Iroua Yamamoko was young. One of the youngest doctors in the Hospital with so much responsibility. With the loss of one of his genin teammate and unwilling to go back to the front of the war, Iroua had preferred to leave the active ranks and continue his passion on full time.
« You said that you will take me as an apprentice! »
Iroua Yamamoko was considered a genius. In reality he taught of himself as a passionate man with a little bit of talent. The iryo-nin had always been curious about the human eye and even more about the medical aspect of the doujustu. Young, or younger you could say, he had loved to watch his estranged cousins activate the family doujutsu. Eyes identical to his bleeding red. It was a fascinating process that he would never be able to replicate. So, he had settled to examine it, holding orbs in his hands.
He remembered when his was little how fascinated he was seeing his cousins being able to change her perfectly normal black eyes in a pair of Sharingan. He would always wonder how theirs eyes were different from his afterward.
This fascination of his went on to make him a renowned doctor able to cure any sight impediment and one of the only one allowed (and willing nowadays) to heal Uchiha now and then.
His mother had been a civilian Uchiha, one of those family who had lost the bloodline soon after coming to Konoha. Even if marrying a merchant had made her an outsider, she had still been able to stay in contacts with the clan, Iroua glued to her side at every visit.
Even if the boy never awakened a Sharingan he became known at school for his excellent chakra control and his intelligence. Iroua graduated a year early without even having to pass in taijustu. He was not a fighter. Immediately he was recruited in the medical department in a time where Tsunade Senju was promoting more iryu nins. Instead of working in the field like most of his comrade, the medic only worked in the research section. Even so, when war came, he saw his quota of death.
It was the time where he lost most of his patients. Iroua never wanted to be a doctor to help people, he was a researcher not a medic in spirit and the difference was never more flagrant than in war time. He loved working in a case during months, trying to understand and beat a mortal sickness in one beautiful operation. Not running from dying victim to dead corpse closing injuries without looking back afterward. He loved to feel his brain ready to explode after working all night, not his chakra drains out.
Too slow, Tsunade had cried cheeks brazing and wet eyes glaring. Too cold had muttered his teammate as an heartbeat stopped.
He winced.
"You know that we cannot train any civilian, Sakura. Village's policy".
It had started by borrowing a book that she used to stare at curiously. Iroua hadn't thought that she would actually read it and came back with it finished and questions on her tongue. Her check up becoming a class as he would explain the more difficult notions that she couldn't grasp.
"But clans do it all the time !"
Apart from his inability to fight that made him a prime target, his healing was slow but perfect, not what was needed in the middle of battle. What was his failure for some was his strength in the hospital. No scars, no mistakes, perfect recovery. There was no sickness that Iroua wasn't able to cure. Give him days, months, years, at the end he would be able to find the cure. It was why he was a genius in his own right but more importantly, he was a perfectionist.
It was one of the reasons of why he was so interested in Sakura Haruno's case. Her blindness had come as surprising as she left. The only evidence of her blindness was a maze of chakra vessel behind her eyes. Eyes were a delicate thing, the chakra pathways almost invisible. By immersing them in chakra at such a young age Sakura had caused her own blindness. The progress has been morbidly fascinating to watch as chakra forced new pathways to be able to circulate. Also excruciating long as this process was normally observed in the womb in the last three months of the pregnancy.
After five years, the pinkette's chakra had created a maze almost as complex as the Byakugan and that Iroua couldn't understand the sense of. Thus, explaining her still monthly visits after 3 years. She was a smart kid, an incredible chakra control that Iroua wished he possessed but more importantly she had a mystery.
Montly check up were not enough to understand the immensity of what was going on behind those green orbs. Iroua was curious, has always been, and those eyes were no protected by any clan, he was free to research as he wanted. He loved knowing, analysing and conquering. Having Sakura nearer meant more time to study.
But if anyone caught on the importance of what he found… This was giving him a headache.
"I may need a little bit of assistance here…" at her smirk, he went on. " You wouldn't be an apprentice or a student, but if you picked up somethings up it wouldn't really be surprising, right ?"
Nobody could know about it.
Her green eyes sparkled, and she nodded, understanding.
XxX
Loyalty was a fickle thing.
She had been betrayed before, and she had done the betraying.
Loyalty was something Ryuu didn't have any care for, even more if she couldn't give a kunai about the betrayed in the first place.
So, she had stayed silent as she saw Akira came basket with basket full of weapon. She went along, mutely watching the bun haired girl fidget nervously as goods were exchanged. She smiled, helping the seemingly harmless Akira walking down the street.
A subdued Uchiha was what the other saw with a cute little civilian girl.
An accomplice in her silence that's what Sakura was.
She was observant, enough to feel the tension in the hair and understand the "tea parties" of her mentor. Smart enough to understand why Akira allowed to be seen with her or to train her, no matter what her chakra felt like. She knew that she was being used on some degree but Ryuu couldn't care less about Konoha, it was nothing but a Senju's construct that Madara had brought them into.
So it wasn't really a surprise when Akira became more vocal about her beliefs. Little mentions here or there about the blindness of the Hokage, about the citizen ungratefulness but more about Sakura potential.
No, the surprise was where she was led.
In the back of Akira's backyard, hidden behind a cherry blossom tree stood a little shrine. It wasn't anything noteworthy and Ryuu would never had taken note of it if Akira hadn't brought her here. It was a simple unnamed stone, a thin cord wrapped around it. It was well cared for, but its isolated position and simplicity showed that the person hadn't been approved by the clan.
Her heart stopped beating.
" You remind me of myself Sakura. Full of potential, of willpower. A true Uchiha never mind what the other can say."
The pinkette averted her eyes from the stone to meet red orbs. Tomoe spinning, it was impossible to understand what Akira was feeling.
" And yet, here we are. In Konoha you will never be recognized as one of us not that it will bring you any good in those times." She let out an humourless rictus. " What I gonna tell you kid need to stay between us, you're smart I'm sure you have caught on what's happening. You know I was your age when came to Konoha."
How long have the old crone been alive? Everything was unfamiliar it was hard to think that more than fifty have passed. How old would have Ryuu herself been ?
" It wasn't as smooth as your history book make it. We were being hunted by Senju, so few of us were left. There was infighting when the time came to choose. Some wanted to keep fighting, some to give up. Madara took the choice away from us."
Green eyes narrowed.
" Look at us now, our precious clan, reduce to almost nothing. So few of us are left, fewer possess the Sharingan. We founded this village, we protect it more than anyone. Half of our clan is reduced to a police force, the other half his send on more missions that they never come back from. At least out there we had our pride, our dignity…"
Curiosity ate at her.
"What happened to Madara ?"
The answer was more than pleasing.
"Hashirama Senju killed him after he challenged him. Madara had tried to leave the village but it was too late, nobody trusted him in the clan anymore. Madara hadn't been the natural leader of the clan, it had been Ryuu Uchiha, the first woman leader of our clan."
Sakura heart swelled with pride.
"Tell me more !"
" Ryuu Uchiha had been the creator of Izanagi. One of our sacred technique that permitted us to change reality for a few seconds. Under her rule, the mortality rate was at an all-time low. She had fought against very idea of joining the Senju and had warned against trusting them. If Madara hadn't killed her, we surely wouldn't be in this mess."
Her heart stopped.
XxX
"You shouldn't do this Ryuu." His voice was warm and worried. She let out a sight.
"What do you want me to do ? You know my father, it would be a dishonor to back down !"
Her mouth was pulled down in a frown that made her scar all the more visible.
" Don't you remember what happened last time ?" he took a step toward her, his chest brushing her armor. His hand went to her hair, holding on the long locks. "Do you want to cut it once again? Do you want another one of those?" His finger brushed her scar. "I don't want to find you like that ever again. He is my brother; I know what he is capable of…" He rested his forehead against hers. " You shouldn't have to fight, not for your father and not when you have me. You could stay at…"
She snarled as she left his embrace. Two tomoe spinning in her red glare reminding that she also was a shinobi. Just as much as him.
" And you forget your place ! I'm the heir ! I'm the direct descendant of the Sage ! I shouldn't have to fight to gain back my rightful place ! " she calmed down as her voice became ice cold. " I think you should go Izuna."
"You're becoming as foolish as your father Ryuu." He uttered. " You know I love my brother, I cannot wish him any hurt."
"Go, Izuna."
"But I love you just as much, you foolish girl."
He found her a few hours later, one eye white but a deformed grin on her lips. His brother defeated form lying behind her.