beneath the willow tree | Uchiha Madara

3 | that useless pride

❛❛a man with a choice between pride and responsibility will almost always choose pride--if responsibility robs him of his manhood. ❜❜

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A knocking sound wakes him from what he – by his standards – considers a deep slumber. "Onii-san, you're late for the council meeting. Come on, get up we need to hurry." Izuna yells through the door while he continues tapping his knuckles against the wood.

"I'm coming." Madara growls as he rolls out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom.

In a hurry, he tries to entangle the mess that is his mane with a simple comb but gives up after it gets stuck three or four times on the way down to the hair-ends. "Damn it." the Uchiha leader curses, tossing the comb aside.

Instead he takes a random ribbon and ties his raven locks into a high ponytail. Quickly flossing his teeth and throwing on the Uchiha's standard high colored uniform, Madara is finally ready to set a foot outside his chambers.

"What happened to you last night?" Izuna asks, frowning as he contemplates his jaded-looking elder brother. "Did you continue drinking?"

"No." Madara says flatly as he brushes past Izuna.

"Then why do you look like – "

Madara casts his younger sibling a warning glance. "I don't need you commenting on my looks. Thank you Izuna."

Waving his hands in a placating manner and smiling a little awkwardly at the older Uchiha, Izuna apologizes quickly. "Didn't mean for it to come out like this."

A growl escapes Madara's lips as he continues leading the way. "I had that ludicrous dream last night that wouldn't let me fall asleep until the early morning hours. That's all." he explains.

Izuna knows his words are ultimate. Pressing the topic on and asking what this curious dream might've been about, wasn't a good idea. Izuna has made some pretty negative experiences with the outcome of driving Madara over the edge by probing into personal or delicate matters, he simply refused to talk about.

"I thought we're late." Madara remarks sharply.

"Oh, yes. Let's hurry."

↠

"My lord I beg of you – at least reconsider your decision! A ceasefire agreement would buy us time to recover the damage we took during the countless battles with the Senju clan. Many men have died, many of the most powerful warriors are still weak or wounded and the few that are still intact can hardly be considered men." a middle-aged council member tells Madara, who only looks at the man with utmost disdain.

"You expect me to bow before the Senju only to beseech them for temporary peace?"

Everybody present knows that his question isn't meant to be a question. The Uchiha leader's voice is laced with definite deadliness aimed at those who are foolish enough to utter another word of defiance.

A heavy silence fills the room. Even Izuna doesn't know what to say to appease his brother in that very moment.

"I fight on the battlefield ever since I've been eight years old, Takeru-san. And so has my brother. The men I take into battle with me however, are no children but young men. Unlike my father I refrain from finding pleasure in seeing infants holding a sword in their hands." Madara declares with great authority that leaves the council speechless. "You are not the only one whose sons fight in war – it's fate you share with most of your kinsmen."