A/N: Hi everyone! I've finally started adding to this story after yet another long hiatus. To be honest I was wondering if I could even try to continue this story but I found this chapter (half written) a short while back and decided I hated leaving things unfinished. I'll be putting up the next chapter (25) hopefully by the end of this week Thank you so much for your ongoing support, I hope I can avoid another lengthy hiatus. x
Chapter 24: The War To Come
Hashirama smiles as Mito takes the small baby girl from his hands and flits back to deliver her to Madara and Kazue. His heart felt full at the sight of the new family before him. Mito's smile never ceased to take his breath away, now much more so with the glimmer of maternal instinct in them. Kazue sits in Madara's embrace, her newborn nuzzling against her chest, hungry for her first meal. The love in their eyes was easy to feel, pure and unconditional. Mito sits across from them holding various garments up to the rising sun, checking if any were beautiful enough to adorn her new niece. He bows out quietly from the room, reality tumbling down on to him the moment he loses sight of his loved ones. With a heavy sigh and dread running through him, he opens the door to Kazue and Madara's previous room. After the events of the last night had unfolded, the whole village held a heavy heart. They had managed to protect their civilians, albeit at the cost of tens of fine shinobi. Hashirama closes the door gently behind him, leaning into the wall he finds himself slumping under his own weight. But he had failed that child. Not a trace of Haruo remains in the room, nothing to ever indicate that he ever stood there. He had sworn to protect the Uchiha and yet, he had failed them first.
"Ni-sama." Kazue's small but reassuring hand comes to rest on his shoulder.
"Kazu-chan, forgive me" Hashirama's eyes remain focused on the ground, a faint sheen of moisture across them
"We are all to blame for Haruo's death." Her eyes darken and look to the window, somewhere beyond the village. Hashirama notices a change in her aura, something was telling him, politely, that she wished to be alone.
"I'll leave you here, take your time." He kisses her head and squeezes her shoulder before leaving the room, sparing a glance at her shaking shoulders as he closes the door.
As soon as the door shuts behind her, Kazue crumples to the floor, allowing the tears she had repressed to overflow. Her fingers scrape at the ground, somehow trying to will time to turn backwards. Her tears stream across the bridge of her nose and into her hair before reaching the ground in a continuous stream. The side of her cheek and body lay pressed onto the ground in a kind of bow. The thickness in her throat is painful as she tries to silence her cries for Haruo. The overwhelming realisation that Haruo was gone would come and go, competing with the thought that somehow, surely he could be alive. Each time she looked at the empty space where Haruo had been last night, she expected him to appear with his crooked smile and tiny frame. The devastating grief of Haruo's loss weighs unbearably heavy on her tired body. It felt as if the oxygen in the atmosphere had been taken from her lungs, as if the light of the sun could do nothing to illuminate the last place Haruo stood. Nothing, not even the sun could be nearly bright enough to replace the light in his eyes.
Madara waits several moments before deciding to enter the room. He knew what he would see before him. Occasionally, the sobs that he knew Kazue was trying to hold in would come out in a gasped wince. Each time, it pierced him like a thousand arrows. When he enters the room, he sees Kazue's limp frame upon the floor. Although she was crying, there was no moisture left to expend, no strength in her shoulders to heave with each sob. Her lips were pale and dry and the floor was damp by her eyes. He lies beside her on the floor, letting her body stay cushioned from the hardness against him. Her eyes show no emotion as he manages to get her to sip some water. Kazue's small hand rises to run her fingers through his hair gently. That was all it took for him to let go. Madara pulls Kazue tighter against him as they both cry.
"I have spoken to my brother about this so I'll take my leave immediately." Izuna nods at Hashirama bereft of any emotion
"Izuna-san, perhaps now more than ever, you need to be around the ones you love." Hashirama offers a concerned frown
"No, I think this is what's best for me. Maintaining peace around the borders will help me cope. If I'm doing something to prevent this tragedy from happening to others, I can bear my grief."
"Izuna-san, thank you."
"It's my duty, just as it is now yours and ni-sama's to protect Konohagakure." Izuna turns to take his leave
"Izuna-san?" Hashirama calls
"Yes, sir?"
"Filling your heart with love and compassion will bring you peace beyond what exile from others can, I hope you return to us soon."
Izuna nods and takes his leave. Hashirama's words weighing on his mind alongside the thought of Haruo. In his mind, it seemed to be a constant battle between the white hot hatred for Haruo's murderer and an overwhelming urge for consolation. So much so that he switched off any emotion he felt in the last day. It was like a numb feeling had replaced somewhere where he should have felt a heartbeat. The urge to give in to the numbness ringing through him, to let everything human sink away was like gravity pulling him into himself until he became a black hole. Until he became empty. At least it would be respite from the gut-wrenching grief in his heart. Please. Please let this journey away offer some clarity.
The days and nights after Haruo and the shiobis' funeral pass like a small lifetime. Each minute they weren't with their new baby girl, hours passed with no productivity or happiness for Madara and Kazue. Kanako had placed herself into self-imposed confinement in an attempt at repentance and healing.
Mito stirs in bed, waking from a restless sleep and sits up to see Hashirama standing by their windows again. His bare chest was illuminated by the moonlight, his long brown hair brushing the small of his back. She rises and walks to him, her nightgown slinking across her body as she stands. She wraps her cool hands across him, letting her fingertips trace his hip bones above the loose waistband of his slacks.
"You're somewhere distant again, Hashirama." Mito kisses the spot between his shoulder blades
"Sorry, Mito." He relaxes against her touch and somehow finds the strength to change his thoughts
"There's nothing to be sorry about, love." Her low wispy voice acts like a balm on his stressed mind
"I make all of these promises to protect others, in the end, other's died and I didn't do anything." He gives an empty laugh. Mito sighs and pulls his hand, leading them to the cushioned chair by their library.
"You know that's not a fair statement to make, Hashirama." She sits him down, frowning at the look of hopelessness in his eyes
"I'm afraid I'll fail Madara, fail Kazue and her child…. Tobirama? And Kami, what if I fail you?" He sucks in a sharp breath as if he'd been hit. Mito lifts the hem of her nightgown and kneels onto the chair, straddling him. He looks up at her in surprise.
"We all have a duty to each other, I'm here to protect you and them too. Don't bear the burden all on your own, Hashirama. When will you realise that a leader has the support of his own? We're a team, no one person is responsible for it all." Mito cups his face in her hands, relieved that he let his tears come
"Mito…" He struggles to find the words
"Shh. That's enough thinking and catastrophising. We must all shoulder the blame, the grief and the success. Right now, I'm here, you don't have to go through this alone and you never will." She kisses away his tears before he seems to shake out of his spell. Their lips meet for a deep kiss, his plea for consolation being met with her reassurance and empathy. He hitches her thighs around his waist and rises, lifting her with him as he walks them back to their bedroom, pulling away the silky fabric that hid the coolness of her skin from the heat of his.
Kazue stares at her small human intently. The beautiful baby girl in her arms shines back a toothless grin at her, her dark brown eyes glimmering with curiosity behind thick lashes. The tuft of hair on her tiny head was growing with each day, it would appear burgundy in the sunlight and in the shade, just as obsidian as her father's. With a charismatic mumble, the little one signals her hunger to her mother. Kazue lifts the child to her breast and settles into her chair, trying to fill her mind with nothing but the happiness of having her child in her arms. Madara enters not long after, several texts and scrolls in his long arms. His previously stern expression softens when he sees Kazue and their child. He sets down the scrolls and heads to them.
"How are my girls?" He raises a brow before kissing Kazue, the baby grumbles soon after to which Madara pulls back, "of course, I'm sorry I didn't kiss you first." he smiles and nuzzles her tiny soft cheek which earns him a gurgle of approval,
"Is Izuna well?" Kazue asks
"He's sent word that he's reached the border, I don't think he's well despite what he may say. I wonder if it's even right of us to let him wander like this." He sighs with concern
"He still has us, we just need to let him work through this as we are. And we need to remind him that we're here for him." She caresses his cheek.
"You're right." He offers a weary smile, "so have you thought of any names today?"
"I have! I know we've gone through so many but… What do you think of Yua?" Kazue asks
"Binding love and affection…" Madara raises his brows and sighs,
"You don't like it?" Kazue frowns
"No. It sounds just perfect. Yua Uzumaki Uchiha." He grins staring at his daughter who smiles back, Kazue pulls him in for another kiss.
Madara helps Kazue put Yua to sleep before settling into his desk with the stack of paperwork that he'd managed to avoid for an hour. Haruo's death had hurt them severely, Kazue's nightmares had started again. They would disrupt her sleep whenever he wasn't there. Not that they got much sleep in between Yua's feeds. Occasionally Haruo's voice would ring through Madara's subconscious, it was a cruel trick his mind played on him when he felt especially tired. It infuriated him that he was powerless to act in time to save him. Although Madara and Izuna were no strangers to losing their family, at a time where they thought they were close to achieving peace… They lost the child they swore to protect. Madara's thoughts switch to Yua. It made him incredibly restless thinking of the danger she was in. He had to protect her, to protect Kazue and Izuna, his clan, Konohagakure. He and Hashirama were working day and night to figure out the motives of Haruo's murderer and his link to the rogue-nin. What did they want? Why were they doing this? Had the Uchiha or Senju caused some forgotten bad blood? The attacks and events were so scattered and difficult to link, yet they knew there was a puppeteer somewhere behind the scenes, pulling each string with intention and purpose. They have a plan involving Kazue, they attacked Uzushiogakure and murdered her father… He gave his life trying to protect something he didn't want them to have. If they were following Kazue, why hadn't they attacked her earlier after they wiped her memory? Why wait? Did it have something to do with her pregnancy?
"Should parents be frowning this much after having their first baby?" Kazue slinks into Madara's lap and gives him a peck on the cheek. Madara sets down the scroll with minimal persuasion and wraps his arms around her, interlacing his fingers.
"I suppose not… Kazue, I'm-" He begins before Kazue kisses his forehead
"Enough apologising. You know there's more to it than accepting the blame onto yourself. These people will always threaten to harm what we love, we must be stronger and smarter to protect our own."
"He would have gotten so excited hearing that call to arms." Madara chuckles
"He would have." She smiles, bittersweet sadness mixing with memories of happier memories of Haruo's passionate personality
"Come, you need some sleep. We said no paperwork for you for the first few months." Madara says despite lifting her into his arms and offering little other choice, he grabs another scroll and walks them to bed. As Kazue drifts off to sleep tucked against his side, he opens the scroll and starts to analyse.
Tobirama walks gingerly with Hiruzen on his shoulder, who was finding great amusement tugging at fistfuls of his silvery hair. Aida trains in the field ahead. She'd been on edge since that night, the death of the shinobi, many of whom she knew personally, had understandably taken a heavy mental and emotional toll on her. Let alone Haruo's death, she hadn't known him personally but it made little difference when she knew he was a child. All she seemed to do was train now. Venting her frustrations and her sadness into her training and little into communicating with him. Pulling Hiruzen into his arms and offering some respite to his scalp, he sprints over to Aida. He tries to keep his mind focused on speaking with her rather than roaming her fine figure, covered with a sheen of sweat, her breath ragged and a soft blush across her cheeks.
"Aida, that's enough for today." He says gently
"I should have fought that night." She finally murmurs. Tobirama sighs sympathetically and holds her shoulder until she looks back at him.
"You were with Hiruzen. There's more than one way to protect, Aida." He offers a small smile, she seems to relax ever so slightly and takes Hiruzen into her arms before placing a hand on his cheek in thanks.
The sunrise finishes just as Kazue walks to Mito's office with Yua in her arms. Mito notices her niece's chakra long before Kazue approaches the door.
"Yua, my love! Come in." Mito all but grabs Yua from Kazue and walks back into the office
"Hi nee-sama." Kazue invites herself in sarcastically
"How are you feeling, Kazue? Are you drinking enough? How about your bowels-" Mito begins
"My bowels are more than fine… Thank you." She grimaces
"And your heart?" Mito pauses
"Healing slowly." Kazue musters a smile as Mito looks down in understanding
"Is there something you want to discuss with me? Your chakra seems more riled up than usual." Mito gestures for her to sit as she plays with Yua.
"I want us to reserve chakra in the event we need to raise the Triple Rashōmon around Konohagakure." Kazue says in a matter-of-fact tone as Mito jumps slightly
"Kazue… What do you mean?" Mito wears an expression of genuine concern
"We have to assume this enemy is powerful. No normal shinobi could have killed Father."
"How can we surmise that those incidents were linked?"
"I don't know yet, but thinking back to the night he died…I- I believe he tried to perform the reaper death seal too late. It's the only way he could have been weakened enough for someone to kill him." Kazue measures out her words, fully realising their implications
"Kazue, we've heard stories… But surely it cannot be. It's been centuries since it has manifested in the land of fire." Mito's tone betrays her attempt to doubt Kazue's suggestion
"I felt that same orange red hatred from so long ago, Mito. There was no denying what can give off chakra of that intensity."
"There hasn't been a jinchuriki for Kyubi in decades."
"That makes even more sense for this creature to be targeting us, the only Uzumaki now who are comparable to Father's calibre."
"Kazue, I hope the time never comes that I must release the seal on my forehead."
"Neither do I, Mito… But there are bad things to come in the years ahead, I can feel it in my heart."
"Have you said anything to Madara-sama or Hashirama?" Mito raises a concerned brow
"No, but we'll have to now. Once I create the seal, it'll be obvious."
"My only condition is that you wait until you've recovered from childbirth first."
"Alright." Kazue relents
"Then we tell our husbands and Tobirama and prepare a thorough plan."
"I agree. Yua is my first priority right now."
The sisters exchange a smile before Yua lets them know she'd like some attention. Kazue scoops the little one from Mito's lap and kisses her cheeks as Mito appreciates them. In some ways, Kazue looked much like their mother used to with the exception of her smaller build. Mito thinks back to a time where Kazue was the size of Yua in the arms of their mother. She finds herself hoping for the day that hatred and war run out of ammunition to fuel them. It was something their mother and father had both fought for their entire lives. Kazue holds Yua securely in her arms, chattering away in gibberish as the infant coos. Mito wanted nothing more than to watch her loved ones grow, develop and progress in their lives, unhindered by suffering. But the enemy they faced now was extremely dangerous and she would be foolish to think all would resolve so soon. There was a violent storm ahead, when Kazue had a hunch it was never wrong. All they could do from here on was be meticulous and stay a step ahead.