It was night now and Madara had yet to return.

Was he okay? Did he get into a fight? Or even worse, did Madara kill Tenji? Ayumi thought to herself, concern growing on her face. The thought of killing bothered her deeply - after all it was how her own sister Uehara died. She could not bear inflicting that pain on someone else now.

Ayumi stood outside, admiring the moon and occasionally staring at the pond outside of the cottage.

"I see you can't sleep." She heard a familiar deep voice from behind. Ayumi turned around, and relief washed over her face.

"Oh thank goodness." Ayumi sighed. "I was beginning to worry."

"Worry?" Madara's eyebrows narrowed. "About me? That's an insult." He crossed his arms.

"Baka!" Ayumi frowned, "Of course I'll worry about your safety! Even though I know you can fend for yourself just fine." Her head dangeled, looking at her feet.

"Hm." Madara looked at her calmly. He had been contemplating what time to gift her the ring, but he decided now would be a fitting moment.

"Give me your hand." Madara ordered.

"Huh?" She offered her palm.

He took a couple steps forward, closing the gap between them. Madara held her hand, slipping the ring on her finger. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but I have this for you." He closed his eyes.

"N-no way!" Ayumi blushed, looking at him with wide eyes.

She had been told the tales of how a ring signified eternal love between two people. She was stunned though, his gloves had been enough of a grand gesture already, and now this!

She blushed profusely. Red spinel too!

"Madara." Ayumi tip-toed, hugging the Uchiha. "I'll cherish it forever. Oh, and I may have gotten you something too." She grinned.

"Hoo?" Madara looked at her curiously.

"Inarizushi." Ayumi pointed inside of the cottage. "It's been waiting for you all day."

"I see." Madara nodded.

It stayed silent for a moment between the two, until Madara tugged her wrist and caught her lips into a kiss. Madara would do this often when they were alone, but this time it was different. More rougher and as if they had been lusting for each other. She felt like her legs were growing weak.

Once Madara felt this, he retracted himself from her. Ayumi was faintly panting, blushing.

"You still blush when we kiss." Madara observed.

"B-baka! That wasn't just any kiss..." Ayumi pouted.

Madara looked at her with a smile, but she could not quite tell since it had been so dark outside.

"Go get rest." The Uchiha said, walking.

-

"Stay sharp." Madara glanced at Ayumi from the corner of his eye.

"Mm." She nodded.

They had been waiting for Tenji near a waterfall clifftop. It was a sketch area, and the two already decided there would be a battle soon.

And Ayumi's intuition had indeed been right.

Tenji was definitely responsible for the arson murders. The papers Ayumi had found revealed the Hyuga family's names, crossed with x's. But their deaths were not the only ones. There had been many others.

Ayumi narrowed her eyes.

"Madara!" Ayumi yelled, as she saw a team approaching them through the forest. Ten people.

"His henchmen." Madara stated cooly, lifting his gunbai and with one swift movement cutting the trees so that he could see the landscape better.

"You two are too impulsive to be showing up in Kumogakure thinking no one would recognize you." An old man came through the smoke, standing not too far from Ayumi and Madara. "And to mock my business by impersonating to be my workers, you will pay."

Glasses. Old. White long beard. Tenji!

"Tenji." Ayumi stood forward.

"It's been a while." Madara crossed his arms.

Ayumi frowned. "You've been killing families that can't afford to repay debts left and right. And to think you could cross Konoha's borders to do that too!"

"And what will you do about it?" Tenji's voice croaked. "They borrowed money during the warring states era and could not repay it."

"I have to turn you in!" Ayumi narrowed her eyes.

Tenji scoffed. "My workers are on their way to kill those two children too. You still want to fight me knowing that their lives are in danger?"

What...?! He couldn't be serious!

"Why would you hurt innocent children?" Ayumi clenched her fists. "They just lost their parents no less. All the more reason to beat you!"

Madara looked at her. She was riled up.

"Ayumi." Madara spoke, just loud enough to be heard by her only. "I'm relying on you to take care of him since the both of you specialize in taijutsu. I'll head over to where the children are." He summoned a falcon.

The beat of her heart calmed down once she had known Madara would be taking care of the children.

"Leave it to me." Ayumi withdrew her sword, her byakugan now flaring.

I'll pulverize Tenji.

-

Madara had not been too far from the cottage now, leaping between the trees at full speed. His eyes were glowing an ominous red, and unlike his fiancee he had been ready to kill.

He could already hear the screaming of the children from a distance, and now that he inched closer and closer to them, the three were tied to a tree stump while the ten shinobi surrounded them with their swords drawn to their heads. Madara's anger boiled, how dare they disrupt the peace at his own home?

He landed on scene and ten of Tenji's henchmen turned around to see Madara.

"Madara-sama!" Kenzo tried to rip the rope that had kept his wrists tied.

"Help us, Uchiha-sama!" Koniko yelled.

Madara didn't need to be told twice though, and within a couple movements - it almost looked as if he was dancing and flowing through the wind so gracefully, he slayed all ten of the pathetic men. Blood was drawn, metal clinked, and their corpses piled up in one spot, defeating them one by one, their attacks proving futile against the Uchiha.

Once they had all been exterminated, Madara struck his katana through the soil which had been spotted with their blood. The kids and the woman were dead silent, looking at Madara with full fright, their pupils shaking. Their faces had blood splattered on them.

"N-no way..." Kaouru mumbled, tears welling up.

Kenzo had been in shock.

"Madara-sama." Koniko frowned, "You didn't have to kill them-"

"Us Uchiha do things a bit differently." Madara looked down at them, "I can't blame you for being shocked as you three are right now. Ayumi is soft and considerate and you've gotten used to that, meanwhile I am not." His voice grew viciously at the latter part.

Madara crouched down to the ground, ripping the rope that had been keeping the three bound together so tightly with his bare hands. Madara wondered if leaving Ayumi to deal with Tenji was a smart idea, but it would mean fair recompense for her clan if she got rid of him.

"You know how I said you weren't scary that one time back then? I take that back, you're still scary." Kaouru stared at Madara hesitantly, patting her shoulders. Madara was indifferent though, and instead crossed his arms as he sternly looked at the three.

"Did you three even bother to put up a fight?" Madara stared down on them.

"These two were sleeping and I was completely unprepared." Koniko pat her clothing. "I don't like that you're implying we're weak."

"Hm." Madara walked away. "Whether you're weak or not is nothing of concern to me. What I'm more concerned about is that you three are able to fend for yourselves in situations like this."

Kenzo grumbled in annoyance. Why did I take a nap! He thought to himself.

"I was about to whip out a new jutsu before you even came any way!" Kaouru yelled.

"B-but still... Thanks for your help." She itched her forehead.

Madara looked to the sky, and the sun was setting. How was Ayumi's battle holding up?

-

"I see." The old man staggered on his feet, his knees hit the ground. "My taijutsu pales in comparison to yours, and so now I lay here in defeat." Tenji coughed, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth, staining his beard. The tip of Ayumi's sword forced his chin up to meet her eyes.

"I don't like fighting with old people, but I think you're an exception." Ayumi spoke calmly yet venomously.

"You speak words of steel yet even I can tell you don't have much time left." Tenji eyed her wounds, she had been bleeding profusely from the amount of swords that grazed her skin deeply.

"You don't have much time left either." Ayumi stood firmly. "Any final words?"

Tenji coughed heavily one more time. "Those kids are dead by now and-"

Ayumi couldn't take it any more. She could not bear the threats any more. So she dug her sword deep inside of his chest before he could complete his sentence, and his eyes froze. Tenji began to tremble and shake, his face hitting the floor. Ayumi began to pant, immediately regretting killing him as she held her torso.

No. I have to make it where Madara is. I can't stay here.