Chapter 39 | The Death of Kings IV

Nishiki grinned.

Shin picked up his rice bowl and started to shovel rice into his mouth. He mirrored the man's smile after setting the empty bowl aside.

"What is your purpose here, Shinya?" asked Nishiki, moving closer to the seated Kuronuma. "I know you too well to know you do not move without reason."

Shin drank out of Nishiki's mug of tea. "Yes," he confirmed. "I came to scope your defenses." He set it down. "Did you know I practically walked in here? There wasn't a guard in sight. You have gotten arrogant."

"Have you made the right decision in coming here with only a brat at your side?" Nishiki looked up and caught Izuna crouched atop the beams of the ceiling. "Perhaps it is my time to kill you and drag your body through the rivers of Kurata."

"I would like to see you try," Shin challenged in an easy tone. "After all, only one of us can live, and so long as we both remain, brother, the war persists. I want the war to end and you have made a mess of things."

"You and Ayuka made the mess," said Nishiki dismissively. "Gouki and I are cleaning it."

Shin rose from his seat and made his way around to meet the man halfway. He gestured for Izuna to join him and the Uchiha obeyed, dropping down from the ceiling. "So are we," he informed him. "I'll see you in the battlefield."

"Not if death takes you first."

Mio's grandfather let out a bark of laughter as he walked around his brother. "I leave you with the same advice."

Izuna chased after Shin, perplexed by what had occurred in the castle, once they had put a large gap between them. "He is your brother?" he snapped. "That man is your brother?"

"Older brother," Shin answered, "and he's a bastard."

"You tried to kill your brother?"

"We were born into a world where only one of us can live," the Kuronuma replied. "Whichever one of us survives will decide the outcome of this Artifact War and the Time Sphere's line of succession. I attempted against his life because it was my duty as a guardian to protect the artifacts from falling into the wrong hands. Nishiki and Ayuka planned to dismantle the artifacts with the hope of creating a new world where they would rule. And the world would've been a dark one, one you never want to experience."

They were called Saori and Hibari and they were sisters, daughters of the late Ito Tomoji and Sachiyo's charges. Mio was introduced to them when they took a late breakfast. The older sister, Saori, was a demure young woman that minded her manners. She had long, straight brown locks that she wore plaited down her back and a clear set of eyes. Her sister, Hibari, was a head shorter than Saori with a round face and a body that curved unlike her sister's tall, slender physique, and her auburn hair was cut to shoulder length and curled at the ends. She let her sister do all the talking when Mio was around.

After meeting them, Mio had returned to the lake with Kyouya standing close by, watching her as he was ordered. She sat cross-legged on a stone bench with a box of manjū Kana gave her on the way off the property. She offered one to Kyouya before taking one herself to eat. He sat down on the other side of the bench with a shudder as an icy wind swept past them. That morning had been full of buzz as two messages arrived, one from Izuna in which he talked about traveling with her grandfather and that he would remain at his side for an unforeseen amount of time, and the second came from Taiga, requesting that the remaining Uchiha go to the Frost Country as their group encountered Hiryuu's men. Taiga's coded message confirmed that all the Ito and Uchiha had left the Sun Country.

Both messages were two weeks old.

It left Mio wondering what to expect when they arrived and if she was as safe as Madara assured her in the Fire Country with his grandmother. She admitted that there were dozens of shinobi patrolling the countryside and many more prepared for an attack. When she explored the grounds, she found that giant wooden walls had been erected to serve as protection. More buildings had been built as the outer countryside now served as the Uchiha clan's compound and village. With Taiga and Madara working together, most of the clan had been united, which had brought back some semblance of normalcy within the clan, one that all could appreciate. Mio liked to see the unity after having seen it all fall apart and wondered if there would come a time when the whole clan came together. Although, once she considered the thought, she believed it would happen after Hiryuu met his own demise, a prospect that did not seem likely given the Mikazuki's adamancy in protecting him.

"It's freezing," Kyouya said, following a sneeze. He tugged the scarf wrapped around his neck over his reddened nose.

"Hiryuu will come here," she said. She left the Sun Country where Gouki and Ayuka were her tormentors and arrived in the Fire Country where Hiryuu was close enough to take over the job. He had already tried to capture her in the Lightning Country and knew that his failure would not stop him rather it would give him incentive.

"Madara-sama asked for me to bring you here because this is the safest place you can be," Kyouya told her, shivering in his seat.

She looked up into the cloudy sky that warned of oncoming storms. She predicted heavy rainfall by the quality of wind and the state of clouds. She saw they were near full but not yet bursting, but knew that it wouldn't be long before it came. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow. She predicted the gray skies would hold until three days.

Mio closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, the cool air filled her with peace. It wasn't as cold as it would be under the influence of the Climate Sphere like in Mt. Hyōga, but it was enough to remind her of the snow underneath her booted feet.

She was uneasy, her heart was uneasy.

Kyouya jumped to his feet. "I'm starting a fire."

She stopped him before he stalked off to gather branches to burn and walked together with him to Sachiyo's house informing him that she had changed her mind about staying outside. She went upstairs to the room Sachiyo gave her after she was told that her old bedroom was turned into a closet again. She took a seat with her back pressed against the wall and allowed the uneasiness to settle. She took the Time Sphere and pressed it against her face, its cool surface was quick to soothe her.

A knock startled her out of her trance.

"Come in," she called.

The door slid open quietly, Saori peering in. "I apologize for intruding," she said softly, "but Sachiyo-san asked me to call you."

"Did something happen?" she asked, standing up quickly.

Kyouya appeared beside Saori. "Madara-sama's returned."

Mio rushed downstairs and out of the house surprised to see Sachiyo sitting in the verandah with Hibari.

"Did you run down the stairs?" asked Sachiyo, watching her before something caught her eye and she turned away. "Ah, a Kuronuma that is not your grandfather. I forgot others existed."

Mio left the verandah and sprinted towards Takuto, who ran to her with a smile. He drew her into a tight hug. He pulled away and she touched his face, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders knowing that he was in one piece, though he was covered in tiny cuts and bruises.

She felt someone pat her shoulder, turned, and saw Taiga waving in greeting. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead and his left hand.

"We brought Yayoi," said Takuto, moving away to reveal the priestess.

Yayoi shot her a black look and trudged past her with Madara walking close behind. The two continued on ahead.

"What happened?" she asked.

Takuto turned her around, moving her forward. "I'll tell you later."

Mio and Takuto approached Sachiyo and the others. Yayoi stood dejectedly besides Madara after he finished telling her that the priestess would be staying with them indefinitely.

Sachiyo grimaced. "She will be your responsibility," she told him, then turned to Takuto. "What can you do?"

"Medical specialist," he answered politely.

"Are you any good?"

"You won't find anyone better."

Sachiyo nodded. "He will be your responsibility, Mio."

Hibari helped Sachiyo onto her feet before she and her older sister flocked around Yayoi, quick to lead her inside the house.

"There are plenty of empty rooms upstairs for your guests," Sachiyo told them before stepping back in. "Lunch is in an hour."

"Kana!" Taiga shouted on his way into the house.

"Where can I wash up?" asked Takuto. "I have to finish treating Taiga's wounds."

"Around back," she replied.

Takuto excused himself and disappeared around the side of the building as Madara relieved Kyouya of his duties leaving the two alone. She considered slipping away while his back was turned, but he faced her and gestured her to follow with a quick, "We need to talk."

"Talk about what?" she asked defensively.

"This is not the time, Mio," he said. "Come with me."

Madara left his gunbai and pack behind with the exception of a sack he handed to her.

She stared at him oddly as she peeled it open. "What is this?"

"You have Taiga to thank for that."

Something bright caught her eye and she lowered her eyes to see the artifacts Ayuka had stolen and given to Gouki sitting at the bottom of the burlap sack. "How did he—?"

"Do not worry about the details. You have your artifacts like I promised."

Mio began to follow him, shoving the shining dragon's eye into her pocket where it grew cold and placing the sheathed Vision Sphere behind her sash. She had a dozen questions to ask, but fought against the curiosity to speak them.

"Do you control the Fate Sphere?" Madara asked suddenly.

"In what sense?"

"Do you control who inherits it?"

"I could if I wanted," she said, perplexed by the question. "But that has never been the case. Ayuka was chosen by the sphere itself. It's the only sphere apart from the Time Sphere to do such a thing. I'm sure she can chose who it goes to."

"Yes, there was another priestess called Kikumi that was supposed to inherit, but she left to the Earth Country," Madara replied, then propelled the conversation forward. "Gouki mentioned there was someone capable of reading the sphere without equal trade."

Equal trade had been the only way she was capable of reading the Fate Sphere. It meant either finding ground an individual stood upon or taking blood in order to read pathways, but she had learned through Musashi that Shin had a rare gift. He had never needed to do either of those things.

"My grandfather can."

"Is he the only one?"

"Yes. He's the only one."

"Gouki thinks Yayoi can do the same."

Something about his tone of voice did not sit well with her. "What happened on the island?"

"Ayuka tried to kill Yayoi," he replied. "She is weakening because her sphere found a new guardian. Ayuka said this."

Mio put one and one together. "You mean she thinks Yayoi is the next Fate Guardian?" At his curt nod, she huffed. "No."

"What do you mean no? We can use this to our advantage. You went to the island to take the Fate Sphere from Ayuka, now there's a possibility you can and that possibility is her."

She frowned. "I don't want to hear the plan."

"Have you not recovered from the stupidity of yours?"

"I made a mistake," she retorted. "I was wrong, and I understand that now. You can't hold that against me forever. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to do what is expected of me."

"What is expected of you?" he challenged.

"I need to protect the artifacts. That is my duty as Shugosha. It is expected of me."

"Why?"

"Why?" she repeated, taken aback.

"Why are you protecting something you don't understand? Do you know what the artifacts do?"

"They protect."

"Protect what?"

"I don't know!"

"Focus on learning what they protect, and then I'll tell you what should be expected of you."

Madara shoved past her.

She whirled around and stomped after him, furious that she had missed him in the time she had known nothing about what was happening in the Sun Country. Immediate as she acknowledged that she had missed him, she realized why she felt uneasy (only then she thought it had to do with being in the dark about everyone's wellbeing) and it suddenly irritated her that she lost all sense of professionalism in the face of feelings she didn't understand. She didn't know why she was thinking about it when she was chasing him. They didn't have the time to think of such things and yet, she wanted to know if he'd meant what he said in the Sun Country about wanting her and she hoped whatever his answer would be might explain her inclination towards a similar feeling.

She made the first move. She could make it again.

Mio berated herself. "What happened in the Sun Country?" she asked again, hoping to change the subject. She hated how terribly guilty she felt after having such thoughts, but something was not right. She missed Izuna like an ache and yet, she knew that when he showed up, she wouldn't be contemplating kissing him. "How did you get out?"

Madara stopped so abruptly she nearly slammed into his back. "Gouki let us go."

"Just like that?"

"He is certain you will go to him."

"What reason will I have to do that?"

"It doesn't matter. You won't go to him under any circumstances."

None of that helped recalibrate her brain onto a different wavelength.

"And another thing," she started and waited for him to turn around. The house was in sight behind him and shinobi were watching every inch of land where they were standing.

He stared at her and waited. "What is it?"

"Did you mean what you said?" she asked, feeling her insides twisting. "In the Sun Country? About me?"

She prepared herself for the inevitable confession that it had been a ploy to stupefy her in order to make throwing her off the island easier. It would sting a little, but she would survive it. This was Madara after all. Whatever curiosity she felt towards him would die out as quickly as it appeared.

"Do you think I would toy with that sort of thing?" he answered with an edge in his voice. "Why would I do that to my own brother?"

She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It was a mistake," he continued. "It won't happen again."

There was a pang in her chest that sounded like heartbreak, but she remained still. "I might want it to," she admitted, though it ached to do so. She was betraying her better judgment. "Again."

Madara took a single step forward; his eyes fixed on her face, and raised a hand. He clenched it midair, pulled it back, and turned his back on her. She felt a shuddering breath leave her as she watched him leave, her chest pounding rapidly in her chest. The humiliation settled in.

She returned to the house, absent of thought and a little dejected. She believed she should have kept her mouth shut, that she had the restraint for it but ignored it and she shouldn't have given into blurting out her truths. She put him in a bad situation and later went to join him. She didn't want to think of Izuna, but he came to mind and so did the desire to feel the curiosity she felt towards his brother to be felt for him. It would be easier with Izuna. She believed everything would always be easier with Izuna, effortless even.

It wouldn't be with Madara. It would be frustratingly difficult and potentially problematic, but it would never be easy.

Mio went searching for Takuto after lunch to find Kana standing outside the bath holding a kettle in her hand. "He likes his baths the same you do," she said when she spotted her. She was about to seal the door shut. "Are you going in?"

"Yes."

She reached the door and earned a wicked grin from Kana. "Should you be going in there?" Lowering her voice, she asked, "Is he more than a friend?"

"No, he is just a friend."

Kana looked disappointed as she walked away.

Mio stepped inside the small room as Takuto poured a bucket of steaming water over his head. She took a seat at the edge of the bench beside the wooden tub.

"You're a little more intrusive than usual, did something happen when you talked to Madara?" he asked. "You were a little evasive of one another during lunch."

Lunch had been a sullen affair with Yayoi crying into her soup, Saori and Hibari trying to comfort her, Taiga annoying Kana, Takuto attempting to eat modestly, and Mio, Madara, and Sachiyo sitting in silence picking at their portions.

"I need to know what happened in the Sun Country."

"Madara didn't tell you anything."

"He is keeping things from me."

"He swore us all to secrecy."

"What?"

"Well, it would be more accurate to say he threatened all of us into secrecy," said Takuto, pushing his wet hair back. "He is determined to keep you out of trouble. You have to admire that."

"Are you keeping to his side?"

"Before Gouki attacked Madara—"

"You let Gouki attacked him?"

"The next time Gouki asks for permission to attack Madara, I'll politely decline," he told her, and she glared at him. "Before Gouki attacked Madara, he informed us all that you would be going to him."

"Madara mentioned that," she said. "He assured me I wouldn't be going to him under any circumstances. It's ridiculous, I wouldn't dream of going anywhere near Gouki." Then it dawned on her. "Was he wounded badly?"

"I imagined there would be poison," Takuto admitted, starting to scrub his arms. "I healed him, checked for poison, found nothing. But Gouki said you would go to him to save Madara."

"There was no poison?" she asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said. "Hand me a towel."

Mio tossed a towel at him and stood, moving out of the way as he made it across the small room to the tub. "I'm going."

"Mio."

She paused. "Wha—?" She turned around as he was climbing into the tub, baring all his bits, and shielded her eyes. "Takuto! You have a towel! Cover yourself!"

"Shut up! Nobody asked you to come in here while I'm in the middle of a bath!"

"I'm going."

Mio exited the bathroom in a rush as Takuto shouted, "Wait, Mio, I wasn't finished!"

She whirled around to see Sachiyo standing with Saori at her side, the latter staring at her wide-eyed. Sachiyo shook her head in disapproval.

"A Kuronuma, Mio? You can do better," said Sachiyo. She patted Saori on the shoulder. "Let's go, Saori, I think it is time for me to rest."

"Sachiyo-sama," Mio called, going after her. "He is not my lover."

"I did hope you would make better choices as an adult, but I was wrong," Sachiyo continued, waving a dismissive hand. "There is no need for you to feel ashamed. When I was your age, I had plenty of lovers. I didn't have time for them, but I did welcome them when they came." Looking at Saori, she said, "You should consider doing the same. How many men dote on you, child? Pick one and enjoy yourself. You are young. You are both young, take a chance. Live a little."

Sachiyo broke away from Saori when she spotted Kana and called her to help her get to her room.

Saori glanced at Mio apologetically. "You will have to forgive her, it's the medicine," the Ito girl explained. "It helps with the pain."

"Oh."

That made sense.

"You should not take any offense in what she says."

Mio nodded and walked away. On her way up the stairs she ran into Taiga.

"I need to speak to you later," she told him.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked with a grin.

She arched an eyebrow. "What? No."

"Forget it," he said, internalizing a laugh. "Will you be in your room?"

"Yes."

"I'll meet you."

Mio entered her room and started to rummage through her things until she dug up the artifacts Taiga managed to retrieve. She sank into a seat in front of them and decided that like her artifacts she would need to carry the Climate and Vision Spheres in case anyone tried to take them again. The Time Sphere would protect all of them.

She wrapped the bright blue Dragon's eye in layers of bandages to keep its cold surface contained and slid the oddly shaped dagger that was the Vision Sphere behind her sash.

She dropped onto her side and sighed.

She didn't realize she had dozed off until she felt someone nudge her cheek. She opened her eyes and focused on Taiga. She had completely forgotten she wanted to talk to him. She pushed herself onto a seat, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I fell asleep."

"You don't sleep well, Mio, you should try it," Taiga said, sitting down in front of her. "What did you want to say?"

"Thank you," she replied. "You brought the lost artifacts to me. I am indebted to you, Taiga. I—"

"Don't say you'll do anything to repay me, Mio," he interrupted. "Your willingness to do anything is what has made a mess of things."

She fell silent. She couldn't argue against that. All she had done since she left Mt. Hyōga was make a mess and she couldn't fix it, not on her own.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she admitted, dejected. "I left the mountain with an objective, with my head properly screwed on my shoulders, but I am fumbling through everything. I have never been so clumsy with life."

Taiga stared in astonishment. She mirrored his reaction because he was the last person she would have a conversation of this magnitude with considering her lack of trust in the man. Not to mention, he had made a living off making her exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Perhaps you have unrealistic expectations," he offered, calm once the surprise blew over. At her skepticism, he elaborated, "You left the mountain on a suicide mission. Somehow, you imagined you would outsmart the oldest person in the world, retrieve her artifact, and everything else would solve itself. There was a mountain full of Kuronumas expecting you to solve all of their problems when you left, but they are all mostly dead now and the ones that remain are expecting you to avenge the clan. You are expected to fight a war over ten artifacts you barely understand. You want to shoulder the burden of it all because you are Shugosha and that is what Shugosha do, they shoulder burdens, they are problem solvers, they fix things that are broken—they are everything that is great in a world deteriorating in war." He paused. "Do you see that? There is a lot of you happening in that brain of yours. Did you forget there are supposed to be nine other guardians apart from you? What about the shinobi clans being dragged into this Artifact War Ayuka started? It won't be long before the entire country knows that the Kuronuma has been sitting on top of a gold mine all this time and that they entrusted it all to an eighteen-year-old girl that has no idea what she is doing. Do you know what's worse? The fact that you're stupid. That is not helping anyone."

"Oh."

"Oh, is right, Mio," Taiga told her. "Think about your situation. You are in perfect health, are stronger than ever, and have nine of ten artifacts under your control. You are in Uchiha territory where you are guaranteed safety. Madara will obliterate an entire nation if you asked him to do it. That Kuronuma friend of yours is an exemplary medic, which the clan was in dire need of. Yayoi has a proclivity towards ignorance, but that girl is more than a pretty face and bad medical skills. The Ito girls. Saori is brilliant, not a fighter, but exceedingly brilliant. Hibari, delicate as she looks, can kill a person in under a minute. Take advantage of what is around you to survive."

Taiga just finished giving her advice.

"Are you ready to stop being stupid?"

"Yes?"

"Good."

Taiga stood as footsteps were approaching and she jumped to her feet to see him off. She opened her mouth to thank him again when the door slid open to Madara.

"We have a meeting tomorrow morning," he said to both of them.

"Perfect." Taiga stalked off, and after reaching the stairs, he shouted, "Kana!"

She waited until the older shinobi was out of earshot to apologize to Madara, who rested his hand on her door.

"Why are you apologizing?"

She put her hand on her door as well. "Because I see your face and all I want to do is apologize to it." She tried to slide the shoji door shut, but he kept her from doing it.

"Taiga?"

"I called him to thank him for the artifacts," she said, the knots in her stomach doubling. "Do you want to come in?"

Wordlessly, he stepped inside her room, sliding the door shut behind him. She quickly went around the room to reorganize it and make it look presentable. She shot him a nervous smile, hating her feelings knowing that tomorrow morning she would need to set them aside. That and she knew he viewed his actions as a mistake. She wouldn't push the subject for her sake and his and in consideration of Izuna.

And yet, she invited him into her room. She didn't mean to, it just came out like the bit about apologizing to his face. She remembered the last time she felt like an idiot was when she liked Takuto. It made no sense, she was certain she had spent all her time staring at Madara with respectable admiration, not an ulterior motive. She wondered if she had been so invested in her own denial she never noticed it before.

"What will you be discussing tomorrow morning?" she asked, in need of conversation.

"You, your artifacts, and your guardians," he said. "Ayuka will want all of us in one place at one point."

"I don't doubt it." Mio dragged out her futon from the closet. She planned to lay it out to distract herself from looking at him for too long or gravitating towards him so that she might feel what she experienced that day in Enki's castle.

"There are two other artifacts left unaccounted for, one has a guardian that is currently in danger of being killed by Kuronuma Nishiki," he began. "You know where they are?"

"Yes."

"You will need to tell me."

She imagined that conversation, and no matter what, it always ended in disaster.

"Takuto mentioned Gouki attacked you," she said, watching his brow furrow. "Are you well? Physically?"

"Yes," he bit out.

"The Mikazuki clan fight with poison," she went on. "What if—?"

"The dagger he used was Ayuka's. He never drew his own blade."

"And you feel no different?"

"No."

"And if you did, you would tell me?"

"No." Madara took a step away from her. "There would be no need for you to worry. I am healthy. Takuto could have told you that."

"He did."

"Then why ask?"

"I wanted to hear it from you."

"You have nothing to worry over if Takuto detected no poisons."

Burning. Mio was burning. Her temperature skyrocketed and was radiating off her body with every subtle shudder that ran through her. She compelled her body to stay glued in place. She dedicated too much time to the subject.

"I should sleep," she said quickly.

She didn't want to be a mistake.

Madara nodded and exited the room.

Takuto joined her the following morning for a run, though he complained the later half after growing exhausted. Mio was sure he sprained his ankle out of spite when the sun decided to peek through the breaks in storm clouds as they were forced to stop. He treated himself and coaxed her into carrying him on her back up to the house. As she made her way back, she encountered Sachiyo and Kana sitting out in the verandah, the two quick to turn a perfectly normal situation into an uncomfortable one as they made jabs at the two being lovers.

She set Takuto on the edge of the verandah near them. It wouldn't be until another half hour before the meeting began.

"The swelling should go down by tomorrow," Takuto said. "We can start sparring then."

Mio sat beside him, taking her sphere into her hands. When she concentrated enough, she sensed a pulse emerging from the location of every artifact, the stronger the pulse the closer, the weaker the farther. If she encountered danger, a small infusion of chakra, the artifact encased her in a sphere, one whose limits she planned to test later. She would need to find a way to make it so it activated on its own, as a reflex, like it had when Ayuka attempted to take the sphere from her neck.

"Wouldn't that worsen your ankle?"

"Sometimes you have to push past the pain," Takuto replied with an impressive grin.

"And yet you couldn't push past the pain to finish our run?" she asked.

Takuto untied the weights from his other leg and held them up. "You expected me to run in these," he complained, letting them drop onto the barren ground below where they sank into the dirt a centimeter a second with gravity's help. "Have you any idea how heavy they are?"

"Kuronuma should be able to carry three times their weight," she said in explanation, starting to remove the weights around her legs and wrists. "Do you know how long it took for me to make these? And how difficult it is to increase the weight of hardened black water? I stayed up a great portion of the night working on them so that we could start the day with a refreshing run."

Takuto gaped at her, reeling in every word.

"Three times their weight, not any more than that!" he snapped after recovering from his astonishment.

"I did it," she replied, "and then I carried you on my back. Sachiyo-sama and Kana are snickering about how ridiculous a lover you must be."

"I never claimed to be as strong as you, I am only better versed at medical ninjutsu."

"I know no medical ninjutsu."

"There is it. We are a balanced team if you do all the heavy lifting and I work on keeping you in one piece."

That gave her a thought after a brief recollection of her conversation with Taiga came to mind. She would need to utilize what was around her. "What if we leave the heavy lifting to Madara? Taiga can take espionage. You take Yayoi as a student and teach her something. Hibari takes the shadows. Saori takes strategy. Izuna remains in a diplomatic position and I work on defense."

Takuto looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"Yes," she said, clapping her hands as she stood. She set her weights down. "We need to prepare for the worst. There is no telling what Ayuka and Gouki are planning on the island or if they are making plans to leave it soon. Also, Hiryuu is nearby and always prowling the area searching for me, so we have him to worry about in the Fire Country. Then, there's the issue of my other guardians, one of which is being targeted by Kuronuma Nishiki. We have to work something out that would be beneficial to all of us and if we can work together—"

"The Senju and Uchiha will not work together. Under no circumstances." Takuto shook his head. "Do not even think of mentioning that to Madara. Do not even give names to your other guardians. Some things are better left unmentioned."

"They are my guardians too," she defended. "Hashirama was the first guardian I chose. I left the strongest spheres in his and his brother's protection."

"Understandable, but you of all people know the Senju and Uchiha have never gotten along," he reminded her. "If by some series of unfortunate events, Tobirama is captured by Kuronuma Nishiki, we will make a mention of it in casual conversation and try not to blow it out of proportion. Sound good?"

"No."

"Good, it wasn't supposed to, now go to your meeting and mention nothing."

Mio decided to keep her mouth shut after mulling it over on her walk to the compound where she was greeting by a nostalgic bustling environment that made her chest warm. She found her way to Madara with the help of a group of mischievous Uchiha children that nearly knocked her over as they rushed through the hallway, attempting to escape from a pair of furious men with crude drawings on their reddened faces. She aided in hiding them away after the smallest child asked if she was hurt and they repaid her by taking her where she needed to be, adding a curt tour about the new compound that was situated in the center of a small village she heard had previously been abandoned by their ancestors. She had seen several homes and many Uchiha families walking up and down narrow streets. She had known they used Sachiyo's vast lands for farming and distributed the food evenly between the families, though they were taking from the reserves now and sometimes required going to the nearest market town to gather ingredients they did not have.

The Ito clan had set up an encampment beside the village where they had the freedom to move all along the Uchiha territory without restriction.

"Are you making friends, Mio?" Taiga teased, grinning at her from his seat on the tatami floor, referring to the children. He took a swig of the sake in his flat cup. Beside him, a raven-haired woman with narrow eyes and full lips made sure his cup remained full.

She ignored him.

Mio recognized the Ito woman that represented Takuei in Izuna's absence, Kayami. She sat with another Ito shinobi at her side, a scrawny boy with messy blond hair and freckles along the bridge of his nose. Sitting in the corner of the room was Yayoi, dressed in borrowed clothes that she no doubt hated after having grown used to the finery she had in the Sun Country, and she was sullen.

"Should she be here?" Mio asked Madara, gesturing in the priestess' direction.

"Does her presence bother you?"

"No," she said, feeling the priestess' eyes burning into the back of her head, "only I feel she is holding a grudge against me."

"Ignore her."

She didn't have a choice, so she resolved to see it done, though Yayoi's persistence made it painfully uncomfortable.

"What about Ito Saori and Hibari?" she asked. "Shouldn't they be here?"

"Saori and Hibari don't partake in meetings," he answered. "Someone speaks to them later about anything of interest."

Madara handed her a map after Jouji entered the room, excusing his tardiness as a result of one of Taiga's demands. The older Uchiha smiled at her, going to stand at her side. He patted her on the shoulder.

"Unfortunate what happened on the mountain," Jouji told her. "You have my condolences, Mio."

She thanked him with a bitter smile and heard Madara call her to the short table. She reached his side and spread the map across the surface at his request. The first portion of the meeting involved the discussion of enemy positions and new potential threats rising against them with the promise of a revelation from the Motou clan. People had started to make assumptions the minute the Mikazuki-Uchiha alliance entered Mt. Hyōga and attacked the Kuronuma clan and plenty of their history came into light, though skepticism still reigned and that had kept them safe.

"It's only a matter of time before Motou Ayuka proves the Kuronuma artifacts do exist," said Taiga confidently. "And Hiryuu will come searching for Mio."

"Hiryuu is actively plotting an attack against the compound," Jouji added. "No doubt in the hopes of finding Mio here and returning her to Mikazuki Gouki."

"We will strengthen our defense," said Madara. "Double the amount of shinobi on patrol and increase the amount of men scouting the outer area of our territory."

"What about her?" asked the freckled boy, who she learned was named Jin. He acted as the eyes and ears of the Ito sisters.

"What about me?" Mio asked, offended by his tone.

"Should she be walking around freely?" said Jin, looking past her to Madara. "Out in the open without a guard?"

"Mio can protect herself," Madara answered in a tone that brook no argument.

"That is beside the point," Taiga offered, "Hiryuu is searching for her everywhere. Wouldn't it be best that his spies continue believing she is everywhere other than here? Maybe we should confine her. Keep her hidden until we can spread enough lies to convince him to look in a different location. With the Gouki and Ayuka threat, we might as well keep the amount of armies coming at us to a minimum."

Mio glared at Taiga and he smiled in response. She never would have believed that he would say something like that after giving her reasonable advice yesterday night.

Madara's lengthy silence upset her because she knew the minute he turned to her that he would be agreeing with Taiga. "You will remain indoors until Hiryuu's focus can be diverted elsewhere," he told her, and turned to Taiga. "Take Kyouya with you. He will be expected to be at her side. Send word as soon as you see results."

Taiga removed himself from the room, taking Jouji and the narrow-eyed woman serving him liquor with him. Mio took the opportunity to attempt to protesting, but Madara held his hand up to stop her as he regarded Kayami and Jin.

"Send someone to take the news to Takuei," he ordered. "After you have finished, track my brother down and bring him back to the Fire Country."

Kayami and Jin nodded and left the room.

"I should have a say in what happens to me," Mio said, irritated.

"You can decide whether you want to stay here or with my grandmother," he told her, calling Yayoi as he exited the room.

Yayoi shoved her out of the way when she tried to get through the doorframe and she hit the hallway wall. The priestess snickered and walked on gracefully behind Madara. She was growing frustrated with Yayoi's treatment of her. The priestess acted as though it were her fault Ayuka decided to kill her, like Mio deliberately ruined her life.

"Madara," Mio called, catching up to him outside the compound. "Keeping me confined to one place is no different from what happened on the island. I'm not comfortable being your prisoner."

"You're not my prisoner," he assured her. "We are taking precautions to ensure your safety here. Until Hiryuu is turned away from our territory, you will be allowed to move around at will. Until then, you are to remain indoors."

"I can protect myself, you said it yourself," she reminded him.

"We need to remain vigilant of Mikazuki Gouki," he argued. "If we can stay prepared for one of his attacks, we might be able to survive it."

"Gouki is unconcerned. If he said that I would go to him, then he is confident I will do it of my own volition," she retorted. "He does not care what I do here. He will not invade this territory."

"For once I agree with her," Yayoi added, rolling her eyes at the grimace he shot at her. "However, I still support that the best course of action is to send her to Gouki so that maybe then, they could leave us all out of their mess."

"This isn't our mess, all of this is Ayuka's fault," Mio corrected.

"Your grandfather had just a big a part in this as she did."

"But it was Ayuka and Nishiki who decided to recalibrate the artifacts into something they aren't," she snipped. "My grandfather tried to stop this from happening."

"Don't try to justify your grandfather's actions," Yayoi spat. "He is no better than Ayuka."

"Enough!" Madara interrupted. "There is no use putting the blame on anyone when we are already involved. It won't solve anything."

"I know what will solve everything," said Yayoi, staring at Mio with malice.

"Mio's welfare is not up for your discussion," he said edgily.

"It is not up for yours either," Mio retorted.

"No." He rounded on her, standing few feet away from her as he confronted her with a glower. "You have no say on this subject. This is my territory and my clan and they are under my protection. You are here seeking refuge and if you want to live, you will obey my orders."

"If that is the price I must pay to stay here, then I will go," she decided impulsively. She would return to the Iron Country, reunite with the remaining Kuronuma and the Senju clan to discuss a proper plan of action, one that did not include her confinement. If she was going to fight in this war, she wanted to be an active participant, not someone that was ordered to stay behind closed doors because she needed to be protected. "I will leave."

She whirled around, determine to reach Sachiyo's home and gather her things. She would be sad to leave Sachiyo and Kana, but she couldn't stand the idea of sitting around doing nothing all day until Madara saw fit she could leave the house.

Madara stalked after her and Yayoi rushed behind him.

"Let her go," she heard Yayoi shout. "You have to renounce her and send her to Gouki before she gets us all killed."

Something inside her snapped.

Mio turned abruptly, shoved past Madara, and with a white-knuckled fist, punched Yayoi in the face hard enough to send her tumbling several feet away. Yayoi let out a pained cry as she clasped a hand to her bloodied nose and turned over on her back over the ground, stomping her feet.

"I have had enough," Mio shouted. "I have tolerated your unfounded hatred of me for weeks on end! As unfortunate as the reality is, I am not responsible for your misfortunes! I am not the reason Ayuka tried to kill you!"

"You're a monster!" cried the priestess as she rolled around in pain.

"And you're a fool!" Mio dragged Yayoi onto her feet, though she thrashed and complained the entire time. "I am not the tyrant Ayuka spoke of," she continued, staring as large tears poured out of the priestess' eyes. "I am completely lost and overwhelmed because I never asked for this. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm making mistakes at every turn. I am not powerful. I don't even like to fight. I'm not even doing any of this out of revenge." She took in a breath, feeling Yayoi shuddering in her grip. "What I am is pigheaded and I have people that I want to protect too. I am not the enemy, Yayoi. I don't want to be your enemy."

Yayoi let out a blubbering cry, surprising Mio when she fell into her arms. "I did everything she wanted!" she cried, her tearful words almost incoherent. "She was everything to me and she tried to kill me, Mio!"

Mio glanced at Madara and he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion.

She slowly wrapped her arms around the priestess and felt Yayoi do the same, grabbing her from around the waist in a tight embrace that cut off a little of her air supply. Her actions paved way for more of the priestess' inconsolable crying.

"My nose hurts so much," Yayoi cried, the first coherent sentence after a lengthy rant.

Mio gently tugged Yayoi's arms from her and stared into her bloodied face. "That's because I broke it." The priestess let out a tiny gasp. "Takuto can fix it. I'll take you to Takuto."

Takuto was where she left him and he was the first to laugh at the fact that Yayoi's nose had been broken. Mio excused herself inside the house to change her shirt since Yayoi left it bloodied only to belatedly realize that Madara had followed her inside. She stopped on her way up the stairs to meet him face to face.

"The Iron Country is the first place they'll check if you go," he said. "You are safe here."

She walked down two steps, but she still stared down at him. Again, it appeared so naturally that she hated its presence's persistence when he came near. Her mind was in a deep fog. "I don't want to be hidden."

"Hiryuu will try to invade if he is certain that you are here. You will go to Gouki as a result."

"I can use the Time Sphere to protect myself," she told him, confident in her ability to erect its barrier with a dose of chakra. Mentally, she was determined to find a way to make it go up whenever she was in danger like she planned yesterday evening.

"Give it a week, Taiga works quickly."

She stayed silent. She didn't like the idea of sitting around indoors when she enjoyed being outside. She didn't like the fact that she needed to be protected to such an extent. She never would have realized this much danger came with being Shugosha; she only saw it as being a wealth of responsibility. The pressure was mounting and she was feeling overwhelmed because she couldn't let go of any of the things that put her in the position, so she clung to it, though she was acting strangely.

She hated how her sense of responsibility was making her commit thoughtless mistakes. She also understood that if she stayed indoors she would continue on her steady decline to becoming a mess, though at certain intervals she suspected she reached that a long time ago.

She was having second thoughts about leaving as well, reminded that she had no idea what she was doing anymore.

"You can do anything you want after he sends back word."

Mio nodded and dejectedly made her way upstairs to her room. She changed out of her shirt and tugged on a kimono top. She took the sullied one downstairs to wash the blood out in the back of the house where the laundry was done. She took her time washing it thoroughly and took advantage of the fact that she was alone to enjoy the silence.

Takuto found her when breakfast was being served.

She barely ate anything during and left early to go upstairs and lie in bed in an attempt to grow used to the four walls encasing her. Takuto went to keep her company, allowing her to rest her head on his lap after she finished telling him what happened in the meeting.

"You should think of it as a vacation," he said, looking at the bright side of things. "You went through hell and back in the Sun Country and Madara has given you a short break."

"Except I don't have to listen to him," she said darkly. "I shouldn't have to listen to what he says."

Takuto ran his hand over the side of her head, brushing back her hair. "He is looking out for you."

"I understand that."

"Good, let him take care of you."

Mio felt her ears warm at the idea of Madara taking care of her in a more obvious way. Nothing particular came to mind, but the thought of him alone was enough to bring color to her face.

Takuto looked down. "Are you serious? That made your ears red?" he complained as he started to brush back her hair over and over and over. "You feel something for him, don't you? And don't say it's ridiculous because even Yayoi said there's something between the two of you."

"When did you have a talk with Yayoi?"

"When I set her nose straight after you broke it."

"What did she say?"

"The same thing I did. There is something between the two of you."

"You two would misunderstand a professional relationship."

"I saw the way you look at him, Mio. Do you know why you were terrible at Go?"

"It's a difficult game. Anyone can be terrible at Go."

"You were staring at him the entire time he was teaching you," he told her in his amusement. "You never once looked at the board."

Mio frowned, feeling her eyes start to droop. "I don't want to talk about Madara."

"You'll have to admit it eventually."

"It doesn't matter because he is Izuna's brother and I am his friend."

"You don't feel this way for Izuna, do you?"

"No."

But she wished she did as she yawned into her hand.

"And for Madara?"

"Yes."

He patted her shoulder and started to get up.

She sat to leave him room to stand, the possibility of a nap dead. "Where are you going? I was falling asleep."

"I'm taking your advice and teaching Yayoi something useful," he said. "We have our first lesson this afternoon. What are you going to do?"

Mio touched her sphere. "Stare at this thing for hours."

"Perfect. Good luck with that."

"Good luck with Yayoi."

She took a bath before doing as she had told Takuto and stared at her sphere for hours, practicing her control over raising its shield until she could manage encasing her body on the floor in a semi-circle. She was enjoying herself up until she realized it was too draining to keep doing much longer, so she left it to rest and her body as well.

The door startled her awake at a time when she had not been aware that she had fallen asleep lying on her belly. She turned her head to look at Madara.

"Is that what you've been doing all day? Sleeping?"

"Yes."

Madara shut the door behind him and went to her. "Kana has a deck of hanafude. If you asked her, she would sit and play with you a while."

She closed her eyes, and then felt his hand on her arm. She was imagining his hands on her body because she would in her somnolent state and it was a very disappointing realization that she wanted his hands on her.

"Mio," he called, shaking her. "Mio!"

She opened her eyes. "What?"

"Is something wrong with you?"

"Takuto and Yayoi know that there is something between us," she said absently, though concerned of what the two might do with that kind of information, she was increasingly heavy limbed and tired.

"Did you say anything?"

"No." She rolled onto her back, stretching, and then moved onto her other side, her back towards him. Sleepily, she continued to speak, yawning halfway, "But Takuto is a blabbermouth, the whole compound will know by tomorrow morning."

Madara pulled her on her back. "Why are you wasting your time here sleeping? Do something."

"Do something?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "For what reason? There is nothing between us but a mistake." She tugged free of his hold and returning to her side. "This mistake is going to sleep."

She showed him she decided in the peace of her mind, though in a moment of wakefulness, she wished she could bring it up in conversation as easily as she had in her dream and say it.

In the stillness between sleep and being awake, Mio felt a warm pressure on her lips.

Mio woke the following morning from a nightmare and to the startling realization that Takuto, Yayoi, and Madara were standing around her. She took in the lackluster looks plastered over the two medics' faces and the serious one on Madara's face with a hint of incredulity. Her heart was still hammering in her chest from having stepped through mounds of bloody snow recovering the dead from Mt. Hyōga before a hand had broken through the ground and dragged her underneath a lake of freezing water where she had been drowning.

"Did something happen?" she asked breathlessly.

"Nothing, we all simply agreed that it would be a joy to watch you sleep," said Yayoi with an annoyed smile. She clapped her hands. "She is awake. Can we move on? I'm meeting Saori and Hibari for a walk."

"I promised to accompany Kana into town," Takuto added.

She stared at him oddly.

Takuto shrugged. "Stop looking at me like a pervert, she asked."

"You best bring her home safely, lest Taiga have you murdered in your sleep," Madara advised.

"Is he on every woman?" complained Takuto. "I feel like the entire female population"—at this Yayoi beamed at them all and the Kuronuma noticed—"except Yayoi, is spoken for by him."

Madara turned to Mio slowly with a look that dared her to deny that.

"I might have agreed to become his at one interval in life," she said with a dismissive air, averting her eyes.

"Is there no one in this world you have not promised yourself to?" he snapped, visibly suppressing a frightening rage.

"She's also engaged to a Senju," Takuto blurted. "Oops."

"You said not to speak of the Senju clan!" she complained, throwing a pillow at him.

The temperature dropped to a frightening chill.

"An Uchiha and a Senju?" Madara repeated.

Although, the idiot knew he had blabbed, Takuto felt the need to correct him, "Technically, Mio is a Kuronuma and it was Musashi's last wish she marry into the Senju clan."

Madara glared at him.

Yayoi clapped delightedly. "This is fantastic!" She looked at Takuto, pleased with herself. "You're worse than I am."

"My great-grandfather arranged it," she said, shooting a glare at Takuto. "I couldn't say no." Her nonchalant response darkened his expression. "I didn't think it was important to devote too much time on who I would marry."

"I feared she was determined to marry one and take everyone else as a lover," Takuto said jokingly, but a deadly glare from her and Madara made him dissolve into a weak laugh. "I apologize, you should probably be discussing this alone considering you gave her your blessing to marry your brother."

"He gave her his blessing, but he wants to keep her for himself," Yayoi added, and she turned to Takuto with a mischievous grin to match his.

"Why are you two here?" Mio demanded.

"Madara said it would be in my best interest to meet him here," Takuto replied, then changed the subject. "So, would I be overstepping any boundaries with Taiga by walking Kana into town?"

"Yes," Madara snapped. "That's his sister."

"Oh?"

"Taiga has a sister?" Mio blurted. "I thought he was an only child."

"Even I knew he had a sister, where have you been?" asked Yayoi, all high and mighty.

"Who is the Senju you were to marry?" asked Madara, standing over her in an intimidating way.

Mio's stomach growled in protest, but the sound went on ignored with the atmosphere growing terse under Madara's scowl. "Can we eat?"

"What is the point of knowing who? She's been marrying everyone. I'm surprised Taiga hasn't asked you to be his wife," Takuto commented.

"Taiga isn't interested in me in that way," she corrected.

Yayoi sighed. "I'm interested in him that way."

"He's married," Madara and Mio said in unison.

Frowning, Yayoi spoke, "Look, Mio is never going to answer your questions and Madara is not going to stop asking you them, so I don't understand why it's necessary for us to be here when you two clearly have some obstacles to overcome in your relationship, primarily the guilt of having allowed something to develop between you when all you have ever wanted was for Izuna to be happy by marrying Mio, even though neither one of you considered the possibility that you might be better suited for one another." She sucked in a breath after that long rant. "And before you take my word for this, I am not saying this because I read your bloodline or anything…because I did and that has nothing to do with it."

The priestess appreciated the silence with a great smile.

"If you'll excuse us." Yayoi looped her arm around Takuto's and started guiding him towards the door where she paused, glimpsing at the two over her shoulder. "Before you start slandering our good names, the entire compound already knows. Even Izuna knows. And if you want someone to blame, blame your grandparents because they're terrible people."

Yayoi and Takuto waved at them as they departed, the two scoffing at their stupidity, and walking down the staircase around the corner, their laughter drifted up to them.

Madara sat down on top of a wooden chest of her things.

Mio pushed herself off the floor, realizing she never moved onto her futon. She rubbed her eyes, feeling a little off that morning after having to follow that strange conversation.

"Do you say yes to every man that shows an interest in you?" he asked, watching her move around the room.

She gave the question some thought as she poured water into a basin and washed her face. "I do what I think is right," she admitted, patting her face dry.

"And for that same reason, you would have said yes to me."

"I haven't said anything to you," she said, lowering her eyes when he lifted his. Heart accelerating, she clenched her hands at her side. "I don't understand what I feel with you only that I don't have a choice." She heard him stand and walk to her. She didn't dare look at him because impulse would likely take over and she would not say what she, herself, needed to hear. "I spoke an empty word to those before. I said it because it was for the sake of my clan, to make him happy, to let her love someone that will love her back, because it was my duty. But if you asked me to be yours, it would not be an empty word."

His hands rested against her neck, his thumbs brushing against the line of her jaw. He said nothing.

She reached to take his hands with tremulous hands, curling her fingers over them, and raised her eyes meeting his. "I want to be yours."

Outside, the bulbous gray clouds begun to thunder and heavy rainfall pelted over the rooftop. The house groaned as it settled, its floorboards creaked noisily as its inhabitants walked around downstairs.

Being with Madara would be trying and exhausting, it would be explosive with little peace in between wars. It would be like fumbling through the dark, like experiencing delirium through the shadow storm. It would be painful when Izuna came to mind and there would be guilt. But she didn't think any of those thoughts because she remembered that warm pressure on her lips when Madara took her into his arms and kissed her because she didn't feel like a mistake.

Steam billowed from the pitch-black surface of the water. The water lilies that gave the room a sweet aroma rotted away under the pool's harsh conditions. Entering the room was a dangerous feat, not anyone was capable of enduring the heat radiating from the water.

Ayuka entered behind Gouki having shielded the bottom half of her face with a thin sheet of fabric. Outside everyone was rebuilding once more and awaiting further instruction, though half of the Mikazuki clan had been sent back to the Frost Country. Hiryuu reported movement in the Iron Country. Nishiki sent word that Shin had finally gone to meet him and that he had asked after Kikumi. She suspected he would. The man knew more than he should and she had no way of knowing how. She had only shown him the Fate Sphere twice in his lifetime and though he could read the pathways, he could not have seen and memorized all of them.

Gouki paused at the edge of the boiling vat of blood water without protection, proud of the Kuronuma blood running through his veins. The heat did not mar his skin; it did not irritate him either as he crouched down to reach into it.

"The rivers are hotter," Gouki informed her.

She had taken him to the black rivers of Kurata as a child when she had gone to present him to Musashi as his one true successor only to be spurned for the sickly Hagane. She had shown him the rivers because that was where his father had been killed. It had been in a time when she herself had not known Nishiki had survived.

"I drained Mio dry of nearly all her blood," she said. "This is the closest we have ever gotten to creating black water."

"It should be enough for your priestesses," he told her, "but not enough for my men."

Ayuka stared at the boiling surface in disdain. She had practiced for years to accomplish the difficult feat, had learned the scrolls of ancient and forbidden arts in the hopes of replicating the black rivers of Kurata. None of it had been easy. The only way she could think to do something of this caliber was to find a freshly trained Kuronuma before the dark water settled in her veins. That made it easier to extract. A skilled Kuronuma, one that had years of training hid their clan secrets well, but Mio was too young to have learned much. Shin had practically beaten all her current knowledge in her in a quarter of the time it took others—though she would not deny she had a certain gift for it—and it made her an easy target.

"I might be able to perfect it," she decided after staring into the pit. "But I will need more blood, Kuronuma blood, and a sacrifice."

The Motou clan had its secrets too and she had had years to master them all.

"I will have everything sent to you before I leave for the Earth Country," said Gouki. "Also, Nishiki forgot to mention there was an Uchiha traveling with Shin when they met."

Ayuka saw into the pathways of Shin's life many times to have memorized those leading up to his death. If an Uchiha traveled with him, it would not be long before the poison reached his heart. "He is dying. At last."

A smile lit up her face. With Shin gone, the Kuronuma clan would be left completely vulnerable for Nishiki to reappear and become their leader. With the Demon clan at their back, convincing her own people to turn against Mio would be easy. The Kuronuma clan loved Nishiki and they had shunned Shin for having killed him, which had led to an internal fight that resulted in Shin leaving Mt. Hyōga. It hadn't been until Musashi had forgiven him that Shin was allowed to return to the mountain.

Ayuka paused on her way to the exit, whirling around to see her son standing at the edge of the pool staring into the dark waters in deep concentration. "That reminds me," she started, drawing his attention from the water. "How long until the poison begins affecting Uchiha Madara?"

"The poison should have already taken root," Gouki said with a grin. "Mio will come find me in a fortnight to plead for his life."

xl: I took an English midterm last week and I swear, I felt like an idiot throughout it. I was also supposed to have written this wonderful essay for the same class on Friday, but I only have only had an introduction and one body paragraph - the procrastination is strong in me. It's due on Thursday, so I wanted to get this chapter out of the way so I won't have to worry about it while I procrastinate on this paper a little more and stay up until 5AM to finish it Wednesday. Wish me luck, guys, 'cause after this I have this literary research paper I have to write and if it's on something stupid...I just can't with all this poetry I've been reading.

Sorry about the semi-rant.

Somehow, everything is shaping up nicely. I plan to do a POV for one of the Senju brothers because stuff is going to down in a chapter or two. It'll probably be Tobirama because writing out the things that go through his mind are going to be such a delight.

Thank you to these wonderful people: LeoInuyuka, Loteva, MoonlightArrow (You can only imagine the sticky situation after this chapter. Thank you for reading and good luck on your exams!), Ashura Son of Sage, HushedFable, Anime93, and Aries01xD for dropping a line!

Yassss to chapter 40 coming up.

Oh, question, question! Is there anything you would like to see? Just curious. I never ask these. But it would be fun to see what comes up and whether it's going to pop up sometime soon. :D So if you have and answer, tell me~

Thank you for reading everyone!