Chapter 22

The Revolt

Two Years Later; Fall

She didn't really feel anything wrong until the ground below her feet trembled.

She must have been getting old, to miss something like this.

She must have gotten too comfortable.

Shit.

Amaya flung herself through the streets of Konoha, alarms blaring ridiculously loud. She didn't even know that the leaf had alarms like that. The ground shook - either battle or just Hashirama's anger, she wasn't exactly sure just yet. In the streets, civilians fled to safety. And yet, there was no attacker, just panic.

Their cries were all the same: The Uchiha. The Uchiha have revolted.

The mansion neared as Amaya raced across the rooftops, only stumbling once when a loose roof tile slipped and cracked under her chakra fueled feet. Below her, civilians panicked, running to safety centers, trying to find safety. Below her, a storefront window broke and thus began the pillaging. Amaya's heart sunk.

On the roof of the building closest to the Hokage estate, Amaya launched herself into the air, caught the ledge of the window and pulled herself inside the Hokage's office. Mito stood just in front of the window, looking her over once before tsking and turning away. Behind her, was complete chaos.

Tobirama sat at his brother's desk, numbly watching as the clan leaders and military officials who were crammed into the office space lead the descent into complete mayhem.

Tobirama's chakra lay heavy in his body, leaking out but only just. This was not rage or fury, this was something else entirely. This was a quiet kind of acceptance. Hashirama was missing. And Tobirama did not have it in him to reign in the situation. Amaya approached him, pushing past some of the great heads of this village to stand before the white haired man.

"Someone tell me what the fuck happened?" She hissed, her chakra pulsing and quieting the room.

And there was that order the room needed to calm down and turn to listen. Tobirama sighed and ran a hand across his jaw. "The Uchiha revolted." There was a sharp intake of breath from the others. Amaya lifted her chin and swallowed, shooting a glance at Mito before turning back to Tobirama.

"I need details to operate, Tobirama." Amaya growled back, that flash of anger that she really had tried to control flaring up. "I've put the entire clan under lockdown and they aren't fighting back."

"Yet."

Amaya whipped around to find whoever said the word, those grey eyes of hers turned as sharp as a blade but Tobirama only waved it off and cleared his throat.

"Madara has abandoned his home and his place here. He has left his clanspeople here to do as they will."

And Amaya's breath whoosed out of her. Oh. Oh. Her friend Madara, who she had shared tea with and who had told her the truth of this world. Oh, she hadn't seen the signs or the warnings. Oh, Madara. What had he done to this peace that she had found?

"So the Uchiha people have done nothing wrong?" she asked, brows furrowing together. Then why had ANBU been given an order to place a lockdown on the Uchiha district? Why were the innocents being punished?

This time, Tobirama gave her that flat look. "Yet."

Amaya gave him a look of warning, sharp and dangerous before she tilted her head, maintaining her control of the situation. "What of Hashirama? Where is the Lord Hokage?"

Mito turned around, an emptiness to her that Amaya felt a stab of grief at. The red-haired woman looked to Tobirama, her brows arching as she, too, waited for that answer.

"Hashirama went after Madara."

There was a pause, in which everyone in the room took in the words. Most of them had yet to hear the news, that Hashirama had temporarily left his post as head of the village to chase down his rival, perhaps his friend, perhaps his foe. Oh, this was not good in the least bit. Amaya took a breath, locking her eyes with Tobirama, then took another breath.

"Is Lord Hokage alone?"

Tobirama nodded and looked around the room. "Yes, but Hashirama is more than capable of taking care of himself in this situation. If anything, it would be an incumbent to him to send anyone after him."

Amaya agreed with that. There was no one in the leaf that could even measure up to what Hashirama had to offer. Not even Tobirama.

"Then for now, instead of squabbling up here like children, it is best to alleviate the panic throughout the village," Amaya said sharply, almost disapprovingly but her eyes remained on Tobirama. "Perhaps to return to the village in a calm manner would be best for the citizens?"

Tobirama nodded, straightening and clearing his throat. "Yes, clan heads should return to the village and get a grip on their clansmen. Anbu will keep a watch on the Uchiha, and the rest will fortify the walls and keep a look out for Lord Hokage's return."

As the others dispersed, Amaya was left with Mito and Tobirama.

There was a beat of silence between the three of them before Tobirama sighed heavily and collapsed back into Hashirama's chair. "What the fuck are we supposed to do now?"

Mito didn't bother to reply, raising her chin high and taking a deep, shuddering breath.

Amaya walked around the desk and rested her hands on the back of one of his chairs. "I know what you are thinking, Senju. This is not an excuse for you to put harsh laws and punishments into place on the actions of one man."

"He has a cult following within the clan, more than any normal reverence for a leader, but some kind of worship. The Uchiha people will find some way to blame the rest of the village."

"It was Madara who betrayed them!" Amaya snapped back, but she immediately calmed, something in Amaya trembled, her breath shaky and her hands restless at her side. She looked out of the grand pane of glass, overlooking the village in almost its entirety. Her reflection stared back, wide eyed and so tired already. "I thought he was my friend."

Mito stiffened but did not turn around.

Tobirama stood slowly from the Hokage's chair and Amaya turned back to him, trying to take a full breath of air. As he stepped around the desk, he reached for her and she almost fell to him, holding herself against him like he could save her from all this heartbreak. And perhaps, in a way, he could.

He traced her cheekbone his dark red eyes soft as they looked at her. "I am sorry that it has come to this."

And then a masked man stepped through the walls just like Amaya had taught her men to do and Tobirama straightened but kept his hold of Amaya tight. It took her half of a second to find herself again before she addressed her Anbu man.

"What is it, Baku?"

He hesitated, which made Amaya's blood turn cold. "There's an issue that you are needed for regarding the Uchiha. A situation aligned with Anbu."

Ryou. Her breath hitched.

It took her a minute to process fully, and then her rage turned red in her eyes. She pulled away from Tobirama, her body tensing it, her jaw flickering with anger and her brow furrowed. "I understand."

Amaya did not bother to look back at Mito nor Tobirama before she left from the window and disappeared into the air. Baku bowed his head to the two before following suit, as quiet as a shadow. By the time the two disappeared, Tobirama didn't have a chance to say goodbye.

The Uchiha compound was how she left it less than an hour before. It was quiet, contained, and filled with anxiety. Clansmen patrolled the border but it was Anbu who kept the peace, carefully stationed so that the Uchiha could see them clearly and know what they were there for.

Amaya landed on the roof of one of the shops, waiting a moment for her companion to catch up. Baku materialized beside her, only slightly breathless but otherwise composed. "Captain, is there an update to the situation?"

Amaya took a moment, that rage still building inside of her so much so that it was hard to think of anything else. "Madara has left the village and the Hokage is in pursuit of him. It is my belief that the Hokage shall return back to the village before nightfall - alone."

Baku handled it rather well, to be honest. He simply nodded and cleared his throat. "The Uchiha population is keeping quiet but I can tell that they are growing antsy and confused. It would be best to update the masses within the next 30 to 60 minutes. I doubt many of them know what this is about."

Amaya swallowed, taking in the information as best as she could. "And what of the situation here? What the fuck did he do?" - and there was that rage that hadn't reared its head in years. Sharp and brutal, so much like the northern forests that Amaya had grown up in. She was angry in a way that Baku wasn't quite sure how to handle.

His hesitation earned an inhuman growl from Amaya. He was hit with her chakra, oozing out of her like lava and so so dangerous to even be around.

"Ushi and I apprehended him at the edge of the village. He came with us willingly but we believe that he either assisted Lord Madara in his defection or was in the process of joining him."

Amaya's anger turned wicked sharp, burning and raging alongside her chakra which spiked dangerously. It wasn't the messy anger that she had on the way here, but something else. Something far more dangerous than Baku had seen glimpses of. Her chakra was no longer the churning mass of energy, but a beast, trained and dangerous and so so angry.

"I see."

Baku took a step back. "What would you have me do?"

Amaya swallowed, and tilted her head side to side. "Update our men about Madara and fill in the Uchiha leaders. Have them update the population but keep an eye on them as they do. Do not let them stray from our mission."

Baku nodded, pushing his shoulders back and swallowing. "What will you do?"

She was silent for another moment but there was nothing else about her that was quiet. She buzzed with anger and her chakra was thrashing violently around her. He didn't dare get closer.

"I am going to deal with Ryou."

She stepped off the roof and landed on the ground, stalking into the main compound, right into Madara's estate.

The hallway was buzzing with a tense silence.

Haeoginaeroginawgr doesn't feel right to go right into the next section

Amaya stalked down the hallway, ignoring the way the other Uchiha members startled at the tempest in her gaze. It was a burning storm, lightning crackling through her veins that struck Ryou quickly. He froze, completely drowning in the furious chaos in her eyes as he backed away. Coming closer, she brushed off the Uchiha maids that attempted to stop her and smashed her fist besides his head, creating a hole in the wall behind him.

She was so close to him, their chests touching as she bared her teeth like a wolf sensing fear. His entire body seized in terror and it felt as if even his heart had stopped beating. His breath was caught in his chest and words were left in the back of his throat. She took a shuddering breath, her eyes narrowing as she tilted her head.

"I have never been more disappointed in my life, Ryou," her words came out as a whisper and he could only stare at the wispy scar on her cheek. She leaned closer and raised onto her toes, keeping steady and firm against the ground. "You want to betray me."

He snapped at that, meeting her eyes despite that ugly feeling in his stomach that made him want to curl into a ball on his futon. An ember appeared in his eyes and he shoved Amaya away and stood. Stepping back, she began to stalk back and forth with her shoulders raised and her eyes narrowed.

He jabbed at his own chest, jutting out his chin. "We were betrayed, Amaya. The Uchiha clan!"

She barked out her coarse laughter, the sound grating even her own nerves. "Madara wasn't yours, Uchiha boy." His gaze warned her but she was not done. Stalking forward once more, she stood directly in front of him and spat. "We were friends, Ryou. He betrayed us all."

Ryou took a deep breath and swallowed.

Amaya rolled her eyes then looked back to stare her subordinate directly in the eye. "And now you're following in his footsteps."

The Uchiha stiffened and hurt flashed through his gaze. He kept his mouth closed, watching Amaya carefully as she continued.

"And I'm gonna have to kill you, Ryou. If you fucking defect I'm gonna have to hunt you down with everyone else that follows you and fucking slit your throat and take your eyes and you know it. Don't make me do something like that." She paused, wetting her lips and releasing a shaking breath. "Please."

And for a moment – for a single moment – his heart broke at the pain in her voice, at the way her voice cracked at that word and the tears in her eyes. Ryou couldn't pull away, couldn't break away from her eyes and couldn't drown out her words with his thought.

"You don't stand a chance alone and you're never gonna find him." Her voice trembled but she stood tall and he kept back that gnawing terror.

Ryou glanced at his feet. "He's my leader, Amaya."

She scowled and slammed her hand against the wall again that beast of a chakra rearing its ugly head. "I'm your friend, Ryou. You and I have been through hell together. We fucking went through hell together to make Anbu succeed and you are going to turn your back on it. You're going to turn your back on your Hokage?"

Ryou rolled his eyes and shifted uncomfortably. "He's a Senju, Amaya."

She brushed off his concern and took a breath, eyes narrowed as she looked at her, her lips pressing together before scoffing, her voice still filled with hurt. "Especially after this, you should know that clan names shouldn't mean anything anymore. We can make a difference with the positions we have gained. We have a seat at the council and can do something with it – more than just taking out the Leaf's enemies." Amaya sucked in her cheeks and looked at the hole in the wall she had just made her lip trembling for just a moment before she mastered it. "Madara has abandoned all of us. Not only the Leaf, but you and your people. Everyone is going to look at your crest, look at your eyes, and they will judge you for them. Prove to them you aren't a traitor. Prove it to me. Prove it to everyone."

And with that, she looked at him, really looked at him and her hand raised to caress his cheek. Without even realizing it, Ryou leaned into it, closing his eyes and wishing away the tears that threatened. She was gone before he could bare it, disappearing back down the hallway, almost nothing more than a shadow. And he knew that he would have followed her into the depths of hell itself if she asked it of him.