DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS AND/OR PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.
TRIGGER WARNING: THERE IS MENTION OF SUICIDE SO IF IT HAPPENS TO BE A TRIGGER OR IF IT JUST HAPPENS TO BOTHER YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READ PAST THE ONE YEAR TIMESKIP.
I REPEAT, PLEASE DO NOT READ AFTER THE ONE YEAR TIME SKIP.
It's too easy, you see, to get rapped in the past. The past is very seductive. People always talk about the mists of time, you know, but really it's the present that's in a mist, uncertain. The past is quite clear, and warm, and comforting. That's why people often get stuck there.
Susanna Kearsley, Mariana
Death
A groan filled the room and soon after, the rustling of blankets could be heard. Sitting up on the futon was no other than a confused Uchiha Izumi.
"Huh?" Izumi looked around and rubbed her eyes. This couldn't have been right… She was back in her childhood house, judging by the room she was in.
"What the fuck..." Standing up, the first thing she did was pull up her shirt to look at the wound that should have killed her, but instead of bandages—or the cut itself—all she saw was her skin. No scar, nothing. She took another look around the room. Everything was where it was before Konoha was created; her drawings, weapons, furniture, everything was the same. And judging by the sun shining in through her curtain-less window, it was still morning too. Where was she? Was this the afterlife?
But Izumi didn't have any time to ponder over these facts because the reality of her current situation finally hit her.
She was dead. She left behind Mito, Hashirama, Tobirama, Kagami. Izumi looked down at the ring that she had grown so accustomed to wearing and felt...regret. Sure, she never really thought about what the future had in store for her, but she still wanted to at least have a family or at least get married. Of course, it was purely her choice when she jumped in between Tobirama and his katana, but still.
As much as Izumi wanted to cry over her losses, she could suddenly hear the sounds of someone—or something—moving around in what used to be her kitchen. Pushing her emotions to the back of her mind, her Shinobi instincts kicked in and she grabbed the katana laying against the wall. Quietly sliding open her door, she was careful to not make any sounds. She was quick to get to the end of the hall, but the person in the kitchen had their back turned to her. "Izumi, please stop sneaking around. It's not like there are any other people in the house."
Hearing the voice of the speaker made her stop dead in her tracks. "Who are you?" She demanded, still sticking to the shadows of the hallway. It couldn't be… If this person was who she really thought it was, it meant she really was dead.
"Baka, I'm not some imposter either." Izumi took a careful step out of the hall and narrowed her eyes at the figure standing by the sinks.
"Am I dead then?"
The person shook their head. "No, but your answers will be asked if you drop the katana onee-chan." The sentence ended with the person finally turning around and smiling, one full of understanding and joy.
Not many people knew that Izumi was the older twin; she was born roughly 15 minutes earlier than him. But when it came down to the Elders eyes, she was weak—a girl, they said—so it was made clear that if something were to happen to the three older brothers, Izuna would become Clan Head instead of Izumi, despite him being the younger one. It never bothered her, but what she never liked was that as they got older, more and more people thought Izuna to be the older twin. But whenever Izumi had expressed her feelings towards that topic the only thing her brother would do was laugh and smile, showing her that he didn't care. It probably didn't help that they didn't use the 'proper' honorifics towards each other. Whenever they did, it was just for play.
But that smile...there was no faking it.
Her katana fell to the ground with a clang and her knees soon followed. Her arms hung limply at her sides as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "Izuna."
He was going to die and there was nothing she could do to save him.
"I-Izuna." She cried out, her voice thick with emotion.
Her twin lifted his hands up to find her. He was blind now, he couldn't see anymore because of the transfer. She grabbed a hold of his hand and placed it on her cheek. "Izumi." His voice was so quiet, barely audible. "I'm...sorry."
"W-What are you sorry about, baka?" Izumi tried to keep her voice light, as if she wasn't bothered by the fact that he was going to die, no matter what.
But there was no fooling her brother.
Izuna just gave her a weak smile smiled and laughed. But in his condition, his laugh sounded more like a soft sigh. "You're...right. Nothing to be...sorry about." Her grip on his hands tightened. "Tell me...about your...day."
She was crying at this point and sniffling, not bothering to hide them. "I f-finished reading that b-book and then after t-that, I checked on Madara, just like you asked." These were all lies when in fact, she was crying in her room from the moment she woke up.
"That book...I got you?" She nodded her head and despite not being able to see, Izuna knew that. "Did...you like it?"
"I l-loved it."
"That's...wonderful." He turned his head to her. There was a cloth tied over his eyes so no one would notice how he didn't have any. "I...want to tell...you something."
"What?"
His breathing was slowing down, his voice getting softer and softer. "I love...you." His head moved to face the ceiling. There was one last smile on his face. "...Izumi." He breathed out her name and along with it, his last breath.
Izumi knew the exact moment he died. Something in her broke the moment his heart stop; it was almost as if her own heart stopped as well. There was this...emptiness in her that she knew meant he was gone.
"I-Izuna?" She let go of his hand and watched it fall motionlessly to the ground. "Izuna?!" She placed her head against his chest, desperate to hear anything. "No no no!" She was in denial. He couldn't have died, he couldn't have!
But deep down inside, she already knew. Her best friend, her brother, her twin, was gone.
And she didn't even say goodbye.
She was crying into his chest, a familiar scent she never thought she would ever be able to smell again. "I-Izuna!" Her arms wrapped around her twin's torso, so tight that it would have seemed like she'd never let go. She was bawling into his clothes, not embarrassed by the slightest bit. But what was not shocking was that her brother was doing the same thing, but unlike Izumi, he was able to contain in his own tears.
It took the twins a while to calm down, but when they did the first thing they did was share a laugh. "I missed you." Izumi said to him. Her twin's arms tightened around her before he helped her stand up.
"I did too Izumi." He led them to the familiar kitchen table and sat down. Izumi looked around and Izuna noticed a certain type of darkness in her eyes that he never saw before. She caught him looking at her and she rose an eyebrow, wondering what he was looking at.
The twins talked much to each other but they also didn't have to either. A lot of their conversations were a majority of face expression and hand motions—not that they never talked, they always talked. But when either Izuna or Izumi didn't feel like doing that, they simply...motioned to each other what they were thinking.
"Your eyes, they've changed."
"Really? I guess I wouldn't know." Izumi brought her left hand to her face and brushed her hair back when Izuna suddenly grabbed her wrist from across the table, inciting a surprised yelp from her.
"A ring?" He asked, staring at the silver band on her ring finger.
She turned red and pulled her hand away, grumbling about personal space. "It's nothing." She changed the subject, not wanting to go down the road about Tobirama. "There's obviously a bigger question I want to ask."
Her brother sighed. Of course there was, it was written all across her face. "You want to know if you're dead?" Izumi nodded her head. "Then the answer is no, but you're almost dead."
"Oh…then where am I?"
"We're not quite in the afterlife, but in a place before it. It's for restless, angry spirits, mostly."
"But what about you then? Are you a restless spirit then?" He laughed at her question. "No, I'm the rare five percent of souls that just weren't ready to move on yet."
Izumi tapped her fingers against the table. "Then why am I here? If I'm not dead, why aren't I back in the real world?"
"You tell me, why are you here?" Her twin leaned back in his chair. "I can't see what's happening right now Izumi."
Her head fell and she looked as if she was in pain. "Madara." She said. Izumi's hands had bunched up her pants into her fists. "It's all because of him."
"Madara? What did he do this time?"
She shook her head. "It's not what he did, it's what he's doing right now as we speak."
And so Izumi told her brother everything. Of Konoha, Kagami, Tobirama, Kazuyo—everything.
"What the hell..." Izuna growled out. Izumi just sat there, mentally worn out because of everything she just said.
"I don't think...Hashirama can stop him, not like the way he is right now." She remembered running in the forest, the vile feeling of the Kyūbi's chakra. "A-And there's no way that I can wrestle control of the Bijū from him, not with my Sharingan." She suddenly let out a dark chuckle. "But that's only if I don't die." Izuna didn't reply—in fact, she could tell that he was thinking about something. "What are you thinking about?"
Izuna looked at her with a seriousness that she remembered seeing only before battles. "There's a way to stop him."
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I can't get anywhere near him even if there was a jutsu to use. He'd block or avoid it in a second." Izumi started tapping her finger against the side of her head. "Remember? He's a natural-born genius. I, on the other hand, am not."
But Izuna only shook his head. "This jutsu is fairly an easy one to cast, it's the consequences of using it that I'm worried about."
"Well, lay it on me. What's the jutsu?"
"It's called Izanami. The jutsu was originally created to stop members of our clan that went mad with power because of it's partner jutsu, Izanagi."
"Those are...weird names for jutsus."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard weirder ones. But anyways, Izanami is a jutsu that decides your destiny while Izanagi changes it."
Izumi was surprised. To think, there were powerful jutsus like those. "Izanagi to change fate and Izanami that decides it… Those jutsus sound suspiciously like they were created for the only means of cheating death." But she realized something. For a jutsu that powerful, there had to be a cost, some type of payment from the user. And she didn't even have to ask, Izuna seemed to already know what she was wondering.
"Using the jutsu means you loose power of the Sharingan and one of your eyes."
"There's the catch..." She mumbled.
"But if it was to stop a madman from killing everyone?" Izumi balled her hands into fists and stared at the wooden surface of the table. To the Uchiha, their eyes were everything, especially if you had the Sharingan. To just...give that power up forever, could she really do something like that?
"If I could just talk to him-"
"Did that work the last time? Judging by your story, he got even more angry."
But still… It was her eyesight-
No, she would do it. She had too. If it would save her loved ones and Konoha, then she'd do it.
"There's just one slight problem Izuna, I don't even know if I'll survive."
He just shook his head. "Yes, you will. I don't think you'll be joining me just yet." She looked at him questioningly, confused at what he was saying. He just pointed to her and gave her a sad, knowing smile. When Izumi looked at her chest, she gasped.
There was a soft, golden light at where her heart was at that kept getting brighter and brighter by the second.
Her head flew up to meet Izuna's eyes, only to see tears pooling around the corners of his eyes. Izumi was quick to connect the pieces. It meant that she was going back to the living, it meant that somebody was saving her.
"N-No!" She jumped out of her chair and pushed the table away so she could reach her twin. "That means you're leaving m-me again!" Izumi cried out. She quickly wrapped her arms around Izuna and held onto him as if he was her lifeline.
"We'll meet again Izumi." She looked up him with tears streaming down her face and saw that he too, was crying. But he was smiling at her, trying to make their farewell less...depressing. Sometime during her crying, Izuna had stood up from his chair and held on to her, fully knowing that she was not able to stand on her own. "They say that if you love something so much, when you let them go they'll come back one day."
"Izuna-"
"I'll come back one day. We'll be reunited as a family again so until then, live. Live for my son, live for the village that you've grown so fond of. Live for our Clan and for our fallen family." Izuna removed her arms from him. He gripped her hands tightly with his and touched their foreheads together. He nodded his head. "So live. Just...be careful of that man. I've never liked him, also thought he was an insensitive bastard. But...you love him. I'll always be there, watching out for you onē-chan."
Izumi nodded her head and felt a genuine smile form on her face. "I will, otouto." She had her eyes closed, but knew that Izuna was smiling. The light from her chest was getting even brighter and she realized that it meant that she had seconds left before she would have to part ways with her brother again, so she didn't make the same mistake as last time.
"Goodbye Izuna."
The first thing Izumi did was start gasping for air the moment her eyes flew open.
"Izumi, calm down!" Ignoring the voice, she pushed herself of whoever she was laying on and backed up away from them until she hit a tree. She needed to take deep breaths, she needed to calm herself down.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Realizing where she was and what had happened, she looked up and saw the one person she never thought she'd see. "M-Mito?" She exclaimed, her voice still weak from what was probably the blood loss. Looking around, she could see Tobirama unconscious against a tree. Izumi's eyes widened and she rushed up to where he was, ignoring Mito's complaints. She gingerly placed her hands against his face and wiped away the mud and blood from it.
"It didn't take long for him to pass out after realizing that I had your wound stabilized. I'm guessing chakra exhaustion, judging by his state." When Mito had mentioned her wound, Izumi's looked at her abdomen and realized that all there was left of it was was a think, pink line.
"Since when were you an iryo-nin?" She asked.
The red-head shrugged her shoulders. "For a very long time. I'm sorry about your shirt and armor, I had to rip them both off of you to actually heal you."
Izumi waved her hand, showing Mito that she didn't care. "Why are you even here? You're supposed to be at Konoha."
"I realized that if something were to happened to Hashirama if he wouldn't be able to control the Kyūbi, I would...seal it."
She narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "Where, exactly, would you seal it?" Mito moved her mouth and answered, but the angry roar of said Bijū rang throughout the forest, interrupting their conversation. "Never mind, stay with Tobirama for now. I think I know of a way to stop my brother."
"Wait-"
Izumi never head the end of her sentence because she shunshined off, ignoring the slight pain coming from the newly healed wound.
Madara
"Please Madara, stop!" Hashirama pleaded with Madara. They both were tired, they had expended much of their chakra in this fight "There is no good that will come out of this!" He hated him, he hated with a passion that could rival his love for Koizumi. That man had everything, he still had his own sibling and a damn lover. The whole village viewed him as a God, as the hero. What did Madara have? A sister that hated him? A village and Clan that scowled at his existence? This was why Hashirama would have never understood his reasons for this. It wasn't purely for the sake of revenge, he wanted closure. He wanted an end.
"You don't understand. I need this fight Hashirama!" He pointed his gunbai at Hashirama. "You may have left the battlefield, but I haven't. I never did!" But before any of them could take another step into battle, the two shinobi sensed a familiar chakra running towards them.
Izumi.
She jumped out of the trees surrounding them and looked him. Not at Hashirama, not at the Kyūbi, but him.
"Madara, stop this madness!" She shouted out. She had her Sharingan activated, but not her Mangekyō. A fool, he thought. She would never stop him without it, she wasn't strong enough.
"Never."
Izumi scowled and just like he wanted, her Sharingan melting into her Mangekyō that was identical to her twin's. Madara was arrogant, he thought that he had the stronger Sharingan out of the two. He thought that he wouldn't get caught in a genjutsu. Despite the distance between them, the sharpness of their sight because of their Kekkei Genkai let them stare at each other straight into the eyes.
"Tsukuyomi." Izumi whispered. His eyes caught her mouth moving in those words and he let out an angry shout when he realized that he had fallen into her trap.
The strongest genjutsu that could only be used by a Sharingan user.
"That genjutsu won't hold him for long Hashirama, and I can tell that you're tired." Izumi said, never letting her eyes stray from the Kyūbi's.
He nodded his head. "Yes, but someone has to stop him." He wanted to say more, but when he felt the familiar vibrant chakra of his wife, he sighed. He should have known that she would have came and followed after them.
The former Uzumaki jumped out of the trees that surrounded them. "Hashirama, I can stop the Kyūbi."
"How-"
"I'll seal him into myself. I'll become it's container." Izumi let herself break eye contact with the still controlled Kyūbi. This...was what she guessed Mito had meant earlier near Tobirama, and if this was what she thought best then who was to stop her?
"A Jinchūriki? That's unheard of-"
Mito just shook her head and held up her hand. "I have too."
"Wait, this is too risky, even for a Fūin Master like you Mito. I'll-"
Izumi suddenly walked up to Hashirama and grabbed his shoulders. She agreed with Mito, she thought this was a good idea. Sure, she may be risking her friend's life because of it but still. "I almost died fighting whatever thing Madara teamed up with and Tobirama's unconscious because of chakra exhaustion. We don't have time for you to find another solution." She looked at him in the eyes. "As much as this bothers me too, Mito is our only solution for survival at this current moment. If you end up using your power to control the Kyūbi, you won't have any to fight Madara and you're the only one who can."
"You think I don't know that?" Hashirama argued. "I just-"
She shook him, her tone revealing how annoyed and angry she was at the moment. "You're the Hokage, your people come first. Mito is your wife, I totally understand. You're worried of the consequences of sealing the Kyūbi. But right now, she's not the only person who you have to worry about." Letting go of Hashirama, Izumi pointed to the large Bijū behind them. "Once my brother break's out of the genjutsu—and he will—he'll control the Kyūbi and force it to attack Konoha. As the Hokage, as our leader, are you not supposed to stop it? Are you not supposed to make choices that are right for us, and not just yourself?"
The words she just said made Hashirama realize that she was right. With his brother out of the fight, he would be the only one. Judging by the blood coating Izumi's skin, she couldn't fight her own brother, not the way he was right now. That man is not the man Hashirama once called a friend, he was now their enemy. "Fine." He walked up to Mito and suddenly grabbed her. "Stay safe." He gave her a kiss, one that he hoped transferred how he felt at the moment.
Izumi respectfully turned away and continued her control of the powerful Bijū. If she could take control of the Kyūbi, did that mean she could search its mind, perhaps even talk to it? As much as it sounded foolish, she couldn't help but...try. Closing her eyes, Izumi imagined talking to the real Kyūbi instead of the one being controlled.
"You dare approach me, human?" Her eyes flew open and she saw herself standing before the large monster. He was behind a large fence and was staring at her with hatred filled red eyes.
"Kyūbi-sama." Izumi placed her hands on the sides of her body and bowed as low as she could. "I am sorry for the actions of my eldest brother. I understand he took you from your home and forced you to fight us."
"You humans are so ignorant. You do the same as he does, yet you try to apologize? Pathetic."
She shook her head. "I understand why you think this, but I do not wish to control you for personal gain, just like I do not want to do we are about to do."
The fox snarled at her with his large, sharp teeth snapping at her menacingly. "But you plan to seal me within that Uzumaki. I may not be in control of my own body but I still hear, I still see." His nine tails moved behind him. "Your apology is futile, Uchiha. You may think that just by bowing, all will be forgiven. Your kind is spoiled and weak, a cancer to this world."
Izumi realized that the fox Bijū sitting in front of her hated humankind. The Killing Intent he was emitting, she was surprised she wasn't a melting pile of goo yet. But...she understood why he hated them. He was forcibly taken from his home, only to be controlled to attack without his freewill. "I understand." Standing up straight, Izumi stared at the Kyūbi before getting onto her knees and bowing. Her head on the ground and her arms at her side, she closed her eyes. "You may not forgive me and my actions, but I will apologize nonetheless."
"...What is your name, human?"
"Uchiha Izumi." Sitting up, she looked at the Kyūbi one more time. "Thank you for even bothering to listen to my apology." Closing her eyes once again, she removed herself out of his mind.
"Izumi?" Whirling around, she saw Hashirama and Mito looking at her puzzlingly. "What happened?"
"Oh, nothing. Are you ready Mito?" The redhead nodded her head and asked everyone to take a few steps back. She still had control over the Kyūbi, but felt immensely guilty over it. She knew that it wouldn't have forgiven her, but she still felt that an apology was needed for the aged Bijū.
Mito went through several handseals that Izumi caught on accident because of her Sharingan. It immediately copied it and transferred it to her knowledge of ninjutsu and fūinjutsu. "Shishō Fūin!" She slammed her hands into the ground and below her and the Kyūbi a large black seal appeared. It glowed with a light so bright that Izumi had to look away. Mito was screaming with what was probably pain, but Hashirama and Izumi both knew that they couldn't help her with what was happened.
Sometime during this, her control over the Kyūbi was broken. "You insolent humans! You will rue this day, I swear! I will destroy and kill everything you hold dear!" The fox shouted out. But with another large pulse of light, he disappeared and Mito collapsed onto the ground.
"Mito!" Hashirama shot forward and caught his wife. The seal she had used had burned a hole in her kimono and when they looked at her abdomen, there was a large seal that now contained the Kyūbi. She was unconscious and Izumi could see why, her chakra reserves were low, lower than they were before. Mito was borderline chakra exhausted, Izumi guessed.
Turning to where the Kyūbi last stood, her brother was crumpled on the ground, still caught in her Tsukuyomi. But judging by the slight movements he was making and because she could technically 'see' her brother in the genjutsu she controlled, he would break out any minute. "I'll take her back to where Tobirama is." Izumi went up to Hashirama and took his hand. "Please, stop my brother."
His grip on her hand tightened and he looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "I will. I swear it." He released his hand from Izumi and handed the unconscious body of his wife to her. He helped place Mito on her back and watched as Izumi bowed her head to him.
"Good luck."
As Izumi sensed for Tobirama's chakra, she felt Mito starting to awaken.
"I-Izumi?"
"Mito, you're awake!" She paused at where she was and looked at her friend. "Are you okay?"
She nodded her head but winced. "Yes, but I can tell that any hopes of using chakra will be useless."
"I figured as much." Izumi started jogging, still continuing to talk to Mito. "What did you do with Tobirama? I can't sense his chakra."
"I placed a barrier seal around him. It conceals his chakra signature and any attacker from entering."
She nodded her head. "And you're the only one who can deactivate it, right?"
"Well, it probably already is deactivated and if not, it will be soon, judging by my chakra levels." Mito said. "And not to mention the demonic chakra that's burning through my system."
As soon as Mito finished talking, Izumi was able to sense Tobirama's chakra signature, which meant that the barrier surrounding him had disappeared. "Well, I can sense Tobirama nearby. Get some rest Mito." But her friend was already asleep, snoring softly into her ear.
Madara
"Just stop Madara, there's no point!" Hashirama panted out. "You can barely keep your Sharingan activated!"
"No, I will not." Madara too a step forward on the river than ran below him. He raised his gunbai and ran forward, fulling intending to kill his former friend. Hashirama ducked, but didn't see the kick that he had aimed at his chest. It landed and pushed the Senju back a few feet. But he ran forward and Madara had to jump back to avoid the katana that would have taken off his head had he not avoided it.
He raised his gunbai again, but stood in shock—along with Hashirama—as a familiar chakra kicked away what was a wood clone from behind him.
"Izumi, what are you doing?!" Hashirama shouted out. But she didn't say anything and jumped to where Hashirama was standing at.
"I will fight him. I will end this fight, once and for all by my hand." She pushed him away and looked at Madara. "Just like old times, ne?"
"Izumi-" But Hashirama was ignored and she ran forward, her katana glinting in the moonlight. Madara grinned and felt the familiar rush of even more adrenaline flow throughout his body. Jumping away and onto the riverbed, he stepped on a dry, dead leaf and heard the usual crunching sound and always followed. He jumped in the air and dropped a kick onto his sister, but she was able to block it with a chakra reinforced arm. She pushed him off but dropped her weapon.
"I beg you to reconsider this option Madara. Just...let go." Izumi held out her hand.
Madara's only response was to growl. He raised his arm and tried to punch her, but because of her Sharingan she was able to avoid it. But just because she had hers activated didn't mean she'd be able to protect herself against all his attacks. He feinted and kicked her in the side, making Izumi tumble into the rocks that laid before them.
"It's useless, imouto. I intend to finish this fight with that man, not you." He ran back to where Hashirama stood, watching the two Uchihas fight. A few dragonflies flew in front of him and that was when Madara had a quick flashback of a memory from when he was younger.
He was with a six year old Izumi and Izuna, trying to help them capture their first dragonfly. Madara remembered this with great detail because this was one of his happiest memories.
"I will not let you escape!" He turned around and growled, watching Izumi catch up to him. Stopping a few feet away from him, she raised her katana. "Please brother, reconsider."
"Never." He snarled. Sometime during their fight, he had dropped his own gunbai and had to resort to his own katana. Drawing it out, he raised it and waited. Madara was tired. He didn't know if he'd be able to continue his fight with Hashirama once Izumi was dealt with. But he needed too, he just needed to. The Uchiha siblings watched as a lone crow flew between, cawing, before flying off into the night sky.
"Then you leave me no choice." She ran forward and let their weapons clash. She disarmed him tried to grab his face, but he jumped away back towards the riverbank. Laid on the ground was his gunbai and he picked it back up. Taking a step forward, he stepped on another leaf, only to lean back to avoid a kick to his face.
He lifted his leg kicked Izumi in the chest, making her back up a few feet back onto the water. "Brother." She lifted her head and rose her hand at him again. "Please."
He narrowed his eyes and ran forward, with his gunbai. Another dragonfly flew in front of his face but he hit it out of the air. It was a nuisance. Madara tried to hit her, but she jumped in the air and kicked the gunbai out of his hands. This led to him skidding a few feet behind, yet again. "Can you not understand? This has to be done Izumi, whether you like it or not." He shouted out.
His sister just narrowed her eyes at him. A crow again flew between them cawing when it looked at him. "Please, reconsider your plan brother! What good will this do?"
He just scowled and kneaded chakra in his stomach, preparing for a Katon jutsu. Izumi noticed this and started preparing for her own Suiton jutsu to counter it.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
"Suiton: Mizurappa!"
Fire and water met and in its wake, smoke. But the water overwhelmed the man using it, forcing Madara to roll back towards the riverbed. Yet again, he stepped on another dry leaf and heard it crunch.
Looking around, there were no trees around them yet where were all these coming from? He saw the two he stepped on earlier, and the one that his foot was standing on. "What the-"
"Just take my hand and let go." Izumi walked out of the smoke with her hand held out to him.
He growled and threw his katana at her, only for her to disappear in a flock of crows. He took a step forward and a dragonfly flew in front of him. These, events they were...repeating themselves. Izumi continued saying the same things over and over again. A genjutsu? But wait, he would have been able to notice it then. The smoke over the river cleared and from across it was standing his sister. But not even a second later a crow flew between them and cawed at him, just like the last two times.
What...was this? Everything was repeating itself and no matter how many times Madara released his chakra, this jutsu he deemed a genjutsu wouldn't end!
"Take my hand and realize that what you want and think are foolish."
Madara only stared at her. This would take time, but he'd be able to end this genjutsu. Until then, he'll fight his sister.
"Izumi..." Hashirama walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to face him. He was going to yell at her, tell her that what she did was dangerous, but when he saw her left eye fade from her Mangekyō to...nothing, he was at loss for words.
Her eye was now fully white.
Izumi blinked and looked back at her brother. "There's no need for killing today." She stood up and looked at the Senju.
"He may be weak, but he'll break out of the genjutsu again."
She shook her head. "Not this time. This one is unbreakable." Izumi looked at her kneeling brother and let out a soft sigh. "It will decide his destiny."
Hashirama narrowed his eyes and grabbed her chin, tilting her head to where he was looking at her eye. "What is the cost of this jutsu Izumi?" He could tell immediately that she was blind, her left eye wasn't focusing onto his unlike her right one.
"I lose my Sharingan and it's power." She pulled away from his hands. "I lose my eye in general. But it was worth it, if it meant not killing Madara. It will change him, make his face the consequences of his choices."
"What do you mean Izumi? Even if he gets out of this jutsu, he'll just revert back to what he believed in before."
"No, this jutsu makes you realize your mistakes. It makes you change your ways; that's the only way to break out of this jutsu. In literal sense, it decides your destiny." She knelt down to where Madara was at and tenderly placed her hand against his cheek. "He's a monster who'll do anything to get what he wants. Obviously, look at what he did today." She scowled. "I hate him for who he is now. I hate what he's done to the village and the people I love. I hate him." But when she turned her head to Hashirama, there were tears streaming down her face. "But I can't help but remember my Madara, the one that comforted me when I wasn't feeling well or the one that gave me a piggyback ride when I was feeling down. I can't help but love this idiot because deep down, that Madara is still there. The one that loves his family with a passion that could rival my own."
Hashirama rolled back his shoulder and winced. This man kneeling in front of him bit him, taking a chunk of his flesh. "So this jutsu is unbreakable unless he comes to terms with his choices?" Izumi nodded her head. "But let's say he accepts it. I can't just welcome him back into Konoha with open arms, he'll have face a trial and most possibly, death. Even if his sentence isn't death, he'll be sent to Torture and Investigation then prison for what will probably be the rest of his life."
"Anything is better then death Hashirama." Izumi stood up and winced from the pain in her abdomen. They both looked at it and saw that the cut that was healed earlier had reopened, spilling even more blood over Izumi.
"What happened?"
She placed her hand over the wound. "I jumped between Tobirama and a katana. I almost died but...Mito saved me." She wanted to say more, but a sudden pain from her head caused her to hunch forward in pain. Hashirama took a step forward, but she held up a hand. "J-Just the usual...head pain." He narrowed his eyes but listened to her.
For now.
"I-Izumi?" The two shinobis whirled their head at the kneeling Uchiha.
"Madara?" Izumi stood up straight and kneeled slowly in front of him, but the only thing he did was blink away a tear.
"I acknowledge my mistakes." He looked up at her and looked into her eyes, not even caring about her sudden white eye. "I'm sorry. You don't have to accept my apology, but-"
Izumi only shook her head and threw her arms around her brother. "No, I accept them. I may still hate your ass but I love you too." He sat there, frozen and in shock. He didn't think that his little sister would actually accept this quickly. But he looked at Hashirama and saw the man staring at him with distrust. Gently pushing Izumi away, he ignored her look of confusion before kneeling in front of his former friend.
"I accept any decision that you make." He placed his head on the ground. "For what it's worth, I am sorry."
Hashirama was not expecting Izumi's jutsu to work. Now, he did expect it to work at some extend—after all, it cost her eyesight to use it—but to fully change Madara like this? But if what Izumi said was true, there was no loophole out of the jutsu. Unless you came to terms with your mistakes you wouldn't be able to leave the genjutsu.
"I acknowledge your apology." Madara's head flew up and stared at him.
"Hashirama-"
He held his hand up to Izumi before holding it out to the Uchiha. "Let's start over." Pushing away his weariness and pain, he gave the man sitting in front of him the largest smile he could muster. "I'm Senju Hashirama. Nice to meet you." He held his hand out in front of him.
"Are you sure?" Madara asked. He may have accepted his mistakes but it doesn't mean that the two people around him had to forgive him this quickly. With what he's done, he would not be surprised if they actually hated him.
"Yes." Hashirama nudged his hand forward.
A memory of a similar scene flashed through the two older men. They were still children, skipping rocks on a river when they finally introduced themselves.
"I'm Hashirama."
"Madara."
"Nice to meet you!"
It put a smile to their faces, remembering this. So Madara realized that if he took Hashirama's hand, he'd be starting over again—starting anew. He looked back and saw Izumi nod her head in agreement. Turning back to the stronger Senju, he stood up.
"I'm Uchiha Madara." And he went to take the man's hand.
But fate was just not on their side today.
An arrow flew through the air and his Madara in his neck and another hit his side. Hashirama's head whirled toward the direction from where it came from, but there was no one.
"No." Izumi shot forward and grabbed her brother before he fell. "Madara-" He only shook his head before weakly placed a bloodied hand on her cheek. Blood spilled out of his mouth, but he tried his best to comfort his sister.
"I-Imouto." He tried saying. It came out mostly as a gurgle because of the amount of blood that was pooling in his mouth and neck. But Izumi nodded and seemed to understand what he said.
"Onī-san." Madara smiled before the life in his eyes faded away. Izumi let out a sob and laid him gently onto the ground before closing his eyes.
She really was the only one left now.
"Izumi." Hashirama gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I..."
She just shook her head. "Please, just...don't apologize for something you obviously didn't do." She wiped away her tears, but they wouldn't stop. "Why? I was so close, so close, to having him back." She grabbed his hand and looked at him. "He was the only one left, the only one who remembered before. Every single person before him is dead. There's no one left."
"Don't say that." He forced her to stand up. "You have us. We're your new family. We don't know what the future will have in store for us." Izumi remained silent. "The past has its comforts, but what really matters is tomorrow."
"But-"
"No buts." He kept his anger and sadness at bay, not wanting to make Izumi's unstable emotions even more unstable.
"...Thank you Hashirama."
"Nothing to thank me for Izumi." She carefully wrapped her arms around his chest and started crying. And he let her, if he was the one that she wanted comfort from then he'd do exactly that. As her friend and as her future brother-in-law, he would help her. Returning her hug, he only tightened his arms when she cried even harder.
One week later…
Izumi kept in her tears as she watched Hashirama mourn over her dead brother. It had been a week now, and only they were the ones who said goodbye to Madara. No one else came, but she could understand why.
They didn't witness Madara's change, his apologizes and wishes for forgiveness.
She had said what she wanted to already, and was waiting for Hashirama to do the same. Madara's body was being kept in one of the rooms meant for the dead at the Uchiha Cemetery. She quietly left the room and walked over to where Mito was waiting in a wheelchair. The sealing of the Kyūbi had damaged her to the point where it hurt for her to walk right now. She said that there was nothing to worry about, it was just her chakra coils getting used to the foreign chakra.
"Izumi, did you say your goodbyes?" She nodded her head and sat in the seat next to Mito's wheelchair.
"Yes. I think...Hashirama needed to be alone." Mito placed her hand on Izumi's and squeezed it. "Thank you."
Her friend only smiled. "What are friends for?" Izumi nodded her head, agreeing. "But I need to tell you something."
She rose her eyebrow. "What?"
"I know this is probably the worst time, but its been eating me up since we got back." Mito took a deep breath and steeled herself. "The wound I healed for you went through one of your ovaries, damaging it to where it will be useless for the rest of your life." Izumi paled at what she said because she seemed to misunderstand what Mito was saying. "You still can have children, don't get me wrong! It'll just be a little harder. But that's...not it."
"What else could there be?"
"...You were pregnant, Izumi." Mito looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "But the wound..."
"Oh Kami-"
A child.
She had a child.
And it was dead, gone.
Mito watched as Izumi's eyes rolled to the back of her head before collapsing onto the ground.
"Izumi!"
One year later...
November
Uchiha Izumi was at her worst in this exact moment. She was a coward, a wimp, a fool. She was taking the easy way out by doing this and she knew it.
But she didn't care, she just let the wind blow through her long hair and along her scalp, a feeling that would have calmed her before. Now, it just reminded her of times she didn't want to remember. She looked down from where she was standing and was staring at the roaring river that ran below it.
Izumi hated life. She hated fate, hated everything. They took everything from her. What did she do to deserve such a life—one that was full of loss and abandonment with every turn she took? Months before, there would have been tears prickling at the sides of her eyes with the mention of fate's cruelty. Now, there were no tears left to fall. Every drop disappeared from her life the moment that man did.
"I'm sorry." Izumi said out loud into the wind, hoping that Izuna would forgive her. "I broke our promise, but I can't...stand living anymore." She took off her shoes. "Madara, Kazuyo, Father..." She said the names of her lost loved ones as she took off her armor and her shirt, leaving her only in her bindings. She took comfort in the cold bite of the upcoming winter air. Izumi balled her fists and felt her fingernails dig into the palms of her hands as she looked down at her flat stomach with her only available eye. "My unborn child… I'm so sorry." She took out a hairband and placed her hair into a ponytail.
Her only regret was not being strong enough to live for Kagami. She tried, she tried so hard, but she just could not do it anymore.
Izumi used to associate many words for herself, but none were as bad as they were today. Pathetic, weak, useless—all these words have haunted her for the past year. But with today, those ugly, nasty whispers from the back of her mind will disappear. Today, she'll be reunited with her family again. Today, all the deaths and pain that have haunted her will disappear, along with her.
There was nothing left for Izumi.
But there was something she needed to do before leaving this accursed world. Reached to the back of her neck, she unclasped the chain to her necklace and let it drop into her hand. Two silver rings were hanging from it, one was her size and another was too large for her fingers. She removed the chain and let it fall to the ground before taking the silver bands. Izumi placed the one that was her size onto her ring finger and let herself ponder over the what ifs as she looked at it.
What if she never used that jutsu?
What if she never jumped in between Tobirama and that weapon?
What if he never left her?
What if she knew she was pregnant before that night?
What if?
Her world revolved around what ifs and it infuriated her. She did not know what she did to deserve this kind of life, one that had too much pain and loss. But actually...maybe she did. Maybe this was Kami-sama's way of punishing her for the amount of pain she has caused for people by killing their loved ones. Seeing that her hands were starting to shake, Izumi took the larger ring and held onto it, gripping it to the point where she felt pain in her right palm.
She was ready.
Izumi took a step forward, and another until she stood at the absolute edge of the cliff. But before she could jump, a shout stopped her. A shout that belonged to a person that she still loved, despite what he's done.
"Izumi, wait!" Her head whirled around and the temperature surrounding them dropped even lower. Izumi didn't say anything and continued standing where she was, only to let a slight shiver. "Don't do this, please." She felt anger flare up from inside of her. How dare this man ask her this? "Please."
"You lost the right to ask something like this months ago Tobirama."
Pain was what Izumi could see on his face. But from what, she didn't know. Maybe it was her decision to end her life, or maybe it was his own decision that he made a few months back. "I know I don't have any right to say any of these things Izumi, but please, think about everyone you're leaving." He said, taking a step forward.
"Think? Think?" She growled out. "You think that's not what I've been doing for the past year? I asked myself why every fucking day. I tried for Kagami and Akane, I tried for Mito and Hashirama, Itried my fucking best to continue living as if there was no problem in the world. But I'm at my goddamn limit Tobirama. I can't go on like this, I just can't. There's nothing left for me here."
"That's not true. You have friends, family, Clan. What about them?"
Izumi gave him a dark laugh, one full of anger and anguish. "And which category do you happen to fall under, Senju?"
"None, and I know that."
Izumi turned around and looked up at the night sky. "My brother was right...there can be no happiness for someone who falls in love." She scoffed. "An Uchiha and Senju falling in love, that right there was a disaster waiting to happen." She turned her head to Tobirama. "Do you know what he said to me the second time I had to say goodbye to him? He said that you, Senju Tobirama, was an insensitive bastard. I knew what he really meant, he meant that you would leave me and forget about me. Was he right?" Tobirama remained silent. "Was he?!" Izumi screamed out.
"No."
She scowled. "Then why did you leave me? Wait, don't answer that. I am done with your fucking excuses." Izumi turned back around and looked at the full moon in the night sky. "I'm done...Tobirama." For the first time in months, she could feel that familiar feeling of pressure behind her eyes. The pressure of tears. Why couldn't he just understand? She couldn't stand it anymore, the screaming and the crying. Her own Clan hated her, especially after they found out about her miscarriage with Tobirama's child. They called her a whore, a slut, a disgrace to the Uchiha name. She was done. She gave in to the darkness that members of her clan were so famous for. But instead of using it to fight and revolt, she used it to escape. She let it consume her thoughts, she let the freedom of death tempt her to where she was today.
"I can't do it." But she softened her voice. "Tell Kagami I'm sorry." Izumi was ready to see everyone again and hell be damned if she didn't greet them with a smile. Forcing one onto her face, she embraced the lone tear that had escaped from her useless eye.
Bracing herself and ignoring the pleas coming from Tobirama Izumi jumped, Never letting go of his ring.
A/N: So the next chapter will probably come up in about a week or so.
Also, this is the longest chapter in any of my stories by far, so rejoice my fellow readers—but you probably can't because of all the angst shit that's happened today. Oh well! I hope the fight scene wasn't too bad.
SO THIS STORY IS NOT OVER I REPEAT THE STORY IS NOT OVER.
The next chapter is going to be about the build up of what has happened in Izumi's life for the past year that's made her resort to obviously, suicide.
Recommending the Crank Series by Ellen Hopkins. It's just so deep and really made me realize how certain drugs can ruin your life. SO DON'T DO THEM.
So please follow/fav. if you haven't already! Don't forget to leave review because I totally want to know what you guys thought about this chapter.
Until next time me dearest followers (and new ones too)!~
Onē-chan: older sister
Imouto: younger sister
Onī-san: older brother
Otouto: younger brother
Kami-sama: God