Just to be clear, several different texts are used in this chapter. "This" text indicates present-day Mizuchi is speaking in Sakura's mind.

"This" text indicates past-Mizuchi talking.

"This" is Sakura speaking directly to Mizuchi, aloud. Different than her contained thoughts.

You may have guessed from this "text key" that some pretty serious things are discussed in this chapter. And you'd be right.

Also, chapter titles are all pretty important with this story, and this one is no different.


Since childhood, there had been a set way Tobirama went about life. His clan praised him as a brilliant tactician far beyond his years, but truthfully he just despised leaving things to chance. That carried over as thorough strategy on the battlefield. Better to be sufficiently prepared. Even for the unexpected.

That was why he'd quickly been able to work village management down to its own equation of sorts. On any given day he had a schedule, a plan to squeeze efficiency from every hour be they light or dark ones, and room for contingencies, should anything go wrong.

Nothing was ever as flawless as he would like—which never really impeded his persistence that everything in his proximity be made as close to faultless as nature would allow— so making room for plan alterations was a must. He accounted for the factors that remained a constant, like Hashirama's many eccentricities, his training, and the fact that somewhere along the line a fool would cross him and try his patience.

Additionally, his formulaic logic allowed for no fewer than three changing variables but no more than five. In his just over two decades of life, Tobirama had never gotten to the point where he needed to account for more than five unexpected changes in one day.

But nothing could upset a meticulous schedule, a sound plan, quite like the irksome sense of humor belonging to whatever higher being that blew the catalyst of an anomalous pink-haired kunoichi into existence.

Hashirama's preoccupation with the weather and how it would affect his bonsai, he could predict. Simple causal mechanics. In the earliest hours of the morning snow had started to drift down, gentle but persistent. Knowing his brother to the exasperating extent that he did, nothing surprised him when Hashirama paused speaking to the civilian he'd been receiving, and commented rather forlornly that Bukkai would need to be repotted before snow piled up.

Cold weather was when cherry blossom bonsai did some of their best growing, and caring for the infernal weed was at least a solid quarter of all Hashirama ever thought about anymore. The rightfully speechless man requesting permission to start a donkey farm off the land near the residential district where he lived—no, no, and a thousand times no, the smell alone!—had been shooed out in a hurry shortly after by the brother least distracted by the snow but most impatient for the meeting to end.

After that had been sorted, it was back to the usual. Refocusing his petulant older brother who would most likely be helping the village children pile snow together for their winter creations if he had it his way, was near impossible. So Tobirama suggested they break for tea. Yet another prediction was met when Hashirama agreed.

They sat in the office and drank, Tobirama's more bitter than sweet as he preferred and Hashirama's generously dolloped with honey, eating the bento meals Mei-san had forced on him before he left the compound that morning. Normally the mother-henning would be met with at least token resistance, but Tobirama had taken the two meals with open gratitude, because it had already promised to be a long, cold day, and they'd need to keep their strength up.

"I don't remember the last time it snowed this early in the season," Hashirama said around a huff. After a long sip of tea he continued. "Weather has been a lot more…unpredictable than usual for months."

That was true enough. Plenty of panicked farmers had come to them when the summer heat stretched into fall, worrying over what that meant for their crop yields. Hashirama, bleeding heart that he was, had promised to compensate them all for the vegetables and fruits that wouldn't survive and therefore meant less for them to sell.

A good gesture, but Tobirama could only think about how quickly Hashirama forgot that with Konoha in its fledgling state and with most of the money initially granted to them from the daimyo already allocated into infrastructure, they couldn't go tossing coins at every weepy-eyed farmer who couldn't get their tomatoes to grow, no matter how unfortunate it was. Sometimes circumventing Hashirama's desire to meet the needs of every last villager was the hardest part of his job as adviser.

"Nature will right itself," Tobirama said, a touch distracted. The arrival of the group containing two very distinct chakra signatures, one of which he'd know anywhere, had come sharply into focus.

"Of course," Hashirama went on, picking over his bento. The food at the end of his chopsticks made it an inch away from his lips before he set them down again with a sigh. "It's just not optimal…you know, when the village is only just getting on its feet."

Idly, Tobirama cut his brother a pointed glance. Sitting up a little straighter, he took his half-empty cup in both hands and let the heat transfer into his palms, crossing one leg over the other. "Your idealism can't effect the weather. Even you should know that."

"Still," His brown eyes cut to the window behind him. Snow was still making its descent to earth. "The team that went to Sekai should have made it back at least to Yume by now. Unless there were delays out at sea. Do you think they'll—"

"I wouldn't worry about them." That drew a disappointed frown from his brother.

"Tobirama, I'm very aware of how you feel about the Uchiha, but showing some consideration would be—" he stopped, his attention at the door. Good. If his brother didn't notice the five chakra signatures when they were this close then he wouldn't have been much of a shinobi.

Hashirama was suddenly the picture of discipline when the voices muttering in the hall quieted down to a knock on the door.

"Come in," His brother was trying his best to keep his voice neutral as he leaned forward. It was as if there was any actual mystery about just who'd arrived.

Tobirama set aside his cup and what was left of his lunch as Izuna Uchiha, the Yuhi siblings, Haruno, and lastly Madara, filed in with a mood of apprehension hanging about them. There was a rosy tint to all their faces and he absently watched Haruno reach up and brush lingering snowflakes from her hair. Curiously, the older of the Uchiha was the only one that didn't seem to be carrying any unspoken tension. He shook the light dusting of snow from his shirt at an unhurried pace.

"Lord Hokage," Haruno said in a clear, polite tone. Four of them bowed at the waist. Madara remained upright. Tobirama barely suppressed a glare. In spite of Hashirama's ease with the informality of their relationship, in such a setting Madara could pretend to care about rank.

"Welcome back," Hashirama greeted warmly. His brother didn't comment on that subtle rigidity that swept in with them, nor did he try to keep up the façade of the reserved Hokage. "It's a relief that everyone's finally made it home." It was easy to tell he meant it. Hashirama spent many a day attempting to conceal his concern to no avail.

Madara took conspicuous glances around the room, his eyes falling to settle on Hashirama. "Hashirama," his eyes squinted contemplatively. "If it weren't for the crumbs on your face I might actually buy into the whole Hokage image."

Easy amusement passed over his brother's face as he brushed away the stray crumbs. "Good to see your time away hasn't made you any less blunt," he smirked. "With the urgency of your last message I wasn't sure what to expect for a while."

But none of the others were charmed, Tobirama noted. Haruno and Izuna especially cast Madara rueful looks.

"Actually, Hokage-sama," Haruno intoned, her voice small and her eyes downcast. "There's been…a lot that's happened since we left." The way she carefully chose her words sobered Hashirama, playfulness falling from his features.

The blonde siblings fidgeted tellingly. The girl played with her hair while the young man crossed his arms and quietly tapped his fingers. Tobirama could see Izuna mentally girding his loins, preparing himself for some fall out they all clearly could feel coming.

"I see," Hashirama rested his hands on the desk and swept his eyes over all of them. "Maybe you should start from the beginning, then."

With a nod, the rose-haired woman lifted her face to reveal it set with determination. "There was obviously something wrong the minute we arrived. Aside from the hostility from the islanders, the atmosphere was tainted. I met a medic from the Yuki clan, and he brought me to the clinic where they'd been quarantining the victims of the illness." A grimace passed over her as she swallowed. "Once I got a good look at what was happening it really wasn't a surprise no one understood how to treat them. There's no conventional cure that would work on…on a blight."

Tobirama couldn't maintain his silence. Since they'd entered, something he couldn't place had been off. In addition to Madara's usually noxious chakra, the likes of which had been making his skin crawl since childhood, Haruno's own presence was mixed with the same prickle of something otherworldly he'd sensed the moment they met. Only now it wasn't a subtle feeling that evaded his grasp. Although hers didn't contain the same malevolence he associated with his Uchiha nemesis.

"A what?" he demanded.

"They're a destructive, corrosive taint." She explained. "They come from gods."

"Gods?" The Senju echoed, two tones clashing. While Hashirama was mostly surprised, Tobirama was irritated by the irrationality of what he'd been told so far. Four. His outlined day still had room for four unexpected occurrences. Nothing was in danger of unraveling. Yet.

"Just because a malady hasn't been encountered before, it can't be directly contributed to interference by the gods," he asserted, drawing Haruno's attention his way. As if noticing him for the first time—something that he would never admit only annoyed him more—her face contorted into a confrontational glare mid-blink.

"I know what I'm talking about," she stated, her lips settling into a firm line.

"It's true," Izuna added, briefly and gently touching his hand to her arm. Tobirama found himself staring at the spot minutes after they had stopped contact. "Blights are real, and they were the cause of everything happening on Sekai."

Hashirama leaned back in his chair and sucked in a deep breath that came out in a weary sigh. "The more obvious cause would be political unrest over limited resources and an unfortunately-timed and highly contagious outbreak."

"On the surface," Izuna shrugged, "That's the case."

"But underneath that it was all staged," Haruno insisted, her voice steadily rising. "The warning Madara must have written to you about was because a sect of acolytes that worship the goddess Iwanagahime was after us, to keep us from getting to the bottom of everything."

"And…and you were attacked by these acolytes?" Hashirama ventured a guess.

"We made a great many enemies during this mission." Madara explained, adjusting the position of the kama at his waist. "The acolytes being the least of which. Although I'm told that was the confrontation that led to me losing my memory,"

A bug could have been heard crawling on the windowsill outside.

Hashirama's eyes bulged wide, his jaw hanging slack. "Lose your memory?" he sputtered. "That's a strange thing to joke about, Madara." The weak chuckle died off when no one joined in.

"He's not joking…" Haruno declared with a head shake. "He's suffering from an acute case of retrograde amnesia."

Inappropriate as it was, a small scoff managed to slip past Tobirama's mask of impartiality.

"You remember nothing?" the white-haired shinobi pressed. "Your own name notwithstanding evidently."

"It's coming back slowly," Izuna spat, sending him a withering glare that told Tobirama the Uchiha second-in-command knew he found the situation far more intriguing than he should.

Madara sized him up with a head tilt. "I remember I don't like you."

"A mutually shared sentiment." Tobirama agreed.

"Not now," Hashirama hissed, massaging his temples. "I'm still…this is…how did this happen?"

Immense guilt was rolling off Haruno in waves but Madara hardly took notice. "I'm told I played hero a little too well," he carded a hand through his hair. "And pushed Haruno out of the way of oncoming danger."

Both Senju turned their stares to her, and she grew flustered. "W-Well he did, but—"

Tobirama cut off her blathering with a sigh. "You finding a way into a tense situation is the one part of this story I have no trouble believing thus far,"

She tapped her heel, fists clenched, and across the room a superficial crack appeared on the side of a bookshelf. "It's not my fault!"

Seeking to diffuse the situation, Hashirama lifted his hands in a placating fashion. "Of course not," he soothed. "Please, continue."

"It wasn't long after that that we found them at the inn," Kureno Yuhi spoke up for the first time. "After the ride straight from hell." he grumbled, a flash of genuine horror passing over his features.

"And then a strange woman found us after that," his sister joined, "Takara. A miko of Iwanagahime."

"The group trying to kill you?" Hashirama, for some reason, had pulled his bonsai closer and was stroking a leaf between his thumb and forefinger. "You were discovered by the enemy?"

"It's a little more complicated than that," The male Yuhi sheepishly rubbed his neck while holding up his other hand and indicated a small pinch. "She wasn't really our enemy at the time."

The longer the story continued, the more it worked at going from outrageous to the work of fairytales. "Then who was?" Tobirama bit out.

"The God of Death."

"The undead."

"A bored shinigami."

Any one of those three answers on their own would have sent him into a steady rage over the blatant disrespect to his intelligence. But hearing them all together was just too much, really, and a very audible snarl rumbled from his chest. Air left his brother's lungs in a choked wheeze simultaneously.

"Enough," Tobirama got to his feet, coming to stand in front of Hashirama's desk and directly before all of them. "The truth. Now."

"The truth," Izuna said just as fiercely, "is exactly what we've all just said. As unbelievable as it sounds to you."

Tobirama laughed coldly. "Unbelievable is putting it mildly. Deities and their servants roam the earth spreading havoc?" His sensor abilities had been in effect the entire time, and they seldom, if ever, fed him incorrect information about individuals in his crosshairs. None of their chakras suggested they were lying. At least they didn't believe they were. "Whatever happened on that island has taken a long-term psychological toll." Turning to Hashirama, he continued, "None of them are fit to continue on active duty. They truly believe what they're saying." He had room for three more unplanned deviations from his status quo. He'd gotten by on less.

"Or," Haruno sneered, that other energy curling around her chakra igniting into something…less docile. "We could be telling the truth."

"Truth is relative to each individual," the younger Senju conceded. "But my truth has always been based on proven facts. Nothing you've said so far sounds provable or factual. Skepticism is a warranted response."

"He makes a point," Madara confessed. Down to two more unplanned deviations. Madara agreeing with him even grudgingly could technically almost count as two in one, but Tobirama wanted to be generous with himself. "It's still an obnoxiously delivered one though." he told Izuna.

That he could brush aside. He and the Uchiha had described each other in much worse terms in the past, anyway.

"I…" Haruno squeezed her eyes shot tight, and when they popped open again they were lit with undeniable fire. "I can partially transform myself." she offered. And then quieter, "Into a dragon…"

With a lazy perusal, Madara muttered, "You can't do that at will,"

"Whose side are you on?" Yurine Yuhi scolded.

Tobirama remained doubtful. "Dragons aren't real." Even Hashirama looked ready to object at that. "Using Suiton or your Mokuton to shape water or wood into the form of a dragon hardly makes them real."

"I'd be highly curious to hear your simple explanation to that," Madara taunted, forcing Tobirama to give attention to Haruno, who was doubled over and holding her abdomen, eyes shut and teeth clenched.

The air was so full with that potent essence she kept locked inside, there was no doubt everyone in the room could feel it. Not sure what he was witnessing, the younger Senju silently drew two kunai, holding them at the ready.

Less cautious, Hashirama peered around him, "Sakura-san?"

She lifted her head to stare directly into Tobirama's red glare. Half of her face was a patchwork of scales that shone beautifully, silver with a tint of overlying red. When she uncurled her arms from her waist, he could see one of her hands was scaled and wickedly clawed with nails that could gut a man. The eyes staring defiantly at him were mismatched, one its normal soulful green, and the other a peculiar mixing of green and gold with a thin pupil more like that of a snake's than a human. "I wanted to keep this to myself until I could figure out what was happening," she huffed.

"Is this a kekkei genkai?" Hashirama mumbled. Leave it to his brother to sound more awed than wary.

"No," Tobirama answered for her, kunai still held steady. "I'd be able to sense it. What exactly is this, Haruno?"

One side of her mouth curled in a smirk that revealed the promise of inhumanly sharp teeth. "Your proof."

He was rock still, sizing up every part of her in this transformed state, unable to deny… that…she…or at least this…was something there was no easy explanation for.

Sakura Haruno had single-handedly caused him to use up every one of his five allowances for improbable occurrences in one day, and shattered the scrupulous working of his logical approach to everything. And in that moment, he sorely resented her for it.

ASiT

In the charged silence that followed, Sakura focused on regulating her breathing and shifting back to normal. She may have effected a cool exterior, but inside she was a racing heart and iced blood, terrified that the Hokage and his brother wouldn't be as accepting as her companions thus far. Both men seemed to still be processing, after all.

When the fangs in her mouth had receded enough for her to speak without the fear of biting through her tongue, Sakura bravely continued, "Before I arrived in the village I met a river deity named Mizuchi. I was disoriented and she was persistent." she swallowed, everyone's eyes locked on her. "She decided to make me what she calls a godslayer." The haughty, demanding face of the goddess who had dragged her into mess after mess filled her mind. A glance at the back of her right hand revealed it had returned to its smooth, pale state, much to her relief.

The acute sight in her left eye she associated with the advanced senses granted to her by the…Dragon State… had disappeared too, so she was guessing that was also back to normal. Still, Tobirama Senju looked ready to come rushing at her, to run her through without a second thought. They'd all anticipated the uphill fight this would be, but Sakura was beginning to worry over whether being truthful would land them all in a dank prison cell. Had the T&I building been constructed in their absence?

"A godslayer," The Hokage said under his breath, his brown eyes troubled. "That seems like an incredibly big task to entrust to a human…"

Sakura nodded. She'd spent plenty of nights in the first month awake and wondering why it had to be her, what she'd done to attract such unwanted attention from such a dangerous force. "I still don't understand why exactly, but after the events of Sekai I know she's not the only one out there. Yama, the God of Death we met might have overpowered us if Mizuchi and Madara hadn't arrived in time. And Erika, his shinigami, was able to manipulate everyone's minds and decimate most of the island's population with no resistance."

"You should have seen those things," Kureno cut in, and Sakura couldn't say she minded someone else taking over the story for a while. "Ordinary people with the strength of monsters. I saw a little girl take a fatal axe blow to the stomach and brush it off. I…I cut a man's hand off and he didn't flinch, just kept trying to kill me." He stared challengingly in Tobirama's direction. "Since when does hacking off someone's limbs not even so much as slow them down? It wasn't natural." he concluded. "None of what happened there was natural."

Despite their vehement testimonies Tobirama still had steel in his piercing eyes. "And how did you manage to escape such a hopeless situation? The revelation of Haruno's otherworldly power boost aside, those odds didn't bode well for your survival."

"Everyone pitched in," Yurine said softly. "Kureno and I acted as distractions and protected our fortress so to speak. Sakura and the others left to confront the threat head on and destroy the flowers."

"The flowers?" Hashirama blinked.

"The shinigami Erika devised a way to resurrect and forcefully tether souls in near-indestructible bodies by using the power of a legendary flower called the violacia." Izuna sighed. "Some myth that turned out to be."

"Some myth any of it turned out to be." Madara complained. "I might not have all my memories but you can trust me when I say I don't exactly relish standing here to tell you I was nearly bested by a demonic child barely higher than my kneecaps."

Sakura could only imagine how hard it was for Madara, even this version of him, to admit. At this point he had to understand their freedom could very well hinge on how convincing they were. Maybe Hashirama's first instinct wouldn't be to chain them in a cell, but she wouldn't put it past Tobirama if he saw them as a threat now. More specifically, if he saw her as one.

A furtive glance in the direction of the man who might be their only hope revealed about what she had expected. The Hokage was processing as best he could, but she didn't really blame him for the extra time it was taking to sink in. If she hadn't experienced the dramatic events firsthand Sakura would be having much the same reaction. "There's a flower that resurrects the dead?"

"Hold on, brother," Tobirama held up a hand and gave the disgruntled Uchiha a mildly intrigued look. "I think I need to hear more about this encounter Madara had with the child shinigami and how close he came to losing." That got him dubious expressions from all around the room. "For data-collecting purposes against an evident new foe." He tacked on professionally.

"I think she's the least of our worries," Sakura admitted. "Yama, too. He had a chance to keep escalating the confrontation but backed down. He said…he said the next god we met might not be as gracious though." They'd survived the encounter by the skin of their teeth, but they all needed to be better prepared. Something told her Yama's warning wasn't just idle speculation.

Hashirama slumped forward on his desk and rested his cheek against the wood. It was clear that he was beyond caring how he presented himself as the village leader. He'd just heard admittedly very shocking news, and he was a man trying to take it all in. Sakura felt partially guilty over bringing so much trouble home with her, even if she didn't really have a say. "This is a lot…" he said to no one in particular.

"Yes," Izuna responded. "It'll probably continue to be."

"Haruno," Sakura's head whipped to the white-haired Senju assessing her. "Where do your loyalties lie? With Konoha…or this deity?"

"Konoha." The answer was immediate, and her heart steadied at the confidence she felt. Konoha was where she was born, raised, and it was the home she wanted to protect, now and in the future. Whatever Mizuchi's true intentions, nothing could change that.

The stern carmine of his gaze bore into her. Sakura felt like she was being probed. Two cold hands might as well have peeled back the halves of her chest to poke at her heart experimentally.

"Well?" came the Hokage's quiet interruption.

"Your chakra suggests you're not lying." His brother admitted, speaking directly to her. "However, you can't deny that your status makes you a threat to the village."

Flustered, Sakura shook her head, "I would never—"

"At least by proxy." he finished. "So it seems like a necessary compromise to suggest that your remaining an active shinobi in the village hinges on you becoming the best godslayer your deity intends for you to be." Tobirama finished, looking satisfied as he crossed his arms.

Deep shock spread through the room. "What?" Sakura breathed. "But you just—"

"Gave you a choice. The decision is yours." The Senju doubled down. "By your own admission you're dangerous, Haruno, and you attract trouble. If Konoha is supposed to remain your home, then the least you can do is agree to act as our final line of defense."

"You expect her to go out there and become a one-woman-army against invaders?" Izuna scoffed, incredulous.

Tobirama merely rolled his shoulders. "I expect her to earn her keep the same as before, but at a higher capacity. Each shinobi in this village does so, and Haruno has more to offer than most. If the time ever comes, it makes sense that we wouldn't hold back what could very well be standing between whatever higher-being sees the village as its new stomping grounds."

"There's a fine line between what you're suggesting and exploitation," Madara threw in. If not for the long weeks of the mission spent together, Sakura might have missed how he sounded slightly peevish. Was it really…on her behalf?

Hashirama didn't look entirely comfortable with the thought either, but he turned questioning eyes her way. "Sakura-san, what you've given us and the things you've been through are both a lot. If you need time—"

"No, I'll do it," she reassured everyone. At this point it wasn't like she had a choice. And it wasn't like Tobirama didn't have a point. Maybe the others didn't like how he'd forced her hand, but they knew deep down that a time could come when they very much needed whatever powers Mizuchi had granted her.

"Just like that?" Tobirama pushed.

Sakura straightened her shoulders. "Just like that."

"If all that's over, then this meeting is over, Hashirama." Madara informed him. "I have a large adjustment period ahead."

No one spoke on his potential insolence in simply declaring he was through without waiting on the Hokage.

"Right…everyone is probably ready to return to their homes and unpack," Hashirama muttered, rubbing at his forehead. "But before you go…these arrived just yesterday. They were incredibly generous and doubled what they originally said they would pay. Not to mention the diplomatic negotiations were a success."

The Hokage flashed a grateful smile Madara's way. "Konoha will be receiving regular shipments of minamatori minerals in exchange for several rare plant species that only grow on the mainland starting in the spring." And he heaved up several very hefty sacks from somewhere under his desk. The mission pay. With all the 'excitement' it had been the last thing on her mind. But she wasn't about to turn down money she had more than earned. Everyone formed a single file and collected the pre-counted reward. "If I need anything else, I'll send a summons."

Madara was half out of the room already with pay in hand. "It doesn't mean I'll answer it,"

The smile Lord Hokage gave them almost reached his eyes. "Dismissed."

Sakura could feel in her bones that it was only the beginning.


The frosted ground seeped coldness into her toes, and she wiggled them periodically as she walked. Sakura and the others had already parted ways, and while Izuna had looked ready to offer to walk her home, she reminded him the priority should be getting Madara settled in.

A sentiment to which the older of the brothers had vocally agreed. A part of her was also grateful for the solo trip. She took the streets, because she didn't know how slippery the rooftops were, and because she needed the extra time to collect herself and decompress. Since the war, it had been one life-altering event after another, and she'd been waiting patiently to process. It didn't really seem like a good time for it would be in the near future, though…

'I could use a good meal and a few days of rest,' Sakura rubbed her hands together. After the back-to-back exposés dropped in the Hokage's office she couldn't see herself being allowed from the village anytime soon. And while that would quickly chafe at her independence, at least a part of her wouldn't mind.

A glance upward revealed that the sky hadn't ceased crying frost-kissed tears, and while her fingertips were a little number than she'd like, quite a few children she passed were having the times of their lives.

They chased each other with clumps of snow ready to fling, while adults were much more careful about traversing the snow-dusted streets, one woman holding her market purchases tight to her chest and pausing every other step to look down at the ground and make sure she didn't step on an ice patch.

A day such as this one would be a perfect one to curl up by a fire and page through one of her favorite tomes, maybe even the unrealistic love stories Ino and TenTen recommended so highly. Too bad she didn't own any such books anymore. Not here and now—

The crunch of footsteps from straight ahead brought her out of her musings, just in time to see a small cream and brown puppy darting between legs and a frantic group of children following it. "Wait, wait!"

Sakura's eyes widened, a forced double-take happening at the familiarity of the black-haired little girl on the puppy's heels, but she barely had time to register where she knew her from when the scared little creature tried to dart by her and she reached down to pluck the pup from the snow.

The kunoichi instinctively brought it close to her chest so it wouldn't squirm out of her hold, frowning as she felt the speed of the puppy's heart through her clothes. "You're alright now," she soothed, discreetly pressing a little chakra into its body to scan for injuries while also calming it down. The quiet whines stopped almost instantly and the warm pup went lax in her arms. The girl who'd been in the lead after it skidded to a halt, plowing up a little snow in her wake.

"Ah, Kikue's sorry!" she cried, and Sakura nearly dropped the dog at hearing the name. Sure enough, when her eyes met the child's face it was indeed Kikue Kaguya, the sweet and somewhat quirky youngest child of the monstrous Yoshiro.

'But how?!' she yelped silently, all the while plastering on a calm smile. She had been in disguise the last time they'd all seen each other. They had never met pink-haired Sakura Haruno of the Hidden Leaf.

"Kikue, did you catch her?" A new voice she was unfamiliar with asked with worry. A slightly older child with her brown hair cropped short joined Kikue, the red fang-like markings on her cheeks indicative of her clan.

Kikue, who had stopped panicking, stepped forward with wide black eyes focused unblinkingly on Sakura's face. It made her calm smile a bit more awkward as she offered the placated puppy back to its presumed owner. "I'm guessing she's yours."

"Yes," the Inuzuka girl accepted her ninken back with a bow and a sigh of relief. "My apologies. Asuga's not usually scared very easily, but—"

"But my dumb sister popping up out of the snow spooked her." Harihane, the proud middle child of the clan head, stepped up between her sister and the Inuzuka they evidently knew. While she wore the same grumpy default expression, Sakura could feel something had changed for the once-bitter girl.

'What's going on?' Sakura's mind was racing with questions. 'The Kaguya are in Konoha! That's not part of my timeline.'

"Forgive me for being so forward, but, something about you is very familiar to me." The oldest and last of the siblings, Jun'ichi studied her too. He was as handsome as Sakura remembered, his hair somewhat longer and his face more openly gentle. Her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't identify why right away but she put it down to nerves.

'You have no idea…' she thought miserably. Kikue wrapped herself around Sakura's waist without warning.

"Neechan!" she squealed, nuzzling her cheek into the mint yukata.

"Kikue, what are you doing? We've never met her before." Harihane groused, attempting to pull her sister off by the arm.

Sakura let her arms awkwardly hover over the youngest Kaguya's back, resisting the urge to pat her.

"It's Oka-neechan!" Sakura gulped, knowing she'd been found out. How could she forget this unassuming girl was a budding sensor-type who, with proper guidance could be incredibly gifted?

The two older siblings wore matching looks of surprise, while the Inuzuka, the one she most definitely had never met, only looked mildly confused.

"Is that true?" Jun'ichi asked, moving closer with a tentative expression of hope. Sakura had to look up at him, into his eyes, and she really wished she didn't.

"Well…" Their reactions alone were enough to nearly compel the truth out of her on the spot. Plus since she'd stopped moving her toes were getting just as cold as her fingers.

"You don't have to say it," he whispered. Snow drifted down into his hair, the same way it was probably drifting down into hers, but it disappeared in the stark white as soon as it landed.

In that moment he was more pretty than handsome with winter as his backdrop, making Sakura's words stick in her throat, even as her mind swirled with thoughts of envy. In Water Country it had been Kou, now Jun'ichi returned to remind her that there were men who could give her a complex. "You did a lot for us, more than you'll ever know," he took one of her hands in both of his. "Thank you."

Sakura shook her head slowly, unsure just what she'd done. Izuna had suggested that the siblings' joint decision to aid in their escape had been because she'd reached a part of them that had triggered a change. Back then, it had been easy to deny. Naruto was the one who changed people's hearts.

But they were standing here, far from home…and…and looking at her like a goddess among the people. When her words started to thaw enough for her to speak, Sakura struggled to find adequate words. Seeing them again was unexpected, though not unpleasant. But this wasn't how it was supposed to go! "Why're you…I mean shouldn't you be in—"

Slowly dropping her hand, his gaze grew distant. "We no longer call the Land of the Dead our home."

As spry as Sakura remembered, Kikue jumped away from her and twirled around to strike a clumsy but endearing pose. "Kikue lives here now!"

"And your clan?" she asked, wondering if they knew the truth… Mizuchi had mercilessly dispatched of the Kaguya and yet these three had been noticeably absent from the bloodbath. Now she knew why. But did they know they were the last remaining Kaguya on earth?

"We cut ties when we decided to make it on our own," Harihane threw her hands over her head in a stretch. "Starting over here came a little later. The Inuzuka clan's been putting up with us so far."

"Ah," said Inuzuka shifted her puppy into the crook of her arm. "I'm sorry. My name is Yoku Inuzuka. I…It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The poor girl was so mannerly, so much different from brash Kiba. It almost made her giggle. "Sakura Haruno,"

"Sakura-san," A hint of fang flashed in a cute smile. Asuga's "grin" was a close match to her owner's, save for her tongue lolling out.

Clearing his throat, Jun'ichi briefly rested a hand on her shoulder. "Now that we know we'll be seeing more of each other, I'd enjoy having tea together some time."

Sakura nodded quickly. Now that, she could do. "Of course!" she agreed. "I'd invite you all over now, but I just got back from a mission and I'm guessing the cupboards are pretty bare."

Kikue pouted, but it melted as swiftly as the snowflakes catching in her lashes. "Promise to tell us about your mission?"

Sakura hoped they didn't catch her grimace. She petted through Kikue's hair, "Only if you promise to tell me all about your journey here. We can swap stories if you want to."

Harihane looked pleased at the prospect, not even scolding her younger sister for pulling on her sleeve.

"I'm sure we'll all look forward to it," Junji replied.

No point in trying to explain her predicament and the ultimatum she'd been given by Tobirama. Better to just let them think the only worry on her mind was stocking her house so they could have afternoon tea.


Humans had so many unfair rules. They trapped him inside, told him it was too cold for him, then they rushed off to play in the white powder falling to the ground as soon as they'd given him water and food.

Usamaro sat by the window and watched the descent of the tiny white fluff Reira called snow. Each time the piece he was tracking reached its final destination, he quickly zeroed in on another target.

It looked light, and he could tell from the temperature of the glass that it was cold, but that didn't deter him from imagining what it would feel like to leap up and catch it with his paws. Make a game of how much snow he could get before it touched the ground.

If anyone ever let him outside to try. Kagami said they'd come by tomorrow, but what if that was a lie? What if tomorrow never came? He meowed plaintively, perfectly aware he was alone in the house with no one to take pity on him. When was Sakura coming back? He missed her terribly. The human who had saved his life and gave him treats and let him curl up into her each night. The human that had brought him to her, Izuna, was missing now too… So rude of them to just keep disappearing.

Usamaro butted his head against the window, drawing the attention of a passing crow who was hopping around on the ground and pushing snow around with its head. Curious, the bird flew over and landed on the windowsill, nothing but glass to separate them.

It tilted its head this way and that, only seeming to realize that he couldn't get through when he pecked the glass a few times with his beak. Usamaro tapped the glass a few times from his side, just to demonstrate how solid it was. Birds. And they wondered why cats chased after and ate them.

Enamored with the sight of its ugly reflection, the dark bird preened and cawed, completely ignoring the cat trapped within the house. "Mrwar…" Usamaro muttered, a little annoyed. The bird wasn't going to pay him any attention, so what was even the point of him flying over.

Slinking away from the window, the young feline strutted through the empty house, trying to remember where he'd last moved his newest treasures. He had to continue to hide them, otherwise inevitably they'd get taken away and he'd be scolded. Usamaro was halfway to Sakura's kitchen, where he was keeping a thin scrap of cloth called a fundoshi he'd found on a clothesline.

The string attached was just too hard to resist. He'd watched through windows as human men tied them around their bottom halves, and he'd decided then and there they were wasting a perfectly good toy. Why even be upset that he took one, when the yelling man that the fundoshi used to belong to had several, and was even wearing one when he'd come running outside?

Nosing the bottom cabinet open, Usamaro pulled his prize out, just starting to back away when his ears twitched, alerting him to footsteps approaching from outside. Abandoning the scrap of clothing, he raced for the door and slid to a stop in front of it, wondering just who'd be coming by. Raising his hackles in warning, a low growl emitted from his throat as the door opened and a very tired, cold looking Sakura stepped through. Sakura…Sakura was back! His mistress was back!

She noticed him immediately, and the weary expression softened. "Usamaro," she smiled, crouching and holding out her arms. Once, he wouldn't think twice about going to her. But still shocked, he backed away, watching and waiting. A small sniff confirmed it was indeed Sakura.

No one else had her scent. She dropped her arms to rest on her knees with a sad sigh. "Not so happy to see me, huh?" Standing back up, Sakura shouldered her backpack off and removed her shoes.

Leaving both by the door she'd closed, the woman made a beeline for the kitchen. Usamaro raced to beat her there and hide his stolen goods, sliding across the floor and crashing headfirst into a cabinet. Whining, he flopped pitifully onto his side, not sure if his head or his pride hurt more.

He didn't have to wallow on the ground for very long, because cool hands lifted him carefully, and he found himself staring into a gentle face torn between amusement and concern. "You know what I've told you about running around like that. You're not always the most coordinated, you know." Usamaro blinked slowly, wondering why he hesitated the first time she opened her arms, when this moment was all he'd been waiting for. Without even meaning to, he'd began to purr. Hugging him to her bosom, her lips dropped to his head in a quick kiss. "You at least seem like you've been eating well." She laughed, bouncing him in her arms a few times.

Usamaro stopped purring and cracked one eye open accusingly. Was she saying he was fat? Wiggling around until he was set down, the cat marched across the floor and sat so his back faced her, making it clear he was offended. As far as he was concerned, if he put on anything, it was muscle. There wasn't time to gain anything else when all he did for exercise is get chased around the village by humans claiming he stole from them.

"Don't be like that," Sakura chided, walking by him and peering in a top cabinet. "I just mean I can tell you're big and strong now. Nothing like the scrawny kitten I had two months ago. Empty…" her voice trailed off as she drew her head back from the depths of the cupboard. "It figures."

She cast him a smile that brought out the color of her eyes. Usamaro had a marble he'd found the exact same color. He'd show it to her later. He'd show her all his new treasures…as soon as he was sure she wouldn't make him return them. "Just give me a minute to change into something warmer and we'll go to the market. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Unable to control himself, Usamaro rushed over to her ankles and started doing excited loops. He was going outside! He'd get a chance to feel snow for himself after all. Having Sakura home was better than he'd hoped it could be.


Hours later, their bellies were full and so were the cupboards. Sakura would happily call it an early night, even though the sun was just starting to set. But there was one more thing she felt obligated to do.

While Usamaro dozed content and bloated near her thigh, she sat with eyes closed in deep concentration and traced a path back to the plane where Mizuchi had first made true contact.

She didn't dwell there anymore, wherever there was, but Sakura would bet that it would always be a sure fire way to reach her quickly. Too bad she hadn't thought about it before now. 'I've waited long enough. I gave you time. I followed everything you told me to do, but I'm done. So answer me!''

"Oh…so forceful now," Eyes she could now recognize anywhere manifested from the dark, a glowing silhouette taking shape until the dragon goddess stood before her. "What changed?"

A small, wry snort escaped her before she had the chance to rein it in. So many things came to mind, but most of them, Mizuchi already knew. "Everything."

Mizuchi spread her arms out and the landscape around them changed, a forest reminiscent to the first one in the memory of a young Kaguya, but this one looked healed. "Everything always does." she said softly.

This was one of only a handful of moments Sakura could recall when Mizuchi appeared more vulnerable human than capricious goddess to her, and she couldn't imagine what had brought it on. Brow furrowed, the confused kunoichi was on the verge of letting all the questions she'd been damming off overflowing, until she caught sight of a shimmering, immaculate young woman moving through the clearing with the grace of a deer.

The reaction was instant and visceral, Sakura leaping back, on the verge of activating the Byakugo. Only Mizuchi's smooth palm cupping the back of her neck grounded her enough to remember that what she was seeing play out was a memory.

That woman, an adult Kaguya, could not see nor hear her. Unlike the last two times, where the Mother of Chakra had been a mere girl, Kaguya was older, a teenager on the cusp of adulthood with horns and her third eye. This Kaguya had already eaten from the world tree…

Aside from being more youthful than she had been in the war, she still dressed as a human girl from humble beginnings in a patchwork-material yukata that was almost too short on her willowy form. Mizuchi and Sakura watched on as the white-haired pseudo-goddess made her way through the sun-dappled forest, stepping directly into a ray that illuminated her hair like spools spun from moonlight.

To Sakura's surprise, forest creatures started to emerge from the shadows and trees. Chipmunks and rabbits coming closer and even a fawn curiously sniffing at Kaguya's outstretched hand instead of moving away. The oddity of seeing a being that was filled with so much malice on the battlefield able to touch timid animals was possibly the most mundane shock she'd receive; she just knew it.

With a final pat to the fawn's head, Kaguya came to rest beside a clear, flowing stream, kneeling to cup water in her hands and suck thirstily. Birds chirped and leaves rustled, but Kaguya's dainty sips were somehow the loudest sounds of all.

Sakura glanced over at Mizuchi, searching for some indication about what this memory was supposed to divine to her. The river deity only stared straight ahead, lost to time.

"What have you done?"

Kaguya slowly lowered her hands and let the water trickle from between her fingers. She stared up defiantly, her full lips a near-sneer. "What you would not."

The apparition of Mizuchi's past self stood in the middle of the stream, uncaring of the wetness seeping through the fabric of her well-worn kimono. In spite of her curved horns, her unmistakable eyes and otherworldly bearing, Sakura sensed a strange sort of humanity that the Mizuchi she was acquainted with kept well hidden. She shook her head in disdain down at Kaguya, her eyes flashing with betrayal.

"Why? Why do you persist in this foolish search for godhood? To end war and bring peace?" she spat the last word out as if it were a curse. "And then what? Embracing godhood means you will shed your humanity, and I will not allow it. In time, it will corrupt you." Kaguya was on her feet in a flash, her anger suddenly matching in perfect sync with her adoptive sister's. Since the last memory Sakura witnessed, Kaguya had grown tall enough to nearly meet Mizuchi inch for inch. They stood glaring down one another at eye-level.

Even if it was just an echo of a time long-past, the animosity swirling through the air made Sakura clench her arms around herself and warily wait for what she was assuming would be a big confrontation.

"You see…" the Mizuchi at her side half-whispered. "I met Kaguya as a lonely, gentle girl and became her family. She taught me the ways of humans, and I soon grew to embrace the experience. To love it. I had never been particularly close to the other deities, and I saw myself in this feeble human child, cast aside, and took pity. I was little more than a child myself then, fresh from creation, and I had little knowledge about the covetous nature of humanity when faced with power. Even the most well-intentioned souls…" She waved halfheartedly toward where Mizuchi and Kaguya were still speaking heatedly.

"What do you know?!" they heard Kaguya challenge. "You do not understand. You cannot understand. I have lost family. I have witnessed the emperor's greed. I have seen the world ravage itself endlessly with wars that have no true victors." Tears welled and fell from her wide pearlescent eyes. She looked so lost that Sakura could almost forget what a monster she'd been and take pity on her. "In all the years living at my side, you've never truly understood, Mizuchi. Humanity is still beneath you when you can simply retreat back to your own realm in the heavens the way you always seem to do these days."

The bitterness in those last words hit like a slap, crackling and even more painful for the deeper hurt meant to inflict under the surface.

Where Sakura had expected Mizuchi to rise up in quiet wrath and forcefully quell Kaguya's temper, she only stood there and took in that anger. "You are…very mistaken." She said when she was sure the young woman had finished. "To you, I am mighty, but there are those whose powers exceed mine tenfold. You and I are but lowly stains to them. Your persistence in matters a mortal should never dabble in will enrage them. …Understand, humanity has many things to offer." Mizuchi moved forward and gently took Kaguya's face in her hands, wiping away stray tears and placing a kiss on her forehead, blemished now by a closed third eye.

"Things godhood lacks. Wonderful things that those who dwell in the heavens will never grasp. You have taught me these things, and made me aware of what beauty can exist here among humans. You would do well not to discard the gift of this life you possess. Godhood is a curse, and an eternal burden marred with a scarring loneliness only a god could know." More tears ran in a steady stream down Kaguya's dove pale face, but Sakura was choked by surprise yet again to see that Mizuchi was crying too, both in the past and present. The solemn expressions worn by the present goddess and her memory-self were both wet with dutifully silent tears.

"Mizuchi…" Kaguya choked, "You've…you've been like a sister to me." Slowly, her hands came up to cup the ones on her face, squeezing. "But not even you can understand my mission of peace." With newfound resolve, a still-weeping Kaguya shoved the deity away with impressive strength Sakura had only developed from extensive training. The lid on her forehead lifted to reveal a perfect Rinne-Sharingan. "I am sorry, Mizuchi. But the time has come for me to bring peace to this world. With these abilities, I can finally end all wars, all suffering." Stunned, Mizuchi collapsed in the stream as Kaguya opened one of the dimensional rifts Sakura had unfortunately experienced firsthand, disappearing through it.

"And she did just that, didn't she?" Mizuchi asked, tilting her head encouragingly toward Sakura. "Or for a time it seemed so…"

"What…what happened?" Already her brain was recalibrating, condensing this wealth of information into what she knew of Kaguya Otsutsuki.

"Kaguya became known as a benevolent deity among the people." Suddenly Mizuchi's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. She gestured at the scenery as it changed again, showing Kaguya activating an Infinite Tsukuyomi and imprisoning half the world's population into the God Tree. "She drifted further from my reach, and I watched the corruption take hold in her until she had cast aside the sweet child I knew as if it were a burdensome husk. She faced her sons in combat, and unable to vanquish her, they sealed her in the core of the moon. The rest is as you know it." Sakura watched in horror as Kaguya battled fiercely against two men, identical in power and in viciousness to the ultimate being they had faced at the end of the war. Naruto had given her the abridged version, but it was nothing in comparison to seeing it play out.

"Why didn't you intervene? Aren't you more powerful?"

"Of course, by far. An imitation of godhood is still only that—an imitation." Sakura almost had to smile at how some of the righteousness returned to the deity's tone. She clasped her hands in a misleadingly demure fashion. "But Sakura, I could no longer intervene if I would have liked. I too was sealed by my fellow deities shortly after as punishment for tempting a human to the point of obsession with the idea of godhood. For a mortal to try to assume such a mantel is blasphemy to most deities."

"Then why drag me into all this? If this is what happened to Kaguya just because she met you, why did you think getting another human involved in non-human affairs would work out any better the second time?" Sakura realized in the midst of talking her hands had somehow migrated to her hips and she'd taken on a tone similar to the one she'd use to scold her teammates when they had far exceeded their limit of lacking common sense.

But now that she was in the stance, in this irate mood, she wouldn't take it back. Somewhere along the line, she'd lost some measure of fear for Mizuchi. A powerful, unpredictable goddess she may have been, but at times she was little more than an immortal child ruled by whimsy. However, after meeting Erika, who was literally exactly that, Sakura was beginning to have a sinking feeling something about immortality tended to make them behave that way.

"Because, as it happens…" Her once strong voice drifted off timidly, "I truly need your help. I had nothing to do but watch the world fall to ruin yet again after Kaguya's dark manifestation manipulated her descendants and the world with them. I feel that I at least partially share in this blame. It was never my intent, but Kaguya became an evil of my own creation by affiliation." She sucked in a breath and expelled it. Sakura stopped herself from holding her own breath, sensing she was finally starting to get to the bottom of the mystery that had changed her life months ago.

"You are not one of Kaguya's descendants, who are responsible for the horrid turn of events, and yet you know and care deeply for many of them." Sakura nodded along slowly. Sasuke, Naruto, shishou, now all the additional members of the Uchiha and Senju clans, and the Kaguya siblings too—if she had to hazard a guess based on their kekkei genkai— she'd met in the past.

Even the prickly Tobirama and infuriating Madara were at the very least, memorable characters from her time here. When she got home she was unlikely to forget them, despite her conscience still warring over what to make of the two sides to Madara. "I have watched the world, and you, for a time between my long bouts of sleep in my prison. Your unyielding spirit seemed best suited for this job, which I cannot accomplish alone. Your compassion and resilience both appeared good traits in someone who would assist me, would you not agree?"

Sakura was still nodding along in agreement when the words clicked into place. "What?" she sputtered. "I mean, no!" She followed it up with an adamant shake of her head. "You can't just pluck people from their rightful places and put them wherever you want to do whatever you want. It's wrong!"

"What's wrong is the state the world will soon fall into and the unwillingness of my fellow deities to fix it. They are fine with watching humanity crumble. I am not. For that, I will be hunted and sealed again, if I am lucky. You, Sakura," Mizuchi took her by the shoulders and peered deep into her eyes with frightening intensity. "Are destined for this. You will become the godslayer that carves a new path through the heavens."

Still, Sakura held her doubts. "You want me to kill a bunch of immortals stronger than Kaguya?"

"No. But if the time comes, I would want you to be adequately prepared. If they cannot have history repeat itself, they would just as soon rid the earth of all traces of Kaguya entirely."

Rid. You rid crop fields of crows by installing scarecrows. You rid ships of rats by getting cats. You rid the earth of a divine being's presence by…killing off her descendants en masse. Sakura instantly felt her blood pulse hot. Maybe shinobi hadn't done everything right. And maybe a great many of those shinobi could trace their lines back to Kaguya, but she refused to think the solution was to slaughter all trace of her, when those traces were in people who mostly had long forgotten her.

"You will help me protect humanity by avoiding the events that led to the state you knew during the war. And in doing so, you would have a better world to return to."

That struck a chord. Protecting those who'd protected her was one of her longest and deepest held desires. If she could eliminate the events that would cause everyone she knew to suffer, then…then…didn't she owe it to them to try? Could it really be so simple as following Mizuchi's plans? Well, Sakura reminded herself with a small crinkle of her nose, nothing Mizuchi had guided her to do had really been simple. Especially going in with as little knowledge as she'd been working with.

"And in spite of that, you handled yourself with composure and heart," The deity reminded, flashes of everything she'd done and everyone she'd helped since arriving in the era coming into view.

"So you were watching," Sakura accused, although she'd known as much. "What would've happened if I'd failed, huh? Or gotten killed?"

All she could was an enigmatic smile, which fueled her desire to try some of her newly acquired powers on Mizuchi all the more.

"You wouldn't have failed, Sakura. Humans like you don't fail. They find a way."

...

Back. Back in her room, sprawled flat across her bedroom floor with Usamaro nudging urgently at her cheek. Sakura sat up with a groan. Next time she willfully entered into a catatonic state in order to communicate with that taxing deity, she'd do so on a more comfortable surface.

"At least now I have my answers…" she said thoughtfully, detangling some knots from the back of her head. Sakura took a lock of hair and examined it. Huh. Guess she really had committed to growing it out again, without even meaning to.

Dropping it, Sakura put her head in her hands and groaned harder. She had answers, and though it might seem obvious, what was she honestly supposed to do with them? Honestly, being informed came with just as many problems as being in the dark…


Izuna had instructed Madara on just what to do, and just what to say and to whom. But even without the majority of his memory, his brother was stubborn, and there was no guarantee he would follow along. Of course, behind the scenes, he would take on most of Madara's duties; a glance in his sibling's direction revealed that he looked at peace.

Izuna felt guilt that he was attempting to get Madara to give that up by coaxing him through details of his old life in the hopes that it would trigger memories. But he also wasn't sure he could live with himself if he just allowed his brother to remain in a state of incompleteness. Relaxed as he might appear, not knowing things about yourself that were once as easy to recall as breathing was frustrating, and he could tell when Madara was struggling.

"That's the compound," he informed, pointing in the direction of the gates they were approaching.

Madara lifted his gaze from the ground and blinked. "So that's home." He gave the layout an assessing once over. "It's not really what I imagined."

Quirking a brow, Izuna asked, "Well what were you imagining?"

Madara sent him a lazy stare. "The man that runs this village can't keep crumbs off his face, and he gets a tower."

Izuna had to suppress a snort, although he didn't bother hiding the roll of his eyes. "Hashirama is the Hokage." It was broad daylight so the gates to the compound were left open, and inside their clan members were clearing paths through the snow with shovels and small bursts of Katon where it was deep enough to warrant it.

Madara wasn't convinced. "I just feel that if formal titles are enough to warrant grand living spaces, then—"

"Oh, Lord Izuna! Lord Madara!" All eyes were on them now, people rushing over to welcome them back.

Taking the lead before Madara had the chance, Izuna waved. "Hello everyone,"

"Oh thank goodness," A woman holding a shovel exclaimed. "When you left so abruptly the clan was in a tizzy. We weren't really sure what to think, and all anyone could say was you were assisting Lord Madara on his mission."

His responding smile was cordial but thin. What explanation Naoko would give the clan or how they would take it had been the least of his worries before. At the time his only focus was getting to his brother before he did something colossally stupid. Being back just reminded him of elders he'd have to pacify. Naoko wasn't likely to have told them anything they found to be adequate as an explanation. If anything, his childhood friend would relish the uproar a little too much.

"As you can see, we've both returned." Izuna motioned to himself and then his brother. Briefly watching the sky, he added, "Right in time for winter, too." Some of the apprehensive expressions softened, but the real fight would be the council members who'd have their feathers ruffled. Nothing he hadn't been exposed to before, of course. He'd witnessed Madara's back and forth with them one too many times.

"Yes, my lord." A man mumbled. "We'll leave you both to rest. Your mission was a long one."

Subtly directing Madara with a nudge, Izuna made his way through the small crowd as it parted, finding the rest of the compound to be peaceful in spite of the activity. As they walked they saw men and women sweeping their porches, and children running wild through the snow with whoops. One group in particular he recognized right away. Manabu cackled as he tackled a smaller boy and shoved him face first into the cold, powdery stuff blanketing the ground.

He cleared his throat. "It's nice to know the cold hasn't made any of you shirk training." Izuna said flatly. Manabu flew up as if his rear had been scorched by a wayward fire jutsu. "Lord Izuna, a-and Lord Madara!" Seconds later a group of children had converged on them and Izuna found himself wrapped in multiple pairs of arms.

"Why did you have to leave?" Tenma asked, his normally steady voice quivering.

"It was awful," Miyako sniffled as she pressed her face into his side.

Izuna had a good idea exactly what they were referring to. "I'm guessing Naoko did things a little differently than the way I normally do."

"She's insane!" Two voices chorused in unison, the twins no doubt. He noticed with amusement some of the kids had even surrounded and began hugging Madara, who was staring at them with wide eyes and his arms held up awkwardly above his waist.

"Izuna…" he muttered. There was an unspoken plea for an explanation. Maybe just a plea for help in general.

"What do you think, Kagami?" he craned his neck to his star student hanging back. "Was Naoko's training soul-crushing or are these slackers exaggerating?"

Cheeks reddening, Kagami turned away. "Uh...it was...enlightening?" A nice way of putting it to be sure.

"Noted." Izuna laughed, gently disentangling himself from the group embrace. "Snow or sunshine, you know training goes on." he reminded them.

"Yes," they chorused halfheartedly.

"But Madara and I still have a lot to discuss with the council. So I guess that leaves the rest of your day open," he winked. The dozen or so young faces lit up, and they scampered off in all directions, resuming their play.

Madara released a heavy sigh. "Absolutely no warning that you're so popular with children we'd be mobbed?" Observing a wet spot near the him of his shirt, he cringed. "I'm going to tell myself this is melted snow, and not drool."

"It could always be a little of both." Izuna said cheerfully.

"Disgusting."

"We need to speak to Naoko urgently." he dropped his voice in case any open ears were nearby. "I'd like to keep your...amnesia...between as few people as possible."

"So it's a point of shame for you." Madara grumbled. "But it's alright if the child torturer knows."

"Naoko is someone who, in spite of her faults, we can trust," Izuna explained, crunching his way across the path down the main street that had been cleared with Madara at his side. "And no, I'm not ashamed of you. Why would you think that?"

His brother cracked his neck, not speaking. Izuna assumed that meant he'd be receiving the silent treatment for the rest of the trip to Naoko's home. "Everyone tells me who I was, and it sounds like a lot to live up to." he finally said. "I suppose without my memories that reputation doesn't fit anymore. Maybe the position of clan leader is no longer earned."

"It was yours by birthright." Izuna thought of how as a boy he'd felt inadequate that his father meticulously groomed his older brother while simultaneously preparing him to live in Madara's shadow. Their three younger brothers had much the same fate, but unfortunately none of them made it to adulthood to break free of that.

As he grew older and recognized the burden thrust upon Madara for what it was, he began to feel differently. His position wasn't one that had to shackle him to the role of a bystander in their clan's future. He could grow accomplished enough to support both his brother and the clan, a resolve that had led him to taking his role as second-in-command seriously. "But you've more than earned it, Madara. There are those that aren't so happy you've chosen a different path than our father's." he admitted, "But the majority of the clan is behind you."

"But they need a leader they can feel comfortable knows what he's doing and how to guide them. Not an amnesiac man stumbling through the motions." Madara guessed.

"Inspiring confidence is only a small part of good leadership," Izuna watched snowflakes catch in his brother's long hair and settle like tiny ornaments of decoration. Winter really was a season that suited him, and perhaps that's why the powers that be had brought Madara into the world right in the middle of it. "You have other good leadership traits too. I'm just concerned that there might be those that would take your lapse in memory as a sign of weakness."

Madara sighed and a puff of condensation misted the air. "It is a weakness, Izuna." Izuna stepped onto Naoko's porch. There was light on inside so he hoped that she was home and...unoccupied...

Her favorite bedmate was Madara but she had other partners infrequently, and he'd once been unlucky enough to walk into her house at a time when they were supposed to be going hunting together, only to find her tongue-deep in a woman she'd been flirting with the previous day.

Izuna gave the door a few strong knocks. "I know I explained a little on the way back from the mission, but as second-in-command, I'm essentially the one who guards those weaknesses. In and out of battle." Madara gave him a small smile. "More importantly, I'd do it anyway as your brother."

The door flew open without warning and Naoko–bless the kami fully dressed— appeared with a cock of her hip and a devilish grin. "What took so long boys? No hiccups out there, I hope." Even as she kept up her usual playful candor, she was checking them over for any signs of injury.

"That's what we're here to discuss." Madara told her.

She nodded as if she already knew exactly what topic was up for discussion. "Oh, by all means come in then. You can tell me how badly you got your asses kicked out there while we eat white stew."

She stepped aside and went traipsing back into the house like she knew they'd follow. Izuna was first through the threshold and he began removing his sword and shoes. "What a strange woman," he heard Madara say under his breath.

Snickering, Izuna stood to his full height after he got both zori off. "She was supposed to be your wife, you know."

Madara pulled his shoe too hard and nearly toppled over at that exact same moment.


I admit I hadn't put much thought into updating recently, because so many other things have been going on. Still prepping for my big move upstate which got pushed back (upstate might not seem far but unfortunately my family has a ton of stuff and I have a lot of pets XD), which means I should probably be packing at this very moment and not writing this. lol Add to this my bouts with illness and there just really wasn't a good time lately.

Also hadn't felt compelled to rush back to this fic in particular for a couple of reasons. I'd really appreciate it if those who are still here could let me know they're reading. Lately I've been sort of unsure on that number vs those who might have followed or favorited but aren't actively reading. I have a lot I want to share in the chapters to come, especially with the continued action and twists as well as romance developments. Don't wanna put all that effort in and find out I'm screaming into the void, to be blunt. I'm grateful for everyone's support, of course. This story might have not lasted through some of my uninspired periods without how vocal some of you have been about enjoying this fic and being invested in the journey.

I'm hoping to dial things up very, very soon and include a lot of SenjuSaku moments that are going to be pretty fun. Don't worry about how prickly Tobirama is being. He needs time but Sakura's going to start making big headway pretty soon on softening that ice wall. I just wanna stress yet again that Tobirama's got a very gray sense of morality. I love that about his character and the nuances it comes with. So I will always strive to explore that in the storytelling. But again, TobiSaku will arrive, meaning the two of them will come to get a better understanding of each other. There's also one chapter in particular I've been chomping at the bit to get to that is full of FoundersxSaku steaminess. That last word could be taken figuratively or literally.

I hope to go back and try to get the next chapter of Wabi-Sabi rolling again if anyone follows that fic. It's UchiSaku. Also wanting to revive both More Than Words and Vice and Virtue, Team 7xSaku and NagatoxSakuxYahiko respectively. It's just been one thing after another since the New Year began. But honestly I just have to wait and see what my schedule allows for. Hope everyone enjoyed the update and will be around for all the adventures and romance to come~