Mito had foreseen a problem in the relation of those two but she never would have guessed Tobirama would be the one hurt, and so soon.

Hashirama whispered to her something about problems with Makoto-chan and had asked for privacy but she knew better. Her husband had a tendency to exaggerate his version of the story and since this was a delicate matter she decided it was necessary to hear the problem directly from Tobirama. She heard them hidden in her own bathroom and- ohhh, she had been right about it. If Hashirama told her how desperate and needy Tobirama sounded she wouldn't have believed him and would have lowered the profile of the current predicament.

That being said she put her hands to work. She couldn't let Hashirama fix this. He was helpless and tactless with people like Makoto and Tobirama. They were just too different. She asked for her breakfast to be served with Makoto in Tobirama's chamber and went to find the big wolf in Hashirama's inner garden. He must miss his master.

-o-

Tobirama's chamber (late breakfast)

It wasn't strange for Makoto to have breakfast with Mito, so when she was requested the only thing that was unusual was to have it in her chambers and not in Mito's. She shrugged it off and got dressed properly. Mito gave her many silk robes intrinsically decorated to use over the normally plain clothes she usually wore. At least she respected her disdain for full kimonos. They had just too much layers for her liking.

Shibomashira came in first. He was composed in the corridor but as soon as he was allowed in the chamber he was all fluffy, waving his tail and licking her. She had missed him too.

Mito had a little belly now but you had to look in order to notice under all the layers of clothes. They greeted and ate quickly. Makoto didn't eat since the beginning of her journeys back to Konoha.

Unfortunately, Mito had a lot to talk about and while she did listen to what she said, she limited herself to answering shortly or in monosyllables because she was really hungry. Until she started asking about Tobirama.

"So… Did Tobirama greeted you correctly last night?"

"Uhmm… That would depend on your definition of correct greetings?"

"Come on! It couldn't have been that bad!"

"It was… strange."

"How so?"

"I don't really know him. I don't know if he's behaving normally."

"Well I know him a little more. Maybe I could assist?"

*sigh* "He wasn't in the room when I arrived. I took a bath and he interrupted me. You would say it was impolite. He was staring at me like I was soiling his water, an intruder. It wasn't nice."

"What? Are you sure that was his intention?"

"Well… what else could be? I finished quickly and got into bed while he bathed. I wanted to check some important details on the map I could forget the next day since he was still awake but he was very rude and rejected my medical assistance. He said he was fine but it was clear he was mentally unstable…. Also, he was a little... aggressive."

"Aggressive? Did he…"

"He didnt hit me if that's what you mean. I'm no damsel, we had meet each other on the field. He just griped my wrist hard because he didn't want me to touch him."

"Really?"- Mito couldn't believe this woman was actually their spymaster. It was just so amusing, she couldn't hide her smirk.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. He made it very clear. Why are you smiling? He detests me after all the time I wasted helping him. Is it because I violated his personal space? Is that irony what amuses you?"

"Hahaha, you silly girl! How can't you tell?! He doesn't hate you, quite the contrary. He is craving to touch you. Which brings another question- why haven't you let him consummate the marriage?"

"Shhh… People shouldn't know that. How do you know? Tss! Did he tell you?! And that's bullshit! You think a man with Tobirama's nature would bite his tongue about something he wants?"

"He said you asked for some time to adjust."

"I wanted to buy time. And why would he respect that?"

"Why do you need time? And of course he would respect it. You are his wife now and the spymaster. We need you in good spirits."- Mito said as she winked in the last sentence.

"…"

"Hey, why do you need time? You can count on me if you need help or… have questions."

"It's nothing like that. I…"- Makoto lowered her voice as much as she could- "You know I'm Kokuyo… I can't afford to get… pregnant. Not now, not ever. So... I usually drink a concoction of herbs on daily basis but that old head maid didn't allowe the entrance of the package because it was made in a whorehouse and would look wrong and arise questions if it was known that some high lady in the hokage residence was drinking it."

"Ahhh… Oh, well I see… So your problem is much more pragmatic than what I thought."

"Anyway… The old head maid is right. It will arise questions since I don't control all of the staff here. I was planing to use the birds to bring me daily portions in small packages but if they lose it or get discovered and I miss a day it will be inefficient."

"Makoto wait a bit. I understand and respect what you are telling me but you have been neglecting you husband. You got lucky he was inactive the first months but now… he wants to be with you. You can't ignore him like when he was unconscious anymore."

"Ah? I'm not sure you understanded our relationship Mito. He certainly would prefer his room alone. He moved me out after the first day after all. Not that it bothered me."

*sigh* "Look Makoto-chan. Listen to me carefully, okay? Tobirama can be a little broody but under that he is a normal young man and you are a very pretty woman walking in thin robes near him, sleeping beside him, touching him- even if it was for rehabilitation. He does like you. A lot. Maybe a little too much… *sigh* What I want to say is that he wants to have marital contact but doesn't want to push you because you are here mainly as an intel collector and secondary as his wife. Tobirama is a very objective person but he is losing his grip in this situation because he is fighting primitive urges and that's what causes his disturbed mind."

"….."

A long and uncomfortable silence filled the room. Mito just waited for Makoto to absorb all the information she had given and was hoping she could understand it correctly.

"So… he doesn't want me to touch him unless it's for sex?

*sigh* "It's not like that either. I mean… well… in the beginning maybe, but you will get close in time. Why did you have to paraphrase it like that? It sounds so wrong!"

"It's what you just said, sweet words won't make it better."

"God you are worse than him!"

"Even if you said so I can't believe it for certain. What someone else feels is very arbitrary. I can't risk getting pregnant or the time and energy that will cost me getting rid of it just because a conjecture…"

"It's not a conjecture, it's a fact. He wants to send you back to your father because he can't stand being near you without giving in. Besides, I'm not telling you to… you know… penetration… There are other ways of finding pleasure and release. You should talk to him about your problem will understand the limitations, but that doesn't mean no intercourse."

"So you are saying I should blowjob him to mental peace?"

"God, you are terrible!"

"I have to admit it's a good alternative but still, I'm not risking touching him in that way without confirmation. Also, how do I know he would agree and help me? Isn't it weird?"

*sigh* This woman was impossible... "As I said, Tobirama is conscious of your first mission. Also we can seed and harvest the plants in the garden and you could learn how to make the concoction, yes?"

"Mmm… I thought that too, but it would take much more time and I'm not sure if he will want to cooperate."

"What a hard head you have, hmm? I already told you. Anyway, you will begin training again with him this afternoon, won't you? I think you will notice it then."

Mito gave her another wink adorned with a smirk and excused herself to her own chamber, leaving a confused Makoto in the room. The white wolf sleeping placidly at her feet.

-o-

Tobirama's chambers (afternoon)

Makoto dressed in her training clothes. Black armless turtle neck shirt and cotton stirrup pants, a matching short kimono with a lime green belt, no shoes of course and a ponytail as high as her own hair's weight allowed.

She waited for him to show up while meditating. She heard steps and hushed male voices half an hour after the scheduled time. Hashirama opened the paper door abruptly. Tobirama looked distressed. The fact that Hashirama was pushing him to make him go inside didn't help. Mito must be hallucinating in order to think he liked her even a little.

Hashirama patted him with both hands on the shoulders, a little too hard while saying "get it together" and then closed the door behind Tobirama who looked like a caged cat ready to run. He never looked directly in her direction while walking to their room paper door, presumably to change into training clothes.

He was greeted by the attentive eyes of the white direwolf in the bedroom and decided not to close the door behind him, just in case…

Tobirama changed clothes quickly, too conscious of the wolf's intense eyes on him. He could smell his distress after all, and emerged from the room slowly. When he finally had the decency to look her in the eyes she raised up ceremoniously.

"You are late."

"…" - Tobirama just looked the floor, a grimace in his face as if he didn't like the floor's wood style.

"Five series of pushups before we start."

"Excuse me?"- Tobirama raised his head and said in bewilderment.

"You are under my care, medically and now in your training. I have more things to do and you know it, I won't be waiting for your whims to come true in order to begin the session."- she said softly and firm.

"This is a sparring-"

"Sparring implies equal physical condition, which is not the case."- she interrupted him by raising her hand- "This is a workout because your muscle mass is in rehabilitation."

Tobirama knew when to keep his mouth shut. She was right about his condition and wasn't rubbing it in his face on purpose,or at least her pragmatic tone didn't give that idea. Leastways with pushups he didn't have to touch her so he began.

He dressed in the clothes which he could put on the quickest, those were plain dark blue pants and long-sleeved shirt. He did the pushups with no big effort, she knew he was training on his own but only in muscle force and reflexes. His aerobic capacity should be the most compromised. He seemed to have regained the prior muscle tone and force and that made her very happy. His strong shoulders raised his body easily. In the second series his efforts pulled up his shirt a little revealing the net shirt under the coton, the latissimus dorsi and external oblique contracted deliciously. Even if he didn't like her she couldn't pass up the chance to admire such gorgeously carved anatomy. She will do her best in order to train every muscle group just right. Too much muscular hypertrophy wasn't beautiful.

"We'll begin with endurance training after the stretching."

"…"- He didn't say a thing, just noded.

Silence filled the room while they completed the katas. He was agile and precise as usual. When they finished and assumed their stance, he looked at her and assumed his own stance reluctantly. She attacked quickly and tried disabling points first: liver, neck, mandible, between the eyes. He avoided her strikes with some difficulty - he wasn't expecting that kind of an attack. In fact, he was not expecting any body contact for the first training session and was determined to keep it minimum. Sweaty bodies, grunts and whines were too much alike the dreams he did not wish to recall right now.

He gained control of the rhythm and she keep pushing him in order to see which was his current aerobic capacity. After 15 mins he already had a labored breath and was compensating agility with force, making less attacks but more powerful strokes. She didn't want to get a punch of that kind during training so she decided this was enough and used a chokehold to end the encounter, or so she would have liked. It seemed Tobirama wasn't done yet and was resolved to counter her hold. They didn't hit the floor but Tobirama didn't want to be restrained by her and they kept forcing each other in short quarters showing exquisite hand to hand technique.

She wasn't as strong as he was but she compensated that with agility. Her movements were too quick to allow him to regain enough impulse to push her down or knock her out. Her footwork was impeccable and he was being forced to recoil. He had to admit she was good. It was entertaining to finally have an equal challenge (other than Hashirama) who smelt and felt much better (even covered in sweat). Her skin was as soft as any woman's should be. Every touch felt like a pang to his gut, electricity coming down quickly to his groin. The aggression involved in close combat was the icing on the cake. He could imagine her being this rude in other activities, now he knew how she sounded while panting, how she sounded in slight pain when he reached her one time... That sound was beautiful, almost a moan. When she reached him and tried a chokehold he was so pleased to have her clinging to him. He wanted more. His counter was automatic, he wanted her on the floor under his body moaning his name without that annoying kimono, he knew what was under it.

As if she had read his mind, she striped of the black kimono revealing a tight black shirt. The sun was in the hottest point when the wind was gone and she was wearing black, her sweat was dripping from her brow to the floor, high neck and the shirt molded her figure perfectly, uncovering her shoulders and grabbing her small torso and narrow waist which lead to contrasting wide hips and a beautifully toned ass continued by strong tights. The pants left only her skin color to imagination. Everything started to happen in slow motion then. He felt his own sweat dripping from his face, the stupid heat of this particularly hot day, his face in flames, his groin throbbing, this pants tight… No! He was so good up until now! Why?!

She removed her kimono quickly, the heat was unbearable and made her movements slower. She saw him staring at her as if she were kicking a puppy when she removed the piece of cloth. He looked at her head to toe and after a couple of seconds he began pacing around the improvised dojo, his face constricted in what seemed to be anguish. He tossed aside his own long sleeve shirt, wearing only the net shirt and made the motion to leave the room towards the bedroom. Something made him stop before the door and deflected his way towards the wall. He punched it several times with both arms. That took her by surprise. She supposed this wasn't common behavior. Maybe he hit his little finger or he sprained his foot? She approached him slowly while he supported his head on the wall and whispered his name hoping she could resolve his problem, but when she spoke he grunted and struck his forehead against the wall at least three times before she tried to take him away from it. In that moment she knew she had screwed it, she made the wrong choice.

He took the arm she had used to grab him and forced her against the wall. She was now facing the wall while he used his own body as a cage, one hand restraining her arm and the other beside her head. His head got closer to hers. She could heard him inhale. Was he smelling her? She was sweaty, that wasn't pleasant.

"The practice is over."- he said, and released her.

"That's not your decision to make."- she turned to face him, he was showing just his back. "Tobirama, what's wrong? Are you injured or tired?"- she closed the gap and grabbed his shoulder to make him face her.

"Stop it! I already warned you!"- he said as he tried to free himself from her intrusive hands. He only achieved to make it worse. She used both hands to grab him by his trapezius. It send shivers down his spine. His erection, clearly visible from the front, pulsed in acknowledgment, and he let out a low pleasure groan.

"Are you in pain? Is the trapezius? Yeah... You were a little tense, that must be. I can loosen it-"

"Stop!"

He turned around and made his own chokehold on her. She lost her balance with that amount of weight, bringing them entangled to the floor. He wasn't restraining her totally, she was on her belly facing the floor. He had one of her arms at an awkward angle pressed to her back, her other arm was extended, he used his weight to pin her to the floor while using the other hand to hold her upper back pressed against the floor. His legs held her own with no great success, most of the weight was in his pelvis which… Oh...Oh! Okay… Mito was right. Maybe he did like her, but… She froze. What should she do now? Say something or try to get free from his hold? He grinded his pelvis against her ass. She could feel his warm cock pulsing against her with each thrust and he was panting and groaning audibly. She decided it was enough when he sucked her earlobe and moaned low in her ear.

She freed her legs and raised her ass to his abdomen and back kicked him right in the hip joint. He let her go and she used the opportunity to run to the bedroom where Shibomashira was. It was probably the reason why Tobirama did not enter the first time.

She just rejected his advances even when she said she would comply. What should she do now?