Hi there!

This is a story that has been nagging at the back of my mind for many months and so I decided to finally give it a shot! I always wondered how things could change differently if Tsunade never became the Fifth Hokage. It's definitely not the first fic in this fandom to explore this concept but I want to write my own version based on real ninja stuff that we saw at the start of Naruto instead of what we saw by the end of this amazing series.

This chapter is kind of a prologue and I am interested in listening to what you guys think. I have a roadmap as to where this will go from here but I'm sure you all have also imagined various scenarios that you wanted to be explored in cannon but never saw.

Chapter 1

The Fifth

A group of men dressed in heavy robes sat around a long table, the atmosphere was somber and each of them could feel the tension in the air. The one who felt it most was the person currently listening to the disturbing reports.

"A third of the village suffered heavy damage. Critical infrastructure was hit which will take months to repair" reported one of the advisers,

"The cost of rebuilding is going to be very steep, my lord" warned another,

"Money is something which we can spare given the circumstances. Our strength relies greatly upon the power of our shinobi, if they were to appear broken...we could be risking another invasion. Kumogakure is acting quite bold, I'm sure you all have heard about the increased skirmishes at the border" pointed a middle aged adviser,

"Then let's show them their place once again!"

"Have you forgotten we lost nearly 30% of our entire shinobi force! We have lost many skilled Jounin and Anbu's, our chunin ranks are decimated and genin too green to face experienced forces from other nations. We don't even have Lord Hokage protecting us anymore!" reminded Shikaku Nara with barely concealed disgust, how stupid could these politicians be to think of picking a dangerous conflict with Kumogakure when their village had nearly been destroyed.

The Invasion.

It was what the people of the Land of Fire were calling the entire ordeal. Details were still yet to flow to them fully and Shikaku wondered how they would react on learning the full truth of the destruction.

The Third Hokage was dead.

So were 200 Anbu Blackops, 578 Jounin, 986 chunin and 445 genin.

Hundreds more were in various states of injuries with their recovery slated to take months and in some cases never.

All in all nearly 3000 from the once 10,000 strong Leaf Village shinobi forces were destroyed alongside their leader.

The enemy comprised of Sound and Sand villages had lost almost close to the same amount of fighters, one Kage dead and another crippled.

"We have grown weak"

Shikaku narrowed his eyes on hearing that cold and familiar voice, he felt a shiver run across his entire body when the said man gave him a pointed stare before looking at the Fire Daimyo.

"I am sorry to say this my lord but we have grown weak and soft. It is the only explanation behind this tragedy, otherwise the weakest shinobi village like the Sand and an upstart one like the Sound couldn't have caused this much damage" stated Danzo honestly, earning grim nods from the eldest advisers from Konoha: Homura and Koharu.

"What are you suggesting, Danzo?" asked the Daimyo warily, he had always liked Hiruzen better but today under the current circumstances he couldn't help but welcome the insight of a veteran of three shinobi world wars.

"The Sand Village is begging us for peace having lost their finest forces and their Kage in the invasion. The Sound has nothing left to throw at us. The other villages maybe probing our strength and would only decide to start anything serious if we further continue to project ourselves as weak!" said Danzo coldly, his lone visible eye sending a scathing glare to the political advisers making them flinch.

"You have a plan to turn this mess around?" asked one of the bolder ones challengingly, and regretted it an instant later when he felt the cold gaze of this man bore into his very soul.

"Accept the peace offered by the Sand for now. We need atleast a year or two's time to rebuild our strength fully. Conscription will have to be reintroduced throughout our entire nation and our economy must be prepared for war. Our joke of an academy will have to be reorganized to train real shinobi once more instead of coddled brats. Our security measures will have to upgraded. To do all of that we will require resources, your highness's support and a strong leadership" explained Danzo seriously, as one of his aides distributed a carefully drafted sheet that had the man's entire agenda listed down in bullet points.

Shikaku was mildly impressed, whatever his thoughts were about the old war hawk...he could not deny the veteran's dedication towards turning the situation around.

"You have still not answered my question on how we will stop Kumo's aggression from turning into a full blown conflict? Iwa won't be far behind if that happens!" reminded the Daimyo forcefully,

"They respect strength if nothing else. We will remind them of that!" voiced Homura with determination,

"I propose to reform Root Anbu Blackops forces. They are veteran shinobi with the mettle to show Kumogakure their place. They shall also lead our counterattack on the Sound in a few months and destroy Orochimaru, that should show the other villages that we are still strong and capable of crushing them should they dare" suggested Danzo,

Shikaku grimaced. There was a lot of history behind that force and its disbandment in the past at the hands of the Third Hokage himself...the Daimyo knew it too judging from how uncomfortable the man looked at being suggested such a thing.

"Root may have been powerful in the past but it will be a challenge to face Kumo's tailed beast should they be deployed to the frontlines" challenged Shikaku desperately, as he could feel where this was heading and the purpose behind all three village elders travelling to the Capital itself under these times was becoming more and more clear.

"Then we'll deploy our own. Although the boy would need to be trained like a shinobi being the idiot that he is. Maybe it's best if I take him under my wing"

The Nara clan head froze.

This was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi had tried to prevent all these years, he looked around the room and was disappointed to see not much interest among the political advisers and even the Daimyo. It was understandable considering they didn't know the boy, but he did. Alteast in passing.

That boy was his son's friend and the child of a man whom Shikaku personally respected.

"My Lord..." protested Shikaku,

"These are difficult times, Lord Nara. We must do what's necessary for the survival of our nation, no matter the cost" silenced one of the senior advisers,

Further dissent never had the opportunity to be presented when Shikaku saw the Daimyo give a solemn nod earning a grateful nod from Danzo Shimura.

"We also propose appointing a new Hokage immediately. A leaderless shinobi village in times of strife is a disaster waiting to happen" warned Koharu,

"I agree which is why I propose Danzo Shimura for the position of Fifth Hokage. He is a veteran of three shinobi wars, trained by the Second Hokage himself, leader of our Blackops forces and hailing from one of our founding clans. We need his experience in these trying times" proposed Homura resolutely,

"Then I propose Jiraiya of the Sannin for the same! He is the student of the Third Hokage, mentor of the Fourth, veteran of two great wars and one of the strongest shinobi alive today" proclaimed Shikaku fiercely,

"A womanizer and wanderer? Tell me how many years has he been away from the village only to return just now? Does he know our shinobi and how to lead them? He is powerful but do you think he wants the job, Shikaku?" questioned Koharu pointedly,

The Nara clan head hid his grimace but everyone saw the fight drain out of him on realizing the truth behind those harsh words. Jiraiya was...

But one look at Danzo and his smug look ignited the defiance in the man once again. Further protest would cost him and his clan but he had to do this for the sake of his village. Lord Hiruzen would have wanted him to fight.

"Then Tsunade Senju! Granddaughter of the First Hokage, another Sannin and a veteran of two wars!" said Shikaku stubbornly,

"How many years has it been since she left the village? 15 years? Do you know where she is or better does she even care about the village anymore? Her act of abandoning her ancestral home says otherwise. Do you really want to gamble the Land of Fire's future on such a person?" asked Koharu angrily,

Shikaku saw the effect those words had on the weak willed Daimyo who was nervous about the entire situation. One look at the man's face was enough to show he wanted this entire problem to just disappear, no matter the cost.

His decision would seal their nation's future and start a story none of them could have imagined.

"Very well. Given the circumstances we face: Danzo Shimura: I appoint you as Fifth Hokage of the Leaf Village"