The sun had set hours ago, and the moon was slowly rising in the sky. The bugs were silent, hiding themselves from the freezing night air. Matsu's teeth chattered, and he pressed himself a little closer to Iku, who used a hand to steady his brother. Izuna was right, Matsu had pushed himself too hard and now his body could barely move without pain shooting through every muscle in his body. Trailing behind them, Manju's footsteps fell silently against the dirt road, his eyes closely watching Matsu's movements. A part of him knew that he should have told the boy to go home and rest upon seeing all the bruises on his body, but another part, the part that grew up hardened by war and bloodshed, knew that this was the perfect time for training. When Matsu was worn down and struggling to move, that was when he would be in the most danger, so it was best he got used to the feeling as soon as possible.

"Matsu!" Iku panicked when Matsu fell to one knee, his breath coming out in large white clouds from his mouth. Scrunching his eyes shut, Matsu groaned as his his eyes swam in the darkness, everything felt tipsy and off balance. Iku knelt down beside him, trying to pry Matsu back to his feet. They were still a few minutes from home, and it would be best to get Matsu warm and in bed as soon as possible. Izuna and Madara would know what to do about his injuries.

An ugly feeling welled up in Iku as he watched his twin struggle to stand, Manju watching them curiously a few steps away. Iku had no idea how bad Matsu was hurt until he accidentally ripped his sleeve during their evening spar. As the long fabric shred under fingers, Iku's eyes went wide when he saw the swelling purple bruises on Matsu's skin and the pained look on Matsu's face. As Manju ran to check Matsu over, Iku could only stare at his brother's injuries. He had never seen Matsu this injured before. As Iku looked down at his own arms, he realized that they had never looked so different either. It made him angry. Not because they looked different, he realized with shock, but because Matsu was in so much pain while he was not. It was an odd realization, but the feeling was something Iku wanted to avoid in the future. The way his stomach churned and his eyes watered, it was so frustrating.

"Come on, Matsu, stand up." Iku tried to support Matsu using his back, but it was pointless, Matsu's eyes were lidded from the combination of the pain and the cold, his breathing was getting faster, and his hands shook. "Idiot," Iku's lip trembled, then he turned to glare at their teacher, who only looked at Iku was calm curiosity, "Don't just stand there like some useless idiot, come help him! You're our teacher, you're supposed to take care of us!"

"Actually I'm supposed to train you, there is nothing in my arrangement with Lord Tajima that puts me in charge of your well being." Manju hummed, striding forward, he picked up Matsu in his arms, grunting a bit t his weight. Iku was still glaring, but his stance was a lot more relaxed now as Manju started walking.

"Hey where are you going, our house is this way!" Iku walked quickly to keep up with Manju's pace.

"Well I very well can't bring him back looking like this, what would Lord Tajima say?" Manju gave Iku a tired smile, feeling Matsu mutter something against his shoulder.

"He probably wouldn't say anything, Father doesn't pay much attention to us." Iku's teeth were chattering as the wind began to pick up, and Manju sighed. He suspected that the youngest children would not receive much attention, especially when they had older siblings like Madara and Izuna. Apparently, the obvious favoritism bothered Iku, if the boy's pouting was anything to go by.

"Go home, Iku, I'm going to get Matsu fixed up and then I'll bring him back." Manju glared as Iku began to protest, but that did not stop Iku.

Shocking.

"No way, he's my twin, I'm staying with him." Iku shouted, potentially waking up anyone who lived within eight hundred meters. Wincing, Manju jutted his leg out to lightly kick Iku.

"This isn't up for debate, Iku. You're tired, and I don't feel like trying to carry both of you. You'll be doing more good by just going home and letting me handle it. A shinobi should know when its time to stop fighting and go home." Manju watched as Iku's expression changed, "Don't worry, I promise I'll take good care of Matsu."

"Ok," Iku muttered, kicking a rock with his foot. He did not want to admit it but he was exhausted himself. Kinpu dragged him off to fill in for one of the gate guards that called in sick, which meant that Iku spent all day out in the glaring sun, just staring off into the distance. Leaving Matsu alone was the last thing he wanted to do, they had already spent most of the day apart, but Manju's tone was leaving little room for argument. Iku glared at his teacher, "If anything happens to my twin, I'll make you pay! So take good care of him!" Iku sprinted off towards home, and Manju shook his head at the kid's boundless energy. Iku was always a dramatic child, something that amused Manju to no end.

"Alright, Matsu, lets get you fixed up." Manju muttered, more to himself than the boy in his arms. He was not even sure if the child was still awake. As he strolled down the street, Manju almost wanted to laugh at himself. Never would he have imagined himself in this moment, carrying the bruised body of Lord Tajima's youngest child in the middle of the night. He especially would not have imagined how his heart would clench when Matsu whimpered unconsciously in his arms, or how his pace would pick up with every shiver.

Walking up two small steps, Manju knocked loudly on the door of a petite wooden home, a stray cat purring as it rubbed against his legs. There were always more cats on this side of the compound. There was a crash from inside, a loud cursing, and Manju had to wonder how the Uchiha ever got a reputation for stoicism with so many loud, clumsy people.

The door swung open, banging on the track as white hair and squinted eyes snarled at Manju.

"Well hello there, Elder Tsabasa, how are you tonight?" Manju smiled, trying to look as charming as possible as the old woman's mouth twisted like smelled something foul as she gazed up at him. In her youth she may have come up to his chin, but gravity had curved her back, and now she stood menacingly at his chest.

"Manju, you brat, what are you doing? Knocking on my door like that, didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt a woman's beauty sleep?" Her voice cracked like a whip, tearing into Manju without restraint. Her eyes trailed down from his sheepish smile to the shifting bundle in his arms.

"If I let you sleep any long Elder Tsabasa, your beauty may be too great a distraction for our men." Manju chuckled as the old woman blushed, shifting Matsu into a better position, "I really am sorry, but my little student here overworked himself and I wanted to know if you had anything that could help get him back on his feet?"

"No." The door slammed in Manju's face, the sound echoed in his heart as he groaned. Slamming his fist on the door, Manju tightened his grip on Matsu.

"Oh come on Elder Tsbasa, its not like you're doing anything anyway." He continued banging on the door for another minute or so, his fist turned red before Tsabasa ripped the door open again.

"Have you no shame boy? Why can't you bother one of those pitiful medics your generation produced?" Tsabasa roared, using her cane to smack Manju on the shin, grinning when the man grunted. He could have easily dodged it, and they both knew it. "I swear, you're even more annoying than your mother, how is that girl anyway?" Tsabasa left the door open and walked inside, begrudgingly letting Manju into her home.

"She's doing fine, trying to get my sisters to settled down has really worn her out though." Manju used his foot to close the door behind him and sat down on the floor near the fireplace, sighing in contentment. Slowly, Matsu stopped shivering, and Manju breathed a sigh of relief.

"Its shameful really, being unmarried in their mid twenties, such rebellion would have gotten them exiled in my day," Tsabasa's words were harsh, but her tone was thoughtful, as if she questioned the limitations of her childhood.

Only a few decades ago, the role of women within the clan was drastically different. Most women were married by twenty, and had at least four or five children before dying in childbirth or spending out the rest of their lives as midwifes and caring for the men. A woman could fight of course, Uchiha had always allowed them that right, but their battle prowess was only another checkmark on their resume in the long quest to find a strong match and breed the most powerful children possible. Tsabasa had seven children, three boys and four girls before she was twenty-five. They were all dead now, but their descents lived on. Like little Kon or Ume. While Tsabasa was annoyed at the weakness within her bloodline, she was just happy that some part of her children lived on. Manju was the descendent of Tsabasa's eldest brother, although she was unsure if Manju knew that.

Tsabasa rummaged though a cabinet; glass bottles full of herbs and oils clinked against each other as she squinted, trying to read the labels.

"Here we are," Tsabasa hummed, pulling down a tiny glass jar before she shuffled over to the pair, "lay him down, I can't fix him with you holding him like that." She ordered, clapping her hands together and frowning in concentration as Manju put Matsu down. Her hands glowed green as she lowered them to hover over Matsu's body, starting at his chest. The fire crackled behind her, and Manju let out a breath and leaned back on his hands.

"He's so reckless, Elder Tsabasa. If I knew having students was this stressful, I never would have agreed to it." Manju admitted, watching as Tsabasa moved on to Matsu's arms.

"I'm glad he's giving you hell, you were such a brat growing up. You need to go to the shrine and pray to every teacher you have ever had and ask for forgiveness." Manju chuckled at her jab, and Tsabasa let a small smile spread over her wrinkled face. "He's got a good chakra flow. This is one of Tajima and Kyoko's twins? Which one?"

"Matsu," Manju continued when Tsabasa gave him a blank look, "The quiet one who likes to read." Manju often found himself having to use more than just the twins names to get the clan members to understand which boy he was referring too. Honestly, it was irritating. He had spent very little time with the boys, barely two monthes, and he knew that they were as different as up and down. Despite what they tried to project, the boys were actually very different and it was easy to recognize after a conversation or two if anyone bothered to pay attention.

"Hm, I can tell that he'll be a fine shinobi when he grows up," Her eyes widened for a moment, and then she gripped them shut and let out a frustrated sigh, "If he grows up." Manju's smile was gone, and he dipped his head down so his curly bangs covered his eyes.

"I'm lost, Elder Tsabasa. I don't know how to help him. He's very smart, and he's so determined, but he's just not much of a fighter." Manju paused, "Honestly, I'm scared for the day Lord Tajima calls him to the front lines. He isn't ready."

"Is any child ready for that?" Tsabasa licked her lips and pulled her hands back, opening up the jar and smearing some of the lotion inside on the open wounds on Matsu's arms and shoulders. "Witch hazel and Uva Ursi, prevents scarring and infection. Make sure he applies it once a day after washing."

"I'm serious. The only things I can think of now is to just focus on his gen jutsu and teach him long range attacks. Although I'm still unsure of his aptitude for either of those." Manju put his face in his hands, and Tsabasa took pity on the poor boy.

"How smart is he?"

"Very smart, he's only nine, but he's almost smarter than I am. He can beat almost everyone at Shogi, and has a vaster knowledge of history, politics, and economics than I even knew the clan had access to." Manju smiled, allowing himself to boast about his student for a moment. Tsabasa nodded in approval.

"His chakra paths are steady. His sensory abilities and chakra control, are they good too?" Tsabasa already knew the answer, but she also knew old age had stolen more than her desire for sweet foods and wanted a second opinion.

"Both are great, his sensory abilities are growing every day, and his chakra exceptional." Manju confirmed, smiling when Tsabasa finished patching up Matsu and pulled down his shirt. The woman dusted her hands off, nodding her head once.

"I see," She muttered, smiling a bit, "Sometime this week, bring him by so I can have a bit of fun with him." She chuckle a bit, but the conniving gleam in her black eyes had Manju on edge.

"Is there a particular reason why?" Manju gathered Matsu back in his arms, and stood up. The boy's breathing had leveled out, and he was peacefully sleeping in Manju's arms, covered in tightly wrapped bandages.

"I'm lonely," Tsabasa rolled her eyes when Manju snorted, "I'm an old woman, Manju, no one comes and visits me like they used to. Besides, there's still one thing I need to pass on before I go. I want to see if this brat has what it takes."

The sun was bright, casting a beautiful light over the many food stalls and stores. Merchants waved to each other as they set up their sections, asking about family members and joking about their travels. The streets were crowded as the smell of spices and smoke floated though the breeze to Matsu's drooling mouth. As he trailed closely behind Madara and Inaba, Matsu's eyes darted from one stall to the next, a giant smile on his face.

"Pay attention, Matsu. Don't get separated from us," Inaba reached back and grabbed onto Matsu's wrist tightly, pulling him along. It had been almost three days since Matsu passed out after training with Manju and Iku. He did not remember much after he fell, but Iku told him that Manju ran off with him, and when Manju brought Matsu back home, he was nearly healed.

Matsu almost fell as Inaba pulled him along, just managing to stay on his feet. Inaba's eyes were darting from side to side, but unlike Matsu, there was no amusement in his eyes.

"I was paying attention," Matsu ripped his arm out of Inaba's grasp as he pouted, now in a bad mood.

"Come on now, behave you two." Madara grumbled as he turned back to glare at them, hands on his hips. The crowd flowed around them, men and women of all ages browsing the various stalls in the little mountain village.

Tajima received reports that the clan was low on oil for the lamps within their homes. It was not something that the Uchiha civilians produced, and therefore had to be bought in the trading town about 20 kilometers outside of the compound. Originally, Tajima called only Madara into his quarters, but when he heard Inaba squabbling with Matsu outside, he decided to send them as well. Inaba had just returned from a mission in the Wind Country, and Matsu was still recovering from his excessive training.

"Matsu needs to take this more seriously, this is a mission in neutral territory. We could run into an enemy at any moment!" Inaba grunted when Madara slapped a hand over his mouth, eye twitching.

"What did I say about using words like 'mission' and 'enemy' in these kinds of places? Anyone listening could guess we are shinobi." Madara was grinding his teeth, trying his best to stay calm at Inaba's growing paranoia coupled with his blatant stupidity.

"And he says I need to take things more seriously," Matsu was purposely jabbing at Inaba, but he could not resist.

"Don't be a brat! You're such a pain without Iku, just because he isn't here doesn't mean you have to take up the job of pain in my ass!" Inaba was yelling now, and Matsu could swear he could see smoke coming out of Inaba's ears when he poked his tongue out at him. Madara just slammed his fist on top of both of their heads, earning a yell of protest from Inaba and a whine from Matsu. It was hard enough dealing with Inaba, but it seemed that Matsu was in one of his childish moods. It was a very rare sight, and usually one happened when he was separated from Iku for too long. It was kind of cute. The corner of Madara's lips turned up a bit as Matsu pouted. It was Matsu's version of a tantrum.

The continued in silence, and Matsu's eyes began to roam again, but this time, Iku kept quiet. Finally, Madara could concentrate. As his eyes looked directly in front of him, he opened his mind to the chakra signatures around him. Unlike Matsu, Madara's sensory abilities were advanced enough to where he could turn them off and on at will. He was not looking for anything in particular, just making sure there weren't any enemy shinobi in the area they need to be weary of. It would be hard enough to fight them on his own in a crowded place like this; it would be nearly impossible if Madara had to watch out for Inaba and Matsu too.

"I think they're selling oil, eldest brother." Matsu pointed in the direction of a middle aged woman and what appeared to be her very pregnant daughter. Their stall sold a number of beautiful glass bottles, but on the floor in the corner, Madara could see wooden barrels labeled Rapeseed and Sardine.

"Good job, Matsu." Inaba wrapped an arm around Matsu's shoulder, completely forgetting about their earlier spat as they followed Madara to the booth. The old woman turned around, smiling sweetly at the boys when they stopped in front of her booth. After a quick exchange, Madara handed a small pouch of money to the woman. Watching closely, Matsu tried to memorize Madara's movements as he sealed the giant barrels into a scroll, one after the other. Matsu had sealed away weapons and small pieces of supplies, but never something as large as a barrel full of oil.

"Alright," Madara dusted his hands off on his pants, the scroll safely secured within his top, "Let's head home."

"Can we stop by that stall full of scrolls and books on the way out?" Matsu waved goodbye to the pregnant woman as they disappeared into the crowd. He was getting through the Uchiha library rather quickly. The main Uchiha library was at the outpost, but Matsu never had the chance to go. A few new books, especially some that he could call his own, would be much appreciated. The compound where the boys currently lived was the clan Headquarters, where the majority of Uchiha and almost all of the main branch lived. Matsu had spent his entire life there, never traveling to any of the fortresses, settlements, or outpost that were under Uchiha control.

"Sure, just try to be quick ok? I want to get you two back to the clan as soon as possible." Madara's voice was low, his demeanor changed from earlier as Inaba's back stiffened a bit. Matsu wanted to ask what was wrong, but he knew that Madara would not answer him. It was one of the annoying things about Madara's older brother complex, he always treated his younger siblings like pieces of glass that could shatter at the smallest breeze. Still, Matsu was not too worried. Madara said yes so it could not be that bad.

After navigating their way through the crowd, Matsu nearly squealed when the book store came into view. Unlike many of the other vendors, the bookstore was located in an actual building, and Matsu tripped over himself as he forgot to step up. Madara caught him by the back of his collar, still on alert, but amused by Matsu's eagerness. As they stepped inside, the smell of musty paper and bitter ink filled Matsu's nose and he could not help but smile. There was a middle aged man, stocking books slowly, who greeted them as Matsu began looking though the selection. Inaba huffed, sitting on one of the chairs near the entrance impatiently as Madara shadowed Matsu through the store. It was small, and Madara had to turn his body to the side to move through the many rows. Just from a glance, he knew that most of these books were from different parts of the continent, probably sold to the storekeeper by traveling merchants who were passing though. There were sealing scrolls decorated with red yarn, instructional books on how to navigate the stars, historical records on various clans, most likely with invalid information.

Despite their life of secrecy and hoarding information, it was not uncommon for clans to sell irrelevant information about themselves. Madara knew his Father had approved the release of a few historical records over the years, mostly bought by the daimyo, to have a small income.

There it was again, Madara held his breath. That chakra. Trying to stay casual, Madara gave no indication that he knew the person was right outside the door, hovering at the entrance. Inaba sat, his head bobbing as he tried to fight off the boredom that was trying to pull him under. Turning his head, Madara kept an eye on Matsu, who had finally stopped in one place and was leafing though a rather thick brown book. Absorbed in the book, Matsu was either ignoring the hostile chakra, or the person was skilled enough to hide from Matsu but not Madara. Either way, Madara kept his hands by his side, but let a kunai slide down his sleeve, ready to drop into his hands if needed.

Narrowing his eyes, Madara knew he could not make the first move. They were still in town, and any act of aggression on his part could upset the fragile balance within the neutral territory, causing an all out battle for control between the clans that utilized this town. He would have to wait. Hopefully, the chakra was only monitoring them, and would not engage, but the adrenaline coursing though Madara's veins made it unlikely.

"Have you found something, Matsu?" Madara tried to keep his tone casual, but the way Matsu stiffed let him know he failed. Snapping the book shut with a loud thud, Matsu began to put it away. A small stone settled in Madara's heart and he reached out to stop him, "Come on, I know you want it, don't put it away."

"I don't know how well I'll be able to carry it back." Matsu's eyes were wide as he looked Madara directly in the eye, and Madara was unsure if wanted to hug Matsu or bang his head on the wall. Matsu knew something was up, he was probably actively searching for any hostile chakra now, and from the way his fingers suddenly twitched, he must have felt something. Anger colored Madara's vision, and he wanted to scream at the person waiting outside. Matsu was so excited about coming here, eyes shining with childish glee as he skipped though the sections of books. Now, that person had taken that joy away, and Matsu was on the defensive. He was so worried about a possible fight, he did not want to risk having his hands tied trying to hold on to that brown book.

"Let me worry about that," Madara plucked the book from Matsu's hand, almost smiling at the small spark of happiness that passed through Matsu's eyes. Quickly paying for the book, Madara tucked it under his arm, grabbing Matsu's hand with the other as they walked towards the door. Inaba yawned and stood up, oblivious to the tension. Matsu's hand squeezed Madara's a bit tighter, and they walked outside.