beneath the willow tree | Uchiha Madara

2 | spirits & folklore

❛❛ everything we consider today to be myth and legend, our ancestors believed to be history and everything in our history includes myths and legends.❜❜

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"You look like you've just seen a ghost." Madara comments on his younger siblings bewildered facial expression. The Uchiha leader beckons a servant to refill his glass of rich merlot wine before he refocuses is attention on Izuna. "Are you not well?"

Oh, if Madara only knew his word's perfectly fitting irony.

Izuna meets his brother's mysterious onyx eyes, which are so very similar to his own. "I am, physically." he finally says after a few seconds of stalling his reply.

Madara's stoic features turn into an unsympathetic frown. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't probably even believe me, onii-san."

A low chuckle escapes the older one's parted lips. "Try me." he says before taking a sip from his glass.

Izuna clears his throat before speaking. "Believe it or not, but in fact I really have seen something similar to a ghost. I've seen an actual spirit emerge right in front of me. She tried to seduce me, to lure me into some sort of trap. She even touched my face. I know how ridiculously crazy that must sound to you, but it happened." he affirms.

"Have you been out drinking again with that bunch of idiots you call your friends, Izuna?" Madara questions the younger male.

"No! Do I seem drunk to you?"

The Uchiha leader's expression darkens. "You haven't been smoking opium pipes they offer at that brothel down in the red light district, have you?"

"No, of course I haven't! And even so, you go there all the time." Izuna shoots back.

Closing his eyes and crossing his arms in front of his sculpted chest in defiance, Madara corrects his younger brother. "Don't over-exaggerate things. It's not that often."

"Yeah ... whatever you say, onii-san."

"If it's not drugs, alcohol or women - then where the hell have you been?"

Izuna sighs, dropping his head. "Do you know the old willow tree? The one that stands out of all the other trees in the woods?"

With a frown on his face, Madara nods his head, yes.

"I'm telling you, the spirit of a woman inhabits that tree. I don't care if you believe me or not, but I know what I saw. She was just as real as you and me." Izuna tells his slightly angered brother with conviction in his voice.

Madara rubs his temples to suppress the growing annoyance. This isn't like Izuna at all, and he wonders what he's really hiding from him. "You can't honestly tell me you still believe in folklore and fairy tales? I remember mother telling you those when you were a small child and how fond you were listening to them. But you're a grown man now, Izuna. So tell me what you're hiding." Madara growls slightly, his patience wearing thin.

"Since you bring up folklores, wasn't there one story about a woman underneath a willow tree?" Izuna muses.

"Yes, it's called Higo - the Willow Wife." Madara tells him, before taking a large gulp of rich red wine.

Izuna's eyes widen. "I remember this one, yes. You see, at least I'm not making up a story."

And that's when Madara's patience finally snaps. "That's enough, Izuna! Why don't you just tell me why the hell you've gone to that damn tree and what in kami's name you've been doing there. This bloody tree is almost Senju territory by the way. So what have you been up to?" he shouts at a very annoyed looking Izuna.

The younger one rolls his eyes to the ceiling. "I went there because I met with a girl, okay? Her parents are going to marry her off soon; that's why we had to meet secretly. I guess you can imagine the rest, onii-san."

Madara lets out a long sigh. "I refrain from asking this girl's clan affiliation because honestly I don't care that much anymore. But before making up such a ridiculous story, why didn't you tell me in the first place? This could have been much easier." he says, exhaustedly.

Izuna sighs in return. "I didn't make it up. If I'd lied to you, I would've come up with something less absurd. I wouldn't tell you I've seen a spirit unless it's true. If you still don't believe me, go there and see for yourself." he tells his brother, who looks like he has lost all faith in Izuna's sanity. "Don't make such a face, onii-san. She's divinely beautiful by the way - maybe this gives you incentive to at least check it out." he adds with a smirk on his lips as he gets up.

"Hey, where are you going? I'm not finished with you. I haven't told you yet, to stay away from the girl whose last name I don't want to speak out loud." Madara says furiously.

"No need to worry. We won't see each other again; both of us agreed it's been fatal and meant to fail from the beginning." Izuna placates the other Uchiha. Even though the tone of his voice sounds sober and composed, Madara doesn't fail to notice the underlying hurt bleeding into his words.

"Fine, then." he says coolly. "Get some rest."

Izuna nods his head. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at the council meeting then. Good night, brother."

"Good night, Izuna." he replies as he watches his last living sibling leave the room.

↠

It's not really Uchiha Madara's thing to have a guilty conscience but when it comes to his kid brother, he sure possess a weak spot. Izuna is the only person in his life he still cares about, after all. In fact Izuna is his whole world, he tries so very, very hard to protect from danger that lurks around every corner.

And that's why he's come to the conclusion he was a little harsh with him earlier that evening.

Madara sighs deeply as he undresses, loosening the sash of his plain, navy-blue yukata. He still doesn't really understand why Izuna fabricated such a ridiculously absurd story about an ancient willow tree haunted by the spirit of a beautiful woman to hide the fact he's been courting a girl from the most abhorrent clan that walks this planet. Madara figures Izuna just did that to get him mad on purpose so he would be more likely to be enraged by being made fun of rather than the actual important matter of why the bloody hell Izuna got the hots for a random Senju girl. It was a distraction and it worked pretty well.

The Uchiha leader throws aside his obi and strips off the yukata. Another sigh escapes his mouth as he walks across his chambers to the adjacent bathroom.

Still, the sadness in Izuna's voice was hard to ignore.

It's obvious even to Madara Uchiha himself that Izuna is in love with this girl. He understands because not that long ago, Madara has known what loving a woman entails. And the pain of losing this woman is part of the whole ordeal that Love poses.

Madara catches himself reminiscing about his late lover, Uchiha Fumiko who died like nearly everybody else on the battlefield. She has been the only woman Madara cherishes for more than just superficial qualities and will forever remain the only one.

Love is a dangerous and cruel concept because once it's gone, all there's still left is nothing but sheer hatred - a void so deep it can never be filled again.

Madara has learned to live with it though, because he still has Izuna.

There's always a way forward, as long as you have someone worth dying for in your life.