My brother's burden
After returning to her temporary residence, Uchiha Aoi collapsed onto the tatami, tears finally pouring out. Marrying someone from the Land of Lightning? Marrying a Night Moon Ninja she'd never met, someone she didn't know if he was human or not? The thought made her feel physically nauseous and terrified.
She imagined a possible future: forced to leave the land where she was born and raised, saying goodbye to the familiar sound of clogs on bluestone, the blooming cherry blossoms in spring, and the gurgling streams in summer. She would travel to a completely unfamiliar country, where there might be no mild climate, no familiar food, and no friends to talk to.
Even more terrifying was the thought of being separated forever from her brother Madara—her only blood relative in this world. Ever since her parents died and Izuna was killed in battle, Madara had been her only remaining support. Although she often lived away from her clan for various reasons, knowing her brother was nearby brought her a sense of security. If she married far away in the Land of Lightning, she might not see him again for years, or even her entire life.
Yet, she harbored an unspeakable secret—the voice beyond the walls, the young ninja whose past and whereabouts were unknown. Though they had only met a few times, and didn't even know their name, that night's conversation had left a deep mark on her. The unfettered ease of conversation, the sense of freedom unfettered by family status, was something she had rarely experienced in her life.
Although he knew that this quietly growing affection was impossible, it made the political marriage even more repulsive and painful.
Just as she was lost in thought, she heard familiar footsteps outside the window. It was Brother Ban! She quickly wiped away her tears, straightened her clothes, opened the door, and quietly looked out.
Madara was walking past her house on his way to the training grounds. He didn't notice his sister hiding behind the door, and a heavy atmosphere enveloped him. Aoi hesitated for a moment, then quietly followed.
At the training ground, Madara was giving instructions to several Uchiha jonin. Aoi hid behind a large tree, watching her brother from afar.
Madara's profile was cold and hard, his brow furrowed. Even from a distance, Aoi could clearly sense the extreme fatigue and heavy pressure emanating from him. His movements seemed to be slightly slowed by some old injury, but his eyes were still frighteningly sharp.
"...The outpost on the northwest border was attacked again, and three Genin were killed." A ninja reported in a low voice, with suppressed anger and sadness in his voice.
Madara closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Reinforce the patrol shifts and send the second squad over there for support."
"But Chief, the second team has just experienced a tough battle, with more than half of their men killed or wounded. They need to rest..." another ninja couldn't help but say.
Madara suddenly opened his eyes, his blood-red three-magatama Sharingan slowly spinning in them: "So what do you say we should do? Abandon the northwest border? Let the Senju people directly threaten our heartland?"
The ninja lowered his head and dared not say anything more.
Aoi's heart clenched. She had never seen her brother so irritable and irritable. The brother she remembered, the one who would gently stroke her head and teach her shuriken techniques, was now a completely different person, tormented by war and responsibility.
After giving the instructions, Madara waved everyone away and stood alone in the center of the training ground. He suddenly punched the wooden stake next to him, and the stake, which required two people to hold together, cracked with a sound.
"Damn it..." Madara's whisper drifted in the wind, full of powerlessness and anger.
Aoi covered her mouth tightly, afraid to cry out loud. This was her only brother. He had lost all his loved ones, and was carrying the crumbling family alone, struggling forward in blood and fire. She couldn't even imagine what would happen to her brother Madara if the Uchiha clan was truly destroyed...
At that moment, her insignificant personal fears and emotions seemed insignificant and insignificant before the enormous shadow of her brother and family's survival. A deep desire to protect her, a mixture of heartache and despair, quietly grew in her heart.
She recalled the last words entrusted to her by her brother Izuna. Izuna was already breathing weakly, but he still held her hand tightly: "Aoi... please... help Madara-san from now on... He's too lonely... too sentimental... People like him... in this troubled world... will suffer..."
She cried and agreed, but didn't know how to fulfill the promise. Now, the opportunity is before her, even though it is in a way she is least willing to accept.
She stood at the foot of the tree for a long time, waiting until Madara left the training grounds before she slowly walked back to her room. The struggle within her heart, far from subsiding, intensified. On one hand, she felt the fear of an unknown fate and a faint lingering attachment to her personal feelings. On the other, she felt a deep worry for her brother and an unshirkable sense of responsibility towards her family.
As night fell, she sat alone by the window, gazing at the moon rising gradually in the sky. It was the moon she had seen since she was a child. Would she still see the same moon in the Land of Thunder in the future?
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