The truth between brothers
After the smokeless yet exhausting interrogation in the high-level meeting room, Senju Tobirama dragged his legs, which felt like they were filled with lead, back to his own quarters. After sitting upright for so long, his nerves tense, the wound on his back began to ache with a vengeance, like a red-hot iron repeatedly burning him. The dizziness from excessive blood loss returned, making each step feel weak and the scene before him wavering slightly. He refused the attendants' help, stubbornly maintaining a last vestige of dignity. Only when he stepped through the familiar door alone, temporarily cut off from the outside world's noise and scrutiny, did his forced spirit suddenly relax like a deflated bag.
He practically collapsed headfirst onto the cushions near the window, a fine layer of sweat dripping from his forehead. Even raising his hand to pour himself a glass of water seemed to drain him of the strength he needed. He simply wanted to close his eyes, letting darkness and silence envelop his exhausted body and equally chaotic mind. The sharp questions in the meeting room, his own calm, almost cold, responses, the complex gazes of the elders, half-believing yet swayed by their own interests... especially his brother Hashirama's seemingly benevolent, yet in reality, all-seeing gaze... replayed in his mind like a revolving lantern. Reason told him he had successfully persuaded (or at least temporarily suppressed) the higher-ups, securing the possibility of that astonishing plan. But deep down, an inexplicable sense of exhaustion and... a faint sense of emptiness quietly permeated his heart. He had completely objectified a living person into a "chip," an "asset," a "research subject," dismantling and packaging them with the most sophisticated logic. Was this truly the only, the right choice?
Just as he was becoming drowsy and on the verge of falling into a short sleep, he heard undisguised, energetic footsteps outside the door, along with the loud and concerned voice that he was very familiar with.
"Tobirama! I'm coming in!"
Before he could finish his words, the door flung open, and the tall, muscular figure of Senju Hashirama burst into the dim, oppressive room like a ray of sunshine. Without even waiting for his attendant to announce him (in fact, there was no time for him to do so), he dismissed the frightened servants at the door and strode swiftly across from the door. He sat down unceremoniously, sinking a foot deep into the thick cushions. In that moment, he cast aside the majesty of the clan leader, becoming merely a concerned brother. His face, always brimming with optimism and strength, was now filled with undisguised worry and brimming curiosity. His gaze, like two searchlights, fixed its gaze on his brother's pale, exhausted face.
"How are you? Are you okay? Are your injuries serious? Just now at the meeting... those old guys didn't give you too much trouble, did they?" Hashirama bombarded him with questions, his tone filled with genuine concern. Although he was usually forthright and even a bit rough, he was unusually sensitive and considerate towards his younger brother, who had been deep-minded since childhood and accustomed to shouldering everything alone. He was well aware of the huge uproar that bringing Uchiha Aoi back and settling her in this way had caused within the clan, and he also understood that the high-level meeting just now had not been easy for Tobirama. As the clan leader, he had to preside over the questioning; but as an older brother, he was more concerned about his younger brother's true condition.
"It's alright." Tobirama lifted his eyelids and glanced at his brother, his voice distinctly hoarse and weary. He struggled to his feet, picked up the ceramic pot on the table, and poured himself a glass of ice-cold water. The cool liquid slid down his parched throat, bringing a brief moment of clarity. He tried to respond with his usual brevity and indifference, "Hasn't it already been explained... in the meeting room?" He deliberately avoided his brother's questions about his injuries and whether he'd been embarrassed, focusing instead on the "result."
"Have you explained it clearly?" Instead of feeling reassured, Hashirama leaned in closer, practically reaching over the low table between them. He lowered his voice, his face revealing a gossipy, inquisitive expression, a stark contrast to the domineering aura he displayed on the battlefield. His eyes were sharp, as if piercing Tobirama's soul. "Tobirama, it's just the two of us here. Honestly, brother, are you really... just motivated by family interests and political leverage? Nothing... else?" He deliberately emphasized "brother" and "the two of us," attempting to break down the barriers of a business setting.
Tobirama's hand, holding the cup of water, paused imperceptibly, a tiny ripple spreading across the surface. He didn't answer immediately, merely lowering his gaze, seemingly focused on the clear water within, which reflected nothing of his current complex emotions. Deep within his crimson eyes, a shimmer of chaotic emotion, one even he couldn't grasp, quickly suppressed. Before the pressing elders, before his brother, who needed to maintain his authority as clan leader, he could act like a master puppeteer, calmly manipulating the threads of "reason" and "interest," weaving a coherent, impeccable narrative. It was his armor, and also his weapon. But here and now, in the privacy of the two brothers, facing Hashirama, who had shed his role as clan leader and was simply "big brother," that carefully constructed, cold, hard shell of defense seemed fragile, a little... vulnerable.
The high-sounding, calm analyses based on family interests in the council chamber were still fresh in his mind, but now, in the relative privacy and quiet of the two brothers, something that had been forcibly sealed away by his powerful rationality, suppressed deep within his heart, seemed to find a way out and was trying to surface uncontrollably. Fragmented images flashed through his mind uncontrollably: many years ago, under the cold moonlight, on the high wall at the edge of the Left Minister's residence, the figure of the girl with clear yet distant, curious black eyes who had glanced back; not long ago, at the clifftop, as she turned and leaped, those same eyes filled with despair and an indescribable determination; her pale, fragile face, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch, as she lay unconscious at the cliff bottom; and... the cold, sharp hairpin he had held in his hand but ultimately failed to remove... These images intertwined and collided chaotically, forming a sharp, disturbing contrast with the cold calculations he had just made in the council chamber.
Hashirama didn't rush him; he simply waited patiently. His eyes, always filled with warmth and tolerance, were now filled with encouragement and understanding. He knew Tobirama, too well. He knew his younger brother, accustomed to clamoring for absolute rationality and a near-indifference, concealing all tenderness and uncertainty. But this time, his actions in bringing Uchiha Aoi back and settling her in this way suggested that things were definitely not as simple as he let on. Hashirama believed that within Tobirama's frozen heart, something else was stirring.
Silence lingered between the two brothers for a long time. The only sounds in the room were the gentle breathing of each other and the occasional background noise of the distant clan life outside the window. This silence was not awkward, but rather a kind of silent communication, a kind of tolerance that allowed each other to sort out their thoughts.
Finally, Tobirama slowly placed the water cup back on the table, making a slight "knock" sound. He raised his eyes, and for the first time, his gaze wasn't completely focused on the meticulously analyzed strategic pros and cons. Instead, it held a rare, almost confused heaviness, as if carrying an unspeakable weight. He avoided Hashirama's overly scorching, all-seeing gaze and instead looked out the window at the familiar yet now somewhat unfamiliar scene of the Senju clan—figures running on the training ground, smoke rising in the distance—his voice was low and slow, as if each word needed to be laboriously extracted from some sticky quagmire:
"Brother..." He used this most intimate name, a hint of subtle dependence in his tone, "Some things... aren't entirely... as calculated as I just said in the meeting room."
He paused, as if struggling to form his words, or perhaps struggling fiercely with his own self, who was accustomed to thinking everything through rationally and suppressing all emotional impulses. "That Uchiha Aoi... I met her... many years ago."
Hashirama's eyes widened slightly, revealing an expression of "as expected", but he did not interrupt, but just leaned forward slightly, indicating that he was listening attentively.
"Back then... she was very young, probably... only around ten years old." Tobirama's tone was tinged with distant reminiscence, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space, returning to a specific moment. "A... extremely unexpected encounter, on the edge of the Fire Nation's capital... she saved me." He seemed reluctant to dwell on the details, passing it over vaguely. "It was very brief, and we didn't even... talk. I just... saw her from afar... but those eyes..." He trailed off, his Adam's apple rolling imperceptibly. But Hashirama had already keenly grasped from his brother's rare, nostalgic tone the mark that fleeting glimpse might have left on the young Tobirama's heart, a mark he himself hadn't even fully realized.
"This mission... seeing her again... under those circumstances..." Tobirama's voice lowered, a hint of difficulty he himself hadn't noticed, and... something akin to lingering fear. "I couldn't... just watch her... fall like that. When I jumped off the cliff... my body... reacted before I could even think. There was no time... to consider any trade-offs." He admitted to the impulsiveness of the moment, which was almost unimaginable for the always-planned Tobirama Senju. "And then... at the bottom of the cliff... when I had the chance... to completely resolve this 'trouble'... I found myself... unable to do it."
He finally turned and looked back at Hashirama. His crimson eyes no longer held the pure, almost ruthless calm they had in the council chamber. Instead, they were clearly woven with confusion, struggle, self-doubt, and a complex, yet real, emotion that even he himself hadn't fully grasped. "Logic tells me that keeping her would be a huge nuisance, a potential source of danger. The most reasonable course of action is to eliminate her. However... there's a more powerful, inexplicable force... preventing me... from making that 'most reasonable' choice."
He spoke reservedly, even somewhat incoherently, his logic far less clear and precise than in front of the elders. But it was this rare moment, when he'd stripped away all rationality, revealing his true emotions and even a touch of vulnerability, that instantly made Hashirama understand. This wasn't just about dealing with a prisoner; it touched upon the deepest depths of Tobirama's heart, emotions he might not even want to confront.
"Tobirama!" Hashirama slapped his thigh loudly, and a huge, almost ecstatic smile instantly spread across his face. His previous worries and doubts were swept away, replaced by uncontrollable excitement and excitement. "You told me earlier! So that's how it is! This is great! This is really great! Hahaha!"
His reaction was so enthusiastic and direct that Tobirama, who was originally immersed in complicated emotions, was stunned. He looked at his brother in astonishment as he suddenly became excited like a child. For a moment, he couldn't react to where this "good" came from.
"Brother? What... do you mean by this?" Tobirama frowned slightly and asked in confusion.
"This is God's will, Tobirama! It's fate that has given us, the Senju and Uchiha clans, an opportunity!" Hashirama excitedly leaned forward, grabbed Tobirama's uninjured shoulder, and shook it vigorously. The force was so strong that the wound on Tobirama's back ached slightly, but Hashirama was completely immersed in great joy at the moment and was completely unaware. "Do you know? This is not just a matter between you and that Uchiha Aoi! This may be a key turning point in breaking the decades-long, even centuries-long cycle of hatred between our two clans! An unprecedented and precious opportunity!"
Hashirama's eyes flashed with an idealistic light as hot as the sun, and he spoke so fast that it seemed like he was firing a rapid-fire cannon: "I have always dreamed of peace, Tobirama! I dreamed that the Senju and Uchiha could end this endless fighting, so that our children would no longer have to take up arms and face death at a young age like us! But the chain of hatred is too heavy, and there is no blade to cut it! Now, you have brought back Uchiha Madara's sister, and you... you have feelings for her! Although you may not have fully understood it yourself, this is love! If... if you can be together..."
"Brother!" Tobirama frowned, unable to resist speaking out, wanting to interrupt Hashirama's overly jumpy, overly idealistic, and even somewhat fanciful assumptions. "Things aren't as simple as you think! This involves the dignity and blood feud accumulated over generations between the two clans! And considering Uchiha Madara's attitude, how could he possibly agree to marry his sister to the second-in-command of the Senju clan? That's too naive!"
"Leave Madara to me!" Hashirama interrupted him confidently, his eyes as firm as a rock. He waved his hand vigorously, as if he had already seen success. "I will go talk to him! In person! As the head of the Senju clan, and also as... an old friend. Tell him that Aoi is still alive, and is being treated well by you, and has not suffered any harm! If the marriage proposal is with you, Senju Tobirama, for the common future of the two clans, to end the war, Madara might not refuse to consider it! I know him. Deep down, he also longs for peace and the desire to protect his people. It's just that he is too bound by hatred and can't find a way out! Perhaps... perhaps this possibility between you and Aoi is the opportunity for him to see a glimmer of hope!"
Watching the familiar, fiery light in his brother's eyes, almost melting the ice, and listening to his words, filled with such infectious energy and conviction, Tobirama fell silent. He instinctively wanted to object, to say it was too risky, the chances of success slim, to list the countless obstacles and risks. But deep down, a corner of his heart, sealed by layers of ice for so long, almost forgotten even by himself, loosened slightly, even seeping a faint warmth, at the seemingly distant yet incredibly beautiful possibility Hashirama described—peace, a stable life for the clan, and no more bloodshed for children. Could that unattainable dream, that fantasy he had often privately dismissed as naive by his elder brother, really find a glimmer of realization in this... this completely unexpected way? And what unpredictable future would this sudden, grand destiny lead him and the Uchiha woman, a complex relationship that had begun unexpectedly, filled with contradictions, hatred, life-saving gratitude, and an indescribable attraction?
He stopped arguing, feeling a wave of deep fatigue wash over him, mixed with a strange, undefined sense of anticipation and unease. He closed his eyes wearily, swallowing back the rest of his words, filled with rational calculations and risk warnings. Revealing this true, less "rational" side of himself to his brother seemed to unexpectedly lift a heavy burden from his heart, but with it came a broader, more complex, and more uncertain future. The road was laid, and whether it lay thorny or pointed, he could only, must, press on. And this time, he had his brother, the clan leader, by his side.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com