CHAPTER 1: Pursuit

I never really wanted to write this, but YOLO, am I right?

In all reality, I think the only reason why actually wrote this is because, seriously, Madara needs a love-life. Am I the only one who sees he needs it? He does! Because honestly, if Madara actually had a girlfriend or anything stupid like that, he might have actually done a couple of good things in his life. He wouldn't leave Konoha, capture the Kyuubi, and the war between him and Hashirama would have become really short. Problem is: he's cold. And it's hard to pair up a girl and a douche with black porcupine hair.

Oh, and to the new readers, I don't use "kun", "chan", "sama", "san" or any affixes in my stories. I do, however, use the –daime Kage names (which I bet won't really be that efficient for this story) and village names in Japanese (again, really not that efficient). I don't mix my English with Japanese, like using "Arigatou" or "Hai" in my stories. Even if I don't use the affixes, I state formal Japanese names the way they usually are: surname first before first name.

This is the time period where Hashirama and Madara were at war and Madara was recently clan leader, so he's probably around 18-20 years old (wow, he's so old). To spoil it, they don't meet here; you only get to see her basic justu and appearance. They meet in the next chapter, but good ol' Izuna (the little bro) makes his debut. And so does his brother…..well, ish. Anything I need to clarify will be done in the ANs. Next update will be early January.

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR. HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD 2014. :D

Disclaimer: I own the OC, nothing else. I don't own anything else.

CHAPTER 1: Pursuit

She sat under a large tree somewhere in the large forest. She didn't even know why she wasn't running, even when she knew that her pursuers weren't far behind her. She was too preoccupied with trying to find her Water Scroll because she was warned many times that her chasers, members of this infamous Uchiha clan, were exceptional in Fire Style. She remembered what her master had said: infiltrate their lair, their compound, their hideout, and retrieve information. She should even kill herself if need be. Shouldn't be too hard. She reached for her back and found her Water Scroll in her belt then toyed with it in her finger-less gloved hands. Her outfit consisted of a grey elbow-length shirt, a darker shade of pants and shinobi sandals. Her long hair was wild and untied. Her blades inserted in scabbards strapped to her back. Her face was concealed in a mask. She leaned against the tree trunk, trying to think of an escape plan.

Okay, back-up plan, back-up plan…..wait, what's the back-up plan?

"Where is she? Find her!"

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked back, to where it seemed to be coming from, and she caught glimpses of movement. They were there. The Uchiha clansmen were there, looking for her in the bushes and trees. They were very close to her hiding place. It wouldn't be long before they found her. She had two options: hide their and be found and captured, or run and be found, captured, and possibly dead in the process.

"There she is!"

Okay, run and flee it is.

She wasted no time to get on her feet and blot out from her hiding place. She was noisy, of course, so she attracted more attention to her, making the Uchiha dash after her. She ran as fast as she could and jumped on the boughs and branches of trees, the wind pushing her back. She didn't know where she was going, but as long as it took her away from the clansmen, she would go there. She heard them getting closer to her. She had to boost ahead, or she'd be done for. She searched her pockets and found three kunai with paper bombs and she made no hesitation to throw them to her pursuers. As expected, they exploded upon sight, sending up a few embers, splinters of burnt bark, and smoke up into the air. The Uchiha were too smart to see that coming, so none of them probably died. Now she had to use the Wind Style to blast herself forward while the clansmen were blinded by the smoke. She formed fast hand signs with her fingers then took a deep breath and faced the smoke.

"Wind Style: Gale Blast!"

A strong wind was exhaled from her mouth to blow her forward, but it was eradicated by fire blown from a man hidden in the smoke.

"Fire Style: Great Demolisher Flame!"

Her wind was able to clear the smog, but her boost force was destroyed by flames coming from the mouth of an Uchiha. She was even about to be killed by a ravishing inferno but, luckily, a somersault saved her life. Since the smoke had vanished because of her gust, she was able to identify the man who blew the hellfire. He seemed to be the leader of the search party, even if he had spiky black ponytailed hair and cloaks similar to his kinsmen. He seemed to have this regal air around him, and he also stood in front while his men stood behind him. Even if his eyes were red, some Dojustu Kekkei Genkai the Uchiha possessed called the Sharingan, they were different in pattern, not the normal one she knew.

She was too distracted by his eyes that she didn't notice that he was making hand signs until he put his fingers around his rounded mouth. 'Oh no', she thought, 'Fire Style'. She couldn't attempt to waste her chakra by blowing another gust, so she quickly opened her Water Scroll as the leader blew fire.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Justu!"

She was lucky enough that the water flew out of the paper just in time to douse the many fireballs that were blown at her. Steam erupted in the place between the two, and water continued to pour out of the scroll even if the fireballs were gone, making the Uchiha scatter. When the water ran out and the scroll was just a dysfunctional parchment, the clansmen were gone. She was relieved and discarded the useless piece of paper. She was still facing her trailing to be sure they vanished, but she heard a swooshing sound behind her, and when she turned around, it was too late.

Her face came into contact with a sword, and her mask shattered into pieces. She felt blood trickle down her forehead, and her arm was fatally cut. She tumbled down unto the forest floor, landed with a deafening thud, while the leader landed perfectly in front of her and behind him, his clansmen. Since her mask was gone and he was close to her, she could clearly see the head of the search party and describe him accurately.

He had spiky black hair that was tied into a ponytail which framed his face and made a shaggy forelock in front of his eyes. His attire consisted of a long-sleeved purple Uchiha cloak that stretched until his mid thigh with a light purple sash acting as a belt, long black pants, and shinobi sandals with purple gloves cloaking his slender hands. He drew a katana sword with his right hand and pointed it to her neck. With his free hand, he swept his hair away from his face, revealing his different Sharingan. She was extremely terrified, either because of the leader pointing a cold piece of deadly metal to her or the clansmen behind him, ready to strike on his command. Maybe it was both giving her the chills. But despite the fearsome appearance of the leader, he tilted his head and smiled.

"Well," he remarked kindly, still pointing the sword. "You're a skilled kunoichi. And you're kinda pretty too."

She tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in her arm wouldn't let her. She was confused and scared at the same time. Why the hell was he complimenting her? Well, she just had to play it safe and choose her words carefully. "I'm sorry, Uchiha, but flattery will not gain you anything," she said with a voice as smooth as silk, only if it wasn't hoarse with pain.

"My apologies," the Uchiha leader said again. "I did not mean to gain a bad first impression. I was merely being nice. So I'll just say this quick: my name is Izuna. Uchiha Izuna. And you're under arrest."

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The next thing she knew, she was chained in arm and foot, her weapons stolen and her scrolls gone. The man named Izuna marched in front of her, so she could see the Uchiha clan symbol, a red and white fan, imprinted on the back of his cloak. The clansmen were far behind them. She kept her head bowed and let her long blond hair cover the blood on her face and the shameful look that crossed her expression.

"Hey," Izuna perked up in front of her. "I meant to ask you, what's your name?"

She stayed silent.

Izuna looked behind him to face the girl. "Come on, I can't just call you 'kunoichi' all the time."

"Okay," she said finally, after a long pause. "Address me as Akari."

"Akari…." Izuna said, "pretty name."

Akari couldn't help but smile. She knew he was an enemy, but she didn't really know if this young man, Izuna, was trying to trick her with false benevolence or just really being nice. She just decided to keep it in mind. "Izuna, right?" she said, looking to him. "By the looks of it, you seem like the clan leader."

"Oh, no," Izuna said, waving his hand and looking ahead. "I'm just a division leader. You're talking about my brother."

"Your brother?" Akari asked. "And who might that be?"

Izuna smiled. "Why, Uchiha Madara, of course!"

"Madara…." Akari muttered softly.

Uchiha Madara; whoever hasn't heard that name probably hasn't lived yet. He was ruthless, cruel, and the devil incarnated into a man. He was considered to be the most powerful shinobi who ever lived, next to Senju Hashirama, of course. His reputation of despicable and cruel deeds earned him infamy not only though war and through whispers of his enemies, but even in his own clan as well. He was merciless beyond words, and it was even rumored that any prisoner who would leave his presence alive was luckier than a man who won the greatest lottery in history.

"Yeah, my brother, Madara," Izuna smiled, seemingly proud of being his brother. "He's the best shinobi who ever lived. Hmph, bet you heard his name before, haven't you?"

"Who hasn't?" Akari replied.

Izuna laughed. "Ah, yeah…I want to become just like him when I become clan leader. He's got himself one hell of a reputation."

Akari giggled. She couldn't really imagine Izuna as clan leader, not as harsh and cold as Madara was. She had to remember that she was in the presence of an enemy, and she tried to stop herself as fast as she could. However, Izuna looked back at her curiously with a smirk on his face.

"You have a cute laugh, you know that?" he commented.

Akari felt herself blush, but she shook it off and gave a sweet grin. "Thank you,"

Izuna continued to look at her as he trampled over a fallen log. "How can you be so happy? Even when you're in the clutches of your enemy and talking to the brother of the clan leader?"

Akari knew that it was all part of her mission to be captured and jailed into the compound, but she knew she had to lie. She had to act natural. "I don't know….." she said, shrugging and following him. "Guess I'm just optimistic."

Izuna left through the forest and saw a large Japanese-styled building that looked like citadel right in the middle of the forest. It had stone walls around it, and guards patrolled perched on the top. The gates, positioned in the center, were made of wood and closed with the Uchiha clan symbol painted on it. Izuna walked towards the gates with Akari following behind him; he instructed his clansmen to depart and look for more spies, and they followed his instructions and departed from the duo. Akari knew that she was entering enemy territory, so she had to act as subtle as possible. 'Act natural,' she kept repeating in her mind. 'Act normal and act ordinary.'

"Hey, Lord Izuna!" one of the guards said from his wall post. "Beautiful woman you have there. Who is she, another one for interrogation?"

"Yes, although that is for my brother to decide," Izuna replied. "Open the gates."

The gates opened immediately after he said so, and he walked in and made his way through the compound. They passed by several clansmen as they went up its many floors, and they whispered things Akari couldn't quite catch, but she was able to hear words like "death", "mercy", "spy", and "Madara". Just hearing those words made her blood curdle. Izuna walked all the way to what seemed to be the top floor, which was a long hallway lined with rooms of unknown content. At the end of the hall was a large wooden sliding door with the clan insignia on it. Izuna and Akari stood at the door, the young man standing before it tense and the woman kneeling cuffed and head down beside him. Izuna sighed before he knocked thrice on the door with the knuckle of his index finger.

"Who is it?" a dark voice replied. It sounded ominous and cold. It was also quite admirable and attractive to some extent, but other than that, it made Akari shiver. "I'm busy, leave me be."

"It's me," Izuna replied through the door. "Let me in."

"Come in alone," the voice replied. Izuna opened the door just enough for him to enter then he closed the door behind him, leaving Akari outside. Without Izuna's knowledge, she was close enough to hear their conversation through the door.

"Did you bring her?" the voice asked.

"Yes, I did," Izuna replied. "She's right outside."

'What….?' Akari thought. 'Why are they talking about me…?'

"Her name?" the voice asked again.

"Akari, so it seems," Izuna stated. "She only gave me that name to call her by, nothing more."

"Akari…." the voice purred, trying to get the feel of it rolling through his tongue. It made Akari tremble just listening to the voice say her name. "She doesn't seem like a Senju."

"She might not be," Izuna said. "She might be just an ordinary spy."

The man, the owner of the voice, snorted in ignorance. "'Just an ordinary spy', you say. That might even be her goal, to drive us off the truth! She might just be a spy for the Senju! Don't you see? It's a trap!"

Izuna sighed. "You worry too much. Learn to loosen up."

The man seemed to stiffen up. "You cannot 'loosen up' in the midst of war, Izuna! You cannot let your guard down! You are a naive fool!" Akari heard the sound of a clenched fist meeting wood and it partially cracking. After that, she heard a sigh. "Not after what happened…..to Father…."

"I know…"

There was a long silence. Akari could hear the sound of her palpitating heart and her heavy breathing. Who was this guy? Why did Izuna sound like he was giving him so much respect and adoration? They pertained to the same "Father", so they seemed to be brothers. Wait a minute. Complete and honest pride and idolization? Brothers? Respect higher and as kin? No….that doesn't mean that he was….but was he really?

"What now?" The voice of Izuna broke silence.

The man sighed. "Leave me. Fetch the girl and bring her in."

"Yes," Izuna replied.

There was the sound of footsteps and the door opened then closed again. Izuna sighed once he was outside, leaned against the door and looked at Akari. The poor young girl looked like a nervous wreck. She was sweating like mad and her heart was hammering out of her chest. Even if the wounds on her arm and forehead were bleeding, she didn't care. Her blond hair was disheveled and tangled, and her eyes were like those of a mouse cornered by a cat.

"I'm going to die…." Akari said with a trembling voice. "I am going…..to die….."

Izuna looked at her with a confused face. "You do know who that is, don't you?"

"I have a hunch…." Akari shivered. "But other than that, no…"

Izuna smirked and put a hand on Akari's shoulder. Her eyes looked into his, and they were jet-black, not red Sharingan. "Well, whether you know who he is or don't know who he is, he wants to see you. Good luck, Akari, and try not to get him mad. You'll just end up killing yourself."

Okay, as much as it sounded like friendly advice, it sounded macabre and suicidal.

Izuna helped Akari stand up, and the Uchiha opened the door and gently pushed her in. Before she could move, she heard the door close behind her with a shuddering thud. She felt her legs grow weak in fear and she had no choice but to kneel helplessly. She was in the presence of the feared clan leader, and there was no turning back now.