Chapter 164
Declaration of War: Out of the Shadows and into the Light!
Although Tokugawa Shingen loathed to admit it, the Leaf shinobi's decoy act was impeccable.
They'd fallen for quite the trick, an act of misdirection performed by a prodigious Chūnin, the likes of which the Leaf failed to create since young boys like Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha rose from the dreck of soft-hearted and average men to seize the infamy synonymous with their names.
The decoy had drawn him, his Stone comrades and the Waterfall shinobi off from the Seven-Tails jinchūriki, who Tokugawa safely presumed was now far out of their reach.
Furthermore, the decoy managed to whittle down their battalion into a single large company of one hundred and ninety-seven soldiers, all through their precise and seamless coordination with the Crows of the Leaf.
Quite the feat for such a young girl. A feat aided by legends of the Land of Fire, an Anbu agent, and the fleeing Waterfall shinobi, of course, but Tokugawa made no excuses for failure. He wouldn't diminish the girl's ability, either.
Only adolescents made excuses. Only fools resorted to schoolyard insults, claiming those responsible for their undeniable defeat were weak, stupid, or both, for they failed to realize their assertions painted them as weaker fools than the enemy.
After all, if the enemy to defeat you was weak and stupid, then, at the bare minimum, you were twice as incompetent to fail against them.
Personal philosophy aside, the kunoichi's decoy act was impeccable. Transforming Shadow Clones into the members of their unit, surrounding herself with the Crows of the Leaf to enhance the act's realism; though he loathed failing his mission, Tokugawa applauded the performance.
However, six Shadow Clones had already fallen to his comrades. Now only the kunoichi responsible for duping them remained.
There lay a potential she, too, was a Shadow Clone. The Stone shinobi could not dismiss the possibility this last leg of their pursuit would conclude in absolute failure, with nothing whatsoever to show for their futile efforts. Nothing save the loss of military strength, the death of Shibuki of the Waterfall and the seizure of his Nation, of course.
Yet there was also another possibility. A chance not to rectify the failed capture of the Seven-Tails jinchūriki, but to mitigate the damage to reputation and pride.
If the child was the real kunoichi, then a prize of similar value, if not slightly lesser, was at their fingertips.
A child wielding a Sharingan and Byakugan, who was potentially of Uchiha or Hyūga blood, would not fully replace a jinchūriki. Were he to capture her, however, and were she to descend from the Uchiha or Hyūga Clan, the Tsuchikage would be pleased. Very pleased, indeed.
So, if he had to sacrifice a few more men to the Crows to capture an Uchiha or Hyūga, he would. The loss of life would be worth it if she were real. If not, then they will have died for the future prosperity of the Stone's Empire—a worthy end.
Tokugawa leapt through the trees, high above the fallen bodies attired in red and violet, and the sparse black feathered corpses of the agents felled by the more experienced members of his battalion. A spear was more than a blade; these fallen men were the tip, the sharpest point, but a shaft was necessary to drive the blade into a target.
That was his role. He was the sturdy staff driving the tip of the spear, and as one blade dulled another would be fixed to the staff. As a staff fractured or rotted, it would be tossed aside and a new spear would be crafted. For all shinobi, including him, were replaceable.
The Crows numbers appear to be thinning out, Tokugawa noted. They've split their unit, then. The jinchūriki and its allies must be protected by the majority of the Crows flock. Yet these continue to fight and die to protect this child, even though it is clear the ruse is over.
It lent credibility to his theory. Throwing away their lives for a Shadow Clone? No, he dismissed the idea. The Crows were creatures of cold calculation, or so the stories claimed.
Did they remain to eliminate members of his battalion? Or to protect the real child?
The former seemed unlikely now. Surely the Crows could tell the majority of the shinobi he commanded were wet behind the ears, pimple-faced greenhorns, or gung-ho conscripts. Or they were expendable mercenaries and Waterfall shinobi.
Surely the Crows realized, cold and calculating as they were, that eliminating these men would not hinder the Stone's primary forces.
Lord Tsuchikage, the famous Fence-Sitter, had watched, waited, and prepared meticulously for the coming days. This single skirmish, this first day of bloodshed, would not change the future, no matter who succeeded.
Ahead he could see the minor battle at hand. Ninja tools whizzed through the air. He heard the distinct thunk-thunk-thunk of kunais piercing bark. And flesh. Sharp cries and red sparks rained as the young girl fought fiercely to defend herself from all sides.
Stone and Waterfall shinobi fell to the forest floor, cut down by the young kunoichi, eviscerated by blades of wind, of fire, or punctured by black flocks.
Some simply fell in silence or while screaming for no tangible reason, but Tokugawa knew the cause. Yes, he knew.
Genjutsu. Sharingan genjutsu.
He was closer now. Close enough to see the desperation on her face. Close enough to see perspiration and blood mixing together in wounds that could have potentially dispelled a Shadow Clone.
The kunoichi parried aside a blade but ate a kick to the stomach, sending her whipping through the canopy. With her free hand humming with chakra, she caught the trunk of a tree, wrapped around it, planted her feet against the trunk, then bolted off in a retreat.
She Body Flickered across a span of ten meters, and as she prepared to land upon the branch of a distant tree, the earth beneath it split apart.
The tree toppled over. Its canopy of thick branches and dying leaves fell upon the kunoichi, yet she maneuvered through the collapsing habitat, springing about with the agility of a cat as birds took flight and squirrels raced for safety. New wounds formed, flesh unzipping beneath claws of bark.
The kunoichi burst free from the falling canopy. She whirled around and raised the flat of her short sword in front of her body, blocking the foot of an attacking Waterfall shinobi.
The force propelled her back through the branches. She slammed against the ground, bouncing, skipping and flopping harshly for several meters, then she rolled across her back and onto her toes and the balls of her feet, sliding low along the earth, crimson and hardened lavender flicking about desperately.
At that moment, the solid earth beneath her feet suddenly transformed into a thick mud. It wrapped around her feet, absorbed her calves, and captured her free hand within a blink, then hardened once more.
Now only her tantō was free. And that would no longer help her.
She struggled and writhed to pull herself free, more blood than perspiration trickling across her skin. She went nowhere. Although not to any fault of her respectable strength or determination.
The battalion of Stone and Waterfall shinobi surrounded the kunoichi in the trees and on the forest floor. The Crows, it seemed, had abandoned her outright.
Cold calculation, Tokugawa wondered. Or were they regrouping?
A lean and tall Stone shinobi appeared behind the grounded child as flames coated her blade. He caught her by the wrist, twisted the arm, and disarmed her. He then pressed his foot against her spine, forcing her sweaty and bloody face inches above the dirt.
Both her weapon and her Sharingan were no longer threats now. However, the remaining members of the battalion maintained vigilance, searching the canopy for signs of the Crows.
"Heh!"
Tokugawa perked up at the sound of a harsh, breathless laugh. The child did not sound amused. There was a darkness within it. A foul and fell hatred, accompanied by a swath of killing intent that birthed an unnatural chill within his core, which raised gooseflesh on his skin and made his pulse pound sharply, for a beat or two.
There was no doubt in Tokugawa's mind which Clan she hailed form now.
So, the legends of the accursed Uchiha Clan are true. What potent hatred…
"Is something funny?" the comrade to restrain her asked.
"No," she bit out through grit her teeth. The kunoichi wriggled, but a wrench of her arm tempered her struggle.
"I can't help it. It's an unconscious response to the fury boiling in my veins," she added. Another abrupt chuckle, wholly absent of amusement, broke free from her lips. "Faced by such pathetic leadership. No, your squadron 'leaders' aren't leaders at all. They're far too pathetic to be called that!" she hissed. "They're cowards. Men who would rather send fresh recruits and untrained soldiers to die as they hide in the back ranks."
Tokugawa sniffed. Only the youths and those unable to accept the nature of war could get so worked up over something so trivial.
"Worst of all, because of your stupid, power-hungry Tsuchikage's dream of an Empire, geh!"
His comrade wrenched her arm harsher, and Tokugawa heard something audibly pop.
"Mind your tongue, girl, when speaking of Lord Tsuchikage," his comrade warned.
"Or what?" the child ground out. She hadn't lost any of her fire. "I know why you've captured me. You want my eye and my body, just like the Tsuchikage wanted Madara Uchiha's daughter. Do you think I care if I hurt your Tsuchikage's feelings? Go jump in an ocean with a cannon strapped to your leg, you thin-skinned cretin."
"You won't be so bold when you face the Tsuchikage."
"Haven't you heard? An Uchiha's pride is unbreakable. Although, I can't wait to meet him someday. So I can shove his face in the dirt. I hear he's used to that!"
Fury prickled at the skin of many of his comrades. Her captor forced her face into the grass. Yet all it did was coax a dark, menacing laugh out of the girl.
"Heh! Hehehe! Is his pride still so fragile?" she mocked, voice laced with venomous hatred. "Tell me, is he still licking his wounds after his entire Village fell at the hands of Madara Uchiha? One man made your former and current Tsuchikage bow before him and his daughter in front of the entire Village.
"Or is he so fragile because of the damage the Reincarnation of Madara Uchiha did to his shinobi in the last war? Or maybe he's so thin-skinned because the last Head of the Uchiha Clan trounced his shinobi as well? It's so hard to keep track of the one-sided beatings my Clan has given the shinobi of the Stone Village."
Tokugawa felt nothing except intrigue by her insults.
She knows her history, he thought, crossing his arms. There's no doubt about it. She's a real Uchiha, all right.
Quite the prize, indeed.
"That's not even to mention the beating the Leaf itself gave your Village. Turning the tide of war by destroying a single bridge? You Stone shinobi should be embarrassed!"
The venom and hatred in her voice only flourished with every insult. She hated them. She hated them with every piece of her soul.
"Did you really place all your eggs in one basket?" she mocked. "Did you go all-in with a pair of ones while playing poker, too?"
"That's enough," Tokugawa said calmly.
"Enough?" she hissed, the hatred in her voice thicker than the cursed blood flowing through her veins.
She shook her head. "You don't get to decide that!" declared the kunoichi in the heat of fury.
"Shibuki is dead because of you. He was a true leader. A true shinobi who sincerely loved his Village, his people, and even the jinchūriki you bastards only see as a tool. Your Tsuchikage could've learned from him. He could've learned to stay the hell out of our Nations. He could've learned to mind his own damn business if he doesn't want to cooperate with everyone else.
"So no, it's not enough. Not until I spread Shibuki's name across the shinobi world. Not until you all learn to respect and fear the power of the name Shibuki, the Hero of the Waterfall. It's not over, you coward," and Tokugawa knew she was speaking directly to him, for he felt her intense killing intent grasp his body beneath superheated claws, "until you pay me in blood for the Crows—my comrades!—who sacrificed their lives in a war we didn't choose."
"It's over, girl."
"No, it's not. But it's about to be," she vowed malevolently.
"Break her arm," he ordered. "We'll see if she's a Shadow Clone—"
"Aaahhh!"
The sudden cry of a dying man snapped Tokugawa's attention from the child just in time to see the corpse crash against the forest floor. Two more men whirled towards the noise, and had their guts neatly eviscerated by two quick slashes of a katana.
The woman responsible, a kunoichi attired in the Leaf's standard Anbu armor and a Bear-motif mask, flickered ahead, leaping towards his allies in silent violence.
Simultaneously, as a fourth man—a Waterfall shinobi—met his end at the edge of her blade, Tokugawa heard the violent rustling of leaves, and then a furious storm of fluttering black feathers barreled into the forest.
Pandemonium unfurled. Cries of surprise, death, and commands bellowed out of his men, caught amidst the sudden force of at least three dozen or more Leaf shinobi, who fell upon them from above, enveloped in falling leaves, or leapt from the shadows of the trees, materializing before their adversaries eyes and slaying them before they could gasp.
One man, a shinobi with half his head bandaged from the bridge of his nose up, emerged from the gathering feathers of the Crows, right behind the Stone shinobi restraining the child.
He placed a kunai to her captor's throat, and waited, granting the man one final breath to recognize the cold steel at his throat, to realize his end was at hand; Tokugawa saw his eyes widen, he saw the exact moment his comrade's breath caught in his throat, just as awareness of his fate struck him.
Then the Leaf slashed his jugular wide open.
A thick stream of blood splashed over the Uchiha's child face and body. His dying comrade slapped a hand to his throat and collapsed forward, gurgling on his final desperate breaths.
He was dead moments later.
Several of Tokugawa's shinobi, disoriented by the sudden assault, leapt out of the trees for the forest floor to regroup; they were green as grass, wet behind the ears, pimple-faced and gung-ho conscripts with no clue where they were being attacked from.
They couldn't tell the Leaf were attacking them from all sides.
As they descended, some only then becoming aware of their comrade gurgling on his own blood, a viscous stream of what appeared to be water splashed across the forest floor.
His comrades landed, but did not leap again. Their sandals were stuck; the liquid wasn't just viscous, but as sticky as syrup.
"My feet, I can't—"
"What the hell is this stuff?!"
From the shadows of the trees two men emerged, bearing in their hands kunai-like blades; the blades were elongated, curved and single-edged, the long hilts wielded with two hands, resembling a sword more than a kunai.
One of the men wore a bandage running along his nose, his black hair noticeably long and spiky. The other combed his brown hair down over his right eye and wore his forehead protector as a full bandana.
The pair dashed across the viscous liquid with chakra humming at their feet. The one with a bandage pierced one of Tokugawa's comrades through the spine, removed the blade, whirled on the syrup-like liquid—skating, almost, as though on ice—and cut another from shoulder to hip.
His partner ducked beneath a desperate, flat-footed slash and cut through the Stone shinobi's armor and his belly. He lunged ahead to cut another man down the back of his skull and spine.
Tokugawa had no time to observe their coordinated attack further. He ducked a Leaf shinobi's blade, leapt off the branch in retreat farther from the Uchiha child and parried aside the blade of a Leaf shinobi zipping through the branches.
His squadron was uncoordinated. They were lost in the chaos—a dangerous and deadly position to be. Only he and a few other Stone shinobi of higher rank, he noticed, realized the truth.
The Leaf shinobi, the Crows, and the Uchiha child had been coordinating from the very beginning.
She was leading us into a trap all along, Tokugawa judged, gritting his teeth. Damn Uchiha.
"Eight Trigrams Air Wall Palm!"
From his flank, a concussive blast of what Tokugawa assumed was pure air smashed into five shinobi—two Waterfall, three Stone. They weren't swatted out of the trees, instead thrown through the air at frightening speeds.
The body of one Stone shinobi struck a tree with a sickening crack. He knew without a doubt the woman died instantly by how her spine bent and folded around the trunk.
Glancing below, he saw a lithe and tall woman with gingerbread hair, both palms thrusted towards the men she'd just slain.
A Main Branch Hyūga, Tokugawa realized instantly by the lack of a Curse Seal on her bare forehead.
An opportunity?
For a moment Tokugawa considered stealing the Byakugan. Then thought better of it when the woman evaded an ambush from behind with a slight pivot, striking a stiff palm to the spine of her attacker with such force, such intensity, he slammed him face first into the dirt. His face broke on impact. Doubtlessly, she shut off chakra points connected to major organs.
She did not stop there. Three more men attacked. With poise and serenity she evaded and struck their chakra points with rapid striking palms and precise fingers. All he heard were their cries of agony, for her strikes were so quick his eyes couldn't track them. He only saw them collapse or be thrown across the forest floor.
He wouldn't stand a chance. Nor would any of his comrades if they didn't regroup outside the Leaf's net.
We're too close to the border as it is. If we retreat deeper into our controlled territory, the Leaf will fall back.
"Retreat!" Tokugawa commanded. "Fall back!"
"You're not going anywhere!"
The voice and the swath of killing intent that rushed past his body like a gale of wind caused Tokugawa to suck in a sharp breath. He turned his head to his right, where he felt the presence, but he saw no one.
Instead, as his head turned, he caught the flicker of fire in his peripherals before scorching flames and merciless steel tore across his back, through his armor, searing and cutting the flesh beneath.
Falling from the canopy, the Stone shinobi twisted through the air and landed on his feet, grimacing but leaping back and away, hoping to maintain movement and get a sight on the Uchiha.
First his eyes glanced to her previous position, but found the mud once restraining her shattered. Likely by one of her many comrades.
Tokugawa cursed. He'd lost complete track of her in the chaos. He hadn't noticed she was free. Such a rookie mistake.
His eyes flicked to the canopy, and as they did he heard a beast-like growl tremble in the child's throat. He felt the air whistle behind him, and then the agony of the tendons in the back of his legs being severed.
He cried out in agony. As he collapsed to his knees, he spotted the bloody, sweaty and furious kunoichi sliding along the grass, digging her toes in as she clutched her tantō beneath white knuckles. A foul crimson mask coated her face.
"You don't get to run away!" she declared. Then flickered away.
He didn't truly feel the blade, for it slashed too quickly. He only felt the searing pain it left behind as the tendons in his arms were severed next, as his chest was also scorched and slashed by her vengeance driven blade.
Tokugawa arched backwards and howled. It was then a foot smashed into his face, knocking him onto his back. His whole world began to spin. Yet she became the center of it.
"You started this conflict!" the kunoichi bellowed, looming over him, caught in the shadows cast by the canopy and the few threads of light breaking through it.
The flat of her foot smashed his face again.
"You stole this Nation's independence!"
Another kick struck his face. His nose shattered, and consciousness nearly escaped him.
"You killed its beloved leader!"
Another kick. His jaw broke.
"You killed agents of the Crows—my comrades!"
Two harsher, quicker kicks. Tokugawa felt his orbital bone break, but could barely breathe through the waterfall of blood flowing out his nose.
"You sought to use me as a tool! A thing! Breeding stock for future warriors. Just like your Tsuchikage sought to use my great-grandmother!"
Any shock he felt at the revelation vanished when she stomped the inner side of his gushing left elbow. It vanished beneath his roars of agony as she dug her foot into the wound like she was squashing a resilient bug.
You're…Madara's Great-Great Granddaughter! He wanted to demand. He couldn't. Not through his own wails and howls.
He couldn't hear the combat taking place all around them. The explosions. The sharp ring of blades. The caw of Crows. The cries of dying men.
He could only hear his own deafening howls and her furious ranting. All he saw was her crimson painted face, taking on the visage of vengeful grim reaper, and that accursed, searing red eye, blazing and glistening with wrath, hatred, and another emotion he did not recognize.
"You led these men! You hid like a coward behind them, using them as meat-shields in search of a prize—for my kekkei genkai! Now you deal with the consequences! No one else!"
He tried to speak. To accuse her. To demand to know if she truly was of Madara's bloodline. Then she attacked his ribs with a stiff kick, and he felt the air leave him.
"You want the Seven-Tails? You're going to have to come through me!" She beat her fist against her chest. "You want my blood, my kekkei genkai, my genes—try and take them! Throw yourselves at me as many times as you like! I'll take you all on! I'll remove your twisted nature from this world one by one if I have to! I'll show you why the Uchiha Clan and my Great-Great Grandfather are known and feared by all!
"So tell your Tsuchikage the Uchiha Clan still lives! You hear that, you bastards!" she demanded, looking away from his bloody and bruised form to the battle surrounding them.
"Tell the Tsuchikage the Great-Great Granddaughter of Madara Uchiha lives! Tell him that I, Haya Uchiha, now lead the Uchiha Clan, and under my leadership the Uchiha Clan will thrive once again!
"Together, as one with the Leaf, no longer separate from it as in past eras, we will drive your forces back! We will stand strong with our allies and we will never surrender to your totalitarian regime! From this point forward we will fight you for every person you subjugate, we will stand together, and we will defeat you!
"Actually, you know what…"
The accursed eye fell upon him, and he felt the cold hand of death clutch his insides.
The last of the world Tokugawa saw was the terrifying visage of Madara Uchiha's Great-Great Granddaughter casting aside the shadows that once sheltered her as she slashed her blazing sword for his throat.
Then he saw nothing at all.
"I'll tell Lord Tsuchikage myself," Haya Uchiha decided.
With little choice left, for the ambush was coming to resemble a categorical massacre, littering the earth in corpses clothed in garments of red and violet, staining the grass, the yellow and brown leaves, and the dirt with rivers of crimson and gore, the Stone and Waterfall battalion fled deeper into their Nation.
Several more would fall in the retreat, their coordination scrambled by the ambush, their leadership and chain of command fractured or non-existent as the highest rank abandoned the young, the inexperienced, the gung-ho, and the mercenaries to save their own skin.
The over reliance on their fallen or fleeing leaders to tell them how and when to act left the enemy forces vulnerable, the deaths of allies allowed panic to grip them.
So they fled. Without hesitation, at times sacrificing their own comrades to escape.
When the immediate threat was eliminated, and only the backs of the enemy forces could be seen fleeing in fear, the QRF took their moment to regroup and retreat, securing themselves on the Land of Fire's side of the border.
There, near enough to the border to monitor it, but far enough from it to avoid immediate conflict, the fifty shinobi comprising the Leaf's QRF, Amari's Shadow Clone, and the Crows gathered together, their first skirmish in a new war now behind them.
An intense and quick skirmish that, in the end, wouldn't shift the tides of war. It wouldn't make the Stone second-guess themselves; they were fully committed to building their empire, they had already seized control of one Nation, like a tiny gem they decided to add to their gilded crown.
A single loss wouldn't lead them to raise a white flag. They wouldn't awkwardly laugh it off, claim the whole thing was an honest mistake and a lapse of judgement, then return home without a fuss.
No, the war had only begun. It would be long. Ugly. It would be consumed by pointless death and misery, just like the events of today. Hundreds—no, thousands of soldiers would be sent into the meat grinder. They would all be sacrificed inside the blood and gore splashed maw of war, all so the Tsuchikage could plant a flag in a piece of dirt while he sat safely inside his Village.
With those dark thoughts feasting on her soul, Amari sat utterly still, back braced against the trunk of a tree, covered in sweat and blood that belonged both to her and to enemy soldiers.
From there she watched the members of the QRF with a dull, emotionless onyx eye. Some of her comrades sustained minor injuries in the skirmish, she noted. A few cuts and scrapes here and there. Nothing too serious. Nothing life-threatening or fatal, though she couldn't say she was surprised.
Their ambush was, by all descriptions, incredibly successful. Not only that, the enemy built their large numbers upon the backs of Genin-level shinobi, especially those who filled out the Stone's uniforms.
Although they were generally adults—some were teens, closer in age to Itachi and Aimi—they were also inexperienced. Likely fresh recruits gung-ho about nation pride, or mercenaries they'd bought and thrown into uniforms. Conscripts, maybe.
Fodder, in the end. That was how their leaders treated them, as they safely gave out commands from behind their meat shields. Unlike every leader she'd ever known in the Leaf.
Leaders weren't supposed to walk over the corpses of their comrades. They were supposed to lead. To stand side by side with their allies, not hide behind them to live and fight another day. They were supposed to value their comrades. But that man…
Amari didn't move a muscle. She didn't have the energy to clench her hands into fists or grit her teeth. She felt exhausted, physically and emotionally. A reality she knew, unfortunately, would effect her real self.
Just like her grand, heated speech.
The Shadow Clone lacked the energy to second-guess it. She lacked the energy to care about its repercussions, to care that there were now Stone and Waterfall shinobi retreating with the knowledge of her lineage, which she'd demanded them specifically to tell the Tsuchikage about.
Let him know, she thought darkly, resting her head back and shutting her eye. Let them all try. Tsuchikage, Stone shinobi, Foundation, let them all come. I'll be waiting. I'll be ready. And I'll burn them all to ash.
There was no turning back, no more hiding. No more secrets. That suited Amari just fine.
Strangely, she felt free. Liberated. She felt like she had finally accepted both halves of herself, both Amaririsu Yūhi and Haya Uchiha—something she thought she had already come to grips with.
Now it actually felt real. Now there were no more shadows to shelter inside of, not when nearly fifty strangers from the Leaf knew the truth.
She was Haya Uchiha. She was the Head of the Uchiha Clan. She was the Great-Great Granddaughter of Madara Uchiha.
And she was also Amaririsu Yūhi. Daughter of Kurenai Yūhi. Member of Team Seven. Chūnin of the Leaf who, come hell or high water, would fight and defend the Village from anyone who tried or successfully harmed her comrades.
I'm done hiding in the shadows, Amari thought, opening her eye again. Let them fear me. They should. I am Haya Uchiha, and I am Amaririsu Yūhi. And I will change this world. So cling to your out-dated ideals all you like. We're going to keep moving forward, with or without you.
Members of the QRF meandered about. Some were resting. Others were standing at alert.
Kimiko Hyūga stood as one of many sentries, surveying the area with her Byakugan and, though Amari didn't realize it, monitoring the Uchiha, if only to ensure a Leaf shinobi ignorant to her existence as a Shadow Clone wouldn't make a foolish move.
As Amari observed the others, wondering if they were speaking about her when she caught them looking her way, and mildly curious as to what they might be saying, Izumo and Kotetsu appeared before her.
"You're a magnet for trouble, aren't you, Amaririsu?" Kotetsu teased good-naturedly.
"Seems that way," she offered a weak smile.
"I'm glad we were able to make it in time," Izumo said. "Even though you're a Shadow Clone, you're still a comrade. And those Stone and Waterfall shinobi were far too close to the border."
Despite the exhaustion, Amari was relieved to see them. They were friendly faces—something she had seen little of since entering the Waterfall nation. That they cared enough to check in even though she was just a Shadow Clone, even though her well-being and injuries didn't truly matter…it meant a lot. She couldn't put it into words. Couldn't allow herself to fully feel it.
She was barely holding together.
"So, Head of the Uchiha, huh," Kotetsu remarked, kneeling beside her. "Now it makes sense. That's why my genjutsu didn't work back before Ibiki's exam."
Amari snorted. Making light of her lineage? She hadn't expected that. Nor did she find any signs of fear or suspicion in their eyes.
Just the same Izumo and Kotetsu she'd come to know. A normalcy she was grateful for. A normalcy she needed in this hell to combat the darkness seething and spreading beneath her skin.
"You were in way over your head," Izumo pretended to agree, nodding along. "Against Kurenai's daughter and an Uchiha? You never stood a chance, Kotetsu."
Kotetsu whipped his head around to gape at his partner. "Well, geez. That's a little harsh!" his partner mocked offense.
A wittier, less exhausted shinobi would've had a memorable response. Amari could only manage a weak, but sincere smile.
"Guess so. I'll go easy on you next time," she added.
"Appreciate it," Kotetsu smiled compassionately.
They both sensed her exhaustion, though it wasn't difficult to see; she made no effort to hide it.
Beneath the exhaustion, though, they could sense the barely contained turmoil she felt over the loss of the Crows, all of which built upon the towering mountain of death she'd witnessed today. And the terrible ache of ending Shibuki's life. No matter how merciful it was.
Izumo went on to compliment the kunoichi for rallying their forces with a single, impassioned speech. Kotetsu echoed it. He mentioned how her words fanned the flames of their Will of Fire and made sure, no matter what, they fought as hard as her. As passionately as her.
For the Leaf. For the united front she spoke of, and for those who'd already lost their homes.
"You're a born leader, Amaririsu," Kotetsu said. "Ibiki, Anko, Hayate and Genma, even the Third and Fifth Hokage saw that potential in you during and after the Exams. I'm certain Kakashi and Kurenai saw it long before any of us."
"I…just said what I was feeling."
"We know. That's why it resonated with all of us," Izumo said. "These shinobi here," he continued, looking over his shoulder at the others, "they don't care who your ancestor is. On a battlefield, we're all Leaf shinobi. Politics, ancestry, Clan status, none of that matters. When we're fighting, all we want to know about the shinobi next to us is this: Will they watch our backs as we watch theirs?"
"And your answer was crystal clear," Kotetsu smiled at her.
"Thanks, guys. I mean it. Thank you."
"Anytime," Izumo smiled at her.
"You're a comrade, Amaririsu. A Leaf shinobi. We stick together, thick or thin," replied Kotetsu, ruffling her sweat and blood matted hair before rising.
"Even if I thwart your cheap tricks?" she tried again for something witty.
"Cheap?!" Kotetsu recoiled in feigned horror.
"Heh!" Izumo slapped his back. "She's got you there, Kotetsu."
"Geez," he rubbed the back of his head, chuckling. "You're both so harsh."
Amari let out a weak giggle. It felt good. Relieving. Better than the awful laugh of hatred she'd felt before.
"Take care of yourself out there, Amaririsu," Izumo said.
"Yeah. We'll see your squad back home," Kotetsu added.
"Right," she nodded. "I'll see you guys back home."
They left her there to relieve some of the sentries. Before Amari could resume her observations, a new voice startled her.
"Don't take their words lightly."
Glancing up, Amari locked eyes with the Anbu agent donning a Bear-motif mask, who appeared from thin air beside her.
"Um- what? I mean, I won't. I didn't. But…"
"It is not Madara's name that passes from the lips of your comrades; he's just a myth now, a name they scarcely recall from textbooks. Presently, your name passes from the lips of these shinobi. The name Amaririsu Yūhi."
Amari's gaze returned to the gathered Leaf shinobi.
"They speak it with familiarity," the woman said, resting a hand on her hip. "They remember you from your passionate battle with Mimi Inuzuka. They remember two young girls dashing through our Village to defend it from invaders. Some of these shinobi are people you two aided, rescued, or relieved to defend sectors and quadrants requiring greater attention.
"Your name has passed many times through the shinobi grapevine, as it did when the Akatsuki infiltrated our Village. As it did when the Sound Four threatened the lives of the Village.
"Now they speak your name as that of a well-known comrade. Someone they trust and would deploy without hesitation to aid, regardless of ancestry. Because they know you. Because they know, in their position, you would be the first to volunteer to help them.
"Your ancestor is an old ghost story. But you, Amaririsu Yūhi, are real. You are their comrade, and they are yours. Don't let politicians and their meaningless opinions obscure that truth."
"I won't."
"Good. Although, it is strange to hear the name 'Haya' again."
"Wait." Amari blinked. "Again?"
"Your mother made no secret that you were her greatest achievement."
Amari nearly snapped her neck turning to look at the Anbu agent. The woman was already gone.
"I look forward to seeing you prove her right."
"You knew my—"
"Amaririsu."
The voice of Tonbo Tobitake startled Amari more than the Anbu agent had.
Jolting, she whirled around to see the man with bandages covering his head from the nose up standing beside her, appearing just as silently as the Anbu kunoichi had.
He wore a Chakra Transmission Communication Device on his back, the connecting wire attached to his temple granting him direct communication to the Leaf and its nucleus.
Tonbo's lips curled in a smirk. Like he'd actually seen her jump.
"Easy there. The Commander needs to speak with you."
"Oh. Right."
She'd almost forgotten the whole reason she was still here.
Tonbo knelt beside her and placed a hand on top of her head. Amari shut her eyes.
When she heard the familiar and comforting voice of her uncle, it was though he was kneeling right in front of her. She could see him in her mind's eye, the two of them sitting and kneeling together, and Inoichi and Tonbo were nowhere to be seen.
"'Risu, are you all right?"
Just a Shadow Clone, Uncle Shikaku. My injuries aren't technically real.
"I'm well aware. As are you that I wasn't asking about your physical health."
Amari exhaled a soft breath through her nose. He could see right into her heart.
"Will you be all right?"
I'll hang in there, she answered honestly. I have an objective to focus on. I have a mission I intend to see to its completion. I won't let anyone else…
She curled her fingers into fists. Images of Shibuki, of his allies, of the Crows she'd lost rushed forth past the walls she'd carefully constructed.
Damn them. Damn them all, she cursed the Stone shinobi as her heart broke. All of this…and for what?
"For the life of someone precious. For their jinchūriki, and for you."
Dammit. Her eyes burned behind her eyelids. I understand that. I understand why Shibuki went so far. But the members of Kazama's battalion… They didn't have to go so far for me. I'm just a Shadow Clone.
"You're wrong. They did. By protecting you as long as they did, they allowed the real you to escape pursuit, saving your lives from the same fate as Shibuki and his allies."
Dammit. I know. I know that, but…
"If you want to honor their sacrifice, honor it by surviving. Honor it by ensuring all of you make it home safely, because that's what they fought and died for."
…Mourn later, right?
"Right. I know its harsh and unfair, but you're not out of the fire yet. So hold it together, 'Risu. Once you are home safe there will be time to mourn. Until then, you have to focus on keeping yourself and your comrades alive."
I will, she promised. I'll bring them all home safe.
"I know you will."
Uncle Shikaku?
"Yes?"
I know I'm going into Anbu to conceal my identity. I'm not changing that plan. But after all of this, I'm done hiding in the shadows.
"I know. It was never your parents intention for you to spend your whole life hiding your true identity or heritage. So, if you've decided to cast aside the shadows we've sheltered you within to protect this girl from the Elders and Foundation, I'll do everything I can to support you. It'll be troublesome, but you won't stand alone, 'Risu. I can promise you that."
His unwavering and unconditional support nearly broke her into tears then and there. Shikaku felt her reaction vividly.
"Why are you so shocked? This is why we've built a circle of trust, remember? You've already gained influence and backing from major players in the political scene. That will strengthen your position when the time comes."
…But that fight has to wait. I have to complete my mission first.
"Precisely. Focus on one fight at a time. We're already preparing for the fallout of the Seven-Tails as we speak. Rest assured, your vow to Shibuki will not be broken."
Uncle Shikaku… Thank you for everything you do. I know I'm troublesome. All I seem to do is cause you all headaches.
"Being troublesome is genetic for you. Not much we can do about that."
The dry quip caused a wet snort.
"We lost you once already. Keeping you safe, seeing you grow up, that's all we want now."
I love you.
"And we love you, little shadow. Never forget that."
I won't. I promise.
"Now, the other half of the QRF is on its way to your squad as we speak," her uncle informed. "All you have to do is get back into the Land of Fire. However, there's been a complication in the Grass, where the real you is currently located. I need you to pass a vital report onto her."
What is it?
"The Grass has fallen. An unknown Akatsuki member has been spotted bombing the Nation, and the Stone are advancing towards the border. Get yourselves out of there as soon as possible."
I'll pass the message on immediately.
"Good. Get home safely, 'Risu. Yoshino's orders."
Tell her I'll be home soon, and that I love her.
"I will."
See you soon, Uncle Shikaku.
"See you soon, little shadow."
The connection was broken.
Moments later, after quickly explaining to Tonbo her orders, she dispelled herself.
With Kannabi Bridge at their back, the squad of Leaf and Waterfall shinobi trekked southeast across rolling hills, between trees and through glades, passing unseen and undisturbed by pursuers as they steadily moved closer and closer to their destination.
The last point of interest they would see before crossing straight east would be a small town near the border, according to the Crows knowledge of the terrain. Then it was a straight shot to the Land of Fire and, hopefully, reprieve from this troublesome situation.
We can't let our guard down. The Stone and Waterfall will pursue us farther than they would in any ordinary situation. To these people, capturing the Seven-Tails is just too incentivizing to give up so easily.
Descending a hill onto an open plain, Amari vigilantly scanned their surroundings with her Byakugan.
Even as Crows glided and wheeled high in the atmosphere and fluttered their wings several meters above their heads, and even though she knew Miss Anbu's senses were keener than her own, casting a vast net across the plains, she continued to search for an enemy presence.
She couldn't take it easy because she had backup this time. One day she would be leading a squad without a superior to rely on. She needed to treat this seriously, as if they weren't here to support her.
Officially, I'm the Chūnin in charge of this mission, Amari thought. I need to plan and act as a squad leader, even if I have Miss Anbu and the Crows to back me up and take charge. Because when the hammer falls back home, and it will fall, I'll have to deal with the consequences of my actions.
Consequences she wouldn't shy away from. Consequences she'd take head-on, because that was the vow she'd sworn to Shibuki. She would stand against the Elders, the Foundation, and anyone else who threatened to harm a single hair on Fū's head.
I'll protect Fū, no matter what. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain, Shibuki.
Their unit crossed the plains, along a cliff and down its unattended slopes, where the thick undergrowth stretched above boulders. A buck and its herd pranced off through a thicket, frightened by the sudden presence of potential predators.
"Hey!"
Amari wasn't so much startled by Fū suddenly dropping in beside her; she'd seen the kunoichi suddenly adjust speed to achieve the smooth transition. However, she was startled by the decibel the Waterfall kunoichi had chosen to speak at.
After such a prolonged lapse of nothing but wind whistling by her ears and adrenaline pumping through her veins, human speech struck her eardrums like a fireworks finale.
"Uh, hi?" Amari responded awkwardly.
Orange eyes peered at her inquisitively and suspiciously through whipping strands of mint green hair. Yet, much to Amari's intrigue, they didn't meet her Sharingan.
Had the Seven-Tails warned her of Sharingan genjutsu? Seemed like they had quite the close bond. Or at the very least they were closer than the Shukaku and Gaara and the Nine-Tails and Naruto.
"I've got a whole lot of questions for you," Fū declared.
"I'd be happy to answer them. Or as many as I can in our current situation," Amari nodded, but her eye lingered on Fū despite better intentions.
"Oh wow, that was easier than I thought!" Fū replied cheerfully. "I thought for sure you'd try to evade or tell me to shut up. I hear that one all the time."
"I'm…sorry to hear that," Amari said sincerely. And you say that with a big smile on your face, almost carefree. You remind me a lot of Naruto. The way he was when we first met.
Hiding pain behind a smile. People like that, they were braver and stronger than her.
Still, mentally drawing a line from Fū eyes to her anatomical position in space—
"Eh, it's no big deal!"
Yes it is.
"Oh, wait, I got off track. I was supposed to ask questions. All right, so first off, who are you anyway? Because you came out of nowhere. And then you were like boom! And pow! And you slashed fire through the air and those birds, like, swooped all around. There had to be hundreds!"
"My name is Amaririsu Yūhi, and…"
Her eyes were looking right at her—
Amari's face flushed red. "Fū!"
"Holy cow! You know my name already!" Fū didn't seem to know whether to be excited, shocked, or concerned by the revelation. So she chose all three. "Did you use your Shenanigan to see into my mind? 'Cause you shouldn't even try it. Chōmei and I—"
"First, it's called the Sharingan!" Amari shook her head. "Ah, what the hell am I saying?! First, if you're going to avoid my eye, pick somewhere else to stare!"
"Huh?" Dumbly, Fū raised her eyes and stared right into the Sharingan. "What's wrong with where I'm staring?"
"You were staring at my chest!"
One of the men choked on saliva and began coughing.
Fū tilted her head. "So? It's just a chest. I've got one, too. We all have chests. Even guys have chests."
"Oh my god," Amari groaned, pressing her face into her hand. "You're exactly like Naruto."
"Who's that?"
"My best friend," she deadpanned.
"Wait, really? I'm like your best friend?"
"Yep."
"Oh yeah! Sweet! Then that means there's a chance we can be best friends!"
Behind them she heard Miss Anbu snort then clear her throat.
Yep. Fū was exactly like Naruto.
A well-meaning brain-dead idiot.
Shibuki was right. You're going to be a handful.
"I always attract the troublesome ones," Amari mused, smiling and shaking her head slightly.
"Hehe!" Fū chuckled. "I've heard that opposites attract."
"Apparently birds of a feather do, too. Since I can't seem to go on a mission without trouble being drawn to me."
"Maybe you're the troublesome one," Fū accused with a grin.
"Oh. I know I'm a troublesome girl. It's genetic."
"Really?" Fū gasped. "Is being troublesome like a kekkei genkai? Can it be passed down?"
"Can it be…" Amari snorted and redirected her gaze ahead. For the peace of mind of Fū and Chōmei—who was doubtlessly the Seven-Tails. "No, Fū. Being troublesome isn't like a kekkei genkai. I was kidding. Saying it is genetic is…just a joke my cousin used to make."
"Used to? Did he stop? Oh, you mean…"
"He was murdered."
"Oh…"
"Keep making that sad face and it might get stuck that way."
"Wha— Hey! How did you even see my face without looking?"
Amari smiled mysteriously. "I have my ways. Anyway, that's what Shisui—my cousin—would've told you. 'Keep brooding like that, Haya, and you'll look like Itachi.' Trust me, you don't want that," she added with a giggle. "He's the king of broody face."
The jest did the trick. Fū snickered, and the dark swell of emotions that had suddenly washed over her receded.
"The king of broody face? Hehehehe!"
"Oh yes. And the lectures," she feigned an exasperated groan. "He just stares at you with that blank, broody face of his as he speaks. 'Tricks like that won't work on me, Haya. For I am a superior specimen of the Uchiha Clan and you are but a hatchling. A baby chick that has not yet taken its first steps,'" Amari dropped her voice to imitate Itachi's near monotone delivery.
Crafting a version of Itachi with a strange fondness for eggs and chickens would eventually result in a long, scolding stare from the boy himself, she was certain. Amari looked forward to seeing it. Someday.
Besides, it was for a good cause. The tan-skinned kunoichi hid her mouth behind her hand.
"Who the heck talks like that?" Fū snickered.
"He does."
"No!"
"Yep. 'How many times must I tell you, Haya? You cannot fool my eyes. Soon I will turn you from a baby chick into scrambled eggs.' Ugh. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Like, why chickens, you know? Dealing with him can be such a drag."
Fū didn't just snicker. Insect-like wings suddenly appeared on her lower back, fluttering so quickly it would've been impossible to see or count all seven without a dōjutsu.
Simultaneously, Fū lifted off the ground and rolled through the air as she giggled.
"Hehehe! Oh man! You've gotta stop!"
"Would you rather I be hard-boiled," Amari offered, smirking.
"Haya…" Miss Anbu sighed.
She could sense the woman's grin beneath the mask.
Fū let out a loud, "Ha!" And then clutched at her sides, unable to contain her laughter.
After hours of stress and life-or-death, the sudden levity lifted the otherwise hopeless feeling the Waterfall shinobi felt.
Fū's laughter did that. Her smile did that. No matter how serious the Waterfall shinobi desired to be, no matter how unreasonable it seemed, a bad joke about eggs allowed Fū's light to shine on them.
And, in Amari's opinion, Shibuki's light as well.
The Waterfall kunoichi swept back down and shoved Amari's shoulder lightly.
"C'mon! Stop it. I'm trying to be serious here," she giggled.
"All right, all right," Amari replied, chuckling. "Let's take it from the top, then. My name is Amaririsu Yūhi. As you pointed out, I wield the Sharingan, and your partner has likely told you I am an Uchiha. Right?"
"How'd you know?"
"A few reasons. You tried to avoid my line of sight, for better or worse. You knew the Sharingan by name, even if you pronounced it wrong. Then immediately went to say I shouldn't even try to use it because you and Chōmei would counter it. Before I interrupted, anyway.
"Considering you look my age, it's unlikely you knew of my Clan's history and my kekkei genkai on your own since the Uchiha Clan is all but extinct now. That leaves your Village teaching you about the Uchiha Clan since you carry the Seven-Tails within you, or Chōmei warning you. And since you know the Seven-Tails by name, and seem to have a closer bond than the others I've met…"
It was academic, really.
"Wait, you know others like me?" Fū asked, surprised and excited by the revelation.
"Two, actually. My best friend is the bearer of the Nine-Tailed Fox; I don't know the angry fur-balls name, but he pretty much hates my guts for being an Uchiha. Can't say I don't understand, considering treatment of the Tailed-Beasts and their jinchūriki through history, and by my ancestor in particular."
Amari shrugged. "Anyway, I'm also friends with the bearer of the One-Tails—Shukaku, I believe is the name of the One-Tails."
"Your ancestor? Would that be some weirdo named Madara Uchiha."
"Yep. Nice to meet you, Chōmei, though I doubt you believe that."
"Hey, how'd you know—"
"You aren't old enough to know his name," Amari replied with a light shake of her head. "Even I only knew him as one of the Founder's of the Leaf before a few months ago. Still, it's nice to see a human and a Tailed-Beast that actually work together. Maybe there is hope…"
"Huh? Hope for what?"
"A future where humans and Tailed-Beasts can actually coexist."
"Wait, so who's Haya, then?"
"Me. I was born Haya Uchiha."
"…I'm super confused." Fū pursed her lips. "Why did you change your name? Are you trying to hide or something?"
"It's a long story. Short version: My Clan was massacred, I lost my memories, and then I was given the name Amaririsu at an orphanage. After I lost my brothers, I was taken in by the Leaf and eventually adopted by an amazing woman named Kurenai Yūhi, and thus I became Amaririsu Yūhi.
"Earlier this year I started regaining my memories, like my name. But, in the end, Haya Uchiha and Amaririsu Yūhi are the same person. They're me. Most of my friends call me Amari, so—"
"Can I call you Amari?" Fū interrupted with innocent, hopeful curiosity.
"Sure."
"Awesome! We're one step closer to being best friends now!" she cheered. Then a surprised expression crossed her face, as if someone had reminded her of something important. "Oh, oh! Right! I totally forgot to ask, but how'd you find us? Did the Leaf send you?"
As they trekked across a pasture Amari explained the mission assigned to her by the Fifth Hokage, the suspicions felt and the reasons for it, as well as her rank and a light, oversimplification for Miss Anbu's presence.
Dropping the existence of the Akatsuki, Foundation, Masked Man, Orochimaru, Kasai, and all the other baggage she carried onto Fū just seemed wrong.
Amari wanted to be wholly honest. She didn't want to withhold anything. But it was a lot to go over, and Fū liked to ask questions. Lots of questions. Questions that poured from her like a waterfall, ranging from important and surprisingly introspective to random diversions and child-like inquisitiveness about minor events.
The overflow of questions, the cheerfulness of having someone to talk to… Had anyone besides Shibuki ever bothered to speak to Fū?
You already know that answer, thought the Nara.
The horrid experience of existence as a jinchūriki was universal, after all, regardless of era or Nation.
By the time they made it around to recent events, specifically locating the roadside inn, picking up the trail, and arriving in the nick of time, they were less than a half hour out from the town. Soon they'd be in the home stretch.
And then they'd be home.
At the news of Shibuki's final moments, Fū became startling quiet. As did the other Waterfall shinobi, who had piped in with questions when their leader's name emerged in conversation.
Amari said nothing in the silence. No words would mend the loss. Even if she had the heart of a poet and the ability to knit together beautiful words about life and death, about the Pure Lands and their eventual journey to them, it wouldn't wipe away the tears Fū refused to shed now. It wouldn't soothe her. Not right now.
All she wanted was Shibuki here. Alive. Right beside her. Right where she could bug him with questions, exasperate him with rebellious acts, and listen to him teach important lessons, like the importance of friendship and bonds, and how they made the Waterfall stronger.
It was a pain Amari knew well. A pain Miss Anbu knew well. A pain many shinobi throughout the shinobi world were accustomed to.
Fū was just the latest victim of the awful cycle of war.
"Shibuki had one final wish before he died," Amari began slowly. "A dying wish he entrusted to me to fulfill."
"…What sort of wish?" Fū asked quietly and sincerely.
"He asked me to look after you," Amari said solemnly. She felt Fū wince without seeing it. "In his final moments, his thoughts were of you and his people. He regretted that he couldn't lead all of you to regain your independence, but he knew in his heart of hearts that one day the Waterfall would be free and independent once again.
"However, his final wish was saved for you. He asked me to make sure you meet my peers, that way you could make more friends. He asked me to take care of you. He said you were precious to him."
"Shibuki…" Fū's voice broke.
"I'm not saying this to hurt you, please believe that. I just want you to know how much you mattered to him. And I want you to know one other thing. The vow I made to Shibuki when he asked me that dying wish."
"A vow? Like a marriage vow?" Fū asked.
Had the topic not been so serious and solemn, Amari might have snorted. Instead, she shook her head.
"No, not that sort of vow. Here and now, I want you and everyone here to know that as a Leaf shinobi and as Head of the Uchiha Clan, I will do everything in my power to protect you, Fū. Even if that means I must protect you from the Leaf itself, from those who would seek to remove you and seal Chōmei into a Leaf shinobi, I will.
"You were precious to Shibuki. Now, if you will allow it, you will be precious to me as well. For years now I've been sheltered from my heritage. I've hidden from it and the responsibilities it entails. But I will leave those shadows behind to protect you from anyone who dares to target you and Chōmei.
"That was my vow to Shibuki. And that is now my vow to you."
"…Why?" Fū asked after a long pause. "Why would you do all this for me?"
"I told you already, you were precious to Shibuki. That makes you precious to me as well."
"I…I don't understand."
"The bonds we make with people, they connect us no matter how far apart we may be," Amari replied, bringing her hand up to her Clan crests pendent. "Even if death itself separates us, the feelings we shared tie us together. I believe that is true for everyone.
"While my time with Shibuki was short, we became connected by this war. By his wish. And by you."
"You barely know me," Fū pointed out.
"True. But I'd like to know you better. You and Chōmei. If you'll let me."
Fū didn't say anything after that. She had a faraway look in her eyes, a look Amari recognized from when Naruto and the Nine-Tails argued.
The Nara didn't expect the kunoichi or the Seven-Tails to believe her on words alone. Fū had experienced the harsh existence of a jinchūriki, enduring several assassination attempts by Shibuki's own words. And Chōmei? The Tailed-Beast had witnessed the duplicity of human kind, had its freedom stolen, and had its power used to wage wars.
Words weren't as meaningful as actions. Given the chance, Amari hoped to prove herself worthy of their trust in time.
At that moment, a vast swath of memories and emotions struck the kunoichi. Visions of dead shinobi, of fallen Crows, and near capture passed by in the first wave. In the second, anger, fury, hatred, and sorrow overwhelmed her heart. Then indignation, freedom, unity, and a righteous fury sheathed in blazing Uchiha blood.
"So tell your Tsuchikage the Uchiha Clan still lives! You hear that, you bastards! Tell the Tsuchikage the Great-Great Granddaughter of Madara Uchiha lives!"
"Haya?"
The sudden weight of Miss Anbu's hand on her shoulder awoke Amari from the memories. She inhaled a sharp breath, eyelids fluttering as her heart pounded, and quickly took in her surroundings.
She was standing flatfooted in the middle of the pasture, the world far calmer and quieter than the fever pitch of heated emotions and combat flowing through her mind. Everyone, even the Waterfall shinobi, were waiting for her to come around.
How long had they been waiting? She hadn't even realized she stopped…
"Your final Shadow Clone?"
The final wave of exhaustion, lacking regrets and daring them all to come for her came next. Accompanied by the warning of her uncle, which rang like a temples ceremonial gongs, drowning out all else.
No turning back now. No regrets. I'm done hiding in the shadows.
Exhaling a long breath, Amari glanced back towards the Waterfall Village.
This mission… What a nightmare it had turned into.
"Yeah," she answered finally. "The Stone and traitors of the Waterfall were beaten back across the border by a Leaf QRF. The enemy sustained heavy losses, but I have a feeling they're just a fraction of the Stone's real forces. The other half of the QRF is coming our way. I also have an order from our Jōnin Commander."
Amari turned and looked straight into Miss Anbu's eyes, her broken heart and exhausted soul reflected in dull crimson and lavender. The single look said everything.
Miss Anbu squeezed her shoulder as a sign of comfort and unity, then said, "We need to leave this Nation. Immediately."
"What's happened?" Fū was the one to ask.
There was no turning back. Not for her. And not for the world.
"The Grass has fallen," Amari said, looking to the Waterfall shinobi with her grim expression.
Fū sucked in a sharp breath. Yōrō and Kegon squinted or shut their eyes, and she swore she saw them age two decades then and there. Riku, the man with bandages around his eyes, lowered his head. Takako, the Sound kunoichi, exhaled a long breath through her nose, mentally cursing the world for how unreasonable it had become.
Amari could only push on. It was her duty as a squad leader to see these people to safety.
"Come on. No point wasting time," she said, walking ahead. "This Nation is the Stone's now."
The civilians who lived in the town near the border were ordered to evacuate. Even the men who were willing to fight found themselves commanded to leave with a handful of Grass shinobi and Anko Mitarashi's squad by the highest ranking Grass shinobi among them—a tall, burly guy named Oda Makimura.
They wouldn't be able to fight, anyway. What were they going to do? Throw pitchforks at the flying assailant responsible for the previous bombings? They'd only end up as casualties when the enemy arrived, and Oda was certain they hadn't seen the last of the bomber.
So, the orders distributed to the civilians were simple: Grab only as much as you can carry and leave everything else behind.
Naruto had deployed his Shadow Clones to spread the message, and to hasten the evacuation.
None of it felt good. It wasn't even the retreat itself that bothered him. It was the precious memories being left behind, the tears he'd seen, because the war was about to strike these people at their home. And they all seemed to realize it would lay waste to it.
He didn't have hopeful words to help them. He didn't have anything except his two hands to help carry haphazardly thrown together bags, children and toddlers, and old men and ladies stubbornly refusing to budge.
Injured shinobi were also sent with the evacuees. Those who wouldn't be able to contribute to the fight, at least. Most stayed.
Once everyone was evacuated, Naruto joined his Shadow Clones, Shino, Ino, and Anko on the road with the last of the stragglers.
Without knowing when the bomber would return, they had to move quickly to assure, at the very least, the evacuees were out of sight. Otherwise they might become targets anyway.
However, even as they darted off, part of Naruto's mind lingered on the town. On its inevitable destruction and deaths of the Grass shinobi who had chosen to stay, hoping to hold onto a sliver of their country, and a redheaded girl he'd seen the slightest glimpse of there.
She didn't have a headband. Dressed only in a simple lavender shirt and brown pants, she looked like…death. Walking death. Covered in bite marks, she allowed two of the injured shinobi to sink their teeth into her flesh, healing their injuries with chakra or something. He wasn't sure.
Naruto wasn't alone in seeing her. Or suspecting something awful taking place. Shino had been there with him, while Anko and Ino were organizing elsewhere.
The Bug Tamer hadn't said a word. Naruto hadn't, either. He second-guessed his silence immediately after leaving the medical tent. He nearly stormed back in to give them all a piece of his mind.
The girl looked like she was on the edge of death and they just kept…feasting on her chakra. Give her a break, he wanted to demand. If they didn't, they were going to kill her!
Was she even a shinobi? Or just a civilian with some sort of kekkei genkai they were abusing.
His anger boiled beneath his skin, even now. Yet he hadn't stormed back in. Shino stopped him with a simple yet firm reminder.
"We have no authority over what goes on in their medical tent," his comrade reminded. "If we do something rash when tensions are this high, violence is a guarantee. We'll endanger our squad and potentially the ties between Leaf and Grass."
"We can't just leave her like that."
"Focus on the evacuation, Naruto." Shino's reply seemed cold and detached. He even began to walk off without a backwards glance. But then he paused, only for a moment.
"However, you're right. We can't leave behind someone clearly in need. I'll take care of it. Why? Because: You're too emotional and noisy, and I know how to be discreet."
Then why weren't they turning back already? Why had they left her there if Shino actually agreed with him?
What the hell did he mean he'd take care of it? He certainly as hell wasn't taking care of anything except running away right now.
I've gotta go back, Naruto thought, gritting his teeth. I've gotta go back right now. While there's still time.
To hell with discretion. To hell with the people who were abusing that girl. Allies or not, right was right and wrong was wrong. And what they were doing was wrong. So damn wrong it made his skin burn and his gut twist.
He opened his mouth to declare his intentions to return.
It was then the shockwave of the first bombs struck their backs, stealing his voice, stopping his heart, and causing his muscles to stiffen.
Anko, Ino, Shino and Naruto whipped around, witnessing the dying flickers of light from the first explosion. Another was already flaring into existence against the late-afternoon sky.
Dammit, Naruto cursed.
Why the hell did any of this have to happen?
Review Response to Guest: Glad you are enjoying the story and that you've enjoyed how Amari has developed as a character over the course of this story. Been a long road so far, with all of Shippuden left ahead, but it makes me happy to know she's developed noticeably, and that I've managed to make the Anbu appear strong, instead of constantly getting their butts kicked or dying.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and thank you for the review!