I can't believe I made it to Chapter 5 and it's not a million months away! Not much to say here. I hope you enjoy this chapter (and my sorry ass attempts to cover all the plot holes I keep developing.) It's snowing like crazy here so that means SAPPY UCHIHA SNOW STORIES! So while you enoy and review this chapter (please?)I'll be writing those:) Many thanks again to all of you supporting this story!

Love~Chi

There was a euphonic rhythm one could find in a sleeping creature's breathing pattern. The body restoring and resting all in one go. A perfect equilibrium of activity and inactivity. Chi stood in the doorway of the new room Zetsu had moved Itachi too for his recovery. It had taken approximately ten hours after Itachi went under for his surgery to finally come to a close. He was still hooked to his IV for hydration but everything else had been removed. The room was silent save for Itachi's subtle breathing. Chi felt her way along the rough stone walls following the curve of the room until she sensed his bed that had been pushed against the wall parallel to the door.

Gently she laid her hands on his chest. In her darkness she let her full lips pull into a smile. A true genuine smile. His chest pushed her hands up then slowly brought them back down. She felt like a little kid discovering some great wonder of the world. The Itachi shifted, startling her for a moment. Her face dropped into it's regular stoicism. She realize he was pulling away from her towards the opposite side of the bed. A breath of hurt welled in her chest before she squashed the sensation.

"Imotou," she had woken him. But his voice, barely audible, rang out clear of the hoarseness sleep usually left the voice. "Ohayo." He chuckled. Chi felt her face fight to split itself from ear to ear.

"Ohayo, aniki." She gave in smiling widely when she felt Itachi's hands lace their fingers between hers. He gave them a tug indicating for her to climb on. Chi's actions were slow, but still fluid as she easily pictured the height of the bed, placement of his IV tube, and his body. Itachi guided her with his hands, tucking her close to the crook of his right arm and shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her securely.

"Ah." Itachi sighed into her hair. A sensation of serenity swept over his bodily demeanor. "Now I understand why I felt so strange." Chi's brow knitted together. She ignored the twinges of pain it cause behind her bandages. She propped her head up on his chest. Itachi, she found, loved to speak in riddles sometimes. She blamed it on his philosophic mentality.

"What are you going on a about?" She snapped in a teasing tone. She briefly pondered in there was a light in the room or not. She assumed not because Itachi's sensitivity towards it. It would be another week before he could take the bandages off. Her cells would speed the healing process up significantly from the average two to three weeks. Herself on the other hand would had nearly a month of total blindness to endure. It would be troublesome but she would work around it for her families needs. Itachi hummed softly causing light vibrations in his chest. It was a nice sound.

"I was just trying to figure out what still felt off. It was this." Chi blushed at the implication. She wonder if people would ever comprehend how profound the simple actions of holding hands, hugging, being so intimately close to another were to living social creatures.

"Slow your roll their lover boy." She laughed quietly. She brought her hand up to his face to feel his expression. She was so...so...she could not explain how she felt.

"Are you in pain?" Itachi asked. His serene expression melted into one of worry beneath her fingertips. Their voiced stayed a hushed whisper. Anything louder and those listening would be able to hear them. They both knew the walls had more than just ears. There was a fragility to the moment they wanted to keep. The restoration of a life that was potentially gouged out by fate to be forgotten by time.

"Not really. You?" It was not a total lie. His body had been through more trauma anyway.

"Just sore at this point." Was the pithy reply. "How's otouto?" Itachi was anxious to be with Sasuke but just as apprehensive about what their younger brother's reaction to his truth would be. He hoped Madara would not twist it beyond what he could fix. Because he was going to fix it. There was a reason he was allowed to live.

"Not in any critical physical state." She chose her words strategically. The bald message was understood. Underneath the glares and blank masks Sasuke had always been the more emotionally extreme of the siblings. "You'll have to recover more before you can go see him. Literally."

"Corny." His smile was back. She desperately wanted to see that smile.

"No shame. Never will be."

"Hn. If there was I'd doubt your authenticity as my wife." He knotted his fingers into her hair. "I owe you everything, Chi."

"No. All you owe me is you properly living your life." She stated with a solemnity the baid no room for retaliation.

'Too stubborn.' He laughed, vaguely reminded of their mother when she used to scold Fugaku for being reckless on a mission or thick headed when handling a case.

"Damn straight." She nodded firmly in his grasp, her hair giving a tug against his fingers. His laughter was perfection to her ears. If she had eyes she would have rolled them at her own mushiness.

"How cute! You guys are like three blind mice!" How had they not noticed Zetsu?! Had he been there the whole time? It was probably more to do with the fact that the hide out was more then saturated with the other ninja's chakra. It became a constant that one could easily become numb to if enough time was spent exposed to it.

"Sasuke isn't blind yet." The black half huffed out gruffly.

"Yeah but it won't be long now till he is!" The couple hear the black half mutter insults while the white half continued on speaking cheerfully. "Madara-sama wanted us to tell you he will be leaving soon before you two recover. He won't be back for a while either." That did not sit right with either of the seasoned shinobi.

'Why would he tell us?'

'Where could he possibly be...' the couple turned to each, assuming the position of their faces, with equal foreboding written across their faces.

"Sasuke."

Tsunade was not sure how much more of this she could take. She was nearly fifty four. Half a century or so years old and very few of them had been kind to her. Now she sat at her desk, the very desk her grandfather, great uncle, and sensei had also lead the great Village Hidden in the Leaves. She was proud of her village but...it never stopped hurting to tuck another death under her belt.

"You fool." she croaked staring at the grinning photo of her former teammate. "You DAMN IDIOT!" Her tears flowed fast dripping quietly onto the paper below. She was not sure if she was talking to herself or to Jiraiya at this point. The ink ran a bit where the saline liquid. She knew she would have to redo it but it didn't matter. Her fingertips ran over his image. He was still so full of life. She reached over to the jug of sake at the edge of her desk and poured herself a generous cupful. Her generation was dying out. There was hardly anyone left she could remember alive. With wobbly legs Tsunade pushed herself up from her desk with a two ton sigh. This blow was still too fresh for her to just shut it away. She allowed herself a small broken laugh at the memory of Orochimaru yelling at her for crying over all the deaths they endured when they were still starting genin. He always lost his patience quickly but still tried with Jiraiya to cheer her up. Neither of them were around now though. Tsunade looked over the village she had inherited. It was lit up in the cool winter air. Konoha had very mild winters, with rare snowfalls. She hoped for one this year. The land needed refreshing. There was too much blood soak, caked, saturated into the earth around her.

Tsunade turned on the ball of her foot sharply walking quickly to a filing cabinet across the room. She the lowest draw out, then dug out a big bound book. It's leaf green cover was worn around the edges. There were coffee stains, ink spills, numerous little marrs littered the book. IN the cent was beautiful calligraphy that read: Memories.

"Maybe we're all a bunch of idiots." Tsunade murmured smiling beside herself as she flipped the photo album open to reveal snap shots of her and her grandfather. The grinning faces of Jiraya with Orochimaru at their Chunin exams. The pain was not going to go away anytime soon. She was sure she would cry for a little while long. She knew she would need more time alone. But she was not fragile. She was the leader of a strong independent village. The knock at her door reminded of her that.

With yet another sigh she hide the album back under the many files that concealed it. She worked the tightness from her cheekbones and jaw striding back to her desk.

"Enter!" She ordered after clearing her throat of the earlier flemmy anguish. She sat in she chair turning her back just as she caught Kakashi closing the door behind him. It was something little that would give her time to collect herself. She was grateful to the younger shinobi. He knew was it was like to mourn.

"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi bowed low. "I have news." She could feel him waiting. "It concerns the Uchihas and the woman named Chi." Tsunade's eyebrows drew in.

"What is it?" The young kunoichi had been working among her medical-nin staff for every since she had become Hokage. Placing a temporary henge over her face she turned to Kakashi. He recognized the signs of the henge but made no comment.

"She and her brothers wish speak with you on the subject of reinstating the Uchiha Clan as Konohagakure Shinobi."

"But...they were all killed and Sasuke is still rogue. Kakashi how long have you known about this!" Kakashi watch Tsunade's face set into a grim mask. He was treading turbulent waters. If he was not careful...

"I only just received the letter." He kept his composure calm, "I am Chi's guardian so I have always known about her surname." Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She stood walking back over to the filing cabinet she was at earlier, opening one of the upper drawers. Kakashi watched warily from the corner of his eye. She walked back with two files marked "Uchiha Chi" and "Chi".

"It would seem...there are still loose ends I need tie up." Kakashi looked down at the two files. He pulled his book out then cracked it open to the page he had tucked Chi's letter and handed it over to his leader.

"Tsunade-sama." his voice was soft, gentle. The blond looked up taking the letter but he held on to it for a moment. "We all loved him. No one can ever forget someone like Jiraiya-sama." Tsunade gave a small smile and a nod. Kakashi let go of the letter bowed then disappeared through the window in his customary style. Tsunade let her henge drop. With it went the last of her energy. She had almost forgotten how hefty it was to lose someone. Her shoulders slumped.

"Sarutobi-sensei...how did you manage this for so long." She tucked the newly removed files as well as Jiraiya's information under some other piles of paper work. She would handle all of that tomorrow. Because she had a tomorrow. Her movements were lethargic as she turned off the lights in her office then silently made her way down the darkened hallways of the tower out into the open air.

Sasuke stared at the masked man he now called Madara. He was nothing like the idiot he had met with Deidara. HIs memories of the guys was vague anyway. He mulled over the words the man had just spoken.

"We are relocating."

"When?" Sasuke's injuries had healed enough for him to dress himself. He assumed it had been at minimum a week give or take a day since the battle by the progression of his healing

"Today." Surreptitiously Obito gave Sasuke a look up and down. The boy had no idea is was less than three days. Chi's healing abilities never ceased to amaze him. "You comrades will be going with us." Sasuke stare back at him. He was not really focusing on Obito. He was thinking more on all the memories that had been dredged up with Itachi's death.

"Fine." He picked up his one belonging, his sword. "Let's go."