Chapter 5

Life has a funny way of playing jokes on her, but still Isamu cannot find it in her to laugh at the cruelty.

"NO!" She screams, her sharingan catching the attack a second too late. Kenji stands behind, taking the poisoned kunai to his chest for her.

"No, no, no," she whispers, getting down on her knees, her hands hovering over the kunai, but even she knows it is too late. Kenji knows it too.

We will train until we can outlive this war.

"You promised we would outlive this war together, you promised, so why..."

We will train until we see the day peace is born.

A shaky hand cups the side of her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. "My dear Isamu, I'll be with you no matter what." He gives her a gentle smile that she has grown used to over the years.

"I love you."

Isamu does not reply, does not cry when his hand slips away from her face. But behind her closed eyes, her sharingan spins madly and takes the form of a mangekyo, draining her of her remaining chakra.

I love you. His voice echoes in her head and she stands up, eyeing the five wary Senju surrounding her.

For peace to be born, the cycle of hatred will have to be broken. But she will allow herself an exception today.

They will pay.

"Amaterasu."

Isamu calls upon the goddess of the sun, and she burns beautifully.———

"Madara-sama, you said you owe me a favor." She perches on top of a tree, looking down at the fight below her.

Madara glances at her, dodging the attack from Hashirama. "This isn't the best time to bring it up, girl."

Hashirama's eyes light up in recognition at her face but she pays it no heed.

"The favor I want from you is for you to listen to Hashirama's peace treaty proposal."

Both Hashirama and Madara halt their fight, and even Tobirama and Izuna glance over from their place a feet away.

Her clean head stares at her, his mangekyo locking her defiant ones, but Isamu does not back down for she has nothing to lose now. It is dead silent for a few moments, and Hashirama nervously eyes Madara and Isamu.

"Alright, I'll listen to it."

Hashirama looks like his heart is about to burst from pure joy.———

Isamu is a smart girl. She sits back and watches the game with her hawk-like eyes, and when the time is right, she swoops down and makes her move.

Madara is not an open book, but she has been observing him for the past five years to know what every twitch, every look and every word means.

She knows when he is a raging fire of vengeance and pain, burning down the whole forest in its wake, and she knows when he is a fluttering leaf of doubt and change, uncertain of its direction.

She sees him contemplating Hashirama's futile attempts of a peace treaty, sees him second guessing himself.

All he needs is a push in the right direction.———

It all goes according to her plan.

But there is a tiny mistake on her part in failing to factor in finding someone precious and losing them along the way.———

How do you measure a life's worth?

Isamu thinks she now knows the answer, but shoves it back down.

She does not want to accept the fact that her life is now worthless.———

They burn Kenji's body on the day of the first snow, and she does not cry.

A pink sakura hairpin sits sadly on her dark hair.———

Madara invites her to take part in the peace treaty meeting. From the Uchiha side, she recognizes Izuna, Uchiha Hikaru, Madara's right hand man, and the Uchiha elders.

On the Senju side, she sees the future shodaime and nidaime, and a familiar boy with black and white hair who keeps sneaking glances at her.

It is a long and tedious meeting, and Isamu has an inkling she is invited out of spite than respect.———

"Konohagakure." Hashirama says but it comes off almost like a question, looking through a hole of the leaf at the land down below where Konoha is to be situated. "It's a weird name, but it will grow on you."

"Village hidden in the leaves." Isamu echoes. "The leaves that will shield you from harm, that will provide shade for your heart's unrest, and will burn with the will of fire."

A thoughtful look crosses over his face before a huge smile breaks out. "You're a genius, Isamu-chan!"

For the first time since Kenji's death, Isamu allows herself to smile.———

She stands in front of his grave in the Uchiha compound, knowing she has to part from him when the whole clan moves into the budding village.

"It's finally here." She places a daffodil on top of his grave. "Our long waited peace."

Her finger traces his name and her sharingan engraves every detail of what she has left of him into her mind.

It is not a goodbye, but it feels like one.———

"I think this is just another excuse for the Senju to steal the power all to themselves." Izuna says from Madara's right. "This peace treaty isn't a good idea."

"You don't think anything is a good idea," Isamu counters from Madara's left, ignoring Izuna's smirk. "You just want to kill Tobirama."

"What do you think about... Konohagakure?" Madara questions her, slowing down so she would walk beside him. "You think it will bring peace."

Madara appoints her as one of his advisors and personal guards, much to the elders' chargin. Her age and gender do not bother the clan head, for she has proven herself enough on the battlefield.

"I think a village means no war." Isamu replies. "And that is good enough for me."———

There are no more wars. She should be wholly satisfied with being alive, but she is not.

She does not know what to live for because Kenji is dead and is nothing but a deep, buried memory in a lonely corner of her heart.

I love you.

Isamu feels empty.

———ages right before the founding of Konoha.Isamu: 14Kenji, Tobirama, Izuna: 16Madara, Hashirama: 18