Mistrust (Tobirama)
Tobirama Senju was one of the few people standing on the red tower in the center of the village. On the outside, he appeared calm. His expression was as stern as always and his posture was not too tense, but not too relaxed either; a perfect middle ground. His scent was composed and neutral. It complemented the given picture seamlessly.
All that was part of his well-crafted facade, a hardened shell. The alpha didn't let on, that he was still livid on the inside. Being too open with one's emotions can make one vulnerable. One could take advantage of the disorganized state of the mind. That was one of the first lessons he had been taught as a young shinobi by his father. A lesson he had taken to heart.
Tobirama crossed his arms and watched Hashirama standing at the railing a few meters in front of him. The Hokage had turned his back to him, as he was facing the crowd below. He was already in the middle of his opening speech for Konoha's anniversary celebration. His crimson yukata and the much brighter haori on top were surprisingly well-kept and fitting with the red and white Hokage hat.
Especially considering the condition Tobirama had found his older brother in this morning, just a couple of hours ago.
Tobirama groaned internally as he remembered the image. He hadn't been able to believe the display in front of him. His brother's foul alpha scent had been all over the place. Dark, unhealthy circles had underlined his eyes and the slight stench of alcohol had bitten his nose.
Hashirama had been the embodiment of misery.
Now, on the other hand, he seemed like the complete opposite. Orderly, nearly regal, but attributing the later word to his fool of a brother sounded wrong in every way possible. If one didn't know Hashirama that well, one would be inclined to think he was now behaving, as if nothing was wrong at all.
But Tobirama knew his older brother, knew him for as long as he could remember and he could be read by an open book, if one knew what to look out for.
Tobirama was certain that their confrontation of this morning was still laying heavily on his brother's mind, but that there was something even more heavy on his heart. Something, Tobirama didn't know the details of but saw the evidence pointing towards.
He heard the sorrow in the pauses between Hashirama's words, felt the coldness between his brother's performative gestures of warmth and positivity for such a happy day. His brother's smile was wide, but fraudulent at the same time. His scent was kept low on purpose, which he rarely did.
It was painting a clear picture to the younger Senju.
This morning's misery wasn't gone, just hidden away.
Tobirama knew that Hashirama's mood had a tendency to jump from one extreme to the other within mere seconds. One bad news and everyone could almost see the dark rainy clouds wind up around him.
Normally, they would stay there for a short time. But that was the crux. His period of pouting lasted for a few minutes at most, before Hashirama's unyielding optimism would kick in again. He would try to see the positive sides of any given situation. That behavior would be typical, expected, predictable.
Tobirama could work with that.
Now he was still miserable hours afterward. That was concerning. Tobirama had witnessed this only a few times in the past, that could be counted with the fingers of one hand.
Tobirama grumbled inwardly because he knew who was responsible for all this mess.
Why did that egoist of a clan head have to have so much power over his brother? Why him of all people? And why didn't his brother finally realize, how Madara Uchiha was playing him like a damn fiddle?
The beta had managed to turn Hashirama against the marriage proposal of the Uzumaki. Managed to turn him against his own family and the interest of the village.
Madara Uchiha liked to throw passive-aggressive tantrums left and right, whenever things didn't go exactly his way. He was not able to agree to any compromise but instead liked to threaten everyone around him. Just like he had done to his brother yesterday, Tobirama figured as much. It wouldn't be much of a stretch. Everything would add up.
The more Tobirama thought about it, the more he grew to despise this arrogant attitude of the Uchihan leader.
Leaving Konoha? What a joke.
Nothing but an empty threat in the matter of fact.
The crowd cheered as Hashirama finished his speech with promises of peace and prosperity, of a grand future ahead of all of them.
After a few seconds, bathing in the praise of his people, his brother turned around and walked slowly towards him. His cheery smile faltered for only a few moments as if he had just realized he was still being center stage and watched by everyone behind him.
He looked a lot healthier than this morning at least. A small wave of relief spread out inside of the white-haired Senju. Even if he was still angry at Hashirama for his irresponsible decision-making, angry for forcing him to make a fool of himself in front of the elders, whose scrutinizing look he didn't deserve in the slightest, blood would always be thicker than water.
He made his way towards his brother, he was the first to approach.
"And where is your friend now?" Tobirama said condescendingly, but quietly enough so no one else on the platform would overhear them. Judging by the guilty look on Hashirama's face, he knew exactly who his brother was talking about.
It had been a question, that had been pestering the back of Tobirama's mind for the whole time of the opening ceremony.
All of the clan heads had been standing behind the Hokage, while he had spoken to the masses standing in front of the tower. Some surely thought it was cheap, too on the nose, but Tobirama didn't care that much what other's thoughts about easy acts of symbolism. Hadn't cared until one clan had been noticeably absent and disturbed the image just out of spite.
Tobirama's red eyes had scanned the rows discreetly until he was completely certain. Not one representative of the Uchiha clan had found their way here. Not a single one of them.
He had even bothered to look at all the people below and yet he had spotted not one of those raven heads. Tobirama grits his teeth together because couldn't believe the audacity.
First, Madara ruined the opportunity for a powerful alliance for them by manipulating Hashirama. Then he didn't even show his face to confront the consequences of his actions.
His brother often told him he was too suspicious of him and the rest of the Uchiha, hostile was a word he often used in this context. But how was he supposed to act, if his opposite never showed themselves whenever it got serious? They remained in the shadows as long as they could. He wouldn't turn off his brain and accept their shady behavior just to find himself stabbed in the back later on.
The Uchiha weren't their friends. They were former enemies forced to work together by happenstance, by his brother's naive and wishful thinking, but Tobirama wasn't like his brother in that regard. Never would be. Never could be for his and even his brother's sake.
The Uchiha still had this petrifying look in their eyes. Every single one of them. Sharingans that thirst for revenge. Their blood was cursed, cursed to hate and destroy. Sensations of pain and anger could overwhelm their minds easily. That's how they gained their power after all. How should Tobirama trust them, trust their words with that knowledge in mind?
They were a threat to Konoha's safety that had to be kept under control. Some might say for their own good. He would.
Unfortunately, Hashirama didn't realize that. He was blinded by Madara's sweet promises of utopian unity, but even he was no different than the rest of his clan members. Tobirama even knew he was actually the worst of all.
He had felt it every time he had to cross paths with the Uchihan leader. Whenever their eyes met, Madara's gaze would harden with horrendous hatred without any sense of reason or rationality left behind.
Tobirama was well aware of the reason for that. Madara had lost his last brother due to the wound he had caused that day. He knew, how deep the Uchiha could emotionally attach themselves to one another, especially their siblings.
But in the end, he also had to point out, how irrational those grudges were. They had been in the middle of a war. It wasn't his fault, that the other Uchiha had been distracted that day. It wasn't his fault, that the other's wound got infected on the battlefield. It wasn't his fault, that the Uchiha clan lacked medically trained shinobi.
Izuna Uchiha's death wasn't his fault.
This had just been living for all of them. Countless Senju, even children, and omegas had met the same fate at the hands of the Uchiha.
Yet every time Tobirama dared to criticize Madara, Hashirama made apologies for the other's childish actions. He had never even tried to understand his own brother's perspective, his complaints and worries had fallen on deaf ears every time.
Just like this morning. Tobirama clenched his fists by his side.
"He doesn't want to come." Hashirama eventually answered and brought Tobirama out of the sea of contemplation. It always ended up in the same conversation. Tobirama could only sigh and change the subject at this point.
"The elders weren't pleased about your decision, older brother. Not in the slightest." Tobirama said dismissively.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but they'll have to accept it. I will no longer be a pawn for them to use against the Uchiha. They're not our enemies anymore!" Hashirama answered firmly to which Tobirama could only shake his head. His brother understood absolutely nothing about this situation.
"Be prepared to say that directly to their faces. They're going to demand a consultation in the next few days. After the festivities have come to an end."
"They won't allow the letter to be sent away before that, am I right?" Hashirama sighed.
Tobirama nodded, eyeing his brother's obvious disappointment with nothing but silent contempt. Their gazes met again and the air around them got seemingly colder by the second. It only got worse the longer they stood next to each other, fighting desperately to move this conversation forwards when there was nothing left to be said.
"I'll be off then. I'll join you later at the competition, Tobi," Hashirama said louder than before to formally end this conversation, walking past him to talk to the other clan heads standing behind them, waiting eagerly to chat with the god of shinobi.
Tobirama stayed still and examined his brother's first small talk with the Hyugan clan head from a few meters away with a blank expression on his face. His thoughts were racing nonetheless. He slightly shook his head and started to walk towards the staircase on one side of the building. Noone interfered as they were too focused to talk to the Hokage, so Tobirama managed to slip by unnoticed.
He took the steps down towards the red wooden door leading to the hallway of the highest floor of the building. Tobirama had set his mind now, had formed a plan.
The Senju stepped into one of the first offices he came across and shut the door behind him, hidden from the curious eyes of the others that would eventually find their way down.
He snapped his fingers, an unspoken signal only understood by his most trusted.
Touka Senju stepped out of the shadows. The kunoichi's movements didn't make a single sound. The scentless beta kneeled before him, waited for Tobirama's order patiently. Her chin was sharp and angular. Half of her face was hidden behind her brown, bristly hair, while the other half was still in the shadows of the dark, unlighted room.
Despite that, Tobirama could see that her expression was stoic and her dark gaze cold and calculated, rivaling his own in many ways. He knew he was making the right choice. He had to do something. He couldn't stand by and watch Konoha fall to ruin.
He had lost Itama and Kawarama to the Uchiha. He wouldn't lose his last brother. He wouldn't risk everything around him. But first, he needed more information. He needed evidence, proof.
"Keep an eye on Madara Uchiha. His location, associates, any suspicious behavior. He has to be in the Uchiha compound or the surrounding area. Report your findings to me in five hours. Don't get caught under any circumstance."
"Understood, my lord." She said.
She took a single step back before leaving his sight completely, becoming one with the darkness once more.