Fanficbased on Naruto (by Masashi Kishimoto) and Bleach (by Tite Kubo). This is a fan-made story with no official affiliation. The content is shared as part of the creative rewards on my Patreon.
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
(I apologize for the delay, I have been sick, from now on I will resume the rhythm of writing that I have been doing).
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Previous Chapter
Test complete.
She hadn't used any canon-specific answers. Everything she wrote was plausible—solid strategy for any ninja with brains and insight. References to clans, terrain, and political structure were all common knowledge for someone like her.
She looked over the paper with a faint smile. If the grade was high enough, ramen was practically guaranteed.
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Downtown Kumogakure. Inside a ramen shop.
The atmosphere was... unusual, to say the least.
At a table in the back, two muscular men were locked in an arm-wrestling match so intense that the counter itself was trembling.
One was a dark-skinned giant with a neatly trimmed goatee and short gray hair: Denji, arms covered in scars and veins like steel cables.
The other, just as imposing, had slicked-back blond hair and a matching beard. None other than A, with a face of pure focus and a deeply furrowed brow.
"C'mon, A! You're not gonna make me pay again, are you?" Denji growled through clenched teeth.
"If you lose, I get the double egg in my ramen, no complaints!" A shot back, his biceps bulging like a chiseled stone as the table groaned under the strain.
Beside them, standing on a table like it was his stage, Killer Bee was rapping at full volume:
🎵 Here I am, the lightning's mine!
I hit hard, I struck on time!
With flow and spark, I own the light,
I shine way brighter than the night! 🎵
Bee threw his arms up, bouncing to his own beat, completely convinced the crowd around the arm wrestlers was there for him. A born showman through and through.
Near the impromptu stage, at the bar, a man leaned shamelessly across the counter, flashing his best smile at the waitress.
"Hey gorgeous... name's Mario," he said in an over-the-top voice. "Wanna know why they call me the Cuchau?"
The waitress didn't even blink—until she gave a subtle smile.
"I'd love to."
She whispered something in his ear, spoke briefly to the manager, then disappeared through a side door. Mario straightened his clothes like he was about to walk on a romantic date. He turned to his friend and said solemnly:
"Renji, I'm sorry... Cupid's calling. Gotta spread my love wherever the door opens."
Renji barely reacted. He closed his eyes and muttered:
"The door that's about to open… definitely not the one you're expecting."
Because what Mario didn't know was that the "waitress" was a highly trained espionage ninja using a transformation jutsu.
He loved his job—seducing customers and extracting information. The fact that he was also gay only made it easier… and way more fun for him.
"Good luck, dear Mario. May a new door open for you," Renji said softly, watching him march off with misplaced confidence.
Meanwhile, near the entrance, an agile figure weaved between stools and tables like it was all part of a game.
A dark-skinned girl with golden feline eyes and violet hair tied in a low ponytail. Her name: is Yoruichi.
A round black cat was leaping gracefully ahead of her, dodging with precision while she chased it with a wild grin on her face.
"Get away from me, girl! The great Chomusuke needs his nap! Nya~!" the cat screeched, hopping from bench to bench.
"NOOO! I wanna hug you! Let me put that beautiful fur!" Yoruichi shouted, running on all fours like a wild beast, palms flat on the floor.
They both growled—Chomusuke with the annoyance of a thousand-year-old noble, Yoruichi with pure, unshakable stubbornness.
The chase lasted several minutes until—
"Gotcha!" Yoruichi yelled, diving for the cat.
But when she looked down at her arms… they were empty.
She looked up, confused—and there was Chomusuke, calmly licking his paws, perched right on top of her dad's head.
"Nya~. You've got centuries to go before you can catch me, insolent child. Keep training—maybe in your next life!"
Denji burst into laughter—just as his friend got distracted by the scene. In that split second, Denji slammed down hard and won the arm-wrestling match.
"Gotcha! You're paying today." he grinned, stroking the cat before setting him down.
"Tsk… Dammit..." A growled, pulling out his wallet and looking for the waitress.
Right then, the "waitress" walked out of the bathroom, adjusting her clothes with a look of pure disappointment. As she passed Mario, she muttered just loud enough:
"Now I get why they call you the Cuchau… It's because you finish so fast."
And she walked off like nothing happened.
Seconds later, Mario stepped out of the same door. His legs were shaking. He clung to the wall for support. He didn't say a word.
He didn't need to.
His face said it all.
That empty stare. That dead expression.
The classic thousand-yard stare.
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After A paid—not just for the ramen, but also the damages caused by the arm-wrestling match—the group began to disperse. Mario disappeared around a corner, Renji left quietly, and Astra, watching him go, snapped her fingers like she had just solved a mystery.
"Now it all makes sense… Renji plays for the other team! No wonder he always crashes and burns on dates."
Yoruichi, with a single dramatic tear sliding down her cheek, nodded solemnly.
"I support you, Renji… When you come out of the closet, Cupid Yoruichi will be ready to find you the perfect match."
She meant it with all her heart, completely oblivious to the confused stares that Denji, A, and even Chomusuke were giving her from the other table. The cat, perched on Denji's head, licked his paws like he wasn't surprised by the comment… but still silently judged it.
"The summoner's daughter is strange… I don't like her personality, but I can't help but like her. What a weird feeling."
A fleeting thought from Chomusuke, before closing his eyes and letting it go.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.
With a sharp sound, a masked shinobi appeared before the group—the iconic cat-like mask of the ANBU division giving away his rank. His entrance was clean, efficient, and direct.
"It's an honor to appear before you, Denji-sama, A-sama, Yoruichi-ojou-sama."
The ANBU raised an arm and handed over a scroll sealed with the official mark. Denji took it without saying a word. The ninja vanished in a blink—but Yoruichi, who had sensed him coming long before, turned her head toward the direction he retreated and flashed a sly smile.
She didn't say a word, but the ANBU hesitated—just for a split second—before continuing on.
While his daughter casually made a veteran ANBU lose composure, Denji opened the scroll.
What he read hit hard. A shockwave in the shinobi world.
"Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha… deceased."
Denji's brow furrowed. He was not someone easily shaken. He had fought Sakumo before—on missions, in war zones. He knew him well, and he knew his strength.
His unique style—blending samurai precision with ninja tactics—made him lethal. Someone like that doesn't just die overnight. And especially not by suicide.
A noticed his expression and asked:
"What is it? Why that face?"
Denji handed him the scroll in silence. A read it—and his brow furrowed too.
"Damn… I was expecting anything but this," he muttered. "We going to see my father?"
Denji nodded.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi had effortlessly climbed onto A's shoulder like a cat and was reading the scroll from there.
"Dad… who was this guy?" she asked with fake innocence, hiding the fact that she already knew the full story from canon.
"So Sakumo's fallen… It's a shame, but honestly, it's lucky for Kumogakure—and me. With someone that strong gone, I've got better odds of surviving the Third Great War. Still… poor Kakashi."
"He was a very powerful ninja from Konoha. We're shocked because he was as strong as your father," A replied—though he didn't get the chance to finish.
Denji unintentionally cut him off when he noticed his daughter staring at him from A's shoulder with a pout.
He smiled and gently lifted her off A's shoulder, placing her on his own.
"HAHAHA! Relax, sweetheart—your dad's the strongest. Though I can't deny Sakumo was, too."
Yoruichi looked at him from his shoulder, eyes wide with curiosity and challenge.
"But would you lose?"
"nah, i'd win" Denji answered without hesitation.
His confidence made Yoruichi burst out laughing. Denji lifted her into the air like she was a precious treasure.
Then, with a small dramatic twist, Yoruichi flipped off his shoulder and landed smoothly on the ground, planting herself in front of the two men.
She pointed firmly at her father.
"You can go with Uncle A and Grandpa A... but you have to promise you'll teach me the Ninneko summoning jutsu."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she glanced at Chomusuke.
Denji sighed.
"Fine. After the meeting, I'll teach you."
Yoruichi lit up like she'd just won the lottery. She waved goodbye enthusiastically.
"See ya, Dad! I'm off to train with Tomoe, Yosuke, Yugito, Mina, Darui, Mina—again—and Mabui!"
Denji watched her run off across the rooftops, pride in his eyes. Then he nodded to A, and the two of them launched into motion, heading at high speed toward the Raikage's tower.
.....
.....
.....[ + ]
When they reached the top of the tower, they entered without delay.
Inside, several high-ranking shinobi were already seated on the floor, their expressions serious, facing the wide desk of the third Raikage.
He was silently reading a report, his gaze fixed, brow furrowed. At his side stood Kimiko, his right hand, observing as if trying to anticipate what would come next.
Denji and A entered quietly, returning the respectful nods of the others with a slight tilt of the head.
They positioned themselves at the front, beside Unsui, Renji, Honey, and other prominent jōnin. The air was thick—tension hung heavy in the room.
Once the last of the shinobi arrived, the Raikage looked up and began to speak.
"As you all know, we're here because of the death of Sakumo Hatake—the White Fang of Konoha… or rather, because of what his death means."
Kimiko stood and began writing names and dates on the board as the Raikage continued in a firm voice:
"With the death of a Kage-level shinobi and the recent news that Tsunade—the legendary Sannin—has developed a phobia of blood… Konoha has lost two top-tier assets. One, a deadly assassin. The other, a medic who could heal any wound."
He took a sip of tea and let the silence stretch.
Many in the room had lived through the last war… and knew exactly what these signs meant.
"Another war is coming."
The Raikage leaned on his desk and looked directly at everyone present, launching into a lesson in history.
"Many forget that the First Great Shinobi War wasn't declared… it was inevitable. It came naturally when the clans of each country started to unify. It all began with the Uchiha and Senju founding Konoha. That alliance forced the rest of the world to follow, or be crushed by the new power of the Land of Fire."
Kimiko wrote a name on the board: Ozai, the first Fire Daimyō.
"Ozai was a conqueror by nature. With Madara and Hashirama by his side, the Land of Fire could have swept across the continent. The other nations only organized to avoid being destroyed. And so, with no treaties, no diplomacy, war broke out."
The Raikage paused. His tone shifted into something more like a memory as if recounting a story he had lived himself.
"Peace came with the first Kage Summit. There, the First Hokage proposed distributing the Tailed Beasts among the villages to avoid greater conflict. Some agreed. Others hesitated. But that same year, the first formal agreement was signed between the First Raikage and Tobirama Senju." [+]
He set his tea down on the table.
"However, during that summit, the Gold and Silver Brothers—and their followers—ambushed the First Raikage. He died in combat. Tobirama was gravely wounded. That was when I assumed the mantle and became the Second Raikage, stepping up to lead Kumogakure."
The room stayed silent. No one dared to interrupt.
"After that came a long period of peace. The villages grew. There were tensions, yes, but nothing serious… until the attack on the Uzumaki Clan. Soon after, Konoha—having absorbed a huge part of the sealing knowledge from Uzushiogakure—emerged stronger… and more ambitious."
He remembered that time perfectly. At one Kage Summit, the possibility of eliminating Uzushiogakure was raised. The Daimyōs of all nations agreed, and the Kage did not object.
Konoha, however, neither supported nor rejected the idea. Hiruzen said nothing. Just puffed on his pipe like it had nothing to do with him.
The real motive for the attack was clear: Fūinjutsu.
Even something as simple as a storage seal could completely alter the economy and logistics of a nation. The Uzumaki clan's knowledge was a threat to everyone—and an opportunity too valuable to ignore.
Though officially, Konoha didn't take part, they allowed Iwagakure and Sunagakure to pass through the Land of Fire to reach the Land of Whirlpools.
It was a clever move. Dirty, but effective.
Konoha didn't get their hands bloody, but they left the door wide open.
The attack was brutal. Many shinobi from the allied villages died due to the Uzumaki's unpredictable sealing techniques.
But once the clan fell, every nation took their share of the spoils: techniques, secrets, scrolls.
The fall of the clan made the storage seal go global, transforming the economy completely.
And even then, the village that gained the most… was Konoha.
Why? Because Mito Uzumaki lived there. Much of the clan's hidden knowledge ended up in Leaf's hands.
The Raikage wasn't naïve. He knew Hiruzen didn't protect the Uzumaki not just out of fear of total war—but because the clan itself was a threat to his power inside the village.
And without losing a single shinobi, Konoha came out on top.
From that day on, A watched the Third Hokage more closely. He knew the man was dangerous—not for his power, but for his mind.
What the rest of the world didn't know was an open secret among veterans:
In Konoha, they called him "The Professor" because of his mastery of every chakra nature.
But in other villages, especially among contemporaries like A and Ōnoki, the nickname had a deeper meaning:
They called him that because he acted like a real teacher—guiding his village like students, shaping them to his vision, and using every piece on the board to serve his ideals.
He was the kind of teacher who only taught his version of the world.
"Cunning old fox… lucky age is finally catching up to you."
Still, as a leader, the Raikage had to respect him—even if he didn't like him.
"Raikage-sama?" Kimiko asked gently, noticing he'd gone quiet.
In the front row, Denji and A mumbled at the same time, almost as a reflex:
"The old man's memory's glitching again…"
Luckily, the Raikage didn't hear a thing. He shook his head, as if brushing off a bothersome memory, and got back on track:
"Apologies… I got distracted thinking about the past."
He straightened up and continued:
"After that attack, a couple of years passed. That's when Konoha started the war. And that was the beginning of the Second Great Shinobi War. A war that dragged on for years…"
He grabbed his tea with a harsh gesture, and with open contempt in his voice, went on:
"And yes… Konoha won. It wasn't luck. It wasn't a trick. They won because they had the upper hand. They had more shinobi. Better shinobi. While the rest of us were still mourning our losses after the fall of Uzushiogakure, Konoha stood untouched. Motivated. They used Uzushiogakure's tragedy as an excuse to strike back. And what did Hiruzen do? He ordered his ninja to wear the Uzumaki clan symbol on their vests. A cheap gesture. But it worked. It fueled them even more."
He clenched his teeth. Rage still simmered in his voice.
"That damned old fox… every time I remember that era, I can't help but think he might've been the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki himself."
No one spoke. They didn't have to. Everyone knew the truth. They were shinobi. There were no eternal alliances. Only the village, the clan, the family. Everything else… enemies. Or future enemies. Simple as that.
The Raikage lowered his tone—but his voice grew stronger.
"And now… with the fall of two Kage-level shinobi—Sakumo and Tsunade, each for different reasons—a new opportunity has opened."
He paused.
"We don't know who'll light the spark of the next war. Could be a Daimyō. Could be a Kage. Maybe even a child with power we don't yet understand."
Silence.
"But we do know this: when it starts, those who are ready will survive. Those who aren't… will be history."
He looked up. His gaze swept over all the shinobi in the room.
"Starting today, Kumogakure has one mission: get stronger."
He slammed his open palm on the table.
"Full training. All ranks. All levels. I want every shinobi in this village—from veterans to genin—training like war has already begun."
His voice thundered across the room:
"Train your children. Your wives. Your husbands. Your siblings. Because war shows no mercy. And death shows even less."
And in a voice that left no room for doubt, he concluded:
"From this day until war officially begins, Kumogakure will invest everything in creating shinobi. Because when thunder roars… the lightning must not miss."
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End of Chapter 17
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Author's Note:
After several chapters with heavy slice-of-life vibes, things are officially heating up.
Commentary:
I always believed the First Great Shinobi War started after Hashirama's death—but after doing some research, turns out… nope.
What's actually mentioned is that Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts to the other villages during the first Kage Summit (for peace—and for money), and shortly afterward, he dies under unclear circumstances. That same year, Tobirama became Hokage and signs a peace treaty with Kumogakure, which ends the war. On that very mission, he's gravely injured… and eventually dies.
According to the first databook, the war broke out after Tobirama took over. But the third databook brings up that the first Kage Summit happened during a World War—which can only mean the first one—implying it actually happened under Hashirama's reign.
Honestly, I was surprised. I always thought it was canon that the war began after Hashirama died. I guess reading so many fanfics distorted my memory.