#jumblingjuly2017 - why time passes

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tobirama was walking down the hall, bringing a pile of books in his arms, when he stumbled upon a thick wall of chakra that made him pause in his track. the chakra was slightly restless, slipping out of its owner's meticulous control. tobirama recognized who was it, which confused him as its source was the same with his destination: the library.

"an awful lot of books you carry, senju," a feminine voice in the dark greeted him. "did you use them as a pillow?"

he dumped his books on the nearest available surface first, struggling a little because no candles were lit inside. "they're for my research," he answered curtly, then turned around to see izuna, her form illuminated by the outside lights, leaning on a leather bench with a scroll laid open on her lap. her lithe fingers traced its surface.

she lifted her head, turning it slightly until her cheek faced the large window behind her bench. "what do you research in this ungodly hours?"

"various jutsu." tobirama returned the books to their respective shelves, taking out several scrolls in return. he heard her humming, then he asked, "what are you reading?"

"...nothing important," she said with a huff. "i barely made any progress anyway." izuna straightened her back, placing the other end of her scroll on the table to roll it.

"not even the greatest sensor can read in the dark," he added quickly, knowing that he had touched a sensitive matter. "do you use chakra to differentiate the texture of paper and ink?"

"yes." her movements halted, shoulders relaxed once more. "this scroll is written messily. no other copy available. the scribe should be fired at once."

he could tell she was half annoyed and half amused. "i can ask someone to make another copy of it. someone with better handwriting," he offered. the first lights of dawn had reached the library, allowing him to see the creases on izuna's clothing. looks like she had been here since last night, after the librarian went home, to read without feeling other people's gaze on her.

"it'll take time. i'm impatient."

"how about i read it for you?"

izuna gaped at him. if she still had her eyes, tobirama was certain she would glare her mangekyou sharingan at him. he made his way to her table, reading the title of her scroll. surprisingly, it was a famous old folklore often told to children as a bedtime story. her fingers slowly covered the title, as if she could sense him reading that section.

"aren't you busy researching...?"

"i can take some time off to rest."

izuna still looked uncertain as she handed him the scroll. "alright. but if your voice is bad, i'll leave."

tobirama sat on a chair beside the bench, unrolling it to find the first passage and begin reading, "once upon a time, when the world was moonless and kingdoms were nameless, lived a child who could talk to the trees..."

at first he saw izuna was leaning on the bench, but tobirama was quickly engrossed into the story he hadn't been listening or reading since his childhood. he was halfway through the scroll when he felt his mouth was dry, and thinking to pause to take a drink. but when he checked at izuna, the woman was fast asleep and the sun had fully risen in the east.

he tried to wake her up by gently shaking her shoulder, but her body slid off and her head fell on his lap instead. "izuna," he called softly, "wake up-"

before tobirama could overcame his surprise, a tap on the window stole his attention. a shadow fell over the pair. there on the roof knelt uchiha madara himself, fully armored from his recent campaign, grinning at the white haired senju with his sharingan flaring.

oh shit.