Chapter: Project Kekkei Tōta
Konoha Calender: Year 46 (During the Second Shinobi War)
The wind howled across the jagged plains at the border of Konoha and Iwagakure, carrying the acrid scent of smoke and earth upturned by distant battles.
Young Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru walked side by side, their expressions tense, as they navigated the rocky terrain. Behind them, Hoshirō Kaname, Tsunade's disciple followed silently, notebook in hand, observing the battlefield with calm, calculating eyes.
"This place… it's worse than I imagined," Jiraiya muttered, glancing nervously at the scattered smoke rising in the distance.
"Jiraya-Sama... The meeting point should be up right ahead.... according to intel, Onoki himself came this time alongside hsis escorts. it seems he too is worried about further escalation." Kaname spoke.
Tsunade's fists clenched. "We're supposed to negotiate with Iwa while their armies are ready to slaughter ours? This is insane."
Orochimaru tilted his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Do you really think they'll even listen? Iwagakure doesn't strike me as a village that negotiates lightly."
Kaname didn't speak. He simply studied the formations of Iwa's troops visible across the border. Wind carried the faint pulse of chakra through the air, and he noted the density, distribution, and spacing of their units. Every detail was recorded in his mind, every calculation silent and precise. A subtle nod from him showed he was aware and ready, but he let the others take the lead in conversation.
'To go this far into the Iwa territory just for a negotiation, no wonder the hokage himself didn't come and sent his disciples.' Kaname thought.
At the ridge ahead, a small figure soon emerged: Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage.
Despite his age, he moved with a deliberate grace, the weight of authority in every measured step He floated above them as a stalemate was formed, neither party speaking. Onoki's eyes swept over the Konoha party, sharp and calculating, as if measuring not just their words but the very flow of their chakra.
"Your message has been received,"
Jiraiya began, his voice steady but cautious. "Konoha too has suffered greatly in this war. We propose a temporary ceasefire, to prevent further needless casualties."
Ōnoki's gaze lingered on the three young shinobi. "A ceasefire…? You ask as though the war can be halted simply by talking. Do you understand the cost of such a request?"
"How bold of you.... Is the Hokage too scared to come here himself?"
ignoring Onoki's provocation Tsunade replied to Onoki.
Tsunade stepped forward, her voice firm. "We are here as representatives of the Hokage. We know the cost. You must've seen it yourself, our troops are matched evenly. If things continue as they are it will be a loss for both sides. There's no victory in endless bloodshed."
Orochimaru's sharp eyes studied Ōnoki carefully. "We're not asking for surrender. Only a pause, enough to regroup and avoid further destruction."
The ground shook as the standoff dragged on. Jiraiya shifted uneasily, his toad contract hand twitching near his hip, but Tsunade's clenched jaw kept him silent.
Ōnoki floated a little higher, his eyes narrowing.
"You speak of peace," he said, voice like gravel, "but I smell weakness. Hiruzen sends the three of you and a kid who's still wet behind his ears?" His gaze flicked dismissively at Kaname. "This is Konoha's idea of diplomacy?"
Kaname's fingers twitched, itching to argue, but Jiraiya stepped forward with a lopsided grin.
"Old man, don't mistake mercy for weakness. We came here to end a war, not start one."
Ōnoki's grin was sharp, mocking. "Mercy? No, boy. All I see are children playing Hokage."
The killing intent spiked like a blade against their throats. Then Onoki raised his hand. Chakra twisted, reality itself bending as light condensed into a shimmering cube.
Kaname's breath caught.
So this is it… Dust Release.
The air hummed with annihilation. The cube expanded, crackling with a geometric brilliance that seemed wrong, alien. A shiver crawled down Kaname's spine as his scientist's mind screamed to catalogue every detail — the flow of chakra, the way the particles shredded the very air.
Ōnoki raised a single hand. The air around him seemed to burst with chakra.
A blinding beam of light was released from his hands as the beam of light hit the surrounding terrain avoiding the three by a hair's breath as the edge of the ridge vibrated, then cracked, breaking apart into dust before it turned into mere particles.
A small mountain range behind the three disintegrated midair, scattering fragments in every direction. The wind tore through the debris, sending fine particles swirling. Even the scattered weapons of patrolling soldiers on the ground dissolved to dust, leaving the terrain razed to the ground.
Ōnoki's voice was cold, absolute.
"Know this, children of Konoha. I wield the Kekkei Tōta. With a thought, I can erase you from existence."
The cube pulsed once. The Sannin tensed — Tsunade biting back a curse, Jiraiya's grin gone, Orochimaru's tongue flicking nervously.
Kaname couldn't look away. His heart pounded. Not bloodline fusion… no. Transcendence. This is… the future.
The cube dissolved, leaving silence thicker than smoke. Ōnoki turned his back as though they were already corpses.
"Return to your Hokage. Tell him the Stone will not bow."
Jiraiya swallowed hard, his bravado faltering. "I've read about this… but seeing it in person…" His voice trailed off.
Tsunade's fists tightened, her knuckles white. "It's worse than the texts. You can't imagine the scale until it's right in front of you."
The display subsided almost as suddenly as it had begun, leaving only a faint haze of dust drifting in the wind. Ōnoki's gaze was calm, unwavering. "Do you understand now the power you face? Do not mistake my courtesy for weakness."
The young shinobi nodded. The awe wasn't born of ignorance—they knew of Dust Release—but seeing it wielded with such absolute control, on a battlefield where lives hung in the balance, struck them with the weight of reality.... They were simply powerless before such a kekkei genkai.
Orochimaru's voice was soft but thoughtful. "Imagine what someone with that control could do on a full battlefield…"
Kaname remained quiet, observing the terrain, the movements of Iwa troops, and the shifting dust. His mind was already calculating how such power could be countered—or replicated. And for the first time, the nagging thought he had buried for weeks grew heavier: He wasn't strong enough.
"Kaname, you alright?" Orochimaru, who was next to him, asked with a friendly smile, yet it seemed so sinister.
'He always gives me the creeps.'
"Y-yes orochimaru sama."
"hooh? Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind reporting this to the hokage for us will you? We've already had a hard time dealing with kumohagakure, if that old man asks why you're reporting just say we're busy."
'Tch bastard.' Kaname didn't respond but simply held his head down as he jumped across the trees alongside them.
Seeing Kaname so despondent, Tsunade slapped him on the forehead, almost causing him to fall off a tree.
"Owww!" He hissed while masasaging his head.
"Orochimaru stop pressuring him like that... Don't worry about it kid, i'll come with you." Tsunade gave him a reasrruing smile witha thumbs up.
"T-Thank you." Kaname struggled to hold back the tears in his eyes.
....
Back in Konoha, Tsunade alongside Kaname reported to Hiruzen. Formally, the mission was a success. The ceasefire was held. No immediate casualties.
The Third Hokage's office smelled faintly of ink and tobacco. Sunlight slanted through the blinds, striping the desk with pale lines. Hiruzen sat in silence, reading the mission report for the third time.
At last, he set the parchment down. "You've all done well. The peace negotiations… such as they are… will buy us time."
"Dismissed." Without saying another word Hiruzen, smoking from his hand-pipe went back to signing the pile of documents in front of him.
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Tsunade left without a single thought, yet Kaname stopped just one step away from the door.
Hiruzen stared at his retreating figure in curiosity.
"Young Kaname, is there something bothering you?"
Kaname's throat tightened. His hands were slick with sweat. He couldn't keep it in anymore.
"Hokage-sama," he blurted, "this war, these losses — they'll never end unless we move forward! Unless we transcend! I can do it. I can recreate what Ōnoki showed us. A new Kekkei Tōta — one that belongs to Konoha!"
Hiruzen's pen stopped midway as he listened to Kaname, yet with every word he uttered Hiruzen;s anger simply increased before the pen in his hand snapped in two.
But he kept going, voice rising with desperation. "If you'd just allocate resources, let me experiment into human trials, let me—"
The snap of wood cut him off. Hiruzen had set his pipe aside and leaned forward, hands clasped. His face was calm, but the weight of his gaze pressed on Kaname's chest like a mountain.
"Kaname," the Hokage said softly, "I will only say this once."
The air seemed to thicken, choking. Even Orochimaru glanced away.
"Kaname..... I thought you let go of such dreams a long time ago. I may have forgiven you back then but, don't bring this topic up again. You should be grateful Tsunade wasn't informed of your actions, or else even I wouldn't be able to save you."
"B-But Hokage-Sa-"
"You will not speak of this again. Not in this office. Not in this village. Konoha will not sacrifice its children on the altar of obsession. Do you understand?"
".... Understood." Kaname left the office, Yet a deep frustration burned within him. His hands clenched into fists until blood welled from the cracks in his knuckles.
"I… can't stop, not yet, not yet," he muttered under his breath. "I have to prove them wrong."
Hiruzen leaned back, the moment gone, but the silence that followed was heavier than any reprimand.
'What should I do about young Kaname….'
—----
As he left the building he hurriedly caught up to tsunade's retreating figure which was slowly walking across konoha's shopping district.
"Tsunade-Sama…."
Tsunade blinked before smiling as she saw Kaname in front of her.
"What happened? Do you need anything, kid?"
"I-its about the body cloning project. I've already kept the document containing all its details and the funds it will need to succeed."
Tsunade, who was walking alongside Kaname, sighed.
'Not this again.'
"Kid…. I told you to let go of such forbidden subjects time and time again yet you bring them back up. I'm sorry but as your sensei and friend, I can't find this project for you."
Without even looking towards Kaname, Tsunade left after dropping a few more words.
"Don't become like orochimaru, Kaname…. You have a bright future ahead of you."
"I-I see…." Kaname spoke through gritted teeth as he slowly clenched his fists hard enough for blood to pour through.
__________
At home he entered as an eerie silence permeated through the house, as he went into his own room he took out a single book on the bookshelf, revealing a secret door.
As he entered his hidden laboratory, the faint smell of ozone and old ink filled the room.
Instruments, broken chakra conduits, test tubes and beakers and countless failed experiments littered across the floor.
The lab was quiet save for the scratch of Kaname's quill. Parchment scattered across the desk, ink smudged where his hands had trembled. Diagrams of various seals and chakra flow models.
His candle guttered low. He rubbed his eyes in anger.
They don't understand. None of them. If we could just… if I could just push further…
Without hesitation, Kaname swept everything off the table in a single, with a furious motion. Shards of glass, torn papers, and scattered devices clattered across the stone floor.
He knelt down onto the ground gripping a shard of glass, flesh blood pooling onto the ground.
Using it he slowly wrote down something onto a fresh sheet of paper, and slammed it down on the table. With every ounce of resolve, he scrawled in bold blood red strokes,
"Project: Kekkei Tōta"
Silence followed, broken only by the faint hum of residual chakra.
He stared down at the blood-smeared words, chest heaving.
The lab was silent. Too silent.
Then—
A voice, smooth and silken, slid out from the shadows.
"Such fascinating theories Kaname."
Kaname froze. His heart lurched into his throat. Slowly, he turned.
Orochimaru leaned against the doorframe, half in shadow, golden eyes gleaming like a serpent's. His smile was sharp, hungry.
"You remind me of myself, once,"
Orochimaru murmured. "Chasing knowledge no one else dared to touch. Tell me, Kaname…" His tongue flicked across his lips. "Would you like help turning theory into reality?"
Seeing the nervous figure in front of him orochimaru walked over, before offering his hand.
"I suppose you need some help right, Kaname-San?"