Chapter Summary: An introduction to a new character. Arata has her first hangover, and then a re-match with Kakashi. A chance meeting occurs in the midst of wedding festivities.
"Anger, resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others- it only changes yours."
― Shannon Alder
Chapter 6: 'Til Death Do Us Part
February 26th, 68 years before the Present - Land of Whirlpools
Sunlight trickled in through the slats of the bamboo curtain hanging over the window, giving the small bedroom just enough of an early morning glow to rouse Michi from his peaceful slumber. He sat upright and stretched his stiff muscles, taking in precisely six deep breaths to clear his mind before getting out of bed, as was ritual for the man. After brushing his tousled hair and pulling it into a secure bun, he got dressed for the day and made his way to the kitchen. Michi prepared a pot of green tea and seated himself on a worn cushion on the front porch of his home, enjoying the warmth of the herbal drink as he re-read the letter his sister had sent him the day before.
Dearest Michi,
Oh, how I wish greater with each passing day that you could see Konohagakure. The people here have been so welcoming; at first I feared that remaining resentments between the shinobi clans would create an air of disquietude among the populace, but instead the people are rife with joy and hope for the future. Children play unsupervised in the streets, creating a ruckus of amusement with their games of cat and mouse, their laughter like a song to ease the tensions of those going about their day. Not unlike the children of our own home, except here they are truly free! They are not so bound by the secrecy and ritual of clan life - it is a magnificent environment, and I find myself wanting for babes of my own.
But enough of my attempts to convince you of your wrongness in not immigrating with me. That is not the real purpose of my correspondence.
I apologize for not mentioning the matter sooner, but in the months since my settlement here in Konoha I have met someone; a fine man - the village leader, in fact, though that is far from his greatest quality. Yes, I am just certain you would adore him and cannot wait for you both to meet! And, you should soon have the opportunity to do so - we are to be married next month, on the twenty-fifth of March. For your sake, I convinced him to set the date after, instead of on, the day of the equinox; I know that you are required to participate in the temple ceremony then. So, I do hope you are able to attend, for I think that if my baby brother were not present I should weep with sorrow rather than joy during the union. And perhaps from anxiety as well! My future brother-in-law can be a bit much at times - my patience has never been so tested as when I am subject to his scrutinizing gaze, or witness to the nonsensical arguments shared between him and my betrothed. In truth, I don't know the brother-in-law half as well as I should like, and I like him less than half as well as he deserves. This is not to mention that Madara Uchiha, either….anyhow, I'm sure you will find both the occasion and the company to be thrilling.
With love,
Mito ~
Much like his elder sister, Michi Uzumaki had a calm, composed personality and a great affinity for clan fuinjutsu; this is a large part of the reason he was chosen to be one of the Onmyōji - an ordained temple sentry - at the Uzushio shrine. The sentries were tasked with guarding and maintaining the room in which their sacred masks were stored, in order to prevent meddling from unordained individuals. They were also responsible for divination rituals - and thus participated in the rituals performed during a solstice or equinox - and possessed the ability to control a subset of the mask entities after being initiated and taught how to do so. Because of this, Onmyouji were some of the few clan members privy to the true functions of the masks, with individual sentries having control over a different pair of entities and the corresponding knowledge. The masks were split among sentries for security reasons, as having many individuals aware of every single secret would be a liability.
With a gentle sigh of concern for the inevitable flaring of Mito's temper, Michi returned the scroll to the pocket within his Yukata, put away the kettle and his dishes, and set off in the direction of the shrine to begin the day's work. It was a short journey through the village to reach the shrine, but one that still allotted enough time to admire quiet activity going on around him. Due to the early hour in which Michi departed from his dwelling, often only those more ambitious among his garden-enthused neighbors were out doing work. The effort they put in was well-rewarded, though, and the streets exploded with vibrant, sweet-smelling blossoms each spring.
Michi tried to clear his mind as he approached the temple grounds, so as not to have his performance ruined by a foul mood. During his initiation, Michi had been assigned to two of the most sacred of the masks: the mask of the Shinigami, and the mask of a Shikigami named Kodama. The Shikigami's mask in particular was of a high-priority, so much so that even Michi was kept in the dark regarding the complete truth of its abilities. All he knew was that it controlled a spirit that guarded one of the ancient Uzumaki shrines, located on an uninhabited island east of their own. The entire island was hidden by a seal making it imperceptible to anyone who was a non-Uzumaki; or if they were, who did not know to look for it.
After making his way through the quiet limestone hallways of the shrine, Michi reached the inner sanctum and began the task of lighting the eighteen lanterns that hung in a ring over the casting circle in the center of the room. There was one lantern for each of the ten gainen of legend, coming together to create the Togashira - Keter, Wisdom, Understanding, Judgement, Chessed, Majesty, Endurance, Yesod, and Malkuth - as well as one lantern for the spirits of the North, South, East, and West. The final four lanterns were for the Clan's Kami - Izanagi, Izanami, Kushinadahime, and Toshigami.
Once the lanterns were lit, Michi entered a chamber behind the sanctum, where the masks were kept. His eyes raked over their frozen faces, scanning for any details that seemed amiss. The masks were nearly identical save for a few subtle defining features, so it took a well-trained eye and strong sensory capabilities to detect any movement or changes that might have been made to them. When he found nothing out of the ordinary after his twentieth pass-over, Michi went about sweeping the floors and smudging the chambers, letting his mind wonder while he worked.
Michi was already dreading the impending occasion of Mito's wedding, and it was still near a month away.
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Present - Konohagakure
Arata's mouth had never been drier - it was as if it had been replaced with one of her father's hellish desert dimensions, and her tongue was a resident giant-serpent trying to suffocate her. Her head was pounding, and a sharp ache periodically radiated from the base of her neck up to her temples, adding an unwanted rhythm to the pulsating waves of misery. Even her eyes lacked focus; her vision was blurry, and the light coming through the front windows exacerbated the stabbing sensation that molested her skull while she stumbled towards the common area, where Hinata and Neji were already awake and having breakfast.
Neji heard the commotion in the hallway and looked up to see Arata as she attempted to approach them. She was flailing her arms like an angry goose and slapping the walls to find her way around, as if she couldn't see anything or it hurt too much to try. Arata looked horrible, too; she was pasty, her kimono jacket swayed back and forth from the one arm it was attached to, there was a huge red mark on her cheek from where she'd fallen asleep on her hand, and her lips were so devoid of moisture that they actually reflected the sunlight. Yet by some miracle her hair had escaped relatively unscathed, probably because - if the hand-print was any indication - she'd slept like a rock.
"Help me, I think I was poisoned." Arata's voice was rough, and the texture complemented her appearance as did a dead rat accompanying the rotten smell of a neglected kitchen cabinet.
"Technically you aren't wrong," Neji said. "But it's just a hangover."
"A what? I don't even know-"
The statement was cut off when she tripped down the only stair-step in the entire living space. Neji watched as she flopped, another victim of gravitational forces, and passionately kissed the ground with her face. Arata groaned and pushed herself up, rubbing the sore cheek that had so ardently assaulted the floor.
"Fuck."
"Arata-san, are you hurt?" Hinata reached out to try and help, voice full of concern.
Arata waved her off, scooting forwards onto the vacant cushion closest to her like a puppy rubbing its bottom along a rug - a canine behavior often the result of an impacted anal gland -
and settled herself in-between her new housemates.
"Just my pride. And my body. My pride and my body."
Arata mumbled her response while reaching for the tea kettle, prompting Neji to stop her before she could destroy the entire tea set and spill the scalding liquid all over them. He poured a cup for her instead.
"You're dehydrated. This is what happens when you drink too much."
"Well it's a first for me. I'd rather be chidori'd again than deal with this, I never knew drinking could be so awful. All this time, I've been living a lie," Arata said, a wistful look in her eyes.
"Just one?" Neji raised an eyebrow, taunting her.
"I mean, no, I'm sure there are at least seven - but that's none of your business, you dunce."
Pouting as she sipped her tea, Arata tried to focus on the bitter flavor of the drink rather than her own embitterment, and the more fluid she took in, the less earth-shattering her symptoms became. Perhaps, she thought, these 'hangovers' were a curse only mortal bodies endured. The three of them sat quietly for a time, enjoying the warm refreshments and only making sparse conversation. Hinata forced Arata to eat a bowl of miso soup as well, not wanting her to faint during the day. Shizune had stopped by while Arata was still sleeping and awkwardly informed them that Arata needed to be back at the compound's training grounds by noon for a re-assessment. It was already eleven in the morning when Arata had first woken up, but luckily for them the meeting spot was less than one hundred metres away.
Neji had been doing nothing more than trying to keep his cool after Shizune's departure. The previous night, after much tossing and turning, he had finally figured out what really happened the day before. He didn't like it one fucking bit, but if everyone else was going to move on then he had little choice but to do so as well. Neji looked over at Arata as she brought a spoonful of miso to her lips; her cheeks were slightly flushed from her feverish temperature, a slight stain on her incredibly pale skin. For someone who had been stabbed in the chest and murdered, gotten shit-faced a few hours later, and then been accosted by a hideous hangover, Neji thought that Arata looked quite pretty in that moment. Once again, those irrational inklings of feelings left him shocked and appalled. According to Tenten, 'the feels' was a disease that had plagued mankind since the beginning of time; it often resulted in mistakes, heartbreak, relationships, and life altering decisions. Neji found the idea troublesome, and refused to fall victim to such a distraction.
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The copy-nin lunged forwards with his fluorescent, electrified hand aimed at Arata's torso. It was the same attack that had assassinated her the day before, but this time there was no real intent to kill; in fact, his only reason for its use was to test Arata's bold claim that she could deflect the attack. Otherwise, Kakashi would have spared himself the exhaustion. Arata braced herself for the impact, holding a short Bo weapon - that'd been spontaneously grown from her own bone tissue - horizontally in front of her body to block the chidori once it was within striking distance. As Kakashi's lightning clashed with the bo, Arata absorbed the force of the impact and reflected it back at him in equal magnitude, sending the shinobi flying backwards towards the opposite end of the clearing.
Kakashi managed to land on his feet, glancing up at his opponent in surprise as he skidded backwards on the grass. His eyes widened in shock as he watched her magnify his lighting, bolstering it with her own chakra. Little did he know that he was witnessing the only jutsu she had ever created herself. They were similar, in that regard. The Bo in her hand, which was apparently an excellent conductor, was transformed into a deadly staff of pure electricity. Acting quickly, Kakashi began assaulting her with a barrage of kunai and shuriken while he waited to see what she would do next, hoping he would find some weakness in the barrier. Arata twirled the staff in front of her body, forming an electrical barrier that deflected the onslaught of weaponry. She sprinted towards Kakashi with literal inhuman speed as his attacks fell to the ground, useless in her wake. Not that anyone expected otherwise, since he was just buying time. Leaping into the air, Arata aimed one end of her staff at the center of his chest.
Even with his Sharingan, she was moving so quickly that Kakashi had no more than a second to react to what was happening. She might actually kill him; not that he wouldn't have deserved it. In fact, she probably would have been doing him a favor. But alas, it was not his time yet, so he couldn't allow it. This chick was on another level, Kakashi thought - he'd never seen someone wield chakra quite like she was right then. Chakra blades were no great mystery, but molding elemental chakra into a skeletal light-saber was a sight to behold. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to dodge in time, Kakashi used his only remaining trump card other than the 1,000 Years of Death, which would be useless in this situation.
"Kamui!" he yelled, and a spiraling void manifested in front of his eye.
Just as the arc staff would have struck a fatal blow, Kakashi's form vanished into another dimension and reappeared several metres behind his opponent. Arata dismantled the lightning, re-infusing it with her own chakra. Once again she gripped an 'ordinary' Bo in hand, standing to watch the hunched over and panting Kakashi with satisfaction.
"Give up yet, old man?" she taunted.
Kakashi responded by settling back into his defensive stance, hands poised for combat despite the painful throbbing of his left eye. He refused to admit defeat unless Tsunade called the match. And besides, there were definitely more tricks up her sleeve.
Arata grinned maniacally as she activated the tenseigan, closing her eyes momentarily while she entered her chakra mode. A blue-green cloak of pure chakra enveloped her body while an ethereal kimono materialized in place of her clothing. Six magatama adorned the chest, stretching diagonally from her right shoulder down to her waist, and two long horns sprouted from her temples as the transformation progressed. The cyan chakra billowed as if a gust of wind were blowing upwards from the earth beneath her, which Kakashi thought was a bit too dramatic. Six black orbs appeared behind the crown of her skull, rotating in the air as her body rose off of the ground. Arata met Kakashi's glare with equal intensity as she gently flicked her wrists and extended her palms outwards, slinging one of the orbs into the ground. Kakashi stumbled backwards when the ground below them started to shake violently. Large cracks and seams bubbling with magma split the clearing into chunks of crust that she propelled forwards, rippling in a wave of destruction that was headed straight for her opponent.
Tsunade knew then that it was time to intervene, stepping into the clearing and slamming her fist into the ground. She sent a shock wave of equivalent magnitude outwards to intercept Arata's attack, just barely managing to cancel out and redirect its power. Their jutsu clashed with a thunderous clap as the fragmented earth coalesced into a heap of dirt and lava, the heat of which was extremely uncomfortable even at a distance. Tsunade retracted her fist and stepped into the clearing, holding up a hand to Ara. "Enough! I'm calling the match before someone gets killed. Again ."
"Damn, I was just getting started," Arata muttered.
The cloak of chakra swiftly dissipated and her feet touched down gracefully as her appearance returned to normal. Adrenaline from the battle subsided and was replaced with guilt as she surveyed the ruined training area and the cooling chunks of lava that hissed and crackled with heat. Arata knew she had nearly gotten carried away, and loathed the fact because it reminded her of the tendencies of her father, and of him . Concentrating her chakra, she did her best to force the lava back into the lithosphere where it belonged, and repair the broken up earth. Once the clearing no longer presented as an all-too-real game of 'the floor is lava', she warily approached the onlookers.
"Lady Tsunade," Arata bowed, "I apologize for my over-zealousness. Thank you for coming to watch."
"Don't worry about it. If I could, I would have let you finish him off, but unfortunately he is still needed," Tsunade said in a sarcastic tone. "I'm sure you understand now why I can't have Kakashi as the sole assessor of your capabilities. He's a pretty sore loser."
Suppressing the urge to sigh in despondency, Kakashi fixed Ara with an impassive gaze. "You've proved to be quite formidable in both taijutsu and ninjutsu, although I would still like to see more of your ninjutsu capabilities at some point."
"I'm happy to kick your ass whenever you feel the need to scratch that itch," Arata mumbled before she could stop herself.
Tsunade laughed, earning a glare from the copy-nin. "Well, we've come to a consensus and decided to promote you to Jonin rank, effective immediately. This is not something we ever do, so do not take the opportunity lightly," she stated.
"Seriously? You're making her a Jonin just like that?" Neji scoffed.
"Wow Arata-san, congratulations!" Hinata squealed.
"Neji, I expect you of all people to understand that we are in need of as many capable shinobi as we can get right now," Tsunade scolded.
"I do understand, however-"
"Tsunade is right," Kakashi interjected. "This isn't a matter of having earned the rank or of deserving it, Neji, but rather one of security. We can't have someone as skilled as her walking around as a genin without arousing suspicion. Only Naruto can get away with that, because he's lived in the village his whole life. People don't know who Arata is, and for now it needs to stay that way."
Neji closed his mouth, nodding in submission. Granting her that title was the logical thing to do for the time being, but he couldn't help feeling jealous anyways. Perhaps she had been right the day before - maybe he did have a 'fragile ego', he thought. It was going to eat at him now. He had to grit his teeth to force out his next sentence for the sake of his job, since he was in front of the Hokage herself.
"I apologize, Arata-san. You are more than worthy of the promotion."
"Thank you for your approval Neji-sama. Truly, I could not go on without it," Arata said, feigning relief.
Kakashi didn't have the patience to watch a pair of horny teenagers pretend not to flirt, and pulled a piece of black cloth out from one of the pouches on his vest, handing it over to Arata. Thankfully this stopped both of them from continuing to run their mouths. Arata examined the headband, noting the silver plate with the same leaf symbol the other shinobi wore on their foreheads.
"That is your Hitai-ate. It symbolizes your allegiance and duty to Konohagakure. As a Kunoichi, wearing this means that you now represent the whole of the village, not just yourself," Kakashi said.
This was all she had wanted since the first meeting with these people two-ish days before; their trust, she'd finally earned it. At least, some of it. She could protect them now. They would be her first step on her journey towards salvation. Arata met Tsunade's eyes as she tied the Hitai-ate around her forehead, securing it with a tight knot at the back. It was upside-down, but Hinata decided to wait for the moment to pass before correcting it for her. Bowing to her new superiors, Arata spoke with the utmost conviction.
"I will not disappoint you."
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March 25th, 68 years before the Present - Konohagakure
The day of Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju's union held a fine temperament; the afternoon sun was bright, the sky dappled by a smattering of clouds the texture of cotton, and a cool breeze wound throughout the forest, providing much-appreciated relief from the rather warm clothing worn by those in attendance. It was a small ceremony witnessed only by the couple's closest relatives and friends, and was held in a secluded area of the bank of the Naka river that wound through the village hidden among the leaves; a riverbank of great importance to Hashirama, as it was the very spot upon which he had first met Madara when they were children. To Hashirama, this place on the Naka river symbolized the starting point from which of all of the best things that had happened throughout his life would unfold: the foundation of his most treasured friendship, the birthplace of a shared dream for peace, the realization of said aspiration, and now, the beginning of the family he would create alongside the love of his life - whom he had met thanks to the aforementioned happenings.
As a testament to their compatibility, Hashirama and Mito chose to combine the customs of their respective clans into an intimate ceremony that was uniquely their own. For the attire, they stuck to traditional Shinto dress that was customary for that time period, save for a few accessories Mito omitted due to personal tastes. Their private guests consisted of five men - Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Sasuke Sarutobi, Ashina Uzumaki, and Michi Uzumaki - and only two women, Kameko Sarutobi - married to Sasuke - and Touka Senju, who had both become close friends with Mito. The men, including Hashirama, wore mon-tsuki haori hakamas; these consist of a traditional formal kimono known as a mon-tsuki that is adorned in family crests, or kamon, with a pair of hakama trousers, and a haori overcoat, all lacking in color. To distinguish the groom from the guests, the fabric of his hakama trousers is of a pin-striped pattern. Similarly, the women wore kimonos of subdued-color and understated print that only covered a portion of the skirt. Kameko, being a married woman, dressed in a black Tomesode with five kamon on the chest, sleeves and shoulder, and a skirt pattern depicting an ancient tortoise resting between the peaks of a valley. Touka, who was not married, wore an Irotomesode made of expensive olive-green silk, also with five kamon on the chest, and an embroidered pattern of cranes and cherry blossoms on the skirt hem.
While the guests and groom were exceptionally handsome that day, Mito Uzumaki herself was the true spectacle of the ceremony. Her dress was a cream-colored Furisode kimono lined in a vivid scarlet hue that matched their clan's signature fire-red hair, which was styled into an elegant up-do held in place by their late mother's camellia-shaped kanzashi hair pins. She wore a collection of kanzashi that belonged to Hashirama's family as well, which had been passed down among the women of each generation after his great-grandmother. Also belonging to Mito's late-mother was the maru obi tied around her waist and cascading down her back, decorated by the indigo, white, and azure scene of the intricately swirling, deadly waves of the sea of whirlpools. Yet even more beautiful than any piece of Mito's ensemble was the radiant smile bound to her lips and the glow of her joyful aura as she stood before the priest, facing her lover.
The 'priest' - who just so happened to be Ashina, the Uzumaki Clan head - and a shrine maiden from the Senju clan guided the couple through the shinto wedding ritual of san-san-ku-do , or "three-three-nine-times," reflecting three oaths taken three times, represented by three cups, poured three times with sake, and swallowed in three sips. It represents man, woman and child, or heaven, earth and man, and the sharing of joys and sorrows as a married couple. After this, Mito and Hashirama knelt before an altar covered with fresh fruits and flowers as offerings to the fated divine coupling of Izanagi-no-omei and Izanami-nozomu. They recited their vows to one another, and then the guests joined the pair in the drinking of sake before partaking in a group cheer of "Kampai!". Then Ashina placed cuttings from a sakaki evergreen tree on top of the altar, thanking the spirits and kami watching over and blessing the ceremony.
Approaching the end of the ceremony, the shrine maiden placed beaded-threads on both the bride and groom's heads that were sanctified during the ceremony, and a sacred red paste made from vermilion and ash was applied to the foreheads of both the bride and the groom as a tilaka marking.
Michi could not help but wince when the shrine maiden covered the Yin seal on Mito's forehead, plagued by a fresh bout of cynicism regarding the clan affairs and what he symbolically perceived as the extortion of his elder sister, his parents, and his future nieces and nephews at the hands of the Senju.
Finally, Ashina produced a tray of six candles that Mito and Hashirama lit together, symbolizing the unity of their clans. As a group, everyone recited a prepared hymn to conclude the wedding ritual:
" Thus have I heard it said: Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, and faithfulness the best relationship. What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow; our life is the creation of our mind. If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow, and happiness lies ahead."
Michi glanced around at the other guests while they cantillated the closing scriptures, amused by the look on the infamous Madara Uchiha's face as he mumbled bits and pieces of the rites. Madara, the unfortunate man who - to Michi - reeked of misery, acted as if the mere formation of syllables belonging to such positive words was some brutal, inhumane torture being exacted upon him. He shared in this sentiment to an extent, but Michi was nowhere near Madara in his extreme nihilism - not yet.
The prospect of witnessing such an individual in a drunken state gave Michi something to actually look forward to during the reception, which they were now preparing to depart for. Before they left the riverbank, Mito wrapped her brother in a tearful embrace while burying her face into his shoulder.
"Chichi, thank you for coming. I've missed you very much," she said, evidently not caring if she ruined her hair or makeup - a rare display of indifference, for Mito.
Unraveling her arms from around his waist, Michi stood her upright in front of him, clasping her hands together and covering them with his own.
"I missed you too, aneki," he said, using his thumb to catch the tear straying down her cheek. "I wish mother could be here. You look just like her."
Mito smiled, tapping their hands against the center of Michi's chest. "Mother is here-" she paused, moving their hands backwards to rest against her own heart- "and here. Forever, within each of us. Do not weep for her absence; celebrate her spirit, knowing she is at peace."
"Hm." He shifted uncomfortably, not risking further response lest he impede upon her ebullience. Mother and father may be at peace, he thought, but it shouldn't have come at the cost of his own inner peace.
Thankfully, Michi was rescued from his tongue-restraining predicament by none other than his new brother-in-law Tobirama, who was impatiently ushering the guests to start moving along. The reception was being held in the center of the village, and Hashirama had insisted upon inviting the entire village population . Undoubtedly, Tobirama was delegated the task of organizing this function, the stress of which had the man on the brink of a hysterical fit. For once Tobirama understood the appeal of drinking oneself stupid on sake as his elder brother often did; though in his mind, Hashirama had a jump-start on the stupidity aspect.
The only requirement set for those who wished to join in on the festivities was that they too received a tilaka marking as a welcome and an expression of both honor and gratitude for their participation. After that, they were free to join the masses of inebriated shinobi and civilians. The 'guests of honor', or those who had attended the private ceremony, were reserved seats in a small dining area set up inside of the Shodai Hokage's brand-new tower. Hashirama had built it himself using his wood-style jutsu, but in reality it was Tobirama's genius behind the unique cylindrical architecture, a matter that the two had already argued about twice since arriving at the reception. As soon as the sake began to flow, however, the tension between the two brothers faded, and Tobirama even managed to find room between the sticks in his ass for a few extra drinks.
They were served a dinner of, well, a smorgasbord. Among the various dishes provided were Hashirama's favorite mixed mushroom soup, Mito's unusual 'creation' of kimchi and scallop okonomiyaki, trout kabayaki prepared with fresh-caught fish from the Naka river, and enough rice to feed the Akimichi clan for an entire day. Which was a lot of rice. Also available was the simple fried-tofu and sushi rice dish inarizushi , which is Madara Uchiha's favorite and thus present at the table in an effort to keep the man content. This strategy would be tested, however, once Hashirama became drunk enough to start ragging on his old pal. Michi, who was seated between Mito and Touka Senju, heard the latter kunoichi mutter a prayer under her breath before the inebriated Hokage opened his mouth.
Hashirama leaned over in his chair, completely invading Madara's personal space - even though he was sitting less than a foot away - in order to whisper in his ear. Unfortunately, what Hashirama thought was a whisper ended up being louder than his normal speech volume.
"You're up next 'dara…and the clock is ticking, so I must tell you friendly in your ear: sell when you can - you are not for all markets."
Touka choked on her sake beside Michi, who was staring wide-eyed at the Hokage, unable to fathom what kind of fool he must be to say something so brazenly insulting. Madara's irises were red and swirling with tomoe as he furiously gripped his cup of sake; Michi waited with baited breath for some level of violence to erupt, but the others around the table seemed entirely unfazed. Unknown to him, this was normal behavior for those two and nowhere near the point of physical escalation. Instead of razing the village, Madara took a bite out of his inarizushi and spoke to Tobirama without looking at him.
"Senju. Fetch the shochu."
"Yep." Tobirama immediately stood up and began to leave.
"I'll get the Umeboshi," Touka said, hurrying out of the room as well.
The group dynamic was unusual to say the least, and Michi had a feeling it was about to get even weirder. Mito, privy to his unease, threw him a look as if to say 'just go with it'. He wondered what on earth she had gotten herself involved in by entering this marriage. At least Michi could soon ease his pain with the addicting, bitter-plum taste of an Umeboshi sour.
"Oh, Madara, don't be so sensitive-" Hashirama began to say, before being cut off.
"Do. Not. Speak. To. Me. Not until I have had my drink, Hashirama ," Madara said, all but hissing at the man.
Hashirama slumped in his chair - crestfallen and pouting - and the two absent Senju reappeared while Mito quietly commanded Hashirama to pull himself together. Tobirama returned with not one, but four unopened bottles of shochu, which were passed around the group in haste along with a jar of umeboshi paste to mix into the liquor. Madara skipped the plum and downed an entire cup of shochu in one go. He repeated this process twice before relinquishing the empty cup in his hand to the tabletop. Leaning back in his chair, Madara allowed his eyes to fall closed for a brief moment, and then turned to look at Hashirama.
"Speak, maggot," he said. Madara's cheeks were already starting to flush - a jarring sight to reconcile with the Uchiha's reputation - as the consequences of his gluttonous thirst quickly took effect.
The Hokage perked up again. "Well, I was just saying, it's about time you settled down. Tobirama, too. Ehhh? Whaddaya say, boys?"
"Brother, your wife isn't half as lucky as you are," Tobirama said.
"Now, that I can agree with." Michi muttered his sentiments, earning himself a half-hearted slap on the arm by his sister.
"Hashirama," Madara said, flipping his bangs out of his eyes, "who would you have me court? I doubt any woman could meet my standards, while also putting up with my…ah..."
"Insufferable personality, lack of emotional control, violent tendencies, and superiority complex?" Tobirama suggested, filling in the blanks for him.
"A rather harsh way to put it, but yes, I suppose I do have a slight tendency to be critical."
"You could have courted that Hyuga woman I set you up with, Madara, but what did you do instead? Hmm?" Hashirama asked, pointing an accusatory finger at the man.
Touka, Mito, and Kameko were trying to suppress their laughter with mouthfuls of shochu. Ashina and Sasuke, in their infinite wisdom, decided then that it was the perfect opportunity to take their leave and go visit with the other clan heads - far away from the drunken rivals. Michi didn't know anyone in the village, and was not yet inebriated enough to brave the unknown, so he remained in his seat to watch the spectacle.
"I have no idea what you mean. All I did was take her on a date, like you asked," Madara said, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. His face was thoroughly pink by that point.
"Oh, but wasn't it you who took her on a walk through the forest?" Hashirama asked. When Madara pretended not to listen, he continued. "And used your Katon to light a fire when she shivered from the cold?"
"See," Madara said, sitting up to pour another drink, "I'm a perfect gentleman."
"And the Katon started a forest fire that burned down a third of the Hyuga's brand new compound?"
"No one died. Those Hyuga are too materialistic, that's all."
"And then, as a last ditch effort to win her over you told her that, if married to you, she could join the collection of preserved eyeballs to be passed on to your offspring?"
"A very prestigious honor, so don't act like that isn't romantic, Hashirama. Women dream of growing old and senile together, do they not?"
At the end of Hashirama's retelling the women were in hysterics, and Mito in particular was inconsolable. Michi, thanks in large part to the alcohol tainting his blood, found himself beginning to laugh as well - though to a much lesser degree than those around him. Part of the comedy, for him, was lost to Madara's supposed display of such utter incompetence.
"Madara, do you realize what a headache your insolence caused me? If someone had gotten hurt there could have been a rebellion!" Hashirama exclaimed, throwing his head back dramatically and gingerly resting his palm against his forehead as if he was feeling faint.
"Brother, all you did was stutter about like a bumbling fool while I sorted out the situation with the Hyuga clan leaders," Tobirama said. "Uchiha, I should've sent you a bill for all of my time that you wasted - in addition to the restoration invoice."
"God, how many times do I need to apologize for this?" Madara asked, exasperated.
"Once would be enough."
Madara contemplated the suggestion for a moment before downing another cup of shochu. His drinking was so severe, Michi wondered if the man was trying to kill himself.
"No." Madara closed his eyes after giving his verdict, so that he could ignore the nasty glares from the others.
The atmosphere in the room had shifted, and not in a positive direction.
"I don't understand, Madara - why you are like this, why you self sabotage," Hashirama said, overcome with alcohol-fueled emotions, "we finally have our chance! We can be happy, we-"
"NO!" Madara roared, flying out of his seat with enough force that his chair broke into pieces upon hitting the wall behind him. " WE don't, Hashirama, because Izuna is still dead. It is too little too late. There is no we for me, and that is almost entirely my own fault."
"Madara, please sit down and talk to me about this, if you continue to isolate yourself from others it will drive you insane-"
"Just let it go, Hashirama. I apologize for disrupting your evening, Mito-sama. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to vomit."
Hashirama stood up to follow Madara out of the building, but Mito grabbed his arm to stop him, a silent conversation passing between their eyes before he relented and sat back down. Mito then shot a look towards the others, who nodded and began to stand up and leave as well. Much to Michi's surprise even Tobirama gave in, leaving with Touka and Kameko in order to allow the newlyweds a moment of privacy. Michi's elder sister turned to him then, taking a hold of his hand and giving it an apologetic squeeze.
"Chichi, I'm sorry that you had to witness that. I'm going to stay with Hashirama until he calms down; you should go and enjoy the festivities with the others."
"Don't apologize, Aneki. It is foolish to think that such conflicts between these men have any regards for you. Watch out for yourself, because they will not," Michi said, sounding much colder than he'd intended to.
His sister stared at him, a mixture of hurt and anger swirling within her dark irises. "Why would you say such a thing?"
Rising to his feet, Michi turned his back against his sister, refusing to look at her. "Do not forget where you come from, nor the woman whose Obi is wrapped around your waist. We are a means to an end. You will always come second to their ego, Mito."
Michi's hands shook as he stepped out into the cold night air, and the resentment that had been growing like a weed in his heart ever since their parent's deaths threatened to take control of him completely. He did not know how Mito did it, how she was able to forgive and look past the truths that were so obvious to him. Making his way to a less-populated section of the pavilion, Michi leaned against the wall of a building and tried to distract himself by people-watching. It didn't take long for him to zone out, but the mental haze was soon interrupted by a stranger who'd sidled up next to him.
"I take it you're not from around here either," the man said.
Glancing over at the stranger, Michi nodded. "Nope. Just here to attend the wedding. The bride is my sister. You?"
His head and the lower half of his face were covered by a cloth Sōhei cowl - indicative of a warrior monk - but Michi noticed the man's near-completely black eyes flash in surprise before he answered.
"A traveling monk. I happened to pass through at the perfect time, it seems."
"Sure, if you enjoy these kinds of things. Though I wouldn't expect a warrior monk to be a party-goer."
"Ah, you've caught me out," the man laughed.
"Perhaps you can entertain me with stories of your travels, then. Uzumaki Michi, by the way," he said with a short bow of his head.
The man smiled. "Jigen. A pleasure to meet you - shall we find someplace quiet to converse?"
-ooooooo-
Author Notes: I hope you enjoyed the flash to the past, because its the first part of a side story about the inception of - well, I'll let you take a guess. Michi Uzumaki is...sort of an original character. More like an original backstory. You'll see. Also, if you want to know what happened(nothing important lol) during the Konoha 11 gathering, check out chapter 6 of my other story, Exegesis(the uh, rough draft version of this story, if you aren't aware). It's pretty crack-y and completely ridiculous. I couldn't come up with a good enough reason to try and tone it down for this rewrite because, yeah, nothing important happens. It's just filler, with a dash of OC/Neji horniness that is pretty ironic. Sometimes you just gotta cringe at yourself and move on.
Side note - in the timeline I'm going off of, the village was founded 50 years before Naruto's birth. Also, yes, as of the latest Boruto chapter, Jigen is confirmed to be hundreds of years old. I didn't just pull that out of my ass, haha.
UPDATE 6/25: I apologize for the slow updates. I'm taking summer classes because I missed the past semester of school, and have been super busy with that on top of everything else. I'll have the next chapter up within a week, and hopefully after July 4th weekend when my school madness slows down I can stick to a bi-monthly update schedule at the very least. Thanks for your patience! 3 :')