Chapter 10
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Comments
And the tension builds...
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"I almost wish we were
butterflies and lived but
three summer days -
three such days with you
I could fill with more
delight than fifty common
years could ever contain."
~ John Keats ~
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I smiled as I re-read the letter in my hands. Years, more like a decade, had passed since Izuna left to embark on his training. But somehow, he was still able to send me updates of his progress. I guess you could say I was a pretty lonely figure. Granny had passed not long ago, a long life she lived to the fullest. I mourned, but she always told me to treat the Uchiha like family so I never felt alone. It also helped that she told me Tajima's promise; that I would always have a place within the clan, even though I wasn't blood.
"Umm, Kana-chan I'm a bit lost." Shizuka approached with the silk in her hands, "No matter what I try, my phoenix looks like a rotisserie chicken."
Shizuka was the one Uchiha member I properly befriended after Izuna and Madara left. She was a shy girl born with weak health that did not suit the life of shinobi. As a child she was often bedridden, and so I started to sew and embroider by her bedside. As her health stabilised, she too started to embroider, and she became my helper very quickly demonstrating a talent for the art, even if she was too modest to admit it.
I laughed, "You're being too harsh on yourself. All you need to do is add some colour here and-"
"So this is where you two had run off to."
Shizuka and I sheepishly turned as we saw Madame Tsu, the Uchiha elder and our unofficial matron, frowning down at us both.
"Umm, Madame, we weren't running away, we just wanted to focus on finishing some designs for the summer festival." I smiled which did not appease her in any way shape or form.
She sighed, toddling back out the aura of disappointment floating with her. Shizuka and I let out a quiet breath of relief as Shizuka gave me a thumbs up in praise for my quick thinking.
"Now we just need to make sure we actually have designs for the Summer Festival." She smiled, laughing lightly.
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-Summer Festival-
The Summer Festival was also an event of great celebration. A night of delicious foods and wondrous festivities, it was also perhaps the one night where we were able to forget that we were always in a constant state of war, and that everyday could be our last. However, we were told that there would be a surprise for this year's festival.
"Did you find out what tonight's 'special event' is all about?" Shizuka asked as we packed up, realising that we needed to get a move on if we were to be 'presentable', at least according to Madame Tsu's standards, for tonight.
I shook my head, "Let's hope she's not playing matchmaker again. I don't have enough make-up to cover up that much embarrassment." I laughed.
Waving goodbye, I headed home and quickly cleaned up. As a personal preference, I preferred to keep my make-up as simple as possible, letting the intricate embroidery on my clothing speak on my behalf. I smiled as I laid out my latest design, a little project I had been working on for close to a year now. It was a beautiful thin black silk, perfect for the summer heat, with golden accents and embroidered designs more intricate than anything I had ever attempted. I slid a pin, a gift from Granny, through my hair to create a half-bun and quickly left. Madame Tsu had high standards, and being late would definitely disappoint all of those standards.
I hummed a soft tune as I stepped out of my home to slide my sandals on. But I stopped when, from the corner of my eyes, I saw a suspicious figure dart behind a bush.
My breathing halted as I slowly got closer, slightly scared since most of the neighbours were busy finalising preparations for the festival, so this was the perfect spot for a kidnapping… or an assassination.
"Who's there?" I called out.
Several more figures suddenly came into sight as one of them brandished a sword. From the way they were dressed, they appeared to be a band of thugs.
"Looks like she's it fellas." The one I presumed to be the leader smirked, "We've been keeping a close eye on you for a while now, little miss."
My brows frowned, "Pardon me, but do I know you?"
"Nope," the leader said, "But we know Izuna. And we do have a bone to pick with the younger Uchiha brother and I think you could help us out with that."
Five of the thugs had circled me, and I didn't think I'd be fast, nor loud enough, to alert the other clansmen. My breathing hitched as I genuinely started to fear for my life. A bag went over my head, blocking my vision.
I was in trouble.
"Let me go!" I screamed as I kicked and thrashed about, before I felt the tightening of ropes around my arms and feet. "I haven't seen Izuna in years so I don't understand what you possibly hope to-"
"Not another word, or your beautiful neck will get an ugly scar across it." The leader breathed next to my ear as I felt a cold metal pressed on my throat.
Shaking, I nodded as I was unceremoniously lifted and slung across a shoulder.
"Alright fellas, let's-"
"That's Kana!"
"Captain!"
Because of the bag I had no clue what the hell was going on, but I felt the thug carrying me start to sway and I mentally prepared for my brain to be flooded with the pain of getting dropped onto the dirt.
But the feeling never came.
I felt my body land in, arms? Before I was lifted off, and whoever was carrying me ran a short distance, and then settled me down into different arms
"Look after her." The figure mumbled before I heard the sound of footsteps leaving.
"Oh my God Kana-chan, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
'Shizuka.' I thought, letting out a breath of relief at the familiar voice. "I'm not injured. But they did tie the ropes really tight." I told her and I could feel her fingers immediately start working on loosening my bonds.
"I'll loosen your restraints, then untie you and get that bag off." Shizuka told me
Not long after I could feel my hands slide free and the bag was lifted off my head to display the scene before me. There, in the middle of the street lay the bodies of the group of bandits. The leader was quivering as a man pointed his sword straight down, just above his throat.
"Oh my God Shizuka." I whispered, my hand reaching for hers.
"I see it…" she breathed with horror.
As a result of living within the compound my whole life, I was sheltered from the violence that was the life of shinobi, and the brutality of our time. Seeing it right here, at the front of my house was incredibly unsettling to say the least.
Before the figure could deliver the final blow, another one appeared and stopped him. "Not here." The second fighter mumbled, alerting the first to our transfixed gazes.
Soon more clansmen had arrived, helping to clear away the carnage and secure the prisoner as Shizuka and I both sat there in muted horror.
Then I felt myself start to shake.
"Kana-chan, Kana!" Shizuka worried, feeling myself tremble beneath her. "You're fine Kana-chan. It's over."
I felt my chest start constricting painfully, whilst my muscles constricted and I started to hyperventilate.
My mind was in such a state of shock and frenzy that I didn't notice Shizuka was no longer holding me. A firm grip came to wrap around my hands as I was forced to look up into a strangely familiar face.
"Kana. Calm down." The voice said as I felt the signature eyes of the Uchiha clan, the sharingan, whirl to life in front of me.
Those crimson eyes that sparked fear into others had the opposite effect on me. They were a symbol of familiarity, protection, and of family. The eyes worked their magic, and I felt the warmth of what must have been a genjutsu starting to envelop me. I didn't fight it, but instead let it help steady my breathing as I simply focused on those eyes. I ignored the other figures scurrying around, gaze transfixed on the familiar stranger in front of me.
"See? Much better right." The figure smiled, dissolving his sharingan.
In my delirium I mumbled a drunken, "You look familiar mister." To which the figure laughed.
Then it clicked, I knew why this person was so familiar. I jumped and tackled him to the ground as my arms wrapped themselves around his neck and I started crying tears of joy, "Welcome home Izuna."
He pulled me further into the hug, one arm going to cradle my head closer to him, "I'm back Kana."
"You better not have wrecked my farewell gift to you." I smiled, and I felt him laugh as I heard more footsteps around us.
A familiar shriek, honestly it was probably the anthem of doom, scared the soul out of me as the all too familiar voice of Madame Tsu pierced through all the commotion.
"KANA! WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED?" The Madame yelled, picking me up and surveying the damage.
Spinning in circles, I was able to slur out an "It's okay, Madame. I'm fine." To which she dismissed me with a wave of her handkerchief.
"No no, your KIMONO Kana! It's absolutely ruined!" She wailed, pointing at the frayed ends, dust sticking in between the threads that were once beautiful golden dragons.
They no longer looked like dragons… pigs rolling in mud would be more accurate.
I felt my heart drop as I realised she was right. The once bright colours were now permanently smeared with dirt, and it was littered with so many tears and rips that the only use left for the fabric would be as a dust cloth.
"Shizuka! Come, we need to sort this mess out." Madame Tsu called my friend.
Without missing a beat, I was dragged away from the scene. Kidnapping attempt forgotten, as Madame Tsu was able to successfully divert my attention to the current crisis.
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-Third POV-
A laugh could be heard as Madara looked at his stunned younger brother who still had his arms around where Kana was several moments prior.
"Ten years… ten years we've been gone and she doesn't seem to care." Izuna gaped, to which Madara laughed even louder.
Composing himself, Madara went up to clap his brother on his back. "We'll reunite with her later, we have more pressing matters to deal with."
"What in God's name happened here?" A stern voice demanded, the Uchiha leader finally returning back to the compound.
"I appear to have a target on my back," Izuna sighed, untying the sword from his waist as he knelt down beside the sole survivor from the group of bandits.
Removing the gag, Izuna's sharingan whirled to life as they locked on the bandit. He pulled his gloves off, yanking back the man's hair and forcing him to look up at the enraged Uchiha.
"Alright, I'm going to ask you some questions now. It would be in your best interest to cooperate." Izuna mumbled, barely able to contain the rage in his voice.
But the man simply smirked, and Izuna saw the bandit's chakra start to bubble uncontrollably.
"Get back!" He shouted at everyone as iron tendrils erupted from the ground and grabbed onto the bandit, ripping him to shreds.
Stunned, the members of the Uchiha clan jumped up to avoid being ensnared by the mysterious jutsu. Observing from the rooftops, they looked around as more tendrils erupted around the other bandits and repeated the process. The ground beneath them hummed with a golden chakra that pulsed in what appeared to be ancient runes before disappearing and leaving behind the mummified corpses of the bandits.
"What kind of jutsu was that…" Izuna mumbled, following his father who jumped down to observe the mummies
"Everyone," Tajima said, "Keep the events of today a secret. No one will speak of this until we identify the perpetrators behind this."
"That won't be necessary Lord Tajima," a clansman said, picking up a short tanto engraved with a familiar seal, "it's the Senju."