Work Text:
it's a moment in
standing in line, in place
knowing who is behind him
Knowing he will forget who is around
Eyes only on the enemy, but never
Their face
He hears their voice
Higher than he thought, but then that
ought to be expected
They are only a child,
like himself
“Die, Senju!”
Die,
And it's something
Children shouldn’t say, but
They’re shinobi
He remembers what his father says
(He says but with his hands and anger, so the fact cannot be swayed with
black and blue spirits)
But he knows one soul who still dares to disagree
To his right, further up near his father
His elder brother
Who has the strongest spirit and jutsu
Than of any in his clan, he is sure
He can sense it
His brother’s emotion at
This heartful (hateful) declaration
He lets his eyes graze their chin,
Pointed, sharp
Yet they are only a child,
Ought to be round like his brothers
Who they have guarded, he and his brother
From the hardness of life, so zealously
though that hadn't been enough
it's him again
He knew it, had known it right before he came to stand
They would meet again, like their brothers had
But never a peaceful river to practice their skills
In such elusive lightheartedness
They would only practice here, on this field
a river of blood to separate them
And the only guts to show, others — never their own
he laughs
It rings as an odd sound, lighter because
He’s laughing
A child, here
And it only serves to enrage
he’s laughing strangely to spurn strange tears
then he sees
Spears of black twirl in their older brother's eyes
They leap into a mighty strike
Meeting his own brother full-on
His heart shudders, but no time
Crimson flames dance before him
Majestic, breathtaking
He feels it all too well
Its chakra wants to smother him
It's trying, but it's still not
Nowhere near his brother and that Uchiha
He jumps away, throwing shuriken in its direction
Finally the smoke clears
He sees the boy again
He doesn’t care to know of him
Doesn't care because soon
He’ll be dead
But still something makes him shout in
The hot air, dry to his senses
“what’s your name?”
and the voice responds, slightly late
— they already know of the other —
confused, yet still
Full of that fiery anger, but why
Other than the obvious, he doesn’t know
(and they don’t answer the question)
He’s forced to dodge
Flame, orange fire comes and darts
Forward like a snake’s head
His gut twitches, his eyes tighten
But inside his mouth stretches; a match
Fitting for him who has strained
for speed,
he can do well here
Water strikes back,
seals with his hands flashing
the air becomes a frenzy with steam
He knows he has to get out,
between the two of them
he is the one unable to look through
But yet steam is his smoke
His plan looks like glass to the other but
If they touch it, it’ll shatter
Hurting him, them
But he is out of range of the shards now
Shuriken spitting like crystals
into his enemy’s face
A bull’s eye,
Except the boy knew they were coming,
And he
He catches them
Tips of his fingers locating them
Twirling them back
Got him.
But it is — once he touches them
As they spin back, they release
Glass shattering
A thousand shards
Like the spray of icy water,
From his heart, he feels like
He's standing on the height
Of a mountain,
Freezing air, yet
Hot blood and ashes beneath
His bare feet
It feels like it's been forever,
he runs and throws dwindling kunai and jutsu,
making the fire have to chase him away, but
biting back with a channel of water when the boy stops to gulp air
Then he hears the retreat called.
He looks up, thinking it’s the Uchiha.
It is his father, looking furious.
He shouts again, and the Senju hurriedly throw up their hands
and shunshin back, in line with each other,
his armor clacking with another young kid's,
younger than him he thinks.
The Uchiha shout triumphantly,
Yet in the midst,
he thinks he can even hear
his voice, in the crowd.
"Uchiha Izuna!"
like it's roll call
Role call,
Naming himself, like one of the soldiers
Naming himself,
like he is a person too
He glances at the line
his clan is leaving, he finds
His brother looking back for him, up ahead
And a glance to the other side
Enemies grinning, one face
Frowning right at him—
Hard black eyes looking on
—
His mind wonders, he shapes carefully
"Tobirama,"
quietly turning
Catching up to elder brother's
Elbow, who softly bumps him
No flinch
He's done well
They go back home
Hearts still beating,
Each other’s warmth
still present