The morning sun was just peeking above the far blue mountain range, though weak through the heavy gray clouds that obscured most of the sky. Spring was always like this, in this part of the Land of Fire.

Hashirama Senju was standing his brother Tobirama, both of their backs facing the tall wooden gates behind them, the main entrance into The Village Hidden in the Leaves. The morning was wet, and the constant drizzle threatened to soak through their warm clothes, but neither seemed bothered. Their clothes, while of fine quality, were already worn from years of wear.

They were determined It was going to be a good day despite his experience telling him to be wary of good things.

It would have been rather comedic for any other ninja to see them hanging around like wet cats instead of using a jutsu to avoid the hassle. Hashirama smiled as he watched Tobirama's brush raindrops out of his white hair, ignoring the fact it was plastered to the metal headband he always wore and did nothing. He shook his own hair, tossing the drizzle off, glancing back to the gates behind them.

Hashirama noted it with a pang that their deceased mother had given it to him. It's no mystery why some of his worst memories tended to bubble up during these moments.

As the older brother, Hashirama glanced towards his junior sibling. It was half instinct, half concern. Tobirama rarely was the type to fidget, the more serious and calm of the two. But today he was worried. His dark eyes, a rare sort of purple that leaned towards crimson were busy scanning the area, deep rivets from lack of sleep appearing. A clear sign of worry. Another glance back to the gate also revealed distrust of the guard there. Not surprising, Hashirama noted, an Uchiha.

But Hashirama did not break his own, constant look of contentment, a marked contrast to the near-permanent frown etched on his younger brother.
It would have been better for them to wait inside the makeshift gates, but at heart, they were still two boys with no patience.

Exactly how long had it been? Five years? No, far longer. He tilted his head, musing about other things. It had been years since they had spoken face to face.

Nine years, seven months, three weeks, two days and eight hours.

Nine enduring years since they had been forced to leave their young sister in the care of their allies and cousins, the Uzumaki Clan. Five years since he had turned away as she watched him leave her at the gates of The Village Hidden in the Whirlpools.

The memory of her angry face gazing at him was burned into his mind. Guilt filled him, but was kept in check was a necessity. The shinobi world was no place for her.

He wrote what he could but it was still not enough, and even Tobirama's ability to communicate was limited in the same manner. Too much was at risk, their enemies numerous, to send more. It was a miracle enemy clan had never intercepted a letter or gained intelligence of the last Senju sibling. There could be no indication she existed, no direct link to them, or no doubt she would be kidnapped and suffer a horrible fate. With two of the three Senju siblings dead, he didn't dare take a misstep or reveal her to an enemy clan.

Even with the few messages they had managed to exchange, it was impossible to know who their sister had become.

If she would like the village they had made.

But with the treaty between the Uchiha and Senju firm, The Village Hidden in the Leaves created, nothing was stopping him from bringing his sister home for good. Perhaps he was mature enough to admit that he had delayed this reunion. To tear her away from her life in Village Hidden in the Whirlpools was risky, even if she wrote that she was desperate to be with them again. Stability was a precious thing.

It continued to drizzle which didn't help his anxiety. Another memory surfaced of his sister, in the rain, and he thrust it away fiercely from his mind. He needed to focus on something positive.

"Do you think the weather is a good or bad omen?" Tobirama raised a brow.

"I hadn't thought of it." He answered without a thought. "But rain doesn't do any favors when a man is drowning." Hashirarma put a hand on his waist, adjusting his sandals in the wet grass, blades sticking uncomfortably to his skin.

"In drought it does."

"We don't have droughts this far east." Tobirama just shook his head, too bothered by other thoughts to give a real answer. His real worries surfaced in his next query.

"Ten years?" Tobirama questioned quietly, turning to him and wiping the rain off his metal forehead guard, eyes flashing as if was remembering that day as well. His hair had turned white early in life, giving him a mature visage to match his stern personality, but preferred a less visible role. He liked his brother as the figurehead and working under his guidance. It left him time to do his pet projects- adding stability and organization to the village.

"Yes, about that, minus a few months."

Once again Hashirama smiled at him, pointing his dark eyes to the silent, misty forest.

Was the convoy late, or was he just overly nervous?

He went over every possible aspect that could have gone wrong. Robbers, poor villagers desperate for supplies, or worst, enemy clans. He had hoped the quick pace and short route would help them, but he could so clearly see the cracks in his plan.

He wanted the long-awaited family reunion to be special, as it had been too long since the remaining Senju family was complete. The Village was completed. But the Uzumaki had insisted it would be safer and less flashy for them to bring her.

He was such a fool.

Why did he put his sister's fate in someone else's hands?

That dark moment in the rain gave Hashirama time to wonder, grimly, how Madara Uchiha was doing trying to convince the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to support their village. Everything a clan head did was noted, and he knew Madara was not a patient man when it came to negotiation.

But Hashirama was beginning to think he wasn't either. He did try, at least. He hoped Madara was doing well.

Tobirama put a hand on his shoulder, clearly able to see his own distress.

"Perhaps we should call her Sayurimaru," Tobirama said, the humor thick in his voice despite a deceptive stoic face."Since that's what the Uzumaki clan have been calling her."

Hashirama grinned at his sister's nickname, chuckling.

"Lily spirit? It seems they have her spoiled!" Hashirama joked, feeling lighter. Tobirama looked as if there was nothing more ridiculous in the world, and Hashirama had to admit it was fairly fantastical. The name was very strange. Their young sister, a feisty, angry little girl that rarely took baths and liked sharp knives did not match the image of mystical beauty.

"They say," Tobirama continued, with only the slightest quirk on his lips, "That Sayuriama is a heavenly beauty. That even the spirit of beauty in the next world bows for her." Hashirama couldn't help but break into hard laughter. For the first time, a bit of sunlight peaked through the clouds.

"Heavenly? Little Sayuriama?"

Tobirama puffed as he thought of the mischievous little brat of a sister. Hashirama grinned and nodded with him. It was a strange thought. It would be more as if her playful personality would tire the spirits so they would collapse from exhaustion.

"Apparently the Gods replaced battle skill with an absurd amount of beauty. That's what the Uzumaki letter was referring too, anyhow." Tobirama finally cracked a real smile, the red marks on his face stretching into a softer look. "Which may be true, if she did turn out pretty."

"When you said beauty before, I thought that they were sending her ghost. But if the letter said that, then maybe they're actually sending her." It was a long-running joke between the brothers (though no one else in the Senju clan would ever dare join in) that Sayuriama Senju had about zero ability for fighting, since childhood. She couldn't even run in a straight line, as more often than not she'd trip before the third step. She was really, quite bad at anything to do with fighting. She had almost managed to take them out. As an accident. After one particular incident including expensive porcelain and a few fires, the clan had been ordered by his Father to not her near any form of dangerous material.

It caused chuckles through the Senju halls after the initial devastation was dealt with, and most of the clan was still fond of her thanks to that same spirit often brought happiness as well. What she lacked in ability, she made up in spirit. Her few letters were full of life, teasing them in a manner no one would.

Regardless of the constant teasing, there were few people held higher esteem in the Senju brothers' eyes than the precious Senju sister.

Wait.

There. Both brothers head jumped up, long before they saw the group. Three more minutes and they caught the flicker of movement, behind the treeline.

A few moments later they saw the first brown horse burst from the tree line, followed closely by other horses forming in a tight formation.

Even the battle-hardened heart of the Tobirama Senju seemed to quiver, as if in terrible anticipation. A strange wave of apprehension struck Hashirama, a twinge of pain. But it quickly passed into memory.

Turning to Tobirama he noticed that his frown had finally abated into a mildly more genial look of relief. Both the experienced shinobi were showing immature signs of long stifled emotions being brought to the surface. Hashirama's hands were behind his back attempting to keep the slight shaking from being too apparent.

Tobirama crossed his arms, looking at the encroaching group.

All the falcons, the distractions were cast aside in happiness.

Even the extra expense of using Uchiha falcons, crafty as they were, did not quell a shinobi's innate caution.

Hashirama did not trust himself to do any ninjutsu, for fear his enthusiasm would break open the earth and trees would erupt where they ought not to be. They both decided not to use any ninjutsu, and to wait in the cold morning rain, so they wouldn't attract very much attention.

But to go unnoticed entirely was a far too great a hope.

The brothers might have been more concerned if they paid enough attention to note the sentry was an Uchiha who was very interested in what they were saying. Capable of using the Sharingan and reading lips, young Hayo Uchiha's world was about to be changed.

-X-

A morning shift on top of the great wood wall, standing in the pouring rain, was not a desirable post. Hayo had audible grumbled receiving it, and his mother had smacked him for it.

Young, good-looking, and capable in battle, no non-Uchiha would think him any different than any in his clan. But he was different. He was excitable. He liked the other clans, making new friends, and the village to an embarrassing degree. Where another Uchiha would be mostly attempting to figure out how to use this new information to advance the clan, he was just excited to be alive.

"Perhaps if you settled down with a nice young Uchiha girl instead of making eyes with those other hussies, you'd get better." She said with no small degree of venom. Ungrateful matron.

It wasn't his fault that the Uchiha women were stiff, unfriendly and unwilling to laugh. But the women from other clans. Wow-ee. The day the Clan started building in their part of the compound, he had fallen in love with about fifteen beauties of all shapes and sizes. And they liked him back, enjoyed smiling and giggling. It was amazing.

And on normal days the gate was a great place to gaze at them, occasionally adding to those numbers.

But not today. It was too early, and the rain would scare away any admirer who would normally venture his way.

So Hayo began the dreadful morning shift grumpy, and wet. He leaned as gracefully as he could against a wooden pillar, in a typical Uchiha stance. He had decided that staying under the thick wooden veranda would give him a better view anyhow.

The Clan Leader would want to know why Hashirama Senju was standing in the rain, this early in the morning. Hayo was just bored and curious enough to dare tune in. After all, he was very good at lip reading, it was the Uchiha specialty.

What were the Senju planning?

This was very unusual behavior for even the Senju, and so, he couldn't help but activate his Sharingan. This was just the beginning of the day's surprises.

Sister. The Senju Sister. A beauty among beauties, a princess among warrior-gods. Could it be real? But his eyes, the Uchiha eyes, never lied. And they didn't come here to greet returning people unless they were worried about them or were someone of great importance. But to have both...

It was a family reunion, he quickly discerned. And he, Hayo Uchiha, had front row seating!

He saw the rush of Chakra in Tobirama Senju, the larger than average smile Hashirama Senju had as a group approached.

Hayo continued to watch, even more, curious to the horses emblazoned with the Uzumaki crest paused. With his Sharingan activated he hung onto every word, surprised by the news.

This was shocking.

When the clans had still been at war, the Uchiha had mused at the idea of more dangerous Senju's, but there had never been clear evidence or a way to prove such speculation. How had the Uchiha Clan never uncovered this new bit of information? They had far better spies than the brash Senju Clan.

With Madara visiting the Lord of the Land of Fire the timing was suspicious at best. And ninja didn't believe in coincidences. Hayo was not high in the Uchiha ranks, but the clan had chosen him as a notable member, despite his young age. He even occasionally helped the Clan Leader, assisting him in his duties. Even if the older man disliked any help, finding it highly offensive.

But that was Madara Uchiha. The Uchiha Clan had changed dramatically since the death of Izuna, that was certain. The Clan Leader was still shaken by his brother's death, and the clan members knew it. Policies slipped past him, as did positions in the Village.

They wanted their old Clan Leader back, but he didn't seem to fit with this new version of living. To live shoulder to shoulder with other clans, to have his greatest enemies be touted as new friends. Well, Hayo didn't think too poorly of Lord Madara having a difficult time finding his footing.

Perhaps this could be used for the Uchiha's advantage.

Hayo walked forward across the walk to get a better look at the approaching clan. Previously smudged dots in the rain, they were clear to see. They were on horses but the gait was casual now, and they seemed to be in good shape. The dark blue cloaks embroidered with the orange symbol of the Land of Whirlpools kept them shielded.

There were five in the group, two women in the middle of three men.

Hashirama performed a hand sign. Wood shot out from the ground and the company had a temporary shelter over the top of them.

Hayo looked in admiration, glad the war was over- the Lord Hashirama was amazing. One sign and he made a virtual veranda, and with no obvious effort, or chakra expenditure. As a matter of fact, most of the figures had excellent chakra.

Save one.

The Uzumaki group and the brothers came together, and after a quick recognition test, came forward. They exchanged greetings and such, then they dismounted the tired-looking horses. The Uzumaki group took off their thick cloaks, and Hayo noticed all but one had the signature flaming red hair.

He turned off his Sharingan to gave at the smallest figure.

But it was that one with no chakra that caught his attention and held it.

-X-

The hood slipped carelessly off the head of the young woman, rich dark hair spilling around her shoulders. She gazed down, lashes fluttering as she took in the men before her.

Hashirama's mouth dropped open, a strangled sound escaping. Tobirama's arms tightened, mouth clenching. It was not an unfair reaction, more controlled than most.

Her mouth twitched, either in anger or discomfort, and she cleared her throat. She turned, ready to dismount, but suddenly slipped.

Though her initial dismount was rough, she was saved as both brothers flashed forward, Hashirama reaching her first. He helped her to the soft ground, but instead of standing tall she slipped again, barely caught by the brothers, each holding a shoulder.

Hashirama watched as the glimmer of tears appeared in his wide eyes, racing down her face. She swiftly turned, catching them both in a large hug. Her grin lit up the morning, and if by cue, a sunbeam pierced the cloudy day, hitting them, her face suddenly spotlighted.

As the sunlight shone, the brothers had made similar discoveries and deductions.

Sayuriama thick hair was similar to Hashirama's color, but had a shine and flow that he never would hope to achieve. That same glorious hair was framing a slightly wet face, pale as Tobirama. The heart-shaped face gave a cheeky grin as if caught saying something a bit sassy.

Her violet eyes teased at purple, something in-between blue and red. They were exactly set in her heart-shaped face, framed by thick lashes that were untouched by soot or makeup which would have been dripping off her face. Generous lips grinned, creating the most adorable dimpled smile, below a perfect nose. A swan neck held up her exquisite face, the thick cloak sliding down to reveal narrow shoulders. She had no blemishes, no scars, nor were her features irregular or misaligned in any way. In a world of battle scars and disfigurements, she was a goddess.

Everything was set in perfection, like a master painter's ultimate study of perfection, personified in a tangible young woman, a spirit who had a smile just a touch too sly for the good of others.

In a world where the constant war had taken them all and spit them back out, leaving them with so many shortcomings and physical injuries, she seemed unearthly.

But she was real, looks explainable. Her eyes were the same as their mother's, the rare variation of her clans' red ones. Not only her eyes she shared with their mother, but her chin was dainty, cheeks defined softly. Her nose was what Hashirama might have aspired to be if he hadn't been hit in the face more times then he could count, and remained on the gentle side.

It was if there was some strange magnetism that compelled them to linger on her features, but it was merely the surprise of such things coming together so well.

The common Senju characteristics that proved her a clan member had meshed and transformed her into the most beautiful woman many had ever seen.

She pulled back, placing a hand over her chest.

"Please tell me, Tobi, that Hashirama has stopped his horrible gambling habit!" She said faking distress, fluttering her eyelashes. Her voice was like smooth honey, on the low side, cultured and silvery.

She was a disaster.

Tobirama must have felt similar, as he gave a slight frown, turning out a forced smile at the pleasant tone. He already knew that plenty of men would be in love with her by the end of the day, only to be spurned by the end of the week.

"How you wound me, younger sister!" Hashirama said, looking a bit stricken this is how she would choose to greet them.

"Of course he hasn't." Tobirama cut across him smoothly. "Reckless as ever."

Sayuriama giggled.

Uzumaki Clan members looked on in relief. This girl wasn't their responsibility anymore. The leader of the mission, the old man of the group, about died in peace right then. This perfectly contrasted the worry that was just beginning to dawn on the brothers. Despite being excellent shinobi, they were not quite sure how to handle this.

They knew that the Senju sister must have been a surprise. Every single person thought that they wouldn't be shocked at her beauty. Without fail, they were. No doubt they would be floored when she was at her best.

And when the village saw her, the Senju brothers would get to fight the marriage proposals, the attempted kidnappings, and fickle moods.

It was like a breath of fresh air not having to protect such a person. One that the brothers would not have for a long time. Sayuriama stepped aside, letting Hashirama move forward to greet the rest of the clan.

Hashirama laughed, perhaps to cover his real thoughts of this unexpected turn of events. As honest as most of the letters the Uzumaki sent had been, he hadn't taken it as seriously as he should have.

The other women, Mito Uzumaki, smiled at the reunited Senju clan. She had enjoyed the time with the silly girl, and had been one of the few earned her respect and confidence of the beautiful Senju sister. Though Mito was travel-worn, she was also lovely, and she gazed fondly at Sayuriama.

Hashirama looked up to Mito, arm around Sayuriama who was beaming at him and Tobirama. Something flickered in his eyes as Mito smiled at him, and he gave a kind grin back. Mito had met Hashirama Senju a few years ago, when their clans united, and he was a budding leader and fighter. She hadn't forgotten how handsome he was. Apparently, he hadn't forgotten her either.

Finally, the old Uzumaki mission leader mentioned something about a chill, and the entire group proceeded into the grand village, passing towards the Senju compounds.

Hashirama attempted to talk business but was getting more flustered by the two women that had suddenly re-entered his life. Sayuriama was leaning between him and Tobirama, clutching their arms intermittently while she walked.

Hashirama knew his world was about to become very different.

He knew it was over when Mito smiled and greeted him, saying that she would be staying as an emissary from Uzushiogakure. She adored Sayuriama, taking her into her family and was very fond of the Senju clan in general.

All of the guards that had come were happily married, and that was one of the biggest reasons they had been chosen. They couldn't risk the pretty Sayuriama into an unmarried, or unhappy clan members. Even married, it had been hard for the happily married men not to stare at her, and when she wanted to get her way they were lucky Mito was there. Sayuriama was practically forced to keep her hood the entire journey, and she was not happy about it either.

She must have noticed Hashirama's attention was on Mito, and she turned to Tobirama who was beginning to look long-suffering but pleased at her approval of the village. He finally smiled back at the silly girl who was so happy to be with them, passing through into this new home.

They passed many temporary residences, tents and weak wooden structures, not many people there as it was still too early for most. The few they did pass abjectly stared in wonder, and Hashirama knew that the entire village would be informed of this young stunning woman before the day was out.

As they got further into the compound Hashirama took it upon himself to enthusiastically showcase the better, more finished structures. When they finally reached the Senju compound Hashirama was filled with pride as Sayuriama sighed in wonder at the unique wooden residence. And that Mito had nodded in approval, clearly impressed.

It was like a strange dream in the misty, rainy morning.

-X-

Later, when the envoy was settled, the family enjoyed a small breakfast in a lovely Senju gathering room. Sayuriama sipped at her tea, covertly looking to Hashirama who was regaling Mito with tales of his recent work. Mito, in turn, seemed a bit entranced at the enthusiasm and attention of the brown-haired man.

Sayuriama shifted on her seat, looking to Tobirama, who seemed content to just relax. He turned to her.

"They'll be no end of trouble." He said, making the girl smile, as was his intention. Sayuriama grinned.

"I missed you, Tobirama." His eyes widened, then his small smile widened into a rare, content one. He put an arm around her shoulder for a moment before letting go. This was what he had wanted, what he had fought so hard and long for.

"Glad you're here."

She smirked cryptically.

"As I, dear older brother."

-X-

Hayo was frozen on the top of the lookout and hadn't moved for most of the morning. He didn't know whether he had been put under a Genjutsu, was seeing a spirit, or a real woman. The redhead women had been attractive, but this Senju girl?

No doubt this was Amaterasu, goddess that shines in heaven, returning to her home. Hayo put a hand through his dark hair, realizing that he was sweating. The Senju Uchiha Alliance had defiantly been a good move for all single Uchiha men.