Chapter Four
Of all the seven years that Tobirama Senju had lived, the largest chakra reserve he had ever sensed from a human, which the adults could not even rival, was his big brother's.
Hashirama's chakra was powerful (although Tobirama could not understand why, since Hashirama had never shown any jutsu that was heaven-breaking). Nevertheless, his brother's chakra was warm, like the heat of summer, calming and it makes one feel more alive.
Today, however, he accidentally sensed something...abnormal. A chakra so massive it felt endless. Potent. One that seemed to overwhelm Tobirama's five senses, causing him to skid to a stop, breaking out of the formation Butsuma had drilled into them (if they were outside the Senju compound).
This action of his did not go unnoticed by his companions.
Each one of them knew Tobirama's excellent skill to sense chakras countries away, and seeing his usually stoic face twist into confusion made them fall into a defensive formation. The team of five took out their katana, kunai and shuriken, eyes skimming suspiciously over the rustling foliage of the trees above them and the thickets scattered on the forest floor.
Tobirama reigned over his emotions as he narrowed his eyes at a direction to their north. In his peripheral, he noticed his brother, Hashirama, land to the branch he was crouching at.
"Tobi? What's wrong?" Hashirama asked, his usual goofy and constant smiley face gone, replaced by a concerned expression.
"The...compound," Tobirama murmured beneath his breath as his scarlet eyes steeled.
Butsuma snapped his head towards their destination as if he could see what Tobirama was sensing.
"Let's go," Butsuma said as all of them picked up their speed. Although Tobirama was the smallest among them, his chakra control and stamina was as good as any adolescent shinobi.
It was strange. Tobirama had only tried seeking out his clan's chakras and make sure that their path was clear of ambushes as they headed back to their home from an assassination mission. He never expected to find this.
Unlike Hashirama's chakra, this one was blazing hot. Corrosive. Like the unmerciful heat of an arid desert...but worse.
"Tobirama." Butsuma's voice cut through his thoughts, "report."
Having been called, he slipped into the center of the formation. "There's a foreign chakra within our compound. A new presence that has never been there before. It's surprisingly massive and it reeks of...animosity."
"Can you estimate the size of this chakra and how many they are?" Butsuma asked, his low and commanding voice reaching everyone's ears despite of the cool wind that whipped against them.
"Yes, but it seems to be singular, Father."
It even felt...familiar. Like the monstrous tailed beasts' chakras that he sometimes noticed when he tried to sense people as far as he can. But he couldn't tell which tailed beast it was since he had never encountered any of the nine. This, he did not want to tell the others since he had no clear evidence. It was a waste of time telling them assumptions when it was not a definite fact.
But, alas, his Father did not share his sentiments as Butsuma preferred to hear this kind of assumptions for 'safety measurements' as he had once told him.
"How dangerous is this person?"
"As dangerous as...tailed beasts." His companions snapped their attention at him, doubtful. But, they knew Tobirama (or more like his Father and his brother knew him well enough to know that Tobirama does not lie). And most of Butsuma's men trusted Tobirama with their lives despite of being barely eight.
Now, they held mixed emotions of confusion, wonder and fear of what they would find when they arrive. However, something did not add up right. This was what confused Tobirama. Everyones chakra in the compound was complete, calm and not...agitated. And this foreign chakra was stationary as though it was asleep.
If you would ask him what he was feeling at the moment, it was not fear. It was utter wonder and immense curiosity. This unknown entity was a subject he could dissect and study, an addition to his collection of theories and possibilities.
"Friend or foe?" Butsuma asked as the trees ahead of them parted and revealed the walls of the Senju compound.
"Hard to tell, Father."
Tobirama gritted his teeth as Butsuma sent him a glare of admonishment for not being able to assess things just from the information he'd gathered from the chakra signature.
As soon as the gate cracked open for them, Hashirama and Butsuma flared their own chakra to find the unwelcome intruder. Despite not having the same range as Tobirama, the two were also skilled sensors. So, when they did feel what Tobirama had been talking about, their blood ran cold.
They had never felt anything so foul and searing.
Dread clutched onto their hearts when they realized where the chakra was. It was residing at their own house.
Speechless, the two (being the fastest among the group) raced towards their house, sitting at the top of a small hill, overlooking their whole clan.
Not only was the chakra heavy, it was abominable. Oppressive. And they could barely keep themselves from trembling before it. But they had to find out what it was. Their whole clan would be in danger if it was left unnoticed.
Butsuma even commended Tobirama for withstanding such foul chakra when his core hadn't even matured yet.
Upon seeing their own house, they halted when they saw people shouting and knocking at the wooden gate that led into their courtyard. Both father and son recognized the gathered men, shinobi sensors, who had also noticed their arrival.
One brightened up but the seriousness in his face did not go away.
"Lord Butsuma!" he called out, running towards their Clan Head before bowing. "There's an emergency and a state of crisis."
"Explain."
Hashirama glanced at their house and walked towards the wooden gate. He tried opening it but it was locked from the inside. This would have kept everyone away, but as a shinobi, this was barely a barrier.
"Lady Hiomi wouldn't let us in. We tried telling the house maids that there is danger within the household but they would only listen to the Lady Matriarch. We tried...breaking in, but she had put up a seal to keep everyone out, specially those who harbors killing intent or suspicious thoughts."
Hashirama had a feeling the seal came from the Uzumaki clan. It must have been one of the many given to them as a gift that honors their alliance and friendship. And having his Mother use it against their own clan was a mystery...treason even.
He did not want to think about the meaning of this or the consequences of her actions.
Hashirama looked up to his father who glared at the gate. Or was it through the gate and towards the Matriarch? He grimaced.
"I can go in," Tobirama blurted out beside him. Hashirama glanced at his little brother whose face remained neutral. "I know this seal. It shuts out people who only holds negative thoughts or feelings to someone who lives within the sealed area."
"And why do you think you can go in, Tobirama and not your brother?" Their father's voice made the two meet his intense stare.
"I read the seal before and it has loopholes, obvious ones. Since I understand the seal better and hold no negative emotions over a person on the other side of the wall then I can enter without getting thrown the other hand, Hashirama may look like a friend and a brother of practically everybody, he definitely has his serious and unmerciful side when it comes to his family and clan's safety."
This, Tobirama was contently sure, confident over his own words because he understood his brother and his own self and the way they both think.
Tobirama was pragmatic.
He does not conclude without seeing the subject in concern first.
XOXOX
Lady Hiomi was well aware of the riot and growing tension outside of her house. When one of the Senju shinobi had come and warned her of a danger worse than the Uchihas and asked for her permission to look around, she had roasted the man and unceremoniously let her maids throw the him outside. Afterwards, she had taken a scroll and used a seal she had been eyeing when her husband told her about it. She may be weak and frail now, dying even, but she had been a shinobi once in her life.
She knew what the man had been referring to. How could she not understand when she'd seen two legendary kitsunes with three and four tails in her own garden, delivering the lovely babe? How could she let those men take such an innocent soul just because the babe's chakra was a bit strange. Well, not 'a bit', it was strange but because of her exposure to the kitsunes, maybe her chakra signature changed, which makes her immune to corrosive chakras.
Oh, well, Lady Hiomi did not care.
All she cared about was whether the babe was feeling comfortable in her new environment or if she was well fed.
She glanced down at the bundle in her arms as the baby girl stretched her chubby arms over her head, while her cheeks puffed out and her eyes blinked here and there. When those cerulean eyes opened widely and the slowly forming smiles appeared, which seemed to be ever present on her sunny face, Lady Hiomi couldn't supress a chuckle as she cooed over the babe. How could she not when the child was so cheerful and contagiously so. Just like her first born son.
She grimaced as her heart clenched once again. Remembering her sons, Hashirama and Tobirama, made her depressed and scared all day. Especially this past few days when Butsuma had insisted Tobirama, who just turned seven, to join their mission from a high-standing Lord, which took a week to be completed.
A loud and careless footstep took her attention away from her darkening thoughts. Looking over the paper screen, it rattled open as her four-year-old son, Kawarama, tumbled over his short legs.
"Okaa-san!" he greeted, a huge grin gracing his face as he ran to her side, while a pouting Itama, just a year older than Kawarama, followed behind his little brother.
"Sorry, Okaa-san, Kawarama wouldn't stay still and study his katas. He said he wanted to see you and Hima-chan...again." Itama reasoned, his mismatched hair sticking to his forehead because of the sweat he had produced from his extensive training.
"Ooh! Hima-chan's awake, Itama-nee!"
Itama's eyes brightened up as he rushed to Lady Hiomi's other side, opposite of Kawarama. Their mother secretly chuckled at Itama's actions as, in fact, he just wanted to see their baby sister too.
"Uwaah, her eyes are so blue! Can I hold her, Okaa-san?" Kawarama pleaded with his large, brown eyes as he clutched onto Lady Hiomi's arm.
"I'm sorry, dear, we must be very careful with her because she is still so small and she can't balance herself well yet," Lady Hiomi said and Kawarama's face fell, "but...I can put her down so you can play with her."
With this, Kawarama shouted in joy while Itama couldn't keep his eyes away from the baby girl who was sucking onto her thumb while mumbling unintelligible words.
When Lady Hiomi had come home last night, Itama and Kawarama fell in love at first sight at the babe in her arms, especially her bouts of giggles and her clear blue eyes.
They had asked her what the babe's name was and all she could think of were 'sunflowers', especially with the way the little girl's face brightened up like the sun, so in other words, she called her Himawari. Itama and Kawarama agreed with the babe's name. The boys wouldn't even go back to their own room late that night until they had to be dragged away by the maids with promises that they would see her again the next day.
She was glad, happy, in joy that her two sons liked her. The problem was, would her husband and her older sons like little Himawari-chan, too? This had been in her mind ever since last night.
After Lady Hiomi laid Himawari on the futon, she peeled the other linens away so the babe could move around and play. Itama waved his hand over Hima's face and she snatched his index finger with good agility and placed it into her mouth, sucking it with gusto. Itama laughed, ticklish, but he did not pull his finger away. When Hima heard his laugh she returned it with giggles, her voice so innocent and warm that seemed to reverberate over the wooden walls.
"Me too! Me too!" Kawarama insisted as he hovered over Hima.
"Mother?" A voice called out, uncertain, as he pulled the shoji door open.
"Welcome home, Tobirama." Lady Hiomi smiled fondly at her second son, her carbon copy, except for the stoic and expressionless face that was ever present. "Come meet your new sister, Himawari-chan."
"Tobi-nee! Come see her! She's so pretty and so chubby!" Kawarama cried out as he stood up from his crouch and ran to Tobirama's side and then pulled on the bigger boy's arm.
Lady Hiomi observed Tobirama's face, despite of the boy putting up walls on his emotions, as a mother, she could still pick out the slight cracks on the boy's face. Tobirama was completely confused as he eyed the baby that watched him back with large, watery eyes. As if on cue, the little girl released Itama's finger and reached her small hands to Tobirama's direction.
"That's not fair!" Kawarama shouted while Itama nodded in agreement, looking jealous over their big brother. "Why does she want Tobi-nee to carry her when she did not even do that when she met me and Itama-nee last night!?"
"Now, now, Kawarama-dear, it only means that Hima-chan is smart enough to know that she'll be safe with her big brother, Tobi, for he can balance her very well in his arms, don't you think so too, Tobi?"
A slight crease appeared on her son's face but it vanished as soon as he glanced at her inquisitingly.
"Mother, who is...she?" Tobi asked instead, ignoring the unintelligible whines of the babe that seemed to be on the verged of tears for being ignored.
"She's your baby sister, Tobi. A very very blessed little girl that needs our protection." Lady Hiomi said as she met Tobirama's cool gaze without wavering. "If you have passed through that door without repercussions, then that would mean you understand what I'm saying, right? I am very happy that you hold no negative feelings over her, but your father and the rest of the clan might." Lady Hiomi's scarlet eyes softened as it glazed over with solemn sadness, "Do help me make them accept her, will you?"
Tobirama's heart softened at his mother's pleading gaze. He had always been weak when it comes to their mother. This was no exception. He knew just how depressed and heart broken she was over the fact that all of her sons were taken away from her to be fighters and killers at the age of six. He had wished he could make it up to her.
And now was an opportunity he could not dismiss.
Tobirama glanced back over the babe with indigo hair (a strange color), cerulean eyes and cheeks with two whisker-like scars or birth mark? Very strange indeed. Perhaps having a girl in the family would sooth their mother's mind and heart, giving her some peace for once.
The child seemed alright on the outside; sweet, innocent and cheerful. But Tobirama could not ignore what was inside her.
He could not imagine how a babe could have such large reserves and hot-searing chakra.
"Is there something wrong, Okaa-san?" Itama asked worriedly as he glanced at Tobirama and their mother, who flashed him a pained smile.
As if feeling the tension weighing down on the people within the room, baby Hima's lips fell and a whimper escaped her mouth before she full-on wailed.
Startled, Tobirama automatically kneeled down and wrapped her within his arms before standing and gently rocking his arms. He blinked, he had done it again.
It was partly his little brothers' fault. Because of them, he was known as the second mother of the two boys. He grew up taking care of the them since their mother could not be accessed because of her illness.
Tobirama was about to sigh in defeat when he suddenly stilled as his own chakra assessed the one he was carrying. Coincidentally, Himawari halted crying, only sniffing and hiccuping here and there, feeling content by the arms around her.
But the boy holding her had his eyes slightly widened as he snapped his attention onto the babe's face as the new information in his head were being processed.
"Tobi?" Lady Hiomi asked, face worried as she tried to stand up but fell back when her body could not muster up the strength.
"She's…" Tobirama's shocked face locked eyes with his mother, who desperately searched his face. "She's a Hyuuga and an...Uzumaki."
XOXOX
Ummm, haha, yeah, it's been weeks, hasn't it? Took me a while. I know. And I do not want to make excuses but if you want to know why it took me this long then read on.
"My internship had just begun two weeks ago and it was taking up all of my time (along with sleep hours) because my days were absolutely tiring (and it will go on till the third week of July)."
Warning: My internet connection sucks. Our dormitory doesn't have any signal. It's because the mining company and the on-site location is at the top of an isolated mountain. (I cry: why'd I choose this?). But, sometimes, my signal will grace me at the right place and time.
It took me three days to write this chapter (see, I can write in such a short time, so why did it took so long? Well, again, look up). So sorry fellow fans of Naruto out there reading this piece of colorful idea from me.
Do ENJOY! This seems to be longer than the previous chapters though.
And guess what! I AM SO HAPPY WITH THE REVIEWS SO FAR. I am so honored to have readers like you guys. And no worries, I take into account your ideas and wishes since I also agree with everything you guys had suggested. (AND ARE YOU GUYS READING MY MIND?) I guess that just shows how simple my fanfiction cravings are. Some fluff, cute moments, and perhaps identity crisis.
I have to warn the others who are looking forward for character-saving parts because you might get disappointed and I don't want to do it so suddenly without warning.
Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE 700+VIEWS AND 20+FOLLOWS AND 14+FAVORITES AND THE 16+WONDERFUL REVIEWS!
I CAN'T WAIT for WARFLOWER to RECEIVE MORE LOVE! Thank you.