Hello there. I've found some music that will highlight the end of the story for me. That way I actually follow through and start a continuation of this one. If you want the music I can put it here. Most of it comes from YouTube and is Lofi, but I have other songs in there as well.
If I don't finish it, there is a possibility it will continue until 5 million words. The songs will definitely help keep me on track.
And write!
Take the chance and go for it!
This took me a while because it's over 10,000 words, and it's been a good while since I've wrote and edited such a HUGE chapter!
She watched the stormy scene almost enraptured by it all in the worst ways possible...It wasn't the life she had wanted. It was nothing more than a gathering of enemies-she knew that they were just that, though the only one she could clearly recognize out of the massive group of enemies was Tobirama Senju. He's the only one that she could rationalize to be her enemy. He tried to kill Izuna so he was her enemy on principle alone. Uchiha vs Senju. This was the way it was in their era. One vs another. War, pure and simple. The conflict and the hate, the anger and the rare quiet times one had to reflect on the stormy emotions brewing within. This wasn't how she dreamed life would be at all. The cold, murderous glares. The brusque insults. The harsh swish of blades cutting through the air. Cataclysmic ninjutsu blasting her ear drums and sending her flying head over heels with everyone else in a three thousand mile vicinity.
It wasn't what she wanted. But, through all of it, there was the smile of her beloved Ahiko and more recently, her beloved mother who she thought died long ago. They both looked so happy now that she no longer was just a chakra killing machine. When they both looked at her, she could see how proud they were of her, proud of how joyful her life had become. She moved towards the duo, her face beaming despite the sorrow she felt deep within, her hand reaching out for them to gently take their hands in her own.
Ahiko's and Kori's smiles brightened, then widened into grins, and continued to widen until all of their teeth were visible. For a moment, she thought it could be an extreme show of love beyond normal bounds, but the grins continued to grow, her mother's and best friend's faces began stretching and contorting with cracking bones to make it all the more audible instead of just visual.
To Yuko's eyes it looked as if her mother and friend were becoming rigid, their fingers contorting inward, their chests constricting and shrinking, almost as if they were becoming something less than living and breathing humans. Almost as if they were dying. She stared back at the twisted smiles, the twisted faces, and recognized the agony behind them, an inexorable agony that couldn't be quelled.
Yuko tried to call out to them, to ask them what they needed her to do so she could help them from their predicament. Their faces twisted even more, and blood began running from their eyes. Their skin began to shift and ripple, becoming almost translucent, to show they were hollow inside. The light glistened off their highlights, the blood ran fast over their smooth surface.
And their expressions, a look of resignation, a look that said they had failed her and that she had failed them, drove a sharp point straight into her heart.
"Ahiko! Mom!" She tried to reach out for them, tried to save them.
Cracks began to appear in the translucent surface. She heard the crunching sounds as they elongated into crystalline lattices. Yuko cried out, and reached for them desperately. Then she focused on her thoughts, her experience, and focused these with all her willpower, reaching for her mother and best friend with all her energy.
Then, they shattered.
Yuko jumped to a sitting position in her cot, her eyes snapping open, sweat on her forehead and her breath coming in ragged gasps.
A dream.
It was all a dream.
She told herself that repeatedly as she tried to settle back down on the cot.
It was all a dream.
She could see things, after all, before they happened because of the Sharingan.
She was also seeing other things because of the Sharingan.
"Yuko!" Came a call from the front of the ship, the familiar voice of Aito.
That was strange.
Yuko stood up. She knew that she had to shake the haze away, had to focus on the events at hand, the latest assignment, but that was easier said than done when her mind wouldn't rest. For she saw them again, her mother and Ahiko, their bodies going rigid, becoming hollow and see through, then exploding into a million shattered shards. She looked up ahead, envisioning Ahiko in the war room, wondering if she should tell all to the young woman, wondering if the young woman would be able to help her. Her Master, Ahiko, would be able to help. They were involved in other things, in training, in minor assignments like the border disputes that had brought them so far out from the compound in the first place, but that never kept Ahiko from helping her.
Yuko needed to find Ahiko. She needed her guidance now and to hear the young woman's reassuring words. Ahiko had taken a great interest in her over the last ten months, making sure that she always got a chance to speak with her whenever she needed to. Making sure she was available for training when she needed training. Yuko took great comfort in that sentiment now, with the terrible dream so vivid in her thoughts.
Perhaps that was the answer...
To further prepare Yuko as well as the rank and file who were older than fourteen for the unknown dangers of actual warfare, they were subjected to meriting executions to their prisoners. It was almost an obligation of the person holding the shinobi prisoner, regardless of whatever clan the prisoner may have hailed from, to kill them after a certain point since no information would be ascertained from them. The prisoners were bound by rope and chakra seals to prevent any escape. If they were let go, they'd only come back to do the same routine all over again.
This forced the rank and file to harden themselves in the face of conflict and killing. They hardened themselves to the brutal methods needed to secure the Sand country's freedom. Special practice sessions were also held in the dark of night, using real swords instead of the thick wooden practice weapons of the training halls that could be even more deadly than a live blade. More than one time were men and women both shaken from sleep by a fellow brandishing a drawn blade or hardly slept at all just to be ready for the attacks.
The results had the propensity to become bloody. After all, it wasn't far fetched that even a man or woman who successfully defended themselves from a surprise attack might have been attacked in response.
Yuko clenched her hand tightly.
"Yuko!" Came the call again from the front, but this time it was Madara. "We need you here now!"
It looked like many of the execution grounds, a round room sectioned by curving railings and tall walled off areas. The whole scene told Yuko more than Madara's irate yelling ever could. Madara presided over the gathering with Mikito, flanked by his younger brother, Izuna, the trio clearly showing there'd be no possibility of open-mindedness. Yuko recognized the bound men as malcontents-members of the various shinobi clans, soldiers from other countries, villages, and mercenary clans who tried to wreak havoc on the Sand country.
She watched them carefully, noting the visceral hatred in their eyes once they spotted her. Some she had captured alive instead of killing outright, but she really questioned that method seeing them glower at her. This was no hearing. It was not a trial. It was a proclamation of death, and nothing more. The Sand damiyo wasn't negotiating with anyone.
Yuko was hardly surprised when Izuna stepped forward and spoke in a crisp, clear voice that could be heard far and wide.
"You men have been charged and found guilty of espionage and bringing collateral damage to this safe haven.
"So much for evidence of that. Corpses don't-" A Sarutobi shinobi muttered.
"Be silent you cretin! I'll cut your head off right now where you stand!" Mikito roared, clenching the hilt of her blade and moving forward a few steps.
"Do you have anything worthwhile to say before your sentence is carried out? Mikito, can you bring it down a notch or four..." Madara trailed off, tone gauging and careful as he gestured at Mikito to ease down on the fury.
She drew in a long breath before exhaling, but other than that she showed no signs of calming down or the fact she actually heard Madara. Unshaken, the Aburame shinobi gathered stared the Uchiha straight in the eye.
"You are committing an act of war against the Aburame, Uchiha Madara. I hope you are prepared for the consequences and the full brunt of the Ergs military and the Aburame to come crushing down upon you. This war will go on long after we all depart from here."
Madara grunted, clenching the hilt of his own blade, but composed himself as he remembered imploring with Mikito to keep her fury in check. "I can't expect anything less out of the likes of the Aburame. I await your leader and commander to commence their attacks."
"You will regret it when you see every comrade ate alive by our insects."
"Get on with it!" Mitsuki shouted from the side, kicking up some sand in her impatience. "Carry out the sentence. He's aggravating me with that mouth."
Yuko only shook her head. Mitsuki wasn't the most patient or even tempered out of their group to say the least. She really wasn't sure how Hikaku put up with her at times. Still, all of this happened because they had foiled their plans to exploit the Sand country. All this because they hadn't rolled over before the power of the Wind damiyo, Erg damiyo, every other damiyo in the region, the clans under their hire, and their followers like the rest of their sycophants.
To think that she had wanted to be merciful to them after their defeat, despite overwhelming evidence pointing to not do that!
Despite the fact she couldn't.
"Your other comrades await you." Izuna announced, and he waved to the guards. "Take them to the execution grounds!"
At the back Yuko soaked it all in and looked at Ahiko, who looked on with a stern, but worried expression. "Are they going to have me execute all of those prisoners?"
Ahiko looked at Yuko and shook her head once. "Not all of them."
She had many times heard stories of Yuko grimacing or flinching in battle from Madara, Souji, and dozens of others.
In blunt terms, Madara and several others wanted it to stop since they didn't want Yuko or one of their own dying due to that hesitation.
"I am relieved to hear that." Yuko said, trying to sound monotone. "It wouldn't sit right with me cutting someone down who can't defend themselves."
"Shinobi have to be executed or they'll come back and do the same thing."
Yuko arched a brow, looking at Ahiko with genuine surprise that bordered on shock.
Ahiko turned to look at Yuko with her ever observant eyes, her expression remaining the same as before. "Do you think of me as cruel for saying such a thing? Are you surprised?"
Yuko shook her head. "We have no choice...The Akimichi proved that much...Still, I am not used to hearing you say such things..."
"Being a Medic I don't normally do such things...However, I've had to serve as a flank more than once and had to execute shinobi...The crimes they committed warranted such a reaction..."
"A life for a life..." Yuko muttered, narrowing her eyes.
Ahiko only nodded, not at all relieved that Yuko was already contemplating such things. Yuko was trying to detach herself here, even in the face of the executions of enemies who had tried to bring down the Sand country more than once. She was taking in the entire scenario, struggling to stay cool and maintain detachment that would allow her to survive in the harsh era.
"Yuko!" Izuna called.
Yuko swiveled her head and gave a nod, watching as he got closer and closer.
"I'll give you some space." Ahiko said, thoughtfully standing some meters away by the rest of her comrades while Izuna closed the shortening gap.
She was alone now, she realized. Ahiko was giving her distance. The corridor they were in was dark and fittingly gloomy considering what it was used for, except for the occasional echo of noise from the huge crowds gathered in the market square a few miles beyond. Much to her surprise she wasn't the least bit scared of Izuna's shadowy form moving across the gloom and darkness.
"Don't let your hands hesitate. Don't grimace. Don't wince." Izuna whispered as he got closer.
Yuko's struggled to keep her expression calm. "I know not to hesitate...I've been dying a little bit each day since this whole thing..."
"You shouldn't feel that way."
"Why?"
Then Izuna finally told her what had always been on his mind. "I love you."
"You love me?" Yuko asked, overwhelmed.
She looked towards Ahiko, but the young woman looked lost herself.
"You love me!?"
"I do."
"I thought we both made the choice not to fall in love. That duty was more important."
Her words had brought a wash of contentment over him. "I don't recall discussing it at length with you. Our lives can be destroyed and taken at anytime, even with all of my prowess and skill...I can always be one of those who never return from battle. My love for you is a puzzle...I have no answers. I can't control it. I don't care. I truly, deeply love you, and before we die here, if it is to be that way...I want you to know."
Yuko leaned against the limestone wall and craned her head up, and Izuna down, the two coming close enough for their lips to meet in a soft and gentle kiss, one that lingered and deepened, one that said everything they both realized they should have spoken to each other before when they had been children. One that, to them, mocked their false heroics in denying the feelings they'd had for each other all along.
The sweet moment was just that, though, a moment, for the blinding daylight, rolled onto the floor.
Several sturdy posts, a meter in diameter, were centered on the floor, each set with chains covered in sealing scrolls, all of them holding familiar figures.
"Aburame?!" Yuko cried as she watched several get pulled down from the cart, dragged over, and chained to the post beside the other enemy shinobi, a combination of Hyuga, Hageshii, Shimura, Sarutobi, Shainingu, Senju, and Hatake from what she could see.
"You haven't encountered them, thankfully...They're merciless..." Izuna replied with a venomous hiss.
They watched as more of their enemies were roughly dragged over to the post next to the Aburame, and roughly chained up. They saw some tense a bit defensively, in what seemed a futile resistance or last minute ninjutsu application to escape their spiraling predicament.
"I'll be flanking you in this as well as a few others." Izuna explained.
"Grow more accustomed to killing, is it? So that I don't hesitate in battle..." Came Yuko's quick and soft reply. She ended with a sigh as her arms dropped to her sides, fingers gently looping the hilt of her sword.
"Shinobi are just weapons...So we've been told...I like to think one day it won't be so." Izuna reflected.
Before Yuko could even react to the statement Madara's loud voice broke through everything.
"The malcontents that stand before you have been convicted of espionage against the sovereignty of the Sand country! They've taken lives of innocence in this country more than once! Their sentence of death is to be carried out in this square immediately!"
"It's not like shinobi to be executed..." Yuko said softly.
Izuna nodded slowly. "We have Senju and it's not like Hashirama or Tobirama will allow it..."
Yuko's eyes widened briefly. A trap!?
At the center, Madara gave way to Mikito, who kept her mouth close firmly in stoic composure, calling for Izuna and Yuko.
"In addition to espionage they've also taken the lives of merchants and artisans in their reckless and egotistical pursuits! There is truly no one capable to carry out the executions of such distinguished shinobi malcontents, however if the problem isn't ripped out by the root it will persist..."
This is the first step to ending it for good!" Madara raised his voice, seconding her statement with fury.
To hone her ability to cut through her enemies, Madara, Hikaku, and others made her perform executions, or serve as flanks for fellow comrades who had been assigned certain missions. It was the obligation of the flank to decapitate anyone who impeded the person under them, or if their comrade was fatally wounded, to push him or her over the brink with one clean stroke of the sword while felling the enemies.
Immediately following the failed coup in August by the Sarutobi and Shimura, all shinobi clans within the desert region, besides the Domou and Uchiha were officially banned from the entire territory of the Sand country.
Some of them, however, managed to remain in the village and capital for reconnaissance purposes, disguised as merchants, gamblers, workers, artisans, or beggars. These shinobi of varying clans were hunted by the Domou, Uchiha, and the Sand damiyo's men systematically. The Domou and Uchiha in particular became the object of hatred among ranks of the Hageshii, Shimura, Sarutobi, Senju, Shainingu, Aburame, Hyuga, and Hatake. These clans and others all concluded that as long as Madara, Mikito, and their forces dominated the region, it would be nearly impossible for them to effect another attack within the walls.
These clans and others, including the Akimichi, sent their own to infiltrate the Sand country.
During August, just two weeks after the Sarutobi's failed coup, several disquieting men showed up at the gates of the village. They claimed to have been traders and merchants, that left the service of their last country, due to a falling-out with their damiyo over taxes and certain acts of brutality meant to keep them in line. To find and purge the malcontents hiding within the village was a common goal spread through the Domou and Uchiha ranks.
When men of such perfidious and greedy disposition presented themselves, it was almost like putting a bullseye on one's back given the climate. Most of the merchants who came to the village were traveling or stopping off, depending on the time when they arrived. They weren't so truculent on matters like this bunch had been.
Madara ordered Yuko, Izuna, and Shin to stay at a nearby residence close to the shops, and gave them 20 ryo to pay for food, clothes if need be, lodging, and other expenses.
During the search at the village gates, both Mikito and Madara had a strange flicker cross over their eyes.
"I have an uneasy feeling about them..." Mikito said later that day in the war room, crossing her arms over her chest with a searching expression.
"We'll keep a close eye on them. In the meantime we need to keep focusing on the Shimura, Senju, and Subatsu. The more we hammer them the more keen they'll be on staying in the Desert and Wind country respectively. Any other clans that wish to get in the way can be cut down as far as I'm concerned. I have my priorities and focus." Madara said in a menacing tone.
Mikito shook her head at the single-mindedness of the tall Uchiha.
Near the second week of October, Yuko, Bunji, and other spies discovered the truth about the new merchants in the village. A meeting in the war room was called, and everyone including rank and file were all present and seated. Tea was handed out to quench thirst. Nothing could be done about the stuffy or cluttered atmosphere, however.
Izuna clicked his tongue, looking uncharacteristically serious as he sipped his tea. "It's really crammed in here."
"Can we go to a different room?" Misaka asked, while being the shorter of the group she managed to look uncomfortable with the whole scenario.
Madara shook his head, doing his best to cope with the limited space himself. "This won't take long."
"Letting them get away will be a mistake we can't afford to make right now. We have too much on our plate. If they had a hunch that we were aware of their movements or that their cover is blown they'd be leaving with hast..." Hikaku commented.
"This is our chance...We can spare one or two...Then squeeze the information out of them if possible." Souji concluded.
"That might be a little too much. Do we know what positions they have besides merchants?" Aito asked, scratching at the back of his head while glancing at the people around him.
"Live with it, Aito. We're all suffering here. Your tall frame isn't helping." Bunji remarked.
Mikito hummed her agreement. "There's no artisans or carpenters among them. Nobody of that skill level. Questioning them may not be an option in the long run...They've already come here so they know what's in store for them if they get caught."
Madara looked at Yuko and Shin, his gaze hard. "Kill them immediately if they wish to push it."
"Hold on...Some are bound to squirm away." Mikito set her eyes on Misaka, Aito, Hayami, and Bunji. "You flank them as well. Izuna I'm putting you in charge."
"I'll handle the stragglers. Mitsuki, you follow me?" Hikaku chimed in.
"I got it." Mitsuki didn't look too thrilled, but she was accepting of his command.
Shin and Yuko found some of the Akimichi and Hageshii men sunning themselves on the long wooden verandas of their respective shops. Yuko went after the Hageshii. Shin went after the Akimichi. Shin rushed through the Akimichi residence first, his sword drawn and swinging as screams echoed after he cleft the first Akimichi. Shin delivered a counter to his foe's wrist. Two bloody fights ensued, with Shin swiftly killing two more of his targets, cutting them across the chest, and hastened after the third.
Meanwhile, Yuko burst into another room of the house in pursuit of two more of the enemy, cutting one diagonally down the spine, and wounding another one who escaped with the first man she had been chasing, after jumping through a window. She pursued them to the end of an alley where one, short bloody fight ensued. Izuna, Mitsuki, and Hikaku, having waited in the front, were quick to cut the first man down that descended at hyper velocity speeds, but only wounded the second with a cut that removed his middle finger at the base of his knuckle.
Misaka and Aito ambushed two more before their forces could scramble together. The chase lasted for ten minutes, which finally ended when the wounded man made his getaway into the desert. An additional four merchants and their workers just blocks away were also uncovered as shinobi spies three days after this conflict. They tried to flee, but there had been people lying in wait for them to scramble this time.
One was cut down by Izuna after a fierce fight in the street. One was captured by Ahiko and Kagami after he busted through a shop's roof. Madara later in the week found one during a battle outside of the walls, only to cut down the target after a fierce fight. The third was cut down by Yuko, Misaka, and Bunji after a fierce pursuit through the village that took them to the outskirts.
The fourth shinobi spy hadn't had the chance to escape, but due to certain circumstances his death had been premature compared to the others. When the Hyuga prisoner refused to cooperate with them, Aito Uchiha, known for being laid back and having a short temper at times, drew his short sword in a flash and with one chopping movement he sent the Hyuga's head to the ground.
The fifth and last spy had been cornered by Hayami, Hikaku, Misaka, Izuna, and Mitsuki before falling in a battle that they couldn't possibly hope to overwhelm.
Not only were the Domou and Uchiha commissioned by the Sand damiyo to protect the sovereignty and freedom of the Sand country, but they were also tasked with rounding up the shinobi who remained elusive within and outside of the walls. They were fully invested with their authority to kill anyone, especially shinobi who threatened the freedom of the Sand country. The shinobi and damiyo in the desert region, and outside of it, feared both clans, especially the leaders, commanders, and captains, as if they were monsters.
It could be reasoned that more were killed by the Domou and Uchiha by the end of the desert wars, than can be truly accounted for. Killing anyone who posed a threat to the Sand country had become a daily occupation for them, so to some extent their livelihood depended on subjecting the enemy forces through the entire region to terror and bloodshed. For better or for worse, their warrior spirit, methods, and unflinching resolve to kill were bolstered by the wholehearted support they received from the central government in the Sand country.
Perhaps and most significantly, the superior force was tempered by an austere, straightforward code followed by a strict screening process by which the leaders and commanders recruited the rank and file. Before a candidate would be accepted, he or she had to prove themselves worthy, demonstrating the proper degrees of courage, warrior spirit, method, and the unflinching resolve to kill. It could be as simple as a candidate being tested in the training hall, through a bout with real swords, or a fight during the night after being startled awake. It could be more brutal, like being required to perform an execution of a prisoner. They may be required to go out on patrol and kill their enemies.
Even if they did pass the tests, they would still receive only a temporary status. Before being made a full fledged member to fight on the war zones, they could be required to prove their worthiness through actual battles in the streets or on missions certain members undertake. If they demonstrated the proper skill, courage, and unflinching resolve to kill in real combat, they would become a part of the fighting force that stormed into war zones and went berserk.
If not, they might be killed by the enemy at some point.
Yuko had been the greatest example of this process.
As leader of the Uchiha and Domou, Madara and Mikito respectively, as well as individually, had two immediate objectives they wanted to take care of. The first was to purge the enemies of the Sand country and to eliminate any spies that could still be in the country, and the second, more importantly, within the capital village they patrolled day and night. Needless to say, the damiyo was more than pleased with this powerful security force. In early November, in recognition of their merit, the Domou and Uchiha all gathered received a generous monthly payment.
As long as the freedom and sovereignty was threatened, Mikito felt that they had fulfilled only one of their objectives.
Yuko didn't feel deserving of a rank nor did she take one when it was offered. She did accept the payment, which she badly needed. She now received fifty to three hundred and fifty ryo per mission.
Still-the brutal methods the Uchiha and Domou used to ensure the efficiency of their fighting forces was something burned into her mind. Her first hand experiences alone were valuable in teaching her the fundamentals of the method and the battlefield. Besides the berserk Akimichi there had been a time where she had to fend for herself and harden her resolve to kill her foe. Retreat wasn't an option, since it violated the code of conduct and ethics. Still, she hadn't expected her own comrades to block her off, as well as the Sarutobi shinobi, effectively giving her no alternative.
She would either die by the Sarutobi's hand or she'd fell the man.
The first overhand chop of Yuko's blade slid off the Sarutobi's instinctive parry. He delivered a quick counter, which Yuko quickly parried and returned with her own counter, aiming for his bicep. The second deflection bent Yuko's wrists. The third flash forced the Sarutobi's to the inside of his own guard, forcing the dull part to dig into his shoulder, still Yuko had to to give ground as he powered the blade away, forcing her to quick step and take her stance once more.
She knew the Sarutobi were strong willed, but that was a power beyond comprehension. Where had it come from? As she pondered it, the Sarutobi crashed forward with no hesitation, inexorably, impossibly powerful, like a rampaging behemoth. Each block was a strike. Each strike was a block. Both hurt. Each step was a blow and each blow was a step.
Yuko calmly backed away despite the fact the Sarutobi stayed right on top of her. His breaths were starting to become furious and long. He no longer tried to block Yuko's strikes but only slant them away. It's not that he could not meet Yuko blow for blow, not only did he wield tremendous reserves of chakra, but his sheer physical power and willpower were also astonishing.
He lifted his fist, and beckoned. Yuko lunged forward. She had the gift of fury. She was holding herself back, even as she landed at the Sarutobi's flank and rained blows upon the man's defenses, even as she drove him backward step after step, the Sarutobi could feel how Yuko kept her fury banked behind walls...Walls that were hardened by some uncontrollable dread.
"I sense great fear in you. You are being consumed by it. You are nothing but a posturing child that should have been killed years ago on the war zone where they placed you."
He pointed his finger at Yuko like an accusing finger.
"You're not very good at hiding your emotions!"
Yuko sped after him again, and they stood nearly even, blades flashing faster and faster. A burst of clarity blossomed within Yuko's mind. Her mind had been filled with the smoke from her smothered heart for far too long. It has been the fear and anger that lashes out and that darkens her mind. In recent battles that smoke clouded her mind, had blinded her and left her flailing in the dark, almost like a mindless machine of slaughter...
But here now, within this moment, her walls have opened so that the terror and the rage are out there, in the fight, instead of in her mind. Her mind was now clear as a crystal. In that pristine clarity, there was only one thing she must do. Decide. So she does. She decides to kill the Sarutobi. She decides that this man should lose the life he has.
She moved her blade simultaneously with his, moving across as she stepped to the side of him, disintegrating flesh and shearing bone, sending both hands flying away. The Sarutobi struggled to not crumple to his knees, face and brow contorting, mouth open with clenched teeth, and Yuko could see the future happening before her very eyes as two blades crossed at the Sarutobi's throat.
But here, now, the truth belies the dream.
Two blades are in each of her hands.
Izuna stepped towards her, blade drawn. "Kill him..."
"Kill him now." Misaka repeated, in her own attack stance.
The Sarutobi could only see flares of crimson in Yuko's eyes.
"Finish him."
Her blades crossed at his throat, twice, coming up at a slant, then back down, and snipped his head right off from his shoulders.
Yuko stared.
I did that.
The severed head's stare was fixed on something beyond living sight. The angry curse frozen in place on its lips echoed silence. The headless torso collapsed, folding forward at the waist.
Yuko blinked again.
Who am I?
Was she the diffident girl in the Uchiha compound, valued for her astonishing gifts and prowess?
Was she the red haired swift killer, the only one left standing by mountains of corpses in battle?
Was she the high spirited and amicable student of Ahiko?
The swift killer?
The one who stays quiet?
The amicable learner?
The lover?
The liberator?
Could she be all of these things...
Could she be any of them...
Was it possible to be any of those things and still have done what she has done?
She was already discovering the answer at the same time that she finally realized that she needed to ask the question.
Yuko jumped to a sitting position in her bed, her eyes popping open wide, sweat on her forehead and her breath coming in gasps.
A dream...
It was all a dream?
She told herself that repeatedly as she tried to settle back down on the bed.
It was all a dream.
Or was it?
"Yuko!" Came a call from the front of the door, and to her relief it was the familiar voice of Souji.
She knew that she had to shake the dream away, had to focus on the events at hand, the latest assignment with the Uzumaki, but that was easier said than done. For she saw them again, her mother and Ahiko, their bodies going rigid, crystallizing, then exploding into a million shattered shards. She looked up ahead, envisioning Souji standing on the other side of door with his muscular arms crossed over his chest, wondering if she should tell all to the man, wondering if the man would be able to help her. Souji would be able to help. Despite being too involved in other things, in his training, in minor assignments like the border disputes that had brought them so far out from the compound.
Yuko wanted to get back to the compound, as soon as possible. She needed guidance now, but not the kind she was getting from Hisao. She needed to speak with Ahiko and her mother again, to hear their reassuring words. Ahiko had taken a great interest in her over the year and a half, making sure that she always got a chance to speak with her whenever she needed to. Yuko took great comfort in that now, with the terrible dream so vivid in her thoughts. For Hisao, the wise leader of all Uzushiogakure, had promised her that he'd show her the Uzumaki method.
The knock on the door was not unexpected. Yuko had known that Souji would come to speak with her as soon as the sun rose. She started for the door, but paused, aware suddenly that her yukata was somewhat revealing. She pulled the hem up tight as she opened the door, finding, predictably, Souji standing before her.
"Enjoying your stay at Uzushiogakure?" Souji asked, and it seemed as if he could hardly believe she made him wait so long.
"Is everything all right?" Yuko stuttered over a response.
"Yes...Some Uzumaki have gone to the other levels to check on the security measures. Besides that it's pretty quiet and business as usual."
"You sound...Disappointed."
Souji turned away from her, walking towards the window.
"You don't enjoy this..." Yuko remarked.
"Uzushiogakure is a wonderful and surreal place." Souji said, and Yuko turned away from him with an embarrassed little smile.
"But these...Terse subjects...The inertia of it all..." She struggled to find the right words, and Souji nodded as he caught onto her sentiment.
"We should be more firm in our insistence of their relocation...To sit back and wait is to invite disaster. I've seen more than one clan wiped out in my short lifetime. I don't want to see the Uzumaki lost..."
"Hisao-sama does not agree completely."
"He is a leader, and quite frankly he shouldn't agree with me completely. He shouldn't take a chance on doing anything that would harm anything that we see, nor what isn't explicitly asked of him by the Council at this point in time. Things are going to become...Strained."
Yuko tilted her head and considered the situation more carefully. "Hisao-sama understands the need for independent thinking and initiative...Otherwise, he would have denied me."
"And you are more like Hisao-sama?" Souji asked, almost amused.
"I accept the duties I am given, but I also need the leeway to see them to a proper conclusion."
"Mhm?"
Yuko smiled and shrugged. "Well..."
"And presume, when you can't get the answers you desire?" Souji asked.
"I've always done the best I can with every duty I am given." Was the strongest admission she would offer.
"You weren't fond of this mission?"
"At first I was a little restless, I'll admit...However, I'm a little more at ease right now than I was when I first arrived." Yuko said, and there was a shift in her tone, one that intrigued Souji and made him observe her even more critically.
"Restless?"
"I'm...Adjusting." Yuko explained succinctly, quickly putting the discussion back on a professional level. "Either way, I will be safer under your protection, and our duties will be made far easier at the moment."
Souji's mind whirled as he listened to Yuko's thoughts, and recalled her motivations stated in the last meeting. She was surprising him with every word, and given the pool of water that he clearly saw reflecting behind her chocolate brown eyes, she was not hiding anything from her. He saw trouble brewing there, in those churning, compassionate, and too-passionate eyes, but even more than that, he saw fire and the promise of vanquishing.
And, perhaps, the promise of finding out...
"Yuko. We have some time."
"i'm a little hungry..." Yuko said, not quite sure why.
"You're training, silly woman." Souji said, tone hinting with exasperation.
"Yes."
Yuko had to take a deep breath to keep her hand from trembling. She could see nothing but the tall and lean silhouette, back-lit by the rising sun. Souji shifted just a bit, blocking the yellow-gold glow enough so that Yuko could see his relaxed expression. He started to move closer, and she held her ground.
It wasn't a conscious decision...
She was simply entranced, for it seemed to her as if the sun was rising over Souji and encompassing him, and not behind the horizon, as if he were blending into the day itself. He was like an ethereal figure with yellow rays dancing about his silhouette, dulling the distinction between him and reality.
Yuko had to consciously remember to breathe. She stepped back and Souji walked past her, apparently oblivious to the wondrous moment she had just experienced. He was looking on while speaking his piece, remaining relaxed and direct as he always was. For some reason she felt embarrassed. She wondered for a moment if she should have chosen a different outfit to wear for the training session, for the yukata she was wearing was blue, pink, and tied with a teal sash. They were bright and friendly colors.
She moved towards the window parallel from Souji, but paused and looked back over the lake, at the orange and radiant glimmer filtering across the shimmering water. When she turned back, Souji was already standing by the table, going through bowls of fruit, rice, fish, and the settings she had put out. She watched him glance up at one of the floating light rays, its glow growing as the sunlight began to intensify. He playfully poked at it, seemingly oblivious that she, or anyone else, was watching him, and his smile creased slightly, nowhere close to his ears, but it was a genuine smile on his face as the rays kissed his flesh, elongating the soft rays of light.
The next few moments of just watching Souji were quite pleasant for Yuko, but the next few after that, when he started looking back at her, his expression alternately observant and intense, proved more than a bit uncomfortable. Soon enough, though, the pair had settled in at the table, seated across from each other and eating their meal, while Souji began bringing her up to speed over some of the things he had known and researched over the last ten years, training, fighting, and observing with his siblings. He then began to bring her up to speed with affairs concerning the Uzumaki and the shinobi world at large.
Yuko couldn't help but listen attentively, captivated by Souji's intensity for certain subjects. She wanted to do more, though. She wanted to talk about the dark lord, to try to make some sense of it with Souji. However, she couldn't find the strength to broach the subject, and so she just allowed him to speak his piece, contenting herself with absorbing what information she could. She gently bit into the slice of fruit, grinning slightly as Souji put more slices on the plate.
"Have you asked Izuna for any advice in kenjutsu..." Souji paused, drawing Yuko's full attention, an observing expression on his face. "He has overflowing talent."
Yuko nodded slowly, and she could agree with that assessment. Izuna always had overflowing talent in kenjutsu, even among the Domou stringent standards, who were known for their fangs, he was extremely talented. "I sparred him once as a test, but since that time I haven't got the chance..."
"That was before you had real war experience."
True she hadn't been in any battles at that point. She had been a spy. Spies weren't really supposed to be on the front lines in the first place. Most of the time they stayed away from direct battle and were the influence of the direct battle, with information, and deceit being the forte.
The mind was the greatest weapon for a spy-more than chakra or a kunai, it was the mind.
Souji rubbed at his chin, humming softly. "I may be able to show you a few techniques...If your time isn't completely taken up with your Fuinjutsu studies."
"Oh?" Yuko asked, and she eagerly munched on the rest of her fruit.
"Fuinjutsu escapes most because of the complexity in of itself. If they can get beyond that surface level then they will be faced with ever changing integers...Not many are strong in math in the Elemental Nations. That's why most clans only have the Fuinjutsu for weapons, supplies, and things of that nature...I guess the Uzumaki made a hefty amount as well generalizing the Fuinjutsu so it wasn't as complex." Souji explained, munching on his fruit.
"The Uzumaki are good with numbers is what you're saying?"
"The Uzumaki are genius in more ways than one. They are brilliant to be honest..." Souji trailed off.
Yuko went for her last slice of fruit, but to her surprise, it shifted away from her. She stabbed at it with her fork, but each time it just evaded her.
She grabbed a hold of it and shoved it into her mouth.
"Anyways, I don't think I'll be of much assistance in this regard. One of the factors Mikito took into account in your selection was the fact you are strong in math. Not many of the Uchiha were as adept at it as you were, even your seniors were lagging in certain regards."
Yuko found herself nodding, but no smile came to her face as she and Souji departed.
"Is that so?"
Uzushiogakure.
The sun burned down out of a cloudless blue sky, washing the vast land and waters of the territory in brilliant rainbow light. The image itself almost rose off the brilliant, clear surface of water in a blisteringly beautiful display, to fill the gaps between the massive cliff faces and solitary outcroppings of the mountains that were the territory's sole distinguishing natural borders.
Sharply etched, the monoliths stood like sentinels keeping the land in a watery haze. When the birds, butterflies, and fish streaked past one another, wings and fins moving in harmony, leaving a gracious and serene image, the heat and the light seemed to melt into the water, and the mountains themselves were made a path for the fish to swim upstream entangled with the butterflies and the land.
Yuko had taken a liking to observing Uzushiogakure in all of its splendor. It wasn't so closed off and confined as it was in other countries and villages she'd been to. She could breathe easily out here and not remain on high alert. Where they stayed was a home made of stone and packed tight against the mountain's face, facing the beach, its thick walls slathered with a combination of mud, vegetation, and sand to keep out any moisture around them.
It was typical of quarters provided for anyone staying in this part of Uzushiogakure, a stone home with a central room, kitchen, two bedrooms for sleeping, and a rest room. She and Souji kept it neat and clean, and they both stayed in their own rooms, which were rather spacious than most and where they kept their travel gear.
"Are you tired?" Souji asked after a peaceful silence.
Yuko shook her head. "Not really."
"Still thinking about the Jinchuriki?"
"A little bit..."
And she was, but mostly she was thinking about her mother and going to distant countries, of going into battle for the freedom of all living things, and of rubbing shoulders and clashing with the most powerful shinobi that would go down in the history books, scrolls, and tomes.
"I don't want you worrying about the Bijuu..." Souji said, tone a strange mix of thoughtful and worried.
"But-"
"I don't want you to ask Hisao-sama how to let you tame that monstrous, demonic energy. Promise me you won't. We can't force the issue. That dormant monster that terrorized the world is long gone...The monsters in its place are terrible, but they aren't like that was."
Yuko nodded reluctantly, biting her bottom lip to keep her composure. She thought about it a moment. "But, what if Hisao-sama shows me how...Or what if I learn how by myself? What am I supposed to do then? I have to take what he tells me to heart. So if he shows me..."
Souji reached over and put a hand on her arm, squeezing it gently.
"I think today we won't be getting into that...Besides I only asked about chakra and landscape...Perhaps the Uzumaki will find someone else to bestow that Fuinjutsu knowledge to directly...In my case I'll have to learn by myself in that regard. My father taught me to be self sufficient and not rely on others."
Yuko didn't say so, but she knew her father was wrong even if he meant well. There wasn't anyone better than he was with a sword. Not even Tajima, with his Sharingan active. Besides, she'd never pay to have someone else's knowledge when she could make due with what she had. Things would delay a day or two, and then the progress would begin towards the new Fuinjutsu again. She'd be writing out Fuinjutsu and drawing landscapes before the month ended.
She turned her gaze skyward, Souji's hand resting lightly on her shoulder, and thought about what it would be like to be in the clear blue sky, free and without limits, traveling to far worlds and strange places. She didn't care what anyone said, she wouldn't be a killer all her life. Just as she was no longer a girl. She would find a way to end the creed. She would find a way to protect her mother. She'd find a way to always help Izuna. She'd find a way to free everyone and everything alive.
Her dreams whirled through her head as she watched the sky, a kaleidoscope of bright images. She imagined how it would be. She saw it clearly in her mind, and it made her smile.
One day...
I'll do everything you've done.
Everything.
She took a deep breath and held it.
Slowly she exhaled, the promise sealed.
The training academies on Uzushiogakure weren't the tallest or widest buildings in the country. They were predominately dome-shaped and relatively low to the ground, they reflected the clouds, catching the afternoon sun as the others did in a brilliant display. And yet the magnificent structures were not dwarfed by those towering buildings about them, including the various housing complexes. Centrally located in the complex, and with a design very different from the typical squared design, the bluish smooth stone dome provided a welcome relief to the eye of the beholder, a piece of art within a community of simple beauty.
The interior of the building was no less vast and impressive, its gigantic interior encircled, row upon row of seats, representing the new generation of Fuinjutsu masters and learners. A significant number of those platforms stood empty at the moment considering the time of day. In the middle of the main floor, standing at the stationary dais, the one unmoving speaking platform in the entire building, Hisao watched and listened, taking in some of the tumult and wearing an expression that showed deep understanding. He was past middle age now, and a face creased by deep lines of experience.
His term as leader began several decades ago, but a series of crises had allowed him to solidify his place as a competent and merciful leader for life. From a distance, one might have thought him frail, but up close there could be no doubt of the strength and fortitude of this accomplished man.
"They are afraid, Hisao-sama." Ashina remarked to him.
"Many have heard reports of the attacks, even violent activity near the coast, which isn't far from here. The Water damiyo and-"
Hisao held up his hand to quiet the nervous man. "They are a troublesome group...It would seem that they've been whipped up into a murderous frenzy. Or perhaps...Their frustrations with their own country have been mounting despite the effort of some shinobi there to calm them. Either way, the Water damiyo and the current situation must be taken seriously."
Ashina started to respond again, but Hisao put a finger up to silence him, then nodded to the main podium, where Atsunobu was going over the next lesson while calling for order.
"You must pay close attention!" Atsunobu said firmly.
"Excuse me..." Yuko piped up quietly. Then, a moment later, she straightened and inhaled deeply, seeming to gather inner strength, which was amply reflected in her solid voice. "It is true that you've been leader for several decades, but in all of that time have the Uzumaki never faced war?"
A shock wave of silence rolled over Hisao for a moment. "Myself, Atsunobu, and older Uzumaki have all seen war. Ashina has seen the tail ends of war, but this new generation hasn't had to face bloodshed and carnage."
Yuko looked over the Uzumaki below her, all within their respective seats in the round interior. She was trying hard to find how the Uzumaki planned for a counter, but so far she wasn't seeing anything to even quell that curiosity.
"Before I became a leader...I was just a man, serving my clan and country. There were many great leaders who have come before me, all of them were those who fought for justice and peace."
"But everyone latches onto a certain leader and he has to set the precedent. It always happens at some point. " Souji remarked.
Hisao tilted his head, his eyes lowering, and he sighed again. "A leader who is friends with everyone will certainly win their hearts..."
A few conversations began, but for the most part, the studious silence held strong, with many Uzumaki nodding their heads in acceptance at Atsunobu's lesson, but even at this critical time, on this most important day, the grim news could not overwhelm. Yuko watched, without surprise, as a hard headed student maneuvered his way towards Atsunobu.
"How many more will die before this civil strife ends?" Ashina wondered, biting his bottom lip. "We must confront these rebels now, and we need an army to do it!"
That bold statement brought a wave of silence.
"Why weren't the shinobi able to stop our assassination of the nobles and slavers?" Souji asked.
"How obvious it is that they are no longer safe under the protection of the shinobi!"
"This country needs more security now. It doesn't need to prep itself for all out war." Souji said.
"We need to be ready before it comes to war!"
"Must I remind you that we have natural defenses?" Hisao interjected, cutting the argument off with little care. "Peace is our objective here. Not war."
"You wish to negotiate?" Ashina asked, his face a mask of incredulity.
All around the central arena, shouts and cries erupted from the students, with Atsunobu reining in their frustrations with the lesson.
"I think anything is better than seeing Uzushiogakure become something of a relic." Yuko said bluntly.
Hisao kept his disarming stare on Ashina. "Did we just not hear someone say that very same thing?"
Ashina stared at him.
Hisao simply continued to stare at the man, a center of calm, the eye of the storm that was raging all about him.
Ashina averted his gaze, sighing in a way to concede. "Yes, Hisao-sama."
Hisao extended a hand towards Yuko, then gestured to the vast arena around them. "Go and take your seat."
Souji smiled a little. "Pay close attention."
Most of her learning came at the feet of Hisao and the other Fuinjutsu Masters of the Uzumaki, Ashina, Atsunobu, Akitsugu, Honami, Dai-In, Akitsugu, Banri, and Eiji. There were group training sessions every morning with fellow Uzumaki, but they were few and far between depending on the lesson plan. Students learned at their own pace, driven by their compassion for life and zeal for stability. There were, however, nearly many students for every Master, and the apprentices had to prove their proficiency and mentality before one of the Masters would spend valuable time teaching them the complex and stronger seals of their Funjutsu.
Though she was a neophyte, Yuko found it easy to garner the attention of the Fuinjutsu Masters, particularly Akitsugu. She knew the extra attention would inevitably breed animosity with Ashina, but she forced herself not to think about that. In time the additional instruction she got from the Masters would allow her to catch up to and surpass the other apprentices, and once she did, she wouldn't need to worry about Ashina's petty presumptions. Until then she was careful to stay out of the way and not draw attention to her. When she wasn't learning from the Masters, she was in the library studying the ancient records. As the Domou and Uchiha kept their archives at their locations respectively, so the Uzumaki had begun to collect and store information in their archives.
Like the Domou and Uchiha archives, most of the data was stored in books, papers, scrolls, tomes, and manuals. In the thousands of years since the shinobi sect had been founded, the shinobi had waged a tireless war to eradicate each other and their own teaching tools. Certain jutsu had been either destroyed or spirited away to a now lost location for safekeeping. There were many rumors of undiscovered tomes and scrolls, either hidden away on remote countries, or covetously hoarded by one of the damiyo or shinobi clans, eager to keep its secret knowledge for themselves.
But all efforts by the majority to find these lost treasures had proved futile, forcing them to rely on the primitive, in their eyes, jutsu and techniques left on parchment.
And because the collection was constantly being added to, the indexes and references were constantly kept up to date. Searching the archives was often an exercise in futility or frustration, and most of the students felt their time was better spent trying to learn from or impress the Fuinjutsu Masters. Perhaps it was because she was older than most of the others, or maybe because her years of training under her father had taught her patience, whatever the explanation, Yuko spent several hours each day studying the ancient records.
She found them fascinating. Many of the scrolls were historical records recounting ancient battles or glorifying the deeds of ancient Uzumaki. By itself the information had little practical use, but she could see each individual work for what it actually represented. A tiny piece of a much larger puzzle, a clue to a much greater understanding. The archives supplemented what she learned from the Masters. It gave context to the abstract and at times, almost vapor-like ideological lessons. Yuko felt that, in time, the ancient knowledge of Fuinjutsu would be the key to unlocking the immense full potential of the sum. And so her understanding of Fuinjutsu and chakra slowly took shape.
Mystical, strange, and encompassing, chakra was also natural and essential...A fundamental energy binding the sun, moon, stars, the earth itself, and connecting all living things...This energy, this power, could be harnessed. It could be manipulated and controlled. And through the teachings of the shinobi, of ninjutsu, Yuko learned how to seize hold of it and knead it within herself-rather than kneading it with another person's-an application she learned when she went to the Domou.
She practiced her meditations and exercises daily, often under the watchful eye of two Fuinjutsu Masters. After only a few days she learned to move small objects simply by writing the formula, something she would have thought impossible only a short time before without an actual scroll to apply. Yet now she understood that this was only the beginning. She was starting to grasp a great truth on a deep, fundamental level...
The strength to survive must not come from within only. Others were always there to watch your back. To make sure you were covered. Friends, family, comrades...In the end, each person must learn to not stand alone, but to stand united as a single amalgamation.
When in need, look to the self, and look to others..
Ninjutsu and the other arts nurtured the power of the individual.
The teachings of the Uzumaki would make her strong in a different way.
In pleasing them, she could unlock her full potential and one day...
A foggy twilight seemed perpetual in layers over the vast woodland and forest of the Tea country as Tobirama and Koichi emerged out of the shadows to settle slowly on the snow packed ground. Koichi moved away from Tobirama, dropping silently through shadows that hung still and endless across the country's sprawling surface with keen observation. Following after him, Tobirama passed through the haze, and they materialized one by one near a vast, murky swamp.
As they gently landed next to the dark waters and clumps of trees and grasses, they kept their eyes pointed forward. Some distance away was the entrance of the Tea country. Koichi's head broke the still night. A quick movement, and he was gone again. He surfaced once more, farther away, and this time took a moment to look back at the forest where he had been.
Tobirama knelt beside Koichi, carefully maintaining his stoic demeanor.
"It's good that the Water damiyo hasn't penetrated yet." Koichi observed, tone calm despite the eerie desolate surroundings save for enemies.
Dozens of areas were filled with Sarutobi and Hyuga, all of them moving into place in front of the first buildings within the village. Some hovered just a few meters away, keeping their focus on the surroundings. Some had found purchase on drier ground. Far to his left, he caught sight of a shadowy form running through the mist and trees. Reinforcements. Tobirama took a deep breath, submerging himself swiftly in the shadows, listening to the sounds of heavy rustling and snapping branches around him as the several dozen more Hyuga and Sarutobi began to advance.
The Hyuga whipped over the snowy ground as they surged forward into the village. Ronin, rogue ninja of all sizes began to scatter from their places of concealment. Dodging or felling the frightened men stampeding around them, one Sarutobi cast his gaze about, then picked up his pace as the dark shadows of Sasuke, Genzo, and Kurou came from the mist directly behind.
Tobirama did well to keep his surprise hidden, barely moving an inch and not even blinking as the three leaders began directing traffic. There were even wagons and carts the lower ranking in the two clans pushed and pulled, overflowing with everything that had been part of the Tea country. Buildings, shops, even the damiyo castle and estate were all dismantled thanks to clone jutsu and sorted into the rest of the assortment.
Koichi's eyes narrowed critically, he could barely believe what he was seeing. "Kurou is the leader of the Hyuga now. The Sarutobi and Hyuga have to be in an alliance...This is not good for us...It may not be good for Konoha either..."
"The Hyuga with ambition...I hear he was always pushing for conquests before. Daiki was stronger than Kurou so he was the leader, but Kurou has the conquest mindset the Hyuga elders have been longing for...Looks like they're getting their wish right now with Sasuke and Genzo..." Tobirama softly chimed in response, and if he were anywhere else he'd let loose a growl.
Some of the Hyuga and Sarutobi were starting to run out of firm ground and searching for a way past the large lakes and woodland when they finally reconsidered the idea and pressed on into the village with the others. Whatever may have been around the borders wasn't worth the effort or time as was assimilating everything in the village so they could use it. Kurou, Sasuke, and Genzo stuck around for a few hours, directing traffic, giving out more orders to their men, and from the movements he had shown, Sasuke was ordering his men to double time it.
After about six hours the massive assembly departed.
Three units of men were left behind and stood guard at the gates of the now empty village.
Koichi carefully shifted his footing as he moved forward, eyes like daggers. "Seems like the reports that came in are true...The Tea country has been vacant for quite some time. Of course we won't know for sure until we go in there and look for ourselves."
Tobirama nodded his agreement. "Not much in there. Shall we take them evenly?"
Koichi shook his head once, moving forward to go on the attack. "Too much attention. I'll cut them down in a flash."
A Hyuga sent out a piercing, yell as a warning for the others inside of the village. He had reacted to movement behind a great swath of vegetation and snow, and noted the appearance of a silver head and the sound of wind howling. The Hyuga took aim at the charging Hatake, but, before the Hyuga had a chance to even get an attack off, a beam shot from a hilt, exploding out from the Hyuga's back and nicked into a tree.
As the Koichi raced forward, he watched as two Hyuga spun around to face him while the Sarutobi chose to pivot, narrowing their stance by a fraction. So far the ruse was working and now he was the target. He had barely moved out of range, as the Hyuga struck the ground, blasting chunks of snow from the surface of the earth, Koichi cut him swiftly, slicing right through the base of his neck.
Then he heard a roaring sizzle coming from the Sarutobi then smoke began to fly from the jutsu, and in an instant where the Hatake had previously been exploded into flaming pieces. Koichi sliced the Sarutobi down the chest for his efforts, moving past the spray of blood and now falling corpse, he angled his blade into a thrust, ending the life of the Hyuga who committed to his attack.
The Hatake measured his stance and glanced at the bodies he left behind, then turned back towards where Tobirama remained hidden. As each flash of wind threw snow high into the sky, the Tea country's great city and village were barely visible, a flat, even silhouette which did not rise over the barren horizon. Koichi waited in the center of the ghost town measuring everything with his sharp eyes and keen chakra sense, while Tobirama approached him. In comparison to Koichi's observant, almost detached expression, Tobirama had to school his own as to not give away what he was thinking or feeling.
"This is some insight for us. It has been far too long since we've got a trace of the Domou, Subatsu, or anyone associated with them. It isn't by coincidence that it is here, in this out of the way country of the Elemental Nations."
"I don't sense anyone." Tobirama replied.
"We should expect powerful and loyal shinobi to be here or make their way back. I'd rather not leave a field of bodies...The ones I left were hard enough to dispose of without leaving any traces." Koichi said, moving on the side of caution.
"That may be the point of this..." Tobirama trailed off, giving the village a once over.
"Sarutobi and Hyuga may not think twice of hurting civilians, but I know the Domou and Subatsu only focus on their enemies...They have uniforms, traits, characteristics, and signatures all memorized. The Hatake are the same in some regards." Koichi said.
Tobirama nodded easily, carefully mulling the statement over. "If that still rings true..."
"Most of these people would refuse to go with them because they wouldn't be capable of being on war zones. I've heard of their methods, and you've seen them up close and in person..." Koichi noted.
"They're ferocious...However..." Tobirama trailed off, tone soft.
Koichi nodded his head, showing he wanted Tobirama to continue with his explanation and that he could trust him with this simple sentiment.
"They put being together above everything else...No single person bears the burden. I remember when I was cornered by enemies and had nowhere to move...One of them pulled out a sharp plank of wood they must have carved from one of my brother's jutsu that took over the landscape, and...It had to three times my height..."
Tobirama kept track of his breath and his emotions, keenly aware he was about to swelter. It's not like he was never saved on a war zone, and it's not like he didn't save one of his own on the battlefield either. However, he always wanted to stand with his brother and support him in his dream, and being weak wouldn't do any good.
Being dead wouldn't do anything.
"The Sarutobi shinobi approached me. I remember kneading my chakra for ninjutsu, but Haji and their division leaders stormed where I was...By extension Haji saved me from possibly losing my life...More than once. I trusted him, without doubt..."
"I think you may be too close on some things, but that is to be expected in your case. Alliances that flourish and don't become blood feuds in this era are all too rare. For what it is worth, the alliance of the Subatsu and Senju was admirable in hindsight."
"This is still a great move and advancement for us. The Tea country is more than just another country or place on the map at this point. It is a symbol. The realm of the Shinobi. We need to clear this place out of any straggling ronin, rogue, or enemy shinobi and move through the narrow forest channels on our way back. We can't let this place become a haven for carnage, I am surprised the Water damiyo or those mad clans haven't stormed this place."
Tobirama wasn't sure which of the two was worse. What Madara and the others did was unspeakable in many ways, and it led them to being marked as national criminals. The Water damiyo was marked as an international problem, and the clans shared from that land shared the same gravity of that accusation of being international threats.
Koichi nodded slowly, somehow, he was able to pick up on the Senju's emotions, and so he moved towards a shop building knowing Tobirama would flank him. It had been a business of someone, who helped this country, and helped their fellows. Now, it was nothing. "The Fire country is huge. It'd take them a lot of time to push into it, and thanks to the Shimura's foresight, their continuous traps keep the bulk of those forces reeling at the moment."
Far to the south the forest was motionless, five hundred meters or more ahead the turbulent winds and gigantic mounds of snow of the primal land loomed.
"Now it begins in earnest. Things couldn't have been made more clear than they are now. They stormed this place, wiped out their enemies, killed the Tea damiyo like a vermin, and took the civilians or else they'd raise a fuss over egotistical conquests...The damiyo isn't wrong for putting every last one of them and anyone who associates with them in the new bounty book...Even though some refer to it as a bingo book..." Koichi trailed off.
Tobirama could agree with the sentiment, they were a problem.
They were always going to be a problem.
Composing themselves with proper stoicism, they struck west, moving deeper into the remains of the city, then south, angling for the more crowded plazas, shop districts, and residential areas. They did their best to avoid engagements with criminals and mercenaries when they could, and brushed aside the feeling when they weren't attacked after a solid hour.
When he wasn't focusing, Tobirama was obsessing over what happened here.
How could Mikito, Madara, Izuna...How could any of them do what they did?
How could those two born of the Fire country, trample it the way they had?!
"Looks like it was a harsh battle here for certain. Shinobi besides them were definitely here..." Tobirama confessed as they were hurrying through a gloomy alley Pong knew from previous visits.
"Ease up on yourself, Tobirama. They knew that we would show up here and see this. We also knew at some point we'd have to deploy our shinobi forces to minimize any collateral damage to just not the Fire country itself, but also the addition of the smaller countries and villages...The slave traders could never get this far without the protection of shinobi."
Is this what older brother wanted me to see...To see what Konoha, or perhaps just the far away concepts we all have...
"If you had the nerve to drink you might learn to loosen up a little bit." Koichi said.
"Never too late to start...It's happy hour somewhere." Tobirama remarked, thankful for the levity.
Snow clogged the streets and plazas in the homing complex areas, flowing slowly about the meandering ice haze of the unchecked roofs. The sun was up, giving the sprawling city a silver glow. The massive forests of the Fire country loomed above it all, seeming as if they would reach the very heavens.
And that seemed fitting indeed, for inside the country, even at this early hour, the events and participants took on godlike stature to the trillions of common folk of the Elemental Nations. Tobirama and Koichi moved behind the Tea damiyo's desk in his spacious and tasteful office of work, staring across at where his subjects would speak and meet with him.
Across the room, a pair of guards would have flanked the door, imposing, powerful figures, with their great curving helmets and wide, floor-length capes.
"Genjutsu..." Tobirama remarked. "It is unavoidable..."
"This could unravel the remainder of this era. Never have I seen the everyone so at odds over every issue. For them to use a genjutsu of this level would mean they made a pocket reality."
"Few issues would carry the import of creating a shinobi village. One that could possibly..."
"You are ambitious if I follow you correctly..." Koichi remarked in a steely tone.
"It is only a matter of time before more people are anxious and afraid, and believe that no vote or choice will ever be more important than this one before us at the moment. To found a shinobi village, to resist it, to go with the tides, to war, or even..."
"And no matter which way we're going to have a lot of mending to do...We may be the only ones who wish to do it as well." Koichi noted solemnly.
"I will not let this Fire country that has stood for thousands of years be split completely! If there can be negotiations than we must not fail in that."
"I am aware of my own limitations. Many claim the title of Butcher, but very few can hold to that title. Even the combined might of the Wind and Earth damiyo couldn't bring them down. The Subatsu, Domou and Uchiha are tried and true killers. Them and anyone with them are dangerous. They'll be killing all shinobi soon enough." Tobirama said, tone tight.
They held to their course, but didn't dare to speak of the inevitability of their current situation, or the recourse and consequences it would have afterwards.
They would have their battle not in the diplomacy, but on the front lines.
It was a showdown, and nothing could stop the collision from happening.
The Warring States Era was ending, and a turbulent Revolutionary Era was slowly taking center stage.
If shinobi became like ronin...And all moved with purpose to abandon their clans on this purpose...The purpose of founding a shinobi village...
The ones who would hunt them down, as well as the shinobi as a whole would be that amalgamation in the West...
Tobirama was sure they could win.
He would never doubt his brother's will nor his own.
Kurou and Sasuke watched the view flicker back to life. The rank and file were moving steadily, moving across the entry and down the snow covered path, clearly in pursuit of their next location.
"We have to put Konoha on the run too..." Kurou breathed, scarcely able to believe their good fortune.
Sasuke said nothing and didn't show any outward expression, thinking that it was foolish to attack Konoha at the present. It was ridiculous that they should be fighting to some extent. This was a matter of commerce, not of politics. They were fully justified in resisting the damiyo's foolish decision to impose the stringent tax on trade routes when there was no basis in law for doing so. That they had found an ally in the proud Hyuga to stand with them in this matter, to advise them on imposing a blockade and forcing a withdrawal of sanctions, was no cause for attacking Konoha if it came to that.
He hunched his shoulders and made a fuss over straightening his robes to disguise his shaking. He was distracted suddenly by a call from the mobile communications center behind him. "Sir, a message from the units up a stone's throw away." .
The view to their destination broadened as Hyuga and Sarutobi came into view. Sasuke stared out at the snow from the tree tops as if he were so far above and beyond them as to be unapproachable.
"Looks like they were met with little resistance." Genzo whispered, just out of view from Kurou.
Sasuke nodded, moving closer with quick strides.
"At last we're getting results, Sasuke-sama. There's a lot of space in this direction and it's far from Konoha." A Sarutobi shinobi explained as he gestured further in land.
Kurou's gaze was steady and direct as it took in his men's countenances. "I'm glad we've been able to work together towards this goal. I was hesitant at first because of certain things, but I am feeling more confident now."
"What had you so hesitant in the first place I have to wonder..." Sasuke said flatly, cutting him short. "Our trade boycott has ended."
Kurou fought down his shock, regained his composure, and smirked at Sasuke and Genzo. "Really...I think it's the opposite."
"I have word that the Fire damiyo already moved ahead as planned." Genzo continued, ignoring him. "I take it you know the outcome already, then."
Kurou felt a measure of uncertainty take hold. "I must wonder why they posture..As if they'd change that man's mind."
Genzo leaned forward slightly, and Kurou could see the fire in his eyes. "I have had enough of the posturing in general...I am aware that we could have some ambassadors that we have to deal with, and there's the fact we have been commanded to reach a settlement. If the Aburame or any other clans wish to join us and not Konoha...What is it to be?"
"Naturally we take advantage...Hashirama can't have all the power." Kurou said firmly.
Sasuke smirked a little while Kurou kept his expression composed.
"I know nothing about ambassadors. If there was such a thing going on would we be relocating like we are at the present..." Kurou said frankly.
There was a flicker of surprise on the Genzo's face as she studied the Hyuga carefully. "Naturally, if the location is suitable for the meeting."
"We have to push the tempo in certain regards. I agree with that."
Sasuke shook his head quickly, drawing himself up in a defensive posture. "We can't assume too much."
Kurou's eyes fixed on him-as if he could see the truth he was trying to hide, as if he were made of glass. In some ways the Hyuga could see such a thing, with the Byakugan active.
"We shall see, but if we can keep it lucrative..."
Sasuke drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly, not caring much for how this conversation made him feel.
"He's right..." Genzo said at his elbow. "If we are able to show profit and safety for the common folk that'll go in our favor..."
Sasuke lifted one hand to cut him short. "The invasion is under way."
They were silent for a moment.
"Perhaps we need to send out messages to clans...And even Konoha..." Sasuke suggested.
Kurou crossed his arms, hardening his gaze. "I don't know, but I don't want to take any chances. We must move quickly to ensure our survival and that we have a foothold in the era that comes after this...We will have our place in the Elemental Nations, Shinobi Villages, and whatever else is to come!"
Genzo sighed, shaking his head at the obstinate Hyuga. "That is something we can all agree on."