"Ayumi." The white haired man spoke.
"Huh? What's going on? I haven't been here since..." I remembered that night I met the white-haired man. What even was his name? Haru..to? Himu...ra? Ah, Hamura.
"It's sure been quite a while. You've matured." He eyed me. My body was freely floating in an infinite white space.
"Yeah. I'm in my twenties now!"
"You still don't know what your powers are?"
I looked at my palm, the moon insignia was pulsing profusely.
"No..." I admitted shamelessly. All this time and all I knew was that lightning technique, which was extremely taxing to my stamina. "Raiton: Tsuki no Nagashi is one jutsu I've mastered."
"I see. Good." He nodded.
"Good? But how?" I felt pathetic!
"It means that you haven't had to resort to extremely last measures. You've been able to keep yourself safe with your own strength."
I dangled my head down, remembering Uehara's face. I couldn't keep her safe...
"Don't be sad." Hamura said. That's right, he could read my thoughts in this dimension.
"Wakatta." I nodded.
"Anywho, it seems like you've met a couple of people along the way. Including that Uchiha."
"Oh, yeah. Madara. He's quite the character." I rubbed the nape of my neck.
"Mm." Hamura nodded, "I have come here to warn you of something, though. Listen well."
I nodded my head, listening intently.
"Tomorrow, on the battlefield. Anticipate for something bad to happen." He narrowed his eyes.
I sweat dropped. "That's it? Bad things happen on the battlefield all the time."
Hamura chuckled.
"Allow me to continue. An Uchiha will be gravely injured, and that battle will cause chaos. You must be the pipeline that will connect everyone with each other. I will impart you with a technique that will be able to do that. Look at your hand."
I looked at my palm, it was being infused with chakra that was green.
"Any hint on who that Uchiha is?"
Hamura shook his head.
"Only fate can tell."
-
Izuna was head on with Tobirama now, a Senju foe he had battled ever since he was a child. He casted a temporary sharingan genjutsu that would immobilize the white-haired Senju, then delivering two strong kicks, enough to send him all the way back against rocks.
Izuna quickly weaved the signs for a fireball while he was still down."Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu!"
"Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu!"
The two clashing jutsu created a smokey mist, immobilizing both of their vision.
Shit! Izuna thought, looking side to side, his senses hyperaware. He quickly dodged a splur of kunai that had been launched, thankful for his sharingan that allowed him to predict their movements.
I curse the misfortune of those who do not have the sharingan, Izuna thought to himself.
"Flying raijin slice!" Tobirama exclaimed. Izuna felt a cold blade strike through his torso. He immediately buckled to the floor.
-
"Masaka..." I dropped my katana, observing what was going on not too far from my own battle. Izuna's heart was faintly beating.
"What is the matter with you?!" Madara yelled from the air.
"It's Izuna! Madara, quickly, we need to go to Izuna! Now!"
His expression dropped to one of that of haste.
Ayumi summoned a white dove which quickly flew them to Izuna's battle.
"Izuna!" Madara carried his brother on his shoulder.
"Ni-nii san..." He was panting between hitched breaths. "I don't- don't think I have much time left... Don't trust the... Sen..." Izuna's abdomen clenched, coughing more blood.
"Izuna!" Madara shook him, holding him more firmly, tugging his arm closer.
I stood there behind them in a panic, my breath felt short and I was heaving. I was having an anxiety attack! Izuna was bleeding profusely from his torso, and I was experiencing that night's traumatic event all over again. A bleeding Uchiha pleading for his life. It was all too familiar. No! I shook my head. I need to snap out of this!
Madara gave Hashirama and Tobirama a hard stare, one filled with absolute anger. He threw a smoke bomb, and I felt a strong grip grab the back of my neck. I couldn't see any more.
-
"Ouch!" I landed on my back onto the hard wooden floor. We must have been teleported! I grogged, looking around me to see Madara panicking and Izuna only coughing more blood.
"Ayumi!" Madara laid his brother Izuna onto the ground, his blood was spilling every where.
"Heal him! Now!" Madara was demanding, his voice at the top of his lungs. The sheer anger and fright behind his facade was enough to force me to get up immediately and tear the Uchiha boy's shirt, exposing his torso. A large gaping wound right below my hands... I didn't know what to do, and basic medic ninjutsu would barely heal a scrap of his damaged tissue.
"Stop idling!" Madara snapped again, his eyes were fiery, his face spotted with blood.
I gulped.
"Madara! He's dying!" I exclaimed. It was true - Izuna's heartbeat was extremely faint, and honestly I was not so sure I could intervene and do something miraculous.
"Just do something!" Madara snapped, and out of anger he ran his hands through his hair. He was growing anxious.
And that is when it hit me. I then recalled Hamura's revelation. I looked at my palm, it was not pulsing this time. I began to infuse chakra, both my palms grew a darker green than usual.
Madara was watching intently, any mistake and surely he would snap my neck. I was not dealing with just any life, but the life of his younger brother's. The only blood he had left.
"Stop looking at me like that!" I barked, Madara was making me nervous, "I need to focus!"
"Just do your work, Ayumi!" He yelled back.
I was feeling a different connection between healing chakra and the Uchiha this time. But just to make sure...
"Byakugan!" My veins crackled out the sides of my temples.
I could see the dwindle of life in his heart tenketsu slightly rekindle. I just need to do this for longer, I thought. His lifeline was slowly regaining. There actually might even be a chance Izuna will walk out of this alive. I continued to stay in that stance, pouring what little chakra I had left into him. I couldn't help but compare how this was all too similar back when I was a child.
I looked up at Madara, he was in absolute sorrow, in the worst shape I had ever seen him in.
"Madara, you have lacerations all over. Let me heal you after."
He shook his head violently. "Focus on Izuna!"
He was so stubborn!
And I continued to pour all my efforts into Izuna for about 30 minutes, which deemed fruitful. until...
"Ayumi!" Madara came to my side.
"I... Mada-ra... I can't see... anything..." I felt like my soul was being drained out my body, a painful separation between reality and a dream world.
My head hit the cold blood soaked floor beneath me and I blacked out.
-
Ayumi's eyes began to slowly stir awake.
She groaned in pain trying to move, trying to get up and see her surroundings.
"H-huh? Where am I?" She squinted her eyes, all she could see was pitch black. "Oh my god, I'm in hell!" She yelped helplessly.
She heard a chuckle from a distance.
Who could it be? Ayumi rubbed her eyes and noticed that indeed she was alive, but her eyes were wrapped in gauge. She unravelled the material cloth.
"Uchiha compound." A familiar voice echoed. It was Madara. His eye bags had seemed more pronounced. She recalled how Koniko had the same effect upon Uehara's death. Had he...?
So Izuna was dead... huh.
"So Izuna didn't make -"
"No." Madara stood up, and sat next to me. "He is alive. Thanks to you. He just needs rest." Madara took a careful look at Izuna. He was on a futon not too far from them. How did this woman save my brother's life? He had almost died.
"Thank goodness." Ayumi stared at her palm, tight-lipped. She had no idea what she did, nor how she did it.
"You depleted all of your chakra reserves. It has been a couple days now." Madara looked at her pale skin, which was slowly regaining its colour back now.
"A couple days?" Ayumi cleared her throat, it was painfully dry. "It felt like seconds for me." She tried to chuckle, but it was too painful.
Madara frowned, he wished he could take her pain away, for some odd reason.
"Get up." Madara placed a palm on her back and the other holding her wrist, helping her at least sit up right. Ayumi took a deep breath, shifting positions from so long was overwhelming for her body, particularly her lungs. Madara noticed how warm her body had felt. "Drink." He offered her some water, hoping that it would ease her hoarse voice, and provide her with some hydration.
Ayumi looked at Madara, stunned by his utter kindness. The same hands that had killed so many people was also caring for some lives. Even though he had clearly looked after her and Izuna, he seemed so tired yet here he was still by their side. She was blushing and she could not help it, now averting her gaze.
"Thank you, Madara."
Madara's facial expression softened - something that would happen every so often he was around her.
"Enough..." Madara spoke softly. It calmed her timidness down a notch.
"Mm." She sipped on the water. She almost choked though, realizing she had been away from home for so long. "M-my parents! They must be so worried. I need to get back home, Madara." She threw away the blanket, trying to get up. I felt so weak, Ayumi thought.
"Relax." Madara said firmly. "They know you are here."
"Oh..." She mumbled, sitting back down on her futon, "Who cleaned me?" Ayumi stared at her arms and her legs. She wasn't like this before she had blacked out. She was covered in blood and mud, she remembered distinctively the smell of iron smeared near her lips.
She looked at Madara, wide-eyed and fazed, covering her chest from him. "D-Don't tell me you..."
"What are you trying to imply!" Madara crossed his arms, looking to the side. "I had someone else do that. Were you supposed to sleep there rotting in your dirt?"
She was chuckling now, though painfully, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck. "Not at all, Madara! I appreciate it. Thank you."
"Yeah." He was now looking at her, with a gloved hand under his cheek, the other palm resting on his knee. He would be lying to himself if he was not impressed with her strength. "What was that technique?"
Madara was indeed insightful for realizing that it was a different kind of jutsu. Ayumi exposed her palm to him. "I'm not sure, but it was probably a forbidden healing jutsu granted to me by Hamura who lives on the moon. That's why it must have been so taxing."
Madara narrowed his eyes curiously.
"In any case, both lives have been saved." Madara reassured himself and her. Ayumi agreed, and she was smiling, despite the pain she was in.
Ayumi was tempted to ask about the Senju's whereabouts, but she knew that it would anger Madara, and so it would remain as uncharted territories for now.
"Madara." Ayumi bit her bottom lip, leaning in and her fingers trailed over Madara's face, grazing his pronounced eyebags. Madara had tensed at her sudden course of action, wrapping his fingers around her wrist.
"You look so tired." Ayumi added. His eyebrows rose, with the corners of his mouth still turned down. The pair remained like that, staring into each others' eyes curiously. Madara felt that heat rising in his chest again, and he could not resist. Madara tugged her wrist, and his lips landed on her plump ones. He wanted to give her an innocent kiss, one that would express his gratitude. Ayumi did not resist, instead the princess leaned in more, receptive to his advances. Madara retracted himself, but she could still feel his hot breath hitting her cheek. She was disappointed, and she had hoped for it to last longer.
"So eager." Madara teasingly stated, his tone was deep, and it twisted a heat into Ayumi that Madara was unaware of. He was a built, smouldering man hovering over her, she could not resist.
"Madara." She covered her lips and she blushed, looking away.
"What?" He placed a finger underneath her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. Madara wanted to see her. She remained quiet. Madara noted that she was quite shy around him, yet exuberant elsewhere. He would wonder why he had such a great affect on her. He leaned back, letting go of her. She could feel herself melting before him, he was just utterly handsome.
"You probably get this a lot but you're so handsome." Ayumi bit the inside of her cheek. Madara's reaction was unexpected, as his eyes rose and a small smile formed on his lips.
"Get some rest." Madara ordered standing up now, breaking the tension that had built between them.
Ayumi scratched her cheek, admonishing herself for being so timid around him. She smiled shyly. "Likewise."