The sun was shining over Konoha when Madara decided to visit Hashirama in his office. Madara lightly knocked twice before opening the door. "Good afternoon, Hashirama."

Hashirama picked his head up from his paperwork and flashed a cheeky grin. "Oh! Madara, what brings you here?"

Madara shut the door behind him and walked toward Hashirama's desk. "I have completed creating the plans for the Ninja Academy."

"Really? That was quick!" Hashirama said with amazement.

Madara pulled out a folder from his yukata and handed him the documents. "I thought I'd get ahead on work."

"Thank you for working so efficiently." Hashirama gratefully accepted the folder. "I'll review the plans and we can start hiring!"

"Yes, I can project we will most likely be able to open up the academy at the start of summer," Madara stated confidently.

"Madara, thank you for making this dream become a reality." Hashirama stood up and bowed. "I mean it. I couldn't have done most of this without you."

"No, you flatter me." Madara smiled before turning his attention to the view in front of him. "It is a beautiful day outside."

Hashirama turned around and looked outside the window behind him. "Indeed it is. I had my head buried in work that I never even noticed."

Madara chuckled. "I have an idea. How about we go grab some lunch together? This way you can actually experience this fascinating new thing called nature."

Hashirama laughed as he turned towards his childhood friend. "Oho! You got me there. I've been cooped up here for days now." He stretched his back while exhaling deeply. "Lunch sounds good right about now. I am so incredibly fatigued."

"You sound so lame, like an old man." Madara sneered. "The great Hashirama Senju reduced to nothing but wrinkles, gray hair, and rickety joints."

"Don't even get me started," Hashirama said with a depressed sigh as the two walked out of the office and made their way down the developing streets of Konoha. "So, what did you have in mind for lunch?"

"Actually, I've been feeling ramen. There is this new stall called Ichiraku Ramen; I thought we could try it out. " Madara smiled. "How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a good choice." Hashirama nodded.

The two made their way to the ramen stall and were greeted by a young man around their age. They sat down at the counter and ordered their bowls. "I cannot wait to try this," Madara said with excitement.

"Reina seems to be rubbing off on you." Hashirama sipped some water.

"What do you mean?" Madara asked as a light blush crept onto his face.

Hashirama set his glass down. "Well, I've never seen you this excited about food before. It's definitely a Reina trait."

Madara scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Do you really think so?" He chuckled.

"Absolutely." Hashirama smiled before sighing. "By the way, how has she been?"

Madara lowered his head. "She isn't as sad, but she's more rigid. I think she found closure and acceptance. However, she has a guard up." He looked towards Hashirama. "I just wish there was more I could do for her."

"You're doing what you can." Hashirama patted him on the back. "I appreciate you for taking such good care of her. There's no one else in the world I would entrust my little sister with."

"Here you go!" The cook said as he placed a bowl of ramen in front of each of them. "Enjoy your meal!"

Both Madara and Hashirama's eyes twinkled at the beautiful bowl before them. "Wow, this really does look amazing." Hashirama beamed.

"Mhmm!" Madara nodded in agreeance as the two broke apart their chopsticks. As they both took their first bite their eyes widened at the overwhelmingly delicious flavors dancing in their mouths. "So good!"

"Delicious!" Hashirama exclaimed. The two began pounding down their meal and eventually ordered a second bowl. "This is dangerously good!"

"Maybe I'll take Reina here tomorrow." Madara sipped his water. "Is it bad that I am equally as excited for the second bowl?"

"Honestly, I don't know anymore." Hashirama chuckled. "Anyway, I'm excited to get the academy up and running. Once again, I really appreciate you for working with me."

"It is my pleasure." Madara set his glass down. "Actually, Hashirama. I was wondering if there was any way that I could possibly take Reina on a short vacation?"

"Oh, so that's why you got your work done early." Hashirama winked. "Sure, why not? How long were you planning on being gone for?"

"One week. I was thinking about taking her to a hot spring resort and eating at various restaurants. Maybe a mountain hike." Madara waved his hand. "We never went on that trip thing after our wedding… What is it called? The… sugar moon?"

Hashirama nearly spat out his water. "Wow! You really are hopeless." He snickered.

"What? Why?" Madara asked innocently.

"It's called a honeymoon, you doofus." Hashirama teased.

Madara blushed and turned his head away. "Uh, yeah- that's what I meant."

Hashirama slapped him on the back. "Haha! No need to be ashamed." He grinned. "Of course, you can go on your trip. All of your work is done and I'm sure Reina could use a change of pace."

Madara bowed his head. "Thank you. I'm very grateful."

"Here you go!" The cook said once again as he placed their second bowl down.

"And I am grateful to you for showing me this gem!" Hashirama said as their eyes sparkled at their ramen bowls once again. "We meet again, lover." Hashirama joked before devouring his second bowl.

Eventually, the two made their way back to the Hokage's tower and office. Madara bowed. "Well, that was a delicious adventure. Thanks for tagging along, Hashirama."

"Thank you for dragging me out, Madara. I appreciated it." Hashirama bowed back. "By the way, when did you want to leave for your vacation?"

Madara scratched his head. "Ugh, well-"

Just as Madara was about to come up with a date, the door clicked open revealing Mito clad in her gray armor. "Mito!" Hashirama said excitedly while zipping up to her. "You've finally returned! It's been ages!" He cried dramatically as he hugged her tightly.

Mito chuckled. "You're gonna crush my ribcage!"

Hashirama let go. "I'm sorry, it's just that I missed you."

"It's only been two weeks." She smiled sweetly and stroked his face gently.

Hashirama held her hand for a moment before lowering it softly. "Thank you for being safe."

Mito noticed Madara and gave a slight bow. "Madara, hello! Pardon my rudeness."

Madara bowed back. "There is no need to apologize. You were preoccupied with this dramatic lump of a man." He gestured toward Hashirama.

"Hey, take it back!" Hashirama exclaimed childishly.

Mito giggled. "Actually, Madara, is there any way I can see Reina today?"

Madara thought for a moment. "Right now she is training the ANBU Black Ops, but she'll be done for the day afterward. Why do you ask?"

Mito smiled. "I left to the Land of Whirlpools to visit my clan's sacred shrine. There, Lord Ashina taught me a new jutsu."

"Oh? What for?" Madara inquired.

"It is a very demanding jutsu made for protecting a developing child inside a woman's womb." She grinned. "It's a way to help you and Reina have a baby."

Madara was taken awestruck. "You mean there's a way to solve our problem?"

"Yes." Mito nodded. "I couldn't bear to see Reina in that deep state of depression. I had to do something. So, I left for a while to learn this new jutsu if you're willing to explore this option."

Madara bowed deeply. "For Reina, anything."

Reina was clad in black as she stood on a platform and commanded the ANBU Black Ops in their training. Her pants were standard black shinobi pants with black bandages around the ankles and black boots to match. Her shirt was long-sleeved and loose-fitting, cinching at the wrists. Since she wanted to command respect from the organization, she wore her battle armor to work; which consisted of black arm, hand, and thigh guards. The thick metal sleeves had an intricate, intertwined root pattern etched in. Reina wore her hair down in flowing, wavy locks that partially covered her black Konoha headband. It was evident that she was in charge by her stance. Her air was even domineering as she scrutinized her shadow army. The woman's energy exuded authority.

The door to the training room opened forcing Reina to avert her attention away from the ANBU. Her eyes widened in halfhearted surprise as Tobirama walked Madara, Hashirama, and Mito inside the training room. Reina turned towards her army and raised a hand in the air. "ATTENTION!" She roared, causing the ANBU Black Ops to immediately stop what they were doing as her voice echoed through the underground room. "FACE THE ENTRANCE!" She yelled again, causing her army to obey like robots and face the entrance. "BOW!" The ANBU bowed in unison. "FACE YOUR PARTNERS!" Each shinobi pivoted on their heels and did as told. "RESUME!" With that last command, the ANBU Black Ops resumed their training exercise.

Hashirama whispered quietly to Tobirama. "Wow, Reina's pretty scary when she's at work."

"She takes her job very seriously. The ANBU must always acknowledge their superiors to minimize traitorous behavior. Reina has successfully drilled that into their heads." Tobirama said plainly. "I only hope we can perpetuate this mindset in the future."

Madara closed his eyes with a smirk. "Reina really is something else."

Mito was the only person in the group who was visibly shaken by Reina's persona. "I-I've never seen her this- ya' know, harsh…"

"Tsk! Imagine her at war." Hashirama simply commented. "That girl has no off switch. She's like a demon."

"But she's so kind-spirited by nature," Mito mumbled.

"You have yet to experience all of Reina," Hashirama responded in a serious tone. "And I don't think you would want to."

As the group approached Reina, they bowed to her to show respect. "Pardon the intrusion, Reina, but I have brought you some visitors," Tobirama stated.

Reina bowed in return. "Hello, everyone." She straightened her back. "That's fine. I'm almost finished here anyway."

Tobirama stood next to her and crossed his arms. "They seem to be making progress."

"Yes. They are performing splendidly." Reina smiled. "They're starting to understand their roles better."

"By roles, you're referring to infiltrators, assassins, combatants, and tanks?" Hashirama inquired.

"Broadly speaking, yes." Reina nodded.

Madara simply scrutinized everyone's performance. "Sharp group you have acquired here, Reina."

Reina tried to hide a grin. "Why thank you, Lord Madara." She turned her head towards Mito. "Lady Mito, how nice to see you."

"Oh, yes." Mito nodded. "It's been a while."

"It has. I'm glad to see you made it back safely." Reina smiled sweetly.

"She's like a whole new person than the one I saw when walking in." Mito licked the front of her teeth. "I wonder what kind of person Reina would've become if I didn't help her control her power back then…"

Reina cleared her throat. "Alright! STOP!" She clapped her hands. "FACE ME! ATTENTION!" As the ANBU faced her, she gave a small smile. "That concludes our training session for today! Every person in this room has made visible improvements, and I encourage you to keep working hard for your friends, family, loved ones, and the village! We will meet again tomorrow at the same time. For now, you are dismissed!"

"YES, MA'AM!" The ANBU yelled as they bowed to her.

Reina watched as the shinobi began filing out of the training area. "Well, that went well." She smiled and turned towards her visitors. "So, what can I do for you?"

As the door clicked shut, leaving the five shinobi to themselves, Mito stepped forward. "Reina, as you know, I left for the Land of Whirlpools for two weeks."

"Yes, I remember." Reina nodded softly.

"The reason I left is that I learned a new jutsu from Lord Ashina." Mito smiled. "It's a jutsu to protect your growing baby if you wish to have one anymore."

Reina's arms dropped. "What?" Her expression softened.

"You can have your baby." Mito grabbed her hands. "You can have that family you dreamed of. I knew our clan had a jutsu to help with fertility. It's demanding and there are some downsides to it, but it's an option I can offer my dearest friend."

Reina simply stared at her with wide eyes before looking away. "I was not expecting this."

Mito let go of her. "I know you've been feeling numb, so it's difficult to process this, but there's hope." She smiled. "Are you willing to try?"

Reina turned towards Madara before looking back at Mito. "Well, what are the drawbacks?" She was all business.

Mito held up one finger. "Well, first of all, the seal requires a large amount of both your blood and my blood."

Reina nodded. "That's doable. Please continue."

Mito took in a deep breath and held up a second finger. "The second negative is that there is a likely chance that your child will not inherit as much of your shinobi traits. Madara's genes would be predominantly expressed."

Reina looked down at the ground in thought. "That might actually be a good thing. I can only imagine what monster my DNA and Madara's DNA would create."

"That would be quite the rarity to behold."

"Quiet in the peanut gallery." Reina looked back up at Mito. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

Mito nodded. "There is one last thing." She gave a nervous smile and clasped her hands together. "Not only will the baby have limited inheritance of only Madara's shinobi ability, but the power potential will be reduced by half if everything goes according to plan."

"And if it doesn't?" Reina looked her in the eyes.

"You'd be lucky if the child comes out with a quarter of the power Madara has." Mito lowered her head with a slight bow. "Essentially it is a payment to the goddess Inari, power in exchange for life. It is your choice."

"May I interject?" Hashirama inserted himself. "Even if the child comes out with half of Madara's power or less, it would actually be up to par, if not above, the projected capabilities of our future generations."

Reina furrowed her brows. "Can you further elaborate?"

Tobirama crossed his arms and spoke up. "I studied the capabilities that our generation has, what the villagers have, and what the next generation within the village has. I took the statistics and analyzed the data to come up with the new shinobi ranks we will be integrating into our system. Are you familiar with them?"

Reina nodded. "It's academy, Genin, Chunin, Jounin? That thing?"

Tobirama nodded. "The hierarchy goes academy level, Genin, Chunin, Jounin, ANBU, which consists of Specialized Jounin, Kage, which can contain a broad spectrum of abilities, and S-Class."

"Where are we?" Reina inquired.

"S-Class. It's a legendary status used as a basis of comparison." Tobirama took in a deep breath. "Here is what I've gathered from my findings. Since the Warring States Era has ended, and most individuals in our generation have yet to reproduce, no children are being born and bred for war. Even if some children have been born, they will not be trained at the level we were subjected to since there would be no legitimate reason for it. Therefore, it is highly likely that they will not reach our caliber during their lifetime. The majority, however, will reach Jounin level rather quickly while progressing through the ranks, and a large population might even become Specialized Jounin and skip through the ranks at a young age. This would solely depend on the prowess of their parents."

"Okay, I'm following." Reina nodded.

Tobirama continued. "Now, we can speculate that at age eight, we were already Jounin level. In order to enter the academy, a child must be age eight. In other words, they are starting their training much later in life and will progress at a much slower rate than we did. This slowing rate will continue as more generations are brought into the system. Naturally, our instructors will become weaker as time progresses, which means that our students will also become weaker. Those students will become parents and teachers, and the cycle will repeat."

"My brain is going to explode, but keep going." Reina encouraged.

"This brings me to conclude that, with half of Madara's legendary power, your child will be ahead of the already slowing curve," Tobirama stated. "That's all."

"Two compliments in one year…" Madara muttered.

"Silence." Tobirama retorted.

"So, you're trying to say that without war, our shinobi will gradually become weaker with each passing generation?" Reina inquired.

"Correct. Of course, there will always be the few exceptional prodigies, but yes." Tobirama nodded. "When you consider what I've said, at face value, it is disappointing to think that your child will not be nearly as powerful as either of you, but in retrospect, it will still be ahead of its peers as the power scaling will be on a gradual decline."

Reina looked up at Madara. "I think we should talk about this."

Madara nodded. "Lady Mito, we appreciate your efforts, but we will have to discuss this before making a decision."

Mito nodded. "Absolutely. Take as much time as you need."

"I don't see what is so wrong about having a child with less power than us. It's as Tobirama said. We don't need to breed weapons anymore!" Reina barked across the dining room table.

"I understand that, Reina. However, this child will be our legacy! It will take control of the entire Uchiha clan! No one will listen to anyone lacking in power. As much as we don't want to admit it, power is everything and it always will be!" Madara stated firmly. "Imagine if Jun has a child and it is more powerful than ours, but it isn't in line to lead the clan. How much sense does that make?!"

"First of all, our child isn't our legacy! Our legacy is the mark that we as individuals leave on this earth. Our child is our lineage. They will make their own legacy. Second, it is not uncommon for another clansman to be stronger than the head. Power isn't the only thing that makes a leader! Not only that, but we are at a completely different caliber than Jun! Our child could still be stronger! And don't bring him into this!" Reina took in a sharp breath. "Hypotheticals will get us nowhere!" She shook her head. "Why can't you simply accept the statistics?"

"The statistics?! How accurate are they?" Madara shook his head in disbelief. "For all we know, Tobirama could have said that so we can accept the fact that the only way we can have a child is for the Uchiha clan to grow weaker, which is probably his goal."

"Don't you DARE insult my brother just because you still don't trust my clan!" Reina pointed furiously. "I cannot believe the way you are acting! And if you weren't listening to him, everyone would be weaker as time progresses! The Uchiha clan is by no means an exception!"

"Lower your finger!" Madara snapped.

"Only if you get rid of that hideous ego of yours!" Reina remarked. She turned her head away, clenching her jaw as she blinked away tears. Between them, a pot of tea sat cold and untouched. The couple briefly sat in silence as their thoughts and emotions brewed and simmered. Reina shook her head and lowered it as she stared into her lap with glassy eyes.

Madara gazed over towards her and lowered his head in shame. "I am sorry for yelling."

"I just…" Reina looked up at him. "I am so disappointed in you."

Madara's throat burned as her words stung him. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you had changed. I thought you set aside your power obsession and your prejudices." Reina sniffled. "I'm not saying that Tobirama is innocent by any means… but Madara… What do you want from life? Do you not want a family? Do you not want happiness? Is power and self-image all that matters to you?"

"No, but it still is important to me." Madara sighed. "I am not looking to fight with you, Reina, but you have to face the facts. Having physical prowess as a shinobi is paramount in our culture today and will be in the foreseeable future. We cannot deny that."

"You are right…" Reina sighed. "I am also sorry for yelling and insulting you." She rested her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands. "Why did I even allow myself to have the faintest glimmer of hope?"

"Reina..." Madara's face paled as he could see tears cascade down her face and onto the dining room table. "You can still take time off-"

"You know that is not an option." Reina took in a shaky breath. "Is this not what you want? I don't understand… Are you not willing to take the chance?" She picked up her head and wiped her tears away. "Madara, what do you want?"

Madara lowered his head once more. "I want you… I want a life with you. Though I wish to have a family, I need time to consider the proposal and deal with my own demons."

Reina nodded. "Yeah… I'm sorry for pushing."

"Don't be. I am deeply sorry for insulting your brother. Perhaps deep down there still is some resentment I have for him. For badmouthing my clan. For taking away my last brother that I vowed to protect… My brother whom I could not protect due to my own incompetence." Madara looked Reina in the eyes. "This is why power means everything to me. I want to protect the ones I love, and if I cannot protect them, then they must be able to fend for themselves."

"I understand. That's a valid reason." Reina sighed. "You are right."

Madara stood up and walked over to her side of the table. He sat down next to her and pulled her into an embrace. "You are also right, my love." He kissed the side of her head. "I apologize for not listening to you." He inhaled her scent and held her tightly. "Power… might not be everything, because people live and die every day, don't they?"

Reina curled up against his chest. "I love you, but this is your battle… not mine. I can only do so much."

Madara gently rocked her in his arms. "It is indeed my battle, but will you fight beside me?"

Reina softly smiled through her tears. "Of course. I will fight with you every step of the way. There's no one else I'd rather be with and I will always be by your side."

"Thank you," Madara whispered as the two sat in the dining room in each other's arms.