Fated to Meet You

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, character or plot, from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto.

Chapter Ten: New Clan Leader

"What?" Hashirama leaned forward in his seat over his desk. "You what?"

Tobirama inherently rolled his eyes. "I went to the Land of Tea to analyze the seal. However, because of some turn of events, we no longer need to deploy shinobi to investigate the team's casualties."

"And why is that?" Hashirama looked questioningly at his younger brother.

"A group of shinobi came and opened the seal. We ambushed them. They were wearing a forehead protector with a symbol on it. The same symbol one of the surviving men described for us. Two stones." He pointed to his forehead protector. Tobirama noticed this but chose not to disclose it to Uchiha Mai.

Hashirama slowly nodded his head. "-Wait. We?" He snapped and leaned over his desk.

Tobirama rolled his eyes behind his closed eyelids. "I asked Elder Mio's student to show me the seal. She was the only one who knew the location." That was half the reason why he decided to turn around and follow the Uchiha out of the village.

Hashirama slowly sat back down in his seat. He knew his brother did not hate all Uchiha's, but Tobirama was complex. He kept his guard up like how their father taught them to and only lowered it the slightest when one proved with their actions that they were deemed fit for his trust. "Alright, I'll drop the mission." Hashirama leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "What was behind the seal?"

Tobirama adjusted his posture and could picture the sight in his memory again. "Scrolls. I'm assuming they were stolen jutsus and techniques."

The Hokage stared intensely into his desk. "This hidden village might already know that those scrolls have been destroyed."

Tobirama nodded. "And they may think of it as a sign of attack."

Hashirama ran his hand down his tan face. "Earlier this morning, I sent a letter to all the hidden village leaders to meet."

Tobirama looked at the sky behind this brother. The sun was still in the blue, cloudless sky. He's heard whispers and rumors of these hidden villages and their names. Yes, Konohagakure is the first hidden village but Tobirama knew that even Konoha was not ready for conflict with another village.

Konoha began to flourish slowly. The whispers of hidden villages in foreign lands became facts. The infrastructure of the village grew as families and clans started to settle. Many still settled around the clan they affiliated with. And Mai saw the progress the majority of the Uchiha Clan had with accepting their new life in Konoha. Almost a year had passed since Senju Tobirama introduced himself to Uchiha Mai. Although they never truly spoke to each other ever since, she gradually was able to look at the white haired Senju in the absence of fear. When she did see the white haired Senju, she would give a small bow for a greeting before they passed each other. He was the Hokage's brother and advisor after all.

Things seem to change between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan. Uchiha Hikaku mentioned to Mai that Lord Madara had history with Senju Hashirama, and she would see the duo walk together in the village sometimes. There was still hostility because history could never be forgotten. However, Uchiha Mai could see it in the children that things were changing. The Uchiha Elders, however, were still not at peace. Some elders believed Lord Madara was disrespecting their fallen brethrens by being friends with Senju Hashirama. Other elders, Elder Mio included, felt the path Lord Madara was leading the clan in was the best path especially since the last path Lord Madara led the clan in killed so many of the clan members. No children were dying and there was always a steady income of resource coming into the village and clan.

"-Mai?"

Turning abruptly to the side, Mai said, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Sumiko asked with a worried expression.

Mai nodded. "Yeah." What was there to be worried about?

Sumiko turned to Elder Mio and Ayaka. "I heard of this place for weeks now and have been waiting to try it out."

Elder Mio looked around the tea house. The evening sun greeted every customer through the many open windows. "It's nice here."

Sumiko nodded and voiced her agreement.

"Elder Mio!" Kagami's high-pitched voice accompanied his swaying legs off his chair in the tea house. "When are you going to teach me to be a shinobi like you did with Mai."

Mai smiled at the little boy sitting in between her and his mother.

"You four year olds should just run around until we old people need you." Elder Mio suggested almost jokingly across the table.

"I'm not four anymore! I'm five now!" Kagami exclaimed once in front of the female elder and showed the five finger on his hand out to the elder.

"Five?" Elder Mio glanced at Sumiko cradling her infant child before back to Kagami.

"Dad enrolled me into the Academy." Kagami's face beamed and leaned over the wooden table.

"Hmm?" Elder Mio hummed. "Is that so?" The idea of an Academy has been in the works for a while now. When Sumiko and Kosuke heard of the Academy, they decided to enroll Kagami into it - to Kagami's eager persuasion. However, with all Konoha shinobi in need for other tasks, the opening of the Academy was postponed until this year.

"After the Academy, I'm going to be your student, right?"

Elder Mio chuckled. "We will see if I am still able to." She extended her hand across the table and patted the little boy's curly head of black hair. The lone female Uchiha Elder was beginning to show signs of old age. Time had done its job and began deepening the fine lines on Uchiha Mio's face and her skin was becoming glossy. Mai could tell Elder Mio was becoming more tired than usual. However, that didn't stop the female elder from attending Council of Elders meetings, where they bickered at each other. She took her hand back and set it on her lap. "Plus, maybe Mai could teach you some things."

"Or Hikaku?" Kagami suggested while his eyes lit up and he looked at Mai.

"Yes, or Hikaku." Elder Mio leaned forward. "Now, weren't you going to show Mai and I what your father taught you?

"Yes!" Kagami beamed, and it seemed as if his legs were swinging faster now.

"A jutsu?" Mai turned to the other Uchiha women at the table

Sumiko smiled and said softly, "He wanted to show you two this morning a jutsu his father taught him but you weren't there, so he wants to show it to you two tomorrow." The Uchiha mother patted her child's curly haired head. "Tomorrow Elder Mio and Mai won't be busy."

Kagami nodded. "-Where were you, Mai?" He looked up at her.

"Me?" Mai looked at the other Uchiha women as if looking for an answer. "I went to go pick up something." Mai declined many Konoha missions to the Hokage's hidden disappointment. Instead, Mai wanted to stay near Elder Mio. The elder kept her apprentice busy by having her run errands throughout the village but mainly to and from the Hokage's office. That's usually where she meets Senju Tobirama.

"When does he start the Academy?" Ayaka asked Sumiko.

"The Academy officially opens in two months. Kagami will be one of the first students to attend it."

The young Uchiha boy grinned proudly.

Elder Mio brought her steaming cup of tea to her mouth.

Sumiko patted her son's head. "Would you like more tea? I can order more."

"Thank you, but we should head out now." Ayaka said.

"More tea would be nice." Elder Mio set her cup down. "It's been awhile since I've actually sat this long in public."

Ayaka tilted her head to the side. Elder Mio wasn't the kind of person to be out from her home this long.

Mai was also confused at her teacher's response. It wasn't like her. She looked at her teacher's cup of tea. Her old, wrinkly hand released the cup and laid flat on the table. And that was her signal. Her signal to sense.

"This green tea is really nice." Elder Mio praised.

"It really is." Sumiko agreed. "Would you like more of that?"

Mai tuned the conversation out and looked out the window beside their table. Someone was at Elder Mio's home. But who? She too laid her hand flat on the table and spread her chakra.

Lord Madara.

The Uchiha Clan Leader's chakra was powerful and unique but hard to distinguish like he was attempting to hide. Why would he do that? And more importantly, why would he be in Elder Mio's home? Mai turned back to the table, and Kagami tapped her elbow.

"Is there something wrong, Mai?" Kagami looked up at the older Uchiha.

Mai smiled and shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong." She looked at Elder Mio, who looked at her also. "Can I try some tea also?"

"Sure!" Sumiko ordered another tea for the Uchiha girl.

The group of five Uchihas remained at the teashop until the sun fell and all that lingered in the sky was a small ray of orange that mixed with the blue sky. Elder Mio sent Ayaka away after Sumiko made her way back home with Kagami. Mai walked slightly behind her teacher in silence until the elder spoke. "When we reach home," Elder Mio's and her student's footsteps accompanied their conversation. "Be on guard."

"Do you know why he was there?" Mai asked.

"I have a guess."

Tobirama received his brother's orders to close the village gates. And quickly, from his brother's tone of voice, he reached the gates with adorn in his blue armor. Right when he ordered the gates to close before they were scheduled to, Uchiha Mai stopped in front of the gates eyes straight but glossy from the night wind that touched her face as she made her way to the gates.

"Where are you going?" Senju Tobirama asked.

Mai glanced behind the white haired man but returned back to the closing large village gates. "You need to halt the gate."

"No." Tobirama narrowed his eyes.

"I have to-"

"No." Senju Tobirama narrowed his eyes into a scowl.

Mai stared vehemently at the Senju's narrowed red eyes. In dire need to leave, Mai said truthfully, "Lord Madara has stolen a technique from Elder Mio. The other section of the technique is hidden in the Uchiha Village. I have to destroy it."

Senju Tobirama let the girl's information sink in. Madara just escaped an hour ago. There was no way this girl was able to reach the village before he did. He could go, but he didn't know where the technique was. And there was no way would he ever allow Madara to escape with anything that could harm the Konoha. Glancing at the gates behind him, Tobirama looked back at the girl. "Let's go."

Tobirama knew where the Uchiha Village was, but he dare not enter the place. But by the time they got there, the entire village was up in flames. Mai stopped when Senju Tobirama stopped and stared hopelessly at the large fire. There was no way to enter the village. The genjutsu that surrounded the village was released, and only a few people could release it- one of them being Lord Madara. "No." Mai said softly almost air like in contrast to her gasps for air from the race.

"He beat us to it." Tobirama knew. He looked at the Uchiha beside him. The flames lit her face where the moon couldn't. He spread his chakra to find Madara. He's already at the Land of Fire's border. His red eyes scowled into the woods. "What was the technique he stole?" Tobirama turned back to the girl with the same expression as a moment ago.

Mai stared into the fire. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it. Was it okay to tell this man even if she didn't know herself? He was a Senju. Even more, he was not an Uchiha. Turning to face the white haired man, Mai looked at him. "I can't say." She could've sworn the man intended to kill her after she said that. But it was true. It was confidential Uchiha information. Even Elder Mio would not approve of Mai naively telling someone else in public.

Tobirama had to fist his hand together to keep from drawing his sword to his neck. "You think this is just an Uchiha problem?" His red eyes intensely stared at her.

"What are you talking about?" Mai didn't understand the man. Wasn't it just an Uchiha problem? She had never seen the technique before because Elder Mio forbid it but having it stolen would only damage the Uchiha Clan.

"Tsh." Tobirama turned around. The moon lighting his hair at a different angle just as the fire did to Mai as it crackled. "You Uchiha's."

Mai drew her brows into a straight line. "Do you not have clan secrets that you are forbidden to tell outsiders." She phrased and toned her sentence into a statement of fact.

Tobirama stopped, walked away and turned around. "Outsiders?" He watched the girl turn her back to the fire but still it illuminated her more than the moon could. Tobirama was about to say something back but stopped himself short. Closing his eyes, he paused for a moment. "Let's head back to the village." Senju Tobirama opened his eyes and turned around. It was like he took an image of the girl before her turned away. Long black hair. Light skin. Onyx eyes. And a face of someone who was stuck too deep in a belief that she thought it was fact.

The sudden disappearance of the Uchiha Clan Leader overwhelmed the entire clan. From what Mai heard, Madara began to speak insanely. Almost no one felt remorse for his absence, especially when Uchiha's never forget what Lord Madara took from them when he continued to wage war even after the Senju Clan offered peace. The Uchiha Elders met twice the times more than they would before. All of which ended with nothing: no new clan leader and no clan progress.

Mai dropped the scroll she was reading in the study and walked out the outer corridor. Sitting down, she let her legs hang from the risen floor and leaned her head on one of the pillars that kept the roof up. The wind blew her dark tresses away from her sweaty neck.

"Are you done reading?" Ayaka stood by the door behind the girl.

"No." Mai closed her eyes tiredly and made a noise that sounded almost like a child groaning while cleaning up a mess they didn't do.

Ayaka's mouth twitched up before moving to sit beside the girl. The young Uchiha never acted like this unless she was tired of reading the same thing more than twice. Usually, Ayaka wouldn't allow this reaction but this was a situation that she looked past. "I figured you already read every scroll in that study."

Mai nodded helplessly in the same exact position. "The scroll Lord Madara stole was one of the few Elder Mio forbade me from reading."

Elder Mio had told Ayaka the news of the stolen scroll the day after Lord Madara broke into her home. "Then why are you rereading every scroll that you already read." She pushed a plate of onigiri that she brought towards Mai.

Mai turned to Ayaka with a helpless expression. "To find a clue on what that scroll contained." Her eyes darted down to the plate of three onigiri's. "Thank you, Miss Ayaka."

"Why don't you ask Elder Mio that yourself?" Ayaka asked.

"I tried." Mai said after swallowing a bite of her onigiri. "But Elder Mio won't say."

Ayaka watched the girl eat. She presented herself as the perfect apprentice: respectful, quiet, and listened. Only in the presence of those close to her did she show her emotions. She also didn't break her posture in front of those she didn't know. "Straighten your back." Ayaka said almost command-like.

Immediately, Mai sat up. Smiling with her mouth full of rice, Mai apologized behind her food with a palm in front of her mouth. The two Uchiha women looked toward the field behind Elder Mio's home where the young, curly haired Kagami stood in the sun. Like he promised, he came to practice and show his surprise to Elder Mio and Mai.

Sumiko walked out to sit beside Mai. Holding the pillar along with Mai's arm, Sumiko landed slowly onto the wooden floors. "Oof!" Sumiko sat down. "I am getting too big for this."

"And you want more children." Ayaka said with a smile.

Sumiko laughed. "Even when I had Kagami and Sakiko, I was still mopping floors and dusting bookshelves." Sakiko was Sumiko's second child. The little child was almost two.

Ayaka chuckled and looked away.

"Where is Elder Mio?" Sumiko looked around the field. "She isn't in the home."

"An Elders Meeting." Mai informed. "Ever since this morning."

Sumiko hummed. "I heard the Elders are fighting who should be Clan Leader."

"Really?" Mai turned to Sumiko. "Who do they have in mind?"

"Miss Ayaka!" Kagami ran to the home. "Where is Elder Mio?"

"Unfortunately, Elder Mio will not be able to see your surprise today." Ayaka said.

"But she will see it next time." Mai smiled down to the child.

Kagami, with his head of curly hair, smiled largely. "Alright!" He ran back into the field and shouted. "Watch this!" Within a few handsigns later, the little curly haired boy blew a large ball of fire out of his mouth. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

The ball of fire floated in the air before it slowly disappeared into the air. To all Uchiha's, Kagami already graduated and became a shinobi with such a technique. However, to Konoha, he still had a few more years ahead of him before he could be deployed onto missions as Konoha shinobi.

After days of Elder Meetings, the Uchiha Elders came to a conclusion to name Uchiha Hikaku as the new Uchiha Clan Leader. The Uchiha Clan rejoiced when they heard the news. Uchiha Hikaku was well respected- an elder's apprentice along as one of the Uchiha Clan's best shinobi. There was no ceremony upon Hikaku's request. He'd rather head straight to the work his predecessor left him. Senju Tobirama already did not like the change. He heard of Uchiha Hikaku as a formidable opponent of the field but he did not know where the new clan leader will stand in positions concerning Konohagakure. His brother was still bothered by Madara's departure. However, when Hashirama heard the news, he was, as usual, optimistic in Uchiha Hikaku's abilities.

Uchiha Mai walked down the Konoha street with a bag of black bandages. Her usual ones were wearing down and fading. "What do you want, Hikaku-san?" She turned her head to her left. "Or should I say, Lord Hikaku."

Hikaku smirked. "All these years and you still have not changed." She still called him with the honorific "san" and she still wore black outfit. "I would appreciate it if you didn't change after today." He glanced back at her symbol-less back before back to her.

Mai smiled. "Of course." She continued to walk. "Why are you here?"

"I have a request for you." The new clan leader stuck his hands in his pocket.

Mai hummed and changed the bag of bandages from one hand to another.

"Be my second-in-command." Hikaku straightened his shoulders and looked down at the girl.

Mai stopped and peered up to her left. "Your second-in-command?"

Hikaku nodded firmly. There was no one else he wanted to be his right hand human other than Uchiha Mai. On and off the battlefield, he trusts her with his life.

"I'm sorry, but I can not be your second-in-command while I am Elder Mio's apprentice." Mai answered.

"But Mai-chan-" Hikaku started.

"Uh." Mai stopped him almost in a Ayaka-like tone and held her pointing finger up to him.

"I will do all the paperwork." Hikaku promised. "Everything."

"Then why would you need a second-in-command?" Mai raised a brow and smiled.

Hikaku stood taller and looked down at her from here he was standing. "Because I trust you."

Mai looked up at the taller Uchiha, her playful smile faded. "I appreciate the offer, Hikaku-san. However, I can not accept it. But I will work cooperatively with you as an Elder's Apprentice."

Hikaku stood tall, face unrelaxed. He knew there was no way Mai would accept such an offer now. When she said no, she meant no. Giving in, the Uchiha Clan Leader said, "If you ever need anything to do. Feel free to come help as an occasional second-in-command." Hikaku smiled and walked backwards off.

Mai smiled. "Of course."

A/N (AGAIN)

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