Chapter 44: Chapter 44 – Kensei and Hiruzen

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"You've certainly had an interesting day." Hiruzen started the conversation. 

"Yeah… That's one way to put it." Daichi gave a subdued answer. 

Noticing his lack of energy or emotions Hiruzen recalled what Daichi just went through. 'To see your friend die and be helpless to do anything about it…These emotions... It would drive someone down the wrong path if not properly dealt with.' 

Just as the Hokage was about to ask how he was feeling, Daichi spoke up. "I've learned some things about Yota that I think you should know."

"Oh and what is it?" Hiruzen asked playing dumb. 'Is he really going to tell me?'

"Yota is someone who died not too long ago. He was brought back by a reanimation jutsu by the missing nin Orochimaru." Daichi said to the Hokage. 

"I see… Go on. What else did you learn?"

"Yota said Orochimaru was conducting an experiment with the jutsu that brought him back. And there was someone else with him." Even before entering the room, Daichi decided to give all the information he learned from Yota to the Hokage. He wasn't going to keep quiet when there was a chance the Hokage knew about everything.

"Did the boy tell you who it was?" Hiruzen asked as if he wanted to know. 

"He didn't know who it was… But he gave me a description. Male, with grey hair and has round glasses. And he wears a purple shirt." He said the same thing Yota said. He couldn't make any mistakes and give more information even though a small part of him wanted to.

Hiruzen nodded to Daichi's words. "Thank you for telling me Daichi."

The boy nodded. The Hokage noticed his hesitation and clenched fists. 'Time to see how these events have affected him.!'

"How are you feeling Daichi?" Hiruzen asked him.

Daichi stayed silent for a couple seconds before he answered with a question.

"Can I have permission to speak freely?"

"Go ahead." The Hokage nodded.

"I'm angry…" Daichi then stayed silent for a couple seconds.

Hiruzen motioned for him to continue. 

"I'm angry at Orochimaru for using Yota like that… I'm angry at the Anbu ninjas for interrogating him like a criminal, I'm angry at the village for not letting him stay… And… I'm angry at myself, because I couldn't save him." Daichi stopped.

"Anger is a powerful emotion. If used correctly it can become the key to achieving your goal but if it consumes you, it will destroy you and everything around you." The Hokage said to the boy. He continued after a few seconds of silence.

"Do you think under the current circumstances, the village was wrong in not letting the boy stay?" He asked Daichi.

Daichi was silent for a minute before he answered. "Yes." 

"Why?"

"Because he was just an innocent kid who didn't mean anyone any harm." 

"Yes. But as you've said, he was Orochimaru's experiment. The jutsu that brought him back is known as the Reanimation Jutsu. It's a forbidden jutsu capable of controlling those it binds... If Yota had attacked the village under Orochimaru's orders, what do you think would have happened?" Hiruzen asked him in a neutral tone.

Daichi didn't have an answer to that. Truthfully he didn't want to answer it. 'With Yota's capabilities he would have caused a lot of damage before being stopped. And since he was a reanimation, it would have been difficult to take him down.'

"I see you understand. It might seem unkind and extreme, but the methods and measures the ninjas take are to ensure the safety of the village and all of its citizens." The Hokage wanted Daichi to understand and let go of his anger towards the village. He was examining the boy's chakra throughout his conversation. He could feel the slight agitation and fluctuations of his energy.

'Is this all we are? Does being a shinobi mean I'll have to take actions like these in the future?' As Daichi was having these thoughts, the scene of Sasuke talking with the first Hokage in the Naka shrine came to his mind. Daichi remembered the words Hashirama Senju said to Sasuke.

'Shinobi are those who endure for a purpose. But depending on their purpose, a shinobi can change.'

'It seems Kensei was right after all.' Daichi calmed down and looked at the Hokage.

"I understand Lord Hokage." 

Sensing no lies, the Hokage nodded and dismissed Daichi. 

Daichi left the Hokage office and slowly walked down the hall. He had several thoughts running through his mind. 

'The ripple effects of saving Yota. What could those be? One of them is definitely the Hokage learning about the reanimation jutsu and Kabuto but what else… Nothing else comes to mind. I'm sure I'll figure it out someday.'

As he recalled everything that's happened his mind stopped at the failure part of the quest.

'Why was the failure part of the quest being forced to join the root and Kensei's death? How does Danzo fit into all this?' 

Daichi pondered on this question for a while before he reached a conclusion. 

'If I had failed and they had recaptured Yota, then they would have definitely found out he was a reanimated person. And they would have used more intense interrogation methods and Orochimaru's name would have come out. And then since I tried to rescue him, I would have definitely become a suspect. They would think that l was a spy. But then wouldn’t Shikamaru and the others be in trouble too? ' 

Daichi thought about it for a while and came to a conclusion. ‘Everyone present in the group has strong backing except me and Sakura. Naruto has the Hokage’s backing and Shikamaru and the others are heirs of the clan heads. And between Sakura and me, Danzo would pick me because of my talent and he probably wouldn’t see any value in Sakura. So he would leave her alone.’  

'If this quest had gone sideways then all of them would have been safe except for me. Danzo keeps an eye on Anbu forces and this incident would have been brought to his attention. And knowing him and his hard-on for talented children he definitely would have forced me into root. Kensei would have been opposed to this and since the failure showed possible death of Kensei then that means Danzo would have had him killed…. It all fits…'

Daichi shuddered at the implications. He was glad everything turned out alright in the end but he vowed himself to be more careful in the future. 

'Until I graduate I have to keep a low profile.'

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Once the boy left, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, took his pipe and smoked. 'He looked like he came to terms with what happened but… I'll have to keep an eye on him… Maybe it's time I go see Kensei.'

The Hokage sat in his chair pondering on what to do next? 'Before I do anything I need to figure out who it was that was with Orochimaru. If he was showing this man how to use the reanimation jutsu then he must be someone close to Orochimaru.'

'This man most probably could be a spy inside the village. But figuring out his identity would be like finding a needle in a haystack…Hmm…'

Hiruzen taught Orochimaru almost everything about being a ninja. So the old Hokage had an idea as to how his student would think. He tried to put himself in his former student's shoes.

'Orochimaru would never keep someone incompetent close. And definitely not a civilian. This person must have skills to defend himself, so he's probably a shinobi. But a ninja posing as a civilian would be a waste of resources, so he's definitely integrated himself within my forces.'

'But he could be of any rank and there are so many ninjas in different departments… Still… I have his description, so that's something. This will have to be done discreetly. When I find him and his identity is exposed, Orochimaru would use another one in his place and I'll lose my leverage…. A much better strategy is to use him to feed false Intel and see if he has connections to any other spies here…'

'Alright. One problem at a time. First things first. Identifying the spy.'

"Bear!" The Hokage called out. An Anbu wearing a mask with brown stripes resembling a bear appeared out of the shadows kneeling. 

"As you've just heard, we have a mole in our midst. We need to identify him as quickly as we can. Start with the genin and chunin forces. There's a probability that he could be one of them."

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"Yes lord Hokage. Should I capture and detain him once I find him or…?" The Anbu asked.

"No. For the moment, let him be. This is an opportunity to find out more about Orochimaru's operations and if possible, we can use the spy to plant false intelligence. Right now your priority is uncovering his identity." Hiruzen made his decision.

"Understood Sir."

"And Bear... Keep this between us. Not even the council elders must know. And make sure this investigation is carried out discreetly. No mistakes."

"Yes sir.!" The kneeling Anbu vanished into the shadows as quietly as he came.

Hiruzen stood from his chair and walked to the window. As he looked down he saw Daichi leaving the building and walking home. He sighed thinking about the young boy. 'It seems I can't delay it any longer. I'll have to speak with Kensei.'

"I'm going out for a while. You three stay here." Hiruzen said to his guards hidden in the room. He left the tower and walked to a certain training ground. His mind was on the former Anbu captain and once close friend. He had an idea as to where Kensei would be today and that was where he was headed. 

After some time he reached a specific training ground in the village. It was a large area with several stumps and targets lined up. There were craters on the ground indicating the use of destructive jutsus. A wide river ran at the far end of the training ground. Hiruzen stood there for a few moments taking in the view. 

As he stood there he suddenly heard a voice he hadn't heard in several years. 

"If you're looking for nostalgic memories then you're in the wrong place. This is training ground 6, not 3."

Hiruzen turned around and found Kensei staring at him. "How did you know I'd come here?" Kensei asked.

"This was your training ground when you were a genin and the place where you taught your students and your son. I know you come here every weekend to… reminisce…" The Hokage replied. 

"Hello old friend. It's been a long time." Hiruzen greeted him with a smile.

"Not long enough…" Kensei said with an emotionless face.

The smile on the Hokage's face dropped. Hiruzen sighed thinking about the events that lead to their current relationship. "Are you still angry with me?" He asked him.

Kensei looked at the Hokage for a while and then let out a tired sigh. "No… I guess somewhere along the way I lost that anger."

Hiruzen slightly smiled hearing that answer. 

"What are you doing here?" Kensei knew the Hokage was here for something.

"Can't I see an old friend and subordinate and mend our friendship?" Hiruzen asked in a jovial tone as he walked to a tree stump. He sat on it looking at Kensei. The smile on Hiruzen's face dimmed as he saw Kensei's pegleg.

Hearing his words Kensei couldn't help but grunt. He walked forward and sat on a nearby tree stump as well. Kensei saw Hiruzen looking at his leg. He started speaking.

"I was angry with you." Hiruzen looked up hearing Kensei's words. 

"Even though you're the Hokage, you couldn't do anything to Danzo after what he did to me. Even after what he tried to do to my son… I was furious for a long time…" Kensei stopped looking at his once close friend and commander. His eyes wandered the training ground.

"You know why I couldn't…" Hiruzen didn't say anything more. He felt that saying anything more would only damage the already torn friendship between them.

"Yes. I understood why you didn't do it… And after years I came to accept it… After the Nine tails attack and the whole Hyuga Cloud mess, I know he has had some hand in keeping the village stable... A necessary evil as you've said that day…" Kensei paused looking at his companion.

"Danzo is ruthless and would use any method available to him to achieve his goal. But everything he does, he does it for the village." Hiruzen sighed and stopped. Both of them were quiet for a while.

"How have you been?" The Hokage started the conversation again.

"Good. I feel happy… More than I did in a long time." Kensei said with a small smile.

"Does it have anything to do with the young boy you adopted?"

"Of course you'd ask about Daichi. You've seen his talents haven't you?" 

"He is a remarkable young man. His progress is quite exceptional. I can only compare his rate of improvement to a handful of people."

Kensei smiled as he listened. He knew about Daichi's progress better than anyone save the boy himself. "That he is…"

"Can I ask you something?" 

Kensei nodded to the Hokage.

"Why did you adopt him?... Does it have anything to do with Hotaru?"

Kensei thought about a certain memory as he heard the question. The memory of a promise made to his savior. After a few moments of silence he answered. 

"Why I adopted him?… I consider it my second chance… To make the right choices…And yes, he reminded me so much of Hotaru… His looks, his talent, the way he acts…"

Hiruzen nodded as he listened. He could understand the comparison. He had met Hotaru Yasaji at a young age and watched his growth throughout the years. 

"You've been training him, haven't you?" 

"Yes!" The old man Kensei nodded. 

"But why push him so hard so early?" Hiruzen wanted to know Kensei's motives…

"I don't want him to have regrets… I know that's impossible but… " Kensei didn't finish his sentence. He looked towards Hiruzen.

"Why are you so interested in him, Hiruzen?"

"Daichi's talents remind me of Minato and...Orochimaru. One of them died for the village and the other has become its enemy…. I don't want Daichi to leave this world before his time or go down the wrong path."

"Daichi is no 'Orochimaru'. I can promise you that. And I have a feeling he'll be like a cat with nine lives when it comes to surviving." Kensei's words made it clear to Hiruzen that he knew Daichi's path. But the Hokage doubted Kensei would share it with him. 

"There was an incident a few hours ago. Nothing major. When you get home you should talk to Daichi about it?" The Hokage told him. Kensei nodded in agreement. 

Both of them stayed there till the sun went down discussing various topics and traveling down memory lane. Once the sun had disappeared, each left for home with their own thoughts. 

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