Chapter 16: Winds of Change

Tajima sat in his tent that was located in the center of their army camp situated near the river. It was barely a two hours journey that could allow his 10,000 strong army to reach the Capital and raze it to the ground. After reading what he had, his heart wanted nothing more than to burn the city and all its residents to ashes.

In front of him, Madara looked about to ready to explode and with good reason because under the pretense of simple negotiations, the Senjus had strong armed them with the Damiyo's help.

He looked at his only sister and couldn't help but feel more sorry for her and his own son as well.

"On the Damiyo's suggestion, Hashirama has agreed to marry Tsunade Senju to Naruto. The Damiyo wanted the girl to marry Madara to keep this peace unbreakable since he would be the Uchiha leader in the future, but Hashirama somehow managed to prevent that. That's a good thing because Madara is not relationship material" said Naori with an amused snort,

She grimaced when neither her brother or nephew laughed because they saw right through her facade.

"In return, they want you to marry Hashirama" pointed Tajima bitterly,

Not only was Naori quite a few years older than the Senju boy who claimed himself as a clanhead, but Tajima would rather marry a street urchin himself rather than pawn off his dear sister to those monsters. She was his last sibling and after his wife he had loved her more than he had ever loved either of his sons combined.

She must have seen his feelings clearly as she came forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"They know how much we mean to each other and it will guarantee that Tsunade will remain safe until I remain the same. The Damiyo has also proposed building a military village on his expense where our two clans and allies shall reside in a few years. All factions shall receive work from the royal court and in return we swear fealty to the royal family. Every clan" emphasized Naori patiently,

"We will not bend" said Madara darkly, receiving a sharp look from his aunt.

"What happens to things that don't bend, Madara?"

Before the boy could answer, it was Tajima who cut him off with a stern glance.

"What are you implying?" asked Tajima seriously, knowing there was more to this mess.

Naori sighed but came forward with the truth nonetheless.

"If we refuse this offer we are going to be charged with treason. The Damiyo has threatened to call his armies and ally himself with the Senjus. Together they will butcher us till there is not a single one of us or our supporters left"

The sheer hatred that arrived in Tajima's eyes was enough to make his sister gulp. Her brother had never forgiven the Senjus for what they did to his family and if he went forward with this then the sister he loved more than anyone else would be held as a hostage for the rest of her life. The revenge he had been waiting for his entire life was about to snatched right out of his hands.

"They have already sent us a warning message" said Tajima furiously, and watched as Madara stepped forward.

"They prevented my brother from approaching us to explain this offer and instead only sent my aunt. They might have tried to hide their deception behind colorful words but I know they are holding my brother hostage. Even if he was comfortably living in the palace, his life is in danger. Father, give me the men and I will put an end to this once and for all" requested Madara, determination and anger burning brightly in his dark eyes.

"Madara..."

Naori's attempt to calm him down only earned her a fierce stare from the boy. But behind that anger and hatred, she also saw something she had never expected to see from Madara so openly. Alteast for her...

"I will not sell my family!"

Despite the situation, both Tajima and Naori were proud to hear those words from Madara. They knew he was not as refined or cunning as Naruto, but he had an invaluable quality.

Madara was loyal to his family, his clan, his allies and he would defend them to the death no matter the odds.

"Madara, you are proposing we rise in open rebellion against the Fire Shadow himself?" asked Tajima seriously, wanting to be absolutely sure that this was not some outburst by the boy out of anger.

Both elders stared at the young Uchiha as he silently contemplated that question. It took him a few long moments and in that time both elders saw what they needed to say and they knew Madara's answer before the boy even said it outloud.

"Yes"

Tajima got up from his chair and walked towards his son as his sister did the same. They both stepped around the boy and all three looked at each other.

"Our best bet is to storm the capital and eliminate the royal family. If possible take Hashirama and his family hostage, if we can achieve that then the Senjus and their allies will bend the knee" suggested Naori,

"Madara don't forget what the Damiyo has done in the past to ninja clans that have opposed him" warned Tajima,

"He burned their homes, butchered their men, raped the women, and slit the children's throats" recalled Madara grimly, aware of what Raiga Minamoto was capable of in his younger days and the years passed had not made the man any kinder.

He didn't have the men needed for a complete victory, but if he accepted this deal then there would never be any hope for the Uchihas again. They would forever be enslaved to a common merchant and be forced to play nice with an enemy they had battled for thousands of years.

But still...

"It is better to die on our feet than to forget who we are" said Madara honestly, and saw Naori stare at him worriedly.

"If you lose...your father dies, your brother dies, your people die, we all die" warned Naori gravely, earning a grim nod from her brother as well.

Madara looked at his father and even if he didn't say it, he saw his father would support whatever choice he made. Tajima knew their chances were slim but they had no choice but to fight. The other option was even worse than being defeated by Senjus in battle.

Madara knew that if he did this then it was he and his brother who would lead their armies. Their people would look up to them, more towards Madara because they considered him invincible. Going up against Hashirama and the Senjus was one challenge, going up against the Senjus and the Damiyo both was suicide.

Fortunately, Madara had not been sane enough to begin with which made him grin wolfishly.

"Well, that makes it simple then..."

Tajima and Naori could only grin at that statement for they had expected nothing less from Madara.

(Capital)

Shisui and the other members of the Kinsguard watched Naruto demolish his own shadow clones in brutal combat. His anger was clear for all of them to see, they all had heard Tsunade's outrageous scream across the entire castle after what was proposed but on the other hand Naruto had gone deathly silent. Unlike the Senju Princess, he was never prone to overtly display his emotions for all to see and decided to channel his anger in a productive manner.

Mikoto worriedly stared at the man she loved and felt helpless on seeing him go through this suffering. Her only consolation was the fact that Naruto was opposed to this marriage even more than her. It threatened to destroy all their plans for their future and not just the Uchiha's.

Still, even she could understand the Uchiha's didn't have many options.

Their group had already sealed off this training area from any intruders and placed silencing seals that would prevent anyone from eavesdropping. Not that they needed to because Naruto was in no mood to talk.

They watched him battle against his army of clones for an entire hour and only stopped when the last one died by his sword. He was panting harshly with his entire body covered in sweat, but his anger was yet to subside even a little.

However, that didn't stop any of them from approaching their friend and leader.

"What are we going to do?"

Nobody was more thankful to Itachi for his direct approach now more than ever for neither Naruto or any of them were willing to go through any pleasantries or fake reassurances.

Naruto didn't answer at first, lost in his own thoughts but a light cough from Kagami made him finally look at his friends.

"I know what my brother will do" whispered Naruto,

"Rebellion"

Itachi's accurate assessment was met with a grim nod by Naruto and knowing him, Naruto would follow Madara to hell itself. If Madara chose war, the Uchihas and Naruto would back him until their dying breath.

The consequences be damned.

None of them missed how worried Naruto was. This could be the event that would either shape the Uchiha's future or destroy it all together. All of them had always looked at him for leadership, but today he needed them.

Fortunately, Shisui had always came through for Naruto more than the other Kinsguard members. So, when he stepped forward Naruto looked at his best friend with hope in his eyes.

"The way I see it, our only chance at victory is taking the Capital and eliminating the royal family. Our army has more men than what the Senjus and Damiyo have inside the Capital. If we take this city before the Damiyo can call for his armies from across the country, then we can win" suggested Shisui,

"How can we do that?" asked Naruto curiously,

"We have Tobirama whom we can use as hostage to make the Senjus back down and retreat from the Capital. But it is not a sure bet, so I suggest we take another one of them as our prisoner" suggested Itachi,

"Who?" questioned Takeshi seriously, already willing to go ahead with this plan.

"Tsunade or Kawarama, whichever idiot is easy. The girl's a hot-head and the boy a weakling, if we have more than one of Hashirama's siblings as hostage then he will be forced to run away from the Capital and leave the Damiyo behind. We can then take the city..." implied Itachi,

"There is one problem. How do we allow our armies to rush in? The walls are chakra proof, the gates are even stronger and breaking through those seals will take a lot of time which would allow the Damiyo time to call for his armies. If that happens, then we will be surrounded from both sides waiting to be butchered" warned Kagami,

Shisui and Itachi glanced at each other knowingly, something which was not missed by the others. Those two boys had always been the sharpest among their group and it seemed they had even thought of this problem.

"The Damiyo has nearly 4000 soldiers in this city, all of whom will be on guard until we submit to the offer. They are on high alert right now and will notice immediately if we make any move. That is not even counting the 3000 Senju forces inside the city. If Madara wants to take this city, then we cannot do it with brutal force alone" advised Itachi,

"Then what do you propose?" asked Naruto hesitantly,

"The only way the city will be unprepared for a surprise attack will be in the event of the wedding actually taking place. I am not saying you have to go through with it but if our enemies are busy enjoying the celebrations, so will the soldiers and the civilians. They will believe they have broken us and that is when we will strike" proposed Itachi seriously,

"What's the plan?" asked Kagami and Mikoto in unison,

Naruto and everyone listened as both Itachi and Shisui explained their action plan to them. It was bold and extremely risky with a good chance of them all ending up dead before Madara even breached the city gates with his army. There was also another problem, if the wedding was actually happening then it was expected of Tajima and Madara to attend it. Same was the case for all the other clan heads of the Uchiha faction. No amount of excuses would suffice for their absence and it might just give the plan away entirely.

Still, both Shisui and Itachi expressed faith in their group and the 500 fighters their faction had brought to the Capital. They didn't have to capture the entire city but only accomplish few key objectives with precision and speed. There would be no room for error because the punishment was death.

By the time the two boys finished explaining the plan, every Kinsguard was on board.

They all knew what the risks were and they knew the consequences of their actions. But they were all good and loyal fighters and were willing to support their clan from forever submitting to the clutches of an abusive Damiyo who was forcing his power down their throats.

Today, it was this marriage. Tomorrow, it would fighting the Damiyo's wars for him with other smaller nations or just doing his dirty jobs so that his family could remain in power. And it would only keep on getting worse and worse until the Uchihas forgot who they were.

If the Senjus wanted to bow to such a man, they were free to do so but the dragons were not going to.

Shisui saw Naruto's hands were shaking, a phenomenon which had never happened before.

"Are you afraid?" asked Shisui seriously, looking at all his friends.

Naruto nodded and was relieved to see similar expressions visible on the faces of his remaining friends as they all looked at Shisui who nodded at them approvingly.

"Good. Because then we all know what's at stake..."

Naruto walked through the small training area inside the Castle and was pleased to find his friend sleeping under a tree. It had taken great persuasion to even get the Damiyo to allow Kurama inside his home. But he somehow managed to convince the man, because knowing that his friend was near gave him some confidence.

Still, he was nervous for the first time in his life with his friend.

The beast was staring at him as he approached, its calculative demonic eyes following his every move and reaction. When he finally stepped before Kurama, the fox said only four words.

"You're going to war"

After all the years they had spent beside each other, Naruto was not even surprised of the fact that his friend realized his thoughts without him ever saying it. There was no use denying what Kurama just said, and he had never lied to his friend before.

He was not going to start now.

"Yes" he confessed honestly, making the beast sigh.

"Would it be too bad if you accepted this offer? I know it's not perfect-"

Kurama abruptly stopped speaking when he noticed something different in Naruto's eyes. He looked closely at his friend and saw he was not doing this out of spite or vengeance. The boy honestly believed he had no choice.

"Will you fight with me?" asked Naruto seriously, making the fox clench its jaw.

"I loved Ashura too, you know. His children are as much my family as you are mine. If I do this, then I am agreeing to be a part of slaughtering an entire half of the family of a man who gave me life" confessed Kurama,

Somewhere in his heart Naruto had always known Kurama didn't share the hatred for Senjus that Naruto had. The fox was certainly not sympathetic to them but it didn't mean he wanted to kill them all.

"My family will not bow to this Damiyo who is abusing his power" said Naruto honestly, earning a snort from the fox.

"And you think your people will not do the same if they win? No, they'll do worse. You'll kill the Senjus to the last child..." replied Kurama furiously,

Naruto wanted to refuse that accusation but knowing his family, especially his brother and all they had went through...he knew they were going to kill every last Senju even if it meant extermination of the Uchihas themselves.

There was no victory here but only death and suffering.

"Your clan and all your supporters will die or get decimated brutally even if you somehow win. You will have your revenge but there will be no one left to share that satisfaction with..." warned Kurama, and remained calm when the boy growled furiously.

"What do you want me to do? My family is going to war, I know it. And I cannot stand back and let them die, they have been there for me all my life. Most of all, I swore a vow to defend my people no matter what. I am not going back on my word even if it means my death" answered Naruto bitterly, his fists clenching shut.

"Tell me something..."

Naruto paused when he heard the grave voice of his friend and when he looked into those eyes he saw Kurama was worried. Something which had never happened before...

"Do you want to kill all the Senjus?"

"I want Tobirama to die and the Senjus to pay for what they did to my brothers" said Naruto angrily,

"That is not the answer to my question" reminded Kurama patiently,

Naruto paused and intensely stared at his friend who looked back at him without a flinch. Somehow, the beast knew what was in Naruto's heart and he was forcing him to say it outloud.

"If they bend the knee...I will accept their surrender and put an end to this war" confessed Naruto,

"Why?" demanded Kurama, wanting to be absolutely sure that the boy knew what he was getting into.

''I know what war has taken from my family. Truthfully, if Uchiha and Senju fight like Madara and my father want them too then we both shall be decimated. I want to end this war but I will not betray my family, my liege lord, and my brother for that. I will make Madara see reason so that he doesn't kill all the Senjus, he will listen to me" argued Naruto,

Kurama did not share the boy's confidence. Naruto was a good person but he had a great weakness.

Loyalty.

It was that same loyalty that made him become a Kinslayer, the same one that kept him fighting for the Uchihas despite all the hatred and scorn he faced, and the same loyalty that would make him fight for Madara in this bloody war.

"Your loyalty will kill you someday, Naruto" said Kurama sadly,

"I know" agreed Naruto with a melancholic smile arriving on his lips,

Kurama's heart wept for the one friend he had gained in such a long time. Naruto had never asked him for anything, defended him even when there was no need, most of all he had given Kurama respect.

When he looked in the boy's eyes he knew that the boy was well aware of what was going to happen.

Naruto was going to die.

The Uchihas for all their power did not have the numbers to defeat the Damiyo and Senjus both, most of all if Madara assaulted the city then Naruto would be the first do die. The boy was strong but he was surrounded by thousands of enemy fighters, not to mention Hashirama himself. His death would be swift and brutal which would only cause Madara to go mad with grief and destroy any chance of peace between the two clans.

Why did his only friend have to be an Uchiha?

"I will not force you to fight for me" promised Naruto,

Kurama could only growl in frustration. They both knew the fox could not watch his only friend die no matter the reason.

"But if you don't...then I want you to do something for me" requested Naruto, making Kurama stare at him curiously.

"What is it?" asked the fox,

"You remember Shizuka?"

Kurama nodded at that question and saw a pained yet happy look arrive in his friend's eyes.

"Even if the tree burns, one branch shall survive"

Kurama's eyes widened as he understood what Naruto was truly implying. The boy was going to be a father...

"Look after them" whispered Naruto pleadingly,

With one last smile, Naruto turned around and started walking away. Kurama felt a lump in his throat and his vision suddenly felt blurry, his heart threatened to drown in grief on watching his only friend march to his death. What made it worse that Naruto knew he was probably going to die...

Damn those Uchiha!

"Wait"

Naruto stopped and turned around as the fox came walking towards him. There was a fire in the beast's eyes, one full of love and determination which touched Naruto's heart.

"I will fight for you. But on two conditions..." said Kurama seriously,

Naruto gulped. Kurama was more powerful than the entire Uchiha army combined, if the fox supported him then taking this city would be a lot easier than before. With Kurama, he could actually take on Hashirama.

But he also saw the beast wanted something from him in return for this invaluable help.

"I'm listening..."

"You will marry Tsunade Senju"

Naruto was about to explode when one murderous glare from Kurama made him restrain himself. He still glared at his friend furiously, the fox knew how much he despised this decision and he was forcing Naruto to make it regardless.

"And you will convince Madara to spare the Senjus and their allies if they surrender. That includes Hashirama's entire family, including Tobirama. Promise me that on your honor" demanded Kurama seriously,

Kurama had never seen Naruto look at him so furiously but he didn't back down from that fight. He loved this boy and could not let him die, but at the same time he had promised the Sage that he would look after his family.

Both families.

If those two morons wanted to fight, then Kurama had to make sure the fools didn't kill each other. Gods, this generation was as worse as Indra and Ashura.

But then again he should have expected this. Their war had gone on for thousands of years and unless one was defeated or bent the knee, it was not going to end no matter what. The best Kurama could do was save these two stupid clans from total annihilation.

He knew that meant that he would have to kill Senjus which would take a toll on his consciousness. It was not a small sacrifice and the boy knew it. At the same time, the beast had asked something equally priceless from the boy.

Letting go of his revenge.

And accepting a hated enemy as his wife.

For the first time, Shizuka's words came back to haunt Naruto...

There will be three instances in your life where you will have to make choices that will not only determine your future but that of the world.

Naruto knew how important Kurama's support was, the beast could save the lives of hundreds of his people. But he would not fight unless he had those promises from Naruto. Both were against everything Naruto had ever wanted...

Marrying Tsunade was like a bitter pill, but sparing Tobirama?

It was like grabbing a dagger and stabbing himself in the heart.

But if he didn't do this, then his family...

"I will marry her"

Kurama felt relieved on hearing those words and ignored the raw fury in Naruto's eyes. The fox knew he was breaking the boy's heart but someday he would thank him for it.

"And Tobirama?" questioned Kurama seriously, and saw Naruto literally shaking with fury.

"I will spare his life if he surrenders, same goes for the rest of the Senjus" replied Naruto bitterly,

Kurama knew what it must have taken from Naruto to make that last promise. It had literally been Naruto's only goal to avenge Izuna, but at the same time he wanted to keep his remaining family alive. If it meant letting go of his revenge, then he would do it.

It was why Naruto was different from his clan, he shared many of their traits but he was not totally consumed by his hatred.

He could be made to see reason.

But damn if Kurama had not utterly pissed off the boy for never had the boy looked at him with so much bitterness present in his eyes.

"Naruto..."

''Damn you for forcing me into this position"

Kurama felt ashamed as his friend furiously walked away. There were times when they both were irritated with each other, but never had Naruto been disappointed in him. Seeing that look in his friend's eyes had hurt Kurama and the fox knew he deserved it for he had taken from Naruto the one thing he had desired most.

If it was any other Uchiha, Kurama would never have believed their promise of letting go of revenge.

But Naruto always kept his promises no matter what happened.

Kurama hoped the boy would do so again.

For in return, the fox was going to help the Uchihas.

Something he had never imagined doing even in his wildest dreams.

Tsunade had been sitting petulantly in one of the training grounds. Her attempt to make her brother back down from the marriage proposal hadn't worked. She had raged and screamed, threatened to rip his head off but Hashirama had not backed down. He had looked at her with such a cold gaze and ordered her to do her duty towards their clan just as he was doing his by marrying an Uchiha woman older than him, and one who hated him even more than Tsunade hated the Kinslayer.

Thinking about that man made her heart fill with fear and disgust.

Naruto Uchiha was a handsome man with a good humor. He was strong and powerful, had more sense than any other Uchiha she had ever seen.

But it were the things he had done which she couldn't stand.

He had killed his own people...men, women, even little children. She didn't care what reasons he had but nothing could justify that massacre. Even if those who died were Uchiha, she could not help but loathe him for his cowardice. What kind of man did such a cruel thing to his own people?

If Naruto was capable of such atrocities on his own, then she didn't need to be a genius to figure out what he would do to her. She knew he was smart enough not to hurt her physically and she could take him on if he dared, but he wouldn't do it because it would endanger Naori and from what she had seen between those two, Naruto actually cared about her. A lot.

But it didn't mean he would stop himself from making her a life a living hell.

She would be surrounded by Uchiha, in the midst of a clan who hated her very guts, a husband who despised her, and a constant threat to her life for the rest of her days. She didn't know if she could handle that...

She loved her clan, her family...but this was just too much.

Hashirama was so desperate for peace that he was unable to see the dangers to this plan. The Damiyo was all for it because he was the one who benefited most from this arrangement. That man didn't give a shit about Tsunade, Naruto, Hashirama, or Naori. He only cared about himself...

Itama had also agreed with Hashirama much to her betrayal. It had gotten to a point where she couldn't even look at her brothers despite how much she loved them.

Her only brother who would have thrashed this plan and beaten some sense into Hashirama was currently a prisoner of those bloody Uchihas.

Silent tears fell from her eyes as she remembered her time with Tobirama. Her second eldest brother was not a man of many words and often preferred silence. But he had always looked after her, Tobirama had always been a realist unlike her other brothers. He knew there could be no peace with the Uchiha.

Two swords could not exist together.

It was Tobirama who had insisted that Tsunade stay back and not participate in the mission to retake the Yamanaka territories. She had been so angry at him for considering her weak and even called him selfish. But her brother had just stared at her calmly and told her it was too risky to send so many members of their family into one battle.

And he was right because if she had gone with him, there might have been a good chance they would be sharing the same cell together and Hashirama wouldn't be in such a good position to negotiate.

Gods only knew what those red eyed bastards had done to her brother? He was alive, that was for certain. But had they fed him properly? Tendered to his wounds? Were they torturing him in different ways, for she knew there were means other than physical torture and the Uchihas were expert in that.

She missed her brother so much...

Her tearful eyes caught sight of someone watching her from the nearby watch tower. Her gaze hardened as she recognized the man in golden armor. His eyes were sad even more so than hers and whatever anger he had was subdued behind a stoic face. She knew he was against this as much as her, rumors were he had a mistress he loved dearly.

Not only was she marrying a man she hated, but also someone who already loved another woman?

It was the worst possible nightmare she could have ever dreamed of.

So both helpless souls just stared at each other...

Madara sat in the makeshift command tent surrounded by his father and aunt as well as all the lords and ladies of every allied clan. They were all in an uproar as Madara explained the Damiyo's offer or rather command to them.

He had not concealed anything from them and told them what his plan was. He even informed them about the military village that the Damiyo wanted to build which had caused another uproar among all the clans. They all served the Fire Shadow in one way or another but if they accepted this then they would be permanent slaves.

Nobody could understand why the Senjus were so desperate to lose their independence to a common merchant proclaiming himself royalty. But the Uchihas and their allies were in no mood for such decision.

Tajima had told them of their slim chances and what it could mean if they failed. The implications were disastrous...

It had led to another lengthy discussion of searching other avenues ranging from getting aid from the Damiyo of another nation, hiring mercenaries, and many more. All of those options would take a lot of time, money and resources. None of which the Uchihas had in abundance...

The Uchihas and their allies had decent wealth but nothing that could help them topple off the extremely rich Damiyo and the well to do Senjus and their allies. All they had were 10,000 highly trained ninjas and Madara.

They could still muster up another 5,000-6,000 fighters but that force would be made up of very young children barely able to lift swords, crippled men and women, and even civilians from their lands. Against a trained army, that force would be decimated.

Madara had vetoed that option solely for the fact that his brothers had been children when they were thrust into wars and he would not allow anymore of his people's children to die like his brothers had. But he also knew that if they lost, then those same children would be butchered. It made him steel his resolve for failure was not an option.

"We should support the Damiyo's brother. He has a lot of influence and can help us topple the pompous bastard!" proposed one of the Namikaze,

"He's a bigger cunt!"

Even Madara couldn't help but smirk on hearing that statement from one of his bannermen. It was true that the Damiyo had other main and branch family members with influence who wanted to topple him. But they were just as bad and would sooner or later use the Uchihas even more pervasively.

He was brought out of his musings when Tobi Shimura got up from his chair and walked towards the center...

"My lords! Here's what I think about the royal family and the Senjus!" said Tobi furiously before showing the middle finger earning loud chuckles from the clan heads. Even Madara and Naori smiled, while Tajima remained silent.

Madara looked at his most loyal bannermen and saw the man stare at him first before looking at the other clan heads...

"We do not bow to our enemies. We do not kiss the arse of a bloody civilian" roared Tobi, earning another loud approval from the clan heads.

"It was the dragons we bowed to. And the dragons are still here"

Madara stiffened when he saw Tobi unleash his sword and point it straight at him.

"There sits the only leader I will ever bow to. THE FIRST HOKAGE!" yelled Tobi passionately, the man knelt before Madara and placed his sword before the Uchiha boy.

Tajima and Naori's eyes widened on hearing those words. Their stupefied faces watched as Madara got up from his chair as Rei Namikaze stepped forward. Both her and Tobi had went to the Capital with Naruto but were forced to go back to the camp on Naruto's orders as the boy had insisted they protect his aunt from any enemies hiding on the road. Now they were glad, they had followed that order.

"Fuck the cunt of a Damiyo! Fuck the craven Senjus! THE FIRST HOKAGE!" declared Rei, as she unleashed her sword and knelt before Madara placing her weapon before him.

Shin Aburame got up from his chair and stepped before Madara. Unlike the previous two clan heads, he was not so boisterous but his steely eyes looked at Madara. Despite their reserved nature, the Aburame's made up a third of the Uchiha forces.

"The Aburame clan has followed you for years. We shall follow you to victory or death" pledged Shin quietly, before kneeling before Madara. Unlike the others he had no sword but the gesture was enough.

Saeko Kurama unleashed her own sword and looked at Madara proudly, "THE FIRST HOKAGE!"

Madara watched in silent fascination as the entire command tent erupted with loud cheers as every clan head rose up for him and knelt. He looked at his father and aunt, they both smiled at him and he could see they had placed their hopes in him.

He looked at his bannermen, they were still shouting at the top of their voices. In their eyes he saw faith and loyalty, they believed in him...

He stood taller and more straighter looking them all in the eye, assuring them that their faith in him was not misplaced and allowed the cheers to wash over him...

"THE FIRST HOKAGE!"

"THE FIRST HOKAGE!"

"THE FIRST HOKAGE!"