Kindling

Tobirama was annoyed, he was just about done with this whole thing really; they had been negotiating with the Lady Xoroth for hours now and hadn’t gotten anywhere, it was very clear that her clan had no intention of joining the village (they were small, the only reason that they had even tried was that the Lady’s sister was a favorite consort of the Daimyo and they felt they had too) and was prolonging thing simply because she could; or, more worryingly, she had a reason and they didn’t know it. It was making Tobirama twitchy and his brother on edge, Madara was watching the Lady and her entourage closely and if Tobirama had a guess the Sentinel probably had his senses turned up as high as he safely could; after all she herself was a Sentinel and was accompanied by not one but two Guides tied to her (it made Tobirama feel a little sick to feel them, more than one Guide should never be bound to one Sentinel) and another three lower rank Sentinels, but it was the Guides- both strong, though not as strong as him- that worried him.

Hashirama shifted, at the end of even his rope “Is there a reason to continue this my Lady? You have no wish to join us so I cannot imagine what you gain from it.” he asked, frustration leaking into his voice. She smiled, slow and dark, satisfaction written in her chakra and Tobirama sent his senses out, searching for any trace of foreign shinobi in the village; there was nothing, no one but the people in the room “Well” she purred “you see, this village is rather problematic for the rest of us. The Daimyo likes you, and he likes your idea, which mean that he might turn his attention away from us and, well, we just can’t let that happen” everyone in the room stiffened but it was too late, the Guides behind her stepped forward and shaped a jutsu Tobirama had never seen presence flooding out of them and swamping the room, freezing everyone in place “I’m sure you understand.”

Hashirama felt the Guide power spill out of the women at the Lady’s back and he didn’t even have time to swear; he was no Guide or Sentinel, he had no way of fighting this and Mito wasn’t with him, normally his will and strength of personality was strong enough to through off Guide thrall when had needed to in the past but this time they had clearly come prepared (and Madara around the corner from him was visibly fighting the pull- he needed a fucking Guide, if only…- so there was no help there, but- but these people were no match for Tobirama.

He could still talk, good “Little brother” he grit out, the Lady blinked, surprised that he was resisting this much “if you wouldn’t mind.” And out of the corner of his eye he saw Tobirama raise one finger where he stood at Hashirama’s shoulder.

Madara had been off balance since the moment that he had seen the Guides next to the Lady Xoroth, something about it making his skin itch but he hadn’t thought- well, he hadn’t thought this and now he was too long without a Guide to do much more than fight the thrall from Pulling him to them as the Guides threw their power out (he hated Guide thrall even if it had never been used on him directly before now), frozen as surely as everyone else. Except “Little brother” Hashirama’s voice was tight and strangled “if you wouldn’t mind” and Madara’s eyes flicked to Tobirama just as the albino raised one finger and- (like the deep notes of a bass drop, like going under in a sea of stars, like the feel of undertow and the moon seen through water)  -power washed out of Tobirama, Presencelike Madara had never felt before, deep and thrumming and pouring out of him like water released from a dam. It swirled, eddying and lapping around him but leaving his Self untouched, there was no Pull, no tug, no thrall, nothing but a gentle sensation of water lapping at his skin; nothing for him, nothing for Izuna or Hashirama or any of the clan heads sitting with them, but the Guides and the Lady-

The Guides’ eyes went huge as Tobirama’s Presence reached them, washing over them, sucking at them, dragging them down; one woman fell to her knees, gasping, the other swayed on the spot eye’s rolling back in her head, caught in Tobirama’s overwhelming power. The Lady Xoroth’s eyes had gone greedy, large and avarice filled as she looked at Tobirama “Guide” she breathed, “unbonded Guide” the want in her voice made Madara’s stomach roll (mine) but Tobirama only looked at her with his blank eyes and raised another finger. Power washed out again- (stars filling the sea, light and shadow, obsidian liquid) -and he felt it take hold of the women, of the guards behind her, of her entire entourage; and they stood as one, jerky and stuttering and- sweet god above, Tobirama was controlling them, not with thrall, with nothing more than the power of his Presence he was puppeting them. “Brother” the Guide (Guide) murmured and Hashirama sighed a little, reaching up to cover the hand that Tobirama had put on his shoulder (Madara he one moment to glimpse white knuckled fingers before they were covered) “Send them away if you wouldn’t mind Tobirama” a breath and the visitors spun, walking out of the room in that jerky broken way leaving dead quiet and a distant eyed Tobirama.

The silence held the room, all of them could still feel Tobirama’s Presence as it forced the enemy clan from the village and Madara reached out with his senses- Sentinel and chakra- following them as they were marched out of the gates and the shinobi there flared to attention. “It is done, they will not return today, they were not expecting us to be able to fight the thrall.” Tobirama said, his cool voice loud in the too quiet room. Hashirama patted his hand gently “Thank you little brother” he said, sounding tired and worried, “I suppose that if we have made enemies-“ “What about Tobirama!? Why was his Guide status hidden from us!?” he was interrupted by a wild eyed Sarutobi clan head; Madara blinked at him confused, Tobirama had no more tried to thrall him than he had any other shinobi in the room, what was the man on about? “Are you telling me that we now require all Guides and Sentinels to register with the tower? To identify themselves?” asked Hashirama in a dangerous voice, the Sarutobi didn’t hear the warning “Not Sentinels, just Guides, maybe just Guides like the Ghost” Madara winced when he saw Tobirama forearm flex, Hashirama’s shoulder must hurt given how tight he was holding it “he is a danger to all of us!” and that was- what the hell? Madara’s head whipped around too shocked to do anything but stare, what the hell?! Unfortunately that was all that was needed for other voices to raise, all wanting some sort of insurance that Tobirama, the Ghost, wouldn’t hurt them, or thrall them, or- Madara lost track, to angry to follow the stupid arguments.

“Enough.” Tobirama’s voice cut through the noise, calm and cold as always- except, was, was it shaking? Just a little?- “I may not be Adjusted but I am spur-broke, I should think that enough.” And he tugged his hand from his brother and was gone. Hashirama stood and stared after his brother and one of the Yamanaka, an Elder of the clan made a strangled noise; Hashirama turned to them and Madara was suddenly aware of the sheer power his old friend held; he was furious, his face a white mask of anger as he turned to the collected clan heads, and the wood all around them flex and warped with his fury “How dare you” he hissed “How dare you” there was something mad and burning in his anger as he looked at them “If it were not for my brother’s disapproval you would be banished from this place Sarutobi. He has done more for this place than any other, including myself and Madara, and you dare-?” his voice dried up and he snarled, taking a step toward the clan head the wood of the table parting in front of him “My brother has never used his power on another the way you imply, he-“ another snarl and the  Senju clan head spun and stormed from the room, walls and doors flexing away as he walked. Behind him it was quiet for a moment until the Yamanaka Elder stood and staggered to a waste bin, throwing up and shaking “If he is a danger-“ started the Nara head slowly and the Yamanaka stood “No” she rasped spiting and them whipping her mouth as she stood and faced them. “If he is- if he is-“ she swallowed convulsively “if he is spur-broke and yet has never- no. he is no danger to us. If anything it’s the opposite- if he- oh god-“ she covered her face with her hands “we are so lucky that he is who he is, to be- to be what he is and not so. much. worse. We owe him- we- Sweet gods preserve us.” And she sank to the floor weeping.