Note: To answer one review, the slow-burn is referring to the plot itself, not a ship. Though I do have loose plans for possible ships later on.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"You should sleep," Tobirama commented after a long moment, the silver-haired shinobi giving Sasuke's hair one final smooth over before returning his hands to his own lap. The young Uchiha, thoroughly drained after such a conversation, didn't raise any complaints despite his look of uncertainty.
Tobirama hadn't a doubt in his mind the boy was still wary of sleep- after all, with all he had seen, Tobirama doubted he was able to sleep very soundly in recent weeks. Regardless, there wasn't much he could do for the boy, so he settled on hoping his presence in the other room would be enough to calm him. It wasn't as though Tobirama was going to leave him alone after such a conversation-- it felt wrong. He would go out tomorrow, when the boy was at school, he decided. After last night, he was fairly sure he had enough information to confront the current Hokage. He had planned on gathering more before heading in, but that was before realizing how dire the Uchiha clan's situation was looking. If Sasuke had done homework last night rather than waiting until later, Tobirama found it fairly safe to assume it would be a weekday tomorrow. He would have time.
The red-eyed shinobi watched as the boy shifted so that he was on his side now, facing towards the elder with his toy tucked between his arms. "I will." blinking with a bit more force than was necessary, Tobirama noted. It was as if he were commanding away any lingering doubts. The young Uchiha gave a firm nod in his direction, conviction filling his voice as he spoke, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."
"Good. Sleep well." was Tobirama's bemused response at the boy's bravery against his nightmares, standing up from his squatted position so he was over the boy. He made sure to let Sasuke know, "I'll be in the living room if you do need anything."
This explanation was met with confusion, the young Uchiha's brows furrowing as he looked up at the silver-haired shinobi. "I thought you were going to the village tonight?"
Turning to make his way towards the doorway, Tobirama merely pretending to ponder, "I thought you were going to sleep?"
The boy gave a resigned look as he heard Tobirama's response, his cheeks puffing up as they came to a stalemate. He only muttered, "I am.", as if he were pointedly getting the last word out. Tobirama let him have it.
He opened the door, shaking his head briefly at the boy's antics before heading out and into the hallway. He closed the door behind him, hand resting on the doorknob only momentarily as he stood in the well-lit hallway.
As Tobirama stepped out and into the hallway, he was able to clearly see the room across from it. The heavy wood door felt much different now that he knew more about the person who had once inhabited it. Itachi Uchiha.
He moved forward, forcing himself to walk past the door and down to the living room. That door led to a room that had been lived in by a teenage shinobi. One he had earlier worried about being burdened with the stress of taking care of an academy student. Now, however...
Tobirama couldn't help but feel a heavyweight in his chest as he sat on the couch, flipping the lights off. It wasn't as if he were weak at the sight or thought of a murderer-- no, that wasn't the case. All shinobi were murderers. It was part of the job description. Even so, the thought that someone so young could be so cut-throat in a day and age which he hoped would bring forth peace was disheartening.
It would be one thing if Itachi had killed an entire clan from another village, or even another from Konoha. That much he could understand. There were circumstances that could lead to those deaths, even if they were displeasing to consider as well. Clan rivalries, personal grudges, resources- those would all make sense. There was nothing to gain from killing one's own clan, though. Let alone the Uchiha. Of all the clans in Konoha, the Uchiha were the last he'd expect to fall from within.
There was always the Sharingan, Tobirama considered as he leaned back on the couch, arms and legs crossed. The regular Sharingan was unlocked due to extreme emotions, which he supposed killing one's own kin would bring forth. If that were the case, though, then that would mean the teen would have killed the entire clan without the sharingan. That didn't seem plausible, but then, neither did the entire clan falling. A possibility, then, but unlikely.
The mangekyou sharingan, perhaps? Madara and Izuna had always been tight-lipped about their special sharingan, but Tobirama had picked up on what was happening regardless. They got their mangekyou after the two they were always watching out for on the battlefield- their friends, most likely- died. Then there were sudden surges of Uchiha dying with an uneven amount of battles to account for.
So that had to mean the mangekyou was created when death was involved, Tobirama had settled on long ago. If this young shinobi was trying to awaken his mangekyou, Tobirama supposed a massacre of this capacity would do just that. It seemed like overkill, though. Surely he hadn't needed to kill everyone...unless it was a precaution to make sure no one came after him. There was always Sasuke's babbling about needing to get revenge, but that wasn't reliable enough to consider. Just how much of the child's feelings had mixed with Itachi's message wasn't clear. Actions speak far lower than words, after all.
So the boy had most likely worked to get the mangekyou, if he had done it for a certain reason. The only other goal he could have had would be revenge, but Tobirama highly doubted so many would be the target of revenge, let alone civilians or children.
Unless, of course, there simply wasn't much thought process behind any of it. It very well might have been for some form of the sharingan or revenge against his kin, but at the same time, it was possible it had been a different motivation completely. Who was to say this motivation had to make sense to Tobirama, either. It was very possible that something was going through the boy's head that no one but he himself could understand. It wasn't as though the Uchiha were known for their well-tempered choices and acts of perfect clarity, he thought momentarily despite himself.
What if, he wondered as his eyes slipped closed in the darkness of the room, the young shinobi had simply gone insane? It wasn't too far of a leap, considering all he's seen so far. The heir to the Uchiha clan, seemingly some sort of village prodigy, and all the while being in a clan that was seemingly being tested by the village...he couldn't say it was too far of a stretch. But then, time would tell. Or rather, the current Hokage would.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
With his thoughts racing over the different possibilities of what could have possibly happened, one would assume Tobirama would have a hard time falling asleep. They would be right.
The thoughts had run through his mind endlessly as he sat in the dark living room, his eyes closed and sensors opened just enough to keep notice of Sasuke's chakra signature upstairs. Even when he had finally been able to fall asleep, it had not been a restful one. He was never a heavy sleeper, per se, but the lingering wonders hadn't helped him any. He was a man of logic-- he didn't like having so many unknown factors.
At the very least, he knew his sensor abilities weren't any less sensitive than they had been before. Even as he held them inwards, restricting their flow to avoid being detected, he could feel the sharp shift in the floor above him. Tobirama made a low gruntish noise as he woke up, the elder shinobi's eyes slowly opening as he leaned forward. The sun filling in through the open curtains at least reassured him that the boy wasn't waking up at an unnatural time, if not a bit early. So he'd made it through the night without nightmares, then.
His back crackled slightly as he moved to stand, the silver-haired shinobi twisting his shoulders to get all the sleep out of him. He could hear Sasuke beginning to move around upstairs, so he assumed the boy was already getting ready for the academy.
Good. While he did that, Tobirama could go ahead and get him something to eat. He should get him his lunch too, while he was at it. Better not to have the kid linger at the house longer than necessary. Tobirama wanted to get an early leave to the Hokage's office, and he couldn't very well do that if he had to wait for Sasuke to get ready.
He made his way for the kitchen, the dark-clad shinobi rubbing the back of his neck as he began to wake up. He flipped the lights to the kitchen on as he got some rice and eggs out, wanting to get it done quickly so he could move onto other matters. He let the rice cook and boiled some eggs, making enough for the both of them. He'd held off on eating last night since it wasn't necessary, but he wasn't about to starve himself. Especially not before such a big conversation. Hopefully, his kin hadn't bankrupted the Senju clan funds. Which, if he knew his niece, was a very real possibility.
Tobirama let this thought go however as he noticed that theeggshad finished fairly quickly, thericefollowing soon after. He could still hear Sasuke moving around upstairs as he split the rice between two bowls and one bento box. It sounded like the boy was having a morning shower, based on the running water. Hopefully, he'd be down before the food got cold.
The two bowls of steaming grains were set to the side with a bit of soy sauce, an egg cracked and applied to the top. Tobirama sat a pair of glass plates over the top to keep the warmth in until Sasuke was ready for breakfast, moving to split the boiled eggs in half while he waited on the boy to come downstairs.
The silver-haired shinobi laid the egg halves on top of the bento box's rice, taking a moment to toss some diced carrots from the fridge into the free space. Eying the blackberries on the nearby shelf he tossed in a handful, and the bento was all set. He closed it tightly so that it wouldn't spill when the boy grabbed it later.
Speaking of which, it seemed Sasuke had finally finished getting ready. His feet were heavy as he made his way down the staircase, the young Uchiha now dressed in a pair of black shorts and a dark shirt to match. The only difference being the Uchiha crest proudly displayed on his back, the red and white contrasting sharply with the opaque fabric. It didn't take long for the shinobi-in-training to catch sight of Tobirama in the other room, the boy making way to join the other in the kitchen.
He seemed to be torn between happy and meek as he joined Tobirama in the kitchen, the silver-haired shinobi quirking an amused brow as the boy greeted, "Good morning." looking up at the much taller man.
Tobirama picked up his bowl as he spoke, setting the plate aside for now. "Good morning."
He made his way towards the table, Sasuke's taking ahold of his own bowl and following behind Tobirama. When Tobirama settled himself on the right side of the table, Sasuke settled himself on the left. The boy sat parallel to him, once more giving a simple 'thank you' to the other. Tobirama nodded in turn, beginning to eat alongside Sasuke.
The young Uchiha used his chopsticks to mix his egg into his rice, Tobirama doing the same as they began to take bites of the still-warm grains. The elder shinobi watched Sasuke take satisfied bites of the breakfast, the boy's slightly damp hair puffing up slightly post-shower.
"You have to go to the academy today, I'm presuming?" Tobirama commented between bites of his own. The boy looked up at him as he heard his question, giving a nod as he swallowed down his food and wiped his mouth of a few loose specks. "I see. I wish you luck with your classes." he encouraged raising brows as Sasuke gave a sharp nod.
The boy leaned forward slightly as he looked up at the dark-clothed shinobi, spine straightening. "I will- I mean, I'll do good in them," Sasuke spoke, dark eyes looking up at Tobirama almost uncertainly.
"That's...good?" Tobirama ventured as he watched the six-year-old stand to go rinse his dishes. The kid ate fast, didn't he? Tobirama would question the behavior, but he wasn't too worried about it. He wasn't about to go grill the kid on why he was acting strangely when Tobirama himself had no idea how this bizarre situation came to be. It would...take some getting used to.
The Senju stood from his spot, using the sink to wash his own dishes when the young boy moved out of the way. He could hear Sasuke shuffling behind him, probably putting on his backpack if Tobirama had to guess. "Don't forget your bento." Tobirama reminded while he was thinking about it, jerking his hand over towards the boxed lunch on the counter. "We should leave soon. I need to get to the Hokage's office before things get busy there. You'll be a bit early for the academy, but I'm sure you'll be able to put it to use," he commented off-handedly.
He didn't get a response for a long moment, but the boy had moved to grab the bento at least, agreeing from behind him, "Yeah. We should. Thank you."
Tobirama turned to face Sasuke, who was looking over at him from a few feet away with his bento held carefully in both hands. He had a brown bag around his shoulder now, the one Tobirama had seen him put his homework away in. Understanding this meant the young Uchiha was ready, Tobirama nodded. "Let's go, then."
He moved past the child, the soft padding on the floor behind him assuring him that he was being followed. They exited the front door, and there he was met with a sight he had almost forgotten. Right, the bloodstains.
Sasuke seemed to duck his head as they got outside, the front door closed behind them. Tobirama walked through the eerily empty compound with the little ravenet, leading him through it as fast as he could without making the pace uncomfortable or making them pass over a stain. He could feel the distress coming off Sasuke as he walked a bit too close to Tobirama, the Senju feeling his ire restored. He knew Sasuke was freaking out about the idea of leaving the compound, but he doubted the kid was attached to the damn bloodstains. This wasn't healthy to live in.
Tobirama restrained this undirected irritation, however, as they reached the gates of the Uchiha compound. He pushed the gates open, the bustling village ahead of him barely taking notice as the two of them stepped out of the compound. Those who did notice however sent looks towards him with varying levels of suspicion. He merely continued on walking, even as he saw a few ANBU stalking them. Oh, so all it took was suspicion of kidnapping for them to properly watch their dependants, he sarcastically glowered in his mind.
Tobirama kept these thoughts to himself, however, as Sasuke was now walking alongside him. The young Uchiha looked pleased about something or another-- though, Tobirama wasn't quite sure what. He didn't remember any of his brother's children being this pleased at the idea of going to the academy.
It wasn't like he was complaining, though. He had worked hard on making the village's education system. Even if it had taken two more generations, he was glad someone was enjoying it at least.
Soon enough, they found themselves at the academy gates. It had gotten bigger over the years, he noted with pride. There were many children entering through the main gates, ranging from those Sasuke's age to pre-teens. The young shinobi seemed to stick to those their age, the only exception being a few who seemed to be leading their younger siblings or clansmen into the building.
Which was smart-- village or not, young children shouldn't be alone for such a long walk. Especially if they lacked training. It was simply dangerous. Which was another thing he needed to consider. He would need to be back to pick Sasuke up once school ended. It should be manageable, since all he needed to do today was speak to the current hokage and perhaps look into the Senju clan's savings account.
It would be best to make sure Sasuke was on the same page with him, though. It'd cause issues if the boy did somehow get off school earlier than he got back and went off on his own to train who knows where like yesterday. With this in mind, he glanced down at the young Uchiha who was eyeing him with an interested look.
"So here's the deal." Tobirama began, watching Sasuke's face snap from interested to considering. "I'm going to head to the Hokage's Office for the day. I'll be back here to pick you up when school ends. It ends around three, I'd presume?"
Sasuke gave a nod on confirmation as he looked up at the elder shinobi, "Mhm, it ends at three." his dark eyes watching Tobirama carefully, as though his instructions carried the weight of the world with them.
"Good. Make sure you're out front, then." Tobirama spoke, pleased. "I should be waiting. If I'm not there by three-thirty, you can head home. Though, I doubt that will be the case."
"Got it." Sasuke's serious tone had Tobirama smirking ever so thinly in amusement, the elder shinobi nodding in approval.
The red-eyed shinobi tilted his head towards the school, "Alright. I'll see you then." he spoke in departure, the child nodding firmly.
"I'll see you then. Goodbye!" Sasuke spoke, voice kept down but with an undoubted conviction.
"Goodbye. Good luck." was his easy reply as he watched Sasuke weave his way around the others, heading straight for the building.
Well, that was taken care of, he supposed. Now for the less pleasant matters to be attended to, he mentally sighed as he turned to head towards the Hokage office.