I was trained as a soldier the moment I was able to hold a blade and by the age of six, I was fighting enemy shinobi that were decades older than me. I was born in a time of war and from the moment I was brought into the world I was introduced to death. My mother was killed by a member of the Hagoromo clan not ten minutes after I was born when they infiltrated our camp. My father died when I was five by a member of the Uchiha clan in the middle of battle. After that I spent a lot of time alone when I wasn't on the battlefield and I did all I could to train myself to simply survive another day. When I was eight I came across a boy a few years younger than me that was training in the same spot I normally trained. I learned that he was the son of our clan's head and that he was going to enter his first battle the day after. I gave him all the tips I could and the next day I found myself infiltrating an enemy camp along side him. Five years later he was still my best friend and I had grown close with his family. I often spent my time training with his brothers or just trying to enjoy anytime we had that wasn't filled with corpses and screams of agony.

I was acting as a dummy for a jutsu that Tobirama had thought up when we got news that one of his brothers had fallen in battle. I felt my heart fall to my stomach as we ran to where they were burying fellow Senju that had died. Hashirama and Itama were already standing by Butsuma by the time we got there and I gasped slightly seeing all the graves that had been dug already. I wrapped one arm around Itama's smaller form in an attempt to comfort him as he cried and I felt him wrap one arm tightly around my waist as he wiped his eyes. Tobirama stood next to me and was as stoic as ever as he watched his younger brother get lowered into the ground.

"Kawarama..." Hashirama said breathlessly and when I looked into his eyes I saw shock and sadness

"Shinobi don't cry, they are born into this world to fight and die in battle! Be glad that we even have a piece of his corps left to bury because our enemies this time include the Uchiha clan in addition to the Hagoromo clan.. They are particularly merciless" Butsuma said and I felt Itama tense next to me so I hugged him a bit tighter

"Kawarama was just seven years old! How long!? How long are all these conflicts going to last!?" Hashirama yelled and this time I flinched at the sound of his voice..I had only ever heard Hashirama yell on the battlefield

"Until the very last foe has been vanquished, the path to a world that is free of battle is not easily paved" Butsuma muttered harshly and I frowned

"And children must be sacrificed" Hashirama said barely above a whisper. I heard a deep low growl come from Butsuma as he leaned over and punched Hashirama straight across the face. I had to clap a hand to my mouth to suppress the squeak of shock and fear as Hashirama fell straight back on his butt. I quickly let go of Itama and watched as Tobirama moved behind Hashirama either to help him up or protect him if need be

"I won't allow disrespect for Kawarma, he fought and died as nothing less than a full fledged shinobi, he was not a child!" Butsuma growled out and I felt a shock of fear surge through me merely but the look in his eyes as he looked down at his eldest son. Butsuma turned on his heel and went to walk away and we all quickly moved to Hashirama

"Elder brother Hashirama, are you okay?" Itama asked in a worried voice

"You know what happens when you defy father.. Come on elder brother" Tobirama muttered. I wanted to offer to heal his cheek but I felt that it would be inappropriate to talk at all and I was still reeling with shock over the last few minutes to do anything.

"Senju, the clan of love!? Yea right! A full fledged shinobi, come on! All this is just adults gaining up on kids and driving them to their deaths! We are doing exactly the same thing as the Uchiha!" Hashirama roared, getting to his feet and clenching his fist tightly at his sides as he glared at his father's back

"That is how we honor our opponents. Even an infant, if wielding a weapon is deemed an enemy, and raising one's child to be full fledged is a true sign of a parent's love" Butsuma growled

"In order to become full fledged you have to die is that it!? We kill and are killed so much that you can't keep track of the grudges. It's to risky to even say your last name! I swear that this shinobi world is totally messed up!" Hashirama bellowed and my eyes widened slightly as Butsuma turned to attack Hashirama again.

"Children like you are known as brats!" Butsuma yelled and I quickly moved to stand in front of him and squinted my eyes shut to prepare myself for pain but it never came. When I opened my eyes Tobirama was standing in front of both me and Hashirama with his arms outstretched to each side.

"Father no. Elder brother is feeling depressed today, please forgive him" Tobirama said calmly and I saw Butsuma lower his arm and sigh

"Just go and cool your head Hashirama" He muttered and his eyes lingered on me for a moment before he turned and started to walk away again. As soon as he turned around I turned to face Hashirama

"A-are you alright?" I asked, referring to his face and he nodded, his eyes softening slightly as I raised my hand to cup his cheek and I healed the bruise that was already starting to show.

"Thanks" He said quietly and I nodded

"Come on, this place is just going to make us sad" Itama said quietly as he led the way through the trees, away from all the graves. We stopped on a particularly large tree stump and we all took seats at the top of it. I sat close to Hashirama to make sure he was really okay, I was still slightly shaken from him yelling as well as what he was yelling about.

"Grown ups are so stupid, it's simple.. If they really want to stop wars then they should just make pacts and stop fighting with each other" Tobirama said, breaking the silence that had fallen between us. I nodded absentmindedly as I used chakra to carve shapes into the wood under us

"But what about avenging our parents and siblings.. And all our friends who were killed" Itama said from his spot in front of us

"Keep saying that stuff and you'll end up dead.. Both you and the adults are too hot headed" Tobirama said and I frowned

"Don't s-say things l-like that T-tobirama" I muttered and I heard him grunt from his spot to the side

"Forthcoming shinobi really need to suppress their emotions, create suitable rules that they then follow and maintain, and avoid any extraneous conflict" Tobirama said in a firm voice. It was silent for a bit after that and soon enough night fell and we started to make our way back to our houses, Hashirama always dropped me at my house first and when I got to my door I turned to face him

"Y-you know I d-do fight in a war.. I d-don't need you to always w-walk me home" I said with a slight smile

"I don't mind it, one of the only things I remember my mother teaching me was to always walk a girl home when it's dark" he said simply and I smiled a little wider

"Thanks Hashi, do you want to stay here tonight?" I offered and he nodded slightly

"I don't know if I want to talk to my father tonight" he muttered as he walked past me

"I w-wouldn't either" I said as I closed the door

"Dinner?" I asked as I walked over to my kitchen

"Can you make mushroom soup?" He asked and I smiled

"I just g-got fresh mushrooms yesterday, y-your favorite" I said as I pulled out the little bag of mushrooms.

"Thanks 'Ria" He said as he took a seat and rested his forehead on the table. It was silent for a long while aside from the sounds of chopping and my footsteps against the wood floor

"Does it get lonely living in a house like this by yourself?" he asked, glancing around at all the decorations that had been up since I was born.

"Yes" I said quietly as I stirred the soup

"Sorry I asked" Hashirama said guiltily

"It's okay" I murmured as I finished seasoning the soup and poured it into two bowls. I walked to the table and set one in front of him and took a seat across from him

"Thank you" He said before slurping from the bowl. We ate in silence and I didn't realize how hungry I was until the broth touched my lips.

"I don't a-agree with what your f-father said at all.." I started and he looked up at me curiously

"But I d-do think that Kawarama w-was strong, he was a kid b-but he was not a w-weak" I said quietly and a frown tugged at Hashirama's lips as he looked down at his soup

"I know he was" He said quietly. It was silent again and I let out a little sigh as I finished my soup and looked back up at Hashirama who had finished already

"I don't want you or Itama or Tobirama do die in vain... I want this war to be over so that I don't have to worry about losing my family every day" He said and I nodded

"I agree.. We n-need to find a way t-to end this war.. Although w-with your father leading our c-clan I don't see that becoming reality" I said as I stood up and cleared our dishes

"I will become the clan leader after father.. Maybe then we have peace" He said and I nodded

"E-either way, nothing we do t-tonight will change anything s-so lets get some sleep" I said and he nodded and stood to his feet.

"So you have y-your choice of t-the couch, my parents o-old room, or you can s-sleep with me" I said and he glanced at the couch

"I think I will go with this" He said and I nodded and snatched a blanket from the cabinet to throw at him

"My room is t-the first on t-the right if you need me" I said

"Okay, thank you" he said and I smiled

"Anytime, I l-like the company" I said simply. I made my way to my room and changed into my pajamas. When I was changed I slipped into my bed and curled up under the blankets. Just as I was about to fall asleep I heard my door creak open and I opened my eyes blearily to look up at Hashirama

"S-something wrong?" I asked as I sat up. I noticed his eyes were slightly red and I felt my heart hurt

"Come h-here" I said, scootching over to make room for him on my bed. He crawled up and I wrapped my arms around his slightly smaller form.

"It's gonna b-be alright.. If anything K-Kawarama is probably having a b-better time wherever he is then we have here.. He doesn't have t-to worry about war anymore" I said quietly and he nodded slowly. I ran my fingers slowly through his hair, the way my father used to do and I felt his tense body go limp next to me.

Not long after that night, Itama died at the hands of the Uchiha clan. Hashirama shut down slightly after that, he started wandering off and spending time by himself...

I was walking down the dirt path, weaving between small houses and trees to the all too familiar large house that was the home of our clan leader. I had a little basket of rice balls and sweet rolls in the hopes of cheering up Hashirama and Tobirama, if he wasn't out training. When I got to the building Tobirama was sitting on the ground outside the door reading from a scroll

"H-hey Tobirama" I greeted with a smile and he looked up from his scroll and offered me his usual bored face. I knew he wasn't annoyed at me or anything it was just the way he looked at people when they interrupted his reading..

"Hey Naria, what's that?" He asked pointing towards the basket hanging from my arm

"Snacks, I made l-lunch for you and H-hashirama" I said

"Oh, I'm not hungry and Hashirama wandered off a bit ago.." He said slightly distracted as he glanced back at his scroll

"O-oh, okay" I said quietly

"He wandered off in that direction if you want to look for him" Tobirama said, waving off to the trees on his left

"Thanks T-Tobirama" I said cheerily, giving him a pat on the head that he swatted away. I wandered through the woods, weaving in and out of the trees, sensing for any chakra signature I recognized. I finally sensed him and picked up the pace, excitement flooding through me when I realized I was right by that beautiful river that I fought on a few times. When I got to the tree line I was surprised to see that Hashirama was fighting against a boy that looked about his age. I did not recognize the boy and a siren immediately went off in my head to protect Hashirama. I dropped my basket and jumped across the rocks with a well practiced speed just in time to snatch the front of Hashirama's robes and pull him out of the way of the boys fist.

"Naria?" Hashirama mumbled in confusion as he righted himself, my fist still clenched in his shirt as I glared at the black haired boy. I raised my eyebrows in surprise when he just stood there and made no move to attack

"Naria calm down we were sparring" Hashirama said soothingly, unfisting my hand form his shirt and straightening it out as he walked in front of me.

"But h-hes not from our clan..?" I said confusedly and the grin that spread on Hashirama's face nearly blinded me

"Yes I know but he wants peace just like we do! He is tired of all the fighting too" He exclaimed and I straightened up slightly glancing again at the black haired boy who I was just realizing was absolutely adorable. His spiky black hair framed his smooth pale face, his onyx eyes seemed to hold amusement and slight confusion as he watched us. I was taller than Hashirama, I mean I was older than him and girls often grew before boys did.. So when I tried to hide myself from his piercing stare I had to crouch down behind Hashirama

"What are you doing?" Hashirama asked confusedly as he glanced down at me. I felt the heat radiating from my cheeks and focused all my energy on trying to calm myself down

"A-are you sure he is s-safe to be around?" I asked quietly and Hashirama rolled his eyes slightly

"Of course he is! He's harmless" He said jovially and I heard the boy behind him snort in irritation

"O-okay.." I muttered, straightening up slightly

"Uhh.. O-oh I brought you lunch H-hashi" I said and his eyes lit up as if I had told him we had won the war. I smiled slightly and ran over to where I had dropped my basket then brought it back and held it out

"There i-is enough for two people.. Tobirama d-didn't want any" I said and he nodded excitedly to the other boy

"Naria's cooking is always good, come here Madara" Hashirama beckoned to the other boy and the other rolled his eyes but walked over

"Madara this is Naria, and Naria this is Madara" Hashirama said excitedly and I nodded to the boy

"I-I-It's" I sighed and rubbed my face in my hands with frustration at trying to speak.

"You alright Naria?" Hashirama asked slightly worried and I sighed again and fisted my hands on either side of me

"I-it's nice to m-meet you Madara" I choked out finally and I saw amusement dance in his dark eyes again

"Nice to meet you too" He said politely and I frowned sadly to Hashirama the moment the other boy wasn't looking. He gave me a sympathetic look before taking a big bite of the sweet rolls I had spent my morning making

"So do you fight as well?" Madara asked looking up at me and I tilted my head to the side in confusion

"When Hashirama spoke to you he said that that I wanted peace just like you do.. Are you a shinobi too?" He asked

"Y-yes" I said quickly and he nodded thoughtfully

"I don't see many women on the battlefield" He commented and I nodded slowly

"I d-didn't really have a c-choice in the matter" I said and he nodded again

"Naria is basically like a big sister to me and my brother" Hashirama explained and Madara nodded

"Do you have any other siblings?" he asked curiously and I shook my head and carefully took a seat next to Hashirama

"N-no, my mother died r-right after I was born and m-my father died a few years later" I said and he nodded sadly

"Do y-you have any s-siblings?" I asked and he nodded

"I used to have five.. but all that is left is my little brother" He said and I frowned slightly

"I-I'm sorry to h-hear that" I said quietly

"Naria are you alright your stutter hasn't been this bad in weeks" Hashirama said bluntly and I frowned

"I-I don't know" I muttered as I let out a little sigh and looked up at the sky

"But I should g-get back, I'm sorry for interrupting before" I said and they both nodded

"Don't mention this to Tobirama alright.. You know how he can be" Hashirama said as soon as I started to walk away

"I wouldn't d-dream of it" I said with a little laugh at the grin he got. I quickly jumped up into a tree and made my way back to my house where I flopped down and let out a long sigh

"Why is it that I can talk fine when I am alone but as soon as anyone comes near me I freak out.." I muttered to myself as I buried my face in my pillow as I tried not to think about the cute boy at the river. I noticed Hashirama's mood drastically improve now that he was meeting with Madara and I was just happy that he was happy. I sometimes left my little basket full of food on the tree line for them to eat because I knew Hashirama never thought ahead enough to bring his own lunch whenever he was out. I often had to pack an extra lunch in my pouch when we went on missions together because it would 'slip his mind'. One particularly cold day I was walking through the trees, clutching a scarf around my neck to keep me warm as I brought a lunch to the boys. When I got to the treeline I set down my basket and was slightly confused when I only saw Hashirama sitting at the water's edge. I let out a high pitched scream when I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I almost slammed Madara face first into the tree I had been standing next to. He quickly braced himself with his hands and broke into a fit of laughter and I hunched over, clutching my heart in the hopes it wouldn't jump straight out of my chest.

"W-why d-d-did you do t-that?" I asked breathlessly and was surprised when I heard fear actually come through my voice. Hashirama walked over laughing loudly as well and gave me a little pat on the back

"We were curious why you never stick around when you leave lunches" Hashirama said and I frowned at him

"Y-you live next to me and s-see me every day.. Why c-couldent y-you just ask" I murmured

"Because you are so fun to scare" He said simply and I punched him in the shoulder, sending him into the tree behind him with a grunt.

"Jerks" I muttered looking between the two boys with narrowed eyes and Madara just chuckled again

"I wasn't hiding my chakra or anything" He said as if it would make me feel better and my frown turned into a pout

"I wasn't f-focusing chakra" I muttered

"So how come you just leave lunches" He asked as he picked up the basket I had dropped

"I don't w-want to interrupt you two.. Y-you always seem s-so focused" I said and I saw a small smile flicker across his face when he looked in the basket