Cursed Saint

1 - Act of Bravery

Hey guys! Finally edited this chapter. Hope you all enjoy :3

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Beauty, Hiruzen believed, could always be captured just as the sun was fading away and night took its reign. It was in that moment that his home began to settle down. Everyone was rushing home or already there, catching up with their family. Kids would occasionally appear to play in the streets, either pestering adults unintentionally or practicing their abilities to be future shinobi. Regardless, it was peaceful.

Hiruzen absorbed all of this, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he watched the sun sink lower and lower. He was half aware of one of the younger ladies tripping over herself, then began to profusely deny the possibly accidental peek of a place her shouldn't have seen. Instead he directed his thoughts for the next day.

Naruto had once more caused trouble, and he would have to try to calm the mass of parents before they began trying to either kill him or pull out their students. Part of him was tempted to let them. If they were going to have a panic attack because he accidentally busted a kid's nose in a sparring match, the child didn't have the will of a true ninja.

The elderly Hokage glanced over his shoulder at the desk that was piled high with paper work because of the previously thought of problem. It wasn't that he entirely minded the minimal tasks of being Hokage, but at the moment, he felt no drive to do it. Who would want to when everything outside the office was so inviting? Regardless, though, duty did call.

Just as the draw of his job were about to defeat his desire to relax, he sensed a chakra strangely close to his window. He turned just in time to see a black blur shoot from right outside, another figure taking its place.

It was a young boy, his face scrunched up in anger and concentration. If he wasn't wrong, the boy's name was Kaito. He was a rather lax Academy student only a year away from graduation. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow as Kaito crouched to launch away.

"Get back here!" Kaito shouted before disappearing after the previous blur.

Curiosity bubbled within Hiruzen. Based on Kaito's expression, this wasn't just a game. Smiling at his newfound excuse to escape, Hiruzen casually walked from the building, explaining to anyone curious he was going on a simple stroll. It wasn't exactly a lie, though it didn't tell of his reasoning behind it.

Once he arrived outside the building, he paused to extend his senses. It wasn't hard to lock on once more to the quickly traveling duo. If he was right, they'd taken to the ground. Forming a mental map in his mind, Hiruzen swiftly decided the best route to take to examine the situation and went with it.

As he moved, Hiruzen put out his pipe and slipped it into a hidden pocket. He crossed his arms behind his back before proceeding in the direction he'd sensed the chakra. Remaining aware of the direction the chakra was going, Hiruzen nonchalantly strolled through his village. Even if this was simply to sate his curiosity, it was nice to simply feel connected to his village.

Before he could relax too much, he suddenly felt the smaller chakra shoot into the air again. A few of the civilians still on the street shouted in shock as the figure blurred toward a wall, Kaito still chasing after him. Rather than stop, though, the blur grabbed a pole that had been sticking out of the wall, using it to swing and land a painful looking kick to the Academy student's jaw.

With a grunt, Kaito attempted a roundhouse. It was sloppy, though, and was weak due to having no source of power besides hip movements. The figure used this to their advantage, taking hold of Kaito's leg and spinning to throw him into the wall. The movement disgruntled Kaito, but it also sent the blur falling awkwardly toward the ground. Rather than landing on their feet, the figure landed on their hands and knees.