Interlude: Hiruzen 2
Hiruzen
It didn't matter how much a shinobi honed their body or enhanced their mind and library of jutsu. In the end, there was one great equalizer that came for everyone, regardless of their martial prowess or intelligence: age. Hiruzen was no stranger to the rigors of senescence, made exaggerated by the trials and tribulations his long life had lent him. Slowing down in ways that would have gotten him killed twenty, thirty years ago just was part of life. He'd have to be a special kind of ungrateful to mutter about it and not find a way to properly adjust as the years marched on by.
For a time he'd made his peace with it, like many of his peers had done. He would never quite be the man he was in his youth, and that merely meant in a fight he had to rely on different things to achieve victory. More efficient usage of his chakra reserves, or more economical movement so as not to exacerbate old injuries that'd never truly healed just right. Little microfractures, tears in the joints, and innumerable other tiny injuries besides that accumulated over nearly seventy years of training and service.
Old shinobi were still as dangerous as young men, in a profession where most of them died in their youth. If not looking at himself as an example, Onoki was another of the old guard, and he had no doubts that Danzo was no less capable despite his old war injuries. Yet even so…
Part of him, the part that had once walked astride the Elemental Nations as Shinobi no Kami, rankled at the restrictions that had been placed on his actions. However, the larger part of Hiruzen understood that this was just the way things were. With the changing of the seasons and the passing of ages, there came a time to hand the torch to the next generation of talented young ninja.
And then young Tobio walked in with a miracle cure that defied all explanations.
It wasn't something that he took at face value, just by the dint of one young man's words. Their young Uzumaki mistress had been subjected to a truly outstanding panel of medical examinations, if only to see what possible side effects Tobio's so-called elixir might have held under the surface. It was an understandable suspicion, and one the boy seemed to have no trouble cooperating with concerning the nature of his summons' resources. What was more shocking were the results that came back from the medic-nin put to the task.
In a fundamental sense, Karin's body had been rejuvenated in a way that baffled all conventional knowledge concerning medical jutsu. Those carefully documented scars along her arms had disappeared, with no signs of subdermal remnants. Nor the wear and tear on her vital force that had been noted as chakra instabilities by the scant few medically trained Hyūga available.
Times like this made him long for the presence of one of his more biologically inclined students. It wasn't as if he or Jiraiya were incapable of understanding the theory and concepts behind the medicinal arts or biology, but neither did they possess Tsunade's or Orochimaru's brilliance in the fields. Tsunade especially would have likely shaken the boy until he could have provided her more samples. Even Enma had not been entirely sure if the boy's claims about the origins of the so-called Elixir were accurate or not, seeing as the Bear Clan was a tumultous bunch at best. Regardless, the item in question had proven to be little more than a trinket that he'd use if need be, if the crisis that Tobio had feared had truly come to pass.
Ultimately, Hiruzen disliked his caution being proven correct.
Somehow, an element of this felt…if not inevitable, then perhaps like the collision course of so many things in and out of his control. That ephemeral thing men called fate. Something he'd realize as he stood across from his wayward protégé on the roof of the arena, facing down Orochimaru for the first time in years.
Wherever that curious, endlessly starry-eyed child had gone, in his place was something cold-blooded. As lacking empathy as the snakes that he'd chosen to contract with. For all that it made Hiruzen's heart clench, it only firmed his resolve against what he'd needed to do. What he hadn't done that had led to all of this violence and bloodshed. His knee-jerk, almost entirely intuition-based decision to drink the Elixir that morning had been validated in the worst of ways.
"Hello teacher," Orochimaru greeted, his disguise shed like a snake's skin at last.
"Orochimaru," the Hokage intoned, trying to ensure that his words were being kept even. "We both know you're not the type of man to act solely on vengeance, despite your…aimless existence," Hiruzen spoke, as they stood across from each other. Seemingly at ease, as they each tracked the other's movements. Looking for any signs of damage, of weakness, of where to strike. "So let's cut to the point, shall we?"
"But I do have a goal," said his student, in kage robes that might have inspired a singular joy in him to see if things had been different. "I enjoy watching things in motion, you know. It's dull when matters are at a standstill. A stopped windmill doesn't build anticipation but breeds stagnation." He threw his hat off, fixing Hiruzen with a grin that was a little too wide, a little too serpentine at the edges. "And now, I wish to make it spin again with the destruction of Konohagakure."
It was enough to make Hiruzen smile at the sheer incredulousness of it, of how far his student's depravities had taken him. "Those grandiose dreams of yours haven't changed at all, have they?"
"Who was the one who taught me how to grasp or stoked the flames of my ambition…?"
"I also believe I taught you the difference between fantasy and reality," Hiruzen sighed as he threw his own hat away and shrugged off his robes, revealing the dark clothing and armor underneath. "But I suppose I have a little more time to instruct a cherished student."
There was a moment where he felt the barrier around them shift and change, as the four shinobi that'd trapped them together created another around themselves. Frustrating, and yet another sign of how well Orochimaru had planned this out. The easy option was no longer in reach to bring things to a swift conclusion.
"An ambush this well-planned must have taken some time to put into motion. Well done."
"As if you intended to escape," the snake Sannin scoffed. "Too sentimental to allow anyone else to get in your way."
Partially right, though perhaps not for the reasons Orochimaru had thought. Before, it had been a matter of not wishing to allow for anyone else to suffer for his mistakes, his failings. Now, reinvigorated as Hiruzen was…
Sometimes it was nice to have the space to cut loose.
At a certain point there were no more words to say. In that fraction of a second when the two of them began to blur into motion, rushing toward each other, Hiruzen tossed a spinning shuriken. through the air at his opponent. Then his hands were shifting through seals, Orochimaru doing the same, right before the single shuriken he tossed multiplied into dozens.
Many considered the shuriken kage bunshin to be a humble jutsu, lacking the boisterousness of elemental releases or their capacity for widespread destruction. Yet in his life he'd found that sometimes quantity was a quality all of its own. Much to his surprise, their target wasn't moving out of the way, however.
Instead, he was slapping his hands together in an act of concentration, right before caskets began to erupt from the tiles below them in a makeshift shield. One, two, three, as Orochimaru took cover behind them all. The dull thud of the projectiles slamming into the wood rang forth as Hiruzen noted the three coffins that erupted forth.
A curious enough shield for someone who was unfamiliar with the jutsu that his student was using.
For someone who recognized the Impure World Reincarnation, though, it took merely a moment to recognize it and a further expenditure of effort and chakra to disrupt whatever essence was coalescing inside of it. There was not enough time to banish the other two though, as they creaked open with ponderous slowness.
As two figures that he had last seen decades in the past stepped out, still in the familiar Senju battle armor that had made them terrors to behold in their day. For the briefest of moments, Hiruzen felt a chill run down his spine as they looked out at him.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Tobirama spoke, voice the same as ever, but with a kind of odd flange running through his vocal cords that Hiruzen couldn't place.
"Oof. Must have been decades, huh, if you've gotten this old, Sarutobi…" The other, more terrifying man next to him continued. Lord First, Hashirama Senju, wearing an uneasy expression on his features.
To see them like this, bastardized and corrupted by the Impure World Reincarnation, made his heart ache. It made him yearn for the days of his youth, before that naivety and hope in these two's dream had been ground down after years of war and impossible decisions. And disgust that his student had fallen so low to dredge up their legacies in this fashion.
"I would not have thought I'd meet you again like this," Hiruzen admitted. "For my old teachers…I'll do you the courtesy of sending you back to the Pure Lands as soon as possible."
If he could.
If he could win, rejuvenated as he was. It'd be one thing if he were fighting Orochimaru alone, but even a degraded version of these past kage was still a deadly fight. Yet duty, as ever, called Hiruzen onward toward battle. He wouldn't do anything less than his best for the village he called home.
Nor would he hesitate to sacrifice everything, every drop of blood running through his veins. Not if it bought them another second, another minute, or another day more.
When he moved, he moved with the kind of quickness that had been denied to him for years. No aches, no pains, and while Hiruzen was diminished in some respects, that did not mean he was overall weaker. How ironic was it that at the edge of death he'd be able to feel younger than ever?
Darting forward in a blur of movement, his hands flew through seals as tight explosions of smoke erupted from either side of him in that moment. Two shadow clones erupting forth and splitting his chakra reserves even further, but for good reason. He'd need the support to deal with the three ahead of him.
Orochimaru's eyes widened, if only incrementally. With the passive understanding that something was wrong, but being unsure of what precisely. For once, the wayward sannin was on the other side of a trap and couldn't see the shape of it. Hiruzen managed to muster up a smidgen of pity for him before mercilessly snuffing it out.
The clone to his right spun off, dashing toward Hashirama and nimbly spinning out of the way of a sudden roiling emergence of wooden branches rushing out of the roof. With a nimbleness that he himself hadn't possessed in years, an ease of motion, he began to close the distance and engage with his teacher properly.
As for the one on the left, it followed suit, blitzing forward to immediately break into taijutsu with his old teacher. Giving his former sensei any amount of time to dredge forth his powerful water release was, fundamentally, a bad proposition. And once more, Hiruzen could only marvel at the reality of the situation.
If he'd been his true, physical age, this wouldn't have been possible. Yet with his physicality revitalized, at least to a degree, his chakra capacity had adjusted to meet that standard, paired with the staggering potency of the years of spiritual energy adding to the total. He wasn't in his prime, not even close…
But even this much had him moving in a fundamentally different way. Something Orochimaru no doubt noticed, as he stared at the agile shadow clones in calculation. "...Something's different about you, old man."
"What can I say?" Hiruzen smiled, a thin and grim line on his features as he flew into another array of seals. "I'm feeling particularly youthful today."
When they came to completion, nothing unlike a gigantic gout of flame poured forth in a straight, powerful line toward Orochimaru. Flames that had been stoked by his mastery of fire release, to be sure, but also by his modifications to the jutsu over time. Did he expect it to take out his wayward protege?
Not in the slightest. That was fine, though, seeing as all he wanted was his eyes off of him for just long enough.
Orochimaru ducked back as the gout of flame rushed toward him, Hiruzen moving in its wake to press even further as it left his lips. But as the last licks of heat escaped him, he was already moving to even the odds even further in his favor. His shadow clones were a good start, but the Hokage felt as if he could do even better.
Enma appeared as he usually did, in a flash of smoke and hulking behind Hiruzen's frame, looking prepared as ever for the fight ahead. More so, because Hiruzen had told him to expect to be summoned today.
"...Well. This is a right mess!" The monkey barked.
"Pole form!" Hiruzen barked, as the staff transformed in that moment.
"Aye!"
The Monkey King shifted and transformed, turning into an adamantium staff in that instant, as Hiruzen plucked it out of the air. Right as the flames petered out, giving him a view of a surprised Orochimaru. Presumably, the man had assumed he'd be slower or something. Whatever might have given him that presumption?
A wan, rictus grin was on his face as he approached and swung with all of his might. Something gave way, or broke, underneath the assault as Orochimaru went flying back, his body contorting and twisting from the impact. It was in that moment that he understood, though, that something was wrong.
Hiruzen had been striking shinobi for decades with Enma and knew full well what an appropriate impact was meant to feel like. The breaking of bone and cartilage, the way a body gave out to the sheer, raw strength that he'd cultivated over the years. Not the boneless, gormlessly, reflexive response that came from striking his target.
Indeed, Orochimaru could only give a cackle as he was flung back, rolling to his feet. "Such viciousness! Whatever did I do to deserve this treatment, sensei?" His student swayed, almost boneless or sinewy, like a serpent, as the man slowly came to a stop. "If you're bringing out your weapons, I may as well reciprocate."
Quickly, a snake was emerging from the pale man's throat, which in and of itself was then depositing a familiar sword into his hands. A lapse that he would have rushed forward and punished if it weren't for Hashirama-sama doing what he did best and upending the board. Nearby, the clone that was fighting him had to leap back as wood release was unleashed onto the world for the first time in decades.
To devastating effect, as roots and branches emerged from the ceiling, they were fighting on. Hard, unyielding wooden branches that grew to fill the barrier space they were in as they attempted to ensnare Hiruzen and his clones, who had to narrowly move and dodge out of the way lest they all be caught and ensnared. It also gave Orochimaru the breathing room he needed to properly retrieve kusanagi.
And then things began to turn for the worse.
All in all, the Edo Tensei was an abominable thing that brought back lesser versions of the men he admired in his youth. Their souls, in truth, were simulacra of their bodies that were deadened and diminished from what they once were. But a weakened kage was still a threat, no matter how you wished to slice it.
A fact that both of them seemed happy to remind him of, as they unleashed their jutsu and skills against him in earnest. Whatever clever plans Hiruzen might have had, or relish he had taken in his restored physique, were overridden by one primal directive that drove his body. To survive, or, failing that, take his old student with him.
"You're aware kusanagi is capable of cutting me, right?"
"I haven't forgotten that much," Hiruzen grumbled. "Trust me. I'm not planning on parrying with you."
Whatever clever plans they might have had, or ideas, were null and void. Now it was time for action.
The fight passed by in a blur of violence, as he ducked and weaved around sword swings, before retaliating viciously with swings of his staff. His clones were doing the same, however, as they all moved to try and deal with the Kage who'd been revived. To middling results.
Hashirama was one of the greatest men he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was also a frustrating man to fight against, as he was quite possibly the most perfect shinobi to exist. His form didn't have any real lacking features, save for his physique being somehow weakened. It was probably the only reason the clone had a chance in the first place.
That was before getting into the sparingly used wood release, though Hiruzen was waiting for the man to upend the board with it. It was coming, and Hashirama had the best talent to know just when to use it to the worst effect for his enemies.
Tobirama wasn't much better, in that his water release was violently capable. Nor was he slacking off on his old student with the aggressive water release. And then his own former pupil…
It wasn't the first time he wondered where he'd gone wrong with Orochimaru, but it might be the last. Perhaps it was entrusting him to Danzo's care and expecting his old friend to not entirely drag his precious student from the light. Whatever the cause was, the man in front of him bore little resemblance to the boy he once knew. He was a monster, and his own inability to put down that which he'd created had brought forth an unbridled amount of suffering.
No longer.
"You've driven me to the brink, Orochimaru." Hiruzen wanly praised with a thin smile, instantly noticing his former pupil's hackles rise in alarm. "To think that you've pushed me to even use this cursed technique…"
"What are you doing, old man?" The snake in the grass asked, trying to project confidence and failing.
After all, few things were more dangerous than an old ninja who had accepted their demise. That was when every last trump card, every last iota of effort, and every forbidden technique were on the table. And over the years, Hiruzen had not gained the title of The Professor for nothing. It was a shame that he'd have to dig into the most profane reaches of his knowledge to protect his village.
"Ending things, like I should have before." There was nothing but a grim note in Hiruzen's tone at this point, but that was fairly warranted. He was going to have to dig into depths that he'd rather not have and use one of the most profane tools in the arsenal of the village.
Both of his clones had retreated back by this point, disengaging from Hashirama and Tobirama with blisteringly fast elemental releases to block them, back to his sides. All while they all shared a brief glance between each other as they began to weave hand seals. A specific sequence that he'd never put down to a scroll, for fear of it being stolen, just like the Edo Tensei.
From Snake to Boar, then Ram sliding Rabbit, Dog transforming across Rat, and lastly Bird, Horse, and, ironically, Snake. All finished with a clapping of his hands, he molded the chakra into a shape that few in the Elemental Nations had ever seen and lived to tell about. All while a figure began to appear behind him, viewable by those already dead or about to die.
The Uzumaki were quite possibly the clan amongst the Elemental Nations who'd pushed the very science of chakra to its breaking point. Truly, only their numbers had constrained them from further dominance and kept them from being able to put up a proper defense. Even so, they sank their home beneath the waves, along with most of their secrets.
Most, but not all, as the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was one he'd never taught any of his students. Not when the consequences were so…drastic. It went beyond a mere S-rank kinjutsu in his opinion, something perhaps more profane than the Edo Tensei.
It was an ominous figure, hovering there, with long, shaggy hair, jagged teeth, horns, and uplifted hands prepared to do…something.
A something made evident as the closest clone to Hashirama sprinted forward and captured the surprised Kage by the near suicidal action of closing the distance. Why, though, became evident as the front of the clone's shirt ripped open and a spectral arm erupted from his abdomen. Its teeth grit from the sensation, but Hashirama froze as it entered into his body unbidden.
Especially as he gripped Hashirama-sama's shoulders, and the arm entered the first Hokage. His clone did the job well and right; Hashirama's knowing eyes could only look consolingly at the boy who'd grown up under the system he'd created. "For this…for being used like this…I'm sorry."
"I am too," the clone returned, grimacing, as the soul that animated the corpse in front of him was ripped out by the shinigami's arm. Right into the clone's body, as it grit its teeth even harder.
To his left, the other clone was following suit, violently trying to get into a grapple with Tobirama. Despite fighting against his will, the silver-haired Senju was as troublesome in a fight as ever, juking and dodging, until one mistake sealed his doom as well. It gave the clone enough time to dodge to the side and grab him at an awkward angle.
Horrible for a proper grapple, enough for something that'd last just long enough for the shinigami to do its grim work. "My apologies for making things difficult on you."
"You, my sensei, have nothing to apologize for." It responded, giving him a wan smile, right before the soul was ripped out of the shell and into the clone as well.
Each usage of the shinigami felt…
The best way Hiruzen would be able to describe it was the notion of pain, tearing at a part of him that wasn't quite his flesh. It was somewhere deeper, like the ache he'd felt after being subject to some singularly unpleasant genjutsu in his days, but worse. As if some fundamentally vital part of his spirit was being short off, piece by piece.
It hurt. But for the village, he'd take such pains a thousand times.
There was still one more to go, however, one more enemy until his work was done, and Hiruzen could rest. "What is this...?" Orochimaru breathed, looking at the defeated Kage. There was curiousity in that gaze, but also something else. A specific, singular fear of death at what seemingly was some unknowable jutsu. The danger of those who couldn't see the shinigami in truth, like Hiruzen could now.
"Your doom," the Hokage grimly stated, and poured all of his chakra into moving. After all, he wouldn't need it for much longer when this was done.
Dodging a shunshin wasn't that hard, because most shinobi didn't make it an effort to actually slam into someone using the jutsu. It was the kind of tactic that was simple, which was why it worked on Orochimaru. He was a boy who'd think himself into knots, and he'd grown up to be much the same, hardly believing that someone called The Professor would use such a blunt tactic. It was why he managed to wrap his arms around his former student, uncaring of the sharp pain that ran through his body as kusanagi impaled him at the last minute. The blade hadn't hit his heart, which meant that he still had the strength to do what was needed.
"Hurry up and die you withered old buzzard," Orochimaru hissed, tense, as the shinigami's arm began to drag his very spirit out of his body. "W-Wait? What is this, stop, no!"
Hiruzen could see the shape of terror in how Orochimaru despaired, the terror and pain in his eyes, and in his body as the kinjutsu took effect. Death by inches, which was a singular thing Orochimaru feared more than anything else. Poetic that this would be how his demise would be inflicted.
"Not until I've pulled your wretched soul from your body!" Hiruzen yelled, feeling the process continue. Inch by painstaking inch, as Orochimaru's soul fought the process with each passing second. All of the world winnowing down to a pinprick, as blackness back to swallow up his vision.
Until with one final yank…
"NOOOOOO!"
It was an ungodly, inhuman shriek that came from Orochimaru's slitted, serpentine features as the man was falling back. All while a blue silhouette was ripped from his body, and Hiruzen was falling to his knees. Just as strength was beginning to fall, and his eyes were starting to close.
As much as it pained him, as he feared for what might happen…it was time to leave the future in the hands of the next generation. And find out what really lies in the stomach of the Shinigami.
Biwako…forgive me. It'll be a little longer till we're together again.