The Uchiha were furious.

Uchiha Kagami, the selfish, misguided youth who'd forced their hand in all but ejecting them from the fold, had been named the Hokage's heir. They'd been campaigning for this for years, since Madara had been the greatest power the village had ever seen. Yet nepotism won out, they thought, disgustedly. The Nidaime had been the wife of the Hokage who'd murdered the prize of their clan. Then, she'd all but stolen away Kagami, poisoning him against them. It was likely now, that despite his shared name, the Uchiha would never be granted their due. A police force was a meager consolation prize. They wanted recognition; it was as if the Senju clan alone had created this village from dust and earth, despite the labor from the Uchiha!

Twelve years after the death of Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Kagami was named the Sandaime Hokage. Each Uchiha was present, appropriately deferential, even the children. They were granted seats of honor, before even the Nidaime's family. That did little to soothe their tempers, though the bow to his heritage was noted. Senju Tobirama, still weak after a bout with illness, was impassive, watching the Sandaime's lowly wife with a protective gleam in his eye. If whispers had ever begun that his attention towards the younger woman was unseemly, those rumors had been immediately quelled by Tobirama simply crossing his arms. It was a gestured feared by all but the Hokage - another woman who enjoyed his lascivious attentions, despite being his sister-in-law. They didn't even bother to maintain an air of decorum - another example of the foolish Senju knack for partiality.

The ceremony was during a cloudy, warm day. It had rained a little earlier, just enough to cool the afternoon. There were not as many in attendance as originally expected. Skirmishes to the east had required more attention than the Nidaime had originally anticipated, and thus several prominent ninja were gone, requiring longer hours from patrol guards and more missions from active shinobi and couriers. Surprisingly, the economy was beginning to burgeon, and the village was building more and more on the outskirts, to accommodate the increasing population.

Atop the balcony of the fine, refurbished Hokage Tower stood Uchiha Kagami, grinning like a mad man, while his lovely little nothing of a wife and Senju Tsunade, a thin, awkward girl, supported Senju Tobirama, who behaved as though it were he supporting the two women. Nawaki stood there as well, further in the back, along with Hyuuga Hiroki, who was to be appointed one of his new councillors, along with Akimichi Torifu.

It seemed a strange choice to most - Hyuuga Hiroki was a few years older than the two squad members, and already had two twin sons. Most Uchiha were shocked that the extremely private clan allowed one of their leading figures to take on such a mantle. His two infant boys, Hiashi and Hizashi, were hardly off their mother's breast. As far as any Uchiha knew, Kagami had worked little with the man.

Of course, this had been Tobirama's suggestion - to choose a councillor a few years older, and wiser, and to branch out and single out other clans. It was the only way to pacify them, to create peace. Hiroki had been the obvious choice, loyal to both the village and his clan. His devotion to his family granted him an interesting ability to see the best for all; if Konoha thrived, so did his people.

Torifu was a more obvious choice, though the Akimichi clan was regarded something as a joke to many Uchiha. Beer-bellied, grossly tall, large-boned, and with a jutsu that - while deadly - served primarily as fodder for jokes about their shape and stature, an Akimichi on a mission meant twice as many rations and a few broken buildings. Though Torifu had served as a teammate to Kagami for many years, their sniggering meant they could not see what few were able to discern - the fierce loyalty he embodied, his kindness, his objective fairness. Clan matters were not as private, not guarded as ferociously as some of the more prominent Konoha families. He was trustworthy, and his intentions were always pure.

The Akimichi glowed with pride at one of their own reaching such stature within the village. Friend and councillor to the Hokage and his wife, honored student of the Senju family. They had truly become at home within the village, a motion the Hyuuga sought to recreate. Village first. What was good for the village was good for the clan.

The Uchiha found this notion ridiculous, pompous, and overtly pious. So they merely sat through the ceremony and bided their time, waiting for their opening. No matter how long it took.

Wait they did.

The skirmishes in Uzushio slowly died down, with the peace treaty still intact. Years passed, with the village economy steadily growing. Konohagakure had a name for itself, not only as the first shinobi Hidden Village, but also as a reliable source of soldiers for the daimyo. Their relationship was one of ease, give-and-take. The daimyo made trade easier, sent down agricultural experts to assist with farming, and slowly, more and more civilian villages popped up, welcomed by the safety of Konoha's nearness. Protection, given in exchange for mercantile goods and food. With the peace treaty still in place, it was not just Konoha that bloomed in the Land of Fire, but all those who lived there.

For another ten years.

Danzou and Biwako had several children, while Koharu struggled to conceive, suffering a miscarriage two years into Kagami's appointment. It had been quiet and sad, an affair passing with little weight upon Konoha.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru gained incredible prowess, and the three jounin found themselves as irreplaceable members of Kagami's growing circle of unofficial councillors. He regarded them a little as the children he'd never had.

Hatake Sakumo, known as the legendary White Fang, was developing quite the name for himself - and quite the friendship with the ornery Uchiha heir, Fugaku.

Another crop of intriguing young children slowly made their way into their first year at the Academy, including Biwako and Danzou's eldest daughter, Chisato, another gifted Uchiha, Makoto. There were a few others that caught the eye - Hiroki's twins, Hiashi and Hizashi, and even Torifu's cousin, Choza, who he insisted be put in classes with Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku.

There was one child who Jiraiya insisted he wanted to keep an eye on, a young boy named Namikaze. He was clanless, as was Jiraiya, but shy and sweet, as opposed to Jiraiya's obnoxious nature.

"If he really wants to get to know the boy, assign him as a tutor, since he doesn't have any ninja family" Tsunade suggested gleefully.

Kagami nodded thoughtfully, and did just that.

It was then that everything suddenly seemed to happen.

The same year that Senju Tobirama died, Uzumaki Mito seemed to wither into herself, finally beginning to feel the effects of old age. Her hair, her pride of so many years, finally had settled into almost completely faded rusty color, and her face was riddled with wrinkles. In the morning, her knees and ankles ached. Her shoulders seemed to be eternally knotty, and she was never quite able to stand fully straight. She'd gained weight in unflattering places, despite her best efforts, and she tired more easily.

A few weeks before his death, she retired fully from Konoha's political sphere, devoting herself to making him more comfortable. He was truly an old man now, though his hair was still gorgeous and his body still strong, though his skin sagged and his eyes were rheumy. Again, his students returned to him. Kagami, despite his overwhelming schedule, departed, leaving Hiroki in charge for the day. He and Torifu left together. Koharu and Homura were already there, Koharu openly weeping. Danzou remained in the corner, Biwako sponging Tobirama's forehead.

Tsunade and Nawaki had just been there, leaving only to sleep in the next room. This time, a man, Sakumo arrived.

His father had died a few years previous in a mission. As if the loss of his father had suddenly summoned all of Tobirama's emotional bravery, he began to really develop a relationship with his maybe-son. And now Sakumo teared up, standing slightly apart from them all.

Mito pulled him closer with a gesture, and he obeyed the woman he'd once been so enamored of, the ancient princess and old Kage. She'd never quite lost the intimidating edge she'd given off, but now he understood her better. With age came wisdom.

The room was warm from so many bodies, but Biwako performed a cooling medical jutsu, soothing them all.

Standing, her dark hair falling over her brow, Koharu cleared her throat. Tobirama woke from his stupor a little, as if to give her a wry look at her behavior. Mito smiled at the exchange.

"I just wanted you to know…" she whispered, before clearing her throat again. "Tobirama-sensei, I'm pregnant."

The room erupted a little, summoning Nawaki and Tsunade, who were as delighted as the rest. Contented by the news, Tobirama closed his eyes, peacefully, and had slipped away in moments, as if he wanted his death to be followed only by joy, success, and peace.

It seemed to be the beginning of the end.

Knowing her own body tired, she contacted Megumi's daughter. She would need someone strong, with promise. As young as possible. And soon, oddly soon, she was given her surrogate; a young girl, an orphan, with her own selfsame long, red hair.

It was easy to see why little Uzumaki Kushina had been chosen so quickly. She was a distant relative, of course, and her eyes blazed with anger that was as powerful as Mito's decorum. It was a difficult adjustment period for them both. Mito was no longer used to anyone who did not automatically defer to her, whether it be age or status that cowed them. Kushina was intimidated by neither her reputation nor her scowls.

In a way, it brought youth back. She was even more intense than Nawaki in her utter determination to get her way or prove a point. She marched, she scowled, she attempted to prank.

If only Tobirama could have known her, Mito thought fondly to herself. But Koharu came, and Kushina was fascinated by her beauty and her belly. And Tsunade came, and it was an immediate case of hero-worship. Beautiful, powerful, young. Kushina was utterly infatuated by her.

So when Mito had finally befriended the rowdy, terrified, lonely girl, it became time to explain her purpose. Her new duty, vital to the doings of Uzushio and Konoha alike. A job.

"That's a lot of responsibility," the little girl said dubiously, frowning. "I dunno."

"You were chosen, out of all the boys and girls in the world," Mito told her kindly, encircling her in her arms. "Because you're strong. You have so much chakra that they immediately knew who to choose. And you have been through a good idea in your life, little one. You can most certainly handle this. It is a gift and a curse that I leave with you."

"But… a demon?" she asked, her eyes enormous with fear. "Like the ones that used to roam around before the villages?"

The tailed beasts had long ago become stuff of legend, meant to scare children into their beds.

"No, it isn't quite the same," Mito hedged. Had Tsunade ever been this young? How had she dealt with this? Had Izumi? "You are the vessel. You will control the demon inside you - you are the jinchuuriki. All you need to do is keep it safe inside you. Perhaps someday you can borrow his power."

Kushina's eyes nearly popped from her head. "That's a lot."

"It is," Mito agreed, and Kurama seemed to perk up a little at that. She'd long ago mastered the skill needed to tame him, and she'd rarely had problems. "All you need is to make friends with him. You must love him, just like you love yourself, or your friends."

Quieting, Kushina looked at the floor, her eyes downcast, hair in her face. "I don't have any," she mumbled. "The girls say I'm mean and the boys say I'm bossy."

"You will go to school here," Mito promised, knowing Uzushio was not in the same economic state as Konoha. "And you will make friends."

"Can I tell them?"

Mito shook her head. "When you're older, you can tell special people. This is a special secret. Only you and I know, and Tsunade-chan, and Hokage-sama and his wife."

Distracted, she nodded. "How will I go to school?"

"After Kurama moves to live inside you, I will be much weaker. You and I will go to live with Tsunade-chan - she lives much closer to the village." Mito did not include that her chakra would be greatly weakened by the transfer; Mito might not survive at all. She was not afraid. Hashirama was gone; Tobirama was gone; her grandchildren and students were settled into their lives. She had lived a very long, very wealthy life. She had wanted for nothing and achieved very much.

She had faced the demon within her, and they'd come away in a truce. Part of her wondered if it was unbearably cruel to give this responsibility to Kushina. She'd been much older, had done this by choice. She'd saved the village; rescued the land from a raging demon, stopped Madara… and now she was transferring her choice, her responsibility to a child.

Megumi's daughter Takako had written an extensive letter, detailing why she'd chosen Kushina. A child would be better - growing up with the responsibility normalized it, rather than making it seem thrust upon them in their adulthood. Kushina's parents had died in one of the final skirmishes. Fine, brave warriors, of course, but these things happened in the shinobi world. They happened in any world. She'd been raised in an orphanage, but her exceeding levels of chakra made her interesting to adults, and that made her a target for other children. She did not take well to being bullied, and thusly proceeded to physically assault any and everyone who troubled her. It was savage and brutal, but devastatingly effective. Her reputation in Uzushio preceded her, and both adults and children alike were wary of her wrath.

After a few months, Kushina finally agreed, bravely, to undergo the sealing ceremony that would inexorably send her towards her new life.

Contacting Kagami, Mito arranged everything. Her small house, outside of Konoha proper would be the setting. She prepared the seals with care - she would not be able to assist, other than completing the actual jutsu. Kagami, once again leaving Hiroki in charge, came to assist. Koharu, heavily pregnant by this point, and terrified anything could harm her child, remained home with Torifu and Biwako.

Bringing Danzou along, and Homura, the three men, two of whom rather intimidated Kushina despite her attempts at bravado, though she immediately adored Kagami. Despite the mantle of Hokage on his shoulders, even after all these years, he never quite conveyed the aura of power and authority that Mito exuded. He was far more similar to Hashirama in his mannerisms. Indeed, some even wondered why he'd been chosen.

When that happened, his teammates and his friends and colleagues smiled. While he'd never quite made a notorious name for himself, Kagami was more than capable of feats of incredible power. He was no Hashirama, but he was a fair and just leader, who made good decisions for the village. Mito had not for a single moment regretted her choice.

The three waited patiently for Mito to prepare for the jutsu - it would likely be done much better than her shoddy job from the battle with Madara at the Valley of the End.

In the end, it was more difficult. She'd become complacent. Old. Tired. Weak. But she managed, and the demon was sealed within the body of a child. They both cried, but only a little. Not in front of Danzou, who could be a jerk, or Homura, who was awkward, or Kagami, who'd cry too.

"My daughter is your age," Danzou informed her. "Perhaps you two could be friends at school. Her name is Chisato. Shimura Chisato."

Kushina, looking slightly terrified of him, merely nodded. Mito, exhausted, allowed Homura to assist her into a chair, suddenly feeling twice her age.

Uzumaki clan members lived long, longer than most. She was only eighty-three. By Uzumaki standards, that was hardly middle age. But the burden of the jutsu had proven to be quite strenuous, and she suddenly felt her mortality loom over her.

She would die soon.