Chapter 427 – Dragon: A Psychological Profile.

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March 30: Hokage Tower.

Soft morning sunlight passed through the windows of the private chamber in the tower. The village below was only beginning to stir and awaken.

Hiruzen sat behind his desk with his pipe in one hand and went through several reports that were spread out in front of him. A few feet away, Tobirama stood silently with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

It had been several minutes since either of them spoke.

"So…" Hiruzen finally broke the silence. "What do you think?"

Tobirama's eyes opened. "Extremely dangerous, obviously," he replied. "But we knew that much even before yesterday's meeting."

The Third Hokage gave a faint snort. "I was hoping for something a little more useful than that, sensei."

Tobirama sighed. "You already know the obvious problem. Even after the changes I made to the barrier, he entered the village without being detected. I'm still annoyed about that."

"Yes." Hiruzen took a slow puff from his pipe. "Someone who can get past the defenses you and Lady Mito put in place… The faster we understand him, the easier it'll be for me and others to come up with countermeasures."

Tobirama turned slightly toward the window. "The barrier will need another redesign. But that's a problem for later. As for the man himself… He's intelligent. Patient. Strong enough that neither of us could afford to underestimate him."

Hiruzen nodded once. "That much I agree with."

"He infiltrated the Root before you launched your own attack. He dealt with the guards, attacked Danzo, stole classified intelligence and hidden jutsu and escaped easily." Tobirama's eyes narrowed slightly. "More importantly, he knew when to do it."

Hiruzen's fingers stopped against the stem of his pipe. "Yes. That has been bothering me as well. Only a handful of people had known about the planned attack on Root. Yet Dragon had got there first. So either he has an exceptionally capable information gathering skill," Hiruzen said, "or someone close enough to me is feeding him highly sensitive information." He became silent as he contemplated that disturbing thought.

"Possibly."

"You don't sound convinced." The Third slightly raised an eyebrow and looked at the man.

"Because there's another possibility." Tobirama looked directly at his student. "He may simply have been watching Danzo for some time and recognized an opportunity before we did. A coincidence."

Hiruzen frowned. "That's a pretty big coincidence."

The Second nodded after a few seconds of thought. "Yes. Maybe you're right. The timing is too sensitive. So we can't ignore any possibility of a traitor within our ranks."

'It seems I will have to reevaluate everyone in the Anbu. What a headache.' The old Hokage picked up his brush and made a small note on the paper in front of him.

Tobirama continued. "What concerns me more is the kind of information he stole and what he did with it. Most shinobi tend to gather the latest intelligence of an enemy village to strengthen themselves or weaken others. But Dragon went so far as to take information scrolls and mission reports that are outdated. And he even went through the trouble of piecing together events that are decades old and useless now… Why?"

Hiruzen was silent for a few moments. He thought for half a minute and an idea formed in his mind. "Maybe it's just like you said. That information might be useless in our eyes now but to him it must have some value."

"Hmm… You could be right. He's also good at noticing patterns," Tobirama said. "And he doesn't seem like the type who's satisfied until he fully understands why something happened the way it did."

The Second Hokage remembered Dragon's calm explanation of the Sand–Rain ambush and Danzo's maneuvering. 'He saw connections invisible to others and he's disturbingly good at reconstructing events and motives from limited data.'

After last night's events, The Second and Third Hokages went through the intelligence archive and soon were able to confirm what Dragon had said about the now deceased Root Commander.

"A highly analytical and a long term thinker capable of synthesizing scattered information into a coherent picture and someone comfortable operating in the shadows."

Hiruzen gave a small grunt. "He almost sounds like a Nara."

At that, Tobirama's lips slightly curled upward as he thought about the Nara clan head he had met during the early years of the Hidden Leaf village. "Yes… When it comes to intelligence and strategic wisdom at least. He's also someone who knows when to be aggressive and when to be passive. The fact that he chose to restrain himself in front of Daichi says that."

But then his face suddenly darkened and Hiruzen noticed the strange expression. "What is it, Lord Second?"

Tobirama was silent for several moments. Only after a short while did he speak. "I've been thinking about the words he said."

"What words?" The eyes of the Third Hokage slightly narrowed.

" 'In war having intelligence on all parties is fundamental. Whether they be friend or foe." Those are words I taught Danzo and several others in the Anbu. Not verbatim but… something very similar."

Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock. "So he must have some connections to this village or at the very least, Danzo. But since he told us he didn't recognize Dragon, he could have changed his identity."

Tobirama nodded his head. "Yes. Possibly. When he attacked Danzo, I don't think it was for personal hatred or for the stability of the village or shinobi world as he said. At least, I don't believe that's the whole reason. Danzo must have had some damaging information on Dragon. Information that maybe even Danzo himself didn't realize he had."

Hiruzen quickly picked up on his predecessor's thinking. "So when he saw that I was about to attack Danzo and the Root, he took action to make sure whatever secrets he had remained out of our reach."

"But since we don't have anything on him, these are all speculations."

The room became silent for a while before Hiruzen asked a question in a soft tone. "So you really don't believe him when he said he killed Danzo for the good of the village?"

Tobirama didn't answer immediately. He thought about the whole encounter and then after nearly half a minute, replied.

"I only believe some of what he said. And regarding Danzo… I don't know."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and Tobirama elaborated. "I don't know if he killed Danzo so the village could avoid future troubles or to weaken the village."

'After everything I learned, I'm not sure killing Danzo would lead to weakening the village.' The Third Hokage internally sighed but decided to keep that thought to himself.

"There was anger there," Tobirama suddenly said. "Real anger. Especially when the Uchiha were mentioned. So I don't believe it was some emotionless calculation like he tried to portray."

Hiruzen thought back to the sudden rage Dragon showed when they demanded the Sharingan. "No. Definitely not."

"And he didn't simply kill everyone in Root either," Tobirama continued. "He took what he wanted, only killed all those in his way and simply left. He didn't go out of his way to find any Root ninjas to eliminate. Even Danzo was left to you to deal with."

"Yes. Ruthless but targeted," Hiruzen agreed. "With no interest in indiscriminate slaughter." Hiruzen spoke as he tapped his pipe against the ashtray. "He also admitted that he took those Hidden techniques partly for himself."

The Second Hokage let out a small breath. "Which means regardless of whatever ideals he claims to have, he's perfectly willing to benefit from even troubling situations."

A small silence followed before Hiruzen spoke. "Pragmatic, and opportunistic."

"And meticulous." Tobirama turned back fully and faced Hiruzen. "Every time he took action, he planned ahead. He made sure he wouldn't get caught when he met Jiraiya in the Land of Earth. And even when he came here to meet Daichi, he only sent a shadow clone."

Tobirama's expression darkened recalling that memory. The amount of chakra that single clone possessed still bothered him. "He knew I might appear and would try to mark him. I'd wager he expected to confront us from the moment he entered Daichi's home."

Hiruzen rubbed his forehead. "Now that he's confessed that his name is indeed an alias, I'll need to find out his real identity. That's going to be far from easy." Hiruzen was starting to get a headache as he wrote more and more information about Dragon down on the paper.

"The mask. The alias. Calling himself a Revolutionary…" Hiruzen murmured. "Do you think all of it was deliberate?"

"Probably." Tobirama replied with a shrug.

"Probably?"

"He may have chosen every detail to build some mysterious identity to draw in followers or to inspire fear." Tobirama shrugged slightly. "Or maybe he simply doesn't want his real face in every Bingo Book in the Five Great Nations. Unless he tells us, I doubt we'd know anytime soon."

Hiruzen chuckled. "That would certainly be the simpler explanation."

"Don't overcomplicate something without evidence. Everything he's shown us till now could still just be another mask."

Those words made the Third Hokage pause. Coming from Tobirama Senju, that warning carried weight.

"Fair enough." Hiruzen picked up the brush again and wrote for a while. "But the Revolutionary part matters. He clearly dislikes the existing power structure."

"Hmph! That much was obvious from the amount of time he spent criticizing you."

Hiruzen's eye slightly twitched. "Yes. Thank you for reminding me."

Tobirama's lips moved almost imperceptibly.

"He isn't an anarchist though," Hiruzen continued. "He doesn't seem interested in destroying the villages or throwing the world into chaos. No. If anything, he seems obsessed with preventing large-scale instability."

"While creating plenty of instability himself." Tobirama's expression hardened. "That's what makes him a hypocrite."

Hiruzen looked at him. "Please explain."

"He condemned Danzo for manipulating events from the shadows. Then admitted he wasn't above doing the same thing."

Tobirama unfolded his arms and continued. "He talked about wanting balance and order, but decides for himself what those should look like. He infiltrated and killed one of this village's highest-ranking shinobi. Stole our secrets. Interfered in the Land of Earth. And now he's placing information in Daichi's hands because he doesn't trust us to handle it the way he wants."

Hiruzen listened quietly. "When you say it like that…" he muttered.

"He sounds like Danzo?" Tobirama suddenly questioned.

The Third Hokage nodded. But the Second Hokage immediately shook his head and disagreed. "No."

"No?" That answer surprised the Third.

"Danzo placed himself and the village above everything else. People, morality, alliances. Sometimes even the village's own future." Tobirama's gaze moved toward the village outside. "Dragon doesn't seem to think that way."

"So how does he think?" Hiruzen asked his former mentor with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not sure…" Hiruzen waited and after a few seconds Tobirama continued. "I don't think he sees this village the same way we do… To us, the Leaf is the center. Everything begins with protecting this village." Tobirama turned back toward him. "Even if Dragon claims he's from this village, he doesn't seem to have that restriction. When he talks, he speaks about all the villages, the Five Great Nations and the great wars as pieces of the same problem."

"The entire shinobi world." The eyes of the Third Hokage slightly widened. 'Could his thinking be similar to Itachi?'

"Yes. He only looks at the big picture," Tobirama nodded and continued. "He isn't looking at it as the Hidden Leaf versus the Hidden Stone, or Sand versus Mist. He's looking at the entire shinobi world as a single system. He could be willing to sacrifice pieces on any side if he thinks it moves the world toward what he perceives as 'balance'. At least… that's how I feel after meeting him."

Hiruzen sighed and clasped his fingers. 'That makes him freer and more dangerous.' "If his thinking is as you've said, he could be more dangerous than Danzo."

"Yes. In some ways…"

"So based on what you said, if he genuinely believes sacrificing something in the Leaf would prevent a much larger war or catastrophe…"

"He may do it," Tobirama finished.

The two Hokage fell silent. Neither particularly liked that possibility.

But," Hiruzen finally said, "he claims to be from this village."

"He claims. We don't know anything for sure."

"He could have caused far more damage than he has. He didn't. And he didn't have to help us with Tsunade's matter."

Tobirama nodded reluctantly. "Yes. That's also true."

Hiruzen's eyes lowered. 'So he has some attachment to the village. The question is how much.' His thoughts shifted to something else Dragon had said. "There is another matter."

"Yes, I know." Tobirama nodded.

"So you're thinking about it too?"

"Mm. The Final Valley." Tobirama was silent for a few moments before he spoke again with a softer tone. "He said he watched elder brother fight Madara. And what happened that day during the Second War in the Land of Lightning…"

Tobirama's expression darkened slightly as he recalled that night. Dragon had spoken about both events as if he had been there. Not as if he had read reports but as if he had seen them.

"He knew details of something that shouldn't have been available to him," Tobirama said.

"But that doesn't prove he personally witnessed them. Those are just his words." Hiruzen tried to argue but he couldn't find a logical reasoning to disprove Dragon's claim.

"I'm not so sure." 'He certainly didn't seem like lying when he said that.' That was what troubled Tobirama.

Hiruzen leaned back and closed his eyes. "If he was telling the truth, there are only two explanations I can think of. Either he's far older than he appears… or he's someone using some unknown method to move through time and space that we don't fully understand." 'If he truly has the ability to travel or manipulate time… What a scary thought.'

"There is a third possibility." Tobirama suddenly spoke and Hiruzen looked at him.

"It could be possible that he has access to some observation method that transcends normal time and distance. Some space–time technique, or a sensory network that records and replays events."

"Are you talking about an ability that lets him observe events he wasn't physically present for?" Hiruzen asked his teacher with some skepticism.

After thinking about it, Tobirama rubbed his chin and soon dismissed that possibility. 'No. That seems too far-fetched.'

"You're right. The more logical conclusion could be that he is someone who has lived since the Warring Ear. Any other explanation is too dangerous or frightening to even contemplate."

The Third Hokage looked at his former teacher. "You don't recognize his chakra signature at all?"

"No," Tobirama shook his head. "It was masked."

"Another dead end." Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "And his deeper psychology?" he pressed. "What drives a man like that?"

Tobirama's eyes drifted to the window for a moment. "Aside from his so-called stability, he despises wasted potential," he said. "The names he listed off yesterday. Sakumo, Minato, Orochimaru, Shisui, Itachi. Every one of them was exceptionally talented. And every one of them was either lost, driven away or used."

"Yes." Hiruzen's eyes lowered. That part of Dragon's criticism had struck deeper than he wanted to admit. "In his view the current village is a place that creates geniuses and then destroys them. And he blames the people in power for allowing it. People like me."

Tobirama didn't answer Hiruzen's self criticism. He didn't have to.

Seeing the silence, the old man exhaled smoke from his nose. "He certainly didn't hide what he thought of my decisions."

"No, he didn't." Tobirama shook his head. "From the way he spoke, he wants to break that pattern… by removing the elements he thinks are to blame for such tragedies." 'But is he doing it for the good of the village or is there another reason?'

Hearing those words, the old Hokage closed his eyes as he recalled the face of his dead comrade. 'Danzo…' "What about his temperament?"

Tobirama frowned in thought. "He provoked us intentionally, but didn't lose control," he said.

Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "You think he was testing us?"

"Partly. Now that I look back at the whole interaction, he baited me... He baited me, baited you, Kakashi and Daichi… But when the situation approached a breaking point, he was the first to back off. That wasn't cowardice we saw. It was pure, cold, calculation." Tobirama's eyes narrowed as he understood what had happened. "I think he wanted to see our reactions more than anything."

Hiruzen nodded as he recalled the clash of chakra in Daichi's backyard, the way Dragon had been the first to withdraw. 'He didn't flinch from me or Tobirama. He only adjusted when Daichi stepped in. Dragon had backed down after weighing Daichi's reaction… What exactly is the relation between those two?'

"He wasn't afraid of us," Hiruzen said. "And he calmed down once Daichi stepped in. Why?"

"Now that," Tobirama said, "is one of the more interesting questions."

Hiruzen looked down at his notes. "What exactly could his relationship with young Daichi be? To save Kensei from death years earlier and then ask him to adopt the boy…"

"I don't know. But I have a feeling that if we solve that puzzle, we'll be one step closer to this man's real identity."

The old Kage sighed as he knew the answer to that question may remain out of his reach for now and focused back on the mysterious enemy. 'From all that he did, it doesn't seem like he wants a direct confrontation with us. Not yet. Or maybe ever…? Or maybe I'm just being hopeful…'

"He's confident in his own power," Hiruzen said at that moment, "but not reckless like most others. He was willing to threaten us, but he didn't escalate."

The other kage silently agreed.

Hiruzen noted it down. "So, composed under pressure with strong emotional control. But then he became furious and was ready to antagonize us… but then he also avoided a pointless conflict… What a contradictory man…"

Hiruzen became silent for a moment and then spoke "And his weakness?"

Tobirama's answer came without hesitation. "He thinks he's smarter than everyone around him."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "After everything I learned about him, I can't exactly argue with that statement."

"You're wrong about that, Hiruzen. He believes he's the only one who sees the full picture," Tobirama said. "That belief could breed blind spots. He underestimates what others can deduce from his actions… And he might even stop considering the possibility that someone else noticed something he missed."

Hiruzen slowly nodded. "Overconfidence in his judgment more than his strength." The Third wrote it down. 'Win enough times and soon you would start to think you're invincible.'

"He's also more sentimental than he pretends. He chose Daichi, not you, to hold that scroll… And we'll know the reason soon enough."

Hiruzen hummed with that statement. 'He also said he had plans with Shisui Uchiha's eye. What is he going to do with the Kotoamatsukami?'

"I don't know what his long-term objective is," Tobirama continued, bringing Hiruzen out of his thoughts. "But he's methodical, long-sighted, and clearly willing to dirty his own hands instead of hiding behind others. He also probably has an organization under him working towards some goal. Possibly a large one with extremely disciplined members."

"You really think he has one? He could also only have some followers. Like Orochimaru."

Tobirama slightly shook his head. "I'm not so sure. He has discipline and I have a feeling he'd want his followers to be disciplined too. Besides, no one gathers that much information, raids multiple locations and moves across nations completely alone in such a short amount of time."

Tobirama walked toward the desk. "In conclusion," Tobirama began, voice low. "He isn't a simple enemy. But he isn't an ally either. Classify him as a high priority third party with unknown motives. Someone who aligns with us only where our interests overlap."

Hiruzen nodded. "He has a strong sense of agency and acts on his own judgments. Distrusts authority and centralized power. His claims of being a Leaf ninja is unverified but he values the village enough not to create a large chaos. The fact that we haven't yet heard of any intelligence reports of our Hidden Jutsu being in other countries is slightly reassuring."

Tobirama sighed as he looked at the village beyond the glass. "Maybe. He said he wouldn't spread the clan secrets he stole and we haven't heard anything… yet. But I'm not sure how long that will last."

"What a confusing individual." Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and took a puff from his tobacco pipe. He wrote down all the intelligence they had gathered about the man and a vague picture was starting to form.

A few seconds after exhaling a smoky breath he looked at his teacher with a serious gaze. "I know you've been thinking about what Dragon said… About the Third Mizukage and someone controlling him… Is it who I think it is?"

Tobirama looked at Hiruzen and his shoulders slightly slumped. "Madara Uchiha… The fact that he made plans to survive that battle with my brother… If I had known about the Izanagi jutsu…"

Hiruzen was silent for a few moments and then looked outside. He saw the sun rising in the sky.

A frown formed on his face as he suddenly thought of something. "The incident with the Three tails… There are several things that's been bothering me about that event… Why take Rin Nohara? Was it because she was the Fourth Hokage's student or was it just a coincidence? And the Nine tails attack? Was it him or someone else?"

Tobirama shook his head. "Like I said that day, based on my understanding of Madara and the way he attacks… It doesn't suit his style. And Dragon said that he's dead now… If he's right, then… maybe a possible successor… And that's assuming Dragon himself doesn't have any connections to Madara or his plans…'

Hiruzen internally trembled for a moment. "A successor to Madara Uchiha and carrying out whatever plans he has… That's a frightening thought... Should I alert the other nations?"

Tobirama shook his head. "No. We don't have any proof and we don't even know what this person is up to. Right now, since we know of such an existence, we have a slight advantage."

At that moment a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter," Hiruzen called.

The door slid open and Daichi stepped inside. His expression was composed but his eyes were slightly sharper than usual. The faint mark of the Strength of a Hundred seal was dormant on his forehead, but Hiruzen could clearly still remember the overwhelming chakra flowing from it from the previous night.

"Lord Hokage. Lord Second." Daichi greeted them as he stepped forward.

Tobirama watched him carefully while Hiruzen gestured to him to come near "I take it you've gone through the scroll?" He asked.

Daichi nodded. "Yes. I read every report and analyzed the patterns mentioned in it. And…" He hesitated a fraction of a second. "I want to conduct a couple of blood tests."

Hiruzen's expression shifted. "What kind of blood test?" he asked.

"I want to compare Tsunade-sensei's original blood sample with Nawaki Senju's blood." Daichi replied.

Hiruzen's brows rose slightly. "You want to compare them?"

Daichi nodded again. "Among other things. I need to run some simulations and genetic projections. I can't say anything with certainty until I do."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed and he glanced at Hiruzen from the corner of his eyes.

"What did you find in that scroll?" Hiruzen asked the boy. He was curious as to what Dragon gave him and what he wanted the boy to learn.

Daichi met his eyes. "I'll know for sure once I finish the tests," he replied. "Right now I only have a theory."

Tobirama frowned. "The contents of that scroll," he said, "cannot be taken at face value. Dragon is a manipulator. He gave you what he wanted you to see. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know. Right now, the intelligence in this scroll is one man's reconstruction. It could be biased, incomplete or manipulated." Daichi replied calmly. "Which is why I want to verify everything for myself. Not just accept his conclusions. I'll use my own methods and my own data. Then I'll present the results."

Tobirama studied him. "So you've already decided to go through with it?" the Second said, more a statement than a question.

"Yes," Daichi answered.

The room went quiet for a moment. Hiruzen watched the boy's face. 'I know that look. He's already made his choice and he's not going to stop. I don't know what Dragon wants Daichi to find with this test but if I block him, he'll just look for another path around me.'

A small smile slowly formed on the old Kage's face. 'I'm starting to understand why Dragon gave that scroll to him.' Hiruzen sighed softly. "Very well," he said. "You have my clearance to conduct the blood tests. I want a full report on your findings when you're done. No omissions."

Daichi nodded. "Understood, Lord Hokage." He shifted his weight slightly, preparing to bow and leave, when Hiruzen lifted a hand. "One more thing, Daichi," the Third said. "Before you go."

Daichi paused. "Yes?"

"There's something else," Hiruzen said. "A… separate matter."

Daichi raised an eyebrow. "Alright."

Hiruzen watched him for a moment, then spoke. "Are you willing to share the specifics of three of your techniques? Fire Style Rasengan, Wind Style Rasengan, and your Fire Hydra jutsu."

Daichi blinked once. "Why?"

Hiruzen's tone stayed mild. "Because if you're willing to add them to the Forbidden Scroll, I can authorize you to look at the scroll and learn something in return."

Daichi's eyes flickered with excitement. 'A Forbidden Scroll jutsu trade? Well this just got interesting.'

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