Hello again!

I promised myself at the beginning of the month that I will update two chapters, so here we are! On the last day of April, I finally managed to finish the second one.

Firstly though, I would like to thank Cahpalma for her review! I was so happy to read it and hope, you will enjoy the story a little bit more. ^^

I am also happy to announce, that the end of part I ist nigh. There are all in all 4 parts that I have planned out, all of which have about the same length and I am excited to show them to you. So, keep reading!

Also, thank you very much for the new favourites and follows. I am glad, that you stick with my story!

So, I won't keep you longer. Have fun and see you around!

Aravae


Chapter V - Accidents happen

Miharu had been watching the door for almost an hour now. Discreetly, but still recognizable to those who actually cared enough to look closer. Matsumae told them that Kawarama would take them home after lunch.

She tried to focus on the discussion about Ninjutsu that was currently going on between Aimi and Itama, but her eyes darted to the exit of the living room every few seconds and she tried to listen as closely as possible to not miss the ringing of the bell.

Nothing happened though and she tapped her foot impatiently. Where was this boy? He should have been here half an hour ago to pick them up.

Not, that she hadn't had a good time. By Kami, it was the best day she had had so far. But she was tired and wanted to ask Tobirama-baka one simply question that might affect her life considerably.

Earlier, they had started a board game in the living room, but Miharu soon learned that she didn't have the knack for it. She rolled her eyes after she lost another round and was relieved when Itama threw her out of the game, stating that she "wasn't able to concentrate so she should think about being a watch dog instead". Absolute bogus, for sure, and she glared at him for the comparison with a dog.

She wasn't a dog, so she wouldn't accept being treated like one. Unfortunately, the boys didn't get the message and simply continued with their joke.

Daisuke tried to teach her to sit on command and he earned a blue eye for that. Luckily, Mariyo was decent in medical Ninjutsu and healed the bruise within minutes, but the stern talking that Miharu received for her stunt still rung in her ears.

The only upside was, that Itama and Daisuke were scolded as well and after that, they agreed to a peace treaty, some biscuits and a card game to pass the time.

For Miharu there were only so many rounds that kept her interested in the game though and after a few she lost every will and last bit of concentration she had.

Instead, she resumed watching the door, willing Kawarama to knock or ring the bell. Her eyes dropped dangerously low, but she stood her ground and swore to herself to not fall asleep before they made it home.

"I wonder what's taking him so long, today", Mariyo said, rubbing her chin and watching the sun starting her descend in the sky.

Itama scoffed and threw down his cards. He had lost as well.

"Nii-san probably lost track of time again", he replied, "He does that often."

Mariyo rolled her eyes, while Miharus mouth dropped open. The way Itama told them about Kawaramas shortcomings told her that he did that often. Mariyo didn't seem surprised too.

Was it common knowledge? Then why was Kawarama tasked with taking them home of all people?

They might end up staying the night because of that moron!

Miharu looked outside and willed the boy to their place. He had to come! She didn't want to sleep in another household, after she just got used to the recent one.

She liked the family and she liked spending time with them, but enough was enough. If Kawarama didn't fetch them within the next half an hour, she would find the way herself!

As if Kami answered to all her prayers, the bell rang and she jumped up to greet the visitor. The rest of the group followed in a slower pace, all smiling or rolling their eyes at her antiques. Miharu didn't care though.

She ran down the hallway and pulled open the door, startling Kawarama on the other side and throwing her off-balance as well. With wide eyes she stumbled backwards and had fallen if it wasn't for Mariyo who came up behind her and steadied her by her shoulders.

"Easy, there", the woman said, "I haven't expected you to hate it so much here that you have to run away from us."

Miharus head snapped up and she realised with horror how her behaviour might be interpreted. She quickly got to her feet and bowed deeply.

"I am sorry, Mariyo-san. Thank you so much for the food and time. It was great." She smiled brightly to underline her appreciation and Mariyo laughed heartily.

"No worries, sweetie. You are welcome here any time."

Itama bid her goodbye as well and Kawarama thanked her for her hospitality, before the three children began their way back home. Miharu had a swing in her step and she looked around attentively. With a comfortable bed on the horizon, she couldn't wait to get home.

Itama walked beside his brother and babbled about their day with Aimi and Daisuke, waving with his hands and talking like a madman. Kawarama was patient though, nodded here and there and seemed to listen intently to everything his little brother had to say.

Soon, Itama lost interest though and skipped ahead, almost running which left Kawarama and Miharu alone for the first time since the little girls arrival.

"Did you enjoy your stay?", Kawarama asked.

Miharu nodded, but said no more and the awkward feeling hang between them like some really persistent fog.

"Look, I-", Kawarama started, but closed his mouth again. Miharu glanced at him and the excitement went away as she saw his uncertain expression. What was he about to say? A lump formed in her throat while she thought about all the possible things he might say to her.

Kawarama was the most suspicious of her and had viewed her from the distance so far. As the oldest, he was responsible for his younger siblings and he seemed to be concerned much about their wellbeing. Having a stranger living in close quarters did not appease him in the slightest – especially one who was capable of forging her chakra at age three.

"Hashirama likes you a lot", he said carefully.

Miharu glanced in his direction and tilted her head, not knowing what point he wanted to get across. She had realized already, that Hashirama took a liking to her. How could he not? Out of all the siblings, he spent the most time with her and treated her – dare she say it – like a little sister.

Frankly, she liked him as well and enjoyed spending time with him. She wouldn't do it if it was different.

"And Tobi cares for you as well", Kawarama continued carefully. This time, Miharu rolled her eyes. Tobirama-baka could go to hell for all she cared. He forced her into spending time with unknown people and smiled about it. Smiled!

It didn't matter to her that she actually enjoyed spending time with children her age without watching them learn how to kill people – or at least hurt them.

"I know I haven't been the best brother to you and I can't blame you if you decide to stay away", Kawarama said, "But father told us to treat you like family and it seems we didn't do as much as we could have done. And for that, I am sorry."

Miharu blinked and stared openly at the boy. He apologized to her? But why? He hadn't done a thing – except of a suspicious glance here and there, but that was nothing to apologize for. At least not in her book.

Kawarama read her expression carefully and realized why she was confused, so he pressed on.

"Tobirama told us of last night, you know? And it concerns me that you tried to get away."

Miharu stiffened and looked away. So Tobirama-baka had told someone after all – even if it was just his brothers. Did Itama know as well?

No. The boy would have said something to her if that was the case. Itama might be young, but he was as sharp as his brothers and picked up on their behaviour in an alarming rate. Not long and they had a second Tobirama – a thought that didn't appeal to Miharu at all.

Miharu sighed. There was no denying here. If Kawarama knew, then Hashirama knew as well. And that meant they had a leverage above her head to get what they wanted.

A terrifying thought.

"Did you tell your parents?", Miharu asked quietly, so that Itama didn't hear their conversation.

Kawarama smiled and shook his head.

"Your secret's safe with us, Haru", he said and she blinked, confused about him using a nickname. Did she miss something?

"I'd like to know why you tried though", he continued and she swallowed, moving her gaze to the ground and thinking hard on what to say.

"This is not my village", she whispered, "And I know how your people look at me. I am not blind."

Kawarama frowned and watched her crestfallen expression. Before she knew it, Miharu had a hand on her head and looked up startled.

The oldest of the bunch grinned brightly at her and ruffled her hair.

"It will be with time, Haru", he said, "Just give us time to get to know you and I am sure, we will love you like family."

Miharu smiled sheepishly and swatted his hands away.

"Now come on", he said, watching his little brother who arrived their house already and waited for them impatiently, "Let's go home."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, so they wouldn't get an earful from Matsumae by being late as it was family day.

And had to be spent with all members present.


"Huh?"
Miharu blinked and let go of Kawarama. As soon as she and the brothers stepped through the door, they were greeted by a stern looking Butsuma and an angry looking Matsumae.

"Does it really has to be today?", the woman complained. Her eyes were cold and she was tense. More tense than Miharu had ever seen her before.

Kawarama stood beside Miharu and watched his parents with raised eyebrows.

"We are not that late, are we?", he asked.

Butsuma shook his head, while Matsumae scoffed.

"No, you are not", his father replied and shifted his gaze to Miharu who shrank under the stare. What did she do wrong now? Kawarama promised her that her secret was safe with the brothers. So no one had babbled, had they? Right?

"But there is something I need to do with Miharu and we're running late already." He motioned for Miharu to step around and leave the house, but she hesitated and looked to Matsumae.

The woman sensed her distress and shot her a small smile that should have been reassuring. Instead, it worried Miharu more.

"Were are we going?"

"The elders would like to meet you", Butsuma answered gruffly and Miharu blanched visibly. The elders. She remembered their reaction to her a few weeks back. Had they warmed up to her? Had they decided to kick her out?

"Come now." Butsuma pushed her out without another word and she let it happen. There was nothing she could do about it any way.

Matsumae, Itama and Kawarama watched with concern written on their faces, but no one stepped up to put a hold on this action.

No. There was nothing they could do either. It was a summon by the oldest and wisest of the clan who had seen wars, poverty and hunger and had the skills and mind-set to survive it all. No one questioned their actions.

Miharu swallowed hard and let Butsuma lead the way, not daring to ask where they were going. This was a nightmare coming true and had she had the choice, she wouldn't go. After her talk with Kawarama she had hoped that her situation would become better with time, but the elders?

Especially one of them shot her a very nasty look so many days ago while she watched the brothers train for the first time. So much had happened since then – and yet so little in comparison to all the on-goings of the world.

"You will only speak when spoken to", Butsuma instructed her on the way, "And behave. The elders are not happy with you being here and we cannot allow their opinion to get worse, do you understand?"

Miharu nodded, but said no word as she didn't trust her voice right then. Far too fast they stepped onto a clearing not far from the house and dread filled Miharu by the sight of four elder people already waiting. She hesitated and a large hand clapped on her shoulder, ushering her forward.

"Don't show fear."

While moving her gaze over the group a second time, she recognized another person standing beside the elders. She didn't know him, but he resembled Butsuma very much with his stoic expression, brown hair and dark eyes.

"You kept us waiting", the man said and Miharus view of him dropped exponentially as she knew the man. He was called Masasane and he was the younger brother of Butsuma, making him the uncle of the Senju heirs.

Masasane was not as tall as Butsuma though and sported a few more scars in his face alone. He had his arms folded in front of him and watched her carefully, looking stern and like a force to be reckoned with.

"I apologize", Butsuma said, "But Miharu had a playdate with Mariyos children and Matsumae insisted that she spent her time there undisturbed."

"Your wife needs to be taught her place", one of the elders drawled.

Miharu shot him a glare, while Butsuma tensed and channelled the most vicious killing intent, she had ever witnessed.

"Watch your tongue", Butsuma thundered and everyone on the field shrank back. Clan head or not, Butsuma honed his skills and still was a powerful shinobi who demanded respect.

"My wife is a daughter of the Uzumaki clan and one of the most powerful kunoichi we had in a decade. Her sealwork is invaluable and she birthed the future head of the clan. Show some respect!"

The elder spoken to winced and lowered his head, while Butsumas killing intent disappeared and Miharu breathed in deeply. The pressure Butsuma applied to the area had been immense and as she couldn't access her chakra anymore, Miharu was not able to protect herself like the others did. So, she felt the impact more and had to muster all her will stay rooted to the spot and not run for the hills.

"Of course, Butsuma", the elder said, "My apologies."

Butsuma nodded and dropped the topic, pushing Miharu forward once more. The girl saw no choice but to approach the group and surrendered to her fate. All members of the group looked grim and somewhat determined.

Miharu felt as if walking to a trial – her trial – and she hiccupped out of nervousness .

"No worries, young one", the only woman said who Miharu recognized as the one who took her in after coming to the Senju clan, "We are not here to harm you. Yet."

Her name was Takeya, if she recalled correctly and although she looked like an old bat, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her chakralevel was average, but her control was precise and she managed to get Miharu out of one of her worst outburst she ever had in her life.

Miharu respected this woman, but feared her nonetheless.

"We would like to see your potential to determine whether you have a place in the clan or not", the man to the woman's left continued. So, this was a test of some sort?

The man seemed to be more open-minded as he smiled at Miharu and was considerably younger than the others – maybe five years Butsumas senior. His hair only had a few grey streaks and the wrinkles under his eyes were not as prominent as with the rest of the group.

A young elder. Who would have thought?

Miharu decided in that moment to like him more than the others and smiled weakly back at him.

"So then", the elder to the far left started, "Show us this incredible potential you were speaking of earlier." He leaned on an old cane and showed little to no expression as if all this ruckus about a mere young girl was not interesting him in the slightest.

Butsuma nodded and crouched down to be on the same level as Miharu. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her sternly.

"I need you to show them how you control the element of ice, Miharu", he said, "For that, I will open the seal that is holding back your chakra. It will be painful and a bit overwhelming, but you can do this."

Miharu wanted desperately to say no, to ask to go, to get away. She wanted Hashirama with her, or Matsumae or Kawarama. Even Tobirama-baka would suffice!

"Miharu?", Butsuma prodded and the girl nodded, "Good. I will open the seal now."

As soon as he finished his sentence, he forced some of his chakra into her system. Miharus body went rigid and stiff at once and she couldn't contain the scream that erupted from her very core.

For weeks, her system had had to work with the least amount of chakra possible. Now, that all of it flooded her body again, her chakra coils went into over-drive trying to regulate and stabilize the additional chakra.

It was too much though and soon, her coils were overcharged and wild chakra coursed through her, wreaking havoc and causing her pain.

Miharu winced and balled her hands into fists, while stinging pain erupted all over her body and an indescribable heat flared within her core. It felt like burning alive and Miharu found herself wishing for her to actually burn so all of this would simply stop.

Agonizing minutes passed – how many, Miharu couldn't tell afterwards – in which she was watched carefully by the group. Opening a seal such as this one might cause some violent reactions and none of them wanted to risk their life being inattentive. So, they were prepared to step in if necessary.

Finally, the pain and heat subsided and Miharus chakra flow normalized, leaving the girl exhausted and with sore muscles. After the events of the day and a sleepless night, she felt beat and her eyelids dropped dangerously.

"Stay awake." Butsuma shook her slightly and she snapped back to reality.

Miharu blinked and swayed on her spot. She felt dizzy and somewhat disconnect to her body, while she tried to comprehend what happened to her and get a grip on her chakra. After so long, it was foreign to her and it frightened her that it didn't listen to any tuck she gave.

Before, it had been a steady, calm flow that she could take a portion out of and play with, creating intricate patterns with ice or small, simple figures. But she couldn't access her chakra now as it didn't listen to her at all and she felt a growing frustration because of that.

"Miharu?"

Miharu blinked again and realized, that the hole group was watching her. She shook her head and finally, she came back to reality and ignored the roaring fire within her that was her chakra. Four faces looked at her worriedly and Butsuma still steadied her.

"Are you sure, she is up for it?", Takeya asked.

"She has to be", the cane-man answered, "Otherwise, she holds no value to us."

"Miharu? Can you hear me?", Butsuma asked.

Miharu nodded. Her dizziness slowly faded away and although she was still tired, she didn't fell as exhausted anymore as before. The chakra in her system made sure of that.

"Good", Butsuma said, "Listen. I need you to show the council how you control the element of ice. I have a bottle of water with me for you to use. Can you do that?"

He let go of Miharu and to the surprise of everyone, she stayed upright and watched as Butsuma took a small bottle of water out of his bag. He opened it and out of habit, Miharu raised her hand and channelled some chakra into it, expecting the water to listen to her command, but nothing happened.

Miharu knitted her eyebrows and Butsuma sighed.

"I feared this might happen", he said, "By your chakra being sealed away for so long, you lost your ability to control it. But don't worry, it will come back."

Miharu shook her head and remained rooted to the spot, trying desperately to get the water to listen to her. In her concentration, she didn't realize the danger she was in as she took more and more chakra to get what she wanted.

"Miharu", Butsuma laid a hand on her shoulder to get her out of her state, sensing the rising chakra within the child. Not much more and she harmed herself.

"Miharu, stop."

"She can't", Takeya said, "her chakra is overflowing."

She was right. Miharu had realized too late in what danger she was and she felt the heat in her rising yet again. She was unable to stop it this time though and fear gripped at her heart at her constantly rising chakra level.

"Butsuma! Seal it!", Masasane cried, but it was too late.

Miharu screamed as all the excessive chakra broke out of her in an instant and pushed away the elders. Only Butsuma and Masasane kept standing, trying to control the outburst, but that she didn't see any more as her vision went black and she collapsed to the now frozen and cold ground.