Eiko was seated on her bed with her head in her hands, contemplating what to do about this latest mess that she had gotten herself into, when the attack on the village came.
The clash between Hashirama and Madara shook the entire village, damaging most of the front and the village square. It lasted for hours as the nine tailed beast, Kurama, went on a rampage almost trampling the entire village.
Eiko and her long eye kunoichi archers were the first to respond, targeting the tailed beast from their stations on the newly built wall of the village. But when she saw who was behind the attack, she almost passed out where she stood.
"Lady Eiko, are you ok?" Telsa placed her hand on her mistress's shoulder as Eiko used the fractured sight to keep visualization of the fight between the hokage and Madara Uchiha.
"I'm fine." Her voice was thin. She was not fine. She had a strong hunch that she was pregnant and there was only one possible father. Her husband, who was now a sworn enemy to her village and who she was now bound to kill.
She turned and shut off her access to the other byakugans. She would never be able to turn Madara in. It was better if she just focused on the tailed beast. "I need to get to Lady Uzumaki. She will want to seal the nine tails once Hashirama captures it."
Telsa took Eiko's hand. "You know what this means?"
Eiko nodded. "My father has taught me everything. And he was particularly careful with the sealing scrolls that we were able to salvage from the last attack on Uzushiogakure. I know what I have to do if Lady Mito is to become the nine tails jinchuuriki."
"Good." Telsa replied. "Your father has taught you well."
Madara hid in the shadows along the street with his hood pulled down to cover his face. He was now officially a rogue ninja. If anyone, even an Uchiha saw him in this village, he would be hunted and captured.
It had been two months since he set Kurama against the Konohagakure. The plan had failed horribly, and now, not only was he a sworn enemy to the village, he had also handed Hashirama and his Uzumaki wife, an immense amount of power.
But in the last few weeks, his luck had changed. He encountered a friend, who reminded him of a tablet that he discovered in the southern forest once guarded by Kurama. The tablet was part of both an ancient Uchiha and an ancient Hyuga legend. While the Uchiha legend stated the tablet was only decipherable by the mangekyo sharingan, the Hyuga legend stated the byakugan saw half the truth, the sharingan saw half a lie, and the Rinnegan could decipher the tablet completely.
When Madara first read the tablet, he discovered the secret to unsealing the mangekyo. After possessing Kurama, he found this to be the truth. So he traveled back to the tablet and deciphered it fully. The tablet provided an infallible way to defeat Hashirama, to take back his clan, and to take his rightful position as hokage. Though it was also possible that this plan might kill him first.
He was at a fork in the road, and he was unsure which path to take. The power that sat at the end of one path was awfully enticing. It would be enough to restore the Uchiha name, and avenge the death of his brother and his clan. However, down the other path lay a long and peaceful life, and after the many disappointments that life had handed him, that also seemed enticing. But he had never been one to dwell too long on disappointment. His arrogance only allowed him to see a set back as a small bump in the road. Then he thought of Eiko. And he knew if she agreed to come with him, he would choose the second path.
He had asked her to marry him too many times to count before he broke from the village. She said no every time, but in the end, she finally said yes. He knew she cared for him despite his political ambitions. But she was afraid of his harsh and sometimes brutal ideals. Maybe she was even afraid of him.
If he offered her a peaceful life away from this village and their friend, Hashirama, who had managed to inadvertently cause her so much pain, he knew she would agree this time too.
He caught sight of her as she walked past, carrying a basket of flowers. She was still beautiful, but a deep and permanent sadness had set into her white eyes. He grabbed her hand, causing her to drop the basket, and pulled her to him in the shadows.
She opened her mouth to scream, but he stifled the scream with his hand, pushing the hood back from his head. He whispered, "It's me."
Eiko still looked fearfully up at him, even after she saw who it was. But she relaxed as he looked deeper into her eyes, bringing his face down close so their noses almost touched. He whispered, still holding her against him. "I did not come here to fight this time. I came here because I want you to come with me… away from here. We can grow old together in peace, raise a family, maybe you can learn to love me like you love Hashirama… at the very least, I will live my life to make sure that you are happy."
Her white eyes softened as she took in the sincerity and love that radiated from Madara's eyes. She remembered the boy that he use to be, and she placed her hand on his hand, signaling for him to move it. But then she looked to the ground, "I would come with you… but I can't."
Sharply, Madara let her go and backed up a step. She grabbed his hand to stop him and said. "It's not that I don't want to… But I've been sealed to Mito and the Nine Tailed Fox Demon. Lord First will be able to find me anywhere and then he will also find you..."
Madara took another step back and yanked his hand from her hand. Rage set in on his heart and cold hatred consumed his face and his eyes. Eiko saw this and the fear returned to her eyes. Quickly, she moved away too, picking up her basket, and running back out into the street.
"Hashirama." Madara growled angrily, clinching his fists until his nails cut into his skin. The Senju had taken his clan, his village, his reputation as a shinobi, and now, he had taken the one woman who Madara wanted... and he did not even love her.
Because Eiko loved Hashirama, she had agreed to seal herself to Mito Uzumaki in order to suppress the nine tailed beast. Filled with fury, Madara turned to head out of the village and back south. He was going to make certain that Hashirama and all of his dreams burned.
Six months later, Eiko opened her eyes and sat up in the bed sharply. She could feel a strong presence in the room. It was as if the window had been left opened, blowing out the night fires and letting in the windchill.
"Did you know you were pregnant with my child before you sealed yourself to the Uzumaki?" An icy and deep voice rumbled from the shadows.
Eiko rubbed her large stomach protectively and activated her byakugan searching the room. Madara stood in the shadows of the far corner. He had changed even more. He appeared like a wild animal and his chakra was ominous and dark. Something else about him was different. Almost like his body structure had changed. She could see he was doing something to himself though she did not know what.
"Yes." She answered softly.
"What will you do with the child once he is born?" Madara demanded.
Eiko looked up startled. "I will care for him and love him. I am his mother."
"He cannot stay here." Madara stated coldly. "I will not have my son raised among Hashirama's sheep. It's bad enough that he has my wife."
He spat on the floor as if he had a vile taste in his mouth.
"You won't take my child!" Eiko cried, as Madara dove to the bed covering Eiko's mouth and stifling her screams with his hand.
Madara hissed into her ear. "That is MY child. You have no choice in the matter."
She struggled against his grasp but found it was no use. Not wanting to harm the baby, she relaxed into his arms until he moved his hand from her mouth.
He moved his hand onto her round stomach, rubbing it softly through the thin cloth of her nightgown. The baby moved, kicking slightly in response. "I will come back for him when he is born. Don't try and keep him from me."
Eiko turned to face Madara looking into his eyes. His black eyes were hollow now. There was nothing there. The rage and passion no longer mixed with the ice. He seemed completely inhuman. Sadly, she whispered, "What happened to you?"
Madara ignored her and repeated. "I will come back for my child after he is born."
"Madara." Eiko placed her hand on the side of his face. She moved closer to him and softly kissed his lips. He did not respond, but pushed her away. "Madara don't do this. No matter how I feel about Hashirama and this village, I love you too. You're my husband. Let our child go. You can have your vengeance just let him or her grow up in peace."
His eyes became red and then a deeper red, the pinwheel shaped pupil spinning. Eiko felt her mind grow dim. She placed her hand up towards Madara as she fell forward into him. "Madara, don't… do this."
"We will just have to hide the child as soon as it is born." Mito replied when Eiko told her and the hokage about Madara's visit.
Hashirama looked hesitantly between his wife and his friend. "Maybe I should find him. Reason with him…"
"That has yet to work." Mito replied curtly. "Eiko and her baby's safety comes first. He is helpless and he needs his mother and a clan. He can't just be out there with his renegade father."
Mito's eyes were fiercely starring down her husband as though willing him to forget about his old friend.
Eiko looked worried. "If I go with him, Madara will track us anywhere. But I can't be parted from my baby."
"We'll say he died right after birth and then send him to stay with my cousins in Kirigakure. Once he is old enough, he can come to visit with them. They will treat him like their own child. I can visit and keep an eye on him as much as possible, but this is the only way to make sure that Madara can't find him."
Eiko began to cry. Mito moved to her and put her arms around the other woman. Then she looked over at her husband who was still thinking silently. "Hashirama? What do you think?"
"Ok. But only for a year." Hashirama replied. "At least, he must know his mother."
Eiko had her baby a few days later. It was a boy with a head of thick black hair and black eyes. She officially named him, Izuna Uchiha, after Madara's beloved younger brother, though he was called Izu after he went to live with his adopted family.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he needed to be hidden quickly before Madara got wind that he was still alive. Izu looked exactly like his father. His young face settling into a babyfaced scowl even after only being a few hours old.
"Now my son and Izu will forever be cousins." Mito said soothingly as she took the baby from his mother's arms.
Eiko weeped terribly as she watched Mito leave with her child. She refused to get out of the bed for days and when she finally did, she sat by the memorial that had been placed for Izuna next to her father for hours.
That is where Madara found her when he finally returned to the village a few weeks later after hearing the Hyuga clan leader had her child.
After Eiko revealed to Mito she was pregnant with Madara's child, she told her that they had been married secretly right before he left the village. The village was abuzz with the news of Madara's child. It did not take too long for it to spread to him in one of the outskirt villages where he was holed up.
He did not hear about the child's death until he actually reached the village. But there was nothing left in him to feel any way about it, other than more power had just slipped from his grasp.
After confirming Eiko's grief at the memorial site, Madara snuck to the Uchiha compound to find Akihito.
Akihito found a wife soon after Madara left the village almost a year ago and had settled happily into married life. Madara found him in his backyard attempting to plant some grass and flowers.
"Akihito." Madara growled from the shadows upon seeing his old assistant.
The hairs on the back of the young man's neck stood up as he recognized the voice. He had been secretly worrying that Lord Madara would show up in his life again ever since he heard about Lady Eiko's child.
Akihito sat up straight and replied, "Lord Madara. So you've come back?"
Madara stepped out into the light revealing himself to his old assistant. It was all Akihito could do to prevent from gasping at the sight of the old Uchiha leader. He was beginning to look like some sort of feral creature.
"I came back for my child." Madara stated. "But it appears he has died."
Akihito nodded gravely. "I heard. So very sad. And to such a kind hearted mother... Lady Eiko must be distraught."
"I'm sure she is." Madara scoffed, unmoved. "Did you see the child die?"
"I wasn't there. No men are allowed." Akihito replied, surprised by Madara's irrational inquiry. "Lady Mito was and some of the Hyuga attendants."
Madara grumbled something to himself.
"I was especially disheartened by the news because my own wife is pregnant and will give birth soon too. Twins."
Akihito shrunk back a bit as Madara turned his death stare on him. "Why would you think I'd care about that?"
He moved closer to Akihito, pressing the man back further into the side of the house. "If you hear anything else about the child, other than he is dead, you will come to me and tell me at once."
"Yes sir!" Akihito nodded sharply.
Mito sat across the table from Eiko sipping tea. She was worried about her friend. Eiko had been terribly depressed ever since Izu was sent to Kirigakure, and she had been losing weight. She had large black circles under her white eyes and her thick brown hair appeared to be thinning. Mito reached across the table and placed her hand on Eiko's hand though the woman barely appeared to notice. "I have news."
Eiko did not reply. She did not even move.
"Izu can come home." Mito stated.
Now a brightness formed in Eiko's eyes as she turned and looked at the red headed woman for the first time. "How is that possible?"
"Akihito… Madara's old assistant. His wife just had twins. The babies were months premature. One of the children, a boy, passed unfortunately. But the couple has agreed to take Izu in the child's place. No one but a few trusted attendants were present at the birth with me, so few are aware of the child's death, I made sure of that. Akihito and Madara are cousins, so they look enough alike that no one will question if Izu is his child." Mito stated smiling at her plan.
Eiko smiled back. "Izu really can come home then?"
"You still won't be able to tell anyone he is your son." Mito warned cautiously.
"Yes." Eiko stated in her soft voice. "But at least he will be nearby so I can see him grow up."
Mito nodded. "Akihito told us Madara visited him some weeks ago. He is convinced your child is dead and he knows Akihito's wife was pregnant with twins. Izu will be safer here close to you."