#but i think tobirama would be impressed that he figured it out from what little bit he saw. and then. heh. you know.

[domoz]

Girl help i keep Hikaku posting instead of writing the fics I need to.

In this one, Tobirama takes a gamble:

No good sense has brought them here, just Madara's grief and rage.

Hikaku cant begrudge the man that after what's happened to his brother, but in this moment he wishes it had manifested another way. A battle with the Senju is nothing new, but in all of his perfect memory he can never quite remember things being this chaotic.

Hashirama is tearing up the landscape just to match Madara, who in his fury is trying to break past his usual opponent to go after Tobirama.

Tobirama, who without Izuna there to stop him, is currently beating Hikaku to a pulp.

This guy is on another level, he thinks breathlessly. He'd always known that, in theory. Izuna had been one of the best, after all and Tobirama had always matched him (until he surpassed him).

In practice, the only thing keeping Hikaku alive is the sharigan's ability to predict movements and whatever it is that's stopping the Senju from using whatever technique it was that injured Izuna.

He stopped trying to block the water dragons after the first and has gone from disrupting their paths with boulders to trying to shred them apart with pebbles as he's grown more exhausted. It hardly slows them, but it's kept him from being completely swept away so far, and if that keeps him alive than that's what he'll do.

That's what he's just done (ending up soaked, but still on his feet) when Tobirama pauses, landing on a high branch a decent enough distance away that even Hikaku might have a chance to avoid whatever he throws at him.

From his perch, Tobirama tilts his head, looking over Hikaku with a considering gaze.

"You have excellent chakra control." He says after a moment, "Even better than Izuna's."

Hikaku blinks, but he does not un-tense, remembering Izuna's many rants about how Tobirama liked to play games with his opponents -- to let them think they’ve won, until they haven't.

Hikaku does not think himself anywhere close to winning, but every moment they aren't actively fighting is another moment he hasn't died.

"It's hardly worth comparing us." Hikaku frowns, "And pointless. He still lives."

"For how long? Days? If that." Tobirama purses his lips, a tiny thing that Hikaku would have missed from this distance if his sharingan weren't still activated, "No, I don't think there's much time left at all."

Hikaku has no idea how he knows that, but he isn't wrong. The gut wound he'd left Izuna with has been festering. He wouldn't be surprised to return to the compound to find him dead already. What kind of sick taunt is this?

As he talks, Tobirama starts making hand signs -- a long string of them, and not a jutsu Hikaku recognizes. His breath catches and he readies himself, prepared to run from whatever devastation this is going to bring -- but when he finishes the only result he can see is a pale green glow coating the Senju's palm.

Tobirama raises his hand, touches it to a cut on his cheek where a bit of rubble had caught him. When he draws it away, the wound is gone.

A technique that can heal injuries with chakra. When he realizes what he's just been allowed to see -- what he's just been allowed to copy with his sharingan -- Hikaku nearly staggers under the weight of it.

His next thought is 'I'm going to die'. Because surely, surely, there's no way Tobirama Senju is going to allow him to walk away with the knowledge he's just been given.

There's a piercing two toned whistle, a bright white flare high in the sky. Retreat called, on both sides. And contrary to everything, to all rational thought, Tobirama does not leap forward, does not cut his throat or snap his spine, but turns, gives Hikaku a long glance, and follows the rest of the Senju in their retreat.

It takes Hikaku a long moment to unfreeze. To go regroup with his clan, mind whirling.

It must be a trap, but what use is there to lay one for a man already as good as dead? If this was some ploy to give false hope, then why pick him, when he could just keep what had happened to himself?

His clansmen are all silent as they return from the battlefield, Hikaku most of all.

I don't think there's much time left at all. That's what Tobirama had said. But time for what?

Hikaku is not a fool -- he does not try to use what he's learned on Izuna, or even on himself and the many cuts and bruises he's come home with. When everyone else goes off to see their own hurts treated, to see their loved ones, when Madara goes straight from the battlefield to go sit by his brother, Hikaku slips away from them all.

The main house has a koi pond, and though the landscaping leaves much to be desired after years of Madara and Izuna using it for their sibling rivalries, it still holds fish. Hikaku mentally apologizes to the late Lady Uchiha as he grabs a koi by the tail and yanks it out of the water, but he thinks, if this works, he will be forgiven.

He waits for the fish to stop thrashing before he makes a cut down it's side; nothing too deep, nothing it couldn't survive on it's own. He lets his sharingan spin, calls up the memory of the hand signs, the way Tobirama's chakra had been stripped of its element, how it had condensed thicker than he'd ever seen.

It only takes him a few moments to understand why Tobirama had made a comment on his chakra control. It's difficult -- more than any technique he's ever tried. But… Not impossible.

If he had more time, he thinks he'd be able to get it to work. As it is…

Hikaku is not optimistic. But he will try.

He lets the koi back into the pool as, for the first two hours he focuses only on the chakra -- cleaning it, folding it in on itself over and over and over again. He gets his hands to glow green once before he pulls the koi out of the water again.

There's a delicate balance, he learns. He very nearly overloads the fish's chakra coils before he understands what he's meant to be doing. The information the jutsu gives him is nearly incomprehensible, but there's a feeling to it. The cut feels like metal in the back of his mouth -- and it wants to heal, its already trying to, all he has to do is help it along. To hold his chakra on the bits that make his ears ring (and nowhere else, or the chakra will burn healthy flesh) until they've knitted themselves together again.

He thinks he's starting to get the idea when he released the koi back into the water -- cut gone but side covered in chakra burns. The chakra is giving a place for the scar tissue to form sooner than it should, or something like it. Hikaku shakes his head. It's interesting, but the theory will come later when he's got less important things to think about.

A chill has fallen as the sun has gone down, but Hikaku finds himself wiping his brow from the exertion of it all. If he could, he would rest, would at least find another animal to test on, but… Time.

He's not ready for Izuna quite yet, though. Hikaku goes home, throws together the most nourishing food he can in as short a time as he can manage, and tries to heal himself.

It's easier and harder than the fish; humans being the more complicated animal. Hikaku ends up getting a lot more feedback he has no idea what to do with -- but he can tell when he's coming close to hurting himself, too. That probably won't be true, when he tries this on another person. To avoid that he needs more control, and more than anything else, a hell of a lot more practice.

By midnight, Hikaku has managed to heal a bruise that had been starting to bloom on his thigh. Nothing, compared to the wound Izuna has, but he did it.

He feels dizzy when he tries to stand up, to walk over to the main house. Hikaku curses, but it seems like his body has made up its mind for him. Sleep is the best thing for stamina, after all, and he's not certain how much longer his control will hold out without rest. If he's too late, he still knows he's tried his hardest.

He's asleep nearly as fast as his head touches the futon, for all of four hours before anxiety has him rising right before the sun.

Well, he's a shinobi, he's done more on less. He eats old rice, drinks tea that's hardly had time to steep, and walks across the compound in the pre-dawn twilight to try and perform a miracle.

Madara is awake when he steps inside -- hunched over, face in his hands, looking like he's aged about ten years since Hikaku saw him last. For a heart-stopping moment, Hikaku fears that he was too late after all.

"He asked me to take his eyes." Madara says in lieu of a greeting, voice muffled.

Hikaku grimaces. The mangekyo is as horrifying as it is powerful, but if Izuna is asking that, it means…

He's given up. He's conceded that he's going to die. Hikaku has even less time than he'd thought.

"…Is he awake right now?" Hikaku feels breathless, like he's walking on a wire.

"He was when I left him." Replies Madara, voice rough. For him to have left Izuna's side while his brother was still awake, they must have argued. Probably about the eyes.

Hikaku nods, turns to walk to the room where Izuna's sickbed is without asking any more. He won't explain, not yet, won't give false hope. Explanations can come after, right now he's just got to try.

Izuna doesn't react to his entrance -- he's still breathing, but asleep or unconscious. Just as well, Hikaku thinks wryly, pulling the chair he knows Madara has spent hours in to give him better access to the wound on Izuna's side, He'll be less distracting like this.

He's changed this wound before, and when Hikaku pulls the bandages off its still as ugly as it was the day Izuna got it, the blood clotted and dark. It doesn't smell, at least. Hikaku has no idea how this jutsu handles infections.

One bracing breath is all he allows himself before making the handsigns, pulling the chakra to his hands. It's easier after rest, but harder, for the nerves.

Izuna twitches as Hikaku places his hands over the wound, as the back of his throat fills with the taste of copper. His entire attention focuses down to his hands, to the skin and muscle under them, to threading his chakra back and forth and pulling things back to how they should be.

"H'kaku?" He hears after a while. Izuna's voice, but he doesn't look, even as the man goes tense beneath him. He seems to understand that whatever Hikaku is doing, it needs concentration.

It could only have been minutes, or it could have been days by the time Hikaku's chakra starts to waver. He dismisses the technique, not wanting to undo his work. He hasn't done nearly as much as he'd wanted to but he thinks… He thinks he might have stopped the downward spiral, at least.

"Hikaku." Izuna's voice again. When he looks up, Hikaku's vision goes white with spots. He's sweating with exertion, he realizes, and now that he's dropped the jutsu his hands are shaking so badly he doesn't think he'll be able to form the hand signs again.

A heavy hand lands on his shoulder. When his vision finally stops spinning Madara and Izuna are both staring at him with wide eyes.

This is the most lucid he's seen Izuna in over a week.

"Hikaku." Madara is the one who speaks this time, sounding breathless, "What was that?"

 "I think…" Hikaku gasps, "That was Tobirama Senju's way of asking for peace."

#oops! no writing tag #naruto blog for naruto things #hikaku uchiha #tobirama senju #not. tagging the uchiha brothers their roles are too minor. but they ARE here #youve seen tobirama and hashirama heal izuna #now get ready for THIS #i like to think tobirama did some research before he just gave that technique away #and also some risk assessment. he knows it was not likely to work #but he also knows not many people would be able to figure out that technique from just what hikaku saw #ie: even if izuna dies and hikaku spreads the technique around its not likely many people will be able to use it and use it properly #hikaku certainly isn't doing it very efficiently! #but i think tobirama would be impressed that he figured it out from what little bit he saw. and then. heh. you know. #oneshot

[cooliogirl101]

When they meet, Hashirama is a 18-year-old boy who’s known as an idealist fool with dreams bigger than himself and Hisana is a 15-year-old civilian girl with a cranky, elderly donkey as her only companion.

“No, no, no, not again,” Hisana groaned as she woke up to see that Carrot had-- once again-- chewed through her ropes and was now chomping away at some flowers further down the road. “Goddammit, get back here, you stupid donkey!”

At the sight of Hisana running towards her, Carrot took off at a fairly impressive speed, considering she was 22 years old and had arthritis. Not for the first time, Hisana considered just letting her go-- but then, that wouldn’t do. There were wolves out there (probably), just waiting to make a meal out of some poor old donkey, and Carrot was pretty slow when she wasn’t making Hisana’s life difficult. She wouldn’t survive.

The sound of muffled laughter caught Hisana’s attention and she looked up to see a teenage boy perched in a tree (where had he even come from??), one hand covering his mouth in a very poor attempt at hiding his amusement.

“Need some help?” He offered, eyes glinting with humor as he took in Hisana’s sorry attempt at chasing down her donkey.

Hisana briefly considered turning him down to try and preserve what remained of her dignity, then glanced back at Carrot’s departing figure and promptly decided it was too early in the morning for things like personal pride and chasing down donkeys.

“If you don’t mind,” she said, only a little grudgingly. The stranger’s lips quirked up and he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, only to reappear holding Carrot’s reins a second later.

Hisana blinked. So he was a shinobi. Alrighty, then.

“Here you go,” the stranger said cheerfully, a grumpy donkey trotting behind him.

Scowling, Hisana marched up to Carrot and swatted her lightly on the head.

“Do that again and I’ll make donkey skewers out of you, don’t think I won’t,” she threatened. Carrot nudged at her, nosing around for something to eat, and Hisana sighed, wrapping her arms around Carrot’s neck in a hug before turning to the stranger.

“Thank you. Really,” she said, giving him a faint smile. “You saved me ten minutes of chasing after her.”

“No need to thank me! It was no trouble at all, honestly,” the stranger laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was glad to help.”

Hisana studied him for a moment. She didn’t think he was acting, exactly, but there was something almost scripted about the way he spoke, his posture, his expressions, every movement carefully telegraphed. Like he was taking care to appear as harmless as possible.

It didn’t take a genius to realize why. This may have been her first time encountering a shinobi in person, but she’d heard more than enough stories.

They’re killers, Hisana, plain and simple. People without honor, who slaughter children, innocents, each other-- whoever they’re paid to slaughter-- without hesitation or remorse. Monsters in every sense of the word.

“Hey, um,” she said slowly. “Have you eaten?”

“I beg your pardon?” The shinobi asked, startled.

“I asked if you’d had breakfast yet,” Hisana repeated. “If not, would you care for something to eat? I can offer you--” She paused to mentally take stock of her food inventory. “--leftover meat buns, half an apple, and some vaguely sketchy berries.”

The shinobi coughed.

“Vaguely sketchy berries?” He asked, lips twitching. Hisana shrugged.

“I mean, I’m pretty sure they’re harmless. I’ve been snacking on them for days and I haven’t died yet, which is a good sign.” She smiled at him. “So, breakfast?”

“Yeah,” the shinobi said quietly, after a pause. There was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, almost like he was waiting for her to withdraw her invitation. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

~~

“I’m Hisana, by the way.”

“Hashirama. It’s very nice to meet you, Hisana.”

~~

Hashirama ended up staying for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then for another two days past that. Shinobi, it turned out, made for very good hunters, something Hisana discovered very quickly into their acquaintance.

“Hashirama,” she said, staring at the struggling rabbit in Hashirama’s hand. “This is the fifth rabbit you’ve brought me. I appreciate the thought, but--” She gestured helplessly in the general direction of the rabbit. “--it’s really too much.”

“It’s okay, you can save it for later!” His expression fell. “Unless you’re tired of rabbits? Wait no, of course you’d be tired of rabbits, I should have thought of that. I can get you something else instead? Maybe a pheasant? I think I saw some pheasants around here.”

Hisana studied him for a moment.

“Hashirama,” she said abruptly. “Why did you decide to travel with me?”

“What do you mean?” Hashirama asked, brow furrowed.

“I mean that I’m well-aware I’m slowing you down. Don’t deny it, you can’t tell me that your maximum speed is that of a twenty-something year-old donkey,” she said, exasperated. “I’m not the best at cooking, and we’ve already established that you’re a far better of a hunter than I am. So why stay? Why travel with me when it’d be easier for you to travel alone?”

He was quiet for a long moment.

“You knew I was a shinobi and invited me to stay anyway,” he said finally, voice soft. He wasn’t quite meeting her eyes. “And besides, I like talking to you.”

Hisana swallowed, caught off guard.

“And I like talking to you,” she replied quietly. “I didn’t invite you along because I wanted your protection, or someone to hunt for me, or anything like that, Hashirama, I did so because I have fun spending time with you. If you like catching rabbits or whatever, that’s fine. But don’t feel like you have to do so for my sake, or that you need to-- to prove something to me.”

Hashirama let out a slightly shaky laugh.

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m not very used to this,” he admitted. “You know, you’re the first civilian I’ve spent time with outside of a mission?”

“Well, you’re the first shinobi I’ve ever met,” she replied. He looked at her, surprised.

“Seriously? But you weren’t scared at all!” He exclaimed.

“Well, that’s on you,” she scoffed. “You weren’t very frightening.”

“Or maybe you’re just not very easy to scare,” he answered.

“If that helps your ego, sure,” Hisana grinned.

She reached down to stroke Carrot’s neck.

“So tell me, what was it like, growing up as a shinobi?

When Hashirama hesitated, she added, “You can lie about all the classified parts. It’s not like I would know, anyway.”

Hashirama laughed, shaking his head.

“Alright, then,” he said, smiling. “But I’m warning you, it’s really not as interesting as you’re probably imagining. I grew up in a large ninja clan, and--”

Bonus:

“Care to explain why you came back from your mission three days late?” Tobirama asked flatly. “Half the clan thought you’d died.”

Hashirama smiled, a slightly dreamy look in his eyes. Tobirama didn’t like it at all.

“Just took a detour, that’s all.”

The next time they meet, several years later, Hashirama is the newly appointed leader of his clan and Hisana has built a name for herself as a wandering clan-less healer (she listens for rumors of recent battles/bandit attacks/shinobi disputes and goes wherever there’s recent bloodshed. In doing so, she creates quite a few connections and ends up building the shinobi world’s largest, most detailed information network completely by accident).

#wtl!au #hippocrates au

[senju-sekhmet]

The Leash (Part 12, Fin.)

Summary: Your rescue was supposed to be as smooth as these missions can be. However very quickly, Tobirama faces off against an enemy that has no form, color or smell - and time is running short, very fast. Unless he figures out what truly holds you hostage, your life will be lost. Warnings (for the finished work): Blood, illness, descriptions of heavy injuries and graphic violence, torture (both depicted and implied), needles, morally grey territory, human experimentation, panic attacks, character death, angst with a happy ending ~8600 words (this chapter, finished work: 83.600) Previous: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9; Part 10; Part 11

Read on AO3!

Final chapter! To all the brave souls that kept up with this fic until now: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! <3 Disclaimer below, as always!

DISCLAIMER! My super self-indulgent work comes to an end! I hope this makes up a bit for all the angst that happened and - stick around until the end for more notes from silly me <3

_________

The burn had faded.

Abruptly as ever, and it was followed by nightmares that you knew well. Nightmares whose intensity paled in comparison to being burning alive, but nonetheless nightmares they were. They also passed, and back you were in nothingness. Drifting under the surface that you couldn’t break through.

You had not died, had you? They had kept you alive. They still were. It must’ve been Hashirama. Maybe Tobirama had been there, too. 

It was so tiring to think of all this.

The darkness began to stretch. You still were suspended in it, held down - bound somehow - but the nightmares didn’t return. Instead a different kind of sensation set in: itches. Everywhere. Inside, outside - wherever that was, anymore. A headache, maybe? You felt… warm. It became uncomfortable quickly, but nowhere near the sensation of withdrawal - which might be because alongside all this came numbness. As though someone had cut the chains of suspension, lowered you down and put a weighted blanket over you. It still was confining, but in a way also a shallow repose.

You were too frightful to trust it.

You didn’t know what was happening anymore.

You just wanted to rest, but the itch and the aches everywhere were keeping you from it. How annoying.

 ______

His heart beat achingly and there was a tightness in his chest that felt awfully familiar. The only reason he wasn't being crushed again by heartache again was his brother tending to you.

It had been twelve hours since Tobirama and his brother had literally pushed you off of the verge of death. Now, it was time to pay the price for keeping your heart beating and your lungs breathing.

Violent shivers ran through your body, the sheets were drenched from sweat. Hashirama was inspecting ink on the seals that kept supporting you - ensured your heart beat strongly, upped the blood pressure, sustained your organs more than your body would right now. Wordlessly, Tobirama handed him new drenched parchments to replace the dried up ones at the centers of the seals that released the medication they each had been soaked in.

His hand trembled slightly. "The severity-"

Hashirama cut him short firmly. "Her condition is critical, but stable. All she needs now is time." His brother gazed up at him. “You should rest more, Tobirama.”

His scarlet eyes glared at him, lifting from your pitiful form only momentarily. “I will once Y/n is better.”

It wasn't the first time Tobirama had spoken up. When the true brunt of the overload had started to hit you initially, he nearly panicked - what little peace of mind he had found combusted in an instant and his concern for had him back in a vice grip. His brother on the other hand had not been impressed; he had known it would come to this and his confidence alone had reassured him. Time and again he had told Tobirama it was going to be fine.

All it needed was time.

The man didn’t question his brother, of course - but it wouldn’t easily quench his worries, either. Not when you were lying here, trembling, feverish - whimpering. And he - helpless to do anything but watch. Like before.

He was tired of seeing you teetering on the edge of death with no means of pulling you back. He didn't want to wait anymore for your recovery, he wanted things to start becoming better now. He was tired of being helpless.

He'd spent every waking second by your side until he knew you were well again.

 ______

More time passed.

Possibly. The blanket didn’t lift. The nightmares - the nightmares didn’t return, either. That surprised you. The circle… the circle was broken, somehow.

Was this death then, after all?

The itch had faded too, slowly - the uncomfortably warm sensation, the aches - it all went away. You were your sweet nothingness, far away from all you had endured, your horrible memories.

No pain.

You could stay here comfortably. If this was death, then you were fine with it. Though you felt one ache still - Tobirama. 

He would never forgive himself. If only you could tell him, one last time - that you were alright, that he gave his all. That you loved him and would do so forever.

That sorrow haunted your bliss. And it wouldn’t fade. Quite the contrary - it became stronger and stronger. The stronger it became, the more sensations and thoughts broke through. At first, your mind began to shake off the dark stupor that held it captive until now. Your thoughts became clearer. The process of all you went through - the lack of nightmares now, the breaking of the agonizing routine that previously had governed your life cruelly - it could, should mean one thing. But you didn’t dare to delve into the thought more. Instead, you focused on the sensations that you picked up. Presences. You didn’t feel alone in your darkness anymore. Someone was watching you. You knew them well. Countless times, you’ve traced over his chakra network gently as an inward embrace too tender to put into words.

Tobirama.

He must be doing the same. Occasionally, there was another presence you could identify too, after your mind cleared up more: Hashirama’s. 

It made you reel - with excitement. It must mean one thing?

And yet no matter how much you wanted to reach out - you didn’t exactly know how. It wasn’t like you were asleep. Either they put you into this state - or maybe you were too weak? - but every time you tried to shake off the nothingness that had become your comfortable cocoon, you ended up exhausting yourself to a point your mind started to drift away again. Maybe not yet.

You kept on digging your way out bit by bit, every time you felt able to. Senses were returning. At first, there was touch. Perception of yourself - not in the abstract sense, but in an acute way. Your legs, your arms. Your chest. The beating of your heart. Your hand being touched, Tobirama’s chakra warmly hailing and covering your network. At first you simply basked in that sensation. You wanted to return the gesture, but it wasn’t possible - that frightened you, but you didn’t question it. Yet. You just continued to work your way out of this. Every now and then, someone would grasp your jaw to pour a liquid in - the leash, you realised. Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t resist it. After touch came hearing. There wasn’t much, really. The birds chirping outside. Conversations between Tobirama and his brother, though you were too tired to follow them, really.

Finally - finally came your eyes. When you opened your eyes again for the first time in who knew how long, your lids felt as heavy as leaden blankets. You almost wanted to close them again directly, figuring the endeavour was just too tiresome.

If it wasn’t for the face by the side of your bed.

His scarlet eyes lit up in a rare streak of excitement. Excitement you could identify as such, at the very least. He suddenly was closer - you realised he must’ve gotten up from his chair to sit by your side - you felt a warm sensation on your hand. His was on it - and already, his chakra moved over your network. That you still had no access to. “Y/n?”, the jitter in his baritone voice was unlike him. Frightened, almost.

You forced yourself out of the proverbial swamp to give him a better look-over. As per usual, his facial markings were painted on perfectly, the black undergarment he wore when neither in battle nor in formal attire was spotless - and his white hair, spiky as per usual.

You realised then, you had thought you never would see his face again. 

His brows furrowed and his lips formed a thin, turned-down line. “Y/n?”, he inquired again, now growing more worried. Something wet rolled over your cheek. A sound - you were sobbing.

You really were here, again. With him. 

“T-Tobi��”, you croaked out, choking on your own voice. It didn’t sound like you. Raspy, blocked. Withered from not being used. More sobs followed that you had no control over.

Tobirama’s expression grew heartbreakingly sorrowful - his lower lip trembled. He nodded jerkily and extended a hand to cup your cheek gently; wipe at your tears tenderly. Carefully. As if too much pressure might harm you. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and then finally - “I’m here.” The jitter was gone from his deep voice. It was reaffirming now.

“I-I t-thought…”, you took a deep breath, working through every word slowly. “... I d-d-died.” The tears continued to roll down your cheeks as Tobirama caressed you.

Now he sounded decidedly pained. Haunted. “You almost did.” In an ironic way, his brutal honesty was reassuring. This really was Tobirama in front of you. “But you’re safe now. You’ll make it, Y/n.” With the determination in his voice, there was no question about that bit.

Suddenly, you felt an urge quell within you so desperately you were overwhelmed to even get the words out properly. You’d have moved on your own to sit up, were it not for the fact just keeping your eyes open was tantamount to running uphill at full speed. But you needed this, now. Badly. Achingly. “H-hold m-me, please,” you stuttered with your rusty voice.

Tobirama hesitated momentarily and stopped his caressing motion on your cheek. He swallowed, indecision clear on his face, “I’m not sure if I should-”

“D-damn it,” you hissed, each second letting your ache for him to be nearer grow more painful. Your sobs came out as wheezing sounds now, increasingly frustrated by the moment that really just lasted so very shortly.

Suddenly his arms wrapped around your chest and his warm face buried itself in the cold crook of your neck, letting you tilt your head to smell his hair. The fresh scent of his - when was the last time you’d smelled it? Whether it was sheer force of will or actually more hidden strength, you willed one of your thin arms to rest on Tobirama’s back that was heaving intensely. He was careful to not put any weight on you except for the contact of your bodies, his chest covering yours - you knew it, but all that mattered was he was here. The sheer purity of the moment snuffing out the ache, the fear - all of the torment and agony of the past days, weeks, whatever it has been.

You simply basked in this as you closed your eyes to feel the connection not just physically, but also from his chakra.

Alive.

You made it.

Although - “My c-chakra,” you whispered questioningly, not bothering to form a full sentence nor break the silence - the serenity - longer than you had to.

Tobirama’s breath came warm against your skin. “Sealed, right now. I’ll open it up-”

He wanted to move. “No,” you replied swiftly, with as much firmness as your weak voice could muster since your body certainly wouldn’t hold anyone back. “Stay.”

Wordlessly, he settled back against you to let the moment continue. Your damn chakra could wait, it would be muted anyway, wouldn’t it?

No matter how long you wanted to stretch this all out, tiredness was beginning to grip you. And despite the fight you put up, you couldn’t help the hand slipping off of Tobirama’s back and your eyes involuntarily closing, every now and then. You hated it. You’ve been away for too long.

Tobirama felt it too, of course. Despite your protest, he pulled back slowly to resume holding your hand gingerly in his. His scarlet eyes had a reddish hue to them now, but his expression was mellow. “You should rest again, Y/n.”

You huffed. “I b-believe I r-rested enough.”

A fine smile formed on his slips and he shook his head. “Not nearly enough, I’m afraid.”

You rolled your eyes in response. “T-tell me f-first. What h-happened.” And your tone left no question about how much you wanted to know, now.

Which Tobirama recognized easily with a sigh. He took a deep breath and his gaze wandered to the ceiling, his deep voice neutral now. You knew what this meant. “We’ve almost run out of leash and it was just through a trick that I learned the final secret to this damn drug. Had it taken any longer, the withdrawal might have killed you. It is thanks to Hashirama’s expertise the chakra overload didn’t, actually.” His effort to keep his voice neutral was failing slightly as the tremble returned to it.

So that was the itch, the ache. Interesting, because for chakra overload - you really hadn’t felt much.

“We managed it the same way we did during the withdrawal,” Tobirama explained, “But the reaction became severe nonetheless. You ran an extremely high fever we had to cool down and it was only due to sedation you weren’t in pain,” his eyes had wandered back to your face, studying it cautiously now. Almost as if he was searching for evidence to the contrary.

You, on the other hand, had to muster all your left energy to process the information and most looked as though you were ready to crash at any given second.

Surprisingly, Tobirama continued his explanation, even though his gaze became more worried. “The seals stabilised you throughout the rest of the overload reaction, which was… intense.” He paused for a moment, his voice having become more quiet. Once more he had to clear his throat before he found his voice again, visibly struggling to find the words and yet speaking clearly nonetheless. “Your condition still became critical. Like said, had it been any other than Hashirama healing you during the last withdrawal, you might have died.”

You exhaled breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding. Your gaze drifted over your blanketed self as the realisation hit you more and more. 

Might have died.

Close. Everything had been so close.

You’d been running from one danger into the next, life being threatened each lasting second, no break in sight.

“Y/n,” Tobirama’s firm voice became more distant as drawing breaths was becoming harder again and you forcefully swallowed down tears. “Y/n,” he called out again, less firm - a hand stroked up your forearm gently.

“I d-don’t,” you began, trying to wrenched the words out past your sobs, “It’s- d-damn it!”, either your voice got stuck or the wheezing breaths made it to hard, but you couldn’t articulate the overwhelming amount of shock that coursed through your veins. At least you thought it was that. More like a conglomerate of shock, existential pain, sorrow and ultimately, despair.

Tobirama watched helplessly as you fell apart more and more, his eyebrows furrowing in a most desperate way. Once more he reached for your face but this time, his palm stroked your hair gently as his lower lip quivered in search for better words. He didn’t have any - most likely because he felt much the same, if you were to guess. Finally though - “You’ll be fine,” his baritone voice but a whisper, “You’re safe now.” Over and over again.

“I’m here for you.”

Although the moment wasn’t filled with serenity, you needed it. You needed to hear it - over and over again, to feel him caressing you, his chakra like a warm blanket on your network. 

You survived, that was one thing.

But the danger - the danger was over.

Finally.

Exhale. Relax.

Eventually, the tears stilled and your breath evened out. Exhaustion claimed you fast now, but you wanted to keep gazing at his face. Tobirama’s expression had grown more mellow. He allowed it, for a bit longer. Eventually though - “Rest now, Y/n. I’m not - you’re not going anywhere. Allow me,” he pulled the blanket down your chest.

You still were littered with seals of course, but Tobirama’s fingers had already settled right in the middle of your chest in the center of the intricate chakra seal. A brief glow later, you could access your sluggish, muted chakra again. The comfort in that feeling alone sent you further down into drowsiness.

A pitiful sigh escaped your lips.

He covered you up with the blanket again. You thought you might have heard him again, but you couldn’t make out any words. Already, sleep had claimed you.

 ______

The next few times you woke didn’t differ much from one another; usually your strength lasted only long enough for you to open your eyes and stay awake for a short period of time before sleep claimed you again. Even so, the intervals began to increase and as they did, so did your strength to move your arms at least. It was frustrating nonetheless - lying flat on your back only was entertaining for so long. The spirit and mind weren’t as broken, worn out and torn as the rest of you, it seemed.

“I think I’ll go crazy at some point,” you huffed lowly. It was evening and the room was drenched in beautiful, reddish hues of the evening sun. “There really is nothing to do.”

Tobirama was sitting in the chair beside your bed, slowly raising up an eyebrow as his lips formed a fine smirk. “If you’re complaining again, then you must be recovering well,” he observed with dry irony, which you could only roll your eyes at. He had kept his promise - being there for you, any waking second. You suspected he knew since he administered the leash to you - and therefore he was well aware when you’d be awake again to talk to. Whenever you opened your eyes, he was there.

It was comforting. You weren’t doing well on your own, right now.

“Honestly Tobi, I want to see you bed-ridden for what -  weeks?  - you’re the one who quite literally has to be tied down before he’d actually rest, no matter what,” you scoffed back.

In ever so slight amusement, he pursed his lips more. “Don’t talk like you’re better at it, Y/n. I know for a fact were you able to, you’d be getting out and about even when you really, really should not.” The unspoken ‘like you had been’ hung in the air almost tangibly as you stared at him. You’d never hear the end of this.

“The ceiling, this room and its window can only entertain me for so long,” you pouted.

Tobirama’s smile grew more sympathetic. “It’s only going to get better now.”

You sighed. “I know,” you couldn’t prevent frustration leaking into your voice. Then, something occurred to you. “I noticed,” you began slowly, shifting ever so slightly to face him more. “I’m not… having these nightmares anymore, at all. After I’ve taken the leash. In fact…,” a frown formed on your face. “I do not dream at all. Did... did you do something to it?”, frankly you found the question pointless. You know he had to - you’d been getting the leash for an agonizingly long time now, and that definitely had changed.

His smile faded ever so slightly. “I did. During learning how to create the leash itself I realised it doesn’t require the exact psychotropic agents they tortured you with necessarily. Just something to latch onto, if you will. So right now, you’re just getting a light tranquilizer alongside the leash.”

You had to snort then. “I figured. Explains why I feel like crashing every time I’ve taken it.” He nodded solemnly in reply. Then, a smirk formed. “And why I feel so damn hazy all the time.”

Now, he rolled his eyes. “I’d consider it a positive side effect, to be honest.”

“To actually force me to rest?”

He sighed exasperatedly. “Certainly,” his tone was caustic. “Judging by how sharp your tongue has gotten again, I’m sure without the tranquilizing base solution of this leash, you’d be moving way too much right now.”

Your lips formed a kissing motion. “You love my sharp tongue, though.”

His eyebrows shot up instantly at the suggestiveness of the statement, but he couldn’t deny the chuckle that rumbled in his chest. He was too proud to answer verbally, though. Still, you were sure there was something of a reddish hue around his facial markings.

“Honestly, you should be glad I’m not making an offhanded comment about how my love keeps me tied to this ‘leash’, Tobi.”

“Y/n!”

That instantly let his deep voice rise in volume as it became quite stern. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest. Now, you were definitely sure he had gotten red.

You merely chuckled in reply that Tobirama found difficult to join in, but the proverbially ruffled feathers smoothed out again quickly. It was how you knew he was relieved - making fun at his expense without getting a smart remark in return. In a sense, you were quite glad you were able to again, really.

Besides, you didn’t exactly with the dead, dreamless sleep the tranquilising base of the leash provided. Your brain had been served excellent fodder for nightmares - drugs or no - and you didn’t want to revisit any. Was it an easy way out? Maybe, for a time.

Until you felt ready to tackle… everything again.

Fortunately though, recovery did speed up more and more. Each dose of the leash forced you to sleep it off for a handful of hours after which you felt rather groggy, and clouded of mind - under normal circumstances, you’d start to refuse to take medicine of this kind eventually, but this time you knew it truly must not be delayed. Not that Tobirama didn’t diligently make sure you always were right on time with it - at first he had to help you take it by supporting your chest, neck and head pretty much. By now, you managed to sit up straight already, which was a huge relief. A step closer to leaving this bed. Your muscles still groaned and ached from wounds you had suffered what seemed eons ago, on top of the general soreness you still felt due to damages you had taken during the withdrawal.

“Shouldn’t these have healed by now?”, you complained as you once more had settled against the headboard of the bed, letting out a low groan.

Tobirama withdrew after having helped you up there with his hands under your shoulders. He had refused to at first - you needed to  rest  still of course - but you threatened to just do it yourself if he wouldn’t. With gritted teeth he had pretty much hefted you up, under the premise you wouldn’t push yourself. The pain you felt now made him look like he was ready to yank you back down if you did so much as whimper again.

“Normally, they would have,” he explained sternly, his scarlet gaze inspecting you. “But without one’s own innate chakra reserves and your poor condition overall, it is unsurprising they did not heal well. Plus, you suffered again during the withdrawal.”

You sighed and opted to refrain from showing any more signs of pain or weakness. It made sense, of course. “Just my luck,” you muttered under your breath.

He had settled back into his chair and crossed his arms. “We will be able to start healing you again very soon, Y/n,” he supplied slowly. “We’ve already started to remove the seals that sustained you and increase your capacity to receive chakra again.”

That had been a relief - seeing the ink wiped off of your skin as a visual reminder things were, in fact, getting better. The biggest of them being the chakra seal on your chest. Not that you had been afraid of it - but as a person that naturally was very in tune with your own chakra as everyone in your clan was, it had felt… looming. The muting component of the leash was bad enough, but by now, you had gotten used to it. The fact you were in a safe environment helped a much greater deal, though. Still - “How… how’s work on the cure coming along, Tobi?”, you inquired suddenly, sheepishly, almost.

He leaned forward on the chair and exhaled a heavy breath. “Slow, but… steady.” He gazed up at your eyes with a solemn expression, neither sugarcoating the facts nor being overly harsh about it. “It’s possibly going to be as complex as the leash. But I’ll get there.” You wouldn’t question his determination. “We have time.” That probably was about the only advantage to all of this right now.

A smile formed on your lips. “Thank you.” 

You beckoned him closer with a wave of your hand which he followed hesitantly by settling down on the side of your bed and a questioning glance. Your hand snuck around the back of his neck to pull him closer to you, your fingers lacing into his short hair as his forehead rested against yours. You felt the tension in his shoulders as your free hand trailed up them to cup his face, but his eyes closed slowly and he exhaled a gruff breath. His chakra coated your network warmly already as you tried to return the notion as best you could, which wasn’t much. He simply sighed in return and allowed you to caress him for a silent moment.  

Offering a small bit of comfort when really, it was him who poured all his energy into aiding you.

“I love you,” you whispered against his lips with such tenderness you felt his chakra flutter.

He swallowed before answering. “I love you too,” he coarsely answered, rough from emotion as one of his hands reached around your chest again to pull you even closer.

You couldn’t remember the last time the two of you had shared an intimate moment like this - and you knew well how he felt about them in a semi public place like this one.

The fact he relatively willingly permitted it was quite saying something.

The fact he actively pulled you even closer did so even more.

Slowly your lips ghosted over his in the utmost tender motion, gasping slightly when he met them with equal softness of his own.

Just a few more moments you allowed yourself this, you wanted to keep him as close as possible right now - before pulling back ever so slightly. When he opened his eyes again, his scarlet gaze was on fire. You didn’t need words to know what he felt. Once more your thumb gently stroked his cheekbone before you leaned back against the headboard again and he withdrew, ending the chakra connection with a final warm caress over your network.

Another day later, you had shedded the last of the seals that had been sustaining you. Hashirama examined you after and was quite pleased, even. Finally, you were on your own again, in a sense. It was a freeing sensation albeit one that came with a tinge of fear. You still weren’t cured yet and had precious little time in which you didn’t sleep off Tobirama’s version of the leash. After you inquired exactly what kind of tranquilizing agent he had used, your considerations as to why your sleep was so dead and dreamless were confirmed: it didn’t just endorse rest, it muted all kinds of emotions, good and bad. It was numbing. 

You still weren’t sure how to feel about that - on the one hand, it felt too easy to escape from memories you did not want to deal with that definitely had been haunting you before the withdrawal cracked you. On the other hand, you just weren’t ready to deal with more, now. What you did know for certain was that Tobirama had put consideration in picking the tranquilizer as the base for the leash.

Like right now, when you were fighting against the haze in your mind and the heavy fog that tried to push you back into sleep. You had slept enough. You simply wanted to be awake for now. With a low groan you lifted yourself up to sit in the bed, ignoring the aches flaring in your arms, back and abdomen. Momentarily, your vision blackened, but you stabilised yourself swiftly with your arms on each side.

You must’ve pulled it off earlier, since Tobirama was not here yet - either that, or something happened. Your thoughts were too muddled to consider it more. Dazedly, you started at the window that let the morning sun in while trying to form another thought.

 _______

Tobirama’s days had settled into a routine that pretty much was dictated by your waking hours. Without death breathing down your neck and the constant feeling of a looming heart attack, there was little to put the man off, really. As expected, your recovery would be slow and arduous, but you’d make it. He’d be there for you throughout every bit of it as he promised, and he was very intent on keeping this promise. With the modification to the leash, you were resting a lot better too, which in turn improved Tobirama’s sleep. After he had administered the first dosage of the leash with the tranquilising base solution and you had drifted off, he himself had slept for a good fourteen hours.

It had been one of the hardest battles of his life.

Not that he allowed himself any complacency, though. In fact the word barely existed in his vocabulary, but especially so right now - you still needed the cure for this leash. 

Unfortunately, developing one proved to be a lot slower than copying the leash. And this was not because your life did not hang in the balance anymore - it was because Tobirama had no testing modality outside of the six prisoners whose lives, alas, still needed to be preserved carefully. And with your life saved, the necessary precautions for experimentation had risen an annoying lot. Except for Kimi, who had been tethered to Tobirama’s very own leash, he had put them all under Zenji’s leash and instructed the interrogation squad’s members on administration intervals and the likes of the drug. All he had to do was produce the thing in a large quantity, which by now had become a well-practiced process.

Zenji in particular had a slew of colorful insults ready for Tobirama, including himself, his brother, his family, his whole clan, Konoha - and yet it was with a sly smirk Tobirama’s iron grip on his jaw silenced him, wrestled his mouth open and poured the leash in.

“Now you can experience your own masterful work firsthand. It’s poetic, really,” he commented cynically, watching Zenji’s pupils dilate already.

“There’s no… cure… for the leash,” the man slurred hatefully, grunting in pain.

Tobirama’s smirk grew and he raised both eyebrows. “You made predictions about the possibility and impossibility of things before, and yet here we are Zenji,” he leaned in closer. “With your help, no less.”

The prisoner’s unfocused gaze looked for Tobirama’s arrogant face, but the psychotropic agents were overcoming him more and more. 

“Now you’ll be of equal use again.”

He didn’t stick around for the torture anymore; there was no need. What he needed were these six as outlets for his experiments on a cure. Since the muting component faded, it came down to breaking the seal of the disrupting component somehow. However there was no trace of the seal as such once the drug was ingested - only in the way the disruption was branding itself into the victim’s body. Of course Tobirama well understood how the seal as such worked, but that meant he also understood countering it was a difficult task exactly because of that. Quickly it became obvious he needed more than just to unravel the disruption’s brand; whatever achieved this needed to be woven into the cure much like the leash was created. It would need to be a key that would unlock the chains of the leash.

He was lucky to have such skill in the weaving process as such, by now.

His first experiments were rather edgy. The substances used were primitive in comparison to the leash and aggravated the prisoner’s health to such a degree in one case, Tobirama was forced to provide extended medical support. Ikuro was squinting a lot at the proceedings, although everyone understood there was no alternative.

What time he didn’t spend experimenting or in the laboratory was spent within your room - when you were awake, or at least trying to be awake. Exhaustion and the tranquilizer both sapped consciousness from you a fair deal, but as your strength returned to you slowly, so did your capacity to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a given time. It was the hugest relief - to see you becoming yourself again, truly. Your smile, your laugh, the quips you made - the smart glint in your eyes.

The way you started to refuse to rest.

Of course you had quickly guessed it was no coincidence he has used this particular tranquilizer as base for the leash. But the reason was not to keep you literally too knocked out to move about.

The scars you bore were not just physical, inward and outward. There was a lot of mental damage that Tobirama had gathered enough clues towards already before you had hatched your withdrawal plan. This substance - this substance might be an easy crutch for now, but he refused to let you carry more weight than you had to right now. It was a selfish decision he made for you, he knew that.

Since you never protested, he figured you were in silent agreement, for now.

After the last of the seals were removed from you, it was time for the next step in your recovery, which he had discussed with his brother at length already, before you’d wake regularly. Once you were stable - and had not received any chakra for quite some time - they could finally start healing you properly again. 

“It’ll be complicated,” Hashirama warned. “The withdrawal has damaged the functionality of her organs. The injuries she received during her imprisonment are not the ones I’m not worried about.”

Tobirama wasn’t, either. Those were simple in comparison. The withdrawal had wrecked you from the inside out - alongside your body’s reaction to it. He frowned. “You assume we may not heal everything?”

Hashirama clicked his tongue. “I’ve learned not to make any assumptions when it comes to this drug, to be quite honest,” he muttered in a rare streak of bleak irony.

Tobirama could only huff in response.

They’d have to give it their best. If there was anyone who could do it, it was his brother, after all.

Today was the day - after his brother’s evaluation of your state yesterday, they’d start to mend the real damage today. Both were on the way to your room. It was still early in the morning and Tobirama couldn’t deny having sound sleep at night was quite a blessing after the nightmare he and you had suffered. Even so, you should be asleep still at this time.

He opened the door to your room silently - only to find you sitting in bed already, staring out of the window. He spoke before his mind could even process the angered worry that filled him. “Y/n,” his tone firmly questioning - for now.

 _______

Your head snapped around to your new company, startled. The look on Tobirama’s face was one you knew well - he’d start scolding you any moment now with how deeply he was frowning already. Hashirama on the other hand, bright as ever - broadly smiling. How these two were brothers, you sometimes really had to wonder about.

“Tobirama, Hashirama,” you nodded, smirking. The urge to just sleep again had subsided somewhat, though your mind still was foggy. Sitting up was an exercise on its own, still, not to mention the pain you felt.

“Why are you awake already?”, Tobirama shot back instantly, rounding the bed swiftly. You’d like to think there was worry attached to the sternness of his tone. “Did something happen?”

You sighed softly and smiled. “No, don’t worry. I just didn’t want to sleep any more, that’s all. I’m much the same I was before.” You really refused to say you were fine. Someone who couldn’t sit up for longer periods of time without pain was not fine.

Tobirama stayed silent, but his scarlet gaze was inspecting you closely. You rolled your eyes and lowered yourself back onto the bed before he’d tell you to, unable to prevent a quiet groan from escaping you.

“Careful,” he stepped closer instantly as worry flashed in his eyes, but you waved him off quickly.

Hashirama cleared his throat then and stepped closer to the other side of the bed, practically beaming now. You raised an eyebrow. “We’ll start mending your injuries again today, Y/n,” he announced with no small amount of pleasure.

Your eyes widened. That would be a huge relief - literally and proverbially. However, you were hesitant to feel hopeful just yet. Frankly most of your mental power went towards processing the announcement still. “How much of them?”, you inquired, when you found you couldn’t come up with a smarter way to articulate your budding worry over the resilient hope that formed.

Tobirama answered solemnly. “You’ve not received chakra in quite a bit now, so there is some capacity to work with. But the damage you suffered was very extensive and will require multiple sessions, most likely.” His voice had become softer, though you focused on the information mostly.

“I will start with the most vital damages,” Hashirama continued, “Seeing how the wounds you received from the stone have begun healing on their own by now, albeit slow. I know they’re most painful, but we must ensure you first recover truly from inside out. Bones, muscles and skin come second.”

You had to give a snort at that, earning you a puzzled look from Hashirama and a raised eyebrow from his brother. “Apologies,” you amended quickly, “I understand. It’d just be nice to move without pain again. Or at all, and not just lie still.”

Tobirama cut in sternly, quickly. “You mustn’t, yet. Healing anything is only going to help if you don’t squander it by pushing yourself too much too fast, Y/n. You know that.” The warning in his tone was clear. And you knew he was right - one of the most basic principles of all medical jutsu - like surgical sutures, they needed time to kick in fully. 

Hashirama was more accommodating. “I can ease it somewhat, of course.”

Tobirama’s glance shot towards his brother. “It’s vital to focus on the most important injuries.”

He rolled his eyes. “Let’s get started.”

You couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up while you rolled up your gown. Hashirama’s warm hands gently placed themselves on your abdomen, and already you felt his chakra spreading in your network, his presence becoming more prominent. Your eyes locked with Tobirama’s who had crossed his arms again, giving you a tender smile that you returned; a different kind of warmth blossoming in your chest. Then, you let your head rest on the pillow and stared at the ceiling before closing your eyes as his brother’s work was unfolding.

Just like when Tobirama had healed you before, the procedure became something of an internal massage of all the parts of you that had been tortured, abused, beaten. Suffered under the withdrawal of the leash, withered and strained. Without your own chakra at your disposal, it was extremely difficult to trail alongside them, but frankly the thoroughly comfortable feeling that settled in was quick to make your eyelids leaden again. 

Very carefully, he first tended to your heart and lungs first - strengthening attacked tissue, mending microscopic damages and if needed, precisely cutting away whatever scars your body already had formed to let real organ matter regrow there. Whether it was your imagination or not you couldn't say, but you thought your breaths became deeper and your heartbeat slowed down into a more powerful rhythm. His attention shifted to other organs then: liver, kidney, the gut - and much in the same manner, they tended diligently to the damages. 

A stray tear of relief ran down your cheek as shivers ran up and down your spine. 

Finally came the injuries inflicted by the torture - process here was more difficult. The gentle, healing massage took on a more forceful note, as though he had to work out kinks in stiff muscle that had not been used much. Almost pinching here and there when even your tardish chakra felt the tear of inferior scar tissue that had formed due to a lack of attention and use. You felt the old wounds warm up ever so slightly, promoting blood flow as well as making the matter more receptive to his care, although the time he spent healing here was notably shorter compared to what they had done before.

It was uncomfortable - not the smooth procedure from before but the quite literal rebuild of what you knew was broken and had been healed broken. Every now and then you’d huff or grunt when the unpleasant sensation bordered pain, but you kept yourself in check - Tobirama was still watching, and you didn’t want him to worry again.

Eventually, Hashirama withdrew as quietly as he’d begun.

You had difficulty opening your eyes again. All of you felt warm now, refreshed - revitalised. The sleep that wanted to overcome you now wasn't the heavy exhaustion you permanently felt, it was pure comfort. It was the same feeling you had after visiting a hot spring after a day of training. The feeling of the sun on your skin on a rare lazy day, a peaceful day.

Peaceful. That was how you felt.

Hashirama was beaming at you, but Tobirama was wearing a slight frown again. “Are you alright?” - the discomfort hadn’t escaped his notice, of course.

You cleared your throat, swallowing down a hoarse lump. “Yeah,” nodding slowly. “Better than before,” you dared a brave smile.

His frown deepened, but he didn’t comment further. In the end, this was necessary - like many other things had been - and so, he’d accept it. He - you - had no other choice.

Hashirama cleared his throat. "I managed to heal quite a bit, more than I expected, in fact. Of course there still is work to be done, but the damages the withdrawal created I believe I will be able to manage with time and patience.” He gave you an appreciative nod. “You're a tough woman." He chuckled brightly.

Tobirama’s mien grew more tender as his frown smoothed out, a light smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

It was difficult not to get intoxicated by his optimism, especially when you felt the way you did now. "Thank you."

"The next session will have to wait since I used an extensive amount of chakra now. And as for the injuries you suffered…" Hashirama knit his brows. "... those will require more work. Your body started to mend those already. Unfortunately in inferior ways, due to your poor condition."

You gave an awkward shrug, as much as that was possible in bed. "I felt that, yeah." 

Tobirama's frown returned somewhat again, but he didn't comment. 

Before either of them spoke again, you did - with an idea that had hit you just this moment. Something that jolted through your system more uncomfortably than the hope had done before, despite being much the same feeling. "So, since I need to rest so much now…", you gave Tobirama a meaningful gaze he held entirely neutrally, "... couldn't I actually -" You paused. Suddenly, you felt silly, but with the expectant glances on you, you swallowed it down and continued. "Could I perhaps rest at home? I'm stable now, and this room is starting to drive me insane."

Tobirama sucked in a sharp breath through his nostrils, hands gripping the fabric of his black shirt more tightly as he spoke up promptly. "Y/n, as much as I'd like to grant you this, we must consider-"

"Absolutely. I'll stop by to help to heal you again." Hashirama cut in, grinning broadly.

Tobirama's mien turned positively furious at being blindsided by his sibling. "Anjia!"

Hashirama was unfazed. "Patients recover better in homely environments. Y/n is stable, like she said - you saw it yourself, Tobirama. Also, you can ensure even better that she rests well."

"That-", he clenched his teeth at having this argument used against him, but just a moment later, the heated fury had subsided to a smoldering kind of anger that gave his sternness a cutting edge. "She still is in poor condition and should be hospitalised. If anything changes, here is where the aid needed will be."

Hashirama held both palms up and tilted his head. You, on the other hand, were rolling your eyes and waiting for your moment to chime into this conversation. About your own damn self. "I don't see what should happen. So long as the leash is administered on time - which you have been doing - and she rests properly, she's going to get better now."

Tobirama was losing ground and worse yet, he realised this. To his own brother no less. He bared his teeth slightly. "I can't be there every moment in case she needs help. And I won't allow just anyone into our house."

Now was your chance. "Actually, you can." Tobirama's head snapped to you and the furious gaze bored through you. You didn't flinch though. "You can just leave a shadow clone with me. If I need help, you can teleport over. But as you know," now you raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "I'm mostly sleeping and resting."

Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose as he often would when frustrated. "Y/n…", he began slowly, but you didn't let him start.

"You're with me so much anyway. I'd feel a lot better at home. And you can work there, too. It's easier for everyone."

His expression grew more mellow and his hand dropped as his irritated mien fell. Your pleading glance did the rest. "Fine. But if anything - anything at all - happens, I'll get you back here right away. No discussion." Then he frowned again and any trace of mellowness was wiped off of his face. "The same goes for you not sticking to your bed rest."

You grinned brightly already. "Naturally." You'd find your way around once you could move more again, of course. 

Hashirama clapped his hands then cheerfully. "Right then!", he beamed at his brother who just gave a scowl in return. "I'll see you soon. Mito and I will visit, anyway. Until then," he waved, and already was on his way out before you could raise your hand to wave back.

Tobirama sighed. "Regular visits are just another downside," he stated perfectly blearily.

You chuckled. "Cheer up. We'll have a lot more privacy. And…" you paused for a moment, fumbling with the blanket draped over you. "Finally, no more lonely nights."

He turned around to you, eyebrows knitted in a sorrowful fashion that told of the shared statement more than words could. Still, "That… is correct." He stepped closer to the bedside, an utterly warm smile forming now. "It's been a forlorn and cold place without you, Y/n. I’m... beyond relieved that will change now."

With all of the comfortable peacefulness you felt from the healing procedure still, that statement alone made your eyes tear up already in a most soft way. "So am I, Tobirama."

He bent down then and reached under your haggard body with his arms; one gripping your chest tightly, the other wrapping under yours knees. Bridal-style he hefted you up easily - unsurprisingly. Even before your capture he could handle you well. Now your weight was a joke. Closely cradled against his chest, you let your head rest against him with a content sigh. His warm breath hit your face as he bent over briefly to kiss your forehead gently, making you shift your gaze to meet his. The scarlet irises were swimming with a kind of love that alone made your renewed heart pump vigorously. 

Already the world around you lurched and a moment later, you were in your bedroom. Your tired gaze found it to be exactly the same it had been before your departure on that fateful mission - one that most likely changed your life forever, you realised. Sparsely furnitured, but practical. A large bed in the middle of the room, adjourning the wall - and broad windows on two walls, overlooking your small garden. 

“Welcome home,” Tobirama whispered down to you, a slight tremor to his baritone voice. 

“I’m glad,” was all you managed before yet another pure tear rolled down your cheek.

Slowly, he walked to your side of the bed to settle you down as gently as possible. The softness of your own sheets, your own bed elicited a small groan from you and you couldn’t help but bask in the moment with a content mien. “At times, I thought I’d never be here again.”

Tobirama swallowed hard, and when you gazed up at him you saw his jaw working. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Y/n.” The sheer determination these words bore had the warm feeling blossoming in your chest again, but you could only nod in reply. And words might be a sob right now.

“I’ll get you different clothes.”

“No, wait,” you shook your head. He paused mid-walk, having already made for the wardrobe, to give you a questioning glance.

“Come here.” You patted his side of the bed, and nodded.

He quirked an eyebrow up. “Y/n, it’s morning.” Of course, only Tobirama Senju would object to getting into bed again just because of the time of day. 

You rolled your eyes. “I’m going to crash any minute now anyway, so you might as well come here now. I can change later.”

With a wondering glance still he slipped to his side of the bed, scooting closer to you as you wrestled yourself to lie on the side. Once he was close enough he assisted in pulling you over, but you weren’t done yet - your arms snuck around his chest and wordlessly, he drew you close to him in a tight embrace. You nestled your face into his chest again as he locked his arms around his, letting his head rest on yours and your legs intertwined. In this position, you could hear his slow, even heartbeat. The steady rhythm was enough to elicit a whole different kind of serenity from you that doubled the warm, comfortable tiredness you felt, but you weren’t quite done yet. Just a moment longer.

Tobirama’s hands ran soothing motions over your back. Yours did the same, feeling the tension ease out of his muscles with each passing second as your caresses drew a content rumble from him.

“Not such a bad idea, was it?”, you giggled quietly.

Tobirama huffed. “How will I get out once you’re asleep without waking you, Y/n?”, he accused playfully, but you could hear the smile from his tone alone.

“You’ll find a way. After all, it’s most important I  rest .” You jabbed playfully at his side - just about the only spot Tobirama might be the slightest bit ticklish.

He shrugged it off with a chuckle. “You are absolutely correct. I will.” He tightened the embrace somewhat more, a hand reaching up to the base of your neck to massage your scalp. “So, sleep now. I’ll be here when you wake.”

With your eyes closed now, it was a matter of seconds until sleep overtook you. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

A wholesome kind of rest wrapped around you, drowning all sensations out in the comfort of Tobirama’s arms.

You were home. _________ AAAAAAND! That’s a wrap on the Leash. Let me know what you thought of it - and let me just say THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH for reading it all! I definitely, really, REALLY loved seeing the returning likes/reblogs for all these parts - thanks a lot! That being said - IT WOULD SEEM... Tobirama hasn’t found the cure yet, has he?! Which means... yes! I’ll write a sequel - it won’t be as big as the Leash at all. Possibly an epilogue or a little miniseries dealing with the consequences of all this - but it’ll get a wrap, eventually!

But! Happy ending <33

#tobirama #tobirama senju #tobirama x reader #tobirama senju x reader #sekhmet writes

[cafeinthemoon]

The Home I Crave - Chapter 6

Title: The Home I Crave

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: Tobirama Senju x reader

Rating: teen and up

Word count: 1940

Chapter: 6/?

Symbols: ⭕ | ➕ | 💛 | ▶️▶️

Read the previous chapter here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

You opened your mouth to say something, but gave up in the middle of it. Did he just say he created a teleportation jutsu? Yes, your ears were not deceived, neither were your eyes: you saw him just appearing inside a room where you were surely left alone. And now he was just there apologizing for his brother as if Hashirama just forgot to tell you something as obvious as the location of the room’s window. For everything you’ve heard until that day you already knew your betrothed was not a common man, but this surpassed your expectations.

You also wanted to say that what Hashirama didn’t anything serious and that you were already recovered from the shock, but Tobirama’s words made you feel like that wasn’t true: a mistake was made, and thanks to it the meeting between the bride and the groom didn’t happen as planned. Well, you were upset too, but it wasn’t the end of the alliance, was it? However, that was the way he put things.

It was when something woke up in your brain, and recollecting everything you already knew about him you understood what Mito wanted to say when she stated that Tobirama was the opposite of his brother.

This urged you to fix the discomfort and to reason with him as soon as you could.

- As you already found out, Lord Advisor, I am y/n from the … clan, our head’s eldest daughter and his advisor as well – you bowed your head in an imitation of his gesture – You will forgive me, but I believe we can take things a little lighter. I don’t believe the Hokage made a serious mistake, and even if he has warned me about the seal I think I would be caught in surprise seeing it in action.

You weren’t sure if your response was enough to soothe his humor, but something changed in his expression and tone when he spoke again.

- You are right – and looking at the seal again – I’ve been using this technique for so long that sometimes I forget how unusual it might seem to the people who never heard of it.

You’ve already met ninjas who created jutsu before, but none of them seemed so proud of them as the younger Senju. From now on, you would have to watch your steps when the subject were his jutsu.

Judging that you had nothing more to say about the incident, Tobirama opened the door, indicating the exit to you.

- We will be late if we stay here.

You passed by the door and he closed it behind him, walking through the corridor towards the house’s entry. You followed him, but once you reached the front door you cleared your throat, gaining his attention right when he had his hand over the door.

He turned to you.

- Is there something wrong?

- Well, I... think it is appropriate if you offer me your arm.

Tobirama stared at you as if your solicitation was entirely unexpected. You almost told him to not do it if he didn’t want to, but he offered you his left arm without a word, which you accepted with equal silence before he finally opened the residence’s door.

***

The ceremony itself was faster than you thought it would be, considering that you’ve already attended to events like that and always sensed they lasted for an eternity. Or maybe your head were so full of preoccupations that you haven’t much time to feel bored by all the formalities in which you had to take part.

After you two said your vows before the priest, you turned to each other: it was the time for the kiss. You might have seemed more surprised than you should be, because Tobirama approached you and asked if everything was okay; you nodded and just said you were nervous, not dreaming of telling him you completely forgot about this part.

He didn’t waste time with deliberations or affected gestures: he bowed to you and kissed your forehead, finishing it fast enough to your relief and to Hashirama and Mito’s deception, or so you thought when you glanced at them right after.

***

When the ceremony and the greeting session with representatives of both the Senju and your clan was over, you and your husband left the temple and went to the night, prepared to go to your house. You were curious, for everything you’ve seen from it was its entry during a walk with Mito, but now you were going to step into it and learn to see it as your new home.

You were aware of the house’s location, so that once you left the temple’s area you started walking towards that direction, but Tobirama called you before you went too far.

- Yes? – you turned to him.

- Where are you going?

Your first thought was that he was being ironic, but two reasons made you abandon the idea: first, such behavior didn’t fit him, and second, he was serious as usual.

You replied to him in the same tone.

- To our house. This is the right way, isn’t it? – you pointed the street you were about to walk in.

- Yes. But we are not going to walk to reach it.

Before you could ask what were you going to do then, he came to your side and touched your shoulder. You didn���t have enough time to blink, even less time to ask him what he was doing: in one moment, you were still at the entry of the temple; in the next one, you were in a completely different place. You looked around and recognized the Advisor’s residence at your right. Looking closer to the wooden door, in a corner you noticed a copy of the seal you found behind the door of the room where you met glowing in the dark.

So that was how his teleportation jutsu worked. Impressive.

Tobirama opened the door and entered, turning on the lights. You entered just after him, who closed the door behind you while you looked around, still getting used to the fact that you would have to live there from now on. It wasn’t bad, though: the place was tidy, simple, organized, a reflection of his owner; besides, it was wide, so that you shouldn’t have difficulties to maintain the amount of privacy necessary in the period of adaptation to a new routine.

It was when you remembered something.

- I just realized I didn’t talk to Mito before we left – you started speaking, not sure if you were getting a reply so heavy was his silence after closing the door – We were going to go back to the Hokage’s residence so she would help me to bring the rest of my things.

Yes, in the morning of that day you sent some of your essential things to Tobirama’s house after receiving a message from him telling you to do so, but most of the less important things were left in the room you were using at Hashirama’s, so you talked to Mito and she said she would bring them with you after the ceremony; but you left so early that you barely talked to her about it. What were you going to do now?

- It is not an unsolvable problem, y/n-san.

The reply came faster than you expected. You saw Tobirama making a hand seal you never seen before; two columns of white smoke appeared on each side of him, giving place to two figures who looked exactly like him. Two clones.

He touched their backs and spoke to you.

- I marked them with my Hiraishin. They are going to go to my brother’s house and pack your things, bringing them here as soon as they can. There is no need to bother my sister-in-law with this.

You wanted to say that this wouldn’t bother her because that was precisely the plan you two have made, but you ended up quiet. He ordered the clones to teleport to Hashirama’s house and they obeyed, disappearing in the next instant.

Tobirama reached the white flower on his chest and took it off his clothing. You had a similar flower adorning your hair as well; he approached you and took it off your strand, holding them together without looking at you or saying anything that revealed his thoughts. Close to the living room’s window at your left, there was a round, small table; he went there and found a blue vase, inside which he left the flower. When he came back to you, it was as if he just forgot about the flowers’ existence.

Maybe he did, for he changed the subject with the same promptitude he left the flowers behind:

- Now let’s prepare something to eat.

Something in this invitation made you feel willing to offer yourself to help.

- Yes. Since you know your own kitchen better, I can put the table while you cook…

While you went to the kitchen, he thanked your suggestion but explained that he was going to use a third clone to cook while he himself was going to organize the table.

- You can go and wash your hands – he pointed at a corridor that extended to the core of the residence until divide itself in two, continuing at the right and the left – The bathroom is at your right, behind the last door.

He soon turned to the kitchen and created another clone, who immediately started to work as he took bowls to put on the table. You had nothing more to say, so you just went to the door he indicated wondering how many clones he was able to make in so little time.

Once in the bathroom, you decided to take some time for yourself. Besides washing your hands, you removed your makeup and undid your hairstyle. You thought of taking a bath, but your stomach made a loud noise telling you not to until you eat something.

When you came back to the kitchen, everything was ready and Tobirama told you to sit and serve yourself.

***

After a silent dinner, Tobirama took you to other parts of the house while a clone was left behind to clean the dishes.

He showed you the main departments, such as the room you would share, his office, the library and the service area with brief explanations of his methods to keep them clean and organized – which was almost resumed to the use of Shadow Clones since he had so little time to spent at home and didn’t like the idea of paying someone else to do this job for him. You asked him about how he was able to manage the clones’ activity in his absence, and he explained that unlike common clones, the Shadow Clones used by him – actually, another jutsu he created – were physical copies of the original person, so that they would always know what to do even when the original was not present. In the end, when the clones disappeared, their experiences were transferred to the primary individual.

It was strange that he spoke as if he had to work hard to maintain the order in a place where he lived alone when all you saw while looking into the rooms was an organization  you’ve rarely seen in a man’s house.

You were going to question him about the task division now that you would live there as well, when the clones came back with your things. Tobirama told them to take them to your room and they obeyed without a word.

#naruto fanfiction #tobirama #tobirama x reader #tobirama senju #tobirama senju x reader #tobirama fanfic

[avversiera-writes]

touch your heart [senju tobirama/you] - chapter 6

Summary: Hashirama might go down as the worst matchmaker in history, but he thinks he might be on to something. Tobirama sees through his brother's schemes and is determined not to fall for it. Or fall for you.

Word Count: about 4k

AO3 LINK TO TOUCH YOUR HEART

AOR SERIES LINK TO ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART

[<<<CHAPTER ONE] [CHAPTER TWO] [CHAPTER THREE] [CHAPTER FOUR] [CHAPTER FIVE]

After the fiasco the other day with you, Tobirama tries his best to avoid you, despite the fact that his brother invited you to their home for dinner tomorrow. It’s not that he hates you or anything, it’s just that his mind is currently preoccupied with a new jutsu idea that he has been working on non-stop. He knows how impossible he can get when he is busy like this, and the more he spirals, the more he becomes reclusive and irate. He is aware of this and he does not want you to see this side of him. 

 Honestly, he does not want to give you any more edge to see through him. 

 He also does not want to hear you ask him if he’s okay. 

 He’s okay, damn it. This happens every now and then. 

 It will pass. 

Yes, he still thinks that you may be up to something, but at the end of the day, you are a person and he knows that you do not deserve this from him. 

 He tries to get through work as quickly and as efficiently as possible, and he exercises his patience more than usual because he knows decency .

 He notices the little things about you, like the bags under your eyes and the sharp lines of your cheekbones. You look more gaunt these days, and your worn-out clothes look larger than you. Speaking of your clothes, he figures out that you have at least five articles of clothing, and your sandals look like they are about to fall apart in your next step. However, he notices most of all that your weapons are some of the highest quality of weapons he has ever seen. 

 The way you wield them is also one of the best swordsmanship he has ever encountered, maybe, maybe , even second to him, but that is kind of overestimating you because he does not know your limits. You hold it specifically, with a very practiced and calm air, each arc and swing you make is calculated and dangerous. Your footwork is superb, and your instincts are great, as if you have spent all your life hunting and thinking on your feet. Despite not having any special chakra, he is secretly impressed with the abilities you have shown him. 

 You are also a good teacher, something he will not admit, and the only improvement he can suggest later on (when he is of sound mind) is that you can tone down your sarcasm because sometimes, kids are impressionable and they cannot read that clearly. 

 Another thing that bugs him is your relationship with Madara. 

 For all of his life, he has never pegged Madara to take someone under his wing, especially when that someone is a stranger and could possibly be a dangerous person. What did you do to make Madara take you in like you are one of his own? What did Madara do to make you so grateful to him that you follow him everywhere? Are you two planning something? 

 Those are some questions that he racks his brain over when he has the time, and he can keep asking himself and keep knocking that wall but he never gets anywhere. It’s not like he would willingly interrogate Madara over that too, though that is something he may have no choice but to do later on. 

Tobirama sighs, and he glances at you. 

He also finds that you are a very determined person, and he delights seeing that his teaching is working. Not that he would admit to that, either. No, he does not hate you, he finally decides that, but you make him face so many things that he’d rather not think about. 

 He thinks about the irony in that. Here he is, designing the rules that the shinobi should follow about setting your emotions aside for the mission, but he is falling a little short trying to stick to his rules. Aside from feeling disdain towards you, he thinks–and his mind has never failed him because for all the gods’ sake he is logical –that you are a pretty good person. 

He hears you leave quietly, and when you are gone, he lets out a breath he has been holding. 

 He just needs to be more patient, and this will all be finished. It won’t be long until he does not have to deal with you anymore. 

He tries to ignore a sinking feeling in his chest with that thought. 

//

You make it halfway through the river when your chakra flow gives up on you and you sink underneath the water again. 

 You stay under until you can no longer hold your breath, and you break through the surface with a gasp. You ride with the current until you notice your body getting more tired and heavy, so you make a break towards the bank and haul yourself up. 

 You think that was some good progress. 

You shiver from the cold, but you are also too tired to move and even make it home. You crawl towards your things and grab your coat and wrap yourself with it. You lean your back on a tree and you stare at the open scroll in front of you. Under the moonlight, you stare at the silhouette of Tobirama’s handwriting on the side of the paper. Compared to his older handwriting, his recent ones look deranged, like he has been writing quickly without looking where he is writing. You do not want to ask him to clarify what he wrote because he may think that you are making fun of him again. 

 You shake your head and you stare towards the river, listening to the sound of its flow. It lulls you to sleep, your thoughts going to Tobirama and your tiny discoveries about him, and for once, you have a dreamless sleep. The most peaceful one yet. 

//

When you come to, a face appears in your blurry vision. 

 You start and you hit your head at the bark of the tree. At the same time, your hand grabs at your wakizashi. 

Your vision clears and you see Tobirama staring at you curiously. 

“What is wrong with you?” You snap, and you rub the sleep off of your eyes. 

 Tobirama blinks, and he peers at you closer with wonder. 

You lean away from him. “Okay?” You frown in confusion and you study him. 

Tobirama is way too calm, and his eyes are relaxed. There is no malice in his gaze, and there are no wrinkles on his forehead. Is he drunk? 

You unsheath your blade, thinking that maybe, just maybe , this is a test of sorts. This is some clone of his and he is spying on you. You know that he is on to you, despite keeping a pretty clean record in Konoha so far. 

Tobirama’s eyes widen at the blade and he grabs your wrist and throws you to the side. 

You yelp, and you accidentally let go of your blade. You glare at Tobirama and you charge at him and tackle him to the ground. 

 Tobirama fights back, but there is a look of confusion and wariness on his face. You flatten him to the ground and pin him down, but he is a lot stronger than you and he manages to flip you over on your back. He presses his big, callused hands on your wrists, pinning them to the sides of your head. 

“Who are you?” Tobirama demands. 

 You stare at him in confusion. “What?!” 

 Tobirama’s eyes darken, and you sense that he really does not know you . What is going on? Is this a dream? 

You clash your head to his face, hitting his nose, and this is enough for you to bring your knees up and shake Tobirama’s weight off of you. You straddle him again, and this time, you reach for a knife strapped to your leg and point it towards his neck. 

“How dare you?” You drawl. 

 Tobirama’s eyes narrow. “Where am I?” 

 “Stop playing around,” you lean forward to press your arm against his neck, the tip of your knife pointing to his side, where his artery is located. 

“You attacked me first,” Tobirama says. 

 “Why are you acting like this?” You yell. 

Tobirama frowns in confusion. “I do not know,” he says in a daze. “Do I know you?” 

“Tobirama,” you utter under your breath, and dread washes over you. 

 “Is that my name?” 

You release your hold on him and you help him up. “Yes. You are Senju Tobirama. Are you fucking drunk?” 

 Tobirama tilts his head with curiosity. “Do you normally talk like that?” 

 You roll your eyes. “Haha, very funny. You got me. This is the best prank of the year, now stop.” 

 “I’m not kidding,” Tobirama frowns, and he seems upset. 

You stare at him with disbelief. You massage your forehead and you look to the ground. 

 “May I know where I am?” 

 “What? Shouldn’t you know? You founded this village!” 

 Tobirama frowns. “I did?” 

 You scowl. It is too early for this. “Yes. You and your elder brother, Senju Hashirama.”

 Tobirama nods, seeming to analyze this information. 

 “Do you know what today is?” You ask. 

 “Today?”

 “Today is Friday.” 

 “I see.” 

 You step closer to him, meaning to examine his head for any injuries, but Tobirama throws a punch towards you and you block it and grab his arm, then you aim a kick to his cheek to throw him down. 

“Why are you attacking me?” You shout, and you step on Tobirama’s chest. 

 “You were going to attack me again!” 

 “I was going to check if you have any injuries to the head, you bastard!” 

Tobirama stops fighting you and he sits up. “Well, now I will, because of you,” he taunts sarcastically. 

You huff in annoyance. “Damn it, you make my life harder.” 

 Tobirama raises a questioning eyebrow. "Really?" 

 You roll your eyes. "Whatever this is, I'd rather we find the solution as soon as possible." 

 Tobirama nods, his expression inquisitive. "It seems that I may be suffering from some kind of memory loss. A normal person wouldn't forget their name easily right?" 

You stare at Tobirama and sigh. "You aren't exactly the most normal person," you murmur. 

Tobirama peers at you. "Do we know each other?" 

 You roll your eyes, but then an idea pops into your head. "So you really do not know me?" 

 Tobirama puts his hand under his chin, thinking. "Naturally, I am starting to think that we are enemies."

 You guffaw. "How come?" 

 "Your first reaction towards me is to stab me." 

 " You were staring at me while sleeping, anyone would be surprised."

 "Your instinct tells you to stab someone when they look at you?" 

 You hum. "Sometimes. You do what you have to do to live." 

Tobirama stares at you, this time with an openness you have never seen him show. "You've had it hard, haven't you?" 

 You stare back at him, realizing that something must have really happened to this man. He has no memory, and there is a curious youthfulness in his demeanor. It's like he's free from all what plagues him as the Hokage's younger brother, as the smartest and most innovative mind of this generation. 

 You figure telling him a little more about yourself wouldn't hurt. 

You approach him and run your fingers on the sides and on the back of his head, searching for any bumps, bleeding, or cracks of any kind. 

 "Yeah, I kind of did. I came from a family who quitted being shinobi because of war, and as a result, I had to run from them…" 

 "Why?" Tobirama asks this question without his usual roughness and judging tone. 

 You smile bitterly. "Because in my family,  to keep women and children out of war, you either have to die or you die trying to run from them."

Tobirama grows silent. You find no injury to his head. 

 "I am sorry," Tobirama finally says. 

 You shrug, a little amused that it takes Tobirama's memories getting erased to make him apologize to you. 

"Never heard that before," you joke. 

 Tobirama frowns. 

"Okay, well, let's wander around and search for anything to get clues on how you ended up this way."

 Tobirama nods and he follows you as you begin to walk around aimlessly. You search for any disturbance on the ground to trace where Tobirama has walked, and finally, you find it, snapped sticks, smashed leaves and vague lines of a footprint. 

"Tobirama, you're either the worst drunk in history, or someone got you good." 

Tobirama looks around, and he looks to the branches above him. 

 "Which I find impossible since you claim to be the strongest shinobi, second to your brother of course."

 "I sound like a pompous jerk, is what you're saying." 

 "Hey, you're own words, not mine!" 

Tobirama smirks. "So tell me more about myself, it may ring a bell." 

 You ponder this. While it is fun to lead him on the wrong way, it is also dangerous. If he has been wandering around in this state, he is lucky if he has not run into anyone who would want to kill him. 

 "Stay close," you tell Tobirama. 

You find Tobirama’s things in the same path, and you bend down to examine them. There are no signs that he struggled, in fact, his things are neatly arranged like he had planned for this. 

You frown and you open his knapsack to go through it. You find his notes, hoping that he keeps some kind of record of his days. You skim through them, and then, his handwriting increasingly gets messier. 

 You take a deep breath, hoping that it is not as bad as you are thinking. 

 You read through his research notes, and while some of the information on it is advanced, you can now understand it due to the books Tobirama has made you read. You skim through it faster, realizing that Tobirama is in the process of creating a jutsu: he aims to make a jutsu that can wipe out memories. Your heart sinks as you read his last thought on paper.

  Since there are no immediate test subjects, I will have to test this on myself and hope that Elder Brother will notice my absence. If it works, that is.

"Oh, it worked well alright," you mutter tersely. 

Your head snaps up and you realize that Tobirama is not near you.

 "That bastard," you swear.

 You jump to your feet and you search for his familiar white head, when you notice him a few feet away, crouching down near a bush. 

 "What are you doing?" You ask as you step near him. 

 "Watching a snake eat a frog," Tobirama deadpans. "It’s something else." 

You watch Tobirama for a few more seconds, and then you walk over to grab his arm. “Come on, we have to go see your brother.” 

 “Ah, to find more information, I reckon?” 

 You purse your lips. “That, and to fix what you did to yourself.”

 Tobirama watches you curiously. “What do you mean?” 

“Are you insane?” You cannot help but scold him. “Why would you erase your own memories?” 

 Tobirama raises an eyebrow at you. You press his notes to his chest and he brings a hand up to get them. He flips through them, his eyes lighting up in delight. He nods in amazement as his eyes move right to left to read his own handwriting. 

“I seem to have a gift for experimentation.” 

 “You think?” 

 “According to myself, this is important work.” 

 “What?” You snap scathingly. “What part of important work is putting yourself in danger?” 

 He leans forward until he is only a breath apart from you. “If I did not know any better, I would think you care about me.” 

You look down to his nose to avoid his gaze. 

"What are we? Is there something between us?" Tobirama asks, genuinely curious. He raises an eyebrow, and he looks almost smug. 

 You cannot stand this Tobirama and even though you are going to regret it, you miss the grumpy one. 

 "Are you mad? You hate me," you snap. 

 Tobirama gives you a scowl. "If you claim that I hate you, then why were you the first person to be near me? I don't seem like the kind of person to just let anyone accompany me." He crosses his arms. "Even a blind person can see through your lies." 

 "Because you're mad, that's why." Your heart climbs up to your throat, making it hard to swallow.

 Tobirama starts to walk away, but he is heading in the wrong direction. 

 You follow him, and try to tug him the other way, but Tobirama is stubborn and he is curious about every little thing. You need to get Tobirama to his brother as soon as possible, or the two of you may run into trouble. 

“Okay, hey,” you start. “I promise that you’ll get more information if we just go back to your brother.” 

 Tobirama narrows his eyes distrustfully. “Nice try.”

 “I am not lying,” you hissed. You step in front of him to halt his steps, and you put your hands on his shoulders. “Use your chakra to check.” 

Tobirama glances down at you, and he tilts his head, thinking. Then he takes a deep breath. 

 “You can trust me,” you promise him. 

 Tobirama frowns, but you see that he believes you.

 “Let’s go, please,” you plead with him. 

//

Hashirama is not surprised that his brother decided to pull something like this. He had his brother sit on a chair and you watch as Hashirama puts his hands on the sides of Tobirama’s head and he begins to fix whatever Tobirama did to himself. 

 “When he was just a little boy, Tobirama was naturally like this, curious, a little rude, but he’s quiet most of the time,” Hashirama murmurs. 

 You smile at the thought of a young Tobirama, spending hours poring over a book and going on adventures to make discoveries about nature. 

 It takes a while, and when Tobirama has come to, Hashirama wastes no time to scold his brother. 

 The two are yelling in Hashirama’s office, and you try to make yourself invisible by making sure you do not make any sudden movements or noise. You slowly inch towards the door, but Tobirama’s eyes land on you and you freeze. 

“What is she doing here?” Tobirama snaps. “This is none of her business!” 

 Hashirama takes a deep breath, and he glares at his brother. “Stop treating her like that, Tobirama. If it wasn’t for her, you would have probably killed yourself in some way.” 

Tobirama scoffs, rolls his eyes and crosses his arms across his chest. “Oh, please.” 

 “I am going to leave now,” you tell them. 

 “No, stay,” Hashirama commands. 

 “Lord Hashirama,” you protest.

 “Elder brother,” Tobirama says at the same time. 

Tobirama narrows his eyes at you, the man you have met earlier gone. “She is not needed here.” 

 You roll your eyes. “Lord Hashirama, I really do not want to cause any more trouble.” 

There is a minuscule change in Tobirama’s expression, but luckily for you, you are able to catch it. It looks like a hint of embarrassment. Even though he is glaring at you, he can’t quite meet your eyes. 

“Yeah, you’ve done enough,” Tobirama starts. 

 Your mouth slightly drops open in shock. “Excuse me? Who was the one staring at me while I was sleeping like some creep?” 

 “You tried to stab me!” 

 “I was half-awake!” 

 “Yeah? Well it seems like your senses are not sharp enough to recognize me!” 

 “Who got themself in this mess anyways?”

 “My memory was wiped!” 

 “Because you’re insane!” You shout. “Who in their right mind would do that to themself?” 

 “It was for science and for the shinobi world!”

 “What a misguided argument.” 

 Tobirama opens his mouth, his eyes purely made from fire. 

“Enough! Sit,” Hashirama commands, no longer entertaining the two of them. “You on the other side, and Tobirama on the other.”

 “Elder brother, we are not children,” Tobirama says tersely, but he is currently moving towards his designated seat. 

 “Oh yeah?” Hashirama challenges. “Then quit acting like one, especially you, Tobirama.” 

You stifle a snicker as you lower yourself in your seat. 

Tobirama’s jaw sharpens, and his neck is starting to grow pink. Of all people to witness him getting scolded by his brother, it has to be you. Just his luck. 

 “No talking,” Hashirama says firmly and passes the two of you a stack of documents to read through. “And we leave together for dinner.” 

Tobirama’s expression withers, and reluctantly opens the document to start. 

 You catch Hashirama’s apologetic look towards you and you shrug, not really taking this personally. You find it hilarious that Tobirama truly acts like a little brother. You have never seen him more triggered and animated except with his elder brother. 

Another day means another interesting adventure with Tobirama. 

 You are not one to complain. 

  //

Tobirama’s face is stormy during the walk all the way to Hashirama’s household. There is a pout on his lips that would not go away and his glare is so severe that it wards off anyone who tries to greet them nicely. 

 Essentially, the walk was pretty peaceful, thanks to him. 

 You also stay quiet, your mind wandering to today’s events. 

 The only one talking your ears off is Hashirama, and you vaguely remember him bragging about his sons. 

Tobirama does not say anything to interrupt his brother, and as he hears more about his nephews, his face begins to soften and you observe this and try not to make it obvious that you are studying him. Hashirama notices this and gives you a funny look, but he does not comment on it and instead continues to chat, and tries his best to include the two of you in his one-sided conversation. 

 When you arrive into Hashirama’s house, you are immediately greeted with warm light and five boys screaming and hurtling towards their father and uncle. Tobirama picks up the youngest one without fuss who is barely able to keep up with his older brothers, who are tackling their father with their best. The eldest greets his father and uncle calmly but cheerfully, and he leads the chaos towards the kitchen. 

 You begin to grow shy as the boys peer at you curiously, and you give them a small wave. 

One of them gasps. “Is this uncle’s girlfriend?!” 

 You start, and Tobirama almost trips in on himself and almost drops his baby nephew. He looks to be around four years old. 

Hashirama cackles, the sound booming throughout the house. 

“Is she? Uncle always tells us about you!” 

 “No, I do not,” Tobirama cuts in. 

 You chuckle nervously. “No, I am not his girlfriend.” 

 His nephews let out a few sounds of disappointment. 

 “But she’s so pretty!” 

You blush and you pat the boy who gave you the compliment on the head. “Thank you, I am glad you think so. Your uncle, however, begs to differ.” 

 Another gasps at this. “He’s blind!” 

 “He says you’re annoying,” the youngest in Tobirama’s arms says, and he lays his head on Tobirama’s shoulder. He seems mellow and paler compared to his energetic brothers. 

 “Ah, so he complains about me, not talks about me,” you joke. 

Hashirama chuckles as he pushes his sons forward to keep them from crowding the hallway. 

 Tobirama puts a hand on his nephew’s forehead and he frowns. He whispers something to him, but his nephew shakes his head. It does not alleviate the frown on Tobirama’s face though. 

“Ah, here we are,” Hashirama announces. “Someone tell your mother that we are here.” 

 “I got it,” the eldest says and he disappears out in the hallway. 

With no room to sit except beside you, Tobirama sits his nephew next to you, and then sits beside him. 

The two of you stay quiet, barely exchanging any words with each other. Tobirama passes you a glass of water in silence, while Hashirama and his sons fill in the silence. 

 After a few minutes of waiting, Mito arrives and she is followed by her son and her maids, all carrying food in their trays and vases for drinks. Mito sits beside her husband and greets you, and you greet her back with your best polite voice. 

 Tobirama has told you once that you sound sarcastic even though you are being friendly. 

“How was Lady Anzu?” Mito directs the question to Tobirama, who glances towards you. “I received complaints that you left her behind in the street the other day in favor of another girl, who you apparently pushed down to the ground. I know you are a busy man, but please be courteous next time, Tobirama, I can only try to match you with so few ladies in Konoha and in the nearby lands. Try not to forget etiquette and send her a letter of apology.” 

 Tobirama gulps, and you give him a side-glance. 

 “I will,” Tobirama promises. 

You try not to cover your face from shame. 

An argument breaks out between Hashirama’s sons, but it is admonished through one strict look from their mother. 

 “We have a visitor, please behave accordingly,” Mito says. Her children obey her, and she directs her gaze towards you. “I hope that working with Tobirama has been fruitful.” 

 You nod. “It has, my lady.” 

 Mito gives you a funny look. “Mito is fine.” 

Everyone directs their gaze to Hashirama, and he starts dinner as the head of the family. He takes the first bite, and then signals for everyone to also take their fill. 

You help Tobirama’s nephew beside you, quietly handing him his utensils and wiping his mouth when he gets messy. 

 You notice Tobirama’s gaze on you, but you ignore it, just in case you accidentally meet his eyes and the events with Lady Anzu are revealed through your shared experience with him. 

The boy sneezes beside you and you chuckle lightly, immediately putting a napkin to his nose so that he can blow his nose. 

“Your sons are adorable, Lord Hashirama,” you comment. 

 Hashirama chuckles, his face lighting with pride. “Of course!” 

Tobirama’s nephew begins to lean on you after a while, and you notice that he is getting sleepy. You pat his head, and you frown as you notice that he is very feverish. 

“Hey, is he okay?” You whisper to Tobirama, not wanting to alarm his parents. 

 “He says he’s not feeling too well,” Tobirama replies, taking notice of the way the boy is leaning towards you. “I will get him settled in bed, then.” 

You surround your arm around the kid to help him towards Tobirama, and you also touch his hand, finding it cold. 

“Is something wrong?” Hashirama asks. 

 “He seems to have a fever,” Tobirama tries to take the boy into his arms, but a cry escapes his lips. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” Tobirama soothes the boy. “I got him.” 

Hashirama nods worriedly. 

“I will have to go then, I wouldn’t want to extend my welcome,” you say. 

 Hashirama and Mito thank you for eating with them, and you get up with Tobirama and follow him out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

 “You need help with him?” You offer, feeling like you should help Tobirama a little bit. You follow your instinct. 

Tobirama looks at you doubtfully. “Fine.” 

You walk behind him as he leads you to the boy’s room, and he kicks away the toys loitering the floor. 

“I will be back,” Tobirama hands you the child and leaves the room. 

You rock the child in your arms to comfort him, and you resist the tiredness settling in your arms. You are not used to carrying children. 

Tobirama comes back with towels and a basin, and he directs you to lie his nephew down on his futon. In silence, the two of you coordinate to wipe the child and dress him into clean clothes, and tuck him into his futon. Tobirama presses a smaller towel on the child’s forehead, and studies him. 

 After a moment, his hand comes away. 

 “Well, the great thing about having Hashirama as your father is that you’ll be fine and dandy tomorrow,” he tells his nephew. “There is nothing your father cannot cure.” 

You gaze at Tobirama, watching how gentle and kind he is towards his family. He is very attentive to the way he takes care of his nephew, and you are not going to lie, the sight is making your heart soft. 

 “Is it serious?” You ask. 

 Tobirama shakes his head. “No. Like I said, he’ll be okay tomorrow once Hashirama checks in on his son.” 

You chuckle lightly. 

 The two of you lock gazes, and a calm washes over you, something that has not happened to you in a while. You are always moving about, running and defending yourself. At this moment, Tobirama makes you feel safe. He might be callous at times, but he has never given you any reason to fear him. 

 For that, you are grateful. 

“I should go,” you break the silence. 

 Tobirama clears his throat. “I will walk you out.” 

You want to decline his offer, but nothing comes out of your mouth as he is following you out. 

 Before you exit the gate of the household, you turn to Tobirama. 

“I hope you do not do that again,” you tell him in a hushed tone and you are suddenly unable to meet his eyes. “That fucking terrified me. If you are going to go put yourself in danger, at least, include me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

Tobirama stares at you, his dark red eyes swimming like blood pools, and a sigh leaves his body. “I will keep your words in mind.” 

 “You can trust me, you know,” you insist. “I hope we can work towards that.” 

 You had half a mind to ask him about what he remembers during the hours that he forgot himself, but you decide to leave it alone. 

Before Tobirama can say anything else, you quickly walk away, and if he has reached for the back of your arm, you do not notice it because you do not even spare him a glance.

.

.

.

[CHAPTER SEVEN >>>] 

#angelica writes #avversiera writes #'til death do us part #Tobirama Senju #Senju Tobirama #tobirama x reader #senju tobirama x reader #tobirama x you #senju tobirama x you #tobirama x y/n #naruto fanfiction

[robininthelabyrinth]

Hello, I don’t know if you've already gotten one like this, but if you haven't I would love love love to see more of Meishan Yu!Tobirama.

It took Jiang Cheng a long time to figure out what was weird about Tobirama, but in his defense he’d never encountered someone who liked him better than Wei Wuxian before.

“Too noisy, not rigorous, never says what he means,” Tobirama said when asked, affectless as ever – he had even more difficulty conveying his feelings or connecting with others than Jiang Cheng did, which made Jiang Cheng feel unusually well-adjusted. He was just bad at it; Tobirama was actively awful: he avoided eye contact, got stressed if he had to be around too much noisy, had a bunch of weird ticks that he used to help himself calm down, and actively preferred to keep his own company in the small room he’d converted to an inventing space.

He allowed Jiang Cheng to join him sometimes, though, which drove Wei Wuxian insane.

Jiang Cheng was pretty sure that was only because Wei Wuxian wanted access to more of Tobirama’s talismans. Dongying had apparently turned seal-making into an art, capable of so much more than what they did with it here, and while at first Tobirama had willingly given lessons to them both – Wei Wuxian had excelled at once, of course – he’d stopped after the second time Wei Wuxian had refused to write down the steps of his inventing progress.

“Too dangerous,” he declared. “Without knowing how something was made, you don’t know how to undo it; a poison without any hope of antidote. I will not participate.”

Wei Wuxian had probably thought he’d change his mind after a bit of nagging, or after he’d showed him something very impressive, but instead Tobirama had remained firm. He was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, to be perfectly honest, but Jiang Cheng thought he was pretty awesome.

Especially after he’d made an illusion talisman that made people think you were a cat – that had been so much fun!

He was planning on telling Wei Wuxian eventually that Tobirama would accept him back for the price of an apology and a paper explaining how he’d made that one repulsion array, but for the time being he was enjoying being Wei Wuxian’s only way to access to really cool things.

“I know he is,” he said, carefully writing down the test he had just performed and the results. “But most people still like him better anyway.”

“He’s naturally gifted,” Tobirama agreed. “My brother is like that, too. It can be a bit much sometimes.”

Jiang Cheng nodded.

“You should be careful when he makes friends. My brother met someone, Madara, and it changed everything.” He thought about it for a second. “Not for the better.”

“Wei Wuxian makes lots of friends,” Jiang Cheng argued. “He’s friends with all the shidi.”

“Just wait and watch,” Tobirama said. “When you see it, you’ll know what I mean.”

Jiang Cheng still thought it was a bit unlikely, but he agreed.

“You should probably let him join in with us,” he said a little later. “He’s almost done sulking, and he really does have very good ideas.”

“Next week,” Tobirama said.

“Why next week?”

“The next thing I want to work on is the summoning contract, and the only model I have is the Hatake. He won’t appreciate being involved in that project.”

Jiang Cheng blinked politely.

“Summoning dogs,” Tobirama clarified.

“Summoning dogs,” Jiang Cheng gasped, all thoughts of Wei Wuxian temporarily (if somewhat guiltily) forgotten. “From where?”

“There’s a spirit world –”

“There’s a world full of spirit dogs?!”

“And other spirits of various types: cats, toads, whatnot. To be perfectly honest, while you might be a good candidate for summons, I don’t think you’d suit a dog.”

“I don’t care. When can we go?”

Tobirama sighed. “It might take a while. We can bring Wei Wuxian in on it once I’ve figured out how to go somewhere that isn’t dogs.”

#mdzs #naruto #senju tobirama #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #my fic #my fics #pearlescentpearl

[anoceaninthesun]

Needs Improvement

Thanks largely to a brilliant suggestion by @shineejeya the Home Improvement AU continues with this ficlet (mini-series ??). This time the renovating teams tackle their toughest assignment yet. If only it was all about the house and not the feisty, beautiful client.

Summary: When Yamanaka Ino meddles in her best friend’s love life quest to DIY renovate her new fixer-upper, Haruno Sakura finds herself caught up in a home improvement competition between four handsome, creative questionably qualified renovators.  

(Home Improvement AU, Modern AU, Slice-of-Life AU)

Pairings: FoundersxSaku (IzuSaku, TobiSaku, MadaSaku, HashiSaku), ShikaIno, other background pairs

Rating: T

Genre(s): Romance, Comedy, General

Warnings: none really—except maybe swearing, atrocious flirting skills and the Founders being renovating crackheads (not literally, but almost)

Pt. 1, Pt.2 

Sakura had her doubts about Ino’s intentions from the moment she showed up dressed so...expensively. The season’s latest denim cut off jacket, glittering top, a perfectly pleated skirt she’d seen in an upscale boutique they went to together, and boots easily worth someone’s paycheck. Granted, her friend had been a fashionista and trendsetter since they were kids.

 But, when Ino called the night before claiming it had been too long since they’d hung out and she wanted to do a quiet, girl’s-day-in, she’d agreed. So maybe the pinkette had brought whatever was coming onto herself. She hadn’t thought much of it when the blonde said she’d swing by.

 It wasn’t really done, boxes barely unpacked and some rooms still without fresh coats of paint, but it was slowly coming along. Buying her first home at only twenty-two was a big deal, all the years of frugal spending and careful saving, of building credit and working hard culminating in such a huge achievement. 

She was so proud of herself, and determined to turn the house into the home of her dreams, one weekend at a time. “Do you want a soda or water?” she called from the kitchen. 

She could see Ino on her couch with her thumbs flying over her phone screen, not paying any attention to the movie playing. “Smoothie.” she responded, absently. 

“That’s not even one of the choices I just offered!” Sakura huffed. 

“Don’t be an ungracious hostess, Sakura.” Ino laughed.

The doorbell chimed, and Sakura went to the fridge and fished out two bottles of water. She raised a suspicious brow when Ino ran to get it before she could so much as ask. Sakura knew she wasn’t expecting anyone else over, but her friends sometimes popped up when they knew she was free (which was sadly less than ever as of late). 

Taking the water and setting the two bottles down on the coffee table, Sakura wandered into the mudroom, peering out the window. She took a startled step back, blinking at the cars parked in her driveway and on the other side of the street. Was that...a camera crew? “What the hell?” she whispered. “Ino!” She stomped to the front door, only to find her friend bouncing around, happy sounds leaving her mouth as four incredibly attractive men stepped into her home. And yes, a flood of people with cameras coming in too. 

“Hi!” Ino waved with both hands. “Thank you so much for choosing this house! I can’t believe you’re here,” she tucked a loose lock of hair behind one ear and then moved forward to shake the first man’s hand. 

Sakura caught herself doing a double take. He looked so much like her childhood friend Sasuke it wasn’t even funny. More like Sasuke than his own older brother did, and she had always thought that their resemblance was pretty strong.

 The only real noticeable differences she could spot was his longer hair (hair which stuck up messily the same way Sasuke’s tended to) hanging down his back when he turned.

 His lips also looked fuller, and she and Naruto had always reluctantly agreed Sasuke had lips to die for. Their eyes met from over Ino’s shoulder and Sakura felt her heart seize up for half a beat, averting her eyes. He smiled politely, stepping back from Ino so she could continue conversing with the strange group of people. 

“So this is the house?” A white-haired man rumbled, his sharp, red eyes drinking in every detail. His unyielding facial expression made it hard to determine whatever thoughts were running to his head. Until his head bobbed once, evidently satisfied. “It’s got good bones.” 

Good bones. Sakura had thought the same thing when she’d seen it, and that’s what had prompted her to put a considerable amount of her savings into buying it. That, and maybe a tiny splash of idealism. The location, the rooms, the cute (if not somewhat overgrown) backyard...

“You’re Yamanaka Ino, right? The friend who wrote in?” The next man who spoke brought her right out of her idyllic visions. He was huge, with a beautifully bronzed skin tone, a voice that exuded warmth, and a flannel shirt stretched over a broad chest. He shook Ino’s hand, her whole arm bouncing with his strength, “Is the home owner around?” 

“Sure is! She’s right,” Ino half turned and her eyes immediately found Sakura, who had been frozen there the entire time. “Right there!”

Just like that, any illusion of invisibility she had was ripped away, and Sakura stood exposed. The cameras were zooming in, taking in her wide eyes, ghostly pallor and everyday clothes. 

“Haruno Sakura?” The man approaching her had a voice that felt like it punched the wind from her lungs, knocking her sideways. He shifted some of his long hair aside and smirked slightly, catching her reaction. She took the hand he offered and shook it, because she wasn’t really sure what else she could do. “I assume you know why we’re here?”

“Bad assumption,” she croaked. “This wasn’t what...I don’t know why...have I seen you somewhere before?” 

The role reversal was abrupt. His cocky grin melted into a thin line as his brow arched and he retracted his hand. “You...You haven’t seen the show?”

“No.” Sakura responded, almost challengingly.

The Sasuke-Look-Alike approached with a softer expression, but it did nothing for her nerves. He was just as overwhelming up close as the man she shook hands with.

“We were contacted to renovate a home, your home. As part of a new episode of our show, From House to Home. I’m Uchiha Izuna, and that’s my charming brother—”

“Madara.” Madara introduced himself with pride, as if he had the title of royalty attached to his name. They really were Sasuke’s relatives! Ones she’d never met, and she thought she had met a good deal of his extended family.

Apparently not wanting to be left out, the man with the large presence and abundance of energy came over, his eyes merry even before the genuine grin pulled his mouth up. “I’m Senju Hashirama, and I’m excited to work with you. We’ll get your dream home complete in no time.” Tugging the solemn man to his side and placing an arm around his shoulders, he waited.

“Senju Tobirama.” he said, his tone no more ‘excited’ than his face.

Sakura blinked once, wondering why a brain that could memorize the names for all the bones in a human body with ease had so much difficulty processing this. “Nice to meet you all.” she said slowly. Her eyes darted back to the camera crew still filming. She worried her face was going to look clammy on film. Would they edit out the awkward parts at least?

“So, Ino-san’s told us a little bit, but it’d be great if we could go over what you’re looking for.” Izuna urged.

Figuring it was too late to turn back (although she owed Ino one hell of a scolding for blindsiding her), Sakura nodded. “I’ll show you around.”

______________________________________________________________

Ino flitted around like a dragonfly that couldn’t decide where to land. Sakura did her best not to break into a sweat over the pack of handsome men following her around from room to room. She had plenty of male friends.

Attractive male friends, even. But there was a hot flame at the back of her neck from the gazes tracking her that just wasn’t there when she was around her boys. The crush she’d once had on Sasuke for that awkward period when they were younger, notwithstanding.

“A more open kitchen?” Hashirama repeated. He pulled out a tablet and began fumbling with it, biting his lip briefly. Sighing loudly, Tobirama yanked it from his hand, pointedly turning it so it was no longer upside down, and began tapping.

Sakura smiled slightly. Though they were apparently something like celebrities in the world of home improvement, they gave off a very difference impression in real life. On the other hand, exactly how competent were these men?

“It’d be nice if she could have a bigger island bar. You know, for get togethers with our friends.” Ino put in, standing at one corner of the room.

For all the helpful advice she had, the renovators probably thought Ino lived with her.

“We’ve definitely done some very fun island bars before.” The older Senju said. “Remember the project with the tropical fish tank built in?” He nudged at his brother, who grimaced.

“Your ideas are somehow always even bigger than the clients.” Tobirama grumbled.

Madara wondered over to her humble stove area, examining it. Then her second-hand fridge and microwave. “These appliances are outdated. Anything new we put in would clash.” Sakura took offense to his disdainful expression. It wasn’t easy to afford a house on her budget and spring for brand new kitchenware and appliances.

“It works fine.” Sakura explained, teeth grinding. Who did this man, who probably drove around in a car the same price as the down payment on her house, think he was? To demonstrate, she brushed by his taller frame and turned on one of the eyelets of the stove. A flame sputtered to life. “Plus,” she added, putting on her syrupiest voice, “I know seasoned renovators like yourselves can work around any minor inconveniences the house has.” Madara stared at it, then her, saying nothing else.

Sakura happened to catch the shrewd carmine eyes of Tobirama, noticing how they were lit with mild amusement.

“Without a doubt!” Hashirama agreed, “So Madara, you’ll take responsibility for the kitchen area?”

Crossing his arms, the older Uchiha made a noise reminiscent of reluctant agreeance. Sakura had been friends with Sasuke for a long enough period to decode most vague noises and gestures in an Uchiha’s standard repertoire.

That was without a doubt, “challenge accepted.” ______________________________________________________________

So far, the job ahead didn’t make him feel as miserable as Tobirama had been expecting. Despite the strange newness of the situation, Haruno Sakura didn’t seem like an unreasonable client. They were currently surveying her unfenced backyard, no one more eager to talk about plans for it than Hashirama. “The great thing about how unstructured this space is right now, is that you could do almost anything with it and not worry about taking anything out first. A fence is a definite, but how do you feel about a greenstone garden?”

Sakura contemplated, a slow smile curling her lips as her best friend barely contained a squeal. “Well, I did say whenever I got my own place I’d try my hand at something like that.” 

Happy that she was on board, she and Hashirama began to talk shop, with Ino interjecting, apparently a gardening fanatic herself. Tobirama let them chat, busy watching Madara scope out the yard, presumably to see how he’d implement his own project. When he wasn’t doing that, he was boring holes into the side of the client’s head. She had to feel it. 

It was starting to agitate him a little, and he wasn’t even the focus of the man’s gaze. Ever since the little display of sass in the kitchen – something Tobirama thoroughly appreciated since quite a few clients were too busy fawning to put Madara in his place–it was hard to tell if the older of the Uchiha brothers wanted to one up them or impress Sakura. More than likely both.

“I don’t think I’d want to splurge on anything like a pool,” Sakura was shaking her head. “But it’d be nice to have something entertaining...”

“A firepit.” Izuna said instantly. “We can do one right off the patio if you want.” He took out his own tablet and showed her a three dimensional construct of what it would look like. 

Sakura leaned in, her face approving. “Oh!” Without even seeming to realize it, she gently tugged it from his hands and tapped. “Are these the different designs? I really like this one.” 

The camera shifted to show what her choice had been. Though Tobirama found the Uchiha’s penchant for firepits entirely unoriginal from a design perspective, the one Sakura liked would unfortunately be very nice surrounded by Hashirama’s horticultural touches.

 Izuna was certainly proud of himself for suggesting it, much less openly smug than his brother. But...too pleased nonetheless. In fact, he had been stealing interested looks at Sakura nearly as often as Madara. 

As they moved back into the house, Hashirama and the women in front, the younger Senju traded a very loaded look with the dark-haired brothers.That probably wasn’t going to make the final cut. The show liked to capitalize on a “friendly” if not overly-competitive rivalry, but the venomous sneers they gifted each other were far past it. 

They were all supposed to be alright with a collaboration for the sake of Sakura’s dream reno. He just had the niggling suspicion that wasn’t the only thing on their minds. Deny all they wanted, the Uchiha Team tended to shine best when the client was young, female and single. Sakura was at least two out of three things thus far. 

At the very least, she wasn’t acting besotted. That was a welcome change. She also seemed financially conscious, which was something else Tobirama appreciated after so long doing budgeting on these projects. A lot of clients didn’t truly understand how that portion of project management worked.

 Though, with how surprised she was by the whole affair, he wondered if she even knew an anonymous source had put up a very generous amount to cover the renovation.

 Sakura could have two identical houses and triple the square footage if she really wanted it. And it wasn’t beneath Madara to use that knowledge and some sex appeal to coerce someone in the pinkette’s position to let him take control of a project like this one.   

Tobirama wasn’t about to let the opposing team break ahead. The time would come shortly for him to speak with Sakura, and when they had that meeting of the minds, he would convince her that an economical reno was the way to go.  

______________________________________________________________

It took a lot longer than anticipated but here’s part two. The beginning of the SakuraxFounders interactions! I usually do slow burn, but at the same time this isn’t going to be super long, so romance may happen quicker than usual. I think this is looking more and more like it may become a mini-series (a handful of these little chapters probably), which I have never done on tumblr. Fingers crossed I figure it out. If you’re looking for more FounderxSakura fun from me, and there’s a chance you haven’t seen my oversaturated advertisement for it, you can check out: A Stitch in Time.

#sakura haruno #foundersxsakura #konoha founders #needs improvement #madara uchiha #izuna uchiha #hashirama senju #tobirama senju #ino yamanaka #sakura is already done #tobirama’s getting there #madara should maybe keep his shirt on #sakura might splash bacon grease his way if he crosses her #hashirama never sticks to the budget #madasaku #tobisaku #izusaku #hashisaku

[raendown]

First entry for @madatobiweek this year! Today’s story is for the prompts magic au and de-aged.

Companion art for this story found here!

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 10,519 Rated: T+ Summary: All the magic he could possibly want at his fingertips and yet he can't stop one big brother from meddling. Forced in to revealing both his heart and his deepest secret, in the end Tobirama is happy - and happily plotting revenge.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Small Problems

“What do you mean you don’t know how this happened?”

“I’m not sure how else to say that so you can understand it.” Tobirama was aware of the dryness in his tone, aware that was one thing that never failed to rile this man up, but in a situation like this he simply could not be bothered to modulate himself. 

Not when the brother who should have been two years older than him sat across the room with rounded baby cheeks, chubby little toddler legs, and a face he hadn’t seen since he himself was about five years old. What on earth his brother had been doing to land himself in such a predicament was uncertain but the two remaining adults both understood one thing without having to voice it. 

They needed to right this wrong before Mito returned from visiting the Uzushio Temples or there would be hell to pay. 

“Haven’t you memorized basically every damn book in the entire library here?” Madara demanded. “Take a look around! You could say which ones here have spells in them that could do this!”

“I have read many of them, not all. I would need another hundred years at the very least to merely skim the entire collection.” Not that he hadn’t been giving his best shot at doing so. Almost every spare moment not spent bored in council meetings or crafting charms for gullible tourists to buy was spent with his nose in whatever books he could get his hands on. If not for Hashirama occasionally dragging him out of his study he might not eat some days. 

“Ugh. What even is the use of you?” His companion crossed both arms and turned his head away, dark hair swaying forward until it almost concealed the way his eyes traced back over to watch Hashirama very intently pluck at a loose thread on the cushion underneath him. 

To be fair he did make for an adorable sight. Despite reverting to an age when he had once sported an abominable bowl cut his brown locks remained as long and smooth as ever, long enough to give the effect of a permanent cape draped over tiny shoulders. His fingers were clumsy, tongue sticking out one corner of his mouth in concentration, and the look in his eyes was about as vapidly thoughtless as any seven year old had ever been. Whatever nonsense he’d been fiddling with had well and truly brought him back to childhood. 

“Anija?” Tobirama kept his voice soft since he’d already discovered that speaking sharply led to even easier tears than normal. “You said you can’t remember what you were, ah, playing with. Do you remember anything at all?”

“I remember Tobi! Up! Up!” It was disgustingly hard to resist the cuteness of a tiny Hashirama holding out both arms with a beaming smile. 

Madara stared at him when he inevitably capitulated, snagging the miniaturized man under both arms and hauling him up to rest on one hip. “I never took you for a softy, Senju. You like kids or something?” 

The tone was clearly meant to be a mocking one but the sneering laughter cut off at a calm nod from the one he was trying to poke fun at. Even as a child himself Tobirama had adored taking care of other younglings. Children were uncomplicated, innocent, and they never judged unless they were taught to do so by an adult. None of their endless questions had ill intentions. Sometimes he very seriously considered taking his brother’s frequent suggestions to get out of the house and take up a second job as a teacher of some sort but the thought of not having an out for the times when he just couldn’t concentrate around his latest obsession always brought him back down to reality. 

When Hashirama began to babble he listened at first, hoping his question was actually being answered, but it only took half a sentence for him to recognize the usual nonsense and tune it out. He looked to Madara instead with a contemplative expression. 

“How do you feel about children yourself?” he asked, unsurprised when the man narrowed both eyes suspiciously. 

“Don’t hate ‘em, I guess, why?” 

“If you want me to figure out what part of this mess caused my older brother to become my younger brother then I’ll need some time to dig through it all. Can you watch him? I won’t get anything done if I have to constantly pull balls of paper out of his mouth and drag him away from things that could hurt him in this state.” 

Watching those dark eyes widen and fill with horror was one of the simpler pleasures in life. “Me? Watch tiny kid Hashirama? Have you lost your entire mind!?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be his best friend?” Tobirama snorted. “One would think you knew him well enough to keep him entertained for a day or two. Or is childcare too much of a challenge for one such as yourself?” 

That had exactly the effect he suspected it would. Madara spluttered and grumbled about how he was perfectly capable of watching one child for a few hours, how hard could it be, and other such nonsense. Amusing as that was, Tobirama did his best not to laugh. He truly wouldn’t get anything done with Hashirama underfoot and being obvious about his amusement would only send the very sexy bane of his existence storming away with no offers of help. 

Honestly if the man weren’t so attractive both in mind and body Tobirama would have drowned him in a water sphere years ago. As long as he drew all the moisture out of the room afterwards it would be the perfect murder. No way to trace it back to him. But of course he had never lowered himself to fantasize about shutting that infuriating mouth up before - murderously, amorously, or otherwise. Wanting anything from someone he argued with so frequently would be a futile exercise and Tobirama was nothing if not a practical man. His time was better spent buried in books as he had been for the past two centuries. 

If he learned enough about the world sometimes he wondered if it would make it all feel less lonely. 

“Does he even know who I am?” Madara’s capitulation was as easy as that, although he made a point of not verbally agreeing, which was just like him. It was a good point, though. Tobirama hefted the child on his hip and cleared his throat.

“Anija? Do you remember who this is?” he asked.

“Maddy!” 

“Yes. That’s exactly who this is.” Tobirama’s lips spread in a shameless smile. “Maddy.”

The sounds of spluttering from across the room were music to his ears, doubly so when the teasing hadn’t even really come from him so he couldn’t be blamed for it. Just for that he resolved to be a little less angry when everything was back to how it should be. Only a little though.

“You’re going to go play with Madara for a while, alright? Be good for him. And use your manners.”

“We’re not going to play,” Madara groused. He seemed to regret it immediately when Hashirama began tearing up. Nothing out of the ordinary, really, but the tears had extra impact when spilling out over chubby cheeks, big brown eyes even wider than normal when set in such a tiny face. 

“B-but I wanna!” he cried, chin wobbling dangerously. 

Madara backtracked wildly even as Tobirama stepped across the room to hand over the man-child. “No no! Of course we can play! I have lots of board games at home and a pack of tarot cards you can read and I think I still have some kid-friendly runes in one of the cupboards. Kagami likes to play with those. That’s good, right? Please stop crying.” 

The way he took Hashirama’s small body in both hands like a sack of potatoes spoke to a certain inexperience with kids and yet once Hashirama finally quit producing tears and giggled at his best friend’s high pitched tone Madara looked much more comfortable, enough that when he set Hashirama on one hip the motion was as smooth and thoughtless as any full time parent. It did ridiculous things to Tobirama’s insides. Attractive, intelligent, and apparently decent with children. If it weren’t for the fact that he just couldn’t see it happening he might have been tempted to pursue something that would definitely end up terrifying everyone around them. 

Unfortunately he had many times gotten the impression that Madara did not find displays of intelligence as arousing as he did - usually seemed more annoyed by it than anything else - so the thought was set aside just as it had been every other time it showed up again. While the other two whispered together about how they would fill their time for the rest of the day Tobirama looked around the room and tried to decide where he would start first. He’d initially found his brother buried under the small mountain of scrolls and tomes in the eastern corner of the room but it was all too possible that he’d simply knocked some things over in his struggle to understand this new body. Still, it was the only lead he had and it wasn’t any better or worse than starting somewhere else. 

“Right.” Cracking both wrists in preparation, he turned to lift one eyebrow at the co-conspirators giggling away by the door. “I should get started if we want him back to normal before the next meeting of the Magic High Council.”

“We’ll get out of your way,” Madara took the hint, thankfully. 

“Don’t forget to feed him. No sugar though, he was a demon whenever he ate sugar at that age.” 

“Got it.” 

Hashirama whined but Madara was already turning to leave with a little extra bounce in his step to distract the tiny body on his hip. 

Although he did his best not to be obvious about it Tobirama watched them until the door closed behind his favorite pair of mischief makers. Only after their voices began to fade down the hallway did he turn and cast a weather eye over the messy study. How his brother got anything done in here was beyond him. Every inch of him itched to clean up, mourning briefly that he hadn’t been born with an affinity for air magic. With air he could have simply waved his hand and called the spirits to help him tidy the room without so much as moving from this spot, could have spent his hours in the library calling books to him without getting up, but alas he had been born with a connection to water instead. 

The pile where he started took more than an hour to sift through and at the end he found nothing but the tear stains left by a confused young-again toddler. It probably wouldn’t have taken him half that long just to look at all the book titles and determine whether they were a likely culprit but his instincts demanded that he organize as he went, sorting the books in to categories by subject and gathering the papers that seemed to go together in separate piles as well. Several of the scrolls were unmarked and those he set aside for later. Messing with unknown, possibly magical artefacts was a mistake he’d made several times before. Now was not the time for a repeat. If the rest of the chaos around him yielded nothing he would look in to the unmarked items with due caution and only after advising someone else to come check that he wasn’t dead afterwards. 

From there Tobirama began to move around the perimeter of the room, going through each new spot of chaos with a fine toothed comb, leaving order in his wake when he moved on. It saddened him to know that all this effort would probably be ruined in less than a week after his brother was free in here once more. 

Beneath one pile of debris he discovered a couch and under a different one he found a table. In one pile after several hours of labor he found some books that he had loaned to his sibling and never gotten back, told they were mysteriously lost somewhere. From now on anything he loaned this idiot would be tethered to a tracking rune and carefully monitored; then the first time Hashirama tried to say something was lost he was going to go dig it up out of this trash heap of a room and commit violence with it. 

Maybe he would even let Madara watch. The man did always seem like he could use a good laugh.

Over half the room had been torn apart and rebuilt in to piles of satisfying organization before Tobirama finally unearthed a clue as to what his brother had been messing with. Bundled under a few tomes about interdimensional flora trades he found one that he himself hadn’t read yet, though he remembered mentally noting it for a future subject of interest. Age manipulation was one of the few subsections of time magic he had yet to turn his attention to. His last experiments in those areas had led to tears from several of their neighbors and angered Kawarama so badly his youngest sibling had refused to speak to him for a whole year. Not truly such a large portion of their extended life spans but he’d felt the loss all the same and no matter what others thought he was capable of learning from his mistakes. Even if the mistake he interpreted was not being sneaky enough with his research. 

There were probably at least a dozen other ways that Hashirama might have landed himself in the state that he did but finding materials specifically to do with age regression magic in his possession was fairly damning evidence for that possibility. Just in case, Tobirama took a moment to pause and look around the rest of the room. One corner that he hadn’t yet gotten to was an area he very rarely saw his brother digging in to and had thus left it to be dealt with last. Now he looked a little closer and noticed that several piles of nonsense had all been very carefully arranged to give the appearance of being the same old stacks of garbage while concealing a cleared area in the very center, a suspicious little set up if he’d ever seen one. Tobirama set down the thick Treatise on Age Manipulation: Techniques of the Elemental Nations and padded his way across the carpet on silent feet as though if he made too much noise he might startle away whatever lay in the hidey hole before him. 

As soon as he poked his head around one tall stack of paper he was frowning deeply, more suspicious than ever. In the very center of the mess, hidden from sight at any other angle but the one he was looking from, a small area had been cleared out to set up an obvious workspace. He remembered when they were little and Hashirama had been so fond of building himself little forts or secret hideaways where he could practice with the natural magics in his blood, making games out of pretending to be some Master Enchanter conducting secret experiments. 

Fun as it was to think back to such innocent times from two centuries before, not even the nostalgia of childhood was going to save Hashirama from his wrath if it turned out the idiot had done all this on purpose. With a deep scowl scoring lines in his forehead to match the tattoos on his cheeks, Tobirama slid carefully in to the cleared out space and hunkered down, pulling several open notebooks towards himself to read through his brother’s familiar handwriting. 

His fears were proven disgustingly true in but a few pages. Judging by the typically scatter-brained notes, it seemed that not only was this not an accident but that Hashirama had actively sought out this brand of magic for the specific purpose of regressing himself to a toddler. Why he wanted to be seven years old again was not mentioned in the initial notes and so Tobirama read on with a headache already forming from clenching his jaw too tightly. 

Two more notebooks of terribly organized outlines and vague descriptions of eighteen different experiments granted Tobirama no more clarity on the situation, although he did pick up enough crumbs of information to piece together a decent knowledge of the subject matter. His temper was barely contained by the time he worked his way down to the final notebook. Fascinating as he had always found it comparing the theories of one spell to another, he needed to figure out which one had actually been used that morning in order to properly reverse it. Truly a regrettable restriction. 

Well, regrettable from Hashirama’s point of view, probably. He was the one who would suffer the wrath of an angry water mage until Tobirama had worked out the frustration of this moment. 

The last notebook left unread sat open to a random page that Tobirama smacked his hand down on in a temper. Dragging it towards him across the worksurface made the distinct sound of crumpling paper as he did so. Instantly mired with an instinctual scholar’s guilt, he very carefully lifted the book to peer underneath and assess whatever damage he’d just done. 

A lone sheet of parchment fluttered back in to place where he easily identified it as a letter. The frown that already might as well be permanently etched in to his face deepend at the sight of his own name at the top. Why in the many interdimensional worlds would his brother need to write to him? They lived right next door to each other! Setting the notebooks aside, he used both hands to smooth out the rest of the letter and held the edges down so he could skim the contents. The moment he reached the bottom his eyes snapped back to the top for a more careful read through since clearly he must have hallucinated what he thought he’d just read. 

Nothing changed. Tobirama’s hands were shaking with rage as he read through his brother’s words for a third time like they might somehow change in to something less stupid. 

Dear Tobi

If you’re finding this then my plans are in motion! You will be very proud of me, I’m sure, for how carefully I conducted my experiments and research. Just like you! 

Watching you and Madara dance around each other the way you have been for half a century is starting to get ridiculous. I really hate seeing both of you so lonely but you both refuse to do anything about it so I decided to do that myself. You’ll thank me, I promise! 

The spell I’ll be using will bring my body and mind back to when I was a child - but I guess you’ll already know that when you find this. Don’t worry for me, I still have all my memories. But there is only one way to break the spell and bring me back to normal. All you have to do is say a few simple words. Easy, right? I hope so because the words I chose for my release incantation are words you should have said a long time ago. 

You have to ask Madara on a date! Isn’t that fun? I told you that you would thank me later! You can’t just say any old words, though, you have to say it exactly like this: “Madara, it would make me very happy if you would take me on a date tomorrow.” You deserve to be pampered. He should be the one taking you out and treating you nice!

I can’t wait to see how happy you’ll be when I’m back to normal!

Love, Hashirama (the best big brother in the world)

The sound of crumpling parchment filled the air around him, fingers clenching in to the letter with white-knuckled rage. Happy was not even close to any of the feelings chasing red hot through his blood. After he managed to get this idiot back to his usual height Tobirma was going to punch the man right back down to the ground. Stagnant thought it may be, his love life was his own damn business.

His first instinct, of course, was to tear his way through the final notebook in search of which exact spell his brother had ended up using. Almost every curse and rune and incantation that had ever been crafted could be broken or cancelled out by something if a man was desperate enough to do something stupid - and Tobirama was fairly desperate not to get backed in to such a ridiculous corner. Of all the hills he’d been prepared to die on over the years this probably ranked among the pettiest and yet that knowledge did nothing to stop him from slapping the notebook back down in a rush of fury when he discovered what he had most feared. 

For a very stupid man Hashirama did have his moments of evil genius. All the notes appeared to be there just as they had been for the rest but here the letters were blurred with some sort of privacy seal, visible only to Hashirama’s eyes. The only thing keeping Tobirama from whipping the entire thing across the room was knowing he would feel compelled to go clean up whatever mess his little hissy fit might cause. 

Dragging both hands down his face, he leaned back in what small space was available and tilted his head back to look up blankly at the ceiling, wracking his brain for a way to get around this. He knew dozens of counter-enchantments that could be attuned to different spells but of course Hashirama had known those would be his answer. Without knowing how to attune them he could end up hurting the idiot before he had a chance to murder him properly and that was far from what he wanted. Revenge would be sweet - but deliberate. 

It couldn’t hurt anything to go home and do a little research of his own to see if there was some solution that might not be occurring to him in the panic. He had salvaged dozens of seemingly hopeless experiments over the years long after something appeared to be impossible, he wouldn’t know until he tried. With any luck he might stumble upon some hidden nugget of information to save the day and prevent him from making such an utter fool of himself in front of Madara by asking questions he was fairly sure he already knew the answer to. No need to expose himself like that. He’d been lucky in his experiments before, there was no reason to think he might not be lucky again.

Except for perhaps the fact that fate was often a bitch like that, abandoning him when he needed her most. 

There was nothing really to pack up since none of the materials around him would be very useful so it only took a moment to squeeze his way back out of the little fort before he could head for the exit. Concentrated as he had been on the task of figuring out what the fuck was going on, his brain had rather easily filtered out the muted sounds drifting over from the other end of Hashirama’s ridiculously oversized home. Thanks to some rather clever seal work designed by Mito the inside of the house was nearly three times as large as the outside, new rooms and wings added on whenever Hashirama took a fancy to some new hobby or another. Until he was intercepted halfway to the front door Tobirama hadn’t realized one of the newest additions was a nursery. 

“Play!” Hashirama’s tiny voice demanded with childish imperialism. “Tobi play!” 

“Get back here you miniaturized tree! How the hell do you move so fast- oh.” Madara froze in the doorway, arms outstretched where he had clearly been attempting to capture his runaway charge. 

“Having fun, are we?” Tobirama murmured. He tilted his head down to see two wide brow eyes staring back at him as though he’d hung the very stars in the sky. It’d been years since any of his brothers looked at him like that. Some small corner of his heart melted instantly, fingers twitching with the need to pull this tiny figure up on to his hip for a good cuddle. 

Madara straightened up and cleared his throat. “You don’t need to check up on us, you know.”

“Up!” 

“Not now, Anija.” Absently patting the man-child’s hair, Tobirama lifted one eyebrow. “I was on my way to look a bit deeper in to our options for this rather unorthodox situation. My own laboratory is much better equipped for such research so if the two of you would excuse me. Anija, please let go now.” 

Hashirama’s bottom lip wobbled dangerously. “No. Tobi has to play!” 

Difficult to tell at the best of times, it was even harder to figure out if his emotions were real or put upon with such an earnest and tiny face. He hadn’t lost his memories, after all, only his emotional and mental maturity. Which wasn’t all that great to begin with but Tobirama had been given enough lectures on the subject not to mention that anymore - at least not where sensitive ears might carry his words to a vengeful Mito. 

“I can’t stay and play, Anija, I need to work on getting you back to normal.” And planning his revenge, of course, though he refused to give any hints of that. Surprises were supposed to be fun, or so he’d been told. 

“But Toooobiiiiii!” Hashirama’s pudgy fingers curled around his leg in a stubborn embrace. “I already said how! I wroted you a letter! Play!” 

“The correct word is ‘wrote’,” Tobirama corrected him out of sheer habit. He may not have accepted any of the teaching positions offered to him over the years but there would always be an educator buried somewhere in his heart. 

Nodding furiously, the limpet clinging to him faithfully repeated his correction. “Wrote! Now come give me piggyback rides? Madara’s really good at them but his hair is all slippy and I keep sliding off!” 

Listening to the strange mesh of adult language and the childish need to bastardize grammar was bound to give him a headache in less than five minutes. Hashirama’s pronunciation was perfect, it was clear he was aware of every mistake in his sentences, so Tobirama was left to conclude that it was all very deliberate. The undersized nuisance was acting as childish as he could to play it up. He had to be. Nothing else could explain how he remembered writing that letter but ‘didn’t remember’ how to properly communicate as such. 

Even worse, it was working. Tobirama could feel his resolve weakening with every tug as Hashirama pulled insistently at his fingers. In his current state he had next to no strength and barely a fraction of his usual body weight, there was really no reason he should be able to pull a fully grown man around, and yet Tobirama found himself shuffling forward in half steps anyway. As an instinctual defense against his own stupidly soft heart he made sure to roll his eyes heavenward in an expression of great suffering. From the quiet snort that Madara let out he could guess that his efforts were wasted. So much for all-consuming rage.

As he allowed himself to get pulled in to what looked like the aftermath of a tornado Tobirama quickly revised his plans. He would allow himself to be distracted for ten minutes or so, just enough time to appease Hashirama, then he would head home as planned and see if there was anything helpful to be gleaned from his personal library. 

“Maddy helpeded me build a tower!” Hashirama scurried over to show him the wobbly structure made out of wooden rune blocks, imitations of the stones and charms Tobirama himself often peddled for money. Not exactly work to be proud of but it was fairly easy income and quick fingers meant he could produce them fast enough to give himself lots of time for the research he was truly interested in. Pride was all well and good until it got in the way of his experiments. 

“It’s a very...tower.” Try as he might Tobirama couldn’t bring himself to compliment that architectural monstrosity. 

“He worked very hard on that,” Madara pointed out.

Tobirama turned to level him with a flat stare. “I have my own hard work to be doing right now.”

“Awww but you haven’t even given me a piggyback ride yet!” Abandoning his tower, Hashirama toddled over to strike an admittedly very cute pose. “Stop trying to run away, little brother!”

“Which one of us is little right now?” he snapped back. 

Madara didn’t even bother to stifle the bark of laughter that jerked his entire frame, although he did turn his face away to let out a long bout of snickering. Being mocked by him was nothing new, that was pretty much the basis for most of their interactions, but it still wasn’t pleasant to realize he was acting so childishly in front of the man he had such unfortunate feelings for. Tobirama just barely stopped himself from crossing his arms; that would have really driven the nails down in his coffin. 

Instead he appeased himself with a pointed glare down at the little body dancing from side to side near his feet. He’d sort of forgotten just how fidgety his brother had been at this age. Of course, the years hadn’t really dulled the habit all that much, just enough that he was able to pass for a semi-respectable adult for short spurts at a time. 

“One ride,” Tobirama offered stiffly. “I will take you once around the room and then you will let me leave. Do we have a deal?”

“No! You have to play with both of us!” 

“What on earth led you to believe you have any sort of bargaining power here?” 

Daring to produce a sunny smile, Hashirama giggled in his face, clearly unaware of the massive hole he was digging for himself by the minute. Vengeance would be sweet once he was returned to a mental state that would understand the sort of tortures Tobirama had in mind. 

“If you don’t play with me I’ll tell Maddy what I wrote in the letter!”

Tobirama had never snatched a child off the ground so fast in all his life. Doing his best to ignore the curious and increasingly irritated questions from Madara, he settled his brother across both shoulders and began trotting about the room. When Hashirama demanded it he even gave a very flat neigh. If they had been alone, if this were any other child on his back, he would have had so much more enthusiasm for play. Normally he loved kids. With Madara doubled over in the corner and both hands wrapped around his stomach to contain the mirth it was a little harder than usual to lose himself in the joy of youthful innocence. 

Once around the room was deemed far from enough when he tried to stop. All it took was one glance over at Madara for him to set off again with barely a grumble. Mortifying as this was, making the other man laugh was preferable to letting him catch his breath enough for curiosity to set in again. He must have heard something about the letter. Or maybe he hadn’t and the spirits had for once decided to have mercy and allow Tobirama to escape this room without embarrassing himself with the one thing he would never recover from - his feelings. 

For perhaps a whole five minutes he was allowed to have hope. Hashirama directed him like a little general on several laps around the nursery before dragging him over to the blocks and demanding he help make an ‘even betterer’ tower. With his guidance the results were at least structurally sound, if not entirely practical. He wasn’t so sure how necessary it was to have so many rooftops. After playing with the rune blocks Hashirama cheerfully announced that he wanted to play dress up and that, unsurprisingly, was where Tobirama drew the line. There were many things he would do to save himself from the fate his brother had chosen to be his doom but putting on a fashion show for a toddler and a man with the power to burn memories in to his own mind was not one of those things. Just the thought of whatever monstrosities might be hiding in this home, waiting for his tortured form to be stuffed in to them, was enough to turn his stomach. His brother was not known for any sort of fashion sense. 

“Alright, that is enough,” he declared, standing up to brush imaginary lint from his pants. “You asked that I play with you and I have. Now I will be going-”

“But you didn’t play with Maddy at all!” Hashirama’s tiny legs fluttered him across the room to hang off his best friend’s sleeve.

“I don’t think he’s all that heart broken about it,” Tobirama pointed out flatly. 

To his horror, Madara chose that moment to feel a little mischievous. “How would you know? Maybe I’m just torn apart inside with despair that you could possibly think to leave me out of the fun. Come now, Senju, stay and play with me too!”

“Oh! We could have a sleepover!” Clapping both hands to either side of his face, Hashirama’s eyes practically glittered at the very thought.

He wilted sadly when Tobirama shot him down with a short, “No.”

“Whyyyyy!?”

“Because I have work to do.”

“No you don’t!” Hashirama stuck his tongue out. “You just want to go and read a bunch of books a-’cause you’re trying not to ask Maddy-”

“FINE!”

Both of them stared at him with wide eyes for such an unexpected outburst. Madara’s eyes quickly narrowed again in thought, a dangerous expression. The man may have been famous for his manipulation of fire magics but only because there were so few people who had witnessed just what those dangerous eyes could do and lived to tell the tale. And as much as Tobirama knew that should have sobered him with fear he could only mentally sigh at the warm burst of intrigue that bloomed in his chest. 

Clearing his throat, he did his best to smooth away the panic from his expression and coached his voice to more normal, less panicked tones.

“If you absolutely must then you may have your...sleepover.” The word came out through gritted teeth.

“Why do I keep picking up hints that there’s something you don’t want me to know?” Madara asked.

“Because there is something I don’t want you to know.”

The offended squawk was amusing, at least. Madara always had this way of bristling like an angry hedgehog whenever they traded their usual insults and that, Tobirama realized now, was probably the origin of his downfall. He couldn’t help it if his poor taste thought it was cute to see an already wild man made even wilder as his hair spiked up and his cheeks puffed out with indignation. 

Before his thoughts could run too far away and bring any sort of damning color to his face Tobirama followed tiredly along with his little-older brother’s instructions to set up the room for a good old camp out. In a magically expanded mansion like this one there were a dozen or so futons to choose from. Hashirama picked out the ones he declared the cushiest and conducted his two temporary slaves to drag them through the halls, hemming and hawing with all his seven-year old eye for decorating, demanding they rearrange things four times before it was perfect. If he were honest it looked completely the same to Tobirama in each iteration but he knew better than to say so. He wasn’t looking for a three hour lecture on home decor from someone whose voice had reversed to prepubescence. 

When all was about as perfect as he wanted it to be Hashirama threw his tiny body in to the very middle of the mess and began squirming around with all four limbs flailing. Irritating as the situation might be, that was still an adorable sight that forced Tobirama to hide a smile. Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible to wait at least until the little idiot fell asleep before he slipped away to hit the books. He just hoped that whatever spell had shrunk his brother would not have any adverse effects with lengthy exposure; it would be just his luck to finally have everyone back to their correct age only to discover that he had accidentally saddled himself with a man forever stuck in the mind of a child. 

Not to mention that Mito would have his head for that. 

He wasn’t the only one who seemed suspiciously okay with the proceedings. As unselfconsciously as though he were entirely alone, Madara straightened to pull off his outer robes and reached back to sweep the great mass of his long hair behind him. While he listened to Hashirama chatter excitedly about the bedtime stories they should tell he separated his hair in to three sections and began to braid the lot of it in to a thick rope. It was entirely unfair how much more approachable he looked without all that snarled black wire bristling around his head. 

Tobirama looked away before anyone could catch him staring. He occupied himself instead with fussing at some of the blankets, turning the edges down and pulling them in to place a little better. Presumably Hashirama would be sleeping in the center and even at his full size he somehow managed not to hold on to any body heat during the night. All the blankets around them might feel excessive but they were probably necessary.

In an effort to relax himself he allowed his body to flop down over the mess of bedding, grateful when his head landed at least somewhat over a pillow. There would be no escape until little eyes had fallen asleep so he might as well get comfortable for now and since he had no long hair to braid or extraneous outer layers to remove there was nothing to do but consciously loosen the muscles in his body until he felt himself all but melting down in to the futon. Someday when this nursery was occupied by actual children he was pleased to note that they would undoubtedly be quite comfortable with soft beds, tasteful decor carefully chosen for a soothing atmosphere, and so many spells layered together for climate control he didn’t think it was even possible for one to grow cold in this room - unless you were Hashirama. A good place to raise children. 

Crude as it was, his plan of waiting until Hashirama fell asleep to make his escape sounded perfectly fine right up until the tiny traitor passed out sprawled over his lap in the middle of a story he used to recite for their younger brothers. As soon as Tobirama realized what had happened he fell silent with a baleful glare.

“What’s he done now?” Madara asked with a snicker. “I thought the whole point of telling him stories was to make him fall asleep so what’s with that look?”

“I didn’t mean for him to do so on top of me.” 

“Guess you’re trapped here with us, then.” Strangely enough, he didn’t look all that upset about it for a man who’d never seemed particularly enamoured with his best friend’s little brother.

Heaving a deep sigh of resignation, Tobirama closed his eyes and prayed to the spirits of water for patience. This was exactly the sort of situation he did not want to be in. He’d been stupid enough to admit that he was keeping something from Madara specifically and now here he was trapped in place at the other’s mercy. If he wanted to move he would risk waking Hashirama who was even more likely to simply blurt out his secrets than he was to reveal them on purpose. With despair he noted that it seemed Hashirama’s plan would be coming to fruition after all, the bastard. There didn’t seem like a way out of this now. If he woke Hashirama and left his Anija would simply tattle on him but if he stayed here Madara’s relentless personality would not stop until he had the answers he knew were being kept from him. 

Staring back at the expectant grin watching him like a hawk, Tobirama could already taste defeat heavy on his tongue. He wasn’t going to get out of this without making a fool of himself. At least, he consoled himself, it wouldn’t be all that hard to avoid the man for a decade or so and by then either his feelings would hopefully have faded or Madara’s memories would have.

“Anything you want to fess up to while we’re stuck together?” 

“You,” Tobirama snarled, “are not stuck anywhere. He’s not even a little on top of you.”

“I forgot how cute he used to be - in a dorky sort of way. The lack of bowl cut is a definite improvement.” Already sitting with his legs crossed, Madara folded himself a little tighter so he could lean down and inspect the small sleeping face between them. 

Tobirama did his best not to track the movements of that thick braid or think about how much he wanted to unravel it loop by loop with his own fingers. It took a sizable chunk of self control but he managed to meet the other’s gaze once Madara finally sat upright again. “After a prank like this one I am tempted to recreate the bowl cut while he sleeps. He deserves to be laughed out of town.”

“Oh come on, he’s just trying to get you to open your mouth as far as I can tell. So why don’t you just make your confessions and then everything will be fine, ne?”

“Go to hell.”

“Been there, done that, won the throne.”

“Ugh.”

Even that was enough to spawn some very interesting pictures in his mind, images of this man in dark robes lounging on the throne of hell, which made Tobirama glad that he had more self control than most. Otherwise having his brother spread across his lap would have suddenly become twice as awkward. 

“Go on then, putting us both out of our miseries now would save a lot of time and badgering,” Madara said. 

“And yet I still find myself reluctant to say anything,” Tobirama shot back. 

“It must be extra embarrassing then; I’ve got to know!”

With a scowl he turned his head away and declared, “No, you don’t.”

“The more you protest the more curious I become,” Madara laughed. The truth of the statement brought one of Tobirama’s hands up to drag tiredly down his face. 

“Right. I should have expected that. Would the reason why we’re in this situation satisfy you? That sounds like a decent compromise to me - and brother is always whining at the two of us to compromise more.” It wasn’t as though they didn’t get along at all but they were both possessed of cantankerous personalities that led to bickering more often than not. Hashirama hated it but Tobirama was often grateful for the way his feature naturally affected a scowl, neatly hiding the fact that he actually enjoyed their verbal spars. 

“Sounds entertaining, at least!” 

“Hmph.” 

Entertaining the other was the last thing he was after, no matter how deviously attractive Madara looked when he was bent over with laughter at someone making a fool of themselves. Right now his biggest concern was mitigating the damage. With that in mind he shored up what little courage he had left the matter and cleared his throat.

“In a stroke of brilliance that I was unaware he possessed - and will happily beat out of him later - Anija located a spell that requires an incantation to break. He chose a certain phrase that he would like me to say, something he has made the decision on my behalf that desperately needs to be said out loud no matter my personal feelings on the matter.” Tobirama took a deep breath in an effort not to get himself riled up. “In short, I am under duress to make confessions I would rather not. Does that satisfy you?” 

“Not in the slightest,” Madara declared with a grin. 

“You cannot be serious!”

His companion fell back in to the bedding with a bark of laughter. “If anything I’m even more curious. So he won’t turn back in to an adult unless you say whatever he set as the decantation?” 

“Mn.”

“Would just be easier to get it over with, wouldn't it?”

“Not really.” Tobirama studied a spot on the wall without actually seeing it. “One doesn’t just say things like this without expecting the consequences to be remembered. You do, after all, have quite the long memory when it comes to mocking others. Not so much when it comes to important dates.”

“I forgot his birthday one time! One time!” 

For a moment he breathed a subtle sigh of relief. Madara seemed content to be distracted by going off on a rant about how it should be completely forgivable that in several hundred years he had only missed one of Hashirama’s birthdays, too deep in his studies to see the way time marched on around him. It was a state that Tobirama could more than sympathize with, although that did nothing to stop him from throwing it in the man’s face whenever he needed a good distraction. 

To his poor luck, however, today his foolproof distraction failed him at last. Madara’s rant ended after only a handful of minutes when he snapped his jaw shut with a suddenness that clacked his teeth together. A curl of his top lip slowly blossomed in to something downright evil looking. 

“Something you don’t want to say to me but Hashirama thinks that you should.” He cackled softly under his breath. “Oh this promises to be so embarrassing. Perfect! I have to know!” 

“No, you don’t,” Tobirama said again.

“I really, really do.” 

A growl slipped out between his teeth as he gnashed them together. “What would it take to convince you to just drop it?” 

“More than you could ever afford,” Madara answered promptly. 

“Would begging help?” Tobirama’s voice carried a note of mounting desperation. 

Yet still Madara shook his head, expression filled with malicious delight. His toes were practically wriggling with it. If it weren’t for the visual comparison spread across his own lap Tobirama might have been tempted to call the man a child for looking so pleased over something so cruel. 

Why, in the name of all things holy, did he find that so attractive? Clearly there was something wrong with him. 

“I’m afraid you just talked yourself in to a corner by piquing my interest even more. Which means that you have two options.” Madara held up his fingers in a V shape. “One, you tell me whatever this gift wrapped blackmail is yourself. Two, I wake Hashirama up and we hear it from his mouth instead.”

Tobirama stared at him with his heart sinking in his chest because the man was right. He had only two options and of those two he knew which one would feel worse. Saying the words himself was going to end in pain - for more than just himself if his plans for revenge had anything to say about it - but cowering in the corner like a shy child ashamed of his own feelings while someone else exposed his vulnerabilities? Just the thought of standing back and letting that happen made him shudder. It took several tries drawing breath deep in to his lungs but eventually he was able to force his chin up, shoulders square. He held Madara’s gaze for all of three second before his eyes skittered away of their own accord to stare at the wall instead. 

“Madara,” he breathed, “it would make me very happy if you would take me on a date tomorrow.”

“W-what?”

“AH!” The booming baritone of Hashirama’s voice was startling after an afternoon of listening to his seven year old squeaking, almost more of a distraction than the way his body returned abruptly to its usual size with a rending crack that echoed off the walls. When he sat up he did so with the clumsy movement of a new faun learning its own legs. “Did I fall asleep? How did the story end? Why does my voi- oh! Oh brother! You must have asked him! I’m so proud of you, I can’t wait to hear how your first date goes!”

Shoving his giant lump of a brother off, Tobirama ignored the indignant whine as he surged upwards to his feet and stormed towards the door. “Don’t hold your breath. The answer is no.” 

“You said no!?” Hashirama exclaimed, turning to his best friend who sat very still with a poleaxed expression. 

“I didn’t say anything…”

“He never said anything, Tobi. How do you know what his answer is if you don’t let him speak?”

“Easy.” When he paused at the door to look over one shoulder he could meet neither of their eyes. “There was never a chance he would say yes.”

Without waiting to hear a response from either of them he turned back to the door and left, down the hall and through the many twisting corridors of his brother’s stupidly large home. Drafting seals in his mind to cancel out the magic expanding the inside of Hashirama’s house was so much easier to think about than the fact that he would probably have to avoid Madara for the next couple of decades. The man did have a long memory. There was really no guarantee he would ever forget but hopefully the shine of mocking Tobirama for his feelings would have faded away by the time he allowed them to talk again. 

His nose wrinkled against the cold when he finally managed to find his way outside to the cobblestone streets of the capital city. Council meetings; he’d forgotten that all three of them sat together on the Magic High Council. That would make it infinitely harder for him to avoid conversing with either of those morons but he was sure he could find a way. Maybe he could design a rune that would remove his voice for a while.

No, that would make it difficult to sell his wares when he needed money. Not to mention that many of the spells he spent his time researching required incantations. He would have to think of something else. 

It wasn’t exactly a long journey to his own modest home next door, although with his head lost in the swirl of dark thoughts it felt like it took forever to get there. Stepping in to the ring of fae-fire light illuminating his front step brought with it the familiar shiver of wards scanning him for ill intent and he was glad to have his attention pulled back to reality. Thinking about Madara wouldn’t do him any good. It never had before. Tomorrow he could lock himself away with several notebooks and brainstorm some underhanded method or another to minimize the contact between them until he could meet the other man’s eyes again but for now the best thing would be to just get some sleep. 

The house was dark and Tobirama didn’t bother to turn on any lights, familiar enough with his own layout not to need them. Living by himself as he had for so long meant that he really felt no desire to expand the inside as his brother had. What need did he have of more space? He already had more rooms than he knew what to do with, filling most of them with books and the results of failed experiments, so the thought of adding more felt ridiculous.

Even without light enough to see it Tobirama could feel the comfort of his living room the moment he stepped inside. Well worn carpet buoyed his steps on his way to collapse down over the threadbare couch. Not many things in his house had been replaced in the past couple of centuries. Impressing the rare guests who entered was far less important to him than the precious memories attached to every item here that had been with him through discoveries, achievements, and heartbreaks. He gave the cushions underneath him a chance now to help him through one more of the latter as he stretched out on his back to stare up at the shadows on the ceiling. Would that he could turn his mind off. To not think any thoughts for several hours would be a wonderful boon at the moment but sleep felt as far away as the ocean.

A good thing, as it turned out. The spirits of water only knew what sort of reaction he might have had to being awakened by the sound of booted feet storming in to the room and a violent hand smacking the light switch without looking. Despite knowing exactly who had invaded his home - he knew those footsteps, would always know the pattern of that confident stride - Tobirama pulled himself in to a sitting position where he could glare down his unwanted guest. 

“I have never understood,” he growled, “how you always bypass my wards.”

“Don’t need to. They let me in just fine.” 

“They shouldn’t!”

“Why the hell not?”

Shifting forward to the edge of his seat, Tobirama pointed back down the hall. “Get out. I have better things to spend my night doing than being mocked by you - like figuring out what loophole you’ve found that keeps letting you in here.”

“They’re intent based, aren’t they? I get in because I have no intent to harm you in any way.” In deliberate ignorance of being asked to leave Madara stepped further in to the room. Somehow he managed to look both his usual confident self and oddly hesitant, arms folded closely to his chest.

“Like hell you don’t. It’s not just physical harm they’re supposed to guard me against. Just leave. I don’t want to listen to whatever-”

“Just let me talk!” 

Sitting down while the other hovered menacingly over him felt like weakness, like offering himself as bait, so Tobirama stood to fold his own arms with a frown. “I’m sure I don’t want to hear whatever it is you came here to say.”

Whether that be mockery or some kind of apology for not returning his feelings he really didn’t want to listen. Both options would hurt equally as bad. It was something he had observed long before falling prey to the same thing himself; beings like themselves with lives extended by the magic in their veins tended to harbor their pains much deeper and much longer than the humans with more natural lifespans. He’d been in love with Madara for so long it was hard to remember when he first decided to push it all down and simply forge ahead. Learning to let these feelings go was going to be even harder than learning to ignore them had been. 

“I think you do. But first I need to know; did he make you ask me that because…”

“Don’t make me say it,” Tobirama said quietly, looking away. 

“So you do... Then you meant what you said to Hashirama? You really think there’s no chance at all that I could ever say yes to you?” Madara took another step forward only to pause when Tobirama took a step back in answer. 

A glare probably wasn’t enough answer so he forced himself to say, “Obviously.” 

“W-What do you mean ‘obviously’? That’s not- Like hell!”

“Either make sense or leave. Actually, just leave. Now.” Tobirama took a step back with the intention of turning and walking away. His bedroom was much more heavily warded than the rest of the house, he would be safe in there from whatever the hell was going on.

He froze when Madara blurted out, “I would have said yes!” 

“I...beg your pardon?”

The particular shade of red currently spreading across Madara’s face was one Tobirama had long ago learned to associate with an impending explosion, generally one of words and almost always directed at himself. Some part of him braced for impact out of sheer habit even as the rest of his body hung loose with shock and his thoughts ground to a stuttering halt. He watched Madara fidget and held his breath.

“What? Don’t look at me like that. You like me, I’m allowed to like you back!”

“Since when!?” Tobirama demanded. Then, because that didn’t feel like enough, he also spluttered his way through, “How? What? Me?”

“Of course you! It’s always been you! You’re the only one who knows how to properly yell back at me, you’re so smart already and you still spend every day lost in your studies, you’re more attractive than I know what to do with; who the hell wouldn’t say yes to all that?” With a toss of his head Madara scoffed and tried to stand casually as though he weren’t blushing redder than his own family crest.

Tobirama could only stare. “I don’t...what?”

By the determined expression on the other’s face Tobirama figured he should probably turn tail and run when Madara began marching across the room towards him. As luck had it, he was still too deep in shock to do anything but stand there like an idiot until his collar was bunched up in a pair of fists. 

“Fuck it,” Madara snarled. “Neither of us was ever any good at words anyway.”

Despite all the clues laid out so neatly in a row for him Tobirama’s first thought when he was yanked forward was that he was about to be headbutted, a ridiculously mundane attack considering how much magical power they both wielded. Nothing could have possibly surprised him more than Madara’s lips crushing against his own in a kiss that began as brutally as their clashes ever had only to soften, taking and taking and then suddenly asking, exploring, reaching out with a question he could finally understand. It took several heartbeats for him to respond through the shock but when he did-

Oh, when he did. Centuries of yearning coalesced inside him and faded away to dust as he slid his fingers in to midnight hair and tilted his head for a better angle, a deeper kiss. Madara sighed in to the affection like he too had been waiting much too long for this moment. The feeling of that strong body pressed against his own was like finding the other half of himself and finally finally coming back together again. Tobirama held tight and prayed that none of this would disappear when he woke the next morning. 

“Was that clear enough?” Madara asked him in breathless words, quiet as though he didn’t want to disturb the moment. 

“I will have a lot of questions,” Tobirama warned him. “Later. Just- again.” He was grateful that his incoherency made sense to the other, pulled in for another kiss that felt like learning how to breathe for the first time. 

They could have made their way to the bedroom, to the couch he was still right next to, up against the wall or anywhere really. It was late and the day had been filled with more emotions than either of them were accustomed to dealing with in such a short time span. Still they remained where they were. Even when the kisses began to fade and the desperation in their movements settled in to the confounding knowledge that this was truly happening they stood where they were, wound together with their eyes closed and their cheeks pressed against each other in silence. Tobirama breathed in the scent of smoke and ash, closed his eyes, and smiled. 

Maybe he wouldn’t kill his brother after all. It was possible - unlikely as it sounded - that Hashirama had been right in the end. And as much as Tobirama protested the methods used to force his words in to the light he was self-aware enough to know that he would never have said them otherwise, too wrapped up in his own interpretations to see the truth. 

Another deep breath and Tobirama admitted to himself that he should probably thank his brother. Without interference he might have never had the opportunity to feel the beat of Madara’s heart against his own, the way their chests pressed together with every synchronized breath in. His eyes cracked open but it was only to crinkle at the edges with a smirk as evil as he had ever been accused of being. Thanking Hashirama could come after the revenge he was equally owed. A few smiles, a day or two of playing nice, and he was sure he could weasel out of the man which spell he had used to reverse his age. Tobirama was patient. Locking his brother in that limited body for a week or so would be so much sweeter after Mito came home and he could leave the idiot to her lack of mercy. Only after apologies had been given on bended knee would he relent. 

“You’re thinking something evil,” Madara’s voice rumbled in his ear. “Your fingers always twitch when you do.”

“Sorry-”

“I like it. You’ve always been a mean son of a bitch and that’s part of what I like about you. Share whatever evil thoughts you have in your head?”

Tobirama bit his lower lip to keep himself from laughing, curling tighter around the body in his arms as he whispered, “Stay.”

“Always,” Madara whispered back. “I always meant to stay.”

It seemed like it should be impossible to have everything he wanted handed to him as easily as that but Tobirama was hardly going to question it. He questioned enough in his research. All thoughts of giving thanks or revenge could wait until after he’d spent at least a few good hours memorizing the way it felt to finally hold this man in his arms. 

Pressing their lips together again was more of a rush than any magical discovery had ever given him, dusting his cheeks with a pleasant warmth, and Tobirama decided that he was happy to stand here for the rest of time if it meant he never had to do anything but trade gentle kisses just like this. It felt like the events of tonight had gone by so fast he wasn’t entirely sure how any of this had happened but that was alright.

“Always. I like the sound of that.”

#rae writes #madatobiweek2020 #madatobi #madara #tobirama #hashirama #fanfiction #magic au

[permanentlyexhaustedpossum]

A Red Riding Hood Story - Madatobi Fairytale #4

Elements: A serial killer, deception and honesty, Someone gets Eaten

Inspiration: The VERY Messed Up Origins of Little Red Riding Hood | Fables Explainedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3-XJSwWTLk

Music to Listen to While Reading:Brian Reitzell and Alex Heffes - Wolf attack (Red Riding Hood)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew5T4iayAmw&list=PL596FDB32F122DE52&index=8

---- This wasn't the first time he'd traveled to visit the Oracle. Most of the time it was with a small squad of adults but since he'd come of age, Tobirama was intent to take the path alone. His brother warned him though, 

"Don't stray from the path." The young man rolled his eyes and pulled the dark red cloak on, grabbing the basket of offerings. "I'm not a child, Hashirama."  But his words fell on deaf ears, as all the elder boy could do was watch with worry and anticipation as his snowy haired fourteen year old brother left before dawn, the darkness falling over his shoulders like an ominous drapery that neither could escape. It was winter solstice and dawn would be with them soon, but the light only lasted so long in the heart of winter. He paced, watching the darkness of the forest envelop the red cloak and the lantern. And he felt despair.

Ignoring the rising uncertainty in his heart, the young man pressed forward in the darkness. Tobirama had been walking this path since he was eight, taking the burden of the Oracle's offerings from his brother who took it from his father. It was his turn yet again, and it would be until Kawarama turned eight in one more year. Sure steps became shorter in the darkness, as the path trailed it's way from left to right, around trees and through the ravine he remembered well. What he didn't, in the early light of morning as it splashed across dead and sleeping trees, was the rock slide that wasn't there weeks ago when he'd made his last trip. He stopped, raising the lantern to see better in the just barely there morning glow. He frowned. What ever had happened up on the mountain side, this was the effect. 

"Problems?" A deep voice rumbled from off the trail. "None that concern you, Spirit." Tobirama quipped, not excited at all that he'd been watched this whole time. "Guess it doesn't." It huffed, a low growl and Tobirama straightened, making no quick movements. This was no spirit. This was a wolf. "Then I guess you won't need help getting over it... or... around..." It teased. The red eyed boy turned slowly, looking to the sides for a way around, the rocks only piled higher on the right and on the left... a drop off to the forest floor below. "Tch." The sunlight was slowly creeping over the hillside, through the trees and Tobirama needed to think fast. "And what? You know a way around?" "As a matter of fact-" "No." "Hey I wasn't finished!" The wolf padded out as Tobirama started to climb the rocks in an attempt to get over, only realizing afterwards how hard it'd be with the offerings. He clung to the side. "You're gonna fall." "No I won't. I am sticking to the path." He could almost hear the wolf roll his eyes. 

The wolf watched him struggle for a good half hour with the rocks only to slide or almost fall. "You could just let me carry your basket. You've almost broken the damn thing just trying to get over this rock." "Tch." Tobirama was only getting madder by the moment, having to listen to the goading wolf, no doubt waiting for him to fall or fail, tired and miserable so he could tear into him like the beast- "Ugh you're so annoying." The wolf bounded up and around, grabbing at the cloak tied securely around Tobirama and tugging. The boy began to fight. "Stop! I will skin you!" The wolf let out an annoyed huff, dragging him the rest of the way up the hill without remorse only to drop him at the top and sit back on his hind legs. The damn thing had the audacity to look smug. Tobirama grunted, moving slow and getting up, watching in the morning light. "Suppose you want a thank you." The boy spat, watching the black wolf and his unusual red eyes. "A kiss would be nice.. yes?" The wolf barked the moment the rock hit him in the face. "I deserved that." A huff from the snowy teen under the red hood. "You're an asshole." It huffed right back. “I'm only trying to help you. This path is dangerous. You need to take another route." "I won't." Tobirama denied it, unsure what the wolf's intentions were, but ignoring him for the rest of the morning as he struggled to get down the other side of the rocks without damaging the offerings or breaking a leg. 

Halfway through the day and most of the way down the trail, Tobirama realized the wolf was either really patient or really bored. Neither would bode well. He gripped the dagger inside his cloak tightly, on edge and wondering when-"You know you should really watch where youre-" "Ah!" "Going." The wolf stood at the edge of the small drop off Tobirama managed to not see and fall right into. "Fuck you!" He shouted from the bottom of the ravine. "That... would be nice however-" "Disgusting asshole!" A groan escaped the wolf and he almost looked human the way he brought a paw to his face. "I'm coming down there. Don't stab me with that pig sticker!" "Don't you dare-" 

The dark wolf bounded down, paws crunching in the snow and twigs and Tobirama stiffened until-"Get on." The wolf bent down, a dark contrast in the snow. Tobirama fought the idea for a moment before he realized he wasn't going to shake the wolf like this. "Fine. But no funny business." "Wouldn't dream of it." Pale hands gripped dark fur as the young boy climbed onto the wolf's back and held the basket close. And off they went, bounding around the snow and rocky drop offs, through the sleeping trees and in the warm sunlight. The wolf didn't try to steer to far from the path, though they could not reach it from where they were below. "What's your name?" "I wish I could remember." Came the reply. "Most wolves do not speak." "How clever of you to have figured that out." Tobirama looked up at the sky, feeling the warmth of the fur beneath his legs and in his hand. 

-- Hashirama nearly wailed when his father forbid him from going after Tobirama. "It's his duty. You will not interfere or the Oracle may see it as a threat." "He should have been there an hour ago! And the crystals haven't glowed!" He watched Butsuma's face twist. He knew it too. Hell they all did. But this was Tobirama's first time alone and he was determined that nothing should go awry. "Fine. But you're not to approach the Oracle in anyway!"Not needing another word, Hashirama snatched his axe and cloak and bolted out the door. Butsuma grumbled. "Those Uchiha better not have gotten in the way. They know how sacred this is. Kawarama!" "Yes Father?" The boy of seven came running from the other room. "Fetch your cousin, Touka. I need to send a missive." --

"What are you doing?" "Taking you around. Would you rather die in another ditch?" "Don't be an asshole." The wolf carefully jumped down further away from the elevated trail and onto rocks, going further down. "Besides I think you'd like this. To-bi-ra-ma." The boy rolled his eyes until they rounded the corner and his ruby eyes widened. He'd never seen a frozen waterfall before. His grip tightened in the fur. "See? We should stop for a moment." "We should not." But his words were breathy. "Come on. It won't get you killed." The wolf padded closer and bent down for the boy to get off. "If anything it might save your life." He grumbled. "How?" Tobirama quipped. "Knowing where water is, is always a good idea." The wolf backtracked quickly, not realizing at first how impressive Tobirama's hearing was. The boy played with the idea for a moment but his curiosity got the best of him and he bounded off, crunching through the snow to get a better look. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, glistening in the sunlight like giant crystals of clarity. Time slipped away from him and before he knew it, Tobirama was watching the sun grow golden and his heartbeat sped up. "You! You tricked me!" "I did no such thing." The wolf lazily cleaned his paw, finishing his tiny rabbit meal. Tobirama lost his cool, stomping up to the big wolf and kicked the carcass and snow in his face. "You kept me here!" "You wanted to stay. 'Explore the cavern' you said. It's not my fault you took all afternoon!" He huffed, right in the boy's face. "Take me to the Oracle! Right! Now!" The snowy boy demanded, an accusatory finger at the wolf. Who for a moment, looked like he was debating something, hesitating. "Right now!" "You really don't wanna go." "Why not?!" "She's not like you think-" The indignant sounds the boy made only aggravated him, "Look kid, you need to be more careful, you donno what you're walking into!" "I know just fine." The boy pulled his dagger and the wolf rolled his eyes. "You're just a kid, you don't know anything!" He pawed the thing right from his hand, and huffed, leaning close. "I'm trying to help you." The boy's face twisted for a moment, seeing no way out. "Take. Me. To. The. Oracle." "No. I'm not going anywhere near that witch. You can go if you're so dead set on it. But it's not my fault if you wind up dead." He huffed, almost disappointed and for a moment, Tobirama missed the warmth of the wolf's fur. "Fine." He turned on his heel and crunched across the snow heading North where he could find another trail. The wolf settled down in the snow, watching the red cloak disappear in the white and black forest, angry at himself and the boy.

-- "Grandmother!" Tobirama called from outside the cozy little shack surrounded by twisted trees and curling bushes. Silence was his answer and he began to worry. "Grandmother! It's Tobirama! I am here with the offerings!" He crunched in the darkness of the snow, lantern high, and inwardly cursing the wolf that kept him away for so long. A flicker of light caught his eye and he moved closer, realizing the door was open. Wonder and worry shot through him and he quickly opened the door, pulling back the red hood. "Grandmother!" "In here, little one." Came the slightly unfamiliar growl of her voice.

Tobirama paused, remembering the wolf's words and wondering for the first time that day what it meant and why a wolf would tell him such things. He was no fool. His grandmother was a witch and a vindictive woman. He had no idea how old she was really or if she was even his father's mother. "Coming." He slowly set the basket on the small table, littered with her ingredients... that were covered in dust. He hesitated, then pushed the door to her bedroom open to darkness. "The path was blocked today, Grandmother." "Of course it was, my dear. Come, it's been weeks. Let me look at you.." Tobirama inched closer, eyes already bad enough with poor vision, trying to adjust to the darkness. "Are you sick? Your voice is deeper than I remember." "All the better for you to hear me, my dear." She beckoned him closer and he moved very slow, fingers on the edge of her bed sheets. "Your eyes.. they glow, Grandmother.” "All the better to see you with." She continued, and he felt the panic began to rise in his chest, drawing closer to see the fur poking out from her long gown sleeve. "What big hands you have now..." He was no fool, but any sudden movement would likely set her off. He had no idea what'd become of her. "All the better to hold you with my dear." "And your teeth? They're so sharp and long." Hoping she'd drop whatever illusion this may be, because the old hag was truly starting to unnerve him, Tobirama pressed on. "All the better to," She jerked forward, grabbing him by the arm and startling him, "eat you with, my dear."

Tobirama scrambled in her grip, somewhere between human and wolf, reaching for his dagger when- He remembered the dark wolf had batted it away in the snow. Within seconds, he was thrown across the room, clattering into other objects and slipping as he scrambled for the window only for the wolf to slam it shut, snarling in front of it, ripping the gown as it grew to full wolf frame. He scrambled backwards, bolting for the bedroom door instead, and coming face to face with the red eyed wolf from earlier. A paw reached out and shoved him to the ground. "DOWN!" He roared, then snarled, squaring off with the old woman turned wolf between the bedroom door and her tiny room. Tobirama felt the brush of fur as the male pounced forward, and heard the crash of everything breaking, two giant wolves battling in the small bedroom. He gathered his courage and scrambled for the door, pausing just before exiting. In a moment of clarity, he snatched the offerings basket and made his way back out into the snow. 

-- It lasted maybe thirty seconds, but the fight was brutal. Two massive wolves, clawing the inside of a damaged bedroom, tangled in its many fabrics and intricacies when the dark wolf heard the final growl and whimper of the old woman, her throat hanging from his jowls. He panted, dropped the flesh and limped back, making sure she was dead when he heard Tobirama's voice from outside the cabin. "Don't! It's not what you think!" The panic alone made him worry when his nose caught wind of the small party that'd shown up, namely a boy that smelled awfully familiar and the scent of steel. His fur raised. He couldn't take them all. And all he could do was run. He leaned up and when he heard the front door burst open, bolted through the window crashing through the glass and wood, landing in the snow. "The wolf!" One of the boys cried and Tobirama let out a strangled sound of protest. The wolf looked over and then bolted for his life. Hunters.

Without a second thought, the boys ran after the wolf, crying and screaming about the dead oracle, Hashirama in the lead. There was no way for Tobirama to catch up, no way for him to track down the wolf. He sank into the snow, feeling the cold of the night seeping through his clothes and his torn cloak and fought the urge to weep. 

When the yelling had slowed, the darkness too much for the hunting party, he dragged himself from the snow and back into the cabin. He couldn't make heads or tails of the bedroom, so he shut the door and sat down at the table in the main room. Where did he go wrong? What happened to his Grandmother Oracle? Why did- He paused, realizing what he was looking at and reached across the table to pick up the jar.

"A human heart?" He turned the jar, watching the organ float in the liquid and took a look around. The wolf knew about her. Wanted to warn him that she was not who she appeared to be. Was she killing humans? The boy set the jar down and threw open all the cabinetry doors, the pantry, and stepped back, horrified at the human remains stuffed in jars. That's when he wondered. How long had he been visiting her? How long had she kept this hidden, fed him and his brother! His father! Fed these people to them?! Tobirama turned sharply, vomiting into an empty pot and shaking.

"Brother!" Hashirama's voice cut through the fog of disbelief, and the young man must have not realized what the room held because he lurched for Tobirama first, grabbing him and looking him over. "You're alright. Thank god you're alright! That wolf he- he ravaged the Oracle!" "No." "What?" "She... He was trying to protect me." The dumbfounded look on the darker boy's face made Tobirama angry but he only snatched his chin and made him look around, telling him to pay attention.

-- "Tobirama?" "What?" The boy finished stitching his cloak back together, his brothers and father watching him with worry as he grabbed the offering basket, now three days later, with fresh meat and bread instead of odd jars of things the old woman wanted. He grabbed a bottle of wine and secured it all. "You can't be serious." "I am serious!" He whirled on Hashirama. "And I've never been more serious in all my life. You saw that cabin! Every man in the village saw was was inside! And he's a wolf! He can talk! I'm going to find out why he knew!" "He may not even be alive. We ran him down the mountain." "He has a name! That means he was human once like her. I just have to find his name." "You really believe that old tale?" Butsuma was skeptical, watching the young man tie the red cloak. "I do. I have to." And with that, he was off to the bottom of the mountain, towards the other side in haste.

He had to find him, and he needed to find his name. He walked for hours, calling out to the wolf, trying to remember where he'd found him before, while on his way towards the Uchihas. Unsuccessful at finding the wolf before dusk, he moved as fast as his legs would carry him towards the encampment he'd been told his whole life to stay away from. For good reason too. Tobirama cautiously approached the gate, hunters watching him with red eyes, arrows trained on him. Pale hands went up. "Please! I need to speak with your leader!" "State your business!" He bit his lip, knowing he was going to sound just as crazy but upon seeing their red eyes and dark hair, he was more sure. "I have reason to believe one of your own has been turned into a wolf!" Whispers and murmurings. He continued, "He speaks! Says he doesn't remember his name and-" "That's crazy! Get out of here kid!" "No please-"

"Let me see him." A deep voice cut through and the hunters looked surprised as an older man opened the small door in the gate, walking through. "A son of Senju. I received a letter about you..." He eyed the red cloak. "Speak quickly, boy." As quickly as Tobirama could, he recounted his tale of the wolf and the oracle, what he'd heard and seen as darkness fell upon them. "That's... a wild tale. Our people go missing from time to time on hunting trips. I'd like to see this cabin." "Not until we find the wolf. We need to know his name." "He could be anybody." Tobirama frowned, insistent on his case. "But, we do have a list of missing. Perhaps calling their names may... bring this wolf close. It is dark. You'll perish out there. Come." Slowly, Tobirama followed the man inside the camp, on edge and unsure, but hoping for the best. 

-- The next morning, as the snow fell, Tobirama left the encampment with twenty Uchiha men, each carrying meat, armed with bows and swords, each calling a different name. "This one is yours." The man handed him the paper to memorize. "Won't you call a name?" He simply shook his head, looked onward as if pain had hit him too hard."Ma-da-ra." Tobirama breathed, wondering about the oddness of the name on his tongue. The man took a deep breath and the boy wondered if 'Madara' must have been his son. Tobirama instantly remembered the warmth of the Uchiha home the night before, the four boys taking care of each other, their mother worn and tired.

Slowly, as they moved into the forest, spread out and shouting names, waving the meat in the air, wolves crept forward. Tobirama shook his head at each one, and meat was thrown to keep them at bay, the group circling around to find more. One or two wolves fell victim to their greed, only to be downed by four hunters at a time, and then hauled up for their fur and meat, back to the encampment. The rest seemed to be smarter than those, only circling the group as they moved. "This is becoming more dangerous." "Please we have to keep trying and you wanted to see the cabin. I can show you where it is." The older man huffed, wary of the whole situation, but nodded and they continued. Rounding a rocky slope and moving North, Tobirama picked up speed, crunching through the new snow and calling out loudly."Ma-da-ra!" He moved up the embankment, seeing the frozen waterfall and wondered, calling again. "Ma-da-ra!" "You're so loud!" A huff came from inside the cavern behind the ice and the boy's heart leapt. The man froze in his tracks, halting the hunting party. "Wolf! You're here!" A grunt, the sound of sliding and a soft bark of pain before the wolf emerged from the cavern, limping. "Yeah- What's the idea, kid?" It froze in it's tracks, seeing the hunter party and the wolves. "We were trying to find you." "That's obivious." He snarled.

"Madara." The old man breathed and the wolf's head jerked to look at him. The man nearly cried. "Madara." "Ma-da-ra." The wolf repeated, slowly moving to the pair, wondering why it sounded so familiar. Tobirama's eyes widened, seeing the change in the fur first, and tugging on the old man's sleeve. "Keep saying it!" "Madara, come home." He reached for the wolf and the closer he got, the fur began to fall away, his face contorting back to humanoid, paw reaching and slowly turning human. The old man grabbed the clawed hand and pulled him into his arms, kneeling in the snow, holding a now human teen wracked with scars. "My son." He cried, "Tell me you remember me." "I.. I think I do." The young man croaked, unsure of his limbs and wary of whats around him. Tobirama quickly pulled his cloak off to cover the naked boy. "The woman.. she... took me and I escaped...so.. I think she cursed me. I could never... go home." He seemed lost in his own memories but the old man only held him tighter, wiping is face and looking him over. "You're okay now. You can come home." With a grim realization, Tobirama followed them back.

-End-

#madatobi shenanigans #madatobi #madara uchiha #Tobirama Senju #red riding hood #fairytale rewrites

[domesticsns]

On Call

One time Kakashi, Tobirama and Sasuke were the only three detective on call on a Sunday night. They had to be ready due to some important foreign politician going to this important meeting, but there were protests and they were there in case they needed back up. 

When Sasuke got the the precinct and saw the only other person being Tobirama he asked if this was so important why the only two suckers being on call on a sunday night were Tobirama and Sasuke. 

Kakashi came out of his office saying, “I had to choose between ruining the night of ten detectives or two detectives that have the skills of twelve full grown man. I choose the later.” 

Sasuke and Tobirama shared a look before sitting down, there was literally nothing to do until they were summoned, if they were being summoned at all. 

Kakashi is going over to some paperwork. Sasuke was reading a book and Tobirama was typing something on his computer. After a while he sighs as he is bored. 

Sasuke said previous time he was alone with Kakashi in the office they-

“Fucked?” Tobirama asked. 

“No, we had a swordfight.” 

“And...You’re telling me this...Because? You want to sword fight me?” Tobirama narrowed his eyes. Sasuke put his book away and asked what the hell Tobirama understood with sword fight. Tobirama asked what Sasuke meant. 

“You know with katanas.” 

“Oh, oh did think about the same thing.” Tobirama said. Sasuke moved to his computer and typed it in and then he looked back at Tobirama. 

“You thought I rubbed my dick with Kakashi’s?” 

“I don’t know what kind of marriage you have.” Tobirama commented. 

“I like to think a good one,” Sasuke said before scrolling through urban dictionary. “Oh they have little games.” 

“Games?” Tobirama got up from his desk and looked sat on the armrest of Sasuke’s chair, looking at his computer scream. 

“The jizz must be 5 ml to qualify. So basically it is challenge who cum first.” Tobirama said. 

“What are my two detectives doing?” Kakashi asks, standing behind Sasuke causing Sasuke to feel busted and Tobirama to point at Sasuke and saying, “He was watching porn, damn Sasuke you animal.” 

“I was not watching porn. We just stumbled across a term. I don’t need to explain myself, you read porn in public.” Sasuke said. 

Kakashi sits down on the desk and they end up scrolling through the website coming over all kinds of porn categories. Some were super nasty others were quite inspiring and other looks like so much work. 

“Honestly who has the energy,” Kakashi said, looking at the computer screen. 

“I do that sometimes,” Sasuke admits, getting a rather impressive look from both Tobirama and Kakashi. “Yeah, but only when I fucked something up and Naruto is mad at me. I mean he has a heart of gold, but he not the brightest. So, this blows his mind and forget the next day.” 

“And you keep telling me you are ‘okay-ish’ in bed.” Tobirama shakes his head. 

“Either that or I make breakfast in bed where I shape the eggs and bacon as a smiley face.” 

“You do that?” Tobirama asked, looking way more impressed about the bacon and eggs than the porn playing on the computer screen. 

“Yup, and if that doesn’t work. This works.” He indicated to the screen causing both Kakashi and Tobirama to stare at it and look back at Sasuke, pretty impressed. 

“Maybe I was wrong,” Kakashi comments, “Maybe you do deserve Naruto.” 

“Yeah right, I have good qualities.” Sasuke said, causing Tobirama to ask him what those were. 

Sasuke remained quiet, thinking deeply before pointing at the screen again and going, “I can do that.” 

Tobirama and Kakashi look at the screen again. 

“I am started to see a pattern.” Tobirama comments. 

“I can’t help being a piece of shit.” Sasuke said, “But I am not divorced so far, so...I am something right.” 

“yesh that,” Tobirama points at the screen, “do you make the same noises too?” 

“I sometimes practice my Lolly impression just to make people uncomfortable.” 

“I wanna hear that,” Tobirama says looking at Kakashi who scratched the back of his head. “Ah okay..I did not know I was going to be put on the spot.” He clears his throat and suddenly he sounds like a 11 year old hentai character and both Sasuke and Tobirama looked at him wide eyed. 

“Mission accomplished, I feel so...Awkward,” Sasuke says

“Hey do you bend your legs that far too?” 

“Yes, I can bend them further than that, but I usually don’t go that far. Hurts my back.” 

“But you could do that if you wanted.” Tobirama asked. 

“Yeah,” Sasuke said, “But I don’t.” 

“Why?” Kakashi asked. 

Sasuke leans back in his chairs and put his hand up indicating some level. 

“Okay imagine this being Naruto’s satisfactory level. Usually, I am right below there.” Sasuke put his other hand a little below his first one. 

“And when he mad at me, I am little above his satisfactory level.”  He said. 

“But I could, if I wanted, go waaaayy~ above the line. Like...Waaayyyy~above.” 

“Uhu,” both Kakashi and Tobirama listened. 

“But I don’t waaaaayyy~above, because if I do that. The satisfactory level goes up meaning. All my performances have go up.” 

“So when would you go there?” Tobirama asks. 

“I would do it if my marriage was on the brink of a divorce. Or if I heard I had a few more days to live. Then I would just do it so the ho after me can’t compete.” 

“Okay wait a second. You get to hear you have a few days to live and you think you’re fit enough to do all of that!?” Kakashi points at the screen. 

“I don’t have to be sick. It could be you guys joining forces and murder me.” Sasuke says. 

“And you think we are going to give you a heads up?” Tobirama asks. 

“Yeah, to get affairs in order. duh.” 

“Fair enough if I ever am going to join forces with Kakashi and murder you. We give you three days.” 

“I need a week.” Sasuke said

“You get five.” Kakashi says

“It bad luck to kill somebody on a Sunday.” Tobirama says

“Fine you have a week.” Kakashi sighed. 

They hear somebody clear their throats behind them and all three turns around and they could see Naruto and Guy stand there. Arms folded, glaring. 

“I thought I felt bad for you to work today and I figured to surprise you with some take out..” Naruto says.

“Meanwhile y’all are sitting here...Watching porn...” Guy frowns. 

“Ha.” Tobirama looks at Kakashi and Sasuke, “So nice to be single.” 

“How much did you...Did you two hear?” Sasuke asked. 

Naruto frowned, “About this much.” He puts his hand up indicating some level before moving his other hand above it, “and this is how much you probably did not want me to hear.” 

#narusasu #sasunaru #sns #domestic au #precinct

[briefololtragedy]

Fire station 9

meeting the florist

Pairing: Tobirama x Sakura

Rating: G

Summary: Every year there was competition between the police department and fire department to see who could raise the most money for the Children's hospital. Well more like Uchiha vs Senju. Hashirama volunteers Tobirama to help set up the event for the fire department, yet forgot to mention the florist/planner he would be working with

my first attempt at writing Tobirama I just adore TobiSaku so much.

also posted on AO3

Tobiramra looked around the station. He took in the site of the empty hall. One of his crews just left for a cat in a tree call. The crew had a few new recruits, so it will likely take a couple of hours. They will learn quickly to despise Mrs. Whiskers. The cat gets stuck in a tree every 2 weeks and always takes at least 2 hours to get her down.

He had to release an exhale. The men had left the space in complete and utter disarray. They would soon be having one of the florists come to look at the space for their next charity ball. He was debating asking his brother for a different location, but money was tight in the budget. They had decided to do it at fire station 9. It was nestled just outside the heart of the city and had enough yard space to allow for the masses to congregate inside and out.

The mess was getting to him and it was almost 5pm, meaning when the men came back they would be hungry. He scavaged through the fridge and pantry. If he was going to meet this florist he might as well kill time by cooking.

Most of the men weren’t picky in what they would eat, as long as there was protein, lots of protein. He found some ground beef in the fridge, saltine crackers in the pantry. Meatloaf.  A strange food, but it spoke of home for most of the firefighters. He cut open the package of ground beef, dumping it into a bowel. He was feeling slightly lazy and dumped the crackers into the blender, grinding them up faster than he could have done by hand. He didn’t bother to measure the barbecue sauce or ketchup as he added it to the mixture, along with a couple of eggs. He then used the best utensils he had, his hands. He gently massaged the mixture, combing the ingredients together. Soon he was able to shape it into the loaf shape and shove it in the oven.

Deciding to have some vegetables with the meal. Tobirama grabbed some carrots, potatoes (not a vegetable he told himself), asparagus, and mushrooms. He raised a brow at the asparagus. “Who the hell bought this?” He quickly drizzled with olive oil, a dash of salt, and a healthy dash of pepper. Soon the vegetables were going into the oven, joining  the meatloaf.

“Hello” he heard a soft voice cut through the silence. It was irrey having the station be so quiet.

“Here.” came his short, gruff reply. Before he knew it he was met with sparkling green eyes and ...pink hair? Why would someone dye their hair such a ridiculous color? However he soon realized that both this woman’s eyebrows and eyelashes were pink as well. Natural, how strange.

“I’m looking for ...Battalion chief Senju. Do you know where I could find him? I'm Sakura, the florist Hashirama hired.”

Tobimara had to pause. His brother already hired this woman? That would not do.

“ I have not heard that we hired a florist. This is supposed to be just a consultation.” He saw Sakura wince at his tone.

“Hashirama already met with me to go over the details of the event. I gave him an estimation of the cost, but couldn’t do an actual plan until I saw the layout in person.” She passed her hand through her hair.

“Also you have not told me who you are, which is not proper manners.” She quirked a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him and had the audacity to tap her foot.

“My name is Tobirama Senju and I am the battalion chief.” Sakura took in the man standing before her. She had figured the moment she walked in the room who this man was, but he needed to lose the attitude. Was he drop dead gorgeous? Yes. He had scars on the sides of his face and his chin that highlighted his bone structure. His hair was a sliver white in color and his eyes were blood red. His colorings reminded her of someone else she knew. However, the sheer arrogance coming off him, would cause a rock to turn away.

“Thank you. Now can you show me this space I have heard about. I am also under the impression that there may be an outside space as well for the event. I will need to see that as well.” Sakura had pulled out her notebook. She already had lots of ideas after talking with Hashirama, but wanted to make sure it was just right.

Tobirama took a deep breath, this was going to be a long meeting. Sakura followed him quietly. He could hear the snaps of her phone’s camera as they walked to the main hall.

“There isn't much to this space is there?” Tobirama was going to respond, but she was walking away from him, writing something in her book. He took in her appearance just then. She was on the average side for height, but she was a waif of a thing from how her clothes were fitting her.  It looked like a strong wind would blow her over. She was wearing yoga pants, he assumed, and a loose fitting top. Her hair fell just below her shoulders. Her face was heart shaped with a delicate nose, high cheekbones, but it was her eyes that drew all the attention. He had to shake his head.

“Alright can you show me outside now? “ Tobirama wanted to lead her to the front door and never have her come back. However he didn’t think that his brother would be too happy with him. This event was their main charity event for the year. Every year they competed with the police department to see who could earn the most money for the children’s hospital.

For some reason over the last couple of years the police department raised more than them. Tobirama was perplexed by this. Part of him knew they would make more money if they had a firefighters calendar, but he didn’t care for the tactic. Madara and Izuna on the other hand kept using their younger cousins, or was it nephews he could never keep that family straight, to attract the female population. He led her to the side room off the main room and then through the double doors that led outside. He looked around the patio they had, it was one of his favorite features of the station.

Sakura took in the space she just walked into. Now this she could work with. She didn’t know how she agreed to help Hashirama with this party, but if she could spend time out here she wouldn’t mind. The patio was made of red bricks. Instead of them going straight across in typical fashion, they were arranged in a circle and flared out in a spiral pattern. The brick was continued to a half wall, that would be the perfect height for people to sit on comfortably. There were 4 steps that led to the grass area. Small cobblestones created a path to the front and back of the building. The trees in this area were large. They went well above the fire station’s roof and created an almost canopy, encompassing the side in shade.

Sakira could already see it. Simple string lights going from the trees to the station’s walls, mimicking the natural arch of the trees. Bar height tables on the patio for guests to eat at and talk. The inside was going to need some work, but she would just need to highlight the natural beauty of this space.

Tobirama was watching her again. Sour look on his face. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t say anything. When he had  first seen her he imagined she wouldn’t be quiet. He was proven wrong. He was never wrong. She snapped her notebook shut.

“ I think I have everything I need. It smells like your meatloaf is ready by the way. I’ll show myself out.” Tobirama followed her. The moment he walked back into the station he realized he needed to get the food out of the oven before it burnt to a crisp.

“Are we not going to discuss details?” As he opened the oven he was happy to see he was just in time. He wouldn’t not voice his thanks to this pink haired woman.

“As i said before. Hashirama and I already talked about plans. I just needed to see the area to see what to go with. I will have an estimate with cost and plans sent to him.” She grabbed the bag he didn’t realize she had brought with her and was getting ready to leave.

“Why would you send the plans to him? I am the one in-charge of the event.” Tobimara found her stunned face a victory. He couldn’t help smirk as he folded his arms in front of his body.

“I was under the impression I would be working with Hashirama.” Sakura felt ice fill her veins. She would be spending the next few weeks working with him. His personality made Fugaku seem inviting.

“I’ll send an email about the timing for the next meeting then.” Tobirama watched her walk away. It wasn’t long after she left that the guys started filtering back in. He heard snippets about their job, but his mind was on the next couple of weeks. He was not looking forward to it. He ate is meatloaf and vegetables a little too aggressively that night. The crew members knew not to ask why.

#TobiSaku #tobirama x sakura #tobirama #Sakura Haruno #naruto #fanfic

[crystallized-shadow]

Chapter: 1/1 Rating: Explicit Pairing: Madara/Tobirama Word Count: 3987 Warnings: Teacher/Student Roleplay, Dom/Sub elements, Office Sex, Hair Pulling, Rough Sex, and Collars Summary: An unfortunate situation leads to Tobirama discovering a side he never knew about his chemistry professor.

For @madatobiweek Day 7: Something Kinky

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

It wasn’t fair, Tobirama thought to himself as he watches the sleek black hair trail behind the immaculately dressed man stalking across the front of the room, no man should be allowed to be so visually captivating. The older man could have been explaining the meaning of life or the nuances of how paint dried; Tobirama wouldn’t have any idea, all he could think about was how perfect the other’s lips would look wrapped around his cock. Professor Madara Uchiha, head of the Chemistry department at Konoha University was not only very passionate about his subject but also drop-dead gorgeous to boot. If Tobirama was a man of lesser intellect he would be failing the class due to the constant distraction strutting across the front of the room everyday. Professor Uchiha had an air of confidence that was absolutely intoxicating to the Senju, he just wanted to bend the man over his desk and fuck him until he begged for mercy. Unfortunately the professor didn’t even know he existed; in fact he didn’t seem to realize the effect he had on his students.

After a particularly trying day, Professor Uchiha had worn his hair up in a high ponytail that Tobirama just wanted to wrap around his fist, he decides he needs to blow off some steam. Normally Tobirama would avoid the bars, drunk college kids were the absolute worse, but the one his brother ran was a bit classier and tended to cater to the dom/sub culture. With any luck he could find a sub looking for a rough fuck.

“Tobi! Thank god!” Of course the universe had other plans for him.

“What is it Anija?” Tobirama sighs, writing off his previous plans as he walks over to the bar where Hashirama is waving frantically at him.

“I need you to do me a huge favor!” Hashirama pleads, pressing his hands together and doing his best to look like Tobirama had kicked his favorite puppy again.

“Fine,” the younger Senju grumbles, knowing it’s pointless to argue with his brother.

“Thank you!” Hashirama grabs his brother and drags him back to the office before he can change his mind.

Figuring Hashirama messed up the bar’s books again, he really needed to stop trying to help Mito while she was away, Tobirama’s not prepared for the sight of his chemistry professor passed out on the couch Hashirama insisted on having in the office. “What happened?”

“Madara came here to have a celebratory drink with me,” Hashirama explains, making Tobirama’s brows furrow in confusion, “we are old friends and he just got a huge grant for the department. Anyway we got a bit wrapped up in reminiscing and someone spiked his drink.”

“What?”

“I dealt with it.” The serious expression coupled with the dark tone makes Tobirama pause. That was usually a telltale sign that he shouldn’t ask questions so he just nods.

“So what do you need me to do?”

“I need you to take him home with you.”

“Absolutely not,” Tobirama states with a frown, “I can’t take him anywhere he’s my teacher.”

“Oh…” Hashirama deflates for a second before he suddenly breaks into a grin. “Take him to my house then! It’s off campus and no one will know!”

“He probably shouldn’t be alone right now,” Tobirama points out as he glances at the unconscious man, “doesn’t he have a girlfriend or something?”

“Mads is single and his brother is out of town,” Hashirama says and Tobirama can’t stop the snort at the stupid nickname. “Can you just stay with him until I get home? I close tonight, but you can always spend the night and I’ll take you back to your dorm tomorrow morning.”

“Fine,” Tobirama sighs, knowing it would be quicker to just agree with his brother and get it over with.

“Thanks! Here are his keys, just go out the back door,” Hashirama shoves the keys into Tobirama’s hands and darts out the door. “I have to get back to work!”

“Idiot,” Tobirama mutters under his breath as he crosses the short distance to the couch. “Professor, are you awake?” Shaking the older man gets zero response so Tobirama carefully picks his professor up and takes him out to the car that flashes when he hits the unlock button on the key fob. Cars might not be his thing, Kawarama was the car nut of the family, but Tobirama has to admit Professor Uchiha’s ride is very nice.

When Tobirama gets to Hashirama’s house, he parks in the garage and carefully moves his professor to the couch.

“Professor?” Tobirama tries again as he places a waste basket next to the unconscious man. Getting no response the Senju sighs and flops into the loveseat across from the couch. This was not how he’d planned on going home with someone. He didn’t even have any classwork with him for something to do, but his brother did have a decent movie collection, so he resorts to that to avoid just staring at Professor Uchiha.

Tobirama manages to make it through two movies, more like one and a half as he wasn’t sure when his eyes had strayed back to his professor, before he can’t take it anymore. “Fuck it,” Tobirama grumbles as he crosses the room and shakes the older man again. “Professor!” Barely getting more than a groan, the Senju huffs in irritation as his eyes stray back to the ponytail that had taunted him throughout class today. Surely it would be more comfortable to rest with his hair down, Tobirama reasons, he only cared about his favorite professor’s comfort; it had nothing to do with how he was dying to know what those luscious black locks felt like. He wars with himself for another moment before he finally gives into the temptation and carefully removes the tie from the Uchiha’s hair.

As it turns out the older man’s hair is not only as soft as Tobirama had thought it would be, it is remarkably tangle free and felt like the finest silk between his fingers. Gods how he wished he could run his fingers through these locks again. Lightly digging his fingers into the professor’s scalp, Tobirama is surprised to hear the older man let out a content hum. Who would have guessed Professor Uchiha liked having his hair played with? Perhaps Tobirama could use that in the future to get what he wanted.

“Where...?” The groggy voice snaps Tobirama out of his pleasant daydream and he quickly, albeit carefully, pulls his hand back.

“Professor, are you awake now?” Tobirama asks, brushing the older man’s bangs out of his face so he can check how dilated the other’s pupils are.

“Senju?” Madara mutters, confusion clear in his tone as he struggles to remember what happened. “You...drugged me?”

“No!” Tobirama yelps, not wanting the gorgeous man to get the wrong impression, “I did a favor for my brother!”

“Hashirama drugged me?” Madara questions, carefully sitting up with his student’s help.

“No,” Tobirama sighs, running a hand through his hair, “someone else drugged you when you went to have a drink with my brother. Hashirama dealt with the person, but he was worried about you, so he asked me to bring you to his house and keep an eye on you until he got home. How are you feeling?”

“Confused,” Madara admits, running a hand through his hair, “didn’t I have my hair up?”

“The tie came loose when I got you here,” Tobirama lies, handing the strip of leather over to him, “I tried to tie it back but it has a mind of its own.”

“So you’ve been watching over me then?”

“Yes, is that okay?”

“Sure,” Madara shrugs, looking at his student thoughtfully, “you’re one of my more responsible students.”

“I didn’t realize you knew I existed,” Tobirama admits and the Uchiha chuckles, a grin lighting up his face.

“You’re Hashirama’s little brother, I recognized you the second you walked into my classroom,” Madara says, grin still fond, if not amused, “thankfully you’re nowhere near the disaster your brother was when we were in class together.”

“I’m insulted you thought I was,” Tobirama huffs, “Hashirama is an absolute buffoon. Though at least he knows when people are flirting with him, unlike a certain professor I have.”

“Oh I know when my students are flirting with me,” Madara snorts, rolling his eyes, “none of them are worth getting fired over.”

“Well there goes my shot of fucking you over your desk,” Tobirama jokes, flushing when he realizes what he’s just said. He’s about to quickly retract the statement, until he sees the blush dusting his professor’s cheeks and the considering look in his eyes.

“Does it have to be my desk?” Madara blurts and the Senju’s eyes widen, this night just kept getting better and better.

“You were drugged and unconscious for who knows how long,” Tobirama points out, “that would be taking advantage of you.”

“How noble of you, stupid, but noble,” Madara sighs, slumping back against the couch, “how about you come see me at the end of my office hours tomorrow? It’s Friday so no one will try and bug me and you can’t say I’m still being influenced.”

“You’re serious,” Tobirama mutters, and Professor Uchiha nods, making the Senju smirk, “as long as you wear your hair up.”

“Deal.”

Tobirama contemplates not showing up to Professor Uchiha’s office the next day, still not entirely convinced the professor had meant what he said, but decides it would be silly to pass up such a chance. Worst case scenario he’d pretend he was checking on his grade for the semester. As the Senju makes his way to his professor’s office he notes that the rest of the science department have either left for the weekend or are packing up. That wasn’t too surprising, Madara was one of the few that made his office hours Friday afternoon; most professors wanted to start the weekend as soon as they could.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d show up,” Madara comments as Tobirama shuts the door behind him, the Uchiha’s hair once more tied up in a high ponytail.

“I wasn’t sure if you were serious or not,” Tobirama admits with a shrug as he drops his backpack into the seat across from the older man, “for all I know this is a set up.”

“I hardly need you to come here to set you up, all I would need to do is tell Hashirama you took advantage of me inside his home.”

“I did no such thing!” Tobirama growls, slamming his hands down on the desk as he glares at the Uchiha, who just smirks.

“Who do you think Hashirama would believe?” Madara challenges with a raised eyebrow, “me, his best friend who was unconscious and drugged, or you, his brother with known morality issues?”

“The corpse thing was one time!” Tobirama snaps, grinding his teeth together to prevent anymore stupid confessions.

“My point stands,” Madara chuckles, “I have the advantage in this situation.”

“If you were just going to blackmail me why wait until today?” Tobirama forces out, the words bitter across his tongue.

“One, I didn’t want to jump you at Hashirama’s house, and two, you’re no longer one of my students now.”

“Wha-?” Tobirama’s eyes widen before he even finishes the question. Of course, this was a shortened course and the final project was due earlier in the week. Tobirama was willing to bet his final grade was already submitted to the university so, in the unlikely event they were caught, Madara wouldn’t lose his job. Suddenly all of Madara’s taunting made sense, he was waiting for his office hours to officially end. “So how are we going to do this Professor?”

“Fantasy for a fantasy?”

“The noble Professor Uchiha has a dirty fantasy about fucking one of his students?” Tobirama teases with a smirk, “I can’t wait to hear it.”

“You want to fuck me over my desk, I want you to blow me under it,” Madara mutters, pink dusting his cheeks.

Tobirama pretends to give the offer some thought, he would pretty much do anything to bend the Uchiha over his desk, so while blowjobs weren’t his favorite thing, it was definitely worth it. Not to the mention the thought of opening Madara up and fucking into a second orgasm was too good a treat to pass up. “I suppose that’s doable.”

“If only Hashirama could see his baby brother now.”

“First, I’m not his baby brother that’s Itama,” Tobirama states as he crawls under the large wooden desk, “and second if you bring Hashirama up again I’m going to bite you.”

“If you bite my dick you’re not going to fuck me,” Madara warns as he slides his chair back into place, trapping Tobirama between the back of the desk and his legs.

Tobirama rolls his eyes, Madara was leaving this room limping one way or another, only to frown when he realizes he doesn’t have the leverage to unzip Madara’s pants. “Are you going to whip your dick out or do I have to do everything?”

“So needy,” Madara chuckles even as he frees his already hard cock, revealing just how much he wants the Senju under his desk.

Instead of responding verbally Tobirama leans forward and takes Madara’s cock to the base, dragging a startled moan from the Uchiha. Just because this wasn’t Tobirama’s favorite technique, didn’t mean he wasn’t good at it thanks to his lack of a gag reflex.

“Oh fuck!” Madara snarls, thrusting forward as he grabs a fistful of white hair, “of course you’re good at this too.”

Tobirama chuckles at the comment, loving the whine he gets from Madara, before he slowly starts to bob his head. Just when Madara has a chance to adjust to the pace, Tobirama hums, curling his tongue around the underside as he pulls off with a wet pop. “So glad you approve of my skill,” Tobirama purrs, lightly nibbling on the older man’s length, “Professor.”

“Fucking tease,” Madara whimpers, trying to tug Tobirama back to where he wants him, but the former student just smirks as he continues his slow pace.

“I really need that A Professor,” Tobirama mutters, his lips brushing against Madara’s shaft as he speaks, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

“Goddamn,” Madara curses, tightening his grip on Tobirama’s hair; he hadn’t expected the Senju to play his part so well. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“Pretty please Professor?” Tobirama pushes his lips out in an exaggerated pout, “I’ll lose my scholarship without it.” He slowly takes the Uchiha back into his mouth, hollowing out his cheeks obscenely as his lips meet Madara’s pelvis.

“Fuck!” Madara snarls, bucking his hips up without meaning to, Tobirama looked like he belonged on the set of one of those cheap pornos.

Tobirama hums in encouragement, picking up speed as he does. Madara barely lasts another minute before he yanks Tobirama down harshly and his release crashes over him. The Senju jerks slightly, but he quickly recovers and swallows the cum, wiping his chin on Madara’s pant leg once he can move.

“Goddamn Tobirama,” Madara pants, leaning back in his chair, “that mouth of yours shouldn’t be legal.”

“You better not make me wait for my turn old man,” Tobirama teases, nudging the chair back until he can crawl out from under the desk. His knees and back ache a little from holding that position so long, but the arousal coursing through his veins makes it easy to ignore.

“Fuck you,” Madara grumbles, waving a hand thoughtlessly in a ‘get on with it’ motion.

Tobirama smirks as he lets his eyes trail over them man he’s desired for half a semester. When Madara’s eyes slip closed for a moment, Tobirama strikes, one hand grabbing that damn ponytail. Before Madara can react, Tobirama yanks him out of his chair and pushes him down on his desk in one swift movement.

“Damn!” Madara hisses, tired body protesting the sudden movement, “what the hell Senju?!”

“You’ve been very naughty Professor,” Tobirama mutters, draping himself over the older man’s back so he can whisper directly into his ear. “Always looking so fuckable in class...I should punish you, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Tobirama-!” Madara’s words are cut off by a moan when his hair is yanked, hard.

“Hush now Professor, this isn’t one of your lectures,” Tobirama continues as he straightens up to look at the enticing sight before him. Madara looked even better spread across his own desk than Tobirama had thought he would. “You have no idea how distracting you are, do you? I think it’s about time someone fucked some sense into you.”

“This isn’t funny Senju” Madara states, getting his arms under him so he can push back against his former student. “You need to leave.”

“None of that now,” Tobirama tuts, yanking the Uchiha’s arms behind his back. Realizing Madara wants to play that kind of game, Tobirama smirks as he uses the man’s own hair to tie his wrists in place.

“Bastard,” Madara grumbles, tugging experimentally at his arms, only to moan at the burn in his scalp; his hair would hate him for this later, but at the moment Madara didn’t care.

“That’s better,” Tobirama purrs, leaning forward to suck a hickey on the back of Madara’s neck; it would be easily hidden by the man’s hair, but that wasn’t the point. “Now let’s get to the real reason you’re everyone’s favorite teacher,” Tobirama mutters, removing the older man’s belt and shoving his pants to the ground. “No underwear, how risque.”

“Fuck you,” Madara mutters, whimpering when his student’s hands roughly grope his ass, “I’ll fail you for this you brat.”

“Unlikely,” Tobirama chuckles, leaning over the professor to grab his backpack and drop it behind the desk. He lets Madara wonder what he’s doing for a moment before he slips a now lubed finger into the Uchiha. “I’m going to fuck you so hard Professor that you’ll be addicted to my cock.”

“You’ll be expelled for this,” Madara spits, even as he moans and thrusts back, impaling himself further on the invading finger. “You’ve just ruined your life, hope it’s worth it.”

“It’s so cute you think the university will take your side,” Tobirama chuckles, quickly working a second finger into Madara, “when the Senju family are their biggest donors. The only one that will get in trouble is you, Professor.”

“I’m not the one fucking his teacher over his desk,” Madara groans, biting back a whimper when a third finger slips in almost too soon, “the department head no less.”

“Titles mean nothing to the university as long as they get paid,” Tobirama chuckles, curling his fingers until the older man cries out, “you’re mine and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Bastard,” Madara whines as the pale fingers slip free.

“I’ll make it good for you,” Tobirama promises, freeing and coating his cock in lube before he roughly thrusts into the bound man under him. Madara practically howls, but the Senju knows it's more from pleasure than pain.

“Fuck!” Madara snarls, body jerking as Tobirama immediately sets a brutal pace. Instead of getting him away from the cock sawing him in two, all Madara manages to do is tighten the knot of hair around his wrists, forcing his head back at an awkward angle.

“You feel so good Professor,” Tobirama moans, digging his nails into Madara’s ass, wanting to leave behind as many marks as he can. “I think you missed your true calling in life.”

“I swear-ah!” A particularly hard jab to his prostate has Madara choking back a sob of pleasure, “I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Are you threatening me Professor?” Tobirama chuckles, grabbing at the base of Madara’s ponytail and yanking until he’s sure the older man can’t breath, “I’m sure I misheard you.”

“Senju…!” Madara gasps, stars dancing behind his eyes as Tobirama pulls him back to meet his next thrust.

“Say my name Professor,” Tobirama growls, picking up the speed of his thrusts.

Madara tries to fight it, but between the abuse to his prostate and the lack of air, his brightest student’s name tumbles out. “T-Tobirama…”

“Such a good boy,” Tobirama purrs, returning both hands to Madara’s hips so he can yank the older man back to meet each increasingly brutal thrust.

Madara greedily sucks in air as his head lolls forward as far as it can. The chemistry professor knew he wouldn’t last much longer, no one had managed to play his body as well as Tobirama was in a long time. “Tobirama...please...I-I...need…”

“Is this what you need Professor?” Tobirama mutters, shifting one hand to grab Madara’s leaking cock in a firm grip. “Do you need to come again?”

“Please!” Madara begs, too far gone to care how pathetic he must look.

“Anything for my favorite professor,” Tobirama chuckles, stroking the hard flesh in time with his thrusts. Madara makes it half a dozen thrusts before he comes with a wordless cry, his release splattering the top of the desk. Tobirama moans as the muscles around his cock grip him like a vice, pressing in as deep as he can before his orgasm hits.

“Shit,” Madara pants, whining as he is pressed down harder into the desk, his own cum staining his shirt.

“Your ass is even better than I thought it would be,” Tobirama chuckles, using one hand to keep Madara pressed down while his other hand rummages through his backpack again. Finding what he’s looking for Tobirama smirks and carefully pulls out of Madara. “I brought you a present Professor.”

“Wha-?!” Madara has to bite back a sob of pained pleasure as he feels something hard stretch his entrance open farther.

“I would hate for you to make a mess in your office,” Tobirama continues like Madara hasn’t spoken, firmly pressing the glass plug the rest of the way in. The Senju hums as he admires his handing work, one finger lightly tracing the edge of the toy.

“Enough,” Madara whimpers as the sinful finger pushes inside, his over sensitized nerves burning at the new stretch, “please.”

Tobirama just hums in agreement as he retracts his hand and fixes Madara’s pants for him. Carefully freeing the older man’s wrists, Tobirama runs a soothing hand the tangled locks of hair. “Hush now Professor,” the Senju mutters, enjoying the whimper when he gently sets Madara into his office chair, “I’ll take care of you.”

Madara can only grumble in response, too tired to offer much of a complaint. He’s vaguely aware of Tobirama cleaning off his desk as he drifts in and out of consciousness. A sudden weight in his lab draws him back to his office with a pained grunt as the plug is forced deeper. “What are you doing?” Madara demands, glaring at the younger man straddling his lap, “our deal is done.”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said you were mine now,” Tobirama says, bringing a collar into view, “now the question is, will you accept it?”

Madara stares at the collar for a long moment, realizing that Tobirama wanted him for more than a one time fling. That thought shouldn’t warm his heart nearly as much as it did, but it had been so long since he’d had a good dom. Instead of responding verbally, Madara just tilts his chin up, offering Tobirama free access to his neck.

Tobirama grins as he carefully fastens his collar around Madara’s beautifully pale neck; he’d never given out his collar before. “Thank you,” he mutters, using the collar to pull Madara down into their first kiss.

“No, thank you,” Madara chuckles after Tobirama pulls back just enough that their lips brush as he speaks. When the Senju grins stupidly like his older brother, Madara rolls his eyes, tugging Tobirama back in for another kiss.

#madatobiweek2019 #Day 7: Something Kinky #MadaTobi #TobiMada #Madara Uchiha #Tobirama Senju #Hashirama Senju #Modern au #student/teacher #sort of roleplay #like they were student & teacher until like 5 minutes before they decided to bang #but now they're not technically student teacher #office shenanigans #rough handling #hair pulling #collars #sorry this is late #rl got in the way and i got it posted as soon as i could #sorry! #please enjoy! #my writing #Crystal writes #ruby

[sup-hoes-its-me]

With Time (Tobirama x Reader)

A/N: I'm a terrible writer, I know. Tobirama x reader bc this guy doesn't get enough love. I really love the song anxiety by blackbear so here's a one shot inspired by the vibes i get from it.

word count: 4732

Part one/Part Two/Part Three

I am a Hatake. Naturally I loved dogs, right? They were our family’s summon, our most important companions (other than our human ones), and the one true beast we trusted with our lives. You’d think I’d get along with every dog and mutt out there, regardless of breed, right?

Wrong.

There was one absolute dog that I could not stand. His name was Tobirama Senju. He was the bane of my existence.

Ever since we were children growing up together, I couldn’t stand him. I was always close with his older brother, Hashirama, or as I nicknamed him, “Hashi-kun”. We would run through the forest together, playing silly games like cops and robbers, and pretending we were explorers from a far away land. Then, when we grew of age, we started to train together in our shinobi natures. While he was the only living person known to use the Wood nature, I inherited the Lightning nature from my father.

We were raised in the Warring States period, and although most clans were at war during this time, the Hatake and Senju never had issues with each other (idk if this is even true, just go with it, fam). It was mainly us against the terrible Uchiha who threatened our lives each time we battled. When we were old enough to engage in combat, we did. That’s how our childhood was. We fought for our lives if we could use our chakra, if not we stayed at home and did what we could to support our clans.

For the most part, I was a friendly, easy going girl. I liked normal things, like eating dango and climbing trees and making friends. But for some goddamn reason I could not bring myself to like Tobirama. Frankly, I thought he was a grumpy bitch, and I didn’t want anything to do with him.

Still, Hashirama insisted that I attempt to become friends with him. After all, they were brothers, and if I was to be one of his best friends, I would need to be civil with his only surviving brother.

But it was just everything about that mug that made me want to punch him in the face. His stupid spiky gray hair that almost matched that of my clan. I hated the way he marked his face every morning with that red paint. His face protector was the ugliest, stupidest thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

And god, was he rude to me. Always had been since I first met him at six years old. Six! He was five and I was six, and he completely embarrassed me in front of my friends by telling me my lightning release was weak, and his baby brother could do better. The comment was far from necessary, and it made me fume.

Not to mention he had to be better at everything. He had to best me at Water Release, and he always one upped me when we trained. Hashirama would laugh and always congratulate both of us for our skills, but I was always shamed I couldn’t impress anyone. He always had to show off in front of his clan, my friends, even my dad.

Even my summon, Popo, had taken a liking to him after I specifically told the dog that the boy was pure evil.

To put it simply, Tobirama was my rival and a pain in my neck. I’m not sure he was fully aware of how I felt because I tried to keep things civil, but I could tell from sideways glances and scoffs that he knew something was up between us.

The first time I actually spoke to him alone, without the comforting presence of Hashirama was almost eye-opening. I was sitting in a tree, the ripe age of seventeen. It was my birthday, and I spent it alone. Ever since my father died, I spent the majority of holidays alone.

I let my feet swing below me, hanging from the thick branch. I pulled one of my knees to my chest to hug, pressing my nose to my skin to hide my face. I wouldn’t cry, but I couldn’t help but feel empty. Being isolated in this way really damages a person.

The tree I sat in was producing bright green apples, and they hung around me. They were still sour, not quite ripe yet. I could smell them, the intense scent of freshly picked apples, like the ones my mother used to bring home to bake. They reminded me of a time when my older brother ate so many sour apples because of his and got so sick to his stomach he was throwing up for two days.

Suddenly, I jumped when an apple came hurtling my way and knocking into the trunk I leant against. I cursed under my breath and glared down at the ground, looking for the culprit so I could give them a good whack on the head. Instead, I was met with someone unexpected, and most definitely unwelcome.

“What the hell, Senju?” I growled at him, picking an apple by my head and throwing it down at him with deadly accuracy. He sidestepped it though with a soft ‘tsk’ under his breath. When he said nothing for another few moments, I persisted. “Well? Do you have an issue because I’d rather not be harassed by-”

“Shut up, Y/N. I’m not here to give you a hard time,” he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “I’m actually here to give you something.”

“Sure you are.” I rolled my eyes as I replied. He had to be pulling my leg. I mean, what would he have to give me other than a bad day and embarrassment. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited with my nose stuck in the air. He looked just as unimpressed and irritated as I did, but I could see some foreign emotion flashing through his red almond eyes. I questioned flatly, “What is it?”

He pulled a small box from his pocket, about as big as the palm of his hand and tossed it to me. I caught it in my hand and held it up to inspect it. It didn’t look dangerous, but it could have a paper bomb inside for all I knew. I pulled the box into my lap so I could glare down at him.

“Why are you giving this to me? What is it?”

“It’s just something I had lying around. Don’t think much of it, Hatake,” the boy told me gruffly before turning on his heel. Just as he made it a few steps in the other direction, he abruptly came to a stop and tilted his head forward. I wondered if he was contemplating something as he stood there with his hands strictly shoved in his pockets. I thought for a second to throw another apple at him, but decided against it. I’m so glad I didn’t.

He peered over his shoulder for a quick second before looking away again. “Happy Birthday, Y/N.”

I gaped at him as he walked away. When he was out of my sight, I looked down at the small box in my lap and narrowed my eyes. Was this really a birthday present from my rival? I took a deep breath and untied the wire holding the lid closed.

Hesitantly, I opened the lid and put it to the side. Inside the box were two absolutely beautiful shuriken. They were razor sharp, two of the best I’d ever seen. They were so new and polished that they glimmered in the sunlight. I gasped as I picked one up and held it in my hands. It was weighted perfectly and sat in my hand like it was made for me.

There was no way he just kept shuriken of this quality just sitting around. Tobirama must have bought these special for me. For my birthday. No one cared about my birthday anymore. Not even my brother who lived with his wife and family. As I held the shuriken in my hands, I let out a hitched breath.

Tobirama, you bastard.

_______________________________________

The second time I was alone with Tobirama was actually during a confrontation. Never in my entire life did I think I would defend the Senju, actually protect him from harm like I cared about him, only that’s precisely what happened when he encountered a certain Madara one day when he was in the forest training.

Tobirama had a special place he preferred to train. It was right at the edge of the forest beside the river. He was so skilled in his water jutsu and worked on this developing one. I forgot what it was called, but it involved beautiful water dragons. I watched him conjure it once while I worked on the side with Hashirama. I was completely captivated. It was beautiful, what this man had created.

I was walking through the forest with my summon by my side. He was a majestic husky with intense blue eyes and reddish-brown fur mixed into the white. I loved him like my own family, and often let just walk around with me when I was lonely. He was nice company.

He knew all about my conflicted feelings towards Tobirama. He knew how I thought that his jutsu were gorgeous, and that I’d been moved when he gifted me those shuriken for my birthday. He knew all about it. And he often teased me. It was like having an annoying older brother around, I swear.

“Are you aware that you’re leading us directly to where Tobir-” I swiftly cut Popo off before he could say anything else.

“I just wanted to visit the river today and sit on my favorite rock, Popo. I doubt he’ll be training this late, anyway.” That was a lie. I knew Tobirama would be training at this time. He trained nearly every day at six sharp, and it was a little after seven. He probably wouldn’t finish up for another hour.

I didn’t quite understand why I wanted to see him, but I was convincing myself it was just to thank him for the shuriken he gave me a week ago. That had to be it. I wasn’t going to visit Tobirama for my own satisfaction, was I?

My dog laughed to himself, but continued at my side obediently as always.

The forest was oddly tense as we approached the river where he would normally be. I could faintly make out his figure from where I was, but also there was another figure just beyond him, dressed in all black with black hair. My gut immediately told me, Uchiha, and I gasped. My hand subconsciously slipped out one of the shuriken from my pocket, clutching it tightly between my fingers as I approached on silent feet.

And as I listened in on their conversation, narrowly avoiding their range of sight behind trees and thick brushes, I realized the danger in this confrontation. I bit my lip and fiddled with my weapon, ready to pounce on Madara if needed. Strangely, I felt the need to protect Tobirama. It was like this odd burning desire in my stomach, and I desperately wished to smother the thought.

Only, my mind was on more important things.

I could barely make out what he saying at first, but finally I could hear what Tobirama was saying, and it left my heart racing. “-the only way to end this is to kill you.” He sounded so serious, his voice deep and terrifying. Although these two boys were only teenagers, barely seventeen, they were fully capable and ready to slaughter each other.

My back pressed to a tree, feeling the bark scratch my skin through the fishnets. The shaking through my hands was almost uncontrollable, and I had to steady them to keep from dropping my weapon. I was scared. I admit it. I was terrified. I didn’t want to just stand here and let Tobirama get hurt, but Madara, all of the Uchiha really, were terrifying.

“The day I allow you to raise a hand to me will be the day you die, Senju,” the other boy replied.

“So be it. We will see who really is superior.”

Then, the sound of a sword unsheathing made my head snap up and breath to suddenly inflate my lungs. The fear for myself left my body as I rushed out from behind the tree. I felt like crying as tears gathered behind my eyes. There would not be a fight to the death on this day, at this spot, if I could help it.

I threw myself between the pair. I thankfully kept myself on my feet as I gasped, gritting my teeth to keep myself from crying. I held up a hand towards Madara, as if I had a chance of keeping him from destroying me and getting to Tobirama with the snap of his fingers. My entire body was trembling so violently that I could barely keep my balance.

Tobirama was completely shocked to see me, his eyes wide and concerned. He noticed the glint of his shuriken in my hand and the tears streaming down my face. He was beginning to say something, but only my name left his lips.“Y/N-”

Madara rudely interrupted, his eyes scanning my quivering, minuscule form with amusement in his eyes. “Who is this? You’re little Hatake girlfriend? Can’t defend yourself, Tobirama,” he mocked. I glanced up at him finally, having enough courage to face him. He had no emotion in those blank black irises. Nothing. I felt another rough tremor run through my body at that.

“Please, don’t. N-Not here. Not now, M-Madara,” I whispered through my teeth. I took another step closer to Tobirama until I could feel the heat from his body. I kept my eyes on the Uchiha though. He had no right to threaten my friend like this. He had no right to cross this river where Tobirama trained and threaten to steal his life. “Tobirama, please,” I whimpered. His rough, calloused fingers touched my upper arm before wrapping around and tugging me closer to him, almost behind him in a protective stance.

His gaze was enough for the Uchiha to get the hint. It was not the time. “Fine,” he replied grimly. “Another day we will finally see who prevails.”

With those words being his last, he left into the forest.

I let out a sob, pressing my hands over my eyes to cover my pathetic tears. Why was I even crying? I wasn’t sure. Was it because of my fear, or because of my overwhelming rush of adrenaline? I felt like I was drowning in my emotions, and the only thing I could do was cry.

Tobirama sighed, brushing a few strands of my hair behind my ears. “Y/N, why did you do that?” he mumbled.

“I couldn’t just let you get hurt. I thought you might die, Tobirama!” I cried, burying my face further into my palms.

“Do you doubt my abilities?”

“Tobirama, please. I-I just couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt; even if you are strong, you can still make a mistake, you idiot!” I bawled, finally taking my hands off of my face. Before he had the time to protest, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and pulled him close to me, burying my snotty nose and salty eyes into his shoulder. “You dumb idiot. Are you trying to get yourself killed?” I scold him against his collarbone, my lips just barely skimming his skin.

He was awkward and tense, wrapped his arms strictly around my shoulders and patted  me on the back.

“Don’t do that again!”

“Y/N-”

I hissed against his skin and tightened my grip on his neck. “Shut up. Just promise me!” I cried. He nodded begrudgingly, but that was enough for me. I melted in his hold and kept crying until all the tears had drained from my body. And he didn’t utter another word.

___________________________________________

The third time was different. The third time I knew I felt something for Tobirama at this point that I would have never even given thought to before. I was twenty, living alone in my single room apartment. I was a weak shinobi that woke up every morning, wore nearly the same outfit,  drank the same tea from the same tea shop, saw the same faces on the street, and reported to the same hokage each morning.

But I rarely slept. My sleeping schedule ran wild and irregular. It was because I could never get him off my mind. The brother of the first Hokage, the boy who gifted me those shuriken when we were seventeen. The boy who threatened an entire clan and could probably succeed. The boy who held me when I cried and promised me things would be okay.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he smirked when someone did something stupid, or the way he rolled his eyes when his brother spoke about gambling and laughed like a complete lunatic. I couldn’t stop thinking about his face, and how he looked just right when the sun was shining in from the east. I liked the color of his hair, and that his eyes were a unique red, unlike the sharingan, but perfect for him.

His jutsus were outstanding, and his speed rivalled that of no other. He was amazing.

I was entranced by Tobirama Senju, and no one was to know. Not even my best friend, Hashirama. Definitely not him. He would no doubt attempt to meddle and ruin everything. He would be ecstatic and tell me that his plan or whatever worked out, that he was jumping for joy that his best friend was interested in his little brother.

The mere thought of that man’s reaction made me want to be sick.

I’m not sure why I suddenly had this infatuation with the light haired warrior. I wanted I drown out those thoughts, but they kept coming back. I could barely keep my composure when we were working together. He was so handsome, and each time we touched I felt jolts go up and down my arms. Not only was it embarrassing, but incredibly frustrating. I couldn’t get my work done properly with him around.

The only one to know about my feelings was, of course, Popo.

‘Y/N, I’ve known since you were five years old that you were interested in that Senju boy,’ Popo would tell me as if he really knew this would happen all along. He would say,  ‘Although, he doesn’t seem like the dating type, and is quite cold, I believe that you two have history and chemistry to work through the dents.’

And I always scoffed. I did not want to pursue a relationship with him. He was still the annoying Senju I’ve always known, only now he’s grown up and isn’t as rude and ugly anymore. He might even be helpful and attractive...at times. That’s all I’m saying.

Anyway, after the village was created and Hashirama took place as Hokage, he was quick to let me take the place as his personal assistant, which basically meant I just helped him with paperwork and advised him on some important issues facing Konoha. Tobirama was also there to make decisions. We all worked together to keep the village afloat and developing.

I sat beside the long-haired man’s desk with Popo sitting by my side, his head resting in my lap. I stroked his fur softly with my free hand as I filled out paperwork with the other. Hashirama drank tea and scanned over his lotto tickets from earlier that week. He was quite the gambler, and he’d even passed the trait onto his granddaughter, Tsunade. Cute little girl, I tell you, but god was she stubborn.

I took a break from the work to sip at my own green tea, my eyes sliding from the work to my friend. He caught my gaze and grinned. “Y/N, you really don’t have to fill that out if you don’t want to. It’s my job after all.”

“It’s fine. Gives me something to do.”

“Or we could just talk, like old times! What do you say?! It’s been weeks since we had a long, fun conversation, don’t you think, Hatake?” he asked with a chuckle. I nodded, a smile growing on my lips as well. I set down my tea and placed my pen into the ink pot.

“How’s life? Treating you well?”

I nodded, wondering why he was asking. He saw me everyday, and asked the same question each morning, and then after lunch. “I mean, yeah. I don’t have anything to complain about,” I replied, trying to come up with something other than “fine” or “good” like usual.

“Any suitors yet? I know you’ve been single for a long time.”

“Hashi-kun, you know me. Lonely as always. None of the other shinobi catch my eye,” I lied through my teeth. And as always, my cheeks turned a bit red. They always did when I was thinking about Tobirama. When he mentioned suitors, I hated that my mind immediately went to him. “Well, there might be one person, but it’s not plausible.”

He quirked a brow, and I noticed the bright smile growing on his face fill with mischief. I guess this is why he’s my best friend. “Oh? Care to share?”

“Not particularly. I don’t want to get your hopes up,” I laughed, but it was obviously to cover up my nervousness. He noticed.

“Ah, I see. Well, if you need help, I’m all ears, and I can be quite the matchmaker.”

We talked about some other stuff, like his family and my dogs, especially Popo, who remained asleep in my lap for the conversation. The door finally swung open an hour or so later after the sun had begun to set and our tea run cold. Without a knock or anything, the door creaked open and in entered Tobirama in his casual clothes, forehead protector nowhere to be seen. That was my favorite time to stare at his face, as weird as that is. He just looked so...manly. Kinda...well, hot! He was hot as fuck with his hair falling down and his face clear.

He froze when he noticed me sitting at the desk with his brother and my summon. Eyes scanned my form, and I felt myself shift under his gaze. “Tobi,” I hummed the sweet nickname I adopted about a year or two before.

Tobirama rolled his eyes at my nickname, still not used to the casualness behind it. His hand went to rub the back of his neck. “Y/N, I didn’t know you were here.” He averted his gaze from me to the floor.

I noticed when he walked it that he looked clean and rid of sweat and dirt. He must not have trained today, or a least not at the usual time. He maintained that evening practice long into his adulthood. “I thought you would be training. Normally you’re out until eight or so working on your new jutsu,” I said.

“I decided to relax today.”

Satisfied, I smiled up at him and clapped my hands together.“That’s great. You deserve a break, you know. After all, you work so hard during the day trying to bring peace to Konoha and all.” It felt awkward: what I saying, praising him this way, the way he was looking at me as if I was the only one in the room that mattered.

Hashirama noticed the air between us, smugly crossing his arms across his chest and flicking his gaze between us. I gaped at him like a fish and quickly ducked my head, burying my face in my dog’s fur. He stirred from his slumber, but didn’t move, only sighed.

“I hope your conversation wasn’t too important-”

“Nope. We were actually just discussing you.”

I bit my lip, trying not to explode. What the hell were you doing, Hashirama? I screamed in my head. If he exposed me, I would kill him. Godlike shinobi or not, I would actually murder him.

Thankfully, Tobirama said nothing.

“What did you need, brother?”

“Tsunade was calling for you. She wishes you read her a story before bed,” he muttered sheepishly, a phrase I never thought I would use when talking about the man. Sheepish. He was the most blunt, brute man that I knew. Hashirama laughed as he stood from his desk, nodding his head.

He really adored his kin. I admired that about him. He had so many children and grandchildren, no wonder he was such a happy man. I peeked up from Popo’s fur to see my friend leaving the room. He waved to me and saved me a wink for when he was shutting the door. Dammit, Hashi. Like I thought, he was a meddling bastard.

“Y/N, how are you this evening?”

I bit my lip and looked to the side, not daring to look in his crimson eyes. My heart would no doubt skip a beat.

“I’m good, I guess. Just a lot of paperwork,” I told him softly, just barely below my normal speaking voice. He nodded firmly, and suddenly I couldn’t handle the tension between us. If possible, you could cut this tension with a knife. It was awkward and tense, and I could feel my pulse in my chest with every anxious, confused breath.

I stood from my place at the desk and brushed down my skirt, straightening my top as well. He scanned my form; I could feel it from the corner of my eye. I placed the files and papers in a neat pile on the desk, threw the pen in the bucket, and patted Popo on the back, as a signal we were about to leave.

He raised a non-existent brow at me, judging me with that dog logic of his.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah, well, Hashirama is gone, and I don’t have any more work tonight so-”

“Right, right. I won’t keep you,” he agreed, his voice lacking his normal confidence. He seemed tired, or even disappointed. Yet, I was too distracted with my own feelings to take much notice. “It was...nice speaking with you.”

I tried to gaze up at him, a small, lopsided smile on my lips. But his face was just too much for me to handle. I loved the way his lip was curved up in a weird grimace, almost a smile but almost a cringe. He looked hilarious. I liked the way his eyes stared out the window as if he felt nervous. He held his head high, chin in the air, but he looked so timid at the same time. He was completely adorable.

No doubt my cheeks were red as I turned my head down once again. “It was nice seeing you too, Tobi-kun.” My voice, as light as a feather sighed. I started to walk to the door and had my hand on the knob when my dog grabbed at my sleeve, making me pause if only for a split second.

But that second was enough.

“Y/N.”

Swiftly, I peered over my shoulder at him. The strange urgency in his tone made me take a second guess. I wasn’t sure how either of us were feeling in that moment. His emotions were hard to read that night. I felt like I was staring at a puzzle, an impossible one.

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing. I don’t know why I called your name. Carry on, Hatake.” My heart broke when he called me by my surname for the first time in years. Once again, I turned around and grabbed the doorknob, only this time I pushed the door open and left the room.

Popo sighed loudly as he trotted by my side down the long corridor. “You are a fool, Y/N. An absolutely foolish little girl.” And I couldn’t say anything back. I knew he was right.

#naruto #naruto x reader #tobirama #tobirama senju #senju x reader #tobirama x reader #naruto imagine #naruto shippuden #second hokage #wow i cant believe i wrote this long of a fic #i finished all three parts before post tho so check them all out #the ending is worth it #at least i hope it is #writing #mine #oneshot #naruto one shot

[cafeinthemoon]

Madara meeting his Uzumaki granddaughter during the War - Part IV (FINAL)

So, we’ve reached the final part... I hope you like this one as much as I liked to work on it, and beware of Madara’s Katon 😜

Title: ...

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: Madara Uchiha x Uzumaki!reader (family; no romantic)

Rating: teen | up

Word count: 2138

Chapter (s): 4/4

Warnings: canon divergences and some existential crisis, vapor blinding everyone, savage Tobirama waking reader up and Sasuke in the background like what is he even doing in this story lmao

Symbols: ✔ | ➕ | ▶▶

Read the previous parts here: Part I, Part II, Part III

Those were the first words that came from Madara’s mouth directly to you. You saw his smile widening. What was going on?

- Well done – he continued, his tone unchanged – This technique of yours is really impressive.

You held your breath, your hands shaking, unable to maintain the seal’s position. A muffled laugh was heard.

- You must be confused, child. I do not blame you. As you said, I am a man out of his time. So it is not a surprise that you cannot understand what you have in front of you. And this is why you believed such technique would work on me.

You stepped back, but it was the farthest you could go from him. Something in his chakra started to change, to grow, forcing you to gravitate toward him. Slowly, you felt your own chakra vanishing, escaping your control, and the signs of your jutsu – the chains and the golden seal around his head – started to disappear. The stakes’ size diminished, and they turned back to what they were before, simple hair pins. Without your chakra running through them, they fell to the floor.

When everything was gone, Madara stared at you, and you saw that his eyes were changed: instead of the red pattern of the Sharingan, there were lilac waves that you’ve only knew from pictures and which existence you doubt once: the Rinnegan.

- Now that we finished with this child’s play, we can talk properly – Madara said – Let me explain. This dojutsu you are seeing is known as the Rinnegan. It can absorb all ninjutsu, including sealing techniques. As you see, the problem is not with the technique itself. It is just that it wouldn’t work on me. So do not take it personally.

You were still quiet, still not believing it. The work of your entire life, your father’s heirloom, was contained and dismissed as nothing. How?

When you looked at your grandfather again, you noticed a new expression on his face, something between acknowledgment and nostalgia. He uncrossed his arms and started walking toward you. Yet you couldn’t move. You were so frustrated, so ashamed… It was when a sudden anger took over your senses, something that you thought to be from your Uchiha side, and you ran toward Madara. To attack him or to die, it didn’t matter.

In your way, you grabbed two of your pins and used your chakra to turn them into stakes again. With a scream, you jumped in front of him and started striking him with the stakes, combining them with every taijutsu move you were capable of remember. However, none of them could’ve hit him: he wasn’t even defending himself; he was just deflecting them with no difficulty. At some point, he grabbed one of the stakes and broke it as a dead branch; then he held your wrist and made you drop the second stake.

- This chakra of yours, child… – he said, looking into your eyes – Soaked in all this pride and anger… It is not an Uzumaki thing. It is from the Uchiha, though you have no dojutsu. Still, it’s so blatant you couldn’t expect to hide it from me.

- What...? – you mumbled.

Madara smiled with what you’d call softness in any other person.

- So, my son had his own child, and as I can see, he raised her well. Combining a sealing technique with dojutsu’s counteraction… It is so like him.

- But.. how do you…?

- Why the surprise? – he laughed – Of course I would recognize something created by my son. Even more the reminiscence of his chakra on his offspring... my granddaughter.

You weren’t sure of how to feel about this, being acknowledged by Madara as part of his family. But he didn’t give you time to think.

- Yes. I figured it out once I put my eyes on you – he explained.

Still holding you by the wrist, he made you approach.

- As it used to happen with your father, there’s something in you that reminds me of Izuna, my little brother. Maybe it is the way you are looking at me now, or anything else – then the nostalgic trait came back to his face – A child who has Uchiha and Uzumaki blood running in her veins. If only I have found you before… I would not waste my time with Nagato and Obito. I would have left my Rinnegan with you, and you would have prepared everything for my return.

With his free hand, Madara touched your chin and made you look directly into his eyes. You didn’t even consider closing yours; you have no time to react.

- Still, it is not too late. Listen. I am now offering you an opportunity, child. I am creating something that will save the people of this world from all their misery, and you can join me in this. Join your family, and help me to help your friends. Think of what is best for them. A wise person would do so.

You started to drown in his words and his eyes. There, you saw something. You saw everything. His childhood; his father; his brother, Izuna, who was really like your father. You saw Hashirama as a child, and he and Madara playing together. You saw your grandfather’s life, the battles he fought, his passion and his dreams. You also saw his loss, his rage and his fear. You felt his suffering as your own. You mourned and cried with him. There were so much that you didn’t know, that your father didn’t tell you, that Kakashi and the others could never imagine, never understand. And Madara survived all of this, and managed to come back. All of this must have served for something. Maybe this was indeed a chance to save people from suffering the same as him. Maybe he was right, maybe…

A sudden scream cut the air and came to you as if you were coming out of a nightmare. It was the Yondaime’s voice.

- Y/n-san! Do not listen to him!

Then the Nidaime’s voice joined his.

- Y/n-san, do not be a fool!

And finally, the Shodai’s.

- This is not what your father would want, y/n-san!

Somehow, their advice interfered in the jutsu and gave you the strength you needed to look into Madara’s eyes and stand your ground.

- Do not take it personally, grandpa, but I think you should really go back to the other side – you smirked – I’m not joining you, not now, not in a million years. Besides, I don’t like being called a child!

You tried to release your wrist and step back to join the Hokages and think of a new plan, but you soon found out you couldn’t move. You started to choke, and your feet no longer felt the ground under them. With his right hand, Madara was now grabbing your throat.

- If you do not like to be called a child, you should not behave like one – his tone changed to something impossible to describe but as monstrous – I gave you a chance, but you wasted it. Since this is the choice you’ve made, be ready to pay price for it.

Shaking your feet and trying to take his hands off you was useless. You could wait for Minato or Tobirama to use their seals and take you away, but you didn’t have much time. What were you going to do? You needed to think, and quick…

So you didn’t exactly think of it. It just happened. You realized that if you could put all your weight in Madara’s grip, you’d gain a second of distraction from him. So you did it, and when he seemed to wonder what you were trying to do, you pressed your right foot on his chest to get some support; then you wrapped his right arm with your left leg and turned around yourself to release your throat from his hand and hit him with your right ankle. The pain was unbearable and your lungs burned without air, but it worked. Madara released you and defended himself from your strike with his arm.

You fell on the floor and stood there, lying on your back and coughing. The last thing you saw was the hand seal he made to perform a Katon technique. You covered your eyes and felt the air burn as it entered your nostrils; you thought your skin was about to melt. You were about to die…

The sound of a flow invaded the space around you. When you were able to open your eyes, you saw a water wall in front of you, stopping the fire’s spread: Tobirama was beside you, using his Suiton. A second later and your vision was all blurry, for the collision between the two opposite Releases created a dense, yellowish vapor. You tried to stand up, but someone took you in their arms and you were moved.

When you looked around, you saw it was Minato.

- Yondaime…! – you tried to speak, but the hot air entered your throat and you coughed again.

- Please, do not speak now, y/n-san – you heard him saying – Let’s find a place out of this vapor wall.

He used his Hiraishin again and the change in the air was so sudden that you startled. You were now on a higher place; you blinked a few times until the burning sensation disappeared from your eyes, and you could see clearly again: the night seemed darker than you remembered, or it was just the vapor’s effect. The air you were breathing now was freezing.

Minato put you down once you reached that place, but stood by your side, holding your shoulders. You were shaking. You raised your eyes to him, and started crying even before you noticed.

- Yondaime… I failed – it was the only thing you were capable to say.

But it wasn’t deception nor desperation what you saw in his face. His first response to your words was to smile.

- Take some rest, y/n-san – he asked – You did an impressive job, but it might have drained your energy.

Sakura, the girl from Kakashi’s team, approached you and stretched her hands to examine your throat.

- It’s not too serious. I can quickly heal it.

- Thank you, Sakura-san – you replied as she used her medical ninjutsu in you.

Right behind her, Naruto Uzumaki had his eyes wide open to you.

- That final strike you used against Madara was incredible, y/n-san! – he stated – I bet even he was impressed.

Kakashi was there too, and so was Sasuke.

- It seems that Madara had more information that we first imagined – Kakashi deliberated, looking down at the valley from where you just escaped – This can be a problem as big as his power as a shinobi.

For a moment, no one seemed to have a response for this. You looked down, feeling your hope vanishing. Sakura finished her work, and your pain was gone. You noticed that she had a serious look, but even her was finding hard to maintain any positivity. Everyone’s chakra was growing colder, drowning in frustration, and yours was no exception.

It was when you sensed a change in Minato’s chakra, close to you. He held your shoulders more firmly and looked at each of you. You thought that, more than ever, he was looking like the Hokage he must have been in the past.

First, he looked at you and Sakura.

- Giving up right now would be disrespectful to the long way we’ve traveled to get where we are.

Then to his son and Sasuke.

- The Shodai, the Nidaime, the Sandaime, the other Kages and every shinobi that came to fight are doing their best right now. We cannot stay behind.

Finally, he turned to Kakashi.

- I’m sure the Nidaime is forming a new plan at this moment, and the Shodai is using all his strength to stand between Madara and us. They are counting on us.

Minato just said the his last word, and someone teleported to your side. It was Tobirama’s clone. As he soon informed, he came to state the new strategy he created with his brother and to say that they were going to need all the help you could offer. All of you nodded in agreement, and then the clone explained the plan.

You sensed your chakra calming down at his words. The Yondaime was right. Not everything you did was a failure. It was information and the secret of the Rinnegan that put Madara one step ahead. Besides, you knew it was not going to be easy. But the war was far from its end.

And as long as you not gave up on it, there would be hope for you.

#naruto fanfiction #madara fanfiction #madara #madara x reader #hashirama #tobirama #minato #kakashi #naruto #sakura #sasuke

[avversiera-writes]

touch your heart [senju tobirama/you] - chapter 4

Summary: Hashirama might go down as the worst matchmaker in history, but he thinks he might be on to something. Tobirama sees through his brother's schemes and is determined not to fall for it. Or fall for you.

Word Count: about 3k

AO3 LINK TO TOUCH YOUR HEART

AOR SERIES LINK TO ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART

[<<<CHAPTER ONE] [CHAPTER TWO] [CHAPTER THREE]

You are not sure what to make of it, but you feel like the awkward atmosphere between you and Tobirama seems to have multiplied by the tens. You did not feel like this around him before, but now, every time he addresses you, it makes your insides twist and you just want to avoid him as much as possible. 

 At the same time, Tobirama’s words seem more curt and he often repeats the same sentences like “ridiculous” and “get to work” as if those are the only words he can say. 

A part of you wants to make fun of him for sounding constipated around you, but you don’t think that the two of you have established a rapport that allows you to do so. You know you have been teasing him nonstop ever since you started working together, but now that he mistook your interaction with his brother as flirting, every time you open your mouth to say something to him, your throat decides to croak and you end up staring at him with your mouth hanging open. 

 You cannot stand it. 

You sigh and decide to stretch your hands up, garnering a glance from Tobirama. 

 You swear if he utters “work” one more time, you are going to drag him outside to breathe in some fresh air. Maybe the nice change of scenery will make his mind restart so that he can say other words for once. 

“I’m curious,” Tobirama starts. 

 You stare at him, not believing what you are hearing from him. Finally, something else he can say to you. 

“What is your relationship with Uchiha Madara?” 

Maybe he should go back to grunting out one word sentences to you. 

You narrow his eyes at him. He keeps asking unwarranted questions. 

You press your lips together, thinking about how you want to reply to him. “Well,” you start. “He’s someone I’m very grateful to.” 

 Tobirama frowns. “Why?” 

 “Excuse me? Have you never had someone be grateful to you?” 

 Tobirama suddenly looks pissed, but he quickly fixes his expression. 

You let out a burst of laughter. “Don’t tell me you think I’m also flirting with him,” you grin playfully to hide the ire behind your tone. 

 Tobirama looks away. 

 “Relax, he’s a friend and kind of a mentor to me,” you tell Tobirama. “Nothing more. He helped me get accustomed to Konoha. I think he just felt sorry for me, but thanks to him, I’ve had a good start here.” 

Tobirama glances at you, his expression unchanging but for once he is not looking at you as if you committed a crime. 

 Well, this is probably the first true thing you have said to him. Your heart ponders at this, but you decide that it should be okay. It’s not entirely specific, but it’s not trivial either. You wonder if you should elaborate more. 

“So, there’s no grand plan of me wooing the founding fathers of Konoha,” you joke and Tobirama rolls his eyes. 

 “Don’t worry, I am not interested,” Tobirama huffs and he straightens even more on his seat. 

You smile at this, and you go back to your work. “Alright. Are we good, then?” 

 Tobirama turns his head to you, and you meet his eyes. 

“Fine,” Tobirama reverts back to his automated one word responses. 

 You nod, and you detect that the air between you has somewhat cleared. 

At the end of the day, as you bid your goodbye to Tobirama, you slip him a piece of paper with some doodles of ninja fighting and a note saying ‘have a good day’ on it in your attempted fancy writing. 

 “Really?” Tobirama deadpans. 

 “For our budding friendship,” you joke. 

 Tobirama’s eyes narrow at you. “We are only working together, we’re not here to make friends.”

You roll your eyes and slip the paper further into his sights. “Co-workers?” You suggest.

 “Not even close.”

 “Oh, come on!” 

Tobirama rubs his forehead. “Fine.” He grits out. “Co-workers.”

 “And then future friends,” you include playfully. 

 Tobirama scowls. “Go home.” 

 “That’s not a no!” You wag a finger to him. “So it’s up in the air, yes?” 

“No,” Tobirama says, his fingers twitching–probably itching to crumple the paper in front of him. “And don’t do this again, this is a waste of paper.” 

  You sigh. “Okay, okay, fine. Have a good night.” 

Tobirama says nothing as you exit the room, and you let out a deep breath you have been holding. At least, he’s talking to you normally now. 

 You chuckle to yourself. 

  Tobirama is so weird, you think.

 The thought brings a small smile on your lips.  

 //

Tobirama stares at the doodle in front of him, his focus beyond repair for the meantime. He assumes the long-haired man in the picture is his brother, with a blob of red as his armor, and the one next to his brother is him, with a hair so huge and spiky that it looks like lightning has struck from the sky and connected with his head. 

 Tobirama stares at it, unsure of what to make of it. Why are you always making fun of him? 

 He sighs, and he looks to the window, where the sky has changed to a swathe of pink and purple, indicating that the sun has set and the night will soon take over. His eyes go to the table and he notices engravings on the table itself on your side of the table, and he sighs, trying to fight away the signs of a headache. Though for a moment, to his chagrin, he found it a little funny. He did say save some paper. 

Tobirama thinks about what you had told him about Madara, and he ruminates on this. Why would Madara take you in, help you get settled and feel sorry for you? How did you even get here, and why did you choose Konoha, of all places? 

 Tobirama rubs his forehead, his thoughts circling in on you. It’s not common that he’s not able to figure out someone in a few seconds. He prides himself on feeling out people, whether it be their chakra, their personality or their thoughts, but the only thing he has learned about you is that you are loud . 

 He can’t even figure where you are from or which family you came from based on your chakra signature, which is not all that impressive. Compared to your presence, it is almost silent. It is there, but they are like waves in a low-tide, unable to do any harm. They ebb at some places, like something is disrupting its flow, and at times it feels almost nonexistent. You do not have any affinity for the elements either, and even with taijutsu, there should be a flare of chakra in you, but there is nothing.  

He knows that you are skilled with blades because the way you hold and carry it indicates that you have drawn it a thousand times. He knows that you have fought before because you are able to surprise him in a match. 

 He can keep guessing who you are, but you somehow prove him wrong and it bothers him. 

 He attempts to get back to work, but his stomach grumbles in complaint, which means that he really cannot focus anymore. Deciding to indulge his uncooperative stomach, he exits the Hokage mansion and trails towards the more active part of the village, where various restaurants are starting to pop up. 

People recognize him as he walks and they offer polite and formal greetings towards him. He greets back, but he does not stop for shirt conversations. Those exhaust him.

 Ahead, lamps are strung by posts to light the street. The street grows in volume as more and more people flood in, coming and going. Someone shouts nearby, and laughter springs everywhere. Splashes of red and gold appear in his peripheral vision, and the smell of fried food wafts in the air. 

Tobirama takes a deep breath, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. 

Suddenly, his eye catches you, running towards him with a carefully wrapped package in your hands. He notices you holding it securely, and as you get closer, he notices that they are packed food. You pass by him, and Tobirama turns to see where you are heading. 

It is not far, as he can see you stop by an alleyway and walk in. 

 Tobirama pauses at this, and against his better judgement, he decides to follow you and see what you are up to. 

He hears your voice first, and when he sees you, he feels unprepared to react at the sight of you handing the freshly cooked food to two children squatting by the trash. 

"Be careful," you tell them, your voice laced with worry. 

 "Thank you so much, nee-chan!" The boy cries out. 

 "Can I ask where your parents are?" You inquire. 

"Uhm...well," the boy starts hesitantly, his eyes swimming with fear. "We...don't have parents anymore."

The boy looks down. "We came here to find safety." 

Tobirama notes the change on your face. You look sad, and Tobirama wonders what is causing it. 

"Well, can you tell me your names?" You address both children with a gentleness Tobirama has never heard before. 

 Maybe that is how you talk to others that are not him.

"I'm Kaito," the boy says. "My sister doesn't talk much, but her name is Yuna." 

 You offer them a kind smile. "Well...enjoy your food, okay? If you ever need help, come find me. I live near the forest in the new building recently built there. I'll bring you guys some blankets if you stay here." 

Kaito stares at you, his eyes swimming. "Thank you very much, nee-chan."

 You sigh, and you reach over and pat his head. Tobirama backs away from sight to hide himself. 

 You run past him, and Tobirama elects to stand where he is so that he can watch the kids while you get them their blankets. 

 Tobirama suddenly frowns as a thought comes to mind. There is a newly built orphanage in the village now. 

 "Tobirama?" You cut him off his thoughts and Tobirama snaps to your attention and it occurs to him that this is probably the first time you called his name without insulting him in some way. 

 Tobirama had not noticed your arrival. He must have been standing here for a while. 

He should have moved and went on with his life. 

"We should take them to the orphanage." He looks down at your arms where you are carrying a blanket, a change of clothes and a knife. 

 Tobirama grows uneasy as you stare at him, even though the surroundings are almost dim. 

"Okay," you finally said and you called the kids out. 

Tobirama glances at the two tiny children, suddenly noticing how thin and grimy they are. 

"This is Senju Tobirama," you introduce him. "He can help us find a place to stay warm, okay? He's a good person." You reassure them.

Tobirama attempts at a small smile, but he feels your eyes on him and he ends up grimacing. He also zeroes in on the fact that you called him a good person in front of these kids. He doubted that you even thought of him that way, but hearing it from you is a little refreshing. 

"Follow me," Tobirama walks ahead, unable to stand still under your gaze. 

You are looking at him strangely and Tobirama is not sure what to make of it. 

Thankfully the walk is not too long, but it means that Tobirama has to spend the rest of the time walking with you in this awkward silence that seems to pervade whenever the two of you are near each other. It is now completely dark, save for the occasional lanterns guiding the way, but it does nothing to alleviate the tension. Instead, he turns to himself inwardly and makes a mental note on formalizing how to accept refugees in the future so that random people that have the potential to be a threat cannot enter the village easily. It is still so young and he is not sure how it will hold when there is some disorder. 

 After dropping the kids off in the orphanage and signing some documents and talking with the ward there, the two of you head back to the center of the village, where the night scene comes alive. He is tempted to say something to fill the air, but he is also waiting for you to say something because he assumes that you would normally talk when there is nothing to talk about. 

 Alas, he is wrong again. 

He never thought that he would be the first one to say a word.

 “You look chirper,” he comments. He glances at your face, noting how relaxed it is compared to earlier. You also do not look as glum. 

 “Yeah, well,” you start, scratching your cheek lightly. “It’s all I wanted to do is–you know, make a difference and all that shi-stuff.” 

 Tobirama hums, amused at your slip of a curse word. He senses the truth in your words and for once, he finds himself relaxing around you.

“I know you probably think that I don’t mean that since I tend to joke around, but trust me when I say that I see a lot of good things happening here. Children outside of Konoha are not so lucky,” you say. 

“Yeah,” Tobirama agrees. 

 Tobirama feels your eyes on the side of his face and he swallows. 

" I was not so lucky," your words falter as you begin them, but Tobirama sees the determined look on your face and it surprises him even more. "But I am now in a place where I can help people out." 

Tobirama glances at you again, surprised at your sudden confession to him. 

 "Ah well, I talked too much, you might start to think I’m nice," you joke. 

 "I do not find anything wrong with that," Tobirama replies, and for a moment the two of you locked eyes. 

Tobirama hears your stomach grumbles and you let out a shy laugh. 

 "Whoops," you announce, chuckling. 

Tobirama sighs, but he is not exasperated. "Let’s go."

 "Where? Back to work? Don't tell me I missed some pages to work on because I was very thorough today." 

 Tobirama raises an eyebrow. "Only today?" 

You smirk and Tobirama looks ahead of him, unable to stare at you straight on. 

"My brother and I weren't so lucky either," Tobirama begins, feeling that it's only right that he says something back that is equivalent to your confession. "All we knew was war when we were children. So many people we cared about died, but despite all that, elder brother was very ahead of his time. He's the one who dreamed of building this village." 

You smile softly at him. "Well, look at it now. It's something." 

 "More than something," Tobirama insists. "It’s a new world." 

"Tell me something, Senju Tobirama. Is this how you saw the world too?" 

Tobirama stares straight ahead. For a moment, he considers not answering, but his mind gets the best of him. "No," he admits. "The world is always in peril." 

"Then why partake in such an ambitious dream?" 

 Tobirama tenses up. He gives you an inch, and you are backing him up a mile without his control. Your question is too close in a way that it shows his deep devotion to his family and this village.

 You did not even have to try. 

"You wanted to make his dreams come true, right?" You prod on. 

Tobirama's fingers twitch, desperate to hold something. You are right and it almost pisses him off. 

"It’s his dream," Tobirama answers curtly. "But he dreams too much. He did not think of what the cost could be and the work that comes with it."

 "And you covered that part," you state. 

 "Right," Tobirama murmurs thoughtfully. 

 "I can respect that." You smile at him, and you bump your shoulder against his arm. 

Tobirama finds that he did not mind, but he is still a little annoyed that you of all people have seen through him. 

 However, he also realizes that the awkward atmosphere between the two of you has dissipated. 

It's a curious thing. 

He sees you walking ahead, and before he knows it, he is reaching out to grab your arm. He is able to stop himself, but his fingers brush against the back of your arm. His hand forms a fist as a form of restraint.

 You turn to him with a questioning look.

"Dinner," he almost stammers, but his voice is even. "It’s this way. My treat." 

 Your face lights up, but you cringe as your stomach announces once again that it needs food.

"Sounds great to me," you smile at him again, and Tobirama finds himself hurrying his steps ahead of you.

He thinks about the project and how it is almost finished. Just two more months of this, and he can be done and you can get out of his hair.

 That was the agreement, after all.

He hears your footsteps catch up to him, and now, he finds you walking by his side. 

//

If Tobirama thought that you were a con-man before, then he will probably think that you are now. 

 Today, he has students doing some chakra training by walking on water, and you have opted to watch and listen to Tobirama’s elaborate instructions instead of joining them and demonstrating how to do it along with Tobirama. 

 The truth is, you have no idea how to do that. You never learned how to because you had no formal shinobi training. All you know how to do is fight for your life, very desperately at that. 

 You watch the kids, and you cannot help feel the bitterness that you have tried so hard to let go. You did not have this when you were younger. All you knew were sickness after sickness, vials of poisons and medicine, and a hazy mind and a weak body.

 Years of your life were lost to parents who failed to protect you because of their twisted beliefs and their inability to stand their ground.

 You were lost and without a guide. 

You consider sneaking away, but you feel like you and Tobirama are finally on the same page and doing that might not help your case with him. 

 You are aware of his piercing gaze being directed towards you, but he doesn't call you out for not participating or push you to do the exercise with the kids. 

 You stand to the side uselessly, using your foot to draw random circles on the ground, until the kids are dismissed and Tobirama is walking up to you with a strict expression. He looks like he might yell at you or scold you, but surprisingly, he does none of that.

“You’re awfully quiet today,” Tobirama comments tersely. 

 You look up to meet his hard eyes and you shrug. “I did not think that you’d notice.”

Tobirama gives you a very hard and long look, and it burns through you. 

“What?” You snap, your facade long gone. 

You see Tobirama’s eyes widen slightly, but they are back to his usual scrutinizing gaze. 

“If you have a problem, it’s best that you communicate it with me. We are working together professionally.” Tobirama does not back down. “We are both adults.” 

 You press your lips into a thin line, and you look towards the flowing river, where the kids tried their luck to walk across it. 

Tobirama turns to walk away, and you grip the hilt of your sword in instinct. 

It is now or never. 

“I don’t know, okay?” You suddenly blurt out. “I did not have any of this when I was a kid.”

Tobirama stops and he turns to you questioningly. You observe from his demeanor that he is not particularly judgemental towards you at the moment. He looks at you with an understanding he extends to his students. 

 You turn towards the river again. “I…” 

Tobirama waits, neither impatient nor placating. He does not even look like he’s in a hurry. 

You grit your teeth, and then slowly let out a deep breath through your mouth. You glare at Tobirama. 

 “Do not ever speak of this to anyone,” you warn him. “This is between you and me.” 

“I promise,” Tobirama says, his tone serious. 

 You look at his face, your eyes tracing his set jaw and the three perfect markings that are tattooed on his cheeks and his chin. 

 “I did not have this when I was young,” you tell him vaguely, but you realize that you will get nowhere if you keep evading the subject. “I don’t know, maybe you can help me, but maybe it’s too late…”

“You should get to the point,” Tobirama finally says and he folds his arms. “And if it’s help you need, you only need to ask.” 

 You stare at the ground uneasily as you feel your face heat up. 

“I need your help because when I was young, I did not learn how to be a proper shinobi,” you say in a rush. “That walking on water lesson? I never had that. I don't know how to do that.” 

You look at him helplessly and watch Tobirama’s neutral expression, seeing the gears turning in his mind. 

 “I had to figure out everything myself,” you say in a low, dark tone. 

Tobirama nods, but then for the first time, he smirks at you. “That’s not a lot for me to go by, but it’s a nice change to see you not put up a farce for once.” 

You glare at him. “Yeah, well, beggars can't be choosers.” You fold your arms as well. “And you’ve noticed it, haven’t you? That I do not have a good, consistent chakra flowing in me.” 

Tobirama pauses, and his eyes glow for a moment. 

 “Shouldn't your closest friend know this?” Tobirama inquires sarcastically. 

 “He doesn’t,” you roll your eyes. “Or maybe he does, but he chooses not to bring it up.” 

 “Why did you bring it up?” 

 “Because I’m not stupid and I refuse to let my shortcomings get the best of me,” you snap. 

Tobirama raises an eyebrow. 

You meet his eyes, throwing your pride away and mustering all the determination you can find in yourself. “And I want to learn. So teach me. Help me. We only have two months and I know the timing couldn’t be better, but that’s all the time I need.” 

 Tobirama turns to the river, and a breeze brushes by, sweeping the grass, flattening it, and carrying dry leaves and scattering them about. It picks up strands of your hair, and it moves the hems of your clothes, and when the breeze has passed, Tobirama has his reply ready. 

“Very well,” Tobirama folds his hands behind his back and turns to you. “I’ll do it and keep your secret.”

 Your eyes widen, and you feel elated. “That was unexpected.”

 Tobirama narrows his eyes.

 “But...thank you. That means a lot to me.” 

 You can't help but give him a shy smile, and Tobirama glances at you from the sides of his eyes, his ears and neck turning pink. 

 "Well, when do we begin?" 

 Tobirama lets out a sigh through his nose and gives you a funny look. "Now. Get running."

 "What?" You stare at him with disbelief. "Now? It's almost lunch."

 "Yes, now." Tobirama's face goes back to its hard and strict expression, his eyebrows almost furrowing and his lips and jaw set. 

  You take a deep breath, and you break into a run and Tobirama jogs lightly after you. You try to get ahead of him, but Tobirama keeps up just as easily, his long legs pumping to match yours. The two of you run towards the forest, jumping over decaying logs and rocks. You hear Tobirama's rush of breath near you, the snap of sticks underneath his feet, and the ruffle of his clothes as his body moves. You focus ahead, and you see a wall of rock blocking the edge of this forest. Tobirama keeps going and you follow him, but you speed past him so that you can get to the rock first. 

 However, Tobirama does not stop there. 

 "What are you doing?" Tobirama barks. "We're going back." 

 You catch your breath and you watch him go ahead of you. Of course, you expected nothing less from the Senju Tobirama. You smirk to yourself, and you run to his direction, determined to get there first as well. 

 A burst of laugh escapes your lips as you pass him by, and you jump over a small path. You turn towards him, completely exhilarated and Tobirama stutters in his steps. 

 "Not bad," Tobirama comments coolly as he gets closer to you. 

 You pout playfully. "I was here first." 

 "That was not a race," Tobirama says. "And if it was, you'd lose."

 "Wow." You roll your eyes, but there is no malice between the two of you. This is the first time the atmosphere between the two of you had eased enough for the two of you to joke around with each other willingly. "Such hubris, my lord." 

 Tobirama's eyes narrow. "I think you should just stop calling me with a title. You give it no purpose anymore."

 "Are you hurt?" You say mockingly. 

 Tobirama sighs and he pinches the bridge of your nose. 

You chuckle easily. "Alright, Tobirama." 

Tobirama glances at you, a slight frown etched to his face but he does not look displeased. He nods and you shrug, and you find that spending time with Tobirama like this is not so bad. You are not sure about tomorrow since your interactions with him are like going through hills and valleys, but at least, it does not feel like you are Tobirama's mortal enemy anymore. 

.

.

.

[CHAPTER FIVE >>>]

#avversiera writes #angelica writes #'til death do us part #Senju Tobirama #Tobirama Senju #tobirama x reader #senju tobirama x reader #tobirama x you #senju tobirama x you #tobirama x y/n #naruto fanfiction

[robininthelabyrinth]

Eyestealer - ao3 link

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Senju Hashirama & Senju Tobirama (mostly gen, hints of other relationships later)

Summary: Hashirama really doesn't approve of the thoughtful way his father looks at his younger brother's bright red eyes. He's sure it doesn't mean anything good for anyone.

He's right.

A/N: I feel like I've at least mentioned this to @blackberreh-art, @kitsunesongs, @writhingbeneathyou and maybe @perelka-l

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"What's wrong with him?" Butsama demands, fierce and threatening, his eyes glinting in a way that made Hashirama desperately want to cower away behind his mother.

But he's a big brother now, so he can't: it's his job to protect baby Tobirama, who doesn't know enough to fear their father when he's in a mood like this, and who doesn't even have the coordination to crawl away properly even if he did. He's only just barely managed some determined scooting forward on his belly so far, and even then Hashirama may have been helping a little.

Besides, Hashirama's nearly four; he's already started training to learn to fight and he'll be ready to go out to battle in another year or two, facing the Uchiha clan - red-eyed monsters that he's been told will happily kill kids like him and even baby Tobirama, the very thought of which makes Hashirama's heart break - and surely they'll be much scarier than Senju Butsuma.

...surely.

Hashirama's always been a touch doubtful that anyone would be scarier than his father, and he suspects he doesn't mean it in the way all the adults think he means it, as hero worship and adulation.

No, Butsuma is scary not for his extensive fighting abilities, which Hashirama is duly impressed by, but for the way Hashirama's brave and powerful mother, who fears no one outside the clan compound walls, goes quiet and meek in his presence lest he raise a hand to her (or Hashirama) again. And Hashirama doesn't like that type of scariness one bit.

He doesn't much like the way Butsuma is pointing scornfully at Tobirama, currently sleeping tucked into Hashirama's shoulder, either.

"The medics say he's healthy," Hashirama's mother murmurs quietly. Too quietly; she’s such a happy person when her husband isn’t around. "Thriving-"

"I meant the fact that he looks like a drowned rat," Butsuma snaps, his chakra blazing with the bad-hurt feeling Hashirama has been told is called killing intent. "Skin like an Uchiha, hair like a Hatake...did I get the father right, you bitch, or should I keep guessing? You wrote to me at the front lines and told me I had a second son, not - this!"

"The child is yours," Hashirama's mother says, then cries out when Butsuma strikes her.

Hashirama flinches and clutches Tobirama tight enough that he wakes up, surprised and gurgling a tentative whine, little baby fists reaching out blindly.

"Lie to me again, whore, and I'll snap the brat's neck and get started on making the next one before his body's even cooled," Hashirama's father says, and Hashirama tenses, preparing to flee.

He doesn't understand why his father's so angry, but he knows enough about snapping bones - necks - to understand the meaning of the threat. He won't be able to stop his father himself, he knows that, but he's fast and he's small and there's a hole in the back wall that he could wiggle through with Tobirama if he had to, and once he's among other Senju his father usually at least pretends to keep his temper under control, which will slow him down. Out through the wall, into the compound - maybe into the forest if the rest of the clan doesn't oppose Butsuma's plan - the rest he can figure out later, but he won't let his brother get hurt if he can help it, he won’t, he's the big brother, it's his job to protect Tobirama, his mother said so -

"He's yours, I swear it!" she cries, her hands thrown up to ward off another blow. "There's no one else, and never has been!"

"Do you think I'm blind? You're as dark as me, skin and hair both, and your parents and grandparents the same -"

"Hashirama, sweet one, show your father your brother's eyes," his mother says, not taking her eyes off her husband (you keep your eyes on the enemy at all times or else you die, Hashirama's fighting instructor said, but when a wife would start to consider her husband, her clan head, an enemy, Hashirama doesn't know).

Hashirama would rather run, but he also doesn't want to leave his mother behind, so he obeys, turning Tobirama around and tilting his head up with a finger under his chin.

"Red eyes," Butsuma says, lips twisting to a sneer even more disgusted than before. "Sharingan red. Uchiha, then. Don't tell me you're pleading rape of all things -"

"He's an albino," she says. "White hair, white skin, red eyes - like the Nara's sacred deer. It just happens sometimes, an act of nature; that's all. The child is yours; I swear it on my life - on Hashirama's life."

Hashirama doesn’t really think his life is hers to swear on and all things considered he'd really rather she didn't, but if it makes Butsuma less angry, less likely to hurt them, fine.

"A rat like that, mine?" Butsuma scoffs, though the terrible killing intent is fading away. "Wonderful. You would have me be the father of a sickly, deformed runt, then, instead? Worthless!"

"It's true that albinos are sickly, my lord; eyes weak to light and skin liable to burn too easily, but that is not all that he is. All the medics say he's doing very well – they say he’s very healthy - they even say that the signs point to his having a powerful chakra -"

Butsuma snorts, crossing his arms. "It’s impossible to tell anything about chakra at all before the age of two at the earliest. Soothsayers are always predicting great power, and they’re rarely saying more than what the parents want to hear. He could have none at all!”

"Or he could turn out like Hashirama," she counters. Hashirama is unusually strong for his age, though he would very much like to be left out of this conversation. He focuses on hushing Tobirama, who appears to be considering crying, and on edging backwards towards his chosen escape route. "Another credit to the strength of your blood -"

Butsuma barks a laugh. "Don’t be ridiculous. A pathetic thing like that? There wouldn't even be any point in testing him for the Mokuton."

The Mokuton. Right.

Hashirama's shoulders ease a little in relief: the Mokuton means that his father can't kill little Tobirama even if he wants to. It's against clan law for any Senju child (and Hashirama's mother is Senju, too, from one of the more distaff branches, so there’s no question of it, even if her own mother was a Nara) to be killed before they get tested for the potential of one day having the clan's fabled but long absent bloodline ability when they ultimately come of age.

Hashirama doesn't even know what the Mokuton is - he doesn't like studying, far preferring to sneak out to the woods to make friends with the trees that sometimes like to whisper back to him - but for the first time he hopes he has it, because if he does then the clan will have no choice but to spare Tobirama even if only for the possibility that he might have it too.

"My lord -"

"Oh, stop whimpering, it doesn't suit you," he says. "I won't kill the puling brat, not yet. Bastard or not, albino or not, if he makes it to fighting age he'll at least be useful as cannon fodder, if nothing else."

"Thank you, my lord," Hashirama's mother says, bowing her head. “We thank you for your mercy.”

Hashirama’s not so sure Butsuma’s words are as merciful as all that. Doesn’t cannon fodder usually mean dead?

"You're not suckling it another day longer, though,” Butsuma continues. “I'm due back on the front lines soon, and I want to get you started on another one before I go - a proper spare, this time."

"Of course, my lord. Hashirama, take your brother to your room."

Hashirama is only too happy to go, though he lingers a moment longer, afraid for his mother even as she smiles (not the usual one, warm and happy, but the one she wears around guests she doesn’t trust) and nods at him to go.

Eventually his father notices that he's still there, though, and Hashirama flees before his glare.

"I hate it when he's mad," he complains to Tobirama, who was starting to sniffle despite having been very good about not crying so far - Hashirama's noticed that flaring his chakra in and out works very well to distract him, even though all the grownups say that chakra sensing doesn't develop until around the age Hashirama is now but what do they know they're clearly stupid, and he'd employed the technique to keep him quiet in the face of their father's danger. "When I grow up, I'm never going to get mad. I'm always going to be happy! Or sad, I guess; sometimes you have to be sad. But nothing else!"

Tobirama quiets down again when they get back to Hashirama's room and cuddle up with Spot the spotted cat, once Hashirama's favorite stuffed toy and now bestowed with great honor to Tobirama (though sometimes, on days like tonight, Hashirama still wants to hold onto him as well, a practice he justifies to himself as teaching Tobirama about sharing).

Once the familiar sounds start up from his parents' room - grunting, mostly, and the slap of flesh on flesh - Hashirama thinks it's over, that they're safe, that his father will forget about his second son (and, if Hashirama is unusually lucky, maybe be even his first as well) in favor of clan politics.

He’s wrong.

He wakes in the middle of the night, frozen by the knowledge that he and Tobirama are not alone in the room.

His father stands above him, dark as a shadow and just as indistinct.

"Red eyes," he murmurs. "Sharingan red. I wonder."

He does nothing else, just stands there for an endless few minutes more before departing, but Hashirama stays awake for a long time after, a frozen feeling in his belly and a certainty that something terrible was going to happen, though he wasn't sure what, fixed firmly in his mind.

He wasn't able to shake that feeling, not in the three weeks his father stayed at home, nor in the few months of peace they have after he leaves and before he visits again, or even the brief reprieves they have after that. Instead he made a point of being around Tobirama as much as possible, diligently practicing his vow of not getting mad (it’s hard, especially when Tobirama breaks something of his, though he perseveres by reminding himself that it’s inevitable for babies to have such accidents) and just as diligently training his fighting and running skills with a fervor he’s never had before.

He knows that he needs to get strong and fast enough to save his baby brother from the terrible thing that was coming for him.

Hashirama's mother thinks it’s cute at first, then concerning, but Hashirama persists, even taking Tobirama out with him to the forest to talk to the trees, which he'd never shared with anyone else before. He insists on sleeping in the same bedroom as his brother, and only agrees not to take him to his training if his mother promises three times over that she'd watch Tobirama carefully.

But all his precautions, all his vigilance, are still not enough to save Tobirama from their father.

"Where is he?" Hashirama screams, red in the face, having a tantrum like he hasn't had in years - arms flailing to every side, legs kicking, hands clenched into fists. "Where did he take him?"

"Baby - baby, sweet one, please, calm down -"

"I don't want to be calm!" he howls. He promised himself he wouldn't get mad anymore, doesn't want to be like his father, but for Tobirama he'll break any vow. Vows don’t matter, if only Tobirama is safe. "I want Tobirama! Where did the bastard take him?"

"Hashirama! You can't say such things about your father - your clan head - and who taught you that filthy language anyway?"

Butsuma himself had, saying it with a sneer any time he saw Tobirama, and Hashirama still isn't sure what it means but is pleased that his suspicions that it's some sort of insult have been confirmed.

Butsuma deserves all the insults under the sun, but Hashirama promises he'll never say another one ever again if only he brings back Tobirama unharmed.

He says as much to his mother, who looks suddenly older and more tired.

"Your father's trying to help," she says, but her words ring hollow in a way that suggests she doesn't believe what she's saying. "He took him away to try something....Hashirama, you know how I told you that there was a good chance that Tobirama would grow up to be blind?"

Hashirama nods, reluctantly calming enough to listen. She'd explained that the white color of Tobirama's skin and the redness of his eyes meant he was different from the other babies, much more delicate: that Hashirama needed to be vigilant about spreading the special goop the medics made just for Tobirama over his skin before taking him out into the sunlight, that they should try to stay in the shade of the trees, and, yes, even that Tobirama might not be able to see things like Hashirama does and that maybe, when he was older, he would end up not seeing things at all.

"Well, if what your father has planned works, Tobirama will see even better than you. So it's a good thing!"

"If it's a good thing, why have you been crying?" Hashirama asks accusingly. He doesn’t trust their father, who hates Tobirama, to have good things in mind for him. "Why is there only one medic involved, and why does he look so scared?"

"There's only one because this is a secret, sweet one, a secret your father is keeping even from the rest of the clan. Even you, baby, you don't get to know what exactly it is; that's why you don't get to be in there with him to keep him calm, even if that would make it easier. And -" she hesitates. "And the medic and I are only scared that it won't work right, that’s all."

"And what happens if it doesn't work right?" Hashirama demands.

His mother's silence is his only answer.

Hashirama goes back to screaming. When his throat goes hoarse - hoarse and tickly in the way that he's learned to associate with the way his cuts quickly scab over and disappear without leaving any scar - he stops, going quiet but not calm. Determined.

It breaks his heart to even think it, but he knows now that he can't trust his mother with Tobirama's safety: he left Tobirama in her care while he attended his lessons, trusted her, and she betrayed him. She gave him to Butsuma, who Hashirama is certain was hurting him even now. Maybe even killing him, and all the while Hashirama can do nothing but sit here, helpless to do anything to stop him.

Helpless.

Powerless.

He hates it.

His mother, seeing his tears and shouts come to a stop, tries to gather Hashirama into her arms, offering comfort, but he pushes her away.

He doesn’t need comfort. He needs power.

"Teach me a jutsu," he demands.

"What, now?" she asks, surprised. "You don't have to resume training until later -"

"Sensei says you were a front-liner before you married and you're in charge of the defense reserve now, which means you must know some. Teach me!"

"But -"

"Something mean," he says. "Mean and awful. Something that hurts."

"Hashirama -"

"I need to get stronger to take care of Tobirama," he says. He won't admit the possibility that his brother is dead, that he's failed in the first job he's ever been entrusted quite so badly. He can't even think that lest the Shinigami hear him and take adavantage. No, Tobirama has to live. He has to live, even if only so that Hashirama can make up for letting him down like this, can seek his forgiveness for not protecting him properly. "No one else will do it, so it had to be me."

His mother flinches like he's stabbed her. She looks at him, her eyes searching for something, but Hashirama focuses his gaze on her nose and mouth and forehead, the way he was taught to do when fighting Uchiha.

Fighting the enemy.

Her shoulders bow forward as if under some terrible weight and Hashirama wants to apologize for being so cold, wants to burst into tears and throw himself forward into her arms, but the thought of Tobirama - alone with their father, just a baby and even more helpless than Hashirama - makes him hold fast.

"Okay," she whispers. "I'll teach you."

Hashirama is what his sensei calls a natural - he's got loads of extra chakra, lots more than other kids his age, and he finds learning the right signs and chakra movements easy. So by the time his father comes back, he's already got the jutsu his mother taught him - Scorpion Sting, she calls it, and it's very nasty indeed - pretty much down and ready to go, no matter what the consequences that will fall on his head, if his father even thinks of saying anything other than that Tobirama is fine and ready to come home.

"We think it took," he says instead. "There's still a high chance of rejection until the implants settle, but things look good. The medic confirms that we won't know how much of it he actually got until he's older, though."

Hashirama doesn't know what that means, but a glance at his mother shows her relief and that means Tobirama is alive.

He doesn't yet believe that he's okay, not until he sees him with his own eyes (and does a check for genjutsu meant to hide injuries) and held him in his arms, but - alive.

"I want to see him!" he demands.

That's the sort if talk that would usually get him walloped, with a lecture about respecting his elders, but his father's in a good mood for once so he just shrugs and gestures airily at the door behind him. "Watch him for a while, will you, Hashirama?" he says, his eyes on his wife. "Your mother and I still need to work on getting you a little brother."

A real little brother, Butsuma means, because for some stupid reason he thinks Tobirama doesn't count. But Hashirama doesn't care about anything other than Tobirama right now, not even about how sick his mother was when her last pregnancy failed after only a few months or how the medics advised her against trying for another so soon.

Not that Butsuma cares what the medics say when it's contrary to what he wants.

Hashirama rushes into the other room, where the medic is holding a roll of bandages in one hand and struggling to get a crying Tobirama to calm down enough to apply them.

Hashirama ignores the medic entirely, leaping up to the blood-stained metal table and pulling Tobirama into his arms, flaring his chakra the way he knows Tobirama likes best.

Tobirama quiets immediately, screams turning into distracted whimpers, and reaches out for Hashirama's hair with his chubby little fists.

He likes Hashirama’s hair: it's his favorite toy to grab with his fingers or stick in his mouth to suck on whenever he can reach it, above even Spot, which is why Hashirama tries to keep it as long as possible. Butsuma usually chops off Hashirama's hair whenever he sees it getting what he considers to be too long for a boy his age, leaving it in a frankly awful bowl cut, but his dignity is a worthwhile sacrifice for Tobirama's gummy gap-toothed little smile.

"At last," the medic sighs. "Hold him still, will you? I want to bandage up his eyes for a little, give him the chance to rest and for his body to adjust."

Hashirama nods, remembering his mother's explanation of how sensitive Tobirama's red eyes were; he wouldn't be surprised if Tobirama's remaining whimpers are because of the bright light in the room. Darkness isn't a bad idea at all.

But even as he holds Tobirama's head still - Tobirama submits to it with ill grace and grumbles, but from the medic's expression it's still far more compliance than they'd been able to get without Hashirama’s help - Hashirama looks at Tobirama's face and frowns.

"Hey," he says. "Are his eyes supposed to have those swirly black dots in them?"

They look almost like the stylized pictures he's seen of the Uchiha, with the dojutsu unique to their bloodline: shining blood-red eyes that he's always been warned never to look into lest they kill him with their super-powered genjutsu.

"Forget about those," the medic advises, wrapping the bandage swiftly and efficiently so that Hashirama's brief glimpse is quickly covered. "Say, you're a bright boy, aren't you? Would you like to learn some iryo ninjutsu? I normally wouldn't, at your age, but you have so much chakra - and as his brother, you're probably compatible -"

"Healing?" Hashirama asks, interested. "What type of healing?"

"It strengthens the body's own resources," the medic explains. "So if your brother gets sick, you can use your own chakra to help him heal faster. I can even teach you a version to lower the possibility of host rejection - that is, something you can use to make his eyes get better quicker. Wouldn’t you like to help with that?"

"Yes! Teach me!" Hashirama exclaims.

All thoughts of the swirling black tomoe are forgotten.

#senju hashirama #senju tobirama #senju butsuma #my fic #eyestealer