Winter Night
Chapter 8
Tobirama sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He was beginning to get why the idea of getting out of the village was so appealing to his brother all of a sudden.
He'd intended to stop working early tonight and go to see Mito for dinner- it would be their first since he'd formally accepted the title of acting Hokage.
But instead he'd skipped dinner and it was far too late to visit anyone. And yet, here he was, still knee deep in invoices! For weeks he'd been pushing Hashirama to okay his plans for his laboratories and their security. He wanted everything about the hospital to be state of the art. He just hadn't realized how hard it would be to find the money to buy the raw materials let alone hire people skilled enough to install and use it once completed.
"Lord Hokage-sama!" One of his aides, a young Senju named Ryujin, came thundering into the office like a wild bull in a china shop. He skidded to a stop with his hands on the desk panting. "L-Lord- Hokage-sama! Sir! I think you should come with me! Please!"
"What is it now? If someone tells me about another toilet not working I'm going to stuff them in it!"
"Well, actually someone said that the men's bathroom sink downstairs in the tower won't drain but- that's not what I came for!"
Tobirama rolled his eyes and stared at the younger man expectantly for a moment before growling. "Well?"
"Ah! Sorry, my Lord," Ryujin blushed and leaned down to whisper. "T-There's been an attack. An attack inside the village, sir! The Uchiha are extremely upset because the woman who was attacked was Lord Madara's wife, Uchiha Yuri. And the assassin we are chasing is wearing Senju armor!"
"The Uchiha would dare blame us?"
"Hokage-sama, she's dying and her killer was seen fleeing in-"
"I heard the part about the Senju armor the first time you said it. I just don't believe there was a Senju wearing it! Madara's got dozens of enemies even within his own clan."
"I don't want to believe it either, b-but my Lord, don't you want to speak with her? This isn't the first break in this week- but it is the first time anyone was hurt!"
Tobirama growled and threw down his pen as he stood up. "I didn't say I wasn't coming. But what a coincidence, he leaves and we're the ones accused of killing her? He probably arranged it himself to make us- no me, look bad while he's gone!"
"H-Hokage-sama?" Ryujin just gaped at him for a moment in disbelief. "How can you say that? Yuri is still a Senju by blood- our blood! But she's part Uchiha too! She's carrying Lord Madara's heir- a guaranteed future wielder of the Sharingan! Do you really think any Uchiha would hurt her? To hurt you? Do you really hate him that much?"
Damn it. Tobirama blushed. Crap. He'd definitely chosen the wrong person to vent to on a bad day… But damn it he hated it when anyone called Madara a lord. It was Hashirama's idea because the Uchiha were co founders of the village.
Now he remembered why Ryujin was one of Hashirama's favorite youngsters. The curious chunin had always believed that the Uchiha were worth reaching out to… The very first time Hashirama brought up the idea of a truce in their camp, Ryujin was the first to agree with Hashirama that they should try. "Where is she? I'll get there faster on my own."
"I heard she's at home sir, in the kitchen."
In an instant Tobirama was at Madara's house. He hadn't been in it since construction was finished. There were people all around the large home. Worried neighbors were gawking outside, but many of the Uchiha clan elders were gathered in the living room. They were watching the medical ninja's try to save Yuri's life in the other room.
Without Hashirama here there was nothing that could be done for her though.
Tobirama could see a greenish ooze in the deep gash in her lower back from here- this would have been a fatal strike to her kidney even without the poison. It was a particularly slow and painful death. Yet a fight had ranged all over the first floor of the house. Her blood was everywhere but according to the blood pattern, she fought like a tigress until pain and blood loss finally caused her to collapse where she was stabbed again on the other side.
She was crying as she reached out to him but even now she looked beautiful. He came to her side quietly. "Tobi… You said not to marry him… M-Maybe I should have listened…"
He took her hand and shook his head. "No… Don't worry about that now… Just tell me what happened- who did this to you?"
"I-I don't know. I didn't get a look at his face. It was dark and he was wearing a wolf mask. I was hungry so I came down to get a snack. As I reached for the lights he stabbed me on the left side from behind before I realized anyone was here. I get tired so easily now that I'm pregnant… I feel so stupid-"
Tobirama sighed as she took another deep shuddering breath. But he didn't interrupt her. "I-I'm glad you came… I wanted to say goodbye. But I'm just s-so… tired…"
"It's okay, just rest…" He said quietly, holding her hand for a moment longer. They hadn't been extremely close, but they were second cousins. When he found out she was considering marrying Madara he tried to talk her out of it.
But Hashirama and quite a few of the Senju and Uchiha elders approved of the match because they were both such strong shinobi- and Yuri's parents had been the most excited of all. The prospect of having famous grandchildren and great grandchildren had been too much to resist. And now Yuri is dead because of it…
"L-Lord Hokage-sama," One of the Uchiha asked. "What do we do now? Who could have been wearing such a mask?"
He didn't get a chance to answer as a patrol of Anbu walked inside then bowed.
"It seems the assassin has escaped the village and is still moving west," A Senju warrior said. "Our trackers found nothing but the abandoned mask, armor and some bloody weapons a few miles west of the gate. We've brought them back for testing. But there appears to have been no motive for the attack. Yuri told us that he took nothing as he retreated."
Tobirama stood up. "Then it's probable that slaying her and the child was their only objective."
"But who would do such a thing in the village?" An Uchiha elder snorted. "Lord Madara will not allow this to go unpunished-"
"Maybe we should start by looking at who has the most to gain by killing the clan heir?"
"H-How dare you insinuate that we-"
"All it takes is one bad apple, Elder. Now, if you will excuse me, I must get to the lab and analyse the evidence."
"The assassin fled wearing your-"
"That armor has never been hard to come by," Tobirama snapped. "It could have been stolen from the armory or half the houses in town! And besides, everyone knows of your clan's recent… issues with your Lord Madara. Now then, Lady Uchiha was born as a Senju, we will be taking care of preparing her body for burial."
The Uchiha elder growled. "Why? My Lord? So you can dissect the infant she carries for your twisted experiments on us?"
Tobirama blanched. N-No! That was not going to happen! How could he even suggest such a thing?
But the Uchiha elder just shook his head, "Lord Madara tried to warn us that you can't be trusted. Perhaps we were too hasty to judge you fit to be Hokage in your brother's absence, after all. Or would you say such things if Lord Madara and your brother were still here, I wonder."
"Cordon off the house and get everyone out of here," Tobirama growled as he turned toward the Anbu who were still nearby. "This place is now a murder scene. We have to figure out who did this before anyone else gets hurt. The assassin must be caught and brought to justice- no matter who it is."
Mito hurried to meet Tobirama out in the street and she almost forgot and threw her arms around his neck. "Hey! I came as soon as I heard what happened. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! But those damned elders make me so angry…"
"How could you? After what Hashirama asked of you as he left? How could you say those things? Why are you still so angry at them? Talk to me, please!" Mito asked as the two of them walked home to the house she was supposed to share with his brother.
Tobirama didn't know what to say. What could he say? He knew he was making a mistake with Ryujin and then he made it a hundred times worse talking down to not one of the Uchiha elders but almost a dozen of them. Why did he do that?
Mito sighed as they walked into the house, she nudged him into a chair. "Sit down, I'll make you something to eat. I don't understand you right now. This- what you did tonight- this isn't the person I thought you were when I said I loved you."
"Sorry," He sighed, shaking his head.
"Well, you know Hashirama is right, don't you? You need to let this other woman- Aniko go… you have to live in the present. I know that's hard, but I want you to do it while you still have me. Because I feel like I don't even know you when I see you acting this way toward the Uchiha! They are a complicated clan and very powerful. You can't make them our enemies or this place will shatter like glass. Don't you understand how much that would hurt your brother? Hahirama's trusting you to do the right thing. And right now you're not."
Her blue eyes were so beautiful as she stared at him. Hearing Aniko's name he realized that he could no longer picture the girl's face. Were her eyes blue or brown? Was her beautiful skin pale or darker like his brother's? Now he saw only Mito instead.
But that didn't make the situation with the Uchiha any different.
The Sharingan was dangerous! Those who could call upon its power were inherently unstable emotionally… Gods, what if someone even crazier than Madara inherited his power? So, it was a good thing that the baby inside Yuri was dead… wasn't it? And would Madara even care?
He doubted it. Madara only married Yuri because he wanted to get back at Hashirama for marrying Mito!
Madara and Hashirama were literally obsessed with each other- and not just sexually. Anytime they were apart they- pined for each other desperately. And even when they argued they were clearly in love…
"Here," Mito said, laying a plate on the table in front of him. "I was sad when you didn't come to see me tonight. But I guess if you had, Ryujin would have caught us together… I guess I should be used to sleeping alone. But I had hoped it would be less lonely with you. Now eat."
"Mito, I…"
"We can talk tomorrow," She said, shaking her head. "For now you eat and get some rest at home, not at your desk! Goodnight."
He sighed and nodded. Her cooking was excellent, but he barely tasted it. "Goodnight."
"Are you kidding? No way, man!" One of the pirates said. The trio had been arguing among themselves for the last ten minutes as they ate their meal. "Come on, there's no way that big blue monster thing he made was real! It was some kind of trick… It had to be!"
"Are you kidding?" One of the others demanded. "I don't know what's going on, but I think that's really him- err them! My father was a ninja without a clan. So I was glad he retired and took up farming. I hated the farm, so I left. But he always said the Senju and the Uchiha were mortal enemies. The two strongest clans with the two strongest leaders they've ever had."
"Actually, it was more like our fathers were mortal enemies," Hashirama said, grinning as he finally emerged from the ship's hold. "And it was only our brothers who wanted to continue the war."
"Actually, one of them still does," Madara snorted and then looked around. "Wait, where's the kid?"
"You never know! Tobi could be getting better! After all, he has Mito now. Anyway, Kiran said he would stay in the cage with the others. That way we would know if anything happened there while we rested."
"Like what? These men are not likely to hurt their human cargo even if it would provoke us. They'd have nothing to sell if they somehow got rid of us."
"Yes, well, there's a pregnant woman in there who may not survive the next few hours. If he needs help Kiran knows how to raise his chakra."
Madara nodded. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for you and I to rest at the same time yet. Our new friends are restless. But I've already taken the liberty of moving our things into the captain's quarters. Considering the condition of the rest of the ship, the bed looks quite comfortable."
"A bed, huh?"
"Bolted to the floor and everything, like they knew we were coming."
Hashirama snorted.
Madara nodded toward the Captain's quarters. "You rest first. I've only been keeping watch. You've been healing people."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, go."
Hashirama hesitated, there was a lot that he wanted to say, but they had an audience right now and he was exhausted.
Madara had apparently had someone bring a small barrel tub into the room before he arrived. Taking a warm bath felt nice after being in the room with the cage for so long.
The fishing boat had a rather primitive shower, so it wasn't like they hadn't bathed lately. But that damn cage was so disgusting that there was no way he could go another five minutes without washing his hair and a change of clothes.
The bath felt heavenly and after healing thirty four people and one really tiny leopard, he knew that it would be best to rest while everything was quiet. He still wanted Madara in here with him. But honestly, he was asleep before his head touched the pillow.
His dreams were a jumbled mess of the last few days but when he awoke he was feeling quite well rested. The bed was definitely more comfortable than the hammock on the fishing boat had been.
He felt refreshed and energized by the time he emerged from the captain's quarters.
Madara and the boy Kiran were standing on the forward deck looking into the distance. It was a little after noon and Hashirama's stomach growled loudly as he joined them. "So, what's going on over here? How is the girl, Ashley?"
Kiran sighed. "She's still hanging on, but barely. I gave her more broth a few times during the night like you said to, but she's still very weak."
Hashirama nodded. "Good, thank you. I will go and check on her. I'll see if she can handle some rice along with the broth. Dara, I refilled the tub with hot water for you. Go get some sleep. I won't be down in the hold long. Kiran, you want to stand watch on the deck until I come back?"
"Yes, Sir!" The boy smiled. "I just got up too. I think the cook is making a fish stew for lunch. We can eat together."
Hashirama nodded. "See you soon then."
The ship's hold was cleaner today than it had been last night. Madara must've made them clean some more down there. It was still much too dirty to be a medical center. But there was nowhere else for him to work! Most of these people were strong enough to walk around the ship now. But the ones who couldn't were too weak to move out of this area.
Ashley smiled and tried to sit up when she saw him coming. He shook his head. "Don't move, I'm coming to you. Just rest."
"Thank you," She said, after he gave her a few swallows of water. "I… was wondering, will my baby make it? I mean if- if I don't?"
"She's strong. Her chakra is gaining strength from you. But if you don't keep fighting to survive, no, she won't make it."
The girl started to cry. He put a hand on her back. "I know you're in pain and everything, but we're in this together. You, me and the baby. And I know Kiran wants you both to live too."
"Yes, he's such a sweet boy," Ashley said. "Where did he come from?"
"The Land of Crystal. That's where the ship is going. He delivered the letter that brought me and Madara here to stop the warlords who have taken over his homeland. Don't worry. The three of us won't let anything happen to any of you."
"Thank you for saving us…"
"It has been my pleasure. But how long have you been trapped here?" Hashirama asked.
"I was captured three weeks ago, we've been here the longest. Me, my husband who died, Thomas and his uncle, plus little Sakura and her parents were all on a passenger ship that got boarded by these bastards. Unlike the wealthy people on board our ship, we couldn't bribe the captain with jewelry or money to let us go… So the pirates threw us in here. Have they said how much longer we have to spend on this horrible ship?"
"I wish I could tell you we'll be making landfall soon. But the Land of Crystal is still at least a week away. And once we get there, Madara and I have to secure a spot on land for you guys to stay in while we take back the island from the warlords and their pet bandits."
"You've done so much for us already. Don't worry too much about us. We'll be fine as long as you guys can deal with the warlords and maybe get us back to the Fire Country. I would like to see my family again."
Just then, there was a commotion on deck. Thundering footsteps above them and lots of yelling soon followed.
"What's going on?" Ashley asked. "Shouldn't you go see what's wrong?"
Hashirama smiled and shook his head. "Nope, take another sip. Our hosts, these pirates, need to learn that Kiran can take care of himself. If he needs help he will raise his chakra."
She gaped at him. "Really? You're saying that ruckus up there is Kiran fighting all the pirates on the ship alone?"
"No, not all of them. Most of these bastards are too lazy to do more than watch. The ones doing the fighting are going to be very embarrassed when they end up losing to a ten year old. Even if they don't know he's a ninja, most of them will just watch."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because they are cowards. They waited to attack until they knew Madara and I were busy. He's resting and I am down here. The pirates need to grab Kiran to try to force us to give them back control of the ship. But that isn't going to work and the sooner they see that for themselves, the better. As one of the youngest people on the ship, Kiran looks like an easy target to them. They've been biding their time and now they have him alone. But don't worry, because Kiran and I have been planning for this moment too."
"Hey, guys," Kiran grinned, poking his head into the room. "Tater says lunch is ready."