"Let's get right to the point," the Nara clan head states, a hard frown to his face. "We don't trust you." Beside him, the Akimichi (potentially the clan head; Tobirama doesn't know as he's not introduced himself) nods in clear agreement, beefy arms folded across his chest.

Completed at odds with the tension rolling off the three of them, Hashirama only smiles, looking as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth and flowers would bloom if he just so much as looked at them. In truth, Tobirama isn't entirely sure that wouldn't happen; he's not seen his brother manage it but, until the last few weeks, he'd never seen his brother take such a stern stance against their father and absolutely refuse to back down. And now here they are, the Senju clan split into two fractions and the group whom agree with Hashirama (the group that believe the war has gone on long enough and are desperate enough for peace that they will follow the wayward clan heir in the hopes he knows what he's doing) are all standing behind them.

There's an alarming number of women and children among them; mother's worried for their children's futures, children who don't want to die. Only a twelfth or so of their numbers are men.

"We can work for that trust," Hashirama states, painfully earnest and Tobirama has to look away, has to swallow down the lump in his throat. He's only here because it's Hashirama who's leading this fraction and his loyalty to his brother outweighs his loyalty to his father. He's only here because there are more Senju children in this group than the one that remained and he needs to protect them.

He's only here because the ghost of his two brothers who should be here hang heavy on his shoulders.

"I guess we take them to the Hokage then?" the Akimichi mutters, rubbing at the back of his head and looking to the Nara, unsure. The sly smile on the other man's lips is worrying.

.

They are paraded through the village, a village that is doing surprisingly well given it's been set up by two ninja who only have the loosest idea of what a house would look like. Oh, there's more professional ones made, but it's easy to see the early builds; the askew roofs, crooked windows, the tilting porch. They're still a sight better than the usual tents ninja work from while on the move though.

There are children playing ball in a park nearby. Children from different clans and while their watching parents are clearly tense, the young ones are none the wiser for it.

The ghosts of the dead press harder upon his back; Hashirama's practically in tears from the sight of it.

Tobirama isn't sure what he's expecting when they arrive at the Hokage's 'office', but it sure isn't this. It's looks as if it started out as a lopsided shack but someone has recently done their damn best to turn it into something presentable. There's a notice pinned to the door (recently, given the fact the paper is still dry but it rained two days ago) that declares there'll be no more updates to the Hokage's office until every family has a home of their own or so help— the rest of it trails off, as if someone has snatched the brush away from the writer and the less said about the handwriting, the better.

Nara pushes open the door without so much as a knock, striding inside to what can only be considered localised chaos. There're twelve or so versions of the blonde woman (Naruto, that's what all the reports say, that's how the Uchiha has addressed her) all hunched over different pieces of parchment, muttering darkly to themselves and sending overt glares at what Tobirama can only assume is the original. Said original is sitting on the lap of the Izuna-lookalike who is actually a hell of a lot worse that Madara's brat brother, inhaling an unhealthy amount of ramen and a speed that would have most sane people worrying about a choking hazard. Tobirama isn't sure what's worse; the eating habits or the way the Uchiha sitting at her back doesn't seem to care in the slightest. The lazy glare the man angles its way makes it abundantly clear he does not appreciate their presence in the slightest. Good. The feeling is mutual. That's 'round about the time the woman notices them, big blue eyes wide as she takes in the sight of all the Senju trailing after the Nara clan head before they finally land on Hashirama.

"Eh? Hashirama? What're you doing here?" The blond shuffles about but it's abundantly clear the Uchiha doesn't wish to let her go, his arms wrapped around her waist and a mutinous glare etched into his features.

"Shikato can deal with them."

"No way! I've welcomed every other clan to the village and I'm not breaking my streak! Let go, bastard!" Uchiha huffs, presses one lingering kiss to Naruto's neck, and then uncoils his arms from her waist. Half a heartbeat later, she's on her feet, Hashirama's hand in hers and she's joyfully (aggressively) shaking it.

"Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I know we've fought before but I want peace across the land and you want that too, right?" And just like that, it's like the duo instantly click. Tobirama very determinedly keeps his face blank, least his features take on the same mulish cast that the Uchiha bastard's have done in the face of Hashirama's ridiculously enthusiastic greeting. They're chatting and nattering away and Tobirama realises that, now that they're not longer on opposing sides, the girl is almost a mirror of Hashirama's personality. Only, female and pretty.

"And you're Tobirama—" His sword is out the moment he registers the girl who is fucking faster than him is in his personal space. Only, the blade clashes against another before it can cut through the girl who, despite being swifter, has not moved in the slightest.

Complete and utter trust in the Uchiha to defend her. That or she's stupid. Given she's trusting a Uchiha, she's probably stupid. Even if said Uchiha looks like a rabid dog at the moment, all blazing red eyes— no. That's a purple eye. What the actual fuck. Is there another level to that Sage-damned eye?!

"Don't worry, I'd have healed before you could cut too deep," Naruto the Hokage declares, one hand pressing against the Uchiha's blade and gently pushing it down. He lowers it with a look of supreme reluctance, swinging around to stare the woman down.

"Just because you can heal from it, idiot, doesn't mean you should just stand there and let people try to cut you up." He huffs out an aggravated breath, presses his nose to blonde hair and just breathes. It's so affectionate and, given it's coming from a Uchiha, Tobirama can do nothing but stare. Yeah, definitely not Izuna.

"I think it's going well!"

Sasuke trails after Naruto as she walks (bounces, she bounces down the street and he fucking loves it), a set of his fingers wrapped up in hers (entrapped, kidnapped and he's never paying the ransom; does it count as Stockholm syndrome if she's never physically stolen him away, just tried her damn best to pull him out of the neck-deep hole he'd thrown himself into?) and his gaze never wavering from her.

"Have you dropped the whole accepting the Uchiha clan also bomb yet?"

"Have I— oh yeah! Hey, Hashi—" Is he absolutely furious that the First Hokage (who is Sasuke's favourite former Hokage simply because he's caused less problems for Sasuke) has a nickname from Naruto already? Maybe so. He's the least hated of the former Hokages but if he befriends Naruto to the level he's rapidly coming to expect, he will very quickly become Sasuke's least favourite former Hokage. Very, very quickly. "—if the Uchiha clan turn up and ask to join, you gotta accept it or I'm throwing you out on your asses. No ifs, no butts no cuts. Got it?"

Tobirama (Sasuke's second least favourite former Hokage because he'd been raised from birth to dislike him and he'd only been displaced because the Third had ordered the slaughter of his clan though, again, that can be quickly changed) opens his pie-hole to say something. Hashirama wisely slaps a palm over his mouth and silences his little brother before he could say something monumentally stupid and upset Naruto which, by default, would upset Sasuke. Sasuke who is a little less prone to forgive and forget and a little more geared to chop off heads and they're dead.

"That's fine, Naru-chan! I wanted to make a village just like this when I was a kid and Madara, that's the Uchiha clan heir, he wanted to—" At that point, Sasuke zones out. He couldn't care less for the tragic backstory of the First Hokage and his ill-thought-out friendship with Uchiha 'crazy town' Madara. Hopefully, with the removal of Zetsu, there'll be a sight less of the crazy and just a bit more of the 'town'. Any sign of the crazy and Sasuke' lopping off his head, even if Naruto will pout at him for a couple of weeks. He'll learn a few ramen recipes; she'll forgive him eventually. Instead, he focuses in on Naruto's tanned fingers entwined with his own, pale and slim, scarred where hers are unblemished. Even the pads of her fingers are soft. Her palm is warm against his own and Sasuke quickens his step just the slightest until they're walking side by side.

Sasuke flicks his gaze up to find Tobirama staring at him like he's some kind of animal in a zoo, one of a kind and hellishly interesting for it, in a horrifically fascinating sort of way. He'd tell the bastard to take a picture because it'd last longer, but the only cameras around at the moment are those in the Fire Lord's palace… There's something to think about. After all, when Naruto agrees to give him children, he'll want to document their every stage of life. Hell, any photo he takes should only be of Naruto or any of the offspring he's lucky enough to produce with her.

"—what're you think Sasuke?"

"Whatever you want," he grunts, running a thumb over the taunt skin of her knuckles. Not a scar in sight, even though he knows they've been split on many a training log (and many faces; deserving faces, his being one of them at some point).

"We'll be neighbours, Naru-chan!" Fuck no.

"Fuck no," Sasuke hisses, physically reeling Naruto in now to plant his chin atop her head. Yeah, he has to lean up ever so slightly on his tiptoes but he's probably got a little more growth in him; Naruto'll fit perfectly under his chin then. "They are not living next to us."

"What? Why?"

"Because they're loud, Naruto," Sasuke grunts, meeting Tobirama's glaring eyes (still not over getting wellied in the face, is he? What a sore loser— in fact). "One is loud and the other is a sore loser."

There are hisses of outrage among the men (outnumbered by the women and children who have accompanied Hashirama and Tobirama) that are trailing behind them and Sasuke meets every pair of eyes to vocalise the noise fearlessly. He'll take them all on if they dare try and argue. What the fuck is wrong with him wanting quiet? He's got Naruto; that's all the volume he needs in life right now and even she can be quiet when the time calls for it. In the face of this sudden friendship between the love of his life and his formerly least disliked Hokage (he's slipping now, the Fourth is top of the leaderboard at present), Sasuke can all but feel those quiet morning cuddles slipping through his fingers.

"Like us then!" Naruto chimes, swinging their joined hands back and forth for a moment before she turns serious blue eyes on him. He's not gonna like this.

"We should probably go get the Uchiha clan too."