About a year later

Once again, the temperatures had begun to drop, the leaves to change colour on the branches and fall covering the ground. Autumn had arrived as it does every year. That day the sky was covered with snow-white clouds and no bad weather was forecast, but Mikoto, similar to other people in the village, had preferred to take an umbrella with her when it was time to leave the house for safety, even though she expected to be back within half an hour. The woman had left carrying one child and returned carrying two.

Mikoto and Kyoko's house was close by, and the two women were friends so after Kyoko had resumed her duties the two friends had agreed that it was best for Akiko to spend the hours her mother had to work at Mikoto's house. Fugaku had at first expressed his concern about his wife taking care of two children, but his sweet wife had already made up her mind and to be honest, he had not even tried to change her mind knowing how stubborn his wife could get sporadically.

"If I put you in the hall inside the playpen, will you be quiet while I do the cleaning?' The woman asked the two children as they crossed the threshold of the living room. Neither of them answered. Mikoto placed her son in the playpen that was full of children's toys and then placed Akiko next to him. The latter smiled showing the small teeth that had started to sprout while Itachi looked serious. "You Akiko always looks so cute while Itachi looks too serious for your age." Commented the matriarch of the Uchiha Clan before giving both children a kiss on the head then stood upright. Akiko did not look away from her black eyes while Itachi's attention seemed to have already been stolen by a toy kunai.

Akiko and Itachi were two quiet children who cried little. Itachi had been the first to start walking while Akiko had been the first to start talking. Despite the fact that he was little more than a baby, he always had a serious expression, and his parents had often wondered if it was normal that their son smiled little and seldom in contrast to her who seemed to smile even for the other child. Itachi seemed more interested in toys depicting ninja weapons while Akiko preferred plush toys. Of the two, he was the one who promised to become a great ninja, but it was obviously still too early to say for sure.

Mikoto cleaned the house trying to concentrate only on that task and not to think perpetually about the two children in the living room, and she continually told herself that they were safe inside the playpen and that both doors and windows were all locked and then her husband made sure that there was always a member of the police watching the house so it was unlikely that anyone would be able to get into the house and harm the children yet despite that she couldn't help but worry.

Finished with the cleaning Mikoto returned to the children and was relieved to see them playing quietly. She hoped that in time they would become friends and maybe one day who knows. Kyoko was supposed to rule the clan. She was the direct descendant of Madara Uchiha. Her mother, in fact, was the daughter of Madara's brother his only child. Madara had not married and had no children, and it was rumoured that he had considered appointing his brother's daughter as heir, but the other Uchiha opposed this: a woman cannot lead the clan they said. Women were considered weak and Madara, who did not really believe in the peace he had achieved with the Senju clan, eventually agreed that a woman as future leader was not the best thing and so Fugaku's father who was Madara's cousin was chosen. Well, in the end all the Uchiha were related to each other.

The story went that Madara's niece didn't take kindly to the fact that a distant cousin had taken away her birthright; however, there wasn't much she could do about it because like most women she had been brought up to look after her home, husband, and children and not to fight so she could never oppose Fugaku's father unless she wanted to put her own life at risk.

Things have changed since then. The women of the clan could become Kunoichi if they wished and join the police, although their career was full of obstacles and unfortunately, there were still those who believed that women were inferior and should only marry and have children. Mikoto had selected to marry and be a housewife, abandoning her ninja career, which had never been particularly strong, but it had been her choice and Fugaku had even offered her a job in the police, albeit in the office, she had refused and he had respected her choice.

Mikoto would have loved Fugaku even if he hadn't been the head of their clan, and she felt it was so unfair what had happened to Kyoko's mother, but if Akiko and Itachi had fallen in love and married one day they would have unknowingly settled things this way. Of course, it was too early to think seriously about a marriage between them. They were both incredibly young, and it would be many years before they could seriously think about such a thing.

Fugaku had revealed the truth to her. Kyoko was unaware that she was Madara's great-niece her mother had died when she was a child, and it was possible that she and her husband had decided not to reveal the truth to their daughter to avoid an internal clan war. The last thing they needed after they had finally reached a truce with the Senju. Mikoto had thought about revealing the truth to her friend, however she had not done so. She was not sure how Kyoko might react not that she seriously thought her friend might rebel against Fugaku, but… But the truth was, she would rather not take any chances.

Later in the early afternoon Mikoto was finishing cleaning the kitchen when suddenly she heard crying. The woman took a towel and while drying her hands she turned to stare at the two children sitting in their respective high chairs. Crying was Akiko who did not seem to have been starving that day.

"Akiko, what is the matter? Are you hungry now?" The woman asked as she approached the child. She lifted her from the high chair hoping that by doing so she would stop crying. "Do you want water? What is wrong?" She asked softly, giving a kiss on the child's forehead. "Oh, but you have a warm forehead." She added she was surprised because until a few hours earlier her friend's daughter seemed to be in perfect health. "You're not well, now I understand why you weren't so hungry." She continued, then instinctively touched Itachi's forehead as well, noting with relief that he had no fever.

A few days earlier Itachi had also had a fever because of his teeth that were coming out, and it was possible that Akiko had a fever for the same reason; However, the woman did not feel like risking it, especially considering that she was not her daughter so to be safe she decided to take the child to the hospital. Before leaving, she asked her neighbour, a lady who was also her relative, to check on Itachi while she went to the hospital.

On the way to the hospital, Akiko calmed down. When they arrived at the hospital they had to queue in the lobby and as soon as it was their turn the matriarch explained the situation and asked for someone to visit the little girl in order to be sure that she was nothing special. The man sitting at the desk told her to be quiet, sit down and that as soon as a doctor was free, they would call her. The woman thanked her and then sat down on one of the coloured plastic chairs.

The hospital lobby was spacious and there were dozens of plastic chairs where people could sit while waiting for their turn to be examined. Mikoto made the child sit on her lap. While waiting, Akiko began to play with the woman's hair who at one point gave her a kiss on the head. Shortly after, a woman with long, blond hair approached them.

"Mikoto, they told me you came here for a visit." Kunoichi said. The other lifted her head, and her dark eyes met those of the First Hokage's granddaughter. Mikoto stood up and placed Akiko on the right side of her body.

"Akiko has a fever, maybe it's because of her teeth, Itachi also had a fever a few days ago for the same reason; however, I thought it would be better to have her examined to rule out that she may have been ill." Explained. Tsunade nodded her head.

"I didn't know you had a daughter." Commented.

"Oh, Akiko is not my daughter. Her mother and I are friends, she is also part of the clan, and I look at the child while the mother is busy with her duties as a member of the police." Explained.

"Oh, sorry. Okay, let us not waste time and go check how this little girl is doing." She exclaimed with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

As Mikoto watched Tsunade visit Akiko, she could not help but think about how things had changed from several decades earlier. Once upon a time, if a member of the Senju Clan found himself in front of a member of the Uchiha Clan in a disadvantaged position, he would have had no qualms and killed him. It does not matter if maybe it was a child and a Senju treating an Uchiha was unimaginable.

"Then I think you're actually right and that it's her teeth that caused her temperature to rise." Tsunade said, taking her away from her thoughts, they were in the office of the First Hokage's granddaughter, and Akiko was sitting on a bed. Mikoto had taken off the shirt she was wearing at Tsunade's request before proceeding to the visit.

"Well, now I feel much more serene and forgive me if I wasted your time." Mikoto said relieved putting the shirt back on the little girl.

"Oh, no trouble, you did well to bring her here, after all, the fever could have been caused by a virus." The other replied, staring first at her and then at the child. She reached out and stroked her cheek. "You know, your hair is the same colour as my grandfather's brother." She looked at him with a smile. "He and my grandfather also had a birthmark on the left side."

"Really? What a coincidence." Mikoto exclaimed that she had never noticed that Akiko's hair was the same colour as Tobirama Senju's and that she had never given so much importance to the birthmark she had near the left side of her chest.

"Yes, a nice coincidence." The other answered.

"How are your brother and your cousin? Wait for your cousin what is already his name … Itama, right?" She asked, changing the subject.

"They are fine. My cousin is always on the road and is continually trying to learn new techniques, but I think he should be back to the village shortly."

"You will be eager to see him again, it has been a long time since his last visit, and you must miss him a long time."

"To tell the truth, the two of us have never been particularly close." Admitted. "Itama has always been a pretty serious and lonely guy." She continued and Mikoto thought he reminded her of Kyoko.

"I think it is time for us to go and leave you to your visits. See you soon." She greeted her. Tsunade smiled and waved her back.

A few years later

The Third Shinobi World War had been raging for some time. It was said that the conflict was coming to an end, but in Akiko peace still seemed far away as they walked through the place where the last battle had been held. Itachi had asked and obtained to be able to support the ninja of the HiddenLeaf Village who were fighting and Akiko had decided to do the same wanting to show everyone that, although she was a child she was also strong and for a reason, she could not quite understand she felt the strong desire to be by Itachi's side and to protect him. Fugaku, Itachi's father, had recommended to both of them to be incredibly careful and to stay as far away from enemies as possible and to go into the field only once the conflicts were over.

Akiko and Itachi had been separated for several minutes, and the little girl was walking alone among the dead ninjas. Some were from her village while others were part of the village against which they were fighting. Akiko looked around shocked, sure that the horrors of that day and the days before would remain forever etched in her memory. Desperate, Akiko walked and while she looked around for a Shinobi or a Kunoichi who was still alive, but everyone around her seemed dead.

"Child." Suddenly, a voice caught her attention, she turned and saw a man sitting with his back against a rock. The forehead cover he wore belonged to the Hidden Leaf Village, just as he was badly tanned, and his dark hair was all messy and dirty. He had a wound in his leg that was bleeding profusely and did not look good at all. Without thinking twice, she rushed over to him and pulled a clean bandage out of a trouser pocket. "Thank you, maybe I can get to our camp before I bleed to death." He said in a tone full of gratitude.

"It's fortunate that I found you." She watched as she tended to his wound. "I'm not a medical ninja, but I think I can help you." Added. His gaze fell on the pendant she wore around her neck.

"You are a member of the Uchiha Clan. You know, my name is Itama Senju and once upon a time our clans hated each other." He slurred. Akiko did not get upset and stared at him.

"Those times are over, now we are on the same side, and we are part of the same village." She answered and he nodded.

"You should not be here. The battlefield is not the place for children, even if once Shinobi of your age clashed and killed men older than them fighting a war that began many centuries before them." Stated.

"I think in times like these kids grow up faster." She looked and he nodded again.

"You look like a brilliant, strong little girl for your age." Quoth. "I used to be married, but my wife and I weren't lucky enough to have children." Continued. "Maybe it was better this way since the damn world we live in seems incapable of living in peace." Continued. She was about to answer, but just then Itama's eyes widened then a second before he was next to her and a second later, he was gone. Frightened, Akiko turned and saw him standing on his injured leg facing a Kunoichi who had the forehead cover of the Hidden Stone Village. She was not injured unlike him.

"I was hoping you were too busy with your chat to notice me." She said with a grin on her face that made the child's heartbeat fast with fear.

"How ruthless do you have to be to attack a poor child from behind?" He asked for the hateful tone of voice, and only then did Akiko notice the kunai that Kunoichi was holding in her hand.

"She's part of the HiddenLeaf Village just like you and if she's here, I don't think she's a child like any other." The woman replied coldly.

"Go away!" Itama screamed and Akiko realized that he was addressing her and not the woman. The fight began before Akiko could even move a muscle. Frightened, with her heart pounding in her chest, she remained motionless as she watched him struggle. She could see the blood coming out of Itama's wound and soiling the bandage she had tightened around his leg, and she wondered if in that state he would be able to hold out for much longer against his opponent. He stood up just as the Kunoichi pierced Itama's stomach with the Kunai blade.

"Itama…" The name came out of her lips in a faint voice as she watched the Shinobi collapse to the ground. He had wounded his opponent in the arm and stomach, but they did not appear to be seriously injured.

"Now I am afraid it is your turn. I am sorry, baby, but it is war." She affirmed by pulling out a shuriken and advancing towards her. Despite her fear, Akiko was still able to think clearly and pulled out a kunai. "Honey, please don't make things…" Before finishing the sentence, the woman's eyes widened, coughed up blood and then collapsed to the ground on her knees. Akiko looked at her in surprise, then noticed Itama was lying on the ground on his stomach. His face was of a worrying pallor, and he looked distraught. He withdrew the arm he must have used to throw the kunai whose end came out of the Kunoichi's bleeding back.

"Thank you." Akiko said after approaching and kneeling next to him who had turned on his stomach.

"You didn't tell me your name." Said his mouth stained with blood.

"Akiko." She replied, feeling her eyes moisten with tears, she was doomed. She did not need to be a medical-nin to know that it was over for him. He looked into her eyes.

"It's a nice name." Quoth. "I hope this war can end quickly, and you never have to see this again." He coughed and then expired with his eyes still open. She closed them and then burst into silent tears.

Later, sitting in a chair in a room in one of the small buildings that had been built near the battlefield where medical-nin tried to help the wounded, Akiko stared at the wooden floor. Some ninja had found her and Itama and brought them back. The medical-nin who had visited Itama had no choice but to declare him dead. Sitting motionless, with her head bowed, the little girl seemed not to realize what was around her, not even the desperate screams and cries of the people who had just been told that one of their loved ones had just died.

"Akiko." A familiar voice pronounced her name, and she lifted her head. Her black eyes met Fugaku's. Standing next to him was Itachi. The man approached her. "Are you okay? I heard that a Kunoichi from Hidden Stone Village attacked you." He said calmly.

"Itama Senju saved me, he was wounded, but he decided to fight against that Kunoichi anyway. He saved me. He sacrificed his life for me." She said in a trembling voice.

"Once upon a time, something like this would never have happened. A Senju who sacrifices himself to save an Uchiha." He commented gloomily.

"Where is my mother?" She asked, wishing like never before that her mother was there next to her. Kyoko was not a particularly loving and present mother, however, even if she did not always tell her and hugged her rarely, she knew that she loved her and she loved her.

"Akiko, I'm sorry, but your mother…" There was no need for Fugaku to finish the sentence because she quickly understood what had happened. She felt her eyes moisten again, and then she felt a strange sensation in her eyes. It was not an unpleasant feeling, simply weird.

In the end, the war ended. Thousands of people had died. Hundreds of families had lost at least one loved one. Many children like Akiko had been orphaned. She had been lucky in bad luck because Mikoto and Fugaku had welcomed her into their home. Mikoto had always been like a second mother to her. When her mother was at work, she stayed at Mikoto's house who had always told her that she hoped that, if one day she ever had a daughter she would be like her.

Her bond with Fugaku was not as strong. Fugaku had a similar character to her mother and was the kind of person who struggled to express her feelings, but although he had never shown her affection, he had always been kind to her and had always told her that if she needed help, even if it was simply someone to help her train with ninja techniques, he would have gladly given her a hand.

She and Itachi spent a lot of time together, it was normal, since they lived in the same house and were also the same age, then they were fond of each other. She knew that many girls envied her for living under the same roof with one of those who was considered one of the most beautiful children in the village, but even though she was attracted to Itachi and was happy to spend a lot of time with him, she would rather not do it if he still wanted to have her mother.

A few years later

One full moon evening a terrible thing happened: the Nine-Tails, Kurama, attacked the village. The police evacuated thousands of men, women, old people, and children. The members of the Uchiha Clan who were part of that organization had been tasked with protecting civilians and making sure that as many as possible left the village unharmed. Several Uchiha were not happy with the task they had been given and had complained to Fugaku; however, the latter had replied not to complain and to focus on securing civilians.

At one-point Fugaku, who had just indicated a safe place to some people, was joined by Mikoto. He saw his wife running towards him with a desperate expression and worried he walked towards her and once they were close, he grabbed her wrists.

"Akiko, I can't find Akiko." She said shocked. "Itachi and Sasuke arrived safely at one of the shelters. I asked Itachi where Akiko was, but he could not answer. Itachi said that while they were running away at some point the wall of a building collapsed near them. There was dust and debris everywhere, and he never saw her again." She said terrified. "She asked him to go and take Sasuke to safety and not to worry about her that she would find another way, but…" She stopped and burst into desperate tears.

"Don't worry, do not worry. I promise that I will look for it and that I will bring it to you, safe and sound. But now you go to Sasuke and Itachi." He said, trying hard to appear calmer than he was. His wife did not answer, instead she continued to cry, asked a Shinobi of their clan to escort her to the shelter of their children and then ran away determined to find Akiko.

Mikoto could not bear the idea of losing her and neither would he. He was not good at showing his feelings, and maybe he had never been particularly affectionate with her, but he was not particularly affectionate with his own children either. The truth was that usually the members of their clan were not good at externalizing their feelings: all ninjas were taught from an early age that they had to hide their emotions so as not to risk appearing weak in front of the enemy.

By now almost the entire population had been evacuated, and the few people left in the village were members of the police. Fugaku knew that soon they too would have to leave the village and get to safety with the rest of the civilians, but first he had to make sure that Akiko was safe. The refuges were more than one after all.

At one point I met Shisui Uchiha who was older than Itachi. They were linked by a feeling of friendship and respect not only by the name and bond of cousins. Shisui was also friends with Akiko, although the bond with her was not as strong as the one that united him with Itachi. As soon as Fugaku had explained that Akiko had disappeared, Shisui immediately offered him his help, which after a moment's hesitation the Head of the Uchiha Clan accepted.

Shortly after, while they were walking in one of the streets that seemed to have suffered the most damage, almost all the walls of the buildings had collapsed, in the midst of the dust and debris something caught their attention. Something that should not have been there.

"What's that?" Shisui asked, perplexed, who like him must have noticed the mysterious object.

"I do not know. I do not understand it seems to be made of wood. I have never seen it before." Fugaku replied confused, that he had to climb up a mountain of debris and then jump down the other side. A concrete wall had collapsed on the large wooden object that reminded Fugaku of a shaped seed.

"Help, please." A voice said that Fugaku recognized immediately. The man stared incredulously at the wood because it was there that the voice seemed to come from. Increasingly perplexed, he approached.

"Akiko?" She said, noticing that there was a hole in the wooden wall, it was not noticeably big, but enough for a little girl like her to get through. He bent down and put his head close to the hole and saw Akiko: she looked terrified and was curled up on the ground safely inside her wooden shelter. "Akiko, what happened?" Churches. She stared at him.

"I do not know… I do not know… A moment before I was running and a moment later, I heard a big noise then I saw the wall coming at me and then…" She paused. The poor little girl was visibly and understandably shocked. "I don't really know what happened, I only know that I was so scared and then…" She stared at the wooden ceiling above her, then stared at him again. Meanwhile, Shisui had approached, and he too seemed surprised. "It was me. I am not sure how I did it, but I was able to conjure up this wood." Explained.

"It's not possible." Fugaku said, standing up and turning to look at his cousin.

"You are able to use the Wood Release. She used it to create this hiding place and protect herself from the debris." Shisui said. Fugaku turned to stare at the small wooden shelter again.

"It is not just the First Hokage that is possible… I cannot believe it, but how is such a thing possible? It is absurd." He exclaimed, wondering if he was dreaming. All this was simply absurd. If anyone were going to prove that they could use the Wood Release, they would expect it to be someone with Senju blood, not someone from the Uchiha Clan. "Let us take it to safety then we will think… We will think about all this another time more calmly." He added after a few seconds.

They took Akiko to safety at the shelter. Mikoto let out a shriek of joy when he saw the child safe and sound. Her clothes were dirty and so were her face and hair, but she was unharmed and that was the most important thing. While the little girl and Itachi, who was holding little Sasuke in his arms, chatted quietly and Mikoto lovingly stroked Akiko's long silver hair, the woman's husband, stared at the little girl and wondered how it was possible that she was able to use a skill that only the First Hokage had been able to master, but he imagined that there would be time for questions and answers. He walked over to his family and his lips curled into one of his rare smiles as he stared at his wife, two children and Akiko. All of them were his family, even Akiko and he would make sure that they were always safe and that no one could ever hurt them.