With a leader finally chosen, Hashirama winning with a significant lead, a heavy weight had been lifted off of all of their shoulders. Despite generations upon generations of warfare, the latest batch of Uchiha had unexpectedly decided to place their fates in his hands.
Hashirama had accepted being chosen with grace, and quickly set his plans into motion. He moved his wife and daughter out of the Senju complex into a new residence he had grown. Poor Kaneage had barely adjusted to her new home before her father upended her little world once more.
A new administration building was erected, this one through a collaborative effort involving Hashirama's mokuton and Uchiha kiln work.
Breaking with traditional architecture, the building was designed as three concentric circles stacked on top of each other, with a wooden interior and furniture. The outer layer was made of red bricks further smoothed out by plaster painted red.
The building had a single entrance at the bottom and rectangular windows dotting the outside, allowing light in and for fresh air to circulate.
From a distance, with tall trees obscuring the top, it resembled half an egg with the top cut off. Itama caught some Senju calling it 'The Bee's Belly', and others 'The Anthill'.
A bout of rain made them realize they needed to add overhangs, to provide rain cover. Planks were added, making the building look like someone had cut two straw hats and glued their rims to the building.
It was the first building the two clans shared, placed in the foothills. The top level would serve as the equivalent of Hashirama's solar, an office where anyone in the clan could visit him and seek arbitration for inter-clan disputes. Luckily, these had been very few and far between, as the clans kept to themselves and their own respective halves.
The clans, the Senju now led by Tobirama, had begun to mingle and mix certain operations. Intelligence reports, for example, gathered by spies or clan operatives in the field, were shared. Dossiers and mission reports were copied and brought over to be stored in the space below Hashirama's office. A majority of the scrolls came from the Uchiha.
Hashirama spent most of his time arbitrating between the clans on diplomatic matters. Certain allies would need to be abandoned, others consolidated. A list of priorities was being worked on but everything needed to be handled carefully, lest they drive away not just income and resources but deliver them into the hands of their rivals.
Hashirama had also ordered the healers of both clans to present themselves. Healers were rarely placed in combat situations, and it was even rarer for them to encounter healers from opposing clans.
The healers were made to swear an oath, an oath to never intentionally harm a patient under their care, regardless of clan, whether by actively sabotaging someone's care, or by taking advantage of any secrets uncovered and causing harm that way.
This oath was more for the benefit of the Uchiha than the Senju, as the latter possessed far superior healing abilities and traditions. Only the office of the royal physicians, in the capital, could rival the Senju.
Of course, the Uchiha knew how to treat burns and mental distress caused by yin-based assaults. The Senju also assumed the Uchiha had knowledge related to their dojutsu, knowledge they would keep close to their chest.
But the Senju were much better at dealing with various types of bodily injury, poisons and illnesses of all kinds. The key thing was their practice of circulating purified yang-heavy chakra to invigorate tissue and encourage recovery. It not only came easier to Senju but was also not a jutsu the Sharingan could copy regardless of how many times they might have glimpsed it in the field.
A section of the building was cordoned off and set up as a sick bay, with supplies and beds . Any Uchiha or Senju team that had seen any kind of combat were ordered by Hashirama to stop by the healers for a post-mission check-up.
A fraction of the mission revenues were earmarked for the village itself, the money gathered in a room placed under guard by a rotation of Senju and Uchiha pairs. Once Mito had finished placing her fuinjutsu protections, the room became a proper treasury vault.
The village was coming together, evident even to the biggest skeptics and detractors.
The time had come to notify the world that the political and military landscape had changed.
And so, Konohagakure had its own unmasking.
—
"My, my Hashirama, you sure know how to send my heart aflutter," the woman purred from her seat. "When I heard the Senju had jumped into bed with the Uchiha, why, I couldn't resist coming to see it myself!"
The fan she held in her hand unfurled with a twist of her wrist. Grabbing it, she began to fan herself, all the while providing Itama's oldest brother a smoldering look.
"To think that you managed to… tame that beast, Lord Madara," she continued, shaking her head in apparent amazement. "I could learn a thing or two from you on how to make strong men pliant."
"A-ha ha ha," Hashirama laughed awkwardly in his own seiza, scratching the back of his head, red-faced, studiously avoiding Mito glaring at him from the side.
Brother, compose yourself! Itama wanted to tell him, groaning internally. She just forgave you for almost killing yourself and now you're falling apart.
"Itama," Tobirama reminded him, sending their brother a side-glance.
Nodding, Itama hurried forward, offering the gorgeous woman and the four guards flanking her tea. Normally it would be the job of Mito as Hashirama's wife to serve their honored guests. But Mito had refused to serve Nana Shimura anything unless she could wrap it up in explosion tags. The burden had fallen on Itama instead.
As he placed her cup in front of her and poured the tea, her free hand drifted up and cupped his bicep through his sleeve.
"Oh look at you, Itama," she giggled, lips painted a crimson red stark clear against the white face paint. "You've turned into quite the proper hunk of a man."
The spicy, musky scent of her perfume wafted up his nostrils, and despite himself he felt his cheeks heating. His eyes fell on the backside of her fan, noting the metal spokes hidden by the fabric on the obverse. Her movements with her tessen were graceful and made it look light, but each were as thick and sharp as stiletto knives.
Her hand dropped, and careful to not upend her cup with his hakama, he rose out of his kneel and backed into a seiza next to Tobirama.
"Uchiha or Senju, we are all humans in the end and who just want to live in peace," Hashirama said with a soft smile. "As a mother yourself, and congratulations by the way, surely you must share our desire to create a better world for your child?"
Nana's lips drew into a small frown. Her hands fiddled with her cup, pointer drawing on the brim.
"My gratitude," she began, shoulders subtly drooping. "Unfortunately, my Danzo is so little, not even two summers. Yet he has already experienced the worst this world has to offer."
The woman sniffed, putting a hand on her chest.
"My husband had held his son once before he set off on a mission. He and his team would never return alive."
She turned her face away, bringing her hand from her chest to cover her mouth, stifling a sob, while she used her other hand to fan herself.
"A week later, an Uchiha bird summon flew up to our walls, a sack clutched in its talons. It dropped it and flew away. As it hit the ground, it opened up, and the heads of my husband and his subordinates rolled out on the grass!"
Itama glanced at the others, feeling supremely awkward. Mito eyed the woman coolly, while Tobirama had allowed a small frown on his face. Hashirama's face looked pinched, as if he was a hairbreadth from reaching forward and comforting the woman with a hug.
"When the news came that Uchiha Izuna had fallen, it was a cause of great celebration. The souls of clansmen could finally be laid to rest. And I vowed that day, that instead of raising my son to live in fear of his father's killer, I would raise him to never forget the name of his father's avenger: Senju Tobirama."
Her eyes were wide now, as she turned to the man himself.
"Izuna lived by the sword," Tobirama remarked. "Until he died by it. His death paved the way for the peace the two clans now enjoy."
Nana's eyes sparkled and Tobirama inclined his head.
"Regardless," the woman continued, any signs of distress dispelled. "You speak true, Hashirama, and you know I have never been shy in my admiration of your visions. This world is rotten, and I do want better for my son. But nothing is ever so simple. Have you considered how your alliance is being received in the capital?"
The change in topic came as a great relief.
"What do you mean?" Hashirama prompted, in lieu of giving an answer himself.
"The Uchiha have always been the Daimyo's most troublesome noble vassals - haughty, insolent and all too powerful. Your clan has been their most formidable shield against them. Now the two of you have joined hands and live side-by-side. What are they to make of it?"
"Nothing!" Hashirama responded. "In fact, the daimyo and his ministers should be ecstatic. How many innocents have suffered because of the Senju-Uchiha rivalry? How much collateral damage have we not caused? With our peace the people of this land can finally rest easy."
Nana hummed at his response.
The conversation continued, turning to other matters.
They discussed the Inuzuka, whose nomadic migrations had brought them into conflict with the cat-ninjutsu-focused Izuno clan. The Inuzuka would have ripped them apart had the Shimura not stepped in to help drive them off. Rather than continue the conflict, the Inuzuka had opted to move onto greener pastures across the border with the Land of Grass, where they would no doubt find themselves into trouble once more.
"Anija," Tobirama finally said, as the conversation had begun to peter out. "Lady Nana and her retinue must be tired from their travels."
"The hour has grown late," she admitted, after a pause.
"Oh, we have kept you for so long," Hashirama spoke up, with a chuckle.
"We have prepared lodgings for you, Lady Nana," Itama added.
"Very well," Nana said, recognizing the dismissal. "We shall retire then."
Everyone stood up and made for the exit, Hashirama and Mito trailing behind to see everyone off.
"Oh, and before you go," Hashirama spoke up, his uncharacteristically serious tone capturing everyone's attention. "You have my condolences for your husband and the others. But I would strongly discourage you from taking any further actions against the Uchiha. I will treat an attack on them as an attack on me."
Nana gave him a considering glance.
"Indeed," Mito agreed, echoing her husband. "After all, we wouldn't want any more Shimura heads to come raining down from the skies."
Nana's eyes narrowed into slits. Mito matched her with a raised eyebrow, ignoring the reproaching look Hashirama sent her, and the glares of the Shimura guards.
"I shall take your words into consideration."
Hashirama nodded, and he and his wife re-entered their home.
"Come," Tobirama said, solemnly offering his arm. Nana smirked and took it.
Together, the seven of them made their way to the Senju clan's compound, water-walking across a stream on the way.
The Senju guards, led by Hideki that night, saluted them as they passed through the entrance. They were arrayed around a brazier and, without needing to be asked, lit a pair of torches and handed them over. Itama grabbed one, a Shimura the other.
They navigated the winding streets, passing gardens, walls and houses that peeked over them. When they turned left, at a certain juncture, rather than right, it occurred to Itama that Tobirama intended to invite the Shimura into their own residence.
The withered old face of Auntie Matsuyo appeared from the shadows as they entered, bowing hurriedly at the sight of the guests.
"Bring us sake, would you?" his brother requested, Matsuyo being one of the few people Tobirama allowed himself to show even a hint of warmth toward..
The old woman nodded and disappeared, while Tobirama made a gesture for everyone to take a seat. She returned, placing cups adorned with the Senju vajra in front of everyone. She poured everyone a glass, but when she came to Itama she gave him a disapproving look. Nonetheless, she poured him a glass anyway, making sure to place the bottle on the other side of the table.
"As illuminating and delightful as that dinner was," Nana spoke, face amused. "Why did you ask me to come?"
Itama's gaze flitted to his brother's face, carefully masking his surprise. He summoned her?
Whenever Tobirama plotted behind his back, it was usually one of two reasons. Either he believed whatever matter held his focus was so obvious he should not have to spell things out in the first place, or, it was actually their older brother he wanted to keep in the dark and Itama was just caught in the middle.
It wasn't, Itama figured, that Tobirama didn't trust him to keep his secrets from their brother. Rather, Tobirama simply preferred not to put Itama in the difficult position of having to hide things from Hashirama.
"As you know, Hashirama and Madara made peace. This village is built on Uchiha land and together we drew up a constitution for it. With that in mind, we had an election and Hashirama was chosen to lead the village. No Senju showed any support for Madara, but in a surprising turn of events, half of the Uchiha clan were either ambivalent about the choice for leader, or outright supported Anija."
As Tobirama finished his summary of recent history, her fan unfurling with a flick of her wrist to cover her face.
"Oh, how utterly humiliating!"
"Quite." Tobirama shared a smirk with her and her guards.
Itama nursed his sake, not disagreeing but wondering where his brother was going with this.
"Our battlefield victories, rules of engagement, our good treatment of our prisoners, Anija's charm… Contrasted with Madara's own downward spiral, it must have left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Uchiha."
They nodded at that.
"For Madara, this situation is as untenable as it was unthinkable just half a year ago…"
"You suspect that he will do something, don't you?" Nana asked. "And you want our help?"
"I don't suspect; I know. He has already begun..."
"Go on."
"As we speak, I can sense at least… two chakra signatures, foreign to the Uchiha clan, within their territory. Yesterday, there were five. They're trying to mask their presence—Madara himself is even attempting to cloak them with his own chakra. But I noticed the three of them and tracked them as they left the village, heading back toward their home."
His brother took a pause, reeling them in.
"They were from the Fuma clan."
"The one clan possibly more loyal to Madara than his own," Nana supplied with a knowing look. "And even more so now."
"Indeed," Tobirama confirmed. "They are close kin, enough that the Sharingan can even emerge. When that happens the individual is married back into the Uchiha clan to preserve the separation and bolster their blood. Conversely, if a lineage consistently fails to produce the Sharingan, it is not uncommon for them to join the Fuma and gain honor there instead."
His brother gave him a sidelong glance, and Itama couldn't help but frown. A game was being played right under his nose, and he'd been kept entirely in the dark.
"What is Madara planning?" Nana asked, her tone probing. Tobirama only gave a casual shrug in response.
"He might be planning to bring some in to swell his ranks with loyal shinobi, where it be by arranging marriages, or outright adoption," he mused. "It's more likely that he wants them to request to join the village on their own terms. They'd be more useful to him that way."
"Surely you would object to that?" Nana asked.
"Anija would agree to such a request in a heartbeat," Tobirama responded. "Hashirama cares deeply for Madara's opinion and would hate to contradict him. In truth, I could rally the Senju and put my foot down, and perhaps Madara himself would like that…"
"But?" she leaned in, curious.
"But, I hardly fear a clan made up of Uchiha cast-offs. Nor do I intend to play into Madara's hands. I would rather take the opportunity to have a fourth clan join the village."
Nana leaned back with a smirk, fan covering folded and tapping against the corner of her mouth.
"Oh Tobirama, how audacious of you," she giggled, and Itama had to force down the involuntary shiver. Despite being turned toward Tobirama, he heard her words as if she had spoken them right up the back of his neck.
"These lands are not too far from your base of operations and the clients you serve," Tobirama continued. "We have been aligned for over half a decade. The transition would be seamless."
"The transition into becoming neighbors with the Uchiha, you mean," she countered.
"Not all the Uchiha are bad," Tobirama replied, his voice calm. "It's Madara and his loyalists who pose the true threat, and their authority has demonstrably been eroded, in favor of Anija. So long as this village exists you can never act against the Uchiha, unless you intend to take on Anija as well. But by joining it you could work against Izuna's brother in a more indirect way."
"Very well. But why should I bring my clan into this powder-keg?" Nana returned. "Everyone in the Land of Fire is waiting with bated breath, you know. Will the Senju and Madara break off into their own country? Are they planning to lead a coup to depose the fire daimyo? No one knows, least of all the man in charge himself. What will you do when he brings his forces upon you?"
"As Anija stated, we have no plans to threaten the daimyo's peace or his authority. He will have no cause to bring his forces to bear."
"He is the fire daimyo," Nana challenged with a slanted smirk. "What cause does he need?"
"If he called for you to join him against us, would you?" Tobirama replied instead. When Nana simply smiled and tilted her head, he continued, "The daimyo has the Akimichi and their vassals, as well as the Sarutobi and other smaller clans who reside in the capital. While loyal, they are simply not enough. That leaves the Aburame in the north west, who would be too worried about leaving themselves open to their Kamizuru enemies to provide significant support, as well as the Hyuuga in the far south-east. But the Hyuuga won't stir themselves for anything short of a coup."
"You do know there are plenty of other non-noble clans?"
"A danger to be sure, especially in bulk. But we have our own cards to play."
Nana took on a pensive look, turning his words over and over in her head. Tobirama merely stared at her, face unyielding and not giving away anything.
"You have given me much to think about, Senju," she finally said. "My clan shall consider the situation and act accordingly."
"Very well. Take the time to consider my words," Tobirama allowed, sensing he had reached a limit. "Itama will show you to your lodgings. But before you go, just one more thing."
"What else?" the woman smirked, on her feet, arms folded with her fan clenched.
"Should you align with us…" Tobirama began, his red eyes locking onto her hazel ones, unwavering. "I will take your son, Danzo, as my personal apprentice, filling the role his father should have had. I will guide him and teach him my skills, including fuinjutsu."
Nana's eyes widened, as did those of her guards, understanding the monumental honor in Tobirama's words. The Senju's prestige and strength were a distant dream for the Shimura. Tobirama himself was arguably the third strongest in the entire country, now that he had developed his Flying Raijin technique. Definitely in the top five. Furthermore, any apprentice of Tobirama would fall into Hashirama's orbit as well, increasing their potential further.
Itama couldn't suppress a smirk, pride swelling within him at his brother's political acumen. Their clan was indeed in good hands.
Nana held his gaze, her eyes searching for hidden motives before finally nodding, a mixture of intrigue and caution flickering across her face. Then she nodded.
"We shall take that into consideration."