Curse These Old Bones - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Tiger strode through the winding halls of the ANBU headquarters, his boots landing heavily on the stone floor. The labyrinth of tunnels and chambers mirrored the village above in its complexity, but to him, it felt like home—rugged, unpretentious, and solid as the Hokage’s word. He adjusted the worn straps of his armor, his muscles rippling with the movement. He’d just returned from Iwa, dragging the head of a traitor back to Konoha. It was still sitting on Ibiki’s desk—he hadn’t even had time to clean the blood off his gloves or breathe, let alone get a debrief. Whatever this meeting was, it must be important enough to yank him straight back into the fray.

The mission had been brutal and clean, just how he liked it. No room for mercy or speeches—traitors didn’t deserve them. You turned on Konoha, you lost your humanity. Simple as that. But he’d been gone for two months with his team, deep in hostile territory. He didn’t even know what had changed in the village while he was gone, but judging by the summons, something big had.

He stepped into the command center’s main room and immediately took stock. Eight of the Twelve Captains were already there. That was rare. His sharp eyes swept over them, lingering on their stances and subtle movements. Some leaned against walls, arms crossed; others stood rigid like kunai waiting to be thrown. None of them spoke. No banter. That was rarer.

He gave a gruff nod, his deep voice cutting through the heavy silence. “Yo.” It wasn’t much, but it was enough. A few nodded back, their movements brief and restrained. No one spoke, but that was fine. They didn’t need to. He knew every face behind those masks—every damn one. ANBU wasn’t like the regular shinobi ranks; it wasn’t just skill that got you here. It was trust, earned through sweat, blood, and missions no one else dared to take. The ANBU were a force of a thousand operatives, four hundred of them jonin, most working solo, in pairs, or leading three-man chunin teams. But only forty-eight jonin served in the elite four-man units—teams designed for the hardest, dirtiest missions Konoha had. And those forty-eight answered to the Twelve Captains. People like him. People who had bled for the village and never asked for thanks. This room held the best of the best, his brothers and sisters, and whatever was coming, it was big enough to bring them together.

The door opened again, and he didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Cat. She moved like always: quiet and precise, her footsteps barely audible as she stepped inside. He didn’t bother saying anything—she wouldn’t, either. Her gaze swept the room, pausing on him for a fraction of a second before shifting to the others. Tiger grunted softly. Always watching, that one. Like she was figuring out where to stick the kunai if things went sideways.

Nine captains. That left three unaccounted for, likely off on long-term missions. The room felt heavy, the kind of weight you only got when something big was coming. Tiger folded his arms across his chest, his muscles tensing as he leaned back against the wall. He didn’t need to know what was coming to know one thing for certain: he was ready. Whatever the Hokage or the Commander threw at them, he’d do what he always did. Fight. Win. Keep Konoha safe. No damn traitor or enemy was going to take what he loved. Not while he was still standing.

The sound of boots echoed in the hallway, steady and unhurried, before Commander Hiroto Sarutobi stepped into the room. Tiger snapped to attention instinctively, but his sharp eyes widened under his mask.

Hiroto wasn’t wearing his.

The sight hit like a punch. The Commander’s mask had always been there. Always. Hell, there was a joke in ANBU that Hiroto had been born wearing the thing. Seeing his face bare was like seeing the moon fall out of the sky, or a traitor with its head attached to its neck—wrong and unnatural, no matter how composed the man himself seemed.

Hiroto’s gaze swept the room before landing briefly on Tiger. “Back from Iwa already, I see. No debrief?”

“No, sir,” Tiger replied, his voice rough but steady.

“Figures,” Hiroto said, exhaling sharply. “There’s a lot you’ve missed. A few things to catch you up on later. For now, stay sharp and don’t react. No matter what you see, no matter what you hear. Everything is fine — but it can be confusing. Hell, better than fine.”

Beside Hiroto, Hawk muttered under his breath, “A few things... That’s one way to put it.”

Hiroto ignored the remark with a wave of his hand. “After the meeting, Tiger, come see me. For now…” His sharp gaze flicked toward the door, his posture straightening as if bracing for impact. “They’re here.”

The heavy wooden doors creaked open, and the first figure stepped through. Tiger didn’t know what he’d expected, but it sure as hell wasn’t what he saw.

Hiruzen Sarutobi entered, and the room shifted. The very air seemed to tighten, buzzing with raw energy that made the hair on Tiger’s arms stand up. This wasn’t the tired elder Tiger had seen at ceremonies or fleetingly in command briefings. This was something else entirely.

The Hokage’s chakra pressed into the room like a rising tide, vast and unrelenting. Tiger’s breath hitched as the weight of it rolled over him. It wasn’t suffocating, but it was enormous—like staring at the endless sea, its depth and power too vast to comprehend. It wasn’t just power; it was presence. It hit Tiger in the chest and made him want to step back, but instead, he planted his boots firmly into the stone and straightened his spine. His instincts screamed this is a predator, but the fire in his gut roared back, hell yes.

Hiruzen’s stride was purposeful, his upright posture radiating strength with every step. The lines on his face weren’t marks of age but scars of survival, every one earned through battle and victory. His eyes swept the room, sharp and alive with a vitality that made the air itself feel charged. He didn’t need to speak to command the room—his presence alone silenced every murmur, every breath.

Tiger’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, his pulse quickening. What the hell had happened to the Hokage? The man standing before them wasn’t just a leader. This wasn’t the old man weighed down by politics and the passage of time. This was Sarutobi fucking Hiruzen, the God of Shinobi. Tiger’s confusion twisted into something hotter, fiercer.

Fuck yes.

This was the legend, the man who’d carved Konoha’s strength into existence with sheer will. The fire of the village burned in him like a goddamn inferno, and Tiger could feel it fueling him too. Whatever had changed, it didn’t matter. The Fucking Hokage was here, and he was everything Tiger had ever wanted to see in a leader.

Behind Hiruzen, two more figures entered. The first wore a simple ANBU mask marked with a dove design, a stranger in a room full of familiar faces. The tension ratcheted up instantly. ANBU masks weren’t just symbols—they were identities, earned and known. Dove wasn’t part of their circle, and that made him a question no one liked.

The second figure was unmistakable: Captain Hatake Kakashi. Maskless.

Well, without his ANBU mask. Fucker's lips were still hidden.

Tiger’s sharp eyes took in Kakashi’s tired but sharp demeanor. His silver hair was as wild as ever, and there was a happiness in his visible eye that Tiger couldn’t quite place.

Beside Tiger, Cat shifted, her fingers flexing slightly at her side. Tiger caught the movement and followed her gaze back to Dove. If Cat—ruthless, unshakable, brutal, sociopathic (and that was a compliment among them) Cat—was wary, then something about this newcomer was off. A faint grin tugged at Tiger’s lips under his mask. Whoever this Dove was, Tiger was eager to see what the hell they were made of.

His eyes lingered on the masked figure for a moment longer before snapping back to the Hokage, who had stepped forward and raised his hands slightly, signaling for their attention.

Hiruzen’s voice broke the heavy silence, calm but steady, carrying the weight of years that demanded respect without needing to ask for it. “My most loyal shinobi. ” he began, his eyes sweeping the room, resting briefly on each captain. “My friends. You are the reason this village endures. Not because of politics, not because of grand speeches or ceremonies, but because of the work you do. Quiet. Unseen. The sacrifices no one will ever sing songs about.”

The room remained still, but the weight of his words was palpable. Even Tiger, used to brushing off flowery speeches, felt his chest tighten. This wasn’t pomp or pretense—it was real. That's why he liked the Hokage. That's why he was proud to be Konohan. It was a leader who truly saw them.

“You are my shield, my sword, and sometimes the hand that must strike when no one else can,” Hiruzen continued, his tone softening just slightly. “I don’t say this lightly. I trust you. Not as tools of war, but as people. People who have given more than I could ever ask.”

Tiger felt his throat tighten. He didn’t do emotions, didn’t have time for them, but this hit different. Even Cat, stoic as a damn statue, seemed to shift slightly, her mask tilting ever so subtly as if even she was moved.

Hiruzen paused, letting the words settle before clapping his hands together, the sound sharp and commanding. “There’s a lot to cover tonight,” he said, his tone turning brisk but still warm. “As you’ve noticed, it’s rare for me to brief you directly—and rarer still for so many of you to be here at once. But what I’m about to tell you is so... unexpected, so beyond what you’d believe, that if I had sent it as a written order, you would have thought the security chain had been compromised.”

Tiger straightened slightly, his muscles tensing. The Hokage’s grin carried a hint of mischief, but the weight of his words wasn’t lost on anyone. The captains exchanged glances. What the hell is he about to say? thought Tiger, his chest tightening with trepidation.

“But before we get to that,” Hiruzen continued, his tone softening again, “there’s something else I need to address. Something about The Family.”

The room stilled. The Family. It wasn’t a word ANBU threw around lightly. It meant something down here.

Hiroto stepped forward now, his expression unreadable but his tone firm. “Yeah,” he said, exhaling sharply. “It’s about me. I’m retiring.”

The words hit like a punch, and Tiger reacted instinctively. “What?” he barked, his deep voice booming across the room. His usual composure cracked as he pushed off the wall, standing straight. “But—but, Commander!”

Hiroto smiled faintly, almost uneasily. “I knew you’d say that. Hell, I’d be worried if you didn’t.” He held up a hand to calm the murmurs. “I’m not leaving the family,” he said. “I’ll still be around as an External Consultant", he said. External Consultant. Everyone knew it was a fancy title for an old ANBU who occasionally missed cutting off traitors’ heads or sneaking into enemy villages with their ol' pals.

Tiger’s jaw tightened. He wanted to argue, but the steadiness in Hiroto’s voice made it clear the decision wasn’t up for debate. “But...” he started, his voice rough, trailing off as Hiroto raised a hand again.

“Furthermore,” Hiroto continued, glancing toward the back of the room, “Kakashi Hatake will replace me as ANBU Commander.”

“Provisional,” Kakashi interjected smoothly, stepping forward.

Hiroto ignored him entirely. “And he’ll do one hell of a job as ANBU Commander. Congratulations, Dragon.”

“Provisional,” Kakashi repeated, his tone even, as if no one had heard him the first time.

Tiger blinked, glancing at the man who had been his comrade for years. “Hound will make a good commander,” he said, his voice firm with conviction.

“Provisional,” Kakashi interrupted again. Did these people not hear him? Was he….He shivered in horror. Was he turning into Gai?

“But why?” Tiger asked, his voice quieter this time, carrying an edge of frustration.

The room fell silent again as everyone turned to Hiroto, waiting for the answer. The man hesitated for a brief moment, his gaze heavy as he looked over the room. “Because,” he said finally, “Konoha is changing. And so must we.”

The Hokage clapped his hands once, the sound sharp enough to slice through the tension. Every head turned toward him as he began to speak. “As you know,” Hiruzen said, his voice even but filled with authority, “I killed Danzo four days ago. Hound and Panther”—he gestured to the captains, who nodded without a word—“disbanded the last Root outpost with their teams this morning. The remaining operatives are now in Inoichi and Ibiki’s hands. Once they are cleared, those… suitable and loyal will be reassigned, some to the general shinobi ranks, some to ANBU. Commander Hound will oversee their integration.”

Tiger froze, his mind grinding to a halt. “WAIT. WHAT?!” The words burst out of him before he could stop them, his voice booming across the room. His pulse pounded in his ears. Danzo? Dead? Killed by the Hokage? And Root was still active? None of it made sense.

Kakashi sighed audibly, stepping slightly forward as if to rescue the room from Tiger’s baffled shouting. “Provisional,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, before turning his uncovered eye toward Tiger. “Alright,” he said, voice casual, almost bored. “Let me spell it out for you in small, manageable pieces. Danzo? Bad guy. Big bad guy. Uber bad guy. Turns out, when he wasn’t playing warlord with his private army, he was secretly feeding Orochimaru experiments back when snake-boy was still pretending to be normal-ish. Also, he helped Orochimaru escape and kept slipping him information like some kind of creepy, eyeless pen pal.”

Kakashi waved a hand, as if batting away the weight of the revelation. “Oh, but that’s not all! Turns out, he’s the mastermind behind the Uchiha massacre. Why? Because he wanted their Sharingan eyeballs. Like a lot of them. So many, in fact, that he surgically installed a crap-ton into himself. Yeah. Walking pinwheel of stolen eyes. He also kidnapped clan kids for his fun little side projects—total winner, this guy.”

Tiger stared, his mouth hanging open, but Kakashi kept going, picking up speed like he was delivering a mission report on fast-forward. “Anyway, our Hokage—who’s clearly the biggest badass this side of anywhere—took care of him. And when I say took care of him, I mean in the most final way possible. Except, surprise! Danzo had this resurrection thing going on thanks to all those stolen Sharingan and some super-secret jutsu. So Hiruzen killed him. A lot. Like, repeatedly. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Danzo decides to show off his hidden power by nearly killing five Clan Heads in one go. Big mistake.”

Kakashi’s voice shifted, almost admiring. “Because then, our ChadKage—that’s the Hokage, by the way—just went, ‘You know what? Enough,’ and disassembled Danzo in front of said Clan Heads. Head, arms, organs—gone. Right there. Left everyone in the room realizing that he’s not just the Hokage. He’s the damn apex predator, and they’re all just fish in his pond.”

Silence. Everyone stared at Kakashi, even the Hokage looking slightly amused by the retelling. Tiger blinked several times, trying to process the flood of information.

“What?” Kakashi said defensively, his visible eye narrowing as he crossed his arms. “That’s exactly what happened.”

Lynx, lounging against the wall, let out a low chuckle. “Well, yeah,” he said lazily. “Ignore Hound, Tiger. He's just sulking now that he's commander and will have to actually do his paperwork. Probably trying to get himself fired. But…yeah. He's right. That’s about the gist of it, Tiger. Don’t worry—you’ll get the full debrief later.”

Tiger’s jaw tightened, his mind racing. “What the actual—” He cut himself off, shaking his head sharply, trying to refocus on the moment and not the insane story Kakashi had just delivered.

“So now,” said the Hokage, his voice calm and commanding, as though he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell, “the matter of succession is settled. We'll make the announcement public - well, to the other Anbus jonins — tomorrow. Hatake Kakashi is the new Commander of ANBU.” He paused briefly, his sharp eyes sweeping the room. “Does anyone here disagree?”

“Provisional,” sighed Kakashi, his tone carrying a resigned weariness.

No one else said a word. Tiger glanced around, reading the room. Kakashi wasn’t just respected—he was admired. Every single captain here could name at least one moment when Hound had saved their ass. Tiger could think of three off the top of his head. He liked the guy—respected him even. One of the rare people he’d ever truly consider a senpai. It was the obvious choice.

Tiger cleared his throat, trying to ground himself in the conversation and not look too bewildered by the last five minutes of revelations. “No, Boss Hokage,” he said, voice rough but steady. “Hound’s an asshole, but he’s a competent one.”

Hiroto snickered, the sound catching Tiger off guard. It was strange seeing the Commander—ex-Commander, he corrected himself—act like a human being. Hiroto was usually the picture of composure, but now? He almost seemed... relaxed.

Hiruzen nodded, his expression tightening as the room quieted again. “Good. Then we move to the next item.”

Tiger’s stomach twisted. Another item. Another bombshell to come? He felt sweat prickling at the back of his neck.

The Hokage’s tone shifted, his words slower, heavier, as if each one carried the weight of what was coming. “You all know,” Hiruzen began, “that Danzo was the architect of the Uchiha massacre. But you’ve been given only fragments of the truth.”

The room froze. Tiger caught the faintest shift from Cat—just a glance, but it lingered too long on Dove. A knot tightened in Tiger’s chest, his instincts screaming even before his mind could process why.

No... His breath hitched. It could not be…

Hiruzen’s voice cut through the silence, calm but unrelenting. “The full truth remains classified, and it's incredibly complex, but here is what you need to know. With Danzo’s death and the matter of the Uchiha massacre closed, we have been able to recall an operative. One who has been engaged in an extended, highly classified mission for years.”

The words felt like a hammer to Tiger’s chest.

“No...” Eagle’s voice cracked through the stillness, disbelief etched into the single word. Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Dove. The masked figure didn’t move, didn’t flinch, his silence louder than any explanation.

The air in the room thickened. Tiger’s pulse roared in his ears. His gaze locked onto Dove, his thoughts tumbling into chaos. No. No. It’s not possible. It could not be.

“Unbelievable,” someone muttered, their voice barely above a whisper. Another captain made a quick kai, their fingers trembling as if trying to break free from an illusion.

Hiruzen let the murmurs settle before speaking again, his tone as steady as ever. “Please welcome back Captain Raven—now Dove—as the thirteenth Captain of ANBU.”

The words hit like a shuriken to the gut. The name didn’t need to be said. Every captain in the room understood immediately.

“Of course,” Hiruzen continued, his tone softening slightly, though the weight of his words remained. “To the rest of the Anbus, Dove will be an Uchiha who survived the massacre by being away on an undercover mission at the time of the tragedy. One that just came back.".

Tiger’s fists clenched, his knuckles white under the strain. His gaze bore into Dove, his thoughts a whirlwind of denial and acceptance, anger and awe.

The Hokage’s voice grew firmer. “To avoid... complications if you happened to 'discover', only the nine of you, Jiraiya, myself, Kakashi, and Hiroto know the full truth. This information is S-rank classified. Even the Clan Heads are unaware of the operative’s role. They know only that Danzo orchestrated the massacre.”

Tiger’s breath came heavier now, his chest rising and falling with the effort to keep himself grounded. Whatever had truly happened this night, whatever had been Captain Raven — his old Captain true role that night - he did not need to know. He only knew that Itachi Fucking Uchiha was back. He couldn’t look away from Dove. The weight of it all, the impossible reality staring him in the face, threatened to crush him. This was it, Tiger thought, his chest swelling with something hot and fierce. This was the moment that changed everything.

And he smiled.

Fuck yeah. Badass Kage? Check. War machine back in ANBU? Check.

Tiger chuckled under his breath, the sound low and rough. For a fleeting moment, he entertained the thought of the news leaking—not that it would ever—just for the satisfaction of imagining the Tsuchikage’s reaction. That old rock-headed bastard would probably choke on his tea.

But his brief moment of levity was shattered by the Hokage’s next words, colder than the steel of a kunai pressed to the throat.

“Captain Dove was not merely away,” Hiruzen said, his tone grave, drawing every eye back to him. The weight of his voice was like the shifting of tectonic plates, deep and unyielding. “He was on an extended mission. Infiltrating and gathering intelligence on one of Konoha’s—and humanity’s—most dangerous enemies. Ones that could totally obliterate Konoha.”

The room, already tense, froze completely. Even Tiger’s grin faltered as he leaned forward slightly, every word hitting like a punch to the gut.

“A gathering of S-ranked ninjas,” Hiruzen continued, his voice carrying the weight of the unthinkable, “known as the Akatsuki. Among their members: Sasori of the Red Sand, Kakuzu the Immortal, Hidan the Death Priest, Kisame Hoshigaki, the Shark of the Bloody Mist, and three others — called Konan, another called Zetsu — and Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin—though he has since defected from their ranks. Their ultimate goal is to capture the Nine Bijuu and, in doing so, destroy the world as we know it.”

Tiger’s fists clenched at his sides, his breath coming sharper. Each name hit like a hammer. He knew those reputations. Every single one of them was a nightmare given form.

Fuck No. Big No.

Hiruzen’s voice darkened. “And leading them…”

Tiger felt his gut twist, every muscle in his body tensing as the Hokage’s gaze swept the room, locking onto each of them in turn.

“Their leader possesses the Rinnegan.”

For a second, Tiger couldn’t breathe. The Rinnegan? His mind raced, the word itself almost too much to grasp. The legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. The power to destroy nations, reshape the world. And now, in the hands of someone who wanted to capture the Nine Bijuu and bring the world to ruin?

The silence in the room was deafening. Tiger’s instincts screamed for action, his hands itching for a blade, but there was no enemy here to fight. Only the suffocating realization of just how massive this threat was.

“This is why Captain Dove’s return is critical,” Hiruzen said, his voice steady but grave. “He has lived among these monsters, gained intelligence on their plans, and survived. His knowledge is a weapon we will wield. But I must make it clear: the Akatsuki are no ordinary threat. They are a force unlike anything we have faced before. And the stakes are nothing less than the survival of everything we know. And, of course, none of this leaves this room. ”

Tiger’s jaw tightened, fists trembling, the weight of war pressing down on him. He wanted to push back, to demand answers, but there was nothing to say. This was war.

Then the Hokage smiled. 

"But…"

 Not soft or weary—sharp, dangerous, alive.

“Konoha is not toothless,” Hiruzen said.

A flick of his wrist, a quick unsealing, and with a puff of smoke, it appeared. Samehada. The living blade, coiled like a predator. Beside it, the severed head of Hoshigaki Kisame, The Monster of the Bloody Mist.

Dead.

The room froze, stunned into silence. Tiger’s eyes locked onto the grisly sight.

“Konoha’s strength is not a myth,” Hiruzen said, his voice like a war drum. “Dove, Hound, Tenzo, and Maito Gai showed them you don't fuck with us.”

Tiger’s grin split wide, fierce and wild.

Fuck yes.

"Oh, and also, the village hidden in the Sound - which is secretly Orochimaru's village - and the village hidden in the Sand are going to invade us in a few months".

Fuck no.