Back at Konoha
Hiruzen kneeling in front of Mito was met with an overwhelming amount of pressure from the Jinchuriki of the nine tails.
"You dared to send a clone to watch over your students, effectively leaving them unprotected. Then you let my son fight against three Jonin alone and left him to protect his three comrades, a battle that Tsunade said was incredibly tough, leaving him on the verge of death. A battle my son needed to take a dangerous gamble to win. And now he is in another dimension with severe injuries and is possibly in danger due to that dimension's inhabitants. You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand, monkey!" Mito was furious not only at the fact her son was missing but also at the fact he had to experience that stuff in the first place due to Hiruzen's negligence.
She knew Hiruko and Tsunade's first outside mission would change them and that they wouldn't be the same when they returned.
But that fear was rooted in her eyes, and the stains from tears stained her clothes. The increase of her heartbeat when she mentioned those events again.
The emotions of fear and sadness she could sense radiating off of Tsunade.
Every fiber of Mito's being wanted to attack Hiruzen, but she held back.
"Forgive me, Lady Mito. I—I just followed Lord Hashirama, who also led us on missions with clones," Hiruzen admitted.
When these words left Hiruzen's mouth, Mito's aura flared up again.
"Are you an idiot? Hashirama could do that because a single clone was enough to deter a whole village. You are not Hashirama; it's about time you stopped acting like you are because if you do, you'll get someone killed. Now, leave," Mito said angrily.
—
Donzo, sitting in his chair at Root headquarters, was reading the file on Hiruko and the others' first mission.
'Killed three Jonin singlehandedly and caused so much devastation that Hiruzen himself thinks he wouldn't be able to survive without massive damage.' Danzo read the file internally.
Putting down the file Danzo smirked. 'When you come back, Hiruko, prepare to be made mine, even if I must go against that old coot Mito Uzumaki.' Danzo thought as he began mobilizing Root's resources.
—-
Humph. Humph.
The sound of Tsunade punching a training dummy in the Senju training area sounded
"You know, punching that dummy won't make you feel better." A voice sounded softly behind Tsunade, who, recognizing the voice, retorted back.
"It seems to be working to me." Tsunade said, slightly irritated.
"No, it isn't. I can tell, child. I may not be as good of a sensor as your grandmother, but I can tell punching that immovable target isn't helping you release the anger, fear, and uselessness you feel," Yuri said, exposing what Tsunade was trying desperately to hide.
"So then what do I do?" Tsunade asked, snapping angrily at her mother.
"Fight a moving target, one that you don't have to hold back in fear of breaking. Fight me." Yuri said, smirking, already decked out in training attire.
"Are you sure?" Tsunade asked worriedly.
"You aren't scared you'll hurt me, are you? I'll let you know I'm very strong." Yuri said, smirking.
"If you say so," Tsunade said, still slightly worried but also itching to fight as she charged in, her fist cocked back.
—-
'I almost lost what's mine and was unable to do anything, like a stupid bug.' Orochimaru thought angrily at himself; he almost lost what he cherished the most.
This feeling, one he hated, caused him to be reminded of his father, and that led him here.
Orochimaru was currently standing in front of the graves of his parents, flowers in hand.
"Why are you here, sensei?" Orochimaru asked as he knelt, placing the flowers down on top of his mother's grave.
"Do you hate me, Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked, ignoring Orochimaru's question. (This Hiruzen is a clone.)
"Yes, I could've lost Hiruko before I even obtained him, and now I might never get to." Orochimaru said honestly.
'Obtained? Is this the darkness Enma has been telling me about?' Hiruzen couldn't help but think his student was traveling down the wrong path, and now that Hiruko wasn't here, could anyone stop him?
'Please come back soon, Hiruko.' Hiruzen couldn't help but wish
Orochimaru, on the other hand, catching something out of the corner of his eye, picked it up. It was a shed white snake skin, and for some reason Orochimaru found it fascinating. It reminded him of Hiruko, who shed his past and became beautiful.
But also his father's words about wishing to obtain that beauty—what if he could be like a snake and shed his weakness, and maybe, just maybe, he could be just as beautiful as Hiruko, and they could be beautiful together?
He wasn't sure if his thinking was right, but he was sure that he wanted to be with Hiruko and stand beside him to witness his beauty. Needed to change and shed his current weakness even if it was by unnatural means.
Hiruzen, seeing the snakeskin and Orochimaru's fascination, explained the meaning behind it: "You know, in our culture it is a sign of fortune and rebirth."
'Fortune and rebirth, huh? How interesting,' Orochimaru said as he licked his lips, his smile growing.
—
Jiraiya sat in his house alone trying to recall the handsigns Tsunade made for the summoning technique.
Little did he know outside watching him was a clone of Hiruzen.
'I did nothing in that battle, and Hiruko, whom I had to go and insult with my big mouth, did all the heavy lifting.' Jiraiya thought solemnly.
He felt worthless. Orochimaru nearly helped kill one of the Jonin, and Tsunade healed both Orochimaru and Hiruko. But he just got punched; as for buying Hiruko a little time to heal, he didn't even consider that an accomplishment.
"I need power; I can't give them an excuse to abandon me, not like I gave you, Mom. Plus, showing off and getting all the pretty girls like Tsunade also isn't too bad." Jiraiya said, whispering the last part as he finally got up.
'Okay, concentrate my chakra and make the seal Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Sheep,' Jiraiya thought as he began to follow the steps.
"No, you idiot, you don't know what'll happen. Are you trying to disappear like—" Hiruzen said, flickering in, but by the time he entered, a big puff of white smoke filled the room, and Jiraiya was gone.
"Hiruko," Hiruzen said, finishing his earlier sentence. Now he had to explain two kids going missing. Awesome.
'What's so good about the summoning Jutsu anyways? Gosh, I hope Orochimaru doesn't try it.' Hiruzen said worriedly.
—
Sakumo, who was on a pretty long escort mission, suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Stopping and looking at the bright blue sky with a frown, Sakumo said,
"Master?" Sakumo mumbled.
"Sakumo, are you alright?" A quite feminine voice came beside him. It was his teammate Hyuga Himari.
"I'm fine. Himari just has a bad feeling." Sakumo said with a forced smile.
"Shut up, you two, and walk faster." Their third teammate, Uchiha Kai, said, irritated, glaring slightly at Sakumo.
"We're coming." Hyuga Himari said, flinching slightly.
—
Duy, who was fighting against bandits practicing his taijutsu, stopped abruptly after kicking a bandit out cold.
"Hiruko, sir?" Duy whispered, looking up to the sky; for some reason he felt like something bad was happening.
—
Naori, who was sipping tea in front of her father, whom she was discussing the course of the Uchiha with, suddenly stopped mid-sip.
"What's wrong—" Naori's father, seeing her pause, asked but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in," the man said, his voice deep and rough.
Entering the door bowed the same woman who gave Naori the scroll to hand to Hiruko started to speak, "Sorry for my intrusion, but Ms. Naori—" The woman started but was cut off by Naori.
"This is about him, isn't it?" Naori asked with a frown on her face; she just got a really bad feeling.
"Yes, miss, you told me to alert you to all things relating to that boy, and I just got word on a mission; he left out too early this morning. He went missing after killing three Sand Jonin singlehandedly and using a destructive ninjutsu. He is confirmed to be alive, but his whereabouts are unknown, or at least that is all the information we Uchiha could get," the woman said.
Naori, frowning at this news, said, "Okay, offer the Uchiha's help in this matter in any way; ignore any disapproval within the clan—I'll handle it. And tell me immediately if anything pertaining to him comes up." Naori said seriously as she threw out orders.
"Yes, Ms." The woman immediately left to carry out Naori's demands.
Naori's father, watching this, couldn't help but frown. "All this for one child who is of the Senju? Are you sure, Naori?"
Naori, looking at her father, only said, "Completely."
—
Sitting in a hospital ward directly under the senju was the young Hyuga Hiruko, who saved Hyuga Ikki.
"I wonder when I'll meet him, my—" Ikki was saying, but before he could finish, he suddenly felt as if something was wrong, and it was pertaining to that man.
___________________________________________
S: Still got 2 more chapters to upload, but I'll probably do that tomorrow.
S: I don't celebrate Christmas, but I kinda want to do something special, so as long as it's not Christmas-related, if y'all want a like, I think it would be like an OVA or omake? Anyway, a chapter of like Hiruko being dressed up by Mito or a glance to the future or whatever.
S: I'm moving up the timeline of getting summons and prophecy ; all will have an explanation of course in universe