223. Sarutobi Hiruzen's Childhood Trauma

My name is Shimura Danzo, and I’m five years old. My future was supposed to be bright: my grandfather is the clan leader, and my father is an elder. If everything went as planned, I was destined to be the rising star of the Shimura clan and live a carefree life of privilege.

But that all changed the day I met this wretched curly-haired man.

"Waah~! Even my grandpa never hit me like this!"

Lying face down on the ground, my little self, Danzo, with my behind sticking up, lifted my tear-streaked, dirt-smudged face. Pain radiated from my rear, making me cry even louder.

"Danzo, what are you doing lying on the ground with your butt in the air?"

Just as I was bawling my eyes out, a familiar voice suddenly spoke above me.

"Ah, Monkey, help me!"

Through my blurry vision, I saw the figure of my childhood friend and felt a surge of hope. Reaching out a trembling hand to grab his pants leg, I pleaded desperately.

"What did you do this time?"

The person I was calling my savior was a boy around my age. Compared to my miserable, crying state, he, known as "Monkey," seemed unnaturally calm, his young eyes filled with a maturity beyond his years. He frowned down at me, clearly displeased.

"Nothing! That awful curly-haired guy went nuts the moment I said my name. He just started spanking me! My poor butt~!"

"Who would dare beat up a child in public? And with the Uchiha standing aside like that?"

Sarutobi glanced over at the scene of the commotion, where the curly-haired man was arguing fiercely with a group of Uchiha, and his confusion deepened.

Turning to the lean man standing behind him, he asked cautiously, "Father, do you know who that man is?"

"Strange. Judging by his aura, he’s only at captain level. Even if Shimura Kenichi isn’t the most skilled, he’s at least at the elite captain level. To be so easily overpowered... that man is definitely not ordinary."

The lean man, who seemed just as puzzled, carefully assessed the confident, sharp-tongued stranger.

"Hiruzen, we should go over there. But don’t act recklessly like Danzo."

The lean man sighed at the predicament of the Shimura father and son before striding toward the mysterious man.

The Sarutobi and Shimura clans had long been steadfast allies, and this visit to the Hidden Leaf Village was supposed to reinforce their bond. Ignoring the situation would only bring embarrassment to both clans.

"Unacceptable! This curly-haired fool must give our Shimura clan an explanation!"

Before they even approached, Kenichi’s loud, grating voice reached their ears, making the lean man frown deeply.

"Kenichi, yelling like a street brawler is disgraceful for a Shimura clan member."

When the lean man reached the group, he scolded his ally in a low, steady voice.

"Ah, Sasuke! Just in time! Let’s deal with this curly-haired bastard together!"

Kenichi, who was clearly losing ground, turned in delight at the sound of a familiar voice and hurriedly called out to Sarutobi Sasuke, the lean man.

"What? Who’s bastard? Where?"

Uchiha Gin, who had been gloating over his victory, perked up at hearing the familiar name and began scanning the crowd. His sudden excitement left everyone bewildered.

"Greetings. I am Sarutobi Sasuke. May I know your name, sir?"

Sasuke, puzzled by the curly-haired man’s unusual reaction to his name, hesitated before formally introducing himself.

"Ah, so this guy is the real deal..."

Gin muttered under his breath, sizing up Sasuke’s somewhat familiar features. With a polite smile, he replied, "Nice to meet you. I’m Uchiha Gin, just an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan."

"Eh?" x4

Both the adults and the children of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans froze in disbelief. They stared at Gin’s curly hair with wide eyes, unable to reconcile his cheerful demeanor with the terrifying reputation of the Uchiha.

"Doesn’t seem like it?"

In response to their doubtful expressions, Gin opened his seemingly perpetually squinted eyes slightly, revealing a fleeting but unmistakable crimson glow. The Sharingan’s brief flare silenced all doubts instantly.

"Apologies. Kenichi was out of line."

Sasuke, wary of the Uchiha's infamous volatility, quickly sought to de-escalate. No matter how confident he was in his abilities, he wasn’t eager to provoke someone from the notoriously unstable Uchiha clan.

"Kenichi, apologize to this gentleman from the Uchiha clan at once!"

Turning to his disgruntled ally, Sasuke issued a stern warning, his sharp gaze leaving no room for argument.

"But—! Fine..."

Kenichi, indignant at having been struck and humiliated, clenched his jaw in resistance. Yet, upon meeting Sasuke's cold, threatening glare, his defiance crumbled. Bowing his head reluctantly, he muttered, "I’m sorry. It was my fault. Please forgive me."

"Admitting your mistake is admirable. I’ll let it slide this time~."

Gin raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, casting a curious glance at Sasuke. It seemed this famous shinobi had considerable sway even among his allies.

"Sasuke, is that clever-looking little one your son? What’s his name?"

Gin’s gaze shifted to the boy who was comforting the crying Danzo, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Cough... Hiruzen. Does that name work for you?"

Sasuke, suddenly wary, recalled how the mere mention of Danzo's name had provoked Gin into a spanking frenzy. He hesitated for a moment before carefully revealing his son’s name.

"You're Hiruzen?"

Gin’s expression lit up with unrestrained joy. In a flash, he appeared before the two boys, startling everyone.

"Hey, Monkey! Be gentle—you’re touching my sore butt!"

Terrified, Danzo’s hands slipped, and the pants Hiruzen had just helped him pull up fell back down, exposing his bruised, reddened bottom to the cold air.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Sarutobi Hiruzen. Please take care of me."

In stark contrast to Danzo’s panic, Hiruzen remained calm as he introduced himself, meeting Gin’s gaze without fear.

"Hmph, not bad. I like your guts. Here, have a candy."

Impressed by the boy’s composure, Gin grinned even wider, producing a lollipop and handing it to Hiruzen.

"Uh... Thank you, Uncle."

Though Hiruzen accepted the candy with a hint of pride, the sweet scent made him salivate unconsciously. Glancing at the miserable Danzo beside him, he couldn’t help but feel smug.


With a gulping sound echoing, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively pressed his lips together, only to realize that the sound hadn’t come from him. As he turned toward its source, a voice shouted:
"Monkey, you'll regret this!"

Danzo Shimura, feeling a wave of injustice rise in his heart, couldn’t help but glare at the enticing candy in Hiruzen’s hand. Why did that cunning monkey get candy, while he, despite being the same age, was subjected to harsh scolding? Wiping the drool forming at the corner of his mouth, Danzo shouted indignantly:
"Only good children get candy! And I’m the good child!"

Noticing the naked envy in Danzo’s eyes, Hiruzen smirked. Without hesitation, he unwrapped the candy, popped the entire lollipop into his mouth, and began savoring it loudly. The tantalizing sounds drove Danzo mad with frustration, his teeth grinding as he silently vowed to settle the score.

“Is it tasty?” asked a slyly smiling Uchiha Gin, watching the unfolding drama between the childhood friends.
“Mm-hmm! Delicious!” replied Hiruzen, his five-year-old nature easily swayed by the sugary temptation.

Pointing at the sulking, bare-bottomed Danzo beside him, Gin teased, “That kid—Danzo, right? He’s your best friend?”

“Mhm, Danzo and I,” Hiruzen mumbled through candy slurps, “we grew up sharing... the same pair of pants. Best friends!”

Hearing this, Gin’s smile twisted mischievously. “Well, if you shared the same pants growing up, and he’s already taken his off, why are you still wearing yours?”

Before Hiruzen could process this, Gin let out a wicked laugh. The next moment, Hiruzen felt a sudden chill around his hips, his pants yanked down without warning. Caught completely off guard, he stood frozen in shock.

“What a tiny birdie you’ve got there! I hope it doesn’t fly off,” Gin quipped, mockingly inspecting Hiruzen’s exposed self.

Suddenly, Gin raised his hand, a faint blue glow emanating from his fingertips. With a flick, a gust of sharp wind shot forth and split into several streams, striking Hiruzen with relentless precision.

“Agh! Agh! Aghhh!”

Hiruzen swore this was the most humiliating moment of his life. Immobilized, he could only endure the mortifying onslaught, a mix of pain and a bizarre sensation making him cry out involuntarily.

“Stay your hand from my son!” roared Hiruzen’s father, Sarutobi Sasuke, who erupted in fury upon hearing his son’s cries. His hands moved in a blur, summoning a wave of scorching heat that filled the air.

“Oh, calm down. It’s just a little teasing,” Gin replied nonchalantly, though his actions showed no signs of stopping. Meanwhile, Danzo watched from the side, secretly reveling in Hiruzen’s suffering.

“What are you trying to do, Sarutobi Sasuke?” a chilling voice interrupted. The air grew heavy as Uchiha Fuka, flanked by a squad of shinobi with Sharingan eyes glowing crimson, stepped forward. The oppressive atmosphere forced Sasuke to suppress his anger, though his voice remained sharp as he questioned:
“Is this how the Uchiha welcome their guests?”

“Guests? You overestimate yourself,” sneered Uchiha Setsuna, a spiky-haired youth in the group. “This is Uchiha territory. A Sarutobi has no right to call himself a guest here.”

“Setsuna, enough,” Fuka ordered coldly, shooting the boy a warning glance. Turning back to Sasuke, he added, “Let’s not escalate this. I trust Gin-sama isn’t the type to bully children.”

“Father! Save me! My birdie’s going to explode!” wailed Hiruzen, breaking the tense silence. His cries turned Sasuke’s face an alarming shade of green as his fury reignited.

“Is this your idea of not bullying children?” Sasuke spat, his patience snapping.

Gin burst out laughing, clapping his hands in amusement. “What? He’s fine! Just a bit of fun. Lighten up, Sasuke!”

The scene grew increasingly chaotic until Sasuke, unable to contain his anger, summoned his companion beast, Enma the Monkey King. But before the conflict could spiral into outright violence, a white-haired figure descended between the two sides, radiating an overwhelming pressure that silenced the chaos.

It was Tobirama Senju, his red eyes gleaming with unspoken authority.

“Enough,” he commanded sharply, his voice quelling all resistance. “Explain yourselves. What happened here?”

Sasuke wasted no time, pointing at Gin as he declared, “That curly-haired fiend bullied my son and even—” he faltered, “even humiliated his... dignity! Tobirama-sama, I demand justice!”

Turning to Gin, Tobirama asked, “Is that true?”

Gin shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? I like playing with kids. It’s not a big deal.”

Tobirama’s expression darkened as he processed the absurdity of the situation, realizing he’d stepped into a bizarre feud with no easy resolution.