"Tobi!" The near inhuman screech from his own brother had Tobirama ready to jump out of his skin. His brother should not have been capable of reaching the pitch of a banshee just because he was seeing Tobirama for the first time in three years. He had kept his visits since he began his 'time at school' as limited as possible, however it never seemed to lessen Hashirama's enthusiasm. He had only just gotten out of his car and was helplessly standing in his brother's driveway as Hashirama sprinted at him. Bracing himself, he managed to catch the man mid-tackle without falling.

"Anija, please! Don't make a scene. I'll be here for a whole week. There will be plenty of time for hugs." Despite his words and seemingly calm demeanor, Tobirama tightened his hold around his brother and ignored the dampness he could feel on his shoulder where Hashirama had buried his face. He knew that his absence had been hard on what was left of his family, but he did his job to protect other families from what his own had to go through.

"Tobirama!" He looked up from his older brother to give a rare, bright smile to Itama, his baby brother. He'd grown since he last saw him. It was hard to judge his increased height since he was wheelchair-bound, but Tobirama could see how the baby fat had left his brother's face and was replaced with the sharp angle in his jaw, matching Hashirama and Tobirama's own facial structure. He'd even grown his hair out! It sat in a low ponytail, the two mismatched halves of his hair coming together almost halfway down his shoulder blades. He looked healthy and happy, eyes still bright and unaware of the darkness in the world.

"C'mon Hashirama. Let's get inside so we can catch up." Tobirama slowly pulled away from his older brother who was smiling through an ocean of tears.

"Yes! We have so much to catch up on!"

...

After hours of continuously spitting out premeditated answers about his 'school life' and listening to Hashirama ramble about the family business and the mundane things that made up his life, Tobirama was tired. He loved his brother, truly, but he was a lot. Itama hadn't had much to say after getting a few minutes to tell Tobirama about how he was going into medical school and he was still doing well despite his old injury. He had just calmly sat and listened as Hashirama rambled to Tobirama. The constant noise was interrupted by an obnoxious ringtone cutting Hashirama off mid-sentence.

"Oh, I have to take this! It's Madara! I'll be right back!" With more speed and enthusiasm than a fully grown man should have, he leapt off the couch and ran into his office, slamming the door closed. A quiet sigh brought Tobirama's attention back to his younger brother who seemed to have let some sort of mask drop off of his face.

"He's a wreck, Tobi…" Itama muttered. Tobirama's gaze dropped to his hands where he'd been picking at his nails.

"I can see that. Is it the divorce?" he asked. Itama nodded.

"He cheated on her. I heard the fight from my room. Some girl named Mito from a company that works closely with the Senju company. He didn't even deny it when it came up. Yumi is threatening to claim half of the business assets and file for spousal support. He hired Madara as his lawyer since you know Madara wouldn't let Hashirama take this sitting down. They've been planning a defense for about a week now. He signed some papers he shouldn't have and it's already causing trouble with the business." Itama's explanation left Tobirama with a cold feeling in his chest. He could protect his family from monsters in the shadows but a court of law? He was smart, but he couldn't do anything to help with this.

"What a mess…" Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course he had to bring this on himself while I wasn't here to hold his hand. He told me they had 'wanted different things in life' to cover this shit up." Itama directed a glare at him and Tobirama froze.

"He was trying to cover it up so you wouldn't worry! You're always too busy to even return our phone calls at a decent time so of course he'd lie to you! He's in deep shit and he didn't want you to feel obligated to come here and try to help with this or waste the precious few minutes he gets with you on the phone talking about this! He wants this to be a good visit where everything is fine and dandy so you can go back without worrying about us! You've been so focused on yourself that he didn't want to ruin things for you!" Even though Itama was just harshly whispering so Hashirama didn't hear the conversation, he may as well have been screaming in Tobirama's face. His defenses went up immediately.

"I'm sorry my absence has been such a strain for you guys. I didn't mean for you to feel as if either of you can't tell me things like this. Please forgive me." His tone was bland even though the words were genuine. He wanted to be more comforting, but how was he supposed to do that when he came here to 'take time for himself,' only for his brothers to think he'd been selfishly already doing so for years?

"Tobi, I love you, but cut that shit out! Dad's been dead for years! No one here is going to put a hand on you or manipulate you! Just fucking be honest for once and stop shutting everyone out the second emotions get high! Stop apologizing and agreeing with everything just because someone is frustrated with you!" Itama's voice was rising. Panic was slowly creeping up Tobirama's throat.

"I'm sorry." Fuck, his tone was still dry. "I'm going to take a walk." He needed air.

"Wait, Tobi! Fuck! I'm sorry! Don't-" Tobirama shut the door behind him as he walked to his car. He needed to go for a drive. He wasn't walking around this rich neighborhood where he would feel like a stain on the pristine sidewalk in front of carefully manicured lawns.

Getting into his car, he was quick to back out of the driveway and start driving. He didn't care where he went, he just needed to be in his car with the familiar smell of gun oil, leather seats, and his little tree air freshener for a while. He had control of his life. He was a hunter. He was good at what he did and his brothers were safe from the monsters that injured Itama and killed Kawarama as long as he kept hunting. They didn't know what he did instead of going to school, they didn't know the lies, and he had no intention of telling them how hard the last few years had been for him.

It was better if they thought he was being selfish. He knew that. Why did it still hurt?

He pulled his car to a stop at a turn-off on a lonely back road only twenty minutes from Hashirama's. He was surrounded by familiar, tall pine trees and he took a deep, shuddering breath. Turning the car off, he got out and started making his way through the trees, following what used to be a well-worn path through the grass that he still remembered by heart.

As he approached the abandoned compound, he felt overwhelmed with nostalgia and dread.

...

They had just been kids playing around. No one seemed to know about this place and Hashirama had been the one to find it one day, stupidly claiming he found it because the trees had whispered to him and led him there. As the oldest Senju brother at seventeen years old, he was excited to drive his little brothers there to explore. Madara and Izuna had also joined them to check out the cool, abandoned collection of rotting wooden cabins just sitting in the middle of the woods so close to home. Exploring it during the day, they had each claimed cabins throughout the compound and pretended they had their own little village.

They kept coming back every weekend for several weeks just to hang out there (and escape from their parents) during the day until, one day, Hashirama had the grand idea to stay there overnight as a glorified camping trip. They hadn't seen any signs of danger up until that point, not even evidence of squatters or any resident Satanic groups that could've been a potential threat. They truly thought they had the place to themselves.

They met up late one afternoon and made their way to the compound, chattering about how much fun it would be to camp in the middle of the woods for the first time. Madara had a little sense about him as he had snuck a revolver from his dad's gun safe 'just in case.'

Little did he know, that revolver would be the difference between losing only Kawarama and Izuna as opposed to all of them being tortured and slaughtered that night. It was only by the grace of some sort of twisted luck that Madara had also chosen the only gun in that safe that was built with the intention to hold off what had been carefully luring them into a false sense of security for weeks.

If the Uchiha boys had known that their father, Tajima Uchiha, had been a semi-decent hunter in Japan back in the day, they would have never lied about where they were going that night.

Hashirama had brought alcohol from Batsuma's stash. Of course, he'd decided that a jar of straight moonshine was the way to go. They had made a small fire in the middle of the small compound and had passed the jar around as the sun had set. He was horribly drunk before the sky had fully darkened and he'd also slipped some to Itama, who was young and had never had alcohol before in his life.

Neither one of them would remember what really happened that night. Tobirama had abstained on principle since he had a deep resentment for the substance that made his father a monster in his own right.

Madara had sipped at it and immediately spit it out with a hacking cough that had Hashirama and Izuna rolling on the ground laughing. Madara's defensive yelling had covered up the sound of approaching footsteps as night fell in the forest.

Everything went South so fast that Tobirama had no time to react. Two people had lunged into the clearing with inhuman speed, immediately grabbing Izuna and Kawarama, holding knives to their necks. Madara had started yelling, shooting up from where he'd been sitting and the people hadn't been taking any chances.

Izuna was the first to lose his life that night, his throat was slit right next to Madara, spraying blood all over the oldest of their group in a fashion that would make slasher horror movies look like child's play. Itama had started wailing and Hashirama had frozen, just staring at where Kawarama was held hostage. The person that had killed Izuna had bolted for Itama since he was making so much noise, saying that they were going to shut him up. It was at that point Madara had pulled the revolver and Tobirama had jumped into action.

He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but he'd brought a machete. Madara wasn't the only one that had brought something 'just in case.'

He brought the machete around to slice at the person holding Kawarama at the same time Madara fired a shot at the one lunging for Itama. The shot hit the person in the back and they slowed down, almost sluggish, but they didn't drop. That moment of slowed speed would have been the perfect opportunity for a seasoned hunter, however, it didn't help the group of teenagers much.

Two things happened at that point. Tobirama watched as the person he'd only barely sliced snarled at him, razor sharp teeth bared in an inhuman expression as he slit Kawarama's throat. Tobirama watched the life leave his brother's eyes as the non-human focused their attention on their partner.

As Kawarama lost his life, his baby brother lost the ability to walk for the rest of his life. The shot Madara had put into the non-human lunging for Itama hadn't stopped the thing, it had only made it angry and threw off its aim. As it staggered, it sliced blindly at Itama's back, severing his spinal cord, paralyzing the thirteen-year-old him from the waist down. At that point, the two things had looked at each other and fled, determining that their prey was more dangerous than they were worth.

A couple of frantic calls on Hashirama's cellphone later, Tobirama found himself in the hospital being evaluated for physical and mental trauma while the police took his statement. No one believed him. The only one that had backed his story was Madara. Hashirama was convinced the two that attacked them were human. He thought the gunshot had missed the person that had hurt Itama. What Tobirama and Madara had described was chalked up to trauma. The story was just too unbelievable. The two monsters had to just be a couple of teenagers looking for a quick scare and things had just gotten too serious too fast.

When Batsuma had found out about the incident, he waited a full week before issuing a good beating for both Tobirama and Hashirama for their 'idiotic behavior,' looked over Itama's medical bills, then promptly drank himself to death in a single night. Tobirama found him in the kitchen surrounded in a puddle of vomit, lips blue, and eyes glazed and unseeing. Tobirama did what he always did and shut down. He called an ambulance, answered the police officer's questions, and delivered the news to Hashirama without an ounce of emotion to give.

...

Tobirama remembered coming back to the compound two years after he'd 'gone off to college,' armed to the teeth with everything he'd need to massacre a whole colony of vampires. All he had found were two skeletons with two decapitated skulls, teeth mysteriously ripped from their heads, laying side-by-side next to where the campfire had been.

He'd burned the bones and brought two wooden crosses on his last visit there. One for Izuna and one for Kawarama. He didn't know who had killed the vampires but he was grateful. By that time, he'd only just started hunting and had actually been terrified to take on two vampires by himself. He trusted whatever hunter had been in the area to have eliminated any lingering threat they could have spread nearby.

He hadn't come back since he'd hammered the crosses into the ground.

Now, the compound was definitely in ruin. All of the cabins were rotting, some had caved in and others looked like they'd been burned. The only part of the compound that looked untouched was the stone circle that had held their campfire and the two crosses still standing next to it.

Tobirama didn't fear this place anymore. He felt oddly calm as he sat down on one of the rotting logs next to the campfire circle, letting his arms hang lazily over his knees as he stared at the center of the stone circle.

The world was dangerous. That was the lesson he learned. People were completely unaware of the danger they were in every single day, people like Hashirama and Itama. They had no idea what kind of true danger they had been in that night. Vampires liked to keep their prey alive for feeding. Those two had wanted to inflict terror by killing Izuna and Kawarama. They wouldn't have offered the same mercy to whoever they'd decided to 'keep' that night if they'd kept control of the situation. To survive the encounter as civilians was considered, by hunter standards, lucky.

"Didn't think I'd see you here," a deep voice interrupted from behind him. Without thinking, simply driven on pure instinct, Tobirama whipped a gun from the waistband of his pants and lunged from his sitting position, clicking the safety off and pointing the barrel right between the eyes of the intruder. His eyes widened in recognition as he scrambled to click the safety back on and dropped his arm, pointing the gun at the ground before subconsciously hiding it behind his thigh.

"Madara?" He felt like an idiot. That move was purely idiotic. Yet, the man in front of him whistled as if he was impressed. Madara looked more put together than he had as a teenager, he had definitely cleaned up for his job as a lawyer. His normally wild hair was carefully tied up in a high bun, pins keeping his fringe pulled back away from his eyes.

"I see someone has been taking some lessons. Or, perhaps, getting experience?" Tobirama felt his eyebrow twitch. That was not the reaction he was expecting from a civilian man in a business suit that had just had a gun loaded and ready to fire right between their eyes. His eyes narrowed.

"Can you blame me?" He pointedly didn't rise to the bait by answering Madara's question directly. Apparently, he didn't need to.

"Not at all. Hashirama mentioned you were in town, coincidentally, only a few weeks after 'The White Demon' suddenly stopped taking hunts. Word travels fast, you know?" Tobirama put the gun back in his waistband. This was not the kind of talk he wanted to have with a gun in his hand.

"Hashirama and Itama don't know a thing. Keep it that way." Tobirama snapped. While he and Madara had technically been childhood friends, they had really only gotten along for Hashirama's sake. He didn't know anything about the man other than the fact that Hashirama constantly vouched for him. Madara snorted.

"You think I'd tell them about this? I'd be incriminating myself since I went down a similar path. I've been keeping them safe." He carefully walked closer to the younger man, invading his space and setting off every natural instinct Tobirama had, angling his head back slightly to look into Tobirama's eyes. "I killed the two that were here along with three more that they had converted. They didn't exactly cover their tracks when they relocated to a town nearby to keep hunting. They didn't think anyone would come after them." Madara smirked, the expression nearly feral. Tobirama was more than a little unsettled by the glowing flash of red he saw in Madara's eyes. "They were wrong."

Tobirama stumbled back, only barely keeping himself from tripping. He stared long and hard at Madara's face as the man settled into a more relaxed, cocky expression.

"What did you do?" he demanded. His hand was shaking slightly as he thought out his options. Something was incredibly off about Madara and after years of hunting monsters, he knew when he was looking at one. Anyone else would have disregarded that flash in the man's eyes, but he knew better. All of his weapons were in his car aside from the gun but the gun was only loaded with silver bullets. While he wanted to believe that Madara wouldn't hurt him, he'd seen how quickly people would turn on others with closer relationships after being converted into whatever species of monster they ended up being.

Madara laughed, a low, drawn out cackle.

"Only what I had to do. I needed power to kill those demented fucks. They wanted to infect the place like a rat infestation. I was simply the exterminator." Madara seemed to relax, his smile turning more nostalgic and genuine as he stared at the cross left in the ground for Izuna. "I'm still sane despite it all, but I know you're thinking about how you'd kill me if you knew what I was." Sharp eyes flashed red again but Tobirama didn't move.

"Your gun is loaded with silver and your hunting tools are in the car. I will say, your concern isn't unfounded. I'm just a special case, apparently. So don't worry, I'm no threat to you. I'm a hunter, just like you. I'm keeping everyone safe here. If you decide to research, I help Ellen with the legal side of things. You know, when hunters get arrested for suspected murder and such? I'm really not a bad person." Madara's eyes dropped to the ground as he walked around Tobirama to crouch next to Izuna's cross.

"Madara, what did you do? I'm not going to ask again." Tobirama ground out. He didn't want to play games.

"I'm not playing any games, Senju. I've given you the hints. You'll never guess the true answer, though. You may be smart but I've got some secrets of my own." Madara stood back to full height again, turning to stare at Tobirama now with consistently red, glowing eyes. Those eyes were the only clue he really needed, even though they should have been blue.

"Djinn." A simple word with a lot of weight. Madara smiled and nodded. Tobirama felt genuine fear strike through him, ice cold and almost foreign feeling. He'd only fought one Djinn in his life and he had very nearly died. Their poison was feared among all hunters worth their salt. He eyed the leather gloves on Madara's hands. At least he was taking precautions to prevent that deadly touch from harming anyone he didn't intend to drag into a never-ending hallucination.

"Close enough." Madara sounded way too pleased with the situation. "There's a little more to it, of course. I can't tell you everything since I'm not your standard Djinn and I keep some cards close to my chest nowadays. Dear old Dad didn't even think to tell me what I was until after the incident. He taught me how to hunt afterwards, but he didn't know what to really expect from my little quirks. Had to figure some things out myself and cover my tracks. I'm where I want to be now, though. I keep people safe from those that are like me but can't control themselves. Is that so bad?" Tobirama could feel himself reeling from the sudden information.

Part of him was excited at the idea that he now knew one of the rarest monsters in the hunting world. He could do research on the Uchiha to find answers on one of the most ancient and reclusive species to exist in this world. He really did enjoy researching the creatures in this world, he rarely got the opportunity to do so.

Another part of him was utterly horrified and wanted nothing more than to get back to his car and follow through with his instincts. There was also the terrifying thought that he would just have to leave well enough alone and watch this man pretend to be human for the foreseeable future.

"Tell me, Senju. Do you even consider yourself human after what you've become? You have hardly any right to judge." Madara almost looked like he was pouting and Tobirama was getting sick and tired of the mind reading. Madara waved a dismissive hand.

"I can't exactly turn it off. My instincts have you targeted as a potential blood source so I'm a little 'in tune' to your thoughts. I won't act on it, of course. There are just some things I can't ignore. Now, White Demon, do you consider yourself human?" The question felt like a mental flashbang to Tobirama's already fragile constitution. He hid a wince and crossed his arms, looking down his nose at the shorter man.

"No. I don't. I'm a weapon for the world to use against the creatures that intend to ruin the lives of humans. That's all. Do you consider yourself human, Uchiha?" His tone was biting, hiding how shaken his thoughts were. A million things were running through his head, Itama's harsh words coming back to the front of his mind among everything else. Madara shrugged.

"I like to think I am. I'm just a little extra spicy. My intentions are good, isn't that enough?" Tobirama snorted.

"The road to hell-"

"-is paved with good intentions. Yes, I know. Yet, I've kept this town and others safe for years using my little gifts. Your brothers are safe, they have no clue that the world is a constant battlefield, and they have the freedom to feel bitter about your absence. What are you going to do when they ask about your graduation? You can't exactly fake a whole ceremony and a degree." Madara's words cut deep but Tobirama was already shutting down his emotions just like he always did. He wanted to run away. This was uncomfortable and he didn't want to deal with it.

"I'll figure something out," was all that he could come up with. Madara outright laughed. It was a warm, very human laugh.

"I'm sure you will." Madara straightened and sighed, getting more serious. "Now, with your idiotic older brother dealing with something so trivial as a divorce and your little brother pushing your buttons, how are you going to get through the week? I can feel how you're trying to shut down on me. You can't just run away every time things get a little uncomfortable. How long will it be until you see them again after you leave?" Madara was close to him again and he fought the urge to step away. He felt like he was standing next to a grenade, waiting for the pin to get pulled.

"I'll get through the week pretending to be a normal college student and then I'm going to go back to what I always do. They don't need to be close to The White Demon. Just being here for a week is bad enough. I have enemies. The distance is for their protection. You know this already. You're not stupid." Madara sighed again. He almost sounded disappointed.

"Hashirama is a mess and Itama is a recluse. They haven't been the same since you left. Yet, you come back for a week on a whim and decide to shake everything up with your presence. You really shouldn't have come back here. I'll be cleaning up whatever mess you drag into this town the second you leave." Tobirama visibly winced at the harsh words. Of course he'd known better. Why had he even thought this was a good idea? He could've holed himself up in his safehouse for a few weeks and then just gone right back to his job. He'd been away for years, his brothers could've waited another few months or another few years.

"You see, that's why I agree that you can't be human. Emotions and desires have no place in your heart, do they? So quick to agree that you don't deserve to indulge yourself in something as simple as seeing your family." Tobirama startled as a gloved hand gently stroked his tattooed cheek. He shivered and eyed the hand on his face, feeling cornered. "The second things get tough and you can't shoot or cut your way out, you're just so ready to run. It's kind of pathetic." Madara's voice sounded like a barely-there whisper right next to his ear.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tobirama stuttered out. He was frozen, torn between fight or flight in a way he hadn't been in years. A Djinn was touching him, only a layer of leather between his skin and one of the worst fates any hunter could face. A glance at Madara revealed half-lidded eyes glowing a dark red, completely focused on him. The glow seemed to be more intense with the dying light of the day. How long had they been here?

"Just playing with my food. Don't be so scared, To-bi-ra-ma~." Ice cold fear clutched at Tobirama's heart. He was so stupid, trusting Hashirama's friend to get so close despite the information he'd been given. Of course Madara would reveal everything to someone that wouldn't be seeing the next day. Typical. In fight or flight, of course his option was now to fight. The hand on his cheek gripped his chin tightly, forcing him to face Madara's suddenly intense gaze just as the thought crossed his mind. There was no defense for that little quirk, was there?

"Easy there, Senju. Just teasing you. It's too much fun to watch you scramble." The grip on his chin eased and the hand that had held him still gently patted his cheek.

"You… did you make a deal with a demon or something? What the hell?!" For the first time in years, Tobirama found himself yelling and ready to rip someone's head off with his bare hands. He did NOT enjoy being toyed around with.

"That's a hot image there, Senju. Though, you wouldn't be able to touch me with your hands without finding yourself in a Dream. No demons involved, I just have to get my amusement somehow. Are you done?" Madara eyed the growing shadows of the compound. Tobirama clenched his fists.

"You are insufferable. I need to get back to my brothers. As much as I don't deserve it, they're probably worried." He swept past the Djinn and started making his way back to where he'd parked his car, gritting his teeth in barely contained frustration. Would he have to deal with this for the entire week? And after the end of the week, he was supposed to just leave this monster here to protect his brothers? His head was starting to hurt. He ignored the casual footsteps following him along with the shiver that ran down his back. He could feel those damn eyes on him.

When he got to his car, he pointedly ignored the black Alfa Romeo Giulia parked next to it. He ripped open the door to his car and threw himself inside, shoving the key into the ignition with shaking hands. A light knock on his window drew his eyes to the bane of his existence looking almost innocently at him through the window. Rolling it down only an inch, he glared at the Djinn that had just completely turned his world upside down.

"Let Hashirama know I'll be taking his offer to drop by for dinner tomorrow night." The man smirked and turned away to get into his own car, ignoring Tobirama's glare at his back. If the hunter could, he would have set that long mane of hair on fire with his eyes.

Rolling the window back up, he threw the car into reverse and backed onto the road, slamming it into first gear as soon as it was straightened to face the way home. He peeled out with a barely repressed scream, finally safe in the confines of his car.