Arriving back in the Senju compound, Nina brushed past an anxious Mito, offering only a brief 'they're fine' before disappearing from sight.

Not long after, Hashirama and Tobirama also returned, only to be greeted by the frowning redhead.

"What did you two do? Why is she so upset?" Her arms were crossed firmly.

Hashirama sweat dropped.

"Dear, shouldn't you be more worried about me?" He gestured to his battered appearance, only to receive a slap on the arm.

"Of course I'm worried, don't I have the right to be worried about her too?" Mito glared, daring him to object..

"Of course! I wasn't questioning that!" He waved his hands in front of him. "We should leave her alone for a while, I'll talk to her tomorrow." Hashirama was dreading it already. If she was anything like Mito, he could only imagine the hell he would have to endure to earn her forgiveness.

The next day came quickly, and with it came another meeting. The four were in the same room as always, the white haired woman showing no signs of her anger from yesterday.

"When are we meeting with Madara?" Questioned Tobirama, still not entirely confident in the idea of an alliance with the Uchiha.

"We'll meet with him and his top commanders tomorrow. It'll have to be just us four, that was one of his conditions." Hashirama stated.

"I'm afraid you've made a mistake." Nina interjected. "He must have requested the three of you. I am not a Senju, I have no place in such a meeting." Hashirama shook his head, smiling brightly.

"Actually, he specifically stated that you should be here. 'The angry one,' he called you." He said, receiving a smirk from Tobirama. Nina seemed unsure but nodded regardless.

Their group meeting was dismissed very early that day, but as soon as the others had left, Nina was pulled aside by a fidgety Senju leader.

"Hey, sorry about upsetting you yesterday... I didn't- "

"Don't." She cut him off. "You meant well. I understand." He seemed to let out a breath. Thank goodness he wouldn't have to beg for forgiveness.

"That's good to hear. Anyways," His tone shifted from nervous to teasing, as did his expression. "I've known Madara for years, ever since we were children. I've never seen him take interest in anyone before." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Nina's expression was less than amused.

"Let's just put it this way; I'd rather be courted by a tailed beast than him." She was completely blunt, causing Hashirama to laugh.

"So harsh... Anyways, thank you for helping, I know you didn't have to." He offered an sincere smile.

"My pleasure."

As the day came to a close, Nina lay in bed, eyes open, deep in thought.

'Madara, huh? It'd be nice to get along with him, wouldn't it Hamura?' She thought sadly.

Before anyone knew it, the sun was shining brightly through the windows. The group met in front of the building they'd previously agreed on as the starting point.

"Are we ready?" Mito asked, glancing at each person.

"Of course, let's go." They all nodded and sped off in the direction of the Uchiha Clan compound.

The leaves brushed against their heels as they cut through the large forest.

"We're here." They stopped, gazing down at a large, busy village. A few guards by the gate spotted them and nodded in recognition. Landing in front of them, Hashirama returned the gesture, the other three following suit.

"Welcome, Senjus. Please follow me." A woman said. She looked familiar... ah, right, she was the guard who had spoken to the two men assigned to watch her when she was captive here a few months ago. Chia, was it?

She led the small group to a large, beautiful house. The exterior was of polished wood, flaming red roof tiles, and had the Uchiha symbol stamped all along its walls. The inside was even more impressive; the furniture was elegant and well cared for, the walls were of white and blue hues. Everything was very elaborate.

"Please take your time to prepare yourselves. The meeting with Madara-sama will begin in three hours." The woman then excused herself and left the room.

"Alright, Tobirama."

The said man handed two of the square, cloth wrapped packages that he had begrudgingly carried along the way to Nina and Mito.

"What is this?" Nina questioned, glancing oddly at the object.

"A kimono." Tobirama stated flatly. "You thought you were going to be wearing that to a peace conference?" He scoffed, not sparing her a glance. "Honestly, brother, I don't know why she's here."

"Don't be rude, Tobirama." Hashirama chided. "I'm sorry about him. Please go get ready." An apologetic smile was etched on his face. The two women turned and entered one of the two attached rooms.

Upon opening the package, Nina paused. The pale pink kimono was more than luxurious, she knew that just by glancing at it.

"Mito. Is this what I am supposed to wear?" She asked, her tone unreadable.

The redhead turned, glancing at the contents of the box.

"Yes. Do you not like it?"

"No, its very nice." She lifted it from its container, setting it to the side. She removed the casual kimono she was wearing, it was slightly dirtied from the trip here. With some trouble, she put on the correct layers of underrobes, then the pink kimono. Finishing most of the process herself, she asked Mito to tie her obi for her. From what she knew, obis to kimonos like this one were nearly impossible to do without help.

"Thank you." She said to the woman.

"I'm surprised you got the kimono on correctly." Mito joked.

"As am I." She agreed. The Ōtsutsuki didn't focus on appearance as much as power. Nina again glanced at the smooth silk of the dress. "Surely there's some better area to spend money in."

Mito laughed at her comment.

"That's what I've been telling Hashirama for years." Mito smiled, "How do I look? Are there any wrinkles on the skirt?" She asked. The kimono she wore was a deep green, white cranes along the back and sleeves.

"You look fine." Nina dismissed the woman's concerns. "You don't need to impress Hashirama, you're already married." She commented.

Mito's face flushed red.

"Hey!" Hearing her embarrassment, Nina smiled. The redhead huffed. "Anyways, you look nice too." She complimented.

"Why is it so bright?" She touched the silky garment, questioning its pale pink and white colors.

"Young girls should be wearing bright things. You'll look more your age wearing light colors than you would wearing dark ones." Mito explained, amused by the girl's expression.

"Young, huh?" Nina mumbled. 'So Hashirama didn't tell her.'

"Of course you're young. Older women like me wear darker colors so we don't get all the attention." Mito teased. "You have to catch a man's eye, make an impression."

Nina gave her a questioning glace.

"We're going to a peace conference."

"You never know where you could meet your special someone." She winked. "Oh, let me help you with your hair." She said, seeing the woman's hair still untouched.

With expert hands, she rolled sections of the pure white strands into a high bun, sticking a few pins and combs here and there to hold it up. A few stray locks fell to frame her face. She glanced at herself in the mirror, turning her head from side to side.

"You work fast." Having hair down to her hips, Nina didn't often put it up, too much of a hassle, but she saw that it looked quite nice. "Thank you."

"No problem. It's about time we see how those two are doing. You don't want to know how many kimonos Hashirama has ruined while trying to get himself ready." Mito sighed. "Tobirama is barely better."

"Sounds interesting. I'll have to hear about it later." Nina said, amused.

The two stood and stepped out of the room, into the main area.

"You managed to get this one on correctly?" The redhead examined her husband and brother in law, whose faces showed different levels of offense.

"Of course!" Hashirama said, crossing his arms indignantly. He took a closer look at the two. "You both look great! I think it's about time-" A knock at the door. They all turned their heads as Tobirama opened it, revealing the same woman from before.

"I see you are all prepared, please follow me." She said evenly.

The four were lead to a massive building that was certainly the council headquarters or something of equal importance. Inside, they were brought down a long hallway and in front of a large double door. The Uchiha knocked on the door, receiving a 'come in' moments later. Pushing it open, she motioned for them to enter.

The ornate room was stunning, to say the least. Walls lined in gold plated strips, adorned with the clan colors along with a single Uchiha fan symbol printed on the wall opposite to them. In the center of the room lie a large, low-set table. On the left of it was four empty cushion chairs, while on the right was four occupied ones. Nina recognized two of the Uchihas. The four men on the right side were all wearing silk kimonos, just as carefully designed as the ones the Senju side wore.

"Please sit, Senju-san." One of the Uchihas whom she did not recognize spoke, his voice was guarded and cold. Hashirama sat in the center chair, across from Madara. Tobirama sat in the one positioned slightly to the left and behind his brother's, facing the one Nina recognized as Izuna. Mito sat on the other side of her husband, facing the man who had spoken. Nina sat in the last open chair, next to Tobirama. She faced the man who was the oldest of the four by far. She felt the dark eyes of the Uchiha leader bore into her.

"The meeting will now commence."

The hours crept by, filled with explaining ideas, disagreements, compromises, and burning tension. The only people who really speaking were the Senju brothers, Madara, and the man who had first spoken: the Uchiha head advisor.

Hashirama was adamant about making his idea work while Tobirama had to regulate his brother words to ensure their clan was not at a disadvantage in the agreement. Madara listened and would often counter one of Hashirama's ideas, suggesting his own. The advisor was clearly very suspicious of the whole thing.

As women, Nina and Mito were expected to only speak when spoken to, and the man who was introduced as the Head Elder along with Izuna seemed to have little interest in the planning.

After what felt like an eternity later, an agreement was finally reached and the conference ended.

"Ridiculous." Tobirama spat when they reached the house they had occupied before. "How could you agree to let them lead the police force?"

"You know that was one of their only major requests." Hashirama tried calming his brother down. The two continued to bicker until a knocking quieted them. Mito, being closest to the door, opened it, nodded respectfully at the Head Elder behind it.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Lord Madara requests a word with the young lady." His voice was that of a kind grandfather.

Nina, upon hearing the surprising words, stepped next to Mito.

"Me?" She questioned doubtfully.

Seeing the man nod, Nina glanced at Hashirama who waved for her to go, so she did.

"Please follow me." He turned and started towards an unknown direction, Nina close behind.

"May I ask why he wants to speak to me?" She asked, careful to not sound rude.

The man shook his head.

"Best not to question him..." A silence fell between them. It was soon broken by the old man.

"You look very much like a Senju, though we have been informed that you are not. Are you the younger Senju's betrothed?"

For some reason, Nina felt more offended than she probably should have.

"No." The reply was quick. "Tobirama and I have no such relation."

This caused the man to laugh.

"Of course, I only suggested it as Madara was inquiring on it. Although I was wondering the same, you seem only a few years younger than the boy."

The two soon reached a large, surprisingly average looking Japanese-style building, presumably Madara's office complex. Nina was led through a maze of winding halls, finally stopping near the end of a corridor. The man knocked twice, opening the door when he heard a voice telling them to enter.

"Lord-Madara, I have brought her. Please excuse me." He stepped out of the room, leaving a very on guard Nina to speak with the infamous Uchiha. The atmosphere was heavy.

"What's your name?" Came the first question. He was clearly just as guarded as she was.

Nina considered her options. There was always the choice to lie, to say any name that wasn't hers, but that didn't seem like the best move, not when the alliance of the Uchiha and Senju clans was still fresh and fragile. Truth was the only option then.

"...Nina." Her own name sounded odd to her. Maybe it was because she hadn't said it in so long.

"Nina. Why are you helping Hashirama?" His tone was both suspicious and accusatory. "You know well that this village he dreams of is a delusion."

She didn't hesitate in her response.

"He asked for my help. I agreed because the village he wants has potential to be a tremendous success." It wasn't a lie, and if it was an attempt at peace, she would have helped even if she didn't believe it would work.

Madara didn't seem satisfied.

"Is that so?" His eyes narrowed. "Why would he ask you of all people?" Nina wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"He believed I could help."

"And what do you have that would help?"

"The will to obtain peace."

"Why do you have fantasies of peace?"

"I could ask you the same." She countered his glare. "You wouldn't have agreed if you didn't believe that there is a better solution than war. Your clan suffers as much loss as his."

"Don't speak as if you know me." He spat.

It was only then that Nina hesitated.

She saw a young Hamura, standing in the snow, clutching the robe that had been returned by the young girl standing in front of him.

"Don't talk as if you know us."

She almost smiled.

"Of course," Nina said. "I don't."