Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! A big thanks to CNGB for the constructive criticism and to whitefang245 for the reviews! I love reading them, so keep them coming! I went over this chapter with a very fine-toothed comb, CNGB, so hopefully I didn't miss any silly mistakes. Anyway, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, just those of my own design.
Chapter 4
Mito sighed in relief as she slipped into her room through the window having just narrowly avoided the search party outside of the manor. She wasn't sure why she was going through such drastic measures for she knew her father would be furious regardless, but she reasoned that the less she had to deal with for now, the better her day would remain and for longer. Glancing around her room, she noticed that a large jade vase was placed on the center of a small tea table in her room and said vase was filled with a large bouquet of orchids. She strode over to it and saw that an Uchiha crest was centered on the black envelope that was tied around the smallest part of the vase's neck. Upon retrieving a card from inside the envelope, she quickly read:
Mito, I apologize for my actions. I understand that I have hurt you deeply and, although I do not fully understand how, I am sorry. I hope, however, that you can explain to me the error of my ways when I return by your invitation to Uzushiogakure. I, unfortunately, have to leave to deal with some turmoil between my clan and the surrounding clans, but I await your response with baited breath and hope to hear from you soon. Regards, Madara.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance and disgust before she began to undress. Suddenly, the door to her room was jerked opened and she sighed in exasperation as two servants entered and began to take over undressing, cleaning, then dressing her again.
"Oh, Lady Mito, where have you been?" the shorter, strawberry blonde woman of the two asked.
The kunoichi sighed and replied, "At the lake."
She slipped on the robe that was held out for her as the women began either scrubbing her body with scented water or brushing her tangled hair with said water as she added, "I just needed to clear my head after yesterday's fiasco. Would you care to tell me what all the fuss is about?"
"I can answer that question," Munashii stated as he stepped into his daughter's room. He frowned at her appearance before continuing, "A young man has arrived with an interest in meeting you. He also needs my help in sealing away something, but being that our clans have always been close, I will happily oblige. Now, hurry up and when you are finished, meet me in the main hall. You shall greet our guests with me instead of waiting in that blasted tearoom."
He quickly turned and left, shutting the door behind him and leaving Mito with more questions than answers. She stood and was slipped out of the robe again as one of the servants dressed her in her typical kimono while the other stood on a small step as she placed her hair in the typical two-bun style she wore.
"Lady Mito," the woman from before stated as she tied the obi around her lady's waist, "I overheard that your father is so flustered about this meeting because he had forgotten that this young man needed to meet with him. It seems he was too distracted with Madara-sama's courtship of you to remember."
"Call him 'Madara' from now on; he doesn't deserve such respect. And remove that 'gift' from my room at once. I don't want to see anything that bears an Uchiha crest on it again," Mito stated lowly as the gold hairpiece was positioned on her head before she inquired, "Anyway, do you know why this mystery man is here, though? Arriving without an invitation is very rude."
The woman replied, "Well, I also overheard that he came here because he feared that something terrible had befallen our village. He was ensuring that we all were safe, aside from needing our help, that is."
Mito looked away at the woman and muttered to herself, "How curious."
The pair of servants stepped back to allow Mito to place the seal tags in her buns and the three clips in her hair designed to hold back her bangs; these tasks she had always very particular about. Finally, she stepped back and studied her appearance, gaining approval from the two women who dressed her, before stepping out into the hall to meet her father.
Mito's eyebrows twitched downward slightly in frustration as she closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her growing agitation over her father's constant fussing over her appearance that was peppered with hurtful comments intended to reprimand her further for her actions. Finally, Mito waved away her father's hands as she stated:
"Please, Father, leave me be. It will be all right."
Munashii huffed as he turned his attention towards the double doors on the opposite end of the large entrance room of the manor, "Everything will not be 'all right.' You still faintly smell of that fishy lake and your hair is nearly dripping wet. How can I ever expect to marry you off?"
Mito hoped that her father meant to keep that particularly insensitive comment to himself and she turned to retort harshly but missed the opportunity as the doors opened and their guests entered the room. The first man to enter, she observed, was a tall, pale-skinned man with equally pale, messy hair, blue samurai-like armor adorning his strong body, with two red streaks painted beneath his eyes and one red line painted on his chin. Mito's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, as she didn't immediately recognize the symbol that she noticed was emblazoned beneath the fur on the collar of the armor; however, her eyes flew open as she realized it was of the Senju clan. This sudden insight caused her eyes to quickly move to the taller man to enter behind the first as she recognized him to be none other than Hashirama Senju. The pair approached the Uzumakis then bowed before them to show respect. Mito saw her father bow in return out of the corner of her eye but she was too surprised to do anything other than stare at Hashirama. When said Senju lifted out of his bow, his eyes locked on Mito's and he froze from his own surprise as well.
"Brother… Brother," the red-eyed man muttered as he nudged Hashirama before he sighed and looked towards the Uzumaki clan leader, having to deliver the pleasantries since his brother was now occupied elsewhere, "Munashii-sama. I am Tobirama and this is my older brother, and leader of our clan, Hashirama of the Senju clan. We cannot thank you enough for receiving us and granting us an audience on such short notice. We are also relieved to see that your village and people are well."
The Uzumaki leader nodded, "You are quite welcome, Tobirama-san. This is my daughter, Mito Uzumaki," the man looked at the young woman and was pleasantly surprised to find her and Hashirama's gazes to be locked. He smiled, his hopes once again stirring for a wedding, and turned his attention back to the younger Senju before stating, "Tobirama, how would you like to have a tour of the manor while Mito and Hashirama-san become better acquainted, hmm? Perhaps I can begin to get an understanding of the problems you are having with this monster, as well."
Tobirama accepted before following Munashii out of the room, leaving Mito and Hashirama alone. After many moments of silence, Mito finally muttered:
"You…"
The Senju smirked, "Yes, Mizu, it is me. Don't fret; I am equally surprised to see you here as well. Who knew that I would find such an excellent swimmer behind these walls?"
Mito blushed heavily, "I wasn't sure if I could trust you and you could have told me this is what you were here for. And you still shouldn't have been spying on me at the lake."
"Well, you disappeared before I got to that part this morning, and it was a mere accident that we were both there might I remind you," Hashirama replied with a chuckle, "However, my clan also needs assistance in sealing away the terrible beast plaguing our lands, I wouldn't trust anyone but an Uzumaki to help us."
Mito smiled, her embarrassment over his first statement vanishing, "Well, I thank you for the compliment. Would you like some tea?" She motioned down the hall before beginning to head in the direction of the tearoom, ignoring her father's disdainful comment towards the space.
"Actually, Mito-san," Hashirama began, touching her arm lightly to stop her after having to rapidly stride to catch up to her, "I would much prefer to go outside."
"You don't like tea?" she asked in an almost teasing manner.
He chuckled, "I do, but I love nature more."
This caught the young woman off guard, being that it was another interest they shared, before she nodded and led the young man outside, near the entrance to the garden she so meticulously kept. She smiled as she realized she seemed truly at peace outdoors for she felt as if the fresh, warm air was already clearing her head.
"So, Hashirama-san, how old are you and your brother? If I might ask; for between the two of you, I wouldn't say either of you are a day over twenty," Mito inquired.
The man chuckled, "If it concerns you so, I am twenty-four and my brother is twenty."
'Like Madara and Izuna,' Mito thought before forcefully pushing the thought from her mind, "I see. So young to already be the leader of a clan."
Hashirama smiled slightly, "We are all not so lucky to be isolated on a peaceful island like yours, Mito-san."
"Ahh, a very good point indeed, Hashirama-san," Mito replied as she entered her garden and took a seat in her usual spot, "Now, answer a question for me, Hashi-san. How did you know we would welcome you so openly?"
Hashirama admired the garden after he entered per her invitation as he replied, "Oh, come now, Mito-san. You must know of the deep friendship our clans have always shared due to our distant relations."
Mito smirked, "Of course I do. However, if I remember correctly, the details of such relations differ amongst our clans. Tell me, what is the story you tell your children?"
The man took a seat next to her at her permission, "Well, our clans arose from the two children of the youngest son of the Sage of the Six Paths centuries ago."
Mito chuckled and smiled at the man next to her, "Would you like to hear our version, Hashirama-san? The difference might intrigue you."
He nodded and she began, "You see, we believe that the Sage also had a daughter that was lost to the pages of history. While women do not typically inherit portions of their father's house, we tell that, in secret from her brothers, the Sage bestowed to her two sacred gifts like he imparted to his sons. The first was his longevity and the second was the masterful use of seals, being that he was powerful enough to seal the Juubi inside himself. As such, we Uzumakis, theoretically, are the perfect people for creating the seals to contain tailed beasts and, quite possibly, contain them within ourselves."
"And has that ever been used?" Hashi inquired.
"No, not yet anyway and hopefully it will never be put to the test," Mito replied with a small laugh, "but, I hope that whichever Uzumaki is required to test this legend proves it to be true. We already know that the longevity aspect is correct, however, so there is hope yet should that come to pass."
The man nodded, "Let us hope," he sighed contentedly before looking around once more, "The servants of your house must be very skilled if your manor possess this large and bountiful garden."
Mito smirked, "Thank you, however, I am the one who achieved this beauty."
"Really? Well, this is quite an accomplishment, Mito-san. Who taught you?" Hashirama asked.
The young woman sighed, "My mother did, but she didn't get a chance to finish her lessons."
"Why?" the man queried once more.
"You see… our village hasn't always been as peaceful as you believe. Years ago, there was a nighttime invasion. My mother died in one of the many skirmishes. My father and his guards intervened in time to save me, but he was too late to save her. It's why he is so protective of me, but so much so that he despises me doing anything that could endanger myself, such as shinobi training. Although, if I knew such skills, I could protect myself, but he can't see that; his desire for my safety often clouds his judgment," the young woman replied.
"Well," Hashirama began, "I will say I am sorry for your loss when you were so young, but it seems you understand your father's reasons for his actions."
"That doesn't mean I always accept them, however," she replied as she looked up into his chocolate colored eyes, "But thank you."
He smiled before standing and moving towards the destroyed orchid bush, "Might I ask though, since this sight clashes horridly with the surroundings, what happened here?"
The woman sighed as she closed her eyes before slowly opening them as she spoke, "A suitor experienced a hissy fit after stumbling into the koi pond. He tripped over- Please! Don't touch it!"
Mito jumped up to move to Hashirama's side as he knelt next to the bush while performing hand signs. She paused, however, once he laid his right hand on the plant and it grew and healed, returning, not to its former size, but twice that. The man stood and turned to Mito and was concerned to find tears forming in her eyes.
"Was I wrong to do that?" he asked, growing evermore worried.
The Uzumaki stepped next to Hashirama and smiled, as she looked up at him and stated, "No. I cannot begin to thank you enough for doing what you did. My mother and I planted this plant a few days before the raid where I lost her. I never learned how to tend it properly, but I always cared for it greatly because it reminded me of her. I was devastated when it was destroyed," she looked at the large orchid blooms while wiping at her eyes, "How did you accomplish this?"
He smiled, "I have a special ninjutsu ability that combines water and earth affinities to create a new element: Wood Release. It seems fitting considering my love for nature."
'Such true kindness…' Mito thought to herself before smiling, "I am forever in your debt then. Hashirama-san, would you, and your brother, of course, like to join my father and I for dinner while the servants prepare the guest house for you two? It isn't much in way of repaying you, but it is a start."
He smiled and bowed slightly, "I would be honored, and does this mean you would like to see more of me?" He added a small, flirtatious smirk.
She chuckled again while blushing lightly, "Perhaps, perhaps."
Hashirama offered his arm to her and she gladly hooked her arm around his before the pair began walking back towards the manor for dinner. As they walked, Mito glanced back at the restored orchid bush fondly and blinked in surprise as a pair of doves landed in it together. Her eyes widened slightly before she smiled.
'Is this the sign I asked for you to send, Mother?'
