Chapter 20

I watched as they disappeared into Satsuki's room, the door closing behind them. I let out a content sigh as I made my way to one of the guest rooms and spread out the futon. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. I was very far from tired, and I had to make plans.

I initially had plans for how the Waves mission would go, even in this alternate universe I find myself in. Preparing for the worse case scenario was always the smartest idea because literally nothing could be harder to deal with. If the worst case doesn't come to pass, and instead it's something mildly annoying, it ends up looking like a blessing, which will keep my morale and confidence high.

So what is the worse case scenario?

Pain, Itachi and Kisame, or Tobi show up and try to yoink Naruko. I knew it sounded crazy, but considering Waves was happening months early, who's to say that Itachi and Kisame won't head over to the Land of Waves to abduct Naruko?

Of those three worst case scenarios, Itachi and Kisame may actually be the best of them. I honestly doubt he would put too much effort into trying to take Naruko. He's a double agent for the Hidden Leaf right now.

…Or at least he should be.

This is what I mean when I say being in an Alternate Universe sucks ass. You never truly know if the classified secrets remain the same. For all I know, Itachi could just be an evil variant who actually killed his clan for power, or he could be a good guy who ended up taking his father's eyes to unlock the EMS, something he shouldn't have in canon.

Too many unknown variables in this equation.

Enough of that, the very worst case scenario is definitely Pain pulling up with the Six Paths of Pain. If he does, we might as well kill ourselves, but giving up isn't an option, so what can I do to escape with all of my team's lives in that scenario?

As strong as I am, I doubt I could even take out one path as I am now, much less all six. It's times like this where I wish I had just gone to the old man and asked him for all the notes on the Flying Thunder God Technique. He definitely would have given them to me, or at least watched over me as I studied it.

If I had that to fall back on, I could just teleport us away.

…That's not an option, no use thinking about it.

Think, how could a low jonin level Senju shinobi with wood release deal with the Six Paths of Pain.

…I think I know a way.

Winning is out of the question, but I think at the very least I could ensure Naruko, and Satsuki escape. Kakashi would have to stay behind with me for it to work, and there's a chance we wouldn't survive, but if it worked, both of them could return safely.

Yes, it may just work.

My eyes closed as I drifted off, happy with what I had come up with. It may not be perfect, but at least in the very worst case scenario, I had something that could work.

—

Satsuki

Today has been bittersweet for Satsuki.

On one hand she got to hang out with her friends, simply enjoying each other's company. On the other hand, she felt…out of place.

No, she was out of place.

Seeing Naruko so close to Lei cued her in on how close the two had gotten. Then the way Naruko had kissed him before they went to her room left her feeling conflicted.

She wanted what Hinata and Naruko had, but she didn't know how to get it.

As she lay awake beside her sleeping friends, her thoughts fell back on a simpler time, a time her family was still alive.

—

"Mommy, why do you and Daddy kiss so much?" A much younger Satsuki asked her mother, little head tilted in confusion.

"...Well, Dear, it's because we love each other very much." Her Mommy answered after a moment of hesitation. "...We loved each other so much that we decided to bring our love into a physical form."

Satsuki's little nose crinkled in confusion, which earned a laugh from her mother. "What I mean by that, Dear, is that we loved each other so much that we decided to bring you and your older brother into the world. Does that make sense?"

In her little mind, it made perfect sense, her mommy always made perfect sense, even if she couldn't follow. Mommy was always right, and Daddy was the strongest.

"So bringing kids into the world is how you express love?" The little Uchiha girl asked, earning a hesitant nod from her mother.

"I believe it is the ultimate form of love."

—

Her face was burning red, she knew what she had to do. She wasn't very good with explaining her intentions or being overly kind to people, even if she tried her hardest with Hinata, Lei and Naruko.

Confessing her feelings were even harder, and she knew forcing any physical intimacy wasn't the best way to start a relationship, but she also knew if she did nothing, it would take a while before she ever got to hold Lei like Naruko did.

That thought alone motivated her beating heart as she quietly rose from her place in between her friends, tiptoeing out of the door and heading down the hall. She paused at the guest room, taking a deep breath in, and a long exhale out. She knew she could do this. She may not be physically gifted like Naruko or Hinata, but she believed she had her own unique charm in the form of her milky white skin, and her toned body from years of training, not to mention her gifted genetics.

Feeling way more confident, she slid the door to the room open, and carefully stepped into the room. Her eyes locked on the sleeping form of her crush. Stealthily, she slipped off her top, and dropped her pants, revealing her underwear clad body to the warmth of the room.

A few more mental affirmations, and she worked her way into his bed.

Lying next to him, she slowly brought her soft hands and cupped his cheeks. She stared at his sleeping form, mesmerized by how close she was to him. She shivered in excitement each time he exhaled, his hot breath hitting her face, mere centimeters from his.

Her confidence reached an all time high, so in an attempt to wake him up and let her intentions be known, she mounted his body, sitting on his waist. The sudden action jolted him awake. Blurry eyes stared at her hazily, and he rubbed them before locking onto her onyx eyes with his jade green orbs.

His face morphed into shock as he gave her a quick once over, and she relished in the way he eyed her for a moment before locking back onto her face.

"Satsuki." He raised an eyebrow, the way he was looking at her, she couldn't help but find him adorable, like Akamaru.

But never Kiba…Fuck Kiba.

"Lei." She smiled back, her hands still firmly cupping his cheeks. A small blush grew on her face as she contemplated skipping words and tasting his lips.

"The fuck?" He asked, though she knew him enough to tell he wasn't actually upset, just incredibly confused.

"Don't question it, please?" She disliked how desperate she sounded, but she didn't have the natural bubbly attitude of Naruko or the motherly, loving attitude of Hinata. She was a girl of action, and she would use her natural talents to get what she wanted.

She lowered her head down to his and a look of realization flashed in his eyes before he relaxed his body, letting her lips press against his. She squeaked as she felt his warm arms wrap around her body and pull her further down to deepen the kiss. More red working it's way onto her face as she felt something pressing into her lower body.

Her plan was working thus far, all she needed to do was seduce him into giving her his love.

His child…Their child.

The excitement of such a phenomena pushed her to slip her tongue into his mouth. Lei immediately pushed her off, albeit lightly, and ended the kiss.

They were both breathing a bit heavy and disappointment coursed through her veins. They had been so close, why did he stop?

"...Satsuki, talk to me." He finally said after a few long breaths.

"You know how I feel, but I'm not good with this stuff." She admitted easily. He knew her, and thus he knew what kind of person she was. She had to do this, to bridge the gap that would remain between them as long as she remained the same.

"You don't need to force yourself like this." He sat up, and she shifted her body a bit so that she was straddling his waist, their noses touching.

She had no answer for that. So she remained quiet. Lei, seeing she wasn't going to say any more, gave her another light peck on the lips, pulling away immediately before she could deepen it.

"You know I care about you, right? Just like Hinata and Naruko, I want you by my side too, and I want you to grow to feel comfortable communicating your feelings."

That gave her pause. The idea that she could go around telling him how much she loved him was a happy thought, but one that felt so foreign. It's not just how embarrassing it would feel, but also how hard it would be to say, even though she really felt that way.

"So why don't we start slow, I do love you after all, Satsuki." Lei smiled, squeezing her tighter into him.

Hearing those words brought an involuntary smile to her face, even if he face heated up to a substantial degree.

"I feel the same." She didn't feel right saying those exact words back to him, and he didn't seem to mind.

"Good." He hummed, laying back down, and she cuddled against him. She loved this warmth of his, and the way she could feel his emotions through his body language put her mind at ease. Her eyes tiredly closed, and then opened, then closed again, until sleep welcomed her.

—

Lei

When I woke up in the morning, I was alone in the room. I would have thought the whole thing was a dream if not for her scent that still lingered on my body and the futon.

I tiredly rubbed my eyes and got up, heading to the kitchen where I saw Hinata and Satsuki making breakfast.

"Good morning, darling." Hinata, who noticed my approach, turned around and greeted me.

"Good morning." I smiled back. My first girlfriend watched me with expectation in her eyes and I quickly realized what she wanted. So I made my way over to her, grabbed her chin and enjoyed the softness of her lips for a moment before pulling away, earning a disappointed noise from her.

We'd be together all day today, so I shrugged off her disappointment and made my way over to Satsuki who hadn't even dared to look at me. I could see how red her ears were, so I made my way over to her, stopping behind her to wrap my arms around her waist. I rested my head on her shoulder and enjoyed our closeness.

"...Good morning, D-Dear." She greeted hesitantly, and I gave a pleased hum in response. I watched over her shoulder as she made four delicious looking omelets. Of my girls, damn it felt good to say that, she was the best cook.

Hinata was finishing up making the tea, and it was around then that a very exhausted looking Naruko walked in.

She didn't even look at any of us, as per usual. She sat down, giving a thankful nod to the air when Hinata placed a cup of tea in front of her. I let Satsuki go and sat down at the end of the table, the seat that I assume was Fugaku's seat before, and waited for Satsuki to share my portion. Damn it felt good to be alive right now!

—

Hokage Office

"Your first real mission begins tomorrow." Hiruzen stroked his beard, pushing a cup of sake towards me.

I had received a summons a bit into the afternoon from him and came immediately. At the time I had been giving Sakura a paper full of training instructions, with instructions to learn the Mystical Palm Technique after getting water walking down included.

Hiruzen hadn't told me the purpose for the summons, but had offered me a seat and now a drink.

"Indeed it does." I nodded, taking a sip of the sake. I very much liked the taste of sake. It wasn't too strong and had just the right amount of flavor to it.

"Are you nervous?" Gramps asked with a calculating gaze.

Is he sizing me up?

"Not particularly. Honestly, if anything, I'm a bit upset that it'll be so long, but we're shinobi. Long missions are to be expected."

"Well said. There is a chance you three will come back before the estimated time." He pulled his pipe out of his drawer and lit it. The smell of the hidden grass kush quickly filling the room.

He's right, typically I'd aim to come back earlier…but I know this mission will go wrong, even if I don't know how wrong it will go.

"Do you know of the village elders?" He asked after taking a long draw from his pipe.

"Your former teammates and Danzo Shimura, correct?"

"Yes. I called you here to discuss them, more specifically Danzo." Hiruzen frowned before extending his pipe to me.

Is the news so bad that he thinks I'll need a hit?

Well of course I wouldn't turn down a free hit of some legendary kush. I gave a thankful nod as I took the pipe, the magical grass within still lit. I took a long drag, letting the smoke flow into my lungs, before letting out a satisfied exhale followed by a small cough.

"I'm impressed. You handled that like a seasoned vet." He gave a proud smile.

I gave him a cocky grin in return. I wouldn't call myself a certified pot head in my last life, but I dabbled in it from time to time, something as simple as some pimped out bowl wouldn't get me to hack.

"Now that you're getting on my level, I'll be blunt, Danzo has been wanting me to transfer you into Root."

Had I not been taking another drag from his pipe, I would have physically reacted, but the calming habit of drawing smoke calmed my nerves and let me think clearly. I was one of Hiruzen's primary candidates to take his hat, and on top of that I had his sensei's blood running through my veins, he wouldn't sell me out.

"Oh, has he?" I asked, nonchalantly, handing him back the pipe as I exhaled the smoke.

Hiruzen gave me a nod, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Obviously I've turned him down time and time again, but history has shown when he gets antsy, he tends to…force things to go his way."

Ah, so there's a chance I'll be dealing with him or Root in the future. Preferably not during the Waves mission.

"Don't worry about him in the immediate future. He knows not to overstep, at least not now when the heat on him is so high." Gramps gave me a calming smile, gesturing to my drink and I took him up on it, taking a sip.

"I see, that's good news." I hummed, placing the cup back on the table.

"Quite. If I had to guess, he would act during the chunin exam, and not in a way that would pose any real threat to you. You are a loyal shinobi to Konoha, and there is nothing in this world Danzo loves more than strong loyal shinobi to our village. He would sooner commit seppuku than see a shinobi of your bloodline and potential, die before it is realized."

That was very reassuring to hear. Though I could tell it didn't mean I would be off the hook.

"He may send an offer to you during the exams in four months. How he would send this message, your guess is as good as mine. Danzo is a crucial part to this village's safety and future as well as an old friend of mine, but he knows how much I'm willing to tolerate. If you feel truly bothered by him throughout the exam, let me know and I will deal with him."

I raised an eyebrow at that, a smirk tugging at my lips. "You're talking like me, being in the exams is a forgone conclusion."

"That's because it is." Hiruzen snorted. "I was considering promoting your little girlfriends straight to chunin, and promoting you to elite chunin to lead their squad, straight out of the academy."

That actually caught me by surprise. "Then why didn't you?" I asked quickly. If he had done that, we could have been taking on C rank and B rank missions as we pleased.

He took another drag of his pipe, his stare focused on the side of the room. I followed his gaze and saw a picture of Minato. "Do you know why I stepped down after the Third Great Shinobi War?" He asked, looking every bit his age and then some.

"It was because Lord Fourth was an incredible war hero worthy of the title Hokage, and you were already growing old…no offense."

"Ha, no old man should ever take offense from being called old. Your reasoning is correct, but not complete." He smiled tiredly. "I stepped down because of the bodies."

"...The bodies?" I asked, this conversation looked like it was taking a morbid turn.

"Yes, the bodies of Konoha shinobi. I was Hokage for three shinobi wars, as you know an unholy amount of people died under my rule, you pointed it out once or twice before if I recall correctly." He eyed me, and I gave him a slow nod in return. "The thing is, Konoha was very close to winning the third great shinobi war. If we pushed Iwa, we surely would have conquered it, even if more of our men would have died."

Realization lit up my face. "I see, so you stepped down to quell the angry populace of Konoha?"

"I did. Konoha wanted blood for our fallen, and with Minato slaughtering 1000 Iwa nin, that demand for blood increased tenfold. I called an end to the war and stepped down so I could take all of its sins upon myself."

Jesus…this man has been through a lot.

I truly felt bad for him. He wasn't innocent, not by a long shot, but having that weight on his shoulders, carrying it around day by day, all for nothing. For every plan for peace he had to fail and backfire stupendously in a way that only created more death and bodies.

…I pity him.

His grandfatherly smile returned. "Do you understand now?"

"The weight of that hat…it's heavier than I imagined."

"Do you still want it?" He asked, leaning forward. There was no judgment in his eyes. I knew now, no matter what I said, he wouldn't hold it against me.

"I don't." I admitted, earning a tired, and almost disappointed sigh from the old man. "I need it." I added, earning a surprised look from him. "Peace, the truest peace imaginable, I will bring it forth to Konoha, even if I have to die, even if thousands beneath me have to die, even if the world outside of Konoha must burn, I'll do it and keep moving forward."

Hiruzen eyed my resolve for minutes of scrutinizing silence. Eventually, he gave a hum full of content. Then he rose from his chair and opened a drawer in the corner of the room. He eyed the contents of it for a moment before pulling out a weapon that made my eyes glisten in greed. He returned to his seat and pushed the weapon towards me, it's sharp edges scratching into the desk.

My eyes scanned the edges of the fabled blade I had only seen on screens, my right hand wrapped around the handle.

Minato's Hiraishin Kunai.

"Then it shall be, Lei Senju I choose you as my successor, to inherit the will of fire and the duty of the Hokage."

—

Unknown Location

"Truly, interesting. Those children you speak of are coming along nicely."

"Of course, they are Konoha shinobi, that much should be expected." The one eyed man responded as if it was an obvious fact.

"If you say so, Danzo."

"Enough, don't beat around the bush, explain your intentions to me, Orochimaru." Danzo sneered.

Orochimaru, the snake sannin, and one of the strongest people in the elemental nations looked at Danzo with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Aren't they obvious? I want both the boy and the girl."

Danzo's single eye tightened and his energy flexed. "The boy is off limits."

"You're so narrow minded, Danzo." Orochimaru huffed, his smile never leaving his face. "Why keep him active when he can be so much more useful to us in my care?"

Danzo had known Orochimaru for a long time. He had even helped train him from time to time in Hiruzen's stead when the Hokage had been busy with his duties. He knew Orochimaru, as much as he was a snake, he wasn't typically full of shit, nor was he a man to waste such potential.

"Explain." Danzo relaxed considerably as he eyed the snake sannin,

"It's simple. Hashirama's cells are the most valuable thing on the planet, and he's been dead for half a century. I wonder how potent this young Senju's cells will be?"

Danzo's one eye widened just a fraction, but Orochimaru saw it clearly. "Yes, that thought excites you doesn't it? I wonder how much progress I could make with fresh cells, perhaps I could even extend the Mangekekyo Sharingan's longevity tenfold, or even more!" Orochimaru spread his arms out, his mind thinking of the overwhelming possibilities. His quest to learn all types of jutsu could be completed with such a specimen, his life prolonged to immortality, through his chosen vessel, Satsuki Uchiha.

"...You make a fair amount of sense, can you show me proof that your research would improve should you have him in your grasp?" Danzo questioned, earning a chuckle from Orochimaru.

"That arm you have should be proof enough, no? With fresh cells, I believe I may even be able to mass produce the Wood Release kekkei genkai." His tongue slithered out of his mouth as he stared down at a picture of Lei Senju and Satsuki Uchiha training together.

"Yes, dear children, in time, we shall be one!"