Chapter Seven

Izuna, for all the embarrassment he is surely feeling, has no problem making snide remarks toward Tobirama. Sakura is of the belief that the younger Senju brother is only humoring him because she is present. Though, as she sips her tea silently, Tobirama is equally - if not more - snarky than even Madara.

" - only succeed if you can reach my height but," Tobirama pauses to lift his tea in a picture-perfect manner of regal beauty, "alas, I doubt you'll grow any taller."

Sakura covers her amused smile with her teacup and silently watches her younger brother seethe at the comment. Really, he and Madara are not that different in how they respond to taunting.

"Nee-sama!" She turns to Izuna and raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow to inquire silently. "Are you just going to sit there and let him insult me?!"

"Izuna," Sakura starts with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "you're the shortest among your age and I am certainly taller than you."

Izuna's cry of outrage is cut off by Tobirama - "You are loud for an Uchiha." - and he places his empty teacup down. "Thank you for the tea." He sits back and waits. Sakura knows what he wants, knows that she will eventually push him to a limit of demanding, but a petty part of her wants to see if he'll go that far. He did, after all, dangle her brother from the ground in front of their family and she should, perhaps, defend his honor.

Alas, no time for petty displays tonight.

"I sent Izuna to the border of Yamanaka territory to observe."

Tobirama's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Why?" It's a demand disguised by polite inquiry.

"Your brother wants a Yamanaka to be the third party witness to a potential treaty between the Uchiha and Senju."

"It would be wiser to use a Nara."

Sakura nods. "I agree." She spares a quietly fuming Izuna a glance. "The Yamanaka do not have anything of interest to offer us and I am reluctant to let many people within our library. The Nara are quicker to appease."

"The Yamanaka are friendlier," Tobirama counters.

"I don't care for friendly so much," Sakura states, "as caring for quick and efficient conclusions."

The younger Senju brother leans forward, arms folded on the table. "That does not explain why your brother was where so close to their property. Territory and home are different concepts. I stopped him from being caught - barely - but he was an annoyance to bring back here. I should have let him be."

"If you had, you wouldn't be here right now enjoying a fresh brew."

"Please be serious about this, Lady Uchiha. The Yamanaka are generally peaceful, but they will fight if they feel threatened."

Placing her teacup down, Sakura also leans forward. "You do not have to tell me what I already know, Lord Tobirama." Still, she supposes she has dallied long enough. "Even if the Nara is a wiser choice, I was trying to give your bother's suggestion a chance after some observing."

While also trying to figure out what the Senju can offer the Yamanaka...

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Simple.

Tobirama is a master of blank face but his eyes do flicker to the silver band on his left wrist. The Senju crest stands out proudly in a dark blue pendant. When he shifts in his seat, the sleeve of his robe covers it.

"My brother...is really trying to make this work," he begins. "And it's been a struggle with the elders of our clan." He appears annoyed at admitting something that can almost be considered a weakness. "The Yamanaka have been our allies for decades but they are peaceful. They don't like to fight. Yamanaka Inota is open and understanding and willing to help."

Sakura waves away an inquiring server's small shake for tea. "In our predicament, you can't get something from something."

Tobirama's brows furrowed in confusion.

She cuts to the chase. "What do the Yamanaka want in exchange for being a third witness?"

"Nothing."

A small smile appears on Sakura's face. "I don't have to be a sensor to sense your lie."

In a very uncharacteristic move, Tobirama braces his elbow on the tea table and uses it to hold his head up. "There isn't a unity between the Senju and Yamanaka."

"Marriage?" She wasn't expecting that. "The trade isn't equal. Please - " she's quick to continue when he opens his mouth to object, " - let me finish." Sakura braces her arms on the table and leans forward. "Marriage involves an entirely different set of rules and regulations and expectations - "

"Who?"

Sakura blinks.

"Who?" Izuna repeats. "You or your brother?"

"My brother has stated that he does not wish to marry any time soon," Tobirama responses slowly. "So the task would fall to me."

Izuna doesn't respond. Instead, he smiles at Sakura even though it appears strained. "Nee-sama, I have a couple of tasks to attend to. I'll be taking my leave." Abrupt. Surprising.

"See to it that Hitora is available for patrol this evening, please."

"Of course."

And he's gone.

I will explore that later, Sakura thinks.

"Your brother is of a strange sort, Lady Uchiha."

"As you very well know," she easily counters.

Sakura hums to herself, reading through territory reports when Madara bursts through her bedroom door; hair as wild as his own personality. "What is this nonsense of you having Senju Tobirama within our home for tea and biscuits?!" Calmly, ever poised, Sakura rolls up the scroll in her hands and places it to the side. "Sakura!" He says it in such a desperate manner, she finally looks at him. He calls her by her given name, something not normally done.

"Hello, Madara. How was patrol?" Madara makes a noise somewhere between a cat and a snake. It's a very interesting sound. "Madara, calm down. Nothing happened. Senju Tobirama is polite as he is cold." Though, he was much more outspoken than I anticipated.

"Why was he here?! And he was dangling Izuna from his hand?!"

She hums once again. "Please stop yelling. I sent Izuna on a mission, he was found out and promptly returned." Sakura starts gathering up the strolls. "He provided a second opinion regarding his brother's third-party choice and - "

"What did he say to Izuna?!"

Her eyebrows shoot up. "What do you mean? They exchanged easy banter until Izuna excused himself."

"And that's it?" Madara crosses his arms over his chest. "Nothing else?"

"Izuna did seem to feel uneasy a moment before his left, but for what I couldn't say. I don't recall the younger Senju brother saying something that could be seen as offensive. He was incredibly respectful during his stay. Frankly, I'm surprised there has been no uproar about the ordeal from our kin."

Madara stares at her. "Nee-sama, this is a tedious time and I don't think - "

"You're within your right to question my decisions, Madara, but don't think for a second that I don't have the safety and concern of our clan on my mind."

"I worry," he settles for. "About allowing them to be around each other."

The agitation she felt at possibly being questioned on her choices fades away. Sakura sighs. "I know. I understand. But," she pauses to glance out the window, "they spoke to each other like they were old...friends. I don't exactly know how to explain it. Izuna joked with him. He was being a brat. In fact, I recall why he abruptly left. Senju Tobirama has been promised to the heiress of the Yamanaka clan in exchange for being the third-party choice for the treaty."

"Why would he be upset about that?"

Sakura hums. "I have an idea or two but let us not focus on that. The problem still lies with whom we choose to have as our third-party witness. If both were allowed, this wouldn't be a problem."

"Hashirama is a fool for not choosing the Nara. They are not asking for marriage."

"The Yamanaka is a respectable clan," Sakura counters effortlessly. "Just not a clan I particularly want to interact with for the time being."

"Nothing serious happened?" Madara questions a final time.

"He was polite as ever," she confirms.

There's something about the way the sun reflects Hashirama's hair that really appeals to Sakura.

It's beautiful.

"What is beautiful, Lady Sakura?"

She is not the flustered type. Simple truth has always been best (even if her father did not agree). "Your hair," Sakura replies easily. "It's very beautiful. I've never seen hair so upkept and darkly brown as yours." She hasn't seen something as fascinating as a man turning bright red before. "I would ask your 'secrets' but that would probably take too long. I'm sure you have a proud method for it to be the way it is."

"L-Lady Sakura?" Hashirama's eyes have widened to a considerable size. He clears his throat. "I - thank you?"

"Don't thank me," Sakura instantly replies. She glances at the finalized documents of their treaty. "It is the truth."

"And you," he quickly returns. "Your hair reminds me of flowers." He coughs. "It's the complete opposite of your clan."

Sakura nods. "Thank you. Many of my clan believed my father had an affair with an Uzumaki - as such was the rumor - but it was later discovered that a great ancestor of mine was also gifted with the same hair as I."

"And your eyes?"

She blinks. "My mother had green eyes." Her eyes flicker to the tree next to her. "Like emeralds."

"They're beautiful."

"You're too kind."

Hashirama smiles at her. "It is the truth." He repeats her words.

"Flatterer," she comments though sends him an appreciative smile.

He returns the smile. "Our final discussion falls to the third-party witness."

"We still disagree."

"Yes," Hashirama nods. "And we need to find a conclusion."

"I still believe marrying your brother off to the Yamanaka clan makes things far more tedious than they need to be."

Hashirama's mouth drops. "H-How do you know about that?"

"I had tea with your brother some odd days ago. He was very respectful."

"Tobi didn't tell me that!" Hashirama leans forward. "Was it just you and him? He really was respectful? How did he end up there? How did your - "

Sakura can't help it. She laughs. She laughs and laughs and laughs. She only stops when she realizes that Hashirama is no longer trying to speak. He's staring at her like he's never seen her before, face completely red once again. "He safely returned my little brother to me after finding him along Yamanaka territory. I must say that I'm completely impressed with his upper body strength. His arm was unwavering when he held Izuna up and off the ground."

"Your laugh is bea - " He abruptly cuts himself. "I'm glad everything worked out so well!" Hashirama's grin is impossibly wide.

"As am I," Sakura replies, though her lips twitch into a small smile. "Perhaps, should things work in our favor, our younger brothers will develop a friendship on the level of you and Madara."

Hashirama's eyes sparkle. "Oh, that would be excellent."

"I figured you would find that appealing." She glances down at her hands. "Bringing back our focus to the final concern, we simply don't agree. And, unfortunately, both are not allowed to attend. Why do we do about this? It is our final block."

"I...don't know."

"If it were Madara here with you, would it be easier for you to decide?"

Hashirama stares at her, expression blanking. "Are you trying to imply something, Lady Sakura?"

"I'm asking a simple question, Lord Hashirama. We should already be beyond this. We should be scheduling a trip to Nara territory."

"Madara and I would still be butting heads over the finer details of the treaty," Hashirama answers honestly. "We wouldn't have gotten to this point."

"He would suggest the Nara as quickly as I did," Sakura points out. "Forgive me, but I don't see the appeal asking the Yamanaka to witness our treaty."

Expression turning serious, Hashirama leans forward to speak. "Tobirama cannot just back out of a marriage proposal, Lady Sakura."

"And why not?" His flabbergasted look almost makes her roll her eyes. "We're moving into a new era. Last year, what we're doing now would have been scoffed at. Spit upon. Laughed about."

"Lady Sakura - "

"If they truly regard you as a close friend and ally, they will understand," she interrupts. "Besides," he blinks at her, mind obviously working to comprehend what she deems an easy task, "your brother may be seeing this as his duty, but even I am aware of how unhappy he is with the situation."

"I," Hashirama starts slowly, "will talk to Tobirama."

"Alright," Sakura starts gathering up her belongings. "Send word when you are able to meet again."

The signing of the peace treaty comes next.

If you have the time, please review.

~i-just-really-love-sakura