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Chapter 7: Tsunade Senju
It was almost evening when they reached the village: A small civilian village in which they would spend the night and hide from Madara's watch. With the hoodies hiding their faces the Uchiha brothers slowly made their way along the main street, their eyes scanning the laughing, joking, happy people who actually were all Madara's spies. Of course their Sharingan were deactivated to not draw any attention and their chakra signatures were masked.
They entered a small hotel that neither looked bad nor good. A brightly smiling young woman was sitting behind the reception desk and was about to attend on another traveler who also was dressed in a black cloak, hiding most of his figure.
Itachi and Sasuke both looked up from under their hoodies and narrowed their eyes at the stranger while stepping slowly closer. The woman just had noticed them and smiled widely at them.
"Hey! I'll be by your side in a moment okay?"
The hooded figure shifted in his stance and then turned around to glance at them. Itachi's eyes widened for the split of a second when he saw into purple ringed eyes.
"Lord Pain?" he asked in disbelief. The moment he spoke the two words the smile of the receptionist's lips faltered and she tensed, looking between them back and forth.
"Do you know each other?" she asked curiously, her blue eyes narrowing slightly.
Shit, Itachi thought and threw a quick glance to the hooded figure that he definitely recognized as his former leader tough he looked different, without piercings but red hair being visible under the hood. Madara must search for him too, he thought, and everyone under his genjutsu was ordered to tell him as soon as someone with their appearance and name would appear.
With a fake smile and calmly he turned to the young woman. "No, I'm sorry. I've mistaken him with someone, an enemy of our true lord Madara. This man though isn't an enemy." Sasuke who had already gripped his sword gave him a confused look but Pain nodded at him.
"Can we have a room, please?" The smile reappeared on the woman's lips and she nodded, handing him a key.
Pain grabbed his own one and together they made their way upstairs silently to where their rooms were. Itachi unlocked their door and all three of them entered into the small room with two beds, a small desk, a big armoire, a door to the bathroom and a window covered by curtains.
As soon as the door was locked they all took down the hoodies and Itachi surprisingly saw that Pain looked completely different – thinner, more fragile, without any piercings, his hair red with strands of white.
"Who is this, brother?" Sasuke asked his right hand still on the grip of his sword.
"He's the leader of the Akatsuki" Itachi answered.
"So you two are also immune against Madara's genjutsu? No surprise though seeing that you have the Sharingan too" Pain said.
"How did you escape Madara?" Itachi asked curiously. Since they were always just on the run, avoiding talking with anyone, they hadn't really get news about what was going on elsewhere.
Pain quickly told them about what happened: Chloe warning him about Madara and then dying, him and Konan leaving Amegakure, and Madara getting Konan. "I hadn't heard from her since she got under Madara's influence. I don't even know if she's still alive."
Even though he tried to hide it, for a short moment there were sadness, worry and a slight fear visible in his eyes but then they were as emotionless and hard as before.
"Apparently Madara is in Konoha for most of the time, regulating everything from there" Nagato told them the little news he had received. "Also Akatsuki is working for them, well, at least the remaining members."
"Most of the people are completely under his control. They're looking out for those who resist like us. Also it seems like the Jinchuriki of the nine tails isn't caught yet and still runs free. But we can't hide for long" Itachi said with a sigh, looking outside. "The genjutsu is gaining power; it seems like he can control it better with every day. It won't take long until he'll find us even if we are completely careful."
"Then what shall we do?" Sasuke asked with a frown. He didn't like it to run away from that man, but after all this was the most powerful Uchiha who had ever lived. They needed a plan to take him down and the right moment to strike.
And so the three of them sat together the entire night, thinking about ways of defeating the king of this world.
It was one of the bare days I wasn't under control. I walked through the halls of the Hokage tower, trying to become my mind free when I came across the person I never would have thought to meet here. The hallway was empty when I heard footsteps echoing from the walls. I looked up out of reflex. Firstly I didn't recognize her. Then, when she was about to pass me, I saw the paper flower stuck in her blue hair.
"K-Konan?" I asked surprised, stopping to stare at her. She also halted and looked at me confused but smiling. She didn't have the expression which one of the strongest women in this world should have. Instead she looked like a friendly obeying servant.
Please, don't let her be another one of Madara's puppets, I thought pleadingly although I already knew better.
"Is there something you want?" she asked with a kind soft voice. It was so unlike the cold tone she had used when we had spoken to each other which had been barely but still… Also it didn't seem to be honestly, more like a fake smile like Sai was using, no, more like the expression everyone else who was under Madara's control was having.
I gulped. "What… what happened to you, Konan? Where's Nagato?" Please let him be save, please let him be save, please let him be save… I repeated over and over again in my head, like a mantra, hoping that it would come true through it. Madara couldn't get the Rinnegan from Nagato. It would turn things more into a disaster than they already were!
"I'm serving Lord Madara of course, our king" she said with a smile but then it turned into a frown. "But who's this Nagato you speak of?"
"He… he is your childhood friend" I stammered out. How far was she under his influence?
"Don't bother girl, she won't remember anything you're telling her about." His voice sent a shiver down my spine and I turned around to face the smirking Uchiha.
"Damn bastard. Why can't you just rule your damn faked world without having to control everybody?" I snapped at him.
"I'm not controlling everybody. Only those who are daring to disrespect me, like you do right now." Instantly I felt the genjutsu trying to control me again. "Stay in your room until I get you out. I don't want to catch you wandering through the halls again."
I nodded and faked a smile. "Yes Lord Madara." Then I headed toward my room, hearing his chuckle echoing through the corridor.
"Good girl." Oh how much I hated this dick!
The girl had just disappeared around a corner; the woman also had walked away after bowing to him. Madara just wanted to go back to his office when he was interrupted.
"Madara-sama, I think you should take a look at these" Zetsu said, rising from the ground.
"What is it?" the Uchiha asked stopping from taking another step.
"The character files of everyone. Just look through them." He gave Madara three relatively thick files which he took with a frown.
"Why don't you just tell me what I have to know?" he asked not wanting to read through all of it when Zetsu apparently already knew the most important things.
"The girl lied about some things. Well, more like not telling everything. That's the same, idiot."
Madara narrowed his eyes. That was impossible; he was always controlling the brat when he needed to know something important. There was no way that she couldn't have told him everything.
"Some of those she claimed who would only be friends with the nine tails Jinchuriki are actually some of the most important key persons. Also even though the Kages will do everything to protect their villages, the Kazekage is strongly on Konoha's side and even befriended with the nine tails Jinchuriki. I doubt that he will stay still. But the thing that will interest you the most is that the fifth Hokage is actually the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju."
Madara let out a growl, clutching the files until his knuckles turned white. This couldn't be… She would have told this to him – if she would have been under his control. But she had been! He had used more than enough force on her mind; after all she was only a civilian brat!
"I don't know how she managed to do it, but it's clear that she didn't always follow your orders" Zetsu said calmly while Madara's anger was rising and rising. There was a descendant of that Senju, someone with the same blood like him, living under this roof and yet he was never informed about it?!
Rage boiled inside of him. He sharply turned around and stomped off, a dangerous sinister dark aura surrounding him like thick fog.
"What are you intend to do now?" Zetsu asked curiously.
"Find the brat and after that, killing the Senju descendant!"
I was sitting on the chair in my room, reading a book I had found lying around. It was about the shinobi history and it was way more interesting than any history book back from school. Besides, I was bored.
When the door suddenly was slammed opened I only had time to look up, seeing a furious looking Madara rushing in. Before I could do anything he had pinned me against the wall, strangling me. Gasping I clawed at his strong hands and trashed around, about to run low on oxygen. Luckily I had shut my eyes but he only growled: "Open your eyes." I didn't know what had happened, but I could tell that this man was beyond raging. I could feel the suffocating evil aura coming off from him.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe but I shook my head desperately. I was too afraid to look into his eyes right now.
"Open your eyes!" he growled darkly and I felt the well-known pressure against my mind. My eyes fluttered. I panicked.
What should I do?! I didn't want to face him, didn't want to look into these demonic eyes but if I wouldn't open them right away he would know that I wasn't controlled by him!
Gathering all my bravery I had left I opened my eyes. I've never seen such an expression in my lifetime. It was furious, manic, and not human-like. It scared me endlessly.
Madara let go of my throat and I slumped to the ground coughing and gasping for air, holding my hurting throat.
"Hn. It seems like I do have some control over you but how were you able to not tell me that the Hokage is the descendant of the first?"
My blood ran cold. He knew… How? Why?
My body was trembling; too shocked to move I was staring at the ground wide-eyed.
I winced when Madara's gloved fingers grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. The genjutsu was still affecting me but I couldn't tell him that I was immune. I couldn't tell him from Chloe's power. It was my trump card!
Gulping I stuttered out the first possible reason that came in my foggy mind: "I didn't know that she was a Senju." His eyes narrowed dangerously and my heart sank.
I didn't see the slap coming but suddenly my head was yanked back and I crashed onto the floor from the force, holding my burning cheek.
"You're a terrible liar, girl. Stay here and don't dare to run. I will take care of you later." With that he turned and left the room, slamming the door shot and locking it.
Horrified I stayed sitting on the ground, staring at the closed door.
Tsunade…
Tsunade was sitting in her small office room Madara hat given to her kindly – just thinking his name made her grimace in disgust and hate – when that bastard himself rushed into her room, almost breaking the door in the process. Frowning she looked up at him, shivering slightly at the murderous aura around him. Something happened…
Carefully and on guard she put the tea cup in her hands back on the table without taking her eyes off him.
"May I know what brought you in here, almost breaking my office door down?" she asked calmly and with an unreadable expression.
Madara crossed his arms in front of his armored chest. "You actually never told me what your last name is, Hokage" he said and she could hear the venom in his voice. Oh oh, she had a feeling in which direction this was going.
"Well I didn't know my last name would be important" she said moving her chair back so that she could jump up in any moment.
"It wouldn't be if your name wouldn't end with Senju." There was a three-second silence; both of them were tensed, not letting the other out of their eyes. Then it happened. Madara moved quickly but Tsunade jumped out of the way. The room was small, too small for a fight. The desk was broken in two halves when Tsunade tried to hit him with her raised leg but he wasn't there anymore and pierced through her flash with his sword. Growling she pulled her body away from the weapon, healing her wound immediately.
"You should have stayed dead after my grandfather killed you!" she hissed. Tsunade slammed against the wall, making it crumble and creating a hole. She was no fool. She knew that she had no chance against the Uchiha especially since he could try to control her in any moment. Luckily she had excellent chakra control as a medic and therefore managed to fight against his rising influence.
"I'll reunite you with your ancestor soon enough" Madara growled. "Katon: Majestic fireball!" Tsunade just managed to jump out of the window before the fireball illuminated the sky above her head.
Outside hey were already waiting for her: Anbu black ops which didn't waste any time in attacking her.
"I'm sorry" she quickly said as she punched them away, running to the nearest exit out of Konoha.
I'm sorry, everyone, she thought sadly. She barely was able to dodge Madara's attack as he came jumping down from a roof.
"Just give up Senju. Compared to Hashirama you're nothing but a weak woman" he growled and slammed her into the nearest building, making her gasp in pain.
"Master Tsunade!" she suddenly heard an all too familiar voice calling. Madara only had time to turn around when the chakra-infused fist hit him.
"Sakura" she said surprised, raising to her feet again and watching as her student faced the Uchiha. She was visibly fighting against the genjutsu but she wasn't called Tsunade's apprentice for nothing.
Madara growled, holding his side where the punch had hit him. He increased the force of the illusion, making both of the women stumble back slightly as it turned harder and harder to fight against it. Madara smirked.
"Master Tsunade, escape, I will hold him off" Sakura said stepping in Madara's way, cracking her knuckles. The Uchiha just chuckled.
"Don't be so foolish girl. You won't stand a second against me." Sakura though only narrowed her eyes at him.
Tsunade looked at the brave girl. She knew that both of them wouldn't be able to escape from Madara. She just hoped that Sakura would be alright. The pink haired girl jumped toward Madara with her battle cry, slamming her fist into the ground making the Uchiha jump back. She was able to distract him long enough for Tsunade to escape into the forest surrounding Konoha.
In the end the pink haired girl lay beaten on the ground, coughing up blood, healing a wide gash on her stomach while Madara stood above her, looking at her coldly.
"It seems like I loosened the genjutsu too much. This won't happen again. Say goodbye to the last freedom I've given you" he growled and Sakura cried out in pain as the force of the genjutsu grew unbearable until she couldn't fight against it anymore and her gaze changed into a dull expression.
"You won't ever oppose me again little girl or you'll regret it" he said gripping her chin. She nodded, completely under his influence again.
"Yes Lord Madara. I'm sorry for disobeying you, my king." Madara pushed her away and walked back to the Hokage tower. The Hokage had escaped and it made him angry but there was still the girl he had to take care of.
He just had contacted them through his mind when they jumped at both of his side. On his right, the blond guy with the explosive clay and on his left the puppet master. The Akatsuki already had proved their usefulness. They were some of the small group of people he wasn't controlling but he didn't need to do it anyway. They were loyal to him.
"What is it Lord Madara?" Sasori asked with his usual bored expression while they walked with him to the tower.
"The girl turned out to be a problem. Get rid of her." The blond guy raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't you do it, un?"
"The Hokage ran off. I need to take care about her first. Zetsu!" he then called out and the plant man rose from the ground. "Secure the area. Get me that Senju bitch." Zetsu only nodded and disappeared again.
"Let me do it danna" Deidara said referring to killing the girl. "She'll be a wonderful piece of art, un."
Sasori growled but nodded. "But make it quick and don't let-"
"-you wait, yeah I know that" Deidara said rolling his eyes. Madara left them, Sasori stayed in the hallway and Deidara went to the room where the girl was locked into with a grin on his lips and his hands already in his pouches, munching the clay.
Rachel's in trouble…
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