The next morning, the unified group met together in the center of camp. From Mimei, to Kakashi and Gai, to Neji and Hanabi, to Aoi and the small delegation of traitor soldiers with them, and finally to the group from Morino, everyone sat together to discuss the invasion.

Daitan, as the de facto leader of Morino, stood before them all. Her eyes were tired, yet determined, and even though they drooped with exhaustion and her hair was messily braided over her shoulder, her determination to speak was strong as she clasped a familiar necklace in her hand.

"My friends, today I stand before you not as a civilian, but as a leader." Her light eyes scanned the crowd of serious faces. "Before this year, Morino was known as a peaceful place. It was a place of hope, a place of happiness, one that I was proud to call my home. Her people had hopes, dreams, and lives."

"But as I stand before you, my home has been broken." She looked around the group. "Shattered beyond repair. Her people have been hurt, killed, tortured…" She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, gripping the necklace tighter. "But as we lay there, defeated and wounded, a glimmer of hope came to us in the form of Mimei."

She opened her hand and showed the emerald on the string, tenderly cradled in her palm. "With Mimei came a renewed vigor that I'm blessed to have witnessed firsthand in my people. It's something I haven't seen since the death of my family, and especially after the death of my father. For the first time, I was confident I could help lead my village towards a brighter tomorrow."

Then her eyes darkened, and her hand dropped. "And just when we were getting used to the swing of things, once more the darkness struck. It was like a rug was pulled out from under our feet, and just like that, we were back on the ground, broken and battered. Had it not been for Mimei, I don't think we would have survived."

"Someone dear once told me that if we can't be united under the darkness, we stand no chance in the sunshine." She paused to swallow past the lump in her throat and blinked the tears away. "If we cannot unite now, we hold no chance of relieving others from the oppressive Uchiha rule. We must avenge our fallen the only way we know how: through a peaceful tomorrow."

She took another breath, clenching the necklace again. "Only then can we…" she rubbed her eyes and sniffled. "Only then can we truly make a world they would have… been happy to see."

Tsunade was at her side when the first tears spilled down her cheeks, and she gave her a watery smile as she went back to her spot. As soon as she sat down, Aika rubbed her back and gave her a thumbs-up.

For a brief moment, she could have sworn she heard a whisper in the breeze, tickling her wet cheeks and rustling through her bangs. "I'll be at your side, always."

"Thank you for the speech, Akiyama-san." Tsunade gave her a gentle look before turning to the others. "If I hear no objections, I delegate Morino to stand with the Hyuugas in the square. You two will be responsible for keeping the soldiers at bay while ensuring as many civilians as possible can leave."

Both Neji and Hanabi nodded firmly, and although there were some rumblings through the group, Daitan nodded her assent as well.

"Kakashi, Gai," She nodded to the two of them. "Your men will be in charge of getting us inside. Back door, front door, wherever you need to, whatever the best way is, that's where you'll take us."

"Yes ma'am," they chorused.

"And finally, for the rest of us," she nodded to Rin and Shizune, "Our main directive will be dealing with… Madara," she wrinkled up her nose at the name, "and then getting Sakura out of there as quickly as possible and taking care of the Uchiha royal family. If we come across Naruto and manage to convince him to come with us, then we shall."

Ino glanced at Hinata and slowly raised her hand.

"Yes." Tsunade pointed at her.

"Um… what about Sasuke?" She hesitantly questioned.

Tsunade was quiet for several long moments, looking into her face with an unreadable expression.

Finally, she dropped her hand. "If by chance we come across him… and if by chance Sakura desires so… I suppose the council can discuss it before tomorrow."


"It's perfect," Mikoto exclaimed happily as she and Shien both admired the dress in the full-length mirror.

Shien turned this way and that, craning her neck to see its soft folds from different angles. It was just as soft as the night of her engagement ceremony, and she couldn't stop the giddy smile on her face when she thought of wearing it for real soon.

She did a full turn and giggled softly at the way it fanned out with her movements, and as she came to a stop, she noticed Mikoto smiling softly at her.

"You remind me of myself, decades ago," she commented fondly. "I was just as excited as you were."

"How did you keep yourself from succumbing to your nerves?" Shien questioned as she began to undo the sash at her waist. "I feel like I'm a moment away from a panic attack at all times."

"A lot of prayer to the gods," she mused. "Prayer, tea, and meditation. Once or twice, I revived my chakra bond with Fugaku, just to see if it would calm me."

"And?" Shien pried, eyes wide.

"It did do me some good," the older woman revealed with a soft laugh, helping her step out of the gown. "I think it did more for him than it did me - he was more nervous than I was!"

The rosette tried to smile as she thought of Sasuke. He'd been wracked with nervous energy these past couple of days, yet she just couldn't find the right moment to speak with him - he always seemed locked in his room with that tome of forbidden jutsu. It worried her more than she could say - just what on earth was he attempting to do? More than once or twice, she'd felt a horrible pull on her chakra, and when she investigated, Naruto explained in hushed tones that Sasuke was attempting a dangerous technique that required total privacy. More than once or twice, she'd noticed a pile of ash on the ground in his room, along with a frustrated scrawl on a page in the tome - ATTEMPT FAIL.

A gentle hand on her arm made her take pause in putting on her dress again. She looked up quizzically only to see Mikoto gesture to where a maid was setting a steaming kettle of tea on the table, along with two cups.

"Chamomile soothes the nerves," she recited with a wink. "How about a tea break before going through the rest of the itinerary for tomorrow?"

Shien pulled up her skirts and nodded. "That sounds amazing."