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Chapter Text

Sakumo was sitting on the ground in the darkness of his living room, a kunai in hand. It was late in the night and Kakashi was already fast asleep, so Sakumo took his time to… think. He thought about what he did, how he thought he was doing the right thing, but was clearly the only one thinking that way. He thought about hoe people called him, some behind his back while other directly to his face; all the slanders. He thought about his son, little Kakashi that even if he was only 6 years old, was too smart for his age. Thought about what people would say to him for being his son, how others will treat him for believing he will be like his father. Studying the kunai in his hand, Sakumo wondered.

That would be the easiest solution.

It would solve every problem.

Having made up his mind and feeling so exhausted, Sakumo closed his eyes and took with both hands the kunai that he placed over his heart. Just as he was sending a small prayer for his son, he felt something hit him hard on the temple that made him fell on the ground. A bit disoriented, it took him a moment to realize that someone was sitting on his stomach and holding him by the collar of his flak jacket. As his vision stopped to blur, he recognized the mask the person wore above him. Anbu, though not the standard animal one he was used to see on Anbus. This one was blank, at the exception of the two almond-shaped eyes and the black line that divided the mask vertically in its center.

"What are you doing? How dare you!" The Anbu screamed the last part and planted Sakumo's kunai on the floor, right next to his head. Hatake blinked on the ground, not knowing what to say nor what was going on. "So that's it? I had such high expectations for you! Proud to see that someone else would realize that a life is more important than a mission or a damn scroll. I would have wished that someone had done that when-!"

Suddenly, the Anbu's mask chattered as a shuriken hit it from the side. As the pieces were falling, faster than lightening, the Anbu took back the kunai he planted on the ground but froze when his eyes landed on his attacker. Meanwhile, Sakumo's eyes widened as the masked man's face slowly revealed before his eyes. The person was a man, around his mind twenties. His hair was as white as snow, not something common on someone that young. The right side of his face was marred with a tremendous amount of scars while the left was smooth. But even though the scars were impressive, the eyes were what surprised the most. The left one was a red Sharingan while the other was a Dojutsu he had never seen before and barely heard about. The purple eye with multiple black rings was unique and easily identified as the Rinnegan. Sakumo didn't know what to say as he noticed tears spilling from both those impressive eyes.

"Get away from my dad!" a high pitched voice screamed and Hatake instantly recognized his son's voice. Kakashi was standing by the door of the room, a glare firmly in place as he held high another shuriken in his hand in a menacingly way.

Sakumo then felt something being slapped down on his chest and looked back at the white-haired man sitting on him. This one bent down and nearly snarled at his face as tears continued to slide down his cheeks down to Sakumo's face. "Pull. Yourself. Together." Then the Anbu disappeared, leaving only as proofs of his presence fragments of a white mask and teardrops on his face. As Sakumo sat up, he felt his kunai drop down his chest from where it had been put. He took it as Kakashi launched to hug him and hid his face in his neck to hide his tears.

The oldest Hatake put back his son in bed, as Kakashi was only five and needed his hours of sleep. It took a while to reassure his kid, but eventually Kakashi fell back to sleep. On his bed, Sakumo inspected the kunai he had nearly used to end his life. He was impressed to see indent of fingers on the handle and watched the marks with fascination.

Who was this man and why did he look so committed in Sakumo?

Well, he would need to find info.

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Obito was fuming, wiping the angry tears from his eyes as he jumped from roof to roof, too fast for anybody to get a clear sight of his face, but right now not giving a damn on who could see him. He wanted to get the furthest away in the forest to let his anger free. Once far enough for his chakra to not be detected, he used his Mokuton and taijutsu to destroy part of the forest and giant rocks nearby. When everything was in splinters, he cast the Great Fireball technique to burn everything and used then Mokuton to grow trees back and let the place as it was before his passage.

He used Kamui to get back one of his spare mask that he stored there and went to the Hokage's tower. It was late, but he was sure that the Third would be there, working on paperwork.

How could this have happened? He had been so sure that he had managed to change that fate by telling the Third Hokage about what would happen to Sakumo Hatake if nothing was done about the slanders. He was lucky to have come check on the day he knew the other would commit suicide or an important person would have lost his life to this faulty system.

It had been a couple of years since he had come back in time, after the fight the five nations had with Kaguya. He didn't exactly know how he had ended in the past, but he remembered, as he was about to die with Naruto supplying him chakra to keep him alive when his body was slowly turning to dust, that he tried one last attack. He used his Mangekyo to pull at least Black Zetsu in his Kamui, wanting to pull the pest in his dimension to at least take one of their enemies to the grave with him. It didn't work and his body crumbled in pieces as he continued to try and then… everything went black. When he slowly regained his consciousness, he thought he would wake in the Pure Land but to his surprise, he was in the forest near Konoha. What was his surprise, to be brought to T&I and have the Hokage standing before him none other Hiruzen Sarutobi. After some coaxing, he managed to get a date and what was his surprise again to realize that he had jumped into the past, at a time before the third shinobi world war happened. He requested an audience with the Hokage and no one else listening. It took him a lot of perseverance but, with the proof that he was a real Uchiha after deactivating his Sharingan and some details knew only to someone living in the village, he managed to get the Hokage alone. He told him then that he was from the future and had apparently jumped in time while using Mangekyo as he was dying. The old man wasn't convinced at first, but after calling a Yamanaka to see in his mind, Obito managed to bring forward enough proofs hat what he said was true while hiding the darker part of his role in Akatsuki and the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Since then, he had worked in the Anbu, trying to prevent the war that was looming the best he could. It earned him the trust of Sarutobi and his help when there was event he tried to prevent. It was on purpose that he didn't interfere with the mission that Sakumo went on. The man was a hero and wanted the people to see that too. He wanted to make his transgression an example to follow for the future, so people would see that the lives of shinobis were worth more than a failed mission. He even managed to make the Hokage see his point of view and promise that he would help Hatake to be seen in a more positive light. It would seem that he had put too much trust in what the old man would do.

"Hokage," said Obito once he appeared in the chief's office. "I request an urgent meeting with you." With those words, he pulled Sarutobi to his dimension and disappeared himself as he felt a sudden spike of chakra from the Anbus posted all around the office.

Once in the dimension, Hiruzen let out a long sigh. "You know, even if I'm used by now of you doing this each time, it would be great if you could wait for me to agree before you use your Kamui on me."

"I prevented Hatake Sakumo from committing suicide a couple hours ago." Obito informed as he removed his mask. "You were supposed to do something about this!"

Hiruzen blinked at hearing the information. "I… didn't knew he would go this far, truly."

"You knew he is an important man and shinobi for this village. He is a master piece to turn this world into a better place! The shinobi he saved would turn valuable to the future. Do you realize we could achieve now what would have taken twenty more years on my time?" Obito could barely restrain the snarl that reached his lips. He mustn't attack that man, no matter what. He needed his help, to make him an ally, no matter how stubborn he was to approve the changes Obito wanted.

"I tried my best." Hiruzen said with a frown on his face. "I can't force people to change how they think."

"You managed to force an entire village to keep secrecy on the existence of the new Jinchuriki on my time, for more than twelve years. Your words are law. How is that any difference?" Obito continued to restrain himself of giving the man a piece of his mind about what he really thought of his incompetence.

The Hokage grimaced at that piece of information. "It's not technically the same…" he defended himself.

"I'm doing my best right now to prevent the third shinobi world war, or at least keep the less animosity between Konoha and the other villages. I will make sure the attack of the Kyubi that would destroy the village and cost the life of your successor will never happen. I will see that the criminal organization knew as Akatsuki will never turn into something that want the destruction of the world. And right now, I'm trying to make this village a better place. The cost of a none vital mission shouldn't be at the price of shinobis that could achieve hundreds of others. We need to value the lives of our men because, no matter how hard I try, a world war doesn't have its fate resting on one village and I can't assure that we alone could manage to prevent other villages to get in war. If this happen, we shouldn't have to put barely-promoted kids to go on the front line because we didn't manage to spare the lives of full-fledged shinobis. Do you see were I'm coming?"

Hiruzne grimaced at those words. "… I do. But the choice doesn't rest on my shoulders alone. I have to consult the council too."

"You are the leader of this village. It's your job to care for the people of this village. Put on your side the majority of the council, make them see the value of the lives of all this people who would gladly sacrifice themselves for the wellbeing of this village. We need to change or we are running to our demise." At those words, Obito put back his mask and brought them both back to the Hokage's office. Hiruzen blinked as he found himself back on his seat but stayed silent. "Now, I would like to request you to pull Hatake out of mission for some time, to give him time rest and get back his mental stability." Obito bowed his head as Anbus all around the office appeared.

With a wave of his hand, the Hokage dismissed them and address the time-traveler. "Agreed. I will convoke him tomorrow. You are dismissed."

Obito took the dismiss and disappeared from the office. He hoped this would work. Right now, he had to go to the Land of Water and find the Sanbi to make sure it didn't get captured by Kiri. His objective was to prevent any more Biju to get captured and sealed. He hoped that he would manage to find Isubo quickly and that it would cooperative.

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Sakumo was surprised to be convoked the next day by the Hokage. He was even more surprised when this one ordered him to take a few months of paid vacation so he could take care of his son. But what blown his mind was what his leader told him at the end.

"Sakumo. I wanted you to know that you have nothing to be ashamed for. You did take the right call by saving your team. You saved fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, siblings and loved ones from death and they are all precious shinobis of this village. No matter what others said, you did right and I thank you for this."

Sakumo's eyes widened as the Hokage bowed to him. He then closed his eyes as relief flooded him. "Your words meant a lot to me, Hokage. Thank you."

As he made his way back, the silver-haired man couldn't help but wonder if this was the doing of that mysterious Anbu that prevented him to do the biggest mistake of his life. It just couldn't be a coincidence. Kakashi was delighted to learn that his father would stay stationed for the time being. He made him promise to train him every day when he came back from the academy. Sakumo was more than happy to indulge him. As he stayed home alone, he couldn't help but wonder who the mysterious Anbu he met was. From as long as he knew, Uchihas always had black hair and eyes. If there had been one with a different color, such as white, there should be at least rumors about it. With the Sharingan, Sakumo had no doubt that his mysterious Anbu was an Uchiha, for he doubted the clan would let anyone outside their family get away with a transplanted Dojutsu without making a scandal.

With free time to spend when Kakashi was at the academy, Sakumo went to try finding out who that white-haired, Sharingan-user Anbu was.

It took him three weeks, but he eventually come up with a name. Or at least a code name. He tried at first to ask the few Uchihas he knew if they were aware of w white-haired man with only a Sharingan in the right eye. None knew anyone of that description in their family and thought that Sakumo may have seen wrong and confused reddish-brown eyes with a Sharingan. Then he asked many of his fellow shinobi if they knew an Anbu with white hair and a Sharingan, but none did. He then tried a few Anbus he knew and one knew who he was talking about.

"Oh, you are talking about Sen." The man said as they were both eating dangos at a shop in their casual clothes.

"Sen?" Sakumo asked.

"Yeah, we call him like that since he doesn't give us his name and his mask is painted with just a line."

"So you don't know who he is?"

"Nah. We were told not to ask questions about him. He barely interacts with the other Anbus or do any missions with his team. He never removes his mask when he is at the HQ and even sleep with it in the dorms. I may not know who he really is, but he is a force to recon. I only went once in a mission with him and he managed to eliminate more than twenty enemies in less than ten minutes."

While Sakamoto had now a name to put on the mask and knew the man actually existed – which he had started to doubt during his investigation – he then tried to see if he could find the man in the village and spend more time sightseeing the people walking in the streets.

It would be two months after their first meeting that Sakumo would see the man again. On a Saturday, while he was cleaning his house, Sakumo heard someone ring at his door. As he went to open the door with a smile, he froze as none other than his mysterious Anbu was standing at his entrance.

"Hatake Sakumo. I have a long term mission, approved by the Hokage, for you." The Anbu going by the name of Sen said as he slowly pushed a small boy not older than Kakashi in front of him.

"Good morning!" the boy said, a bit nervous. "My name is Uchiha Obito and I will be in your care! Please to meet you!"

Chapter Text

As the four of them sat around the table drinking tea – Kakashi having come to see who it was and invited himself to the meeting – Sakumo was a bit troubled by the meaning of this 'mission'.

"You want me to… take care of Obito?" Sakumo asked.

Sen nodded as he held his cup of tea in his hand, not having drank from it. "Yes. This child has lost his parents and started academy this year. While he had been living with his grandmother until now, it would be in his advantage to actually live with a shinobi. Since you already have a son and enough place to house another child, you would be the best option."

Sakumo stayed silent for a moment, looking at the child who squinted at Kakashi to see if he could manage to see him remove his mask as he drank his tea, before looking back at the Anbu. "I'm not really sure…"

"This is a mission, Hatake. You will sign a contract and will be paid as such. It will be your duty to take care of Obito as if he was your son and help him develop into a fine man and shinobi." Sen put on the table a scroll that the older Hatake took. On the contract, there were all the stipulations that needed to be followed, but were actually basic to parenting tasks as feeding regularly, antending any injuries, supporting in studies, etc. Sakumo blinked as he saw the duration of the contract.

"Ten years?"

The masked man nodded. "Yes. Your contract will end when Obito turn seventeen. As you will be taking care of him, I really expect you to have a best regard to your own health and be careful in future missions." he said that with a deep voice and leaned forward. "Is that clear, Hatake? Failing this mission is not an option. You will have to get stronger for both those children."

Sakumo blanched as he realized the meaning behind those words. This Sen was making it clear that Sakumo shouldn't try a stunt like he did the night they met. He nodded with a slight grimace and looked down where he would need to sign. There was already present the Hokage's stamp and a bloody fingerprint under the applicant next to the empty place with his name. "Who has requested this mission?" he asked as the fingerprint wouldn't give him the identity of the person.

"It was me." Sen informed him. "And I will come regularly to be sure everything is going well."

Sakumo blinked in surprise before taking the pen that was handed to him and signed the contract. Taking back the scroll with a nod, Sen pulled out a suitcase out of a storage seal of his arm and placed it next to young Uchiha.

"Obito, this man will be your new caretaker. I want you to follow his instruction and behave. Keep studying and don't get too shy to ask help if you don't understand something. Be polite and don't forget to wash your teeth. I will come in a couple of days to check on you, alright?"

"Yes Uncle," said Obito and smiled as he received a pat on his head.

The Anbu then stood up, gave a nod to Sakumo and a last "Be good" to Obito before disappearing.

Sakumo kept watching the empty spot for a moment before turning his eyes in the direction of his new charge. Obito was fidgeting and looking nervous, which made Sakumo smile.

"Well, Obito. It's nice to meet you. I think you already met Kakashi at school? My name is Sakumo and it's a pleasure to have you live with us. Now let's see if we can find a room you would like to make yours."

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Obito was arranging his new room the following day as it took a whole day to clean and arrange what would be from now on his bedroom. Even though Kakashi had complained the whole time that he would have less time to train and Obito had bickered with him, he was happy to be here. Don't get him wrong; he liked his granny but… she didn't get involved more than the basic with him. Sakumo seemed really nice and Obito couldn't help but wonder how Kakashi became such a jerk with such a nice dad. He would have loved to have a dad like that. He stopped arranging his clothes and turned when he heard a knock at the door. Letting the person knew that they could come in, Obito wasn't surprised to see Sakumo there.

"Already storing your things, I see. So how was your first night here?" Sakumo said with a smile as he sat next to Obito on the bed.

"Your house is huge! I nearly got lost when I went to the bathroom last night. But I slept well, thank you."

The grey-haired man chuckled. "Ah, it will take a while to map all the house. But I'm happy you slept well. This is your new home and I want you to feel good here."

"Thank you!" Obito beamed.

"So, this man you come with yesterday was your uncle?" the older man inquired.

"No, not exactly. But he has a Sharingan so he is an Uchiha and so, he is an Uncle…. Probably."

"I see… So you have seen him in the compound before?"

"Nope. I didn't live in the compound before and I never saw him there when I visited."

"Oh? Then how do you know him?" Sakumo couldn't help but wonder. He had expected that Obito could tell him more about this Sen, but it seemed to be a dead end too.

"I met him two years ago when I was training and he helped me. Since then, he often visits me to train or at home, but never wanted granny to meet him or knew he was here.  He brought me souvenir from his trips and asked me what happened since the last time we met." Obito liked his Uncle, even if he didn't know his name. He was the first adult that actually acknowledged him for who he was, not like the other members of his family that only nagged him to train and get his Sharingan. His Uncle asked him about his day, listened when him complained of school and gave him advice on mundane things none related to Sharingan. His Uncle was a great person and deserved a capital 'U'.

"Did you already see him without his mask?" Sakumo inquired.

Obito hesitated a moment and bite his lower lips. "I saw him once. But he told me to never tell anyone about it." his Uncle had revealed his face once when Obito asked to see his Sharingan and he couldn't see well with the mask. His Uncle had told him that his face wasn't pretty, with a lot of scars that could scare him. But Obito had said he would never be scared of his Uncle and would love him no matter what his face looked like. His Uncle then had removed his mask and showed him his face and Sharingan. Obito had then asked if his scars still hurt but the older man had smiled and told him that they didn't hurt anymore before putting back his mask on and making him swear to not tell how he looked to anyone, not even the clan. Obito crossed his heart and swore secrecy.

"Ah. I guess Anbu had to keep their identity secret." Sakumo smiled. He didn't tell that he too had saw what the man looked like, since it had been more by accident than voluntary.

"DAAAAD! I'm hungry!" said the distinct voice of Kakashi from the corridor.

Sakumo laughed as he stood up. "I came to tell you that we were about to eat breakfast, Obito. Let's go to the kitchen before Kakashi destroy the kitchen in search for something to eat."

Obito watched the hand extended in his direction with surprise before hesitantly taking it in his own. They both walked hand in hand through the corridor to the kitchen with a shy smile on the child's face. It was the first time anyone had held his hand since he could remember. Not even his granny or aunt Mikoto had held his hand as they walked.

It was a pleasant sensation.

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Obi- Sen had kept watch on Obito's first night to make sure his younger self was acclimating well to the new environment. He should remember to think of himself as Sen and not Obito if he was going to interact with people around his younger self. As he came to the past, he lost his name as he was now an anonymous Anbu of the village. There was already an Obito in this time, plus there was no need for him to interact other than under an Henge or his mask with others. He spent most his time doing missions or trying to change the future and prevent most casualties for the Third Shinobi War. Most of his time in Konoha was spent as an Anbu, never revealing his face to any of his comrades. He wasn't even the one to choose his name, as it was someone of his team that came up with a designation for him since he didn't have a normal animal's mask. He was a line – Sen – since he couldn't keep his mask blank by Hokage's order. As he went back to sleep in the dorms after spending the night watching over Obito, he met a few other Anbus there from his team.

"Hey, Sen! Having spent the whole night out?" Tiger said as he saw him come in.

"Yes," was the short reply Sen gave as he moved to his bed.

"Man, I don't know how you can sleep with that mask on." Tiger shook his head as he continued to get ready for his mission.

"You should come out with us sometimes since you only live here. Don't you have a home outside the HQ?" this time it was Hawk, a male Hyuga that talked, easily recognizable from his white eyes. This one was removing his mask and changing to get back home.

"Why would I bother to get an apartment when I have everything already here?" Sen replied as he removed part of his uniform, like the bandages, flak jacket and weapons to get more comfortable.

"Dude, you need to get a life! You know, there is something else outside work. Me, Hawk, Owl and Bear are going to a small private party this evening, to celebrate Cat coming back after giving birth to her first daughter. You wanna join? You can keep your mask, if you want."

Sen shook his head at Tiger's proposition. "No thank you. I have other things to do. Maybe next time."

"It's been two years since you joined and you always say that. But we won't give up." The Hyuga said before leaving the room.

Sen let out a snort before laying down on his bed. Why were they all so persistent? He didn't even know their name, except for their mask and their clan. It was easy to recognize a Yamanaka, a Hyuga or an Inuzuka with their dogs, but he never bothered with first names. He had fought with some during missions and while most had stopped trying to interact with him, there was a few that didn't know when to give up despite his antisocial behavior.

Whatever. Sen will just go to sleep and ignore all of them.

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The first day at school since moving was very interesting for Obito. Sakumo accompanied both him and Kakashi to the entrance. He didn't yell at him to get ready and helped him instead to make his backpack. He held his hand all the way there even if Kakashi didn't want his to be held as he was – as he said – not a baby anymore, but Obito liked the attention. At the end of the day, he was back there to pick them and once at home, the three of them sat at the table to do their homework. Obito wasn't as smart as Kakashi, he knew the other boy was a genius, and some homework were harder for him to understand. Sakumo was patient and took time to explain things to him so he would understand. It was when they had finished and where spending time in the living room –  the two boys arguing about what was the most efficient way to paint a drawing without going out of the lines – when there was a knock on the door.

"It's Uncle!" Obito said and ran to the door.

Sakumo heard the happy exclamation of the young Uchiha and went to invite their guest in. "Good afternoon. Please, come in."

The Anbu nodded as he was pulled by the hand inside by an enthusiastic Obito. Sakumo went back to his cooking as the two sat down on the sofa in the living room.

"So, kid," he heard Sen talk. "How had been your time living here so far? I expect a full report from you."

Obito went on and on about how things went in the house. About how Sakumo went with him to school, how Kakashi was a jerk sometimes – which got him a small reprimand about his language –  how he now understood division and even showed the Anbu his new room before coming back and resuming the rest of the two days in the Hatake's household.

"That's good to heard," he said with a pat on the child's head.

"Would you like to stay for diner?" Sakumo proposed.

"Yes please! Stay for diner!" Obito encouraged as he bounced on his place.

"I don't know… I have things to do," Sen said as he hesitated, looking back and forth between the energetic child and the grey-haired man.

"You know, it's impolite to refuse an invitation," Kakashi dropped his point of view as he came in the room and looked the Anbu with his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised. "Especially when offered by the man on whom you dropped a kid out of the blue."

"Kakashi!" Sakumo scolded, but his voice was drowned by Obito's.

"Yes, it's very impolite, Uncle!" Obito quickly agreed.

"You two seems to be getting along pretty well," Sen stated and only shook his head when the two kids said at the same time 'We do not!'. "But I think I can't refuse such a fine offer of home-made meal."

They all sat on the table and ate their meal in a pleasant silence, until Kakashi pointed out something.

"Why don't you remove your mask when you eat? That's stupid."

Sakumo scolded his son as they had all noticed that the man barely tilted his mask up to allow the chopsticks to reach his mouth but had the decency to not point it out. He was surprised when the white-haired man replied with amusement in his voice.

"Is the pot calling the kettle black?" Sen then pointed his chopstick to Kakashi's mask.

The boy harrumphed and only said it was not polite to point chopsticks to someone and resumed eating. The meal went on with only Obito filling the silence with things he saw or learned at school or questions about history he didn't understood. At the end of the meal, Sakumo let the two kids go train with kunai throwing in the backyard if they wanted before it got too dark. The two kids ran out of table in seconds to fetch their weapons before exiting the house.

As Sakumo went back to the table with two cups of tea, he was surprised when the other handed him a brown envelope.

"What is this?" he asked as he took the filled envelope.

"Your fee for the mission and the expanse for Obito's needs. This should be enough for the month."

Sakumo's eyes widened as he pulled out a considerable amount of money. "That's quite a lot. I knew that Anbus earn more than regular shinobis, Sen, but I don't want to take all your money for what I would do freely for the wellbeing of this child."

"Don't worry. I still keep enough to feed myself… and you know my name?" the masked Anbu tilted his head on the side.

"Ah," said Sakumo as he looked back at the masked-man facing him. "I asked some of my friends if they knew you and one did. He told me you go by the code name of Sen, but I would really like to know your real name to address you properly if I see you outside and off duty, of course."

The Anbu looked down at his cup of tea in silent before speaking again. "I don't have any other name than Sen. And you will probably not see me out in the village except to report back to the Hokage."

Sakumo looked a little confused by the answer. "Then what do you do in your free time?"

"I train in the HQ or think of strategies for missions." Can the matter-of-fact answer.

"But what about when you get you get back home?"

"I live in the HQ. I don't have another place since all I need is already there."

Sakumo didn't know what to answer to that. He had never heard of an Anbu that didn't have a life outside of work. It was just unheard, since anyone needed time to rest and recover out of duty to keep their mind sane. "You must feel lonely there."

Although the eyes were the only part he could see, Sakumo was sure the white-haired man was frowning at him.

"I don't need company. All I need to do is fulfill my missions and make sure there is no unnecessary casualties. As long as Konoha is a good place to live and I can prevent any internal problem, I don't need anything more."

Sakumo only nodded, not wanting to appear too patronizing to someone he barely knew and just smiled. It wasn't his place to tell the other how to live his life. "Well, you are welcome to visit Obito whenever you want. The door will always be open for you."

 "Thank you. I need to go. Tell Obito I will come visit in a few days." And with that, he body-flickered out of the house.

Sakumo stayed a moment longer on his place, contemplating what he just learned. No wonder no one knew about Sen if he didn't do anything outside of the Anbu's HQ. He wondered he there was something he could do for the man that helped him when he was at his lowest and stopped him from doing the irreparable. How could someone be a shinobi before being a man and not having a name? He was pulled out of his thought when he heard the boys coming back in, Obito wanting to show the bull-eye he managed to do while Kakashi lazily stated that it was total fluke. The boy was disappointed to see that his uncle had already left, even when Sakumo told him he will be back in a few days. It was only when Kakashi dared him to try do it again that the light came back in his eyes and he took the challenge while bickering as they both went back outside. Sakumo was happy to see his son was getting along with his new friend. He knew that Kakashi could be sensitive despite acting cold and aloof as he tried to act all grownup. Obito will be good for his son as his son will be good for the young Uchiha. He was happy for Kakashi to have someone else to interact than his father.

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It became a regular thing to have Sen come visit them at least once a week. Obito was always a chatterbox whenever the man was around, vibrating with energy. Sen was always patient and silently listened, only talking when asked a question. Kakashi became interested in the man too, asking him question about Anbu or the mission he had participated. Sakumo quickly discovered that Sen had a knack for teasing his son. He seemed to like teasing the younger boy, telling him stories before dropping the end with a "the rest is confidential", or telling him something and when Kakashi asked if it was really true, dropping an "of course not. Why would I reveal such vital information to a snotty brat?" It was fascinating and ironical that Kakashi tried to see the man's face behind the mask. It would appear that it had been too dark when Kakashi had thrown his shuriken at Sen to have him properly seen, not realizing it was the same man he was talking with now.

On one of those visits, Kakashi was really persistent on wanting to defy Sen in a fight. The man only snorted and flickered his index on the boy's forehead, telling him to come back when he could at least reach his chest. Both boys then tried to pull the man up from the armchair he was sitting on to see if they actually reached his chest, making Sen laugh for the first time at their fruitless efforts. Sakumo had been stunned to hear such a carefree laugh coming from the man. He even found himself imagining what would Sen's face look like while smiling and laughing. It was then that an idea coming from nowhere popped on his mind.

"How about training with me?" Sakumo proposed. Both boys stopped to look at him, before turning big hopeful eyes to the masked man once realizing who the older Hatake was speaking to. Sen watched silently Sakumo, making this one develop his thoughts. "Ah, I could go with some training before going back to duty. I won't stay home indefinitely, right?"

It took a moment longer before Sen shrugged. "Why not."

Both boys cheered up and ran to the backyard, waiting excitedly for the two adults to join them. Once facing each other, Sakumo explained the rules. "Only Taijutsu. The first one to get completely overwhelmed or giving up loose. Are you ok with that?"

"Good with me. Whenever you are ready." Sen then waited in a defensing stance for Sakumo to give the first strike.

Sakumo didn't waste time. He launched at the Anbu and directly tried two quick punches on the vital points. Sen easily evaded the one to his temple and blocked the one to his throat. The masked man the countered with swift kick on his left knee, making Sakumo jump to evade and used his higher position to try to kick the other on the head. Sen was truly agile. Despite his best effort, Sakumo only managed a few hits to land and couldn't block everything sent in his direction. They fought for ten long minutes, the kids cheering them at the side, before Sakumo thought he saw an opening. He grabbed Sen by the arm and tried to twist it while pulling him sideway and down as he kneed him on the ribs. Sen groaned and Sakumo was sure that he could pin him down with one more push on his shoulder, but the other managed to make a move that should have dislocated his shoulder to slide down between Sakumo's legs and pull this on out of balance. He didn't understand how this happened, but in the end Sakumo found himself laying down on his stomach with a weight on his midsection and a firm grip on his nape. On the side, Obito was cheering loudly.

"Well, aren't you getting old, Hatake?" Sen said in a light voice.

Sakumo tried to wriggle a bit to see if he could get free but eventually gave up. He turned his head to the side to look at the one behind him from the corner of his eye and smiled. "Well, you are an Anbu… and I don't think I'm that much older." The weight on his back was removed and Sakumo then saw a hand extended in his direction. He took it and Sen helped him back to his feet and chuckled as this one was quickly assaulted by an excited Obito who was clinging to his uncle's legs while Kakashi was scowling at him. "You know; you can call me Sakumo since it's been awhile that we know each other. Anyway, what do you want for your victory?"

Sen watched him silently before slowly shaking his head. "I don't want anything."

"C'mon, it's the game. You won, you get a reward. You want to go out eat some dangos? I can buy you some sake you like or we can go somewhere you want." Sakumo tried to entice Sen in accepting. He wanted to know more about the mysterious shinobi and if he had to bait him with free food and drink, then he will use the opportunity his defeat gave him.

"I don't need nor want anything." Sen spoke after a moment of silence, the aura around the man switched to a tense and defensive one as he slowly pushed Obito away from his leg. "I need to go." And with those words, he body-flickered out of the backyard.

"Wha… what happened?" Obito asked in confusion, trying to see if one of the two Hatake had an answer. Kakashi looked as confused as him while Sakumo tried to give a smile that he felt too strained to be believable.

"I shouldn't have insisted. Let's just forget it. I will apologize next time we see him."

But the following week went without the visit of their usual guest. They paid it no mind, since the Anbu had already missed his weekly visit because of mission before and never specifically said he would come weekly. The second week came and still no news of their Anbu, but still nothing to get the household worried about. After that, it became obvious to the two Hatakes that Obito was getting a little more depressed as days went by, though he tried to hide it behind a smile. Kakashi informed his father that Obito told him that his uncle never left for long missions without telling him he won't be able to visit for a while. Sakumo was starting to get preoccupied. A month and four days went on and it was Obito's birthday. Sakumo tried to cheer the boy by making a big party for his 8 years. They invited a few of his cousins from the Uchiha's clan and some of his classmates. Obito laughed and had fun, making Sakumo laugh as his previous antic of fighting with Kakashi came back.

Late at night, when all the guests had left, Sakumo with his son were cleaning the mess of decorations in the living room. Kakashi came next to him and nudged him with his elbow before pointing with his chin the boy sitting on the sofa. Sakumo watched with a grimace the sad boy sitting with his arms curled around his legs and went to sit next to him on the sofa.

"C'mon. He will be back soon."

Obito buried his head in his knee to hide the tears threating to spill from his eyes. "He never missed my birthday before." The boy whispered.

Putting one arm around the small shacking shoulders, Sakumo pulled him closer to his side. "I'm sure he had a good reason-"

A crashing sound resonated in the house and Sakumo was standing up in alert with a kunai in hand. He didn't felt any Jutsu and no trap had been triggered from the wards all around the perimeter of the house. He stood in front of Obito and pushed Kakashi behind him as he contemplated the best action to keep his boys safe. A very familiar silhouette appeared on the living room's entrance and Sakumo relaxed as Obito rushed to the intruder's direction.

"Uncle!" Obito cried as he launched himself on his Uncle.

Sen caught the boy and went down on his knee as he hugged the boy. "Ah… I'm a little late this time…"

Obito laughed happily while tightening his grip around the older man's neck. "I thought you wouldn't come."

"And miss… your birthday? Never." He pushed the kid away so he could press his covered forehead against Obito's for a moment then pulled out a small wrapped box from his pocket to hand it to the birthday's boy. "Here. I got this from Ame. I was a little short in time to get you a proper gift… but I hope you will like it."

Obito took the present and gave a huge smile with tears in his eyes. "Doesn't matter what it is. I will love it since it's from you!" Obito assured.

As Sen was patting the dark-haired boy on the head, Kakashi harrumphed and moved closer with his arms folded in front of his chest and an angry scowl. "What a poor example of adult you make. Couldn't you come earlier than nearly midnight? And why didn't you inform us that you would be away for so long? Obito was death worried!"

"I wasn't!" Obito countered and the two bickered.

Sen tried to stood up, but his legs gave under him and brought him back down on his knees with a trembling arm on the ground to support his weight. Obito let out a startled cry and went to help his Uncle. Sakumo was directly at their side in seconds, examining the Anbu.

"This blood… are you injured?" Sakumo asked, now realizing the other's clothes were stained on various part with blood.

"Not mine… just chakra exhaustion… need to rest for a little… while."

Sakumo was quick to hold the other and prevent little Obito to get crushed by the death weight as the other lost consciousness.

"You two go rest. You have school tomorrow." As the two boys started to complain Sakumo took a stern look. "Go right now. I will take Sen to a guest room to rest for the night and keep an eye on him." The silver-haired man then took Sen in his arms – surprised by the other being heavier than excepted – and took him to a free room. He put him on the bed and quickly removed his blood-stained clothes to check if there was any injury he should take care. There were no wounds nor bruises, not even a scratch, but he was surprised to see the strange discoloration on the whole right side of his body. He hesitated a moment before deciding to remove the mask. Sen was sweating and there was a bit of blood on the corner of his mouth. He went to fetch a washcloth and cleaned the bare face, taking extra caution on the scarred side. It was the second time he saw the Anbu without his mask, so he took a moment to examine his relaxed face. Sen was still handsome despite his scars. Sharp nose, thin eyebrows and lips. Was it to hide his scars that he wore his mask constantly? He wondered a moment if he should put back the mask but concluded the other wouldn't sleep comfortably with it on, so he put it on the pillow next to his head.

A small knock was heard from the bedroom and Sakumo went up to see what it was. Obito stood there on his pajama, his hands knotting the bottom of his shirt.

"Is… is he alright?" the boy asked in concern.

"Sakumo smiled and went down on a knee to be at the child's eye-level. "Your uncle is uninjured. It's only chakra-exhaustion as he said. He will be up tomorrow as new; you will see." He then pulled the boy closer and kissed his forehead. "Go sleep. I will stay here to be sure he is okay for the night."

Obito nodded with a wobbling smile before leaving and Sakumo went to sit on the only chair present in the room. As he was awake, he heard an hour later small feet walking down the hallway and a faint knock on a nearby door. He smiled as he heard the grumpy voice of his son followed by the small voice of Obito before Kakashi sighed dramatically and the sound of the door closing back. He didn't hear the conversation but from what he guessed, Obito had gone to sleep with Kakashi in his bed, surely having trouble sleeping alone after seeing his uncle faint. He continued to watch the sleeping man, and had more questions than ever appearing in his head. But if he was sure of something, it was that this person really loved the young Uchiha and was important for the kid.

That, he had no doubt about.

Chapter Text

Sen was having a massive headache. He stayed still with his eyes closed, trying to remember the previous event.

He remembered having been summoned by the Hokage to talk about what events they should prevent for the future's peace. After the discussions, it became clear that their next point of action would be to go to Ame and help with the rebellion and overthrow Hanzo.

Sen was ordered to leave as soon as possible. He was forming plans in his head to help Akatsuki this time and completely forgot to inform Obito about his long absence.

It took him time to observe Ame, having managed to get into the village with his Kamui. He studied the guards present in the village, heard what the people thought about Hanzo and his politics, learned the displeasure that most shinobi had about their leader and even managed on a few occasions to watch Hanzo without him being aware. After that, he left the village and went in search of the Akatsuki group.

With how his head hurt did he really want to remember.

-- Flashback! --

Akatsuki were harder to locate, but he managed to find their base in the end. He went in with his orange mask on – he didn't want anyone there to see his Anbu mask just in case of unwanted prying eyes – and proposed his help. It went without saying that he wasn't welcomed with open arms.

He fought a good part of the revolutionaries without harming any of them and mostly evading any attack thrown at him. When eventually Yahiko came in person followed closely by Konan and Nagato, Sen went down on a knee before the group's leader, presenting himself as Sen, a homeless shinobi wanting to help their group to kill Hanzo and get information for them. Yahiko and Nagato were skeptical, but Sen gave freely most of the information he had gathered on Ame. He knowingly accepted being held in a warded cell until they decided what to do about him and, after nearly a week, Nagato himself came to visit him.

"What is your goal in helping us?" The red-haired teen asked in an authoritative voice.

"I have no other objective than to free Ame from Hanzo's reign." Sen told him as Nagato slowly entered the cell. Sen stayed relaxed to show no aggressive sign.

"But you must have a reason for doing this. What are you expecting to gain in assisting us?"

Sen stood up and cocked his head on the side, keeping his arms on the length of his body and visible when Nagato tensed at the move. "Why can't one just want to make right what's wrong? I wish nothing more than to put Yahiko at the head of this village instead of Hanzo, since I'm sure you are not interested in the position. I will ask nothing of you in return for my help, it is given freely. I will also disappear as quickly as I have come, when Hanzo is dead and you will hear no more of me."

"You will ask nothing in return? I don’t and can't believe it."

Sen sighed and sat back on his cot. "This world we live in! Is it too hard to believe in someone being selfless? But I guess it's in Shinobi's nature to be distrustful." he muttered loud enough for the other to hear. "There are good people in this world. I'm sure you have met some in your life too. I could have killed all your men when I came, but none have even a scratch done by me. I could even kill you right now, even if you are a user of the Rinnegan, but I won't so don't fret. If you don't want my help…" Sen used Kamui to disappear and reappear outside of the barred cell. "I will leave and let you be."

Nagato gapped as he turned to see the man standing outside the cell. "How? You shouldn't be able to use Jutsu’s in that cell!"

Sen laughed. "Oh, there is so much more that I can do. I can be your asset, if you wish so. So tell me, Nagato," He walked back in the cell by the open door. "Do you want my help or not?"

After that, Sen became officially a temporary member of Akatsuki. Most didn't trust him but he didn't care. He was here to help Nagato in changing Ame, nothing more. He went on missions to retrieve information asked by the group's leader, helping him plan the offensive because he was a mastermind after all.

As weeks went by, the trio started to slowly trust him. It was undeniable how useful he was as a spy, his ability to get vital information from all around Ame.

Once when they were all eating in the small cafeteria, Konan asked him why he always wore his mask. Sen smiled and told her that life hadn't been kind to him and it was better for no one to see the horror behind the mask. When Yahiko asked him why the orange color, since it wasn't really discreet for a ninja, Sen laughed and told him that it was his favorite color, plus he was such a good shinobi it would not be an hindrance.

The day eventually came when they were ready to attack. Sen went ahead to scout the surroundings to be sure everything was going as planned.

He was surprised when he felt multiple chakra signatures moving in the direction of the Akatsuki base.

As he went back to inform them that their plan had been exposed, he was attacked by a few ninjas that he easily took care of.

Sen was a little perplexed when he recognized them from being ROOT Anbu. Was Danzo already that far and that much advanced in his plan to manipulate the war? He knew the old man had his hand in the third shinobi war, but he didn't know he had started this early in the game. He kept this information for himself and used Kamui to get back to the rebels. He then informed everybody that Hanzo and his men were advancing in their direction and would be there in a few hours.

He consulted with Yahiko, Konan and Nagato to make a new plan that would allow them to have the upper hand. Since Hanzo wasn't aware that his surprise attack had been discovered, they would use this opportunity to take them by surprise. Some men would stay in the base while most would hide in the nearby forest with their chakra concealed and attack at the same time the enemy would attack the base.

Sen proposed to be one of the few that would stay in the base as support, making kage-bunshin so that it would make it appear that more people were present with their chakra visible. At Yahiko's refusal, Sen told him it was only logical, since his life had no importance to Akatsuki and that the person that would stay in the base would be the most at risk.

"Don't say that! You have become a fellow member of Akatsuki! You have helped us, and as such you are a part of Akatsuki as any of us!"

Sen blinked behind his mask, surprised by the anger in Yahiko's voice. He dramatically put his hands over his heart and said in a cheerful voice as he unconsciously fell back into his Tobi persona. "Ah, it warms my poor little heart to hear you recognize me as a brother in arms. But let's be real. Strategically speaking, I'm the most apt to be the bait, since I'm a hundred percent sure that I will come out of this alive and could help whomever will be there with me. You are the leader here. You have to make the right decisions for the best outcome, no matter how fond of me you have become in these past few weeks."

It was funny to see the orange-haired teen scowl before tisking and agreeing.

"Alright." Nagato agreed aloud. "But you better not make us come find you after winning this fight, only to find your dead body as a result. I will find a way to resurrect you and then I will kill you again."

"Ah, a man after my heart!" Sen chuckled as he instructed three other men with the highest chakra reserves to go with him into base and make as many kage-bunshin’s as possible. "Don't worry. I have too much to do to make this world a peaceful place, I won't die now."

Their hastily made plan went off without a hitch. The Ame shinobi surrounded the base, having detected multiple chakra signatures in the hideout. As they all forced their way in, they were so engrossed by the fight in front of them that at the last moment they noticed the attack from behind.

The Akatsuki quickly grasped the advantage of the surprise attack, taking the enemy on both sides, after getting the advantage. It was then that Yahiko and Nagato moved their attention onto Hanzo, while Konan supported the troops fighting the Ame shinobis. The fight was taxing for the two teens and they quickly found themselves at the disadvantage. It was when Hanzo was about to slit Yahiko's throat with a throw of his sickle that Sen appeared and pushed the orange-haired teen down on the ground and blocked the blade with a kunai.

"It won't do for the future leader of Ame to die so soon," Sen said as he felt the sickle slice his right arm, when Hanzo pulled back his weapon.

"Oh, you are good." Hanzo said to Sen. "Unfortunately for you, my blade is coated with the poison of the black salamander and you will soon find yourself paralyzed before it kills you."

Sen stayed immobile for a moment before lifting the arm that had been injured and opening and closing his hand in a fist. "Sorry to disappoint you, but your poison won't have an effect on me."

Hanzo barely had time to be shocked before the masked shinobi ran to attack him. He found himself blocking most attacks, with none of his managing to reach their target. He quickly summoned his salamander but Sen was ready for it. He used Kamui to swap out the summon into his dimension.

"We can't have you poisoning everybody present here, can we?"

"How is that possible?!" Hanzo screamed as he launched himself at the mysterious shinobi. "Who are you?!"

"I am the Shinigami that has come to take you to the Underworld." Sen then disappeared and reappeared behind Hanzo, a kunai at his throat. "Your time is up, Hanzo The Salamander." And with those last words, Sen sliced the man's throat.

As the man fell on the ground, Sen turned around to find Yahiko and Nagato staring at him with wide eyes. As the two were trying to find words to their questions, Sen quickly pulled the dead body on his back and ran to the place where the fight was going on in the base.

"C'mon! Let's go tell the Ame shinobis that Hanzo is dead and stop the fight." Sen ran ahead and stopped near the battlefield. He took a deep breath and started to scream loud enough for everybody to hear. "Everyone! The fight is over! Hanzo is dead, killed by Yahiko, leader of Akatsuki and now of Ame too!"

Everybody froze and watched Hanzo laying on the ground with a pool of blood beneath him while Yahiko let out a small 'what?'. The Akatsuki cheered as the others dropped their weapons on the ground.

The civil war was finally over. It took a few more days to get rid of the few Hanzo's supporters that remained, but most of the population was glad to have a new leader. Sen took the time to get rid of all the ROOT shinobis he found there discreetly. In the end, Sen went to give his farewell to the trio, his time there was reaching its end.

"Why did you tell everyone that I was the one who killed Hanzo?" Yahiko asked with a frown. "I can't credit myself the merit, when it was clearly you that single handedly did that deed. It's not fair."

"Tell me," Sen said with folded arms over his chest. "How do you expect the village to accept you as their leader when they are told someone else killed Hanzo? It must be you, the legendary warrior that fought the tyrannical Hanzo to free Ame, that will become the leader of this village."

"I don't like taking the credit of someone else's feat." Yahiko grimaced.

"I'm sure Nagato and Konan are on my side on this." He turned around to see the two watching Yahiko determinedly with a nod. "If it bothers you so much, then see it as a favor for me, make sure to be a great leader that seeks peace instead of war. That's the only request I will ask you for."

Yahiko reluctantly agreed. "Are you sure you have to leave? You know… you can be an official citizen of Ame if you wish."

Sen couldn't help the smile behind his mask. Yahiko looked so young with his meek expression. He reminded him a bit of Naruto. "Have you fallen for me? That can't do. Should I remind you that you were the one that emphasized daily for two weeks that I was only a temporary member of the Akatsuki?"

Yahiko sputtered in embarrassment, denying loudly to have this kind of feeling. It was then Konan, the usually silent woman, addressed him next. "Apart from Yahiko's feeling for you," he let out a loud 'HEY!' at this, "You are and will always be a true member of Akatsuki and as such, welcomed in Ame. You helped us without asking anything in return and for that, you will always find the gate open for you here."

Sen smiled tenderly at the woman. She was so different than the Konan he knew. She looked more radiant and happy. He saw life sparking in her eyes in a way he never saw before. "I'm happy for the offer but, unfortunately, I still have a lot to do to help this world to be a better place to live. I already helped Konoha and now Ame. I still have other villages to help too. You will have a lot of work on your hands to manage this village and won't even have time to miss me with all the decisions you will have to make." He then decided to let his inner Tobi make surface for the occasion. "C'mon! Let's have a group-hug for the occasion!" He opened his arms wide and was pleasantly surprised when the three teens easily moved to hug him. As they separated, he asked Nagato to accompany him outside and bid farewell to the other two.

They walked in silence to the entrance of the village and both stopped when they passed the gate.

"I guess you have something you wanted to tell me specifically?" Nagato asked.

"Yes, Actually." Sen then pointed at his eyes. "Those eyes you have are very powerful. They can be a gift to this world as well as a curse. Be sure to be cautious because there are people who will come for them." Sen then lowered partially his mask to reveal his eyes and saw Nagato gasp in shock with a slack mouth and wide eyes. "I know for experience, even if I only have one.”

Sen let out a small sigh, “If one-day death comes to one of the people you held dear, you shall mourn, but accept it. There will come in the future a shadow that will ask for your eyes as the price to resurrect the people you lost. You should not believe it for there is no way to bring back the dead. That is my last advice and the favor I personally ask you to follow, for if I cannot stop it in time, it will come for you."

Sen then put back his mask to conceal his Rinnegan. "I hope you get to have your happiness here, Nagato, and profit from life to its fullest." With that last sentence, Sen disappeared before Nagato could ask him more questions.

Sen reappeared in the middle of the forest between Konoha and Ame and collapsed on the ground as his vision blurred. He felt drained. He had fought nonstop after killing Hanzo, getting all of the ROOT members he found and used continually his Mangekyo to get rid of the pests in his haste to leave that day, as it was an important day.

He checked in his pocket hoping he still had the small wrapped box with him. He had found a small silver chain as a collar for Obito's gift, with the little amount of time he had and hoped the boy would appreciate it. He looked at the sky after taking a moment to rest and saw that night was slowly falling. He was about to use Kamui to teleport to the Hatake's household when he felt a few chakra signatures move not far from where he was.

He stayed immobile to see if he would be the target of some surprise attack, but they passed without paying him any attention. He considered following them, since only bandits or rogue shinobis would take this path and follow the main road used by merchants, but decided against it. It was already late and his usually large reserve of chakra was at its lowest. Just as he was readying himself to use Kamui, a scream resonated in the forest and with a sigh of resignation, his shoulders dropped as he knew he would be late to wish Obito a happy birthday.

-- End of the flashback! --

After remembering everything, Sen groaned and rubbed his forehead to alleviate the pain there and frowned as he felt something amiss without being able to put his finger on what it was.

"Your mask is on the pillow next to you."

Sen sat up at lightning speed at the sound of voice in the room with him and his hand automatically went to the pouch of weapon he always kept on his hip, to find nothing but the material of his boxer. He saw Sakumo sitting on a chair with his hands raised up in a non threatening way and Sen collapsed back down on the bed.

"Sorry. I thought you would feel better to sleep without your mask on."

Sen rubbed with two fingers his tired eyes. "I always sleep with my mask on. Don't take it off again without my consent." Sen went to retrieve his mask but was stopped by Sakumo's voice.

"You don't have to put it back. I already saw your face before, you know?"

"If you don't mind the horror show," Sen huffed.

"I don't think it's that bad. I find you quite handsome actually."

Sen turned his head to watch the other man with a blank expression. "Your tastes are shit."

Sakumo was about to reply when Sen sat up and looked at the door as the sound of familiar fast footsteps coming from the corridor. Less than a couple of seconds later, the door was pushed open and Obito was running to the bed, still wearing his pajama.

"Uncle! Are you alright?"

Sen smiled and lifted the boy to sit on the bed next to him. "I'm alright. Had a rough mission that came at the drop of the hat and forgot to tell you." He watched Obito's tears form in his eyes before the boy hugged him. Sen combed the youngster's hair and gave him a moment to collect himself before speaking again. "How was your birthday? Did you have a party with your friends? Did you get cool presents?"

Obito automatically started to babble about how great the party was. He talked about the cake they ate, which cousins came, gifts he received and the games they played.

Sakumo watched from his seat in silence with a small smile. The white-haired man was completely relaxed, looking at his nephew who was now sitting on his lap with a fond expression on his face. He then saw the man tense and reached back for his mask that he quickly held to his face with one hand. Obito stopped talking, looking at his Uncle with confusion before Sen turned his now hidden face to the entrance.

"I know you are there, Kakashi. You can come in."

Kakashi came in, already changed in his daily clothes, and frowned at the man laying on the bed. "Why are you only hiding your face to me? I know from the sound of your voice that you weren't wearing it a second ago."

Sen merely shrugged "They already saw my face. Obi, help me tie my mask, please." Obito beamed and went to help his uncle knot the laces of his mask.

"That's unfair!" Kakashi declared petulantly.

"I will show you my face… when you show me yours." Sen declared as he raised his head higher in a daring way. He saw Kakashi raise his hand to finger the cloth covering his mouth before dropping his hand with a huff.

"Well, I don't care what you look like." Kakashi then turned to leave the room.

Sen then put Obito back down. "You should go get prepared for school too." He stood up himself and saw Obito's pout turn to a surprised look as he watched his discolored skin he just noticed, but the boy said nothing. "I need to report back to the Hokage. I'm already late."

"It can wait after you eat breakfast with us." Sakumo said. "Don't you think so, Obito?"

Obito quickly looked away from the bicolored chest to look expectantly at his Uncle's face. "Yes! The Hokage can wait!"

Sen looked down at the boy with a sigh. "That's not something a shinobi should say. But I guess it can't hurt to eat before I meet him. Now go change yourself. You don't want to get Kakashi late too and then hear him nagging you for it, do you?"

Sakumo chuckled as the kid rushed out of the room to get ready. "Take your time. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."

When Sakumo entered the kitchen, he sighed at the sight of his son sulking on the chair. "Come on, Kakashi. Help me make breakfast, since you are already ready."

The two Uchihas came just as he was putting the plates on the table. They all ate in comfortable silence, with Kakashi turning around to make sure Sen didn't get a glimpse of his face. Sakumo shook his head in amusement. When they were all finished, Sakumo went to fetch something from the fridge.

"I managed to keep some for you. It was really hard, with all those kids high on sugar, but I thought that on the chance you would come, you would appreciate having some." The older gray-haired man put down in front of Sen a slice of cake they had for Obito's birthday.

Obito then asked his Uncle a question that he wasn't expecting. "When is your birthday? We never celebrated it before."

Sen froze with the fork in his hand. "I don’t have a birthday."

Kakashi blinked at the man and managed to look at him as if he was stupid despite his mask covering half of his face. "Everybody is born on a day. You are no exception, so you must have a birth day."

"I don't have a birth date, so I never celebrate any birthday. It's like that."

A heavy silence fell on the room, but Obito broke it as he took hold of his Uncle's arm. "You can share mine. I don't mind. That way, whenever we celebrate my birthday, it will be for both of us."

Sakumo felt his heart swell at such a kind gesture from such a young boy. "That's very kind of you, Obito. So on that occasion," Sakumo fetched a candle that he put on the slice of cake before lighting it. "Happy birthday, Sen."

Sen watched dumbly the small candle burning as Obito cheerfully wished him a happy birthday followed by a calmer Kakashi. He watched the flame, wondering about the stupidity of fate that had made him get his actual birth day to celebrate. It was when Obito informed him that he had to make a wish and blow the candle that he came back to present. He lifted partially his mask to blow the flame, and when Obito asked him what he had wished for, he answered him even if he had made none. "I wished for you to become a strong and healthy man in the future."

"You don't say your wish aloud, or they won't come true," informed Kakashi. "Now Obito will be sickly and weak because of you."

"I WON'T!" Obito countered and the two started to fight and insult each other.

Sen ate his cake as Sakumo tried to calm the two kids. It tasted sweet. He didn't need to eat daily, not even weekly, thanks to the Hashirama's cells in him, so it had been a long time since he ate something that sweet for the sake of just savoring it.

It was really good.

Chapter Text

Once he had finished his cake, Sen left to report his mission in Ame to the Hokage.

"So, everything went as you wished?" the Hokage asked in the security of his office, privacy seal activated so no one – not even the Anbu guards – could hear.

"Yes. Ame won't be a threat to Konoha in the future. With Yahiko as the leader, he will have a lot of work on his hands with all the changes he wants for his village. He wishes for peace and will remain neutral and won't ally with anyone or be part of any war for now. We won't have to fight against them, should a war start."

"You didn't tell them that you were from Konoha? Why? It would have been easier to get them as allies if the worst should happen."

"It would have been harder to get them to trust me if they had known I was from Konoha. I had to pass myself as an wandering shinobi to be accepted and even as such, it took me three weeks to be fully acknowledged as a none threat."

"At least it will be a front we won't have to fight," conceded the elder with a sigh. The Hokage saw that Sen remained still and didn't bow to leave, he knew the other wasn't done. "You have other information," he stated.

"Yes."

After hearing the short reply, Sarutobi grimaced. "I believe that this won’t be pleasant information."

"Unfortunately." The Anbu nodded. "It's about the man I warned you about when I first came. I saw many ninja from Root present with Hanzo and fighting for him. I had to take care of all of them or risk haveing all of our hard work turn to nothing, if Akatsuki learned that Konoha had supported Hanzo. This could have turned into a diplomatic mess and cause the beginning of a war. Am I right in guessing you weren't aware of what was happening?"

Hiruzen sagged on his chair, feeling the weight of the world fall upon his shoulders. "You are correct. How many?"

"Two dozen. Danzo got involved sooner than I had expected in all of that."

Hiruzen rubbed his face with both of his hands. He felt tired and old. Too old. "What are you doing, Danzo?" he muttered in his hands.

"I know he is a friend of yours and a council member but… he is inevitably part of the tragedy that will fall upon us. I may not know his motivation, but you have to remember that hell is paved in good intentions."

"I will take care of this." The Hokage told him, no promise, nor his word, but that something will be done.

"Very well. I will keep an eye on him and Root's activities. But be aware that I will not wait for him to get more involved than he already is. We have the advantage of time and my knowledge with us. Shall the price to stop him be my execution for treason, I will gladly be the one to take his head and hand myself to be judged afterward. I will not watch without acting again the destruction of a clan and the death of hundreds of our shinobi in war for whatever dream an old man had."

Sen bowed his head and disappeared before the Hokage could say anything more. Hiruzen felt all the weight of his years pushing him down, making his back and hips ache. He needed to retire and let someone younger take care of leading the village in his place. He would have to start looking for a successor soon.

:-----------------------------------:

Sakumo was on his way to fetch his boys from the academy when someone bumped into him.

"Good morning," The person said. It was a man with long blond hair tied in a low ponytail with pale blue eyes.

Sakumo smiled at the stranger. "Ah, sorry. Good morning to you too." He then resumed his walk.

It took him a few seconds for his instinct signal him, he was being followed. He looked discreetly behind him and saw the unknown man he had bumped a few steps behind him. Sakumo let it go as coincidence, since the man looked like a civilian, but after a couple of minutes of walking and still having the same man following him, he decided to stop and address the situation.

"Do we know each other?" Sakumo asked suspiciously. He was positive he had never met this man before, but maybe this person had some business with him?

"Did you forgot me right after celebrating my birthday this morning? Maybe those are actually grey hair."

Sakumo blinked before his eyes widened in surprise. "Sen?" The man smiled and nodded. "A Henge?"

Sen chuckled as he resumed his walk, pulling Sakumo with him so they wouldn't stand in the middle of the street. "I can't go around always wearing my Anbu mask, can I? I just came to give you this." He handed Hatake the usual brown envelope with the fee for the mission of taking care of Obito, though this time it looked larger than usual. "I didn't manage to pay you last month's fee, so you have two months in there this time."

Sakumo eyed the envelope but didn’t took it. "I don't want you to pay me for this. I would gladly take care of Obito without asking for payment. It is good for Kakashi to have someone his age around anyway."

Sen took Sakumo's hand and put the envelope in it. "You know, I got forced to accept a salary even though I declined any form of payment. All the money I get rest in a hidden place without me getting any use of it. I prefer it to be used than gathering dust. Plus, I'm part of the reason you have been put on standby and I know your incomes have marginally decreased since you can't go on mission. So it's actually doing me a favor for you to accept this."

Sakumo frowned, not knowing what to say but accept. It was then that an idea popped in his mind. "I will accept… if you come with me to fetch the boys and eat dinner with us today." He felt more than saw Sen tense at his side as he nearly missed a step, only noticeable for a trained ninja. But he waited patiently for the other's reply.

"I… alright."

The two waited with many other parents for the school's bell to ring. Some parents came to speak with Sakumo and inquired about the man accompanying him. Sen only smiled enigmatically without opening his mouth, letting Sakumo explain that he was a friend who had come visit him. Eventually the bell rang and Sakumo didn't have to try to fill Sen's silence for him when people asked the disguised man any question. The door opened and a wave of children ran out to greet their parent. Sakumo quickly saw the two boys bickering as they walked in his direction.

Sakumo patted them both on the head when they were standing in front of him. "Hello boys. How was school today?"

"Obito couldn't even answer the basic question about chakra knowledge and all the class laughed at him." Kakashi dutifully informed his father.

"How should I have known that Lightning is stronger against Earth? That's just stupid! Earth should be able to block lightening since earth won't burn or evaporate."

It was then that Kakashi noticed the unknown man standing beside his father. "Who is this?" the boy rudely asked.

Sakumo was about to scold his son for his manners when he felt a hand circle his arm. He turned around to find Sen smiling brightly at Kakashi.

"I'm your father's date for the day. He invited me to meet you all."

Sakumo blinked in surprise at the declaration while Kakashi's eyes budged out of their sockets.

"WHAT? Since when?!" Kakashi asked in shock as he looked at both adults.

Meantime, Obito was squinting his eyes as he studied the newcomer. His face suddenly lit up as he jumped into the long-haired man's arms and greeted him cheerfully.

"Uncle!"

"What?" Kakashi asked as the man put Obito back down and patted his head. "That's Sen?"

"Good job Obito. You become better at recognizing me. I'm a little disappointed that Kakashi, as a genius, couldn't."

Kakashi's face was turning red in anger and embarrassment as Obito laughed. "It's easy when you know the trick. You always keep something no matter what disguise you take."

"Oh? Do you now?" Sen said with curiosity.

"Yes! The mole next to your right ear!" Obito pointed and Sakumo saw the barely visible mole there that he hadn't noticed before.

"Great job, Obi. That's a lesson well learned. No matter the Henge, most people like to keep something characteristically in then, be it the shape of the eyes, the color of the hair, the gender or a mole in my case. You have earned a new set of shurikens for that and a private lesson in throwing them."

While Obito cheered at his reward, Sakumo felt something pull at his sleeve. He looked down to see Kakashi frowning at him.

"Why didn't you teach me that? I want to get a lesson in throwing shuriken with you for the trouble."

Sakumo smiled in confusion at his son's strange request. "But you already know how to throw shurikens."

"I don't care!"

:-----------------------------------:

Once at home, Sen dropped the Henge and sat down on the sofa, laughing while holding his stomach. "Oh the face you made Kakashi when I said I was your dad's date. It was priceless! Ah, I should have activated my Sharingan to keep it forever imprinted in my memory."

"Shut up!" an embarrassed blush painted the little part visible of the younger's cheeks. "And you stop laughing!" he said to Obito who was laughing too. Kakashi then launched himself at Obito and the two started to wrestle on the ground.

"You like teasing him, I see." Sakumo looked at Sen watching the two boys rolling on the ground, raising his legs so they wouldn't bump into them.

"Yeah. That kid is way too serious for his age. He needs to act more like a child than the genius everybody expects him to be. Soon enough he will have to fight and kill, so he needs to savor his childhood while he can."

Sakumo was surprised by the sincere answer. He… hadn't expected that. It was true that Kakashi acted like a grown up most of the time, but Sakumo hadn't seen the harm it could do to his kid. He felt a bit ashamed to realize he barely spent any quality time with his son except when he requested training. The kid was only 6 and they never went out to play since he turned 3.

"You are right. I forgot most of the time he is only 6 with how smart he is."

Sen turned his head in his direction to look at him. "Don't let all that genius get to your or his head. I have seen geniuses die in battle, thinking they could manage everything on their own since everyone had high expectation for them. They need to know there is nothing wrong in failing or to not understand and ask for help. He has good potential, but this could lead him to his death if he tries to grow too fast."

Sakumo grimaced but bowed his head. "Thank you for your advice." But Sen waved it off.

"It's nothing. I have seen the wrong it does to all the Uchiha's children. They are expected to have a Sharingan by a certain age, you know? If you don't get it before that deadline, you are considered a failure and completely ignored, even from your parents. If you get it before, then more responsibilities and expectation are pushed on you and you do everything to make everybody proud and accept you. They are no longer children, but mini soldiers barely reaching your hips. I find it disgusting."

Sen then stayed silent, looking in front of him to a faraway place, or maybe the past. Sakumo wasn't sure which. "And in which category did you found yourself?" He couldn't help but ask. Sen then barely jerked and stood up, telling he needed to use the bathroom. Sakumo then knew that the Anbu hadn't meant to reveal that much. He couldn't help but feel happy to have gotten the other's point of view. It meant that Sen was slowly letting his guard down around him and showing a little more of who he truly was, despite wanting to make the world believe he was nothing more than a shadow.

They ate dinner then trained outside as promised. Sen was helping Obito to improve his aim, while Sakumo was helping Kakashi. In truth, Kakashi didn't need his help since he was able to throw nine out of ten hitting the target without any difficulties. Sen then proposed to switch, to see if a different method could help. Sakumo was happy to help Obito. Obito told him that his Uncle instructed him to take his time in aiming before throwing the weapon, but it didn't seem to work for him as he hated to wait. The older Hatake tried a new approach. He made Obito stand at first at three steps from the target to see how much he could get. It was easy for Obito and he managed all the six shuriken in his hand. Then they tried at four steps, followed by five and six. It was at the seventh that Obito started to have trouble and only got two. Sakumo made him go back and forth between the sixth and seventh steps, until Obito could hit the target without any problem. The boy was beaming once he managed to get all in the target at seven steps of distance. It seemed this method was more appropriate for him. When Sakumo let Obito train by himself, he looked around to see how Kakashi was faring on his training with their Anbu guest. Sen was teaching Kakashi how to throw the stars sideway without looking directly at the target but just with his peripheral vision. He was impressed to see his son having trouble with that part. Sen then waved him over to let the father continue to instruct his son.

The masked man left shortly after their training, promising his nephew that on his next visit, he would come with a brand new set of custom made shurikens, far better than the ones the academy gave them.

Sakumo was happy to have accepted Sen's money in exchange of this pseudo date.

He wouldn't mind getting another date and learn more about the mysterious Sen.

:-----------------------------------:

Sen was happy to have been able to spend some time with Obito after missing his birthday. It was strange and fascinating to see his own younger face look back at him with such adoration. It took him a few months to completely dissociate himself with the Obito present on this time, but now he saw him as a simple child he knew how to help; like some little brother. He liked to see Obito being more assured and confident each time he visited, to see with his own eyes how he could have turned out, had someone believed in him; see a brighter future emerge for the kid he had been in the past. The child that called him uncle was no longer the same Obito that the white-haired and scarred man had been in his childhood.

Sen cast an Henge on his appearance, making him appear as a young lady in Shinobi's clothes, with brown hair tied in a spiky high ponytail and large green eyes. He smiled as he left the small mole next to his ear – a habit he got in Konoha for Obito's sake – before moving in the direction of the weapons' shop. There he politely greeted the shop owner and asked to see the shuriken he had and observed what the older man put on display for him. Sen studied each model, the size, weight, length of the blades, before he decided on one in particular.

"You sure about your choice?" The old man asked as he studied Sen's feminine hands.

"Ah, yes! It's actually a gift for my friend's cousin, a little Uchiha. I would like to custom a set of ten by making a small orange line around the circular center of each one. How long will it take?"

"For the custom, three days. I still have a previous order to finish. But you sure you want to give that to an Uchiha? I heard they don't like anything not coming of their district." The owner grumbled once he heard it was for an Uchiha.

"None sense, grandpa!" Sen grinned at the older man. "First, it is for a cute little boy that just started academy. Seconds, Uchihas aren't that bad. They are just more numerous so they always have someone of the clan on different professions and no one wouldn't prioritize giving work to their family. Thirdly, you know that all clans are like that. Hyugas are no better with their Dojutsu and the Aburame are no less secretive… if maybe less obnoxious than some elder Uchiha. But it would be wrong to put all of them in the same boat!" Sen pouted with his round lips.

The old weapon's dealer blinked in surprise before laughing out loud. "You are one feisty young lady, I see! You are right on how wrong it is to judge a whole group on hearsay and behavior of a few individuals. My bad."

Sen beamed as a delighted young girl would and quickly nodded. "Right? And I'm sure the others would find your work impressive too. See you in three days, grandpa!"

Sen left the shop with a wave and walked into a deserted alley to use Kamui unnoticed. Once on the Anbu's base, he dropped his Henge and walked into the dormitory. The room was empty, so Sen laid down on the bed he appropriated for himself, to think for a moment. He had saved Sakumo and helped Obito get the support he needed in a family that he would share with Kakashi. Ame was safe with Yahiko still alive and now in control of the village. Nagato had been warned about Zetsu and there were no ROOT shinobis left in Ame. That's for what he had achieved so far. For what still needed to be done? Iwa… will definitely be a threat if there is a war, but they still had time on that side. For Kiri, Sen was a little divided in his opinion. For now, the third Mizukage was still in place and would be until the third shinobi world war when he died from unknown reason. Sen hadn't cared about what happened at that time, just that there was a new Mizukage that he could use to get revenge on Kiri for what they did to Rin. Now that he knew the truth about Madara and Zetsu's involvement in Rin's death, he was less hostile about Kiri. He would keep an eye on the current Mizukage and make sure that the village would get rid of its nickname of "the village of the bloody mist"... It was the least he could do for Kisame. For the rest of the villages, he wasn't too concerned.

In Konoha, there are still things he needed done. The first coming to his mind was Danzo. He needed to keep a close eye on him and Root's action because he was sure the old geezer had more tricks in his sleeves. He needed to find a way to stop Orochimaru's experiments, too. The next steps would be to prevent the Uchiha's rebellion. Even if he had been mostly responsible of the clan's massacre, the coup d'état hadn't been his doing. The clan will have to get better integrated in the village and he will make sure that Itachi and Shisui won't have to resort to drastic and desperate way to stop their family. He will try to help the Hyuga too… and it had nothing to do with him getting closer to Hawk. It was just evident that the Hyuga was from the Branch house with the cursed seal on his forehead and Sen wanted to try stopping that stupide discrimination.

In conclusion, his priority was keeping an eye on Danzo's activities and start with the Uchiha slowly. Just as the beginning of a procedure was drawn in his mind, the door of the dorms opened and laughter filled the silence.

"Hey! Look at that, Sen is back!" Tiger said cheerfully as the other greeted their returned comrade. Cat smiled at him and Sen sat up on his bed to nod at her.

"Congratulation for your daughter."

Cat blinked in surprise and turned from where she had gone to fetch her uniform to face the usually loner of their group. "Thank you… I didn't know… that you knew…"

"For a shinobi, information is vital. Of course I know that you birthed a child in good health." Sen then suddenly noticed the silence that fell on the room. Tiger was looking at him with his mouth open, Cat was smiling at him as if he was some strange child, Wolf snorted and ignored him like he usually did while Hawk only watched him quizzically. "What." Sen didn't ask but demanded.

"Ah," Cat said while looking around for some help. "It's just that… usually-"

The door opened again and this time Bear and Owl, not really members of their team, entered the room in their full uniform before stopping on the spot.

"What's going on?" Owl asked with her hands on her hips as she looked from Tiger still looking stunned, Cat gesticulating with her hand to Sen.

"OH MY GOD! Hirota!" Tiger said as he held Hawk by the shoulders. "Sen actually cares!"

"Tch. That's too troublesome. I'm leaving." And Sen body-flickered out of the dorms while Tiger explained what happened.

"Hey," Owl elbowed Cat. "I think now that he is half Uchiha and half Nara. I'm serious."

Cat laughed at the comment, preferring not to think what such a mix would turn into a person… and now the probabilities were popping in her head. Damn.

……………

Omake (courtesy of Shinkan, beta-reading this fic):

Kakashi walked towards the kitchen, the clock chimed once, the sound reverberated down the hall seeming to call out the ungodly hour. A faint light could be seen with sounds of clatter and muttering.

“What are you doing?” Kakashi said in a bored tone.

Obito let out a squeak and dropped an egg, both boys looked at the mess on the ground then back at each other.

“That was your fault” Obito responds.

Kakashi rolls his eyes and goes to get a wash cloth, turning back he says again. “So what are you doing?”

“I dont want to tell you”

“Why?”

“Because you will mock me”

“I won’t”

“Yes you will”

“No I won’t”

Obito looks at Kakashi

“Ok I’m making a bento for my uncle, I don’t think he eats good enough.” Obito figited

“At 1:00 am?” Kakashi says as he points out the time

“You don’t understand, you have your dad, I didn’t have anyone, no one cared about me.....I don’t ....I don’t know what to due if I loose him....” he trails off with a sniffle

“Pass me those eggs”

“What?” Obito asked as he wipes his eyes

“Your right I don’t understand, but your also wrong you have me and my dad. Now pass me the eggs” Kakashi says while looking away refusing to look at obito.

Obito smiles and hands over the eggs

……………………………

The next morning Sakumo enters his kitchen to find a huge mess, on the counter are two wrapped bentos one says for Dad the other for Uncle.

Chapter Text

Sen appeared in the outskirt of Konoha. He bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground, in a flash a summoning circle appeared filled with smoke in the space. In the center was now standing a white little fox with red markings under its eyes, on the paws and the tip of its tail and a large sacred rope tied around its neck.

"My, my," Said a feminine voice coming from the fox. "It's been some time since my Nameless master summoned me."

"Yuna, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Sen?" the masked man sighed.

The vixen known as Yuna huffed while turning her head away. "Well, excuse me mister I-trace-a-line-instead-of-my-name-in-a-summon-contract. Seriously, it's unheard of someone signing a summon contract with only tracing a line in place of writing the name. It's very disrespectful."

"Yet, you come each time I call you."

"Of course. I'm curious and you are interesting!" Yuna purred.

Sen rolled his eyes. It was on pure luck that he fell upon the fox's summoning contract a year ago. In his original timeline, the scroll disappeared after the tragic events that cost the Yondaime's death. He found the scroll during one of his mission and decided to keep it on a whim, as it reminded him of a blond boy brighter than the sun with dreams larger than the sky in which he shared the color of his eyes. It took him two weeks before Sen made his decision. Once the scroll was open, he hovered with his bloody finger over the name's space before tracing a single line and adding his fingerprints. He wasn't sure if it would work, but Yuna did come at his summon.

"I need eyes to inform me who enters and leaves the village outside of missions."

"Not watching Obito or the White Fang?" the vixen tilted her head.

"Not this time. They should be safe now. I want to know Root's whereabouts, see if Danzo will be trying something. Do you think you could manage that on your own?"

Yuna hummed before shaking her head. "Nope. Too much surface area, even if I split myself. I would need the help of at least another."

With a nod, Sen slammed his hand back down. This time, it was an orange fox with a green vest. "Kai, I want you to watch the southern half of the forest surrounding the village while Yuna will go to the northern part. You can split in as many copies as you need, but be sure to inform me if you see Root's shinobis leaving the village."

The orange fox grinned as he looked at his summoner. "'Hello Kai, how are you doing?' 'Well, thank you for asking Sen! It has indeed been a long time!'"

Sen sighed. "Should I get Ko instead?"

Kai's eyes widened before he jumped on the man's legs. "Nonono! I can do it! You don't need to bring my big brother, I promise!"

Sen watched the animal a moment longer before picking it by the fur of the neck and putting him down as he stood up. "Alright. I'm counting on you two."

The orange bushy tail wagged before the small fox rushed to his post. Yuna walked around, undulating her tail graciously as she watched the masked man. "You have changed." she said but elaborated as the man tilted his head to the side. "You are no more constantly… on guard. See you soon, Nameless master." And with that the white fox disappeared into the forest.

Sen frowned at what his summon said. He realized that his multiple visits of the Hatakes and Obito had changed him. Not so long ago, he barely had any contact with other people, even his visits to Obito had been twice a month at best. Now he met the trio every week. He put that aside in the back of his mind as he still had things to do. He ran to the Uchiha's district to see if he could gauge the atmosphere around and maybe get a glimpse on how Itachi was doing.

:-----------------------------------------:

Itachi was training in his clan's training ground. As he did his katas, he kept an eye and his senses on alert and… there it was. Since a couple of days, Itachi had felt the concealed presence of someone in the nearby trees. He had continued his exercises those previous day as if nothing, guessing that it could be a coincidence if someone was there at the same time as him or that the person would come to talk to him if they had some business with him. But that person stayed hidden until he went back home without addressing him at all in the time they were spying on him. Now it would be the third day and Itachi was getting frustrated by his mysterious stalker.

Once his katas finished, the young boy turned in the direction of the trees. "I know you are there." It took a minute, but eventually the person appeared a few steps from him. "Who are you and what do you want?" Itachi tensed and was on guard. The man before him was wearing the Anbu's uniform, although his mask wasn't the standard animal one the shinobid of his class wore.

"Oh, you are quite good to have been able to detect me. Nice to meet you, my name is Sen. And you must be the little prodigy Itachi that all the Uchiha's clan talk about?"

Itachi took a kunai into his small hand. "I asked you what do you want. You are not allowed here. This is the training ground exclusively for the Uchiha's clan."

The Anbu crouched down and waved at him. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanted to see you in person. How old are you? 6? 5?"

"I'm 4 years old. But I will be 5 this year." Itachi answered as he lowered his weapon but not putting it away.

"Wow, so young and already an expert in detecting chakra. I'm impressed." The man then pulled out something from his pocket that he held into his hand in Itachi's direction. "Here, this is a gift for you." As Itachi wasn't moving closer, the man then threw the object a few feet away from the boy. Itachi went to pick it up and noticed it was a wooden bird. "I heard that you liked crows, so I carved you a wooden one." Itachi watched suspiciously the wooden object before casting a jutsu and setting the bird on fire before letting it drop on the floor. As he looked back, the Anbu just stood up and shrugged. "It's yours. You do with it as you want. See you again, Itachi." The man then body flickered out of the training area.

Itachi wondered what all that was about before deciding to get back to his home.

The young Uchiha quickly noticed that his stalker turned into a permanent presence when he was training. The man only came when he was alone, never showing himself when he was training with his father or an elder cousin. Whenever he was alone, the man would appear and sit on the border of the training ground, watching him in silence. Itachi tried to find other places to train, but at the exception of his family's backyard, the strange man always found him so Itachi continued while ignoring him.

"Your gravity center is to low," was the first thing the Anbu said to him after a week of watching him silently. Itachi stopped his Taijutsu's training to face the man in silence. "If you want to go from kick to punch, you need to get your gravity center a little higher when you kick so you won't have to overbalance when you go to punch."

"I didn't ask for your help," Itachi stated making the man shrug while he sat against a tree.

"And I was just thinking out loud."

Itachi turned back to his training but readjusted his gravity center. He noticed that this Sen was right. By doing so, he could hit faster. The man said nothing for the rest of the training before he left five minutes before Itachi was about to head back home. The young boy soon noticed that the Anbu always left small gift on the spot he sat while watching Itachi. It was always some toys or trinkets of sweets.

He ignored them at first, but as time went on and the man appeared to be none threating, Itachi started to take them back home. He was always careful to inspect them meticulously before eating or playing with them. Shisui had been entranced by the spinning top Itachi got and they both played to see which one could make it spin the longest.

As time went on, Itachi got accustomed of Sen helping him. The man was a great source of advice, not minding demonstrating for him when needed. It was when the man was demonstrating him how to perform the Great Fireball while touching his chest to show him where he should hold the accumulated chakra before releasing it that Itachi noticed that he had willingly let the man into his personal space without it bothering him.

"How do you know this technic? You aren't a Uchiha." Itachi eventually asked.

Sen squatted down at his level and pointed at his right eye. "Look closer."

Itachi looked at the hole of the mask and saw the black eye turn red with three tomoes spinning in it. He blinked in surprise. "You are an Uchiha?"

Sen chuckled. "Yes, but it is a secret. Only a few are aware and it's better like that for now. So I would like you to keep it a secret too." He tapped Itachi's forehead with two fingers.

He then handed a small box of dangos that Itachi took. "Here. You can share that with your little friend." And then he disappeared a few seconds before Shisui called for him.

Shisui was overjoyed to see Itachi with dangos and quickly forgot his plan to train with him in favor of eating the treat. It was rare for them to get sweets in the clan, since they were told sweets was for babies and they both grown enough to not need it.

It took another week before Itachi decided to present Shisui to Sen. The young heir had asked his cousin to meet him at home so he will show him a secret. Shisui was more than enthusiastic to learn a secret and followed Itachi to the training ground.

"That's the training ground. Do you want to show me a secret Jutsu?" Shisui asked puzzled. He had hoped this secret to be something more interesting.

"Wait." Itachi told him before he turned to the trees. "Sen! Are you there? You can come out. Shisui promised he won't tell anyone."

Shisui wondered what his cousin was calling then he gasped and fell on his butt when someone appeared before them.

"Oh, you brought your little friend?" The Anbu asked as he looked at Shisui who was gapping at him.

"Wha-! Who-!" Shisui tried to ask when Itachi helped him on his feet.

"This is Sen. He helps me sometime to train and he is the one that gave me the candies and the toys. Sen, this is my cousin and best friend, Shisui."

"Nice to meet you, Shisui. It's been a long time since I have seen an Uchiha with such a curly fluffy mop of hair." He patted Shisui's head. "Yep, very fluffy."

Shisui batted the hand away before turning to his cousin. "Itachi! Strangers shouldn't be allowed here without permission!"

Itachi was about to say that he could since he was an Uchiha before he remembered his promise. "He is my friend," he told instead.

Shisui eyed the grown man suspiciously before nodding. "Alright. I won't tell. But you will have to bride me with candies too!"

Sen laughed as he ruffled Shisui's hair. "Yes, yes. I will bring you candies and toys too. Now, what do you want to do today?"

:--------------------------------------------:

Obito was asked by his Uncle to come with Kakashi to the training ground next to the Uchiha's district and meet him there. They waited a moment before Kakashi turned impatient.

"He tell us to come here and he is late?"

"Patience is a virtue, Kakashi," said Sen's voice from behind, making both boys jump in surprise. "And we are waiting for the others to come."

"Who are we waiting for, Uncle?" Obito asked, but his Uncle only turned his head and pointed somewhere on their left side. Obito turned and beamed once he saw his two little cousins. "Itachi! Shisui! Uncle, you invited them both too?" Obito was delighted. It had been his birthday the last time he saw his two favorite cousins.

"You two know Sen too?" Itachi asked as Obito rubbed Shisui's hair into a mess, making this one squeal in indignation. "Uncle?" he then asked?

"Un." Obito nodded after releasing curly-haired's head. "It's been two years since I knew him. And since I didn't know his name at first, I started to call him Uncle."

"Alright," Sen clapped his hands together. "Since we are all here, let's start to play."

Kakashi frowned while crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't come here to play. If it's that, I better go home to train."

Sen stopped Kakashi by gripping the back of his shirt. "None of that. It may be a game, but we are going to do ninja's game. Let's start with the ninja's version of Duck, Duck, Goose."

They all sat in circle when Sen explained the rules. At the difference of the formal game, this one was a bit more interesting. The *It had to infuse the smallest bit of chakra on the handkerchief while walking behind the circle of player. While everyone sitting had their eyes closed, they needed to detect if *It had silently dropped the chakra infused handkerchief behind them and chase *It before he took their place. It helped practice at the same time detection, control of chakra, discretion and speed. All the kids were fascinated by the game and played for hours before Sen changed the game.

After that, they went for the Hopscotch. Sen drew the usual design but added trap in the cases. Some were activated and some weren't. the cases were tricky too. Some were tilted, some were in a different texture and some undulated or spined. The trap switched depending on where the rock was thrown. It was a game of both detection and agility. The four children were surprised and fascinated to have such a simple game turn into something fun and useful.

"I have kept the best for the grand final which I'm sure you will all find interesting, at the exception of Obito, maybe." All looked at Obito, who shrugged as he had no idea. "You four will fight as a team against me to try get my mask. Everything is allowed, be it Taijutsu, Genjutsu or Ninjutsu. Is everyone ok with that?" the four children cheered, some more enthusiast than other but all eager to see Sen without his mask. "Then you have five minutes to get a plan and ten to try to get my mask."

The four kids went on a circle to try get a tactic up. Sen let them be before he announced the beginning of the game. It was a very chaotic fight as none truly knew how to fight as a team. Sen had to admit he had fun. He evaded, blocked attacks and hide as the kids rushed at him. When they bickered too much, Sen gave them the minutes they still had before the end of the game, which resulted in them attacking him again. As he announced the end, all kids were tired. Sen congratulated them and gave them advice to better work as a team.

"Can we try again next time?" Shisui asked.

"Of course. With repetition you will get better. I will come with new game for-" Sen froze, then disappeared.

All children were confused before Fugaku's voice calling for Itachi was heard. The head of the clan walked to the small group and watched his son.

"Good morning, father." Itachi said.

Fugaku eyed with a frown Obito, who quickly greeted his uncle with a bow, before looking at Shisui who smiled at him then looking back at his son, completely ignoring Kakashi. "You have more important things to do than playing here, son."

"I was actually training, father," Itachi replied.

"Yeah!" Shisui nodded enthusiastically. "We were all training together and it was even fun!"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow at that. "As long as you don't slack off and show progress." The older man nodded.

"He is only 4, uncle. He can't only train. He need to play too." Obito dared to say.

Fugaku watched Obito with disdain. "If that's what you learn with the Hatake, I'm not sure your presence there will help you become a great shinobi. Maybe I should reconsider the Hokage's demand and bring you back to someone in the clan."

Obito was looking at the ground in silence as fear and anguish brought tears in his eyes. It was Kakashi that walked up to Obito's defense.

"My father is a great shinobi and takes good care of me and Obito. I won't allow you to talk about him like that. Plus, Obito prefers to be with us. Just because he doesn't train 24/7 doesn't mean he will turn into a failure."

Obito looked at Kakashi with surprise. It was the first time the silver-haired boy came to his defense. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and watched the head's clan with a determined looked.

"Yeah! Just you wait. I will be the first Uchiha to become Hokage!"

Fugaku was a bit surprised to have the boy talk back to him like that. He turned then back to his son. "Anyway, I came to tell you your mother had prepared lunch and came to fetch you."

Itachi and Shisui left with Fugaku, waving good-bye to the two remaining kids. Obito looked at his feet a moment before talking to the silver-haired boy. "You really think so? Do you think I will be a great shinobi?"

Kakashi grimaced under his mask before rubbing his hair with one hand. "I don't know for the great part, but I'm sure you will be a good shinobi with time and training. And you don't want to go back to someone of your clan, right?" He saw Obito shake his head while biting his lower lip. "Then you stay with us and train hard. I'm sure dad won't want you to leave too. Now let's go back home. I'm hungry." Kakashi then took Obito's hand and lead him to their home. They both walked hand in hand, even when they started to bicker eventually.

In the trees, Sen watched the scene with a smile. He felt his heart warm at the sight of the two children walking away. It was nice to see this Obito get the family he deserved.

 .............................

Omake (by Shinkan)

It started small....

At first it was just the four children playing the game, but at school one day during lunch brake, Obito told Rin about the game, whom in turn told Yugao, who told Genma, who told Gai, who just had to learn this game with his rival, so of course the whole class heard and came to play it, which in turn was later taught to the younger siblings and kids at the playgrounds, soon the game was known throughout The whole of Konoha.

The teachers were stumped they had no idea where the game came from, the parents happy for their kids having fun learning, the Jonin Impressed with its practicality, the chunin not really caring ether way, the older genin jealous because it looked like fun.

Kakashi turned to Obito “this is all your fault”

“No its not it's Uncle's fault”

Somewhere Sen sneezed.

Chapter Text

Reading on his bed at the Anbu dormitory, Sen sat up when Hawk walked in the room to change, he watched the Hyuga silently.

Hirota could feel the gaze one his back as he changed. Once done he turned around and faced his masked teammate. "Is… there something I can help you with?" he asked, not used to have the taciturn member pay such attention to him.

Sen stayed silent before he nodded. "You are from the Branch family of your clan, correct?"

Hirota frowned but nodded. "Yes. What about it?"

"I heard all the members of that part had a seal on them. Do you have one too?"

The Hyuga tensed but gave a short nod. "Yes. It is mandatory that everybody of the Branch part get a cursed seal on the third birthday of the clan's heir. I got mine when Hiashi turned three." Hirota became defensive at the sensitive subject. Nobody asked questions about it. Not even members of his family talked about the seals among themselves.

"I know it's a strange request, and I won't take it bad if you refuse but… would you mind showing it to me? As I said, it's just curiosity and I won't be offended at all if you don't want to. I know it's a sensible subject for all the Branch members, but I know you… and…" Sen then looked away, rubbing his white hair with his gloved hand.

Hirota watched the definitely uncomfortable man sitting before him. It WAS a sensitive subject but Sen was a member of the Anbu and since the time that he knew the mysterious man, this one had never asked anything from his team. When others asked him for money, he gave it to them and never asked for it to be returned. When someone asked him to switch on a mission for some reason, he did it without questions or complains. It really was the first time that Sen asked something for himself and that was what made Hirota lean in favor of agreeing.

"If I show you the seal, will you show me your face in return?" the Hyuga asked and wasn't surprised when the other quickly shook his head. "One could try," he sighed. "I will show you if you say my name."

"Hawk." Sen quickly answered.

Hirota smiled and shook his head. "No, my real name. Not my codename."

Sen pondered in silence for a moment. "Hi…o…na?" he tilted his head on the last syllable.

The Hyuga laughed. How ironic it was for the person he had worked with for two years to not know his name. But that was so Sen. "Close, but not quite. It's Hirota."

Sen mumbled the name, as if testing the consonance before nodding. "Hirota Hyuga."

Hirota smiled. He had such a soft spot for this strange man. It was the first time he saw him this vulnerable. How could he tell him no? "Alright. But only once. I don't… really like to show it to people. It is, after all, a curse seal."

Hirota sat on the bed next to Sen and removed his headband. Once the seal visible, Sen scrutinized its detail. It was after half a minute that the other slowly raised his hand and delicately ran a glowed finger over it.

"Why do this to someone of their family?" Sen whispered, definitely not meaning to say it out loud.

Hirota smiled sadly and answered none the less. "To preserve the secret of the Byakugan."

Sen quickly pulled his hand away, as he had not been aware of what he was doing and apologized. "Thank you for showing me. I know it wasn't something you like to do."

"I don't mind if it's you who ask. We are friends after all."

Sen blinked and nodded slowly. "Yes. Thank you, Hirota."

:--------------------------------------------------------------:

During night-time, Sen went to the archive of the Hyuga's compound. After taking a moment to make sure he hadn't been noticed, he used his Sharingan to memorize everything there was about the cursed seal the Main family put on the Branch. It was easy for him to get there and leave undetected thanks to his Kamui. Once back at the dorm, alone as most of the time, he started to write everything about the seal and tried to dissect it. As he worked, he suddenly banged his head against the wall in frustration. This was going to be a rough one and he would need to improve his knowledge in Fuinjutsu before he could achieve what he wanted. He remembered Haw-Hirota smiling and calling him a friend. How couldn't he try?

 Well, he was adding a new objective to those he already has. After all what was one more?

…

 He had a friend.

:--------------------------------------------------------:

Sen came to the Hatake compound on his weekly visit. Sakumo greeted him politely as Obito bounded towards him before being told to return to his homework. Which he did with a lot of complaints.

"Your greeting me this time, I see," Sakumo grinned as Sen watched him in confusion. "Last week, you only went out with the boys and never came to spend time with me. I'm hurt."

"I'm sure your poor little heart will get over it." Sen replied.

Sakumo laughed at that. "How can you say that? I like the time we spend together."

"Yeah, I'm wonderful company. At least I'm sure it's not for my looks. Not hard to find someone better looking than a half disfigured freak."

"It's not that bad, once you get used to it," Obito offered. Kakashi elbowed him with a shush, wanting to gather any information by keeping a low-profile.

 "Obito is right," Sakumo agreed. "It's not as bad as you seem to believe. I told you I found you handsome and I was honest. I wouldn't mind looking at your face."

Sen laughed harshly. "I know what I look like. I don't need the pity of any of you."

"I'm serious," Sakumo said with a straight face.

Sen was silent a moment before he spoke, the smile definitely audible in his voice despite the mask hiding any facial expression. "Yeah… you are definitely the kind of man that could make any woman fall for you. Once you get over your wife's death, you will have no problem finding a pretty, young woman, sweet and friendly as you deserve."

Kakashi then groaned loudly. "Why are we now talking about my dad finding a girlfriend?"

Sen hummed as he rubbed his chin. "I wonder that too. But your father is still young and you may have a stepmother one day. But I didn't come here to talk about that. I'm leaving for a short mission soon and I wanted to ask a favor." Sen pulled out a folder that he put down on his lap and faced Sakumo. "I will be gone for a week or two and I would like to know if you could leave this here."

Sakumo took the folder and studied it. It didn't look like anything official and there was a small seal on the top, but no information about his content. "Why? What is it?"

" What's in there is not confidential or life-threating, more a personal project I’m working on; but it's not something I want any prying eyes to fall on. I live in the dorms where any Anbu can come and stay if they want too. I have no private space and I don't want to keep it on myself, just in case, so… could you keep this in your house for the meantime?"

"Oh. Sure. I don't mind keeping this safe for you."

Sen nodded and went to help Obito with his homework as Sakumo stood up and went to his bedroom. There, he removed a tatami on the corner of room and infused his chakra on a trivial stain there. A foot length and wide of the ground rose, allowing the man to remove it and reveal the small stash there. Sakumo always kept his important document or belongings there, to be sure nothing got stolen or misplaced, and decided that it would be better to put Sen's documents into this hiding place.

"Come ask me whenever you want it back." Sakumo informed as he sat down on the couch. "By the way, I wanted to tell you all that I will be taking missions again." Sakumo smiled when three heads turned in his direction. "The Hokage allowed my leave to be shortened, but I'm only allowed to do at most rank B missions until further ordered."

"That's good for you, Sakumo," Sen nodded. "You will be able to get slowly back to work like that."

"Why are you saying that?" Kakashi scowled. "My dad is one of the best shinobi in Konoha. He doesn't need to take things slowly."

Sen petted the young boy's head. "I know your dad is a great shinobi, but no one is above a mental break down. The more talented the shinobis, the less prone to ask for help they are. So it is protocol for shinobis to be put in mandatory leave before they do something stupid, so they can rest and set their priorities back."

Kakashi looked at his father who was looking down at his clasped hands and nodded. "Alright. Take your time," Kakashi said. "You will still be the best dad and a great shinobi no matter how long it takes."

Sakumo felt tears brim the corner of his eyes and he hid his eyes with a hand. His son was so mature. And in a moment of selfish folishness, he nearly left Kakashi behind, alone. "Yes, I will try harder. Thank-" as he turned to look at Sen,  but he had already left. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

So typical of their mysterious guest.

 :-----------------------------------------------------------:

Sen was on a mission with a group of three Jounin to retrieve some important document for a customer. He had been asked by another Anbu to switch with him, since he had an emergency at home, his mother getting sick and probably not having more time. Sen had agreed and was now with his team studying a building where said documents were kept. The compound was well guarded. Even after a week of watching, they couldn't find any routine or flaw. The Aburame present on the team was really useful. Unfortunately, no Hyuga were available for this mission, so they had to do with only an Aburame and two none clan members. Their team leader, a man with a scar on the left cheek was getting impatient.

"C'mon! Can't your bugs see any opening? It has been a week!"

"It is strange that they are so guarded… this is suspicious." The sole female of the group stated.

Sen nodded. "I agree. Why do they have so many guards? It's not normal." He didn't like that. It was as if they knew something was going to happen and were sure to keep all their people effectively on guard.

"This seems to be an illegal facility behind a disguise. They are mainly focusing on the production of something in the basement than in the room where their store their imported merchandise. Wait…The guards on the Eastern entrance have switched," The Aburame informed. "But it has been a minute and nobody else came to replace them."

"That's strange…" the female mused. They have never made such a mistake before.

"This is our chance!" their leader said. "You said the documents were in a room on the first floor, right?" The Aburame nodded. "Then lets discretely infiltrate the garden on the East side, before we make our way in. Aoi, you will keep guards out with the Anbu and inform us if you see anything suspicious. Takao and I will go inside, since he knows the way thanks to his bugs."

They all agreed and went to the Eastern entrance. As predicted, there was no guards at said entrance. They managed to enter without problem which put Sen even more on alert. He stayed behind, just inside of the building with the Kunoichi as ordered as the two other members went further in. He used his sense to detect any presence and froze as he noticed something.

"The mission scroll said there should be only regular humans and mercenaries, right?" as the woman nodded, Sen narrowed his eyes behind his mask. "So why do I detect fifteen concealed chakra presences here?" Just as Aoi gasped, Sen threw a kunai on his left and a body fell to the ground.

"Takao! Riku! It's a trap!" She screamed as she ran in their direction, quickly followed by Sen. Just as they reached the two others members, six shinobis fell on them. They fought and Aoi was eventually wounded on the leg.

Just as the last enemy fell, their leader gave them his order. "Takao! Go recover the document! Me and the Anbu will cover you. Aoi! Stay close!"

Just as Takao was about to run in the direction of their target, Sen spoke. "No. We should retreat."

"What?!" The leader shouted.

"The mission scroll definitely didn't spoke of any shinobi being present here and I can feel more hidden into the building. There is a high quantity of guards when no one should have been aware of our mission, the suddenly unguarded entrance, it was a trap set for us. Someone informed them of our arrival here."

Sen quickly deflected a rain of shuriken falling on him and the injured kunoichi next to him and let the two take care of the three shinobi that came into the corridor.

"A shinobi should always put the mission first!" their leader screamed. "Aoi! Get a grip of yourself or die helping your team finish the mission! Takao, go! That's an order of your leader!"

Sen released a powerful killing-intent that froze everyone there. He then ran to the leader and punched him unconscious before carrying him on his shoulder. "Aburame. We are retreating. Help your injured teammate. I will take responsibility of the failure of this mission." He then gritted under his teeth. "I'm not letting any of us die here meaninglessly."

The two remaining members quickly nodded and obeyed. Just as they reached the exit, the six still hidden shinobi rushed on them, followed by a group of a dozens of mercenaries. Sen then threw the unconscious body to Takao and Aoi and took a guard stance. "You three go already. I will keep them back until you are far enough away before joining you."

The two ran as fast as they could while carrying their leader. They could hear metal hitting metal and screams of agony but didn't turn around and kept running. Both were wondering how the Anbu with a line on his mask would survive and manage to join them with such a quantity of enemies fighting. Then, as they had been running for ten minutes, the Anbu suddenly appeared next to them.

"We are good. But keep running." He said as he jumped back on the trees branches above them.

Needless to say, once they came back to Konoha they directly went to report to the Hokage. Riku was furious, pointing at Sen for breaking two important rules of the shinobi codes. 1. The mission always come first, even at the price of a shinobi's life. 2. A shinobi must follow their commander's instruction. Sen stayed immobile as the man started how incompetent he had been, never correcting or trying to defend himself. It was only when the Hokage rose a hand to silence the angered man and ask Sen what he had to say that this one talk.

"The mission was tampered with and sabotaged ." He stated matter of fact. "First, the information of the scroll was deliberately incorrect, making the mission null and void. Secondly, the enemies were aware on our arrival. Somebody had informed them. Thirdly, the customer had ties with the drug dealers that were working undercover there –  the document probably being about his link with the illegal activity – making him not an eligible client by Konoha's standards. Taking in consideration all those parameters, I decided the life of Konoha's shinobis was more important than the completion of this mission. I take full responsibility of any consequences and repercussion of this failure."

The Hokage smoked his pipe in silence as he watched Sen. After a long minute he addressed to the person present. "Having heard all those information, I can only approve the cancelation of this mission. The client obviously lied to us and I would have hated to lose some brave shinobi because of this. I know a mission should always come first, but not when everything is set for you to fail. All of you, be proud of yourself and go back home. Sen, I want to talk to you."

As the three other left, the Hokage activated his privacy seal before giving Sen an order. "Talk. I know you could have been able to recover this document without any problem."

"The shinobis present there were all from Root. I made sure to take care of all of them before leaving the building. This was clearly a plan set by Danzo to make us attack an undercover drug facility in a neighboring country. The plan was to have all of the team die and then accuse Konoha of having attacked an importation company without reason. He would have only needed one body to set a war between us and Iwa. I'm nearly certain that even the client was a fake, cast by him."

The Hokage put down his pipe and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "It would have been so much easier if it had just been your campaign to promote the life of our shinobi before the success of a mission… are you a hundred percent sure it was Root?"

"Affirmative. I have memorized every member of the Root's organization since I first came here. I have absolutely no doubt."

"…Danzo…" The Hokage groaned and he rested his forehead in his hand.

"If I may…" Sen started but was stopped by the raising hand that silenced him.

"No. I said I will take care of this."

Sen nodded slowly. "We are lucky this time that Snake couldn't join this mission and I took his place. Only one body of ours would have cost us peace, and they wouldn't have bothered to recover a fallen comrade thanks to that specific rule. I don't need to remind you how badly it all would have turned had I not been there. "

With that warning Sen left the tower, leaving the Hokage alone. This one took off his hat and rubbed his bald head as he studied it. When he put it back on, he deactivated the seal and called his secretary. "Please, plan a meeting with the council. I need to talk with them about the modification of one rule."

:--------------------------------------------:

Danzo was sitting in his office when one of his Root Anbu knocked at his door.

"Enter." A cloaked and masked figure appeared and knelt before him. "Report."

The masked agent nodded. "The mission has failed. All the other agents present there died. I'm the only survivor as I was posted outside the compound."

Danzo frowned. "All of them?"

"Yes," The Anbu nodded. "They were all killed by an unknown Anbu from Konoha."

"What do you mean by unknown?"

"From the document, it should have been Snake present with the team of Jounin sent there. Instead, it was someone with only a black line on his mask, not the standard animal one. Definitely male. They never called him by a code name, only by 'Anbu'."

"And you are telling me this person killed all of my agents by himself?"

"Affirmative. I saw it with my own eyes."

Danzo rubbed his chin. "Get me any information you can get from this unknown Anbu."

The Root member nodded and left. Danzo took out a folder and pulled out one by one the fifteen deceased members' paper before setting them on fire. Who was this man that singlehandedly killed fifteen well trained shinobis from Root? This was something he would have to keep his eye on. He couldn't get his plans ruined like that.

Omake?

You liked does little Omake until now? Then you should definitely go read on the link bellow if you want some cute, short stories about things that happen sideline of my own fanfiction.

Not all lines are straight by Shinkan

Chapter Text

Sen was torn. For two years, he had managed to avoid two particular people, but right now, he was in a ditch. He knew his knowledge of Fuinjutsu wasn't the best and he had already studied all he could form the library. He needed something more, something that only one person in particular possessed. He stood immobile in front of Kushina Uzumaki’s front door, he hesitated. He knew that she would have documents about seals that not even Konoha's library could dream of possessing. Uzumakis were known for their large knowledge on seals. If he wanted to help the Hyuga, more than his primary objective of studying the seal for future use, he would need a true master’s opinion. He would need to ask her to let him look at the documents she possessed.

He took a deep breath to give himself courage and knocked at the door.

"I'm coming!" said the joyful voice he remembered so well and he cringed internally. When the door opened, the woman was smiling before a frown appeared on her face at the sight of the masked man standing there. "Who are you?"

Sen watched her. She looked so beautiful and so young. The memories of her last moment appeared in his mind and he closed his eyes as he bowed.

"Good evening, miss Uzumaki. My name is Sen. I'm here to ask you a request."

Kushina blinked before nodding. "Go on."

"I would like you to let me access to the scrolls and books you had about seals. It is well known that Uzumakis are well versed in Fuinjutsu and I couldn't find anything useful in Konoha's library. So I came here to ask you to let me learn from your library."

"Who is there, Kushina?" a voice called from inside.

Sen tensed. He recognized this voice even if it had been more than two decades since the last time he heard it.

"Ah! Where are my manners. Please, come in." The woman pulled Sen inside by his arm.

"I don't want to disturb," Sen quickly added. "I can come back another time."

"None sense. You are already here. Minato! We have company!"

Sen entered the living room, still being pulled by the red-haired kunoichi and saw his former sensei sitting on a sofa. The man frowned once he saw the masked Anbu and Sen had a mini panic attack as he remembered the fight when he released the Kyubi in the village.

"What is an Anbu doing here?" Minato asked in a defensive way. It was, after all, uncommon to see an Anbu in full gear knocking at someone's door.

"He came to ask for something," the woman informed her boyfriend. "Sit here," she pushed Sen down on a sofa and went to sit next to the blond man.

"I really can come-" Sen tried to say but was stopped by Kushina waving her hand.

"Ah ah! None of that! Now, tell me why do you want to have access to the Uzumaki's library."

Minato's eyes widened in surprise but stayed silent. Sen sat straight and knotted his hands together. He had mentally prepared himself to see the woman he had killed in that other life, but he was not prepared to see the face of his former teacher now.

"Are you there?" the woman waved a hand in front of his face and Sen jolted at the proximity, since he hadn't seen her moving from her spot.

"Ah, yes. Like I said, I'm trying to find information about seals, but found nothing of any value in Konoha's library."

Kushina laughed loudly as she took back her previous place. "Of course you won't! There is not a lot of people here that have studied Fuinjutsu. Only Jiraya and Minato do and they don't put their discoveries in the village's library. But I want to know what you are looking for."

"I want to study ways to break and create seals."

"Why?"

Sen grimaced behind his mask. He had hoped against hope that it would be easier. "I want to help… a friend."

"How?" this time it was Minato who asked.

"Someone put a seal on him."

Kushina hummed before nodding. "Alright! I will let you read in my library, but you aren't allowed to take anything out from here."

"Kushina, are you sure?" Minato rested a hand on her shoulder. "You don't know anything about him."

The red-haired pushed his hand away. "I welcome everyone who wants to learn. Or are you saying I shouldn't have let you study here when you asked me all those years ago?"

As Minato rolled his eyes, Kushina jumped to her feet and lead Sen to the room where she kept all the information she owned about seal. She was very helpful, pulling out books and scrolls that would interest Sen. He was grateful since the room was huge and filled from floor to ceiling with bookcases full of books and scrolls. He took the armful of documents she gave him and thanked her before sitting on the floor.

"Call me if you need something else. But I think you will have your hands full for a while with that."

Sen nodded and started to read. As hours went on, Sen found himself fascinated with all the information there. Everything was so well written and detailed. He read book after book, scroll after scroll without seeing the time go. It was only when someone knocked at the doorframe that he raised his head and saw Kushina and Minato standing there, watching him.

"Humm..." Kushina started with a small troubled smile. "It's getting late; you know?"

Sen looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see it was already a quarter to midnight. "Oh. Sorry. I will put all of this back and…"

Kushina chuckled as she waved her hand in dismiss. "There is no need. You can leave it all there. I'm sure you will come back to finish it anyway."

Sen stood up and bowed. "I really appreciate your help."

Minato smiled at him. "It's not often that we see someone as fascinated as us in Fuinjutsu."

Sen curtly nodded. "Then I wish you a good night," and with that he body flickered out of the house.

"What a strange man. But it has been a long time since I saw someone as interested as you in seal," Kushina grinned at Minato.

The blond nodded. "What did he say his name was?"

"Sen. But I never heard of a Sen in the village before. What about you?"

Minato frowned as he searched his memory. "Neither have I. And his Anbu's mask wasn't the usual one too."

"An eccentric one! I like it!"

Minato laughed. "I’m sure you do."

:---------------------------------------------------:

It became a regular occurrence. Sen would go frequently near the end of the day or on the weekend to ask access to the Uzumaki's library. Kushina was always more than happy to let him in and quickly put a stop to the 'miss Uzumaki' none sense. She often stayed to help him when he looked like he had trouble understanding something or stayed in the room to study herself as she hadn't read all the books there.

It soon turned into a meeting where she chatted about things that had happened to her, complaining about people making fun of her hair or things she thought that were stupid. Sen was a good interlocutor. He listened and debated with her, never judging or making fun of her way of thinking, not even when she proposed that they should find a way to make ramen a food ration for shinobis in missions. He was only a little more reserved when Minato was present in the room with them. Usually, Minato was the friendly one that people liked more to talk to than her. She was happy to have, for once, someone that liked her more than her boyfriend.

Sen came one evening to the Uzumaki house and was surprised when Minato greeted him instead of Kushina.

"Hello, come in." the blond smiled at the masked man.

Sen nodded and walked in, surprised to not find the red-haired kunoichi there. "Kushina is not here?"

"Not today. She has an outing with Mikoto tonight and won't be home before morning. But she asked me to wait here and let you in if you came."

"I don't want to bother," Sen said as he walked backward to the entrance.

"Don't leave, please. She will get angry at me if she knows that I didn't let you come work."

Sen stayed still for a moment before nodding and walked to the library as he usually did. He went to sit on the ground and started to read a book when Minato entered with two cups of tea. Sen frowned as the blond placed a cup next to him. "It's not good to drink while reading. One can stain the pages."

Minato laughed. "Oh, Kushina has no problem to eating while reading. I don't think she will mind you drinking a cup of tea, I can tell you."

Sen rose his mask enough to free his mouth and took a sip of tea before continuing to read the book he had on his lap.

"Why don't you remove your mask? It would be easier." Minato asked as he watched him.

"I don't remove my mask." Sen said without raising his eyes from the line he was reading.

"Why not? We are all Konoha's shinobi and I even know a few Anbus and what mask they wore. Or is it because of your scars?"

Sen tensed. Of course Minato would trick him by offering tea and see his scars. "That's none of your business." He said defensively.

"Did I do something to you?"

Sen looked up in surprise. "What?"

Minato decided to clarify. "It's just that you don't seem to like me. Kuchina says that you talk a lot with her, but you always seem so closed and uncomfortable with me. I just wonder why."

Sen bit his lips as he tried to find a way to find a reason to give for his discomfort other than 'I tried to kill you in another life and you nearly killed me too'. "You are smart."

"And that's a bad thing?" Minato blinked.

Sen sighed. "You are too smart and cunning. You gave me tea to try to see my face, I know. Smart people always try to uncover a mystery and right now, you are trying to see who I am and what I'm trying to do. I don't like people spying on me or trying to discover what I want to keep hidden. I don't want to be your pet project."

Minato was shocked for a moment before he laughed. It was the first time someone called him on his act. "You are something else. But you are right, I'm intrigued by you. Most people don't know about you and the few that do, well, they don't know any more than I."

"So now you know why I don't like you." It was a lie. Sen feared to get too close to the man that had taught him so much and which he backstabbed. He didn’t deserve to be close to such a brilliant man. He feared that he could ruin him just by interacting with him. "People that live in the light shouldn't try to look to closely into the shadows of the world."

"So you see yourself as a shadow," Minato mussed. "But aren't we all shinobi shadows?"

"I am a shadow in the shadow. I am never meant to live in the light like others."

"That's a very sad way to live," Minato said after a moment of silence.

"That's how I have always lived."

Sen tried to ignore the heavy gaze as he continued to work on the note he was taking. He was getting closer on achieving his new seal and the book he had had a lot of information he needed. He was so engrossed on his work that he didn't notice the presence looming on his shoulder.

"You should change the left part of your seal. It won't work with the rest."

Sen was so surprised that he instinctively took a kunai and nearly stabbed the man behind him. Luckily, Minato wasn't any regular shinobi and easily deflected the attack.

"Don't do that again." Sen said calmly, even when his heart was pounding in his chest. For Kami's sake! He nearly killed his sensei. Again!

"Sorry," Minato smiled, undisturbed. "But you should change that part. It would be in conflict with the rest."

Sen looked at the section pointed and couldn't see were the problem was, but he none the less erased it. If Minato said one part wouldn't work, then it won't.

The blond sat down next to Sen and took a pen in his hands. "You should change it like this instead. It would harmonize and facilitate the transition from the main part to the second." Minato continued to study the lines drawn with a frown. "That is something interesting you are working on. It took me a while, since you apparently put unnecessary flourishes and decoys a bit everywhere, but I see the purpose now. This part targets the DNA," he pointed on the paper. "and rewrites it. But it's still not complete. That part contains the change on the head, but somewhere more centered, like the eyes... It's like you are trying to modify a kekkei genkai or a Dojutsu."

Sen quickly pulled back his sketched seal in the folder he always took with him before putting away the rest of his work and notes.

"But the center of the seal is the trigger." Minato continued to explain as he watched the man arrange his documents. "It allows an easier way to activate it by precisely adding chakra on the center in a particular way. Two short bursts of chakra, one long and a short one. That's the sequence to activate it. But why would someone modify themselves their-"

Minato went silent and Sen groaned and faced the man who was watching him with wide eyes. "You are too smart." Sen stated annoyingly as he stood up.

"You are making a new seal for the Hyuga." Minato voiced his thought. "You said you wanted to help a friend and all your work center on DNA and the eyes and can be easily activated by all age. But why are you doing this? I'm pretty sure the clan's head or their Elders haven't asked for a new seal. So why are you inventing a seal for them?"

"Because I see a clan tearing itself apart. I see people discriminating against other members or their own family and everybody looks the other way, doing nothing. I see people brand children with a cursed seal without anybody saying anything. I see people putting fucking bombs on other people and given free access to set them off and nobody is disapproving their acts." Sen advanced until he was standing very close to the blond. "So I decided that I, at least, will do something and not ignore this like everyone else."

Minato looked pained at those words but quickly recovered and looked at the lone black eye that he could see from this closeness. "You shouldn't get involved in clans' matter like that. If they learnt that you-" Minato's next words died in his throat as he saw on the previously dark eyehole an eye appears as Sen slowly opened his previously closed left eye. The blond was rendered speechless as he witnessed for the first time with his own eyes the most powerful Dojutsu existing on this world.

"Stay out of this," Sen ordered as he stared down at the blond, knowing the effect the Rinnegan would have on him. "I never asked for your help. You, a man that had worked with that clan, who had learned for years Fuinjutsu with masters and claim wanting to be the next Hokage, had done nothing until now. So, keep quiet and don't get in my way. Am I clear?" Sen didn't wait the answer as he felt a familiar presence suddenly appeared in the room. Behind him was now standing Tiger, fully clothed in his Anbu's uniform.

"Sen," Tiger called. "The Hoakage is summoning you immediately."

Sen nodded and Tiger left with the knowledge that his fellow Anbu got the message. Sen, instead of storing the document in the storage seal tattooed on his right arm, kept the folder in his hand and used Kamui to put it in his pocket dimension while turning his face away to hid it to the blond. He deactivated his Sharingan before looking back at Minato, feeling a bit of satisfaction at the surprise on his face.

"I wish you a good evening, Minato Namikaze." Sen bowed and body flickered to the Hokage's office.

"You asked for me?" Sen bowed and waited for the older man to either speak or activate the privacy seal to gauge the turn of this conversation. When he felt the seal being activated, he raised his head and saw the old man looking at him with a serious expression. "What happened?"

"Somebody broke into my office last night and the seal on your file was activated."

Sen tensed. Who could have done that? He had a name on the tip of his tongue, but… it was impossible for Danzo to be aware of his existence. He religiously avoided any Root shinobi when in the village, except when he wore a Henge, and never let any survivors to report. But he wouldn't bet his Sharingan that the old man had nothing to do with that. He was glad to have forced the Sandaime to put his seal on the file. The real information – except for his name – were written there, be it his capacity or his face. But with the seal, if someone other than the Hokage touched the file, the content would rewrite itself, leaving only the bare minimum data on him.

Sen called back his two summons to the room. "You two saw no one from Root leaving or entering this past few weeks?"

"Nothing on my side," Yuna chirped with a foxy grin.

"Wait wait wait! You only talked about leaving." Kai stood on his rear legs and pointed a paw to Sen's direction. "You never said anything about entering the village!"

Sen groaned slapped his mask with a hand. "Kai," Yuna said in a deadpan voice. "You should read between the line."

"It's not my fault if he didn't give me proper order!" the orang fox huffed as he sat back down while his tail repeatedly hit the flood in frustration. The small white fox hit her kin on the head in rebuke.

"What did you see then, Kai?" Sen asked in resignation.

"The day you came back from your last mission, a Root Anbu entered the village a few hours later."

"I'm positive I took care of all of them, but it can't be a coincidence."

"It's not a proof, still." The Hokage shook his head. "And they gained nothing but the barest information."

"Yes, and that's suspicious enough for him to keep an eye on me now." Sen removed his glove to bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground. A dark orange fox with sharp green eyes and a blue scarf appeared. "Ko, I want you to keep an eye on Root's base. Try to collect any information and see if they are sent somewhere out of the village. You two will go back to your position."

"Noooooooo!" Yuna threw herself down at Sen's feet, rolling and waving her tiny paws in the air like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "It's boring! I don't want to go there. Make Ko switch place with me!"

Sen took a deep breath to calm himself. Vixens and their moods. "Alright. Ko, you will go to the entrance and keep an eye on the Northern position on the wood and keep an eye for any Root shinobis leaving OR entering the village while your brother will return to his previous position on South. Yuna, you will be on watch to the base and glean any information you can. Is everybody alright with their assignment?"

The three foxes agreed and left the tower by the windows. Sen turned back to the Hokage. "Is that all?"

"One more thing." The Sandaime took his pipe and exhaled out a large cloud of smoke. "I have requested a meeting with the council to officially change a particular shinobi law you wanted."

Sen was pleasantly surprised. "That's great news, I thank you for your consideration," he bowed lowly.

"Don't thank me right now. It still had to be approved by the majority." The old man waved a hand.

"Still, it's the intention that count. It's by making small steps that we can change this place to a better one."

~~~~~~~

Omake (from beta-reader)

Minato sat down to read a book but when he opened it... a loud bang happened and confitie came raining down on him.

“Very funny Kushina“

Kushina walked out of the kitchen and laughed, “It was not me, but I could kiss whoever it was.” She was holding her sides. “your face is so awesome looking”

Minato got up and looked in a mirror at his orange face.... and let out a grown....

Chapter Text

Danzo was a little surprised by the report of his Root Anbu. "What do you mean by nothing?"

The man that was kneeling before him lowered his head. "It is as I say. The picture on the file was of his mask. No chakra affinity, no rank, no specific techniques known, no address. There was only his code name, his age, the Anbu's dormitory as the location to send his paychecks and his blood type."

That… was odd. Not even he had so little information on the members of his organization and Danzo wasn't about to deny that he can be paranoid about what he kept on written documents. "And what is his code name then?"

"Sen"

"Tell the others to keep an eye on him and report anything they could learn about this man. I find it really suspicious that so little is known by the Hokage, so he must deliberately be hiding information on him."

Danzo was recalculating his plans. By now, two of his major ones had failed. There must be something going on. Either they had a mole or someone was actively keeping tabs on them. He looked down at the picture his agent had taken of the Anbu's file. Sen; the line on his mask was clearly a given for his name code. He couldn't help but wonder if this mysterious Anbu had any link to the chain of failures they recently had.

:----------------------------------------------:

Sen was shopping for some candies in a male Henge when he felt a small hand grab his. He looked down and found a little girl with black hair combed in two piggy tails wearing a white kimono with pale blue flowers and a pink obi. The little girl smiled at him and when her eyes switched colors form green to a vibrant yellow with slit pupils, he immediately knew who that was.

"Yuna" he said as he walked into the shop, still holding the hand of a seemingly 4 years old girl.

"Hello, Nameless master. I have news for you." She waited until he gave a short nod to continue. "I heard Root talking about keeping eye on an Anbu wearing a peculiar mask with only a line and an ear out for anything related to a Sen."

Sen grimaced as he took a small bag of soft caramels. "So they do have taken notice of me." As the two went to the cashier, Sen took a lollipop on the counter to add on his purchase before leaving the shop. "Keep the good work. Don't hesitate to report if you get even the smallest information."

"You didn't compliment me on my look" Yuna twirled on herself to show him his full appearance.

Sen smiled at that. "I would have thought that you would choose a more mature form."

"And get every head turned once they saw the beauty I am? That wouldn't be very discreet."

"Here, for your hard work." Sen handed the disguised fox a lollipop. She took it with a smile before waving him goodbye and running away.

Sen berated himself as he walked in the direction of the Uchiha's district. So he did miss one on his last mission. He would have to be extra careful when he was in public to palliate his mistake.

Once in the forest, Sen dropped the Henge, he jumped from the trees to the training ground Itachi usually used. He was a bit surprised when he felt only one presence there.

"No Shisui here today?" he asked once he was close enough to the training boy.

Itachi's shoulders sagged as he turned to face him. "No. Father forbid him for the meantime to come with me."

"Why?" Sen couldn't help but ask with a tilt of his head. It wasn't common for the Uchihas to forbid children from the clan to see each other.

"I failed an exam. I only got 88/100. Father said it's because I don't study and train hard enough and punished me. He hasn't talked to me for two days, but mother said he will eventually get over it and not to mind him."

The older man felt a pang in his heart in sympathy. He squatted down and motioned for the kid to come closer. Once at arm reach, he pulled the Uchiha's heir in a hug. He was sad when he felt Itachi froze in the embrace. "88 was a good score. You have nothing to be ashamed about."

"But father was so angry and disappointed," Itachi said, still not returning the hug.

"It will happen. You can't be perfect, no matter how much your dad wants you to be. Nobody can. And it's alright to feel sad and cry when you are hurt or sad."

"A shinobi don't cry."

"Well, you aren't a shinobi yet, despite what others may think. You are still a child. And shinobis shouldn't cry during mission only, but can when they are at home. We are all humans after all. Even I have cried a lot and I'm an Anbu. So cry if you want, it will make you feel better afterward. I will make sure no one see you."

He felt the small body slowly tremble in his arms and small hands gripping tightly at the back of his shirt. Sen rubbed his back and his soft hair in a soothing motion. He slightly tightened his hold when he distinctively heard a hiccup.

"You are so strong, Itachi. Don't let what your father said get in your head and talk to your mother about how you feel. You can't keep it all bottled up. It's not healthy. Mikoto is kind and I'm sure she will talk to Fugaku. Your father is a rough and stubborn man that won't see he is in the wrong unless someone tells him; but I'm sure even he won't dare go against what Mikoto says. She can be terrifying, even if she is a housewife now."

Itachi laughed in Sen's neck and pulled away with a smile. "She is. You really think I should tell her? That she will tell father to be less demanding?"

"Definitely." Sen nodded sharply. "Your mom will defend you with the fierceness of a lioness." He then took out the small bag of caramels. "Here, for you. It will cheer you on. Now, how about we train together on some Suiton technics? It's always good to diversify your repertory of technics."

Itachi rubbed his tears away and nodded.

:-------------------------------------------------:

Sen decided to visit the Hatake's household. He had some time to spare and it had been more than ten days since he visited Obito. He was hitting a wall in his progress with the new seal he was working on and he needed to give his mind a break. He appeared on the living room with his usual "Hello" but was surprised to see Minato sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

"Uncle!" Obito cheered at the sight of the older man.

"You are late." Kakashi grumbled on his spot, sharpening his kunai.

"Sen?" Minato dropped his book in surprise.

"Namikaze," Sen said curtly while patting the back of the young Uchiha. "What are you doing here?"

"Well… I should be the one asking you that," the blond countered.

"Uncle always comes to visit me," Obito told the blond.

"And dad is out on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow, so he asked Minato to keep an eye on us. You would know that if you visited regularly." Kakashi added haughtily.

"Nobody likes a smart-mouthed kid, Kakashi. But I'm touched that you missed me."

"I don't!" Kakashi shouted before grumbling and returning to his kunai sharpening.

"Well, I think I will come back another day, then,"

Sen was about to leave but Obito latched on his leg. "Don't go! I… I need help with my homework!"

"I thought you already finished your homework, Obito," the blond quirked an eyebrow.

"The one for tomorrow, yes but… not the one for Wednesday. And Uncle always explains better!" Obito then ran to his room to fetch his notebook.

"Uncle, huh?" Minato mussed but was ignored by the masked man, as this one sat on a chair at the table to wait for Obito. Minato observed the two working on Obito's assignment. It was a moment later that he tried to catch the attention of the other adult in the room. "Can I talk to you?"

"Don't bother us while we are working." Sen didn't bother to look up from the notebook.

"I just want to apologize-"

"Apologize accepted. Now Obito, you have to calculate the trajectory of the shuriken while keeping in mind the wind and the distance of the target…"

Minato sighed dejectedly and returned to his silent observation. Why was the Anbu here? Apparently, it wasn't his first visit and Obito even called him Uncle. Was the man a Uchiha? But it couldn't be possible, with the white hair and the Rinnegan. The kids seemed very familiar with him though. Was he a relative of the Hatake then? Minato was lost in his thought long enough to not notice the man standing up and giving his farewell to the two kids. "Ah! Wait!" But it was too late. The man had already left the house. He turned his attention then to Kakashi, the one he was more familiar with. "So, this Sen come here often?"

"Yeah. He was the one who dropped Obito here. He usually comes weekly and stay to eat with us."

The blond hummed pensively. "So you guys know who he really is under the mask?"

Kakashi was about to open his mouth when Obito interrupted. "Don't tell him about Uncle! He is a stranger."

"He isn't a stranger," Kakashi pointed out. "I know Minato since I was a toddler and he is a good friend of dad. Dad asked him to babysit us, right?"

Obito frowned. "Still… Uncle wouldn't like it."

Minato gave a reassuring smile to the reluctant boy. "I have already met Sen on multiple times. He often comes to visit Kushina's library to learn about seals, you know?"

Obito mussed before shaking his head. "I still won't tell you anything." He took his notebook and left to his room.

Sighing, the blond turned to the remaining child. "And you Kakashi? Won't you tell me?"

The silver-haired boy looked up and shrugged. "I don't know much myself. He never takes off his mask and often teases me. He is a lot closer to Obito, actually. I think he hid his face because he had scars, but dad and Obito said it wasn't that bad. Dad seems to like him."

"So Sakumo knows what he looks like?"

Obito then rushed in the room and threw his google to Kakashi's head.

"Ouch! That hurt!"

"Then stop telling him things! A shinobi should know how to keep secrets. And you!" he turned to point a finger to Minato. "Being nosy is a bad thing! Sakumo said so!"

Minato laughed and apologized. He then turned on the TV to placate the angered boy. He will try to see later if Sakumo could tell him more about Sen.

:------------------------------------------------:

Sakumo had come back in the village and waited at the missions' desk to give back the scroll and get his pay. He felt still uncomfortable when he heard the other shinobis present, glare and mutter behind his back. He flinched when someone dumped his shoulder and muttered 'traitor' loud enough for him to hear. He was looking at his feet when he heard someone call his name.

"Sakumo~!" Said man turned around and was surprised when a voluptuous blonde woman rushed to his direction while enthusiastic waving at him. "Honey! I missed you so much!" The woman jumped in his arms and kissed his cheek. "The kids told me you had gone on a mission and would be back today."

Sakumo held the blonde woman with surprise before the information ticked in his head and he looked at the mole under her right ear. "S-" But he was stopped to pronounce the name a manicured finger pressed on his lips.

"Why are they so slow? I want to celebrate your return to active duty with you!" she held Sakumo's arm, making her ample breast squeeze in a provoking manner from her v-cut shirt as she bent down a little to put on display the round bottom in her shorts. "Could you hurry up, please? She pouted at the person sitting at the registry.

The man looked at her – or more precisely at her chest – with a hanging mouth before blushing and stammering while giving Sakumo's paycheck. "Thank you, sweetheart!" she winked at the man before leaving the building at Sakumo's arm, making all the men present turn their head to watch the couple depart.

"Sen?" Sakumo whispered. "What are you doing and why this appearance?"

Sen chuckled as he continued to cling to Sakumo's arm. "I came to greet you. And make everyone jealous of you. If they are going to badmouth you, at least give them a good reason too."

Sakumo face-palmed at the reply. It was a touching attempt but… he would have preferred the other to abstain himself. "So, did you want to talk with me about something?"

"Yes, but I wanted to congratulate you for your first successful mission since your leave. Let's go drink something to celebrate! It will be on you!"

Sakumo chuckled. Sen was a real actor to go with the character he impersonated. "Alright."

They went to a small teahouse to a private booth – since all the heads turned in their direction – and ordered their drink. Sen even received another drink, paid by an older costumer not far away. He smiled and waved at him before turning back his attention to Sakumo while sipping his drink. "So, how did your mission go?"

"It went actually pretty smoothly. It was just a B mission transporting for a client something valuable to a nearby village."

"That's good," Sen crossed his legs elegantly under the table. "I came to visit yesterday and was surprised to see Namikaze there instead of you."

"You know Minato?" Sakumo inquired.

"Yeah. Met him when visiting Kushina to study the books in her library about seals. That guy is really nosy."

The silver-haired man smiled as he drank his sake. "A trait very common with genius. He can help but try to unravel a mystery when he sees one."

"Yeah. And I hate when people try make me spill my secrets. At least Kushina had the decency to not pry too much."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I learned some good news and I wanted you to be the first to know," Sen pushed his long mane of hair over his shoulder and Sakumo couldn't help his eyes to travel down, making Sen smile and squeeze his arm to make his chest about to burst out of his shirt. Sakumo coughed and looked away, a faint blush on his face. "But I see you like me like this."

"It's hard not to look. But I still prefer your real appearance." Sakumo looked down at his drink, missing Sen's choked expression. "So…"

"Ah. Yes. The good news." Sen recovered. "The council approved the Hokage's proposition to officially change one of the shinobi's law. You know, the law about the success of a mission always coming first, even at the cost of a shinobi's life? Now it will only apply to specific vital missions for the village. The Hokage wants to make sure people don't waste their life for nothing. Isn't that great?"

Sakumo blinked in surprise, not knowing what to say, a wave of relief and happiness filling him. He started to laugh and laugh before tears appeared in his eyes. Sen the moved from his seat to sit next to him and hold him in his arms as the man sobbed.

"Th-then.. what I…" the man tried to say and felt Sen nod while long nails scratched his hair soothingly.

"Yes. What you did helped change this law and save lives in the future. You have nothing to be ashamed of in the future."

Sakumo stayed like that, as he let all the emotions flew out of him. It was only when he had calmed down enough that he realized that he had his face pressed in Sen's ample breasts. "Ah! Sorry!" he quickly pulled away.

"Oh, don't worry. They aren't actually mine. You can even fondle them if it makes you happy," Sen demonstrated while squeezing his own chest.

Sakumo's eyes bulged out of his head and quickly batted the hands away. "Don't do that! It's inappropriate!" Sakumo looked around while Sen laughed in a high-pitched voice and saw a man nearby holding his nose as he quickly walked in the direction of the toilets. "You are unbearable."

"I see you smiling~" Sen singsonged as he took back his place in front of the Hatake.

Sakumo whipped the last tears away and smiled at Sen. "Yes. Thank you for announcing me the great news."

The two then drank comradely and talked about the kids. Sakumo was pretty sure Sen had something to do about the law's change but didn't call him on it. The other would deny it anyway. It was then that he felt the first throb in his heart for the man disguised now as a woman talking about Itachi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Omake.

~At school~

Random kid #1 “So.... Kakashi I heard your dad was seen with a gorgeous lady last night, is it true that your getting a mom?”
Kakashi spews water everywhere.... “wha...what?” He sputters out
Rk#1 “Yeah my dad was talking to my uncle about how beautiful she was.”
“Shut up” Kakashi shouted he gave Obito wide eyes....
“we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Obito says while patting Kakashi on the back.
Obito looks at Rin and Gai both give the thumps up.
they would get to the bottom of this.
`````` TbC in Not all lines are straight``````````

Chapter Text

Sen was sitting in Kushina's library, talking with the woman to see if his seal was now flawless. Kushina was studying the drawing on the paper with a serious expression for a while before looking up at him.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked in an uncharacteristic serious voice.

Sen nodded, having no reason to lie to her. "It is."

Her mouth twitched as she looked back at the paper. "And I suppose no one commissioned you for it."

"It is on my own volition that I came up with this idea. I will propose it to them once I'm sure it's foolproof and I have found a way to remove the current cursed seal. This option is better than the inhuman one they use."

Kushina crossed her arms and swayed from left to right making strange grimace. "I'm torn between being proud and angry with myself for not having thought about it before. But why are you doing this?"

"Must one have a reason other than wanting to correct a wrongdoing when they see one? I'm appalled that no one sees anything wrong with children having seals put on them that can kill them on command,  by members of their own family. How can anyone want to risk their life for people who approve that kind thing?"

Sadness was now clearly visible on Kushina's face. "It is a barbaric practice, but the clans have always done as they pleased since as long as the village existed."

"And we are now out of the Warring State era. Times change and with it, old customs should evolve too. We are living in modern times where we are more civilized and educated and should act as such. "

Kushina smiled at him. "You are a kind man, Sen."

Sen looked away. "I wouldn't define myself as such. I have more blood in my hands than you could ever imagine and a list of sins I could never dream to atone for in one whole life. I'm just a practical person that sees no use in wasting peoples lives, when they could be saved."

"Yet, here you are, trying to reinvent a seal to help people from a clan that you have no affiliation with, gaining nothing in return."

"Well," Sen looked away. "I wouldn't mind discreetly getting rid of some Elders who wouldn't approve on this."

Kushina laughed good naturedly. "See! A good man! Now let's see if we can find a safe way to remove the cursed seal. It would be all for naught if we can't do this part."

Sen smiled behind his mask and nodded. "Yes. Let's do."

Minato came to the Uzumaki's compound later that evening. He was surprised when Kushina didn't come to greet him when he entered the front door. He inspected the house and found his girlfriend sitting on the ground debating with Sen about a seal drawn on a paper.

"Hello?" Minato said but was barely acknowledged.

"Yes, yes. Hello." Waved at him Kushina without looking up from the paper on the ground. "Now stay quiet."

Minato was stunned by the way the red-haired addressed him and slowly walked into the room to see what they were working on.

Kushina was elaborating safe parts of the seal to be erased and pointing out the one that would be problematic while Sen gave her proposition of other approaches. Minato's eyes widened once he saw the seal they were working on.

"Is that the Hyuga's Branch seal?"

 "Oh! Hey Minato! Didn't hear you come in. Can you believe that? Sen invented a new seal to deactivate a Byakugan without killing its host. It's just genius' work to make the seal do that will rewrite the DNA centered only on the eyes so they won't keep their unique ability without decreasing the sight! And the activation part! Anyone can easily trigger the seal if they are in a situation that would put them at risk of getting their eyes stolen but they will still keep their ability as shinobi except for not having a kekkei genkai. And he did that all while learning Fuinjutsu!"

"Sen," Minato approached the man that didn't look at him. "I wanted to properly apologize about what I said last time. You were right. Just because it doesn't concern us doesn't mean we can't try to find a way to change things for the better. I reflected on your words and… how can I claim wanting to be a Hokage if I turn a blind eye on the suffering of people? It's just… I'm sorry."

Sen looked up and nodded after a moment. "I already accepted your apology, but appreciate you reiterating them. Everybody only bothers when they are affected personally and I wish to change that mentality. We are more than just clans, Dojutsu or hereditary abilities. We are a village. A big family. And as such, we should try to help each other. I'm selfishly trying to make this village a place that I would be proud to live in."

"You sure you don't want to postulate for the Hokage's place? 'Cause you sure sound like a leader. But don't expect me to easily give up! It will only be one more rival for me! I will be the next Hokage!" Kushina proclaimed.

Sen chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. That was the dream of a little boy that died long ago. I thrive in the shadow; destroy organization, assassinate tyrants, help revolutions, but never meant to be in the light, praised or admired by others. I lost that right long ago."

There was a heavy silence when Sen pondered if he had said too much. He tended to let his guard down too often those times, especially with people he owed for what he did in his timeline.

"That's… very dark." Kushina eventually said.

"I don't mind." Sen shrugged then looked at Minato. "But if you want, your help would be appreciated. I want to find a way to completely remove the seal, not just inactivating it. But the task seems harder than I can manage by myself. Your input could be useful."

"Gladly," Minato smiled and sat down. The three then started to debate on a best ways to approach the cursed sea together.

:-----------------------------------------------------------:

It took two weeks of daily visits – from sunset to the early hours of the morning sometimes – for the three of them to find the perfect and flawless way to completely remove the cursed seal. Minato's eyes were dropping closed from his spot on the stool against the wall and Kushina had dark bags very visible under her eyes.

"I think we have everything in order," Kushina nodded and yawned. "Now we just have to test it on someone so we can tell it is tested and approved."

Sen tapped the porcelain under his left eye will thinking. On who could they test it? No sane shinobi from a clan would willingly get rid of a Dojutsu without valid reason. His first option that came to mind was the Land of Water, but he remembered that the war hadn’t happened, so people there didn't discriminate against kekkei genkai’s users. He stopped tapping his mask to let his finger run slowly at the opening for hi eye. There was still his Rinnegan. He couldn't afford to lose his Sharingan now, but the Rinnegan was only strategically useful to keep Zetsu o-.

"I have an idea." Sen put back all the papers in his folder before bowing to Kushina and Minato. "Thank you for your precious help. I will keep you up to date." Kushina gave him a tired smile while Minato was already fast asleep. He looked at the clock and saw it was around five in the morning. A bit early, but he was sure he would still be awake. He body flickered to the forest before activating his Mangekyu and using Kamui. Once in his dimension, he fetched a black cloak he kept there, switched his mask with the orange one and left Kamui. Once at his destined location, he wasn't surprised to find himself with a kunai resting on his throat.

"I know we said you will always be welcome, but I would have appreciated if you could visit at appropriate hours." The voice behind him said with a huff as they removed the weapon from his neck.

"But you are already awake, Nagato." Sen turned around and saw Nagato looking at him with fond exasperation.

"I have to be up early to prepare everything for our new leader. So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit here today?"

"Always straight to the point, I see. I wanted to see my favorite rebels-trio. But I have something specific for you. I have found a way to safely remove your Rinnegan." Sen then took his time to explain in details the seal he had invented with the help of two masters in Fuinjutsu without giving away any names. He showed him the design, told him about the specific and tried to tell him how it would ease his life. "It won't alter your use of chakra and you will keep your eyesight, give you back normal eyes actually."

Nagato stayed silent for a moment as he pondered what the other told him. "Jiraya told me it was the same eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. Why would I want to get rid of them?"

"Nagato," Sen said slowly, aware of the graveness of what he was about to reveal. "Those eyes… aren't actually yours. I learned that someone had implanted them on you when you were a mere toddler. They are powerful indeed, but don't you think that, once people outside Ame hear that someone had the most powerful Dojutsu, they will try to get them? That's without taking in consideration the person I'm trying to stop that will definitely try to get them at any price. They will try everything to get them, I can assure you. Even going as far as to harm Yahiko and Konan or the whole village."

Shock was clearly visible in Nagato's face. "Who?" he asked, but when he got no answer, his shock turned into anger. "You always keep secrets. I didn't care at first, but now it concerns me and my friends' lives! I need you to tell me who it is or I won't consider you offer."

Sen's shoulders sagged as he sat on a nearby stool. "That entity is a being as old as the Sage of Six Paths. It is a shadow that lurk in this world to destroy it and it needs the Rinnegan to annihilate all five nations."

"That… can't be possible." Nagato said as he dropped on his bed.

"It is; as crazy as it sounds. I'm aware that most people won't believe it so I keep this information mostly to myself. If I hadn't actually met it, I know I would have a hard time believing it too."

"Then why are you keeping your Rinnegan?" The red-head frowned.

"To lure it to me. I have nothing, so it will have to come directly for me if it wants it. But you, Nagato, have so much to lose. I would hate to see it drive you into despair by killing everyone you held dear. I'm not actually forcing you. This is merely an offer I want to give you. If you refuse, I will still try my best to protect you, Konan and Yahiko from it, though I can't assure your protection if other shinobis come for your eyes. If you removed the Rinnegan, you will have nothing to fear about this calamity as its only concern is to get them." Sen then stood up. "You don't have to give me an answer right now. Talk to your friends if you want. I will come back tomorrow at noon to see if you have made a decision."

Sen then left the room to give Nagato time to reflect on his offer. It was true that he would accept the teen's choice, but he knew that if Nagato refused, it would make his work harder in the future. Since he had some time to kill, he will go to Kiri and see what information he could get of the current village.

:-----------------------------------------:

Well, Kiri was as gloomy as he remembered. Currently disguised as an old lady, Sen walked around and listened on what people were talking around in the meantime. It was a shame to learn that the ritual of students from the academy killing each other to graduate had been in place even before the third war, but there was nothing he could do about it. he knew tradition died hard, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling sympathy for a woman crying for her dead son, killed during the promotion. He wondered how people kept wanting to be shinobis with this. He used Kamui to go to the Mizukage's building and listened for intel there. The third Mizukage was an emotionless man that was running his village with an iron hand, but as far as he could tell, the politic was going well. They had frequent mission's requests and no major problem running for now. He was listening in the shadows the shinobis talking around when suddenly a massive sword came crashing to the wall behind him. He was happy to have kept his Mangekyo activated to keep his presence hidden with Kami as the sword that should have cut him in two only passed through his incorporeal body. As people were shooting around in surprise, Sen only saw a glimpse of blue skin before he ran out of the building. He body flickered to the nearby forest and thought for a moment that he had managed to escape when he felt a presence just behind him.

"Well, looks like the rat is leaving the boat. Wanna tell me what you were doing, spying on us?"

Sen turned and a smile twitched behind the security of his mask as he saw the familiar face of the man he had trusted for decades. Kisame looked younger and even cockier than ever.

"What an honor to meet one of the famous Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Sen bowed. He jumped away when Kisame attacked him with Samehada.

"You still haven't answered my question, buddy," Kisame grinned as he pulled his sword up from the crater it had created.

"Ah, just looking around, see if I would like to buy a house here in the future. But I wasn't expecting to see a celebrity or I would have taken a pen for an autograph."

Kisame laughed. "You are a funny guy! A shame we will have to kill you."

Sen kept his body incorporeal when he felt an attack coming from behind. He stayed immobile as a large sword and then a man went through him.

"What the!" the man said as he crashed on the ground.

"Hmm… I don't think I know who you are." The masked man watched the new comer. It was a man with the lower half of his face hidden behind a bandages.

"How could you miss him, kid!" Kisame shouted. "He was right before you with his guard down!"

"My sword went through him!" Zabuza shouted back as he stood next to Kisame with his sword raised.

"Oh, another famous swordsman. I'm quite lucky."

Kisame grinned with his mouth full of sharp teeth. It would have been intimidating for anyone else, but Sen only could summon fond memories from the man with shark-like teeth. "Well, you will soon see why they call me 'The Monster of the Hidden Mist'!"

Sen jumped and evaded attacks from his two assailants. He used trees to hid and hinder the massive swords.

He shook his head as he sat on a branch above them nonchalantly. "I don't see any monster here." He jumped when Zabuza cut down the branch he was using.

"Then your eye must be rotten, buddy." Kisame said as he continued to attack. He was frowning by now. No matter what he tried, his blade never hit its target. It was even strange that Samehada didn't even grasp a bit of chakra from the man. Who was this guy?

"Nah, I only need one eye to see well and all I see before me are powerful shinobis."

Kisame froze for a moment before getting back on his game. It was the first time that someone outside of the village didn't call him a monster. Hell, even the people of his own village saw him as an anomaly with his gills, blue skin and small shark-like eyes. "What village are you from? Who are you?" Kisame growled as he stopped his attack, keeping the man between himself and Zabuza.

"I'm from no village actually. I'm just a wanderer who try’s to see how the five nations are doing. You are a brave man, Kisame Hoshigaki. A shame there isn't more men as righteous and loyal as you around the world. But I have to say I don't really like your surname."

"Who are you?!" Kisame ordered again.

"I'm a nameless man, but people came to call me Sen. But it seems I will have to cut short our chat. I hope this world won't crook and stain your soul as it did mine. I wish we will meet in better circumstances next time, Kisame 'The Tailless Biju' "

Both Kisame and Zabuza were surprised as the man disappeared in a strange vortex and none of them could sense his chakra. When others shinobis joined them, they reported want had happened. The man had no headband and claimed to be of no village. All their attacks had gone through him, like he was a ghost and he never attacked back. As they confirmed that not a trace of his chakra could be detected – a strange thing that the best sensors present said to be impossible – they all left back to the village to signal the event to the Mizukage so they could reinforce the security.

"Heh," Kisame laughed, making Zabuza raise an eyebrow. "He had at least good taste. From now on, I will call myself Kisame The Tailless Biju!"

Zabuza shook his head at his comrade's antics. Kisame was an oddball.

:-------------------------------------------:

 Sen returned the following day at noon as promised to Ame and appeared in Yahiko's office, not surprised to see the trio already there, waiting for him.

"So," he said as he rested a hand on his hip, taking a relaxed stance.

"If I didn't know you…" Yahiko started slowly, "I would say you are crazy."

"I know," Sen only nodded before looking at Nagato. "Did you make up your mind?"

"I want to see this seal first." Konan stepped forward.

"Of course," Sen then draw on a paper the seal he had by now memorized, explaining each part while doing so. "I want you to know that I only do this for Nagato’s sake. On my honor as a man, I would never propose this if I didn't think it would benefice him."

They then all turned to look at the red-head teen. After a moment, this one closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright. Let's do this."

Sen didn't let appear the relief he felt. "If we are doing this, I want it to be monitored. I'm positive that everything will turn right, but I want to be sure we have everything good. We will take sample of Nagato's blood from his eyes before and after the seal have been activated to check the DNA had been properly altered."

They reserved a room in the hospital once blood sample of Nagato's eyes had been taken. Monitors hand been attached to his head as he laid on a bed. Sen took a brush and painted the seal on his forearm, not having to put it permanently.

"Now, you remember the sequence I told you to activate the seal?" he asked and Nagato confirmed with a nod. "Then it's up to you to activate it. Don't worry, I have checked a hundred of times each line of this seal. Everything will be ok. You won't turn blind."

Nagato looked at each of the three persons present in the room a last time before nodding and resting a trembling finger on the center of the seal. He pulsed his chakra in the seal and winced once it was activated. He let out a startled cry and pushed the ball of his hands against his eyes as the heart monitor started to beep frantically.

"Nagato!" Yahiko ran to his side and held him by the shoulders.

"I-it stings!" the teen hissed between his teeth.

"Sen! What's going on?!" Yahiko shouted to the calm man standing at the end of the bed.

"The DNA is rewriting itself. Just give it time. When you feel no more pain, try to slowly open your eyes." Nagato groaned but nodded.

It took three long minutes until Nagato was panting and put down his hands. He kept a will longer his eyes closed before his face was completely relaxed.

"I-I'm scared," he whispered. Konan went then to hold his hand and he squeezed it in comfort.

"Have faith. Try to open your eyes." The woman told him.

Nagato opened his eyes in a slit before closing them again. Each time he blinked, he managed to open them a bit wider. When they were wide open, the red-head looked all around the room with now normal blue eyes. "I… I can see."

"That's good," Yahiko sighed as he rubbed his friend's back.

"No, I… I see different than before. More… colorful."

Sen nodded. "Yes. Your perception with the Rinnegan was different that how people see the words. Your eyes were most focused on chakra, which made them apt to see its color only. Now you see the world like everyone else."

Nagato stayed a long moment watching Yahiko's head. "Your hair… is very bright!"

Yahiko laughed full-belly at the surprised statement while Konan chuckled. Nagato was fascinated by everything he saw. While everything before had been a bluish shad of chakra color, no he realized how little he knew about the real color of things. They made him then pass various tests to see how his chakra functioned. Everything was positive as Nagato had no problem performing Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. The blood sample they then took confirmed that everything was alright.

"It's strange to see you now with regular eyes," said Yahiko as the nurse took off the electrodes all around his head and body. "The others were creepy, but I got used to them by now."

"I like their color," Konan said, which made Nagato blush as he stuttered a thanks.

"Well," said Sen. "I will take with me all the data collected here. I don't want anyone having access to them." Sen took everything and stored it in the tattooed seal on his arm.

Nagato bowed lowly to his benefactor. "Thank you so much. You have already helped us so much in the past and now this… I can't express how grateful I feel right now."

"There is no need. I created this seal to help people and I'm happy that you were the first I could help. All you can do to thank me is to savor your life at its fullest and be safe." Sen cast one last look at the three joyful teens before he disappeared with a wave of his hand.

He reappeared to Kushina's household after changing his clothes back to Anbu, making her give a startled cry at the sudden appearance.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She said with a hand over her heart.

"The seal is a success."

Kuchina blinked. "You have already tried it on someone? Who was it? How did it go?" Kuchina excitedly ran to Sen until they were an inch apart.

Sen bent backward to put some space between them. "It was a young man who had a kekkei genkai transplanted when he was a kid without him knowing. I have all the data collected before, during and after the process. I have even taken pictures before and after and have taken note about what he experienced and felt too."

"That's wonderful! Now you can present your new seal to the clan head and request a meeting with the clan! Let's celebrate this with some ramen! And maybe you can show me your face, for celebration's sake!" It took Kushina a few minutes to realize she was alone in the kitchen and went back to the hallway where the other hadn't moved from. "What's wrong? You know, I was joking… about showing your face."

"I want you and Minato to be the ones to present it to the Hyuga."

"Oh, we don't mind coming with you for support. I know the more we are, the better it will go."

The masked man shook his head. "No. I want you two to present it as your creation. It is better if we present it as the invention of two well-known shinobis from Konoha than some unknown Anbu. Minato has a charismatic presence while the Uzumakis are well known for their skill in Fuinjutsu. I want Minato to explain the positive change it could do and you to describe the effect of the seal. I will only be present to state how the first try had unfolded."

Kushina gapped. "But… You were the one who come up with that idea and made the major part of the seal! We only helped with the tweaks and in safely deconstructing the cursed seal."

"It's irrelevant. What's important is that the clan will be more open to accept a proposition of two well-known member of the village who both want to become Hokage. It doesn't matter if it is a creation of mine or Hashirama Senju or even the Sage of six paths if they accept it in the end. Do you get what I mean?"

Kushina's face made impressive acrobatics as it switched through a quantity of various expression. It was with a sigh that she nodded in resignation. "Alright. I will tell Minato and we will tell you when we get a meeting with their clan." When Sen left, Kushina wondered how she would contact him. She put that aside for now, she will have to talk to Minato about it first and get him to talk to the Hyuga's clan head.

Chapter Text

Sen made sure to take only few and short missions on the following weeks. He trained mostly and spared with his fellows Anbus. He had been pleased to see Itachi with Shisui again. The little heir had a little smile on his lips when he told him he had talked with his mother and that this one had a long and very loud discussion with his father, which ended with an uncomfortable Fugaki apologizing – in his own way – to his son. Shisui had laughed and rolled on the ground at hearing this while Sen patted Itachi's head while advising them to never get on her bad side.

Sen was reading a book about politic of the other nations with Wolf, Tiger and Hawk playing cards nearby when someone knocked at the door. It was Tiger – who made sure the two others won't cheat while he was gone – that opened the door and let the person enter.

"Uh, Sen? You have a visitor."

The attention of all the persons present focused on the door, Wolf freezing while looking at Tiger's cards. Sakumo entered in the room looking around with a smile at the other Anbus while he walked to a now sitting Sen.

"What are you doing here?" Sen asked in surprise at the unexpected visit of the silver-haired man. It was the first time Sakumo came here at the Anbus' quarter to visit him.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but I didn't know where else to find you or when you will come back…"

Sen looked at the three Anbus that feigned playing cards while listening at them. It was only after a long minute of silence that Hawk elbowed Tiger and this one proposed to go fetch something to drink at the vending machine.

"I don't see why I should leave," Wolf stubbornly retorted, not moving from his seat.

With a sigh, as the three now lowly argued, Sen waved at the Hatake to follow him outside. He closed the door behind him once in the corridor and waited for the other to tell him what it was about.

"Minato visited yesterday to see you, but since he had already missed you and I couldn't give him a date when you will come back, he gave me a message for you. He said he talked to the Hyuga's head clan about something you were aware and got a meeting with the clan's council."

"That was faster than I thought. Did he tell you when this meeting will be?"

Sakumo nodded. "Yeah. He told me to tell you that you while have to be present to the Hyuga's compound in three days at four in the afternoon and to bring back what you know."

Meanwhile, three heads had their ears glued to the door as they listened.

"I didn't know Sen knew Hatake. It's the first time I see him talking with someone other than us. And he said he already visited him! Do you think they are friends… or more?" Tiger asked Hawk who shrugged.

"Shut up! I'm trying to listen." Wolf whispered in an annoyed voice.

"You are the one with the best ears. What are they saying?" Hawk asked as he tried too to listened but couldn't distinguish the words. The Anbus' dormitory was well soundproofed.

"It is about the Namikaze brat and… a meeting with the Hyuga's council in three days?"

"WHAT?!" Hirota nearly screamed but had Tiger cover his mouth with a shush. " About what?"

"They don't say, but Namikaze already talked with the head clan- Shit! He is coming back!"

All three jumped back to the table and continued their game as if nothing while Sen entered back the room.

"Look at that!" Wolf said with a mean grin. "Even the taciturn runt can make friend it seems."

"Since when have you been friend with Hatake." Tiger jumped to stand before his masked friend. "And it sounded like you visited him frequently! Are you both dating? Why didn't you tell me anything? Has he seen your face? …Oh Kami! He has! We are friend since two years and you never showed me your face! That's unfair!"

"Tiger. Shut up." Sen grunted as he went to pick back his book.

"Make sense that an unsocial guy like you will go for a shunned man like him," Wolf haughtily snorted.

"The Hokage changed the shinobi's law so there is nothing wrong with what he did. On the contrary, even. But if even an unpleasant man like you can make friends, I don't see why I couldn't. He at least doesn't smell like a dog."

"What did you say?" Wolf growled and walked until he was standing right in front of the masked Anbu, baring his teeth. Sen was smaller than Wolf but didn't back off. The man was a bastard child from the Inuzuka's clan that wasn't recognized by his father. Although not acknowledged by the Inuzuka as one of them, he had the black hair he slicked back and the prominent fangs typical from members of the clan. Sen knew how to hit low when he wanted to.

"Don't fight in the dorm," Hirota instructed as he pushed the two away from each other. "Do it in the training ground if you want to."

"Tch! Like I want to waste my energy with a gloomy character like him." Wolf turned to sit back at the table to mix the cards.

"Tiger," Sen said to the auburn-haired man. "Are you still looking for someone to take your shift of Hokage's guarding for today and tomorrow?"

"You can?" the man asked with delighted eyes. "That would be awesome! I have a date this evening with this chick I met last week in a bar and, if everything goes well, I will still be in bed with her tomorrow morning. Man, you should have seen the rack she has and the shirt she was wearing left little to-"

"To much information, Tiger." Sen sighed. "Anyway, I will take your shift if it can help you. See you all. And stop cheating when you play, Hirota." Sen then jumped out of the windows with his book in hand.

Hirota was looking at the open windows when two hands grabbed him by the shoulders and he was spun to face two wide green eyes.

"He called you Hirota. He never called anyone by their name! Why doesn't he call me Shogo?! Tell me!" Tiger shook the Hyuga back and for with tears in his eyes.

"S-stop sh-shaking me!" Hirota managed to move away but was again cornered by his drama queen of a comrade.

"Wait! Are you two dating? Is that why he calls you by your name and has a meeting with your clan?"

The Hyuga watched his friend as he had grown a second head. "We are not dating. Why are you so obsessed on him dating anyone? And I don't know why he has a meeting with the council. I just learned it at the same time as you two."

"Don't you find it strange that the creepy runt is going to talk with your council without you knowing? And with Namikaze, none the less. How did such a prodigy know a creeper like him?" Wolf said nonchalantly as he started to make a cards' tower.

"No wonder you two don't get along with your attitude, Kira," Shogo shook his head. "Sen is a good guy and out of mission you are always on his case with something mean and abrasive."

"We know nothing about him and I don't like it. It's suspicious." The taller man grunted.

"Well, try to be nice once in a while and you may learn something about him, Kira-kira." (AN: Kira-kira meant sparkling, glittering, from what I saw on internet) Shogo grinned and laughed when his teammate shouted to not call him that while banging the table, making him curse as he destroyed his cards' tower.

In the meantime, Hirota wondered what his masked friend wanted to talk with his clan's council.

:------------------------------------------:

"Alright," Sen said as he, Kuchina and Minato stood in front of the Hyuga's compound. "Everyone remember the story and their role in this?" Kuchina sighed dejectedly while Minato nodded with a smile. The meeting should go like this: While Minato was studying Fuinjutsu, he come up with a new idea of a seal for the Hyugas' to use. Since both he and Kuchina want to be Hokage and are well versed in the art of seals, they both worked hand in hand to help the clan. They created a new seal and found a way to remove the current fatal one. That part will be told by Minato, while Kuchina will later explain the mechanism of the seal and the process to remove the cursed seal. Then Sen will present the data on how the test done on a Rinnegan had gone will answering any question as he had been present during the process. If everyone kept on their role, the Hyugas should find no reason to refuse the new seal.

As they entered the room where the meeting would be held, they were all surprised to see the amount of people present there. It was clear that more people than the current council was present, both from the Main and Branch family. This put a little bit of pressure on Sen, since it was out of his calculation, but he was still positive the result should turn the same. Hiashi, the present head was sitting at the head of the table with his twin brother, Hizashi, a few seats from him.

"As you can see," the clan's head started as everyone took their place. "Your presentation had intrigued a lot of our clan members who have requested to be present during this meeting. You can start when you are ready."

Minato went on his part flawlessly. He was a born leader. His narration was perfect and various people nodded in approval on the part where he explained that it was their role, as people who want to be Hokage, to help the clans in Konoha. The first part of Kuchina's explanation went well. Her explanation of the mechanism of the seal and its activation was purely technical and easy to understand for people not versed in seals' mechanism. It was only when she started to explain the process of the removal of the current seal that everything went to hell.

"- and then we thought of only deactivate it but he… I mean we… we didn't want… to… AH! I can't do this! I can't! It wasn't our idea to recreate a seal for the Hyugas to use, but his!" she pointed at the masked Anbu standing on Minato's other side, making this one hiss her name. "Sen was the one that created the seal and asked to have access to my library to complete it. He did most of the part and I only helped to tweak some things in the end. He was the one that wanted to find a way to remove the current cursed seal so people won't have a reminder of it every time they look at the mirror! It was him, not us, alright?!"

The whole room went silent for a whole minute after the outburst, the only sound coming from Kuchina's panting, Sen's groan and Minato face-palming. Sen cleared his throat and calmly continued on his part as if nothing; explaining the test that had been done on a teenager who had Rinnegan transplanted and the successful result with the data as proof that he handed to the clan's head.

"So…" one elder asked. "You are the one that came up with this new seal?"

Sen gave a short nod. It had all gone out to the windows, so he had no other solution than to come clean with it. "I did."

"What's your purpose?" Hiashi frowned. "You have no affiliation to the Hyuga's clan, so what are your intention in bringing us a new seal?"

Sen had known that it would turn like this, had the true identity of the seal's creator been revealed. Clans weren't trustful by nature and they would be even more suspicious to a man they knew nothing about. "I just wanted to help."

Strangely enough, it was Hizashi that talked next with disapproval in his gaze. "We don't need outsiders' help. Our clan had managed to take care of its problem since its creation. Why do you want us to change now?"

People in the room where starting to whisper in approval but a loud bang rendered everyone silent. It was Sen who hit the table with his fist, making all the people present look at him with surprised expressions.

"Hyuga Hizashi. Are you so dumb to not realize that the child your wife is bearing while have the same mark as you? Is that what you want? To see your child bearing the same seal as yours?" Sen asked angrily as he tried to contain the aggressive chakra that threated to leak in killing intent. "All of you act as if you are all living in the Warring State era, where you had to fend for yourself. We are now all civilized and live all in the same village! Such practice is repulsing and you all act as if there is nothing wrong with it. We came here to help you and you all act as if we had spat at your face. I am part of this village as all of you; have or will go to mission with some of you. Is it so hard to understand that you can rely on others? If so, why are you part of Konoha? This seal could help countless lives in the future, deactivating the Byakugan instead of randomly killing your kind," Sen stabbed with a finger the drawing of the seal "and you will not even consider it because I'm the one who created it? Even with all the proof of its success I gathered? I'm shocked that your clan managed to exist until now."

Sen sat still and silent after his own outburst, ignoring both Kuchina and Minato that looked at him with wide eyes. He didn't often get angry and could understand their shock but won't acknowledge it. He was an Uchiha, and as all Uchihas, he tended to be passionate with his emotions when he let them appear.

"Ah, yes…" Hiashi then looked around the room. Is there anyone who had something to say or would like some further explanation?" when nobody talked, the clan's head went on. "Then if everybody understood the explanation, lets vote. For those who approve of the use of the proposed seal, raise your hand." Many hands were then raised and Hiashi nodded. "For those who disagree, raise your hand." It was then only two elders from the Main family who raised their hands. "Then, for the majority, we will approve on the use of the new seal to prevent people from stealing the Byakugan in the future."

"If I may," one kunoichi raised her hand. "You have presented us test on the application of the seal, but what about the removal of the cursed one we use right now? You haven't had the chance to test the technic on anyone, I deduce."

Sen grimace behind his mask. That had been the only flaw in his plan. "Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to use it, as I didn't want to act before the approval of the clan. But if anyone of you bearing this particular seal would agree to let me perform the removal, I would gladly demonstrate right now."

"How are we sure that it won't trigger the seal?" this time a younger man asked.

"I guaranty you that we had thoroughly studied it to make sure it will be safe. We wouldn't propose it if we weren't a hundred percent sure it will cause no harm."

"But that’s just in theory…" the same man supplied.

"Yes. So that's why I'm asking right now for a volunteer."

The room was filled with whispers but nobody volunteered. That was the part he had feared. He needed at least one person to accept so he could show the others that it was safe, otherwise it was meaningless. Sen had resigned himself to only have the new seal added to the whole Branch members will letting their cursed seal activated when someone rose his hand.

"I volunteer."

Sen's eyes widened as he recognized the face of the man now standing among the members of his family.

"Hirota! That's dangerous!" Someone told him. "What if it kills you? You are an important member of this clan and shouldn't risk your life like this!"

"And yet here I am, a member of the Branch family with a cursed seal." Hirota then smiled at the masked Anbu. "And I trust Sen. If he says it's safe, then I believe him."

People made space to allow Hirota to sit next to the masked man. Sen was dumbstruck to see his Anbu friend present here. "Hirota…"

Said man grinned. "You didn't think I would miss your visit to my clan, did you? I'm ready." He then removed his headband to reveal the green seal.

Sen slowly nodded and removed his left glove, noticing the Hyuga Anbu watching his discolored skin, and put his five finger all around the seal. "I-" he cleared his throat. "I need you to stay still. It will take some time, but don't pull away even if you feel discomfort."

Hirota closed his eyes. "I trust you." He smiled when he felt Sen's fingers twitch at those words.

Sen then took all of his concentration to channeling his chakra where he wanted. He used the chakra from his Senju's cells since this one was softer and gentler than the one he had from his Uchiha's side; more prone to heal than harm. He took his time to slowly deconstruct the seal, part by part, taking notice of any frown or grimace his friend was making. It took three minutes that seemed like an eternity to Sen before the last trace of the chakra constituting the seal had fully disappeared. He then removed his hand and extended it in Minato's direction, waiting for the mirror the other had taken with him to be handed.

"You can open your eyes."

Hirota did so and was faced with his own reflection in the small mirror. His eyes automatically landed on the brandless skin of his forehead. He saw his trembling fingers trance the smooth skin and couldn't stop the laugh to bubble out of his mouth. "It… it's gone."

"It is," Sen nodded. "And now, if you want to be the first to get the new seal…" Sen stopped to see what the other choose. He would like for his friend to be the first to get the new seal, but would understand if it was too much. When the other nodded with a smile, Sen continued. "You can choose the place where you want it. I would advise an easily accessible place, but I can place it wherever you want, be it arm, chest or leg. It's your choice."

Hirota opened his yukata and pointed at his sternum. "Then here."

Sen nodded and placed his hand flat on Hirota's sternum. "You may feel discomfort, but it will only last for the ten seconds I need to put the seal on you. Then you should feel nothing more." Sen concentrated the chakra in the palm of his hand and in less than ten seconds a new seal was now present on Hirota's chest. "All done."

Hirota then turned around and was swamped by all the Hyuagas that wanted to inspected his forehead and chest, nearly divesting him from his cloth. Sen then looked at the two still sitting next to him; Minato watching the scene with a smile while Kuchina grinned at him with a thumb up.

"That had been a risky bet, Kuchina." Sen scolded.

"Yeah, but what a result!" the woman laughed.

Sen barely had the time to shake his head when he was suddenly bombarded with requests on all part to remove their cursed seal. He promised he would do the most he could today with the help of Kuchina and Minato and promised to come back the following days if needed. The three worked hard to remove every seal they could before Minato had his chakra reserve empty and even Kuchina and Sen were starting to feel the strain. They left late that night, all three exhausted but proud of what they did. They had taught the new seal to every member present who had knowledge in Fuinjutsu and promised to assist them in performing it tomorrow, when they would have removed the lasts cursed seals,

"That…" Minato started, "was exhausting."

"We still have work awaiting us tomorrow, Namikaze. You better rest well tonight." Sen informed him.

"You know; you can call me Minato. We know each other well by now and you already call Kuchina by her first name."

"We will see… Namikaze." Sen smiled as Minato dropped his head in defeat with his girlfriend laughing and hit energetically his back. Kuchina was just proposing to go celebrate by all going out to eat some ramen when someone called Sen's name. Sen recognized Hirota's voice and told the two to go already and not wait for him as he turned to face his Anbu's friend. "Hirota. I wasn't expecting you to be…" Sen stopped talking when he was pulled into a hug. Not knowing how to react, he gave little light comforting taps on the back of the man hugging him. That had been unexpected. Hirota wasn't effusive when showing appreciation as most Anbus – at the exception of Tiger, who was hug-friendly and very demonstrative – and would at most give someone a pat on the shoulder as thanks.

"Thank you," the white-eyed man said on the shoulder his bare forehead was resting on. He then pulled away and hit Sen with a fist on the top of his head. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming here today? I would have supported you. And you didn't even tell me you were working on a new seal for my clan. I should have known something was strange when you asked to see my curse seal. Why didn't you say anything?"

Sen rubbed the abused spot on his head. It was disturbing to see the usually composed and calm Hyuga ranting at him. "I… how to say it? I was working on my own, in my free time, on this pet project. I didn't want to give you false hope, since I didn't know how long it would take me and I didn't want your clan to learn about what I was working on. You saw how they reacted when they learned I did the seal. Clans don't like outsiders getting their nose in their business."

Hirota had to grant him that. Even if Sen was a fellow Anbu, it was true that Hirota would have reported to the head of his clan about someone studying the seal they used, even if he himself approved. They are his family and he would always prioritize them. So, he could understand why Sen didn't tell him. "But why didn't you tell me that you wanted to present your seal to the clan, then?"

Sen shrugged. "I thought only the council would be present. Had they rejected, then it would have been pointless to tell you. But I'm sorry if I have offended you in some way."

The Hyuga closed his eyes, rubbing his bare forehead with a finger as he lightly shook his head. "No. You have nothing to apologize for. You were right and I can't blame you to have done so."

Sen couldn't help but tap Hirota's bare and unmarred forehead with two fingers. "Then stop nagging and let me go sleep."

Sen resumed his walk to the Anbus' quarter, leaving behind a bemused Hyuga that went back to his home with a small smile.

:----------------------------------------------------------:

At the Anbus' quarter, everyone was running around to see Hawk as this one came this time with his headband hanging around his neck. Their little team was circling him, touching his forehead and asking him question about his seal. Hirota smiled and batted hands away as he explained that the clan had changed the seal they were using to prevent the steal of the Byakugan. They all cheered and proposed to go celebrate the happy event. Sen refused, as his usual, but this time it was because he had promised to go back to the Hyuga's compound in the afternoon. As the first there, Sen went back to work and was quickly joined by Minato and Kuchina. He was surprised when Hizashi requested him personally to remove his cursed seal.

"I wanted to talk to you," Hizashi said as he sat before the masked Anbu.

"I have guessed so, otherwise you would have accepted Kuchina's offer to remove your seal." He waited for the other to finish talking before he could focus on removing the seal. Even if he had done such a quantity in such little time to be now at ease with the process, he preferred to be completely concentrated to be sure to not make any mistakes as they would be fatal.

"I wanted first to thank you for your help…" Hizashi started but Sen could definitely hear the 'but' hanging in the air. "but I wanted to hear your true reason in doing so."

"That's what I hate about you clans," Sen shook his head. "You kept your secrets so tight close that you can't help but see anyone outside of your oh so precious family as suspicious. Is it so hard to believe that someone could help just from kindness of heart? Does anyone had to have a reason for helping? If this practice had been done outside of a clan it would have been seen as just an abject crime, but it is allowed here since you are a clan. You have seen children who had been applied this seal in your own family but had done nothing; even accepted it. I was just so disgusted that I couldn't not do something. How could they accept to do such thing to tear apart twins, even? And it's not only the Hyuga. Uchiha, Aburame, they are all the same. None get a choice and we allow it. Because they are clans." He then pointed at the man's headband. "Now remove this before I get too riled up to perform."

Hizashi quickly complied and stayed quiet as Sen's chakra invaded his skin. It was only when the other removed his fingers that he continued to talk. "I understand that our practice can be seen as barbaric to none-clan people, but it is the only way we have to make sure no one will try to steal our Dojutsu."

Sen sighed loudly. "That's not… ok, let me give you an example. If a Hyuga went to marry someone outside your clan. How would your people react?"

Hizashi frowned in confusion. "It would be frowned on, but not completely disapproved."

"Now, if that couple had a son and let imagine this one doesn't have the Byakugan. How would you act toward that child?"

This time Hizashi grimace. "That child would not be accepted as part of the clan."

"Correct. Just because he was born without a Dojutsu, that child will be denied half of his family. He will be ignored, shunned, banned to the clan's knowledge and denied his family's heritage. Will never get a chance to prove himself just because he doesn’t have those pretty white eyes you cherish so much. Do you see where I'm getting?" When the other only bowed his head in silent, Sen continued. "And it's just the same with the Uchiha. If a kid doesn't present with a Sharingan before a certain age, they are considered worthless and discarded. Why bother teaching anything to someone that doesn't have their precious Sharingan. The Aburame? Just after birth the babies are made living-nests to bugs without thinking that they could wish something else. And let's not even dream to see an Amikishi wanting to be slim. What would the clan say? How would their parents react to their choice? What a disgrace! No, we have to make sure the clan's heritage and knowledge stay inside the clan to the people that deserve it!" Sen was shouting by the end as he banged the ground with a fist. He looked up as he panted to see Hizashi watching him with wide eyes. He cleared his throat as he composed himself back. "My apologize. I got carried away."

Hizashi watched the masked Anbu in silence before speaking. "I see the politic of clans is a sensitive subject for you…"

"No it's just… so sad. Your own father, the head of your clan at that time, branded you with a seal, tearing two identical twins apart. An I can bet you would have let them do the same to your still unborn child. If I had anymore tears in this body, I would cry a sea for all those children, you included. And the worst is they don’t even see the harm they do…"

"I see…" Hizashi nodded. "I have no words to thank you for your help."

"It's nothing. We are all part of the same village, after all."

After Sen applied the new seal on the Hyuga's left arm, this one took the opportunity to ask him one last question that had been running in his head since the other started his explanation. "Are you perhaps part of a clan?"

"I have no affiliation. I'm just Sen, the Anbu. Nothing more, nothing less. Now if you are done, I still have others I need to take care of."

"Right." Hizashi stood up to leave the room. "Thank you again, Sen the Anbu."

After having taken care of all the Branch family, Sen proposed to add the seal to the Main family as precaution. It was just so that they would be safer, just in case, but in true Sen wanted to erase any distinction from the two part of the clan. His proposition was welcomed with approval.

Sen went to visit the Hatakes the following day and was as usually greeted enthusiastically by Obito.

"I heard from someone that you came in help to the Hyuga's clan," Sakumo said as they were all eating.

"I see Minato can't keep his mouth shut," Sen tsked as he lifted his mask over his mouth to eat some fish.

"Oh?" Obito turned his head to face his Uncle. "Did you help them with a mission?"

"No," Sen lowered his mask so he could see Obito through the eye-holes. "They had a nasty seal put on some members of their clan. I proposed them a new one that would be less… fatal instead."

"You can create seal? Like Minato?" Obito watched his Uncle with wide eyes.

"Well, I studied hard to manage it. That's why you should study a lot at school too. Even if it can be boring, you will learn a lot that could help you and other." Sen was about to raise his mask when Obito came up with other questions about the seal he invented and he had to put aside eating to look at him. It was at that moment that Kakashi out a frustrated sigh.

"This is ridiculous," The silver-haired boy said as he harshly lowered his own mask. Everyone looked at his bared face with astonishment, Obito's mouth hanging so wide that some food dropped down from it back on his plate. "There. Now you remove your mask too. You promised!"

Sen stayed silent for a moment. "I never technically promised anything."

"WHAT?" Kakashi screamed indignantly, the down turn of his mouth now clearly visible.

Sen's fingers rested on his mask in hesitation before Sakumo smiled at him.

"You can show Kakashi, you know. You can trust every person in this room to not want you harm."

"I know I can trust him. It's just… I don't know if it is appropriate to show my face while we are eating."

Sakumo, who was sitting next to Sen, rested a hand on his shoulder. "I told you it's not as bad as you think. Trust me."

Sen hesitated a moment longer before slowly removing completely his mask. He could see the choke clearly visible in Kakashi's face without his mask hiding half of it. Kakashi's eyes rounded as they moved around the scarred part of his face, mouth opening in surprise. Sen grimaced, about to put back his mask, when Sakumo cleared his throat, pulling his son out of his entrancement who looked down at his plate as he stuffed his mouth with food.

"I was expecting worst," Kakashi said when he was composed again, making Sen snort and drop his mask on the table. "No, really. It just looks pretty painful. And your left eye surprised me the most."

"If you say so," Sen ate a bit of rice. "You were hiding one cute mole under your mask."

Kakashi grumbled as he lowered his head until his chin touched his chest in an attempt to hid his mole. Sen looked at Obito, who was eating his meal as if nothing, and then at Sakumo. The man was just looking at him with such a proud and admirative look that Sen felt color raise on his cheeks.

"Stop looking at me," Sen said between bits.

"Why not? It's only natural to look when you see something pretty."

Sen heard Kakashi cough as he choked on his food at the sudden comment and Sen couldn't help but look at the other man with eyebrows raised high on his forehead. It was Obito that broke the sudden silence after helping Kakashi with slapping his back.

"Are you flirting with Uncle?"

"Well, I already said that I found him handsome, so why not?" Sakumo smiled at the scarred man.

"What none sense are you saying?" Sen asked with frown.

"I'm just saying that I wouldn't mind going out on a date with you without Henge."

"But…" Obito continued. "Don't you like girls?"

"Yeah," Sen nodded. "Aren't you straight?"

"One doesn't have to be straight to marry a woman. I'm actually bi and have no problem in saying I like men too."

Kakashi banged his head on the table. "Can we not talk about that now? I don't want to know about the sexual preference of my own father."

"What's bi?" Obito asked the other boy, making this one groan and Sakumo laugh.

"You are right. It's not the most appropriate moment to talk about that. Let's resume our meal."

After the meal, Obito convinced his Uncle to stay watch a movie on the TV. The two children sat on the ground while the adults took the sofa. It was in the middle of the movie that Sen felt an arm rest on the backrest behind him. He paid it no mind at first, but then a hand dropped on his shoulder. He looked at the man, his face still mask-free, but the other was just looking at the screen. He tried to lean away, but the hand tightened its grip, preventing him from moving. After a moment, when Sen had again relaxed, Sakumo slowly pulled him against him until their shoulder touched. Sen felt his face heat up at the bold move. He had never had someone flirt with him like this before. When he was a child he was just too dorky to interest any girl and after that, any women who got a glimpse of his face would run away. It had never crossed his mind that a man could want to seduce him. It was just too surreal. At the end of the movie, Sen bolted up, put on his mask and gave a short farewell before leaving.

"Was I too bold?" Sakumo mussed aloud.

Obito stood up in front of the sitting man with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face. "What are your intentions with my Uncle?"

Sakumo was baffled by the sudden question while Kakashi sputtered.

"Where did you learn that sentence?" Kakashi asked as he blinked at his friend.

"I heard it in a TV show." Obito said proudly, making Sakumo laugh and Kakashi facepalm.

"I think you are watching too much TV," Sakumo grinned.

"Well, we didn't have a TV at granny's house. But you didn't answer my question!" The boy pointed out.

"My intentions huh?" Sakumo mussed as he took the remote to shut the TV. "I just want to make him happy. He is a good guy, after all."

Obito beamed at the reply while Kakashi pulled his mask until it hid his face entirely.

Chapter Text

"You look restless," Tiger stated as he watched Sen sitting on a chair in the dorms. The white-haired Anbu was spinning masterfully a shuriken on his finger as his feet tapped on the floor nonstop. This one only grunted as answer and Tiger looked at the other members present. Hawk shook his head while Cat only shrugged, none knowing what was bothering their mysterious fellow. "Is it about a love affair?" He eventually asked.

"Why does everything have to be a love matter with you?" Cat sighed as she rolled her eyes. Tiger was about to reply when they suddenly heard a clang and looked at the direction of the noise. The shuriken Sen had been spinning was now on the ground, his leg motionless. All three Anbus’ eyes widened as they rushed to the table where Sen was sitting.

"Who is it?" Cat asked.

"Is it a girl we know?" Tiger lowered his head to be face-to-mask with their friend.

Sen pulled back to put some distance with the man invading his space. "It's not about a woman," he growled.

"Then a man?"

It took a second for Sen to reply and he already knew he had made a mistake in waiting too long. "That's none of your business." He growled.

"Oh Kami! It's a man!" Cat covered her mouth with a hand.

"Is it the Hatake?" Hawk asked.

Sen didn't reply as he bent down to retrieve his shuriken. At the same time, the door opened, making Sen hope it was someone to give them a mission so they could drop the subject.

"What is going on here?" Wolf asked as he looked at the three Anbus circling Sen at the table.

"Sen has a crush on someone," Tiger informed. "And we are wondering if it is Hatake."

"Ha?" Wolf raised an eyebrow before a mean grin appeared on his face. "Even someone with stunted emotion like him can fall in love? Who would have thought!"

"Don't be mean, Kira," the Hyuga scowled at Wolf.

"Who care anyway?" Wolf said as he went to retrieve his uniform. "No one would fall in love with a mask and I can bet one glimpse of his face would scare anyone."

Sen stood up from his chair and looked at the people present. "You all leave me alone." And with that he left the room.

"Seriously, what's your problem?" Cat asked angrily but only got a shrug from Wolf.

"I'm just telling the true," the man said nonchalantly as he moved behind the panel to change. "He never removes his mask, never go out and the few time he is in public it is with a henge. And you all saw the visible scars on the parts not hidden by his mask. What's the point in giving him false hope?"

Hirota shook his head. "It didn't cross your mind that someone could like him even with his scars? He is a good man and I don't see why someone couldn't fall in love with him. Appearance doesn't do everything."

"Him? A good man? Ha!" Kira laughed.

Hirota was now getting angry. "Yes. A good man. You don't know him so don't talk about what you don't know. He was the one that came up with removal of the cursed seal of my family and proposed a new one he invented. I won't allow you to talk like this about him."

"Wait, hang on," Cat turned to look at Hirota. "It was Sen who invented the seal? I thought it was Minato."

"He wanted us to believe so at first, but Kuchina blew his cover. But he was so passionate that the clan had no choice but to approve the seal he proposed."

"Wow." Tiger said astonished. "Sen passionate about something. I would have liked to see that."

"It was the first time I saw him this angry," Hirota nodded. "That's why I would like to help him if I can."

"He did something for your clan, so what?" Wolf came out from behind the panel in full uniform. "Give him a sticker. It doesn't change who he is."

"You know," the Hyuga started. "For all the badmouthing you do on him, I don't see you do more to help others, except complaining about the Inuzuka not acknowledging you as part of their clan."

"I put my life on the line every time I go on mission for the village!" Wolf snarled. "And if that's not enough, then I don't know what more I can do."

"As any of us," Cat stated. "And you are paid to do so."

"Whatever," Wolf huffed as he left the room.

"So," Tiger said excitedly. "What's the plan?"

"We will spy on him, of course!" Cat grinned and they all agreed.

:--------------------------------------------------:

Sen was playing/training with Itachi, Shisui, Kakashi and Obito in a training ground when he felt someone watching him. He didn't pay it too much attention at first, knowing that Yuna would have informed him if Root was watching him and they were in the security of the village. But the feeling kept nagging him until he couldn't tolerate it anymore. He discreetly switched place with a clone and used Kamui to go to the place where he felt the gaze coming. He was a bit surprised as he appeared behind his three teammates in full gear, but stayed undetectable as he listened to them.

"That's so cute," Cat whispered. "He is training little children."

"But why is he training three Uchiha's children and… isn't that Hatake's son?" Hawk mussed.

"Do you think he is trying to get in the good grace of the father by taking care of his son?" Tiger excitedly whispered.

"What are you three doing?" Sen eventually asked, having heard enough.

All three Anbus jumped in surprise, weapons at the ready to defend themselves until they noticed it was their friend standing behind them.

"Ah! Sen!" Tiger cheerfully said, the forced smile clearly audible despite his mask. "What a coincidence!"

"Yeah… a coincidence…" Sen deadpanned.

"Drop it," Cat sighed. "We had clearly been caught."

"We just wanted to learn more about you and see if we could help you." Hawk bowed his head in shame at being caught.

"Well, if you want to help, then join us." Sen reappeared to the training ground, making the kids let out a startled cry at the clone dissolving as another Sen appeared instead. "Well kids, we are lucky to have three seasoned Anbus who want to train with us today. I'm sure they will be more than happy to show you fabulous technics and answer all of your questions."

Shisui and Obito both cheered and started to bombard the three Anbus, now maskless, with various questions will Kakashi and Itachi were less expressive in their enthusiasm. At the end of the training, all three Anbus were mentally exhausted after having spent an entire afternoon with four energetic children. They demonstrated various technics, played with the kids – they called Hirota a cheater for using his Byakugan – tried to come up with new games that were declared boring by Kakashi or childish by Itachi and demonstrated a mock spare for the delight of all children.

"If children are always that exhausting, I don't want one anymore," Tiger said as he sat on the ground once the four boys had departed.

"I don't want my little Mei to grow faster anymore. How can you mange four at the same time?" Cat said as she sat down and rested her weight against Tiger’s, who groaned at the sudden weight.

"None liked my games. I thought they were pretty cool…" Hawk said dejectedly.

"I try to train with them at least once a week. They are all good kids once you get to know them." Sen informed as he squatted down. "It is quite challenging to find something fun for them all to do. Kakashi and Itachi don't really knew how to play, as they are genius and have high expectation for them to grew stronger by adults, while Obito and Shisui have problem in focusing too much in training. It's a good training for myself to manage to make them all play as kids while stimulating them in training at the same time. Those children are the future of our village, after all."

"Yeah, well, future or not, those are little monsters. I didn't know that a 8-year-old could sass me so much about discipline," Tiger said as he remembered Kakashi quoting Shinobis' rules with him and pointing out any mistakes he made.

"You did make some mistakes," Hawk pointed out, making Tiger give him the finger.

"Now, unless you want to participate to their training in the future, I suggest you stop trying to spy on me. Is that clear?" Sen stood up as he watched the exhausted Anbus. All promised to not do this again and Sen left with a nod.

Hawk laid down on the ground and watched the sky. "Maybe I should use his technics with my cousins and nephews? Kami knew it would do them some good to play while training."

"I have to say," Cat groaned as Tiger pushed some weight back on her, "That I didn't expect him to get along so well with kids."

"It's the mask. Kids love mysterious things." Tiger then yelped and dropped flat on the ground as Cat moved sideway. "But I don't regret. We saw a side of him none of us knew."

A few shinobis that wanted to us the training ground were surprised to see three Anbus laying on the ground in starfish-fashion, looking at the sky. They watched them for a moment before deciding to switch for another training ground. Some kids even came to poke them with sticks before they decided to leave or get more abuse.

:--------------------------------------------------------------:

One day that Sen was resting alone on his bed, Yuna appeared to report.

"I got some news for you, Nameless master." The small fox informed as she sat down on his stomach.

"What is it?" Sen said as he petted her head.

The fox purred at the attention. "I heard that Root was stirring people in distrusting Uchihas. They disguise as commoners and tell bad gossips to make the people start doubting them."

Danzo was moving with his plan on getting more Sharingans. He had before used Obito's attack with the Kyubi to get the people to start distrusting the Uchiha clan, but it looked like the old man was advancing faster than he thought.

"What are they saying?"

"Well, that the police are using their authority in favor of Uchihas. They tell that they can't be trusted since all the policies are from their clan. That they are greedy of more power and are scheming as they are rarely even seen outside of their district. People start to glare at them and badmouth them without restrain and they aren't taking it well, from what I saw."

The masked man let out a sigh. "Anything about me?"

"Nope, except that some saw you with a group of Anbus training children. But it had barely caught their interest."

"That's good." Sen scratched her back, making her purr again in delight. "Keep me updated as soon as they start to catch something on me."

"Will do!" She then poofed out of existence and Sen went back to his relaxation time.

As he put one hand under his pillow, he felt something hard there. Pulling out the foreign object, he found out it was a book, but not one of his. Turning it to read the cover, he groaned once he read '100 tactics to make someone fall in love with you’.

"Seriously?" he asked out loud as he stared at the book. Having nothing better to do, he started to read it. He will humor them, even if he had no plan to use those tactics. After all, it was Sakumo who was flirting with him, not the other way around.

:---------------------------------------------------------:

Sen visited the Uchiha's district after reading half of the book he found, being sure he would find the young heir at the training ground around this time. He wasn’t disappointed when he found the young boy sitting on the ground, trying to solve the puzzle he gave him a little more than a week ago.

"Having problem solving it?" Sen asked from the branch he was sitting on. The boy looked up at him then back at the wooden squarish form in his hands. If after a week Itachi hadn't solved it, then Sen was proud of the puzzle he created.

"It is very interesting and I like to spend my free time on it. I only succeeded in removing two parts so far."

"Yeah. Shisui and Kakashi were so jealous that I had to make something for them too… even though it was a late gift for your birthday. I just gave Shisui a magic, seamless box that seems impossible to open but had something for him inside if he success. For Kakashi, it was an interesting star that he easily disassembled but was now having more problems in putting it back together." Sen dropped from the tree and squatted down to be to the boy's level. "Itachi, I had something to ask you." He waited until those big black eyes were looking back at him. "I heard there was some tension between the village and the Uchihas. I fear the clan may do something we may all regret in the future. So, I would like you to keep an ear open to what the clan are saying about that. Can you do that for me?"

After a moment of silence, Itachi frowned at the older man. "You want me to spy on the clan and tell you?"

Sen sighed and fell on his butt, waving the heir to come closer. Itachi did as told and was now sitting right in front of the masked man. "You may be young, but I know you are not completely clueless. I'm sure you are aware on how most people of our clan are. They want to appear as impassive and cool headed to others while in reality they are temperamental, stubborn and too emotional. I say that, but in reality, I'm not any better. I just hid it more efficiently." Sen then poked Itachi's head with two fingers. "But you, young man, are too young to already act like that. You need to be more carefree while you can, just like Shisui. You may be 5 now, but you are still a kid."

Itachi frowned as he rubbed his forehead and Sen couldn't believe how cute his little cousin was at this age, with his round eyes and small hands. "What are you really trying to say?"

"It would be problematic if the clan reacted in the heat of the moment. If they were to try something, I would like to nip it in the bud before they commit an act that will irreparably dissociate them for the rest of the village." At the blank look on the face of the little boy's face, Sen rephrased "I want to stop them from doing something bad and stupid that will make the whole village angry because they don't like what people say."

There was now recognition in Itachi's eyes even if this one nodded. "I understood the first time."

Sen kept his opinion to himself about that. "Are you ok with helping me then?" He was proud to see Itachi nod at him. "Thank you. I want you to keep this paper with you." Sen handed him a piece of paper with a seal drawn on it. "This will summon a fox that will bring me any information or tell me if you want to see me. Oh! And if an old man with bandages around his head and covering his right eye come to speak with you, you agree to whatever he tell you and contact me directly afterward. Don't believe whatever he says and absolutely don't confront him. He isn't someone you can trust. Am I clear?"

After Itachi nodded, Sen departed, leaving him alone. He looked at the piece of paper with the dark painted seal and put it in his pocket.

:-----------------------------------------------------------:

"How about a rematch?" Sakumo once asked as they were all sitting around the table, doing the kids' homework.

"A rematch?" Sen asked with surprise visible on his bare face.

"Yes. The winner can ask the looser a request that this one can't refuse."

Sen frowned. "I don't need anything, though."

Obito closed his book and looked at his Uncle with huge hopeful eyes. "I want to see!"

Sen was still hesitating when Sakumo added. "Or are you afraid to lose?"

The Uchiha's pride in Sen wouldn't let him ignore such a declaration and he stood up to go to the backyard, followed closely by the two Hatakes and Obito. "What are the rules?"

"No Ninjutsu. The one that incapacitate the other win." Sakumo said as he took a fighting stance.

The fight started as the last one. They both fought with Taijutsu, trading kicks and punches. It was only when Sen landed after a high jump that he felt himself frozen on place. Sakumo didn't waste time and pushed the other to the ground.

"I won," the silver-haired man smiled.

"You cheated." Sen frowned.

"No. I only said no Ninjutsu. It was Kakashi who gave me the idea once he told me about your training outside. I only put various seals dissimulated on the ground to paralyze anyone who step on them beforehand."

Sen grimaced before sighing. "Alright. So, what is your request?"

Sakumo helped him on his feet with a smile. "A date." His eyes crinkled in amusement at the other's shocked expression. "I want to go on a date with you. No Henge nor mask."

Sen pulled his hand away from the tight grasp with a frown. "Why would you want that?"

"Because I like you and I would like to know you better. I already told you that."

"Don't you mind what others will say once they saw you with me?" Sen said doubtfully. He knew that Sakumo took importance about people's opinion. He nearly killed himself because of it in the past… or in his time.

"I don't care. If I can spend some time with you, the village can say whatever it wants about me."

 Sen wanted to refuse. Nobody except of the Hokage and the small group in this house had seen his real face, but… he had promised and an Uchiha never went back on his word. "You sure this is what you want? Don't you prefer getting personal information about me instead? I would answer one of your question honestly instead."

Kakashi was looking at his father with wide eyes at the prospect of learning something unknown about the mysterious man. But even if the proposition was alluring, Sakumo shook his head. "No. You will tell me whatever you want when you deem it the right time. I stick with the date." Kakashi deflated at the answer.

Sen groaned as he scratched his head. "You are a persistent one. Alright. When do you want to do it?"

"Tomorrow at night. I will ask Minato to keep an eye on the kids while we are out. Is it good for you?"

"Then tomorrow at 7 pm at the park. I will be waiting for you next to the fountain." He then turned to Obito. "Don't think I forgot you had an history exam tomorrow, so let's go back inside." Obito groaned but dutifully went back inside. "You need good grades if you want to become Hokage."

"But I won't need to know history to be Hokage. I just need to train!" Obito whined.

"History is important. It teaches you the mistakes others made in the past that you shouldn't repeat."

Sen's eyes veiled at those words, making Obito gulp and nod. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of mistakes his Uncle had done in the past. Was it about his scars? He didn't like that look on the person he loved the most in his whole family. If it made his Uncle happy, he would learn everything he could about history.

:-----------------------------------------------------------:

After leaving the Hatake's house, Sen went to the market. If he couldn't use his Henge, he would need to buy some clothes. Except from his uniform and the dark clothes he kept in his Kamui, he had nothing to wear. Disguised, he entered a cloths shop as a young man and was greeted by an old lady.

"Good afternoon, sir. Can I help you?" the lady smiled at him.

Sen smiled back. "Hi. I have a date and I'm looking for some nice clothes. A yukata would be good."

The shop lady beamed at him while clapping her hands together. "Then we had to look for something that put you at your advantage! Do you have any preferences in color?"

Sen mused as he followed the lady to the yukata's section. "Not really."

"Then let me pick something for you." The woman took his size before picking a couple of articles and handed them to him. "Try those ones. The cabin is just behind you."

Sen took the two pieces of clothes and went to try them on. When he came back wearing a brown-reddish with green zigzagging bands yukata, the woman nodded in approval.

"This look good with your hair color."

Sen grimaced once he saw his reflection on the mirror. It was true that the cloth looked good for his Henge, a brown short haired man with round green eyes, but he doubted it would so much for his real self. He went back to try the second, a dark green one.

"This one compliment your vivid green eyes. I bet your date won't help but notice how pretty they are."

Again, Sen looked at himself and couldn't help but lament on his mistake. He should have chosen a Henge closer to his real appearance. "Don't you have something in purple, maybe?" he eventually asked.

"Purple?" the lady blinked before frowning. "Well, it is your choice. You can look on this section if there is something to your taste then." She pointed at the rack.

Sen went to look, but had a hard time finding something he liked. He fell then on a lilac yukata with light white wave and a red and white koi fish at the bottom. He took it and went to try it on. As he came out, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. The pale lilac would look good with his white hair and the silver belt gave a nice touch. "I like this one. The fish is really well made. It looks like a real one."

The older woman nodded. "Yes, it is a pretty yukata and quite expensive too. Although I would tell the two others suited you better, you look good in this one too. But I'm sure your girlfriend will like you no matter what you wear. You are a handsome man that anything will go well on." She didn’t tell him it was kinda girlish for a man, as she had put it in the unisex section, for kunoichi would didn’t like too girlish clothes.

Sen's smile was strained at the compliment, but if the shop sealer noticed, she didn't comment on it. "Do you by any chance have an eyepatch?"

"Why would you need an eyepatch?" the woman inquired.

"Ah," Sen laughed awkwardly. "I'm looking for a gift for a friend that lost an eye during a mission."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your friend then. I only have a few near the counter if you want to see them."

Sen went to see the eyepatches and went to try some. When the lady looked at him strangely as he wore some, he only said that he was trying to see if they were comfortable, making the woman compliment him on what a good friend he was. When he found a black patch that went on his forehead and dropped on his eye in a black triangle, he decided that this one would do. He paid for his purchase with the assurance of the sealer that any woman would fall for him wearing such nice clothes and Sen departed with laugh and a wave. Yeah. Any woman that saw him in his Henge. But it was a man that he was going on a date with and his face was anything but dream-like material. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on in Sakumo's head.  This one was still young and pretty handsome. Surely he shouldn't have any problem in finding a pretty woman or man to date. So why chose him on all people? He put that though in a corner of his mind as he dropped his Henge when he neared the Anbu quarter.

Tiger was the first to see him enter with his bag in hand. He sat up on the bed he was laying on to face his teammate. "What do you have there?"

"Nothing that should be any concern of yours." His reply was short.

"Yeah, but-"

"Do I ask you about the stash of porn you kept under your mattress?" Sen countered.

"WHAT? How do you know?!" Tiger gasped.

"Some were peeking out last week. I put them back in place. You should be more careful if you don't want Cat or Owl to see too."

Tiger groaned as he hid his red face with his hands and dropped face-first back on the bed. Sen then knew he had won this one. Now he just had to hid it until tomorrow and he will be good. Unfortunately, he was on guard duty this night and he didn't want to leave it in the package for it to be wrinkled tomorrow. He waited until he was alone to hang the yukata in the closet he used, hoping no one would look there until he was back. But luck wasn't on his side and as he guessed, nothing could be kept a secret in a room shared by various Anbus. When he came back at the middle of the morning form his duty, it was at the sight of Wolf holding his yukata with Tiger and Cat present in the dorm.

"Look at that!" Wolf grinned with condescendence. "Who would have thought little Sen wore something other than uniforms!" he laughed.

"Give that back," Sen commanded calmly.

Wolf pulled the cloth further away. "No no. It looks really pretty, if a bit girlish. Just a shame it will be wasted on you. Is it for a special occasion?"

"Stop bothering him, Kira." Cat scolded. "Sen can wear whatever he wants."

"Don't tell me you aren't surprised to see him having this in his wardrobe, Maya"

Sen walked briskly to the bully and caught a sleeve of his cloth. "I said to give it back." He tugged but Wolf wasn't letting it go and, in the end, a loud ripping noise echoed in the room.

Wolf's eyes widened and Sen watched the sleeve half torn hanging before his shoulders dropped in dismay.

Kira was feeling uncomfortable and quickly threw the cloth at Sen. "It's your fault for tugging on it, not mine!" He then quickly left the room.

Sen sighed loudly and was balling up the yukata when a feminine hand dropped on his. "Let me see," Cat asked.

Sen shrugged and went to lay on his bed to rest. Whatever. It was a stupid idea at first. He would just wear he black pants and pullover. He was a man; what he wore doesn't matter.

"Only the threads  of the stiches had broken, not the fabric." Cat said after a close inspection.

"Can you repair it?" Tiger asked as he stood next to her to see too.

"I was the one that sewed back my brothers' clothes when they were little and didn't want our mother to scold them," she huffed. "Of course I can. Just give me ten minutes and it would be as good as new."

"Don't bother. Just threw it away." Sen said on his bed.

"None sense!" she glared at him. "You had it for a reason and I don't see why you can't wear it when I can resew it back."

Sen shrugged and decided to take a nap, not carrying what his teammate did. He was woken up a moment later by a hand shaking his shoulder before something soft fell on his mask. He sat up and pulled back the fabric to find himself holding his yukata.

"Look at that!" Cat said grinning. "As good as new. Bet you can see the repair."

Sen looked at the torn sleeve and, true to her words, the sewing was invisible to the naked eye.

Sen looked back at the woman and gave her a short nod. "…thank you."

"Don't bother," she waved with a hand. "It was really nothing. Would have been better if Kira hadn't acted as an asshole."

"Yeah!" Tiger exclaimed. "Wouldn't hurt him to be a little nicer to you."

"Let him be," Sen said as he went to hang the yukata back in the closet. "I don't care if he doesn't like my personally. As long as it doesn't jeopardize our work, I don't mind."

"Still…" Cat started.

"Just drop it. It's just the way he is." Sen shrugged as he went back to his bed.

"But why did you buy a yukata?" Tiger asked. "I meant, there is nothing wrong with you buying clothes for yourself, but you never… like… done it before?"

"I just wanted to. And since there is nothing wrong with me getting clothes, you will drop it." Sen then turned on his side to face the wall, clearly indicating that he would no longer participate to the conversation.

Chapter Text

That night, Sen changed his clothes in Kamui and appeared five minutes before their meeting to the fountain. He felt uncomfortable to be bare-faced in the open and sat on a spot where he would be hidden by the shadows, looking at the ground. It was only a couple of minutes later that sandaled feet appeared in his sight line. Looking up, he saw Sakumo standing before him. The man was wearing a silver yukata with blue diamonds’ path lines.

"You are here," The grey-haired man smiled as he offered his hand to help Sen up.

"I said I would." Sen frowned as he took the offered hand. "… you look good." He tried to compliment.

"Not as good as you." The older man smiled. "You look particularly handsome in this yukata."

"Thank you…" Sen blushed, regretting not wearing his mask, but he regained his composure quickly. "Are you sure you want to go out with me like… this?" Sen put his hands together and performed a Henge. Now, standing before Sakumo was how Obito would look as an adult – how he would have looked if the incident at the cave and his fusion with the Juubi never happened; skin unmarred, both black eyes visible, short hair which he kept white to not look too similar to Obito. "This is how I should have looked, had life not been so hard on me. Don't you prefer me going with you like this?"

Sakumo's eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't deny that Sen was a lot more beautiful like that, clearly an Uchiha in all his glory. But the man standing before him was so different than the Sen he knew and he didn't like that. After taking a good look, he shook his head. "No. I prefer you the way you are."

Sen dropped the Henge and nodded. "If this is your choice…"

"Now, how about we have a small walk in the park before we go to our reservation?" Sakumo pulled him, not letting go of his hand. Sen felt his hand getting sweaty, regretting once again not having his gloves on. They walked silently at first, before Sakumo started to talk about the kids. He told Sen how Obito called him once dad without noticing, having probably unconsciously mimicking Kakashi from hearing him said that so often. He told that he had to shush Kakashi when this one was about to point the Uchiha's mistake and that he didn't mind Obito calling him dad. "It actually made me strangely happy."

"Yeah? You want another kid?" Sen inquired.

"Not specifically, but Obito is such a sweet boy. I wouldn't mind being his father, if he wants to."

"He would be happy if you tell him that." Sen said as he looked at the moon. The moon was a pretty crescent, looking like a smile hanging in the sky. He preferred it like that, instead of full.

"You think so?"

Sen nodded. "I'm positive. I knew ne doesn't remember his father, as he died when he was a mere toddler. He doesn't remember any of his parents. Having a father and a brother would be a dream come true for him."

"But he already has an Uncle."

"Yeah. One he barely sees."

Sakumo squeezed the hand he was holding. "Oh, you have no idea how much he loves and admire you. When you are away, there isn't a single day when he doesn't talk about you. You can't stop him when he starts to talk about how great and strong his uncle is. He constantly argues with Kakashi about which one of us is the best." When the other only hummed, Sakumo pulled on his hand so their shoulders would dump. "Stop looking down at yourself. You are a great man."

"A great shinobi I would agree, but a great man…"

"Mister, I won't allow you to talk like this about my date, you hear me?" Sakumo tried to sound offended, making Sen laugh.  "Now how about we go to the restaurant? I made a reservation to the best one I knew." He felt more than saw Sen tense, but this one followed him none the less.

As they walked on the street, Sakumo saw how Sen felt uncomfortable. Many people were watching him, more precisely his scars or the eyepatch he wore to hid his Rinnegan. When two ladies were whispering at the sight of them, Sen tried to pull his hand out of Sakumo's grasp, but this one only tightened his hold and smiled, making clear to the other that he didn't care what the others said. They eventually arrived at the restaurant and Sakumo was painfully aware on how the server's smile flattered once his eyes fell on Sen's face. The Hatake had to clear his throat loudly to make this one stop starring and after a small apologize, they were directed to their table. Sen was looking down the whole time, never looking at anyone when all eyes turned on him. After taking their sits and noticing that most of the attention was on them, Sakumo requested a more discreet table, not wanting to make Sen uncomfortable and received a small 'thank you' from his date. They then both looked at the menu, consulting each other about what would be good to try. A female server then came to take their order. Sakumo returned her smile when he gave his order, but when Sen looked up to give his, the woman gasped in surprise, making Sen quickly look down. Sakumo gave her a forced smile with a glare as he requested a bottle of sake, making the woman blush in embracement and stutter she would be back soon.

"This was a bad idea," Sen sighed as he dropped the menu on the table. "Let's just-"

"No." Sakumo said sharply. "We are both going to spend a good time and they all can be damned if your appearance bothers them. You are handsome and I won't tolerate anyone saying otherwise."

Sen blinked in surprise at the unusual anger Sakumo was displaying. "Why are you doing this?" he asked in confusion.

"As I said, they are all stupid if they stop on your appearance, so you shouldn’t mind them."

"No," Sen shook his head. "I mean, why are you here, with me? You are a good-looking man. Surely you can go out with someone else…" the word prettier was unsaid but clearly heard.

"Sen," Sakumo rested his hand on the pale one of the man sitting in front of him. "Appearance isn't everything. When I look at you, I see an uncle who take care of an orphaned child. I see a proud shinobi who risk his life to protect others. I see a man that came in help to a whole clan without asking anything in return. I see a man that play with my son without complaining how difficult he can be. I see a person with whom I wouldn't mind sharing my life with."

Sen's face went pale before it turned a bright red, accenting the line of his scars in a way that Sakumo found cute. He then covered his face and started to rub at it, as if it would make his blush disappear quicker. "What are you saying?"

"The sheer, bare true."

"How can you say that? You know nothing about me."

"I knew plenty enough to be sure on how I feel."

"This is madness. You are insane." Sen dropped his hands and sighed, having regained his composure.

Sakumo was laughing when a server came with the appetizer and a bottle of sake. He blinked when he saw the expensive bottle and looked up, mouth open and ready to point the mistake. But it wasn't the woman who had taken their order and the male server talked before he could.

"On the house," the server filled their glasses. "For the inconvenience." This time, the server was directly looking at Sen, who only nodded. "Good. I will come back with your order later then."

Sen was then presented with a filled glass by a smiling Sakumo. "Let's toast to our date and to decent people." The two cheered and drank their cups.

At the end, they spend a good time together. The food and the service were good and they both left the restaurant in good spirit. But in the street, Sen froze once he heard someone call his name.

"Sen?"

:------------------------------------------:

Kira was out with two of his friends. They weren't Anbus, just two non-clan shinobis he knew since before his ascension to Anbu. He liked to spend time with them, since he could relax at the difference when he was with his teammates. When he goes out with other Anbus, it either revert back to work or political matter. With his two Jounin friends, he can put work aside and just enjoy some free time. As they were walking down the street, something caught his attention. He usually didn't pay any mind to the clothes others were wearing, but this time, as a man passed next to him, he couldn't help but turn around to double check. He had seen this yukata before, had held it in his hands when someone tried to tug it away. The color, the pattern, the Koi fish at the bottom; there was no doubt in his mind.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming in the middle of the street, man?" one of his friends who saw him stop asked. Kira paid him no mind as all his attention was on the back of a white-haired head.

"Sen?" he couldn't stop his mouth to pronounce the name. And the man froze on place. He saw the silver-haired man next to Sen stop and look at his companion with inquiry in his eyes and he recognized the man as Hatake. Sen slowly turned around and Kira couldn't help his eyes from widening and the silent but sharp intake of breath that stuck in his throat. It was the first time he saw Sen's face – probably the only one in the whole Anbu unit who did. The extend of scars on the right side of his face was impressive and gruesome, the patch on his left eye covering part of his unmarred side. His one visible eye looked distant and dead, like he only saw on some veteran that had fought in the second shinobi war.

This was the face of someone that had gone to hell and came back.

"Wo- Kira," Sen nodded in acknowledgement.

Kira was trying to find something to say when he heard his friends gasp in surprise and whisper at each other.

"Fuck!"

"Oh Kami…"

But Sen's eye stayed on him, unblinking, before Hatake took him by the arm and smiled at the three friends.

"Sorry, but we have to go. Have a nice evening." And then Sakumo pulled Sen with him and went down the street, leaving the three shinobis standing there.

"Holly shit! Have you seen that face?" his first friend asked.

"I know man," the second answered. "How can someone want to step outside with a face like that? I bet children cry when they see him. That's a face out of a horror movie."

"Shut up!" Kira snarled at his two friends, feeling irritated at their comments.

"C'mon man. Is he a friend of yours? I'm sorry dude, but… yeah. You saw it too. You should have told us beforehand you knew a man with such scars if you didn't want us to be this surprised."

"I'm going home." Kira said as he started to walk away.

"Hey! Don't be like that! We told you we are sorry." One of his friends told him but Kira continued to walk away.

Once in his small apartment, Kira opened a bottle of sake and drank alone as he remembered the event of the night. He had always resented Sen for never coming out to team-bonding moments or never removing his mask. No matter how much the others tried, Sen always kept his distance. His life was a mystery, his name was unknown, his face never revealed and he was part of their team. How could someone trust a teammate when this one wanted to share nothing of himself? Kira had always resented him for this and couldn't help but be hostile toward the man he thought felt so superior to them that he didn't want to mingle with his own team or reveal his identity. Now that he knew what was hiding behind the mask, he couldn't help but feel bad. They all had seen the scars on the small patch of skin visible on his jaw between the mask and his hair, but he can bet his whole paycheck that nobody would have imagined in their craziest dream that the damage was to that extend. And on top of that, he has only one eyes. It was true that on the rare occasion that they were close he only saw visible the dark right eyes, but he had always put that on a bad angle that didn't allow him to see Sen's left eye through the mask.

"They were right," Kira said as he drank a whole glass of sake. "I'm an asshole."

:-------------------------------------------------:

Sakumo watched his friend of the corner of his eyes. He tried to chat a bit as they walked to his home, but the conversation was only unilateral. They had unfortunately heard what the two men said as they walked away and Sakumo couldn't help but feel bad on behalf of Sen.

"You know," Sakumo started when they reached his home. "I'm sorry for what they said but you shouldn't linger on it. There will always be asshole in the world ready to spit the crassest thing on you no matter who you are or what you look like.

Sen blinked in surprise. "It's alright. I don't really care." On the way back, Sen had been thinking on how Wolf's discovery would hinder his plans. The man didn't like him and if he started to tell everyone what he looked like, it could be troublesome for him in the future if Root were to hear of it. He had no doubt that Danzo would start to look for him in the village's files and, with his unique appearance, the man will quickly conclude that he isn't a citizen of Konoha. Right now, Root was only keeping an eye on him since he was an intriguing and mysterious character, but if they were to learn that he is no-one, they will start to directly attack him or try to capture him. He had promised the Hokage that he will be discreet and having to annihilate the whole Root and Danzo by himself without any concrete proof of his scheming wasn't what one could call discreet. He was trying to plan his next moves, should his identity come out in the open.

On his side, Sakumo thought Sen was feeling down and trying to play brave. He moved closer and put both of his hands on Sen's shoulder as he looked at him with a serious face. "Well, I like the man that's standing before me. He had a harsh life but still manage to be compassionate. He plays with children and designed a new seal for a whole clan without being asked too. He doesn't like to talk much about himself but listen and give good advice.  He is kind, helps others without any afterthought and right now, I want to kiss this great man."

Sen's eye widened as his whole face turned red and sputtered a "WHAT?"

Sakumo, still keeping his serious face, nodded. "That's how a date should end; with a kiss. If there is no kiss, then this date is null and void and I'm allowed to request a new one." He then smiled. "So, either way, it's a win for me."

Sakumo couldn't help but find adorable the way Sen frowned and his nose wrinkled as his mouth, tightly shut, started to wriggle from side to side as he looked down. He had never seen the other think so hard before. With a resolute breath, Sen looked up at him with determination.

"One kiss."

"Just one. And I will consider this date complete." Sakumo agreed.

Sakumo was fascinated with the way Sen suddenly seemed meek. The scarred man rested both his hands on Sakumo's chest and closed his eyes as he moved his lips closer. Sakumo met him half way and their mouth melded together. But the Hatake quickly put a hand behind Sen's head and started to deepen the kiss, making the white-haired man made a sound of surprised that turned into a moan as a tongue invaded his mouth. They kissed for a long minute before Sakumo pulled away. He smiled with a small blush on his face at the sight of Sen with his eyes still closed and mouth halfway open; still dazed from the kiss. It didn't take long for the Anbu to recover, a furious blush covering his whole face as he looked down and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand.

"T-that's done. I have fulfilled your request after losing."

Sakumo hummed in affirmative. "Would you like to come in?"

"NO!" Sen quickly shook his head. "I-I have…to go… somewhere."

Sakumo chuckled and didn't have time to wish him a good night that Sen had already disappeared. As he turned to the door, he saw the curtain of a window slightly move and knew that they had had an audience. He walked in and was not surprised to see the two kids still up despite it being past their bedtime. Obito was watching the TV while Kakashi was sitting nearby reading a book. A book he had already read. And he claimed it was a waste of time to read twice the same book.

"What are you two doing still up?" Sakumo asked as he entered the living room.

"We don't have school tomorrow." Kakashi replied without looking up from his book. Obito nodded energetically at that.

"I see… and you weren't looking out at the windows when I came in, I guess." Sakumo tried to keep his pokerfaced.

Both kids answered at the same time, but while Kakashi's answer was a 'no', Obito's was a 'yes'. Kakashi turned to glare at this friend which took a serious face then.

"A shinobi should always gather information. It is in our nature to spy." Obito nodded resolutely. "Uncle told me so."

Sakumo chuckled while Kakashi face-palmed. Sakumo went to sit on the couch – realized Obito was watching a weather report– and was quickly caged by the two children.

"So. How was your date?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly.

"It was good," Sakumo replied vaguely.

"Were did you go? Did Uncle really go out without his mask? Without a Henge as he said? Did people say bad thing to him? Did you buy him a gift?" Obito enthusiastically bombarded him with questions.

"It went well," Sakumo rubbed the black mope of hair. "We went to the restaurant and spent a good time. There had been some people… watching Sen strangely, but nothing too bad." He didn't have the heart to tell them what the people in the street said. "And then we came back home. I didn't want to overwhelm him on our first date."

"And then you kissed him." Obito said with huge eyes. "Even if he is a boy?"

Sakumo blinked at the strange question. "Why shouldn't I have kissed him if he is a boy?"

Obito bit his lips and looked down at his laps. "At the compound, when I have gone there when I lived with granny, I heard adults talk. They said that two men liking each other is wrong. That they are… I don't remember the word but granny said it was a bad word to say someone is sick in the head." Obito then looked up at Sakumo. "I had a cousin who had a family member who saw him kiss another boy. His parents learned about it and forbad him to see the other boy again. We didn't saw him for a whole week and two months later, he was married to a girl. They had a baby now."

Sakumo grimaced at the revelation. He knew that some clan completely disapproved on homosexuality for their members, but he had never directly heard of it. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of lobotomy they did to that poor boy in a week for him to be 'healed' from his gayness.

"Obito," Sakumo said as he pulled the boy to his lap. "I already have this conversation with Kakashi, but I'm going to tell you this. There is nothing wrong with liking someone of the same gender as you. There are women who like other women and men that like other men. There are even people that don't like any or those who don't see difference in gender. I, myself, like both women and men and I'm not someone twisted or sick in the head, right?" He waited until Obito nodded to continue. "It's most common to see a man and a woman, but there is no wrong choice. You are allowed to love whoever you want, no matter their gender."

"Then I can kiss a boy and nobody will say anything about it?"

"Well…" Sakumo didn't want to lie to the kid. "There will always have people, like in your clan, that will see it as wrong and tell you bad things. We can't do nothing about that. You know, like how in your clan when someone doesn't have the Sharingan they are looked down by others?" Obito nodded again. "It's the same. It's just how they are and there is nothing wrong with people loving someone of the same sex."

"I see…" Obito mussed aloud.

"Anyway, if you want to explore, be sure the other party is interested as well, or it will cause problems in the future. But in the end, whoever you like, there is nothing wrong with your choice."

Sakumo then told the kids to go to bed, even if they didn't have school tomorrow. He sat alone on the sofa, thinking about the events of the night. He was proud to see that Sen was able to go out without his mask and happy that their date had gone mostly well. At the exception of some strange stares and the comments on the street, they both had a pleasant date and he even managed to get a kiss in the end. Had the Anbu profusely rejected the kiss, Sakumo wouldn't had bothered him again, despite his words. But now, he was sure the mysterious man had feelings for him too. About Obito… He was a little distressed with how the Uchiha clan had tried to teach him homophobia, but thankfully he was able to correct his misguided point of view. The boy was still young and will have to learn by himself about his sexuality later, knowing no one in this house will judge him.

Chapter Text

Sen had gone to the Anbu dormitory after his date with Sakumo and wasn't surprised to be again the only one present in the room. He changed his clothes – having worn an Henge as soon as he entered Kamui after leaving Hatake – and went to take a small nap in his bed. At morning, he went into the forest and called his three foxes. Ko and Kai confirmed that no Root had left or entered the village while Yuna informed him that Danzo was still trying to get information about him without much success and that he had intensified the misleading of the population against the Uchihas.

"That old weasel." Sen muttered, making the three summon animals' ears perk up at the word 'weasel'. "I will have to be more careful in the future."

"What happened?" Yuna asked as she jumped on her master's shoulders, brushing her fluffy tail against his cheek.

"Lost a bet with Sakumo and had to go on a date with him without anything concealing my appearance."

"Oh?" Yuna perked at the information.

"Are you two mates now?" Kai asked with round eyes.

"Stop that you two." Ko, the most serious of the foxes trio chastised his kind. "That's none of our business."

"No no nooooo~" Yuna sing-songed as she let herself drop from the shoulder she was perched on to the laps of her master's crossed legs as he was sitting on the grass. "It IS important. If our Nameless master has… what is the term again? Ah! If he has a boyfriend, we need to know. We will have to put him higher in the list of people to protect, shall something happen. Soooo?"

Sen watched the white fox trying to play cute on his laps, snorting and flickering her nose with a finger. The vixen yelped in indignation and jumped out of his laps. "As Ko told you, It's none of your business. But no. We have only gone on a date together, nothing more. I have too much things to do and I'm not someone who should be loved in that way."

The three foxes remained silent before Kai mumbled "That's… sad". And although Ko stayed silent, Sen could feel he was thinking the same thing as his brother.

Yuna then jumped on his laps again and rested her front paws on his chest. "Why are you trying so hard to shoulder all that's wrong in this world? That's not something on person should carry on his own. You should try to find happiness too."

Sen looked at the small vixen and rubbed her ear. He could see a bit of her yellow eyes that she usually kept closed in a fox's smile and knew she was serious. He remembered that none of them knew about his past. "I do it because I can and there is no need to burden someone else when I can bear the consequences by myself."

Yuna snorted and bit the gloved hand petting her hard enough to sting but not so much as to cause damage before jumping down. "You are an idiot, dear Nameless master. I am nearly three centuries old and if there is something I learned in my long existence, it's that love will always prevail over everything. But anyway, I was the first one to answer your contract and as such, I will always be by your side, no matter how stupid you are."

Sen smiled as he rested a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "I appreciate the faith of such a divine being." He smiled behind his mask as the small vixen preened at the compliment. "Now you three go back to you post. I will call you if there is something."

The foxes departed and Sen went back to the Anbu headquarter. He tensed once he noticed both Tiger and Cat present but both only greeted him cheerfully before resuming what they were doing. Had Wolf not already told them? He went to his bed and started to sharpen his weapons, keeping an eye on them to see if they were just acting as if nothing. It was fifteen minutes later when Wolf entered the dormitory too. The man froze when he spotted Sen present and the two kept their eyes locked on each other.

"Kira," Cat said as she glared at Wolf. "Don't you have something to say to Sen?"

Wolf's eyes widened as he snapped his head in her direction. "W-what?"

"You should apologize for tearing his yukata." The woman frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh… ah. Yes… Sorry about that." The half-Inuzaki mumbled as he quickly went to fetch his uniform.

Sen waited until he had changed before getting a hold of the man's arm and pulling him outside of the room. There, Sen pushed him to the wall with a hand on his collar. The dark-haired male started to snarl before he stopped himself and avoided eye contact.

"So? Who did you tell?" Sen asked calmly. When his teammate looked at him with confusion, he snorted. "We both know you don't like me, so why would you pass the chance to tell everyone that you saw my face. Who was it? Hawk? Tiger? Cat? Or Owl, who is nearly part of our team since she is the medic replacement whenever Hawk is unavailable."

"No one," Wolf mumbled. But as Sen didn't move, he swatted his hand away and repeated louder. "I told no one, ok?! It's none of our business." Wolf then sighed before running a hand in in his dark hair. "Look. I don't hate you. I always thought you were acting higher than thou with your detached attitude and never coming out with the team to bond. So… I'm sorry."

Sen stayed a moment silent as he processed what the other was saying. "I don't understand. What are you apologizing for?"

"You really are-!" Wolf stopped himself from getting angry and just looked at the celling. "What I'm saying is that I'm sorry for being an ass. I now know you had your reason from not wanting to come with us out and not showing your face in public. I shouldn't have hold it against you and act like that."

"Oh." Sen only said, not knowing what else to reply.

Wolf snorted. "You really are a social-awkward. But anyway. Know that I will keep your secret, so don't worry about it."

"Thanks," the masked Anbu only managed as they both entered back the room they had left.

"How strange…" Tiger said as they both came back. "There was a distinct lack of shooting on your part, Kira."

"Shut up!" Wolf screamed as he went to retrieve his mask.

"Did he bother you again?" Cat asked Sen as he went to sit back on his bed.

"No. He apologized to me for being an ass."

Cat and Tiger looked at him with surprised before turning their gaze to Wolf. Tiger then ran to the window to look outside.

"How strange. There are no balls of fire falling from the sky."

Wolf walked near Tiger and slapped him on the back of the head before leaving the room in full gear.

"It's uncommon from him, but that's good," Cat smiled at Sen. "I'm happy you two finally get along."

Sen only nodded before resuming the sharpening of his weapon. It was indeed good. With that, he won't have to think of a way to prevent his teammate from telling others what he saw yesterday. He would have hated to have to threaten him in keeping his mouth shut, but would have anyway if things hadn't gone that way.

:--------------------------------------------------------:

The Council's meeting was held in a small room with the three counselors and the Hokage around a small table.

"So," The Hokage started as he removed his hat in sign of respect. "What is the matter of this council?"

Danzo was the first one to talk. "We have a request about the Uchiha's clan."

"There had been some rumors concerning the Uchihas and their position as sole police in the village," Homura continued. "People start to mistrust them and their judgement. We think it would be better to have other people outside of their clan integrate the police enforcement if not directly remove them from this position."

The Hokage frowned. "The Uchihas had always held this position since the second Hokage founded it. Are you saying he was wrong in his choice?"

"Hiruzen, you have to understand," said Koharu, the only female counselor. "The population start to see it badly that only one clan held all the judicial organization of the village. Their building and even the prison are held in their compound. Civilians and even shinobis start to think that this can be cause of discrimination."

Hiruzen grimaced at that. He knew that those words held some true, but how would they change that? The Uchihas has always held responsibility of the military police force since nearly the creation of the village, and despite what people said, they had always held their role faultless. "The Uchiha are one of the two founding clans. I don't know how they will take this change, but… I will talk about it with Fugaku. It is true that the organization shouldn't be held in their compound and if we change the location, maybe they will be more open to hire people outside of their clan. I will see what I can do."

"I have a second matter that I would like to discuss," Danzo said, raising a hand. He waited until they all were looking at him before continuing. "I would like to request that the identities of all the Anbus be known by the members of this council."

The Hokage frowned as watched the bandaged man with suspicion. "Why that sudden request?"

"If something were to happen to you – Kami prevent it – it will be the council that will lead the village until a new Hokage is chosen. You are not young, Hiruzen. Wouldn't it be better for us to already knew the members of the special force that is the Anbu before the worst happen?"

Both Homura and Koharu seemed to ponder about it as the Hokage looked at them. Danzo was definitely scheming something. If Sen was right, Danzo was trying to actively get information about him and he couldn't allow that. If he were to give them the identities of all his Anbus, they would see that the information about Sen were incomplete and forged. He was now sure that it was Root that tried to take a peek at Sen's information.

"I will have to deny that request. The Anbu have always responded to the Hokage only and I will be sure to keep any information about them secret as their contract specify. I don't plan on dying before I choose a successor and shall something happen to me before that, then it will be at your discretion to retrieve those information."

Danzo frowned at that, but it was Homura that talked next. "I have to say that Danzo had a point there," the elder mussed.

"This discussion is closed." The Hokage said in an authoritarian voice. "If you have no other subject to talk, I will have to leave to take care of my work." They all bowed as the village's leader stood up to leave the room.

Danzo wasn't happy. He had hoped his plan would success with the two other counselors backing him up, but Hiruzen seemed not wanting to bend on this matter. This was strange. Usually Sarutobi would at least consider something that the council proposed. He was definitely hiding something and he was sure this something was about this mysterious Sen. He waved a hand to summon one of his Root Anbus when he entered the building and watched this one kneels next to him.

"I want you to go contact one in the lower positions of the Uchihas. Let them know that the Hokage want to remove the clan of its position of police force. Discretely make them believe that they were given it at first to remove them of the political decision of the village. Go." The Anbu who never rose his head disappeared with his orders. Danzo continued his walk to his office as he pondered his plan. The Uchihas were too dangerous to be left freely in the village. If things went correctly, they will act after the Hokage's decision and he will be able to remove them completely. He looked at his bandaged arm where the one set of Sharingan was covered. It was thanks to Orochimaru, after helping him to get discretely new 'experiments subjects' for his research that the snake Sanin agreed to implant the Dojutsu of one of the KIA Uchihas that his Root took for him. If things went well, he would have more in case one got blind after the intensive use he made of them.

Hiruzen was just a soft-hearted, passive fool to not see how the Uchihas could be the downfall of Konoha.

:--------------------------------------------------:

 Sen was meditating on his bed – since he didn't need to sleep that much thanks to the Senju's cells in him – when Yuna landed on his chest.

"What is it." he didn't ask as he knew Yuna wouldn't come here without reason.

"Itachi asked for you." She said with her fox grin. "Look like the Uchihas are on the move."

"Take me there," he ordered her and was then standing before a slightly startled Itachi. "You can go back to your post," he told the vixen who saluted him before disappearing again. Lowering himself on a knee to be at the same size as the young boy, Sen inquired. "What is it Itachi?"

The boy hold tightened on the paper in his fist as he looked up with a small concerned frown. "Many members of the clan are talking with father in his meeting room. They seem agitated."

Sen petted his head before standing up. "You did good to inform me. Let's hope this is nothing too bad. I will keep an eye on them, so you should go back to your bed since it's already this late."

"Do you think they are plotting something?" Itachi asked in an unusual unsecure voice.

Sen felt his heart squeeze a bit at how troubled the small boy was. "Don't worry. Maybe it's nothing. If they are trying to do something, I will be sure to stop them before they do the unimaginable. I swear to you that I won't let anything happen to our family." He added the last part to let Itachi knew that he was on his side.

The boy nodded resolutely before Sen body-flickered above the celling of the meeting room the clan had assembled. There were present at least a dozen of members, most important characters of the clan. Sen kept silent as he listened while concealing his presence.

"-untinkable that they will try to force this on us. Haven't we always been loyal to Konoha?" one man he knew of a higher grade of the police said as he slammed a fist on the table. "Now they treat us as if we aren’t able to take care of our role by ourselves."

"I think they want to diminish the influence we had on the village. It's like they forgot we are one of the two clans that founded Konoha." An elder said while shaking his head.

"I have heard that people said they gave the clan this position so we wouldn't have part on the political opinion in Konoha. If we work as the police, we have to stay neutral. They had planned this since the beginning!"

Most people present started to voice their discontentment and started to give their point of view. This was bad, Sen thought. It looked like Danzo's plan was on work. Fugaku rose a hand to silence everyone presents in the room. Sen hoped despite knowing better that the clan's head would appease them all.

"We always gave our all for this village and what did we receive as thanking? Distrust and contempt. I can tell you of my shock when the Hokage told me it wasn't right for only the Uchihas to hold all the authority of the juridical power in Konoha, that we needed to integrate outsiders in the police force to be sure there wouldn't be any abuse of power. We are the proud clan that were toe-to-toe in power with the Senju. If they try to cast us aside now, we will have to resolve this problem."

This was getting worst by the minute.

"We need to make a coup d'état to take back the place we deserve as head of this village!" an elder said aloud making all the others agree with him.

Sen had enough.

"Disgusting," a voice that belonged to none of the people present in the room said. Most stopped to pinpoint who had said that. "You are all disgusting." The voice talked again and this time, a man wearing a white mask with only a black line at its center appeared suddenly over the table. Most jumped with weapons in their hands, ready in a fighting stance, at the apparition of the unknown man in their meeting.

"Who are you?" Fugaku said with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here listening to grown men complaining like spoiled children and can't help myself by finding all this pathetic."

"You are trespassing in our compound!" one said as he threw a kunai in his direction. Having predicted that he would be attacked, Sen kept his body incorporeal, letting the weapon pass through him. They all gasped in surprise while some tried again but with the same result. He calmly walked to Fugaku and let the bodies of some that jumped to try to stop him pass through him. "I hear you complain and complain about the unfairness that's falling on you, but what have you done so far? Nothing. You stayed complacent all this time, hidden in your little castle that is your compound while rejecting everyone that didn't share your blood, and now you talk about unfairness of treatment? This is just pitiful." He squatted down to be at the same height of the still sitting clan's head. "And you dare call yourself the proud clan of the Uchiha."

Fugaku froze as he looked into the dark holes of the mask as the dim light room prevented him to see beyond the darkness there, feeling the pressure of the presence of the man before him. "Who-who are you?"

"I am the nameless man that stand in the shadow of the shadows." Sen said mysteriously. "And I am here to stop you all from committing treason."

"You have no said about what we do! You are not part of our clan!" a brave – or maybe foolish – elder said in the silence that had fallen in the room.

"Oh? Have I not?" Sen deactivate his Mangekyo, being certain that no one would try to attack now that they saw nothing could touch him, and took a hold of the right side of his mask before breaking it to just enough to reveal in full sight his right eye. He looked straight at Fugaku and slowly activated his Sharingan.

The clan's head gasped as he saw the red eyes with the three tomoes in it. There was no mistake that this man was truly an Uchiha for he wouldn't have been able to activate the Dojutsu like this if it was a stole eye. "You are an Uchiha…" he whispered. Rare were the people that managed to activate the stage of Sharingan were three tomoes were visible. This man was powerful.

Sen turned his head slowly to show his Sharingan to everybody present in the room, making them gasp at the revelation. "I was indeed born an Uchiha, but can't say I'm that proud of sharing blood and ties with this clan right now." He stood up and faced the people there. "You have all slept on your greatness, telling to anyone you met that you are part of the clan that birth day to the great Madara Uchiha who was a powerful shinobi. But what have you truly achieved? Absolutely nothing that is worth praising. You keep for yourself, never mingling with other people in the village, had even made your own village on the compound to be self-sufficient. You never send anyone of the clan in dangerous mission, in fear that someone would steal your precious Sharingan. You treat your children as future babies' factories and shun those that don't manage to get a Dojutsu. And now I hear you all complain that you are not recognized by the people you considered lower for not sharing your bloodline? Yeah, I'm not proud to call myself an Uchiha now."

Sen walked around the table and watched every person present squirm under his burning Sharingan, some even avoiding his gaze. He was trying to control his chakra but knew that his anger was still palpable despite his restrain. "Here is what you are going to do," he finished his tour on the table and lowered again in front of Fugaku and pinned him with his glare, letting the tomoes spin slowly in his eye. "You are going to accept what the Hokage told you to do. You are going to start interacting more with people outside your clan. You are going to stop bringing misconception in your children's mind that anyone that doesn't have a Sharingan are worthless. And you are all going to be part of this village like you should have always been." He lets his Sharingan morph to his Mangekyo, saw Fugaku's face turn pale as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight of the most powerful stage of the Sharingan that only a couple of the Uchihas in the past managed to activate. Sen rose up and turned to look at everyone who had the same reaction of the clan's head. "Am I clear?"

All nodded in fear and reverence at what the masked man could do. But Fugaku was the one to break the silence.

"Ho-how did you get that Sharingan?" he asked barely above a whisper.

"You wanna know?" Sen watched him from above. "Let me show you."

Fugaku suddenly was trapped in a powerful Gengutsu, tied as he knelt on the ground. He looked around and found he wife next to him and Shisui, both tied but with mouth covered with bandages while crying. Fugaku tried to break the illusion but found himself unable to.

"I bet you want to get your son to awake the Mangekyo." The masked man whispered in his ear but Fugaku saw no one behind him. "Let me show you how he would manage."

Itachi appeared then in the room, I knife held tightly in both of his hands. The unknown Uchiha materialized behind him and rested his hands on his shoulders.

"Well, Itachi," the masked man told the young boy. "All your family want you to awaken the ultimate stage of your Sharingan. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?" Itachi was biting his lips and hesitantly shook his head. "Yes, you always want to make your father proud, don't you? Now, to do this, you will have to kill the person most precious to you. Now choose the person you love the most and stab them." Itachi was looking at the three of them with insecurity. "C'mon, you can do it. Don't you cherish your cousin?" Itachi slowly walked in front of Shisui who was by now wailing behind the bandage and crying. The man behind him hold his small trembling hands and put the tip of the knife against the tied child's chest. "Now just press the knife in." the blade went easily into the boy's chest and Shisui's eyes widened as the knife pierced his heart before going limp and falling sideway. The man turned Itachi's face and looked at his eyes and shook his head with a 'tsk' noise. "Look like he wasn't your most important person. Now who would it be? Your dad or your mom?" the masked man pulled Itachi until he was standing in front of both his parents. Mikoto was sobbing with tears sliding down her cheeks and Fugaku was unable to talk as he was paralyzed in the Gengutsu. "You always look for your father's approval; is it him? But no, boys always love their mommy. Do it, Itachi. Everyone is waiting for you to awoke your Mangekyo. You can't disappoint your whole clan." Itachi was by now crying and Fugaku could do nothing but watch in horror as his son stabbed his mother. "There!" Sen said victoriously as life left Mikoto's eyes. He turned Itachi's face in the direction of his father. "See? It was your mommy you loved the most. And now you have the Ultimate Sharingan that everyone wishes to have! It was just at the cost of the life of the person you cherished the most, but hey, you have now the powerful Mangekyo, so there is no need to cry, Itachi."

Fugaku was then brought back to the present and felt tears falling from his eyes as he looked at the red eye with the black pinwheel. He felt sick and had to turn around to throw up. Was that the requirement to get the Mangekyo?

"Now you know the secret of activating it." The Anbu said in a cold voice. He gripped the sick man by the hem of his yukata and pulled him up. "I have given you my expectations and want to see improvement in the future. Be aware I will be watching you. Shall I hear again any plan of treason, I will personally come to gouge every last of your eyes, starting by yours." Sen directed the last comment to the man he was holding.

In the silence, Sen heard a 'thumb' and was then standing by the door he slid open. There was Itachi on the ground, probably having fallen on his ass in fear or surprise and looking at Sen with wide scared eyes.

"Itachi-" Sen started but was interrupted by another voice.

"Get away from my son!" Fugaku screamed once he saw the man standing near his child. "Itachi, go to your room, now!"

Sen watched Itachi scramble to his feet and run in the direction of his room. He stayed immobile a moment before facing the room again. "I hope I won't have to meet you again in those circumstances." The Anbu suddenly sounded exhausted. "I wish to see this clan flourish in the future." And with those last words, Sen disappeared in his Kamui.

:-------------------------------------------------------------:

Itachi was laying on his bed. It had been an hour since he saw the events partaking in the meeting room and his father had come twice to check on him. It was late, but Itachi couldn't feel sleepness coming soon. He tensed when he heard steps in his room, easily guessing who his visitor was, and hid further under his blanket while facing the wall.

"Itachi, are you alright?"

He couldn't stop himself from flinching when the felt the tip of fingers touch his shoulders and the hand quickly removed itself. Itachi felt scared for the first time of the man he considered his friend.

"It's ok. You have the right to be scared of me. I'm not mad. I didn't want you to see that. Kai, come here." Itachi then felt another presence in the room.

"What can I do?" a cheerful voice answered Sen.

"Kai is one of my summons," Sen told Itachi. "He will stay with you to keep you safe when you are alone." He then addressed the orange fox. "Kai, you will stay with Itachi as long as he need you. Don't worry about your previous assignment. I will inform Ko about it." The fox let out a small yip of agreement.

"I'm sorry…" Itachi heard the other whisper before the room was silent again.

Itachi felt a small weigh jump on his bed and a cold nose poking his. "What happened kid? You look spooked."

Itachi petted the furred head, feeling a bit reassured at having someone with him in the dark room. "Sen threatened people of the clan. I know I shouldn't have been there but… I wanted to know what was going on and peeked at the door. He was so scary. Even father was scared. His chakra then… it was so evil."

He heard the fox, Kai, sighed before this one moved under the cover with him.

"I bet he was scary, but I can assure you he is not evil. All the threats he gave the people of your clan? Only hot air. He just wanted to scare them enough for them to behave in the future. He is like that," the fox mussed pensively. "He doesn't care getting the bad role if it is to make others take the right path – don't mind being hated even. But he is kind and would never hurt anyone without being force to."

"You sure?" the boy inquired as he scratched one black ear.

"Definitely. He always tries to keep his distance with others; I think he had been badly hurt emotionally in the past and had lost people dear to him. So that's why he doesn't try to let others get too attached to him, since he put his life on the line often. He doesn't want people to feel sad if he were to die. He has a good heart, but doesn't know how to let people in and try to fix all the wrong by himself even if people despise and fear him in the end. He is a kind idiot like that."

"How do you know that? Did he tell you?" Itachi asked now feeling a bit better.

"No way in hell he will admit that!" the fox laughed. "But if you look closely, you can see how nice he truly is, although he tries to act aloof. He told me to stay with you to sooth you, didn't he?"

Itachi gave a small nod.

"See? If he was really bad, he wouldn't have left me here. Bet he feel bad to let Ko now take care of my watch too. Did you know that he once took a hit for me? Me! A mere summon! Do you think there is many people that would bother protecting a summon? I can tell you by hearing others in our world that there isn't a lot of summoners that will even spare a glance to an injured summon animal. And he never called me worthless, like the last person that summoned me did. He is a good man; an awkward, aloof, blundering with interaction issues, but the nicest person I have ever known. Just don't get fooled by the cold and hard shell he hides under."

"… Can I hug you?" Itachi eventually asked after a beat of silence.

"Sure thing, kid!" Kai laughed as he nuzzled his face to the neck of the boy who was now holding him in his arms. "Master told me to take care of you, so feel free to indulge."

Itachi mumbled a thanks as he rubbed his cheek on the soft fur. He will tell Sen next time he sees him that he isn't scared of him. And with that thought, the young Uchiha felt asleep holding close the small orange fox to his chest.

:-------------------------------------------:

Sen was resting in the forest outside Konoha. After informing Ko that his brother had a new mission and confirming that the dark orange fox would manage taking the missing one's watch, Sen sat on a tree surrounded by the darkness of the night, letting his thoughts wander. He believed he had scared the whole clan enough to stop them from attempting a coup d'état in the future; maybe scared enough for them to start acting better. He was lamenting about Itachi seeing him threaten his family – his father – when he felt a strange presence nearby. Straightening up, he put his whole attention on the presence, trying to detect any chakra concealed. He felt strangely none but could clearly see a silhouette hiding behind plants not far from his spot. He kept immobile, thinking maybe it was a shinobi from Konoha that hadn't noticed him, but the person stayed still too. They were definitely observing him.

"Who is there?" Sen asked as he dropped back on the ground, all senses in high alert.

"You have the Rinnegan," a voice that Sen knew too well answered and his whole body tensed. "And you don't feel like any other human we met so far." A second voice that Sen knew continued, making all the hair on his nape rise.

As the person moved closer and Sen could distinctively see the black and white body, he didn't waste time. He concentrated all of his chakra and let out the biggest fire ball he could produce and sent it in Zetsu's direction. He then used Doton and the ground started to crack, making various trees fall as their roots couldn't held them upright. He had overdone it, once a huge portion of the forest went ablaze, but kept all of his attention around to find Zetsu. This was his chance to get rid of that nuisance. He had been caught by surprise and had attacked him on instinct, but if he gets his cards right, he could definitely get rid of him. After a moment of searching, he found the badly burned remain of a white Zetsu. He continued to search between the flames thanks to his Kamui but didn't find any trace of the Black Zetsu. It was not long after that he felt the chakra of various shinobis coming in his direction and he decided to leave before others noticed he was the cause behind the fire. He ran in the opposite direction of Konoha. If Black Zetsu was still around, he didn't want to be noticed using Kamui or getting back to the village. He ran and ran at full speed, never stopping when his legs protested or his chakra reserve started to plunder. He ran for five long hours until he entered the land of Hot Water. Only then, when the sun was illuminating the forest, did he search for some place to hid and use Kamui. He managed to find a small cave and entered it backward, keeping his eyes at the entrance for any sign of a familiar mass of shadow. When he was hidden enough in the darkness of the cave he used Kamui to get back to Konoha. He reappeared in a small hallway, making an elder man jump at his sudden appearance. Sen rose a hand in apologize before walking back to the Anbu headquarter. From the windows, he saw the smoke of the fire that had been taken care of and grimaced at the damage done to the forest.

Damn Zetsu and his bad timing, he thought as he sat on his bed. With everything going on, he hadn't thought yet of a way to get rid of him. His plan was well defined in his head as a straight line and Zetsu was at the end of it. He had managed most without a hitch, but he still had to find a way to expose Orochimaru for his illegal experiments and then Danzo for his treachery before killing Madara and then Zetsu. He would have to stay on low-profile and don't attract too much attention on himself for now, until he gets a sure plan to definitely remove Zetsu off this planet. When he had fought with Naruto and Kakashi against Kaguya, he had wanted to trap Black Zetsu in his Kamui before dying, taking him with him in the grave. Now this wasn't anymore an option. He couldn't let Zetsu roam freely in his pocket dimension when he was still alive, at the risk of him getting out if he were to use Kamui.

He pondered for a moment the thought of trapping the dark nuisance before killing himself but… thoughts of Sakumo, Obito, Kakashi, Kuchina, Minato, Hirota, Itachi and all the other people he met in this timeline surged in his mind. This was the second chance he dreamed to get with the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He wanted to witness all the good he had done this time, see the people who had died grew happily. He wanted to watch Naruto be raised by his parents, wanted to see his other-self grew in a happy family, wanted to see Kakashi have a joyful childhood and become a man with Obito as best friend. He wanted to find out if this Obito would manage to go out with Rin. Wanted to see Sakumo smile flirtatiously at him again. He didn't want to die… he wanted to live.

He still had time. He would find a way to get ride once and for all of Black Zetsu. And if in the end he didn't find something… he would bring the manifestation of the princess Kaguya in the grave with him as last resort.

Chapter Text

The day after the unplanned meeting with Zetsu, Sen went to the Hokage and requested to be sent to Kiri for two months. Hiruzen was skeptical by the sudden request.

"Does this have anything to do with the fire from last night in the northern part of the forest?"

Sen remained silent for a moment before he gave a nod. "It was a miscalculation on my part. I reacted instinctively to a threat."

"A threat to the village?" the Hokage straightened and became serious.

"Not specifically to the village and not something you have to concern yourself right now. By the way, I have taken care of the Uchihas. They will comply in the future, but I think you should have handled your request to them a little more tactfully than you have. It could have turned to a disaster. What did you expect will telling one of the most powerful clan that you basically didn't trust them to do the job that they have done generation after generation until now by themselves?"

The older man sagged on his chair with a groan. "Yeah. Saying it like that… but I was trying to help them with this."

"I know perfectly well what your intensions were. I'm just saying you should have handled it with more tact. As an Uchiha, I'm aware how they are misled in the way they do things, but they are one of the two clans that are the foundation of this village. Just blatantly ordering them to change the way they do things without any explanation for it was a huge mistake that could have followed by a coup d'état on their part."

The Hokage's shoulders dropped in defeat, removing his hat to ran a hand on his balding head as he looked at his desk. "You are right. For what it's worth, I'm aware that I should have brought up the subject differently, made the change less brusque. It's just that the council was pushing me to do the changes."

Sen's ears perked up at the mention of the council. So it was, as he thought, Danzo's doing. "Try to be careful on how you deal with clans in the future. Most are too proud for they wellbeing. Being born in a clan, I would like to see some changes in the way they think just as much as you, but it had to be done slowly. Push too hard and you will get the opposite effect." He knew that he was lecturing the Hokage as one would some youngster, but his knowledge of the future allowed him to do so without being put back at his place. The old leader had done too many mistakes on his time that he didn't wish to see repeated and it was time for this Hokage to stop turning a blind eye to the problems in front of him until it was too late. "Anyway, I wish to leave the village for a while. There had been… complications and I would like to not have people connect me directly with Konoha. And there is Danzo who is actively trying to get information about me. You really should try to get a look on what he is doing while I'm away."

The Hokage's eye twitched at the mention of his old teammate, but nodded none the less. "Very well. I approve for your departure for Kiri, mission: classified secret, duration: two month. You can depart as soon as possible. I will send someone to inform your team."

Sen bowed and disappeared from the room. He went to retrieve some of his weapons in the empty dormitory and then went to the Hatake's household.

"Sen." Sakumo said surprised. "You usually come later. The children aren't here yet."

"I only came to inform you that I will be out of town for two months, so I came here to give you your pay and let you know that I won't come during this time."

"That's a long mission. Do you want some tea?"

Sen shook his head. "No thank you. I have to leave as soon as possible." He didn't want Zetsu to find him in this house, in the chance that the shadow came and looked for him.

"You can't leave without saying goodbye to the kids. It will break their hearts. I was going to go fetch them in ten minutes. Chat with them a bit, tell them farewell and then go."

Logic was battling with emotion in the masked Anbu's head. He caved in the end and agreed, removing his mask in the meantime. Sakumo pulled him on the sofa where both of them sat, a little to clause to each other to be casual.

"So, how was your day?" Sakumo asked as he turned on the TV to allow some background noise.

"Nothing particular," Sen lied. He twitched as he felt an arm rest over his shoulders but didn't move away this time.

"Classified, I see," Sakumo said as he watched the show on the TV. There he saw some young man awkwardly flirt with a pretty woman. The man stumbled and fell as he tried to open the door for the woman he was courting, making Sakumo laugh. "It reminds me how I was when I was younger!" the silver-haired man grinned as he watched the man on TV go for blunder after blunder, trying to impress the lady of his heart. "Whenever I tried to flirt with a girl I liked, I couldn't help but say the wrong thing or do something completely stupid. I wonder how my wife accepted to marry me. I proposed to her after a date, just when we entered my apartment, where all my friends were hiding to threw a surprise party for my promotion to Jounin. They jumped out of their hiding spot just as I was kneeling with a ring in my hand. It startled me so much I dropped the ring and it took us a whole hour to find where it rolled . How about you?"

Sen frowned in confusion. "I… never proposed to anyone."

"No!" Sakumo laughed mirthfully. "How were you when you were young and flirted with people? How was the first time you confessed your feeling to someone?"

"… there was a girl I liked when I was younger, but she never noticed me. She died before I could confess to her. After that…" Sen touched the damaged side of his face. "I never bothered trying to have feelings for anyone. I had sex a few times in my life with prostitutes who took me as clients."

Sakumo watched the man sitting next to him speechless. "You… never dated anyone?" He watched Sen calmly shook his head, as if not bothered.

"No, never. When some prostitutes refused me a few times in their room after seeing my face, I didn't even bother removing my mask when I went with one. Some were a little grossed at seeing my body and asked for supplements. I could have gone with a Henge but," he shrugged. "too much effort for just sex."

Sakumo clenched his teeth as he felt his heart squeeze painfully at the revelation. That was wrong. Sakumo wanted to scream in anger about how all of those women were wrong in how they treated him. But how could he have never loved someone when he was younger? Suddenly, a question that he had never thought before appeared in his mind that he dreaded the answer.

"How old were you when you got those scars?"

Sen frowned a bit as he tried to recall his age. "I was twelve, I think. Not long after I became Genin."

Sakumo felt sick. How could someone so young have to go through such extensive injuries? If Sen had hidden his face at such a young age, no wonder he had never fell in love with anyone. No one would fall in love with someone that constantly hid his whole face behind a mask. It was just impossible. Sakumo knew that, despite not wanting to be described as shallow, had he never seen Sen's face on their first encounter, he would never had developed such profound feelings for him. Sure, he would have liked the man behind the mask, become close friend even, but that affection would have never evolved into the love he felt now. Sakumo couldn't stop himself in pulling Sen into his arms, not sure if he wanted to comfort the man or himself.

"How did your parents react at seeing you back with such extensive injuries?"

Sen was a little surprised by the sudden hug but stayed calm as he knew it was only a comforting gesture. "I never had parents. They died when I was a baby. It was an old relative on my father's side who took care of me, but he died when I was ten, so I was alone since then." He felt the arms around him tighten their hold and knew that Hatake was feeling sad for him. "Don't worry. One cannot miss what they never have in the beginning. I held that girl I liked for a long time in my heart and did a lot of bad things because of it, but now I'm in peace with myself."

Sakumo closed his eyes tightly shut as he rested his forehead against the man's shoulder. It was just horrible and sad that a boy of such a young age had go through such misfortunes. After hearing this, he started to better understand why Sen had problem interacting with other people. No one should suffer so much. Despite having lived all his life in Konoha, Sakumo never knew about the hardship Sen went through. Had they met when they were younger at the academy? Had he just never paid any attention to what looked like a normal boy when he was just a kid? He pulled Sen on his laps as he continued to hug him, feeling regret and shame at the thought that he may have ran into Sen several times when he was younger but never bothered to know him. They weren't that far apart in age, so it could be possible.

He pulled his head back and looked Sen directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm about to kiss you right now."

"What?" Sen asked in surprise as he watched the man he was sitting over look at him with a serious look on his face and unshed tears in his eyes.

"Bear with me. You can punch me later." Sakumo then dove and captured Sen's mouth in a kiss.

He felt Sen gasp in surprise and used the opportunity to deepen the kiss. At first unresponsive, Sen then slowly returned the kiss. It was heart wrenching for Sakumo to notice the other didn't know how to kiss back. The mouth was clumsy, tongue shyly touching his, clearly not knowing what to do. Sakumo took his time and went slowly. His tongue went into Sen's mouth, coaxing the hiding one there to come forward. He mapped every place he could reach, being delighted when the scarred man let out a small whimper when he touched the roof of his mouth. He then pulled back, letting Sen explore at his own pace. He awkwardly tried to mimic what had been done to him. And even if it was clumsy and inexperienced, this was the most wonderful kiss Sakumo had ever had. He let a hand ran softly over the round marks the scars left on the right side of his face. Sen flinched at first, but let Sakumo run softly the tip of his fingers over the scarred skin, even leaning into the touch after a moment. Sakumo ran his other hand over the thigh of the man sitting on his laps up to his hip. He slowly worn his fingers under the fabric until they touched warm skin. Sen moaned in the kiss and Sakumo took this as permission to continue. He felt the body he hugged shudder as his hand ran along firm abs. He noticed the difference in texture on the torso but didn't comment on it. All that mattered was that Sen was taking pleasure in this. His thumb brushed and rubbed the small nub that was a nipple and Sen pulled his face away with a gasp.

"Ah!" Sen said before mewling as the hand on his face tilted his head back so the mouth that had been kissing his could target his neck. He had never been touched like this before, so reverently and softly. He wasn't a virgin, but none of the whores he had paid had bothered touching him expect to claw at his shoulder as he thrusted in them on the rare occasion they had sex in missionary position. All his body felt now supper sensitive. How could a simple touch make him react this way? Sen let his own hand run in the soft silver hair, encouraging the mouth licking, kissing and nipping his neck to continue and arched his back, wordlessly letting the other man know that he was appreciating this. Except for the small gasps, whimpers and mewls, his mouth was unable to do more than hang open.

"We are home!" Obito's joyful voice yelled, quickly followed by Kakashi's.

"Dad, did you forget to come pick us up?"

Sen tensed and jumped away from the man he was sitting on. He sat on the other armchair next to the sofa. He pushed back in place his rucked shirt and concentrated for his face to cool down. When the kids entered the living room, Sen was positive that he had regained his composure and nothing that had happened transpired from him.

"Next time, tell us in advance if you-" Kakashi stopped as he looked at the two adults sitting on two different seats. He inspected Sen and found nothing wrong with him or his calm demeanor in the three seconds he got before Obito jumped to hug the man. He then looked at his father… and saw everything that happened just before they entered the house. Sakumo was slouching on the sofa, arms dropped open on his sides, legs wide open. His clothes were wrinkled in a strange way. His cheeks were pink tinted as he breathed hard, his hair an unusual mess.

"Seriously, dad! Was that why you didn't come fetch us?" Kakashi groaned as he hid his eyes behind a hand.

Sakumo grinned as he sat up properly, running a hand over his shirt before taming back his hair. "I don't know what you mean, son."

Kakashi pointed an accusing finger at him. "You look like you came out of an intensive make-out session." He heard Sen made a strangled noise where he was sitting, with Obito latched to him like a baby koala.

"Where did you learn such words?" Sakumo blinked at his son.

"I'm not a kid, of course I knew such words." At seeing his father raise an eyebrow at him, Kakashi decided to complement. "I heard older boys talk about it last week."

"What?" Obito asked as he looked in turn at Kakashi, Sakumo then back at Sen. "What does make out mean?"

"Don't teach your brother strange words, Kakashi." Sakumo chastised. He didn't pay much attention of the words he said as he tried to drop the subject, but Sen noticed when Obito's breath hitched while squeezing him harder. A quick look at Kakashi and Sen saw this one noticed too, with how his mouth had dropped before he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, turning side way. "Sen will have to leave for a long mission so he came to say goodbye to you guys."

This seemed to pull Obito out of his bubble. "A long mission?" He looked up at the man he was sitting on.

Sen nodded. "I will be away for two months, so I wanted to let you all know to not expect me to visit in the meantime."

Obito felt a bit of unease. It had been a while since his Uncle had left for such a long period; the last time being when he left for a month before his birthday. He knew his Uncle was an Anbu and took dangerous missions out of the village, but he feared that something might happen to him when he was that long away. What if he got injured or killed while Obito was having fun with his friends? He wouldn't know if something happened to him until after that month. And then he would be alone again. What if Sakumo didn't want to have him then? Would his grandma take him back? He squeezed his Uncle hard as he hid his tearing eyes on the firm chest. He then felt a hand rest on his head.

"Nothing will happen to me," Sen said in a calm voice. "No matter how far or long I must go to a mission, I will always come back. I'm one of the strongest Anbu, after all, and it's not a dangerous mission. Now you have Sakumo and Kakashi to be with you, so no matter what, you will always have someone to be with."

Obito bit his lips as he felt them trembled and tears slide down his cheeks. How could his Uncle always know what he was thinking and the words to comfort him? He looked up and with trembling lips asked. "Y-you will come back? You promise?"

Sen smiled softly at the boy sitting on his laps, aware of the abandonment issue the kid had. He was happy that Sakumo welcomed Obito in his family. At least like this, when their grandmother would die in a little less than a year, Obito wouldn't be alone like he had been himself.

"I will definitely come back. So, I want you to study hard even if I'm not here and listen to what Sakumo and the teachers tell you. You will tell me everything I missed when I come back, alright? No more crying now."

Obito furiously rubbed his eyes with a sleeve. "I'm not crying. There is dust in my eyes."

Sen rubbed the soft hair with a small smile. "Yes, yes. There is dust everywhere. Sakumo doesn't clean well the house it seems. How about you help him clean next time?"

"What?! No!" Obito quickly complained, but one look at his Uncle that was watching him with a raised eyebrow was enough for him to know that he should either agree or admit he had lied. "…. Alright. But Kakashi had to help too!"

"Why are you mixing me in this?" the masked boy quickly complained, dropping the smug look he had at Obito getting caught lying.

"It's your house too! You have to help!" Obito looked back and stuck his tongue out.

"That would be quite considerate, Kakashi," Sakumo added with a delighted look, making the youngest groan.

"I have to leave now," Sen informed as he stood up and put Obito back on his feet.

"Can't you stay longer?" the young Uchiha went with his best kicked puppy's look. Unfortunately for him, Sen was immune as he had the same technique when he was that age and… same face.

"Sorry, but no." he attached back his mask in place. "I have already delayed my departure to see you both." He walked to Kakashi and ruffled his hair. "And you, try to not tease him too much. And try to play more."

Kakashi batted his hand away and glared at him. "You are not the boss of me." He then looked at the ground. "And I won't miss you."

Sen hummed as he looked at the young Hatake lying through his teeth, clearly bothered at Sen's extended departure but not being honest about it. "What a shame. I guess I won't have to bring a souvenir to you if you won't miss me, then."

Kakashi suddenly looked up, all thoughtful. "I will miss you." He said with the seriousness of a kid who definitely wanted to get a gift too.

Sen couldn't stop himself from laughing. He then turned to Sakumo and gave him a small nod. "… see you." He then disappeared before he could feel embarrassed at the remind of what they have done before.

Sakumo looked with longing at the spot where Sen had just stood and felt a small hand pull the sleeve of his shirt.

"Say," Obito spoke once the man looked down at him. "What those make out mean?"

Sakumo smiled brightly at him. "It's a something that will earn you cleaning all the dishes for two days if you pronounce it."

Obito gasped and Sakumo looked at his son with a nod as this one gave him a baffled look that quickly changed in resentment. This one stomped his feet as he walked to his room, making Sakumo chuckle at his son's antic. "Two months," he sighed as he traced his lips with a finger.

Those will be very long months.

:------------------------------------------------------------------:

Sen has two months to cause some mayhem in Kiri. He used his Henge and started to get along with people of the village. His acting was perfect and he was charming enough to make friend in whatever disguise he chooses. In less than a week, he become quite popular in four of his characters. One was a young man with short black hear and green eyes around his mid-twenties, joyful and friendly to others his age. The second was a balding muscular man in his fifty, a bit grumpy bit always ready to pay a drink to his pals. The third was a sumptuous woman around thirty with long wavy brown hair and blue eyes, making all eyes turn to her, but delightful and friendly to other young women. The fourth and last, an older woman in her seventy with grey hair who lost her two sons and husband who were shinobis and loved gossiping with elders. He found easy for him to enter each of his characters. He had some blunder at first with his two younger ones – like greeting someone they weren't supposed to knew – but always managed to save the situation in the end. Now, he could start the first phase of his plan: getting rid of the of the academy's graduation system that earned the village the nickname of Bloody Mist.

He started slowly, with his youngest male character recounting to others about his experience at graduating the academy when he was 'drunk'. Most of them easily shared their experience, since they too were from lower cast. They recollected the horror of having to kill their friends to become Kiri's shinobis. In whispers, Sen shared his thought on how it was unfair to be the only village to have that kind of tradition, that other hidden villages had it good with only passing some tests to become Genin. He recalled with them about the good friends he lost as a kid just to become shinobis and how it was stupid to lose so many that had potential to become good shinobis if they got the chance to become adults and get a bit more training.

This started to plant the first seed of doubt in the process of the graduation on some of the shinobis' head.

He went with the young female character to talk with civilians around tea and other meetings they had. She once started to cry once she saw a young man pass the windows of the teahouse, making all her friends become distraught at the sudden change of mood. She then talked about how she had wanted to be a shinobi when she was younger, but had her parents forbad it in fear of what could happen to her. She recalled knowing a boy that she felt in love that was at the academy. She cheered on him, wanting him to realize his dream. At the end of the exam, she was told he wasn't strong enough and got killed. The young man that had walked past the window was the spitting image of what he would have looked, if he was still alive. She talked about the unfairness of this graduating system and wondered what her friends thought about it. Everyone had a story to share about someone close or an acquaintance dying in the academy's graduation. While wiping a tear, she stated how it would be good if the system changed for how it was before this tradition started, like it is right now in other villages. Most agreed and complained in hushed voice how the higher classes had it easy, that they were still going through such barbaric practice in these modern times that lead young and good people to die.

Dissatisfaction sprout in the mind of young civilians.

The older male of his characters had it a bit harder. He was loud and honest, always speaking out his opinions. But his public were adults with experience in life. He was a former shinobi that had gotten a severe injury that incapacitated him, leaving him to find a civilian job. At the later hours in a tavern, when most of his pales had drank enough to loosen their tongue – both shinobis and civilians that he invited at his table and who knew his was a good guy – he started to ask if any of them knew when the next graduation would be. Someone answered him that it would be in four months. He then slammed his glass on the table and said to everyone that he was happy to have forbidden his son to attend the academy. Some of the shinobis frowned at him while civilians asked him in confusion why he did that, since he had been a shinobi too. He told them that he had barely managed to pass the graduation when he was younger. That despite having been weak in his young age but wanting to help his village, he had wanted to become a shinobi since he had no family. He may have been weak when he was younger, but he had become strong with years and was still, despite his bad leg. Now that he was a father, he found it ridiculous to have his kid kill or get killed by people of the same village. Shinobis' life was dangerous enough with fighting those of other villages without having to kill each other. He talked about how he never fully trusted a man that had tried to kill him in the graduation even after he became a full-fledged shinobi, never giving him his back. He started to complain about how it was unfair that only the people of lowest cast had to do this, while those above them had it good, not having to have their kids risk their life like that. How were they supposed to fight with and for people that didn't have to go through the same as they did? After that, he challenged a shinobi to an arm-wrestling, wanting to prove that he hadn't lost it despite having to retire. People cheered him when he won and he laughed as told that he will pay a round of drink if someone won against him in arm-wrestling. A shinobi of their group won – after he let him – and guffawed as he asked the waitress to bring back a bottle. When all the men laughed and drank, they couldn't help but wonder about what their friend said. Why such discrimination when they fought alongside in the end for the same cause? Were they worth less than higher casts for them to have to kill each other?

Anger at such discrimination to low castes bloomed in the mind of seasoned men, both shinobis and civilians.

The old lady of his characters was a sweet woman. She often went with a group in the park to talk with other people of his age, about the good old time. It wasn't long when one of them talked about their grandchild that went to the academy – elders loved to talk about their grandchildren. She took the opportunity to ask what they thought about this graduation. Some said it was good to only get the strongest shinobi, making them a strong village while others were a little uncomfortable with the subject. She asked about how it was in their time, knowing that some had been shinobis. They said it wasn't like that, that they didn't have to kill each other. She started to talk about her son, that died during a graduation, said about how he was talented in healing, master at detecting any concealed chakra, but hadn't been strong enough to survive. He asked them, if in their time, he wouldn't have been useful. The veterans had to agree that he would have been quite useful in a team, that it was always good to have a talented healer and detector to support them. She lamented how there wasn't any good healer in any team, how his second son had been severely injured but none had been able to heal him, having him die before he could be brought at the hospital. She started to state how less and less youngsters this day wanted to be shinobi in difference of the past. Wondered how they will protect their nation when there would be only a handful of students attending the academy in the future. Young people this day weren't the same caliber as those fifty years ago and most wanted an easy life this day. Most agreed with her. Some said there would always be the higher classes, but she countered on how they were less in numbers with the lower ones. And they didn't take the same risk as them. Some grudgingly agreed with her while others pondered in silence. She lamented about the old time, when people had the chance to get stronger and smarter with age and experience. How darker times will soon come to them.

Elders started to think about the old time and how they should find a way to change the way things were this day in patriotism.

Sen planted and fed the seeds he planted everywhere, making people slowly feel indignant with how things were this days. He talked about love, discrimination, patriotism, future and despair with different mouths to different ears. He lights the wick and watched the fire slowly grow bright and brighter. Whispers everywhere. Drunken complains. Disapproved face in board daylight. People started to let out their discontentment.

Kids shouldn't die like that.

Why the higher classes didn't have to watch their children kill each other?

Weren't they all serving the same country?

What would happen when they had no more children?

The population was decreasing.

The number of shinobis were decreasing.

The number of casualties was too high!

Even good batch of students had only a handful of graduating ones!

There weren't any healers in the teams now!

They needed change!

Sen watched in the shadows. It only took four mouths to change the point of view of a full village. Four insignificant people, neither important by themselves. With them, he managed to create mayhem, but for the better. Kiri will change. It wasn't a question of 'if' but 'when' and he needed something else for that change to come. He used Kamui and appeared in the farthest training ground when he knew he would find the person he was looking for.

"Fancy seeing you here, Kisame The Tailless Biju."

:------------------------------------------------------------------:

Chapter Text

Sen hissed as he appeared in one of the four rooms he rented for his stay in Kiri. Kisame had been ruthless with him. It had been awhile since he had fight with everything he had. Kisame had tried to attack him on spot, with a wide grin, once he opened his mouth. The man was excited to see him again, having wanted to fight with him since he had suddenly had to leave on their previous encounter. Sen skillfully dodged all the attacks sent to him, using Kamui in all the others he couldn't avoid. After long minutes, having had enough of this game, Sen stayed on the same spot and let the shark-looking man attack his incorporeal body, waiting long minutes for the other to stop attacking him to eventually ask if he would listen to him now. Kisame retorted that he would listen, only if the other were to fight a fair fight against him. Sen had no other choice but to agree. They fought each other, Kisame delighted to have such a strong opponent while Sen tried his hardest to not kill the other without getting himself killed. Samehada was a sword to fear. It's shark-skin would have given him fatal wounds id he didn't have Hashirama's cells healing his body. Any Jutsu used was instantly absorbed by the sentient sword. That was only considering the sword; Kisame had nothing to envy to his sword. He was a force of the nature with a gift in fighting. Talented to not waste any attack, cunning with his trap and the opening he let. Tactician with the way he studied Sen's weakness and strong points.

Definitely leader material.

Sen had to use his trump card to manage to completely immobilize the blue-skinned man. He used the roots on the ground to completely trap him, making him unable to free himself soon enough to prevent Sen from placing a blade to his neck.

"What are you waiting for?" Kisame eventually asked when the masked man didn't cut his throat.

"For you to accept to listen to me." The masked man said as he jumped far enough before releasing the root from around the Kiri shinobi.

Kisame was a bit surprised but stood in a relaxed stance. The man could have definitely killed him just then if he had wanted, so there was no need for him to keep his guard up for the moment. "Alright. Talk."

"I have some questions I would like you to answer me first." Sen was positive that he knew the answers he would get, but he needed to hear it from the other man's mouth before. He had known Kisame well during their time spend together in Akatsuki. But the man standing before him wasn't the Kisame that had followed him blindly in his plan to create a 'world of true' – the only person in Akatsuki he believed enough to show his face. No, this Kisame who was in his early twenty, had never been betrayed by his mentor, didn't have to slaughter his comrades and get congratulated by his superiors, didn't have to see Fuguki Suikazan, the man he admired, betray them for money. Didn't have to be the one to kill the man he trusted.

Kisame folded his arms over his chest and squinted his eyes at the masked man. "I'm not telling you any secret information about Kiri as long as I'm alive."

"Don't worry," Sen reassured. "I'm not going to ask you about any classified or secret information. It's more personal questions that I will ask."

Kisame rose an eyebrow and bent down his torso as he placed his forearm on the hilt of his sword to support his weight over the weapon, his other hand resting as a fist on his hip. "Are you hitting on me?"

Everything that Sen had planned to say and ask in his head flew out through the window at the unexpected question. It even took Sen twenty long seconds for him to process what he just heard.

"… what?" the white-haired man eventually asked, wondering if he may have misheard.

"If you want to know about me because you are interested, I have to tell you first I'm not really into men. But I can't say that I had much luck with women, what with this Lady Killer's face I had," Kisame grinned, showing his sharp teeth, making Sen wonder if he was talking literally or not. "Therefore, since you are strong, kept up with me in a fight and don't look so bad," Kisame was eyeing every patch of toned abs and pecs thanks to his sword tearing the clothes in its attack, "I will at least consider it if you want to ask for a date."

"What the-! Stop. Just… no. Don’t… don't talk anymore," Sen rose a hand in the blue-skinned man's direction to stop him. He took a deep breath and groaned in frustration his hand touched his hard mask instead of his face for his face-palm.

Kisame only shrugged. "Ok, go on."

"What do you think of the graduation exam the academy makes his students pass here?"

Kisame straightened his back, a seriousness clearly visible on his face as he glared at the man in standing before him. "What is this question?"

"You knew I was going to ask you private question. I want to know what you think about the academy making students who want to become shinobis, kill each other. Not the member of the Seven Swordsmen, nor the shinobi loyal to the Mizukage, neither the patriot that think his village is the best of all. I want the opinion of Kisame Hoshigaki, the man. What do you think of the graduation exam?"

Kisame glared at the masked man in silence for a moment longer before he sighed and looked at a nearby tree. "I have gone through this in the past and was then received as full shinobi, even if just Genin." His lips twitched downward and he ran a hand in his short dark blue hair at the silence that fell. "But I would be lying if I said I approve. They are kids and should be allowed to do something else if they aren't qualified to be shinobis. Can't think any parents who lost a child would disagree with me on that."

Sen was pleased with what he heard but didn't let it appeared, choosing to be safe even with his mask. "What does this mean to you?" he pointed a gloved finger to Kisame's head.

The shark-looking man was at first confused but quickly realized that the other was meaning his headband. "It means that I'm part of the people who will risk their life for the good of this village. I live to protect it."

Sen tilted his head to the side "But tell me; are you protecting the population or its leader here?"

Kisame frowned in confusion. "I don't get it. Aren't those the same?"

"Let me rephrase this question. If the whole village went against the Mizukage, on which side would you be? With the population that want changes not approved by the higherups or the Kage who would order you to mass-slaughter anyone who disobey him?"

"I…" Kisame started but couldn't come up immediately with an answer.

"I won't judge you for your answer. Who would I be to do so? I'm not even part of this village."

After hearing that, Kisame pondered more about the question. It took him a moment, but he eventually found his answer. "I should probably tell you that I would obey the Mizukage but…the citizens are the village and made Kiri, Kiri. I would probably side with the population if I think what they want is right."

Sen smiled behind his mask. No matter how young this Kisame was, his essence is still the same as the man in his timeline. "Now, my last question," he moved until he was only a few steps away from the bulky man. "Would you like to be Mizukage?"

:-----------------------------------------------------:

Kisame was finding his way to the tavern the masked man had told him. He didn't really know why he was doing this. Could this be considered treason? How had this man even managed to come into the village? And the most important, what nonsense was the other saying by asking him if he would like to be a Kage? He had tried to get answers but the guy only chuckled and gave him a time and place to be. He entered the building and saw a lot of drunken shinobis there, but no sight of the one who invited him. He watched every people present, recognized some, but his attention was brought to a young man that waved at him. He had middle long blond hair and almond-shaped blue eyes. He walked in his direction and recognized the voice that invited him to take a sit. This was definitely the masked shinobi.

"Is that what you look under your mask?" Kisame asked once he sat in front of his interlocutor, noticing the Kiri's headband attached to his arm. "And how did you get that?"

The man put his hands together in a sign and after the smoke covering him cleared, he appeared as a young man with short curly black hair and round brown eyes. "Do you prefer this appearance?" He gave a small teasing smile and pointed to the headband at his arm. "And this is part of the costume."

Kisame's eyebrows rose high, impressed that he didn't sense the Henge the other was wearing. "So mister mysterious, what do you-" he was stopped by a raising hand as the man turned to smile politely to the waitress. They both ordered their drink and the other requested a privacy seal for their table. The woman nodded and left them before returning with their order and the seal she put at the center of their table that she activated.

"You can call me Sen. I just wanted to talk about some matter comfortably around a table with you. I want to help Kiri's population."

"Sen, huh?" the shark-looking man hesitated a second with a hand around his glass before shrugging and drinking from it. "How can I trust you not wanting to do the exact opposite? You even said yourself that you aren't from Kiri. How can I know you aren't working for another village?" he squinted at the other, trying to see any micro expression this Sen would make while answering him. No matter how good he was in disguising himself, Kisame was sure he would notice if he was lied to.

Sen sipped his drink before looking back at the man sitting before him. "Who do you think revealed that Fuguki Suikazan was selling vital information to other villages?"

Kisame nearly spat his drink but ended up coughing instead. "It was you? How?"

"I'm quite good at getting information without being caught. You should know since you found me inside the Mizukage's building the first time. I only needed to collect proof and bring them back to someone while disguising myself. If I wanted to cause harm to your village, I wouldn't have bothered myself by stopping a traitor, don’t you think?" Stopping Fuguki was something he did just before the incident with Sakumo. It had nearly cost the Hatake's life, but he had owned that for his Kisame who has always been at his side until his death.

Kisame looked at the liquid in his drink as he thought about what the other said. It was true that Sen would have had no reason to reveal this if his objective was to hinder Kiri. No one had been aware of it, not even himself, and he had a hard time believing one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist would do something this despicable. No one would have doubted Fuguki, if it wasn't for the proofs found accusing him that suddenly appeared.

"Okay…" Kisame eventually said. "What do you want to tell me then?"

"The population in Kiri is unhappy with how things are right now. The lower classes want to stop the way the academy murder their children to make them pass to Genin while the higher classes don't have this problem. Their dissatisfaction for this unfair discrimination is slowly getting louder and louder. Very soon they will try to get things to change. How do you think the Mizukage and the higher classes will answer to such a demand?"

Kisame grimace at that question. "They will reject it."

"Yes," Sen nodded with a sever face. "And how do you think the population would react?"

"Revolt," Kisame sagged in his chair. This was so fucked up. He took his drink and finished the big glass in two big gulps before slamming it on the table. "Is that why you asked me on which side I would be?"

Sen pushed his nearly full glass in front of the blue-haired man. "In part. I just wanted to see if you were the man that I think you are."

"And what?"

"You are a strong shinobi, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist after taking Fuguki's spot; a man respected and feared by most and loyal by default."

"Are you trying to flatter me?" Kisame rose an eyebrow.

"Just stating facts. It's just a matter of time before the less well-off will revolt against the system in place. In a few days, the first citizens will try to get a meeting with the Mizukage and would have their request rejected. They need a leader to gather under, someone strong from the same condition as theirs; someone that had gone through the same horror and wish to prevent it. Someone they could believe would help them change."

Kisame looked at the young man with wide eyes. "You want me to be the leader of this revolt? Are you insane?! Why me?"

Sen rose two fingers in the waitress direction to ask for more drink as Kisame cursed and finished his second glass. "I knew you are the right choice. You are faithful and loyal, someone who worked hard to get where he is. And even if you may look scary to some, you have never been unnecessarily cruel." Sen smiled and thanked the waitress that brought their drink before turning back his attention on Kisame when she left. "You are strong but have a good heart. What better person to be the leader those people are missing? You are the symbol they need."

Kisame groaned, rubbing his face with a big hand. "Why do you think I won't report this to the Mizukage? I should kill you on spot for even saying those things."

Sen hummed in approval as he drank. "You certainly should. You would even get a promotion for it. The Mizukage will probably send his Anbus to arrest around a dozen of rebels, execute them in public to scare the others from thinking on rebelling again and things would go back to normal."

"By normal, you meant that the graduation exam will continue on."

Sen shrugged. "It's how it is right now," he took a sip of his drink again. "You can refuse and say nothing too. I will just have to look for someone else, and at the fatidic time you will have to choose your side. You own those people nothing after all." He then leaned forward. "Or you can agree. Be the symbol of change that they are desperate for and become the new Mizukage at the end." Sen sat back with a small smile. "It's your choice. No hard feelings whichever you pick."

Kisame dropped his head on the table. "You are going to be the death of me."

Sen laughed. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Alright," Kisame sat up and looked the other dead in the eyes. "I will do it… only if you show me your true face."

Sen tensed, remembering in his time-line when Kisame made a similar request before following him.

"It's only natural for me to want to know the real face of the man who want me to be the leader of a rebellion. That's my only condition, if you want me to trust you." Kisame watched as a sad melancholic look crossed over Sen's face. It was only there a couple of seconds, but Kiame distinctly saw it.

"Finish your drink," Sen ordered in an emotionless voice as he put money on the table while standing up.

Kisame quickly finished his glass, then drank the remain of Sen's before following the man outside. They walked through the streets of the town until they reached a small flat. Sen activated a few seals, making Kisame instinctively tense, before he stood in front of the taller man. "Precaution," he only stated as he released the Henge and now standing before Kisame was the masked man he recognized. He watched intently as a gloved hand rose to slowly remove the mask he was wearing and studied the exposed face. White hair and brows, sharp nose and angular jaw. Two different almond shaped eyes; one black and the other lilac with dark rings. His eyes then moved to the unavoidable scars. The whole right side was covered with them.

"That must have been really painful," the blue-skinned man pointed at the scarred side of his face.

"Worse than dying." Sen answered confidently, having actually experienced death – or what he thought was close to dying before appearing in this time-line.

"Alright, now I trust you. What do you want me to do?" Kisame asked while taking a relaxed pose.

"Nothing right now," Sen sat on his small bed. "I will do the work and let you knew when I need you."

"Alright. I can still stay if you want," Kisame grinned as the scarred man looked at him in confusion. "It was one of the worst dates I ever had, but a date none the less, so…"

"Get out of here!" Sen screamed in rightful anger and he pointed at the door. Kisame only laughed as he waved at the sitting man and left the flat.

This Kisame was definitely worse than the one he knew.

:-------------------------------------------------------------:

Things went fast after that. As predicted, some tried to request an interview with the Mizukage about the academy's graduation exam. They reasoning was good, they gave logical reasons to do the change but, as predicted, the Mizukage refused, finding not enough benefit to agree. Sen's four little personas continued their play. This time they told about a man that was on their side; a shinobi strong with a high position that wanted to help them. They murmured a name to those they knew were outraged by the Mizukage's decision. They whispered in a breath the word 'revolt' as the only chance to get a change. They talked about hope and a better future thanks to that man.

The words spread out among the low population. They were careful to who they talked to, but said those words with excitement.

Change was coming. And the man leading them was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki.

Sen called some of the most influential people of the low town and brought Kisame to them. Kisame talked about his plan to overthrow the current Mizukage. How he would make Kiri a place safe to raise children and where no life would be wasted. He talked about his experience and the discrimination that he went for being from a low class. Parents would be proud again from having children go to the academy, casualties would lower in mission with healing shinobis in teams, the words Bloody Mist wouldn't be attached with horror to their village. Some will die during the attack, but it will be for a brighter future. They would be stronger as never before after that. The people hailed Kisame's name with devotion; hope and justice shining in their eyes.

A date and a time were given and spread out.

"Well, it has been decided," Kisame sighed in exhaustion when the only remaining person in the room their little meeting happened was the man that put him in this mess. "I really hope I won't find myself executed for treason."

"You won't die," Sen assured him as he turned his now masked face in the direction of the melodramatic man.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I will be by your side. I won't let you die."

"And what if we are the only two?"

"You still won't die."

Kisame laughed. "I like your confidence! Let's see if you will keep your words in four days."

:---------------------------------------------------------------:

The attack of the Mizukage's building was fast. People from the low town, shinobis and civilians came armed and Kisame laughed happily at not being the only one there. The Kage was fast in ordering his still loyal shinobis to kill all the revolutionaries they met. The Anbus and higher classes shinbois went with the order flawlessly, but most of the lower rank one hesitated. Those were their friends and family the Mizukage ordered them to murder. They tried to stop them without causing any fatalities but were quickly faced with the choice to either kill or retreat. Most choose to retreat.

Sen followed Kisame like his shadow as the two took care of the Anbus. The masked shinobi protected his chosen-leader's back from any sneak attack while Kisame used his sword to take down everyone on his path by killing or draining their chakra. The Mizukage was quick to jump on the roof of his building to confront the man challenging him. Sen took care of the few members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist that hadn't rallied to their cause with a powerful Genjutsu. He then watched the two leaders affront each other. The current Mizukage was strong, but so was Kisame. The two exchanged hits and Jutsu; Sen staying at the ready to give assistance if needed with his Kamui. In the end, he only needed to support twice to prevent fatal hit from reaching Kisame, but the shark man was able to get the upper hand on the village leader. This one admitted his defeat and let Kisame proclaim himself loudly as the new Mizukage to all the still fighting people down the building. Only the stronger could be Mizukage and Kisame had defeated the current one.

In less than two months Sen had changed a whole village with little casualty.

:------------------------------------------------------------:

"Kami save me. All this paper work is killing me!" Kisame groaned while sitting on the Mizukage's desk, hat and coat proclaiming him as the fourth Mizukage on him.

"Well, you are the one that went for the hat," Zabuza shook his head in dismay.

"You can't always win battle with fight," a familiar voice said from the shadow, bringing the bandaged-one on guard, huge sword at the ready.

"Stop being so twitchy," Kisame waved at Zabuza as he grinned when a masked man appeared from the shadow. "You know you won't stop this one."

"Look like your new bodyguard is taking his job seriously," Sen said with a small bow to the fourth Mizukage.

"Yeah. And said bodyguard would like for intruder to enter the village leader's office like proper guest." Zabuza frowned at Sen, putting back his sword on his back.

The masked man only hummed in acknowledgement but stepped closer. "So, how is the Illustrious Fourth Mizukgae doing?"

"I have so much things to learn and read right now that my head is killing me." Kisame swept his hand over all the paper and scrolls over his desk. "How can I manage that in a life time? I don't like to read in the first place."

"It will go easier with time, you will see." Sen then looked at Zabuza with a tilt of his head. "Or you can nominate your bodyguard as assistant?"

"I refuse." The bandaged man immediately answered while crossing his arms over his chest.

"So where have you been in those last three days?" Kisame asked as he stamped his new seal on a paper in front of him before tacking another document. "I didn't hear any words from you and started to wonder if you had left like that."

"I was keeping an ear open to hear what the people were saying. Most are quite pleased with the change you have done in such a short time. I'm impressed."

"Yes. I had to do the change on the academy before the next graduation happened. There had been some casualties during the fight, so I made sure every family that lost a member was compensated."

"That's good. I think I will be pleased to see how Kiri evolved when I come back,"

Kisame looked up from the scroll he was reading to look at the masked man. "You are leaving?"

"I can't stay." Sen shook his head. "I'm not part of your village."

"How about I made you an official citizen of Kiri?" Kisame asked as he rested his chin on a fist. "You could become my assistant."

"No can do," Sen shook his head again. "I still have things to do, so I can't accept."

"So what? You put me in this office and gave me this fancy hat to just leave like that after?" Kisame pouted, making Sen chuckle at the face he made.

"You were the one who accepted,"

"What?" Zabuza asked as he looked at the two. "What's the meaning of this?" He tried to understand but Kisame waved at him to drop it.

"I thrive in the shadows anyway." Sen used Kamui to slowly disappear. "So keep an eye on them for my next visit."

"Know I won't accept any date if I'm already married at your next visit! I'm a sought man now." Kisame laughed as the masked shinobi sputtered before quickly disappearing.

"What the fuck, Kisame!" Zabuza asked, having still difficulties associating his teammate with the Mizukage and talking to him as his rank asked.

"A joke between us," he chuckled as he went to read the next paper on his desk.

Chapter Text

Sen just reappeared in a nearby alley of the Anbus' HQ in Konoha when he felt a presence not far from him. He cursed when he saw that it was a ROOT Anbu and quickly body flickered to the Anbu's dormitory. Tiger screamed in shock and fell from his chair. Hawk greeted him, not showing any sign of surprise at the sight of the sudden appearance. Sen groaned as he sat on his bed, running a hand in his hair. What bad luck to fall right at his arrival on ROOT. He should have been more cautious, should have appeared in the forest instead of inside the village. Unfortunately, what was done was done. He would have to see with Yuna if they have noticed his ability or not, but he was sure it was nearly impossible they were looking at that exact spot when he appeared.

"Are you alright?" Hirota lowered his head until his face was at Sen's level .

"Yes. Just exhausted. Long mission." Sen said as he laid on his bed.

"I can guess," Tiger said as he sat on the edge of Sen's bed. "You have been gone for two months."

Sen used his foot to kick the other off his bed, making the auburn-haired man yelp as he hit the floor.

"You definitely haven't become friendlier since your departure," Tiger groaned as he stood up, rubbing his sore ass.

"Don't sit on my bed," Sen said as he turned to face the wall. "And let me sleep."

"Why is he always mean to me but treat you well? What's your secret, Hirota?" Tiger whined as he faced the long-haired man.

Hirota shrugged. "I don't bother him as much as you do?"

Sen groaned as he pulled the pillow over his head to block the noise. He hadn't slept in the last three days, using constantly Henge to make sure everyone was accepting Kisame as the new Mizukage. He was exhausted and wanted calmness. Eventually, the most exuberant member of their team picked the cue and let him rest in peace. Sen managed a micro nap while people were whispering in the room and then feigned being asleep as he thought of what he had achieved. His plan was going well so far. One of his side missions had been for Kiri to be a better place and he was now sure that it would be in the future. It had been a gamble, to choose Kisame as the next Mizukage, not knowing if the man, still pretty younger than the mature Kisame he knew, would accept. If he hadn't accepted and decided to stay devoted to the former Mizukage and informed him about the ongoing revolution, he didn’t know what he would have done. But his fluke seemed to have worked and Kisame will be a good leader for Kiri; of that he was sure. But yeah, having the blue-skinned man hit on him, even as a joke, had been awkward.

After resting for a few hours, he went to meet the Third and pulled him in his Kamui to give his report. He knew that the privacy seal he used was good, but after meeting someone from ROOT just after his arrival, he felt in his right to be a little to precautious.

" – and that's how Kiri has now a new Mizukage." Sen resumed his report.

"That's all good but, why did you brought me here?" the Hokage asked as he stood in the pocket dimension.

"I fell on one of Danzo's men at my arrivals and noticed a couple following me on my way here. I wouldn't be surprised if he had already some device to listen what's said there. I don't like how much he tries to learn about me."

"Aren't you being a bit paranoiac?"

Sen looked straight at the Hokage's eyes. "If I were to tell you everything he had done in my time, would you believe it? Would you take my words and execute him on spot? If it's knowledge that you lack to get your decision, I can tell you all the horror he has and would have done without my intervention."

The older man grimaced but stayed silent. It was true that Hiruzen was curious about the reason behind the animosity Sen held against Danzo and he knew he would tell him the true, but… how would he be able to face his old friend if Sen were to tell him the blunt harsh true about his acts? He knew that, as a leader, he should demand to knew everything and stop Danzo before too much damage was done, but the man he was didn't want to learn about it.

"That's what I thought." Sen nodded. No matter how Sarutobi thought he was doing everything he could for the village he pledged to protect, the man's sentimentalism was the thing that prevented him to act rationally and put an end to Danzo's life. Hell, he even spared the man when this one tried to kill him after the even with the Kyubi in his time. No, they needed to get a new Hokage soon.

Sen pulled the both of them back in the office, making the Anbus appear in the room.

"You should seriously stop doing that," Wolf, who had been one of the assigned bodyguard grunted. "You are making all the others nervous each time you do your trick." He pointed to Rat –from another team – who sagged in relief at seeing them reappear.

Sen only fixed his teammate for a moment before turning his attention back to the village's leader. "That would be all for my report." He bowed and body-flickered out of the building. He used an Henge and went to the front of the academy. It would not be long before the kids left school. Switching to the appearance of a teen with short black hair and dark eyes, he easily spotted Sakumo and waited silently next to him.

"We have a splendid weather today, don't you think?" he asked the older man as he looked straight at the empty gate but still felt the eyes of his interlocutor on him.

"It is…" Sakumo said before frowning. "Shouldn't you be at school at this time?" Hatake lightly scolded him.

Sen turned and watched him with a raised eyebrow. "I see that you are still not as acute as Obito," He then pointed at the small mole near his ear.

"Sen!" Said Sakumo aloud, making said man hiss at him and looking around before looking back at the Hatake. "I didn't recognize you with your size."

"That's the point of using a Henge; to not be recognizable."

"How had your mission gone?" the older man asked.

"It went well. I just came back today and decided to come pick my favorite kids at the end of school." He smiled when he heard the bell ring. "Let's see which one will recognize me first."

Both kids ran to Sakumo, Obito latching at the older man's hand while telling him the grade he got for a test in excitement while Kakashi listened with a bored look. It didn't took long for the small genius to notice and frown at the teenager-looking present. Sen only grinned back. Kakashi started to ignore him, but couldn't help looking at him a few times will Obito continued telling the adult present everything that happened at the academy – probably finding suspicious for a teen boy standing not too far from them. Sen saw when Kakashi noticed the small mole as his eyes widened and a finger was pointed at his face.

"You!" Kakashi exclaimed, making Obito look at what had caught his friend's attention.

Obito blinked at first at the black-haired teen before he gasped and let go the older Hatake to hug his Uncle. "You are back!" he then pulled away to get a better look of the teen-looking adult. "And you are small!"

Sen laughed as he rubbed the boy's head. "It's good to change from time to time. But it looks like this time Kakashi was the first one to notice me. He will get the best present when we get back home then."

Obito was whining about how it was unfair since he didn't notice him as he was talking with Sakumo when a familiar feminine voice called both boys' name. Sen tensed as he saw Rin running in their direction. He felt his chest constrict at the sight of the girl he had loved and nearly tore the world apart to bring back. She was younger than the last time he saw her alive, but still so pretty.

"Hello," she greeted with a bow. "I'm Nohara Rin; one of Kakashi and Obito's classmate. Nice to meet you. You must be Kakashi's dad."

Sakumo smiled at the young girl. "Hello Rin, I'm Sakumo. Nice to meet you too. I hope my son isn't too much trouble at school."

The young girl blushed. "Not at all! He is so smart and nice. He helped me today during one of our lesson."

"I hope you will be good friends in the future too."

She then turned her attention to Sen who Obito was holding. "And you are?"

"That's my-" Obito started excitedly but was stopped by a hand placed over his mouth.

"I'm Obito older cousin, Sora Uchiha. Nice to meet you Rin."

Rin blushed again at seeing the older boy smiles at her. "N-nice to meet you too. You really look a lot like Obito." She watched the teen and couldn't help but feel flustered. She had heard that most Uchihas were good looking but this Sora was really handsome and looked calm and mature. She couldn't help but wonder if Obito was the exception. Not that he was ugly or anything, but his boisterous and excited personality made him less attractive to her. Maybe he would turn like his cousin when he get older?

Obito pouted once he saw the way Rin looked at Sen. "Yeah, Unc- I mean Sora is the best of all the cousins I have. He helps me train and believe that I will become Hokage! Right?"

Sen smiled calmly and nodded at the desperate look Obito gave him. "Of course I believe you can become Hokage." Obito beamed and puffed his chest in pride. "But you will still need to get good grades for that. Nobody want to have a dumb Hokage, do they?"

Obito grumbled while Rin looked at Sen with appreciation in her eyes "You are so kind, Sora. I'm sure you could become Hokage if you wanted too!" Sen only laughed nervously but Rin then heard her parents calling for her. "I need to go. I hope I will see you again, Sora. Bye-bye Kakashi, Obito."

Sen watched Rin go to her parents and felt a twist in his heart. She had looked at him the same way she always looked at Kakashi, her stare full of love and admiration. He would have given everything when he was younger for her to look at him like that. But this was just a prepubescent girl that was in awe for a cool and good-looking teenager that had never been him. Neither of those two persons were truly Obito or Rin to him. All he could do was make sure this Rin would grew older and happy, not like the one in his time. Maybe she will even end up dating Obito when they are both older. Who know. He then noticed Fugaku and Itachi being the last to leave the gate and frowned, knowing what the clan's head was here for.

"I will be back in a minute," He said as he walked in the direction of the two Uchihas. He stopped in front of the older Uchiha and smiled at him. "Oh my, why would you bring such a young child to the academy?" he smiled charmingly.

Fugaku frowned as he saw a teenage boy no older than fourteen standing in his way who looked to be an Uchiha. "It's none of your business, but Itachi will be attending the academy starting this year."

"That won't do," the teen chided the adult in front of him. "He is too young for that. Even if your statue granted him access, it's not good for such a young child to start this early."

Fugaku was fuming at the audacity of this child who dared question his decision. "Who are you to doubt my judgement?! Itachi is a genius! And if I want him to be one of the youngest to enter the academy, then so it will be."

Sen's cheerful expression dropped and he talked in his real voice. "Look like the illusion I gave you wasn't enough the make you value your family."

Fugaku tensed as his eyes widened once he recognized the owner of this voice. Itachi, who had ignored the conversation until now, perked his head up to look with surprise at the person who spoke with a voice he knew too well.

"Fugaku," Sen shook his head in discontent as he circled the man. "You are disappointing me a lot. And here I was hoping that you at least, after seeing what kind of atrocity a child could commit if pushed too hard, would see the value of raising and cherishing your son well. What should I do with you?" he asked as he stopped his circling back to his previous spot, facing the now distressed older man.

"I…I…" Fugaku was nearly shaking. Even if it was a kid's face looking at him, he could feel all the pressure of the man that had visited him two months ago. He remembered the illusion and could swore he saw the shadow of the Mangekyo spinning behind the dark eyes of the teenager.

"Mistakes happen," Sen clasped his hands behind his back as he calmly watched the sweating man. "And I'm sure you hold Itachi here close to your heart," he looked down to smile at the small boy before dropping his smile when he looked back at the adult. "But I won't tolerate you treating that boy as a mere way to increase your inflated ego. You will treat Itachi better, will give him a chance to enjoy his childhood as any child should and make him attend the academy at a proper age. I can assure you haven't see me angry the last time we met and you definitely don't want to know what I can do when I'm truly angered. Am I clear?"

Fugaku quickly nodded as he held his son's hand tighter in his.

"Good!" Sen smiled cheerfully while taking back the younger voice he used for his Henge. He bent a little down to be at the same level as Itachi and smiled at him. "Then I will see you attending the academy in two years. Bye-bye Itachi!" he waved as he walked away, turning to see Fugaku lifting Itachi in his arms as he speed-walked out to the compound.

He went back to where three others had waited for him and smiled brightly at them.

"Let's go back home," Sakumo told the small group to make them moving, not asking what Sen had told the clan's head to make this one flee like that. He took Kakashi's hand in his after a few steps, happy to see that his son let him without complains. When he turned to see why Obito hadn't latched to his other hand, he saw the boy looking down at his uncle's hand and smiled.

With his Uncle being smaller than usual, Obito put his hesitation behind and with courage, took hold of one of his hand. The hand was smaller than what he expected in his sweaty one, but he held it tight. He had never held before his Uncle's hand and felt all the nervousness slowly leave him when this one didn't pull away but hold back.

Sen blinked in surprise when he felt a hand holding his. He looked down and saw Obito holding his hand, an insecure and nervous look on his face. He wondered for a moment if it wouldn't look strange for two boys holding hands but let it slide as it would only look as two siblings or family members were holding hands. He tightened the grip and smiled when he saw Obito relax. He really hoped Uchiha's children would have more chances to enjoy carefree pleasures in the future.

Once at home, Sen sat on the sofa and was pressed from two excited children to give them their presents. He chuckled as he removed his mask and saw Kakashi trying to feign nonchalance. "Alright. As promised, Kakashi get the best gift." He pulled a long box from the storage seal on his arm and handed it to the silver-haired boy.

Kakashi took the box and sat on the ground to open it. His eyes widened once he pulled out of the wrapping a tanto. He unsheathed the blade and his eyes were practically gleaming as he looked at it and Sakumo whistled in appreciation. Kakashi stood up and moved a little further from the group to try slashing air and see if the weapon was well balanced. He sheathed it back, examined the snarling wolf's head engraved in silver on the black scabbard and gave a small nod. "It is good."

Sen barely had the time to snort in amusement before Obito was on him, asking what he got. Sen handed him a small box which was quickly pulled open. Obito's face fell once he saw what was inside.

"Candies?" he asked dejectedly.

"A specialty from Kiri. You can only find those there."

"But…"

"That's the second prize." Sen told him with a small smile. "I'm sorry, but Kakashi won the first one for noticing me with my Henge this time, so it's only natural he got the best one. But the candies area really good and you will have enough for quite a moment."

Sakumo frowned a bit at seeing such gape between the gifts the Anbu gave to the two kids. Obito looked so sad but still managed to thank his Uncle with a smile that wrenched his heart. It was then that his son did something he never would have expected.

"You can have it if you want,"

Obito blinked as he turned to face the other boy. Kakashi was holding the tanto in his direction as he looked away. Obito blinked as he watched the weapon then back at the silver-haired boy. "But… but it's yours."

"I don't really want it, so you can have it if you want."

"Are you sure?" Obito asked hesitantly will looking at the offered short sword.

Kakashi frowned and opened his mouth to probably said something sharp to make the other accept the gift he didn't got from his uncle when said man snorted.

"You don't have to do that, Kakashi. It was just a joke. Here is your gift, Obito." Sen pulled out a similar box from his seal which Obito took with a squeal of happiness. He pulled out a similar sword from the wrapping and laughed as he watched the blade with stars in his eyes. "They are twin blades, exactly identical except from the scabbard so you won't mistake which is whom." He pointed to Obito's which had the head of a roaring panther's head engraved in silver instead of the wolf's one from Kakashi. "Did you really thought I would just give you candies?"

Obito jumped to hug the older Uchiha while repeating 'thank you' in loop. When Obito pulled away to admire his gift, Sen rose an eyebrow to the other kid, who huffed and rolled his eyes before giving him a small hug.

"Were you really about to give your gift to Obito?" Sakumo asked with a small smile. "That was really kind of you."

Kakashi frowned as a small blush appeared on his face. "It would have meant a lot more to him to get it from his uncle. And… and I knew that Sen wouldn't give Obito just candies!"

Sakumo patted his son's head with a proud smile while Sen chuckled on his side. He was happy that his son held Obito so dearly to want to give him a present he liked so much. The two had gotten really closer during the time they spend living together.

The two boys trained with their new weapons – allowed only under adult's supervision – until it was getting dark. After that came the time for their meal and the homework. It was really late when they finished the last assignment and Sen signaled he was about to leave. 

"There is a room for you if you want to stay," Sakumo informed the Anbu, making both kids stop what they were doing to look at the two adults. Sen frowned slightly as his mouth pinched sideway in a grimace. Sakumo went on, as the other still haven't refused. "You are returning to the Anbu's HQ, right? Those facilities aren't meant for daily use and can't be that comfortable. The room is already ready and just need to have the sheets changed. So…"

"Yeah!" Obito peeped enthusiastically. "The beds are super comfortable!"

Sen looked at the three persons in the room. Sakumo looked at him with restrained eagerness, Obito was vibrating with excitement and Kakashi feigned disinterest but remained where he was, waiting to see what he would choose. "I…" He hadn't slept in a proper bed in years, not even when he was out of Konoha for mission, preferring cheap and minimal rooms. He thought about it. Nobody was probably at the dorm anyway and it would be nice to wake up to see the faces of the people he cared. "Alright. Why not?"

Obito was dancing as he laughed happily. Kakashi watching the joyful boy with a patronizing shake of his head. Since the two children were too excited to go sleep right now and they didn't have school tomorrow, Sakumo allowed then to stay up later and went to prepare the room for Sen. The four watched TV with Sen pointing out every mistake the killer did in the horror movie they were watching. The time eventually came to go to bed – the two boys yawning but refusing to admit being tired – and the four went to their respective room. Sakumo was reading a scroll for the mission in three days he had taken in his room. It was a couple of minutes later when he heard someone knocking at a door. Having given Sen the room next to his, he easily heard this one get up and open the door.

"What is it, Obito?" he heard Sen said to the person who had knocked his door.

Obito stayed silent for a moment – Sakumo easily imagining the boy fidgeting – but eventually spoke in a small voice. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Aren't you too old to sleep with someone?" the adult asked back.

"Y-yeah, but… uhm… I'm a bit scared to be alone because… ah, after watching the movie. So it would be best if I can sleep next to you."

Sakumo grinned at hearing the poor lie Obito gave. From experience, he knew the two kids had watched far scarier and gorish movies than the one they saw and neither had any problem to sleep soundly after that.

"Is that so? Alright, but only this time. You shouldn't watch scary movies in the future if they prevent you to sleep properly."

Sakumo covered his mouth to not let a sound out as he heard Obito eagerly agree. He couldn't help but wonder if Sen believed his nephew. Obito could make those big and teary eyes when he wanted something. As he changed and laid on his bed and thought about the mission he had taken, he wondered if he could ask Sen to take care of the kids in his absence. It would be a two days' mission and the first he took since he started back being active where he wouldn't be home at night. But since it was escorting merchants, there was no way to shorten the travel. When he had only Kakashi, he often asked Minato to take his son to his apartment, but he was a bit unease to burden the blond with now two kids. With Sen, they would have someone they already knew and be able to stay in his home.

He would ask the Anbu about it tomorrow morning at breakfast.

:----------------------------------------------------:

Night had been… interesting for Sen. He admitted the bed had been comfortable but Obito moved a lot in his sleep. He was lucky to not need a lot of sleep or he would have bags under his eyes when he met the other inhabitants of the house the following morning. When he went to clean his face, Obito proposed to share his toothbrush since Sen didn't have one. He declined the offer with a thanks, saying it wouldn't be proper or hygienic to use someone else toothbrush – technicalities, since they were the same person, but better put good principles in kids' head – and said he would only rinse his mouth now and properly clean his teeth when he was back at the dorms.

"Did you had a good sleep?" Sakumo asked their guest, already cooking breakfast with Kakashi sitting at the table.

"The bed was comfortable, but I had a squirming bug in it that kept me awoke most of the night." Sen calmly answered.

"You are a liar." Kakashi stated. "We don't have bugs in the house."

"Is that so?" Sen rose an eyebrow. "The one I saw was definitely too big to miss."

Both Sakumo and Obito chuckled and Kakashi frowned as he noticed the two leaving him out on something. He rose up from his seat and left the kitchen. When he come back a couple of minutes later, he had a higher-than-thou look on his face and crossed his small arms over his chest.

"I just checked and there was no bug in your room."

This time Obito guffawed while holding his stomach while Sakumo laughed too, but more restrained.

"What so funny? Stop laughing!" Kakashi ordered in an outraged voice, making Obito fell from his chair with how much he was laughing. The young Hatake used the opportunity to pin this one on the ground while ordering him to stop. The two kids ended wrestling on the ground as they waited for the breakfast to be served.

 When they were all seated and eating breakfast, Sakumo took the chance to ask Sen about what he came up to last night. "Would you mind looking for Kakashi and Obito for two days?"

Sen dropped his chopsticks in surprise at the strange question.

"Well, you see, I have a mission in three days and won't be back until late on the second day of my departure. I usually let Kakashi to Minato's, but I fear I will be imposing too much now with two kids. Since you knew them and don't mind sleeping here, I was wondering if I could ask you to look after them."

Sen blinked his wide eyes. "I… I have never taken care of children before. I'm not sure what to do."

"Oh, you won't have to do much. You will just have to bring and fetch them to the academy, since those are school's days, then help them with the homework and cook breakfast and dinner."

Sen hesitated. He didn't think he would be able to take care of children by himself – even if he had been the leader of criminal organization in his past, this was something outside of his expertise – but he was the one that made Sakumo take Obito in. It was part his fault and responsibility that he had to change his way of doing things.

"I guess it made sense. I'm the one that imposed Obito on you, after all."

"He is not imposed," Sakumo frowned. "He is a delight to have around and help Kakashi in socializing more. But I admit your help would be appreciated. Obito is an energetic boy and the two get rambunctious when they are together. I fear they will be too much for a young man as Minato. He is after all only in his twenties and had little experience with excited children."

 "I will make sure to be free on those two days, then."

Once back to the Anbu's HQ, Sen went directly to see his schedule and cursed internally once he noticed he was on guard's duty on one of the two days Sakumo requested his presence to look after the boys. He checked everyone's schedule and turned to look at the others present in the room. Cat and Owl were chatting while Tiger just entered with food in hand.

"Cat, can I ask you something?"

The female of their team turned to look at him with a smile. "Of course. What is it?"

"Can you switch with me for my guard's duty on Wednesday? I will take whichever day you want for it."

The sound of something dropping on the ground followed his question and Sen saw that Tiger had dropped the bag containing his meal on the ground as he watched him with his mouth hanging open in shock, having stopped to listen what he would ask.

Cat blinked in surprise but slowly nodded. "Uh… yes… of course."

"Oh Kami! Sen asked someone to switch day with him! Tell us why!" Tiger suddenly stood before the masked Anbu, a little too close to this one who grumbled and pushed his face away.

"That's none of your business. I asked Cat, not you." Sen answered with a stern voice.

Tiger turned to face Cat. "Tell him to tell you why! You own me for that time I paid for your meal when you forgot your wallet last week. And you haven't paid me back yet!"

Cat sighed in defeat. "Alright. I will accept if you tell us why you need that day, Sen."

Sen tried to glare at the both of them, but the effect was lessened thanks to his mask. "That's blackmail." But when he only got a shrug from the woman and an expectant look from the auburn-haired man, he dropped his head in defeat. "I need to take care of someone's kids when they are gone on a mission."

"You? Taking care of children?" Owl asked with a look clearly said 'who is crazy enough to let you with their children?' written on her face.

"He is actually pretty good with kids," Cat pointed out, making Owl gawk at her and promptly asking how she knew that.

"Is it for Hatake?" Tiger asked, making Sen curse the perspicacity of his teammate. He sometimes forgot the other was a talented Anbu with how he acted outside mission. "He is the only person we saw you with that wasn't an Anbu and I'm sure no Uchiha asked you to look after their kids." When the other remained silent, he pointed a finger at his face. "I can go check who will be out of the village that day, you know."

Sen threw his head back with a groan. "Alright. It's Hatake. I'm looking after his kids when he is out of mission. Are you happy now?"

"Yes!" Tiger beamed. "So? Are you two together?"

"You won't ask this question again if you still want me to take your days in the future when you need to switch with someone."

Tiger quickly rose his hands in defeat before lamenting to his ruined meal on the ground. He whined when he opened the container and saw the soggy rice but let out an appreciative noise after tasting it, realizing it wasn't that bad actually.

With that problem solved, Sen decided to strategically retreat from the building before other started to ask him more questions. With some free time, he went to the Uchiha's compound to see how Itachi was doing. He kept his presence concealed, remembering how the kid had looked at him with such scare when he had gone to prevent the coup d'état the Uchiha's clan was planning. He watched the boy train with his kata from a good distance. He froze when the boy suddenly asked after ten minutes of him watching in the general direction of the forest.

"Sen? Are you here?"

 There was just no way that Itachi, all genius prodigy he was, managed to sense his presence. So he stayed immobile and kept watching. After fifteen seconds of waiting, the boy resumed his training. Had it been a fluke? He continued his spying and quickly noticed that the boy while ask for him each ten minutes. After the fourth time, Sen didn't have the heart to deny the small boy. Who know how long or how many times or days he had done that.

"I'm here," this time he answered, revealing his presence but not coming closer as he usually did.

Itachi jumped in surprise, not having expected to get an answer. "Can you show yourself?" the five-years-old asked.

Sen appeared at the edge of the forest, still at a good distance. "What is it?" when the boy took a step closer Sen took one back, making Itachi stop his attempt to get closer to him.

"I just wanted to said I'm sorry," the boy said with a brave face.

Sen blinked in surprise. "Why are you sorry? I should be the one to feel sorry for scaring you."

Itachi shook his head furiously. "No. It wasn't your fault. I talked with the fox, Kai, and he said you only said those things to scare the others to not do something stupid and you would never truly hurt them. I knew you are not like that and I should have believed in you. I shouldn't have eavesdropped. I'm sorry. Please, come visit me again."

Sen smiled and walked closer once he saw the small boy bow his head. He had never intended to distress Itachi that much. He just thought the boy wouldn't have wanted anything to do with him after seeing that. He was aware how he had looked and acted at that time – hell, even adults were scared if him! – and didn't want to make Itachi revive that scary moment by forcing his presence on him. It had been more than two months since his departure to Kiri and the boy was still looking for him even after such time.

"You have nothing to be sorry about and I have no grief against you at all," Sen squatted down to rub the soft, long, black hair.

"Then why didn't you come back sooner?" Itachi asked with a small frown.

"Ah. I had a long mission outside the village. It was a two months long and I just recently came back. I would have told you but… I thought you would be the one not wanting to see me again, with how scared you were."

"It was scary, but I know you aren't a bad guy."

"You are brave boy to still trust me after how I frightened your dad."

"I recognized you at the academy that day." The boy pointed out. "Why didn't you want me to go there like father wanted?"

Sen sat down and motioned the boy to do so before talking. "I know you are smart and talented, but it is too soon for you to train to be a shinobi."

"Why?" Itachi asked with curiosity, not a trace of resentment in his voice.

 "How to say this?" Sen mussed aloud, taking his time to think how to explain it properly. "There is a reason why the academy doesn't accept children under a certain age. It is to let them time to enjoy their childhood, grew stronger and mature mentally before they get missions. Tell me, what is a shinobi for you?"

"It is someone that take mission and protect the village," Itachi dutifully answered.

"That's right. But a shinobi had to eventually kill people and defend themselves from people that would try to kill them too. I know that you will start with D missions that aren't dangerous, but to the shinobi's system, when you have spent someone years as a shinobi, you are expected to do more dangerous mission, no matter how young you are. Two people will have the same expectation on them if they have two years of Genin-experience in training, no matter if one is ten years old and the other fourteen. Do you understand?"

"I can do the same things than the older boys," Itachi frowned, wondering if the adult was looking down on him.

"Ok, an example for you. The village had decided I'm a traitor. You have for mission to kill me. What will you do?"

Itachi's face was a mix of confusion and horror. "I…"

"You know me well, so you would hesitate. If I'm truly a traitor, I would use that opportunity to kill you instead, and being stronger and older than you, it wouldn't be too hard for me. You know that I know well Sakumo Hatake and we both get along right?" the boy nodded and so he continued. "Even if we knew each other, Sakumo wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I was branded a traitor for the safety of the village; no matter how much he like me. That's why children should wait a certain age before integrate academy and why I scolded your father for wanting to rush you up. Children shouldn't start the academy before eight, and at some exception, a year before. Doing so should be considered abuse on a child." Sen remembered well how Itachi became one of the youngest Anbu of all times and could guess what kind of mission he had to do. He didn't want Itachi to live such life if he could prevent it. This boy had the right to enjoy life before he became the next clan's head.

"I understand," Itachi nodded and Sen rubbed his head.

"Your time will eventually come, so don't worry. At least like that, you will have less problems following and understanding classes and lessons. You will have the best grades of all record in the academy. Now that that's behind us; what would you like to do?" Sen clapped his hands on his thighs.

"Can you tell me about your mission?" Itachi asked with such expectant eyes that Sen had a hard time to deny him.

"I can't tell you in detail what my mission was, but I can tell you how Kiri was and about the new Mizukage. I will tell you too about the horrible graduation ceremony their academy had before the new Mizukage changed it that earned Kiri the nickname of 'The Village of the Bloody Mist'."

As Sen went with his story about Kiri and how things were there, he wondered how Itachi had managed to stay sane all those time when he was an Anbu's captain at twelve and had to kill his whole clan as a teenager on his time. This was done because of the careless system Konoha had that allowed a clan's heir to became a killing machine at such a young age. This time, he would make sure nothing like that would happen.

Chapter Text

Danzo allowed his own Anbu to enter his office after this one knocked at his door. "Report," was the only word he addressed the kneeling man.

"One of our agents who was patrolling near the academy distinctly heard Hatake Sakumo pronounce the code name of the Anbu you wanted us to investigate about."

Danzo gave his full attention to the kneeling man before his desk. "Did they saw Hatake talk directly to him?"

"Not precisely. She saw him address a teenage boy by the name 'Sen'. Black hair, black eyes, age around fifteen, dressed as a civilian. He looked like an Uchiha and presented himself to a student that accosted him by the name 'Sora'."

"It could be a Henge," Danzo mussed as he rubbed his chin. "Keep an eye on Hatake and report back when you heard the name 'Sen' pronounced with a description of the appearance he took. You are dismissed."

The ROOT Anbu left and Danzo went back to his paper. It was strange how the Uchihas didn't react to the order the Hokage gave them. Normally, they should have felt offended and try to retaliate. He couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with that mysterious Anbu going under the name of 'Sen'. Maybe he was overthinking it, but it was truly bothering him to get so little intel about that man. Why did the Hokage have so little information about him? Why was there no record about the missions he took? He knew he went to mission since his spy saw him get to the Hokage to report, but the privacy seal Hiruzen activated and the mask he wore prevent them to knew what they were talking about or read his lips on the occasion one managed to be present during those reports. They never got anything on the recorder they placed in the office either, only the beginning and then nothing else before their device was found and destroyed. There was too much secrecy around one man and Danzo found this suspicious.

Meanwhile, a little fox had heard all the conversation as she took the appearance of a scroll placed inconspicuously on a shelve with many others of the same kind. Yuna was a kitsune after all and if kitsune were known of something, it was on their capacity to change their appearance. She would wait until the man left to read what he wrote on the paper he had and then go report when she gets the opportunity to leave without being noticed.

:---------------------------------------------------------:

The fatidic day came and Sen didn't felt ready at all.

"The children finish at four in the afternoon and start at eight in the morning. I have already prepared enough rice for two days, but you will have to cook the fish, meat and vegetable yourself. They are allowed to watch TV after doing their homework but don't let them watch it past seven. They go usually at bed at eight thirty, but make sure they are in their bed at most at nine. They usually take their shower in the morning, so wake them up at seven thirty. If they wake up to late, make them take a shower at night instead. I think that's all."

Sen felt overwhelmed by the quantity of hours he got but nodded none the less. "I… I think I will manage."

Sakumo smiled softly at the nervous man. He found it endearing how such the usually confident and collected man looked at lost right now at the mere thought of taking care of children.

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright." He then smiled flirtingly at the scarred man. The kids were at school right now after all, so what better chance? "Do I get a farewell kiss before I leave for my mission?"

 "A kiss?" Sen asked in a strangled voice, eyes widening. Flush colored his cheeks as he remembered the last kiss they shared.

"Yes. A good-luck kiss to help me finish my mission successfully."

Sen was about to tell him it wasn't such a hard mission to begin with, but stopped himself before the words could leave his lips. It had been his first kiss after all… and his second… he would be lying if he said he hadn't liked it. Maybe it would be good to see if he would like it as the third time? Just to experiment, he told himself. He just wanted to see if the two firsts had been this good because of the novelty of it or if it was a constant. He moved slowly forward and closed his eyes when their lips met. Sakumo slowly moved his mouth and Sen mimicked the movement, entranced. It lasted only a few seconds, no tongue nor hand involved this time and Sen blinked his eyes open when their mouths parted to see Sakumo smile at him.

"See you soon," Sakumo said. And just because he could, he gave one last peck before leaving the house.

Sen rubbed his red face with one hand. Damn, this on had been good too. Something must be wrong in the silver-haired head to want to kiss him when he could without problem find someone better with how handsome he looked, but… it wasn't to displease him. It had been a long time since he felt like this; nervousness invading his body, his heart beating faster and seemed to expand with each beat. The last time having been around two decades ago, but he had problem remembering it. It had been when Rin tended his wound or sitting close to him when they talked. It was like it happened in another life – which probably looked like that with how he was in another timeline – and were just ghost of remaining feelings in his mind. Something he knew that had happened, but couldn't precisely remember. With Sakumo, it was something he could feel. Real and present. And he knew it was egoist of him to want it, since he was not someone that should be there on the first place – the man should get a chance to have a lover that deserved to have him – but he wanted it anyway.

He was egoist… and for the first time since he was here… he didn't mind being so.

Shaking his head, he came back to the reality. It was half past nine in the morning and the children were already at school so… he had nothing to do until four when he had to fetch the kids. With that much free time, he decided to go spy on Orochimaru. Kami knew the man wasn't innocent and it would be good to know what he was doing with his experiments.

:-----------------------------------------------------------------:

Sen wasn't happy with what he got. He followed then snake-Sanin on the two laboratories he had but found nothing.

It was frustrating.

He knew the man was doing experiments on humans – children even – but he found nothing in the two laboratories this one visited. That meant the Sanin had at least one more laboratory he hid pretty well. He knew it was somewhere, knew what it held, knew Danzo was the one supplying him with new guinea pigs for his experiments. He had tried in the past to catch ROOT shinobis on the act, but never managed to. The last time he tried to find Orochimaru's secret laboratory, he had spent two full weeks tailing the man, but got nothing in the end. He didn't have the exact date on when they made their deal, so he had let it go at the beginning and focused more on preventing the oncoming war, thinking it was maybe too early. But now he got Yuna reporting him that he heard in code Danzo spoke to one of his men about supplying Orochimaru. Without having precisely spoken about what it was, he was nearly sure that the Sanin had at least one kid in his laboratory now, if he hadn't disposed already of the body. Only two children had gone missing this year and if it wasn't uncommon for a couple of children to suddenly disappear – let's be real, Konoha wasn't an exception on how cruel people could be to children and the atrocity they could do to them; he wasn't disillusioned – and that wasn't taking in account the children outside the village they could have abducted.

But without proof, it was only his words. And even if the Hokage believed him on only his words, those were just empty accusations. One couldn't condemn someone without proofs of their crime, no matter how trustworthy the accusatory was. For that, he needed evidences. With evidences, he will make Orochimaru talk. With Orochimaru talking, he will at least have something against Danzo. With Danzo pinned down for abduction of children, they will have the chance to reveal all his dirty laundry. Danzo didn't kept any trace of his previous mischiefs. He knew for having once, in the first year being here, toughly searched his office. He would have to wait for Yuna to get her paw on something with his name on – which he believed wouldn't happen that soon – or find another way to find evidences.

Thinking of the devil, the small fox appeared on the sofa next to him as he was pondering on what he should do.

"Geez. It was hard to find you." The small vixen tsked at her master.

"Sorry. I was trying to find Orochmaru's hidden laboratories by following him all day."

"Any result?" She asked as she sat on his laps.

"None. As always. I'm starting to think the best course would be to torture him to get any information. He is frustrating like that." He slowly rubbed her ear to calm himself. "What about you?"

Yuna purred in delight for the attention before answering him. "I got news on ROOT's side for you. They know you are affiliated with the Hatakes. It wasn't your luck they heard him say your name when you were at the academy." To her chagrin, her master stopped his petting and sat straighter. "They knew one of your Henge, the teenage with black hair and eyes. I would suggest you use the same from now on if you are to use one when you are outside with your little family. The harm is already done, but that way they will look for that one in particular and their attention will drop when you have to use another one. Give them something to look so they will not look around kind-of way."

"Do you think he will try something?" Sen asked the small summon, always taking her opinion in account.

"With how dead set he is on finding about you? Nearly positive."

Sen grimaced at that. Danzo was a man who will stop on nothing to get what he wanted. "I have a new mission for you."

The white vixen grinned at him. "Does it have something about keeping an eye on your precious little family?"

Sen chuckled as he scratched her neck. "What would I do without you?"

"Ah, my Nameless master," she leaned into the touch and purred in delight. "You would probably get stretched in too many directions for your own good if I wasn't there looking for you."

Sen called back the two other foxes and gave them their new assignment. Kai was to go look at the Uchiha's compound to keep an eye on them, in case Danzo tried something, and inform him if he noticed something. Ko was to take back Yuna's previous mission and spy on ROOT's base to get him any new information. The two foxes nodded and went to do as told. Sen placed the vixen on a pillow and stood up.

"Now, where are you going?" she asked as she laid on the soft pillow, looking more like a cat than a fox.

"I have two boys to pick up."  He used the same Henge than the last time, the teenage boy. "Try to be discreet when we came back. I don't want anyone to know you are here."

"Awwww. Why would you want to hide such a cute little thing from everyone?" she rolled on her pillow.

"To surprise anyone who would dare to come here, why else?" and with that he left the house, positive that his summon would be invisible by the time he came back with Obito and Kakashi.

:----------------------------------------------------------:

On his way to the academy, Sen noticed someone following him. Even if they were good at hiding their presence, Sen quickly caught on the ROOT Anbu. It was as Yuna said; they were looking for this Henge in particular. He arrived at the school and acted as if nothing while he waited. It wasn't long until the bell rang and kids started to pour out of the building. He instantly noticed Kakashi, then Obito talking with Rin. The young girl's eyes nearly sparkled as she saw him.

"Hello Sora! It's nice to see you again! I was just talking with Obito about you, what a coincidence." She smiled shyly at him.

"Hi," he said with a small smile. "I came today to pick them up, since Sakumo is out on a mission. How was school today?"

"Boring," replied Kakashi.

"Kakashi got the best grade of all the class on last week's test." Rin answered while looking still at Sen.

"I got a B!" Obito said proudly, but Rin wasn't paying him any attention. It was only when Sen congratulated him that Rin did too, making the boy pout at the little attention he got from his classmate.

"Will you three study together? I would like to come study with you too! With you helping me, I'm sure I would get good grades." Rin asked expectantly.

Sen laughed uncomfortably. "Ah, maybe another day? If your parents are ok, you can come to Kakashi's house and the four of us will study together?" Sen didn't want Rin to come right now, what with ROOT tailing him. He didn't want them to associate her with him and put her in unnecessary danger. Rin nodded then left the three boys to go to her parents waiting for here. With this resolved, Sen extended his hand in Obito's direction, this one wasting no time to latch on the offered appendage. When he tried to see if Kakashi would be interested in holding his other hand, the young Hatake just started to walk without them.

After a minute of walk, Kakashi who had slowed down to be at the others' level was the one to break the silence.

"Look like your crush only have eyes for 'Sora' now."

"I don't have a crush on her… she is just a really nice girl that didn't laugh when I said I was going to become Hokage in the future." Obito replied back loudly, making Sen shush him to keep his voice low. "And she doesn't swoon at you anymore too, barely ask me anything about you, so take that!"

"I don’t really care," Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly.

Obito was about to retort something but the squeeze on his hand stopped him from making a scene outside. Once home, Sen dropped the Henge and sat on the sofa.

"But are we really going to study all together?" Obito asked after dropping his backpack at the kitchen. "That would be really good with the final tests coming soon."

"Final tests?" Sen blinked in surprise.

"Yeah." Kakashi said as he pulled out his homework. "the tests at the end of the year you know. The ones that will decide if you pass to the next year or redo this one."

Was it really that time of the year? Sen was surprised with how fast the time had gone. "And when do you end this year?"

"In two weeks." Obito dutifully answered as he went to take the TV remote but was stopped by the adult present. "But Rin really like you. She always talks about you and ask me questions, like your age, what you do or if you have a girlfriend. I never know what to tell her!"

The Anbu grimaced at that. "Yeah… I will do something about that." He tried for a moment to remember what Sakumo told him. Should they do homework or eat first? When Obito went to sit next to Kakashi who took his books and paper out, he decided that they will do homework first. After finishing the assignments their teachers gave them, he asked the boys what they would like to eat.

"Ramen!" Obito declared loudly as Kakashi only shrugged.

Ramen… he didn't know how to do ramen. Except the few time he ate some his grandmother prepared, he had only eaten instant cups. Do they have instant cups in the cupboard? Wait… did instant cups even exist in this time? He couldn't ask the boys, since they will find weird if they actually didn't exist. "Alright. Let's go eat at Ichiraku's." At least he knew Ichiraku's restaurant existed, since he had passed in front of the building on a few occasions already.

Putting back his Henge, Sen and the two kids went to the restaurant. He paid for their bowls – having to order an extra one for Obito since he was 'growing and needed extra food' – and they ate tranquilly at the restaurant. Once at home, he was told that Sakumo would let them eat ice-cream. Having doubt on what the small black-haired kid said, he checked with Kakashi who confirmed that his dad would let them, so he went to give the boys ice-creams. It was half an hour later that Obito started to moan in pain as he held his stomach.

"What is wrong?" Sen asked, but only got a reply from Obito that his tummy hurt. He knew that he wasn't meant to take care of children. Not even one day and one of his charges was already sick. "We need to take you to the hospital. No wait. I will fetch a doctor when you stay here. No, I should send a clone to fetch someone while I stay with you." Sen slowly panicked on what to do.

"Stop fretting." Kakashi told him with a sigh. "He just ate too much ice-cream and it didn't go well with the hot ramen he ate. Dad keep medicine on the cupboard in the kitchen. Just give him some for stomach ache."

Sen sighed at hearing Kakashi's reassurance and went to mix some medicine in a glass of water that he forced Obito to drink completely. It took some time, but Obito eventually went better.

"No more ice-creams for you until Sakumo is back." He told them and glared as the small potted plant that hadn't been there the morning that slightly shacked. "Anyway, I think you are not well enough to do some training outside now."

"I am!" Obito said after letting out a small burp. "It's not fair if you only go train with Kakashi."

"Ok. You will train with your fire-jutsu while Kakashi will train… What are kind of jutsu are you training right now, Kakashi?"

"Doton."

"Perfect. Kakashi will train in making a solid wall of earth and you, Obito, will try to the Great Fireball technic from the Uchiha's clan. Once you are confident enough, we will try to see which one will hold against the other."

Sen put back his mask as he went out with the two exited boys. Even if the property was covered with high walls and warded by Sakumo, Sen didn't want to let his guard down in case some ROOT's Anbu were spying him. He instructed Obito how to make the fireball more powerful than bigger while this one always did the opposite. Kakashi's earth-wall was good, but he told the boy to make it thicker as it crumbled when he lent on it. After ten minutes of training, Sen let Obito try to break Kakashi's walls with his fireballs. He let Obito on his side to his wall-breaking training that would occupy him for a moment and went trained with Kakashi by sending kunais at moderate speed on the walls he made to see if he could make one that would block his weapons. It wasn't long before Obito got frustrated.

"It's not fair! How can fire break a wall of earth?" Obito complained.

"That's the thing." Sen stopped to answer the young Uchiha. "People know fire don't have the advantage against earth and will try to use Doton technics once they saw your affinity is fire. But if the technic is powerful enough, no matter if it is against a disadvantaged element, it will take the upper hand." Sen turned to a wall Kakashi just made and send a concentrated small fireball, making the wall crumple effortlessly. "Like this. See? Even if someone thought they were protected by the wall against my fire technics, I would still have managed to get them."

Obito's eyes shined with determination after seeing his Uncle's demonstration. If his jutsu was strong enough, it could even go through water! This time Obito went on his training without complaining anymore.

They continued until Sen decided they had trained enough and went back inside. They watched a movie on the TV and Sen didn't let them bullshit him when it was time to bed. When he was sure both children where in their beds, he sat back on the sofa and looked at the small potted plant. It was only a few seconds later that Yuna appeared in her fox appearance.

"Oh oh! Your panicked face when Obito was sick!" the vixen laughed as she dropped on his laps.

Sen groaned as he remembered the event. "Don't remind me. How was I supposed to know it was stomach ache? It could have been appendicitis, for all we knew. I'm not made to take care of children that young. See them and train them from time to time, when they have a caretaker, yes. But not being the responsible adult."

"Don't say that. You are doing well." She said and rubbed her head against Sen's chest. "But tell me. Who is that Rin you were talking about?"

"It's a girl in Obito's class. She saw me when I was using the teenager Henge, the one that ROOT saw, and she now has a crush on me."

"Oh? Will you crush that young girl's heart?" she asked with a fox-grin.

"I will have to swiftly put an end to her feelings. I don't want ROOT to target her too."

"Awww. Poor girl. Don't be too harsh with her. It's not her fault, after all."

Sen snorted. "I don't think there is an easy way to break someone's heart."

"You are not wrong," the white fox eventually conceded. "But keep the good work with your kits and go to sleep. I will keep an eye and alert you if I see something."

Sen petted his summon's head with gratitude and went in his room to sleep. The following day went well. He woke up the boys, prepared breakfast with slightly burned fish, had to physically take Obito out of bed to come eat his meal, made sure they showered and brushed their teeth, checked they had they backpack ready and left the house in an adequate time for them to be at the academy just when the bell rang.

After leaving the boys and coming back to Hatake's home, he used Kamui to appear back in the Anbu's HQ. There, after greeting his teammates, he pondered what to do. He could try to follow Orochimaru again, but thought against it. If he were to find something, he would probably miss the boys coming out of school and he didn't want to let them on their own, incase Danzo tried something with them. Kami knew what he would do if he got them alone. He decided to go see if he could use Kuchina's library again. The Zetsu-threat was still hanging above them and unless he finds a way to deliberately open a portal to a new dimension to drop him, he will probably have to find a way to permanently seal him in something.

"Sen!" Kuchina said delighted when she opened the door to her house. "It's been a while! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, thank you." He bowed his head. "I was wondering if you would let me use your library again."

"Of course, of course. Come in! Let me make you some tea so you can tell me what you are doing this time." The red-haired woman grinned as she pulled him inside. She sat him on a sofa and went to prepare some tea. "So, what are you up since the last time I saw you? Trying to help another clan? Changing the politic in the village? Finding a way for eternal peace in this world?"

Sen grimaced behind his mask at the last one. "Nothing like that. I'm keeping an eye on Hatake's children while he is out of mission right now."

"You are taking care of Kakashi when Sakumo is away?" she popped her head out of the door frame as she looked at him with wide eyes. "Ah, yes. I heard he is housing another one too. A little Uchiha. How strange. He usually asks Minato when he leave the village." She disappeared again in the kitchen to finish what she was doing.

"Yes. Obito Uchiha, an orphaned boy of the clan. I was the one who ask Sakumo to take him in. Since he is an energetic boy, he feared two kids would be too much for Minato. So he asked me."

"That's great. I didn't know you two were that close." She came back with plate with two cups of tea and some cookies that she placed on the low table before taking a seat next to him.

"Yes. We become… closer with time. I was close to Obito before he came to live in the Hatake's household so I often visit to see how he is doing." He pushed up his mask to sip his tea.

Kuchina watched him when a grin appeared on her face. "I sense something else between you two."

Sen nearly choked on his drink. "Where did that come from?"

"My feminine instinct!" she said proudly, but at the silence she received, she decided to add. "And I know Sakumo. He wouldn't let his son into the hands of just anyone, not when Minato is available. He must have a profound trust in you to leave his children in your hands like that. He is super protective about his son since he lost his wife."

Sen only hummed noncommittally. "And where is your boyfriend? I thought he was nearly glued at your hip."

"Trying to change the subject, I see." Just then, the doorbell rang. "Speaking of the devil," she rose up and went to open the door. The two lovers greeted each other with a small peck on the mouth, making Sen remember the last kiss Sakumo gave him before leaving.

"Sen," Minato said once he saw Kuchina's guest. "It's been awhile."

"Namikaze." Sen gave a small nod of greeting, smiling behind his mask once he saw Minato's shoulders drop in defeat. He found it strangely amusing to mess with his old teacher.

"Did you knew he was the one taking care of Kakashi and the Uchiha kid, Obito, that Sakumo took?" Kuchina said once they were all seated.

"Really?" Minato blinked in surprise at his girlfriend before studying intensely at the masked Anbu.

"You are doing it again." Sen pointed out as he drank from his tea. "That's why you still are Namikaze."

Minato jolted out of his thought in surprise and chuckled. "Sorry. It's just… that's really intriguing."

"Everything about me intrigue you," Sen snorted in amusement, but Minato didn't deny and only grinned.

"So, why are you here this time?" Minato changed the subject.

"I'm searching for a seal to imprison permanently a powerful being." Sen told then, picking a cookie probably made by Kuchina with how irregular they were.

"You want to seal someone?" Minato's eyebrows rose high at the request.

"I never said it was a person."

Kuchina suddenly tensed and glared at the pale mask. "You want the Jinchuriki's seal."

Sen stopped munching his cookie to face the angered Uzumaki. "It's not for a Biju either. I disapprove on the creation of the Jinchurikis. It's cruel for both the host and the Biju."

Kuchina's anger melted away until she was staring at Sen as if she was looking at him in a different light.

"Then what do you want to entrap in a seal?" she eventually asked.

"A being. Neither human nor animal and definitely not a Biju. It's just a unique being that had no proper description since it was never seen before. A powerful and evil entity that seeks to achieve its goal at any cost. Something like a parasite and a shadow."

The two other watched their guest with dumbstruck expression.

"What?" Minato was the first to recover. "That's… that's not something that exists."

"Oh, it exists and is very alive. And it's very powerful and sly enough for me to have trouble catching it."

Minato shook his head in dismay. "In what kind of mess are you putting yourself?"

Meanwhile Kuchina was thinking really hard. "A seal to entrap a sentient being who could try to break it from the inside. Powerful enough to hold that thing into an inanimate object but easy enough to activate so it won't escape." She frowned and tapped a finger on her chin. "I don't think I have ever seen a seal like that. Don't think it even exist." She hummed as she thought really hard and suddenly, her eyes widened. "Ah! I think I heard something like that once. It was on how Suna captured the Ichibi into a pot or something like that. But it's an old story, probably a legend, so I'm not even sure how real it is."

"Suna, huh?" Sen said pensively. "If the story is true, maybe they have kept documents about it. I will have to look myself."

Minato watched him skeptically. "I don't think they will let you take a look to their secret documents, though."

"Who said I will ask?" Sen then rose up. "Thank you for your time and the precious information you gave me. I will come back to you if I find something about it. See you soon, Kuchina. Namikaze." He bowed and body-flickered out of the house.

Mianto and Kuchina stayed in silence for a moment, digesting everything they were told.

"He is mingling in some pretty crazy stuff. How does he plan to go search information in Suna without being caught? That's nearly suicide." Kuchina said after a moment.

"I don't know, but I believe he will find a way if he wants too. Every time I think I get a grasp on who he is, he says something like that and threw in the wind everything I thought I knew about him. He is quite an intriguing man; don't you think?"

"Yeah. But in a good way I think."

Chapter Text

After his meeting with Kuchina and Minato, Sen started to think about a plan. He couldn't go to Suna to see by himself if there was any information about sealing a Biju into a pot. It would be a good lead to start with. Once at the Hatake's house, Sen made a clone of himself and ordered him to go to Suna and try to search in the archive any information about sealing a Biju into an object. He had to go with a mask and not get seen by anyone. The clone bowed and, sharing the same ability as the original, used Kamui to leave. Sen knew that if the clone was to find anything, he would bring it to his Kamui where he would later study whatever discovery he made.

"Why are you sending a clone to Suna?" the small white fox asked.

"Remember the entity under the name of Zetsu I told you about?" after receiving a small nod he continued. "I met him outside of Konoha before I left to Kiri. I'm trying to find a way to seal him permanently into an object but he is powerful enough to break any seal I know from the inside. You wouldn't know, by any chance, a seal strong enough to seal something as powerful as a Biju, don't you?"

Yuna's fur rose on her back like an angry cat before smoothing it down. "We foxes aren't master in seal. Except from the one humans made to seal Bijus into other humans, I have never heard of one."

Sen smiled as he petted her head. "I know how you feel. I don't like how people find right to seal other beings into people either. But, unless my clone finds something in Suna, I think I will have to find a way to modify that accursed seal in something more fitted for my need… and if there is no other option, I will lock him inside my Kamui and take Zetsu to the grave with me. The pocket dimension that is Kamui will probably collapse or lock itself with my death I'm sure."

"Don't say that." The vixen scolded him. "Don't talk about scarifying yourself in front of me again. Not when I'm starting to see you yearn for happiness like you never did before. What about the others? What about Obito, Kakashi and Sakumo? What about me?"

Sen pulled the small summon close to his chest. "That's exactly the reason why I will do it without any regrets; for the people I held dear."

Yuna sighed in defeat as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You are the first human I answered a summon, you know?"

"And I'm honored and proud about it and hope to be worthy of your trust. But don't worry. That will be my last option in case I can't find anything else. I still have time and with the help of two seal-masters, I will probably find something. Now, I think I still have some fish left from breakfast if you would like some."

"You would give me leftover? Rude!" the vixen huffed in feigned indignation as she jumped down on the ground. "But with your cooking skills, I think I can't hope to get anything better anyway. So bring the fish."

Sen smiled as he put the cold cooked fish onto a plate and watched his summon eat it. Watching the clock, he noticed he still had some time to kill before going to fetch the boys at school and decided to go for a walk. He had heard the Uchiha had moved the police facility into a building outside of the compound but not far from it. He will go see how things were going for them and what the people around were saying about it. Hopefully the population had calmed down with the compromise they have made.

:-------------------------------------------------------------:

The teen-looking Anbu was waiting at the gate in a good mood, pleased to see how well the police was doing and how the people welcomed the change. So far, so good. The kids rushed out of the building and three kids he instantly recognized rushed to him.

"Hello Sora!" Rin greeted with a bright smile. "My parents allowed me to come to Kakashi's house to study with you today!"

"Oh. That's great." He said with a forced smile. "I heard you have soon your final tests of this year."

"Yes! That's why I have to study extra hard."

Sen cursed internally his bad luck. He knew that at least one ROOT Anbu was watching him right now and he really hoped he wouldn't put too much thought in seeing Obito and Kakashi's classmate coming with them. The four left and it was the most awkward walk he had back to Sakumo's house. Obito tried to have a conversation with Rin, who barely paid him any attention. Rin was trying to ask 'Sora' questions about him that he tried to answer as vaguely as possible while Kakashi silently followed behind. Once at home, Rin cajoled Obito in letting her sit next to Sen, which he reluctantly accepted. They studied, or tried at least. Rin obviously already knew the subject they were studying and spent most of her time chatting with Sen.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

With a small frown, Sen went to answer and was surprised to see a pretty teenage girl with blond hair and blue eyes standing there.

"Sora, darling! I missed you so much!"

Sen instantly recognized Yuna's voice and soon found himself being kissed. As they parted – Sen too shocked to do anything but let himself be kissed – the blond girl hugged him. "What are you doing?" he whispered in her ear.

"Helping you!" she whispered back. "How about you let me in?" she asked loudly.

As the two walked inside, he clearly saw the surprise in all the children's face.

"Hello everyone!" the disguised fox smiled as she latched on to Sen's arm. "My name is Yuna and I'm Sora's girlfriend. Nice to meet you all!"

"You have a girlfriend?" Rin asked dejectedly. "Obito never told me so."

"Ah. Yeah." Sen smiled as he rubbed his neck with his free hand. "We just started dating not long ago and I never got the chance to present her. Everyone, this is Yuna. Yuna, those are Obito, my cousin, and Kakashi and Rin, his classmates."

Yuna smiled prettily at them as she pulled him to the table and dragged two chairs on the free side so they could sit next to each other. "Oh, you are studying? Maybe I can help too?"

Since then, they started to make some progress in their studies. Rin became more reserved at watching the pretty girl glued at 'Sora's side. It wasn't long before she informed them that she will have to leave. She gave them all a small smile and left the house.

"Soooo…" Kakashi started as he skeptically watched the blond girl. "Who is she really?"

Sen glared at the girl still clutched at him. "I don't know if I should be offended or thankful for your intervention. But thank you for your help anyway."

"Of course I couldn't let you reject that poor girl like that," Yuna dropped her disguise, appearing back as a white fox. "At least that way you dropped her softly without having to say anything."

Obito's eyes widened in wonder. "A kitsune! You are friend with a kitsune! She is so pretty." Yuna preened at the compliment and let Obito pet her.

"She is a summon." Kakashi corrected. "Dad said I could get a contract with dogs when I get older."

"I want one too!" Obito said as he picked Yuna in his arms.

"We will see when you get older and they are not pets. But right now, we are studying history so she can watch the perimeter and come back later.

 Obito dropped the vixen that quickly disappeared and went back on his seat to study his future tests.

It was late at night, nearly around midnight, when Sakumo came back. Sen had sent the kids to their beds despite their complaints about wanting to welcome Sakumo back. They had school tomorrow so, as the responsible adult, Sen told them they will see him when they woke up and that he will wait to greet him in their place.

Sakumo was delighted to see his Anbu waiting for him in the living room with a book in hand. "Did you stay up to welcome me?" he asked with grin.

"The kids didn't want to let you come back to find everyone asleep, so I devoted myself. How was your mission?" Sen closed his book and waited for the silver-haired man to come closer. He didn't want to admit that he had actually wanted to welcome him back himself.

"It went well. An easy mission with no hitch." He sat down next to the unmasked Anbu. "How had things gone on your side? Nothing bad happened, I hope."

Sen grimaced. "I learned that ice-cream and ramen could make a child sick. But except form that, everything went well."

A small chuckle left Sakumo's mouth. "They tricked you into giving them ice-cream, I see. But I'm happy to hear you didn't get any major problem." He then moved his head a little bit closer. "Can I expect to get a welcome-back-kiss?"

Sen felt his cheeks heat up at the question but gave a small nod and that was all Sakumo was waiting. They shared a heated kiss, warm hands running over his back and neck. It was just as good as the others times. He didn't know how long they had been kissing, but their mouths eventually parted.

"It's getting late…" Sakumo said lowly, so close that their lips brushed as he spoke. "Maybe we should go to bed?"

Sen blinked as he recovered from the kiss, finding Sakumo already up and extending a hand in his direction. He nodded and let the other help him up but was a bit surprised when the other didn't let go of his hand. The two walked in the direction of their rooms but Sakumo stopped once they reached his, making Sen unable to move further as they were still holding hands. Sakumo opened his room and took a step inside, their connected arms extended between them while the grip he had on Sen's hand slackened a little. An invitation. Sen was sure he has never blushed this hard before as he felt heat even down to his collarbones when realization hit him. He looked up and saw such want in the other's gaze. Sakumo was letting him decide if he wanted to follow him or pull away from the light grip and go back to his own room. Sen hesitated for a moment, but the way Sakumo was looking at him with such desire, lust and love made his heart beat loudly and faster in his chest.

No one has looked at him like that before.

He took a small step and Sakumo smiled brightly and took another step back, not rushing and letting him move at his pace. Once he was fully into the room, he was pulled to a hard chest with strong arms holding him.

The door closed behind them.

:--------------------------------------------------------------:

Sen woke up that morning and for the first time didn't want to get up. He felt warm and comfortable and wanted to bask on the sensation a little longer. He felt the rise and fall of a naked chest against his equally naked back, arms loosely circling his waist and soft breathing against the back of his neck. It had been a good night. Sakumo had been soft and carrying with him despite the lust burning in his eyes. Sen had never had any sexual relation with another man before and Sakumo had taken extra care in making it as comfortable and painless as possible, always going slow while he whispered sweet words to him as he kissed every available part of his body.

He realized that's what people called 'making love' and was happy to have experienced it for the first time with Sakumo.

He slowly turned into the embrace and watched the sleeping face of his lover with a small smile and gave him a small kiss on his lips before getting up. His attempt to get out of the bed was stopped by a displeased grumbled and arms tightening their grip on him.

"Where are you going?" Sakumo asked in a sleepy voice. "It's too early."

"I'm going to get a shower and change before the kids get up."

"Stay." Sakumo whined but the other shook his head and pulled out of his arms. "One more kiss?" he then tried.

Sen snorted at the miserable face Sakumo was making and bent down to comply at his request. They kissed slowly and sensually for a moment, but when he felt arms trying to pull him back down on the bed, Sen broke the kiss and stood up. "You don't want the kids seeing us like that. I will clean myself first and tell you when the shower is free." He took his clothes and left the room.

Sakumo dropped back on the bed with a sigh, hugging the pillow his lover had used with a smile. He could still smell his sent on it. He had feared at first it had just been another dream his imagination supplied him with, but when he woke up to lips kissing him, he knew no dream could be that vivid. Sen had felt awkward at first, self-conscious of his body and scars, but Sakumo had reassured him on how beautiful he was. It had taken a lot of coaxing, caresses and carrying words, but Sen eventually relaxed. It was magnificent to see the insecurity and anxiety turn into lust and passion. He had watched every expression on the face of the man bellow him as they made love, memorized every gasp and moan, the small frown of his eyebrows, the shining parted lips and the tears at the corner of his eyes. He had never seen something more gorgeous than this man finally letting himself go in his arms.

As he was vividly remembering the events of last night, he recognized small quick steps moving in the direction of his room and tensed when his door was flung open.

"Welcome back, dad!" Kakashi greeted enthusiastically, quickly followed by Obito.

Sakumo quickly sat up to receive the hug of the two boys and felt mortified. The two children were sitting next to his still naked body. Close to his covered morning wood – thank goodness for small mercies as the folds covered it. On the bed he had sex a few hours ago.

"Since when do you sleep without a pajama?" Kakashi asked and then grimaced. "And what is that strange smell?"

"Ok. Since we are more people living in this house, we will have to put new rules. No more barging in others rooms without knocking at the door or asking first." Sakumo said with all the calmness he could muster. When the kids nodded in agreement, Sakumo shooed them out of his room so they could change.

"I told you to get up so the kids wouldn't see you like this." Sen walked in the room a few seconds after Kakashi and Obito had left. He chuckled when Sakumo dropped his body on the bed, covering his face with both hands.

"That was embarrassing."

"Go take a shower. I will start preparing breakfast in the meantime." The Anbu left and Sakumo quickly put his underwear on before going to the bathroom.

When Sakumo entered the kitchen after cleaning himself and changing, it was to the sight of Sen wearing an apron while stirring something in the frying pan. He couldn't stop himself from hugging his lover from behind and give him a small kiss on the cheek.

"What are you preparing? It smells good."

"It was supposed to be fried eggs and beacon, but all the yellows broke. So now it's scrambled eggs and beacon."

Sakumo nuzzled and kissed the long neck before him and chuckled when Sen blushed and pushed him away. He was scolded for disturbing his cooking and ordered to sit at the table. It wasn't long before the two youngsters of the house came to sit at the table and started to chat with the silver-haired man. Obito was more than eager to tell him everything he missed.

"And then Rin came to study with us for the final tests. She had a crush for Sora, you know? The name Uncle gave the last time he came to pick us from school. She kept asking question and then the doorbell rang." Sakumo hummed as he listened with one ear on what Obito was saying while reading the newspaper. "A girl came in and kissed Uncle and said she was his girlfriend."

"What?!" Sakumo dropped the newspaper on the table and looked Obito, eyes wide open.

"Yeah!" Obito nodded. "I was surprised too. But Rin then stopped asking Uncle anymore question and went back home."

Sen put the plates on the table and sat on his chair with a sigh. "Don't just say that Obito, or he won't understand. It was one of my summons that helped me to gently drop the girl without being too harsh. She thought that if Rin saw that Sora had a girlfriend, she will stop crushing on him. It worked."

"Oh." Sakumo sagged in relief. For a moment, he had felt his heart drop at the thought that Sen already had someone and still slept with him.

"Don't worry. Only you would be crazy enough to be interested in me." He slowly ate his meal. "Or maybe Kisame too."

"Who is Kisame?" Sakumo asked as he watched intently Sen.

"Oh, just a shark-man I met when I was out on mission. But don't worry. I'm not interested to see if he actually has two dicks like sharks, as the rumor say."

Sakumo's mouth dropped while Obito stated that his uncle said a bad word, making this one apologize for his language. What kind of strange people does Sen know?

After eating and getting ready, the four of them departed to the academy. Once Obito and Kakashi had waved them goodbye and entered the building, Sen still in his teenager Henge turned to face Sakumo.

"Well, I need to go too."

Sakumo quickly grabbed his hand to prevent him from leaving. "Wait. Will I see you again today?"

Sen blinked in surprise. "Uhm. People are watching us, you know? With me looking like this it's a bit awkward."

Sakumo quickly dropped his hand and turned to see parents watching him with strange look on their faces. Ok, it was indeed strange to see him talk like that to a teenager. Fair enough. "I mean… If you want to live with us, we would all appreciate your presence, you know? This can be your home too."

Sen looked around and noticed a ROOT Anbu watching them on a building away from them. He turned so the spy couldn't read his lips. "I'm followed by Danzo's men. Right now, there is someone from ROOT watching me on a roof three buildings behind me." Sakumo discretely watched on the mentioned direction and Sen knew he had seen him when his jaw clenched. "I don't trust ROOT and my presence could put you all in danger if lived with you."

"All the more reason for you to come. The house is well warded and they'd never dare come in my property. You will be safe there, with us. I know it won't be easy with your job as Anbu, but this is your home already and we are your family. If you wish so."

The teen-looking Anbu fidgeted at the sincere words. "I… I will consider it. Now I have to go."

Sen ran to the Anbu's headquarter, jumping from roof to roof. He dropped his Henge when he arrived in front of the building and went to the dormitory he had considered his home since his arrival in this Konoha. The room was empty and strangely small when he looked at it from his bed. Sakumo words rang in his ears as he watched his slack hands resting on his thighs. He could have a true home and a real family. If he were to live there, he would be able to keep an eye on Obito and Kakashi to make sure ROOT didn't get their grasp on them. But with doing so, he would put the attention of potential enemies on the small family. He was lost in his thoughts for about two hours when the door opened and members of his team entered.

"Well, look at that! Sen is back!" Tiger joyfully waved at him, being the first to enter but followed closely by Wolf and Cat.

He didn't greet them back and just looked in front of him.

"Sen?" Cat said his name and rested a hand softly on his shoulder. "What's wrong? You seem troubled."

Sen opened his mouth to give the usual answer of 'it's nothing', but no words came of his mouth. He sighed and went to rub his face but only rested his hand on the pale mask covering it. "I don't know what to do…"

The room was silent for a moment before Cat spoke again. "Maybe we can help you?"

Sen turned his head to look at her and saw the sincerity written on her face. Maybe… Maybe he could talk with them? It couldn't be worse than sitting there and wondering what to do.

"Sakumo want me to come live with him and the kids," He let the words spill out before he could convince himself not to.

"That's a good thing for you, no?" Tiger said as he cocked his head on the side. "You don't have a home and you obviously like him and the kids. I don't see how it's a problem. "

"ROOT is spying on me." He sighed. "And I absolutely don't trust Danzo, no matter what the Hokage think of him. He and his organization are too fishy and they have their eyes on me."

"So that's why we see more and more ROOT's Anbus patrolling around the headquarter this time." Wolf hummed. "I wondered why there was so much of them turning around our building like flies around shit. I don't particularly like them; but why the mistrust?"

"That's… confidential for now." He lamely managed to answer, not having enough proofs yet. "But I have my reason for not trusting them and I don't want to bring Danzo's attention on Sakumo and his family."

Strangely enough, it was Wolf who broke the silence. "Go. You obviously love the man and care enough for his kids to not want to cause them trouble. But Hatake is a strong shinobi that won't let anything happen to his children. And you will be there too, to make sure no harm is done to them." Wolf then grimaced and moved to lay on a bed. "Seriously, no one should live permanently in those dormitories. The beds are shitty, the food is crap and you have absolutely no privacy here. Just go live with your lover and spare us from seeing your ugly face daily." The taller Anbu waved at him as he closed his eyes.

 "That's… strangely considerate of you." Cat said as she watched Wolf with surprise.

"Kira is getting soft!" Tiger singsonged as he sat on Wolf's bed and rubbed his hair as one would at praising a good dog. "And he even starts to like Sen! The grumpy dog has a heart!"

Sen was watching the two start a fight when Cat talked to him again. "He is right, you know? I wouldn't have chosen those words, but I think the same as him. You will eventually find whatever you need for your mission on ROOT, so in the meantime you should do what you truly want."

"Thank you, Maya," Sen said softly, making Cat's eyes widen at hearing him said her name for the first time. He stood up and walked near where Wolf was pinning Tiger in a headlock on the ground. "And I appreciate your advice too, Kira."

The two fighting men froze and Tiger used the opportunity to get free and stood before the masked Anbu, holding him by the shoulders.

"Say my name! I know you know it and it's so unfair that you called everyone by their name at least once except me. C'mon, say it!"

Sen groaned as he felt Tiger shaking him back and forth. "You are a pain in the ass, Shogo. "Sen evaded the embrace when the auburn-haired Anbu beamed and tried to hug him, making Tiger fall on the ground. It was just at that moment that he felt his clone dematerialize. "I need to go." And he disappeared in his Kamui.

"You are too pushy." Kira said to the one laying on the ground.

"Seriously, man. Since when did you two started to get along? What happened between you?"

"That's none of your business." Kira snorted. He didn't get the time to prepare himself as Shogo suddenly jumped on him.

"Tell me your secret!" Shogo screamed and the two of them started to fight again as Maya rolled her eyes in exasperation.

:--------------------------------------------------------------------:

In Kamui, Sen found out two books left by his clone. This one had managed to search in the archive and in the private library of the Kazekage and brought back those books for him to study more in details. He sat on his pocket dimension and started to read them. The first one talked about the capture of Ichibi and the Jinchurikis that had him sealed in them. It had the description on the behavior and each technics they learned with the Biju well detailed in them. Only the first Jinchuriki, an old monk named Bumpuku, had barely any information about him. It only said that said monk was locked in a dungeon with a giant tea kettle and it was written that in his years on imprisonment, the monk never tried to get free, only sitting and talking with himself.

So the story about the Biju being sealed in a tea kettle apparently had been a legend based on the first Jinchuriki. He read the rest, to see if he got any more information but only found out that all the other hosts nearly went insane after having the Biju sealed in them. He put this book aside and started to look at the second.

On the second were various secret seals used in Suna. He studied each one of them until he found the one about their own version of the Jinchuriki's seal. It was definitely different from the one used in Konoha, but his basic knowledge on Fuinjutsu didn't allow him to understand all its aspect. He would need to bring it to a person who could decipher it. He came out of his Kamui and went to the only person he knew would have no problem in telling him more about this seal.

"Oh, you are back sooner than I expected." Kuchina said as a greeting once she saw Sen standing at her door.

"Your boyfriend isn't here?" He asked once he was invited inside.

"He went on a mission today."

Sen tsked. "Just when I would have wanted to see him. Anyway, I have found an interesting book in Suna and I would have wanted you to see a particular seal."

Kuchina took the book and her eyes widened once she noticed what it was. "This is a secret manuscript with all the most powerful seals known and used in Suna! How did you get it?" Her eyes rapidly scanned each page she turned.

"I just borrowed it," he shrugged before turning the pages to the one he was interested. "I would like you to look at this one." He tapped on the drawing of the Jinchuriki's seal. "It's different from the one used here."

The Kunoichi studied the seal, silently opening and closing her mouth as she was thinking in her head. Her excitement soon turned to a frown the more she looked at it. "This is bad." She grimaced. "This seal wasn't meant to help the host in containing the Biju, but more on allowing him to use its power. It sure allow the Jinchuriki to have easier access to the Biju's ability, but it leave the person dangerously open to the tailed-beast's influence. With a seal like that, the host can only keep his mind for a few years if the Biju is a hostile one."

"Yeah. I found something that said the few Jinchurikis in Suna gradually lost their sanity. Insomnia, frequent nightmares, auto mutilation and breakdown." Sen gave her a short resume of what he read. "The tea kettle story you told me was just a story based on the first Jinchuriki in Suna by the way. But do you think it could help us in making a stronger seal for what I want?"

Kuchina quickly shook her head. "No, not this one. But if you let me study this book, maybe I will find something of use there?"

"You can borrow it for a moment but I would have to eventually bring it back, before they notice its absence." He stopped a moment as another option appeared in his mind. "Or… we can keep it?" When Kuchina looked at him in confusion, he explained his point of view. "If they don't have that book, they won't be able to use that seal to create new Jinchurikis. I don't think they bothered to memorize or to improve it in the past as there is only this version on this book. They could probably make a new one, but it will take them time since I'm sure they don't have any Fuinjutsu master in their village right now and by the time they would have to change the host, Ichibi will get the chance to escape."

"Oh! That's quite an impressive plan you have there. But won't it cause more harm to Suna?"

"I told you I'm against the sealing of sentient beings in people." Sen said in a cold voice. "I know it had been a common practice in the past and there are some Jinchurikis that get along well with their tailed-beast but… humans shouldn't play with the chakra-creatures that the Bijus are. It's disrespectful for such magnificent beings and we can only blame ourselves if they decide later to get revenge for what had been done to them."

Kuchina bit her lips and watched her clasped hands over her knees with a conflicted face. She then felt a soft gloved hand rest against her and looked up at the only visible eye through the mask.

"I know," Sen said and when Kuchina's pupils dilated he nodded. "I know what you have inside you."

"How?" she managed to say after opening and closing her mouth a couple of time.

"I know a lot of things. I know you have been chosen to hold the Kyubi in you at a young age. I know it was transferred to you at the time Mito Uzumaki, the first Jinchuriki and the wife of Hashirama Senju the first Hokage, started to fade. I know so much that it's sometime a burden in my mind."

Kuchina started to breath harder. "Wh- who are you truly?"

"I have had many names in my life that I nearly forgot the one given to me at birth. It is definitely lost now. I am a man, nobody, a Shinobi, an ally, an enemy for some, someone that help the one in need, someone that tried and nearly managed to destroy the world in the past; a person that try to change things for the better now." Sen slowly opened his left eye and revealed his Rinnegan to the woman sitting next to him. "I gained that knowledge as punishment for the atrocities I did in the past but I want to see it as my redemption." He saw Kuchina gasp at the sight of his Dojutsu and let his smile reach his eyes. "It won't erase what I did, but I like to think I was given the chance to save many lives. Maybe you will learn more about me if you become Hokage?"

Kuchina tried to grasp what the other revealed about him. He had done bad things in his past – tried to destroy the world? – but she had never heard any incidents about it and he wasn't that older than her. It was impossible that he did such thing when he was a mere teenager and it couldn't have happened in those last years without anyone talking about it. But he knows things that none should. But he said it was his punishment? His redemption? And why did he have the most powerful Dojutsu in his left eye. This… nothing made sense in her head.

"Would you like me to tell you a story I once heard?" Sen asked, bringing the kunoichi out of her thoughts. She nodded, wondering what he could tell her more. "Long ago, the Sage of Six Paths fought against a powerful monster that rampaged the Earth. He saved the world by sealing the monster inside him. Wishing for peace, he decided to divide the monster in him to create nine powerful creatures made of chakra. He created temples on different regions of the world for each of them who were the embodiment of his dream of peace, so they could live and be protected. He eventually died after such an exhausting task. That's how the nine tailed-beasts were created."

"I… I never heard such a story." The red-haired woman said bemused.

"I know. But as the story go on, those creatures were sought for their power and Madara Uchiha was the first that managed to control the Kyubi to attack the village and Hashirama, causing the Biju to be captured and sealed for something he was forced to do. Now tell me; if you were told that you are a precious being meant to bring peace on the world but was constantly tracked, captured or used by humans, wouldn't you hold bitterness against them?"

"It… the Kyubi was controlled by Madara?" Kuchina was by now nearly having a break down. "But… Mito never told me that!"

"No one know about it, since it seemed impossible for anyone to control a Biju. But if I have learned something in past, it's that Madara hatred is deep and strong and that old man is powerful enough to manage it. Now you understand why I abhor the idea of sealing Bijus inside people and try to prevent it as much as I can."

Kuchina was slowly getting why the Kyubi was so angry and fighting the seal in her. If what Sen said was true, the tailed-beast had reason to hold such anger and hatred at being sealed for something he was forced to do. She will try to talk with him later, when she had calmed enough, to see if all of this was true.

"I… thank you for sharing this with me." She bowed her head.

Sen closed his eye with the Rinnegan and rose. "It's the least I can do for all your help. Maybe it will help you to get along better with the one inside you. I will let you time to read the book I gave you and come back later. Feel free to share what I told you with Minato if you want. See you soon." And with that, Sen left Kuchina to muse over what he told her.

Chapter Text

Sakumo bolted from his seat when the doorbell rang. He couldn't stop hope from making his heart beat faster in his chest. Not a lot of people came to visit him at this time and a smile stretched his mouth when he opened the door to see the person he was expecting to see standing before him.

"Sen…" he whispered.

The Anbu was standing there, wearing all black and his mask on, a bag in his hand.

"Hum… if the offer still stands…" he awkwardly asked as he looked at Sakumo's chest. He yelped in surprise when he was pulled in and the door closed behind him. Suddenly, his mask was pulled away and dropped on the ground, before a mouth enthusiastically attacked his. Sen closed his eyes and twined his arms around his lover's neck as he returned the kiss. They kissed like that for a moment until they were interrupted.

"Dad, who was- oh come on! Can you not do that at the entrance?" Kakashi's voice said in an exasperated tone.

Sakumo only laughed as he broke the kiss and turned to grin at his son and Obito standing and watching them.

"Are you two dating?" Obito innocently asked.

"Ah, if your uncle would want to?" Sakumo turned to face the other man and grinned when he saw him blushing at having been caught by the children. But the small nod this one gave only made Sakumo's grin widen impossibly so. "Then yes, we are dating."

"Then… does this mean Uncle is now Kakashi's second dad or… you are my uncle too?" Obito asked, confused.

"How about we both become your dads too?" Sakumo offered with a gentle smile.

Obito's mouth dropped. "I would have… two dads?" His eyes shone with delight at the prospect, but he suddenly frowned when a thought crossed his mind. "Would that make Kakashi my brother then? I don't want that."

To say that Sen was surprised that declaration would be an understatement. He thought the two children had become closer since they lived together and wondered why Obito wouldn't like to have a brother. He would have loved to have siblings when he was younger and he was technically Obito, too. "Why wouldn't you like that?"

"Brothers don't kiss each other on the mouth or date." Obito stated with a confident nod.

"What?!" they both asked in shock. When they both turned to Kakashi, this one was blushing and looking away.

"Oh…" Sakumo eventually said. He hadn't see that one coming, but he could now better understand why his son had become more patient and tolerant with the young Uchiha.

:------------------------------------------------------------------------:

It had been two weeks since Sen started to live in the Hatake's household. He thought at first that it would be a big change in his life, but strangely enough it wasn't. He still went to the Anbus' HQ to check his missions, continued his investigation on ROOT and still had his routine like he used to. The major difference was just that he came every evening back to his 'home' to be welcomed by people and on occasions, slept in Sakumo's bed. The constant presence of ROOT around was definitely a bother, but the trouble was little in comparison of having Sakumo greet him with a kiss, sitting with the four of them together when they watched TV, having Obito beam when he saw him each morning and Kakashi… well, he would be lying if he were to say that Kakashi looked enthusiastic when he came back, but he definitely looked pleased. It had been a surprised the learn that Obito was secretly dating Kakashi, but the kids were respectively 9 and 10 years' old and it was mostly puppy love. They told them that they had kissed a few times on the mouth and held hands; nothing more. He couldn't help but wonder if his feelings for Sakumo were a reflection of the ones he had unknowingly had for the Kakashi in his time; but that was a can of worms he preferred no to look too much into.

"We have a mission?" Sen asked when he looked at his schedule. He had checked the day before and he was positive he hadn't seen anything for tomorrow.

"Yep," Tiger told him as he looked at the schedule. "The whole team is to go tomorrow morning for an eradication of a yakuza's organization at the border of the Land of Fire. We received it yesterday, after you left."

That was strange. "A full Anbu team for yakuzas… Who gave us this mission?"

"Request from the Hokage of course. The mission was paid by a whole small village that are pressured by those yakuza. We have to investigate and get rid of them if it is true. It should be only a three days' mission."

It was true that it would be an easy mission if the whole team was involved. Hawk would detect the target with his Byakugan, Cat was an excellent scout, Tiger's strength was in close combat while Wolf's was in long range fight. He was 'the jack of all trades', able to take any position the team leader – probably Hawk in this one – would give him.

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow at 4 AM. We will all leave from the main gate."

Sen shook his head. "No. let's meet at the Hokages rock monument instead. Let the others know this change."

"Ok?" Tiger agreed in confusion. "But why the change?"

"It's important for me… Shogo" Sen used his trump card and knew he had won the other over when this one beamed at having him say his name.

"Alright! I will tell the others!"

He watched Tiger rush out to give the new meeting point to the rest of the team without asking further question. Sen wondered if it was just him finding this mission strange. Was Danzo behind this? He shook his head and put it on account of his constant paranoia. His team, included himself, had already gone on various mission in the past. This was probably just the Hokage deciding to put his ability at use for a clean success.

But just in case, he will make some preparations. One could never be too cautious.

That afternoon, after visiting Itachi to tell him about his three days long mission so he wouldn't wait for him, he went to the forest and called back to him his three summons.

"I'm leaving the village for three days." He told them. "And I want to make sure nothing will happen in my absence. Yuna will stay where she is and protect the Hatake household. Ko, I want you to keep an eye for any material proof you could gather if Danzo tries something…" He watched Kai for a moment and grimaced behind his mask.

"What about me?" the youngest of the three foxes asked excitedly.

Kai was good at tailing and finding target. He was an excellent scout too. But no matter how much he liked the small fox, he definitely wasn't a fighter. "You will stay with Itachi."

The fox yipped in delight at having a mission too, but his elder brother watched their master with uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. But I will need the help of someone else. Let's hope he answers my summoning."

Sen bit his thumb, did the hands signs and slammed his palm on the ground. He sighed in relief when his fourth summon appeared. In the circle was now standing an orange fox with four tails behind him. This one was big – bigger than a horse – with various scars on its body and a particular nasty one running over his snoot. It looked down in disdain at the man who summoned it.

"Dad!" Kai said in surprise once he noticed who Sen summoned.

The bigger fox's eyes softened as he looked at his sons. "That's where you have been, kits. I thought it had been a moment since I last saw you home." His eyes hardened once he looked back at the sole man of the group. "So? What do you want from me?"

Sen bowed at the elder fox. "I would like to ask for your assistance in protecting the Uchiha's compound while I leave for three days, in case someone where to attack it, sir Kaisei."

"You bothered me to do such menial task? Why should I help you?" The fox named Kaisei bared his fangs in displeasure.

Sen knew that most of the summon foxes found it disrespectful that Sen didn't write his name on the contract with them. Most wouldn't even bother answering his summon because of it. He had been lucky to have Yuna come to him the first time, then Kai since no one summoned him and found him useless. Ko had been intrigued by what his brother said about his master and came to him once to meet him. Their father Kaisei had been a bet, but it looked like he had answered his call too.

"Wait a minute!" Kai said as he looked at his father and master with a frown. "I thought I was the one supposed to protect the Uchihas. Why are you asking dad to do it instead?"

Sen shook his head and saw Kaisei's snarl drop from the corner of his eye. "I never said that. Your mission is to protect Itachi only. He is the future heir of the Uchiha's clan and as such, we need to make sure to have him protect at all times. That's you mission. Your father will look for the rest of the compound… that is if he accepts."

That was a dirty trick he played on the older fox. He knew when Kai puffed his chest in pride that his father would agree. Kai hadn't been this confident in a while because of the few summons he had with other shinobis before and Kaisei – although looking grumpy and mean – had a soft spot for his kits. He would never do something to break his kit's recovered confidence and let him get injured.

Kaisei huffed as he watched his son. "Alright. I will do it. But you better keep an eye open on the little human who is your charge. I will have my paws full already with the rest of the compound, so I expect you to do your duty without having me to worry about you."

Kai squared his shoulders and held his head high. "Don't worry dad. I have learned a few technics since we last trained and I'm positive that I can burn to crisp anyone who try to attack Itachi!"

Sen barely managed to refrain snorting at watching the father and son. Kaisei was such a softy when it came to his youngster. He knew the older fox wouldn't let anyone pass the walls of the compound or even get twenty feet close to his kit. Kaisei was overprotective like that and Sen counted on it to be sure nothing happened in his absence. With their tasks assigned, Sen gave one last duty for Kai; to show his father the compound and inform him about strategical positions to be or advise him on where he thought enemies could come from. The small fox was overjoyed with this task and the Anbu knew Kaisei would play along.

Yeah… he too had a soft spot for the younger fox. Sue him.

When they all left, Yuna stayed behind and chuckled.

"My, you are definitely fox material. As expected from my Nameless master; you even managed to play someone as Kaisei."

"This will definitely boost Kai's ego and Kami knew he need it. Sir Kaisei may not like me, but he will definitely keep his kit safe."

Yuna shook her head in mirth. "I will see you at home then, Nameless master."

:----------------------------------------------------------------------------:

Sen left his home at morning before the boys got up, received a good-luck kiss from his lover and went to the new meeting place.

"Are we all ready?" Hawk asked as he watched his team in full gear and mask. "Then let's go."

Sen ran with his team in the forest. It was just three days. He had left for longer period in the past, anyway. Nothing will happen this time too. But despite trying to reason himself, a nagging feeling kept bothering him. ROOT knew where he lived now, knew the people he cared. Danzo could try something during his absence. He hoped lady luck would be on his side this time and make his over caution be for naught.

Everything had been set.

Nothing will happen.

:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------:

Danzo got the report later that day that the Anbu's team of the mysterious Sen had left. They had apparently not left from the main gate as they had guessed, but one of his spies had the confirmation from another Anbu that the team had definitely left.

They had three days to manage his plans. He had this feeling that Sen had something to do with the failing of his plan to make the Uchihas rebels against the village. If he was right, he would manage now to get his hand on a few pairs of Sharingan soon. He would send a few on his ROOT Anbus to abduct two adults with mature Sharingan. He would dispatch another team at the Hatake's household to abduct the young Uchiha there. He would pry some information from him about this Sen and then give the kid for Orochimaru's experiments and see if the Sanin could find a way to activate a dormant Sharingan. That’s getting two birds with one stone on this one. The White Fang will probably get accused for not protecting his charge as he should, but the fate of an incompetent shinobi who failed a mission to save his team was not of his concern. He would get rid of the useless pawn this way.

He took out the folder with all the name and data of the kids he supplied Orochimaru from a secret drawer and added the copy of the file he made of Obito Uchiha inside. With the cunning snake-Sanin, it was better to keep data on how much he had already given him, in case this one tried to trick him. With this, he had something to hold against Orochimaru in case this one wanted to betray him. He put the folder back with the other folders about secret missions he did and closed the drawer, making this one completely disappear in the desk.

Two slit eyes watched when Danzo called for a few of his ROOT Anbus and gave them their order. They had two days to collect information about their targets and have their mission completed by the night of the second day. Ko kept his presence hidden and continued to watch, knowing his kins would take care on the menace as he focused on his own mission.

:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:

Sakumo was surprised when someone knocked at his door late at night. It couldn't be Sen since he had left two days ago and told them the mission would take three days. He went to see who the late visitor was and was surprised to see an Anbu with a mask he didn't recognize standing at his door.

"Hatake Sakumo, you had been summoned by a member of the council. Please follow me."

Sakumo frowned after hearing the Anbu. "It's past ten at night. What could the council want with me so late? Couldn't it wait until a decent hour in the morning?"

The Anbu shook his head. "It is of high importance and I have been tasked to bring you with me right now."

Sakumo was conflicted with what to do. "I have two young children here. I can't leave them alone."

"It is an order, Hatake Sakumo. Approved by the Hokage. I have been told to inform you it would be a short meeting. Follow me."

Sakumo hesitated for a moment. He would be only a moment away. The kids wouldn't even notice he had gone out and it was an order approved by the Hokage. "Should I change?" he eventually asked as he was wearing casual clothes.

"There is no need." The Anbu informed him and waited until Sakumo had closed the door to bring him to the meeting point.

Meanwhile, two ROOT Anbus watched Sakumo leave. It was only when this one was out of sight that they moved closer to the wall of the estate.

"Alright. He has left." The first one said to the second.

"The room of the Uchiha is on the second windows of the left side of the building. We have to be careful with the wards all around the house." The second one told the first.

It took them more time that they had thought to temporally disable some of the seals protecting the house. They didn't want to completely destroy those, since it would indicate that someone broke in. They had to disable them for a moment and reactivate them when they were done.

"I think we are good with that part." The second one said. "The blocking seals will disappear in thirty minutes without leaving any trace."

With a nod, the two shinobis jumped over the wall and landed on the backyard and silently advanced near the house.

"Naughty naughty mice, climbing over walls~" a feminine voice sing-songed and the two ROOT Anbus were instantly on guard, weapons in hands. "Stupid or brave mice, trying to enter the fox's den~?"

They searched for a bit, until their eyes landed on a white fox walking on the grass in their direction.

"It's just a summon. Let's get rid of it first." One of the men said to his teammate. He threw a shuriken but the fox only jumped away, avoiding the star with a laugh.

"Definitely stupid I see." the fox appearance started to blur and the two shinobis instinctively went on guard. They watched as the animal quickly morphed into something else. There was no longer a little fox standing before them, but a nightmarish creature. The monster before them was around 10 feet high, standing on two legs with long claws on its hands and three long tails waving behind. Its head was huge with wide yellows slit eyes and a long maw full of sharp fangs. "Ah, but it doesn't matter since you will make a good meal any way." The frightening monster's voice had deepened and it gave a last grin before launching to its preys. Only a short, aborted cry resonated in the night before silence fell back.

When Sakumo came back an hour later, he was slightly doubtful. It had been a surprise to have the Anbu bring him to none other than Danzo. Remembering what Sen told him about ROOT following him, he preferred to stay on guard in front of the elder. The questions asked to him were the typical ones about his health; how he was feeling after taking missions again, his stress level, if he still felt depressed. Those questions wouldn't have ticked him, if it wasn't about the time he was summoned for the interview. When he asked about it, Danzo only smiled and told him he had been quite busy and his health was important for the whole village. When he had been released after an hour of interrogation, he had rushed back home. Everything seemed alright. He checked the boys and they were both asleep peacefully in their bed. He checked the wards and they were all activated. Despite being relieved that nothing happened in his absence, the uneasy feeling didn't leave him. Why had he been asked to come so late at night for something that could have easily waited until morning? Why were there ROOT ninjas following Sen?

There was definitely something wrong with ROOT and Danzo.

:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------:

When morning came, Danzo was perplexed to find none of the seven shinobis he sent coming back. Why weren't they back? Five shinobis to pick two sleeping Uchihas and two to kidnap a boy… this should have been enough. If something had gone wrong, at least someone of the teams should have come back to report. As the village started to awake on a new day, he was sur that his plan had somehow failed. And he was sure this Sen hasn't returned yet.

"What is going on here?" he mused aloud then summoned one of his Anbus. "Send someone to go investigate what happened to the teams that went to Hatake's house and the Uchiha's compound this evening." The white cloaked Anbu bowed silently and left.

All of the ROOT agents were well trained and loyal to him. Surely something went wrong.

:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------:

The first thing Sen did when he came back – after reporting the success of the mission to the Hokage with his team – was to go right back home. He sighed in relief when Sakumo told him that the kids were at school.

"Nothing strange happened during my absence?" he eventually asked.

"Actually…" Sakumo started with a small frown. "Something strange did happen. I was summoned by Danzo at night. The Anbu that came to fetch me insisted that I went right then as it was important, but Danzo merely asked me questions about how I was feeling and my mental health. When I came back I went to check everything, but Obito and Kakashi were sleeping in their bed and nothing was amiss."

Sen grimaced at the revelation. "It was as I feared, but thankfully you and the kids are alright." He moved closer and took hold of Sakumo's hand in his. "I… I don't think I could bear losing any of you. Maybe it would be best if I-" but he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as he was pulled into a hard kiss.

Sakumo knew what Sen was about to say and couldn't let him finish. He tried to pour his love and feelings through that kiss. "Nothing happened." He said as he broke the kiss, still close enough that their lips brushed. "I will be more careful. I will protect you all, so don't leave me."

Sen shoulders sagged as he was pulled into a tight hug and easily returned it. As kiss rained on his neck, he closed his eyes and savored the feeling of strong hands running on his skin under his shirt. He was already too deep now to pull away. He knew the best option was to go away, to cut any string tying him to that small happy family but… why did he let himself go so far? When his shirt was removed and he was laid on the sofa, he looked at the man above him. There was so much love in those dark eyes and a tiny bit of fear. He couldn't do this; couldn't break this man's heart even if it was the best option. He smiled as he pulled the face above his down for another kiss. The shadow will always seek for the light. And this man, who loved him despite knowing nearly nothing about him – nothing of the atrocities he had done – and never asked anything in return except his love back, was brighter than the sun. He felt tears in his eyes as this man leant down to kiss his chest, worshiping his marred and abject body as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Light shouldn't strive to search for shadows.

"Nothing will happen to you." Sen managed to say when Sakumo pulled up to remove his own shirt. "What's left of my heart won't be able to bear losing any of you." He cradled his lover's face in his hands. "I will protect you all."

Sakumo nuzzled the hand resting over his cheek and kissed the rough palm. "We will protect each other. You are already part of my heart, so never talk about leaving me again."

"It's a promise then." Sen smiled as he pulled him down for a heated kiss.

:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------:

After taking a shower and wearing some clean clothes, Sen watched Sakumo still laying on the sofa in all his naked glory. The Anbu felt a bit embarrassed for what they did on the sofa… where they all sat to watch TV at evening. He gave a halfhearted glare at the smug-looking bastard before making sure he would clean everything before the kids came back. Sakumo agreed in exchange of one last kiss before his departure, which was easily given to him. He put his mask back on, took a small paperweight from the table and left the house.

Once far enough in the forest, Sen called back his summons. Yuna quickly changed from the paperweight to her usual form as the three other foxes appeared next to her.

"I want a report from each one of you. Yuna, you start."

"Two mices tried to trespass on the second day you left. I took care of them the moment they entered the backyard. I didn't leave a single trace." She liked her chops, making the Anbu feel a little bit repulsed before nodding in approval.

"Good. Next, sir Kaisei."

The older fox huffed. "Actually, five of those ROOT tried to enter the compound yesterday, like for Yuna. I took care of them and hid the bodies when I was sure that no more were coming."

"Thank you. You will show me later where you hid those bodies." Sen was then watching the two remaining foxes and snorted in amusement when he saw Kai was nearly vibrating in excitement. "What about you Kai?"

"I stayed awoke all two nights and didn't let anyone enter Itachi's room! Well, except when his mom came to check on him, but it was his mom so it's ok!"

"Good work Kai. I knew I could count on you." He let the kit brag to his dad on how he could have stayed two more days awoke and turned his attention to the last one. "Anything new, Ko?"

"Actually, yes. I found where Danzo hid the files of the children he supplies to Orochimaru. He has added Obito's file to those the night of the attacks."

Sen left a burst of killing-intent burst from him for a second in anger before he took back control. All four foxed were tense and looking at him. "Sorry." He mumbled for his lack of control. "That's why that old weasel summoned Sakumo that late. I want to tear apart the both of them so much that I don't know which one I should go first."

"I would go for Orochimaru first, if I were you." Yuna helpfully supplied. "He is the one who experiments on those children, after all."

"Good point."

"Hum…" Kaisei cleared his throat. "About those bodies… I would like to go back home as soon as possible since I'm no more needed; if we could take care of that quickly so I would really appreciate."

"Of course." Sen bowed. "I greatly appreciate your help, sir Kaisei. Let's go."

The five of them went to the spot where Kaisei had hidden the bodies under tree branches. The five bodies were mangled beyond recognition, making a spark of satisfaction light in Sen's chest at the look of fear on the face of one of the ROOT Anbus. They had deserved what had fallen on them. He used Doton and his Mokuton to bury the corpses underground with his roots, making the grass grow back to not leave any evidence.

"That's quite a useful ability to conceal something on the ground, but such a waste of good meat." Yuna looked dejectedly at the now buried bodies.

"You already ate two. Don't get used to human's flesh or you will definitely gain weight." Sen chided the white vixen before turning his attention to the youngest of the small group. "You can go back with your father if you want, Kai. After Ko showed me were Danzo hide his documents, I will let him go back too."

Kai looked at his master with a dejected expression. "No! I want to stay! I… I know I'm not that useful, but I want to help you! I'm sure I can help you." The small fox looked back and forth to his father and the human who has summoned him.

"You have been already a great help," Sen knelt to pet the soft orange fur of his head. "I really appreciate what you did for me so far. If you really want to stay, I would gladly appreciate your assistance." Sen barely turned his masked face in the direction of the older fox to see what this one had to say about his kit staying there with him.

"Ah, whatever. He is old enough to do what he wants anyway. It will make him some experience for the future, as long as you keep an eye on him."

Sen smiled under his mask when the smaller fox jumped to lick his father's face in appreciation and this one lowered his body to allow it. He really was a big softy for his kid. "Then it's decided. You can stay with me at the house I live now."

:---------------------------------------------------------------------------:

When Sen came back home later with his small pack of foxes, Obito had been overjoyed and screamed "They have multiplied!" Sen presented the three foxes to the small family. Obito instantly took a liking to Kai and played with him. Ko left the house to guard the perimeter while Yuna lunged on a cushion.

"I said I wanted a dog, not foxes." Kakashi grumbled while Sakumo laughed and told him they were canine too.

"We are far better than dog." Yuna told from her laying position on the sofa. "Dogs are stupid and only obey order. Foxes are far more independent and useful."

"Well, I still want a dog." Kakashi petulantly replied.

"Ah, a shame some can't appreciate a true work of art made by nature. But there need to different taste in this world. Some people like to have drools all over their face and mindless, stupid animals jumping on them when they came back."

"Dogs aren’t stupid!"

"Keep telling yourself that~"

Sen cleared his throat. "I need to do something for a moment. They will all keep an eye on you and make sure nothing happens while I'm away."

"Where are you going?" Sakumo took hold of his arm before he could leave. He had a bad feeling right now and wanted to know what his mysterious lover was about.

"I need to take care of something. I won't be that long." Sen smiled at him but Sakumo's uneasy feeling didn't fade.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I need to confront someone about something they did."

"You aren't going to go against Danzo, are you?" Sakumo tightened his hold.

"No. For that I need to bring proof to the Hokage before. It's just… you stay here and keep an eye on the kids. I will make sure no one came back for us again."

Sakumo felt his hand close on nothing as the other suddenly disappeared. Why Sen couldn't trust and talk to him? He knew to other had a mysterious past that he didn't want to share, but he really hope he could confide in him. He loved him with all his heart and it hurt to know the other didn't let him in what he was doing. How could he protect him if he didn't know what the threat was?

"Stay safe." He whispered. A small hand closed on his and he looked down to see Kakashi looking at him with a brave face.

"Don't worry. He will come back. He always come back."

Sakumo smiled as he went down to hug his son. Yes. Sen will come back.

OMAKE

Obito's eyes opened and narrowed at the darkness of his room. Why had he woken up? He had heard something outside, like a short cry. Still half asleep, he stood up and opened the blind of the windows.

"Who is there?" Obito squinted as he looked out and saw something white on the garden.

Yuna, who been hunched down to inspect the grass and be sure that no trace or blood remained about what happened, tensed. What to do? "I-" she quickly cleared her throat at hearing her hoarse voice. She needed to do this right. In seconds stood up a beautiful woman, pale from head to toes in a white kimono. "I… am… a dream. Yes, a fairy in your dream. Now go back to sleep."

One blink and the beautiful fairy disappeared from Obito's sight. At morning, when Obito told about his dream at breakfast, Kakashi glared at him.

"Why were you dreaming of a girl when I'm your boyfriend?"

"It's not like I can decide what I dream about, idiot!"

"Well, I feel offended so try harder to not dream about someone else."

And the two kids bickered about the (im)possibility of controlling one's dreams.

Chapter Text

It didn't take long for Sen to find Orochimaru. This one was walking on the outskirt of the village to one of his labs.

"Why is an Anbu following me?" the Sanin asked with a smile, not turning around to face the man behind him.

"Oh, I'm sure you can come up with many things by yourself without having me needing to point them."

Orochimaru eventually turned to face the man behind him and tilted his head as he looked at him. "That's quite an usual mask you have there. I don't think I have the pleasure to meet you before."

"I knew plenty of you on the other hand." Sen slowly walked closer on his guard. Even if the pale man looked relaxed, he knew this one could attack at a lightning speed. "I know what you are doing and what you seek, and I want to put a stop to it."

Orochimaru grinned as he folded his hands in his long sleeves. "And what are those things?"

"Did you really think that Danzo didn't keep any record of your transactions?"

Orochimaru's body tensed, and his smile turned into a grin. "That old rascal swore he didn't keep any trace of it. But if you know that much, why are you the only one standing here?" He cocked his head on the other side as his grin widened. "I see. You didn't tell the Hokage yet."

"I came to give you a chance to tell yourself to the Hokage and denounce Danzo's participation in the abduction of children. If you swore to stop your experiments and help me reveal Danzo's scheming, I will make sure your sentence won't be as harsh as his."

"That's an interesting offer you make here." Orochimaru took a step closer and Sen felt all the muscles in his body tense. "But why should I bother with that… when all I need is to get rid of you?"

Sen barely managed to avoid the kunai send in his direction thanks to his Sharingan. He quickly unsheathed the sword at his back. "Strangely enough, I was hoping you would say that."

"An Uchiha, I see. Now I regret the missed delivery Danzo promised me, about a kid of your clan."

Rage swelled inside Sen as he launched himself on the snake-sanin who blocked his blade with the one he took from his large sleeve. "I will make you regret those words."

Even if the fight started in a deserted part of the village, Sen quickly pushed back until they were both running in the forest outside the walls. It wouldn't do if they caused damage at the buildings nearby. Orochimaru was pretty good at dodging his attacks and was quite talented in throwing sneaky attacks. But despite all of that, Sen blocked the hits and cut down the snakes coming to attack him.

"For someone wanting to be the next Hokage, you are doing some despicable things. How can you think people will accept you when they hear you are experimenting on children?"

"That is if they hear about it!" Orochimaru launched a snake from his sleeve that passed through Sen without harming him. "What is this?" He frowned and sent massive quantity of snakes on the ground to attack the Anbu. This one paid them no mind as they tried bit at his legs but just passed through. Eventually, Sen jumped in the air and fired a Great Fireball that incinerated all the reptiles on the ground. Orochimaru's eyes and grin widened when he saw the now different Sharingan. "Fascinating. I didn't know a Sharingan had a different evolution."

"There is a lot of things you don't know." He ran and stabbed Orochimaru in the chest.

"You made quite a mistake here." The Sanin opened his mouth where a snake came out with a sword. The blade went through Sen's chest right through his heart. The black-haired man grinned as he pulled the sword to the side and went through the chest until the blade had cut its way out, slicing the arm on the way. Using the change, Orochimaru jumped back and put a hand on his wound as he watched the man standing before him. The masked man only looked on the ground, picked up his severed arm and put it back in place. Those slit eyes widened in surprise as the detached member moved as its owner closed and opened his hand, testing its motor skills. The amount of blood pouring out of his wound was minimal considering its dept. "That's impossible." He muttered as he watched the skin knit itself together, not leaving a scar behind.

"You are good; I will give you that." Sen said as he dropped his arm to his side, the cut sleeve sliding to his wrist and revealing the white skin there. "But not good enough to kill me."

"Tell me your secret!" Orochimaru screamed as his hand pierced through Sen's chest.

Sen only hummed as he tilted his head to the side, not at all bothered by the arm going through his sternum. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he took a step back and Orochimaru watched fascinated as the hole in his chest closed back.

"Oh, I have changed my mind. I'm not going to kill you but keep you as a subject until I discover everything that allow you to heal from such wounds." He licked his lips with his long tongue before using it to restrain the Anbu.

Sen let him get a hold of him before using his Kamui and walking out of the slim appendage. "That would be if you can get a hold of me first." He used then his Mokuton and the snake-sanin was impaled from all part by pointed roots.

"M-Moku…ton?" Orochimaru gasped as blood slipped from his mouth.

"Yes. I unfortunately fell on the hands of the likes of you in the past. A very unpleasant experience, but I managed to make the best of it. Now, what to do with you?" he slowly circled the impaled man. "I did promise the Hokage that I wouldn't take drastic measures without consulting him first, but…" He stopped as he faced again the Sanin. "He is too softhearted and already allowed too many things he shouldn't have. It would have repercussion on the future if I killed you right now." He used his Kamui and transported both of them at the edge of the Fire Country and grinned under his mask when he saw the confusion in the bleeding man's face

"Where… are we? How… did you-" Blood gushed from his mouth, preventing him from asking his question.

"That's an ability of my Sharingan. It allows me to go wherever I want." New roots appeared from the ground that circled the pale man and slowly pulled him on the ground. "I don't think you will make it this time, but I will give you a chance. If you can come from the eighty feet underground you will be buried, I will let you live. Don't worry, I will tell everyone that you deserted the village when I reveal the experiments you did." Orochimaru's eyes widened in horror as a root blocked his mouth and only his head remained on top of the ground. "See you in the other world, Orochimaru, but know that if by the slightest chance you survive and I see you again near Konoha, you will painfully regret it."

Orochimaru's muffled scream were the last thing Sen heard before the roots tightened their grip and he disappeared in the ground. Sen concentrated on his Mokuton to make the roots go as far as he could manage, around a hundred feet in the ground – he had lied, sue him.

"Next time, think twice before going after the people I care." Sen looked at the hard ground where the man had just disappeared. With all those wounds, the lack of oxygen and the restriction around his body he was nearly sure the other wouldn't come back again. But just to make sure, since it was Orochimaru after all, he concentrated and moved the roots in the ground to make a tight net five feet below. Better be safe than sorry.

When he came back to the house, Sakumo was instantly on him.

"Why are your clothes torn? Are you bleeding? There is all over you! Lay down and let me check."

"I'm alright." Sen tried to say but was pushed on the sofa as his lover scanned his body with healing chakra. "I assure you I don't have any wound." He mentally berated himself for not having taken time to change his damaged clothes.

"Thanks Kami you are well." The older man bent down to give him a small kiss. "What happened?"

"I just…" he stopped when he saw Kakashi sitting not far from them. Thanking the cue, Sakumo sent his son to the backyard with Obito. Once alone again, Sen continued. "I tried to confront Orochimaru about the human experiments he does. He and Danzo had made a deal and ROOT was supplying him with subjects. He tried to have Obito kidnapped the night he summoned you, but Yuna was there to stop them."

"Always a pleasure to be of help." The white fox said as she rolled over her cushion.

Sakumo couldn't believe what he just heard. "He… he wanted to abduct Obito so Orochimaru could experiment on him?"

"Pretty much. I tried to get Orochimaru to willingly come with me and reveal Danzo's doing, but he preferred to attack me and ran away. But thanks to Ko I have proofs now. I just have to go fetch them and it will be Danzo's downfall."

"I'm coming with you."

"You can't. Who will look after the kids if we are both gone?"

"I will drop them to Minato then. I'm not staying behind this time." Sakumo camped on his position when Sen opened his mouth. When this one only sighed, he knew he had won.

"Alright. You will drop Kakashi and Obito to Minato and go to the Hokage. When you see him, tell him I asked that he call Danzo in an urgent meeting. When Danzo will be out of his office, I will retrieve the documents and come to you." When he saw Sakumo hesitate he caressed this one's face with a gloved hand. "Don't worry, I will be fine. It will be a quick in and out once Danzo has left ROOT's base. You saw I didn't get the smallest scratch after a fight with Orochimaru. My healing capacity is far above what you can imagine. I will be back with you as soon as I get the documents."

"Alright." Sakumo reluctantly agreed. "But you make sure you come back safe. If someone of ROOT find you, just run away instead of risking your life."

Sen smiled as he used Kamui to stand up and pass through Sakumo. "No one can't touch me if I don't want to."

Sakumo's eyes widened as he turned to see the man that went through him like a ghost. "That's… that's quite a useful ability." He relaxed with relief after seeing this.

When Sakumo left the house with the two boys – and Kai that tagged along to protect them – Sen called Ko and they both left to stand near ROOT's base. They kept watch for twenty minutes before an Anbu sent by Sarutobi went in to deliver the Hokage's message. Not long after that Danzo slowly excited the building and Sen knew it was their chance. Using Kamui after waiting five more minutes, both him and his summon entered the locked office. The fox jumped down from his arms and ran to the desk.

"It's in a hidden drawer here." The fox pointed the spot with his paw.

Sen knelt down and inspected closely the furniture. The wood on that part looked smooth and seamless. If Ko hadn't pointed him that place he would have never known to look there. "Is he using a seal to conceal it or something else?"

"I don't know."

"Ok. We don't have all the time in the world. Is it here?" he touched the wood with the tip of his clawed finger. Ko corrected him by lowering his finger before nodding. Sen closed his hand into a fist and punched it through the wood. Splinters felt on the carpet but now they had access to the hidden content. He pulled a few folders out and quickly inspected them to find the one he was looking for. There he found various files of children and adults, Obito's among them. They didn't have much time since someone could have heard them. He picked the three folders and Ko in his arms and disappeared in Kamui just when footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

Chapter Text

Danzo was sitting in the Hokage's office with a frown on his face. Hatake's presence with them wasn't of any good sign.

"You urgently requested my presence here and now you are making me wait? I know you are the Hokage, Hiruzen, but I will have you know that I'm a busy man."

A flicker of doubt passed the leader's face as he gave a quick glance to Sakumo standing in a corner before looking back at his interlocutor. "I know. We just need to wait a little bit- Ah. here he is."

Danzo turned on his chair to find the masked Anbu he had been trying to get information about just standing behind him. When did he arrive? He hadn't felt any trace of a jutsu used before he suddenly appeared in the room.

"I have an important report to do," Sen said as he moved to stand visible to all present in the room. "Not long ago, I got information about Orochimaru experimenting on humans. When I tried to confront him about that accusation and make him come willingly to you, this one didn't deny anything and attacked me. I tried to catch him, but he managed to escape in the end and fled the village. During my investigation, it came upon me that Danzo was the one supplying Orochimaru with experiment subjects. Most were children that had disappeared in the past years from both the village and outside."

A heavy silence fell on the room, only broken a moment later by Sarutobi.

"Is it true?" The Hokage asked in a constricted voice.

Danzo stayed calm and only rose an eyebrow at the question. "We have known each other since we were kids, Hiruzen. Do you truly believe those baseless accusations threw at me?"

Sen pulled out three folders from his jacket that he dropped in front of the Hokage and opened one. "Those are documents I retrieved from Danzo's office. On this one in particular, you have all the files of the people he had abducted for Orochimaru. The last one is Uchiha Obito, that he tried to kidnap a couple days ago. Hatake Sakumo present here can testify having been summoned by Danzo Shimura himself late on the night of the failed kidnaping."

Sakumo took a step closer and nodded. "I confirm. An Anbu was sent to fetch me around ten at night, saying it was a urgent meeting. In the end, Danzo only asked me questions about my mental health recovery."

Danzo was by now sweating, knowing he was discovered.

"Those despicable acts should be punished," said the Hokage. "But we can't lay the fault only on Danzo. Orochimaru had his part on this too."

"Such acts against the people living in Konoha should be considered as treason, Lord Hokage." Sen slowly turned his mask to look fully at the village's leader. "Only one sentence is acceptable for treason: Death. I brought you the evidences as you asked me to, before you could give your judgement. You shall find more data about his participation on trying to cause animosity with other hidden villages to break a third nations war if you inspect his office. Are you telling me you will go against your word?"

Sarutobi grimaced in pain at those words. "There should be-"

"No." Sen cut him. "The law is the same for every inhabitant of this village, from mere civilian to the Hokage himself. Compassion isn't an option here."

Danzo took the opportunity to talk. "Are you going to let a mere Anbu tell you what to do? You are the Hokage!"

Hiruzen opened his mouth to say something but when he looked back at Sen, no words left his mouth as he was pinned by the weight of both Dojutsus staring at him.

"I gave you my trust," Sen said slowly as he continued to watch the leader of his village. "told you everything I knew, helped you in making sure the few years you had as Hokage wouldn't be to lead a war. Even after all the information I gave you about Danzo, you turned a blind eye until a gave you concert proofs about it. You know what I'm capable of so be careful if you try to go against your words."

Danzo was stunned when he saw the Hokage give a small nod. Who was that man that held such power over the leader of all the ninjas of this village? "Why do you listen to him? Who is he to have his words carry such value to you?"

Sarutobi opened his mouth to give him an answer but was silenced by a raised hand in this direction.

"Traitors had no right to know who I am." Sen informed him. "I am a man with no identity, a mere shadow hidden in shadows, a person that shouldn't exist. Yet here I am, trying to prevent a war and try to bring peace in the five countries. My words held weight for they are true. Your existence will end as you will be publicly executed for your felony."

"I have worked in the darkness for the greatness of Konoha! I was the one that did all the dirty work for you! Will you tried to be the pacifist, I made sure Konoha stayed one of the most powerful villages in this world and that's all I get?!" when the Hokage only looked at his desk with a sad expression, Danzo knew he was done. His only option was to escape.

When Danzo jumped by the window, an Anbu with a Raccoon mask appeared to block Sen's path. They exchanged a few blows, but Sakumo was the one to kill the traitor Anbu.

"I will go after him. You protect the Hokage." Sen ordered Hatake as he jumped to chase after the runaway. He used Kamui to go directly near the ROOT base and was able to stop Danzo before entering the building. "Your death sentence won't be publicly, it seems." Soon four more ROOT's Anbus appeared between him and Danzo. He used his Genjutsu to incapacitate two of them and fought the two remaining as he tried to stop Danzo to get away. Three against one was a tough fight, as ROOTS were all well trained shinobis. He managed to get a root using his Mokuton to immobilize Danzo when more ROOT's shinobis appeared from the base. Just when he was starting to get overwhelmed by six opponents and thinking about using a fire release, like Blast Wave Wild Dance, his team came to his rescue. Cat, Hawk, Tiger and Wolf fought alongside him.

"We will take care of them! You go after Danzo!" Tiger told him as he cut one enemy with his iron claws.

Sen nodded as Danzo just managed to get rid of the roots holding his feet. He rushed to the man and tried to pierce him with his sword, but the older man was more agile than he let people think. This younger Danzo was stronger than the one he had fought in his time. He was particularly talented with Futon jutsus. If he hadn't his Mangekyo activated, Sen was sure he wouldn't have been able to avoid all the vacuum spheres send in his direction. He heard someone cry behind him and hoped none of his teammates were hit by the projectiles, since he didn't even have time to look away from the fight. Using his Genjutsu, he paralyzed the elder man and stabbed him in the heart. The body in front of him suddenly dissolved like a mirage.

"Izanagi." Sen said as he jumped out of the way of an invisible whip made of wind that crashed where he was standing. "I see. You became greedy and tried to destroy a whole clan to steal as many eyes as you could."

"I should have guessed you were part of that despicable clan too, when I heard you brought that boy to Hatake and people saw you along with Uchihas' children. But you won't kill me that easily."

"It will only give me the chance to kill you more than once. I'm sure you can still fill pain." Sen made a small calculation in his head as he prepared to deduce how many Izanagi the other could use. "You couldn't have gotten your hands on more than two sets of Sharingans, so that give me three more opportunities to kill you before the last one." From the glare Danzo gave him, he had hit dead on the spot. The older man took out half a dozen of wind infused kunais and send them in his direction. Sen managed to block nearly all of them except one that cut his arm. With his sword in hand he ran to Danzo evading any attack throw at him thank to his Kamui and cut the other's throat. "That one is for Sakumo." He said before the body disappeared.

Danzo cursed when he felt a new Sharingan slowly close on his arm. He quickly removed the bandage around his head and cast a powerful Genjutsu to his opponent. No matter how good this one was, he had trained enough in Genjutsu on his youth to be sure no one could break one cast with his stolen Sharingan. He cast an illusion where the person was eaten alive by bugs from the inside and when the Anbu was immobile since caught in the illusion, he used the opportunity to attack and cut the other's head. As the detached head rolled to his feet and the body dropped on the ground, he knelt down to remove the mask. "Now, let's see who you were." When the mask was removed, Danzo saw his own lifeless face looking back at him and rose up in shock.

"Did you truly thought you could trap me in an illusion?" the decapitated head said on the ground and a sword pierced Danzo in the head. "This one is for Yahiko, Nagato and Konan." When Danzo reappeared further away, Sen turned to face him. "One last to go."

Cursing internally, Danzo decided to not look to the other's eyes and not try to use Genjutsu again, as his own illusion didn't work and he had been caught in one himself. He decided then to go directly with his jutsus and used his wind-whip as this one was nearly undetectable. The whip went through Sen as this one didn't even move to avoid it. He tried again and again with various technics, but all went through him. Thinking he was facing an illusion, he looked around to try to find the real one, but the one before him launched several shurikens at him that were far too real as they tore his clothes. "What is this?"

"Wouldn't you want to know?"

Sen went to attack Danzo in close combat, using his weapon and feet to attack. Danzo blocked all of them and noticed something. Whenever he tried to attack, whatever weapon or jutsu he used went right through him, but the same could be said from the attack of the Anbu. When he was about to pierce the other heart with a wind imbued kunai just, his whole hand disappeared in his chest, but the sword that had come to behead him go through him without leaving any injury.

"I see. You can become intangible at will."

"Very acute. But let's see how you will deal with this."

Suddenly, roots appeared from the ground. Danzo jumped away but the plants followed him. He cut some with his kunai and jumped on others to avoid them, but no matter how many he slashed, they continued to extend. One then grabbed his legs and was slammed on the ground, his skull breaking at the impact.

"This one was for Obito, whom you tried to kidnap." He saw Danzo reappear, panting as the Sharingan in his eye slowly closed. "I think I guessed right. You have used all your stored lives from the Sharingans and are at your last one."

Danzo didn't waste time and summoned Baku as he ran away. Surely the chimera would buy him some time in his escape. But who was this man? He has a Sharingan, used a strange ability that turned him incorporeal and had Mokuton. Orochimaru had started experimenting with Hashirama's cells and implanted his arm with some so he could use Izanagi not long ago. There was no way someone else got that cells and managed to use Mokuton in such a short time if Orochimaru had experienced on other people. But right now, his life was at danger and he needed to get away. He just managed to get past the gate when Sen appeared in front of him from a strange vortex.

"I won't allow you to get away." Sen said in a threating voice and the two fought again. This time he had to be more careful since he had trapped the chimeric summon in his Kamui and won't be able to use it or fear to get injured as he had been when he trapped Kakashi there in his own time. Danzo soon realized his handicap and fought him with the despair of a man about to die.

"Sen!" A familiar voice called his name and he saw that Sakumo had joined him in the fight.

"You! You should have died on that mission!" Danzo snarled as he saw Hatake. "I will take you at least before I die!" He then took a small tanto hidden in his sleeve and concentrated all his chakra in it. The steel was made to amplify his wind chakra in it, making it able to cut even the strongest material.

Sakumo was ready to block the attack but was suddenly pushed away. He watched in horror as the tanto cleanly cut through Sen's sword held to parry, cut the arm holding it before going through his lover's chest, the broken blade flying to his face and breaking the porcelain mask. "Sen!" he screamed as this one made a spiky branch grow from his hand and stabbed Danzo in the chest. The wound wasn't fatal, but it made the older man jump away from him

"This one…" Sen gasped as blood slipped from his mouth as he glared at his opponent. "Is for all… the people who would have die in the war." He made a sign with his remaining hand that he had done many years ago, when he attacked Kiri's Anbus on the night he awakened his Magekyou Sharingan. Suddenly, the small piece of wood still lodged in Danzo's chest expanded and pierced him from the inside in various spike. The old man barely had time to gurgle blood before Sen blew a Fire attack, making this one burn and cry in agony before falling on the ground.

"Your arm! We need to bring you to the hospital!" Sakumo said had he pulled Sen up, but this one only pushed him away, recovering the severed arm and putting it back in place. Sakumo watched with wide eyes as the pale appendage went back in place, not leaving even a scar behind. He then pushed away the torn top to see that the wound that should have cut part of his chest was now closed too. "How?"

"Healing ability," Sen said before coughing some blood still left in his throat. "Was… experimented on… when younger." He groaned as his eye pulsed painfully in his socket. He was exhausted and sweaty from the fight. His face was then cradled in two hands, and he was harshly kissed.

"Don't do that again." Sakumo said, happy to have his love alive but unable to get pass the iron taste of blood from the kiss.

"You… don't do that. He could have… killed you." Sen frowned but accepted the support given to get him up and walking back in the village.

"Did you really expect me to stay behind when you were fighting?"

"You are such a romantic idiot." Sen smiled.

They were soon joined by his teammates and Sakumo told them that Danzo was dead. None of them moved and watched Sen's bare face with surprised expression.

"That look painful!" Tiger was the one to break the awkward silence with his exclamation as he pointed at Sen's face. He was quickly punched by Wolf and Cat for his comment and fell on his face, barely saving his mask from shattering. "What the heck!"

"That's for being insensitive." Cat glared at him from the holes of her mask before turning her attention to the other member of her team. "Are you injured?" She watched the blood on Sen's clothes and chin and quickly pulled Hawk with her as they moved closer and dragged Sen to lay down. "Let Hawk heal your injuries."

"I'm fine." Sen tried to sit up but was held down by Cat as Hawk scanned his body.

"Strangely enough, that seem to be the case." The Hyuga scanned his body from head to toes. "I don't detect any injury, not even internal."

"See? Now let me go." He swatted their hands away as he slowly got up, thankful of Sakumo's arm around his waist as he swayed a bit once on his feet. "I'm just tired."

The Hokage soon appeared next to them, followed by some Anbus. "Where is Danzo?"

"Executed by my hands." Sen said with a serious face. He saw a mix of resentment and sadness on the Hokage's face. "It is the law." He added with a small glare.

The older man covered his mouth while closing his eyes with a pained expression and gave a small nod after a moment. "Right. Someone goes recover the body to bring it to the undertaker for burial. You go take some rest." He said the last part to Sen while two other Anbus went to get Danzo's body. "I want a full report tomorrow morning on this incident."

Sen stood straight and bowed his head. "As you wish. It will give you some time to read the documents I gave you. You will find information about Danzo's alliance with Hanzo in Ame without your approval in one of the folders."

The Hokage sharply turned around to get back to his office and Sen sagged a bit on his feet.

"Let's get back home." Sakumo said in a gentle voice.

"I don't have my mask…"

Wolf was the one to pull something form a compartment of his belt that after shaking it, turned out to be an Anbu's black cloak. "Here," he said as he handed it. "It won't completely conceal you, but it's better than nothing."

"…thanks," Sen said before his team left to do their duties in searching for any more ROOT' agents around.

Sakumo and Sen walked slowly to their home, both too exhausted from their fight to use any jutsu. Sen wanted to scold the other for his recklessness in jumping in the fight against Danzo. What if he had gotten killed? What would have happened to Obito and Kakashi? But he knew it was no use since Sakumo was stubborn like Kakashi had been in his time.

"Thank you," he eventually said. "But next time don't put yourself at risk. I regenerate pretty quickly as you saw, so there is no need to get in danger for me."

"Yeah, I saw." Sakumo squeezed the waist he held with his left hand. "But even knowing that… I don't think I can't stop my body from reacting on its own if I see you fighting someone in the future."

"You are hopeless." Sen scoffed but dumped his head against the one next to him. He was beyond hopeless too, for loving such a man.

As they came closer to the Hatake's house, they saw two small silhouettes sitting next to the door, chatting with each other.

"… there is no one here and we waited already for 15 minutes!" Shisui said in a whining voice.

"They have to eventually come back. I'm sure one of them will know where he is. It's been a while since we last saw him." Itachi answered back.

 "I know, but can't we – Ah! look! Someone is coming!"

Sen tensed once he saw the two Uchihas standing up and coming in their direction. He pulled the hood lower on his head and tried to hid the right side of his face.

"Mister Sakumo you are back! We waited for sooooo long and there was no one inside to open the door." Shisui pouted as he stopped in front of the silver-haired man.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," Sakumo chuckled as he took the key to open the door. "If you are looking for Obito and Kakashi, they are unfortunately not here."

"No, we aren't here for them… Why are you holding your friend? Is he drunk?" Shisui sidetracked when he saw the cloaked man Sakumo was helping to walk.

Itachi followed the two adults and his cousin inside the house once the door opened but kept his gaze on the hidden figure. "You are Sen, right?"

At the mention of his name, the man tensed. Trying to keep his Rinngan concealed and the damaged part of his face hidden, he has to move a bit his hood to watch Itachi will still hiding his scars. "Hello Itachi."

Shisui’s mouth dropped as he looked at the unmasked man. "Oh Kami… you don’t have your mask!"

"It broke during a fight…"

"… will you show us now your face?" Itachi eventually asked in a timid voice. He knew there was something wrong, with how the man hid his face while he kept his visible eye closed, but he wanted to see the man that he thought of now as a big brother. "We won’t tell, if that’s what you are afraid of. It’s just… I want you to trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just…"

Sakumo squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "Show them. You already showed Obito and Kakashi and neither were scared as you thought. Your team saw you too. They will eventually see it anyway, so why not show them willingly now?"

Sen grimaced at the logic behind those words. He hated how more and more people knew his face and were attached to him. He wasn't supposed to exist in this world, wasn't supposed to make link with people here. He was supposed to make his things in the shadow without getting noticed and then leave when everything was right. It's one thing to meet a masked man that you barely knew and another to attach that person to a real face. But it was already too late. Sakumo knew. Obito and Kakashi did too. Wolf was the next who saw him and now his whole team knew the face hidden behind the mask. And how long until Minato manage to get the glimpse he so much tries to get? So, what was two more?

"It's not pretty I warn you. Are you really sure?" The two boys nodded with eyes gleaming in interest. "Alright then."

He removed the hood and showed his bare face to the young Uchihas. The two gasped as theirs eyes widened at the sight of the amount of scars there. Shisui visibly grimaced as if in pain with tears rising in his eyes while Itachi tried hard to keep his face expressionless. Itachi opened his mouth to ask a question when he was interrupted by his cousin's cry. Sen grimaced and instantly regretted showing them his face. However, he didn't expect the crying kid to hug his leg.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Shisui." Sen said as he petted the boy's head. But the boy only shook his head as he sobbed a 'no'. "What is it then?"

"You are hurt badly and I'm saaaaaad!" the kid wailed as he rubbed his face on the fabric of the pant he was hugging.

The scarred man smiled as he remembered how emotive Shisui was. Even when older, the boy had always been very expressive with his emotions, a trait that was particularly frowned among the Uchiha – as his had been – but ignored with Shisui, since the boy was exceptionally talented. "There is no need to cry," Sen told as he detached to kid from his leg to kneel before him. "It happened a long time ago and I don't feel anything now."

"How…" Itachi croaked and cleared his throat, being affected by the outburst of his best friend. "How did it happen?"

"A boulder fell on me in a cave during a mission and my team left me behind, thinking I was dead." Sen answered as he patted the now calmed boy's back. "That's why teamwork is very important during mission and starting mission at the right age. We weren't prepared to fight against adults at that time."

Shisui eventually removed his head from Sen's shoulder and looked at his face, still hiccupping. "A-are you sure it-it doesn't hurt? It looks painful."

"Yeah. It happened long before you were born, so don't worry about it."

Sakumo listened to every bit of information disclosed in silence until he remembered how exhausted Sen was as the arm resting on Shisui's shoulder quivered. "Alright kids, how about you watch a bit of TV while Sen go rest a bit?" Sakumo quickly put a kids show on TV for the two cousins to watch as he helped Sen to his room. "Do you need help to change?"

"No, I'm all good. I will just rest for a little bit for now. You go take a shower. You don't want Kakashi to see you all bloodied when he come back, do you?"

Sakumo watched his lover painstakingly slowly removed his clothes before leaving the room. He told the boys to stay put while he was taking his shower and after receiving nods, went to the bathroom with a new set of clothes. Under the spray of hot water, he recollected everything he just learned about the man he loved. Sen got those scars when he was just a kid, fighting adults and then left for dead by his team under a boulder. How long has he stayed in that cave, gravely injured? How did he get out? What was that strange ability he had that allowed him to reattach back his arm seamlessly and heal from a fatal injury to his chest? And he used Mokuton too. How could someone that clearly was an Uchiha use Mokuton? Was it all linked with the time he got experiment on when he was younger as he said? Was he saved by the people who experimented on him? Oh, he had now so many more questions he wanted to ask; but would he get any answer? He wasn’t sure how long he pondered in the shower but knew it had been long enough when he heard the entrance door open and two children's voice screaming 'We are back!' that it had been long enough. Quickly drying himself, Sakumo put back clothes and entered the living room. There he saw Minato standing at the entrance, smiling when he saw the Hatake coming to him with a towel on his hair.

"Sorry, I couldn't hold them back any longer. They wanted to get back as soon as you dropped them, and I had no other choice but to bring them back or have them runaway by themselves."

"No no, it's alright. It was already kind of you to take care of the kids when I dropped them unannounced to your house." Sakumo smiled back.

"I heard quite the commotion happened in the village. Was that the reason of the sudden babysitting?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Danzo had been scheming behind the Hokage's back. You will probably learn more about latter on. In the end, he tried to escape and was executed. This is a big mess."

Minato frowned as he silently thought before looking back at his friend. "Am I right to believe that a certain Anbu we both know was involved?"

"Insightful as ever, I see." Sakumo grinned as he rose an eyebrow. "We just came back when the two Uchihas at the door were-" Sakumo stopped once he noticed the absence of the two children from the sofa in front of the TV. "Where did they go? And where are Kakashi and Obito?"

Minato blinked as he noticed to the absence of the two kids he brought back. "Aren't they in their room?"

They inspected the house together until only one room was left unchecked. Sakumo slowly opened the room where Sen was resting and couldn't stop the smile from blooming on his lips at the sight he saw. On the bed was laying Sen, surrounded by four little bodies. On his left side was Itachi, sleeping on the adult's shoulder, curled in a small ball. On the right was Obito, who was hugging his uncle with an arm and a leg thrown over his chest. Shisui was lying face down on Sen's stomach while Kakashi was sleeping alone at the bed's end, where there was more space. It was a heartwarming scene that Sakumo would keep imprinted in his mind forever.

"Is this who I think it is?" Minato whispered over his shoulder.

"Yes. I bet he will get annoyed to know that someone else saw him without his mask, but a lot of people already did today so; what's one more?" Sakumo grinned at the blond man behind him who was watching the scene with an intrigued expression.

"I didn't take him as a man that would get along with young children."

"Most people wouldn't think so too, but he really is softhearted when it comes to those kids. No matter how much he tried to distance himself from them, they were drawn as moths to a flame to him. I'm sure they can sense he is good person." Sakumo whispered back.

"And you seem to have a soft spot for him and know him very well, from what I hear. Something else you would like to share, Sakumo?" Minato smirked.

Sakumo shook his head. "I think it's time you get back to your home Minato. And thank you again for the impromptu babysitting."

"It was no problem. I will now see myself out. Have a nice day." And the blond left with those words.

Sakumo continued to watch the bed for a moment longer before stepping inside the room himself. He gently removed Obito from his spot and lay himself on Sen's right side before placing Obito on his own chest, thankful on having purchased a queen size bed for the guestroom. Obito only grumbled but didn't woke up. Sakumo placed a soft kiss on the scarred cheek on his side and closed his eyes himself. Right now, he was happy, surrounded by people he cared and loved in the safety of his house. It was for moment like this that he was happy to still be alive.

:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------:

The picture the team had after their first mission together as comemoration
From left to right: Kira, Hirota, Shogo, Sen and Maya