Here is a list of the ages of the characters:

- Hashirama/Madara: 13 years old

- Tobirama/Izuna: 11 years old

- Naruto: 10 years old

- Itama: 8 years old

Asura's Will

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By Angelbloodlover

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~ "I don't hate you.. I just don't like that you exist."

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Gena Showalter, Seduce the Darkness

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Chapter 13: Foxy Reunion

"Disappear with the thunder."

- Uchiha Sasuke

Madara growled in anger, spitting out a huge fireball towards the enemy. "Hashirama, formation C2!" He shouted, a burnt smell invading his nostrils and calming him down. He jumped out of the way when a humongous hammer shattered the ground. Wincing in agony, he clutched his eyes as red penetrated his sight. The more he used this power, the more it left him breathless and vulnerable for attacks. But he couldn't afford it to not use it. It was the only thing capable of killing that beast. They just needed to capture the thing and burn him to ashes.

"Aniki!" He felt someone push him aside and then he was tackled to the ground by Izuna's lithe body. Dust and blood was messing with his sight. How much longer could he continue fighting like this? The one person who would have been able to finish this was unable to fight anymore. He didn't even dare thinking about her, afraid that he'd lose his sanity. He got up with the help of Izuna and eyed the incomer with narrowed eyes, getting ready for any incoming danger.

Hashirama's eyes widened when a strong spray of water shot out towards the beast, his head turning towards the caster and eyes widening in disbelief. "Tobirama?! What in the name of the sage are you doing here?!" He didn't know if he could handle more problems. "This monster is out of your league! Get back!" He shouted in alarm, breathing increasing as his heart was going crazy.

Tobirama scoffed and summoned another jet of water towards their enemy. He tried to ignore the Uchiha brothers spitting out fire. He tried to ignore Itama healing Naruto. He tried to ignore the pang of jealousy and abandonment at the thought that his brothers had left him out in favor of these Uchihas. For now, he would focus on the enemy, seting his frantic emotions aside. He had two stupid brothers to save and three Uchihas to kill. Sigh. When did things get so complicated?

Madara ran towards the thing, summoning another giant fireball as a decoy, along with Tobirama's attacks. "Now Hashirama!"

Hulking tree branches came out of Hashirama's arms, sharp stakes shooting towards Black Zetsu. It circled around its body, capturing him. Controlling his wood release was taking a great toll on his body and if it hadn't been for his excellent chakra control he doubted that he'd be alive by now. Chakra exhaustion would have already killed him. Another groan escaped his lips when the beast tried to break out. His chakra was getting dangerously low. "Hurry up, Madara!"

Tobirama and Izuna worked together to distract the beast with kunais and shurikens. Even if they hated each other with a passion, the need to protect was higher than the need to kill. One small mistake and everything would fail.

The future Uchiha clan head felt a searing pain, accompanied by a deadly whisper, "Amaterasu." Blackness danced and twirled towards Black Zetsu, leaving a trail of destruction.

Tajima's head snapped up, his body freezing.

Out of nowhere, dark, oppressing, ancient and snarling chakra permeated the air. He almost stumbled from the sheer hatred and blood thirst, grabbing his desk with a shattering force. His breathing became heavy and difficult.

...and then pandemonium was upon them.

Black transformed into ruby-red.

Regaining his strength, he felt ashamed of his prowess. Was this all that the mighty leader could handle? Gritting his teeth, he stood up swiftly, walking outside with a calmness that came from leading the clan for years. Once outside, he took in the sight of his clan members in chaos, screaming and screeching as if their life depended on it.

This was unlike anything that he had felt before- such dark, menacing chakra that burned his veins.

He summoned his warriors and looked at them with red, piercing eyes, "You, take twenty shinobis with you and start evacuating our people to our secret western hideout." Averting his attention towards another shinobi, he scoffed in disgust when he noticed the trembling of his fingers, "Kuno! Get a grip of yourself. You're an Uchiha! Uchiha do not tremble beneath a foe!"

...even when their enemy seemed monstrous, its chakra alone wreaking havoc.

"You, along with Ichigo will prepare our men while I'll summon the council for an emergency meeting! Do not fail me everyone. Dismissed!"

"Hai Tajima-sama!" Together they vanished to do their respective deeds. All was for the greater good of the clan.

Without another word, he, too, left, praying for the survival of the Uchiha clan because this enemy wasn't someone that would be defeated easily. Taking a shuddering breath, he continued on his path towards the meeting room, ignoring chaos around him.

...all the while ignoring the treacherous voice that told him they wouldn't survive this.

-...all the while ignoring his shaking fingers, hiding them by clenching his fists with a vice-like grip.

...black eyes widened in fright and then a heavy mist circled within their compound, turning calmness into a veil of madness.

Screams and pleads were everywhere- sounds of hysteria encircling him and frantic eyes tried to look for his offspring. This chakra was not humane, no mere mortal could handle so much dark chakra. Only a monster from the pits of the darkest hole could contain it- he remembered his father telling him legends of unseen fiendish creatures crushing and destroying everything in their paths.

He ran outside and watched his clan drown and suffocate underneath the ferocious and malicious chakra.

"Butsuma-sama! You're nee-ded!" Makaso shouted urgently, his voice shaking and choking. Suddenly, he leaned to the side and threw up the contents of his stomach. Then, he collapsed on the ground, his mouth frothing and a seizure overtaking his body.

Said shinobi snapped his attention on the brown-haired man, his mind reeling and screaming at the cruel happenings around him.

Izuna whimpered in pain and clawed at the black monster, trying to escape its vicious clutches. "L-Let g-g-o!"

"I'll kill you, you pitiful creature!" The monster hissed in ruthlessly, its claws drawing out blood from his arms. Izuna's state was nothing short of a bleeding mass. His arms were clawed open and his clothes were soaked in blood and sweat.

Behind him, he heard Madara's furious shout, "Release him, you monster!" His voice crept closer and then he was flung towards the sound of his brother, hitting his body with a deafening noise.

Madara grabbed his brother's bloody form in a tight grip, forcing his feet to skid to a stop. His attention moved towards a heaving Hashirama and an unconscious Tobirama. Hashirama's left arm was danging uselessly and Tobirama's head was bleeding profusely. Itama had finished healing Naruto and was working on the white-haired brat, his loud sobs increasing each time another wounded person appeared under his healing hands. The eldest Uchiha could see that Itama's chakra was reaching its limits.

Things weren't looking good. He didn't even think they would survive this. Not anymore. This monster was on a whole other level.

If only he had been older, stronger, heartless- if only he had the powers to destroy his enemies.

-..if only.

Itama cursed his pathetic, whimpering self.

Naruto had been healed to the point where Death wasn't fluttering around her form. Now, he had his other brother to worry about. He was crying because he wouldn't have enough chakra to heal him. He was crying and cursing his existence. What good was he if he couldn't save the people he cared for? What good was his existence in this pathetic world?

His eyes looked up when he saw the towering form of Madara. "Save him, please.." He choked out and then ran back to the losing battlefield, leaving his wounded brother in the hands of his enemies. Itama knew that they stood no chance to win this.

Even knowing that, Itama didn't lose his concentration and continued healing his brother. If he tried healing Izuna, then he might die from chakra exhaustion- dying for his enemy. How cruel. Life was too cruel. Glancing at Izuna, he noticed the accursed eyes of his, spinning madly and hypnotizing him. He remembered when Naruto had used those eyes to lull him to the world of dreams. Shaking his head, he looked at his strict brother, hoping that he wouldn't have any lingering damages.

Izuna ignored the Senju and braced himself for the death of his beloved brother. No one would survive this fight. He curled in a ball and started crying silently, feeling so damn helpless.

"...I'm sorry for failing you, aniki," came his hushed, pained whisper as tears rolled down his cheeks.

His whisper was left unanswered.

Hashirama was thrown away like a rag doll, his leg snapping and breaking at the impact. Even cloaking his legs in chakra had been useless and a waste of it. The sound of an agonized scream tore though his lips, the taste of saline and blood making him gag in disgust. His hands moved protective over his injured legs, hyperventilating at the sight of protruding bones.

Another blood-gurgling scream followed. "Please...stop...anyone..?"

He didn't register Madara fighting with his last ounce of chakra, his left hand a mess of broken fingers and his right eye rendered useless by over-use. The Uchiha heir had lost any ounce of hope, nothing would save them.

Naruto...state unknown.

Tobirama...unconscious.

Itama...chakra exhaustion.

Hashirama...crippled.

...he gasped in pain when he felt his right arm being pierced, a black sword rendering his right arm useless as well. Followed by a merciless sharp kick to his side. He was sent flying, tumbling and rolling harshly as mad laughter followed along along.

Madara...useless. Trash. A disgrace. Worthless.

The outline of the monster appeared in his vision- an image that would haunt him for the rest of his pitiful life. "Such a nuisance. I'll start by ending your pitiful life."

Madara inwardly agreed, his pride and will crushed. He closed his left eye and awaited his death sentence. Nothing came. He opened his eye and looked at the merciless creature as its widened as saucers.

Then, he too felt it.

It was crawling its way inside of him, burning his veins and chakra pathways, scorching his windpipe. It was crushing his lungs and heart. It was seducing him with the thought of death and murder... Intent so ruthless and inhumane, nothing compared to this creature that was toying with their lives, playing with them like a predator to a prey. All thoughts of surviving this flew out the window and he shook and lurched at the sheer force of the incoming enemy.

This was no human. This was no monster. This was a being from legends feared and unknown.

Death.

Only Death could handle so much twisted, massive and ancient chakra.

...then why did it feel oh-so familiar?

Hashirama forced its body to stop shaking, placing a small piece of wood in his mouth when his teeth wouldn't stop gnashing forcibly. He clawed his fingers in the dirt and tried to keep his breathing normal but it was damn difficult. Sleep was trying to coax him but he refused to die while unconscious.

In one second, an invasive, corrosive chakra entered the battlefield. He stopped breathing. The air changing violently, a red foggy mist obscured his vision.

Then, orange invaded his every sense. The ground rumbled and shook, moaning under the pressure and destruction that it was forced upon. Nine giant pillars erupted from the ground, creating a dust storm. His eyes widened when he could only see a mountain of orange that was leaking a bestial and demoniacal chakra-untamed, wild and godly.

Observing further, he saw that the pillars were actually a towering mass of nine, flicking orange tails. To his horror, he saw that the beast had intelligent, cunning and calculating eyes, glaring with malicious intent. Its eyes flickered towards his crippled form and Hashirama let out a whimper and closed his eyes in pure fright, feeling shame well up in his chest when he had lost control of his bladder.

"Pitiful. I should let you all die for your actions!" The mighty beast roared in unadulterated anger and rage. "But she wouldn't forgive me if I let you all die." An ancient and tired sigh escaped its snout, creating a powerful gust of warm air.

This chakra fox felt oddly familiair but for the love of Kami, he couldn't place a name on it. What was he even thinking...? Familiair..? This was it. His sanity had left him. Lifeless chuckles rippled his lips and he dropped himself on the ground, admiring the orange color. It had been Naruto's favorite, something that Madara had blanched at.

Hashirama suddenly froze when a protective layer of orange chakra coursed through his veins, healing everything in its path. Hope blossomed in his chest when he felt power surging throughout his body. He couldn't help it- he started laughing and weeping at the same time, looking at the fox that locked intelligent eyes with him again and moved his permeating, inescapable eyes on Madara's form. Even he had chakra wrapped protectively around his frame. Looking further, he saw that Izuna was already standing on shaky legs. Tobirama, Naruto and Itama were still unconscious but all their wounds were knitting themselves. Color was returning to their skin, dismissing the paleness. Why was the mighty fox helping them? Was he their enemy-turned-friend? An ally?

The wood-user was confused but elated at the chance of victory that previously had seemed hopeless and unreachable

The fox turned his attention on Black Zetsu, "You shrieking baby, I'll enjoy crushing you." Kurama bared its fangs towards Black Zetsu and with that he started piercing and crushing, trying to kill the measly fly that kept shrieking in fury, "Your chakra belongs to my mother!"

Kurama growled at the pest. "I could care less about your worthless lunatic of a mother, you piece of shit!"

Black Zetsu was screeching and evading the attacks, trying to escape the clutches of this ferocious beast with massive chakra. He didn't even get enough time to phase out of existence. This was a foe that he was unable to kill, he admitted grudgingly. After all, it was his mother's chakra. Strong and potent.

Black eyes shot open and she lurched forward, gagging and spitting out blood. Confused, she looked around with wide, terrified eyes at her surrounding. Her senses detected nothing but blood, sweat, saline and dear Kami, so much fear. With shaky legs, she stood up and almost crumbled in like a sack of potatoes. Fortunately for her, strong and muscled arms kept her steady. Her eyes locked with equal black ones. "M-Mad-ara...?"

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief when she noticed Kurama's chakra cloaking her friends. Warmth and pride bubbled in her chest at the thought of her best friend protecting her precious people.

In the background, she heard the thundering roar of Kurama. She didn't even know how he had appeared since he had been unable to do so before. Deciding to lock everything for the moment, she focused her dark eyes on Madara's red spinning ones. A gasp tore through her lips, "Madara...your eyes..." Dread filled her at the thought that someone precious to him had died. "...where is Izuna?" She ignored the slight tremor in her voice.

With closed eyes she anticipated his next answer. She had been too late and too weak to protect Madara. His brother was gone and soon Madara would embrace the madness as well, just like the one from her time. It was all her fault.

What he said next left her gaping like a fish, "He is walking towards us."

Her disoriented chakra sensing was clumsily noticing the faint outline of Izuna's chakra. Breathing and alive. She almost started sobbing in relief but refrained from doing so. When Izuna joined them, he looked down in guilt, refusing to meet her eyes.

She sighed softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I forgive you."

Said Uchiha sucked in a deep breath and looked at Naruto with wide eyes. How...? Why was she so caring and forgiving? He shook in anger, wondering why she was acting like that? They had abandoned her like trash. ...just why?

"No time to talk," Hashirama interrupted them, a sluggish Tobirama leaning on his shoulders and an unconscious Itama in his arms. All three were being protected by Kurama's chakra.

Naruto's eyes widened when she noticed Itama's form, "Put him down" She shouted in disarray, hands already encased in green.

Hashirama obeyed her and placed his little brother gently on the ground. He and the rest watched on as Naruto healed what the fox' chakra was unable to.

Kurama chuckled in dark glee as he noticed that Black Zetsu's escape was laughable. "How ignorant you are, fool." Continuing viciously, "Did you really think you would stand a chance?" He barked loudly, his tails surrounding the thing- an impenetrable and inescapable prison.

He smirked when he felt a familiar chakra jump on top of his head. "Finally back from the death?"

Naruto chuckled tiredly, feeling a sense of calmness overtake her body. "It's good to see you again, Kurama. I owe you big time." Her eyes narrowed when she took in Zetsu's menacing form as he snarled at them. Loudly, she started, "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?!"

Kurama howled in amusement and shifted his paws, ready to pounce on his prey. "The predator became the prey."

Then, all traces of amusement vanished and in its stead appeared two powerful friend, steely narrowed gaze locked on their enemy.

In unison, they spoke, "You're going down!"

Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama and Izuna were rendered speechless at the sight of Naruto conversing with the demon fox like an old-time friend. Eyes wide open and jaws slacked down, it was a sight that bordered in madness. They wouldn't even dare of dreaming about this. What in the name of the Sage was going on?

From both sides, another incoming danger was lurking in the shadows...