When Asami was a little girl, the thought of becoming a shinobi was something she had dreamed of. To go out and fight for her clan, represent the Uchiha, and protect her loved ones with her skills was something she longed for. It was heavily romanticized by those around her, older men and women talking about how honorable it was to fight in the name of the Uchiha.

Her father had done a good job up until his death of shielding her and Hana from the true horrors of what it meant to be a ninja. He would explain away other kids, adults, and teenagers she would usually see day to day suddenly disappearing.

They just won't be coming back, Daichi would say softly, but not elaborate any more on it. Asami and Hana never asked anything more either, since to them, it was just normal.

The veil concealing what it really meant to be a shinobi was torn to shreds the day she killed that Senju in the forest. She killed him by accident and could recognize that now as an adult. But accident or not, it didn't wipe the blood that had stained her hands at such a young age

The number of people she killed continued to increase as she grew older, kills from various missions, threats near the Uchiha borders—it all became normal to her. The act of taking someone's life became as easy as breathing.

Though sometimes, deep in the night when the compound was fast asleep, the only sound of life being the occasional hoot of an owl or the crickets, she would lay in her bedroll and stare at the wall, the ever consuming guilt catching up to her.

Tonight was one of those nights.

The Fuma were going to arrive tomorrow morning, and as soon as they got a meal in them, they were going to prepare for battle and attack the Senju camps. It was going to be a surprise attack, as currently the Senju, Sarutobi, and Shimura had no idea that they were aware of their planning. They probably suspected that the Uchiha knew of their camps, but nothing else.

What Madara said about Sarutobi Sasuke making her a known target stuck in her mind. She had no doubt that once he saw her, he would make it his mission to cut her down. At least that's what she would want if she was in his place. Hell, she had done that to the Senju who killed Hana. She had squeezed the life out of him with her bare hands.

She could still feel his fingernails digging into the tops of her hands sometimes. The blood, dirt, and grime he dragged across her skin in desperate attempts to save himself. She had won, though, gaining minimal satisfaction from his death. Knowing that she had ended the person who took Hana from her.

Even if it didn't bring her back.

Still not able to sleep, Asami sat up, looking around her room. It was quiet and dark, no other sound giving away that someone else was awake at this time. She let out a deep sigh, rubbing at the side of her face, before dragging a hand through her hair.

Getting out of her bedroll, she slid open her bedroom door to the hallway. She walked down it, passing Madara and Izuna's bedroom, careful to be quiet. She turned the corner and reached a room at the end of the hall. She slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind her softly.

A square table was pushed off to the side, a few books sitting on it as though they'd been left there for a while now. There wasn't much in the room at all, similar to the rest of the rooms in the home. What she came in here for, though, was the butsudan placed against the center of the far wall.

She walked over to it and got on her knees, hands placed on her thighs. She closed her eyes for a moment, a heavy feeling in her chest. She felt as if she was going to cry, but no tears came.

Slowly, Asami opened her eyes again, looking at the painted images placed inside.

The first was of Tajima and his siblings when they were little. There were six of them, almost all boys, save for the little girl tucked under his arm. Asami didn't know any of the people in that picture, besides her mother who was the only girl. It meant Tajima had outlived all five of his other siblings.

The second was an image of Tajima and his own children. Tajima stood beside a petite woman with long spiky hair, bangs hanging in her face. She looked a lot like Madara, actually.

Her eyes trailed to the two twin boys who posed in front of Madara and Izuna like little mini versions of their older brothers. They stood with their chins held high, Madara and Izuna with hands on their shoulders.

Kano and Wataru had been dead for eight years now.

Asami frowned.

The final picture was of her mother and her father.

Her mother was heavily, heavily pregnant. Her father had his hand on her waist, a smile on his face, eyes crinkling at the corners. Her mother was smiling too, though her display of happiness was much more dialed down compared to the man standing next to her.

She had no idea that she would die giving birth. She stood there, smiling, and unknowing. Unknowing that she would meet her death. Her father had no idea that he too, would die eight years later.

Her uncles she never met had no idea of their death. Kano and Wataru didn't know. Hana didn't know. They never knew. It was all out of their control. It was out of her control. Death came and ripped them from life without a care or hesitation. Death always took them away from her.

Asami reached for the incense, frown deepening as she did so. She held it delicately, pinching the end of the incense between her fingers with the opposite hand. She pulsed chakra in between her fingers to create heat, and after a few moments, a steady stream of smoke began to rise from the tip.

She placed it back inside the butsudan, a thin line of smoke drifting in front of the painted images.

She gripped at the fabric of her yukata against her thighs, eyes narrowed.

Tomorrow, she would make sure she was in control. Nothing was going to get past her.

The Fuma arrived early the next morning, coming through the gates of the Uchiha compound just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. Madara and Izuna had gone to greet them and they were currently eating a quick meal before they set off for the Senju camps. Asami hadn't joined them yet, standing off the deck of her bedroom alone.

Asami was dressed in her high neck black yukata, arms folded with a deep frown as she stared off in thought. Her Chokutō was fastened to her lower back, the handle just peeking around her hip, another pouch of supplies fastened to her right side. A light breeze blew through her loose black hair, stray strands dusting against her cheeks and obscuring her vision.

She could feel the tension in the air. The clan was waiting for the fight, and they knew it would be a big one. Preparations were being made for the aftermath, rooms cleared for the injured, and healers preparing for long hours of work.

The Uchiha didn't call on their allies for battle often, choosing to fight their own wars. This tendency to fight alone was usually a pride thing more than anything else, as relying on allies constantly was seen as a weakness. For the Uchiha to call on the Fuma made civilians of their clan aware of how massive this battle was going to be. It had not been released to the rest of the clan that there were Senju camps nearby either since it would probably set people in outrage for not acting sooner.

Deciding she had stalled long enough, Asami left her room and made her way into the front yard, Jin, Madara, Izuna, and Tadashi standing together.

At the sight of her, Jin nodded his head in greeting. "Asami-san. A pleasure to see you again. I was wondering where you were."

"I was preparing for the battle." She tilted her head at Tadashi, acknowledging the Fuma heir. "Tadashi-san."

He responded with the same action, spiky bangs jostling with his movement. "Asami-san."

She felt a little strange talking to him now, knowing that Tomi, the Fuma matriarch, was trying to pull strings in the background to get her to marry Tadashi. He wasn't bad-looking and he seemed alright as a person, but Asami simply was not interested. She especially wasn't interested in marrying into the Fuma clan. She liked where she was, thank you.

Internally she felt more awkward than anything, as the thought that in another lifetime where Tajima had still been alive, she might have been forced to go through with the marriage. She wasn't sure if Tadashi had an opinion on it, but it seemed that he would have been forced into it just as much as her.

Both Jin and Tadashi wore brown yukatas, lightweight silver chest plates and arm braces fastened over their clothes. Jin had two sai hanging from his waist, the blunt weapons hitting against his thigh as he turned to face Madara again. Asami looked at the two weapons in interest, but didn't say anything about it, also looking at her older cousin.

"What is the plan?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Izuna smirked, amused. "You're going to enjoy this."

Asami raised a brow at her mischievous cousin, before glancing back to Madara. The corner of Madara's mouth twitched, eyes narrowing at his younger brother for a moment, resisting the urge to chide him for the comment. Deciding it wasn't worth the time, he met Asami's gaze to explain.

"We're going to send in a team to set the camp on fire. Douse them in flames and burn it to ashes." Madara also crossed his arms, mirroring her stance. He pushed his shoulders back, all business. "That team will be you, Kousuke, and Izuna. You three produce the largest Katon besides myself, and in any other circumstance I would burn it down with you, but I'm going to be leading the platoon of Fuma and Uchiha with Jin-san."

"We're attacking without the platoon?" She asked, surprised. Going off on their own without the immediate backup was risky. Even if they were close by, attacking as a small group seemed dangerous.

"We will be right behind you," he assured. "The point is to set them into a panic. They're in the forest, meaning there's a lot of material there for the flames to consume. It'll be difficult to evade the fire, thus eliminating and injuring many of their forces. I doubt they have anyone knowledgeable in healing with them besides Hashirama, so they're going to be hurting. But we will get the message across. They are not to come this close to our borders without repercussions. Dire repercussions."

"Alright." She nodded, understanding that Madara didn't have the intention to leave her, Izuna, and Kosuke out to dry just by sending them in first. Sending them first just showed that he valued their skills the most, and trusted them to do the job right.

Madara and Jin began to walk ahead, Asami and Tadashi following after them. Izuna trailed between the groups for a second. He crossed his arms and turned to look at her over his shoulder, giving her one last comment before he joined up with Madara.

"You get to set the camps on fire, just like you wanted." Izuna gave her a knowing look, a smirk pulling at his lips. He then walked ahead, coming to stand beside Madara to join in on the conversation he was having with Jin about the battle. Asami wondered if the plan was suggested by Izuna, and by his attitude she wouldn't have been surprised.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the curious look Tadashi gave to Izuna, before he looked at Asami.

The group began walking toward the gate, various Fuma and Uchiha readjusting their weapons and speaking to one another. It was weird seeing so many non-Uchiha in their compound. She wasn't against it, but it certainly was a trip seeing so many of them in her home when she had been in theirs only a few days prior.

"While you said before you are not their sister, he certainly acts like your older brother," commented Tadashi, black eyes watching Izuna, Madara and his father talk. He turned his head, looking at her through thick lashes, a curious look still on his face.

Asami met his gaze, before also looking over at her cousins and the head of the Fuma clan. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips, a feeling of fondness overcoming her. "Well, I suppose even if we aren't brother and sister by blood, I do think of them as my older brothers. It's hard not to when they're all you have left. I live with them, eat with them, and fight alongside them. Even if we weren't blood-related at all, it would be difficult to not think of them as family."

"I see." Tadashi didn't point out how she said she was the only one left, which she appreciated. Unlike his mother, it seemed Tadashi was not one to pick at painful scabs and knew what was an appropriate topic of conversation for acquaintances.

Asami gestured to the blade strapped to his waist. "I see you're skilled in kenjutsu?"

Tadashi gave a slight shrug. "I can be. I'm more skilled as an archer than anything, but Tou-san told me that it was impractical on the battlefield for close combat, so I trained with the wakizashi."

Asami looked at him in surprise, not having expected a bow to be Tadashi's weapon of choice. She had actually thought about picking up archery but disliked the distance it put between herself and the front lines. A stark contrast to her sister. Hana was actually good with a bow. The thought made her smile for a second, thinking of when they were young. Hana would wake in the early hours of the morning, Asami finding her in the training grounds, bow held firmly in her hand and string drawn to her cheek, arrow ready to be released.

She missed Hana so much.

"My sister was good with a bow," She hummed quietly. "I never had the patience for it though. I wanted as little proximity as possible to my opponent. Not a fan of distance."

"The bow isn't the best weapon for that, then," he said, lip quirking in amusement.

She chuckled. "I suppose not."

"Asami-chan!"

Both she and Tadashi looked over, Kosuke standing beside Izuna at the front, ready to depart. The curly-haired Uchiha gave her a wave as he beckoned her over, having been the one to call her.

"That's my cue," Asami gave him a nod. "Good luck, Tadashi-san."

Tadashi blinked at her, surprised. "You as well."

Leaving the Fuma heir, she walked over to Izuna and Kousuke, both of them ready to head off. Izuna began to give instructions for their course of action.

"We will approach together and then split the moment we're by the camp. We will split into thirds to cover the camp, I will perform my Katon and you two will follow suit, understood?" Izuna looked between Asami and Kousuke, looking for any questions or confusion. When he was given none, he nodded his head. "Then let's go and burn those bastards to the ground."

Asami shared a look with Kousuke. The curly-haired Uchiha was serious, the silly personality he usually wore shedding. When he was engaging in battle it was as though he was a totally different person—someone who was a lethal presence in on the battlefield. She was glad to have him out there with her and Izuna. While he could be a pest, there was no doubt that he was a capable shinobi.

The group departed from the gate in a 'V' formation, Izuna leading them toward the camps of unknowing enemies.

They ran through the forest, trees and other vegetation rushing past her in a blur as she sped beside Kousuke. She stared ahead at the Uchiha fan on Izuna's back, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Asami was nervous about what was to come. Would Madara be right about Sasuke Sarutobi putting a target on her back? Or would he mark her as his own personal target, and she would have a man out for her in vengeance? She wasn't sure what she preferred over the other, but she had a feeling that she would be a point of focus in this fight.

Even with her nerves, she would have been lying if she said she wasn't eager to burn their camp down to a crisp. She was aware all these problems were occurring because of her, but she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty about it. They deserved this. If they hadn't attacked in the first place, then Hana would have never died. She might still be alive today. Asami might still have her sister.

It served them right. They deserved the headache they got, and maybe, just maybe, it was karma that Asami was the one to set it in motion when their actions caused her sister's death.

Even if it was some kind of karma, she wasn't a fan of being the cause of all these issues. It wasn't that she was upset about their pain, but she would have preferred if it was some other Uchiha who was putting all these things in motion and not herself. The direct involvement made her uncomfortable.

"They're just up ahead," said Izuna, drawing back her attention.

A little further, then the group concealed their chakra. They crept up on the camp of unknowing Senju, Shimura, and Sarutobi, peering at them through the cover of a collection of shrubs, careful to not make a sound. The three enemy clans were unsuspecting, some cleaning their weapons and others just speaking to one another. Some were even eating a meal.

Their interactions looked so normal she almost felt bad for a second, attacking them and burning them alive while they were having a friendly conversation with a friend or doing a mundane activity. But, she was then reminded why they were here in the first place. They had gathered to initiate a form of revenge because of an attack they initiated in the first place. The attack that killed her sister.

The guilt was gone as quick as it came.

Izuna met her eyes, and even if he hadn't said anything, she could sense that he also was looking at this attack as a form of revenge for Hana. There was something in his eyes that told her that he would make these people pay, both for Hana's sake and for Asami's. They would not come out unscathed for it.

Kousuke was even bristling beside her, his eyes narrowed in concentration as they roamed the camp.

Izuna made a one-handed rat seal, giving the signal to split up. Asami darted away from their position in the bushes to a nearby tree with the use of a shunshin, Izuna, and Kousuke flickering to their own hiding spots. She crouched, overlooking her particular spot of the camp, eyes roaming the symbols on the armor of the shinobi that walked around underneath her. She couldn't help but cock her head to the side in amusement as she recognized the clan symbol immediately.

It seems she had gotten the spot right above the Senju.

She waited for the signal from Izuna, watching a small group of Senju walk under her.

One appeared tall, wearing the standard red armor and white headband adorned with the Senju clan crest. He had long brown hair, and at first, this didn't seem strange to her. That was until she realized the man standing next to him had stark white hair and wore blue armor—something that was a quick identifier of who these two men were.

She had never met them or seen them herself before, but she had heard enough complaints and insults thrown around about Senju Tobirama's appearance to recognize him. He stood out like a sore thumb against the usual tan, brown-haired Senju. She could safely assume the one with long hair was Senju Hashirama.

Asami couldn't hear anything they were saying, but she was praying her hiding spot was good enough to evade the Senju clan leader and heir till Izuna gave the signal. She didn't even want to consider the kerfuffle that would come after if she happened to kill both Hashirama and Tobriama Senju. That was a big if, though. She wasn't sure she would be lucky enough to get the both of them in one sitting with the simple use of a Katon.

She watched them, eyes narrowed for any sign that they suspected something was up. Not being able to hear them was difficult, as they could have been discussing the fact they were surrounded for all she knew. All she could do was wait, agonizingly.

There was a sudden scream. Asami looked up, alert as she spotted a large wave of all-consuming fire spreading from across the way. Orange flames barreled through a third of the camp, setting shinobi and their tents on fire.

In the split second she had looked away, there was the sound of a kunai whirring past her head and the sudden gust of wind.

Asami gasped, unsheathing her Chokutō with fervent speed to meet the blade of a kunai that clashed against it. She was met with red narrowed eyes, Tobirama suddenly in front of her and pushing her down further into a crouch. She grit her teeth, looking at him with wide eyes as she struggled to push back against him, the awkward position of bending over backward in a crouch putting her at a disadvantage.

She wasn't strong enough to shove him off with force alone, so she would have to rely on the thing he didn't have.

Her Sharingan spun to life, Tobirama grunting in aggravation at the sight of it. Tomoe spinning, she cast a genjutsu with the intention to affect his balance and throw him off. The white-haired Senju looked away last second, evading the genjutsu. Asami huffed in irritation but used the distraction to yank away her Chokutō. Tobirama flung himself back at her sudden movement, Asami also darting away to hang off the side of a nearby tree. Her long black hair dangled to the side, the loose material of her yukata giving way to gravity.

Chokutō still in her hands, Asami quickly formed the seals for her Katon, before unleashing a large fireball in his direction. He jumped out of the way, evading her attack once again. The fireball smashed into a collection of trees, the flames beginning to consume the wood and turn into a larger fire.

Asami spun her Chokutō in her hands, deciding that if she were to rely on anything here, it would need to be her speed. She knew Tobirama was fast and had heard Izuna complain about it many times. She hadn't forced herself to improve her endurance and agility for the hell of it. She needed to remain on the offense and could not end up in a position as she had in his first attack. Pinned between Tobirama and the tree branch was not optimal.

Charging forward she bounced tree branch to tree branch, her frame appearing nothing more than a blur to the naked eye. Asami was in front of Tobirama now, similar to how he had appeared in front of her before. She swung with her single hand, bringing the blade down on him.

Tobirama slammed his kunai against her strong swing, sparks flying and the clang of metal ringing out. He pushed the blade of his kunai against her Chokutō, the other hand jumping to unsheath his katana, swinging the sword around to cut into her side. Her Sharingan caught sight of it, Asami yanking out a kunai with her free hand and meeting the katana with the knife. Both her and Tobirama were spread with one hand pushing against a different blade.

Tobirama looked at her for a moment as though he was studying her, evident confusion on his features. "Who are you?"

He was obviously confused that he hadn't fought her before or even seen her.

"The reason for this headache." Asami managed to grumble, struggling as she pushed against his blades. Her lack of physical strength was becoming an issue.

While her words were vague, a look of recognition crossed his features. It seemed he had understood what she meant, even though she hadn't explained it in depth.

Asami let go of the pressure she was applying with the kunai and her Chokutō, launching herself backward off the tree branch with a surge of chakra. She flung the kunai at him, before quickly forming the hand seals for another Katon. She breathed out a steady stream of fire, the orange flames licking at the branches in its wake to Tobriama. Instead of evading it like he had the last time, he formed his own hand seals and released a large wall of water, fighting against the wall of flames with brute force.

The thing that was miraculous to Asami, was that the water was actually overpowering the wall of fire. She felt bested! She could pride herself on her ninjutsu, and for it to be put out with ease by a wall of water... she could see why Madara and Izuna were so aggravated by this man. He was not a regular shinobi that she could cut down with ease. He was troublesome.

Asami landed on the ground this time, coming out from the clearing of trees. A cloud of dust kicked up as she slid backward, the red of her Sharingan darting around wildly as she anticipated his next attack.

There was fighting going on around her now, Fuma and Uchiha fighting the forces of Senju, Shimura, and Sarutobi. The clash of blades, screams of pain, and the calls of ninjutsu types surrounding her. Madara and Jin had shown up with their forces. She hoped her lack of Katon at the beginning didn't raise too much of a red flag to Izuna and Kousuke.

Even with all the chaos, Tobirama darted out of the clearing of the trees with the same vigor, clashing his katana against hers. The two of them moved with wild speed, the clash of their blades ringing out. A swipe up, down, left, to the side. A sidestep, another slash, another evasion. It was like some wild dance, the two jumping around one another and weaving between the other fights going on around them.

Asami was used to moving at speeds like this and had her Sharingan to help keep track of what was going on. How he was keeping up with her without an ability like the Sharingan was insane. She couldn't help being amazed about it. If it weren't for being enemies, and that he was trying to kill her, she would even want to ask how it was possible.

The 'predictive' abilities her dojutsu gave her wasn't something to scoff at, especially in a circumstance such as this one. He was moving so fast that it didn't give her the opportunity to use any ninjutsu or even throw a kunai. She was giving him the same treatment back, swinging with precision to meet his swipes and to make cuts of her own. How he was able to keep up was amazing, but also infuriating. She had good stamina, but she couldn't keep swinging and evading at this pace forever. Something was going to give.

The ground beneath her suddenly shook, the roots of a tree curling out and disrupting the earth. Asami wobbled with wide eyes, confused at what was going on.

"HASHIRAMA!"

Both her and Tobirama stopped for a moment to see what was going on, the white-haired Senju also being thrown off by the disruption in the ground. He leaned over, huffing. Asami also realized she was breathing heavily, suddenly conscious of the sweat running down the side of her face. She had been in such a focused state she hadn't realized the autopilot she had been on.

Madara swung down on Hashirama with his gunbai, it breaking the roots that had curled around Hashirama in a protective shield. Hashirama was quick to form seals, brown eyes narrowed and jaw clenched as the roots curled and jabbed in her cousin's direction in sharp points. Madara formed seals of his own, breathing out a large wall of fire and consuming the branches that had come for him.

Madara's eyes darted over Hashirama's shoulder once the flames had ceased, catching Asami's gaze. The red of his Sharingan flickered to Tobirama, a look of concern crossing his features at the sight of the white-haired Senju. There was a silent exchange of him making sure that she was fine in her fight, which she returned with a firm nod.

Tobirama was quick to notice this exchange, looking between her and Madara. He raised his katana, alert, unknowing if the two were devising a plan of attack. He was also on edge because of the obvious connection she had to Madara, even if he wasn't aware of what it was.

Hashirama also having noticed his distracted state paused for a moment, lowering his hands that were folded into the snake seal. "Eh? Madara, is something more intriguing than my presence? Maybe I'm not going hard enough!"

The brown-haired man glanced over his shoulder to follow Madara's gaze, Madara grumbling a bit in irritation at having been caught. Asami blinked at how her cousin and Hasirama were talking like they were old friends, Hashirama's calm demeanor off-putting. He was too sure of himself, and the confidence was unsettling. Hell, he felt confident enough to turn his head and look away from Madara.

She met Hashirama's gaze, his eyebrows rising in interest. He didn't look away from her, speaking to her older cousin. "Oh? Madara, who is this?"

Madara let out a gruff noise, spikey hair bristling. "Mind your business!"

Tobirama looked at his brother in irritation, hand tightening around his katana. "Stop having a friendly conversation with the enemy! Along with that, try not to destroy the ground with your mokuton! No one can get around with the roots curling everywhere!"

"Ah, Tobirama, you wound me!" Hashirma made a face as though he was wilting at his younger brother's comment, but the Senju clan leader didn't wait to return his focus to Madara, more curling branches coming after her cousin. Madara cut them down again, this time summoning his scythe and slicing at the branches.

They returned to their fight, and Asami didn't waste any time doing the same. Now that the pattern of wild clashes of their blades had been broken, she formed a one-handed rat seal with the hand holding her Chokutō, the blade surging with lighting.

It seems water won't be an attack he would want to use any longer, she mused to herself.

Tobirama seemed to understand why she had used lighting around her sword, his eyes narrowing in irritation. Asami ran forward before he could make the next move, slamming the end of her Chokutō into the ground. Spurts of lighting covered the ground in a circle of coursing electricity, the blue light creating shadows across her face as she glared up at him through her stray hairs.

The lighting consumed Tobirama, creating mild electrical burns in his skin and singeing away the ends of his sleeves and bottoms of his pants. He cried out in pain, but even through the Jutsu, he managed to bring his hand around and swing down on her with his katana.

Her eyes widened, not having expected him to be able to attack after being literally electrocuted. Most when she used this jutsu on them crumpled, but he had enough in him to attack her?

Her eyes were wide, his katana about to cut her down—she could see it with her Sharingan. She could see him slicing into her, but she couldn't get away from the blade in time to not get cut. he readied herself to be cut down, but the back of her yukata was suddenly grabbed and she was flung into the air out of the way, his katana cutting into empty space.

Asami looked around wildly, startled at how she was thrown out of the way with ease. She looked back at the ground where she had been fighting Tobirama, the wind blowing through her hair wildly.

There was the tall frame of another Uchiha standing in front of Tobirama, their hair tied back into a spikey ponytail. They were swinging their katana around wildly to meet the white-haired Senju's strikes. She breathed out in relief at the sight of Izuna fighting Tobirama, realizing he had saved her.

She landed, breathing heavily as she looked around the battlefield. She was shaken from how close she had come to being cut down by Tobirama. It was too close for comfort, her nerves practically through the roof now. She flexed her hand that wasn't holding her Chokutō, trying to get herself to calm down. Her heart pounded in her chest, thundering in her ears.

The numbers of Senju, Shimura, and Sarutobi seemed to be declining, and she wouldn't have been surprised if there was going to be a retreat soon. Bodies littered the ground, tents, and scapes of trees still burning from the Katons unleashed at the beginning of the battle. There were fires everywhere, blood and other bodily fluids streaked across the dirt and grass.

A Shimura ran for her with a battle cry, Asami snapping out of her trance and swinging her Chokutō, cutting them down with ease. He fell to the ground in a pained cry, blood spurting from the slice across their thighs. Three more men ran for her, one of them appearing to be a Sarutobi while the others were Shimura. The Sarutobi breathed a thin line of fire at her, but she jumped up out of the way before it could reach her.

Landing behind the Sarutobi, she swung her Chokutō down on him, the Sarutobi ducking out of the way. One of the Shimura tossed a kunai at her, which she deflected with a flick of her blade. The other Shimura charged at her with his kunai outstretched, but she landed a swift kick to his stomach, sending him barreling in the dirt yards away.

This was much easier than her fight with Tobirama, not having to keep up with the Senju's freakish speeds. These shinobi were much slower and moved at an average pace of a shinobi. But all these ninjas ganging up on her were very annoying. The moment she hit one there was another man after her.

She slid back, putting distance between herself and the three shinobi attacking her. She formed a single hand sign, breathing out a massive wall of fire in their direction. The three shinobi weren't fast enough to evade her attack, screaming as they were burnt alive, consumed by the wild orange flames.

Asami breathed heavily, leaning over as she regained her breath. She watched the raging fire spread along the grass, searing the other vegetation in its wake. The crisp bodies of the three shinobi laid on the ground, bodies charred and curling into themselves as though they were trying to shield themselves from the flames in a last-minute attempt to save themselves.

She had made that Katon much larger than she intended. She had been spurring off ninjutsu attacks left and right throughout the battle so far and needed to be more conscious of the chakra she was expending. Asami had a good amount of chakra reserves and stamina, but it didn't mean she could fling fireballs like crazy and not have to face the repercussions. She could already feel the lethargy creep up on her.

"Uchiha."

Asami froze, slowly looking over her shoulder at who was addressing her.

She recognized him immediately, Sasuke Sarutobi standing with a long knife held in front of his face, ready to attack. His wavy brown hair blew in the wind, square face shielded behind his arm and weapon. He glared at her over his arm, brown eyes narrowed and cold, anticipating her move.

She turned around, standing tall now. She readjusted the grip on her Chokutō, frowning at the sight of the Sarutobi clan leader. While he was alone and wasn't screaming or running at her in a wild fit of rage, it was obvious why he was here. He recognized her, so it seemed Madara was right about him being out for vengeance.

Asami didn't say anything, just standing before him. Sasuke was also unmoving, sizing her up as she stood in front of him.

Finally, he spoke again, not satisfied with her lack of a response. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"

Asami only continued to frown. "I do."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

She was taken aback by the question, Asami leaning away and blinking as she sized up the Sarutobi in front of her.

Something to say for herself? What did that even mean?

Sasuke still was not satisfied with her lack of response. He trembled in fury, tightening his grip around the knife in his hand, knuckles turning a stark white. He clenched his jaw, eyes sharpening. "I said, do you have something to say for yourself?!"

Asami was stiff, still unsure of what he was wanting from her. She was sure he was talking about the death of his brother, but what he wanted from her, she didn't know. An apology? That certainly wasn't it, and she wasn't going to give one either. His brother attacked her while she held her sister's dead body in her arms—she didn't feel any remorse. How dare his brother attack her as she held Hana in her moment of grieving?

She could, however, sympathize, as the loss of her sister left her with scars she still hadn't healed from. She knew Sasuke was hurting and wanted a form of justice for it. But Sasuke's younger brother had attacked her only moments after Hana died. Mere moments. The group had singled her out as a girl stricken by grief and chose to attack. Asami gave them the fate they deserved for doing so.

"Do you know what happened right before your brother chose to attack?" She asked suddenly, a tight feeling in her chest. She was doing her best to maintain a level head, but she couldn't help the hot anger rising through her at the idea that Sasuke's brother was innocent in all this. "Do you know, that my sister was stabbed and killed by a Senju, just seconds before your brother attacked me? Seconds. Your brother isn't innocent here. Don't pretend as though his death was unjustified. My sister died and he tried to kill me in my moment of grieving. He got what he deserved."

At her last sentence, Sasuke let out a cry of outrage and charged at her. He swiped at her with his knife, Asami meeting the blade with her Chokutō.

"My brother did not deserve to die!" He shouted in her face, overcome with rage. His calm demeanor when he first approached her was gone, face twisted in a snarl.

"And what makes you think my sister deserved to die?!" Asami cried, shoving him off with a hard push.

Sasuke stumbled back, heaving from the emotions overcoming him.

Asami was breathing just as heavily as the Sarutobi clan leader, more outraged than he was. She pointed a finger at him and took a step forward, shaking at the adrenaline coursing through her. "My sister died because you and the Senju attacked. You and the Senju attacked us. If you had just left us alone and not attacked us mindlessly, she would still be alive! You took her from me! I didn't kill your brother because I wanted to, but if it was me or him, it was HIM! I just lost one of the last things I had, and you expect me to sit there mindlessly and die too?! Do you?! You and your allies have taken everything from me!"

Sasuke stared at her, not having expected the outburst. He grit his teeth, shaking his head widely. "You're wrong! Do you think the Uchiha are victims here? They're not! They killed my father, my other siblings, cousins, my friends, you've taken everything from me too! You're not innocent!"

Asami let out a shout of aggravation, running at the Sarutobi. "I fucking know that! Neither one of us are innocent!"

She brought her Chokutō down on him, Sasuke dodging her swing. He cut at her midsection but she flicked away his attack with her blade. They swung their weapons widely at one another, both overcome with rage, grief, and adrenaline. Each trying to cut the other down first to satisfy the burning emotions fueling each wild stab or slice.

Seeing an opening after their blades met once again, Asami slammed her fist into the side of his face, the punch sending Sasuke to the ground. She raised her Chokutō, ready to plunge it into his midsection, but he grabbed at the bottom of her yukata and dragged her to the ground with him before she could.

She lost the grip on her sword as she came down, it tumbling out of reach. Sasuke flipped them over so he was straddling her. He grit his teeth and shoved the tip of the knife toward her neck, Asami grabbing at his wrists and pushing his hands away from her face. She cried out, struggling immensely against the Sarutobi who was much stronger than her.

"You're going to die for killing him! You're going to die by my hand!" Screamed Sasuke, shoving down on the knife.

Asami gasped, almost whimpering as she pushed against him with everything she could to keep the knife away from her throat. She was hysterical, shaking her head back and forth, eyes wide. "No!"

The three Tomoe of her Sharingan spun, morphing into the image of the eight-pointed star. Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm, about to look away. But it was too late, and she had caught him.

Sasuke's body slumped over, crushing her with his weight. Asami gasped, staring up at the sky. She was unmoving, and to those around her, it looked like she was dead, eyes wide and her body stiff.

Asami focused in just as she had before, suddenly in the same white scape the first time she used it.

She looked down at her hands, clean of blood and dirt. Her clothes were clean, dressed in a black yukata, white haori overtop. She lifted a strand of her hair, it free of any tangles or grime.

"Where the hell did you take me?!"

Asami looked up, meeting the gaze of Sasuke. He was frozen in place, not making a move toward her. His face was twisted into a snarl, heavy killing intent radiating from him. The side of his face was beginning to swell, a bruise forming on his cheekbone where she had punched him.

"Is this how you killed my brother? Are you going to kill me the same way you killed him? Set me on fire when I can't even move?" Sasuke looked around widely, before glancing down at his hands, obviously confused at his lack of control over his motor skills. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Kai! Kai!"

At the lack of release, Sasuke opened his eyes, meeting her red ones. "What kind of genjutsu even is this?!"

"It's not a genjutsu." Asami frowned, thinking for a moment. "And... and I'm not going to kill you."

He looked at her as though he didn't believe a word coming out of her mouth. "Shut the hell up. Why else would you put me here!"

"Killing you is only going to cause more problems." Asami sighed deeply, looking off to the side. Now that she was in this space, she could take a moment to collect her thoughts. "I put you here because it was the only way to prevent you from slicing my throat."

"Something I'm going to do once you put me back." He growled, a thick tone of animosity coating his words.

"If you don't agree to my terms, I'll kill you here anyway," Asami said sharply, her head snapping in his direction. She wasn't doing this because she was fond of this man or felt guilty about killing his brother, but if she were to kill him, she was sure the cycle of revenge would only start again.

"Your terms?!" Sasuke was flabbergasted. "You want me to make a deal with you? You're insane!"

"Maybe so." Asami continued to frown. "But if I kill you, more people are going to come for me in the name of vengeance. More people are going to band together with the intention to harm me, my loved ones, or my clan. Your brother's death is why you tried to kill me in the first place, right? I don't see how killing you would solve my problem. So, I want to let you live just to save me some trouble. Don't think this is me being merciful. I will let you live only on my terms."

"Why the hell would I trust you." He replied flatly, though his response wasn't a no.

"Because if you don't accept my terms, you'll just die. I have no issue killing you," Asami said, returning the flat tone. "It's your choice, but I'm giving you the option to live. You pick this with the chance of life, or you will meet the same fate as your brother. I can promise you that."

Sasuke clenched his jaw, paling at the thought of being burnt alive with no hope of escape. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, brown eyes boring into her. Asami didn't make any movement, regarding him with a blank look.

After a moment of silence, Sasuke let out a heavy breath.

"What are your terms?"

Asami lifted her chin, pleased that he was at least willing to listen. "First of all, you don't kill me."

Sasuke snorted at this but she continued anyway.

"You don't kill me, and you get the forces of Senju, Sarutobi, and Shimura to retreat." She finished. "After that, I want the thought of revenge for your bother to be forgotten. Deal with the Shimura yourself and fix that mess."

Sasuke stared at her, contemplating her proposal. "That's it?"

She nodded.

"Nothing else. You don't want something more from my people?" Sasuke regarded her with skepticism. "There has to be something more. Our supplies, loyalty, maybe an assassination. The death of a high-ranking enemy. You want none of those?"

Asami frowned. "I don't want anything more than to be left alone."

The two stared at each other. Asami wasn't sure he was going to accept her deal, but she hoped he would. Killing Sasuke Sarutobi would probably open an even larger can of worms than she desired. Killing his younger brother created a multitude of issues, so she couldn't even imagine what would happen if she were to end Sasuke's life too.

Finally, Sasuke slowly nodded his head. "Fine. A sibling for a sibling."

Asami recoiled, confused by his cryptic response. "What?"

"My brother is gone now, and your sister is too. I feel much more satisfied in knowing you also had your loved one ripped from you that day. I'm glad to know you've experienced pain like mine, and I hope you continue to suffer for it." Sasuke said these words evenly, but the hatred dripping from them was hard to miss. "But, I accept your deal."

Asami swallowed hard, the words from the Sarutobi clan head hitting her hard.

Sasuke would get what he wanted. The death of her sister was going to haunt her for the rest of her days and deep into the nights. She would wear the guilt and pain like a dark cloak she could never shed.

Asami gave him a bitter smile. "Don't worry. I will suffer till the day I die, and probably after, too."

Sasuke was startled by her response but vanished out of the white space before he could say anything more, returning to his body.