I do not own Naruto.

As the feeling of dread consumed her, she knew things could have been so very different. She honestly wished they were. This pain... it was nothing compared to the feeling of failure that followed her now. She should have listened to them all, she should have heeded their warnings of her never amounting to anything. They told her she was useless and she should have listened. What right did she have trying to save the future from the mistakes of the past? Perhaps someone stronger could have been successful, but her... she never had a chance... Someone else could have done everything so differently and maybe they could have saved them. That was all she wanted to do...

Tired eyes fell to him, locking with those dark eyes of his. They screamed out to her, but she honestly couldn't tell if he were screaming or not. His eyes were glossy and glistening with what looked like tears, but he couldn't be crying... could he? If he were it wasn't for her, she knew that for sure because she had done nothing but fail him time after time. She wasn't sure why he was crying to begin with. He had grown cold over time and she had been there to watch as he fell deeper and deeper into the grasp of his rage. He was cold and fearless and she knew he hated her, he had every right to as she had failed him time after time.

Her eyes drifted down to her stomach and a sad smile crossed her lips. No wonder she couldn't feel her legs anymore... pressure bubbled up her throat and forced blood trickle over her lips. She reached up and touched the shining metal stained with her blood. Acceptance flit over her features, and a slight regret. She felt the regret because she never should have come here to his time. This was a disaster. She had failed them all, but mostly she had failed him, this man that anyone would be lucky to have the love and respect of.

She should have never come here, not for anyone and especially not for him, but... she could have made it out of this alive. If she had not been such a kind caring person deathly in love with an angry fool, she could have lived. She couldn't really call him that though, he had every reason to be mad. After everything that he had lost, he still fought. He still tried his best for peace and se followed him blindly. She couldn't blame him for that. She could only respect and love him for it. everyone makes mistakes and this was the biggest one she had ever made.

She didn't regret falling in love with him, she would do that over and over again if time would permit. He was perfect, everything about him was. His fighting spirit, his determination and his bravery. He wasn't loud or obnoxious, he was quiet and somewhat stoic while still showing he cared. He used to be open and kind, but her failures had turned him cold... she had brough him down with her without ever meaning to. She destroyed a good man because she couldn't help him the way he needed her to.

He was perfection in every meaning of the word... and she was destruction in the same sense.

Her eyes fluttered shut as her breathing slowed and she tried to calm herself. She knew she wasn't long for this world, that much was obvious. Her arms slowly fell to her sides, as to not jostle the blade in her abdomen. She could feel as her heartbeat began to slow and she smiled softly. She had done this for him, as her one last way to say she was sorry. Everything she had done was for him and his family, so her sacrificing herself for him was her last chance to beg forgiveness. To apologize for failing them all.

She slipped her eyes shut as her world was beginning to spin. She opened her eyes to look at him once more, only for tears to be streaming down his face. He was struggling as well. She reached out to him and he struggled to hold his hand out to her. she wanted to hold his hand once more, if she could only have that she would be ok. Before their fingers could even touch, she was jolted back. She didn't feel pain, but she knew the blade was gone now, cause the shining silver had left her line of sight.

As she fell to the ground, she was caught in someone's arms. She looked up to see who had caught her, and unsurprisingly it was Hashirama. He hadn't meant to hurt her, she knew this because of the tears streaming down his cheeks like an unending river. She reached up and attempted to wipe them away but she only smeared blood across his cheeks. She assumed it was her own because she knew it wasn't Madara's. She smiled at him as well, this man who had treated her like a little sister and took care of her as such, even though she had been weary of them. Even so, they had treated her like she belonged. She had lived with them... they had taken care of her; but she betrayed them... for the one they were fighting...

She heard someone else yell out and her weak gaze landed on a certain white haired man who had fallen to his knees beside Hashirama. This wrought confusion through her being, why was Tobirama crying? They had never really gotten along even though she tried to get along with him. "Please don't die on me... I'm begging you. I love you, you idiot!" she was so confused by him yelling this at her. Her eyes drifted back to Madara who was currently yelling at the white haired man to stay away from his wife. "S-stop..." she tried to say more but she couldn't get anything out before more blood forced its way up her throat.

She looked back to Madara who was on his knees now trying to get to her. He was holding his abdomen and had blood trickling from his lips as well. She had saved him, hadn't she? She had taken Hashirama's sword for him, so he should be ok, shouldn't he? She reached out to him and tried to touch her fingertips to his once more, but she couldn't quite reach him. She felt her form losing all energy and she watched as her arm dropped from where it was held up. This was it... this was her end.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she relinquished her hold on this life. She had done all she could for them... him and their family... she had tried her best, but it wasn't enough.

:-:-:-: Three years earlier :-:-:-:

She sat with Ino and Sakura, reading through the old scrolls Tsunade had lent them. Hinata was getting into reading a description of Madara when she blinked and a dango stick was waved in front of her face. She leaned back and looked to see Sakura and Ino smiling at her as they waggled the dango at her once more. Hinata smiled and took it from Sakura. "So Hinata, why are you so interested in Madara and his family?" Sakura asked and Hinata shrugged lightly. She honestly couldn't explain it, every time she had gone to the past before, she had never gone to his time as she was too scared to go that far back.

Someday she wanted to go back to the days of Indra and Asura and see what exactly happened then, but she was also too scared to go back to that time. Especially since the Bunny Goddess Kaguya existed then. Everything she had read about her was terrifying in all honesty. "I um... I think I want to know more about who we are supposedly going to be fighting against... his skillsets and the sort." Hinata whispered softly and the two girls nodded. They could understand that reasoning.

"So, what have you learned so far?" Sakura asked and Hinata shrugged lightly once more. "Nothing that could really help us honestly... he seems no different than any other Uchiha. Nothing really stands out..." she sighed and the two girls grumbled under their breath. "That's ok, if he is just like any other Uchiha then he can be defeated, just look at them all... there's only Sasuke left now. They aren't immortal." Ino sighed and Hinata nodded, but her eyes went wide. Perhaps that was the problem... they hadn't been able to live. They had all died.

"Hey guys... what if that is what it was?" she asked and they stared at her oddly. "What do you mean?" Ino asked and Hinata frowned. "What if the reason for his anger... was because everyone he cared about had died?" she asked and they sat in silence for a few minutes, just thinking about the practicality of it. It seemed reasonable to think that perhaps his anger was indeed wrought from loss. After a few more moments of nothing but silence the three looked up at each other. "Hinata... what are you planning?" Sakura asked and Hinata smiled softly.

"If I am the only one who can travel through time, why wouldn't I try to help him?" she said and Sakura and Ino exchanged looks. She could tell they didn't her to try this, but there was no way they could stop her either way. "Then if you're going to go help him, we need to get you some help." Sakura said and stood. Hinata and Ino scrambled to their feet to follow after her. they made their way out of the Hyuuga compound and down the pathway that led to the Uchiha compound. As they made their way past, Hinata stopped and stared at a tree for a moment.

This was the tree the Uchiha labeled the god tree, they had prayed to it and had wrapped the holy beads around it, but according to the scrolls, they suddenly turned their back on it. She made her way to the tree and reached to touch it, the pulse of chakra emanating from the tree calling out to her. Begging her to relish in its comfort. Before she could touch the tree, Sakura grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her along with them. Leaving Hinata to dwell on the reason for the tree calling out to her like a long lost friend.

Sakura led her and Ino to a waterfall in the middle of the woods and Hinata eyed her oddly. "Come on, go on in." the pinkette urged and Hinata nodded as she walked through the waterfall. When she entered she was shocked to see a slug and mushroom filled cavern. It was massive and lit brilliantly with luminescent mushrooms. There was a small lake in the center and she made her way across it to come face to face with a massive slug. "Lady Katsuyu." She greeted softly and the slug watched her carefully. This wasn't a glance as if she had never met her before, but more rather she were the enemy and she was contemplating her next move. "I do not come here seeking a fight, Lady Katsuyu... Sakura brought me here and told me I should ask you for help." Hinata said softly and the slug made no move, nor did she make any noise affirming that she had heard her either. Suddenly a light blinded her and she shielded her eyes from it. When the light died down, she was holding a cerulean blue gemstone similar to Tsunade's.

"Wear that always, it will protect you." Was all she said before the beauty of the cavern faded away and she was left here by herself. She made her way out of the waterfall only to see that she was not in her own time. She closed her eyes and tried to take herself home, but she couldn't. had Katsuyu forced her back in time? She couldn't understand what had happened. She looked around and for as far as her eyes could see she couldn't find anyone. Her breath hitched and she took off running the moment she did see someone. It may not be anyone she knew but she needed to figure out where she was. She skidded to a stop before the person and her heart fluttered as she realized who it was. The man turned to her and he looked her over before he scoffed and turned away from her. he vanished from sight and she hit her knees as she realized where she was.

"Madara... Uchiha..."

She felt dizzy as she hit her knees. The fear that shook her to her core made her fingers tremble. Tears welled up in her eyes and she struggled to breathe. She leaned forwards and struggled to hold back the sob that escaped her. She was terrified and for a good reason. The pure radiant power that man radiated made hers look like a spark compared to a raging wildfire.

This was who they were going to be fighting in her time.

:-:-:-:

Madara quirked a brow when he felt someone rushing towards him. He turned to see that it was a woman not much younger than him. Perhaps only a year or two younger at most. The moment she froze in place upon seeing him, he rolled his eyes and scoffed. Typical of any woman he had met, weak and spineless. He turned to walk away but was surprised that she knew who he was. He turned to look back at her once more, only to see her crying into her hands.

Perhaps she wasn't crying because she was scared, perhaps she was crying because of something else, but either way it was none of his business. He doubted he would ever see her again so he kept going. He blinked when he felt her overwhelming fear once more, but it wasn't directed towards him. He spun on his heel and he looked to see where she was surrounded by Senju. 'Damn, they don't let up do they?' he thought before he made his way back over to where she was.

They had been following him for miles now and she just happened to be caught in the crossfire of something that had nothing to do with her. He figured he should help her for that reason alone. He made a move to help her the moment one of them grabbed her by the hair and tried to force her to the ground, but she was faster than he thought. The man who had grabbed her was now knocked out on the ground. He raised a brow as he slunk back into the tree line to watch. She fought all of them off with ease, only to turn and look directly at him even though he was hidden.

He smirked at this, she was playing opossum with them. The little lamb was a wolf in disguise. She seemed to know she was no match for him, which is why she only asked directions to the nearest inn, which he granted. He was impressed with her tenacity. He pointed off towards the shinobi inn and she nodded as she turned to leave. He figured he could give her one last bit of advice before she took off.

"They treat women like dirt there, might wanna disguise yourself."

When she took off running towards the inn with a katana in tow, he knew she was going to listen. He then turned toward the shinobi who were all starting to wake up. He was impressed, she could fight without killing them. He however... had no intentions of leaving them alive. He pulled one of their blades and crouched beside one of the men who stared up at him in fear. "You men are fools... thinking you could hurt that one... I kinda like her, she has spunk." He mumbled as he grabbed the man by his hair and plunged the blade into his neck.

"Don't worry, I won't kill her, but... I will kill all of you."

:-:-:-:

She turned and took off away from him, deciding to heed his warning. She stopped about a mile away and grabbed the blade she had stolen. She looked it over before she took her hair at the base of her neck and wrapped her hand in it. With one swift slice silky locks began falling to the ground. She began chopping sloppily at her bangs and watching as the hair fell around her as well. She focused on making her appearance as masculine as possible. Well, as much as she could since her face was a dead giveaway of her femininity. She could easily change her voice to make herself sound like a guy.

When she was finished hacking away at her hair she looked around for a lake or pond, she had to clean the stray hairs off of her or else someone would notice she had just cut her hair. When she stumbled across one, she slipped within the depths and shivered. The water was ice cold but she had no choice in the matter. Since she couldn't go home, she had to survive here. When she finished washing herself, she turned to her neatly folded clothes that were on the edge of the pond. She proceeded to get dressed and wrapped her chest to where it looked more masculine.

If she were going to pretend to be a man, she was going to go all out with it. when she was finished getting ready, she continued to where she had seen the inn. She made her way inside the ruddy building and instantly understood why it looked so run down on the outside, it was the same on the inside. The barmaids were flinching away every time someone yelled for them, and she could tell these women had been beaten before. This wrought a rage deep within her that she didn't know she could even manifest. She made her way over to the bar, where the blonde woman there offered her a small smile.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she asked softly and Hinata sighed softly. "Water please." She asked, her voice no longer her own, but now she sounded like Sasuke. She figured mimicking Sasuke's voice would be as good as any due to the fact he was always able to keep his cool when things got rough. It matched what she was trying to achieve in the long run. When her glass touched the counter, she sighed once more as someone slung an arm over her shoulder. She felt disgusted by the stench of alcohol on this person's breath, she never did drink in her own time and this was the reason why.

She looked over her shoulder at the brunette man and the urge to shrug him off of her was overwhelming. "What's your name kid?" the man asked, putting his full body weight on her shoulder. "Why?" Was all Hinata said and he grunted. "Look kid if you don't wanna tell me your name just say so..." he grumbled as he ruffled her hair. She shoved him off of her and slapped the offending hand away. "Look here you little shit... I just wanted to be friends." He grumbled as he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

"That's not how you make friends, though." She bit out and he reared back to hit her but she deactivated the tenketsu in his arm, rendering it useless. He was yelling angrily as she turned back around and looked to the barmaid and offered a small smile. "Can I have a room for the night?" she asked and the woman nodded before Hinata turned back around and punched the man in the face the moment he reached for her once more. While the blonde was scrambling to get her keys Hinata started knocking out all of the man's friends, as they had rushed at her as well now. She wanted to end this as swiftly as possible.

The moment they all hit the floor, Hinata took the keys from the woman gently and thanked her, only to swiftly down her glass of water before she stepped over the unconscious bodies of all the men who had rushed her. She didn't even bother making eye contact with any of the other patrons who had gone silent and were now watching her. she caught sight of two dark haired men and she panicked internally. Why was he here? Had he followed her? she bit her lip and slammed the door shut behind her. He had given her directions to this place after all, so of course he would know where she was, but the fact he had just been watching her was creepy.

What did he want from her?

:-:_:-:

He watched as she effortlessly took all of them out and left for her room. He rapped his knuckles on the door she had slammed shut right in front of him and he smirked. She had known he had been following her. He wasn't easy to interest, but she just caught his eye for some reason. He glanced over to his brother who was knocking on the door as well now. "Come on, let us in. We just wanna talk to you." Izuna said and she cracked the door.

"Why?"

"Because you seem new around here and we just want to welcome you." Izuna mused and she looked between the two of them and opened the door to them. They made their way in and he sat in her chair while she sat on her bed. "What brings you here?" he asked and she watched him carefully. Despite being amicable with her she still watched him with a cautiousness that forced him to hide his smirk. She knew he was stronger than her, and yet she still allowed him in. strange woman. "I... Want to get stronger." She said and he nodded.

"To avenge your clan?" he asked and she furrowed her eyes at him. "The Hyuuga, right?" he asked and she nodded. "Yeah... I want to avenge them." She said softly, letting the voice transformation go. "That's smart, considering you just took out a group of the ones who killed them." Izuna scoffed and she glared over at him. "Now Izuna, no need to be a bully." Madara chastised him gently. Izuna rolled his eyes and Madara couldn't help being irritated with his younger brother. Izuna was the one to point out that it was the girl from before so why was he mad now? Was it because she looked more masculine? Had the fool lost interest because she took his advice and became more masculine?

That amused him honestly.

It also made him all the more curious about her. "What are you calling yourself now?" he asked and she jerked to look up at him oddly. "You cant go by a female name, think about it... you'll blow your own cover that way." He explained and she looked down to her hands for a moment. He already knew what he would call her, but that was just based on her fighting skill alone. "I... I don't know." She whispered softly and he smirked, he could offer it up now since she didn't know what to call herself. "I have a suggestion." He called and she looked up at him.

"Okami would fit you. Or Kagerou. Either way you are a wolf in disguise." He said offhandedly and she seemed to be thinking it over. After a while of being silent she nodded. "I will go by Okami, thank you." She said and he offered a small nod. "But of course. However, despite me helping you this doesn't really make us friends. So, watch your back and stay out of our way." He said and she stared at him wide eyed. Seemed she thought this made them some kind of friend, eventually she could be, but he had other things to deal with as of the moment and making friends wasn't on that list.

"Farewell, Okami-san."

:-:-:-:

She woke the next morning after finally being able to rest for the first time in days. It hadn't been because she had stumbled upon Madara and his brother multiple times in a day... it was more so the fact that his warm and friendly smile turned cold in an instant. That was what was bothering her now, it still sent shivers down her spine due to the swiftness of the change in him. She shook her head of those thoughts and activated Byakugan to help her see. She saw a group of men making their way around the building. They were knocking on every door seemingly looking for someone.

She decided it would be best if she snuck out so she cracked her window and slipped out. She dropped to the ground and took off running. A crunch in the leaves alerted her to someone chasing her and she slipped to the ground to avoid the tree root that came rushing for her. She rolled to her feet and brandished a blade to defend with. The tree roots crawled back into the darkness of the surrounding woods and she looked around to see three of them drop down around her in the shadows.

She heard two thumps behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to see who it was. The moment she looked away from those in front they attacked her. she grabbed the first one by his arm and slung him over her shoulder and forced him to the ground. The second came from her left and so she crouched and spun to get behind him and slammed her elbow into his spine. He stumbled forward and she tripped him and sent him sprawling to the ground. The third one rushed at her and she deftly deflected each of his hits. He crouched and swung his leg at her to try and trip her up but she danced around his every move.

She chopped him in the neck and watched as he hit the ground, only to turn and try to talk to Madara once more. Roots wrapped up around her and she sighed as she stared at the one who had caught her using byakugan. "Forgive me, I need to talk to you." He said and she turned to face him fully and the sight of her eyes had him scratching his cheeks. "Oh... my apologies, you're blind I seem to have the unfair advantage..." he chuckled and Hinata resisted the urge to laugh at this.

"But I'm not blind... that's just my eyes." She said and he seemed startled. "Then why didn't you dodge this time?" he asked and she smiled at him softly. "Because you never really caught me." She said as her water close detonated, sending slivers of wood flying all around. She took off running and she couldn't help it as her heart beat out of her chest. That was a close one. She knew she was absolutely no match for Hashirama in the slightest, no matter how fast she was she would never land a hit because he was stronger and more battle ready. She slipped on a mossy branch and her eyes went wide as she went sprawling to the ground.

When she hit the ground, she heard the crack before she felt it. She looked to see she had fractured her ankle. Her eyes slipped shut as she focused the green chakra to force the bone back together. She fell back onto her rump the moment she tried to stand up. Despite it being pushed back into place it was still going to hurt for a while. She looked up to hear a soft flutter of fabrics, only for a mask to drop by her and the fabric ruffled once more and the person was gone.

Three more thuds alerted her to newcomers the moment her mask was secured. She tried to force herself to her feet up against a tree and they just watched her silently. "Don't worry we aren't trying to hurt you." Butsuma said and she glared at him, she didn't trust this man in the slightest. She had read all about him. He was merciless and abused his children, he was not one she wanted to ally with. "What do you want with me?" she asked and he stook a step forward, making her summon a water barrier around her to keep him at bay.

"Seems every time you are seen you have Uchiha around, you wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?" he asked and she shook her head, but she didn't remove the mask. He stepped closer to her and offered her a hand. "What is your name?" he asked and she took his hand gently as he pulled her to her feet. "I go by okami, but my name is Kagerou Touya." She said and he nodded seemingly accepting the names she had offered. Hashirama offered her a stick and she used it to help herself walk. "Come on back to the compound with us, my wife will heal your leg." He said and she nodded. She walked behind Butsuma, but beside Hashirama and Tobirama, who were watching her oddly.

When they got to the compound Hashirama made his way off to another part of the compound while Tobirama just watched her and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know what you are." He said but did not elaborate on if he meant Hyuuga or a woman. She entered the room that Butsuma showed her too, but moments later a feral white haired woman rushed in and pinned her to the bed with a blade to her neck. "What do you want here?" she snarled and she shook her head. "Nothing... I mean no harm I promise." She said softly and the woman lifted her mask with the blade, only to readjust it back into place and look around her to see if anyone had seen.

"Hyuuga... woman...." She muttered only to slam the door shut once more and turned to face her once more. "Keep that hidden or he will kill you. My sons will not so you can trust them, but not their father." Was all she said before she healed her leg and made a swift exit.

:-:-:-:

A week, Hinata had been going over this with the brothers for a week. She wanted to leave and yet after every training exercise they kept finding other things for her to do. She was fed up. She wanted to go out and look at things in the civilian housing area. There were still a great number of people who didn't have chakra so they had all located in one area. She glared at the brothers through her mask and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine, fine. Go ahead. We can train more later." Hashirama sighed and she grinned at him from under her mask. She bowed swiftly and rushed to her room to change. She pulled on a pair of baggy pants and a baggy shirt, only to once more slip her mask back onto her face. When she left her room she caught of Tobirama leaned against the wall, just watching her. He confused her to no end, some days he was mean to her, but today he had been somewhat kind, although that was pushing it. every time he had knocked her down, he had offered her a hand and told her he knew she could do better.

"Yes?" she asked and he made no move to speak, but only to ruffle her hair as he walked by. A small smirk resided on his lips as he strolled past. A small blush crossed her cheeks at this because she wasn't sure what he was doing. She wondered briefly if even he knew. She grabbed her bag and rushed to the front door of the compound and moved to slide it open, only for Butsuma to stop her and hand her some money. "Get you some better armor at the shops, you'll need it." he said and she nodded, thanking him softly and taking it from him. He left the moment she took it from him. She watched him for a moment before she took off out of the compound, slipping the door shut soundlessly behind her.

Her eyes pulsed with energy as she rushed for the civilian village, excited to see what all they could offer. The moment she came into view she smiled and slipped her mask off her face. Hinata smiled as she looked over all the food and clothing they had to offer. Her eye caught sight of a stall that held weapons and she made her way over to it. upon seeing her the man began pulling weapons off the table and hiding them. A sadness crept over her being as she watched him continue to hide them all from her. "Now why would you do that? I was looking at those." A deep voice rumbled behind her, full of amusement. A chill rushed down her spine as she turned to see that it was not her the man was hiding the weapons from, but Madara.

She locked eyes with the taller man and he only offered a smirk to her. she turned back to see the man shakily putting everything back on the table only to hold shame in his features as Madara grabbed one of the kunai and crumbled it in his grasp. Hinata furrowed her brows at this, either the weapons were shoddy or Madara was strong enough to grind metal. She was voting on poorly made weaponry although the latter seemed reasonable to her as well.

"Come on, Hinata, you deserve better weapons than that." He chuckled and she rolled her eyes as she followed him away from the trembling man who was busy tearing down his stall. "So how have you been?" he asked and she eyed him wearily. Why was he so interested in her all of a sudden? After a month of being with the Senju and not seeing even a hair of his in the wind, he was suddenly interested in her again. She pursed her lips, knowing he had probably figured out where she had been staying and that was why he was interested.

"I already knew. Don't give me that look, I'm being genuine." He grumbled and she looked up at him oddly. Why though? "I don't understand you." She sighed and he feigned hurt at her dismissiveness towards him. If there was one thing Hinata had learned about being in his time, it was control of her emotions. She had to keep control and not faint is she wanted to live. This was a far scarier time than the one she lived in, despite everything that had happened in her own time. Sure things there were horrifying, but not knowing if you were going to live to see the next morning was a terrifying thing.

"Forgive me, I meant no harm by that." She sighed and looked up at him, only to see he was smiling at her. She felt her throat go dry and her heartbeat began thumping in her chest. She knew this feeling and she wasn't liking it at all. Over a single smile? There was no way. She squashed those feelings down and hid them away. No way was she going to let him fluster her with a single smile, she couldn't let him. His deep rumbling laughter caused a blush to tint her cheeks, so she crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him and huffed lightly. "Okami-chan!" Izuna's voice rang out and she looked up to see a beautiful dark haired woman trailing along beside him as they made their way over.

She smiled and waved at them lightly, only for the woman to rush forward and begin looking over her with interest, causing Hinata to blush in embarrassment once more. "She's so pretty, Madara, how have you not scared her away yet?" the woman mused and Madara began grumbling incoherently at the woman. Izuna only laughed at his older brother, seeing as this time it was him getting picked on and not Izuna. The woman stepped back away from her and Hinata breathed a small sigh of relief. "Forgive me dear, my name is Aurora Uchiha... I'm their mother." She said and Hinata's jaw would have come unhinged had she not learned to control it. this woman looked no older than the two men before her. She could see the resemblance though, Madara had messier hair than his mother, but he looked exactly like a male version of her. She seemed to manage her hair better than Madara did though.

"I can see what you're thinking!" Madara snapped and Hinata just blinked at him. "Do not verbalize it!" he snapped and she just blinked once more. Was she really that readable? She didn't think she was, perhaps Madara was just very good at reading people... she couldn't help but smile though, he reminded her of Kiba even if slightly. It was the dejected outburst that reminded her of her friend. She released a giggle and they looked at her oddly. "What?" Madara grumbled and she smiled at him softly. "You remind me of a friend of mine when I told him he also looked like his mother." She said and he deflated and slumped to the left. "I told you not to vocalize it..." he whined and both Izuna and Aurora laughed at him this time.

"Well, I should probably get going, there is something I have to get." She said and he perked up at this. "What do you need? I can help you." He said and she smiled at him. "I need armor." Was all she had to say before he stiffened, as did Aurora and Izuna. She swiftly realized why they were worried from the looks on their faces. The pure horror on Aurora's face as the brothers stepped in front of their mother said it all. "No! You don't understand, please..." she said as they reached for their blades. She stumbled backwards as their defensive postures strengthened before their mother.

"Please... I'm begging you to hear me out... D-don't hurt me... I don't want to fight you... the armor isn't for me to use against you..." she whispered, tears burning at her eyes as she shielded herself from the brothers and their intense stares. "Then why?" Madara asked and she slowly lowered her arms. "I need it to protect myself... I may be living with the Senju at the moment, but I promise I don't share their hatred of your family..." She whispered and they lowered their blade and sheathed them. Madara offered a hand and she gently took it. he helped her to her feet and motioned for her to follow him. He led her to a stall where a stark white armor similar to his, rest on a mannequin. She smiled as he argued with the vendor for a moment, but then the vendor pulled it down and allowed Madara to stab it with a kunai. When it didn't shatter, he motioned for Hinata to take it. She paid the older man for it and the entire time he was taking money from her he was yelling obscenities at Madara for threatening to destroy merchandise. "Oh, calm down gramps! You know I was just testing you!" Madara laughed and Hinata looked behind her to see that Izuna was watching her wearily as she pulled her armor on.

She turned to him and frowned. "Izuna... I promise you... I would never hurt you or your family..." she said and he reached a hand out to her and she took it and shook it tightly. This was a vow to him and his family, she had to protect him, as even she had realized that perhaps the reason Madara had gone mad was because of the loss of his family. Seeing as she had never heard of his parents or his siblings in the scrolls she had read, it could be the defining factor in which drove him to the brink and over it. She made a mental note to write some scrolls and ensure the future knew what was happening and why. Someone would have to understand why things happened the way they did and she wanted to make sure that if it weren't her, it was someone else, anyone else.

:-:_A month later_:-:

Hinata returned from once more going to see Aurora at the civilian village to absolute carnage. She stumbled over the bodies of the Senju within the surrounding forest and her heart raced within her chest as she realized it was also Uchiha dead around her. The scent of blood hung thick in the air, suffocating her senses. She resisted the urge to gag and held a hand over her nose and mouth in an attempt to keep the smell out. She made her way through the carnage, searching through the bodies to ensure that no one she knew was among the dead. As she searched, she caught sight of a small body surrounded by Uchiha. The only thing she could feel was her heartbeat reverberating through her entire body.

She stumbled over and removed the dead Uchiha from the young body. Her lips trembled as tears splattered the inside of her mask. Her shoulders and fingers shook as she pulled Kawarama into her lap and held him close to her, his messy brown hair stained with his own blood. A sob ripped from her and it took all she had not to cry out in her own voice. She cried silently as she stood and carried him on her back to the compound. She could feel someone watching her, but she didn't care. Not at this point in time. If whoever it was decided to attack she would fight, but she wouldn't neglect Kawarama this way. She stalked past Butsuma and he just watched as the medics were bandaging his arm. Hashirama and Tobirama cried out in anguish, while Itama hit his knees and screamed. Upon hearing the commotion from the others, Akane rushed out and Hinata heard the most heart wrenching scream she ever heard.

The sound of a mother who had lost a child... that was something she never wanted to hear again...