Chapter 18: A New Alias Debuts
After a period of careful preparation, Stelle had finally arranged a new identity for herself. She was currently situated in the Konoha Orphanage.
A group of children with sallow, listless faces were playing a game in the dusty yard. Stelle stood apart from them, leaning against the thick trunk of a large tree, her expression one of utter boredom as she stared into the middle distance. One of the kids called out, inviting her to join their game, but she refused without a moment's hesitation.
It was a joke, really. She was a person who could, on a good day, punch Senju Hashirama and kick Uchiha Madara. Was she really going to lower herself to playing 'ninja'? Did she have no dignity left?
The backstory for this new alias was that of a young noblewoman from the Land of Fire. Her family had been embroiled in a bitter feud with another noble house, resulting in the slaughter of her entire clan. She was the sole survivor, spirited away to Konoha by loyal guards who had fought to the death to ensure her escape.
The original girl, an ordinary child with no special abilities, had unfortunately succumbed to illness partway through the journey. Stelle had simply slipped into her place, assuming the identity.
With her family dead, her home destroyed, and the near certainty of being assassinated if she ever left the village's protection, she was naturally placed in the orphanage.
Because the original girl had lived a secluded life due to past assassination attempts, everyone who knew her was now dead. This was a convenient blank slate; Stelle didn't even need to bother faking a personality. She could get right to work.
As for her appearance, since no one knew what the original looked like, she had made some slight adjustments to her own features. The face was somewhat similar to her Senju Stelle persona, but many of the subtle details were different. Of course, all her aliases bore some resemblance to her true form. She couldn't help it; if the face in the mirror was too different, she'd probably scare herself.
Right now, her primary concern was how to begin farming emotional value.
So far, aside from Hashirama and his inner circle, the only other individuals in the village with a significant place on the world's future timeline were the members of Tobirama's elite student team, which included a young Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
Whenever she thought of those two names, images of their aged, weathered faces would surface in her mind, along with… other, stranger pictures from the future she knew. The feeling it produced was incredibly eerie. Befriending those two might lead to the same tragic end as Sakumo Hatake, but that hardly mattered. It wasn't like she could truly die, anyway. As long as she could harvest a steady stream of emotional value, any risk was worth it.
It would be quite an achievement to turn Tobirama's six-man unit into a seven-man one. If she demonstrated enough talent, she was confident she could join their ranks. Once she was embedded within their team, harvesting emotions from six people at once would surely be more efficient than her current setup with just four.
For now, she would bide her time in the orphanage. The Ninja Academy was nearly complete. When it opened, she would enroll, meet her future targets, and then take things one step at a time.
At that very moment, a long-haired shinobi bearing the Senju clan crest was quietly approaching the orphanage. It was none other than Senju Hashirama, who had once again managed to sneak out of the Hokage Building.
He had originally intended to just wander around the village, but to avoid being easily dragged back to work by his younger brother, he had ventured a bit further than usual. He hadn't expected to find himself at the orphanage.
'A good chance to see the cute children,' he thought with a grin.
Senju Hashirama pushed open the simple wooden gate and walked in. The orphanage matron, who had been playing with the children, saw the Hokage and hurried over, her expression a mixture of awe and nervousness.
"I'm just stopping by to take a look," Hashirama said, his voice warm and disarming. "What are you all playing? Can I join in?"
The children, who had been a little intimidated at the sight of the legendary First Hokage, quickly lost their fear. He was so approachable. They crowded around him, chattering with questions and even daring to curiously touch the Senju clan emblem embroidered on his robes.
As Hashirama laughed, his booming voice full of genuine delight, his gaze drifted past the group and landed on the quiet child standing under the large tree. When he saw her face clearly, his entire expression froze.
In the next instant, he vanished, reappearing directly in front of the child with a flicker of movement.
"...Stelle!" A hesitant, trembling voice sounded from just above her head.
[Ding! Emotional value from Senju Hashirama +1000]
Stelle had, of course, seen the oafish Hokage come in, but she had pointedly ignored him. She was now a child who knew nothing of them, and with that came the privilege of being willful. She just hadn't expected Hashirama to have such an explosive reaction upon seeing her, delivering a generous gift right at their first meeting. It was truly wonderful.
Stelle looked up, offering him a perfectly innocent smile.
"Uncle, my name isn't Stelle."
Senju Hashirama stared down at her face, his mind a whirlwind of unreadable thoughts. Then, without another word, he suddenly bent down, scooped her into his arms, spun around, and bolted out of the orphanage.
Good heavens, had the Hokage just come to the orphanage to snatch a child?
"Hokage-sama...!" The matron, startled to see the leader of the village running off with one of her charges, cried out and scrambled to chase after him.
"I'm just borrowing the child to play for a bit!" Hashirama's voice floated back. "I'll bring her back to you later!"
He was incredibly fast. Within moments, he reached the village center. To gain even more speed, he leaped directly onto the rooftops, sprinting across the tiles toward the Hokage Building. He didn't even bother with the door, simply launching himself straight through the open window of his office.
Inside, Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna were glaring at each other, the air thick with tension. They had clearly just finished a heated dispute over some official matter.
"Tobirama!"
"Izuna!"
"Hmph!"
The two men faced off for another charged second, like a needle against a whetstone, before seeming to reach some unspoken, grudging consensus. They turned back to their respective desks and resumed their work as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara was scribbling furiously over a few thin documents, his face alight with the distinct joy of a corporate drone about to clock out for the day. No one paid him any mind.
This scene, one that would have made any fan of the original history's eyes pop out, was a novelty even to Stelle. Senju Tobirama and two Uchiha, coexisting in such bizarre harmony—what a niche concept.
Senju Hashirama set Stelle down on the floor. Having run so fast, his voice was still a bit breathless.
"Tobirama, Madara, Izuna! Look quickly, see what I brought you!"
Hearing this, Stelle inwardly rolled her eyes. Was she some kind of gift-wrapped present?
The three men turned their heads in unison, their gazes falling first on Hashirama, then on the small child at his feet. In an instant, their breathing hitched. Before Stelle could react, she was pulled into someone's arms.
The person holding her was Senju Tobirama.
His broad arms wrapped around her, the embrace so tight it was almost suffocating. Stelle struggled for a moment, then felt a warm wetness seeping down her neck, dampening the collar of the simple uniform issued by the orphanage.
He was always so powerful, so composed, yet at this moment, his entire body was trembling.
"Stelle... Stelle..." His voice was a raw, broken whisper, filled with an endless, aching longing.
Stelle froze for a second. Wait, was the reaction really this intense? Tobirama's sister complex seemed far more potent than she had ever imagined. She had only shown up with a face that was vaguely similar, and the emotional value was already pouring in.
She wrinkled her small nose and tried to push the man away.
"White-haired uncle, you've got the wrong person. Also, your tears and snot are getting all over me. The matron is going to scold me when I get back."
Senju Tobirama just held her, silent, until he was forcibly pulled away by a concerned Senju Hashirama.
Tobirama choked back his tears and looked at her again, this time more closely. He immediately noticed that something was wrong.
Although she looked strikingly similar at first glance, a careful inspection revealed the differences. Stelle's features had been softer, her eyes slightly narrower—true phoenix eyes—and her lips thinner. Her mouth always held the faint trace of a smile, and she exuded a refreshing aura, like a gentle spring breeze.
But this child's eyes were large and round. When they moved, they darted about, carrying the clever light of a cunning fox. There was a small, crimson mole on her earlobe, and the very arch of her brows and the corners of her eyes held a hint of flamboyant confidence, the air of a spoiled and pampered child.
She wasn't her.
But for that one heart-stopping moment, he had truly believed he was seeing Stelle as a child.
Right. Stelle was already dead.
His hands fell away from her. He straightened his back, burying his sorrow deep within himself once more.
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