"Stop spouting such nonsense in front of her, Tobirama!" Hashirama scolded his brother. Once Ayumi had confronted the Senju brothers, Tobirama was going off on a tangent about how he anticipated the Hyuga would grow to be like the Uchiha. We were all sitting in a conference room discussing the recent events. "We are here to clear the air regarding her younger sister's death and nothing more."
Ayumi's eyes had narrowed. Her anger had been dangerously brewing, though she would not let it resort to violence, she kept repeating to herself.
"Her death that was not caused by us any way?" Tobirama raised his hands, questioning his brother.
"Tobira-!"
"Enough!" Ayumi had smashed her two fists into the table.
Tobirama slightly flinched, sighing.
The action was enough to regain the Senjus attention.
Ayumi stood up, pushing her chair back as she did so. "She is my sister. She is dead. So I decide what will happen! Besides..."
Ayumi took a hard glance at everyone present in the room. Tobirama, Hashirama, Butsuma, and other elite members of the Senju. "I actually want to establish a just grounds for discourse, unlike my predecessors." Her voice toned down a notch now.
"You brat," Tobirama spat, "Watch yourself! Accusing us of murder!"
"Isn't everybody here guilty of that?"I asked them all genuinely. "No, this is about violation of integrity. Of property. This is a whole other ordeal. You hurt my family on land that did not warrant it..."
Butsuma sighed. "What makes you think we did it?"
Ayumi quickly retrieved the shuriken that had been packaged into a plastic bag, and slid it over the table. Byakugan!
"It is made of tungsten. Your land is extremely fertile with that element in particular. It is also the element that makes up most of your weapons. For an example, that katana you wield, Butsuma-sama." Ayumi pointed to it, it was laid out on the table forth of him. Tobirama's eyes had narrowed, discerned.
"You've done your research." Butsuma chuckled, "But I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about."
"One of your people did this." Ayumi spoke despairingly. She had finally come to know what true pain felt like. She thought of Madara, who had lost three of his siblings, yet here Ayumi was in a panic because of just one.
"Find out who! Please, for my sake..."
"I will see to that." Hashirama spoke sincerely, "I appreciate you talking to me about this, instead of taking it to the battlefield."
Tobirama gruntled. "I'll get right on it."
Ayumi nodded, looking at the ceiling.
"The last time I was here, it was for a diplomatic meeting. Discussing the treaty, which was quickly crumbled by Madara." She spoke reminiscently. Tobirama quickly took note of the lack of the - sama honourific. He truly was inquisitive.
"I see you two have gotten familiar." The white haired man spoke. Ayumi shot him a glare.
"Yeah. The Hyuga have allied with the Uchiha."
Butsuma looked uncomfortable, and Hashirama shifted in his spot.
"No need to be threatened." Ayumi raised her hands.
Hashirama got up, bowing slightly towards me. "Is there any way... you could sway the Uchiha into considering a treaty?"
"Brother! Don't bow so easily." I heard Tobirama whisper.
"Why?" Ayumi asked.
"Because... without Madara, our dream of creating a framework that would allow for peace - a village, can't be possible. It was also his idea when we were younger brats." Hashirama explained.
Ayumi was visibly taken back, as per her surprising expression. Madara? Peace?
"It's almost hard to believe that someone as merciless as him once wished for that too." Ayumi pondered.
"I still feel like part of him feels that way. Be it just a corner of his heart." Hashirama smiled nostalgically, "Any how, we'll find out which one of my clan members did this to your sister. And we will hand them to you."
Ayumi nodded, shook the Senju family's hands, and made her way back to the Hyuga compound.
-
"We should treat them with respect. They are Senju. But they are older than me..." Ayumi eyed them closely. Tobirama had teleported the two who were responsible for Uehara's death. He did his work quickly, Ayumi noted, Tobirama was known for his frightening interrogation and teleportation techniques.
"You still want to treat them nicely? Even after what they did?" Toguya, Ayumi's cousin, spoke.
She nodded her head. To her, there was no use in fighting any more.
"Rip the tape off of their mouths." Ayumi ordered her cousin. "I have no inclination to touch them." She spoke a bit venomously now. He did as she ordered, and they both began gasping for air, trying to wriggle out the rope their wrists and ankles were tied with.
"Hyuga-sama! Please hear us out before you kill u-"
"Be quiet! I will tell you when to speak!" Ayumi planted her staff firmly into the ground. They kept quiet, their ruffling toned down a notch. She was enjoying the position of power she was put in, though she wouldn't take it too far, she reminded herself. Toguya spared her a glance at her newfound authority. It suited her, he thought.
"I want to know everything. Why did you do it? Why did you kill my innocent little sister?" Ayumi asked despairingly, tears were beginning to well up.
The Senju pair looked off to their sides, and Ayumi's Byakugan revealed that they were deeply regretting what they had done. It was as if she could see their hearts.
"In truth, Hyuga-sama," One of them spoke through hitched breaths, "We were losing so much of our children. Our family, and..."
"There's a clan secret within the Senju that states that merging the Hyuga's bloodline with Senju chakra will awaken powers that would overpower any clan." The other Senju spoke, both were looking at each other hopelessly.
"We two thought that by retrieving your younger sister's eyes we would be able to achieve this power. But..." He showed Ayumi his blackened hand. "It seems we grew an infection upon doing so. We couldn't go without killing her because she had seen too much. Even a child who possesses a blade is viewed as a threat."
"We wanted to achieve that power to crush the Uchiha, Hyuga-sama. The Uchiha are a problem, our children, women, civilians, and soldiers are dying at a rate that cornered us to do this." The other Senju now spoke.
Ayumi's eyes were cast onto the ground now, and her shoulders were shaking. She was crying now, no longer trying to stifle her tears. Ayumi couldn't believe they were trying to justify her unnecessary death.
The two Senju watched in deep sorrow. They knew all too well what it felt like to lose a loved one.
The darkly lit room continued to be filled with echoes of her mourning, her sniffling, until she had finally calmed down.
Toguya took a step forward. "Just say the word and I'll do it." He pointed his katana at their faces. The Senjus tried to shuffle back against the wall to gain some distance, trying to further themselves from their soon to-be sullen fate.
"No!" One of them screamed helplessly.
Byakugan! A wave of Ayumi's chakra rattled the room. She could see that one of the Senju had a picture of his family tucked into his pocket. Three children... How could I kill this man?
"Toguya," Ayumi came back to her senses, "Stop. Let them go."
"Huh? Have you gone senile?" Her cousin spoke.
"Those are my orders! Untie them and let them go." Ayumi was sure of herself now, her footing now more confident.
"What do you mean?" A Senju barked.
Ayumi took a couple steps forward, and crouched down to their level, her byakugan was flared out of passion, tears were flowing down her face. She forced their eyes to meet hers by placing a finger under their chins.
"I forgive you both."
"But! But why..." One Senju spoke.
The other Senju was crying. "That's not possible-"
"If I killed you here, I would only be causing the same pain you've caused me, unto your families and loved ones instead. And perhaps entice your clan further to hate us." She raised a hand to the Hyuga emblem hung proudly behind them. "Rendering it useless to avenge my little sister's death."
Toguya narrowed his eyes, and frowned. He know what her clan leader was going on about. He knew what it felt like to be in pain. Toguya lost both his parents in this wretched war. But how many shinobi had he killed with his own hands? Countless amounts.
"We've all had to kill in this war. Kill or be killed." Ayumi's palms were raised now, "We've lost count of how many lives... are gone..." Her words grew quieter.
"I have different priorities now. And I see the word differently after my little sister's passing. So go. Be free. I won't kill you. And you two should not be afraid. I hope my words will slight you to think differently now too." Ayumi stood on her two feet now.
Toguya was upset. "You're lucky you two did not die by her hand." He spoke begrudgingly.
Their eyes were wide in disbelief. They weren't killed? The Senju clan would be shocked by such mercy. Unbelievable!
"And as for the Uchiha clan..." Ayumi thought, and the mere idea of Madara was enough to send her goosebumps. She had to do something. She stared at her arm. She hated that he was able to do that to her. "I will try and sway them to stop. And to consider a treaty. I am, too, sick of this war." She motioned with her hands for Toguya to untie them.
"Princess Ayumi." Both the Senju bowed down to her, in forgiveness. "We are deeply regretful and sorry. We are truly indebted to you."
Ayumi took a deep sigh. She was unsure if this had been a good idea, but there was no time now to get weak-kneed. Ayumi contemplated doing this for too long now, but it was finally time to set things in stone. The world needed a change. Love instead of hate, that is what Hamura had been teaching her in her dreams. And she would try to teach that to Madara some day too, she decided.
The two Senju were escorted back to their compound, and I accompanied them alongside Toguya.
"Goodbye." Ayumi waved to them both. Toguya and Ayumi watched their backs grow smaller into the distance.
"That kindness," Toguya looked at Ayumi now, "Is gonna get you killed some day, jūshi."
"How could you say something so confidently?" Ayumi inquired.
"People will take advantage of it!"
Ayumi crossed her arms. "I won't let them! I can be strong and kind! That's the person I choose to be!"
Toguya sighed, rubbing his temples. "Stubborn as ever."
-
AUHTORS NOTE
jūshi = elder cousin