Chaos herself's note:
Hi!
There is one thing I wonder about... Does this chapter seem a little rushed? Still I didn't want to bore you with repetive fights, so this is what I chose to do.
Anyway, have fun reading!
Chaos
...
Chapter 16: Like a Phoenix from the Ashes
In the end Touka had been right after all. Her nightmare had come true, if only partially.
After Hashirama-sama had become Hokage, Madara had left Konohagakure without further ado, bitter and with words of wrath and vengeance spat from his mouth. Touka had expected that his clan would follow suit and run with their tails between their legs. But even after weeks the Uchihas had remained, albeit without their defective clan chief.
Kasumi had insisted they were part of the village now, accepted Hashirama-sama as head of government and thus loyal to him. Touka stayed suspicious.
But there had been no time to stop and ponder, no time to take a breather. Because soon Madara had returned, not to sing small and be accepted again but to bring destruction and chaos. Driven by hatred and vengeance he had summoned and controlled the Kyuubi as he had unleashed the tailed beast unto Konohagakure. He hadn't seemed to care that the rampaging Bijuu had killed his kin as much as people from other clans.
In turn, the Uchihas had fought their former clan chief side by side with the Senju army and the other clans belonging to the Village Hidden under the Leaves. Together the clans had succeeded in driving back Madara and the Kyuubi.
However the declared Nuke-nin kept coming back to try and wreck havoc again. His several attempts to anihilate the village that rejected him might have failed, but he'd still caused many deaths and much destruction.
Touka had fought like a lioness, and so had her squad. Inevitably their presence in this village had become known. But this was a good thing. People now knew there was a secret organisation watching them, guarding them, fighting for them.
These circumstances made it easier for Irakusa to acquire new recruits - Shinobi who had lost loved ones in the fights against Madara and the Bijuu or those who now saw the necessity for more safety and a force to ensure it. So after the third ambush their squad had grown quite a bit. And like Mito had said, structure really had come with manpower.
A particular boy was especially fond of Touka now as she had saved his life after the Kyuubi had slaughtered his parents and had been about to devour him next. When he followed Irakusa and insisted she should train him so he could avenge his parents, Touka finally suggested he join their organisation. He instantly was as keen as mustard.
After that the boy followed Touka even more around than Jigitarisu had. He was so eager to learn and he soaked up everything Touka taught him like a dry sponge a droplet of water on a hot summer day. He was younger than the girls, but it mattered not. Touka saw his potential regardless. She assigned the snapdragon-mask to Danzo Shimura, and he wore it proudly like the codename 'Kingyosou'.
In the meantime Knohagakure needed to be rebuilt and repaired. Everyone helped as much as they could, young and old, civillian and Shinobi, and thus the community still thrived and grew closer.
But as soon as Hashirama-sama had used his Mokuton to grow new houses and the craftspeople had completed his work in their own fashion, evil incarnate was back to tear everything down, or so it seemed. Yet Konohagakure always rose like a phoenix from the ashes as its people wouldn't give up so easily. And finally everyone opened their eyes and realised peace was but a dream, and war was reality. They had lived this dream far too long but Madrara's assaults had been enough to wake them and shake them.
Touka sighed a deep sigh of relief and put a grim grin on her face. This was the world as she knew it, with the only difference that the Uchiha - and all the other clans of this village - now fought side by side with the Senju instead of everyone against everyone.
By the time the village had burned down and been reconstructed seven times, even Hashirama-sama had to face the truth: Madara had never ceased to be the enemy. And so the Hokage had marched to the Final Valley to put an end to this chaos and fight his fiendish 'friend' while everyone awaited the outcome with bated breath.
Touka was in the middle of sharpening the blades she had used against the Kyuubi when she felt a familiar hand on her belly. Like always Tobirama used the Hiraishin seal to appear by her side.
Seeing his grim face she turned to Kingyosou, who was helping her clean the blades when she was done sharpening: "I'll do the rest on my own. Go outside and work on your Tai- and Nin-Jutsu. I'll have a shadow clone spar with you."
Danzo bowed and nodded. "Yes, Irakusa-taichou!" He obediently followed the clone outside. So Touka was alone with Tobirama.
"Well?" she asked and arched a brow while Tobirama put the gift basket of lemons on the worktop and slumped on a stool. Sometimes she wondered if he knew...
He sighed deeply. "It's over," he said levelly, as if someone had died.
And by the face he made Touca perceived, it was true. She approached him cautiously, studied his face. "What do you mean?" she queried almost gently.
Tobirama looked her in the eye and deadpanned: "Madara is dead."
The Kunoichi halted, blinked and tried to process the information. All this time they had been fighting, all this time he had been the ultimate enemy, the murderer of her family, the creator of her nightmares, the evil incarnate... and now he was dead? Gone, just like that? Everything was over? Her mind was reeling, but she did not feel satisfaction or relief at the prospect of Madara's death. Instead she felt empty and at a loss of purpose, deprived of her personal revenge. She hadn't expected these sentiments at all. Her mind pulled a total blank. "You're kidding," Touka blurted.
Tobirama shook his head. "I'm serious," he insisted, "I can show you his body if you don't believe me." He held out his hand.
"I need to see this for myself," Touka murmured and took his hand so he could transport them to the secret place where he had laid the body on a bier. Touka slowly approached and observed closely.
There really lay Madara; so still, so unmoving, so lifeless. Touka held her breath, watching for any sign that he might show the tiniest vital signs - daring him to breathe and suddenly shoot up and attack, daring him to disappear like a dispelled shadow clone. But he didn't move, he didn't breathe, he didn't...live.
Touka took off one gauntlet glove, reached out and cautiously poked his cheek. No reaction. He was cold to her touch.
Slowly it sunk in. This was real. It was really happening. She exhaled, produced a tuft of sweet pea and rosemary and quietly put it onto Madara's chest. At least this much respect she would show to her longtime arch enemy.
Tobirama had stood behind her and watched in silence, but now he approached and touched her shoulder. "I didn't know it would affect you this much," he whispered.
Only then Touka realized how true this was. She felt dizzy and nauseous, her hands were shaking. She didn't think she would feel this...stirred up seeing Madara's lifeless body. She had killed so many enemies during the wars and only in the very beginning it had affected her that much. As a kid it had haunted her in her sleep, but she soon had hidden her feelings until she had become cold and merciless enough to not feel anything at all. She had become a true Kunoichi.
And yet here she stood at Madara's bier, leaned into Tobirama's comforting touch and cried. Her tears were silent, and she didn't even know if they were tears of joy, of relief or tears of mourning for a lost longtime enemy - a lost purpose to direct her hatred and anger at.
She shuddered a sigh and dried her eyes before she regained her composure. "Let's head back to my place," she decided. "This war might be won, but another one is coming."
Tobirama nodded and teleported them back into her chalet. There she brewed them some calming tea and while they drank in agreeable silence, Touka had time to think. Indeed, another war was coming as Madara was not the only enemy out there: Touka hadn't heard from Jigitarisu in a while and Tsubaki's and Kinka's reconnaissance missions had shown that the other Shinobi villages were rather setting up than de-arming. Also, the Gokage summit was nearing, and Irakusa had to make sure that Hashirama-sama was safe.
There was no time to cry - for whatever the reason. She had to stay strong and show the presence and power of their squad. With new resolve the downed the rest of her tea, then turned to Tobirama.
Seeing her mien he slightly smiled and nodded. "That's more like the Touka I know," he stated.
She grinned, as crafty as a cartload of monkeys, and handed him a bouqet of cornflowers, iris and lavender. She winked at him as she pleached a wreath of peach flowers, gardenias and yellow acacia and put it on his head.
He just shook his head. "You and your flowers. Will you ever tell me what's up with these?" he sighed before he left, knowing she wouldn't.
