The shinobi unit led by her father, Uchiha Tajima, had once again departed for the battlefield.
What made this time different was that her eldest brother, Madara, and her second brother, Izamu, had gone with him. Though both had previously taken on missions outside, this was the first time they would fight on the front lines.
The scene of family members sending off their kin to war made her tremble with unease. It wasn't unfamiliar—she had seen it many times before. But it was still something she never wanted to witness again.
Their mother, having just given birth, couldn't come out to say goodbye. So the task of seeing her brothers off had fallen to her.
Her eldest brother, calm and composed in his red armor, stood tall and dignified.
Her second brother, though only two years older than she was, was just a five-year-old boy. War was far too great a burden for someone his age. Even though he tried to keep a straight face, Mayumi could tell—he was scared.
The war dragged on. She stayed by her mother's side, keeping her company. Security in the compound tightened. The streets grew emptier by the day.
Though news from the front came back from time to time, her mother never gave her the full picture.
Children her age disappeared. Some never returned in one piece. Others never returned at all.
One day, even a prominent elder of their clan had fallen in battle.
Each time her mother heard such news, she would quietly let out a heavy breath, her face pale and worn.
It was then that Mayumi began to understand—
just how cruel and unforgiving war truly was.
All the talk of honor and glory—
they were just flowery words masking a bloody reality.
Everyone was simply trying to survive.
It was cruel. Merciless.
In the eyes of the enemy, there were no children or adults—only allies or foes.
Even her father had shown no mercy to a young girl from another clan.
And even her warm, kind-hearted eldest brother had turned his face away from it.
Gradually…
Mayumi's thoughts began to change.
She realized that she would never be allowed to grow up simply and innocently.
The world she lived in wouldn't allow it.
She had been born into an era of blood, grief, and violence.
Her dreams reminded her again and again of what might come.
So she made a choice—
She wouldn't let those visions become real.
She would live.
She would carve out her future with her own hands—
and protect her family's future too.
She would never surrender.
---
The night Tajima returned with the frontline troops, there was celebration in the compound. But it was hollow, tinged with unease.
Victory? What did that even mean?
All they ever seemed to do was compete over who had lost more.
People said the Uchiha were a clan that sought war. But in truth, they were a clan that never forgot their fallen. They avenged each of them, paying back blood for blood.
Old debts and new grudges—
a never-ending cycle.
Tajima sat at his table, silently reviewing the scroll before him.
It was a list of the fallen.
Alongside it, records of how compensation would be divided among the families,
how orphaned children would be supported.
That list made his heart even heavier.
He had stood beside many of them in their final moments.
He could never forget them.
"Who is it?"
"Father... it's Mayumi."
"Come in."
The sound of the door sliding open was followed by Mayumi stepping into the room. Her expression was steady, but something about her seemed unnaturally calm.
"Father..." she said softly, bowing her head. "I want to help the clan too. Please... train me to become a ninja."
Tajima's eyes shifted from the papers on the desk to his daughter, who stood there with her head bowed.
"Do you think war is some kind of game?"
Before Mayumi could respond, his voice continued, cold and quiet.
"Out there, there are men who would cut you down without a second thought. Why don't you stay where it's safe, by your mother's side?"
"Father—"
She tried to speak, but her throat clenched up.
"Quiet."
Tajima's face, lit by the lamp's glow, was taut and severe as he stared hard at her.
Mayumi clenched her lips and stared stubbornly back.
"I really do want to become a ninja... My brothers were allowed to. Why not me?"
Was she supposed to remain soft and helpless in this time of danger?
Was she meant to hide behind others, waiting to be rescued?
"Don't say another word," Tajima shouted, slamming the desk with his fist. The impact cracked the wooden surface. Mayumi flinched.
"Don't make me say it again. The path of a ninja is not for women. Do you understand, Mayumi? Your place is here, inside the clan."
She clenched the hem of her robe tightly, her jaw locked.
Women's roles in the clan were in the background—support. Most were civilians who stayed within the compound. Only a few women with awakened Sharingan were permitted to fight.
But... was she supposed to give up because of that?
She wanted to argue again, but she knew this wasn't the time.
As Mayumi left, Tajima let out a long sigh.
"Why... can't you just stay safe, Mayumi?"
His quiet voice, full of fear and exhaustion, never reached her ears.
---
Outside the room, Mayumi wiped away the tears that had begun to well up. She had clenched her fists so tightly that her robes were wrinkled and creased.
When she looked up, she saw—
Her elder brother, Madara.
He stood against the wall with arms crossed, waiting.
"Nii-san."
"Come with me."
Madara glanced at her once, then turned and walked ahead.
Mayumi followed with a mix of confusion and hesitation.
They arrived at the training grounds—
the one their elder brother often used.
It was late. No one else was there.
"Mayumi… why do you want to become a ninja?"
She stopped in her tracks.
"You were listening?"
"Father's voice was loud."
"I see... I want to be a ninja. Are you going to try to stop me too, like Father?"
Madara pursed his lips, saying nothing.
"When you all left for war," she continued,
"I realized something.
Outside… it's terrifying.
Everyday, someone dies.
Everyday, I hear the cries of the families left behind.
And I can't do anything to help."
"You don't have to do anything. That's not your burden to carry."
Mayumi bit her lower lip and glared at her brother.
"Why is it only you and the others who get to protect us?
Why can't I protect you back?
While you're all out there fighting with your lives on the line—
I don't want to just sit here and do nothing.
Rather than worrying every single day…
I want to stand with you. I want to fight beside you."
"War is cruel, Mayumi."
Whether those words were meant to stop her or to confide in her, she couldn't tell.
But one thing was clear—
Her big brother had grown more mature.
And colder, too.
"The path of a ninja is harsh.
Your hands… they'll be stained with blood forever.
There's no turning back.
Are you truly sure this is what you want?"
Mayumi glanced down at her own hands—small, delicate, not yet hardened by the world.
"…Yes. I'm sure.
I want to shape my own future."
Madara lowered his head in silence.
Even if she understood what her brother meant,Mayumi couldn't back down.
The future wouldn't let her run away—
It wouldn't give her the luxury of being a coward.
"…I can't stop you, can I…"
A quiet, simple confession.
But in that moment,
Mayumi saw it again—
That scene from her nightmare:
Madara, bloodied, collapsing at a waterfall, whispering his final words to someone she couldn't see.
Powerless, voiceless, she had watched him die helplessly.
No—she wouldn't let that happen.
She clenched her fists.
If that future truly awaited them—
Then she would change it.
She would become strong enough to save him.
---