Gramps?

Madara narrowed his eyes at the situation in front of him. He didn't expect to find his brother fighting against a little girl. "Big brother..." Izuna straightened in an instant and bowed to him. "I was just dealing with these bugs before reporting to Father."

Hanako glared at the man with the long ponytail. "Bugs?! Speak for yourself!" She would have charged at him again if it weren't for Amane holding her by the shoulders.

"Who are you?" Madara crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at the two girls. "I can sense Uchiha chakra from both of you. Were you two perhaps born outside?" His Sharingan lingered over Hanako for a second. This kid... This chakra... it isn't normal.

Amane let go of Hanako. "Yes, we would like the clan to take us back. We will do anything, we will prove to you that we have no ill intentions."

Hanako's eyes skimmed over Izuna's figure. "I can't guarantee anything if he attacks me again, though..."

A sudden swat to her skull shut her up. Amane was giving Hanako a vicious glare, but she didn't flinch.

"Take you in?"

"Don't listen to them, brother! I will take care of everything, please go ahead! Father must be waiting!" Izuna clenched his fists as he stared at his brother with determination.

"Here he goes again..." Hanako snarled. "Don't stop me, Amane. I will deal with this arrogant punk in a minute."

Amane widened her eyes. "You're not seriously thinking of—"

"Oh?" Madara smirked, his eyes flaring. His chakra elevated to create rifts on the ground beneath them. "And how will you do that?"

Hanako thinned her lips. So, this is Gramps in his prime? I really don't stand a chance. She smiled in defeat.

"Nevermind, I lost my interest." Her eyes faded back to black, and she looked at Izuna. "You're lucky momma bear came to the rescue. Otherwise, I would have turned that pretty face of yours into a mess."

Izuna gasped in horror. "Who do you think you are, brat?!"

"Brat?" Hanako was getting offended. "How old do you think I am?"

"I don't know, six?" Izuna grinned. "You're quite small."

Hanako's fingers curled up into a fist. "I'm turning twelve soon, you punk!"

Twelve?

Madara narrowed his eyes at the small girl. She's not even twelve and crossed the lower ranks? Besides, this power... Whoever trained her did a fine job.

"Who trained you?"

Hanako reacted to the sudden question. "Huh?"

She looked at Madara, but he was still giving her that expectant look. "I asked who trained you."

"Ah... You could say an old man who refers to himself as a legend." Hanako smiled at the ground. Ironically, he was meeting him again.

"A legend?"

"She's obviously lying!"

Madara sighed. "We're taking them to meet our father. Shut up and escort them, Izuna."

Izuna halted. "What?!"

Hanako gave him a victorious smirk. "Hurry up and escort us, Izuna."

* * *

The leader was a lot more powerful than what Hanako had originally predicted. If Madara's chakra felt dangerous at first, then his father's was the devil itself. As soon as they walked into the house, Hanako could feel her senses trembling. His chakra exerted such a pressure in the atmosphere that it troubled her breathing.

Amane didn't seem to mind as she continued to follow the Uchiha brothers. Hanako narrowed her eyes at the woman. She was definitely hiding something. How could she pretend there was nothing bothering her?

"What's the matter, Hanako?" Madara looked at her from over his shoulder. "Never sensed someone so powerful before, have you?"

Hanako groaned. "So, you noticed?"

"I'm a sensor myself. From the two of you, perhaps you're the most sensitive. Block it off before it crushes you."

She followed his advice and focused on something else that wasn't chakra. By channelling less chakra herself, she could sense less chakra. Slowly, the pressure disappeared. Madara's lips quirked upwards. She's a quick learner.

Hanako looked again at Amane. "Don't tell me you weren't feeling that?"

She looked back at her. "Feeling what? I didn't sense anything."

"Huh? I thought you said you were a sensor?!"

Amane shrugged. "I am. But I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. Sure, Tajima's chakra is strong, but I have felt more powerful chakra, so it doesn't really bother me."

"More powerful chakra?"

"Butsuma Senju."

Hanako looked at Madara after he interrupted her.

"He's the only man that could ever beat my father in terms of power. I didn't realize you were acquaintances with him." His glare was on Amane this time. Hanako thought for a second he wasn't going to pay attention to her, but now he was.

Amane smirked. "I'm not. Before coming here, I was on my own investigating the Hagoromo Clan. I figured they had aligned themselves with the Senju Clan, so I had the opportunity to dig on them. I only sensed him from a distance, but his chakra alone was so powerful I didn't dare to come closer."

They arrived at a sliding door. "Well, I'll ask about it later. Right now, let's talk to my father."

Izuna slid the door open. At the other side was a man meditating. He took deep breaths and exhaled slowly.

"Father."

"You're back." Tajima opened his eyes, and they landed on the two girls behind them. "You brought spoils?"

Hanako rolled her eyes.

So, that's who Izuna takes after? No wonder he's a punk.

"These two claim to be Uchiha born on the outside," Madara explained. "They want us to take them in."

"Born on the outside?" Tajima's eyes skimmed over Hanako and then Amane. "Are you... Keijirou's children?"

Amane gasped. "You know my father?"

"Yeah... I let him go. He said he didn't want his children to be raised in the midst of war." Tajima scoffed. "I didn't need a coward like him here."

"My father wasn't a coward!"

"Yes, he was. Otherwise, why would he leave?"

This time, it was Hanako who stopped Amane from charging against the leader. Like father, like son.

"I know you're pissed, but think about our situation here, would you?" Hanako ushered. "We're not in a place to act rash in front of the leader."

"I like that fiery look," Tajima smirked. "Do you girls know how to fight?"

"The chibi one is a good fighter," Izuna shrugged. "I don't know about the pretty one, though."

Hanako felt something burst inside her. Chibi? And why is Amane the pretty one?! We look almost alike!

A feral growl left her throat.

I will kill him!

A hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving. Madara was looking down at her.

"Then, let's test the abilities of the pretty one," Tajima announced. "Izuna, you will fight her right now."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Madara asked while his brother engaged in combat with Amane.

"Sure..." Hanako frowned, focusing on the girl getting in a fighting stance in front of Izuna.

* * *

"Where are you from? And I want the truth."

Hanako was astounded. Madara had dragged her into an empty room, where no one would eavesdrop. "I told you, we're travelers looking for a home."

"I believe that from her, not you." Madara narrowed his eyes. "Keijirou had only one daughter. Besides, you're not a full Uchiha."

That statement felt like a strike into her heart. "What do you mean?"

"I can feel Senju chakra within your system. At least half of your chakra has a Senju essence. You can't fool me, you're a half-blood Uchiha, half-blood Senju."

"Half-blood..." Hanako looked at the ground. "Is that so...? Am I really not an Uchiha?"

"I will ask again." Madara was getting impatient. "Where are you from?"

Hanako scoffed. "Well, I will erase your memories later, so I guess it doesn't hurt."

"Hm?"

Hanako's eyes turned red into her Mangekyou pattern. "I'm from a different timeline, several years into the future. I came here after using space-time ninjutsu to open a portal to this place, using Amane's scroll as an anchor." While speaking, Hanako showed Madara her memories.

The man sighed, closing his eyes. He easily broke off from the influence of her Mangekyou. "Then you're from the future? Amane does belong to this timeline."

"Yes, she was only helping me find a way back. She doesn't appear so, but she's really strong. She saved me from two Senju ninjas with only a glance at them. Besides, she seems to have a knack for space-time ninjutsu, which is what I need."

Madara gave her a hard look. "Don't you use space-time ninjutsu as well? You did open a portal here."

Hanako shook her head. "I didn't open a portal, my older sister did. I just linked both timelines, that's my ability. It was just a combination of the two what allowed me to come here. Therefore, I need to find an anchor to my timeline and have Amane open a portal for me to go back."

"And what does that have to do with you two coming here?"

Hanako looked at the door, listening to Izuna charging at Amane and weapons clashing. "Her mom died a few months ago and she's lost. She doesn't have anyone and I suggested she came back. I'm pretty sure she's going to be a huge help for you." She smiled. "Please accept her."

"And what about you?"

"I just want to go home." Hanako leaned against the wall. "Things are bad on my timeline. I can't really explain anything but the Uchiha are planning an attack that will start a war again. My friends are looking for a way to stop them, but they won't listen to a bunch of kids like us. I need to go back."

Madara leaned beside her. "I get what you're going through. I wanted to stop this endless war as well, and I found a boy that thought like me." He scoffed. "It was a childish dream, but looking at you I started to think that maybe it wasn't as childish as I thought."

Hanako looked at the ground. The wood beneath them was affected by humidity and starting to rot. "You're strong, for a twelve-year-old. I can sense this strange chakra flame within you, but I can't put a finger on it. Perhaps my father would know. He once spoke of Uchiha who were protected by our god, Uchiha who were meant for something bigger than themselves. He referred to them as "flamers". There hasn't been more than one flamer per generation though, that's how rare they are. You can be the flamer of your timeline," Madara said before looking at her. "Don't get your hopes up, I might be wrong."

"This flame... what is it called?" Hanako looked at Madara. "I can only feel it when I'm angry or in danger."

"I think my father said it was 'the flame of Samahdi'."

* * *

When Hanako and Madara returned to Tajima's meditating room, they found Izuna and Amane both panting. The fight had ended in a draw.

"You're either talented or my son hasn't been training so much..." Tajima commented in a bored tone. "To think he would lose to a girl."

"I have been training!" Izuna growled. "And I didn't lose!"

"You need to train more."

What a chauvinistic bastard... Hanako sighed and looked at Amane with a smile. "Well done, Amane."

She grinned back at her. "Of course!"

"Madara," Tajima stood up. "Take them to the spare room. They will be staying with us until I find them a place to stay. And keep an eye on them if you don't mind."

With that said, Tajima left the room. Izuna turned to look at them with a frown. "Let's have a rematch."

"Sorry, we have things to do." Hanako dragged Amane towards the door.

"I wasn't talking to you, Chibi!"

"If you want to have a fight with her, that means I have to stay and watch. I just want to sleep, Izuna, so I'll be taking them to their rooms."

"But—"

"Go rest. You probably lost because you haven't slept in almost two days." Madara waved at him before showing the way to the girls. "We'll train tomorrow."

"I didn't lose..."

* * *

Hanako frowned at the ceiling, trying in vain to fall asleep. No matter how much she tried, she felt observed. Madara had shown them into a room with two futons, but even if they were given their privacy, he announced that he would be watching them with his sensor abilities.

He didn't lie about it. Hanako could feel his chakra lingering in the room, watching their every move.

Amane couldn't sleep either. "I have been thinking about your situation."

Hanako looked at her. Even in the darkness, she could make out her silhouette.

"Do you miss your family? Do you think you'll come back to the time you left or has time continued in your absence? If you're in the past, does it mean your timeline doesn't exist yet?"

Hanako closed her eyes. "I think it should be me the one with the existential crisis."

"I just have too many questions." Amane turned her head towards the girl. "How come you're so calm? I would have probably collapsed of anxiety if I were you."

"Well, I think it all depends on what time the anchor takes me. Your scroll brought me here specifically because of what I had read. Perhaps if I had read more, it would have brought me a little later."

"Why didn't you bring the scroll with you?"

Hanako smirked. "If I had brought it with me, do you seriously think I would have let you read it? I will not answer any questions about you, or Madara or anyone."

Amane rolled her eyes. "Boring..." 

"Finding an anchor to my timeline will be a pain." Hanako pressed her lips into a line. "At least the past is filled with memories... the future is uncertain and unstable. I might end up trapped here if I don't think of something quick."

Silence grew in between them, before Amane yawned. "Let's think about it tomorrow. Let's sleep for now."

Hanako smiled and closed her eyes. I wouldn't mind staying here for a bit...

But what if Amane is right? What if as long as I'm here my timeline doesn't exist? Crap... Now I'm anxious.