"What the hell is a Jinchuriki? And why are you one of them?"
"It means that I hold a Tailed Beast within me. It's kept there by a seal."
"What the hell? That's awesome! Can you control it? Does that mean you can use its chakra? Wait, can you speak to it? Can I speak to it?" Katsuro rapid-fire questioned Mito.
To his surprise, however, the older woman grimaced.
"It's not that simple, Katsuro. The Nine Tails is the most powerful Tailed Beast of them all, and if it escapes it would wreak havoc on the village especially because we sealed it away."
"Only Hashi's wood style could control the Demon Fox before," Mito said looking into Katsuro's green eyes, "or perhaps that Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan as well."
Regardless of his misgivings about Granny Mito being a Jinchuriki, at least if anything went wrong, be it an enemy attack or the seal getting broken, he would be able to help. But he also had his eye on the Second Hokage's Flying Raijin Jutsu, a technique unmatched in the ninja world for movement and escapability he discovered in his faint memories. Flying Raijin requires a Fuinjutsu level at the grandmaster level at minimum.
Eventually Katsuro turned 8, and with it, during the third year of the academy, Fugaku, with nothing more to learn and pressure from his clan as the renowned genius, applied for early graduation. During times of peace, the normal graduation age would be 12, but even the slightly more talented shinobi would waste their time in the academy. Fugaku prompted Katsuro to also graduate, but he refused to Fugaku's frustration. "I think I'll stay here a little longer," Katsuro said with a smile.
"Why? To this day I have never beaten you in a fight, and I feel like you're always holding back, always doing that arrogant smirk!"
Katsuro laughed, "You go on ahead Fugaku, fulfill your dreams and lead your clan to prosperity."
For Katsuro, who only sent a shadow clone to the academy, it was not holding him back, rather enabling him to grow in a safe environment without having to do missions.
By the age of 9, Katsuro had developed a set of skills that would make many Chunin envious and even some Jonin wary. With the explosive potential of a Senju, the precise discipline of an Uzumaki Fuinjutsu user, the deadly flow of a Hatake swordsman, and the compassion-driven precision of a budding medical ninja, he was rapidly becoming a force that no one - not even history - could ignore.
And yet, he remained hidden in plain sight.
His shadow clone still dutifully attended the academy, answering roll call, maintaining appearances. Katsuro continued to hone his abilities in secrecy, only known to a select few: Mito, Sakumo, Tsunade, and now… possibly the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had begun to take notice of the boy's odd chakra patterns, his surprising power levels, and more importantly—his lineage.
Katsuro stayed in the academy for as long as he could, but upon graduation, he did something that shocked the whole village. The name of the Senju clan genius was already dragged through the mud when he did not graduate when his perceived rival, Uchiha Fugaku, did. But when he 'failed' to perform the 3 basic Ninjutsu, despite holding the top position throughout all his years in the academy, many villagers thought the Senju genius was finished. But those who did a little bit more critical thinking or knew better, understood Senju Katsuro did it on purpose.
One such person, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage known as the Professor, also noticed. From what he heard from Tsunade, he understood the boy was talented, perhaps even more so than Orochimaru, but seemed to insist on hiding it. The Third Hokage decided to directly confront him about it after the graduation ceremony. "Katsuro, my boy, it is clear you failed on purpose, can I ask why?"
Katsuro replied, "Lord Third, I don't think I'm suited to being a ninja, and I also want to make sure I can look after Granny Mito and it's not like we need the money."
Hiruzen's eye twitched after hearing this.
"Being a shinobi is a noble profession, we protect the villagers and ensure the new leaves can grow."
I'm impressed, Third Hokage. If I was a normal shinobi of Konoha, perhaps I'd even be compelled to retake the exams. But Katsuro was not a normal shinobi. He had heard of the dark side of the Leaf from Granny Mito, and what the likes of Danzo and the Third had done to it. In fact, even before Granny Mito had divulged the details to him, he hadn't liked either of them - a chilling, almost supernatural feeling had come over him at their mention. A genius Senju clan up-and-coming shinobi? That was prime material for Danzo and the Root, but also a threat to Konoha's upper echelon.
"Yes Lord Hokage, I hope the shinobi can protect me."
Does this insolent child truly think he's fooling me? Hiruzen mused angrily to himself. This Senju brat thinks he can just hide away from being a ninja? However, the Hokage had no choice but to leave him be. The boy's connections to his student, Tsunade, and the wife of the First Hokage, Uzumaki Mito, meant harassing him would cause him more problems than it was worth. Besides, Hiruzen noted smugly, what can a brat like him do anyway?
After the graduation ceremony, Katsuro noticed a shift in the village's perception towards him. The people that had once wholeheartedly greeted him whenever he walked by them now avoided eye contact with him. The shopkeepers that used to make as much conversation with him as humanly possible whenever he bought something now kept conversation short avoiding interacting with him in fear their stores would suffer. Even old classmates, save for a few like Fugaku (who was outraged to hear that Katsuro had failed the graduation exams), avoided him like the plague.
The village was ostracising him.
Katsuro wasn't surprised, however. In fact, in a way, he could almost understand it. Most of the village shared the Third Hokage's opinion - being a shinobi was an honour. A profession, a way of life, in which you could fight for the sake of your family, your friends, your home, your country and your honour. By failing the graduation exams as spectacularly as he did, many took it as a personal insult to their honour, especially considering his Senju lineage. Even more than that, to those that did realise he failed on purpose, he looked even worse - a coward, unwilling to fight for his village. Someone who didn't believe that he had a duty to his fallen ancestors and to his future descendants to protect their home - the ultimate insult. But even then such a reaction was not common, it was far more likely that forces in the shadows were spreading rumours making sure to minimise the influence of the Senju clan which they could not control. Katsuro sneered at the rumours and the loud few who spoke out against a child when they weren't even shinobi themselves.
AN: If you would like to view up to 20 chapters ahead, and would also like to support me, please visit my P@TR30N, at pa tr eon.com / GhidorahWriter (remove the spaces). Also, if you like the story so far, please remember to vote for the fic by voting with power stones, so we'll be able to continue uploading daily! Thanks for reading!