Our Story: Reunion

Seasons changed, and time moved forward. Madara had grown into a man and a shinobi who garnered fear and respect. The hostility between the Uchiha and Senju clans only worsened after their princess's kidnapping.

They were more aggressive, ruthless even. Since that kidnapping incident, orchestrated by the few foolish members of his clan, Madara never saw Hashi again. At first, he didn't want to believe it.

Despite the threatening words of her father and the sense his little brother tried to install in his head, his heart led him, hoping for a small chance of luck. He would travel to their meeting spot. Hoping to see her tapping her foot, impatiently waiting for him, or sitting by the river meditating—he has often caught her doing both.

Yet as soon as his foot reached their private oasis away from war and bloodshed, he was met with silence—no sign of Hashi anywhere.

Even with the evidence before his eyes, Madara waited, and when it got too late, he would return home only to return to the same spot again. He did this for weeks as flashes of her blinding smile, unfeminine laughter, and loud, angry retorts played in his head. Mocking him and edging him on despite the obvious truth.

"Onii-san, you can't keep doing this to yourself! That damn Senju Princess seduced you! You must erase her from your memories. Don't you see that you'll only hurt yourself?!"

Izuna rarely raised his voice except when he was highly stressed and dealing with complete idiots, which in this case was both. Izuna admired his big brother and hated to see that haunted look in his eyes each time he went out to search for that vixen Senju princess.

Izuna didn't know what that vixen of a Senju Princess did to his big brother, but he hated it and her.

"If only it were that easy," Madara muttered. He knew his actions were seen as foolish and uncharacteristic of an Uchiha. But… Hashi was not someone he could easily erase from his head and his heart.

He knew he should give up and surrender to the fate that they would never see each other again, but he was stubborn.

"You stubborn grouchy cat!"

Even now, he could hear Hashi's voice clearly in his head and clutched his chest that yearned for her presence again in his life.

Yet as he began to grow older, so did his responsibilities, and he was forced to face reality and quell his pain.

Going over the reports from his fellow clansmen, Madara saw details yet again about the mysterious demon-masked Senju shinobi, who had made their first appearance a year ago.

Word had it that they possessed monstrous strength to cause earthquakes, topple trees, and turn boulders into specks of sand. Only one person came to mind when Madara first got word, but he quickly squashed that idea.

The Senjus were a male-dominated clan that didn't hold a strong belief in women on the battlefield. Yes, a few managed to break this rule, but Madara knew that with Hashi's position, her father had probably married her off already or caged her like a songbird.

Both ideas pissed him off, but he had to put such thoughts behind him. Reports concerning the demon-masked Senju, who people dubbed 'Asura,' said they could gather all natures of the earth to their very command like a god.

Such news had people on edge until it turned into confusion when it was stated how at the end of each battle, they would trick their injured enemies, who could not move, by summoning giant Venus Flytraps. The carnivorous plants would swallow their bodies, but instead of feeding on them, the plants emitted a saliva substance that would heal their wounds.

"Y-You're kidding me, right?" said one of the elders with a hint of disbelief, and Madara couldn't blame him. A Senju helping a Uchiha?! Never in a million years! It was absurd, but Madara had seen the proof.

Men and women who should've succumbed to their wounds were still walking around, and 'Asura' was the sole person responsible. He was now old enough to attend clan meetings. Being the heir of his clan, he had to learn the layout and the inner secrets.

Time continued to move forward, and before he knew it, he buried his father, whose last words to him were to take care of Izuna before surrendering to eternal sleep.

For a while, Madara managed to forget Hashi's existence and their peaceful childhood together. But all of that came crumbling down the fateful day he finally encountered the mysterious Asura Senju in battle.

The battle went on for hours and during that time, Madara came to realize that all the rumors speaking of their fearsome might turned out to be accurate, as he counted at least twenty broken bones from the punches and kicks he took.

Not to mention they disarmed his left shoulder after coating their hands in green chakra. Madara couldn't understand how they did it, but they lived up to their nickname.

Madara was pushed to his limits, eyes burning with how much he had used his Mangekyō Sharingan. He was not the only one close to reaching their limits. Despite the mask covering their face, they were breathing just as heavily as him.

Gripping the hilt of his sword, Madara appeared in a blink of an eye in front of his enemy, who was too late to notice him as his sword made contact with their mask—a crack formed down the middle before shattering into pieces.

That was the moment time stood still. Madara took in their face and stumbled back at the flash of recognition gleaming in those familiar brown eyes as a smile spread across their face.

"H-Hashi…?"

"Yo! How've you been doing, grouchy cat."

She smirked at his shock, but Madara was having difficulty breathing. Recalling their days where they were training, poking fun at each other, or talking about their dreams for a better future. The day she disappeared from his life, a hole opened up in his chest.

"What's with the frown? Aren't you happy to see me again?" At this point, she had relaxed her guard. She saw him not as an enemy but as her friend from all those years ago. The boy who inspired strength and courage in her.

"So the Senjus allowed you out of your cage?" Madara's gruff voice came out as more of an insult than a genuine question.

Instead of taking offense, Hashi laughed loudly and freely. She was just like the girl in his memories. The only change was her appearance. Madara would never admit these words out loud, but Hashi had matured into a beautiful woman.

The kunoichi Madara knew tended to cut their hair short, but Hashi's was so long now that it ran down her back like a gentle river. The lashes of her eyes were longer, and her lips looked soft and plump despite being chapped from battle.

Yet, despite her feminine looks, she stood before him decked in armor. The elegance of her taijutsu had lept to the point of calling it unmatched. Madara remembered when she had called forth the earth, and a shower of sakura petals descended into her hand before turning into a sword.

When he was training her, Hashi sucked when it came to wielding a sword, yet she had improved to the point of matching him in battle. An odd sense of pride rumbled in Madara's heart.

"You don't suck wielding a sword anymore."

A flush of anger overcame her tan skin, puffing out her cheeks.

"Why, you bastard! I'll let you know-"

Madara saw Hashi stop her rant, lifting his brow until he felt a pain in his chest and recalled he wasn't the only one fighting. He turned in the direction where Izuna was fighting Tobirama.

But it was too late as Tobirama landed a fatal hit. Rage consumed Madara, rushing to his little brother. But before Izuna's knees could touch the ground, Hashi rested him on his back, face serious and in deep concentration.

"The cut isn't that deep. I can still save him," Hashi said more to herself than to her little brother, who began questioning why she was trying to save an Uchiha again after they had stolen the lives of many Senju.

Hashi knew her little brother had a point, but that didn't mean she had to agree.

Madara dropped to the ground beside Izuna, who looked on the verge of meeting their late father when he saw Hashi's hands glow green like they did in battle when she disabled his arm. She placed them on the spot where Izuna was bleeding heavily.

"Hashi, what do you think you're doing?!"

Madara couldn't believe that Hashi had grown so heartless to finish off his already dying baby brother.

"Calm down, Madara. I'm trying to save your precious brother's life. I've seen enough bodies and buried enough brothers not to wish that pain on anyone else. So please, shut up and let me concentrate. The same goes for you, Tobi-chan. I got a life to save."