A/N: Nemaki are a kind of yukata used as pajamas or nightgowns and they are usually made out of a light weight cotton.
"Really, I appreciate this. I really do. I just still don't understand why this is a necessity…" Sakura whined, embarrassment coloring her tone.
She tugged at the high collar of her black, long sleeved shirt, provided to her by the Uchiha brothers and acquired from the tailors of the clan. Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel the Uchiha clan crest on the back of the shirt burning into her back. After all this time, she was being given physical proof of being accepted into the Uchiha clan and she was floundering in the face of that realization. Sorrow from knowing she would one day abandon Madara and Izuna bloomed in her chest alongside a sense of joy and acceptance that nearly brought tears to her eyes. The two extremes tumbled haphazardly within her and formed a shame so powerful it stole the breath from her lungs.
The dark pants she wore, bandages wrapped around her ankles and secured the hem of the pants to her calves, and the familiar shinobi sandals strapped to her feet were a weak emotional salve to the internal discourse which pulsed through her like a poison. She hadn't worn pants in over a year and the garment felt shockingly liberating after wearing nothing but kimonos, yukatas, and nemaki for so long.
She may be struggling to breath with the heavy ball of shame in her chest but at least she could sit cross legged again.
As if the middle aged blacksmith who had been fitting her for her own suit of armor would allow her. Even though the Uchiha stood across her workshop at her crowded workbench, using a pair of shears to trim a swath of leather riveted to familiar red metal plates, Sakura knew she would be on her in a heartbeat if she dared to move from where the elder woman had planted her.
The spacious building was comprised of just one room with a workbench, an expansive rack holding numerous tools of the craft, a handful of mannequins supporting pieces in various states of completion, and multiple chests containing raw supplies. A still smoldering forge sat near a well worn anvil, an overflowing stock of charcoal, and large wooden tubs filled with murky water. All of the fusuma on both sides of the workshop were pulled open, allowing sunlight and a cool breeze to enter the forgemaster's workspace.
The building sat a short ways from the elder woman's own home, the sound of her children playing in her yard a soothing backdrop to the madness of her workspace.
"What I don't understand is how you are so weirdly sized that none of the armor we had in stock fits," Izuna taunted mercilessly from atop his cushion at the opposite side of the workshop, him and Madara watching as Sakura was fitted for her armor, "I'm baffled by how bottom heavy you are. It's like the gods squished you at the top like an onigiri."
"I don't understand why you're such an asshole! Keep your comments about my body to yourself!" Sakura snarled, jabbing a finger at the younger brother.
She had yet to forget about his comments about her baby hands, her scandalous old outfit, and now, least of all, bottom heavy. If it wasn't for her being so fond of Madara, she would have ripped Izuna's arms off already.
"Be still, child!" the forgemaster growled, striding over to drag Sakura's arm back down to her side, the piece she had been working on clutched in one hand, "If you continue to rise to his baiting, your armor will fit as poorly as his brain fits inside of his skull."
"Manchira, I'm-" Izuna tried to complain before being cut off by the eldest Uchiha.
"You will hold your tongue or you will leave, you little brat. I will not have you ruining my hard work with your childish teasing, do you hear me!" Manchira scolded loudly, her glare only made more intimidating by her activated sharingan which she used while she worked.
Instead of replying, Izuna scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. Madara hid a laugh behind his hand, tauntingly smirking at his brother as he continued to remain respectfully silent.
Huffing in aggravation, the eldest Uchiha hung the chest piece she had been working on around Sakura's neck without another word, tying and retying the leather cords until the plated armor hung from Sakura's shoulders comfortably. When Manchira tied the cords at the sides of the piece until it was snug around Sakura's chest, Sakura silently marveled at how comfortable the weighted armor was.
Despite the blacksmith's impatience and sharp tongue, she was revered as the Uchiha's prized forgemaster. Once a fearsome warrior on the battlefield, she had retired from the fight after she became pregnant with her first child. Quickly bored with the quiet life of a mother and a defender of the village, she took to the art of smithing, studying under the clan's former blacksmith. After the passing of her mentor, she had taken over as the forgemaster for the clan, a place of honor in the clan of warriors.
Manchira's personality was as serious as her meticulous work.
The charcoal haired woman looked over the chest piece with a critical eye, circling around Sakura twice as she inspected her work with her sharingan. She nodded before muttering something under her breath and returning to her workbench, tucking a stray hair back into her utilitarian bun as she went.
As Sakura watched Manchira work, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the whole situation. She didn't feel as if she needed armor and getting a set gifted to her by Madara and Izuna, on top of the shirt with the clan crest emblazoned on the back, was too much for her. She kept trying to turn the brothers down but Madara couldn't be convinced otherwise.
"Really, I don't see why I need this," Sakura tried once again, her discomfort making her want to fidget.
"It's important that you're protected if you are on the battlefield with us," Madara returned simply.
Throughout the entire process, the clan leader had had a near indistinguishable smile on his face that made her feel as if there were some alternative reason for her getting this suit of armor. The slight quirk of the corners of his lips betrayed the fact that he had a secret and Sakura could not figure out what it could possibly be for the life of her.
"I've fought in my regular clothes my entire life and kimonos this past year. And I'm a medic. This is unnecessary…" she argued once again.
Manchira strode forward with two pauldrons in her hands, carefully tying the shoulder protection onto the chest piece using additional leather cords. She pulled tight on the cords until the second piece of the armor was secure against Sakura's shoulders and upper arms.
The stern woman intensely appraised her work, none daring to speak as she focused. The silence dragged on for a long moment before she frowned deeply. She shook her head in dissatisfaction, mumbling something in a harsh tone beneath her breath as she untied the pauldrons and pulled them off. She carried them back to her workbench where the process began once again.
"The armor is a benefit not just because of the protection it offers, something even you need as a medic," Madara explained, giving Sakura a pointed look before continuing in a more serious tone, "It also signifies your position in the clan. You'll be regarded as a warrior of equal standing with any other member of our family when you wear that armor."
"I…" Sakura mumbled, her words fading off in the face of the intensity in the elder Uchiha's voice.
He still could not be swayed. Her gut churned, a knot of shame building in her throat.
A warrior of equal standing? To be considered such a thing by the prideful Uchiha clan was deeply significant. The meaning behind this gift was becoming more apparent as they went on and the more meaningful it became, the more ashamed she felt for receiving it.
Merely the thought of whether or not she would take the armor with her when she returned to her time nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"Also, you won't be mistaken as an enemy during the heat of battle. Even though your hair would certainly make it difficult…" Izuna tacked on, thankfully breaking her concentration.
"I would be worried about your eyesight if you mistook me for an enemy on the battlefield, especially if I wore my brightly colored yukatas," Sakura commented offhandedly, looking away from the brothers lest they notice the sorrow on her face.
Sakura instead looked on as Manchira worked, hammering at the pauldrons laid out on her workbench and better securing the crimson metal plating to the leather backing. She missed how Madara and Izuna gazed at one another from the corners of their eyes, communicating silently in a way only the brothers could.
The forgemaster stepped forward again, the final piece of the armor in her arms this time. Not caring for how invasive she was being, she tied the metal plating to the bottom of Sakura's chest piece, the next layer of armor hanging from either side of her hips.
The eldest Uchiha pulled back, dropping her chin into her cupped fingers as she eyed her work.
"Ah, good, good," she hummed, nodding, before stopping back at her workbench.
Manchira returned with the pauldrons and made quick work of strapping the arm and neck protection to Sakura's dainty shoulders. She tied and retied the leather cords multiple times until she appeared satisfied with their placement. She took a few steps backwards, her sharp eyes raking over her work. She circled around Sakura three times before coming to a stop in front of her.
"At last! Perfection!" she declared suddenly, making Sakura jump in surprise.
Sakura finally looked down, her eyes taking in the finished product. Her hidden shame only multiplied as she stared down at the beautifully smithed armor, the brightly lacquered metal plates gleaming in the sunlight. She was amazed by the craftsmanship and was even more impressed by how well the armor fit her. It clung to her perfectly in all the right places, hardly restricted her movements, and, despite the weight being noticeable, it was not a hindrance.
She was sure it would look great hanging in her closet back in her time…
Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat.
"This is incredible," she complimented sincerely, her voice barely a whisper.
"You flatter me, Lady Sakura, but we won't know until you fight in it. I want you to wear it during your spars with these two every day for the next week and come back to me afterwards. And be honest with me. You'll only offend me if you die on the battlefield because my armor doesn't fit well enough," Manchira instructed, the corner of her lip quirking up as her sharingan returned to dormancy.
Sakura felt that she didn't deserve this gift, that she didn't deserve a place in their family, but she was deeply touched by it nonetheless. She was ashamed that she would one day abandon them all but the fact she held a place of love and respect in the guarded clan was enough to tear at her heartstrings.
She choked down her sorrow until she was sure her tone would express her sincerity.
"Of course. Thank you very much, Manchira," she thanked deeply, genuine gratefulness coloring her tone.
Sakura turned to face the two clan heads, a jumble of words catching in her chest as she gazed at their happy faces. She wanted to say how sorry she was. She wanted to say that she didn't deserve this. She wanted to say that she loved them both so dearly that the thought that she would one day leave them, that she would abandon them and return to a place where they were long dead, filled her with a dread so heavy she felt like she was drowning.
She struggled for a long moment, searching for the right thing to say. When she spoke, she spoke from the heart.
"Thank you both. I know that all of this is more meaningful than you're making it out to be. I understand and I..." She paused as she felt the knot in her throat reform and heat prickle at the backs of her eyes.
Sakura watched as Madara and Izuna's expressions softened and felt more guilt build in her chest. They saw her as the woman who had lost her village and everyone she loved to tragedy. They thought that she was coming to view their home as her own… Something she couldn't deny and something that would rip her heart from her chest when she lost everyone she loved once again.
"Just... thank you," she finally forced out when she felt like speaking wouldn't summon the tears threatening to form.
Sakura wished the ground would open and swallow her. At least death would be a better fate than being forced to give up the people she had come to love during this time just to return to the people she loved in her time.
"Anything to keep you safe," Madara spoke, his soft words betraying a deeper meaning and making her heart skip a beat in her chest despite her silent anguish.
Why did things have to become so complicated...
She quickly broke eye contact with the man she secretly pined for to regard the forgemaster once again. Manchira had a smirk on her face and quirked her eyebrow at Sakura in amusement, misreading her internal struggle but accurately deciphering her feelings for the clan leader.
"I… I'll come back soon. Thank you again," Sakura choked out, unable to face the elder woman's knowing look, before turning on her heel and striding out of the Uchiha's open air workshop.
She heard the clan heads briefly thank Manchira before they both appeared at her sides. As she walked, she could feel the unfamiliar sensation of the metal plated armor moving with her. Even with sorrow clogging her senses, the extra weight of the meticulously crafted armor made her feel oddly powerful. More than that though, the gift deeply touched her on a level that she could hardly fathom. She hadn't felt so accepted, so wanted and loved, since the cat summons had invited her to join their pride.
Sakura would never, could never, forget this feeling as long as she lived.
When Madara's low voice sounded next to her ear, her thoughts were gratefully derailed completely.
"Care to dance, Sakura?" he challenged in a purr, his love of battle coloring his words so his tone sounded more like he was asking her to his bed rather than to the battlefield.
She cleared her throat, hoping to hide how her voice rose an octave. "Of course."
In that moment, Sakura was able to forget the future and focus on the then. To push away her quest and it's inevitable conclusion for an afternoon as she fought away her misery with the men she had come to love.
Over the next week, Sakura wore her new set of armor every time she sparred with him and his brother. Izuna had been impressed by how quickly his treasured friend adjusted to the extra weight of the armor and decided to really test her to improve her skill during these fights.
The young clan head had been especially ruthless during these sessions, grabbing Sakura by the seams of her armor or by the leather cords that secured it to her body and dragging her around. He wanted to show her that despite the armor giving her added advantages on the battlefield, it had its disadvantages as well. Such as giving an enemy more points to get a grip on her or more points for her to get caught on.
Like anyone but him and Madara would be stupid enough to step into the three foot danger zone around the powerhouse of a woman, especially when she was swinging around that damn axe of hers. An axe that she was beginning to become frightening proficient with and one which she kept stored in a scroll she kept at the small of her back.
While she still had a ways to go before she was as skilled with it as Madara was with his scythe and gunbai or he was with his katana, that in no way reflected a lack of deadliness on her part. She could literally topple mountains with one swing of her axe, a feat that was both terrifying and awe inspiring for any who witnessed her fighting.
While she could easily accomplish her brand of destruction with her bare hands, the crisp, clean lines left behind when she utilized her axe, like someone had meticulously sanded down her stony victims to a perfectly flat plane, made her all the more intimidating.
By the end of their first few training sessions, and after they had thoroughly infuriated her by grabbing her by her armor or slapping the pauldrons up into her face, Sakura had rapidly adjusted to the disadvantages of her armor and was quick to unleash her rage on the brothers for being toyed with.
Anyone who tried to grab her by her armor on the battlefield would be quick to find their deaths at the wrong end of her weapon of choice.
Izuna was happy that his best friend was going to have that extra layer of defense on the battlefield but he could easily tell that his brother's happiness extended to something deeper than her added protection. While Sakura may have missed the satisfied stares and dazed smiles that Madara shot her when she wore her new battle gear, Izuna didn't. He easily noticed how his sibling's eyes lingered on the Uchiha clan crest emblazoned on the back of the shirt she was gifted with her armor.
Izuna was deeply amused by his brother's noticeable infatuation with the kunoichi. Nearly as amused as he had been when Madara had insisted on getting her sized for armor in the first place.
The young clan head knew it would be some time before they risked their prized medic on the battlefield. Although the kunoichi had proved herself numerous times and nearly stood at the level him and his brother did, he knew that they would have to be hard pressed to involve Sakura in a melee. Especially when her presence back at the village as their defender left them with a sense of comfort when they were gone.
It was easy for the younger Uchiha to figure out why Madara had insisted on getting her armor: it had been a way of bringing her closer to the clan and closer to him; as a way of envisioning her as a full member of their family. As a way of imagining her as his wife.
Honestly, Izuna found it to be adorable, a word that he had never thought he would one day associate with his battle driven, warlord of a brother.
While he may have thought this behavior was oddly endearing, it also brought with it a sense of confusion. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around why his brother hadn't yet asked to court Sakura. It was obvious he was in love with her and Izuna had given Madara his blessings. Even the majority of the clan adored her as well, nearly every member referring to her with the respectful honorific of 'Lady'.
Why was he playing these games then? Why hadn't he just asked her yet?
For the entirety of their spar that afternoon, these thoughts had plagued Izuna. Even by the time they had ended their three-way training session and Sakura had parted from them with a promise of something deep fried later that night, he found himself overwhelmingly curious.
After giving her their farewells, Sakura turning her back to them as she made her way back towards the village, Izuna sat down on one of the tree trunks that Sakura had bisected with her axe. Weary from the spar as well, Madara leaned against one of the few untouched trees in the new clearing where their training session had taken place.
As she strode passed the treeline she had demolished during their spar, the forest around them remodeled once again by their fight, Izuna looked over at his brother, noticing how he had yet to deactivate his sharingan. Instead, his brother watched Sakura walk away with half lidded eyes, his gaze lingering on the clan crest on her back, revealed as her low ponytail swung with her steps.
The young clan head watched silently for a few long moments, waiting for their medic to get out of earshot, before he bluntly asked, "Why haven't you asked to court her yet?"
Madara's eyes shot over to him in surprise, taken aback by the sudden question. He glanced back over at Sakura, noting how her pace hadn't faltered, before his irritated gaze returned to his younger brother.
"It's complicated," he answered gruffly with a frown, crossing his arms across his chest as his sharingan returned to inactivity.
"It's actually quite simple, brother. What's holding you back?"
Madara huffed in exasperation. "You know her."
"Yes, she's our atypically violent and belligerent miracle medic. Your point?" he retorted, leaning back on his hands.
"More than that. She's…" he paused, searching for the right words, "Her."
Izuna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You're not making any sense…"
Madara stared off into the distance for a long moment before asking in a serious tone, "Do you really think she would bother sticking around once her contract is complete?"
"I haven't thought about it, honestly. I would assume so."
"She's the most incredible women I've ever met. From working independently for just a few shorts months, she made a name for herself. She has no need for us. She's just furthering her own agenda by using our library as part of our deal," he attempted to explain, melancholy coloring his tone.
"That may be why she came but I doubt she'll just up and leave once she's done reading every scroll we own," Izuna asserted, leaning forward and folding his hands in his lap.
"I believe she will… She's searching for something. I can't figure out what, but I suspect it has something to do with her old village."
"What makes you think that?"
"She's already read through more than half of the library."
Izuna's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really? That's… impressive."
Silence reigned for a long moment, the air around them heavy with an emotion that felt suspiciously like grief.
When Madara spoke next, his voice was low and his tone was bleak. "She'll leave once she's done with the contract. She's searching for something and we don't have the answer she needs."
"And where will she go? Do you think she'll try to go to the Senju to search through their library?"
Madara's face betrayed his instant aggravation and his reply had a bite to it. "No, she's not an idiot. They would kill her for what she did the day we first met. But more than that, they would kill her for helping us."
"She's the most powerful healer in the world, the only healer in the world who can heal other people. Do you really think they'd turn down her help if she offered it, especially for such a low price?" Izuna asked seriously, playing devil's advocate.
After all, where else would Sakura go if she left them? There was no greater supply of shinobi knowledge than with them. If she was searching for some answer that pertained to ninjutsu, her best bet would be with them. If they didn't have the answer she needed, then the only other place she could go to search would be with the Senju.
Madara grimaced, his irritated expression sharpening to one bordering on the edge of distress.
"She wouldn't betray us like that," he asserted heatedly.
"Then where would she go? Why would she abandon us? She's more than just our healer now. She belongs here, with us."
"She does. But she won't stay," the elder Uchiha muttered, closing his eyes for a long moment.
"She would if she became part of the clan." She would if you asked her to marry you.
Madara just frowned deeply, his gaze becoming unfocused as he stared out at the destruction Sakura had left behind. Instead of replying, he pushed himself off of the tree and disappeared in a flash.
Izuna sighed deeply, dropping his head. He closed his eyes for a long moment, gathering himself, before he righted his head and stared off into the setting sun.
He could feel his brother's sorrows as if they were his own. More than anything, he hoped that his only remaining sibling, the person he loved most, could find some sort of happiness in their war torn world. The young Uchiha had thought that Madara could find that piece of happiness with Sakura but it appeared there was more to it than met the eye.
Izuna just wished that there was something he could do to help.
Walking around the inside of the open air aviary he had built near the home he shared with Izuna, Madara raked out the soiled litter from the base of the spacious pen. As he studiously worked to keep the space clean and clear of debris, his prized hawk perched on the leather pauldron he had crafted just for her. While he replaced her water bucket with a fresh pail, she preened his hair, warbling contentedly as she worked out whatever tangles she found.
For nearly a decade, Madara had raised his hawk which he had named Asuko. When he was only twelve years old and had first shown an interest in falconry, he had been gifted his own hawk in the form of a newly born hatchling. He had spent months raising the fuzzy creature, feeding her bits of ground up mouse meat and developing their bond. By the time she began to learn how to fly, she would never stray, always loyally returning back to him.
As he and Asuko grew, he had learned the craft from another falconer in the clan, a man who didn't fight in the battles as a shinobi but who instead hunted in the lands surrounding wherever they had hidden their village. Falconry was an art he took to with great enthusiasm and a practice he still enjoyed as an adult especially since it was time he got to spend with his much adored feathered companion.
Even as an adult and as the leader of his clan, he refused to allow anyone else to tend to his prized hawk, knowing that his continued interactions with Asuko only further cemented their bond. As if anyone else in his family would even come near the temperamental bird either way, a hawk known for nipping at people she found weren't worthy. Over the years, the only people she would tolerate being near her, let alone touching her or her aviary, were Izuna, their late mother, and himself.
Once Madara finally finished cleaning the inside of her pen, Asuko began to make excited warbling noises, happily chirping in his ear.
"Yes, you know what time it is, don't you?" he chuckled, "Go get on your perch."
With a gust of wind, she flew off of his shoulder, finding her favorite perch. Once settled, and as he went to grab the wooden bucket he had left near the door to her aviary for once he was finished cleaning, she impatiently moved from foot to foot, chirping at him loudly. Bringing the bucket in, he reached in with a glove hand and pulled out a piece of chopped deer.
"Ready?" he laughed, Asuko eagerly trilling in response.
When he tossed the bit of meat into the air, Asuko launched off of her perch, snatching her meal mid air before landing on another branch on the other side of her pen. She made quick work of the bit of meat, tearing it apart with her beak, before chirping at Madara once again, already ready for her next piece.
With a smile, Madara tossed the next piece, his feathered companion shooting off of her perch and snatching the next piece out of the air with trained skill. As he watched her tear apart the bit of meat, he sensed the sudden appearance of a familiar chakra nearby. Turning to face the approaching scout, Asuko did the same, her sharp eyes zeroing in on her unwanted guest.
"What's wrong?" Madara asked, noting the urgency in his rapidly approaching clan mate's expression.
"It's a message. A scout from one of our outposts brought it in. They say it's from one of our informants in the east and that it was vital that it got to you immediately," the young man replied as he approached the aviary with a scroll in hand. His eyes drifted to the leery hawk with uncertainty before he cleared his throat, choosing to carefully hand Madara the message through one of the slots in the fence.
"Thank you for bringing this to me so quickly," he answered, immediately opening the scroll.
"Of course. I'll return to my post," the young Uchiha replied.
Madara nodded once in dismissal before the scout disappeared in a flash, returning into the forest surrounding their home. Rapidly reading the text within the scroll, his eyebrows furrowed at the message within. Troubled by the information that had been sent to him, he frowned deeply and rolled the scroll back into its protective case.
"I'm sorry, Asuko. It looks like I have to go for now," he sighed, tucking the scroll into the pouch on his hip.
Asuko looked out at him silently, her gaze soundlessly expressing her upset.
"Yes, I know, I'll take you out to fly soon. But for now, I brought you something special," Madara apologized, reaching into the bucket to pull out a dead rabbit.
The hawk perked up immediately as her sharp gaze snapped to her fresh meal and, when Madara tossed it into the air for her to catch, she snatched it from the air with lightning speed. Finding a new perch to tuck into her heavy meal, she happily tore into her dinner with her sharp beak.
With Asuko sufficiently distracted, he exited her aviary, locking the fence behind him and turning to head to his home where he knew Izuna was going through mission requests. Slipping off his shoes, he entered through one of the open engawa lining their home, and easily found Izuna in his office.
His brother sat in front of a low table, hunched over a neatly arranged pile of letters and scrolls. With the winter months having finally died down, they were getting the surge of requests they got every year. The Senju always got more active when the cold finally abated. The clan was very much like the forest they named themselves after: inactive in the winter yet lively in the spring and summer.
As Madara entered, Izuna's eyes flicked away from the open scroll in his hands and over to him, his eyebrows coming together when noticed the look in Madara's eyes.
"We received a message from one of our informants in the east," Madara explained, not bothering with pleasantries.
"What was it?" Izuna asked, returning his scroll to the pile before him.
"Toka has returned," Madara replied simply, Izuna's eyes widening in surprise.
"Are they certain?"
"She and her regiment were spotted returning from the Uzumaki's island by boat last week," he detailed, "It appears her contingent has grown significantly since her departure. Undoubtedly reinforcements from the Uzumaki."
"Then it appears spring is finally upon us…" Izuna sighed before his gaze hardened, "We need to prepare. With her return, the Senju will be much bolder. And if they have Uzumaki soldiers to bolster their forces, I would wager they are already planning an assault."
"Undoubtedly," Madara returned, "We need to summon scoutmaster Haia and have her double the shinobi who patrol the village. We will need to reinforce the genjutsu barriers immensely as well if the Senju's genjutsu specialist is back in their ranks."
"Agreed. Let's go now, the Senju could already be on the move," Izuna replied, rising to his feet and following Madara.
As they quickly dawned their shoes and rushed out into the forest to search for their scoutmaster, Madara's thoughts became distracted. With the sudden reappearance of Toka Senju, he was reminded of the conversation that him and Izuna had had a few days previous; of Sakura's hidden quest and whatever knowledge it was that she searched for.
The entire reason that Sakura had agreed to become their medic hadn't been due to a loyalty to them or a hatred of the Senju like so many of their other allies. Instead, it had been to continue her search for whatever answer it was she pursued. Although she did studiously work to advance her healing techniques, making good on the reasoning that she had given when she first joined them, over the months that he spent in her company, Madara had learned that she searched for something more.
If his family didn't have the knowledge she searched for… would she leave them to go to the Senju to resume her mission?
No… She would never betray them like that…
Would she?
A/N: Asuko, the name of Madara's hawk (who will be seen again), is comprised of two syllables. "Asu" means "to fly" while "Ko" means "child". Essentially, Madara named her such because she is his flying baby bird daughter. While none in the clan bring up Madara's name for his hawk (which he has had since he was a preteen), they all think it is adorable.
Manchira, the name of the blacksmith, is a kind of armored vest with additional protective layers of either kusari (chain armor), kikko (brigandine), and/or karuto (armor plates). Haia, the name of the Uchiha scout master, means "nimble" or "quick". This is because she is one of the fastest members of the clan, on par with Izuna and Madara. It is because of her speed, stealth, and intelligence that she earned her place as the scout master and functions as the first line of defense for their village. A wakizashi is a sword often used in conjunction with a katana. It is shorter than a katana but longer than a tanto. When used with a katana, they are called daisho (which literally means "big-little").