This is my first published fanfiction, so welcome. I have read many stories on here and AO3 over the years and wanted to try writing my own.
Disclaimer: This will PROBABLY be a yaoi story, but no pairings are finalised at the moment.
This story is OC-centric, but will include many characters from the manga/anime.
Hope you enjoy my story :D
October tenth, the day everything changed.
It started out as a normal day; children played, and adults shopped. Nobody could have predicted that in the coming hours, parts of the village would be in flames, a clan decimated, and their leader dead.
The Senju clan use to be one of the most numerous clans in the known world; their only rivals being the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans. But the shinobi life is difficult and cut many lives short. October tenth would change that even more, at the start of the day the number of Senju clansmen and women numbered in the low hundreds. By October eleventh, it would number in the low tens. Of those, many of the once impressive clan had left their home village, a village their ancestors created. A child of three years Isui. Two teenaged twins, Akihiko and Akio. A man of the midyears, Daisuke. The final three survivors being the elderly Masahiro, Masahito, and Yumiko.
Masahiro, Masahito and Yumiko survived due to their shinobi skills. All three being hardened veterans of the original two Great Wars, and even fighting in the Warring States period. These three siblings, once great fighters, survived due to their instincts.
Daisuke, a merchant, one of the few Senju who did not pursue the shinobi life, survived as his store, a shinobi supply store, was situated near the heart of the village and not on the outskirts where the clan compounds tended to be.
Akihiko and Akio, both chunin, were not in the village on the fateful day that spelled the end of their clan's dominance. Both of them, and their squad, were sent on a mission two days beforehand and would not return until October twelfth, to a village in mourning.
Isui, a boy of three years already knew loss. His father had died in battle before Isui was born. His mother tried, and he loved her, but she was distant. The one thing she did instil in her son were the teachings of their ancestor, Tobirama, which stated that the Will of Fire would be protected at all costs.
It was this philosophy that spelled the end of their clan.
Senju Isui and his mother, Manahimeko, had spent the beginning of October tenth like any other day. Manahimeko would rise early and prepare breakfast for herself and her child. She would wake him. Watch him eat and then leave Isui with Masahiro, her late husband's great uncle, and leave for work in the Administration Building.
Isui would spend the day with the elderly Masahiro by playing board games, listening to the stories of Masahiro's youth and begging for Masahiro to show him a jutsu.
Manahimeko would finish work when the sky began to turn orange. She would do some light shopping and then make her way back to the Senju compound to retrieve her child.
Manahimeko thanked Masahiro, like she did every weekday, he would ask her to come in for tea, she would decline. Isui would give her a pleading look. She would stare him down until he acquiesced.
On their short walk home Isui would retell his mother the story Masahiro told him, embellishing here and there, adding his own spin onto the story, and she would listen dutifully.
'And then, and then, Masahiro UNLEASHED a massive katon jutsu and won the battle!' Isui finished retelling the tale.
Manahimeko simply nodded in response. She could feel something in the air, while not a highly decorated ninja, she prided herself on her abilities.
The boy sighed in response, disappointed his mother did not react to the story he told her. 'Can I see Masahiro tomorrow?' Isui asked. It was going to be a Saturday, he never got to see Masahiro on the weekends.
Before Manahimeko could respond there was a deafening boom, the ground quaked. Isui was knocked to the ground from the burst and Manahimeko only remained standing due to her training.
Manahimeko, and the surrounding Senju, looked around and saw a terrifying sight: the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The great chakra beast towered over the Senju, standing just outside of their compound. None of the Senju in the streets reacted, they could only look up in abject horror and fear.
Seconds later, their houses were set aflame and the cries of Masahiro, Masahito and Yumiko to battle awoke the Senju from their slumber.
'We must hold off the beast until reinforcements come!' Masahiro said as he ran towards the great beast, faster than he had moved in years and weaving hand-signs he thought he would never use again. A stream of fire came out of his mouth and hit the Kyuubi, which only snarled in response.
Manahimeko snapped out of her stupor, dropped down to her knees and stood her son up, holding his cheeks in his hand. 'Isui, listen to me,' Manahimeko said, tears in her eyes left unshed, 'You must run, you must hide,' she watched him shake his head, 'Isui, you must! Now go!' Manahimeko watched her son turn and run back towards the village but she still refused to shed her tears.
Manahimeko turned back towards the beast and saw the members of her clan attempt to slow the beast down to no avail. With one swipe of its nine tails she witnessed ten Senju fall.
Masahiro, an old veteran did not have the stamina he once had and fell to his knees. He could only watch as one paw descended towards him. 'I'll join you soon, my son.' the old man whispered with a small smile on his aged face. However, Masahiro was not the only aged veteran in the clan and was saved by Masahito and Yumiko who always had his back.
Masahiro, Masahito and Yumiko retreated, knowing they had done all they could as fellow ninja from Konoha came to aid the Senju clan. As the three passed by the body of a young woman, Manahimeko, Masahiro let out a sob, not of sadness, but pain.
Senju Isui was scared, no, he was terrified. His mother told him to run, so he did. He didn't want to, he wanted to stay with his mother. He ran for ten minutes, he watched as ninja sped past him and towards the beast that let out horrifying screams that promised pain. Isui stopped in the middle of the street. He couldn't run. He needed to help his mother. He wanted to see her. He needed her. With only the thoughts of his mother he ran back the way he came.
The young boy nearly made it home, where he thought his mother was, but he was stopped short by falling debris and was knocked out cold.
Konohagakure no Sato was saved by the actions of the Yondaime Hokage, who himself lost his own life.
While the village as a whole was saved, the Senju clan was decimated. The village mourned the loss of the once fearsome clan. The reinstated Sandaime Hokage prayed to the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage for forgiveness. While the attack was not necessarily his fault, Hirzune felt responsible for the downfall of his mentors clan.
Of the three once numerous clans, two, the Uzumaki and Senju, were all but extinct with only the Uchiha remaining.
After a long night, where almost no one slept except for the injured, a new day dawned.
Masahiro, Masahito and Yumiko waited in the hospital for the news of their clansmen and women. Five members of their clan were in critical condition, a few hours prior there were more.
By sunrise, only one member of their clan remained in the hospital. The others were taken to the Memorial Stone to await burial.
The three elderly siblings did not speak, they sat in silence, comforted by each other's presence.
Two hours after sunrise a middle aged shinobi in a green flak jacket approached. He bowed before the three of them. 'The recovery team has found five more bodies in the Senju compound: Senju Yuji, Senju Yori, Senju Izumi, Senju Minori and Senju Manahimeko.'
Masahito and Yumiko looked on, stone-faced, and nodded. Masahiro merely sighed and inclined his head.
The shinobi opened his mouth, maybe to add more, but he closed it, stood up straight and bowed respectfully and left.
At midday the three veterans, joined by the Hokage, were shown into the room of one of the only survivors of the Senju clan, Senju Isui.
His doctor, a tired woman with greying hair and short of stature looked on the still sleeping boy, 'The recovery team found,' she checked her chart, 'Senju Isui buried in debris. He sustained minor trauma to his body.' She said in a clinical tone.
'The debris saved him from the brunt of the Kyuubi's attacks then.' Masahito said.
Yumiko looked down at the small child, the doctor checking a deep gash running from the bottom of his right eye to his jawline. 'It's a miracle he survived, let alone with minor injuries.' Yumiko turned her back on the boy to look out the window.
'He will make a full recovery then?' the Sandaime Hokage asked.
'He will Hokage-sama.'
Masahiro stood, silent, and looked at the white haired boy that, twenty four hours ago was innocent and full of wonder. 'Physically…' Masahiro whispered, his voice raspy.
They all bowed their heads.
The doctor left to tend to other patients.
The Hokage had meetings with the clan heads. Masahito following him.
Yumiko left to make arrangements for the funerals.
Masahiro stayed, standing at the foot of Isui's bed, waiting.