Madara sighed, scanning the contents of the paper. He was stressed, and Ayumi could tell by the way his eyebrows were furrowing. She had offered to make lunch, which they were now eating on a low table sitting across from each other on the tatami floor.

Ayumi couldn't help but shake the memory from the guy she had met earlier - Konosuke.

Who was he? And why did he feel so familiar?

"This is good." Madara scarfed down the sushi alongside the rice, his eyes still set on that paper.

Ayumi smiled, and it was then that she decided that she would do anything in her power to support him. And if that meant occasionally cooking up the meal to relieve his stress, she would do that.

"That document looks like it's consuming you." Ayumi picked at her food.

He looked up at her, and noticed that she seemed... sort of bothered. Madara thought that maybe if he let her in on the details it would make her feel better.

"I managed to get a sketch of who this shinobi I'm after looks like."

"Oh?" Ayumi's eyes widened, "How did you do that?"

Madara looked at her, she felt like his eyes were piercing right into her soul.

That Madara...

"You used your sharingan to extract information."

"Insightful." Madara set the papers aside, his eyes closed.

Madara stood up now, adjusting his gloves. But Ayumi noticed something was different - his eyes swirled red now. He looked menacing with his sharingan, and it made her heart slightly beat faster.

"I am going to look for him." Madara looked down at his betrothed. His gaze was tantalizing, and it froze her in her spot. "Care to tag along? Your byakugan could be an asset."

Ayumi pushed the table aside, getting up and dusting her yukata.

"I don't have much of a choice now, do I?"

"Hm." Madara closed his eyes with a small smile on his face, walking towards the exit.

-

Madara had tied down three shinobi to the tree that fit the drawing's description. They all kept refusing that they knew anything regarding this Otsutsuki, but he was adamant on finding out if they knew anything at the very least.

Madara had ordered me to leave, he didn't want me seeing him in a riled state. I scoffed at the idea, I already knew how dangerous he could get.

Nonetheless, I took my leave to a forest laiden area not too far from him.

I sighed, slumping against the tree's trunk, playing with a leaf in my hand, until...

I smelt that smoke again!

Could it have been...?!

I quickly got up on my two feet. Byakugan!

"Konosuke!" I bit my lower lip, immediately following him, patting him on his shoulder to turn around.

"Are you following me?" I said, frowning at the fact that he was still smoking.

"Following you?" Konosuke's eyes were closed, his other hand twiddling the cigarette. "Now tell me why would I do that?"

I sighed. "We keep meeting under the same circumstances. And honestly, this is a pretty sketchy area to be in smoking cigs all alone."

"Hahah." Konosuke chuckled. "I think you're following me. This is my usual spot."

He slowly looked at me, and his eyes opened.

I was in shock. His eyes were white.

Byakugan...?!

Did he kill a Hyuga? Were they his?

I gulped. "What the hell happened to your eyes?" It was unmistakable. They had to be the byakugan, no longer the golden colour from before.

Was this why I felt like he was familiar? The Hyuga kekkei genkai is easily recognized amongst us, I recalled my father's words.

A pang of fear struck me in my chest. Something suddenly didn't feel right.

"You know what contacts are?" Konosuke blinked.

"Are you a Hyuga?" I asked him blatantly. Maybe that's why he didn't give me his family name last time.

He scoffed, as if the idea seemed pathetic.

"You did not answer my question." Konosuke frowned, his eyes narrowing. "And your husband, Uchiha Madara. You should have told me you had someone so frightening by your side."

I shook my head. "Are you on a mission or something? Is that why you masked your eyes? Why are you trying to impersonate something else?" I bombarded him with questions, earning an annoyed look on his face.

He reached for his katana that was fastened on his back.

"I think I have to kill you. You know too much." Konosuke dropped the cigarette, his foot rubbing it into the dirt.

"Kill me?" I spat, activating my byakugan. I was growing impatient, but he was moving quickly on his feet and I managed to block a strike with my kunai. I looked at him straight in the eyes. He lacked pupils. He indeed possessed the byakugan.

"Are you ashamed of your heritage?" I spoke to him mockingly, but his expression stayed indifferent to my attempts.

He dashed behind to leverage more distance.

"What makes you think I am a Hyuga? It's quite shameful that you don't recognize me. You are the clan leader of the Hyuga but your intelligence is as great as an ant's."

"Oi!" My blood boiled. "Shut up! You don't know the first thing about me!" I launched myself in the air.

Hakke Kusho!

But Konosuke blocked my air palm by emitting chakra from his tenketsu, essentially wrapping himself in a protective cloak of chakra. He launched large black rods towards me that were moving fast, until...

A wave of blue chakra wrapped around me, and repelled the black rods.

It was Madara.

"Susanoo... huh." Konosuke admired. "Uchiha Madara."

"Ayumi." Madara spoke my name firmly. "Who is this?" He narrowed his eyes, and grasped Konosuke in his susanoo too. The white-eyed man didn't resist, he dropped his katana. "He possesses byakugan. Is he of your clan?"

"Madara." I turned around to him, "I suspect something. Show me the sketch of the guy you're looking for."

"Hm?" Madara looked at me, handing me the piece of folded paper.

I looked at the sketch, and then to the description.

Tall male. Pale skin. White Eyes. Silver hair.

"There's no mistaking it. Madara, this man has to be the guy you're looking for." I bit my lower lip, gathering chakra at my fingertips.

Byakugan! I quickly dashed off my feet towards him, successfully landing a blow to his shoulder joint. It would immobilize him for a couple of days.

"... Otsutsuki Konosuke!" I spat.

"... That's much like my soon to be wife to be taking charge of everything." Madara smiled smally while crossing his arms, muttering to himself. The Uchiha withdrew his susanoo, approaching Konosuke and crouching down to his level. Konosuke was laying flat on the ground, coughing blood.

"You finally recognized me." Konosuke spoke through gritted teeth. He couldn't move, he tried lifting his arms up, but it proved futile.

"How are you on this earth? Doesn't your species dwell on the moon?" I asked him, now also crouched down next to Konosuke. I didn't miss the way Madara narrowed his eyes at me, he was probably estranged by the fact that I knew such information. But the fact still stood firm - the Otsutsuki were the ancestors of the Hyuga, and so I was expected to know such things.

"I was sent by... Hamura..." His torso clenched, coughing blood once more.

Madara grew hostile, standing upright now.

"Enough." Madara flipped the man so he could tie his wrists. "You're coming with me. No, us."