"Grown ups are idiots. If they really want to bring an end to this endless fighting, they need to sit down with one another and reach a truce."

Tobirama Senju

"Kill them!"

"Slice anyone who runs!"

"Burn their houses to the ground!"

"Kill! Kill!"

Yuko ran, moving as fast as her small legs could carry her she didn't know how to mold her chakra yet so she was stuck with regular ol running. She could smell flesh burning the air, the stench of blood lingering like a heavy cloak. Everywhere she looked there was fire, nothing but intense flames that swallowed everything in front of her, a sense of panic swept through her and despite trying to run faster her legs gave out. The taste of dirt caused her to grimace and spit, but it didn't help at all, the air was becoming suffocating with smoke. "Yu-chan!" A desperate cry echoed through the mayhem, snapping her from her stupor, the sight of still bodies draining of color and blood burning into her eyes. "Yu-chan!" The voice was louder, desperate, Yuko tore her gaze from the bodies and she ran as fast she could.

She knew that voice, she felt safe hearing it, she had to find this person Now! She continued running through the carnage every step of the way she was greeted by dead bodies some dismembered and burning along with the ruins of what used to be houses. Her breaths were short and faint and she began to feel her hope receding, fires grew and the cries grew louder, she forced her eyes shut running towards the voice that still shouted for her, she had no idea where she was going which way was left or right, she was blind and desperate. The voice grew louder and louder, she felt her shoulders slack, she stopped in her tracks seeing the silhouette of a woman, she couldn't make out much except for the house burning behind her. But there were houses burning everywhere around her, it was the first thing she saw.

Yuko stood frozen before the silhouette, her eyes wide either from fear or shock was unknown probably a mix of both. "By Rikudo, you're okay! Yu-chan!" The woman said in a soft voice, it immediately soothed Yuko's growing anxiety of the chaos around her, the woman's voice was filled with relief and there was something.. Tender in the way she spoke that Yuko never experienced. She took a step forward, the ground sinking under her small foot dirtied from ash during her running, but stopped feeling a strong hand rest on her shoulder. Curious she craned her head up, looking up into the stern face of her father.

Yuko took a shuddering breath, splashing cold water on her face. The dream, the same dream she had been having, constantly haunting her jolted her from her slumber. She had seen it was just passed seven o'clock and got out of her futon and headed towards the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her red hair messily hanging over her shoulders and framing her face, she felt anxious, she needed to know about her mother as soon as possible.. Needed to know everything about her. It was her who called out to her in the dream, it had to be. But her mother left when she was an infant, she was sure of it that's why she can't remember her that well.

She couldn't remember much of her past, why she couldn't remember anything passed living with her father. Enduring his harsh training sessions. Everything before that is fuzzy, if you could call it that, she had to know her. She had to have met her, seen her before at least..? She had to have, she heaved a sigh pushing her hair back the only ones who knew were Izuna and Madara, and she was certain neither of them would give that up, except Izuna who would make a game out of it. That just left Mikito or whoever she assigned to search into the matter.

She sighed again, rubbing her face furiously with her hands. It was almost time for her training to get underway, she had to pull herself together before she left this cottage or was summoned away to begin her training with Mikito. "What to wear?" She thought as she undid her sealing scroll, a cloud of smoke formed in front of her quickly receding and revealing a pair of blue tight fitting shorts, a high collared loose fitting black shirt, and a pair of sandals. She quickly got dressed and wrapped her shins with bandages. She figured this would be a good outfit to wear, it was loose and light and it'd keep her cool when a wind gusted through. She looked towards her door hearing a small knock. "Come in." She said softly.

Ahiko slowly slid the door open, peeking her head in smiling at her, seeing that she was awake she entered with folded clothes in her arm. She shut the door, walking to one side of the room she was staying in "Good morning Yuko-chan!" She set the clothes down, bowing slightly, she righted herself noticing the messy bed sheets and pillows. Must be a heavy sleeper.. Or maybe got not sleep at all.. That would mean she wasn't a sound sleeper, or somebody was in her room, rolling her eyes at the second choice she went with the first. "Get dressed." Ahiko said as she gestured to the clothes she brought in, Yuko looked in confusion at her outfit and the clothes she was supposed to wear. "Mikito's orders."

"Is wearing this outfit wrong?" Yuko asked with uncertainty as she made her way over to the outfit, noticing a dark blue haori that would be like a dress on her with a pattern on the sleeves.

"Nah, nah." Ahiko waved her hand with an easy smile, pointing to her outfit that looked similar to the one she laid out for Yuko. "See, these are special training clothes that we all use, come on try them on!" She pressed impatiently handing Yuko a dark purple gi since it was the first thing she grabbed a hold on in the pile. Yuko examined the gi with a raised eyebrow, she never seen a top like this, but she was used to the high collar shirts the Uchiha wore, but she couldn't recall any clan wearing gis.

Yuko gave her a small smile, her eyes softening. "Thank you Ahiko-chan, you guys didn't have to give me this." She took to adding chan with Ahiko since she did it with her since they met last night, though Ahiko didn't tell her to use chan Yuko got the impression that she wanted to her use the suffix chan, she nervously looked before taking off her shirt, they were both girls after all nothing to hide. She discarded her top and slipped on the gi, immediately she felt a pressure on her entire body, her shoulders more so that she hadn't before. She quickly took off the rest of her outfit and put the clothes on Ahiko laid out for her. She moved her toes in the zori not used to feeling them move so easily.

"Ready?" Ahiko asked seeing Yuko nod she made her way towards the door, sliding it open. She watched Yuko take slow and careful steps no doubt from the clothes that she laid out for her, she resisted the urge to laugh. She remembered when she was first give a similar outfit but she was much younger than Yuko, she couldn't walk normally for at least a month.

"What is this made out of?" Yuko asked with a weary expression.

"Ah, you mean the weight." Ahiko responded as she slid the door shut, leading Yuko down a hallway that smelt like pine and cinnamon. "There's actually lead rods in that outfit that weight seven pounds a piece." Ahiko explained with the same easy smile as before, as if she already knew that and put them out for her to wear anyways. "There's quite a bit so I'd say you're supporting about ninety pounds plus your own weight." Yuko's eyes snapped wide at that, it feel about one hundred pounds on her she seen a turtle move faster than she was, she struggled to adjust as they exited the cottage. Now that it was light out Yuko could see the pathways she walked through last night, it looked like every bit of a jungle and rain forest, the sun was blazing brightly suffocating the area with its oppressive heat. "And before you ask, this is my cottage."

"Really?" Yuko couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah." Ahiko beamed. "Though Souji and Mikito come and stay like they did last night, though it has been a while since she's our leader and all." Ahiko looked at her, noticing her curiosity was not satiated in the least.

"So.. I'll be living with you?" Yuko asked still unsure of her arrangements.

"Yup!" Ahiko beamed grabbing both of Yuko's hands in her own, excitedly smiling. "So let's be best friends okay?"

Best friend? Yuko wondered silently tilting her head as she gazed at Ahiko, staring into those big round eyes. She saw no deception, no lies, no deceit just honesty and sincerity. She wasn't sure what a best friend was, she could hardly call that girl at the Uchiha compound a friend, more of an acquaintance. But something put her at ease with Ahiko and she smiled slowly, nodding her head. "Okay."

"I can't wait to show you my horses. Some of them can be a bit grumpy but don't let that bother you."

"You have... Horses?" Yuko asked puzzled. While it was a good way to travel, they were pretty much useless since all she had to do was focus chakra into her legs and feet to boost her speed, honestly she could run faster than a horse. But, she backtracked, perhaps these were ninja horses like the Inuzuka's ninken or the ninja hounds that were used as summonings, did that mean she was going to be seeing a talking horse? Well, she knew it wouldn't be a summoning since Ahiko spoke like she took care of them.

"Yeah." Ahiko excited to explain further. "I have a lot though some are more well behaved than others. I love horseback riding, they say horses are man's best friend." She gave a cheeky smile pointing her finger up towards the sun. The surroundings changed from dense and lush forest to secluded houses and her kinsmen milling about, children were laughing still too young to train, mothers watched them carefully not letting them stray too far, for those that weren't preoccupied they walked towards the northern sector as Yuko deemed it, all of them wearing similar attire to her own.

"I thought that was about dogs.." Yuko muttered.

"Ah, but horses build bonds with us too Yuko-chan!"

"You're awake." Mikito said as Ahiko and Yuko entered her office, a stack of paperwork on her desk. It never ended, funds, letters for permission to leave, possible missions, letters from a damiyo with a possible request. She was mulling over on document in particular as the two came in to meet with her. Souji was already training the units and going over strategies, checking to see if everyone was at full strength and if not make sure they got enough rest. The battles would begin soon and they had to be prepared, not that she was worried since Souji was already on it. After the debriefing of his venture to the Lightning country he took his leave. "You'll adjust to those clothes soon."

"I wonder." Yuko said with a small shrug but nodded nonetheless feeling like she was walking with bags of rice on her back, that probably would have been easier than this. Everything was weighted except for her zori and tabi, she could already feel the strain of bearing the extra weight, gravity doing her no favors.

"That reminds me." Mikito broke her from her train of thought, Yuko looked at her with an attentive expression. "Activate your Sharingan."

Yuko activated without any hesitation, she felt chakra surging into her eyes and everything was brighter and much more clear. She saw the dust on some of the books on the shelves off to the side, could see a lazy curl hanging over Ahiko's left eye, and she could even seen the individual folds in her gi and haori. But she was confused, why did she need to activate it if she wasn't fighting, more so fear bubbled within her. She was sure Mikito and Ahiko didn't care she was an Uchiha, but Souji and the rest of their kinsmen what would they think? "May I ask why?"

Mikito filed away a document closing her eyes for a moment. It was a good question, only worthy of a good answer. "You are to keep your Sharingan active from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep." Mikito stated bluntly.

Yuko didn't visibly wince but winced nonetheless, she could keep it active without any issue, but keeping it active for hours on end that would be something else entirely. It's not like she'd go blind keeping it activated for a good eight hours, but the strain it'd leave behind was going to be unbearable. But, if this is what needed to be done then so be it, she wasn't a baby, and would handle it. "Okay." Yuko nodded in agreement.

"Ahiko will oversee your training since I'm busy during the day." Mikito added, looking at her younger more animate sister who nodded her head a few times looking at Yuko with excitement. She knew the two would bond quickly, Ahiko was more sociable and just likable than her or Souji. Souji was strict and showed little emotion aside from urgency or anger, and she herself was stoic and composed though she would smile and talk, but she wasn't nearly as outgoing as Ahiko when it came to meeting new people.

"Yes!" Ahiko exclaimed wrapping an arm around Yuko's. "And we don't have another second to waste, we'll get you started right away." Yuko stumbled as Ahiko tugged her along with vigor, she couldn't as much yelp from the sudden increase of weight on her body that was starting to pull her down since she couldn't keep her footing stable. The surroundings changed from long and winding hallways and corridors, to the oppressive heat she had yet to get used to. She moved to the side whenever she got close to someone allowing them the path, but they all stepped aside bowing their heads in respect to Ahiko who animatedly thanked them or waved at them. Finally they came to a halt in front of a large pond with a waterfall that constantly filtered it and kept it moving.

"I've been informed you've obtained the hyoton scroll, so that saves me a lot of explaining." Ahiko said as she let go of her, Yuko staggered forward, straining as she righted herself. "So first thing is first, do you have any idea how to use suiton?" Yuko shook her head with a sheepish expression, Ahiko uninhibited continued on. "So we'll start with the basics." Ahiko walked onto the pond with ease, her balance perfect and steps precise, she walked until she was a few feet away from Yuko who was following after her. "Suiton is hard to control, so first and foremost you have to focus. It's not about brute strength like katon or doton. You need perfect control and have to monitor the amount you're using at all times, if you lapse for even a second your jutsu will be dispelled."

"Okay.." Yuko looked around at the sparkling water surrounding them. "I have to focus."

"If you put in too much chakra you jutsu will spiral out of control, much like a typhoon, but if you don't put in enough it'll ripple out like a placid pond." Ahiko nodded her head a few times, clapping her hands with an encouraging smile. "So let's start."

"Right."

Usagi sat cross legged on a mat along with the rest of the high ranking officers and captains of her clan, Haji of course was seated next to Syrus and Tobirama next to Hashirama. She knew the minute they got back and rushed to the gates to see how it went, Hashirama was smiling with a pleased expression and her brother was smiling wolfishly, they were both vague on the details. Haji was up in the meeting room before she could even blink, as she expected he was always on time and to the point, though she wished he would have got more rest as well. Her brother discarded his armor and wore the black short sleeved shirt underneath with his black hakama, Haji wore similar clothes to him and Hashirama and Tobirama both wore all black outfits with mesh armor underneath. Since there was no fight they didn't need that bulky armor.

"What'd the damiyo say?" Tsugi asked, he was seated a few people down from Usagi, and she couldn't help but share his excitement.

"First off," Hashirama began in a leveled tone, he turned his head towards Syrus and Haji his dark eyes focusing on Haji. He was about to stand up and smother Haji with a hug, but Tobirama stopped that with one leveled gaze. "I would like to thank Haji-san for seeing to it that our comrades were brought back safely!" He smiled in kind, his gratitude showing in his expression.

"Sure, uh..." Haji cleared his throat, looking to his brother who only shook his head barely not sure what to say. "It wasn't a problem Hashirama-san." Haji concluded simple and direct, not sure how else to respond. He wasn't use to someone being so emotional aside from his brother and sister, his sister more so with her nagging and fussing. Hashirama was completely uncharted territory and he couldn't tell him to clamp his mouth shut no matter how much he wanted to.

"Moving forward." Syrus interjected looking over everyone in the meeting room, pride swelled in his chest as she seen his kinsmen with barely contained excitement, that's what he wanted to see. Anticipation for the unknown, passion for their future endeavors, and more importantly ready for anything that was to come their way. "The damiyo has accepted us into his domain." There was a chorus of cheers from both clans as the news spread across the spacious room.

"Alright!" Usagi beamed. "Finally another mission!"

"So the bigwigs finally take notice." Tsugi said with a wolfish smile.

"We will be demonstrating our skills." Hashirama added in a jovial manner, an easy smile on his face. There was another chorus of cheers from their kinsmen.

"So we're fighting?" Hesui asked.

"That's right It'd be just a waste of time if we just went for the minor skirmish." Syrus replied. "There will be four matches in total." He looked to Hashirama to explain further, and the leader of the Senju was all too happy to divulge the information. He rummaged through his pocket pulling out a scroll with sloppy scribbles in a rough bracket shape and unrolled it his eyes tracing over it.

"The first match will be Hesui-san against Syrus-san." He announced.

"I'm fighting against Syrus-sama?" Hesui asked looking at his leader noticing that wolfish smile on his face.

"The second match will be Tobirama against Usagi-san." The two mentioned shared a stare with each other, both challenging the other in silence, and Usagi smiled a wolfish smile.

"So we clash again."

"So it seems."

"The third match will be Haji-san against Tsugi-san." The two friends looked at each other, Tsugi with an easy smirk. He was looking forward to sparring with Haji it had been a good few years and it would be a good test to see how far along he's come in his training. After all, he had a part in his training under the orders of his father.

"And the last match will be Ryoku-san against Osen-san." Ryoku smirked a wolfish grin at the woman seated next to Usagi. Sen was twenty two years old with a slender but shapely build, she had long, flowing black hair that reached her tailbone which she kept in a high ponytail like the rest of her kinsmen. She had tan toned skin with dark brown eyes, she was taller than the average woman standing at five foot eight. She was the leader of the western division. She kept a calm and placid expression though her dark eyes sparked with excitement.

More cheers filled the room and the excitement was palpable. Both leaders stayed up front the second in command at their side. They waited until it quieted down and Syrus spoke. "There will be no ninjutsu, but everything else is fair game." He heard a dejected sigh from Usagi and Hesui but ignored them as he continued. "The damiyo is expecting a good show, and I'm confident we won't let him down."

"Come on we're more than ready!" Usagi said with an easy smile, excitement pushing through her veins as she looked at Tobirama. Finally they'd be able to spar and prove who was the superior swordsman between them. Last time it ended in a tie, however this time it was going to be different. "When do we get to leave?" She asked barely holding her excitement in, it took all of her willpower to stay seated like everyone else and not jump up and start dancing. It was about time she got a piece of action and not stay back at the compound taking care of paperwork or battle strategies, she didn't mind, but it could get so boring!

"We'll be leaving tomorrow." Hashirama answered with equal excitement.