Mina nervously knocked on Mizura's office door. She had spent the entire day thinking about what she was going to say to her brother.

There was no way she could marry Tobirama. She felt like a failure and a fraud for walking back on something she had always thought she was prepared for. However, the thought of spending the rest of her life with a man she didn't love was scarier than whatever her brother's reaction would be.

His hard voice bid her to come in. She bowed as she entered and Mizura asked what she needed. Her prepared script rolled through her head continuously, but her voice was weak as she tried to speak.

"Speak up, Mina," he encouraged her with a heavy stare. He had laid his pen down and folded his hands in front of him, tapping his finger against his knuckles impatiently.

"I would like to ask you to terminate my engagement to Tobirama Senju," she forced herself to say.

Mizura raised his brows and hummed lowly. He kept his hard eyes on her as he replied indifferently, "You wasted your breath asking me that, but I'm sure you were already aware."

"Please... Mizura..." she begged quietly. "I can't do it. I can't..."

"Mina," he sharply interrupted her. "Do you remember the time Father asked if you would marry for the sake of the clan?"

She closed her eyes and gulped before nodding slowly. Of course she remembered.

Her brother then stood and looked down his nose at her harshly. A sadistic smile played on his mouth as he added, "My dear sister, I never expected this from you. Your sense of duty has always been becoming. You know better than anyone that people of honor never betray their word. "

My sense of duty, she thought with dread. Everything I have ever done has been for the clan. I want this one thing for myself. The chance to be truly happy.

Mina pushed her hair out of her face and straightened up. "I would like to be in love with the person I marry. Is that radical, Mizura?"

"For someone like you, yes," the man answered. "It's pathetic that you thought this was something I would even consider. I thought we knew one another better than this. You and I were always the tacticians while my pathetic twin and our dear little sister were busy with their heads in the clouds."

He paused and rolled his eyes, "But then again, you have been spending a lot of time with those two... Did Sen put the idea in your head that you were worth being loved?"

A cold smile grew on Mizura's face while Mina's heart began to break. She felt tiny under his wicked glare and wanted nothing more than to turn and run away. However, she stayed in place and attempted to calm her shaking hands and legs.

"Everyone deserves to be loved," she whispered.

"Thought provoking," he muttered. "Sadly enough, you'll never be loved Mina; however, you can be powerful. You always seemed more inclined to the latter. Was I wrong in my judgement?"

"I realized that..." she began to speak before Mizura held his hand up to stop her.

"It doesn't matter," he groaned with a sigh. "Your bed has been made, my dear sister, and Tobirama Senju will be the one filling it."

"But Mizura..."

"Figure out your problems on your own time and never interrupt me to ask such a stupid fucking question. Now, leave," he snapped. The clan leader turned his back to her and went about his business.

Mina was numb as her legs drug her from the room. Her feet slid across the floor automatically, taking her back to her house. Once inside, she broke down into shrieking sobs and slammed her fists against her table, bruising her knuckles and hands as she continuously pounded the wood.

Meanwhile, Sen was returning to her own home whenever she heard loud cries from Mina's residence. The woman immediately bolted for the door and burst in to find her older sister in a puddle of tears and blood.

"Mina, what's going on?" she asked with worry as she dropped to her knees.

"I can't do it, Sen," she bawled. Her hair stuck to her wet face and blood smeared across her skin as she pushed the strands away with her messy hands. "I can't marry Tobirama. I don't want this life anymore. I can't do it."

Mina was in total panic while she sobbed. Sen stroked her hair and wiped the blood away from Mina's face with her sleeve while gently comforting her. The elder Hyuga girl clutched Sen's kimono in her trembling bloody fingers. Sen remained on the floor with Mina for what felt like hours as the girl relentlessly sobbed.

She finally calmed and whispered in a hoarse voice, "I spoke with Mizura."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Sen questioned gently.

Mina recounted the story to her sister, whose face was flaring with rage by the end. Her jaw was set and hard breaths passed through Sen's nose. Her heart was racing with adrenaline as she contemplated walking into Mizura's house and confronting him right then; however, Mina begged her to calm down and be rational. Not wanting to upset her sister further, Sen complied.

Sen let out a long breath as she gathered the courage to ask, "Mina, why can't you marry Tobirama?"

"Seeing love makes you realize that it's something you want also. When I saw you and Madara interacting with one another, I knew I wanted a bond like that with whoever I marry. I tried to reason with myself, but... I don't love Tobirama Senju and I never will."

"You don't think there's any hope of love in the future with him?"

"Sen," Mina spoke bluntly. "Like I told you, I've spent my entire life making decisions for the benefit of the Hyuga clan. I don't want my life to be a series of political tactics strung together by the facade of romance."

Sen nodded silently and thought, I'd do anything to help you, sister, but sadly, I have no idea where to even begin.

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Quarantine day 10: beginning to get bored, Shippuden rewatch is going well — the 4th Great Ninja War is about to start 😀😀