Begrudgingly, Asami headed to Ume's home after she visited with Kousuke. He left on the pretense of needing to do something for his mother, mentioning something about meeting up with her later for some additional training if she wanted. Asami had a feeling she wouldn't be opposed to that, especially if Ume was as difficult as the last time she saw her. She would probably need to blow off some steam.

Asami still didn't know why Ume acted so distasteful toward her last time. She knew that some people still had ill opinions of her status as a shinobi since she was a woman, so she had played with the idea of this being a reason for Ume's attitude. There were not many female ninjas as the field was still dominated by men. The changing of times just did not sit well with certain people and made them act out. While she had considered it as a possible reason for Ume's attitude, she didn't think that was it.

Asami had almost half the mind to ask Ume about it directly, but unless she acted out of line she wasn't going to bring attention to it. Unlike her older cousins, Madara especially, who tended to coolly snap back at people who disrespected them, Asami wasn't a fan of disrupting the peace.

Not that she was a pacifist, but she didn't actively seek out problems. She was a firm believer in just minding your business. Though that didn't go to say that Asami was going to let Ume say whatever she wanted to avoid an uncomfortable situation. She had shut down Ume's disrespectful comments once before when Asami's boundaries had been crossed, so she wouldn't refrain from doing that again if Ume pushed too much.

Reaching closer to the edge of the compound, the passerby's giving her curt bows or nods of acknowledgment, Asami entered Ume's small shop.

The inside was fairly plain, a small worktable pressed into the corner of the room with a chair beside it. Rolls of fabric were stacked upon each other and pressed into corners, other rolls leaned up against the wall underneath the windows letting in natural light. Most of the fabrics consisted of dark and neutral colors, the brightest shade there being a pale blue. She recognized it easily as the color Izuna wore the most.

A few already sewn yukatas were draped over another chair. On a bench on the opposite side of the room were stacks of folded clothes consisting of pre-made yukatas and small shirts presumably for children.

The shop was pretty organized, each thing seeming to be put in its proper place. There were no decorations, the walls devoid of any paintings or knickknacks. The white orchid sitting on the work desk with a half-sewn maroon yukata was the only thing that seemed out of place.

Asami hadn't been here in a while, as Hana was the one who would go to the shop and pick up clothes for the both of them. Hana had the most interactions with Ume out of the two of them. Asami wore whatever she was given by Hana, so it wasn't as though she knew what to pick out either. She hadn't even thought about the process of picking out clothes, or if she needed to know her measurements beforehand.

Asami had been noticing lately how much she had relied on her sister to take care of mundane tasks. Hana would pick up soap for baths and do both her own and Asami's laundry... Asami knew she did these things, but the routine of Hana taking care of these other tasks was so normal she hadn't even thought about having to pick up the slack now that her sister was gone.

She missed Hana so much. Even in simple things such as buying clothes she could feel the empty spaces her sister had left behind.

"Asami-sama?"

Asami broke out of her trance, looking up from the wooden planks that made up the shop floor.

Ume stood in the doorway at the back of the shop. She wore a navy blue yukata, her short, glossy hair parted down the middle and framing her face. She raised a thin eyebrow at her, hand resting on the doorframe she stood in. "Can I help you?"

Asami didn't know that Ume had been there for a few seconds now, Ume expecting Asami to take notice of her. To Ume's dismay, she had to get the attention of the young Uchiha herself, as whatever Asami had been thinking about had pulled her far away from the world around her, face expressionless and eyes unfocused.

Asami had a dazed look on her face as she blinked back into reality, looking at Ume who had still not moved from the doorway. A look of realization dawned on her face that she had been spacing out. "I'm sorry. I hope you hadn't been speaking to me long."

"I hadn't said anything besides asking if there was something I could help you with," replied Ume, giving Asami a careful look as she crossed the room.

She took a seat at the worktable where the half-done maroon yukata sat. She pulled the cloth into her lap and held a sewing needle in her free hand, beginning to stitch the sleeve to the shoulder of the yukata. She crossed her ankles, head tilted down as she threaded the needle through the cloth with utmost care.

Asami watched her work, not saying anything. Ume didn't make a move to acknowledge her again, so she looked over at the stack of premade clothes stacked off to the side again, frowning.

Was she supposed to go over and shift through the items herself, or would that be seen as going through Ume's things? It was almost pathetic how she didn't know the proper way to purchase clothes for herself. She and Hana had almost the same build, so whatever fit Hana fit Asami. She hadn't needed to think about these things for a long time.

"So, is there something you needed?" Asked Ume, not looking up from her work.

Asami shifted in discomfort, still staring at the stack of premade clothes. She didn't know why this situation was so embarrassing for her, but she could feel the heat in her cheeks as she spoke. "Yes. I need some clothes."

Ume stopped working, looking up from her lap. She leaned back in her chair, giving Asami a critical look as she sized her up.

Feeling the woman's gaze, Asami looked away from the clothes and met her eyes. She let out a quiet breath of irritation, not enjoying the analytical look Ume was giving her. If Ume had something nasty to say, Asami wanted her to come out and say it. She didn't appreciate being stared at as though she was an enigma.

"What." Said Asami impatiently, wanting her attitude to be done and over with.

"Nothing." Ume raised her brows, not looking away from Asami despite the obvious displeasure radiating from her. "It's just that you usually don't come to get your own clothes. Your sister did that, didn't she?"

Asami was suddenly overcome with a hot flash of irritation, the question having some sort of malice with it. Ume knew that Hana was dead, she had attended the funeral along with the rest of the clan. There was no way Ume was only saying this as an innocent observation. She was trying to highlight something with the question, but besides inflicting more emotional pain by bringing up mundane tasks Hana would complete, Asami couldn't see what the reason was.

"I don't see why that's important." Asami was doing her best to keep a cool composure, but the longer Ume stared at her, the more frustrated she could feel herself becoming. "I came here for clothes, not to answer random questions. You are competent enough to be able to give me what I wanted by coming here, aren't you?"

Ume's eyes narrowed, the older woman not enjoying the slight Asami sent her way. "Yes, just as you're competent at making your sister run errands for you until she's no longer around to do it, hm?"

Asami looked at Ume, flabbergasted at what had just come out of the woman's mouth. Ume was unmoving, a nasty look on her face as she waited for Asami's reaction.

"What... what did you just say to me?" Said Asami in a quiet voice, trying to wrap her head around what Ume had just thrown out there. Her expression morphed from one of confusion to one of controlled rage. She took a step forward, pointing a finger in Ume's direction. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing! Hana was never my errand girl!"

"It sure didn't seem that way, since she would be the only one to run and pick things up," replied Ume in a smooth voice, seeming to enjoy the reaction she was getting out of the usually composed girl. "Soaps, food, clothing, doing the laundry... there was only Hana hanging the clothes outside. I never saw you there."

Asami shook her head, baffled at what Ume was saying. "You're making these claims on short glimpses of my life you know nothing about. You sure do like to your voice your opinion on things with very little insight. First, you come after my cousins for not being involved enough in the clan, which we both know is complete garbage. The three of us know plenty of the members by name, but it's not like we interact with all of them every week. Is it really reasonable to expect us to know everyone? Do you know everyone? Then you accuse me of treating my sister like a lackey! You have some nerve!"

Ume leaned back in her chair, eyes wide at Asami's angry shouting. She didn't say anything, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth in nervousness. She looked off to the side, fiddling with the sewing needle in her hand to avoid Asami's gaze.

At the lack of response, Asami looked away with a deep sigh, holding her fist to her forehead. She took a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure, squeezing her eyes shut.

If Ume had been trying to provoke Asami, she had gotten the reaction she wanted. Though after Asami's outburst, it seemed Ume was not as quick to respond. The seamstress seemed as though she had nothing to say in response to Asami, which only frustrated and confused her. What was the point of all these jabs and remarks? What was Ume even trying to get out of this? If she was so passionate about saying these nasty things, why was Ume's automatic response to shut down?

Asami lowered her hand, giving Ume a pained look. "What is it you have against me and my family? My cousins, my sister...? I've barely spoken to you personally... I just can't understand."

"I have nothing against your sister," Ume said, quick to interject.

Asami recoiled, blinking at the woman. From the comments she made about Hana earlier, she did not expect Ume to have some sort of soft spot for Hana. She expected her to harbor the sense of distaste for her twin that she held for the rest of the main family, but for whatever reason, that didn't seem to be the case.

Her shoulders dropped at the objection, giving Ume a scrutinizing gaze. "Alright... well... in that case, what do you have against the rest of my family? Why is Hana excluded?"

Ume pressed her mouth into a firm line, the question not something she wanted to answer. She set the sewing needle on the work desk, dropping her gaze back down to the halfway completed yukata in her lap. She ran her thumb over the material, a look of longing crossing her face. "Did you know that your father and I were very good friends growing up?"

Asami stared at Ume, confused at where the conversation was going. The sudden turn was not something she had anticipated, and she especially did not think Ume was going to bring up her father. Asami had no recollection of Ume being around growing up, which made her a little skeptical of the woman's words.

Wouldn't one think that if someone was a good childhood friend of another, they would want them to be well involved in their children's lives? Or at least be familiar with them. Asami had only met Ume a few times growing up, so hearing this was a shocker to her.

At Asami's blank face, Ume sighed, shaking her head. "Of course you didn't. Daichi never brought you and your sister around often. Your mother was not fond of me."

The more Ume spoke, the more Asami became confused. She didn't know much about her mother at all, as after her father died, no one spoke of her. Most things she was told about her were good. But oftentimes people don't like to speak ill of the dead, so maybe that had something to do with it. It was easy to understand why her mother didn't like Ume, since the older woman was not a pleasant person to be around. Though Asami felt there was more to it than that.

Asami never asked about her mother since there were always more pressing things to deal with. Hana had more of a curiosity about the woman than she did, though it was usually expressed in offhand comments.

Tajima was the only person who had enough memories of her mother to tell anything substantial, but Asami would never think to ask him about it. The last thing Asami ever wanted was to hang around and have a heart-to-heart with her late uncle. She was unsure if Hana ever asked him anything, but she highly doubted there was a conversation between the two.

"I don't know much about her." Confessed Asami, drawing Ume's gaze. "Tou-san said some things when I was a little girl, but he seemed like he was in pain whenever he recalled anything. I never asked about her much because of that."

Ume held Asami's stare, her small black eyes boring into hers. She shook her head before speaking, a wave of jealousy radiating from her.

"Your mother was a beautiful woman. Calm, collected, intelligent... there was something else to her that made her interesting, though. It was probably the mystery about her. She was very private, not many inside of her inner circle. She was good friends with Kasumi, Kousuke-kuns mother, but I never interacted with her much," Ume paused for a moment as she shifted through her words. She closed her eyes, her mouth turning down at the corners. "That was until she started to become more familiar with Daichi. She captured his attention quickly and the two began courting one another."

Ume looked up at Asami, at least trying to look remorseful. "Forgive my childishness. I think I forget sometimes that you are not your mother, and my dislike for her has leaked into my perception of you. You act and look so much like her that I got lost. Hana reminded me much of your father, so it was easy to like her. She was a very nice girl."

Asami had never been told directly that she looked like her mother. There weren't many paintings of her, the only two images she had were where she was heavily pregnant and posing with her father, and the one from when she was a young girl when all of her siblings were alive. Both of those images resided in the butsudan, and she didn't like to visit that room purely for the fact it rubbed her nose in the fact Hana was not alive.

Asami didn't say anything, looking at Ume as she pieced the new information together.

Then, it clicked.

A look of realization crossed her face, eyes going wide. "You... you loved him?"

Ume sighed, not even trying to deny it. "I loved my husband. He gave me my boys, even if they weren't with me long and I have outlived them, they were the greatest gifts I could have been given. My husband loved me and I loved him. But... there was always part of me that loved your father. I had loved him my entire life. But your mother was what he wanted. Not me."

Asami let this settle for a moment, brows furrowed.

Out of all the things to cause Ume's distaste for her family, she had never expected that Ume was in love with her late father. Along with that, Ume didn't like Asami because she resembled her mother. It was strange, and honestly kind of childish. Asami wasn't her mother, and maybe it was just because she had never been in love, but she couldn't imagine taking out the hatred for a woman on her children. Unrequited love was said to be something painful, but she had never thought it could warp the perception of children who had no direct involvement in the situation so drastically.

"You didn't like my Kaa-san just because she married my father?" Asked Asami, still trying to connect the dots.

"No." Ume shook her head, letting out a breathy laugh. She could even notice how ridiculous that sounded. "Before they married I told Daichi not to do it. I told him to leave her, and that he would be trapping himself in a marriage filled with clan politics and stress. I was young and admittedly childish, so I had told him that there was no way that she could love him as I did. I tried to get him to leave her for me."

Asami was shocked at this, blinking as she tried to process her explanation. From the foggy memories of her childhood, she knew her father as a stubborn man, so she could only imagine how that conversation played out. Ume was very... bold to claim such a thing too.

"As you can guess, it did not go the way I wanted it to." Ume's face turned sour. "Daichi told your mother about the conversation and refused to speak to me again until I became supportive of his marriage. He was not the only one who was stubborn, and I was worse than he was. Still am. I never supported his marriage and for that, I lost his friendship."

Ume scoffed, shaking her head again. "Instead of dancing around it, do you know what she did? She came to my home and asked to speak with me, professional and polite. She was calculating throughout the conversation, watching for any tell that I was going to cause a scene or do something nasty."

Her eyes narrowed as she recalled the memory, becoming irritated as though she was reliving the conversation. "She said she was going to marry Daichi whether I liked it or not. She said she loved him very dearly and didn't want anyone to think she didn't, and she came to talk because I had claimed he would be trapped. She made it very clear he had every opportunity to not be in a relationship with her. She wanted to make a point that she loved him, and his life with her would not be one of torment, despite what I thought."

Out of every story Asami had been told about her mother, the one Ume was telling did not seem to fit the characteristics of the woman described by others in her life. Daichi spoke of her as a gentle, kind woman with a warm heart. The few things Tajima had said about her offhand lined up with Daichi's depiction of her as well, but this was something else.

It wasn't as though she thought Ume was lying, but hearing another side of her mother like this, for the first time made her feel a little... curious about who she was.

"I don't think she was trying to be rude, but she was very firm." Added Ume, looking off to the side. She rested her elbow on the work table and splayed her fingers across her chin, lost in thought as she recalled the memory. "I think she was upset by the thought of someone challenging the feelings she held for her loved ones. I was just angry and spiteful that she had come to me in such a mature, direct manner when I hadn't even been able to do the same thing."

Ume shook her head, banishing the thought from her head. "In any case, I never came to like your mother. Even after she died giving birth, a tragic death that even I can admit I feel for, I never felt any guilt about how I preceded with that circumstance. Daichi never spoke to me again."

The woman looked up to meet Asami's gaze again. "As I said before, my perspective of you and the way I treated you was not right. I... I apologize. I let my feelings for your mother cloud my judgment just because you look like her. It's pathetic, really."

Asami stood there, continuing to let her words sink in.

All of it was overwhelming. She still couldn't believe the reason Ume didn't like her was solely because of her mother. She could see if it had been because she held a higher status than her as a member of the main family, but because of a spat of unrequited love? It was still shocking.

"I don't know what to make of this." Confessed Asami, not even trying to hide the fact that her brain was hurting from the new information.

Ume shook her head, getting to her feet. She walked over to the pile of premade yukatas and began sifting through them. "Don't say anything about it, I don't need to hear it. Let's just get you some clothes. What size are you?"

Asami made a face of discomfort at the question, embarrassed again. "Well, you see... I don't know."

Ume stopped moving, still bent over the stack of folded clothes. She glanced over her shoulder, glossy black hair sliding as she moved. Asami could see her small, sharp black eyes looking at her in disapproval. "Are you so helpless that you don't know your own size?"

A half-hour or so later, Asami was walking out of the shop with multiple folded yukatas in her arms. she sighed, a slight headache coming on as she allowed the new information from the conversation to stew. She walked through the compound, heading to her home to drop off her clothes.

At least it seemed Ume wouldn't be causing her trouble anymore. Or at least not as much as she was before.

She had almost made it across the compound to her home when she heard a voice calling out to her. She stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, blinking at the sight of a young girl with long, wild curly black hair running up to her. Asami stopped walking to allow her to catch up, watching in amusement as she stopped in front of Asami, breathing heavily. She rested her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Mei-chan, you didn't have to run to talk to me." Asami continued to look at the young girl in amusement, hugging the clothes to her chest as she allowed her to catch her breath.

"I know that!" Mei stood up straight, the twelve-year-old pushing her wild curls out of her face. She straightened her dark purple yukata, flashing her a grin that looked identical to Kousuke's smile. "I just saw you and got so excited. I haven't seen you in sooooo long! I missed you!"

Asami laughed softly, her chest filling with warmth as she reached out to ruffle Mei's hair. "I was on a mission with the Fuma, then we went to fight the Senju and their allies. I've been pretty busy."

Mei whined, shoulders slumping in defeat at the mention of the battle. "Oh trust me, I know! Nii-chan got to go and fight alongside you! He told me about the huge fireballs he made! He's such a jerk for not showing me how to make the really big ones. I'm already good at doing Katon, I don't know why he won't show me how to do the big ones."

"He just wants to keep the fire all to himself." Teased Asami, turning to start walking to her house again. She wanted to get rid of the clothes as soon as possible since she felt strange just standing around with them in her arms. "C'mon, you can come with me to drop off my clothes at my house then we can go find Kousuke-kun."

"I know where he is already." Said Mei, starting to walk alongside Asami as they came up on the clan head's home. She had a bit of a skip in her step, enjoying the fact Asami was letting her accompany her.

Asami opened the door for Mei to step inside first as they came up to the front door, the young girl going in and taking off her sandals in the entryway. Asami followed after her and closed the door behind her, also taking off her shoes.

"Oh? Where is he?" Asami cast a curious glance over her shoulder at Mei, walking down the hall to her room.

"Kaa-san gave Tou-san a stern talking to because Nii-chan didn't go see the healers after the battle. He came straight home and pretended nothing was wrong, so Tou-san passed off his injury as not a big deal. But Kaa-san noticed he was sitting weird at dinner and would make faces whenever he moved his arm." Mei rolled her eyes, stopping as Asami pulled open the door to her bedroom. "Stupid Nii-chan had dislocated his shoulder and didn't tell anyone anything! So he's at the clinic getting treated by the healers."

Asami let out a huff of amusement, already imagining how the scene played out. Kasumi surely chewed Kousuke and her husband out for letting something like that go under the radar. Whenever Kousuke complained about his mom she was described as a fearsome woman. Though she had never seen it herself, it wasn't hard to imagine.

Asami walked over to her dresser and put the yukatas away, Mei still standing in the doorway. She placed them in the drawer in neat stacks, before closing it and facing Mei again with a look of thought. "We were supposed to go on a mission sometime within the next few days, so I wonder if he'll still be the one to come with me."

Mei shrugged. "I dunno. Nii-chan is really tough, even if he's annoying. I'm sure he'll be able to go with you. I didn't even realize anything was wrong with him. It's only because Kaa-san takes notice of everything to a scary detail. She's like a hawk. Nii-chan was pretty mad about being caught though. Not that Kaa-san cared."

There was a sudden caw, a black blur flying in through the open door to her bedroom. Mei let out a shriek, jumping further into the hallway and hiding around the door, her large black eyes going wide at the bird that swooped in and made a perch on Asami's shoulder.

Asami smiled warmly at the crow, reaching up and brushing her knuckles against its feathered chest. "Hello, Mayu-san. I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Mayu hummed in approval at Asami's petting, enjoying the attention. "Sorry I didn't come sooner. Breakfast was so good that I took a nap after."

Asami chuckled at the crow's explanation. She looked over at Mei who was still hiding behind the door, blinking at the talking crow on her shoulder. Asami held her arm out, Mayu crawling down to her forearm. She gave Kousuke's younger sister a reassuring smile, gesturing with her free hand for Mei to come closer. "It's okay. This is Mayu-san, my summoning animal."

Mei came out of the hall and walked over to Mayu, looking at the bird in wonder. "She's pretty. Did you always have a summoning? I don't remember you having crows before."

"I made one just yesterday." Said Asami, smiling as Mei reached out and began to pet Mayu's chest, mimicking what Asami had done moments ago.

"She's so pretty," hummed Mei, continuing to run her hand over Mayu's feathers in an affectionate manner. A cute smile pulled at Mei's lips, and Mayu continued to make noises of pleasure at the actions of the young girl. Asami couldn't help but smile too, her chest filled with warmth at how happy she was.

Mei was a sweet girl, always excited and filled with lots of energy. Asami had known her since she was a little girl, as she had been attached to Kousuke's side when she was a toddler. Kousuke always seemed to worm his way into Asami's daily routine, so Mei would often be in tow with him whenever he showed up to bother her. She wouldn't admit it easily out loud, but just as she had become accommodated to Kousuke's constant presence, Mei was also one of the people who she valued and kept close to her heart.

"How about we go find your brother now," Asami said, drawing Mei's gaze.

Mei seemed to deflate at this, wanting to spend more time petting the bird. "Yeah, we can do that..."

Asami couldn't help but smile softly at her, her hair swaying as she tilted her head to the side. She gave Mei a knowing look, the young girl adverting her eyes and blushing at being caught.

"How about you hold Mayu-san while we go over to the clinic?" Asked Asami, already knowing what she was going to say to the proposition. She looked over to the crow that resided on her arm, raising a brow. "That's if it's okay with Mayu-san, though."

Mei clasped her hands together, eyes brightening. "Oh, please!"

Asami shrugged, still playing along. "That's only if it's alright with Mayu-san."

Mei turned her attention to the crow, her hands still clasped together as she was overcome with excitement. "Can I please hold you while we walk to the clinic, Mayu-san?"

The crow hummed, not even needing to think about it. "As long as I keep getting those pets, I'll let anyone hold me."

Mei brightened as Asami passed her the bird, the young girl holding Mayu in her arms in a protective hug. She ran her hand down its back, smoothing its feathers. Mei looked as though she had received the best present in the entire world, humming happily. "You're so pretty."

"I've never received this many compliments before," said Mayu curiously as Mei continued to pet her.

Mei looked a little sad for a moment. "Well, that's too bad. Your feathers are so pretty and smooth..."

Asami laughed softly at the exchange, heading back down the hall to the front door. Mei trailed behind her, Mayu still in her arms. The two girls put on their shoes and headed down the road toward the clinic, passing clan members going about their day. It was a short walk to the clinic, the two coming up to it quickly. Asami climbed the steps and headed inside, Mei still following behind her.

She came into the main room, benches with linen cloth draped over them spread throughout the room. Healers, consisting mostly of women in sleeveless black yukatas, were tending to the various people seeking treatment.

She recognized most of the people, but what surprised her was the people she didn't recognize wearing the Fuma clan crest and also seeking treatment from Uchiha women.

With all the excitement of signing her contract with the crows and the stress of disappointing her cousins for letting Sasuke off the hook, she had temporarily forgotten the Fuma were still in the compound. It made sense that they were still here, since she would probably need to be present for their send-off out of respect, but the thought had just slipped her mind.

She didn't even know where the platoon had stayed the night before, as she had been so distraught from her conversation with Madara and Izuna...

The realization was a little startling, as she was not paying attention to anything going on. She was so wrapped up in her perspective and inner emotions that she was neglecting what was going on in the world around her. It was dangerous, honestly, since she needed to be aware of what was going on for her safety. Not just that, but because she held a position of power within the clan.

Asami had the decency to feel a little embarrassed about her behavior.

Mei strolled right past Asami and over to one of the far benches, spotting Kousuke. He was grimacing as a woman wrapped his arm in bandages, his yukata pulled down to allow her access to his shoulder.

"You are so stupid." Said Mei plainly, Kousuke only scowling at her.

"I didn't think it was a big deal. Kaa-san overreacted." He said, coming to his defense. He huffed, annoyed that his younger sister was getting onto him. He then eyed the bird in her arms curiously. "Hey, where did that come from? Since when do you just walk around with a crow?"

"Since Asami-san got them as a summoning." Chirped Mei, running her hand down the crow's smooth feathers again.

Kousuke raised a brow. "Summoning contract?"

Asami came over to stand behind Mei, crossing her arms. She gave Kosuke a disapproving look, though the curly-haired Uchiha didn't even attempt to appear ashamed. The female healer didn't say anything, continuing to wrap his arm.

"You do realize this means we may not go on a mission together anymore, right?" Asami gestured to his arm. "You can't exactly fight when your arm is out of commission."

Kousuke huffed, annoyed that everyone seemed to be ganging up on him. "It's fine. It doesn't even hurt that bad. I'm not that much out of commission, am I, Momoko-chan?"

He looked to the healer for some help against the two girls that were trying to reprimand him. She glanced at Mei, before looking at Asami, her eyes lingering on her for a moment. She dropped her gaze back to the wrappings around his arm, continuing her work. "I've seen worse. Kousuke-san should be fine within a day or two. He has proper mobility, it just seems as though it's slightly painful."

"You're still stupid." Reiterated Mei, not giving up. She suddenly looked smug, getting an idea. "Maybe I'll just have to tell Kaa-san you have proper mobility so you can help repair the chicken coop."

Kousuke's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare, twerp."

Asami shook her head, though she didn't say anything. As long as she was still going on the mission with Kousuke, she had nothing to worry about. If she was being honest, all she wanted was to have an easy mission with someone she didn't have to be totally on guard with. Kousuke was an easy person to be around, even if he was annoying. He didn't demand anything from her.

"Asami-san."

She looked over, blinking as she met Tadashi's black gaze. He stood in a pale green yukata, his forearm wrapped in bandages. Besides that, he looked as he normally did, lacking injuries from the fight. Asami thought it was a little impressive and secretly wished she had seen him fight. Just out of curiosity.

"Tadashi-san," greeted Asami, turning her body to face him more.

She instantly felt a little tired once she saw him, hoping that this exchange wasn't going to turn into more political games. After the last couple of days she had, it was the last thing she wanted to do. It didn't seem as though Tadashi was as domineering compared to either of his parents, but she wasn't quick to forget his question about the Uchiha having power of the Fuma either. The initial antagonistic perspective of her clan was not something easily forgotten.

"My clansmen are receiving last-minute treatment before we depart soon," Tadashi explained. "I wanted to commend you on your fight against Sarutobi Sasuke. I heard that you forced him into a retreat once before, but to do it again is not a small feat."

Asami felt a jolt in her chest at Tadashi's words. There was a slight internal panic that Tadashi was aware of what actually happened, but after observing him for a moment, she didn't think the Fuma heir had a clue about anything.

"Yes, Sasuke Sarutobi ran off like a dog with its tail between its legs," She lied, doing her best to give Tadashi a convincing look. "Next time he won't get off so easy."

The last part wasn't technically a lie. Killing Sasuke would erase her mistake of letting him live, after all.

Tadashi didn't give anything away that he didn't believe her. Kousuke however regarded her with an even look, his dark eyes suddenly sharp. Asami didn't make a move to acknowledge that she noticed his expression, continuing to give Tadashi her full attention.

She didn't think Kousuke would be so attentive to think she was lying, but she didn't want to humor him when they weren't in private, especially not in front of the Fuma heir.

"I also saw you fight against Senju Tobirama." Added Tadashi. He folded his arms over his chest, nodding his head. "He is a fearsome fighter. The two of you were moving so fast that I could barely keep track of what was happening. The battle was something to commend. I wouldn't mind sparring at some point if you would be willing."

Asami blinked, taken aback that he had noticed her fight against Tobirama. Not only that, but he was complimenting her on her skills, so much to the point that he wanted to try his hand at fighting her.

Well, he probably did not want to fight her just because, though she supposed it could be possible. Most wanted to fight someone because they wanted to prove to themselves they were more skilled. But from what she could assume about Tadashi, she didn't think it was the latter. He didn't seem as though he was someone who got wrapped up in his pride easily, at least when it was on a more personal basis. When it came to the Fuma clan, it seemed as though he was much more prideful and defensive.

Though Asami thought that was the way it should be anyway–devotion to the clan rather than to the self.

"Tobirama is not someone to take lightly," agreed Asami, scratching her cheek as she thought back to how the man had literally been covered in lightning and still moved to cut her in half. She would have been finished right there if Izuna had not come to her rescue.

"You aren't either." Scoffed Kousuke, pulling up the side of his yukata as the female healer walked away, leaving the group in peace. He fastened his obi, grimacing. "Remember that time you dragged me to the ground by my hair when we were practicing with taijutsu? Relentless."

Mei shook her head. "You're also wimpy, Nii-chan."

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to commend you on your fight." Reiterated Tadashi, Asami turning her attention back to him.

"Oh, well... thank you?" Asami furrowed her brows, taken aback at the compliment. Would that even be considered a compliment? It was strange hearing this from him since she was under the impression he wasn't her biggest fan.

Tadashi tipped his head politely. "Yes, well I will be going now. I'm sure I will see you later today when the rest of my living clanmates and father depart."

Asami, still in a bit of a shock, nodded her head. "Yes, I'll see you then."

Tadashi nodded to Kousuke and Mei, before turning on his heel and walking over to a bench with another young man getting a nasty cut on his leg cleaned.

"He's kind of strange." Said Mayu, speaking up for the first time in a while.

Kousuke made a startled noise, looking at the bird in Mei's arms with a dumbfounded expression. He looked from the bird to Mei, to Asami, then back to the bird again, his brain processing what had just happened. "Did the crow just talk?!"

Asami rolled her eyes. "Yes, the crow did just talk, and no, you didn't injure your head in the battle to make you hallucinate."

Kousuke rubbed the side of his face, looking at the crow skeptically. "How are you supposed to know that..."

Asami shook her head at Kousuke's antics. She wasn't even going to say anything else about it.