AN: Kind of a fun, offhand thing, but I really enjoy learning about Myers-Briggs and Enneagram. Any kind of personality typing system, really. If you don't know what these things mean, definitely give them a Google. Asami is an INFJ 6w5 613, and Kousuke is an ENTP 7w8 728. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

The Fuma left the next morning, Asami, Madara, and Izuna walking them to the edge of the compound for their departure. It was a quick goodbye and thanks for supporting the Uchiha in battle. Nothing major occurred, but she had wished that the exchange had lasted longer since she knew what was going to come after.

The meeting with the Uchiha Elders.

Asami looked off to the side, not saying anything as Osamu and Ryuta, the two male Uchiha elders who sat across the table from her, prattle on about something. She sat beside Izuna, Madara at the head of the table. The room felt stuffy, Asami wishing they could open a door or something. The two annoying, middle-aged men across from her did not help the atmosphere at all.

"It's embarrassing we had to call on the Fuma for aid in the last battle." Condemned Osamu, his small, sharp black eyes narrowing in on Madara. He tipped his chin up with a huff, the arrogance wafting off of him almost smothering. "We are Uchiha, the mightiest clan in Fire Country. Why must you make us look so weak by turning to the Fuma for help?"

Asami frowned, a bored look in her eyes as she watched the exchange.

They always said stupid things like this. Both Osamu and Ryuta were seventy-five, an impressive feat for their time when most children didn't make it past twelve, and most were lucky if they got to watch their children take their first steps. Death came soon for those born into shinobi clans, and the fact Osamu and Ryuta lived that long gave them special privileges, along with their reputable performance on the battlefield.

It didn't make them any less arrogant or stupid, though.

Asami sometimes wished it was acceptable to throw something at them. They had a habit of asking the most annoying, meaningless questions that had obvious answers if they would have taken the extra second to think critically or from an outside perspective.

"The Fuma is a close ally of ours," replied Madara easily, his composure cool. "We were to fight three clans in total, including the Senju. We may be skilled, but there is no reason to make stupid, reckless choices."

"Are you saying my suggestion that we should have attacked on our own is stupid?" Osamu asked, offended.

She could tell Madara was trying his best not to sigh and pinch his nose in frustration. "No, I'm merely saying that it was better to have more bodies to handle the forces we were facing. We would have been drastically outnumbered."

"That is meaningless now," spoke up Ryuta, the man pulling his long, graying ponytail over his shoulder. "We will go after the Senju now, alone. This time we will be on the offense. The amount of times we have been on the defense lately is shameful. We are not a clan that lays in wait for someone to slaughter us."

"We were on the offense against the Senju and their allies in the latest battle." Pointed out Izuna. "We ambushed them."

"Yes, well we wouldn't have needed to ambush them at all if it weren't for them setting up camp miles from our compound, now would we?" Sneered Osamu, quick to turn his sharp gaze from Madara to Izuna. "They should have never been allowed to come that close."

Izuna glowered at the older man, but didn't say anything more.

Asami resisted the urge to close her eyes and sigh, their attitudes bringing on a major headache. She always hated these meetings.

"I told you already, we will be attacking the Senju." Replied Madara easily, though Asami could tell he was also getting annoyed with their prodding. "After our meeting has completed Asami will head out with Kousuke to the Uchiha hideout to make sure supplies are in order. It will be a point between our compound and the Senju should anyone need immediate medical attention or a resting spot."

"Very well." Replied Osamu, the man sinking back at Madara's response. His urge to prod at her cousin subsided at the beginning of a plan Madara set forth, seeming satisfied with it for the time being.

"Speaking of," began Ryuta, turning his attention to Asami. "There are a number of things we need to discuss, but it concerns Asami-san in particular."

Asami furrowed her brows at the special attention, confused. "Such as?"

"I have been told that you managed to push the Sarutobi clan leader back and force him into retreat more than once. That is not a small feat. You along with your cousins are rising to a place of power that Tajima-sama could not have even reached himself." Ryuta slid his hands inside of his sleeves, humming thoughtfully. "It would be a shame to pull you out of the battlefield for that reason, however, I am interested to see the lineage you would produce."

Asami felt her insides go cold at his words. She only continued to stare at him in mild confusion, though she had an idea where the conversation was going. "Ryuta-sama, what are you implying here?"

"No." Said Madara firmly. "Ryuta-sama—"

Ryuta held up his hand in Madara's direction, closing his eyes. Madara went silent at the action, mouth clamping shut.

"The same goes for you too, all three of you, in fact." Ryuta dropped his hand back into his lap. "There are only three of you left in the main family. Who knows, one of you may die soon enough. We had hoped for Hana-san to marry and have children within the next year, but her death only highlights how important it is for the three of you to produce offspring as soon as possible."

Asami flinched at his words, the casual discussion of her sister's death continuing to ice her core.

So cruel and callous to talk about Hana as though she was some object to marry off and produce children for their family. It made her angry, but she knew she couldn't get frustrated at things that were only hypothetical now. She needed to be concerned with herself, since she was the one who was actually in danger of being married.

"Are you suggesting you pull me off the field to just produce children?" Asami looked at the man incredulously. She had much more to offer than just that, and she thought she had proved herself time and time again. "Forgive me, but just because I am a woman, it does not mean my sole purpose is to manage a family."

"As a woman, you should be thankful you are even on the battlefield." Osamu returned, disdain evident on his face. "As a woman, you should be glad you are even sitting at the table beside your cousins and not already married."

"You have no right to tell her that she'll be married off." Madara faced the elder with a sharp gaze, doing his best to keep his emotions under control. "You have no right to yank her off the battlefield to be a housewife just because you wish it."

Ryuta faced him with a passive expression, not intimidated in the slightest. "Yes, in fact, we do. Asami-san is a woman, she should be thankful she got to play ninja alongside her elder cousins for the time being. She's sixteen now, the perfect age to begin preparations to be married off and begin producing children. Her mother was only a bit older when she married."

Asami pressed her lips into a thin line, not sure how she was to approach this. She couldn't outright disrespect the elders, and as much as she did not want to admit it, she was not in a position to comfortably defend herself. It was not wrong to claim she did not have as much control over her choices as her cousins. The only thing that kept her where she stood was her cousins coming to her defense. It made her feel a little helpless, but she knew due to her gender she didn't have much of a choice.

The obvious sexism did not go unnoticed. The elders never acted as though they valued what she had to say or what her perspective was on most things. They never acknowledged her abilities as shinobi, or even the fact she had managed to unlock her dojutsu. Not every Uchiha unlocked their Sharingan, and the fact she did so was not something to just glaze over.

The elders still didn't care, though. They only saw it as an opportunity for her to produce more children that could also unlock their Sharingan.

At first, with all her naivety, she thought maybe the treatment she received was because she was inexperienced or young, but she came to realize it was actually because she was a woman.

Even Tajima had acknowledged the fact Asami was skilled! For all that she hated about that man, he did not pretend she was weak or incapable of fighting a battle. In fact, he had been all for throwing her in the field before she was even twelve, but Madara had protested relentlessly, pushing for her to take up other missions that pulled her away from the font.

At its foundation, the elders did not think a woman should sit at a man's table, and that was all there was to it. They felt insulted by her place beside her cousins. She was frustrated at first, but she came to understand there was no way to make them see.

"Asami is an asset to our clan." Said Izuna, speaking up again.

Osamu scoffed as though Izuna was pulling things out of thin air that had no basis to it. "What can a woman offer besides children? Asami can do her duty to the clan by managing the home, and if she so pleases she could become a healer. There is plenty of women who would be willing to teach her."

Ryuta nodded his head. "Yes, she could take a leadership position there if she so wishes."

Asami thought this was her time to speak up, the prospect of becoming a healer was the last thing she wanted to do. "I am not interested."

Osamu faced her with a pointed look but did not say anything to her directly.

There was nothing wrong with healing, but Asami did not think she had the careful hand for it. Besides that, she had been training her whole life for combat, prowess in multiple areas that other men older than she had not been able to achieve. It was aggravating, because hadn't she proved herself enough? Hadn't she taken up enough missions and fought against ruthless enough opponents to earn some sort of recognition?

"Asami has done a lot for our clan." Repeated Madara, backing up his younger brother.

Izuna had gone quiet, knowing that even his words were not as valued in comparison to Madara's in the face of the elders.

"Such as?" Asked Osamu, raising a brow at him. He thought that Madara was going to have a difficult time coming up with a list on the spot, but it wasn't the case at all.

"Where shall I begin," hummed Madara, suddenly feeling as though he should humor the man. He looked over at his younger cousin, who was very uncomfortable and annoyed at the circumstance at hand. "She has taken up many, many missions over the years, that have almost all been successful. The clients we have taken on who were passed over to Asami always left saying good things, claiming they would recommend our services to others. Sometimes even paying extra."

Izuna couldn't help himself, smirking a bit. "A few have even asked for her directly when returning."

"Completing missions is nothing substantial, it only shows her competency." Said Osamu, not satisfied.

Ryuta wasn't saying anything though, looking at Asami with a sharp gaze as though he was trying to figure her out.

"I was not finished." Said Madara, giving the elder an annoyed glance. "As you mentioned before, she sent Sarutobi Sasuke into a retreat more than once, killed the Sarutobi heir, and fought against Senju Tobirama, almost mortally wounding him. Along with that, she also reformed our alliance with the Fuma, so much so they did not refuse our request to fight the Senju and their allies in battle with us."

Asami took a deep breath, a little overwhelmed at her accomplishments being thrown out as a basis for why she should keep her position on the field. She hadn't thought about it critically before but… she really had accomplished a lot for the clan.

"I don't think those are small feats." Added Madara. "To lose an asset such as that would be quite a shame, wouldn't it?"

There was a pause, no one saying anything.

Ryuta spoke up again, face pinched as he tried to reason through what Madara was saying. "This is not the way we do things. There are very few women who stand on the battlefield—"

"Frankly, I am not concerned with the way things have been done over the years if it is not to our benefit." Interrupted Madara, Ryuta looking at him with a pointed expression for having been cut off. "If it is most beneficial for Asami to remain in active duty, then it will be that way. I won't pull her off the field just because it is traditional. I will do what will benefit the clan the most, and currently, having Asami remain an active shinobi will be to our benefit."

Asami blinked, looking at her cousin in surprise. Did he really think she was that much of an asset or was he just saying those things to protect her? She honestly wasn't sure, but either way, she was thankful for it.

"It seems we have overstepped a boundary here." Ryuta looked from Asami, then to Madara and Izuna. "I understand you are more… progressive than your father was, but do not become too comfortable, Madara-sama. There is only so much change a clan as traditional as ours will be willing to take."

Madara scowled at this but didn't respond to the older man. He met Izuna's gaze, the younger brother mirroring his sour expression.

"If you will not marry now, you need to begin looking for a suitor at least." Osamu looked between the three of them again, deciding his irritability about the situation was not as important as getting it through their heads that marriage was a top priority.

He faced Madara with a pointed look. "At your age, your father was already married for a year and your mother was pregnant with you. You are twenty-two. It's impressive you have lived this long, but do not push your luck. If there are no heirs and the three of you die, we will have an issue. Let's not reach that point."

Asami grimaced.

They really had no issue talking about their deaths as though it was the weather. She found it a little insulting.

"The main focus as of now needs to be on the fight with the Senju." Said Ryuta, trying to redirect the course of the conversation. "You do understand how important an attack on the Senju is at this point, don't you?"

"Yes," acknowledged Madara, a tired expression crossing his features as he had to explain himself once again. "As I said before, we will attack the Senju, and we will hit them hard. They are probably still hurting after our ambush on their camp. Many of them were killed by the fires."

Asami wondered how many times he was going to have to say that. He told them they were attacking the Senju what, twice now? Perhaps they were too senile to keep up with the conversation. It was an amusing thought, but she would never say it out loud.

Ryuta looked smug, enjoying the thought of the Senju cowering in fear. "The reason our clan wears the Uchiwa fan is not to be forgotten. I hope they look back on that day for years to come and relent at the sight of fire."

Asami thought it was a little morbid, but she couldn't help but feel the same way. She was still mildly annoyed she didn't get the opportunity to release her own fire on her part of the camp. Tobirama proved to be a pest, spoiling her fun.

Though, she did get to send a few fireballs in his direction, not that they managed to do anything.

The two elders rose to their feet in unison, giving the three of them a respectful bow. Asami, Madara, and Izuna also got to their feet, reciprocating the action.

"We shall be leaving now. You have much to do." Ryuta looked between the three, before walking out of the room, Osamu following behind him.

Osamu stopped short before exiting the room, lingering at the door. Ryuta stood in the hall, still in view. He gave Osamu a curious look, wondering what his colleague was up to.

Osamu glanced back into the room. "Remember what I said about marriage. That is still not off the table."

Not giving any of them the chance to respond, Osamu stepped into the hall beside Ryuta and closed the door behind him.

The room was left in silence, the parting words leaving the three to stand there, a little dumbstruck. Though the tension had seemed to lift from the group as soon as they were gone. Asami felt more at ease than she had throughout the entire meeting.

It was boring, partially because there was no point in her giving her opinion on things when it came to the elders. So when she was present in these meetings, she often just sat there in silence as Izuna and Madara discussed things with them. She and her cousins talked enough when the elders weren't around for her to give her two cents then, but the elders never cared to hear what she had to say, so she didn't waste her breath.

This time had definitely been a little different, though.

"Well, shall I start picking out suitors for you, Aniki?" Izuna gave Madara an amused look, not being serious at all. He was getting a lot of fun out of this, though Madara and Asami were not as keen about what Osamu kept pushing on the trio.

Madara gave Izuna a wry look, turning his head away to glower at the ground. "Not funny. I don't care what they say, I'm not going to marry just because they're telling me to. Not to mention how casual they spoke about marrying off Hana… her death was nothing more than a missed opportunity for child soldiers."

Izuna's mischievous expression slid off his face at the dark turn of Madara's mood. "Don't let them hear you talking like that. It won't look good for you, and they already dislike you."

"It's not like they can really do anything," chimed in Asami, crossing her arms across her chest. She was also upset about how casually they talked about her death. "As long as the clan supports Madara and looks to him as a leader, then no one will listen to what they have to say. All that matters is that the Uchiha trust him and respect him, even in the face of adversity, such as the elders speaking against him."

Izuna lifted his hand to his chin, eyebrows bunching in thought. He hummed, processing her words for a moment. "I haven't thought of it like that before."

She shrugged. "I thought it was pretty obvious. Besides, the elders are supposed to advise you, not control you like a puppet…"

Asami looked away with a huff. "If anyone has any sound advice, then it's Hotaru-san, Kousuke-kuns father. He's more respectable than those prunes."

Madara snorted, though he couldn't deny there was some truth to her words. "My father always said that he valued Hotaru-san's word over anyone else's, so you aren't wrong. But I'm sure if I were to talk to him about this, his thought process would be along the same lines… though not as abrupt as yanking you out of the front lines to become a housewife, Asami."

Asami's face turned sour at the thought. "Yes, well their behavior isn't new. I'm used to it."

"Doesn't mean you have to allow them to continue the behavior, though." Pointed out Izuna, giving her a sideways glance.

Asami waved him off, not wanting to spend more time talking about it than they already had. "It's fine. As long as they don't seriously pull me off the field, I won't fight it. I used to spend too much energy getting wrapped up in it… but expecting them to change how they feel about women when they've been that way all their lives is only going to bring disappointment. Because it won't happen."

"But the outward disrespect won't be tolerated." Said Madara firmly, black gaze darting back to Asami. He wasn't going to let up with this. "They won't speak to you like that. Not only because of your standing within the clan because of your lineage, but because of the work you've done for it. You've fought in multiple battles now, and taken many, many missions over the years. The respect you should be given is not without reason."

Asami was touched by her cousins wanting to come to her rescue against the elder's foul words, but she didn't want their heads on the chopping block for it. She didn't want to become an issue, no matter how annoying their words could be.

"Of course I appreciate you speaking out against them," Asami frowned. "But you didn't have to come to my defense. You don't need to make them dislike you more than they already do just to salvage my pride."

"As I said before, you've earned respect for serving the clan with the various missions and battles you've fought in. There is no reason for them to act that way towards you just for your gender." Madara narrowed his eyes, glaring at nothing in particular. "Besides just that, I can't stand hearing them say garbage like that when speaking to you. You're someone I care for, and hearing someone say those things when you've done nothing wrong is not something I will idly sit by and let happen."

Izuna nodded his head, agreeing with everything his brother was saying. "He's right. You're part of our family and deserve the respect for that alone, but also because you're an experienced shinobi who's served our clan. You're not asking for something that isn't deserved."

Asami felt a little flustered at the attention, blinking at the two of them. She looked away, placing her hand to the side of her face as she felt her cheeks warm. "Well… thank you, I suppose."

Izuna grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side. "Besides, you're the baby of the family! It's our job to look out for you."

Asami's face fell flat. "The baby…?"

Izuna continued to smile at her, though he looked a lot more impish than before. He patted her cheek with the hand that wasn't wrapped around her, Asami blinking owlishly as he did so. "Yes! You're the baby. But don't worry, neither of us think of you any less for it."

Asami looked over at Madara for help, but the older Uchiha was only giving Izuna an amused look. "You're only saying that because you don't want to be considered the baby."

Izuna scowled at him. "Now that isn't true at all."

Asami patted Izuna's hand, his arm still wrapped around her. She gave him an innocent smile. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with Madara-nii and I."

Izuna rolled his eyes, releasing her. "You think you're funny, but you're not. I don't like it when you and Madara conspire against me."

Madara chuckled, shaking his head. Asami only continued to give him an innocent look, playing it off as though she had no idea what he was talking about.

After getting the scrolls filled with supplies they were to hand off to those at the Uchiha hideout, Asami stood at the gate of the compound, waiting for Kousuke to arrive.

At least five Uchiha were stationed at the hideout at all times, rotating every so often. It was useful since those in the hideout would survey the area and send messages back to the compound if there was any suspicious activity. It was how they found out about the Shimura and Sarutobi heading to the Senju compound.

Asami thought was useful, but she was thankful she wasn't tasked with staying there. She didn't like being away from the compound for long, and even if the hideout was still Uchiha territory, it wasn't the same as being home.

She had to give the shinobi who stayed there some props, that was for sure.

Deciding she should use the time waiting for Kousuke at least somewhat wisely, she pulled the sleeve of her black yukata up to her elbow. She weaved a few hand signs and pricked her thumb, drawing a line of blood across her forearm.

With a puff of smoke, Mayu appeared on her arm. Asami smiled at her, reaching out and stroking her chest. "Hello, how are you doing?"

Mayu made a noise of pleasure at the petting, blinking at her slowly. "I'm well, especially after our training session with your cousin yesterday."

Asami smiled, amused at the thought of the day before.

She had trained with Izuna to develop her skill with the crows, and much to Izuna's dismay, she had a few new tricks up her sleeve with the help of the birds. It was strange to call on something else to help her in battle, especially because she was used to the physical aspects of fighting and having to manage everything on her own.

Not that she minded it. Though Izuna had told her to keep the 'stupid bird techniques' to their enemies, and to refrain from using them against him.

"I'm not sure we'll be fighting against him for some time," mused Asami, tilting her head as she pictured her cousin's scowling face in her mind. She looked back to the crow, becoming serious. "Kousuke-kun and I will be traveling to the Uchiha hideout. I want you to survey the sky as we travel there and let me know if there's any suspicious activity."

"Understood." Responded Mayu, nodding soundly at the first real instruction she was given by Asami.

Asami looked over her shoulder, raising a brow at the tall, curly-haired man jogging up to her. Once he was within talking distance, she gave him an amused expression. "You know, I was wondering if I was going to be standing here till nighttime."

Kousuke gave her a look, brushing his curls from his face. "Listen, I already got yelled at by Kaa-san to make sure to bandage my shoulder before leaving, so I don't need anymore nagging. You're supposed to be on my good side, Asami-chan."

He crossed his arms, giving her an unimpressed look. "Besides, you're always early. I'm just on time."

"I'm not always early." Asami turned on her heel, walking toward the gate without sparing him another glance. Though she was pretending to be mildly annoyed, she found his reactions funny. "Doesn't matter. Let's just get going."

Mayu flapped her wings, craning her neck to look at Kousuke who was hot on her heels. "He talks a lot."

Kousuke scowled at the bird, coming to walk in pace with her. "I don't talk a lot! I'm feeling very offended…"

Asami turned to give him an innocent smile. "No idea why you would be offended, we're only stating the truth. Honestly, Kousuke-kun, you know I would never lie to you."

Kousuke crossed his arms at her innocent expression, giving her an unimpressed look of his own.

The two walked just outside the gates of the compound, Asami holding her arm away from herself. Mayu took off, flapping her wings in mid-air for a moment, looking at Asami. "All right, I'll keep watch from above."

Asami gave her an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Mayu-san."

The bird flew up into the sky, disappearing into nothing more than a small black speck, before going completely out of view due to the thick forest.

The two jumped off the ground and began running through the trees, heading in the direction of the Uchiha hideout. The two of them were bouncing tree to tree side by side, keeping an even pace with one another. The wind blew through her hair, the refreshing sensation drawing a calm sigh from her lips.

She knew that they needed to be on guard, even when they hadn't gone that far from the Uchiha compound, but she couldn't help the elated feeling running through the Land of Fire forests gave her. It was always kind of freeing.

Kousuke turned his head to look at her after a few minutes of traveling, deciding to break the silence. "So, what was with that reaction you had about that Fuma guy asking you about Sarutobi Sasuke?"

Asami's head snapped in his direction, eyes wide. Out of everything for him to start a conversation about, she never thought he would ask her about that. Though now they were in private, just the two of them, so at least Kousuke had some sort of decency to wait for the appropriate time to bring it up.

She didn't think she should tell him though. Especially with the fuss it caused when she told her cousins the truth.

"No idea what you're talking about." Lied Asami, turning her attention ahead once again.

Kousuke gave her a bored look. "Sure, that's exactly why you looked at me as though I slapped you a second ago when I first asked. Besides, you were acting weird when he asked you about it. I've known you long enough to know when something is up with you. Something else happened with Sasuke, huh?"

"No," Asami said again, not relenting. "I forced him into a retreat. He came after me again to salvage his pride after I sent him running the first time."

"You're lying."

Asami could feel herself becoming frustrated. Could he not leave it alone? "I'm not. Why would I lie about that?"

Kousuke paused for a second, and Asami thought maybe she had gotten away with her lie, and he was actually going to leave her alone now. Though when he let out a thoughtful hum, she realized he was actually trying to come up with reasons for why she would be lying.

She grimaced, displeased. "That was not an invitation for you to come up with reasons."

Kousuke gave her a mischievous look. "Hey, you asked me why you would lie. You can't ask me that then expect that I wouldn't come up with some."

For all the stupid, arrogant things Kousuke did, he wasn't as dumb as he let on. If he thought about it long enough, he probably could come up with something that was closer to the truth than she would have liked. She probably should have chosen her words more carefully, now that she thought about it.

There was another pause, and then Kousuke made another noise of thought.

"My guess is you did something you weren't supposed to, obviously. It's not like you came across some sort of information that's considered a secret, but I think you did something… you shouldn't have, that's all I can think of." Kousuke shrugged. "Or maybe you didn't do it, necessarily, but someone important did."

"Kousuke-kun," said Asami, still grimacing. "Just stop talking."

"Fine, fine. I know when to let sleeping dogs lie. But if you do decide to tell me, my lips will be sealed tight." He made a motion as though he was locking his lips with a key, his beauty mark crinkling with the skin around his eyes as he smiled at her mischievously.

"It won't happen." Reiterated Asami, ignoring the pesky look he was giving her. Though she was glad that he was willing to leave it alone for the time being at least.

They didn't say anything else, coming up on the Uchiha hideout soon after that. They landed on the forest floor, it appearing as though there was nothing around but the continued miles of trees. Asami prodded at her chakra, breaking the thick layer of genjutsu that concealed the hideout, revealing the large, layered structure built into the mountain.

"I always forget how thick that genjutsu is," Kousuke made a face, rubbing at the back of his neck as he began to walk toward the hideout.

Asami gave him an amused look, following after him. "You know, as an Uchiha, you would think you would have a lot more experience with genjutsu than you do."

Kousuke gave her a wry look, not enjoying the teasing she was doing. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses."

"Still, you even have the Sharingan for that. Yet you still manage to avoid casting any kind of genjutsu, and even struggle to dispel them sometimes…" Asami folded her hands behind her back as they came up to the entrance. She paused for a second, before turning her head, giving him a mischievous look. "If you wanted, I could cast a bunch of genjutsu and let you work through them. Could be fun."

"I will never, ever let you do that." Kousuke's face turned sour, the thought of Asami putting a bunch of illusions for him to tear down equivalent to torture. "It's bad enough when you use genjutsu against me when we spar. I won't sit through that willingly."

"If you say so," hummed Asami, turning her attention forward again. "It'll just continue to be a weak spot for you though."

Kousuke opened his mouth to say something, but quickly clamped it shut, hand coming to rest on the handle of the tanto peaking over his shoulder. His dark eyes narrowed, scanning the area for any sight of danger. "Hey, why have we not seen any of the Uchiha stationed here?"

Asami felt her stomach drop, suddenly wondering that herself. They should have been met with someone the minute they stepped through the genjutsu.

With a pull of her chakra, she called out to Mayu, the bird descending from the sky. Asami held her arm out, the crow landing on her arm with a soft flutter of her wings.

"Did you see any suspicious activity?" Asked Asami, glancing at the crow, before also taking a look around, scanning the area to see if there was something she missed when they first came into the clearing.

The fact they hadn't been approached by anyone the moment they stepped into the genjutsu was genuinely alarming. It was a good sign the genjutsu was still up, protecting the hideout from any random bandits or civilians who got too curious. But the lack of someone posed outside, or that they weren't approached by anyone after stepping through the illusion was a bad sign.

Attacks hadn't been made on the base before but… but it didn't mean that it was impossible. Asami hoped that wasn't the case, though.

Kousuke was continuing to watch the surroundings, attention focused on spotting any danger or sudden attacks while Asami spoke to Mayu. The corner of his lip twitched in displeasure and reached up to draw his tanto, holding it at his side.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Responded Mayu, looking between the two anxious Uchiha. "Is something the matter?"

"Possibly," Asami grimaced and glanced at Kousuke, who still wasn't paying attention to her. She sighed, giving Mayu a displeased look. "Please just keep an eye on the area and let me know if anything seems strange."

"I will." The crow took off again, heading back into the sky to case the area.

Asami drew her chokuto, walking ahead toward the entrance of the base. "Let's check it out and hope that someone is just being lazy."

Kousuke scoffed, heading after her. "Yeah, let's hope for that."

The two went inside, lit torches lining the stone walls. It was silent, Asami and Kousuke standing still for a moment, waiting to see if there was any noise that gave away someone's presence. At the lack thereof, they exchanged looks, Asami feeling more sullen by the second. Where was everyone?

"Let's head to the meeting room," Asami suggested, heading down the hall. She was using her memory the best she could to remember where it was located in the massive hideout.

She kept a secure grip on her chokuto, eyes peeled for any sudden movement. Kousuke walked behind her, similar to her with the white knuckle grip he had on his tanto as he watched her back.

Asami hadn't been to the hideout in a while, since she had never been the one to stay at it on guard duty. She had no other reason to come here besides to get extra supplies, but her missions were not usually in the Land of Fire or near the hideout for it to be of use. It had been over a year since she visited it, so she could only hope she was going in the right direction.

Turning down a hall, she tensed at the sight of the door leading to the meeting room. Asami glanced over her shoulder at Kousuke, who met her gaze with a frown. He tipped his head in the direction of it, urging her to keep going forward. Asami only grimaced, readjusting her grip on her chokuto as she got close enough to open it.

She could only hope that what was inside was not a terrible sight.

Making a quiet noise of displeasure, she pushed the door open, it making a squeaking noise as it slowly revealed the contents of the room.

Asami paled, eyes going wide.

Kousuke took in a sharp breath, his expression mirroring Asami's.

There was blood everywhere. It streaked the floor, graphic, red splatters on the walls. Four bodies wearing yukatas marked with the Uchiha Clan symbol laid on the ground, weapons cast aside. Their bodies were covered in blood, pools of it underneath them. Kunai and shuriken littered the floor, presumably having either missed their target or were discarded after being pulled out of their person. The wooden tables scattered throughout it were covered with more bodily fluids and discarded weapons.

Asami looked around at the room, mouth agape as she looked around for any other traps that may have been placed in the room to catch the person who stumbled upon the scene.

"We should do some investigating…" Murmured Kouske, his chest pressed against her back as he looked around at the scene.

Asami didn't move, leaning her back against his chest as she continued to scan the area, heart hammering in her chest. A feeling of panic overtook her as her eyes swept over the dead bodies of her clan members, mouth going dry.

It was beyond disturbing. Initially, she thought this would be a more relaxed mission after all the excitement she had been through lately. Instead, they stumbled upon something out of a nightmare. The person or group responsible for the act did not kill with any grace, the messy, splotches of blood and scattered bodies showed that well enough. The large image of the Uchiwa fan painted on the far wall was not devoid of blood either.

Who had broken into the Uchiha hideout and slaughtered the members stationed here? There were only four bodies visible at the entryway, too, so where was the other one? Had they made it out alive, or was there still fighting going on somewhere in the building? She hadn't noticed anything strange, or any large chakra signatures, so she doubted that was the case.

What had even happened here?

Kousuke put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small shove. Asami allowed herself to be ushered into the room, Kousuke walking past her to observe the bodies. Asami didn't move as he brushed past her, blinking owlishly at the graphic scene they had walked into.

"These four are dead." Said Kouske after walking deeper into the room. He stood in the middle of the scene, grimacing at the man he stood by, whose head had been sliced off. He looked around in disgust, appalled at the act. "Who the hell is responsible for this?"

A pained groan came from the corner of the room underneath a table, drawing Asami's attention. She nodded her head in the direction, glancing at Kousuke. "There's something over there."

She took a few steps forward, coming to stand beside Kousuke. He readjusted the grip on his tanto, sharing a look with Asami, before he walked over, going around another one of the wooden, high-rise tables. He let out a noise of surprise, his investigative walk turning into a sprint as he darted over to the source of the noise.

He dropped to his knees, pulling out a body from underneath the table. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide. "He's alive!"

Asami rushed over, coming around the table to get a look at who he had pulled out from underneath the table.

It was an Uchiha man she had never met before, his spiky, short hair matted with blood. The sleeve of his yukata was torn off, tears and splotches of blood littered all over the pale blue material. He wasn't fully conscious, mumbling something under his breath as he tried to push off Kousuke.

"Do you know him?" Asked Asami, looking at Kouske.

The man was still trying to push Kousuke's hands away, though the attempts weren't successful. Kousuke was giving him a once over, trying to see where his most serious injuries were, but it was difficult to tell with how much blood covered his clothes and face. You couldn't tell what was his blood and what was probably someone else's.

Asami took a wary look around, something just not feeling right about the situation.

Someone had come in and killed these Uchiha… for what? Just to kill them and steal their supplies? That couldn't be right. There had to be something more that she was missing… something else was wrong here, but she didn't know what. It was making her uneasy.

"He's an older brother of one of Mei's friends. I never talked to him, though." Said Kouske, face pinched into a grimace. He made a noise of exasperation as the man made another measly attempt at smacking his hands away, muttering something under his breath. "Stop trying to push me away! I'm trying to help you!"

The man said something again and repeated the same action of trying to get Kousuke off him. Kousuke's face pinched in irritation, about to snap at the injured man again for refusing help. Asami placed a hand on his shoulder, coming to bend down next to Kousuke, his mouth clamping shut as she did so.

"He's trying to say something," she said, leaning in closer.

Kosuke went silent, leaning back so Asami could hear what the barely conscious man kept repeating. She furrowed her brows, most of what she could make out sounding more like incoherent grumbles than actual words. She cast Kousuke a weary glance, not sure what to do. "I can't understand anything he's saying…"

After another minute of listening, her eyes widened in realization at what he was trying to put into words.

"Uz… um… ak… i…"

"Uzumaki?" Said Asami out loud, blinking at the new information.

Uzumaki had attacked the base? Did they travel this far to attack an Uchiha base? It didn't make any sense. The Uzumaki hardly left their sanctuary in the Land of Whirlpools, and only did so to lend a hand to the Senju. Even then, that didn't happen often.

Kousuke stared at her in shock. "Those Uzumaki bastards had something to do with this?"

Asami didn't say anything, continuing to listen to what the man was saying in case she had missed something else. What he was mumbling didn't all sound like the name of their enemy clan, but like he was trying to tell them something else too.

"Ex… expl…"

Asami let out a sharp gasp in realization, grabbing Kousuke and trying to pull him away from the man. "Get back from him! He's saying—!"

There was a loud bang, the man's body exploding before she could get her words out. Asami lost her grip on Kousuke, the powerful shockwave sending her flying into the far concrete wall, pieces of the ceiling falling in and causing the room to partially cave in.

Asami felt her back hit the wall, the wind being knocked out of her as the world went black.