Uncle Butsuma's death was a shock for everyone. Even though Hashirama had been appointed as the new head of the clan, the fighting had ceased, excluding some minor sporadic confrontations, which he seemed adamant on ignoring, since there were no casualties. Even though Hanami's cousins had lost their father, they did not seem distressed, but rather maintained a calm and composed temperament. It had been a good thing that Butsuma had managed to kill Tajima before his own death, or else the Uchiha would have seized the opportunity and another strike would be guaranteed. The premature end of the war was a convenience for Hanami and the rest of the medical team. She had managed to thoroughly treat all the patients that she had laid her hands on, attending to their every need and was pleased to see that the infirmary's occupants were clearing up. Touka's wounds had healed as well, allowing her to return to training.

It was very pleasant for Hanami to be able to spend some time to rest. One of her favorite past-times was lying in a hammock which she had tied in two of the many sakura trees in front of her house. She lied there and either read a book or would kneel in front of the trees to play her shamisen. Her mother would have positively scolded her seeing her playing the instrument lying on the dirt, but Hanami did not play for show but rather the music itself. She remembered how her mother would cradle her in the very same hammock, and they would nap together alongside Touka during summer afternoons. Even though she was spending her days drifting in thoughts, the sadness of her uncle's passing could not escape her. Moreover, she couldn't help but wonder how the Uchiha were facing an identical situation, having to bury their leader as well. The fighters of the clan were wary of Tajima's death. They claimed that the Uchiha's newest casualty was bound to make the two brothers' eyes stronger and the fact that Madara was surely the next clan leader was also a big concern for the higherups.

One thought that stayed persistently on her head was why Tobirama had insisted she would be the one to go into the front lines. Her talent for medicine had been praised before, however it was a universally known fact that in dire situations, experience beat talent. Fellow Senju clan members seemed to have her in higher regard after the latest battle and that did not escape her attention, neither her sister's. Up until now, older clan members viewed her either as a lost marriage prospect, a defiant spoiled brat that forsook her duties as an undercover kunoichi or both. Thanks to Hashirama and Tobirama though, she had been able to prove her worth beyond her immediate family and the other medical nin, although the question as to why they gave her such a chance at the first place still loomed over her head. She decided to ask one of them, whoever she would come across first, and alas her chance came almost immediately…or rather it was Hashirama who found her lying in her favorite hammock. The moment she saw him, she jumped up and ran directly into his arms. She really adored him and hadn't had the chance to greet him properly after his comeback.

"Nii-sama!" cried Hanami joyfully, jumping into his arms.

"Hanami-chan" exclaimed Hashirama as he gave her a tight hug.

"I am deeply sorry…" Hanami's gaze lowered "I could not save him."

Hashirama smiled gently at his little cousin and patted her head. Although he had been silently mourning his father's death, not once did he accuse Hanami of not saving him.

"No worries Hanami-chan" her cousin spoke softly and reassuringly "it was beyond your powers"

The words that her cousin had spoken were not untrue however they were not enough to comfort her; she reckoned however that those feelings of guilt would pass overtime. Hashirama made his way towards the hammock and sat on it swinging back and forth like a little child. Hanami smiled at the picture, for it reminded her of another fond childhood memory. She decided to join him, sitting next to him so they could swing together.

"I wanted to ask you something" Hashirama declared while they were swinging back and forth

"Me too" Hanami answered him in a serious manner

"What is it?" Hashirama, polite as always, decided to let her speak first

"Why did you bring me out onto the battlefield?" her eyes intense as ever, looking for answers "I was not supposed to be a medic, the others are more experienced and I had never seen combat once in my life. Why bring me out?"

Hashirama sighed.

"Trust" he finally answered her

"Trust?" Hanami raised an eyebrow

"Absolute trust" Hashirama enriched his initial answer "before you became a medic, you were trained for undercover missions. Your focus on the duty at hand has been unmatched Hanami…"

Seeing that she was listening carefully, he continued "…never losing your calm no matter how dire the situation is, I believe this is the first lesson you had learned and…" he smiled warmly "…I knew you believe in us so much, you would even wager your head with the conviction that we would protect you no matter what!"

Hanami's eyes widened and a warm feeling overcame her, making her lightly blush. To her, family was everything and seeing that the bonds she had with the two brothers were able to even turn the tides of the battle, was enough to make her feel slightly better. Who thought that the despised undercover and reconnaissance training she had received would be of such use, in a completely different setting? She smiled at Hashirama, glad that she had asked her question and she vowed to be an asset to everyone.

"Your turn…" Hanami said

Hashirama cleared his throat. They were still swinging on the hammock, this time with a faster rhythm, their body movements completely in sync.

"You met Madara, right?"

The sound of that man's name was enough to disorient Hanami. Losing her balance, she slipped from the hammock's fabric and landed on the dirt below.

"Idiot!" she blurted out in shock "don't bring up shit like that without warning" she said wiping her face from the dirt. Madara seemed to subconsciously have more of an effect on her than she let on.

Hashirama became all gloomy, a habit of his when one was scolding him "…I am so sorry Hanami-chan…" he blurted subserviently "…who knew your potty mouth had gotten worse with spring…". Hanami knew the drill and let out a little chuckle. She found her cousin's mood swings to be adorable, however when reminded of the question she collected herself again.

"I met him…at a riverbank and at the battle again…I am really curious as to why he didn't kill me…" Hanami wondered.

"You are a brave person", Hashirama exclaimed sincerely.

"And you are overexaggerating", was Hanami's solemn answer to her cousin's compliment.

"…you know the first time I met him was at the river bank too…he was my friend once you know…" and just like that her cousin started reminiscing his fun memories with Madara, when they were just two innocent boys, however his musings were stopped short by Hanami's surprised albeit questioning look.

"Friends?" she asked with sincere confusion

"Ah…you didn't know Hana-chi. Well I suppose it was a secret back then" Hashirama proceeded to explain his past, unconventional friendship and the bitter rivalry that stemmed from the fateful encounter of their fathers and brothers, while she was listening to every detail, making sense of her previous incidents with the man. She didn't miss Hashirama's nostalgic undertone

"You know…Madara is a kind person deep down…that is why he did not kill you, he does not believe in senseless killings…and also…" Hashirama narrowed his eyes and dramatically lightened his tone "Look at you! You have become a total babe! Who would let you go to waste?"

"And you are still the same idiot" replied Hanami flatly, giving him a mischievous grin. She loved teasing him and he appreciated her unfiltered attitude.

As she stared into the horizon, she started pondering about the man at the opposite side of the river…she had been terrified of him, however contrary to all indications, he was also human and he must have been hurting for his father, just like her beloved Nii-sama who was sitting right beside her.

"Madara." Izuna approached his brother who was training his falcon at the top of the cliffside that loomed over the Uchiha settlement. He always enjoyed training birds more than the children, his brother had noted. Madara's falcon lied on his gloved forearm and he turned to face his brother. He immediately knew what his visit was all about; another council meeting was about to take place and Madara's presence was required. Plenty of things had been bothering the brothers, other than their father's passing. Hashirama Senju was the head of the clan and their last mission had failed. A silent nod from his older brother was enough for Izuna to start heading towards the headquarters.

Ever since he had become the head of the family, Madara was becoming progressively aloof. He enjoyed the company of birds rather than people, and although the younger Uchiha soldiers idolized him, he would rather train all by himself. Teaching little brats fighting techniques was also out of the question. Izuna had anticipated such a turn of character. Not only was the council a nuisance with their paleolithic ways, they were now trying to push him a bride, a prospect that was less than pleasing to his eyes, as he would have preferred to be on the battlefield and lay with whomever he saw fit for the rest of his days. Marrying outside the clan was out of the question, especially for his case; one would not want to dilute the bloodline, therefore what was left were plenty of Uchiha maidens who would be more than pleased to have him by their side. Yes…for such a man, the bonds of matrimony were too much of a hassle, and he would be making sure to impose his views onto the council. They had greater things to worry about after all.

Izuna on the other hand was more open to the idea of marriage. For him, taking a wife and continuing the bloodline was just as important as completing missions and one could say he had been a little too excited for such a prospect. He would gladly take that bullet for his brother when he came of age…he was the only person on par with him and when the time came he could be taking the reins of the task that was the continuation of the bloodline.

Madara placed his hawk on his little cage and joined his brother down at the hill.

"You think they are going to try marrying you off to another girl big bro?" mused Izuna

"Not a chance" answered his brother. He did not enjoy activities he had not approved of. That being said…marrying out of love like his parents had – a glorious exception to the ongoing tradition of arranged marriages in the family- would be something he would gladly do, were the chance to ever surface. Such a thought though was something that he would have never admitted to anyone out loud. Not even Izuna. Even though he had made up his mind long ago, it seemed too romantic and idealistic for the world they were living in. Well, there had been an exception; something else he would not have admitted to Izuna. He had told his beliefs on marriage to Hashirama a long time ago, as they were skipping stones by the river and he had wholeheartedly agreed.

"Well, at least we have beautiful women here in the clan. You can't disagree with that. After all I know that at least you like Aiya."

By now, since he knew marriage was a lost cause, Izuna wanted to at least figure his brother's notions about any relationship. That was a difficult task at hand, as Madara was tight with speaking about his personal affairs. He remembered when he learned about his brother's "first time" approximately a year after it had happened and that was completely by chance. On the other hand, he was quick to inform Madara about his own personal exploits, something that in his mind was completely unfair. He had figured that mentioning Aiya would be a good start as he had tangible evidence that she had been with him.

"She is ok." Madara said flatly. It was true that the widow was known for her poise amongst the clan and on top of it she was beautiful as well, but it was not like she had touched his heart in any outstanding way nor did he think that it was also the other way around.

Izuna frowned. That was not the answer he had hoped for and instead of trying to further implore about Madara's personal life, his tone became more aggressive

"You do realize that we are lucky. All those years I have not seen more beautiful girls rather than our own. Did you see the Senju women the other day? Would you rather have one of them? They were all ugly, dirtied wenches."

Despite the clear bias in Izuna's tone, a certain someone came into Madara's head. A month had passed since their last encounter and due to the rapid turn of events he hadn't had the time to process meeting her again. If Izuna had seen the girl at the river, with her bewildering attitude, aethereal appearance and the most expressive eyes he had ever seen, well, he wouldn't be having the same opinions. When he realized what he had been pondering about, he forced himself to abruptly stop. For one, his brother had started looking at him intently due to the prolonged silence that followed his rhetoric questions and secondly, they had arrived at the headquarters.

The meeting had been long, boring and pointless. The elders were wary of their leader's young of age and were less than pleased to have him assert himself in most of their decisions. The matter of matrimony was also stalled indefinitely. Madara had made sure of that. By the time the meeting was over, it was already nightfall and he headed home with his little brother. He went back to his room while Izuna apparently had a "secret meeting" with a "friend".

As he was lying flat on his back, he thought of the conversation he had with his brother…and how he immediately thought of her. He was not sure as to how or why her presence had managed to linger onto him so persistently, but he pictured her again at that riverbank, wearing her wide shinobi garb. Only this time as she was looking at him belligerently, he leaned in front of her and ripped her yukata open, exposing her slim waistline and perky breasts. She started blushing, the same way she did when he first saw her at that river. Reaching for her pants, he got rid of them as fast as possible. Without further thinking he had immersed himself in fantasizing about her again, letting himself go and imagining all the things he wanted to do to her, while slowly stroking himself. The notion of her succumbing to him, her intense look softening with lust, her wetness dripping down her thighs and him laying her down to have his way with her was enough for him to harden. He tightened the grip of his hand as he thought of her spreading her legs for him and caressing his length with her warmth and wetness. He let a low groan from the pleasure and imagined her calling his name while he was thrusting furiously into her. Abruptly, she gave him a light push with her leg, and withdrew herself from him, her mismatched eyes having a mischievous glimmer as she was trying to place herself on top of him. He didn't let her have her way. He was nearing his climax when he decided he would have her behave and place her in all fours, her dripping wet all for his taking.

That last act of the finale in his head was enough for a powerful release that had him exhausted, dizzy and confused afterwards. He did not know what was wrong with him, setting up a whole fantasy in his head where he was fucking a woman who was the enemy's kin, but now he was sure of one thing: he wanted to dominate her. He wanted to see that proud look change and start searching for him, to be looking at him shamelessly with pleasure. Perhaps the fact that she was of the clan of his archrival was where all the sweetness lied. Amongst the Uchiha girls and the allied clans he could have anyone he wanted…but the Senju girl was a different story. He would have to work hard to get her and it would be unattainable perhaps, to have her look at him the way he had just fantasized about. Deep down that daydream was not realistically possible and she probably also disliked him. No, disliked was a mild word. The girl probably loathed him. He had placed her in an illusion and shortly after he had attacked her comrades. Not to mention that she was the enemy. Given the circumstances, were he to encounter her again, he was inclined to kill her.

That day at the river she was almost bare, and he solemnly decided that that would be the most would ever see of her body. Knowing the Senju, he bitterly came to the realization that she would be soon married off and someone else would be seeing her the way he was daydreaming about. She probably had already been with someone as well, as he knew that the Senju were looser in sexual relations than his clan. He bit his lip in frustration at the thought that someone else had caressed her and even frowned at the thought that that man could even be Hashirama who was protecting her so diligently the other day. Madara paused for a second…he didn't even know her name. Per Senju customs she must have been named after some type of flower he thought and slightly smiled at how fitting that would be for her.

**Author's comments**

Hello! Hope y'all are doing well! First and foremost-I hope you are staying safe with the pandemic, quarantine, social unrest happening. On a second note: thank you for the reviews, favs, follows. Really encouraging!

I was on vacation, hence the late update but here is the longest chapter I have ever written for this story which ends on a really **spicy** note (hehe), to make up for my absence. I have written before that I am uncomfortable with depicting underaged people in sexual situations, but I figured that since this is in Madara's head, they have a two-three year age gap and he fantasizes that the whole thing is consensual, it is going to be fiiiine.

Some notes from the story.

1. Madara is oblivious to the fact that Hanami and Hashirama (& Tobirama) are in fact closely related and that they have a sibling like bond. This is just part of his jealousy of Hanami being with another (Senju) dude. It would be a huge L for him if that dude was in fact Hashi.

2. He has not really fallen in love with her, but he has 1000% fallen in lust with her and is intrigued by her whole...being I guess. He decides to let those feelings aside (somewhat) until further notice (hehe).

3. If we take into account Touka's name, I have this headcanon that the Senju named their girls after flowers which is super cute. Kishimoto had also thought of making Sakura a Senju as well so I guess it kinda fits. The sakura trees in front of Hanami's house are also somewhat symbolic as my character serves as a foil to Sakura.

4. It is in my goals to have Hanami be an empath-someone who can understand people's feelings and process them correctly. That is why she starts thinking about the Uchiha side when talking to Hashirama (another empath). Per this arrangement I don't think that Hanami hates Madara or any other Uchiha-she has a good understanding of human nature so it is hard for her to absolutely and blindly despise anybody. Her empathy is going to play a much bigger role in future chapters, if the course of the story goes as I had initially planned!

If the story goes as I have planned it right now, we might have a little timeskip next chapter but I can't promise anything.

See you next time,

xoxo CS