Chapter 2
It had been a couple days since he had freed Indra from the cave and things had finally calmed down enough for him to slip out to gather the things he had left behind. Granted his slipping out was in the middle of the night. Without the use of chakra. He was keeping that carefully sealed away for the time being.
Find and free one mysterious man and suddenly everyone wants to keep an eye one you.
He sighed, knowing that wasn't really the case, and that Indra was being subjected to it as well. It was a precaution after he brought home the stranger. More importantly a stranger that had the sharingan and claimed to be the origin of the Uchiha. It didn't make it any less galling.
Honestly, if they wanted to keep him in the village and under watch they should do him the courtesy of remembering his skill set. And honestly, what sensor worth their salt didn't learn to cope with having their chakra sealed? Relying on his sensory ability constantly would have been a massive handicap. Being able to seal his own chakra away was a blessing in itself. It ment he knew how to unseal it in the unlikely event that he was captured. That was a skill he hadn't let anyone know he had mastered, not even his brother. (He needed to get away sometimes, with out anyone knowing. When things became to much and everyone's chakra was pressing in on him.) It was how he trained himself to move as silently as possible, and complete his missions undetected.
No one ever suspected civilians. That was their first mistake. Civilians could kill. It might be harder for them, untrained as they were. But they still had the ability.
The cave entrance was under heavy guard, but the strange chakra that filled the air in this section of the forest would serve as a cover. If he placed a seal just inside the boundary he could use the tag left in the cave from his first visit and then seal his chakra again before leaving the forest once more. Or... Getting back and taking his clone's place wouldn't be so difficult really. If he timed everything right he could dispel the clone right as he triggered haraishin. It would be easy enough to mock up a fake experiment gone wrong and flair of chakra used to control a bit of unexpected fire was a common occurrence for him. No one would question it.
Plan in place he slipped just a little deeper into the forest before removing the sealing tags that suppressed his chakra. It was a relief to have all his senses back, even if it always left him dizzy. He leaned against one of the trees for a moment, breathing deeply and centering himself again.
But a moment was all he would allow himself. He was on a time limit. The Uchiha elders were demanding Hashirama allow random checks on him throughout the night and his brother, bless him, refused to let anyone else invade his privacy. Not even Madara, who the elders had tried to insist be the one to do it. Hashirama's "random" check ups hadn't changed since they were kids. Half an hour, 15 minutes, two hours, 45 minutes, three hours, hour and a half.
He had slipped out in the 45 minute gap, enough time to do what he needed and not enough time for anyone else to get suspicious. Still, he would have to do something nice for his brother. Perhaps make that awful mushroom porridge he liked so much, and a good strong tea. They would both need it.
***
Morning dawned far to early for either brother, their sleep broken or non existent, not that that changed much. Neither of them were morning people for all that they could be up and moving early for missions. When they were home and safe? Not so much. Still, Tobirama upheld his promise from the night before and started making breakfast before Hashirama pulled himself from bed.
It was as he was preparing his own meal that Hashirama shuffled in, grumbling a greeting, obviously not ready for conversation or any real human interaction, and heading right for the tea. Tobirama eyed the pot and wondered if he would have time to make more if he took the last of it before his brother was ready for another cup as well. Probably not. With a sigh he set the kettle on to boil and set the pot before his brother to finish off as they ate breakfast and waited for the new batch of tea.
There was something comforting about getting back to their old morning ritual. One that they hadn't been able to indulge in for some time. It soothed an ache he hadn't been aware of.
Of course that would be when a visitor made their presence known.
Madara, without knocking, let himself into their house. Loudly grumbling and stomping his way towards them. When he made it to the kitchen Tobirama leveled his best glare at the man, and out of the corner of his eye he was delighted to see Hashirama doing the same.
Their combined displeasure seemed to knock the intruder back a pace. Giving the kitchen a quick once over and wetting his lips nervously Madara inched forward, much quieter than before.
Tobirama's eyes narrowed farther.
"Madara..." Hashirama's voice was rough and full of irritation. "It's the ass crack of dawn. Why in the Nine Hells are you here?"
"The elders..."
"Your elders can jump off a cliff."
Madara's mouth dropped a bit before audibly snapping shut as he stared at Hashirama in shock.
"I'm serious Madara. If they think they're getting one more concession from me they have another thing coming. And if they even think about touching my little brother I'll use them as fertilizer."
Swallowing Madara nodded and took a closer look at the brothers. He had forgotten just how much Hashirama cared about his little brother, which was stupid of him. And it was obvious now that Tobirama cared just as deeply. Madara well knew that Hashirama's skills in the kitchen were limited to making the tea. His little brother must have woken up early to make breakfast. Very early, given the fact he apparently made two different meals. (Not that he could blame him. Madara really questioned his friends taste sometimes)
When was the last time he and Izuna had even sat down to breakfast together?
Clearing his throat and glancing away he took a breath to refocus himself.
"Indra-Sama" there was a bit of awe coloring his words, but he figured it couldn't be helped. And who could blame him? "has been able to confirm without a doubt he is who he says. And... he's asking to see you, Tobirama."
The younger Senju looked startled, eyes losing some of their annoyance and his face softened. He looked so much younger in that moment. It was surprising, and yet it was a firm reminder that this was Hashirama's little brother. The one he had fought so hard to build the village for. It settled something in Madara.
He didn't have to like the younger man, but... This early morning gremlin was clearly very human, one that loved his big brother and went out of the way to do something nice even though he was obviously tired. That changed a lot. In fact, it changed everything.
Hashirama sighed, clearly relieved, and drained the rest of his tea.
"Good. That's good."
He reached for the pot and poured the last of it into his cup, draining it much more quickly. Madara straightened up a bit and gave a small, polite now.
"If you would come by after lunch?"
A few more minutes to get the details settled and Madara excused himself. He still had so many questions for his ancestor.
The brothers went back to their breakfast, the next pot of tea finally ready. It was a good day.