I always update so late at night! I can't help it, all my ideas come to fruition at night! I hope you guys like this chapter, and as always, thanks for reading and reviewing! :)

Jun had agreed to start training Akane on medical ninjutsu, telling her that they would start in a few days. Akane had never been so excited, unlike when Madara had begun to train her. Fighting was not her strength, but she believed she could be a valuable medical ninja.

Akane hurried back to the new Uchiha Compound, it was a bit of a distance from the main area of Konoha, mainly, she believed, because no one trusted the Uchiha. Not that it bothered her, she knew, that in time people would learn to forgive and overcome their differences and work together as true comrades. Her feet padded softly against the ground as she walked at a fast pace. The streets were mainly empty, only a few civilians wandered the streets.

When she arrived back at the compound, she saw one of the elders standing in the courtyard, as if she were waiting for Akane. And to Akane's surprise, the elder was, she waved Akane down, beckoning for her to come over.

"What is it Lady Ko?" Akane asked softly, bowing her head in respect.

"Come, the council needs to speak with you."

"W..what? Why?"

"Come, come!"

Ko ushered Akane along, gently pushing her into the room where the Uchiha Coucil had gathered. Everyone turned to look at her, eyes bearing down on her, suffocating her. She bowed quickly.

"What do I owe this summon?"

"Sit…" The head of the council spoke, his voice a deep, raspy rumble.

Akane hurriedly sat down, nearly tumbling over her kimono in her rush.

"You are well aware that Madara has disappeared," the man, Fumio, stated.

Akane nodded her head, but a small bubble of anger had started growing in her chest. She did not appreciate how the others had shunned Madara. Her eldest brother had valid points, and he was only fearful that the Uchiha would be repressed and eliminated in due time. But the other Uchiha, everyone in the clan, they had disagreed, and claimed he only wanted to stir up trouble where there was none.

"Yes, but I believe he will come back, he will not abandon the clan…"

"Madara has lost his mind;" Fumio said bluntly, "grief from losing Izuna has driven him into madness and darkness. He wants to destroy this peace we have all longed for so long."

Akane's brow furrowed, "He has not had the time to mourn!"

"It has been nearly a year since Izuna's passing, Madara has had enough time to mourn for Izuna. All that remains in him is revenge. We feel he no longer holds the interests of the clan above his personal feelings."

"So…"

"Because he has abandoned the clan, he has also abandoned his position as the Clan Leader."

"You can't do that! He'll be back!" Akane shouted.

"Quiet!" another elder yelled at the young woman, "We brought you here because you are the last one in the line of leadership."

"W…what?!"

"Madara was the head of this clan, if Izuna were still alive, the responsibility would be passed down to him, but since he is deceased….that leaves you."

"But I cannot….."

"We understand that this is a lot to take in, for now, the council will handle political matters. However, we believe that even though you are not well versed in the physicality of battle you can be a great leader. Being the head of a clan does not necessarily require brute strength or skill; you must simply understand the politics and strategies behind it. We believe, that since you were brought up with Izuna and Madara, that you would be the best choice for the next head of the clan."

"I cannot accept!" Akane protested, wringing her hands nervously.

"You are intimidated, but we have already planned ahead should you not want to accept. We would put another in charge of the men, of battle strategies and whatnot. You would be the face of the Uchiha. Should you accept this offer, you would not have to worry about missions or wars, those issues will be handed off to the shinobi we choose and you approve. You have a calm personality, and you are a clever girl….."

"I was going to start training to be a medical ninja…."

This caught the attention of the elders, who all looked up in shock.

"And with whom would you be training?"

"J…Jun Senju" Akane mumbled, her response causing many of the elders to gasp.

"That old Senju woman?"

Despite their proclamations of peace, Akane knew that the Uchiha would never like the Senju.

"You could pursue that dream," Fumio stated, "But you will be trained under an Uchiha medic."

"I do not think I can accept being the head of the clan," Akane said shaking her head.

"We will give you time to think on it, we do not want any rash decisions. As for your medical ninjutsu training, we will give orders to Satoshi to begin with you soon. Dismissed."

Akane was lying in her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Head of the Clan? They couldn't be serious. They must be really anxious to get rid of Madara if they would replace him with the likes of me. She thought to herself. She couldn't run a clan, it was true she knew enough about politics, having been raised by Madara, but never had a woman held the title of Clan Leader. And she didn't want to train with Satoshi. Her nose wrinkled up even thinking about the man.

Satoshi was the head medic of the Uchiha Clan. He was a stoic and emotionless middle-aged man. In all honesty, he used to scare Akane when she was younger. His eyes would seemingly stare into one's soul. Many of the elders say that he was so cold because his brother died in his arms and that he didn't want to get close enough to someone else and feel that helplessness if they were ripped away from him.

Akane suddenly found that she was no longer tired as she pulled herself up. She swung her legs over the side of her bed before standing and stretching. She was angry, and hurt, and needed to get her emotions out. She pulled on a black training top and matching black pants that went halfway down her calves. She tied a deep blue obi around her waist, pulling the slightly oversized top in before kicking on her sandals and leaving her home.

All that was heard as she made her way to the training grounds were the crickets and owls. While the summer days were warm and humid, the nights were often cool and caressing.

The training grounds were still in progress. There was a variety of logs and trees that were meant to be used for kunai or shuriken practice, but there were also some with small pads taped on them to be used for taijutsu. Akane walked slowly up to one of the taijutsu trees, staring at the target. In a rage she began punching the pad violently. These were no punches of technique, just utterly angry and sad hits intended to release emotional stress. Her knuckles began to throb as the skin was worn down and scratched off and blood began to dribble down her arms and onto the ground.

"HN!" She grunted as she continued to brutally hit the tree. Sweat had started to trickle down her temples and into her eyes, making them sting.

"Akane!"

She whirled around at an inhuman speed, the tomoe of her Sharingan whirling dangerously before dissipating, "Tobirama," she panted, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

The Senju male was leaning against a nearby tree, arms crossed over his chest, eyeing her not with interest, but a mild anger, "Do you think it's smart to hit a tree until you bleed?" He asked, gesturing to her blood stained hands.

"Don't scold me like some child," She said bitterly.

"You are acting like one," he retorted.

Akane clenched her fists in irritation. She had too much on her mind, too much to worry about, too much anger in her, to deal with Tobirama's admonishment.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

Tobirama stared down at her; she had stomped up to him angrily, pointing an accusing finger in his face.

"Is that what you want?"

"Y….I…..Argh!" She let out a frustrated shout, punching the trunk of the tree beside Tobirama's head.

He didn't so much as flinch at the woman's strike. He was too busy trying to wrap his head around this confusing Uchiha woman. Then he heard her soft sob.

"I'm alone…" She whispered.

Tobirama raised an eyebrow, grabbing her arm and peeling it away from the tree. He held her hand up, examining it, "There's minimal damage to your hands."

She yanked her hands from him angrily, "Go away."

"Something is troubling you."

"So what?! Don't act like you care!"

"I do care."

Her eyes widened slightly, believing she had heard him wrong, "W…what?"

"I said, I do care. So what is troubling you?"

Her mouth slung slightly open in surprise before she snapped it shut, straightening her back and attempting to look put herself on the same level as Tobirama.

"There is much that is troubling me…." She mumbled.

"So why don't you start from the beginning?"