Akagahara was closed off to the public and was far away from the populated areas of the village. The metal fence had a caution sign and an electrification warning.

"We can't jump the fence..." Hanako sighed.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," Tanaka huffed. "I have the key."

Hanako looked at him and then at the door below the sign. "So the door is not electrified?"

"Not if it's unlocked."

"And, if the key is made of metal and the door is also electrified, won't you get shocked?"

Tanaka stopped his movements and looked at her. "How old are you again?"

"Twelve."

He raised an eyebrow. "You think? Sounds to me, you're like five," he taunted with a smirk.

Hanako took a deep breath. "I'm just here trying to act like a concerned partner but, by all means," she pointed at the metal door, "please go ahead and fry yourself to death."

With a soft chuckle, Tanaka lead the way towards the entrance to the training ground. As soon as the door was open, Hanako touched the fence. A pair of eyes were burning through her skull. Tanaka had a frown on his face as he focused on her hand. She laughed nervously. "You're right, when the door is open, there's no way to get shocked."

"Only the door is supposed to be free of electricity," Tanaka's eyes were still glued to the fence. "I understand now, how they got in."

"So, it's not working?"

"Not as it should." He sighed loudly, stepping into the area. As soon as she walked in behind him, a spark of chakra made her turn in reflex. Tanaka noticed. "What?"

"I sensed someone. 400 meters, 2 o'clock."

"Let's go."

* * *

"Shit-shit-shit-shit..." Hyori ran around the trees. A giant spider slithered behind her, its eight tails impulsing its speed. "THIS IS SO DISGUSTING!"

"Come on! It's just an itsy-bitsy spider!" Takeshi laughed as he ran beside her. "Whoa," he jumped just as the spider had launched a ball of spider web towards him.

"It wants to eat us!" Hyori screeched. "Why did you guys want to come here?!"

"We wanted to escalate our training!" Takeshi jumped towards the spider and forged hand signs. "Wind Style! Wind Scythe!" he inflated his cheeks and blew wind in the form of curved knives that cut the spider's legs off. "All yours Kazuki!"

The third teammate had been silent until he turned to the defenseless spider. "Water Style, Water Whip!" Water gathered at the palms of his hands, forming into a long rope he used to tie the spider.

The spider screeched and released a ton of spider web. Hyori panicked and formed a sign. Wood formed around them like a shell, protecting them from the web. The trio was left in the dark inside the shell, in silence, until one of them laughed.

"That was fun."

"What do you mean fun? You call being spider food, fun?" A female voice responded abruptly.

"Well, it did not eat us." The other replied calmly. "Though, I wouldn't be mad if it ate Takeshi."

"HEY!"

The wood fell apart and Hyori grunted. "Why am I even here? Couldn't you have asked someone else? Like Hanako? Isn't she your best friend?"

"Was." Takeshi replied sternly. "You're our new best friend, Hyori, you should switch to our team."

Hyori's stare softened. "Takeshi, you know I can't do that. Ren and Kaichi need me."

Kazuki took a deep breath and looked at Takeshi. "Don't be like this, Tak. You know she's busy."

"We haven't heard from her in almost a year!" He grit his teeth. "She went missing, and did that fucking Itachi Uchiha even think about telling us?" His face was becoming red from rage. "NO! They totally ditched us!" Takeshi groaned loudly. "Oh, and she comes back... Has she even come to visit us? Has she showed herself to let us know she's okay?" His voice broke. "No... of course she hasn't... she doesn't even care in the slightest about us. We should just do the same." He furiously stomped away.

The actions of the group had been cautiously witnessed by the nearby Chunnin. "Ah... that was kinda rude..." Tanaka muttered as he glanced towards the Uchiha beside him.

"I deserve it..." Hanako looked away, letting them walk away. "It's true, I haven't been exactly the bestest friend to them."

Tanaka nodded slightly, looking at the trio. "Well, hate to break it to you, but we need to ask them to leave and question if they messed with the electrification system in the fence."

Hanako breathed loudly and stared at the Senju. Good chance to talk to her. Picking a smoke grenade behind her back, she purposefully dropped it behind the trio, forcing their guard.

"What's happening?" Takeshi jumped, holding a kunai tightly in front of him.

"What happens is that you guys have trespassed into private property." Tanaka narrowed his eyes at the group while emerging from the cloud of smoke.

Upon recognizing him, Hyori's eyes shone. "Tanaka-san!"

The Chunnin focused his vision on the girl and smiled slightly. "Hey Hyori, I didn't expect to find you here."

Hanako was doing her best to avoid eye contact, but Takeshi was actively glaring at her. Starting to feel uncomfortable, she glanced at her partner. "You two know each other?"

Tanaka sighed. Hyori laughed slightly. "Yeah, well, we see each other most of the time. He's one of the Senju's council members."

The Uchiha was dumbfounded. "To be a council member... that must mean..." Hanako frowned. "You're a Senju?"

"Of course he is," Hyori cut in. "Can't you see the resemblance?" She grinned, standing right beside him.

Hanako paled. She stared between the two of them, and then at her friends, whom have been glaring at her. Tanaka seemed to catch onto the situation and smirked slightly. "Yeah, but I don't really brag around my last name like someone over here does." He turned his head in Hyori's direction. "I don't really think lineage defines a person, but their attitude towards everyone around them does."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Hanako gulped and turned to her friends. "Hey..." Takeshi turned his head away with a huff. Kazuki offered an apologetic smile. "I know you're mad at me Takeshi, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." Takeshi glanced at her shortly. "Only friends are sorry. We're not friends anymore, so you don't have to be sorry."

"That's not true..." Hanako's voice had grown quiet. "I care about you guys."

"No, you don't. You care about Itachi, Shisui and the rest of your Uchiha friends."

Hanako pressed her lips tightly. "That's not—"

"Save it." Takeshi turned her back to her before she had a chance to reply. "Is there anywhere you're taking us?"

Tanaka took a deep breath. "Police station. You'll be interrogated about how you found your way in here."

Hanako frowned again. "Aren't we taking them to the HQ?"

Tanaka shrugged. "There's an argument between what concerns us and what concerns the police. Sadly, this falls within the Uchiha jurisdiction, so they'll be taking it from here."

* * *

At the main Police Force building, Hanako, Tanaka and the trio walked down the corridor towards the interrogation room in the first floor. There were few members on office duty, which Hanako thanked silently.

Once in the room, Hyori entered casually, whilst Kazuki and Takeshi were both hesitant about it. "What's going to happen to us?" Kazuki asked, stopping right next to the girl. Hanako looked up to find his eyes steady on her.

"Um, they're going to ask you a few questions, and then you're free to go."

Tanaka rested his hand on the door. "Well, that will depend on your answers. You guys were caught in territory that's been a focus for us for about a while. We've received numerous complaints about suspicious activity in that training ground."

Kazuki frowned. "We only trespassed today. The fence was open when we got there, thought it was open to the public."

Tanaka and Hanako shared a look. "Thought so," she sighed. "Guess our mission's still not anywhere completed."

"It's a B-rank, it wouldn't be that easy..." Tanaka huffed with a slight smile. "Anyway, tell the police everything about the fence being open. They'll have to leave you off the hook." He straightened up. "I'm gonna look for someone."

His steps echoed down the hall. Kazuki then turned to the brunette with a raised eyebrow. "Are you going to pretend that tension in Akagahara didn't happen, or are you going to spill the beans about what's happened to you in almost a year?"

Hanako glanced away. "I can't talk to you right now, Kazuki. Not here."

"Why not? Is someone here not supposed to hear?"

Hanako's eyes rolled towards the door right beside the interrogation room: Fugaku's office. "Kind of."

Following the girl's line of sight, Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "Is something going on with you and the Uchiha? You seem uncomfortable to be here."

"You could say so... I did something the night before last." Her voice was barely audible. Takeshi and Hyori, who had been listening, had to lean in just to catch on to the words.

Kazuki didn't find this strange at all. "What's going on, Hanako?" His frown deepened. "Should we be worried?"

"Kind of, yeah." Hanako's voice broke slightly. "It's been hard, but I'm sure I can pull through."

Her former teammate placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we're all here. We'll always be. Don't fall for any scum Takeshi pulled earlier, he'll get over it."

Her lips curved up lightly. Tanaka soon arrived, Shisui close behind him. The Uchiha girl took a deep breath, allowing her muscles to finally relax. "Shisui."

He smiled at her. "Hey, don't worry, I'll make it quick."

"Since when are you taking police duties? I thought you were a Jounin..." Hanako followed Shisui inside the room. He stopped and turned to her.

Leaning down to her ear, he muttered: "I'm not."

Hanako widened her eyes and looked at Tanaka. He simply shrugged with a smirk. She frowned and mouthed, "You two know each other as well?"

"I know a lot of people," he smirked.

Shisui casually took the seat in front of the group and smiled at them. Kazuki took his seat beside Takeshi, glaring at the Uchiha. "So, I understand you guys have a trespassing complaint filed against you. Where were you?"

"Akagahara," Kazuki replied dryly.

The Uchiha nodded. "I see... well you guys understand that training ground is reserved for A and S-rank shinobi only, right?"

Takeshi jumped and widened his eyes. "What? It did seem like a regular training ground to me, except for the monsters. Quite fun actually, 10/10 would recommend."

Hyori snapped at him, "Seriously, we almost died out there! That fucking spider was no joke!"

"Get your facts straight, you almost died, I saved your life." Takeshi grinned.

"Did not." Hyori took a deep breath.

"Did too."

"Shut up, both of you." Kazuki rolled his eyes. "The three of us played our own part. We're here because we were together."

Shisui leaned on the table. "A spider. Don't be shy, tell me more." Hanako could have sworn his eyes gleamed.

Takeshi grinned back. "There were amazing places in there. There was also a cave and huge scorpions in there!"

Hyori felt a chill down her back and leaned back on the chair.

"That's cool, maybe I should come with you next time!"

Hanako frowned. Leaning towards Tanaka, she voiced, "He's totally on their side, isn't he?"

"What could you expect from Shisui?" he smiled. "He should have been a member of the corps. He just has that ability to lighten any mood."

Hanako agreed profoundly. Shisui Uchiha was probably the kindest, sweetest and most easy going Uchiha she had ever come across. No wonder her sister was head over heels about him. "Tanaka, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, drop the bomb." He glanced at her.

"Do you know who I am?" She pressed her lips into a thin line. Tanaka grinned and shook his head.

"I think you might want to speak outside while these guys get hyped about Akagahara." Hanako watched him step towards the door as he raised his voice. "Well, Shisui, we still got a mission to complete, so I'll leave these guys to you, okay?"

Shisui nodded at him with a smile, his eyes then wandering to the Uchiha girl. "Take care."

Hanako smiled and bowed at them slightly. "I'll see you around."

Once they were gone, Shisui took a deep breath. Takeshi continued speaking about the plain filled with scarlet clovers until Kazuki interrupted him. "Shisui, you know what's going on, don't you? I know Hanako tends to act distant sometimes, but she's clearly terrified about something. What is it?"

Takeshi pressed his lips into a thin line. Emotions were wreaking havoc behind his eyes; anger to confusion to sadness to concern. "Terrified? Hana-chan terrified?" his voice was quiet, but Kazuki turned to him.

"Oh, so you have finally connected your eyes and ears to your brain, congratulations."

"You don't have to be so rude, Kazuki!" He urged.

"You almost made her cry earlier today! She was holding back her tears, avoiding eye contact!" Kazuki was red. Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, he turned back to Shisui. "Can you please tell us what can we do to help her?"

Shisui smiled. "I know you guys are worried. The situation right now is really complicated, and I understand you want to help, but I can't tell you. It's better if you're not involved at all." He leaned back. "I do want to ask a favor, though, can you guys do that?"

"Anything," Takeshi snapped. "We'll do anything."

"Please, don't leave her." He smiled sadly. "We might not be around to support her for long, but you guys will. Please, make sure she's not alone, or else she won't be able to move on."

Kazuki and Takeshi both looked at each other. Hyori took a deep breath, and glared at Shisui. "Does it have to do with her lineage? Will they do something to her?"

Shisui stared at Hyori. "There's a faction within the Uchiha that's against Hanako. They believe that Senju and Uchiha are life-sworn enemies and should not mix together. The last couple of years, they've become way more aggressive, and I suspect they won't calm down any time soon."

"Why are the Uchiha so.... Ugh." Hyori closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry. No offense."

"None taken," Shisui shrugged with a low chuckle. "Those are my thoughts exactly."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Shisui-san?" Takeshi's voice broke. "I'm sorry I spoke so ill of you earlier, you're really nice. Thanks for looking out for Hana-chan."

Shisui chuckled. "No worries, Takeshi, Kazuki, Hyori." He nodded at each one of them. "You're free to go, I won't take any more time from you."

"Wait," Takeshi stopped Shisui as soon as he got up. "You promise you're going to come with us to Akagahara, right? We can all be there. I'll even allow all your Uchiha gang to come." He looked away, slightly embarrassed.

Shisui smiled widely. "Sure. We'll definitely be there. I'm counting on it. I'll make the reservation with the Hokage. How does next week sound?"

Takeshi almost hopped. "Yes!" He then looked at Hyori from his peripheral vision. "You're invited too, you know."

"No, thanks!"

* * *

Back in Akagahara, Tanaka and Hanako patrolled a bit more around the forest. They had been silent most of the way, mainly because Hanako felt a bit dubious to be around Tanaka after finding out he was a Senju. Why was she so uncomfortable, she didn't know.

"Um... so, about my question earlier..."

"You're Kenzou's daughter." Tanaka glanced at her sideways. "Is that what you meant?"

Hanako stopped on her tracks and stared at him. It wasn't any secret that Kenzou had a daughter, and neither was that it was Hanako. At this point, word had gotten to everyone in the village, including the leader of the Uchiha Clan.

"Can you explain to me how the Senju work... you know, as a clan..." Hanako took a deep breath and glanced at the floor.

Tanaka chuckled slightly before picking up his pace again, Hanako following close behind. "I would have assumed Kenzou-sama has already told you about it. Maybe you didn't want to listen to him, maybe you are still in denial." He scoffed. "In any way, the Senju doesn't do the deed the same way as the Uchiha.

"Foremost, we have several departments. Not everyone is a ninja, much like in the Uchiha almost everyone is. Like the Uchiha controls the Police Force, the Senju control several other facilities. We have people managing the library, the hospital; there are also departments who overview international negotiations." Tanaka smiled proudly. "The main difference is, we don't use the Senju family name, though. We mainly refer to ourselves by simply our names."

"Why?" Hanako tilted her head in confusion.

"We were taught that we were all equal. According to our first leaders, the First Hokage wanted us to welcome everyone as a family. No matter what clan they came from. Having a family name creates hierarchical relationships, so they chose to drop it. Once you were a Senju, you were no longer a Senju, you were just you." Tanaka glanced at her. Hanako seemed to be frowning slightly. "Hard to digest, I know. Specially to someone who was taught pride overall, like the Uchiha," he laughed slightly, "but it's completely optional. Hyori still refers to herself as a Senju. I chose to drop the family name since it really does me no good. I'm just average among them."

Hanako nodded in understanding. "If I were to become a Senju, could I keep my last name?"

"Of course. We don't mind what family you come from," he grinned. "The real question is, will they let you keep it?" His eyebrow rose. "I hear banishment from the Uchiha is not like getting entrance denied into the district." He took a deep breath. "I only know one case, though. I can't really say much. Why do you ask?"

Hanako looked up. "Just a hypothetical situation that piqued my curiosity. Not anything serious," she chuckled unanimously.

Tanaka narrowed his eyes. "I hear from your father that they are not exactly nice towards you. And today you were pretty nervous in the station, you didn't relax until Shisui arrived."

Trying to ignore his comment, Hanako kicked a stone in her path. She didn't say anything as she followed the rolling stone, watched it hit another stone, and then it stopped moving.

"When was the last time you spoke to them?" Tanaka stood right in front of her. Hanako stopped just in time to avoid clashing into him.

"There was a meeting, like two days ago." She pursed her lips. "I had to leave early, but in there, I felt like everyone stared at me. Hatefully glaring at me. In general, they don't seem fond of people with more than one bloodline, like me."

Hanako didn't want to meet Tanaka's eyes. He sighed. "Where did you sleep last night?"

"I didn't sleep. I patrolled all night, maybe had a short nap at the Hokage Mountain..."

"You haven't gone back since the meeting, have you?"

Hanako simply shook her head.

He sighed when he didn't get a verbal reply. "When's the next meeting?"

"Sunday."

"Will you go?"

"I don't think so."

Tanaka closed his eyes. "Your father will not like this, you can't just avoid them. What about your mother? Does she know?"

Hanako shrugged. "It's not like she can do anything about it, they treat her even worse. She barely leaves the house."

Tanaka knew it wasn't his place to intrude, but he would feel guilty if he didn't do anything about it. "Have you thought about moving out?" Hanako glared at him as if he had grown a second head. "I'm sure Kenzou-sama has enough space, his house is huge." He sighed, ashamed of what he suggested. "I'm just saying that if you're doubtful about leaving your family behind—which is understandable—you should bring them with you."

"Moving out of the Uchiha?" Hanako leaned against the bark of a tree. "They will interpret it as a betrayal..."

Tanaka knew Hanako was right. "You have to put yourself first. If they're treating all of you like trash, you deserve something better. I would have left already if I were you."

Hanako looked at him. The Uchiha were plummeting down as a clan. They were closing off to everyone. Commerce was also not going well without clients. No one dared to come close, and it was beginning to show. Soon, they wouldn't even be a clan, just a private group of people. Leaving the Uchiha now wasn't selfish, it was just hoping for a more peaceful future. At least that's what she hoped for.