Book 7: Ripples

"God damnit- watch we're you're going," the Iwa shinobi shouted. His back was turned to me and it had been him who had stumbled into me while walking backwards talking to his friends. His companions froze in their steps and looked at me big-eyed. Apparently seeing their shocked reaction, he hesitated for a few seconds before he turned around. He had to be at least ten years younger and his eyes widened, face turning ashen upon seeing me. Being ashamed of showing weakness, he hastily turned his expression harsh and pulling his mouth into a sneer said, "Aren't you supposed to be untouchable?"

I suppressed a sigh. For the last three days the mood in Komugakure had been this tense. Shinobi from different villages would constantly clash with each other, either over petty reasons such as this, or simply because they recognized an old enemy with whom they had a debt to settle. There were already reports on at least twenty shinobi missing and three had been found dead just the day before. The kage had organized for everyone to be segregated into their respective villages and only quartered next to old allies- Konoha's tents stood directly next to Suna's and as far away as possible from Komu forces, as their relationship was still strenuous after the attack on Konoha. However, there were still a lot of animosities with Iwagakure as well due to many of us having gone through the third shinobi war and Kirigakure wasn't on too good terms with us either. Just the thought of having to organize them into mixed divisions was exhausting.

Up until now I had reacted calmly to any incidents or whenever I got hissed at like this, but I had already had my fill for today. "Get out of my way, man, before I make you," I coolly said, while activating my sharingan. It seemed as if he lost his big mouth after all, as he hastily stepped to the side to let me through. Not sparing him another look, I walked past him and on to headquarters. I was already running late for a meeting, after having helped set up sensory barriers around the village and was in no mood for being delayed any further. Obito had invited me to come up and share everything I knew about our opponents with the other kage, selected captains and commanders, which made me agitated enough, as the information would be crucial to our victory and I would have to convey it as precisely and correctly as possible.

I beat and tugged against my vest, sweater and trousers, making clouds of dust come out of them and hastily brushed with my hands through my hair, shaking the sand out of it. I arrived at the entrance to the raikage's office, which now served as headquarters, only to find myself retained by the guards from entering. This is not my day. Already considering to just cast my mangekyou on them and be done with it, someone hastily came rushing down the stairs and called, "It's alright. She's with me." The guards reluctantly let me pass and I truly had to refrain from showing them my tongue in spite.

"Thanks, Kakashi," I said, while we both made our way up the steps.

"Yeah, I figured that they would refuse to let you in. You're late."

"Pah. You can thank Ao for it, he's a terrible pain in the ass. Sending me left to right, up and down through this barren wasteland. I tell you, I'm at least sixty percent dust now." Our footsteps echoed through the staircase as we raced upwards.

"How's the mood outside?"

"Awful. It's only too well we'll have a war, otherwise those younglings wouldn't know where to direct their readiness for combat to." We finally arrived on the top floor and turned to the left into a corridor. The entire right hand wall was covered in glass, giving us a rather spectacular view on Kumogakure. The clouds were scrapping at the mountaintops and the streets were bustling with thousands of tiny ants, all neatly separating themselves from one another, as if the other groups were contagious- the allied shinobi force. I found the whole scenery rather depressing- only a few patches of trees and bushes and everything else was only rocks, dirt and dust. But mostly dust.

"Who's there at the meeting?"

He eyed me sideways. "I haven't been in yet- I had to wait for you after all."

I huffed. "How gracious of you." We stopped in front of a large double door. Kakashi had already put his hand on the handle, but turned towards me and with a teasing voice said, "Don't let them get under your skin."

Finally, a grin formed on my face. "The only ones who can are you boys, as you know perfectly well." His eyes twinkled in delight, then he pushed open the door and we went inside. I immediately spotted Obito standing at a massive circular table, next to Gaara and his siblings, shooting me a smile. Shikaku, Shikamaru and Shisui were standing just a little to the right of them, pausing in their conversation- Shisui was drawing up his eyebrows mockingly over my dust covered clothes, while he eyed me head to toe. I shielded my face from the rest of the room and now truly did stick out my tongue- he had to put his hand in front of his mouth to hide his chortle.

On the left hand side, the raikage and mizukage were talking with each other as well, flanked by their own captains and commanders. I recognized the two bodyguards from the Land of Iron and gave a courteous nod to Ao, who replied my greeting. Sitting somewhat off from the other kage was the tsuchikage, back turned towards us and quietly talking with his subordinates. Kakashi and I made our way over to Obito, who greeted us by saying, "I was becoming scared you had lost your way."

Kakashi pointed his thumb at me. "I was here already, blame her."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, thanks Kakashi. Way to throw me under the bus." Shooting a look over to Ao I added, "It was Ao's fault really." Shisui and Shikamaru were still caught up in their conversation, but I could see the corner of Shisui's mouth tug in amusement as he eaves dropped on us.

Obito wavered his hand dismissively. "Yeah, he already told and apologized for utilizing you."

"Did he really?" Obito chuckled at my dubious expression.

"Well maybe not apologized, but rather breathily explained."

Sounds more like it. Probably having heard us talking about him, Ao came strolling over to us.

"Did you manage to set up all the sensors like I told you to?" he gruffly asked. Although he and I hadn't met under the most ideal circumstances, we had soon grown rather fond of each other. Maybe it was that we had simply shared a moment of true understanding back at the warehouse, as I usually detested older men condescendingly explaining the most obvious things, or that I truly appreciated his talent as a sensory type.

He had recognized Shisui and me immediately as all the captains got officially introduced to each other two days ago and for a moment tension had lingered between the two men. My friends had been rather surprised at me suddenly reaching out with my hand and his even more by him silently taking it, both of us sharing a smile after a few seconds.

"Yeah, yeah- all set up and ready to use. If you doubt it you are more than welcome to go out there yourself and check them." I had to suppress an eyeroll, but an amused smile tucked at the corner of my mouth, as he gingerly eyed the dust on my clothes.

"That probably won't be necessary." He crossed his arms and sternly asked, "Well, Mako, have you reconsidered my proposition?"

I had to suppress a groan- two days ago all commanders and captains had been selected among the most renown and best shinobi in all of the villages- Ao himself had asked me to become a captain at the sensory squad, second in command to himself, but I had hastily declined.

"No, I haven't," I almost impatiently replied, making Ao huff like a grumpy old man.

Obito seemed rather amused by it and calmly laying a hand on Ao's shoulder remarked, "You can try and convince her all you want, but she's as stubborn as a donkey. Trust me- it's hard enough getting her to rank up in Konohagakure as it is. You shouldn't take it personal."

"What a waste," Ao mumbled. "It's a shinobi's duty to be as helpful to their village as they can, which involves taking on higher positions and more responsibility- that's simply the way it is."

Now Kakashi shook his head. "Ah- you will most certainly won't get her convinced with rules or traditions."

"Guys, I'm literally standing right next to you," I intercepted.

Ao turned back at me and raised his index finger as if to lecture me. "You'll still be part of my sensory squad- It has been long since I saw someone with your talents and they would be wasted in any of the other division."

That made my cheeks involuntarily blush and I wasn't too sure what to reply to it. Kakashi laughed upon my expression. "Why does that surprise you? You're a sensory type after all."

"Yeah, well- but I'm more a Jack-of-all-trades now, aren't I? My sensory skills aren't nearly as honed as his, or A's for that matter," I muttered under my breath, arms defensively crossed in front of me.

I had only become painfully aware of me not truly excelling in one area of expertise when I had been introduced to all the other captains- all of them were known for having spent years only developing one set of skills. I, on the other hand, had tried mastering as much as I could, simply to make up for any weaknesses in my teammates- I knew a lot in many areas- medical jutsu, weaponry, tai-jutsu, nin-jutsu- but only small bits and things here and there- nothing of which I could claim to be a master in. Even my sensory skills I had never developed further- the talents I had there I had always considered sufficient, but comparing to Ao-

That had also been somewhat the reason why I had refused to be ranked as a captain- I simply felt out of depth between all of them.

"A Jack of- what? She's delusional- " Kakashi replied, sounding completely taken aback.

Obito took on the banter. "Don't tell me we finally get some insight into the workings of her mind?"

"My god- she thinks she's the weak link in this group." It made my eyes roll seeing them stare at each other so theatrically. "When we both know it's actually Obito-"

The offended objected loudly and Kankuro hastily turned around trying to suppress his laughter, Temari and Gaara grinning ear to ear themselves, but Kakashi just continued, "That's why we made him hokage after all- we just felt sorry for him."

"Yeah, yeah-" I tried to intercept, but it was Ao that now spoke up.

"Mako, I am deeply impressed by your sensory skills. You being able to assess and influence people's emotions and behaviour, the chakra signatures you can create- even your ability to hide your own chakra, but locate everyone else's, even if their trying to hide it-" I was sensing a whole speech of his coming, making me extremely uncomfortable.

"Yeah, you just being able to also keep up during hand-to-hand combat is a skill only a few sensor types share," Kakashi hastily cut him short.

"I get it," I stubbornly snapped back. Taking in some breaths to compose myself again, I turned to Ao and explained, "Thank you- for the offer. I appreciate it. But I wouldn't be able to bare not fighting side by side with my friends."

Kakashi, Gai and Shisui, as well as Team 7 had been assigned to the third division, the first having become their commander, specialising in short-to midrange combat and I was definitely not planning on letting them go into battle without me.

"Ah- the one doesn't necessarily need to exclude the other-" Ao started, but a loud bang made him stop- looking over my shoulder, I could see the raikage pulling his fist out of a dent in the wall.

"Well, are we quite ready to start the meeting now?" His voice boomed across the room, making some of the more timid shinobi flinch and others just annoyingly cover their ears. He was still looking somewhat sickly, but luckily not as bad as he had back in the Land of Iron. Still- he wouldn't be a match to Madara anymore.

Obito nodded and the other kage, as well as the captains and commanders took place at the table. I was standing just to the left of Obito, hands clasped behind my back and for a second stared blankly in front of me, trying to order my thoughts as the others expectedly waited for me to begin my report.

"Through the intel we have gathered over the last few weeks, we know three things for certain-" I started. "One: Uchiha Madara has collected the biju spirits in the firm belief of being able to create a ten-tail and become its jinchuriki. He will most likely be coming back through the help of the edo tensei, a jutsu developed by the second hokage and honed by Orochimaru." Whispers broke loose across the table and I had to speak up to regain their attention.

"Which leads us to the second certainty: Kabuto, a former pupil of his, has joined Madara. He will be responsible for not only bringing him back, but he will also utilize an army of dead against us. We know this, based on what Orochimaru could report us- apparently Kabuto had been obsessed with collecting DNA of especially renowned deceased shinobi."

"What shinobi?" The mizukage looked at me quizzically. Oh, I could write you a whole list- But they would never believe it, probably even get more dubious as to how I would even have that information.

"Well, if I were Kabuto, I would surely start with all the kage I could get my hands on." I shrugged my shoulders. "They are considered to have been the strongest shinobi of their village at some point." Now a fearful murmur spread across the room and it took the raikage's fist crashing on the table to get them to quiet down again.

I shot him a thankful look and continued, "The third certainty is that joining this army of the dead, will be a hoard of white Zetzu. He can clone himself and although they lack the quality of trained shinobi, they could be able to overwhelm us by their sheer quantity." I let my eyes wander along the table, seeing some of them doubt my words.

"How would you know any of it?" the tsuchikage called. "You call them certainties, but they sound like speculation to me."

I took a deep breath- here comes the tricky part. "The first one we now, based on what we could extract from the Akatzuki members we interrogated. I don't say it is a fact that such a ten-tails could be created, but simply that Madara believes he can. Where exactly his plans go from there- that's pure speculation."

Of course it wasn't, but I would never be able to prove it, nor give any credible sources, so only Kakashi, Obito and Shisui knew. "The second information we had received from Orochimaru- as I already stated. And there is no point doubting his honesty- he has become quite a changed man."

"Ha! You naïve girl! We all know Orochimaru- he would never help Konoha nor an allied shinobi force, no, he only thinks of himself," the tsuchikage dismissably replied, leaning back in his chair, while a smug expression crossed his face.

"Oh, but he is. I used the Izanami on him six years ago." Some of the faces only showed puzzlement, as they didn't know of this very hidden technique of the Uchiha clan, but I could see shock reflect on the faces of the tsuchikage and mizukage.

"No, you didn't," the former objected, "that would have left you with a blinded eye."

I calmly replied his gaze. "If you were to take a look into the old bingo books of Iwagakure, you will find that they state my eye colour as brown, not black."

"Can anyone explain, what the Izanami is?" the raikage hollered in frustration, while banging his fist on the table.

The tsuchikage replied my gaze, doubt lining his face, but it was the mizukage that answered, "It's the ultimate do-jutsu of the Uchiha clan- the strongest gen-jutsu there is- even stronger than his." She gave a sharp nod towards Shisui. "It forces the recipient of it to change their way, ultimately resulting in a complete alteration of character."

The tsuchikage curiously leaned forwards. "So you have been an Uchiha from the very beginning, haven't you? After hearing the tales, I had thought that you stole them-" He pointed at my eyes with a sneer. "Well, I guess I was correct regardless."

I didn't reply to it. It simply didn't bother me at all what he or any of them would think- my family knew the truth and that was all that mattered.

"The third piece of information-" I continued, after the tsuchikage had almost sulkily crossed his arms and leaned back again because I hadn't reacted to his words. "-we know, as we have observed Zetzu for quite some time now. We know of his ability to replicate himself and even Madara needs some form of man power to overwhelm our army- Kabuto won't manage to resurrect enough dead to fight all 80.000 of us. Admittedly, it is one of our most uncertain pieces of information, but it would be better to anticipate and prepare for it."

"Quite an impressive intelligence officer you got there," the mizukage purred after a few seconds as everyone had taken their time to digest the information. All eyes shot back up at me, making me now feel very uncomfortable.

"Yes, and it's about time we use this information to come up with a strategy," Obito replied, giving a short nod to Shikamaru and Shikaku.

Knowing that was my cue to leave the meeting, as I hadn't been ranked a captain, I gave a small nod towards the command, shot my friends a smile and left the room.

Shisui and I were scrolling through an back alley, our footsteps echoing back from the rocks, looming to the right and left of us. Looking up the canyon, I could see a bright blue sky and an occasional carrier bird flying by. All the divisions would march out tomorrow after dawn, so after having polished and inspected our weapons, he and I had gone out for a walk, just to enjoy the peace and quiet for a while.

"So, you got your way after all."

I just shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah- Ao wasn't too pleased." After some heated discussion I had been assigned to the third division- I hadn't exactly threatened with desertion if they hadn't, but I guess my defiance must have clearly shown on my face. He had tried to persuade me by saying I would help the army and ultimately my friends much more if I were to be stationed as a sensor to spot the enemies and maybe stop their charge, and as that didn't work he tried to use his rank and straight out order me- to no avail.

"I imagine." Shisui had casually put his hand in his pocket, his right stump covered up with a too long sleeve, tightly bandaged underneath- he never complained, nor seemed bothered by it in public, but I knew he hated it. Sometimes it ached him terribly, either when it rained, or just without any warning, at which point I would take out a herb crème especially made by Sakura and gently massage the tender skin. In the beginning, he had been apprehensive of me touching the stub, but now it relaxed him, giving him at least some form of relieve.

"Are they really holding onto the plan of fighting Madara?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

It made me let out a deep sigh, remembering the argument Obito and I had had when he told me, of how the kage wanted to take him on on their own. It was a goddamn kamikaze mission- they would never stand a chance against him.

"He says that it's their duty as kage and Madara had declared war against them," I replied tiredly. At first, I had been completely enraged and furious, but after days of arguing and seeing that I was charging against a concrete wall, my anger had faded away, leaving only worry.

Noticing Shisui's gaze, my eyes hushed over to him and I gave him a small smile. "You told him everything you know- there's not much more we can do." His voice sounded soft.

"Yeah- yeah, I know." I looked back onwards- I had told Obito everything I could remember of Madara's abilities. His Susanoo, that he would use massive nin-jutsu, that he could only be sealed away and would most certainly use his immortality as an advantage during the fight. God, I hoped it was enough. But we would most definitely have to get to him, before he could be resurrected. How that was supposed to happen, I wasn't too sure, but considering that Jiraiya was still missing, yet no reports on Pain's demise had reached us, I somehow had the feeling that Nagato would be right at the centre of it all.

We turned around a corner, coming at Konoha's camp from the backside. It was afternoon and I was sure Yamato would soon be starting to prepare something delicious back at our tent, which we also shared with Gai, Kakashi and Ebisu. All around us, the tents were somewhat neatly arranged in rows, with the occasional addition added by their inhabitants, sometimes forcing us to tread carefully over cords and pins looming out of the ground. Their white linen gleamed in the orange glow of the afternoon sun and the smoke of many campfires where curling up into the sky.

There were not only Konoha uniforms to be seen, but also many shinobi from neighbouring villages and towns in the Land of Fire, giving us glimpses into all sorts of garbs and clothing. Some of them I had never seen before, but others allied them to certain clan's, making the whole scale of this shinobi army all the more obvious. We got glimpses of the Fuma, oiling their massive shuriken, who glistened in the sun, the Taketori, chatting with some Hyuga and the Onikuma, who were sitting around their campfire in silence.

The smell of freshly cooked rice and rich stews wavered over to us and between the occasional gaps between the tents I could see shinobi sitting around, either inspecting their gear, taking a nap or simply chatting with their teammates. It all felt rather jovial, as occasional laughter echoed across the camp, making me involuntarily smile. I locked my arm with Shisui's and we casually strolled along.

"Shisui?"

"Mmm?"

"I was thinking. When all of this is over- when we get out of it alright- How about we have another one?"

"Another what?"

I chuckled. "Another baby."

Shisui stopped dead in his tracks and looking up I could see him staring at me big eyed. "What?"

"Well- you know- I thought it would be nice for Kagami to have a sister or brother. I always found it rather sad that I didn't. But then again, I luckily have Kakashi and Obito and I'm sure Kagami will find such good friends too- but I think a sibling- a baby, would be wonderful, wouldn't it?"

"But you were so sick the last time around-"

I just shrugged my shoulders. Small price to be paid really.

He pulled his arm out of my embrace and instead slung it around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "That would be wonderful, yes," he mumbled into my hair as he pressed a kiss into it.

We continued walking, his arm still around my shoulder, so I wrapped mine around his waist. I felt completely at peace.

Head leaning down to my ear, Shisui suddenly whispered, "Why wait till after the battle? The others shouldn't be back yet from their meeting-" His grin was audible and his husky voice made my stomach flutter. Cheeks blushing, I squeezed his waist and our steps got slightly more agitated as we spotted our tent among all the others.

At one point our friends returned as well and Yamato and I started to prepare dinner around the campfire Shisui had lit. We were all mostly quiet that evening, not really chatting about anything, only occasionally discussing the battle to come. The others went to bed early, but Shisui and I stayed outside the tent for just a little while longer. He was laying with his head in my lap and I was dreamily playing with his hair, only this time I couldn't come up with a story to tell, so we just sat in silence, gazing at the landscape dipped in soft moonlight.

"A long, long time ago- there was once a girl," Shisui suddenly started, making me smile- he was a terrible story teller. I had caught him once trying to retell one of my stories, when he put Kagami to sleep, his fumbled search for words and overall confusing of the plot having made me grin and snicker- spotting me standing in the door he had thrown one of the pillows from the floor at me, cheeks burning deep red, but grinning himself. So, in the end it had been me telling the tale and was eventually left with both my boys vast asleep.

"She- she was always training. Day and night. What she didn't know was that a boy had been watching her for some time now. He thought her really strange- sometimes looking so earnest and solemn, other times dancing and singing. Well, one day he couldn't stand watching her completely mess up a fire jutsu, so he already went down to her to give her some tips. But then she managed it and her little victory dance made him almost laugh out loud. What a weird girl, he thought."

I looked down to him, to see him gazing up to me tenderly. "They had tasked him with watching her- but never with interacting. No, that choice the boy made on his own. He was simply so curious on what sort of person she could possibly be. His superiors- well, they didn't mind. When they shook hands, he was already scared that he had blown his cover- she looked at him as if she knew who he was. But it was ridiculous. He hadn't met her before. That night he was really scared she wouldn't come back to the park- that he would never again get the chance to talk to her. That he would have to go back to watching from afar."

He paused, his gaze turning dreamily, a soft smile spreading on his lips. "He couldn't sleep at all and was back at the bridge almost an hour before sunrise. Time crept by and with every minute he was more convinced she wouldn't come. But then- there she was. The little boy had to fight hard to keep a smile out of his face, she was a mission after all. But not only on that day, but every day he saw her- so one day he simply didn't." He fell silent, holding my gaze.

"Is that the end of the story?" I whispered.

"No. It's only the beginning."

I wake up early. The tent is still covered in darkness and I can hear my teammates' soft breathing, only seeing their shapes. Shisui is lying behind me, his arm tightly wrapped around my waist, pulling me close to his body. He is still asleep as well, his breath tickling at the back of my neck and chest slowly rising and falling. I want to close my eyes and go back to sleep, enjoy his warmth just a little while longer, but I am wide awake now.

Very gently I pull myself out of his embrace, trying to get out of bed.

"Mako?" he hushes, voice still slurry.

I press a light kiss against his arm, peel it off me and turn around to him. "Go back to sleep. I'll just go and watch the sunrise." He hums in response, trying to open his eyes, but sleep is getting the better of him. Leaning down, I kiss him on the side of his head, taking in a deep breath, nose brushing against his locks- he smells like home.

I swing my legs over the bedside, get up and put on my pullover and shoes. My trousers and tank top I had worn to bed- the vest I let lying on top of Shisui's. Gai and Kakashi are facing each other, both their arms hanging down the side of their beds. It makes me smile. Without creating a sound I head towards the opening, yet I seem to have woken up Yamato regardless. He is lying on his back, eyes following me as I move. I shoot him an apologetic smile and then go outside.

The air feels so incredibly clear and fresh, so standing outside I take in a deep breath, before I turn to the rock formation on which I have watched the sun rise for the last couple of days. Having jumped on top of it and turned my face eastward, I cross my legs in my lap and lean back on my hands.

The sky is dark, the stars twinkling brightly in it- dawn is at least two hours away still.

I hadn't really found any sleep tonight- somehow my mind had switched between conscious memories and unconscious dreams. Probably Shisui's fault for telling me his tale- I recollected it all, everything I got a chance to experience, my entire life, summarized in what has stuck with me most.

The good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the things I enjoyed and those I regret.

There are still a lot of things I never got an answer to- never really want an answer to anyway. Because it's alright as it is. All in all, it's been alright, no, good really. Whatever happens today, to me, it's okay. Because there is simply nothing more I can do. I already did so much and from here on out- well, we'll simply have to try and work with what we got.

Maybe we get through this alright- why not? Why not? Maybe next week Kagami will have said his first word. Maybe in nine months' time Shisui and I will have another child, a sibling to Kagami. Maybe in five years' time he will go to the academy, find friends, take in as much knowledge as he wants to, enjoy a peaceful life. Maybe in ten years' time he will try and teach his younger brother or sister to throw kunai, as Shisui and I watch them from the porch. Maybe Obito and Kakashi will be sitting there as well-

Obito and Kakashi. How lucky am I to have them become my teammates, my friends? All the things we went through, the laughs and tears we shared, the big moments and the small- Thinking that I had been so apprehensive of entering the hokage's office that day Sandaime told me I would be part of their team- My god, I would have missed out on something wonderful. How different it all could have went. Instead I got to have- yeah, got to have brothers. Brothers.

I can't let them get hurt during the fight. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if I hadn't been there for them. No, I will be right at their side, come what may. Maybe the three of us together- maybe we will be able to take him on. Take him down. Get out of it alive. And then someday sit on a porch, share wistful smiles and sad frowns over this day. And at least I won't have been their doom this time around-

This time around.

No, I know. I know whose hand it had been the last time I died. Who I probably dragged into death right with me, as he tried to pull or push me out of traffic. If I had died instantly, without feeling anything whatsoever, what else could have happened to him, standing just a step behind me?

It's no wonder he had called out for me back then. Swimming ahead, telling me to keep up. Someday I will- I know I will, but hopefully not today. One day I will tell him all, tell my brother all I experienced when we meet again, stop his swimming and turn him around.

Say, let us just sit on the beach, the sand sticking underneath our hands and legs, the weak May sun shining on us, gentle waves nibbling at our toes and tell me all.

Tell him all.

Maybe that's one of the biggest packages I carry around with me- knowing, but not fully knowing what happened to him that day. We had been so careless, so excited to head home after our trip-

How strange that such guilt can eat at you in another life as well, thirty-one years later, still as harsh and ragged as it had been the moment I felt his hand. The love for family is weird, no? Especially the love for siblings.

I would have done anything for him- I still would if it were to change anything- If I had discovered him reincarnated here as well, even if he had become Tobi, I still would have-

Reincarnated.

Huh.

My flesh and blood.

Of course.

He had been sentimental after all.

No, not some random Uchiha in his grave- no, his brother.

Resting in a village he had loved after all.

My eyes- Madara's eyes- his brother's eyes- Izuna's eyes.

Who would have thought?

How funny to solve a puzzle that has been eating at me for such a long time, simply by sitting on a rock and letting my thoughts wander.

"What are you chuckling about?" an amused voice calls behind me.

The horizon in front of me is starting to pale- dawn is coming.

I turn around to him with a smile.

So, joining me after all?

Should I let him in on the joke?

Why not?

Why not?

Let's make the best of today.