#crazt

*****

Kneeling before the leader of her clan, the young medical ninja spoke softly in an effort to hide her uncentainity. Raising her head, so that she could look her superior in the eye, she asked. “You summoned, Uncle?” 

Reaching his hand out to her, Madara nodded. “I have.” 

Taking his assistance, she kept her expression neutral. Meetings with Madara were always riddled with uncertainty, particularly since the two of them differed greatly in their stances of how a shinobi should act. He was harsh and unwavering; she was gentle and renewing.  It sometimes caused rifts, but at the end of the day, he was still the leader of the clan, and she was his niece, a right hand man and faithful servant when needed. “May I ask why?” she questioned. 

“I have a request of you.” Madara stated as he led her into a small meeting room. 

The phrasing caught her off guard. Madara was not one to request things. He demanded and assigned, and for something to be requested, it didn’t make sense. It was off putting, though she wasn’t going to explicitly state that to him. Keeping her hands clasped in front of her, she tilted her head. “A request?” 

He nodded. Part of him felt the slightest tinge of guilt sending her to what would most likely be a living hell, but the greater part of him was focused on the benefits that the clan would secure from this. The Uchiha would have one on the inside, one of their unsuspecting, but dangerously powerful shinobi in one of the highest ranking positions within the village. She would be able to see all the inner workings and potential threats to the clan all while being the new envisionment of what it meant to be an Uchiha in the eyes of the village. It was a near perfect opportunity, and he would be a fool not to take it. 

Motioning her to sit, Madara elaborated. “Beliefs aside, you are one of my top shinobi. The clan and the village have always held priority in your life. If I have a need, you will always attend to it, and there will always be success. You should be proud, few can say it.” he began.

Straightening her back, the Uchiha gave a nod of acknowledgement. “Yes?”

“The clan and the village cherish you. You are irreplaceable in their eyes.” Madara continued with the terms of endearment. 

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes, “I’m sorry, Uncle. What is all this leading to?” 

Narrowing his eyes as his tone became more serious, the reality of the meeting began to show. “Because of your history, your skill set, and your disposition, I need you to accept a position. It’s more than a mission. It’s a permanent position within the village, and you are the only one who will be able to fill it.” 

She frowned, offset by the vagueness of this request. “Can you please be more detailed? I’m not understanding.” 

“The village and the clan have agreed to an arranged marriage between you and Tobirama Senju.” Madara was blunt. 

The Uchiha was silent, desperately trying to process what her leader had just stated. In her mind, she was trying to connect the dots that others had apparently connected behind her back, though most of her efforts were in vain. If she had been in front of anyone besides Madara, her reaction would have been more extreme, but he was the head of the clan, and such displays were not appreciated. Blinking a few times, her voice remained soft as she inquired further. “I’m sorry, what?” 

Madara sighed, “Tobirama is going to become Hokage, but before he can assume the position, he needs a wife, and that is going to be you.” 

She shook her head, “I understand that, but why and how was it decided that it would be me? I met him once, and he wasn’t impressed.”

“If you weren’t an Uchiha, he would have been.” Madara tried to counter before diving into the discussions that took place without her. “I won’t lie to you about any of this. This is Hashirama’s poor attempt to fix the ties between us and them. He, along with all the Elders, think that you are the perfect candidate to become a Hokage’s wife, and I personally have to agree- it’s just unfortunate that it has to be Tobirama.”

She tried to collect her thoughts, give a calculated response to all this; though it didn’t come in time. 

“Y/n.” Madara called before any rebuttal could be found. “I know I said this was a request, but you are going to accept this proposition- his proposal. Everyone is expecting this of you, me included.” 

“What?” she snapped out, harsher than before. “I’m sorry, but I think this set up for failure?” she interjected. “Have you forgotten he despises us? This marriage is destined to fail.” 

The man shrugged. “Only if you allow it.”

A pang of irritation rang through her body at the remark. How little did he think of her and her service to the clan to force her to marry someone as cold and bitter as Tobirama Senju. Allowing calculated rebuttals to take their way, she tried to reason. “I do not understand how this would benefit us? If anything, you lose me as a medical ninja and a political force, and that would make us weaker.”

“It benefits us, because we gain you as the first step toward the reformation of our clan in the village’s eyes and as an inside source to the village itself. You by no means are going to become a mere object to him. You will have political power and can use it as you -or our clan- sees fit. If anything, you and the clan are gaining power in this marriage.” Madara tried to squash any will for defiance. 

Biting down, the girl quickly went through the different scenarios of what the outcome of her next phrase would be. And though none of them turned out well, she still tried. “And if I don’t accept?” 

“You don’t have the option.” 

Looking away from him, she tried to fight the overwhelming emotions that were running through her. She was angered that her future was being decided by those other than her. She was irritated that she was no more than a pawn. She was saddened because even though she knew she would never get a sense of normalcy in her life, now the fleeting idea of it was being stolen away from her. She couldn’t pin what was the predominant emotion running through her veins, but she was enraged by all this, and this must have been evident in her expression. 

“Stop it, y/n.” Madara snapped at her. “You’re taking this opportunity. You don’t have room to ascend within the clan. It’s a patriarchy; you’ve risen as high as you can. You will never be the head, or even a predominant leader. Becoming his wife is an opportunity for you to reap power. You have the potential to be great, you just need to sacrifice things; and the idea of a happy marriage is what it will cost.” Madara’s words were unforgiving.

Gazing down at her lap, she was silent, hating the harsh realities he was bringing into existence. It was nothing but the truth, but it was painful to hear.  

Standing, Madara shrugged at her. “It really is a shame. You’re Sharingan is one of the strongest we have, and a good majority of our men would be dead without you…” he muttered. “I do hope you accept it with a fake happiness and not make a fool of this clan trying to defy the inevitable.” he stated.

With a weight in her chest, and eyes no longer looking to match his, she nodded as the reality had set it. “I will…” 

“And you will remain faithful to this clan.”

“I will.”