I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Sakura could not be more excited about training with Butsuma, but she knew she had to be careful to not show her skills too much. Thankfully, the Senju family had deduced that she was suffering from memory loss, so there was one thing to help her cover up. But eventually, Sakura planned to eventually tell them some things with the guise of "my memory is coming back".

"Sakura-chan~!"

But for now, she'd focus on settling in with her new "family".

"Hashi-kun," she smiled kindly as she greeted the exuberant boy who reminded her so much of her best friend.

"So? So? Are you ready for training with Father?" the boy cried excitedly.

Sakura giggled lightly. "Yes Hashi-kun, I'm ready. It'll be fun, don't you think?"

"Tch," a second voice scoffed. "You wish. Training with Father will be anything but fun. Sure he might go easy on you at first, but eventually he'll beat you into the ground, even if you are a girl."

"Tobi-kun," Sakura greeted warmly, ignoring his snarky last comment. 

Tobirama blinked at the nickname and quickly looked to the side, a faint blush staining his pale cheeks. No matter how many times Sakura used it, it never failed to make him embarrassed for some annoying reason. He didn't even get embarrassed or anything when his idiot brother said it, only pissed so why did he not get annoyed at the nickname? 

Tobirama had a sinking suspicion it was because Sakura was the one who was saying it. But dammit, shinobi weren't supposed to show emotion!

"Anyway, what are you so pumped up for? Are you sure you're healed enough?" Tobirama asked as his eyebrows drew together slightly in concern. "Father can be very pushy."

Sakura waved it off. "I don't think he'll be any worse than my brothers. They were the strongest in the clan, and they were only children."

Tobirama frowned. "Quick question."

"Shoot."

"What do you think of the Uchiha clan?"

Sakura blinked and then turned accusingly to Hashirama. "I thought Tobirama made friends with Izuna! What happened exactly when I was passed out?"

Hashirama held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing apart from what I told you, I swear!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine then. Tobi-kun, why do you want my opinion on the clan you are at war with?"

Tobirama shifted from foot to foot. "I guess. . . my own opinions are getting conflicted. The clan does not yet know that Father, Elder Brother and I have made peace with the Uchiha."

Sakura closed her eyes and thought about what Sasuke had told her.

"It is said that in contrast to the Senju clan who base their strength on love, the Uchiha clan's strength is based on the power of their jutsu. However, the truth is different."

Tobirama shifted off the wall he had been leaning on as Hashirama lifted his head in interest.

Sakura's face held a seriousness and her eyes shone with wisdom that no child her age should have yet as she told the two brothers the one sentence that would change their view of the Uchiha forever. 

"No clan feels deeper love than the Uchiha, and that's why they suppress and seal it away."

"What do you mean?" Tobirama demanded, brow furrowing.

Sakura exhaled quietly through her nose. "Once a member of the Uchiha clan comes to know love, it's as if all their previously checked emotions are released. Strong love and and power exceeding even the Senju's awaken."

Hashirama's eyes narrowed at the information. "But why is that a problem? It should help them bond with the Senju."

"Except that it's quite problematic," Sakura explained. "This great power hides within it the possibility of losing control. When an Uchiha has known love, then loses that deep love, it is replaced by an even stronger hate that changes them. I've. . . seen it happen," she admitted, thinking of her Uchiha teammate.

To stop questions, Sakura quickly continued on. "And that's when a special condition emerges."

"A special condition?" Hashirama whispered.

"When an Uchiha rises in agony over the loss of a great love, or from disappointment in themselves, the unique chakra is released in their brain and reacts with the optic nerves. It changes the appearance in the person's eyes, and this phenomenon is called the Sharingan."

"The Sharingan?"

Sakura lowered  her head as she remembered the five words that Sasuke had used to describe his eyes to her the first time she'd asked about them. 

"Eyes that reflect the heart."

"Eyes that reflect the heart. . ." Hashirama murmured.

"The Sharingan taps into the power of that person's heart, rapidly increasing their strength, along with the power of their hate."

Hashirama immediately thought of Madara, and how much he loved his younger brother.

"There are many sensitive people among the Uchiha," Sakura continued. "And I'm sure that nearly all who were exposed to strong emotions were taken by darkness and fell to evil. The deeper the darkness gets, the greater the visual prowess until that person can't be stopped. I can see that Madara cares intensely for his younger brother. . . maybe even more so than my brother cared for me and Naruto," she said softly.

"Why that comparison?" Tobirama couldn't help but ask.

Sakura shifted her emerald orbs to rest on him. "Because Sasuke, my brother, was willing to die for Naruto and I if it meant our survival was secured. And he. . . he was an Uchiha."

Both boys' eyes widened. Sakura's brother was an Uchiha? Didn't that make Sakura one too? Why didn't she tell them before?

"You're an Uchiha?" Hashirama breathed.

Sakura quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not an Uchiha. I'm a. . . Haruno, and a non-biological sister to Sasuke and Naruto."

"Define "non-biological"," Tobirama frowned.

"Adopted," Sakura clarified with a simple lie.

They bought it, and Tobirama nodded thoughtfully as Hashirama pursed his lips at the thought of Madara's love for Izuna. 

"What about. . . Naruto? Is he a Haruno or Uchiha?" Hashirama asked.

"No, he was. . . an Uzumaki."

"Uzumaki. . . Uzumaki. I've heard that name before. . . wait, isn't that clan from the Hidden Village of the Whirlpool?" Tobirama suddenly asked.

Sakura pursed her lips. "We found Naru washed up on shore and took him in. His name was the only thing he remembered."

Tobirama frowned. "Well, alright then. But back to the original question. You gave us an explanation on the Uchiha, but you never gave me a straight answer on what your opinion was."

Sakura hummed. "Well, as I've said before, no clan feels deeper love than the Uchiha. I've explained the Uchiha clan to you, so shouldn't that suffice?"

Tobirama opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura merely winked at him as she headed for the door.

"If you truly must know, think about what it means to be a shinobi. That might help you."

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For a long time, Tobirama mulled over the words the pinkette had told him. What did it mean to be a shinobi? Did it mean to fight to protect your precious people, or was it to fight for what you believed in? Was being a shinobi even about fighting?

Eventually admitting defeat, Tobirama headed over to the training ground where his father and Sakura were having a taijutsu spar. She seemed to be holding up well against him, but Tobirama knew his father well enough to know that he was holding back on her, but not as much as when he was sparring against either of his sons. Interesting.

After a while of observation and mental note-taking, Tobirama saw them stop sparring. Butsuma said something and Sakura shifted into her taijutsu stance. The Senju clan head then went over to correct her stance in a few places. Tobirama hadn't even noticed the gaps that were currently being corrected - Sakura's stance was almost perfect in his opinion. But with Butsuma, anything and everything can always be improved.

After two minutes of correction and getting out and into the improved stance, Butsuma nodded in approval and the two headed off for what Tobirama presumed to be a short break. He was about to head off to his room to mull over Sakura's words some more when he noticed said pinkette coming over to him, smiling sweetly.

At that moment, Tobirama internally cursed his pale skin violently as he could practically feel the red creeping up his neck and staining his cheeks at the sight of that sweet smile directed straight at him. 

Wait what?!

Tobirama shook his head furiously, trying to clear his head of such stupid notions. Shinobi do not show emotions as that clouds their judgement, and having personal attachments only made you weaker because they could be used as leverage. Tobirama found himself repeating those words for the past few weeks, ever since Sakura had come into their lives. 

"Tobi-kun."

Tobirama's head jerked into Sakura's direction. 

The pinkette giggled. "What's wrong? You seem very confused and conflicted. Are you still thinking about the Uchiha?" 

Tobirama sighed. "Yeah. I've thought about what it means to be a shinobi, but I can't get the answer. I. . . don't know what it means to be a shinobi."

Sakura tipped her head to the side, blinking her green eyes at him. He didn't know yet? Of all people, she would've thought Tobirama would've figured it out first. But then, this was just a child-version of Tobirama Senju, Second Hokage of the Hidden Village of the Leaves.

Sakura leaned against the wall next to Tobirama and lifted her face to the sky. "Tobi-kun, let me tell you a story that might help you understand a bit better."

Tobirama looked at her curiously, but Sakura kept her eyes on the sky as Sasuke's voice echoed in her head.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who was a prodigy in his own right, thinking like a leader at the age of five. When he learned that his clan was planning a coup d'etat, he knew he had to pick a side. His father was the clan head, and as he was the eldest son of the clan head as well as clan heir, it was expected of him to side with his clan."

"He chose his clan, didn't he?" Tobirama said slowly. "I would, if I was him."

"No, he didn't. This boy loved his clan, but he loved his village more. He chose the village. He went to the village leader and told him about the coup his clan was planning. The leader sent him to spy in the meetings, and after one secret meeting with the village leader, the boy was confronted with a corrupted elder who was the leader's right-hand man. He gave the boy two choices - he would wipe out the boy's clan, including his beloved little brother, or the boy could kill his clan himself, excluding his little brother, who would be under village protection."

Sakura paused and took a deep, shaky breath. Every time she told this story, every time she heard it, the meaning of the story still brought tears to her eyes. 

"Because he loved his village more than his clan, he chose to report to the village leader. But because he loved his brother more than his village, he chose to kill his clan by himself. After killing his clan and manipulating his little brother into hating him, the boy left the village as a rogue ninja, on the leader's orders, to spy and infiltrate an organization that was threatening the world. The boy did this because he loved his village, and so he willingly killed his clan, his family, to keep it safe while taking on the villain identity for the same cause."

"To keep his village safe?"

"To keep his loved one safe. He loved his clan, yes, but he loved his village more, and he loved his brother more than the village. That's why he willingly did everything to keep him safe from harm and to keep him from the death the elder threatened."

There was silence for a few minutes until Tobirama spoke up.

"That. . . was a true story, wasn't it?" 

The Senju's eyes connected with Sakura's, and he didn't waver as he held the eye contact, searching for truth.

Sakura's eyes softened. "Yes. After the story, my brother understood what it meant to be a shinobi. Do you?"

Tobirama paused. "I. . . need to think on this a bit more."

Sakura nodded understandingly. "Come to me when you find your answer. For now, I must return to my training." And the pinkette pushed herself off the wall and jogged lightly over to the training ground where Butsuma was waiting.

Tobirama inhaled through his gritted teeth and exhaled the air in a hissing noise. The white-haired Senju pushed off the wall and headed back into his room. 

As he left, Sakura looked back slightly and smiled at his expression that indicated he was mulling. 'Good luck, Tobi-kun.'

When in the safe confines of his room, Tobirama sat down hard on his bed and put his elbows on his knees with the bottom half of his face hidden by interlaced fingers.

[Basically Uchiha brooding pose]

The story that Sakura had told him was a true one. And the love that the boy held for his little brother reminded Tobirama of Madara's love for Izuna. He was confused, so very confused. And conflicted. So Tobirama decided to sort his mind out properly, with the thoughts numbering from oldest to newest, and "delete" the ones that he didn't think about anymore.

1. The Uchihas are, and always will be, the enemies of the Senju

2. Never associate with an Uchiha - kill them on the spot or spy on them and report back to Father

3. Clan before blood

4. Always put your clan first in front of anything

5. Always keep your emotions in check and do not form any attachments because they make you weak

6. Precious people make you stronger, because you have something to fight for, someone to protect

7. Love is powerful but dangerous

8. If you love something or someone enough, you would be willing to sacrifice yourself and possibly anything else to keep that something or someone safe

9. What does it mean to be a shinobi?

Now that the nine things were sorted out, Tobirama set about "deleting" them. Once he was done with the process, he found he had deleted thoughts one to four. Six to nine was certain, however number five was a question mark. Meaning:

5. Always keep your emotions in check and do not form any attachments because they make you weak (?)

6. Precious people make you stronger, because you have something to fight for, someone to protect

7. Love is powerful but dangerous

8. If you love something or someone enough, you would be willing to sacrifice yourself and possibly anything else to keep that something or someone safe

9. What does it mean to be a shinobi?

Tobirama decided that six through to eight was something he should keep in mind at all times. These three thoughts were the things Sakura had taught him, and now that he thought about it, Sakura had taught him many things, and was changing his perspective on the clan feud, on the Uchiha, and now on what it truly meant to be a shinobi.

He was grateful to Sakura, he really was.

She had opened his eyes for him.

Now it was his turn to repay the favour - he would discover what it meant to be a shinobi and what he truly thought of the Uchiha, without Sakura's help.

Tobirama focused and replayed the story in his head. Again and again, Sakura's voice spoke those words in his head. The words swirled around his head until he picked out the words and sentences that he felt Sakura was emphasizing.

"Pick a side. . ."

"Expected of him to side with his clan. . ."

"He loved his clan, but he loved his village more. . ."

"He chose his village."

"Because he loved his village more than his clan, he chose to report to the village leader. . ."

"But because he loved his brother more than his village, he chose to kill his clan by himself."

"The boy did this because he loved his village. . ."

"He willingly killed his clan, his family. . ."

"Taking on the villain identity for the same cause. . ."

"To keep his loved one safe."

"He loved his clan, yes, but he loved his village more, and he loved his brother more than the village."

"That's why he willingly did everything. . ."

Tobirama's eyes widened. Of course, this was what Sakura was trying to tell him. The boy she spoke of had done everything out of love, he had willingly endured so much for the sake of his village and his brother.

So that was what it meant to be a shinobi. . . but what did that say about his opinion on the Uchiha?

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》    

"Sakura."

The pinkette looked up from where she was sitting on her futon and set her book down. She wordlessly patted the duvet and the boy standing in the doorway hesitated before heading over to sit down on the spot she indicated.

"You found out what it means to be a shinobi, then?"

Tobirama nodded slowly, and couldn't stop himself from noticing the soft understanding in her emerald green eyes and the the gentle curve of her lips. It was messing with him, and Tobirama had to focus intently to stop his wandering thoughts.

"I. . . thought about it, and I finally figured out what you were trying to tell me through that story. To be a shinobi. . . is to endure. That's what it means to be a shinobi, right?"

Sakura nodded, and her expectant eyes told him that she wanted to know more.

Tobirama took a deep breath. "The Uchiha. . . are rivals, and not enemies. The feud should end. Neither the Uchiha nor the Senju know what caused it. What was it's origin? Why have these two clans been fighting for so long? It's pointless. The feud should end, and the two clans should form a peace treaty. It's been far too long already, and too many lives have been lost, some of them being children."

'And you were nearly one of them,' Tobirama silently added.

Sakura smiled and patted his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Tobi-kun. Yes, that is exactly what it means to be a shinobi, and I'm glad that you've sorted out your thoughts."

For some reason, Tobirama felt his heart skip a beat when the pinkette in front of him told him that she was proud of him.

"Now, you just need to talk to Hashi-kun and then you two and discuss it with your father. Butsuma-san has been thinking on the Uchiha like you, ever since the incident at the river."

Tobirama's lips formed a thin, white line. That would be the hardest thing of all. But he knew, even if it was only a few weeks, that Sakura would be the type of person who would pick peace over violence. He also knew that Madara and Hashirama would do anything to stop the feud, and so it was up to him and Izuna to figure out which side they were on.