The sudden change in the war situation and the sad news of losing his father
Within and beyond the walls, a hidden, restrained emotion, like a vine struggling to survive between boulders, feeds on the occasional glimmer of light and the unexpected rain, quietly growing and entwining two hearts that should never have been close. Uchiha Aoi strives to maintain the demure facade expected of a noble lady, treating each brief encounter with the cold, clear voice beyond the walls as a glimmer of light stolen from a gloomy and oppressive life, carefully cherishing and savoring it. Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama continues his fierce tug-of-war between reason and emotion. Each seemingly casual "drop-in" visit, each restrained yet precise gift choice, causes the icy defenses of absolute logic to unknowingly fray, opening imperceptible cracks.
Yet, they all forgot what a cruel era they lived in. The torrent of the Warring States era never paused for the petty joys and sorrows of individuals; it always crushed all dreams of tenderness in the most brutal and bloody way, exposing the cold reality nakedly before the world.
In late autumn, a chilling atmosphere, like an invisible cold wave, quietly swept across the Fire Nation's capital. Even the aristocratic mansions, seemingly isolated within their high walls and secluded from the world, could no longer maintain their carefully cultivated facade of tranquility. An unnatural tension began to permeate the air. The gossip in the streets gradually changed its tone. No longer the after-dinner chatter of noblewomen or discussions about fashionable clothes and hairpins, it became increasingly mixed with vague yet alarming reports of a rapidly escalating border conflict, the grave injury, or even the death of a prominent ninja clan leader. These reports spread like ink dropped into clear water, spreading ripples of unease.
Visits between nobles seemed to have drastically decreased. Even when they did occur, the music at banquets seemed forced. Guests forced a smile, but their glances were filled with a certain tacit solemnity and cautious whispers. Even the servants in charge of purchasing returned with a more tense expression than usual, and their whispers were cautious.
As Grandma presided over the affairs of the mansion, her expression became more serious and stern than usual, her brows often furrowed. She increasingly dismissed her attendants and conversed in whispers with her trusted butler in the study, conversations sometimes lasting hours. Once, while delivering refreshments, Aoi carefully approached the hallway with quiet steps, faintly catching the sound of muffled, staccato phrases: "...the food supply lines have been cut...", "...the Uchiha have suffered heavy casualties and urgently need support...", "...we must make plans early..." Each word was like an icicle, piercing Aoi's heart!
She tried to extract more information from her closest maid, Aju, but Aju, who had also been severely warned, simply shook her head in fear, her lips tightly pursed, not daring to utter a single word. This all-encompassing information blockade and pervasive tension only served to reinforce the gravity of the situation.
This overwhelming sense of impending doom and gloom left Aoi restless and unable to eat. More than anyone else, she cared about the bloody battlefield to the north, for there lay her most important blood relatives—her father, Uchiha Tajima, and her brothers, Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna. She desperately longed for the voice beyond the walls to return, even if it was just a few words, even if she had to laboriously decipher and interpret the hidden message in his usual calm tone. She was even willing to pay a price, just to know her father and brothers were safe.
This time, however, the silence outside the walls lasted an agonizingly long time. One month, two months... Spring and autumn alternated, the leaves in the courtyard fell and grew again, but that familiar voice, like a stone sinking into the ocean, never returned. This long, hopeless wait, this complete lack of news, was more tormenting than any clear-cut bad news. It left too much room for imagination, and fear always filled it with the worst possible scenarios.
She began to be plagued by frequent nightmares. She dreamed of her father and brothers, covered in blood, fighting alone amidst the enemy, their Sharingan's light dim and hopeless. She dreamed of the Uchiha clan's land burning and collapsing in a raging fire, the familiar training ground littered with the bodies of her clansmen. Sometimes, she even dreamed of Tobirama, his cold red eyes gazing at her without emotion... Every night became a long torture.
Even when daylight returned, she couldn't escape the nightmare. Her mind was hazy, she made frequent mistakes during etiquette practice, completely forgetting the intricate steps. During tea ceremony class, she accidentally knocked over her grandmother's cherished, Tang Dynasty celadon-glazed tea bowl. The crisp shattering sound was like the snapping of her own frayed nerves. She stared blankly at the autumn chrysanthemums blooming in the courtyard, her eyes empty, as if her soul had already flown away to the distant battlefields of the north.
Grandma observed her increasingly pale and emaciated face, the unconcealed panic and darkening in her eyes, and assumed she was frightened by the recent tense and depressing situation in the capital and the terrifying rumors. She offered a light reassurance, "It's nothing, don't panic," without pondering the deeper source of her fear. She simply ordered the kitchen to brew more soothing soup, but it did nothing to soothe Kui's parched and anxious heart.
Finally, on a cold, damp evening with dark clouds hanging low, a piece of tragic news, like thunder from the sky, inevitably and heavily struck this deep house that had tried to isolate it from the wind and rain, still through the special channel of information transmitted between the nobles.
The Uchiha clan leader was seriously injured in a fierce battle with the Senju clan a few days ago. Despite all efforts to treat him, he eventually died due to his severe injuries!
When the news reached Aoi, she was kneeling at her desk, absentmindedly practicing flower arrangement, trying to calm herself with this refined art that required extreme concentration. A maid rushed in, pale and stumbling, and stammered, reporting the news that had just arrived from outside, news that was enough to shake the entire ninja world.
The freshly trimmed, bright and juicy hibiscus in Kui's hand slipped from her fingers with a "snap" and fell on the table covered with white brocade. The bright red petals scatter, and the color is as dazzling as spilled, warm blood.
Father……
The floodgates of memory were blasted open by this immense impact! The figure still vaguely warm in her memory suddenly became clear—the father who always wore a stern face but silently watched and clumsily cared for her...the father who, at her mother and brothers' funerals, held her in his arms and told her he would always protect her, the father who felt omnipotent... was he dead?
Died...in the battle with the Senju clan?
A huge sense of sadness and incredible absurdity swept over her like a tsunami, instantly draining all her strength. Her vision went black, her limbs went cold to the bone, and she almost collapsed from the cushions. The maid, Aju, hurried forward to support her shaky body.
"...Who...?" She heard her own voice trembling violently, as thin as a thread, as if it came from a distant horizon. "Who... killed my father?"
The maid, Aju, showed great fear on her face, her lips trembling as she uttered the curse-like name with difficulty, almost breathlessly: "I heard, I heard from the people outside that... it's the... clan leader... of the Senju clan..."
The leader of the Thousand Hands clan——Thousand Hands Buddha!
This name! Like a poisoned, icy-cold kunai, it pierced Aoi's defenseless heart with unstoppable force! In an instant, all her blood seemed to freeze, and her breathing was strangled!
In an instant, all kinds of resentful and malicious thoughts flashed through his mind, and he decided to kill Senju Buddha to avenge his father.
In a moment, the maid Aju was heard whispering tremblingly that Senju Fusuma was also killed by the Uchiha clan leader on this battlefield, and the two died together.
Before the huge shock and sadness had time to completely consume her, another piece of news came: the young Uchiha Madara was appointed to succeed as the new head of the Uchiha clan. His opponent would be the equally young, yet equally powerful Senju Hashirama.
The two tribes lost their supreme commander, but the hatred did not disappear. Instead, under the leadership of a new generation of leaders, the conflict escalated in a more intense and cruel way!
Aoi felt her head spin. Her father was dead! Madara-san was forced to shoulder the entire family's burden, facing the man said to be so powerful he was inhuman! And what about Izuna-san? How had he become?
Extreme worry and fear left her restless. She no longer cared about etiquette and wrote furiously, writing more than a dozen letters, begging her brother Madara to allow her to return to the clan. She didn't know ninjutsu and couldn't help in the battle, but at least... at least she could offer her brother a glass of water when he was tired, wait for him back at the clan, let him know he wasn't alone, he had a sister waiting for him to come home!
The letter was secretly sent out through a special channel. She waited day and night with a faint hope.
However, when the reply finally arrived, it was cold and heartbreaking. It was from Brother Ban's handwriting, written in a sharp and tired hand. It contained only a few short sentences, which basically said: The clan's land is extremely dangerous, the war is intense, and there is no time to spare. It is her safest option to stay in the capital. Do not miss her, and do not reply.
Rejected her! My brother rejected her!
Aoi clutched the thin piece of paper as if it were a cold stone, tears blurring her vision. She understood her brother was trying to protect her, but… the feeling of being completely excluded, helplessly waiting for news, was more heartbreaking than any scolding.
She was even more worried about her two brothers' situation, and she couldn't sleep at night. The shadow of her father's death in battle hung over her, and the dangers that Madara and Izuna faced on the battlefield haunted her like a nightmare. She felt more lonely and helpless than ever before.
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