The world around her blurred into soft, shifting shapes. The present faded, and suddenly, she was back there—on the long road to Konoha.

Haruka found herself back on the long road to Konoha, the chill of early morning still clinging to the air. The towering gates of Yutakana-kuni had disappeared behind them hours ago, swallowed by the endless stretch of forested terrain ahead.

The party travelled in measured silence, only the rhythmic sound of footsteps and the occasional murmur of the wind breaking through the stillness. The men walking beside her were legends—leaders of their clans, warriors hardened by war and responsibility. Tobirama, always at the front, moved with the precision of a man who saw everything and anticipated everything.

Haruka, however, kept to herself, walking at a steady pace a little behind him.

She didn't belong here—not yet.

She knew that much.

The others had not spoken much to her. She had expected that. What she had not expected was how much she felt their quiet scrutiny.

The Uchiha head, Kyukishi, said nothing, but his presence was heavy. The way his dark eyes occasionally flickered in her direction made her feel as if she were being measured, though for what purpose, she couldn't tell.

The Hyūga elder moved with his usual refined grace, his pale eyes always observing yet unreadable. The Akimichi patriarch walked with an easy gait, seeming more relaxed than the others, though she could tell he was still wary of her.

The Aburame clan leader intrigued her the most. He barely spoke, his face half-hidden behind his high collar, but every so often, the air around him seemed to hum—his insects responding to something she couldn't see.

Even the Nara clan head, who had spent most of the trip walking at a sluggish pace, hands behind his head as if bored, had stolen a few glances at her.

Haruka pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

They were all watching.

She just didn't know why.

The First Night

They stopped near a riverbank as night fell, setting up camp beneath the thick canopy of trees. Haruka moved quietly, placing herself near the edge of the group, just close enough to be part of the circle but not at its centre.

She listened.

The clan leaders spoke to one another in short, efficient exchanges—discussing border security, alliances, and minor disputes within the village. It was a foreign world to her, one she had yet to understand fully.

She kept her head low, hands wrapped around a cup of tea she had poured for herself. She wasn't sure if she should speak.

Tobirama had yet to say anything to her directly, though she caught him glancing in her direction more than once.

It was the Nara head who eventually broke the silence.

"You're quieter than I expected," he mused, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Figured Tobirama's wife would be more… talkative."

Haruka stiffened slightly.

"Oh, she's polite," the Akimichi leader chuckled, taking a bite of his ration. "Didn't say a word all day. Not even a complaint."

Haruka hesitated before speaking. "I… don't wish to be a bother."

The Nara head smirked. "Troublesome response."

She blinked, unsure if she had said something wrong.

Uchiha Kukashi, who had been listening without participating, finally spoke. "Do you think we're bothered by your presence?"

Haruka felt the weight of his words press down on her, and suddenly, she wasn't sure how to answer.

Tobirama finally intervened. "She is adjusting."

It was the first time he had spoken about her directly, and it startled her.

She turned to look at him, expecting some kind of irritation in his expression, but his face remained impassive.

"She is observing," Tobirama continued. "That is not a flaw."

Haruka lowered her gaze, feeling warmth rise to her cheeks.

She hadn't expected him to defend her.

The conversation moved on without her, and Haruka allowed herself to fade into the background once more.

She hadn't realized that the air around them had shifted.

The Unseen Weight of Her Presence.

As the night stretched on, the men continued their quiet discussions. Haruka sat still, the warmth of the tea in her hands grounding her.

She felt a little lighter now.

She wasn't exactly comfortable yet, but…

She didn't feel as misplaced as before.

Her fingers tightened around the cup, a soft exhale slipping past her lips and without knowing it, she let go of her frustration to let herself relax.

For the first time in her life, the smallest, most unintentional fraction of her chakra leaked out.

It was subtle. Almost unnoticeable.

But not to them.

The Nara head, usually the least reactive, straightened.

The Aburame leader stiffened as the insects beneath his cloak went completely still.

The Akimichi patriarch blinked as if trying to shake off a strange feeling he couldn't quite name.

The Hyūga elder's fingers twitched again, but he said nothing, merely casting a glance in her direction.

Uchiha Kyukishi's Sharingan flickered to life on pure instinct.

Tobirama did not move.

But she felt his gaze on her more acutely than ever before.

She wasn't even aware of what had happened.

She didn't know that for a brief second, the very air had shifted, thickening just enough to make the most seasoned warriors tense.

She simply sat there, sipping her tea, completely unaware of the way they were now looking at her.

More than before.

More than when they had first begun their journey.

This time, they weren't just watching someone new step into their world.

Tobirama exhaled through his nose, his fingers barely twitching before relaxing again.

The third day of their journey had passed in relative silence.

Haruka had started to settle into the rhythm of travel—rising early, keeping pace with the group, and listening carefully to the conversations that weaved between the clan heads. She had stopped expecting them to speak to her much, and she preferred it that way.

She wasn't like them.

Not yet.

They were warriors, seasoned by years of battle and burdened with the weight of leadership. She, on the other hand, had never fought in a war. She had never led soldiers into battle. She had been raised in a world apart from the shinobi, only ever glimpsing what true strength looked like through the old records she had stolen from her father's library.

Now, she was walking among men who were those records.

And she was barely past her fourteenth year.

She wondered if they noticed.

The campfire flickered, casting long shadows over the makeshift encampment.

Haruka sat a little apart from the others, wrapped in her cloak for warmth. She was listening again—her usual role during these evening rests. The men spoke in low, steady voices about Konoha's affairs, border concerns, resource management, and clan relations.

She understood most of it, but not all.

That, more than anything, frustrated her.

A quiet sigh left her lips as she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

It was then that she noticed the way the Nara clan head was watching her.

Not in the sharp, scrutinizing way Uchiha Kyukishi did.

Nor in the careful, assessing manner of the Hyūga elder.

No, the Nara clan head's gaze held something closer to… amusement.

"You look exhausted," he said lazily, breaking the natural flow of conversation.

Haruka stiffened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden attention.

She straightened instinctively. "I'm fine."

The Nara smirked, but before he could say more, the Akimichi leader hummed thoughtfully. "She is very young," he mused aloud. "I nearly forgot."

Haruka blinked, feeling an unexpected heat rise to her cheeks.

Kyukishi let out a short breath—something between a scoff and a chuckle. "Not surprising. She carries herself well enough."

The Hyūga elder nodded in agreement. "But it is true. She is still a child."

Haruka stiffened at that. She knew she was young compared to them. But hearing it spoken so plainly, in the middle of a conversation that had nothing to do with her, made her stomach twist.

Tobirama, who had remained silent thus far, finally spoke. "She is young," he acknowledged. "But so were we when we were first sent to battle."

Haruka glanced at him quickly, surprised that he had responded at all.

The Nara head stretched his arms behind his head.

There was an unspoken implication in his words.

She wasn't just a shinobi. She wasn't just an ally. She was a foreign representative, a political figure, and, technically, the wife of the Senju clan's second-in-command.

A great deal of weight had been placed on someone who was, at her core, still just a girl.

Haruka opened her mouth, then hesitated. What was she supposed to say? That she was aware of how young she was? That she had spent every moment since leaving home trying to make sure they didn't see her as a child?

Before she could formulate a response, another voice cut through the conversation.

"Walk with me."

Haruka looked up, startled.

The Aburame clan head stood before her, his high-collared coat shifting slightly in the wind.

She blinked. "…Pardon?"

The Aburame's gaze was unreadable. "You are not tired, are you?"

Haruka hesitated.

A glance around the fire told her that the others were watching with mild curiosity—but no one objected.

She swallowed and stood, brushing off the lingering weight of the conversation.

"…Very well."

The forest was darker here, the trees standing tall and unmoving against the faint wind. The deeper they walked, the quieter it became, as if even the night itself was waiting for something.

Haruka did not ask where they were going. She merely followed.

After a few moments, the Aburame clan head finally spoke.

"You do not know, do you?"

Haruka glanced at him. "Know what?"

Rather than answer, he lifted a hand.

A cluster of kikaichū—his insects—emerged, swirling lightly in the air like drifting leaves.

Haruka tensed but remained still.

Then—

The air shifted. The insects froze.

Haruka barely noticed it at first. She was too focused on the way the Aburame leader was watching her, his head tilted slightly as if seeing something she could not.

Then, slowly, the kikaichū moved— Away from her.

Haruka stiffened. "…What?" She extended a hand instinctively, palm up. The insects retreated again. Not aggressively. Not as if sensing an enemy. But in avoidance.

A cold sensation curled at the base of her spine.

"What does that mean?" she asked, her voice quiet.

The Aburame Hoshiro studied her carefully.

"They refuse to approach you."

Haruka swallowed. "…Why?"

The kikaichū remained suspended in the air as if caught in something unseen.

The Hoshiro's answer was simple.

"Your chakra."

Haruka felt her breath still in her lungs.

"I… I don't…" She shook her head. "I didn't do anything."

Hoshiro remained silent.

But before he could speak again—

Footsteps approached.

Haruka turned just in time to see Tobirama.

Tobirama did not demand an explanation. He didn't ask why they were out here or what had happened.

He already knew.

The Aburame leader gave him a short nod before stepping back, his kikaichū dispersing as he returned to camp without another word.

Haruka was left alone in the clearing, the weight of realization settling over her. She wasn't sure what to say.

"…Did I do something wrong?" she asked finally.

Tobirama studied her.

"That depends."

Haruka hesitated. "On what?"

Tobirama stepped closer.

"On whether you intended to do that."

Haruka felt her heartbeat in her throat. "I didn't."

A pause.

Then—

"I see."

She blinked, surprised. "…That's it?"

"You expected more?"

"I—" She exhaled, shaking her head. "I thought you'd be angry. Or demand an explanation."

Tobirama crossed his arms. "I do not waste time demanding explanations when I already know the answer."

Haruka bit her lip. "And what's the answer?"

Tobirama regarded her for a long moment before speaking.

"You are powerful, Haruka."

She inhaled sharply. Not because of the words themselves, but because of how he said them. No admiration. No accusation. No fear.

Just fact.

Haruka looked down, her hands tightening into fists. "…I don't know how to control it properly yet."

Tobirama was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.

"That is what training is for."

She looked up at him.

His expression was unreadable, but his tone was final. Certain.

Haruka wasn't sure what to say.

Tobirama exhaled through his nose. "Come."

Haruka hesitated. "What?"

"Come," he repeated, turning back toward camp. "There is no use in standing here overthinking. Rest while you can."

Haruka swallowed but followed.

The walk back was different this time. Not because of the forest. Not because of the silence.

But because, for the first time since she had left Yutakana-kuni, she felt as if she had taken her first step into something real.

She still did not understand what she was to them.

But she knew now—

She was seen.