Author's note: Naruto still doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Shonen Jump and Masashi Kishimoto. Also, I'm going to be trying out the Japanese honorific and naming style this time, just to see if I like this or western style better. There'll be a list at the bottom about what the different honorifics signify, as well as translations for whatever Japanese words/phrases I may use, for anyone interested.
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The three of them sat at a round table, food laid out in front of them. It wasn't a lascivious meal, but it was just a bit too fancy to be called simple. The sunset could be see out one of the windows, and the chill of night had begun to creep into the room, though for now it was held back by the few candles that kept the room well-lit.
Uchiha Madara sat with his back to the sunset, and judging from the look on his face, he was not happy to be here. His eyes, though still the solid black of their base form, were filled with barely contained irritation. His long black hair was as wild as ever, though he'd switched out his usual robes for ones that were a bit fancier. It was the same navy blue that most of the Uchiha's robes were, but it didn't have their trademark excessively high collar, and the rim of its coat had stylized flames going all along it.
Senju Tobirama was much more composed, though he didn't exactly look thrilled to be there either. He wasn't wearing a sneer of pure contempt though, so there was that. Tobirama had gone the informal route, deciding to merely shed his armor and wear the simple black jumpsuit that was usually underneath it. The albino man's face was kept carefully, cautiously neutral. The brother of the Hokage was not a trusting man, but he was a fair one.
Uzumaki Mito was smiling as serenely as ever, despite the oppressive atmosphere. If Tobirama was caution and Madara anger, then the lady of the Uzumaki was peace. She was certainly more at ease than most would be in her position. She was wearing her usual ensemble (white robes, red hair in two buns, sealing tag earings hanging from said hair buns), as it was plenty formal already, though she added a simple golden headdress to it as well for that extra touch.
The three of them ate in silence, and said silence hung over them like a particularly threatening storm cloud. This was the first time all three of them had spent time alone, let alone in such a domestic setting. Why had Mito called them there? Why would Tobirama not stop staring at her as he ate? Would Madara please stop chewing with his mouth open?
As expected, the head of the Uchiha clan was the first to snap. "Alright, Uzumaki, we're here and we're eating the fucking food, so why don't you just hurry up and explain what the hell this is all about?"
Mito nodded diplomatically, completely ignoring Madara's rudeness. "Of course, Madara-dono. It is nothing too important, really. I simply noticed that I spend almost all my time with Hashirama-dono. I am going to be staying here for the rest of my days, so at the very least I would prefer to be amiable with the two people closest to Hokage-dono. I can hardly achieve that if I don't interact with you, so here we are. I was hoping a nice dinner might help ease whatever conversation we have tonight."
Madara snorted in disbelief, while Tobirama merely listened. Madara decided to call her out. "'Amiable'? Don't make me laugh, Uzumaki! Unless you are the dumbest moron to walk through the gates of our village, you should have seen immediately that I couldn't stand any of your shit! Why do you think a single dinner is going to change my opinion of you?!"
Mito simply bowed her head in acknowledgement to his points. "I am, of course, aware of Lord Madara's…distaste for me, and I am not expecting that to go away just because of tonight. However, it is my hope that this dinner will prove adequate enough that the two of you would not be adverse to further interaction. I would hope for eventual friendship, but to be quite honest, I would settle for grudging acceptance."
Tobirama narrowed his eyes slightly. That almost sounded like something Hashirama would say…the smarter brother decided to speak up at last. "Mito-sama, why do you care about this? I don't understand why our opinions would matter all that much to you. You have shown that you are very good at getting time alone with Anija, so it wouldn't be all that difficult for you to avoid us, if necessary. Why go to these lengths for something that simply isn't necessary?"
The Uzumaki's Pride shook her head, her smile becoming a bit softer. "I'm afraid it is necessary, Tobirama-dono. After all, no matter which one of you I marry, I would be getting two brothers in addition to a husband. Family is extremely important to me. That's why, even if I can never have your friendship, I would at least like to be someone you don't hate and can trust."
Tobirama frowned. "Two brothers? Please don't say such things so lightly, Mito-sama. Madara is no brother of ours, and he never will be. After all, he is an Uchiha. His history is one that cannot be so easily wiped clean."
The man in question turned an apoplectic glare on the younger Senju, and opened his mouth to verbally (and maybe literally) tear the Suiton master a new asshole…but Mito beat him to the punch, her own smile having evaporated entirely. "Even if they haven't outright said so, and even if he isn't related to you by blood, Madara-dono is just as much Hashirama-dono's brother as you are, Tobirama-dono. I cannot speak about the former feud between the Senju and the Uchiha, as it is not my place, but please understand that I will not allow such talk under my roof. If you feel the need to say such things, please contain yourself until you have left my presence, for I will not forgive you a second time."
The younger Senju's eyes narrowed slightly, but eventually he merely nodded. Madara turned his glare to Mito, though it wasn't quite as intense as the one he'd just been giving Tobirama. "I don't need your help, Uzumaki. I can take care of the Bastard on my own; I'm not some fucking kid that needs you to jump to my defense from the mean old Senju. Don't insult me like this again, you hear me?"
Mito bowed her head to the Uchiha. "Of course, Madara-dono. It was not my intent to insult you or treat you as a child. I humbly apologize for my rudeness."
Madara looked taken aback for a moment before crossing his arms and grumbling, his next words almost not heard by the other two due to how softly he said them. "It's fine, I guess…as long as you understand."
The three of them fell back into silence, and continued to eat. The conversation didn't pick up again after that, and after the meal was finally over, the two men quickly excused themselves. One would think a demon, or perhaps a very angry wife, was nipping at their heels or something.
Mito let out a sigh. That…hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped, but it did go better than she feared. It was the first step towards fixing the relationship between the three of them. It wasn't the best first step, but it was still the first step; the road to their friendship and acceptance started here.
The Joy of the Uzumaki would continue her efforts, and in time, she'd prove that she was worthy of both Tobirama's and Madara's trust. She would settle for nothing less. After all, they would be her brothers, and that made them almost family to her already. And family…family was everything to Uzumaki Mito.
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Author's note: So here's that list I was talking about.
Person-sama: Pretty polite way of addressing someone, usually reserved for someone you greatly respect or who is higher on the social ladder than you.
Person-dono: Super polite way of addressing someone. Basically the same as Person-sama, but to the nth degree.
Person: A lack of honorific to the Japanese shows one of two things; either the speaker knows Person really well, or they're being really god damn rude to Person. In other words, the speaker only omits an honorific if he's really close to or really hostile towards whomever he's referring to.
Anija: (Big) Brother/Bro. It's basically the same as aniki, but more antiquated.