No one would have thought that Tama had the capability to openly disobey her elders, especially in front of others. Tsunade had come to see her the morning after the ritual, when she requested that Tama leave the village and patrol the entire Land of Fire. She agreed readily, but there was a dispute shortly after when she retrieved the mission statement.
The council was wary of her, because she took in the nine tails Jinchūriki(Naruto), supposedly let Sasuke defect, took in enemy shinobi without consent(the Kazekage clan siblings) and sent the girls away. Apparently, Akira and Karin were going to be great assets to the village. In Danzō's words, she was building herself a personal army. In Utatane's, she was plotting to overthrow the Hokage. Mitokado kept his thoughts to himself, as usual, but she knew exactly what he thought.
The old dog.
Tsunade explained that she was sending her away to keep her from having to hear anymore insults. Essentially, she was saying that she was protecting her from the council. Tama immediately lost her composure, startling Shizune and Genma, who were in the room discussing with them.
"I don't think I need you getting in my bisuness with the council.", she had hissed. She rose from her place on the floor. Shizune looked between the two, at a loss for words. Ever since that day when they did the ritual, it seemed as though Tama had suddenly become this angry person. What was this all about?
"Tama-chan, this is for your own good. These people will only drive you into insanity, let me be the one to carry that burden instead."
"You left this village knowing full well the people you abandoned. You're late to be a part of my life by thirteen years!", Tama snapped as she secured her swords.
Tsunade fell silent immediately, it seemed she had been outwitted. Genma was stuck between leaving and mediating, but he wasn't even sure what was going on in front of him.
"I'll take my leave now.", Tama said, voice barely above a whisper, before quickly walking out.
This was how she ended up near the North eastern border, in the dead of night and in the rain, with nothing but a little fire under a tree and her anger to accompany. She always enjoyed her time alone, but she had never appreciated it like she did now.
Her clothes clung to her from standing in the rain, something she did whenever she felt enraged or frustrated. She was tense, knuckles blanched, far more pale than her already pale complexion as she clung to the Katana that rested in her lap. She watched as the orange flames reached for the sky, painfully aware of her surroundings that she was certain that there was not a single shinobi within the range of fifty kilometres. An empty bowl sat before her, no evidence left of the meal she had eaten mere minutes prior.
She didn't realise that the seal had also supressed her emotions like this. She wasn't used to it at all. There was so much anger, so much hatred, so much sorrow, and fear, and anxiety. It was so much more than she had ever expected.
"You're out of control now, Tamakiku. I didn't send you to Anbu so that you could distance yourself from the clan. What is your intention, exactly?", Fugaku's voice asked. There was no answer. The man hummed, clearly enraged but holding back.
"I will require you to make a choice. The village or the clan? The Hokage or me?", he asked. Still, there was silence.
She remembered this one sided conversation clearly. Immediately when asked to choose, Tama took her Anbu mask, wore it, and walked out. Fugaku had a proper fit right there and then. Itachi said that it took tens of clan Jōnin to hold him down and prevent him from following her. Apparently, he was dead set on 'dealing' with her once and for all.
There were so many ways to prevent the disaster that was her life in the Uchiha clan. The best one being if Tsunade took her away, she was Mika's niece, after all, and more of a sister considering that they were only three years apart in age.
Baby Tsunade was born to find little Mika waiting to greet her, yet she couldn't even think to see if her orphaned grandchild was doing well. Did she even care, like she said she did? Who was she, then, to try and step in where Tama had been alone all her life? Where was she when Hono and Tomoe died? Why didn't she take Hono and Kushina when she left? Why didn't she come back when she heard that baby Tama was born? Why didn't she at least come back for Naruto? How could she claim to care when she did absolutely nothing to show it?
Why did she care so much about the Uchiha brothers? Was it because she knew nothing else? Was it that she had no one else? All she was doing was obsessing about two people that did absolutely nothing for her. Why was she still disguised as one of them? Was she so afraid of who she really was that she refused to even be that person? Surely she was Uchiha Tamakiku, granddaughter of Uzumaki Mika and second generation great granddaughter of Uzumaki Ashina. Why was she acting like Uchiha Tamakiku, the daughter of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto whose brother couldn't bare to kill?
What would she lose if she just let go of them? She had absolutely nothing to lose at all!
Thunder rumbled in the distance, followed by a flash of white light across the sky.
Tama stood up and set her katana in its place on her hip. She had never considered that she was a potential disaster waiting to happen. Uchiha-Uzumaki hybrid, that was a dangerous combination, possibly enough to rival a Senju-Uchiha. Even though she wasn't directly born from Uzumaki and Uchiha parents, with the years of cultivating her chakra and honing her every prowess, she could be a beast if she wanted. Maybe it was time to do just that.
...
"Your sister is nearby, south of Otogakure no Sato."
Sasuke cast the man a fleeting glance. What was he on about? Had he ever shown interest in seeing Tama since he got there?
"What of it?", he asked, lowering his sword. Orochimaru smiled a sly smile.
"Nothing, but for the fact that I was thinking of her no two days ago. She's... Interesting.", he drawled, eyes narrow as he studied the boy for a reaction. He only pursed his lips, annoyed, and raised his sword again.
He hummed, a short kind, something that he did unconsciously when he wasn't interested in what was being discussed. At this, Orochimaru was pleased. It took a lot for one to be a shinobi, and to kill off one's emotions was the most important thing. Sasuke was on the right path in that category.
As for that elder sister of his, she would be a menace in the long run. She carried out countless successful missions against him at merely eight years of age, and rescued as many war refugees as possible to prevent him from making real progress at only twelve. It was just a year ago that she detained Subaru Daimyō's son, forcing him to step back as he also lost a lot of potential subjects to her then. He lost almost a hundred pureblood Uzumaki as well, those were the very last of them, mind you. It was a wonder where she sent them, because they weren't in Konoha, Uzushio, nor were they anywhere in the world where humans could possibly live.
Not only that, but most of his body was also useless thanks to her and that old dotard that was his sensei. He also couldn't breach Konoha ever since she was put in charge of the border control. Also, now that Tsunade was Hokage, he probably would have a hard time if he tried anything anyway.
The girl was strange in a way that excited him. While her brother especially warned him against taking Sasuke, she seemed to have sat down and watched as he walked right into Orochimaru's hands.
What a mystery indeed.
That girl might have been just as crafty as him.
...
Sunagakure had really become something else. Thanks to Tama's help, they identified several spies and were safe throughout the duration of the investigation. The Kazekage clan's Sabaku siblings were more able to work with each other since Gaara started working towards controlling the one tailed beast. This also meant that there were no longer any attacks, and thus no deaths due to the beast, Suna's dwindling population was expected to rise considerably in the coming years. For this, the villagers were beginning to view the boy differently, and most were hoping to see him become Kazekage despite there being two older heirs.
With funds from Tama, and investments from her contacts, the village was starting to look more lively as business was booming and tourists were flocking in and out. Of course, Suna's security had been tightened after the incident with Orochimaru.
The first Chūnin exams of the year were barely around the corner, and Sabaku siblings were set to attend so as to gain more experience before an heir to the title would ascend. It was for this reason that they were all training nonstop, and making sure to be ready. According to Bati, there would be much tougher competition this time around, so it would be best not to slack off. However, if they failed, then there was always the second exam. That said, it would be very unfortunate if they did fail, because then Tama was likely to withdraw her investment in Suna. What a tough situation to face. Hopefully, Gaara wouldn't struggle too much.
Author's Note
Hello. If you got this far, then I must thank you profusely. Have you wondered what life would have been for Tama if Kushina took her instead, or if Tsunade took both Kushina and Hono? Well, I'm thinking of writing about both scenarios as well. So, please expect this book to be added to both a saga and a series, as I'm also thinking of writing a prequel and possibly a sequel. Thank you, and don't forget to vote, share, and comment. I love you all❤️!