Fugaku's small village struggled with accommodating the large number of refugees. There were some in his village who refused to allow the foreigners in. But Fugaku disagreed, despite knowing that his disagreement would divide his clan. At least, he hoped, initially.

Aside from the teenage boys, there was no male clan leader amongst the group of immigrants. It mostly consisted of women.

So he spoke with two of the women, Hiari from the Hyuuga Clan and Kushina from the Uzumaki clan. They recounted everything to him, how Minato and the Hyuugas planned and executed the coup. The fact that Orochimaru had suddenly appeared in Konoha threw their plans astray, causing more villagers than expected to flee.

"We were attacked on our way here," Kushina told Mikoto, rubbing her pregnant belly.

"By who?" asked Fugaku.

"Both ANBU from our village and clones of Orochimaru. As we got closer here, they stopped following. Several of our people died on their way here though,"

"Shisui, set a parameter around the village immediately," Fugaku said, and the younger Uchiha nodded.

"What happened to your husband?"

"I'm not sure," Kushina replied in tears, "I wish I knew…"

"We hope that our husbands can join us soon," Hiari said.

"For now, we will accommodate you as much as we can. I don't want to risk any of my clansmen with another clan's war,"

Kushina and Hiari nodded, "We understand,"

"But I will send someone to inspect the area during daylight,"

"Hold still,"

"Ouch!" groaned Tenten as her sister bandaged her side.

"This wound is deep," Rin said worryingly, "Lay down for me, OK?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad,"

"I want to make sure that whatever injured you wasn't poisonous. This village doesn't have adequate resources to handle such cases,"

"Wouldn't I feel something by now?"

"Hm… depends on the toxin and one's body. Some can react a minute later, some a day later. I'm going to do something to verify that no toxins have entered your body," Taking a deep breath, Rin placed her hands over sister's deep wounds.

"That burns!"

"Tenten, hold still…" Rin inspected the wound closely for a couple of seconds before sighing in relief. "No toxins, which is good. I will close your wound now,"

"Will dad be OK?" Tenten asked, watching as her wound started to close.

"I don't know… He's really weak… What did they do to him?"

Tenten shrugged sadly, "Part of me doesn't want to know. I found him all bruised up with a missing eye. Kakashi and I got into an argument about this,"

"Why?"

"He thought I should've left dad behind. That dad would've slowed me down… but you know me…"

"You didn't listen,"

"Kakashi can be full of shit sometimes,"

Rin laughed, "Kakashi follows the rules by the book. But remember he has also broken them saving us,"

"I know. But I couldn't leave dad behind. Neji told me about the plan, and I knew that I had to get dad out first,"

"Neji? The Hyuga boy?"

"...Yeah,"

"He seems very fond of you," Rin said with a smile, "He's been waiting outside for a while now,"

She laughed as Tenten blushed and looked elsewhere. There was a silence between the two sisters as Rin finished up. Tenten turned her head towards Rin before noticing a light mark on her neck.

"Is that a hickey!?"

Rin's eyes widened as she touched the side of her neck. "It's nothing…"

Tenten's honey-brown eyes narrowed, "Bullshit… I saw how that Uchiha guy was looking at you and holding your hand… Is he your boyfriend?"

Rin nodded slowly, "...Yeah…"

Tenten smiled, "He seems…interesting…"

"He rescued me when I first got here," Rin told her as she was finished healing her, and Tenten put on her shirt again.

"He did? From who?"

"I was kidnapped by this group of men at first. I was so scared of what they were going to do to me… They must've crossed Uchiha territory, because all of the sudden things got strange and I ran back to the boat. But then the boat capsized and I nearly drowned had it not been for Obito saving me,"

"And from there it was love at first sight?"

Rin shrugged, "For him? I think so. For me? It wasn't right away. Took a couple of more savings and dinners before I started falling for him too…"

"Savings? Just how much savings did you need?"

Rin grinned, "Hmm… there were a couple,"

"You need to learn how to fight - Ouch!" Tenten said, rubbing her side after Rin's pinch.

"Enough of teasing me. Let's go check on dad,"

Obito sat alongside his clansmen as Fugaku and Mikoto sat in the front. It had been two hours since the mass rush of migrants into their small village, and everyone anticipated what was going to happen next.

"Konoha has fallen," Fugaku started while looking at everyone in the room, "Orochimaru had entered the village as part of an alliance with Danzo. Nonetheless, according to eyewitnesses, that alliance broke at the beginning of the fight between Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru. Orochimaru killed Danzo, and it's unclear what Minato's fate is,"

"What about those who came flocking to our village?" one asked.

"For now, we will give them refuge,"

"Our village cannot hold this many people!" another one said loudly, and Fugaku glared at him.

"I am aware of the constraints in our village. But turning them away won't do any good if our dreams is to unite our nations again,"

"They hate us Uchihas!"

"If they did, why did they risk their lives coming here?" There was silence amongst the group, and Fugaku continued. "Our village is still my main priority, which is why I will not be sending any of you to inspect the events of Konoha at the moment. We will tread carefully into this matter,"

The meeting ended shortly after, and Obito headed towards the infirmary. He entered the room where Rin's father laid. The old man hadn't said a word since entering the village, yet his presence looked better thanks to Rin's medical expertise. The Uchiha found her washing some old rags by the corner, her face wet with tears. She eventually noticed him there, and used her wrist to wipe the tears away.

"Obito…" she called his name, giving him a smile, "Sorry, I didn't notice you there. I was…lost in thoughts,"

"How are you holding up?" he asked while approaching her, cupping her face.

Rin shook her head slowly while looking at her unconscious father, "I don't think he's going to make it, Obito… I'm trying everything, but I don't think he's going to make it,"

Obito analyzed the man's condition; anyone else would think the man was dead. His face was very pale, his chest slowly rising and falling.

"Just do the best you can," Obito said, hugging her and rubbing the back of her head, "I'm sure your father is aware of everything you're doing for him,"

The rest of the night was peacefully quiet considering the fight going on hundreds of miles away. The women and their children were allocated in an empty house, mattresses laid out on the floor. Mikoto gave extra pillows to Kushina to accommodate her large belly. Naruto, her very loud-mouthed son, slept next to her.

Rin and Tenten slept on the same bed, just like they used to do when they were younger. Rin used her small amount of chakra to help her sister sleep, stroking her long brown hair afterwards. She felt a sense of guilt not going back to Konoha sooner and saving her. Instead, she had gotten into trouble herself, with Obito rescuing her every single time. All while her younger sister had to survive in a barbaric environment.

"I promise to be better for you," Rin whispered to her sibling.

The Uchiha's village was on high alert that night, in case Orochimaru decided to attack them next. Thankfully, there was no attack.

The sun rose beautifully the following day. And before the village woke up, Obito and Shisui used their respective abilities to get close to Konoha and inspect its current state. But to their shock, a thick white mist surrounded the village, as if trying to keep villagers in and foreigners out. Corpses laid around just outside the mist, and it wasn't until the Uchihas started heading back that they noticed the unconscious Hiashi Hyuga on the ground, next to Minato's corpse...

XxXxX

Kushina led out a terrifying scream, Mikoto grabbing her to ensure that she didn't collapse on the ground and injure herself or her unborn baby.

"No! No! No!" the red-haired scream, turning away from Minato's deceased body.

Hiashi Hyuga sat on a chair with a cup of warm tea in his hands. His forehead was bandaged, yet he looked down sadly. "I am sorry, Kushina…" said the Hyuga leader, closing his eyes.

The room was quiet, the only sound was Kushina's cries as she sobbed against Mikoto.

"I am going to take her back to her room," Mikoto whispered to her husband before helping the Uzumaki up and walking outside.

Once the women were gone, Hiashi looked up to Fugaku. "Orochimaru has taken control of Konoha. After he killed Minato, he tried to…eat his body. But I snatched him away and ran… Not many of my clansmen made it out, and I worry what Orochimaru could have done to them and anyone else who stayed behind,"

"The Hyugas have lived under Danzo's ruling for decades. Why fight back now?"

"He was after my clan's abilities. And his…threats became worse after my daughters were born. He had ordered ANBU soldiers after my daughters on several occasions. And it wasn't just my clan. He started demanding more from every clan, especially children,"

"Why?"

"To study and control every clan's secret… And avoid any other clans from being able to turn their backs on Konoha and winning,"

Fugaku said nothing at that, watching the facial expression of several of his own clan members. They could relate to Hiashi's reasoning, considering Danzo had been after the Uchiha's secrets for years.

"I know that the Hyugas and Uchihas have never been on friendly terms," said Hiashi, "And as a clan leader, I respect your decision if you wish us gone from your village,"

"You put my village at risk allowing your clan and others to run in here," Fugaku told him, "But for now, you and the others are welcomed here until we learn more about what Orochimaru plans to do next,"

Obito walked into the infirmary room, watching as the old man was sitting up with a food tray on his lap. Rin and Tenten were sitting on either side of the bed, holding their father's hands. The old man slowly lifted his head and smiled at the Uchiha.

"H-Hello young man,"

Rin turned around, grinning at the Uchiha while grabbing his hand and pulling him closer.

"Dad, I want you to meet Obito Uchiha,"

The old man nodded, "Ah… the b-boy my daughter f-fancies,"

Tenten laughed out loud as Rin blushed.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Obito said.

"L-Likewise… R-Rin t-tells me," gasp, "th-that you have been t-taking good care…of her… Th-Thank you…"

"Always," Obito said, rubbing Rin's knuckles with his thumb.

"You still have that hickey," Tenten whispered to her sister, who gave her a glare in return.

Obito eyed Rin's neck and noticed the light pink bruise, hoping that her father wouldn't notice.

The next morning, Obito and a couple of the Uchihas inspected the outside of Konoha again. The thick mist was still there, blocking any visibility into the village. The corpses seen from the previous day were now gone, leaving small trenches on the ground. As if they had been dragged back into the village.

"Let's go," Obito said, and his team immediately left.

Using Kamui, he appeared outside of the infirmary; the place where Rin spent most of her time. But upon arriving, he quickly sensed the sorrowful energy. Opening the door, he saw Rin's hands were glowing green as Tenten held onto one of her father's hands while crying for him to wake up. The old man was paler than usual, his mouth slightly gaped and his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. The light emitting from Rin's hands disappeared, and she slowly turned to him with tears in her eyes.

Rin shook her head sadly, "He-He's gone…"

"No no no! Try again!"

"Tenten, he's gone! I've been trying-"

"Try again! Please!"

"He's gone!"

The teenager cursed before running past Obito and out of the room.

Rin was ready to chase after her, "Tenten, wait!"

"I'll get her," Obito told her before leaving.

The bun-haired teen was fast, jumping onto several branches and away from the Uchiha's village. She cursed at Kakashi for not allowing her to rescue her father sooner and Orochimaru for skewing the escape plan. But most important, she was mad at herself for not being stronger.

A swirling vortex appeared in front of her, and suddenly Obito was there. Tenten was about to turn in another direction, but he grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!"

"Tenten, stop,"

"No!" she said, her eyes watery, "No! I was supposed to save him… So w-we could…a-all be a f-family again! It's not fair!"

He held her forearms, holding her steady as she cried. He thought about Rin and her words of encouragement to him when it came to his dream of being Hokage. She mentioned how she wanted a better future for Tenten, who was still growing up and learning while trying to physically protect her and their father. Tenten, who was still young in this world dominated by men, blamed herself for her father's death.

"Tenten," Obito said, "I understand your grief. But right now, Rin needs you,"

"Why?" she asked angrily, "She has you!"

Obito sighed, "I love your sister a lot, Tenten. More than you could think of. But there's a certain type of love that I cannot fulfill, and that is the love of a sibling. I can be there for her…as her partner. But you need to be there as her sister, and I know you need her too,"

Tenten wiped her tears away, "...I didn't mean to…say it like that,"

Obito smiled, "It's fine. Let's go back to the village,"

The teenager nodded, following the Uchiha back to the village.

The night was filled with sadness as the old man and Minato Namikaze were buried. Tenten and Rin hugged while crying onto each other as an old priest chanted some prayers. The entire ceremony lasted no more than an hour, with hundreds of candles lit.

Later that night, Rin helped Tenten go to sleep. She sang an old lullaby to her while massaging her scalp. It was a lullaby their mother sang to Rin when she was five years old.

After putting her sister to sleep, Rin headed towards Obito's room. The door was unlocked, and she saw him leaning against the window upon entering the room. She closed the door softly, locking it from inside as he walked over to her. They said no words to each other, immediately locking lips passionately.

He pulled her underneath his sheets, where they made love silently. Rin held onto his shoulders tightly as Obito thrusted into her, sucking on her neck while holding her thighs apart. They finished quickly, and he hugged her from behind.

"Thank you for bringing my sister back…" Rin said tiredly, "I feel like she's growing up so fast, and I don't know how to slow her down. Ever since she was little, she's been training to become a strong Shinobi and show every man out there that she's as strong as them. But I'm scared that she'll just get herself killed,"

"I can train her," Obito said, drawing circles on her bare arms, "So she knows how to defend herself,"

"That'll be great," Rin said with a smile, "You can be that older brother she never had. And in the meantime, I can look into that Neji Hyuga boy she's always with,"

Obito raised an eyebrow at her, "Why?"

Rin shrugged, "Why not? I'm her older sister,"