Izuna basks in the warmth of his brother's embrace, loath of ever letting go. He feels safe there, something he had never thought he could think about at his age and social position. But now, leaning on his brother's chest, enveloped by his arms, makes him go back to childhood, where his aniki would stay with him just like this and tell him stories, interesting facts, or just entertain him with stories of great warriors from the past.

"How do you feel?" Madara asks him, the timbre of his voice making Izuna's own chest vibrate. He snuggles closer, putting an ear to his brother's heart, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat.

"'M fine," he mutters, a pleasant languor spreading through his limbs. This trip has tired him quite a lot, but he is content. He does not want this moment to end. He looks around, finally taking in his surroundings. They are sitting on a veranda from what must be a tea room, a big garden with a wide pond stretching before his eyes.

Fingers thread into his hair, untwisting the knots he has from who knew how many days as a patient to the Senju. They had made sure he was clean, that was true, but they had not bothered with things that went beyond basic necessities.

A splash makes him open his eyes to look for the source. A white spotted red koi jumps after the dragonflies, soon followed by a yellow, bigger koi, and a beautiful black koi speckled with white, like the stars on a dark night.

The dragonflies fly away, and the koi also settle down. Izuna lets his gaze wander to the garden in front of him. Moss covered rocks, a small stream starting from the pond, with hinoki cypress, pines and maples dotting the twisting path marked by uneven stone slabs worn smooth by countless feet. Old tōrō stone lanterns, much of their features worn to be unrecognisable, stand silent sentinels along shrubs and rocks.

A gnarly old wisteria droops its branches low, almost touching the surface of the water.

The kayushiki teien garden looks at once wild and inviting, promising unknown nooks and crannies to discover.

"Should we skip stones?" Hashirama asks with a smile towards his brother.

Madara chuckles. "I do not wish to hit your fish."

"A Narrow Strip of Water," Hashirama murmurs as he watches the pond. That was all that separated us.

Madara cocks his head. "Ichii Taisui?" He asks. "I have not heard of it."

"There was once a man," Hashirama started, who was afraid of water, although lived next to a river. A good friend of his moved on the other side to marry. Since there was no bridge, and the man was afraid of boats, he could not go to the wedding, although he wanted to.

One day, lamenting his weak heart, he started climbing the nearby mountain, hoping to at least see the wedding procession from afar.

When he got to the top, he saw something amazing. The wide river he was so afraid of was only a thin ribbon of water, so small that even a little child could jump.

So he ran back down, jumped into the first boat he saw and asked to be taken across."

The song of the cicadas swells again in silence after Hashirama's story.

"Did he get there on time?" Madara asks, amused.

"I think he did," Hashirama replies, looking meaningfully at his brother. Madara hums wordlessly and Izuna relaxes further, slipping into a half wakeful state, when he hears his brother ask Hashirama about his recovery.

"He had some complications," Hashirama admits, "three blood clots that almost got to the heart, continuous internal hemorrhaging, and he went into sepsis because his yin chakra was too unbalanced, but now, if he manages to remain stable, he will have a smooth and swift path to recovery."

The fingers in his hair continue their path, gently unknotting some snarls from his longer braid. "If?" Madara asks, voice threateningly quiet.

"He must not have any strong emotion for the duration of his convalescence," Hashirama said, "for rather than superficial healing of tissues, we went into the source, the yin and yang balance, the ki, the source of chakra, and started from there. It is the best way to heal completely and without any damage, but it takes time and the mental state of the patient is paramount."

He feels Madara shift under him so that he is propped better against him. "So can we take him back then?" He asks idly.

Hashirama shifts. "Not yet," he says gently. "He still needs the healers."

"'M not going back, aniki," Izuna murmurs in a sleepy voice. "Coming home. With you."

"Surely we can get instructions to follow so that my brother will be able to recover at home," he hears Madara's worried voice. "You have my word that we shall follow them to the letter."

"No," a new, grating voice insinuates itself into their conversation. Izuna glares at the intruder. Tobirama glares back. The bento box is in his hands, the crane spreading its black tipped white wings at its front. At that moment, Izuna understands the message Madara had wanted to convey. The crane had been hurt by a trap, but a good hearted man had freed it and nursed it back to health. Then, the crane had come back to thank the man, granting him what must have been his greatest desire.

Izuna's lips twist. "Do I need to marry you, my onjin ?" He asks sardonically, making the last word sound like onijin .

Tobirama frowns. "I do not see you as a symbol of peace," he remarks.

Izuna glares harder, feeling a wave of annoyance rise within him.

Madara smoothes the crease between his eyebrows with his thumb. "No strong emotions," he chided gently. His brother is so gentle with him, moreso even than when he was a little child. He must have been so worried and scared of losing him, Izuna realizes with a pang in his chest that rapidly becomes insupportable. He tries to breathe evenly, but his rhythm soon falters as the pain shoots white hot into his left shoulder and spreads between his ribs, pooling into his belly, wrecking havoc on his tenketsu.

Hashirama and Tobirama both rush to him while his brother tries to calm him down. Izuna fights with them all. He does not want to be separated from his brother, he would prefer to die rather than stay with the Senju any longer. And if he dies, he can ensure Madara, his brother, will get his eyes. He must say it out loud and from his stricken expression, Madara must understand at least part of his babbling.

It is selfish of him to say it, selfish as so many had made great efforts for his recovery, but at that point he does not care. The status quo has to change so despite the pain, he molds his chakra and makes his punches stronger.

A stinging slap to his face stuns him enough that he stops. Tobirama stands with his arm raised, ready to repeat the action if necessary, expression thunderous.

"Do you remember what I promised to do if you do not comply with the instructions and actively start using chakra?" he grits out.

"My brother can have my eyes," Izuna replies defiantly.

Tobirama turns to Hashirama, who is holding Madara back. "Anija!" He snaps. "See what you did! I told you not to let them meet, as whether his brother stays here or leaves, the patient will be riled up enough to feel sick again!"

"I apologize," Madara says in Hashirama's stead, "I insisted."

Izuna starts coughing uncontrollably, feeling as if his chest is bursting open every time. Hashirama comes behind him and puts his hands on his back. Soon, he feels something like an oily wave smooth away all the irritation in his lungs, all needles that were poking his insides.

Gradually, his coughing subsides as his body calms down under the wave of healing chakra. Izuna breathes in deeply and slumps anew over his brother.

Tobirama advances on him as well. Izuna tenses slightly, but before he can react properly, the Senju slams a paper seal on his forehead, so hard it snaps his head back. "Keep his hands still," Tobirama advises Madara just as Izuna's hands try to creep to his forehead and take it off. To his displeasure, his brother complies, tightening his arms around him, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to limit his movements. Before he can berate his brother, his vision darkens and he falls asleep.


He wakes up feeling well rested, and hale, although quite weak. Tobirama stands in front of him, seal in hand, hair blindingly white from the rays of the sun coming in from the open doors.

"Good morning," Tobirama greets him neutrally, but it still makes his teeth grit. "You are finally healed in the yin, yang and ki flow. I told you that if you do not comply we will force you into a coma so your body takes care of itself. It took longer and you have only your behavior to thank for that. It has been six months."

"Where am I?" Izuna rasps. "Where is aniki?"

"Welcome to Konohagakure," Tobirama replies with satisfaction. "A village of and for shinobi. Your brother named it, by the way, if you want to make fun of it. I suppose you'd want breakfast," he finishes, gesturing to the high side table where a black lacquer kintsugi bowl of steaming nanakusa porridge waits on a dark lacquered tray. His aniki and his messages, Izuna thinks furiously as he sees red. Does he imply Izuna is fated to rise on greater heights now after this long convalescence, akin to a broken bowl elevated on greater aesthetic heights by having its scars repaired with gold?

"When is the next meeting?" He asks, determined to attend. There is no way he can leave his brother alone while the Senju goes into a pack against himself.

Tobirama smiles thinly. "First eat. Walk. Get up to date to everything that happened during your unfortunate and easily avoided absence. Don't choke on the porridge," he adds and leaves. An Uchiha attendant, fifteen year old Kaoru, arms full of neatly folded clothes, enters after a polite "gomen" and helps Izuna up.

Izuna accepts his help and together they manage to change him in his usual wear. The cloth hangs on his thinner frame, making him feel like a child that had tried on his father's clothes. It irks him, but tries not to show it to Kaoru.

Seated at the table, he raises the spoon and starts eating after an almost inaudible itadakimasu.

"What happened?" Izuna asks Kaoru. "What is the situation? Start from the battlefield," he adds.

"Madara sama had to accept peace with Senju for at least four years on the grounds of Tobirama offering to help Izuna sama," Kaoru replied. "While Izuna sama healed," Kaoru continued, delicately expressing the forced coma that damn Tobirama had imposed on him, "Madara sama continued the official peace talks with Hashirama s-sama," he says, stuttering on the honorific at Izuna's glare. He was already taken by the Senju, Izuna thinks, displeased, but gestures for him to continue. "The initial agreement was four years of non aggression policy between any members of the clan," Kaoru says.

"And now?" Izuna asks.

"Now we already have the beginning of a village," Kaoru informs him.

Izuna muses on his stance while eating the mush. Their clan is weakened, and since the Senju technically keep Uchiha prisoners, Izuna cannot speak against the Senju ideas. He also cannot lose face by returning evil to good, since he does not have the military strength to wipe out the Senju so that there are no repercussions to his actions.

"What does our clan think?" He asks finally.

Kaoru stands straighter, eyes shining. "It is an amazing endeavor that will be talked about ten thousand years to come.." his voice trails off at Izuna's skeptical expression.

"I take it everybody is unanimously happy and has no qualms about living next to their enemies and the slayers of their kin?" Izuna asked sardonically, anger boiling hot in his stomach.

Kaoru looks down. "Perpetuating the cycle of violence will only bring more suffering," he argued, no doubt parroting a phrase he has heard from the Senju.

"What about the spilled blood of our clan?" Izuna asks quietly. "Would they be happy to see this?"

Kaoru looks up. "I think they would," he says with conviction, "because anybody who wants others to suffer just because they did too, and keep the war and cycle of revenge unbroken is not someone to look up to. Or strive to make proud."

Izuna lets the spoon clatter noisily into the bowl. Kaoru immediately leaps to help, thinking Izuna has tired, but he waves him away. "Take the bowl and let me rest," he orders.

Kaoru bows and takes the tray away. "You will start your recovery exercises at the hour of the sheep, Izuna sama," he says politely. "I will be at the door if you need me."

Izuna nods distractedly. After the boy leaves, he puts his head in his hand, activating and deactivating his sharingan. It came easily, it did not hurt. He briefly entertained the idea of using it on Kaoru and convince him of the stupidity of his ideas.

He waits to meet Tobirama, eager to use it to his face. This makes him wonder darkly on what the terms of the peace actually were for the Uchiha.

He sighs, rubbing his temples. His brother is well meaning, but he was against the combined power of the Senju brothers and all the other allied clans. He had started as the loser in the fight, and had little leeway. It was foolish to join hands with the victor, especially considering their history.

He has to convince his aniki and the clan. He darkly suspects Tobirama had manufactured the coma exactly so he could not speak against their ideas, and since he was the medic, he did manage to get away with it.

This, he knows, is just the beginning and the Uchiha will slowly lose more and more ground. No, he is not against peace, he is not warmongering, but he cannot forgive those that had killed his brothers (although he had made sure he killed them), and he cannot live with the Senju. It seems nobody sees that living together would be just another type of war.

He has to speak to his brother. But before that, he has to think of an alternative. He grimaces remembering Tobirama's words. The damn Senju had made Madara name the village, trying to seal their fate within its walls.

But Izuna was not to be contained by walls. He started pacing, meditating, thinking up a plan.

When he is ready, he calls for Kaoru.

"I wish to meet my brother," he announces. "Inform him that I wait for him at his earliest convenience."

Kaoru bows and leaves.

Izuna waits for a long time, but Madara does not appear. At the hour of the sheep, a Senju medic enters the room after announcing himself.

Izuna looks at him coolly. "I wish for an Uchiha medic."

The Senju bows. "You may definitely have a clan member present, Uchiha dono, but you must not fear I would do anything untowards."

Izuna's lips twist humourlessly. "I do not fear," he says, activating his sharingan. "I do not want you."

The Senju looks ready to argue, Izuna observes irritatedly, musing on how low the Uchiha reputation had fallen, but in the end good sense prevails and he bows and leaves.

Izuna does not have the time to celebrate his apparent victory, for soon Tobirama enters the room without announcing himself.

"My onjin," Izuna mocks. "How should I repay you today? A year of forced coma?"

Tobirama's eyes narrow. "Less tantrums so I don't have to leave my tasks unattended while coming to take care of you," he says brusquely.

"You do not need to come," Izuna replies, eyes flashing dangerously, itching to activate the sharingan. He doesn't because he believes Tobirama is crazy enough to take it as a sign that he has to keep his threat from before. Izuna does not trust him, and seeing how they keep him separate from his own allies, well, that tells him all that it is to tell about his position.

"Oh but I need to," Tobirama snaps, "aren't we tied together?"

Izuna laughs. "As natural enemies?" He asks.

"As your onjin," I should live up to my name, Tobirama comments as he seats himself at the table and takes out three scrolls.

Izuna watches them warily.

"Shall we start?" Tobirama asks perfunctorily. "Izuna."

The battle has started. "We shall," Izuna replies, "Tobirama."

Notes:

toro lanterns: japanese stone lanterns

Tsuru no ongaeshi: japanese folktale where a man saves a crane from a trap. It comes back as a woman who becomes his wife.

Onjin: benefactor; If someone did something good to you, you were obligated to repay him.

Onijin- invented word using oni- demon and jin, the chinese reading of the kanji hito, human. Izuna makes a wordplay where he calls Tobirama an oni with the face of a human.

kayushiki teien- strolling garden, type of big Japanese garden usually with ponds, bridges and twisted paths so that the evil spirits could not get to you

ichii taisui: a narrow stream of water is a four character compound (yojijukugo) referring to China and Japan historically having a good relationship, so that the sea dividing them seemed like a narrow stream of water.

kintsugi: remaking broken pottery with gold, making the broken and repaired object much more valuable than at the beginning. Started in the Muromachi Era (1336-1573), allegedly during the 15th century during the reign of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa who sent a broken tea bowl to China for repairs.

the crane is a symbol of immortality and purity, but after the Second World War, it also became the symbol of peace