Ambush.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

A group of men were in the middle of the forest, relentlessly unleashing powerful jutsus at each other. The once thick trees of the area were all slashed and burned, rendering the air thick with smoke. The air was foul enough to choke normal people to death.

Weapons flew through the air, piercing through those who were not careful enough. Madara powerfully flung his scythe at one of the Shinobi, slicing his abdomen open, at the same time pierced his sword through the neck of another Shinobi.

The dying man performed one last jutsu, shaping the wind around into thousand blades, directing them towards the Uchiha brothers.

Enormous trees sprouted from the ground, shielding the brothers from the assault.

"What are you doing here?" Madara shouted.

"Just helping."

"We don't need your help, Senju!" Izuna glared at him.

Hashirama ignored them, his eyes scanning the area for someone. "Where's Yuki?"

Izuna narrowed his eyes at the Senju leader . 'Why is he worried about our sister?'

"It doesn't concern you." Izuna sneered while dodging a rock boulder that was about to fall on him.

There was more than one reason for Hashirama to travel all the way back to Madara. He knew the Uchiha's didn't plan this attack, and he wanted them to know that the Senju's didn't plan this either...not him anyway. He had his doubts about someone either from his own clan or from the alliance betraying them. He wanted to make sure that it will not affect the recent exchange of peace terms.

The other reason was...Yuki. He was worried about her.

He knew that Madara and Izuna would definitely protect her.... even so, he couldn't help but worry when he heard tremendous explosions and saw the scale of damage from so far away. He knew there were too many of these shinobi's attacking them at once.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

She heard an explosion go off in the distance, her ears strained to hear anything else. It was from the North-East from her position. That was towards the side her brothers were, she surmised.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Yuki felt her heart shutter, trembling hands gripped onto her kunai as her eyes glazed over the man. He had tan skin, scars littered across his face and neck, black eyes, dark hair. A swords still in hand, and several kunai strapped across his torso.

Soon he aimed a huge water Jutsu at her.

She dodged the attack, surprised at how powerful it was to take down several trees in one blow.

'He's powerful!'

This was the third shinobi she encountered while running. The first one was dealt with by Madara's clone, so she could escape unharmed. The second one was a young sensory type. Though it took a toll on her chakra, she somehow defeated him using her Sharingan.

'I should have packed more supplies.'

She had only packed some poisons and some chakra blocking needles. She gritted her teeth. regretting not packing more supplies.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu." Yuki quickly performed the seals.

She had made several clones already to fool the shinobis on the lookout for her. This was her 8th clone. Her chakra was depleting alarmingly, and she knew she had to kill him before she runs out of chakra. 

For the first time, she regretted not further improving her chakra reserves when she had the time. 

Yuki knew she wasn't strong, in fact she was pretty weak when it came to physical strength. However, she was light on her feet, dipping out of the way when one tried to land a blow. Which is why she never drew out a fight, she would only go for the vitals with fast movements;The eyes, neck, joints, ligaments.

The man attacked her from above, posing his sword at her head. She quickly blocked it with her sword. And with one hand performed seals for lightning jutsu, then aimed it at his stomach. The man quickly jumped back on the wet ground only to get electrocuted. 

Even that didn't cause enough damage to him. On the contrary, he had attached a bomb seal onto her back before jumping back.

"Heh stupid girl! "

The seal blasted, revealing a shadow clone instead.

"What?" he scanned the area but staggered when suddenly a hand grabs him from beneath the ground.

'She's underground?'

Yuki quickly pierced her sword up through his feet, impaling his right leg with her sword. The man let out an agonizing scream before breaking her sword and jumping back, limping as he did so.

The enraged man blew another powerful water attack at her, which she didn't have enough time to dodge.

Yuki quickly performed her fireball jutsu. Their attacks collided, and she knew the man couldn't see properly as the entire area was covered in thick smoke and steam. And Yuki had her Sharingan to her benefit.

The man scanned the area but could not see clearly. The next moment he felt sharp metal pierce his neck from behind. 

While falling, he saw her red eyes staring down at him.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

Madara sliced through the back of the last standing shinobi. The entire region smelled of burnt flesh and blood- dead bodies scattered all around.

He felt the Senju's hadn't perpetrated the attack. These shinobi were from some other land.

But he was still annoyed at Hashirama.Because he came back to check up on Yuki.

'Does he intend not to give up on her? Even though he now knows that she's my sister? An Uchiha!'

Madara knew Hashirama already has a fiancée, Ashina Uzumaki's niece.

'This Bastard! He already has a woman entitled to him! What does he want from Yuki now?'

"Hashirama. Why do you ask about her?"

"Huh?"

"My sister." Madara clarified.

"That...I was just worried." Hashirama replied nervously.

"You only met her once and you are already worried for her, huh?" Madara narrowed his eyes.

"That's because she's your sibling. You are my friend Mada-"

"Stay away from her." Madara glared at him with such hatred that Hashirama was shocked for a moment.

. 

.

"Aniki, what do we do with this one?" Izuna threw a man on the ground. He had a gashing wound on his back but was still alive.

"Keep him alive. He will be useful for the interrogation" Madara replied. He decided to take this man back with him to their prison.

"Madara... About the negotiation"

I will let you know." Madara replied, which brought slight relief to Hashirama.

"Thank you."

The Uchiha turned his back "It's still too early to thank me Senju. I haven't made my decision yet."

'But at least you considered it. I'm thankful for that.' Hashirama thought, as a small smile graced his face.

"Farewell." with that said, the Uchiha's disappeared.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

He put his Gunbai down and crouched on the ground for a moment before resuming his running. He had overused his eyes this time, causing him mind-splitting headaches.

"Nii san.. about Yuki" Izuna muttered, distressed.

"What about her?"

"Do you think she made it out safe?"

"...." Madara frowned. With the amount of opening they provided for her, she should have made it back to the estate by now. But there was an unsettling feeling within him.

He couldn't sense his clone that he had sent along with Yuki since it disappeared after killing the wind type shinobi who had attacked her.

Ever since Hashirama informed him that these shinobis attacked them too, he kept worrying. 

'They were powerful ones...If any of them attacked her...'

If these shinobis had gone as far as attacking the Senju's too, this means they were strategically placed within the forest.

'It's a well-planned ambush!'

He gritted his teeth in anger and frustration.

'What if she didn't make it out in time? What if they captured her already?'

For the first time, he regretted his decision of bringing Yuki along. He was so blinded by his jealousy that he had put her safety aside.

.

.

.

"Aniki!"

It took him a second to notice Izuna had stopped running "What?"

"Look at this!" Izuna passed him a small empty bottle. He took the bottle to take a whiff.

.

.

His eyes widened as he realized something,

'Damn it! '

He headed towards the estate as fast as he could.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

Notes:

Okay, so I need to point this out. I feel Tobirama might have invented Kage Bunshin no Jutsu/clones jutsu after formation of konoha. But I added it here for my plot's sake.

And I guess you guys know that using this jutsu depletes the users chakra, i.e it splits evenly among the clones.

Thank you for reading!