Knight in Scarlet Armor (Madara Uchiha/Izuna Uchiha)

Bloody Encounter

Claws of victory sunk into his pale skin, rushing through every vein in his body like electricity. With victory came arrogance and pride, all of which were common factors for an average Uchiha; however, Uchiha Madara was anything but average. He was a genius, a god in human form. A single look into his menacing eyes had even the toughest men cowering in fear. Unfortunately, he had somehow managed to lose concentration, allowing his thoughts to wander in the middle of battle; a foolish mistake on his part. He was also upset that he had made his second in command stay home, especially when dealing with a clan like the Senju. He simply couldn't believe that he'd allowed himself to be so open, and to him. Clutching his injured abdomen, Madara moved with staggering steps, leaning against trees for support. He guided himself through the forest back towards the Uchiha compound.

"Madara-sama!" Tired eyes turned towards the source of his name being called. Sadaharu.

"Sir, you're bleeding heavily. We're going to have to stop at a nearby village. There's no way you'll make it back in this state." The news angered the young leader, but it could not be helped. Licking his dry lips, he proceeded to ask the man his questions.

"Sadaharu." His voice sounded weak, enough that if Sadaharu hadn't been standing as close as he was it could have went to deaf ears.

"Yes sir?" The sound of ripping fabric could be heard, and Madara had only then noticed that Sadaharu had been gradually ripping off strands of his own clothes to apply pressure and wrap up his wound.

"Where are the others? Katai and Kazuhiko," Madara inquired. Sadaharu hadn't said anything for a while and lowered his head in defeat. In the end, they hadn't been as victorious as they had once thought.

"They're dead sir..." Snapping his head up in anger, the young leader forced himself to his feet once again, eyes flaring with the sharingan.

"Sir, you cannot move! Please stay still..." But the male's warning went unheard. All Madara could hear were the cries of his fallen men and the snickers of the Senju; the damn Senju who were currently making his life very difficult. Sadaharu quickly made his way towards his leader's side, grabbing onto his arm in order to take on most of his weight.

Madara scoffed, unhappy with the fact he needed support. His abdomen burned, his head throbbed, his world spun, and yet he still had strength, enough to stay awake and alert. Letting his guard down was one mistake he wouldn't repeat.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Madara-sama," Sadaharu stated, "You're injured. If we don't get you some help, you could bleed out. I know I've done all that I can here. We should get moving."

"Tsk..." He turned his face. Giving in,  "It can't be helped." Oh how it hurt; Uchiha Madara bloody and faint. It hurt his pride, but even though he was angry at himself for being so distracted, he knew when he needed help. He let Sadaharu lead the way.

"Look, Madara-sama. Up ahead," Sadaharu sighed in relief.

"Good. I don't know how much blood I have left to lose," the Uchiha sighed, also relieved. Both men were tired by then. Using every last ounce of strength, Sadaharu pushed apart the main doors of the clinic. The few patients in the waiting area looked up in surprise. The young, mousy woman seated at the front desk furrowed her brow, stunned to see such a...gaudy pair.

"My captain, he was badly injured you see. He's bleeding heavily. I did what I could, but he needs professional help. Please," Sadaharu explained. The woman glanced over where Madara's hand sat applying pressure to his wound.

"You could stare, or you could help," he commented.

"Eh - hai," she nodded, rushing away from the desk. "Follow me, down this way."  Sadaharu guided Madara down the hall behind the ditsy woman who went by the name Sasada. Sadaharu himself was amazed with his leader's stamina. How this man was able to keep himself conscious through all of this was amazing to him.