DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.
If I have learned anything in this long life of mine; it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.
Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale
Anguish
Izumi was inspecting the ring that was usually found on her left ring finger. Tobirama had given it to her almost a year ago, saying something along the lines of,
"I wasn't kidding when I asked you to marry me."
Hearing a door slam open, she looked up and saw Hashirama walk in looking more tired than ever. She slipped the ring back on and stood up from her spot on the couch to walk over to his desk.
"Hashirama, what's wrong?" She asked, slightly concerned at how pale he was.
He sat down and shook his head. "We just got word that the Kyūbi disappeared. Poof, just like that."
"...What?" He nodded his head.
"I don't have time to deal with this, I have bigger things to think about like how to not start a war with Kumogakure."
The Kyūbi disappeared...something was very off about that. It was almost as if what Connie had said was true…
"Hashirama."
"Yes?"
"I feel like Madara had something to do with the disappearance."
"I highly doubt that Izumi, the only way of controlling a Bijū would be a Mokuton-jutsu."
She shook her head. "A Uchiha with a strong enough Sharingan can control a Bijū, I read that somewhere while cleaning up old scrolls. I specifically remember it saying that once the user has full control over the Bijū, it can command it to do anything, go anywhere."
Hashirama leaned back in his chair and looked at her with eyes widened with shock. "Wait, so you're telling me that members of your clan can control a Bijū." Izumi nodded her head. "And you think your brother has something to do with the Kyūbi's disappearance?"
"Basically."
"Kami Izumi, why didn't you mention something like this earlier? It would've made my job five times easier when I was trying to capture the Bijū."
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled despite the topic of conversation. "You never asked."
He gave her a look of disbelief. "Yes Izumi, because controlling Bijū with a Sharingan totally comes up our topics of conversation." But then he sighed, showing her just how stressed he was. "But for now we'll have to push that problem aside. My scouts haven't reporting any other sightings of the Kyūbi."
"Alright then." She looked down at the pile of paperwork on his desk and grimaced. "Do you want any help with that?" She asked while pointing to it.
"Don't you have other things to do?"
Izumi shook her head. "No. Kagami's still at school and Tobirama's off who knows where." Hashirama looked at the pile at back at her before making up his mind.
"Sure, why not. If I'm going to suffer through hours of paperwork, mind as well have some help." She gave the Hokage a small smile before grabbing a chair and moving it towards the side of his desk.
"So how are you and Mito doing?" She asked as she read through the first scroll on the pile. Izumi felt slightly guilty because she hasn't been able to actually see Mito in the past few weeks because of how busy she was.
"We're doing well actually." He suddenly turned red and leaned towards her, his face barely an inch away from hers. "Every time I see her, I get all...tingly, like there are butterflies in my stomach." Her eyes widened and she gently pushed her friend back in his seat, slightly shocked at how close he came to her.
Personal space was a very big thing to Izumi.
"Hashirama, that's called liking someone." She said, hoping that he understood she didn't like his face that close to hers.
"Really? How exciting!" He smiled and then grabbed her hands. "Did you feel like that with Tobirama?"
"Um..." She tried to gently pull her hands away but for some unknown reason, Hashirama wouldn't let go of her. "I guess. I got easily embarrassed around him." Izumi answered with a strained smile.
"Even more exciting!" He let go of her and spun in his chair. "She's so beautiful and nice. Her red hair..." He sighed with a smile on his face, acting like a lovestruck teenager – this man was turning 26 this year, it shocked Izumi sometimes when she realized how...childish he was. He then grabbed her hands again. "And her eyes, I just get lost in them."
"How wonderful Hashirama, if only you could get Tobirama to say these things to me. That man is as dense as a rock, I tell you." She muttered while pulling her hand, yet again, away.
"Say what to you?" Izumi whirled around in her seat and saw Tobirama sitting on the couch, smirking at her with his usual smugness.
"She wants you to tell her basically all the things I say about Mito." Hashirama answered, not helping at all. Izumi glared at him before turning back to her fiancé.
His only response was to raise an eyebrow before he sauntered over to where she sat. "You want me to...tell you how your hair is as beautiful as a cloudless night sky?" He whispered from behind her into her right ear. Tobirama ran his hands through her hair before moving to her left ear. "Or do you want me to say how I get trapped under a spell whenever I look into your eyes?" He whispered with even a lower voice, his lips almost touching her ear. Izumi just sat there, getting redder and stiffer by the second while Hashirama sat in his seat, trying to contain in his laughter. "Maybe you even want me to say you have beautiful lips?" He moved his face in front of hers, his eyes lit up with mischief and amusement. Tobirama then brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, almost seductively.
But then he decided to ruin it.
He brought both of his hands to her cheeks and pushed them together, causing her lips to pucker up like a fish. "But how can I? The words that come out of your mouth rivals any man in anger." Izumi felt her eye twitch in anger.
The nerve of this man!
She tried to push him away, but was failing. She could hear Hashirama bursting with laughter from behind Tobirama. The white-haired idiot on the other hand was smirking yet again, feeling accomplished with what he just did.
Cough
Their heads all whirled around to the door and saw Mito standing there awkwardly, unsure of what was happening at the moment. All she saw was Tobirama squeezing Izumi's face while her husband holding his stomach because of laughter.
Using this moment Izumi pushed Tobirama away. "Thank Kami you're here right now Mito. These brothers are complete idiots."
Hashirama raised his hand. "I think calling the Hokage an idiot is illegal."
She shot him a glare. "Fine then, lock me up."
"Somebody is getting a little kinky." Izumi started coughing and turning even more red at Tobirama's comment. She shoved her hand in his face and pushed him back while she continued to cough. But even he could not contain his own amusement at the situation because he started laughing, which was a rare occurrence.
Tobirama's laughter was infectious and by the time Izumi finally stopped coughing she was actually laughing along with everyone else in the room.
One month later…
July
"I want to become strong like Izumi-sama one day!" Akane shouted out. Izumi could not help but smile at the little girl's determination.
"There are many people stronger than me Akane-chan."
She shook her head. "But they are all men! I want to become a strong Kunoichi one day so that I can protect the people I love." Hearing this, Izumi felt something akin to sadness at what Akane said. "Will you become my Sensei then, Izumi-sama?"
"That's a serious question now, isn't it?" She furiously nodded her head. "We'll see. It would be nice for you to become my student, wouldn't it?"
"No, you almost maimed us remember?" Izumi just sighed and turned around to see a 14 year old Hiruzen and Danzō staring at her.
"Akane-chan, go back to your brother okay? I'll talk to you later."
"O-Okay then! Bye Izumi-sama!" The little girl ran off, leaving the two teens alone with the Kunoichi.
"What do you two want?"
"Well-"
"Tobirama-Sensei is busy today and we want you to train with us Izumi." Izumi stared at Danzō, taken aback at his tone and disrespect towards her. Sure, she may be 22 years old, but to be talked like that by a 14 year old?
No.
"Whoa whoa whoa, before we talk about any type of training what the hell was that Danzō?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't care much for your tone, and who gave you permission to call me by my name only?" He only made a tch sound and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to even look at her.
Izumi felt her blood boil. The only other thing she hated the most other than people hurting her loved ones was disrespect. She's had to deal with many people disrespecting her and the position she was in because of her gender, and those people? They were quick to realize that she was someone who was not to be messed with because many went home injured.
Izumi stormed up to him and grabbed the teen by his shirt and brought her face close to his. "I will not be treated by disrespect, boy. Learn your place. I am a Clan Head, I will be treated as such until I say otherwise." She was still taller than him and that slightly scared him, so it made some sadistic part of her happy when she saw slight fear appear in his eyes.
Hiruzen on the other hand gave out an uneasy laugh before pulling her away from his teammate. "W-What he meant I-Izumi-Sensei was that we were wondering—if you had the time of course—if you wanted to spar with us?"
She looked at Hiruzen. Izumi's always liked him, he knew his manners and always respected her—in his own way of course—and that was what she liked. Danzō on the other hand got worse over the years. When she first met the young teen he was still a little disrespectful, but not to the point where Izumi had to tell the boy.
But to put it plainly, she's never liked him. He was too...dark, mean.
Izumi opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she felt something in the air change. She looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but something was different, and it put her on edge. "Go home. I'm busy."
"But-"
"Hiruzen, Danzō, I said to go home. Don't make me say it again." She said but not before pointing to the Shimura. "And you, you better learn your manners. Some other people are not as nice as I was today at telling you." And with that, she left them behind to head towards the Hokage Tower.
The amount of time it took for Izumi to reach the tower would have made Tobirama proud. Ignoring the protesting shinobi manning the front desk, she went straight to Hashirama's office. "Hashirama." She said while pushing open the door.
Izumi had to stop in her steps when she saw what he was doing. Tobirama was helping him put on battle armor. Seeing this, she knew immediately something bad must have happened.
"What's happened?" Hashirama looked at her and when their eyes met, she saw sadness, remorse.
"I'm sorry Izumi." He looked down.
Her hands balled into fists. She felt it in the air earlier and judging by Hashirama's body language, it was obvious to what he was apologizing for. "It's my brother isn't it? It's Madara?" Tobirama nodded his head. "That goddamn idiot." She didn't notice at first but when she looked at her fiance, he too was wearing his armor.
"I'm going."
"Izumi-"
"You have no right to tell me no, that man is my brother." Tobirama tried protesting but Hashirama just held his hand up.
"You can come. I've gotten word that Kyūbi has appeared somewhere near Madara's location. We'll need you if I am not able to control it."
Izumi bowed her head and left to go back to get her armor.
"Kagami?" Izumi shouted out inside the house.
"I'm in here Izumi-nee!" She looked into his bedroom and saw him reading a book.
She walked up to him and looked at him in the eyes. "I need to you go to Mito's house today, okay?"
"Why?"
"Tobirama and I won't be home. We're going on a mission." Kagami frowned but listened to her without protesting. She packed up a bag for him to stay overnight with Mito. "Here, don't forget this." Izumi handed him one of Tobirama's special kunai's.
She dropped him off at Mito and the only thing the older lady did was nod her head. "Please make sure he comes back." She asked. Izumi nodded her head and kissed Kagami's forehead.
"I'll come pick you up when I get back, okay?" He nodded his head. "I love you."
"I love you too Izumi-nee."
She turned and left.
When Izumi was changing into her battle clothes, she didn't notice the black shadow moving across the room. Tying her armor on and double-checking for her weapons, she went to tie her hitai-ate when she saw something that caught her eye. An abnormally dark shadow in her room.
Zetsu.
Izumi made a move to leave but the Black Zetsu appeared in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "You will be a nuisance to Madara-sama's plan." He grabbed her head and that was when she felt a pain like never before go throughout it.
She screamed and tried to push the thing off of her, but the pain was causing her to forget about everything that was happening all around was screaming and from the far edges of her mind she could hear a voice she hasn't heard in two years, Connie's.
'Izumi, stop him!'
"Get the fuck off me!" Izumi tried to go through handseals but there was a popping sound in her ear and she was left immobile because of pain. She fell down, her head hitting the ground hard.
"With this, your memories will be destroyed." The Black Zetsu removed himself from her and stood up, looking into the blank eyes of Uchiha Izumi. "Stay here for now, once Madara-sama has won he will come for you."
One hour later…
When Izumi reopened her eyes, the only thing she felt was a pain in her head. That Black Zetsu had disappeared off to who knows where and that slightly relieved her.
Only for a second though, because she soon realized something was off about her.
'Izumi…'
"Connie..." Izumi whispered out loud. Connie's voice was too quiet, almost as if it was...broken.
'He tried...to erase your...memory… I kept...them safe...but that meant...dying.'
"Wait-"
'My time...is short...I leave...my own memories of...this place...to you… Be careful...your brother is…not himself anymore.' Another burst of pain went throughout her mind, causing Izumi to trip and fall onto the ground. She felt so hopeless at the moment, the woman inside of her head for the past 22 years became someone that she trusted, that she may even love. Hearing her breaking and dying for her just infuriated Izumi even more.
'Thank you...for this second...chance at life…Izumi…' It was only for a second, but Izumi swore she saw Connie smiling at her while tears fell from her eyes.
And with another burst of pain, the being known as Connie disappeared, dying again for the second time.
By the time Izumi reached the Hokage Tower after her fight with the Black Zetsu, she found out that the two Senju brothers had already left after getting news of the Kyūbi getting nearer to the village. She could understand why, looking at the time she could tell that she had passed out an hour ago.
At the moment, she had pushed Connie's death into the far back of her mind. As much as she wanted to cry and scream over her loss, she knew that Connie wouldn't want her to do that, she'd want Izumi to do the most logical thing and that would be to follow after Hashirama and Tobirama. Out pure anger and annoyance, she couldn't help but punch the wall next to one of the windows in Hashirama's office. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Izumi moved away.
She has some running to do.
Hashirama
"Madara, please don't make me do this!"
"You don't understand, I've already reached it Hashirama!" Madara answered, his eyes red with his Mangekyō Sharingan. The Susanoo-clad Kyūbi roared below him, its eyes identical to the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai.
"Then you leave me no choice." Hashirama went through handseals, his black markings around his eyes making them stand out even more. "Senpō Mokuton: Shin Sūsenju!" He just hoped that this brother was okay, that he was safe against whatever thing that had attacked them earlier.
"HASHIRAMA!"
"MADARA!"
Tobirama heaved with all his strength, but his arms would not budge an inch. Whatever...thing that was attached to him had full control over his own limbs. He could not control anything and it was starting to infuriate the young man. Not to mention, the thing had absorbed almost all his chakra, he could barely feel it, yet alone sense with it.
"Let my body go." He growled out, but the darker and demonic voice of the black humanoid creature just laughed.
"You will die, Senju," It spat out his surname with disgust. "And I will enjoy it greatly." Tobirama could feel it moving his arms in search of a weapon. He couldn't die here, not today, not when he had many more things to do.
He made a promise to her that he wouldn't leave.
With pure determination flowing throughout his body, Tobirama growled and forced anything, just anything, to move so he could live another day. He saw his arms move away from the kunai, he watched as he won over the thing controlling him.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that will not do. You are to die today." But sadly, his victory was short-lived. Tobirama sat there and watched as it gained control of his limbs all over again and this time, he knew that he did not have the strength to try again. "You are a powerful man and must not be taken lightly. I will have to use more concentration to maintain my control over you." And so Tobirama let his head fall to his chest, trying to give it the false image of defeat when in reality, he was thinking of a plan. "It was wise to give up Senju."
But it was too late, there was no plan that could save the white-haired Senju. So there was nothing Tobirama could do but watch as he stood up and grabbed the katana that laid on the floor with numerous other weapons. It made his hand grab onto the hilt of his weapon and move it to where the blade was facing inward onto his body. This was it, he was going to die. He was going to break the one promise he vowed to himself and Izumi to never break. "Meet your fate Senju." He closed his eyes and the sword was brought inward onto his body. The one thing he regretted most was never telling Izumi goodbye.
But fate was a cruel being, and it seemed that it had something different in mind.
Thrust
Tobirama could only watch in slow motion as a flash of familiar black hair ran in between the weapon and himself, causing the blade to thrust into her instead of him. Whatever controlling his body let him go, but he could do nothing but watch as Izumi brought a shaky hand up to his cheek while she gave him a sad smile. "T-Tobirama." She coughed and blood dribbled out from her mouth. She then fell against his chest, and that was when whatever stupor Tobirama was in disappeared.
"No." He was quick to move his arms around her and onto the hilt of the katana. Without a hesitation, he pulled it out carefully.
"I-It h-hurts." Tobirama sat down and laid Izumi's head onto his legs. He looked down at her abdomen and saw a large circle of blood pooling underneath her. Placing his hand onto her wound, he pressed down to try to stop whatever blood loss he could.
"W-Why Izumi?" He asked desperately, his voice breaking at the end. She lifted her hand to his chest and smiled. Tobirama tried to ignore the blood smeared on her teeth but couldn't, it was only a reminder that she was going to die.
"B-Because b-baka, I l-love you." He felt a tear fall from his eye and onto her face. "P-Please don't c-cry." A sob broke out from Tobirama's mouth and he grabbed her hand with his free one. Bringing it up to his face, he cried.
Out of his 25 years on this world, Tobirama has only cried three times.
"Please Izumi, you can't leave me." Totally out of character, he begged her to do something that was impossible. "Please.
"I-I'll be w-with I-Izuna a-again, r-right?" Izumi's voice got softer and softer. "I c-can finally see h-him again." She turned her head and looked at Tobirama. She was so cold, but so tired at the same time. Was this how it felt, to die? "B-But that m-means I have t-to l-leave you." Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier as the seconds passed. "I-I'm sorry." Blood dribbled down the side of her mouth. She wanted to go to sleep and the temptation to do so was high, but just not high enough. Not yet.
"Izumi."
It broke Izumi's heart to see the man that she loved break down in front of her, to look to lost. "I-I love you T-Tobirama."
At this point Tobirama was crying hard, harder than ever. "I love you too. I'll be here every step of the way, okay?" His voice cracked at the end of the sentence. "I'll always be there for you." He watched as Izumi nodded her head and smiled at him before closing her eyes.
She was still alive, but barely. Her breaths were getting shallower by the minute and he knew by the abnormal paleness in her skin that she didn't have long until she succumbed to her wound.
"Tobirama?" Hearing the sudden voice behind him, he raised his head still not quite believing it. "Is that...Izumi?" He whirled around and saw his older brother's wife standing by a tree, worry etched onto her face.
"M-Mito?" She noticed his tears and ran forward.
His hand shook as he grabbed Mito's arm. "Can you save her?"
She kneeled down to the side of the fallen Uchiha and ripped off her armor and as she inspected the wound, she frowned. "I may be able too, but I don't know. I'll try though." Tobirama wiped away his tears and watched as Mito's hands glowed green with the telltale sign of Iryo-ninjutsu.
Izumi may survive, she may survive.
A/N: And I might get hate because of this ending but eh, I don't really care. I thought that I haven't really put out a cliffhanger like this in a while and felt that it was about time too. I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter though because I sure as hell did with the beginning. I was on a roll, I was like sitting here with my computer on my bed, just typing away.
I am very proud of this chapter for some reason and I can't really figure out why, but idk.
You know, I was very very tempted to have Black Zetsu actually stab Tobirama instead of Izumi, but then I was like NAH. Hehe.
(You know I think this A/N is getting a little weird and it's probably due to the fact that I am legit posting this at three in the morning. Maybe it's just me?)
So I had this wonderful and brilliant idea that popped into my head thirty minutes ago. What if, Uchiha Shisui, was actually Izumi and Tobirama's grandson? Like, Shisui was just a boss as the body-flicker jutsu and Tobirama was known for his speed...so, what do you think? Idk yet that is still in development mode xD And if I do decide to go along with this plan that would mean that Izumi got pregnant and blah blah blah. But it's a pretty good idea though right? I really want to tie in Naruto Canon with this story.
But I do hope that I did Tobirama's character some justice, idk why but it was really hard to write the ending just because it was slightly from his perspective. But anywho, I hoped you are screaming and cursing at me because of this ending :D
Totally recommending the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick because I love this series and it was actually one of the few books that got me into reading.
SO I REALLY WANT TO KNOW YOUR OPINIONS ON THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE idk. But if you guys do give me enough reviews, the chapter will probably be written up in a snap because I totally get motivated to write when I see that.
Review = Faster chapter upload = Cliffhanger not cliffhanger anymore.
So review and don't forget to follow/fav. if you haven't already!
Until next time!~
Senpō Mokuton: Shin Sūsenju = Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands