回転輪
回転輪 The wheels that turn
The last traces of the snow race were soon covered up by thick layers of new fallen whiteness. The lapins were chased back up to the north by a group of capable shinobi. Nobody had an answer to the question, why those creatures had come down that far south, but really. Nobody even cared as long as they stayed up in the north.
Which was why nothing more special happened and when the first flowers bloomed in spring, the children had forgotten, that they had fought those giant rabbits.
Madara and Izuna would be trained like always, Madara in single lessons with Egao and Izuna by the monks together with the other children. Mito would sometimes join in, when the she was dismissed of her duties. With their starting friendship, Mito stopped thinking too much about her own future.
Occasionally, shinobi groups would arrive and leave Uzu no Kuni to bring supplies and depart with the newest recruits – some of them were no older than 5. When it was cold, those groups were quite rare, but the warmer it got, the more often Madara greeted people he had known from when he was still in official service. And not on the reserve bank.
Those troops would bring scrolls with information in and out of the country; the communication was solely made out of scrolls, leaving through those convoys.
The wheels in Madaras fate started to turn again on the one spring day, when he overheard a conversation between the old head monk and Egao.
"So, when are you going to send your last report to Tajima?" The old man leaned upon a stick and walked next to Egao. The teacher had his hands behind his back and looked at the freshly blooming cherry trees.
"I think this should be the last one."
Madara was on his way back out of the woods –taking an undisturbed pee- when he overheard the two most important men in Uzu no Kuni talk. He quickly hid behind a tree and went on listening.
"Tajima wrote in his last letter, that his younger brother is coming to visit soon."
"Ah, I remember. He is Yumis husband and father of her child if I am right?"
"Yes and since it soon will be time for the child to be born, the one eyed wolf is going to be united with the tigress again," Egao grinned, "They are made for each other, weren't they? What will their child be called? The mixture of a tiger and a wolf?"
The old man laughed and Madara followed them behind the trees. They were turning right and stopped in front of the training grounds, where Izuna beat up some youngsters with his feet; then tried to explain them why he could beat them so easily. They watched them for some minutes.
"Izuna could be a very good teacher. It's a shame he is going to be cannon fodder for Tajimas ambitions."
"You may be right," the old man sighted, "but what about Madara?" The young Uchiha desperately tried to get closer to the two adults.
"Well, the boy has talent, no doubt. But he could do better. A lot better. I think, with a little more of my training, he would be able to activate his third sharingan semicolon… But that's just a theory. For the beginning," Egao turned around and face the trees, "he should learn to hide better! Out there now boy!"
Madara bit his lip and stopped himself from hissing out some curse words, before he jumped out of the forest in front of his teacher.
"You really need to focus better." Egao turned around, waved with one hand and Madara followed him down the hill, where they picked up Izuna.
The little guy was all sweaty from his training and waved his new friends goodbye, while trying to tell his brother about how awesome those kids were. Together they walked into a tatami room in the main building of the temple and were sat down in the middle. Egao pulled out some scrolls and started to lock through them.
"Well, as Madara already knows, you are both going back to your father soon. So I would like to talk with you about your results and the report, I am going to send to Tajima. Are you ready?"
The boys nodded and Egao started to tell them about the results he gathered. When he concluded after some minutes, he began with explaining, how they should go on with the training, even while being on duty again.
"Your on-field teacher is Sakai, am I right? I will send him this scroll with your results. And now," he turned around and waved at the door behind him. It opened and somebody snuck in.
It was a girl with black hair and black eyes in a blue-lavender fighting garment.
"Sister," Madara gasped. He hadn't had the chance to talk to her since he had arrived almost 6 months ago and now she just casually sat down next to his teacher and unrolled a scroll. She didn't say anything, but shot a mean glare at her younger brother, who shut up the second.
"Lana here has been in charge of collecting data on your behavior. Your father ordered her to, since you got sent here because you might have committed treason, we had her watch over you for the time being," Egao explained, "she is here to tell you the results of her work. Would you please be so kind..?"
"Thank you, Egao," Lana kindly answered and enrolled a scroll herself, "where should I begin…" She searched through the scroll and got to a point on it, "well, here is nice… My report: The two boys have behaved quite well over the whole time. I see no problem with them going back to active service. There have been some incidents, which have no relation with their committed, I may call it that, crime and will not stand in the way." She looked at Egao. "I am sure, there will be no problems with them going back," Lana faced Madara, "still, I included the major incidents."
"Like the lapin thing in the winter?"
"Yes, like that."
"But father is never gonna let me return if he hears that I got the future priestess in danger and that she even got hurt!"
"That is not my problem; I am only doing my job."
"Don't write that! Lana you cannot-"
"Don't tell me what I can and what I cannot do! And don't call me Lana! For you it will always be 'Yasashiko-Aneue'," Lana was up in one fluid motion. She rolled up the report and handed it Egao, "may I take my leave again? I can't stand it, being in the same room as my stupid brother for too long."
"You may leave," Egao started but Lana was already gone. He sighted, "what a troublesome girl."
Madara had also gotten up. He was angry. He felt insulted by her and how she treated him. He was her little brother! And the future leader of the Uchiha! And she couldn't treat him that way! If she wrote about the lapin thing in her report, he was sure to never get the chance of fighting for the right thing.
Izuna didn't understand why his brother had gotten all red and steamy. He had also not understood why Lana was making such a fuss about her name.
"Don't get too worked up boy," Egao stood up and patted Madara on the head. He hated it. He hated being treated like a baby.
"Lana has been working very hard those 6 months you know. She has never let you out of her sight, except for when you were on training. And you should have seen her face after the lapin incident. You were not supposed to know about her spying on you, so she had no choice but watch. Only when you finally had gotten back she could start helping. You were too focused on Mito, so Lana knocked down most of the big bunnys…" The teacher turned around and left the boys alone.
Izuna tugged on his brothers sleeve. With puppy eyes he looked up, "…brother..?"
"It's just…" Madara slumped down on the tatami and did a pout, "I mean… I have done nothing to have her hate me so much. I mean, we haven't seen each other for how long? Almost eight years?! She has no right to do so!" He stared straight ahead. A stubborn little boy.
Izuna didn't know what to do. He knew his brother was angry, but he couldn't help it: normally there was nothing that could get Madara that worked up. And when he was worked up, it was even harder to cool him down. So the little brother just hugged the older one. That was until they heard a soft tap on the door.
"Can I come in," a familiar voice asked and the lively redhead Mito peaked inside. She sat down next to Madara and poked him.
"What are you doing," he responded annoyed but she didn't hush over his angry voice.
"You know, I think your sister likes you more than you think. And you just said it, you haven't seen each other for eight years. That's a long time. Why do you think she doesn't like you?"
Madara bit his lip. He then started a rant:
"She blames me for her miserable life! She blames me for taking her place as heir! She blames me for not protecting our little brothers prober and she hates me for it. She blames me for her stupid life!"
Mito and Izuna looked at each other for a moment.
"You know… Can it be that you are blaming yourself for all that? She never said she blames you. Or is mad. She might just be… bad at making connections?" Mito tried to somehow justify Lanas actions. Tried to explain how someone she didn't even know had become that way.
"…whatever…" Madara muttered, "the report is out. The wheels have started turning. We will leave this place eventually. The question is, what happens after…"
Mito didn't know what to say and just looked helplessly at Izuna.
The messenger took off the next day. Madara calculated it through. If he was lucky, he had between 3 or 4 days of time, until his father would read the message. And another 3 to 4 days until he would receive a punishment letter. All in all he wanted to enjoy his last "week" at Uzu no Kuni.
At daytime he would train and protect Mito, at night time he would go out with her and try to figure out where Lana was hiding while observing him, but he never got lucky.
It was one warm spring eve at the pond where they had first met, when Izuna came running, with the message, which set the wheels of fate on turning.
End of Chapter 6
