The Healer's Touch


Chapter Three: Into the Wolves Den


"Do you love her?" Those words have repeated in his head for days after leaving her. Touching her cheek with his finger. Looking down at the woman who he had claimed as his wife. She wasn't some noble daughter or had come from a powerful clan that could be used at the Uchiha's disposal. Tsubaki was just a simple healer woman from a village that had been destroyed. Her family and home were gone. One would look at Tsubaki without a second thought.

It was about preserving the Uchiha bloodline. Birthing strong sons that are capable of inheriting the clan's knowledge and power that has been passed down to them. The Uchiha's are a proud clan that built their reputation on fear and strength. Madara Uchiha was the essence of that fear and strength. The power he exudes as a man was sought after by many potential allies who would want their daughters to birth the next generation of Uchiha shinobi. Madara's bloodline would give his future sons his abilities. They would ha e his strength. They would be powerful.

When he would be sleeping by her side. Watching as her chest raised and fell back after every breath, he would look down to her stomach. There had been one night where he would place his hand upon her stomach. There was nothing inside of her. Not a trace of chakra, other than her own. No life coming from her womb. It was still too early to make claim of her being barren of child. Madara wanted Tsubaki- and her alone- to birth his children.

Do you love her?

In an instant, Tsubaki's image was gone. Waiting for him to return to her. He would have never guessed that he would have a woman waiting for him. It was a strange thought to him. A thought he would want to keep to himself, but there was a feeling growing deep inside of him. It is impossible to say that Madara loved Tsubaki. He would protect her, as she had done for him. Taking care of his wounds when he was incapacitated. Was it wrong for him to want to keep her hidden away from the prying eyes of judgment.

He closed his eyes for a moment of peace from his racing thoughts. He leaned against a tree to gather himself before continuing on back to his clan. The moving shadows of the sun's light playing tricks on the man. Madara took in a deep breath before succumbing to the thoughts of something dark. It manifesting itself into a distorted black shadow of a man that loomed over Madara.

Feeling the danger of his own mind trying to consume him, Madara opened his eyes quickly. Activating his clan's bloodlines trait: the sharingan. His dark eyes had become the color of blood and intimidating with the surge of power that skyrocketed into the air. Scaring the birds who felt it and they flew off into the sky to seek safety.

The shadow had disappeared back to where it had manifested from. Madara clenched his jaw for having so foolishly felt tricked by the light of the sun, playing shadows with his mind. For that split second of uncertainty, the dead stare of the blind shinobi looked back at him. Unafraid of the sharingan and its power. At that moment, Madara wanted his wife to comfort the growing darkness within himself. Tsubaki the healer who kept away his shadows.

Do I love her? He asked himself. The dark color of his eyes returning to normal as he stated up to the sky. Feeling the breeze of the wind hitting his skin. His hair moving and the scent of flowers calming his heart. The danger that once lurked had already gone back into the depths.

Yes. I love her.


The air was thick with anticipation of the events about to unfold. Their clan leader had finally come home, but there was something amiss. The villagers themselves could feel the heavy weight upon their shoulders, as they watched their powerful leader walk by. His handsome face a stoic mask. One to never reveal his true inner turmoil- not of fear for what the elders will say, but inside, he was furious at the unknown. Madara already knew that the moment his secret marriage had reached the elders ears, chaos will ensure.

"You left me to the wolves, brother. Hope you can calm them down before they start another war." Izuna said with a sigh. His hand was behind his neck to ease his tense muscles. It was no easy feat to keep the elders from destroying the inside of the chambers. Izuna just barely made it out of there with his life. The elders were not going to be distracted any longer by his excuses. It was fun for a while, but the honeymoon phase was over.

"You owe me for having being scolded and left to lick my wounds. You are a horrible big brother for not protecting the younger brother." Izuna continued on, trying to scold his elder brother into having a guilty conscience. The past few days have been no fun when trying to compromise with old crotchety men. Their views were too warped and funneled with ideology of the past.

"I did not leave you to the wolves. You are the one who stepped inside without much of a plan." Izuna almost had a twitch in his eye from the nonchalant tone his elder brother was speaking. Was Madara blaming Izuna for being so careless? It was his idea to tell the elders in the first place! Izuna was caught in the crossfire, because of his loyalty to his brother. Did Madara think that Izuna would fail? The elders were going to have a field day trying to convince the clan leader in making the marriage disappear.

"Do not blame me for you lack of proper tactics. The elders have always been displeasing. They have long gained control over the clan and I intend to put a stop to their schemes." Madara stated with a dark undertone to his strong voice.

"Well, brother, I did not much choice in the matter. The elders have been going to war with each other since I arrived, many days ago. They have yet to rest their voices on the uproar you have caused. Rebellion! Scandalous! Dishonor! The elders have said many things about the matter." Izuna countered at his brother. There was enough tension within the clan as it was because of the sudden marriage of their clan leader to some unknown woman. Not only were the elders unhappy about it, but the clan themselves. How could an outsider have caught the eye of their leader without having status or political alliance? It was utter madness in an already chaotic time. The elders were going to have to lower their blood pressure and anger toward Madara.

"I gave you an option when I offered you to be messenger. You were reluctant to do your elder brother a simple favor that would cause an uproar. I would have hoped for my youngest brother to pretend to be happy for his elder brother finally marrying." Madara stated simply as he flicked his younger brother in the forehead to move out of his way. Izuna rubbed at the sore spot before groaning loudly at how petty and utterly wicked his brother could be. I thought he would be mature about this now that he is a married man. I was wrong, again.

"Yeah, either deliver the scroll or train under the moon in the heat of summer while you are throwing fire at me. Not that it was fun the last time you did it, you monster." Madara ignored his younger brother's complaints about his cruel ways.

"Not to mention they are not letting me in the southern part of the chambers. They have guards posted by the door and I know someone is in there. I have tried to sneak in, but Shioi, the old bastard catches me every time. I was almost pierced by a kunai." Madara paused for a moment to look at his younger brother. Izuna almost bumped into his brother, but stopped in his tracks to explain further about the strange activity in the southern chamber. He explain that upon his arrival with the scroll, Izuna walked past a sliding door with two guards posted outside. Curious of who could be inside, Izuna had tried to converse with many of the servants and other guards. Their lips were shut and avoided talking about who was inside.

This lead to speculation on Izuna's end, since the elders tend to have visitors from other alliances. But this was different.

Something wasn't adding up. What Izuna was saying had unnerved Madara. Whatever the elder- especially Shioi- were planning, it was not going to be resolved anytime soon.

Madara stood before the sliding doors without an ounce of weight upon his shoulders. The many servants had greeted their clan leader with shaking hands and legs. They were afraid of feeling the wrath of the elders after seeing their clan leader walking the halls towards the chambers. Madara Uchiha was not afraid to head first into battle. He wasn't afraid of much of anything these days. A true leader never shows theory discomfort when weak. A leader stands proud and tall in the face of adversity.

As they ventured closer towards the chambers, both young men could hear the loud voices coming from behind the sliding doors. It would seem that the elders were arguing amongst themselves. Madara could have smirked, if he wasn't already irritated by the constant noise of old men discussing his act of rebelliousness. What do they take Madara Uchiha for?

He was a clan leader who had led his shinobi comrades into battle. Victory was in the blood of the Uchiha's. Madara will not bow to the whim of the elders because of his marriage to the woman he told himself that he loved. The future mother of his children and heirs to the clan Uchiha. Tsubaki was the only person to keep away his dark thoughts from controlling his mind. She kept away the shadows and the blind shinobi from showing himself. Tsubaki kept his nightmares at bay and if the elders wanted to take her away because of her birth, then they were fools.

I am doing it because I have learned to love. She will be by my side when my vision of a world of peace comes to light.

"Open the doors. I want to confront these men without greeting them properly. They do not deserve such a custom from me." Madara was adamant in his choices. There were two wars that were being fought. One on the outside of the safety of the village and one within these chambers.

Izuna took in a deep breath before opening the sliding doors. The two door servants bowed lowly to the ground as the two brothers made their way inside. The elders were pointing fingers at one another. Tea was being left unattended and cold from the constant noise coming from old and withered mouths. Scrolls littered some of the scholar elders tables. Food had yet to be touched. Everything was rather chaotic from the perspective of the two brothers. Looking at these old fools arguing against each other was humorous. They were blindsided. They were at a loss. All because of Madara's choice.

All except for old eyes that had yet to speak. He stood up with such gentle ease, that the other elders looked to Shioi. His gaze had fallen upon Madara's eyes the moment he walked in. Izuna already knew that things from here were going to be slippery slopes.

"Divorce this woman or we will annul the marriage!" Shioi shouted with a displeasing face. Being the head elder of the Uchiha clan comes with many perks in life. The old man believes himself to be untouchable because of his rank among them. Madara could decide to take him down a notch, but the old man was cunning. It was best to keep him in that position for now and see what his next move will be.

Even within the confines of his clan, there was always a traitor waiting to be snuffed out. Shioi was the more cunning of the elders. It was said that he had killed in order to be in the most high ranking of seats. Madara did not trust Shioi. No one trusted the man, but he was sitting at the head of the chambers. Making rules that followed tradition. No one dare question the elders. No one dare offend. It was not to say that Shioi was feared, but everyone was cautious of him.

Madara was always careful when he spoke to Shioi. Slip of the tongue could lead to disastrous consequences. Izuna dare not speak yet. Letting his elder brother handle the sharp words of Shioi was like placing a shield in front of a weapon. Two objects that could be used as a offensive and a strong defense. The shield being the stronger defense against the weapon.

Tsubaki's reputation was not going to be dragged through the mud by this old man. She was not present to even defend herself from the onslaught of judgmental old men.

"Is it fair to tarnish the wife of our clan leader when she is not present to speak on her behalf?" Izuna said from the sidelines.

"Stay your tongue, Izuna. This matter does not involve you, but since you knew about your brother's foolishness, we should arrange your marriage as well." Shioi threatened.

Izuna smirked at such empty words. Madara looked to his younger brother with a fierce glare to keep Izuna from speaking. As much as he wanted his younger brother to speak on Tsubaki's behalf, Madara would make sure that the elders would not go so far as to insult the woman he loves.

"I can assure you, that if you find a match for me, I will decline. Should we not be in celebration for our clan leader taking a wife in times of war? Are we not feared? Are we not strong? Have the elders become so blind that they do not see that our own shinobi die when we go to battle?" Izuna spoke, even though his brother was sending him death glares.

Shioi clenched his jaw. The nerve of the two brothers! They dare talk back to their elders. They dare speak without being properly addressed. They offend proper etiquette. What has the world come to in these times?

"The marriage has been consummated. Me divorcing her would not only soil her reputation, or do you not care if she ever gets another chance at finding a husband?" Madara knew how to play these old men. He did not like being bothered with their traditions or how they play the power game with him. Patience on Madara's behalf was already slim as it was. Shioi could try to dissolve what has already occurred.

Izuna could see the dangerous game his brother was playing with Shioi. The marriage would be considered void if the marriage was not consummated without a witness present to confirm the actions being taken. With Madara being the clan leader, he was meant to have a political marriage to a daughter of someone of the elders choosing. From the look of things and how tense the chamber was becoming, something must have been arranged.

Izuna already knew about the consummation of the marriage. It wont be long before Tsubaki becomes pregnant with child. Then, could her place as Madara's wife be set in stone. After all these years of marriage offers being denied by his elder brother, he had found a woman who was his best match. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the clan and elders, Tsubaki would not be welcomed.

What a mess. Izuna thought as he looked to his elder brother.

"Consummated or not, Lord Uchiha, you did not get the permission of the council. We have already found a match for you. A young noble woman in a neighboring country, but seeing as how you went behind our backs, we will annul the marriage and pay the woman to never speak of this again." Shioi was the more difficult of elders to scare. He always had the last word in Madara's decisions. A woman without status or of clan birth was just another peasant in the eyes of the clan.

It angered Madara just thinking about how these men viewed his own wife. She wasn't noble born. She did not come from a powerful clan. Tsubaki does not remember much about her past, but she was worth fighting for. Her place was by his side. More noble than any other potential match the elders had found.

"Did the wounds that you have received also change your place as a clan leader? Did you get this peasant woman pregnant and is blackmailing you into becoming your wife. This woman is playing you Lord Uchiha. A peasant woman only knows greed and when she found you, she snagged a catch." Shioi said with disgust. The seething look upon his old face when speaking was clear to both Madara and Izuna that the elders wanted the issue resolved immediately

"I can assure you, that I have thought clearly about my choices. You cannot hide the intentions you have placed upon me." Madara had a murderous glint in his eyes. Something within the chambers did not settle right with him. Something far bigger was being held back. Someone wasn't speaking about what it was and it angered him. The talk of an annulment and calling Tsubaki a peasant, was boiling his blood.

The sliding doors opened. A cool breeze had entered into the chambers with the smell of strong perfume from a woman who came inside. Izuna and Madara looked over their shoulders to see a petite young woman. Dressed in a light blue kimono with flower designs that matched the blue obi around her waist. The young woman's hair was pinned up with fine jeweled pins. She wore light makeup and had dark brown eyes that glistened with delight when she made eye contact with Madara. The young woman had always believed that she could capture the eye of any man who looked upon her slender face and neck. She smiled lightly, covering her face with her sleeve to hide her shy nature.

Madara knew this type of behavior from women who have tried to catch his eyes. These women would only pretend to be shy at first, but they had claws that would be impossible to pry out of your skin. Women like her, depended on their looks of beauty. Their attitudes had to be meek and silent. They had to have a good background, but in the end, the women were only ploys to their families. This woman who kept her eyes to the floor was just another pawn.

"I see." Madara finally spoke out in anger. All of this was a plan from the very beginning. Izuna himself was shocked, but angered as well. This woman was to be Madara's wife from one of the neighboring countries.

"This is Lady Anako. She comes from a prestigious noble house of fine shinobi. We accepted her fathers alliance and have agreed that she will be a suited match. The annulment will be placed immediately without your permission, Lord Uchiha." Shioi said. The anger that he had shown earlier had disappeared the moment the young woman walked through the screen door.

"Send her back to her noble house." Madara spat, causing the young woman to flinch.

"We will not allow it, Lord Uchiha. With the mistakes you have made, it is time that the elders within the clan do what is needed in order to have an heir. A legitimate heir and not a bastard born of a peasant." Shioi said with a matter-of-fact tone. His words were final the moment it left his mouth.