Izumi Uchiha: The Crimson Flower

by ValentineSokol

One horrible night marked the end of the once great Uchiha clan. But for Izumi Uchiha, it marked the beginning of a new life. One filled with regret, hatred, and a burning ambition. Can she protect the last child of her clan and the jinchuriki of the Leaf from the Masked Man, who's out for their blood? Can she train Team 7 to be the strongest they can be?

7. The Ceremony: Change

I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better. Georg C. Lichtenberg

---

VvV

(with Izumi; Hokage's Office)

Once again, the Hokage poured the steaming tea into the elegant white cup.

He set it before her deliberately and without hurry and her mind caught the quiet melogic ring of porcelain, as it touched the polished wood of the table. The man then proceeded to do the same for himself before moving on to quietly stuffing his pipe with fresh tobacco.

"I am glad, dear. I knew you had it in you to make the right decision both for your clan and the village. I certainly know it was no easy choice."

'Have I made the right decision?' Izumi watched the thought drift by again. Again and again.

'I just said I agreed… Why am I…'

The cup trembled in her fingers. The subtle sound of it being dragged against the table, no more than a fleeting moment long. The ominous oscillating screech... It felt to her like Madara's blade, being dragged across the floor, inching closer to her throat. Or perhaps it was the shattering of Itachi's ANBU mask. The same white porcelain, only colder… Dead.

'Clan Head? Politics? Keeping up appearances? I… I'm not… cut out for this, am I?'

Izumi stared into the wall by her side. Her mind focused on all the little scabs, bumps and cracks in the concrete, carefully tracing each one, as it tried to come up with a little story to explain each one that it got over more than seventy years of history, its sturdy monolith towering over her. Izumi shuddered, as the pervasive cold rolled off of it, mingling with a slithering hint of moisture and mold, oozing into the room from somewhere below the cracks in the old plaster, and licked her face.

Izumi sank further into her armchair, pressing her back fully into it, because it suddenly felt like the old building might just crush her, smothering the air out of her tightening chest and gripping her muscles like a tightrope, as she tried to struggle against its weight.

Izumi closed her eyes, feeling her fingers almost grind into the delicate porcelain of her cup. Shook her head, letting her long hair flow, lagging slightly behind the movement, and give her something else to focus on. She tried thinking about the warmth of the tea, traveling through the cup and up into her tense fingers.

It was only the second time in her life, when Izumi had felt like that. Insignificant. Suffocated.

The first time was inside the shrine near the Nakano River, in a secret underground meeting place, hidden exactly under the seventh tatami from the entrance. The shadows from the torches danced that time, as if they were made alive by the hatred, seeping into them from the air. The very same stale air with the same moisture and the creeping undercurrent of mold. And the very same walls. Cold and sturdy, having stood in their place for incomprehensibly longer than she'd been alive.

'We, the Uchiha Clan, helped build this village! And we will not stand and watch, as the legacy of our fathers is being stolen away by them!'

Yashiro Uchiha. A veteran of the Police Force, a skilled shinobi, a mold for the new generation of Uchiha. She remembered his face that night, contorted with anger that seemingly made the wrinkles, running under his eyes, even deeper, forever etching them into his aging features. Like the scabs in the weathered concrete.

'What is our legacy even? The land? The empty houses? Is it worth anything? Just a bunch of moldy walls… And we started a coup over that? They all died… because of that! It… it just makes no sense… now that they're all dead… what does it matter? If we're going to probably die soon too…'

Noticing the uneasy silence, that settled firmly in the study, Hiruzen put the tip of his pipe into his mouth, setting the herbs inside ablaze with a small flame, born out of his fingertips with a peculiar sound, like the stove had been turned on.

Izumi shuddered, her mind immediately drawn to the flame, like a helpless moth. Flame, fire, heat.

Sarutobi took a slow, indulgent drag out of it, letting the misty white smoke once again circle the room, while he gave the lost girl some time to collect herself.

Burning walls. Mom's flowers slowly torched, one by one, along with her own body, indulgently licked by the raging flame, as if savoring it, before devouring for good.

'Mom, now that you… you're dead… do you still care about our flower shop? Our home? Our clan? What does it all matter to you, if you're already dead?'

'Why should I do anything, if tomorrow Madara's just going to come back and kill us? If not Madara… then someone like him… Whatever I do… is not going to… mean a thing…'

Izumi's eyes once again lingered on the looming wall before her. It stood uncaringly and to her it felt like even her thoughts were being crushed against its concrete.

'I… don't wanna die like that!'

'Mom, Itachi, Mrs. Mikoto, Mr. Fugaku, the clan… they all died… Wait, why have they died? Because of Madara? Because of Itachi? Because of the coup?! Why… all of it makes no sense!'

"Izumi?" Hiruzen finally broke the silence, "Are you feeling alright?"

Izumi coughed a little, inhaling some of the tobacco smoke. The scent of pine and berries, the Third Hokage's apparent favorite, was pleasant, but to her it felt suffocating.

'Why? The entire coup already makes no sense! Why did Itachi have to do that? Why did the clan have to do that? What were they trying to protect? Lands? Houses? Walls? Our legacy? Why have they died?! What's so important about our legacy that they all risked everything and died for it?!'

"Izumi?" Hiruzen repeated his question, a little frown of worry etched into his face, "If having this conversation now is difficult for you or if you need some time to think it through once more…"

"No!" Izumi shuddered, crashing out of her thoughts, only realizing too late how loud her voice came out, oscillating between fear, defiance and a persistent undertone of doubt, as if it was the stuck key on a piano, giving out the same whining note, no matter what you played.

"I… I'm sorry…" she quickly reigned herself in, trying to take a sip of her tea and preferably drown in her teacup.

"That is completely alright, Izumi."

Hiruzen's voice never changed, contrary to her own, remaining just as calm, almost like a lull.

"Like I said, I appreciate your decision. It is evident how hard it must have been on you. But let me assure you. You are doing the right thing for the clan. For honoring the dead and for ensuring a future for the living."

'Have I made the right choice? Can I do that? What does it matter if we're probably gonna die sooner or later? Why should I do anything, if tomorrow Madara's just going to come back and kill us? If not Madara… then someone like him… Whatever I do… is not going to… mean a thing…'

'I… I don't want to… to die like that!'

She suddenly stared… into her own glassed over eyes. Izumi could see the coat of dried blood, the suffocating bruise around her own neck. Just left on the bloodied pavement to rot. That was about all Izumi Uchiha had been reduced to. As if the last cruel touch… her long, cared for, auburn hair was still tossed unceremoniously by the wind. The only smoldering ember of movement to ever stir in her body again.

"I'm… dead?"

She could see her own lifeless body down to the last individual hair on her head or the smallest pore on her skin… for all intents and purposes… It was real. Izumi Uchiha was indeed dead.

Closing her eyes and focusing, Izumi could still pick up the little vestiges of her own cry

"Itachi! Help! Help me… Please!"

'Nobody's going to help.'

She could still see the spots where her tears had hit the pavement moments before. And she could feel the chilling tightness of a chain… like a noose around her neck.

Izumi snapped awake abruptly, as if falling into her armchair from above. She instantly felt the pounding in her chest and ears. A gross, sticky film of sweat grabbed her by the shoulders as the tension in her muscles squeezed them like a tightrope.

She could see the growing concern on Hiruzen's face, as the old Hokage set his pipe away, his attention now focused entirely on her.

'We'll just die… like the rest of the clan…. for protecting the damn legacy, whatever it is! We started a coup because of pride! Madara killed us all because… we cast him out… hurt his pride… over seventy years ago and we're… we're still gonna die because of it! Is our legacy just hurt pride? It makes no sense at all!'

She didn't realize her teacup was now empty, still holding it tentatively in the air, neither drinking nor setting it aside. She stared into the bottom of it, not to look at the Hokage. There was nothing there, but the black drying tea leaves.

'We have no future.'

"As the new clan head, you… Izumi, are you absolutely sure you can handle it? Should I go on? It is perfectly fine to have this conversation later. I can tell from your face that something is troubling you."

Izumi fidgeted, running a hand through her hair to feel the motion. Eventually she sat the teacup back down onto the table with the same resounding ring.

"No… I'm fine. I… I have to do this. I've already decided… Please, go on."

'I… I don't want us to die… This whole legacy, the clan, the history… Everything is only worth it if there's someone alive to see it…'

The Hokage's eyes met hers and for a moment the two shinobi: the young and the elder, found themselves understanding a bit of each other.

"Very well." Sarutobi spoke first, in his usual measured and even tone, "Like I told you before, we have to hold a public address to explain the recent tragic events to the people. As a new head of the clan and a survivor, I would like to ask you to take part in it. If you feel up to it, the preparations have already been made to hold it today."

'A public speech? Am I just supposed to go out there… to all those people… and what? Stand there? Show how good things are between the clan and the village? There's just one small thing… everyone's dead… but overall, everything's just fine and under control!'

"W-what should I do there?" Izumi asked, biting her lip, like her father had always done when nervous.

"I am sure you understand already, dear. Seeing you alive and unharmed, under the village's protection will give the people a sense of hope. It is something this village desperately needs. It will signal our unity both to the clans and civilians. Without a doubt, Izumi, your role is of utmost importance."

"Hope?" Izumi repeated in an absent whisper, "are you… sure I'm the best person for something like that?"

"You are the only person, Izumi. Sasuke is still a child and you are the only one alive who could take care of the clan."

"I see…" Izumi's shoulders fell onto the soft parchment of the armchair, "when?"

"In a couple of hours. The ANBU will fetch you when needed. Until then, you should try getting some rest. One more thing. The information about Madara's and Itachi's involvement is to be kept classified. The official version of events will be altered to not cause as much panic."

Izumi looked up at the aging Kage in front of her.

"So, it's a fake hope…"

"It is politics, Izumi. While we want to be honest and forthcoming, sometimes those in the position of leadership can not afford to be."

"But… With Madara out there… Lord Hokage… do you think we… really have a chance?"

"Yes. This Madara is an unconventional and dangerous enemy, but Konoha has stood through the worst of the wars and numerous assailants. Do not worry, dear, we will do our best to keep you children safe."

Izumi leaned in, giving the old leader an intense gaze, as the sudden moisture prickled at the edges of her eyes.

"How do I know… this isn't politics either?"

Thomp.

Thomp.

Thomp.

Calm. Measured. Cold and precise like a heartbeat.

"It is."

It was a deep, ragged voice of a man who'd lived through the very history of the shinobi world. A voice of a man who liked to get things done exactly the way he had planned and was prepared to do anything for it.

Izumi looked over her shoulder to see an old man, donning a white kimono tucked into black hakama, a pale purple belt, a yellow sash, a bandaged right arm with a gold ringlet on the wrist. The left half of his face was covered in bandages and his one visible eye scanned Izumi in a heartbeat before his cane had even touched the floor where he stood.

"A true shinobi need not rely on hope or trust. Always assume a hidden agenda. Only rely on your own strength. That is one thing that never fails."

Hiruzen didn't need to lift his eyes to feel his presence

"Danzo? You came here personally? To the Residence instead of the office? Was there something urgent?"

The village elder dropped the file with what sounded like documents pretty unceremoniously.

"There has been a growing number of Hidden Stone shinobi, amassing at the border with the Land of Grass. Several situations came close to skirmishes between Stone and Hidden Grass shinobi, as well as our own peace-keeping units. Some of my Intel indicates a potentially dangerous build up of Iwa's forces in some areas of the border. Were you aware of those occurrences?"

"There's a young child in the room. These things can wait until I wrap up my discussion with Izumi."

Danzo's steely eye narrowed ever-so-slightly

"Don't be a hypocrite, Hiruzen. You either ask her to lead a clan and treat her like you would an adult… or you sugarcoat the reality like you would for a child. There can never be both."

"We will talk later." Hiruzen repeated, picking up his pipe and spinning it slowly between his fingers before emptying its contents into an ornate ashtray. Izumi could swear she felt air crackling with a bit of electrified chakra between the two veteran shinobi.

"Looking forward to that." Danzo turned around without fanfare and proceeded to exit, leaving the only sound in the room to be the heavy rhythm of his cane.

"I suggest you train well. That is the only way you can survive." the village elder whispered to her, as he passed, right before shutting the door closed.

Izumi sat down quietly, trying to not make a stray sound, as Hiruzen lit up a new pipe while flipping through the classified report. The soft rustling of pages was the only sign of life in the Hokage's study for a long time.

"Excuse me? May I go now?"

"Yes… Yes, you may go…" Hiruzen nodded, his eyes still flickering from page to page much like the smoldering ember in his pipe.

VvV

(with Izumi; Training Grounds)

Izumi didn't know where to go. So naturally she found herself in the inner yard of the Residence, the private training grounds. Resting atop the Hokage Mountain was a garden, complete with gentle young grass and sprawling old trees. Izumi marveled at the thick aged trunks and the strong green leaves, dancing gently in the wind.

The rumor had it that this garden, growing atop the unforgiving stone was created by Lord First's legendary Wood Style, as a symbol of Konoha's resilience and will. At least that was what was taught at the Academy.

Izumi rested her palm against the warm ragged bark of what looked like an ancient oak. She wouldn't be able to hug that tree even if she tried. Looking up into the heaving canopy, Izumi imagined just climbing up and hiding in the leaves, being swallowed by the sea of green and drowning all the hardships in it.

'Is that why master Jiraiya likes this place so much? I wish I could stay here…'

Izumi tapped the bark a few times, tracing it with her fingers

'If only someone like Lord First was alive… or Lord Fourth… People like Madara wouldn't have been able to get away with everything…'

Izumi felt the gentle wind play with her hair, tossing it around behind her back, letting it flow over her shoulders like a wave.

Taking her hand off the tree, Izumi held it up, examining her fingers for a moment.

'Creating gardens with trees like these with a hand sign… or fighting the Nine-Tails one on one… and winning… How?'

'When you're so powerful… you don't have to watch anyone die… you don't have to lie… or fear anything…'

'But… when you're weak. Like… like you were, Mom… like… me and Sasuke, then it's suddenly okay to just… to just kill you… because then you… you're not important!'

' Dad, Mom… you died… because… we didn't matter. The clan was fighting the village, Itachi was fighting the clan to save the village and Sasuke, and Madara was just killing out of spite! Nobody cared about what happened to us. They still don't care…'

Izumi hesitated. Deep behind her eyes that man Danzo's blinkless, relentless gaze had still been lodged somewhere. The politics, the games and the lies… and the Hidden Stone shinobi on the Grass' border… and the fear of Madara, which even the Third Hokage wasn't impervious to. All of it had clogged Izumi's throat, cutting off her air.

'I suggest you train well. That is the only way you can survive.'

There was something about the way he said it… something intense and slightly unsettling, just like an undertone of moisture and mold in the otherwise neat and tidy Hokage's study…

"You look worried." Sasuke whispered, looking Izumi over from head to toe, "I can tell something happened. What?"

Izumi jolted up, torn from her thoughts by the boy's voice and the edge of expectation in it.

'How… how would I even tell him something like that?'

Izumi hesitated, feeling her own undercut, constricted breathing, the heaviness, seeping into her own head.

"The Hokage… asked me to be the head of the clan." she choked out, focused on Sasuke's minute reactions, "Because otherwise the Daimyo would take the clan lands away… or something like that…"

"Take… wait! What do you mean 'take the lands away'? They… but… they're ours! How can they… But you… agreed, right?!"

"Yeah," Izumi sighed, barely hearing her own voice.

Sasuke's look intensified, as if someone had spilled fresh dark ink onto his already black iris.

"You need to be strong like… like Dad was… or Itachi. Why don't you train?"

"I…" Izumi's reply never came out.

Why?

Because they died?

Because you couldn't protect them?

Because…

Izumi shook her head, taking a deep breath, having to fight against the coiled spring of tension deep inside her chest for every sip of air and then realizing that every breath she took had been on lease.

"Because… it's not going to… it's not… Listen, it doesn't matter if I train or not! Even your dad and… Itachi couldn't stop what happened… and now… everyone's already dead. No matter how hard I train… nothing's gonna change… Why bother?"

Sasuke simply stood still, not moving at all. Izumi thought she could see his little body shaking slightly in the wind. Izumi closed her eyes momentarily, chasing away the unbidden memory…

The boy suddenly bolted towards her, without any pause or sign, his fist cocked back.

VvV

(with Izumi; Sasuke's Home; Seven years ago)

"Izumi. I am sorry for what happened to your dad. If you ever want to see Itachi or feel like you need a safe space, feel free to come over anytime. You are a good girl and we're always happy to see you in our house. It's all going to be alright somehow, okay?"

Mikoto always smiled warmly at her, patting the child softly on the shoulder.

"Come on in, Izumi. Itachi's away, but we can still have some tea, right? I bet Sasuke's going to be happy to see you!" she winked mischievously at Izumi, beckoning her into the house.

Izumi smiled slightly, despite herself, remembering the first time she'd asked Itachi to let her hold the boy.

Oh, that kiddo's outcry would haunt her nightmares for a long time, just as he thrashed his little arms and tiny legs to hit her.

Izumi giggled, returning the wink

"Sure is," she said with a chuckle, "Thank you, mrs. Mikoto!"

"Hey, you're Itachi's friend… That boy needs friends and I'm very happy you two got along so well! Welcome, welcome…"

VvV

"Hi, Sasuke…" Izumi squinted her eyes, looking into the crib with a cautious glint, "You wouldn't cry if I tried to pick you up, would you now? Come on, be a good boy…"

The moment Izumi's hands only slightly hovered over the baby boy, not even touching yet, the kiddo had already erupted into tears, doing his best to punch at least one of Izumi's fingers.

"Hey, would you look at that? He likes you." Mikoto declared, ruffling Izumi's hair.

"Eh?" Izumi thought she had clearly heard something wrong, "he… started crying… and then he tried to punch me!"

"Yeah, you're one moody little sweetie, aren't you, Sasuke?" Mikoto gingerly picked up the tiny boy, holding him closer to her chest. Feeling her warmth, the kid immediately calmed down.

"Hey…" Izumi leaned in, "come on, don't be such a meanie! I only wanted to say hi… Owww!"

Izumi playfully clenched the bridge of her nose where Sasuke's tiny fist had struck.

"Yeah. He definitely likes you!" Mikoto laughed

VvV

(present)

Izumi could feel Sasuke's fist connect with her abdomen with a surprising amount of force for a kid his age. Even if that kid came from the lineage of one of the most formidable clans in the Hidden Leaf.

Izumi stumbled backwards, her back against the oak's hard, ragged trunk. She coughed, instinctively catching his wrist a moment too late and clutched the forming bruise.

"Sasuke?! The hell are you…?!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Sasuke shouted, as crimson rushed into his eyes and overflowed with the boy's tears, "Why are you just giving up?!"

'I… I don't wanna die…'

"Come on!" Sasuke took a shaky step back, lowering his fist and staring at Izumi with childishly wide eyes. If only there was no Sharingan… Then he would almost look like just a regular kid, "Fight back!"

'Dad, Mom, Mrs. Mikoto, Mr. Fugaku, Itachi, the clan… they all died… for nothing… just because… It just makes no sense… Nothing even changed! They were alive… and now they're not. Why? There has to be something… it can't be that… so many people died without any reason!'

"Why won't you just fight back?! I just hit you!" Sasuke cried out, like a scared kitten, his spiky hair like its briskly fur.

She bit her lip and shut her eyes, but stood her ground without doing anything, as her arms fell limply by her side.

"Because it won't bring them back… And it won't save us…"

Sasuke's fist froze halfway through another punch, as he lowered his fist, slowly unclenching it finger by finger.

He looked up at her, sobbing.

"So… What do we… what are we gonna do? We… we can't just give up! Please! Let's do something… let's… let's protect the clan together… we need to train! So we're strong and nobody screws with our Clan anymore!"

"I don't know. I'm sorry…"

"B…but… you're an adult! You're… the clan head now! You're supposed to be strong and to protect our clan… Right?"

"Sorry…" Izumi rubbed the fresh bruise, barely keeping her eyes on the boy, "I'm… a kid just like you. Just a little older, that's all… I have no idea what to do…"

"All I know…" Sasuke wailed, hiding his eyes from her, as he fidgeted in place, "is that we're supposed to be strong… if… if someone hurts our family, we fight back… And Dad said that our clan was our family!"

"But our family is dead. They're gone, Sasuke. Gone. Avenging them, even if we somehow pulled it off… It isn't going to help anything, okay?"

"Don't say that!" Sasuke backed away from her, adding a quieter, "Please… just tell me what to do… when you figure it out, alright?"

"I'm trying… but all I can do is just not let them take the clan lands… I'm not sure if it's even useful…"

"Hey, you guys!" Naruto's cheerful dandelion popped up in the grass, as he ran towards the Uchiha kids, "Man, I couldn't find you guys anywhere… you missed dinner, y'know… They were cooking ramen! I mean isn't that amazing?! You better believe it was!"

"Hey, Izumi! Man, I'm so glad you decided to be friends with me today!" Naruto unceremoniously wrapped himself around her waist, never noticing the subtle stiffness in her body, thank you, thank you thank you! Believe it!"

"Hey" Izumi replied, barely forcing her voice to do the work. Sasuke just turned away, pretending to examine a shuriken from his pouch.

"Sooo…" Naruto ended the hug, casually stretching and bouncing in place, "you guys trainin'? Why'd you miss dinner? I got worried, believe it! The ramen was soo good. Still worse than old man Teuchi's, but still really good…"

Naruto's voice faded into the background, as Izumi idly watched the boy hopping around her and, in enthusiastic gestures and reenactments, retelling her the epic tale of his ramen dinner.

"How?" she finally asked, taking Naruto by the shoulders and stopping him in place.

"Huh?" The kiddo looked up at her with big innocent blue eyes, "What's up? You're looking at me funny all of a sudden…"

"How are you… always so cheery?! I… I mean you have no parents and…"

Naruto deflated like a balloon, the spring sucked out from his step.

"Well… I… I just try… not to think 'bout it… And…" the kiddo sniffled, wiping his eyes with an oversized t-shirt sleeve, "I have friends… like you… and old man Hokage… Believe it… I… I'm happy now.. for real…"

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to upset you…"

Naruto calmed for a moment, his expression uncertain, but quickly erased by his signature smile

"That's alright! One day I'm gonna show 'em all! That Naruto Uzumaki's gonna be the bestest powerfulest Hokage around! Believe it!"

"More like the stupidest Hokage around." Sasuke shot at him from his place a little further from them. The boy still refused to turn around, stubbornly clinging to his shurikenjutsu, "Go find your own place to train, loser. You know that only the strongest ninja become Kage, not the guys like you. You'll never do it! Try all you want, it's not changing anything! Get real…" Sasuke sniffled, throwing the metal star with twice the vigor.

"Who cares?" Naruto shot back, "I'll still try! Even if it's hard… It's better than just sitting around on your ass and whining about it like you! The hell do you even know?!"

Izumi looked up at the oak, at its sturdy branches and rustling leaves, at the sky high above, just a sliver of blue among the leafy waves of green. The gentle touch of the breeze caressed her face, once again stirring her auburn hair.

'I don't' she thought, looking at Naruto, sitting in the grass cross-legged, pouting a little and sticking his tongue out at Sasuke when he wasn't looking.

VvV

(with Izumi; in front of the Hokage Tower)

Izumi stepped onto the makeshift scene, right in front of the Hokage Tower, gazing at the crowd below, which only seemed to grow larger and larger like a malignant tumor.

The crowd was becoming restless. As things always are with crowds, just as they get big enough, they take on a life of their own.

Izumi just closed her eyes, trying to keep herself steady. She prayed it would be over soon. The murmurs, the rumors, the whispers… For Izumi, they all melted together into sharp white noise… Despite her best efforts to tune everything out, the hushed words seeped under her skin like some virus. There was no escaping it and the best she could do was try not to look at the faces… to ignore hundreds of eyes practically devouring her.

"Why am I even here? Why are they looking at me? What's the point? I'm just… nobody. Just… Izumi."

"I heard they tried to attack the village and got all wiped out, you know…"

"Serves them bastards right!"

"I… I heard only one kid survived… A boy. How horrible"

"A boy? I heard it was a girl…"

"Look! Look, over there… It's her, isn't it?!"

"Poor girl…"

"I, for one, think it's for the best… Nothing good would've happened with the Uchiha… Good thing they died before they could try and kill us all for a second time!"

"How can you say that? She might hear you…"

"So what, if she hears… I don't give a damn…"

"Shut up…"

She heard, after all.

'People… they really hate us. Is that our legacy? Is that all our clan died for? It's… all empty. So much pride, so much history, so much death? Just for this? I… lost mom because of this?'

Izumi trembled alone and in silence, only faintly feeling the tug of wind on her undone hair… until.

Hiruzen, accompanied by his advisors Koharu and Homura, finally came onto the impromptu scene, set up right in front of the Hokage Tower.

The murmurs ceased and everyone gazed upon the Hokage in his white-and-red coat, billowing in the wind and the customary hat.

"Thank you all for coming." Sarutobi began, using his chakra to amplify his voice until it bathed the entire area in its commanding presence, "It is my wish that we did not have to gather today for such tragic news. As you all probably already know, three days ago there was an attack on the Uchiha Compound… One that, regrettably, has left one of our most powerful founding Clans almost entirely destroyed. Let us mourn this loss together with a minute of silence…"

Izumi tried to focus on something else: the feeling of the wind, ruffling her hair, the moist beads of sweat, rolling off her forehead and the relentless burn of the sun at its zenith on her skin… Anything!

Anything just not to hear their pity or their concerned whispers and snide remarks...

'Who is it going to help? Now that they are gone? What's the point of all those words now? They cost lives! '

Izumi felt tears rolling off and mingling with sweat.

'Look… Look and murmur all you want! See if I care!'

"Why do they get a minute of silence?! Didn't they release the Fox?!" someone in the crowd called out, pointing a closed fist at the Hokage.

The crowd was suddenly in turmoil like waves in the stormy sea, all erupting and bending around one old man, who could barely keep himself standing upright, as the sharp scent of alcohol practically rammed into people, pushing them out of his way.

"Hey, shut up, old man!"

"What are you saying, you drunk?! Have you got no respect?!"

"Terrible… how terrible!"

"What a tragedy…"

"Hey, the old man's right! They got what they deserved!" the other voice shouted

Hiruzen remained silent, only giving a subtle nod to the unseen bodyguards.

The two shadows of the ANBU cut through the crowd, seamlessly converging on the man.

"I am sorry, sir, but you need to leave." One of the masked Shinobi said in a calm, measured voice.

The man, however, seemed to only grow more agitated.

"That… that thing! That damn Fox! It killed my only son! Daichi was a Shinobi! He saved people! Whoever gave him a minute of silence?! They killed him! Those bastards killed my son! To hell with all of y– Don't you touch me!"

Izumi shuddered subtly at the words, only lowering her head. She tried to meet the man's gaze, but the very air of the gathering slammed her nearly into the ground.

"He's right, isn't he?" Izumi swallowed her own whisper, turning away from the crowd.

'We let this happen… Whoever Madara is… he's an Uchiha… Means the clan made him like this… so much death… Because of something so… meaningless!'

Izumi watched on, as the man was being quietly led out of the crowd.

'I'm sorry…'

Izumi felt the Hokage's hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her forward.

"But even through this unimaginable hardship and loss The Will Of Fire, the flame of the Uchiha Clan shines through! In their legacy, their traditions and their sacrifices for the village. We will help the Uchiha Clan recover from this tragedy and reclaim their place within our village. With that, I present to you…"

Izumi's every muscle froze, resisting the Hokage's nudge forward.

'Will of Fire? The flame of the Uchiha? It's all… every single word… Useless bullshit! They are dead! Once you're dead nothing matters! Not legacy, not traditions… not beliefs… So how can we… kill and die for something that won't matter anyway? How could Itachi… turn on his family so easily? Just because of Will of Fire? It's just a thing people made up, so you could give your life and kill for it easier… Like Itachi… Where was the Will Of Fire, the support and unity… when Mom was still alive? Nobody cared then…'

"...the nineteenth head of the Uchiha…"

'Reclaim its place? Did we even have a place here? They only care now. When it's a tragedy… when the clan is already dead… When there are too cute kids left to pity and give hope to people! Where were they when we needed help?'

"...Izumi Uchiha!"

Izumi took a raspy breath with a sharp flinch, as her own name had finally caught up with her.

'Was it… The Will Of Fire…. Was it worth all the bloodshed? Is it all just lies? Politics? Did they really care? If they did, why did it come to the coup? Wasn't there any chance… to just… live together like people?'

Suddenly she felt something else… something…

She couldn't describe it. Couldn't pinpoint it.

But it was there. Undoubtedly, it was watching her.

Izumi's eyes darted through the crowd. Where?

Dread… The cold chill in the air. It was noon, the sun was shining full force, but in that moment Izumi felt the chills ripple through her body, as she watched the heated sun rays hit her skin, but felt no warmth.

Why? She eyed the crowd, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary…

"Our intelligence uncovered the identity of the perpetrator. Orochimaru, driven by greed and lust for the power of the Uchiha, had callously attacked defenseless people in their sleep…"

The Hokage's voice came through to her, torn and ragged, as if coming from somewhere distant.

She barely even registered the ensuing wave of gasps, whispers and outcries from the crowd

"Orochimaru?!"

"Right in the middle of our village?!"

"He?!"

"Where were the ANBU?!"

"Are we even safe anymore?!"

The Hokage continued. His words, however, slipped past Izumi.

'Orochimaru? Another lie… They don't want people to panic… But… Madara is still going to come for the village… And they have no idea if… if anyone could stop him… Do they need to lie? How much of what they're saying is even true?'

'Wouldn't it be very convenient for the village, if overnight all of the Uchiha just died… leaving two kids… No coup, no danger… The only thing left would be to…'

Izumi took a slight step back, her Sharingan still blooming in her eyes.

'to raise them… right? So that they… so that we…! Turn out how the village wants… no, no, no! Master Jiraiya… he cared about me… helped me. And even the Hokage… I don't know!'

Izumi shook her head, breaking out of her thoughts. Yet, they dragged her down like a quagmire

'Itachi was an ANBU… right? The village above everything? Above… family?'

Itachi's face, hidden behind a mask.

The burn of the cold porcelain on her fingers…

'Sorry, I really have no choice…'

An empty, useless apology.

Shatter.

The shards scattered on the floor, the mask as broken as the person behind it.

'Could the village have… But Madara… He wouldn't help… Konoha wouldn't work with him, right? So did Itachi… ally with him? Did he want to prevent the coup no matter what it took?'

Izumi fell through her crumbling thoughts and back into reality, where people had already started inching closer to the stage and closer to her.

"My condolences…"

'Death.'

"We're so sorry, dear…"

'They are dead!'

"Stay strong."

'Gone.'

"Accept our condolences, Izumi"

'Hypocrites…'

"We're so sorry…"

'Late'

"Our village stands united in our support of the Uchiha!"

'And they all lie dead. Buried. Cold.'

'Mom… Dad… You didn't have to… I wish you were here… it was the only thing that mattered!'

Izumi looked at the endless, squirming line of people, crawling towards her, like a giant worm, only to rattle off a word or two of generic pity and be swallowed back by the maw of the formless gathering. Her eyes wandered anywhere else, running away from the villagers and into the sky up above and the slow bulky clouds, just drifting away without any care for the affairs of a village below. The dazzling disk of the sun would still shine just the same whether her family was dead or alive.

'It's unfair! I wish you didn't die! What did it change?! There wasn't even a reason to… You died just because… of a bunch of bullshit! Pride, legacy, the Uchiha Clan, the village, Will Of Fire… and Madara's revenge… for something we haven't even done! All of it… doesn't mean a thing! But because of it… you're…'

Izumi felt the hot crimson melting into her eyes. The Sharingan had appeared, morphing its three tomoe into a black flower of the Mangekyo…

'Go away… It makes no sense that people die… for something so… empty!' Izumi clenched her eyes shut, smothering the power within, 'I don't want to die like that… But I can't do anything about it… He's gonna kill us either way, isn't he?!'

"How tragic…" a new voice murmured quietly and Izumi involuntarily took a step back, as she felt the intense gaze almost lick her skin.

Izumi couldn't understand why her body had reacted like that. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary and the words themselves were neither offensive nor threatening.

Yet, her Sharingan once again whirled to life on its own, as she took a hasty breath to steady herself.

The man just looked at her, a faint hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"My condolences…"

"Thank… you" Izumi whispered, feeling the stillborn words coming to rest on her tongue.

The man didn't take his eyes off of her… not right away.

She didn't know if she was imagining it or if there really was a slight uncanny lingering of his eyes on her.

Suddenly, Izumi felt naked, as if the gaze had been slowly undressing her just as the noises of the crowd faded into the background.

"Hypocrites, aren't they?" The man whispered, his smile widening ever so slightly, "Death is such a meaningless thing, after all… Wouldn't you agree?"

Izumi recoiled, feeling the ripples of cold erupt on her skin and even deep inside her body.

'How… did he know what I was thinking just now…'

"What?" Izumi blinked, backing even further away, until she almost felt her back slammed into the concrete of the looming Hokage Tower.

The man licked his dry, cracked lips, but he never relented, not even for a moment… and, unlike her, he never once blinked.

Izumi looked up at the sky, into the crowd, still hovering behind the man, counted the folds of Hokage's ceremonial attire, the birds flying over their heads. Anywhere…

Abruptly, the man turned around, disappearing into the mauls of the crowd without a trace, but not before giving Hiruzen a short glance.

'Yes… It makes no sense that people die… And their loved ones live… and wish they died…'

Flames. For the third time in her life there would be fire, only this time devouring the Hokage Residence and not her home… Izumi could see the massive, suffocating pillar of black soot and smoke,darker than the night sky above, slowly descending upon the village from the Hokage Mountain, as if it had already happened.

'We'll die…'

"Please, accept our condolences, ms. Uchiha…"

She could see Sasuke… if anyone could recognize the body for who it belonged to. If not for an Uchiha crest in the mud, charred, half-eaten and spit out by fire, if not for its small size, only belonging to a child… she wouldn't have been able to tell.

'No… No! Please! At least… at least Sasuke… You all died! Please… at least Sasuke!

"Yes, it's such a tragedy… Our condolences…"

She saw the black silhouette, towering over them. Madara. He's come. His lone crimson Sharingan surveyed the destroyed building impassively, as he towered over the Third Hokage. A little farther, she could see the chaotic mane of master Jiraiya's hair, spread on the ground and blackened by ash and debris. Both long since dead.

'Nobody can protect us…'

"Poor girl… Look, she's barely even standing…"

The crowd crawled to her, tightened around her neck. Slowly. Relentlessly.

Izumi felt herself giving ground inch by inch, as it felt like hundreds of hands were sinking their fingers into her. On her face, her lips, stroking her hair… Sneaking under her shirt, into her mouth and throat until they left her with almost no air to breathe.

And in the vision, she could see the chain, tied to Madara's wrist slowly crush her throat, as she was forced to just lie and wait for the air to finally run out. She looked up at his mask, tried to look into his lone eye, but realized he wasn't even looking.

"Our deepest condolences…"

Stop.

Stop!

I… I can't breathe!

Instead, Madara's attention was focused on… Naruto.

Izumi could see herself die from somewhere above, she could see him just walking to Naruto, sobbing and squirming on the ground. Could see him grab the boy and lift his t-shirt until the black ink of the seal showed up…

"Now… Wake up, Nine-Tails…"

And then the inescapable primal roar, the orange whiplash of one of the Fox's nine tails. Seemingly random, but hateful movement. And the ruins…

Hiruzen could see the sudden paleness in Izumi's face, the subtle tremble jolting her body with every word of condolences. And he could also see… The deep crimson bleeding into her iris, like a bloodied canvas and atop of it, black, as if painted over her cornea by a stroke of an ink brush… a pattern, coming together to look like an eerie flower.

He could see the people halt, take a few steps back, colliding with the ones trying to come closer, creating a whirlwind of discord and unease, as murmurs once again erupted.

"Something is not right…" The Hokage whispered to his bodyguards on either side, "Go."

Gasp. Something tugged at Izumi, as Hiruzen had placed a hand over her shoulder, subtly pulling her closer.

Good. Right then she wanted nothing more than to get lost in the folds of his sprawled cape.

As if on cue, several ANBU cut through the tumultuous mass of people, driving them back calmly, but forcefully.

"Our apologies. Stay back please. No more condolences. Stay back, over the line."

From the crowd, the man from earlier was looking at the unfolding chaos that the planned public address had turned into. His eyes were drawn to Izumi, to the black flower, blossoming against the crimson of her eyes…

'Outstanding…'

He turned around and disappeared once again.

"Can I go?" Izumi, on the other side of the line ANBU operatives had swiftly drawn, looked up at the Hokage before her, leaning into his side, "Please."

With a quiet shuffle and some closing words Izumi couldn't bring herself to care about, they finally left the scene, retreating back up the Hokage Mountain to the safety of the Residence.

VvV

(with Izumi, Sasuke and Naruto; Hokage Residence)

Izumi entered the Hokage Residence, like an apparition, slowly wading through its corridors and silently begging her room to come faster.

Hiruzen was following closely behind, not taking his eyes off her, but not saying anything either.

The quiet of the Residence washed over them, taking away some of the chaotic energy of the public address.

"Where did you go?" Sasuke's focused dark eyes brimmed with a glint of concern, as he eyed Izumi from across the corridor, "I haven't seen you in a while…"

"Sasuke?" Izumi could barely look up at the boy, just hoping he'd just let her disappear behind the door of her own room, "it was just something I… needed to take care of… so, I'm just a little tired. It's okay, don't worry…"

Sasuke didn't answer, just slowly tilted his head until his eyes met the Hokage's behind her.

"What did you do to her?" the boy whispered lowly.

"Sasuke. I told you. It was just a boring grown-up thing… for the clan." Izumi managed, taking a step forward, closer to her own room, closer to collapsing and thinking of nothing.

He caught her by the wrist and she felt a little hint of trembling in his fingers.

"You promised to tell me when you needed help! You don't look alright… what happened?"

Izumi looked into his worried eyes, at his face, way too serious for a boy his age and felt the tension in his grip on her arm.

"It's going to be alright…" she finally whispered, recoiling slightly from him. In Sasuke's face, in the intensity of his gaze, in that glint of fire, burning behind the dark coal of his iris… she suddenly saw…

'I want to become Hokage when I'm older. I want to become so powerful that I could stop all the wars!'

Yes, it was the same glint. The same passion, drive, almost an obsession… The same one Itachi had back when they were kids.

In his stance, in the tense, but straight posture, in that little hint of insistence in his voice, Izumi thought she saw a glimpse of Fugaku Uchiha, the previous head of the clan and his father.

And in his concern… the hint of worry and tenderness in his voice… she heard the compassion of Mikoto.

'I… don't know how, but… I… I won't let you die like them… I can't! You'll be alright! You'll grow up! Because you are… their legacy!'

"Sasuke… I am so sorry" she heard Mikoto's pained whisper, and saw Mikoto in her last moments again, as she stood, defiant in the face of Madara. She didn't care about her life, only Sasuke's. Only regretting not being able to protect him.

"Mrs. Mikoto! Wait, don't…!"

"...die"

'Nothing matters… The village, the clan, our pride, lands, legacy… politics… nothing! Why did you have to die because of it?! Dying makes no sense! But…'

The small, but warm house, the one bed they had, warmed by three people: Mom, Dad and her.

And then the inescapable primal roar, the orange whiplash of one of the Fox's nine tails. Seemingly random, but hateful movement. And the ruins… The only thing she remembered of her Dad's face, as he pushed her away and disappeared buried under the pouring rain of rubble. She remembered her own scream, the warm blood on her little fingers, as she desperately clawed at the unmoving debris… Remembered the blame… the overwhelming feeling of having killed her dad… by not moving fast enough, by being a pathetic scared kid…

'Dad… Was… that why you smiled?'

'Mrs Mikoto… please don't worry. I don't know how to keep Sasuke safe… I don't know if I even can… Maybe we'll both just die, but….'

A flash of Naruto's cheerful dandelion head among the tall grass ripped through Izumi's mind for a brief second.

'...who cares?! I'll try anyway… I'll protect Sasuke!'

"Hey…" the boy tugged at her arm, "don't ignore me! Just tell me what happened already…"

"Nothing… I just remembered them again… But don't worry. I… I'm not giving up anymore. Trust me."

"Hey! Izumi! Old Man! You're back!" Naruto flew up to them, smiling from ear to ear and immediately hugging Izumi, "it's sooo booooring here! Believe it! And I can't find even Toad Sage anywhere… But I've been trainin' like you guys showed me… I can throw a shuriken thi-i-is far now! For real!" He gestured with his hand, showing just how far 'this' was.

"Oh, is that right? That far? That is wonderful, Naruto. I can see the Will of Fire inside you. One day you might just become a good shinobi. Or even a good Hokage, but then I fear for this village…" Hiruzen chuckled, patting the exuberant kid on the head.

"Hey, no way! Are you for real?! Thanks a bunch, gramps! Believe it!"

Izumi still locked eyes with Sasuke.

"Okay…" Sasuke finally nodded, "but… we agreed. No hiding stuff from each other." the young Uchiha pouted, making sure she got the message before letting go of her arm.

"Sure," Izumi replied before gently, inch by inch, returning Naruto's hug, "Hey… thanks."

"Huh?" The kiddo jolted, looking up at her, "what'd I do?"

"For the hug."

"Oh? I thought you didn't like 'em…"

"yeah… maybe I didn't…"

"Naruto," Hiruzen coughed, drawing the boy's attention momentarily, "I think it is best for Izumi if we give her some space. She had a long and difficult day, after all."

"But…" Naruto wilted, pouting at the Hokage, "we're friends now… and hugs make everything better! If she didn't like it, she'd say so! Believe it!"

"It's alright…" Izumi whispered, sensing Naruto's tiny body pressing gingerly against her waist. She looked at Sasuke and at Naruto, letting a shadow of a smile show on her face, before quickly fading and breaking apart, "Thank you both… For caring about me so much…"

VvV

(with Izumi; late evening; Training Grounds)

Izumi's steps echoed in the empty garden, ringing with a subtle spring, but muffled by the vast empty field and the old towering trees.

'What am I doing? I've been there… I've already tried…'

Izumi shuddered, feeling the chilling bite of the cold mountain air on her exposed skin, as it sucked the warmth right out of her body.

'it didn't help! It didn't matter! They… they still died! No matter how hard I…'

'It was meaningless… They died for nothing! But Dad, Mom… Itachi… they protected me? Sasuke… at least Sasuke has to… he has to grow up… To be happy! I… I want him to be! At least he… needs to live!'

Not giving herself enough time to think, Izumi sent a kunai straight through the stale air, feeling the slight whooshing gust graze her cheek, as it pierced the stillness of the evening, carrying the sound of a projectile finding its mark.

'As if throwing a kunai's going to help anyone… Madara will still kill us, won't he?!'

Biting her lip and feeling the subtle pain flood her mind, Izumi sighed, taking out another one and throwing it too.

Whoosh. Gust. Thump. Just the same.

'Nothing changes! I… Dad… I couldn't… so I thought since you died I'd keep Mom safe for you… I… I really tried! But he killed you and he killed her anyway!'

Another knife flew to its mark. Whoosh. Gust. Thump. Izumi felt the metal weight of the weapon seeping into her numb fingers, bringing even more heavy cold.

Izumi looked up at the night sky. It felt indifferent, the air was a little cold and hard to take in… But at least the sky wasn't judging her. So Izumi carried on, throwing more and more kunai simultaneously, the weight of the moon crushing her shoulders getting a little lighter with each one.

'Why am I doing this? How is it helping me? Not against him… Didn't I just tell Sasuke it wouldn't help? So why?!'

Her fingers danced while her mind raced with thoughts.

'Something… Something needs to change! Why dod they still die?!'

'Horse, Tiger, Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar… Horse… Tiger… Fire Style: The Great Fireba–!"

Izumi's body went through all the usual sensations she'd known for years… First came the empowering feeling of raw chakra building up in her chest and abdomen, then it changed into a familiar warmth of the fire nature, traveling up her throat and into her mouth, taking shape as a burning flame, but…

It erupted, as a twisted spiral, instead of a usual sphere, twisting around almost like a snake. And it bit her, exploding and lashing out with ragged edges of flame, consuming everything in front of her.

Izumi gasped, recoiling back from the hot, almost burning wave of air, hitting her eyes, hair, face and even throat. She watched the young green blades of grass char and crumble away, eaten alive by the fire. Just like…

Her house. The floor, the walls, the roof. All consumed by burning orange fire, even her mind… The body of her mother, licked and half-eaten by the raging flame. And the suffocating, disgusting smell of ash filling the room, eating into her own body and soul.

"No! Stop!" Izumi retched and coughed, doubling down, "It's… it's not my chakra! It's wrong!"

Against the raging flame, instead of her mother, she suddenly saw Itachi's face, his eyes burning as hot as fire itself with the crimson of the Mangekyo.

"Itachi?! W-wait, don't–!"

With a twist of the wind it was gone. What was there instead was a giant towering form of the Fox, its orange tails dancing together with the flames like hellish whips. It roared at her with the cracking of the fire.

Izumi knelt down, clutching her chest, feeling the burn starting from it and going up her throat and into her mouth.

'My own jutsu… Burned me?! I can't… I can't anymore!'

Izumi coughed, ignoring the veil of tears welling up and the burn behind her eyes, as if the rogue fire style chakra had spread behind her cornea like an aggressive cancer.

'It won't matter! Dying makes no sense, but I can't stop it! What's good about being dead?! Never seeing your family… Over the hurt pride of one bitter old man!'

"Madara!" she looked at the full moon, as if staring directly into his single Sharingan behind the whirly mask, "If you're going to kill us anyway… if nothing's gonna change…Just go ahead and fucking do it already! Right… now! Just… just end it…"

Izumi got up, still clutching her chest, as dull stabs of pain echoed in it.

'No… no… something has to be different! Even Mangekyo… Even it didn't help me save them!'

'Horse, Tiger, Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar… Horse… Tiger… Change, damn it!'

The fire. It still hit with the relentless heat and all the memories that came with it. Izumi felt her tears sizzle and dry out, as she watched the chaotic whirlwind of fire lash out at everything in sight, etching the scars deeper into the grass.

Closing her eyes shut, not to look at the fire, biting her lip to the point when she could feel the warm squirming wound underneath it, Izumi went through the hand signs yet again, ignoring the burning pain, reverberating through her eyes and the rest of her body.

"Fire… Style… Please! At least something has to change! If not, then… Then nothing matters… If I can't change anything then! I… shouldn't have survived!"

One more time she felt the buzzing restless chakra building up in her abdomen, then traveling up to deep inside her chest, oozing into her lungs and mingling with the air she breathed and igniting… then up her throat, roaring with newfound intensity at every step until it finally erupted, leaving her mouth in a crescendo of flames.

Only this time something felt different… uneasy… Unhinged… intense… way more intense than anything Izumi ever felt in her life before…

A sudden thunderclap of a headache split her skull in two with a violent crack, as the unusual heat from the jutsu practically melted her muscles, seeping deep into her own bloodstream, draining something from her mind, from her eyes, as if every cell in her body had lit itself ablaze.

'It's… it's too much! Stop! What's going on?! Stop!'

Izumi's eyes snapped open with a sharp, brisk and relentless sound of the Sharingan lighting up in her eyes. She couldn't see it, but she felt it… the heaviness of Mangekyo's black flowers blossoming deep inside them.

Izumi gasped, almost falling over as the wave of the hissing heat hit her point blank in the face…

The fire engulfed more of the clearing than she could see in a fury of orange, but amidst that… She made out lone sparks of deep blue, as if the intensity of the fire had caused it to change its very appearance, a dazzling storm of swirling orange and sparking blue!

Pain… Izumi could feel her very own body falling apart, shutting down cell after cell. She was faintly aware that her legs had already started giving out

VvV

(Hokage Residence; Jiraiya's Quarters)

Jiraiya felt it right away, amidst the calm of the night, against the implicit order of the chakra signatures moving in and out of the Residence: the ANBU patrols, moving like clockwork, Naruto and Sasuke's tiny signatures, sleeping in their rooms not so far from his own, his own sensei… there was now a sudden spike, a shift in the feeling that tipped him off, screaming at his senses, enhanced by the nature energy, coursing through his system.

The Sannin was on his feet in a fraction of a second, moving through the empty halls and corridors of the Hokage Residence like a silent shadow, each movement purposeful and laden with urgency.

Jiraiya burst into the Training Grounds in a blur of speed, his sharp gaze immediately singling out Izumi, whose body had already begun falling, harassed by the out of control flames.

"Out of the way!" he shouted to the ANBU, scrambling to respond as well, but unsure exactly how.

Jiraiya's fingers tapped the seal he'd placed on his body, materializing a scroll, which he swiftly unfurled on the ground, revealing a web of fuinjutsu formulas written within.

"Sealing Technique: Fire Seal!"

The Sannin's chakra flared, rushing out of the activated seal and dragging every last ember of flame back with it. With a slight shift, the ink in its center morphed, switching to the kanji for 'Sealed'

Jiraiya finally released a breath, feeling the tension leave his body together with the remnants of dissipating Sage Mode.

He gingerly took Izumi by the shoulders, cradling her body and looking at how severe the burns were.

"Kid, you're an idiot." He said without any hint of his usual levity, "You're almost completely out of chakra… Had it gone on for a minute longer, you'd be dead. Now, come on, talk to me."

"I…" Izumi coughed, whimpering in pain, "I… wanted… something to… change…"

"Things to change, huh?" Jiraiya looked up at the night sky, somewhere beyond the veil of the clouds, somewhere and somewhen, decades back in his memory.

A narrow door frame, the sound of heavy rain, seeping through it, the warmth of their makeshift house blending with the damp coldness of the outside… and then a little ginger boy in a funny frog costume, exclaiming to the clouds

"I will become much stronger! And then I'm gonna change this country!"

Three kids, their smiles, their dreams, their determination. And the force of the news that hit the Sage years later. All three were dead.

The funeral. Silence, laced with tears. A body that didn't belong in a casket. Lively yellow hair, a pristine white cape, adorned with red patterns of flames, wrapped around the young body as a shroud.

'Fourth' it said

'Minato, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan…'

Author's Notes:

I've missed you, you know... It's been a while... This one took me three months, four rewrites (this is the fourth and by far the best one, just like with the Hokage)

Anyway, there's no going back for Izumi anymore. I knew I had to get this one just right, otherwise it would all be meaningless and might kill the fanfic overall.

Review Reply:

First of all, I want to thank every one of you, both new followers and seasoned readers! The amount of support and reviews and good words from all of you has helped me awaken the writing equivalent of the Mangekyo Sharingan and blow past this rewrite in just two days... Tried to merge the best parts of my three drafts.

A special thanks to The Dried Cherry (idk, the FFN editor keeps erasing your name for some reason, sorry, but either way you know who you are) for the incredible review the other day... It reminded me why I started this work and just how much I loved it. It made me finish this latest draft in just two days (*cough* more like nights *cough*). Appreciate the motivation you gave me.

Other special shoot out goes to Lilthug! I thought the idea of the Uchiha's flames changing color as they awakened Mangekyo was incredibly creative and very visual! My regards to you, man!

And also my regards to "A reader" (come on, tell us your name) for wonderful and deep theories under every chapter, which I sometimes even use for the plot

Actually, scratch that, I'm obviously a highly trained professional and I don't need to be told all this (but seriously guys keep em comin')

Anyway, how about some actual review reply

The Dried Cherry: I'm glad you enjoyed reading the last chapter on the road, I'm glad I could make your travels a little more comfy! Yeah, Izumi's definitely going to have trouble with her top two little knights, huh... And Obito absolutely isn't sitting on his ass. Good thing the man's got a whole list of priorities before Izumi (Idk like setting up a certain badass evil organization, taking over the world and stuff...). Thanks again for both your reviews! And for motivating me. Appreciate it, believe it!

Al-Rex01: Idk, I don't steal, I merely get inspired lol. Yeah, I agree, my fast writing skill was too impressive for mere mortals to comprehend, hence the 3 months hiatus))). Thanks for the kind words, appreciate u!

Lilthug: Thanks for the incredible idea again, loved it right away, was just waiting for the right moment to ste- I mean incorporate it into the story. Glad to know you loved Izumi's thoughts on the village, the clan and the politics! Keep the great ideas coming (have you thought of writing something yourself?), I think you have great ideas! If you ever decided to try, I'd gladly read.

A Reader: Yeah, you saw right through me, I do have a plan for the Compound It's quite a long way from this point in the story, but I do have some drafts written, if that's something Izumi would feel like doing.

Love you guys and to celebrate my epic sagely comeback I'm also posting a bonus mini-chapter about what the bad guys are doing! Enjoy! Your reviews and support mean everything to me and this fanfic. As long as you keep it up and if nothing happens in life, I believe we could finish this incredible journey together.

* The great Toad Sage ValentineSokol goes off to to meditate and come up with the next chapter*