"Mila."

"Yes miss?"

"Find Toru for me, please."

"Of course miss."

Mila stepped away from her usual spot next to the set of large doors and started towards the clan head's office, the place he could most often be found.

Mila had been born and raised inside the village, much like everyone else in the clan. They were mostly self-sufficient, growing their own food, building their own houses, and, of course, making their own clothes. Due to this as well as their small size, it was no mystery as to why the Imada was not a shinobi clan. Throughout the entire town, there were no more than three dozen shinobi at any time.

Despite this major lack of manpower, the Imada clan had not been involved in war for nearly a century, a fact that Mila was sure had confused more than a few outsiders. After all, they were such an easy target, why had no one tried taking their land yet?

Actually, many people had. Just five years ago, a far larger, far more powerful clan had attempted a raid on the silkmakers. This ended in their scouts being intercepted, their lookouts being killed, and half their militia being destroyed. This, along with many other attacks, was derailed thanks to Aroka, the current Imada clan seer.

Mila had first come to the head family's compound as a servant when she was barely six years old. Her parents, who were both teachers at the smaller of the two academies in town, fell on hard times and were no longer able to take care of her. She was brought to the clan leader at the time, Toru's father, who allowed her to stay with his family on the condition that she worked as a maid. It was during her first year there that she met Aroka. The seer, who was then only a young girl, had been very kind to Mila, and the two grew close. Well, as close as their social differences allowed. It had been nearly fifteen years since then, but she remembered it like it was only yesterday.

A six year old Mila padded down the halls of the main compound carefully, carrying a large basin of water. She was headed for the nursery where an infant had just splashed ink all over the walls of her room. The young girl shuffled as fast as she could, trying not to tip the basin; as she turned a corner, she nearly ran into another girl whom she quickly recognized as Aroka, the blind seer.

Aroka was born into the main family and was the shining gem of the Imada clan. She was treasured endlessly for her abilities, and because of this Mila never had the chance to speak to her even though she had been here for over six months now.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry!" Mila winced as a trail of water splashed onto the ground. "I didn't see you there, miss."

Aroka tilted her head curiously and Mila felt a strange tingle spread over her.

"What color are your eyes?" She asked.

"My eyes?" The brunette blinked in surprise. "T-They're green, miss."

"Ah! You know, most people here have brown eyes, you're special. I like people with special eyes." Aroka smiled cheerfully. "I have to go now but it was nice meeting you, Mila. Bye-bye!" She waved before stepping over the puddle and brushing past her.

Mila stared at the young seer's retreating back, confused yet intrigued by her odd behavior.

'She seems… different."

Soon after their first encounter that Mila had been assigned to Aroka as an attendant. She followed the raven haired girl, whom she later found out was than a year younger than her, wherever she went, as the clan leaders thought it best not to leave the blind girl alone so often.

Over the next few years, the two girls would often run around the compound, playing together whenever they got the chance. On their adventures, Mila would describe the color of the sky, the grass, and everything in between, and although her explanations were flimsy at best, Aroka always listened happily.

Over time, for a reason that Mila never understood, Aroka seemed to develop an odd aversion to going outside, and because of this their adventures became fewer and farther between. The young seer would remain in her room most days, usually reading one book or another, while Mila stood patiently outside, waiting to run any errand her friend needed her to. It wasn't the most exciting job by any means, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

As she arrived in front of a familiar office door, Mila shook the nostalgic thoughts from her head and knocked twice.

"Come in." Toru called.

She pushed open the door and bowed slightly.

"Aroka-sama asked to see you."

"Great timing! I was just about to take a break." The young man stood and stepped out of his office, Mila following close behind.

"So how's she been doing?" He asked as they started back towards Aroka's room.

"About the same, although she's been a bit more lively ever since she spoke to Senju-sama two days ago."

"Really? How so?"

"Well, she seems happier whenever we talk and she's been writing more often."

"What about?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hm, maybe she sees something important coming soon. Though I hope she hasn't been Detailing again." He sighed. "No matter how many times I tell her not to, she never listens."

"She assured me that she hasn't, she knows you worry." She smiled softly, pausing as they reached the familiar pair of doors.

"Someone has to, right?" He chuckled. "Anyways, thanks Mila." He nodded, pushing open the paper screen and stepping inside.

He felt the warm wash of chakra envelop him as he took a seat in front of the small table.

"Toru, I haven't seen you in a while." Aroka smiled at him, closing the book in her hands.

"Work has been piling up more than usual, sorry I haven't come by sooner." He smiled sheepishly.

"You'd better not overwork yourself again, you ended up passed out for two days last time, remember?"

"Hey! That was a long time ago!"

"Whatever you say." She shrugged dramatically. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, though. Something's been bugging me for awhile, I thought you might be able to help."

"What is it?"

She shifted and glanced down at the table.

"You remember Senju Tobirama, right?"

He nodded.

"What color are his eyes?"

"They're red, if I remember correctly."

Aroka tilted her head in surprise.

"Really? Are you sure? So he was telling the truth then…" She mused thoughtfully.

"Aroka, did you really ask him what color his eyes were? Some people find that strange, you know." Toru chuckled bemusedly.

"It's not strange! And besides, I've never met anyone with red eyes before. How amazing!" She clasped her hands in excitement. "I was almost sure he was lying, but this great! Oh, what about Hashirama? Does he have red eyes too?"

"No, his are black, I believe." Toru answered, amused at the disappointment that came over her face.

"Not nearly as exciting…" She sighed. "But I still can't wait to talk to them! I'm glad they're coming back so soon."

"Oh? When are they getting here?" He asked curiously.

"Right about-"

Knock knock

"-now."

Toru sighed and shook his head.

"You know, I really wish you would give me a heads up on these kinds of things."

Aroka flashed a toothy grin.

"Let them in, Mila." She called.

The door slid open.

"You weren't kidding when you said there was chakra everywhere." Hashirama laughed as he stepped into the room.

Tobirama only sighed as he followed him in.

"Senju-san, nice to see you again." Toru stood and greeted the two shinobi. "I know you want to speak with my friend here so I'll leave you three alone." He bowed slightly and excused himself.

As the door slid shut behind him, Aroka motioned for the two guests to sit.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to repel my chakra. I've been told it makes shinobi uncomfortable." She turned to Hashirama curiously.

"Tobirama told me it's how you see, it wouldn't be fair if we could see you but you couldn't see us." He grinned.

"Really? I'm surprised you two are brothers, you don't seem to act anything alike, and as far as I can tell you don't look much alike either." She commented, sightless eyes scanning the two shinobi closely.

"It's a mystery of nature, I would say." Hashirama nodded thoughtfully.

"If you really are a seer then I'm sure you know why we're here." Tobirama interjected pointedly.

"Hmm…" Aroka put a finger to her chin and shifted her attention to the younger of the two. "When you say it like that it almost seems like you don't trust me."

He sneered.

"Why should I-"

"What he means is we've never met anyone with your capabilities so we don't quite understand how it works yet." Hashirama cut in, putting on his most convincing grin.

Aroka smiled wryly.

"I was just about to bring that up. I'd love to explain it to you, but Tobirama doesn't seem to have much faith in my abilities." She sighed dramatically, resting her chin in her hand. "I don't really like working with people who don't have faith in me..."

Hashirama elbowed his brother and motioned for him to speak.

Tobirama, after sending him a glare, sighed indignantly.

"I have no doubt about your abilities, please excuse me if it came across that way, Imada-san." He apologized with reluctance.

"Oh that's ok! And call me Aroka, no need for formalities." She grinned brightly. "You wanted to know about how my abilities work, right? Well, the short of it is that I see the past, present, and future as a sort of web of lines, each line represents a person and is accompanied by a name. The closer two lines are to each other, the closer those two people are physically. Each time people interact, their lines cross, each time a person dies, their line ends. It's not very complicated." She explained.

Both brothers nodded intently.

"Now, what are you hoping to find out today?" She smiled.

"Right! Well, I'm sure you already know about the long history of wars our clan has been through. We want to know what we should do to break this cycle, especially regarding our conflict with the Uchiha." Hashirama explained evenly, hoping this would be the break he needed to end the wars.

"Uchiha, huh? You have a history with their leader, don't you?"

On the day the brothers had first visited the Imada village, she took an immediate interest in the two. She had examined Hashirama's line thoroughly, all the way back to his childhood where she noticed it crossed multiple times with that of Madara Uchiha. At first, she thought they were battles, as would be expected of two children of opposing clans, but then she noticed one particular encounter in which the lines belonging to Butsuma Senju, Tobirama, Tajima Uchiha, and Izuna Uchiha were also involved. The two clan leaders famously hated each other, and given that they both had young children with them, it was hard to believe all of them would have walked away alive if they were going all out. That was when she began suspecting the relationship between Hashirama and Madara wasn't as sour as it was supposed to be.

"You know that too?" Hashirama grinned sheepishly. "You're right, we used to be friends."

"I'm assuming you already have an idea of what you want to do. What is it?"

"Well, my plan is to ally with the Uchiha and create a village where clans can live together peacefully, regardless of their past." he explained, eyes gleaming with hope.

"You still haven't answered the question." Tobirama reminded impatiently.

"Ok, ok, no need to get antsy." Aroka held up her hands. "With the way things are right now, it seems that you will get your dream."

His eyes lit up.

"...in about three years."

His face fell and he slumped dramatically upon hearing this.

"Three years?! Is there any way to shorten that?"

"There's always a way." Aroka shrugged. "But it'll take more than a minute if you want anything better than a guess."

"How long will it take?" Tobirama questioned.

"A few days at most. I know you two have plenty of things to take care of back home, so go and come back in... a week, let's say." She offered.

"That would be great!" Hashirama bowed gratefully. "Please do what you can."

"I will. Now, the sooner you leave, the sooner I'll have your answers." Aroka waved them away.

"In that case, we'll see you then." Tobirama nodded before he and Hashirama both stood and bowed.

"Thank you for your time, Aroka!" The latter waved cheerfully. "I look forward to our next meeting."

"Take care." She grinned, sightless eyes following the pair as they walked out of the chakra-coated room.


"Don't you find it odd that she was so willing to help?"

The Senju brothers had just arrived back at the compound and were heading towards their offices at the center of the village.

"Not really. You're too suspicious of everyone, Tobirama." Hashirama chided lightheartedly. "I just hope she can figure out a way for us to end all these wars."

"We still don't know much about her or her clan, they might have an ulterior motive in helping us."

"I'm not sure what they would stand to gain from any of this."

"Neither am I, but I intend to find out."

"Alright, just try not to get on their bad side. If she can really do what she says she can, then we'll need her help."