Well, hello again!

I did it. I finally did it! Here is a new chapter for you. I hope you are just as excited as I am about it ^^

Furthermore: I'd like to thank Itachilover97 for her review! I was so happy that you wrote a few words about the story and hopefully, you find this new chapter good enough to follow "Lady of Ice" a little bit more. We have a long ride ahead of us!

So, I won't keep you longer. Have a nice weekend and see you next time.

Aravae


Chapter III - Grand escapes

Miharu has known Butsuma for only a few days, but his impression on her was that of a quiet, reserved man who kept to himself and was stern and strict with his children. And fair.

So, when he entered their home fuming and with an aura of killing intent, she shrunk back in her seat and shot a wary glance to Hashirama, who seemed to be just as frightened. She had been hungry, but seeing the clan head, her stomach dropped and she thought about standing up und going to bed.

In this state, he reminded her of a wild bear who was disturbed during his winter sleep and intended to take out his anger on the next person who crossed his path.

And she did not want to be that person.

Butsuma sat down before she decided on a strategy to excuse herself and sealed her fate. As long as he didn't dissolve the party, it was downright impolite to stand up and go now and Miharu knew better than to anger him further. She folded her hands in her lap and lowered her gaze to avoid any provocation on her side.

Matsumae entered the dining area and put down a bowl of cooked vegetables. She smiled at her husband, but seeing his dire expression, the smile faded and she raised an eyebrow.

"We'll talk about it later", Butsuma said in a stern voice and she nodded.

They ate their dinner in silence as no one dared to irritate the matriarch further. Miharu ate little that night, but watched the family instead just as she did in the morning. Too much was weighing on her and she was more interested in the people who claimed to be her new family than food.

Hashirama spent the whole day with her, showed her the settlement and playgrounds for the children; they watched Kawarama and Tobirama train and after they finished, the group roamed through the woods, playing a game of tag and hide and seek.

To her annoyance, the brothers used their chakra to cheat and win the games and laugh about her clumsy attempts in catching them. With red cheeks and teary eyes, she jumped after them, but couldn't reach them and she gave up after an hour or so.

With her own chakra, she might have been able to catch at least Tobirama, the youngest and most inexperienced. But no. Her system was cut off and she felt weaker than she had in her entire – though rather short - life.

So she endured the mockery of the brothers and in the end, Hashirama took pity on her and let her catch him. It was a small gesture, but she appreciated it nonetheless and excused herself from playing after that. She had had enough of Tobiramas snide remarks and Kawaramas constant distrustful looks.

Still, she was miffed, while the brothers seemed to be quite happy, shuffling food in their mouths and remaining quiet as long as no one spoke to them.

A knock sounded from the entrance and the table went utterly quiet.

"Do you expect someone?", Matsumae asked.

Butsuma shook his head, stood up and left the table. Miharu swallowed hard as she watched him going to the door and it reminded her of the night the attackers came. It had been just like that: her father, her mother and she sitting at their dining table. Then someone knocked and hell broke loose.

The lump in her throat was so big that she couldn't swallow anymore and her breathing became laboured.

"Is everything alright, dear?", Matsumae asked as she noticed the girls' restlessness. Miharus eyes sprung to her and she shook her head slightly.

"I am tired, Lady Matsumae", she murmured.

"Oh, of course! Go to bed. We take care of the rest."

Miharu nodded and didn't give the woman the chance to change her mind. She quickly jumped from the chair and hurried out of the room as if a swarm of bees was on her tail.

In the short hallway she stopped and watched the front door that was slightly opened and not regarded in any way as two men spoke outside in hushed voices that couldn't be heard from the kitchen, but rather well from the hallway.

Miharu looked back to the kitchen as the family started to chatter away about the day. No one noticed her now and she was too curious to let this opportunity pass by and she crept closer to the front door to overhear the discussion outside.

"Do you have any idea what your actions might mean for the clan?", a man asked in an agitated tone. She couldn't recall the voice and walked off to the side so they wouldn't notice her standing right behind the door.

Her heart pondered in her chest and she held her breath, expecting the two shinobi to notice her. But they didn't – thanks to her almost untraceable, low chakra resources.

"I know perfectly well what I did and how it might affect my clan. It is my responsibility after all", Butsuma replied just as heated.

"Do you really? Because if I recall correctly, my brother wouldn't bring a stranger into our midst without discussing the matter with me and the elders first."

"I did not discuss this matter with you first, because you weren't with me on the battlefield and I had only minutes to decide." The fact, that Butsuma relayed so much information to the other man told Miharu everything. Their trust in each other was great.

"So you took her in? What, if she was placed there by our enemies to spy on us? Or relay our position to them?"

Butsuma scoffed.

"She is three years old, Masasane", he reasoned, "And I sealed her chakra. What can she do? Cry until we die?"

Miharu winced and looked to the ground. She remembered the process of sealing her chakra pretty well as it had been painful and agitating and left her with so low reserves that she couldn't move the rest of the night. The old lady she first lived with was the one who performed the sealing and according to her, Miharus body reacted violently to her chakra being taken from it.

Even now, Miharu felt the side effects of the sealing and it bothered her, that she couldn't feel the familiar sensation of water and wind. But there was nothing she could do about it, so she shook her head and focused on the discussion.

"You have no idea what they have done to her. She could be a ticking time bomb for all we know."

"I examined her thoroughly before we crossed the borders. She won't explode in the middle of a street, if you feared that might happen."

Masasane remained silent for a long moment and Miharu held her breath fearing that the men might have spotted her. If they did, they didn't show and she exhaled as he spoke again.

"I don't like it, Butsuma"

"You don't have to like it", the clan leader replied, "But I won't kill her or kick her out of the clan. She is too valuable to us."

"And what value does she have to you?", Masasane asked, "We usually kill our enemies before they get too strong and not take them in and feed them."

Miharu winced yet again and her eyes widened. She? An Enemy? She had done nothing wrong – except of sneaking out and she payed dearly for her mistake. So why was this man and the council so weary of her? What were they not saying?

"Her ability to forge chakra based on the element of ice is unheard of in the Land of Fire. We'd be fools to not use it to our advantage."

"And what advantage might that be, mh?"

"Are you so blind, brother?", Butsuma scoffed, "Hashirama awakened the Mokuton and he will be invaluable in our war against the Uchiha, but he can't do it alone. Miharu is attached to him already and I have no doubt that he will deepen this bond further. She will be willing to fight by his side and both can use Jutsu that the Uchiha can't copy. They'll have no answer to them."

Miharus blood went cold and she stared straight ahead without seeing her surroundings. She had seen war already; remembered to smell of iron in the air, the corpses and screams. She saw the burning buildings that were so familiar to her and clung to the only human being that was willing to help her and get her out of her destroyed village.

But Butsuma didn't do it out of pity or sympathy. He did it because he saw her talent and intended to use it for his own benefit. She hoped it would be different. She hoped she had a place in this new village among strangers.

Never had she been more wrong and she wiped away a few tears running down her cheeks. Her hands were balled into fists and she bit on her lip until she tasted blood.

Masasane sighed.

"I need your support, Masasane", Butsuma said, "If the clan sees that even you are against my decision, then no one will trust in my judgement and Miharu will be killed within a week. I can't allow that."

Masasane went silent while he processed everything that Butsuma had said. Then, he spoke again.

"You are treading on dangerous grounds, brother. But I will support your decision. For now."

Miharu heard enough. Without caring if she was noticed or not, she thundered up the stairs and opened the door to her new room that she shared with the four brothers. There was barely enough space for five beds to fit in, but somehow they managed to do that. She threw herself on the bed that was closest to the door and hid under the blanket.

Miharu stayed quiet, even as the boys filed in and shuffled through the room with so much noise, that not even a bear could have slept through.

Her heart was bitter and her thoughts full of question. One thing was for certain though: if they didn't want her in the village, then she wouldn't force them to. All she needed, was a plan.


Over the course of the next days, Miharu kept to herself more than ever. She smiled when Hashirama came to her and tried to cheer her up, she did the chores Matsumae asked her to do and she commented on Tobiramas poor attempts in forging Mokutonchakra. It seemed, he had not inherited the Kekkei Genkai as Hashirama did and the poor boy didn't take the news well.

Miharu raised an eyebrow at the boy's behaviour and Kawarama took pity in her questioning glance and explained it to her. Apparently, Mokuton was a very rare Kekkei Genkai that was passed down within the Senju clan. Only one child in every fifth generation had the ability. Probably, because many died before the element was awakened, so no one knew for sure and having two would have proven a big advantage.

But Tobirama couldn't wake it – as of yet, Butsuma corrected them every turn – and so he concentrated on other aspects of being a shinobi with a ferocity and endurance that surprised the adults.

Every day, he woke up before dawn to go out training and he would only return before sunset as Matsumae insisted on the family eating together. Meanwhile, Miharu watched the family and learned their patterns by heart.

Hashirama and Kawarama joined their younger brother after breakfast and dragged him back every night. Butsuma had to attend meetings every day, organized the shinobi and lend an ear to every Senju who came to him. Miharu saw him only a couple of times in these days and even then he ignored her to check on the progress of his sons.

Matsumae left the house after cleaning the dishes and took Itama with her. The boy had playdates with children his age every day and Matsumae would always leave him under the watch of another Senju woman. She then went to the market to buy vegetables, meat and fish for dinner and soon returned to prepare the food.

It was quite a predictable schedule and Miharu wondered if they felt so safe or if they pretended to be as having such a foreseeable daily routine proofed fatal for many clans. Perhaps, the Senju clan was strong enough to weigh out this weakness, but even a strong clan can be brought down by an alliance of others.

Miharu blinked and shook herself out of her stupor. She sat with Hashirama on the front porch of their house and watched him drawing some seals on a scroll. Matsumae tried to pass on as much as possible to her sons and although they were not keen on learning, they tried their best every time.

It became a habit over the last couple of days, that Miharu sat beside Hashirama in the evening and kept him company. If he was displeased, he didn't say a word and Miharu didn't ask. They didn't talk either, so Miharu used the quiet time to forge a plan and go over every detail that she found. It was quite an easy plan and she had almost everything ready for it. Only food was missing now – enough to last at least three days as she didn't know how long it would take her to find another settlement that was friendly.

Fortunately, Matsumae provided her with everything that she needed such as clothing, a bag to put her stuff in, some hygiene products, a tooth brush and so forth. She really was a loving mother and fierce kunoichi and Miharu felt bad for betraying her so, but after listening to the conversation the other night she knew, she couldn't stay. She wouldn't stay.

And no matter how hard she tried, the people would never stop seeing her as something else than a stranger or a risk to the safety of their own kin. She couldn't blame them though, as those thoughts and values had been taught to her by her own clan as well.

As every child had been during this era.

Miharu sighed and shook her head, ignoring the questioning glance that Hashirama shot her. The hospitality of the family was enough to question her decision at every turn. But was that really what she wanted in life? Being scorned and mistrusted?

No. She rather died in the forest trying to make the best out of her life – no matter how short or misfortunate it was.

"Are you alright?", Hashirama asked without looking up from his studies.

Miharu nodded and he frowned, but didn't dug deeper.

They stayed on the front porch until Tobirama showed up, battered and bruised after a long day of training. In his face set a deep scowl that told her everything Miharu needed to know.

"No Mokuton again?"

Tobirama shot her a glare that could set a whole forest on fire and walked past them without another word.

Miharu watched him with eyebrows risen. My, my. He was in an even worse mood than the day before and that was when he yelled at her for screwing something up as easy as arranging books in the family's small library. Apparently, the books containing ninjutsu and those with sealwork shouldn't mix, but how was she supposed to know that? No one told her in the first place.

Hashirama sighed and put down his pencil.

"I apologize on behalf of my brother. He can be quite moody if something doesn't go according to his plan."

Miharu shrugged and turned to him.

"It's alright." She knew of the pressure that was put on the brothers and she saw them struggle with it. Hell, even she was under pressure and almost at the point of breaking. So, there was no need to apologize – especially when Tobirama was capable of doing that himself. And as long as he didn't do it, she would make his life even more miserable. Simple as that.

Hashirama organized his scrolls, cleaned his pencil and closed the ink glass. He looked tired and yawned and Miharu wondered if he got enough sleep every night.

"Come on", he said and stood, dusting some dirt from his pants and watching her intently, "Dinner should be ready soon."

Miharu nodded and followed him inside. Tobirama was the last of the family to arrive – accept of Butsuma who told them in the morning that he wouldn't come home that night as he was planning more missions with his councillors.

Dinner was a quite affair as everyone was tired and Matsumae asked only a few question and catching up on their tiredness, remained quiet for the rest of the meal. She smiled though and watched them stuffing their mouths with everything that was within reach.

Miharu was one of the fiercest as she learned quickly that eating with Senjus meant "eat as fast as possible or you won't get enough". As the boys had some growing to do and used a lot of energy in their training, they were never satisfied. Kawarama as the oldest and strongest easily stood his ground and protected his plate with ferocity, but everyone else was on full-out war.

Butsuma usually managed to tame the horde and reminded them that they were human beings capable of conducting manners. With him out of the picture though, Hashirama, Itama and Tobirama didn't hold back and stole everything that was in their reach – even from plates!

Miharu had her chopsticks constantly up to protect her food and threw pieces of fish in her mouth as fast as possible to shorten the time of no protection to the minimum.

Tobirama growled at Hashirama as the letter stole a rather delicious piece of meat and had the audacity to smile broadly at the younger boy.

"Boys", Matsumae chastised them, but her smile negated her stern tone, "There is enough for everyone."

Miharu doubted it. Half of the meal was gone already and they didn't seem to slow down even a little bit – don't mind looking full. They reminded her of big caterpillars that needed to eat at least twice their weight to satisfy their hunger and evolve into beautiful butterflies – or in Tobiramas case: ugly and annoying moths.

She wrinkled her nose at the sight of missing table manners and finished her meal before Hashirama managed to steal any more. They and their stupid chakra. Even after a long day of training they were able to use it against her and use inhuman speed to grab her food. She stabbed Hashirama twice with her chopsticks, but he still stole one fish, one piece of meat and her potatoes.

That prick!

To her satisfaction though, she managed to get to the dumplings before Tobirama could and knowing they were his favourite, ate as many as possible. He watched her with slitted eyes and an expression that screamed murder, but didn't lounge for her. What a lucky girl she was indeed.

Soon after, the last crumb of food was devoured and the boys were on the brink of satisfaction, sighing and rubbing their bellies.

Matsumae shook her head and stood, taking some plates and bowls with her into the kitchen. Everyone else saw that as a clue to move as well and soon the children were busy cleaning the dining area, organizing clean dishes back into shelves and storing some food that was left over – mostly bread and some cheese that no one really touched.

Meanwhile, Miharu grabbed some food out of the storage room whenever she deemed it safe enough, glancing in every direction and acting as if she was supposed to be there. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but the family remained oblivious to her acts and she joined them, before anyone became suspicious. She stored her catch quickly in her bag, that laid ready under her bed and re-joined the family for good.

With the help of so many, the dining area and kitchen were clean within minutes and tired as they were, they skipped their daily family time – the played shogi or other games and simply talked about what happened that day, jutsu or political issues - and went straight to bed. It was cramped in the only bathroom they had and Miharu waited until the boys were done to go in, brush her teeth and change into her nightclothes.

She then entered their room and noticed that the boys were in their beds already, not even bothering to say goodnight to her. Typical. As soon as their heads touched a pillow, they were gone for good.

It was one of the traits that she intended to use to her advantage as they wouldn't wake as long as she was careful enough.

Miharu laid there for hours and played with her blanket, mulling other her chances of escaping. Butsuma entered the house very late that night and went straight to bed, not even checking on his sons. He must have been very tired.

Her chances of escape heightened considerably after her conclusion. With Butsuma so tired, it was unlikely that he woke while Miharu escaped.

She waited for another half an hour after the matriarch disappeared into his bedroom, before she slipped out of her bed and changed into her usual clothing. Her steps were light and made no noise on the wooden floor.

She grabbed the bag from under her bed and hesitated, looking back to Hashirama who had been nothing but kind to her since she came to the settlement. She wondered if he'd be upset about her departure, but shook her head and moved on. He had three brothers to distract him. She was certain, he would be over her in only a couple of days.

Miharu slipped through the door and breathed in deeply. That was it. Her grand escape. She knew there were guards out there to prevent strangers from coming in, but she was certain they wouldn't sense her and didn't expect someone to actually escape from the settlement.

Slowly and carefully, she crept down the stair and flinched when one specifically noisy step creaked loudly and disturbed the silence of the night. With halted breath she stopped and listened for several minutes, fearing that the might of Butsuma Senju came bounding down the stairs to threaten and punish her once more, but nothing moved within the house and she sighed.

That had been a close one.

She reached the ground floor without another incident and moved quickly to the board in which the shoes were stored. She only had to put them on and move through the door. The rest should be child's play. Her heart skipped a beat as freedom was finally in sight.

Miharu never reached her shoes as a voice broke through the silence and froze her to the spot.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around and spotted the small figure that sat on a cupboard and watched her intently. She knew it wasn't Kawarama, as the person was too small. And it wasn't Itama either, as the youngest was even smaller than her, but the figure was taller. That left two possible answers – or maybe three, if someone entered the house while the whole family slept. The thought sent goose bumps down Miharus back.

The kid ignited a flame in his hand with his chakra and Miharu scowled. It was Tobirama. Of course, it had to be Tobirama-baka!

He wore his usual nightgowns consisting of a shirt that was too big for him and sprouted some holes and a pair of pants, that had to be rolled up on the hem, so he wouldn't trip over them. Both looked as if worn by his brothers until they were not deemed clean – or whole enough – to wear during the day, so they were passed down to the younger boy.

Miharus scowl deepened as she thought about her situation. This kid was too smart for his own good and she knew she had to outsmart him to get away. But was that even possible?

Miharu shook her head. She had to get out!

"Well?", he pressed and she barely contained herself from lunging at him. Her dislike for the boy started on their first day and since than had only increased. Of course, he had to be the one to find her after the treatment he gave her earlier in the day – for which he hadn't apologized yet.

He watched her with his red eyes and she couldn't shake the feeling of him seeing everything – her plans, her wishes, her deepest fears. As if her soul was laid bare in front of him.

She didn't like it at all.

"Going on a walk", Miharu answered to distract herself from this unsettling thoughts.

He tilted his head to the side.

"In the middle of the night?"

Miharu breathed in deeply and nodded. A blush was threatening to show on her cheeks and she fought it with all her might. She wouldn't show weakness in front of him as he wouldn't let her go if she did.

"Couldn't sleep."

"With a bag and all your clothes?"

"I wanted to go on a long walk."

"Father ordered you to stay with Hashirama", he replied, "He wouldn't allow you to venture out alone."

Kami, she hated him!

"That's why I wanna go in the middle of the night."

Tobirama shook his head and jumped down from the cupboard.

"You are a bad liar."

That did it. A crimson blush spread over Miharus cheeks and she quickly averted her eyes. That jerk! Who did he think he was?

"I am not lying."

Tobirama rolled his eyes and made one step in her direction. Miharu saw that and stepped back.

"Yes, you are."

"I am not."

"Then why are you blushing?"

Miharu scoffed and folded her arms in front of her. There was no arguing with that boy! Unbelievable.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?", she bit out and Tobirama rolled his eyes yet again.

"I should, but someone had to be noisy enough to wake a horde of elephants."

"A group of elephants is called a herd."

Tobirama sighed and massaged his temples. Perfect. Now, she only needed to annoy him a little bit more and he'd turn around and go back to bed. Just as she wanted.

"I can't let you go", he said and Miharus face fell, "Mother and father will be angry with me, if I do."

"So, why don't you come upstairs with me and go to sleep?", he added.

Miharu shook her head.

"You do realize that that wasn't an invitation?", he said, "I am the older one, so you have to follow my orders."

That arrogant, insolent prat! Miharu glowered at him and backed off a little bit more. Her shoes were now within her reach and if she played her cards right, she could make a run for it. Sure, her feet would be cold and wet until she managed to make a break and actually put her shoes on, but she would risk it. As long as she got out of the house.

To her regret, he noticed her quick glance to her shoes and he scoffed.

"Don't even think about it."

Both glowered at each other, neither one backing down from the confrontation.

"You don't win against me in a game of tag", Tobirama stated and Miharu thinned her mouth, "So, you won't outrun me now either."

He was right. Of course, he was. Miharu hated to admit it, but without her chakra, she wouldn't be able to get away from him. She tried to outsmart him already, but it didn't work. What other options did she have?

There were none. She knew that and he knew that as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't look so smug about the whole situation.

"I hate you", she said through clenched teeth and Tobiramas lips curled up into a small smirk.

"How were you faster than me?", she asked, "I left the room first."

"I opened the window and climbed down" Tobirama puffed out his chest like a proud peacock and Miharus face fell even more. He was so arrogant! How could he be so arrogant, if Hashirama and Kawarama got more talent and – in Hashiramas case – the Kekkei Genkai? He was smart, yes, but he had nothing to show for otherwise.

Kami, had she had her chakra, she would have distracted him with it and made a run for it before he realised what had happened. But no! She was the looser in this little game they played and she hated it with every fibre of her being.

"So, do you really want to go on a walk or do you try to run?"

She flinched at his question and that was enough of an answer to Tobirama who shook his head and came closer to ruffle her hair. Miharu growled and slapped his hand away.

"Why would you do something so stupid?", he asked.

Miharu pressed her lips together and watched him carefully. He was interested in her point of view, that was clear, and just like with Hashirama, she couldn't find any contempt or ill-will in his posture and eyes – except for the annoyance, but that was a no-brainer.

Tobirama waited patiently for her answer, but Miharu only shrugged and mumbled her sentence, so he couldn't hear it.

"That's it." The annoyance was now clear in his voice and he grabbed the squeaking girl into a headlock.

"You tell me right now why you risk your life trying to get away from us", he grumbled, "You can't hunt, you can't fight and you have no sense of direction. You are dead within hours out there."

Miharu swallowed back a scream that was likely to wake the entire family and pushed and pulled until she finally managed to get free. She panted heavily and shot a disdainful look in Tobiramas direction, but he shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

It took her a few minutes to calm down and arrange her hair that came loose during the struggle.

"I would have been just fine", she spit out.

"No, you wouldn't", Tobirama replied, "Father sealed your chakra. You are basically cannon fodder."

Miharu wrinkled her nose and folded her arms in front of her, looking away from the boy. He grew up sheltered within this settlement, so what did he know? He didn't see a battlefield yet. He didn't see corpses lying everywhere and wounded shinobi trying to get help – any help. He didn't see the unnecessary killing of people who were still alive, but were deemed enemies of the Land. It was brutal and something, Miharu never intended to see again.

So, after all this, she still decided to go and try her luck. It was her decision to make. Not Tobiramas, not Butsumas or anyone else.

Hers.

"I will be fine." She grabbed her shoes and turned around, but Tobirama stood in front of her in the blink of an eye.

"No, you won't."

His eyes were cold and unrelenting and he towered over her, using his superiority in height and weight to keep her from going.

"What do you know?", she asked, "You have never seen what is out there. I know what is waiting for me and it is still better than staying here."

Tobirama raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you were so unhappy here", he said, "I thought we treated you well. Hashirama likes you a lot, you know."

Tears sprung to her eyes as she thought about the conversation she overheard between Butsuma and Masasane.

"I am not welcome here", she said through gritted teeth, "Your father took me in against the will of the clan and now everyone thinks I am some sort of weapon that can be turned against them at any time."

"Who said that?"

She lowered her head, unwilling to admit to her eavesdropping, and Tobirama sighed.

"Look, I have no idea what you went through and if you don't want to talk about it, than fine. Do, what you want."

She raised her head in anticipation, but Tobiramas expression crushed every hope that she had. He was still standing in front of her with that stiff expression that told her he wasn't going to let her go.

"But I will not stand by while you run to your death. Let the people think what they want and show them that you are different. They will change their mind once they see you are no threat to them."

Miharu blinked and gaped at him. During her entire stay, Tobirama hadn't said half of the words he was exchanging with her within the span of the last half an hour. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And if you are so eager to leave, than do us all the favour and wait until you are older. Learn from us what you can, so you'll survive without our help, alright? Otherwise, you are just throwing away all the time, resources and love we invested in you. And that would be rude."

She admitted that he had a point. Bloody hell, Miharu had to remind herself, that he was just two years older than her.

Tobirama yawned.

"So, now. Can we go to bed?"

Miharu hesitated, but the boy wouldn't take no for an answer. He took the shoes out of her hand, put them back where they belonged and grabbed her hand.

Miharu yelped as he dragged her back to the second floor and avoided the noisy step that could have given them away.

"Next time you try something like that, be more subtle", he said while they climbed the stairs, "I saw you stealing food the whole evening. You are lucky mother was busy cleaning."

"No more nightly walks, you hear?", he whispered as they entered their room, "This is giving me a headache."

Without another word he dropped her off in front of her bed and went to his, falling on it and pulling the blanket over him without much bravado.

Miharu stood in the room dumbfounded and mulled over what to do next, when she heard a faint whisper from the other side.

"And I am sorry for earlier."

She smiled at that and put the bag down. This night took a turn she didn't expect, but instead of feeling dread and sorrow over the missed opportunity, she felt lighter.

Because not everyone within the clan hated her and Tobirama just showed her that, despite their differences, he cared.

And who could say no to such strong and wilful allies such as Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju?