Pov: Hiruzen Sarutobi.
...
"So you can't remember anything? At all?" I ask in wonder, just now realising that my pipe went out quite some time ago.
"No- that's the thing, I remember my name... maybe my motives for life and- and well, I remember remembering my age but that's not there either... I know my nickname and the... fire" Kenzo, Ryū or now {Oswald} paces around me as he answers my questions.
"And you lost these memories because the orange box... didn't help you keep them like your- Kenzo's memories? Lost those moments to time?" I ask.
"Yes- exactly!" He finger guns me.
"The nguage, speak it again" I ask of him.
"{Again? I don't think you are going to remember it on the seventh try grandpa}" He says something I can't interpret, something mocking by his tone I can tell.
"No, can't seem to link it to any nguage I know in this world... and from what you have said... maybe you aren't from our past or future" I sigh.
"I told you! Another world!" He tells me.
"Without chakra" I say.
"Without chakra" he replies.
Not opening that mind puzzle right now-
"So Naruto- why did you become his brother" I ask sternly.
"I didn't want to really... just liked reading and he happened to be in the same corner- then the adults were being very abusive for caretakers and I just stuck to him to make sure that he wasn't beaten to death... I remember protecting him and sticking by him as my clearest earliest memories... it just, he is my brother ya know?" He tells me.
That will do for now.
"That's why you are into older women as Naruto tells me?" I ask.
"Really? That question?" He asks dumbfounded.
"You have a child who had a crush on you Kenzo- {Oswald!}" I sternly tell him.
"And I handled it the same way that any good natured adult would handle a child with a crush!" He tells me and I take a breath, he is right- Kakashi did tell me about that and how it was handled so bluntly...
"So- how old are you?" I ask.
"Mentally? I feel like I am Ryū's age at a maximum and a minimum, physically? Eleven, spiritually? Older than Konoha or maybe even the entire nd of fire" He deadpans me.
I rub my brow as I take that all in.
"These challenge scrolls you described- you said that once you went back in time and visited the year before your birth how did that work?" I ask.
"Like a repeat of history... but with me in the mixture" I say.
"You met Minato? Naruto's father?" I look him in the eyes, still not used to his stare.
"Technically... I was in a cell for most of it- I have details of every challenge if you want it..?" He tells me.
"No- not at all- this is far too much information already... those scrolls expin so much and why it seemed so unnatural, good to know Oorochimaru cannot replicate people born with a super evolving ever growing body like yours" I reply.
"When you were listing challenges before- you mentioned a scroll that told you to figure out the Uchiha massacre- in reward you got knowledge, does that mean the knowledge of the night itself or a question you can ask?" I ask of him.
"... probably a question I can ask as the scroll wouldn't reward me with something I had just gotten" He replies.
"... I have an idea but will save it for ter" I respond and sigh.
"Are you going to tell anyone about this...?" He asks in concern.
"No- not at all" I reply.
"Why not- I would if I were you?" He tells me.
"Because you are so many different ages the numbers don't matter, if you tell someone this they will forever see you as some mystical being always older then them, when in reality you are eleven years old- no memory of your previous life other than the standard facts... basically became someone else entirely. You want to live life? Wait till your eighteen and do whatever you want, for now just wait and do as you have been doing" I tell him.
...
"Thank you for trusting me" I add on top of that.
"No, thank your lord Hokage" He says.
...
...
...
We stand in the night for a quiet moment again, as if the world wasn't on fire anymore my mind calmed down and processed everything.
"Get the challenge scroll, I will tell you the answers and you will ask a question on my behalf" I tell him and he gets up before sliding over rooftops to get to the Uchiha compound... or what's left of it after years of renovating.
Kenzo.
He is Kenzo now- an unwise mind would only be able to see Oswald, but Kenzo is his true face while Ryū is his true heart.
I must remove anything that could link two together, absolutely no one should be capable of ruining Kenzo and his life with this information.
...
Younger than me and yet older at the same time.
*Woosh*
"Got it" He says.
"Lets start with Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha..." I say.
Can't believe I thought I could get a night off to think for myself.
---
Pov: Kenzo
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Challenge Complete!
Reward: Knowledge!
------
...
So Itachi wasn't the bad guy... kind of, he still did kill his entire cn but at least it was not with bad intentions...
This scroll left a lot of unanswered questions as well, Shisui just decided to commit suicide? Doesn't make any sense... Danzo is even higher on my to kill list and their was someone who helped itachi kill his family but I couldn't figure it out.
If I had time to complete the scroll instead of instantly completing it due to the Hokage some of the many questions might have been answered... perhaps the reason knowledge is the reward is due to the many unknown factors.
"What would you like to ask?" I look towards the Hokage and tighten my goggles properly... need to get another mask, they keep breaking so maybe the Anbu have some secret mask glue I can borrow.
"... I could ask anything?" The Hokage asks me.
"Anything- even stuff that you cant think to ask about" I tell him with certainty.
"I could ask about Konoha's enemies... my life or some regrets... but I know that I am getting old and those things will not help Konoha... ask about every root base, keep that information to yourself and when Danzo dares to make a move use that information to remove Konoha's parasite... for the future of Konoha us old men must step back" He tells me.
"What...? You could ask about anything, Even about how to gain your youth again I am sure- or how to improve Konoha ten times over... maybe it would require a lot of work but you would still get a guideline?" I ask.
"What I said- I cant keep up with Danzo, and the more I move against him the more he hides his cards from me, he is reckless and greedy... but I can only restrain him due to being the Hokage and not pushing him. When I leave this world he will remain, and unchecked as well, use that information to keep him down and reduce any damage he can do to you... if only he wasn't a trapped rat, Konoha could be safer" He repeats himself.
"Sorry? Trapped rat?" I ask.
"If I attack him he will consider me an enemy and might even give out Konoha's darkest secrets to drag the vilge low enough for him to stand above it, its unfortunate he got so far into the darkness of Konoha, any other ninja and I could have removed him the second he acted out" he says.
"What happened? Was he always so unhelpful?" I ask.
"No... that's what made him a parasite, I willingly let him help and he spread his influence far..." He tells me with a gruesome tone.
"Why this? Why now? Are you preparing to retire soon?" I ask.
"Yes. In a few years I must retire as I lose my strength from my youth... I will be seventy soon" The Hokage admits to me.
...
"You aren't upset about the Oswald thing? Or... have any other questions?" I ask.
"Yes actually... where are you going for your vacation?" He asks.
Trust.
"Hot springs, never been" I reply.
"Good. Great choice" He replies and walks away.
...
Trust goes a long way...
What he asked of me tonight- he wants me to keep all of Konoha's darkness in check, he wants me to be both the monster and the retired ninja... me being both the old and the new allows me to monitor both and ensure the new get a go at the reins.
'Knowledge on all of Danzo's secret bases and hideouts'
I focus and watch the sun rise as the information floods my brain.
And I leap into the streets to head for the gates, I have four days till I return after all... meaning four days of rexation.
Hopefully the guards aren't suspicious about my going out again.
---
Pov: Kanata
"Hey- where did Ryū go?" I ask Raiki.
"Who?" He replies.
"Hey where did Ryū go?" I turn to the genin.
"He went to to do some stuff and take over a few things for Kenzo as he will return soon, at least that's what he said to Satsumi-san before leaving" One of them reports.
"Where is Satsumi?" I ask as well.
"Toilet" Raiki nods sagely.
"No- she broke her arm and went to get it checked" Another genin speaks up in exasperation.
...
"Are you guys fine with these two in charge?" I ask and they shake their heads.
"We can keep our two genin morons in check but cant deny any orders given to us by... his assistants, and so means awful training while he is gone" Another Genin speaks up in annoyance.
"Just... come to our office if something goes wrong, or maybe the Hokage I don't know really... be careful and speak up if they are being too cruel" I tell them.
"Will do- bh, bh and lets get back to ps" Raiki chimes in and the genin start doing ps.
...
"Are those two alright Raiki?" I point to two Genin dead as a doornail as they crawl around the training ground.
"They got around three more ps to do... they will be fine I think" he tells me.
...
"How many ps did you say?" I cross my fingers and wish for safety.
"Seventeen why? Stop being nosy and go do your boring paper stuff" he shoos me away and I sp my face as I walk by the two nearly dead genin with a wince.
I will let the Hokage know just in case.
---
Pov: Kenzo
*Woosh!* *Fp* *Fp*
I am a bird- yes I ate a bird alive and killed it after, it was a big bird that attacked me so no harm no foul.
I have all my stuff in three scrolls that I am carrying while flying over to the nd of hot springs, my messenger bird summon is teaching me the ropes of being a bird and how to fly which is cool.
...
I have been thinking about Danzo and his bases, all of them I should be capable of intruding on if I become a bug- I can slowly gather intelligence ter on and on top of that I have an idea.
Bombs.
Bio-rune bombs.
Yeah, just in case of emergency I should keep making bombs that never go stale due to the fact that gathering nature chakra is all about stillness.
Pcing them in all his bases will be good for me if I have no one else's help- plus he has quite a few people to target as hostages, its only fair if I have his pces hostage too.
I swoop down to the road and dispel my summon, nding on the ground my bones crack into that of Kenzo's bones, at Kenzo speed I can spend a day in the town I passed as a bird and travel to Konoha to meet my deadline.
I release all the yang shifted energy and shake a little before clothing myself.
Huh.
I've grown a bit- but its certainly more than I should have grown in just four months, I am eleven after all... maybe my growth spurts are coming early?
And is my skin more pale? This all weird... maybe its because I haven't been in this body for a while, right- have to turn on my beast king title as well, make sure I stay consistent.
I repce my goggles with my blindfold and begin walking down the road, it takes a bit and I decide to stop for a few snacks... taste testing a few animals along the way.
Anytime I see an animal about to die or in circumstances that allow me to kill the animal without feeling terrible I do so.
An example is finding two animals fighting in nature, I stop and wait to see who wins before taking a bite out of the loser and giving it to the winner.
Or maybe just doing regur hunting but instead of just cooking the boar or rabbit I take a bite before killing it and cooking it.
...
A downside to all this animal eating is the fact that animals have blood- and when I bite into the animal that blood leaves the body and covers me.
I arrive in the town and luckily they have baths, should I go book a room somepce or go straight to cleaning myself? I did pack light and need a new set of... everything, maybe I will see if the pce I stay at has any ability to remove bloodstains?
An intense stare barrages me and I turn to it to find no one... the stare left immediately.
------
Quest complete: Get a positive response from telling someone your true nature!
Reward: C-rank Instant Skill scroll.
------
Hmmm... The Hokage must have finally digested all that information, gd to see he saw it in a positive light.
Should I meditate in the bathhouse? No I should do it in my room, best to avoid the public when doing this stuff.
I can wash up ter, plus its only a few stains on the front of my jacket and shirt, not that bad.
...
I make my way into the nearest inn and book a room, ignoring the armed stares of why does that kid have blood all over him.
Alright, lets get into this scroll and then bathe.
---
Pov: Root agent.
...
I am certain, while it isn't my current objective I was told to keep an eye out for Kenzo the monster, I don't have any backup at the moment so how do I handle this? I cannot attack him head on in case he uses the abilities he has hidden to kill me.
Danzo-sama wishes to capture him... but I also have to investigate the bandits in the area and understand if they are just that or spies aiming to harm Konoha.
Perhaps... I can use them to weaken Kenzo and take him out after he tires out? Best way to deal with both targets.
I was going to have to murder all the bandits if they were selling information or not anyway.
I check my ninja pouch and head for the forest, should be a few minutes at full speed and I should disguise as someone else... a random civilian will do.
I rush through the forest and scan the camp, nope- nothing noteworthy to justify calling them a bunch of information sellers... but at least a few rogue ninja amongst them, nothing above genin level I am sure but the numbers here will do quite well.
There is about thirty-forty bandits here... why? I wonder what this gathering is about, I don't know enough and need to confirm my suspicions before taking any opinions on them.
I wait about half an hour and suddenly my eyes jolt to a piece of paper the supposed leader is holding... a scroll with Kenzo's face on it- the snake theming of the scroll certainly helps pin this on someone... but I should confirm.
I find a better vantage point and scan the scroll from a better angle... Oorochimaru ordered this, the nd of hot springs suddenly bumped up in bandits due to promised rewards from the snake sannin.
It seems information from Konoha leaked about Kenzo's supposed mission in the nd of Hot springs, but seeing as the nd is a rge pce Oorochimaru must have sent a bunch of bandits to check it out.
...
Not much effort for the snake but that makes sense considering that even Danzo-sama thought this was a fake location.
I can use them.
I drop from the ground and adopt a civilians persona, I approach the camp from a more open angle and smile awkwardly at the camps guards.
"Oi, watcha want?" They ask.
"I- I saw a few of you guys going around recently to find someone named Kenzo..?" I tell them.
"Oh yeah!? What about it!" They stand up and I lower my body to allow them a superior position in this conversation.
"I heard he was a monster! I just want him out of the vilge! He is at Warm-winter inn!" I say and sprint away.
I here a few shouts as I drip back into the shadows out of sight, I watch as the camp starts moving quick and packing up before rushing to the town.
Lets hope he hasn't moved while I was gone, I make my way to the town as well, following closely behind them and preparing myself to kill them all before capturing Kenzo- Danzo-sama will be pleased about this I am sure.
Thanks for reading :)
