Will of embers

Chapter 21

Hiruzen knew that he wasn't very perceptive in certain things. But even he found it suspicious that the moment Danzo was gone, he was summoned to the capital city. Add the distrust he already felt towards Danzo, and it isn't hard to come to certain conclusions. Still, he didn't think there was much to worry about. If Danzo sent some of his runts from the ROOT, Kakashi was more than capable of dealing with them, and he had a squad of ANBU with him, too.

But he didn't wish to get involved in the fighting. Although he was getting better at this shinobi business and this training was progressing nicely, he was nowhere near confident enough to take on other shinobi who had trained for all their lives. So far, he was able to hide his lack of skill, but if he continued getting into fights, more likely, others would start noticing that he wasn't as skillful as the real Hiruzen.

Either way, it was better to prepare for whatever might come at him. Danzo didn't look like a fool who would not give his best to kill him. Hiruzen wanted to see if the system would tell him anything, but it stayed silent. But Hiruzen had learned it was best not to trust the system fully; he had to think for himself. And that is why he was here.

"Is it wise to bring me with you?" Fugaku Uchiha asked again. "I am not very close to the Daimyo, and I would surprised if he had anything nice to say about me."

"Don't sell yourself short," Hiruzen replied. "You are one of the heroes of the Third Shinobi World War. Sure, Minato overshadowed everyone by his accomplishments, but your work didn't go unnoticed. There is no reason why I shouldn't bring you with me. The Daimyo will be more than happy to see you and hear your opinion."

And Hiruzen would be even more happy to have Fugaku with him if anything would happen. As much as Hiruzen didn't know Fugaku's true abilities and strength, he couldn't deny that he was one of the strongest shinobi in the village. Having Fugaku by his side would make Hiruzen more comfortable traveling to the capital.

"Who else are you going to bring with you?" Fugaku asked, still considering it.

"Kakashi and a few of my ANBU as my bodyguards," Hiruzen replied. "Is there any problem?"

"No, that's fine." Fugaku couldn't really deny Hiruzen's request. "If you think I can be of any use to you, then I will be more than happy to accompany you."

"Good," Hiruzen stood up as he heard what he wanted. "I will give you more details about it later."

Hiruzen could hear faint sounds of babies crying from the next room. He didn't want to stay in Fugaku's house any longer than he needed. He saw how dead tired Mikoto was, she didn't even say a word to him and served cold tea. Hiruzen said nothing about it and left them to deal with it by themselves. He certainly didn't want to be in the way.

…

Looking back, Hiruzen still didn't know if he did the right thing by using Pakura to infiltrate Akatsuki. But he knew it was a smart decision. He needed information on them as they would be his worst enemies in the future. So, he couldn't let them be and not know what they were doing or planning. And Pakura realistically was the only choice Hiruzen had to use.

"So, they still haven't approached her," Hiruzen concluded as HIzashi informed him. "How is she doing?"

"She is working as a mercenary, mostly as far away from the Land of Wind as possible," Hizashi replied. "She is gaining a reputation fast. I think in a year, many people will approach her."

"Hopefully, it will be the people I want to approach her," Hiruzen sighed; he had no idea what Akatsuki was or what they were doing at this time, so he was getting worried. "I guess I can only ask for you to keep up the good work."

"Don't worry, Hokage-sama," Hizashi was way more amiable than his older twin brother. "If the worst comes to the worst, I have prepared some funds for places she could go into hiding."

"We can not be associated with her in any way or form," Hiruzen was now even more worried about his plan.

"I know," Hizashi only smiled at Hiruzen's worry. "And I also know that you wouldn't want to sacrifice an innocent life if it can be avoided. I know what I am doing. The preparations were done without anyone knowing me or for what reason they were done."

"Well, there is a reason why I left this job to you," Hiruzen could only sigh in relief. Was he really that easy to read? "On the other matter, I will be leaving tomorrow for the capital. I don't know for how long I will be gone, but I need someone to watch over the village while I am not here."

"That responsibility is too much for someone like me," Hizashi quickly got scared of the idea.

"Calm down," Hiruzen waved his hand with a mirthful laugh. "I will be leaving that responsibility to Tsunade."

"Oh, I didn't know she would accept it."

"Well, she has yet to have accepted or know of it, per se."

"Hokage-sama? Don't tell me you-"

"Yes, once I leave tomorrow, I will have you deliver her my wishes."

"She will break my spine, won't she?"

"It is a sacrifice I am willing to make."

After Hiruzen had gotten the memories of his students, he could now understand them better. So, he knew that while Tsunade would deny taking over the duty of the Hokage even for a day in an instant when asked, she would do it when she wasn't given a choice. As much as she wanted to portray herself in a manner that would suggest she hated the village and, more importantly, the politics of the village, she was still heavily worried about it and wouldn't let any harm befall it if she could prevent it.

The way she took her new job as the manager of the hospital in the village said a lot. Even if she didn't take any patients, she still oversaw every doctor and gave out lessons and consulting where she saw it needed. She didn't have to do it, but she always went above what was expected of her. And that is why Hiruzen believed she would be great next Hokage. If only she weren't so damn stubborn.

…

The gates loudly opened as the sun was just rising on the horizon. Hiruzen looked back at the village and then once again turned to the road. It would be the first time he would leave the village, excluding the time he went looking for Orochimaru. He didn't know how he should feel about it. But the road was long, and the ANBU were waiting for him, so he had no time to think about it before he started walking out.

At least the weather was nice. The morning wasn't cold or hot, and the scenery was quite beautiful, too. So, he wasn't too bored to walk on the road, as his ANBU ran ahead to scout the area. Fugaku and Kakashi were by his side. He couldn't imagine anyone going past them and being able to harm him, and so he walked in peace.

The birds' chirping created an enjoyable melody. Once he reached a river running along the road, Hiruzen completely immersed himself in nature, forgetting all his worries. He didn't even notice that time had passed and the sun was now high in the sky. And if he weren't getting hungry, he would probably have missed the checkpoint where he should await for his ANBU to return and report of the situation ahead of the road.

"Why don't you join me?" Hiruzen asked Kakashi and Fugaku, as it was quite awkward to eat alone. "I have an extra tuna sandwich if you like."

"I am alright, Hokage-sama," Fugaku replied, while Kakashi just stared at Hiruzen before turning away. "We made quite a way from the village. I say it would take at least two hours for a shinobi to come running in case of emergency."

"You need to work on your small talk, Fugaku," Hiruzen could only sigh as the Uchiha clan head turned to analyze the situation first. "If you have nothing to say, start with the weather. It is the lowest-ranking topic in conversation, as everyone knows what the weather is, but it is better than whatever you are trying to say."

"My apologies; I will try harder next time," Fugaku replied. "But I wanted to draw your attention to the fact that your ANBU is late. They should have returned four and half minutes ago."

"I know," Hiruzen said calmly, but inside, he was freaking out as he didn't notice it, and since the shinobi, especially ANBU, were very precise on timing, for them to be late even for a minute spelled problems for him. "I suspect that what is coming back to us won't be my ANBU. But I still have no reason to worry as I have you by my side. And I am more curious about who would dare to attack me."

Fugaku said it took about two hours to run back to the village. Since they left at six, they walked for seven hours. Hiruzen was truly surprised that they were walking this fast. He didn't even notice it, as he just enjoyed the walk. Sometimes, it was scary what he was capable of without realizing it. And now he was thinking about unrelated things because he didn't want to think about the assassins that were coming for him.

Hiruzen didn't like the idea that he now had two ANBU out of six. Were they really that useless? He shouldn't say that, as he was more useless than them, but still, he expected more from them. Well, so far, they faced opponents who were on top of the food chain, so it wasn't a surprise that they couldn't show off their skills very well.

At this moment, he rather hoped that they were useless and defeated by someone who wasn't very strong. Otherwise, it meant that someone very powerful was coming for him. It was a good thing he had already suspected something like this happening and had prepared accordingly. And it was a good time to see how good Fugaku was.

"And it was quite a delicious sandwich," Hiruzen sighed as he put half of the uneaten tuna sandwich back into the container. "It is one of the worst things about my work. I never seem to be able to finish my meals."

"Hmm? We were discovered so quickly?" a voice behind a tree asked, surprising Hiruzen, who was ranting to Kakashi that he had lost his appetite.

"You should have realized it a long ago," Hiruzen replied as he watched the man reveal himself. He was wearing a black cloak with red clouds. And since neither Fugaku nor Kakashi looked even a bit surprised by him, they probably knew he was here for some time. "Did you really think you could escape our notice with your subpar skill?"

"I guess I can't be good at hiding and killing at the same time," The man said as he drew his long and slender katana.

"Isn't your friend going to reveal himself too?" Hiruzen asked, knowing for a fact that Akatsuki worked in pairs. "Maybe he is more polite and will introduce himself."

"As I thought, there was no need to hide from you, Hiruzen Sarutobi." Another man came out of the ground from another side of the road. "Still, the lack of your bodyguards' skill lulled me into a false sense of security."

"Can you blame them?" Hiruzen looked at the man, recognizing him. "Not many can stand against someone like you, Kakuzu. Still, I at least hope that the price of my head is worth losing yours."

There was no reply as the unnamed man with the long katana rushed at Hiruzen. Kakashi quickly blocked his Path. Fugaku chose to intercept Kakuzu as he tried to reach Hiruzen. That was good because Hiruzen couldn't even see Kakuzu move. He was way too fast for him; the swordsman, on the other hand, didn't look as strong or fast.

Kakashi didn't seem to struggle too much as he evaded and blocked the swordsman's attacks. Hiruzen slowly took out his staff as he looked at the two fights. Kakuzu was clearly the more dangerous one, as he was able to push Fugaku back with his taijutsu. Or at least that's how it looked; Fugaku didn't look too troubled.

For a moment, it seemed that Hiruzen might not even need to interfere, and he was more than happy to do so. But as always, Hiruzen wasn't that lucky. Seeing that he couldn't pass through Fugaku so easily, Kakuzu's body started to deform. From his back, four masks emerged as bodies of black tendrils formed on the masks.

"Hah, it isn't my day," Hiruzen sighed as he saw Fugaku being caught in surprise. "Fire Release: Burning Ash."

To give Fugaku a moment to analyze the situation, Hiruzen covered the area in ash using his new ninjutsu, which he had obtained from the system. Both he and Kakashi should still be able to see while the assailants would not. But Hiruzen had underestimated them. The swordsman cut through the ash with his sword while one of Kakuzu's monsters blew it away with wind jutsu.

"It is the end!" The swordsman said as he rushed at Hiruzen. "Die!"

Thrusting his sword forward, the swordsman was about to pierce Hiruzen. But Hiruzen just stared at the swordsman without moving, not even blinking. He only raised his hand and formed into a hand sign. Just two meters away from Hiruzen, a seal under the swordsman's feet exploded, knocking him away. Even if it was for a second, Hiruzen used their inability to see to leave a few explosive tags around himself. Even if he wasn't that skilled in fighting, he wasn't a fool.

"Lightning Release: False light." One of Kakuzu's monsters has jumped above Hiruzen and shot out several lightning bolts.

There was no way Hiruzen could dodge them in time, so he threw his metal staff at them. Surprisingly, it worked quite well. The lightning went into the staff, and as the staff exploded into a bunch of shards, it negated the lightning. Maybe luck was on his side today. Fugaku seemed to have realized what those monsters with masks were, and Hiruzen's last two ANBU were capable enough to take on at least one of them.

"Hokage-sama, are you alright?" Kakashi returned to Hiruzen's side and asked.

"What did you do?" Hiruzen asked in return, wanting to know why he hadn't stopped the swordsman.

"I have summoned one of my nin dogs to deliver a message to the village," Kakashi explained.

"The situation indeed doesn't look good," Hiruzen said as Fugaku was left alone to deal not only with Kakuzu but also with two of his monsters with the masks. "Oh, well. If the worst comes to worst and you can't protect me, I guess I will meet you at the capital."

"What?" Before Kakashi could ask what Hiruzen meant, the swordsman returned, and Kakashi had no choice but to get back to fight him.

"Tch," The swordsman clicked his tongue in frustration as Kakashi was able to push him away from Hiruzen.

"Jin! What are you doing? Can't you deal with a kid?" Kakuzu was no less frustrated as he couldn't get through Fugaku.

"Fuck! Fine, it's time to end this," Now Hiruzen knew the swordsman's name was JIn. "Secret Technique: Ghost Blade."

Hiruzen never heard of such jutsu, nor did he hear of this Jin, but it wasn't probably because he was weak. Even Kakashi, with his sharingan, seemed to be surprised as Jin's body turned into a bunch of afterimages. And each image was true, not an illusion. Kakashi was struggling to block each of them, and Hiruzen knew that he had no chance of even blocking one of them if Kakashi with his Sharingan was struggling.

"Fugaku, protect Kakashi over me," Hiruzen said as he saw that Kakuzu would probably try to kill Kakashi first as he saw him as the weakest.

"What?" Fugaku asked after countering a massive fireball flying at him with his giant fireball.

"That an order," HIruzen said.

He wasn't going to let Kakashi lose his life here. Even if Kakashi could still be content with Jin, it was clear that once he started to use his ninjutsu, his sharingan would drain his chakra very quickly. The two monsters slowly pushed back the two ANBU. Hiruzen himself didn't stand a chance against either of Kakuzu's monsters or Jin, so he couldn't do much and had to leave it to Fugaku.

"Too late," Kakuzu replied as tendrils shot down from behind Kakashi.

Fugaku cursed as his sharingan morphed into a different shape than his three tomoe and turned to Jin. Hiruzen had no idea what Fugaku had done, but he saw blood coming out of Fugaku's left eye and Jin stopping his attacks. Then, the swordsman dropped his weapon and put his hand on his head. The next moment, he snapped his neck. It was the most terrifying thing Hiruzen had seen.

But as much as Hiruzen was shocked by what he saw, he had no time to stay still, as whatever Fugaku had done made him lose sight of Kakuzu. Seeing his chance, the assassin rushed to kill Hiruzen. Kakashi tried to stop him by using Chidori, but it was stopped by one of Kakuzu's monsters. Fugaku could only stop the other monster from reaching Hiruzen, but Kakuzu was free to take down Hiruzen.

Hiruzen tried to distance himself from Kakuzu, but he didn't have it. He shot out his hand from his body and grabbed Hiruzen's neck. The hand quickly retracted, bringing Hiruzen to him. They locked their eyes, but Hiruzen wasn't scared and only smiled. Rather than try to get himself free, his hand moved to his cloak, and he took a handful of explosive tags within it.

"You never answered me. Is the price on my head worth yours?"

Before Hiruzen could drop the explosive tags, Kakazu snapped Hiruzen's neck and dropped him to the ground. Fugaku and Kakashi looked horrified at what they witnessed, but only for a moment, as Hiruzen's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke the next moment. All that was left were burning explosive tags under Kakuzu's feet.

…

Hiruzen stopped running as memories from his shadow clone came back to him. Since they had left at midnight, they were now close to the capital. It didn't feel good to remember his death like this, but he quickly shook his head clear and looked at Yamato and Anko, who were following him. The ringing of the system's notifications didn't help in that regard, though. 

It surprised Hiruzen, though, as he didn't expect that someone would have attacked him so close to the village, and he didn't think it would be Kakuzu. For a second, he thought that the Akatsuki had discovered his plans and were aiming to eliminate him. But there was no way they would have been able to find out about it.