The night was cool and wet, with a storm overhead. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed all around for everyone to see and hear. It was a great night for a fight, for Anju at least. With lightning already abundant, performing lightning based attacks would be a bonus in her department. She led the front with three on either side of her to form a 'V' shape. She wore no major armor today, only her dark blue high-collared shirt that split in the middle with the Uchiha Clan's symbol on the back and black ninja pants with matching ninja shoes. Some with her had a similar look while others wore armor. The only armor she had on was around her forearms, both above and underneath for full protection.
They stopped atop three branches, with Michi, Kazuo, and Kaito on one branch, then Suzu, Hisen, and Yuuta on the second, and Anju stood on the third with her two eagles perched above her. "Michi and Kaito – assist Kazuo in his explosives. Suzu, Hisen, and Yuuta – spread yourselves out and wait for my signal. Understood?"
Nods of approval came simultaneously, and then the six disappeared to get started on their work. Anju crouched down on her branch as her two golden eagles, Ken and Ren, landed next to her. "Well, let's work." She leapt to the ground and above her the eagles flew, and with a scree signaled that there were, in fact, Senju present. Hopefully Kazuo, Michi, and Kaito would still be able to set their explosives.
To buy them some time, Anju formulated a plan inside her head. With a sigh, she stepped out of the tree line and walked onto the bank where a group of Senju stood. They grabbed their weapons as she approached the water and turned to them. Her onyx eyes bore into each of them as they held the Senju flag, ready to claim the land. "Now, you didn't think you'd get this territory without a fight, did you?"
A blonde with golden eyes and pale skin stood at the head of the pack. She could feel his chakra. It was by far the most menacing she had ever encountered, equal to or greater than Madara's. She stood before him though, unfazed by the immense power this one boy held. Years of standing up to Madara let her remain calm and unfearful.
He stepped forward with no sword drawn and instead held his hands out as he spoke, unlike the others she had their swords drawn. "Is this what the Uchiha send? A female for tribute? How thoughtful."
She smirked, her eyes turning red as she approached the blonde man. "The Uchiha do not disrespect their women, let alone give them as compensation. Even if you were worthy and not a repulsive little shit, you would not be worthy of an Uchiha woman."
The blonde male drew his sword, twirling it in his hand. "A self-respecting and dignified bitch, aren't you? Well, we'll see if you hold such views when we're finished here."
His arrogance flowed off him like blood. It made her angry and sick at the same time. She'd knock the overconfident smirk right off his face. He made the first move. Metal clashed with metal as kunai collided with shuriken. The orange sparks lit up in the darkness around them, providing another source of light besides the stars. She found herself surrounded by nine Senju, minus the blonde, who stood a ways away like a coward.
With the help of the sharingan, she kept up with the nine youngsters, with the youngest looking to be around eight and the oldest seventeen. They were inexperienced, making it much less fun. She played with them until a kunai pierced the back of the youngest, sending him to the ground. Behind another, a boy with silver hair, Michi appeared and snapped his neck. "Anju-san." She nodded in recognition, "Ill leave these to you."
She looked towards the blonde as he stood in front of the forest. "Well, blondie? Are you going to stand there like a peppy little princess who lives with the feudal lord, or are you going to stand like a man and pull that goldy-locks hair of yours into a ponytail and fight?"
Her words angered the blonde and he forced his sword against hers. "Bring it on, sweetie."
While her mind remained in the battle with this arrogant blonde, the rest of her concentrated on the fast approaching Senju forces. So, they had had the same plan. She was not surprised, however. But, she had to stay focused. She had to signal at the right time.
It had been a mistake on her part, by focusing too much on the approaching Senju forces rather than the battle, and the blonde's sword pierced her right shoulder, pinning her to the ground. She hissed in pain as he twisted the blade and she grabbed it, cutting her hand. "Well, it looks like the bitch is down. Any last words?"
Her hand gripped the blade tightly and her eyes narrowed at him and his arrogant face. "Fly!" As she yelled the word, Ren and Ken took off, with Ren heading in the direction of the Uchiha and Ken flew down to grab the blondes hood, giving her just enough time to pull the blade from her shoulder and spin on her back, knocking the blonde down with a swing of her leg at his feet.
Then, the bombs went off. As the Senju crossed the stream, Kazou made a seal and the land was enveloped in smoke a fire. The first of the Senju to reach the land were ended and blown to pieces. She sheathed her sword and took a kunai from a pouch on her leg and held her injured arm against her abdomen.
Then, four large balls of flame came from the sky, followed by Hisen, Yuuta, Kaito, and Suzu. Of course, seven against an army was a hard task, but not impossible. Three years ago she had taken out a force of men with Izuna, but that was of different circumstances. She did not have a useless arm, and then they were not expecting backup, which was five minutes behind.
"Your men are fast – I'll give them that." Her kunai met anothers, screeching at the pressure. She felt a presence from behind, and then ended. A smirk crossed her lips as she felt Hisen's chakra behind her. Then, it disappeared and was replaced with an enemy.
As she fought the two with difficulty, she noticed Michi and his sister Suzu having difficulties of their own with three Senju. Wanting to help them, she jumped up between them and decided to start early and began her hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Flame Flower!"
She took a piece out of Madara's book, since he wasn't present and couldn't see her use it. She had seen him use it once or twice and was eager to try it out as many Senju came out to the battlefield. She created only five, but it was good enough for her. Her teammates moved out of the way as the balls of fire hit the ground and burst into larger flames.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and barely had time to turn around and block the attack with her sword. It was the blonde princess from before. He smirked. "Ready to play, tribute?"
She pushed against his sword and they were practically face-to-face. "Bring it on, pretty princess."
And so their fight began. They were equally matched in their skills, much to their surprise, as Anju fought with her injured arm. But while Anju fought him, she also had to watch out for her fellow clansmen, having to stop her fight with the blonde a few times to help them out. If she was correct, Madara and Izuna would be here soon to help finish the fight, which would be great. They were already late.
Her focus was cut short as she heard a scream and looked just in time to see a sword piercing through Kazou's leg. It was a stupid mistake. She went flying backwards, landing on her stomach. She shakily lifted her head just to see another blade pierce Kazou's chest. He fell to the ground and immediately died.
Her eyes raged and she looked at the blonde who came at her. She stood, leaving her sword on the ground and deciding to rely on her vambraces. She ran at him and met him halfway, her left arm coming into contact with his sword. His sword continuously clashed against her limited armor, until she finally got her opening and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into a rock. As he hit, she was surrounded by three more Senju. She stood panting. "Come on! Anytime now would be great!"
It was Anju against four, and at first it was going well, but that was only minutes. She was able to keep up with the blonde and his friends thanks to her sharingan, but they were beginning to overpower her and her injuries. One or two would perform ninjutsu, while the rest came at her with swords. It was hard to keep up. So hard in fact she accidentally let one of the swords tear through her clothing and cut her right arm, though not too terribly deep.
As another sword came down on her, she watched as they went flying, with a kunai in their stomach. A certain Uchiha with his hair in a small ponytail and smile stood next to her. "Anju – are you alright?"
She nodded. "Hai, I'm fine Izuna. Thanks." They both deflected the kunai and shuriken that came towards them, standing back to back. "Thank me later.!" She couldn't agree more. With Izuna at her side, they were a lethal combo, especially with his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Well," they stood next to each other, catching their breaths, "that's the last of them."
Izuna and Anju walked over to Madara, with Anju holding her arm as blood seeped from it. The rest of the clansmen were celebrating the victory as the Senju retreated. Among the bodies though, Anju did not see the blonde shinobi, which meant he had escaped. That meant he would be returning to the Senju.
"Looking for someone?"
Anju looked up at Madara, who was covered in blood, though none of it his own. "He was a blonde with yellow eyes and pale skin. He's not amongst the others."
"He was lucky then." Madara nodded to her, the most recognition she ever got from him. But, he then proceeded to approach her and look to her arm. He touched her shoulder with a gloved hand and she flinched. "Get those looked at immediately. Wait too long and they may get infected."
She chuckled and began walking away towards Hisen, "When we get back to the village. I feel fine, after all." It wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't entirely a truth either. She felt lightheaded and a little sick, but she thought nothing of it. She met up with Hisen and Izuna, and took off with them. The cleanup crew would take care of the mess there, and already the stench of burning flesh hit her nose. As always, the Uchiha burnt the bodies of the enemies who were left behind.
"You're going to the infirmary as soon as we get back. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."
Although she did not want to, she nodded, but with weary eyes. "Why were you late?"
"It seems the Senju sent a team the long way around. We had to take them out before we arrived here." It was a lie and that much was obvious. "You can tell me the truth later then." She went to speed up, but her vision became blurry when she did so. She shook her head, willing the headache to go away and for her vision to return. But, it did not happen. She blacked out for a moment, and her foot slipped on the branch she leapt to. In that split second, she found herself in Izuna's arms and on the ground, with Hisen and Izuna. "Anju, are you really alright?"
As Izuna let her stand, a shooting pain coursed through her arm, and she gripped her shoulder injury as she knelt to the ground. It burned like fire. Her eyes wandered to the wound, and widened as she saw the veins in the surrounding area turning black. "I-I-Izuna..."
The young man looked at his companion in fear as she held her stomach and heaved up whatever had been in her stomach that day. He held her hair and she slumped against him. "Anju! Anju, wake up!" He cupped her face with his hand as her she struggled to keep herself awake. "I don't…feel…well…"
Frantically, he looked around. There were no others around them, not for at least fifteen minutes. Could they afford to wait? As Anju gripped her shoulder once again and hissed in pain, he knew the answer. She protested, but Izuna scooped her up in his arms, and took off with Hisen. They were still a good hour away from home. Would she make it? He had just gotten her, and now he would lose her? Is that what he got for waiting to take her as a last resort?
"Hang in there, Anju. Just stay awake." She pressed her face into his battle-clothed chest, her hands clinging to his clothes. "Hmmm…my savior…"
A small, almost unrecognizable smile registered on Izuna's lips as she looked up at him through half-lidded eyes. "Always, Anju. Just hand in there."
The hour it took to get back to the Uchiha compound was the most agonizing Izuna, Hisen, and Anju had ever experienced. Upon their arrival, Hisen stopped Izuna. "Izuna, I know you are attached to her, but let me take her home. Someone needs to clean her up, and as her partner, well, you know."
Although he understood, he did not want to part with her. This was his love and he would do anything for her, but leave? How could he leave her? "Izuna, go get a medic. I'll take her home. It's alright."
Hisen knew what he asked of Izuna was hard. He and Anju had been best friends since babies, and now, they were partners. Not just friends, but in a courtship. He knew the man did not want to part with his beloved, especially after their recent confessions, but as her brother, it was his duty to care for her.
Reluctantly, Izuna handed her over to Hisen and they both sped off in opposite directions. Hisen arrived at her home in record time, and slid the door to her home open. It was clean as usual, with no dishes in the sink and not clutter in the main room or kitchen.
"Alright Onēsan, I'm going to clean you up. Sitting in filth is not good for your health."
And he did so with delicacy and avoiding eye, and when finished, he dressed her in a dark blue yutaka, leaving her right arm out of the sleeve for examination. Although he was not a medic, it was easy to tell that her injury was something serious. The puncture to her shoulder caused by that Senju's blade was small, about three inches, and the other was a cut and nothing more than that, but he doubted she'd be able to use her arm for some time.
Gently, he lay her down on the futon, and began taking his time cleaning the wound to the best of his ability, admiring his sisters rather high pain tolerance as he wiped the dried blood from the wound on her shoulder and the cut on her arm. The bleeding had stopped on its own accord, even as he washed the wound. It was a good sign.
Any moment the medic should be here, but it didn't seem to come soon enough. Hisen fidgeted with his hands, which he then proceeded to lay on her head. She was burning up. He looked around before he stood and went for the kitchen, where he wetted a towel with cold water and filled a bucket up with the same, as well as adding another towel.
When he returned, he ringed out one of the rags and placed her it over her forehead. His fear was overcome by his willingness to protect and save his sister. He could not do so if he was afraid and panicked.
"In here!"
He lifted his head up to see Izuna entering with Hiroshi and his father, Tajima. Behind them, and medic appeared with a bag of goods. "Out of my way! You fuss about this and then block me!" Everyone cleared out of the way for Elder Yuuna, the head of the medics. She kneeled on the floor next to Anju and inspected the injuries and took a sample from her shoulder for the poison.
"I will wrap her injuries and they are to be changed once a day to be safe. I'll leave a topical to prevent the infection and come once a day to do a treatment for her. As for the poison in her veins, we have a few antidotes we can try, but I have not seen a poison that takes out someone like this."
"Is there anything else we can do?" Hiroshi knelt down next to his youngest daughter and placed a hand on her forehead. Elder Yuuna shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. I believe she was given a slow acting poison, but with all her moving it has made it progressed faster. The puncture to her shoulder is clean and avoided any real damage, but she is not going to be able to use that arm for a few weeks."
Outside, Madara had just arrived and followed the commotion of the villagers. They had lost a few of their men, and he did not want to add Anju to that list. But as he neared, he saw men and women – some still in battle gear while others were normal citizens – sitting around the entrance to the home. Her two sisters, Eiko and Hakuoh, were among them.
Everyone gave him recognition as he walked by and went inside. Inside, it wasn't hard to find Anju. Not just because of the small place she lived in, but there were people at her door as well. He walked over and stood in the doorway, looking on at the scene in front of him. Anju lay on her bed with Izuna, Hisen, and Elder Yuuna at her side tucking the remainder of the bandages into Anju's already wrapped upper half. Her father Hiroshi, and his father Tajima also were in the room, watching on helplessly.
"What's her condition?" The medical nin looked up at Madara, intimidated, but she spoke. "She's been poisoned."
"I know that! Tell me the rest you imbecile!" Everyone in the room cringed at Madara's harshness towards the Elder, and it was obvious she was fearful of Madara, as she should be. "She has a high fever and has gone to sleep. The cut on her shoulder has further discolored and the poison is spreading throughout her body. We're working on trying to find an antidote, but…" She looked down, "but there isn't much luck. Its slow working, so as long as she stays still it won't move much. It's hard to say, but she may only have a few days left."
The group looked on at Anju, who was out for the time being. Izuna held her hand in his, and on the other side was the medical nurse. Hisen was on the floor leaning against the wall, slowly falling asleep.
"We all need to leave for the night, except for family and the medical nin. There isn't much we can do just standing around here."