Chapter Nineteen: It will never be the same

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The clear blue sky shone above the field of bountiful ice. The light of the golden star in the sky reflects off the crystals like mirrors in a maze. The white snow covered the ground splotches of red staining its pure colour. Bodies laid in the snow crimson liquid spilling from open wounds as frostbite nipped at their skin. Large craters bore deep into the icy service that was the earth. Snow falling into them as the wind blew through the valley. Wooden roots sprung from the ground in many places, some ablaze and others charred.
Hashirama stumbled, cold air filling his lungs as he glanced over at Madara. Madara stood a little ways away, arms crossed, fire burning in his new eyes as blood seeped from them. The blue skeleton body looping around him as he stared Hashirama down with a look of such hate Hashirama could feel it.
Catching his breath the Senju stood up straight he was running out of chakra and energy. Madara had never been this powerful before, it had caught him off guard. Glancing around the destroyed area Hashirama froze most of his men, lied in pools of blood or simply turned to ash. The Uchiha had become increasingly more violent after Akame's death. Almost as if they all knew her personally and all wanted to avenge her.
Weaving a few hand signs, Hashirama created a wall of wood just in time to block the fireball that had been hurled at him, Madara was seriously trying to kill him! Granted their past battles had been intense but not this intense. "Madara! Can we not talk this out!" Called Hashirama the hope for peace still burning inside him. The glowing blue sword crashed through the wall shattering it to pieces, splinters flew everywhere, some even embedding themselves in Hashirama's cold skin. "Please!" called the senju as he created a golem to combat Madara's new ability. "What is there to talk about Hashirama!" replied Madara in a nerve racking clam tone. His face was expressionless unlike the usual sadistic smile that adorned it. His eyes burned with hate but underneath that fire they looked dead. His movements were fluid and made with great ease almost as if he were in a trance.
It was at that moment that with a crushing feeling in his chest Hashirama realised that the Madara he had known had died with Akame. The Madara in front of him was consumed by the curse of the Uchiha and no longer saw him as an old friend that he needed to defeat but as an enemy.
The two warriors clashed blades, their chakra emanating like an explosion maring the earth around them. Fire vs wood, friend vs friend . . . a battle of hate and sawt out peace. The battle raged until the Senju were forced to retreat from the cold land.
Madara permitted the caln to leave as the Princess' last wish was for them not to kill each other and as much as he wanted to kill Hahsirama for her death he would honour her wish."Brother!" called Izuna as he approached his brother at a fast pace, blood staining his clothes and oozing from his head. Behind him stood the remaining Uchiha of the group, all in pretty bad shape.
Madara sucked in a deep breath of cold air as he sifted through his thoughts and collected himself. "We return home, it would seem that medical treatment if required for the lot of you" said Madara as he turned and started walking towards the gate. The cold breeze blowing his long hair in the wind. The sound of crunching snow rang through the area as the men walked in silence. Izuna watched his brother closely; he was not usually this quiet. " brother are you alright?" asked Izuna as he walked beside his elder sibling who physically looked fine with a few cuts and bruises."I'm fine Izuna, your head does not look good how are you?" said Madara with a glance to his side to observe the last precious person in his life. "It's nothing, I'll live" said the dark haired boy with a weak smile that Madara did not return.
The group approached the gate in silence as they were greeted by the sight of the Queen. Her long hair blew behind her as her cold eyes watched the group. Her pale hands were folden infront of her and a grim look plastered her face. "Your majesty" said Madara as a greeting as the woman turned and opened the gate ushering the men inside.
"What happened?"asked the Queen as they stepped out into the street of the village. Izuna took the men to the medical station as the Queen spoke with his brother. "S-she jumped in front between the Senju and I's blades" said Madara in a low tone, his dark eyes staring at the ground looking empty. The Queen's expression softened as she took a breath "I see, go get patched up Madara you look terrible" she said as she waved him off. Bowing Madara took his leave heading to the healers section of the palace.
*****
Madara sat at his desk, head in his hands, eyes closed. He still had a lot of work to do yet he could not focus. He kept wondering Why. Why would she jump between the blades? She could have just pushed them aside with a universal push. So WHY! WHY would she sacrifice herself for something she could have avoided!
The sound of a knock on the door distracted Madara from his thoughts as he glanced up as Izuna entered the room. His head now had a bandage around it and his muscles looked worn. "What is it?" Madara asked as he studied his brother's face. "I saw you finally awaken the mangekyou, how are your eyes?" asked Izuna calmly as he plopped down in the chair opposite him. Madara furrowed his brow. What did he mean finally? Had he told h-, Madara felt a great weight in his chest at the thought of the girl. Izuna wouldn't have had, would he? Something was wrong with him madara thought to himself he was second guessing things. "Izuna . . . did you  tell . . ." Madara paused, his throat tightening. " about the mangekyou?"he continued his tone low and his eyes icy cold as he looked at his brother. "Huh, I might have mentioned it" said Izuna as he put on a thinking face.
"Izuna what did you say?" asked Madara in a force calm tone as he felt his blood boiling. Could she have jumped in front of the blades because Izuan told her about the mangekyou? "Oh well I mentioned what it was and how I got it" said Izuna with one of his innocent smiles that everyone knew he was hiding something.
Madara's fist made contact with the desk making a loud thud causing Izuna to jump. "Izuna did you put her up to it?" Madara asked, his voice dripping with anger, Izuna took a breath and turned off his innocent act."Look brother, the clan needed you to have the mangekyou. I knew you would never attain it with how you felt about her so in the best interest of the clan I took it upon myself to inform her how things worked and the diresitutaion. It was her decision to die for you so no I did put her up to it I merely encouraged. I cared about her a great deal too but I know where my head is at. Do you?" asked Izuna in a calm tone his arms crossed an accomplished look in his eyes that made Madara blood boil. "IZUNA!  . . . I TOLD YOU NO HARM WAS TO COME TO HER! IS VICTORY SO PRESIOUS TO YOU THAT YOU WOULD ARRAGE YOUR FRIENDS MURDER!" Madara yelled as he stood from the desk to look down at his brother. Anger burned in Izuna's eyes as he shot to his feet." I DID NOT HARM HER SHE DID THAT HERSELF! AND IF IT WAS FOR THE CLAN THEN YES I WOULD ARRANGE MY FIRENDS MURDER! UNLIKE YOU WERE ABLE TO DO WITH HASHIRAMA!" Izuna fired back why couldn't Madara understand that he did it for him! "I DID IT BECAUSE THE CLAN NEEDS YOU BROTHER!"continued Izuna earnestly. Madara stared at him, his dark cold eyes looking empty to Izuna making Izuna question his actions. Madara was silent was this truly all his fault? Sighing Madara collapsed back into the chair resting his head in his hand. "Get out Izuna" said Madara in a deadpan tone Madara felt as if he had no energy left, not even enough to keep arguing with his brother. He felt empty and alone, like he could trust no one.
Izuna blinked in shock. Has Madara truly backed down? Why? He used to never back down. "Did you not hear me Izuna?" asked Madara glancing up at his brother, his eyes seemed to have lost their light and voice seemed to have gained a demanding tone. "Right" mumbled Izuna as he exited the room. Leaning against the door Izuna closed his eyes, he should not have said anything. He had never seen Madara like this, not even when their other brothers died. Biting his lip Izuna sucked in a breath he regretted telling her about the sharingan. How could he have been so selfish to not think about the effects he would have! WHY! WHY WAS HE SO BLIND!
A tear rolled down Izuna's cheek. He missed her, missed her smile, her voice, the effect she had on Madara, and most of all . . . he missed his friend. You did it for the clan, for your brother. He told himself that had to be it. That's why he could make such a terrible decision.
Stupid! Selfish! Idiot!
*****
The moon rose over the snowy land making the wite powder appear to glow a luminescent white. Bright stars shone in the sky shining down on the carnage left by the battlefield. A cool breeze blew through the field rustling the snow and blowing it off the trees. In the light of the moon walked a man. He had a long white beard and a wooden cane. He wore lage furs to keep warm and his areas were purely white. Next to the man walked a teenage girl who had long blue hair and yellow eyes. The girl wore many furres as well. She held onto the elderly man as if guiding him around the craters in the ground. "A battle happened here grandpa, we should be careful,"said the girl in a soft voice as she swiftly moved around a body covered by snow. The elder man hummed in response before turning his head towards the ice cliff. "Shion what is over there I can feel a faint chakra?" asked the man as he pointed towards the cliff. Shion shrugged as she swiftly made her way over towards the cliff looking around but saw nothing.
"I don't see anything!" called the girl as she looked over her shoulder at the man. "At your feet child under the snow" said the man his scene of chakra was incredible. Shion nodded as she bent down in the snow and began to push the snow away, thankful that she was wearing gloves. This land was always cold. Shion gasped as her hand brushed against red snow that laid atop a bloodied white kimono. Taking a breath she continued to brush the snow off till she had uncovered the body of an extremely beautiful girl.
The girl had long bluish white hair that was spread out around her though some of it seemed to be splashed with the blood. The girl was extremely pale and had pink lips. Her eyes were closed almost like she was sleeping. She wore a strange battle kimono with magatama around the high-colar and some kind of black bodysuit underneath. Strapped to her back were two swords, one seemed to be a long katana and the other a smaller sword that Shion did not know the name of. The girl seemed to have two major holes in her torso where it looked like she got stabbed from different directions.       
What was a girl like her doing on a battlefield wondered Shion."It's a girl! She does not seem to be breathing" called the girl over the wind. The man hummed "she's alive I can feel her faint chakra, though it feels strange almost as if it is paused!" called the man as he walked toward the girl, almost tripping over a few bodies in the process.
"Shion bring her with us this one is alive"              

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