Beta'd by the wonderful ' epkbutle ' ! Edited: 3rd October, 2015.
Madara stared at the inside of his right wrist at the spiral shaped seal with question. He watched the single sharingan tome that was imbedded in the center of the spiral and concentrated as a tiny amount of chakra flowed into the seal. He watched with reluctant fascination as the seal expanded to reveal elegant lines of kanji with mysterious shapes that he couldn't comprehend that quickly traveled up the inside his right arm, across his collar bone and continued along his chest until it blossomed on the left side of his chest into a spiral a little more than thrice the size of the one on his wrist with three sharingan tomes boldly stationed at its center.
"Hn", Madara grumbled with irritation as he cut his chakra's flow and pulled his yukata's haori closed and covered his now pristine chest. The only indication that there was even a seal placed on him was the small inconspicuous circle located on the inside of his right wrist that was now hidden under his yukata's sleeve.
Madara left his room and walked toward the meeting hall where he had recently started to spend the majority of his days. There in the isolation of those four walls he listened to his clan's elders bicker with each other over the state of his clan's affairs. Everything of importance was discussed within that room: the stability of their food supply, whether or not the weapons stocks were sufficient, training of the clan's next generation and the continued training of their current force, mission frequency and quality to maintain their treasury and financial planning based on that income, and of course, the ever constant planning of their next strike on those bastard Senju.
'How father managed to stay sane after listening to these overly aged children day in and day out is beyond me' Madara ranted to himself. 'If I was a lesser man, I would just burn them with a Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Jutsu) and be done with it.' Madara continued his walk as he imagined the screams of the elders and the blissful silence that would follow their demise. He casually halted his steps and preceded to entertain the idea of being free of those meddlesome elders. An ever so slight smirk appeared briefly on his lips as he played over the repercussions of that enticing action. His motto had always been "Take what you want whether that be by force or by death." Why should he be halted in his pursuits by those lesser than him. If those that crossed his path weren't strong enough to defend what he wished to take then they only had two choices: step aside or die. He had no qualms about the option they chose, why would he; he had no such sympathy for the weak. Such emotions had no place in a shinobi especially one of his caliber. Weak feelings bred weak men and he was the strongest of them all.
It was a very simple way to live, so it still confused him as to why people dragged things along and made them more complicated than they needed to be all the time. His clan's elders were very lucky that his father tutored him extensively in the ways of politics, manners and most importantly ... patients, which his were wearing exceptionally thin at the moment. He ignored the elders' petulant quarreling and glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye. Madara could tell that his younger brother was troubled and watched him intently trying to catch the fleeting emotions and minute tenses of his body. Madara had quickly identified a couple of troubling emotions in Izuna. The slight glances into space and occasional unsteady breathing pointed to Izuna being slightly anxious, the controlled blankness of his face and hollowness of his eyes pointed to sorrow and the most obvious of all was the way his aura absolutely reeked of regret. Although he masked all of these tells impressibly well they weren't hidden well enough that Madara couldn't pick out each emotion with his keen eyes. He'd spent the majority of his life with his dear little brother by his side and that was more than enough time to be able to read every breath, twitch, and sigh of Izuna's like a book.
"Izuna", Madara called in a calm, controlled, but quiet tone. It was heard only by his brother who straightened up immediately and paid more attention to the meeting that was currently in session. Madara didn't say anything else to Izuna during the remainder of the meeting. He went about his duties as he was required and gave his input were it was needed and gave the final word on some of the more pressing issues just as a clan head should. All while keeping an eye on his brother, studying him in hopes that he could figure out what could possibly have affected him in such a way.
Once the meeting adjourned, Madara waited until the room was cleared leaving only him, his chichiue and Izuna. Tajima still sat to his right on top of a cushion and even though everyone had been dismissed Izuna hadn't so much as shifted in his spot on Madara's left side. Tajima took a long sip of his still steaming green tea and watched his sons. He'd also noticed something odd with Izuna's behavior but was content with observing the situation before him at the moment. He was curious as to how the new clan head would handle this situation with his brother.
Silence controlled the moment as Madara took his time and read through his scrolls. He glanced over each document slowly, barely paying attention to the text in his hands. He mulled over the situation in his head and then decided to break the silence that was swallowing them whole. "That woman seems to be doing well." Madara started while shifting the scroll currently in his grasp. Izuna stiffened slightly and then forced himself to relax once more. Madara caught the slight movement in his peripheral and pursed his lips before elaborating on the report, "The infirmary reports state that she's managed to miraculously heal what they had deemed 'hopeless cases'. For each patient listed in here all there efforts were for not but once she took control they were not only stabilized but well on there way to recovery." Madara relayed casually almost as if he was simply talking out loud to himself. Izuna continued to flinch and mask his reactions as Madara watched him from the side. He even attempted to show a smile but hesitated and directed his eyes towards the floor once Madara had ceased his reporting.
"We still don't have any information about her origins" Tajima declared with slight frustration as Izuna snapped up with alarm.
"Father, she is a civilian from Matsumoto village" Izuna provided instantly with a trace of urgency in his voice. Madara set down his scroll and directed his attention towards his brother. Izuna shifted slightly with unease at Madara's gaze but straightened and tried not to look away.
"Do you know who her parents are, how she was trained in iryō jutsu or anything about her shinobi training?" Madara promptly rattled off as he remembered how she managed to leave their compound undetected. 'And what kind of clone did she use', he wondered seeing as it dissolved into nothingness leaving no sign behind instead of the usual water or dirt.
Izuna broke his stare with Madara and slightly shifted his eyes to the tatami floor. "Based on my research, she became the healer of her village after curing them from … illness. She is an orphan; the sole survivor of Nagano's village. As for her training, as I've told you before, I heard rumors that she was self-taught." Izuna provided his findings quietly, with a hint of reluctancy and unease present in his voice.
"Nagano's village? I've come across that place before" Tajima mumbled as he tried to recall the small village near the mountain of the same name.
"Izuna, currently you seem to be on the best terms with her, so I am going to assign you to get more information about her. Since her original village no longer exists, we can't verify if she was actually a part of it or if she is using it as a convenient background story. Infiltrators are tricky bastards after all" Madara commanded as he looked at his brother as intensity flared in his eyes.
Izuna stilled for a moment. He kept his face impassive not giving a hint of what he felt. "I don't think that she is a spy" he started cautiously, "after all she bound her self with that seal to you, no?" Madara kept his stare on his brother before turning it towards the aforementioned seal on his wrist. He gripped his fingers tightly into a fist before he slowly dropped his hand to his side.
"Hn" he grumbled as he remembered the time he had it applied.
-flashback start-
Madara entered his father's chambers after being summoned to the room by a guard. After giving a short bow to his father, he stood before him with a raised brow and stared at the back of their soon to be healer's head question clearly written on his face. "Chichiue, you called for me" he asked in a neutral tone. "And why is … she here?" Madara bit out before he looked back to his father and awaited his reply.
Tajima nodded to his son and then motioned for him to come before him. "You will be the clan leader starting tomorrow." Tajima began as Madara straightened slightly pride visible in the subtle action. Tajima smirked at his son and continued, "Minatsu-san has agreed to be our healer but only if we agree to a few conditions" Tajima explained as he gestured to the blond girl that quietly sat before him.
"Oh" Madara replied in passing as he sat to his father's right and in front of the unusually quiet woman. He stared at the composed face of the blond woman under the soft light of the lantern. He didn't care about how beautiful she appeared, but he was fascinated by her calm yet professional expression. Madara continued to stare down the woman as she looked back unflinchingly. 'All the times that she's interacted with us she's behaved as though she didn't care about us in the slightest. No fear of consequences, no hesitancy in behavior or speech, just acting freely like she was untouchable. Even when we first met and I threatened her she simply shrugged off my actions and healed my father on her own terms. She even called me, Pinky-hime! Me! Uchiha Madara; clan heir! No … clan head!' Madara poured over the memories until his thoughts were cut off by a fluid, gentle voice that bit at his ear and demanded his attention.
"Uchiha Madara, I agree to become your clan's healer under two conditions. The first one being that you provide protection to Matsumoto village since your clan was not capable of keeping my identity secret due to your compound be compromised by an enemy spy." Naruto declared with a delicacy that stirred Madara but a confidence that infuriated him. He had to resist twitching his eye at the jab at his clan's security.
"The second condition is that I will be under your care until the war between you and the Senju ends" Madara smirked mentally, as soon as the words left her lips, seeing as their war with the Senju was a never ending war. She might as well just pledge the rest of her life to him, such a stipulation was basically a pledge to work under him forever.
'Protection for her village ... protecting that place would be child's play. In fact, why shouldn't it be. I could dispatch a few of the younger boys that are still under training to protect that village from bandits. They'd get low risk training in the field that would help prepare them for their actual missions later on.'
"I agree to these terms, your conditions are reasonable enough. Let us now discuss what your work will entail" Madara stated smoothly as he sat a bit straighter. "You will heal our men during our battles, when in the compound, you will heal the wounded in the infirmary, you'll treat the civilians of my clan when they are in need of care, you'll train our Iryō-nin squad in the general areas that they are currently lacking, you will take three apprentices to ensure that your knowledge is passed down to the next generation and of course, you will live here in our compound until you are no longer needed." Madara smirked as he rattled off the last of her requirements.
Naruto narrowed her eyes at his words. "I won't take any apprentices Madara-san. My knowledge will be kept with me. I can train your men in general practices and that is asking a lot as it is. And as I've already pointed out to you, I can't live within the compound as I still have duty to my village, unless you will allow me regular visits to check on their well being and drop off anything else they may require in my absence and freedom to leave here and go to them in times of emergency." Naruto countered hostilely as she clenched her clothing in her fists.
"I will allow you to go to them, I can agree to that. But why won't you take an apprentice to pass your knowledge to the next generation? It is not like you have secret clan jutsu or you have promised to keep them to yourself seeing that you are self-thought" Madara questioned genuinely as he raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
"Who said that I was self-thought?" Naruto pointed out as she took her turn to raise an eyebrow.
Madara tensed slightly at her flow up but masked his action quickly before pressing forward. Izuna told him that she was self-taught based on his research before she healed his father's injury. "Are you not?" he asked nonchalantly trying to coax out more details.
"Hmm ... you can say that. My reasons to not take a student are my own. It is non-negotiable" Naruto stated glaring at the man, daring him to push her on the issue any further. Madara gritted his teeth at that. He wanted to have some of his kin taken under her wing. This way, if she died someone would be at least more knowledgable than the Iryō-nin they currently employed.
"Taking a student even one of the ones that's already trained would take time that you and I don't have. Beyond that it is rather insulting for anyone to be forced to pass on their knowledge which they gained with great effort against their will and further more it simply baffles me that you would assume that I'd be willing to do so not once but three times. Be happy that I'm complying with your request to train your Iryō-nin as it is. Especially since I don't even want to stay here let alone be dragged into your little war with the Senju" Naruto bit out heatedly as she stared at the glowering Uchiha with icy eyes.
"Fair enough, we will accept those conditions, Minatsu-san" Madara's neck snapped as he turned. Shock riddled on his face as he stared questioningly at his father. Tajima noted his son's expression and continued to clarify his statement, "You are not tactful enough to deal with a woman son. Would you like it if the Senju clan imprisoned you and then forced you to pass on your knowledge to their men?" Madara had the decency to turn his gaze away impassively with an ever distinct "Hn" which to us normal humans was the closes Madara would come to showing shame.
"I will prepare the contract then" Madara stated grudgingly and just as he was about to stand to leave completely halted in his stance.
"That won't be necessary" Naruto spoke boldly, Madara eyed her cautiously and reversed to be seated once more. She brought a scroll from her sleeve and opened it up in front of the Uchiha duo. Madara eyes widened as he stared at the sealing complex written on the surface of the scroll. The seals were far beyond his understanding and he couldn't even determine the beginning of the seal chain from the end.
"This is a bond seal. It bonds two individuals to a contract that they've mutually agreed upon. If either side tries to cheat or betray the other; the person at fault will face severe consequences" Naruto declared as she sat straighter and looked at the faces of the two Uchiha who were staring at her with interest and at the scroll opened up in front of them.
"Consequences?" Tajima wondered out loud with worry hidden in his tone.
Naruto nodded her head and continued her explanation, "If either party does anything explicitly against the constraints stated in the contract then they will first experience a pain similar to that of being burned alive, followed by gradual paralysis that will spread the longer the action that triggered the seal goes uncorrected. Failure to correct the "trigger transgression" will lead to death. The paralysis will start in the toes and creep up the body until the betrayer is a quadriplegic and finally it will spread inward and shut down the internal organs until the betrayer is dead. This may seem more of a risk for you than me but you have the advantage of not having to question my loyalties while I'm bound to this seal." Naruto elaborated while Tajima and Madara listened intently.
"How would this guarantee your loyalty?" Madara questioned, his interest piqued.
"The seal binds me as an iryō-nin which will guarantee that I ONLY heal your men and not harm them in any way whether that harm be immediate or delayed. It will also guarantee that what I do teach your iryō-nin, I teach correctly as a guard against sabotage. And further it would bar me from running away. I originally wanted this seal contract with you, Tajima-dono, but now that Madara will be fulfilling his birth right I will have to share this seal with him in your stead." Naruto elaborated as she stared into Madara's unflinching eyes.
"Is this contract truly needed? How can we assure that it won't do anything other than what you said?" Tajima asked hesitantly, knowing that shinobi break their contracts routinely if the situation arises and its to their benefit and he knew that these stipulations applied to his son as well.
"To answer your first question: yes, I don't go back on my word Tajima-dono. But I don't trust that your son won't. He, being the clan head will make sure that my conditions are met and as will his. Lastly, we use this seal or no deal. Both he and I will have the same seal so both him and I will face the same consequences. I can't guarantee anything else to you because you, as it seems, don't have any knowledge about seals so you literally only have the option of taking my word on this. You may have doubt; it is a risk, that I can assure you. But in instances like these you have to decide if the benefits are worth the gamble?" Naruto countered casually and waited for an answer.
Madara thought about it for a moment mulling the idea of using the seal over in his head. It would keep her in check just like she said, but he didn't want to be bound to anyone. Knowledge of this seal would have to stay quiet. He refused to let others know that this … this woman had such power over his actions. 'I am Uchiha Madara and no one shall leash me …' Madara thought angrily. 'But then what is there to be done aside from this?' he thought as he tried to think of any other way to avoid that forsaken seal. He gave a mental sigh seeing no other way to get around this and thus he reluctantly agreed.
-flashback end-
Madara shook his head trying to forget the pain he felt during the sealing. It was a bit*h; he had to admit that, but he was more amazed that the girl didn't scream during the sealing as well. 'She must have an enormous pain tolerance.' he thought as he slightly shuddered as he remembered the never ending agony as the seal coursed through his veins and adhered to his body.
"You have a point there, Izuna, but even so there might be a way around our contract. She can pass information about our clan to others; seeing as she wouldn't agree to be loyal to us beyond her duties as a healer and teacher through the seal, which is something that I couldn't convince her to do" Madara sneered as he covered the seal with his sleeve.
Izuna sighed tiredly and nodded his head reluctantly. Once he walked out of the room, Madara turned his head to his father who was still staring at the shoji screen. "Keep an eye on Izuna, it seems that something happened between him and our young healer" Tajima warned as he turned to Madara who nodded in agreement.
"I have complete faith that he is loyal to our clan. But we have to be careful when it comes to his reluctance when it comes to that retched woman." Madara all but hissed as he clutched the seal riddled wrist with his left hand.
The young clan head returned his eyes to his paperwork with determination. He would have to keep his brother safe from the clutches of that sly woman. He knew that she was trouble from the moment he set his eyes on her. Skills be damned, if she crossed him … he would end her.
A.N: Thanks for the reviews. I assure you that they will be kept in my mind while I write the next chapters. now, one reviewer was slightly upset because of my poor grammar. I just want to tell that not all chapters are -proof-read- Please note that once the whole story is -edited- thanks to the amazing 'epkbutle' I will update that it is completely checked in the story's summery. so please be patient.
another reviewer was upset with how Naruto decided to join the Uchiha clan rather than just travel the world like Jiraiya. they argued that Naruto had trained in the summon world for three years and it is more than enough for her to be strong to just break the genjutsu and be aware of her surrounding. To answer that, I do believe that her development in this story is quite well. she is strong that is true, but imagine if you are in her place. you are in the past and the future of your home 'konoha' lies on your shoulder. one wrong move and 'konoha' might not exits. I don't think that she should show how strong she is right in the moment. you need to keep some hidden card you know. and until the right moment, her true power will remain hidden. of course there will be some fight scene I mean duh~ this is a ninja fanfic! she will protect her self but if the Uchiha clan knew of her powers I assure you that she will be in trouble more than worth the while. people fear those who are powerful and the irrational fear could lead to more hatred that can be avoided once we are careful.
anyhow. I will update once a week and if I was late than .. I'm late :P
thanks for your patience and remember to thank 'epkbutle' for making these chapters readable! XD