Sorry for the late update guys! I've been busy with school plus trying to make sure I'm not derailing myself on the plot and character growth!
The Tobirama Search arc is coming to an end... but it was only a mini-arc of a bigger arc! This is all the "Peace Treaty Arc"!
Now, with the peace treaty arc coming to an end, the SYOC event will end (at the end of the arc). So, remember, send your OC before it's too late!
Also, if you have any scenario ideas please tell me! (if not I'll try to end this series with around 60 chapters! cause so far with my current plans I have like a layout of 60+/- chapters...)
Besides that, I'm still looking for Izuna mangekyo ideas (i think...?) so if you have any bright ideas that you wouldn't mind me using, tell me!
Also, thank you to everyone for your lovely comments! They always make my day and I love reading your reactions! XD
I hope you enjoy~ (And don't be too harsh on Hashirama)
A light smirk dances on the enchanting warrior's neutral lips. "I hope you weren't struggling, cousin, Uchiha." Tobirama's voice is crisp, calm yet there is a light teasing tone to her words as she addresses her cousin and rivals.
"Tobirama!" Touka squeals with glee, almost tackling her dear baby cousin then and there.
Well, that and strangling the girl for ever trying to run away from home, that is.
However, Touka stays in her battle stance, composed and mature despite the rush of emotions. Instead of jumping her cousin and strangling her to death, Touka decides to do the mature thing and welcome her cousin into the combat circle as she points her naginata at the fallen opponents. "Of course not."
Izuna inputs with a casual smirk. "Have you decided to finally stop playing hooky, Tobirama? This beautiful cousin of yours was worried sick, you know?" With the flirty remark, he winks to the dark-haired woman beside him.
Tobirama promptly ignores what her rival had just done to Touka, ignoring the fact that Izuna was probably flirting with her cousin and most likely has been doing so the whole trip. It's not like she particularly cared or mind in the slightest—Touka could definitely take care of herself when it came to those matters. However, the comment of Touka's worry struck her mind with guilt. "I can imagine."
Izuna playfully grins, "Well, you don't have to worry, I comforted her for yo—"
Tobirama arches an eyebrow with an underlying empty threat. "I highly advise you to shut your mouth, Izuna, before that statement comes out all the way."
Well, it was an empty threat coming from her. The one who would beat him senseless would be her irritated cousin beside him after all.
"Oh, thank god! Finally another rational person!" Hikaku rejoices. From his voice, one could hear the invisible tears streaming from his eyes.
A growl is heard as two figures jump in to join the circle. "Hey! Don't leave us out!" Yuzuki whines as she presses to join the group. Momomaru follows close behind with a bark.
Touka tilts her head to glimpse at the shorter girl and dog before turning her attention back to Tobirama. "Who are they?"
"My escorts from the Inuzuka clan," Tobirama answers curtly.
Yuzuki cuts in then cheerily with a little wave. "I'm Yuzuki and this is Momomaru! Nice to meet you~"
"This is a pleasure and all—" Izuna interjects, "—but it would be much lovelier to watch you, two lovely ladies, when there are fewer brutes contaminating the air." He narrows his obsidian eyes at the leftover crowd of ninja surrounding them as his usual smirk twists into a grimace. Crimson swirls and blends with black and the Sharingan flares to life in his eyes. "How about we take care of these guys quickly so we can head home?"
There is a twitch in her lips as Tobirama's mouth curls up into a smirk and her crimson eyes narrowed. "I must agree with you on this one, Izuna." The silver-haired woman draws her katana as she falls into a fighting stance amongst the group.
Everyone else takes these words as a signal to brace themselves. Touka quickly shifts back to readying her naginata as Hikaku makes sure to close the remaining gap in the formation. Yuzuki and Momomaru snarl as their predatory eyes glare at their prey.
"Well, well~" The sound of clapping draws the group's attention to a lone female ninja. She is quite tall but shorter than Touka with a voluptuous figure and long, wavy dark brown hair. "We have some real infamous figures over here!~"
Tobirama focuses on the figure. It was obvious that she was the leader of this ambush, given how Tobirama senses that her chakra levels are much higher and more trained than the ones of the lackeys. In addition, the fact that she is a woman from the male-dominant Hagoromo clan, then there was only a few possibilities on the identity of this woman. If you take into account the group they were supposedly ambushing, then the answer was clear.
She was Hagoromo Miyako—
—the Hagoromo clan's top genjutsu user and specialist.
The Hagoromo clan are known for their usage of brutal taijutsu and ninja techniques—the clan heads for some generations have preferred brute strength over the subtle illusionary aspects of genjutsu. Due to this specialization, the Hagoromo clan had a tendency to be male-dominant, with the strongest figures in their clan being men who could take out armies just by using their clan techniques of taijutsu, kenjutsu, and ninjutsu. It was rather rare for anyone in the Hagoromo clan to strive to specialize in genjutsu and even rarer for a woman to rise in ranks.
However, Hagoromo Miyako had done both and rose in ranks to be a general level ninja.
Miyako's smirk doesn't leave her lips as she turns to her subordinates. As quickly as she does this, she shouts in a commanding tone. "Retreat! Senju Tobirama is a 'retreat-on-sight' enemy! We cannot afford to lose this many promising clan warriors here! Retreat!" Miyako orders before she turns back to the group and scowls before she hastily begins retreating herself.
"Yeah! Go and run with your tail between your legs, you scaredy-cats!" Yuzuki hollers after the fleeing masses. The curly-haired brunette laughs with a wolfish grin as her German Shepherd partner shakes her head in exasperation at the woman's childishness.
Touka chuckles at the brunette before she turns back to her cousin. Her dark eyes softened as she approaches the silver-haired crossdresser. "Tobirama…!" Touka wraps her arms around Tobirama, bringing the woman into a suffocating hug. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you were missing… I was so worried about you!"
Tobirama's crimson eyes softened as she began rubbing circles on Touka's back to soothe the woman. "I'm sorry, Touka, for worrying you."
"You better be…!" Touka squeezes Tobirama extra hard, causing the woman to grunt at the sudden pain. The tall dark-haired woman finally releases her with a small smile. "Don't ever do that again, you got that?" At the end of her sentence, the woman glares and her voice darkens. "If Hashirama ever bullies you again, I'll just give him a piece of my mind! There's no need to run away from home…"
Tobirama parts her lips as if to retort, however, she closes it and lifts them into a very discreet, small smile. "Yeah… I'll do that."
Touka smiles back. Then her dark eyes fall on Tobirama's figure which causes her to pause and blink. "By the way…" Tobirama's attention is caught by Touka's lighter tone of voice. "What's with that thing you have around your neck, Tobirama?"
Tobirama tilts her head briefly before realizing what her cousin is referring to. "This?" Lightly, Tobirama twiddles her fingers through the soft fur. "It was a parting gift from the Inuzuka clan."
"Oh…" Izuna takes this moment to jump into the conversation. The dark-haired young man leans towards the taller clan heir's space as he examines the white fur scarf. "I was wondering where you go that… man, it looks cool..!" The Uchiha clan heir hastily twirls around to his fellow Uchiha full of excitement as he points to the white fur around Tobirama's neck. "Hey, hey, Hikaku! Do you think I can get Nii-san to buy me one of these?"
"Madara-sama will most likely throw you in the pond again, Izuna." Hikaku deadpans.
Izuna pouts, "No way~ Nii-san can't resist my puppy face~"
"More importantly," Tobirama interrupts the two Uchiha's banter with a serious tone, "The Hagoromo clan seems to be up to something…" The woman's deep serious voice draws everyone's undivided attention and pulls them into the rather grim mood. "They must have known about you guys searching for me or they wouldn't have sent Miyako. You all are famous genjutsu specialists which is why instead of sending their other generals who didn't specialize in genjutsu they sent the only one who did." Tobirama deduces.
Surprisingly, it is Izuna who speaks next with just the same tone as the other clan heir. "Yes, however, they didn't take into account that you would appear, Tobirama."
"Which is why they retreated…" Hikaku adds as his mind wanders on a thought.
Tobirama nods, "We should be prepared—they may have more planned than this one ambush."
"Especially since the signing of our peace treaty is nearing." The Uchiha clan heir adds somewhat casually yet his tone was kept the same seriousness of the conversation.
It takes a moment for Tobirama to process the information that her rival had left in his words. The silver-haired genius blinks, relaxes and turns to her rival. "You and Madara finally gave into Anija's insistence?"
Izuna pauses before chuckling. "It's more like you changed my thoughts on the Senju." The raven-haired young man shrugs before twirling around to give a flirty grin to Touka. "Besides, how could I not have a change of heart when I'm around such a beautiful and strong woman."
Tobirama hums, promptly ignoring Izuna's flirtation and allowing Touka to deal with them on her own. Out on the corner of her eye, she notices Hikaku's panic over Izuna's behavior. Smart, but not assertive enough. She assesses blankly as she turns to Yuzuki and Momomaru. "I'll be heading with them back home. Thank you for escorting me so far."
"It's no problem! What are friends for?" Yuzuki laughs as she slaps Tobirama's armored back.
Momomaru rushes up to Tobirama, rubbing her snout along her black pants and giving her sparkling puppy eyes as if she is begging to be pet. The silver-haired genius doesn't resist, complying with the request. Tobirama laces her fingers through Momomaru's brown and black fur, gently, before giving a scratch behind her ears which she leans into. With one last scratch and pet, Tobirama releases Momomaru and returns her attention to Yuzuki who gives her a bright grin. "Come and visit us anytime, okay!"
Tobirama smiles slightly in return. "Yeah,"
"Right... Then, we better get going!" Yuzuki motions Momomaru to follow her. Before she leaves, she waves to the group, "Bye, Bye! See you all later!~"
The rest of the group wave in return, saying goodbye to the brunette and her canine partner as she departs. Faintly, in the distance, they could hear a bark and a shout declaring a race back to home.
"Shall we head home now?" Tobirama turns back to the group.
"Yeah," Touka nods, "Let's head home."
"Hmm…" Tobirama hums as she follows behind her cousin and rival. "At least they were more efficient than I thought they would be while I was gone." She isn't talking to anyone in particular, just letting the thought hang in the tense air between her and the Uchiha third-in-command.
At the moment, the quartet is walking down the streets of a civilian village. Stalls stood at each side of the street along the side of buildings as well as in alleyways. The air is a bit stuffy with how many people populate the village, however, there is enough room for the four ninjas to walk together without getting separated as they approach their destination.
"I can't imagine Anija had much to do with the location…" Tobirama comments out loud before slightly turning to her companion, Hikaku. "I take it it was your clan head who had managed this?"
Hikaku's shoulders are tense, but somehow he is alive while walking beside Senju Tobirama. The pony-tailed Uchiha can't help but feel unnerved when beside the genius Senju known for his brutality on the battlefield as he slays hundreds of well-trained warriors of his own clan. However, he keeps chanting in his mind to stay calm—it was not as if the Senju was exerting any sort of killing intent one would find on the battlefield here on the streets of a civilian village as they head towards the inn where the peace treaty negotiations are taking place at.
Thankfully, Hikaku was able to escape answering as Izuna had jumped into the conversation. "Yeah! Nii-san sent one of his hawks to us while we were looking for you which told us the location of the inn!~"
Tobirama's crimson eyes linger on Hikaku's slight retreating body language and hums as she averts her attention back to the inn coming into sight. Unconsciously, her jaw tightens as she feels Hashirama's sunshine-warm chakra which glows a bright and pure slight yellow-green. It was kind of like a soft patch of cloves in a field with their leaves warm from bathing in the sunlight.
Then a sudden burst of burning heat blocks the image in her mind as a red, flame-like chakra comes into her senses. This one was scarlet with bits of dark indigo at the ends of the flares as if they were flames which gradually faded and sparked into the serene, starry night. It was hot, yet not harmfully so—more comforting in all honesty. Madara.
Tobirama's breath hitches as she notices the suddenly moving sunlight-bathed chakra. It was moving as if rushing and the genius knew all too well what was happening when the other massive chakra presence in the room had followed behind the first one.
The silver-haired genius freezes right in front of the inn, alarming the rest of the party and causing them to turn to face her with confused expressions. The only answer Tobirama gives is, "He's coming."
Right after the words leave her mouth, the entrance of the inn slams open and a brown blurring figure rushes out of it and tackles the silver-haired woman. "Tobirama!"
The whole action was too fast for the other three to process and it takes them a few seconds before they react and twirl around to get a look at the scene.
Hashirama has Tobirama in his arms, the older Senju squeezing the younger in a tight hug as tears stream down his face. Apologies spew from his mouth like a pouring rain shower, seemingly unending. Tobirama is tense in her brother's arms and it takes her a few minutes of listening to Hashirama's constant apologies before she reacts. The silver-haired woman shoves her older brother away to tell him off only to freeze up when she notices the look in his eyes.
Hashirama's chocolate brown eyes were warm and focused on her—only her.
She could feel the building wetness in her eyes and quickly dives for cover back into Hashirama arms. Tobirama buries her face into Hashirama's shoulder—an act she reasons with hiding the unsightly tears from the Uchiha. Hashirama is shocked by the action and is now flailing as he asks Tobirama what was wrong and the rest of the group what he should do.
Tobirama breathes in the scent of daisies and the sun-warmed grass of Hashirama's clothes and long hair. The daisies came from his shampoo, Tobirama knew that. The grass scent most likely came from Hashirama lying on the grass for an afternoon nap. It has been a while since she has felt the warmth of a hug.
When was the last time I hugged Anija…?
A small smile lifts on her lips.
I'm home.
So... Tobirama does not actually cry. It's just some stray tears that no one catches! I hope you liked this ending to the Tobirama Search arc!
Anyways, how do you think I should move from here? What are your predictions of what will happen next? I would love to hear your reactions and ideas and predictions!
Anyways, remember that the SYOC event will end with this whole peace treaty arc. So consider that when the peace treaty is signed that the SYOC shop has ended! Please send them before you regret it!
Don't forget that if you want to see some scenarios to tell me (no guarantee I will use them if it doesn't fit the AU though) [P.S. this includes scenarios involved with OCs]
Also, if you have any ideas for Izuna's mangekyo please tell me!
I hope you enjoyed the story!
Please leave a review before you leave!~