"Okay sounds good" I said as I made my way to the door. Masura followed excitedly behind me after waving goodbye and we traipsed down the stairs. The first part of our journey was easy, the fortress Ryo stayed in was just inside the border of the land of fire, it took us a day and a half to find

"So Masura, what do you think we should do?" I tested as we dropped from the trees, the castle just within sight

"I think that we should wait until dusk to move any closer and we should spend time around the perimeter to find a weak point but also to scout out possible exit points and figure out how many guards the guy has" he said, not skipping a beat and I smiled widely ruffling his hair that now reached his shoulders and spiked out like Madara's

"Couldn't have said it better myself" I said feeling my chest swell with pride at how great of a shinobi my son had already become. As he said, we bided our time watching from a distance.. Neither of us were particularly strong with sensing so we couldn't get a solid count on how many threats there could be but with Masura's Sharingan he could pick out a few undesirable figures. Once night fell we approached the castle and split up silently to check around the perimeter. We met back up and decided the best way to go in would be the second floor window that was already wide open. There seemed to be less people on that level so it was the easiest point of entry. We silently made our way up the side of the building, masking our chakra the whole way up and I slipped in the window before Masura. If I was partnered with anyone else I would have decided to split up and search separately but I could not shake the maternal instinct to keep Masura close enough to protect in an instant if need be.

"Meld with the wall" I ordered quickly as I did so myself. We both disappeared into the wall easily and I watched as a hulking figure approached. When the dim light crossed his features I nearly choked seeing someone I remembered fighting during the war. He was neither Senju or Uchiha but Hagoromo, a clan that I believed had ceased to exist. Once he had his head turned to me I threw a senbon coated in poison at him and it embedded itself in the flesh at the base of his skull easily. Within seconds he hit the floor and I was thankful for Masura as he quickly caught the large man to stop his fall from being so loud. We made our way through the halls silently and I quickly pushed Masura to the wall when I heard a group coming. I peeked around the wall just enough for pollen to shoot from my mouth freely and surround the men. The all started choking and dropping to the ground like flies. We passed over their writhing bodies and moved to the stairs quickly going up them. I sighed quietly when I heard a scream downstairs and a few questioning sounds above us

"What was that?" Masura asked and I sighed

"We have only been tracking prominent chakra, I didn't think that this kind of place would have citizens" I muttered as I darted up the stairs, pulling out a few kunai in the process. I heard the tell tail signs of Masura's wip and as we darted out of the door at the top floor..I was not surprised to see a half circle of shinobi around us, all armed with one weapon or another.

"Kill them!!" Some snobby voice shouted off to the side and I smirked slightly to myself

"If you say so" I said just loud enough for the others to hear. That seemed to rile them up because in an instant four men surrounded me. I ducked below ones kunai and watched with glee as it imbedded itself into the man on the other side of me. I wasted no time in scattering my own kunai into the other three, each kunai hitting its mark straight into each heart. When I looked around I watched momentarily as Masura moved gracefully around each opponent's attack and delivered his own flawless strikes. Within moments the battle was over and bodies covered the ground. When I looked over at the man we were to assassinate he was sitting, his back pressed up against the back bored of his abundantly large bed.

"More of my men are coming! They will hunt you down like dogs!" He screeched as we both moved closer

"But who will pay them for their efforts if you are dead?" I asked, entertainment dripping from my voice as I watched the man cower away from us.

"Go ahead Masura" I said and he jumped up on the bed, retracting the whip from his left hand leaving only the one in his right. In one swift movement Masura had sliced open the man's chest, not enough for him to die from the wound but just enough for him to suffer a bit as his poison kicked in. We both dropped from the window to the grass floor and quickly dashed through the trees to put some distance between us and the castle. Once we were around the same place we had been earlier that day I turned to Masura and crouched to his level

"Well done" I said and he grinned and scratched the back of his head

"I kinda messed up my footing when we first got into the room" He said and I grinned

"I didn't see it but obviously you recovered and kicked ass" I said offering him a hand and he excitedly gave me a high five

"I think there was a cave a few miles that way let's stay there until daybreak then head home, we can get there by late afternoon if we move fast enough" I said and he cheered

"Cool, I can't wait to tell dad that we did one of his missions" he said excitedly and I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder

"He is going to be so proud" I muttered and I could feel the joy radiating from him as we walked through the trees.

"So are you sure those guys won't come after us?" He asked just as we got to the cave

"Well the odds are that they will simply go find his money stash and split it amongst themselves" I said, settling against a wall

"I guess that's probably true" he said thoughtfully and I smiled

"What's on your mind?" I asked and he shrugged taking a seat across from me, the cave was small enough that our feet could be touching if he hadden't pulled his to his chest

"Well in that kind of circumstance doesn't the man in charge normally have another to take his place in case of death?" He asked and I thought about it for a moment

"That could be true, although it seems that most of that group, if not all of it, consisted of Hagoromo clan members. In the past they were not the best at organizing leadership, that is one of the main reasons that the Uchiha and Senju were bigger threats to one another. So unless they have resolved that issue, then I don't think we have anything to worry about, at least for a few months" I said easily and he nodded

"I guess that makes sense then" he said and I smiled

"Come here and take a nap, I can keep watch" I said and he nodded, crawling over and curling up with his head resting in my lap. I combed through his long hair and mused about how much Masura was taking after Madara, not only in looks but in brilliance... Masura slept for a few hours before the sun started to rise again and I woke him up. After he gathered his bearings we set out to the Leaf village but I couldn't help but notice a few wisps of chakra following us. The thing that bothered me was that it didn't feel like a entire shinobi's chakra but it didn't feel as though it was being suppressed either.

"Masura" I called in a hushed tone and he immediately glanced over at me and nodded. We both crouched down in the trees and waited as the chakra's grew closer. The bush rustled and I readied my kunai only to freeze...two squirrels bolted through the brush soon followed by an adolescent wolf with beautiful black fur.

"False alarm" I muttered, stashing my kunai back in my pouch

"Scared of a few little beasties mom?" Masura teased but I just flicked his forehead

"Always gotta be on the watch with you around, Kami knows you aren't paying attention" I muttered and I saw the faintest blush form at the tips of his ears

"I am too! I just knew they were just animals" He said and I sent him a disbelieving glance. We were nearing the village when I felt it again and I felt my stomach churn slightly as I slowed down, glancing over my shoulder

"What is it mom?" Masura asked, coming back to stand next to me

"I feel them again" I muttered absently and he scoffed, immediately reminding me of Madara

"They wouldn't have followed us, they were doing their own thing" he muttered and I felt my heart dropped when suddenly several chakra's spiked around us

"It was a summon" I muttered, grabbing a fist full of Masura's hair and bringing him flat to the branch we were standing on so he wouldn't get impaled by the blade that came soaring over our heads

"You finally figured it out Senju" Someone called and I glanced over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes slightly at the man in the small clearing.

"Shouta Uchiha?" I questioned disbelievingly as I looked down at the man with short pitch black hair and bright red Sharingan eyes

"Mom who is this guy?" Masura asked at my side as we both turned but stayed low to the tree

"Uh, he's an Uchiha, he was believed dead" I muttered and Shouta laughed from his spot on the ground as several other shinobi gathered around him.

"What are you doing with Hagoromo clan members Shouta? Why did you fake your death?" I asked, moving a bit in front of Masura.. No matter what situation it was, fighting an Uchiha was a mental and physical battle that was taxing

"They are the manpower behind my schemes.. I should really thank you, if you hadn't taken down Ryo for me than I would have had to wait even longer for him to kick it" He said, glee in his voice as he took a few steps in front of the others

"Then what is your scheme?" I asked and a classic Uchiha smirk spread across his pale features

"To get that boy you are protecting" He said and I immediately narrowed my eyes

"The offspring of the strongest Uchiha to ever live and the hmm, I guess you could be considered the strongest woman Senju.. but far from the strongest Senju" he said snidely and I rolled my eyes

"It is dangerous to pick a fight so close to the Village, you are a foolish man for thinking you can get away with this" I said as I grabbed hold of Masura's hand behind my back. As Shouta snapped back with whatever insult came to mind I glanced at Masura

"I need you to go get me help and get yourself to safety, the village isn't more than ten minutes from here" I said quietly and he frowned

"I can help you" he said and I shook my head

"No, I can't fight if I worry about you.. Go get your father please do not argue" I muttered and he shook his head but I had already used up all my time. A paper bomb attached to a kunai exploded right under us and I had just enough time to pull Masura away and cover him with my body to protect him from the blast.

"Get away the first chance you get" I said firmly putting him down on another tree. He looked like he was going to argue but I smacked him upside the head and glared straight into his dark eyes

"Run, I am not a weak shinobi but I can't last long with this fight and it will only be worse if you stay" I said and he nodded weakly. I jumped down and focused chakra in my fist as I collided with the ground. There was a massive crack that spread from my fist and large vines shot from the center of it. The vines wrapped around three of the men and sucked them into the earth, each of them kicking and screaming trying to release themselves from my bonds. The earth closed back up and the screaming ceased as I looked up from my crouched position

"If you want him you're going to have to take me down first, assholes" I called and instantly they all ran at me. I saw out of the corner of my eye as Masura made a clone of himself and left the clone in the tree while he darted off. The only one here who would be able to see through that trick was Shouta so I jumped around all the other men and aimed a punch at him in the hopes of distracting him.

"You can not fight us all by yourself" He jeered and I smiled as I punched him hard in the gut, sending him back into a tree

"Try me" I called back as I fell into a fighting stance. His Sharingan spun angrily as he launched forward from the tree but I easily dodged his attacks, I was very used to fighting against the Sharingan so it was no great feat to avoid eye contact.. The real challenge was fighting an Uchiha along with ten other formidable shinobi.

"Hurry up" I whispered as I just barely dodged another attack.

Masura's Pov:

I made it to the front gate and saw a familiar mop of pitch black hair and nearly ran head first into him

"Masura what's wrong?" He asked immediately crouching to my level. I was panting too much to choke out a full sentence so instead I closed my hand tightly around his wrist and darted off towards my house as fast as I could.

Madara's Pov:

"What do you feel like eating Ami?" I asked, standing from the couch

"Ughh everything sounds disgusting" she muttered as she curled up in a ball in the arm chair

"You have to eat something" I said, moving to crouch in front of her, placing a hand on her head

"I guess crackers sound okay" She mumbled and I sighed

"You will have to eat something more than crackers, you are feeding more than just yourself now" I said as I got up to get the crackers

"I know.. But eating food just makes me nauseous" She whined and I smiled slightly hearing Naria's voice behind her own

"You sound like your mother sometimes you know" I mused, handing her the little box of crackers

"Are you just now realizing this?" She asked with a little laugh and I smiled

"No, it just never ceases to amuse me" I said lightly. The room was momentarily filled with the sound of her munching quietly on crackers then I heard her sigh and I glanced over at her as she slung her legs over one arm of the chair

"I am going to get soooo fat.." She said and I chuckled

"I don't think it could be considered fat if you are carrying a child" I said and she shook her head slightly

"Mom got super fat with Masura.. Like fat fat too, she ate everything and when she had him she had to work out or train like three times a day every day to get all of it off" She said and I raised an eyebrow

"Have you seriously not noticed? She got a lot.. How should I put this.. Thicker.. Since Masura" She said and I couldn't contain the laugh that broke through me

"Yes I have noticed, but it's not a bad thing, I actually prefer it.. More to hold onto" I said, trying to hold in my laughter at the look of horror that spread across her face

"That is so gross dad!" She shrieked and I held my stomach with laughter

"Oh sorry, I was under the impression we could have these conversations now that you were pregnant" I said, enjoying the spluttering sounds that came from her

"No! I will never be okay with that.. You are soo gross" She whined throwing a cracker at me like a shuriken. I caught it easily between my fingers as I looked at her

"Oh my mistake then" I said lightly and she narrowed her eyes at me as I took a bite of the cracker

"You know what dad?" She threatened and I raised an eyebrow and leaned towards her

"Oh do tell" I said mockingly but as soon as she opened her mouth the door banged open and I instantly was on my feet in front of Ami, ready to protect her from whatever it was

"Kagami?/Masura?" Ami and I said in unison. Masura was hunched over, hands on his knees but his eyes were wide and looking straight at me

"Dad... mom needs.. Help.. shes surrounded" He choked out and I felt my blood run cold

"Kagami stay here and protect them both!" I yelled as I darted past them and out the door. He hadn't said where they were but Naria's chakra always seemed to draw me to wherever she was and it didn't fail now. I felt her chakra, it was faint but still bright. Anger flowed through every vein in my body as I neared her location, when she was within my sight I felt fury similar to how I did the day I hunted down the men who killed Izuna. She was bleeding from her leg and the whole right side of her sweats clung to her skin. The top of her shin bandages was tainted dark red from blood as well but there were also splatter marks and I saw exactly why. Six bodies lay around her, two in a pool of their own blood from wounds they suffered all around their bodies, the others seemed to only suffer one fatal wound each. Her teeth were gritted in pain and I could see the worry in her eyes as she faced off against a man I recognized instantly as an Uchiha and a few men who wore the Hagoromo crest.

Naria's Pov:

One of the larger remaining men lunged forward and before I could do anything to block or counter his attack I was engulfed by a big cloud of dirt and surrounded by such a dense and incredibly powerful chakra that I was nearly brought to my knees. I squinted my eyes and looked around, worried that I was getting attacked but instead I saw a familiar form in front of me. When the dirt cleared more I could see that Madara was crouched slightly, his feet planted firmly atop the man who was now buried a few feet in the ground. His chakra spiked higher than I ever felt it and it took physical form around him as he straightened up. His hair that normally flowed across his back like ink was waving and shifting with his chakra making him look more menacing as he stood in front of me.. Protecting me.

"His death was nearly painless.. I can not say you will have that pleasure" He said in a dark voice that made a shiver rip through my body. Shouta and the others took off into the woods but Madara darted off after them, the force of his take off leaving me in another cloud of dirt.. I stood there frozen for a moment, listening to the horrified and pained screams that filled the air. I had never felt Madara's chakra weighted down with pure hatred before and it took my breath away. In the past I had never really feared Madara.. On occasion I could say he scared me but as he said before he left, I was different. I often forgot how the name Madara Uchiha would strike fear into the bravest man's heart and I was taught a lesson as he emerged from the woods a few moments later.. His robes dripping with blood. He pulled off his gloves in two swift motions and dropped them on the ground to his side.. It looked as though he had ripped the men limb from limb with his bare hands and if I was being completely honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he told me that's what happened.

"Madara" I murmured running over to him, getting my medical ninjutsu ready to heal whatever injury he had received. I pressed my hands to his chest but he just wrapped his arms around my shoulders and forced me against his him, my hands sandwiched between our bodies. He moved one hand to the back of my head and I realized that it was trembling, even if it was barely noticeable

"Madara? Are you okay?" I whispered, freeing my hands from their imprisonment so I could wrap my arms around his torso, ignoring how much blood was probably getting soaked into my own clothing

"Never worry me like that again" He muttered almost silently and I relaxed against his chest. The fear of losing him to hatred again gone with the gentleness in his voice and embrace.

"I won't" I said quietly, leaning into him a bit more. When we broke apart I once again forced chakra into my hands and pressed them to his chest only to have him brush them away

"I'm not injured" He said simply and I raised an eyebrow