Oddity by KKephemeral

Chapter 35

A/N: Well, this chapter is the longest in the story and it is for a good reason. As I said in the previous chapter, I have already finished writing this chapter and I am sorry if things don't turn out the way some of you would have wanted to. There are two or three chapters left before we head into a very interesting arc (cough... Itachi... cough) that I have been planning for a while. So, hang in there folks...

And a happy news... the fanfic has crossed over 1.5K favs, 2K follows, and 1K reviews... I am tremendously grateful for all your love and support.

It would be a spoiler, hence I have placed the title at the bottom :)

As I sat in my favorite spot in the entire Konoha and overlooked the village that was bustling with activity, I couldn't help but sigh at how peaceful it was. From my position on the top of the Hokage monument, I could see the entire village as both civilians and shinobi alike went about their lives with no trace of anything towards unordinary. The sight somehow didn't bring me joy. Neither did it bring forth any negative emotions. All I could feel was a numb feeling that pervaded me entirely.

Anko had recently moved out of the house after finding a small apartment in the shinobi residential area owned by a retired shinobi. A little bit of digging let me know that the old man was a friend of Hiruzen. I was glad that Hiruzen had secretly helped out Anko with her living problem. Even, the village was slowly beginning to look at Anko in a sympathetic light.

Minato had also done his part in helping her out after the investigation was over. He had pulled some strings and obtained an apprenticeship in Konoha's T&I for Anko. Initially, Anko had been reluctant to step back into that particular building. But, after Minato had summoned her to a meeting, she had realized that she had very few options other than that owing to the stigma that had been generated due to Orochimaru.

I was sad for her since she had a very bright future before all this debacle. Regardless, she at least had a place to be thanks to Hiruzen's and Minato's efforts. While both Harami and I would be there for her regardless of her choice, it was a good thing that she now had a road to walk on her own. At least, this would help her move past the last few months.

She had moved out a few days ago. Ever since then, it had been just me in the big Senju Ancestral house. After having someone staying with me for the past few weeks, the sudden absence of people other than me made the entire house a bit lonely. So, I had taken to spend my free time away from the house.

While it did relieve me of the boredom, it also served an additional purpose. Since, no one was taking the bait after I moved out of Hiruzen's house and stayed alone, I figured that maybe seeing me wander around the village all on my own would tempt them. At least, it was worth a shot.

But, today was entirely different from the other occasions that I had wandered out. Today was special. In an alternate universe, this day would have been the harbinger of doom. It would be so pivotal for years to come. Hell, this was the day on which canon officially began. Yes, today was October 10 – the very day Kyubi rampaged through Konoha.

But, that was in an alternate universe. This version in which I was alive was so different from that. For one, Team Minato was still alive and kicking. While it may not be whole in the upcoming weeks, as of today Team Minato was still whole. That meant, Obito wasn't out there plotting the murder of his sensei and unleashing a tailed beast. Hell, he didn't even have Mangekyo at this point.

The second kicker was that Kushina was scheduled to go into induced labor two days from now. That simple thing changed a whole lot of others. Even if someone had taken the place of Obito, this day was bound to be peaceful since there wasn't anything to be done today. Even if they were going to go ahead with the same plan, they would only do it two days from now. As for change in the plans, the seal would only be weaker during the childbirth and no sane mastermind would attack a highly protected jinchuriki when their seal was strong.