The Uchiha Who Believed

Aizen had learned one important truth:

If you want people to believe something, you must tell them the truth, or at least something that sounds true. Even if it's not entirely real, it needs to feel real. That's why he always spoke in truths or near-truths; it created a sense of authenticity that made up for any clumsiness or oddities in his behaviour for someone his age.

It was a subtle trick.

People might suspect that a ten-year-old could become a prodigy or even a Kage candidate. But no one would believe that a fourteen-year-old had a deep understanding of politics and the shadows behind the village system. After all, the academy didn't teach political strategy. And at his age, he was still supposed to be too young to grasp the complexities and cruelties of the real world.

That assumption worked perfectly in his favour.

Just now, Tsunade found herself speechless.

Hearing words about the Will of Fire from an Uchiha, of all people, left her momentarily stunned.

Did the Uchiha truly believe in the village? In the Will of Fire?

The thought made her chuckle softly, bitterly.

How ironic.

An Uchiha speaking of loyalty, when it was the village that had betrayed that very Will.

She wasn't naïve anymore. Not the green kunoichi who once charged into war with blind faith.

She had seen too much, lost too many.

And by now, she was experienced enough to sense the rot beneath the surface of Konoha's peace.

There was no proof, no official record or open confession, but even so…

She could feel it.

Something had gone wrong.

Deeply, quietly, and long ago.

"Tsunade-sama, are you alright?"

Aizen's gentle question pulled her out of her thoughts.

She blinked, refocusing. "What could possibly happen to me?" she said, forcing a small scoff and shaking her head.

But as she looked at him again, at that earnest, innocent face, she couldn't help but think, Just a child...

Then came his next words.

"You suddenly seemed… very sad."

Her expression froze for a moment. Then, to his surprise, she gave a faint nod.

"…Yes. I am," she admitted quietly. "Thinking about all the sacrifices that were made, for peace that never comes easy."

There was no anger in her voice, just a heavy kind of weariness.

Aizen immediately bowed his head, guilt flashing across his face.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, as if he'd made some unforgivable mistake. "I shouldn't have brought up the war. That wasn't my place."

Tsunade blinked, startled by how sincere he sounded.

"…You're a strange one," she muttered, though there was no harshness in her tone this time. Her arms crossed again, more out of habit than suspicion. "Tell me, why did you come to see me?"

She still couldn't quite figure him out. An Uchiha boy, polite and soft-spoken, quoting the Will of Fire like a loyalist. That alone was enough to raise questions.

Aizen, meanwhile, offered an apologetic smile.

"Ah, yes, sorry for the tangent. I actually came because I'm working on a jutsu. It's meant to temporarily increase a shinobi's physical attributes, maybe even permanently, if I can push it far enough."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly, the medic-nin in her immediately on alert.

"You're talking enhancement… like strength and speed?"

Aizen nodded calmly, almost innocently.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm five," he replied without hesitation.

Tsunade blinked.

"…And you're making a jutsu."

He tilted his head slightly, as if confused by her confusion.

"Well… yes."

Tsunade stared at him for a long beat, trying to decide if he was joking or just here to make a fool out of her.

But the boy's expression didn't waver. Calm. Innocent. Dead serious.

With a faint scoff, she leaned back in her chair and muttered under her breath,

"What the hell is wrong with the world…"

She rubbed her temple, already feeling the start of a headache. Then she leaned forward again, voice firmer, this time laced with the sharp edge of a teacher's warning.

"Listen, kid. Making a jutsu isn't some game. You can't just say 'I want more strength' and expect chakra to play along."

She tapped her desk with a finger, eyes narrowing slightly.

"You need to understand exactly what you're trying to do, and how you're doing it. Especially with a physical enhancement jutsu."

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle before continuing.

"Things like that always come at a cost. You're not just pulling power out of nowhere. The body has limits, and chakra doesn't bend those limits for free. You push too far, and it's not power you gain, it's injuries. Burnout. Maybe even death."

Tsunade paused.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Why am I even telling him all this?

He's just a kid.

I should shut this down. Reject him. Send him back.

Then his voice broke the silence.

"Does that mean… I need to sacrifice something to gain strength?"

She blinked, then let out a soft sigh.

"…Most likely yes," she admitted, her tone clipped.

Her gaze drifted toward the papers on her desk, and with a dismissive wave, she added, "Anyway, go back. I've got work to do."

She didn't want to drag this out any further. Entertaining the idea of a five-year-old inventing a high-level physical enhancement jutsu was absurd. No matter how well-spoken or composed he seemed, he was still a child.

Better to let him go before she started taking him seriously.

But Aizen, ever composed, gave a small bow.

"Sorry for the inconvenience."

Then, lifting his head slightly, he added with quiet sincerity,

"Thank you for your time. I learned a lot. This conversation was… helpful."

And it was.

Not just in words exchanged, but in outcomes achieved.

Aizen understood he had succeeded in what he came here for.

Plant the seed.

Let Tsunade see the Will of Fire in him, genuine and unwavering. Let her believe he was just a child with dreams, speaking of loyalty, strength, and betterment.

He also made sure she heard about the jutsu he was working on. Of course, she would brush it off as childish fantasy. That was expected.

But that didn't matter.

It wasn't for now.

It was for later.

There was no sarcasm, no smugness, just that same polite calm. It made her pause, just for a second, before she gave a silent nod.

Then he turned and left.

The door closed with a soft click.

The office was unusually still after that.

Tsunade stared at the door for a moment longer than she needed to. Something about that boy unsettled her—not in a threatening way.

But in the way a whisper unsettles when the room is supposed to be silent.

She sighed.

Then…

"He had been brainwashed."

Tsunade turned sharply at the sound of footsteps.

Standing in the corner of the room, half-veiled by the shadows, was an old man, his posture straight despite the weight of age. Beside him stood the shinobi who had escorted Aizen in earlier, now quiet, expression unreadable.

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you know him? Is that why you let him in?"

As for being brainwashed, she didn't need to ask what he meant—one look at Aizen was enough.

The elder stepped forward, the light revealing the sharp lines of his face, one of the last remaining Senju elders.

Earlier, they had been discussing some matters when the guard interrupted with a message: "An Uchiha child wishes to speak with the Senior Tsunade." She had been ready to refuse outright. Too many memories. Too many ghosts. But the elder had held up a hand and said, "Let him in. Let's see what he wants."

Now, she understood he had other reasons.

"No, I didn't know him," the elder said calmly, folding his hands behind his back. "But I was curious. Curious why an Uchiha boy would ask to speak to you alone."

He paused, letting the words hang for a moment.

"And now I understand."

Tsunade's frown deepened. "Understand what?"

"The way he spoke," the elder continued, "the way he held himself… He's not like the rest of his clan. That child believes in the village. Truly. Speaks of the Will of Fire as if he were raised in a shrine to it."

He turned his gaze toward her, voice lower now, more serious.

"I had him checked. His identity. The boy is Aizen Uchiha, grandson of Renzō Uchiha."

Tsunade stiffened at the name.

"…Renzō," she repeated, almost under her breath. "One of the radicals."

It's not exactly a secret the Uchiha had their own factions. They were like any other clan in that way—ideologues, idealists, hardliners, moderates. And some who just wanted to live quietly.

Her eyes narrowed. "So, what do you think?"

The old Senju elder let out a faint hum, gaze distant.

"I think I overestimated the situation. There's no immediate danger, no secret message or grand agenda in his words." He gave a faint, almost nostalgic smile. "Still, it was oddly enjoyable. Rare, even. To meet someone like him."

He paused for a moment, then his tone shifted—softer, touched by memory.

"He reminded me of someone. Someone… different."

Tsunade glanced at him, curious. "Who?"

"Uchiha Kagami," the elder said quietly. "Not many speak of him these days. But he was… exceptional. Never drunk on power like so many others."

Tsunade blinked. That name stirred old files in her mind—vague mentions, scattered through the older records and half-forgotten war stories. Uchiha Kagami.

One of the students of her second grandpa, the Nidaime Hokage himself. And the only Uchiha Tobirama had ever trusted enough to keep at his side.

Her brow furrowed. "Kagami, huh… That's not a comparison you throw around lightly."

The old Senju nodded slowly. "No. I don't."

Tsunade leaned back again, her fingers steepling in front of her lips. A long breath passed before she spoke.

"…Damn Uchiha. Just when I thought I'd seen them all."

***********

Card's for next gacha