First Snow

The surge of chakra and screaming alerted various guards surrounded the medical ward. Since it was part of Tajima's compound, Natsume and he were able to arrive quickly. Tajima immediately understood what happened based on his experience and the changes in Sahiro's chakra. He signaled to one of his guards and the area was sealed off. No one was allowed to approach.

"Wait here." Tajima didn't explain anything but directly ordered Natsume to not enter. She noticed Hinako's chakra signature go away and her father's chakra going berserk, so she wanted to enter immediately, but her feet were locked to the ground after his command.

Tajima entered alone and saw the saw-like pattern on Sahiro's eyes. He knew everything that was happening outside due to the qualitative change from the improvement in his dojutsu. He seeked Tajima for answers, "Tajima-dono, what is this?"

"Sigh, Sahiro-san, you have evolved your sharingan to the next stage."

"So that wasn't just a rumor? I feel… invincible, but it hurts so much." He gripped his heart in pain. The hurt he experienced was incomparable to the satisfaction of getting stronger. It was a bitter moment.

"This is the cursed dojutsu, Mangekyo Sharingan. In order to acquire it, a sufficiently talented Uchiha must experience the extremes of an emotion. Take some time to rest. When you are ready, I shall take you to the Naka shrine to learn about your new eyes."

Sahiro was listless so he just nodded. His eyes turned back to normal, and he continued holding Hinako's hand despite her already being dead. Tajima left and released the restrictions. Natsume body flickered to Hinako's bedside and her anger bubbled up. She was about to go off on her father until she saw the tear stains and grief-stricken expression. Even for her mother's death he did not show that kind of emotion.

"Father… what happened?" Natsume was choked up seeing her father like that. He was always a calm and cold man, so the contrast was jarring.

"Natsume, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I could have stopped her from leaving but I took her presence for granted." He shook his head and attempted to stand, but his knees were weak from kneeling for so long and the physical and emotional toll he suffered. Natsume caught him as he lost his footing and supported him to stand.

"Why are you so upset?" Natsume's question sounded heartless, but Sahiro understood what she meant. For his son and his wife, he didn't shed a single tear. But for this nanny of hers, he completely broke down. He sighed and looked back toward her lifeless body.

"When we were young, Hinako, Shino, and me, often played together. It was a year with fewer births because the fighting the year prior had spilled over much longer than usual. It was also the year when the population of the clan was at its lowest. When the time came for our generation to enter the battlefield, the clan's requirements were much lower.

We had been training for years together, but I didn't expect her to also enter the war. Living and fighting together for almost a whole year made us close. Truthfully that's when we fell in love. That winter when we returned, I discovered that my mother had made an agreement with our neighbor for me to marry Shino. I was too afraid of going against her wishes and stifled my feelings, and Hinako was too selfless to say anything."

He reminisced and the pain was visible on his face. Natsume felt that for the first time, her father looked very tired. Sahiro didn't tell her any specific details, but she now had some context to their relationship. She finally understood why Hinako would willingly serve their family and why their relationship always seemed so strained and awkward.

"Every year following that we would be on the battlefield together, and when my first child was born, she volunteered to help take care of him. Shino was happy because the three of us were childhood friends, but it only made me feel more guilty. Sigh, if only I had made a different decision back then. Hinako wouldn't have continued training to become a skilled shinobi and could have stayed home."

He shook his head self-deprecatingly and left the medical ward. Natsume stayed behind and thought about what her father had said. If things had been different, then Natsume may not have gotten to train under Hinako, and potentially would have been sent to war at a young age. She might also not have even been born. Although his grief led him down that train of thought, he was being too hard on himself.

Natsume knelt beside Hinako. She passed away with a smile, which consoled Natsume a bit. However, she wasn't here with her when she died and that made her heart heavy. She should have lived through the night, but the medical ninja did mention it was unpredictable, so she didn't have any suspicions. Although she was very sad, after seeing her father break down, she felt somewhat comforted. Perhaps the idea that there was someone else that felt so strongly consoled her.

Despite that, tears still flowed as she thought about all the memories they made together. Natsume spent the night beside her. She was awakened by Uchiha in white robes who were here to deal with Hinako's body. Natsume let them do their duty as she stood lifelessly in the corner. After she was taken out of the room, Natsume finally left toward Kono's home.

"Natsume…" Kono gave her a sad smile. She had grown attached to this girl and seeing her in such a depressed state made her emotional. When Kono started crying, Natsume started to console her which made her forget about her sadness for a moment. The two talked until nightfall and fell asleep together. Getting a chance to unload all of her feelings made her a lot more refreshed.

Several weeks passed and the beginning of winter was marked by the first snow. This was also the time in which the Uchiha honored their fallen clansmen and those before them. Everyone wore white robes and congregated together around the clan tomb.

Natsume stood with her father and they both had a solemn expression. The last time Natsume attended, only Shino, Haru and Hinako were with her. Her father remained home, and their elder brother was on guard. Now, Sahiro, Haru, and Shinji were together with Natsume as they mourned their mother, their eldest brother, and Hinako. Tajima came to the front of the tomb to speak.

"There has been a lot of loss this year, but as always, the Uchiha remains a unified clan. We take care of each other and continue to maintain our position in this chaotic world. Today we honor the dead and our ancestors for giving us life."