Sorry for the long wait. 2017 was a year from hell, I shut my hand in my car and broke three fingers, then my dad's health got really bad and I was taking him to two operations while juggling college classes, then I got an upper respiratory infection. I meant to have this up a month ago, but I got sick again, curse the stupid weather and college dorms. This chapter fought me tooth and nail, this is my fifth rewrite and I'm still not all that happy with it. I'm going to change it up a little, and try to do shorter chapters, but update more frequently. I'm still in college, and my writing classes come first, but this is still ongoing, I hope you stick with me!

Naruko waited in the courtyard of Hashirama and Tobirama's personal house inside the Senju Compound. She had been dressed and ready for awhile now, but the brothers and Mito had gotten caught up with the Senju Clan Elders as they wrote up their last terms for an alliance with the Uchiha. From what she could feel in her limited ability to sense emotions, there was a lot of annoyance and frustration going around between all of them.

She leant back against the wall and watched the little pond in the courtyard and the lazy coy fish swimming in it as she waited, watching the light from the rising sun play on the water's surface. As grateful as she had been for the change of scenery the past week, her chakra had had to be resealed since she was brought to the Senju Compound. Her reserves were too massive and she couldn't conceal them very well, so this seal's purpose wasn't to restrict her chakra but to hide her presence from a clan of powerful shinobi. But she was still on a no-jutsu restriction. She also wasn't allowed to leave the boundaries of the courtyard and the guest house she and Mito had been staying in. Luckily, since Mito was engaged to Hashirama, they had been put in the guest house that shared a courtyard with the main house instead of an isolated place, but she had been put under very strict orders by Tobirama that she could not go out into the compound.

The only difference between the guest house and the cabin was the size and the fact that she could both hear and feel dozens of other people, shinobi and civilian, around her. The courtyard shared by the guest house and main house was out of sight of the rest of the clan. It was attached to the property of the main house, but separated enough that the clansmen running through the house with Tobirama and Hashirama wouldn't see her. With her chakra sealed, no one would be able to sense her.

Since she had been stuck in an actual house instead of a bare cabin, she had taken advantage of a proper bath as well as a way to wash her clothes. She had been running low since Kurama had had to hide the majority of her clothes, and she hadn't been able to do more than a basic rinse and air dry at the cabin. Mito had let her borrow some clothes while her's dried but laundry had taken all of three hours of the six days she had been here. The rest was spent confined to the guest house and courtyard.

Today was the day she was finally going to be allowed to leave and she honestly wasn't looking forward to it, no matter how antsy she got. She was going to be face to face with Madara today, for the first time since she was sent back to this era.

Kurama had been drilling it into her that she couldn't react negatively to him. In this time she hadn't been fighting against him in a war, she would have no reason in their eyes to hate or fear him. She knew she couldn't count on him to keep her calm, no matter how much he lectured her on it. He was more hot headed - especially when it came to Madara - than she was.

'I've had centuries to learn patience and control. You're an infant compared to me,' he growled at her.

'If I'm supposed to be able to focus enough to stick to our story I can't have you growling in the back of my head,' she snapped. 'And you can't lash out at him, remember?'

Naruko felt an impression from Kurama, like a swat her on the back of her head, and wrinkled her nose at the strange feeling, rolling her shoulders to try and get rid of it. She felt his grudging agreement though, and dropped the subject.

A knock on the wall near her startled her and she jumped, her hand reaching for her missing weapons pouch out of habit as she turned. Hashirama was grinning at her, one hand still raised where he had hit the wood. Naruko was struck by how strong he was once again. He had huge and dense chakra, and he had snuck up on her like it was nothing without even hiding it.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Naruko huffed at him. "Ready? I've been stuck waiting for you!"

She knew right as she said it that it was gonna happen again. Sure enough, Naruko swore she could see dark clouds over his head as his chin fell to his chest and his shoulders slumped. She lurched forward, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him along to get them going. He came in halting steps, mumbling apologies for making her wait by herself for so long.

He stopped in his tracks and Naruko was jerked to a stop when it felt like trying to pull a brick wall. He was back to acting normally, thank the Sage. He twisted the arm she was holding until he was holding her, pulling her in another direction. "This way - you can't be seen yet, remember?"

When she was in step with him, Hashirama let her go. She grumbled, but followed "Of course I remember! It's why I haven't seen another human face other than Tobirama and Mito in over a week. And why you guys had to wait an extra day after the fight to sneak me here at night."

Hashirama rubbed the back of his head and grimaced. "Sorry. With the tentative alliance and relocation, along with all the messengers coming and going security with your...situation is hard. Keeping you isolated is the safest thing for you until everything is stable again. Your presence has already made the negotiations harder."

Naruko started weaving through trees as Hashirama led her behind the guest house and into the forest surrounding the compound. "How?"

Hashirama sighed. "We're trying to keep you as hidden as possible, so we can't involve another clan like the Nara to act as a neutral party where we can meet and discuss terms. That means we had to agree on a neutral location, but we also had to limit who could come as well. On our side, it's just the two of us and Tobirama, while our cousin Toka stays here since she's third in line to lead the clan. Mito is going by herself without the escorts she came with, for your sake, and as a representative of the Uzumaki Clan. Madara knows some about you, and he knows to only bring someone he absolutely trusts along with him since you're one of the main points we're talking about. Since his brother's death, the only person I can think of is Hikaku - he was third in line while Izuna was alive but he could also be the one to stay behind to watch the clan while Madara brings someone else."

Naruko grimaced. "I'm sorry I'm making this so much harder. I know this is what you've wanted for years."

Hashirama paused, turning slightly in front of her to grin at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry. Things will stabilize, we'll get this village built, and whether you stay with us or go with Mito to Uzushio, hopefully you can grow to call it home."

Naruko blinked, taken aback. His voice was soft and strong, no hesitation or doubt. She wondered if this was what all her friends meant when they said her simple confidence in her statements inspired people to believe in her. She could understand how this man joined together multiple clans to make the village - and why Madara was so fixated on him.

"I already talked to Mito, and while I want to see Uzushio eventually, for now I'd like to stay here with you."

Hashirama grinned, white teeth flashing. "Great! We are running a little late though, so we should pick up the pace a little bit."

Naruko growled at him, following as he lept up into the trees. "I've been waiting on you! And following you! If we're late it's your fault!"

His laughter was carried back to her as they ran. Naruko enjoyed working her muscles, falling easily into the familiar rhythm of leaping through the branches that every Konoha shinobi knew like the back of their hand. She couldn't help but throw in some flips and tricks, enjoying the chance to stretch her legs.

She almost stumbled when Hashirama did a trick swing a landed on the branch she was aiming for, but she managed to keep herself from faceplanting. Hashirama's laughter fell back on her ears again and she grinned, a competitive edge curling her lips.

She leaped after him and they played in the branches. Trying to trip each other up, doing tricks and flips between the branches, and just generally showing off. It escalated when she flat out tried to shove him off a branch, and then they were trying to trip each other up and run at the same time. He had far more luck than she in physically moving her. Trying to move him was like trying to move a building, unless she used chakra. She found that out when she tried to tackle him and he barely budged, instead leaping to the next branch with her clinging to his back like a monkey. The armor and his hair made clinging on to him incredibly awkward, but she refused to let go. She could feel his shoulders shaking and could see the edge of a broad grin on his cheeks, and he grabbed her legs to secure her on his back. She was still surprised at how easily she seemed to click with Hashirama, acting like little kids and goofing around.

Without having to lead her, Hashirama put on a burst of chakra to propel them forward at a much faster pace, with the ease of a shinobi who grew up in these forests. Without Hashirama's direct attention, her smile faded. She could feel Madara's chakra now, she could feel his pain, grief, and rage. She kept reminding herself that Madara had just lost the last of his brothers, members of his clan abandoned him to surrender to the Senju after Izuna's death, and those that remained largely feared him.

She felt Tobirama's chakra, Mito's, and two others she didn't recognize. Madara and Tobirama's chakra were as far from each other as they could be in the meeting place they were gathered in and Naruko felt her eye twitch. Whose bright idea was it to put those two near each other with only Mito to mediate between them? Naruko paused, considering the impression she'd gotten from Mito since meeting her. If nothing else, she could cow Tobirama, and she was just terrifying enough to possibly do the same to Madara too.

Hashirama started slowing down so she tapped his shoulder. He stopped at the next branch and let her down. She followed him again without speaking. For all that they had been joking around, the closer they got to Madara the more serious they became. Hashirama was more excited, but Naruko knew she was more anxious about seeing him.

She wasn't ready when they finally reached them in a clearing. Kurama's growl echoed in her head the second he came into sight, but he managed to keep his temper under control. Naruko tried her absolute hardest to keep her face under control, but she couldn't stop her fists from clenching as she landed in front of them, eyes fixed on Madara. As she stared at him, her shoulders and fists actually started relaxing.

Madara had barely spared her a glance when she landed, giving her a once over before his black eyes fixated on Hashirama and stayed there. This gave her the opportunity to stare at him without his direct attention, something she didn't have the option of in her time. He looked...old. And tired. There were lines under his eyes that reminded her of Itachi, and dark circles like bruises. His grief practically hung over him in a tangible cloud, but she could see a spark of hope, a light in his dark eyes as he stared at Hashirama.

Naruko kept a wary eye on Madara as Hashirama yelled out a pleased greeting to Madara and stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder, ignoring the tensing of the other Uchiha that was standing behind Madara. She wandered over to where Tobirama was standing with Mito and an unfamiliar shinobi with brilliant red hair.

Tobirama was tense, red eyes fixed on Madara and his brother. He acknowledged her with a quick glance and a small upturn of his lips, but they were all watching Madara. Hashirama had pulled him close and they were having a quick, whispered conversation, too faint to carry to their ears. Hashirama looked pleased and earnest, and Madara looked weary but hopeful. Kurama's growl continued like an echo in her head as long as he was in her sight, and she tried her best to ignore him.

Naruko turned to the unfamiliar Uzumaki. She hadn't been allowed to meet anyone else while she had been at the Senju Clan, and while a select few had been told about her, she had not met them. Mito had told her that he was a cousin of hers, and she trusted him to be her right hand while she negotiated on behalf of the Uzumaki, and with the 'truth' about what she carried. "Hi, I'm Namikaze Naruko."

He smiled at her. He was taller than her and Mito, but didn't reach the towering height of Hashirama or Tobirama, or even Madara. She was starting to have a theory that Uzumaki were just cursed to be short. His bright red hair was about shoulder length, pulled back in a short ponytail, a lock of bangs were braided on the right side and held by a small blue bead that looked to have delicate engraving work that she couldn't see clearly. "I'm Uzumaki Jiro. I hear you're a long lost relative."

She nodded. "Yup. Seems that way."

"Nice to meet you, little cousin," he grinned, cocking his head.

"Naruko!" Hashirama called, interrupting whatever reply she may have had, waving her over even as he practically dragged Madara forward. "Let me officially introduce you. Madara, this is Namikaze Naruko, a recently discovered distant relation of the Uzumaki clan. Naruko, this is Uchiha Madara, Clan Head of the Uchiha."

For the first time, Naruko had Madara's direct attention. She knew he had been informed about the fox's chakra in her body, and was expecting to be considered a potential threat, much like how Tobirama and Hashirama had reacted upon meeting her. Her fingers twisted nervously with the edge of her shirt before fisting anxiously at her sides as she met his gaze.

She reminded herself that she wasn't supposed to know this Madara and forced herself to smile, bowing just a little at her waist as she remembered her mostly nonexistent manners. "Hi! Nice to meet you officially, Hashirama's told me a lot about you."

She heard a faint hum come from Madara, and his eyes swept her entire figure from head to toe. He tipped his head in acknowledgement of her greeting, but didn't return it at first. "So you're the girl I've heard so much about?"

She didn't like his tone. She could feel her hackles rising, eyes narrowing at him. "Yes," she said slowly, emphasizing her pronounciation and the hiss of the word.

"You don't have red hair."

Really? Of all the things he could comment on upon first meeting her, it's her hair? Not the fact that she's containing an biju's chakra? "No, I don't."

Madara's eyes flicked over to Mito and then back to her. "And you've had no formal training? You were taught by a wandering shinobi with no clan, correct?"

Oh, she really didn't like his tone now. It was almost dripping with the superiority Sasuke always spoke with when they were little. Her fists tightened even more, nails digged crescents into her palms as she fought with herself to not react like she did with Sasuke. "Yes."

Madara gave her one more sweeping glance before turning to Hashirama. "Are you ready to begin?"

Naruko's eyes practically popped out of her head. Did he just...dismiss her? That was all he was gonna ask her, all how he was going to react to her, that was it?! After everything he did to her? Sending her here, all the fighting, and this is all?

'Calm down!' Kurama snapped at her. 'Would you rather have his full, undivided attention right now? Let him stay obsessed with Hashirama!'

That cooled her temper quickly. She remembered the intensity with which Madara focused on her in her time. If she could have more time to get her feet under her, to build relationships, and even observe him without his focus, she could handle herself better when his attentions would eventually change.

She didn't realize she had tuned out until a small wooden building was pushing its way out of the earth in front of them. It formed a lot more quickly, and a lot smoother than Yamato's mokuton jutsu. Mito and Jiro both went quickly around the building, laying sealing tags that would ensure that they would be secure in the building and that anything discussed could not possibly be overheard.

This was the part she wasn't looking forward to. Even though she was an Uzumaki, she wasn't affiliated with the clan, so she was not actually allowed to be in the same room while they all discussed terms. She would even be left out of most of the discussion about her. They would let her know when she was suppose to do her demonstration to show her control, and then she was again going to be left out, not allowed to hear their discussion. Fortunately, she wouldn't be stuck inside.

Hashirama made a wood clone after Mito and Jiro finished securing the structure. The clone would watch over her, but she was actually mostly free to hang out outside, as long as she didn't stray too far. Tobirama's senor abilities would also be a back up to keep track of where she was. It was again, another show of faith, another test she was going to pass, but she would enjoy her time outside regardless. She had at least earned enough trust and goodwill to have this opportunity to be outside by herself. There was also a separate room if she wanted to wait inside, but she had had enough of being cooped up inside to last a lifetime.

"Naruko, we'll call you in when we're done for the day. We'll try not to take too long," Hashirama said.

She nodded. She was a little distracted watching Tobirama and Madara. Without Hashirama to distract them, she could practically see the tension between them, even without looking directly at each other. Neither were moving toward the building, though both of them were lingering near it. She caught Mito's eye, and the older woman rolled hers before she walked up next to Tobirama and holding out her arm. She held back a snort at the look on Tobirama's face as he stared down at Mito before he sighed, taking her arm and placing it in his elbow and leading her inside. She caught Jiro's eye as he followed and he winked at her. With Tobirama inside, out of sight, Madara waved his clansman inside and leaned back against the wall by the door, watching them.

She met his eyes briefly, and couldn't stop the reflexive curl of her lip. She was pissed about being dismissed by him, and everything he had done in her time, and no amount of empathy for his loss could stop her from being mad at him. She hadn't been dismissed so easily since she was a fresh genin!

Madara actually looked shocked at her hostility, but then he glared at her, a hint of red flashing in his eyes. Naruko didn't break eye contact at the silent threat, even when Kurama's growl kicked up a notch. He was bluffing, she knew it. He wouldn't actually do anything to her, especially here with Hashirama.

Speaking of, a warm hand landed on her shoulder and she immediately hunched under it, even though he was barely applying any pressure. "I'll meet you inside, Madara. I just need to have a quick word with Naruko here."

Madara nodded and turned to go inside, but not before he cast her a dark look. Acting like the mature adult she was, she stuck her tongue out at him. Instead of getting annoyed like she expected, he looked more bemused. His clansman, dark brown hair pulled up into a ponytail with bangs hanging around his face, clasped a hand on Madara's shoulder and tugged at him. Madara followed after a second of looking at her. She couldn't read his face, and his chakra was still too heavily layered with grief for her to feel any other emotions from him. Kurama's growl silenced in her head as soon as he was out of sight.

Hashirama cleared his throat, and she remembered that he was there. She expected him to be annoyed with her, since he had asked her to give Madara a chance, but instead he was smiling softly. She cocked her head. "What?"

He shook his head, still smiling, and looked at the cabin where Madara had already gone inside. "I haven't seen him act like that since the battle."

She huffed. "Act like what? A dismissive jerk?"

Hashirama laughed. "No, that's normal for him. But you've gotten more emotion out of him than I've seen since his brother died. I think you distracted him with your childish behavior," she shot him an incredulous glance, "and you don't have any preconceived ideas about him. His standing with his clan is rocky."

"He seemed happy about seeing you," she said, frowning. She had heard about members of the Uchiha surrendering to the Senju out of fear of Madara. She also hid a grimace. She definitely was not a fan of Madara, but at least her acting skills were improving if Hashirama didn't suspect anything.

"I know he is, in a way, but…" Hashirama trailed off and then sighed. "We made this dream to protect our family, our brothers. I don't know if Madara will ever truly get over Izuna's death. And whatever feelings he may have regarding me, as it stands, his brother is dead and mine…"

"Yours is alive. And killed his."

Hashirama nodded. "I'm hoping when we get this village built, he will come to see it as his family, and that it will help him start to heal, but right now he's almost drowning."

"I know," she whispered, grimacing. Even now, she could feel the thundercloud of his emotions.

Hashirama raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. You can feel negative emotions because of…" Hashirama made a gesture with his hands she assumed to mean Kurama.

Naruko nodded, and reached out to shove lightly at his shoulder. He didn't even pretend that she could move him. "Don't count yourself out. He actually felt a little better when we arrived and you talked to him. He cares for you on some level, and he is hopeful for this village of yours to work out."

"That's good to hear. This village is our first step to peace, and I want him to believe in it like we used to." A weight seemed to lift off of his shoulders at her words. Naruko was more surprised that he believed her so easily.

"Well, you better get inside then, so this village can be built soon," she said.

Hashirama nodded. "You're going to spend some time out here right?"

"Yeah. I've had enough of being cooped up. I can explore a little bit right?"

Hashirama's clone, that she had honestly forgotten about, came over. "Yeah, you can wander around a bit. There's a river not too far, it's where Madara and I met as kids. My clone will tell you when we're done, and he'll also tell you when you've gone out too far."

She nodded, hearing the silent warning. She shoved him forward and he let her move him this time. "I get it. Now go inside and make peace. I promise I won't go far."

"I'll try to keep this meeting from going too long," he said.

The cabin door shut behind him with a definitive click and Naruko was left in silence, the only sound the ambient noise of birds and insects. Naruko took a deep breath and for a while, just basked in the sun. When she opened her eyes she was grinning, and she leaped into the trees with a cheer, Hashirama's clone following at a distance. She did tricks and flips in the branches, enjoying the chance to run around mostly by herself and use her chakra. She stopped when she saw an older tree, thicker and taller than others around it. She stopped on a lower branch and stared up the trunk to the canopy of leave above her. She reached up with her hand to the closest branch, and slowly started to climb.

Hashirama's clone stopped on the tree next to her. "What are you doing?"

"When's the last time you climbed a tree without using chakra?" She grunted, feeling her foot slip. "Katake and Jiraiya both helped me with chakra control exercises, but both would always physically test themselves, too. Katake would tie a hand behind his back and climb trees or cliff's, just to keep challenging himself."

"Huh," the clone said. Then he jumped onto her tree and walked up to the top with his chakra, tossing a griin down at her when she growled.

Naruko kept climbing, enjoying the challenge of finding strong enough branches and foot holds the higher up the tree she got. The first time she had seen Kakashi-sensei do this she had laughed, and done exactly what the clone did and walked past him with her chakra. She had leaned over the top of the cliff he was climbing and watched him climb with one hand. She hadn't really understood why he was pushing himself until Kakashi had reached the top, smacked her in the head, and then challenged her to climb without chakra with both hands, while he would do it again with his hand still tied. Never able to resist a challenge, she had jumped to the bottom to begin the climb and then been soundly beaten.

It was a challenge physically and mentally to climb without chakra, because she had to look around her to find her next grip, and if she misjudged, she would fall. Shinobi were in some ways, too dependent on their chakra that they neglected simple physical skills, used to using chakra to compensate for what they couldn't do. She had started to join Kakashi on the occasional climb when they both had free time, and it was nice to spend some time with Kakashi. He would get playful and competitive sometimes when they would climb, and it was always challenging to go against him.

When she reached the top of the tree, she slapped at the clone's dangling foot, where it reclined on a branch that shouldn't have been able to hold his weight. She could feel his chakra in use, and considering he was a clone made of wood, he was cheating.

"Was that satisfying? I heard you slip a few times on the way up," the clone said.

Naruko nodded, enjoying the stretch of exertion in her arms as she fought against gravity and the wind both tugging at her. She looked up at the sun, and by her rough estimate, guessed it to be a little before noon. She held on to what branches she could reach, suddenly reminded of the mission to wave and hanging on to the top of a tree like this with Sasuke. Mood sufficiently soured, she sighed, looking out at the tree tops around her. She could see glistening the glistening blue of the sun on the river Hashirama mentioned, winding through the trees.

She turned to look behind her and her breath caught in her chest. Towering behind her, through the trees, was the cliff that would become the Hokage Monument. She looked around herself with new eyes, realizing that she was actually home. Where she was was where the village would be, hopefully in just a few days, Konoha would be built right here. She knew they were meeting close to where the village would be built, but she hadn't actually realized where she was until now.

Hashirama's clone followed her gaze. "Madara and I would race to the top of it when we were young. This is where we want to build our village," The clone eyed her warily. "You're not going to try climbing that are you?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I want to just sit here a bit."

The fell into silence again, broken by Hashirama. "You know, technically, you're not sitting on anything."

"Shut it!"

The meeting was taking hours. Noon had come and gone. She had hopped down from the tree after awhile and made her way to the river, where she caught a fish for a lunch. Hashirama's clone made her a fire since she didn't know any Katon, and didn't feel like making one. He gave her crap for it, especially after the whole tree-climbing thing, but she had food in her belly and she got to spend time outside doing what she wanted.

She had finally given in and gone to the cliff. She climbed it with chakra, but she had walked up the side almost leisurely, pausing whenever there was an outcropping of rock big enough for her to sit on to turn and stare out over the trees, imagining her Konoha. By the time she had reached the top, she was homesick and angry.

She was angry at Obito, at Madara, Hashirama, and at Tobirama from her time, the ones that knew her and sent her here, away from her friends. She longed to see Iruka, especially when she reached the area where the heads would be carved, and she remembered him scolding her while she cleaned off the paint. The clone watched her worriedly when she asked to spar, and she could tell the clone was holding back while she vented through taijutsu.

It had been awhile since the spar, and Naruko had calmed down, grateful that Hashirama's clone hadn't pressed her. She was sitting with her feet dangling over the edge, watching the sun as it started it's descent as it got later. She nibbled on some berries she had found, enjoying the bursts of flavor and the juice, even as her fingers were stained red.

Hashirama's clone was laying out flat on the ground behind her. After the spar, he had simply sat and watched her. She didn't know how Hashirama's wood clones worked, but her sudden mood swing would definitely be noted. She wouldn't know how to explain it if they asked, only Mito could reasonably understand her right now.

Hashirama's clone suddenly sat up. "They've finished. They're coming here. Madara and myself are familiar enough with the area that if you lose control they are confident of containing you."

" ." She blinked. It was officially time. 'You ready Kurama?'

He shifted in her mind. She could practically see him getting to his feet and setting his shoulders. 'Let's get this done. The sooner you're away from Madara, the better.'

She felt their chakra as they all closed in on her location. "Do they want to do it up here or down there?"

There was a pause, and then the clone answered. "Meet them down there. If you lose control they can use the cliff."

The clone dispelled and Naruko took a deep breath, mentally bracing herself. When she could feel that they were all waiting directly below her she looked down. She could just barely see the colors of their hair, Tobirama and Mito stood out the most. She called up her chakra and then pushed herself off the edge of the cliff, letting the wind make her hair fly up and free falling for a second like she always did as a kid. She could feel spikes from Tobirama and Hashirama, as she didn't make any effort to slow her descent or catch herself on the cliff.

She grinned and focused on forming wind chakra, creating a layer around her body, feeling herself slow down just enough as she fell that she could catch herself, rolling when she hit the ground to disperse her momentum. A gust of wind followed her as she landed, blasting the group in front of her hard enough that they all stumbled, something she knew they only did because they hadn't been expecting it. This was a trick she had learned at Mount Myoboku, after one too many times falling from those damned spikes. She had always used her wind nature differently, and Tobirama finally gave her a name for it.

She had realized she could affect the air flow around herself by coating her body in wind chakra. It felt like water walking to be honest. She matched her chakra to the clow of the water to walk on it, so she matched it the the air around her to slow or cushion her body in the air. She could slow herself down when she fell from heights almost to the point that she felt like she was simply floating, or send out a gust of air that would cushion her body from the landing. It was only after hearing from Tobirama that she realized how rare that kind of use must be.

She stood up, waving a hand in front of her face to disperse the dirt that had flown up around them. There were a few faint coughs from the others, and Naruko grimaced. She sent another gust of wind with a swipe of her arm, and the dirt cleared. All of them were standing in front of her, Tobirama and Madara at opposite ends from each other, with Mito and Hashirama between them and Jiro and the Uchiha she never got the name of standing just behind everybody. Hashirama and Madara's hair was still flying wildly around them and she bit her lip to suppress her grin. By the glare Madara sent her as he shook out some dirt, she was failing.

"Sorry about that, I didn't think that through."

Hashirama was eyeing her. "I see what Tobirama meant now, with your wind nature."

"I didn't realize it was something so strange until after he explained it to me," she shrugged, looking at the white haired Senju and her lips quirked again at the fact that his hair was more brown, until he shook his hand through it. Bright red eyes glared at her, but he looked impressed.

"It's not strange, just rare," Madara said.

She stiffened, turning back to face him. He had brushed most of the dirt off of himself and was eyeing her with his arms crossed over his chest. She could feel a different weight to his gaze, and wondered just what they had all talked about the past few hours. 'You were right, I'd rather not have his attention.'

'Too late for that now, kit. That little display, plus what we're getting ready to do - he won't be forgetting or dismissing you anytime soon.' Kurama growled, sounding just as pleased as she felt about his statement.

"Well, I'm as ready for this as I can be. Are you all ready?" she asked.

Their body language all shifted. All of them but Mito tensed and braced their feet. She could feel their chakra rise just under the surface, ready to be called upon if they needed to stop her, only Mito knowing she was in full control. Mito came forward and Naruko gave her her arm. A single finger traced down the sealwork hiding her chakra signature and preventing her full access to her reserves. With a flare of Mito's chakra, the seal flared red and then vanished.

She felt a change in Madara's chakra, a rising wariness, and realized he hadn't actually felt her chakra when they met before. He was finally feeling her reserves, and by the look on his face, was finally realizing she was a real potential threat. She looked in his eyes, not flinching even as they bled red and his sharingan formed, analyzing her chakra with his sharper vision.

'Time to start, Kurama.'