When she began to stir awake, her mind made the immediate realization that she was lying on a soft mattress. The bright sun shone through the glass window, kissing her face. Rin opened her eyes slowly, taking in the large bedroom. It was simple, a closet and dresses on one end. She remembered everything from last night. Obito had rescued her from those serpents, and had then spent the night with her by the waterfall. He had brought her some food, and they both had gotten into some conversations about their villages before she had fallen asleep.

Rin assumed that he must've brought her back, using his unique eye technique. He had been adamant on having her stay over his village, making her wonder more about his intent.

She got up from the bed and quietly exited the room, stepping out to an empty hallway. There were several doors, but she figured that they all led to other rooms. What she needed was an exit. Rin walked around for a couple of minutes, admiring the beauty of the large home. It reminded her of some of the homes back in Konoha, the ones owned by elite Shinobis. The Shinobis closest to Danzo, that is.

After what seemed like forever, Rin finally stumbled upon two large doors. Feeling confident that they were the exit, she opened them widely before freezing as several pairs of dark eyes stared at her. She wasn't sure who the majority of the people were, but immediately recognized Izumi, the man named Itachi, Mikoto, and finally Obito. They all sat across Fugaku, the leader of their clan. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, and Rin gulped. She suddenly wished that she hadn't been opening doors so freely without first hearing what was on the other side.

"S-Sorry, wr-wrong door. I was looking for the exit. I'll be on my way now-"

"Stop," Fugaku said, and two men appeared behind her.

Rin gulped as both men glared down at her, their eyes bright red. It reminded her of Obito's eyes.

"You came at the right time," Fugaku continued, "Come in,"

It was a command, not an invitation. The two men behind her narrowed their eyes, and Rin walked inside nervously. Everyone was staring at her, and she felt like a mouse standing amongst a bunch of cats.

"Sit," Mikoto said. Her voice was softer, but still in a commanding tone.

Rin gave a slow nod and sat diagonally from all of them. Her gaze landed on Obito, their eyes locking. Despite his neutral expression, something about the way he slightly narrowed his eyes told her that he was on her side.

"It's safe to assume that you're well rested from yesterday's events," Fukagu said, and Rin turned to him and nodded awkwardly. He made it seem as if she had gone on some adventure.

"Yes,"

"Yesterday, you helped the other prisoners escape. You accomplished this by attacking Izumi, taking her keys, and opening their cells,"

Rin's eyes widened as Fugaku recounted everything despite not having been there. She then looked at Izumi, who was giving her a glare.

"Yes, b-but I only used a harmless technique on-"

"That does not matter," Fugaku interrupted her, and Rin felt herself shrink, "You immobilized her and aided in the escape of those criminals,"

She looked down at her lap, "Yes,"

"And then all of you were attacked by serpents?"

"Yes,"

"Tell us more about that,"

She looked up, glancing quickly at Obito before looking at Fugaku. "I...sensed that we were being watched. And then all of the sudden, this large snake came out of the ground and killed one of the men. The other one ran back, and I ran in a different direction. I'm not sure what happened with the other guy, but I was then surrounded by hundreds of them. They had followed me for some reason…"

"And were you able to fight back?"

"Not really… I'm not a fighter…" she paused before looking at the man who's saved her at least twice by now, "Obito saved me,"

The room was silent, and Rin suddenly wondered if she got Obito in trouble. Some of the Uchihas looked at him with a surprised look, but he didn't pay attention.

"And then?"

"Um…" Rin cleared her throat, "We...ate food by a waterfall,"

Some snickered, a man sitting next to Izumi. Everyone looked at him, and he raised his hands up in defence.

"Ah, sorry! It's just funny to hear that Obito actually has some romantic qualities in him,"

There were more snickers, and even Fugaku smirked. "Good observation, Shisui…"

Rin wasn't sure what was going on, and looked confusingly at everyone. Obito elbowed the one named Shisui playfully, and even Izumi and Itachi had smiles on their faces.

Fugaku cleared his throat before facing Rin, "We appreciate your honesty here, Rin. As the leader of the Uchiha clan and those living in this village, I have a duty to ensure their safety. Aside from immobilizing Izumi, you have not pose any danger towards my people or village,"

She nodded slowly in agreement. Truth be told, hurting anybody was never on her mind. She had just suffered a series of unfortunate events.

"Therefore, we will grant you asylum for two weeks,"

Rin was surprised at the offering, and thanked Fugaku for the generosity. "Thank you! I appreciate it…"

"Don't thank me just yet. For those two weeks, you will work for us in exchange for food, clothing, and shelter."

"Thank you for your generosity,"

"Good. Mikoto will handle things from here with you," Fugaku said before facing his people, "This meeting is now adjourned. I will see you all for dinner,"

They all stood from the floor and gave a formal bow before leaving the room. Rin stood awkwardly as some of them gave her disapproving looks. Mikoto eventually approached her.

"Let's go. There's much to do,"

XxXxX

Mikoto had been serious when she said that there was much to do. Rin followed the older woman throughout the village as she was told all of her new responsibilities - from feeding the chickens to tending the garden and helping out in the kitchen. Rin didn't look forward to the manual labor, especially since it was another woman who would be managing her. The woman went by the name of Chizu Tanaka, and it was the first time Rin saw a non-Uchiha living amongst them.

The woman was friends with Mikoto; but upon glancing at her, Rin knew that this woman would make sure she worked a strict schedule. The idea of leaving the village came to her mind, but she reminded herself that she had nowhere to go. She couldn't go back to Konoha, or else they would kill her. Other villages may be wary of her, and keep her locked up. In addition, there was Obito…

She could already feel that doubt in the back of her mind when it came to him. As much as she told herself that they were just friends (in some way), her brain would go into deep thoughts about him. Especially when Chizu wouldn't stop talking about how to wash dishes.

"Are you listening to me!?"

Rin flinched and looked at the woman, who was the same height as her.

"Um, yes sorry. Yes, I was listening…"

"Good! Now start with these dishes. And once you're done, come find me. We need extra hands for the laundry."

Rin stared at the large pile of dishes and sighed, rolling up her sleeves and getting started.

Tenten made sure to stay hidden within the trees as several of the drunk ANBU shinobis patrolled the area. Lord Danzo had set a curfew due to a recent attack on one of his homes. Someone had thrown bombs towards it on a very late night. And to this day, the culprit has not been found. Danzo promised death to whoever was responsible for the crime.

Tenten swiftly leaped from tree to tree until reaching Kakashi's home. She landed on the roof before going through the secret entrance that Kakashi created. Considering her father was locked up and her sister was missing, Kakashi did not want any neighbors finding out that she was living with him.

"You came later than usual," he said while cutting a fish in half.

"There are more soldiers out patrolling," she said while sitting down on the kitchen table.

He didn't say anything to that as he placed the two cooked pieces of fish on two separate plates, and then placed the plates on the dining table. He sat across from her and lowered his mask.

"What did you find?"

"I think the Hyuugas are going to rebel,"

"What?" He looked at her with furrowed eyes. "The Hyuugas? Tenten, they are the most noble clan in this entire village,"

"I was told that Danzo has gathered interest in their abilities. The clan is worried, and half of its members want to escape,"

"Where did you get this information from?" Kakashi asked her, and Tenten bit her lip. He sighed, "Nevermind, then. The less you and I know, the better. But you have to be careful, especially if the Hyuugas are really going to do that,"

"I know. But I was thinking that… If they do fight back and then escape...maybe I can leave with them? I can help my dad escape, and find Rin,"

"Rin can be anywhere at this point,"

"I know," Tenten sighed, "But wherever she is, at least she doesn't have to deal with these stupid curfews,"

Rin groaned as her back made contact with the mattress.

After washing what felt like an endless number of dishes, she had been instructed to plant several new flowers before ending her work with sweeping several homes. After her work was done, Chizu provided some leftover food to her before showing her where her bedroom was.

She was to share a large room with two other girls, neither of them Uchihas as well. There were three separate beds in the room, and Rin was given the one nearest to the window. On top of the mattress were several clothes and toiletries for her, which made her smile. She was tired of wearing the same clothes for days.

She took a shower in the common bathroom, changed into a pair of pajamas and then laid on her bed.

The other two females were asleep before her, and Rin closed her eyes. She thought about her dad and Tenten, and wondered if she would ever reconnect with them. They could have escaped Konoha and gone somewhere else, which would make it harder to find them.

Sleep eventually overtook her mind, and she closed her eyes tiredly.

XxXxX

She was woken up by one of her roommates, who shook her shoulders lightly. Rin opened her eyes and looked up to find one of the girls staring down at her.

"Get up, we have breakfast to prepare,"

Rin washed her face with cold water in order to wake herself up, before following her roommates to the large kitchen at the center of the Uchiha complex. They finished preparing the food after an hour, and Chizu walked in shortly afterwards.

"Are we ready?" she asked.

"Yes," the other servants replied.

Rin grabbed one of the trays and followed the girls out of the kitchen and towards a long hallway. She analyzed her surroundings, considering one of these days she would probably have to do this on her own.

They stood in front of two large doors, which Chizu ended up opening. Inside sat several of the Uchihas, with Fugaku sitting right at the very front. Rin saw where Izumi and Itachi were sitting before catching Obito's gaze on her. He was giving her a small smile, and she smiled back at him.

She, along with the other girls, placed the tray of food in front of everyone while making two or three trips back and forth to the kitchen. Within minutes, most of Uchihas had their food in front of them. Rin placed the last tray in front of Obito, purposely avoiding eye contact as she felt his eyes on her the entire time. It only made her more nervous, and she was glad that she didn't look back at him.

She followed the servants back to the kitchen and helped with the cleanup just as Chizu walked up to her.

"I want you doing the laundry for today,"

Rin's eyes widened, "For the whole day?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Shouldn't I help with getting the dishes back from breakfast-"

"We won't need you for that," Chizu replied, her tone less friendlier than before.

The other servants looked at her awkwardly before turning their attention back to the kitchen. Rin wanted to say something snarky back, but held her tongue as she remembered that she was only here for two weeks.

Chizu led her to another house which had two rooms. One room held large piles of dirty clothes, and the other had two large sinks filled with water and soap. Rin only sighed before rolling up her sleeves and getting started.

XxXxX

By the time she was done washing, rinsing and hanging all of the clothes, it was well into the evening. Her fingers ached.

Rin walked back to the kitchen just as the servants were finishing washing the dishes from dinner. By the corner there was some left over food sitting on a small table, and she walked over it happily. They always ate after the main guests, a rule Rin found strange. If the servants didn't eat well beforehand, how would they have energy to prepare and clean everything?

She managed to eat two pieces of bread just as Chizu approached her, and Rin mentally groaned. She had been hoping to eat in peace before sneaking to her bedroom and resting.

"I need you to deliver dinner,"

"I thought dinner was already served?"

"It was. But some just came back from a mission and have not eaten. Laila here will escort you to the room,"

A blond young woman, nearly the same age as her, stood with a tray in her hands. She gave the tray to Rin before signaling her towards the door.

"Let's go,"

With the tray in hand, Rin followed her to the large complex. They walked for a few minutes before Rin began to recognize this portion of the complex. It was where she had been walking around before stumbling into the Uchiha's meeting. Laila eventually stopped in front of the same door that Rin had come out from yesterday morning. Laila softly knocked on the door, and Rin watched curiously while wondering whose room she had woken up in.

Seconds later, the door opened revealing a freshly-showered Obito. He was in a t-shirt and slacks, and both young girls forced themselves not to stare too long.

"Your dinner is here," Laila said, and Obito nodded before opening the door wider.

"Thanks. You can put it in here,"

Rin avoided eye contact as she walked inside and placed the tray on top of a desk. Her assumption that she had woken up in his room yesterday morning was verified as she quickly scanned the area.

"Is there anything else you would like?" Laila asked, making sure that Obito took notice of the way her eyes roamed down his body.

"No," he answered quickly before closing the door.

XxXxX

Rin's eyes went from the closed door to him as he walked over to the tray and began to eat. The fact that he casually closed the door as Laila tried to flirt with him was entertaining.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked, unwrapping a rice ball.

"A little. I've been doing laundry the entire day,"

She watched as his eyebrows furrowed a bit before being offered some of his food.

"Take some,"

"Oh, no it's fine!" Rin replied with a smile, "I was told that you came back from a mission. You should eat up and rest in order to regain your strength,"

"I'll be fine," he offered her a smile back, "Eat with me,"

She gave in and sat on the floor, directly across from him with the tray in between. He split everything in half, accidentally spilling some of the rice onto the floor. Rin giggled before grabbing the utensils from him.

"Here, let me do it,"

She grabbed the utensils from him, being careful not to spill the food as well by letting Obito's gaze distract her.

"Done," she said proudly before looking at the utensil in her hand. "We only have one of these…"

"You take the first bite then,"

"Obito, no! This is your food. You just got back from a mission and need to eat,"

"It's fine-"

"Eat," she said sternly, her brown eyes narrowing as she grabbed his hand and placed the utensil in it.

The Uchiha blinked and nodded, taking the first bite. He looked at her, and Rin gave him a slight nod to continue. He ate half of the food before scooping some food with the spoon and putting the utensil by her lips. He smiled upon noticing the rosy colors in her cheeks as she opened her mouth in order for him to feed her.

Rin tried her best not to giggle while chewing on the food. "I can feed myself," she said, grabbing the spoon from him.

She finished eating minutes later, just as he stood up and grabbed a bottle from his bag. Rin stood up and cleaned the mess from the floor, reorganizing the empty plates and bowl within the tray. She placed the tray back on the table just as he finished taking a sip of the liquid within the green bottle. He then gave the bottle to her, and Rin recognized it as Sake. She grabbed the bottle hesitantly.

"I've only had this once,"

"Is the taste the same as how Konoha sells it?"

"This one actually tastes better," Rin said after taking a sip, "The ones from Konoha are manufactured there. But the taste isn't that good. It's something I've noticed with the food as well. The food here tastes fresher,"

"Food here is grown year-round. And whatever we can't grow gets traded with the nearby villages. Does Konoha not grow its food?"

"It does… But there's a control on what we can grow and how."

"Control?"

"By the Hokage… Danzo. And majority of what we grow has to be given back to the village council,"

"Why?"

Rin shrugged, "As a form of tax?"

Obito shook his head, "No wonder many of you escaped,"

"There are many reasons why a lot of us escape. Everything we do and own gets monitored by the ANBU soldiers. That's why it's so easy for them to take advantage, and hard for us to deflect,"

"Why has nobody stood up and removed Danzo from power? I figured you would have elections every four years,"

"The fear is what holds people back," Rin said, remembering the very few villagers who tried to stand up but ended up getting killed, "Danzo inflicts fear, telling everyone that if he's removed from power, that your clan will take over and kill us all. We've been brainwashed about the Uchihas since we were young, Obito. Many think it's true because of what's written in our books, so they'll do everything that Danzo says because they're afraid of being controlled by an Uchiha. Their fear is that your clan will put everyone under a terrible Genjutsu before killing them all,"

"If we wanted to do that, we would've done that years ago," Obito said with an annoyed tone, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Unless provoked, we don't attack anyone,"

"I know… I'm surprised I wasn't thrown back into the cell or sentenced to death. Even though doing labor all day is tiring me, it could be worse…"

"I had spoken to Fugaku much earlier," Obito said, looking up at her as she stood nearly a foot away from him. "I wasn't going to let you be thrown into the cell again,"

"So you made me a servant?" Rin teased with a giggle, and Obito rubbed the back of his head shyly.

"I...was…"

"It's OK," Rin said, her smile still present, "At least I'm not spied on by soldiers, nor do I have to give money back to Danzo. I've also noticed that there are other villagers here… villagers who aren't Uchihas. And they seem happy living here…"

"How do we compare with the Uchihas from your books?" he asked curiously.

"Your clan is definitely not like what's told to us in school. Although I was really scared at first… That's why I helped those criminals escape. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me, and you were visiting me but not telling me much. So I took my chance and escaped,"

He stood from the bed and walked over to her, closing the distance between them. Rin looked into his dark eyes and swore that it was like getting lost in the void.

"I was working with Fugaku on trying to get you out of there. I was close to convincing him, but then you had escaped,"

"Oh," Rin said with a nervous smile, "I guess...I became too impatient with the darkness,"

Obito smiled, "It's OK. You did what anyone else would've done,"

"You're more understanding than I've realized," she said, "I feel like… You would be a good Hokage,"

His eyebrows raised, "You think so?"

"Yeah. You're strong. But at the same time, you seem to analyze the situation before making any decisions,"

"I have thought about being Hokage and joining our village with Konoha…"

Rin's eyes widened, "You have? Obito, I think you would make a great Hokage. Those in Konoha would be happy to have you as their leader! I know they'll be scared at first, because of the brain washing… But then they'll see how different things can be! I mean, I can see it here! I can walk around without having ANBU soldiers following me and asking when I'll sleep with them…"

Obito wanted to ask her who these ANBU soldiers exactly were, but pushed that thought aside. She just complimented him that he didn't make impulse decisions. "After my parents died, I gave up on that dream. I felt as if no matter how hard I tried, there would always still be violence,"

He immediately looked down when she grabbed his hand, "I think that we, as humans, can be selfish… And that leads to the violence we see. And some violence may be necessary, as much as we hope to avoid it. We need to be able to protect ourselves and those we love. But I also imagine a life where things could be settled by just conversations and negotiations, rather than sending untrained young men out to the field just for half of them to get killed. It becomes a vicious circle that's impossible to end. Those in Konoha are tired and afraid of fighting back, because they see no hope. They see no one who's strong standing up for them. And if nothing gets done, more will die from hunger and illness. The soil isn't as rich as it used to be, we don't get much rain despite cloudy skies, and we're still expected to give our food to the village council as tax. Even if we can't get rid of all of the violence, I would like to at least see a village where women can feel safe walking around without ANBU men following them for sex...and we don't have to give the council majority of our food,"

Obito raised his other hand and wiped a tear away, and Rin blinked several times before realizing that she had become so emotional that her eyes watered.

"S-Sorry," she giggled nervously, "I was thinking about my sister and dad… I left them behind and…. I'm so scared of what could have happened to them,"

His hands remained on her face, his thumbs brushing the remaining tears away. "I gave up that dream years ago… Because I thought there was no point in even trying. But seeing you smile while dreaming of a better future has woken that dream again. I don't know if I can be the best, but I can try…"

"I think you'll be great," she said, her face warm as his hands continued to cup her face.

"I think I'll be great if you're by my side,"

"Then I'll always be watching over you!" she said with a wink, and Obito smiled.

He was ready to lean down and kiss her. He wanted to feel her lips against his. But instead he was met with a hug. His arms went around her shyly, his mind enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. He knew that one of these days, he would be more open about his feelings to her. He didn't care that he had only known her for less than a week. He was certain that she was going to be the best thing in his life.

Meanwhile in Konoha…

Tenten waited for his signal before appearing from the shadows. It was past midnight; the majority of the Anbu soldiers were indoors. The teenager standing across from her was leaning against the tree with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Her cheeks flushed a bit as she thought about how good looking he was becoming.

"My uncle expects a rebellion in two weeks,"

"Two weeks?"

"Yes,"

"Will you be part of it?"

Neji shook his head, "He wants me to deflect with Hinata and Hanabi, and a few other members of our clan as well,"

"Where will you go?"

"Not sure, but I have a suspicion that my uncle may be in contact with an Uchiha,"

Tenten's eyes widened, "B-But...can they be trusted? You remember what we've learned in school,"

"It's either trusting them or Danzo. If I don't leave, I'll be forced to become an ANBU soldier by next year," he then looked at her, "And ANBUs have started targeting girls your age, Tenten,"

"Yeah… I've seen that. Ino's father has her in hiding,"

"You're coming along, right?" he asked.

"Kakashi says it's dangerous. Besides, my dad's jailed and I don't know where Rin is. What if she comes back looking for me?"

"It's better for your sister not to come back. She's a wanted criminal. She will be brought to Danzo the moment she gets caught,"

"I'll have to think about it," she said, "As much as I want to look for my sister, I can't leave my dad here,"

"He's jailed-"

"But I can ask Kakashi to free him,"

"You'll be risking Kakashi getting caught and killed as well. He's the only ANBU my clan can trust,"

Tenten looked down for a moment, thinking about her options. As much as she wanted to escape with Neji and his family, she still didn't want to leave her father behind. She had been trying to come up with a way of getting him out, regardless of whether or not Kakashi helps.

Neji took a step closer to her, "You have a better chance of escaping with us. I can then help you find Rin, and from there we can plan on how to help your father escape. And you never know… Your sister may have already allied herself with some strong Shinobis who can help us,"

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your feedback in a review below.