After her seventeenth birthday, two more years passed. Those years were no different from the ones before it—filled with more war, death, and painful losses. They were the same as all the years before her seventeenth birthday and the years before she was even born. Opposite sides hiring the Senju and Uchiha and bringing more bloodshed was not a new occurrence. It would always be part of her family history.
Who was to blame either side though? War was what brought food to the table and kept the clan afloat. What was a shinobi clan to do without violence and conflict? The answer was simple. They would starve, and they would die.
The lack of missions to handle violence or take part in conflicts would leave them without money, and without money, they wouldn't be able to take care of themselves. It was a double-edged sword, as those missions almost always brought death and loss with it.
Asami understood this, but sometimes she was just tired of it all. It wasn't as though she longed for this outlandish, unreachable definition of peace, but she did wish for somewhere she could live happily with her family. Was that too much to ask for? A life where she didn't have to fear for the lives of those she loved… that was all she really wanted.
She was lucky to have her cousins still, but the lingering fear that something could happen to them still hung overhead. It would always be there. There was no escaping it. Asami may have been two years older, but age didn't get rid of those fears that would stick with her for a lifetime.
She would wake in a cold sweat with nightmares sometimes. Dreams plagued by dark thoughts of Madara getting beheaded, his head rolling in the grass, and his body falling on its side, limp. Sometimes Izuna was stabbed right through the heart with a katana by a faceless figure to fall dead at her feet.
Sometimes Asami would have nights where she would sleep fine, but most nights she was tormented by these constant what-ifs that were not too far from reality. Each of those things could happen the next time they left for a mission or went into battle. She was keenly aware of this.
All Asami wanted was for everyone she loved to be safe. It wasn't a simple ask though, and she knew this. No matter how much she wanted to secure the safety of her loved ones, it was out of her control.
No amount of begging or pleas would make things go the way she wanted.
She wasn't ignorant of this. The frequent nightmares were proof enough that she was aware of how fragile everything was.
Asami stood in an open field wearing a navy blue yukata, Mayu on her shoulder. The tall green grass blew with the strong winds, her long hair flowing with it. The sun shone overhead and basked the clearing in a warm glow. Madara stood a few feet from her with his arm outstretched, a hawk swooping in to take its purchase there.
She didn't look too different from when she was sixteen, but if you looked close enough you could see the new scars that littered her hands and the stiffness in her shoulders. She had more of a hardened look in her eyes as she watched the bird descend. Two years of fighting on the front lines and increased frequency of dangerous missions did that to a person.
After the battle between the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha before her seventeenth birthday, tensions had heightened. There wasn't much leisure time, and her days were filled with running missions or constant fighting. Wealthy lords or land owners seemed to be requesting missions from the Uchiha more than ever to defend their land or goods, eager to combat their offenders who hired the Senju.
Point was, it had been a busy two years and Asami wasn't sure it was going to slow down anytime soon.
Madara smiled as he scratched the hawk's chest. The bird ruffled its feathers and made quiet noises of appreciation. He looked over his shoulder at Asami as he continued to give the bird some attention.
"Still don't want to pet him?" He asked with a knowing grin.
As soon as he asked the question, the hawk stopped making noises and went silent. It stared Asami down, seeming as though it was attempting to have a staring contest with her. That, or it was preparing itself for some kind of attack. She wasn't fond of either option, really.
Asami grimaced, not oblivious to the look it was giving her. "No, and I don't think he wants me to pet him either."
"She doesn't need to pet it anyway!" Mayu shuffled on Asami's shoulder, moving in to huddle herself against Asami's neck. "She has me, so if she feels like petting someone, I'm right here."
Asami turned her head to look at the crow, smiling in amusement. She reached up to run her hand down Mayu's feathers. "Aw, is someone jealous?"
Mayu didn't acknowledge the prodding, only making noises of pleasure similar to the hawk moments ago. Asami's smile grew at the response as she continued to pet her.
Even if Mayu was much more intelligent than Madara's hawks and was in a totally different league, being a summoning animal and all, it was entertaining how she still wanted to be given attention like an ordinary bird.
Madara chuckled at the interaction, before turning to face the hawk perched on his forearm. He whistled and flicked his arm up, the hawk taking off and flying above them. It flew in mid-air for a moment, the strong flapping of its wings letting out small gusts of wind. Madara gave another whistle and it took off into the trees on the other side of the clearing, disappearing from view.
The two of them stood in silence as they watched it fly off, before Asami spoke up.
"Do you ever worry it won't come back the next time you call for it?" She asked curiously.
Madara stared at the forest the bird had gone into as he contemplated her words. Asami was sure he had thought about it before, but it didn't mean she couldn't ask still.
"Maybe it would make more sense to keep them at the compound? You would always know where they were instead of letting them loose in the forest surrounding it." She added.
Madara placed his hands on his hips as he hummed in thought. He turned to look at her with a shrug. "I've raised them since they were hatched, so I've developed a strong bond with them over the years. If they decided they didn't want to come back someday… then so be it. It just means they don't have any loyalty to me anymore and I did a bad job of keeping them attached."
Asami wrinkled her nose, wondering how he was so nonchalant about the thought of his hawks abandoning him. Madara coddled and treated the birds like his children, so she wasn't sure he would actually feel that way if they did up and leave him someday. It would probably break his heart.
"If you say so," said Asami as the two of them began walking toward the forest the Uchiha compound hid inside of.
Mayu ruffled her feathers, the sudden action bringing Asami to look at the crow that was still perched on her shoulder.
"I have some things to get to, so I'll be leaving now." Said Mayu.
"All right," Asami smiled at her. "I'll see you soon."
The crow didn't say anything else, disappearing with a white puff of smoke.
It did make Asami a little sad since her shoulder felt bare without her friend around. It was interesting to think about the development of her relationship with the crows over the last couple of years. Her first interaction with Mayu was plain startling, but now she looked back on that memory with fondness. She was glad she decided to sign with the crows and had come to love them a lot. The thought of not having Mayu around most of the time was a sad one.
"It seems both of us are birdless now." Madara looked over at Asami with a mischievous grin.
Asami gave him a bizarre look at his attempt to make a joke. "You think you're funny, hm? That was just awful."
Madara didn't say anything else, only chucking and shaking his head. Asami smiled in amusement. She really did enjoy the small moments like these she got with her family.
The two of them entered the forest and started walking in the direction of the Uchiha compound, the sun filtering through the canopy of branches above. Sticks, moss, and different rocks littered the ground. The large ferns and flowering bushes brought more warmth to her insides.
The forest surrounding her home was always a pretty sight to see during the summer. Taking a walk with just her and Madara was nice too—she didn't get to spend leisure time with her cousins often. She did wish Izuna was with them too so they could enjoy the rare quality time, but he was away on a mission guarding some expensive goods as it was transported across the Land of Fire. He was probably on his way back with the group of Uchiha he took for the mission right now, actually.
Just a little way before they reached the compound, there was the sound of sudden rustling.
Asami furrowed her brows and tensed, looking ahead to where the noises were coming from. Madara squared his shoulders and looked just as concerned as she did, stepping into a defensive stance.
The likelihood of a random ambush this close to home would be out of the ordinary, but the sudden noise and erratic chakra signature was alarming regardless of how deep they were in Uchiha territory. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard.
Asami reached her hand down toward the holster on her leg, ready to take out a kunai if needed.
A tall man with short, black hair jumped out of the bushes, eyes wide and breathing heavily. Asami immediately recognized him as one of their clansmen who often patrolled the forests surrounding the compound. He was panicked as he fought to catch his breath, sweat running down his face.
"Mako," Madara relaxed at the sight of the familiar face, but the man's panicked demeanor didn't help ease his nerves. Or Asami's for that matter. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Asami swallowed hard and looked between the both of them.
For someone to come rushing to them had to mean something terrible was going on or had happened. She could feel the man's anxiety practically infecting her. She was feeling jittery just looking at him.
Mako stood up straight, putting on an act of professionalism despite his entrance. He looked Madara in the eyes and spoke firmly, though he was still pale and appeared anxious. "The Senju have attacked Izuna-sama and his party while they were returning from their mission. A man was sent back from their group to tell us about the attack. They are just on the other end of the Naka river in the rock quarry. We already have people getting ready to come to their aide and I was sent to come to alert you immediately!"
Madara didn't have to be told twice, darting off in the direction of the compound, leaving Asami and the panicked man standing dumbstruck at his abruptness.
Asami made a face at her cousin's speedy departure without acknowledging the man after he spoke. His hasty attitude was understandable since the circumstances were dire, but he had an agitated man standing here waiting for some reassurance from his leader.
"Thank you for your speedy information, Mako-san," She gave him a curt nod, before taking off after Madara, a grimace on her face.
The lack of information was unsettling, the pit of anxiety in her stomach growing as she flew through the forest toward the compound.
What did an 'attack' by the Senju actually entail? Were there fifty of them? A Hundred? Just a small party? She didn't know. The squad Izuna left with was not a massive one, so if the group of Senju was large then Izuna would be in hot water until they arrived with help. She only hoped they would be fast enough.
When she broke through the forest and came to the entrance of the compound, it was needless to say that everyone was in a panic. Asami stood in the center of Shinobi running back and forth, passing each other pouches stuffed full of weapons, throwing around sheathed swords, and shouting random orders. She couldn't see Madara anywhere through the disarray. It was total chaos as Shinobi gathered their things to prepare for battle.
Whoever had been sent from Izuna's party to tell them of the attack must have painted a terrible picture of what was going on for everyone to be acting in such a way.
Hikaku came up to Asami and passed her a sheathed chokutō. He didn't appear as distraught as her, but Asami could tell he was also worried about Izuna and those who went on the mission with him. A sudden ambush was never a good thing, especially not from the Senju.
Hikaku didn't say anything though, choosing to just share a look with her, before heading to the entrance of the compound where Madara now stood with the gathered Shinobi. Asami furrowed her brows and let out a deep breath, watching him walk away. Her anxiety about the situation was only getting worse.
Doing her best to push the anxiety-ridden thoughts out of her head, Asami placed the sword around her waist and jogged up to the front to stand beside Madara.
Once she reached him, Madara glanced down at her, meeting her worried gaze for a moment, before he turned to face the crowd of Shinobi with his arms crossed. He called out to them with a hard look on his face. "I have been told Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama are part of the attack on the returning Uchiha! The Senju will not come out unscathed for this. Let's move out!"
Once Madara gave the word, the group departed from the compound and headed toward the rock quarry on the Naka river. Asami ran alongside Madara, the other Uchiha spread throughout the trees, hopping branch to branch silently.
There didn't seem to be any plan here besides just attack. Asami thought it seemed a little abrupt, but what else were they to do? They were crunched for time and didn't actually know what was going on at the moment, no matter the account Madara heard. The situation could have been flipped on its head since that Shinobi left the fight. They didn't have the time to come up with a crafty plan.
Asami didn't know what exactly the returning Shinobi said, but whatever was told must have been extremely unnerving. To know both the Senju brothers were already there only made matters worse. Izuna was a capable Shinobi, but against both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama? He couldn't handle that for long, if at all.
The thought made her stomach drop, a strong sense of urgency overcoming her. She forced herself to run faster, a worried grimace on her face. Madara noticed her sudden determination and looked over at her. Asami turned her head to meet his eyes.
Madara's face was hardened, almost expressionless as he looked at her, but Asami could tell he was just as worried, if not more. She shared a look with him before facing ahead again, the pit of anxiety only growing in the bottom of her stomach.
Asami couldn't help but be worried about Madara too. Her cousin was a smart and careful man—that was, until Izuna got into trouble. If anything pointed to Izuna being in mortal danger, real mortal danger, it was like every ounce of common sense went out of the window for him. All he could think about was securing Izuna's safety, even if it was at the cost of everything else.
He prioritized Izuna before everything. It wasn't as though Asami could blame him since she felt the same way about Hana. All he wanted to do was keep his brother safe. Keep his family safe. That's all anyone wanted.
But Madara was a clan leader, not just another Shinobi. He had more to think about than just Izuna. Asami just hoped Madara wouldn't ignore his duties as a leader in favor of Izuna.
Not that it was an easy thing for her to consider either. Asami loved Izuna very much. The thought of anything happening to him… she just didn't want to even venture into the possibilities. She did enough of that in her nightmares.
The rushing of the river became louder and Asami could see the beginnings of the rock quarry through the trees. Aggravated shouts, calls of jutsu, and cries of pain let them know they had stumbled upon the fight. The sounds of battle made her even more uneasy for what they were to see once they broke through the trees.
She crashed through the forest with the intention to attack the first person she saw, but the thought slipped her mind once she got a look at the scenery. It was horrifying, her mouth going dry as she stared dumbly, chokutō drawn and clenched tight in her hand.
Almost every person from Izuna's mission party laid dead, their bodies bloody and strewn along the bank. Blood streaked the rocks, scorch marks from different fire jutsu, discarded weapons, torn clothes, and random splashes of water in areas that did not seem naturally occurring.
There were at least eight dead bodies and a few members from the original group still standing. There weren't many of them though. She quickly scanned the bodies for the familiar baby blue pattern Izuna usually wore. She felt sick, every part of her insides begging and pleading that Izuna was not one of the people who lay dead already.
Thankfully, She didn't see anyone that looked like Izuna from where she stood. It gave her a little relief, but it didn't actually mean anything. He could have been dead behind some rubble somewhere or been swept away by the river already. She just didn't know. The lack of knowledge made her even more uneasy.
Other Uchiha poured onto the rocky terrain and clashed with the Senju once they hit the bank. They dropped down from high branches, swinging their swords down on the closest Senju within their reach. One man let off a fireball and the Senju it was aimed at leaped out of the way, the raging orange ball crashing into a tree. The tree lit up in flames and groaned as the trunk began to crack, making sounds as though it was coming close to breaking.
Asami wrung her hand around the handle of her sword and tried to shove aside the sickening feeling in her stomach.
This was no time to get up in her head. She needed to help fend off these Senju so they could get the injured Uchiha back home—and most importantly, find Izuna.
She charged across the river, her sandals slapping against the strong current. She slid her chokutō across a Senju's side as she sprinted by. He was caught off guard by her sudden appearance and cried out at the long, deep slash on his side. He crashed into the water and was swept away by the rushing current, a trial of red left behind from his injury. The Uchiha he was fighting didn't hesitate to find their next opponent and turned to join in on another fight.
"Uchiha reinforcements have arrived!" Shouted a random Senju across the bank as he shoved a sword through an Uchiha's stomach.
Asami locked her sights on him, eyes narrowed. It was stupid to draw attention to himself like that—of course everyone noticed the Uchiha pouring in from the tree line to join the fight. The announcement wasn't needed and his stupidity had earned him special attention from her.
The Uchiha he stabbed crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. She activated her Sharingan and began to fly through the hand seals for a fireball, the hot chakra bubbling in her chest. With a heavy breath, she let out the fireball, the orange flames raging across the bank toward the Senju.
The man looked up in alarm at the fire hurdling in his direction. He formed his own hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground with a call of a jutsu she couldn't hear over the raging water and noises of other fights going on.
Asami stumbled and raised her sword in preparation to protect herself, but the sudden slab of earth rising from the ground eased her nerves. The fireball slammed into the earth wall, the angry orange flames curving around the edges and straining itself to reach him. Any normal katon would have died out already, but it was as though her fire had a mind of its own as it tried to eat through the thick earth to devour him.
The earth wall was annoying, but she had to admit it was satisfying to see her fire persevering against the strong barrier. While the wall of earth protected him from the fire itself, she was sure it didn't do much against the heat. With the fire curling over the edges like that she was sure it was far from pleasant—it was probably hot behind the wall. Not that she felt bad for him, though.
The earth wall flipped over, smashing the fire into the ground and smothering it. It dissolved into a grainy, sandlike substance, forming a dark, ashy pile with smoke rising from it.
Asami cast it one last glance, mentally mourning her katon, before turning her attention to the Senju man.
She ran for him, swinging her chokutō at him once she was close enough. He sidestepped it easily, eyes trained on her hands and making a point not to look in her eyes. Which was smart, she had to give him that—but people seemed to forget you didn't need to look into an Uchiha's eyes to be caught in a genjutsu.
There were shinobi besides Uchiha who used genjutsu after all. But who even said she was planning to use one anyway?
The Senju brought his own sword down on her and she quickly flicked hers up to meet it, the metal clang! ringing out once they connected. He pressed down against her sword, gritting his teeth as he tried to overpower her. Beads of sweat ran down his reddened face, his hair damp and sticking to his forehead from the extreme heat of her fireball.
He leaned over her as he pressed down on the blade, a few stray beads of sweat plopping onto her face. She grimaced at the feeling but forced herself to focus on not letting him smoosh her against the ground with his sword.
Asami's lack of strength still proved to be a problem even two years later. She excelled in many areas—but physical strength was definitely not one of them.
The Senju suddenly gasped and his eyes went wide, the color draining from his face. Asami furrowed her brows in confusion. She hadn't struck him in any way, so what the hell happened?
A splotch of red began to form on his shoulder, and then there was an audible squelch of flesh followed by the sound of metal. Asami squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away as he hacked blood, the fluids splattering across the side of her face.
The feeling of the hot blood was absolutely disgusting, especially as she opened her eyes and could feel her eyelids were covered in it. Not that she really had any room to complain about it. Someone else had attacked him and come to her rescue, so a little bit of blood on her face was… fine.
The strength he was applying lessened and Asami took the opportunity to give a strong shove against his sword, causing him to stumble backward. He looked over his shoulder in alarm for whoever had struck him, but before he could even lock eyes with his attacker, his head was swiped clean off.
Asami blinked dumbly at the Senju who now stood in front of her without a head. The body stood standing for a moment, before it fully collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap, his head rolling along the rocky bank and leaving streaks of blood as it went.
His death was served quickly and with efficiency, but she could only wonder who was the one to deliver the killing blow.
She looked up to see who had come to her rescue. Relief flooded through her at the sight of a familiar head of curly hair.
Of course, Kousuke was the one to notice she was in trouble and came to her aide. Even if she would have been just fine on her own, help was never something she would turn down.
"Thanks," she said, wiping the blood from her face with the back of her sleeve. With Kousuke standing beside her she could afford to get the nasty fluids out of her eyes. She always hated the warm, sticky feeling of others' blood on her skin.
Kousuke looked around for anyone who appeared interested in attacking them as she wiped her face. He wrung his hand around the handle of his bloody tanto and only grimaced, a crease between his eyebrows as his eyes scanned the area filled with chaos. People around them continued to cry out and shout as they fought, the sounds mixing with the clang of weapons.
"It's fine. I just figured I should come over here and take care of that guy if I could." He glanced over at her, before returning his focus to their surroundings again, eyes narrowing on a man who was charging at him with a Kunai.
Kousuke leaped out of the way before the Senju could land a hit and slid his tanto across the back of his neck. Asami jumped back to avoid getting hit with the spray of blood that came from his neck as the man cried out in agony. He fell to the ground and clutched at the back of his neck, rolling around as blood ran down his neck and over his fingers.
Asami didn't pay the man on the ground any mind and looked around at her surroundings for anyone else who would attack them. Her face was still stained red, a few streaks of blood across her face from wiping it with her sleeve.
"Have you seen Izuna or Madara?" She asked Kousuke, looking around now with more of a purpose rather than just for a sudden attacker.
Asami had been in the battle for at least fifteen minutes now and still hadn't found Izuna, whereas Madara had probably taken off in search of his little brother the moment they hit the quarry. There was a small part of her internally reprimanding herself for not doing the same. She had charged into the fight and just began attacking any Senju she saw and made fending them off her main focus.
She was torn. She wanted to make finding Izuna a top priority like Madara had… but there was something more important to take into consideration. Asami was strong and could easily take down numbers of Senju, and fending them off would help get the survivors of Izuna's original party home. Wasn't doing that just as important as Izuna's life, if not more?
Guilt flooded her at the sudden thought. Asami never thought she would be placing Izuna's life on a scale in comparison to others… Izuna was important to her and she loved him more than anything. Asami loved Izuna like her own sibling, but if it came down to him or the clan… what would she choose?
The answer was painfully evident to her, as was the guilt-ridden pit in her stomach.
Kousuke nodded his head in the direction of the edge of the rock quarry. "They're over the ledge with the rest of the fight. If you want to go join them I'll stay up here with Hikaku-san and keep pressing the Senju back!"
Asami looked at him in concern, not saying anything.
She didn't expect him to offer up such a thing, but he could probably sense her inner dilemma about what the right thing to do in this circumstance was. She wanted to help Izuna, she wanted to make sure he was okay, but what about everyone else who was fighting desperately and had come to help? Weren't they important too?
"Are you sure?!" Asami asked over the sounds of the battle, holding her chokutō out in front of her as a Senju charged forward and swung his sword at her face.
She flicked up to block his swing, then swung at his side only for him to block her this time. With a shout she swiped her sword up, it gliding across his thigh and chest, the chest plate he must have been wearing earlier missing. Only the shoulder pads to his armor were still hanging on, and those didn't help him against the deep gash that ran diagonally across his body.
Blood gushed from the wound and he cried out, falling forward and almost sobbing on the ground in front of her. Asami stabbed the end of her sword into his upper neck and his cries stopped almost immediately.
At least no blood was sprayed at her this time. The one time the Senju's armor would have come in handy and something had happened to it… a shame.
Finally answering her question, Kouske nodded and met her eyes for the first time through all the commotion of the battle. "I wouldn't tell you I was fine with something if I didn't mean it. Go on! They probably need your help down there—they brought their female genjutsu specialist this time." He added, his expression darkening at the topic of the annoying woman.
He looked very serious as he spoke, and it made Asami feel better about practically abandoning them to run to her cousin's aide. Or at least what felt like abandoning them. She knew Hikaku and Kousuke were skilled Shinobi and trusted them… Kousuke wouldn't take on that responsibility unless he felt he was fully capable of it anyway. She trusted him.
Knowing that Senju woman was part of the attack only added another layer to the situation.
Touka was her name if she remembered correctly—her presence gave Asami more of an excuse to head down there and help them in the fight. From one female genjutsu user to another, she had a personal vendetta against the woman.
"Okay, if you say so," Asami flicked the blood off of her blade and met Kousuke's gaze one last time. He gave her a nod of confirmation, and she took that as the last push before she took off across the rocks.
She zipped through the different fights, jumping over someone tunneling through the ground with an earth Jutsu, and leaping around a large fireball let off by an Uchiha comrade. She slid her sword across people as she sprinted past, random Senju crying out at the sudden injury.
They were unable to do anything to retaliate, as she was gone before they even realized they were injured at all, and their original Uchiha opponent didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity of cutting them down either. Taking people down as she went was the least she could do.
Asami made it to the edge of the upper collection of rocks, the river trailing off to the side and angling in the opposite direction. She scanned the lower area from above, the red of her Sharingan darting around as she tried to spot either of her cousins. It was hard to see anything through the chaos, Uchiha and Senju clashing and flinging off Jutsu at one another down below.
Though where Hashirama was… Madara probably was too, right? All she needed to do was look for some insane tree roots curling from the ground and her oldest cousin would be right there with him.
With the new target in mind, she scanned the area again, and finally her eyes landed on a massive tree curling up from the ground, a figure standing on the tree branches as it rose higher. The man riding the tree was most definitely Hashirama—and sure enough, Madara was right there with him, charging at Hashirama and swinging his scythe as he went.
Asami hadn't spotted Izuna yet, but she was sure if Madara was fighting Hashirama in that general area, then Izuna had to at least be nearby. Madara's top priority was finding his little brother, and even if Hashirama got in the way of directly helping him, Madara would make sure to at least keep a close eye on Izuna.
Just knowing Madara's location gave her enough detail for now anyway.
She leaped off the top of the quarry and bounded down the jagged rocks until she hit the ground. The moment she landed, Asami took off running again, her eyes set on Hashirama and Madara's fight. The act of weaving through the chaos was much like before—jumping around different Jutsu and Shinobi swinging their weapons to land a hit on their opponent.
Now that she was on the ground and in the midst of the battle, it made it easier for her to see what was really going on. Madara and Hashirama were fighting like madmen, so she knew she couldn't get too close out of fear of getting caught in the crossfire of one of their attacks. The last thing she wanted was to get launched through the air by a tree branch.
But she still didn't see Izuna anywhere. The only thing she could think of was to shout to Madara to ask if he knew where Izuna was, but she wasn't sure Madara would be able to hear her or even spare a second when he was fighting against Hashirama.
Asami drew closer to their fight, stopping just short of where Hashirama's massive tree branches began rolling and curling through the rock. Madara was shouting at Hashirama, but she couldn't make out what he was saying over the other sounds of battle behind her. Whatever he was saying though, he sounded angry, and it looked as though Hashirama was saying something back to him, but she didn't know what he was saying either.
It was insane to just stand there and watch the two of them fight, Hashirama's trees jabbing and swiping at her cousin, followed by Madara slicing and setting the branches on fire with a massive katon. She was glad she decided to not get any closer, since she was sure to get crushed if she did.
Even when she had a decent amount of space between her and their direct fight, there were still small, minor tree roots and twigs laying on the rock, some jagged as though they'd been smashed to bits by Madara's gunbai. The torn-up area she stood in made her think maybe their fight had started here, but moved across the way as it progressed.
Asami rocked on the balls of her feet as she took another look around her again for any sight of Izuna. No one had attacked her yet, still preoccupied with whoever they had been fighting before she dropped down from the ledge.
Why was she having such a hard time spotting Izuna?! This was starting to get frustrating, and her worry was going through the roof.
"Looking for someone?" Asked a smooth voice tauntingly.
Asami turned her head, eyes narrowing in on a tall woman with a thin face, her hair tied back into a high knot. She turned to fully face the woman and readjusted her grip on her sword, much more focused now.
"Touka," Asami greeted, though she didn't let the sharp expression she wore falter.
She could not afford to play around when she was in the presence of Hashirama and Tobirama's cousin. In a way, the two of them were equals and shared a similar place within their respective clan. It only made sense for Touka to be her designated 'match' whenever the both of them were present in a battle.
Not that Asami sought out the woman like her cousins did with their own usual opponents. In fact, Asami really despised Touka for her tendency to try and use genjutsu on her. It was practically like she was spitting on Asami each time she attempted it.
Touka pulled out a handful of senbon and stared Asami down, though she was making a point not to meet her eyes. "I assume you're looking for your other cousin?"
Asami's blood ran cold at this, the tone in Touka's voice making her think that she knew where Izuna was. Asami knew she wasn't taunting her about Madara since it was obvious he was fighting Hashirama off to the side of them. The only other person she could be referring to was Izuna.
"Where is he?" She asked, her voice sharp and unkind as she practically demanded an answer.
Touka nodded her head back, gesturing to a collection of tall boulders off to the side that were hard to see around. Asami hadn't even noticed them before, but now that it was pointed out to her, she could see the familiar pale baby blue color of Izuna's yukata maneuvering around precise swings of Tobirama's weapon. Izuna was uninjured and fairing just fine in his fight.
Relief flooded through her as she recognized him. Why Touka pointed Izuna out to her, she didn't know, but she was internally thankful for it. Maybe the Senju woman didn't fully realize that if Asami still didn't know where Izuna was throughout the fight it would have put her on edge. Focusing would have been much harder since she would have been so preoccupied with figuring out if Izuna was okay.
Touka made a noise of disapproval and flicked the senbon in her hand at Asami. Asami swiped her chokutō to deflect them, the needles clattering to the rocky ground. A purple liquid coated the edge of her sword where it had hit the needles and Asami eyed it carefully, making a mental note of the substance.
"So, you're using poisons today?" She mused, eying the liquid that began to dribble down the blade, before she looked up at Touka again.
There was a shout off to the side and some kind of crash, then the sound of the rock being thrown around by Hashirama's tree roots. Madara called out the name for his katon and Asami felt the sudden flash of heat. She was able to see a burst of orange out of the corner of her eye, but she still didn't look away from the woman in front of her despite the insane fight going on right next to them.
Touka pulled a long knife from the holster on her hip but didn't say anything more, the ghost of a smirk stretching across her mouth enough of a reply.
Now that she knew Izuna was safe, she could take care of Touka and do everything she could to get her to back off. She wasn't sure what Madara's plan was. Were they just to fight the Senju and fend them off, or were they going to look for a crack in the Senju's party to retreat with the injured? She didn't know.
The only thing Asami could do now was play her part and focus on her fight with Touka.
Asami ran for Touka with her eyes narrowed, Sharingan darting around as she anticipated what her next move would be.
Was she going to jab her knife forward and aim for her stomach, or was she going to reach into her pouch for the poison-covered needles? Would she attempt some kind of genjutsu on her? The different possibilities were running through her mind, but everything was cut short with a brisk snap of a chord as she looked over Touka's shoulder.
Her blood went cold, her steps faltering as a chill ran over her, the scene she just witnessed settling in.
How was that possible…? What Tobirama had just done… what was wrong with Izuna? How had… what even happened?
Moving faster than she had ever seen before, at a speed that was completely unimaginable, Tobirama flung himself forward and speared his katana through Izuna's side. One moment he was standing in front of Izuna, and the next he was suddenly on the other side of him with his sword outstretched, the blade covered in blood.
It all happened so fast her mind could barely comprehend it. She just happened to look over at the right second, and even with her Sharingan activated she couldn't give an explanation for Tobirama's attack. It was like something she had never seen before. How was it possible for him to move so fast?
Izuna stood still as if nothing had happened, stiff as a board. Had Tobirama even injured Izuna at all? Maybe the blood on his blade was from a previous fight?
The hopeful thought was wiped from her mind as Izuna suddenly keeled over and coughed blood across the rock, blood beginning to seep through his yukata. His hand flew to press on the growing red patch, sword still clenched in his opposite hand.
Asami felt sick all over at the realization. He was hurt. It looked bad.
The color drained from her face and her expression dropped, overcome with the sudden urge to run over to him. He needed help! She—no, someone, anyone, needed to get over there and help him before anything else happened.
There was a mighty swing at her face with a knife. Asami gasped, her eyes going wide as she swiftly jumped back before it could hit her, the tip of the weapon barely missing her face.
Touka glared at Asami, her brown eyes sharp and calculating as she waited for Asami to make a move. She readjusted the knife in her hand before speaking. "You should be careful, you know. You looked away and I almost got you."
Now with some distance between them, Asami stared at Touka with her sword raised, her heart hammering in her chest. She was shaken—not only from almost being sliced in half by Touka's knife, but because Izuna had just been stabbed. She felt sick and scared, but she still needed to pay attention.
Izuna's injury had shattered her focus and she almost paid the price for it. Getting distracted was not an option right now, since if she and Izuna were both horribly wounded, they would have an even bigger problem. She didn't need to add to the already growing mess.
She stole a glance at Madara who just noticed that Izuna was stabbed, his face pale and looking at his brother in worry. His eyes darted around, looking for some kind of opening to get out of his fight with Hashirama so he could run to Izuna, but it didn't look as though it was going to be easy. Hashirama came after him every time there seemed like there may have been an opportunity for him to get away.
Asami grimaced, feeling sick. This wasn't good. Someone needed to get over to Izuna.
Hashirama shouted something as he formed a hand seal, a huge tree branch shooting out of the ground. It snapped in Madara's direction, but he disappeared with a quick shunshin before it could land, the branch slamming onto the rock and creating cracks in the surface.
Madara reappeared beside Izuna and threw his arm over his shoulder, saying something to him frantically. Izuna looked as though he was in unimaginable pain, his skin much paler than usual as the red spot on his clothes continued to grow. He looked terrible.
Asami narrowed her eyes at Touka, her sword still held protectively in her hand. She glanced over Touka's shoulder at her cousins, Tobirama in front of them in a defensive stance now.
She needed to get away from Touka and get over there. Fast.
Following her cousin's lead, Asami shunshined beside the two of them. Hashirama appeared beside Tobirama now, those who were fighting in their own battles seeming to come to a stop as their clan leaders were gathered in front of one another.
"Izuna…" Asami felt her stomach drop as she took a step closer to him, her hand outstretched as though she was trying to find something she could do to help him.
Madara shared a look with her, his skin almost as pale as Izuna's. There was a sense of subdued panic about him as he looked over to Hashirama, the grip on his brother tightening. Both Hashirama and Tobirama continued to keep their distance, Tobirama following his brother's lead and Hashirama seeming to sense how fragile the situation was.
"Madara… please," Hashirama took a step forward and held his hand out, the desperation on his face an expression she had seen from the Senju clan leader time and time again as he tried to offer some kind of peace to Madara.
Asami wasn't sure why he kept asking. She knew of the history between them, but why would Madara trust any of the Senju, especially when Hashirama's younger brother had just wounded Izuna? Asami didn't trust them at all!
What surprised her though, was that Madara actually inched forward, his face matching Hashirama's display of desperation. Though she suspected his desperation was coming from a place of needing to secure Izuna's safety and health, not whatever offer of peace Hashirama claimed to have this time.
Asami looked at him with wide eyes, ready to say something to Madara to make him think twice about taking Hashirama's hand, but Izuna beat her to it.
"Nii-san," Izuna said, bringing Madara to look down at him with a torn expression. Izuna grimaced and let out a grunt in pain, sweat beginning to dribble down the side of his face. He took a breath, before speaking again, his eyes narrowed ahead at Hashirama in burning hatred. "Don't… trust them. Don't do it." He murmured, it taking a lot of strength for him to keep talking.
Madara stared down at Izuna for another moment, before he looked up at Hashirama, eyeing his outstretched hand and the desperate look Hashirama continued to send him. Asami could tell there was a battle going on in his mind for if he was to listen to Izuna and refuse Hashirama, or if he was going to take Hashirama's hand and give Izuna help from their healers.
The Senju always had better healers than them. For whatever reason, the Senju were more skilled in medicine and had come up with methods for how to heal certain wounds that took more time for Uchiha healers to tend to. Which meant Izuna would have the best care in Senju hands.
The thought was nice in theory, but Asami didn't think it was wise to put their trust in the Senju.
No matter what history Madara and Hashirama shared, it was like throwing Izuna to the sharks to just hand him over to Hashirama like that. Izuna didn't trust them either, so to ignore his wishes and let Hashirama, or any other Senju healer for that matter, lay their hands on him would be the worst betrayal.
That wasn't even considering the fact the Senju may not even heal him at all. The Senju had every reason to take advantage of Izuna's weakness and kill him, and they had practically no reason to want him alive.
Because of that, Asami took a step forward, her sword clenched protectively in her hand and the other stretched behind her as though that was her form of protection. She needed to jump in and make the decision for Madara so he didn't feel any inclination to trust Hashirama with Izuna's life.
She spoke in a quiet voice, no one but Madara and Izuna able to hear her. "Take Izuna back home. I'll deal with the rest."
Izuna made a noise of frustration, followed by another one of pain. "No—!"
Izuna didn't like that idea at all. He didn't want to run away and leave her there, no matter what his condition was. He looked up at his brother in hopes that maybe he would deny her instructions, but the firm expression on his face told Izuna enough.
Madara knew she wasn't willing to back down on this, and at the moment he was more concerned about keeping Izuna alive than anything else. Even if it meant leaving the fate of the rest of the clan members in Asami's hands, he didn't care. It didn't matter to him. The only thing on his mind was making sure Izuna lived.
So with that, Madara pulled a smoke bomb out from his pocket and threw it down, concealing him and his brother in a white cloud.
When the smoke cleared both Izuna and Madara were gone, the Uchiha and Senju standing in shock at how it looked as though the Uchiha clan leader had just deserted their own shinobi. Their only remaining sense of leadership was Asami, and she was going to make sure no one was taken prisoner.