"Erm… I have a counterproposal. I'll join your village—as long as you're alive, Hashirama-sama. But to clarify, I don't want to be tied down forever. In the future, I want to travel, explore other villages, and eventually go beyond the Five Great Nations. So even if I become a Leaf Shinobi, I might disappear for years at a time while pursuing that dream.
This proposal can include clauses like: 'I, Akane, will not harm Konoha or the Land of Fire in any way, shape, or form—unless provoked or directly targeted by the country itself.' What do you think, Hokage-sama?"
The room was quiet.
Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara scrutinized him. Of the three, Tobirama was the most skeptical. To him, joining the village was binary: either you were part of it or you weren't—no in-between. And honestly, he wasn't wrong. The Warring States period had only just ended, and a kekkei genkai like Akane's could become an immense threat if left unchecked. Still, he waited for his brother's response.
Madara was also thinking things through, gears visibly turning behind his eyes, though he remained silent.
"Mmm… I accept your proposal," Hashirama finally said, then added, "But how do we know you'll actually keep your word? I'll accept it only if you agree to a chakra-binding agreement—with Tobirama and me."
Akane blinked, confused. "What's a chakra-binding agreement?"
'What the hell is that? That never came up in the story…'
Surprisingly, it was Madara who answered, voice casual and uninterested. "Simple. You pour a small portion of your chakra into a seal formation. That chakra is then bound to the conditions of a contract. After that, you reabsorb it into your body. Complicated, and not all that effective. If you have good chakra control, you can purge the bound chakra, though both parties will be aware if that happens. It's an Uzumaki secret technique—rarely used because it's mostly symbolic and a pain to prepare."
Akane blinked again.
'Maybe it was lost after Uzushiogakure fell? Maybe Mito and Kushina never passed it down. Huh. Food for thought.'
"Okay, I accept!"
---
Senju Compound
Madara had left. His curiosity about Akane had been satisfied, and he had no reason to linger. Akane figured that Madara's defection wasn't far off—maybe Black Zetsu had already made contact, if not why he didn't intervened in the discussion? Madara wasn't the type to let loose ends if something wasn't in his favor, if he truly was in the village side he wouldn't have let Akane go with the contract route so easily at least that was Akane opinion. It was hard to know for sure.
'...Wait. I can understand Japanese now?! Well, classic perk of being isekai'd, I guess.'
Meanwhile, Hashirama headed toward his home with Tobirama and Akane in tow.
"Mitooo! I'm home!" Hashirama called cheerfully.
"Shut up, you dumb oak! Take your sandals off before stepping in!" Mito shouted from inside, already scolding him for nearly tracking dirt into the house. The floor was sacred—especially in a household ruled by a mother and grandmother.
Tobirama silently stepped back, discreetly removing his sandals as well.
Then Mito caught sight of Akane.
"Oooh, come in, dear! You're adorable! But those clothes are heinous—let me help you."
"Mito-sama, I'm a man," Akane corrected with a sigh.
Still, Mito remained warm and welcoming. The discussion around the chakra-binding contract took a while. While she was a bit disappointed that Akane didn't want to join Konoha officially—especially with what seemed like Uzumaki blood—she helped nonetheless.
"Hashirama, the seal formation will be ready by tomorrow," Mito said. "You know how lengthy the process for the chakra-bind seal take. In the meantime, what are the conditions of this contract?"
So, Akane, Tobirama, and Hashirama brainstormed.
Many clauses were proposed. Many more were shot down. Eventually, only a few key conditions remained:
1. Akane will not harm Konoha or the Land of Fire in any way, shape, or form unless provoked or intentionally targeted by the country itself.
2. Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju will recognize Akane as an honorary shinobi (not officially), granting him the right to live in the village if he so desires.
3. In the case of natural disasters, if Akane is near Konoha, he is bound to assist. In return, the village will provide him with resources necessary to grow as a shinobi.
The contract was also written down for formality. Hashirama had to intervene more than once—Tobirama kept trying to sneak hidden "bombs" into the clauses. But Hashirama was a kind man. He didn't want to antagonize a potential ally with the potential that Akane demonstrated, plus he had a relation to the Uzumaki, after all they were the only in the Shinobi world that have red hair.
"Bohoo! Finally done! Erm… Hashirama-sama, Tobirama-sama, can we eat something now? I haven't eaten in a while—it's already night," said Akane, now feeling more at ease with the Senju.
"Of course, Akane-san. You'll eat with us tonight. Tomorrow, you'll receive a house. You're free to live in the Senju Compound—many of my clansmen have married villagers, so we have a few small houses unoccupied. Also… tomorrow, you'll meet your sensei after the chakra contract," Hashirama replied, smiling.
Before the conversation could end, Tobirama interjected, intrigued.
"Akane-san, your teeth, knuckles, and nails… are they truly made of metal?"
Even Mito and Hashirama leaned in, visibly interested.
Akane tilted his head. "I've never actually looked into it. I always treated them as normal. Never used them much. Can you give me a kunai? I'd like to test it."
"Here," Tobirama said, handing one over.
Akane took the kunai. First, he tapped it against his nails.
DING DING
Then his knuckles.
DING DING
Then his teeth.
Finally, he bit into the kunai—and crunched through it.
Tobirama's eyes gleamed with curiosity. Hashirama and Mito were quietly amazed.
Akane blinked, unsure how to explain what just happened. 'Huh… Maybe my teeth, nails, and knuckles are made from a higher-grade iron? Or some totally unknown metal?'
Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "But how have you never used them? Weren't you curious as a child?"
"Ehm… I only lived with my mother. She always nagged me not to do weird things with my teeth. And after she died, well… I ended up wandering the Land of Fire shortly after."
He trailed off, voice softening as he recalled the real memory.
He had been 23 when his mother passed—young, lost, and broken. She had been only 48. What he missed most was her last memento: an old pendant with a photo of her when she was young with her parents.
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HI FELLAS, AUTHOR HERE
HOPE Y'ALL DOING GOOD!
anyway comment if you have any feedback on how you think the story is developing!
If you have any suggestions I would love to read them!
Use power stones to support the story! Not much even one for each person is a huge boost for the reach that could receive the story, anyway thank you for your support even if you only read the story! It means still a lot to me!