A soft, purple sky hung over a bustling village beginning to quiet down for the evening. Unbeknownst to the many citizens going through their nighttime routines, a thick air of tension hung over one of the village's most important buildings.
[Hokage's Personal Residence - Exterior Garden]
Hidden from view, in the treelines flanking both sides of the paved road leading to the Hokage's home stood two dozen fully outfitted, masked ninjas.
Despite their numbers and preparedness, none of them sensed a thing as a shadowy figure rapidly approached the front door where two unmasked ninjas stood. One of the two guards, noticing the subtle distortion in the air that every other ninja failed to notice, felt a primal jolt of panic. A moment later, chaos broke the silence.
"Enemies have breached the perimeter!!! Inform the Hoka- ughh!!" The terrified shout of the chunin guard rang out before she was quickly killed by an untraceable kunai to the throat.
Panic instantly enveloped the courtyard's hidden occupants. Every ninja watching from the treeline jumped into action, attempting to locate the unseen foe with various techniques.
"THEY'RE HEADED FOR LADY KUSHINA!!! STOP FUCKING AROUND AND MOVE YOUR ASSES!!" The voice of a decorated elite jonin quickly brought the Konoha ninjas out of their disjointedness.
Before the cluster of ninjas could organize themselves completely, a Fuinjustsu barrier suddenly appeared, ceasing all attempts at entry due to fear of triggering the unknown barrier array. One unlucky ninja happened to step too close to the array, causing it to retaliate against him with an explosion of chakra that left him burned and barely breathing.
"Damn it! All of you, surround the perimeter, do not let a single thing in or out until we receive further orders from the Hokage!" The elite jonin shouted out.
Meanwhile…
A deadly dance was taking place inside the home of the Fourth Hokage. The battle had already reached a level unmatchable by most jonin! Countless stabs, kicks, and punches were exchanged at unimaginable speeds, yet every attack was either parried or dodged expertly by both parties. It was a true battle of pure taijutsu.
The blonde-haired Hokage continued pressuring his opponent with unyielding determination and a silent fury, forcing the masked enemy to create distance with a disengaging kick before beginning to weave handsigns at an alarmingly fast pace.
But just as the fight was about to escalate past pure taijustsu, a thick grey fog suddenly enveloped any open air the room had to offer. The room quickly filled, leaving no room for any vision further than a few inches.
Sensing something was amiss, Obito, under the guise of an orange mask with only one eye, jumped to the side, creating even more space between himself and where he last saw Minato. Obito activated his Mangekyou Sharingan while going on high alert – something told him that he couldn't let his guard down for even a second.
"Really, now? Planning an attack on a poor, feeble woman while she's in the middle of giving birth. *Ch ch ch* Talk about uncivilized." A lazy, but heavy voice broke the silence within the fog, though his voice came from every direction at once according to Obito's ears.
The hair on the back of Obito's neck suddenly rose in warning, causing him to unnaturally twist his body out of the way of a wave of soundless senbon needles, thin enough to easily overlook as wisps belonging to the surrounding fog. Obito's instincts screamed at him that these senbon were not to be ignored.
He didn't dare stop moving as he continued to dodge wave after wave of attacks. As the attacks continued to pour out, two major things didn't add up in Obito's head: 'Where the hell did the Fourth Hokage run off to??!' and 'Who the hell is he fighting right now?'
The barrier that Black Zetsu erected to isolate the 9-tails Jinchuriki hadn't sensed any unpermitted entry last he checked, so Obito decided to take things more 'seriously', lest his old sensei decide he wants to rejoin the fray all of a sudden. He quickly formed hand seals while dodging another wave of senbon, but an unfamiliar and unusual sensation started to creep in that left him both perplexed and a little frightened.
Obito noticed his thinking speed was slowing down, his eyes were drying up quickly, his hands were losing their usual dexterity, and worst of all, he had to fight back a beastly cough from escaping his mouth the entire time.
The most terrifying part, in Obito's mind, was that Hashirama's cells didn't seem to be combating whatever was influencing his body. Not even disrupting his chakra seemed to do anything to cancel out the effects!
'Where the hell is Zetsu?! I thought this plan was supposed to be fool-proof!! Why are they so prepared??'
Pushing through the uncomfortable sensations, he completed his hand seals.
"Wind-Release: Gale Palm!"
The powerful wind stream escaping Obito's hand attempted to blow away the surrounding fog. He succeeded partially, as a five foot cone of open space cleared up in front of him. To his immediate dismay, however, the fog quickly laid claim to the open air again within seconds.
Once again, Obito stood surrounded by fog, unable to utilize his Sharingan to quickly end the battle as he desperately desired at this point. Frustration was bubbling within him as he repeated the wind jutsu two more times, narrowly dodging a dozen more waves of senbon needles as he did so.
The battle in the fog raged on endlessly. After realizing that he was being intentionally delayed, Obito finally snapped out of a trance he didn't recognize he was under. With a heavy heart and clenched jaw, he used Kamui to simply bypass the unknown foe and claim his target for the night.
"Aww, come on, little guy. Leaving me already just 'cause you can't beat me? And I thought Kushina was a sore loser… Fine, whatever, I've already completer my mission at this point. Go ahead, Mr. Mysterious Assailant. Truly, I insist you go through that door." The lazy baritone voice taunted from somewhere within the fog. A vein throbbed on Obito's forehead throbbed with anger under the mask as he listened to his opponent's taunts.
'That little… How dare he think he can toy with me! I am Madara!' Obito was about to turn around and blast the entire living room with an overcharged fire jutsu before he forcefully reigned his emotions in.
'Focus, Obito! Rin won't come back if you waste your time on fighting every annoying insect! Madara's sacrifice can't be wasted…'
"Hmph. Your time will come soon, fly. I have better things to do at the moment than entertain you." Obito activated Kamui and floated through the wall separating the nursery and living room with deadly intentions in his eyes.
Those same eyes then suddenly widened in shock as he took in the room before him: the Third and Fourth Hokages both stood guard in front of a large bed. Kushina and Lady Biwako were both protected within a barrier that clearly had the markings of Uzumaki-level fuinjutsu.
Obito's perplexed gaze then widened even further beneath the mask as he finally processed the situation around him. Behind the imposing figures of the two Hokages, and snuggled gently within Kushina's arms was a sleeping child! Worst of all, it appeared that Kushina's Jinchuriki seal had already recovered!
'Damnit! How is the seal already stable?? I only spent a few minutes in that other roo-' Obito's stunned thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice he didn't realize was absent earlier. The fog that clouded his brain finally dissipated.
'What the hell are you doing??! I've been calling out to you this whole time and you haven't responded to me once! The mission is already a failure, so let's just get out of here before they gang up and tear you to shreds!' Black Zetsu's panicked voice echoed loudly in Obito's ears.
Obito felt frustration, rage, and especially confusion all at once. The mission that should have been perfect ended up failing spectacularly before they could even reach their target!
'What the hell did that bastard do to me back there?!'
Hiruzen and Minato had already moved to attempt to capture the masked intruder by this point.
Minato, using the Flying Thunder God, teleported to a kunai lodged into the wall behind Obito while aiming a Rasengan at his chest. Hiruzen, still poised and powerful in his 50s, swung Enma with his right hand while performing a jutsu with his left!
Unfortunately for the pair of Hokages, any attempts to attack their foe were quickly revealed to be fruitless, phasing through his body entirely. They could only gaze on helplessly as the masked figure disappeared wordlessly in a swirl. His only visible eye stared hatefully at the Fourth Hokage the whole time, leaving the blonde perplexed. With the unidentified enemy's exit, the foreign barrier formula that surrounded the home finally dispersed.
The Hokages kept their guards up in case of an ambush, never simply trusting that the enemy was already gone. After what felt like hours of tension (but was really only a few minutes), everyone in the room finally let out a breath of relief.
"A Mangekyou Sharingan with space-altering abilities… this has incredibly dire implications…" Hiruzen spoke up first, lowering his staff as he vocally assessed the threat-level of the enemy they just encountered. Even after ceding his hat to the next generation, he took an active role in assisting the new Hokage wherever he felt necessary. It often felt necessary, according to himself.
"Let's just be thankful that Sumoku had the foresight to increase the village defenses for the last month of Kushina's pregnancy. Truthfully, I don't know what would have happened today if I didn't take his advice back then…" Minato's shoulders finally relaxed after the tense encounter blew over. Konoha had definitely just dodged an incredibly large Super-Mega-Ultra-Amazing Rasengan in his head.
A goofy, loving smile plastered Minato's face as he finally turned his gaze to the two people this whole plan was designed to protect. Kushina, clearly exhausted from maintaining her jinchuriki seal whilst simultaneously giving birth to their child, was now fast asleep with a peaceful smile on her face. On her chest lay her and Minato's newborn son, Naruto Namikaze.
Hiruzen wore a grandfatherly smile on his face as he joined his wife, Biwako, in quietly observing the slumbering child in Kushina's arms from the bedside. Everyone in the room had practically already forgotten about the intense battle atmosphere that choked the air minutes prior. That is, until a handful of unhurried knocks landed on the door behind them. To Minato and Hiruzen's ears, this was an ANBU door code meaning "all-clear".
"Oi, anyone gonna let me in? I can practically feel you all forgetting about me while you fawn over the baby…" A lazy voice came from behind the door. Wisps of soft white smoke poked out from under the door, adding a mysterious effect.
Minato and Hiruzen shared an exasperated look before Minato opened the door to an ANBU operative wearing a Phoenix mask under a gray hood and a black combat uniform that distinguished him from other ANBU. A dark brown bandolier with tons of fuinjutsu inscriptions stretched from his right shoulder to the left side of his hip. The figure stood at 5 feet and 10 inches, with a slim build underneath all his gear.
The man walked in nonchalantly while taking off his mask and lowering his hood to reveal a tired face. His green eyes were always held in a subtle squint, bringing attention to a deep horizontal stab scar resting under his right eye. In his mouth hung what looked to be an unlit cigarette that was begging to be enjoyed. His hair was long, silver, and shaggy, adding further to his lazy vibe.
"Seriously, I went through an hour and a half of running around and turning your living room into a pin cushion while trying to keep a Kage-level threat away from this room… Let me sit down for a bit…" Sumoku may have appeared lazy and nonchalant to the eyes of those unfamiliar with him, but everyone in the room simply let out soft sighs of relief when they saw him plop down on a free seat physically unharmed.
"I'm glad to see you safe as well, Sumoku. I'm afraid you'll have to postpone your well-deserved rest until the village calms down, though. I'll have to trouble you to organize the forces outside and maintain surveillance for the remainder of the night." Minato somewhat cheekily ordered the now seated ANBU-Commander while scratching his cheek.
Sumoku, for his part, quickly stood up with zero complaints and was about to return the mask in his hand to his face, betraying any notion of laziness he displayed earlier. Before he could, though, Minato grabbed his shoulder and brought him into a hug, catching him by surprise.
"As a father, a husband, a comrade, a Hokage, and a friend, I can't thank you enough for your contribution. I promise you, you will always have my support, no matter what. For now, we both have important duties to attend to. And one more thing," Minato's smile turned serious as he separated slightly from Sumoku, bringing his mouth near Sumoku's ear.
"First thing tomorrow, there will be a Jonin meeting to discuss the enemy we encountered today and establish countermeasures in the future. I have a suspicion some council members are going to try to use this attack as an opportunity to employ more hawkish policies, and I think it's time we show them that we're the leaders now." The words left Minato's mouth in a whisper only Sumoku could hear.
Sumoku glanced back at Minato without expression, giving a slight nod in response to show that the message was received.
In a display of perfect professionalism, Sumoku re-equipped his Phoenix mask and exited the home of the Fourth Hokage to handle his assigned tasks.
After a full night of organizing the Village's available forces for patrols and cautionary sweeps, Sumoku found himself sitting down on the edge of the Hokage Monument. The soft orange glow of the rising sun gently replaced the dark purple sky as a new day officially began, oblivious to the tension that preceded its arrival.
Sumoku removed his mask after confirming that no one was around to disturb him. It was rare for the ANBU-Commander to have some quiet time away from work, and he planned to enjoy it. Without any words, he reached into his vest and pulled out a rusted tin container with an inscription that originated from some Samurai clan from the Land of Iron. Opening it, he pulled out one of his 'special' cigarettes and lit it with a subtle use of fire-nature chakra on the tip of his finger. He brought the cigarette to his mouth and inhaled deeply, causing his whole body to relax as he exhaled with the force of a sigh.
Now left alone with his thoughts, Sumoku couldn't help but reminisce about his life in this world. It was a surreal feeling to look back on it all.
Being a transmigrator was not as glamorous as those novels he used to read made it out to be. There was no game-like system with god-level potential. There was no secret family treasure hidden away for him to find and become unstoppable with. He wasn't even given agency to choose what world he was dropped into.
No. The only thing Sumoku was given was a fresh start in a fantasy world he was somewhat familiar with and a family he could rely on, for a time at least…
Despite being thrown into the situation without his consent, he adapted to his new life rather quickly thanks to his father's help. Hatake Sumoku, son of Hatake Sakumo and Hatake Mina, grew to genuinely love his new life and family.
Sumoku smiled to himself mockingly, remembering all the losses he faced during his first few years in the Ninja world. All the mistakes he made, the people he lost… The past two decades weren't easy to get through… Especially not during the Second Great Ninja War.
Those times felt like the beginning of the end for 11 year-old Sumoku. Mina, his mother, had just passed away due to a mysterious sickness, and with the war breaking out, Sakumo had to rush to the frontlines to fulfill his ninja duties.
These circumstances left Sumoku, a Chunin at the time, to care for himself and Kakashi. Unfortunately, even that arrangement was cut short thanks to the Konoha war machine requiring new blood to throw at its enemies.
It broke Sumoku's heart to leave his little brother to fend for himself while he and his father fought in a war, but he couldn't abandon his team nor his village. As a minor consolation, deployed ninjas would be called back to the village every 5 months for R&R, meaning he got to be with Kakashi for two months per year at the very least.
His father, on the other hand, was stationed at the Land of Wind encampment as the Commander while he was stationed at the Land of Rain encampment with his team, which resulted in the two practically never seeing each other until the latter stages of the war – when Sunagakure signed a peace treaty with Konoha.
Unfortunately for the Hatake household, the highly anticipated post-war family reunion never happened. While Sumoku was still stationed at the Land of Rain, a message had arrived for him saying that Sakumo had taken his own life as a result of his guilt for failing a mission. The news left him catatonic for days, leaving him a blank mess of grief. Sakumo didn't blame his father for failing the mission. He couldn't. But Kakashi would.
'At least I could save Minato and Kushina from an early death… Everything from here on out is uncharted territory…' *sigh*
A presence flickered beside Sumoku as he reminisced, yet he didn't flinch or turn in the slightest. He simply continued to look out towards Konoha and take slow drags of his special cigarette in silence.
"What's got you sighing all of a sudden?" The kind, gentle voice of the Fourth Hokage eventually filled the still air.
"*sigh* Thinking about how the other hidden villages are gonna react to this news…" he muttered, "and, you know… mulling over some war memories." A profound sadness filled Sumoku's voice as he barely whispered the last part of his sentence. His chest tightened whenever he remembered those days.
That was undoubtedly the hardest part of adapting to the Ninja world for Sumoku. He just couldn't get used to seeing the people he formed bonds with dying on the battlefield around him, or worse, without him. Sure, his new role as ANBU commander meant that he was expected to manage the darker portion of Konoha's regular dealings, especially sending comrades on incredibly dangerous missions, but that didn't mean he was a heartless person without emotions – Just one who could compartmentalize things enough to do his job well. More importantly, he still had Kakashi to ground him at the end of the day.
Minato sat down beside Sumoku and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. A solemn air came over him as his eyes betrayed the sadness behind his supportive smile. Painful memories couldn't help but find their way into his thoughts as well.
The Second Great Ninja War was their generation's 'awakening' to the truly cruel nature of shinobi. It wasn't as simple as picking a direction and attacking the enemy like those school games they used to play. Not at all. War was messy and complicated – Constantly moving while exhausted in both body and Chakra, hiding in a swamp for days in order to ambush supply lines while behind enemy lines, distinguishing between allies and enemies in skirmishes while also watching your own back… War was constant alertness. Paranoia, really.
On the brighter side of things, it was also during the Second GNW that Sumoku and Minato first became friends. They crossed paths for the first time as comrades on an A-rank mission to rescue a retreating recon squad on the Land of Rivers border, shortly after Sumoku's field-promotion to Jonin at age 13. Long story short, the mission was a resounding success despite the unexpected inclusion of an Ame ambush thanks to Sumoku and Minato's coordinated efforts.
From that point on, Minato and Sumoku worked with each other much more frequently. Minato was known for his speed, taijutsu, wind-release, and most notably being Jiraiya's 'only' disciple. Sumoku, on the other hand, was known for his tactical mind, genjutsu, kenjutsu, and fire-release. That's right, Sumoku inherited his mother's chakra nature instead of his father's lightning.
With such perfectly compatible skillsets, the two young shinobi quickly gained fame on the front lines as Konoha's next generation of geniuses. It was inevitable that the two eventually grew to become best friends. It was their friendship that prevented Sumoku from falling into complete despair after Sakumo's death, further cementing their bond.
Even after the second GNW came to a close and the genius duo had to separate due to different responsibilities, the two remained in close contact throughout their careers.
"It's something I regret everyday of my life, Minato." Sumoku took a puff from his cigarette while holding his head in his free hand, then released the smoke with a sigh. "I should have been there for him. There's no excuse, and it's in the past now anyways. All we can do is keep moving forward, just like you said back then, am I right?"
Sumoku's response had a playful hint of finality in it, as if the conversation topic was too stale. It was a deflection of the topic. Both of them knew it, but neither of them brought it up.
"Have you considered my mission proposal from last week? It would be a nice excuse for you to slack off properly after a while. Kami knows you've been working nonstop this past year… And besides," Minato grinned cheekily while changing the subject, "I have a feeling you're the only person who can complete this particular mission anyways."
Sumoku appeared to consider for a while, thinking over Minato's proposal in his head. His face shifted through multiple emotions before eventually stopping at resignation. A moment later, he sighed, this time with less self-pity.
"Fine. I'm convinced. Give me a week after this jonin meeting to complete the mission." Sumoku stood up and offered Minato a helping hand with a subtle smirk on his lips. "You sure you can handle the circus alone while I'm gone?"
"Hah, being a good Hokage means doing what's best for the village, and I can assure you that it's best if we, the next generation, start running things. You're the one who convinced me in the first place, after all. You have nothing to worry about on my end." Minato flashed a cheeky grin on his face as he took Sumoku's supporting hand and stood up.
"Be ready for some big changes, Sumoku." Minato wiped the residual dust off his cloak. "We will have all the right pieces in place once you return successfully from your mission… I think it's time we start making some much needed changes." Minato turned away to face the village from atop the Hokage monument with a determined look.
"Well, whatever happens, you know I've got your back. Now get your ass back home before Kushina yells my ear off for 'stealing you away from your family'." Sumoku chuckled to himself while Minato felt a shiver run down his spine.
"G-good point… See you later, Sumoku!" Minato's voice lingered in the air, his form now gone as he flickered away.
Sumoku looked back towards Konoha with a complicated gaze, mulling over his thoughts one last time. Then, with his eyes closed, he drew a deep breath and released it, a fiery determination settling into his body.
Sumoku took one last drag of his cigarette before tossing it and re-equipping his mask in a fluid, practiced motion.
'The real test begins now. Time to shake things up even further.'
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Idk if this will turn into anything serious, but I wanted to write it, so here it is. It definitely isn't anything special :P
There probably won't be a consistent upload schedule for this story any time soon. If you want to see more of this story, you can let me know in the comments and I'll take that into account.
Thanks for reading!