Azuna handed the small tray to Kagari. The toddler took it with a serious look on his face, doing his best to keep still and not spill the content of the bowl that was on it. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "Remember to do just like we practiced. No being mean to Izu-ojisan today. You put the tray next to him, and give him your best puppy dog eyes until he gets up and eats something. I will be right outside the door if you need anything." Kagari nodded seriously, and tilted his head to the side saying, "And then Izu-ojisan will be all better, right? He will stop being sad?"
Azuna and Setsuna exchanged a look. They didn't know how to answer him. Since Kagari had never met Aoko, they had all decided not to tell him anything about what had happened, to delay the explanation about death a bit longer. A kid his age didn't need to know that. But it also meant that Izuna's behavior for the past week was incomprehensible to him. He was confused and worried about how his uncle went from being cheerful, outspoken and friendly, to a guy who locked himself in his room all day, alone and depressed.
Setsuna crouched next to her son, and tried to explain. "Sweetheart, your ojisan is hurting right now. And it's not like the type of hurt where mom can just apply medicine and it will go away. I can't tell you when he is going to get better. All we can do right now is take care of him, make sure he eats and that he isn't too lonely, and in time he will go back to his old self. And since Kagari is a grown up, he can help us take care of Izu-ojisan too, right?" That got a heavy nod from him. Setsuna got back up, and exchanged a look with Azuna to make sure that they were going through with it. Truth be told, they felt a bit bad about dragging Kagari into this too, but they were desperate.
The fights at the border had lasted a week after Aoko's death, and Izuna had been present for every single one of them. After Azuna had made sure that he was physically okay, there was no stopping him. He never used the Mangekyo Sharingan again, but it wasn't like he needed it anyway. His fury alone was enough to take out about a quarter of the desert shinobi on his own. Reto had made the wise choice of not bringing that little girl back to battle again, but the whole puppeteer squad was gone. Izuna wouldn't relent, and kept chasing them until the very last one. It was safe to assume that the Uchiha compound wouldn't be hosting any puppet shows for the kids anytime soon.
No one had tried to reason with Izuna at that time. He was taking out his anger on their enemies, and they all knew that he needed it. But it didn't mean that they didn't worry about him. They made sure that there was at least one member of their squad with him at all times, forced him to eat, rest and take care of his wounds, and even tried to talk to him about his loss, but to no avail. He had closed himself up to the rest of the world and refused to even speak. He seemed to be in a mixture of shock and anger at all times, given the vacant, almost haunted look in his eyes.
Azuna had found herself hoping that he would just pass out from exhaustion, so that they could carry him back to the compound, where he could go through the other stages of grief safely. Madara seemed to want the same thing, although he went about it differently. He worked as hard as his brother to speed things up and he brought down about a third of the enemy on his own, while keeping Reto on his toes. The other Uchiha were angry too, and they didn't want to be left out, so they took care of the rest of their enemies.
On the battlefield, killing and being killed was expected. It was strictly business, and most shinobi knew not to take it personally. This wasn't like their fight with the Senju. Against the Land of the Wind shinobi, they were just doing a job they had been paid for. They only protected the border, and never took the initiative to attack, since the daimyo didn't pay them for such a campaign. If it came down to it, they probably wouldn't mind sharing a drink with their supposed enemies after a long day's work.
But there were also lines not to be crossed. The problem was that nobody knew what they were until they were far beyond them.
In this case, the Uchiha resented the way their clansmen had died. Seven people were dead before Azuna was able to administer the antidote to them, and another twenty four had been in agonizing pain before they were saved. A lot of puppeteers seemed to have used the same recipe this time. The horrible sights and the description of the pain they had gotten from the survivors had transformed the Uchiha's indifference into a slight resentment. And there are very few things that are deadlier than a mob of resentful Uchihas.
Between them, their two over-powered leaders, and the genius medic backing them up, an army that should have held up for a month only lasted a week. The desert shinobi were almost annihilated, and it would take them years before they could shake off the consequences of such a resounding defeat. And Reto, who was a part of the survivors, would have a hard time ahead of him, since this was all his idea and he was the one held accountable in front of the Land of the Wind daimyo.
All in all, it was clear that, on the Uchiha's side, the season's fighting was over, and they only needed to leave a regular border patrol, with three additional squads as reinforcements.
The funerals were held as soon as they had come back. As a gesture to acknowledge their relationship, Setsuna had allowed for Aoko's casket to be at the center, with the design usually reserved for the members of the main family. Her father was grateful, as he stood with Izuna at the front to give her a proper send off. He was the only person Izuna had spoken to since they came back, even if it was just breaking the news to him and offering some comforting words.
The poor man was as devastated as they had expected. His daughter was his whole life, and he had been so proud when she had followed in his footsteps and became a shinobi too. And yet now, he could only look as the center of his world was lowered to the ground. His only consolation was Izuna. The younger man had decided that from then on he was going to fill in for Aoko, and take care of her father for the rest of his life. Both of them relied on each other, trying to find a way to dull their shared pain.
They both received condolences from her friends, former teachers, teammates, and close family members, but they had refused to join the others at the wake held for the fallen at the bar. Instead, they headed to Aoko's father's house, to spend some time together. When Izuna came back home after a few hours, all his family members had been waiting for him in the living room. He only stayed long enough to ask Madara to take some measures so that Aoko's father would be taken care of. He had been planning on retiring ever since his daughter got promoted and was able to provide for both of them. Izuna planned to honor that wish, since it was Aoko's, and wanted her father to have access to the full pension they usually give for the dependents of a fallen shinobi, even if he didn't exactly qualify. He also told Azuna that from then on he would be the one paying for the treatment the old man received for his crippled arm, and that the hospital was not to bill him even if he protested. After saying this, he went to his room and refused to go out.
The adults had taken turns, trying to get him to eat or talk, or even take a bath, but they had little luck. Izuna had dragged his futon next to a wall, and just laid there back to the door, staring at the wall, almost never blinking. A week later, they were at their wits end, so they decided to let Kagari have a go at it. Surely, he wouldn't be able to refuse his cute nephew.
Azuna opened the door for him, and the toddler went into the room. The sliding door that led to the garden was closed, but the sun filtered in through the paper, so it wasn't exactly pitch black. Azuna and Setsuna left a small crack in the door, and continued to spy on them. Kagari put the tray down next to his uncle and knelt down next to him, his hand reaching for the sprawled ponytail.
Azuna cursed internally. They had just talked about it, what happened to not being mean?
But Kagari surprised her. Instead of the tugging and pulling they were expecting, he just kept passing his small hands through the dark soft looks, occasionally reaching to brush the ones hiding the visible side of Izuna's face.
After a while, Izuna's hand came to swat the intruder away, but Kagari dodged and this time he pulled hard on a lock of hair, warning his uncle to behave. A soft chuckle came from the grown man, and he flipped himself, still lying on his side with a hand underneath his head on the pillow, but facing Kagari. He started in a hoarse voice. "They are that desperate, huh? I thought that they could hold on for another week before sending you in."
The two years old didn't really understand the meaning of the sentence, but it didn't matter to him. He was on a mission, and he needed to focus on his goal, so he said while pushing the tray closer. "You have to eat this. And finish it. Okasan gets really angry if you don't finish your meal." That got him another chuckle.
Izuna's eyes flickered to the door and he made eye contact with the two women trying to spy on him. Setsuna squeaked and tried to hide while Azuna just stared at him, unimpressed and refusing to back down. The two siblings held on for a while and finally Izuna resigned himself. "You can come in, I'm not going to bite."
He sat down, taking Kagari in his lap, and started playing with his nephew's fluffy curls. Setsuna signaled that she was going to be in the kitchen, and to send her son back to her when they got to the serious talk. And so the twins just sat next to each other, while Kagari kept trying to escape his uncle's hold or shoving food in his mouth until the content of the bowl was gone. After that, he understood that he needed to leave the adults alone, and so he picked up his tray and proudly went to show his mother the results of his mission.
Once the door closed behind him, the twins looked at each other. It had been days since they had really seen each other. Azuna had stopped wearing her flashy bright red signature color out of respect for her brother's mourning period. Izuna had lost a lot of weight, his cheeks were sunken, dark circles were under his eyes and his usually rosy skin was almost grey. She reached out and cupped his face with one hand. They didn't speak because they didn't need to, their eyes said everything. His pain and despair, and her silent promise of no judgment.
That was all he needed to break down. He hadn't cried ever since that dreadful night, he had just been angry. He put on a brave face, or at least a stoic one, because he was raised like this. No matter what, he couldn't show emotion in front of the clan, he was a leader and potential heir. It had taken a lot of threatening from both Madara and Azuna to make Tajima back down, and stop him from barging into the room to express his unwanted opinions on the matter.
But now, Izuna knew that he could let go, that his sister was there to hold him, and respectfully let him express his sadness. And so he cried. The scene was oddly reminiscent of a time, years ago, when she held him like this, while his six years old self cried at his mother's loss.
When all the tears dried out, he put his head on her shoulder and both sat back against the wall staring in front of them at nothing in particular. He finally started. "I'm trying to prove them wrong. I really am."
Azuna was startled. " What are you talking about?"
He answered with a detached voice. "The Senju. And their curse of hatred. I heard everything you said that day in the cave, and I'm doing my best to prove them wrong. Even if I can literally feel my rage boiling. Even if all I can think about half of the time is picking up my weapons and barging into the Land of the Wind to annihilate all their shinobi. Even that little girl. Especially that little girl. But I don't want them to be right. I don't want them to be able to use my behavior to slander our entire clan. So I refuse to leave this room and I just sit here staring at a blank wall. I keep telling myself that she is just a kid and that she isn't responsible for her actions. I keep telling myself that Aoko was a kunoichi and that this was to be expected, that death is always with us. I find myself wishing that I could be more like you. As wise as you, or with a just a fraction of your strength and self-control. You would never be as weak as me and let your mind wander into the dark place mine is at right now. But since I can't, I stay here because, if I leave this spot, I'm not sure I can behave rationally."
Azuna didn't know how to answer him. Tears weld up in her eyes and threatened to fall at any second. She had no idea that he was thinking about such things. Izuna's childish and goofy personality often made them forget just how smart he really is, and that his spot as Madara's second in command was only due in half to nepotism. He cared a lot about everyone, the clan was always his number one priority and he could always offer a perspective that his more pragmatic siblings often forget about. Just like this moment.
Azuna really wanted to tell him that what he perceived as strength and wisdom was actually the result of years of struggling against the dark realities of this universe. She had seen the dark side of humanity, lived in it and learnt how to navigate in it alone for years. He was decades too young to come anywhere near where she was at mentally, and she would have to be long dead before he did. All these years, she had worked really hard at giving her two brothers the kind of warm and nurturing environment that she never had but longed for. She had made sure that they would always feel supported, encouraged and free to do whatever they wanted, and she would continue to do so for the rest of her life.
Her arm went around his back and she put her hand on his shoulder saying, "I'm not as strong as you seem to think. I have my bad moments too. But this is not about me or how strong I am. We are talking about you now. You don't have to isolate yourself, in fear that you might do something bad. You have to understand that you have us around you, and we will stop you if we sense that your actions are going too far. Leave that to us, and don't worry too much. Allow yourself to grieve like you really want to. And don't worry about the fucking Senju. It's been years now and I've personally checked, Hashirama has kept his word and nipped that stupid rumor in the bud. No one will judge you for reacting like every other man at the loss of the one you love. And if they do, they better be ready for an angry mob of Uchihas coming at them. And Hyugas too. Jinshi has been asking about you, he's really worried."
Izuna hummed at that. "I should really write to him. It has been a while since we hang out." He stopped for a second, seeming to remember something and then asked. "By the way, did you have time to read up on that Mangekyo thingy that I did that night. I heard you saying something about it back at the border, but I wasn't exactly paying attention."
Azuna felt a bit of relief. Izuna asking about jutsu again meant that he was opening up. He wasn't the type to elaborate about every feeling he had, and neither was she, so he preferred to change the subject to something that interested them both to show that he got her message.
With a small smile that he couldn't see she started. "Actually yes. I dug up the old scrolls that Elder Genryu had given me and studied them extensively. Most of them are copies of scrolls written centuries ago by some guy named Indra. He was like the founder of our clan or something and the only person besides you to unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan. He wrote everything he knew about it, so that his descendants could use it if they were ever strong enough to unlock it. Pretty smart move, if I have anything to say about it. But the guy was a bit crazy too. He kept going on and on about some really philosophical shit, like control of the world and human nature. And his point of view was always interesting, to say the least. It was like stepping into the mind of an evil genius. I wonder how he himself couldn't see how much of a lunatic he came across while writing them."
Izuna chuckled. "Sounds like a guy who would enjoy having a chat with Nii-san. Then they can both bore each other with their existential musings."
Azuna laughed too. "No, I don't think so. Madara-nii, maybe a bit of a philosopher in his free time, but he is nowhere near as pessimistic or power hungry as this guy. I'm pretty much sure that at one point he talked about murdering people who are close to you to become stronger or something. My point is that, even if the parts where he wrote about the Sharingan seems to be true, we should take everything slowly and not base ourselves on what he said too much. Who knows where the line that separates reality from his delusions is."
She felt Izuna shake his head on her shoulder as he said. "I know, I know. Never take anything at face value. Always doubt other people's claims, and take them apart piece by piece to examine them. Always start from the facts you are sure about, and base yourself on experiments and logic to build conclusions. And last but not least, always make sure to factor in the emotions, motivations and frame of mind into your conclusions, both yours and the other person's. You have been teaching us this ever since we were little. Trust me even the little kids in the clan know these precepts by heart as soon as they start going to school."
That made them both smile. As a scientist, Azuna used critical thinking in all aspects of her life and preached to anyone willing to listen. And her first victims were her family and the kids in the school, because she was the one that made the teaching program that was still going strong, even after all these years and the many changes.
She continued. "However, as I said, what he wrote about the Mangekyo was pretty interesting. First of all, the skeleton that you summoned is called the Susanoo. It's basically a humanoid form made of chakra that can be used both for attack and defense. And you only used the first form. With a bit of training, you should be able to use the two more evolved forms. One that looks like a human, and the other is fully armored. And that's not everything. The Mangekyo is supposed to be the mirror of a person's deepest desires so each one of your eyes is supposed to have some sort of ability tailor made for you. But I don't know how to find out what it is. And finally, you, my dear, have now the ability to read that big stone in the shrine."
She knew what type of expression Izuna had on, without having to look at it, as he said, "Lucky me. I bet everyone is waiting with baited breath for me to get down there and finally tell them what the hell it is saying."
That got Azuna's attention. She moved so that she could face him, with a serious look and said, "Actually, no. No one knows that you can read the content of the stone besides Elder Genryu, Madara-nii and me."
Izuna was surprised. He raised an eyebrow urging her to continue, so she did. "A lot of people were present when you used the Mangekyo, so we couldn't hide that fact, but I didn't share the details of the scrolls. The three of us decided to keep it a secret so that people won't get the wrong idea and start plotting."
That was all she needed to say before Izuna understood her meaning. He frowned and said, "What did Tajima do this time?"
Azuna noted once again the extent of the deterioration of the relationship between father and children. She had never cared about Tajima as a father, and ever since the river incident his relationship with Madara only kept deteriorating, but neither had wanted to influence Izuna. For years he had still admired his father all the same and was pretty close to him, but the more he grew up and became independent, the more he also grew to dislike the man.
The clan was changing, and most of the people were onboard with the changes because they saw how they were beneficial to them. The major part of the clan was supporting Madara in his quest for peace and talks about letting old grudges go were becoming more and more public.
But there was a small faction that violently fought against this, and they were led by Tajima. They refused to back down from the senseless fighting and argued that the new generations was full of cowards who refused to appease their dead ancestors. They only saw the money brought in by the Uchiha factories as a way to finance more campaigns against the Senju. Their only goal in life was to keep the war going because peace couldn't be achieved, unless all their enemies bit the dust.
Against them stood the faction supporting Madara. They were satisfied with the more civilian leaning changes in the clan, and were hoping more and more for a life outside of war. The youngsters still leaned a lot towards becoming shinobi, but their goals were no longer limited to beating the Senju. They wanted to be strong so that they could protect what their clan has achieved so far, to protect their families and their friends.
Needless to say that these two visions of the world weren't compatible and that a lot of fighting ensued.
Logically, Madara's majority should have won a long time ago, but Tajima's group was composed of senior shinobi who had a lot of power within the clan, so they were still holding on, especially when Tajima was still the clan head, and he still had some powers. His children wanted to save him some face, and wanted to avoid kicking him to the curb in broad daylight, so he milked the situation as much as he could. He still made a show of ordering attacks every now and then, and accepted missions that would pit them against the Senju, knowing fully well that Madara wouldn't be okay with it.
On the other hand, Madara had all the other powers. He could decide the when, where and who, so only his trusted subordinates handled the Senju these days, and with the help of a tacit understanding with Hashirama and Tobirama on the other side, the fights were no longer as deadly and sometimes were just for show. He also took control of the finances, and he was the one who set the seasonal budgets, effectively forcing Tajima to pick and choose his fights wisely.
The father and son fought a lot, both in public and at home, so the other siblings had to join in too. At first it was just Azuna, because her no nonsense personality got irritated every time Tajima opened his mouth. Slowly, Izuna too started seeing the absurdity of the situation and could no longer hold his tongue when the fights started. To them, he had become just a stranger they were forced to share a house with, because clan politics dictated that they couldn't just move out, they still had to be role models.
Only Kagari and Setsuna still tolerated the old man, one because he was still blissfully unaware of the tensions, and the other because she was still trying to be a good daughter-in-law, for some reason.
Azuna sighed dejectedly and said, "He was ecstatic about the news, like the asshole he always is. He organized a big meeting, not even a day after the funerals. The elders, Madara-nii and me, the heads of every committee or office the clan has, even the widows association, were in attendance. At first he tried to advocate for more strikes against the Senju, claiming that you now have the mystical power that our ancestors have been waiting for, to get rid of our enemies. Of course we shot that down pretty quickly. No one was on board except for the elder that still supports him, his second in command and two other senior shinobi. But then he got to the real point of the meeting. He claimed that since you are the only one with the Mangekyo, you are stronger than Madara and therefore, according to clan laws, his rightful heir."
Izuna's eyes were shining with anger by this point. He exclaimed, "Like I would ever allow something like this! How dare he! Maybe I should go quell my anger on him, that way everyone is winning. "
Azuna laughed lightly. " Calm down, there is no need to commit patricide. Yet. As soon as he had finished talking, more than half of the thirty or so people present in the room started laughing at him. The others were giving him either incredulous or disappointed looks. His attempt at getting back the power from Madara back fired on him, and discredited him greatly. Now even the officials who still respected him, and wanted to follow tradition and let him be clan head until he dies, can see that he is disconnected from the realities of the clan, and that he is no longer fit to lead us.
When I had my weekly dinner with elder Genryu a couple of days ago, he even told me that the elders are considering forcing him into retirement. They had had enough of this charade, and they no longer can stand the fact that a mere figurehead is at the highest position of the clan. Now we just need to wait until he brings this up once again at the monthly assembly tonight, like he threatened to do. When the whole clan can witness his absurdity, I'm sure that no one will oppose Madara-nii officially taking his rightful place."
Izuna smiled pensively. "At least something good came out of this. With Nii-san finally as clan head, all our efforts will pay off. I heard that Senju Hashirama has been gaining influence in his clan, and that unlike ours, his father actually takes pride in him and his work. Maybe we can finally sign a peace treaty and go our separate ways. Wherever she is, I'm sure that Aoko will be happy that she is the reason that peace is so close. Even indirectly like this."
Azuna cupped his cheek with her hands. "Yes, I'm sure she will."
Suddenly, Izuna's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I am coming to the assembly tonight too. I want to see Tajima crash and burn with my own eyes. Maybe I can pile up too, and force him to step down this very day." The twins then continued to smirk at each other.
Azuna was relieved. He now wanted to go out, and was slowly finding back his way. Slowly, her brother's wounds will start to heal, and even if no one knew how ugly the scars will be, she would be there to help him heal them too.
And the Mangekyo powers could wait. They had a lifetime ahead of them to figure out how they worked and what their side effects were.
When night fell down, the twins made their way to the shrine. Setsuna was staying back with Kagari. The two were excitedly cooking a big dinner for the whole family, now that Izuna was back.
Some early birds were already in front of the shrine, but nobody besides them would be allowed in the shrine for another half hour. They exchanged a few greetings before making their way in, where Madara was waiting for them. Without a word, he engulfed Izuna in a big hug that was returned after a moment's surprise. Madara wasn't a fan of physical contact, and the fact that he initiated it signified how much he had been worried about his little brother.
When they separated, the three siblings sat down in their usual place and Madara filled them on the happenings of the day. It was the same old boring stuff and after he was finished, they could no longer ignore the elephant in the room. They were all dying to know what the hell was on that stone.
They got on the stage and stood in front of the stone. They made sure that their backs were facing the entrance, so that no one would be able to see what they were doing, especially when Izuna successfully activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. For the most part everybody just believed that this stone was a relic from an ancient time that couldn't be deciphered. They kept as a decoration in the shrine as a symbol of how ancient and noble the clan was. The siblings and elder Genryu had decided to keep it that way, until they made sure that the content of the stone wouldn't disturb the delicate peace they were working on.
They waited with baited breath as Izuna's eyes scanned the stone on the small stage. He finally said. "This is weird. I can only read parts of it. I can safely say that this is even better than the seals the Uzumaki had. It's like each character was engraved using a different amount of chakra, so the text has multiple layers. I can clearly see the first one, and sense about two others, but the information is clearly incomplete."
Azuna was now growing more impatient, so she pressed for more. "Well, at least can you tell us what you understand from it?"
Just as she finished speaking, Izuna's eyes widened and he swore. "Well shit! That can't be true." He pointed at the last lines of the stone and started explaining. "The first part is kind of like a story about the origins of chakra. It talks about a period were humans didn't have it, and they were fighting constantly. A princess then ate the fruit of something called the God tree and gained chakra. She then tried to use her powers to bring peace, and it lasted for a while, but she ultimately failed because human nature is violent at its core. The God tree angered that its powers had been stolen and were being misused transformed itself into a beast with ten tails and started attacking the human race. Then a man strong enough appeared to battle it and ultimately won. That man was the Sage of Six Paths. He sealed the beast within himself for a while, and right before he died, he separated the beast into nine different entities and spread them through the world so that in time they could be useful to humanity. These beasts came to be known later as the Bijuu."
Madara raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's the secret of the stone? Isn't this a bedtime story we tell children? I mean come on, Ten tails? Sage of Six Paths? Bijuus? Sure this version is different from the one I know, but even Kagari can tell you that they are all just fictional creatures and myths. What are you going to tell us next? That the Rinnegan also exists?"
Azuna had to admit that he had a point. She had heard Setsuna tell these stories to Kagari at bedtime many times, they were the equivalent of the stories about knights in shining armor and princesses guarded by evil dragons that the kids in her last world liked. But she had a feeling that Izuna wasn't done.
Sure enough, Izuna tore his eyes from the stone and he said to them, expression a bit confused. "I don't know about the Rinnegan, but there are other things you should know. The two last paragraphs on the stone don't tell a story like the rest. One of them is a description on how to get something called the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It's supposed to be even more powerful than the Mangekyo and gives you access to the second layer of writing on the stone. But I have a feeling that neither of you is going to like even hearing about it. And the last paragraph is actually a list of where exactly we can find each Bijuu."
Madara and Azuna's jaws dropped to the floor, and it would be a while before they were able to figure out how to get them back in place.