, Danzo however carries these sentiments most deeply along with a distaste for the Uchiha. He knows to be wary of them, definitely not people to reveal too much to.

"Today we are practicing with other chakra natures, right?" Benimaru asks. The experienced Hiruzen is an excellent person to update him on how the arts have changed over time. "I've memorized the jutsu you gave me to study."

Not only is he one of the best ninjutsu users in the village, Hiruzen has a wealth of knowledge about the history of the leaf village, and this will of fire. A strange concept Beni thought, but it helped this village hold together and has ninja willing to die for the cause. Whatever reason that may be. Benimaru figured that the idealism they used here may have helped keep the sect standing had it existed back then. Also, studying under the hokage might help ease the weird tension between the village's leaders and the Uchiha. Yoriichi did say that the clan needed help with their image…five years later and it is still the case.

"Diligent as always young Benimaru. I will have to check your progress another time, but there is something we must attend to, so I won't be able to teach you today."

"What? Why not?" Benimaru inquires "is it something I can help with?"

"Hoho, eager aren't we? Do not worry, your help is not necessary. I simply have a meeting that popped up on me." The third dismisses him. "You may go now."

"Sir…" Benimaru says turning to leave when he remembers a question he has for the old man. "If I may ask a question."

"What is it Benimaru?"

"Where can I learn more about Madara Uchiha?" Benimaru asks straight out nearly giving the geezers heart attacks. "No one tells me anything about him."

Quickly regaining his composure Hiruzen looks Benimaru dead in his eyes with all seriousness "Madara? What would inspire you to bring up a ghost like him?" Homura and Koharu listen intently for his answer. A talented young Uchiha wanting to know more about Madara? That can't be a good sign, even worse when it seems that his elder brother may have some link to the terrorist attack five years ago.

Noticing how tense they all got Benimaru decides to choose his next words wisely but be as honest as possible. "There isn't much information regarding him beyond his defection and eventual death at the hands of his lifelong rival, the first hokage. I have no sympathy for a traitor but there has to be more to his story than I'm told about. If possible, I'd like to avoid learning a jaded history full of lies so that I can make better decisions for the leaf's future."

Homura and Koharu exchange glances before seeing how Hiruzen will answer.

However, the third hokage takes his time giving an answer. "You truly have a hungry mind… sometimes I'm not sure if that's good or bad." He says with a heavy sigh. "That is indeed a touchy subject for many in the village, has your uncle not spoken to you about him?"

"Not much."

"I see…well we will have to talk about this another time. I have to prepare for my meeting. Dismissed."

Benimaru just now realizes how controversial the topic of the former Uchiha clan head is around the village now. Madara still inspires fear to this day, it was written on all their faces. What terror did he instill in them? "Yes sir." He excuses himself with a bow.

......

With nothing for him to do, Benimaru decides to head home and relax. "The old man could have sent a message of some kind if he was canceling my training…" Beni mutters to himself hopping across rooftops (he actually missed the messenger while he was out meditating). "Still, I can't help but wonder what kind of man this Madara was for the village to remember him in such a way…" Benimaru thinks. If he could have asked Yo, Yo would have told it all with no hesitation. "More importantly, I wonder what Aunt Mikoto is preparing for dinner." He spaces out a bit thinking of a nice meal before rushing on to find out. "I'm home!" He announces his presence. Inside he sees that Mikoto and Sasuke having tea while entertaining a guest.

"Welcome home Benimaru," Mikoto says "Would you like some tea and crackers?"

"Beni! Look one of Yo's friends have come to visit!" Sasuke explains excitedly "this is the son of-"

"No need Sasuke, I know of Kojiro. Head of the esteemed Shinsengumi, a growing unit created to help protect the land of fire, and one of the most skilled swordsmen in the land of fire."

"Flattery will get you everywhere haha. Long time no see little Beni," Kojiro says standing up to greet him. He is a boy about Yoriichi's age, maybe a year or two older, with long dark blue hair tied back. Despite the relaxed demeanor, even now he remains as sharp as the sword next to him. He wears the all black uniform of the Shinsengumi under a white coat that has the characters for 'justice' written on the back.

"Benimaru how do you know Kojiro?" Mikoto asks. Kojiro visited once or twice when he was still a baby, but she didn't know they had ever actually had a conversation.

"He's a friend of Yo. I met him when he visited the hospital a while back." Benimaru answers while taking a rice cracker, then he turns his attention back to Kojiro. "So, what brings you to the hidden leaf village? I imagine your work keeps you very busy. It's been some time since last we met."

"Well, a while back Yo put the idea in my father's head that impromptu visits were a good way to increase worker productivity. Can't slack if you never know when the boss will pop up right? I thought I'd take the chance to come see Yo, and then I ran into Sasuke and Mikoto here who invited me for tea. But yeah, it keeps me too busy. Building the Shinsengumi into a respectable organization has taken a lot more work than I thought it would. The hardest part being training swordsmen who can hold the 'postures' continuously. The few who do get it grow with leaps and bounds.

"The postures were definitely not easy to learn…With the ability to hold a continuous posture being a requirement to don that uniform, I'm surprised you have a force at all."

"Precisely, I don't want to be the one sending people rushing to their graves because they aren't prepared…" Kojiro says thinking about how fickle his father can be with even when his commands can send many ninja off to die in a war.

"Postures?" Sasuke interrupts quizzically. "What is that?"

A proud smile crossed Kojiro's lips as he has another interested in his art. "Postures are exactly what the name implies. Many people don't know this, but there is an optimal stance and motion for every action you can take. They can increase the power of a technique or be used to help guide the flowing energies through your body. With repeated use the body will start to develop a greater threshold for growth as well, developing towards a more perfect form. A brilliant technique is it not?"

"That sounds really cool but I didn't get all of that…" Sasuke admits. "But why does Benimaru already know how to do it?! No fair!"

"Life isn't fair cousin," Benimaru half consoles him. "Still instead of being jealous why not ask to learn it for yourself?" Sasuke doesn't say anything but looks at Kojiro with sparkling eyes full of excitement and hope.

The swordsman can't decline someone with such genuine passion. "No problem, a demonstration is always better." Kojiro says, grabbing his sword. "Shall we step outside?"

In a more open area outside of the clan patriarch's home they all stand on the sidelines while Kojiro stands in the middle of the field. "The idea behind postures is to move in a way that brings out all of the latent power in your body. Anyone can just swing a sword." With one quickdraw slash he parted a boulder easily.

"However, with the proper posture…" As he shifts into his stance again, he leans forward more, his feet widen more, and his body completely relaxes. With perfect calm Kojiro builds his focus, and the instant he moves to swing a big surge of chakra explodes his blade. He aimed the slash upward as to not cause any property damage, the force of his swing cut through many treetops and even a distant cloud is parted. In truth it's hard to know where it stopped, but it was far. "Did that help Sasuke?"

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Sasuke says having fallen in love with that slash. It's safe to say that he will want a sword asap. "Please show me how to do that!"

Benimaru knew Kojiro's talent wasn't to be taken lightly. Yo complained that his talent with a sword was just barely more than his own years ago, and Kojiro has not stopped training… He trembles excitedly looking forward to the day when he is ready to face him in a fight. Honestly Benimaru was expecting to have to devour the old monsters to get ahead, but it seems that the generation just before him had a fair number of powerhouses already. Of course, they are all still spurred onwards by the image of Yoriichi. That raging sun that still casts his shadow on the village.