Nina was lead back to the Senjus by the same elder whose name she learned was Hideaki. Upon entering, she was immediately met by Hashirama who immediately inspected her for any missing limbs.

"Good, you're not injured." he sighed dramatically.

"I'm not."

"What did Madara want?" Mito asked.

"To know about my past." Nina answered simply, receiving a scoff from Tobirama.

"Something he and I have in common." he stared at both her and Hashirama.

The older Senju sweat dropped, he knew that Nina would tell them in time. Even knowing so, he truly wished he could pass such an intriguing story to his brother and wife. He tried to overcome the silence that had now befallen the group, clearing this throat.

"Well, it's pretty late, we should all get some rest. Tomorrow, we will be meeting with the Uchiha elders and council." Everyone collectively sighed. "I hear they're still split on whether or not they should be involved in the village formation." he finished.

The four wished each other a good night's rest and scattered to their respective rooms.

Nina leaned against the window frame, glassy eyes staring at the pale moon. Not that she would admit it, or had anyone to admit to, but she had long wished to rejoin her clan. Yet she knew she could not. Not now. Not ever. The celestial body seemed to stare her down, mocking her loneliness.

Bright rays of light greeted the Senju group as they stepped out of the house, clad in new, brilliant kimonos. In the lead was the same Uchiha guard from yesterday.

Settling themselves in the same arrangement as the day before, they faced at least two dozen Uchiha elders and council members, each displaying different level of distrust.

"Senju-san," one man spoke to Hashirama. "Do you truthfully want to be involved in such a whimsical plan? You must realize that your idea is a bit of a stretch on the cooperation of so many clans."

"Some that have been at war for centuries." another man added.

"Of course. I trust that the hatred of many clans can be diffused with the right method." Hashirama answered confidently.

"And what part do you see the Uchiha Clan playing?"

Tobirama spoke before his brother could.

"Your clan will play a role equally important as our own. Rest assured we will have joint power in the village."

All three others on the Senju side were surprised at the answer. Perhaps Tobirama was finally beginning to support the plan. Hope for success began to surface, bit by bit.

However, one question soon came up, one that Nina knew was inevitable.

"I understand that this woman is not a Senju, yes?" a man asked, his gaze piercing through Nina. "What clan are you from?"

She remained silent. How was she going to answer this in a way that wouldn't put everything she's worked for in danger? Hesitantly, she opened her mouth to answer, but Hashirama beat her to it.

"If it is not of great concern to the alliance, we would prefer to set aside such irrelevant information." he stated calmly.

The Uchihas visibly grew suspicious at this.

"Oh? Would we disapprove of her clan?"

"Is her clan an enemy to the Uchiha?"

"Enough." the man who spoke was the head elder whom they had spoken to the day before, Hideaki. "If it does not bring us any conflict than the Senjus do not need to tell us of her clan. They have placed great trust in us, we can repay that by trusting their good judgement." he glanced at Nina, who nodded gratefully. Many of other men frowned, but let it drop nonetheless.

"Very well. On to more serious matters." The rest of the meeting consisted of negotiations and adjustments to Hashirama's plan for the village.

The sun was halfway down the horizon when the four walked out of the building, tired and irritated.

"Bastards..." mumbled Tobirama. "They have quite the nerve." His three companions sighed in agreement. The council didn't drive an easy bargain.

"I see the conference has concluded." came a deep, stern voice. They turned to see none other than the infamous Uchiha leader with his younger brother trailing behind.

"It has." Hashirama strained for a smile. "Your council and elders are quite the negotiators." He commented, receiving a glare from the dark haired Uchiha.

"I take it that no agreement was met?"

Hashirama quickly shook his head, waving his arms in front of him.

"No, no. Actually they agreed to support the village." a bright smile shone across his face this time.

Madara's expression did not show reveal any thoughts he might have had about what he had just heard.

"In that case, I recommend we begin the construction on the village as soon as possible."

It was the ideal place. A huge stretch of land in the center of an enormous forest, a river even ran nearby. The area that would soon become the perfect village was so expansive that one could not see the other end of it from the ground.

The trees in the building site had been removed and relocated earlier. What must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people stood in front of the clearing. They were split into two distinctive groups; one was a mass of dark blue and purple hues, the other a splattering of many tones and colors. In front of them them stood six figures.

Thump.

The first stone block was dropped on the ground by some Senju shinobi. Then the next. And the next. Soon, dozens of large stones were being dropped in the clearing every minute. By now, the groups had already dispersed and distributed themselves in the mass area of land. Some were slicing the stones into perfect rectangular blocks, the others were stacking them to form the bases of buildings. The builders set the foundations of the buildings according to the instructions they received, as only a select few were shown the actual blueprint. The buildings grew at a steady pace, some were meant to be houses, others to be large, important buildings. Wood was also being moved into the area, being used as supports and framework.

This continued on for months, each day ending with more completed buildings than it had started with. Soon, the village center was competed, consisting of an academy building, meeting halls, parks, a stadium, and most importantly, the Hokage Tower. Clan complexes were deliberately placed throughout the village, having been determined at the discretion of the clans themselves. The Uchiha compound was located near the edge of the village, while the Senju's was the closest to the center.

"Excuse me, where were these supposed to go?" a young Senju sheepishly asked the woman he recognized as the one who worked with his leaders. He had forgotten which building the roof tiles he carried were supposed to go to. Nina glanced at the batch of large, bright red tiles.

"The Hokage Tower." she answered, motioning to the said tower where identical tiles were already being set.

"Thank you!" the man called as he ran towards the tower, crates of the clay tiles clinking behind him.

The Senju clansmen had little problem with Nina, she was introduced and accepted as an equal to their leaders. The Uchihas, however, have been regarding her as if she were a no more than a maid. Most of the men from that clan seemed to have issues with taking orders from a woman, especially when they had not seen any indication that she was deserving respect.

Madara was the worst of all.

"Woman, why has Hashirama left early?" he demanded.

Nina continued to look down at the papers in her hand, not taking notice of him.

"Woman." he was clearly not taking get well to being ignored

"Nina." She corrected.

The Uchiha glared at her.

"Where has Hashirama gone to?" he repeated the question, his tone sharper than before.

"I don't know." she said simply.

She heard him breath in slowly, trying to maintain his composure.

"Senju women have no respect..." he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not a Senju." Nina reminded him, receiving a scoff.

"You have the same attitude as that brat." That was his name for Tobirama. "No wonder you two are together."

Nina threw her pencil at him, still not looking up. He caught with ease, smirking triumphantly upon seeing that he had struck a nerve.

"We're not involved." The number of times he and his clan members had brought that up was uncountable now.

"Who's not involved?" came a new voice.

Nina looked to her right. A familiar Senju stood next to where she sat.

'Speak of the devil...'

"Tobirama." she greeted flatly.

"Nina. Madara." he shot a glare in the direction of the direction of the latter, who returned it returned almost immediately. The Senju looked away after a moment.

"Hashirama wants you to know the clan will be moving into the new compound tomorrow. He suggests you prepare your belongings as well." he stated, crossing his arms.

"Ah, right. Thank you for reminding me." the woman stood up, brushing off her yukata. "I'll do so now." She nodded at the two men, then took off in the direction of her house.

The dust shifted as Nina entered the house. She took in the scent of home; she hadn't been here for a while. Overseeing the village preparations and construction had kept her busy.

She paused for a moment: what should she bring? Or rather, what did she have to bring? Her shakujō, definitely. The few clothes she owned. The books from her clan that she had kept. Other than that, she really didn't have much, didn't need much. Quickly, Nina gathered her clothes and books into a small box. She put a hand on her staff, causing it to blur and then vanish. She couldn't have people seeing the it, it would cause far more questions than she cared to deal with.

"Thank you, Hashirama." Nina nodded gratefully at the Senju leader. He had just made arrangements for her to have her own home on the edge of the village, as she had requested. Though being close to the center would have certainly provided for easier access to the many meetings she would undoubtably have to attend, it far was too crowded and noisy for her. So naturally, she had asked for a bit of land on the outskirts of the developing village to live on.

"Not a problem." the Senju smiled. "I'll sendsomeone to tell you when it's ready, it won't be long." He assured her.

She nodded again, offering a small smile.

Later the next day, a stream of Senjus trickled into the village, bags packed and ready to settle into their new homes. They all made their way to the new compound, searching for the house number that they had been assigned.

Spotting an elderly woman carrying a heavy looking bag, Nina stepped up to her, carefully taking it from her hands.

"May I help?" she asked.

The woman looked up at her, surprised.

"Please." she let go of the bag, placing her hands behind her back. "If my old mind serves me correctly, you are the young lady working with Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama, correct?" She asked.

Nina nodded.

"May I ask who you are?" she questioned politely.

The old woman laughed.

"I forgot that we've never properly met. I am Senju Risu, one of the clan elders. I've heard many admirable things about you, young lady." she mused, looking straight ahead. "You've helped with this village a lot haven't you?" she smiled, her aged eyes shone of wisdom. "Many of us elders have dreamed of the day we would see peace. I must thank you for helping make that dream a reality."

Nina blinked, not having expected such a comment.

"It has been a pleasure." she responded slowly, unsure of what she should say.

"Ah, here it is. Sector 4, house 10." The two stopped in front of one of the houses. It was very similar to the others with only a few details distinguishing them, along with the number plastered onto the wooden stake outside the house. "I'll take that inside." Nina passed the bag back to the elder. "Thank you, young lady. I'll call you over for tea once the house is settled." she smiled warmly.

"No need for that." the younger woman politely declined. "Im glad I could help. I have to go now, I hope you enjoy your new home." she bowed slightly, turned and began in the direction of the meeting she had been heading to.

Nina entered one of the conference buildings, heading straight down the hall to the large room at the end of it.

"There you are. Come sit." Hashirama said upon seeing the Ōtsutsuki enter the room. She took her usual position next to Tobirama. There were the Senju brothers, Mito, Nina, and five Senju council members at the low-set table. There were still nine other open seats around the table. The door once again opened, nine Uchihas entered the room, taking their places. There was Madara, Izuna, and Hideaki, along with six others Nina did not recognize.

"I'm sure you know why we've called this meeting." an Uchiha council member said. "We must quickly decide which of our clan leaders will hold the title of Hokage. An early decision will ensure the other clans have more faith in the stability of this village."

Hashirama nodded at this.

"Of course. I recommend Madara be the Hokage." the Senju's words surprised everyone. "He is a strong, capable leader and would do well for the village." He grinned at his old friend.

"That is very generous of you, Hashirama-san, but we have agreed that you would be a better leader. We believe the other clans trust you more at the moment." Hideaki spoke, his voice dried with age.

The Uchiha council members nodded in reluctant agreement. As did the Senju council members, though with more pride.

"We agree." a man on the Senju side said.

"Then it is settled. The ceremony will be held once all the clans have settled in, one week from today."

The week passed by in a flash. All the clans who accepted Hashirama's offer had moved into their respective compounds in the village. Though the tension was evident, there was little significant conflict between the clans so far which, at this point, was an promising sign.

Today, all of the members of the clans gathered around the Hokage tower, thousands of people who should have been slaughtering each other stood shoulder to shoulder. Even though they separated themselves according to clan, it was quite a sight to see.

On the high balcony of the tower sat two dozen elders from the two core clans, the Senjus of the right, Uchihas on the left. Out towards the sides stood Tobirama, Mito, Madara, and Izuna, standing near their respective clan elders. In the center, directly in front of the elders, stood Hashirama, cloaked in a red and white robe and hat, both embroidered with the word 'fire'.

"Senju Hashirama," the booming voice quieted any chatter below. "Do you accept the honorable burden of the Hokage position? To protect this young village. To protect all people in it, present and future. To lead the clans to the best of your ability. "One Senju elder spoke.

"I accept." the said man answered steadily.

Cheers erupted from below, mainly from the Senju and their allies.

"Then from this day forward, Senju Hashirama shall be the known as the first Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! May your name go down in history!" the elders lowered their heads to the new Hokage, as did all other bystanders.

All but one.

The white haired figure observed the scene from afar, hidden under the shade of an old oak tree. She turned her head to the sky and closed her eyes.

'Senju Hashirama. May your reign be long and true...'