Dear all, sorry for the delay.

N.B. Just to note the first part before the triple line is set before the incident at the river from the last chapter. Also some odd line breaks might appear in the chapter and I apologise for this, it's something to do with the formatting and I can't sort it out but I have double lined the actual breaks to help clarify where the real breaks are meant to be.

Tobirama didn't like the situation. He didn't like it at all. He had known Hashirama would leap at the opportunity to settle things peacefully with Madara. He'd told his brother of Madara's words reluctantly, driven by the notion that not telling Hashirama of the meeting was immoral on some level. Friendship with the Uchiha was one of Hashirama's childhood dreams. Thus, against his better judgement, Tobirama had imparted the arrogant Uchiha's little speech to his wide eyed brother.

Of course Hashirama had reacted predictably, whooping with excitement and rushing to pack his bags in preparation for the journey – though the meeting wasn't scheduled for another few days. Hashirama wanted to leave early, to get there in good time and for once – since it was obvious there was going to be no debate about whether they attended or not - Tobirama agreed. Personally, he wanted to scout the area and make a more complex tactical plan of how to deal with the inevitable betrayal.

It was now the second day of travel to the old river that lay between the Uchiha and Senju lands. Hashirama had already run out of food; an event that Tobirama probably should have predicted knowing his brother's lousy preparation skills. He glanced over at his hopeless sibling who staggered forward dramatically clutching his stomach as if in great pain.

"You ate an hour ago." Tobirama chided snappily.

"It feels as if it were days ago!"

"Well it wasn't! I hope you're not like this on patrols."

Hashirama pouted pitifully but quickly stopped as he noticed it had not fostered the desired sympathy in his little brother but instead a smouldering look of disapproval. Tobirama shook his head as he quelled his annoyance. He skidded to a halt by a large over-hanging tree.

"Fine," He sighed "Send a clone and fetch us something to eat. I'll scout the area."

He sped away, growling at his brother's departing whooping. Sometimes it seemed to Tobirama, that his dear brother was trying to get them killed.

Perhaps Hashirama had forgotten how to fear, he was after all the greatest fighter their generation had seen. However, being the strongest warrior didn't always have its advantages - sometimes it left you careless. Luckily, Hashirama would always have his ever cautious little brother to watch his back.

Tobirama gently smirked to himself as he secured the perimeter, he was very fond of his brother – even if he was an idiot at times.

When he returned, his brother was on his hands and knees hopefully puffing at a weakly smouldering bunch of twigs, already attempting to light a fire. Forming a tiger seal, Tobirama blew a light spark past his brother's face. The fire ignited with a crack and Hashirama flung himself backward, staring up at his brother reproachfully.

"Nearly took my face off." He grumbled, rubbing his reddening lips.

"I'm so sorry." Tobirama deadpanned.

Hashirama darkly muttered about the less than apologetic apology as the younger brother dug in his pack for some cured meat. Silently he broke the hunk in half and chewed on his own piece; chucking the rest to the older shinobi. He was relieved that the griping almost instantaneously desisted as his brother happily devoured the small offering.

Tobirama took the opportunity to re-examine his weapons – it obviously wouldn't do to have anything less than razor sharp knives when meeting with the Uchiha.

"You're too obsessive Tobi-chan."

"Don't call me that," He noted with distaste that the utterance seemed to be fast becoming some sort of a catch phrase "And I'm not."

"You're like a little crow, always checking your shiny treasures." Hashirama teased, poking him in the side annoyingly.

Tobirama did not rise to the comments, instead he steadily ground his teeth. This kind of irritating scene had been happening far too frequently of late. Images of the grubby pink haired girl swirled in his mind. Maybe her similarity to his brother had been the strange subconscious reason why he'd taken her in and not killed her on the spot.

He rubbed his forehead, massaging away the impending headache. Gods, the last thing he needed was another Hashirama, and a female version at that! Still perhaps if she ended up sticking around, the two morons could entertain each other whilst he got on with the important things.

His head sharply snapped up as he felt a surge of chakra and heard a rustling from the bushes. Hashirama raised a hand and Tobirama quickly relaxed. Of course, it was merely one of his brother's clones.

This Uchiha business had gotten him a little tense, he should have recognised his brother's signature chakra immediately. The clone presented them with arms full of mushrooms before disappearing in a cloud of smoke and leaving a small sapling behind.

"Tobirama, brother, make me mushroom broth– you know it's my favourite!" Hashirama begged, big brown eyes wide and innocent like a puppy's.

"Give me a pot then." He conceded, the ingredients were only water and mushroom. Even an idiot could make it. Still it was a task best not left up to his big brother, who somehow managed to sabotage all food he touched.

Patiently, he sliced the mushrooms against his thumb with his razor sharp kunai and tossed them into the blackened pot. After he'd thrown the last mushroom into the pot, he formed a Jin seal and filled the pot with water. Hashirama wiggled his eyebrows indicating he was impressed and Tobirama allowed himself a small smile - after all, producing water from thin air was no mean feat. He began to rummage in his pack, where he'd stowed a small pouch of seasoning. Something he'd packed knowing it'd please his brother to have a nice tasting meal.

"So…" His elder brother started, crouching on his haunches, huge grin spread across his tanned face.

"So, what?"

The grin stretched wider.

"Now we're away from prying ears, tell me about your lady-love!"

"I don't have one." Tobirama told him firmly, though he knew this wouldn't stop the impending conversation topic from being thoroughly discussed by his brother.

"Come now, Sakura is a fine girl! Come on, tell big bro the story of your romance…."

The withering glare Tobirama directed at Hashirama seemingly had little effect.

"You are aware I bought her to camp as I thought she could be a useful asset. There is nothing more to 'our story' than that."

Hashirama mocked disappointment – though he knew he'd get little else out of his little brother on emotional matters.

"At least tell me the circumstances in which you found her." He asked, voice suddenly a little serious "Something about the Uchiha I believe?"

Tobirama nodded his head, his shock of silvery hair bobbing up and down. In a low voice he described the bizarre evening and the days that had followed. Hashirama's shrewd eyes sharpened as Tobirama carefully listed Sakura's bizarre behaviours and questions – the mention of the Sage of the Six Paths particularly caught his attention.

"What are your thoughts, brother?" Tobirama finished, looking up at him expectantly as he dished out the soup. It wasn't often that Tobirama sought his advice; usually he preferred to be the bossy one. Hashirama slurped the piping hot broth thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid I can't begin to guess what's happened with that girl. But… I do agree we should keep an eye on her."

"I believe her motives aren't malicious." The silver haired man stared down at the greyish soup, picking at it uncharacteristically.

Hashirama was surprised by this interjection. Tobirama wasn't the most trusting of individuals and this girl came with too many unanswered questions.

"Why?"

The younger man didn't even consider the question, he merely looked firmly into Hashirama's eyes and told him "Sakura is not a threat."

"Fine, fine. I trust you brother." He held his hands up defensively. To be honest, Hashirama was happy to take his word for it. The girl was entertaining and she certainly brought a bit of colour to his brother's life.

Tobirama began to crankily pack away the cooking gear, snatching the bowl Hashirama held loosely in his hands.

"Let's get moving."

"Of course, of course. I feel much better now I'm fed." He rubbed his belly happily.

"Good," Tobirama told him "Because we're not stopping again."

He left his brother to miserably watch him stalk away. Hashirama felt he was probably going to be very hungry by the end of the day.

They arrived in the evening at the river bank, on the night prior to the ordained day. Hashirama happily strolled forward to approach the gurgling water but was stopped by Tobirama's outreached hand.

"Have you no sense of caution?" The younger man hissed.

Hashirama shrugged nonchalantly but obligingly held back and joined his brother in scanning the surrounding area for chakra signatures.

There was silence for a while as both men concentrated on the task. It was unlikely that Uchiha Madara or Izuna would reveal their positions easily if lying in ambush – as prodigies of their clan, their chakra masking would be second to none. Hashirama ceased his search a lot sooner than his brother - satisfied that enemies were not lurking nearby.

"So, what now?" He queried, watching Tobirama's stern pale face.

"Quiet, I'm concentrating."

He sighed at the snappy reply and picked the dirt from beneath his nails as his ever paranoid sibling continued the arduous task. Growing bored, Hashirama blinked slowly and opened himself to the natural chakra around him. His skin tingled as he allowed it to flow in and out of him as his sage mode activated revealing no threats – as he had already well known.

"Ne, brother, will this satisfy you?"

Tobirama glowered at him but nodded, knowing next to nothing could escape the omniscient awareness sage mode granted him. His heightened senses detected nothing and Hashirama swiftly returned to normal. His brother didn't like him flashing his abilities about, ever suspicious that others would learn just what power the Senju clan was packing. He had kept his sage abilities secret even from most of the clan, it wasn't wise to flaunt such abilities – it would make him and the clan the top target for every surrounding enemy.

The younger Senju straightened from his crouching position and began to patrol the river bank. Hashirama remained still for a moment, watching Tobirama identify which parts of the terrain could work to their advantage. No doubt he was already formulating complex attack, defence and escape plans in that furiously sharp mind of his. Hashirama trudged after his brother, following where Tobirama's keen eyes settled with his own.

"I feel as if you're worrying too much," he tried gently "The area works much more to our advantage: plenty of water and soft, rich ground."

"Perhaps. But why would the suggest meeting here unless they too have some sort of advantage from using this area?"

The young man's words made Hashirama feel uncomfortable – always so mistrustful, so cynical. Hashirama knew why Madara had chosen the area, it was the river by which they'd always met. The river where they'd been forced to declare their rivalry against each other to protect their only remaining siblings.

"Tobirama! Have some faith," Hashirama scolded reproachfully "These are peace talks, most people hosting peace talks don't plan to massacre their guests."

"Most people." His brother reiterated bitterly. However, he refrained from setting his usual traps nor did he bother to mask his chakra – signs he was willing at least to attempt negotiations.

"Come Tobi," Hashirama flopped down by the river, patting the ground beside him "It's best we wait out in the open – we don't want to look suspicious."

"Indeed." Muttered Tobirama, crouching next to him, hand firmly held by his kunai holster.

The elder sibling resumed picking his nails, amused as Tobirama twitched irritably at the clicking sound it made. He snuffled slightly as his nose began to run in the brisk evening air, which provoked a particularly poisonous look from the tense figure beside him.

"You going to crouch there all night? You'll get cramp."

"We must be ready for action."

"You won't be ready for action if you're rolling around on the ground with numb legs."

Tobirama snorted derisively – which probably translated as 'As if that would happen'.

The hair on the back of Hashirama's neck prickled as he sensed the presence of two fast approaching chakra sources. Beside him Tobirama bristled, the muscles in his forearms tensing tightly. The two remained in position as they sensed the newcomers' velocity slow to a steady walking pace.

Long, uneasy minutes ticked by - birds continued to sing in the trees around them, oblivious to the charged atmosphere that crackled through the air. Eventually, the Uchiha brothers emerged through the far treeline, dark hair looking ruddy in the evening sunlight.

Hashirama stood first, crossing the roaring water with ease to meet Madara in the middle of the river. The two younger siblings reluctantly followed their elders both sizing the other up.

"Hashirama, you're early." Madara greeted the elder Senju, a slow, charming smile spreading across his face.

"You as well."

"It wouldn't do to be late to ones own peace negotiations, would it?"

They clasped each other's hands looking to all the world as if they'd never been enemies.

"I was worried that perhaps the message wouldn't be relayed." Dark eyes slid to Tobirama, who glared back with obvious disgust. Hashirama raised a hand pre-emptively to silence the impending outburst.

"Well we're here." He smiled brightly, his face looking boyish "We've come to put an end to all of this."

"It's good to hear those words from you, old friend." Madara told him. Hashirama pretended not to notice the expression of revulsion that marred Izuna's handsome face.

"Now Hashirama, there will of course be terms."

"Of course. A compromise will have to be found."

"Might I suggest that we start with a ceasefire? Then, if after three moons this is not broken, we send envoys to discuss further terms and potential trade?" Madara drawled, his deep charismatic voice making him seem the perfect diplomat.

"A reasonable proposition," He nodded slowly, indeed pleased by the suggestion but aware the rest of his clan would not be so willing to trust the Uchiha "But, might I propose we still send envoys on the third moon but make it four moons before meeting back here to discuss further terms? This way our respective representatives can judge whether true peace can be attained and how best our clans can work together."

"Spy on us you mean!" Izuna interjected furiously before flinching back as Madara shot him an irate look.

Hashirama laughed and rubbed the back of his head "Yes, I suppose so. Except you'll have a spy amongst us as well. Surely, that's the best way to gauge each other's true intentions?"

"They'll merely use the opportunity to find and exploit our weaknesses!" Tobirama hissed in his ear.

"Well that's a risk both sides will have to take if they want the other to trust them." He told him firmly and loudly for Izuna's benefit. An idea swirled around his mind as he looked at his brother's unhappy face "In fact, I suggest that we send Tobirama to you and Izuna should come to us - since these two are likely to be the most concerned."

The two younger men protested vehemently and Madara's eyes narrowed as he scrutinised Hashirama's tanned face. The Senju leader met the Uchiha's eyes squarely and unfalteringly. Eventually, having seemingly found what he was looking for in his old friend's gaze, he sighed.

"Yes, I agree. They are both highly valuable assets to our clan. I do not believe you'd risk the death of your brother by harming mine."

"You cannot be seriously thinking of sending me into that pit of vipers alone?!" Izuna spat, face incredulous and stubborn.

"I suppose you are right..."

Both Izuna and Tobirama looked a little relieved until Madara spoke again "We will send an additional person each. You will perhaps feel more comfortable with company? We'll allow you to select your partners yourselves."

Hashirama nodded in agreement and was about to speak when Madara interrupted, glaring first at his brother and then to the Senju siblings.

"However, should there be any breach of the peace agreement for these four moons, there will be terrible repercussions." His voice was low and dangerous.

Hashirama held Madara's stare as dark eyes bled to red, tomoe spinning dizzyingly. He stepped forward and proffered his hand once more. The Uchiha took it in his own pale one and they shook, never breaking eye contact.

"We are agreed."

After a long moment, the men released the handshake and took a step backward. The Senju didn't blink as the Uchiha gathered the chakra to their feet and jumped away, disappearing into the canopy of the trees behind them. The chakra signatures faded from perception as the two Uchiha seemingly headed toward their home lands.

Hashirama sighed contentedly and turned to Tobirama, who remained rigidly tense until he could no longer sense their rivals. Finally, he crossed his arms across his broad chest and glowered at his brother with resentment.

"I didn't agree to it." His tone was uncharacteristically pedantic and Hashirama had to conceal a chuckle "Only you and Madara are happy with this arrangement."

"Good thing we're clan leaders then, and not you and Izuna."

"Good thing for them you mean."

"Now, now," Hashirama reasoned- he obviously had some persuading to do "It'll all work out. You'll see."

"Work out with me roasted to death by the entire Uchiha clan."

The brunette scratched his nose to conceal this grin that tugged at his lips. For all his brother liked to act as a refined adult, his pessimism often touched on adolescent-melodrama.

"It's lucky you're excellent with water jutsu then." He said, roughly patting him on the back.

Tobirama shook him off and stalked toward the bank. Hashirama followed, feeling quite optimistic despite the inevitable struggles that lay ahead of him. In fact, he felt positively warm and fuzzy inside.

Tobirama stopped suddenly, turning toward him, sniffing the air with a nose wrinkled in disgust. Hashirama came to a halt as well, realising the warm feeling had become a distinctly hot feeling. Before he knew it, his brother had knocked him flying and he'd hit the water hard. He skidded breathlessly across its surface, his chakra keeping him from full submersion.

Acrid smoke filled the air, burning his eyes and making him choke as he finally caught his breath. Tobirama too was coughing as he ducked to avoid the scorching fireball that hurtled over his head. Hashirama pulled himself to his feet and searched the area for their attacker. He blinked, confused - he sensed nothing.

"Can you sense anyone?" He called, concentrating harder.

"Get down!" His brother's hoarse voice barked.

Hashirama released the chakra from his feet and plunged into the freezing water below, above him as another fireball seared past. He surfaced, blinking the water from his eyes, trying to re-orientate himself in the tumultuous river. A column of water shot after the roaring inferno but failed to catch up to its breakneck speed. The younger Senju skidded over to him to provide cover as he clambered, sputtering, out of the water. He watched as Tobirama fired shot after shot at the flames, which some how seemed to be turning back toward them.

The molten orb arched through the air and came screaming back at them faster than Hashirama could form seals. It headed directly for the brothers at breakneck speed, only missing by an inch as Tobirama hauled him the rest of the way out of the river and dived sideways. Something strange caught their eyes as it shot past.

"Was that a face?" Hashirama asked, quite sure he'd hit his head somewhere along the way.

Tobirama only grunted in reply and they watched the projectile come in for another run. Hashirama squinted as it sped toward them and this time he was sure of it.

"It's got a bloody face!"

Inside the blaze he thought he could make out the head of a wizened old woman, mouth open in a ear piercing screech. He glanced at his brother who'd clearly seen it too, judging by the way his mouth hung open.

"What the hell?!" He shouted above the din, preparing to distance himself from it "What is it Tobirama?"

"Like hell I know." Tobirama hollered back, finishing the last bird seal required for his jutsu.

The river below them began to undulate violently and a great swell peaked before the steely haired shinobi. Hashirama braced himself as a large snout broke from the surface of the water followed by the glistening body of Tobirama's Suiryūdan no Jutsu. The dragon seemed to roar as it opened its gaping jaws. The strong currents that made up its rippling form suddenly surged forward, making the chakra-creature appear to lunge.

The screaming thing in the fireball was moving too fast to stop and met the dragon head on. Its mighty jaws snapped shut, engulfing the strange inferno, and swallowing it whole.

Tobirama pressed his fingers together desperately, his face contorted with effort. He threw his brother a frantic look as the dragon before them began to warp and twist, its body - and Tobirama's chakra - unable to contain the rising pressure. Hashirama balked at the sight, swallowing heavily.

A large column of vapour erupted from the dragon and instantaneously both men were forced to dissipate the chakra from their feet and dropped into the water below. The writhing body of the dragon burst and a shockwave of steam thundered outward.

Above them, the boiling gas stripped the bark from the trees and the grass from the bank. Tobirama pulled Hashirama further into the cooler depths away from the super-heated water rolling away from the explosion.

By the time they'd surfaced, red faced and almost scalded, there was no sign of the fireball or whatever had been in it - only the sickly smell of lamp oil and a thick, iridescent sheen on water remained...

Sakura hadn't initially been embarrassed when Tobirama had found her after the attack. In fact, she felt she had deserved a little cry after all that business with the azuki-babā. It wasn't often one found themselves at the mercy of a flesh eating monster that had the strength to crush bones between its fingers. That being said, after the shock had worn off, she began to feel more than a little humiliated.

On that ghastly night, Tobirama had silently returned her to camp, organised for Asah to tend to her leg and subsequently disappeared without a word. Sakura had not even been given the chance to explain herself. It wasn't like she had been crying for no good reason!

He probably would have cried too if something that grotesque had been trying to rip out his tongue!

She could imagine him sighing and shaking his head muttering something about her girlish weakness to himself. The very thought of it made Sakura grind her teeth in frustration.

Sakura had been waiting to confront him and set the record straight for a good three days now. Not that she'd made any effort to go to look for him...

She chose to remain lurking around her tent, stubbornly willing him to come to her. After all, running around after him would only further reinforce the weak and needy image that she'd accidentally managed to cultivate.

Thankfully, she'd been able to distract herself from ruminating over Tobirama's possible misconceptions. Runa had visited every day since the incident, fussing and squawking over her like an old fat hen. The hag had even brought Sakura food and water – a huge relief since she didn't particularly fancy heading down to the river any time soon.

However such pampering came at a price. In return, Runa had grilled her thoroughly and rather aggressively about what had happened. Sakura suspected her interest was more motivated by a lust for gossip than actual concern and thus had remained tight-lipped for as long as possible. However, the crone's constant pestering of the stubbornly schtum Sakura had eventually caused her to snap and she found herself telling Runa everything.

Initially Sakura had thought Runa wouldn't believe the fanciful story and half expected an ear cuffing but the old woman had been gravely serious about the whole matter.

"Evil times we live in." Runa told her, tapping her nose knowingly.

"Aa." Sakura had murmured in agreement.

"We best be moving from these parts." The old woman muttered, shuffling out of Sakura's tent "Behave yourself girly. Don't be running off by yourself again."

With that remark she had left, leaving Sakura to mull on her own. She decided she wouldn't be loitering here when the Senju left for greener pastures, Sakura would most definitely be tagging along. She'd put up with a few dirty looks if it meant not being munched on.

The other thing she'd decided upon was a good deal of self-training.

So what if no one wanted to teach her chakra control or medical ninjutsu?

She'd teach herself.

The satisfaction of smashing the azuki-babā in the face had been immense. Sakura vowed to herself that next time she encountered an attacker, she'd pulverise them with her bare fists before they could sling her around like a rag doll.

She sat on the grass outside her tent, watching the Senju go about their business from a distance. Experimentally she swung her fists, re-enacting the encounter in her head. She should have socked the creature square in its ugly nose as it had suggested eating her (though, realistically, it would probably have resulted in a broken arm before she could even land a punch). Still, it was nice to fantasise.

Charging her chakra she mimed a brutal upper cut. Smiling as she imagined the cartilage shattering under her knuckles. The girl ducked, dodging invisible claws and brought her right hand round in a quick jab for a temple shot. She happily rolled her shoulders and repeatedly pummelled the air viciously.

"You look absurd."

Sakura continued to box her imaginary foe but granted Tobirama a glance, wondering just how he managed to sneak up on her quite so stealthily. He sure did like to come in stylishly with the one liners.

The young man stood a few feet to her right, looking down at her disdainfully. She let her eyes wander shamelessly, slowly over this tall, muscular body and smirked as he uncomfortably shifted to the right, revealing a bundle of something tucked under one arm.

"I think I look great." She informed him, directing a few punches toward his legs.

"I'm sure you do."

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" She queried, happily visualising breaking his face instead of the azuki-babā's.

He answered by dropping the bundle at her side. Sakura raised an eyebrow but reached for it.

"For me? Courting gifts already?"

Tobirama rolled his eyes but didn't reply, just waited for her to unwrap what he'd brought. Sakura obliged, unrolling the rough material. Inside she found two pairs of britches, two shirts, a musty cloak and a pair of leather gloves.

"Amazing!" She bounced to her feet happily, holding a pair of britches to her waist and spinning gleefully "Really, thank you so much!"

She attempted to bound over to him for a thank you hug but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Just keep yourself covered." He told her stiffly.

"Will do!"

Sakura cast aside her sandals and began to pull the trousers on, oblivious to Tobirama's red face as she flashed him a look under her shirt when lifting a leg to scramble into the garment. After she was finished she looked up at him expectantly, popping a hip and winking.

"How do I look then?"

"Like a boy."

"Better than a harlot, right?"

"It'd be better still if you dressed appropriately."

"If I started doing that, what reason would you have to come talk to me? I know you only come to see me to get an eyeful." She teased, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

He took a step forward and lent a little closer toward her, a challenging look in his eye. A slow smirk tugged at his lips, making Sakura swallow nervously. When he spoke, his voice was slow and measured.

"If you're going to continue with your silly games, I won't be overseeing your training after all."

"What…?" Sakura looked at him blankly before processing his words and bouncing up excitedly "Yes! Hell yes!"

Sakura threw Tobirama a genuine and dazzling smile and danced around him, punching the air victoriously. He watched her in fascinated horror, sliding away from her outreached arms as she once more tried to embrace him gratefully. Too excited to mind, she pulled her sandals back on and hopped in front of him enthusiastically.

"Take the gloves too." He told her. She stooped, pulling them from the pile of clothes and hastily bundling the rest into the tent.

"So what first?"

"Follow me."

He took her a little further away from the encampment, to an area where the trees didn't grow so densely. Sakura happily trotted behind him, practically stepping on his heels in excitement. Tobirama threw her irritable glances over his shoulder and the enthusiastic girl backed off a little, wary in case he withdrew his offer. They stopped at a spot where several withered trees grew, their yellowing leaves looking lacklustre amongst the emerald spring greenery.

"Sit." He commanded, pointing at a spot by his feet. She obligingly crouched before him, looking up at him expectantly.

"Firstly, we talk about the other night. Do you know what the creature was Sakura?"

"Said something about being an azuki-babā – you know like from the stories?"

"I see."

His dark eyes didn't so much as blink as he processed the information and his expression remained impassive as ever – if not bored.

"You don't seem particularly surprised." Sakura probed, annoyed by his inexpressive answer. "Did you catch the other one?"

"I'm not and I didn't."

"So you let a human eating monster run away?" Her tone dropped as she regarded him darkly.

"I don't believe they were the same species. Same kind of family of creatures, perhaps, but more benign."

"You're just saying that because you failed!" Sakura accused angrily. Tobirama shot her a sharp look silencing her temporarily.

"I got a good look at him. I confirmed it with Runa, she seems to think I am correct."

"And you're willing to bet lives on Runa's opinion?" She asked, annoyed that he was being so casual about the creature's escape.

Tobirama met her eyes with a steely gaze. His garnet eyes didn't as much as blink as he answered her.

"I'd be willing bet my own life at least."

Sakura looked away, sheepishly at the ground, a little abashed by how serious his statement had seemed. Her hackles dropped, it would do no good to challenge him on this. Anyway, it wasn't Tobirama's style to trust anyone without good reason. And in a funny way, she supposed she strangely trusted the old crone too – Runa might be the gossip queen but she was not a liar and certainly wouldn't risk anyone's life on a false statement.

Sakura rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug "Fine, fine but if something tries to eat me again, I'm going to kill you."

Tobirama looked faintly amused by the notion, the corners of his mouth almost twitching upwards but he didn't laugh.

"I'm sure you're capable of looking after yourself. You did quite the number on the azuki-babā."

"I did, didn't I?"

Sakura made a show of puffing up with pride, dusting her chest nonchalantly. She didn't want him seeing how shaken she really was about the whole affair. Sure, she'd survived but it'd been too close for her liking, she had hated how it had played with her, huge dark eyes glittering with glee. It had snapped her leg as if it were nothing and in that moment she'd realised she had been nothing to a creature like that. She had finally understood her life could be snuffed out without even a spare second to mourn it.

"Your work was sloppy." Tobirama informed her, studying her face analytically "Today we will work on improving your concentration."

"Let me guess... meditation?" Sakura groaned pre-emptively.

"Of course. You will master the basics otherwise you will continue to perform poorly."

"I was hoping you'd teach me real fighting."

"You'd only hurt yourself."

"I can be healed." She pouted stubbornly, holding onto the hope that soon she'd be battling away to her hearts content.

"And how exactly do you intend to pay for the treatment?"

Sakura looked baffled by the question and crossed her arms thoughtfully. She hadn't exchanged any money for anything since she'd been here now she came to think of it. She'd received food, clothes, living items and even been healed but not once had she actually paid for anything. It seemed unlikely to her that this community ran on kindness alone; especially for an outsider.

"I don't…" She said carefully "Why's my treatment been free up until now?"

"It has been paid for."

"By who?" She probed suspiciously.

"By people who are willing to invest in your potential." His burgundy eyes met hers, betraying no emotion and no further information "Let us start with the training. You have much to learn."

If Tobirama's words were true, she supposed that her investors would be expecting a return for their money sometime soon. Sakura felt a twang of guilt. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to play along with Tobirama's excruciating slow methods if it made her look acquiescent. She didn't particularly wish to be banished from the Senju clan or to face whatever fate that was intended for un-useful strangers around these parts.

Closing her eyes compliantly, she started her breathing exercises, trying to push down her worry. Tobirama had described her as a medic to the rest of the Senju clan as a means to quash their curiosity about her appearance, this was undoubtedly the reason they were investing in her. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything of the sort right now, there was no way in her current state she could perform any useful medical services. She'd be indebted for the rest of her life. How long would it take her to learn anyway? A little panic began to rise in her chest.

"Sakura," The young man's deep voice broke her concentration "I know you have potential. You must work hard to achieve it."

His words soothed her mind, even if she doubted them. Even if she wasn't what he thought she was, Sakura would work hard so his faith in her was not completely shattered. After all, maybe she did owe him one for caring for her. She suspected she owed him quite a bit of money as well but she knew asking about that would only annoy him (or panic her).

"Don't worry Tobirama-sensei, I'll do you proud." She cracked open an eye and winked at him, giving him a falsely bright grin.

Tobirama nodded briskly - and it seemed to Sakura as if he believed she would.

Tobirama stretched, regarding Sakura's bent figure as she scurried along next to him. She hobbled unsteadily, doubled over under the weight of the packs he'd given her to carry, her lithe legs shaking with the effort. He was pleased to see she didn't complain, not even muttering as he'd added his own baggage to her excessive load. And well frankly, she could do with bulking up her muscles.

Tobirama had originally thought her apparent bodily weakness was related to her unfortunate series of accidents and illnesses but as he'd begun to train her he'd noticed just how peculiar her lack of strength had really been. The muscles of her body – whilst reflexively quite quick and trained – had been strangely underdeveloped, almost as if they hadn't been used. It had taken a month of training to merely get her up to normal speed and flexibility and to stop her cantering around like a drunken fawn.

Sakura had recently shown significant signs of improvement, almost managing to move with the silent grace expected of a shinobi. The girl had really come on leaps and bounds since he'd taken her under his wing. The largest improvement in his eyes had been her increasing quietness, she'd all but stopped with the ridiculous flirting. Steadily for the last few weeks she'd insulted him less and less, occasionally even showing him true respect. Whilst it was certainly a relief not to have to indulge her inane chatter, it did seem as though some of the life had been squeezed out of her.

Still, shinobi weren't born to be personalities – they were born to fight.

In any case, despite a slight change in talkativeness, her training had actually been fairly successful so far. Sakura had improved both physically and had quite nearly mastered honing her chakra release to a precise art. Tobirama had actually been a little surprised by her acceleration in learning, she'd grasped the concepts far quicker than he'd initially anticipated. Perhaps some of her memories had started coming back– or at least maybe she had reconnected with retained implicit memories from her past.

She'd applied the techniques he'd taught her to control chakra in the most novel of ways. Instead of begging him to teach her a plethora of jutsu, she seemed perfectly content just trying to smash things with carefully timed chakra release. It wasn't something he'd shown her but, when it actually worked, it certainly seemed effective. Not to mention, he privately thought, that the technique somewhat suited her pink-haired scarecrow had been putting her training to good use - Tobirama believed she would become fairly formidable with her tiny fists with just a little more of time.

However, he'd found her lack of reaction to her improvements were a little… unsettling. The girl he'd travelled with all those weeks ago would be crowing about her greatness and nagging for him to teach her more. Perhaps her strange mood was from his lack of praise? Perhaps he should have complimented her on her improvements? Why, just this morning he'd seen her reduce the trunk of a tree to splinters and, admittedly, it had been rather… spectacular. He glanced sideways at the now morosely shuffling Sakura.

"Sakura…?" He coughed, wondering what on earth was wrong with the cretin. She looked up, blinking owlishly at him.

"Yes?" The girl replied quietly, her mind clearly on other things.

Tobirama glared at her suspiciously. He didn't understand her motives to act in this way… Perhaps she was upset or some similar emotion? The young man rolled his eyes disgustedly - he'd have to say something nice. After all, he couldn't stand the company of the mopey girl right now.

"Your strength has become quite monstrous."

He groaned inwardly. The words had just slipped out. Why had he said that? Women did not like to be told they were monstrous. This he was sure of! Why couldn't he have just said she'd improved? He glowered at her defensively, ready for tears or wails but found her grinning at him.

"What, you scared?" She challenged, her mossy eyes glinting at him. A tension he hadn't known had been there slipped away. Normal, arrogant Sakura still lurked ever behind her recently placated façade.

"Of you?" He scoffed, looking forward once more "Your consistency is still poor.".

They were silent for a while as they trudged onward, birds chattering happily around them. It pleased him a little that she hadn't become entirely soft, a complete lack of character rarely made good shinobi. Despite his own opinions on overbearing personalities and what some might think, he'd admit that a good shinobi needed a little fire.

With his praise he hoped to level out Sakura's personality to an acceptable level. In truth, Sakura had been somewhat subdued since the incident with the creature. At the time, Tobirama hadn't known what to do with her when he'd found her wailing by the disgusting corpse. Awkwardly, he had attempted to comfort her the best he could, whilst he took in the distressing scene, patting her on the shoulder as he'd seen his brother do with squalling children.

Tobirama had let her lean into him as he observed the carnage she'd created. The creature's corpse was truly horrifying, it had been undoubtedly inhuman, grey skinned and wrongly proportioned. Its skull had been a mess of brain and bone by the time he'd gotten there, needle teeth shattered like eggshell in its mouth. From the blood on her fists, Sakura had obviously been the one to cave in the creature's head.

Tobirama had always been somewhat sceptical of Sakura's apparent uselessness and seeing the pulverised cranium of the creature proved he was right to doubt her weak façade. When he had picked up a fragment of skull and turned around between two fingers he had found it had been thick, thicker than a human bone. He very much doubted Sakura had been able to kill it with an average girl's strength.

Yet, there she had been, moments after it had all happened, snuggling into him, distraught and afraid.

After mulling it over in his head for weeks, all he could conclude was that perhaps she hadn't known her own strength, or at least couldn't manage it.

When she was done sobbing, Tobirama had silently taken her back to camp, carrying her as her leg appeared to be broken. He'd left her with Asah, her face a mess of gauges, mucous and blood, and returned to the creature's body. Carefully, he'd examined the scene around the corpse. Nail marks scoured the ground, he lifted the creatures stiffening arm and examined its claws – it definitely didn't leave the marks. Sakura must have been dragged backward quite forcibly at some point during the encounter.

Blood and brain was sprayed across the ground, its trajectory was not large, indicating a lack of accelerated force. He had studied the creatures head next, it had been broken on one side, the break not reaching the back of the cranium. The rest of the damage seemed to be caused by repeated trauma. He had concluded she'd used a single blow to kill and rest was done in madness.

It had worried him.

Firstly, Sakura had killed something strong enough to snap her bone easily – which in itself was actually promising. But, it was the animalistic behaviour that had desecrated the corpse's skull which concerned him. He understood she was frightened and perhaps she didn't understand her own strength but it was so unlike the Sakura he knew. For her to lose her head like that... It was so unlike the gritty and sarky girl he'd travelled with.

But what did he really know about her? She was after all an outsider with no memory of her past.

The second thing that worried him had been her crying, she'd seemed so afraid and vulnerable; it was not a state of mind one could indulge in if one lived in a war torn land such as this. In a way he wanted to pity her - to tell her everything would be alright - but such actions would only be detrimental to her in the long run.

When he had reached these conclusions he had resolved to train her. He couldn't have a loose cannon with an unstable temperament running around his clan. Thankfully she'd agreed easily and he'd spent the last few weeks keeping a close eye on her.

Despite his fears, she'd become reliable lately. So much so, that Tobirama had allowed her to join him as a rear guard to the slowly moving Senju clan.

They'd set off much later than the rest of his people, carefully erasing as much evidence as they could that a large group of people had settled in their previous encampment. As they travelled behind the procession, they covered the visible tracks of the wagons with fallen leaves or mulch. To throw possible pursuers off their route, Tobirama sent clones to track false footprints in alternative directions and to turn the forest detritus to emulate the migration of a large group of people. Even with their delayed departure and the timely tasks, they'd already caught up with a few of the slower moving Senju.

Most of the people in front of Sakura and Tobirama were elderly but a few young families also trudged slowly amongst the stragglers. Three wagons trundled along pulled by small, stocky ponies. Sakura almost shouted out as she spotted Runa steering the wagon to the left; which was laden with rolled up canvas tents and wooden poles. Tobirama was pleased to see her close her mouth and stay professionally quiet as she continued to stick close to his side covering the traveller's trail as she was meant to.

The group moved slowly, at a pace almost intolerable to the restless Tobirama. He rolled his shoulders uneasily, trying to stay limber. Moving in such a long sluggish procession like this made them sitting ducks should an ambush be lying in wait. From the manner in which Sakura's eyes darted about, Tobirama could tell she too felt the strange tension.

Despite their reservations, the daylight hours uneventfully ticked past with no more misfortune than a stumble from one of the elderly Senju in front of them. As the evening light faded, Sakura and Tobirama fell back from the group, redoubling their efforts to mask the tracks left by the Senju clan.

The rosy-haired girl seemed to be taking great care scattering leaves over the scrubbed out wagon track, her mind clearly wandering as she stared blankly at the forest floor. Tobirama watched her for a minute as she cocked her head to one side as if listening to a faint sound. The only sound the young Senju could make out with his keen ears was the faint rustle and creak of the living forest. Sakura's face tilted toward the large, old trees that surrounded them and her face broke out in a childlike smile.

"Sakura," He prompted gently, a little unnerved by her odd behaviour "What're you doing?"

She spared him a glance with her opalescent eyes and sidled a little closer to him, her smooth arm brushing against his.

"Look." She whispered, pointing toward the empty trees "Can you see them?"

He strained to make out whatever had caught her interest amongst the dark boughs around them but he saw nothing. Automatically Tobirama scanned the area for unfamiliar chakra signatures and again he failed to sense anything.

His eyes slid to her face, which was a mask of fascination. Perhaps she was under a genjutsu of some kind. Carefully, so as not to startle her he reached out to touch her forehead and whispered "Kai."

This only resulted in an annoyed look shot incredulously at him and a painful slap on the wrist. He automatically rubbed his wrist and resisted the temptation to wring her by her neck for the impertinence of it all.

"Sakura, enough games now."

Tobirama reddened as she ignored him and tried to barge past him. He attempted to grab her by the shoulder to give her a sharp shake but she evaded him, dancing around him toward the forest. Irritated beyond belief, Tobirama turned back on her and began to stalk after the long gone Senju procession.

"When you feel like acting like an adult you can re-join us down the road. I won't wait for you to waste more of my time."

Sakura slowly pivoted to look at him, wearing an idiotically surprised expression.

"You can't see them?" She asked slack jawed, he glowered at her silently as she turned her back on him once more.

"Sakura..." He warned in a low voice, either she was mad or just being a pain. She bounced from foot to foot agitatedly, looking longingly at a high branch above them. Suddenly, she darted backwards and snatched his hand into a vicelike grip, towing him behind her as he tried to prize her digits from his own.

"Get off me!" Tobirama exclaimed furiously, attempting to yank his arm away from her.

"Shut up, would you?" Sakura snapped back, giving his hand a hard squeeze that almost shattered the bones. The young man almost turned purple in anger, ruing the day he'd ever helped her unlock her monstrous strength. She came to a halt and lifted a slender arm, fingers outstretched toward the overhanging branch.

Tobirama paused in his cursing as he watched the expression of pure delight spread across her face as her fingers lightly caressed the thin air.

"Look," She whispered, turning toward him, eyes glistening like opals in the half light "Can you see now?"

He bit back the scathing retort, her expression was too soft, almost too... too awed... to ruin with venomous words. Instead he sighed and concentrated on the nothingness beneath her fingers. After a long stretch of silence he sighed, ready to turn his back on the ridiculous scene. However, a slight glimmer caught his eye. He blinked and stared again, sure he'd seen an evanescent shimmer but maybe it had been a mere trick of the light?

Tobirama caught Sakura staring at him, a tentative smile tugging at her pink lips. In his peripherals he saw the air around the tree shift like a summer haze. Suddenly curious, he allowed himself to be towed forward, barely noticing as she pulled his torso flush against her back. Gently, she guided his trapped arm upward, standing on her tiptoes as she tried to bring his hand toward the invisible object she was so enraptured with.

As his fingers reached forward, the air seemed to glimmer, swirling around an unknown iridescent shape. His skin prickled as it made contact with the thing. It felt both warm and cool against his fingertips - solid yet liquid. Still, his keen eyes still couldn't discern what it was, its form seemed to ripple like a rainbow across the surface of a lake.

"It's beautiful." Sakura murmured, tilting her heart-shaped face up to look at him.

Tobirama's breath caught in his throat as she smiled gently, her jade eyes burning into his from behind those long tangled lashes. The warmth of her back against his chest began to make him feel as if he were burning. He took a half step back to collect himself but she gently caught his other arm.

"Wait," She whispered "I think the others want to meet us too."

She gestured to the trees around them with a sweeping arm. Tobirama's skin crawled a little, he found himself itching to reach for a weapon. How many of these things were there? Was he surrounded? Were they dangerous?

A single glance at Sakura's face, which glowed with innocent pleasure, was enough to silence his worries.

"Come on." She implored, cheeks flushed with anticipation.

Dumbly, he nodded and allowed Sakura to lace her fingers through his, following her deeper into the forest.

"Sounds like Kodama my boy," Runa informed him sagely "Heard they're beautiful and good luck to boot. You're a lucky man to have seen them."

Hashirama gawped at him from his seat on the floor, eyes as big as saucers and face full of wonder. He'd been listening to the story in rapt awe and practically twitched with jealousy that he hadn't gotten to see the strange creatures. His fingers curled as he recalled how strange the sensation had been when he had been touching the "Kodama". The old crone eyed Tobirama as he chewed the inside of his cheek pensively.

"Spit it out. What's bothering you?" She barked, perceptive as ever.

"I couldn't see them... Well, not really. Only sort of an impression of them..."

He'd stayed with Sakura whilst she'd greeted the odd little creatures, cooing at them in a soft voice. Despite the uncomfortable feeling in his gut, he'd settled a little way from the beeming girl and watched the scene analytically. As time had worn on, he'd been able to discern a faint outline of their twisting bodies that brushed familiarly against him as they apparently "played". However, much to his frustration, he'd never entirely been able to see what they looked like - only Sakura could.

"Sakura, though, Sakura was able to see them." He admitted to the others.

Runa's sparse eyebrow shot upward into a sea of wrinkles.

"Dōjutsu?" Hashirma suggested.

"Perhaps." The thought had occurred to him, it seemed the only logical explanation. However, it was not a power he'd ever heard of nor was it a theory he could easily test. He considered asking Asah to examine her eyes but such a task was not Asah's field of expertise and it was unlikely he'd be able to provide much information.

As if reading his thoughts, Hashirama cleared his throat and smiled happily "It seems to me you'd need to visit an expert in dōjutsu in order to fully investigate this. Happily, my dear brother, we have such an opportunity arising."

Tobirama bristled, he didn't want to take Sakura into the viper's nest for many reasons but surely sending him in with a rookie girl with no real battle experience was practically a death sentence for him. He opened his mouth to protest but Hashirama raised a hand to silence him.

"It seems pertinent to me that your travelling companion should be our little Sakura. We can kill two birds with one stone this way. Perhaps employing the Uchiha's help on this matter will encourage better relations. A sharing of information or discovery if you will." His brother's eyes shone wistfully and Tobirama suspected he was lost in his little imaginary utopia where the Uchiha and Senju frolicked around happily.

"And what if Sakura does have some dōjutsu or latent ability? This "sharing of information" is risky, we're basically advertising her abilities to our enemies. You're just setting us up to lose a potentially valuable asset."

His harsh tone snapped his brother from his revelry. Hashirama's mahogany eyes narrowed "There's a truce on Tobi, they're not our enemy at the moment." His tone was even despite the steel in his eye. He smiled flippantly and reached to pat Tobirama's shoulder "Anyway you're probably just worried your little Sakura might take a fancy to one of those pretty looking Uchiha." He joked.

Tobirama shrugged the hand off aggressively, taking a bold step forward "Listen to me." He growled "The Uchiha are not our friends. They are our enemy. They always will be. The truce is nothing more than a temporary cease fire and you're stupid to think otherwise."

"Tobira-" Hashirama attempted to interrupt, slightly taken aback by his brother's venomous tone.

"Just listen to me, you fool!" The younger Senju's voice rose "You're practically sending me to my death and now you want to send our potential asset too! If she has a dōjutsu she might change the tides for us - it's as if you're gift wrapping a weapon for them to turn on us, you really are - ow! Ow!"

Tobirama stopped mid-rant and attempted to shield himself from Runa's battering.

"You stupid boy!" Runa barked "Watch that pretty mouth of yours."

It seemed to Hashirama as if the young Senju was about to answer back but one look from Runa's beady eyes silenced him.

"Firstly, Hashirama-kun may be an idealistic fool but he is your superior. Have some faith in him, don't you think he knows what consequences can come of these actions?"

Hashirama swallowed, Runa's belief in him was unnerving. True, there was more to his plan than he was willing to share at this second, but his brother was right. It was a big risk sending Tobirama and Sakura to the Uchiha.

Unaware of his anxiety Runa barrelled on with her scolding. "Secondly, Sakura is a person not a weapon - if you treat her like a tool she'll become one. Weapons can be turned on their masters. People are much more faithful. Don't you trust her, your own student? Do you think she'll betray you so easily?"

Tobirama backed away like a cornered animal but did not move to stop her hitting him with her angry gnarled fists.

"Look, alright, alright!" He shouted, frustrated. Runa paused, looking at him expectantly "I trust her, okay? I just don't trust them. Who knows what they could do to her or make her do with their cursed Sharingan."

"Do you have so little faith in your own teachings? She's your student just increase her training in preparation."

"If we knew how to train against the Sharingan we'd be winning this war. It'll be futile, she'll never stand up to an Uchiha at full power."

Runa's wizened face darkened. When she spoke her voice was low and firm "What kind of master gives up on training his student just because the opponent is strong? She may not be powerful now but it's not excuse to leave her weak. Every teachers' dream is for their student to surpass them. You wouldn't have taken her on in the first place if you didn't see something in her."

The young warrior and the crone glowered at each other in silence. Tobirama's jaw ticked angrily but Runa stayed serenely still. Tobirama began to redden under her cool stare.

"Fine!" He conceded, throwing his hands up in exasperated defeat "But this is complete madness."

Hashirama cleared his throat - glad he'd stayed out of their bickering - "Well little brother. There is method in my madness. I promise you, I'm sending you and Sakura because I believe you are the only two who can go. I trust you two - this is a mission that could change the future of our clan."

Sakura looked down at her baby girl.

Her face was red and angry, eyes screwed shut as she screamed. But Sakura had never seen anything more beautiful. Her shishou had told her it'd be best to have bare skin contact at first; so they'd bond faster. She held her daughter gently against her swollen breasts.

Tiny fists were bunched up by her sides and carefully, Sakura covered them both with a blanket – just allowing her baby's little face to peep out.

Her baby's head had wisps of downy dark hair and her eyes were dark blue like all infants. Sakura wondered whether she'd have her eyes or her father's. It didn't matter either way. She was perfect and she'd always be perfect, no matter whose genes were strongest.

She looked up, would he be proud? Would he finally accept he had a home to come back to? A family that wanted him there?

But of course he wasn't there. She tried not to feel disappointed. Maybe when he saw their little one everything would be different… Maybe it was unfair of her to pin her hopes on her child.

Her daughter continued to cry, unsatisfied with the warmth of her mother. Sakura rocked her and cooed, unsure what to do. She stared down at her baby's face and watched in horror as thick, viscous, unnatural tears began to seep from her eyes.

"Karin!" She screamed.

There was no reply. This wasn't right. The tears… they were like liquid emerald.

"Karin! Something's wrong! Karin, are you there?"

There was silence, save for her baby's bawling and Sakura's own frantic sobs.

She tried to pull herself from her bed to get help but found herself trapped beneath the weight of her offspring.

Her daughter grew heavier in her arms, pinning her down, suffocating her.

Sakura struggled but could not move.

She could only try and wipe the green tears from her infant child's face.

Her breaths grew frantic and shallow and her vision began to blur. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't get help. Her daughter needed someone, someone who'd know what to do. The baby kept wailing, louder and louder, the tears streaming luminescent streaks across her delicate face.

Where was he? Why wasn't he here? She couldn't look after the baby by herself.

"Sasuke…"

Can I firstly thank Koomahana, who provided me with the motivation to actually try and cobble something together. I'm truly sorry with how delayed this has been. I would like to thank you all for your support and reviews. I'm sorry if I didn't reply to all of you! I will endeavor to do so next time.

In truth, I absolutely hated writing this chapter. I decided to take on board the criticisms and suggestions that Sakura wasn't up to par in terms of strength development and that my story was in fact quite long with not much to show for it. Initially I had planned to follow Sakura as her strength grew and as her relationship grew with the clan. Subsequently, I have struggled with this chapter as I feel her relationship with Tobirama now feels inorganic and stilted as I wasn't able to follow the transition from almost acquaintances (or just flirt-buddies I suppose) to master and student - which has a very different dynamic. I have also felt her sudden power growth is hard to relate to and I feel I have lost character development - struggling through learning her chakra manipulation would have fleshed out her personality more.

Unfortunately, because I made this decision I have actually had to replot all of my story which has been incredibly time consuming. And, to be honest, I have swung between continuing as I originally had planned to and carrying on in this new format or just giving up completely. However, I did settle on this change and I am pleased that I have done this as I feel now I can begin to deliver a better, more intense story. I know this chapter really isn't up to standard but thank you for reading and being so understanding and supportive. I hope you enjoy some of this chapter and I promise I will strive harder to write a better story.