When I came to several days later, I did so with the memories and experiences of all of my shadow clones. How many people I had saved, and even rescuing Izumi as I had the last time. I could tell there was a disturbance as the strong sense of trepidation and danger surrounded me as I sat up in my own bed. No one was with me, but I could sense both my parents in the house along with Fugaka and several other notable ninja. Itachi was also present, sitting right outside my door, so when I slid it aside, he immediately jumped to his feet. "Yuki-chan!"

Tackling me with a powerful hug, Itachi wrapped his arms around my middle and held onto me tightly. "Itachi-kun. Why are you here?"

"I was worried about you Yuki-chan, and there are many people who have been trying to take you away. I've been waiting for you to wake up so that I could tell you…" Before he could tell me anything, footsteps sounded and the door to another room of my house opened, revealing my panic stricken mother.

"Miyuki!" Unwillingly letting me go, Itachi stepped aside so that my mother could drop to her knees and embrace me, fully enfolding me into her arms as she struggled to breathe through her tears. "Oh my precious little girl, I've been so worried about you. You were right about the Nine Tails, about everything! I'm so proud of you, but you were stupid to put yourself in so much danger! What would I have done if I'd lost you? Let alone your father, he's barely eaten or slept since we found you!" Guilty for having caused them such worry. My father followed behind my mother, however for once there was no joy or laughter in his face. He was sombre and serious, Fugaka standing directly behind him. "Miyuki, listen to me carefully. Do not trust anything that they tell you, you cannot leave here, do you understand me?"

Utterly confused, I reached out with my senses and realised that we were not alone in this house. There were several other figures present also, namely the Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura and two of the Konoha Village Elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. "Bring the child here." Gritting his teeth I saw my father's fists clench in anger, struggling to control himself. I had rarely ever seen my father angry before, and usually it was a comical anger or infuriation at something, however as I looked at him, I realised that he was ready to attack anyone who might lay a hand on me.

Itachi was holding my hand, looking nervously past his father into the room so I looked down at him and gave a small smile, squeezing his fingers. "Itachi, will you go for a walk with me later? I will buy you dango." He brightened a little but it quickly vanished, seeing through my guile to simply remove him from this potentially dangerous situation.

"Yuki-chan." He scowled at me, too clever for his age. "I'm not leaving until I know everything is going to be alright. I don't exactly know why the Council are here, but it has something to do with the Nine Tails, right?"

"Itachi. Go home and see to your mother and brother." Fugaka stepped in, ordering Itachi home so I let go of his hand, but not before I reached out and ruffled his hair, promising to see him later. We waited until he had left before I made any move to the formal room my mother had prepared for our guests, all of them sitting with cups of tea before them, however only Lord Third and Utatane-san had touched theirs. Each of them were stern faced, eyeing me observantly as I came into the room though as I did so, I paused to take hold of my father's hand.

He relaxed a little and made a point to keep me very close to him with my mother on my other side, Fugaka also standing by the door. We were at a stalemate which none of us were willing to break, surveying each one in turn. From their levels of chakra, I knew that my family and I would have a difficult time with just Danzo and the other two council elders alone. With the Third Hokage also present, it would be impossible and we would likely destroy the entire Uchiha compound. Glancing between my parents and Fugaka, I decided to at least ask what had already been said.

"You are here for a reason." I stated bluntly, breaking the silence and drawing all eyes to me as I sat myself down before the council. "Please, begin." Lord Third arched his eye, seeing me as only a ten year old child, whilst inwardly I felt a least ten times that age.

"What an insolent sapling you are, speaking to you elders in such a manner. Remember your place child!" The woman snapped at me however Lord Third lifted a hand, signalling for calm as his cool gaze settled upon me contemplatively.

"Miyuki, I have been reviewing your grades and reports from the academy. You are an average student, show no signs of considerable proficiency or talent in any area and as far as I am aware, you have no social connections to your classmates or anyone else in the village other than that with your parents and their close friends, your Clan Head's sons." He began, listing off everything that he knew about me. "So, imagine my surprise when I see a little girl who is, admittedly, an oddity within her own clan, charging directly at a powerful demon beast and not only holds it off, but also knows how to seal it within another person and herself."

"Confusion is an understandable response to the situation." I murmured softly, somewhat return to my short tongued ways of old. I was carefully thinking everything over in my head and considering exactly who I was speaking with. I had nothing against the Third Hokage, except perhaps that he was a little too uninclined to act in a timely manner to certain dangers. The others however…I did not trust them at all.

"You dare call my daughter an oddity? She is the pride of our clan!" My father growled angrily, folding his arms and glaring at the elders. "Perhaps you are mistaken in what you saw."

"No, there was no mistake. I may be old but my eyesight is still excellent." Lord Third responded calmly, not rising to my father's slightly rude tone.

"Hmph. We should take her in for questioning, Sarutobi. She is dangerous and far too secretive. Until we know everything there is to know and we are certain that she can be trusted, I vote that we keep her under close observation." Danzo was staring at me with what I could only describe as hunger, never once looking away from my eyes so I made a point to ignore him entirely. Fugaka stated that the Uchiha Clan would not allow such an act.

"We are tolerable to most things, we are calm and enduring, but if you attempt to take Miyuki away from her clan, then you can expect us to rise against such an action." Mitokado demanded to know if this was an open declaration of insurgency, however Fugaka merely scowled. "It is an act of defence to protect one of our own. I will not have to even give an order, the Uchiha value Miyuki for her bloodline and abilities. If you take her away then they will act of their own accord and not even I will be able to stop them. Are you willing to take such a risk?"

There was a dark and ominous atmosphere within the walls of my home, brewing to the point of a crackling storm as I glanced around slowly, noticing how both Fugaka and my father were poised ready to leap to my defence and battle. I did not want conflict, especially whilst still indoors as it would be a pain to clear up afterwards, so instead I focused my entire attention upon Lord Third. My eyes swirled into the Mangekyo Sharingan, the deep crimson intensifying as I cast a Tsykuyomi on him so that he and I could speak together in private.

"What? Where is this place?" We were standing upon an infinite lake which stretched from horizon to horizon, the water so clear that it reflected the sky and clouds above us, crystalline and undisturbed like a blanket of pure silk. "What have you done?!" He growled at me, stepping back in order to lower his stance slightly so I quickly thought up a response to put him at ease. In all my years of learning, it has proven most effective that whomever you are conversing with will feel more at ease with a smile.

I relaxed my posture and offered the Third Hokage a simplistic smile, hoping to reassure him. "You are in no danger, Lord Third."

"Why have you brought me here?"

"This is a Tsykuyomi, a genjutsu like dream which I can control, as well as influence the speed at which you experience it. Please, I will only take a few moments of your time." Keeping a large distance between us, I lifted my hand to gesture to my surroundings. "I thought you might like somewhere tranquil to talk."

"Hm…" Stroking at his beard, the older and returned Hokage considered his options for a few moments before finally placing his hands behind his back and bowed his head in order to listen intently. "Very well, I am listening." Relieved, I began to articulate all that I needed to say into words that would allow him to at the very least, trust me.

"I am a direct descendant of Madara Uchiha. When I was born, my Sharingan was already awakened, and it has now developed into the Mangekyo Sharingan, which grants me greater ocular powers, but will eventually lead me to blindness." This seemed to surprise the Third Hokage, as we Uchiha were very protective over the secrets of the Sharingan and such closely guarded secrets were very rarely, if ever, shared outside of our clan. "My loyalty lies with…" I frowned, suddenly becoming aware that I was not entirely certain of the answer to my loyalties.

"Where do your loyalties lie, Miyuki? Do not be afraid, you may speak your mind openly to me. I will still listen and not pass judgement." A little thankful that I had that reassurance from him, I took a moment to think, looking off into the distance as I then began to speak in my lax and dreamy tone.

"I am not certain…loyalty is something I have never thought about before. All I have is a fierce desire to protect those around me. My parents, Itachi and Sasuke, my clan, and yet…there is more." I frowned slightly, lifting a hand to touch my chest where I felt a powerful burning sensation within, almost like a living flame. "I wish to protect those who are not close to me, for I have learned something over many years of living and contemplation. I have learned the value of love, life and happiness, how precious it is to be with your loved ones and how important it is to treasure each and every moment you share with them. It is so strange, as I have never felt it before, but…I wish to safeguard those precious feelings on behalf of all others, so that they can continue experiencing such joy and love."

"That, dear child, is called the Will of Fire." The Will of Fire…Kushina had said the very same thing to me. "It is the way of the Leaf to pass on the Will of Fire from one generation to the next, to ensure the continuation of the shinobi way of life." Lord Third's voice had completely lost its cold edge, becoming warm and almost inviting as he began to walk towards me over the water. "Tell me, Miyuki, do you know what it means to be a shinobi? A true ninja?"

"A true ninja is a master of illusion and secrecy. To move in the shadows and be the hidden blade that protects its village." I recited something I had read once concerning the nature of a ninja, however this only made Lord Third chuckle richly.

"To be a true ninja, is to endure. To be able to weather all storms and pass on their legacy to the younger generation. Though all ninja must die one day, whether young or old, it is through our legacy which we pass down in the form of the Will of Fire to our young ones that we continue to endure, even after death. That is what you are feeling, Miyuki Uchiha, and that is where your true loyalties lie. Not to one man, or even yourself, but to an idea, and a fine idea it is." By the time he had finished the Third Hokage had reached me and placed his arms upon my shoulders, looking down at me with a smile.

"The Will of Fire…" It felt right and as I spoke the words, the sensation of warmth only grew within my chest. "Lord Third, it is then upon my Will of Fire that I vow I mean no harm to the village. I simply acted as was necessary, because I knew that I could make a difference to those who could otherwise do nothing."

"I understand, however this still does not explain how you were able to accomplish all that you did, as well as how you are suddenly overflowing with chakra. I also wish to know how you knew that the Nine Tails attack was coming, even the precise second of its arrival, and what you did with the second half of the Nine Tails' chakra."

"It is safe. I have stored it in an alternate dimension, trapped under sealing jutsu I learned." Even now I could feel the Nine Tails soundly sleeping, dreaming away contentedly within my Kamui.

"Oh?" Curious, the old man asked a little more about my alternate dimension, so I merely told him that it was another ocular power that I possessed. "Intriguing, it seems that there is much about you that we do not know, Miyuki. The way you speak…well." He chuckled. "You sound almost as old as me."

"In the literal sense, I am older than you." This caught his attention, frowning at me a little in confusion before asking for more clarification. "I have lived…" I counted off in my head, rapidly skimming through the number of lifetimes I had totalled in just one single Tsykuyomi, from instantaneous flashes of the future, of repeated lifetimes, of every single moment I had catalogued in my mind. "I have lived over a thousand human lifetimes." Of all things to come out of my mouth, the Third Hokage had not been expecting anything as impossible as that.

"H-How?"

"I would rather not say."

"Miyuki, it is your responsibility to report any jutsu that you are capable of wielding if it proves unique or unusual. It must be assessed in order to discover whether or not it will be a threat or a blessing to Konoha."

"I understand, but there is too much risk involved. Were my secret to be discovered, I would be under constant threat. All would desire this power and many would kill for it, some would even go so far as to destroy all of Konoha and the Land of Fire." Narrowing my eyes and wearing an expression of determination, I lifted myself up to my full height, though at this age I barely reached the Third's middle and had to crane my neck to look up at him. "There would be no peace, so it is better that I remain silent, for the good of the Leaf."

Lord Third once again took a moment to weigh the risks involved before deciding that he would confer with the current Fourth Hokage as well as Kushina, who had witnessed up close my ocular powers. This concerned me a little, for I had revealed to Kushina my secret in the heat of the moment hoping to gain her trust, but now there was the risk that she would tell someone else, anyone, and then the words would be scattered upon the wind and I will never be able to take them back.

"I am satisfied that you are not a threat to the Leaf Village, Miyuki, however I cannot simply leave you unsupervised from now on. You will be placed under constant watch, every action you make shall be reported directly to Lord Fourth and myself, so take care in what you do." I agreed instantly, for I knew that it was necessary for the sake of their reassurance, but I also reasoned with myself that if I desired to escape, I simply needed to use my Kamui. "If you will, would you please…?"

"Of course, Lord Third." Bowing to him respectfully, I broke the Tsykuyomi and immediately opened my eyes to find myself back in my own home.

"Yuki!" My mother gasped when she noticed my eyes, fully activated into the Mangekyo Sharingan so I swiftly closed them again and allowed my bloodline limit to settle. "Oh…Miyuki…"

"I am alright, mother." I whispered to her softly, reaching across under the table to take her hand in mine. Not having seen, my father frowned a little but made no comment, merely continued to keep his hand anchored to my shoulder.

"As we have clearly stated before, we will not allow you to take our daughter. She cannot help how she was born, and if you punish her for her actions which saved many lives, including that of the current Hokage, then you are shameless!" My father announced, however before either Danzo or the other elders could argue, Lord Third got to his feet and sighed.

"Understandable, of course you would feel such a way, and we have no intention of separating your family, Yuuto." Everyone other than myself was surprised, astonished at how swiftly Lord Third had seemed to change his mind. "We will be taking our leave for now, but please note that this discussion is not over. Once Lord Fourth is able to leave his wife's side, he will also have questions for you." My eyes lifted, thoughts instantly turning to Lady Kushina and little Naruto.

"Lord Third, how are they?" My question hung in the air as the other elders began to rise their feet, clearly unwilling to leave. Of them all, only the Lord Third had been polite enough to finish his cup of tea, something I did not fail to notice.

"Kushina underwent a great deal of trauma in one day and it has left her body extremely weak. It has affected her lower spine, body and legs most of all." Answering with a grim tone of sadness, I wilted a little in disappointment. So, I had not been able to save her entirely. "Although it may take time, she will be able to walk again with assistance, and we are all merely grateful that she is alive. The boy is as lively and healthy as can be. You have no need to worry for either of them, Miyuki. They will both live." Relieved, I felt my shoulders sink a little as the tension dispersed.

My father and Fugaka escorted the elder council to the door, ensuring that they left however I felt an unpleasant chill run down my spine as Danzo looked back at me one final time, glowering intensely before he was forced to leave also. When he looked at me, it felt as if he was doing so with a hundred eyes all at once. It was unnerving, and considering all that I knew, I did not trust him at all. I will not be joining the ANBU in this lifetime. In fact, I think I will not become part of a team either. I will join the Konoha Police Force as I had desired long ago, and work at my father's side.

Well, none of that matters right now, at least I will have a few years of peace to properly enjoy my life once and for all, and I intended to make the most of every single moment. I will not seclude myself from others this time, I will do my best to open and sincere. I will tell people my true feelings, and hopefully one day, I will be able to finally see a world at peace.