AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews. I love reading each one I get and always want to hear your thoughts. Please let me know what you're interested to see and what you're liking so far! Thank you so much for being interested in this story and I hope you continue to enjoy :)

"Ah, welcome home!" Izuna smiled at Asami as she stepped into the meeting room where the mission for the Fuma had been discussed days prior. He got to his feet and walked around the table to her, pulling her into a hug which she returned eagerly.

The moment Asami got back to the compound she had taken a bath and changed, sending Hikaku with the scroll from the Fuma to speak with Madara. In most cases, she would have been right on to the debriefing the moment she got home, but this time, she was just tired. She knew Madara wouldn't be a stickler about her getting changed before meeting for a debrief either. He was also one to prioritize cleaning up after being out of the compound for a bit.

Madara got to his feet as well, standing from his place at the head of the table. He came over and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I heard from Hikaku that the meeting went well. You didn't allow them to push you around, but maintained respect and helped strengthen our ties with them. Good job."

Asami blushed a bit at the praise, closing her eyes and giving him a small smile. "Thank you. I'm glad you're satisfied with my performance. Though... preferably... unless the Fuma specifically asks for me, I would like to be assigned another mission."

Madara raised a brow, not having expected that as a response. "Oh?"

She cringed, adverting her eyes. "Yes... well... let's just say the Fuma matriarch is a strange woman."

Izuna coughed at that, going back to his seat. He sat crisscross, hands resting on his thighs as he watched Asami and Madara also take their respective spots, mirroring the meeting they had about the Fuma from before.

"I think we may know why she was behaving strangely." Izuna looked at Madara as though he was testing the waters. With a nod in confirmation from his brother, he continued. "Along with the letter we received from you about the Shimura... which is another thing in itself we need to discuss, we received a second letter from the Fuma."

Asami furrowed her brows. "But I received the letter from Jin about the trade deals? He gave it to me before we left. I gave it to Hikaku-san and sent him to give it to you."

He shook his head. "This is something completely separate. They sent it over after you left the Fuma compound and it only arrived last night. We already looked over the letter for trade that Hikaku-san gave us."

Asami looked between the both of them, neither brother seeming as though they wanted to finish explaining. Izuna had the hint of a cringe on his face, whereas Madara only frowned in discomfort, single black eye staring at her from underneath his mop of spiky hair.

She placed her hand on her thighs and let out an exasperated sigh, shoulders dropping a bit at their lack of words and screwed-up faces. "What are you two keeping from me? Just come out and say it."

"Well..." Madara cleared his throat. "In simple terms, they requested a... way for us to strengthen the relationship between our clans."

Asami squinted at him, confused. "Eh? What does—oh no."

Izuna coughed, looking away from her. "It seems whatever you did while you were with the Fuma, you made them like you a little too well. I would say you did a good job, but this is going to be a weird thing to work out."

She jolted, dark eyes going wide. "Political marriage?! With me! You must be joking! Who in their right mind do they want to marry me off to?"

"Their firstborn, Fuma Tadashi." Answered Madara.

Asami scowled at the table, bristling at the thought of what the Fuma matriarch had been up to during breakfast. Everything seemed to make sense now! She couldn't believe how stupid she was for not seeing it before. She just hadn't expected Tomi to request something so... out there. It was obvious that this was her scheming and not Jin's. It made Asami question who was really was in control of the Fuma clan. It certainly seemed as though Jin held all the cards, but Tomi was the one who instructed him on what ones to play.

She had been right—the woman was calculating and conniving.

"You won't go through with it... will you?" Asami was suddenly overcome with fear, the thought of packing up all her things and living with the Fuma to run their clan for the rest of her life was equivalent to death in her eyes. No, she would rather die than do that.

"It was foolish for them to think that would happen at all," Madara said sharply, relief flooding through her at the dismissive approach to the idea. He scoffed, lifting his chin and staring straight ahead. "Uchiha do not marry outside of the clan. If someone is to marry an outsider, they marry into the clan, and even those instances are not common. The Sharingan ending up in the hands of another clan, our ally or not, will not happen, and certainly not someone with the ability to unlock the Mangekyo."

Asami's eyes darted to Izuna, lips parting in shock that Izuna had revealed to Madara she unlocked the next phase of the Sharingan.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting. It wasn't as though she was trying to keep her Mangekyo a secret either, but Izuna running and telling Madara about it surprised her. It was a given that Izuna would tell his older brother eventually and it was stupid for her to feel offended in any way about it, but she couldn't help but feel a little upset. It felt almost like Izuna tattled on her, childishly enough. She wished Madara could have talked to her about it, or even had a discussion with both Izuna and Madara. Instead, they were discussing things about her when she wasn't around. Again, maybe it was childish and a ridiculous thing to be offended about, but she was nonetheless.

"Of course, I told him," Izuna frowned, detecting her distaste for the situation. "I told him long before I ever asked you about it. I noticed it when we were on the battlefield. Your Sharingan did not look as it normally did."

"It looked different?" Asami recoiled a bit, blinking as she took in what he said.

Maybe Izuna had gone to Madara wondering how to approach her about the Mangekyo, and that's why he consulted him first. She was trying to come up with any reason as to validate Izuna telling Madara about the Sharingan, but now she was just curious that her Sharingan had a new shape.

She tilted her head, looking at him with interest. "What did it look like?"

It was certainly was news to her.

"Like an eight-pointed star. Quite interesting." Izuna placed a hand to his chin, looking up to the side in thought as he pictured what it looked like. He gestured between Madara and himself. "Ours also have a different shape to it. That's why we were able to determine it was another phase of the Sharingan and not some extra ability we discovered."

Asami raised a hand to her face, touching her brow. She hadn't realized it looked different, but then again, it's not as though she had any way to look at herself when she was in the middle of a battle. She was curious to see it for herself.

Along with that, she needed to experiment more with what exactly it could do. She knew she could summon this other... realm.. or she could pull people into another space? This lack of understanding was exactly why she needed to play around with it more, and she wasn't the only one who urged herself to do so, but Izuna as well.

"You should train with your Mangekyo ability and explore it further." Said Madara, reiterating her thoughts without knowing. He brushed over the mild irritation she gave off about Izuna telling him about the Mangekyo, continuing on. "It could become a great asset to you."

"Yes." She acknowledged, looking down at her lap. Asami did feel a little ashamed that her first instinct was to be annoyed Izuna told Madara. But if he brushed over it, so would she.

"What does your Sharingan look like?" She looked between both the brothers, suddenly curious. She never thought the Sharingan would have a shape to it that wasn't three tomoe. How was the shape even decided in the first place? She wanted to know what it would look like.

"Alright." Madara nodded in agreement, deciding it would only be fair to show it.

He looked over at her, brushing the spikey fringe from his eyes. The black of his eyes was replaced by the Sharingan, three tomoe spinning to life. Another spin and the three tomoe morphed into a hollow circle, three holes evenly spaced from each other. The lines increased in thickness as they neared the circle, before thinning out again.

Asami leaned in a bit closer, staring at it in wonder. "Woah."

She turned to look at Izuna, his Mangekyo already activated. The center was a black circle, almost as though it was his pupil, but expanded a bit more. The design was split into three sections similar to Madara's, but instead of it only being in the center, it spread into thick lines to the outer edges of his eye.

"This is amazing," Asami looked between their eyes in wonder.

"Show Madara yours," Izuna nodded his head at her.

Obliging, she activated her Sharingan, willing it to shift into the Mangekyo. The room around her appeared sharper, gaining the visibility of Madara and Izuna's chakra. Both of them leaned in to get a better look, though Madara seemed to be paying closer attention to the design of her eyes as this was the first time he had seen it. She maintained eye contact with the elder brother, their Mangekyo's meeting.

"It looks like a star," he leaned back, placing his hand on the table. He looked over at Izuna, coking his head. "This is very interesting."

All three of them deactivated their Sharingan.

Returning to the more pressing subject at hand, Asami looked between her cousins. "So... as for the Fuma..."

Madara sighed, shaking his head. "I'm going to tell them they are more than welcome to have a member marry into our clan, but it won't be the other way around because of our dojutsu. It simply will not happen. They should be satisfied with that response, and I doubt they'll marry Tadashi to you if he has to come here, as that would leave them only one surviving son to take over the clan. If their youngest dies, and Tadashi is here, they will be in a sticky situation."

There was a pause.

"In any case, I wouldn't have allowed it to happen at all." Added Madara, shocking both her and Izuna.

Izuna blinked at his older brother, casting a glance over to Asami, before looking at him again, waiting to see what he was going to say next.

"What... do you mean?" Asked Asami slowly, sharing another look with Izuna.

Madara sighed again, raising a hand to his face. "I mean that... let's say there's another world where we don't have the Sharingan and it was not unusual to ship off a high-ranking family member to another clan for a political marriage. Unless it was something you wanted to step up to do, I still would have declined."

Asami's expression softened, but Madara looked away from her, embarrassed. "I would not force you to do something like that. Perhaps my father would have been someone to do so, but I am not strong enough to do something like that to you. I... I would feel guilty about it till I died."

"Madara..." Asami began, tilting her head to the side as she looked at her older cousin. She really felt like an ass now for throwing a fit about Izuna telling Madara about the Sharingan. In hindsight, it didn't matter all that much. Besides, this was Madara and Izuna—she trusted them with her everything.

She reached out and placed a hand on his arm, giving him a warm smile, trying to let him know that she appreciated that more than he would know. "Thank you. Even if that was a... hypothetical situation that is far from reality, the fact it was even something you brought up meant you'd been thinking about it. It means a lot that you would do something like that for me."

If Madara was not embarrassed before, he was now, tilting his head even further away from her, face flushing a light pink. "Yes. Of course. I'm sure Izuna would have done the same, though."

Izuna snorted. "Yes well, I would have done the same, you're right. But I would not want to deal with the Uchiha elders or what would come after the decision to refuse the marriage."

Asami squinted, cringing at the thought of the Uchiha elders ripping Madara or Izuna apart for jeopardizing an alliance over a political marriage. Especially for her sake. Though she was honored they would do something like that for her. She didn't like being in the same room as the elders at all.

"It's a good thing then it's only a hypothetical?" She offered sheepishly.

Izuna only snorted again at her comment. "Yes, now you don't have to be shipped off to the Fuma, and we don't have to fend off the elders with a stick. Thankful that this is our reality."

"On to the next topic, though," began Izuna, straightening up as he redirected the conversation. He looked over to Asami, giving her a nod in acknowledgment. "The information you found on the Shimura was a good find, Asami. Good job. We had suspected the Senju or Sarutobi would retaliate like this, but the Shimura is a surprise. There's no way the Sarutobi would attack us on their own, but if the Sarutobi pushed enough for a fight the Senju would give in and they would attack together, just as they did last time. But I still don't understand why the Shimura are involved now."

He looked between Madara and Asami, waiting for someone to fill in the blanks.

Asami sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she began to explain. Her head hurt from knowing she was the cause of all this. "It's because I burnt Sarutobi Sasuke's younger brother to a crisp, and he was betrothed to a Shimura woman to strengthen the clan alliance. I read about the betrothal in the scroll the Shimura had on them. The Sarutobi is irritated about the marriage being disrupted, the death of the main family member, and not to mention the other casualties they faced. They only showed up to aide the Senju. We thought the Sarutobi attacked out of their own accord, but it turns out that wasn't the case. Essentially, they're blaming the Senju for all their problems and want them to do something about it."

"Sheesh, you really caused a ruckus by killing one Sarutobi." Mused Izuna, shaking his head. He wasn't upset by it at all, but amused, enjoying the Senju's suffering.

Asami frowned, shrinking into herself. She was not as amused by it. "It's not as though I meant to..."

"I hate to say it, but if all three of them show up with the intentions to attack, we can't beat them on our own," Madara said, disregarding Asami's last comment. He frowned, raising a hand to rub his chin in thought, crease appearing between his eyebrows. "I will send a letter to Fuma Jin alerting him of our findings and that we may need to call on their help."

"Should we call on the Hagoromo too?" Asked Izuna.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Madara shook his head, dismissing the idea. "The Shimura is not a strong clan. They are simply more bodies to cut down in battle. The Sarutobi is only a couple of steps below the Senju, and as we know, the Senju are the ones we do need to look out for. We did have casualties the last time we fought the both of them, and we did not come out unscathed, but with the Fuma at our side it will make the battle much more bearable. Until we hear that there is the movement of Sarutobi or Shimura to the Senju, we won't make any other moves."

"There has been word of Senju camps not too far off from our borders. A returning group from a mission with a civilian village passed them, but there were too many Senju for them to approach confidently." Brought up Izuna, looking between Madara and Asami. He tilted his head to the side, holding his palm up to the air. "We could attack them and let them know we're not in hiding. The Uchiha are always ready to strike and they should be afraid of us. We're not just waiting prey."

"We could set them on fire," added Asami, agreeing with Izuna. "I could also set them on fire."

Asami may have had mixed feelings about the destructive life a shinobi led, but now the Senju, Shimura, and Sarutobi were threatening her family. When the Uchiha or the lives of her family were in danger, or someone was out to get them, all those thoughts were out the window. She could have her philosophical internal monologues about how the Senju and Uchiha were like two sides of the same coin when the Senju was not coming after everything she protected and loved.

"I do have some fears about that," Said Madara suddenly and a little off-topic. He looked over at Asami, pausing expectantly.

Asami looked at him, a bit startled at the randomness. "Hm?"

"Sarutobi Sasuke. Did he see you kill his brother?"

She paused for a second, thinking. Slowly, she nodded, remembering how he had stared down at her from that hill in fear, disgust, and anger. She was sure he would never forget her face, especially when considering how she had killed his younger brother.

"Yes. I'm sure he won't forget me either."

Madara hummed thoughtfully, hand still raised to his chin. He let his hand fall into his lap, looking over at Asami. "You are the one who killed the member of the main family and triggered the mess between their clans. I don't think it's too far of a speculation that once Sasuke spots you, he will either point you out, and you will become a target for every single member on that battlefield. Or, he will keep quiet and claim you to be his kill. Either is possible, but if he chooses the first..."

Madara grimaced. "Let's hope he does not choose the first. I don't think anything terrible will happen but... it will not be fun for you."

"Let's not jinx anything." Asami frowned, the thought of every single Shimura, Sarutobi, and Senju wanting her head on a platter just to be in good faith with another clan or get a pat on the back. It was so savage, and she hated that the logistics of it made sense. She rubbed at her neck, the mental image of her head on a plate making her neck feel weird.

"This is something you need to expect going forward," Madara said, noticing her discomfort. "I know you have a tendency to want to slide into the background, but that won't happen here. You are a powerful shinobi belonging to the main family. The more often you step onto the battlefield to face other clans, the more people you cut down, and the more times you survive, your name will become household among our enemies and allies. You will fight other high-ranking members of enemy clans, and stand alongside Izuna and I. That will not be overlooked. When you start to use your Mangekyo in battle as well... that is going to turn more heads. You cannot escape that."

Asami only frowned, not sure what she was supposed to say.

What he said was the truth, but Asami didn't like it. She did want to just be... out of the way. It was like a constant tug-of-war in her mind. She wanted to be a strong shinobi that people respected and looked up to, one that was respected for her skills. But she did not want people competing to be the ones to kill her, and did not want to create stressful messes, even if it was hurting her enemy. The thought was mind-boggling to her. People competing for her death? To be the one to end her life? It made her feel a little sick.

Though maybe she just needed to get over it. This was her life and she couldn't do anything to change it. Being upset didn't do any good.

Izuna shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, well, until we hear back from our scouts, we don't have anything else to do from here."

Madara got to his feet, brushing off the creases in his navy blue yukata. "I have some things to attend to anyway. I'll see the both of you at dinner."

He walked over to the entrance and slid open the shoji door, about to step out.

"Nii-san..." Izuna raised a brow at his brother's back, Madara stopping in his tracks as he called out to him.

Madara seemed to tense like a spooked cat, looking over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"What business are you attending to?" Izuna looked at his brother with the same scrutinizing look, brows furrowed and squinting, ready to poke holes into his story. "We don't have any meetings for the rest of the day. Besides... you rarely handle business without me there."

Asami raised a brow at Izuna, looking from him to Madara, who was looking at Izuna over his shoulder still. His eyes were narrowed, mouth downturned in mild annoyance at being stopped. Annoyance either for being stopped or because of Izuna's questioning. She wasn't totally sure, but both were plausible. More likely that he was being questioned than anything, though.

She didn't know Madara's schedule, since she usually did her own thing while Madara and Izuna went about their schedules for the day. It wasn't as though their days were jam-packed with things to do either, since if there were no missions to administer and no upcoming battles, there was nothing else to do really. The Uchiha clan was a well-oiled machine, everyone taking care of their respective tasks and making sure they got done properly. It didn't need to be micromanaged by the clan head.

"Take the free time and appreciate it, Izuna." With that, Madara closed the door without saying anything else.

Silence settled in the room for a moment, Izuna staring at the door Madara had shut rather abruptly. Asami looked away awkwardly, feeling the wounded pride radiating off of Izuna. He did not take kindly to being brushed off, especially not by Madara since the two were usually conjoined at the hip. Classic case little brother wanting attention from big brother.

Izuna huffed, eyes narrowed as he looked off to the side. "What's his problem? I only asked a question."

Asami turned to sit on her side, leaning on the low-rise table with most of her upper body. She rolled out her ankles, slouching lazily. "I think Madara-nii just thought you were being annoying and nosy. He can do things on his own, you know. Make your own life." She gestured with her hand, throwing it up.

She said the last part more dramatically than she really needed to, Izuna scowling at her, especially for the last comment. He crossed his arms, pouting like a small child, dark eyes still narrowed. His spiky hair was practically bristling in frustration. "I am not annoying. And I do have my own life. He just doesn't dodge my questions like that unless... he's trying to hide something."

He suddenly got to his feet, walking over to the door and slamming it open, the door practically rattling with his force. "I'm following him."

Asami sighed, looking away from him and tracing the grain of the wood on the table. "It won't work. He's going to do something else to trick you into thinking that's what he's up to. Even if you do end up following him—or even if you find him at all. He's probably disappeared by now because he knew you'd try this."

"Shut up." Izuna shut the door behind him, walking off and leaving her alone in the meeting room.

Asami sighed again, shaking her head. He could be so crabby when it came to Madara, especially when he brushed him off.

With some free time now, Asami found herself in Kaori's bakery, sitting on a stool at the counter in the back room where most of the goods were made. She rested her cheek on the cool metal of the counter, face squished against the surface. Her hair dangled off the edge, pulled to one side to reveal her neck, arms wedged between her body and the counter. She watched as Hanami, Kaori's daughter and Hana's best friend, kneaded some dough. Flour covered the girl's arms and hands, her long hair pulled back into a braid, a few stray pieces dangling in her black eyes.

"Why don't you go and do something a little more productive?" Hanami raised a brow, looking at the girl who was lazily watching Hanami work on the bread. She picked up the dough and flipped it over, a cloud of flour flying up as she slammed it on the counter. "You could hang out with a friend, meet a boy... there are plenty of other things you could be doing now. Instead, you're watching me knead dough like it's the most interesting thing you've ever seen."

"It is the most interesting thing I've ever seen." Retorted Asami, a flat tone in her voice. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as if she was going to fall asleep, a content sigh leaving her lips.

She always felt at home here. The warmth of the ovens, the crackling fires, the smell of fresh baked goods, and of course, the sweets. Overall though, it was probably because Kaori acted as a mother figure throughout her life, since her real mother never got the chance to be one. She knew Hana had viewed the older woman in a similar light. Since Hana and Hanami had been such close friends, she spent a lot of time around Kaori—maybe even more than Asami had. It made sense for Hana to think of Kaori as a mother too.

A hand slammed on the counter beside her head, shocking her out of her tired thoughts. Asami jumped, wide awake now as she grabbed at the counter to stop herself from falling off the stool. She glared up at a grinning Kousuke, his tousled curly hair flopped to the side as he angled his head to look at her.

"Feeling a little sleepy?" He asked, giving her a cheeky look.

"Not anymore." She grumbled, eyes narrowing at him. She rubbed at her face, grumbling under her breath at how she was rudely disturbed. She really wanted to give him a good smack for that.

His grin only widened at her irritation, before looking over to Hanami, who was also scowling at the mischievous Uchiha. He leaned on his hand, nodding his head at the bread placed on a counter off to the side. "I came here because Kaa-san sent me to get some things, but I didn't know I would run into you, Asami-chan."

He turned his head over his shoulder, looking back at Asami who was still very irritated with him. His grin didn't let up, though. "I thought you were still with the Fuma."

"You're not supposed to be back here." Hanami continued to scowl at him, not caring that she was overtalking Kousuke. She paused her kneading to cross her arms and give him her full attention, mouth pressed into a firm line.

Kousuke did have a reputation for annoying his peers. He was a good guy, but he got a lot of fun out of irritating others. People didn't usually take kindly to someone who got a kick out of poking fun at them. It was just in his nature, even if it earned him the disapproval of his elders for his immature behavior. His abilities as a shinobi though usually made people overlook his personality.

"You won't kick me out," Kousuke said knowingly, sliding into the stool beside Asami. He gave Hanami an innocent smile, the corner of his eyes crinkling along with the beauty mark underneath his left eye.

Hanami rolled her eyes, not even bothering with him. "Fine. But if Kaa-san finds you back here I won't defend you."

"Fair." He acknowledged, before looking back over to Asami. He crossed his arms on the counter and leaned over, tilting his head to look at her with interest. "Well, tell me how it went."

"You want to hear about the Fuma," She said flatly, frowning at the Uchiha male. She didn't believe him at all. She doubted he was genuinely curious and was sure he had another reason for asking. She gave him a blank look, not wanting to play around. "Kousuke-san, what do you really want?"

His lips parted in mock hurt, sensing her suspicion. "What? I can't ask you how your mission went?"

Kousuke then shook his head as though he was disappointed in her, curls shaking with his movement. "And I told you before, Asami-chan, it's Kousuke-kun to you."

"You're such a pest," Hanami said, frowning at him from the other side of the counter.

"I'm only asking about her mission. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm trying to have a friendly conversation." Kousuke wilted a bit, frowning now at how both the girls were doubting his intentions. He sat up straight, placing a hand over his heart as he looked between Asami and Hanami. "Innocent curiosity, I promise."

Asami snorted at him, shaking her head. He was something, alright. Letting out a deep sigh, she leaned her chin into her hand, looking at Kousuke with an amused expression. "Fine, if you really want to know, it all began on a hot day in the land of fire, days ago..."

"Asami-chan..." Kousuke squinted, knowing the ominous beginning to her story was only to poke fun at him. He pouted, letting out a huff, some stray curls blowing out of the way. "Knock it off."

Hanami giggled, Asami casting a glance in her direction. She smirked, enjoying Kousuke's frustration. Maybe she understood a little better what he got out of annoying everyone else. Though maybe... she just got a little more fun out of annoying Kousuke than anyone else—that was probably closer to the truth.

"Fine, fine," let up Asami, waving her hand around. She looked off to the side, pursing her lips in thought as she mulled over what was actually interesting about her trip to the Fuma besides boring trade deals. "Well, I suppose something a little crazy did happen. They wanted me to marry their firstborn son in means of a political marriage."

Both Hanami and Kousuke went silent, staring at her with wide eyes. Asami shrugged as though it was the most normal thing she had ever heard, already having processed it from earlier that day when Madara and Izuna dropped the bomb on her. Both of them did not have the same idea about the subject, though.

"They're not going to, are they?" Kosuke continued to look at her with wide eyes, his face draining of color. He looked as though he was on the brink of panic mode. "Madara-sama wouldn't let that happen, would he?!"

"No, I'm not going to marry into the Fuma clan," Asami answered, calm. After a pause to size him up, she grinned at him, leaning in a bit closer. Kosuke made a face as she got closer, shrinking into himself to put distance between them. Her grin only widened as his face turned pink. "Hm... you weren't worried for me, were you? Is that worry I am detecting? It can't be, can it?"

"No." He turned away from her, hiding his face that was only increasing in color.

"Uh-huh." Asami leaned back, smug. She tapped her finger against the counter, not letting up. "I don't believe you."

"Shut up."

"Was he handsome at least?" Asked Hanami, pausing her baking to lean on the counter and look over at Asami, very interested now. She suddenly appeared dreamy, looking up at the ceiling with a content sigh. "Oh, if he was handsome it wouldn't be so bad! Living as the matriarch of a clan, married to a strong shinobi... I wouldn't mind that!"

"I would in fact mind that. Tadashi-san is a fine-looking man, but I am not interested." Asami dismissed, frowning at the thought Hanami was romanticizing. She supposed people had different desires.

"Yeah, you do mind that." Reiterated Kousuke, nodding his head firmly at her.

Asami gave Kousuke a strange look, before shaking her head, deciding it wasn't with the time. "Whatever. It's done with, and I won't be marrying him. That's enough for me. However, I did discover that I really like tea."

Hanami tilted her head to the side, not having expected that. "Tea?"

"Yes. Tea. I started drinking it when I was there. I've never been interested before, but it was... so good. Life-changing." Asami hummed, thinking about the hot drink. "I don't know if I'll be able to live my life without it, now. We have good tea, but there's just something the Fuma does with theirs that makes it taste so much better."

Kosuke made a face. "You sound like an old person."

Asami rolled her eyes.

The backdoor to the bakery opened, Kaori coming inside, a basket of goods propped against her waist. She smiled upon seeing Asami, but her eyes narrowed at the sight of Kosuke. She pointed a finger at him, the male shrinking into himself at the look she gave him. "You are not supposed to be back here."

"Asami-chan is here, though!" Kousuke gestured to her, Asami scowling at him for using her to defend himself. He gave her a sheepish look, noticing her annoyance, but she only continued to stare at him with an unimpressed look.

Hanami giggled at them.

"Asami-chan has never let a bunch of chickens lose inside my bakery before." She said, setting the basket on the ground beside her. She turned her back to them and slid open the pantry door, various dry ingredients and spices inside along with dishes. She shuffled some things around and began putting away the ingredients from the basket, ignoring the offended expression Kousuke had on his face.

"That was only once! And it was an accident! The gate got left open and I didn't want Kaa-san to get mad I let out the chickens, and someone just happened to have the door open to the bakery as I was chasing them. I didn't mean to." He frowned, placing a hand on his face as he thought back to how stupid his fourteen-year-old self had been. It was an embarrassing story he wished people would stop bringing up.

Asami blinked at him. She was shocked that she hadn't heard this story before, even if she wasn't all that surprised that something like this had gone on. A chicken of all things? She cocked her head to the side, face scrunching up as she tried to reason through it. "How did a chicken outrun you? You're a shinobi."

"Don't ask." Kosuke blushed in embarrassment, very obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"You're an idiot."

The door then opened again. Asami was surprised to see Hikaku accompanied by a tall woman with long black hair only a bit longer than Asami's, reaching below her waist. She wore a light blue yukata, arm looped through his in an affectionate manner. From their body language, Asami could deduce this was Suki, Hikaku's fiance. She was very beautiful, large black eyes framed by thick eyelashes and freckles splashed across her nose.

"Coming in on your day off?" Kaori looked over her shoulder, thinking Suki had come in on her own. The older woman's eyes widened a bit, before a knowing smile crossed her face, turning back to the pantry. "Ah, I see. Good to see you, Hikaku-san."

"Kaori-san," He greeted, nodding at her.

Suki gave her a kind smile, a calm aura radiating off the woman. She seemed to shift closer to Hikaku as though it was instinctual. "Yes, I only came to accompany Hikaku since Madara-sama sent him to talk to Asami-sama."

Asami furrowed her bows, her light mood replaced by worry. She stood, hand placed on the corner of the counter as she looked at him. "Is something the matter?"

"The information we discovered about the Shimura and what they are plotting, is no longer an idea. They're putting it in motion." Hikaku frowned. "Our scouts returned a half-hour ago. Groups of Sarutobi and Shimura have traveled to the camps we've been watching. They're going to attack anytime now. We called on the Fuma for their aid."

Silence filled the room, everyone taking in what he said.

"Another battle with the Senju, so soon." Suki frowned, looking off to the side. She placed her free hand to her face, a crease of worry appearing in between her brows.

"We will be fine." Assured Hikaku, Suki meeting his eyes. "Don't worry too much."

Suki sighed, shaking her head. "I can't help it."

Asami let out a heavy breath, still frowning. She gripped the countertop tight, fingers turning white from the pressure she was applying.

Another battle between the Senju so soon after the last... Suki was not the only one to feel worried about that. It had been a little over a month since the last fight, and the Uchiha were still picking up the pieces. She was still picking up the pieces of herself that were wounded from her sister's death. The thought of fighting again... it scared her. There was no way for her to evade the fear that someone else she loved would die. The question was not if everyone would return from battle, but who. Who would be leaving the compound alive for the last time? Someone always died. There were always those who did not return.

Asami feared another death would tear her apart.

If it was Madara or Izuna... she didn't think she would be able to come back from that. She didn't even want to think about it anymore, the mere consideration that they would die too much for her. In her eyes, the two brothers were invincible, but deep down, she knew that wasn't the truth.

"When do we attack?" Asked Asami, her voice quiet.

Hikaku's eyes narrowed, a dangerous aura radiating off of him. "As soon as the Fuma arrive, we're going after them. And we will not hold back."