"Damn it, these bastards… this has to be their doing!"
Senju Tobirama's face darkened, his jaw tight as he slammed his palm on the desk. The sharp crack echoed through the Hokage's office like a whip, betraying the fury he struggled to contain.
Uchiha Makoto.
That arrogant brat from the cursed Uchiha clan.
Tobirama refused to believe that Konoha's Uchiha clan wasn't somehow behind the chaos unfolding outside. Even if their bones were broken and scattered, the Uchiha were never truly separated from one another. They were always connected, bound by their bloodline and their accursed Sharingan.
And Uchiha Makoto—leaving the Uchiha clan to found his own ninja village on the eve of Konoha's establishment? That alone screamed of hidden motives. Now the Uchiha were clearly working from both inside and outside the village, weaving a scheme to seize the fruits of Hashirama's and Tobirama's hard work.
This cannot be allowed to happen.
Tobirama clenched his fists until his knuckles ached. He forced himself to breathe, to think, to analyze. But even as he did, a helpless chill gnawed at him.
The Uchiha had planned every step in advance.
He cursed himself for being careless. For days he had buried himself in the endless administrative grind of village affairs and relaxed his watch over the clan. That single lapse had given Uchiha Makoto and the Uchiha faction within Konoha the opening they needed.
Makoto stirs trouble beyond our borders while the Uchiha within Konoha fan the flames. If they succeed, the entire village will be thrown into chaos.
Worse still, they had seized control of public opinion. If Konoha marched alongside the Akatsuki Ninja Village to wage war on the Hidden Cloud—who refused to accept the outrageous "surrender clause"—then even if victory came, Uchiha Makoto would win immense prestige. The clan would grow bolder, their influence expanding until even Hashirama's legacy was threatened.
But if Konoha reversed course now, it would defy the people's outrage. The villagers and ninja, stirred into a fervor, wouldn't stop to weigh the nuances of peace. When emotions run hot, people act like beasts.
Hashirama's prestige would suffer.
And the Uchiha clan would fill that void.
An open scheme. A trap with no escape.
Tobirama pressed a hand to his temple, his mind racing.
---
"Tobirama, is the situation truly that dire? Isn't this all just your speculation?"
The calm voice of Uzumaki Mito broke his storm of thoughts. His sister-in-law stood nearby, serene as always. Her presence was grounding—one of the few people Tobirama trusted.
But even Mito didn't share his worry. She regarded him with gentle skepticism.
Uchiha Makoto? She had met the man. To her, he was a handsome, thoughtful, almost impossibly charming young leader—hardly the schemer Tobirama described.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Surely Tobirama was imagining conspiracies that didn't exist.
"Sister-in-law," Tobirama said sharply, "you and Big Brother are too kind-hearted. You refuse to see the Uchiha's true nature. The Sharingan feeds on extreme emotion—the more radical their hearts, the stronger their power. They are a danger we can never ignore."
He spoke with the grim certainty of a man who had stared into the Uchiha's darkness and refused to look away. He knew what they were capable of.
Mito sighed, but she didn't argue further. "What do you plan to do, then?"
"First, I need to speak with my brother." Tobirama's eyes hardened. "Only Hashirama can make the decisions required now."
He signaled to an ANBU operative. "Fetch the First Hokage. Immediately."
---
A short while later, Senju Hashirama entered the office, his usual warm energy filling the room. "Tobirama, what's going on? I sense tension in the village."
"You're late," Tobirama muttered.
Hashirama tilted his head, unfazed. He was always slow to catch political undercurrents, a trait Tobirama found infuriating. Perhaps it was the lingering bond with Uchiha Madara, that dangerous idealist who still haunted his brother's thoughts.
Without delay, Tobirama laid out the crisis in precise detail: the Akatsuki Village, the surrender terms, the manipulation of public opinion, and the Uchiha clan's likely collusion with Makoto.
When he finished, he fixed his brother with a hard stare. "Big Brother, this is a pivotal moment for Konoha. We must act decisively. Use the True Several Thousand Hands and strike the Uchiha before they can move."
"Enough, Tobirama." Hashirama's voice cracked like a whip, his brow furrowing. "These are only your suspicions. I don't believe Madara or the Uchiha would stoop to this. If Madara truly wished to become Hokage, he need only tell me. For the peace and future of Konoha, I would gladly let him be the Second Hokage!"
Tobirama's mouth fell open. "W–C–N–M…!" The string of unspoken curses burned his tongue. He wanted to shout, to shake his brother, but he forced the words back down.
Even Mito covered her face, exasperated.
"Big Brother," Tobirama managed, his voice tight, "do you hear yourself? And what of the Akatsuki's demands? Their so-called compensation is nothing but surrender in disguise! Uchiha Makoto is provoking war, and Konoha is already in an uproar. If we hesitate, we hand him exactly what he wants."
Hashirama frowned. The surrender terms were indeed harsh, humiliating enough to make the Hidden Cloud Village a laughingstock. He couldn't deny that.
"Perhaps Madara can mediate," Hashirama said after a pause. "If he sends someone to negotiate with Makoto—"
Tobirama cut him off with a bitter laugh. "And if Madara and the Uchiha are of one mind with Makoto?"
"That's impossible," Hashirama replied quickly. "Madara seeks peace as much as I do."
"Even if Madara means well, he cannot speak for every Uchiha," Tobirama countered. "The clan's grudge runs deep. Makoto proves that. Do you think centuries of bloodshed vanish in a few short years?"
His words hung heavy in the room. Hashirama rubbed his temples. He hated such tangled politics. Why couldn't people simply trust one another, step back, and end the cycle of hatred?
"Then tell me, Tobirama," he said finally, "what would you have us do?"
Tobirama seized the opening. "Public opinion is already inflamed. The best course is to strike first—bypass Akatsuki and attack the Hidden Cloud directly. End this swiftly and decisively. Konoha will seize the initiative, cement its prestige, and crush Makoto's scheme. The Senju will gain the honor; the Uchiha will have nothing."
Hashirama recoiled as if burned. "No! How can you even suggest that? Negotiation is always the path. War only breeds hatred and endless cycles of revenge. I will not stain Konoha with unnecessary blood."
Tobirama exhaled heavily. He had expected as much, but hope had flickered anyway. His brother's idealism was unshakable, maddeningly so.
"Very well," he said at last. "If you refuse force, then our only option is to cool the people's tempers and wait. We can only respond as events unfold."
It was a bitter admission. No matter his skill or foresight, Tobirama was trapped. Hashirama would not attack, and without that resolve, Konoha's negotiations would be empty threats.
Meanwhile, the Akatsuki held the moral high ground, demanding justice for their fallen. And the common ninja of both villages? They celebrated Makoto's audacity, cheering his defiance.
Hashirama wanted peace.
The villagers wanted strength.
And Tobirama… Tobirama was left to hold the line between them, neither fully trusted nor fully free.
He rubbed his eyes, weary to the bone. Big Brother… I must have owed you a great debt in my previous life.
---
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