Pre-Chapter A/N:Welcome to September, guys! Let's smash whatever goals we've set ourselves this year. More chapters on my **patreon(https://www.patreon.com/c/Oghenevwogaga)**— same username as here and link in bio. Experimenting with two chapters a week, we'll see how long I can keep this up for.
"…And remember that if anything goes wrong, you can just toss the kunai at the wall and I'll sense the change in velocity and position and know to come to you straightaway. Retsu knows everything about—"
"Shorirama," she cut in with a fond smile on her face as I explained things.
"I've done this before, and you've explained your requirements to me a dozen times already. Stop being worried and just go. You should have left five minutes ago."
"What?" I asked, looking over at the clock. And yup, she was right. It was five minutes past 9:15, the time I'd picked for our departure.
"You should get going," she said as she walked over to the seat.
"I should," I agreed.
"Be good for Grandma," I said to Kushina, who was standing off to the side. She barreled into me like the little cannonball she was.
"Why can't I come with you? I promise to be a good jinchuriki this time," she said.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked, kneeling to get a better look at the girl who had somehow started sniffling.
"You took me last time because I'm a jinchuriki, now you won't take me again. Is it because I didn't help with the Tsuchikage? He was flying really far away. I couldn't do anything. I promise to be better—"
"Shush, little one," I said, pulling her close again.
"You were perfect against the Tsuchikage; you did exactly what I told you to. And what's this about being a jinchuriki? Baby girl, as far as this village is concerned, I am the jinchuriki. The only thing you need to worry about is eating your vegetables and not letting Minato beat you in training too much."
"He didn't beat me; it was a draw," she said, her mind pouncing on the bait like a cat. I chuckled before ruffling her hair.
"Don't think about any of that stuff, okay? If you're saying this, then someone said it to you... or around you," I said when I didn't see her react to the former. The latter got the reaction.
"Doesn't matter who it was. It might even have been me," I tried, and yup, she had been listening in on that day.
"I was being stupid. Just said some things to win a debate with Grandma. You know sometimes we have to lie to get Grandma to let us do stuff," I said the last bit in a faux-whisper, and she chuckled while nodding enthusiastically.
"You see? Now just focus on being you. That octopus inside you doesn't change a thing. Maybe when we get back, if you show me you're strong enough, maybe we can finally talk to him."
"Really?" she asked. It seemed strange, but I had the strong idea that the only way for a jinchuriki to truly accept their nature was with accepting the Tailed Beast within.
"A few minutes with the hat and you already think you're a philosopher," Kurama growled from within. I just chuckled before saying my goodbyes.
—
"For someone with the ability to teleport, it's almost impressive how you've somehow managed to be late," Uzume said in greeting when I appeared next to her, using the marker I had on her skin. I'd placed markers on her, Uraume, and Shikahime after our last meeting. Permanent markers on skin this time rather than just giving them kunai to carry around. If things did ever go irreparably wrong, I knew I would always be able to reach them. That was enough to settle a lot of my fears around bringing them with me—more the latter two than Uzume, to be honest. Uzume could only be beaten by surprise, I was certain. As long as she was paying attention, I couldn't see anyone not named me or Ay managing to get the better of her. Her Mangekyo ability was just broken like that.
I looked around the gathered group of shinobi. They stood in clumps, discussing among themselves, gossiping, catching up. I allowed it for a minute more as I made my choices about what to say and what not to say. I knew there were spies among us. Probably spies within this very battle force. Most definitely spies among the civilians that stood around watching what we did. So whatever I said would be reported to their masters. My strategy, my plan. Good thing it wasn't a very complicated plan then.
"Form up," I said, using a handy application of wind release to carry my voice across the crowd. I did not yell, but each man, woman, and child heard me all the same.
"My name is Shorirama Senju. As you all know, I have recently been named and sworn in as the Fourth Hokage of this our Village Hidden in the Leaves. The Village my Grandfather founded and my Granduncle nurtured. I plan to continue their legacy. To grow this village to heights that would make previous achievements look like child's play, but first, we have another matter we must handle. Our great village is at war. The Hidden Stone, the Hidden Cloud, the Hidden Sand, the Hidden Mist, and the Hidden Rain have all dared to spill the blood of Konoha shinobi. Shall we leave that insult unanswered?" I asked. I heard a chorus of noes, but they were halfhearted and disjointed.
"I asked if we shall leave all loved ones unavenged," I repeated. This time the chorus of noes was stronger. But not enough.
"I asked if Konoha is too weak to take vengeance." This time, the noes threatened to blow me off my feet with their ferocity.
"Good. Today we take that vengeance. Iwa took Kusa on their way here. We're going to stop by and show them what Konoha can do. And then we are going to march straight into the Land of Earth. Kumo is attacking Iwa right as we speak. When we arrive, it will be just in time to fuck both of them in the arse." I heard Uraume sniff at my choice of phrasing, but the cheers from the crowd drowned it out.
"I cannot promise that you will all live through this. I cannot even promise that your deaths will mean something—that shall be for you and your loved ones to decide. What I can promise, what I have always promised, is victory. I promise you that when we are through, no one. Not Iwa, not Kiri, not motherfucking Kumo will deny our strength. We are the great tree. We are Konoha. We are Hashirama Senju. We are Madara Uchiha. All of us. Not just me, not just Uzume. We are the past, present, and future of the greatest village on the fucking continent. No one will stand in our way and live, this I swear. Follow me, put your faith, your trust, your hopes in me. Believe in me. I will give you victory after victory. Let the Raikage come," I said, spitting to the side.
"I swear that you will get the chance to spit on his grave when I am done, just as you have pissed on the Tsuchikage's. My name is Shorirama Senju. Remember it. Victory will be ours, I swear it. I swear it on my name, on my clan, on this village. We are Konoha and we will win." By the end, I was shouting as I felt their frenzy take me and grab ahold of me by the neck, never letting go. A better man might have tried to inspire them by appealing to their better natures. I was a more honest one as I appealed to who they truly were. Hiruzen and his will of fire were nice as an ideal, but in war, the only thing that kept you going was the desire to kill the other guy before he could kill you, and that was what I promised.
"Follow me," I said, turning around. Around my shoulders stood my Kage cloak. Apparently, Uraume had had Shiba begin work on it the second I'd set my eyes on the seat. And it was perfect, Aburame silk from the beginning to the end, ridiculously expensive for most, a pittance for the Hyuga. It hugged my frame in just the right way while giving enough space for it to billow behind me as I cut through the air at a rapid pace. Right behind me ran Uzume and Uraume. Behind them Kizuru, Toshiro, Shikahime, and Inoken. Behind them, Shiba, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and then so on. War had come to Konoha and I had beaten it off; now it was time for Konoha to go to war.
XXXXXXX
The land of grass was filled with large swathes of grass that reached up to my waist in places, and merely up to my knees in others. It was harder to move through at a rapid speed, but we made good enough time, especially when you consider the fact that we were only making a relatively brief detour here. My Byakugan did not have the best range, but with Uraume by my side, it was child's play to notice and mark out the Iwa patrols as they moved through the country.
So far, we had spotted about four of them, and every time, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had been sent to take them out. The would-be Sannin were not my most ardent supporters. I'd essentially stabbed their sensei through the chest to get this position, so it was not something I faulted them for. Still. They were shinobi of Konohagakure and I was the Hokage. They listened, because it was what was good for them, and the day they ceased to listen would be the day I put them down like rabid dogs. Well, maybe not Tsunade—the others were fair game though. Tsunade would find herself locked up if she decided to foment rebellion. The others would find themselves in shallow graves, unmarked and unhonored.
The village itself was right between Konoha and Iwa. It was basically a straight line from Konoha to the village and then down to Iwa. Apparently, that was coincidental, but it seemed like a mighty fine coincidence. Still, we moved in. We did not have time for me to wonder just what influences the large villages had had on the formation of smaller ones like this one. We ran forwards, and then scaled the walls, about a third of my force moving into the village proper while the other two-thirds remained at the wall.
From behind me, my loyal soldiers fanned out, moving to root out every trace of Iwa influence. Our spies said Iwa had placed a large collection of shinobi here to act as a reserve and pacify the place. They moved to deal with that while I walked to the bungalow at the center. It was the building that had once belonged to the Head Jonin of Kusagakure—a man who deigned to refer to himself as the Kusakage. He had bent the knee to Onoki when the time came, and so I knew he would still be there. Probably with whoever had been appointed as his babysitter.
I watched the would-be ambush as it was prepared for me with a smile. When I reached the door, instead of knocking or opening it, I took a breath and then exhaled a blast of hurricane-force winds that forced the door off its hinges and back inside the room. The poison that formed the bulk of the trap exploded into pink gas. I took a hold of the air around my head, weaved two seals, and was assured of a continuous supply of fresh oxygen as I walked into the bungalow.
Foolish, I thought to myself, as I ducked underneath an attempt to behead me from behind. The assailant, an Iwa jonin, to his credit, managed to adapt quickly, moving backwards and attacking again. I wasn't in sage mode so I couldn't just catch the sword in my hands as I knew would be the cool thing to do. Sadly, I'd have to fight properly today.
He came again, blade clutched in both hands and attempting a straight stab. I danced to the side, filled my fingers with chakra and then tapped the blade. It warped with the contact and I spun into his guard next. Whatever skill he had was decidedly insufficient to bear the brunt of my attention. In a matter of seconds, he was limp and motionless on the floor. I turned to the next person in the room. This one just sat at the desk like nothing I had done so far had concerned him.
If I hadn't seen him offer the other man the poison with my Byakugan, then maybe I would have fallen for the feigned act of innocence.
"Shorirama Senju. Welcome to Kusagakure," he said in greeting. I grunted and stepped towards the Iwa shinobi on the floor. I looked at his face, even as I struggled to place it. It had been a while since I'd explored the bingo book for fun. Their entries regarding me just kept getting more and more inaccurate, so I began to consider the whole thing a waste of time in truth.
"Are you going to swear yourself to Konoha now?" I asked.
"No," he said flatly. I arched my brow. Was that a spine I was beginning to sense? Or did he think I was Onoki's lesser when it came to power?
"Interesting. Because whispers in the wind tell me Onoki did not even need to ask before you fell to your knees begging for your miserable life."
"I did what was necessary for Kusagakure's continued existence. And I had a feeling that it would be a temporary state of things," he said, nodding towards the unconscious man.
"So now you think not bending the knee will keep Kusagakure alive? You think you can defeat me?"
"I haven't even the vaguest notion of that, but I do know that you are a different man than Onoki was."
"I haven't the time for all this beating about the bush. Speak your piece so I may decide if you get to keep your head or not." I punctuated my words by projecting a tiny sliver of Kurama's killing intent. The Kusa Head Jonin, so smug and self-assured, seemed to nearly fall to the floor from the change in atmosphere.
"Very well. Iwa had no respect for the independence of the small villages. But your Grandfather supported Kusa with its forming. He saw the value in smaller villages that acted as borders between the large ones. If you annexed us, then you would have Iwa as direct neighbors and have to worry about that. This way, Kusa is our neighbor and you can be sure to have a friendly relationship with the nation across the border and not have to worry about spontaneous invasion into your land," he said.
"Maybe that would have been a good offer if it came from anyone else, but I have taken your measure, Koga-san. And I find you wanting." I enjoyed the way his eyes twitched at me using his name. Uraume's control over the ANBU had borne fruit in the past few weeks. Enough fruit that I knew this man only had his interests in mind. Nothing, not Kusa, not the greater good, his only interest was his personal position and power.
In the time it took his expression to return to normal, I had covered the space between us. The office exploded in even more poison. I took control of the air around me, creating a shell; my wind-armor of old finally saw some use. He tried to flee, but nothing could hide from the Byakugan, and while he wielded earth release with some competence, the earth was my element. The ground turned to mud, and the mud delivered him to my hands.
"I think I won't mind sharing a border with Iwa. I'm sure they and I can come to a suitable enough arrangement," I said and tapped him on the forehead with two fingers. Holding him still like that, I had enough time to focus my chakra and scramble his brains with the Gentle Fist, circumventing what protection his headband offered by making the lance of chakra longer than I usually would have.
I turned, leaving the bungalow. The decision had been an easy one to make. The equilibrium of villages was not worth it. In canon, after every war, Konoha returned things to an equilibrium hoping that would be enough to keep the peace, or at least make it so the other nations did not ally against them in future.
Needless to say, that had not worked well. So I would be doing the opposite. The Eighth and Fourth Tails were now Konoha's, and we wouldn't be letting them go. Kiri would give up a Tailed Beast for peace as well—I would make sure of it. And Suna? Well, they had little to offer, but I would take the secrets of puppetry and all their information on puppetry. We would hold Kusa as a knife against Iwa's throat, and when the time came, we would take Frost to accomplish a similar goal against Kumo. The goal was to win the war so thoroughly that the only possible outcome of any other war would be total victory.
If another war began, we would take even more to strengthen our position. After two more wars, we would own the other villages in all but name. And if they rebelled again, well the United Shinobi Alliance could be born again, except this time as an empire with Konoha at the helm.
"Good hunt?" Uraume asked, dropping to the ground next to me as I stepped out of the bungalow and into the Kusa sun again.
"The best. Were you able to get it?" I asked.
She passed me a scroll from a pocket and I nodded, sealing it into my storage without checking. Uraume was not the type to be mistaken.
"Now to Iwa."
A/N: For those wondering why Konoha doesn't just pull empire now, think of what happened with Rome. If Shori tries expanding with how weak they are, he'd spend his whole reign putting down rebellion after rebellion. Fighting in the deserts one day, and in the seas the next. The shinobi villages would be hell to conquer. So he's going to do things step by step. In twenty years, Konoha will have three fully trained Jinchuriki (if they don't get more). In forty, Naruto and Sasuke would have hit their primes (if they end up being born, but even without them that generation would be stacked). Shori just has to wait, and in this case, he has patience in droves. Next five up on **patreon(https://www.patreon.com/c/Oghenevwogaga)**( same username as here and link in bio), support me there and read them early.