The Uchiha Clan's territory is a fortress that sits at the base of a mountain with vast forestry of coniferous and deciduous trees such as pine, cedar, cypress maple and oak trees. It's a beautiful place to call home and at the same time, a strategic one, as the layout gives the clan several opportunities for escape in the event of an attack.

The structures are concentrically arranged and, unlike the Hyuugas who prefer aesthetic and traditional homes and buildings made primarily of wood and shoji paper screens, the Uchihas chose function over form and use a mix of wood, stone, bricks and mortar in the construction of theirs—a necessity, for a clan where children learn to breath and are prone to set things on fire at a very young age.

At the center of it all stands the Main House where her family resides. They have their own gardens, their own spacious training yard and family dojo. Surrounding the main residence are several more dojos, the barracks, the armories, the granaries and the healing ward.

Next layer are more training grounds where everyone—men, women and children—can spar against each other or hone their individual techniques. These grounds also serve as venues for wedding feasts and other celebrations.

The outermost part and the largest section by far consists the residences of the clan members. Unlike the Hyuugas who live communally, the Uchihas prefer to live on their own so there are individual homes for every conjugal family. It's also in this section where small bodies of water such as a few ponds, a small lake and a stream can be found.

Beyond the clan members' houses is a plain where more civilians under Uchiha protection build their homes and grow their crops. The area also has a trading post set up where anyone, clan member or civilian, can sell their wares and products like pottery and glassworks, fabrics and textile and clothing, and food.

During the earlier years of her life as Uchiha Hinata, many parts of the Main House were mostly forbidden to other members of the clan and her father normally conducted shinobi-related business in the barracks. There were only two helpers to assist with the chores like cook, clean, wash the clothes and help with the house upkeep. Her mother took care of the rest, especially her and her siblings' rearing. With their trainings done in their own yard and dojo, she and her brothers mostly kept to themselves and as such had limited contact with the rest of the clan.

When Madara and Izuna started going on missions, they saw a gradual change. With Madara learning the ropes of leadership and Izuna learning how to support him, more and more areas of the house became open to other clan members.

In the wake of their mother's death, more relatives of Uchiha blood come to visit, even live with them. There's their Aunt Ayaka, who's also their father's first cousin. She lives with them and takes care of the newborn Kiyoshi and the toddler Kenji. With her is their young cousin Hikaku who becomes a playmate and sparring partner to her and Tatsuya.

But…Although more people live in the house and many more come and go, with their mother's presence gone, the house now just feels lonelier, emptier.

…..

She blinks tiredly and puts down the medical scroll she's been reading when she hears the sound of footsteps approaching her room. When she activates her Byakugan, she sees it's her twin with the toddler Kenji clinging to him. She notices the toddler is in tears and hurries to open her bedroom door and welcome them in.

The moment Kenji sees her, he almost flies to her arms and sobs at her neck.

"Shhh…shhh," she tries to calm the little boy. She squeezes him to her with one arm and uses the other hand to gently pat his small back while she looks to her twin and asks, "What happened?"

"Bad dream. He woke me up with slaps and asked for mother, Hina. I tried getting him to Aunt Aya but he refused so I brought him here. You always know what to do," her twin answers, his small face showing his own sadness.

Hinata closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Alright. I'll take care of him. He can sleep with me."

"Can I sleep here too? Please?" her twin asks with a hopeful look in his eyes. "I'll be good. I won't kick or punch you. I promise."

"How will you know if you're asleep?" she laughs but allows her twin to her room and her spacious futon.

Exhausted from crying, Kenji easily falls asleep between them. Tatsuya on the other hand remains awake and after a while, decides to talk to her about his own worries.

"Ne Hina, they're always going out on missions. Madara-nii and Izu-nii. And Father is always so busy. Who'll train us now? How will I get stronger?"

"Hm? You don't like training with me and Hikaku-kun?" she asks with eyes closed, voice teasing to lighten the heaviness she feels and help ease her twin's doubts.

"Of course I do. But Kaku isn't that strong. You… you are strong but…you're a girl Hina," he says awkwardly.

She opens her eyes, turns and props her head on one hand and gives him a playful glare before she reaches out to pinch his cheek, "Tsk. Are you thinking less of me because I'm a girl? I can still beat you anytime, anywhere. Want to test it tomorrow?"

His eyes grow wide and he looks worried. "No! That's not it, Hina. Don't be mad. I just…I just…" he trails off, looking frustrated, clearly not knowing what words to use to express himself properly.

It's sad. It's like her life is playing on repeat only with so much more to worry about. And to add to the painful twist, her twin now also suffers the same fate.

She remembers being five years old, with a dead mother, a newborn sister and a father lost to his grief and duties to the clan.

She and her twin are now five years old, with a dead mother, a newborn brother, the clingy toddler Kenji, two older brothers she can't help but worry about and a father lost to his grief and duties to the clan.

It's heartbreaking and frustrating and many more things at the same time. And in a house full of boys grieving in their own ways and looking to her for comfort, it gets a little hard to breathe sometimes. She sometimes can't even find the time to grieve on her own for the woman she's learned to love as a mother.

"I know. Stop worrying and go to sleep brother. I'll do my best to talk to Father and Madara-nii and Izuna too. I'll try to arrange something with them."

It is silent for a while and she thinks he's on his way to sleep but then, Tatsuya shuffles closer. "Ne Hina," he whispers, looking embarrassed, "Do you think I'm stupid? Because we're twins. But you always know what to do and say and I…I don't."

She feel her breath catch in her throat and her chest goes tight as if someone's reached out to squeeze her heart in their hand. She feels miserable. She never meant for this to happen. Never…This…

Heart twisting with guilt, she looks at him fiercely, "No! Don't ever think that. Do you hear me? Never ever think that. I'm maybe ahead right now but you're smart and strong on your own. And you'll grow even more and improve and if you work hard, you can surpass me, even Izuna and Madara-nii."

Surpass them and become what? Become a faster thief? A better killer? To go out strong enough to kill children like him?

She feels wretched even more. She's told herself to face it but it's hard. Truths and lies…it's so hard to separate them when their world is such a mess—when their reality is so harsh and their lives are so short.

"Are you sure Hina?" he asks, eyes wavering between hope and doubt.

She reaches for his bony shoulder and gives it a firm squeeze. "Of course I am. You're my brother, my twin. We have the same mother and father. We were formed at the same time inside mother's womb. There's no reason why you can't be just as good, if not better than me."

"But—"

"No buts. Have faith in yourself, Tatsuya, not doubts. Doubts will only hold you back and keep you from becoming what you want to be."

And it's the truth. She's experienced it after all. Has seen it in many people—people like Gai-sensei, Lee and Sakura. Bloodlines may give someone an edge but trust in oneself, determination, a strong conviction—these are really what help a person achieve their goals.

He looks grateful then he pouts, "You don't feel like my twin. You feel like an older sister. You should have gone ahead and made yourself a twin to Madara-nii or Izu-nii. Why didn't you?"

She laughs, throat still tight, "That's not how it works, Tatsu. And, well, I didn't really have a choice."

…..

She jolts half-awake to a new presence in the room and instantly reaches for the kunai under her pillow. When she focuses her eyes, she sees Madara leaning on the opened shoji door. He looks weary and his chakra feels lower than she's ever felt before.

"Hina, help. My room," he murmurs in a low voice before turning away.

She gasps when she sees blood on his back, the part that's not covered with his armor and activates her byakugan only to see two deep wounds. She gets up swiftly and gathers her medical supplies from a closet as quietly as possible to avoid waking up her brothers and follows Madara to his room.

"What happened nii-san?" she asks quietly while watching him remove his top before lying face down on his bed.

"Two dead Senju bastards," he answers darkly.

She sighs and starts working on his back, ignoring his flinch when she cleans the wounds first.

"Where is Izuna and Father?" he asks in a tired voice.

"Izuna's gone to Sora-ku with others for munitions supply. As for Father, he's on a mission but I don't know where."

"Bastard," Madara says with a scoff, "So he's gone and left you with the little ones."

"He's still grieving nii-san," she whispers, "In the only way he knows how."

Just as Hyuuga Hiashi had done. Uchiha and Hyuuga. Almost the same.

She wishes it wasn't so. The boys are similar but also so different from Hanabi. She can only do so much. They need their father.

"It's been almost half a year Hinata!" he growls heatedly, "He expects us to get over mother's loss and do our duties but he goes and ignores his? What happened to being strong? He should be over it by now."

"I…I don't think it's your strength that determines how you get over something nii-san—it's what you lose. And father has lost the person he loved…still loves the most."

"Stop making excuses for him," he snaps. Then he exhales loudly before speaking sadly, "We all loved mother."

"Yes we did. We all still do. I'm not making excuses for him nii-san, just telling how I see it. It's different for him, I think. Remember they were together years before we were born. Mother was his wife, the love of his life. His greatest friend and keeper of his secrets. Perhaps half his heart and soul. Now she's gone and he's in much pain. Imagine being in his place nii-san. Imagine being left behind with half a heart and soul and knowing you'll never be complete again."

She tells him all these to help him understand. She'd been so young when Hyuuga Hitomi and Hyuuga Hizashi died and took parts of her father with them, leaving her a different man she didn't understand.

"Fine. Fine. I don't like it but I'll try to understand. But I'm not going to accept this for long. Another half-year, that's all I'll give. He's got to pull his head out of his ass" he grumbles. Then he turns his head to look at her with assessing dark eyes, "How do you do it? It's your eyes, isn't it? You see more and say the most honestly painful things sometimes little sister, I don't know if I like it or not."

"Hm. I'm not telling you these things to change your feelings or force you to do things, niisan. You're entitled to your own feelings and choices after all."

"I know. Enough about father. How have you been doing? How are the boys? Why were they in your room? Did something happen?" he fires his questions one after the other.

"It's…almost the same. Kenji had a bad dream last night and refused to go to Aunt Ayaka so Tatsu brought him to me." Then she remembers her words to her twin, "Niisan, I know you're busy on missions. But when you and Izuna-nii are home, please, would you spare some time helping Tatsuya train? He's feeling ignored and has expressed doubts about becoming strong himself."

"He still has a long way before he can defeat you," he points out.

"Yes, but a sister is different from a brother. He sees me as his big sister and, sometimes, his mother now. And, the difference in power and skill between us makes him doubt himself. He needs more time and attention from you big boys. He needs assurance from you, else he'll think he's useless and suffer even more."

Her twin is starting to develop an inferiority complex because of her. She's determined to undo it. She'll not stand by and watch her brother suffer like Hyuuga Hinata had.

"This…this should be father's responsibility," he mutters angrily then sighs again, "Alright, I'll spend time with him later. And you? Your healing and training? Do you still have time to train? How far can you see now?"

"Thank you," she squeezes his shoulders in appreciation. "I train in the mornings with Tatsu and Hikaku-kun and some after lunch. The healing lessons are still in the late afternoons and before bed. It's close to five miles now."

"Good. It's getting worse out there little sister. Always stay alert. I won't be surprised if Butsuma Senju starts sending men to attempt attacks in our home."

This is Uchiha Madara, the future head of the clan. He'll someday make peace with the Senju but only after so much death and loss. She sees a chance and takes it with two hands.

"Uchiha and Senju hunting children like game and taking pride from killing each other. It just goes on and on. This has to stop nii-san."

"I know. I'm tired of it too. If I could, I would. But Father, the elders, the others…they're all so stupid and stubborn."

"When you become Clan Head, will you make peace your first priority? For our brothers, for the other children. For our people."

He takes a deep breath, "I'm not even sure if I'll ever see that day little sister, with the way things are. If I do live and become head, yes, I'd push for peace."

"Will you promise to do it even if the rest of us, your siblings, die?"

He stills, "The hell are you saying?"

"All of this—the killing. It's almost impossible to stop because people keep justifying it as duty or justice or vengeance for loved ones lost. If I die, brother, I don't want you to go on fighting because you think it's your duty. I don't want you to go on killing because you think it justice or vengeance. I would rather you try even harder to make peace in my name and make sure my fate is not suffered by others. I would rather you build a legacy better than the one our forefathers left us, a greater inheritance you can pass down to your children someday."