Fire.
Fire, blood, bodies and leaves. That image would burned into Iwao's mind for years to come. The Third Great Ninja War took heavy tolls on any nation and ninja involved, none were spared. The Iwa jonin didn't care about what time it was any more, all he cared about was surviving this encounter with a squad led by one of the deadliest men in Konoha. 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku Uchiha, and his squad decimated Iwao's squad. In fact, the only survivor of the Iwa group was Iwao.
"Damn you Uchiha, you may have won this battle but you won't win the war!" Said Uchiha let his crimson eyes stare straight at the ninja that was at his mercy, as if he was judging him like he was a soul in front of the gates of Heaven.
"You've lost your squadron and this fight, don't give me the chance to take your life as well. I won't be this generous the next time we meet, understood?"
Shivers ran down Iwao's spine. He was no stranger to gruesome battles and he heard stories about the Sharingan and its power, but it was incredibly scary to be stared down by eyes as red as freshly spilled blood and the fact that they were wielded by one of the scariest men you could face on the battlefield didn't help either.
Months later the war was over, Iwa suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Konoha and signed a peace treaty. Even though most ninja gave that treaty just as much value as the paper it was written on, they decided to just be annoyed and go on with their daily lives.
Iwao on the other hand couldn't adjust that easily. He felt uneasy at random times and kept cutting his hair when he felt it was too long. Even when he withdrew himself into his own home he didn't feel at ease, either wandering about or unable to get motivated enough to do anything. Even if his day was good for his standards, sudden flashbacks could ruin his day at any given time.
The nights were especially cruel, he either stayed up all night long or had nightmare plagued sleeping sessions that lasted about 15 minutes. His nightmares ranged from burning as a pair of blood red eyes stared him down to his parents assaulting him with mallets.
Weeks went by, and Iwao began to jump at anything that sounded like fire crackling. A branch that snapped, people that cracked their fingers, anything that remotely resembled it made his breathing get shallow and his heart rate sky rocket. A friend of Iwao felt bad for him and made him go to the hospital for a mental health examination.
The result was not good news, but it was expected. Iwao Utamara had PTSD, and needed to go through therapy. It would be a long and slow road to recovery, but it was possible. Given his case, the therapist decided on Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Within the next year or so, he should be back to normal.
The next year was one of recovery, Iwao tried his hardest to recover and succeeded to live a normal life at the end of the year. His therapist didn't let him off easy though, he wanted to check on the jonin every month to see how he was. After all, ninja business wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. It was more fear, betrayal and death.
Taking it easy with the missions for now, he decided to take some B-ranks and the occasional A-rank. On one of the A-ranks, his partner was Kasumi Nomi. A woman who was headstrong and knew what she could, they worked together surprisingly well on later missions even with the awkward silences during their first mission.
Kasumi's silent killing expertise and Iwao's dust cover jutsu made for a great combination tactic, and Iwao's softer side showing during times of less bloodshed made the ice queen melt over time. That's how he discovered that she actually really enjoyed music and knitting.
A year later, they stayed in touch and Iwao suggested a hospital visit for a yearly health check-up. Kasumi was a bit hesitant to do so, not the biggest fan of hospitals, but went anyway. Iwao on the other hand stayed at the ramen stand, writing a song on a napkin. He liked her a lot, but never had the guts to tell her. He was unable to keep his squadron safe during the war, what made him capable of keeping her and possible children safe?
But he had not much time to worry, he had to study the song and get it right before she was out of the hospital. Chakra in his vocal chords would help his voice become much louder and clearer.
At three in the afternoon, he arrived at the door of the hospital and cleared his throat. This would be the most stressful minute and a half of his life, and one that would shape his life for how long he had left.
...
"Kasumi Nomi, I love you with all my heart! With this song I want to ask you one question that has been on my mind for a long time to now! Will you marry me?" Kasumi heard a familiar voice call her name and ask a question, one she never thought she'd hear from Iwao. She always thought he was too scared to say something, yet here he was.
The patients were cheering for Iwao, and Kasumi teared up out of joy. "Yes! One hundred times yes!" Whilst the doctors ran outside to berate Iwao for disrupting the peace, he couldn't be less bothered by it. He knew he wasn't the best person in the world, but he would do his best.
Fire, blood, bodies and leaves. That image would burned into Iwao's mind for years to come. The Third Great Ninja War took heavy tolls on any nation and ninja involved, none were spared. The Iwa jonin didn't care about what time it was any more, all he cared about was surviving this encounter with a squad led by one of the deadliest men in Konoha. 'Wicked Eye' Fugaku Uchiha, and his squad decimated Iwao's squad. In fact, the only survivor of the Iwa group was Iwao.
"Damn you Uchiha, you may have won this battle but you won't win the war!" Said Uchiha let his crimson eyes stare straight at the ninja that was at his mercy, as if he was judging him like he was a soul in front of the gates of Heaven.
"You've lost your squadron and this fight, don't give me the chance to take your life as well. I won't be this generous the next time we meet, understood?"
Shivers ran down Iwao's spine. He was no stranger to gruesome battles and he heard stories about the Sharingan and its power, but it was incredibly scary to be stared down by eyes as red as freshly spilled blood and the fact that they were wielded by one of the scariest men you could face on the battlefield didn't help either.
Months later the war was over, Iwa suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Konoha and signed a peace treaty. Even though most ninja gave that treaty just as much value as the paper it was written on, they decided to just be annoyed and go on with their daily lives.
Iwao on the other hand couldn't adjust that easily. He felt uneasy at random times and kept cutting his hair when he felt it was too long. Even when he withdrew himself into his own home he didn't feel at ease, either wandering about or unable to get motivated enough to do anything. Even if his day was good for his standards, sudden flashbacks could ruin his day at any given time.
The nights were especially cruel, he either stayed up all night long or had nightmare plagued sleeping sessions that lasted about 15 minutes. His nightmares ranged from burning as a pair of blood red eyes stared him down to his parents assaulting him with mallets.
Weeks went by, and Iwao began to jump at anything that sounded like fire crackling. A branch that snapped, people that cracked their fingers, anything that remotely resembled it made his breathing get shallow and his heart rate sky rocket. A friend of Iwao felt bad for him and made him go to the hospital for a mental health examination.
The result was not good news, but it was expected. Iwao Utamara had PTSD, and needed to go through therapy. It would be a long and slow road to recovery, but it was possible. Given his case, the therapist decided on Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Within the next year or so, he should be back to normal.
The next year was one of recovery, Iwao tried his hardest to recover and succeeded to live a normal life at the end of the year. His therapist didn't let him off easy though, he wanted to check on the jonin every month to see how he was. After all, ninja business wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. It was more fear, betrayal and death.
Taking it easy with the missions for now, he decided to take some B-ranks and the occasional A-rank. On one of the A-ranks, his partner was Kasumi Nomi. A woman who was headstrong and knew what she could, they worked together surprisingly well on later missions even with the awkward silences during their first mission.
Kasumi's silent killing expertise and Iwao's dust cover jutsu made for a great combination tactic, and Iwao's softer side showing during times of less bloodshed made the ice queen melt over time. That's how he discovered that she actually really enjoyed music and knitting.
A year later, they stayed in touch and Iwao suggested a hospital visit for a yearly health check-up. Kasumi was a bit hesitant to do so, not the biggest fan of hospitals, but went anyway. Iwao on the other hand stayed at the ramen stand, writing a song on a napkin. He liked her a lot, but never had the guts to tell her. He was unable to keep his squadron safe during the war, what made him capable of keeping her and possible children safe?
But he had not much time to worry, he had to study the song and get it right before she was out of the hospital. Chakra in his vocal chords would help his voice become much louder and clearer.
At three in the afternoon, he arrived at the door of the hospital and cleared his throat. This would be the most stressful minute and a half of his life, and one that would shape his life for how long he had left.
...
"Kasumi Nomi, I love you with all my heart! With this song I want to ask you one question that has been on my mind for a long time to now! Will you marry me?" Kasumi heard a familiar voice call her name and ask a question, one she never thought she'd hear from Iwao. She always thought he was too scared to say something, yet here he was.
The patients were cheering for Iwao, and Kasumi teared up out of joy. "Yes! One hundred times yes!" Whilst the doctors ran outside to berate Iwao for disrupting the peace, he couldn't be less bothered by it. He knew he wasn't the best person in the world, but he would do his best.
