A/N: Thanks so much for the support on Endless! It really uplifted my spirits, and I decided that you are all right. No matter if someone steals my work, as long as I have the support and knowledge that the story is mine, then I will continue to do what I love. Thanks again everyone!

Some notes for this chapter, none of the Uchiha in this story are OCs. They have all made appearances in either the manga or anime. You can check to check them out.

Credits to Kishimoto Masashi for the characters. The story is mine.


Chapter 3: Betwixt and Between


The days following Hashirama's visit were unfulfilling. There was little to do in the compound, and Tobirama was becoming bored out of his mind.

He hated being idle. Madara had not allowed him any weapons, so he kept his body primed through katas. There were scrolls he could read, but only a few that he'd finished within the first week of being imprisoned here. He busied his restless thoughts with thinking up new jutsus or refining the ones he'd already created, and when he grew bored of that, he resorted to long sessions of meditation in the garden, honing his senses to feel the outside world beyond the distorting wards created by the seals. This was quickly becoming one of the most interesting things to do in the compound.

He could sense faint traces of many people to the west where the village was located probably a couple hundred kilometers away. It didn't take much effort to feel his brother's chakra shining brightly above all of the villagers'. It was a comfort, knowing where his brother was at all times. He even recognized various other chakras in the village – many of those he recalled in the middle of a bloody battlefield while at war. It seemed the Inuzuka were the newest addition to the village. He recognized that rough, feral chakra anywhere. Some individual chakras he put faces to – allies he had fought with and even foes he had once battled.

Even with just sensing chakras, Tobirama was able to discern a bit of the goings-on in the village. Children, whose chakras were still soft and untrained, frequently gathered in the eastern side of the village. A playground, perhaps? A school? When they were children and Hashirama talked of the village that did not exist yet, they had come up with various ideas. At the time, Tobirama had done it more to indulge in his brother's seemingly fanciful ideas, but as it had started becoming more of a reality, he had solidified his childish ideas into more concrete ones. Tobirama had suggested a school for children, both for civilians and shinobi alike, and Hashirama had of course eagerly agreed. His youngest brother, Itama, had wanted a playground, a place children could play without fear. Itama had always been the softest of the four, a skilled shinobi but gentle and emotional nonetheless. They had thought up ideas for hours on the giant tree stump that had been their designated meeting place until their father called them to war once more.

The random clash of adult chakras that were finely honed in the southern side of the village suggested a training ground had been assigned. If his second younger brother Kawarama had been alive, he would have suggested it, having loved to spar with other young Senju warriors as his favorite pastime. Kawarama had been a child blessed with extraordinary combat abilities, but his premature death at seven-years-old hadn't given him the time to gain experience and explore the extent of his skills…

Tobirama did not linger on the thoughts of his brothers for long. He concentrated his sensing chakra once more, eyes closed and body loose with the sereneness of meditation. There was a large gathering of chakra signatures during the days in the northern part of the village. A market, perhaps. Scenarios of the village infrastructure and configurations filled Tobirama's head while he gave himself a new task to learn each and every single chakra signature in the village.

It would take some time, he knew, since using his sensing chakra so far out quickly became tiring with the seals on his chakra. If he forced too much, the seals would start to burn and skew whatever chakra he'd been using. He could memorize at least fifteen to twenty chakra signatures a day before his currently limited chakra ran out. No, perhaps only ten at the most considering how much time and chakra it took to smooth out the distorting seals at the edges of the compound and memorize individual chakra signatures that were unique to every person. Each clan had distinctive and recognizable chakra signatures, but separating each individual within a clan would take time to commit to memory. It would take several weeks to do, which would at least give him something to look forward to.

Snippets of conversation he caught between the guards solidified his guesses and scenarios. The guards traded duties every three weeks with the small number of other Uchiha in the village who were aware of his situation. It eased his boredom to imagine what the village looked like, how different clans interacted, anything to keep him occupied when he wasn't plotting Uchiha Madara's demise. The Uchiha talked of various things when they didn't think Tobirama was listening – their personal lives sometimes, women or men they fancied, clans who they had never thought they would be allied with, the peculiarity of other clans, past war stories, and other such things that caught his interest. Guard duty was always boring. Who liked to sit and watch someone meditating for hours? Tobirama knew each and every single guard's and servant's names, their detailed chakra signatures, and at least one piece of personal information about them. Information gathering had always been one of his fortes, but they made it far too easy blabbing away within ear reach…and not to mention Tobirama had very good hearing from distances away, as would any competently trained shinobi.

Always before his chakra ran out, he returned to his brother's familiar chakra. Hashirama had left the country twice since the founding of the village. Tobirama suspected Hashirama had traveled to other countries for negotiations and treaties. His chakra signature had become dimmer the further he went, but even a country away, Tobirama could still sense Hashirama if he concentrated hard enough. If the seals didn't distort his senses, Tobirama would have been able to make out even more details, but alas, Madara had made sure to make his life as miserable as possible.

Speaking of Madara, the man had come to the compound twice more. It had been about two weeks since Hashirama's first visit. Even though Tobirama wanted to disregard Madara, it was impossible to ignore such a dark and overpowering chakra signature. It constantly nagged at his senses whenever he meditated, like an annoying insect at the edges of his vision. Every alarm bell went off, warning him of danger whenever he sensed that oppressive chakra. It was like a crouched predator, silently awaiting for its prey to lower its guard before pouncing with lethal consequences.

Both visits Madara had not even looked at him, merely speaking with the guards and servants. It mattered little to Tobirama. The less he had to interact with Madara, the better. Even now, as much as he didn't wish to, his senses instinctively sought out the danger – which was often by Hashirama's side, he might add, wanting to smack his brother upside the head for his foolishness – observing the silently burning chakra for any signs of aggression. As per usual, it was hard to discern anything with the inhibiting seals, but it mattered not. Madara was a threat to the village so long as he clung to his hate…

Slowly opening his eyes as the last remaining chakra he could use for sensing ran out, Tobirama gazed at the gardens, noticing a small blue butterfly with black-tipped wings flutter about the tiny white flowers scattered about the grass where he sat in the lotus position. The butterfly lazily fluttered towards him, landing occasionally on a flower before it seemed to pause curiously above his knee. It landed a moment later, iridescent wings catching the sunlight, turning into a magnificent cerulean hue as it perched on his knee. Tobirama noticed a spot of yellow pollen where the butterfly had landed. He must have brushed against a flower when he'd sat down earlier. He watched the insect lap at the pollen with its curled proboscis in mild interest, effortlessly keeping still as to not disturb it.

Several minutes later, footsteps approached from behind, purposely made considering any decent shinobi could mask the sounds. The butterfly fluttered away at the other presence. Tobirama watched it disappear behind the bushes and scattering of slim trees.

"Senju."

His clan name was spat in a way that made him inwardly sigh. So it had finally come to this. He had expected it ever since the beginnings of the spiteful looks. It certainly had taken quite some time before they had gained enough courage to come at him directly instead of glare from a distance away.

Turning his head, he calmly gazed up at none other than Uchiha Yakumi. He wore the typical Uchiha garb of a high-collared shirt and black attire. His dark hair was pulled in an elaborate topknot reminiscent of his surly cousin Tōka (who had nearly strangled Hashirama after she'd found out about the conditions for the peace treaty). Pronounced tear troughs framed beneath his almond-shaped black eyes which were currently glaring at him. This Uchiha had glowered at him the most whenever he was assigned to the compound.

Behind the bristling Uchiha, three other Uchiha guards stood a short distance away, looking to and fro from Tobirama and Yakumi. Uchiha Tekka, the youngest guard, watched silently but with a slightly concerned look on his face. Next to him was Uchiha Yashiro, with ash-grey hair despite only looking to be in his forties, looking at them with his squinted eyes and a tense expression. Lastly was Uchiha Inabi, who was twenty-five as Tobirama recalled him complaining purposely loudly near Tobirama about having to do guard duty on his birthday, his narrow face framed by his long black hair and small eyes glaring at Tobirama with barely disguised dislike.

"What do you want?" Tobirama said as he smoothly stood to his full height and turned, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew he made an imposing sight with his nearly six foot height, marked face, and unnerving slanted red eyes even while dressed in casual clothes without his armor for effect. All four men were only a few inches shorter than him, but height had little meaning other than for intimidation in this situation.

Yakumi wavered for a second before standing his ground. Impressive, but Tobirama could detect the hint of hesitation and fear in the man's chakra. There was a charged silence as they regarded each other appraisingly. The Sharingan flickered from red to black like a rattlesnake warning of its threat. Tobirama had battled enough Uchiha throughout his life to skillfully keep his eyes locked on his opponent's face without meeting eyes.

"You Senju," Yakumi snarled. "If this farce of a treaty wasn't made—"

"Yakumi," Tekka called out. He was normally quiet and reserved throughout the time he'd guarded the compound, hardly ever speaking a word, but his concern showed through as he took a step towards them. Yashiro put a hand on Tekka's shoulder stopping him in his tracks. Tekka looked at Yashiro apprehensively, but the older man shook his head.

Yakumi took a breath, visibly trying to calm himself. Tobirama remained unmoved, assessing gaze picking up every detail to the way Yakumi's hands clenched into tight fists and how the other three Uchiha's hand lingered closely to their robes for a hidden weapon, bodies tense in response to the very real threat of a clash breaking out.

Even outnumbered, unarmed and with most of his chakra sealed, Tobirama was the most dangerous thing within the compound. All of the Uchiha within knew it. What they didn't know, however, was that he was very limited in chakra at the moment considering he'd been chakra viewing the village. That, however, meant little to nothing considering his bare hands could be used as lethal weapons, and his speed was unmatched even without the usage of hiraishin. He could sense the four other guards and several servants moving quickly towards the spike of aggression from one of their fellow clan members. He never looked away from Yakumi's face.

"You know as well as I that this peace treaty will not last," Yakumi said in a more controlled tone. His fists relaxed slightly from their clench. It was clear these thoughts had been brewing in the Uchiha's mind since the village's founding. "The Uchiha and the Senju have been enemies of old. How can we live with the very ones who have killed our families and comrades? Sooner or later, this farce will crumble. You, of all Senju, should know that. After all, you hate the Uchiha and have slaughtered more Uchiha than any other."

"Do not think you know my thoughts," Tobirama said icily. "Or that the Senju have not suffered the same as the Uchiha."

There was a difference between Tobirama and these men who were willing to fight him in the name of their clan. The difference not only in power, but also that Tobirama did not only fight for his clan. In a world where clans were the epicenter and boundaries of all shinobi, Tobirama understood the world differently just as his brother did – but in a divergent way than Hashirama. His way of thinking since he'd been a child had only matured and modified his premature ideals as he grew through continuous combat. Every battle, every death, every experience had molded and shaped him, his thoughts, and his judgement of his next actions. Everything he did and said was for a purpose. Not only for the sake of his clan, but for the dreams his brother had instilled in him since they had been child warriors tainted by war. These men, these clans, they only knew of their own suffering and pain, their loss and hate. They saw him as a heartless murderer of their kin.

In some ways, they were right, but they did not comprehend his reasoning. They did not understand that he was not only a heartless murderer. They were trapped in the past just as Hashirama was blindly forging the future. There was no way to completely mend the past or know the entirety of the consequences in building the future. Tobirama stayed grounded in the present where he could immediately affect things as they came.

"I may not know your thoughts, but actions can speak louder than words," Yakumi growled. "Do not think I haven't seen you kill my clansmen without a single shred of emotion on your face. It is known to us Uchiha that your heart is carved from ice, and that you never mourned nor raged when your clan was cut down in front of you."

Tobirama's gaze sharpened, his ire building at the nonsense the Uchiha was spouting. Cold as he may be rumored to be, his temper was something that even he could not completely contain.

"And it was the Senju who killed my father and wife!"

Ah.

So that was it. All of those glares from this Uchiha. Tobirama understood Yakumi's resentment now. Whether he was the Senju that killed his father and wife mattered not. All Senju were to blame for his suffering.

"I see," Tobirama simply said, more to himself than to the angry man in front of him.

Yakumi bristled. "Is that all you have to say? I should have known the rumors of your cold heart were true. You don't even care if your clansmen die. Would you even care if your brother—"

Whatever was remaining of Tobirama's chakra flared up in an abrupt torrent, shoving the Uchiha before him back a step with the sheer pressure and silencing whatever Yakumi would have said. Several things happened at once. All of the hidden Uchiha guards and servants surrounded him wielding their weapons. The three Uchiha behind Yakumi raced forward, brandishing kunai and hidden swords. The seals on his wrists and ankles immediately began to glow red, forcing the surge of chakra back almost painfully and causing a burning sensation where the seals were inked. Tobirama didn't flinch, allowing his chakra to return to him.

Ignoring them all, Tobirama focused all of his attention on the single Uchiha in front of him with such heavy killing intent that the man trembled from it. Yakumi held his own kunai, crouched in a battle stance, but there was fear in his tight features. Glowing red Sharingan surrounded Tobirama from all sides.

"Do not," he said with a chilliness that dropped the warm temperature a few degrees, "Ever assume you know anything about me."

Yakumi swallowed, never looking away from piercing red eyes – eyes that wrought as much fear as the Sharingan even if they were not looking directly into his own Sharingan. Tobirama remained as unmoving as a mountain. Any movement from him, even a twitch of his fingers, would provoke an attack as keyed up as the shinobi surrounding him were.

Breathing an inward sigh, Tobirama dissipated his killing intent. It would not do to provoke these shinobi as much as he was irritated with Yakumi's nonsense. The Uchiha remained wary, though.

"The Senju have caused you and your clan pain," Tobirama said, the ice in his voice lessening. "As have the Uchiha caused pain to the Senju…and I. But we are allies now, no matter the past. You say the treaty is a farce? That is only if it believed to be so. The treaty will only hold if both sides work together."

"And how do you expect us to work together when neither side trusts each other?" Inabi demanded, braving a step forward with his sword pointed at Tobirama. The man had a quick temper from Tobirama's observations of the Uchiha in the compound these past months. This one was easy to rile, more likely to attack than continue questioning, and he seemed to revel in trying to get a response from Tobirama with insulting remarks whether about his appearance or some other inane thing…much like another certain Uchiha. Inabi was too overconfident in his abilities. Normally Tobirama would have put him in his place, but he had little time for a bully of this standard…

Tobirama swept a glance at the narrow-faced man. "We all hold the same goal…war has shaped us, created suffering and hate, death and vengeance…an endless cycle that has not ceased until now. We fought each other for the same ideals, and neither side realized."

"The same ideals?" Yakumi echoed in confusion, some of the fear lifting from his face but still wary.

"Peace," Tobirama answered. The answer had always been obvious, perhaps so obvious that it was overlooked. "If not peace, then the safety and protection of our loved ones. The Senju are not monsters who killed your loved ones…and neither are the Uchiha who killed mine. We fight to protect those who we care about and in turn kill those who others care about."

The faces of the Uchiha stared at him in some shock at the admission. To say that he didn't consider the very clan who stood before him, the ones who had likely killed Senju some time in their lives, as not monsters? It was a travesty to them. Tobirama had witnessed firsthand how the Uchiha greatly loved and valued the members of their clan, how the death of a single person could forever break them. Their absolute loyalty to their clan was something to envy – his own clan claimed that love was their source of power, but Tobirama had never believed so. His very own father, Senju Bustuma, had never showed his love to his children – not even when they died.

"Don't you…" Yakumi hesitated, lowering his kunai slightly. "I thought you hated the Uchiha?"

"I do not, and have never said so," Tobirama said bluntly. "These circumstances have created the world we live in now…the Senju and the Uchiha have always been evenly matched, which made our clashes more frequent than any other. Whether it be the Hagoromo or any other clan, anyone could have been enemies during war. The Uchiha have always been the greatest threat to the Senju and vice versa."

"So what of it?" Inabi growled. "Do you expect us to make nice after all that's happened? What about the ones who died? Did they die for nothing?"

"The dead are dead," Tobirama told him, narrowing his eyes at the furious man. "They cannot affect anything now. We can only continue on what they fought for…and that is what we have now."

What his brother had fought for for so long. Peace. It was on the tips of their fingers. They had hardly grasped it yet – no one knew what peace was like, no one had ever experienced it before. It was as frightening as it was alluring.

"My father and wife…" Yakumi's face twisted into one of pain and conflict, the Sharingan fading from his eyes. "I…"

"If we follow through with hate and vengeance, then we will be plunged into war once more. The ones we have fought so hard to protect – they will suffer along with us," another Uchiha spoke up. Tobirama recognized him as Uchiha Hikaku, a man around his age with his hair pulled up in a high ponytail and long bangs framing both sides of his face. Unlike the normal black the Uchiha wore, he had a high-collared dark purple shirt with an ornamental gold chain hanging around his right shoulder. Hikaku…Hikaku had been Izuna's close friend. Tobirama had clashed with Hikaku multiple times while fighting Izuna. They looked at each other, both features wiped completely clean of emotion and a history of blood behind them.

"I can't…" Yakumi whispered, just barely loud enough for Tobirama to hear, unknowingly breaking the gaze between the two men. "I can't let my son go through the same thing I did…"

The Uchiha looked back and forth between Tobirama and their stricken comrade. With the risk of battle gone, some lowered their weapons. Silence enveloped the area.

"I have made my choice," Tobirama said, lowering his arms from their crossed state slowly as to not look threatening. "And now it is time for you to make yours."

Turning, he strode through the circle of Uchiha. They allowed him to pass without stopping him. They knew or perhaps now understood that he remained in the compound by choice, allowed his chakra to be sealed and his weapons taken away, and accepted that he would be separated from his clan and his brother perhaps for years. He was the catalyst for his clan, but the Uchiha had yet to find one.

Tobirama felt a prolonged stare at him just as he passed between two Uchiha, glancing to his right and noticing one of the Uchiha servants. A woman with long wavy purple-colored hair and straight cropped bangs. He recalled her name was Uchiha Naori. She stared at him with an inscrutable expression. Unlike the others, he'd noticed earlier she hadn't pulled out a weapon and instead stood by observing the events. Servant or not, every Uchiha like the Senju would have received shinobi training early in life, and she could likely do some damage even without a weapon.

Ignoring it, Tobirama continued towards the koi pond and the tree he had become fond of sitting in. He easily leapt up onto the sturdy branch that overlooked the compound, resting his back against the trunk with the branches and leaves providing some concealment. Closing his eyes, Tobirama allowed his body to gradually relax as he sensed the gathered Uchiha dispersing back to their stations. He hadn't shown it in front of the Uchiha, but he was weary from the chakra usage and the seals still burning his wrists and ankles.

This event…it had gone a little differently than how he'd imagined it. Never would he have thought that Hikaku agreed with him. After all, Hikaku and Izuna had been as close as brothers could be. Tobirama had seen the fury and pain in Hikaku's face when he'd witnessed the mortal wound Tobirama had given Izuna. But the look he had given Tobirama earlier…it had been tranquil, a lake undisturbed by any ripples from the past. Tobirama didn't know what to make of it. But he knew there was a definite change, not only with Hikaku, but this incident felt like it was a vital deciding factor for the Uchiha. It was up to the Uchiha clan now to choose which path to take.

Lifting his arm, he squinted an eye open to consider the seal. The elaborate markings still faintly glowed red with black around the edges. The skin around it had turned reddish as if it had been sitting over the heat of a fire or the results of prolonged exposure to the sun. Tobirama wasn't too concerned. His pale skin had always been easy to mark, making it look worse than it really was.

Lowering his hand to rest on his knee, Tobirama sighed because the burning sensation wasn't going away even though he wasn't kneading chakra. No doubt Madara had felt him raise his chakra through their linked seals and would be here any moment. It would be a pain to deal with the Uchiha leader after this, but at least it gave Tobirama an idea of how the seals worked in connection to Madara. He could feel Madara's chakra bubbling from the seal clearly concentrated to keep Tobirama's chakra at bay. The burning sensation became more intense as the minutes ticked by, which Tobirama guessed was a reaction to how close Madara was getting to the compound.

Eventually, when it felt like flames were really licking at his skin, Tobirama felt the arrival of the angry Uchiha leader in a burst of dark chakra and a couple Uchiha guards scurrying to greet him. Tobirama grimaced when the chakra intensified the seals, sending what felt like a burst of scorching lava flooding through his system. His chakra automatically crackled in response, but it was undeniably agonizing when the seals immediately shoved it back with a blazing surge. He couldn't hold back a soft chuff of pain, fingers curling into a fist to hold back any other sounds.

It didn't take long for the man to stomp his way to where Tobirama was perched in the tree. Madara glared at him suspiciously, sweeping a look around as if to look for signs of a battle or dead bodies. It was no surprise considering how fast Madara had come here, likely afraid Tobirama had killed all of the Uchiha within the compound. The other Uchiha gathered once more, nervously standing by, none of them saying a word.

"What happened?" Madara eventually demanded after seeing for himself that seemingly nothing had occurred.

"Nothing, Madara-sama."

It was Hikaku who stepped forward, unperturbed by his leader's riled temper. He most likely was used to it, considering he'd been a close friend of Izuna. Madara pinned him with his intense glare.

"That," Madara growled. "Was murderous chakra I felt all the way in the village. Do not lie to me."

Hikaku dipped his head in submission. "My apologies, Madara-sama. I did not mean to lie. There was a confrontation, but it was quickly resolved. No one was hurt."

Madara looked at each Uchiha, frowning. They all looked down or away, unwilling to rat out one of their own for provoking the prisoner. He looked back at Hikaku, whose face was serene and open with honesty, then he scowled back up at Tobirama.

"Senju," he said in a low, threatening voice that was backed by a flare of potent chakra. "If you touch one hair on any of my clan member's head, I will end you."

The seals glowed a brilliant crimson at the warning. Tobirama kept his features stone cold so that none witnessed the waves of hot pain coursing through his veins. His muscles were so tensed to silently endure it that if anyone touched him in that moment, he would have felt like a rock hard statue. Madara's chakra blazed around him in visible flares, but Tobirama was not cowed. There was only one man who could instill fear in him with such a dense, suffocating chakra filled with killer intent that it was like a physical blow to every single one of his senses. Madara was no Hashirama, but he was definitely someone to be reckoned with.

Tobirama did not respond, both men glaring at each other. There was nothing Madara could do to him since none of his clan members were wounded, but Madara could cause him pain so long as the seals linked them together.

But pain was nothing to endure as Tobirama hardened his resolve to follow through with the promise he had made to himself when he had chosen to give himself to the Uchiha.