Naruto, Madara is my girl.

So far, the news of Akira's resurrection has not spread outside the top leadership of Konoha.

After witnessing firsthand how these warmongering elders operated, it was no surprise. They were waiting, waiting for disputes with other nations to erupt so they could use Akira's name as leverage for political advantage or territory.

Akira Senju's relationship with Uchiha Madara remained one of the most obscured secrets in existence. Neither the Senju clan nor the Uchiha had any notion of it. Outside of Akira himself, perhaps only Black Zetsu and White Zetsu understood the full extent of what had passed between them.

Which was why, when word of the One Hundred Million ryo Mission leaked, several Uchiha, those who believed they'd long been cast aside by the village, saw it as the spark that could shift the entire dynamic between them and the others. So they came forward on their own terms.

They just picked the wrong time to show up.

Before they could even knock on the front gate of the Senju compound, chaos exploded from inside.

"Asshole! I gave you money so you could go out and relax, not so you could pick up girls! I waited for you the whole night and you used my money to hook up?"

"No, Mito-let me explain-"

"I'm not listening, not listening!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Blasts pounded from deep within. The waiting Uchiha outside felt the Nine-Tails' chakra flaring violently through the barrier seals of the house.

It sounded less like a lovers' quarrel and far closer to two high-level shinobi tearing each other apart in earnest.

Some of the Uchiha stepped forward, their hands drifting toward their weapons, but Uchiha Chen extended his arm and stopped them with one firm gesture.

"This is family business. We do not interfere."

As if to confirm his words, Tsunade's childish but unmistakable yell rang loud and clear above the din-

"Hit him harder! Go on, Grandma Mito! Beat him!" (T/N: okay... hold on.. i thought only a decade had passed? I actually thought tsunade would be Hashirama's daughter in this AU, not his granddaughter... maybe i got something wrong... i'm confusion..)

Whatever was happening in there, Tsunade wasn't bothered by it. And if she was okay, then everything probably was fine… probably.

Crashes followed, the creaking collapse of furniture and snapping wood and Akira's screams echoed alongside Tsunade's gleeful cheering.

Eventually, everything went silent.

Uchiha Chen stepped forward and knocked twice before they were escorted to the side hall. No one commented on the human-shaped holes punched into the walls of the main building. Some of them seemed fresh-too circular and too precise, as if made by someone's body flying through solid wood at speed.

No one dared ask. And some among them already regretted coming at this hour.

"Everything is for the village. Everything is for the Uchiha," Chen repeated softly to himself-as if in prayer.

Those words caught on with the others as each tried to focus their thoughts. Determination returned to their eyes-clarity replacing hesitation.

They just hadn't rehearsed enough how to actually control their expressions. Despite being physically beautiful-handsome and elegant-their faces were stone cold and distant. Their glares were severe and stiff as if they held contempt toward everything in sight.

Which explained why Tsunade hid behind Akira's robes as soon as they entered together and took one look at them.

Akira reached down and lightly stroked her head before raising his eyes toward them with no warmth at his center.

"What are you doing here?"

"Lord Akira," Uchiha Chen said with a bow, stepping forward respectfully.

"We came to ask about your thoughts regarding the position of Hokage."

Akira narrowed his gaze. "Hokage? Didn't I already say it? I'm not interested in being Hokage. Tobirama made the call for Monkey to succeed him. Who he chooses after that doesn't concern me."

"But it was our clans, the Uchiha and Senju-who built this village together," Chen said. "No matter what anyone says, we cannot place him… Sarutobi Hiruzen… above that legacy."

"Oh?"

Akira caught the double meaning immediately. "Are you saying that only Uchiha or Senju are qualified to be Hokage? Is that your view, or is that what the Uchiha believe as a whole?"

It was sudden and it was dangerous. The room stilled instantly.

No one wanted to answer that question, not openly. Any response would expose them to risk from both sides. Admit it was personal choice, and they alone would be marked. Say it was Uchiha clan doctrine… and they risked marking their entire bloodline as disloyal.

Chen remembered walking through the village just two days earlier. He remembered how no one said anything-but looked at him like he was contamination. Every mission... every sacrifice... it didn't matter. He would always be just another Uchiha in their eyes, a threat in waiting.

Unless one of them rose to Hokage…

Unless they had power undeniable…

"It's for the Uchiha," he whispered to himself one last time, then looked Akira directly in the eye again.

"It was our idea," Chen finally said aloud. "We aren't chasing the Hokage seat for power's sake. We only want better integration within Konoha… Lord Akira, for Lady Madara's sake, we ask for your help."

"Oh?"

Akira's lips curled slightly at that name-for once genuinely pleased. The acknowledgment alone spoke volumes-and in that moment he felt validated on some deeper level no one else saw.

"We're family," he began to say, "I'll defin-"

Tsunade shot him a look-flat and judgmental-as if she could see through every layer of intent in his sentence. Bribery dressed in sentimentality wasn't new to her-and this smelled exactly like it.

Akira cleared his throat pointedly. "Cough… cough… Right..."

"I understand!" Chen interjected quickly, misunderstanding what was happening but pushing forward anyway.

He retrieved a small set of keys from his robe and slid them across the table toward Akira with both hands.

"This is-?"

"We know about your feelings for Lady Madara," Chen said sincerely. "We took the liberty of renovating her home. This key… grants you entry."

"This is Madara's…"

Akira reached forward but froze. His senses screamed-every inch of his body told him that he was being watched with predatory scrutiny.

Kagura Heart's Eye was active, and Mito wasn't even hiding it anymore.

"Didn't you promise me," Mito's chakra pulsed into her mind as clearly as speech, "that you'd be my wings?"

His shoulders slumped slightly, but only in private surrender. Family peace mattered too much now for stubbornness.

"Leave," Akira snapped abruptly, swatting the key aside without picking it up. "I don't want to see any of you right now."

"Huh?"

Several Uchiha exchanged glances in silence-their confusion painted plainly across their furrowed brows-but before any could speak again, Chen had already stood up sharply and bowed again.

"In that case, Lord Akira-we will take our leave."

Without waiting for argument or reaction from his compatriots, he turned and led them out of the hall with silent precision.

Akira exhaled only when they were gone, then looked down at Tsunade who continued pouting beside his leg, fists clenched tight against her kimono sleeve.

"Tsunade-chan," he asked gently, "do you want to be a princess?"

Her eyes lifted slowly-confused-and tilted her head slightly sideways before answering simply-

"Huh?"

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