Chaos herself's note:

Hi!

This is chapter two already. In case you wonder why you don't remember Kanoko, you can't; she's an OC. And there will be a few more in future chapters. As the Founders Era has so many plotholes, I hope you'll forgive me and don't find them annoying.

Anyway, have fun reading!

Chaos

...

Chapter 2: Hunting Season

The suicidal insanity continued once Hashirama-sama happily started herding more and more people into the forest and erecting their humongous wooden crypt on their army campsite among the trees. Even Tobirama and that Uchiha joined in when it became apparent that the clan chief couldn't be stopped; and also his wife spured him on.

Touka observed the proceedings silently as if she was only a detached bystander to her own death march.

Briefly she wondered whether Hashirama-sama was a one-in-a-million genius for inviting all of their enemies with open arms so they were simply blinded by his cheery personality to walk right into the riven jaws of the waiting beast... or whether he was a bloody fool for not noticing that all the timbers and trunks building the foundation for 'the Village Hidden Under the Leaves' caged neatly by wooden bars of trees and trees and even more trees were the finest delicacy to the Uchiha's favourite Katon.

This... village was destined to burn in the black eternal infernoes of Amaterasu!

No wonder the nefarious Madara was one of the party and tagging along almost tamely.

But Touka wouldn't be caught napping; she wouldn't let that heinous fire-breather out of sight so easily. From the vantage point of the cliff the seasoned Kunoichi kept close watch on the avowed enemy's every move like a soaring hawk ready to nosedive and claw at its prey...up there on the rocks she was the banshee perched on the gravestone, that had Madara's name engraved to it, screaming his name and waiting to claim his soul.

Moreover, Tobirama was guarding his brother and sister-in-law, too; she was sure he always had his Suiton at the ready in case the Uchiha so much as blinked.

The other clans couldn't be neglected either. Most of them Touka had encountered during gruelling battles, already; they had stood face to face between the mud and blood and bones and flesh and dirt of war staring each other straight in the white of the eye while they hacked and slashed at each other in a mad frenzy where each fight was far beyond the use of Jutsu and techniques and all about naked survival and raw killing.

Now they were all assembled here; and even more were coming to this bizarre gathering day by day. Touka was suspicious of each and every one of them.

'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer', they said.

Was this really what her clan chief intended? She doubted it. But it was happening none the less and she decided to abide by that rule, stay patient and observe. Touka would surely see soon who avered themselves trustworthy and who were the real traitors...

Until then no one would be given the benefit of doubt, not when it was her duty to ensure Hashirama-sama's and Tobirama-dono's safety. And Touka was not known to be a merciful judge and executioner.


When she finally hopped down from her look-out it was already late afternoon and she hadn't had lunch yet. So Touka decided to see what this forest of death had to offer to a hungry warrior-mouth and went for the treeline.

Maybe a juicy slab of roasted foe with a side dish of minced traitor would be according to her tastes today, she mused mischievously while she palmed her spear and Kunai.

However, once she entered the undergrowth she grew more serious and sharpened her senses for the hunt. The warning whispering of the leaves faded into the background and the Kunoichi trained her ears on the distinct sounds of forest-fauna: calling, traipsing, skulking, chewing, breathing...

Soon her sharp eyes detected spoors of a prey big enough to sate her hunger for blood; and she pursued it silently, cautiously, through the thicket. Touka didn't make use of her Chakra much; it would be a waste of valuable energies she might not do without if she was ambushed by inmical scouts and sentries. Besides, it would spoil all the fun of the venery. She did conceal her presence, though.

And suddenly there they were.

Touka crouched low, held her breath and peered through the bushes at the grazing animals. Their leaves whispered encouragingly that the wind was on her side and she was close enough to actually sense them; so she readied her spear, chose her aim and waited for the perfect moment to go in for the killing.

There...

Her arm shot forward accellerating her weapon in a perfectly calculated straight line for the bullseye... but it never left her grasp, her movement froze in midair and the doe trotted away unharmed much to the huntress's chagrin.

"Ah...these deer are our associates. Pardon me, but it would be very inconvenient for my clan if you had them for supper, Mylady. Could you please lower your weapon...yeah, that's it; no trouble for anyone and no harm done," a sedate voice interposed from the sidelines while Touka slowly stood and her hand fell deliberately to her femoral guard. At the same time a ponytailed girl, approximately half Touka's age, showed herself and the Kunoichi glared impassively at the younger one.

The deer didn't run despite the commotion but reared their heads and twitched their ears back and forth curiously.

"You must be from the Senju clan, Mylady," the lanky girl concluded in a torpid drawl that betrayed the sharpness of her dark eyes, which reminded Touka so much of her own. This bold brat was bright as the summer sun. "My name is Kanoko Nara and I believe our clans are now federated. Nice to meet you."

The two females mirrored a polite bow until the Nara girl receded her shadow and flashed her senior a cautious, but trusting, lazy smile. Touka on the other hand kept her face blank, straightened her back and considered the teenager.

Not the first time she had killed even younger kids...and she had been a younger kid even when she had killed for the first time.

"Touka Senju," she finally offered unafraid to disclose her name and narrowed her eyes a fraction. She smelled blood, fresh blood.

Kanoko nodded and tugged at the strap of her bulking deerskin satchel. "I'm hunting, too," she stated in her drippy drawl, "but only pheasants and hares..."

Touka only arched a brow; she had figured her out by now but she patiently waited for it like a panther stalking its prey. Let the Nara fawn fawn on her for a bit and see if it's any good.

"I'm actually not so bad at baiting," the girl continued and her shrewd bedroom eyes observed Touka's every reaction; the seasoned Kunoichi wouldn't deign her with any rewarding facial expression, though. "So...if you're not troubled I'd be honoured to accompany you and be of assistance to Mylady?"

And there it was...just as expected.

"What's your body count then, Nara-kun?" Touka indulged her with her austere demand.

Instantly the teenager straightened her languid poise at her military tone, wetted her lips with a flick of her tongue and answered: "Seven out of seven pheasants, nine out of nine hares, five out of five crayfishes and twelve out of thirteen mackerel in two days."

Fair aim, Touka thought but her face betrayed nothing. Lots of Kunoichi and Shinobi had fair aim, though; otherwise they were dead, simple as that.

"And your real body count?" she probed instead.

The girl visibly deflated; shadows grew on the pale skin of her suddenly cast down eyes like haunting ghosts. "Th-...three," she almost meekly admitted in a tiny voice, "but I had help from my friends."

Without another word Touka gripped her spear, turned on her heel and strode further into the thicket.

"Come on, Kunoichi...let's go hunting some fresh meat!" she grinned ferally when she didn't hear the younger one follow right on cue; but soon the smaller steps fell in stride right behind her.


When Touka returned to her quarters a good two hours later she might not have culled a traitor like she had hoped but a bag full of hare was not so bad either. She could dry or cure the meat she wouldn't eat today and stock up for war times.

The Nara Kunoichi had proven her word true, that she had to concede to her. It had been a lot more efficient to cull the prey when the girl knew where to find them, ensnared them with her shadow and Touka only had to chuck a Kunai through their heart or snap their frail necks between her fingers.

Together they had obtained enough bag to survive at least two weeks of trenches each. Provided that the enemy didn't get their heads, of course.

She didn't care that Kanoko always jerked and winced because she could feel every impact on their target through the shadow connection. She didn't care either that the girl was burning through her Chakra resources too fast the longer Touka had the prey on the hook before the kill; but it was a useful thing to know about the Nara lot.

Expertly Touka drove her Kunai into the soft flesh, sliced down from neck to scut and skinned the hare in one swift motion before she eviscreated the animal, flopped it aside on the worktop and pulled out the next long-ears to repeat the procedure.

The slick motions were almost like a gory meditation.

Pierce, slice, skin, paunch, shove, pull. And again. Pierce, slice, skin-...

"I don't want to be in Madara's shoes right now...or any other of your enemies' for that matter," a low voice murmured into her ear and she felt a familiar hand cover her belly. Touka did not stop her routine to wait for him to distance himself from her; and so he lingered on for another moment and peered curiously over her shoulders without caring if he bothered her or not, knowing that he didn't.

"You always look more like the goddess of blood and splatter than a cook when you potter about the stove," Tobirama commented humorously and stepped back to lean comfortably on the worktop so he could see her stoic face.

"That's because I belong on the battlefield," Touka replied calmly and looked at him without ceasing her work and aware that she probably looked more like a demon sprinkled with blood all over, "and someway or other I do have to keep my skills sharp, don't you think?"

He snorted and shook his head, mirth brimming in his crimson eyes. "And here I thought I would rather find you whetting your blades on your foes..."

"The Uchiha you mean?" she inquired flatly and shot him a pointed glance, "or one of the other rats the curious cat's dragged in?"

"About that..." Tobirama continued more seriously after a second of hesitation, "Touka, I might need you to keep a closer eye on them while I'm busy with infrastructure. Nii-san is so serious about this whole village business and he's merrily carrying everybody along; but if I don't fish or cut bait now the whole mess is going to get out of hand..."

Touka laid down the Kunai beside the half-disemboweled hare and planted her fists on her hip. "Honestly, Tobirama-dono, it already got out of hand the moment Hashirama-sama lay down with the fire-breather...and now he's rounding our every enemy up for the grand battle royale in this forest of death; I'll make sure I'm ready when it's time. What about you?" she stated evenly as if she was reading from the bloodline scroll.

"I hope you're wrong on this, Touka, I really do..." he sighed deeply, rested his warm hand on her shoulder and squeezed comradely. In turn Touka produced two flowers seemingly out of thin air and handed them to Tobirama.

"Where do you always get these from?" he wondered briefly but accepted the iris and the corn flower without question.

"Oh, Tobirama-dono. Don't you ever underestimate the wondrous ways of Kunoichi..." she winked at him, picked up her Kunai and swung it as if it was a wand, which made him chuckle and shake his head.

"You're really something else," Tobirama opined. "Apropos of nothing, what have you mischievous little woman been up to all day? Haven't seen you at your look-out since-...noon, was it?" He eyed her curiously.

"Well..." Touka twirled her Kunai around her fingers. "I've been playing hunt with the little fawn I met in the woods," she said and dove her blade into the opened body of the hare to cut out its intestines.