𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | izuna uchiha

Chapter 5

Izuna stood near the window of his room, carefully preparing his weapons and reminding himself that he should review his strategies for the battlefield later with Nanami. Today was the day where he and his older brother would lead their clan members into battle with the Yasuda clan, and he was ready to fight for his clan. He strapped on his amethyst metal plates and tied his sword to the side of his belt along with his bags of kunai and shuriken.

Stuffing the maps, scrolls, and other documents into his bag, Izuna left his home and headed over to Nanami's house. The crisp and fresh morning air stung his nose, and he could see his fellow clansmen running around the compound to get ready for the battle in the afternoon. Women were ushering their children inside their homes to prepare them for war too. After all, it wasn't unusual for children to join the fight during this era.

Izuna stopped for a moment and watched as a ten-year-old child clutched tightly onto his mother's hand with watery eyes. Fear was developing inside the child, and his mother had to remind him that he had a purpose to fulfill on the battlefield. From the distance, Izuna stared at them for a little longer before he turned away from the scene. The child reminded him of himself, and he could remember his father's advice from back then too.

"Remember to protect the people who are close and important to you, my son. Otherwise, the pain of losing someone precious to you will be unbearable and full of despair."

Quickening his pace, Izuna closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His father's words whirled around in his mind, and he formed his hands into tight fists. Now that Nanami was a leader for one of their groups, she would constantly be out of his radar and sight. Her whereabouts would never be permanent unless she created a central base to give out her commands, and that worried him greatly. The last thing he needed was for Nanami to be out of his reach. She belonged solely to him, and he vowed to never let anyone lay a hand on her.

"She isn't allowed to die today. I won't let her leave me in this world full of darkness," he murmured.

From the corner of his eye, Izuna spotted two familiar clan members exiting out of their home. He pivoted his head around to see a frantic Juri running after her husband, Arashi.

"Arashi, wait! Where are you going? It isn't time to leave yet!" Juri called out desperately.

"Go back inside the house, Juri! I'll come and get you when I'm done with taking care of some personal business!" yelled a fierce Arashi.

"Darling, you promised me that you would have breakfast with me though! Won't you please come inside for a few minutes?" she implored.

"I have no time to eat the breakfast you made for me, Juri! Now go home and get ready for the battle!" he replied coldly.

Izuna's blood boiled feverishly as he witnessed the horrible and heartless treatment that Arashi demonstrated for his wife. He couldn't recall how Juri ended up marrying someone like Arashi, but he wondered why she even bothered to stay at his side. Juri was fairly young for her age, and she couldn't have had any trouble with finding a suitable partner for life. Her sweet personality, charm, and devotion to the clan made most of the Uchiha men weak in the knees, but of all the suitors to choose from, she chose what seemed to be the worst one. With that said, Izuna averted his gaze from the young couple and carried on as the bright sun rose slowly to the sky, indicating that the morning hours would soon be over.

***

With chakra pumping in her feet, Nanami leaped up into the air and landed on the top of a vast cliff with her team. She decided to make this area her base to give out commands for their plans, and it was a great place to oversee the fight between the two clans. If anything went wrong, she had the ability to counter or give her clan the upper hand with her strategies.