Sora and Sen left the village the following morning with Madara and Hashirama. The men said it would take a couple of days to reach Konoha. The journey through the Land of Fire was easy and filled with light-hearted conversation.

Hashirama thanked Sora for helping them persuade Lord Hyuga and then thanked both Sen and Sora for the gift of their friendship. The kind words made Sen smile. Hashirama's intention was innocent and honest. He was a benevolent and optimistic man who believed in the ability of man to be good. It comforted Sen that someone like him would have power in their new home.

It amused the girl how drastically different Madara and Hashirama's personalities were. Hashirama Senju was light while Madara Uchiha was darkness. While Sen had come to like Hashirama a great deal, the night sky had always provided more interest to her.

She looked over to Madara as he walked beside her while trailing the other two men. He was quiet as he kept his eyes ahead. His face was solemn and for a moment she wished she could read his thoughts. He was still an enigma, but how she longed to understand him. There was a subdued kindness about him that drew her in. It was as if he wished to feel the depth of positive emotion, but had no idea where to begin. Sen was resolved to discover the truth of the man behind a myriad of legends.

All of a sudden, Madara roughly grabbed Sen's arm and pulled her from the roadway. One second later, a kunai drilled into the ground where she had been walking. His Sharingan was activated instantly as he stood in front of her. His red eyes scanned the trees while he quietly seethed with rage.

Sen had already activated her Byakugan and informed him, "There are three men. One at nine o'clock. One at three o'clock. One at six o'clock."

Hashirama and Sora had taken notice of the commotion and turned to ask what was going on. Sora noticed Sen's Byakugan and activated his own. He told Hashirama what he saw while the Senju man's eyes caught on the kunai in the ground. An attack? He thought.

There was movement in the trees as the attackers drew closer to the group. Sen and Sora kept their eyes on them, relaying their moves to Madara and Hashirama. The four waited on the next attack; however, a trio of masked men teleported in front of them. They stood in the way of the road, broad and arrogant smirks brandished on all of their faces.

"Going somewhere?" the man in the middle asked, stepping forward. He answered himself, "Not yet you aren't."

"We'll see about that," Madara muttered quietly. He kept his Sharingan on the three men, waiting for them to fight or make eye contact.

The men launched an attack, but not before Madara could trap them in a powerful genjutsu. The men were glassy-eyed as they were held inside whatever illusion Madara was forcing on them.

The Sharingan, Sen thought in awe. She had heard rumors of the power of the Kekkai Genkai, but had never seen how phenomenal it truly was. The men's faces were twisted in fear while Madara's blood red eyes bore into them.

As the genjutsu continued, Hashirama bound the three men with his Wood Release and moved them to the side of the road.

Madara broke the genjutsu and closed his eyes, allowing them to rest. His shoulders fell as his Sharingan disappeared. At least she's safe, Madara thought. His skull ached from trapping three people in his Sharingan. He winced from the pain behind his eyes and tried to blink through the blurriness he now saw.

"Are you okay, friend?" Hashirama asked.

The raven-haired man nodded and threw his hand forward, gesturing for them to keep going. The group walked silently from them on, keeping their eyes a bit more peeled.

"Madara," Sen spoke softly. He looked over and met her heavenly white eyes as he acknowledged her. She continued as a grateful look washed across her, "Thank you for protecting me."

They shared a long, silent gaze before Madara replied, "Anytime, Sen."

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I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, but I think a Naruto fanfic should include them so fuck it, imma try.