Daffodil: symbolizes regard and chivalry. It is indicative of rebirth, new beginnings and eternal life. It also symbolizes unrequited love. A single daffodil foretells a misfortune while a bunch of daffodils indicate joy and happiness.

.

.

.

Higanbana III.

The following week after Tobirama's miraculous return was full of diplomacy. Tobirama's team returned from their search the night Tobirama came home, as he'd predicted, and were shocked to find their sensei alive, if not a bit worn down. They were glad to see their sensei alive, however, being alive led to a slew of questions and decisions that had to be made.

Hiruzen hadn't been sworn in as Hokage yet, and with Tobirama's return he wouldn't need to be as far as the council and Fire Lord were concerned. Tobirama wasn't so sure at first (he wasn't getting any younger, after all), but after talking with Hiruzen they came to an agreement. Tobirama would continue as Hokage until he was ready to retire, and until then he'd train Hiruzen to take over in a few years.

Between all the meetings and paperwork, Masaki rarely saw Tobirama after her first night in Konoha. She realized he was busy trying to smooth everything over and prepare for when word got out that he was still alive. It shouldn't be long, after all, she'd left a few of the Kumo-nin alive – stunned but alive. It was only a matter of time before Kumo let the word slip that the Nidaime wasn't as dead as rumor had it.

Then there was her involvement in the matter. For over a decade she'd kept herself in the shadows, anyone who saw her magic was either obliviated or dead. She'd never even thought to alter the Kumo-nin's memories of her, because at the time she was more concerned for Tobirama's well being. It was a small price to pay in her mind.

In the coming month she'd probably find herself a nice place within the bingo-book, which was a new development of the five villages. A book that housed all the most powerful ninja and missing-nin. She'd probably be swamped in owls from her parents and siblings - all worried over her well being now that she'd painted a large target on her back.

She was waiting for when Tobirama found her with news that the council wished to see her, as her identity couldn't stay hidden forever. As the heiress of the Tōkō clan and great-niece of the Uzumaki clan leader, she was practically nobility and of course there would be questions: Why was she in Konoha? Why wasn't she safe at home in Uzushio? Why had she never come to Konoha before? Did she plan to stay? And most important of all, had she any thought of courtship and marriage?

Even in this progressive era, the thought that an heiress hadn't settled down was probably scandalous to the old fogies still holding tightly to the traditions of the Warring States. Many still held the belief that Kunoichi should keep house after a certain age. There would undeniably be clan heads pushing their unmarried sons or other prestigious clansmen on her in coming months.

At least until she'd gotten it through their thick skulls she had no desire to marry and settle down as some housewife. If she did marry she had no intention of retiring, as most Kunoichi did (one day she would have to retire, but it wouldn't be because she became a wife and had a kid).

Oh, she dreaded it, but she'd brought it on herself when she chose to save Tobirama's life. As the Mistress of Death most of her power was sealed, but she still held a connection to Death. If he'd died nothing would change – the universe as she knew it wouldn't collapse into itself and time would keep ticking.

And if he lived… well, Masaki didn't know what sort of changes the choice she'd made would have for the future. She could do a lot with magic, but she didn't know the future. Death would have done something to stop her if there was no longer a place for Tobirama among the living, though.

––x

The sunlight was what woke Masaki. It was bright against her closed eyelids, and although she tried it couldn't be ignored. It wasn't as bad as other wake-up calls Masaki had in the past, but she could've done without it. Twisting around to face away from the window, she groaned, pulling her pillow over her head. It was only a marginal improvement, and she ended up throwing the pillow off her head and getting up against her better judgment.

The Senju cottage was much more than she'd expected when Tobirama first brought her here. It was cozy and oddly secluded, while still remaining within the compound. It was also a more traditional home compared to some of the modern homes that were coming into style. And it was only in the last five years that Tobirama had a bathroom built into the home, renovating one of the smaller bedrooms; but even without one of the bedrooms the house was by no means lacking. The home had a large living area and a kitchen open to each other, with a low-sitting table big enough for a small family. Then there was the bathroom and remaining five bedrooms. And finally, there was a sliding door that led to a long back porch. The only thing truly run down about the property was the front garden and overgrown foliage (the inside was also covered in a thick layer of dust from lack of use, but that was more easily taken care of).

The back porch would become her favorite area of the property. It was also the best maintained. The backyard wasn't so much a yard as it was a pond. Sitting on the edge of the wooden porch she could dip her toes into the clear water teaming with koi-fish. The wild vegetation growing around the pond (and in it) was naturally maintained. It was beautiful; the entire property was.

She chose a bedroom near the back and allowed herself to settle in while being respectful of the home, which Tobirama explained was once Ritsuko's childhood home. Hashirama and Mito only lived there for a few years and soon after Itsuki was born they moved into a home nearer to the center of the clan compound. After which, it became a place Tobirama or Hashirama went when they wanted to be alone. It was Hashirama who'd built the cottage (as it was later dubbed despite the size), and Masaki could still sense traces of the man's soothing chakra within the floors and walls of the home.

Masaki was touched Tobirama trusted her enough to let her reside here, in a home that obviously had sentimental value to him. She felt safe here and that was hard for her to come by these days. During this time of war she was always on alert, being nomadic she never stayed in one village long. Until now, she'd tried to stay as far from the conflict as she could.

As her luck would have it, while trying to get away from the war she'd ended up running headlong into it, and she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Since she'd been in Konoha, Masaki was more relaxed than she'd been in months. She found it easy to lower her guard within the boundaries of the property. Masaki could feel the residue chakra of the Mokuton which had created the home, and even the lingering chakra of Tobirama within the pond. She figured he'd had a hand in creating the pond – perhaps that was why she liked that area so much.

Stretching her arms above her head, Masaki walked to a chest, grabbed some clothes, and then left to wash and dress herself for the day. Ritsuko was supposed to come around noon with Tsunade. They were going to go shopping and then get lunch. After that she was going to clean up the front garden and replace the dead plants with new ones. She'd asked Mito if it was alright, and her cousin seemed more than happy to allow her to tackle the project. Masaki didn't want to admit it, but other than sparring with Itsuki when he wasn't otherwise busy and spending time with Ritsuko (who was a medic usually within the village), she'd grown a bit bored.

For the last week she'd occupied her time by exploring Konoha, sparring with Itsuki in the Senju training grounds, and spending time with her family. Otherwise, Masaki was writing to her immediate family or reading the books she'd found at the only Bookstore within Konoha (Hermione would've been so proud that she was seeking out books to read. It had become a lovely habit even during her afterlife, where if she wasn't doing Death's paperwork or ferrying souls into the Pure Lands, she was reading something).

Ten minutes after she'd disappeared down the hall, Masaki returned for her weapon pouch and scrolls, the latter of which she promptly hid within seals sown into the inside of her sleeves. She wore a high-collared indigo shirt that fell to her thighs, had slits up to her hips, and was bound tight at her waist with a crimson and white obi (sash). Her pouch was placed on her right hip, and she had on tight mesh armor under black pants that were bandaged from the shin down, and black regulation sandals. It was very similar to the battle robes worn by the Uchiha clan, one of the last hold overs from her ancestor Uchiha Masamune.

Masaki used her magic to braid her long hair, the tail-end swaying around her cafes, and the shorter bangs and long fringe framed her face. This allowed one to see the Tōkō clan symbol on the back of her shirt – a white winged-serpent with ruby eyes eating it's own tail, the Ouroboros; And maybe expectantly, Masaki's father didn't wear the symbol on his clothes, believing it too similar to something a Slytherin would wear. Instead he wore a signet ring with the clan symbol. Her battle kimono was stored for now. The main reason she'd worn it for so long was because it gave her a more civilian appearance (there was no way to be discrete wearing her clan robes). Masaki didn't really feel she needed that security within a primarily Shinobi Village such as Konoha.

"Saki-chan!" She heard Ritsuko yell from the front of the house and she tucked the money she had into her pouch before leaving her room. She found Ritsuko at the front door with Tsunade standing beside her. Ritsuko was dressed in a primarily red kimono and Tsunade wore a red kimono-blouse and white pants, with her blond hair in small pigtails.

"Hey," she said, smiling at them. Tsunade smiled widely and ran to hug the raven haired woman around the leg. "Hello, Tsunade-chan. How are you today?" She patted the top of the blondes head affectionately, and Tsunade laughed and released her, pulling a string of flowers from her mother's large bag.

"I'm fine, aunt Saki," the blonde said and presented to her the crown of flowers. "For you. I made it yesterday for you."

Ritsuko laughed at Masaki's startled expression. "She was set on making you a present to welcome you to Konoha. Mom let her pick the flowers from her garden and I helped her string them together. I'd wear it at least for today…"

Masaki grinned and graciously accepted the flower crown: made with violets, white camellia, and what she was surprised to find were red spider lilies. "Of course I'll wear it! It's very beautiful, Tsunade-chan, and I believe it'll match my clothes just right."

It wasn't a lie. The purple violets, white camellia, and red spider lilies would match perfectly. Without hesitance she settled the crown atop her head, happy she'd decided to braid it in order to keep it tame instead of using other means (her hair was mostly straight, but there were strands that simply didn't want to stay down, insisting they defy gravity like her fathers. She'd long since found ways to keep it as straight as possible).

Thank you, Ritsuko mouthed to her and Masaki smiled back.

It really wasn't a big deal. Wearing a flower crown in public was probably one of the least embarrassing things she'd done in any lifetime. Taking the small hand Tsunade offered her, the three of them left for a day of exploring.

.

.

.

Konoha was an active village. There was always someone on the streets, or inside the stores or at the street vendors. Unlike when she'd first showed up, Masaki didn't get quite as many looks, but there were still curious looks from the citizens of Konoha. Probably still wondering who she was and why she was staying with the Senju clan – one of their founding clans.

Since Tsunade didn't find shopping for garden supplies or flowers interesting (she was only four going on five), Ritsuko took Tsunade for ice cream while Masaki perused the shops. Despite being in the middle of a war, Masaki found the prices rather affordable. She got most of her supplies at the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

There weren't many clan run shops currently in Konoha, other than a forge and weapon shop she'd spotted earlier in the week, so it came as a surprise when she found one specializing in flowers. But she saw the potential in it. Many plants, even the most harmless, beautiful flower could be deadly. Just by looking around she'd already spotted some deadly nightshade and hemlock.

She grabbed some violets, Japanese Andromeda flowers, which admittedly she bought for their name alone, tulips, roses, and hydrangea: the latter of which wouldn't really be in season until closer to June, but she could use magic to supplement the soil and sunlight if needed. She would return later to buy a peach tree to plant and some lilies, but for now she focused on the plants she had.

She also bought gardening tools and fertilizer. She left with two bags, which she would seal within a scroll as soon as she could find a place to sit everything down. The plants she had were the most delicate of her purchases, and she wanted to avoid damaging them.

Masaki was only a few steps down the road (where she thought she'd find Ritsuko and Tsunade), when her shoulder impacted a broad torso. She stumbled but with her training was able to stay steady. It helped that a gloved hand came to rest on her upper arm, helping to keep her upright. Breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't dropped anything, Masaki looked up to see the confounded eyes of a familiar man.

He was older than when she'd seen him last. His spiky black hair was now long and less of a mess, almost straight under the weight of all the hair, which he'd pulled into a low pony-tail that met his mid-back. He was dressed in traditional battle robes, similar in design to her own, but with a much higher collar and darker colors. The symbol on his back would no doubt be that of the Uchiha instead of the Tōkō.

"Kaname?" she asked, sure it was him but wanting to be sure. For all she knew this could be his brother or close cousin. It had been nearly sixteen years since she first met him, and other than a handful of letters they had no further contact.

Black eyes widened in noticeable shock, and he let go of the midnight-haired woman's upper-arm and looked her over, just to be sure this was who he thought it was. The last time he'd seen her she was young, just leaving her teens and entering into young adulthood. Back then she still acted older-than her years, and if not for her appearance and Masaki stating her age, he would've thought her closer to his father's age in personality alone.

He'd been more than startled to find she was actually five years older than him. She surely didn't look it, but she did act it. She hadn't really changed at all, other than coming more into her curves and loosing all traces of baby-fat that had held on from her teens when they met. She still looked younger than her years, but she was undeniably a woman now.

"Masaki… you haven't changed much."

Masaki laughed, her eyes shinning with glee at seeing him again. To be honest, she'd forgotten it was very likely that he was a ninja of Konoha. She shouldn't have, but they'd not had contact for years. When she met him he was a young green jōnin who got himself into some trouble on a mission. She'd stepped in after some internal debate, but it didn't help that the fight was only a few meters from her claimed property at the time.

He was injured so she offered to heal him and let him recuperate in her small home. A little over a week passed before Kaname left, and in that time a friendship started to bloom. They traded letters for a few years until they lost contact. He was probably the closest thing she had to a best friend in this life (at least anymore he was).

She'd never told him about her clan name or kekkei genkai. Although he did know about her lava release, that was because she'd used it when helping him. He'd only ever told her his name was Kaname, but she'd worked out he was an Uchiha herself. She'd just never bothered to mention it. She should have realized he would be here if he was still alive. But she'd learned never to assume anything and since he hadn't worn a Konoha headband when she met him, Masaki didn't really connect the dots until later. Even then she chose to not assume he was from Konoha. It wasn't unusual for ninja to leave their villages. In fact, it was becoming more and more common.

"And you've gotten old," she joked, a small smirk twisting one side of her lips up. He certainly did have more lines on his face. The tear troughs which had been so small in his youth were now more defined and longer. There were small bags under his eyes, possibly from overworking himself, and he'd gotten taller. A head taller, maybe more, than she was. "And taller…"

Kaname didn't laugh (because Uchiha rarely did in public), but his lips twitched into a smile and he took one of her bags with her permission. "Let me help you, after all, I did bump into you."

"If you want too," Masaki said, shrugging. She wasn't incapable of carrying her own bags, but if he wanted to take one of them off her hands she wasn't going to complain. As she took a few steps, Kaname raised an eyebrow at the serpent-like dragon eating it's own tail on her back. A clan symbol, he thought, one he recognized. And then everything he knew about her made more sense.

"So you're a Tōkō..." he trailed off as he walked next to her, following her lead to wherever she wanted to go.

"I am, and you're an Uchiha."

"You don't sound surprised by that… so you've known for a while, then?" he asked, and she smiled knowingly and nodded. There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Yes. It was kind of obvious once I'd known you for a few days. That and I saw you activate your Sharingan." She smirked at him. "You should really be careful of that when you're trying to hide who you are, Kaname-san."

He grunted. "Hn. Just Kaname, Masaki. I think we've known each other long enough to drop the honorifics." Not that he'd ever used them anyway. It wasn't that he didn't know how to be respectful, he simply didn't think it was needed. "May I ask why you're here in Konoha? I seem to remember you rejecting my offer to come back with me sixteen years ago."

"I have family in Konoha, and with the war my parents thought I should find somewhere safer than small civilian villages." She shifted her last bag on her hip as they walked. "I was on my way here when I ended up in the middle of a battle between your Hokage and Kumo..."

Kaname's eyes widened. "Hn. So you're the mysterious woman I've heard about, the one who saved the Senju..." Masaki noticed some bitterness in his voice but didn't bring it up.

It was no surprise given the long bloody history between the Uchiha and Senju clans. But she couldn't help the feeling that there was a more personal reason for Kaname's dislike of the Senju (or perhaps just Tobirama in general).

"Where are you staying?" he asked, truly curious and not wanting to discus anything more to do with the Senju. To his dismay she told him she was staying with the Senju, in a cottage within their compound.

He didn't particularly like that at all. Masaki wasn't an Uchiha or closely related to him, despite them sharing a common ancestor in Uchiha Masamune (that was several generations ago), but she still had Uchiha blood within her.

In his mind she should be staying with the Uchiha. He didn't even know why Tobirama would want her within the Senju compound. He hated the Uchiha clan and made no attempts to hide his contempt – not that he or the other Uchiha really tried to hide their dislike of Tobirama either. For Tobirama to want to host someone with even a drop of Uchiha blood was odd to Kaname (and a bit hard to stomach).

"Despite what the elders of my clan wish to believe, you are a Tōkō and as such our blood. If you want, you may stay with us." It wasn't something he offered to anyone, and if it had been any other Tōkō he wouldn't have offered at all.

Masaki had an inkling of this as well, since he was far from the first Uchiha she'd met and most of them wouldn't so much as acknowledge a relation between her clan and the Uchiha. Masaki got the feeling they were still sour that another clan had the potential to awaken their precious bloodline (and a few had, though it had been a few decades. The last was her great-grandfather).

"That's kind of you, Kaname, but I'm quite happy with where I am now. It's convenient for me to be close to my extended family..."

"Masaki-chan!"

The two of them turned upon hearing the loud cries of her name. Approaching was a familiar redhead and small blonde toddler. Ritsuko held her daughter's free hand while Tsunade held a vanilla ice cream cone in her other.

"Ah, so by extended family you mean..." Kaname realized why Masaki was staying with the Senju before she even confirmed, and he shouldn't have been surprised. The Tōkō clan did reside within Uzushiogakure, which was home to the Uzumaki clan, who were also distant cousins of the Senju clan, just as the Tōkō were begrudging cousins of the Uchiha.

"Senju Mito, formerly Uzumaki, is my cousin once removed on my mother's side."

Kaname hummed as he nodded and said, "Part Uzumaki. That explains a lot, actually."

Ritsuko saw Kaname soon after she and Tsunade began to approach. He was hard to miss, his resemblance to his father was uncanny to hear her uncle tell it, and while Ritsuko didn't much care for the bad blood between her clan and Kaname's, she also didn't particularly like him.

They'd gone to the academy together when it was first built. They'd even been considered for the same genin team, but her uncle had convinced her father that placing a Senju and Uchiha on the same team wasn't a good idea so soon after the Warring States Era had come to a close.

Kaname didn't particularly care for Ritsuko either. The tension between them as they stared the other down was palpable. Masaki could've cut through it easily with a blunted training kunai. Masaki was quick to piece together that they probably knew each other, since they were around the same age.

"Kaname-san, I didn't expect to see you here. Last I heard you were on the frontlines," Ritsuko bit out.

"Hn," he grunted with a short nod. "I just returned yesterday. The word is the war is coming to an end soon."

"We all hope so," Ritsuko said, before looking to Masaki. "Saki-chan, we've been looking for you. Do you need help?"

"I was looking for a place to sit down and seal my bags away, to be honest. I ran into Kaname on the way and got distracted," she answered.

Tsunade continued to eat her ice cream, paying little mind to what the adults were doing. Sometimes she'd look up and look between her mother (who she could tell wasn't too happy about something), her new aunt – who was actually her second cousin once removed – and some man she didn't know.

"Yes, we were catching up," Kaname said with a small smirk when he saw Ritsuko's unsure and slightly stunned expression.

"Oh, do you know him from somewhere?" the Senju heiress asked. She couldn't believe Kaname was actually being civil, much less to Masaki.

While she was happy he wasn't antagonizing her cousin, Ritsuko didn't know what to think about them actually being friendly to each other… or worse yet, actual friends. Call it petty, but she still wasn't over the incident in their youth when Kaname cut off her pig-tails. She'd spent years growing it out to be like her mother, it had taken almost a decade to get it back to half the length it had been.

On a more serious note, Ritsuko remembered what Kaname's uncle had done to her father at the Valley of the End and what it led to her mother being the host of. She'd almost lost her father that day, and if her mother wasn't a strong Uzumaki, talented in fūinjutsu, she could've lost her as well.

"I helped him fight Iwa-nin back over a decade ago now," she said. "I healed him over a period of a week and then he left. We kept in contact for years by letter until we lost contact. This is the first time I've seen him in sixteen years, I'd say."

"Hn."

Ritsuko blinked in wonder. "You've been traveling the Elemental Nations for sixteen years?"

Masaki shook her head. "No, probably more like eighteen years. I was probably a year into my travels when we met. That was a long time ago, I was around nineteen at the time, I think."

"Oh," was all Ritsuko was able to say to that. "Well, do you want to get lunch before we continue?"

"Sure, lunch sounds good. Um, Kaname, do you want to join us?" Masaki asked, not bothering to comment on the grimace that crossed Ritsuko's face. She already knew the two liked each other just about as much as Snape and Sirius had liked each other. There was no point in saying anything on the subject.

"Hn. Thank you, but no, I have to get home to my wife. If you need anything, let me know," Kaname said, giving back her bag before leaving. Once he was gone Ritsuko almost sighed in relief, but didn't because she didn't want to offend Masaki (who was obviously good acquaintances with him if nothing else).

"What do you know about Kaname, Ritsuko-chan?" Masaki asked, curious about what she didn't know. Despite having written correspondence for around six years after meeting, Masaki didn't know all that much about Kaname. She knew he was an Uchiha, she could tell you his favorite foods and color. And she now knew he was married, which given his age wasn't that surprising, but nothing of much more value.

Ritsuko snorted, however, and said, "What's to tell? He's an Uchiha and the clan head now. The clan was managed by a second cousin who raised him after his mother passed away, and when he turned seventeen he took over. We went to the academy together as well."

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Why do you care so much?" Ritsuko demanded, sounding harsher than she meant. Masaki raised an eyebrow, looking almost amused, and she sighed. "Kaname and I don't get along much. It's to be expected given our families history. His father was Uchiha Izuna, who was the younger brother of Uchiha Madara. Izuna was killed when he was a small boy, just before Kaname's younger sister Amane was born. He was killed by Uncle Tobirama, and Madara never forgave or forgot – the same could be said for Kaname, I guess. We've pretty much hated each other since we were children."

"I see." She really didn't.

In a way Ritsuko's story reminded her of the relationship she'd once had with Draco Malfoy. Except with a few differences and the fact to Masaki's knowledge Kaname had never tried to kill Ritsuko.

It had been many years since she'd actively tried to build a relationship with anyone who wasn't her immediate family – Masaki wasn't used to social interaction anymore. She hadn't been for a long time, but she knew how to act the part.

In this life she hadn't had a friendship like Ron or Hermione, or even Ginny, Luna, and Neville. The closest She'd come had been a friend in Uzushiogakure, a boy who was part Uzumaki, born of a Uzumaki father and civilian mother, but he'd died on a mission when they were teenagers; his name was Daisuke.

Before he'd wormed his way into her heart, Masaki had been a prodigy of her clan with no friends her own age. She spent her time with her family, and what was left of it training or enjoying time to herself.

Being reborn had been a chance to reconnect with her humanity. Daisuke, a clumsy boy with bright red hair and pale gray eyes, had been the first person to truly bring the emotions and traits she'd thought lost to her back to the surface.

Through him she met other people, most her own age, but she'd never fully allowed them to influence her or become her friend. But it was her being social, although begrudgingly, and that was enough for her parents – who she knew worried for her state of mind.

When Daisuke died her heart had shattered into a million pieces, and she'd sworn not to get close enough to another human to be hurt again. She'd forgotten just how unforgiving death could be and the pain loosing someone could bring. It wasn't long before she left home on her journey, distancing herself from Uzushio and her family, even if she didn't consciously intend for it.

Journeying around the nations hadn't just made her realize that keeping people out perhaps wasn't the best solution, but that she'd truly become something other than human after her death as Hari Potter. She'd forgotten herself amidst death, but slowly she was opening back up to humanity.

.

.

.

After the eventful morning she'd had, getting to know the village better with Ritsuko and Tsunade's help, and then running into an old friend, Masaki just wanted to relax.

It was nice to be able to relax, as she rarely did when she was traveling the world. Especially not at a time like this, traveling between villages and countries became much more dangerous during wartime (she had ways of going about her travels unnoticed, however).

In her first lifetime gardening had been an escape from her life with the Dursley's – before she knew about magic, at least. Yes, it was a chore her aunt and uncle shoved onto her, but she'd come to enjoy it as more than that. It was calming and therapeutic, and it was probably part of the reason an incident like when she'd blown up Aunt Marge hadn't happened before her third year.

It was for the same reasons that Masaki still enjoyed working in the garden. She and her mother bonded over the shared hobby, which Yuri picked up from her mother (in both lives). It was probably strange for civilians to see a trained fighter (and killer in most cases) doing something as mundane as tending to a garden, but even the most powerful of shinobi needed something to do when they weren't training or on duty.

She knew her father liked to bird-watch and study falconry, but given the clan's affiliation with birds that wasn't unusual. In his younger years he was a huge prankster, and occasionally he still pulled the odd prank – much to the clan elders' chagrin. Her mother, as mentioned, enjoyed spending time in her garden and studying fūinjutsu and calligraphy. While Masaki enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature and working with her magic.

As she planted the little blue flowers near the front of the house, Masaki briefly wondered what Tobirama did when he wasn't on duty. She patted soil down and hummed to herself as she worked, not paying much attention to her surroundings, otherwise she would've notice the approach and arrival of Tobirama.

Said man was dressed casually, his armor was left at his residence, but he still retained an aura of power even without it. He came to talk to Masaki about new developments with the war, now that he could take a few minutes to himself. He'd been swamped with council meeting after council meeting since the news of his survival ran across the Elemental Nations.

There was also the matter of figuring out if he would be retiring or not. In the end he'd decided to remain Hokage for a while longer. He, Hiruzen, and the council thought it would send the wrong message to the other five villages if he survived and didn't take his place as Hokage again. Hiruzen would be trained to take over in a few years, hopefully once the war was long over.

He saw the improvement to the front garden (as small as it was) as soon as the house came into view. Since his brother's death the garden had suffered for it. Neither he or Mito could keep it up, Mito because of her grief and Tobirama because he'd not had the time or the green thumb necessary.

Ritsuko barely set foot on the property, as this was the house she was raised half her life in, until a larger home was built closer to the center of the compound when she was around ten (and to be completely honest, Ritsuko couldn't keep a plant alive to save her life).

The war started soon after Hashirama's death and Tobirama had only been Hokage for a short time before that. He'd not stayed in the cottage for over three years now, and as a result the property had suffered for it. He did come here once every other month to keep up the back pond, given the pond had been his addition to the house back when Hashirama had built it.

The dead plants were gone now, though, and new plants had been planted. He only knew the names to a few of the flowers, such as the violets and roses, but the little blue ones Masaki was currently on her knees planting were new to him. The only part of the front garden that remained unchanged was the old cherry blossom tree his brother had grown on the property as a present to Mito after Konoha was built.

Masaki wasn't paying much mind to her surroundings and humming quietly, something most ninja couldn't accomplish because of ingrained paranoia, though it might have been the fact she was among family that had her so relaxed.

Smirking, Tobirama cleared his throat and to his surprise Masaki jumped a foot in the air and drew a silver and black tantō with the design of a wolf at the handle. Before she could use it, however, Tobirama was already in front of her and holding onto her wrist. Green eyes widened in surprise.

"Tobirama," she started before releasing a relieved breath. "I thought you were someone else. Please, don't do that again."

"If I'd known you would try and gut me, I wouldn't have surprised you like that."

Masaki snorted. "While that would be appreciated, I meant clear your throat like that."

"May I ask why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It reminds me of someone I'd rather forget," she said with a small smirk, before glancing at where Tobirama was still holding onto her wrist, her blade still poised to strike. "If I promise not to gut you with Ōkami, will you let my wrist go?"

Tobirama blinked and seemed almost startled before releasing her wrist. He hadn't even noticed how close they'd gotten or that he was still holding onto her. "Ōkami?" he asked, "You named your weapon?"

Masaki shrugged, sheathing the tantō under her obi. "Yeah. I heard you had a sword called the Raijin no Ken... what's your point."

"Nothing. It's just a strange name is all."

"I named it after an uncle. His nickname was Moony because of his affiliation with wolves. Hence Ōkami "

"Ah, I see then. The wolf on the hilt inspired the name," he said and she nodded.

"So, Tobirama-san, what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, taking a step back and crossing her arms under her bosom. "Does the council want to see me now?"

He shook his head. "As I've said, just Tobirama is fine, Masaki-san. I came by to check in and see how you were settling. I see you've been busy." He nodded towards the garden and she smiled almost sheepishly.

"Hm, then I insist you call me Masaki," she replied before glancing back at the garden. "Mito said it would be alright... you were busy so I didn't want to bother you."

"It's alright. The garden needed someone's attention anyway."

"Hmm, so how about we go inside? I can make some tea and an early dinner." she asked as she turned and waved her hand, causing the tools she'd been using to move neatly to the porch and out of the way.

"Tea would be nice. I do have some matters to talk to you about, but I don't want to be a bother," he said, his eyes having followed the movement of her magic, and Masaki snorted.

"Don't be silly, Tobirama. You're letting me, a near stranger, stay here. The least I can do is offer you some tea and dinner."

–––x

It had been quite a while since he'd spent any substantial amount of time in the house, and he was pleasantly surprised to see it looking as if it hadn't been abandoned for three years. They ended up sitting on the back porch overlooking the pond, with a small low table between them.

"What is this exactly?" Tobirama asked between bites. "I've never tasted something quite like it. Some sort of curry?"

"Of a sort," Masaki said with a nod and smile. "It's chicken tikka masala. My mother taught me how to make it when I was a child."

"It's good, thank you Masaki."

"You're welcome!" she said happily with a closed-eye smile. "I have a small desert for us, if you'd like. Just some tea and treacle tart, nothing extravagant."

Usually, he was more picky about the food he ate. Unless Mito or Ritsuko was cooking, Tobirama never ate anything he didn't prepare himself (the rare exception being the Akimichi's restaurant). But Masaki hadn't any problem with him hovering as she cooked, watching everything she did like one of her owls.

Instead, she'd laughed at his actions and let him help her cook the meal. He had no fear she would poison him now, so Tobirama didn't bother to decline the offer. Instead, when they were done eating he offered to get the tea and treacle tarts (he didn't truly know what a treacle tart was, but he found it easily), while she changed out of her robes and into a more comfortable thin yukata.

When Masaki returned she was wearing a dark red yukata with white and gold floral designs. Her hair was also out of the braid and had a gentle wave to it as a result (she'd long since placed the flower crown Tsunade made her on her dresser).

"You said you had something to talk to me about. Is it the council?" she asked.

"For the most part," Tobirama began. "I've finally regained control of matters. Now I've begun working to put an end to the war."

"Ah, so word has finally broken that your death was prematurely announced," Masaki said. "And I take it news of my involvement has also circulated through the Hidden Villages?"

"Unfortunately," Tobirama said. "I expect to find a bounty on you before long."

Masaki groaned and muttered under her breath. "My families gonna have a fit..."

"The council has also been told who you are and wish to see you tomorrow during our next meeting," Tobirama told her. "I assume they wish to ask you about whether or not you'd participate in the war under Konoha's banner."

Masaki raised an eyebrow, the thought having never crossed her mind. "Do you want my aid in the war, Tobirama?"

"I wont lie. Your help would be appreciated. With your bloodlines you're a valuable asset, but I have no intention of forcing a ninja of Uzushio to fight for us. Uzushio chose to be neutral in this war and I will honor that choice."

Masaki smiled. "You're a good man, Tobirama. A good Hokage. I wont give an answer on if I'll fight in this war today. I'll think it over and discuss with you and the council tomorrow."

Tobirama nodded, not sure how he felt about the idea of her fighting in the war. A war he was working night and day to bring to an end before even more damage was done to all the villages. Already they were forced to use genin on the frontlines and border patrol.

They were never without a senior ninja, but most of the dead who were brought back were under the age of sixteen. After three years of war there had been no choice but to involve the genin. Sometimes it felt like being back in the Warring States Era.

If Masaki didn't want to be involved in a war her clan(s) had nothing to do with, than he wasn't going to push the issue and he wouldn't allow the council to either.

.

.

.

That night Tobirama sat down to eat with Mito, Itsuki, and Ritsuko and her family. He wasn't particularly hungry, but chose to stay anyway. He ate a few bites and kept himself in deep thought, but with one ear on the conversation going on around him.

"... It's strange to think Kaname can be nice to anyone. But he actually was rather nice today, especially to Masaki-chan."

"What was that?" Tobirama asked, his head moving quickly so he could catch Ritsuko's eyes.

The redhead blinked. "Um, Uchiha Kaname and Masaki ran into each other in the village today."

Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "So he's back from the borders."

Mito sighed. "Tobirama, please don't start..."

"Quiet, Mito. And you say he was... nice?" he demanded, concerned although he didn't show it.

"What did you say to me?" Mito growled, her eyes narrowed at her brother-in-law. She was, however, ignored.

"Yeah. They knew each other from before. Apparently, back when Kaname was a green jōnin he got into a fight with enemy-nin close to Masaki's home and she helped him out. He was injured and she healed him. I get the feeling they became friends."

"Friends?" Tobirama questioned, genuinely surprised. "Masaki never mentioned knowing anyone but Mito in Konoha."

"I think Masaki said she didn't realize Kaname lived here. They've been out of touch for over a decade, or so I gathered. I don't think they told each other their clan names when they first met," Ritsuko said, shrugging. "I don't think I've seen the bastard so relaxed in someones presence, come to think of it."

Tobirama frowned, stood up, and left the room.

"What's up with Uncle?" Itsuki asked around a mouthful of food.

Mito sighed.

"He's going to his 'Uchiha' corner to brood. Prideful fool." She sighed and shook her head. "He's such a child sometimes." When she'd first married Hashirama and really gotten to know Tobirama, the only brother still alive at that point, she'd always wondered how they were related.

Unlike with her clan, where red hair was a dominate trait (it was rare when an Uzumaki, half-blood or pure, didn't have some shade of red hair), the Senju clan wasn't so uniform. Senju clan members had many differing shades of hair and skin-tones; varying from dark tans to fairly pale and light blonde hair to the dark brown-black of her husband.

Hashirama had been a bright, cheerful man when off the battlefield, and he was very much a people person. For as long as Mito had known him, Tobirama was more stubborn and cynical of every situation. Even so, Tobirama had been so much Hashirama's opposite, that it was only at times like this that Mito could truly see just how similar the two brothers were.

"I don't know. I think he's jealous," Tsuneo muttered, looking up from cutting up Tsunade's food into smaller pieces for her.

Ritsuko snorted. "Makes just as much sense as anything else recently."

.

.

.

AN: So, this chapter took me longer than I thought it would, but I've been really busy as of late. As far as this chapter goes, nothing really action-packed has happened, but that wont always be the case. Some have asked how far into the timeline this will go.

To clarify, this story is for the most part Masaki and Tobirama's story. That being said, the story will span all the way into the Boruto generation (at least as far as the epilogue. I don't think I will cover the Boruto anime in this story). So, Naruto's generation will eventually appear. And all four wars will be covered in some form or another.

I'm thinking about doing a small story that will better flesh out Masaki's childhood and the struggles she had being reborn after so long, but chances are I wont start that until after I've finish this story – which compared to my other stories isn't going to be longer than twenty to twenty-five chapters (and that's me giving a rough estimate. So, it's subject to change).

A lot of her past will be revealed as the story goes on, but since I don't want to fill this story with tons of flashbacks I can't go as in-depth as I might otherwise want.

I do have a page for this story up on my website – linked on my profile page – but be warned it might be a bit spoilery to those who don't want any information about the future of Tobirama and Masaki's relationship and eventual children they may have (basically just genders and names and the like).