Izuna had insisted on being there when the clan medic saw to Chouga and the Akimichi couldn’t convince him to piss off.
“I really don’t,” he told the Uchiha, “get what you need to see this for.”
Chouga was holding himself strangely- forward, sort of hunched. He had been since he dragged Izuna and Mariko off the field. The relief forces had swept in after him and the tide of the battle had quickly turned. It tended to do that, when Hashirama and Madara created a united front.
Izuna suspected they would be hearing from the opposition soon, likely with a white flag.
Still there was Chouga, sitting hunched forward when he lived his life big and towering. His medic was muttering at him as she examined a spot in Chouga’s side.
“I’m going to have to pull it out, Patriarch,” she said. “I can wait for a Hyuuga if you like.”
“Don’t bother, Fumi.” Chouga said. “I’m sure our sainted angel eyes are doing business elsewhere. I trust you.”
“That’s what worries me,” Fumi murmured, and got a pair of grips from her toolkit. “Izuna-san, would you be willing to do a minor genjutsu to hold my idiot of a leader still?”
“Not necessary,” Chouga said. “Izuna-san’s lost enough chakra today and we’re wasting daylight. Stop stalling, Fumi.”
“Well it was worth a shot,” Fumi murmured. She leaned forward and placed one broad palm against her leader’s back. “Deep breath, Chouga.”
“Mm.” Chouga murmured. Fumi carefully dug and Izuna watched as Chouga closed his eyes and evened out his breathing.
“Almost,” Fumi murmured, “Right-”
She drew her arm back, drew the grips back, and Izuna’s jaw dropped just a little. Chouga let out one long hiss. “Is it a good one?” He asked.
“Oh, it’s a good one.” Fumi said. She dropped the broken spear blade- five inches long- onto the bench beside Chouga. “It missed all your vitals. Barely.”
“Small favors,” Chouga said.
Izuna stared at the broken spear. He’d known something was coming, had his sharingan activated but Uchiha Mariko had been in the midst of trying to deflect a volley of arrows and she just wasn’t fast enough. Izuna had defended her and Chouga had defended him, scooping them both up when the sky broke into violet sparks indicating the next wave of ninja with a cheerful ‘time to go, kids!’
Chouga had carried both of them slung over his shoulders with a spear in his side.
“I’d tell you not to move but what’s the point?” Fumi asked as she applied healing chakra to Chouga’s side. “It caught the edge of your armor plate- I can see the nick.”
“Must be time to replace it, then,” Chouga said cheerfully. “Don’t tell Shikana?”
“I am not lying to Nara Shikana for you, Patriarch.” Fumi scolded him.
“But I’ll have to listen to her complain again.”
“At least you’re alive to hear it,” Fumi snapped. Chouga grinned at her though his face was pale beneath his cloud-seals. “I suppose.” He turned his attention to Izuna. “Had enough?”
The Uchiha could only nod.
“Good. Let’s go see your brother, I’m sure he has a hundred ways this could have gone better if we let him be in charge.” Chouga stood and shrugged his shirt and armor back on, bloody hole and all. He strode off through the mud and left a bewildered Izuna to follow.
Fumi watched him go and shook her head with a tiny smile before she packed up. There were plenty of other patients that needed looking after, and she suspected that Uchiha Izuna would keep her Patriarch out of trouble.