Will of embers

Chapter 12

Finally, after so much work and sacrifice, Hiruzen achieved his goal. So many times it has been denied, but this was the time he finally will be able to taste the fruits of his hard labor. Hiruzen had to control his emotions; otherwise, he might let stray tears of joy escape his eyes. No matter what, he always has to maintain his façade.

Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen dipped his spoon into the rich broth. As soon as it filled in, he took out the spoon and eagerly drank it. The broth was more than he expected: warm and rich in taste, not too thin or too thick, just the right consistency. But no matter how much he wanted to take another spoonful, there was something more important.

With practiced ease, Hiruzen used his chopsticks to pick up the ramen noodles. They were slick but not soggy. The first bite was heaven. He didn't even realize when he had the next one and one after that. It was worth it, the countless hours he spent behind the desk, working like a slave, slowly losing his soul. It was all worth it for this heaven. He could feel his soul heal, his heart warm up, and his mind clear up.

"You outdid yourself, Teuchi-sama," Hiruzen said, only respect and reverence in his tone.

"Oh, please, Hokage-sama, you are making me blush," Teuchi smiled behind the counter, proud of his accomplishments. "Would you like a second bowl?"

"Do I dare to test the heavens?" Hiruzen said, and the devil on his shoulder said yes. The angel on his other shoulder agreed with the devil. "Very well, I will have a second bowl."

"Teuchi-san," A new customer, came in as the chef prepared another bowl for Hiruzen. "Oh, Hokage-sama, I apologize; I will return later."

"Nonsense," Hiruzen replied as he looked at the older lady in her mid-thirties. "Who am I to deny, the chef its customers?"

This was what he missed the most. Normal people. Even if the older lady looked nervous around him, Hiruzen felt relieved that civilians didn't fear him. He already had his hands full with the shinobi of this village; at least he could act normal around civilians who would notice his lack of shinobi skills and wouldn't be able to kill him if they found out about his true nature.

"Hmm, Sakaki-sensei, you early," Teuchi said as he finished preparing Hiruzen's bowl. "Usually, Ayame comes to me before you. Or did lessons end earlier today, and she is playing with her friends."

"Teuchi-san," Hiruzen eyes narrowed as he looked at the most important person in this village. "It is already late evening. The sun has already set."

"What?" Teuchi quickly left his station and looked outside, only seeing a mostly empty street with street lamps illuminating it. "Oh, dear, apologies, Hogake-sama, but I would like to step out. I think Ayame has lost track of time and stayed in the park for far too long. I should get her back before it's too late."

"Weasel," And ANBU appeared next to Hiruzen. "Go check the park and areas close by and see if you can't find a slender girl with long, dark brown hair and large black eyes, plus fair skin. Teuchi, can you remember what she wore?"

"Ah, she had a blue dress and red shoes," Teuchi quickly replied.

"Sasaki-sensei, could I implore you to check her classmates' houses and see if she didn't decide to stay with one of her classmates?" HIruzen asked the older teacher.

"Of course, I will go right away," She quickly hurried off just as Weasel disappeared into the shadows.

Hiruzen had a bad feeling. He couldn't even taste the ramen in his bowl anymore as Teuchi looked around worried sick. Hiruzen tried to push all bad thoughts out of his mind as he remembered the little girl, six years of age, helping Teuchi clean up the shop with a big smile and a loud laugh. Every time he came in, she would welcome him, and when he would ultimately be called away on urgent business, she would tell him to come back soon.

"Target was not found, Hokage-sama," Weasel quickly returned and whispered in his ear. "But I managed to overhear of few old ladies talking about children of age six to nine disappearing in that neighborhood."

It didn't bode well with Hiruzen. He could only shake his head as Teuchi looked at him expectedly. Something definitely happened, but he still hoped that the teacher would come back soon and tell them that Ayame just stayed over at her friend's home. And Ayame would apologize to her worried father and tell him that she lost track of time. Even as an hour passed and she saw the teacher running towards them, Hiruzen hoped.

…

When Hokage called, everyone answered, no matter what time it was. Fugaku Uchiha was no different when he got a message to report to Hokage; he dropped everything he was doing and rushed to Hokage's office. He wasn't alone. Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin, Ino–Shika–Chō trio, Inuzuka clan head, Tsume Inuzuka, and Hyuga head, Hiashi Hyuga, were already waiting.

"Fugaku," It wasn't the anger in Hokage's voice that disturbed Fugaku. It was the desperate eyes he looked at everyone. "How many missing children cases have you received recently?"

"What is this about?" Tsume asked as she looked between Hokage and Fugaku.

"Answer me," Hokage ignored Tsume and looked at Fugaku.

Missing children cases were the worst. Most of the time, they go cold and unresolved. Orphanages only report when the child is gone for more than a few days. It wasn't their fault, as after the Demon Fox attack, all orphanages were overwhelmed by children, and they had too few caregivers. Before they notice a child missing, it is always too late.

And the village was just recently rebuilt to its past self. Many children like to go to the places they shouldn't go. No matter how many times parents tell their children not to climb into places, they will only do it more. Fugaku personally had dug up two children from broken down houses where they got stuck while playing around.

"This month, seven," Fugaku replied; it was the highest number since the Demon Fox attack. "Five, last month."

It wasn't something a Hokage should concern himself with, as it was Fugaku's duty to find those children. But the village wasn't small, and the security within the walls wasn't as good as outside them. The children were lucky if they were lost in the village, as they would be found sooner or later. But there was little he could do if a child wandered off outside the walls.

"I see; you can add five more to the list," That surprised Fugaku and made him worried. "Today, two children disappeared after kindergarten, and three more from an orphanage."

"Something is telling me it wasn't a consequence," Jiraiya commented as the gravity of the situation settled with everyone.

"From ages five to seven, from different neighborhoods and schools," Hokage said. "It wasn't a friend group that wandered off somewhere."

Everyone understood that someone had taken them. It made sense, as Fugaku already suspected something like this happened to the other children, too. But whoever did it left no traces of themselves. Fugaku had no leads or suspects. But he could only blame his lack of skills, and because of him, more children had to suffer.

"Hokage-sama," An ANBU operative whispered something into Hokage's ear as everyone stood around and waited for Hokage's orders.

"Tsunade, Jiraiya, when was the last time you saw Orochimaru?" It was an unexpected question that got everyone off guard.

"Last week," Tsunade replied, dread filling her face. "We had a small chat over a few drinks."

"You can't be serious, sensei," Jiraiya wanted to plead with Hokage, but it was no use.

"Inform every shinobi within and outside the village. Orochimaru of the Sannin is to be apprehended if he refuses to cooperate, use force with a will to kill him," Hokage's words were final. "Hiashi, scour the village, looking under every unturned stone. Fugaku, I will leave the outside perimeter of the village. Tsume, try to get the scent of the children. Shikaku, I want you to oversee the operation's details. Tsunade, I wanted to prepare the medical team to receive the children at any moment. Jiraiya you are with Fugaku. Go, there is no time to waste."

Everyone quickly left for their duties. As Fugaku left the office to rouse the rest of the Uchiha clan, he glanced at the remaining Sannin. Jiraiya looked defeated, and Tsunade was left in disbelief. But Hiruzen's face hit Fugaku the worst. He seemed to have aged considerably over the last few minutes. The Hokage looked blankly at the space, probably trying to control his emotions and gather his thoughts.

…

Hiruzen knew that this day would come. But he hoped it would come later than sooner. He thought he still had time. Time to prepare himself. But no matter how much he feared facing Orochimaru, he feared finding those children too late even more. Maybe he was soft, but just imagining what these children would go through in Orochimaru's hands made him shudder.

"Ding!!! Quest update. You have solved the mystery of disappearing children. But they are not safe. Rescue the children and apprehend the culprit. Ding!!!"

The system provided Hiruzen with only that —no extra information, not even rewards for success or penalties for failure. He had nothing to distract himself from the worst thoughts. All he could do now was think of everything he knew about Orochimaru's hideout in Konoha. Yet he couldn't think of anything. Nothing came to his mind.

"You can't be held accountable for what Orochimaru has done," Danzo said as he entered the office. "Let me help. With the Root, the search will go more smoothly."

"They are not to leave their base; failing to do so would be considered insubordination and dealt with immediately," Hiruzen replied, not even looking at Danzo. "The same goes for you. You are not to leave the village under any circumstances."

"You made your decision fast," Danzo commented.

"Wasn't it you who thought I was weak and indecisive?" HIruzen asked. "You can't tell me that it is just a consequence that you asked to replenish your trainees for the Root, and when I refused, more and more children started to disappear. I am giving you one last chance to tell me where Orochimaru is, Danzo."

"He is your student, not mine," That's all Hiruzen got from Danzo before he left the office.

Hiruzen wasn't ready for this. Orochimaru and Danzo's actions were out of bounds, and it was his responsibility to stop them. But what could he do? He was weak. He only managed to learn a few basic things that every shinobi should know. Politics were even worse; he barely understood how much power Danzo held in the village, and a wrong action could divide the village, inviting others to stick their fingers where they shouldn't.

'Why me?' Hiruzen couldn't help but ask. Why was he in this situation? He wasn't anyone special; he was a nobody, and now such responsibility has fallen upon him. It was crushing and suffocating. If not for the fear of what would happen to him if others discovered he wasn't the real Hiruzen, he would have succumbed to it and started panicking.

"Would you like water?" Kakashi, who stayed silent so far, asked.

"No," Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi before slapping his face, shocking the young shinobi. "Bring me a map of the village and its outskirts."

Even Orochimaru couldn't kidnap five children in one day and not leave any traces. It didn't matter why he was in this situation, or that he was useless; he would not let these children down—not because he was Hokage but because he wanted to save them. He had to try his best, at least before he could doubt himself.

"Here you go, Hokage-sama," Kakashi quickly spread a map on Hiruzen's table.

He took out the reports of the missing children and marked their last known locations on the map. If Orochimaru were still in the village, the Hyuga clan would find him sooner rather than later, and he knew that, too. Would he risk staying inside the village after making such a move? No, whatever he planned, he wouldn't be returning to the village.

There were three entrances to the village. East of the Hokage rock, where residence mostly were made out of clans. In the west, only the Aburame clan stayed, as they liked to distance themselves from everyone else. The children disappeared from the northwest part of the village. So, it was unlikely that Orochimaru left through the east entrance.

Only the south and west entrances were left, as someone would have noticed him if he had climbed through the Hokage rock. To leave through the south gates, he would have to cross the river, and he might have done it anyway to lose his smell. The south area of the village was also the least populated and consisted mostly of training grounds.

"Everyone reveal yourself," Eight ANBU operatives knelt before Hiruzen. "We will be facing one of the Sannin. He is dangerous and deadly. He will not hesitate to kill you. But our priority is to save the children. Even if it kills you, you will save the children first, I am understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," All of them replied at the same time.

"Have you discovered anything, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked as they walked out of the office.

"No, but I will get sick if I stay in the office even for one more minute," Hiruzen replied.

He needed to think, and he thought best when on the move. Maybe he would see something that would remind him of where Orochimaru might be hiding. Even if he didn't get anything, he needed to do something, or he would drive himself crazy. He couldn't just sit tight and hope that others would do the work.

…

Tsume was the first to find Hiruzen and report that she lost the children's scent and couldn't find it anymore. Then Hiashi Hyuga came to tell him that he looked everywhere in the village, will it be the center, residential part, market, or training grounds. They couldn't find anything. Fugaku was the last one to come. It was already past midnight.

"We couldn't find anything, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said as he bowed his head in apology. "We should spread our search radius."

Even if they did that, there was little hope they would find anything. Orochimaru should by now know that they were searching for him and he was probably prepared to hide for as long as he needed or escape at any moment. But Hiruzen wasn't ready to give up just yet. He knew that Orochimaru and his lab should be somewhere near. He only needed a clue or something.

As Hiruzen was losing his mind thinking of all the possibilities, by pure coincidence, he found a strand of dark brown hair on the grass. It could have been anyone's, but for some reason, Hiruzen believed it to be Ayame's hair. Hiruzen looked around the south gate of the village. Only a few farms were sitting outside the woods surrounding the village.

"Sensei?" Jiraiya looked worried at HIruzen as he started walking forward.

Hiruzen inscribed a Negative emotion-sensing seal on the ground and tried to spread it as far as he could. After not feeling anything, he hurried further out of the village and used the seal again. There must be something. There had to be something. If the children were still alive, they would feel fear, and Hiruzen should be able to sense it. And after five times repeating the action, he stopped.

"Call everyone here," Hiruzen said coldly as he looked out at the empty field behind a big farm. "The rest come with me."

Whatever fear Hiruzen might have felt knowing he would face Orochimaru was dwarfed by the immense fear he felt from the children. It was indescribable. The emotion flooded Hiruzen like a tidal wave and washed away any other emotion he had. He would never be able to forget it, and he would make sure Orochimaru doesn't forget it, either.

A.N. As always, If you want more, up to seven advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852. And if you have any requests for stories, I will only take them on my pa treon.