Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I don’t understand why this doesn’t sink in.” Mito hissed at her husband.

He pouted and sank in a corner crying how his wife hated him and he’d done nothing wrong.

“Nothing wrong?” She sounded dangerous. “Hashirama, you don’t see anything wrong with the way you treat your brother?”

“He…”

“Don’t say he deserves it and don’t say it’s normal. We both know he doesn’t and it’s not.”

“It’s important.”

“It is. He is important for doing it, isn’t he?” She still sounded dangerous even when Hashirama nodded in agreement. “Someone so important, you should treat him right.”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t.” She glared at him. “You’re holding grudges over something that happened ages ago.”

“He betrayed me.” Hashirama pouted. “If it wasn’t for him Madara and I could’ve made peace a lot earlier.”

“No, you couldn’t because you would’ve been dead!” She glared until she saw she wasn’t getting through to her husband. “I’ll make you a deal. You start treating your brother right or I take him to Uzushio and we stay there.”

Hashirama would regret dismissing the threat from his mind.

“We can’t do this.” Tobirama looked sternly at Mito. Oh, he was aware that it had little to no effect but he tried anyway. It probably wouldn’t stop her even if it did have some effect. “I’m needed here.” He was. Who would do the paperwork if it wasn’t him? A nagging feeling told him that Hashirama would find someone else to do it. The same way he’d always found someone else to do the things Tobirama couldn’t do. When Tobirama couldn’t be a good ambassador he’d asked Hiro. When Tobirama was too injured to take care of a mission, he’d sent Touka. When Tobirama couldn’t be the brother he’d wanted, he got Madara. The last still stung. A lot. It wasn’t like Tobirama didn’t try. He’d put himself in service of his older brother and his dream since the day he was old enough to understand the concept of an older brother. He’d tried to protect their younger brothers. And it still felt like ice burning through his veins when he realized he couldn’t. He’d tried to pick up the slack when Hashirama couldn’t or wouldn’t do something. Because he knew his brother needed time for other things… Madara. 

Mito looked very unimpressed. “We’re going to leave those if you don’t seal them in. I’ve informed your brother that you’re accompanying me to Uzushio.” 

“I haven’t gotten any official mission details.” There was something off here. He just wasn’t sure what. It was odd that he could take so much with him even if it was a longer-term stay in Uzushio. It was odd that Hashirama didn’t give him the mission himself. Mito usually didn’t do things like this. But then again he had to accompany Mito so she might’ve felt obliged to tell him. But usually, Hashirama was here at least to say goodbye to her. Hashirama had hugged her for a solid six minutes last time she left on a two-day trip. He’d only stopped because she’d shrugged him off. 

“I have those but it’s mostly because my family needs me.” Mito gives him some other books. “You might miss those as well. Anything your lab you want to take? 

We have a few more moments.” 

“Doesn’t Hashirama want to say goodbye?” Tobirama seriously wondered where his brother was. 

“I believe I said I informed your brother already.” She sounded strangely curt. 

Nothing much Tobirama could do but nod and get the last things he wanted from his lab. There were more scrolls than he would normally take with him but apparently, this was going to be a long trip. He wanted to report to his brother one more time but he felt a bit thrown off by Mito’s behaviour. If his brother knew and wanted him to say goodbye he would be here. But maybe he was just busy. “I should go see anija.” Tobirama said when he sealed the last materials in a scroll. 

“No need.” Mito said. “He knows where you are going and he’s busy.” 

Tobirama found all of this odd but he couldn’t refuse Mito even if he tried to. And he wouldn’t want to disturb his brother. It wasn’t like he hadn’t left on missions without seeing his brother face to face before leaving. He didn’t like it but it was necessary sometimes and it happened often enough that he just got the mission scroll with a note to leave as soon as possible. But usually not as long as Mito implied this trip would be. “I’m ready.” As ready as he would ever be.

Mito nodded and gave a soft smile. “Let’s go, otouto.”

He couldn’t and didn’t fight the warm feeling that rose in his chest every time she called him that.

“Barkbrain!” Madara had been calling Hashirama that ever since the guy developed his Mukoton and Hashirama had long since stopped going into sulks every time he heard it. That’s why you are friends after all. He wouldn’t allow Hashirama to give him any nicknames because the guy had no taste. Honestly, Flamefriend? But he wasn’t here to actually talk to his friend. He was here to find the white demon. The demon was supposed to have finished some files on the division of the compounds and he couldn’t find the pest. Usually, he was here but Madara couldn’t find him. So there were a few options, 1) he was somewhere in the tower but not where Madara had looked for him, 2) He was in that lab but Madara had no clue where that was, 3) he was on a mission and didn’t finish his work before he left. In any case, Madara wasn’t going to look for him. It was Hashirama’s task to keep that monster on a leash. It was Madara’s task to down it when it slipped that leash.

The office was empty when Madara walked in. Piles upon piles of scrolls littered the desk and part of the floor where it fell off. How had this happened? The day before yesterday Hashirama’s desk had been empty. It couldn’t have been this bad unless there was a war coming or if Tobirama had dumped all his work on Hashirama. Madara gave a sound of frustration. Maybe his scroll was somewhere in this mess. 

A budget for an orphanage Madara hadn’t seen any previous work for. A lineout for the Inuzuka compound that Madara wasn’t looking for. Several complaints from some merchants that Madara promptly ignored. A base for a treaty with the Hyuuga that Madara wanted to burn. A list of possible candidates for the new ANBU division that Hashirama presented in the council a week ago. A letter from Mito. 

Madara was nothing if not curious. It was a good trait for a shinobi to have. It kept them alive. And while Madara knew this was none of his business he opened it anyway. He hadn’t expected some flowery letter, Mito wasn’t the type, but he hadn’t expected this either. At least it answered his question as to where Tobirama was. But it also gave him a lot more questions he should find the answer to. If only to protect the village. 

This was the moment Hashirama came stumbling in. He looked as if he’d just rolled out of his bed and hadn’t had a proper breakfast yet. A bit late but maybe he had just rolled out of his bed, with Mito gone and all. 

“Your brother is in Uzushio?” Madara wasn’t happy and he needed some confirmation. The letter had implied that it had been Mito’s choice but she wouldn’t have left without informing Hashirama. 

“What? No! My brother is in his office! Right?” The last was more of a question than an actual statement. 

“No, he is not. I was looking for some documents and I found this in the stack on your desk.” It still sounded way too loud even if Madara grits his teeth. 

That was the moment Hashirama looked at his desk and whined. “Mito wrote a letter?”

Madara had the sinking feeling that Hashirama didn’t know, that he hadn’t signed off on this mission and that it wouldn’t be something he liked. He also had the feeling that Hashirama hadn’t seen the letter yet so he handed it to him.

When Hashirama saw the letter he gave another high-pitched whine. “She… she wouldn’t… she said… I thought…”

“What is this conversation she talked about?”

Hashirama gave another whine. “She said I didn’t treat Tobi right. She said if I didn’t shape up she would take him with her to Uzushio.”

Madara wrecked his brain searching for a moment that Hashirama hadn’t treated his brother right and came up blank. Yes, Hashirama was a lot stricter with his brother than Madara was with Izuna but the demon needed that. Who knew what it would do when not kept on a tight leash? He knew that Hashirama gave the ghost a lot of work, but he needed to be kept busy to prevent him from hurting others. That might explain the amount of paperwork on Hashirama’s desk. He knew Hashirama wasn’t as soft with his brother as with the rest of the population of Konoha, but why be soft with a block of ice? He knew Hashirama didn’t really listen to his brother, but who would listen to someone that only complained? The amounts of times he’d hear Tobirama almost order his brother to do his paperwork was frustrating. Who was the younger to say anything about that? Madara was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear his brother walk in until he spoke.

“I came looking for Tobi.” The slight smirk indicated that he was very aware that ‘Tobi’ didn’t like the nickname. 

“He’s out of the village with Mito.” Madara said curtly and to his surprise, Izuna laughed until he clutched his side with a grimace. Madara would never forgive Tobirama for what he’d done to Izuna. Not when Izuna still felt slight stabs in his side and still wasn’t cleared for higher-level missions. 

Even after the slight stab of pain, Izuna was grinning. “Good luck with your paperwork.” It sounded slightly vindictive and Madara couldn’t understand why. “See you.” He gave a slight wave, another laugh, and he walked out of the room. Probably back to the office he had to deal with the guard and mission distribution. 

Tobirama loved Uzushio it was peaceful in a way that Konoha never managed. It wasn’t that it wasn’t loud. One Uzumaki alone made at least three times as much noise as the entire Aburame clan and their bugs together. It wasn’t because the country itself was quiet. The waves and the wind made for louder background noise than the forest and the fires that dominated Konoha. There wasn’t less chakra beating against his senses than in Konoha. Everyone in Uzu seemed to have as much chakra as his brother or Madara, in Uzu they didn’t even try to reign it in. There were still arguments and they were also explosive. It was just more friendly. The arguments were like the arguments between siblings. There was no hate or fear. They solved themselves within hours if not minutes and the worst that was left was a sulk. The chakra wasn’t as oppressive and it didn’t leave a burning or stabbing sensation in his own chakra. It didn’t convey hate or fear. The people here were happy without the caution that still haunted Konoha. Maybe in a few years, Konoha would be like this, maybe not as lively, but maybe as peaceful. The other thing that Tobirama loved about Uzushio was the sea. The water seemed to calm and soothe him in a way the forest never could. He gladly stayed in the forest for his brother but it never was a part of him like the rivers, the lakes, and the sea. It would never answer his call and it would never soothe his worries. It wouldn’t help and love him like Uzushio itself did. Here not only was there peace, but Tobirama could feel it. Feel it in his chakra, blood, heart, and soul. It warmed him down to his bones. 

“Come see my father.” Mito said pulling Tobirama along with her without touching him. “We can have lunch and then someone will take you to your rooms.” When she saw Tobirama’s shoulders lower and then tenseness leave his frame and eyes, she smiled. “Things will be fine.” 

A nod and a slight smile were all Tobirama gave her in return. “We should go see your father, you were worried.”

Mito gave a sharp smile that would unsettle Tobirama if he hadn’t seen her soft smile before now. “Yes, I’ve been worried about my family for quite some time now.

Two days. That was how long it took for Hashirama’s desk to completely overflow. That was how long it took for them to find out that all the plans they had needed Tobirama for to be properly executed or designed. There were ideas but no actual plans. Tobirama left half-finished notes and they could use that somewhat but it wasn’t enough. Two days was all it took for serious fights to break out. Fights that had been prevented or quilled by people’s fear of Tobirama and not a desire for peace. Now Tobirama wasn’t here they didn’t fear the consequences because there weren’t any consequences. Every time someone called Tobirama too hard, ruthless, or cold, they didn’t see the necessity of it. Whenever someone called Tobirama a workaholic they didn’t see that that was the only thing that kept the village from collapsing. Madara had never realized how much their peace depended on the one person he thought to be the biggest threat to it. He realized that for all that Hashirama and Madara had dreamed up the village, Tobirama was the one that actually made it. Or at the very least the one that kept it standing. 

“Hashirama.” Madara wasn’t sure how he would have this conversation. “We might need to send someone after Tobirama. It’s been two days they haven’t reached Uzuoshi yet.” 

Touka who had been standing in the corner of the room laughed in his face. “You think there’s anyone who can keep up with Tobirama and Mito? Better yet, do you think someone can catch up with them when they have a two-day head start? And do you even know if it is a two-day head start?”

“They weren’t here two days ago, so it’s a two-day head start.” Madara said frustrated.

“But were they here the day before that?” Touka said with a wolfish grin. “Are you sure of that?”

Madara didn’t make a habit of tracking down the younger Senju unless he needed him which he didn’t very often. He usually got what he needed delivered to his desk before he knew he needed it. A slight feeling of guilt settled in Madara’s gut when he realized Tobirama had done that. Tobirama had made everyone’s job easier and no one noticed or if they noticed they didn’t thank him for it. They either thought he was supposed to do it, which was only true in a few cases, or that he should do it because he was the demon, which was unfair. Madara wasn’t one to lie to himself and say that he hadn’t been in the second category when he noticed. But mostly he just didn’t notice. Or at the very least he didn’t notice how much Tobirama did. Madara grimaced and stomped the guilty feeling down mercilessly. It was only justified everyone was wary and Tobirama had a lot to make up for. 

“If Tobirama and Mito hurry they might almost be there either way.” Touka still had that grin on her face. “What are you going to do now you don’t have Tobi to fix your problems?”

“I’ll write a letter to Mito and explain that Tobi had his duties to the village and can’t just take a holiday because he feels like it.” Hashirama replied, confident in the knowledge that Tobirama would at least do his duty. 

Touka barked a laugh. “Let me know how that turns out.” 

Even Madara felt slightly uncomfortable with the thought. Mito was usually the more sensible one in the marriage if she thought something was wrong then maybe something was wrong. He ignored the voice that said that he would be truly pissed if someone treated Izuna the way the village treated Tobirama. He also ignored the voice that said that if he had been in Tobirama’s shoes he would’ve left earlier. He also pushed away the thought that that might’ve even been the reason people treated him like that. What he told himself was that if Mito thought Hashirama’s treatment of Tobirama was wrong it was probably because it was pissing of Tobirama and pissing of the demon was never a good idea. “When can you expect a reply back?”

“If I send it today it will be in Uzushio tomorrow night or early morning the day after. We’ll have a letter back within a day and Tobirama shouldn’t be that much later.” He shrugged. “I’ll start writing, the sooner it’s sent the sooner Tobirama can take up his duties again.”

Madara ignored the nagging feeling that if this was someone else he’d be upset at how Hashirama disregarded the person’s wellbeing. But he didn’t because this wasn’t someone else.

Mito looked at the letter with absolute contempt. There was no reason to inform Tobirama of the existence of this monstrosity. It sounded more like Hashirama wanted Mito to return a toy than that he was asking if his brother could return home. There were no ‘I miss him’s or even ‘we need him’s. No, it was written down as a duty to Konoha and the Senju. A duty Tobirama apparently had to his brother. A duty Mito thought he might’ve had if Hashirama had actually treated his brother as a brother. But for now, she was perfectly content ignoring the letter. 

“Mito darling, bad news?”

“Nothing unexpected.” She wanted to snarl but he father had done nothing to deserve such a reaction. Her father had been perfectly willing to play along with her ruse of needing someone as support because his health was weak. She might’ve told Hashirama why she left but she wasn’t going to inform Tobirama this was for his wellbeing. Tobirama would run faster than even his haraishin could go. 

“That in itself is bad news.” Her father sighed. “Hashirama seemed like a lovely boy when he came here. Caring, idealistic.”

Mito nodded noncommittally. 

“You were smitten and everyone understood.” Her father looked weary. “Uzushio never liked him.”

This was news to Mito. She knew the island didn’t like him in the way it had taken a shine to Tobirama but she’d never realized it actively disliked Hashirama. She should’ve realized. A lot of the more sensitive elders didn’t seem to be that fond of Hashirama while they always seemed taken with Tobirama. She’d written it down to Hashirama being a bit much. But now she wondered. If she hadn’t been so smitten. Would she have seen it earlier? Uzumaki very rarely thought someone was too much. If anything they should’ve disliked Tobirama for being so reserved. 

“We all thought it was because he would never be a sea child. He would always be a child of the earth and the forest. Tobirama…”

“Tobirama is closer to the sea than even most of us are.” She added. She’d seen the way the island called to Tobirama and she’d seen the way Tobirama answered. The way his chakra sang soothing songs to calm the seas and the way the sea guided him to the shore. 

“He’s one of ours even if he wasn’t born one.”

Mito sighed. “If Hashirama actually tries to act like a decent person, should we let Tobirama go back?”

“I’m not sure Uzu will let him. She sees how he hurt and she cried for him. She’s not going to let him go without a good reason. She doesn’t let go what’s hers.”

All Mito could do was nod. Every Uzumaki was called back to the island. Every Uzumaki felt the draw of the sea. Tobirama had only been allowed to leave because he had family on the mainland and even then Mito wasn’t sure Tobirama’s heart ever left.

Even with Tobirama’s work divided between different departments and different people it still went slow. Tobirama’s efficiency was something Madara knew about but he hadn’t realized exactly how efficient the younger Senju had been. Now he was digging through the papers in drawers in the Senju’s desk in a desperate attempt to find something that could help him with the ranking system that had been suggested. Created by Tobirama he’d realized recently. 

“Found something?” Izuna was leaning against the doorframe. 

“I’m sure you know where to look.” Madara answered frustrated. The only two people in the entire village who hadn’t walked into any problems were Izuna and Touka. “Do you have a problem?”

Izuna gave a cat got the canary smile. “Just seeing how you are doing. You don’t spend a lot of time at home.” 

“Well, I’ve been busy.” Madara didn’t need to say why. “You are probably the only one outside of Touka who doesn’t walk into problems every hour of every day.”

“That’s because we don’t let Tobirama do our job.” Izuna still had that way too content smile. “If everyone did their own job the world wouldn’t collapse the moment Tobirama goes away for a couple of days.”

“It’s been two weeks now.”

“If I went away for two weeks the village wouldn’t implode.” Izuna sighed. “What are you looking for?”

“The ranking system.”

“He filed that weeks ago. Look at the file room.” Izuna turned before changing his mind. “I forgot to say, I’ve been cleared for normal duties so I’ll be on a mission with Touka for the next week or so.” 

Madara spluttered. “Why didn’t you tell me!” His volume rose quite a bit but Madara didn’t care. He was supposed to be the first to know, after Izuna that is. But he realized, he’d missed his brother’s last check-up. “I’m sorry for missing your doctor’s appointment.”

“Not a big deal.” He waved it away. “You’ve been busy and if it wasn’t for Tobirama taking over a lot of both your and my job you wouldn’t even have been able to go to the first few.”

For the first time, Madara felt grateful for what the Senju had done. He didn’t know if it was because Izuna was better now or because he finally realized how much he’d done. But he felt grateful either way.

Tobirama hadn’t felt so at peace in what felt like ages. He realized soon enough that Mito’s father wasn’t as sick as she’d implied. Tobirama knew that he should go back to the village, take back his duties, but he knew it was a lost cause. Mito wouldn’t let him got back even if he wanted. He could still leave, it wasn’t like anyone could stop him. But he clung onto every excuse he could find to stay. Even the weak excuse that Mito’s father needed Mito and that Mito needed a bodyguard. Or a slightly stronger excuse that Mito wouldn’t let him leave. He’d known it was a lie within two days of his stay. He’d known and he hadn’t really cared after the initial discomfort passed.

Uzushio was beautiful and the people were nice. The streets seemed to gleam in the rain and even without it. The streets themselves seemed alive even after all the people left. The best part was that no one was afraid of Tobirama. Children winded around his legs and demanded help with everything from seals to history. The parents just laughed and seemed to appreciate the free babysit. He was asked to help with managing the village and he realized the people here were just trying to integrate him into his new home. Tobirama found it hard to resist. It wasn’t like anyone wanted him in Konoha. When did Konoha stop being home? Was it ever? 

“Tobirama-sensei!” A ten-year-old boy ran up to him. “Show me the seal for silence again.”

Tobirama felt himself smiling. “Your sister keeping you awake again?” He’d started teaching these kids on a set time and any time outside of that when they felt like it. 

“She’s always crying!” The boy whined. “Why?”

“She’s teething, it hurts.” But Tobirama bowed down obligingly and showed him how to make the seal. He smiled again when the boy thanked him and ran off.

“Do you ever take a break?” Mito was standing a bit away. 

“When I need to.” 

“And when you want to?” Mito smiled at Tobirama’s blank stare. “Walk with me.” 

It was easy to follow. The wind and the smell of the sea made every walk on the coast pleasant. 

“I know you know we’re not here for my father.” Mito said without delay. She knew that was how Tobirama liked it and she wanted to prevent frustrating him. She needed him n her side for this conversation.

“I know there is a reason you want me away from Konoha.” He wasn’t sure what the reason was but he knew she wanted him away from there. She was smart it probably was a good reason. 

“There is. It’s for your wellbeing.”

That had Tobirama stop in his track. His wellbeing wasn’t a good reason. “Mito…”

“Before you say anything. In the last twenty-four hours, how did the development of that new jutsu go?”

“Good.” Tobirama wasn’t stupid, he could see where this was going. 

“Better than in the last year?”

“Yes. But Mito, the jutsu doesn’t take priority. I understand it’s important but not important…”

“You work better when you’re well-rested, happy, healthy. You enjoy working on jutsu more than working on Hashirama’s paperwork. You are actually enjoying yourself here.” Mito frowned. “In Konoha, you barely had time to do things you liked. I’m not sure you even knew what you liked other than jutsu development.”

“I like working with children.”

“We can set you up with a more permanent teacher position.” She gave a soft smile now. “You don’t need to let go of the things you like just to be useful. Things you like also don’t have to be useful.”

Tobirama had always picked his hobbies on what was also useful. He always prioritized the most important things to less important things. He just had things that were useful and he learned to like. Or things he liked that he twisted until they were useful. He liked experimenting and when his father asked he told him he worked on a new jutsu. The jutsu creation only became a thing after that. Then he turned his experiments to destructive or useful for stealth missions. The first experiments were just because they were fun. He liked children and loved to read Itama and Kawarama stories, eventually, the stories turned into histories, then it turned to teaching. Because he would never get time to just read children stories. 

“Come, I want to show you something.” 

What could Tobirama do but follow? He followed Mito until they reached the fourth floor of a tower Tobirama had only seen from a distance. When she opened the door he was astounded. The walls were covered in waves of water and fire, the flames and waves turned to birds, and the birds melted into a golden blue sky. It was gorgeous.

“I made this about three months before I married Hashirama. A friend said that it showed that freedom came no matter the origins. The wind is always free but so are water and fire. The only thing ever chaining someone down are roots. Earth is a cage and so are Hashirama’s trees. There is no reason for you to be caged, otouto. You’re the sea and the rivers and you’re meant to be free. Meant to be happy.”

“Anija needs me, the village needs me.” At least that’s what Tobirama liked to tell himself. “The trees are protection for a lot of people.”

“Yes. They need you. You don’t need them. Trees drain water and never give back. When Hashirama is ready to give back I’ll allow you to return.”

Tobirama was aware of how much the allowing meant. “Until then?”

“You make a home. You play with children. Find hobbies just for you. Things you like.”

“This can’t go on like this.” Madara had reached screaming volume about halfway through the conversation and he hadn’t let up since.

Hashirama dropped in a sulk, again, because of how he couldn’t take care of the village. He’d told Madara about the letters he’d sent to Mito and the one letter he’d sent to Tobirama. But Mito had answered all of them with some variation of no, stop being an asshole, and fix your own problems for once. 

“Clearly those letters don’t work!” The sound was somewhere between a scream and a growl. Madara had seen all that Tobirama had done for the village and he realized that he might’ve misjudged the Senju. He might’ve judged him as an enemy and while he re-evaluated everyone else, he’d stuck with the image of the younger. The guy was still an emotionless block of ice but he wasn’t against peace and he probably wasn’t a danger to the people. He did ignore the voice in his head that told him that maybe Hashirama’s treatment was to blame for Tobirama’s aloofness. 

Hashirama didn’t get out of his sulk and kept crying that there was nothing he could do. 

“We send someone to get him back. Mito might disagree but so far your brother hasn’t responded negatively.” Madara didn’t say it was because Tobirama probably never got the letters. “His sense of duty will bring him back when he actually gets the message.” And that was something Madara had realized quite fast. The albino had an admirable sense of duty. A sense to protect his people no matter the cost. What worried Madara was that he wasn’t sure if all the village counted as his people to Tobirama. The village sure hadn’t treated Tobirama as one of theirs. Why would Tobirama count them as one of his? 

“Who can we send?” Hashirama had perked up at the promise of a plan. 

Madara’s first thought was Touka but he discarded it quickly. Touka would be able to convince Tobirama to come back but Touka wouldn’t bother trying. She believed they treated Tobirama wrong even more than Mito did. His second thought he discarded out of protectiveness for his brother. While Izuna was getting rather close to Tobirama he might even be able to bring him back. Izuna was better at following orders and would probably bring Tobirama back… if he could convince him. But Madara didn’t want Izuna close to Tobirama without supervision. Madara went through the people that could convince Tobirama to do something he didn’t want. He didn’t get many names and everyone else would be useless. If Tobirama or Mito were really against it the people might return in a worse state than they left. Someone who could deal with both Mito and Tobirama. Hashirama would be a good thought if Madara didn’t believe that Mito would ignore him and that the village needed him. That left… “I’ll go.”

“But…” Hashirama was clearly preparing to go in a sulk again.

“The best idea I can come up with.” He glanced at Hashirama. “Or do you know someone better?”

It took minutes before Hashirama shook his head. He didn’t look happy but he saw that Madara was the best option. “We need you.” He said after a while.

“We also need Tobirama. Probably more than you need me.” And didn’t that sting. “I can plan and relegate my work. I had my eye on some Nara for a while and Izuna, Hikaku, and Touka can take over sensitive information.”

Hashirama nodded once more. “Be careful.”

Madara couldn’t help but laugh at that. No one had told him to be careful in ages. He didn’t need to. He bid Hashirama a short goodbye and started packing and organizing things for his leave.

Tobirama had never seen how much painting seals was like painting landscapes and people. The first few paintings he made were just black lines that vaguely represented a place or a person. Then Mito gave him colour and it took him weeks to make those colours do what he wanted. He eventually turned to watercolour which was more water than colour. His paintings were soaked and the colour was light enough to be near invisible. But he learned how to mix to get the colours he wanted and he learned how to draw the lines properly. He was nothing if not a perfectionist. He might’ve spent years trying to get as good at sealing as he was but he could translate the skills. The precision he had while training with chakra or kunai could also be translated. Now he was at a point that his paintings looked somewhat recognizable. 

“It looks wonderful. Are those the cliffs near the east whirlpools?” Mito’s father had taken to talking to Tobirama. 

It wasn’t like Tobirama could only be alone, but he did prefer it now and then. It wasn’t like he hated people. He just sometimes wanted to be alone while Uzumaki preferred to be together. He loved the Uzumaki with all his heart but he sometimes missed Konoha. The sturdiness of the Akamichi’s chakra. The peace and the calm of the Nara. The way they felt was like rest and safety. The organized chaos that were the Hatake. The warmth of the Uchiha. The million different lights of his own clan. In a way, all these people were home. It still hurt that none of these people wanted him in theirs. So for all that it felt like home, it wasn’t. His home was with the waves of Uzushio, the brashness of its people, the light and warm welcome of everything here. He might miss a home he never had.

“You’re brooding. Want to talk?”

Did he? “I’m thinking about Konoha.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes.” Sometimes he missed all the things he built and sometimes he missed all it could be. Sometimes he missed a place that was home and wasn’t. Sometimes he still reached to feel its chakra. Sometimes when he was cold or lonely. When he felt the ground crumble beneath him and he needed some steadiness. When he felt as captured by the waves as set free. 

“The people or the place?”  

“All of it. But mostly the possibilities.”

“Spoken like a true scientist.” He laughed. “Do you want to go back?”

He missed Konoha. But did he want to go back? Go back to how all the good things tended to cut him no matter how he tried. He still might. If there was one more person, only one, that wanted him back. Truly wanted him back. Not for what he did but for who he was. “Maybe.”

Madara looked horrified at the water blocking his way to Uzushio. He should’ve taken this into account. He was a fire user for the goddesses sake. He didn’t like water. A tiny voice told him that he had disliked Tobirama because he had a water nature. He took a deep breath. There was supposed to be a boat somewhere around here. All he had to do was find it and get to Uzushio. Then all he had to do was convince Tobirama to come back. He had to convince if he didn’t want to start an outright war. He walked around some more and spotted a boat.

“You want to get to Uzushio?” The man asked with a smirk. “A fire user?”

“Yes.” Madara swallowed. He didn’t want to get on a boat. He didn’t have much experience with them but they looked rather fragile and the water looked… dangerous. 

The man laughed. “I’m Satoshi. I’ll get you to Uzushio in one piece. You’re not the first fire user I ferried.” He smirked. “Even though Uzushio doesn’t seem to like them.”

“The people don’t like them?” Madara puffed up. “That seems rather racist.”

The man seemed to find Madara’s response hilarious. “Not the people, the island.”

“The…” Madara shook his head, people were allowed to be superstitious and this wasn’t the weirdest he’d heard. He couldn’t really reply when the waves made him nauseous. If the ferryman was right, and Madara wasn’t sure about that, the island indeed hated him. The waves hadn’t been that bad when he’d gotten on the boat. But who knew how often water changed. He just clung to the boat as if his life depended on it, it might, and prayed it would be over soon. He thanked the goddesses when he finally set foot on shore. He thanked the man and walked towards the guards. He’d sent a letter in advance and he hoped that the people weren’t as unfriendly as the water.

Tobirama gasped when he felt the unmistakable feeling of Madara’s chakra. He wanted to run. Damn, he must’ve messed up terribly for Madara to come all the way here.

“Is the Uchiha head here?” Mito’s father asked amused. “He said he would come.”

“Why?” Tobirama knew he had little right to ask for this but he was curious and slightly apprehensive.

“They want you back in the village. Mito isn’t really keen on the idea but we’ll see what he has to say. We after all made a promise for some sort of cooperation with Konoha. So at the very least, we have to hear him out.” The man studied Tobirama. “You don’t have to be there and you most definitely don’t have to go back. You’re one of us now. More than your use we want you to be happy. If you think you can be in Konoha, you’re free to go. With the promise of course that you’ll visit. If you are happy ere you’re more than free to stay.”

“Anija needs me. He wouldn’t have sent Madara if he didn’t need me.” Tobirama felt slightly warm. He didn’t know when it became so important to him to be needed. Probably around the same time he realized he wouldn’t be loved. 

“They can solve their own problems. And if they can’t that’s their problem. Not yours.”

Tobirama moved to protest when his new leader held up a hand. 

“You deserve to be loved. If they can’t love you they don’t get to use you.”

“But I love Anija.”

“Yes, I know. But you have to show him something important. He has to learn that he needs to appreciate what he has. Be grateful for what he has. If he can’t he doesn’t deserve it. Can you imagine him treating anyone else in the village like this?”

Tobirama didn’t bother answering. He knew it wasn’t necessary. No person in Konoha deserved to be unloved. He always had been an exception.

“He needs to learn that as a leader. You love and care for your people, especially if they work for you. Stay here until you can be loved in the village.” He sighed. “Now, I have a meeting. I’m going to change the conditions for your going. You can join if you can promise me that you won’t get swayed by pretty words or demands.”

It wasn’t necessary to say that Tobirama didn’t join the meeting.

Madara was fuming. Not only was he denied the right to take Tobirama back with him, which was ridiculous Tobirama was a Konoha civilian. He also was denied the opportunity to have a formal audience with Tobirama present. Not one to be denied anything Madara decided to just find Tobirama and convince him in an informal conversation. After that, he will leave the notification of him leaving to him. His train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt when he actually found Tobirama.

Tobirama was sitting on the ground with a group of seven children surrounding him. All Uzumaki if the red hair meant anything. He was clearly trying to explain something to them. He gave a gentle smile when one of the children asked him a question. Overall he looked more at ease than Madara had ever seen him in Konoha. 

But Madara knew this was his chance to actually have a conversation with Tobirama. Even if he wanted to watch this a bit more. He couldn’t believe how wonderful Tobirama looked when he wasn’t trying to be a living statue. He took a deep breath and approached them. Even as he felt guilty for interrupting the lesson and the inevitable situation where he brought Tobirama back home. He squashed the silent question if he brought Tobirama to Madara’s or Tobirama’s home. “Tobirama, can we have a word?” It probably was the first time Madara had called him Tobirama and judging by the surprised expression Tobirama had noticed it. It also was a question and not an order like almost every sentence towards the Senju had been before. Almost because there had also been a decent amount of slurs and insults. 

It took a few seconds, and a lot of protests from the children, before Tobirama dismissed his class with the promise of continuing the lesson this evening. The children pouted in response and seemed to have a quick conversation, but left either way. All except one.

“Mito-sama says we shouldn’t leave Tobirama-sensei with people who are not family.”

That was something Madara hadn’t but should’ve, seen coming. Not quite used to being stopped by a child of probably not yet seven, he just stood there in confusion for a bit. 

“Yura, it’s fine.” Tobirama ruffled the boy’s hair and gave him a gentle push towards the end of the street.

The boy, Yura, defiantly ignored the order. “No.”

“Didn’t we agree that it was better for everyone’s safety if you followed orders?”

“But you also said we should always think about orders and always act in the best interest of everyone involved. That older people are not always right.”

Tobirama gave another one of those soft smiles. “I did. But don’t you think it’s in everyone’s best interest if you just let Uchiha-sama and me talk?”

“No.” The child protested. 

“Why not?”

“Because Mito-sama said so.”

“But I told you to think about your orders, especially when you have two contradicting ones.” 

The boy pouted. “But Mito-sama is the princess. You said she outranks you. Shouldn’t we follow orders of higher-up people first?”

Madara would be impressed with the kid’s ability to argue if it wasn’t for the fact that in a way the kid was arguing against him. 

“That is very smart of you to say.” Tobirama conceded. “but Mito-sama said people who are not family, right?”

The boy nodded.

“Uchiha-sama is from Konoha, I’m from Konoha. When Konoha was created it was with the intention that everyone could see each other as family. So in a way, Uchiha-sama is family.”

Any other day Madara would’ve protested this. But Tobirama’s words were true. Konoha was supposed to be one big family. Guilt was eating at his gut when he realized they’d never treated Tobirama as family. Not even Hashirama and they were family.

“Uchiha-sama would be terrible family if that was true.” Mito strode towards them with three children in tow. Three children had obviously brought her here when they saw that Madara tried to talk to Tobirama.

“Mito-san.” Madara gritted through clenched teeth. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“Neither was I expecting you here after we’ve very firmly suggested that you stay away from Tobirama.”

“I’ve never been one to follow stupid suggestions.”

Mito glared. “So I’ve noticed.” She then turned to Tobirama with a softer expression. “I believe you still have children to teach. I’m sure the beach is free.”

For a short moment, it looked like Tobirama would protest. But then he nodded and beckoned the children to follow him.

Madara had never noticed how easily Tobirama followed orders. He argued with Hashirama often enough but when Hashirama ordered something Tobirama did it. If Tobirama just followed orders, was he even to blame for all the deaths? Was it fair to blame him for being good at what he did? Madara had given enough orders to kill and Madara had killed himself. Didn’t Madara have more blood on his hands?

“I thought I told you to leave him alone.” Mito hissed.

“You suggested it and I ignored the suggestion. I think Tobirama should have a say in this. If Hashirama doesn’t get to order Tobirama around then neither do you.” 

“Fine, talk to Tobirama. Not now, he’s teaching and those children will make your life hell. On the other hand, yes, interrupt him now.” She gave a vicious grin. 

Seeing as Madara wanted to live, he decided to heed this warning. Let’s not disturb the lesson, again.

Tobirama knew that Madara would find him soon. He knew that Madara had somehow convinced Mito that he could talk to Tobirama. The soft sand of the beach and the feeling of the small waves that spread around his ankles gave him a smidgen of comfort to face the coming conversation. The least he could do is find a comforting place for this conversation. A place where he might find the strength to say no when Madara demanded him to come home. A place where Uzushio’s will was strongest. And Tobirama knew the island didn’t want to let him go. 

“Tobirama.” Madara was standing a bit away. Not quite close enough to touch but close enough to have a quiet conversation. For as far as any conversation with Madara was quiet.

“Uchiha-sama.”

“Madara.” Madara visibly swallowed. “Madara is fine. There are too many Uchiha in Konoha, it’ll be confusing when you go back.”

“Go back?” He knew that was what Madara wanted but he felt a lurching in his gut that wasn’t just his own. A stronger desire to stay than he could ever feel for himself.

“Your brother misses you.” It was clear Madara knew this was a lie as much as Tobirama knew it. Hashirama didn’t miss Tobirama, Hashirama missed a solution for his problems. “The village needs you.” That at least was true.

“Why should it matter to me?” The words weren’t Tobirama’s. It was like how some legends spoke of Uzushio speaking for and through people. Not just legends, there were some elders who’d experienced it. Tobirama was well aware of why he should care even if Uzushio wasn’t. Because he cared for his family, however much they feared him. Because he cared for any project he’d built. And the village was a project. He spent so much time and effort on it and it made people happy. That was why he should care. He knew there was no point conveying this to Madara.

Madara frowned. For a few moments there had been something off about Tobirama’s voice and eyes. His eyes had glazed over with a blueish hue and his voice rose about an octave. He sounded more dangerous than he’d ever sounded on the battlefield. The words of the ferryman came back to him. ‘Uzushio doesn’t like fire users’. Mito’s words later came back to him. ‘Even if you can convince him, convincing Uzushio is going to take some effort. I’m not going back until Tobirama is and Tobirama isn’t going back until Uzushio allows it.’ He heard the island in Tobirama’s voice and he felt fear. How does one fight an island? An island that doesn’t like you and apparently likes the person you have to convince to come back? 

“I shouldn’t have said that.” 

Madara wasn’t to scream reasons but even he had a hard time finding a reason for Tobirama to come back. How could he when he’d seen how relaxed and happy Tobirama was here? When even he could see how much more of a human. A human that was probably mostly forced aside to serve people who feared him for it. How could he take someone away from something like that? “Will you come back if I find you a reason within a moon?” He didn’t know why he asked, he just knew that Tobirama deserved to have a reason Deserved to have something that kept him happy. He also didn’t know why he made a bet he knew he was going to lose. 

The first few days Madara watched. He watched what Tobirama thought important, what he liked and disliked about Uzushio. He watched what he could offer the younger Senju and with every day he saw how little there was. What he also saw was how much there was to Tobirama. He saw how Tobirama was smart and caring. How he protected his own. He saw how Tobirama could get lost in projects for days. Later he learned that some of those projects were an attempt to learn how to paint. He silently wondered where Uzushio got their paint. It sure as hell wasn’t made here. He saw how Tobirama lightened incense for his brothers every day. He saw him teaching and even just reading stories. He saw him create a bomb that just spread glitters around when one of his more mischievous students asked for one. He saw and he liked and he knew that Konoha had almost broken this man. 

“Uchiha-sama?” A girl, Miku, asked carefully. She was one of Tobirama’s many students. 

“Yes?”

“Why are you always watching Tobirama-sensei?” The innocence in this question was something Madara and Hashirama had tried to preserve in children when they made the village.

“I’m trying to get to know him. What he likes and dislikes.” Madara wouldn’t explain to this child why. He would only get in trouble for it.

“For his birthday present?” She asked innocently. Then she clapped her hands together. “We’re going to make a cake.” She sounded convinced that that was something Tobirama wanted. “We wanted to give him a book, he really likes books.” She continued solemnly. “But he has sooo many books. We didn’t know which books he already had.”

Madara laughed. “I know.” He already had known that even before Tobirama had left. “I’m not sure however about the exact day his birthday is.” He looked thoughtful. “I know it’s almost.”

“It’s Friday, silly.” She said. “What are you going to give him?” 

What? His thoughts travelled back to books. He knew one Tobirama most definitely didn’t have. It might be third hand but Tobirama might like it nonetheless. One of the elders had given it to him in an attempt to get him some hobbies to calm him down. A book about the Uchiha art histories with some descriptions on how to best paint them. It wasn’t valuable enough that he couldn’t give it away, but it was valuable enough that it would be a good gift. “A book.”

“Really? What kind of book?”

“Sssh.” He said conspiratorially. “It’s a secret.”

She clapped her hands in delight. “I won’t say anything.”

Madara couldn’t help but smile. He could love these kids. 

When Tobirama had given Madara a moon he thought that the Uchiha would throw things in his face every ten minutes in an attempt to get him to agree to come back. He hadn’t expected the stalking. Knowing Madara he should’ve expected it. Madara was less like his brother than Tobirama gave him credit for. So when Madara studied Tobirama, Tobirama studied Madara.

Madara was soft beneath those hard edges. He easily got along with the children. He helped out elderly people on the streets and he talked easily with the civilians. He was also smart. Whereas Hashirama wasn’t a strategist and didn’t like thinking ahead, Madara planned. They played shogi a couple of times and it was an interesting experience. Madara also saw truth where Hashirama saw possibilities. Madara was a lot more realistic. And Madara saw so much. He saw into the heart of people and knew what they wanted and needed. Tobirama knew Madara could twist people to do his bidding but Madara didn’t. Madara didn’t hurt when not needed. He was, when he wasn’t being a sneaky shit, also painfully honest. That was a trait that in Hashirama, Tobirama had both admired and despised. Madara was a good warrior, protective of those he cared for. He didn’t mind killing to protect them and he didn’t mind talking if it got him better results. Madara was someone Tobirama could both admire and love. Madara was also someone that, for as far as Tobirama knew, despised him.

“You look like you’re deep in thought.” Mito wouldn’t lower herself on the sandy beach and just waited for Tobirama to get up and join her on her walk. “What about?”

“Madara.”

“Is he bothering you?”

Tobirama almost said yes. Because Madara was haunting his thoughts and didn’t seem to be able to leave them even when he was gone. Tobirama’s last few paintings had been of Madara before he had shredded them and thrown them with the waste. “No.” Because this wasn’t something that Madara did. Not really.

For a few moments, they walked in silence. “What were you thinking about then?”

“How, if Uzushio had liked him, he would’ve fit in here.” 

Mito stopped in her tracks. “Fit in here?”

“Do you find that strange?” Tobirama looked at how two Uzumaki were loudly boasting about their spar. A spar that had nearly destroyed the east side of the city. They were all loud and honest, just like Madara. They were all passionate, just like Madara. They all valued family, like Madara. Most of them were quick-tempered, like Madara. Most couldn’t hold a grudge, like Madara. 

Mito hummed. “Maybe you’re right. But Uzushio hates him.”

Now it was Tobirama’s turn to hum. “Not as much as when he came here.”

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s hate anymore. Wariness. Like how a jungle cat looks at a snake. Knowing it can take care of it but not sure how it’s going to attack and if it’s going to attack.”

Mito hummed again. “We’ll see. How much longer?”

“About two weeks.” 

“We’ll see where this leads then.” She hesitated for a moment more. “Tobira,” She waited until he looked at her. “don’t let him break your heart.”

If the beginning of his stay in Uzushio was anything like Tobirama’s stay in Konoha, Madara would’ve run too. Madara might’ve even burned the entire place down before running. It got better… slowly. Most of it seemed to be because Tobirama wasn’t outright antagonistic and because Mito seemed to tolerate his presence. So now he was standing here, in front of the apartment they gave Tobirama. 

“Madara?” Tobirama opened the door after two knocks. He wasn’t surprised it was Madara in front of the door but he seemed surprised that Madara was here at all.

“Hi.” Madara hated how it sounded like he was unsure about his welcome. Not that he was sure about his welcome but he didn’t want Tobirama to know that. “Miku said she would make a cake so I brought you a present.” That came out wrong… 

Tobirama laughed. “Come in, Miku will be glad someone is willing to eat her cake.” 

 Madara would never admit he almost melted when he heard that laugh but he could recognize the signs. Damn. He'd fallen for Tobirama. And he wanted what was best for Tobirama and that meant he was going to fail in his mission. He was doomed. “That sounds ominous.”

“I think it wouldn’t have been a bad cake if she hadn’t wanted to add colour.” Tobirama still looked as if he wanted to laugh.

“Colour?”

“Yes.” He looked very amused. “She used red, yellow, and green.” 

He’d seen Uchiha children use weirder colours. He remembered one cake that Tetsu had made. It had been a horrifying pink.

“Well, you promised to eat it.” Tobirama shrugged and called Miku to hand Madara a piece of cake.

It looked… strange. Not the bright neon colours of glazing. It had specks of green through it. There were specks of red as well. The entire cake seemed to have a yellowish tint. It tasted… terrible. It took all Madara’s practice as a ninja to smile at Miku and say it was nice. Judging by the smirks all the adults in the room knew it was a lie. 

“I’ll get you a drink.” Tobirama still looked way too amused.

“I’ll help.”

“Don’t keep it in your mouth, swallow, and rinse with water.” Tobirama said helpfully handing him a cup. “She used chives for the green, chili for the red, and curry for the yellow.” Tobirama then informed him.

“She shouldn’t be let anywhere near a kitchen.” Madara moaned in response. “This is terrible.”

Tobirama hummed in response. 

When Madara got some of the taste out he hurriedly grabbed the hastily wrapped book and trust it at Tobirama. “A birthday gift.”

“I thought you were kidding when you said you brought a gift.” 

“Of course not.” Madara huffed indignantly before turning eager as a child on his birthday. “Open it.”

“You know half of Uzushio will try to kill you if it blows up in my face.”

Madara huffed again. “It won’t blow up. Do you want me to unwrap it?” He reached for the package.

“No, I’m fine.” Tobirama pulled it back and carefully started removing the wrapping.

“Just tear it off damnit.” Madara once more reached to grab the package.

“No cursing.” That was the only response he got. Apparently, there was no need to hurry. Tobirama eventually finished and looked at the book. 

“I thought you might like it.” Suddenly Madara wasn’t so sure about his choice anymore. What if he’d picked wrong?

Tobirama turned around and hugged him. “Thank you.” Then he seemed to realize what he’d done and pulled away with a blush.

Madara was quite certain he too had a blush on his face. “Thank… you’re welcome.” He hastily corrected before he could thank Tobirama for the hug. Then he decided to get his courage together and hope he wasn’t making a stupid mistake. He hugged Tobirama and patiently waited for Tobirama to hug him back. 

“Thank you.” Tobirama whispered again.

“Pure self-interest,” Madara said without letting go. “I like holding you like this.”

Tobirama huffed but didn’t pull away.

The next days were a mix between wonder and horror, and Tobirama knew he was handling it badly. He didn’t want to leave Uzushio but he wanted Madara. For the love of all the gods and goddesses, he wanted Madara. He had promised, if only to himself, that he would return to Konoha if only one more person wanted him for being him. Now he wasn’t sure he regretted the promise. There was apprehension in having to return to Konoha. After he tasted paradise, how could he go back? But Madara had won their deal. Madara had shown him something he could only have in Konoha. Only in Konoha could he have Madara and it burned more than the hottest flames Madara could conjure. How could he let go? 

“Tobi, darling, what’s wrong?” Madara’s voice was uncharacteristically soft as he held Tobirama in his arms.

He had so much to lose here in Uzushio. He had students, people who cared for him, spare time, a chance at happiness. But didn’t he have people who cared back in Konoha? He had Touka and Izuna. And now, now, he had Madara. With Madara, didn’t he have a chance at happiness? He could get students… probably. Madara had told him that his plans for a school were being implemented. A bit. There were still a lot of problems but there was some progress. Spare time… Madara had promised that he wouldn’t have to do everyone’s work anymore. That he would have a normal workload. That things would be better or that he would bash Hashirama’s brain in. Not just Hashirama’s, Madara had promised to burn every problem to a crisp. But it was said as a joke. It was said in such a way that Madara regretted taking him back to Konoha. The way he had apologized in the end. 

“Tobira, love?” Madara sounded downright worried now. “Tell me what’s going on in that big head of yours.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Love.”

“The future.”

Madara gave a short laugh. “You’re not one to sit and think about the future. You’re one to fix it to make sure it ends how you want it. That you’re not doing anything now means that it’s out of your hands.” He looked thoughtful. “How can I help?”

“What will happen back in Konoha?”

“Nothing you don’t want to. You’re only a human and it’s past time that people start treating you like one. If you want to do missions, fine. If you want to do paperwork, fine. If you want to work in the hospital, fine. If you want to retire and become my housewife and experiment, fine.”

At the last Tobirama let out a laugh, worry lines disappearing. “Your housewife?”

“I would make a terrible housewife so the job falls on you.” Madara teased. “Things will work out.”

Madara would never admit this to anyone but himself but he would regret leaving Uzushio. He missed the mainland and he missed Konoha. But he regretted it for Tobirama. He wanted his boyfriend to be happy and no matter Madara’s promises, he wasn’t sure Tobirama could be happy in Konoha. He could burn people and paperwork, but memories were different. He could fight for Tobirama’s right to be acknowledged as a person, he could treat Tobirama as a person, but he couldn’t change people. He knew Tobirama would always belong here more than in Konoha. He knew and he cried because he had to take Tobirama back despite his misgivings. 

“For someone who got what he wanted you look terribly unhappy.” Mito stood in the doorway to Madara’s room looking every bit the princess she was. 

“I’m not sure this is what I wanted.”

“Things seldom are.”

“I don’t want Tobirama to be unhappy.” And that was the crux of the matter.

“We’ll make sure of it. Together.” Mito promised.

All Madara could do was nod and throw the last things in his bag. “Let’s go.” They walked to the coast and Madara had a new reason entirely to regret their departure. The sea. The sea that seemed to hate him. 

The ferryman was talking to Tobirama with an amused smile. “Princess, Uchiha-san.” He called in a greeting. “We’re leaving then?”

They all nodded and got in the boat. Before it even properly hit the water Madara felt ill. 

It took half an hour before they all realized something was terribly wrong. Tobirama had had a frown on his face for the last twenty minutes and Mito had looked thoughtful for the last ten. 

“I give up.” The ferryman exclaimed. “We’ll just turn around, or not around, and go back to Uzushio.”

Madara couldn’t make much sense of the sea but he’d seen how they were going south one moment only to go north the next. No change in how the ferryman directed them. Just some slight shifting in the water that made Madara nauseous. What he did know was that to turn around you had to turn around. If they kept going in this direction however they would end up where they came from. It didn’t make sense and Madara and not for the first time he thought Uzushio actually had a mind of its own and hated Madara. 

“We’re not leaving today.” Mito said looking amused. “I’m not sure what’s preventing us from leaving but I hope for you it’s just the weather.”

The ferryman agreed. Said that Uzushio had kept many people from the seas when a storm was coming. 

Madara knew it wasn’t just the weather. He knew it had to do with Tobirama and he was somewhat glad that Uzushio decided to protect him. Well, only one option left then. He’ll have to move here. 

“I belong to Uzushio now.” It wasn’t just a feeling, or maybe it was. The island had claimed him as much as an island could claim anyone. Uzushio was alive and it wouldn’t let her children go if given a choice. And somehow Tobirama had been adopted. He knew that no matter what, the sea would keep calling and he would return. Maybe he could last a month, maybe even a few years. But there would be longing and a pull, a pull that would grow stronger every day. That is if he could ever leave, if the island even let him go. No, even if he wanted to go back, he belonged to Uzushio now. 

“What about Konoha?” The words sounded hollow.

“I never belonged to or even in Konoha.” Because he didn’t. Maybe now, he belonged to Madara.

“What about family?” Before he’d finished his sentence Madara flinched. That was the wrong thing to say. “I meant Touka, Izuna maybe… Me?”

“I have family here.” Tobirama might not have blood relatives but he shared his soul with every person on this island. You did that when you belonged to the island. You were one of her children and all the others were your siblings. “I…” But he’d miss Touka and Izuna. They could visit. He wasn’t sure if Uzushio would let him go without knowing he’d return. 

“Not blood.” But Madara was aware that was all there was. “I’ll stay if you want.”

Tobirama looked past Madara to the sea. He looked at how the waves crashed on the shore. He saw it threaten Madara who was still standing with his back to the water. A threat to not take what was hers. But more gentle than it had been when Madara just came here. Madara didn’t belong here any more than Tobirama belonged in Konoha. But Madara seemed to believe they belonged together and Tobirama had promised himself that he would return if there was one more person that wanted him for him. Tobirama had learned over the last months that it was alright to take. That he didn’t always have to give. But he learned that if you wanted to give you could. He could give and take. He could compromise. “You don’t belong here.”

Madara flinched and turned to protest some more.

“But I’m willing to come with you if you’re willing to stay here.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“There are old stories. A princess that was taken from her parents. Her mother brought destruction to the earth in an attempt to find her daughter but couldn’t find her. When she did she found her with an evil sorcerer that was desperately in love with her daughter. He was willing to return her but he spelled her so that every six months she spent with her mother she had to spend six with him.”

“You want to spend six months here and six months in Konoha?”

“Yes, I’d like to be here for the storm season to help.”

“Thank you.” Madara leaned forward to kiss Tobirama. “I would’ve stayed for you.”

“That is why you don’t have to.”