Tobirama
5 Years Prior.
Deep in the forest, Tobirama treks along a man-made trail. It’s the only ground kept truly neutral in recent years, and he can only hope it remains that way. Today, he is on a mission.
As a precaution, he kneels close to the ground and presses his hand into the soft dirt. Not a single chakra signature, at least not that he can sense within his range. And so, he continues on, walking in the same direction that he has been for miles. He will come upon his destination soon, where he will be at a peace that is so seldom felt these days.
There is a lake in this territory; one hidden at the edge of the trees and glitters in the sunlight. It’s beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful sight he’s seen in his eighteen years of life. He once stumbled upon it when gathering branches for fire as a small child, and ever since he has come back when the circumstances allow him to. It’s an escape from the horror of constant war: a reprieve from the damning spiral of death that plagues so many shinobis’ lives.
Most importantly, it is home to the most delicious freshwater fish he has had the pleasure of eating.
So that is his mission—to relax and to eat without the threat of aggravation. Hashirama, in a stage where he is beginning to fully hone the responsibilities expected of him before taking the reins of clan leadership, has been out with their father, although they are expected to return any day now. As for their mother, well, she is far more forgiving than their father is. His absence worries her, but she trusts him well enough to believe he will come back in one piece.
Snap.
Tobirama’s ears perk up.
Faint sounds of leaves pressed between the earth and feet are only a short distance away. But that can’t be possible, even as he’s moved deeper into the forest, he did not sense another living being. Perhaps he wasn’t quite focused enough, surmounting expectations weighing so heavily not even the temptation of fresh fish could cloud them.
Careful not to panic, he kneels down once again and presses his fingertips into the dry soil. His breath catches in his throat.
A chakra signature. It’s too close for comfort.
How could he have missed this?
In mere seconds, his plans are squashed. A new, looming threat of another shinobi consumes what was meant to be a peaceful afternoon void of the ever-consuming conflict which plagues every life on earth. He wasn’t naïve prior to setting out— he’s well equipped with the tools needed to defend himself in the present circumstance. Nevertheless, in its simplest terms, it is a nuisance.
He’s unable to see a figure in his immediate view. His tracking was too rushed to make out its position, but it must be just out of his peripheral. Three trees surround him and one of them hides another shinobi. And so Tobirama whips around to face the one directly at his back.
However, luck does not appear to be on his side. Unable to gather his senses, he’s struck to the ground in an instant. His breath catches in his throat and eyes widen in shock. To be caught so far off guard he’s pinned in seconds is unlike any encounter he has ever had on the battlefield.
A blade’s tip whispers against his throat, but it doesn’t penetrate further.
When his breath steadies, he trusts himself enough to gaze directly at his attacker.
A girl. She appears no older than he is. Even more so, she doesn’t give off the aura of a kunoichi. What is she doing out here?
Her body shakes and her jaw clenches. To Tobirama, she’s more like a scared animal rather than a formidable threat. Confident enough to tackle him, but not enough to finish the deed. It's a stark departure from the lethal mindset of shinobi. The grip on her kunai loosens with each exasperated breath she takes. If anything, the only fear he has is of her fully letting go and unintentionally allowing the blade to graze his neck.
The scratches he sustained upon hitting the rough dirt as a result of the girl’s first attack is merely surface level— nothing a few medicinal herbs can’t fix.
He supposes this is the risk he takes when traveling to the lake he prefers instead of the one closest to Senju territory. At any moment, he can expect an ambush, but it’s the price he’s willing to pay for the fresh fish he favors so much. Truthfully, this may be the best situation he could find himself in, save for a trip that is completed without any encounters.
She’s no more than a young woman who has never had to fight. He’s envious of that, if only he lived in a world where he does not have to fight and train day in and day out lest he not please his father. At the same time, he pities the fact that her inexperience has landed her in the current predicament. Had she run into a shinobi that possesses nothing but the instinct to attack, she might as well be dead right now.
He grasps the girl’s hand, providing a sturdier grip that allows him to not have his neck sliced open by an enemy knife. With ease, he steals the weapon, eliciting a gasp from her lips.
The thought of using her own weapon against her briefly crosses his mind, but he refrains. She’s defenseless, like a child that has never left the shelter of their home. As for Tobirama, he’s not heartless.
Instead, he drops the kunai, allowing it to roll along the forest floor. The girl, frozen out of what he can only presume to be shock or fear or perhaps both, falls limp against him when her body is no longer capable of holding itself on its own. With a grunt, he puts in the work of prying her away with gentle hands on her waist. This position is far too intimate for a young man like him who has never devoted himself to vying for the touch of a woman, but it’s impossible to evade at this stage.
A thump resounds when her body hits the ground next to him. As Tobirama stands, he observes a mix of emotions which paint her features. Embarrassment, panic, agitation. Most intriguing of all, she doesn’t appear hesitant to strongly meet his eyes when she senses his gaze on her.
Her own gaze is striking.
He’s seen this before.
But where?
“You have no business out here. You’re lucky that you ran into me. I’ll let you go without a scratch—others, not so much,” he tells her plainly.
Tobirama expects her to take this opening to run. Except she doesn’t. Rather than acting on instinct, the girl only responds with a doe-eyed expression. She must have a death wish if she is so willing to maximize the length of her time in the presence of a stranger. Does she live without fear? Impossible. A reality without fear is far gone from life at this very moment. Could it be that she is entirely detached from the shinobi world? No, that is illogical to assume when her weapon of choice is the most common amongst ninjas.
In such a short period, Tobirama confirms to himself that this girl is the strangest he has ever met.
“I needed to escape,” she confesses, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Only for a short while, but I needed to breathe comfortably. I suppose running off to neutral grounds isn’t the best decision for that, though.”
“Why do you need to escape? Based on your skill, it doesn’t seem to me that your clan allows women out on the battlefield.”
Her tone sours. “What clan does? I have never been informed of the existence of any kunoichi that have seen the war these days. Unfortunately, the only way to sustain the next generation is to keep them at home and alive.”
Tobirama can’t find it in himself to respond. The girl is right; it’s not as though any Senju women have seen the war-torn land recently. He wonders for a moment how much longer things can stay this way before the world bursts at the seams.
“Anyways, if you are so inclined to know— my father has regrettably failed to produce sons and that’s not too favorable as the head. My sister will marry the strongest shinobi in our clan soon and he will take the spot as heir. All of the attention is on her at the moment and all I am is the second daughter, unable to use our kekkei genkai. I may as well be invisible, so I wanted to test that today. Thankfully, because—as I have alluded to—my mother is too preoccupied with my sister’s wedding planning to continue her lessons with me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Tobirama can’t place why she’d feel so inclined to tell him all of this, although she is equally as careful to not reveal anything about her identity as she is careless to share the details of her qualms.
“Why are you out here?”
“Me?”
“Yes, why are you out here?” she pointedly interrogates.
He sighs, leaning back against the tree she once hid behind. “The fish from the lake just south is the best I’ve caught in my life.”
Her eyes narrow and her gaze darts around his figure. A few moments pass before she finally remarks, “You don’t have a net to catch fish with.”
“I don’t.”
“Are you really going to catch fish, then? What’s the point in traveling all the way out here for fish that is supposedly the best if you’re not catching for your family?”
“I’m only doing it for myself,” he admits.
“Does that mean you’re also running from responsibility?”
She’s incredibly direct, skeptical in her approach. The way the girl placed him under such scrutiny is certainly telling of a person who has been educated in the way of war despite the fact that she has never seen an ounce of it. It’s plain to him that she hasn’t lied to him about her life and position, although it’s simultaneously terrifying how transparent yet restrained she is. Perhaps she plays a far larger role in her clan than she is letting on.
“Yes,” he concedes.
“What’s your story, then?”
He scoffs at her assumption that he’d give himself away in the same manner she did. With her observed intelligence, he finds himself making his own assumptions. She’ll take what he tells her and make her own deductions to use against him. That’s how this is meant to go, isn’t it? The world is not yet at a stage of peace that he can safely trust another with such information, no matter how little. His elder brother made an idiotic choice years ago to befriend the enemy, Tobirama knows he can’t make the same mistakes. At eighteen years old, he now bears too much of an obligation to protect the safety of his clan.
“It’s none of your concern.”
She lets out a sound he can only describe as a childish whine. Surely, a sign that she has been sheltered in a way he has not.
“Fine. Can I at least join you, then?”
“What?”
“You’re going to catch a fish for yourself and eat it, aren’t you?” she probes. “I want to see what’s so good about it, so can I join you?”
Tobirama crosses his arms. She’s rather persistent, even when not getting the answers she wants and he assumes he’ll find himself in the same predicament if he says no to you.
“How can I trust you?”
“Trust?” she repeats. “You’re worried about that now? After we’ve been speaking for some time?”
“You’ve been speaking far more.”
“Whatever.” The girl stands up abruptly, twisting her body dramatically in every direction possible. The movements she makes are laughably unpolished. “Where is it then?”
“Where is what?”
“Are you stupid? The lake! I’m going with you.”
No wonder she ran away. Only a degree of stubbornness comparable to hers would make a person as bold as she is. Hashirama can be the same way at times.
Only when she begins to walk the direction opposite of the lake does Tobirama put a halt to her antics. He’s swift, effortlessly taking less than a second to stand and grab your arm. When she turns, he expects a hardened expression and a few choice words, but her eyes are soft.
And for the first time since encountering the girl, Tobirama takes the time to look past the persistence and threat of a person unknown to him.
She’s beautiful.
Long ink-hued hair cascades down her back and reaches her knees. Her eyes are as the night sky yet there is a shimmer that reflects the stars. A tall nose bridge compliments the rest of her features in a way he has never seen on another woman before.
The girl seems to be placing him under the same scrutiny as her gaze darts around. His hair. Then his cheeks. Then his nose. Then his mouth. And finally, his eyes.
She purses her lips then asks, “Is it the other way?”