"Home sweet home. I was so tired of swallowing mud and being surrounded by rain," I said as I entered the village after several weeks.
"I can say I agree with a Senju," Kosuke said, sounding tsundere.
Our teamwork had improved incredibly after that first encounter, where we had to watch each other's backs and rely on one another.
"How about we go get some barbecue? I'm a little hungry after traveling so much, and I'm craving some real food," Minato said, trying to be a good team leader, something he'd earned by defeating a special jonin single-handedly.
"Sounds good to me," he replied, while Kosuke nodded, trying not to lose his Uchiha stoicism.
After eating meat—not some bland ninja rations—we each went our separate ways.
When I arrived at the main Senju residence, I felt it was empty; I felt something was off, but after searching for a few moments, I found Kushina alone, training with kunai in the family's private training grounds.
"Hey, Kushina, it's been so long!" I called out loudly so she could hear me.
She stopped what she was doing, turned around, and stared at me, then jumped up and hugged me.
"Miyu, are you okay? Nothing happened to you; you're all right?" She began hysterically, tears welling in her eyes.
I could understand how she felt. Granny Mito's death, becoming a jinchuriki, the start of the war, me being there instead of here, and Nawaki, Tsunade, and Dan having to go to the battlefield. So much had happened, and right now she was all alone.
Throughout the day, I talked to Kushina about what had happened in the village.
I learned how almost all the ninja were deployed to the borders, about their days at the academy, and how Mikoto was also called to battle.
At the end of the day, we visited Granny Mito's grave, since I couldn't attend her funeral. I took the opportunity to pay my respects to the woman who cared for me most and gave me the most love in this world.
Now that war had broken out and I was in the village, I couldn't just sit idly by.
I had been given the go-ahead to practice Wood Release, since Kushina had become the Nine-Tails' vessel and only I could suppress the beast in case of emergency. So I started studying.
In the residence, there were some scrolls about using Wood Release, written by Hashirama and Tobirama Senju.
Hashirama's writings were full of nonsense, like being one with nature and gambling, while Tobirama recorded some jutsu, but at a high level. So, there was nothing for a beginner.
Therefore, I was left to learn the element on my own.
The first thing I kept in mind was that the Wood Release was a mixture of three elements, not two. These elements are water, earth, and yang.
The Yang element is crucial for the Wood Release to exist, as it's the element that controls life force and can give life. Since wood is a living element, it has to be part of it to be able to control it so effectively.
Therefore, you not only need to have an affinity with water and earth, but also with yang energy, which complicates things further.
The Yang element has to unite the two elements and thus give life to the Wood Release.
(A/N: Perhaps I'm crazy for saying all this, but more than facts, since Kishimoto is terribly vague when describing certain things, this is my theory on how the Wood Release works.)
Thanks to my parents' nature and being born with the basic elements for Wood Release, I can use this element, having large amounts of Yang Release in my body.
So, for now, I just have to refine my chakra and train my nature transformation. In this case, Water and Earth.
So far, my Wood Release jutsu are the Clone Jutsu and the Transformation Jutsu. Not to mention that I can consciously control some branches and roots, but without any effective way to attack.
...
"Right now, we're in conflict with the Land of Wind; the Land of Earth and Rain and the Land of Water and Lightning have been silent lately, but there's no telling what they'll do in the future," Uncle Mummy said, glancing at some documents in his hands.
It's been a few weeks since I returned to the village; I haven't done much. The training camp—or "concentration camp," as I call the medical ward—has exhausted me, so all I wanted was to rest.
I've only been training to improve my elemental transformation, and I also managed to learn Shunshin. Right now, I'm training in the section where I can use it without needing any hand seals to channel chakra.
Shunshin is a jutsu that doesn't really require hand seals, but for beginners, it's recommended to use the Tiger Seal to better channel chakra.
"At least that's how it is for now; I don't think they'll just sit idly by watching all this chaos. They'll want to profit somehow," I told him, to which he frowned.
"Perhaps we haven't received anything from your ninjas, but we have from the rogue ninjas," he replied in a cold, curt tone.
"Don't tell me it's them?" I asked, a little curious.
"Yes, they're the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumo, Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
Those were the two criminals responsible for Tobirama's death. They didn't kill him directly, since he managed to escape alive, but due to his wounds and lack of chakra, he would eventually perish.
In that same war, Hashirama died, sacrificing himself to protect his allies, hoping his death would end the war. This demonstrated the First Hokage's naiveté, since, despite his death, the war continued as if nothing had happened.
(Author's Note: There's nothing that says they actually died like that, but there are hints, and the databooks say some things that suggest it's true. So, like the previous point, don't take it as canon, but at least as true in this fanfic.)
"So what do you plan to do?" I asked curiously.
"Nothing, for now. We're at a critical point. I can't send anyone after them; it would be a waste of resources and tools," he replied, sounding a bit calmer.
"At least you're thinking a little more rationally now," I complained slightly to the mummy. Since all he ever talks about is being the shadow, Hiruzen and I should be Hokage.
The mummy just looked at me and went back to his papers.
"So, how's the situation on the battlefield?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"So far, there are four battle lines: Iwa and Suna, Konoha, Ame, and the rest," he said, taking a sip of his tea. "Currently, Sarutobi has Sakumo to control Suna, while Kohatu and Utatane are on the front lines against Earth; finally, he sent his disciples to try and intercept Hanzo. With his poison, he's capable of neutralizing any side, so the only ones who trust him to do anything with him are those three."
Hanzo is known as a demigod. A demigod who was defeated by a samurai was included in the story at the last minute. I'm not saying he isn't strong, just that I don't have that much faith in him.
"Well, he's not so bad," I replied.
Just then, an ANBU arrived with new documents; Danzo took them without looking at the ANBU, who disappeared in his Body Flicker Technique.
The mummy began to read the document, and as he read, I saw an eyebrow rise.
"What's up? Any new information about the war?" He didn't say anything to me at first, after finishing reading everything, before passing it across the table for me to read myself.
When I picked up the document, the first thing I read was that Hanzo had retired before his disciples, hand in hand, and in passing, bestowed upon them the title of Sannin.
Hanzo had said that Konoha would be the winner of this war, but technically the Second Shinobi World War never formally ended; the conflict simply cooled down over time, shifting from Ame to other places, but at a less destructive level. From this, one could say that Konoha fared better and thus claim to have won.
While I was thinking that Hanzo had some kind of mental problem, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.
Not long after that, Nawaki died trying to save his comrade, running straight into an explosive trap and dying instantly. Two days later, Dan also died in Tsunade's arms, unable to save him.
I stared at the document, then looked at Danzo.
"You have nothing to do with this, do you?"
"I can assure you that I have nothing to do with Nawaki's death. Regarding Dan, I have orders from my Root to eliminate any threats that could affect my rise to Hokage. If they detected him as one, well, I couldn't say for sure."
"You know this will cost you dearly, you old mummy," I said, venom dripping from my voice.
He just looked at me with his one good eye, without much emotion.
"Letting your emotions control you is not what a shinobi does," he said simply.
I stood up from my seat, leaving my tea unfinished, to leave.
"I want to make it clear that my emotions don't control me, because if they did..." I trailed off, since with my current strength I can't do anything now, but that doesn't mean I can't in the future.
The mummy said nothing. But this guy's a tsundere, so he'll try to get me to come back here one way or another, since I'm technically the only person he has to talk to and not be completely alone. I'll see what he does to make up for it, and if he gives me something nice, maybe I'll consider going there, even if it's just to see his mummified face.
...
The next day, I received formal notification of what had happened, about the deaths of Dan and Nawaki. Tsunade wasn't mentioned, so I didn't know if she was alright, ill, or even conscious.
Nawaki's body couldn't be recovered due to the geographical location, but Dan's body was healed and would be brought back for burial at Tsunade's request.
The body would arrive in three days, so Kushina and I made all the preparations for the ceremony and funeral.
I didn't have much time to train, since doing these things with two young girls is complicated, especially when you don't know exactly what to do.
Finally, on the fourth day, we managed to do something by asking Lady Biwako for help.
Shortly after, the caravan of the group returning from the war arrived. They came with faulty equipment, injured ninjas, and important corpses they had managed to salvage to pay tribute to them. Among them was Tsunade, her gaze empty.
She walked past me without looking at me; it wasn't like she ignored me; it was more like she didn't even see me.
I let her be. I wasn't going to take on the traumas of a grown woman; I'm a ninja/scientist, not a psychologist. I'll see how long this mindset lasts for my mother.
The funeral was a general gathering for everyone who had fallen so far. There were many people present, including the Hokage, Tsunade, Kushina, Minato, and Kosuke, as there were some fallen Uchiha and others I didn't know.
At the ceremony, which was specifically for Nawaki and Dan, it was just the three of us: Kushina, Tsunade, and me.
Tsunade was in another world, which I can say I understand, but understanding isn't the same as accepting.
Kushina looked at me as if I had the answers that would solve all of this, but I just shook my head and left.
...
Two days had passed since the ceremony. Kusina was at the academy, and only Tsunade and I remained in the dormitory. I hadn't seen her since that day, but I didn't really care.
Suddenly, the door to my room burst open; there stood Tsunade, who quickly tossed me a scroll, which bounced off the table where my things were.
"And what's this supposed to be?" I asked, raising an eyebrow slightly and speaking calmly.
"What you wanted so badly," she replied curtly.
I just looked at her and opened the scroll. Inside was the method for using the Yin Seal. I couldn't help but show my surprise.
"Well, now I'm off," she said, turning away.
"You should treat your daughter better next time, if she plans to come back." I couldn't help but make a sarcastic comment at seeing her like that.
At this, Tsunade stopped abruptly and turned away.
"I'll treat you however I want," she said, her eyes narrowed.
"Ah, I see. What would my father think if he saw how you treat his little girl?" I asked mockingly with a sly smile. Saying that ignited the flame of fury within Tsunade.
"And you, how dare you say all those things! You don't care that they're both dead. You haven't cried once; you haven't regretted anything. You don't feel anything real for us!" She exclaimed angrily at me.
Now I understood why Tsunade was acting this way. It was because of my attitude and the way I was handling the situation, as if I didn't care that Dan or Nawaki had died. I have to admit that I have behaved that way, but a shinobi must hide their emotions and never let them show, live a life of deception, and always deceive others.
The fact that I wasn't acting like a seven-year-old girl who had just lost her father drove her crazy.
Even in a ninja world, I have to admit that very few people behave like ninjas, and Danzo's roots aren't people; they're tools, so that's excluded from this. You can't hide something you don't have.
I've been in this world for seven years, and I've lived and spent time with both of them; obviously, they're people I care about, but my mental maturity and the fact that I knew this would happen mean my feelings aren't as strong compared to Tsunade's.
"Are you done complaining?" I asked her neutrally.
Tsunade looked at me as if she saw an object, not a person.
"You're a monster," and with that, Tsunade left.
I have to say those words hurt. But I can't change anything that happened.
That's how the relationship between Tsunade and me plummeted into the void.