𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

54

"OPEN UP!"

[Name] stood in front of the deserted house in which her uncle and her guards were staying, yelling out at the top of her lungs. In less than a second, the door was flung open, and she was met with the tip of a sword to her throat.

"[Name]-sama?!"

Aki, who was wielding the blade, looked thoroughly alarmed at the sight of his weapon held against the Kouhage, and immediately lowered his katana as [Name] glowered at him in the dark.

"[Name]-sama-" The younger boy was cut off as [Name] stormed past him into the house, locating which room her uncle was in and barging past an equally flabbergasted Yoshi to get in.

"Oji-sama, I refuse!"

[Name] slammed open the door to her uncle's room as she made her stance known, feeling Sasuke not too far behind her. Akinobu lay on his futon with his eyes closed, hands on his belly as he remained comfortable in his position.

"Aki, Yoshi. Leave us be."

His reply was short and concise, infuriating [Name] even more as the two baffled guards quickly bowed and exited the room.

"My life is my life, and I'm sick of everyone else trying to dictate how I live it! I came here and married Sasuke, did I not?! Was that not enough for you, oji-sama?!"

"Please lower your voice. Being loud doesn't necessarily mean your point will be heard."

"How else will it be heard?" retorted [Name] as she glared at her resting uncle. "Through me grovelling on my knees? Wailing and sobbing in the dirt, begging for clemency like a prisoner of war?"

"[Name]. Your life is not your own. You live your life for the benefit of the clan you were born into. You know you have duties that need to be fulfilled. Marrying Sasuke was one of them, but now that a new and even better opportunity has arisen, and both the Uchiha council and I are fine with it being annulled in favour of a better offer, it is no longer required. Think of it as a promotion. You're going from an extended family member to the leader of the clan. Isn't that enthralling?"

"I'm perfectly happy with my life as it is right now! I don't see any reason to uproot my life to join Madara-sama's side!"

"[Name], if Madara is so adamant in enlisting our clan's shinobi for his own use, he has to do something in return. This is the perfect opportunity to strike. Don't you think?"

"No!"

"You're not looking at the bigger picture, [Name]! In hindsight, when the Uchiha first approached us, it would've been much easier for us now had we insisted that you be wed to Madara, or even Izuna. Think about it. By marrying Madara now, you would, in theory, become the new matriarch of the Uchiha clan and its leading family. Your children would be genetically gifted with not just one, but two kekkei genkai. With their father being the strongest shinobi in the Uchiha clan, and their mother being the strongest kunoichi in the Kouhage clan, their genetic make up alone would render them undefeatable! Not only that, but your eldest child would surely, surely be the glue that seals our two clans together. They will be as much Uchiha as they are Kouhage, and our clans will have no other option but to integrate under that child's leadership!

"And, I really shouldn't be saying this, but leading our clan isn't something I can see either Akiyuki or Akinari doing well. I'm hoping that through this move to the Land of Fire, we can relocate them to join their wives' respective clans so that the road to the position of clan leader is clear for you once we've settled near the Uchiha. You're young, and have many more years ahead of you that could easily lead to a smooth integration of our two clans in the future. I'm no fool- I know the road will be rough, but you are more than capable of handling the journey."