"Imada-san! It's wonderful to see you again." Hashirama greeted upon reaching the clan's main compound.
A week had passed since the Senju brothers' first visit to the Imada village and they had come to finalize some details of their trade agreement.
"I was about to say the same! Thank you both for coming. Please, follow me." Toru led the two into the one of the conference rooms, the same one they had spoken in last time, where three men were already waiting.
"These are my advisors, they'll be joining us today. They worked with my father, so they know even more about the village than I do." Toru chuckled, taking a seat in front of the three elderly men.
"Excellent. Well, I'd like to discuss our end of the deal. We have many products that we can offer in exchange for your silks: ceramics from the Aharo clan, precious stones from the western nomads, spices from the Kazahimaru clan-"
"I'm sorry, I must not have made our intentions clear." Toru interrupted. "We aren't looking for any luxuries. What we want is simple, really: a team of your best medics."
The Senju brothers blinked in surprise.
"Medics?" Hashirama repeated questioning. "That's no problem, but, if I may ask, why do you need them?"
"Well, you see, a close friend of mine is suffering from a disease that none of our doctors can cure." The young Imada's expression sullied and his eyes briefly cast downwards. "We hoped that a larger clan like yourselves would have better resources than we do."
"This friend of yours must be a very important person for you to start a trade deal like this." Tobirama commented pointedly.
"Yes, we've always been very close. I feel terrible not being able to do anything to help."
"We're asking for five of your most capable medics. We're willing to send shipments of silk every month for as long as they're here. If they are able to cure the disease, we will speak further about a new arrangement." One of the advisors spoke in a deep, scratchy voice.
The brothers glanced at each other for a brief moment.
"We have a deal."
Toru instantly perked up at this.
"That's wonderful! Thank you very much!" He grinned gratefully, shaking both Senjus' hands.
After a few more minutes of negotiating details, the six men filed out of the room, all seeming very pleased with their agreement.
"Thank you again for coming today. I'm glad we were able to work everything out." Toru smiled as he led the brothers out of the compound.
"As are we." Hashirama nodded cheerfully. "Our medics should arrive within five days, I'm sure they'll be able to help your friend." He assured.
"Toru-sama." A soft voice interrupted their conversation.
They turned to see a young woman with shoulder length brown hair standing just behind the said man. Though her tone was calm, she seemed a bit rattled.
"Mila, what are you doing here?" Toru asked, slightly surprised to see her.
"Um," The girl glanced at the Senju brothers before turning back to her leader. "Someone's asked to speak with you."
Toru frowned at this, though he quickly hid it with an apologetic smile as he turned to the two other men.
"I'm sorry, but it seems I have to take care of something. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Mila, please show our guests to the door."
Hashirama took the opportunity and cut in.
"No need! We can find our way back! Besides it sounds important, you should go!" He waved dramatically.
"Thank you for understanding, I'll see you both soon." Toru bowed before turning and shuffling away, Mila following closely behind.
Hashirama smiled after the two and, after they had disappeared from sight, turned back to his brother with a sly grin on his face.
"This is our chance!" He whispered loudly.
"Our chance to do what?" Tobirama frowned, dreading what the response would be.
"To look for the seer! They have to be in the main compound somewhere and this place isn't very big, we just have to-"
"We're not going to sneak around this place."
"Come on, Tobirama! We just need to find more information on them, there has to be records somewhere around here."
"Do you know why she wants to talk?" Toru asked nervously. "She never calls for me like this…"
"I'm not sure, sir, but she seemed upset." Mila answered, concerned.
Upon reaching a familiar sliding door, Toru slipped it open and stepped inside while Mila remained on the other side of the screen, standing guard in her usual place.
"You wanted to-"
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I… don't know what you mean." Toru frowned, confusion evident on his features.
"Was this your plan all along? To try and cure me? That's why you wanted to open trade?"
Toru shifted at her uncharacteristically sharp tone.
"If we could treat your condition it would be good for all of us, and you wouldn't have to go through… you know..." He trailed before suddenly realizing something. "I haven't told you about the details of the trade deal yet...have you been Detailing again?"
He took her lack of response as confirmation.
"You know it's bad for you! Why would you-"
"Don't try to change the subject. What I have is untreatable and you know it, there's no point in what you're trying to do."
Toru remained silent for a moment, eyes glued to the ground.
"I just I don't want you to go through what the others did." He sighed, disheartened. "I'm sorry. I should've told you."
He heard her echo his sigh.
"I suppose I shouldn't be so harsh. The truth is, your trade deal is the beginning of something quite important."
"What do you mean?" Toru asked, again hopeful that his efforts haven't been in vain.
"While I was Detailing your meeting with the two shinobi, I noticed they were a bit too keen on giving up their medics, especially considering the three different wars they're in right now. I thought it was odd so I traced their lines forward a bit and let's just say they're not just here for the silk."
"So they do have other intentions, I knew it. Should we be concerned?"
"No, it's nothing harmful."
"Thank goodness."
"Oh, by the way, I need you to go outside and stop Giniro from going into the records room."
"Hm? Why?"
"We shouldn't be here, Hashirama." Tobirama frowned as his brother scanned row after row of scrolls. They were currently in the ancestry section, though this was only after the older Senju had flipped through half of the ones on the census shelf.
"No luck." Hashirama sighed in defeat after having found no clues in any of the dozens of scrolls he'd skimmed. "Maybe they keep information about the seer somewhere else..."
"Or maybe the rumor is wrong and there is no seer." Tobirama reminded bluntly. "Now let's leave before someone finds us in here."
After a bit of protest, Hashirama reluctantly agreed and followed his brother out of the room.
In just a few moments, the two had left the Imada compound and were speeding back towards their own.
As agreed upon, the team of Senju medics arrived within the week, each carrying a large load of supplies on their back. They were lead through the main compound and into a single, spacious room where they were to stay.
Thanks to the ever-growing distrust Tobirama had towards the Imada, however, the medics were each told to keep records about their time in the foreign village. Also, due to the fact that getting from the Senju compound to the Imada's was nearly a day's journey, they were to report their condition once a week by carrier pigeon. This was, of course, to ensure their safety as well as to gather information about the reclusive silkmakers.
The first week's report was uneventful, oddly enough. In fact, it was so uneventful that the medics had yet to even see the patient they were supposed to be treating. Upon asking about this, thought, they were simply told to wait.
This unusual news only served to further support Tobirama's sense that something was amiss within the Imada clan, though exactly what, he couldn't tell.
Unfortunately, their strange new trading partner wasn't the only issue the Senjus had on their hands. The clans they were at war with posed an ever-present danger to life inside the compound. The constant flow of injured shinobi and the damage to their numbers was causing a strain on resources.
Being the revered leader that he was, Hashirama was always looking for a way to end all the bloodshed, in addition to his pursuits with the rumored Imada seer, he had been trying to convince his greatest rival and leader of their sworn enemy, Uchiha Madara, to consider a treaty. Though unsuccessful so far, he refused to back down, bringing up the topic each time they clashed, which was, as of late, becoming more and more frequent.
By now, nearly a month had passed since their trade agreement with the Imada officially begun, and the first silk shipment had arrived three days ago. Already, the garments had caused a buzz with the villagers. Despite being locked in three wars at once, the Senju compound was the paragon of a happy town; the wars didn't have much of an impact on the thousands of civilians who never stepped foot outside the fortified walls. This much was evident in the way people flocked to buy the long-out-of-reach silk pieces. Bids climbed into the thousands as the handful of garments were auctioned off, each one seeming more lovely than the last.
Hashirama had asked his brother to pay the silkmakers a visit to thank them for their kindness. Of course, he was also to find any information he could on the seer whose existence he had yet to give up on. Reluctant yet eager to get away from the politics of war, Tobirama agreed and took off for the distant village.
Sighing as the small wooden gates came into view, the young Senju wondered what he would have to do to convince his brother that he was chasing a ghost.
"Senju-san! I wasn't expecting a visit today!" The smiling face of Toru greeted. After dismissing the servant who had lead the guest to his office, he motioned for him to sit.
"I apologize for the surprise, but my brother insisted on sending his thanks." Tobirama explained, taking a seat in front of the desk.
"What a kind man your brother is." Toru laughed. "And you two are always welcome here, we don't get many visitors."
"Thank you, you're very generous. The pieces you sent a few days ago have already become very popular in our village."
"Is that so? Wonderful! I'm glad we have the chance to share our work with others. Oh, and I never got to thank you for your medics, they really are top of the line!"
"Have they been able to help your friend?"
"They're working on it, I'm sure they'll get there soon."
"If there's a cure, they'll find it."
Knock knock
Toru turned towards the door.
"Come in."
The same woman Tobirama remembered from his last visit stepped inside the office. A tinge of concern crossed Toru's face as he saw her.
"What is it, Mila?" he asked.
"She wants a word." The girl spoke timidly.
"Ah, please tell her I'll be there in just a minute." he said with a small smile.
"She wants a word with Senju-sama."
Toru frowned.
"Excuse me for a moment." he said to his guest before standing and pulling Mila aside. The two had a brief, hushed exchange before turning back to Tobirama, evidently troubled.
"Please come with me."
Confused but intrigued, Tobirama obliged, following the man out the door.
"If I may ask, who is the 'she' you mentioned earlier?" he questioned as they made the way deeper into the building.
"I think that's best left for her to answer." Toru decided, seeming rather uncomfortable.
After a few twists and turns, the trio stopped in front of a pair of tall sliding doors. Tobirama noticed Mila moving to stand to the side while Toru motioned for him to enter, offering a reassuring smile.
Finding the situation incredibly suspicious, the Senju carefully slid open the paper doors and stepped inside the dimly lit room.
Immediately, he felt a wave of chakra hit him and instinctively forced it away from his body. The chakra was intense and seemed to coat every inch of the room, both of which quickly raised red flags.
The only person inside was a woman sitting behind a small low-set table with a lantern to one side, her long black hair was tied back loosely and trailed a short distance behind her. She wore the same kind of kimono Tobirama had seen on other women in the main compound, the kind that only the Imada could make.
Her attention was fixed on a well-worn book in her hands, almost as if she didn't notice him enter.
"Stop that." she said, flipping a page.
Tobirama frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked, making an effort to maintain a polite tone despite his growing discomfort.
"Stop blocking my chakra." she answered simply.
"I don't tend to let strangers' chakra touch me."
The corner of her lips rose into a small smile and, eyes still fixed on her book, she gestured for him to sit.
Deciding it was safe to oblige, Tobirama approached the woman and took the seat across from her. He could feel the lantern's soft glow.
"You and your brother are very impressive leaders. I can't image what it's like being at the head of such a large clan." the woman commented, flipping another page. Ignoring the Senju's suspicious gaze, she continued. "Wars are a terrible thing, aren't they? Especially the ones your clan is in. It's really is a shame; so many dying young, leaving family behind. None of this is news to you, of course, and I know you're looking for a way out of it all. You're not the type to believe in myths and legends, are you? That's why I find it so odd that you're still here. You must have a lot of faith in your brother to keep coming back, following his baseless hunches."
"What's your point?" Tobirama asked sharply. Through her cryptic words, he was getting the sense that she knew more than she let on and it put him on edge, even more so than before.
She turned another page.
"Do you believe in seers, Senju-san?"
He didn't answer.
"Not many people do, these days. Though it seems like your brother does, he probably wouldn't have come here otherwise."
Something was up with this woman and Tobirama had a creeping suspicion that he knew what.
"You're the seer."
A pleased smile crossed her lips.
"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" she sang. "Honestly I thought it would take you longer to figure out. But that brings me back to my original point." She flipped another page. "I was born with this... peculiar gift, you see, but at no small price. The heavens decided that they would take something from me in exchange for these abilities."
She slowly closed the book in her hands and set it on the table. Then, for the first time, she looked up at at the man across from her.
Clouded, white eyes landed just off from Tobirama's own. It took him a minute to understand what she had meant.
"You're… blind." he concluded finally.
"Right again." she smiled, tilting her head slightly.
"You've been pretending to read?" he asked, glancing down at the book between them.
"Pretending? Of course not." she frowned indignantly. She flipped open the book and turned it to face him. "The ink is made with chakra, that's how I see."
Tobirama slowly scanned the page and noticed that the words were indeed emitting a faint chakra signature, enough that he would have sensed it earlier had it not been for the ridiculous amounts of chakra already coating the room.
That also explains why she had spread her chakra in such a manner, it must help her see, or rather, sense, her surroundings in a way she wouldn't be able to otherwise.
"That's why I need you to stop blocking my chakra." she explained. "I like to see the people I talk to."
There was a moment of silence between the two.
"My brother wants your help ending the wars. Will you help us?"
"I don't help people I can't see." She answered in a sing-song voice.
Tobirama sighed reluctantly and, going against every instinct he had, slowly lowered the barrier around him. Instantly, he felt the incredibly uncomfortable sensation of foreign chakra molding around him.
The woman grinned as the man's features became clear.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Will you help us?" Tobirama repeated, not wanting to stay a moment longer than he had to.
"Bring your brother next time and we'll talk." she smiled.
Taking this as his cue to leave, the Senju stood and offered a slight bow.
"Then we'll be returning soon, thank you for your time." He turned and made his way to the door, itching to escape the chakra-filled room.
"Tobirama-san."
He paused and looked back at the woman.
"What color are your eyes?"
He raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering if he had heard her right.
"...red." he answered slowly.
She smiled and nodded thoughtfully.
"Interesting… well anyways, I'll see you soon." she waved happily.
"Tobirama, you're back! How'd it go?" Hashirama greeted, looking up from his paperwork upon hearing the door open.
Tobirama took the seat in front of his brother's desk and sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"It turns out you were right."
