It was the evening and Andrew was beginning to wake. He was surrounded by white plastered walls and hospital beds. The last thing he remembered was being slammed into the ground coughing up blood before everything went black. He tried to sit up, face twisted with worry. How is Emi, did they go after her? Did Aozora get caught in my problems? He needed to know. But his body said overwise yelling out in pain at his movement. He strained his body and muscles to sit up only to see a body of slumped blond hair against his mattress. Emi had fallen asleep next to him. Assuming she was waiting for him to wake up, worried sick about his condition. He didn't feel like he was on his deathbed but it certainly hurt. He could only think about how it was his fault that she was targeted. If he didn't go to school then she would have continued without disruption but he had to go and cause a mess. He laid a hand against her hair as she let out a satisfied mumble. Then the doors opened. A doctor entered with Granny Izuka following behind. He was in for it now. He braced himself for the verbal onslaught but it never came. Instead a warmth spread throughout his body.

"I heard about what happened from Emi and your friend. Thank you." Granny Izuka looked up, smiling but her eyes were worried with stress lines visible below her eyes. " But next time don't be so reckless." Andrew was taken aback. He knew he had a new family that enjoyed teasing him and having him in their company but he didn't understand the full extent to which they loved him, and he loved them. He smiled contently and calmed her worries. One hand on the slowly waking Emi and the other wrapped around Granny Izuka in a warm embrace. He was with family, and he couldn't be happier.

"I'm sorry to break up the reunion but I need to talk to Andrew about what will be done next." This got worried looks from granny Izuka and Emi was just happy to see Andrew now awake and spoiling her in attention.

"Don't worry it's nothing serious, we just need to have a word. Nothing you don't know about already." Granny Izuka gave a simple nod and took a reluctant Emi away only moving her with the promise of ice-cream.

As the door was shut, the doctor waited a moment before talking. "You're going to have to stay here a while. We want to check your condition. It was quite a fierce school fight you got into and coughing up blood is a sign of internal damage. So we just want to make some observations before we can clear you." The doctor spoke slowly and concisely waiting for Andrew to acknowledge each sentence before continuing. "Take some time to rest. The school is already informed of your absence. And enjoy time with your family. They were really worried for you. Especially your sister." The doctor gave a small smile before leaving Andrew alone again.

He just stared out the window swallowing everything he had just heard and sorting it in his head. He hated himself for causing such a mess. But a small part of him was happy about the care shown by Emi and Granny Izuka.

Looking out the window to the dimming sunlight outside, he was left to his thoughts, contemplating the day's events. He reconnected with Aozora. Got in a fight, won said fight, met a strange girl and got into another fight, which he then lost. He wondered how Karasu would react. Andrew could already see his sensei's reaction to his loss. More training and a lecture on his actions, starting a fight he didn't win. He wanted to see Karasu again. He hoped that this war would end soon so he could be trained under his watchful eyes again. Although it was taxing on his body and mind, he enjoyed it. Not in a masochistic kind of way but a nostalgic kind of way. He wanted to meet Karasu again, who was currently on the frontlines.

"TO THE LEFT!"

"SHIT! WE'RE SURROUNDED!"
"CALM DOWN!" A troop of hidden leaf ninja were caught in a trap between hidden stone and cloud ninja. Stuck with only one way to escape, they fought hard but their backs were against the wall. The numbers were against them and they took down twice as many as they had lost but more just seemed to come. It was endless.
"WE NEED TO GO!" Ninja's were shouting over one another trying to make sense of their predicament. They all knew what had to be done. They could easily escape now out of the one exit but it was sure to be covered by traps and enemy shinobi. They would then be swarmed from behind as well and perish. For the only chance to survive they had to leave behind a rearguard. Their once 3,500 shinobi were down to a mere 1,000. They planned to leave 200 men behind to fight. To die.

"'tch'" Karasu clicked his tongue and stepped forward.

"GO! NOW!" he yelled out and the body of troops moved leaving behind a mixture of Uchiha and common shinobi. Many ninja swallowed their worries and concerns leaving behind last words to their comrades. Karasu drew his sword, coating it in chakra. The Uchiha stepped forward unleashing a wall of fire to hold back their combatants. Karasu didn't have any unnecessary thoughts. He focused solely on the battle to come. He was one of the few Jonin still alive and led the rearguard. He would fight to stall for as much time as he could. In the hope that reinforcements might come to save them.

Hidden stone ninja broke the wall of fire with their own wall of earth and mud. The hidden cloud then charged, swords at the ready under the cover of stone bullets.

"CHARGE!" Karasu yelled out. To avoid the stone bullets they could only engage in combat. Many would die. He would make sure that the enemy suffered heavily for their transgressions though. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone fought like beasts using every ounce of strength and chakra like they wouldn't see another sun set. And many wouldn't. They knew this but still fought. This is what set apart Hidden leaf ninja to other countries. They fought to their fullest every day believing in the will of fire. They could die knowing that will would be passed onto the next generation to burn even brighter. If the price for that was their lives, they would gladly lay down their lives for it.

One, two, three, five, ten, sixteen, soon Karasu lost count of how many men he killed. They fought till sunrise from midnight. And only 50 men remained. All injured. Yet still standing, protecting the only exit. Karasu rose from his knees, exhausted and depleted of chakra. He raised his sword, challenging them once more. And the fighting resumed once again. Dissipating as ninja fell leaving behind more bodies. The will of fire grew stronger as more hidden leaf ninja lay down their lives. Soon it was Karasu's turn to lay down his life.

He was surrounded by hidden cloud ninja. He was the last man remaining protecting the exit. His legs were bloodied and struggling to stay standing. His right arm was cut and sliced, dripping blood onto his sword handle, his left lost, cut off when he was forming a hand sign. The blood had already dried and clotted but it was dripping incessantly for hours. Yet he had still fought on. His breathing was ragged and irregular. He knew many bones were broken and shattered. If he lived he would undoubtedly have to give up his ninja life. But today wasn't that day. His eyes were bleeding as his sharingan was barely hanging on. A ninja lunged at him and he just about blocked it with his worn sword. Another came from behind him and Karasu rolled away from his current duel. He coughed and wheezed, not escaping unscathed. He slumped to the ground, digging his sword into the ground and using it as a support. The enemy ninja was saying something but he couldn't make it out over the ringing and pain. But he recognised the look in their eyes, greed. They wanted his sharingan. He took out a kunai using what strength he had left, leaning his body against his sword.

"I'm sorry." He said that to no one in particular and stabbed his left eye. The hidden cloud ninja rushed to him to stop him but it was too late. He thrust the kunai into his right eye and then his vision went dark. He could feel a smile grow on his face. Swords stabbed into his chest in multiple directions but he felt that he had won. He fought till sunrise buying plenty of time for his comrades to escape. He also got one last fuck you out to his enemies by taking his own eyes. He was satisfied, fighting till he couldn't possibly fight anymore. He raised his head. He couldn't see anything but he liked the idea of seeing the sky one last time.

He was dead.