Will of embers

Chapter 15

Age 9 to 10. It was impossible to determine the exact age.

Hiruzen didn't know how he should feel as he read the report from Tsunade. The boy doesn't remember anything, and there are no records of him. He is probably an orphan who was taken by Orochimaru at an early age. Hiruzen might ask Orochimaru about him, but part of him didn't want to reveal that there was a survivor of his experiments.

Hiruzen was glad he had saved the other children from those experiments. Seeing Ayame reunite with her father after the ordeal she experienced made Hiruzen realize how fragile children were. Teuchi seemed to not want to let go of his daughter even in Hiruzen's presence. Hiruzen could never let something like this happen ever again.

"His body has stabilized," Tsunade informed Hiruzen as he looked at the boy, who stared back. "His recovery is extortionary. I was shocked at how quickly he recovered, so I did a few blood tests. And I found out that he had similar DNA to mine."

"DNA of the Senju clan, you mean?" Hiruzen asked, waiting patiently for Tsunade to gather her thoughts.

"Yes," Tsunade answered with a sigh. "His DNA is even closer to Senju than mine. It seems that Orochimaru's experiment succeeded."

"How well is he emotionally? Mentally?" Hiruzen asked, not leaving his eyes on the boy.

"Emotionally? Confused, lost, lonely," Tsunade described as best as she could. But his intellect is better than that of most children his age. It is hard to tell, but in all the tests I gave him, he was quick to solve them. He knows and speaks the language, but I don't think he was taught to read or write."

"Should we try to use Yamanaka to get into his memories?" Hiruzen asked, as he tried to determine what he should do.

"Normally, it would be a safe bet, but I am afraid the boy only has memories of that lab, and I don't wish for him to remember what Orochimaru had done to him," Tsunade still had a hard time accepting what Orochimaru had done. "What should we do with him? He doesn't even have a name or education. It is impossible to tell how well he will get used to the world if we just throw him out."

There were no records of the boy. No family, no home, no school, and no memory. It wasn't hard to tell that if he were pushed into the world now, he wouldn't even know what to do. He might get scared of the world, and any attention to him would only confuse him more. And he has no one to rely on. No one to explain to him how anything works.

"He can't remember his name either, right?"

"No, and since you don't want him on any records, I didn't name him either," Tsunade replied.

It was quite simple then. Hiruzen had to take him in. And as insensitive as it sounded, he was perfect for him. A blank slate that didn't understand about the world. Just like him, the boy was thrown out into this place, and now he had nowhere to go. Hiruzen could understand how the boy must be feeling right now better than anyone else.

"Hello," Hiruzen walked closer to the boy and knelt to be on the same level. "My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"Hello," The boy tried to imitate Hiruzen's tone as he replied.

"It might sound weird, but since you don't have a name, would it be alright if I gave you one?" The boy nodded eagerly. "If you don't like it, just say so. As from today onward, you will be Yamato."

"Yamato?" The boy smiled as he repeated the name, seemingly liking the sound of it.

"Yes, Yamato. And since today is the day you have a name, today will be your birthday, too," Hiruzen said.

"Birthday?" Yamato asked, not understanding what it meant.

"Yes, it is the day you are born," Hiruzen patiently explained. "Well, you weren't born today, but since neither of us knows when that day is for you, I say we make that day today. How about it?"

"Okay," The boy clearly didn't understand what it should mean, but he seemed to be happy about it.

"Good," Hiruzen smiled as he patted Yamato's shoulder. "Tsunade, can he eat a cake?"

"A cake?" Tsunade asked back before understanding what Hiruzen was getting at. "Yes, he can. I will have Shizune bring it to him."

"Good," Hiruzen said as he left the boy and returned to Tsunade's side. "Create a record for him. Name Yamato. Age: 10. He is a genin and graduated from the academy last year. His old records were lost in the Demon Fox attack. He was hurt from that attack and is only now regaining his consciousness and ability to move. He seemed to have lost a large part of his memories and will have to relearn many things before he is ready for duty."

"I can only create medical records from the position you gave me," Tsunade replied. "But I will have it all written down and have someone recreate his records. We still need him in the hospital for a couple of weeks; during that time, I have Shizune teach him how to write and read, at least the basics."

A couple of weeks seemed a bit short for a kid to learn that, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself by not knowing stuff like how people in this world work, so Hiruzen kept his mouth shut. He was more excited to teach the boy and, at the same time, learn the basics than think about other things. But until then, he would have to do some research on where he should begin.

…

Taijutsu skills: Shurikenjutsu (Advance level), Drunken fist (Advanced level), Bo-staff mastery (Novice level).

Hiruzen looked at his new skill. As much as he liked having another skill under his belt, he wasn't happy to have it only at the novice level. Shurinkenjutsu was pretty useless against more powerful opponents at the advanced level, so Hiruzen could tell bo-staff mastery at the novice level would only work on weak opponents. But at least it was something.

It seemed like he would have to raise his proficiency level by himself, though. There was only so much he could depend on the system and the theory he learned. At least taijutsu skills were easier to master, especially with shadow clones, than ninjutsu. It would also be easier to hide learning it. Since he took care of Orochimaru, there isn't really that much pressure on him either.

Well, apart from whatever Danzo will be planning. Hopefully, he will sit tight and won't try anything before the whole ordeal with Orochimaru has calmed down. But Hiruzen wasn't naïve enough to believe that he would have time to relax. Anything could happen, and he had to prepare for it as much as possible.

"You were always too kind, sensei," Orochimaru spoke from within his cell. "You even came to visit me. And I thought that I would be spending my days in this dark place all alone."

"Oh, you will spend the remaining of your days here," Hiruzen replied as he pushed a tray of food to Orochimaru's cell. "These walls are sturdy, and I will be immediately notified if you even touch them roughly. The bracelets on your wrist will explode the moment you try to use your chakra. The choker on your neck will explode if you leave the premises of your cell. Only three people will come to check on you, including me. Every time they visit you, they will be checked by Yamanaka to see if you haven't put any ideas in them."

"You go so far just for me?" Orochimaru asked, seemingly enjoying his situation. "Wouldn't it be easier just to kill me? Or are you feeling sympathetic towards your favorite student?"

"Look at my eyes and tell if I am lying," Hiruzen said as he locked his eyes with Orochimaru. "You are not my student."

Hiruzen never understood how people would find someone lying by just looking at their eyes. Still, Orochimaru was perceptive enough to find Hiruzen's hesitation or unwillingness to say this to Orochimaru. But this Hiruzen wasn't lying. Orochimaru wasn't his student, even if the memories he received would say otherwise. The fact was, this Hiruzen never taught Orochimaru anything.

"Ha," Orochimaru seemed to recoil from Hiruzen's words and was a bit shocked. I keep underestimating you, and I always come to pay the price for doing so. I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I would. So, is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"Tell me who supported you."

"You know who," Orochimaru replied.

"I want to hear it."

"Why? Because you can't do anything if I won't say it aloud?" Orochimaru asked, smug. Happy to win over Hiruzen for the first time. "I won't say it. Not to you or anyone else. And you know very well that I have prepared for Yamanaka getting into my head. Even if it is Inoichi Yamanaka, he won't be able to get anything from me."

Hiruzen didn't know that. But someone like Orochimaru, who knew almost about every shinobi from this village, would have prepared for them. Yamananka's secret jutsu wasn't so secret to someone like Orochimaru. And so went his other plan to get evidence against Danzo. At this point, Hiruzen didn't know what else he could do.

"The people of Konoha have asked for your head," Hiruzen was prepared to finish his conversation. "Even Council agrees with it. Danzo is adamant that it is better and safer to kill you."

"Then I don't have that many remaining days."

"No, you will have plenty of them," Hiruzen replied. "You will stay here for years upon years. Not able to do anything, stuck and alone. Just like the people you did experiments on. And I want you to remember that all of this was for nothing. You achieved nothing but ruined countless lives, including yours."

After that, Hiruzen didn't want to look at Orochimaru, so he turned away and walked out. The hallway where Orochimaru's cell was located was long and empty. He had to climb countless stairs to get out of the underground prison. Hiruzen wasn't a fool, and he knew that he risked Orochimaru's escaping the longer he kept him alive.

But Hiruzen was prepared for it. He made Shikaku and Inoichi assign the guards of this prison and make sure that no one who isn't allowed would be able to get to Orochimaru. Not even Danzo. Maybe it would have been easier just to kill him off, but part of him didn't let him do so. Hopefully, it was his intuition that told him that Orochimaru would be useful later rather than the real Hiruzen still influencing him.

It was partially to use Orochimaru as bait for Danzo. Even if Danzo had destroyed any evidence that connected him to Orochimaru, he would still be worried about what Orochimaru knew. So, he might act, trying to kill or break Orochimaru out of his cell. And if he tried to do it himself, he would be caught. Hiruzen made sure that this prison build by the Second Hokage was secure.

The longer Orochimaru was kept here, the more pressure it would put on Danzo. And as much as Hiruzen wanted to kick Danzo's ass, he couldn't do anything without any proof of his wrongdoings. Orochimaru was the only one who could give Hiruzen that. And Danzo knew that. So, the question was, what will Danzo do about it?

…

Anko Mitarachi. Age 12. Chunin.

Graduated at age ten and, after one and half years under the tutelage of Orochimaru, passed the Chunin exam. After getting the promotion she didn't have much to do with Orochimaru, but still would ask for guidance from time to time. But since Anko was busy with her duties and Orochimaru didn't care much about anything else, she had little interaction with him in the past half of the year.

"Before we start, I want you to understand that I do not believe in any accusation people have for your involvement with Orochimaru," Hiruzen said as he looked at the little girl before him. "Just like he was your teacher, I was his. The same accusations could be thrown at me, too. But it is easier to pick up on a little girl than to an old man like me."

"Then why am I here?" Anko huffed, probably tired of how people had treated her of the late.

"Because I know even if I don't believe that accusation, that doesn't mean others won't," Hiruzen replied, feeling a bit bad. He could sense that rather than getting angry, Anko was simply sad. I know that you will have to earn the trust of others over again. So, I want to offer you to join ANBU and work your way up the ranks."

"With due respect, Hokage-sama, I don't need your pity."

Over time, Hiruzen started to pick up differences in the negative emotions he felt through the seal. It was still sometimes hard to know what a person felt, as human emotions were complicated. But sadness had its own bitter feeling. It was too different from anger or hatred. So, Hiruzen could easily pick up that Anko was extremely depressed.

"It is not a pity," Hiruzen replied, trying his best not to make Anko's situation worse. "I think you are capable and talented enough to join the ANBU. Of course, you will start from the lowest rank, but I have confidence that one day you will be a captain. And don't look at me like that. Even if part of me feels bad for what happened to you, I take my duties seriously and consider many things before making a decision."

Even if he wasn't trained as a shinobi, Hiruzen still noticed Anko's trembling lips. Being betrayed by the people you trust the most is one of the vilest things people can experience. Being isolated by others for things you have no involvement in was probably crushing her already. The last few days were probably hard on her, but at least she didn't have any cursed seal on her body.

Unlike others, Hiruzen could still see a little girl rather than a trained shinobi before his eyes. That is why he couldn't let Danzo sink his teeth into her. It was Danzo's specialty to manipulate emotionally vulnerable children, after all. And even if Hiruzen would be using these children for his own goals, at least he cared about her well-being.

A.N. I have some bad news. I will be gone from May 6. I have been selected to do mandatory military training for nine months. I will post as usual until the end of April and then post the rest of the chapters I have on my pa treon before I am gone. I don't know how much free time I will have in the military, but from what I hear, I should have weekends off, even if not all of them. So, I will try to write as much as I can on weekends and holidays. Thought I would probably have to drop most of my stories until I finished my training. I want to focus on ending "What is dead may never die" and continue "Will of embers." Thanks for reading and support.