Hinata and Aurora had been walking through the civilian village for a few hours now, just looking at things and talking. Aurora was dressed in a black kimono similar to the one she had seen her in last, while Hinata wore a tight white tunic style shirt and tight black pants with gauze going up her ankles to below her knees with her ninja sandals on. Her hair was spiky and layered and kind of reminded her of how Madara's hair looked, while her bands spiked down in multiple directions, while Aurora's waist length hair was pulled into a low ponytail that fell limply down her back, while her bands were cut like Hinata's had been.

Aurora had gone to look at something and said she would be back, so Hinata went to go look at what swords they had to offer. She walked up to a different merchant than she had before because she knew the merchant she had gone to before was still going to sell his cheaply made weapons. She saw a beautiful katana and she ran her fingers over the beautiful design. "What is the blade's name?" she asked and the vendor smiled at her. "Her name is Tsubaki, my lady…but she isn't for sale." He said and she frowned slightly. "I probably couldn't afford it anyways, thank you." She said politely, and that's when she felt the pulse of fear chill her veins.

Her fingers shook, she turned to look for someone, but there was no one there. Her eyes scanned the area, her fear getting the best of her. Her heart raced, she couldn't see any familiar faces…no one she knew… no Senju, no Uchiha…her eyes went wide. No Uchiha?! Where did lady Aurora go?! She looked around but couldn't see the beautiful woman anywhere. Her heart raced quicker as the foreboding feeling gripped her tighter. She went over to where Lady Aurora said she was going to be, but there wasn't anyone there; there wasn't a soul in sight.

A glimmer of silver caught her eyes and she walked over to it. She knelt down to pick up the shining amulet and her eyes went wide once she realized that it was Aurora's hair ornament. She began running through the abandoned part of the village looking for her, she couldn't find her anywhere…she heard male laughter and a woman's sobs. The chill came over her full force and her hands trembled as she rounded the corner and saw Aurora…beaten…abused…raped…

Something in her snapped as the tears fell, this woman had been kinder to her than anyone here had been. She couldn't find the urge to speak, she couldn't find her voice…her glistening eyes met with Aurora's as their blade came down. It felt like everything was moving so slow…the bandit/rapist's blade came down slow, but when it caught Aurora's neck and splattered blood everywhere, it had moved faster than it had clicked in her mind. The blood splashed over Hinata as her eyes moved to focus on the blurry figures that had just murdered the woman she had begun to look up to.

The scream ripped from her throat and the tears fell faster than the men did. Aurora lay gasping for air, her own eyes filled with tears as she watched Hinata kill them without even thinking. Once the men were dead, Hinata fell to her knees by Aurora, her shaky hands trying to heal the wound through her tears, she had talked with this woman over and over again. Ever since she had invited Hinata to come look around here with her a month and a half ago…Hinata had made it a regular thing for them to hang out and just talk. She enjoyed the older woman's company.

Aurora placed a weak hand on Hinata's cheek and Hinata began to sob loudly as the life slipped from her eyes. Her hand slipped from Hinata's cheek, leaving trails of blood as it fell. Hinata didn't care who saw her crying, she was mourning the loss of a wonderful friend. She scooped up the older woman carefully as tears streaked through the blood on her cheeks and she began walking. She had no idea where she was taking the older woman, but she knew it was important; so she just kept going, the older woman's body draped over her back piggyback style.

The tears never stopped falling, not even when Hinata tripped and hit the ground outside of the Uchiha compound, only to gently pull Aurora into her arms and try to carry her bridal style even though the woman was just as big as she was, she wouldn't let her drag the ground. Uchiha surrounded her and their whispers of shock, wonder, and sadness went unnoticed by Hinata, who tried to walk past them into the compound but was stopped by guards, whom of which she barely even noticed.

Hinata hit her knees and pulled Aurora close to her as she sobbed loudly. The last three to arrive and see her were the three who took it the worst. "MOTHER!" Izuna yelled, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't even say anything else due to the tears he was choking on; his eyes were so filled with pain and despair. Tajima was on his knees a few feet away, unshed tears glazing his eyes. Hinata managed to lift her head enough to see Madara who was on his hands and knees, throwing up because he was crying the worst…

"I'm so sorry…I left her alone for…a…a….second…that was all…" Hinata managed to murmur as her eyes dulled and the reality of what had happened hit her…the tears continued to fall…but there was no more feeling in her body…she couldn't even hear Madara yelling his pain anymore. It barely registered to her that she was not only coated in Aurora's blood, but that of the men she had killed as well…the only thing she felt was the freezing silver in her bone white grip.

She didn't even realize she had crawled to Madara until she was hugging him. "G-gomen…"she whispered as the last of her energy left her and she hit the ground, the silver ornament landing right in front of Madara, who grabbed it and held it to his chest as he cried. "I…I…can't stay…I...forgive me…" she said and stood uneasily. "I…I…have to go before….before they find me…me here…"she said and they looked at her.

"I truly…tried to save her…" she said as she stumbled off, but her movements were forced. She managed to make it back to the forest and put her normal attire on, mask and all, but the blood was still there…it wouldn't leave her skin…her eyes were clouded over. She had become unresponsive once Hashirama and Tobirama had found her. Itama had run to them screaming that something was wrong with Okami-kun. When they had found her, she was more of a zombie than an actual zombie. Tobirama frowned and shook his head at her. "Pathetic…he was broken that easily?" he asked and Hashirama glared at his younger brother.

He crouched before her and his fingers slipped under the edge of her mask and just as he had begun to pull, her hand shot up and grabbed his arm tightly. He could see her dead, white eyes through the holes in the mask. "Leave it be." Her voice came out raspy. "Are you alright?" he asked and remained crouched before her. "They…they…raped her…then killed her…she was special to me…" Hinata muttered and Hashirama's eyes softened. "Did you love her?" he asked and her dead eyes met his. "She was like my mother…she cared for me like…like she cared for her sons…" her voice came out broken.

"Who did this? I will handle them…" Hashirama said and she laughed bitterly. "I…I killed them…with my bare hands…they…they fell so fast…" she said and he frowned. He helped her up and his eyes went wide as her mask hit the ground and he released her. She stood uneasily as he stepped away from her. "You're a-" he began and her broken eyes met his. "Woman? Hyuuga? Both?" it came out broken; she was a broken woman who had witnessed a rape and murder. Hashirama couldn't imagine how it must have been for her.

Tobirama caught her as she fell, a slight regret in his eyes as he looked at her. "This is why she was weaker than me…" he said and Hashirama glared at him. "We need to get her to father, he will know what to do." Hashirama said and Hinata whimpered unconsciously. Tobirama frowned, he had been excessively harsh to her when he thought she was a man, but now he understood the mask and why she spoke quietly… women were feeble in his father's eyes, the only one who had proven not to be was his mother, who was just as skilled in tracking as a sensor despite not having sensory abilities.

Hashirama lifted her off the ground; her odd armor felt light to the touch and looked hand made. He carried her to his father and set her on a tatami mat that his father had laid out. "So…Okami-san truly was a Hyuuga…" he looked to Akane who strolled over and crouched beside her. "None of this blood is hers…what happened?" she asked and looked up at her remaining three sons. "She witnessed the rape and murder of someone she cared deeply for, apparently the woman had been like a mother to her…" Hashirama said and the rugged features vanished from his mother's face only to be replaced with a soft sensitive frown that showed his mother's age clearly.

"Poor dear…"she said and Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she sat up. "What did you do, Hinata-chan?" Akane asked and all of the men looked at the matriarch of the Senju in slight surprise. "They…they killed her…right in front of me…she treated me like she treated her own children., and I stood there like an idiot and watched her be killed. I...I…I let them kill her! I had frozen up and I couldn't move anything…she is only dead because of me…" she sobbed shaking her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hinata…some things happen for a reason, as awful as it may be…some people die to make others stronger…Kawarama…my son…he was killed, but you see how the rest of my boys fought to get stronger…He may not physically be here, but he will always be in our hearts. You can't let this keep you down, you will only get stronger because of this…" she said and Hinata's lavender eye met hers. "Me becoming stronger…is not what I am worried about…She had a son…and he is the one I worry will become too strong…" Hinata said and Akane looked at her husband with furrowed brows.

-:-:-:-:-

Days later, Madara was still sitting by his mother's grave he still held her hair ornament close to him as if it were his salvation. He heard footsteps, but they were too light to be from his clan; even so, he didn't turn around. He placed his hand on his mother's grave as the person crouched beside him; he didn't even look at them until fresh tears hit the marbled stone marker. "I'm so sorry…I...i can't express how sorry I am…I know I have no right to ask forgiveness." She sobbed and he looked at her.

The tears rolled down her cheeks, but in her grasp was a bouquet of his mother's favorite red and white roses. She set them on his mother's grave and stood; she was going to leave. "Please…don't go…I…I know this wasn't your fault. Please, stay with me for a while…" he muttered and she barely heard him. She walked back over and sat next to him on the grass and wiped her eyes. He could feel her eyes searching over him and he looked to her. "Thank you…" he said and she leaned towards him, he understood that they had become friends, he also understood that she was under the Senju at the moment; but he didn't care, he knew she wouldn't dare lay a finger on his clan…she cared too much for them.

She linked her arm through his and leaned up against him. "How long have you been out here, Madara?" she asked lightly, he had been out here for a while. He couldn't exactly remember how long, he guessed she could tell because he was really cold. "I'm not sure anymore…they stopped trying to drag me in after they got Izuna in days ago…" he said softly and she frowned. She used her connection to him to attempt to lift him off the ground. He realized what she was trying and stood. She didn't release him once as they made their way back to the Uchiha compound.

His father seemed the tiniest bit surprised when he walked through the door with the tear stained woman attached to him at the hip. Izuna sat in his room refusing to leave. Madara stood on his own as Hinata walked freely through his home. Tajima was curious as to what she were going to do as she strolled softly down the hall to Izuna's room. Hinata saw him lying in the floor, his eyes fogged over and his face expressionless. She crouched by him and shook him softly. His foggy eyes drifted up to her.

"Please…Please don't give up…we…we can have peace. We can make it happen, but you have to take this…and make yourself stronger. I know I am not one to talk, because I am weak…I am useless, and I can't do anything right…but…you and Madara…you can't give up…one day you will be able to walk around without fear of death…but…you have to make it happen." She said tears falling again, her fingers fisting against his floor.

He looked at her and furrowed his brows… "Okami-chan…mother wouldn't want-" he began but she shook her head at him. "Your mother wanted you and your brother to live a life in peace, but she knew you would have to fight for it! She knew it wasn't going to be easy! She…she told me there would be sacrifices…I never expected that she would be one…never! She told me that you two could do it, and I believe her! She said you two would have to take the sacrifices that come, and become stronger to prevent further sacrifice…so please…don't give up." Hinata begged and Izuna stared at the teary eyed woman.

"That…that sounds exactly like mother…" he said and he stood, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "You can be our motivator, you are our friend after all. If we have someone to keep us motivated, someone to keep us alive and determined, we will never fail." He said and offered a hand to her. She shakily took his hand and he helped her stand. "Be our rock, keep us standing." He said and Madara stood in the doorway, a look of agreement on his face. "Even if the Senju have their claws on you, it will only be easier to help us; we have an ally in the enemy's grasp, but they have yet to realize this." Madara said and Hinata nodded.

She understood what this meant, this meant she were a double agent with the means to only truly protect one clan; Uchiha. The Senju were strong and she knew that they wouldn't be taken down so easily, the Uchiha were strong as well, but there was this look of hopelessness that had gripped both brothers; she knew that look would come back if they didn't have someone to stand by them. She knew that if she didn't be their support, they would die…

There was still one thing she didn't understand though; there was this look of pride Madara had given her. It made her heart race; the sheer intensity of his gaze took her breath away. It was then she realized that she had made a mistake, even if it weren't known. She had made a massive mistake by coming here. The look in his eyes made her realize that he depended on her with not only his life, but his brothers and fathers as well. And with that look…she realized she would follow him to the ends of the earth and back just to keep that pride in his eyes, to keep the slight smile on his lips. She realized, that she would quite possibly die for him if the need came to be.

-:-:-:-:-

Hinata swiftly made her way back to the Senju compound; it had been common knowledge within the clan that Butsuma was trying to figure out what to do with her, she was Hyuuga after all and the last one. She knew she couldn't trust him, he held a chakra so menacing it blew Sasuke's out of the water. She skidded to a stop and Hashirama gave her a very light smile, she felt obligated to return the small smile, but didn't do so. She felt as if she were beginning to become too comfortable with them. Tobirama got in her way and he had a determined look in his eyes.

"Spar with me, Hyuuga-san." He said and she frowned but obliged. "Alright…" she said and landed beside the Senju's koi pond. He smirked and flew through water style hand signs. The water dragon flew at her and she flew through the hand signs she had seen Sasuke use before. She had been practicing with the jutsu but it still managed to get her every time she used it, but the effect on the enemy was far greater than the effect it had on her.

"Kirin!" she said and waved her wrist down, the lightning dragon flew through her before it wrapped around the water dragon and electrified it and the water surrounding Tobirama, who had to jump back or get shocked as well. Hinata hit her knees and held her chest in pain. "You would use a jutsu that would hurt you, just to win?" Hashirama asked and Hinata forced herself to stand. "If…If you don't fight with the intent to kill, even in a spar…you take life too easy…and you die faster…" she panted, her right eye was shut in pain as she flew through the exact same hand signs, but this time she had better control of the dragon.

"Very admirable." Butsuma said as the dragon flew through her once more, then it collided with Tobirama's water barrier. "I would say that you are suicidal, but why not? If you could take out a massive amount of enemies with that…but yourself as well I believe you would be doing your side a great honor. Especially if that works against Uchiha." Butsuma said and Hinata hit her knees gasping for air. "It does not work against certain Uchiha…I learned it from an Uchiha years ago." She said and Butsuma's eyes went wide before they narrowed. "So you have ties with Uchiha?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I learned it when I was younger from a wandering Uchiha. I have no ties with the clan as it is now." She said and Butsuma smirked. "Now…don't lie to me…I know you do. Aurora Uchiha, the matriarch of the Uchiha clan was killed by members of my own clan. That was who you were crying about, wasn't it?" he asked and her eyes went wide as he strolled over to her. "Traitors have no place in this clan, nor our world." Butsuma said and wood wrapped around his sons and Hinata screamed out in pain as his foot connected with her side. Tobirama and Hashirama were forced to watch as their father abused the Hyuuga.

Itama stared at the scene with shaking eyes, he had never seen his father be so brutal with anyone, especially not a woman. Roots wrapped around Hinata and she screamed louder as the tightening of the roots didn't stop. "You do realize, little Hyuuga…that you will not leave this compound alive. Traitors never do." He said and circled her, his sons were silent. He looked to them to see they were writhing in pain as well, but they couldn't break the roots because of the chakra sealing tags that were grown into the wood.

Hinata couldn't get away from him she knew that this was going to be the end of her. She dropped her head forward and Butsuma chuckled as he lifted her head by her short spiky bangs. "You even look like that Madara, how sickening." He said and used his other hand to attempt to remove her eye. She screamed and tried to move away from him but he held her tight. She managed to rip her face away from his intrusive fingers and she head-butted him and a root shot up and broke through her bindings. She hit the ground as blood trickled from both of her eyes and her vision blurred. She managed to stand and run before he could get back up. A red haired woman appeared and grabbed her and vanished form the forest with her.

"Are you alright?" She asked and Hinata tried to focus on the red haired woman. "No…I can't see…" she sobbed and the red haired woman quickly got her out of the Senju forest. "I know…where else can you go? She asked and Hinata frowned. "Uchiha…I think." She said and the red head shook her head. "While you are in this state, I don't think you should…Butsuma would only seek you out more." She said and Hinata frowned. "You are Mito…Hashirama's girlfriend…why would you help me?" she asked and Mito frowned. "Because I know how Butsuma is…" she said and Hinata frowned. "And Hashirama knows as well…he told me he felt something was off with his father ever since you returned covered in blood." She said and bandaged Hinata's eyes with the gauze she hated more than anything.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It was about two more months before anyone had heard from her. Mito had treated her as best as she could, but Hinata's sight had begun to fade away because of the veil of time disconnecting the nerves in her eyes. When she returned to the Uchiha, she learned that Butsuma was no longer the head of the Senju, but instead Hashirama was. She also learned that Tajima and Madara had swapped positions as well. Madara, Izuna, and Tajima had welcomed her with somewhat open arms when she returned.

Madara and Izuna had also opted to assist her in training without using her eyes, which helped a lot. She was clumsy and the rest of the Uchiha had begun calling her a failure, a nuisance, a fool for even trying. They didn't accept her one bit, they kept pushing Madara and Izuna to make her leave, but they wouldn't make her go. They wouldn't force her to leave no matter how bad she screwed up…but she figured their kindness wouldn't last much longer if she kept failing like she did…she figured on of these times Madara and Izuna would get sick of her and then they would give her the boot, just like her father kept threatening when she continuously failed. They were going to give up on her too, and she knew it.