Long time no update, my fellow readers! I'm really sorry for the long wait. A lot of things have happened, and are still currently happening. And I can't say for sure when the next update will be. :/ So we decided to whip up a short chapter for you guys. Mind you, it's not as the other chapters - and it may not be as good. But this is the best version we could make in a short period of time.
Also, I should talk about everyone's ages, shouldn't I.
Kakashi, Izuna and Tobirama - 13 years
Tsunade - 14 years.
Madara and Hashirama - 15 years
Toka - 16 years
Thanks for everything again! :) Hope you guys enjoy!
Skin Deep
"So your father is the one behind this ludicrous plan, huh?" Toka said simply to Tobirama, as she shifted her dirtied clothes and readjusted her fairly slim rapier by her side. All the while eyeing the conspicuous Uchiha-inbred. Just seeing that blood-crystal hued eye was enough to provoke her inner demons. Just how many people have been mentally screwed over with those eyes? Her hand subconsciously wrapped tightly around her sword.
To think the Senju would fall this low to allow this boy into their clan. Granted he wasn't a pureblood, he still possessed that loathsome jewel of the Uchiha. He had their clan's brand of epitome and hatred. And just coming in contact with it alone was mind-numbing.
Tobirama crossed his arms and wore the same scowl of his father. "I didn't like the idea of it, either," he confessed bitterly, and paused for a moment, "but Kakashi is not like them. He's not like an Uchiha."
Toka had to remind herself to breathe upon hearing the Senju speak. She grew up with Tobirama, and she knows for a fact that he would never welcome a stranger into their family. He possessed the same wary nature to that of a guard dog. To hear him say such a thing without even batting as much of an eyelash confused her.
She directed her gaze up to the webbing of the trees' branches up above. "If you trust that boy… then I shall, too. But I won't give him as much of the benefit of the doubt as you have given him."
Tobirama pulled a face, already prepared to retaliate.
"I know you," was all she said before she walked off, ready to lead their members back into their compound.
Kakashi eased the mother up on her feet, and had the boy hitch a piggyback from him.
Once they arrived back home, they went through the formalities with the Head of the noble family, dispatched a new escort for them, and settled camp for their rescued supplies. Kakashi carried the blocks of steel, that would soon be heated and moulded into weapons of destruction, to their storage house.
He sighed and wiped his sweat away. He really should have used his chakra sparingly in that battle, since possessing the sharingan involved intense physical strain. However, it was his innate nature which spurred him to give a limb to protect the mother and child. He would have drained all of his chakra, if necessary, to protect them.
Some would say that this was because of his ingrained chivalrous nature, but Kakashi would say otherwise. It's his trauma of losing someone under his protection, that drives him to go to such a length.
The sun radiated baked golden hues over the landscape, stretching out peacefully and enshrouding around the most intricate curves of nature, whilst the dark inked shadows loomed behind like the Nara's signature jutsu. Kakashi looked down at his dominant hand with a softened look. He didn't know if the birth of his Raikiri was his greatest achievement or his biggest kryptonite.
He then looked at his silhouette.
He really is a ––
"I don't think we have met in a formal basis," Toka smoothly interrupted.
Kakashi hastily turned around and he dipped his head slightly. "I'm Kakashi Hatake."
"I'm aware."
"That's an unusual name," he said as a witty remark, hoping it would become their ice-breaker.
It wasn't.
He received a numbing silence.
The silver-haired boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. Were Senju women always so hard to please with humour? Because she hasn't cracked a smile or a laugh since she got back.
Toka's tightened eyes eased. "Do you always hide behind this façade of yours?"
His laughter stopped, and he stared.
"Just a while ago, you looked like you were deep in your thoughts. And I couldn't help but notice that your chakra signature was extremely rigid, implying distress or irritation." Her analysis was as sharp as his sharingan. "I just found your transition amusing, that's all."
"I'm sorry… I was just…." Reliving memories. As usual.
"You don't have to justify yourself," she quickly said, easing up even more. "Tobirama trusts you, Kakashi –– and Hashirama has always been a given. But for Tobirama to even defend an outsider like you –– it was unfathomable until now." Toka came closer, but hesitated when the gleam of Kakashi's kekkai genkai came to life. She paused and steadied herself. "But you do know that this isn't your war, right?"
The silver-haired boy wiped the dirt off his hands and spoke, "It doesn't matter whose war this is. I have been dragged into it long enough; I have killed too many people to say such a thing. This may not have been my war before, but it is now…."
Toka finally smiled. "You're interesting, Kakashi."
He flinched at her radiance.
"I look forward fighting alongside you."
The astute girl stepped into his comfort zone and stretched out her hand. Kakashi reluctantly sealed their handshake with a mute expression.
"Don't make me regret welcoming you into the family, Kakashi," warned Toka, adjusting her grip around his hand to squeeze it as tightly as she could.
Kakashi tried to remain composed, but her grip was almost bone-crushing. A sweat ran down his temple and his teeth gritted together to keep his yelp from coming out.
Luckily enough, a third person popped up into the scene.
"Toka!"
Judging by the sudden palpable zest, Hashirama had finally come home.
She slipped her hand from Kakashi and turned on her heels. "Hashirama!" she waved enthusiastically.
The First ran up to her and grinned boyishly. "You're finally back, huh?"
"Since this afternoon. I had to help out little Tobi with those pesky vultures."
The bright aura sudden turned icy.
"Who are you calling 'little'?" Tobirama snapped and folded his arms defiantly. "I've grown considerably since you left."
Hashirama cocked his head to the side whilst Toka laughed mightily.
The white-haired Senju's vein popped on his forehead.
Kakashi remained in the background, not quite sure whether he should just spectate or become their mediator.
Tobirama stomped over to Kakashi. "I'm going to train!" he claimed powerfully. "Come with me, Kakashi."
"E-Ey?" he shrieked. "I'm very tired, Tobirama-san."
Mismatched met maroon eyes.
Kakashi sighed in defeat, rolling his shoulders back. "Fine," he groaned.
Butsuma sat among his clansmen that night, celebrating the fact that they have successfully replenished their resources. He drank heavily that night as men and women frolicked about, singing and dancing –– and forgetting about their war against the Uchiha. His drowsy eyes trailed over the civilian women getting intimate with their lovers. Some had already retreated back into their huts to gain privacy.
He smirked. It wasn't hard to put two and two together, even for a drunk man like himself. His men deserved to lavish themselves with booze and women tonight. They have fought to the bone for him, and the least he could do for them is to allow them to feel a soft woman's warmth for the night.
They were good men, he concluded. The most loyal.
The trio sat together in a triangle, playing with cards, completely oblivious of the sexual nature of the event. Well, expect for Kakashi. While he has attained his teenage form, his mind still worked like an adult's. He knew what was exactly going on. And that this is all a ploy to ease the men into the hardship ahead.
Hell was waiting for them after this night.
"Kakashi!" Hashirama snapped his fingers in front of him. "It's your turn."
He blinked and looked back at the set of his cards before he caught Tobirama's glare. "Don't tell me you were thinking about what the adults are doing."
Tobirama knew, after all.
"No-no…" he tried to protest.
Hashirama encircled his arm around him, and wore a mischievous grin. "Are you interested?"
Maybe these kids were not as innocent as he thought.
"Father always hold events like these –– men get drunk and end up in the huts of women's. It's apparently to relax the men from the traumatising events. Sometimes our clan ends up with Comfort Women, which is a euphemism for sex slaves. Every clan does it every now and then." Tobirama wrinkled his nose. "I couldn't care less about it."
Hashirama planted his hands behind him and leaned back, staring up at the night sky. "Father never gets involved, since he doesn't like the whole affair. But many men in the clan are…. deprived, and my father thinks this is one of the ways to encourage them to keep fighting for him."
"You are too young to be discussing such a topic, you two." Toka walked towards them with a parcel in her hand. She squeezed into their triangle and reformed it as a square. "Some men in this clan are such pigs," was all she said. "They have wives and children to care for, but they always go for another woman."
"You're not much older than me, Toka." Hashirama answered back.
Kakashi placed down his cards and nodded at the wrapped object. "What's inside that?"
Toka hushed him down. "Don't tell anyone, okay?" She unwrapped it and showed a bottle of sake and four curved cups. "I snuck this out of one of the huts." She eagerly poured the alcohol into the cups and offered it to each of them.
Tobirama raised a brow at it. "It looks like water."
"And you keep thinking that." She winked.
Hashirama held his nose and took a sip. Almost immediately, his complexion paled and he began rubbing the taste off his tongue.
Tobirama shook the liquid around before he drank in the similar fashion Toka did. His stoic expression cracked and his skin turned bright pink. He coughed several times at the potency of the liquid, all the while mentally cursing at Toka.
Kakashi was last –– and the most composed of all. He drank it like it was water, and just sat there. Completely unaffected.
"What the hell?!" The three Senju vociferated.
"Are you god?!" Hashirama asked, grabbing him by his shoulders.
"Are you an alcoholic?!" Toka accused sharply, causing further uproar.
Tobirama watched as the two shook him around, asking and accusing all at the same time. He snorted and looked at the bottle of sake. He bet he could do it too….. if he diluted it with his water release.
Butsuma stood up and raised his cup to his clansmen, drunkenly grinning.
"Drink on, my men. Have the time of your lives. Because tomorrow morning is going to be a treacherous road. Live like you've never lived before, and copulate until your desire has been quenched." He drank his sake and held the bottle with one hand. "Senju women, our men need your care tonight."
Everyone cheered and the music of instruments continued, as the flames of the fire-pit intensified. Butsuma watched the embers fly into the sky with bitterness. Seeing the tongues of flame only brought back ugly memories.
"Lord Butsuma," one of the women approached him. "Do you want to have some company for the night?"
He scanned her figure from head to toe, concluding at she was well-endowed. But he shook his head with a sloppy smile. "I'm better alone." With that, he swayed side to side to his own hut.
Tobirama worriedly followed his father's movements.
His father was always alone….
3 months later.
As sluggish as the humid night was for Tsunade, her movements were brisk and efficient as she manoeuvred in between healing and training. The Uchiha had been more militant these past few days, but surprisingly enough, this violent onslaught wasn't directed at the Senju clan. As a matter of fact, the conflict between the two rivals were kept to a bare minimum. As it would seem, the Senju clan had decided to reside elsewhere near the mountains, near the Nara family's region.
If Tsunade had to hazard a guess, their sudden relocation was attributed by their scarce source of medical herbs, and horns from deer. There was an abundance of herbs near the mountains, and whilst it practically flaunted at locals and travels alike, no one can quite utilise their medical properties quite like an astute Senju. One delicate mistake in extraction can spoil the entire herb, and its extract will do more harm than good.
Since the Senju disappeared, the Uchiha had branched themselves out within the wooded area and made sure they piled up on supplies that would provide them comfort during the long haul of winter. This little expedition, however, was costly as they had to rob areas of the land from other minorities within the area. Every time the Uchiha would organise a voyage, a good number of a dozen men would come back with injuries.
Tsunade pulled herself out of her musings and continued to grind the herb in a mortar. After grinding up enough herbs, she gathered it all in a lattice basket and knelt down next to an injured Uchiha. With a delicate touch, she rubbed the herbs against the man's grotesque wound in the abdomen. She watched him wince in pain and grunt with dismay at the friction the plant did against his torn skin.
"I'm trying to disinfect your wound," she soothingly spoke, turning the wet flannel around on his forehead. Just as she had expected, he was coming down with a fever. A green translucent light began to radiate around her palm, and she begin to meticulously knit his flesh and bones together. The wound was deeper than she would have liked, and therefore drained more chakra than she expected. Tsunade pressed deeper against his body and burned a brighter green hue –– verging on emerald –– on her palm, whilst simultaneously providing him with her own chakra with her other hand.
The man's ragged breaths began to stabilize and his fever started to calm. Everything reached an equilibrium again, and the man drowned into an unconscious state –– alive and on his way to recovery. Tsunade went back to her work station to heat a needle on a burning candle. She then laced a fine thread through it so she could manually knit the partially open wound closed. As she sealed the man's gash, she felt a small prickle of someone's chakra presence looming behind her. Guessing was futile; she already knew who it was.
"Madara," she lightly acknowledged, still finishing up her work.
The Uchiha smirked, half-impressed that despite being preoccupied with mind-numbing work, she still kept an iota of awareness under her sleeve to detect his presence. Had he had the energy to do so he would have mockingly applauded her efforts, but since he was far too drained to even bother, he remained quiet. He, instead, propped himself lazily on a wooden chair and watched her finish her masterpiece. His tired eyes tracked her meticulous motion at closing the opening, drinking with appreciation at how they contrasted as ninjas.
It only takes little to no effort for him to imbed a deep laceration into an enemy, but it takes immense skills for her to heal all the muscles, tissues, severed nerves and bones together. She repairs what he destroys. Despite this clear juxtaposition, there was a small line of similarity that intrigued him.
Both the healer and the killer rely on a blade: Tsunade with her scalpel, Madara with his dagger.
He softly smiled at his inner thoughts.
"You could use a break, Tsunade," he quietly spoke, respecting that the hut was filled with injured soldiers who needed their rest to fully recover. "You're beginning to burn up because your chakra is now on a thread –– a very tiny thread."
Tsunade wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead, and proceeded to clean the man's perspiring body with a wet sponge and a dry cloth. "I'm fine," she said stiffly and discarded the two items into the bucket. She then gave a huff when she brushed past him. "Stop looking at me with those pesky eyes of yours."
"Your chakra network is weak." His young sharingan narrowed at his analysation.
"But it's enough. At least during a quiet night like this." She took the lantern with her and stepped out of the hut. Not long after, Madara was already behind her –– two steps behind. "Do you want something from me?" Tsunade sharply inquired, turning around with her usual haughty attitude.
Madara swiftly took the lantern from her and continued to saunter through their temporary camp. As he pushed through the sludge of the muddy terrain, he could feel Tsunade's displeased aura gnawing into his conscience until he could no longer brush it off. He looked over his shoulder, "I'm on guard duty; it's my job to see to your safety."
Although he sounded chivalrous, Tsunade didn't appreciate it, and gladly projected her dismay with a snort. She was obviously not quite taken by his mocking façade.
When Tsunade took a sharp turn, Madara took a hasty side step and proceeded to stalk her out of their campus. With an exasperated sigh, she turned and raised a brow at him. "Are you going to follow me all the way to the river?"
He straightened. "Of course."
"…And watch me bathe?" She challenged, keeping her brow raised to express her wary nature.
Madara fell into a series of stammers. The words failed to become coherent in his mind, and he couldn't grasp it either. He became an unsightly mess.
Tsunade shook her head. "…Pervert," she retorted.
"I-It's not safe for you to bathe at night, you know…" He finally said before he cleared his throat. "I-I mean… you're still a girl….."
"I'm not sleeping in a myriad of blood staining my skin. I don't think you know this, but that's very unhygienic." Not to mention, she still cannot withstand blood. While it wasn't a phobia anymore, the sight of it still repulsed her.
"At least take this…" He unclasped his long cloak and handed it to her. "You'll be freezing after. This can be your towel."
"Thank you…" She folded it over her forearm and smiled warmly.
"I've got to return to my rounds." He gestured back to the fairly lit camp.
"Goodnight, Madara," Tsunade dipped her head slightly.
He nodded and turned back around, continuing his patrol around the camp.
The frosted ground crunched against the heavy sandals of two very competitive siblings. Despite the dip in temperature, and the icy atmosphere, both Izuna and Madara were donned in their fishnet shirts. Their breathing was disturbed, and their fighting stance had been deteriorated by fatigue. Izuna let out a faint smile of satisfaction; his brother was actually being pressured against a wall.
Again!
Crunch.
Crunch.
Snap!
Izuna leapt into the air and produced a violent ball of flames. Madara swiftly evaded the jutsu, but then fell into his brother's trap: Izuna intercepted where he would dash off to evade his fireball. The eldest gasped at his sibling's fast execution of slashing his wooden katana directly into his abdomen. However, Madara deflected his attack with his weapon and charged gears.
He wasn't kind enough to let his brother take a single breath to relax. He parried his sword away and lunged forward, ready to take the win. Izuna's eyes flickered and smoothly side-stepped from his attack before he slashed his brother's wooden weapon up into the air.
Madara's mouth gaped, but didn't have much time to stare into space as Izuna came in –– full throttle. In desperation, Madara switched his sharingan on and intercepted Izuna's attack, with his bare hands. He grinned at his advantage, and elbowed his brother in the face and threw his sword into the iced bushes.
"That was a dirty move, brother," Izuna murmured.
"There's no such thing as a dirty move in battle, Izuna."
The two crashed through the frost and greeted each other with their fists. They exchanged blows: Izuna uppercut Madara before he was sent aback when Madara's knuckles connected to his cheek. He wiped his nose and ignored the specks of blood staining his hand. Before he could draw his attention back to their spar, the air in his lungs were already forcibly pushed out when Madara embedded his fist into his stomach.
Izuna's eyes stung with pain, and he clutched his stomach.
Madara took his vulnerability and kicked him down onto the cold surface. He hailed from above with his sharingan gleaming dangerously.
"You lose, Izuna."
The younger Uchiha struggled to stagger back up on his feet, but was later supported by his elder brother. "…That's because you have the sharingan, brother. If I had the same visual prowess as you I bet, I would have won."
Madara softly smirked. "We'll see…."
Izuna let his weight lean against his brother's frame. "Tsunade will not be happy if she found out about this…." The last spar they had resulted in the both of them being out of action from the battlefield. While their injuries were minor (this time), they knew the medic wouldn't be impressed.
"No… she won't. But she's not awake yet."
Izuna smirked. "I think I should wake her up, then."
"Why do you like riling her up so much?"
"Because her reaction isn't as bland as our other clansmen." He left it at that and sauntered towards Tsunade's hut.
He entered her small premise and looked about. Her space smelt like elixir and grounded herbs. When he came closer, the scent grew softer and was overwhelmed by her natural scent. The scent was feminine, of floral oils smeared on skin, inundated the wintery wind. She smelled of vanilla and honey. Finespun intoxication. Spins of golden hair splayed on her pillow while she slept.
Izuna cocked his head slightly. This was the first time he's ever seen her at peace.
Her pink-hued lips parted, and she breathed lightly.
The Uchiha knelt down and pulled her covers up, tucking her in. The fact that she hasn't woken up was a testimony to how much the fangs of fatigue has sunk inside her.
"Izuna––!" Madara stopped. He placed one hand on his hip. "She's still asleep, huh."
"Let's not wake her up…." Izuna exited the hut with his brother.
After Marada cleaned himself up from the dirt and blood, he slipped into a fresh set of clothes and re-taped the bandages around his ankles. As usual, he tucked in his right hand into the parting of his kimono shirt, and casually meandered around their camp. He walked into his father's room and bowed respectfully.
Tajima swatted his obeisance away and, instead, silently asked him to sit. His son complied. "Madara…" he began in a stern tone. "How is Tsunade's progress coming on? I heard that you've been teaching her ninjutsu and kenjutsu. Has there been much success?"
"Tsunade is starting to become more fluent with her sword. Her ninjutsu, on the other hand, has been a tedious process. She can easily mould, but she cannot seem to control it. That being said, she has been improving impeccably."
"Ah… I see."
"What is this about, father?"
"We will need her in the frontlines soon. We both know how dangerous it is to be there, especially for a ninja who doesn't wield a variety of skills up their sleeves. Other clansmen are ferocious creatures, and they can easily tear down our inexperienced soldiers –– that includes Tsunade, of course."
Madara nodded quietly. "I shall do my best to train her. Don't worry, Tsunade will be ready before the Senju comes back." He cleared his throat. "Father, other women have been requesting to take a more militant role in our clan. After seeing what Tsunade has accomplished, they can't help but take inspiration from her."
Tajima clenched his jaw tightly. His muscles then turned lax, and he breathed. "This may sound discriminatory, but women are not allowed in the battlefield. Tsunade is the only exception because of her healing prowess."
"But if we train the women…!"
"Discrimination is vital in keeping our clan safe!" Tajima fought back. "You know what it's like to be out there. We're not fighting people –– we're fighting demons! Sending out our women is a deathwish. They are more susceptible to sexual torture; they can be raped and be used to make half-blooded Uchiha!" He rose from his sitting position. "Like I said, men are nothing by carnal creatures in the battlefield."
The heir bowed his head. "I'm sorry… I didn't weigh in the consequences."
"Tsunade will need to be properly trained before she's allowed in the frontlines. If anything were to happen to her…. we will have lost one of our most valuable assets." He folded his arms and approached his son. "She may be young now, but in the future, she'll become a beautiful woman. And that's very dangerous in the frontlines. She'll become a target. Since she isn't an Uchiha –– or anyone special –– they will just mentally ruin her, and violate her until her sanity has disappeared."
Madara clenched his hands into a ball. "That won't happen…"
"Can you promise that, son?"
"I shall do my best. After all, I am one of the strongest Uchiha."
"Good. I will be leaving this afternoon to regulate our second camp in the East." Tajima turned his back to his son. "I will entrust the people to you."
"Yes, sir!"
"Take your leave, my son."
It was all muscle memory to get back up, bow and take your hasty leave.
His short stroll halted when he saw Tsunade interacting with the young children. She smiled when they insisted for her to show her medical ninjutsu. She happily complied and amassed a heavy amount of chakra in between of her palms.
"That's so cool!" One boy gasped. "C-Can I put my hand through it?"
"Of course!" she smiled.
The children took this as their cue to put their hands into the bubble of her chakra, completely captivated by it. The hue continued to become stronger until another chakra disrupted its flow, making it burst completely.
Tsunade snapped while the children moaned and groaned.
"Madara-nii!"
She looked up at the dishevelled Uchiha. "You just had to ruin it."
Madara only grinned.
"Why do you always butt in?!" The children continued to moan.
The Uchiha gestured for Tsunade to follow him. The Senju curtly followed.
"What you did was cruel," she spoke.
"I got excited; I saw how good your chakra control was. I think it's about time we picked up where we left off with your training." He slotted his arm back into his kimono. "Show me your jutsu, Tsunade."
"W-Why?"
"I need to see how good you've become before we allow you to go to the frontlines."
"It's essential for me to be in the frontlines."
"But you'll be defenceless…"
"No I––"
"What if your taijutsu doesn't save you?!" His voice raised a little. "Tsunade…. you're a valuable medic in our clan. If anything were to happen to you…. it would be a great loss. We need you. Your expertise has saved many of our lives. You have influenced so many people, you don't even know it."
Tsunade stiffened. Did he not realize that he was glaring at her with his sharingan?
She slowly weaved the standard seal of a water jutsu. "Water style: Water dragon bullet!" Her muscles tensed and she unleashed her monstrous chakra. Her eyes tightened and her golden chakra outlined her form. A water dragon spiralled at her side and glared ominously at Madara.
The Uchiha grinned. "Amazing…."
Tsunade fell deep into concentration to keep her jutsu right beside her.
"Now, hit that tree on your right."
In a single motion, Tsunade accidentally projected the dragon to plummet down to the Uchiha.
He was not fazed, however.
"Fire style: Great Fireball!"
The blazing ball of fire clashed with the violent torrent of water, dispelling nothing but mist. Tsunade protected her eyes with her forearm and waited for the aftermath to calm down. When the mist dispersed, she saw Madara approach her.
"You can do it, after all."
She straightened her form. "I just can't control it…."
"In due time, you will." Madara placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm your teacher, after all."
"It will have to wait..." she replied. "I need to gather more herbs."
"It's winter time, Tsunade. Where will you get those herbs?"
"There's a cave upstream. It meets the criteria for those herbs to grow there."
Madara ruffled his hair, mid-thought. He then led the way. "Let's go, then."
Tsunade wore a scowl. He was like a dog without a bone.
"What are drag…." Kakashi huffed, carrying a pile of logs on his back. He didn't mind the training prospect of this, but he did mind the tedious walk up the hill. Moreover, his companion wasn't that great, either.
"Quit being so slow, Kakashi!" Toka scolded from afar.
His eyes grew wearier. She didn't really count as a companion. She was more of an uptight fitness instructor. If he walked faster, this could all be over and done with. He sighed and grumbled his annoyance under his breath. His steps grew wider, and his pace doubled.
It wasn't long until he surpassed Toka.
Throughout their journey of increasing stamina Kakashi contemplated whether he should open his First Gate or not. He decided otherwise, because that wouldn't be fair (on Toka's part). His pace turned sluggish again –– but this time, it was just enough for Toka to match his speed.
"You think you're funny…" she glared. "Playing around before getting serious."
He scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't playing."
"You were! You always do."
He met her with silence as he looked ahead. She didn't know what she was talking about. He hasn't been serious for a very long time. The last time he fell into his darker tendencies was when they ambushed the Uchiha.
That was three months ago.
"Just who are you?" Toka asked, looking at him. "Because I can never pinpoint your true personality. You're lax one moment, then you're filled with killing intent the next."
Instead of taking her question seriously, he looked to the side and meekly smiled. "The mystery is more alluring; don't you think?"
"Kakashi…."
"Maybe I'll tell you…. someday."
She smirked. "I'll hold you to that."
He internally shook his head. He was never good at keeping promises.
"Promise me you'll protect Rin..."
He pierced her with the same jutsu Obito helped him perfect.
"You'll be my right-hand…"
He promised to protect his sensei. But where did he end up? He's now six feet under the ground.
"Tell me you'll get help, Kakashi…"
He didn't. He allowed for his PTSD to drive his life. He let himself become a monster.
"Take good care of my students, you hear."
A year and a half later: one went rogue, and the two looked for other mentors.
He's harboured so many regrets already. He wondered, how will he break this promise now? Of course he wouldn't do it intentionally. But he already knew that this promise was insincere.
"There you go again," she murmured. "Your chakra is agitated again."
Kakashi escaped from his bubble. "I-I'm sorry."
"You always are," she remarked, taking bigger steps to overtake him.
When her back was in full view for Kakashi, she looked over her shoulder. "Hurry up. Work that weak stamina of yours."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed again.
Little by little, he really was losing his dignity with these Senju.
"Weakling!"
Hashirama crashed into the adjacent wall before the force pushed him off it. He shook his head and tried to regain his composure. His father was too strong, he reminded himself. Hashirama gripped his broken arm and winced. At this rate, he cannot retaliate with his Wood Style.
Butsuma spat on the ground. "Clean yourself up."
At the exact moment Butsuma left, Tobirama jumped down from the rooftop and promptly healed his brother. After he finished rolling up the bandages, he made a makeshift sling for his brother with his shirt.
"Sorry for this, Tobirama. I didn't expect father to use his full strength." He gritted his teeth when his brother gently slotted his arm through the sling. "I was too careless…" he laughed. "Father made my jutsu look like paper. He really broke through my moves."
"Father is the most powerful Senju to have emerged," Tobirama calmly said. "The fact that your Wood Style didn't work doesn't surprise me."
"I wonder if I'll ever surpass father…" Hashirama carelessly mused.
Tobirama's face darkened at the thought. "I will," he dangerously spoke. "I know I will."
The eldest blinked a couple of times when he came to contact with Tobirama's eyes burning with fire. "Y-Y-You sound so confident about that."
"I've been developing a couple of jutsu. It's still far from perfect, but I'm sure I'll be able to beat father with it."
"Tobirama!" A deep voice called. It was their father.
The white-haired boy turned to face the Head. "Yes, father."
"Your test against me will take place in next full moon."
He perked up. This was his chance to show his fighting prowess.
"You and Kakashi shall fight me on that day. Be sure to remind that boy."
Tobirama's hopes came crashing down. "W-Why do I have to team up with Kakashi?"
Butsuma looked at him derisively. "Because you wouldn't stand a chance against me, Tobirama. Your strength is not even half of your brother's –– and he ended up crashing into the wall."
"I'm nothing like Hashirama!"
"Oh? Are you claiming that you're stronger?"
Tobirama staggered back. "N-Nothing like that…. I am wiser with my attacks. I don't mindlessly go on the offensive without a strategy."
"You may be wiser, but your movements cannot keep up with your mind because you're still too weak."
In a flash, Butsuma already hand his fist pressed against Tobirama's abdomen. "Had I been serious, I would have punched you to the other side, Tobirama. And this isn't even my greatest speed."
The Second gasped, completely imprisoned with both awe and fear.
"You're still lacking." The brown-haired man took a step back. "You're arrogant above all else, son. You think you're a lone wolf, and you reject people's help. It's about time you learn to communicate with others."
Darkness fell onto the child's face.
"You are weak."
Hashirama stammered on his feet. "That's enough, Father!"
Butsuma retaliated with a sterner scorn. "Stay out of this, Hashirama."
Tobirama fell onto his knees, shaken by reality.
Madara followed Tsunade into the cave with obvious apprehension. The atmosphere was humid and the rocks which meshed into this cave was damp from the streams of water ambling down. He rubbed his fingers together and smelt the liquid, making sure that it was water.
"It's pretty dark in here."
"I'd be surprised if it wasn't."
Tsunade lit up the lantern that was by the entrance, and confidently led the way. She shone its scarce light onto the pit within the cave, and gestured to Madara to look down.
The Uchiha, who had his arms folded behind his head, walked towards the edge of the cavern and whistled at the depth of it. "Are you sure the herbs are growing down there?"
She continued to edge closer. "I'm not sure…." Their source of light was already close to running out of wick. The faint glow of her lantern only hindered their vision, whilst their hearing was dramatically enhanced. They could hear even the faintest movement of the bats above, and the trickle of water which filled this entire cave. It was needless to say that their vision was impaired in this circumstance.
Madara stoicly summoned his fire technique on the palm of his hand, shredding more light than Tsunade's dying lantern. All of a sudden, the tunnel up ahead and the cavern at their feet was bathing in an orange glow.
"How about now?" he asked again.
The moment they both neared to the very edge, the damp surface gave in and they both stumbled to the very end of the pit. Madara tried to halt by digging his foot into the soil. "Damn it!" He flopped at the end, and crashed into one of the herbs. Luckily for him, he rested on his back.
He saw Tsunade in his sight, already crashing down. She was going to land on him.
Tsunade had already seen this coming. She, instead, used Madara as a platform and jumped straight from him and landed on her feet. She swatted her dirtied clothes and huffed. If he thought this was going to end up like in the movies –– where a flustered girl ends up on top of a boy –– he could think again.
"How many are you going to get?" Madara casually asked, overlooking the past event that could have happened.
"As many as possible. It's better to stock up." Tsunade opened up her pouch and began to delicately pluck the vegetation out from the ground.
Madara gave a helping hand, and started to store some of the herbs into his own inventory. "What are you going to use these for?"
She examined one tattered plant and decided to discard it before she registered to his question. "Mostly for disinfectant. However, I can make a few altercations and use this to fight poison, as well."
"Where did you learn all of this?"
She chuckled. "Are you interrogating me?"
"Maybe. But that's only because I don't know much about you."
"I could say the same about you." She looked over her shoulder to make eye contact with him. "You're Madara Uchiha: the heir, the most powerful prodigy, and a killer. That's all I know. Then again, it's a given."
His lips edged with intrigued. "Fine. I'll talk about myself first, then."
"I wasn't inviting you to––"
"I am the eldest out of the five of us. Three of my younger brothers have been violently killed by other clans." He let silence fill the void as he regained his footing. "I like inarizushi, I hate roe. Stone skipping was one of my hobbies, now it's falconry."
"That's great," she murmured, half-interested.
"Your turn," he said.
"I didn't agree to this, Madara."
"Hn. So you're trying to keep a mysterious aura, huh?"
"Precisely."
"Then I'll just have to guess, and you've have to say whether or not it's true."
She let out an exasperated sigh. She knew she should have gone alone.
"You have siblings."
Her stomach turned.
"One." Her tone was tensed.
"Ahhh, okay. That's a start." He smiled. "Are they alive?"
She made sure he didn't see the bitterness of her face when she answered, "Dead."
Madara's cheerful mask faded as he internally cursed at himself for being so careless. "I-I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be…" she whispered. "It was a long time ago."
"Right…"
Tsunade locked her pouch and attached it behind her back. "Let's go."
Madara snapped his head up. "S-Sure."
Their journey back was devoid of conversation and eye contact. Tsunade walked faster than he would have liked, but he didn't blame her for wanting to instate a distance between them. She was entitled to, he guessed. After all, he did push far too much into her comfort zone. He continued to dart his gaze at the slope of her back, taking silent guesses about her past. He wouldn't have thought that behind those bright hazel eyes of hers laid sorrow –– the same sorrow as his. Since she never expressed it, he never picked up on it.
...Until now.
As they languidly walked through a field of wet silken grass, Tsunade paused. She looked up at the greyed sky which had flashes of light seeping through it. Her hazel eyes narrowed suspiciously, and her perturbed nature spiked. Something didn't feel right.
"What is it, Tsunade?" Madara asked, stopping at her side.
"Can't you feel it?"
"Hm?" He was still not completely out of his musings.
A large amount of chakra was enveloping this entire area.
She swallowed thickly.
This was not good.
"We need to head back." She started to run through the field, almost desperately.
Madara quickly took head of her words and dashed beside her. "Tsunade ––"
"It's coming…." She suddenly announced.
"What is?"
Their eyes met.
"A thunderstorm."
Streaks of pure white crackled against a stormy blanket of grey, shrouding hot silver clouds with its blinding incandescence, emanating the might of an imminent tempest. Jagged bolts endlessly protrude, filling the sky with undying flashes of radiance.
A sudden movement of lightning weaved its way from the ground upwards.
Tsunade's legs subconsciously tensed as she continued to race back to their village. "Did you see that?!"
"It's lightning..."
"This isn't ordinary lightning," she noted. "The movement of that lightning was from the ground upwards. While it is possible for this to naturally occur –– it's a rarity. For it to happen five times in the period of ten minutes is unnerving."
A group of people were creating this unnatural electric potential.
And it's spreading fast.
Madara gritted his teeth, knowing well what was coming. "We need to warn all of the members!"
Izuna was propped on a scaffolding as he cleaned his sword. He proudly looked at the way his weapon glinted under the wintery day. As he continued to encircle his cloth around the edge of sword, he watched the innocent children scurry about without a care of the world. Their cheerily voices bought peace to this place –– it almost made Izuna forget about the onslaught present, just outside of their makeshift walls.
"Izuna-nii!" They called out in sync.
His movements ceased, and he smiled. "What is it?"
"Do you wanna play with us?"
He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm busy right now."
"No you're not!"
"Maybe some other time."
"You always say that!"
He laughed. "I swear; I'll play with you next time!"
The children pouted at him before they continued to play by themselves. As their joyous chorus of ignorance faded into the distance, he began to stare into the faded silhouette of the mountain.
What might lie beyond these forests and great seas, he wondered. Could there be something more profound that these war-torn lands his clan clan fought for?
Izuna closed his eyes and concentrated on the cool breeze which caressed the contours of his face appreciatively. He then craned his neck up at the greyed sky, lips instantly falling into a downcast formation.
Lightning.
He should advise everyone to go back inside. This was going to be a heavy storm. He pushed himself up on the scaffolding, ready to spread the word. However, the cackle of lightning stopped his tracks. A gnawing sensation burned into his nape upon realization.
"Crap…." He whispered, hurrying to the edge of the scaffolding. "Enemies are nearby!"
The people who heard his message craned their heads up.
It was already futile.
Lightning came, a brilliant shock of white in the graphite sky, forking silently to the unsuspecting village –– the thunderous boom always calling its warning too late.
xox and Exciled3