Conflict (sequel)

Chapter 21 | Reincarnate

I'm incredibly sorry for the ridiculously long wait! Lots of things happened... exams, new school, new job and vacation. At least I have more time now :)

As always, please let me know if you see any errors and feedback is also appreciated!

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She ran, kept running, waiting to see something, someone, that'd explain to her what was going on. Normally, she'd have been out of breath already, the long distance would have tired her out. She hated her current body, but it was convenient at this moment.

All kinds of thoughts raced through her head. She sought clarification, explanation, but had only herself to ask. She thought of possible theories, but they all ended up being unrealistic. Her own mind drove her mad, made her anxious. Things were already beyond messed up, but never had she imagined that it could get even worse. 

Suddenly, Asami heard a voice. ''There is no one here,'' It was Hashirama.. She passed a boulder and looked to the right, seeing the two men from before, Minato and Sarutobi. Tobirama was there too, and Hashirama was crouching in front of a body. Asami could not see who it belonged to as Hashirama was blocking the view. Slowly, she approached them, but what the oldest Senju said next caused her to stop moving. Her hands started to tremble.

''Just the lower half of Madara's body.''

Asami's breath hitched in her throat. Breathing suddenly became a difficult thing to do, though she didn't even need to breathe while living in such a cursed body. Asami was sure she would have started to suffocate already if she was completely human at that point.

''H-Hashirama..'' She murmured shakily. ''...Is that really him?''

Hashirama looked over his shoulder, taking a quick glance at the quivering Uzumaki before standing up. He was trying to avoid eye contact for a few seconds, which made Asami's stomach churn even more. Just his actions confirmed it. 

Asami started to walk towards him, but when she was about to pass Tobirama, her arm was taken tightly by him, holding her back. ''The war isn't over yet.'' He muttered before letting her go.

Asami pressed her lips together. She knew what he meant by that. Huffing, she continued to walk to where Hashirama stood, where a part of Madara lay. This wasn't the time to cry or mourn. There'd be plenty of time for that after the fight.

As she came closer, she indeed saw that it was only the lower half of Madara's body that lay before her. Unlike earlier, she had no idea what to think now. Her mind went blank.

Minato spoke up. ''Does finding Madara's lower half mean that we should consider him dead?'' He wondered. ''I have a bad feeling about this.''

Tobirama hummed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking up at the sky. His eyes focused on the blood red moon that illuminated the battlefield. ''Either way, it seems he completed his Infinite Tsukuyomi.''  He said. ''And apparently, it doesn't affect us dead.''

Asami looked up too. She felt guilty for thinking the moon was beautiful like this. It reminded her of Madara's sharingan, something she had always been intrigued by. Her mind wandered, memories of her time with Madara replacing her worries. She wasn't listening to the conversation between Minato and  Tobirama anymore, until the youngest Senju brother said something that snapped her out of her thoughts. She swallowed thickly, secretly interested in his plan.

''In order to verify Madara's status, and find out what happened, we should revive him with the Reanimation Jutsu. Then we'll make him talk.''

Asami knew the others wouldn't agree with it, but she still secretly hoped for a positive reaction.

Hashirama was the first to protest. ''To do that, we'd need a living sacrifice!''

Asami froze. She had totally forgotten about that. Someone needed to die in order to revive a person from the dead. Asami crossed her arms over her chest, digging her nails into her other arm. She looked down to the ground. She had mixed feelings about this.

Tobirama grunted. ''How can you be so naïve at this point?''

Asami clenched her jaw. She wanted to see Madara, but the thought that someone had to die in order for her wish to be fulfilled...

''There has to be another way!'' Hashirama claimed.

Asami looked up again when she heard the brothers let out a soft gasp. Her eyes widened when she saw a white glow coming from Madara's body. It expanded and turned blue. It was chakra.

Asami stepped back, but wasn't able to look away from what was happening.

Asami watched, amazed by how the chakra that had manifested itself from Madara's lower half turned into a man. ''You truly are a kind soul.'' He spoke.

''Previous reincarnate of Ashura''