Hashirama and Madara sat at a Gō board. Sipping tea as they took turns moveing their black and white pebbles. Tōka sat in the middle drinking a whole bottle of saké between the men. She observed both of their plays. Her eyes took a lingering glance at Madara every few moves of the game pieces.

"You're kicking my butt."

"Ha, All my senses are intensified! You're underestimation shall be your downfall!" Madara placed another black pebble surrounding Hashirama's white.

"Argh! I concede you won this round, Madara."

"So did you..."

"Yes, I came up with a brilliant strategy which will eventually lead us to peace but first I must convince our clan members and my brother..." Getting excited at the thought, Hashirama proposed, "So I propose a marriage between your sister and my brother."

"Acceptable... However, Your brother will be against it."

"I wouldn't be so sure, They did meet in the past."

"They haven't seen each other in ten years."

Hashirama took a sip from his tea cup, He speculated, "That doesn't mean they don't..."

Madara laughed deeply, "You are intimidating when you get serious, Hashirama... But you are right..." He claimed moving another piece, "Kawakana will accept without much of a hassle... Izuna will hate this... Tobirama is my brother's eternal rival."

"He will come to reason in time."

"Yes," Madara insinuated mocking Hashirama's brother, "I can see this marriage failing, Unlikely Tobirama would share a bed with her... I can see Kawakana returning within a month much before termination of this contract."

Hashirama sighed, "My brother is unpredictable, Madara."

Madara inquired about Tōka, "Did not that dog wish to marry you? Tōka?"

"Yes, I turned him down... We argue a little too much about ridiculous things."

"You and my brother are too much alike, Tōka." Hashirama commented trying not to make her angry.

"Hopefully this arrangement can offer him more than I can."

"Or cause him great embarrassment." Madara hoped for this giving Tōka a flirty smirk.

Her eyes rolled, She finalized, "The success of this arrangement is in the hands of your sister."

Chapter One:

Amaterasu's Retreat

Surrounded by his clan Madara tempted to read the accord Hashirama had sent him. He squinted reading Hashirama's less than eloquent ink hand writing. Hashirama had proposed a marriage in accordance to their temporary seize fire. A marriage between his brother Tobirama and Madara's younger sister Kawakana.

"Our agreement is finale, Kawakana shall be sent to the Senju to be the wife of Tobirama Senju."

Madara decreed sealing the scroll Hashirama had sent to him. Tension in the room escalated with the mention of such a name. Be as it may no one had the gall to speak for or against Madara's choice; Other than Izuna. This whole scenario angered Izuna to his core. The thought of his elder sister being espoused to his bitter rival disgusted him to no end.

He felt a surge of revoltion in the pit of his stomach. Izuna resisted adamantly, "No! Brother! The white demon will harm our sister! You cannot go through with Hashirama's proposal!"

Kawakana finally spoke from her place on the right of Madara, Her dulcet voice tempting to sooth the tension between her brothers, "Please, Lower your voice, Little brother, Madara is following what he believes is best for our family." She bowed to her elder brother, "As a daughter of the Uchiha this is my duty, I will accept your wishes, elder brother..." She stood back on her feet, "I must now leave to prepare for tomorrow's departure... Farewell, Madara."

Silently she left the clan's audience chamber. Izuna hurried following after his elder sister. Madara sighed closing his failing eyes; His younger sister had always been distant even to her elder and younger brothers. Always abroad completing solo vocations or centered in her residence, It was very rare for her to be present at clan meetings. She attended this one because of it's importance. He turned to his head general Hikaku, handing the scroll over to him.

He ordered, "Please have our courier send this back to the Senju."

Hikaku bowed to Madara, "As you will, Lord Madara." With the well being of Madara's sister in mind, Hikaku further suggested, "With your permission, I wish to serve as Lady Kawakana's escort to the Senju-Kanon shrine."

"You have my permission."

Enduring the pleas of her little brother Kawakana made it down to the southern pavilion of the Uchiha compound. Her private residence. Once she entered the main room Izuna made his final plea.

He grabbed her shoulder, Begging, "Kana, Please hear me out."

"I am..."

Izuna knew what his sister's next words were, He claimed hugging her, "You are more than a pawn for the Uchiha, You are my sister."

In this moment she saw small Izuna in her brother, She replied breaking away from this allusion, "Brother, You are acting irrational, Becoming consumed by your emotions will only lead to your downfall."

"But..."

Kawakana soothed her brother with her voice, "Harming me would not be in the younger Senju's best interests. Brother agreed to Hashirama's proposal so he may have the time to figure out our clan's next plan of action..." She inquired, "You must've witnessed our elder brother's visual decline."

"I am aware, Kana."

"Your position is to support Madara as his right hand, Our rivals mustn't know..."

"Yes..." Izuna affirmed his sister's wisdom, "Like blindness would ever stop our elder brother."

A gentle smile elevated Kawakana's otherwise self composed expression of distant sorrow, "True."

Kawakana crouched down behind her and brought out her arsenal of weapons. Weapons she had yet to place in time space scrolls or the seals on her wrists. She placed a kunai from her robe with the rest of her weapons. "I will think of you and send you letters by courier bird."

"I will miss you sister."

"I will not be coming back..." She hugged her little brother then returned to what she was doing, "Leave now, I have to de-ambuscade my chambers. "

"I will find a way... I must organize a wedding gift now... Though I should give this to you."

From his robe he offered her a kunai. Kawakana declined shaking her head, "I have plenty of those, Izuna."

He forced the weapon into her hands, "If my intuition is right, End his life."

She returned the dagger to him, refusing, "Absolutely not, For the sake of everything I hold dear, I cannot take this, I'd rather die than to commit an act of treachery... Go on your way, brother, We shall never speak of this again."

While disarming the traps in her room Kawakana's memories returned from her subconscious.

A memory from the days of her thirteenth year.

The day she visited the peaceful grove to recollect her thoughts after her middle brother and mother had died. Her mother brought her here several times throughout her childhood. She called this place "Amaterasu's Retreat". Unfortunately in this time her place of solitude would serve only to corner Kawakana, Shelter her from the pursuing embodiment of rage.

As fast as her superior speed could take her Kawakana ran. She followed a shallow petal crowned stream up north though a grove of cherry blossom trees. She hid inside a cave from her pursuer.

"Come on out! Izuna! You coward!" Shouted out the voice of a young male.

Once she heard the scrape of leaves by the entrance she warned from her place behind a stalactite, "Senju! If you value your life! Step no further!"

The sun beamed high noon revealing an almost invisible string inches before his faded eyes. The string ran horizontal from one arch of the cave's entrance to the other. He stepped back lowering his sword, sheeving the weapon. This voice vibrating from inside the cave did not belong to Izuna. It was the voice of a girl. An Uchiha girl. From her aura he discovered she was related to both Izuna and his brother Madara.

'Typical Uchiha, Hiding and setting traps.' He thought to himself then asked the cornered girl, "You have similar chakra to Izuna, Are you that coward's sister?"

"A wise girl doesn't tell her attacker such knowledge." After thinking up a strategy, She proposed, "If you have no purpose in chasing me, a harmless girl, then you can leave me alone."

"I could capture you and bring you back to camp as a prisoner."

Matter of fact, She lectured him, "My father once told me; A smart strategist doesn't tell his enemy of his plans."

Kawakana's words got the reaction out of him she wanted, "Shut up! I wanted you to know why I'm chasing you!"

"You know I'm right... Hahahaha!" Her impish chuckle taunted him further, She inquired, "For a Senju... You are bit of an idiot. All idiots have names, What's yours?"

Not giving her ground, He insisted, "Why would I tell you my name when I don't know yours? Uchiha?"

"It is only polite to state your name when approaching a girl." Keeping to the shadow Kawakana moved closer to the entrance, She took gratification in her next words, "Though yet again all Senjus tend to be rude and boorish."

"Compares nothing to Uchihas, You all are a bunch of bloodthirsty savages!"

While he mouthed off Kawakana gestured her hands to set off the trap. From the trap a blinding flash bang was set to get him off guard, giving her enough time to lunge at him with all of her body. She vaulted his shoulders forcing his back against the dirt ground. Kawakana's butt rested on his chest. She sat on him so he could not move. From his side she took his sword, throwing the weapon into the expanse of the blossom field.

She took one long look of interest at his boyish features. This Senju appeared around the same age as herself. She poked his nose, noting, "Hmm, For a Senju you are kinda cute... So you are the one bullying my younger brother..." She said her intimidating eyes turning to one single tomoe sharingan red, "Izuna said your name once..."

He leered his eyes down from her line of sight, Demanding, "Get off of me!"

"You are my prisoner now, Tobirama Senju." She finally remembered his name, the Uchiha preteen let out a demonic giggle, "You have to do what I say..." She ruffled his white hair, "You target my little brother personally, not typical behavior for a soldier, Now tell me why you keep going after Izuna!"

After witnessing an irregularity in her already ungroomed appearance, Tobirama pointed out, "Disgusting... I can see your underwear."

Red-faced she exclaimed, "You Senju pervert!" and moved her head slightly down giving him the opportunity to grab Kawakana by her messy ponytail. He wrestled her onto the ground, she screamed out.

"Brother Tobirama! Don't harm her!" Called out the voice of Hashirama who hurried to his brother's side.

He held onto her hair tightly, "I found the sister of Madara and Izuna. She'd make a strategic hostage."

Hashirama suggested, "Let her go."

"Why?"

"We both know if we brought her back as a hostage father's men would abuse her; a female."

Tobirama's rouge eyes widened at the preceived horror, He acknowledged this truth, His hand released her navy blue hair, falling to his side. He said, "Yes, You are right."

Kawakana's recollection of memories was interrupted by a new figure to enter her room. This was the priestess of the Nakano shrine. This woman was named Hoshimi Uchiha the young widow of general Daifuma Uchiha. Hoshimi a distant cousin of Kawakana and her brothers, the second to support Madara after he had become clan head. Waiting for Kawakana to ready herself she caressed her teeming stomach, whispering kind words to her child. She spoke when Kawakana turned to her.

Tossing her unruly navy blue hair to the side Hoshimi informed, letting none of her concerns go to waste, "You should know, There is a lot at stake here than what your brothers and yourself are yet to acknowledge..."

"Cousin, What do you mean?" Kawakana requested taking a deep breath.

"I will be blunt, A marriage like this is an extremely rare occurrence, If your brothers do not take brides and make children leadership of this clan will fall into the hands of an Uchiha with weaker eyes... You may be the only child of Tajima to bear children."

"Who said my marriage would last long enough for me to have children?" Helplessness underlined her speech, "Though as this marriage's terms are... I don't expect anything productive from it or from the groom."

"Kana," Hoshimi recounted from her own experience, "Men no matter their attitude and disposition are all the same when it comes to women. He may look at you and say things in one way but usually the contrary proves to be true."

"That doesn't go for a groom like this one. He's a Senju of a different breed... It's been ten years..."

"You still don't understand, He may look like a wolf but a dog is still a dog... You met him before?"

Kawakana nodded, "Yes," She laughed in her thoughts, informing Hoshimi, "He regretted encountering Izuna's elder sister but still came back many times after to bother me."

"It seems like you are already at a start."

"For the sake of my brothers you may want to suggest to them-"

Hoshimi slouched dejectedly, her hands on her hips, "I've already did, many times, But both men are soo stubborn."

Using her uncanny imagination, She assumed, "Sometimes I wonder if this all is a co-op by the leaders of our clans just to get their clan and younger siblings to see things as they do. Both having different goals of course."

"That wouldn't be beyond Madara," Hoshimi rolled her grey eyes at Madara's absurdity, "He does look at conflict and battle as some sort of enjoyable game."

Her brother's approach to war was the quality Kawakana hated the most about her eldest brother, She fumed narrowing her dark eyes, "It's all fun and games until one of us gets killed. After that happens what will Madara do... Who knows."

"You dislike your brother?"

"I fear how far he will take the Uchiha family..." She continued on, "With constant warfare he will guide us all into the grave."

Ever the loyalist Hoshimi defended Madara, "Agreeing with Hashirama's proposal proves Madara still has a sense of reason, Kana."

"I'm just wondering how Hashirama convinced his brother to go along with his plans..." Setting her iron fan-blade into the straps on her back, Kawakana smirked, "Maybe the Senju idiot developed a firm sense of reason."

"Hashirama is clan head, He has all the power to make his brother do something he doesn't wish to do."

"True, Please support Madara." Kawakana sighed thinking about her brother's values, "He needs a loyal friend to watch over him."

"I already cook and clean for him," Hoshimi joked, "I'm already his wife without the benefits... Do you really think he'd marry a young widow with a child on the way?"

"True, You have to look after your own needs as well, Hoshimi, And that of your child, Your younger sisters Nanase and Miyuki would be excellent wife options for my elder brother... If my brother refuses to wife you or your sisters then find another Uchiha to marry, even if he is of lower rank." She thought of potential bachelors, "My brother's head general Hikaku..."

"I'm sure I never crossed his mind... I have to go now, Farewell, Lady Kawakana."

She nodded allowing Hoshimi to go along her way. After packing up she left the place which had been her sanctuary for years. Closing the paper door she stepped out onto the pavilion. In her way stood sisters Nanase and Miyuki holding two flat decorate boxes. Both women crowded her giving her unabashed hugs and prayers of luck. Kawakana had enough. She stepped back and spoke.

"You both look like you are going somewhere..."

Nanase said doing her best to be friendly, "Lord Madara asked us and Hikaku to accompany you to the shrine."

Young Miyuki motioned the boxes in her arms, "These are from your brothers."

"Thank you both... I must leave to speak to Madara."

She ventured out to the aviary. There she found Madara feeding his beloved hawk Sora. He spoke to his hawk as if both were having a meaningful conversation. Kawakana listened in sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Never did I think this would happen, Sora." Madara spoke fondly to his bird, "Hopefully the next time I see my sister she is happy or returns heartbroken... The last time I saw her smile was before mother's death... She has been sorrowful for far too long."

"Caw."

"Yes, I know who do you think has been watching her comings and goings for years?"

"Coo!"

"Why do you think I'm..."

"Craaw!"

"I was just as surprised as..."

"Caw! caw!"

"I don't have the patience to argue with you! Yes, I'll have to speak to Izuna."

"Elder Brother." Said Kawakana, Approaching from the stairs.

"Yes, Sister." He said allowing Sora to leave her perch on his leather gloved hand.

She hugged Madara, Begging, "Tomorrow, I may never return, Please watch over Izuna and make sure he doesn't do anything foolish... You know how he feels about him."

He padded her head, Confirming, "Yes, I will speak to Izuna later this night," He took her hand, "Please come to dinner."

"Yes, Brother." Both descended from the aviary, Kawakana said, "If Izuna goes against your commands it will not be good for the image of the Uchiha. I don't want him to do anything that could hurt you and the clan."

Madara replied, "Neither do I, But do you think he would in despite of the consequences?"

Even though she hoped for the contrary Kawakana nodded, "Yes, You are too soft on younger brother."

"Sister, Izuna is twenty three years old now," Madara insisted, "I will not treat him like a child."

"You are clan head, He must obey your wishes."

"What exactly do you think he will do?"

She sighed using her foresight, "Izuna will attack the Senju in one form or another."

Madara guessed based on his brother's past, "You think he will go after the younger Senju brother."

"He will."

"If father had killed that albino mongrel... None of this would come to be."

Both arrived in the hall outside the dinning room, She supposed, "His father would've killed Izuna, Madara."

"You have a great intuition." Madara shuddered at the thought of Izuna's death.

He opened the door to the dinning hall for his sister. Walking through, She complimented him, "You proved the same on many occasions, Brother."

"Must run in the family."

Across from Izuna Kawakana sat next to Hoshimi. Madara sat next to Izuna. Izuna got up and entered the side room bringing out a fluffy white puppy. He handed the dog over to his sister, she held the ball of fur in her arms.

"This albino puppy is my first wedding gift to you, Kawakana."

She petted the dog's head, She caught onto Izuna's joke, "Izuna, Did you go to town just an hour ago?"

Izuna nodded his head, He explained, "Earlier, After I spoke to you, I went to town to clear my mind and to find a gift for you."

"The albino senju dog..." Madara laughed at his reference to Tobirama, "Very humorous, Izuna."

"Madara and Izuna, You both are being rude to Lady Kawakana." Hoshimi slapped a hand towel against Madara's head. "Our clan head still acts like a teenage boy and has the humor of one."

"I can jest about my sister's betrothal if I want to." Unhindered by her words Madara dismissed, "Keep your hand cloth for discipling your unborn child."

"Thank you, Izuna," Their sister kissed the dog's head, She countered sweetly, "I will care for this beautiful puppy along with the rest of my future albino children."

"How many children are you..." Madara asked loathing the idea of it all, "Planning to give birth to? Kawakana?"

"More than what you will have, Brother." She snickered rocking the puppy like a baby, "I will see that this small dog leads the clans in the future. An adult dog can lead a family better than most shinobi... The Inuzuka for example."

Izuna said, "A mutt with the sharingan? You make me laugh, Kawakana."

Kawakana moved on feeding the puppy some grilled meat, She said, "My brothers, This puppy doesn't deserve such ridicule... I only ask that you honor what you have pledged." She put forth spewing sweet cruelty, "Little brother, If you sour the societal prestige of Uchiha by attacking the Senju then I will punch you soo hard your future generations will feel it."

"If that albino dog hurts you..." A glance of murder burned in Izuna's eyes, He stayed true to his claims from earlier, "I'm going to put him down. No treatise will stop me."

"We have other affairs to contend with, Izuna." Madara used his foresight, He suggested, "He won't be able to withstand our sister's graceful dance and the sheer power of her beauty. The Senju dog will be salivating before long."