Izuna stuck around his aniki when the other clansmen took the Hyuuga away and cleared the scene. He wanted to offer his support in case Madara was upset over the end to his engagement. His arms found their way around Madara's waist at which the elder looked down at him and patted the top of his head.
Shortly after they set off to return to the main house with their father and Izuna walked alongside Madara while he observed his aniki's features. He noticed then that, unlike what he expected, Madara actually didn't seem all that upset but rather relieved about how things turned out. That was a good sign, Izuna thought to himself and hummed. Up until now he had concealed his joy about the news of his aniki who would be remaining at home after the breakup. It wouldn't be fair of him not to wish his brother well because of his clingy needs. Though, he hadn't been quite ready to have his older brother living at a distance away from him. He would much rather keep sparring and practicing together to become stronger as Izuna was a big believer in their combined force.
As per usual during their arguments, Madara received the silent treatment from his father after he discovered Madara's acquaintance to Hashirama. Madara sighed deeply knowing it would most likely last at least a week. His father would be brooding over the newfound information until the ticking of the bomb reached zero. Then all hell would break loose.
He suspected that Hashirama would be subjected to a similar type of subsequent punishment. They had both pretty much committed high treason and it would not be taken lightly within their respective clans. Madara had seen the way Hashirama's eyes saddened when Butsuma wouldn't give in to his plea to aid the Uchiha in the apprehension of the Hyuuga. He looked like a broken man without any hope left. The brunette had tried his best to covertly weave the strings to a successful alliance, Madara knew that much. Perhaps it was time for him now to stand with Hashirama and come up with a plan to restore their dream.
A week passed by in which Madara remained at the Uchiha manor. He wasn't told in so many words that he was on house arrest, but he knew better than to try leave. Izuna kept him company whenever he was allowed to and not on clan duty. The rest of the time Madara spent working on a plan that should finally convince their fathers to consider a treaty. It was a cunning plan if he said so himself, but he would require Hashirama for it and that was the tricky part. Now that they were kept miles apart without any way to keep contact, sharing his plan with Hashirama seemed near impossible. That is, until a genius idea struck him.
As long as he remained within the main house grounds he was allowed some freedom. The gardens were easily accessible from every room of the house and his falcons could easily come and go whenever they pleased. Nobody would think weird of him if he spent time looking after his precious birds. So, he would just have to pick the right moment when his family was otherwise occupied and not watching him closely.
In the meantime he had managed to acquire an important segment of his plan from the family books. He rolled it up into a tiny scroll, added a paper with instructions for Hashirama and tied a ribbon around it before he snuck it into a pocket of his yukata. In the kitchen, his mother and father were having tea together and were discussing several topics in private with the shutters closed. The perfect moment finally arrived.
Madara hurried into the garden and blew a small whistle that let out an inaudible sound (at least to humans). Soon after, a beautiful and colossal brown-white falcon took a dive out of the blue sky directly towards Madara's gloved hand. It landed swiftly and perched itself upright while it cocked its head around to observe its master. Madara adjusted the leather buckle on one of the legs and attached the small package to it, securing it so it would last until it reached Hashirama's territory. He then activated his sharingan as he looked into his bird's eyes and relayed the travel route and place where the message had to be delivered. Once Madara was satisfied his eyes turned back to coal and he sent the bird off with a soft lift into the air. A quick glance around and he didn't spot anyone nearby that could have watched his moves. So far the plan was coming together well. He hoped Hashirama would have similar luck.
It was past midnight when Hashirama was awoken by the sound of small taps against his window pane. He stirred slowly out of his sleep when he noticed the silhouette of a bird behind the rice paper. A bird, in the middle of the night? What could it possibly want? Hashirama knew nature was naturally drawn to him, but this was uncommon even for him.
He wrapped a silken robe around his form as he quietly trudged to the window to open it. A soft gasp escaped his mouth when he noticed it was a falcon. Despite the fact most of his family would probably be asleep by now he still checked the engawa to make sure there was no one around to see the bird. Hashirama lifted his hand carefully at which the falcon first seemed to inspect the appendage before hopping closer underneath Hashirama's palm and extending its head to be stroked. Hashirama smiled gently moving his hands across the feathers from head to tail before he noticed the message the bird had attached to its leg.
He fiddled with the leather strap and untied the piece of paper as he tried not to rustle too much. His eyes skimmed over the instruction paper admiring the neat handwriting. 'Oh Madara, you clever bastard', Hashirama chuckled inwardly as he understood the plan. He quickly stored the piece of paper under his pillow and allowed the bird to hop inside his room where it took a spot to sit on the back of his chair and waited.
"I will be back shortly," Hashirama said even though a second later he doubted the bird would understand him at all. Nevertheless it remained sat on his chair while he exited his bedroom and shuffled silently through the halls as to not disturb anyone. He made his way into the family room where the albums were kept. The green album was the one he was after. He opened it and flipped through the pages trying to find the piece he had in his mind that would be a perfect counterpart to Madara's. As he passed through, his gaze softened as his fingers gently slid over the many happy memories. He was almost deeply lost in the sensation before he remembered his mission and continued on.
"What are you doing?"
Hashirama nearly shrieked as his younger brother suddenly appeared in the room standing behind him judgmentally. "A-ah Tobi.. you scared me." Hashirama said in a hushed tone. It took a few seconds to collect himself before he slid one of the pieces of paper between his fingers into the sleeve of his night robe. Once hidden, he closed the album and put it back on the shelf along with the others. "I was just having a stroll." He smiled somewhat forced because of his hidden agenda as he moved to stand. "I'm guessing you were hungry again?" He smiled at his otouto who was known for snacking around at all hours of the day. The white-haired man simply nodded because he didn't want to explain any further. "Well I'll leave you to it then." Hashirama said and ruffled Tobi's white fluffy hair while he made his way back to his room.
Once he was back in his room he let out a puff of air in relief. "That was a close call…" Hashirama chuckled as the bird gave him an incredulous stare. "So much like your owner you are eh." He laughed softly as he took the paper out of his sleeve, rolled it up and attached it back to the bird's leg. "Now you better go quickly before anyone spots you." Hashirama moved to open his window and the bird hopped back onto the window sill before taking off into the dark of the night. Hashirama stared after it for as long as he could. For one, he wanted to make sure the bird was able to get as far away from the Senju estate as needed so it could embark on its journey. But also, because he admired that Madara had picked a beautiful, mesmerizing hobby.
The next day arrived and Hashirama was up earlier than usual. His mood was also far better than it had been over the past week during his house arrest. The bonds with his father and brother had not been restored fully just yet, but they at least seemed to be improving. There was, however, another reason for his unusually upbeat demeanor. Last night made him realize that Madara fully supported the notion of their dream village. The raven had gone so far as to come up with an idea to steer their plans back into motion, how wonderful! Now all he had to do was set it into motion and it would work itself out.
To do so, Hashirama sneaked into the tea room adjacent to the garden where he knew his father would take his morning tea. Luckily, he was the only one up at this hour and could easily walk in to place the piece of paper demonstratively on the table next to the zaisu (low chair). It would be the first thing his father would see and should definitely give him food for thought. Next up was preparing said tea for which he went to the kitchen. He filled the kettle to the brim with water and brought it to the boil over their traditional irori (sunken hearth). Hashirama picked a few chamomile herbs from the garden along with a lemon and some ginger, then cutting them into thin slices to stir in the boiled water. A perfect mix for a calming start of the day.
Tea had only just finished brewing when Butsuma strolled down the hall after the delicious scent filling his nose. Hashirama made sure he was out of sight in the nick of time. He wouldn't want to disturb his father now and give him a bad mood. Not when things were falling into place finally. Butsuma poured the fresh tea into his cup and marched toward the tea room to overlook the garden and mediate.
Over at the Uchiha estate, Madara took on a bit of a different approach. In his father's office room he placed several items and memorial pieces that belong to his four brothers as well as himself. Reminders of the good and of the bad times, but especially of the strong bond they had as family and brothers. He made sure to emphasize how Izuna was the last living brother he had left and that he did not want to lose him to mere ego and stupidity. At the center of all of it was a picture he had received from Hashirama through his falcon this morning. Now all he had to do was wait until his father would resume his clan duties in the afternoon.
As Butsuma settled in the zaisu his eyes travelled over the many flowers that were blooming in the south garden. A great reminder of Hashirama and his strength and care to tend to nature. The last week had been rough on all of them, but especially on Butsuma himself as he had to ground his own adult son. He only hoped that the brunette learned something from it…
As his hand moved to place down the cup on the small side table his eyes glanced sideways to guide his hand in the right direction. What he saw there was enough for the tea he had yet to swallow to come back out. He sputtered as he tried not to choke on the hot tea while the full cup fell off the edge of the table and poured down all over the tatami floor. When he caught his breath he snatched the picture off the table to hold it up and check if his eyes weren't deceiving him.
They weren't. In his hand he held a piece of paper depicting two young children, Uchiha children. The older of the two cradling a newly born baby brother as it was suckling on his index finger. Madara and Izuna. Their mother was smiling down on them while Madara seemed the happiest he had ever been with a big goofy smile on his face. Butsuma's eyes softened as he remembered the birth of his own sons and how delighted he and his wife were to bring new life into the world. Every little bundle had been a joy. It was also the first time he could imagine how it must have felt for Tajima and his wife to receive their boys. The deeply felt love and pride of parenthood. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he thought about how the Uchiha children must've made a ruckus just like his own boys had in their younger years.
Butsuma understood who was behind placing the picture here and even more the intention behind it. Hashirama was a creature of love who firmly believed in protecting his family and more especially his younger brother Tobirama. It was the only brother he had left after losing two of his other brothers to war. A grim expression set on Butsuma's face when he was reminded of how Kawarama and Itama died. Did Hashirama imply that more lives would be taken if he didn't agree to a treaty?
After spending the morning out at the lake with his son Izuna practicing katon (fire techniques), Tajima returned to the Uchiha home. He stripped off his heavy mantle and took a quick shower now that he smelled of burned wood and ash. He opted for a simple, traditional outfit afterwards; a black cone-shaped shirt with the Uchiha crest to match grey pants. More clan duties were waiting to be handled so he excused himself and headed straight to the office.
The sight that awaited him inside was anything but what he anticipated. The stacks of papers were nowhere to be seen, only items belonging to his family and his sons. He closed the door behind him with irresolute hands and stepped closer into the circle laid around him. In the middle of the room was a picture frame pointedly posed. Tajima reached to pick it up and study it. Two young Senju boys having a nap on the engawa of their home. The bigger one dressed in all dark colors to match his brown hair, whereas the little one wore all white just like his fluffy white mop. The tranquility and peace they must have felt as children beamed off of the picture and made Tajima look at them with an endearing glance and crooked smile. It was hard to remember such times at all, especially during the last decades.
His glance fell on the items laid out in the room. At one point, belonging to five of his sons. Now there were only two of them left. Two very precious ones who had a bright future ahead of them. Two he was very proud of for coming thus far. Surely, Butsuma must feel the same way when he looks at his own sons. Tajima placed the picture down as he moved over to the dreamcatcher in the shape of an uchiwa (fan) that belonged to Kou, their first son. His hands gently glided through the feathers hanging underneath it. It had been a gift to bless them with protection from his own father. Protection that lasted only several years… Next, he took up the large origami of a crane that his sons Kuro and Togakushi made together on one of the late summer nights as an assignment for the upcoming festival. They had had so much fun and laughter while making it. Tajima could feel a tear roll down the side of his face as he was reminded of how long he's had to miss his sons. Madara and Izuna were all he had left now. He was not ready to lose any more of his family.