Disclaimer: All my love for this saga won't change the fact that I do not own Naruto.
English not being my native language, please forgive me for the eventual errors I might do, I'll do my best to avoid doing them in the first place or remove them after the fact.
Summary: A story of Hashirama Senju, the one who revolutionised the Shinobi world. AU.
Season II
Interlude: Resilience
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They were here.
And with them… Him.
He rejoiced.
He rarely did, these days, but in this rare instance… He did.
And it felt good.
He was accompanied by four other shinobis, brethren from his clan, vanguard from a large group.
All in all… Nobodies.
Flies meant to be swatted away, if he had had the power to do so…
…
But he didn't, had he?
That was a test.
A test.
One of resilience.
One of willpower.
As much for him, as it was for the figure lurking downward, with his fellow clansmen…
It was all a test.
All a test, in the grand scheme of things…
One that hadn't been easy to set up.
For the clan he had chosen as a sacrificial lamb… they were crafty.
Tough to lead on.
Defiant.
Triggering them had been a challenge in itself. If it hadn't been for their leader's love for his last son…
He chuckled.
Yes.
The last son.
The least envious position to occupy in this world.
In that position, everything has already been laid out, carved and distributed before one has the ability to do something about it… Leading to a diffuse sense of frustration, and a hunger – untameable at times - to mark one's own way in this world… to prove one self's existence.
That hunger…
Something he knew himself all too well…
Personally.
Intimately.
Passionately.
Preying on those inner feelings and turmoil from the last son had been the easiest part of this whole endeavour…
Watch his eyes alight with ambition.
Watch his eyes fade away as his life ended.
And from that point, observe every piece fall into the places he had meant for them to…
The death.
The search for the last son…
The discovery!
And… The annihilation.
This particular valley had always been known for its mysterious disappearances...
Decades-long tales of deadly mists and strange miasmas coursing through the air, engulfing the travellers and the unsuspecting… Vanishing them forever.
And how could It not?
The Kazumis would contribute to further that mystique in uncanny ways…
But, as of now, said mystique already achieved what he sought for it to do: to lure them, and through them, him, into this particular region of the world…
His head tilted.
He looked up.
He was already gone elsewhere behind them, still close enough to listen and observe.
A shadow among the shadows.
Careful…
Now wasn't the time to be found out, not now… not ever if he could help it… and most certainly…
Not this way.
He was intrigued though.
Had he always been so perceptive? He didn't used to be this sharp…
From this close, he could sense his heart, not yet stilted the way he hoped it would be…
His development had been going so well: the rumours he heard lately were wild, rumours of him striving in warfare, guiding a new generation of Uchiha fools to victory and prowess of magnitude in this forsaken world…
A prodigy.
Like many of the people he had observed for generations, true… but surpassing them in both skills and talent obnoxiously, to the point…
To the point of him wondering, what if…?
That was the reason for all these efforts, all these manipulations, all these sacrifices… all this.
A test.
A test to be sure…
A test to know, for certain, if he was observing the real deal…
On the other hand, the Hatred hadn't settled completely in his heart - not a steaming furnace but a tepid, mewling thing instead… A parrot to his clan's doctrine, a facade lacking in substance and heat…
It was pathetic.
Something needed to be done about that, he would make sure of it…
If he was the real deal.
If he was the One.
If.
The five descended further in the valley, and he rejoiced.
The test would start soon.
A good test, and he would know.
He just needed to be patient, for a little while longer…
And when had patience ever been an issue for him?
His observation continued, unwavering, indifferent to the "mist" engulfing the group below.
Just another shadow in this valley of doom.
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Season II
Chapter Nine: Invasion
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The group had departed in the quiet of the night, darting up in the air before vanishing in the canopy of the forest.
Their journey to Takumi had taken a couple of days, where they had crossed Fire Country, ignoring the omnipresent damage and miseries most regions were plunged in.
A sight Madara knew all too well, and had become somewhat indifferent to.
Somewhat.
They found the place they sought on the evening of the second day and, sitting on his own at the table of a modest tavern, the target they'd been assigned to by Tajima Uchiha.
"Kachikawa-dono?"
He was an old man, well in his twilight years, the man supposedly leading the guild of artisans and swordsmiths this village counted.
The old man looked up at him, sizing him up with the four other shinobis beside him.
"Yes?"
"My name is Madara", said the Uchiha Heir, dropping the hood on his head. "And I've come here for two things: you making a special weapon for me, and your village making weapons solely for my clan."
The man named Kachikawa looked at him shrewdly.
"...Do we have a choice in the matter, boy?"
"If you - all of you! - want to see the faces of your children tonight? You don't", stated Madara calmly.
Silence befell the room immediately after those words, air hanging heavy with anxiety and dread.
"Ha", the old man chuckled, seemingly the only one amused by this sudden development. "That line never gets old…"
"You think we're bluffing?" asked Madara menacingly.
"You think you're the first ones to threaten us?" Kachikawa retorted without missing a beat.
They stared each other down, gauging one another, until…
"You want our weapons that badly, boy? Fine, we'll provide them to you - until the next clan shows up here and spouts the same thing you just did, that is…"
"You do that, you are dead!" snarled Madara.
"Dead at your hands, dead at their hands… At the end of the day, the result is the same: we are dead anyway" said Kachikawa, eyeing his drink with genuine indifference. "So, why should we care? More importantly, why should I care?"
"Fine by me…" said Madara, his eyes turning red in an instant.
"My brother…", interrupted Izuna, ignoring the glare Madara threw at him," ... is a lot of things, but a diplomat is not one of them."
The younger Uchiha passed him, taking a chair to sit with Kachikawa.
"But… he's right. If you work for us, you can't work for our enemies at the same time - there would be no point to this agreement otherwise. Counter-productive. And worse: we would have to make an example out of you - even though we didn't come here for that. At all. See, my father, and the elders at our village, heard of your work. They admire it. And they are hard people to impress, believe me! So. Work for us Kachikawa-dono. You and your guild of artisans! You'll be richly compensated. And anyone turning against you would have to face the might of my clan… The might of the Uchihas."
Murmurs could be heard in the tavern as the name of their clans echoed with legends in the mind of the listeners… Kachikawa looked at the younger Uchiha brother smartly.
"Ha! At least one of you is educated properly…"
Madara threw a dirty look at him but elicited to keep his mouth shut.
Maybe Izuna had been right to intervene: they weren't in the Land of Fire anymore, a blunt approach might not work as well around here, especially if people seemed to be this cynical…
"But anyway", continued Kachikawa after a few seconds of silence, "if you truly want us to consider this seriously, we will need…"
"... To have a formal agreement drawn up between us", finished Hikako.
She produced a roll of sealed paper from under her cape, and presented it to the surprised man, bowing to him.
"This is the agreement prepared by our clan, and our daymio's advisors. It's been validated. As soon as you sign it, it'll take effect. And here…"
She made a sign toward the two other Uchihas present who deposited both their bags in front of Kachikawa, opening them in front of him.
"... is the compensation for your work, and our future relationship."
Madara blemished as Kachikawa chuckled properly: the bags were full of ryos, more than they had both ever seen in their lives.
"What is this Hikako?" Madara asked, seething.
"Your father - and our daimyo - making sure of the outcome of your… convincing. Sorry", she added when seeing Madara's face closing off.
The Uchiha Heir didn't answer. So much for his father trusting his ability to convince this village… Or rather, he had played him: he'd always meant to bring Takumi village into the Uchiha' sphere of influence, sending his first son was just a way for him to test if he was able to bring Takumi in without incentives.
Heh, not a diplomat indeed…, realised Madara, shaking his head. I admit, I didn't see that coming…
"Maybe… two of you are educated properly then…" Kachikawa said, looking at the bounty presented before him with real interest.
He clasped his hands.
"All right! What is it you want then, boy? What do you need?"
"I need power", Madara answered automatically. "Power that can't be broken. Power that I alone can wield. Power that can overcome anything…"
The face of Hashirama came at the front of his mind, with wild trees acting at her beck and call.
"... even the mightiest of ninjutsus", he finished sombrely. "Can you do that?"
"... Ninjutsus, huh. What you ask… it can be done, yes" said Kachikawa, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But it'll cost you, and it'll take time. The few ideas I have? They need resources - rare ones."
"We can provide you with anything," assured Madara.
"Damn straight you will! That's a weapon for you, you better be involved in its creation", growled Kachikawa. "Look at me! I'm no more an errand boy than you are a dancer… So, you better get me what I need if you want something truly special."
"I'll… take your grievances", intervened Izuna again as he saw Madara's eyes narrow and his scowl deepen.
"... Fine. Come with me to my atelier, I'll make you a list…" said Kachikawa getting up loudly. "But your brother better be the one providing what's needed, himself. I was serious about it being important in the creation process."
The two men exited the tavern, followed by the two other Uchihas as Izuna made them a sign to pick up the ryos and follow them, leaving only Madara and Hikako behind.
Madara hoped this journey would prove to be worth it in the end, as the tavern's owner and the rare patrons in it still gawked at them more or less discreetly.
His patience was already running low here.
Very low.
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Byakuren swore.
That bastard Senju had done a real number on him…
It had taken him an entire day to recover from their battle, another half to join the fray without collapsing from the strain of his jutsus.
Too long.
Too damn long…
In his absence, the Uzumakis had managed to stalemate their alliance in the city after losing control of the port and the areas directly around it - denying them progress everywhere else.
And in any other situation, with any other city in the known world…? They would have been fine with that.
Except this was Uzushio.
Control of the port was useless when it came to this island and its archipelago, for marine routes were made impassable by the whirlpools littering them.
To manage a semblance of supply line, they had had to rely on the Hoshigakis ferrying in and out resources and personnel with their summonings, throughout the deadly maze of whirlpools.
An extremely arduous and dangerous task…
And the Uzumakis knew it.
They were playing time, gambling on their ability to outlast invaders with shaky legs… and he couldn't blame them for thinking along those lines.
Byakuren had warned the alliance before this whole operation started.
All of them.
Hoshigakis, Funatos, that smug bastard of Reno and even those mysterious religious fanatics…
He had told them the success of this invasion was riding on their ability to overwhelm the Uzumakis in the first forty-eight hours.
Before they could organise their defences properly.
Before they could start to truly fight back.
Before their alliance ran through their meagre supplies in that same span of time…
He told them this, loud and clear.
They all listened.
Then, the Funatos had argued they wouldn't need to worry too much about this, since the plundering would provide all the weapons and resources they would need… and the whole lot rallied behind this line of thinking, tossing Byakuren's aside.
The stupid fuckers…
Byakuren couldn't believe they were still considered shinobi-material, not with the shit for brain leaders they had found for themselves…
And as he feared and was now discovering, he'd been right.
There had been no pillaging happening.
No treasures retrieved to bolster their morale.
No food seized to hamper their hunger.
No weapon caches collected to arm themselves.
There had been nothing of the sort, because the Uzumakis had sealed everything behind them in their retreat.
Sealed everything - and trapped those as well.
The first house detonating after some of the alliance's ninjas had entered it downtown had been disregarded as an unlucky event. After the fifth occurrence of this in the same hour, the alliance had deemed prudent to forfeit entering the houses downtown before specialists had managed to scooped through it.
Realising too little too late they had played right into the hands of the Uzumakis, who had counted on them slowing their progression to a crawl to muster their defences properly and position themselves accordingly in the city.
By the end of the second day of the invasion, the city of Uzushio had become a killing box.
"We should use our Suiton to level the playing field, dislodge those rats from their position", Byakuren spat as he landed next to a giant with white eyes and sharp teeth.
Fudotan Hoshigaki gave his subordinate a dispassionate look.
They were standing near the area where most of the detonated houses were grouped, marking a natural frontier between the alliance's forces, and the retrenched Uzumakis.
"Byakuren, I thought you were a pragmatist? We came here to seize the island, not level it altogether…"
"What do you suggest then?" asked Byakuren, frustrated.
The Hoshigakis' leader looked at him with malicious eyes, a look Byakuren had become all too familiar with.
"I suggest… we let our new 'friends' come through with their plan."
"A plan? What plan?"
"You'll see", said Fudotan, a hand on the handle of his prized blade. "You too", he added kindly as the sword vibrated with pleasure.
Samehada could feel it, just like he did: blood was coming to the streets of Uzushio.
Droves of it.
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The four figures were forming a lose circle, hidden in the leaves of a sparse patch of forest.
A change of pace from their journey to arrive here, campaigning back from the ruins of Suemori to reach Port City' surroundings… The place where they would depart with Maoru Uzumaki and fifty of their clansmen to join Uzushio.
A sailing of two days coming from this part of the Land of Fire… and assuming they didn't cross the Land of Water clans on the way.
Yet, despite the urgency of the situation, Hashirama felt optimistic.
With her brother at her side, and that group of skilled shinobis, she felt changing the fate of Uzushio was within their grasp.
A possibility that could be made real.
"So, that's us again, huh?" she prompted enthusiastically. "Aiming to turn the tides of another battle…"
"So it seems…" said Momotama with a dubious look.
"That's overkill, is what this is…" tossed Toka cheekily.
She looked intently at Tobirama who was checking behind them.
"At least, when some of us aren't distracted", she added with a grin.
"Ah, here he is", mumbled Tobirama.
Renji landed next to them in an explosive motion, giving the young Senju Heir a significant look.
"Everything is in order, Lord Tobirama. The ships are waiting for our arrival in the port, their crews are preparing them for us."
"Excellent."
Momotama perked up suddenly.
"There's a large group transiting at the edge of my perception range, many kilometres from here still… Maybe two hours. They are moving fast."
"Maoru's group?" asked Hashirama.
"I can sense him", confirmed Tobirama, senses focusing on the chakras in that group.
"Excellent", said Tôka, her hand playing with a kunai coming to a halt. "That is our cue, right? Now that they are on the way, can we go on the ships?"
"That's the plan", assured Hashirama, getting up from her hiding spot, like the others.
"... Make sure the ships are ready to sail off the moment we arrive, me and Tôka…" declared Tobirama, frowning. "We will link up with Maoru's group halfway."
"What? Why?!" exclaimed a surprised Tôka. "They are coming here, aren't they?!"
Tobirama looked at the confusion on Tôka's face, then at the astonishment of Hashirama's and their camarades'… He sighed.
"... Itama is with them."
"What?!" exclaimed Hashirama and Renji in unison.
"That's a joke, right?" growled Momotama, looking furious. "He can't be this far from the village at a time like this, let alone-"
"...let alone for a mission of this nature, I know", finished Tobirama sombrely. "Trust me, I'll get to the bottom of this, but there's no mistake, I can sense his chakra signature in the group… I have to make sure he goes the other way immediately."
"Ha... Shit, Tobirama, you really want me to baby-sit your brother while he goes the other way, as you put it, don't you…", realised Tôka painfully.
"After Hashirama and I, you are the best one to keep him safe from harm Tôka", justified the Senju teenager while his cousin groaned at his words. "I'll make sure two others from the contingent make the journey back with you."
"A unit of four huh? That's short-staffed" remarked Momotama.
"As long as they keep to themselves and stay on the move, that's a good number", countered Renji. "Speed and protection are the keys here, and a unit like that will have plenty of it."
"... Smooth-talker", Tôka joked half-heartedly. "Hey Momotama, you heard? After Hashirama and him…"
"Shut up Tôka" barked the burly Senju, prompting a bout of laughter from her.
"Make it quick, Lord Tobirama", said Renji tensely. "We don't have much time to spare."
"I will", nodded the white-haired ninja.
"In the meantime, we'll make sure the boats are ready to depart the moment you are back", assured Renji, bowing slightly.
"I'm counting on you! You too, Hashi, Momotama."
"Aye, my lord!" bowed Momotama diligently.
"We'll be ready, Tobi", agreed Hashirama.
"Well cousin, I guess I won't see you before a couple of days then, at least", said Tôka while getting up and moving toward Hashirama. "Make sure to give hell to whoever is messing with the Uzumakis!"
"I will, cousin!" smiled the Senju girl good-naturedly as the two of them saluted one another.
"And make sure to keep Momotama on his toes!" Tôka added with a devilish smile.
"Ha, get a hold of yourself, Tôka! By the time you get to Uzushio, we'll have dealt with the enemy", promised Momotama confidently.
"Whatever the reason, make sure Itama goes back to our village properly Tobi", said Hashirama, her hand resting on her brother' shoulder.
"I will, don't worry" he assured her. "See you later."
The two Senjus exploded in motion, soon disappearing from their sight in the canopy of trees above.
"See you later", repeated Hashirama softly, her eyes drifting to the sky.
"We should go back to the port, and deal with the ships now", suggested Momotama. "Two hours is gonna past very fast securing those ships."
"Agreed."
"Aye, let us go."
Above them, the sun was at its zenith.
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Mito felt it, mere moments before it occurred.
A sudden variation in the air pressure.
Nothing like what could be caused by the fightings she had assisted to all morning, accompanied by Makoto and Shingo…
The variation flickered again… before the explosion occurred.
The deflagration rocked the Coliseum, confusing everyone in it, frizzing them where they stood.
Those who hadn't be touched by it watched a lone figure, clad in violet robes, enter the Coliseum at a leisurely pace… soon followed by a wave of screaming warriors, who charged at the two shinobis who had been fighting in the middle only instants before.
The two interrupted themselves to face the wave head-on, combining their jutsus just as spectators in the closest stands jumped down to join them into the fray.
"My lady, we need to go!" Makoto said with a sudden strain in her voice, getting up immediately.
"Invasion…" snarled one of the spectators, getting up as well. "They fucking dared in the end…"
"Go! Now!" ordered another bystander while rushing behind the first one.
"Makoto, take her away!" added Shingo as he prepared to take flight as well. "You have to reach the Palatium at all costs! We'll hold them off."
"I want to fight! I can fight!" argued Mito.
But no one was listening to her.
People were already darting forward to meet against the invaders, and positioned themselves accordingly as more and more enemies poured in the arena.
The first clashes were occurring.
The first deaths too.
Several spectators shouted around them, hounding Mito and her aide away from the brewing battle.
"Put her in safety!"
"Take Mito-sama away, we'll handle them!"
"Go, go!"
Mito dashed forward, half carried, half dragged forcefully by Makoto.
All around them, the war had begun.
Jutsus of all sizes and nature were flaring throughout the Coliseum, blackening the air, shattering the stands, cratering the banks of sands where it made landfall…
Reaping the occasional unfortunate soul from their world as figures met in the air and on the ground with lethal desire.
The attack was fast and brutal, and the combatants who had been at the arena that morning were retaliating in kind, as ferocious as the invaders opposing them…
But Mito could tell that it wasn't enough.
The enemies' numbers were greater at a simple glance.
And, further away in the Coliseum, the man in scarlet robe was rampaging through many of her clansmen, disc-like weapons flying inside and outside and through them… Blood and limbs flying everywhere around him.
He was cackling like a madman.
Mito didn't understand what she was seeing.
She swore the man was hit with volley of shuriken after volley of shuriken, slashed with kunais and swords - even a lance had pierced his sides. And yet…
People kept falling before him uncannily, yelling inhumanly as he sliced them open.
So many of them…
If they couldn't neutralise him somehow, defending this place would become impossible…
And Makoto seemed to have grasped this fact much faster than anyone else, the way she was hoarding her away from him, Mito realised with a start…
The cries of dying men and the clash of metal on metal was filling the ears of the Uzumaki girl as she herself felt threatened for her survival.
How would they go through this? How would she?
Two enemies surged behind her suddenly, meaning to strike her down - but Makoto caught them mid-air with a vicious scissor kick… and now the two pairs were facing one another amidst the chaos.
The two enemies wore mismatched armours, with pieces of cloth and leather strapping some of the pieces together. And in their eyes, laid only the fires of destruction…
Their killing instinct was intoxicating, Mito noticed almost dizzying with anguish.
"Keep it simple, my lady", Makoto said, tonfas having made their ways to her hands." Remember your training. We'll make it through this battle that way, you hear?"
"Aye", acquiesced Mito, trying to keep her stress at bay.
Before she had the opportunity to ground herself, one of the fighters lunged forward, triggering years of practice in her…
('Whenfightingprotectyourvitalpointsatallcost…')
…His sword was making an arc toward her neck. Good…
('...eitherbydeflectingordodgingthestrikemeantforthem...')
…The Uzumaki princess side-stepped the strike, spinning forward in the same movement, to the warrior's surprise….
('...deflectingallowsyoutousetheenemysownmomentum…')
…Her arm had accompanied the movement, clogging him… The man stumbled backward, suddenly unable to breath…
('...topivotintoacounter-strike!')
… Mito twisted his armed hand and leant with all her weight on it as they fell to the ground.
His sword plunged easily in his guts as she watched the surprise on his face and the fear in his eyes take hold.
She felt the hot liquid on her ('...bloodbloodblood!') as she whipped around, immediately getting back on her feet, two kunais making their way in her hands automatically.
She hadn't realised she had fallen back into training mode.
It had helped - probably saved her life even.
And seeing the warrior who faced her agonising on the ground, fell by his own sword… it sent shivers of contentment down her spine.
"This… is the ancestral land of our people…! What did you think would happen to you by showing up here, huh…?" Mito roared at him spontaneously. "BEGONE."
The two kunais flew straight into the eyes of the dying man, yanking a last gurgling *oh* from him, before he stopped moving for good. Mito was confused at the depth of her own fury; she needed to keep her own killing intent in check…
"Well done, my lady", approved Makoto as she observed the two kunais now protruding from the enemy's head.
Behind her, her own enemy laid face down on the ground, in a pool of blood.
His blood.
"A story for another time…" Makoto immediately cutted when seeing her mistress open her mouth. "Come, my lady! We need to keep you safe!"
Mito followed her quietly, having one last look for the fighters in the arena… the bloodbath occurring in it.
In the end, Tobirama had been right all along.
This… invasion… had been a long time coming.
Nonetheless.
She had faith in the people of Uzushio, faith in her own father… and faith in Tobi to come for them.
Faith.
They would survive this ordeal.
They had to.
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Madara crossed his arms, his eyes roaming those of his cousin, searching for a truth he didn't know existed minutes ago...
"When did my father come to you both?" he finally asked drily.
"In the morning of our departure", said Hikako, looking contrite. "It was a fall back plan, in case things didn't pan out the way you wanted."
Ha! The very morning before he even discussed with him... Typical.
"Well, can't complain about my father's prudence… He was right, I'm no diplomat as said Izuna...", Madara sighed. "Just a reminder I'll need people like you and him around me whenever I'll be leading our clan."
"That you will '', smirked Hikako nonchanantly.
"Don't mind the old Kachikawa'' , the tavern's owner intervened. "Really. His grumpyness is legendary."
"... And who the hell are you?" asked Madara sternly.
"One of the villager's you meant to kill if the Old Man hadn't agreed to provide you with the weapons you want…" answered the man behind his counter. He was old, with greasy attire and an easy-going temperament it seemed… His eyes jumped from Hikako to Madara, full of greed. Obviously, the ryos Kachikawa had received were the cause of this, Madara thought while approaching the bar.
"So, you had a vested interest in him agreeing to it, huh?" mocked the young Uchiha. "Beyond the ryos, that is."
"... I had", admitted the man. "Uchiha-san, I'm merely an observer you know… The world swirls around me, and I try to keep up as best as I can."
Hikako's eyes stopped on the dust of this dingy tavern, and the downtrodden patrons in it, unimpressed.
"Hmm. How is your business?" she asked, turning her attention back on him.
"Haha, that bad huh? Let's say… Afloat, for the time being - which is more than I can say when we compare with the others at the village."
"How is that?"
"Haven't you heard? Not long ago, a disaster befell the Kazumi clan in the region… and they were our village's biggest client. I'm not gonna lie, but if you are taking things over from them, as long as it benefits us? I'm fine with it. Not that I dislike- "
"What… disaster?" interrupted Hikako in a tone inviting confidence.
The owner of the tavern didn't resist her bait.
"That's the mystery, kunoichi-san: no one knows. One day, it was business as usual. Kazumi ninjas coming in, coming out, gathering supplies and provisions, or selling us some resources they had… stumbled upon, you know... The next? They barely appear in public. All the regulars around here simply… gone. And all of a sudden, we hear rumors about a mist that has spawned in their valley overnight… It's been two months and they've become cagey, they rarely leave their territory now and when they do, well, that's never the usual figures anymore."
Madara exchanged a look with Hikako.
What kind of disaster could cause a clan to vanish from its territory like this? There was no war in the Land of River,s merely skirmishes between local clans… Nothing like what they were experiencing in the Land of Fire.
But this mysterious mist… It might have actually been the sign of a jutsu… Something permanent or, at least, renewed regularly... A foreign clan, maybe? One that could challenge the Kazumis for control over this village - and the Uchihas now that they had arrived here, just as Madara had told his father could happen...
The teenager gritted his teeth in frustration.
Of course his father had anticipated that. The twenty shinobis with him hadn't been meant to make a show of force to the villagers of Takumi… but to the clan who had brought down the Kazumi clan. The man had said "two months"... This meant their clan's spies had reported the shift at least for that same amount of time. His father had been planning this for quite a while, hadn't he? And the money… Their daimyo's must have funnelled it during the period he was dealing with the Fûmas...
Madara both admired and resented the intricacy of such planning.
He was a straightforward shinobi. All this scheming… That was the tool of weak men. Weaker men than him, at least… And to think his father was still deep into that kind of governance disgusted him.
When I'll be in charge, I'll do away with all of this rubish…I swear!
Power was the ultimate plan.
Power was everything in this world…
"Can you lead us to them?" asked Hikako, seemingly coming to the same conclusion as her cousin.
"And get killed? I'd rather not!" answered the tavern's owner spontaneously.
"I have means to persuade you", stated Madara coldly, his Sharingan flaring again.
The other man gulped.
"I… see."
Madara could feel the man wasn't entirely truthful with him, but he didn't mind: fear was reeking from this place and its inhabitants. And fear was a tool he could use to his advantage, regardless of other people's selfish agendas.
"Listen, the Kazumis… Well, not one soul came out of their valley", said the owner gravely. "Neither our villagers nor travellers who went there on expeditions. It's just some of the Kazumis who show up here every once in a while, and they are barely recognizable… Best I can do is point you in the right direction, but I can't risk my skin for the sake of your lot."
"Fair enough", said Madara. "Show us the right direction, then."
The man sighed, grabbed a coat and ousted the last drinkers as he went out of his tavern clumsily. Madara and Hikako followed suit, imitated by the other Uchihas outside.
"I have your list and… you won't be happy", said Izuna, who had come back from Kachikawa's atelier with his companions. "What's going on?"
"There's a mystery with the clan this village used to work with…" explained Madara as they walked. "The owner of the tavern, he'll point us in the direction we need to go to meet this Kazumi clan… but nothing else.
Something about this being dangerous."
"Ha! Don't mock him like this, brother!" smiled Izuna. "He's not a ninja like you, you can't hold him to the same standard."
"Besides, even shinobis like us can feel the fear of death at times", added Hikako. "We are just better at handling it."
"That we are!" confirmed her cousins.
They chuckled all the way until reaching a patch of road stretching through the forest.
"That's as far as I will go", said the tavern's owner, stopping abruptly. "Keep on those trails: they'll keep going up for a while. Once the ground stops going up, you'll have reached the plateau before the valley. And from then onward…"
"... all bets are off. We got it the first time", finished Madara.
"... Right. Good luck."
And without listening to their responses, the man turned tail and walked away as quickly as he could.
"We make our own luck, you fool", said Madara quietly.
He turned toward the group of shinobis in front of him.
"Izuna. Hikako. Korume. Raichi. Follow me. Bifuma, you are in charge of the others. Set up a perimeter to control the zone. Also, send a pair after our guide: they need to make sure he's not planning on selling us out to someone else..."
"Aye, Lord Madara", chorused the clansmen, bowing deeply.
"Very well. Let us go meet the Kazumis then", said Madara eagerly.
"Or whatever else finished them off", completed Hikako sombrely.
The group of five shinobis moved into the forest, soon disappearing from the sight of Bifuma and the remaining Uchihas.
.
.
.
"This is as far as you'll go."
The words had echoed mightily in the hallowed halls of the Palatium.
The two figures who'd been addressed turned toward him, one of them still holding one of the guards in his hand.
"It's fine," said the taller of the two, scrutinizing him while he snapped the neck of his hold. " We found what we were looking for anyway."
"He means you, old man!" smirked his partner when seeing Ashina's expression.
"I... see."
Ashina looked at the body of Narou Uzumaki, discarded on the ground like it was nothing.
The second son of Uzua, one of the members of the council who dealt with urban planification.
A gentle man, whose sons were giants with a gentle heart like his…
Narou had been no different, beyond his talent as a ninja surpassing those in his family… And now, he was dead, and Ashina would have to bring the news to his father and brothers himself, how he saw him die and couldn't do anything about it…
The Uzumaki leader looked at the unorthodox pair in front of him.
He could feel their chakra, a deviation from anything he had ever felt before.
Somewhat off.
Somewhat… unnatural.
Those were the monsters that had caused the Coliseum's massacre, before they could send reinforcements and mount a proper defense..
The ones who had harmed Mito, and killed so many who stood around her to protect her…
The ones who had pored through the city defenders, then the Palatium's defences, then his guards…
His blood boiled, a rare instance Ashina hadn't felt in years…
Avenging the fallen in stopping those two was his role here.
He wondered how his defences would handle them. Not that he had any doubts about his abilities to fend off their attacks but… Strange chakra meant strange abilities, at least that was the age-old lesson he'd learnt throughout the years. And you never knew how far things could go with that kind of atypical opponent.
The coming fight with those men, he felt, would be no different.
"How did you make it this far in the compound?"
"The old-fashioned way", smirked the tall one.
"He means, through the guts and tears of your people… old man!" sang the other one, cackling like a hyena.
Ashina looked behind those two, making eye contact with the silent shinobis waiting for his order to strike. A small sign, and they understood: he would handle those murdering fools himself.
He wanted to do so, so very very much, all of a sudden…
"Shinobi-san… do your worst", were his simple words.
The taller man's arms exploded in motion; Ashina watched the two discs fend the air, one in a large vertical curve, the other laterally, almost skimming the walls to reach him.
Chakram. He hadn't seen such weapons in a long time… Used to be a signature weapon from Wind Country before, some of their nomadic clan holding it in high regard…
Their speed was remarkable. And the kanjis on them… They were ritualistic in nature.
Had to be.
The weapons hit him where his neck and liver would have been if he had come to this fight unprepared.
The discs remained frozen in the air, all momentum killed by a seal activating on his skin, before vanishing away, as the assaillant surged behind him, daggers in hands. The strike meant to behead him didn't connect either, as the Uzumaki leader moved sideways from where he was standing moments before.
His palm came to rest on the enemy's shoulder, causing him to fall headfirst to the ground.
"Hohoho good grief!" guwaffed the other assailant, pointing at his comrade excitedly. "That oldie is so fast! He just messed you up good!"
Joji didn't answer, struggling as he was with trying to move even an inch - to no avail.
He swore.
"... What have you fucking done to me?"
"Please. Who do you think you are dealing with?" brushed aside Ashina. "Your rampage ends here and now. Both of you."
He clasped his hands, activating the seals he had crested in the room.
Now, it was the other shinobi who swore, as kanji ramped up from the floor to his legs, abdomen, up to his neck, immobilising him as if they were real chains.
"Fuck, I can't move too…!" he growled, trying to fight the seal uselessly.
"Don't worry: the feeling won't last", Ashina assured, going through a set of mudras.
Rat.
Ox.
Dog.
Dog.
Boar.
"Fuin: Sennen Gurushi!"
From his slammed hands on the ground erupted a river of kanjis, crackling with energy and zeroing in on the man, forming a giant seal under his feet. The moment it connected with the seal already immobilizing him, the energy latched onto him greedily, forming waves of electricity that went up through his body.
Wave after wave, his skin was peeled off, incinerated to the point of bursting pockets of air and blood. A violent odour of ozone and charred meat invaded the air as the enemy yelled like he had never yelled before…
Like he would never yell… ever again.
Joji assisted at the scene, stupefied.
Suddenly, the already blindingly white kanji flashed even more; it was as if the sun itself had invaded the chamber. The man pushed a last cry of agony as the seal under him seemingly siphoned him from reality.
A *CRACK!* blasted in the room, like thunder… and the man was gone.
Only the red hot and cooling seal on the floor remained where he used to stand, pulsing once… twice… thrice… before becoming inert, and black like a charcoal.
"Ash", simply said Ashina as he brushed with his foot the seal reduced in cinder. "Simple ash, under my sandal… That's the worth of your comrade now, shinobi-san."
The man named Joji didn't react, still under the shock of what he had witnessed.
Then, he looked back at Ashina, with eyes full of hate.
"You. Are. So fucking dead!" he snarled, still struggling with his seal. "You and your fucking people of freaks!"
"... Not from where I'm standing", smiled Ashina coldly. "Koki?"
"Yes, Lord Ashina?" came a voice from the end of the chamber.
"You and your men have until dawn to extract whatever you can from this man. You can have the room - my seal won't allow his removal from where he's standing, so I'll leave you to it… Genjutsu only. After… this, I can confirm the information we received from the Coliseum's survivors were accurate: he transfers the wounds he receives to others through his chakrams. I sealed them away, but one can never be too careful… And Koki?"
"Yes, Lord Ashina?"
"When dawn comes… I want you to activate my seal, the same way I did for his… friend. Can you do that for me?"
"Aye, my lord. We saw the technique. We can do it."
"Excellent. I have to talk to the other Yokais and after that…"
He spared a glance at the limp body of Narou.
"... I have to pay a visit to some families in the compound. Make sure Narou's and the other victim's bodies are properly taken care of."
"Aye Lord Ashina. We will."
"YOU FUCKERS THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?" shouted Joji, irate with anger. "YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP WHAT'S COMING TO YOU? OI, GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD! GET THE FUCK BACK AND FACE ME YOU COWARD! UZUMAKI SCUM!"
Ashina walked out of the room under the imprecations and insults of the man he had condemned to certain death.
Certain… and painful. Sennen Gurushi. A thousand years of pain… Quite the dramatic name, but the jutsu was efficient at sealing in the most… atrocious way, whoever it targeted.
A proper execution for the vilest of criminals…
Ashina smiled sadly, as the sound coming to his ears soon turned to cries of panic.
A small solace in this day of suffering.
A very small one.
.
.
.
Hashirama stopped.
Dread had seized her heart unexpectedly, and she didn't understand why.
"What is it?" asked Renji, noticing a shift of mood.
"Something is amiss…"
She turned in the direction of what she felt… What was she feeling exactly? She couldn't name it, that feeling was evasive. Porous. Like a… like a cloud, or something of the sort… something laying…
"The forest. The forest next to the port… Something is amiss over there", Hashirama stated tensely.
Renji turned in that direction, frowning.
"Momotama-san?"
"I don't sense anything particular in that direction", came his answer with a bored tone.
"I see…", murmured Renji. "In that case, Lady Hashirama, I will go check the forest with Momotama-san - be quick about it. The others shouldn't be too long now."
"Fine, as long as we really are quick about it", mumbled Momotama.
Hashirama looked at them both, before stepping in front of them.
"Renji, I'll be the one to go", she cutted determinedly. "Whatever is there, I might be able to identify it. You should stay here to secure the ships."
"... Alright but, lady Hashirama-"
"Momotama is a sensor, and you are not…" she piled on. "If something is coming or preparing a trap for us, he'll have a much higher chance of detecting it than you."
"... I suppose you are right, my lady. I'll keep guard of the ships. Be careful out there."
"We will", assured Hashirama. "Let's go, Momotama-san."
The two Senju shinobis moved in unison, making it to the forest in a matter of minutes.
It was all eerily quiet.
Too quiet for a place who had been crawling with wildlife only hours before…
Hashirama could feel the sensation from before stronger now… That sensation of something being amiss, even more powerful...
And sinister.
"Momotama-san?"
"Still nothing."
Hashirama turned back, a slow sense of creeping confusion gripping her.
Was she mistaken? Something was definitely going on here, she could feel it in her bones, yet, they couldn't point to anything…
Should she try to commune with natural energy? In that state, she knew her sensing prowess could even rival her brother's, surely…
A ripple derailed her train of thought.
She perked up. She swore having felt that exact sensation before… What was going on? What-
"And where do you think you are going now, lady?"
Hashirama froze.
A group of ninjas emerged from the trees around them; she hadn't felt those guys' chakra at all.
Moreover, that rippling sensation of absence… if she focused…
Her eyes searched the crowd of warriors surrounding her and Momotama, finally falling on… him.
And it clicked.
A scarlet robe.
The very same kind of robe that pair of cultists she fought months ago with Shibuya Hatake wore…
That sensation of void, of something missing, driving away natural energy… It was unmistakable.
The man hiding his face in that crowd… He was the cause of this.
No wonder she didn't feel their chakra: that simple man's presence nullified everything.
"... Who are you?", Hashirama asked, as one of the ninjas surrounding them approached further.
"Just an escort, for someone who desperately wanted to meet you", answered the man, inclining his head with sharp teeth for a smile.
He was built strongly, muscles and power exuding from his smallest moves. And that blue skin… Hashirama hadn't ever seen anyone like him before.
He reeked of danger.
"Don't interfere", came the hushed voice from the cultist under his hood.
"We won't, no worries", placated the blue-skinned ninja, still smiling. "We've got her friend here to play with anyway…"
"Tsk, this again…" barked Momotama irritably.
"Don't get full of yourself, we are playing with your other friend too…", added the enemy, a sword surging in his hand. "You thought we didn't notice your ships in the harbour?"
Shit! The ships! They couldn't afford to lose them; they were essential in reaching Uzushio!
"Momotama, listen to me!" Hashirama hissed at him. "We can't afford to lose those ships; you know what's at stake… Go help Renji immediately, protect them at all costs!"
"... Are you dumber than I imagined you were?" the young man spat at her. "You are Butsuma's firstborn, he would skin me alive if I left you alone to deal with that foreign scum…"
"But…"
"Renji is a good shinobi; he won't fall easily to them" Momotama declared with finality in his tone. "Right now, you need my help much more than he does."
He changed his stance.
"I can deal with those morons. Buy you some time while you… do your thing. Let's finish this quickly, I'm already tired of those guys."
Hashirama nodded, eyes riveted on the hooded figure who had emerged from the crowd to come in front of her.
"Ha… So this is how it begins", said the blue-skinned man in front of them, changing his stance as well, while his comrades positioned themselves around to cut off all possibilities of retreat.
"No dumbass! This is how it ends", retorted Momotama agressively, positively unimpressed.
They stared at one another, as the sun started to sink on the horizon.
Unaware of the changes in the nature around them, of how one side seemed to brim with it, while the other shrank progressively…
Unaware of the impending onslaught that would be occurring here, that day…
.
.
.
It was sudden.
A wave of heat so violent it stunned them on the spot, almost collapsing them to the ground.
"What the-?"
Madara regretted opening his mouth immediately, as burning air greedily lumped into his throat, scorching it painfully.
He could barely keep his eyes open, stinged as they were by the temperature, and his head felt like it was compressed from all sides.
The pain was maddening, rattling across his entire body.
His heart went into a frenzy, beating in his chest hard, cramping his stomach and making it even harder to breathe, the atrocious sensation adding to his suffering…
In a fleeting moment of clarity, Madara realised the valley wasn't plunged into a permanent mist, but in thick, searing hot steam.
This was the reason why no wildlife seemed to exist here…
Why the forest and its vegetation had such an uncanny aspect…
And why travellers never came back from their journeys here…
Moanings and muffled screams were assailing the young Uchiha's ears - from what little he could distinguish, the others were suffering as much as him, if not more…
Reddish marks were appearing on the back of his hand, causing him to wonder whether his skin felt like melting off, or if it was doing so for real…
A small tap on his shoulder and he managed to turn his head; it felt like the hide on his neck peeled away at the effort.
Crimson eyes ensnared him immediately.
Hikako's sharingans.
Chakra. Now.
His mind who had been dangerously drifting seemed to snap up at the signed order.
Chakra.
Chakra he could do.
Madara obeyed, harnessing his reserves to bring them up front, to the surface. The pain of the heat receded somewhat, not crushing him anymore, only to be replaced by another kind of complexity: coating his entire body with chakra proved to be an insanely prickly endeavour.
Despite all his efforts, he couldn't do it entirely, having small patches left unprotected that immediately burned him every time it occurred.
Screw this!
If it came down to it? He would need to move, and he would need to fight.
Period.
The rest… could endure what would be coming.
Madara decided to focus on his limbs, leaving small parts of his back and torso unprotected.
The pain came mercilessly; he endured it.
At this point, the pain was a familiar companion to him…
While he was wrestling with himself, Hikako had managed to pull the others from the brink as well, for all of them were grasping with the tentative chakra barrier around them, wincing and grimacing the same way Madara imagined he did too.
Nice. Work.
Thanks. What. This. ?.
They all looked at one another gravely.
They all felt it.
Beyond the heat wave, there was an incredible pressure in the air, making it difficult to even move. And a rumbling, distant yet persistent, that reverberated in the ground under their feet that kept nagging at them.
Something was causing this. Something huge.
Madara signed again.
Unknown.
Stay. ?.
Madara looked at Hikako: she looked back at him, defiantely. She was making a valiant effort to mask her fear, but the way her pupils were slightly dilated, and the labor in her breathing were more than signs of her body handling the pressure and the temperature… She was afraid. And watching the others, Madara realised they all were.
Something unknown, something beyond traditional shinobi-warfare, was causing this…
Something so primal, so fundamental, it was disrupting nature itself! And facing something like that would put the fear of kamis into anyone…
Still.
His cousin showed there she was committed to this. Her bravery was something else…
No stay. We. Go.
Izuna's eyes defied Madara too, but where Hikako had been driven by bravery and the desire to trudge forward, Izuna was instead driven by his fear. The older brother didn't hide his disappointment while answering to the little one.
Can't. We. Investigate.
Mad. We. Go. Now. !. Death. Only. Here. Can't stay.
I decide. We. Stay. !.
The scowl on the face of Izuna was not just due to the heat, all of a sudden.
Mad. Area. Danger. We. Go. We -
The scream, chilling, overwhelmed them like a deflagration, tearing away their veil of chakra instantly, rolling over them like it did the entire valley…
Madara reeled backward, pouring lungful of chakra, focusing on keeping the unbearable pressure at bay, keeping death at bay…
It took everything he had.
When the thundering that had followed the scream on the edge of his senses started to approach more and more, he realised he couldn't even move anymore…
None of them could.
They buckled under the sudden pressure and rush of pain as the steam became thick with chakra.
Wild. Potent. Inhuman.
The ground shook so much they feared it would split in half and swallow them whole any seconds.
A mass hovered over them, tearing through the steam far above the tallest of trees, and as they looked up… It looked down, shaking them to their core.
Madara's eyes briefly crossed two giant blue orbs, and he felt the mighty, dispassionate being behind them search him… dwarfing him in every way.
Power.
Pure. Power.
Unbidden.
Raw.
The Beast dipped in their minds, and their minds crawled in fear before it, trying to save themselves from the insanity they were experiencing.
WHOOO AAARE YOOOU?
Madara wanted to answer, but the weight of the words echoing in his mind almost crushed him. One way or another, they were all connected to It now, as the heat was drying away the tears of pain they had.
TEEELL MEEE.
They cowered under its words, and the strength of its mind. So cold. So powerful. And yet, it felt so impersonal, so disinterested… They were insignificant to It, specks of dust in front of a mountain.
A wave of anger hit Madara.
Just as raw. Just as mighty.
In one god's eyes lies the ultimate power, a Light to shape and unravel the Universe, guiding Nature's avatars themselves…
He would have one opportunity at this. One chance to save them all…
Failure would mean their death.
The death of his own brother, Izuna…
He couldn't let it pass.
He wouldn't.
This play… He would gamble everything on it, even his life.
For the sake of Izuna.
For all their sake.
"I am Madara Uchiha… and YOU… YOU will obey ME… Beast!"
Madara fed all his chakra to his eyes, sacrificing his gnawed chakra barrier, and snapped them open, diving into the world above…
"Sharingan!"
The Beast howled as the wheels of Madara's dojutsu activated, its will clashing with the power of his illusion.
Madara fell to the ground, numb to the pain that had overtaken everything in him as he started to burn…
His body was collapsing like the Beast struggling above their heads, but both their wills were interlocked into a fight to the death, leaving their physical selves behind.
Submit!
NOOO.
Submit!
NOOO!
SUBMIT YOU FILTHY BEAST!
N-hnnoOOO!
OBEY.
The Beast fell backward and stood still, eyes marked for all of them to see, by the power of the Sharingan.
A moment that seemed to stretch along all of eternity…
Then, in a last desperate feat of rage, the Beast rammed into them, shattering the genjutsu… before jumping high above the dissipating steam, vanishing on the other side of the sky still howling.
Izuna landed a little further away in this now devastated part of the forest, his older brother under his arm, still crippled by pain, blisters and live rashes on the skin - but alive.
"Oh brother… what did you do?" the teenager murmured softly at the burnt figure he had just saved from certain death.
And as the others landed next to them, they all wondered the same thing… What did Madara do?
"I'll tell you what he did", said Hikako hoarsely. "Your brother overcame a Bijuu… and scared it away."
"The power of the Sharingan humble us all…"
"The power of Madara", corrected Izuna severely.
And as they departed the area, a lone, shadowy figure came to agree with the younger Uchiha…
Aye.
The Power of Madara Uchiha.
For the first time in centuries, a suitable Uchiha had appeared…
One he would be able to use.
One who would be able to change everything.
The time… had come.
His time.
And hers.
.
.
.
Author's note: The season 2 finale is nigh at hand!
Thank you for taking the time to read the ninth chapter of this second season of Hashirama's journey as a shinobi!
Some unexpected opponents get in her way, threatening to delay the rescue operation for Uzushio… Who is that mysterious cultist among them?
Meanwhile, the battle on the island is raging!
How long can the Uzumakis hold the invaders at bay? All hands are on deck over there!
And Madara is put to the test, facing the power of a Tailed Beast!
(Have you guessed which one it was, dear readers?)
To what devilish end?
…We'll see how these situations unravel in the conclusion to this second season, next chapter!
Until then, dear readers!