Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Tobirama was a logical man.

He had to be. He didn’t survive in this war-torn age without logic and strategic thinking to back him up. He was a researcher, scholar, personal favorite, scientist- Which meant he had to use his brain through everyday life even when off the bloodied battlefield. All of his actions were dictated by cause and effect: action and reaction. It was a crucial step while experimenting since a mistake could blow up his lab, and Tobirama could do without that. 

One didn’t live in this age without something knocking around in their head, despite what Tobirama secretly thought in his mind. Hashirama could afford to be irrational because he had the power to back it up, but Tobirama didn’t have that cushion. Granted, he was one of the most powerful shinobi of the age, and he could only count on one hand of people who could match him. And that was with slight preparation time. If he had preparation time on who he was fighting and when, the odds of survival didn’t even need to be considered. 

But that also means he was usually prepared to face his adversaries or at least knew what he was getting into. He hated running blind, even if he had his prodigious sensor abilities that no one could hide from. Hashirama had nagged him about being paranoid, while Tobirama said he was being sensible(Namely: having self-preservation instincts). Only his brother could stroll across the battlefield without a worry if Madara wasn’t there. And even if Hashirama’s best friend(self-proclaimed) was there, he would still half-ass his fight. It should be noted that Madara was the same, but that was no excuse. Tobirama’s blood pressure was at dangerous levels every time he saw Hashirama's and Madara’s “fights” knowing if he hadn’t mastered the expression of neutrality, Izuna would have seen him annoyed(saying it lightly) to high heaven. Tobirama knew Hashirama valued his friendship with the Uchiha Head, but he could at least take it seriously.     

It was that dynamic that people saw. Hashirama was the friendly face who was trustworthy, an advocator for peace, and had the power and charisma to get people to listen. No matter what he said about his brother, he still respected his wish and secretly approved even if he never said anything. He couldn’t because Tobirama was the shadow in his brother’s light, the cold face that granted no mercy to his clan’s enemies. He was the one no one wanted to see on a battlefield because at least if it was Hashirama, no one would have to fear silent knives in the shadows, too fast to be seen, even with a Sharingan. There was a reason he was called the White Demon and was the direct opposite of his brother's mercy. A silent enemy was worse than one who made their presence known wherever they went. Someone had to take that role, and Tobirama was more than willing to take the job. 

So it stands, Tobirama knew full well this wasn’t logical. 

Tobirama was in the area of no man’s land between the Senju and Uchiha land, tracking an intriguing creature with a chakra signature different from the surrounding wildlife when he noticed chakra signatures he wasn’t familiar with. This wasn’t uncommon, but this was the area between two warring clans known to be part of the top clans of the land. No one wanted to be in the area unless for a reason. Tobirama was only here because he wanted to observe the chakra creature in its natural habitat and if he should take it back to his lab for some experiments. No one else would do so alone(except his brother), but considering Tobirama could sense any enemy before they got close, he took the risk. He wouldn’t make it a habit because that would be inadvisable. He may be powerful, but no one could be perfectly safe in this era. He had markers set up in his lab if he needed to make a quick escape, but that was not something he wanted to do if he could save chakra for later.  

Tobirama tilted his body to the direction of the signatures, brows twitching, the only hint of what he would be feeling, the chakra creature no longer his focus. He focused on the signatures, feeling the slight emotions he could sense of them from this distance. He could feel malice and greed in most of their chakras, and his eyes narrowed when he felt the terror from two specific signatures. And unlike the malicious signatures, he could recognize the chakra. In a way. 

The fire-natured chakra rolled in their terror, and fear covered their signatures like an out-of-control fire desperately trying to weather a harsh wind. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to recognize the chakra that was the signature of the Uchiha clan. He killed too many of them to not be able to know it in his sleep. 

Tobirama narrowed his eyes and dropped, putting his hand on the ground, focusing his chakra through the ground to focus his sensing abilities. He could do this without touching the ground, but he found this less demanding since it wouldn’t cause a headache at the amount of area he wanted to cover. His brows furled further, a snarl starting to form on his face. The two Uchiha signatures were too weak to be hardened shinobi, and the youthful aspect of their chakra made his fingers twitch in anger. 

Bloodline thieves. 

Tobirama took a second to reach that conclusion and let his expression twist in anger. If there was one thing that the Senju and Uchiha agreed on, it was that they abhorred bloodline thieves—the Senju for their prodigious chakra reserves and robust bodies and the Uchiha for their Sharingan. Non-clan members were greedy for their bloodline abilities, so when one found a group of bloodline thieves, they were killed with prejudice. 

The sensor widened its range, sensing a squad of Uchiha at their border, chakra furious and filled with desperation. This time, he knew of the people the chakra belonged to, showing how dire the situation was. The densest chakra signature was undoubtedly Madara, fury in the harsh crackle of his fire-natured chakra, almost overbearing to his senses. Madara was always noticeable with the amount of power ingrained into his very being. Izuna, next to him, was equally as angry. Hikaku, the third strongest of the Uchiha, was more afraid for the two signatures he sensed than angry, but Tobirama knew that would change soon. They must have discovered their young kin missing and were immediately sent into action. Tobirama knew just how far they would go to protect their kinsmen. Tobirama knew intimately, having never forgotten how frequently his attacks were bodily blocked by other Uchiha jumping in front of attacks meant for others. 

The Senju clan loved each other, but the Uchiha put it on another level. Tobirama found it grudgingly respectful, but it was in the same vein he knew the peace his brother wanted would be all but impossible, the Uchiha wanting to avenge their fallen clan members. He was especially hated because of how many Uchiha he killed on the battlefield. He was feared by them, and that said a lot when the Uchiha were more likely to respect someone for their power instead of fear. 

Which made it even more surprising that the bloodline thieves took two Uchiha children from under their clan's noses. Each clan protected their young, the Uchiha doubly so. With the Senju, even if they were taken, their strength couldn’t be taken away. The Uchiha made sure to never let their young out of their sight because of how vulnerable they were as children. 

Tobirama, in any other instance, would have scoffed and let the Uchiha do their worst to the bloodline thieves, no love was lost for the detestable and idiotic thieves, but Tobirama knew something he couldn’t ignore. 

Madara and his rescue squad were too far away.

Tobirama couldn’t help but notice the distance between the Clan head and his two young clan members. Even at their fastest, Madara would take another hour to reach the area where the bloodline thieves were, and judging by the intent of the bloodline hunters were radiating, Madara wouldn’t get there in time. 

The Senju hissed through his teeth, an angry exhale that would have let anyone who knew him retreat in fear. Tobirama was an expert on not letting his emotions get ahead of him, and to get him this angry was rare. There were only two things that could make him angry. Threatening his family and children. Tobirama hated the thought of children dying. It reminded him too much of feeling his brothers’ chakra signatures being snuffed out to not make it personal. Even if they were Uchiha children, Tobirama would not let it stand. According to the signatures surrounded by the hunters, the oldest of the two couldn’t be older than eight, and the smallest was no older than six. Too young to have seen battle and too young to be snuffed out. He knew, logically, if they weren’t in this situation, he would have seen them on the battlefield threatening his clan in a few years, but right now, they were just two small children captured by people who would kill them for their eyes. Once the hunters got their eyes, the thieves would kill them because they held no more value. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Tobirama wouldn’t have it.   

Logic and emotions don’t usually coincide, but Tobirama is self-aware enough to know he would let his emotions override his logic in certain situations. If a member of his clan was injured, Tobirama would do all he could to let the injured Senju survive, even if it increased the risk of failure. He would look at a situation and go through the options to pick out the best outcomes and if it has the best chance of everyone returning to the Senju Compound. If he let his actions be dictated by purely logic, he knew at least ten of his people would be six feet under. He just didn’t like letting his emotions influence his actions more than he had to. 

He wanted to live a life where he could look at his past actions, examine what he knew of the situation, and proclaim he did the best he could. It wouldn’t help the guilt or sadness that would inevitably bubble up when he lost a life under his command, but at least he could say he tried. Tried his best to limit the number of casualties and preserve his ideals. 

Right now, if he left, he would look back and see a coward who stood by when innocent lives were slaughtered for power, and that thought pushed him to move. 

He flew through the forest canopy, using his chakra control to optimize his usage, muscle memory taking over. He was closer to where the children were held and wasn’t called the fastest shinobi of this age for nothing. He would get to the area within ten minutes but took the time to get there to plan. He mentally scrutinized the area, memorizing each signature to confirm he wouldn’t misjudge the amount of enemies. He counted twenty-three opponents, and cursory enough, he sensed the children were slightly below the ground, still alive and close to each other. They must be held below ground level. 

Time was ticking down, and Tobirama wouldn’t allow more children to be killed in his range. The void of chakra where life once was chill-inducing. He didn’t need more nightmares.  

The sensor dropped to a lower branch, feet silent, eyes narrowing at the abandoned outpost in his vision. The outpost was aged and worn down, evidence of an age where the land he was on was commanded by one of the clans and abandoned when the lands of the clans shifted in the war, an ever-present push and pull. He could sense the bloodline thieves move in the outpost, the children probably in a cell. He wouldn’t be surprised if there were cells in the lower level, for every outpost in wartime held spaces for prisoners. 

Tobirama shifted and moved so he could silently and stealthy investigate the structure from the outside, categorizing every exit and window, taking advantage of the fact there were barely any lookouts. Tobirama wanted to roll his eyes at the clear fact they had no idea what they were doing, especially taking the young of the Uchiha clan. Even if they got the children’s Sharingan, they wouldn’t have lived till nightfall by the way he could still feel Madara’s rage without trying, an ever-present reminder to get a move on.

He silently dropped to the ground and moved to his first target. He snuck up on a guard on the lookout, using metal wire to garrot the man. No need to use his chakra on this low life. Tobirama silently put the man on the ground, taking out a kunai to stab the man in the throat to make sure he was dead. No need to take risks. 

He moved on to the next part of his plan. Tobirama sighed in his head. If the cell was on the outside portion of the outpost, he could have used an earth jutsu to get them out without anyone being the wiser, but from what he sensed, they were in the middle portion of the fort, and the use of earth jutsu without knowing if it was pure ground was ill-advised. He didn’t want to get crushed by a cave-in. He decided killing anyone in his path was the best option, even if it was annoying to not use stealth. He didn’t want to risk the children if he was interrupted and forced to fight while protecting two children. 

Tobirama hid behind a tree at the edge of the clearing, right before the outpost entrance, making sure to hide his presence, slipping a kunai with a hiraishin seal in his hand. He silently mourned the option of a pure stealth fight. If it was just the bloodline thieves, he could have just put explosive tags in strategic points and collapsed the whole building on them, but, as said, children. Rescue missions were always so tedious.  

Tobirama calmed his heart, expression deadly calm. He smoothly moved out from behind the tree, and before the two guards at the entrance could react, the kunai was already in the left guard's eye, chakra already dispersing from this realm. Tobirama activated his jutsu, and the world twisted around him. Tobirama grabbed his hiraishin kunai and immediately used it to stab right through the other guard's temple. The best way to fight, in Tobirama’s opinion, was to kill his opponent before they could fight back.  

The White Demon tugged out the kunai and didn’t even blink at the brain matter on the blade. He didn’t hesitate to enter the building, killing his way through the outpost. He used the most efficient configuration of jutsu to get the job done. Tobirama was grateful he was hard on himself and made sure to master every natural chakra release, even if he did prefer water when he could. 

He dodged a fireball from one of the thieves, Tobirama raising a water wall to block it, and when the other shinobi couldn’t see him, controlled a ball of water to fit over the man's head, drowning him. A few more sharp hand signs later, the water turned to blades. Tobirama used the water blades to kill another, jumping up to dodge a wind nature jutsu. 

The Senju latched onto the sealing with his chakra and rebounded to kick a shinobi that looked to be from Suna. Now that he was looking, it looked like this group was wealthy, kunai of the more expensive sort, and their clothes less worn than the usual bloodline thieves. Tobirama concluded they must have come here, hearing about the lucrative dealings of the stealing and selling of Sharingan. He had heard there were more bandits and the sort in Suna and its harsh environment, but he didn’t hear anything about a group in nearby lands. Maybe this was their first job in the area. Tobirama didn’t put much more thought into the group's past, knowing it wasn’t the time and they wouldn’t live much longer. 

Tobirama made the hand signs for a fire Jutsu, put his hand up to his mouth, and blew, a massive fireball erupting from his lungs. He heard the screaming and the smell of burnt flesh but ignored it to dodge a fast and powerful punch aimed at the back of his head. Tobirama twirled on the ball of his feet and raised his arm to trap the hand in the area of his armpit, and that same arm’s hand grabbed the clothes by his opponent's elbow. He used his other arm to hook the other arm and twist his body, throwing his opponent over his hip and onto the ground. Conveniently, where a blade of water was sprouting from. 

The White Demon tilted his head to sense any more enemies in his area and frowned when he noticed the last signatures were making their way to the children. He couldn’t have that. He stomped on the ground with a chakra-empowered stomp, breaking the floor and dropping to the next level. His red eyes gleamed almost with an otherworldly light, searching for his closest target.   

“Water release: Gunshot.”

He used his sensing ability to kill the closest person to the children, going through multiple walls in a straight line and cutting through everything in the way. Tobirama went through the walls with earth jutsu, stopping once he got in front of the rest of the thieves. Tobirama counted and found ten were still alive. He could have done better. 

“Who are you?! What are you doing here?!”

Tobirama didn’t react more than looking at the man who spoke. He had a cloth over his head to guard himself from the sun, and by the quality of his clothes, this man was either the leader or sub-leader. His money was on the leader since the other bloodline thieves looked at the man for reassurance. The leader had fear in his eyes, knowing the blood on Tobirama’s blue armor was his men and not his. Tobirama shifted so he was in the middle of the hallway they found themselves in, surprisingly spacious for an outpost, not big enough for him to feel it was safe enough for his more destructive Jutsu without causing a collapse. 

Tobirama could see the moment the leader saw the symbol on his happuri, eyes widening and realizing which clan he hailed from. The man’s eyes gained a light of hope, and Tobirama knew what he was thinking. 

“You’re a Senju. I apologize if we are on your land, but that is no excuse to kill my men without a reason.”

The sensor fought not to curl his lips into a scowl, but he let his eyes carry some of his anger. 

“You’re actions say otherwise. My clan does not approve of bloodline thieves.”

The leader’s eyes widened, obviously not expecting Tobirama to know who his merchandise was. 

“But their Uchiha! Doesn’t your clan hate them? Can you look away this once?”

The Senju narrowed his eyes and let his chakra boil underneath his skin. 

“I do not need to explain myself to you. The moment you stepped onto this land, you had sealed your fate.”

One of the men must have not thought he could sense the chakra of a jutsu since he was surprised when Tobirama dodged an attack from his shadow. Tobriama flipped the kunai in his hand to block a sword, mentally berating himself for not bringing his sword when he left the compound. The Senju slapped a seal on the shinobi in his shadow before he could disappear, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the kunai in his hand into the throat of another who was charging. 

Tobirama used an earth jutsu to sink into the ground before a jutsu could hit him, swimming in the ground and popping up right in front of the leader’s face, not bothering to use hand signs for a water release that cut the man in half. Tobirama scrunched his nose at the scent of blood, preferring clean kills, but he was short on time. 

A chakra signal pinged in his range, and he immediately used the hiraishin marker when the shadow shinobi came up for air, lodging a kunai in his eye. He saw the last of the thieves start to back up, fear in their eyes. Tobirama had no mercy, cutting through the last of the thieves with a vengeance. The only tough one was a shinobi that could make themselves tough as steel(probably a Kekkai Genkai), but that didn’t stop Tobirama from placing a hiraishin seal on him and purposefully filling it with the inaccurate amount of chakra, so only part of the body was teleported away to one of his numerous markers. The body slid to the ground, half of the chest cleanly gouged out. Tobirama could have figured out another way to kill him, but he didn’t care currently. He just wanted them to be gone.  

Tobirama stood in the half-destroyed hallway, blood, and bodies surrounding him. Tobirama looked at his sandals and found them covered in the crimson. He sighed, knowing he had to avoid anyone when he returned. Hashirama would cry and did not want to deal with that today. He should wash his armor in a stream after this, just to get the stench of iron out of his nose. 

Tobirama looked at the end of the hallway, seeing it padlocked but feeling the fear from the children. He looked back at Madara’s group, still half an hour out. He looked up at the ceiling, debating what to do, but the sound of sniffling and choked-back sobs in the silence now that every bloodline thief had died answered that question for him. 

Damn it.  

Tobirama broke the lock quietly, opening the door slowly, trying to look as harmless as possible. He didn’t do that well by how the two Uchiha children were cowering in the corner of their cell, grasping at each other with a single-minded ferocity. He couldn’t begrudge them for seeking out each other as their sole comfort while captured. He eyed the chakra suppressors on their wrists, knowing the group he just killed weren’t that dumb to leave a Uchiha’s hands free. Even a child Uchiha could pack a punch at a young age. 

The two were in a well-worn cage that was rusting at its henges. An adult shinobi could take out the bars without chakra, but as said before, these were children. Terrified children who were still terrified by him being there. 

Tobirama carefully went to the cell, the two children edging away even further, the oldest child, a boy who looked to be at most seven, looking at him with an intent to rip out his throat with his teeth if he had to. The boy’s eyes were flashing in the way Uchiha’s did when trying to activate their Sharingan while captured, and Tobirama knew whose eyes they would have taken first. The second child was curled into the older boy, a girl who was small even for Uchiha standards, six at most. Her eyes weren’t flashing, and Tobirama was thankful he got here in time before the thieves could go about manifesting her Sharingan. It was common knowledge that emotional and dangerous situations allowed the Sharingan to manifest, really putting into the picture how unstable the Uchiha were with how many of them had red patterned eyes.  

Tobirama crouched down slowly, making his frame seem less intimidating. He had handled situations like this before, but never a Uchiha child. He would go about it the same he would when he had to calm the Senju children. Calm and gentle, but not patronizing. He put his arms on his knees and smiled softly, allowing some of his relief to see the two children relatively unharmed in his eyes. He could only see a few scrapes on them, mostly on the boy, on his hands and arms, a developing bruise on his cheek from trying to fight off their attackers. 

If anyone saw him smile, they would either stare at him, gaping or run away in fear. He rarely smiled unless it was with his brother and cousin or in a fight when his attacker really pissed him off. They never survived after seeing it, making it a death sentence. 

“Hello, little ones, my name is Tobirama. What are yours?”

The boy blinked, the sensor seeing distant confusion in his eyes. The girl’s head turned to look more at him, slightly less terrified than before. They were still scared but must see that Tobirama was making no threatening moves. The boy looked wary, but their body language was less tense. The boy spoke, voice raspy but audible, the girl firmly in his hold to protect her even if there was no threat. Tobirama looked at that approvingly, even if he didn’t show it. 

“Kagami. This is Harumi. What do you want?”

The Senju hummed, purposefully giving more away than usual. He tilted his head and kept eye contact with the boy. 

“You are very to the point. Would it be okay if I come closer?”

“What?”

Kagami blinked, and the girl, Harumi, looked at Tobirama with distant confusion. He could feel it in their chakra. He could feel the fear starting to disperse, and uncertainty took its place. He could work with that.

Tobirama pointed at the bars with a gloved hand. He would have grimaced at the gesture since it brought the children's attention to the blood that was still drying on the clothing. Not like the children cared about their reaction. They probably saw worse in the Uchiha compound, with the wounded, not a rare sight.

“I assume you two want to leave this debilitated place as soon as possible. I certainly would not enjoy a stay here.”

Kagami straightened, eyes widening, “You’re going to free us. But you’re a Senju.”

The awe and confusion swirling in the boy’s chakra was almost enough to make Tobirama wince. Harumi looked confused at the Senju comment, probably not recognizing the symbol on his happuri. Tobirama took it as a small mercy that she didn’t return to be afraid by the revelation, more confused than anything. Too young to feel any hate for his clan. Yet.   

The Senju nodded, “I am, but I have no war with children. So I ask again, may I come closer?”

He didn’t want to startle the poor things, so he articulated his words to be perfectly understandable. He knew it would be best to treat them like any other and make sure to vocalize his intentions. He didn't want to deal with startled breakdowns in stressful situations. 

Kagami looked at Harumi, visibly going through his options, and then looking at Tobirama, biting his lips, most likely thinking about letting an enemy of his clan so close, but nodded shakily. Tobirama smiled again to reassure the children and stood up, moving carefully to put a hand on the cell lock. He pushed water into the lock and twisted his hand to pick the lock. He heard the click and pulled open the cell door. He crouched again and moved slowly to the boy and girl. He held out a hand and spoke softly. 

“Can you hold out your hands?”

Kagami nodded jerkily after hesitating for a moment, probably thinking if he wanted to hurt them, he already would have. Tobirama gently placed a hand on the chakra suppressors and broke them from the inside out, the seals easy to disperse, the quality quite bad. The boy stared at his hands in awe, and Tobirama met the boy’s eyes when he looked up, a two tomoe sharingan spinning in his eyes. He kept the gaze, no fear in his eyes. He could tell the boy wasn’t scared or desperate enough to try and put him under a genjutsu. The boy blinked, and the Sharingan disappeared, tears of relief in his eyes. Tobirama didn’t mention it and silently freed Harumi of her shackles. The girl sniffed and started to ball once she realized she was freed, hugging the boy in response. Kagami did the same, crying silently. 

Tobirama looked at the sight with his heart beating weirdly and inwardly shook his head to return to reality. 

He held a hand out, making the children realize he was still there. 

“I can take you out of here. Can I have permission to carry you two out?”

Kagam nodded shakily, still overwhelmed by the past events, and Harumi was in no state of being separated from the other Uchiha. Tobirama hummed his understanding and reached to gently scoop the children into his arms. It was slightly unwieldy, carrying a seven and six-year-old in a two-arm carry, but it was fine as long as they didn’t wriggle around much. Tobirama stood up without jerking them. 

Kagami sniffed close to his blue chest place, curled around the younger child as if still protecting the other. He would be a protective Uchiha in the future, and Tobirama didn’t know how to feel about it. It caused a stone in his stomach to form at the distant thought of this boy being killed on the battlefield. 

“Are they still out there?”

Harumi looked at Tobirama with glassy eyes, a smidgen of fear forming at the thought. He looked down at the children and shook his head, making sure to make his chakra radiate reassurance and warmth. His water nature made it slightly hard since fire nature chakra was better at projecting warmth, but he could make do. Kagami leaned in at the action, and it caused the boy to slightly relax. 

“No, you have nothing to fear.”

Kagami nodded, hands shaking at the thought of his kidnappers. The Senju readjusted so the children were supported by one arm and the other wrapped around the higher portions of their bodies. Harumi relaxed into the hold, and Tobirama could never say he slightly melted at the sight of the girl relaxing in his arms, the young face losing its worries. He wanted to remind them that he was their clan’s enemy just so they wouldn’t relax around him, but he couldn’t bring himself to.  

He hummed comfortingly and patted the girl's black hair, ramping up the warmth of his chakra. He spoke comfortingly as he moved to the door. No matter what, he couldn’t forget the bonfire of a chakra approaching them with all the subtly of a raging bull.  

“Can you two do me a favor?”

Kagami made a questioning sound, looking up at the sensor. Tobirama spoke again, using his back to open the door, making sure the children did not see the massacre behind him. 

“Can you close your eyes until I can say you can?”

Kagami turned up his nose, but Tobirama gave him a look that told him to listen. Kagami huffed, but his fight went with his leftover adrenaline.

“Fine.”

Kagami and Harumi did as they were told and closed their eyes, so Tobirama waded his way through the blood and bodies without worry, trying not to traumatize the children more.  

“You can open your eyes now.”

Kagami blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright light of the afternoon sun. Tobirama huffed a laugh and gently jolted the girl away, almost falling asleep in Tobirama’s arms. They were on the other side of the clearing, making sure the children didn’t catch sight of the guards he killed. 

He set down the children, making sure they didn’t fall, a hand on Harumi’s back when she stumbled. A ghost of a smile on his lips when he spoke. 

“Careful, little lady.”

Harumi smiled at the words, and Kagami grinned at the change in Harumi’s demeanor. Tobirama put his hands on his knees and stood up. He put his hands on their heads and ruffled them slightly, Kagami giving him the lesser version of the Uchiha death stare for the transgression. Tobirama fought the urge to smirk at the glare. 

“You two have been very brave, but I am afraid I have to take my leave.”

Kagami’s eyes widened, and Harumi instantly had tears in her eyes. Tobirama instantly crouched and tried to get the tears to stop as soon as possible. He looked into their eyes and spoke to reassure them. 

“Do not be sad. You’re not going to be alone. Your lord is coming with his strongest. He will be here soon, and you two will be returning to the Uchiha Compound. You have my word.”

Harumi sniffed, and her watery voice almost made him forget this was the first time she had spoken since he arrived. 

“I don’t want you to leave! I don’t want to be alone.”

Tobirama held in a sigh and patted Harumi on the head to comfort her. She leaned into the gesture. He fervently fought the affection he felt at the sight. 

“You have Kagami here, you won’t be alone. I may need to remind you I am not on the best terms with your clan. My presence will not help you.”

Harumi shook her head, not listening to him, and he gazed at Kagami, who seemed to agree even if he understood the situation more. He put his hands on their shoulders and made them look at him. 

“Let me reiterate, Lord Madara, Izuna, and Hikaku, are coming. You two are safe until they arrive.”

“But wouldn’t we be safer if you stayed?”

Tobirama didn’t hide his slight sigh at Kagami’s words. It was true, but that didn’t mean he wanted to deal with Madara and the other Uchihas’ today. Especially not Izuna because the man hated his guts and tried to gut him whenever they were on the same battlefield. 

The Senju looked at the children and saw the hope in Kagami’s face and Harurmi’s eyes, making Tobirama fold like a wet paper bag. His reputation would be torn to shreds. He put work into his fearsome reputation. He was the deterrent, while Hashirama was the friendly face. 

He had the overpowering urge to pinch the bridge of his nose but barely held back the urge. Tobirama slumped his shoulders, and Kagami and Harumi brightened at the visible body language. 

He stood up and put his hands on their back, nudging them in a direction away from the now abandoned outpost. He saw another clearing in the direction when he was running towards the children. 

“Let me look at your battle wounds when I have the time.”

Kagami smiled wide and brilliantly, Tobirama looking away before it burned him. He had twenty more minutes at least before Madara arrived. He would take advantage of it.

Madara had to fight the overwhelming rage that was sifting under his skin. 

When he got the message two of their children were taken when they went out to pick berries, he had to fight not to think of the worst. Kagami and Harumi were not the youngest of the Uchiha, but they were still treasured children of the clan, and they loved their young. When one lost a child, the clan would mourn as if it were one of their children. The village raised their young as their own, and if they were killed, the Uchiha would go on a warpath.

Starting with the idiots who took their children. They had gotten reports of a band of Suna thieves in the area, but there was no information that they were bloodline thieves . If they did, they would have already culled the group in advance so this situation wouldn’t have occurred. Madara wondered if they were mainly bloodline thieves or thought they could dig their grimy fingers into the pot for extra money. It didn’t matter now since they already showed where they stood on the issue. 

Madara cursed himself for not looking more into it, but he knew this was unexpected. There were many bandit groups in wartime, and a new one popping up was common. The bandit and criminal groups in the Uchiha area knew not to fuck with them, especially not their young, but the newcomers didn’t get that memo, sadly. 

The Clan Head only hoped they would get there before Kagami and Harumi ended up as eyeless corpses. He hated informing the relatives of their loved ones dying, but children were even worse. Kagami was the last of his mother’s close family, and he wanted to avoid that conversation with everything he had. 

The Uchiha fought the train of thought out of his head, knowing it wasn’t good to think of the what-ifs. He would know what to do once he got confirmation of the children’s states.  

“We’re getting close!”

Madara nodded to his clansmen, a Uchiha that specialized in tracking, the only reason they were able to find the tracks of the bloodline thieves. Urami was their best tracker and it was rare when someone escaped his eyes. If they didn’t have him, Madara wasn’t sure how long they would have had to take to track down the rats that took off with their treasure. 

Madara took stock of the area, bounding across tree branches with nary a sign of existence. Izuna was silent next to him, a rare display of seriousness, just as on edge as Madara. Hikaku had his lips pressed into a tight line, brows furled in concern. Madara decided a small but elite group to get their children back would be best, knowing anyone else would slow them down. He didn’t fight it when Izuna barged into the group and wouldn’t back down unless he came, and Madara didn’t try and fight him on it. His clan wouldn’t implode without their three strongest fighters, but it still put his teeth on edge that they even had to do this. 

When he found the bloodline thieves, he would incinerate their bodies while they still lived.  

No one touched his clan without retribution, and he was ready to dish it out without hesitation. 

He allowed his decent sensor ability to unfurl, wanting to know when they were getting close to their enemies. His brows furrowed, frown on his face. He searched for any nearby life that contained enough chakra, but he was getting nothing. He probably wasn’t in range yet, but something sat odd in his gut. Urami said they were getting close, which meant Madara should have sensed them by now. They could have run further, but Madara received information the thieves had a hideout in the forest. It wouldn’t make sense for them to run for so long. 

Madara skidded to a stop, head snapping in a direction east of them, in the opposite direction of the trail they were following. Relief flooded him when he noticed the small but vibrant chakra of Kagami and Harumi but felt cold water pour on him when he noticed the third chakra signature. 

A chakra signature he was familiar with since he always felt it when Izuna was fighting his assigned opponent during their regular battles with the Senju. The cold, almost frigid nature interceded with a stillness that felt unnatural to his senses as it rushed through him. 

Senju Tobirama.  

Senju Tobirama, the White Demon, was near their children.  

Madara might still consider Hashirama an old friend, but his brother was another story. He was powerful, calculating, and an absolute terror on the battlefield. His nature was the direct opposite of their fire, and the only one who could block Madara’s fire jutsu, aside from Hashirama. Izuna only fought him with lighting because fire was almost always useless against him, and the Uchiha were famed for their control over fire. 

His hatred for the Uchiha was common knowledge, so it did nothing to calm him, rage overpowering the worry as he immediately changed course to the chakra he sensed. 

If Tobirama did anything to the children, he would have to send an obituary to Hashirama because his body wouldn’t be found.

Madara dropped into the clearing, scowl on his face, his brother and cousin behind him, Urami struggling to keep up. Izuna was the same as he, Madara informing his brother of what he sensed, expression shuddering. Out of all of them, Izuna knew Tobirama the best. He heard Izuna complaining about him after every battle, how infuriating it was to fight the man. The clan head knew Izuna had some respect for the Senju regarding his battle prowess, but in this situation, that was anything but a reassurance. 

Why Tobirama was here was entirely another issue, because even he didn’t believe Tobirama was in league with the bloodline thieves. Hashirama would not have it, and he was positive on that. The fool was an optimist through and through and would not approve of his brother dealing with bloodline thieves and their ilk.

Madara focused on the chakra signatures, now in front of his eyes and not through his chakra. He blinked at the sight, his clan members doing the same, Izuna with more gapping Madara would make fun of him for, but felt the same.  

Harumi was sitting on a fallen log, kicking her short legs as she watched Tobirama seemingly teach Kagami a jutsu, demonstrating with hand signs. Kagami was sticking his tongue out in concentration. Tobirama was speaking lowly, and Kagami nodded, eyes focused in concentration, Sharingan blazing as he looked at Tobirama’s hands. Madara was struck with the sight of a two-tomoe sharingan when he knew Kagami was only supposed to have one.

Tobirama glanced at them out of the corner of his eye but spoke to Kagami as if they weren’t there. Madara noticed immediately there was blood on Tobirama’s blue armor, even some on his face that Tobirama clearly didn’t know about. Madara narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 

“Do it again, but make sure your hand is tighter than when you do that fireball jutsu. Remember, it’s all about compression and stickiness.”

Kagami nodded resolutely, focused on a set of hand signs, and put his hands in front of his mouth as if he were doing the Uchiha’s fireball jutsu. He inhaled and then exhaled hard. Madara blinked as he saw bubbles leave Kagami’s hands, similar to the toy that the children played with. He remembered when Izuna bugged the hell out of him when he saw some on sale when they were children, trying to get Madara to buy it for him. He did, but that wasn’t this about. 

Kagami cheered, beaming, and looked up at Tobirama, face alight in glee. 

“I did it!” 

Harumi clapped, smiling at Kagami. Tobirama raised a hand, and Madara tensed, but the only thing the Senju did was ruffle Kagami’s hair, making Kagami preen. Madara might have seen it wrong, but a ghost of a smile might have flown across the Senju’s face but returned to his usual apathy. 

“Congratulations on your first water jutsu. But I think that is enough for now.” 

Tobirama angled his head to them, now fully turning to the Uchiha group. The tension wracked higher, and Madara’s expression set in its graveness. Izuna was all but fighting himself from launching forward to fight his rival, only held back by Madara’s order and that it was too dangerous for the kids to fight in the position they were now. Hikaku’s eyes were memorizing the scene, a frown on his face. 

Madara thought that the moment he could, he would rush in and grab the kids before whatever Tobirama had in store for them, but this was out of his expectations. He wasn’t expecting Tobirama to not make any hostile move and that the kids were safe, not even crying from the experience they must have gone through. 

Tobirama looked over the group with his bright red eyes as if confident his life would not end today.

Kagami turned and spotted them, eyes brightening. 

“Lord Madara!”

Kagami laughed and ran to them, Tobirama letting him pass without moving a muscle. Harumi perked up, and her eyes were glassy, lips twitching, but not yet crying. She got on her feet and followed Kagami’s example, only to trip over her feet in her haste. Madara stepped a quick forward, but he was slower than the Senju, who got to Harumi before she could hit the ground, carefully holding her in the air. Madara blinked again at the sight and whispered a ‘kai’ to confirm he wasn’t seeing things. Tobirama gently lowered her so Harumi could get on her feet.

“Watch your feet, little lady.”

Izuna audibly choked at the nickname, Madara feeling as if he was thrown into a separate dimension at this entire interaction. Harumi nodded, and Tobirama gestured for her to go forward. 

“Go to your Clan Head.”

Harumi grinned at Tobirama and followed his suggestion. Kagami hit Madara’s leg like a small meteor, hugging it with all his might. Madara looked down, meeting Kagami’s eyes.

“Lord Madara, you’re here! Tobi said you were coming, but I didn’t believe him!”

“Did he now?”

Izuna mouthed ‘Tobi’ with confusion and not a small amount of disbelief. Kagami nodded, joining with Harumi, who made her way to his legs. Madara immediately scooped her up, setting her on his hip, feeling better with her chakra near and not near an enemy. Harumi immediately shifted to get comfortable, and Madara let her, only thankful he had a chance to do so. He was prepared to return to the compound with two small bodies. 

“Yeah! He’s really cool! He rescued me and Harumi!” 

Madara snapped his head to Tobirama, who didn’t react, not giving anything away. Madara looked at the blood on Tobirama, then back at the children, seeing bandages on the visual parts of their tiny bodies, very clearly not from their kidnappers. 

“Harumi?”

He wanted a second confirmation, and Harumi blinked up at him and murmured quietly, evident she wanted to sleep. He couldn’t blame her, but he was more caught up in the fact Senju Tobirama rescued Uchiha children, the clan he supposedly hated. He could have taken them hostage, but he didn’t do that, letting them go without a fuss. He even cared for their injuries, and Madara felt his heart thump weirdly.   

“His chakra is really nice.”

Madara raised an eyebrow at that, looking back at the Senju. Madara hummed, debating on what to say, but figured he might as well go with his gut. Madara looked the man over and then quirked up a lip. Tobirama’s pupils dilated at the look like he was about to fight. 

“If what these children say is true, it seems I owe you a debt, Senju.”

Tobirama’s lips twisted into something that wasn’t a frown, but close enough for it to be seen as such. He paid attention to the change in expression, knowing the man wasn’t for big shows of emotion if anything at all. 

“I didn’t do this to get a favor.”

Madara’s lips grew into a smirk, making Tobirama look at him with suspicion. 

“Then what did you save my clan’s children for?”

Tobirama scoffs, and Madara finds himself fascinated by the new changes in the infamous shinobi’s expression. 

“I was in the area.”

Madara wanted to say that wasn’t an answer, but Kagami tugged on his pants leg and distracted him from the inquiry. 

“Lord Madara?”

“Yes?”

Kagami’s lip began to tremble, and Madara thought it was bound to happen sooner or later. 

“Can we go home now?”

Madara softened his expression and smiled, ruffling Kagami’s hair. 

“Yes, your mother is quite worried.”

Kagami bit his lip, relief visible to everyone. Kagami then blinked as if realizing something and turned back to Tobirama. Kagami grinned and waved to the Senju. Tobirama’s expression flickered with surprise, and Madara wouldn’t have caught it if he wasn’t looking for it. 

“Bye, Tobi! Thanks for rescuing us! And teaching me that jutsu!”

Tobirama huffed, and Madara was stuck with the sight of the white-haired Senju smiling slightly, eyes that were always frigid softened into gentle red. It felt as if his breath was caught in his lungs. Madara couldn’t help but curse himself for not realizing how attractive the younger Senju brother was. His white hair and pale skin were perfectly contrasted by the red eyes and marks on his face, a lethal type of beauty that Uchiha’s were quite taken with. 

“You don’t need to thank me. I created that jutsu when I was bored.”

Madara wanted to say no one aside from Tobirama invents jutsu because they were bored, and certainly not jutsu that seemed to have no combat potential. Madara opened his mouth to say something when Tobirama turned his back. Madara wanted to roll his eyes at the causal disinterest of him and his group but stopped when Tobirama turned his head to look at the children. Madara noticed the inward hesitation in those pretty red eyes when he spoke. 

“Keep out of trouble, you two.”

Kagami chirped, somehow coming off unrepentant with red eyes. Harumi waved, sad to see her rescuer go. 

“I make no promises!”

Tobirama huffed a laugh, and Madara was curious. The next moment, not even seeing Tobirama move, he disappeared, somehow already out of Madara’s sensing range. Izuna had been complaining of Tobirama seemingly teleporting in their fights but it seems like that has more truth than Madara first deemed truth. There was no way to retreat from them so fast without them noticing. 

“That was something alright.”

“Hm.”

Madara was looking at the space Tobirama occupied with a considering look, suddenly very curious about Hashirama’s younger brother.

“I never expected the White Demon to rescue our clan members.”

Madara didn’t react to Hikaku’s words, but Izuna nodded in understanding. Izuna moved to look over the kids, visible relief at their general health. Not like Madara wouldn’t order the medics to look them over later. Could never be too careful. 

“Yeah, Tobirama never struck me as the one to go out of his way to help.”

Hikaku raised his eyebrow, “What did he strike you as?”

Izuna spoke bluntly, “A bastard with a stick so far up his ass he would choke on it. He’s so high and mighty that nothing aside from a sword to the chest would make you get his attention.”

“You know him?”

Kagami looked up at Izuna with awe, and Madara would have smirked at Izuna’s discomfort if he wasn’t thinking. Izuna was coming to realize, in Kagami’s eyes, that it was probably not the best thing to insult the man who saved him and probably looks up to now. Madara didn’t know how to feel about that either. Izuna grimaced and quickly redirected Kagami’s thought process. 

“A little. But what was that jutsu we saw you use?”

Izuna breathed in relief when Kagami brightened, happy to change the subject. 

“That’s jutsu called Popping Bubbles! I asked Tobi about water Jutsu because I saw him use it to clean Harumi’s cuts, and he said he specialized in it. I found it cool, so I asked if I could learn one, since, ya know, I haven’t learned any yet. He taught me that one because apparently, it’s easy to learn even if I am fire-natured, and he invented that way. Isn’t it cool how he can invent jutsu?!”

Izuna nodded with difficulty, face set in a grimace, and Hikaku had to stop himself from laughing at Izuna’s discomfort. Hearing Kagami praise Tobirama was probably hard for him to take. 

“Anything else? Maybe something about why a Senju would rescue you two?”

Madara cut in, voice perfectly calm, making Izuna squint suspiciously at him. Madara ignored him to pay attention to Kagami. Kagami put a hand to his chin, thinking hard. Kagami brightened and nodded, getting the attention of the elder Uchiha. 

“He said something about having no war against children. He’s really nice for a Senju.”

Izuna hid a scoff as a cough, probably thinking that Tobirama was the worst Senju, but didn’t mention anything.

“Really.” 

Kagami nodded, not realizing that was not meant as a question but a statement. Madara put a hand over his mouth, starting to think. If what Kagami said was true, which he was inclined to believe, Tobirama wasn’t as hateful as they realized. 

Madara thought of the lithe but firm frame, pretty red eyes, and the care he used to carry Harumi, eyes alight with hidden fondness he couldn’t hide. Madara blinked, returning from his mind.

“Where were you two being held?”

Madara walked through the wreckage of the outpost, Izuna whistling at the carnage they found. Madra raised an eyebrow at a corpse that was held up by two kunai in each hand, crucifying the body to the wall, only missing the head that was on the ground, expression morphed into eternal terror and pain. 

Madara had seen some of Tobirama’s work on his clan members before, but those were a mercy in consideration of the mayhem he saw now.

Madra left the two children with Hikaku and Urami, Izuna, and him out to confirm all the thieves were killed. 

He shouldn’t have worried because he could confirm nothing survived Tobirama’s path. He knew logically that Tobirama was powerful, having seen parts of his fights with his brother, but it was hard to truly grasp the amount of power the younger Senju had when Izuna could match him. It was a rare occurrence that Tobirama went after any Uchiha other than Izuna, so he hadn’t managed to kill as many Uchiha as he was capable of. From the look of things, the Senju went through the outpost like a typhoon, the building only standing because he didn’t care to destroy it.

“He was angry.”

“What?”

Madra looked to his brother, who pointed at a thief that had his neck slit. Izuna crouched down and put focus on the cut.

“Tobirama is usually in full control of himself when he fights. Like he’s not even trying when he is. It's hard as fuck to get a read on him, even with my eyes. But see, the cut is slightly jagged. He was pissed.”

Madara looked over the bodies, not bothered with the smell, only the stench of bloodied iron, not decay. If this is what Tobirama did when he was angry, he didn’t want to see him enraged. Or maybe, he did. He wasn’t sure. Maybe he wanted to watch Tobirama fight angrily. That would surely be a sight by this wreckage.

“Hm.”

Madara was reminded of Tobirama bloody from the fight, looking at home without fear but still having the confidence to look him in the eye. Now Madara was disappointed he wasn’t able to see Tobirama rip through these lowlifes. Would he fight with his usual grace or maybe with the strength he rarely showcases? Or maybe, he would bring out jutsu he never uses unless in special circumstances. Maybe he would even create a jutsu for the situation, an everpresent mixed bag. Blood against the pale skin of Tobirama was more enticing than he should find it. Matched with those pretty red eyes? 

Madara grew more curious the more he started to think about it. His heart started to beat faster, and the smile on his face was growing. He felt almost giddy, his eyes glinting in excitement. 

“Brother?”

Madara tilts his head in response, “Hn?”

Izuna was staring at him, eyes progressively widening. He gapped and pointed a shaky hand at his face. 

“Madara, why are you smiling like Father used to when he thought Mother wasn’t looking?”

“Hm?”

Was he? He didn’t realize. He was just so excited about the possibilities, how Tobirama was so powerful and brilliant. How he could be such a beautiful sight in battle while not being held back. To see him go all out. Let himself go in a fight, blood against his pale complexion, red eyes as if glowing with ferocity. Wanted to see how Tobirama’s mind worked when he was crafting those brilliant strategies that never failed to make him a pain in the ass on and off the battlefield. How he treated Kagami and Harumi with care as if they weren’t children of his clan’s centuries-old enemy. He quite liked the ferocious demon exterior but couldn’t help but want to see the slight softness he had only glimpsed for a moment.   

Madara let himself delve deeper into why he was dwelling on it and realized Izuna might be correct.                   

Uchiha went about getting partners slightly differently than other shinobi. They never had arranged marriages because it would end badly. After all, the Uchiha only allowed a person who captivated their attention into their lives. The partner had to catch the Uchiha’s attention and be curious and deadly enough for the Uchiha to keep paying attention. Pretty and lethal was the usual classification of the people the Uchiha were fond of. Even better was if the person who caught the Uchiha’s attention would and could stab them in the throat without hesitation. They only found it endearing how deadly their partners were. It was a plus to know your partner would be able to defend themselves even if they were alone. It was a strength and weakness of theirs. Strength because that means most Uchiha usually bring strong people into the clan and keep that strength for the next generation. A weakness, because a Uchiha’s chosen ones are usually strong-willed and don’t take orders well. Hardheaded. And that was usually once a Uchiha chooses a person, never on purpose, that would be the only person the Uchiha would live their lives with. They never remarried or chose differently, and there hasn’t been a cheating scandal in centuries because of this.

Since a Uchiha never had more than one spouse in their life, if they died, that would be the end. Madara knew a few Uchiha who lost their beloveds in the war and killed themselves because they didn’t know what to do with themselves without the other. If they didn’t go mad, that is. Uchiha always felt so strongly, so most Uchiha knew the moment they found the person they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. It was all instinct.  

One of Madara’s brightest memories was when his father told them of how he met their mother. He was sparing with other Uchiha, and this girl came up and socked him across the face. His father said he fell for her harder than he fell on his ass. He said he just knew that she was the one. Madara loved the story because it was heartwarming to a child, not even caring it was violent. It only made his respect for his mother grow further, having grown up knowing his father was the Clan Head. To punch him meant she had guts. 

Madara looked at the carnage, red eyes flashing behind his eyelids, unable to forget them. 

“Huh, so I am.”

Izuna sucked in a deep breath, disbelief and denial. He squeaked, flailing his arms in rejection.

“Senju Tobirama! Him?!”

“He is quite a pretty one.”

Izuna made a sound more fit for a dying fish, “But-but- It’s Tobirama we’re talking about here! You know, the one who could literally cut people’s heads off with a flick of his finger.”

“Like that’s going to change my mind. If anything, that makes me want him more.”

Izuna put his head in his hands, and it muffled his frustrated screams. 

Madara nodded and turned around, having seen everything he needed. He looked back at Izuna, who was trying to digest Madara’s newfound attraction to his rival. 

“How open are you to call a ceasefire?”

This time Izuna didn’t hide his shriek of disbelief and refusal.                                                      

Tobirama knocked on his brother's office door and opened it, only to find Hashirama bailing on the ground with a scroll in his arms. 

He wanted to leave the room before Hashirama noticed him, not wanting to deal with his brother’s dramatics at the moment, but knew, logically, he should at least ask. Not like he wanted to, but it was what he should do because he was a good brother. At least, that was what he told himself. He debated whether to get Mito since only she could knock some sense into her husband's head. There hasn’t been a day that passed that Tobirama didn’t thank Mito for her existence so he wasn’t the sole voice of reason for this idiot.  

“Am I interrupting something?”

Tobirama’s dry drawl made Hashirama look up with his bloodshot eyes and wail in his voice. He wasn’t sure if he got good or bad news. It was a toss-up since his brother tended to cry for any reason, and Tobirama had to stop the thought this was his Clan Head. Hashirama blubbered more, renditions of his name babbled from Hashirama’s mouth. 

“I’m so happy!!”

Tobirama sighed, a headache forming behind his eyes. Hashirama cradled a message scroll like his life depended on it and was simultaneously his greatest treasure.

“What got you so worked up?”

Hashirama widened his eyes and scrambled to stand to shove the scroll in his face. He slapped away the hand and grabbed the scroll, his brother blubbering. 

“It’s Madara! He agreed to a ceasefire!”

Tobirama’s eyes widened, and stared at the scroll with his whole attention, unfurling it to read it in its entirety. Hashirama was correct from what he could read through the blotchy ink that his brother almost ruined with his tears. He blinked, whispering a kai to confirm he wasn’t seeing things. Nope, it was real, and he looked at his brother, his brother’s eyes filled with hope. 

Hashirama took the scroll, hugging it again, and Tobirama didn’t stop him, knowing how long his brother hoped for this day. For a day when the Senju and Uchiha were no longer at war. It wasn’t set in stone, but this was the first time he saw collaboration between the two clans that wasn’t the mutual hatred of bloodline thieves. Just a hint of peace caused Hashirama to be over the moon at the prospect. 

“This was out of nowhere! The last time I talked to him, he was still going on about it wasn’t possible. He finally changed his mind! Isn’t that great, Tobi?”

Tobirama nodded, brows furrowed. He wondered what changed the infamously stubborn man’s opinion.    

“If what these children say is true, it seems I owe you a debt, Senju.”     

A wry smile and dark, analytical eyes, looking at Tobirama as if to see through him and all his secrets. A note of consideration in the eyes that held the red eyes his clan feared. 

The Senju had a feeling his gut was on the right track. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It was almost unreal how Madara acted that day, not immediately acting on the instinct to attack, even cordial, and Tobirama didn’t know how to categorize the interaction. It confused him, how different Madara seemed while not angry.

He needed more data to solve this little mystery, and it seemed he would have the opportunity to solve it if what the scroll said was correct.

He flicked Hashirama, angling his head to his desk. 

“Don’t you need to send a response?”

Hashirama wailed and did the exact thing, scrambling to his desk and writing while tears flowed down his cheeks. 

Tobirama shook his head and left the office, mentally noting to get Mito to get Hashirama under control. He had peace talks to prepare for. 

“I was wondering where you went.”

Tobirama didn’t need to look down from his perch in the tree to notice Madara’s presence. His chakra was warm and not sweltering and harsh when angry, still powerful and a beacon of power, but at least Tobirama could breathe in his presence and not fear the air in his lungs would dry up.

Madara grinned, irritatingly masked in a way that made it hard for Tobirama to know what he was thinking. He was a hard man to read, even if he was temperamental on the best days. Ever since the peace talks started a week ago, Tobirama kept his attention on the Uchiha Head and his close advisors. Out of everyone he saw, Madara was the hardest to pin down. It was vexing as it was stimulating. To be so easily angered but simultaneously difficult to read. A contradiction Tobirama couldn’t help but pay attention to. 

“And what do you need, Lord Madara?”

Madara raised an eyebrow at Tobirama’s dry tone, seemingly amused. Tobirama’s eyebrow twitched at the reaction, wanting to know what amused him so. 

“Is it so hard to believe I want to get to know you?”

“Yes.”

Madara chuckled and jumped to reach the branch he was on. Tobirama had his back to the trunk, lounging comfortably before Madara appeared. It was saying something that Tobirama wasn’t changing posture and reading himself for a fight, having realized Madara wasn’t here for a confrontation. If it was a week ago, he would have disappeared already, teleporting to one of the many Hiraishin seals he set up in preparation for the worst. Tobirama had seen that Madara did indeed want peace as much as Hashirama, evidenced by his continuous fighting on the issue with his clan members, who were still not all that happy about it(even if he and his brother’s IQ dropped to room temperature when in close contact). 

One fact he was surprised about, Izuna wasn’t making a fuss, something Tobirama expected considering his past interactions with the Uchiha. Not as if he wasn’t relieved by the fact, but he caught Izuna looking morose and conflicted on numerous occasions. Tobirama noted it but shelved it as an issue for later. If he wasn’t making a problem for the peace talks, Izuna could keep his opinions to himself. 

The Senju kept a watchful eye on Madara when he sat down a good couple of feet away from him, legs dangling over the thick tree branch. Madara wasn’t in his crimson armor, donning a more comfortable black yukata. Tobirama was wearing his armor, for he would feel bare without it but without his weapons. Not like it would change that much in a fight, and he held no illusions he could best Madara even if he held weapons. He was a force of nature, much like his brother. 

“I see you have such a high opinion of me, Senju.”

Tobirama deadpanned at him for the blatant sarcasm, Madara smirking at the look.

“Pardon me if saying you have hidden motives is rude. I had no idea.”

 Madara put his chin on his hand, leaning his elbow on his thigh, looking at the white-haired shinobi. 

“You think I have hidden motives?”  

The Senju was even more unimpressed, seen even through his neutral expression. 

“I am not inclined to lie to myself, especially making myself believe you came here out of the good of your heart. I’m not my brother.”

Madara huffed, “I am very much aware. You don’t strike me as an optimistic dreamer.”

Tobirama tilted his head, “Aren’t you the same? And you tried to change the topic.”

Madara leaned back, expression not changing even by Tobirama’s slight dig. Tobirama fought not to scowl, having figured Madara would have gotten annoyed or angry by now, giving Tobirama a way out of this conversation. Tobirama knew how delicate the ceasefire was, and he didn’t want to be the catalyst for the fighting to start up again. So Tobirama was forced to play semi-nice to the Uchiha Head. 

“Nothing gets past you, huh?” 

The look the Senju aimed at Madara radiated his feelings for those words, unimpressed. Madara looked at Tobirama and smirked, his eyes glinting in a way Tobirama couldn’t identify. It made his instincts scream in a way that said the look wasn’t dangerous, but close to it. Granted, he felt that way every time the Uchiha Head got close, so he could ignore it, but it never failed to put him on age. He knew every good shinobi listened to their instincts, but his instincts were not making any sense, so he went about his life normally. As much as he could in this circumstance.  

“I do have hidden motives.”

Tobirama tensed, but Madara waved him off, dismissing the tension. 

“Oh, not like that. I don’t want to deal with Hashirama and his whining. That is one thing I haven’t missed all these years.”

Tobirama tilted his head in slight understanding, having dealt with Hashirama’s depressive episodes more than he liked. Ridiculous and annoying, especially having to wash his clothes because Hasirama cried so much. 

“Than what?”

Madara smirked, and there it was, the danger. Madara somehow seemed to have gotten closer to him without moving, Tobirama fighting not to react. Madara’s chakra seemed to breeze past his cheek, fire flickering as if caressing his face. Tobirama fought the instinct to shiver, never having felt something like it before. Madara’s chakra seemed to envelop them, warming Tobirama to the bone.  

“Call it a curiosity.”

Madara changed tune, his chakra receding as if it was never there. Tobirama clenched his fingers into his palm so he didn’t do something like ask Madara to do it again. 

“Curiosity?”

Tobirama’s voice was steady, voice unwavering from his standard neutral. Madara was still smirking, but the glint in his eyes was playful, not dangerous. 

“Kagami wants to see you again. And Harumi. Kagami has been on my case for weeks asking about you.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Tobirama didn’t know how to feel about the two children asking about him, looking forward to seeing him again even if they knew he was a Senju. And despite himself, he found himself thinking he wouldn’t mind seeing them again. They were good kids, and Kagami seemed to be a genius by how fast he got the water jutsu he taught down. Tobirama was almost thinking about taking in Kagami as a student if he had the chance. He shut that thought down quickly, not wanting to get his hopes up. 

Madara ignored Tobirama’s words, and he scowled, having a feeling that Madara wouldn’t give a straight answer for his motives, but from what he saw and heard, it was nothing that would harm the peace agreements, so he pushed it to the back of his mind, to think about but could nothing about it at the moment.  

“He was so happy about the ceasefire because he thought you would be coming around the compound, not realizing we’re meeting on neutral ground. I had to drag him away from the convoy so he wouldn’t sneak away to join us.”

Tobirama quirked up the corner of his lip at the imagery, Madara struggling to control a seven-year-old kid and frustrated. Madara rolled his eyes. 

“You like that, don’t you?”

“It is amusing.”

“I’m happy my suffering is so funny to you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Madara barked out a laugh, and Tobirama found it wasn’t a bad sound. Deep and filled with nothing but amusement. Madara grinned at him, eyes dancing. 

“I can’t believe it, you have a sense of humor.”

Tobirama rolled his eyes, “No matter what you’re clan thinks, I am human.”

“I know you are.”

Tobirama stared at Madara, who smirked like nothing was off with that statement. Not even his clan in its entirety would respond like Madara, Tobirama having formed his reputation to fool his allies and enemies. Only his close family ever treats him as something other than a cold killing machine. 

Madara tilted his head at Tobirama, dropping his hand on his legs. 

“No demon rescues kids, especially doesn't teach them a jutsu so they wouldn’t get bored. And I would never say I owe a debt to a demon.”

Tobirama took a moment to gather his thoughts, shoulders tense at being seen through. He disliked it immensely.

“I don’t want to be a debtor. I’ll cash it in once you sign the peace treaty.”

Madara shrugged, “No can do.”

Tobirama frowned, narrowing his eyes. Madara smirked, leaning his head back so his long hair could cascade further. 

“I was going to do that anyway, with or without calling in that debt. Pick something else.” 

The Senju frowned, looking at the branch instead of Madara. Madara hummed, and he could hear the amusement in his tone. 

“If you can’t think of anything, you can always save it. It seems like we will work together in the future if everything goes right. No need to decide now.”

He nodded, glancing at Madara again. Madara was amused and satisfied, so they let a comfortable silence form between them. 

“Ah, but do now that we Uchiha never go back on our feelings.”

Tobirama furrowed his eyebrows, confusion in his mind while glancing at Madara. Madara’s grin was almost serrated by how he grinned, his eyes almost turning red by how piercing they were. 

“What are you saying?”

Madara’s grin grew wider, a feral and excited thing. 

“I am saying I am going to be sticking around, Senju. Whether you like it or not.”

Tobirama eyed him with a healthy dose of suspicion, unaware of where this came from. Still, his hindbrain was telling him it was vital. 

“We’ll see.”

Madara’s smile turned into a smug smirk, “Of course. I expect nothing less.”

Madara flicked his chakra again, and this time, Tobirama couldn’t stop a shiver at the powerful sensation. Madara’s smirk grew at that, voice almost a purr, eyes dancing. 

“I’ll look forward to peace, Tobirama.”