Chapter 2: Tough to be a God

Kogira hummed to herself and deftly spun around the thrown kunai, loose blue sleeves trailing behind her.

"Stop dodging!"

The genin grinned to herself and stopped, leaning down to Azuki's height. "What are you going to do about it?"

Azuki put up a sign. "Clone Jutsu!" Another Azuki appeared in a puff of smoke.

The elder Uchiha didn't bother stifling her laugh. "Z, that's not what clones do! You're thinking 'Shadow Clone Jutsu!'"

"So?" The black and white haired twins said in unison, giving their sister a withering glare.

Kogira snorted with a smile, leaning back lazily. "Okay. Hit me."

That was all the twin seven year-olds needed and they dashed at her. The real Azuki went high, while the clone went low, going for a sweep of the legs. Kogira frowned as she prepared to ignore the fake Uchiha and throw the real one. The child, even if he was only still in the Academy, knew that a clone wouldn't actually be able to harm her, so a head on assault was not only stupid, it was academic- which meant that he was doing something tricky. The elder sibling's black eyes widened and she adjusted in mid-air, having jumped, ignoring the airborne Azuki and flipping out of the way of the lower one.

Her assumption paid off, the high Uchiha disappearing in a cloud of smoke while the lower copy simply ate dirt, sliding forwards. Kogira laughed as she backed out of the child's range. "Okay, okay, that was pretty good."

Azuki simply glared up at her, irritated that she'd seen through his ploy. "How did you-"

"Because you're seven," She said surely, sitting down cross-legged in front of him. "I don't care how smart you are. You're still just a child," Her expression soured. "A child that shouldn't know how to do a clone already. You've still got, what, two years? Three, until the graduation exam? There's really no need to know how to do that already."

"Grandfather taught me."

"Of course he did."

Azuki sat up from his position in the dirt, sitting down in a mirror image of his sister. "Grandfather says that I should be prepared to graduate early. He says that I would already be preparing to fight back in his day."

"Oh, Z. Grandfather grew up in endless war, of course he'd already probably killed his first person."

"We're not at endless war?"

Kogira groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Brother, you need to spend less time around Grandpa Madara. He means well, but..."

Azuki cocked his head to the side. "But what?"

"He's not... Grandfather's a very hard man. And he does a lot of stuff for the good of the clan, but not for the good of the village, y'know?"

"I... don't."

"Okay, Madara's up here," She held a hand up above her head. "Lord Hokage's down here," She held her other hand lower, a few inches above the dirt. "Madara's ready for war. Lord Hokage doesn't want to go to war. That's... not a lot of common ground."

"Doesn't Grandfather play... shogi with Lord Hokage though?"

"Don't get me wrong, they're friends. But they don't see eye to eye, and... that makes Grandpa a lot of enemies. Just... He's not always super knowledgeable about everything, okay? He tries really hard, and I love him for it, but his world view's really messed up."

Azuki frowned. "But wouldn't he know more than we do? He's a lot older."

"Age doesn't always equal wisdom, Z. But it does equal power, so get up, we're not done training yet. Gotta keep you ahead of the curve."

The siblings rose, but Azuki had one more question, still frowning thoughtfully. "What do you mean they don't see eye to eye?"

"This is unacceptable!" Madara roared, slamming a hand into the table, the shogi pieces jumping slightly.

Hashirama frowned and moved the pieces back into their places. "I never said it wasn't-"

"And yet you do nothing to stop it?! You're the Hokage, you have martial power, if you-"

"Having martial power does not mean I can freely exercise it!" Hashirama finally yelled back, patience wearing thin.

"Oh, does it not?! Than does your little 'village council' have the power instead?"

"The Village Council is not only an important part of the village hierarchy, but it's also a necessary part! And no! They do not hold more power than me!"

Madara leaned back, sneering. His voice had reached its lowest pitch, an almost warning for the Hokage that the Uchiha Clan head was at his limit. "Then if you care so much for our plight, and the Council has less power than you, why do the Uchiha suffer such- such embarrassment, such admonishment, time after time?"

"Do you have any idea the scope of what the Council intends? I have to find a compromise, Madara! As much as I want to help you, I have to also help them! You have no idea the things I have shut down in your favor- if I wish to avoid the civilians doing something drastic, I need to give them a something. DO YOU- do you know how many times I have outright stopped them from attempting to have the Uchiha excommunicated? More than zero! Which is a perfect indicator of how they feel of you. Many of them are old enough to remember before the village was started, and they remember what the Uchiha would and could do. It doesn't help that you keep to yourselves in your compound!"

"What do you want from us, Senju?" Hashirama winced slightly at the use of his surname. "They treat us like war machines, as if we're animals on the verge of lashing out and tearing their throats out. My people are not welcome by the civilians, why should they force themselves where they're not wanted, hm? Your peace has only brought discrimination."

"And your peace will bring war!" Hashirama shot back. "You believe that might is the only answer; it's not. Peace exists through cooperation, through understanding- not war! Not subjugation. That's not peace, friend. That's a lie. Peace is not- not seeking out Iwa shinobi and attacking them so they'll bow to us. What- what part of peace is that? It's just a lie."

Madara leaned forwards, over the forgotten shogi board. "That peace is absolute, Hashirama. That peace is eternal. We are shinobi! What happens when another village decides that they no longer benefit from your alliance, hm? The only target will be you. Will be us. Subjugation may not be the perfect answer, but it's the best one! If you continue to act as if no one else in the world has fangs, you will one day have your throat ripped out. The Uchiha have already felt that."

Hashirama sighed, rubbing his temples. "Madara, I know that things are not always alright. I know that, but it isn't as simple as-"

"What happened to Hashirama Senju of the Forest? The man who exerted his force on every clan in the Land of Fire, bringing them under one banner, hm? What happened to him?"

"I'm not just leading the Senju anymore, old friend! I have the interest of every clan in the village- the Hyuuga, the Ino-Shika-Cho, the Inuzuka, the Aburame, the Sarutobi, the Uchiha- and the civilians. To rule over them as a dictator is not only the opposite I- We!- had promised them, it's the opposite of our vision for the Hidden Leaf. Remember? We wanted an end to the endless bloodshed, we wanted peace in our Land. Wasn't that our dream?"

Madara growled and rose to his feet. "I can't even see the dream anymore."

Azuki sighed and leaned back against the tree, sitting comfortably in his perch on one of the lower branches. He had to admit... he was bored. Kogira had left the village, on a C Rank mission to Takigakure, the smaller village in the Land of Fire, to deliver medicine. That had her leaving the village for at least a week, leaving Azuki alone to stew on his thoughts.

"Azuki?"

The child blinked at the unfamiliar voice, and looked down, where a clansman was staring up at him curiously. "Yes?"

"...What are you doing up there?"

Azuki frowned. "Sitting? Do you... want something?"

The teenager shrugged and began walking up the tree, making the child's eyes widen in shock. The clansman walked over and sat a few feet from the child. "Not really. I'm a friend of your sister. She talks about you all the time, so, figured I'd meet you finally."

"Oh."

"Still thinking about the walking on the tree?"

"Yes."

The teen smiled. "You'll get it once they put you in a genin team. How old are you?"

"...Seven. Um, what's your name?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm Ashi. Are you taking the academy this week?"

Azuki's face flushed. "...No."

"It's okay. I didn't take it until I was... jeez, eight? Nine? Somewhere around there. If you're as... talented as Kogi says you are, then seven's a pretty close number to when you do. I'd think, anyway. I'm not... a teacher or anything. Anyway, what brings you here?"

Azuki stared at the older Uchiha for a few moments before shaking his head. "This is my house."

Ashi rolled his eyes. "Well, duh. I mean, what brings you up here," He shook the tree branch for emphasis. "Into the tree?"

"I was... I find it relaxing."

"You were bored, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Wanna go walk around?"

"Yes please."

Ashi laughed and hopped down. "Alright then. Come on down."

The genin was dressed in FJDKLS:

After a moment of hesitation, Azuki followed the teen forwards, winding their way through the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Hands behind his head, Ashi turned slightly over his shoulder. "So what are you doing in training?"

"The fireball technique." Azuki said quietly.

Ashi frowned. "Fireball, or Great Fireball?"

"...Great Fireball."

"Okay, that sounds a lot more like Madara."

The younger Uchiha frowned. "What do you know about Grandfather?"

"Only what my mom tells me; he's stern, he's calci... calcitrant, he's kind of angry, and he's got a lot of issues."

"Does... everyone think that?"

"Well, no. Even my mom admits that he's a fantastic shinobi and leader, and is just too prideful to compromise. There's a few, though, that think Madara's the greatest gift to mankind since chakra."

"What do you think?"

"Kid, I hate politics. I don't really care. I love my clan, and I love my village. As long as I can serve both, then I don't really care."

"But what if he does something that makes it to where you can't?"

"Well... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, yeah? It's never that cut-and-dry, context is important. Remember that," Azuki didn't answer, getting Ashi to turn to him again. "Hey, kid... what did you mean, something that may make it to where I can't?"

"I..."

"Does... Lord Madara talk to you about this stuff?" Ashi said hesitantly, a note of panic creeping into his voice. If Azuki relayed what people said to his Grandfather... the old warrior wouldn't kill his family, or even exile them just for doubting, but it would make him an enemy; and Madara is not a man that you want as an enemy.

"...Well... not to me. Exactly."

"...What do you mean, not exactly?"

"God, Azuki, we're going to get killed!"

"Stop being a baby."

"Baby? Baby?! You're the one who dragged me here!"

Azuki turned a flat, onyx gaze to Ashi. "You're a four year older genin. I couldn't make you come if I tried."

"I didn't know we were coming here!" The shinobi hissed back.

"Stop raising your voice, if you're so concerned that we'll get caught. I thought you said you wanted to learn where I got my... my..."

"Information, you little devil, and yeah. I did. I didn't expect to be here."

Here went very quiet, a dark room lit up both through the dying light shining through the windows, and the lights hanging above the clan members' heads.

The room was filled with three tables; two vertical facing towards the door, and the other horizontal on the other side of the room. One man sat at the latter, while the other two tables were filled with at least a dozen people.

Madara Uchiha leaned back in his chair, coolly looking on at the assorted council of Uchiha clan members; picked for their skill, prowess- whether in strategy, battle, or civil matters- and their intelligence.

The idea was, Madara was to have two advisors with him, not unlike the Hokage himself; both men eschewed the ancient tradition, preferring to make decisions on their own. Madara, on a lesser scale, was simply in charge of the clan; singling out which missions to accept, who should partake in them, accepting or declining goods from merchants, making plans on what construction to do in the compound, barter with the Hokage, the council, other clans, and so on and so forth.

Lately though; Madara did very little of that.

"Is this another coup conversation, my lord?" One clan member asked, carefully hiding his disdain.

Madara let out a breath through his nose. "It is not a coup conversation-"

"With all due respect, Madara; what else would you call these?"

"I am attempting to save our clan, boy," The legendary warrior's voice was rising in irritation already. "What have we been given for our efforts towards this village? Hm? What rewards, what recognition have we been given?"

"Everything!" One man yelled, shooting to his feet. "We have a home, we have missions, we have a steady stream of income, goods, supplies, food- what more could we want?"

"Our damn pride! You are all old enough to remember the time before this village? Remember our fame? Our infamy, the fear and respect our enemies had for us-"

"And our children were dying by the dozens, we were dying by the dozens! Our situation is not perfect, but dammit, it's better! It's everything you and Hashirama wished for. We have been stubbed. We have been forgotten, and mistreated- but by God, we have safety. Our children no longer have to fight in the fields, they no longer have to learn to wield a sword before they gain their Sharingan- my boy is learning to be a medic, my lord. What more could we ask for than peace of mind?"

Madara stared out over his clansmen, black eyes filled with dissatisfaction. "...Have you lost your spines? Have you forgotten your pride? The very pride that makes the Uchiha clan who we are! You kneel, and bow, and prostrate yourself when you should scream, and fight, and demand! Demand! The spoils of which we've been promised. Can you not see? This village, that council, it stifles us, it parades itself around as the savior of the Leaf, but that is us! Our village was built around the Naka Shrine for a reason; because it would be nothing without us!"

"I'm sorry, Madara, but we've said it before. And we'll say it again. We will not support you in a coup. We respect you and your wisdom, but this is no longer the era of the Warring States. We march towards peace, and peace is what we want. I'm sorry. We don't support this action. Is there anything else you wanted of us?"

"No."

The single, loathe-filled word sent chills down the clansmen's backs. As nearly one, they rose from their chairs and bowed to their clan head, before turning to file out of the meeting hall. Madara watched them go for a minute, the great doors swinging shut behind the last man, before bowing his head, catching his face in his hands.

"You can come out now." He said tiredly.

Ashi and Azuki's eyes both widened in surprise, sharing a quick look.

"I know you're there, both of you."

Azuki then, without hesitation, dropped from his hiding place, landing on the floor with a whump. After a moment, Ashi followed, more gracefully. The two young Uchiha stared at their clan head, the former openly, the latter, his head bowed, staring out through his eyebrows.

"You may go." Madara said, waving Ashi off. The genin bowed lowly and turned on his heel, hurrying out of the meeting hall. The two last Uchiha watched him go, before the door closed, then turned back to each other silently.

The silence stretched on for several minutes, before Madara finally brought dull eyes up to his grandson. "Did I ever tell you how Hashirama and I met?"

"No, Grandfather."

"We were boys, long before this village was even an idea, long before your parents were born. He stumbled across me, as I skipped rocks across a pond. Neither of us knew the other's true identity, but we befriended each other anyways. Long after that, when we were men, leading our clans, we became bitter enemies. His brother, Tobirama, killed my brother, as my clan had killed their's. In one final battle, he refused to kill me, and wished to make amends. I told him the only way to do so... would be to either kill his brother, or kill me. Instead... he chose to kill himself. After I saw his conviction for peace, I began listening to his dreams again. We became rivals once again, and this village was born. I was to be the First Hokage, you know. Instead, Tobirama, with the support of the council, refused to allow an Uchiha to claim the high chair. And since... I can't help but feel it was all for naught."

"Grandfather?"

"Perhaps when you're older, you'll understand. A man has to do what a man must do, whatever the consequences."

"Grandfather, I don't understand what you're saying."

"You don't, I understand. You will, one day."

"Grandfather?"

"Run home, little one. I will be there shortly."

Azuki sent his grandfather one last, long look, before bowing, and then turned and left.

Madara didn't move once as he watched his grandson go.

The Uchiha Clan head stared forwards in determination, buckling red armor tightly into place, his war fan and scythe attached to his back, black hair hanging down his back. He took a deep breath in, then let it out, turning to leave his chambers, moving with determined steps towards the opposite side of the mansion. He stopped before the door and idled for a few moments, before sliding it open, stepping in. Laying on his futon against the far wall, Azuki was little more than a blanketed lump, black-and-white hair blending in and contrasting against the darkness.

Madara stepped over to him, standing over his grandson quietly, mouth closed in a thin line. Reaching behind him, he pulled out the handwritten letter sealed shut with the Uchiha clan symbol pressed into red wax, and placed it on the boy's bedside table. His gloved hand reached up tentatively, and brushed a lock of the boy's white hair out of his face, before leaning down and placing a ghost of a kiss on his temple.

"I'm sorry. You'll understand." He whispered, before turning on his heel to leave.

Hisshadow clone burst, sending its memories back to him.

Ah.

Hashirama accepted.

The skies were clouded over grey. Though rain had yet to fall, the threat of it hung over the area. Their battleground was in the mountains, far to the north of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hashirama stared at his old friend, clad in the Senjus' red armor. Madara stared down, clad in his own Uchiha red armor.

And beneath Madara's feet was the Nine Tailed Fox. The enormous Tailed Beast snarled and growled, but didn't move, turning its hateful red eyes onto Hashirama- red eyes filled with the Sharingan, the Hokage didn't fail to notice.

"Come then, Hashirama!" Madara roared, grin wide on his face from battle lust. "Show me your power!"

The two old friends dashed at one another.