Izuna passes away

Ever since that brief, yet emotionally charged exchange outside the walls, Uchiha Aoi's heart hadn't found a single moment of peace. Instead, it felt as if it had been plunged into an even more turbulent undercurrent, leaving her restless and tossing. Tobirama's unusual, seemingly tender tone, the words "live well and happily," felt like a fragile straw she instinctively grasped in the depths of despair. Yet, this sudden "softness" only deepened her unease—did it foreshadow a more horrific storm ahead? She became even more sensitive, like a frightened bird, the slightest sound from the northern battlefield sending her into a state of panic. She lost her appetite, couldn't sleep, and her already slender figure shrank at a noticeable rate. Her loose kimono felt hollow against her body, and her eyes were filled with an unconcealable darkening and fear.

She prayed day and night, hoping for the good news of a lull in the fighting, or even a word from her brothers that they were safe. However, fate had no mercy on her. In the dead of night, under a dark and windy moon, a ghost, like a ghost crawling from the brink of hell, quietly crept into the heavily guarded aristocratic mansion and found itself outside her bedroom.

The newcomer was shrouded in a thick shadow and the stench of blood. Every breath he took was a hoarse, like a broken bellows, clearly severely injured. With difficulty, he produced a token with a special pattern—a token reserved for Uchiha Izuna's secret guards. Before Aoi could even exclaim, the man, with his last breath, growled rapidly, "What are you doing?"

"Miss Aoi... your subordinates... have come here at the risk of their lives on behalf of Master Izuna... Your Excellency... has been severely injured... in the latest clash with the Senju... His injuries... are extremely serious... The medical ninjas are... are helpless... I'm afraid... I'm afraid he won't live long..." The secret guard's voice was broken, and every word seemed to be squeezed out of his throat mixed with blood foam. "Your Excellency... His last wish when he regains consciousness... is... to see you one last time... Please... please return to the clan with your subordinates immediately! If it's too late... I'm afraid..."

Izuna-nii?! Seriously injured?! Will he die soon?!

These words were like giant, red-hot shuriken, piercing Aoi's heart with destructive force! Her vision suddenly went black, the world spun, and all her blood seemed to freeze instantly. Fortunately, she reached out in time to hold on to the cold door frame and prevented herself from fainting on the spot.

There was no time to think! No time to grieve! No time even to inform her grandmother or make any arrangements! A suffocating wave of grief and unprecedented fear instantly overwhelmed her rationality like a tsunami! Her second brother was dying! The brother who had secretly given her candy and always had a bright smile was dying! She had to see him! One last time!

Almost on instinct, she turned around and rushed back into the room, grabbed a most inconspicuous dark cloak and wrapped herself in it, without even having time to tidy her hair, and followed the dark guard who was already shaky but still holding on with amazing willpower, using his superb stealth and anti-tracking skills, and secretly left the gorgeous cage that had imprisoned her for many years in a thrilling way, and rushed towards the north, towards the Uchiha clan's land shrouded in endless blood and fire, regardless of everything.

The journey was long and bumpy, every second akin to simmering in frying pans. The secret guard's injuries were severe, inevitably slowing his pace, but he fought tooth and nail to keep going. Aoi's heart had already flown to the clan's territory. Visions of her brother Izuna's past flashed through her mind, colliding with the harsh reality she was about to face, driving her mad. When she finally arrived, dusty and exhausted, at the Uchiha clan's territory, familiar in her memories yet alienated by years of war, the atmosphere was so suffocating and oppressive, she nearly collapsed, her willpower holding her ground.

Without time to reflect or rest, she was led directly to Izuna's residence. As soon as she entered, the overwhelming, indissoluble smell of blood and bitter medicine assaulted her, almost nauseating. The room was dimly lit, the atmosphere heavy as a tomb.

Then, she saw him.

Uchiha Izuna, her second brother, once full of vigor, a cheerful smile, a lover of pranks, yet incredibly gentle towards her, now lay lifeless on the cold couch. His face was as pale as weathered stone, devoid of any color. His breathing was so weak it was barely perceptible, his chest rising and falling only ever so slightly, as if it would cease completely at any moment. He was wrapped in thick bandages, yet dark red blood still seeped out, staining the blankets beneath him, revealing the immense pain and mortal wounds he had endured.

"Izuna...Brother..."

Aoi's heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant, cold hand. Intense pain, accompanied by an immense chill, instantly swept through her body! Her legs softened, unable to support herself any longer. With a thud, she fell heavily to her knees on the cold stone floor, unable to even feel the pain from her knees. The immense grief, like a tsunami, overwhelmed all her defenses. Tears burst forth like a flood, blurring her vision. She covered her face, letting out a cry that was suppressed to the extreme, yet still uncontrollable, like the wail of a small animal.

Perhaps it was the subtle telepathy between siblings, or perhaps it was the desperate cry that penetrated the fog of consciousness, but Izumi's tightly closed, bloodless eyelashes trembled a few times. Then, he used an almost miraculous strength and, with great difficulty, slowly opened his heavy eyelids a tiny crack.

His eyes were dull and lifeless, devoid of their former sparkle, as if covered in a thick layer of dust. Yet, as his blurred vision struggled to focus, finally resting on his sister, who knelt beside the bed, trembling violently with sobs, nearly suffocating, a faint, yet incredibly clear, light miraculously struggled to gather within those gray, lifeless eyes. The corners of his cracked, pale mouth twitched upwards with immense effort, revealing a barely perceptible smile, incredibly weak, yet filled with indescribable tenderness and... immense relief.

"...Aoi..." His voice was so weak and faint, as subtle as the last flicker of a candle in the wind, but it was clear and carried a heartbreaking tenderness as it reached Aoi's ears, "I'm going home..."

"I'm back! I'm back! Brother! Aoi is back! It's Aoi's fault! Aoi is late! I'm sorry... I'm sorry, brother..." As if these words had activated the last of Aoi's strength, she rushed forward, tightly grasping Izuna's frighteningly cold hand with her cold, trembling hands, pressing it tightly against her tear-soaked cheek, as if trying to warm it with her body temperature. She sobbed and spoke incoherently, repeating "I'm back" and "I'm sorry" over and over again, as if this could retain his rapidly fading vitality, make up for the regret of not being able to accompany him in his final moments.

Izunai seemed to want to say something more, his lips moving slightly, but he no longer had the strength to utter a single syllable. He simply stared deeply, reluctantly, and greedily at his sister's face, so close to him, with those eyes that were gradually losing focus again, yet still striving to maintain a gentle expression, as if to imprint her image, perfectly and forever, on the deepest recesses of his soon-to-disappear soul.

In the end, that faint yet persistent desire was irrevocably and completely extinguished. He held her hand, then completely loosened his grip, losing all hope. Only at the corner of his mouth remained a faint, frozen smile of endless concern and comfort at seeing his sister finally return.

"elder brother--!!!"

Aoi let out a heartbreaking, soul-rending cry, threatening to vomit her soul out, before slumping down upon the body, still lingering a trace of warmth, now unable to respond. A wave of overwhelming, utter sorrow, like a boundless ocean of darkness, instantly engulfed her. The shadow of her father's death in battle hadn't yet dissipated, and now, she had lost her second brother forever... The warmth this world had left her with was being cruelly stripped away, bit by bit.