Ryūnosuke Uchiha

I. CHILDHOOD
Ryūnosuke was born from one of the branches of the Uchiha clan. However, unlike the rest of the clan, his chakra nature was water instead of fire. His mother was not confused, since she was a water user too while also being a healer. Unfortunately, the adults of the clan subjected him to a lot of scrutiny. He never passed the so-called rite of passage by showcasing his Great Fireball Jutsu.

As a child, as the healer’s son, other boys bullied him for not taking up arms and fighting like everyone else. He was physically weaker, slower, frailer. He was not cut to be a warrior. This more or less persisted for a few years into his childhood. He heard of how one of the clan head’s children, the daughter, insisted on training with her brothers. The clan head yielded to her wishes after a display of strength atypical of a six year old. He wished that he had that strength to defy the odds.

Of course, some of the adults would remind him that his existence was as anomalous as his mother’s as Uchiha with water for chakra affinity instead of fire. Whenever warriors return from battle, they would see him and mutter something along the lines of “is the brat really Uchiha?”

It was true. He was different. He was not like his fiery cohorts. He stuck to the medical ward with a mortar and pestle instead of picking up a sword. His hands lacked calluses and held herbs and weeds more often than he held a kunai. His hands sometimes were red from blood shed from healing bloodied soldiers instead of being a warrior who injured enemy combatants. But, was it so bad that he helped his mother and her colleagues? Was it so bad that he, a boy, would rather heal than harm?

II. First Meeting with Shizuka
The bullying ended when he was nine years old. Some training boys cornered him when he passed by to pick some medicinal herbs for the aunties back in the medical ward. He was glad that he only had an empty basket. The rowdy boys pushed him around until they backed him into a wall. His dark eyes frantically looked between the boys. He protested then, though weakly, “Wait, let me go, the aunties at the medical ward-”

Except, the boys then laughed at him. Why would they listen to the outlier of the clan? One of them pushed him by the shoulder, sending him into the wall. He hit it with a shout and slid down the surface. Just when he was about to brace for a hit, one of the boys let out a startled shout. Ryūnosuke looked up and saw a familiar face. He would have thought that the child was one of the sons of the clan head if he did not notice how they had longer lashes, softer contours and gentler eyes that still simmered in displeasure. Ah, he realized, this was the defiant lady of the Uchiha.

“Shizuka! Don’t just beat up random boys!” cried another girl who came running for her.

Shizuka ignored her friend and shouldered her way through the group of cowering bullies. She picked up his fallen basket and offered a hand to him. “Are you alright?” she asked out of concern, “can you stand?”

Ryūnosuke wordlessly nodded then and held the proffered hand that yanked him to his feet. She handed him his basket back. “Are you alright? I hope I didn’t go too far on your behalf,” asked Shizuka then with a bashful smile on her face.

​​Ryūnosuke didn’t think that anyone would stand up for him, much less the Clan Head’s daughter. He apologized, “I’m sorry that you had to do that for me, my Lady! Please, this is too much of an honour-“

“Then, to compensate for my work, how about being friends? I’ll let you know a little secret: I really don’t like being called so formally,” grinned the child.

She then escorted him to where he had to pick herbs, much to his surprise. She even escorted him back to the ward, much to everyone’s surprise. On the way back, he asked, “Why did you help me?”

She told him, “Does it matter if you cannot use fire style or pick up a weapon? Healers and medics are essential to the survival of warriors. We rely on people like you to bring us back to normal.” There were no lies in her words. There was no inflection that betrayed deception. She meant what she said. It was mostly from a strategic standpoint, yes, but it also meant that she valued healers regardless of gender.

“Even if I am a boy?”

“Why would being a boy stop you from being a healer? Why would boys not be allowed to heal, just as why girls should not hold a blade? We stand at opposite ends, I see,” noted his newfound companion.

Naturally, the boy only found her more admirable. That night, he told his mother eagerly about his new friend.

Days passed, the trio of Shizuka, Tatsumi and Ryūnosuke were inseparable. Though the young boy was usually busy assisting the medics, his mother made time for him to spend time with his friends. She no longer had to worry about her boy being a victim of cruel bullying, no longer had to worry that her child would be saddened by his unique constitution and position. The boy had no idea that the five brothers were wary of his friendship with their sister, the only girl left in the family. He had no idea that she decked them for their stalking and spying during training one day.

III. Shizuka's First Disappearance
Then, one night, about a year later when spring came to the Land of Fire, Ryūnosuke noticed that Shizuka went beyond her usual spot by the gates and ran into the forest. Where was she going at this time of the night? In his mind then, he trusted Shizuka to not run off too far. She was strong and responsible. It was unlikely that she would run off into the dark so recklessly and not realize that she could get lost.

He was wrong.

Shizuka did not return late into the night. The main house was frantic over the missing girl of the family. Tajima dispatched some of the nightguard to look for her. Ryūnosuke awoke to the glow of torchfire and the sandals rapidly hitting the ground. Her name hung from the tongues of every man who ran past his and his mother’s house. Why was the clan head’s daughter missing? Did she not return home? Ryūnosuke could not sleep. His heart filled with worry that felt like an acid reflux building up in his throat. What if she encountered an ambush? What if the Senju found her? What if she was gone forever? He whimpered and covered his head with his futon, terrified of the thought of his first friend going missing.

Luckily, for everyone, the ten-year-old returned with an owl perched on her shoulder. Tajima gave her a good scolding in front of the whole clan along with her worried brothers. Ryūnosuke let out a sigh of relief when he heard that his friend returned…only to have to leave once more. She explained to him that she encountered a forest filled with owls where their god resided and protected their forest. “I will be learning sage jutsu, Ryūnosuke! We might get the upper hand on the Senju for once!” exclaimed Shizuka.

Instead of dissuading her, he smiled and offered his unconditional support. He watched her leave with the giant owls two days later at dawn, hiding behind a nearby house.

IV. Tigers Wade in the Water
During the years without Shizuka, Ryūnosuke primarily focused on refining his craft under his mother’s guidance and tutelage. She also taught him how to attack offensively with basic water style jutsu that could save him in a pinch, as well as the art of concocting poisons. He did well. He also proved his mettle when he wrapped up and cleaned a wounded man’s injury perfectly on his own. The polite and professional smile only stunned his patient, who gave his awkward and conflicted gratitude.

His mother was proud of his efforts. One of the remaining sons of the clan head even reluctantly sent his acknowledgement. It was not the twin of his friend, unfortunately, but receiving that recognition was good enough for him.

Sometimes, Ryūnosuke’s thoughts drifted to the memory of an owl perched on his crush friend’s shoulder while he picked herbs outside the clan’s fortified walls. What if he had a summon too? However, the boy knew that there was not a high likelihood that some animal would drop by because it found potential in him.

He took back his words as soon as he came across a feline stuck in a trap.

Ryūnosuke was on his way home when he heard the cries of an injured animal. It sounded like a baby. He carefully entered the brush where he heard the sound. The boy found a baby feline of sorts. Upon closer inspection of its stripes, he paled with recognition. Although they were not common in the forests near the Uchiha clan, he knew what a tiger cub looked like. Carefully, he unsprung the trap from the wailing baby. Out of self defense, he bit him. However, the boy persisted as a medical professional and bandaged the wound on the cub and on himself. “I am sorry that you are hurt. You must be mad. I am here to fix that,” he muttered. Once the cub was bandaged, he scurried away from the baby, in fear of its mother’s proximity.

The next morning, both he and his mother woke up to a beautiful sunset orange tiger lounging outside their door. It introduced itself as Sensui, the mother of the cub that Ryūnosuke saved. She claimed that it was not every day that she found such kind humans. As a reward, she offered the boy her summoning contract along with her son’s and daughter’s. Indeed, Ryūnosuke ate his thoughts from the day before. From then on, he got to know that he saved her son Raiden. Arashi, her daughter, was a playful delight. Of course, this also meant that he had to wrangle rowdy tiger cubs whenever they went to train him at the training grounds. Sensui was a stern instructor. He owed his increased stamina, strength and chakra control to her instruction. She also taught him to distinguish between sacred beasts and true spiritual or divine beasts. Sensui made sure that he knew that there were three others besides the tigers and their leader, the White Tiger of the West.

Shizuka came back later on and met Sensui. Save to say, the mother tiger loved her. She chuffed and licked the owl sage child. “She too is touched by a god, I see,” Sensui remarked, to which the girl admitted that she met the god of owls.

“Good,” Sensui approved, “she will be safe.”

V. Game (War) Time
Time passed. Tajima passed and Madara took the mantle of clan leader. He heard of the rumors, and a confirmation from Shizuka, that he and Izuna unlocked the next level of the Mangekyo. Both brothers now held the strongest version of the Sharingan in the entire clan as of the present. Ryūnosuke offered his congratulations when he spoke with Shizuka.

“There is still a lot that we do not know about this eye,” she expressed once, “I would prefer if we did a few more studies on it to make sure we know what to do should this new sharingan present any drawbacks.”

Ryūnosuke promised that he would help with investigating these limitations when the opportunity comes.

That opportunity came when both of them experienced that pain that the two brothers witnessed.

It was a particularly brutal battle. Tatsumi was heavily injured from fighting an enemy combatant. Shizuka returned with her then to the clan while the latter laid on a stretcher. She cried out for the man she could rely on to heal her. She refused to leave her side, despite the suggestions and insistence from other healers. Ryūnosuke knew better than to ask her to leave when she was like this.

Both feared that she might not survive. It was also the first time both of them cried together, awaiting Tatsumi’s return to consciousness. Unbeknownst to them, in their fear of losing their mutual friend, both of them awoke their mangekyou.

Luckily, Tatsumi pulled through the next morning. She was the one who looked at them first and noticed the change in their Sharingans. She laughed raspily when the two looked at each other in shock. “You guys are smart but sure are stupid,” Tatsumi giggled.

Shizuka was the one who mostly tried to figure out what she could do with hers while Ryūnosuke was content to never use them. He was not a combatant. Why should he announce that he gained those eyes too? It got him to a relatively high position in the medical ward, sure, but he was mostly content with his position. He got to watch over both of his friends from the ward should they get hurt. He also got to see Shizuka more often since they got their mangekyou together.

However, over time, where each battle became more fierce than the next, and the siblings all used their Mangekyou to an extent, news eventually came to the medical ward that the clan head and his sister were slowly losing their eyesight. He forced Shizuka to see him by ordering her to make an appointment.

“When were you going to tell me that you were losing your eyesight, Shizuka?” he demanded worriedly.

“I was going to tell you, but the fighting has gotten more frequent lately and-”

Ryūnosuke stopped her. He knew that he could not unreasonably demand her to visit him frequently when the clan needed her to be there for her siblings. “I know, I am sorry too. I worry. Both you and the clan head are going to lose your eyesight. What will you do?”

“Then, I will use sage mode more! I will stop relying on my Sharingan, on my Susano’o! I do not always need it to anticipate my opponent’s next move!” she desperately exclaimed, trying to resolve this new problem dawning on her and Madara.

Ryūnosuke could only look with guilt and pity. He was the only Mangekyo user who was not at imminent risk of blindness. He knew that Izuna was no exception. Not only that, Shizuka already had one case of overusing her eyes and risking her eyes before. He would rather that the clan head and his family could see.

Shizuka kept her promise for the most part. She relied more on her sage power and slowed the degeneration of her eyes. Madara, however, was on a steady decline. His mental health took a nosedive when the twins came back with a fatally injured Izuna. While Madara refused to leave his side, Shizuka had to take over his duties. Unfortunately, she was the most able between the three and had the best eyesight between the two of them. Ryūnosuke was not assigned to Izuna’s recovery and thus could not help with his treatment. Instead, he offered a shoulder for Shizuka to lean on when Madara was occupied in his worry.

He was not there for the eye transfer or the final battle, but Shizuka was. He heard from other medics about the successful transplant and how their clan head regained his eyesight. He offered to do the same for Shizuka once they finally had time to settle down and chat properly. Shizuka was not certain then. She was reluctant to follow in her little brother’s footsteps so quickly, despite the immense success and the power she would gain from that. She was not in a position where she needed to gain more power to protect or fight anything, now that the village was going to happen.

However, Ryūnosuke insisted. “I will give up my position as lead healer! I would rather that you could see and have the clan head’s back. I would trade the next time I get to see you smile just so you could protect this clan!”

“Why!?” she shouted then, springing up to her feet. She looked down at him with wide eyes and an expression of anguish. “Do not be foolish! You are the clan’s greatest poison master and the lead healer! I thought you worked hard to come to this position. Why would you throw it away for…” Her expression faltered when she realized that he did it all for her.

“Why me?” she asked back then in a hushed voice.
He knelt before her and uttered, “Shizuka, please, let me be your light, let me be your eyes. I give you the light in mine because I love you, Shizuka. You are my one and only.”

Moved by the sincerity behind his confession, she cried and hugged her friend. “You fool,” she wept, “all this because you love me?”

“I have no regrets. I only ask that you love me too,” he implored while hugging his strongest friend.

She yielded and let him do the transfer. Turns out, having sentient tigers for summons helped Ryūnosuke a lot. They had the same healer who did the procedure for Madara repeat the surgery required for Shizuka after gaining approval from Madara. At that point, neither thought it was wise to spring the idea of future courtship on him just yet. He still grieved for Izuna. The idea of spending less time with his last sibling might kill him.

VI. You Learn, You Love, You Build a Village
Hence, he was absent from the ceremony where the Senju and Uchiha signed the treaty and agreed to establish the village. Shizuka went and returned with the details she recalled from being there. They laughed here and there at Hashirama’s contrary personality and how both Tobirama and Madara tamped down his idealistic rambling so quickly.

Though they were merely in the beginning stages of courting, they enjoyed each other’s presence. Shizuka reassured that it was not out of guilt that she stayed, but because of her willingness to dedicate herself to him because she was taking responsibility for what he did for her. He appreciated it nonetheless while the tigers all groaned in exasperation at how hopeless both of them were.

Luckily, it did not take long for either of them to recognize the love they had for each other. Soon enough, Shizuka and Ryūnosuke postured before Madara to announce their relationship. Surprisingly, he gave a subdued huff, as if he knew that it was coming from a long distance away. “Treat her well,” he told him after offering his approval.

“I would never betray her trust or yours, my lord,” he promised.

What Ryūnosuke did not expect from the integration of the Senju and Uchiha was the sudden new source of medical information introduced by the Senju. He could not read the texts, sadly. However, he was amazed by the availability of information on other herbs, plants, and mixtures that he never considered for his poisons and medicines. The Senju found in him a diligent learner, in spite of his apparent disability. He had three sacred beasts to aid him in his endeavors, after all.

With the increasing trade of information, Ryūnosuke and the Uchiha medics improved their practices while also sharing their ways with the Senju and whoever else was interested in learning about them.

As more clans joined, Ryūnosuke got to spend more time with Shizuka. Tatsumi sometimes dropped by to tease them or gather for a get-together since they hadn’t spent as much time as they should have together as friends.

It did not take long for the village to build too. It most certainly did not take long for wedding preparations to begin. Since this was a marriage that involved the clan head’s family, naturally, the entire clan, especially Madara, made a huge fuss about everything. Though, he was glad that the clan head was so invested in their union. Shizuka teased her twin endlessly about his dedication, despite how he originally was skeptical of Ryūnosuke.

“Shizuka! How could you!” He heard the indignant clan head, their fearsome warlord of a leader, shriek to the top of his lungs.

That was the best moment of his blind life, but it was also a reminder that Shizuka held more power than she gave herself credit for. Even the elders never raised objections to their union.

What he never thought would happen was the budding friendship between his wife and the younger Senju brother. He welcomed it, of course, and let the White Demon check on his eye sockets every now and then. He came to appreciate the other water user’s presence around the hearth that was his wife’s.

VII. Husband of the Clan Leader
Of course, all good things came to an end. After Hashirama’s ascension to Hokage, Madara began ranting about retaliation against the Senju and its allies. He came to their house when they were resting. By then, Shizuka was already a few months pregnant. He requested their aid after facing intense rejection from the rest of their clan. He hated to disappoint his brother-in-law, but he had to take care of Shizuka. She too gave her firm rejection, since she had a life incubating within her. The couple and the tigers watched the somber back of Madara Uchiha depart from their house.

Neither expected him to leave the village without a word with either of them. Neither knew what happened with him, only that the tigers sensed a growing malevolence in the now missing clan head. The owls warned of the same thing repeatedly. Neither understood then that they warned of something that would change the course of history forever.

After Madara’s departure, he learned from his pregnant wife that the elders demanded that she take up the position of clan head, which she formally accepted.

Since they moved into the main house where Madara once lived, he sometimes heard Shizuka cry softly in their futons. He could feel how upset she was over Madara’s departure, as if she failed him as his sister, as his twin. Many times throughout their life, he reassured that she never failed him as his remaining sibling.

And then, nine months later, Shizuka gave birth to a pair of healthy fraternal twins.

VIII. Life as a Father
Together, they named their children Fuyuhi (winter sun) and Takekawa (bamboo river). Shizuka cried that he could not see how much Fuyuhi took after him while Takekawa was a spitting image of herself and Madara. Nevertheless, they were happy. The Senju brothers sent their congratulations and regards, to his surprise, and Tobirama gifted them something to help protect the kids.

They had no idea that it saved Takekawa much later on.

Neither parent suspected that someone would attempt to take the children, but someone took Takekawa in the middle of the night. Shizuka chased the kidnapper down with a ferocity he had never seen before. Motherhood made the melancholic wife of his a protector like no other.

Still, he was glad to have both of them back.

In his blindness, he did his best to raise his children. Often, he recounted the day he gave his eyes away until they whined and complained about how much of a sap he was. Luckily, he took no offense. All he told them was, you will learn one day how great of a gift love really is to human life.

He also helped his wife recover and expand her chakra reserves after she took on the seals. It was a long recovery. By the time she had to show herself to the public at the Five Kage Summit, she was only halfway there.

He died much later in his life in peace, in old age, while his wife lived on to witness their descendants grow in number.