Tobirama Returns to the Village

Inside the Assembly Hall of the Hokage Building, the uproar finally began to subside.

The dispute over Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeding as Third Hokage had thrown the entire hall into chaos.

Uchiha Setsuna had led the objections, and the clan leaders had each argued their own case. Voices of opposition rose one after another. No one would accept a ninja who had "abandoned his master and fled" taking the Hokage Position, not even with Mito Uzumaki's endorsement.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was nothing but a wet-behind-the-ears little monkey. He wasn't worth mentioning.

And as for Mito Uzumaki: as the First Hokage's widow, they respected her. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they feared her.

What more did she want? Did she think she could decide who became Hokage with a single word? Did she really believe Konoha belonged to the Senju Clan?

If Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage, would Konoha answer to that young brat, or to Mito Uzumaki?

She was just some damn outsider, wasn't she?

Pah! Did that old woman think she could rule from behind a puppet?

How did she think Konoha's great ninja clans had fought their way out of the Warring States Period?

Push us far enough, and she'll find our swords are still sharp!

In the end, the hastily proposed succession came to nothing amid the storm of objections.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout those days, a gloom that refused to lift seemed to hang over all of Konoha.

Early that morning, at the far end of the broad road leading to Konoha's main gate, three battered figures slowly came into view.

Tobirama Senju led the way. Dust and blood stained his blue armor. His steps were steady but heavy, and deep exhaustion shadowed his eyes. Only his back remained straight, unbent in the slightest.

Behind him, Kagami Uchiha looked calm. His strength was flagging, yet he continued to support Shimura Danzō, who was in far worse shape.

Danzō was a pitiful sight. His right arm was gone from the shoulder, his face was white as paper, and his lips held no trace of color. His chakra was weak and chaotic. Every step threatened to send him sprawling, but he gritted his teeth and refused to fall.

The three traveled in silence.

Fighting, breaking through the encirclement, fleeing, then trekking a thousand miles had drained every last bit of their strength.

The elite squad that had set out in force for the peace talks had been wiped out in the brutal ambush in the Land of Lightning. Every member had died.

Of that large group, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and the three who had broken out earlier, along with these three barely clinging to life, had survived.

Before long, the guards at Konoha's main gate spotted them.

The two guards had been standing at attention, gazing idly down the road. But the moment they recognized those three familiar, battered figures, both went rigid.

Their pupils contracted sharply. The ease vanished from their faces, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.

They clenched their fists without realizing it and stopped breathing.

Was that... the Second Hokage? Lord Tobirama?

Lord Hokage, whom everyone believed had fallen in the Land of Lightning!

And Kagami Uchiha and Shimura Danzō, who were supposed to be dead!

"S-Second Hokage...?"

One guard's throat tightened. His voice trembled, and he could scarcely believe his eyes.

Then the three reached the gate.

"It really is Lord Hokage!"

Both guards shouted in excitement.

The news spread from the gate through the nearby streets like wildfire.

Within moments, it raced through alleys, shops, and training grounds.

The grief, dread, and heavy tension that had settled over Konoha for days shattered all at once.

Until then, people had mourned the fallen elite in hushed voices throughout the village and worried about Konoha's leaderless future. The oppressive mood had left everyone struggling to breathe.

But when they saw that upright figure in blue armor step into the village—

The entire street fell silent, then erupted in irrepressible joy.

"Lord Tobirama is back!"

"The Second Hokage is alive!"

"Lord Kagami and Lord Danzō are back too! They all made it home alive!"

Civilians along the street, Genin at training, and Chunin passing through all stopped. Grief gave way to tears and smiles. Faces that had been drawn tight for days finally relaxed, while cheers and delighted whispers rang through the streets.

The clouds over Konoha parted in an instant.

The cheers swelled louder and louder, rolling deeper into the village.

More and more ninja hurried over as word spread, lining both sides of the road of their own accord.

Tobirama Senju swept a calm gaze over the crowds without breaking stride.

Everyone saw his bloodstained armor, damaged Forehead Protector, and the exhaustion that lingered in his eyes.

He gave a slight nod in response to the villagers and ninja greeting him, but kept walking.

Beside him, Kagami Uchiha turned slightly toward the cheering crowd. His expression barely changed.

The weariness of a thousand-mile flight and countless battles weighed deep in his bones. Overusing his Sharingan had left his eyes aching, and supporting Danzō had nearly spent what little strength he had left.

Shimura Danzō walked with his empty right shoulder hanging low and his head slightly bowed. The cheers around him might as well have been for someone else.

Dizziness from blood loss came over him in waves, and his vision doubled from time to time. Only stubborn will kept him on his feet.

"Everyone, please clear the way."

Tobirama Senju's low voice was not loud, but it cut through the cheers and reached the gathering crowd.

The noise gradually died down. Those blocking the road stepped back, opening a path.

"I'll make what happened in the Land of Lightning public at the Hokage Building in due course," Tobirama said. "There's no need to gather here."

Though the crowd continued to murmur, they slowly dispersed as instructed.

Many still lingered at distant street corners, watching the three battered figures with concern. Perhaps this was a rare show of kindness from Konoha's unruly people.

The three followed the main road until they reached a fork. There, they stopped. It was time to part ways.

Tobirama turned toward Danzō, who looked ready to collapse.

"Danzō, go back to your clan compound and recover. Don't worry about the village. I'll send someone to check on your injuries later. That wound where you lost your arm needs proper care. Have a medical ninja from your clan bandage it."

Danzō slowly raised his bloodless face. His lips moved.

"Understood, Lord Hokage."

Those few words came with difficulty, each one costing him some of his remaining strength.

He said no more. Turning away, he dragged his maimed, exhausted body toward the Shimura Clan Compound.

His lonely figure gradually disappeared around a corner.

After giving those instructions, Tobirama Senju turned to Kagami Uchiha.

"Kagami, go home and rest as well," Tobirama said, his tone unreadable. "Come to the Hokage Building for a meeting in three days."

"As you command, Lord Hokage." Kagami Uchiha lowered his head slightly.

The three parted there.

Tobirama Senju took the road to the Senju Clan Compound alone. Scattered dead leaves lay underfoot, and wind whispered through the treetops.

The cheers he had heard along the way still rang in his ears, but he felt no relief.

The brutal fighting replayed in his mind, along with the sight of his companions falling one after another. Those elite ninja, so carefully trained by the village, lay buried forever in the forests of the Land of Lightning.

The weight of responsibility pressed heavily on his shoulders.

Stands of tall trees surrounded the Senju Clan Compound, where rustic wooden houses stood in staggered rows.

The clan's ninja heard someone approaching and came out of their courtyards. At the sight of the wounded Tobirama, they all froze.

News had already reached them through the commotion in the streets, but seeing him in person still stirred their emotions.

"Lord Tobirama, you..."

"Thank goodness. You've finally returned safely."

The clan members he passed bowed to him. After briefly acknowledging them, Tobirama headed straight for a quiet courtyard farther inside.

This was where Mito Uzumaki usually rested. The courtyard gate stood slightly ajar, and Tobirama pushed it open.

The courtyard was peaceful. Hydrangeas grew on either side, their petals stirring in the breeze. Mito Uzumaki sat beneath the veranda, staring absently at the ground.

The argument that had erupted in the Assembly Hall was still fresh in her mind.

Hearing the gate open, she slowly looked up at the bloodstained Tobirama Senju.

"Tobirama, you're back?"

"Sister-in-law, I'm back."

Seeing the worry in Mito Uzumaki's eyes, Tobirama Senju answered gently.

"It's good that you're home. Hiruzen and the other three escaped ahead of you and brought word back. The village has been in turmoil for three days." Mito Uzumaki spoke heavily as she recounted the dispute in the Assembly Hall.

"The ninja clan representatives argued without end. Some used the opportunity to challenge me, accusing me of overstepping my authority by choosing a successor. Hiruzen Sarutobi's succession as Hokage has been put on hold."

Tobirama Senju frowned slightly, a chill passing through his eyes.

"I failed to think it through," he said quietly. "I left that message in haste while we were fleeing and overlooked the different interests within the village. We'll put the matter aside for now."

"For the moment, our priority is to steady the village and guard against Kumogakure starting a war over the failed peace talks."

"What do you plan to do?" Mito asked.

"Rest briefly, then summon every ninja clan leader to the Hokage Building tomorrow. With the peace talks in the Land of Lightning having failed, the greatest threat is plain to see. We can't afford more infighting." Tobirama looked toward the rooftops in the distance as he spoke.

Mito nodded lightly.

"Be prepared for the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha Setsuna was aggressive in the Assembly Hall, and the Hawk Faction is growing more influential."

"Hmph! That was while I was away. Now that I'm back, they won't get out of hand. Besides, Kagami has returned too. His heart is with Konoha. He may be able to keep the Hawk Faction in check and change the Uchiha Clan," Tobirama Senju said without expression.

The conversation did not last long. Days of fighting and flight had exhausted Tobirama completely.

The wounds covering his body still ached. After giving a few more instructions, Tobirama left the courtyard to have them treated.

After parting from the other two, Kagami Uchiha followed a smooth stone-paved street southeast through the village.

He passed through Konoha's bustling central district, where shops and homes lined the streets and ninja and villagers came and went.

At this time, the Uchiha compound still stood near the village center. It was nothing like the compound that would be pushed to the village's outskirts decades later.

Rows of dark-brown timber buildings bore sweeping eaves, and the Gunbai crest hung above the entrance. The compound stood opposite the Senju Clan Compound, matching its imposing presence. A branch of the Naka River ran along the edge of the grounds. The orderly, restrained residences carried the solemn air of a great clan.

Two Uchiha stood guard at the entrance. They noticed the approaching figure out of the corners of their eyes but paid him little attention at first.

When they saw his face, both froze.

"Ka... Big Brother Kagami?"

"No mistake. Big Brother Kagami is back!"

The young Uchiha guards stared wide-eyed, disbelief written across their faces.

For three days, everyone in the clan had believed the delegation that accompanied the Second Hokage to the peace talks had been ambushed. According to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kagami Uchiha had most likely died in the Land of Lightning.

An eighteen-year-old Elite Jonin and a member of the Shadow Guard.

In the entire Uchiha Clan, he alone held such a position at that age.

Kagami Uchiha was steady and fair. Most of his peers and younger clan members respected him. When word of his supposed death reached the compound, many young ninja were devastated.

"Fūka, Raika, I'm back," Kagami Uchiha said warmly to the two guards.

News of Kagami Uchiha's return quickly spread from the gate into the heart of the compound.

After greeting the two clansmen, Kagami Uchiha crossed the threshold without stopping.

In no time, word that he had survived rippled through the clan.

Young Uchiha boys practicing Shuriken in an open space stopped and stared. Doors opened across the courtyards, and more people emerged, all eyes turning toward him.

"It really is Big Brother Kagami! He's back!"

"I thought I'd never see him again."

Several Uchiha boys in their teens hurried over, unable to hide their delight. They looked at Kagami Uchiha with admiration, even as they saw his unsteady bearing and exhausted face.

The boys spoke over one another, but they kept their distance, mindful that he seemed injured.

"Were the rumors about the Land of Lightning true? Were you ambushed on the road?"

"Are you hurt? Should we get a clan doctor right away?"

Kagami Uchiha stopped and looked over the young clan members gathered around him.

These children were so endearing, yet in the future, every one of them would die at the hands of that monster Uchiha Itachi.

Emotion surged through Kagami Uchiha, and he could not help cursing him inwardly.

"Don't worry, everyone. My injuries aren't serious. I just need some rest to recover," he told the boys in an even, gentle voice.

His calm words quieted the commotion around him.

More clan members emerged from their courtyards and watched from a short distance away.

Then a gray-haired Uchiha elder parted the crowd and stepped forward.

He studied Kagami with a complicated expression. This young man was one of the few in the clan willing to draw closer to the village. For that very reason, Setsuna and the other members of the Hawk Faction often criticized him in private.

"It's a blessing that you returned safely," the elder said slowly. "Everyone in the clan thought you'd died far from home. Go rest at your residence first. Come to the clan's meeting hall later. The clan leader and the others are waiting to see you."

"Thank you for your concern, Elder. I'll be there." Kagami Uchiha bowed slightly.

The gathered clan members made way for him.

As he walked on, he felt all manner of gazes on him: admiration from the younger generation, hope from his elders, and a few guarded looks.

He knew about the factions within the clan, and he understood what his return might change.

He did not stop to talk. Instead, he walked through the rows of wooden houses to his own secluded courtyard.

He pushed open the wooden gate. The courtyard was spotless; clan servants had tended it regularly while he was away.

Kagami Uchiha stepped inside and shut the gate behind him, cutting off the rising and falling voices outside.

The tension that had held him taut for days finally eased, and every ache in his body came rushing back. Leaning against the gate, he slowly slid to the ground. His lips moved as he murmured, "The clan and the village..."