Chapter Text
Elder Rokka's face was thunderous as he stood before the council, flanked by his peers."It was as Madara-sama said," he growled out, breaking the chamber's stifling silence, "the block is new, though someone did their best to make it appear as though it isn't." Madara fought the urge to smirk as the rest of the council reacted to this news, observing with satisfaction the way elder Kaisa shied away from her peers' disdainful gazes.
"The air was fresh," added elder Hinogiku, his cloudy eyes tracking elder Kaisa's stiff form, "and it smelled of smoke and tilled dirt." Elder Netsumi stepped forward, her kimono flaring as she faced elder Ryuuka and backed up the two elders' words, "The kunai marks were new, there was no dust or debris, and I found fresh tracks leading down to the tunnel, some clearly belonging to a young child, while others match the classical signs of a shinobi trying to mask their presence."
Madara raised a brow, surprised that even after all these years, the elder's skills at tracking were so sharp, and admitted, "Some of those tracks are mine, from when I went to verify Kagami's tale, but I made no effort to conceal my presence."Elder Netsumi nodded at his words, her face impassive, "I am aware, Madara-sama. I recognised the marks that you had left and disregarded them, as you already admitted that you had gone down to investigate. I merely checked to confirm that you only did what you claimed."
"And did he?" Asked elder Shakunetsu, "How do we not know that this isn't some elaborate attempt to frame Kaisa? After all, Madara-sama's disregard for her is well known!" Elder Netsumi threw her peer a scathing glare at his words, her carmine lips twisting into a sneer, "Because Madara-sama, for all his strength and talent, does not possess the skill to craft such an elaborate construction using doton, his capabilities in that regard are entirely martial."
Elder Shakunetsu flushed at her tone, his black eyes narrowing meanly as he prepared a rebuttal. Fortunately, Elder Rokka interrupted him before he could continue, his broad face harsh in the firelight as he addressed the chamber, "These accusations are ridiculous!" The grizzled shinobi boomed, "Regardless of how Madara-sama regards certain members of this council, never has he stooped to such measures and ever has he respected our decisions, even when he disagreed with them! Now he has brought a serious concern before us, and instead of assisting him, you throw around baseless accusations? By Amaterasu-omikami, he is our clan head, have you no shame?!"
Madara eyed the elder in interest, as elder Shakunetsu gaped at his peer. "Clan head?" Elder Kaisa spoke suddenly, her gaze feverish as she glared at Madara, "How can you say that he is fit for such a title, knowing what he plans to do? If anyone in this room has no shame, it is he! How can we in good conscience allow him to continue leading, when he plans to join hands with those beasts!" Her voice grew shrill as she ranted, "It is true that I acted unwisely, placing young Kagami in danger, but I did so out of desperation! I was only attempting to reveal the Senju's true nature!"
Elder Akihime snorted at that, her voice harsh as she addressed the enraged kunoichi, "And yet you have only managed to reveal your own, having just admitted to purposefully putting a child of our clan in danger!" Elder Kaisa stared at her. Mouth agape as she realized what she had unwittingly confirmed.
Her face paled, and she rose from her perch to stumble forward, kneeling before elder Ryuuka, who gazed at her dispassionately. "Please," she croaked out, "I was only trying to protect our clan." Her defense was pathetic, and Madara fought the urge to activate his Sharingan and show her what defending the clan truly meant. "You have broken oaths, Kaisa, "Elder Ryuuka declared gravely, "no matter your intent, you have knowingly placed a member of our clan in danger, and that is not something that this council can overlook."
"Is more proof not required?" Called out elder Shakunetsu, his gaze dark as he glared at elder Ryuuka, "I for one would like to see the supposed differences between the two blocks before condemning a loyal kunoichi."
Elder Ryuuka looked entirely unimpressed with him as she responded, "She has admitted it, and even if she hadn't, Netsumi, Rokka, Enma and Hinogiku all agree that the block is new. What further evidence could you possibly require, Shakunetsu - a confirmed witness report from Amaterasu-omikami herself?" The old man paled at the whizened miko's words, but noticing his peers' disapproving gazes, he stopped pushing the matter.
Madara hid his gleeful grin behind his hair, delighted by the proceedings. That elder Kaisa had managed to implicate herself so thoroughly that the council hadn't even demanded to watch his and the other elders' memories of the block via genjutsu was a surprise, but one he would relish all the same. He had expected to endure hours of squabbling over the minute details, and instead, thanks to her foolish words, they were merely going to sentence her!
"Are we all in favour of ousting elder Uchiha Kaisa from this council, and barring her from ever regaining her seat?" Asked elder Ryuuka gravely, her dark gaze darting over her peers as elder Kaisa stared up at her in disbelief.
Madara said nothing, smoothing his expression and lifting his head to observe as the rest of the council murmured their assent, some more reluctantly than others. He kept a particularly close eye on elder Shakunetsu and elder Sumika, noting their displeasure with no small amount of amusement. Elder Metsukeishi's face might as well have been carved from granite as he observed the proceedings, and elder Rokka's displeasure was clear as he glowered at the desperate kunoichi.
Elder Hinagiku's cloudy eyes were focused on elder Ryuuka, his expression placid as he listened to his peers' judgment. "What should her punishment be?" Elder Akihime demanded brusquely, ignoring elder Sumika's offended gasp, "She has already been ousted from the council, is that not enough?" Demanded the kunoichi, her eyes flicking to elder Metsukeishi, "Enough?" Elder Ranmaru questioned in disbelief, "She has admitted to putting a child too young to be out of the compound in danger, with the intention to restart the feud! Regardless of how we feel about the Senju and this cease-fire, there is no denying the fact that had her plan succeeded, not only would young Kagami be dead, but many of our kin would be forced back onto the battlefield again, and their blood would also be on her hands!"
There were murmurs of agreement from the majority of the council, forcing elder Sumika to concede bitterly, "It is true that her actions were unwise, but do her intentions not matter? She only wished to safeguard the clan – and despite how misguided this attempt was, do her past actions not prove her devotion to the Uchiha?" Madara wanted to scoff at the mention of the elder's supposed devotion, knowing exactly what actions she spoke of, and aware of the fact that most of them were done for elder Kaisa's benefit, and any good the clan gained from them was a fortunate side effect and not her primary goal.
"Intent does indeed matter, Sumika," elder Kagome said coldly, "which is precisely why she must be punished, seeing as her intent was to lead a child of our clan to his death, so that she could use his passing to further her own political goals and undermine our clan head. Regardless of the good you claim she did, I do not believe that a kunoichi who can so callously sentence one of our own children to death should be in a position of power – not when she has already proven that she is more than willing to abuse her authority in such an egregious manner."
Elder Sumika shifted in discomfort underneath elder Kagome's cold glare, as Madara watched the unfolding events with interest.
This, he hadn't predicted. Elder Kagome was not prone to speaking up during council meetings, and she unofficially led that faction of elders that supported neither Madara nor elder Metsukeishi. She had no small amount of influence within the clan, being one of their best healers, and having her support in this was an unexpected boon.
"Kagome is right," Elder Rokka declared, "it would be unseemly to let her go free. Had any other among our kin committed such an act, they would have been executed immediately! Why should she be any different?" Elder Shakunetsu paled at his peer's words, "Surely her years of service earn her some mercy?" He cried out, his expression disbelieving, "Why should it?" Elder Ranmaru questioned with a raised brow, "We have all served, have we not? What makes her different from any other Uchiha?" "She is an elder!" Elder Shakunetsu protested feebly, ignoring his peers' disbelief.
"She was an elder." Elder Enma corrected flatly, "And she misused her position. Rokka is right, any other would have been executed as soon as their crimes were discovered, why should she be any different? Since when does a position on this council make a person untouchable?" There was a rumble of discontent as the council considered their peer's words, elder Shakunetsu looking around wildly, his expression disbelieving as he realized what was about to happen.
Desperate, he turned to elder Ransai, "She is your sister-in-law, do you have nothing to say in her defense?"Elder Ransai gave him a cool look, their tone unaffected as they replied, "Our relationship is irrelevant; within this chamber, we are meant to be impartial. Sister-in-law or not, she has been accused of a crime and found guilty. I refuse to do as she did and abuse my authority. She has proven that she is willing to put her own interests above our kins' lives, to ignore that would be an injustice. We were chosen to serve our clan, and our clanmates trust us to be just. I have no intention of breaking that trust to save a traitor."
Elder Kaisa cried out, turning pleading eyes to her sibling-in-law, "Please, Ransai," she croaked out, "I was doing this for Ranma!" Elder Ransai's expression cooled even further at her words, their tone sharp as they replied, "Ranma is dead, Kaisa, and has been for years. I do not see how any of your actions could possibly aid him. And if he were alive, I do not believe that he would be pleased by your actions. It would shame him to know you were willing to sacrifice a child of our clan in his name."
"Ranma was willing to do anything to see the Senju dead; he would have supported me!" Elder Kaisa cried out, rising unsteadily to face her peers, "I only did what I did because I wanted to protect the Uchiha, honour our ancestors, and all they have lost trying to defeat our enemies! In particular, your grandfather, Madara-sama, since you refuse to!" Her Mangekyo flared as she faced him, "It is true, I did plot to get Uchiha Kagami out of the compound, but I did so to prove that the Senju cannot be trusted! To protect our clan from their inevitable betrayal and to remind us of all those who died to see the Senju destroyed!"
Elder Metsukeishi was nodding along in support of her words, even as the other elders stared at their former peer in furious disdain. Madara merely smirked at the kunoichi, unimpressed, before rebuking, "Let us not pretend that you actually care about our dead Kaisa. I can count the number of funerals you have attended on one hand. No, you did this because you believed that it would benefit you and your allies." His smirk grew mean as he eyed the two elders,"Funny, that you should mention my grandfather, after all, was it not thanks to his folly that your closest ally gained his eyes?" He demanded cruelly, activating his Mangekyo to remind the council what their peer was willing to do for power.
Kaisa gasped from her place, her Mangekyo spinning wildly, reacting to his implied threat - but Madara threw off her pathetic attempts to genjutsu him, trapping her within her own illusion with ease. He ignored her as she crumpled to the ground with a weak sob, feeling no pity for her as she started to cry. She had brought this upon herself by agreeing with elder Metsukeishi's plan, had willingly conspired to put a child's life in danger, broken her vows for a political agenda, and in doing so made it clear that she was unworthy of being a member of the council. He had argued extensively against her joining the council when he was still heir, and in all her years serving, she had done nothing to prove that his original estimation of her was incorrect.
But being proven right wasn't nearly as satisfying as he had thought it would be, not when he considered what the cost could have been. Turning away from her, he faced elder Metsukeishi, "Have I not warned you, over and over, of what would happen if you kept pushing, honoured elder?" He demanded softly, rising from his slouch and giving the elder a slow, disdainful once-over. The old man trembled in place, but to Madara's disappointment and begrudging respect, he didn't flinch nor lower his gaze.
"I have no idea what you are referring to, Madara-sama," he replied, in an annoyingly even voice, "I am referring," Madara enunciated carefully," to all those discussions you keep trying to have with Hikaku, the countless times you have attempted to convince, coerce and blackmail me to overturn the law regarding eye swapping, and your ceaseless attempts to get certain books and scrolls unsealed from the clan head's library."
"Knowledge should be shared," the old man protested indignantly, as the rest of the council shifted in discomfort at the sudden KI radiating between them. Madara sneered, bearing his teeth, "Not when the knowledge in question led to over half of our clan dying or going insane." He declared sharply, memories of his father's grief-stricken face as he knelt before his uncle's shrine flashing before his eyes.
Elder Metsukeishi puffed himself up, his face determined, "That knowledge made us more powerful than you can possibly imagine, Madara-sama! There is a reason why your honoured grandfather chose to support those traditions, and I will not see you and your father's weakness lead our clan to ruin!" Madara stared at the old man, unimpressed and done with this farce. "You wish to see power, honoured elder?" He questioned softly, rising, "Very well - I can show you power."
He ignored the other elders' dismayed cries as his KI spiked, his eyes burning as he crafted his genjutsu. He knew that what he planned to do was taboo – the Uchiha were a doujutsu-bearing clan, genjutsu were common, used to teach, to tell stories, to prove points, and show memories - they were not used offensively in the clan.
But he didn't care at this point, the elders sat safe in the compound, croaking about avenging the fallen and honouring the ancestors as if the dead cared, as if the countless young Uchiha who had lost their lives deserved to die this way for a war that no one even knew the cause of. Enough was enough – if they couldn't be convinced with words, then Madara would have to show them.
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Mangekyo spinning, he stared into elder Metsukeishi's bloody eyes, watching as fear twisted his face and he tried to fight his will – the elder's Mangekyo eternal spinning to life in a futile attempt to dispel his genjutsu. He failed, - as did all his peers, appearing one by one on a bloody field, the ground littered with the broken bodies of all those who had died since Madara became clan head, some as young as fifteen.
Hashirama and he may have reached an agreement when they became clan heads – children under twelve were not to be touched, nor found on the fields, and they may have stuck to it and ensured that their clans did, but that didn't mean that their youth were spared – not truly.
Observing as the elders stared in horror at the massacre, Madara wondered idly why he had not tried this method years ago – some of the elders had not seen battle in decades, they had forgotten the true cost of this feud, the losses that they faced they mourned with the clan – but they didn't see, not truly, too consumed by personal vendetta and pride to consider another way forward, too stuck in thecycle of bloody vengeance that had tied the Uchiha and the Senju for centuries – until Senju Tobirama decided no more.
Hashirama may have preached of peace, he may have begged and entreated Madara to stop their feud – but it was his brother's actions that had truly convinced the Uchiha clan head. For what shinobi would leave his bitterest rival alive – at great personal cost, what shinobi would willingly throw himself at his mercy, and exile himself, leaving his clan vulnerable – than one who truly wished for peace?
Senju Tobirama was ready to give his life to end this feud, and that sort of devotion was not something that any Uchiha could ignore. Madara would just have to show his clan the truth, and the rest would sort itself out on its own.
Seeing the elders stumble over the bodies of the dead, witness the carnage of their kin – gasp over their broken remains made something dark in Madara purr – at last they saw what he saw, at last they understood what he felt every time they came to him and demanded more – more blood, more land, vengeance for their fallen, never knowing what it was like to go out onto the field knowing that he was leading his people to death, feeling their chakra go out as they died and facing his old friend, who looked just as tired, just as worn as he did and knowing that the dream they shared wasn't possible no matter how much he wished it was.
But now they would know, now they would feel what he felt when the battles ended, and he had to face the survivors – and the dead, when he had to cremate those that fell, and console their families, the endless, burning rage and deep unceasing sorrow – the helplessness.
Let them wail, let them despair, let them finally see and understand that the cost was too high, and what he did he did to protect his clan – just as Senju Tobirama had protected his. Smiling grimly, he added more dead to the illusion, hoping that seeing the corpses of their still living loved ones might make certain members of the council see sense at last – especially if they were to view his genjutsu as a premonition of what would happen should the Uchiha restart the feud.
He observed mutely as elder Akihime knelt before her granddaughter's burnt corpse, skin twisted and red, eyes unseeing, a reminder of what would have happened had the White Demon not stepped in and transformed those deadly burns into faint pink scars.
He watched as elder Kaisa stared in horror at Kagami's tiny corpse, pierced through by mokuton branches, left to hang in a grotesque display, his last expression twisted in terror. He saw elder Rokka weeping over the corpses of his grandchildren, and elder Ryuuka's sorrowful vigil beside her daughter-in-law's remains.
He passed a mute elder Metuskeishi as he stared at the eyeless corpse of his little sister, her hand outstretched as even in death she tried to reach her dead wife, and the hunched forms of elders Ranmaru and Ransai as they bowed over their brother's dessicated corpse.
He listened to elder Hinagiku's whispered prayers over his children's bodies, his wrinkled old hands mapping their faces as he cried silently, elder Mokusei kneeling by his side, staring at his deceased husband in mute grief. Moving past them, to where elder Shakunetsu clutched at his daughter's corpse, begging her to come back, elder Sumika, a pale ghost beside him, her hands gently stroking her murdered sisters' hair as if that would bring them back.
He regarded elder Kagome's bitter cries as she bloodied her kimono trying to stem her dead brother-in-law's stab wound, elder Netsumi a silent statue by her side as she gazed down at the corpses of her twin grand-nieces, their tiny faces marred with blood. He witnessed elder Hiroyuki and elder Enma sitting side by side in front of their shared grandson's corpse, tears streaming down their faces, and judged it to be enough.
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Stepping before the council – dressed in full armour, gunbai out he boomed – "This is what your advice has wrought over the years, honoured elders, this is what vengeance has given us. We could have had peace, we could have had mercy, our children could have been saved had your avarice, your cruelty, and short-sightedness not gotten in the way."
He blinked, and the genjutsu shifted – a dark room, his brother, pale and dying on his futon and above him – Senju Tobirama, his hands glowing the green of his clan's famed iryo-ninjutsu, his vajra reflecting the light to show his bright red eyes, the seals on his face – the concentration as he offered mercy to the man that had hunted him since they were children.
Another blink and the scene shifted again, showing the healing halls – the iryo-nin placed gently on a futon as the White Demon once more proved his clan head's wish for peace – healing three of their dying. A sob from one of the elders - Akihime, watching as her granddaughter's burns were healed.
Had the Senju heir not intervened, then the Uchiha would have lost one of their more powerful sensors, and she would have lost one of her few remaining relatives. The elders watched in silence as the clearly exhausted Senju moved away from Asabi, whose pale visage was no longer twisted by pain, her sleep becoming peaceful. Guren was next, his head lifted gently by the pale Senju, whose hands one more glowed green, healing the head wound that would have seen one of their most skilled kenjutsu users dead long before his time.
A gasp as Kagami's bed was approached, the elders observing the tenderness with which he was treated, the exhaustion and pain, and compassion on their enemies' face as he did what they couldn't – as he saved a child of their blood, risking his life for Madara's kin.
"You see," Madara whispered into the stillness, freezing the scene, letting them look their fill. "This is what peace offers us: healing for our wounded, rest for our tired and worn, a longer life for our children. What reason do we have to fight? What have we done to deserve this endless war? What have our children done to deserve such short, brutal lives? We could be so much more, so much stronger if we stop warring with our neighbours, if we unite our resources – we would be unbeatable. With Senju Hashirama's mokuton, we would never face another lean winter; with Senju Tobirama's iryo-ninjutsu, we would not have to fear wounds, infection, and disease. For years, they have offered peace and I have denied them, because of my own worries and your commands, I see now that it was folly – do you?"
He let the scene unfreeze, approaching Kagami's bedside as he woke and Tobirama slipped away – and hoped that it would be enough. That this would force them to remember that while nothing could ease the grief caused by their many dead, there was nothing that they could do for them now. If Amaterasu-omikami was kind, they would see them again in the Pure Lands. Those who mattered most were the living – Kagami, and the other children of the clan, who could now live and grow freely, unafraid of the feud that had swallowed so many of their kin.
A glance told him all he needed to know. A blink and suddenly they were in another part of the healing halls, sunlight shining on Hizuki - who was smiling brightly, her newborn son – elder Ryuuka's grandson, safely ensconced in her arms. Another blink moved them to the training grounds, where elder Hinagiku's three children stood before them, hale and safe, arguing over the merits of kunai versus shuriken. One more blink and they were in one of the stone gardens, where elder Mokusei's husband was hard at work, scarred hands gentle as he shifted the colourful pebbles, making beautiful designs out of mere stones. Blink, and elder Shakunetsu's daughter was there, chasing her laughing little girl through the market, elder Netsumi's grand-nieces running after their best friend loyally, as elder Enma's grandson watched curiously from the safety of elder Hiroyuki's arms.
The relieved sighs at the sight of their kin, safe and sound, satisfied Madara. His message had been received, and the strain on his eyes was becoming too much. He could feel warm blood dripping down his cheeks and knew that he had to release the genjutsu. It had been a long time since he had strained his eyes thus - his battle with Hashirama rarely included genjutsu, and it had been a long time since he had to trap this many people for so long. He would be feeling the strain of this for a while.
A final blink and the illusion faded, the chamber swimming back into view. Blood clumped his lashes together and stuck to his skin, forcing him to blink in an effort to clear his sight. The chamber was eerily silent through it all, the fearful gazes of the elders settled onto him, observing his every move.
Rising casually, he used his sleeve to wipe the blood off his face, and turned to face elder Ryuuka, ignoring the elder's disconcerted murmuring as he did so. A disdainful glare sent Kaisa flinching away from her former peer's seat, and gave Madara room for what he planned to do. The council members startled as he approached elder Ryuuka, their Sharingan blazing to life in reaction to the perceived threat. They watched in disbelief as he kowtowed before the ancient kunoichi.
The silence was deafening as the elders processed his actions, but Madara ignored it - the rest of the council members' opinion didn't matter, not after what he had done. Only one elder had the power to ensure that what he needed was done, and it was her approval that he sought now. The whisper-soft touch of a hand had him raising his head, and when elder Ryuuka met his gaze with spinning scarlet eyes and held it unflinchingly - he knew that he had won.