Chapter Text
It appeared to be quite impossible to estimate how long he was actually falling, as it very well could have been mere moments or literal ages. Travelling between the time and space planes was an indescribably weird experience he wasn’t about to repeat in a hurry. He, however, could definitely pinpoint the exact moment he stopped falling, because that was when his back connected with the ground in a most unpleasant manner. His landing was hard, most likely ungraceful and the impact knocked all the wind out of his lungs.
He didn’t even have time to start wheezing when something heavy descended right on top of him, making matters even worse. Even so, his breathing difficulties were the least of his worries right now. His eyes flew open in desperate need to check. It had to be him, please, let it be…
The first thing he saw was his favourite shade of red. Those slanted crimson red eyes framed with long pale lashes, staring right at him, straight into his soul, like they seemed to do so often when they enjoyed a moment alone. He knew them intimately. He became acquainted with them very well and was overwhelmingly fond of their shape, colour and expressiveness. He would have recognised them among hundreds of others without a fault. They most definitely belonged to the love of his life.
Madara’s free hand - as his other one was still entwined with Tobirama’s, which he grasped in their desperate bid for escape - wrapped around his waist on its own accord in order to cradle him close, overpowered with the need to feel him with every fibre of his body, to reassure himself he truly was there, real and unharmed and his. ‘Blessed Amaterasu, I’m so glad you’re alive.’ He murmured into the nest of wavy silver hair, kissing the top of his head.
Tobirama’s rumbling chuckle reverberated through him despite the armour separating them. ‘More or less.’ He lifted his head to grace him with that lopsided smirk that never failed to stir something carnal in the pit of Madara’s stomach.
Without sparing another moment, Madara rolled over to switch positions, pressing Tobirama into the ground to have a much better angle for stealing a searing kiss, trying to pour all his joy and relief and anger alike into it. Tobirama responded much more tenderly, pliant with his demanding roughness, like soothing waves of the sea licking at the sharp rocks, gradually moulding them into smooth pebbles. When they finally parted, Tobirama’s barely audible sigh ghosting his lips, Madara let his forehead rest on his lover’s, letting his eyes fall shut and just breathing in the achingly familiar scent, running his thumb over the prominent cheekbone. Just the very thought of never being able to kiss Tobirama again like that was twisting his insides, making him slightly nauseous.
Someone wiser might become alarmed by the realisation that they had become so dependent on another being, especially with the Uchiha affliction to turn for worse upon the loss of their loved ones, but for him, it only served as a confirmation that this was it . Tobirama was the one, the only one, and he should start working on securing the match immediately, once they returned to the settlement. Or, perhaps, right after dealing with the traitor in their midst. Though, it was hard to prioritise when the main source of his happiness was right there in his arms.
Although, as soon as his short-lived panic over the possibility of losing him subsided, he was overcome with a sudden urge to express his dismay over Tobirama’s complete lack of self-preservation instincts. Such close calls definitely did no good to his poor nerves.
‘What the fuck was it back there?! Are you actually mad? What were you thinking?!’ Madara shook his shoulders roughly.
He had to let some of his rage of Tobirama’s incredible recklessness out, still in a bit of a shock that he would sacrifice himself just like that. That he would leave him to go on without him, void of any feelings other than misery and depression and loneliness for the rest of his life. He hadn’t found enough courage yet to verbally express the depth of his feelings but surely, Tobirama had to know…
‘Don’t do that again! You hear me? Never.’ He hiccuped, completely overwhelmed with emotions. ‘I might have lost you for good, you bloody lunatic.’ Madara murmured, wiping his nose over the fabric of his sleeve.
‘Hey.’ Tobirama said softly and sat up, shifting Madara gently onto his lap. ‘It’s alright. I’m here with you. We’ve all made it through.’ He gestured at Izuna and Hikaku sitting nearby, slightly dishevelled but otherwise in one piece.
‘About time you noticed us. I was just about to remind you that you have an audience.’ Izuna grumbled petulantly from where he was sitting cross-legged, chin propped on his palm, wearing an expression that would make the milk go sour.
Hikaku elbowed him, a well-placed nudge right under the ribs, forcing a wheezy yelp out of Izuna. His eyes never left the two of them, looking at them with a slightly dreamy expression. ‘Don’t be a jerk and let them have their moment.’ He reprimanded the youngest Uchiha.
‘Don’t cheer them on! It’s still so gross. And undignified.’ Izuna grimaced and turned his head ostensibly to look elsewhere. Madara ducked his head, hoping that his hair would obscure most of his face and cover his embarrassment.
‘Undignified my ass. Don’t go pretending you weren’t sent to hysterics once that portal spat me out.’ Hikaku eyed him wryly.
Izuna pouted, glaring furiously as his cheeks took an interesting shade of red. ‘I was not!’
‘You so were.’ Hikaku chuckled, inching away from Izuna’s impending wrath.
Izuna shoved his shoulder and crossed his arms. ‘Filthy lies. Besides, I’m his brother. If aniki frets about anyone, it should be me!’ He jabbed his own chest dramatically.
Ah, so it was just a fit of jealousy. How ridiculous. ‘I’ve been fretting over you ever since you tumbled into this world, brat.’ Madara grumbled, feeling slightly humiliated about the two witnessing his meltdown. Izuna growled angrily, which only meant that he was getting started to go on a lengthy whiny tirade.
‘I can’t believe it actually worked.’ Tobirama, who was most likely tuning them all out, mumbled to himself. His odd statement derailed the conversation completely off topic and unwittingly prevented the two of them from descending into a bickering squabble.
‘I beg your pardon? So what you’re really saying is that you did not actually know whether the portal would work as intended?’ Izuna’s attention snapped to the blood mage, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
Given the situation, Madara probably should have been angry with him when Tobirama laughed a little manically and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Nope.’ He admitted without an ounce of remorse, even popping the last syllable flippantly.
No, as it was, Madara actually wasn’t even surprised. He was in love with a madman and that was just as real as that the sky was blue. ‘To be honest, it’s the first time the subject of such high mass survived without being dismembered or otherwise permanently disfigured after being sent through an anchorless portal, so I’m kinda relieved, not gonna lie.’ The loon in question continued as if it was nothing. And it might as well have been nothing, since the only feeling it brought to the front of Madara’s mind was tired resignation. This was his life now and that absolutely unhinged lunatic was its irreplaceable part.
And besides, Izuna was outraged enough for both of them. ‘Say what?!’ He squawked. ‘You’ve used an unfinished, mortally dangerous spell on us? As if we were some kind of lab rats?!’ He sprung up, gesturing wildly.
‘Oh wow! We are the first people to successfully travel through an anchorless portal charm! How exciting is that?’ Hikaku, bless his soul, decided to take a much more optimistic stance on the matter.
‘Exciting? Exciting?! ’ Izuna exploded. ‘Yeah, I would be so fucking excited to end up dickless, like some kind of eunuch!’ He screamed at poor Hikaku, his last bits of restraint gone with the wind.
‘What?’ Hikaku frowned in confusion. ‘That’s not what dismembering means…’ He gave Izuna a funny look.
Izuna sputtered. ‘Never mind! That’s beside the point! That nutcase almost had me killed, again. I can’t believe it! Trust the Senju, aniki said. All will be sunshine and rainbows, aniki said. As if!’ He paced around, unstoppable in another of his raging fits.
Madara left him to it, trusting Hikaku to shut his brother up should he wind himself up too much. ‘Don’t mind him, he will cool down.’ He turned back to Tobirama.
‘Actually, now that he mentioned it, we might want to count if we still have the correct number of fingers and toes. And other… appendages.’ Tobirama smirked impishly when Izuna screeched like a banshee and proceeded to tug his boots off.
Madara, however, was far more concerned with the little pool of blood that formed on the ground where Tobirama was leaning on his wrists. ‘You’re bleeding.’ He pointed out, gesturing at the bitten appendage.
‘No shit.’ Tobirama chuckled and didn't move.
Madara sat a little straighter, fixing him with a worried look. ‘Then do something about it.’ It was alarming how little Tobirama cared for his own well-being. Something would have to be done about that.
‘You need to get off me first, I need both my hands for that.’ Tobirama inclined his head meaningfully.
With great reluctance, Madara left his comfortable spot on Tobirama’s lap to plop into the grass by his side. Supervised by his watchful eyes, Tobirama crossed his legs and casted the healing spell. It was still fascinating to watch the tissue and skin slowly mend back together, until nothing but a small scar remained, another addition to those already littering Tobirama’s hands.
‘What about you? Any injuries?’ Tobirama looked up at him once he was done.
Madara shook his head. ‘No, just a bruise or two I reckon.’ He had sustained a few blunt hits but they pretty much obliterated the attackers with their combined strengths, joined by Hashirama and his entourage before they were forced to flee their separate ways. The Hagoromo never stood a chance.
‘Hey, midget, you alright or do you need any healing?’ Tobirama then shouted at Izuna, who was at the moment arguing with Hikaku over how big that dragon actually was. Hikaku’s estimation was quite close to reality while Izuna insisted that it was at least twice as big as Hikaku claimed. Vastly unsurprising.
‘I’m not a midget, Senju!’ Izuna yelled indignantly.
‘You are kind of pint-sized and you know it.’ Hikaku rolled his eyes and crawled over, sending Izuna into an umpteenth angry rant about constantly being bullied by all of them. ‘He’s fine. Spent more time throwing fireballs than letting anyone get close enough.’ He grinned, gesturing over his shoulder at his fuming friend.
‘Good, that’s what I told him to do, keep enemies as far as possible and avoid any sword fighting since he’s so damn bad at it.’ Tobirama matched the grin with his own.
‘Oh that’s just great, not you two as well! Like two peas in a fucking pod. Pricks, both of you!’ Izuna spat in the background, only to be ostentatiously ignored.
‘I have a cut right above my left brow, if you would be so kind and look at it? Hope it’s not poisoned again.’ Hikaku leaned closer into his space. It was remarkable that he trusted him so much since the incident when Tobirama saved his life.
‘On it.’ Tobirama grunted and proceeded with his glowy magic. ‘Be warned though, I only have scraps of chakra left so I probably won’t be able to patch you up seamlessly.’ He grimaced apologetically.
‘That’s okay.’ Hikaku smiled encouragingly. He endured the ministrations patiently, without as much as flinching. In fact, he seemed rather enraptured, staring at Tobirama with something akin to awe.
‘Not poisoned.’ Tobirama declared with a small smile of his own, to Hikaku’s visible relief, and then closed the cut to the best of his ability.
Once he retracted his palm, Hikaku thumbed his new scar curiously. ‘Badass. Thank you, Tobirama-san!’ He beamed sincerely.
‘I’ve told you to drop the honorifics already.’ The silver-haired man waved him off. Hikaku nodded wordlessly, averting his eyes with a slight blush. Curious indeed.
‘Gods above me, grant me patience, Hikaku, you traitor! Could you stop seducing my clanmates for ten seconds, Senju?!’ Izuna wailed and stomped over to physically wedge himself between Tobirama and Hikaku, who was muttering something about lovely captivating eyes under his breath.
Feeling the sudden need to remind everyone who Tobirama actually belonged to, Madara too scooted closer, getting the hold of Tobirama’s hand once more, ignoring momentarily how dirty it was in favour of asserting dominance. ‘So, since we’ve successfully established that we were fortunate enough to escape mostly unscathed, despite the uneven odds, I would like to ask one simple, yet crucial question.’ He blinked at Tobirama expectantly.
‘And that would be?’ Tobirama arched his brow in that perfectly unimpressed manner of his. So he recognized Madara’s miniscule possessive tantrum. He elected not to react to it. So what that he preferred not to share what was his. Those lovely captivating eyes had no business to look at anyone else with affection.
‘Where the fuck are we?’ He gestured to their surroundings. It looked like they were still in the Land of Fire, its lush forested landscape unmistakable for anything else. Question was, which part of it?
Tobirama scratched his chin and assumed a sheepish expression. ‘I’m afraid that I have no idea.’
Madara frowned but Izuna beat him to it. ‘That’s just fucking wonderful! You don’t even know where your potentially deadly portal hauled us? This is getting better and better!’ He threw his arms up, forcing Hikaku to dodge nimbly since he didn’t fancy being smacked in the face.
Tobirama scowled. It was that kind of expression he made whenever he had to admit something didn’t work out as flawlessly as he would have liked. How Madara knew such a thing was completely beside him. ‘Alright, I am willing to admit that some mistakes were made...’ He bit out grudgingly.
‘By you!’ Izuna screeched accusingly.
‘...and people were almost hurt.’ Tobirama continued as if he wasn’t interrupted at all.
‘BY YOU!’ Izuna’s high-pitched, enraged scream abused viciously everyone’s eardrums.
Tobirama grinded his teeth. ‘Our circumstances were dire. I’ve been under a lot of pressure. That dragon was about to burn us to cinder, not to mention your incessant yelling and interrupting my focus. You should be grateful the portal led anywhere far enough from the beast. Travelling between planes for longer distances without an anchor to teleport to is near damn impossible, not to mention chakra-consuming. A bit of gratitude would be appreciated.’ He folded his arms, glaring at Izuna resentfully.
Izuna glared right back, before he gestured wildly again. ‘I guess!’
‘Ow!’ Hikaku yelped. Holding his nose, he fixed Izuna with a thoroughly exasperated look since this time he wasn’t quick enough to dodge.
‘Aw shit, sorry!’ Izuna immediately deflated and tried to inspect the damage, only to be shoved away with a stream of muttered curses.
Madara pressed his lips together. So they managed to get themselves lost. It was not such a big deal. They were all skilled in survival. It was only a matter of time before they would just get unlost again, right? He was only hoping they weren’t trespassing on anyone’s territory. He wasn’t in the mood for more skirmishes. ‘Let’s set a course and hopefully we will find any landmarks to determine where we are soon enough. I say we follow the sun to the west.’ He suggested.
As no one really opposed him, to his satisfaction, they all scrambled up on their feet. ‘Alright, let’s move.’ Madara scanned them over and upon their nods, willed himself into a jog, rapidly gathering more speed, with Tobirama a few steps behind on his right, Hikaku on his left and Izuna taking the rear. There was plenty of daylight left and by nightfall, they would hopefully know for sure where the spell sent them, and how to get back home from there.
-------------------
It was disturbingly easy to slip around the patrols, but, unlike trespassers unfamiliar with the territory, he probably did have a significant advantage of knowing where exactly the traps set up for any unwelcome visitors were placed. Therefore, he managed to get behind the walls without setting anything off or getting spotted by the guards, without even breaking too much sweat. Tobirama scoffed derisively to himself. They have gotten even sloppier during his absence. Well, an easier job for him.
It wasn’t the first time he was glad that the chieftain mansion was secluded from the main cluster of residential buildings to allow as much privacy as the head of the clan and his family required. Slightly ballsy it might have been to sneak inside in broad daylight, but he had no choice. This was likely his only shot and he couldn’t afford to screw it.
Lucky for him, skulking around the settlement undetected was his forte. As a kid, he wasn’t allowed to wander unless he had a task but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t, too curious to stay put and too defiant to comply with Butsuma’s stupid orders. As an adult, he wasn’t formally prohibited from moving around the settlement, but, given the general attitude of his clansmen against him, he still preferred secrecy if he had to leave the confines of his house. It was a well-practised matter of quick dashes, slinking in the shadows and creeping over roofs while suppressing his chakra as much as he could.
His heart was hammering with anxiety of being possibly discovered and simultaneously the thrill of doing something definitely forbidden, when he reached the hedge separating Hashirama’s mansion from the rest of the village to keep the prying eyes away. He scaled over and landed in a crouch, soundless, quickly scanning his surroundings. His own cottage slash lab was still standing where it should have been, in the far corner, separated from the main house by gardens to keep him out of sight, exactly how he left it. No one found the guts yet to try and risk breaching the wards then.
Tobirama smirked smugly. Cowards. He quickly darted across the lawn until he was standing in front of the entrance and made swift work of unlocking the wards. What anyone else would take hours upon hours to decipher and then fail all the same, Tobirama had solved in seconds. After all, the seal which would deactivate the numerous traps any perpetrators would have to deal with first, was designed to specifically react to his chakra and no one else's. Door unsealed, he slipped inside. He probably wouldn’t have much time to dally.
His heart swelled with irrational homesickness once he took the interior in. He felt slightly guilty for it, considering how determined Madara was to make him feel welcome in his own house. It likely couldn’t be helped though, he grew up here and made this small cabin his own space, a place where rarely anyone bothered him, somewhere he could shut himself from the world and not be disturbed, not forced to face all the hostility that waited just beyond the doorstep. Where he could be just himself.
Tobirama shook his head. ‘Now’s no time to get sentimental. Just grab what you came for and get lost.’ He reprimanded himself and headed straight for the corner designated as a main lab workplace. Over the years, his equipment gradually spread practically all over the house, conquering more and more space, but he didn’t mind that.
‘There you are.’ He actually jogged once he spotted his beloved spell book, still lying where he left it. ‘I’ve missed you.’ He murmured and ran his fingers reverently over the worn leather binding. His whole work and all of his knowledge compressed into one single tome. He pressed at the seal, inserting his chakra, for the intricate arcane lock to snap open.
‘Now for the second part.’ Leaving the book open on a blank page, Tobirama padded over to his wardrobe. Haphazardly, he scooped some of his favourite tunics, a few pairs of pants, leather boots, gloves, his spare pair of bracers. He had plenty of clothes now, since Madara went a little overboard with equipping his closet, but he still wanted something he was familiar with.
But most importantly, he grabbed his beloved midnight blue cloak. It was made of heavy, rich wool fabric, lined with the softest white wolf fur, and it repeatedly proved to be invaluable during winters. Since no one was around to see him, Tobirama actually nuzzled his nose over the fur, craving the sensation and comforting smell that helped him calm down countless times in the past. He definitely wouldn’t leave that behind.
It was routine work to seal all of that into the book. Then a few of his custom kunai. They would come in handy. His stash of dried herbs and seeds followed. Uchiha herbal garden decidedly needed more supplies for him to be able to make concoctions and remedies. More medical supplies. It was regrettable that sealing all of his lab equipment would cost too much chakra, but he still took a few objects he deemed important and hard to come by for a decent price. A few books, which he left lying around instead of sealing them back where they belonged, followed after.
The last thing he picked up was a very old, worn out and discoloured teddy bear. His only physical memory of Itama. He caressed its patchy fur tenderly, noting that he would have to sew back properly one of its beady eyes that had come loose. Tobirama pressed his eyes closed to keep the accumulated wetness behind his lids for a second, before he carefully sealed the plushie inside as well.
He looked around to check once more that yes, he took everything he came for, that anything else was of little importance and he wouldn’t actually miss it. For all the clutter lying around, the place seemed quite deserted to him, now that it lacked the most significant memorabilia. In his desire to take as many of his belongings as he could, he had really outdone himself.
Content about his thoroughness, Tobirama performed another, much more complicated sealing spell. He hissed quietly when he felt a searing sensation on his forearm, simultaneous with the spell book’s disappearance. Tobirama lifted the hem of his glove which he wore under bracers to assure himself that it worked. Indeed, a red tattoo that previously wasn’t there could have been seen sprawling in an intricate pattern over the skin of his forearm.
‘Everything goes according to the plan. Time for a grand finale.’ He murmured to himself smugly and crossed the room towards the door.
Only to stop in his tracks once he slipped out. ‘Tobirama-san.’ A red-headed woman in beautifully decorated red and orange robes stood there. Her hands were folded over her protruding stomach as she was fixing him with a stern gaze.
Tobirama kicked himself mentally for not paying more attention. He was a creature of habit and tuning the rest of the settlement and their signatures out when he was safely tucked in his house was a routine he knew like the back of his hand, one he did almost unconsciously with years of practice. A grave oversight in this case.
‘Mito-hime.’ He inclined his head, high on alert. Immediately, his chakra sensing spread far and wide to scan for any possible threats. They were alone. Mito hasn't summoned any guards yet. Curious.
‘What are you doing here?’ She voiced just the question Tobirama expected her to ask.
‘I have so many fond memories of his place, I came back from the underworld to haunt it, of course.’ Tobirama replied dryly. His best shot was to try and convince her she was seeing things, otherwise he might jeopardise the whole ceasefire agreement and in that case, the fallout would be messy. He couldn’t afford such a mistake.
Mito’s eyes narrowed even more. ‘I have been under the impression that you were with the Uchiha. We have received no news of your supposed demise.’ She said coldly, assessing him with her hazel eyes, sharp like a hawk, calculating. Tobirama knew about her reputation, she was observant and cunning, an admirable mage and a very good diplomat. Almost too good for someone like Hashirama. Of course, he didn’t have the opportunity to learn much about her personally, as Hashirama kept him anxiously out of her sight, so that he wouldn’t be a bother.
Tobirama shrugged. ‘I was. But now, I have found myself in need of a few knick knacks, since you guys weren’t considerate enough to send them along.’ He smiled thinly, knowing well that it would push her buttons. Everyone knew that the chieftain’s wife prided herself in her impeccable manners.
Mito didn’t let it show but he could feel her chakra stirring. As one would expect from a princess coming from the Land of Whirlpools, she was mighty. He was rather curious about her spell repertoire, but not quite as much as to have them unleashed upon himself. That would alert the rest of the settlement to his presence and that was a can of worms he decidedly didn’t want to open. He would have to regrettably hold back on the snark to avoid provoking her too much.
‘What have you taken?’ Mito demanded, her voice steely.
‘Just my humble worldly possessions. My book of spells, some spare change of clothes, supplies, you surely know the drill of moving your whole life elsewhere.’ He shrugged offhandedly. It had to be a huge adjustment for Mito to move into the Senju settlement but it wasn’t like they talked about it over a cup of tea. They rarely shared the space and if they did, Tobirama had been forbidden from addressing her unless she spoke to him first, which she rarely did. Most of the time, he just steered clear from the gardens where they might run into each other. Since Hashirama dedicated a part of it for her personal shrine of Inari, Mito would spend quite a lot of time around.
Mito pressed her lips into a thin stern line. ‘I cannot let you abscond with that. The spell book in particular has to stay. I suggest you make it easy for both of us and hand it over willingly.’ She shook her head, shifting her posture ever so slightly to get ready for a fight.
He found it oddly admirable that she was about to throw a fist over a goddamn book so heavily pregnant, but also infinitely dumb for someone of her intelligence. Not that Tobirama would ever fight an expecting woman, but his apprehension was bubbling up. ‘I don’t think so, princess. Since it was written by me in its entirety and therefore it’s my property, I fully intend to take it to my grave.’ Like hell he would give the spell book up. He’d rather burn it than allow anyone else of the Senju to get their coveting paws on it.
‘Whatever you had left behind when you surrendered yourself over, was forfeit. It now belongs to the Senju clan, therefore you have been, in fact, stealing.’ She whipped out her infamous bladed fan, taking a stance.
To Tobirama, it was kind of a ridiculous notion that he was supposedly robbing his own house, however the irony appeared to be lost on his sister-in-law. But something else caught his attention. Never mind the clear threat, he actually blinked several times, questioning himself whether he heard her correctly. ‘Surrendered myself over?’ He repeated after her like a parrot, well aware of his incredulous expression.
Mito’s brows knitted together. ‘Yes. You have volunteered to give yourself up to the Uchiha, to offset the death of Uchiha Izuna and endorse the truce. Everyone here knows that.’ She seemed to be put out of countenance.
Tobirama actually burst out into a fit of hearty, disbelieving chuckles. He just couldn’t help it, clutching at his stomach, laughing like a madman. Mito shifted uncomfortably, taking a step back away from him. ‘Oh, I’m… I’m sorry, princess.’ Tobirama wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. ‘Is that… Oh gods. Is that what anija told you?’ It was quite hilarious, actually. In a perfectly insane way that was likely humorous to no one else but him.
Mito stared at him wordlessly for a few seconds. Her red lips - always adorned with dark red lipstick whenever she stepped outside the house - tightened as she was seizing him up. It was delightful how unsure everyone suddenly became when facing his slip of sanity. ‘Yes? Hashirama assured me it was your own personal choice when I expressed my concern of giving up such an asset as yourself.’ She eventually found her voice.
Tobirama shook his head, chuckling some more. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. ‘Did he? Well, Mito-hime, I don’t know what to tell you…’ He rubbed the back of his neck and threw his arms up helplessly.
‘Was that…’ Mito’s breath hitched. ‘Was that not true?’ She demanded, her fierceness strangely subdued. Tobirama recognized the hurt and confusion in her chakra, likely experiencing a moment of disillusion with her oh so perfect husband.
‘Hmm. Let’s see what I can recall about the incident, shall we?’ He inclined his head with a shrug. ‘I got struck to the ground without a warning, bound and had a suppressing tag slapped on my forehead by my own brother. And before I knew it, I was getting dragged off to face a jury of the Uchiha elders, while my clansmen watched and did nothing. Would you consider that as volunteering between civilised people?’ It was probably for the better not to mention the blood bond mess as well. Mito seemed shocked enough without that.
‘It can’t be true. Why would Hashirama do that? My understanding is that your relationship is complicated, but you’re his blood.’ She shook her head. It was kind of understandable she would be in denial. She was likely idealising her husband a bit. After all, Hashirama was a great manipulator and he could play his role of a saint so damn well.
‘Oh, just barely. Surely it has come to your attention that in the eyes of the clan, I’m nothing but a filthy half-breed born out of wedlock, a blemish on the purity of the bloodline.’ Tobirama responded matter-of-factly. Then, he pursed his lips thoughtfully. There was a lot to unpack, if Hashirama kept her in the dark about the less than savoury details and he had no time to spare, not to mention that she probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.
‘You know what, ask anija what was going on in his head. I’m sure he will have some kind of a nice and sensible explanation to appease you. If I were to take an educated guess, it will likely include something along the lines of me being too jealous of him or your child or downright insane. That it was for your own good to be rid of me. That he was just protecting you. Yada yada. Whatever to relieve his conscience and keep up appearances.’ He waved his hand dismissively.
The more he talked, the more horrified Mito looked. ‘Don’t be too sad on my behalf, I’m actually doing quite well, now that I’ve been graciously relieved of my obligations towards the Senju. Well, the Uchiha did want me dead. But then it got better.’ He tried to put her at more ease, if only for the baby. It couldn’t be good for her to stress in her state.
Mito shook her head, as if trying to get physically rid of her confusion. When she looked up at him once more, her expression was back to that stern mask. ‘I don’t believe a word you say. Hashirama told me you were a great liar. You just want to put a wedge between the two of us and tear this family apart!’ She once more whipped the fan, her eyes narrowed and full of mistrust.
Tobirama rolled his eyes. This so-called family was dysfunctional enough even without his influence. ‘Or maybe he’s just projecting on me. But you know what? I don’t care. Not my circus, not my monkeys any more.’ He shot her a smile and in a rapid sequence of hand signs, he did his sealing charm, slapping his palm over the door to his lab.
Mito seemed a little alarmed by that, eyeing the intricate design of the activated seals with growing suspicion. ‘What have you done?!’ She demanded harshly, her always levelled voice breaking when the seal started glowing.
‘I would step a little further back, if I were you.’ He made a dash for it, followed by Mito, who kept stealing glances at the small house over her shoulder. He stopped a few dozen metres away and turned around to watch with great anticipation. Any moment now. As if on cue, the seal went off, setting off the plethora of traps put all over the structure of the house repurposed to a lab. An explosion shook the ground and immediately, the house went up with flames, destroying the last of his ties with the Senju in a most spectacular way.
Mito lost her balance upon the impact, clutching on her stomach protectively. Tobirama was sensible enough to move in time to support her upright before she could fall and hurt herself. Once he was sure she was steady on her feet, he put some distance between them once more. ‘You bloody maniac! Hashirama was right that you are incorrigibly mad!’ She started screeching, resembling an enraged goddess, illuminated by the glow of fire consuming what used to be Tobirama’s home. In her agitation, she actually sprouted kitsune tails, which waggled aggressively to match her fury.
Tobirama shrugged. He wasn’t particularly concerned with her opinion of him either. ‘At least I can now say that I left with a bang.’ He bared his sharp teeth at her with a wide grin. If she thought him to be insane, he would at least put on a proper show.
Mito seemed to be ready to burst in seams with rage but what troubled him more were the other chakra signatures of the Senju who, quite predictably, noticed the explosion and fire as well and were quickly gathering to investigate. He could feel them all fretting over possible ambush, especially since Hashirama was out of the village. ‘Well, Mito-hime, it has been a lovely chat, a long overdue one. But I’m afraid that I must cut it short and take my leave now. So if you’ll excuse me…’ Tobirama performed a mock bow.
‘You’re not going anywhere!’ Mito hissed, lunging for him, beyond foolish to think she could succeed in trapping him, especially in her state.
Tobirama jumped aside and tsked. ‘That is where you’re wrong, princess. Send my regards to anija. Hope your kid won’t inherit his dim wit!’ He couldn’t help but rile her up a little more before he lifted his index and middle finger, twisting them into a seal. ‘Kai.’ He whispered and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the Uzumaki completely bewildered. Once the guards finally reached the vacated garden, Mito was on her own.