Fated to Meet You
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello! It's been a while. This chapter probably isn't at all what most would want. But be on the lookout for the next chapter coming soon! Like pretty soon.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, character or plot, from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto.
Chapter Eleven: Opening up to Konoha
Senju Hashirama turned his chair around to look out the window. Below, the First Hokage watched as parents dropped off their children for the Academy. The brown haired Senju smiled and watched as the doors for the Academy open. Hashirama had to give credit to his younger brother for the Academy. Tobirama had the idea years ago - to endow the children with knowledge and practice before they become full-fledged shinobi of Konohagakure. Where his brother was, Hashirama did not know. He expected Tobirama to be present to watch the opening of the Academy. And even if his white haired brother was not in the same room as him, Hashirama knew his brother was somewhere watching.
Tobirama watched from the top of the red building as the doors to the Academy open for the first day. He had a year of practice to recognize which clan the parent dropping their child off belonged to. So many clans and so many children eager to learn. So far, he'd seen only shinobi clan children. But Tobirama hoped as time goes on, the Academy will have all children of all families, shinobi or not. He watched a black, curly haired child let go of his mother's hand and run backwards waving away at his mother and the female beside her. Uchiha. He recognized the mother and the female from the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha Mai was the female and the mother was an Uchiha as well but not a kunoichi. He watched as the little boy made it through the doors and the Senju's red eyes circled back to Uchiha Mai. He never spoke to her after Madara left. He didn't need to. But everytime they passed by each other, the Uchiha always greeted him by slightly bowing her head. No longer did she look at everything but him when she came face to face with him.
Tobirama usually helped his brother decide shinobi assignments for missions. He was in the process of building a shinobi ranking to make everything easier in the village. But the problem was how he was going to sort the already skilled shinobi from the past era. And in every mission assigned to Uchiha Mai, she always declined them. But Tobirama always saw the apprentice run errands for her Uchiha elder. He never got their last actual interaction out of his memory. She knew something, or if she didn't know, then her teacher knew. And deep down, he knew something bad was going to happen if Madara came back.
"Team Captain."
Tobirama turned his back to the Academy. Takeshi had one knee bent on the ground as if he'd just arrived. "What is it?" The white haired senju asked.
"The rest of us just arrived back from the mission." Takeshi stood upright. "There's something we must discuss. It's urgent, sir."
Due to health, Elder Mio had to restrain from attending Council of Elders meetings. And Mai made it her goal to always accompany Elder Mio wherever she was needed and was not needed. Most of the day, Elder Mio preferred to sip her tea within the barriers of her home. But today, the Uchiha elder wanted to walk around Konoha.
"Have you been able to find where they are?" Elder Mio asked as the female Uchiha duo walked.
Mai knew what her elder was talking about: the two scrolls Lord Madara took from Elder Mio. One was taken from Elder Mio's home and the other from the old Uchiha Clan Village. "No, I haven't." Mai let silence fill the air before continuing. "Lord Madara… Do you think…"
"I don't know if he will come back here." Elder Mio answered before letting her student finish. There was nothing in Konoha that he wanted. At least not to her knowledge. She was never close to the clan leader. But she watched him grow with his brother, and they had a strong bond.
She remembered Lord Madara bringing back his brother's dead body. Lord Madara was never the same after that. He exhausted the clan with battles against the Senju until one day he decided to take a peace offering from them. As the village began to build, she noticed the clan leader going back to his old ways before Lord Izuna died and almost even a different way as well - more peaceful. However, even then, this village had nothing he truly cherished to come back for. Did he?
The female elder continued walking. Elder Mio had no intention to tell her student what jutsu Lord Madara stole from her. The jutsu was kept secret from almost everyone in the clan. So many Uchiha men have tried to perform the jutsu. And so many have misused it. She sent her apprentice throughout the lands to find it, but to no avail, Uchiha Mai came back empty handed. Only an Uchiha with the Sharingan would be able to use it. And that gave Elder Mio some relief.
"Elder Mio!" Kagami's voice.
The two Uchiha kunoichi turned to find the little boy running in front of his mother towards them.
Reaching Elder Mio, Kagami said, "I learned something about you today! My classmates were so surprised that I know you, Elder Mio."
Elder Mio smiled and lowered her back slightly to the boy. "Really?"
Mai looked over to Sumiko making her way over. Sumiko held her daughter that was just recently born in her arms.
"I heard Kosuke has been going on missions a lot lately." Elder Mio stated to the Uchiha mother.
Sumiko smiled and nodded. "Kosuke has been gone almost every day on missions." Sumiko glanced down at her son. "It's going to be difficult for the next few months. At least, from what I've been hearing about what's going on beyond the borders."
Elder Mio hummed. The scar on her forehead moved slightly. "There's a lot going on in this world." The female elder brushed her hand slightly over Kagami's curly black hair. "But I'm sure the Hokage is doing everything he can for us and this village."
"You think so, Elder Mio." Kagami asked and peered up to the small elder.
Elder Mio took her hand off of the little Uchiha's head. "I'm sure, child."
Mai was thrown off by her teacher's words. Was her teacher, an Uchiha, really putting her trust on a Senju?
Mai was reading and she let the wind blow at her neck. If she had been more focused, she could have noticed the presence walking up to Elder Uchiha Mio's home. But she wasn't. Sitting at the front of the home, she rolled the scroll in her hand slightly more to continue reading.
"Haven't seen you in a while, Mai-chan." Uchiha Hikaku plotted himself beside the female Uchiha.
Blinking up the Uchiha Clan Leader and dropping her scroll onto her lap by surprise, Mai attempted to make every action of hers look masked. "You know, introducing yourself is what normal people do."
Hikaku chuckled before leaning his weight back onto his hands. "I've been doing well too. Thanks for asking." The Uchiha clan leader let his feet hang off the ledge of the house.
Picking up the scroll from her lap, Mai chuckled and rolled the scroll close. "How is Lady Misaki and your kids?" Uchiha Misaki was Hikaku's wife.
"Shigaku is starting to surpass me with his shuriken techniques." Hikaku's tone changed to a more fatherly one. Shigaku was Hikaku's oldest child and son with two more children following Shigaku. Mai had heard of Hikaku's child prodigy. And boy was Hikaku proud of his son. Shigaku was almost seven and had accomplished the Great Fireball Technique at the age of five.
"That's good." Mai leaned back into her hips and crossed her legs that were hanging off the ledge.
"I never thought this kind of thing would happen." Hikaku continued speaking with his fatherly tone.
Mai turned her face to her friend with a questioningly look. She blinked her eyes in wonder and craned her neck to the side as if to ask "what?"
"This village, this life we have now that our children will have for the rest of their lives." He gestured to the air while still facing the field with his chin. "All we ever knew was war. To protect our clan." A few birds chirped in the background. "Now we have so much more to protect. For a good reason. Almost a better reason than before."
"Elder Mio would say something similar, too." Mai said almost in a whisper. But she didn't understand why. There were so many things different. Was there something she was missing?
Hikaku lifted his weight off of his hands that were supporting him and straightened his back. He could hear the lack in his friend's voice. She was lost. "You just need to find your place here, Mai-chan." He turned his neck to face his friend. "Then you'll see why you want to protect this village….Maybe get married?" Hikaku brought his face closer to his friend with a smirk plastered over his face. It wasn't unusual for someone at Mai's age to get married. Sumiko got married around her current age. But that was when children were needed to supply a life in the Warring States Era.
Mai glared at his friend. "You're a funny man." She knew her place. It was by Elder Mio's side as her student, her apprentice.
"That last part was a joke." The Uchiha Clan leader scratched the back of his head. "You've been cooped up in this house thinking that the Warring States Era never ended." Hikaku went on.
"I know it ended-" Mai started.
"Then expand, Mai." Hikaku cutted her off and said optimistically. "There's so much within these walls you've never seen before. Never experienced before."
Mai let out a loud exhale and turned to face the field.
"That's why you should become my second-in-command." Hikaku said jokingly.
Mai tried to withhold a smile before she couldn't and chuckled. "I'll take you up on your other advice." She turned to face her friend.
"You should take up the missions this village is offering you." Hikaku said.
"And let these men who we used to fight against us work with me?" Mai raised a brow.
"It's different now, Mai." Hikaku reassured Mai.
She knew when Hikaku dropped the honorifics that he was serious. Mai let in a breath. Could she trust these men with her life like she did with her Uchiha brethren? Could she fight with these men with her back towards them? "I'll think about it." She looked toward the field.
Uchiha Hikaku took one last look at her before looking into the same field as well.
.
"From what I know, my father died when I was a baby." Uchiha Mai watched afar into the distance. "My mother died when I was five." Mai took this moment to swallow the bump rising in her throat. "She told me the day before she died that Lord Tajima will be taking care of me."
Uchiha Hikaku glanced at Mai sitting beside her. He had known her for a few years now. Each year, he could tell the girl getting used to his presence - trusting him more as each year passed. The two just completed a mission and were making their way back to the Uchiha Village. They decided to rest for a while before continuing their trek back and to pass time Hikaku had asked Uchiha Mai about her childhood. Something he had been wondering about since the day he met her.
"Lord Tajima's maid would drop off food for me every day." Mai continued. "Sometimes Lord Tajima himself would drop by. And one day he did when I was playing outside with my Sharingan. But I think his maid was a kunoichi as well. She would watch before reporting back to him."
"Playing?" Hikaku asked.
"I was naive and curious." Mai answered. "Either the maid or Lord Tajima found that I had awoken our kekkei-genkai. And that was when he started training me. Coming by or sending me his word on what to work on through his kunoichi-maid. The maid would watch me and give me tips here and there."
"So that was how you became a kunoichi." Hikaku leaned back onto his hands.
Mai hummed.
"What happened to you mom?" Hikaku asked.
Mai didn't answer immediately. Silence filled the air before she started. "I don't know what killed her. All I knew was that she was sick. One day, she just died."
She was very vague on her answer. And Hikaku knew that she experienced more. She definitely felt more. "And you awakened your Sharingan after your mother died."
The female Uchiha nodded. She glanced up at the setting sun. "...I think it's time we start to head back."
.
As clan leader, Hikaku was disappointed that Mai stopped taking on missions for the village. No other apprentice did he give his amount of trust than he gave her. Sure there were plenty of skilled Uchiha shinobi, but Mai was different from the rest. He had seen her skill in battle many times. She had saved his life plenty of times and fought watching his back as he did for her. And her skills were beyond that of many Uchiha shinobi. She had her reasons to not take as many missions as he wished she did. Elder Mio's health was declining. Everyone knew that. But he wanted to show the village what the Uchiha clan has and what Uchiha Mai was capable of.
"You know, just because today is my free day, doesn't mean I have nothing to do." Mai said as she walked beside the Uchiha Clan Leader. Earlier, her clan leader called her to his office to help him bring a stack of papers to the Hokage's Office. And so there she was, walking with a stack of papers in her arms with her clan leader next to her.
"Call this a task from your clan leader." Hikaku smirked as he also carried a stack of papers. "If you aren't going to take missions for the village, you might as well help your clan leader out."
Mai rolled her eyes. "It's not like I don't have a good reason not to." She tucked in a piece of paper that was sticking out of the stack in her arms. "Plus, I'm trying to expand. You know, like what you said. Just last week I went to the new training ground that was just built."
"Wow, Mai-chan. That's amazing!" Uchiha Hikaku said sarcastically.
Mai rolled her eyes even more.
They two were making their way to the Hokage's office to drop off clan paperwork and pick up more. Konoha was slowly rubbing off on Mai. The Uchiha Village was different compared to Konoha. Konoha had this feel of stability that the Uchiha Village did not have. People were more happier, if she could say that.
"Are you going to give this to Lord Hokage or the people at the front?" Mai asked as she wiggled her arm from under the stack of papers. The two Uchiha's were in front of the red building that housed the Academy and the Hokage's Office.
"Both these stacks have to go to Lord Hokage." Hikaku stated as the two walked through the doors.
"Lord Hikaku." The man at the desk facing the door stood up. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No, that's okay." Hikaku stated. "We can bring these up to the Lord Hokage." He gestured to Mai next to him.
The man nodded before making eye contact with Mai as Mai was also looking at him. The man was wearing the forehead plate with the symbol of Konoha on it. Everyone was wearing that forehead plate. The closer they got to the Hokage's Office, the more people were wearing the Konoha forehead plate. I've really been in my own world...Mai thought to herself. She hadn't been in this part of the village for a very long time.
The two Uchiha's reached the Hokage's office and Hikaku knocked. "Enter!" the Hokage's voice said on the other side of the door.
Uchiha Hikaku opened the door and walked in with Uchiha Mai behind him. "Lord Hokage, these are the papers you requested."
"Ah, Lord Hikaku. Thank you." The tanned Hokage sat behind his desk. The office was filled with stacks of paper, on the desk and along the walls of the office. But no stack of paper was blocking the large windows behind the Hokage. Mai carefully stepped around a pile of papers as she followed behind her clan leader. "You can put them…" The Hokage scanned his office. "You can put those papers here." He made space at the edge of his desk. "Heh, heh, you see, it's been a whirlwind with the village these days." Senju Hashirama scratched the back of his head. "Ah, Mai-san. It's been a while." The Senju man's eyes perked at the sight of the woman.
Mai nodded to the Hokage. "It's been a while." She handed Hikaku the stack of papers in her arms. "If you will excuse me, I'll be outside. Lord Hokage. Lord Uchiha." She nodded her head at each man.
Hashirama waited for Uchiha Mai to leave. He watched as the door closed behind her before putting his hands together on his desk. "Lord Uchiha, if you mind me asking, what are Uchiha Mai's capabilities?" Hashirama had to admit he didn't know much about her abilities outside the fact that she was Elder Mio's student. And boy did his brother not talk about her as much as Hashirama wanted to, so he resorted to asking Jun. From what Jun told him, Uchiha Mai assassinated five men all on her own. The Uchiha Clan never had kunoichi. Even the Senju clan had little as well, Senju Tōka, being one of them. He didn't remember seeing her on the battlefield during the Warring States Era.
"She's one of our best kunoichi's." The Uchiha Clan Leader answered. He was curious why the Hokage would ask about Uchiha Mai's abilities. "Not many people know about her, but that characteristic was beneficial for the Uchiha clan during that time."
"We're in the midst of sorting current shinobi into ranks so that mission processes become easier." The Hokage rummaged through his desk. "Ah. Here it is." He handed Uchiha Hikaku the sheet of paper. "This may be a lot of work for you. This paper should have all the information you need." Senju Hashirama scratched the back of his head. "Feel free to enlist anyone you want to help you with this. But I need a list of all Uchiha shinobi and your ranking of them, what their capabilities, into three categories of skill from high to low skill."
Uchiha Hikaku nodded. "I can do that." He looked down at the piece of paper.
"Out of curiosity, what would you rank Uchiha Mai's skill as?" Hashirama tried to cover his curiosity with curiosity. Was it working? No, but Uchiha Hikaku had nothing really to hide if the Hokage was asking like that.
"The top rank, Lord Hokage." The Uchiha Clan Leader stated with confidence. Uchiha Hikaku had caught onto the Hokage's prying the moment Uchiha Mai came out of his mouth.
The Hokage nodded before breaking the air by releasing his hands that were on top of each other. The Uchiha Clan Leader dismissed himself, and Hashirama watched as the door closed before he leaned back in his chair. He was nowhere close to answering his question. For the past few weeks, his younger brother was very bothered after Uchiha Madara left the village. Hashirama wasn't as great as his younger white haired brother, but Hashirama had sensed Tobirama returning to the village with Uchiha Mai. It had become a characteristic of Tobirama's for the left temple of his to tense up whenever Hashirama mentioned Uchiha Mai. The older Senju brother knew his younger brother had his doubts on the Uchiha Clan. But it was really only at the mention of Uchiha Mai that caused such a reaction. Did she beat him at a spar? Hashirama thought to himself.
Elder Mio sat in her study. Her regular cup of tea in her hand as silence filled the air in her study. "I know you're there, Jirou."
Elder Jirou slid open the doors of the study. "As always." The male elder made his way and sat on one side of the low table. The tatami mat slightly crinkled as he sat down. As usual, Elder Jirou pulled out a tea cup from his sleeve. "Something's bothering you." He proceeded to state as he poured himself tea from the tea pot. Usually his female friend would have noticed him earlier.
"...It's nothing." Elder Mio sipped her tea.
"Is it?" Elder Jirou asked nonchalantly.
Elder Mio chose to ignore the Uchiha male's jokes. "Mai still hasn't found the scrolls yet."
Elder Jirou knew exactly why his female friend was not her usual self. Elder Jirou was the first person Elder Mio told when she knew the scroll was gone. There is no doubt that it was Lord Madara who burned the Uchiha Village. And Elder Jirou had no doubt that Lord Madara had the complete jutsu that the two scrolls contained.
"Many Uchiha men in the past have abused the use of Izanagi." Elder Jirou started. "That is why we created Izanami to counteract it."
"You don't think Lord Madara has Izanami as well." Elder Mio protested.
Elder Jirou took a sip of his tea. "We have Izanami as well." He turned to face his female friend. "We are prepared if Lord Madara comes back."
Elder Mio looked down into her cup of tea. This issue has been on her mind ever since Lord Madara took the scrolls. She made her student scatter the world to find the scrolls to no avail.
The next day, Elder Mio told her student that she would no longer be searching for the scrolls. And with no question at all, Uchiha Mai complied.
"I had a meeting with Hyuuga clan leader, Hyuuga Hiroshi. It went smoothly." Hashirama lowered his scroll to peer over at his brother who was across the table to him. The two Senju brothers were sitting in the home of Senju Hashirama's.
"Is that so." Tobirama continued to look down at the scroll in his hand. His white hair covered most of Hashirama's view to his face.
Hashirama waited a few seconds before clearing his throat. "So Uchiha Hikaku came into the office today." Hashirama's dark eyes stared intently at his younger brother. Still nothing. Over the last few months, he could tell his brother was getting along well with Uchiha Hikaku. There was no doubt that Uchiha Hikaku wanted to protect the village. Hashirama attributed this to Hikaku's children that kept the Uchiha Clan Leader grounded. "There was someone that came with him too - what was her name again? You know. The Uchiha woman that Jun was talking to that one time!" Hashirama paused to bring his hand up to his face. He watched slowly as his brother's left temple began to tense just ever so slightly. "Uchiha Mai!" Hashirama exclaimed.
At the same time as his brother, Tobirama answered, "Uchiha Mai." Bringing his head up to face his brother. His red eyes are almost nonchalant as ever. "Brother, I know you know her name."
Hashirama laughed and put a hand behind his head. "I just forgot it for a moment."
Senju Tobirama - with his temple still tensed - grabbed his cup of tea and brought it up to his lips.
Looking at his younger brother, Hashirama asked, "Did she beat you in a battle or something, brother? Is that why you're acting like this whenever I say her name?"
Almost immediately after comprehending what his older brother just asked him, the tea that was on its way to Senju Tobirama's stomach changed direction and made it back up his esophagus the way it came in. "What are you asking, brother?" Senju Tobirama asked each word in between his coughs.
"I'm asking," Hashirama bent his body over the table. "Did she beat you at something? Is that why you're acting this way whenever Uchiha Mai is mentioned in front of you?"
Rolling up the scroll in his hands while still coughing, Senju Tobirama put it to the side. "She knew something." The white haired senju scowled as he picked up his tea cup before wiping the table with a cloth close by.
"She knew what?" The dark haired brother asked.
Almost irritated, Tobirama said, "I already told you, brother." He put away the cloth. "Madara took two scrolls from Uchiha Mio. A jutsu, probably."
Hashirama narrowed his eyes. "And you think Uchiha Mai knows what Madara took."
"Why wouldn't she? I assume all the Uchiha's know and are planning for his return." Tobirama answered.
Hashirama knew his brother. As much as he loved his brother, sometimes his brother went a little too far when it came to Uchiha's. "Brother!"
Senju Tobirama could sense a tone in his older brother's voice, and he emotionally stepped back. He knew at that moment, he went too far.
"The Uchiha Clan has done nothing but support the village since the beginning of Konoha." Hashirama had to remind his brother for the millionth time. "What if it had to do with their kekkei-genkai? There's no way Elder Mio wouldn't have sent her student after Madara if it was to keep their clan's kekkei-genkai a secret."
"And now that jutsu is with Madara." Tobirama added. "What if that jutsu, no matter if it concerned their kekkei-genkai, was beneficial to knowing what Madara has up his sleeve?"
"There is still a fine line between meddling with clan business. Especially when it comes to a clan's kekkei-genkai." Hashirama knew his brother wanted to know everything to be able to calculate the best plan. And many times, because of that, his brother overstepped boundaries. But Hashirama knew deep down his brother was a good person. Leaning back, Hashirama let out a breath. He watched as his white haired brother opened up his scroll and began reading.
A/N (AGAIN)
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