Book One: The Rise of the Blue-Haired Devil.

      We made it to the Senju clan fairly quickly, though I had to admit that it hurt like hell to move around even though I was healed.        - It's a side effect of the ice. Your body hasn't fully adapted to it yet. - Morgana made it clear to me in her enchanting voice. Yes, it was obvious, but still, realising the problem did not reduce the amount of pain I was in. It didn't show on my face, though I could see the slanted glances from Yumiko and Mito when I accidentally tripped over some pebble or tree root. It was very strange and ridiculous. When we got to the gate of the small settlement, a few dozen houses with a wooden fence around them, the guards tried to stop us, but when they saw Tobirama, they quickly dispersed to their posts. We were led down a street where there were several merchants trying to sell their wares under the bright cover of the sun. We entered a spacious house that stood in the centre of this town. It was a decent enough place with many bedrooms. I'd even say it was a real mansion. Tobirama left us for a few minutes, apparently he had some business to attend to.       - Are you okay? - Yumi asked with a tremor in her voice, looking at me.              - Yeah, I'm fine. - I waved her off in a childish manner, trying to calm her down, but realising it wasn't working, I continued talking. - I'll rest for a couple of days and everything will be fine. - I added in a calm tone. The girl apparently didn't believe me, but she didn't say anything.       - You're not normal. - Morgana said in her subconscious with a touch of displeasure.       - What?!" I asked myself in surprise.       - Your seal has almost finished accumulating chakra. But that's the good news, and there's some bad news. You will soon begin the transition to a new evolution of ice. Your body is ready for it. It's already rebuilt and ready to transform. - I was shocked by all this so much that it took me a while to realise what she was saying.       - Damn, and how will be my evolution this time? - I nervously clarified her, already realising that at best I would spend a week in bed.       - You'd better stay away from people, otherwise a lot of people might die. - I heard her reply. She laughed, and I felt uncomfortable with her words.       - Can you slow this process down? - I said, starting to panic a little, which was noticed by Yumi, who was watching me closely.       - No, evolution began the moment your wounds became fatal. You should have died, but you used the ice to survive. Now the ice is in your blood. Even I don't know what will happen to you after you adapt. - Morgana answered my question by continuing to laugh like a madwoman.       - Are you sure you're okay? - Mito, who hadn't participated in the conversation until then, couldn't stand it.              - How much time do I have? - I asked the last question in my subconscious.              - Less than six hours. After that, it will not be a joke. - added the demoness, without stopping laughing. Honestly, I don't know what's so funny about it. It scared the hell out of me with her actions. You might think why I'm so surprised that the seal has already been formed. It's just that, according to my most optimistic calculations, I should have finished accumulating the chakra required for the seal in only six months. Such predictions were made based on the fact that I wouldn't have to cut off the flow of chakra into the seal, and as you've already realised, I was forced to do so in order to recover faster from my wounds. The second thing that was bothering me right now was the Senju clan. Obviously, I needed to leave their settlement, but Tobirama wouldn't let me go so easily. How did I realise that? Simple, he was too calculating, so he would see my actions as a threat to himself and his family first and foremost.       I was brought out of my thoughts by a slap from Yumi.       - Are you even listening to us? - She shouted at me with a hint of annoyance in her voice, though I could read the panic in her eyes, for she hadn't seen me this depressed before. I shook my head, coming back to normal, and at the same time Rico's daughter looked at her hand, as if she didn't believe it existed. It went on like that for a few seconds, and then she quickly moved closer to me, touching my forehead with her hand. - What's wrong with you? - Yumi squeaked, her voice trembling and panicked. She was getting really scared for me.       - It's okay, it'll pass soon. - I tried to assure her not to worry, but in her eyes I saw only more fear. She must have realised I was lying.       - It's about twelve degrees in this room, even though it's twenty-seven outside at the moment. That can hardly be considered normal. So tell me what's wrong with you. - There was a cold male voice demanding an explanation from me. It was Tobirama, who was able to catch this scene.       - Take us to the head of the Senju clan. I need to talk to him. - I threw back at him. To be honest, I don't know who he is, so I prefer to solve problems with the man in charge rather than a pawn. I took a step forward to show my intentions.       - Kid, I can finish you off for disobeying me. - Senju said coldly. He was at my back in a second, holding his tanto to my throat. To make his words true, he even let a few drops of blood trickle down my throat, making a shallow cut on my neck. I didn't even have time to react. That's what I thought the first time I met him, he was testing me.       - If you kill me, your whole clan will freeze for eternity. - I answered with calmness in my voice, ignoring the cold weapon at my throat. I didn't really know how bad it would be once my evolution was over, but my gut told me that the energy released would be very destructive.       - You're bluffing! - Tobirama shouted, starting to frown. He clearly didn't like playing by other people's rules. I agree with him on that point.       - I don't care about your clan, Tobirama san. All I care about is completing the mission to the end. As long as Mito san is with Hashirama san, I won't worry about her safety. - I said with indifference in my voice. The albino stepped round to look me in the eye, still holding the tanto at my throat. For a few seconds he gazed into them, as if trying to find a clue to some question of existence. In that moment, he was clearly contemplating the situation, weighing the risks of one course of action or another. It was only after a moment that he removed the weapon from my throat, but he did not place it in the scabbard on his back, preferring to hold it in his hands while I was near.       - Come along, Mito-sama, Hashirama dono is waiting for you. -said he, turning to Uzumaki while still looking me in the eyes. Only when Ashina's daughter came to her senses did he break away from staring at me, opening the door to the next room, which was a classic office of some head. A typical office desk, on which was an oil lamp, an ink pen and some papers, one of which was held by the owner of the office. He was a man with tanned skin and dark eyes. At first I thought his hair was rather short, but I quickly changed my opinion when I saw a few locks of hair framing his face. He was wearing a simple black suit, though I spotted a red armour like Tobirama's in the corner of the office.       - Brother, you're back? - The man spoke with a kind of childish joy, but when he saw the guests, he smiled at them all. - My name is Hashirama Senju. - he said, turning to us.       - My name is Michiko Yuki, this is my future wife Yumiko Yuki, and this is Uzumaki Mito. - I stated, taking a step forward. The girls literally choked on air at such a statement, and Tobirama allowed himself a smirk at such a show. Hashirama was in some kind of confusion for a few seconds.       - Ummm... - he stretched out. - I'm very happy for you. You can rest while Mito san and I negotiate the details of the trade agreement. - The Shinobi God added, showing us all his cheerful smile.       - That's not all, Hashirama dono. I need to leave your settlement for a few days. - I said with confidence in my voice.       - Why? - The head of the great clan clarified, his face beginning to change. He became more serious.       - The thing is that your brother wounded me badly, which caused the destabilisation of my genome in my body. This could have devastating consequences. - I clarified the situation so that no questions would arise. I didn't want to go into details, because I didn't have time for that.       - It's okay, I can contain any explosion if anything. I'm a mokuton wielder, after all. - Hashirama said, putting a smile back on his face.       - I have no doubt, Hashirama dono, that your genome is strong and you're very good at it," I continued my dialogue with the Shinobi God, who didn't understand why I was saying that. - But I'm not sure you'll be able to hold the power of another enhanced genome. I don't know how my ice will react to your tree, so I don't want to take any chances.'' - I added, insisting on my point. There was a tense silence for a few seconds. Everyone was thinking about something else. On the one hand, I was right to minimise the risks, but on the other hand, the pride of the Senju clan leader had been hurt, because some kid had just claimed that his genome could be as powerful as that of a Shinobi God.       - All right. Tobirama, take him to the mountains. - Hashirama made his decision, assessing the situation from a different perspective. He didn't have as much pride in him as the Uchiha clan, but it was unpleasant to trust this kid who had put him in front of a difficult choice. Senju looked into this Yuki's eyes and simply couldn't see a single drop of lie in them. This guard had simply put him in front of a fact that gave him an unpleasant choice: on one hand one could believe in his own strength, hoping that the ice would be weaker than the wood. This contained the risk that his clan members might die if he made a mistake; on the other hand one could kill this teenager, but if Tobirama still hadn't done so, there were reasons for it. So there was some unreasonable risk in this option, which was an unknown link; the third option represented that he would have to go along with this man. It hurt his pride, but it also minimised the risk of his clan members dying. Of the three possible options, the Senju clan leader chose the one that minimised the risks. But there was one BUT... This man could do something, so Hashirama sent Tobirama with him, who he knew could leave the battlefield very quickly with one of his trump cards.       I left the huge estate and was about to walk when Tobirama caught up with me, explaining that he was coming with me. I didn't even bother talking him out of it. Apparently, he was confident in his abilities. I thought that he would just show me the way, but he really decided to come with me.....       We travelled west towards the mountains. Already on the road, I started to feel very sick. My body temperature dropped below the human norm. I wasn't even a walking corpse anymore... When I arrived about three hours later, Tobirama made a fire in the cave. I just collapsed on the nearest rock, breathing heavily. I couldn't hear anything anymore, just sinking into myself...