Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tobirama floated. Spun slowly in a vast nothing. There was no up or down. No gravity to catch his body and force it to orient in a particular direction. No light. Nothing to fix his eyes on.

He remembered his last moments. His last...

It felt like forever, and at the same time just the blink of an eye, then something materialized beside him. Slowly he spun to face it. Or it moved to face him. It was impossible to tell which. Whatever it was, it was cloaked in layers of thin, almost transparent fabric. Enough of it that it was impossible to get anything but a vague sense of the shape underneath. Possibly human. Probably not.

“Why am I here? I thought…? I never believed…” Tobirama felt confused. He tried to check for a genjutsu, but… what was there of him to trap? He was dead. There was no body, no brain to entrap in what was essentially an override of the signals firing between neurons.

The cloaked… being in front of him tilted its head, causing the gauzy fabric to sway in non-existent wind. The voice was indistinct, neither male nor female, and probably not even human. “Faith is not needed. That belief was spread by humans who wished to control and manipulate. No, once you are dead, your… soul if you wish, will move on. There is no reward. No punishment. It just is.”

“But… If we don’t need to believe..?”
“Does the sun stop shining if you do not believe in it? Do the waves stop crashing ashore? Will the moon disappear from the sky if you hold no faith in its existence? No. Faith is not needed. The cycle continues with little regard to human sensibilities.”
“Oh… Then… If there is no reward, what incentive do people have to be nice?”
“Do you mean to tell me that you need a reward in order to be convinced to be a good person? A bribe? A carrot dangled up ahead to ensure that you are kind to your fellow creatures and the nature around you? No, there is no eternal reward. Just an endless cycle. Although… If you need a reason…”

The being paused, tilted its head and looked up at the endless void. “Throughout the cycle… Each life you live is a chance to learn. To grow. To be better. But in order to learn, you must experience it all. If you are in one life the bully, so will you in another be the victim. If you are a ruler in one life, so you will be a beggar another time. All the people you might look down upon in a privileged life… They will be you in another.”

There was a pause, and the cadence of the voice changed a little, a hint of sympathy there. “The boy whose hand was cut off for stealing to try to feed his starving siblings. The woman who had to stay with a husband who abused her because she had nowhere else to go after her own family sold her to him. The young man who had to sell his body to afford food and a roof over his head after his family threw him out over who he fell in love with. At one point you will be all of them.”

The being paused again and leaned slightly closer to him, veils fluttering again despite there being no wind. When it continued, the voice sounded serious and full of judgment. “But you will also be the people who hurt them. Who fell for propaganda and used it to justify their cruelty and hatred, thinking themselves righteous. Not understanding that there is no righteousness in hatred. Nor in blindly following others. Trying to emulate a tyrant will not gain you true approval. All it will do is make you a tyrant as well to those with less power than you.”

He thought it sounded a bit pretentious and unnecessarily theatrical, but given where he was, and what he was, namely dead, he guessed it might be prudent to not give voice to such ideas. And it was not as if he had not had similar thoughts regarding those in power. That there was no honor in abusing it, and no righteousness in lording it over those who had less options in life.

When the being straightened back up to face him, even if he could not see them properly, Tobirama could sense how the eyes behind the veil pierced him. It felt like they were staring straight into his soul, measuring it, and he wondered if it could read his thoughts, rendering his care in choosing his words moot. If it could, it gave nothing away, instead tilting its head in an angle that didn’t look natural or comfortable. “These are lessons you all have to learn. Some grasp it quicker than others, but each and every one of you go through this cycle. Until you are reborn one last time.”

A soft sound, almost like a sigh, and the being righted its head in a slightly jerky motion, voice devoid of the previous judgment now. “But that is not for you yet. You still have lessons to go through. And I cannot promise that they will be free from pain or grief. But I can promise that in the end, it will all be made clear. If you have no other faith, then believe this; Whatever information you accumulate, whatever lessons you may learn, knowledge is never wasted. It will help you grow, even if that growth can sometimes be painful. Moving forward is the only way through.”

There was a long moment of silence, before he had to ask, “Moving through what?”
But the entity didn’t answer. It just gave the impression of a soft smile, then it faded out, leaving him suspended in the dark void, staring at the starless sky.

⁂

His ascent to consciousness was slow. First he became aware of his body. It was floating in some kind of liquid. He could feel the currents brush against naked skin when he twitched. He could also feel the liquid flow into this throat, down in his lungs, but it didn’t freak him out. Whatever it was, he could breathe it just fine. Which brought him to the next sense—Taste. The liquid tasted chemical, but how he knew that he couldn’t pinpoint. Carefully he moved his tongue, pressing against his teeth. The liquid swirled around in his mouth, soft, silky, and at the perfect temperature. In fact, everything felt nice. Comfortable. Like lazing about in a warm pond on a summer day.

Something sparked inside his mind. Summer day? Pond? Where had he..? Images floated up, showing him a face. Tan, with dark hair and brown eyes. Brother? Yes, brother! Fondness burst through his chest like fireworks. He prodded at that thought, causing more images to dislodge from the depths of his subconsciousness.

He was briefly distracted by the appearance of noise, but it was only a slow hum, like a Raiton vibrating along a wire. There were also a few sounds that made him think of bubbles rising up in a murky bog. They repeated at a steady rate, and it didn’t take him long to lose interest in them, returning to the idea of brother. Smiling. Laughing. … Crying. Who? Why? He moved his head from side to side, feeling something brush against his neck. Hair? His brother had long hair.

Slowly he managed to raise one hand up, to feel what it was that brushed his neck and shoulder. It was silky, and tangled around his fingers. Yes, hair. Should it be this long? He ran his hand up along his face, to brush it over his scalp, but it butted against something that made him pause. There shouldn’t be anything but hair there, should there? So, what was it? His fingers traced the bumpy edge of something hard, feeling out the shape of it. Pointy. Slightly curved. With regular but uneven ridges. An image came to mind... of an animal. It had… horns! He had horns?!

Spreading his fingers out confirmed a similar growth on the opposite side. How curious. This was new. Brushing the tips of his fingers gently across his face, he found a faint bony ridge where he had expected fur… No, hair. Eyebrows. He had no eyebrows. Instead there was a narrow ridge that felt similar to his horns. Underneath that he felt his eyelids. They were closed. But… Eyes. Yes, he should be able to see.

Removing his fingers he blinked his eyes open. Oh… Dim blue light greeted him. After a little while his eyes adjusted, and he could see shapes. It became clear that he was confined in some kind of transparent tube, which in turn was located in a large chamber. Several tubes nearby housed other… people? He allowed his eyes time to adjust further, studying the occupant of the nearest tube. Pale skin, pale hair, and small horns. Possibly female. Young. Maybe about five years. Although… The child did not look human. In fact… A memory floated up, of a woman… Kaguya.

He twisted around, looking at the nearest tube on the other side. This child appeared even younger. His eyes flickered around, taking in the many tubes along the wall that curved around the room. Thirty-two tubes. All containing children in various stages of development. Which meant… He finally turned his eyes onto himself, looking down along his body. Pale skin. That had been expected. He was male. Also as expected. What was not expected was the black claw-like nails, or the fact that his body appeared to have no hair except on the head. With the age he looked to be, he would have expected at least some hair. The fine hair that should be on his arms, legs, and chest was gone. Even the silver curls around his cock were nowhere in sight. Only smooth skin, unmarred by any imperfections.

He was distracted by a rising hum, then a click. All of a sudden the liquid started to disappear from the tube, sucked out at the bottom. He sank down, planting his feet on the floor of the tube, then leaned against the back of it when the levels sank so low that the liquid was no longer helping support him. He coughed out what was in his lungs, then adjusted to breathing the gasses that were pumped into the tube from the top. The atmosphere of this planet. How did he know that?

More memories started to stir. This planet was one of five in this system, and the only one with a reasonable enough gravity to bother to terraform. Although… It was mostly dead now. The only life that remained was the birthing station, a smaller research station, and a fully automated factory that produced their food. How did he know these things?

At last the knowledge came to him. The Ōtsutsuki were born with hereditary memory. Certain things were encoded in their genome. Deliberately. To save time. It also explained the tubes. Raising children was seen as a chore. So the Ōtsutsuki found a way to skip that, by letting the children mature to the ‘right’ age before they gained consciousness and became productive members of the clan. And Tobirama had just hit that stage.

With a hiss, a previously invisible seam in the glass split open, and the tube opened up, like two doors swinging aside. Hesitating briefly, Tobirama took a careful step out onto the floor. He had expected to be cold, as memories suggested that that was how he would usually feel whenever he had stepped out of the bath, but the temperature did not change. It was still comfortable. A perfect temperature for this body.

He moved across the room on slightly wobbly legs, leaving tiny puddles behind himself. An open doorway beckoned. Beyond it he found a chamber with a shower, an outfit hung up on a rack, and a basic communication station with a built-in scanner to confirm that he had come out correct.

Following the path laid out, he thoroughly rinsed off the last of the fluid from the tube, then stood still as air flowed around him, drying him quickly. On top of the small table by the outfit lay a comb, and he pulled it through his long hair, finding it curiously silky to the touch. Nothing like the soft, almost fur-like texture of the hair he’d had in his previous life.

At last he turned and looked at himself in the mirror. And was momentarily baffled. A part of him had expected him to look the same as he did in his memories, despite what his previous examination had suggested. But another part had expected him to be completely different. Not this… melding of old and new. Yes, he had horns. Pale things curving gently. His hair was almost the same color as before. Same with his skin. It did lack the red lines of his seals, and strangely enough that felt like a bigger loss than the other changes. But the oddest thing was his eyes.

His first thought was that they looked almost like the Byakugan. Pale lilac, shading slightly more towards red than blue. No pupil. The shape was the same as he remembered it, and while he lacked eyebrows in the common sense of the word, he did have eyelashes. Curious. He ran a hand over his skin. Smooth and unblemished. None of the myriad of tiny, nearly imperceptible scars that he’d accumulated in his previous life.

Why did that too feel like a loss? Surely it shouldn’t? Most of those scars were testaments of events he would rather forget, or, in some cases, had forgotten moments after it happened. There should not be any emotional attachment to them. And still… The mind was a curious thing. And this mind perhaps more so. It contained memories he was certain was not his own. Not from this life, and not from the previous one. Memories that themselves told him they were inherited memories. Implanted in him at the time right after his conception, as a lump of cells in a tube. Memories that had been designed to negate the need to expend unnecessary time training him once he reached maturity.

He spared a glance back where he had come from. All the children in there… had the same memories. The same knowledge. The same skills. But he was different. He had additional memories. Memories of a past life as Senju Tobirama. How? And why?

Briefly an image of a faceless body-less entity flashed past his inner eye, but it was gone just as fast. Leaving just an irritating knowledge that there had been something… That he had forgotten something. Something that was possibly very important.

Pushing that annoyance aside, assuming it would come to him in time, he put down the comb and reached for the clothes, looking through what he had been given. It was a simple outfit, in a soft fabric of indeterminate quality. Pale colors, and a pattern of what looked almost like lotus flowers, woven into the fabric in such a way that it only appeared when the light shifted across it, causing reflections and highlights.

When he tied the belt on and stepped into the sandals, he turned to the mirror again. And this time it was obvious, the similarities to Kaguya undeniable. Even with his vast implanted memories, he could not remember her from before the war. In a curious twist of fate, she was simply not important enough in the Ōtsutsuki hierarchy to warrant a mention in the long list of other names his unknown creators had forced into his mind. Tobirama had a feeling this was not something she would have appreciated. Although, she had probably known. Was that part of why she had rebelled? Because she had clearly not followed the plan she had been sent there to complete. The plan Tobirama himself would be sent to another world to complete. Unless…

Ignoring the communication station for now, as he would prefer that nobody was aware of his awakening just yet, he ventured further into the complex. Moving along through the row of rooms laid out from the birthing chamber, exiting the cleaning chamber he found the mission chamber. Where he was probably supposed to accept his mission and be told where to seek out his mission partner. Not that he had any intention of going through with that.

Accessing the database of planets that had been targeted for missions, Tobirama found the listing for his home planet. For Earth. He read through the information contained there, frowning as he saw Kaguya’s name in the mission file. She had gone there together with another Ōtsutsuki, one called Isshiki. And... Isshiki had been older, more experienced. Had been the leader of the mission. Kaguya had been meant as a sacrifice. What had changed? Had something gone wrong, or had she simply taken matters into her own hands? Had she betrayed the Ōtsutsuki? Had she killed Isshiki? Clearly there was a lot that he did not know about her. If he could only get to Earth, he could search for the stations she and Isshiki were supposed to have set up before planting the tree.

But first… Tobirama altered the entry, listing the mission as a failure, and Earth as a volatile volcanic planet devoid of life and chakra. That should hopefully buy them time. Possibly as much as a few millennia, before the Ōtsutsuki would look in that direction again. With the vast universe to harvest, why bother with a small planet so far from the center of the galaxy? Especially when they could roam the clusters of planetary systems closer to the massive black hole everything else rotated around, saving on travel-time and chakra both? In fact, it looked almost like being sent there had been intended as a punishment for Isshiki. Kaguya had been young, and deemed useless enough to sacrifice. But Isshiki, he should have warranted a better mission.

Well, if he had fallen into disrepute, then the likelihood of anyone missing him enough to search for him was low. Not that the Ōtsutsuki tended to do that anyway. An Ōtsutsuki lost was an Ōtsutsuki less to contend with for the chakra needed to Ascend.

Still, it would not do to become complacent. He should look into creating an early warning system. Another thing for his list. Which was quickly growing. He really should write it down at some point. But that would have to wait until he could get off this gods-forsaken rock in the middle of nowhere. There should be some kind of transport… He skimmed through his memories, until he found what he needed. There should be a small specialized shuttle waiting for him, designed for two, meant for him to take to where he was to meet with his partner. That was… not happening. But he had to come up with some way to prevent suspicion.

It took him close to twenty minutes to bypass the system, set up a false log of the ship with one passenger getting caught in a solar flare from an unstable red giant and perishing. Then he walked through the facility, avoiding any signs of life until he reached the bay housing the small shuttle, and spent another twenty minutes or so figuring out how to disable tracking and communication on the shuttle, to make it undetectable and untraceable.

Fortunately, despite the construction of these shuttles being automated, there was a corner with a desk where various tools had been laid out, should adaptations need to be made before setting out. Normally these adaptations would probably be things like extra shielding against radiation, or adjustments to the seats in case the mission partner was someone who had evolved and changed beyond the usual Ōtsutsuki biology. This was likely the first time someone had used the tools to do unauthorized adaptations.

To avoid giving himself away, he put everything back into place once he was done, leaving no trace of what he had done.

He was about to enter the shuttle when something occurred to him—He had no resources or weapons suitable for his plans. Leaving the shuttle where it stood he hurried back through the hallways. The base was really sparsely populated, unless you counted all the tubes with children in them.

That thought made Tobirama nearly stumble. Children. They were children! But… He could not save them from their likely fates. Who knew what waking them prematurely could do to them? Besides, they were being indoctrinated with Ōtsutsuki culture and values. Waking one could mean they would report him, and that would reveal the changes he had made. No, he would have to leave them there and hope that it was the right choice. If he wanted to save the Earth, there was no other way. No matter how much it pained him to do so.

He avoided looking into that room, pausing in the cleaning room to grab some more clothes, a brush, and some toiletries. An extra pair of sandals also found their way into the small sack he had created by tying the sleeves of a shirt together. Then he scavenged for anything else that could be useful—tools, rations, a small hand-held computing device with a built in sensor. The latter would come in handy when he was trying to figure out where Kaguya and Isshiki had built the bases they operated out of. Hopefully they were still intact, and not robbed. Although, the shuttle contained resources to create a new base, so it would not be a total loss if the old bases were gone, just… It would take months to build a new one. Months he would prefer to not have to waste.

When he finally shoved all his pilfered items into the shuttle and climbed into the seat, plotting in the destination, he dreaded what he would find when he arrived. The devastation left behind after the Fourth Shinobi World war had been immense. How much time had passed since then? Had they managed to rebuild some of it? How many had even been alive by the end there? Tobirama had moved on before they had managed to get much information, something he now regretted. He had thought he was leaving everything to the next generation. Not that he himself would be a part of that. Although… It could be many generations ago. He had no way of knowing until he arrived. Which would not be for a while.

Laying back in his seat, strapping in, he felt the gentle hum of the engines as they engaged. Then the pressure in his body as the small spacecraft accelerated. On the curved screen in front of him he observed the view from the shuttle as it passed through the various layers of the atmosphere of the planet, until the vast darkness of space stretched out ahead of him. The shuttle sped up, having calculated the optimal trajectory, making use of the gravity of several stars along the way. Slowly the colors of the stars started to shift, as the shuttle gained speed. The stars directly ahead gained a blue hue, and the ones behind became red-tinted.

Marveling at the sights that passed by, Tobirama spent hours just gazing at the screen, mind pleasantly blank. But even the marvels of the universe paled against bodily needs, and having been disconnected from the nutrients in the maturing-tube, he realized that he was growing hungry.

Fortunately, the shuttle had a system for dealing with that. Inserting his arm into a large mechanical cuff, he felt the chill of a disinfecting spray, then the cuff contracted, fitting itself neatly around the arm, and there was a small pinprick of pain as the needles were inserted into his bloodstream, injecting nutrients directly into the blood, and removing waste and excess fluids, negating any need for bodily functions for the duration of the flight.

As the hunger dissipated, he returned to staring out into space. At the speeds the shuttle moved now, anything it passed by too close was just a blur, there and gone again in the blink of an eye, but that didn’t really matter as there was plenty of beautiful things to see, and he could direct the screen to rewind and show him stills of things that caught his interest. It kept him entertained for hours. Until he fell asleep.

Days passed like this, with him staring at the screen while his mind kept going through all his new knowledge, sorting through what was genuine memories, and what was implanted.

He also started to lay more plans for what to do when he got… home. What he would need to do, what he would need to gather resources for, what he would need to convince people to help him with, and how he could achieve that. But he couldn’t go too much into detail, because there were so many factors he had no way of knowing the status of. So many things that relied on information he didn’t yet have. How far along were they technologically? How many humans remained? What about the bijū? Were they still there? Would people be willing to listen, or would he have to manipulate and deceive to get his way?

You would think people would be willing to work hard to ensure their continued existence, but past experiences told Tobirama that he could not rely on that. Greed and the desire for immediate satisfaction could drive people to work against their own best interest when it came to a long-term perspective. Even in fairly short term scenarios they could make incredibly stupid choices. No, odds were high that he would have to become a spider in a web, pulling strings and setting up his puppets.

Not that that bothered Tobirama really. He was a shinobi born and raised. It was just an annoyance, and would cost extra time and energy. Still, hopefully his tinkering in the database had bought them the time needed to build up a defense that could defeat the Ōtsutsuki. … His new family.

Speaking of which… What had happened to Isshiki? Had Kaguya killed him? It seemed far-fetched, but… His… uncle?—something like that in any case—might yet live. Ōtsutsuki were as hardy as cockroaches. Kaguya was proof of that. It would not do for Tobirama to go through all that effort at saving the Earth, to make it pass under the Ōtsutsuki’s radar, only for Isshiki to rise again and ruin all his hard work. He would need to make sure.

There were too many things he didn’t know, too many unknown parameters for him to make concrete plans, but… unless he was arriving at a dead world, he should have something to work with. And he had to believe that humanity had survived. That they had endured. The alternative… Pushing that thought away, Tobirama made mental lists until he fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was to a somewhat different view. Where, previously, there had been a dense path of stars across the sky, it had now dimmed a bit. He was moving out of the center of the galaxy, and towards the outer edges, quickly closing in on a more familiar solar system.

Giving up on delaying the inevitable, Tobirama started to worry. How much time had passed? How many humans currently lived on Earth? What did he have to work with? He was too well trained to do something so telling as tapping his fingers or any other nervous tic, but he felt the urge to do so quite keenly.

The slowing down of the shuttle distracted him from his uncomfortable musings. Earth was still not visible to the naked eye, but several other planets orbiting the sun were. Enormous gas giants, of which the shuttle made use of their gravity to slow further down. Then the inner planets started to become visible, and a lump formed in Tobirama’s throat. So close. Less than an hour more, and he would know what had become of the world he had called home in his past life. The world he would again call home, regardless of what remained of it. If he had to, he would rebuild it from ashes and bones.

Fortunately, as soon as the planet was within range for the scanners, it became clear that he would not have to do that. One of the first things it picked up were radio signals. Hearing human voices again… it eased the knot in Tobirama’s chest. Especially when it became clear that what he was hearing was something so mundane as a recounting of the result of a meeting between two daimyō, and the trade agreement they had settled on.

Skimming through several other signals, it did not appear that there were any major wars going on at least, though he knew from his own past life that radio was never used for anything important by shinobi. It was far too unsecure for transmitting information, and too easily hijacked by any enemy. Still, even the civilians would be aware if there were any large-scale engagements between varying shinobi villages or clans.

As Earth came into view, Tobirama watched it, mesmerized. A shining blue jewel in the vast darkness of space. Oh, he knew there were other planets out there that had life, at least those that the Ōtsutsuki had not yet raided, but… Earth was special. At least to him. It was home!

Chapter Text

Entering orbit, Tobirama initiated a fuller scan, to get a better idea of what awaited him. It was not as bad as he had feared. Technology-wise, they appeared to not have made any progress since the war, perhaps even regressed a bit as he couldn’t detect many places with heavy electrical grids, but population-wise they seemed to be doing well. Oh, it was clear that the war had made a serious dent, as there were fewer densely populated areas than he could remember from his time as Hokage, but it seemed they were well on their way to recovery. That was good. Still, he needed to see things for himself, as it was limited what the scanners could tell him. Especially as they didn’t pick up any video signals, only radio. Had they stopped using that for some reason?

To avoid drawing attention to himself, and potentially cause panic, Tobirama waited until Land of Fire was shrouded in the dark cover of night before making his way from orbit. It was easier to do now that he knew that humanity still lived, and thrived. Oh, he was still eager to see with his own eyes, but just hearing human voices on the radio… It made the knot inside him less tight.

He landed the shuttle in an empty area of forest, and hid it with extensive seal-work. Even someone with the Sharingan would struggle to find it. Then he set out for Konoha, applying a henge just in case he encountered someone. It would not do for someone to spot him and think Kaguya was back.

It didn’t take long before his senses told him something was wrong. Pausing to throw his web out, trying to pinpoint chakra, he realized what his subconsciousness had already picked up on—there was no large gathering of chakra where he expected it to be. Ten minutes later he had visual confirmation. Where Konoha should have been, there was just forest and a natural cliff face. No ruins, not even uneven lumps in the terrain where foundations might be buried. It was like Konoha had never existed.

An uncomfortable feeling stole over him, and two theories formed in his mind. He would need more information before he could confirm which, if any, of them were the right one. And he had a suspicion about where he would find that information. Turning, he set out towards the Senju ancestral lands. A place that should be all but deserted now, but clearly was not, judging by the clusters of chakra signatures he could sense there.

Less than half an hour later he paused. Someone was nearby. Heading straight for him. They had not detected him yet, he was sure of that. Hiding up in a tree he waited, then watched the group of Senju pass him by on branches below him. He knew those men. Had grown up alongside them. Had seen them die, one by one. And yet, here they were, healthy and strong. And young. It confirmed the second theory, but did not entirely rule out the first. And really, now that he knew… The fact that he could not sense a single of his Hiraishin markers should have clued him the moment he stepped out of the shuttle. Though, he supposed he could forgive himself, considering everything he had experienced lately.

That… thing, the one he could not really remember, had sent him back in time. And had not told him. He could have changed so much. Could have saved Kawa and Itama. He could have… Stopping himself, he stared out into the air. Reason reasserted itself. No, he could not. Tadaaki-san had looked to be about twenty. Couldn’t be younger, as he had the scar on his face that he got two weeks after his twentieth birthday. That meant... By the time Tobirama had stepped out of the maturing-pod, both Kawa and Itama were long gone. There was nothing he could have done.

Although, there were still plenty of things he could change. Starting with forcing through a resolution to the conflict between the Senju and the Uchiha before Izuna died. He dreaded the changes having the younger Uchiha alive would cause, but since he had already seen what having him dead meant for Uchiha Madara’s psyche, he was willing to give it a try.

⁂

Tadaaki paused. Something had made the hairs on his neck stand up. He felt watched. Then the feeling disappeared. But it left him unsettled, and he led the patrol forward with much more care. Whatever it was that the scout had seen, it had been big. Far too big to hide among the trees. Unless… Could it change size? There were rumors of yōkai that could. A shiver ran down his spine.

When the sun crested the horizon and they had yet to find any trace of whatever it was that had briefly blocked out the stars, Tadaaki was not sure if he was relieved or not. Fortunately it was not his job to do anything further about it. He signaled for the patrol to turn around. No, this would fall to Butsuma or Hashirama to figure out. Or, if he was honest, probably most likely Tobirama, as the second heir seemed to delight in solving puzzles like this.

⁂

When dawn broke, Tobirama threw on a new henge and walked into the nearest town that was populated by civilians. One that was friendly with the Senju. He needed more information. And he needed supplies.

Trading for supplies turned out to be trickier than he had thought. The town was too small to carry much in the way of interesting goods, and it was a farmer settlement, so harvesting herbs or food in the forest to barter for things he needed was no good, as they harvested for themselves. In the end he made some basic seals and traded them for a haori and food enough to see him to the capital.

As for rumors, well, he already had a pretty good idea of when he was, and the rumors more or less confirmed it. That meant that the best place for him to be right now was in the capital, to attend the wedding of the daimyō's youngest daughter to a wealthy young man. A gathering of nobles meant an abundance of opportunities for jobs, and that in turn meant money and information, which would buy him the rest of the supplies he would need to put his plans into action. Those that he could not simply pilfer, that was.

He also got confirmation that Senju Tobirama already existed in this world, as well as Hashirama and Butsuma. And, because he was thorough, he also asked about Uchiha Madara, Izuna, and Tajima. They still lived. The women were harder to get information on, but the trader he spoke to seemed fairly certain that both matriarchs were alive. It fit with the timeline. For now. He tried to not think too hard on what this information entailed for his future plans.

So far everything he had learned pointed to this being the past, and not an alternate universe, though, to be fair, he could not rule that out even if everything appeared to be the same. How would he truly know? And in the end, did it even matter? Probably not.

Trusting that the shuttle would be safe where he had left it, he headed towards the capital. With no Hiraishin markers to jump between, he had to make the journey by foot, but he took to leaving his markers in locations he thought he might need in the future. It always paid to be prepared.

He stopped for the night in a small town an hour out from the capital, figuring it was better to be well rested before he sought out missions. That, and he should probably take some more time to process what had happened since he woke up on a different planet. His whole outlook on the world had been shaken to the core, and there was a ton of new knowledge lodged in his head, plenty of things he had yet to assess and assimilate. He acknowledged that it would probably take him much more time than just one evening to go through the things he had yet to poke at. Well, that, and the fact that there were some things he instinctively felt that he didn’t want to dig up from where his programming had lodged it in his subconsciousness. Especially related to the Ōtsutsuki and what they were doing to other worlds. He knew he would have to eventually, just… not yet.

The inn had several rooms available, so he picked one close to the inner garden. As soon as he had trapped the possible entry-points, and sealed the room against spying, he dropped his henge. There was no need to hold it while he slept, and the chakra was better spent on other things.

Lying on his futon in the small and quiet inn, he stared at the ceiling. He was not tired yet, but there was absolutely nothing to do in this tiny town. He snuck his hand inside the thin yukata he had on. Perhaps a wank would make it easier to fall asleep?

A few moments later he jerked his yukata to the side and stared down at where his dick had stretched out with arousal. And curled around his fist. What in the nine hells...?

The skin was still pale, but flushed pink with arousal. Smooth, soft skin, with a few veins showing, and a head that still looked somewhat human, just a few shades darker than the rest. But what was absolutely not as he remembered was how long it was—close to the length of his forearm—and the way it curled and twisted around, like it had a mind of its own. Almost like a… snake really. Fascinated, he pulled his fist along the length, observing how his dick moved, coiling up, stretching out, flexing. It was a little disconcerting, but it felt really good.

He was so distracted by observing this new feature of his physique that the orgasm caught him by surprise, punching a soft moan out of him. Strings of milky white cum covered his belly, looking reassuringly normal. Cleaning himself up with a carefully directed wash of Suiton, he relaxed back onto the futon. Well, that was certainly interesting, and absolutely something to examine further another time, but for now the wank had done its job, and he was ready to sleep.

The next morning, as he was doing his morning ablutions, he stared into the small polished mirror in the bathroom there. And at last he decided to do something about his appearance. Sooner or later he would probably have to drop the henge among people, and he should be comfortable with what was revealed to them.

His clone took the shears to his hair, cutting it to the same length he had favored in his past life. It haloed around his head like dandelion fluff, but was easily tamed by way of wetting his fingers a little and dragging them through it, styling it with the help of a tiny trickle of chakra in the moisture.

If he could get a hold of a happuri, he might be able to hide the horns behind it, provided it was shaped accordingly. That left only the eyebrows and the coloring, but that could be waved off as an effect of a Kekkei Genkai or a clan trait. It was not as if Tobirama was a stranger to exotic coloring. And he could always resort to makeup if he needed to blend in better without using a henge.

Which, he threw the same henge on that he had used when he arrived, and checked out of the inn, continuing towards the capital.

When he got there, the streets were crowded. Not only was there the celebration of the wedding of the daimyō's daughter, but it was also the time for one of the annual festivals, which meant that all the markets were overflowing with goods for sale, and people had traveled from all over to partake in the festivities. Finding someone rich in need of a little assistance of the shady kind was easy. And when night fell, he found that the job was nearly too easy as well.

Acquiring a letter that someone had sent, and then regretted sending. The recipient had it with him, tucked into a folder on the desk right next to his futon. But he was sleeping soundly, and Tobirama was soundless. He was in and out of the room in less than fifteen minutes, leaving no trace of the search he had done of the room, except for the missing correspondence. And he had delivered the letter and received payment in another twenty.

That left him with several hours until the traders started opening their shops again. He might as well poke about for secrets or blackmail material. If he was to change the future, he needed several different kinds of currency. And the right word at the right time could bring even the strongest defense to its knees. Or shore it up if needed.

Over the next hours, Tobirama visited several houses of prominent people. And one that had yet to rise to the position he would later hold. It didn’t yield nearly as much as he had hoped in terms of intangible currency, but a bit more than he had feared when he picked his targets. And he still had time before everything had gone sideways. Time to weave his web, and place his pawns.

⁂

Leaning over his brother, Hashirama studied what was written down on the paper. Or, what he could see of it, as the rest was obscured by Tobirama’s head where he had fallen asleep at his desk. It was clear that he had taken the observations of the scouts seriously, but it didn’t look like he was any closer to understanding what exactly it was they had seen. If he truly considered that it could have been a dragon, then… Well, Tobirama was not one for flights of fancy. And Hashirama had gone over the calculations. Whatever it was, it had to have been huge to cover so many of the stars even at such a distance. At the very least the size of a small house. Yes, perhaps a dragon wasn’t such a far-fetched idea after all. If that was the case, then all they could do was hope that it was a benevolent one.

For now, he gently picked Tobirama up and carried him to his futon, tucking him in. There was nothing that needed his brother’s urgent attention, so he would let him sleep. And perhaps see if any of the trees had any information on this mysterious dragon.

⁂

Browsing through the wares in the market, he stumbled over a tattoo artist, and it made him pause. Redoing his seals would be kind of obvious, but at the same time, they had been ever so useful. And, while he had avoided thinking about it, his current look was hard to get used to. A touch of something familiar might help settle his mind. The tattoo artist would be of no use however, having neither the required skill nor the correct ink. But a clone could supply the skill, and ink… Well, there were a lot of traders in the capital. Surely someone had wares from Uzushio?

A few quick questions to the right people, and he was standing in front of a stall decorated with blue silk and seashells on strings. Paper-lanterns with seagulls painted on them swayed from the awning. And among the wares were several large jars with pigment. A tingle of excitement ran through Tobirama as he watched the vendor weigh up his purchase. Soon he would have one of his defenses back, and that knowledge soothed something inside him that he had not realized was churning with such turmoil. Not until it started to calm. Then it became obvious.

Less than an hour later, Tobirama was seated on the edge of the futon in the inn he had picked. Beside him, one on the futon, and one on a zabuton, knelt two clones, each working on a seal, inking the intricate lines and dots so close together that from a distance it appeared to be one continuous line across each cheek.

It took three hours of silent work before one clone dispelled and the other dragged the zabuton in front of him, to start on the last line, the one on his chin. Being slightly shorter, it was done in less than two hours. And then Tobirama could look himself in the mirror and finally feel like it was him, despite all the other changes. It was a dangerous sentiment to indulge, but at the same time, being mentally stable was important. After all, he had seen how badly things turned out when Madara was not of sound mind.

The fact that the seals made him nearly immune to genjutsu was also handy.

⁂

Hashirama had been spending time with Kodama-kun and Koshima-chan when Tobirama joined him, seating himself quietly by his side and accepting a hug from Koshi-chan. As soon as the children were distracted again, Tobirama whispered, “Father is getting worse. I do not think he will recover. Not well enough to take back the clan headship at any rate. You are our leader now, and that will most likely not change.”
Nodding, and keeping his smile fixed, Hashirama whispered back, “Is there nothing more to be done?”
“I am trying something new, but without access to the original poison used, and without more understanding of how it affects the body, there is little I can do. If he pulls through, he will never be the same again.”
“I see.”

Together they watched the children play, both silently vowing that neither of the kids would need to pick up weapons until they were at least eight. Preferably older still.

⁂

Senju Tobirama already existed in this world, so he could not use that name. But Ōtsutsuki Tobirama came with its own set of problems. He could not be certain that the Ōtsutsuki name was lost to time. That all traces of Kaguya’s reign had been forgotten. Or that Isshiki was truly gone.

Besides, Tobirama was also a fairly special name. It would be bad enough that he was so similar in appearance. Using the same name would be inviting speculation and confusion. However, there was an almost obvious solution. He contracted the two into one, claiming the name Tobitsuki. It made him smirk with how fitting it felt. After all, he had jumped on the chance he had been given.

And now he was going to make the best of it.

Having acquired a small notebook, Tobitsuki took advantage of his knowledge of several languages that had originated on different worlds, and used them to create a cipher that only he could read. Then he wrote down all the things he could remember that needed to be changed, or needed to be kept the way it had gone. He also jotted down thoughts about things that he had learned about in the future, but had no way of knowing how had come about. Keeping those things the same might prove tricky. Especially as he had no way of knowing how one change might affect other things down the line. Like, letting Izuna live. How would the ripples that caused affect things on a grander scale? With Izuna alive, who might he kill later on that would unravel parts of the future Tobitsuki knew? For that matter, who might he save that would in turn go on to affect the future in other ways? There were simply too many factors for Tobitsuki to cover them all. No, this required something that Tobitsuki didn’t have much of—namely faith. He just had to hope that the changes he made would eventually turn out to be for the better.

And really, he should hurry up and make some of those changes. If he remembered correctly, there had been a skirmish between the Senju and the Uchiha shortly after the wedding of the daimyō's daughter. One that had come about because they had been hired on opposing sides by two feuding nobles, one set on destroying the mulberry orchard of another, to sabotage his silk production, while the other naturally had been inclined to defend his assets.

You would think that the ones hired to destroy the orchard would be the Uchiha, with their fire-affinity, and the ones hired to defend it would be the Senju, given Hashirama’s Mokuton, but in reality it had been the opposite. And in the other timeline, Hashirama had used his Kekkei Genkai to twist and warp the trees, altering their very essence, rendering them unsuitable for feeding the silkworms. The whole orchard had to be burned after all.

In the bigger picture, that was, probably, inconsequential. But what was not, was that in that skirmish, two Senju had died, and a further four had been injured, one of them ending up dying three weeks later. Tobitsuki could honestly not remember how many Uchiha had died, but he suspected it was more than the one he had observed decapitated. In any case, avoiding these deaths could only help the effort to force the clans into an early truce.

So, stop the skirmish from happening. Should be easy. Hopefully. Probably not.

He might need some help. And if he went about it in a clever way, he could capture two birds in one trap. Seating himself comfortably, he stretched out his senses, searching for the one chakra signature that was big enough that he should be able to find it even if it was outside the borders of Land of Fire. The Kyūbi. Or, Kurama, as the blonde Uzumaki had called him.

If he could persuade the bijū to help him, together they would be strong enough to force the Senju and the Uchiha to stop fighting and listen to him.

Once he found the signature, he made some plans as to how to get the creature to talk to him. Lacking vital information, he had to make some guesses.

⁂

“Aburaage? You brought aburaage to bribe me with?”
“Does it work? Will you listen to my proposal while you eat?”
“… Fine.”
Kurama shrunk down to roughly the size of a human, snatched the bento out of Tobitsuki’s hands, and picked up a piece. Then, before biting into it, he tilted his head and commented. “You know, you sort of look like Hagoromo-sama. Are you related?”

Tobitsuki paused. That was not something that had occurred to him yet, but he was, wasn’t he? Well, he had always been, but it had been very very distantly in his past life. It was closer now. Although, just how close, he was not sure. Could Kaguya be considered his sister? Did that make Hagoromo his nephew? He just waved it off with a muttered “Probably. Not important.”

Kurama shrugged and started eating. And Tobitsuki laid out his plan, explaining about the time-travel, but not expounding on it, focusing on the things he would like to change instead. By the time the box was empty, Kurama was still listening. Then he started to add his own ideas.

“Why don’t you just kill him?” Kurama sounded genuinely curious.
Tobitsuki sighed. “My brother considers him his best friend. It would grieve him to lose Madara. I… am reluctant to put him through that. Besides, with the loss of Madara, I fear the Uchiha might end up fighting harder, or simply surrendering, ending up as vassals. In either case, Konohagakure could remain a dream, or turn into something completely different. No, I think we need Madara, at least until Konoha is built. And after, having him there, provided he can remain sane, would be a boon.”

Kurama gave a small nod. “I see. So, you need me to provide the leverage, to force them to comply. But you will also need something that works as a bribe, to sweeten the deal. Otherwise they will resent you, making it hard to move forward with the rest of the things you need done.”
“Yes. Though, I probably just need a bribe for the Uchiha. The Senju should be fairly ready to follow Hashirama regardless of any other incentives.” He knew for sure he himself had been at least. And Tōka. The rest… Probably.

“What do the Uchiha covet? What do they value?” Kurama had tilted his head, studying Tobitsuki. Did the bijū really think he knew? The Uchiha had always been a bit of a mystery to him. Overly passionate, but at the same time they had been willing to overlook a lot of Madara’s faults. It had puzzled him that they put up with so much undignified behavior from their clan head, even to the point of turning a blind eye right up to the moment Madara had deserted them. Even after the attack on Konoha, some of the Uchiha had been reluctant to disown Madara.

Yeah, Tobitsuki could not hope to ever understand how they thought. But it did give him a vague idea. “They value family very highly. It was, most likely, the death of his younger brother that was the shatter-point for Madara’s psyche. The moment cracks started to appear. So, something that promises safety for them? For the young of the clan?”

“Well, I would have suggested you offer protection, but as I understand it you need to be free to move around… How about if I offer to protect them?”
“I… No, that’s not… The Sharingan, it can control you. They might end up using you as a weapon.”
“Huh. I see. How about… I disguise myself and offer to marry into the clan? Offer to marry Madara?”

Tobitsuki stared at the bijū, expression perfectly incredulous. “Marriage? That’s your solution?”
With a sniff, Kurama replied, “I think it is a perfectly valid solution.”
“But… You are male. And… Uchiha Madara will surely expect a female bride. A human bride. One that can bear him… uh… kits.”

Before his eyes, Kurama morphed into a human shape. A very womanly human shape. Then she smirked. “I’m a bijū. We don’t really have genders as you... humans understand them.”
Tilting his head, examining the changed bijū, Tobitsuki shrugged. “I’m not human anymore, but I get your point.”
“Your soul is still human, regardless of what shape you wear.”
“It is?” Tobitsuki found that curious. Something to be examined later perhaps. But ultimately not important. At least not for now. He returned to the previous line of discussion. “So, your idea of a good bribe is to offer them a bride. Surely that would not be enough.”
“It might be if we make it clear that I’m no ordinary woman. That I have skills that they can benefit from. Perhaps even make it obvious that I’m something other than them.”

“Right. That might work. But you do realize that it would mean that you would actually have to go through with the whole thing? The marriage I mean. And probably also at least one pregnancy. You are truly fine with that?”
Tilting her head in a manner that was more fox-like than human, she grinned at him, displaying teeth that were strictly speaking sharper than they ought to be. “Of course. I would not offer otherwise. It sounds like it could be fun. A new experience. To live among humans, in disguise, fooling them every day…”

“For someone insisting that you are not truly a kitsune, you sure sound a lot like one right now.”
“Pft, do you want my help or not? Then don’t be rude.”

Tobitsuki bowed his head. “My apologies. If you are sure, then let us plan how to do this. There is little time before we should act.”
Collapsing down into a perfectly dainty sprawl, Kurama waved a hand. “Tell me what you have so far.”

⁂

It was with a heavy heart that Hashirama strapped on his armor. The reconnaissance that Asahi-san had done had confirmed that the Uchiha had been hired by their target. Which meant that there would inevitably be a skirmish. Lives might be lost. All for a hefty sum of money that would buy the Senju the necessary goods they could not produce themselves ahead of the coming winter.

Across the hall, Tobirama had already strapped his armor on, and was checking on their father one last time before they departed. Dosei-san, the healer on duty, reported quietly that there was no change, which at this point was probably the best they could hope for. And unless they could manage to procure a vial of the poison off an Uchiha, to analyze, then they didn’t have much hope of countering the deterioration of Butsuma’s health.

Hashirama felt a brief flash of satisfaction in knowing that Butsuma had managed to maim Uchiha Tajima badly in return, then it shifted into guilt. Feeling pleasure at other people’s suffering… That was not Hashirama’s way. And Tajima, for all that he might have killed Hashirama’s father if no miracle came within the next weeks, was still Madara’s father, and Hashirama couldn’t really bring himself to hope for his death. Even if a tiny part of him still did.

It was with this morbid conflict going on that he took lead of his force of men—and one woman—and headed towards the orchard they had been tasked with destroying.

⁂

Tobitsuki had, with the knowledge of exactly where and when the skirmish would take place, prepared ahead of time, placing a dozen markers around the area, just to be on the safe side. That meant that when the Uchiha spotted the Senju and a war-cry rang out, Tobitsuki could instantly Hiraishin to the perfect spot to interrupt the charge.

Utilizing a trick he had picked up from his grand-niece during the fourth war, Tobitsuki channeled chakra to his fist and punched the ground, sending a shock-wave out in all directions around him, causing both the Uchiha and the Senju to falter, some even falling over. Then he stood up and shook out his sleeves, making the elaborate outfit he had selected for the occasion fall perfectly around him again before nodding his head.

Chapter Text

Izuna stared. He could not help it. The… demon? It had to be a demon, surely? With horns and everything, and… In the past, he had sneered at the Senju, at Tobirama, and called him a demon, but this... this was the real deal. He was sure. Only… It looked almost like his Senju rival. It even had the red lines in its face!

With a sinking feeling, Izuna wondered if him cursing the Senju as a demon had summoned this creature. His mother had always warned him to be careful about mocking the yōkai. Was this his doing?

⁂

Madara observed the creature that had appeared between the Uchiha and the Senju on the field, knocking several shinobi on their ass with a shock-wave alone. A demon. A yōkai. It had to be. But it was a strong one. A beautiful one. Dressed in an elaborate light blue kimono that looked expensive. With pale skin looking almost like porcelain, silky white hair that danced in the breeze, gently curved pale horns that gleamed in the sunlight, and lavender eyes that looked like Byakugan. Was it the Byakugan? How could a yōkai have that? Now, what exactly did that suggest about the Hyūga's supposedly divine ancestry? Madara smirked. Perhaps not so divine after all.

Then Madara frowned as he took in the rest of the features, eyes flickering towards Senju Tobirama. Also known as the Senju Demon or the White Demon. The resemblance between the two was uncanny. And he could tell that even the Senju himself thought so, because the usually so stoic expression was replaced with a confused glare.

When it spoke, even the voice and intonation sounded vaguely similar to the new Senju heir. “This one is known as Tobitsuki. Would the honorable heads of the clans present kindly listen to a proposal?”

The question told Madara several things, chief among them that this creature knew who they were, and was aware of recent changes to leadership in both clans. Given how recent these changes were, it was safe to assume it had been watching them carefully for at least the past three weeks. So, why make itself known now? Had it waited for Tajima to step down? If so, why? Madara forced himself to not twitch with the unease coursing through him.

Seeing Hashirama give a slow nod, Madara swallowed his trepidation and gave his consent as well.

“This battle, over something so mundane as silk-worm fodder, is not worth the lives it will end up costing both of your clans. No matter what you have been paid, a life is still worth more. Far more. Not only for the life itself, but for what that person can contribute to the clan in the future. A future that could be far brighter than the current prospects suggest if only you could look forwards instead of backwards. The dead are dead. Adding to the graveyard will never bring them back. And you are shinobi, not samurai. Do not bring up honor. There is no honor in dying a senseless death over a bunch of trees.”

The demon paused, his eerie eyes sweeping over the assembled shinobi of both clans. Then he stuffed his hands into the opposite sleeves, appearing more like a scholar than the warrior his previous action had revealed him to be.

“This one is prepared to offer up his beloved sister in marriage to the honorable Clan Head Uchiha Madara-sama, if he is willing to take the esteemed Clan Head Senju Hashirama-sama’s offer for peace.”
As soon as he had said that, a woman shunshined into the clearing. She was dressed in red silks with golden accents, and her skin was just as pale as the male yōkai’s. But that was where the resemblance stopped. Where he had lavender eyes, hers were golden, and where he had white hair, she had hair like fire, shades between a glowing orange to a deep burgundy making it resemble nothing so much as fox fur. Ah, a kitsune then.

It was an interesting offer. And he would have taken it, if it was not for one thing—Madara had no interest in women. However, binding himself to a yōkai, now that could come with a lot of benefits. At least if the stories were to be believed, like ‘The Crane Wife’ or ‘The Fallen Star Wife’. There was also the small fact that he genuinely wanted that peace, and this way he could argue before the Elders that the Uchiha had the upper hand. Could even straight up lie, and say that the yōkai was prepared to punish the Senju if they tried anything underhanded.

“This Uchiha Madara has a counteroffer. This Uchiha Madara will graciously accept the honorable Senju Hashirama-sama’s offer of peace if the venerable Tobitsuki-sama will agree to become his spouse.”
The woman let out a barking laugh, all but confirming Madara’s suspicion that she was a kitsune.

⁂

Tobirama didn’t know what to think about the creature that had copied his face, even down to the seals, but then had not bothered to hide its horns or the Byakugan-like eyes. That it was a yōkai seemed certain, and yet… It didn’t feel like a yōkai. No malevolent energy. Not like the sister, which he was almost certain was not truly related, nor human. Most probably a kitsune, that one. But the male one, now his species was more uncertain. He didn’t look human, that was sure, but the chakra, now that felt almost familiar. Eerily familiar.

His eyes snapped to Uchiha Madara when he heard the counter proposal. The Uchiha clan head wanted to marry the creature? Was he crazy?

⁂

Kurama could not stop laughing. It was becoming annoying. And Uchiha Madara was expecting an answer. One which Tobitsuki wasn’t sure he could give. If he declined, then Madara would not take the offer of peace. However, if he accepted, he would be required to honor and adhere to the marriage. Would probably be expected to stick around. And that could interfere with his plans to change the future. Well, he could possibly negotiate for how much time he needed to spend with… his husband.

Although, this might be a boon in disguise… If Uchiha Madara didn’t have any problems marrying a man, provided this Senju Tobirama was like he had been at this time—that the younger man was him—then he could neatly tie the clans together better than many other things would, and he might gain an ally in his quest. He was nothing if not adaptable.

He gave a shallow bow. “This one has another counteroffer—If the honorable Senju Tobirama-san agrees to be a third in this marriage, then this Tobitsuki will accept the esteemed Uchiha Madara-sama’s generous offer of matrimony.”
Those red eyes of his past self bored into him, and Senju Tobirama was no doubt already analyzing every possible reason for, and benefit from such an arrangement.

To Madara’s credit, he paused, clearly thinking the offer through. Then he gave a polite bow. “This Uchiha Madara graciously accepts the offer. If the—” There was an almost imperceptible pause, and a quick downward twist to his lips as if it was distasteful to say the word. “—honorable Senju Tobirama accepts, the deal will be sealed.”

⁂

Izuna couldn’t believe that his brother was even considering this. But clearly he was, given that he had not outright laughed at the suggestion. Wanting to slap the back of Madara’s head, Izuna gritted his teeth. He could not do it. Not in front of the Senju and the yōkai. But he was absolutely going to do it when they got home. Repeatedly. While loudly questioning Madara’s sanity.

⁂

He had no idea what the creature was planning, or why it wanted to drag him into it, though the eerie similarities between him and it suggested some kind of obsession. Had it been about to offer to marry him if Madara had accepted the sister? Quite likely, it seemed.

There was no love lost between the Senju and the Uchiha, except perhaps from Hashirama, and that was only because his brother was a sentimental fool. However, if this had even the faintest hope of succeeding, of getting Hashirama the peace he so desperately hoped for, then Tobirama would do it. Did that make him just as much of a fool? Perhaps. But there was another reason to accept. If he wanted to know what the creature was up to, triggering the trap, and being in the middle of events, could be the best way to expose it. And maybe redirect the fallout. Towards the Uchiha. Towards Madara.

Feeling annoyed at having to use the stilted speech of the court, given that the Senju were not a noble clan, Tobirama gave the creature a bow, keeping it in his line of sight the whole time. “This Senju Tobirama humbly accepts the honorable Tobitsuki-sama’s generous offer to enter into a three-way marriage, to seal the peace between the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan.”
Beside him, Hashirama protested in a barely audible voice, insisting that Tobirama didn’t need to do this. That he didn’t need to sacrifice himself like this.

Pinching his fingers to signal to his anija to shut up, Tobirama then turned to Uchiha Madara and gave him a similar bow. “This Senju Tobirama welcomes the honorable Uchiha Madara as his fiance, and looks forward to entering into a three-way marriage with his esteemed person and the—” He faltered briefly, again wondering just what this Tobitsuki was. “—esteemed Tobitsuki-sama.”

Feeling the wave of incredulousness that washed across the gathered forces did nothing to reassure Tobirama that he had made the right choice.

⁂

Adding the Senju—Uh, demon was probably not the right thing to call him anymore—to the marriage agreement was not something Madara could have predicted, so it blindsided him. His initial reaction had been to dismiss it out of hand, but he allowed himself time to think through the implications. Tying the second strongest Senju to himself would be a powerful signal that he was serious about peace, because, despite all his reservations, he was.

It would also work as a deterrent, both for the more vocal opponents to peace within the Uchiha, and the similar-minded members of the Senju clan that he was sure existed. That it would make Hashirama his brother… He brushed that thought aside. It was inconsequential. Certainly not something that made his inner child sit up and grin. Not at all.

He did however consider the thought that it would make Senju Tobirama Izuna’s brother. Certainly the Senju, for all their failings, would not sink so low as to resort to kin-slaying? Because Madara had not been blind to how Izuna struggled to keep up with Senju Tobirama. Had been fearing more and more that one day the Demon would come up with something that Izuna just could not counter. This cut neatly through that fear.

Besides, agreeing made him look magnanimous, and if he, in the back of his mind, had expected the… Senju Tobirama to turn the offer down, well, nobody would ever learn about how shocked he had been that the young man accepted.

⁂

Everything had happened so fast that Hashirama’s head was still spinning. The fight was clearly not going to happen, which he was glad for. He was less happy about the fact that Tobirama had overruled his objections and gone ahead and promised himself away in marriage. To Madara. And an unknown creature. What even was this Tobitsuki? A yōkai? Or was it some unknown Kekkei Genkai that had altered his appearance in such a way? Hashirama had heard rumors of clans in other countries that had deformed bodies from their abilities. Although, he had to admit that Tobitsuki hardly looked deformed. No, probably the main reason he found the… man unsettling was because it looked so much like his brother, even down to the way it moved and how it spoke. It sent goosebumps skittering down Hashirama’s arms.

A tiny part of his mind wondered if this was the result of one of Tobirama’s many experiments. Had he somehow summoned this creature? Or worse, created it? Yet another thing to add to the list of things he would need to talk to Tobirama about as soon as they were in the privacy of his father’s… His office now.

Glancing at his brother where he was running just two steps behind, Hashirama shivered, a tendril of fear curling around his heart like a strangling vine. He could not lose Tobirama. He would not survive that.

⁂

“You went and got yourself engaged to a yōkai?!” Elder Umeko’s voice had risen in pitch at the end there, sounding more like one of his hawks than a venerable elder in Madara’s opinion.
He crossed his arms and glared at her. “It was for peace!”
She glared right back. “Bullshit! You could have gotten peace at any time since your father’s stupid attempt at going out in glory. All you had to do was accept any of the offers that the tree of a Senju kept throwing your way.”
Madara faltered slightly, confused now. “I thought you were against it? That you wanted us to avenge the dead?”

Umeko scoffed. “Pah! I’m old. I want to live out my last years in comfort, and every idiot knows that it is more lucrative to have peace. When was the last time we could afford a shipment of tea from Tea Country? More than a decade ago! When was the last time we bought new blankets? Mine has been mended so many times that I’m not sure a single thread remains of the original one. When was the last time…”
Madara interrupted her. “Yes, I get your point! That doesn’t change the fact that this could be a really good thing.”
She backed down slightly, shaking herself as if settling ruffled feathers, reminding him even more of his hawks. “How so?”

Striving for an appearance of confidence and assurance, Madara straightened up. “In all the stories, marrying a yōkai brings good fortune as long as the yōkai is treated well and respected. I have no intention of disrespecting it.”
She gave him a calculating gleam. “And the Senju? The third in this arrangement?”
“It will tie him to me, making him Izuna’s brother. So, unless he is prepared to become a kin-slayer, Izuna should be safe from his endless inventions.”

Umeko spoke no further, just giving him a stare that screamed ‘I hope you know what you are doing’.

Takibi-san chose that moment to finally speak up. “Tea is ready.”
Beside him, his twin, Tabiki-san, started to pour into the cup placed where Madara should have already been seated, forcing him to quickly find his place lest he come across as rude. Or more rude than he already seemed, that was. With a small nod he folded his legs underneath himself and accepted the cup.

The rest of the meeting with the elders went more or less as expected, but Madara was distracted with the revelation that they, or at least most of them, were not against peace with the Senju. Madara had felt sure he was alone in his wish, but… if the Elders, who were the ones who had experienced most grief in this feud, could look past that and welcome peace… Perhaps the rest of the clan were of a similar mind? He should speak to them, something he shamefully admitted he had been doing little of in the past years, too focused on running missions to secure money for the clans’ survival. Money that had mostly been spent on weapons and herbs for healing. Something they might need less of now.

Madara’s thoughts churned well past the end of the meeting and far into the night.

⁂

It had been decided the negotiations would take place between the Uchiha and the Senju settlements, in a field. A large open tent made from green silk had been erected, and several low tables and cushions in various colors furnished it, laid out on top of bamboo rushes. Uchiha were seated on one side, and Senju on the other. And Tobitsuki was given the place at the head of the largest table.

Beside him, doing a poor impression of being demure, sat Kurama, still in the human guise. And still pretending to be his sister. Fortunately she did not interfere much, only nudged him at times when he got off track. And snickered whenever the upcoming nuptials were brought up. In Tobitsuki’s opinion she took far too much joy out of the way their carefully detailed plans had been derailed by Madara.

Being cornered by Hashirama during one of the breaks wasn’t entirely unexpected, but that didn’t mean it didn’t unsettle him to be on the receiving end of a surprisingly subtle threat. “My brother—my last brother—is very precious to me. I do not know why you had your sight set on him, but rest assured, if it turns out you have nefarious plans, there is no place on Earth where I will not find you.”
Well, subtle for Hashirama that was. It still stung, to sense the distrust from someone he cared so much for. But he understood. And he hoped that in time, Hashirama would grow past his initial feelings, perhaps even grow to like him, if not love him like a brother.

Tobitsuki did not mention that there were places that he could go that were not on Earth. He was sure he would not need to hide, as he had no intention of harming Tobirama. Or Madara, for that matter. Not unless forced to.

“I understand that you do not trust me, you have no reason to yet… But you will. In time I hope you will see what I am trying to achieve here, and work with me. Until then, if nothing else, then trust that I need Tobirama-san for my plans. He is vital. And that means that I will do my utmost to keep him alive and well. Ending the war between the Senju and the Uchiha is just the first step.”

Hashirama had given him a long look, then a short nod, before he returned to sit next to Tobirama, squeezing his brother’s shoulder as he did.

⁂

Negotiations were going surprisingly well. A lot of that could be laid at the feet of the yōkai, who had an answer to any question, and a solution to any obstacle. It made Madara wonder just how old it was. And what it was.

The sister, now her he was convinced was a kitsune, but Tobitsuki… No, if anything he got more of a… feline impression from him. A bakeneko? A nekomata? Or something else entirely?

But, speaking of the sister… He tilted his head in inquiry, making sure his expression was a mask, revealing just mild curiosity. “Might I ask what is the name of your sister?”
One of those not-quite-eyebrows raised slightly, prompting Madara’s mind to rush off on a tangent, curious what that meant for the anatomy of it. Then he was jerked back to the topic at hand when Tobitsuki, in an oddly flat tone answered, “Kurama.”
“I… see. It is an… uh, an interesting name.”
“She thinks so too.” It was said in a way that came across as dismissive, possibly a little defensive, so that was the end of that line of inquiry. The last thing Madara wanted was to offend.

⁂

To his pleasant surprise, Tobitsuki had not had to pull any threads in order to steer the negotiations towards a joint village. Hashirama was all too eager to raise the question himself. And, while apparently a little reluctant, Madara allowed himself to be persuaded, despite Izuna’s hissed whispers that surely this was a trap and that Madara was leading the clan towards certain doom. The irony that Izuna would have been right in the other timeline was not lost on Tobitsuki, though he had no intentions of allowing it this time around.

Once the negotiations and planning had reached a point where the subject of setting a date for the wedding came up, Tobitsuki attempted to buy himself some wiggle room. “The wedding will take place when the final stone of the proposed village is laid down.” That should buy him enough time.

Except, Madara objected. “No, that is an unacceptable condition. It could take years, decades even, before the village is declared done.”
He was not so crude as to suggest that Tobi had tried to trick him, but the implication still hung in the air. And Tobitsuki had to concede the issue, lest he come across as insincere in his offer. Might even need to backtrack more than he would like, so as to not seem like he was doing his best to wiggle out of it. “Very well. Then the wedding will take place once the first stone is laid. Is that acceptable?”

To his relief, Madara nodded. It would buy him far less time, but it was still enough to get some things out of the way given that winter was coming and nothing would happen construction-wise until spring thaw. He could get a lot done in half a year if he pushed himself.

Besides, some things he had already prevented. Izuna lived. Which would hopefully keep Madara from betraying Konoha. And Kurama would be safe, hidden within the village, and not used to attack it, hopefully. He still needed to find the others, and convince them to either hide or join Kurama, preferably the first, as gathering all the bijū in one location would pose a very tempting target for Zetsu. Though, all that could come later. Except the Ichibi. He should probably prioritize that one before Suna was established. But he still had time. And would probably be able to slip away for a few weeks here and there even after the wedding.

The wedding where he would tie himself to the crazy madman that had attempted to place the world in a genjutsu, at the behest of an insidious construct. Well, he would be married to the man, and to Senju Tobirama. Being married to himself. What a curious thought. Still, it was a good plan, he was sure, even if it was not the original one. Tying the Senju and the Uchiha together through their clan heir and clan head. And Madara, should he go down the path of madness again, would have two husbands who could do their best at minimizing the damage.

Two husbands that could keep an eye out for any signs that Madara’s sanity was slipping. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was actually a better outcome than his original plan would have yielded. Surely Kurama would have ended up pissing Madara off at some point, ending in a fight, and revealing just how strong she was would lead to questions. But now she would merely be Tobitsuki’s sister, a villager like everyone else. A far better outcome than the target that could have been put on her back as Madara’s wife.

And if she had married Madara, there would have been the expectation of a child within reasonable time. There would be no such expectations from Tobitsuki or Tobirama, which meant that he would not be losing that time. His plans should be able to progress at almost the same pace. Especially if he was liberal with where he put up his Hiraishin markers. That should be a priority in the following months.

There was also the fact that he could attempt to delegate certain tasks. Shoring up Uzushio’s defenses could be placed on Mito’s shoulders. He just had to make a few subtle comments to steer her in the right direction. Which reminded him to drop hints to Tobirama, to ensure that the Uzushio hime was added to the delegation of seal-masters sent to assist, despite the founding of Konoha being years earlier than the last time. Her presence wasn’t vital per se, but… He really wanted to be sure that she and Hashirama met. It was one thing from his past life that he was not willing to change. Much at least. Though, if she and Hashirama met a few years earlier, surely that would not change too much? Just give them a few more years of happiness. He really hoped he was right.

Steering his mind towards other things, he skipped down to the next point on his mental list. The police force. Now, while he himself had never seen any evidence that it had been as bad as had been suggested to him during the fourth war, it could probably be set up differently. By taking in members from all clans, and even clan-less shinobi, as long as they were strong enough, and moral enough—something that was a finicky thing to measure with shinobi—it would mean it could not be accused of nepotism or be used as an argument to ostracize one clan.

Then there was Danzō and Hiruzen. That had been a huge disappointment. Not least because what he had intended was for the appointment of Hiruzen to be temporary, until an election could be held, but that had clearly never happened. This time around he would make sure to instill some better ethical values in those two. And perhaps push Kagami towards the Hokage position instead? He certainly couldn’t do a worse job than Hiruzen when it came to how children were treated. Allowing kids as young as five to graduate. What the hell had Hiruzen been thinking? That went against everything Tobitsuki had wanted from the Academy.

Then there was the Kinkaku force. He would have to deal with them, preferably sooner rather than later. Too bad he still lacked a lot of information. He did know that they had yet to encounter Kurama, which meant that they should not be empowered with his chakra this time. But that was about it as far as knowledge about them went. When had they acquired their tools? Had that been something Kumo supplied them, or had they taken them by force? Had they truly been missing nin, or had that been a cover, in order for Kumo to be able to claim they had nothing to do with their actions? Hn, perhaps setting up a spy network should be a higher priority?

He was jerked from his planning by a question. “Where will we live?”
It was Tobirama who asked, and it was a valid question. Tobitsuki hurried to get ahead of any stupid suggestions by any of the elders, Uchiha or Senju alike. “I propose that a house be built not far from the Administration building, as I am sure both Madara-sama and Tobirama-san will be working there.”
“You will not?” Hashirama looked surprised, but Tobitsuki was not fooled. His brother was a better actor than most people realized, and appearing innocent and harmless, perhaps even goofy, was something Hashirama had worked hard at after the Mokuton manifested, to give people less reason to fear and avoid him.
With a wry smile and a little tilt to his head, he asked the Senju clan head “Would you trust me in such a position? Someone you have just met, and know nearly nothing about?”

There was a pregnant pause, before Tobirama tapped the end of his brush softly against the table, speaking in a measured tone, as if he was thinking out loud. “Would it really be harder than for us to trust the Uchiha?” Again, Tobitsuki was not fooled. He knew where Tobirama was going with this. It was where he himself would have gone. Not for their sake, but for everyone else listening in.
“Ah, but the Uchiha, for all that you have been enemies with them for centuries, you have also known of them, and about them, for just as long. You have knowledge about their traditions, their habits, the way they think and speak, and a dozen other little things. Trust might not be there yet, but you already have the building stones. It is only a matter of time.”

“Whereas you are a complete unknown.” Tobirama met his eyes, and Tobitsuki gave a small nod.
“That I am. As it stands, I would have to prove myself to you before you should trust me to take on an administrative role in any capacity.” Well, that was what Tobitsuki hoped would happen, because it would leave him with much more free time to plan for the future, and to act on those plans. He was certain that when it came to the building and running of Konoha, Tobirama would do all the things he himself would have chosen to do—had chosen to do—and they didn’t really need his input. Well, except for a few minor changes he wanted to make, but he was a shinobi, and manipulation came easy to him.

The rest of the meeting continued with only the occasional comment necessary from Tobitsuki, to steer things in the right direction, and once they had adjourned for the night, he and Kurama retreated to their small camp a reasonable distance away from both settlements. Tobitsuki had considered sleeping in the shuttle, but it was safe where it was now and he didn’t want to risk drawing attention to it. Besides, it was rather nice, sleeping out in the open, listening to the sounds of the forest at night—the rustling of the leaves in the light breeze, the chirping of various insects, the scurrying noises of rodents and their predators as they went about their business in the low shrub underneath the tree Tobitsuki was perched in. Yes, he would avoid using the shuttle until it was needed.

Besides, as soon as these talks concluded, he would be on his way to scatter his markers across Land of Fire, and to create the contacts needed for an extensive spy network. By the time winter set in for full, he would hopefully have enough chances to stay at inns or just camp inside a barn. If the worst came to pass, and he found himself somewhere too cold with nowhere to shelter, he could just drop a marker and Hiraishin back to the shuttle. Or a handy ryokan. One with hot springs to soak in. And by next winter, he would have a home of his own to bed down in. One in Konoha.

That thought left him with a warm feeling.

Chapter Text

When Tobitsuki had offered to provide some healing for any Senju or Uchiha that might need it—as a show of good faith—Hashirama had jumped on it. Tobirama had been a bit more wary, and had insisted he be present to observe. It was something Hashirama had taken for granted that he’d be allowed to do, but upon hearing his brother speak he realized he should not have. Yōkai could be finicky about deals.

Fortunately, the yōkai didn’t appear to have any issues with their presence as he wandered from sickbed to sickbed in the infirmary, cleaning and closing wounds, pulling out sickness, and in one case, cutting open the chest of an elderly shinobi in order to extract a weird lump, before closing it up again and healing it.

Hashirama felt something very close to awe the more he saw, and he could tell Tobirama was feeling something very similar, given how he had clearly lowered his guard and was leaning close, eyes shining with unbridled curiosity as he observed what Tobitsuki was doing. It had not taken long before the yōkai started making soft-voiced comments about what he was doing, clearly humoring Tobirama’s interest. It made the knot of worry inside Hashirama become slightly less tight, to see that his brother got along so well with at least one of his fiances. Despite it being the yōkai one, and not Madara. But Hashirama held out hope that Tobirama and Madara would get along as well, if only they were given time to get to know one another outside the battlefield.

Once Tobitsuki was done with everyone in the infirmary, he had looked at them in a wordless inquiry. Hashirama exchanged a look with Tobirama, and, upon his brother’s nearly imperceptible nod, turned back to Tobitsuki. “There are others, resting in their homes. Among them is our father. Although… His healing has been hampered by a poison…”
There was a slight tilt to the yōkai's head, and a gentle, “Let me see what I can do.”

It was with new hope in his heart that Hashirama led Tobitsuki into the home he shared with the tattered remains of his family.

⁂

Kura had not been present at the negotiations, choosing to stay with Butsuma to care for him instead. It was not that she had not wanted to be there, to fight for her second son’s rights when it came to the upcoming marriage, but… if she was honest, she had feared that if she left, Butsuma might succumb to his injuries, slipping away. And she could not bear the thought that he might die alone. So she had stayed.

Therefore it was the first time she had laid eyes on Tobirama’s fiance when he paused in the door, those pale eyes taking in the sight of Butsuma. She could not get a good gauge on what he thought, but, given his eerie similarity to Tobirama, she was inclined to think that he had not been happy with the sight. At least, when Tobirama had that expression, that was what he was feeling.

As her two remaining sons stepped in beside the fiance, the similarities became even more obvious, and she understood Hashirama’s concerns. Why had the yōkai chosen to look like that? What was it it truly wanted with Tobirama?

She watched it intently as it bowed to her, then knelt at the edge of the futon, carefully pulling off the kakebuton, then lifting aside the thin yukata, exposing the wounds on Butsuma’s chest and upper arms. He had not worn his armor when he clashed with Uchiha Tajima the last time they faced each other, and the Uchiha had gotten too close. But he had paid for it. They both had.

It was with a small frown on her forehead that Kura watched the yokai place two large bowls beside her husband. What he needed them for became clear quickly, as he used just a single handseal to fill both with water. Such skill with Suiton… She glanced at Tobirama again, where he and Hashirama stood just behind and to each side of the yōkai.

Then her focus returned to her husband. The yōkai's hands glowed green as he placed them on Butsuma’s chest. Briefly the chakra around one of the fingers took on a teal hue, and a small incision appeared close to the sternum, only inches away from an infected wound.

Then, Kura watched in amazement as a thin stream of what looked like blood flowed from inside the wound, into one of the bowls, and back into the wound. She stared, unsure what was going on, but as long as Hashirama and Tobirama allowed it, she would trust them.

After a while she noticed that the water in the bowl had started to become discolored.

A while later again, the yōkai shifted to moving the blood into the other bowl, asking Tobirama if he wanted to keep a sample of the poison. Her son unsealed a small jar, and drew some of the now dark liquid out of the bowl with the same deftness with Suiton as the yōkai demonstrated. Then he emptied out the bowl and refilled it.

It was nearly four hours later that the last bowl of water finally stayed clear.

⁂

Izuna had not been happy about it, but hearing Hashirama gush about how well the injured and sick Senju were recovering—even their blasted father—he had to concede to Madara’s wish to accept the same offer. He did not let the pale demon out of his sight even once while he was in the compound, but, after Madara had threatened to have Hikaku take Izuna’s place as heir if he could not behave, he had agreed to deactivate his Sharingan.

It rankled a tiny bit to see that the offer had, at least to all appearances, been genuine, and that the healing provided far surpassed anything any of the Uchiha’s own healers could have offered. Seeing wounds knit closed in front of his very eyes, Izuna gritted his teeth and kept his mouth shut. He could do that for his clan. For what was in essence his extended family. Despite where the aid was coming from. The demon that had somehow ensnared Madara into marrying it, and the other demon, Senju Tobirama.

Throughout the visit, the only thing that was strange was the way the demon had hesitated briefly upon catching sight of Kagami, Kagome’s child. The young boy had been seated by her bed, reading to his injured mother, and Izuna was certain it was the sight of him, and not Kagome, that had made the demon react. What was it about Kagami that was special? Was he touched by the spirits? Did he have some special ability that had yet to manifest? Izuna didn’t know, but he would be paying closer attention to the boy from now on.

He also had a moment of anger when the demon declared that, while he could heal Tajima enough that the man would live, he would no longer be healthy enough to be a shinobi. Then Izuna felt guilty. It was not as if the demon had managed to heal everyone else back to full health either, and Tajima had been by far the worst off out of everyone in the infirmary. There was no reason why Izuna should have expected more for Tajima just because it was his father.

And really, these past weeks it had been increasingly obvious which way things were going. If both he and Madara had not already had their Sharingan evolved into Mangekyō, he was sure Tajima would have pressured them into… Yeah, no, he was not gonna think about that.

Instead he forced himself into bowing respectfully, thanking the demon for all it had done for his clan.

⁂

It was during the third day of surveying the area that would eventually become their village, that Madara had a revelation about Hashirama, and by extension, the Senju clan.

The autumn sun was bright, but there was a sharpness in the air that heralded frost to come. Madara, Hashirama and Tobirama had been in the command pavilion—something Hashirama had constructed when it became clear that they needed shelter from the breeze that had been trying to steal their papers—discussing the placement of various important buildings, when the scraping of wood against wood made them both look up.

“Chichiue!” The little boy that had just wiggled in through the partially open screen door ran across the room, arms held up. With a small sigh, Hashirama bent down and scooped him up. “Koda-kun, did you run away from your nanny again?”

Madara was gaping at the pair as the small boy started babbling away, telling a tale of tricking his minder and sneaking out through a hole in a tent, and then using that trick ojisan had taught him to find his father. It wasn’t until the boy fell silent and Hashirama gave him a stern, but kind look, that Madara finally blurted out, “You have a child?!”

Hashirama looked up, arms tightening slightly around the boy. “Yes? Two.” There was a slight pause, then he asked, “You don’t?”
Spluttering, Madara shook his head emphatically. “No! I’m not married! … Yet. That’s… You are not either, are you? So... Why?”
Shrugging, Hashirama bounced the boy a bit in his hold. “The Elders insisted I ensure my line endured. Kodama-kun and Koshima-chan… Well, they calmed the worries.”

For a long moment Madara just stared, then he slowly turned towards Tobirama, question obvious on his face. The younger Senju brother immediately caught on, and shook his head. “No. I have no kids. The Elders worried that I might pass on my unfortunate coloring.”
“Unfortunate..?” For a brief moment Madara stared confusedly at Tobirama’s hair, but then he refocused on Tobirama’s eyes, and understanding flooded his features. He made no further comments.

It did however get him to thinking. He had missed his chance at children. Not that he had ever been eager to take any woman to bed, quite the opposite in fact, but… He shook his head. No use in fretting over something that would probably never have happened anyway.

Ignoring Hashirama and the boy, Madara instead pulled Tobirama into a discussion over the best placements, finding that when forced to voice his opinion, the younger brother had a better mind for strategic thinking when it came to city planning. As their discussion grew more involved, the noises from Hashirama and his son faded into the background.

However, later on, Madara mused on the fact that the Senju apparently had no issues acknowledging Hashirama’s children, despite them being born outside wedlock. He also wondered what Tobirama’s life in the clan would have been like had he not been the clan head’s son, and Hashirama’s brother. With eyes like his… Madara was not ignorant of how the Senju in general thought of the Sharingan. Red eyes had to be a constant reminder, and if Tobirama had been born to a less important member of the clan… He might have been seen as a pariah. Or, best case, he would simply have been given less attention, becoming more or less ignored, and certainly not as well trained as he was. That he had been recommended to not have children, that spoke volumes.

And for the first time in his life, Madara felt a flash of sympathy for Senju Tobirama.

⁂

It had taken some negotiation to be able to free up a group of shinobi consisting of six people from each clan that would start clearing the land once they were done with the surveying. Leaving that many able hands locked into work that would not yield any payoff in the near future was a difficult choice, especially with winter looming ahead. However, now that the Uchiha and Senju cooperated, it meant they could also cooperate on which missions to accept, and that meant less risk of injury or death on missions, which was a definite boon.

Tobitsuki also made the choice easier by offering to add to the coffers. Well, strictly speaking it was not him that did it, but Kurama. Having lived for so long, and having explored extensively during that time, Kurama knew of several lost treasures or natural resources that she and Tobitsuki could rush off to pick up, leaving the Uchiha and Senju thinking the items might be cursed or conjured. Still, they had no compunctions trading with the items. If the new owners got into trouble down the line, well… These things happened.

The important thing was that, as late autumn progressed rapidly towards winter, slowly and steadily all the marked trees were felled, stripped, and stored, to be used as building material for the village later on. They were not going to rely on Hashirama to construct everything.

During this time, Tobitsuki came and went, going all over the Land of Fire and into the neighboring countries, sorting out minor issues before they could turn into major ones, and leaving his markers all over for ease of travel. It saved him a lot of time, having those markers, as he could just jump to the farthest one every morning and set out from there, expanding his network in ever increasing concentric circles out from the plot of land that would become Konoha. Almost like a web.

Though, what did that make his increasing number of spies and information sources all over? Flies caught? It did not seem fitting, as he seldom had to resort to blackmail to convince them. Usually a promise of payment for information gathered was plenty enough for poor farmers and wealthy nobles alike. Especially for nobles that might be under their family’s thumb and would like a little money to spend on things their head of family would not be happy to know about. Yes, flies were not quite the right word for the informers, even if they, like flies, sent information thrumming along the silken strands of his web, back to him.

Kurama spent most of that time either traveling under a different guise to collect treasures for funding, traveling with Tobitsuki, or lounging around the area that would become Konoha or in the Senju or Uchiha settlements. Tobitsuki assumed that the bijū, while she never gave voice to that thought, was worried about the future for both herself and her siblings.

It was with that in mind that he planned to venture deeper into Land of Wind, hoping to be able to warn the Ichibi before the shinobi of Wind found a way to trap him. If he could find him.

Before that however, Tobitsuki spent a lot of time traipsing through dunes of sand, searching for likely places to put his markers. Sand was not exactly a stable medium for such things. Fortunately there were cliffs and even mountains peeking out of the sand throughout the entire desert, and while most of them were wind-scoured, they all had crags and cracks where he could place his markers and expect them to last at least through his own lifetime.

He even placed markers in the location where Sunagakure would eventually be founded, and made notes of things he could suggest to improve the village, to make them less inclined to want to wage war on Konohagakure. After all, if their economy was stable, it was one less incentive likely to push them into conflict. And Tobitsuki had plans for that for all of the villages.

⁂

Butsuma, no matter that he was still in recovery and needed help for simple things, like moving around, had insisted he be allowed outside, to check on his clan. It was one thing to hear Hashirama gush about the plans, and Tobirama—in a far more measured but nonetheless strangely optimistic tone for him—go on about the ways the village would improve the lives of everyone in the clan, from the highest ranking shinobi to the farmers, bakers, weavers, and all the other civilians that were needed to make a settlement work, and quite another to get a feel for how the rest of the clan felt about it.

Now, seated on a zabuton on the engawa, Butsuma could see for himself the changes to his clan. People seemed lighter in their motions as they went about their lives. Some had even started dismantling structures that would no longer be needed, to reuse the materials in the new village, clearly eager to see it happen. Even the elders were complaining less.

When Kura came to sit beside him, bringing with her a tray with a tea set on, he tucked his hanten jacket closer around himself and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. “How are my sons doing? How is Tobi-kun doing? This… engagement of his… What are people saying?”

Handing him a cup of perfectly brewed tea, his wife made a low humming noise, then she spoke in a tone meant to not carry beyond their little bubble. “They are saying he is brave. That the yōkai surely had designs on him from before it showed itself, and that accepting the offer, to not offend, was a noble sacrifice. They worry for him, but have trust in his intelligence and his ability to keep the creature pleased.”

Butsuma sighed, not feeling any better after hearing that. There was no way Tobirama would back out of the deal. Not before, and certainly not now. All they could do was hope that whatever type of yōkai this was, it was a benign one. But he had warned some of his best spies to be on the lookout for clan members displaying unusual fatigue, or unexplained changes in behavior. He would not allow the creature to feed on his clan.

Neither of the two made any mention of Uchiha Madara. For all that he had been a formidable threat, he was only human. And they had heard how Hashirama spoke about him. If nothing else, then the rekindled friendship there might keep Madara from being too bad of a spouse to Tobirama. But they had no such reassurances when it came to the yōkai.

⁂

By the time any snow stayed more than a few hours after falling, they had cleared vast areas of what was to become Konoha. Both clans had ample supplies of firewood, from the parts of the trees that could not be used for construction, and with the peace, they had traded not only with others, but also with each other for things needed to make the winter less harsh. They were more prepared than they had been in years.

Tobitsuki could not be seen to favor either clan, so whenever he dropped by to check on them, he alternated which settlement he came to. But beyond that, he and Kurama were moving through the other countries at a rapid pace, gathering intel and making assessments of situations.

Rumors of the planned village had started to spread through Fire, and several of the larger clans were sitting up and taking notice. So had the daimyō, but a few strategic ideas whispered in the right ears had made sure the man saw this as a boon. Tobitsuki wasn’t even sure that all the whispers had been his.

In the previous life, he had been the one to pull strings and make assurances, only to later find that Hikaku had done the same from the Uchiha side. It was likely that both men had done so this time around as well. Hopefully they would be able to cooperate and coordinate such efforts later on, after the village was built. It would not do to come across too strongly either. At least not with more savvy opponents. The daimyō was not a stupid man, but he did have certain flaws. Easily exploitable flaws if you knew of them. But also flaws that would later be countered by his third wife, a noble-born woman with a shinobi heritage. Fortunately, that marriage was still years into the future.

Though, a lot of things would change now. Konoha was being built three years earlier than the last time. That would indubitably provoke the other countries into building their own villages earlier as well. How would that influence their founding? Would they remain in the same locations? Would their administration be the same? Would their creeds? Their policies? Their views on the other countries?

Tobitsuki hoped to counter at least some of the issues that had created friction, but without a deeper knowledge about what truly drove them, he could not be sure if they had been the true issues, or just a thin veneer of a plausible explanation. Something either conjured up by Konoha’s intelligence for lack of anything concrete, or spread by the other villages as misinformation for enemies, or to justify their actions to their own populations.

Tobitsuki and Kurama were about to finish gathering information in the home of a noble in Land of Wind, when something caught Tobitsuki's eye. Proudly displayed on a shelf sat an old Ōtsutsuki food container. He recognized the design. How had it ended up there? Did that mean there was an old base nearby? Perhaps it was time to take the shuttle up again, to do a deeper scan of the area. Moving the shuttle was risky, but finding one of the old bases could make it worth it. Depending on the condition of the place, and whether it had been looted.

He marked the location of the house on a map, then he set out to scour the homes of nearby nobles, to see if he could find more items like that. Meanwhile, Kurama took a different approach, and used a disguise to gain entry to the house they had found the item in, before subtly questioning the owners about the thing. It turned out it was an heirloom, and the current residents had no idea when or where it was procured. So a dead end. But that didn’t matter, because at a nearby town, Tobitsuki found another item of Ōtsutsuki provenance. And now he was almost certain that somewhere not too far away, there had to be a base.

If he wanted to locate it and have time to assess the condition of the place, then he better get a move on. Spring was right around the corner, and when that hit, things would be moving fast in Konoha. Too fast for him to slip away for more than a few days at most.

But now he had the dilemma—To tell Kurama about the shuttle, or keep the secret?

If he left Kurama where they were, going off on a secret mission of his own, there would be questions about where he was going. Especially given that Kurama was a sensor of very decent skill. Possibly with a range as big as Tobirama’s own. She might detect him should he happen to fly the shuttle overhead, and that was sure to trigger questions.

But if he told her about it, she would be curious. Might demand he take her up in it, so she could experience it for herself. And that would mean more flights. More chances for someone to observe them and word to get back to Zetsu. Which was the last thing he would want, because he was pretty sure that the parasite would know what the shuttle was, and possibly even how to operate it.

No, while honesty was probably the best bet, because, even though he trusted that Kurama didn’t have any intentions of betraying him, given what was at stake, he didn’t trust that the bijū wouldn’t take the chance to try to have some fun. And if he denied her that flight… Who knew what Kurama could convince the Senju and the Uchiha of if she got it into her head, and he wasn’t there to run interference? She could be petty like that. And she was already having way too much fun with the yōkai rumors.

Though, it would mean leaving her on her own, in a different country, expecting her to not get into trouble before he got back.

Though, perhaps he was being a tiny bit sexist? For all that Kurama looked female now, she was really an immense chakra beast perfectly capable of looking after herself. Had proved that repeatedly even since their acquaintance started, by going out on her own, gathering treasures and natural riches.

And they had another goal here in Land of Wind—The Ichibi. A perfect distraction, and a worthy mission in itself.

So, after some careful dancing around the subject, Tobitsuki eventually came out and asked straight on, “Can you find and warn the Ichibi? That the shinobi of Land of Wind will be attempting to capture him within the next decade, and to be wary of traps?”
“I suppose I could. What will you be doing?” Kurama stretched, and for a moment all nine tails were visible, then they vanished again.
“I’m hoping to find the lost base before I have to go back for the… wedding.”

The way he wrinkled his nose had Kurama giggling, still not entirely over the way their plans had been derailed. Tobitsuki sighed. “Yes, yes, laugh at my misfortune. At least I roped my other self into joining in on the madness. And madness it will be. Madara’s madness. I just hope we can mitigate it, and get rid of the parasite before it manages to persuade him to do something irrevocably stupid.”

That had Kurama sober up. “Is it already affecting him?”
“I can’t tell. I don’t think so, but… how would I know? That’s part of why I want to find the base. I’m hoping Kaguya might have left some information about how she created the Black Zetsu in the first place. The white ones are easy to track the origins of, but I have no information about there ever being a black one before this one.”

“You know, you really should have a base of operations where you can store and sort all your findings. Even with a mind like yours, having it all in the head is a recipe for mix-ups and miss-remembering things.”
“Yes, well, I should be able to make myself a space when Konoha finally gets built.”
“You would not use…?”
“No. First of all, I have no idea of the condition of the place. If it even still exists. And secondly, I have no idea who knows about the place. I would not want to set up in there only for Zetsu or someone else to wander in and find what I have left there.”
“Good point. Right, I’ll be off to look for the one-tailed brat. I’ll meet you back in Konoha in… three weeks? Does that work?”
“Three weeks sounds good.”

They split their resources, then Kurama set out in the direction she insisted she could feel a tug behind her non-existent bellybutton, something that made him regret not asking her to track the Ichibi earlier. For all that he had fought in the war with them, and wandered across most of Land of Fire with Kurama, there were still so many things he did not know about the bijū. Yet another thing for his list. If he could find the time.

Tobitsuki grabbed the marker he had left on the shuttle, and with a sound of shattering glass, he was gone.

⁂

It had been a while since they heard from the yōkai, and Madara was getting a bit worried. He had absolutely no idea what it was up to, beyond showing up every few weeks, along with the sister, to drop off various riches to fund the construction of the village. Nobody asked where the things came from. The concept of plausible deniability was trained into even the civilians of a shinobi clan.

He probably would not have been so worried had it not been for the fact that a week ago the guards on night-watch had reported that the large creature that blocked out the stars had been on the move again. They still had no idea what it was, just that it had to be huge and that it could fly. Hashirama had suggested it was a dragon, which Madara found ludicrous. Except, it flew, and it was big. So, was it really that far fetched? Maybe it could be a dragon after all? Or it was something else entirely? For that matter, they had no clue what Madara’s fiance was either. A betting pool had sprung up, and so far kitsune ranked high among the guesses, as well as bakeneko and nekomata. And Izuna had suggested Tobitsuki was a kappa, probably just to be a little shit.

All these things served to keep Madara from thinking too hard on the third in his upcoming marriage.

⁂

The shuttle scanners only had a limited range for how far they could penetrate underground, so Tobitsuki had to fly back and forth across the area of Land of Wind where he assumed the Ōtsutsuki base was. To complicate matters further, he had to do it at night, to avoid someone seeing the shuttle. Some kind of cloaking capability would have been nice. Perhaps something to consider in the future?

He found several ruins of settlements, presumably built in a time when there had been more surface water in the area. Possibly even enough to sustain forests or grassland. Before the desert crept in and took over. He also found a few caves that he made note of, and an underground river that he could possibly divert to run closer to the surface where Sunagakure would be in the future. That would help them immensely with food-production.

But the base proved elusive, and he was running out of time. In a last, almost desperate attempt, he flew over the city of Rōran in the middle of a moonless night. Below him, the towers glittered in the lights from windows and lanterns, the archways and bridges like dark bars stretching over the streets underneath.

With towers that high, on ground that looked to be solid rock, there should not be much beyond a few shallow cellars stubbornly dug out. However, deep below the city, a cavern revealed itself on the display in the shuttle. It was far too rectangular in shape to be natural. And with the help of the scanner, Tobitsuki found out where the entrance should be. Below one of the towers. The only question was, had they walled the entrance in when they constructed the tower?

He parked the shuttle in a valley an hour away, hiding it with all sorts of seals despite his senses telling him he was alone. Then he threw on a henge and set out for the city.

Dawn had just broken when he slipped through the gates, entering the streets of Rōran. A few merchants were setting up their stalls, to be ready for the breakfast rush, but otherwise there were not many people out at this hour.

Tobitsuki paused in an open square, looking up at the towers that were painted golden by the rising sun. It was a lovely city. Why had he never visited it before? The colored glass set into windows and used as decoration sparkled like gems. Perhaps establishing trade would benefit both Rōran and Konoha? It was a long journey between them, but… could he adapt the Hiraishin? He made a mental note to revisit that idea. There were more places that could benefit from the possibility of instant travel. Like Uzushio.

Pushing that thought back, he carefully jiggled the lock on the correct tower, slipping inside. The lower level was used as a shop, clearly catering to the rich. Bolts of expensive fabrics were piled high against the outer wall. Cushions crafted from strong silk were stacked along one inner wall. And curtains hung across what looked to be a doorway, obscuring the inner part. He didn’t stick around to browse the rest of the wares, sure that what he was there for had to be deeper inside.

Quickly searching through the smaller rooms in the back, he found one with a wooden floor. That had to be it. Further search revealed that some of the planks were only fastened with a mechanism that allowed them to be released and refastened easily.

Knowing that the owner could arrive to open the shop for the day at any moment, Tobitsuki pulled the planks up, slipped some ninja-wire around the mechanism, and dropped down underneath into total darkness. Hanging from the tips of his fingers, his feet found some steps, and once he had made sure they were secure, he pulled the planks back over himself, tugging on the wire until he felt the mechanism lock back in place. He was trapped. Or, he would have been had it not been for his Hiraishin.

Using a bit of chakra to create a glow around himself, he let his eyes adjust. And found himself in a stairwell. One that ended at a door. A door with undeniable Ōtsutsuki design.

While he was figuring out the lock, he heard the owner arrive somewhere above him, and could track him by his weak civilian chakra as he walked around. There were no spikes that suggested he had discovered the break-in, so Tobitsuki just continued what he was doing. Until the lock gave a tiny click. Carefully he nudged the door open, scanning around it for seals or wire that would set off a trap. When none was found, he pushed the door further open. And found a corridor beyond, lit up by sconces on the wall. Quickly he slipped inside and closed the door, to prevent any light from spilling up between the wooden planks.

He was inside. He had found it. Or, at least one of the bases he had been sure would exist. Now, what state would it be in? The fact that he had found some objects of Ōtsutsuki origin elsewhere suggested someone had found their way inside, but in theory there could have been a structure above the doorway that had been dismantled when Rōran was built.

Knowing that speculation was useless, Tobitsuki headed deeper inside, his steps careful and all his senses on alert.

Chapter Text

Kurama had been right. That annoying tug had led her straight to Shukaku. Standing on top of a cliff she eyed her youngest brother. He was a slob. Sprawled out at the bottom of a narrow valley made out of dry ocher-tinted rock, he was half covered in sand.

One of his eyes had opened just a sliver, and was carefully fixed on her. Then Shukaku frowned and sat up, the sand cascading off him. “Kurama? What the hell? What is that shape you are wearing?!”

She sighed. Little brothers were so annoying. Unfortunately, despite what she might tell Tobitsuki, she did care for him. For all her siblings. And having been told how Shukaku might end up… Yes, she would put up with him for as long as it took to get him to understand the danger.

⁂

"Tobi, you don't have to do this. We can still find a way to get you out of it." Hashirama wrung his hands and looked worried.

"Anija, it's just a political marriage. We get through the ceremony, and, once it's built, move into the planned house, then we go about our lives as before. It's not like much will change. You'll see me every day. I just won't be down the hall from you during nights anymore." Tobirama gave Hashirama a little smile, pretending that he was not worried at all, not sure if it was Hashirama or himself he was trying to convince. But he was. Perhaps even more than merely worried. No, the truth of it was he was perhaps closer to downright terrified.

He was about to be tied to Uchiha Madara for life. The blazing calamity on the battlefield, who had thrown every offer of peace back in anija’s face for years. Granted, he had not been in a position to accept before Tajima was forced to step down as clan head, but Tobirama couldn’t help the way he doubted that it would have made any difference. Not until the eerie copy of himself turned up and put a halt to the imminent battle. Not until it offered marriage as a solution.

Why had Madara accepted the inclusion of Tobirama? Did he as well see it as a way to ensure that the peace might hold? Or was there some underlying plot that Tobirama had yet to see? Was Madara planning to turn him down during the ceremony, to humiliate him? Surely Tobitsuki would not look kindly upon such an action, and Madara had to know that as well. So… What was his plan? And wasn’t it strange that he worried more about Madara than the yōkai? That in itself made him even more worried. And so his mind kept going in circles.

By the time the snow started to melt away—the winter giving up ground to spring—Tobirama was no closer to figuring out what the possible plot could be, but his focus had somewhat shifted from Madara towards Tobitsuki. The frequent meetings between Hashirama and Madara without either of them blowing their top had contributed to that, as well as the way both clans appeared to have settled into peace quite rapidly.

Not having to fear for their lives due to Uchiha ambushes while they went out hunting during the middle of the winter—though most of them still did—was novel. But even more novel was trading resources when one or the other started to get low on something. All in all, it had been the first winter Tobirama could remember where they had lost nobody—Not even any of the elderly or sick, which had happened frequently enough in the past, both due to starvation and the cold.

A lot of that could be laid at the feet of the yōkai and his sister, given that they had been dropping by either the Senju or the Uchiha every so often, bringing with them resources or treasures to trade with.

And yet, Tobirama couldn’t quite make himself trust in the yōkai's good intentions. This felt almost unreal. Too good to be true. Anija would be getting his wish for peace, and his dream village. And all they had to do… Well, all Tobirama had to do was say his vows, and bind his life to an entity that he had no knowledge about beyond what it allowed them to learn. It was both frightening, and strangely exhilarating. A puzzle like none he had ever encountered before.

⁂

At the end of the short corridor, another door, and then a spiraling stairway heading down. One more door at the bottom, the locking mechanism easily figured out. And then he entered the base proper.

How long had it stood here? At least eight centuries. And the lights still worked. It was a clear testament to the durability and ingenuity of Ōtsutsuki design. Another clear sign of it was the fact that he had entered into an open chamber, walls a bright egg-shell color reflecting the light to every corner. It was furnished for everyday life. Harmless things. And this was where the looters had picked up the items he had seen before. Everything small enough to be carried off was gone. Only the large and bulky furniture was left, and even those had been stripped of anything that could be pried loose and had potentially had some value. Handles on the doors of cabinets, cushions from chairs and couches. The top of one of the tables there, leaving just an empty decorative frame, hinting that the plate might have been made of glass.

Tobitsuki let his eyes skim over the damage. Then he focused on the many doors leading away from this room. All of them closed, and, after a quick check confirmed it, locked. With more intricate locking mechanisms than any of the previous doors. There were also clear signs that the looters had tried to gain access. Scratches, bumps, even soot-marks from where they had tried to use explosives or exploding tags. Some enterprising person had even tried to dig through a wall, but had given up when they only managed to break loose minor chips of the building material. It gave Tobitsuki hope that whatever laid on the other side of those doors were untouched since Kaguya or Isshiki last came here. Now all he had to do was figure out how to open the locks. And hope that the mechanism had not been too damaged by the crude attempts to open them.

He started with the door with the least damage to it. It was a fairly standard chakra lock, which explained why the looters had not managed to crack it. The only way to do it was to apply chakra in various intensities and with varying vibrations to it, sensing when you managed to get the lock to resonate, and then differentiate between the steps needed to unlock it based on where the resonance occurred. There were very few humans who were sensitive enough to chakra to do that. Tobirama should be able to. Possibly Madara, at his peak. And maybe that Haruno girl, but she would not be born for over half a century yet.

There were probably others, but none that Tobitsuki had encountered, either as himself, as Tobirama in his past life, or as the Edo Tensei construct. Anyway, odds that any of them would get into this base and figure out just what was needed to unlock the remaining doors were slim to none.

With the immense number of variations that could have been used, it was good that Tobitsuki had previous knowledge—encoded in him before his birth—of the usual frequencies employed for such locks. It cut the time he spent fiddling with it down from thousands of hours to just an hour and fifteen minutes.

As the door swung open, a wide grin spread across his face. The room was untouched.

Oh, the centuries it had been left to deteriorate on its own had left its traces, but while anything organic had long since turned to dust—or greenish goo as the case was for some things in sealed tubes—all the equipment and furniture in the room had remained, created from sturdy materials meant to last millennia. It would save Tobitsuki so much time and effort in creating what was needed for his experiments. If the remaining rooms held a similar treasure trove each…

He dug out a sealing scroll and got to work.

⁂

Butsuma rolled his shoulders. His muscles hurt less now than immediately after the… his son’s fiance had pulled the remaining poison out of his system and healed the most debilitating of his injuries. He still had dizzy spells, and his balance was slightly off, but he was getting stronger almost by the day now. Yesterday he had been able to walk from his bedroom to the kitchen entirely unassisted.

He still did not trust the yōkai, but he could admit that at least in this, it had proven to be benevolent. And not only for his sake. No, there were others in the clan that the creature had healed, both during that one day shortly after the negotiations were done, and later, during the infrequent visits it made to the clan over the winter. A civilian who had nearly chopped his leg off with an ax now walked as if nothing had happened to him. Another one, a baker, who had burnt his hand severely on a hot pan, now flexed his fingers without any pull or strain from the scar tissue that had been there.

Yes, Butsuma might not trust the yōkai, but he was not above accepting any and all things it offered freely. However, he had made it very clear to everyone that they were to treat it with the same kind of respect they would offer the daimyō himself. He was taking no chances with this. And neither were Hashirama or Tobirama.

Butsuma had heard the many arguments and discussions his two sons had had over the last months, over the issue of Tobirama’s acceptance of the proposal. Hashirama was not happy about it. Worried incessantly. To the point where he had pissed off Tobirama spectacularly on several occasions. Butsuma still remembered the snide remark Tobirama had made—”I thought you considered Madara your friend. So why are you so concerned about the upcoming marriage? Hmm?”—and Hashirama’s wailed reply that Madara was his friend, but the yōkai was an unknown.

He wasn’t sure what kind of resolution the two brothers had come to, but the fighting had stopped. It could simply be that Hashirama had accepted that Tobirama could not be moved from his decision. Though, given how his eldest could be just as stubborn, Butsuma worried slightly that he was planning something. Kura agreed, and promised to keep an eye on Hashirama, going through all his paperwork, to make sure there were no stupid last minute plans like sending Tobirama off on a mission just before the wedding was supposed to be held. Not that either of them thought their second son would accept that, regardless of Hashirama being the clan head now. He had more common sense than that. At least in some areas. No, they had to have faith in him, and hope for the best.

Though, Butsuma had secretly sent a missive off to the Fire Temple, to ask for advice from the monks there on how to deal with yōkai, and potential ways to ward them off should they turn hostile or troublesome. He really hoped he would not need that information.

⁂

Tobirama sat on the engawa, listening to the sounds of spring. Along the edge of the roof, melt-water was dripping into puddles on the ground, sounding almost melodious. And in the shrubs and trees nearby, birds were singing aggressively at each other. He thought a few of them had already started to battle it out for the best nesting spots.

On a folded blanket next to him lay one of the clan cats, her belly swollen with kittens. He estimated that they would arrive in less than a week. That was good. Then they would be old enough to explore by the time the clan started preparations in full for the imminent move.

A few more weeks, and the snow should be gone. And a few weeks more after that, once they had checked on all the measurements for the new village, and all the markers had been put up, the first stone would be put down. Although, Tobirama had been clever, and snuck a few things into the plans that would buy him at least a couple of weeks more. They would be constructing the main roads first, to make it easier to cart in lumber and stones. Then they would dig ditches for the main sewage- and water-pipes. In addition, he had suggested that they would need some wooden structures and large tents, to house guests and to allow people to sleep after the end of the party.

He had also sent a request to Uzushio, for permission to hire sealmasters to help with laying down the seals that would help keep the village safe, and allow them to track enemies that infiltrated based on intent and chakra type. It was a complex array, and it would probably take months to build from scratch. Therefore it was a huge thing to ask for, and he had needed to make both a lot of assurances of future assistance from the village if needed, and an agreement for beneficial trade-agreements.

It was honestly not something he had any trouble giving them, considering how intertwined the two clans of Senju and Uzumaki were, and by extension, the rest of the population of Uzushio. Intermarriages were so common that there was probably no one living from either of the clans that didn’t have at least some blood from the other clan in their veins.

And, if Tobitsuki was to be believed, one of the Uzumaki hime were fated to make the village her home. It would no doubt be a boon, to have yet another seal-master living there. So he had taken the suggestion, and had hinted that they would be exceedingly pleased if the hime Uzumaki Mito would deign to accompany the group of seal-masters, to lend her own wisdom to the endeavor.

Tobirama had just received confirmation that she was included in the party that had just set out from Uzushio. One less thing to worry about, and he would not deny that he was relieved that he would not disappoint his yōkai fiance before they were even married.

He was distracted from such thoughts by a yell, as Koshima and Kodama came running out of the house. The pregnant cat was gone in the blink of an eye, and then his niece and nephew all but fell over him with a cry of, “Oji!”

⁂

Kurama wandered into the Uchiha settlement one day just after the snow was finally gone. She had a tanuki trailing after her, but it was very obvious that this was not a regular tanuki. Mainly because it had a sash around the waist, and a straw hat on the head, holes cut out for the ears. There also appeared to be a constant stream of sand falling off the tanuki, but none ever reached the ground.

Madara could feel a tension headache building even as a shiver ran down his spine. What was his future sister-in-law up to, bringing another yōkai there?

And where was Tobitsuki? He had some answering to do. Would this be a regular thing? Could they expect more of these creatures? Did they expect to live in the village, next to the humans? How would that work out?

Kurama smoothly avoided him, heading straight for a vendor, dropping off a gem worth probably close to a thousand ryō, and grabbing a pile of honey-cakes worth maybe eight ryō. Then she turned to the tanuki, holding out half of the cakes, telling it “This is one of the advantages of staying here!”

The tanuki grabbed the offered treats, sniffed them, and then stuffed one of the cakes whole into his mouth, making his chins bulge in a frankly ridiculous way. Madara just stared. Then he turned around and walked into his home. Yeah, no, he needed sake if he was to deal with this.

⁂

Once he had sealed away as much as he could, Tobitsuki placed his Hiraishin markers in the base, to make it easy to come back later for more. Just to be thorough, he put one in the main room and one in the inner room he had already gained access to. That way he could hop to the locked room first, and check that nobody was in the main room before he tried to get access to the remaining, still locked rooms. And all that without needing to unlock the door again. He made sure all the locks were engaged properly, and removed all traces of his visit from the main room.

Then he grabbed the marker in the shuttle. He should really find a better place to hide it. Somewhere far from any settlements and trade-routes. Somewhere hard to reach, unless you had his Hiraishin to help you. It could be tempting to park it in the mountains, but he didn’t want it to be caught in a rock-slide or avalanche, so… The desert was an equally dangerous proposition, given the frequent sandstorms and the way they could alter the landscape from one day to the next, completely burying rocks as large as a house in a matter of hours.

The problem with the forests of Land of Fire was that there were hardly anywhere that weren’t either the hunting grounds for a clan, or close enough to a trade-route that someone might bump into it by accident. He had been lucky so far, but luck never held. Yeah, he should devote some energy to solving this problem, and reasonably fast. For now, he would have to wait for nightfall, and then make his way back to where he had parked the shuttle earlier.

While he waited, he started to make a list of the items he had scavenged from the base, and the possible uses they could have. One of his first priorities once Konoha was up and running, was to find a suitable location to set up a lab, so that he could create some of the things he planned to implement in the village to allow it to flourish.

Though, while incredibly tempting, he should probably not invite Tobirama to join him there. At least not for a while. No, he should show them some of his ideas first, to let them come to terms with the technology he was bringing. And then, if it was embraced and accepted, he could include Tobirama in his research. Possibly even Madara. The madman had after all shown incredible skills with medical science in the previous timeline. Yes, if the madness did not present itself by the time Madara was thirty… Well, possibly twenty-eight, as he had left Konoha before his twenty-eight birthday the last time… No, it was probably safer to wait and see. Unless they could find and neutralize Zetsu before that time.

Tobitsuki put this on his mental to-be-decided-later list. Then he flicked on the screen, checking the time. Nightfall had hit, and he had three hours till the moon rose, so he should get going.

⁂

Izuna was watching the tanuki with suspicious eyes. All the creature had done since it arrived in the settlement was eat cakes and sweets, and nap underneath a cherry tree. It appeared to exploit Kurama’s goodwill, and purse, as much as it could. And Kurama let it. That was not to say that Kurama doted upon it, far from it, but if Izuna was to hazard a guess—they were yōkai after all—he would think that the tanuki, apparently named Shukaku, was Kurama’s brother. Because there was no doubt that the tanuki was male. None whatsoever. So, did this make the tanuki a future brother-in-law for Madara? The thought was both hilarious and strangely disturbing.

Then there was the sister. With her flaming red hair and piercing yellow eyes, who appeared to take amusement from the strangest things, and could switch from walking like a courtesan to swearing like a dockworker, all within minutes. Izuna would never admit it out loud, but he was rather pleased that Madara had turned down the marriage offer to Kurama-chan. She was proving to be a singularly interesting woman.

⁂

When he walked into the Uchiha settlement it was with the usual feeling of, ah, unsettlement that he got from being in the proximity of so many Sharingan-wielders. He was too well trained to let any of his discomfiture show however, and pinpointed Kurama’s chakra, heading straight for her, narrowing his eyes at what he sensed by her side. Another bijū. What was she thinking?!

“I let you out of my sight for three weeks! Three weeks! What kind of trouble have you found for yourself now?” He had his hands placed on his hips, leaning over them, giving her a stern frown.
Then he realized that it made him look like his mother when she had scolded him or any of his siblings, and he moved his arms to cross them in front of himself instead, barely suppressing his annoyed pout. Kurama just fluttered her eyelashes, giving him a faux innocent look. “Nii-san, you told me yourself to find him and make sure he was safe. Where better than among our allies, hmm?”

He could not refute that. It still irked him however. Now he had yet another bijū that he would need to keep an eye on, and probably also keep a leash on. For a given value of leashing. Certainly no actual leashes though. That would just be asking for trouble.

No, the best bet was probably to make Kurama responsible for the Ichibi, and hope that she could live up to that responsibility. So that was what he did. Mindful of their audience, he told her, “Well, as you so kindly pointed out, as the eldest, I hereby give you responsibility for his safety. You know what is at stake, and he is younger than you.”
Then he turned to the Ichibi. “And you… Is that honey-cakes?”
The tanuki-shaped bijū proceeded to stuff an entire cake into his mouth. “Uhu?”

Tobitsuki could not keep back the sigh. “I hope you paid for it.”
The Ichibi pointed a paw at Kurama, who had propped her arm against her knee and was resting her head in the palm of her hand. Her free hand she waved at Tobitsuki in a yeah yeah motion. “I used some of the gems from that trove in the valley with the spherical rocks. The ones you said were… Uh… Sorry, I forgot. Volcanic something.”
“You paid for baked goods with gems?”
“Yes? That should be enough, right?”

Sighing yet again, Tobirama looked towards the sky. “I doubt the baker would complain. Just… I’m going to have to give you some lessons on economy and equivalent exchanges when it comes to various goods.”
Kurama snickered. “Yeah, sure, in between your wedding planning and the construction of your village.”

The Ichibi produced yet another cake from somewhere and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, effectively continuing excluding himself from the conversation. Tobitsuki decided that that was probably just as well, until he could get those two somewhere private and have a more proper conversation about what dangers lay ahead, and how to avoid bringing them down upon their own heads.

He got that chance the next day, and managed to persuade Shukaku that it was in his own best interest to be underestimated. If people thought him to be a common tanuki yōkai, they would probably give him offerings to improve their fertility or somesuch, and he might be able to wheedle sweets out of them. The promise of an endless supply of edible goods was apparently a better incentive to get him to behave than the threat of some obscure enemy lurking in the shadows. Tobitsuki had long since given up on logic when it came to Kurama, and Shukaku looked to be the same way.

Not that they didn’t understand logic. They just didn’t adhere to it in the way Tobitsuki would have liked them to. In fact, he felt more like an older brother again than he had in… a very very long time. It was not a wholly uncomfortable thought.

The day after, he went to visit with the Senju. While he had been gone, the delegation from Uzushio had arrived, ostensibly to assist their sister-clan in setting up proper groundwork for the seal arrays the village would need. And as Tobitsuki had hoped, and subtly hinted at to Tobirama that he should insist on in his correspondence with them, Uzumaki Mito was one of the sealmasters that had arrived. She and Hashirama had also hit it off right away, just as they had done in his previous life, although a few years earlier this time around. Hopefully that would not affect how their relationship proceeded from here.

Although, with Madara sane—for now—and not attacking Konoha, and with Mito not needing to seal Kurama inside herself… Perhaps they would have more children this time around? He knew it had grieved Mito that she had to give up that option, but the seal had been too unstable. As Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato had found out the hard way. Yeah, maybe things would be different this time around.

⁂

With all the snow gone, and the ground sprouting fresh grass, both the Uchiha and the Senju civilians were hard at work marking the layout for the whole village, and the Doton experts among the shinobi were digging deep ditches for the sewage- and water-lines. Overnight, immense stone-pipes had been put into several of the complete ditches, and when questioned how he had done it—because there was absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that it had been him—Tobitsuki had just replied “Doton.”, and then set about teaching how it was done to anyone who would stand still long enough.

Hashirama had prodded at the pipes, testing the integrity of their construction, and the friction inside. The way Tobitsuki had done it, they felt very solid, and smooth like glass inside. It would keep things flowing with minimal turbulence, and would make cleaning the pipes easy with a few Suiton-masters on the job. All in all a vast improvement over the wooden pipes they had had in the old compound, ones that needed replacing every two years because they simply rotted away.

It also meant that they could lay pipes to every building, instead of having central areas to dump waste or collect clean water. And then Tobitsuki brought drawings to the Uchiha and Senju potters, for ceramic toilets. That you could flush, and with something called an S-bend, which prevented odors from rising from the sewage. In less than two days the potters had working molds, and were starting to mass produce the things, forcing both Hashirama and Madara to scrounge up suppliers for clay from among their contacts.

And it was not the first thing he brought out that had them scramble for materials. While the concept of electricity was not entirely new, the scope of what Tobitsuki was planning for Konoha was previously unheard of, and the amount of copper needed had the Senju and Uchiha nearly depleting the available supply in Land of Fire. To the point where they bought up old copper pots and pans from farmers for far more than they had been worth before. The blacksmiths were then hard at work producing copper wire, using a new technique that Tobitsuki had provided for them.

At this point practically every adult in both clans were busy with things in relation to the new village. Even the elderly had been given tasks, like weaving bamboo screens, or assessing buildings in their old settlements to see what could be reused. Tobitsuki had even suggested that some of the smaller buildings could be moved in one piece, as long as they could make sure the ground they moved to had the same kind of elevation as the ground they moved it from. It had the Uzumaki sealmasters sit up and take notice.

And Tobirama kept following Tobitsuki around, poking and prodding at nearly everything the yōkai did, asking questions and all but demanding to see the notes. Hashirama would have been worried that his brother would offend his fiance if it was not for the fact that the yōkai came across as amused rather than annoyed, and that Tobitsuki did not appear troubled at all with giving Tobirama access to his drawings and schematics. In fact, he seemed downright pleased with Tobirama’s interest in the proceedings, happily handing over responsibility for several projects. Hashirama was not sure what to think about that.

He was however glad that Tobitsuki was already engaged to be married, otherwise he might have been worried about the attention Uzumaki Mito-hime kept giving the yōkai. Hashirama had not known her for long, but he was already determined to make the young woman his wife. All he had to do was persuade her, and he was working on the how. Flowers were a good start. At least, Tōka had insisted on that. So he would give it a try.

Chapter Text

With almost all of the adults busy at the construction site for the new village, Kagami had been left mostly to himself, only occasionally being given a task to complete, or some lesson or other to work on. The rest of the time he was free to roam around along with the other kids that had not hit their teen years yet.

Right now, he and Kameko-chan, a girl just half a year younger than him, were spying on the tanuki. It had not moved for close to ten minutes, just sitting up against a rock in Umeko-san’s garden, with the straw hat pulled over its face. The paws, folded over its tummy, still looked sticky with strawberry jam from the cakes it had eaten earlier.

Steeling himself, Kagami mustered up all his courage, and walked over to stand close to it. “Tanuki-san, is it true that you are a master trickster?”
For a moment, nobody moved, then one of those paws slowly reached up to push the straw-hat up, those beady black eyes peering at Kagami. “Says who? If it’s Kurama, then you shouldn’t listen to her. Vile lies, and no proof at all.”

Kagami looked confused, and shook his head. “No, I haven’t spoken to her. It’s just… what people used to say about tanuki. Like, in general. Not about you. I just hoped… uh… that maybe you… um… could teach me some tricks, maybe? Um… If that’s not too forward of me? Some of the grownups say I don’t have any respect for them, but… I mean, I do. Mostly? But… some of them are rude to me, and I want to get back at them without being caught, and I kind of hoped… that you might be able to help…” He shuffled his feet and wrung his hands behind his back.

Rolling his head slowly to one side, the tanuki started to grin. “Is that so? Well, it would be remiss of me if I didn’t ensure that the young ones learned such a valuable skill. Will the other pup be joining us?”
Quickly, Kagami waved Kameko-chan over, the girl approaching them with wide eyes.

The tanuki patted the grass in front of him, indicating for them to sit down. “Now, as my pupils, you better pay good attention, because there will be tests.”
Both kids nodded eagerly as they folded their legs underneath them, eyes fixed on their new teacher.

⁂

With the water-mains and the sewage drains complete, the construction of the roads moved fast, and with that, the date of the wedding approached rapidly. Tobirama had been so caught up in all the planning and construction, that he had not really paid much attention to what his mother was up to, only obliging her in holding out his arm when she asked so she could measure it, and giving a few distracted answers about fabrics and styles.

It was not until she asked him to try on a kimono that it finally struck him what she had been doing—she had gotten his wedding outfit made. The elaborate kimono was made in sky-blue silk, with white and red details on it, mainly in the shape of koi. His lips twitched in amusement at the symbolism. Trust his mother to make a point even on his wedding attire.

Once it was confirmed that everything fit, he sat still and allowed his mother to pierce his ears, to make sure it had time to heal before the ceremony. Kura insisted that he wear the dangling earrings with pearls from Uzushio so as to not offend the Uzumaki royal family who had gifted them. Tobirama, never all that fond of politics, but perfectly aware of the importance of it, allowed it with good grace. It wasn’t as if he had to keep wearing earrings after the wedding after all. A liability in battle, and an annoyance when trying to sleep on his side.

Carefully he steered his mind away from the direction it had tried to go in, wondering what kind of sleeping arrangements he would be forced to endure after the ceremony was done. It was something for future him to worry over, since there was nothing he could do to change what would be just yet. Though, he did take comfort in the fact that the proposed house that would be built for them surely would take all of their wishes into consideration. After all, it was meant to be a home, not a gilded cage.

⁂

A long table had been set up underneath the pavilion that Hashirama had constructed with his Mokuton—an elaborate monstrosity of heavy pillars and intricate fretwork. Someone had decided that it needed color, mainly red and gold, with touches of other colors here and there, and now the chemical stink of drying paint permeated everything in the area between the billowing golden-yellow silk curtains hung up along the back and sides. Tobitsuki was not sure if he was the only one bothered by the smell, or if everyone else was just too polite to mention it.

Discreetly stringing up seal-covered incense-holders in each corner, and lighting them, he got no complaints however, so perhaps his guess that the others were just too polite to comment or to do something about it had been right. The new scent didn’t manage to banish the smell of paint entirely, not right away, but he hoped that by the time they brought in the food the seals would have done their job, ensuring he would at least be able to stomach some of his own wedding dinner.

As he left to wash and get dressed in his wedding outfit, he noticed that servants were placing soft, orange-dyed pillows along one side of the long table, so they would all be seated facing the crowd. On display. Like prize cattle. Tobitsuki brushed his fingers over one of his horns, lips curling up in a wry smirk.

⁂

Madara stared at himself in the long mirror, finding himself curiously detached from the image revealed. The traditional kimono for the men of the Uchiha main line was a heavy red thing in embroidered silk, with black tomoe dotted across the fabric at even intervals, and flames curling up from the bottom hem, stitched in golden thread. His mother, Sora, had done her best to put his hair up, using expensive gold kanzashi and pins with red gemstones.

He knew that objectively speaking, he wasn’t bad looking per se, but he wasn’t anywhere near the courtly ideal either. Too wide a mouth. Too wild hair. Too broad over the shoulders. Too much muscle over his chest and belly. Too thick arms and thighs. Nowhere near the lauded sumo wrestlers, but too much of everything for a courtier. And the image staring at him from the mirror was… a warrior. No, more of a warlord. You could dress him up in finery, but he would still look like he was planning an invasion, with a thousand men at his back, ready to charge at his command.

Tajima insisted it was a good thing, but Sora, with her gentler ways, had tried to instill into him some grace and manners. Hopefully it would be enough to get him through the day without somehow offending his spouse to be. Or, well, his spouses to be. Senju Tobirama was not to be discounted. Izuna had made that plenty clear with his regular rants about his opponent. His former opponent. Hopefully that would never be the case again, unless it was for spars or a game of shogi.

Did Tobirama even play shogi? It seemed likely, given his mind for strategy. Madara found that he hoped that was the case, because it would be an activity he could find it in himself to enjoy doing with the younger Senju, and if they were to be tied to each other for the rest of their earthly lives, they should have at least something they could do together.

That, and it would probably please their third, the yōkai spouse, if they at least made some effort.

⁂

Kurama had helped him get dressed in the intricate white and purple silk kimono Tobitsuki had picked up in an expensive shop in Tanzaku-gai, and had insisted on additional touches, like golden kanzashi in his hair, and thin golden chains wrapped around his horns. The bijū had also insisted on applying makeup, lining the eyes with black, then a dusting of red near the outer edges, and a short line of tiny golden dots from the outer corner of the eyes. The bone-ridge eyebrows were smudged with dark red, making them look almost like normal human eyebrows. The last touch was painting his lips a pale red. Tobitsuki was not sure why Kurama insisted that making him appear almost feminine would calm the humans. It certainly did nothing to calm him, nervous jitters buzzing under his skin.

Given the unusual constellation of this marriage, the wedding did not follow either Senju traditions or Uchiha traditions. Instead it had been decided that there would be a brief ceremony in what was to be the main square of the new village, and then they would walk to the pavilion for the following feast. To symbolize that this was a marriage of equals, and that they were all to be tied to each other, Tobitsuki, Madara, and Tobirama stood facing each other with their palms up.

It made Tobitsuki glad he had dusted his hands with talcum powder, to avoid sweating as he stood there, calling on every ounce of training he had to appear calm and composed. Just a few moments more, and he would be married, something that had never happened in his first life. Something he had not even considered in this life. Not until Madara turned around and upended his plans.

The priest walked around, placing Madara’s left hand into the right hand of Tobitsuki, tying the weak—in deference to them being shinobi and not feeling comfortable being truly restrained—red rope around their wrists. He then proceeded pulling the rope over Tobitsuki’s left wrist, placing the hand in Tobirama’s right one, winding the rope around both. When he finished by tying Tobirama and Madara together—pulling the last bit of the rope over to tuck the end underneath the tie around Madara and Tobitsuki’s hands, to create a full triangle—bowls of sake were brought over by three miko.

They were each given a bowl to hold in the hand cupped in the hand of another, and they had to cooperate to drink, symbolizing how they would need to work together to make the marriage prosper. The miko then moved the bowls to the next person, doing this two times.

Once they all had taken three times three sips of sake, that was it, they were officially married.

Behind Tobitsuki, Kurama cackled, a wholly inappropriate reaction. The way she waved a large paper cactus flower at him was also very unappreciated. He sent her a quick glare while the rope was carefully unwound to be placed in an elaborately carved box, to be preserved.

⁂

He was married. Tobirama, who had never really thought he would end up married, because of his place as the second son, and the whispers among both his clan and outsiders that he was not truly Butsuma’s son—either believed to be a bastard, or a spirit having possessed the unborn child—was now married. To Uchiha Madara. And to a yōkai. It briefly gave credence to the rumor that he might be a spirit, but then logic reasserted itself—if he was, he should know, right? He couldn’t not know such an important fact about himself. He just could not.

Though, why had the yōkai been so interested in including him in the marriage? And why did it look so much like him? Could he dare ask? Tobirama didn’t know. Neither if he would dare to ask, nor if he truly wanted to know the answer.

⁂

He had been seated between Madara and Tobirama, probably both as a buffer, and as the one that was an unknown element here. For all that they had warred for centuries, it seemed both the Senju and the Uchiha felt confident in the presumption that Madara and Tobirama together would be able to, if not take out, then at least fight off Tobitsuki should he suddenly turn hostile now that they were all gathered in one spot.

That they could was not a truly far-fetched idea, but, even though he looked to be about twenty, Tobitsuki had a whole lifetime behind him as a shinobi, and then a brief stint of unlife as an Edo Tensei construct. He had seen, and done things that this Madara and this Tobirama couldn’t yet even imagine. Besides, he had paid close attention, cataloging a vast array of various jutsu during the Fourth War, easily tripling his already extensive collection. And that was not even considering the abilities he had gained as an Ōtsutsuki. Most of which he had yet to try out.

No, it was quite possible, if luck were to favor him, that he could defeat both Madara and Tobirama. Still, the moment Hashirama joined in—and there was no doubt he would—Tobitsuki would have lost, given the way the Mokuton could drain chakra. Good thing then that he had no intention of doing anything to harm the fledgling peace. Not after what he had sacrificed to create it in the first place. And not given that it had always been Hashirama’s dream. Though, that was a bright spot in this marriage—Hashirama was now legally his brother again!

After all three of the grooms were seated, Hashirama sat down beside Tobirama. Next to him, Butsuma was propped up with pillows, still recovering. Kura, Butsuma’s wife and Tobirama’s mother—and in another life, Tobitsuki’s mother—was then seated beside him, with Tōka on her left. The last one down the line was Mito, by dint of her high status among the Uzumaki, and her tentative engagement to Hashirama, still so fresh that the paperwork had not yet been drawn up.

On the other side, Izuna was seated beside Madara, as the Uchiha heir, with Tajima next to him, and Sora, his wife beside him again. Next to her, Hikaku, the cousin and second in line to inherit had been given a place, and right at the end, a woman called Fumiko who was apparently Madara’s aunt, but Tobitsuki had not caught whether she was Tajima’s sister or Sora’s. Given the way she had fussed over Hikaku, he did guess she was his mother.

Looking out across the gathered crowd, Tobitsuki felt even more on display. Nearly every Senju and Uchiha who could get there, had turned up, filling the area with gawkers. It should have been a joyful occasion, but most had blank faces, like they didn’t know what to think of the spectacle. He supposed he could understand that. The suddenness of the decision, the odd constellation of three grooms and no bride, and his own unnatural appearance…

They called him a yōkai behind his back. Thought he was playing some trick on them. Worried that Madara and Tobirama had been led into a trap. Oh, his assistance in the past months had lessened the rumors, but people still did not trust him. And he could not blame them for it. All he could do was hope that in time he would at least convince them that he only had good intentions. Well, as far as Konoha was concerned. Though, his intentions for the other villages and countries were mostly good. He would just have to rid them of some rotten apples first. And possibly tie them so closely to Konoha that they would never dare to betray them, for fear that their own country would crumble.

And crumble they would, if they should be foolish enough to test his resolve. The initial seeds had already been planted. His network was expanding, slowly but steadily. Farmers, traders, merchants, geisha, concubines, second sons, and neglected daughters—they were all willing to sell information to Tobitsuki. Oh, they didn’t know it was him they sold it to. He had a dozen different aliases, and was setting up chains of interconnected operatives. Soon he might need to divide them into cells, to be able to delegate work more efficiently without risking any one person learning about the entire network.

But that would have to wait. For now, he was stuck here until he could contrive of a good reason to travel more. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t have a lot to do with the construction of Konoha anyway. He would be quite busy. Now that the first stone was laid, buildings would sprout up all over, and he had planned to test out a new seal—derived from the Hiraishin—to move some of the smaller buildings from the Uchiha compound over to the designated Uchiha district. If that worked, he could give it a try with larger buildings, and move some of the sturdier ones from the Senju settlement as well.

Quietly eating his wedding meal, Tobitsuki observed Kurama flittering about among the guests like a colorful butterfly, teasing, giggling, and being a huge flirt. Clearly she made a lot of people uncomfortable, but just as many seemed to genuinely like her. Izuna included. Tobitsuki was not sure if he should warn his new brother-in-law, or just let things play out. A vindictive part of him voted for the latter. Let Izuna handle his own problems. As long as they didn’t grow large enough to affect anyone else, that was what he would do. Izuna was a grown man. If he was willing to flirt with disaster, then who was Tobitsuki to stop him?

⁂

Madara would not admit it, but he was rather relieved when the wedding had gone through without a hitch. His new husband looked splendid in his lovely kimono and delicate makeup. Well, to be fair to the other husband, Tobirama had cleaned up surprisingly well, out of his armor and happuri. The blue kimono made his skin look nearly as pale as Tobitsuki’s, and the similarity between the two of them was so stark that had it not been for the horns, Madara might have been convinced that Tobitsuki was Tobirama’s secret twin.

That thought spawned a brief fantasy, but Madara very quickly brushed it away. Not the time, nor the place. Perhaps later, when he was back in his tent, alone. Though, Izuna’s tent was right next to it, so perhaps not.

⁂

A small open tent had been set up for any gifts people might wish to leave for the newlyweds. It was placed close to the pavilion, so that anyone approaching it would be seen. This was both for security, to prevent anyone from leaving anything dangerous there in secret, and for visuals, so that people could be seen honoring the newlyweds.

Tobirama found it a bit silly, a form of pageantry he did not enjoy. Well, except the gifts from his own family. He smiled at the sight of them when he and his new husbands walked over to make the appropriate show of appreciation.

⁂

Hashirama’s gift to them was a small open-topped box made of glass and lead. Inside, on a tiny bonsai tree, hung a chrysalis, shimmering in iridescent green. It was a curious gift, and Tobitsuki tried to parse the meaning behind it. Transformation, the cycles of life, rebirth, and renewal. Did it mean Hashirama had high hopes for this union? The answer to that might depend on what crawled out of the chrysalis in time. There was also the tiny tree to consider. Traditionally bonsai trees were thought to symbolize harmony, inner peace, balance, and positivity. Was this Hashirama’s attempt to bless the marriage in some way? It was a miniature Kaede maple tree, perfectly sculpted to resemble a much larger specimen, sitting in fine moss with tiny opalescent white pebbles scattered around, like kodama or a patch of flowers.

Now, the Kaede maple tree was often thought to symbolize things such as abundant blessings, peace, beauty, patience, survival, the arrival of autumn… Perhaps he could disregard the last one? Unless it was a very subtle threat? No, that was far too subtle for Hashirama. If the arrival of autumn had any meaning, it might be in the way of wishing for a good harvest? Peace, patience, and survival was far easier to assume as the intended meaning. He would certainly need a good amount of patience to deal with Madara.

Although, he was probably overthinking this. It was just as likely that Hashirama had wanted to gift something crafted with his Mokuton, as a reminder of the power he wielded, and that the chrysalis was just an addition, a pretty excuse if anyone asked.

Tobitsuki very carefully did not think about how the small chrysalis hanging from a tiny branch was reminiscent of the cocoons hanging from the God Tree. There was no way Hashirama knew anything about that. And if Tobitsuki had his way, he never would either.

⁂

They had retreated each to their own bed that night, and Tobirama was glad for that. To be able to sleep, and not have to lie awake worrying about assassination attempts from his own spouses… Yes, far preferable. Hopefully he could persuade them to have separate rooms in the house, so he could plaster his own with protective seals.

He should probably discuss that with them as soon as possible, before they decided on a layout. Construction was scheduled to start in less than three weeks, and by then they had to have come to an agreement. Could he ask for space for a workroom? Perhaps they could be persuaded to have a library as well? Tobirama had noticed that Tobitsuki had made a point that the village—Konohagakure as Tobitsuki referred to it as—should have a public library accessible by all the citizens, shinobi and civilians alike. So at least he should be amenable to a private library at home. Hopefully. If not, then Tobirama would just have to include a lot of shelf space in his private room.

Yes, he should talk to them as soon as possible, to go over the blueprints for their home.

⁂

When Tobirama had cornered him, Tobitsuki had already had a suspicion what it would be about, and he was proven right. Fortunately, he was prepared, and pulled out a scroll, rolling it out across the nearest desk. “This is my proposed layout for our home. Entrance here, kitchen there, a central garden with an engawa all the way around, and… separate rooms with attached offices and workrooms for each of us, with a bathing room over here. Oh, and this space for dining and receiving guests, as well as a shared library. If that is okay with you?” His fingers moved over the main spaces, pointing out the various rooms.

Tobirama leaned over the table, moving his eyes around to read all the little notes on it, his chakra feeling both elated, and a little concerned. Now that he thought about it, it was probably because Tobitsuki had addressed every concern and request Tobirama had, even before he had a chance to voice them. There wasn’t really anything for him to ask to be added. After all, Tobitsuki knew Tobirama far better than even Hashirama did. If he could not predict what Tobirama would want, then nobody else would be able to either.
Expression smoothing out into neutral, Tobirama asked, “Have Madara had a look at this?”
“Not yet.”
“Let’s find him then. If he agrees, we can start work right away.”
“So you agree with this?”
“Yes.”

Tobirama paused, a frown creeping over his face. “How did you know that I would like to have some space to work on my own projects?”
Almost smirking because he had got it right, Tobitsuki instead gave a careful smile. “It was not hard to guess, given how your clan speaks of you. I suppose you would also enjoy a lab, for more involved experiments? I have ideas for underground spaces, and for tunneling into the cliff-face, to create rooms there that could have several purposes. Shelters in case of attack. Store-rooms for emergency supplies. Archives. And laboratories for research and development. Things like that.”

For a fraction of a moment, Tobirama’s expression had been suspicious, then it flattened out into agreement. “Yes, those are good ideas. In fact, I have considered the need for such spaces as well.”
“Excellent. With us both in agreement, it should not be too hard to convince the others.”
Tobitsuki rolled up the scroll. “Now, let us find Madara-sama, so we can get his approval for this.”

⁂

To Tobirama’s surprise, Madara just activated his Sharingan, took one look at the contents of the scroll, then he nodded, eyes turning black again. “Sure. That looks to be sufficient space for the three of us, and then some. I propose we each supply some of the decoration for the common spaces, to make a statement to any future guests. Other than that, I’m sure we’ll be able to agree in time. And it’s not as if we can’t alter things if it later turns out to not suit our needs.”
Tobitsuki nodded. “That’s true. I do have one question though—Would you be fine with me introducing some new technology into our house? Beyond just electrical lights and the water toilet I mean?”

Tobirama and Madara exchanged a quick look. Or rather, Tobirama glanced at Madara’s cheeks, not quite meeting his eyes. The Sharingan was still vivid in his memory after all.

Madara crossed his arms and tapped one finger against his bicep. “I would like a list of what you wish to include, but at this point I am open to the idea.”
Taking the opportunity to hopefully garner some goodwill, Tobirama agreed. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I too would like to see such a list, and perhaps have a demonstration of the various technologies beforehand, if that is possible?”

Nodding and rolling up the scroll, Tobitsuki gave them both a quick smile. “I will prepare the list and set up a demonstration.”

To Tobirama’s surprise, less than three days later, construction had started on their house. He had tried to argue that surely other things had higher priority, but the elders overruled him, stating that since their marriage was the foundation for this peace, getting their home ready so they could move in together had a symbolic value. Given that he could not really refute that, he had to concede the issue.

And no matter how much he dreaded having to live with his husbands, he was not about to risk the still fragile peace by showing his worries openly. No, he had agreed to this. Now he just had to find a way to live with it. Live with them.

⁂

Tobitsuki wandered over to the rickety table where Mito and some of the other Uzumaki they had hired were discussing the sealwork for Konoha’s defenses. He unobtrusively inserted himself in the group, sensing, but not seeing, the moment when they all realized he was there. They were trained too well to show their surprise. Although, there was a tenseness to Mito’s lips betraying her suspicion of him. He could understand that. Mito was fond of the other Tobirama, by dint of his relation to Hashirama, and their common interest in seals. She had not yet learned to trust him. But he hoped she would, given time.

For now, he had something else in mind. Something that might set back her trust a bit, or not, depending on how she took it. He pointed to the central array drawn up on a piece of nearly transparent paper—overlaying a large map of the future Konoha—an approximation of the gigantic seal that would be carved into the floor of the basement below the Administration building, in the secret level below the archives. The sealing array that would serve as a focal point for all the other, smaller, seals. “Should you not layer that? Like the defenses of Uzushio?”
Everyone around the table but him stiffened perceptibly. Mito was the one who asked “What do you know of Uzushio’s defenses?”

Shrugging, like it meant little, he told her “Well, a lot of information has leaked out since its founding. A clever mind, if managing to gain access to all that information, could puzzle together quite a bit of how it works.”
Two of the seal-masters were unsubtle enough to exchange a look, but nobody made any more comments. Though, even if Mito quickly redirected the attention to the plans for Konoha’s array again, Tobi knew that in the back of their minds they were already going over how to completely rework Uzushio’s defenses, probably right from scratch.

Chapter Text

The next eight weeks were filled with meetings, construction work, frantic re-planning when something turned out to not work as intended, and a village sprouting up around them at a frankly astonishing pace. With shinobi to assist with the heavy lifting, and civilians to bolster their numbers for all the other little tasks, things were running just about as smoothly as they could possibly have hoped for.

And in between all this, Hashirama was nearly floating on a cloud. His dream… His village… Or rather, his and Madara’s village… It was becoming a reality. Madara was his friend again! Was his brother-in-law! And not only that, but Hashirama and Mito’s courtship was going so well that Mito had delayed her return to Uzushio twice already. He knew that eventually she would have to go back there, if for nothing else than to explain to her family about the engagement contract and to pack up her things in preparation for the move.

The engagement period would be short—bordering on indecently short for a hime—but Hashirama was increasingly grateful that she had agreed to it. Waiting for them to be wedded was almost painful, and he had already had several close calls when their… ah… exploration of each other had gotten a little out of hand. But he wanted to be respectful, and to do things right. No matter how much Mito pushed his buttons and wiggled in his lap. She was a little minx, and he was very much looking forward to their wedding night. It was bound to be amazing.

⁂

Moving into their new home was a little daunting. Tobirama had selected a few pieces of furniture and artwork to put in the common areas, as his contributions, but the rest of his stuff he placed in his own rooms. The office was spacious, with a sturdy desk in dark wood, and a comfortable cushion to sit on. There were plenty of shelves for his private reading materials, and additional shelves in their shared library. It would take him time to go through all his scrolls and books to sort them, so for now he just left the boxes of sealing scrolls in the corner of his office.

His workroom faced out, towards the back of the house. That would let him spread out into the garden there if he needed more space. The bedroom had a view of the inner garden, with a pond right outside. It was devoid of koi for now, but Tobirama was tempted to procure some, for the splashes of color, and the quiet amusement of feeding them. Perhaps in time. When he had settled in more, and could be sure he had the time to devote to taking care of them.

He threw a glance at the open door a bit further along the engawa. Tobitsuki’s rooms were between his and Madara’s, and Tobirama could not deny that he was curious. The yōkai had been puttering about in there for hours now, small bursts of chakra indicating that he was unsealing things from scrolls every so often. What would a yōkai choose to have in his space?

The curiosity became too great to resist, so Tobirama hurried to the kitchen and brewed a pot of tea, to give himself an excuse. Then he put cups on a tray, along with the pot, and walked out on the engawa, heading straight for the open door.

He paused at the threshold, to be polite, and waited for the yōkai to acknowledge him.

The man, his husband, was bent over a crate, digging out small rectangular containers in what looked almost like porcelain, but not quite. It didn’t sound right either when he stacked them on top of each other. A dull thunk rather than the ring of porcelain on porcelain.

Suddenly, Tobitsuki sat up straight and twisted towards him, a polite smile on his face. “Can I help you, honored husband?”
Tobirama held out the tray. “I thought we could do with a small break, so I made tea. Will you join me?”

Rolling to his feet in a graceful motion, Tobitsuki nodded towards a low table. “Certainly.”
They were both sensors, so Tobitsuki didn’t bother to ask if Madara would join them, probably having already ascertained that the Uchiha was elsewhere in the village at the moment. As far as Tobirama could guess, given his location and the feel of his chakra, Madara was arguing with Izuna about something in what was rapidly becoming the Uchiha district.

Not that the Uchiha were forced to live there. No, it was more… They tended to clump together, picking lots for housing that was nearby other members of their clan. Tobirama could sort of understand that, given that most of the other residential lots still stood empty, despite Tobitsuki’s insistence that they would be filled soon enough. Though, he should probably give it time. The village had only been under actual construction for a few months now, and surely the other clans were waiting to see how this project progressed before they approached them. And it needed to be that way around, to avoid handing away too much power during later negotiations. He would just have to wait and see. Patience was a virtue after all. Although, one that Tobirama had struggled to learn.

To distract himself from his own line of thinking, he poured tea for Tobitsuki, then himself. As he lifted the cup, he glanced around the room one more time. It was not quite how he had imagined it. No flowing draperies or piles of decadent cushions. No, it was… utilitarian. In fact, it was in many ways similar to his own rooms.

“Have you satisfied your curiosity?” The slight smirk and the amusement in the tone told Tobirama that Tobitsuki was not annoyed at the scrutiny he had given the room, but he himself was a tiny bit embarrassed that he had been so obvious about it. Still, he just gave a quick nod and sipped his tea. No point in denying it. That would only lead to further embarrassment down the line.

Grabbing the first subject on his mind—the other clans Tobitsuki insisted would wish to join them—since that had been running through his head already, he put his cup down carefully and asked, “How soon do you expect any overtures of inclusion to be directed our way? And who do you expect will reach out first?”

Placing his own cup on the table, Tobitsuki then leaned back on his arms, tilting his head to look up at the ceiling. “I suspect the first ones to reach out might be the Aburame. Their lands have suffered drought ever since the Shimura had a fight with the Akimichi in the mountains and triggered a landslide that redirected the main river into the Aburame lands to a new course. They tried to dig the river out again, but apparently it had disappeared underground.”

Tobirama had heard the rumors of drought, but not the cause of it. The fact that Tobitsuki seemed to know more than their own spies… How? Something to dig into later. When Tobitsuki’s defenses weren’t directed that way.

Still, it was a good guess. One he too had made. But he couldn’t resist prodding. “And the Yamanaka?”
“They won’t move until the Akimichi and the Nara does. Same with the Sarutobi and the Shimura. In fact, if any of those five clans make a move, the other four are likely to follow suit, like dominoes.”

That too was the same assessment as Tobirama had made. Though he had put the Shimura and Sarutobi as slightly more likely to join first than any of the other three clans, or the Aburame. The drought had been a problem, yes, but given that he had not known it was an issue without any apparent resolution… He had assumed they would try to stick it out for at least another year, since the Aburame had put a lot of effort into their orchards.

...could those be moved? Could they, if the Akimichi joined soon, have them simply carry the fruit trees to plant them in Konoha soil? Or… could they simply seal the trees away and transport them that way? It would create an immediate boost to Konoha’s food production potential. Without thinking, Tobirama shuffled over to the desk nearby and grabbed a brush and a clean sheet of paper, starting to scribble down the idea before it was lost.

Moments later, his cup of tea was placed on the desk where he would not accidentally tip it over, and he distantly was aware that Tobitsuki had gone back to sorting the not-porcelain containers. It wasn’t until nearly half an hour later that he suddenly jerked his head up and stared at his husband. Tobitsuki had made no comment, just quietly accommodated his work. Had even let him use his own supplies without making a comment about it.

Why? A large part of him wanted to think it was kindness, an attempt at putting him at ease, to make their lives together more harmonious. But that feeling alone ratcheted his paranoia up, his shinobi instincts not prepared to trust something like that just yet. No, until he knew more of what his honored husband was planning, trust was a rare commodity.

Still, his cup of tea was empty. Perhaps that said more than Tobirama was quite prepared to admit to himself just yet?

⁂

Kurama and Shukaku stood inside the doorway of the small house they had been given to live in. It was one of the ones Tobitsuki, with the assistance of a few of the Uzumaki, had moved whole from the Uchiha’s old settlement. Previously it had belonged to an old widow, but now, with larger houses built, her daughter had insisted she live with them. Which had left this house unoccupied.

And Kurama frankly had no idea what to do with it. She had been sleeping in hollows underneath bushes, or up in the branches of trees. Well, the few times she had bothered to sleep at all that was. Yet, now she was probably expected to have a futon to sleep on. And furniture! What even did humans do with all those things?

Shukaku quickly dragged his futon into a corner, arranging it into a nest. Kurama attempted to do the same, but after just one night sleeping in it, she gave up and moved the futon back to the middle of the floor. This body wanted to shift and move, to stretch while she slept. Perhaps accepting that the humans knew better than her what a human body might need would make it easier on herself?

Still, she piled her futon high with pillows and blankets that she scavenged or purchased for gems and gold. It just felt better that way.

⁂

Given this chance to do things over, Tobitsuki had made some subtle changes to the layout and blueprints of the various official buildings, to fix things that had been inefficient or had annoyed him in the past. Moving certain offices, creating new pathways for more efficient travel through the building, an additional staircase, more space underground for secret offices, and a large auditorium for mandatory lessons or meetings where the topic could benefit from a large screen to display things on.

He wasn’t quite there yet that he had designed a projector that could be crafted by civilians with sufficient skill, but it was among his sketches somewhere. And when he had that done, he wanted one in every classroom in the Academy and one in every meeting room in the Administration. So many things could have gone differently if they had the ability to show things in motion, rather than as a series of quick sketches or poorly drawn pictures.

For all that he had insisted that he didn’t want administrative duties, Tobitsuki had a finger in just about every project in the budding village, sneakily making adjustments or whispering suggestions in the right ears. It helped that he could run fifteen clones around at any given day, giving him more reach and time to get things done. As long as he made sure that none of them were within line of sight of each other he was fine. Probably. Nobody had asked any questions yet, if he was to use that as a measurement at least. And if someone wondered, they were keeping it to themselves for now.

⁂

Since his brother’s wedding, Izuna had been keeping an eye on Madara. Well, more of one than he had done before, if he was honest.

So far he had not started to act any differently than before, and was still his blustering self, moving from project to project in the budding village, assisting where he could. His two husbands appeared to do the same. In fact, while Tobirama could often be found close to or in the lot that was becoming the Administration building, his nose in some scroll or pointing and explaining to workers some technique or other, Tobitsuki was spotted all over, oftentimes interrupting workers to give them an easier or safer way to do something.

Izuna was unable to keep up with him. Even just trying was exhausting. He had thought Tobirama was fast, but Tobitsuki moved around as if distance hardly mattered, here one moment, and across the village the next. And he never looked tired. Ever. Izuna himself was starting to feel worn out simply trying to keep track of his movements.

And the worst part was that so far there had been nothing that looked like the beginnings of a betrayal or even sabotage. Quite the opposite. A lot of the things Tobitsuki suggested would make it easier to detect meddling and intentional errors. Izuna wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

⁂

"Educating the population is key to avoiding corruption and reducing the chance that someone can manipulate them. You might also want to make it hard for someone to change the curriculum and teaching standards, because that is the first thing they will want to attack if they are playing a long game."

Tōka listened to her cousin-in-law as he was talking to Hashirama and Madara, pointing to numbered items on a list he had unrolled on a hastily constructed Mokuton table. Tobirama was seated on a folding chair a little to the side, ostensibly writing something, but she had known him all his life, and she could tell that most of his attention was on his otherworldly husband, even to the point of nodding minutely at a few of the comments the yōkai made.

It was truly eerie how similar the two of them were. Even Tobitsuki’s speech patterns and mannerisms mimicked Tobirama’s. It set off alarm-bells in Tōka's mind all the time, and yet, so far nothing indicated that the yōkai wanted to harm Tobirama. Rather the opposite, if she was to believe what she heard. How Tobitsuki had improved upon the plans for the village’s defenses, how he had created protocols to detect infiltration, how he had nudged the sealmasters into plugging holes in the array that even they had not spotted before they were pointed out to them. The village wasn’t complete yet, but she could already tell that it would be an impressive fortress of shinobi ingenuity.

And a lot of that was thanks to the yōkai. Why? What was it planning? And who was it planning it for?

⁂

He would not normally have spoken so unguarded, but the only one present was Hikaku, his cousin, and unofficial assistant since they were both children. “I can’t wait for this village to be complete enough that we get some oiran and kagema moving in.”
Hikaku made a small hum, bent over his work as he was, but then he looked up. “You would risk the yōkai's wrath like that?”

Madara’s brush froze where it had been about to touch the scroll. Wrath? … Oh! “I… There was nothing in the marriage contract about fidelity!” He realized he sounded defensive, and curbed that feeling. But even as he had said it, he knew Hikaku was right. Perhaps there was nothing in the contract because the yōkai, the real demon, had taken it for granted, not even considering the possibility that the humans would be stupid enough to cheat on it.

He briefly entertained the idea of tricking Senju Tobirama into doing it, to test the waters, but… No, he would see through the plot easily. Besides, did he even have such basic needs? He always came across as so cold and unfeeling. Didn’t appear to have a drop of passion in that pale body.

Did Tobitsuki? Yōkai were as varied as humans, but a lot of them were known to be passionate. It might be worth asking. If he could gather up courage to approach his non-human spouse about such a subject.

It took him a whole week to do. He told himself it was because he was too busy to bother with such mundane things, but… deep down he knew the truth. His spouse intimidated him. There was just something so imposing about the yōkai. Madara nearly scoffed. Of course there would be. It was a demon. Besides, who knew how old that thing was. It certainly acted far more mature than it looked. Though, on the topic of looks… What did it look like naked? Did it even have a human… uh... dick? Or was there something else there?

The more Madara thought about this, the more he found himself eager to find out. And in the end that was what pushed him to approach Tobitsuki. “Honored husband, we have now been married for months, and… I find myself curious. Should we not consummate this marriage?”

⁂

The thought that Madara might want to have sex with him had not even crossed Tobitsuki’s mind. The marriage was one for political reasons. Intimacy had not been a part of the deal. However, thinking about it, he could possibly see why Madara might ask. If any of the partners in this marriage was seen to seek relief elsewhere, that could potentially cause a scandal. Especially if someone against this peace between the Senju and the Uchiha caught wind of it. There were many ways information could be twisted after all.

Knowing himself, Tobirama would probably have thought along those lines already. However, as the second heir, with his unfortunate coloring, and being raised during a war when trust was a rare commodity, Tobirama had never really dabbled in such things until after Konoha was built. It was highly likely that he was still innocent, for a given value of innocence.

Though, could Tobitsuki have sex with Tobirama? Technically they were not related, but mentally… they were more or less the same person, give or take a few decades of experience. Would it count as masturbation? … Would it be any different than those few times he had used clones to satisfy his need for comfort? Probably not.

There was also the added incentive that physical closeness could eventually lead to emotional closeness, and that could surely only serve to help keep Madara sane. Yes, opening the path for Madara to seek out either him or Tobirama for release could ease the way for the trust between them to grow. And Tobitsuki knew he would need that trust down the line.

Resisting the impulse to pinch the bridge of his nose, Tobitsuki took a calming breath. “You are right. We cannot be seen to seek company elsewhere, as some might exploit that to our detriment. I will speak with Tobirama-san. When do you think the best time for it would be?”

⁂

Madara wanted to protest, to say that he didn’t want the Senju there, but… A tiny part of him, a petty part, inserted the thought in his mind that ‘wouldn’t it be ever so satisfying to fuck the Senju heir into submission? To make him moan underneath Madara? To have him begging for Madara’s cock?’

The thought was indeed interesting, and so he held back his initial reaction, instead offering up “Perhaps this evening? There is nothing scheduled after dinner.”
Giving a brief nod, the demon husband spun on his feet, heading towards where Madara could sense Tobirama. Their third husband was probably bent over a desk as usual, scribbling away on his schematics and lists.

Suddenly Madara wanted to see his reaction to the suggestion, so he hurried to follow Tobitsuki.

⁂

“You want to do what?” Tobirama couldn’t quite believe what he had heard. He glanced at Madara, but the Uchiha’s expression was neutral. Excessively so. Which probably meant that he was struggling to not laugh or something. Was this a joke? But Tobitsuki’s expression suggested no.

“Our esteemed husband has pointed out something I failed to take into consideration—none of us can be seen to seek pleasures in the arms of someone else. The marriage is already controversial enough as it is. Giving potential enemies possible blackmail material on a silver platter is not only foolish, but could risk everything we are trying to build here. No, the best thing would be if we can find an arrangement that satisfies our needs within this trinity.”

Tobirama nodded slowly. Yes, it made sense. It just was… not something he had considered either. Not something that had been high on his list of priorities given everything that was going on. His hand had always been enough to get him the occasional relief when his body demanded it, or after particularly stressful times when he had trouble falling asleep.

The thought of sharing this intimacy with someone else—with his husbands—was both incredibly daunting, and a little tantalizing. To finally get a chance to learn what so many others had spoken about—raved about in many cases—yes, he was curious, and so he nodded. “Okay. When?”

⁂

It had been decided that they would use Madara’s bedroom for their activities. Dinner had been light, and they had then retreated each to their rooms to prepare for what the evening might bring.

Tobitsuki had, after checking himself over and washing up, changed into a thin pale lavender yukata. Tobirama had, presumably after doing something similar, changed into a pale blue yukata. Madara, who had remained in the garden while they prepared themselves, had made no such concessions, instead opting to just throw off his clothes almost as soon as the door to his bedroom had closed behind them. Eyeing him with hidden curiosity, Tobitsuki observed Madara’s muscles flex as he bent to undo the wraps around his ankles. The Uchiha didn’t look like he had gone hungry even once in his life, body wide and sturdy, a thin layer of fat softening what could otherwise have been a very hard appearance.

When he dropped his pants, it was clear that his legs were similarly muscled and thick. Despite his long fingers, Tobitsuki didn’t think he would be able to wrap them around those thighs. No, strike that, he was sure he couldn’t.

Even Madara’s cock, half-hard as it was, appeared to follow the same theme, being thicker than average. And upon seeing that, Tobitsuki made up his mind about how things should progress.

Placing the jar of lube he had brought with him next to the unrolled futon, he started to bunch up the rest of the bedding at the head-end, creating a low backrest for Tobirama. Upon the noise of inquiry from Madara, he turned and gave him a crooked smile, nodding towards Tobirama. “He is inexperienced in these things. I do not intend to rush it.”

⁂

Madara noticed that the implication that Madara was not, while not voiced, still registered with Tobirama, who gave him a curious look. “I would have thought the Uchiha were more worried about bloodline thieves than the Senju are.”
A little embarrassed, Madara crossed his arms. “I slept with men. They cannot become pregnant.”
“Ah.” The little noise was innocent enough, but it grated across Madara’s nerves as if Tobirama had insulted him.

Before he could bristle and say something that would undoubtedly ruin the mood, Tobitsuki pointed towards the futon and spoke to Tobirama. “Lie down on your back. My horns might get in the way if you are sitting upright for this.”
Tobirama hesitated a fraction of a moment too long to avoid revealing his uncertainty, but complied. Then his eyes widened when Tobitsuki kneeled between his legs, far enough back that it was obvious what he intended to do. Tobirama didn’t stop him when he carefully pulled the blue yukata open, exposing the still soft cock. It did however twitch under the attention, and quickly started to fill once Tobitsuki brushed a finger along the length, eliciting a shiver down Tobirama’s chest and abdomen, as well as a soft noise from those parted lips. Like this, Tobirama was a vision.

“I’m going to use my tongue and mouth to pleasure you. Are you okay with that?”
There was another noise that sounded halfway choked, but then Tobirama managed in an impressively even tone, despite being clearly breathless, “Go ahead.”

⁂

Madara watched avidly as his demon husband started to run his hands over Tobirama’s thighs, mouthing gently against the soft skin there, before slowly inching towards the by now flushed cock that stretched up across the lower parts of Tobirama’s belly. Eyes itching to activate the Sharingan, Madara eventually gave in. He wanted—no, needed—to remember this.

As Tobitsuki pressed soft kisses up along the stretched skin of Tobirama’s cock, noises that Madara could never have imagined coming from the cold and reticent White Demon sounded throughout the bedroom. Small gasps, hitched breaths, low moans—they all went straight to Madara’s libido. As did the sight of the way Tobirama’s fingers curled into the futon, or the way his thighs started to tremble as he spread them to give Tobitsuki better room to play with his balls.

Those red eyes were slitted, not in anger for once, but in pleasure. Then they closed completely and Tobirama’s mouth opened wide in a silent scream as Tobitsuki’s mouth slid down along the whole length of his dick. The musky scent of arousal spread through the room, making him inhale through his nose, savoring it.

Madara’s erection was straining nearly painfully by now, and the way Tobitsuki’s ass was raised up like that… It was almost an invitation. One Madara could not resist. He nudged Tobitsuki’s legs apart and knelt between them, grabbing that round ass through the cloth, massaging it, marveling at how firm it was.

When no protest was voiced, he took it a bit further, pulling the hem of the yukata up, bunching the fabric over the small of Tobitsuki’s back, allowing him an unimpeded view of all that pale flesh. All that smooth flesh. No hair in sight. It was such an unusual thing that Madara kept stroking it, then pulled the cheeks apart to check further in. The temptation to lick, and taste, was nearly overwhelming.

Suddenly, with a wet pop, Tobitsuki pulled off Tobirama’s cock and spoke over his shoulder, “If you intend to fuck me, you better make sure you prepare me properly first, or it will be a long time before I let you do it again.”

That sounded very much like permission, and coupled with the way Tobitsuki wiggled his ass a bit, almost as if asking him to get on with it, well, Madara didn’t need to be told twice. He snatched up the jar of lube, popping the lid off with one hand before slathering two of his fingers liberally, using a quick flash of chakra to warm it to body-temperature.

Smearing it over that puckered hole, he then started to massage the muscle, feeling it relax a bit. Enough that he could slip in one finger easily, and quickly add another. Scissoring his fingers, stretching the rim, Madara was so focused on what he was doing that the soft cry from Tobirama had him nearly jump. Only his extensive training kept him from leaping back and potentially harming his demon husband.

With his attention on Tobirama again, he could tell that the young man was getting close. He was torn between keeping his eyes on what his fingers were occupied with, even now curling and flexing to coax that ring of muscle into giving way, and paying attention to the expressions twisting up the Senju’s face as his body trembled and shook. In the end, he chose to watch Tobirama.

Seeing the usually so stoic young man come apart… There was something incredibly satisfying about it, even if Madara himself was not the one bringing the other man to those heights of pleasure. He vowed that he would make sure to do that the first chance he got, just to see that expression again, and to hear those stuttering breaths and that almost whimpered moan as Tobirama arched up from the futon, his entire body straining with release.

Eager to find his own release, Madara checked Tobitsuki’s hole a final time, then he scooped up more lube, smearing it over his own dick. He positioned himself, ready to push in. Self-preservation instinct had him ask though, “Ready?”
The hissed “Yes!”, just as Tobitsuki pushed back against him, was enough of a confirmation. Slowly Madara pushed the head of his cock past the ring of muscle, immediately feeling the velvety heat grip him. After the visual feast he had just had, and given the length of time since he last did this, he knew he would not last long, so he immediately angled his hips hoping to hit that spot inside that would usually make his partners tremble and moan.

Fortunately Tobitsuki’s anatomy proved similar enough, as his partner made the most delicious noises to express his pleasure. Setting a fast pace, slamming into that perfectly smooth ass over and over, gripping those pale hips hard enough that he was sure to leave fingermarks, Madara chased his pleasure. Then he felt eyes on him. Tobirama was staring, eyes wide, and lips slightly parted. His focus switched back and forth between Madara and Tobitsuki, expression growing hungry.

Suddenly he scooted downwards, and, leaning on one elbow, he wrapped the other hand around Tobitsuki’s head, grabbing one of the horns, angling the yōkai's head to capture those lips in a searing kiss.

Ideas of having Tobitsuki fucking Tobirama while Madara fucked Tobitsuki flashed through Madara’s mind, and that proved his undoing. Quickly he reached around to grab Tobitsuki’s dick, but found Tobirama’s hand there already. Together they stroked for a few moments, enough that he got a feel for just how long Tobitsuki was, but then Madara just let go. In more ways than one. His orgasm washed over him, so intense that spots danced before his eyes and he forgot how to breathe for a moment.

Then Tobitsuki’s ass clenched around him, and he nearly doubled over as a fresh wave of pleasure hit him. He heard a moan, but didn’t know if it was Tobitsuki or himself who made the noise.

It took an immense effort to plant his hands on the futon on each side of Tobitsuki and not simply collapse on top of his back. His dick was still twitching, and so was Tobitsuki’s hole. It was bordering on torture, feeling so intense, so he pulled out as carefully as he could.

The moment he was free, Tobitsuki collapsed sideways, to lie beside Tobirama. It was as good a plan as any, so Madara decided to follow it, collapsing to the other side, so that they had Tobirama between them.

After that he only had brief memories of a whispered conversation, and someone touching his cock with a wet cloth. The blanket and pillow was adjusted, and someone’s warm body was beside him, so he curled around it. Then Madara was out like a light.

Chapter Text

When he woke up, Madara spent a moment lying very still. His left arm was wrapped around a warm yukata-clad body, the other one pinned between them. The warm scent of skin, and something more musky lingered in the air. The memories from the previous evening flooded back in. They had… consummated the marriage. They had fucked. He had fucked his yōkai husband. And it had been glorious.

Just the thought alone had his morning wood twitching. Then he remembered the sight of Tobirama as he came undone. Oh… Now he would need to deal with it. It wasn’t going away by itself. Unless…

He opened his eyes. Tobitsuki was the one he had his arm around, but he could see Tobirama’s hair, and the edge of his face where it was just visible beyond Tobitsuki’s chin. Tobirama was clearly resting his head in the crock of Tobitsuki’s neck.

Slowly, Madara pushed himself up on one arm and took in the sight. It was like something out of one of his teenage fantasies. They really did look almost like twins. The apparent trust implied in how closely they were snuggled together only heightened that impression.

Madara’s cock twitched again.

Then Tobitsuki opened his eyes, and a slow smirk curled his lips. “Good morning, husband.” Giving him a slow nod and a smirk, Madara replied, “It is a good morning, isn’t it? Although, there is something that could make it an even better morning…” Madara threw a glance down into his own lap, directing Tobitsuki’s eyes there. Those pale pink lips curled further up into a lascivious grin, lavender eyes narrowing in mirth.
“Is there now? Well, let’s see if I can figure out how. You might want to lie down though.”

At Madara’s questioning look, Tobitsuki pointed towards his head. “Horns. Not awfully practical for blowjobs at certain angles.”

Madara let himself fall back onto the bed, agreeing with that assessment. He was already naked, so when Tobitsuki pushed the blanket away there was nothing blocking his access. His yōkai husband moved himself into a better position before starting to play with Madara’s cock, giving it small kitten-licks and soft kisses.

By now, Tobirama was awake and interested in the proceedings, leaning on his elbow. The other hand disappeared underneath the blanket still covering him, and Madara spoke without thinking, “Push the blanket away. I want to see.”

To his surprise, Tobirama obeyed, revealing the way the pale yukata he wore was only barely closed, displaying that pale chest and hard cock. Then Tobirama took himself in hand again, stroking slowly as he watched Tobitsuki give Madara a lazy morning blowjob.

The afterglow was cut short when Tobitsuki straightened up and Madara got an eyeful of what Tobitsuki’s cock truly looked like. Reaching up past his belly button, it was impressive, and Madara had a brief moment of envy for Tobirama, who would likely get a chance to take that whole length. However, past experience had taught Madara that he just was not cut out for bottoming. A single brush of a finger against his prostate had him cumming right away, making anything beyond that simply unbearably intense. No, the only way he was taking that cock, was in his mouth. But he was eager to give it a try. And Tobitsuki was not hard to persuade to let him.

⁂

When he arrived at the nearly complete Administration building and ran straight into Tōka, Tobirama nearly turned tail and fled. Unfortunately she had spotted him, and something in his body-language or facial expression must have clued her in, because she came right up to him and studied him carefully. Then she cackled.

In a show of uncommon restraint, she didn’t make any comment, but Tobirama felt reasonably sure that she knew just what he had been doing that morning. Well, not exactly, but in general terms. Which was mortifying enough.

He made sure to have lots of things to do far away from anywhere Tōka was likely to be for the rest of the day.

⁂

Tobitsuki had decided to let Tobirama and Madara set the pace for how fast or slow they wanted to evolve their physical relationship. To his surprise, it was Tobirama who approached him first, hesitantly asking if he could teach him more. The implication about just what it was he wanted to try was fairly obvious.

It was clear that Tobirama was more comfortable with him, but it was also clear that he didn’t exactly mind Madara’s presence. No, it was probably something to do with Tobitsuki projecting more experience and patience. Maybe? Or possibly some part of Tobirama realized on a subconscious level that he and Tobitsuki were the same, so he had more faith in Tobitsuki understanding exactly what Tobirama would enjoy?

Whatever it was, in the spirit of keeping Madara from feeling excluded, all three of them found themselves in Madara’s room again just two days after the first time, and this time Tobitsuki was the one doing the preparing, two henged fingers—to avoid his claws causing damage—pushed deep inside Tobirama who was kneeling on the futon, fingers curled around the pillow.

He could feel Madara’s Sharingan burning against his skin, but the lewdness of his own actions took the sting out of it. No, rather than fear, he felt a bit amused. That Madara would use his clan’s revered dōjutsu for something so perverted as memorizing his husband’s asshole being stretched… Yeah, amusement was the best way to describe how Tobitsuki felt about it.

⁂

Having seen Tobitsuki’s expression when Madara fucked him, Tobirama had expected it to feel good. Had perhaps also expected some pain, given his own fumbling attempts with his fingers earlier in his life, but Tobitsuki was slow, methodical, and seemed to know exactly what he was doing and how fast he could go.

By the time that long smooth cock pushed into him, there was just a mild burn, something utterly negligible. No, he was far more focused on the way it felt to be stretched, and the way the cock moved inside him, almost undulating. It felt like it was curling up, putting pressure on several points, gliding across his prostate in a smooth motion that took his breath away. The feeling of Tobitsuki’s hand caressing his back and neck was grounding in a way he would have never expected.

It didn’t take long before pleasure was coiling in his belly in time with how the cock felt like it was coiling inside him. Tobirama’s fingers and toes dug into the futon, and he was half tempted to bite the pillow to keep his own moans silent. But Tobitsuki was whispering encouragements—sounding very breathless, and Tobirama swore that the yōkai's voice had dropped at least two octaves—so he resisted the temptation, letting the noises ring out in the room.

Madara appeared to appreciate it as well, kneeling just off to the side, slowly stroking his own cock. Glancing at it out of the corner of his eyes, Tobirama could see it glisten with precum, head peeking out of the foreskin every time Madara’s hand moved towards his balls, only for the soft skin to be pulled back over when the hand came back up. It was a strangely mouthwatering sight, and Tobirama was nearly tempted to ask to taste it.

Then Tobitsuki pushed back inside him, and that thought vanished in a haze of pleasure.

⁂

Tobitsuki came with a moan. Tobirama was leaning forward on his arms, breathing hard, having had his orgasm already. It was such a delicious sight, and Madara couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Can I finish inside you?”

Back still heaving, Tobirama pushed up enough that he could look over his shoulder at Madara. Then he just gave a short nod, before collapsing forward on his arms again.

With permission given, Tobitsuki pulled out and held out the jar of lube to Madara. He was quick to slather some over his cock, knowing that he was close already. Then he and Tobitsuki switched places, and he nudged that puffed up ring with the head of his cock.

Sliding inside was heavenly, and he had to pause several times to avoid cumming too soon. Even so, once he was fully sheathed, he pulled back, only to slam back inside. Once. Twice. Three times. And on the fourth his balls drew up. He managed a fifth time, and then he was shooting his load inside Tobirama, his cum mingling with Tobitsuki’s. The thought of that was heady, adding an edge to the pleasure.

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Madara ran his hand up along Tobirama’s back in a caress similar to the one Tobitsuki had done earlier. Then he blurted out, “Damn, you are beautiful.”

A confused noise sounded from somewhere down in the pillow, and, a little embarrassed about what he’d said, Madara carefully pulled out.

Then his Sharingan activated nearly by themselves, memorizing the look of Tobirama’s stretched asshole as some cum trickled out of it. Madara brushed his thumb over it, watching the muscles flutter.

His dazed state was interrupted by Tobitsuki nudging his shoulder against Madara’s, holding out a soft, moist cloth. “Let’s clean up and get some sleep.”

It didn’t even occur to him until they were all tucked under the blanket that neither Tobirama nor Tobitsuki had gone back to their own rooms. By then he felt it would be weird to point it out, so Madara kept his mouth shut.

⁂

Half asleep, mind still a little groggy, Tobitsuki grabbed a black shirt, one that looked familiar. It wasn’t until he tried to pull it on and it snagged on his horns that he realized that he had taken Tobirama’s shirt. Hurriedly he pulled it off, glancing towards the bed to make sure none of his husbands had noticed. With how intelligent they both were the last thing he wanted was to provide them with clues they might eventually puzzle together into a correct picture.

⁂

His little brother had been behaving a bit strange all day. Hashirama was sure he had seen a blush staining those red-lined cheeks at one point. Then there was the snickering Tōka was doing. It painted a picture Hashirama didn’t really want to think about. Tobirama was married now, yes, but he was still Hashirama’s little brother, and the thought that any of Tobirama’s husbands had done that with Tobirama…

If Hashirama happened to glare a bit at both Madara and Tobitsuki that day, it was only understandable.

Madara had glared back, but there was a strange blush on his cheeks as he did so, all but confirming for Hashirama which one of them was the culprit.

Except, Tobitsuki had raised an eyebrow almost challengingly, throwing Hashirama’s certainty for a loop. Had he misunderstood? Or… Surely not both of them?

Hashirama stomped over to the Academy grounds, to confront Tobirama and ask for the truth. Except, when he got there, Tobitsuki was there, holding out a bento box for Tobirama.

A little confused, Hashirama looked back in the direction he had just come from. Tobitsuki had just been over by where they were constructing the water distribution station. How had he gotten here so fast?

Also, the sight of him so obviously caring for Tobirama had effectively drawn the wind out of Hashirama’s sails. Tobirama did not look unhappy. Far from it. In fact, there was a soft, shy smile as he thanked Tobitsuki for his lunch. When was the last time Hashirama had seen such a smile on Tobirama’s face? He couldn’t remember.

Heaving a sigh, he decided that he would not interfere. Not as long as Tobirama looked happy.

⁂

Tajima could tell that something had changed for Madara, but he wasn’t sure what. His eldest son appeared more calm and relaxed, at times almost smug, and while he still came to visit with them frequently, he no longer lingered as the evening drew to a close. No, if Tajima was to hazard a guess, he would say that Madara had reached some kind of agreement with his husbands that made his life at home more bearable.

Sora agreed with Tajima’s assessment, but Izuna would not discuss it, leaving Tajima to suspect Izuna knew more than he was letting on. And whatever it was, it had twin spots of color appearing high on his youngest son’s cheeks.

It did suggest that maybe the agreement Madara had found with his husbands was sexual in nature. If it was, then Tajima wholeheartedly approved. Madara was smart enough to realize that they could not afford a scandal, but he might have been arrogant enough to think that he could contain it if he didn’t have an outlet at home. Now that was, hopefully, no longer a risk.

⁂

The betting pool regarding what type of yōkai Tobitsuki might be, had grown, and inevitably word of it reached Tobirama. Unfortunately for Madara, he was with him when that happened.

With a thoughtful expression, Tobirama announced, “I think he might be a jorōgumo.”
“A spider yōkai?!” Madara looked a little green. “You mean to tell me I fucked a spider?!”
Tobirama gave him a judgmental look.

It was the end of that discussion. At least until Tobirama brought the betting pool up later on, when Tobitsuki was there, as well as Izuna and Hashirama. And from Hashirama’s evasive body-language, Madara could already guess that the Senju clan head had money riding on one of the suggested alternatives.

Clearly Tobirama knew his brother well, because he shot him a judgmental look. “Really, anija? You are placing bets on my husband’s species?”
“Well, you see, that’s… ah… good optics? To be partaking in… ah, a bit of harmless fun? Right?” Hashirama squirmed almost like a child caught doing something it had been expressly forbidden from. Then he perked up as soon as Izuna started speaking, drawing attention away from him.

“Well, with Tobitsuki-san here, we can settle this once and for all. What kind of yōkai are you?”
Madara could have smacked his brother for being so blunt, but Tobitsuki just smirked.
“What makes you so sure that I’m a yōkai? I could be something entirely different you know.”
“Uhu, suuure. With horns and that uncanny ability of yours to dart around from one place to another without anyone seeing you move? Try again.”
“No, really, why are you assuming that I have to be a yōkai?”

Izuna gave him a flat look, clearly not impressed with Tobitsuki’s evasiveness. Then his expression turned smug. “I put my money on you being a kappa.”

The goal had clearly been to antagonize Tobitsuki into revealing something, but equally clearly it had failed when all he did was reply with an amused smirk, “Well, if I was a kappa, then your scrawny ass would be safe from me.”
Izuna wrinkled his nose. “My ass is not scrawny!”
“Compared to Madara’s juicy ass, yours is as flat as a lake.”
“Ew, ew, ew! I do not want to know what you are doing to my brother!”

Madara sighed, trying to cover for his embarrassment over having his ass described as juicy. “Izuna, drop it. You don’t want to ruin the bets for everyone else, do you?”
Hashirama nodded eagerly. “Yes, let us find another topic. Please?”

Tobirama came to the rescue, a little flustered himself. “There was an Aburame chakra signature in the forest earlier today. I believe they are closer to making a decision. Perhaps we will hear from them soon?”

Eagerly jumping on the information offered, Hashirama nodded. “That would be wonderful. I’m sure as soon as one clan joins, others will follow quickly. And then in no time at all we will have a huge village teeming with people.”

The discussion moved to which clans they hoped would ask on their own initiative to join, and which ones they thought they might need to subtly tempt in order to bring in, and then which clans they were reluctant to see join at all. The Uchiha sneered at the thought of getting the Hyūga there, but Tobitsuki insisted they would be a valuable addition. Especially if they could just be educated a bit on the dangers of certain types of seals, and possible alternatives.

Madara exchanged a look with Izuna. Yet another example of Tobitsuki appearing to have knowledge beyond what their own spies had been able to ferret out.

Suddenly Tobirama’s idea that Tobitsuki was a jorōgumo didn’t seem so far-fetched after all, and Madara hid a grimace. Damn, how could he fuck Tobitsuki with that idea in his head?

It turned out to be quite easy to forget once he saw his husband naked again that evening. It wasn’t until he laid there, sated and drowsy, that his mind dug the idea back out again. With a small groan he pushed the thought away. If, and that was a huge if, Tobitsuki was a jorōgumo, then he was a very attractive one, with skills in bed that blew Madara’s mind. And if his dick had no issues with it, then his brain could take a hike. Madara was not about to ruin this by overthinking it.

⁂

“What are the buildings you have drawn up in this area? Shouldn’t it be farmland?” Tobirama pointed to an area close to where the Hatake clan had lived in the other timeline. They had not heard from them yet, but Tobitsuki still held out hope. They had been late to join the first time around as well, preferring to observe before committing.
“It is farmland. Those buildings are greenhouses. Five story greenhouses.”

Tobirama frowned, clearly thinking it over. Then he looked up, and it spoke volumes about how far they had gotten that his question was not disparaging, but rather a curious, “How will the plants get enough sunlight?”
Pulling out a different scroll, handing it over to his husband, Tobitsuki told him, “Eventually I plan to utilize electricity and special light-bulbs, but for the time being I figured out a system with mirrors, string, a motor, and a timer, to ensure that we can get the most out of the daylight hours. In combination with the heat from the hot-springs, which I was planning to pipe in, we should be able to rotate crops throughout the whole year.”

Tobirama just nodded, mumbling something about placing an onsen nearby to perhaps use the heat twice, but he was already lost to the blueprints again. Tobitsuki pushed the plate with sliced fruit closer, to make sure his husband had at least some of it for lunch.

Then he caught Hashirama giving him a curious look, and he quickly made himself scarce. There were so many things yet to do before Konoha could be considered complete enough for him to depart for longer stretches of time, though most of the Senju and Uchiha had by now made the move.

⁂

Madara pushed the letter over to Izuna. “He’ll be unbearably smug about it.” The younger Uchiha brother frowned. “Who?”
“Tobitsuki. He predicted the Aburame would contact us first. And they did. By four hours.” He pushed another letter over. “This is from the Sarutobi. They are less direct about it, but their interest shines through nonetheless.”
“Aa, well… He’s your husband. I’m sure you can find ways to distract him.”

Immediately after saying it, Izuna wrinkled his nose, appearing to just realize exactly what distracting Tobitsuki might entail. He lifted the last letter up, ostensibly to read through it, but Madara suspected he was hiding his face behind it so as to not show his blush. His brother was far more innocent than he liked for people to know.

And that might not change anytime soon. For all that Izuna had been trailing after Kurama like a puppy for over a month now, Madara didn’t think the kitsune had allowed so much as a kiss. No, she was having far too much fun stringing his brother along.

He had asked Tobitsuki about it, worried for Izuna, but his husband had just shrugged. “She was prepared to marry you. I doubt she would bother to give Izuna the time of the day if she isn’t at least curious about him. And if he can keep her curious…”

Madara had passed along the advice. “She’s a kitsune. They are notoriously curious creatures. So don’t be an open book. Let her have to dig a bit. Dangle mysteries in front of her, and see if she bites.”
He only hoped she would not do that literally. He had seen how sharp her teeth were.

Oh well, he didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to criticizing Izuna’s taste. He had married Tobitsuki after all—someone who may or may not be a spider yōkai.

⁂

With their move to the new house in the new village, Kagami had plenty of new spaces to explore. He and Kameko-chan had quickly created a small nook in the garden of the new house where she lived with her parents, and there they gathered all the supplies they had scavenged to use for pranks.

Shukaku was currently surveying what they had, making small comments, and poking at things, explaining how they could be used in various ways. Kagami and Kameko listened attentively. They had a test coming up, and it involved setting a trap for one of the elders, so that they could raid his kitchen for sweets.

It had turned into a silent game with no real losers—Shukaku’s students versus the Uchiha elders, allowing the elders to impart lessons in subtle, nonlethal ways, and letting them have the children work for any treat they gained.

⁂

Tobitsuki’s constant referral to the village as Konoha, short for Konohagakure, finally stuck, and was made official. Madara had nodded, and said he liked it. Tobitsuki could not stop himself from huffing in amusement. “You would approve, wouldn’t you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”

Since he could not say that it had originally been Madara’s idea, Tobitsuki diverted attention with an implication. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that half of all the books and scrolls you contributed to the library are poetry and lyrics.”
“Yes, well… I’m not a complete brute you know!” Madara was both bristling and hiding his blushing face in his hair by tilting his head down so those wild locks swung forward. It was endearing.

Suddenly Tobitsuki realized what he had just thought, and he froze up. Oh… Damn. He was falling into his own trap, wasn’t he? Physical intimacy as a doorway to emotional intimacy. Dammit! He was growing fond of his husbands.

Now all he could do was hope that it was working for the other two as well.

⁂

Tobitsuki and Tobirama were kneeling by the table, staring intently at the small glass box from Hashirama. Inside, the chrysalis had cracked open, and they were watching a butterfly emerge. Madara stood in the doorway, observing them with his Sharingan active, still feeling somewhat unsettled at the similarities between his two husbands.

He had thought it often enough, but… if it had not been for the otherworldly traits of Tobitsuki, they genuinely could have been twins. Or clones, considering how even the way they moved was almost the same. Hell, even the way they dressed mirrored each other. Yes, saying he was unsettled about it was putting it mildly.

For the longest time he had been convinced that Tobitsuki was under a disguise, hiding his true yōkai shape, but his appearance never wavered, never changed. Not even minute details of the like which the Sharingan was uniquely equipped to catch. Could he really hold on to a disguise for this long and not make a single mistake?

Hashirama’s worry that Tobitsuki harbored some kind of obsession with Tobirama had also not quite panned out. Tobitsuki didn’t pay him any more attention than he did Madara, and if it was an obsession, would he not have done so? So, how come they looked so similar? The mystery confounded Madara.

It was however not enough to keep him from falling into bed with his two husbands over and over again. By now they shared a bed more often than they did not. If this kept up, they might as well give in, and turn those other bedrooms into something else.

⁂

Fascinated, he had observed how the butterfly slowly wiggled its way out of the chrysalis.

It was Tobitsuki who had noticed that something was happening with the gift from Hashirama, and he had called them both in to observe. Madara had paused in the doorway for a long time for some reason, but now he had joined them, kneeling so close to Tobirama that the warmth from the Uchiha could be felt through his shirt onto the skin of his arm.

Who would have thought he could sit peacefully beside Madara, the both of them doing something so utterly innocent as observing a small miracle of nature happening right there, in their shared home? Not even a year ago, Tobirama would have laughed at the idea, and yet, now he had not only married the man, but also let him do things to his body that left Tobirama as close to defenseless as he had been since he entered his teens. And Madara had not taken advantage of that. Not even once.

Of course, he could give the credit for that to their third, to Tobitsuki, the yōkai, but… Tobirama wasn’t sure if that was the truth. Was no longer sure if his presence was the sole reason why Madara treated Tobirama decently. Because he did. Treat him decently, that was. At times, even kindly.

When he had caught on to what Tobitsuki had been doing, leaving food within reach for Tobirama whenever he was caught up in work, Madara had taken to doing the same. The first few times when Tobirama had realized that he had eaten something Madara had made for him, he had nearly panicked. Then logic reasserted itself. Madara would not be so stupid as to poison him. Not now. Not when they were building a village together. Not when he would be the first one to fall under suspicion. No, strange as it was, besides Hashirama, Tōka, and possibly Mito, Madara and Tobitsuki were probably the two people in the village that were least likely to try to harm Tobirama. And that was a strange thought.

⁂

The emergence from the chrysalis had been hard. Had taken a lot of energy. The butterfly sat there, letting its wings slowly fold out, until at last they had unfurled completely, attaining the correct shape. Quivering lightly, the butterfly crawled its way up to the top of the tiny tree and turned towards the sunlight streaming in through open doors.

A strange kind of tension vibrated in the air, making it seem hazy, like a mirage.

The butterfly flapped its wings.

In Uzushio, an old seal broke.

In Land of Lightning, a landslide revealed hidden caves.

In Land of Earth, a goat went missing, and the herder, while searching for it, fell into a hole. What he found there attracted the attention of the daimyō.

Even as far away as in the Land of Iron, something occurred that changed the path of the future—a child was born a month early, pale as snow, with red eyes.

But none of these things were known by the men who watched the butterfly take its first ever flight, out into their garden, where it landed on a flower, moving around a bit before it had its first meal after the metamorphosis.

They left the remains of the chrysalis hanging on the bonsai, as decoration. And then they went about their day, continuing the work of turning a patch of land into a sprawling village.

⁂

To kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, the stone they dug out of the cliffs to make tunnels and caves had been gathered up, and they were using the larger ones for foundations for buildings, while breaking the smaller ones further down into gravel, to use on the roads.

As the rooms inside the mountain were completed, Tobitsuki had been quick to claim one for himself, and spent an hour every day preparing it so he could use it as a lab. Getting the ventilation set up, and having electrical wiring put in made all the difference. Now he had proper light, and could funnel any fumes out. That made it a lot easier to adapt Ōtsutsuki technology for human use.

It was as he was setting up some of the—now thoroughly cleaned—vats from the old Ōtsutsuki base that something occurred to him. He had already gone through one life with no children because of his inclinations. It looked like this one would be the same. Except, this time he could actually do something about it. Could have a child, or more, born from his cells. He had the technology. All he had to do was construct an appropriate incubator. He should even have most of the parts needed already, after raiding the room in the base left from Kaguya and Isshiki.

Mind made up, he sought out Tobirama first, even though he was almost certain of the answer he would get. In fact, he was so sure that his question might not have come across as much of a question at all. “I have been thinking about children. At least two. Maybe more. Would you prefer to combine your genetic material with me, or with Madara?” He paused, thinking it over. “Or we could combine all three. Which do you prefer?”

It might have been a little unfair of him to ask while Tobirama was bent over a pile of scrolls, searching for something. Still, he got a reply.
“Any kid should belong to all three of us.”
Yeah, that was what he had been thinking as well. That left only Madara to ask, and Tobitsuki could sense the Uchiha over at the other end of the village.

⁂

It wasn’t until Tobitsuki had already left that Tobirama straightened up with a confused expression. “Wait, genetic material? What?”
Unfortunately, Senju Tadaaki chose that moment to slap a letter onto Tobirama’s desk. “The Aburame! They are sending a delegation to negotiate for their inclusion! Where is Hashirama?!”

Tobirama pushed his confusion over the previous conversation to the back of his mind, where it was promptly swamped by a thousand other things.

Chapter Text

“So, I spoke with Tobirama-san, and he agreed that we should all three contribute. After all, we are equals in this marriage, so it makes sense. Do you have a preference for gender?” Tobitsuki peered down at Madara where he was deep down in a ditch, shoring up the walls in preparation for reinforcement grids to be put in place, and concrete to be poured.

Madara looked both confused and annoyed, so Tobitsuki clarified. “Do you like boys or girls better?”
“Boys. What are you…?” Madara’s question was cut off as one of the civilian workers slipped, and he had to hurry to catch his foot before it got impaled on a metal rod.

Since it was clear that Madara was busy, Tobitsuki left him to it. He had gotten the answers he sought in any case, so he might as well get started. It would take him a while to craft the necessary equipment, but once that was done, he should have easy access to the genetic material. And it was a lovely little puzzle to solve—how to best combine them all three into a child that would be theirs.

⁂

Fumiko was having a headache again. Something that had been occurring more and more often lately. To get away from the noise and dust from the construction, she had taken to volunteering to collect herbs and wild vegetables for the communal kitchens.

Wandering around under the shade of the large trees, she shifted her basket to the other arm. It was filled with wild mushrooms this time. And she had just spotted some more.

Kneeling in the moss, she sighed. Perhaps a nap would help? It was still early in the day. Surely nobody would miss her if she took an hour or two to relax?

She sat down, leaning against one of the large roots. This close to the village, there shouldn’t be any large predators or dangerous herbivores. Only smaller ones. She covered the basket with a cloth, and then she closed her eyes. Slowly the shadows moved.

⁂

Word about the negotiations with the Aburame had spread fast. Just two days after the initial talks, five other clans had made contact, inquiring about the possibility of them joining as well. And Hashirama was over the moon. The village would grow, and eventually include all the major clans in Land of Fire, he was sure of it. The Yamanaka, the Nara, the Akimichi, the Sarutobi, and the Shimura, all had sent messages. With them there, surely the rest of the major, and minor clans would join. In time, probably even the Hyūga, despite them being staunch traditionalists.

It was the best wedding present he could have gotten. And the wedding wasn’t for another month.

Happy, he picked up Mito and twirled her around, his heart soaring at the bubbling laughter she gave him in return.

Three days later he waved goodbye to her, as she traveled back to inform her family, and to pack up her things. He was sad to see her go, but knew it had to happen before the wedding. And he really should have gone with her, to meet her family, but with the construction of Konoha going on, any journey would have to be postponed until later. Fortunately Mito insisted that her father would understand. And he had to believe her on that. Had to trust that he wasn’t fucking up his relationship to his future in-laws already.

⁂

Seated in his new garden, a bunch of kittens crawling all over his feet, Butsuma enjoyed the sunlight. Sora was kneeling by the small pond, feeding their new koi, and she looked radiant. As wind rustled through the branches of the sakura-tree Hashirama had grown them, a soft tinkling could be heard from the various chimes Sora had hung up along the engawa.

This, this was almost serene. He could not remember the last time he had felt so content.

Then a small trickle of shame curled in his belly. Could they have had this earlier? Could they have achieved peace years ago if he had only been willing to reach out to the Uchiha and ask? A part of him felt sure that it couldn’t have happened before Hashirama and Madara had taken up the mantle of clan head, but… Could it?

Of course, he would never know how things would have turned out had the yōkai not turned up, but given the speed with which both Madara and Tobirama had agreed to the conditions to end the war… It was likely that peace had been inevitable.

And now that he had seen it… Had felt how it was to live in times of peace… Butsuma hoped they would never go back to war again. However, he was not so naive as to think that was possible. He had overheard Tobirama discussing with the yōkai how they would handle it when inevitably the other countries followed their leads and established shinobi villages of their own. Things like that were bound to create friction over time. Especially given how barren some of those other countries were. To them, Land of Fire was the land of honey and milk, a huge temptation for attempted invasion.

But, that could, hopefully, be years into the future. Enough time for the new village to shore up all their defenses and be ready. Enough time for the new generations to get all the training they could need to maximize their chances of coming out of any encounter victorious. No more sending too young shinobi out with just an oversize sword and a prayer to guide them.

His thoughts briefly flickered to his two youngest sons, but it was too nice a day to bury himself in grief. Instead he vowed to buy something nice for their shrine the next time he managed to make the walk to the market. Then he returned his attention to his wife, focusing on the gentle movements of her body and the graceful lines of her kimono. She turned her head, and a soft smile curled her lips when she realized he was looking at her. He couldn’t help but return it, infusing the smile with all the love he felt for her.

⁂

At long last, Izuna had managed to convince Kurama to go on an actual date with him. He had prepared a picnic basket, and found a lovely spot in the forest, close to a small babbling brook. The sunlight penetrated down into the clearing in golden streaks through the air, dappling the ground in an ever-shifting pattern. It was enchanting. But not as much as Kurama herself.

He had not dared hope for this. Not so soon. Not until much much later. But Kurama was curious. And eager. And naked. Izuna’s mind felt a little fuzzy, and they had not even touched the sake yet.

He could not help but stare. Kurama’s body was covered in sealwork. Intricate lines in orange, red, and black that swirled and interconnected and almost appeared to move where he didn’t look directly at it.

When she started to untie the knot on his belt, he just lifted his arms out of the way, allowing her.

Piece by piece she peeled his clothes off him, then she pushed him down upon the blanket and crawled over him, straddling him.

“Do you like this?”
“Uhu. Very much so.”
“What about this?” She leaned down and captured his lips. All he could do was moan in reply, his hands curling around her upper arms.

Her skin was so warm, and soft. It almost felt like he could burn himself, touching her. Then she shifted her hips forward, the apex of her thighs gliding over his cock. Izuna lost all ability to think rationally.

⁂

It had been fun, toying with him, but in doing so, she had inadvertently teased herself as well, and now she was insatiably curious. She had seen enough humans do this, in any number of different positions, and combinations of genders and numbers. But she had never tried it before. And now she found that she wanted. Was this what having a heat felt like? She was absolutely hot. Far more than the early summer weather could account for.

And Izuna was pliant underneath her. Eager. Willing. And sweet. Yes, she was going to keep him. But first… She lowered herself down, feeling her body adjust to the intrusion. Below her, Izuna had stopped breathing, eyes wide, Sharingan spinning. But she felt no threat from him. Only awe.

She gave herself a moment to enjoy the feeling of being so full. Then she started to move, and suddenly she understood.

⁂

Tobitsuki had been stretching his senses out across Land of Fire, as he did regularly, just to check for any anomalies, mainly hoping to catch Zetsu doing something, not that he had high hopes of it, but still… However, this day something else caught his attention. One of the bijū had just wandered across the border. The Nibi. And it was heading directly towards Konoha at high speed.

Instinctively, Tobitsuki searched for Kurama’s chakra—to get backup for the impending conversation—only to recoil when he realized just what Kurama was doing. Or rather, who.

He was not about to interrupt that, so he searched for Shukaku’s chakra instead, finding the Ichibi together with two Uchiha children, one of them being Kagami. Hurrying over, he landed in the garden with a soft thud, then frowned. “Should you three be eating so many cakes? And where did you even get them?”
The kids looked guilty, but Shukaku just snorted. “Don’t worry, I left gems.”

Tobitsuki sighed. Clearly his lesson on equivalent exchange had not stuck. Then he frowned. “Left? As in you took the cakes, and left the gems? Without asking?”
Shukaku just lifted an eyebrow. Right, more lessons needed. On consent.

Hopefully Kurama did not need that particular lesson. He shuddered at the thought of broaching the subject with her. Perhaps he should check with Izuna first? Subtly.

But all of that had to wait. “One of the bijū is headed here. The Nibi. And Kurama is busy. You’ll need to come with me.”
Shukaku stared at him for a moment, then he scrunched his eyes shut. “Damn! Fine. But you’ll have to carry me. I can’t run on a full stomach.”

One judgmental eyebrow-lift later, Tobitsuki crouched down so that Shukaku could climb onto his back. The Ichibi pointed to the cakes, looking at the kids. “Guard those until I come back!”
Kagami stood straight and gave a wide-eyed nod. “Yes, shishō!”
The girl nodded, and immediately looked around, as if assessing the defensibility of their position.

Opting to say nothing, Tobitsuki gave both kids a nod, then he took off, heading out to meet the Nibi.

As soon as he was out of sight from any human, he told Shukaku “Hold on.” and grabbed a Hiraishin marker closer to where the Nibi was. Then he had to drop Shukaku as the bijū gagged and nearly heaved, muttering complaints. It took a full minute before he was ready to be picked up again, by which time the Nibi was only minutes away, and had clearly detected them.

The three of them met in a clearing by a lake. It was partially by design, to give Tobitsuki a ready source of water should it come to blows. But it didn’t. The Nibi took one look at the two of them and sat down, curling the two tails over her toes.

“Shukaku. And…?”
“Tobitsuki.” He let Shukaku down, then stepped aside as the tanuki started to grow in size, till he was nearly as tall as Matatabi, displacing a few trees in the process.
“Matatabi. Pleased to meet you. I think.” She leaned slightly forward, eyes narrowing. “You know, you look sort of like Hagoromo-sama. Are you related?”

Tobitsuki saw no need to deny it, so he gave a brief nod. “Probably, yes. I think he might have been my nephew.”
“Huh.”

Suddenly Shukaku leaned forward, sniffing the air. “You’re hurt?!”
The Nibi sneered at him, then sniffed. “Just a little.”
“Who would dare to attack you?!” The Ichibi sounded aghast, and Tobitsuki’s worry climbed. The next words out of the Nibi did nothing to alleviate that. “Humans. Lots of humans. Most of them went down fast, but there were two that were pesky, and they were the ones who hurt me. I tried to eat them, but they got away. Then I smelled the same rot that clung to Indra, so I got out of there. I know Kurama had been trying to reach us in the Mental World, so I wanted to come and check on him…”
“Her.” Shukaku corrected.
“Oh, her… Anyway, I wanted to know if this was the reason she had tried to reach out.”

Shukaku turned to Tobitsuki, expression questioning. Tobitsuki gave a slow nod. “Yes, I think this is the threat. It sounds like it. You said it was two…”
Memories of his death flickered through his mind. “Did one have golden hair, and the other silver hair?”

Matatabi scrutinized him, then she too gave a slow nod. “Yes. Well, more like straw yellow and storm gray, but yes. That’s them. You know them?”

Tobitsuki closed his eyes and sighed. “More than I would have liked to, but not enough to predict what they are up to. Well, not beyond that they want to capture a bijū.”

Shukaku nodded, then he blurted out “You should come with us! Me and Kurama are hiding out in Konoha, a human village. And it’s much better than it sounds. They have cakes! Like Hagoromo-sama used to give us!”

Tobitsuki was about to object, not wanting yet another bijū in Konoha. Then he remembered that she was hurt. That Kinkaku and Ginkaku had targeted her when they could not find Kurama. And he could not in good conscience send her out there on her own again. All he could do was hope that she would turn the offer down.

She didn’t.

She shrunk down for ease of travel, joining a once-again smaller Shukaku on Tobitsuki’s back. In deference to her injuries, he opted to not use the Hiraishin to return to Konoha, but rather run. That it also allowed him to listen in on the conversation between Shukaku and Matatabi was a boon, because that enabled him to be prepared when she decided to emulate Kurama, and take a human shape, clothed in miko garb. Still he nearly stumbled when he suddenly found himself with a young woman hanging from his neck.

Stopping, to adjust how to best carry the two of them now, he frowned. “Your tails…”
“I’m not hiding them. They are important.” Her face was set in a determined pout.
Tobitsuki could feel his resistance crumble even as he spoke. “Important? You know what, that’s fine. Everyone already thinks we are yōkai. We might as well lean into that.”

Rolling his eyes like he had not done since he was twenty, he let her climb up on his back, and then Shukaku climbed onto her back again. And they were off, running towards Konoha, and safety for Matatabi.

⁂

When Madara had realized that Tobitsuki was nowhere within his immediate sensing range, he had gotten mildly worried. Now he was mildly annoyed. A nekomata. Tobitsuki had brought along a damn nekomata. Into Konoha.

An injured nekomata at that. She was taken to the healing tent set up right next to where the hospital was being constructed, and Tobitsuki made quick work of cleaning and healing the lacerations revealed on her back when she lifted her shirt. All the while berating her for not mentioning this when she let Shukaku climb all over her. The comment she made, “I’ve had worse.”, was not calming. At all. A nekomata that regularly got into fights? Madara could see a thousand ways this could spell trouble.

⁂

When Kurama finally showed her face, Matatabi was allowed to move into the little house the Kyūbi shared with the Ichibi. Tobitsuki briefly contemplated what the village would think if they knew how immense it was, the collective power this tiny dwelling housed now. Then he pushed that thought away. All three bijū had been given clear, and strict instructions to not reveal just who or what they were unless it was a genuine emergency. He even made a point of telling Shukaku that a lack of sweets did not count as one.

However, the idea rolled back to the forefront of his mind as he entered the house he shared with his husbands. The village probably assumed that this was the house with most power contained within. Though, depending on how you defined power, it might well be.

Certainly when it came to political power within the village, this one was among the top three, with Hashirama’s house, containing him and his parents, and Tajima’s house, where he, his wife, and Izuna lived, were the other two. And out of those… Well, given how much Tobitsuki knew that he meddled with everything… Yes, he probably had far more political power than he had acknowledged for himself. Except in the few cases where he needed to actually use it.

Shying away from that thought, he rounded back to the idea of physical power. He probably should spend more time training. Since he had arrived on Earth, he had followed his usual routine of sneaking in kata when he had the time, but he had not really had a full workout—or a proper spar—since he got this new body, and that was actually a problem.

It meant he didn’t have a full understanding of his own limits, or his new abilities, and that meant he could end up hurting his own people if it came to a full out battle at some point. He could not rely on his own meddling in international politics to avoid war forever. No, it paid to be prepared for all possible outcomes. And that meant he needed to put aside time to train and test his own limits. Preferably somewhere far from any human settlements.

Somewhere like the deserts of Wind perhaps?

Jumping to a marker at the border of Wind, and stretching his sensing in the direction of the interior of the country, he easily found vast areas devoid of any chakra beyond the minute traces from animals and what little ambient chakra lingered in the air. Yes, Land of Wind would do fine.

However, before hopping back to Konoha, something curious caught his attention. A gathering of humans in a familiar location. A shaded canyon, perfect for creating a settlement that needed to be both defensible and protected from the scorching sunlight. Was Sunagakure already happening? If so, then he would need to shift some plans around, if he was to hope to establish good relations right from the start.

He supposed he could kill two birds with one stone, and head deeper into Land of Wind both for some training, and to drop by the budding Suna to buy himself some goodwill there.

To give himself an excuse, he hopped back to Konoha and told Tobirama and Madara that he would be in his lab for a while, setting up seals for privacy and experimenting with chakra suppression.

Then he retreated to his rooms, changed his outfit into one that could be used to impress the Wind locals, and grabbed one of the markers closest to the site, but still not so close that there were any humans nearby. That left him with a ten minute walk to the entrance to the canyon, and a few minutes more to get down into the bowl in the interior, where a large cluster of tents had been placed. Along with piles of materials. Yes, they were definitely planning to build something big here.

Examining the people there, he subtly cloaked himself in genjutsu, to blend in, and then he sidled closer to the man whom he presumed was the leader. Reto. Looking far younger than Tobitsuki remembered him, but then, it had been decades since he last laid eyes on the man, shortly before the assassination, and Shamon’s ascension to Nidaime Kazekage.

A subtle check of the chakra signatures around revealed that Shamon was there as well. Had he been introduced as Reto’s nephew? Something like that. Although, a lot of people had whispered that Shamon was Reto’s illegitimate son. A rumor that Shamon had encouraged after his ascension, if he remembered it right. Whichever it was, it was ultimately unimportant for Tobitsuki.

No, right now, what he needed was a bit of showmanship.

Reto was pointing to a map, speaking about layout and defensibility, and civilian populations being given space along the inner walls, where they would be safer in case of an attack. Yes, they were constructing Suna, no doubt about it.

“Would it not be better to use the edges for hanging gardens? To boost production of food?” He kept his voice soft, the tone sounding questioning but not challenging.
Reto scoffed. “Gardens? And where would you find enough water for that, huh?”

Then he looked up, and saw Tobitsuki just as he dropped his genjutsu. The slight widening of his eyes was the only warning before Reto’s sand whirled up around him. In response, Tobitsuki called up water, but not moving nearly so fast. No, he just let long, thick ribbons curl through the air like a lazy serpent. “I can find you all the water you need. It’s all here. Underground. I just have to call it up, and lead it where you want it.”

The sand stilled, moving like a wary cat, huddling around Reto’s feet. The future Kazekage eyed Tobitsuki carefully, from his horns to his bare feet with the black claw-like nails. It was clear that he too thought ‘yōkai’ when he looked at Tobirama. His tone was suspicious when he asked “At what price?”

Letting the water he had summoned splash onto the dusty ground, watching several shinobi and most of the civilians present wince at the waste, Tobitsuki tilted his head. “You misunderstand. There is no cost. Having you able to produce enough food to feed your village without having to resort to… underhanded means to get it, that is a boon for me in itself. But if you want to pay for it… You could consider diplomatic relations with Konohagakure my price. I have seen how costly a war between two clans can be. Imagine how much worse it would be if it reached the scale of two—or more—countries fighting each other? No, that is something I would like to avoid.”

Reto stared at him, assessing him. Then he gave a very slow nod. “Yes, I can imagine that that is something that would not be beneficial for anyone involved. No matter what the war might be over—resources, land, or water-rights—there would be heavy losses on both sides.”

“So, you want the water?”
“Yes.”

Tobitsuki looked around. If he just called it up, it would fill the basin where all the tents currently stood, so he should probably make some adjustments. “Hold on to something.”

Reaching down, he called on the water, leading it up through six channels the water bored through the rock, three on each side of the canyon, spread apart an equal distance. Once it broke through the rock-face, he used the water to carve channels, making it flow down in a zig-zag pattern, until it reached the ground. There he used it to carve channels along the outer edge, before the water disappeared underground again, to slowly return to the aquifer, being purified along the way by sifting through layers and layers of sandy rock. That way it would not fill the canyon, but there would be a constant supply, and they could build their own aqueducts to lead the water wherever they wanted it.

Feeling poetic, he gave a small bow to Reto. “May your desert bloom and your people prosper.”
A quick sweep of his eyes took in the awed expressions of everyone around him, including Reto and Shamon. Then, to not overstay his welcome, and to add to his legend, he just grabbed a Hiraishin marker in a deserted patch of land and vanished. What the villagers of Suna decided to do with his gift was up to them now.

And he had some training to do, to figure out how to utilize his new skills, and how to combine them with his old ones.

⁂

Hashirama stared at the letter he had received. The Uzumaki were sending a delegation back with Mito, for his wedding. Which was in three weeks. They needed to find space to house thirty Uzumaki. In only three weeks! Crap! Guest houses had not been high on the list of priorities. Though, he supposed, if he could get someone to lay down some stones as foundation, he could grow a row of houses that would only be temporary. Good enough to last a season or four, but then they would probably need to be replaced by properly treated wood.

That was the reason why he didn’t construct the entirety of Konoha by himself. While the Mokuton was excellent for creating wood, and was fine for living wood, the dead wood it created was just that, dead, and without proper treatment, it would eventually decay, susceptible to rot and bugs alike. There was also the issue that the wood sometimes warped and shrank as it dried. The carpenters tried to counteract the warping with weights and straps, but… a lot of wood had been repurposed because it was not fit to be used as beams or long planks. Fortunately they were in need of plenty of shorter pieces as well. Nothing truly went to waste. If it could not be used for buildings, it went to making furniture.

They may have used all the trees they felled when clearing the land, but by now, more than half the wood used in the construction of Konoha was grown by Hashirama.

⁂

Tobitsuki had been called in to assist with an issue where some changes needed to be made to a building conflicted with the planned building on the lot next to it. He had been surveying both the lots and making adjustments to the blueprints onsite when Tobirama came over to the desk, pushing a small tray with a teacup and a plate of wagashi onto a free corner. Tobitsuki mumbled a grateful ‘thank you’, and picked up the cup, taking a sip.

It wasn’t until Tobirama had disappeared between the half-constructed buildings that something occurred to Tobitsuki. His Senju husband didn’t know the shadow clone technique yet. So why was his chakra signature in two places at once?

Horrified, he stared into the teacup. Zetsu?

Taking no chances, he sealed away the cup and the plate of wagashi, then informed one of the workers that he was called away for an emergency, but the blueprints were nearly done, so they could start on the foundation. Then he rushed off towards his home.

On the way there he passed Madara, and, making a quick decision, he asked his Uchiha husband to go and collect Tobirama and bring him home. They needed to talk.

Madara gave him a confused nod, then he strode off to find their third. And Tobitsuki hurried home, nervously scanning his body as he went. Something was off. The tea had definitely been poisoned. He had been so foolish. Growing complacent because everything had so far gone according to plan. Well, clearly it had not. He had missed the shadows moving behind the scene. And now everything might come crashing down.

If he wasn’t able to counteract the poison, then he would need for Madara to put them all into a genjutsu, to buy him time to explain to them what they would need to do, and what they were up against. He should have done it sooner. But… trust was hard. Even Tobirama, who when it all boiled down to the basics, was him, had not garnered his full trust. And that was stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. How could he not have trusted himself to know what was going on, and yet still have accepted tea from Tobirama? From someone who looked and felt like Tobirama?

By the time he crashed in through the door, he was already dizzy. Time was of the essence now. He stumbled over to the kitchen, turning on the tap to conserve chakra. Cold water quickly filled a bowl, and a quick brush of his chakra purified it. Then he called up a clone and sent it running to his rooms for the needed supplies while he cleared space in the sitting room.

Lying down on the tatami, he channeled his chakra through his body, detecting all the things the poison was attacking. Fortunately not the brain. Not yet anyway. But a lot of other things, like his lungs, his heart, his kidneys, his liver, his nervous system… He was running out of time fast.

The clone poured disinfectant over his bared stomach, and made an incision. He could tell that it too was affected by the poison by the way the hands had fine tremors. Still it started the procedure to extract the toxins, and Tobitsuki bit down on the wooden handle of a ladle, the first thing he had found in the kitchen. The pain was intense.

Faintly he registered that someone—Madara and Tobirama—barged into the room. He heard voices as they talked with his clone, assuming it was explaining the situation to them. Then Tobirama fell to his knees beside him and joined in on the extraction, having far better control of his chakra right now than the compromised clone and learning from observation. The dual chakra in his system increased the pain, but not by much.

“What happened?” Madara’s voice was right next to his ear, clearly having come to the conclusion that he had to be the real one.
Tobitsuki spat out the handle, inhaling sharply before wheezing out “Poison! Someone wants me gone.”

With Tobirama assisting on healing him, Tobitsuki should not interrupt. And the idea of using genjutsu might buy him time, but it would also cost chakra. Chakra he might need. So… “Activate the privacy seal. Nobody else… hng… should hear what I tell you. Now!”

The fact that Madara obeyed him immediately probably said something, but Tobitsuki was too out of it at the moment to comprehend just what that might be. Instead he focused on gathering his thoughts, starting to speak again the moment Madara returned.

“There is a… creature, called Zetsu… It has been trying, hgah! Trying to manipulate the Senju… ugh… and the Uchiha… for centuries… hoping to use you to… free its creator… who was sealed away. It’s… fuck! … It’s trying to get Madara… ah… to evolve his eyes further. Into… ngh… something called the Rinnegan.” He paused to breathe deeply several times, trying to push the pain back. “It has tampered with… the Uchiha’s sacred tablet… Has altered the text there. Don’t fall for it!”

Digging his nails into the palms of his hands, Tobitsuki’s whole body strained against the torment of having the poison forcefully drawn out, each particle burrowing through flesh as it was drawn back into the bloodstream, and then filtered out into the bowl of water through the incision on his chest. His mind was hazy and he knew there was more he needed to tell them, but… Oh, yes, the bijū! “Zetsu will try… Will try to capture Kurama, Shukaku, and… gaaah… And Matatabi. You cannot let him… You can’t let him have them! That’s important!”

Beside him, the clone suddenly trembled and collapsed onto the tatami beside him, disappearing in a cloud of condensation. The memories of the pain the clone had been in hit him hard, and his field of vision shrunk down, sounds coming from far away, like he was underwater. And then, silence. Darkness. Unconsciousness.

⁂

Tobirama was still hard at work, making sure every particle of that insidious poison was out. He had seen this done only once before, on his own father, but he had paid close attention then, and even closer attention to what the clone was doing this time. He was sure he could get it all. Was sure Tobitsuki would be fine. But even so, when his husband passed out, Tobirama had to swallow down a heavy lump in his throat, worry squeezing his heart. They could not lose him. This whole peace had come about because of Tobitsuki’s efforts. And… Tobirama was fond of him.

He met Madara’s eyes briefly, and saw the worry mirrored there. That Madara displayed his emotions so openly… Tobirama wasn’t prepared to examine that now. Didn’t have the attention to spare. No, he had to get this right.

Below his hands, a thin stream of tainted, nearly black blood flowed into the bowl, returning looking faintly blueish-red. The color of healthy, but oxygen-deprived blood. Hopefully, Tobitsuki’s lungs would not be too damaged. Though, perhaps… “Can you breathe for him? Make sure his lungs fill up properly? That will let me try to assess how damaged they are.”

It spoke volumes about Madara’s intelligence that he needed no further instructions on how to achieve that. The Uchiha just moved closer to Tobitsuki’s head, slotting their mouths together. A moment later, he pinched Tobitsuki’s nose. And Tobirama could see the chest rise.

Diverting just a tiny fraction of his attention, he sent chakra into Tobitsuki’s lungs, trying to determine how much oxygen moved from the air and into the blood. A moment later he focused back on filtering the blood. “His lungs are working more or less as they should. I think they are a little less… ah, flexible than they should be, but they are doing enough. Hopefully they will heal fast.”

Taking this as a cue to stop breathing for Tobitsuki, Madara sat up. “He will be fine?”
Tobirama nodded, as much for himself as for Madara. “He will live.”
He was not about to allow anything else. If the poison had done more damage than he had detected so far, then he would just have to find a way to heal it. And with Tobitsuki alive, surely he could help.

⁂

Madara watched Tobirama work, feeling helpless, and a bit useless. Then his mind turned to what Tobitsuki had said. Someone had managed to tamper with the sacred tablet. Someone had altered the text. It had been a long time since Madara last read the tablet. Not since his eyes evolved and Tajima had taken him to see it. That was years ago, but thanks to the Sharingan, the memory was still crystal clear.

And now that he knew, it didn’t take him long to understand which parts had to have been altered. How had nobody questioned those parts? By the wear on the tablet from repeated washings, it had to have been done a long time ago. How had nobody noticed when it had been done? Surely someone had to have read it both before and after? Or… Had it been done during a time when there were few alive that could read it? Even with the Mangekyō active, there had been more parts he still could not read. He had assumed the Eternal Mangekyō was needed for that, but what if this… Rinnegan was what was needed to read it?

He had so many questions for Tobitsuki when he woke up again. If he weren’t so concerned about this mysterious poisoner, he would have written them down.

Perhaps it was time to increase the security of their home even more than what they already had?

Chapter Text

Waking up again after thinking he was dying was an interesting experience. Not least because he had been moved from the tatami and onto a futon. But not his own. No, he was sprawled out on Madara’s futon, and the Uchiha was sitting beside it, leaning against the wall, a small drop of drool hanging precariously out of the corner of his barely open mouth. He was soundly asleep.

The moment Tobitsuki moved his head, Tobirama was there, reaching for his wrist to check his pulse. If Tobitsuki put his husband’s chakra under extra scrutiny, nobody needed to know. Or, wait, that was a stupid thought. They should know. Should be aware of what Zetsu could do.

He let Tobirama move through his checklist, answering questions and letting the young man prod and poke at him. And he let him do all that without complaint, given that he could sense how worry was still churning in Tobirama’s chakra.

Sometime during this, Madara woke up, wiped his chin, stretched, and left, informing them that he was finding them breakfast.

Once he was satisfied with his examination, Tobirama helped Tobitsuki sit up, building up a backrest from pillows and blankets. Appreciating the effort, Tobitsuki put his hand on Tobirama’s arm and gave it a little squeeze. “Thank you.”

Tobirama met his eyes, and, with a serious expression asked “What happened? Who did this? You mentioned someone called Zetsu. Who is that?”

Leaning back, and looking up at the ceiling, Tobitsuki took a deep breath. “Zetsu… is a dangerous enemy. When Madara comes back, I’ll explain. I just… It’ll be easier to tell you both at the same time.”

With his agreement given that he would explain, Tobirama relaxed a bit, tucking the blanket around Tobitsuki and fetching a low table to place the breakfast on. Tobitsuki observed this, pondering exactly what to tell his husbands. The time-travel and rebirth was out. Even he had trouble believing it, and he lived it. But Zetsu’s manipulation of Indra, and presumably whatever reincarnations Indra and Asura had had in the time since then and now… Yes, they needed to know that. Should he bring Hashirama into this? Perhaps. Just… not yet. Let him have his happiness with the wedding first.

But Zetsu moving within Konoha was a danger to everyone. Zetsu wasn’t truly a strong opponent, but his danger lay in his ability to manipulate people, and to impersonate them. How long had the parasite been watching Konoha? Or… How long had it been watching Madara? He had assumed he would be able to sense it if it approached his husband, but he had not even sensed it when it approached him, so what chance did he really have to protect Madara?

Suddenly something occurred to him. “Wait, she mentioned something about rot that clung to Indra. Zetsu?! Crap, I need to speak with Matatabi.”
“The nekomata?”
He gave a quick nod. “I can sense her in Kurama’s house still. I… If I teach you a jutsu, can you send a clone and ask her to come here?”
At the prospect of learning something new, Tobirama perked up. “The jutsu that allowed you to have a physical clone helping you last night?”
“Yes, that one.”

As he taught Tobirama, Tobitsuki felt a tiny sting of guilt, for taking the credit from Tobirama for the Shadow Clone jutsu, then he nearly laughed at his own stupidity. It was he who had invented it. Saving Tobirama the time spent on research this time around could possibly mean that Tobirama would invent something completely different now. It was not a paradox or in any way a discrediting of Tobirama’s intellect and creativity. No, truly, he should stop hoarding the jutsu he knew, and teach as many as he could to Tobirama, to prepare him for what was coming, and to see what Tobirama could do with this new knowledge. It was like a ladder. Tobitsuki had climbed it. Now he could pull Tobirama up to where he was, and together they might climb even higher.

Then his thoughts took a step to the side. What about Madara? The danger of teaching him his jutsu was rather significant. However, Madara was not stupid. Far from it. He could contribute. Could probably add things to their inventions that Tobirama and Tobitsuki would not have thought of, given that they were more or less the same person, with the same thought-patterns and habits. Perhaps once Zetsu was dealt with? If he could trust that Madara would remain sane. That it had been the parasite that manipulated Madara into breaking.

Pushing that thought aside for later, he watched Tobirama create his very first solid clone, and observed it slip out the door. Yes, he should have done this sooner, but… There was no use in kicking himself over it. What was done was done, and all he could do was to try to do better in the future. Because if nothing else, then this had proved that he needed to be better.

⁂

Madara brought in food before his clone returned. Tobirama watched the Uchiha place the bowls and platters on the low table, and then go back to fetch a tray with a tea-set. Sensing that the clone was returning, Tobirama went to the door to let them in.

His clone popped as soon as Matatabi, with Kurama and Shukaku behind her, had stepped inside the house. It was the first time the other yōkai had come to visit, and Tobirama wondered if this was some kind of thing, where once they had been invited inside, they would come around more often. He was too distracted by the transference of the memories from the clone to actually ask them. Tobitsuki had warned him, but nothing could truly have prepared him for how it felt as the clone’s memories integrated with his own.

Leading the yōkai into Madara’s room, he watched how Kurama flinched before she hurried over to kiss… no, to press her nose against Tobitsuki’s forehead. Whatever she detected, she seemed calmer when she sat down on her knees at the edge of the futon.

Matatabi was a bit more hesitant as she took a seat beside Kurama, but Shukaku just fell over on the end of the blanket, making himself comfortable against Tobitsuki’s feet.

Ignoring the food for now, Tobitsuki greeted them politely. Or, he tried to. Kurama cut him off. “Nii-san, what happened? Why do you smell like you have been sick? I saw you only a day ago.”
Tobitsuki glanced at Tobirama, then turned back to Kurama. “I was poisoned. By an old enemy. Zetsu.”

There was no reaction beyond confusion. So Tobitsuki elaborated. “It was the shadow that manipulated Indra, making him resent Asura and their father, the Sage.”
Suddenly all three of the visiting yōkai sat up straight. So they knew at least some of who this Zetsu was even if they had not known his name? And were clearly not happy about the news.

Shukaku growled. “It’s here?!”
Matatabi wrung her hands. “Oh no! Did I lead it here?”
Kurama looked like she was about to say something, but Tobitsuki reached out and stilled Matatabi’s hands. “No, I don’t think you did. If anything, I think Zetsu has been watching us for a long time. A very long time. But I remembered you mentioned the rot that clung to Indra when we met you. That you had smelled it after you fought the two brothers? I need to know, was it the same? Exactly the same?”
“Yes. I… I didn’t…”

Tobitsuki squeezed her hands. “I think Zetsu was the one who sent those brothers after you. He’s changing things. Adapting. Gathering helpers earlier than I thought he would. And that means we need a way to figure out who those helpers are. Did you smell anything on the brothers? Any traces of Zetsu I mean?”
She shook her head. “No, but then… I wasn’t expecting it. It wasn’t until after, when I was sniffing the air to try to track them that I caught a whiff. I mean, it could have been from them, but… I don’t know.”
“You had no way of knowing. Simply the fact that you caught the scent and fled may have saved your life. And it means we now have reason to believe that Zetsu has helpers. So you did good.”

Slowly letting her hands go, and picking up the teacup Madara had filled for him, Tobitsuki took a sip. Then he put the cup down. “I think it’s time I came clean to you all. My goal here wasn’t only to bring peace to the clans. I have also been plotting to take down Zetsu, and prevent it from ever bringing Kaguya back.”

Tobirama sat down, listening intently as his husband told the tale of Kaguya, the false goddess, and Zetsu, her creation that had been trying to bring her back ever since the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother had sealed her away. Of how Zetsu needed Indra and his brother Asura’s incarnations to complete its plan, and how it had been trying for centuries, every time they were reborn.

It was Madara who caught on first, though Tobirama was not sure how he had put the pieces together. Still, he sounded pretty confident when he asked, “I am Indra?”
Tobitsuki looked at him for a long moment before he nodded. And something clicked in Tobirama’s head. “I’m not Asura. Anija is.”
“Yes.”

With that one word, so many pieces fell into place. And Tobirama started to wonder. “Do you think Zetsu was behind the deaths of our brothers?”

⁂

That was something that had not even occurred to Tobitsuki until then, but… it fit. Kill them off, one by one, to create a chink in their mental armor. To create a weakness, where Zetsu could slip his manipulations in. Having just one sibling each left, and having those two fight against each other… Was that Zetsu’s doing? Did that mean that if Tobitsuki had been the one to be injured, the one to die that day, then Zetsu would have latched onto Hashirama? Would Hashirama have been the one to leave Konoha in fury? Would Hashirama have been the one to enact the Eye of the Moon plan?

No, he couldn’t have. He didn’t have a Sharingan. And yet… What if he could get the Rinnegan, despite not having a dōjutsu in the first place? He did have the Mokuton. And… it was possible that Zetsu would have altered his plans. Come up with a different way. He would not have had any scruples with stealing a pair of Sharingan. Did it even have to have been Madara’s? Would Izuna’s eyes have sufficed? Or even some distant relative that just happened to have awoken his Sharingan?

Or, Zetsu might have engineered things so that Tobitsuki was the one who came out on top. Perhaps Madara had been easier to manipulate? Hashirama was so damn optimistic all the time. Maybe that had made it harder to control him with grief and anger? Tobitsuki didn’t want to think that he had not won fair and square over Izuna, but… it was a possibility. And it irked him. To not know. To know that he would never know for sure now. Because he had altered the outcome of that fight this time around. Had removed the fight from the equation completely. And even if he could ask Zetsu, he would never believe a thing that creature told him. No, going down that route of inquiry was a waste of time. No matter how much he hated not knowing.

Shifting his focus back to the conversation at hand, he told them of the various abilities Zetsu had, and ways it had utilized those abilities in the past. That he didn’t specify whose past probably slipped by most of his audience, if not all. If they thought he was referring to previous incarnations of Madara and Hashirama, all the better.

It wasn’t until Tobirama nudged him to not forget his food that Tobitsuki slowed down his explanations, allowing the others time to come up with questions and suggestions.

It was Shukaku’s question that brought them all to silence again. “You said Zetsu isn’t one for outright confrontations. Is that why he tried to take you out with poison?”
“Probably, yes. My guess is that when Kinkaku and Ginkaku failed to capture Matatabi, Zetsu’s current force was weakened enough that he changed tactics. I had already messed up his plans with Madara and Hashirama. He probably didn’t want to risk me getting in the way again. But he doesn’t know who I am or the extent of what I can do. There is also the fact that I am surrounded by shinobi from the Uchiha and Senju both, making it hard to even get close enough for a physical attack. And Zetsu would never risk itself if there are other ways.”
Matatabi crossed her arms, a small pout forming. “You’re saying it went for me first because it thought me weaker?”

Kurama rolled her eyes, and even Shukaku gave Matatabi a flat look. Tobitsuki tried to be diplomatic. “Not weaker exactly, just easier to get to perhaps? You were alone, in a remote area presumably, and Zetsu probably decided to not risk you wandering somewhere else. While me, he knows where I am, and where I am likely to be in the near future. You were a target of opportunity, while I was a target he had planned for.”

“Hmf.” Matatabi didn’t look entirely convinced, but her tails had stopped slapping angrily against the tatami mat.

Then Kurama snickered. “Well, Zetsu was right in one thing though. A head on attack would have failed spectacularly.”
Narrowing his eyes a bit, Madara challenged her. “I sense a bit of gloating there. Are you implying that you are that strong?”

Grinning with sharp teeth glinting, Kurama briefly allowed her fan of tails to be visible behind her. “If I were ever to go all out in a fight, you would know. The entirety of Land of Fire would know. Hells, even the best sensors in the neighboring countries would know.” Then she snorted, eyes flickering first to Tobitsuki, then her siblings beside her. “But no, I was referring to our combined might.”

Tobitsuki sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Kurama, you do remember that you are supposed to be hiding, right? You can’t do that! Not unless the circumstances are dire. Or they will very quickly become dire.” He paused, and rethought what he had been about to say. “While we should prepare as if Zetsu are aware you are here, we should operate as if he doesn’t know. Because, if he doesn’t know, we want to keep it that way. And if he does know, him thinking we don’t suspect will most likely buy us time to prepare. So… Just don’t let anyone else know. Please?”

With a put upon sigh, Kurama acquiesced. “Fine. But the next time you hop to the desert to train, I want to come with you. It’s been ages since I have had a chance to really push myself.”
Tobitsuki gave a quick nod. “Sure, it would be nice to have someone to spar against.”

Next to them, Madara’s head slowly turned from one to the other, a confused frown marring his forehead. “Why are you going there?”
Tobitsuki’s fingers drummed against the cup, considering what to say, but… Being honest was probably best. “There’s nobody around out there, making it safer.”
The frown on Madara’s forehead became more pronounced. “Are you telling me that you need to go out into the desert just to practice?”
“Ah… Need to? No. But if I want to push myself… That is the wisest action. Last time, the one Kurama referred to, I left a patch equal to about half of Konoha’s circumference melted into smooth glass. Imagine if I’d done that in the forest here?”

“Glass? The temperatures required for that…” Tobirama sounded both confused and awed. Tobitsuki licked his lips and grabbed the teacup, almost hiding his mouth behind it when he told them “It’s not Katon… It’s Raiton.”

“You… melted sand into glass with Raiton… in a circle that big?” Madara sounded a little faint. Tobitsuki just nodded, because that was essentially what he had done.”
“The control needed for that…” Tobirama was staring out into the air, looking like he was trying to calculate some kind of equation for what Tobitsuki had done.

Except… Tobitsuki barked out an involuntary laugh, a little self-deprecatingly. “That’s the thing though… I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“What?!” His red eyes snapped to meet Tobitsuki’s pale lilac ones. “What do you mean, you didn’t do it on purpose? How the fuck do you accidentally create a Raiton circle that big?”
Tapping one finger a bit nervously against the rim of his cup, Tobitsuki considered how much more to tell them, but… they needed to be aware of both his strengths and his limitations, so they could help him fill in the gaps.

“I’m not… I haven’t actually… used my powers before. I mean, I knew I had them, obviously, I just never… tested them… before that day.”
“You…? How could you…? Never? That’s… How old are you?” Madara sounded incredulous, as if he couldn’t comprehend having those kinds of powers and never using them.
And he could understand that incredulousness. Which led him to admit “If you want to be technical about it… It’s been less than a year since I... was born. I’m sure that once I age some more my powers will grow close to equal to those of the Sage of Six Paths. Perhaps even exceed them.”

⁂

Madara stared. A year?! Tobitsuki had only existed for less than a year?! And he had already achieved so much? Far more than Madara had in his twenty-four years. Wait, if he was just a year old, what did that make Madara? No, he couldn’t think like that. Tobitsuki was clearly not human. Except… Sage of the Six Paths… Oh… OH! His husband wasn’t a yōkai! He was a damn kami! Madara felt faint.

His husband was a kami! He was married to a kami! He had fucked a kami! Oh gods, he was doomed! The disrespect he had shown… His breathing was coming in short, shallow bursts, and his Sharingan was flickering on and off, uncertain if there was danger or not.

A prickling on his skin made him aware that Tobirama was giving him strange looks, and Madara forcefully reigned in his panic. He was still alive. And not cursed, as far as he knew. He would just have to tread very carefully from this point forward. Be on his absolutely best behavior with Tobitsuki.

He more or less jumped on the chance to clean up once Tobitsuki was done with his breakfast. That Madara had cooked for him. That had to count for something, right? A proper offering. Should he build a shrine?

Realizing that he had not truly managed to push the panic back, Madara fled to the kitchen to have his breakdown out of view of his husbands or the guests.

⁂

Tobitsuki followed Madara with his eyes as his husband left the room. He had looked and felt worried. Almost panicked. Why? Because of the revelation that he was Indra reincarnated? It was a big thing to throw at him out of the blue. Although, he had not shown that worry until Tobitsuki revealed his age. Was that some kind of Uchiha thing, going against one of their laws or...? Or maybe just the shock of it? Perhaps he should have been more careful in how he had phrased things? Hopefully Madara would just need a little time to process it.

And in the meantime, Tobitsuki needed to figure out how to prevent another attack from Zetsu. Because there was no doubt that there would be other attacks. Zetsu might hide and scheme, but experience suggested that he was also fairly persistent when he tried to further his plans in some way. And if Tobitsuki was in the way for one of those plans… Yes, there would be another attempt, sooner or later. And they all needed to be prepared, because Zetsu could decide that collateral damage was perfectly acceptable.

⁂

The way Madara’s chakra had churned, and the expression on his face… Tobirama was almost certain that his Uchiha husband had been bordering on a panic attack. Now, yes, the information they had just received was shocking, he could agree on that point, but none of it was dire enough to warrant that kind of reaction, surely? Learning about the creature called Zetsu was concerning, especially given the abilities it was said to have—and Tobirama trusted Tobitsuki to tell the truth about this—but now that they knew about it, they could prepare accordingly.

Also, learning about Tobitsuki’s strength… Well, he had knocked several shinobi on their asses the first time he appeared, without even touching them. It was not that surprising. And Tobirama was quite frankly eager to see with his own eyes what Tobitsuki and Kurama could do. Was even eager to pit himself against them in a spar. But it was not enough to trigger a panic attack. At least not in Tobirama’s mind.

Besides, the wild look had not appeared until Tobitsuki revealed his age. Was that it? Was it some kind of taboo? Surely Madara wasn’t stupid enough to compare a yōkai's aging to human aging? Yes, it would have been awful if Tobitsuki was a human, but he was very clearly not. And despite claiming to be less than a year, his mind appeared to be far older.

...wait. He had said ‘if you want to be technical about it’…

Tobirama turned to Tobitsuki. “If I do not want to be technical about your age, what then?”

Those pale pink lips curled up into an amused smirk. Like Tobirama had done something expected. He hated being predictable.

“Well, if you do not want that… I lived a life before. And then I had a brief stint in a state between life and death… So, if you are worried about my age… Adding it all up, I am older than you. By quite a bit.” Tobitsuki gave a small shrug, then he winced and slumped back against the pillows. “I should probably sleep some more, to recover.”

In the doorway, Madara, who had just been returning, stood frozen. Then he turned around and walked out again, expression unreadable.

⁂

Wondering what was wrong with Madara, Tobitsuki attempted to stretch his senses to figure it out, but he was just too worn out from the attack to go any deeper than merely feeling it as a warm shimmer as it moved into the kitchen. No emotions or anything else came through properly when he was out of Tobirama’s immediate proximity. That required too much effort right now. Instead he let his eyes sweep over the other occupants of the room.

Kurama had watched Madara’s retreating back, staring at the door with a thoughtful look, then she turned to Tobitsuki. “We’ll let you sleep, but you should send for us when you wake up again. We really need to figure out a way to counter the abilities of this Zetsu. Or at the very least figure out how to keep it out of Konohagakure. So that we have a safe space to retreat to if we come under attack again. Because you do realize that we should make more of an effort to warn the rest of our siblings, hmm?”

Tobitsuki gave a resigned sigh. “You are right. It needs to be given higher priority. I thought Zetsu would wait until he had collected the Gedō Mazō, but… He is more unpredictable than I hoped. Perhaps he has found an alternative way to bring it back, or has found a way to keep you trapped until he has it? Yes, we do need to make plans for several different scenarios.”
“After you sleep.” Kurama patted his leg through the blanket, as if trying to reassure him. “For now, we will stay together, and nearby.”

“We should also consider spreading a general warning, about the possibility of a shape-shifting enemy that could be targeting key personnel.” Tobirama was looking at Tobitsuki, as if he was deferring to his decision on the matter. But it was a sound idea. He could not do everything himself, and as recent events had shown quite clearly, hoarding the knowledge created a weakness. Should he perish, things might yet go in the direction where Kaguya could be brought back. Could still end up with Madara crazy, and attacking Konoha. No, he needed to bring more people in on his plan, and probably also to share more information with the general population, despite the very real chance that Zetsu already had spies within Konoha that would report back to him.

Though, that was something that could be used against Zetsu. Depending on how they worded the information, it could both serve to keep the villagers more aware, and misdirect Zetsu’s attention. He gave Tobirama a nod. “Yes, when I wake up we will discuss how to word the warning, so that we don’t reveal too much to Zetsu’s spies.”

Then he turned to Kurama, Matatabi, and Shukaku. “You three… Stay safe, okay? And if you can, try to reach out to the others. Warn them if you manage to make contact.”
They all nodded, and Kurama squeezed his leg again. “Yes, nii-san. We will stay nearby, so we will sense when you wake up again, and if we all three attempt it at the same time, perhaps at least some of the others will listen—though I have severe doubts that they all will, stubborn fools that they are, or they would have listened when I tried to tell them earlier.”

Kurama glanced towards Matatabi. “At least you had the common sense to come to find us when you were attacked.” The silent reproach that it had taken that much for their sister to do so was clearly heard, given the way Matatabi flinched and looked embarrassed.

Watching his assumed siblings file out of the room, Tobitsuki let himself sink deeper into the bedding. Then he turned to Tobirama. “Check on Madara, will you? He seemed upset.”
“I will. Once you are asleep.”

⁂

Before Tobitsuki’s chakra had settled properly into sleep, Tobirama sensed Madara leaving the house, but he only went to the Uchiha district, to the main house there, stopping in a room with Izuna’s chakra right next to him. All Tobirama could do was hope that Madara had enough common sense to not blab everything to Izuna. The last thing they needed was for word to spread in an uncontrolled way. They all had to agree on the story they wanted, and how to shape it.

Tobirama was briefly tempted to use the new jutsu Tobitsuki had taught him, and send a clone over to assure himself that Madara wasn’t being an idiot. But that would leave Tobirama with only half his chakra should someone make another attempt at Tobitsuki’s life, and that could prove a fatal mistake. No, for now he had to trust Madara, difficult as it still was. Although, if he was honest with himself, in other areas his trust in both his husbands had grown in the time since their wedding. By quite a lot. It was just… Madara was in many ways very similar to Hashirama, and Tobirama knew from experience just how hard it was for Hashirama to not blab exciting or disturbing news to his closest family. And Izuna was Madara’s brother.

To not spiral into fretting, Tobirama went to fetch paper and ink, to get a start on thinking about seals to protect the village.

Chapter Text

Having trouble settling his mind, especially after the revelation that this was Tobitsuki’s second life, and that he apparently remembered not only the first one, but the time in between as well—something that had cemented in his mind the belief that Tobitsuki was a kami—Madara just couldn’t stay in that house right then.

He kept going over and over in his head every interaction he had had with Tobitsuki, from their very first meeting, to the events of the day. Fretting over how he had treated Tobitsuki. Thinking if there was anything—beyond the sex that was—that had been disrespectful. Like how he addressed him. Should he add sama to his name? Or at the very least insist that Tobitsuki did not have to address him with sama?

He should, shouldn’t he? Disregarding all else, the three of them were meant to be equals in the marriage, and the fact that Madara had never corrected either of them when they used the honorific with him… It was an oversight. He had assumed they did because he was the head of the Uchiha clan, but that meant nothing within the marriage. Within the house he was just Madara. And he should make that clear to both of them. Shouldn’t he?

Entering the house where the rest of his family resided, Madara went straight to where he could feel Izuna. His younger brother was hunched over a desk, writing something with graceful flourishes. However, the moment he realized Madara was there to speak to him, he quickly sprinkled sand over what he had written—enough to hide it—and pushed the desk away. “Aniki, what can I help you with?”

Falling down into a sprawl on a free cushion, Madara ran his hand over his face. “I think I have done something stupid. Something… Fuck, I’ve been an idiot! Tobitsuki… Tobitsuki-sama… He isn’t… He’s not a yōkai! He’s a kami! A new one! And probably a strong one!”

Izuna just stared at Madara, expression oddly flat. When Madara didn’t say anything more, just kept waiting for a reply, Izuna finally relented with a small grimace. “Wait, you’re not joking? For real? A kami?!”
When Madara just gave a nod, Izuna heaved a sigh. “Damn, that’s…”

Suddenly he leaned forward and tilted his head, curiosity shining in his eyes. “What kind of kami?”
Blanching, Madara waved a hand through the air, searching for a way to say it that wouldn’t make him look like a fool, but he came up short, only ending with a sheepish, “I honestly don’t know.”
Izuna gave him a look that was filled with judgment. “You are married to him. And you only just now figured out that he’s a kami? And you don’t even know what kind of kami? Aniki, what have you been doing? Have you not paid attention to your husband? Are you ignoring him? … Them?”

Shaking his head in denial, and holding up both hands for good measure, Madara quickly assured him that was not the case. “No! No, I haven’t been ignoring them. We share a bed most nights now.” As soon as he said it, he wilted. “And that’s… Izuna! I fucked a kami! I’m so doomed. The disrespect I’ve shown him… The… I fucked him. A kami! I might have gotten our whole bloodline cursed!”

Izuna gaped, then he leaned forward and slapped Madara’s head. “Idiot!”
That got Madara to shut up and stop spiraling, instead hanging his head. “I know!”
“No, clearly you don’t! You are married to him. I am reasonably sure that there is no disrespect considered in having… ah… intimate relations with your spouse, regardless of their divine status.”

He paused, as Madara slowly lifted his head, a glimmer of hope in his chest. Then Izuna added, “No, I think it would be far more disrespectful if you had not done it. Kami doesn’t usually take kindly to rejection. So, if you have, ah, had intimate relations with Tobitsuki-sama, then I’m sure that it is not a problem. After all, if Tobitsuki-sama didn’t want that, I don’t think he would have had any problems putting you in your place, hmm?”

Madara’s shoulders dropped, but this time it was in relief. “I… You’re right. He would have said something, wouldn’t he?”
“Yes, I’m sure he would have. Now, how did you come to this revelation? Did he do something impossible?”

Suddenly Madara’s expression closed off, and he turned to look in the direction of his own house, even if he could not see through the walls. Tobitsuki wouldn’t want him to share what had happened. At least not yet. But… “I will talk to him. There are things I believe you should be aware of. Just… Don’t go anywhere outside the village until I have had a chance to settle this, will you? There is… a problem that we will need to find a way to handle. Okay? I’ll let you know as soon as I have spoken to Tobitsuki. ...-sama. I’ll come find you. And our parents. As soon as I know what is safe to share. Okay?”

There was a long silent pause, then Izuna nodded. “Okay. I trust you, aniki. Just… be careful.”
“I am.” Madara went to stand up, then he glanced towards the room across the garden where Tajima and Sora sat having tea. “Keep an eye on them, will you? I’m not sure who is likely to be in danger, but… Just to be on the safe side, keep them company?”
“Okay.”

With that, Madara hurried back home, mind a little more clear. He had been reminded about what was important, and now he had something to focus on. That would have to be enough to settle his mind for now.

⁂

Watching his brother leave, Izuna had a bad feeling. If a kami had seen fit to get involved in mortal matters in such a direct way… Had even let itself be trapped in a marriage… Something big was coming. Izuna was sure of that.

He was also a bit amused at the huge betting pool that would now be moot. Oh, he had put just half a ryō on his own bet, reasonably sure that Tobitsuki was not a kappa. He had just added that to the ledger to tease Madara. But he knew that there were a lot of entries that had up towards four hundred ryō riding on them right now. Yeah, seeing the fallout of this information leaking out… Izuna was not a nice enough person to not take some amusement from that thought.

It wasn’t until he himself had gotten up to join his parents in the other room that it occurred to Izuna that, if Tobitsuki was a kami and he had claimed Kurama as his sister, did that make her a kami as well? Or was she a yōkai like Izuna had assumed? Also, Tobitsuki could never know that Izuna had slept with Kurama without being married to her. While Madara had been worried over nothing—hopefully—Izuna didn’t have the luxury of thinking it was nothing. No, if Tobitsuki found out… Damn…

He sat down across from his mother, and immediately reached for the tokkuri and an empty cup, pouring himself a hefty serving of sake. That drew the attention of both Tajima and Sora, his father asking him, “What did you do?”
And really, there wasn’t much Izuna would be ashamed to admit to his parents, but this… “I plan to get married. To Kurama-chan. If she will have me.”

Sora tucked her hands into her sleeves, one tomoe swirling in her red eyes. “You don’t seem overly happy about this decision.”
She was right, but not for the reasons she might think. So he hurried to explain. “No, she’s not pregnant. It’s just… I learned something today about her brother… Aniki’s husband… I… Look, Kurama-chan is awesome. And I’m pretty sure I could… can love her. I just wasn’t planning to… Not yet anyway. But… Ah…” He pulled on his ponytail. “Look, she’s… persuasive, when there’s something she wants, and… I might have… gone a bit further than I should have. And Tobitsuki-sama is…”

His voice petered out, but by the way both Tajima and Sora had subtly straightened their spines, they had caught the usage of the new honorific where Izuna had usually used san, and that only if he was bothering to be polite.

Izuna hung his head forward. “Tobitsuki-sama is… Aniki thinks he’s a kami. And I have disrespected his sister. I need to make it right. And fast. Before he learns about it.”

Tajima threw the remains of his tea out into the garden, then he reached for the tokkuri, refilling his own cup. Sora just closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the tomoe was gone, eyes dark again. “Will she accept your suit?”
Izuna shrugged. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll just have to try to be as persuasive as her.” He reached for the tokkuri again, but his mother beat him to it, pouring for him while he continued speaking. “I mean, it’s not like having yōkai blood in the lineage will be a downgrade. So I shouldn’t get any backlash from the Elders. Right?”

All Tajima could do was nod, as Izuna had known he would. Madara’s own marriage to what they at that time had thought was a yōkai had not been met with many arguments. At least not that spouse. No, back then they had been more concerned about the inclusion of Senju Tobirama. Fortunately, Izuna had no intentions of including anyone else in his marriage. No, all he had to do now was persuade Kurama that it would be a good thing. That she should say yes.

⁂

The next few days, while Tobitsuki recovered, both Madara and Tobirama tended to hover around him whenever he left the house during the day. People noticed, and rumors ran rampant, but none were sure what the truth was. Some thought Madara and Tobirama had had a fight, and that they were trying to get Tobitsuki to take a side. Others thought that the yōkai, given that it was not human, was somehow pregnant. And others again thought that maybe Tobitsuki had both his husbands under his thrall. The latter was vehemently denied by Izuna whenever he caught someone spreading that rumor, insisting that the Sharingan made Madara immune to such ploys.

During the evenings, they would gather, alongside the bijū, in the sitting room of their house, and discuss plans for Zetsu, and whatever other information Tobitsuki saw fit to share. Like how he intended to help the other shinobi villages become more self-sufficient when it came to food-supplies, to make them less desperate, and more likely to have a good disposition towards at least Konoha, if not each other.

He also mentioned the plans he had to improve upon the current technology, and, to nobody’s surprise, Tobirama was very eager to be allowed to assist with those plans. It was more unexpected that Madara as well wanted in on the experiments.

So that was how—when Tobitsuki declared that he was fully recovered, and Tobirama, after a quick scan, agreed with that assessment—the three of them made their way to Tobitsuki’s laboratory inside the cliffs of Konoha.

It took less than forty-five seconds before the first question rang out in the large room. “How did you manage to sneak all these things past us?”
Madara was staring at a large tank housing an assortment of sea-creatures. At this point it worked more as an aquarium than a holding vat for any experiments, but Tobitsuki had high hopes for ways to extract chemicals, possibly even medication, from the various critters he had acquired from the seas around Uzushio and the closest sea-areas of Land of Water. He could, however, understand why Madara was asking. It was huge.

The answer was easy though, and he delivered it with a smirk. “Sealing scrolls.”
Tobirama’s lips twitched in amusement, but Madara gave Tobitsuki a flat look. Then he turned back and started to explore. Both he and Tobirama were intelligent enough to not touch anything without checking with Tobitsuki first, but he quickly diverted their attention to his latest project.

The electricity for Konoha came from a rudimentary hydro-plant, but it would not be able to supply all the power a growing city would need. Especially once Tobitsuki rolled out more of ‘his’ inventions for everyday use. So they needed a more efficient source of electricity. And Tobitsuki was tempted to just skip past a whole slew of unsustainable alternatives and go straight for cold fusion.

That would let them build a single power-plant that could supply all of Land of Fire for decades to come. Perhaps even a century, if he skipped ahead on some other steps as well, like preventing the current energy-inefficient light-bulbs from becoming the main source of light, and went straight for advanced LED lights which consumed just a fraction of the power for even better luminosity.

He could also adjust some plans for ways to recycle heat from various sources, to heat up homes or water for baths and showers in areas that didn’t have access to hot-springs. Thermal wells for using the heat from deep down in the Earth was also an alternative. So many ways to improve the lives of the citizens of the country… Or the whole world.

⁂

While it was incredibly tempting to dive into all the knowledge Tobitsuki freely offered, and to explore all the ways it could benefit not only the village, but the world as a whole, Tobirama kept returning to the problem of this Zetsu creature. Someone who, if what Tobitsuki said was right, could change shapes and impersonate someone down to their chakra signature. That was a serious problem. Something they needed to deal with, and as soon as possible. Because, by now, several clans were set to move into Konoha within months. In fact, the first Aburame would arrive just weeks after anija’s wedding. Which was in two weeks.

Accommodations had been hastily constructed to house Uzumaki Mito-hime’s guests from Uzushio, and parts of the pavilion that had been used for Tobirama’s own wedding had been reused, just upgraded and polished a bit more now that they had more resources at hand.

So, thirty guests from Uzushio, and then, in the following weeks, a steady trickle of new villagers. From a security standpoint, it was a nightmare. And while Tobirama could track signatures, to prevent duplicates, he wouldn’t be able to tell if any of the ones arriving were fake if there was only one of them.

Tobitsuki had some tentative ideas for how to create a barrier that would keep Zetsu out, but to do that they needed a sample of Zetsu’s chakra, so they could filter based on that. Which in turn meant that they had to catch Zetsu in the act of impersonating someone. All they could do for now was to set up generic barriers that would track any chakra entering and exiting the walls, and fine tune them to flag anyone that had even the faintest differences upon return. It would throw up a lot of false positives, from people who came back exhausted, or had been injured on a mission, or women who had become pregnant while away, or… The list was long. But for now, it was the best they had.

Perhaps, once she was married to his anija, they could bring Mito in on the secret? She would add a lot of sealing knowledge to the small group currently trying to solve this problem. Sealing knowledge that was exclusive to Uzushio. At least before now. Though surely she would be eager to help protect the village she would be a part of? The village her future children would be a part of?

Yes, including Mito, and probably also anija, into this would be for the best. Not quite the wedding present Tobirama would have liked to give them, but then again, knowledge about an enemy moving in secret was far better than not knowing.

Fortunately it was not hard to convince Tobitsuki and Madara about this. No, that part was downright easy. Madara and Hashirama had rekindled their friendship, and Tobitsuki appeared eager to improve his relationship with both Hashirama and Mito. But all three agreed that they would wait until the wedding was done. No need to add additional stress onto their shoulders right now. Not when the three of them, and the bijū, could keep an eye on things for the time being.

⁂

Madara stared at the list they had pinned to the wall in Tobitsuki’s lab. It was everyone they thought Zetsu might target, both for assassination, and for manipulation, the two of those heavily intertwined.

Izuna was high on the list of possible targets, because, as Tobitsuki had put it, if Zetsu could kill Izuna and pin the blame on some Senju, that would be a hard blow for the budding village, and it would—at least before he knew about the possible plot—have sent Madara into a spiral of grief and rage.

Other likely targets included Tajima and Sora, as Madara’s parents. And Fumiko, his aunt, with her son Hikaku, Madara’s cousin.

It had not escaped Madara’s notice that Tobitsuki felt fairly certain that Zetsu would target Madara’s family before he went for Hashirama’s family. Though, Butsuma, Kura, and Tōka had also made the list. And of course Tobitsuki and Tobirama.

But not Hashirama and Madara. No, Tobitsuki seemed certain that whatever Zetsu was planning, he would need both Madara and Hashirama alive to achieve it. This… Rinnegan evolution.

How would that even work? The Mangekyō Sharingan was such a drain on Madara’s chakra that he used it sparingly. And that was even without considering the strain on the eye itself, how it would eventually make him blind.

Tajima’s eyesight was nearly gone. All he could see, if he wasn’t lying about it, was blurred colors and vague shapes. Enough to not bump into someone, to manage to fake having better sight still, but not enough to actually read or interpret body-language. For that he relied on sensing, and subtle cues from Sora. Not that his sensing was anywhere near the range Madara had. But enough to make due for social interactions.

In fact, his impaired vision might be a blessing in disguise in that regard. Not only did Tajima hardly ever go anywhere without Sora by his side, but he was always reaching out with his senses, to compensate for his poor sight. Which would mean that he might sense an attack coming where he would not have seen it. Still, Madara would have preferred to have additional security in place.

For all of his family. For all of the village.

⁂

The first time Tobitsuki bumped into Izuna after he had recovered from the assassination attempt, he had been unsure what Madara might have told Izuna, because the younger Uchiha behaved oddly. Far more deferential than Tobitsuki’s status as Madara’s spouse demanded, and much more respectful than Izuna had ever been before.

He briefly wondered if Izuna was afraid of repercussions because of his affair with Kurama, but given that nobody had spoken about it, Tobitsuki elected to feign that he had no knowledge of it. In fact, he would have preferred if that was the case.

As it was, neither Kurama nor Izuna had mentioned it, and while Tobitsuki was pretending to be—and to a certain degree felt like he was—Kurama’s brother, he would not interfere in her personal business. Whatever she was doing with Izuna, he would leave her to figure it out on her own. Unless she asked him to interfere, that was. But he doubted she would. She was aware of what the Sharingan could do, and Tobitsuki had to trust that she would have been aware if Izuna had done something to make her fall into bed with him. And that she would have sorted it by now. One way or another.

Though, while the, whatever it was that was going on between them, could sort of explain Izuna’s behavior, it still felt weird. Off, in a way. No, given what Tobitsuki knew of Izuna, he would have found it far more likely that Izuna would have been subtly smug about that, rather than worried and all but deferential.

The third day Izuna went around calling him Tobitsuki-sama, he had had enough and confronted him. “Izuna-san, honored brother. Why have you changed your manner of address when it comes to me? I can assure you, that kind of formality is not needed. In fact, given how you behaved earlier, this turnaround is… unsettling.”

And it was. This new behavior made it difficult to not suspect that it was Zetsu parading as Izuna. Made it difficult to not become a little paranoid.

It was clear that Izuna didn’t quite know how to respond to that, as he floundered a bit, muttering something about his aniki, before he gave a respectful bow. “As you wish, Tobitsuki-san.”
He didn’t think he’d ever heard anyone infuse that much respect into a simple san before. But he would take what he could get, and not push further.

Though, given the mention of Madara, he paid a bit more attention to his Uchiha husband’s behavior in the following days, and noted a few things. One was that Madara was adamant that he, and Tobirama, drop the suffix with his name. And the other was that Madara had been much more hesitant about initiating anything sexual since the assassination attempt. He would wait for Tobirama or Tobitsuki to suggest something, and then he would follow their lead.

If it had been just Tobitsuki he was careful with, it might have been easy to dismiss it as lingering worry for his health after the scare, but given that most of it seemed to apply to them both… Tobitsuki was a bit confused. Not enough to outright ask. But enough to keep a better eye on Madara. Just in case there was something he had missed.

In between worrying and planning for Zetsu, and worrying about whatever it was that had Madara, and by association, Izuna, acting strange, Tobitsuki also had to make time to check up on his spy network. Most of that could be done by letters, sent and received from various places he had an arrangement with. All he had to do was hop to the nearest marker, throw on a henge, and walk there to pick up and deliver missives.

But a few of his informants he had to meet with in person, as they refused to write anything down. Given their positions, he could understand it for the most part. Some of them, if word got out about their side-income, could risk losing their heads.

Mostly the news he got was minor stuff—squabbling among nobles, merchants caught skimming off the top or diluting their wares, or whose mistress had been caught with someone they should not be dallying with—but every so often a small gem appeared. Like news from Land of Water that someone was buying up lumber, stone, and ropes to the point of depleting supplies throughout large regions of the country. This was a solid hint that, despite it being far earlier than the last time around, they too had started building their shinobi village. And he knew just where to check to confirm that.

Two Hiraishin jumps later, he walked into the main office in the Administration building, handing a note over to the clerk in charge. “Land of Water has started to construct a shinobi village. This is the location.”

Then he bowed and left, pondering if he should perhaps nudge his husbands and brother-in-law to hold the election a bit sooner. They needed a proper chain of command. The sooner the better. And if Tobitsuki secretly thought they should get it out of the way before too many clans joined and muddied the waters, then, well, he did have fond memories of Hashirama as the Shodai Hokage.

Except, this time around it was not that clear cut who would win. With Madara still on good terms with his own clan, they were likely to vote for him. And that could be an annoyance. If Madara became the Shodai, he would be expected to stay in Konoha most of the time, making it hard for him to help them hunt down Zetsu.

Though, they could take Hashirama along. He was stronger. But… he also had a softer heart. He might try to talk Zetsu’s minions into giving themselves up. Hells, he might even try to talk Zetsu into giving up his plan. And for all that Hashirama was strong, he was also… malleable. He might fall for Zetsu’s manipulations in the same way Madara had done. Or, well, not exactly the same way, but… therein lay the problem. With Madara, Tobitsuki knew the signs to be wary of. With Hashirama, not so much. Yes, Hashirama should probably be kept away from Zetsu.

Which meant that he needed to be Shodai. Madara could be Nidaime, if he was still interested at that time. Tobirama had only taken over because there had been nobody else he trusted to do the job. And then he had passed it on to Hiruzen… That had been a mistake. But surely, with both Tobirama and Tobitsuki to assist and advise him, Madara would make a fine Nidaime. Yes, that would work. And it would hopefully keep the Uchiha from feeling marginalized in Konoha.

Now all he needed to do was figure out how to rig the election without making it obvious.

⁂

The relief Kurama felt when they managed to reach out to first to Son Gokū, and then to Gyūki—warning them that someone was hunting them, and to find a location far from any humans and hide there until they were told it was safe—was far greater than she had assumed she would feel, given how rarely she had communicated with her siblings the past hundred years.

Both Matatabi and Shukaku appeared to share that sentiment.

Though, they also shared the worry for the remaining four siblings that were yet to respond to their calls. They could sense that they were out there, but without them reaching back, communication was impossible. Which could mean that someone, most likely they, would have to actually go out there and find them in the physical world, to pass on the message if they wanted to assure their safety. Not a tempting task considering what Tobitsuki had revealed about Zetsu, and what they remembered about how Indra behaved in his final days.

Kurama was jittery and nervous, and it didn’t help that Izuna was behaving a bit oddly with her as well. He was more… cuddly lately. And while that in itself wasn’t bad, it did make her feel… strange. Which was something she just did not need on top of her other worries.

⁂

Tobirama had helped set up the guest-houses for Mito’s relatives, and while showing a distant cousin and his large family to their accommodation, Tobirama picked up on a whispered conversation between two of the older kids.

“Is that the guy? The… you know what I mean?” The pointing was not subtle.
“I think so. They described him as very pale. With white hair. I mean, I haven’t seen anyone else that pale in this village.”
“Do you think the horns are hidden behind the happuri?” The young boy held his fingers up, imitating a pair of small horns.
His brother shrugged. “I mean, they must be? Or in his hair?”
Eyes moving to study Tobirama’s hair, the younger one asked, “Huh… How do you think he knew?”
“I dunno. Magic? Or a secret dōjutsu? His eyes are pretty special.”
Grabbing the sleeve of his brother’s shirt, the boy was nearly bouncing now. “We could ask…?”
“You do it.”
“No! You do it!”
“Coward.”

Then the second child sidled over to him, threw a glance forward to where his parents had entered one of the bedrooms to put their youngest to sleep, and whispered to Tobirama, “How did you know the seals for our island were failing? Hahaue said that Mito-hime sent a letter home, asking them to go over it with a fine-toothed comb, and they found one seal that had already broken, and several that were failing, and… How did you know? Outsiders are not supposed to know anything about our protection…”

A little amused, but also mystified, Tobirama had already realized that the children had to be mistaking him for his husband. How Tobitsuki had known, however, was just as much of a mystery to Tobirama, especially given recent revelations. A year was not long, and with all the other knowledge he had accumulated, when had he had time to visit Uzushio? Though… Tobitsuki had never told where he had lived his first life, or as who or what. Was this a clue?

Some more careful questioning of assorted relatives of Mito, with the implication that he knew just enough for them to assume Mito had told him the rest since he was her brother-in-law, Tobirama managed to piece together what had happened. And it made nothing clearer. Well, almost nothing. The one thing that was crystal clear was that Tobitsuki, intentionally or not, had uncovered a weakness in Uzushio’s defenses that could, in time, have brought the whole thing crashing down with catastrophic consequences.

And now the defenses were being redone from scratch, with new seals done in new ways. It would hopefully keep Uzushio safe for the next hundred years or more, but they would be keeping an eye on it for any signs of deterioration.

So, however it had come about, Tobitsuki might have saved Uzushio from, if not some serious damage, then at least some serious embarrassment.

Chapter Text

It felt incredibly strange—though not really in a bad way—for Madara to be seated on the side of the Senju during Hashirama’s wedding feast, but as one of Tobirama’s spouses, he was placed right at the end of the long table, next to Tobitsuki. Tobirama himself was seated next to Hashirama, as his heir. Eventually that seat would be passed to Kodama-kun—and his spouse would take the seat at the end—but he was still far too young. So, for now, Madara was representing the Senju.

In the crowd, Izuna had to have picked up on the strange mood Madara felt, because his younger brother was grinning up at him, clearly attempting to encourage Madara to smile as well. It was working, at least in the sense that it reminded Madara how exposed he was, and that he needed to school his expression.

Izuna was sitting beside their parents, and had somehow persuaded Kurama to join them at the smaller table. With her came Matatabi, and to the Uzumaki’s befuddlement, Shukaku.

Madara, while not anywhere near as strong a sensor as Tobirama or Tobitsuki, was still plenty adept enough to feel the rush of confusion through the crowd as the tanuki waddled over to the table, wearing a kimono and geta. The children had been excited, but some of the older Uzumaki’s had been apprehensive. It slowly quieted down when none of the Senju or Uzumaki present reacted at all to the sight of Shukaku, but it didn’t abate entirely. And all through the feast Madara could catch people sneaking a look towards the table, some jumping slightly when Matatabi’s tails swung into view. Clearly Mito had not seen fit to warn her people. Oddly enough that small sign of mischief improved his impression of her.

⁂

Hashirama couldn’t wait to get Mito alone. The main house had been vacated, with Butsuma and Kuro taking Kodama-kun and Koshima-chan with them to spend the night at Tobirama’s place. Tobirama had mentioned something about having spare bedrooms now, something that Hashirama resolutely did not think too hard upon.

They spent the requisite time being social, but as soon as it had reached the time where it would not be impolite to do so, he almost scooped Mito up and bade everyone goodnight, disappearing to their now shared home.

Carrying her all the way to the bedroom they would hopefully be sleeping in for the rest of their lives, he almost reverently undressed her from the many layers of her elaborate kimono. Mito herself helped by carefully untangling and removing the various pieces of jewelry from her person, putting them aside to be packed away properly later.

Hashirama was not nearly so careful with his own possessions, just plucking things off and dumping them on top of a chest of drawers. Surely he could sort it all out later. Tomorrow. Or the day after. However early—or late—he managed to resurface from worshiping his new bride.

⁂

As a gift, not only to the newlyweds, but also to their neighbors, Tobirama had been by earlier to slap some silencing seals on the room where Hashirama and Mito would retreat to. He already knew they were effective, as he and Tobitsuki had placed them on what used to be Madara’s room, but now, though not voiced as such, was their shared bedroom. And they had tested the efficiency of the seals extensively, with no complaints from anyone in the neighboring houses.

That also meant that when they retreated for the night, despite having his father, mother, and niblings in the same house, Tobirama had no compunctions about seducing his husbands into some celebratory activities of their own.

Perhaps it was the alcohol he had consumed, or just the elated mood from seeing his brother so happy, but Tobirama was eager to see his own husbands happy as well. Or, well, even more happy than they already were. Which was why he attempted to recreate the first night they had together, only with Tobirama in the middle rather than Tobitsuki.

Madara was not hard to convince, but it took a bit longer to persuade Tobitsuki, partially due to Tobirama’s inexperience in this, but mainly because of how long Tobitsuki’s cock was, and the fact that despite it appearing like he had control of how it moved, he really didn’t.

The solution was a stack of cushions under Tobirama’s chest, so he could use both hands on Tobitsuki’s dick, holding it in place so that he could take a more manageable length of it in his mouth.

And so, while he was testing out how to pleasure Tobitsuki, behind him, Madara got out the lube and started to prepare him. The feeling of those thick fingers stretching him made it hard to focus, and the moment his attention slipped, Tobitsuki’s dick curled and stretched inside his mouth. Long pale fingers ran through his hair, gripping it, claw-like nails scratching over his scalp, trying to pull him back, but Tobirama was determined to take as much as he could down his throat.

Tobitsuki had explained how to angle his head, and ways to try to suppress the gag reflex, but that was while he demonstrated on Madara, who, while not exactly small, still had a shorter cock than Tobitsuki did. And it didn’t move. That turned out to make a lot of difference.

It was a good thing that Tobirama could hold his breath for long periods of time, because that allowed him to swallow around Tobitsuki’s cock several times, working it further back down his throat each time, before he had to pull back to draw some air. Usually in the form of a gasp since it seemed Madara was trying to time his thrusts with Tobirama’s movements, managing to hit his prostate just so at that exact moment. Every time. Making it very hard for the young Senju to keep his focus up, further testing his ability to hold his breath.

Still, it was a highly enjoyable night, and Tobirama thought it was worth it even though his jaw ached the next day.

⁂

With Hashirama’s wedding out of the way, Tobitsuki decided that it was time to head back to the base in Rōran, to attempt to get into some of the other rooms in the hopes that they might contain more useful information. It would be at least a few days until they could tell Hashirama and Mito about Zetsu and his plans anyways. Perhaps more, if Hashirama was persistent in his expressed wish to ‘learn every inch of her body’.

Now, with Tobirama and Madara in on some of his secrets, he saw no reason to leave them behind. Especially since he was not intending to use the shuttle, one of the secrets he had yet to share, but instead planned to simply use his Hiraishin.

Packing whatever tools he thought he might need, plus a small pile of sealing scrolls, he gathered his husbands, placed his hands on one shoulder of each of them, and activated the jutsu, taking them all to the one inner room he had already accessed.

As soon as they arrived, Madara stumbled away, looking faintly green. Tobirama however was perfectly calm, possibly because it was a jutsu that was strictly speaking tailored for him. And Tobitsuki could practically see the way Tobirama’s mind was spinning away, attempting to reverse-engineer the jutsu for his own use.

Given that Tobitsuki had stolen from Tobirama the chance to invent the clone jutsu, he was tempted to let Tobirama figure this one out for himself. There was just one problem—The markers he used would eventually work for Tobirama as well, and during the initial testing… Tobirama might end up getting himself stuck at any one of the markers Tobitsuki had already left scattered over a large part of this continent. Perhaps teaching him, and guiding him through the first few uses would be better. If for nothing else, then for Tobitsuki’s—and probably also Madara’s—peace of mind.

Besides, as he had already thought, giving Tobirama free access to his knowledge could lead to new inventions he would otherwise never have thought of, which would surely be a boon for his future plans.

Confirming that the outer room was empty, Tobitsuki snatched Madara’s hand and jumped them there, then headed for the nearest door. He crouched down, poking at the lock, and while he explained what he was doing, nudged both Tobirama and Madara into giving a pair of other locks a go.

An hour later, his lock gave a soft click and the door swung open.

He was not truly surprised that neither Tobirama nor Madara followed him inside, despite feeling fairly confident that their curiosity would be killing them. No, the two of them had entered into a silent competition as to who of them would figure out their lock first, and there were probably not many things that would budge them from that. Especially not a room that they could easily access later, once a winner had been determined.

Leaving his two husbands to it, Tobitsuki started to explore the new room, quickly sealing away things he wasn’t prepared to explain to anyone yet, and looking through every cupboard, drawer, and computing terminal, searching for information that wasn’t readily available in the onboard computer on his shuttle.

It was close to an hour later that he heard a triumphant “Hah!” from the other room. With a small smirk, he walked out to find Tobirama holding another door open, self-satisfied smirk on his face. By the next door, Madara was scowling. But he had not given up, still fiddling with the lock.

Tobirama followed Tobitsuki into the new room, and looked around with interest. “We’re taking all this with us?”
“Anything we can seal away, yes.”
“Excellent.”

Tobitsuki threw a sealing scroll to Tobirama. “Take any of the tools you find and seal into this. I’ll search for information and any resources that might have survived all this time.”
Tobirama gave a small hum and unrolled the scroll, quickly scooping up anything that was placed on the first work-table. “How much time are we talking here?”
“Centuries. Over half a millennia. Maybe closer to eight hundred years. I can’t be quite sure.”
“I see.” Tobirama was silent for a moment, only the soft noises of his movements and the small poof of displaced air as he sealed away things, then he asked “And how do you know about this place?”

Tobitsuki measured his words, but… he had already shared a lot, and he was bound to slip up at some point and forget what he had shared and what he had yet to share, so… “I learned about it while I was maturing. Before I exited the… chrysalis, I suppose is an apt enough word for it.”
Turning to face him, Tobirama frowned. “Education while still in the womb, so to speak?”
“I guess that’s one way to put it, yes.”
“Interesting.”

The way Tobirama said the last word indicated a slew of questions in Tobitsuki’s future. But not right now. They were busy packing up things to bring back, and had already spent nearly two hours away from Konoha. Sadly, while their sensing range was great, it didn’t quite reach all the way to the village from Rōran. So they were eager to return to reassure themselves that nothing had happened to the village in their absence. Despite Tobitsuki having left a seal with each of the bijū, for them to channel chakra into if an emergency arose.

They really needed to find a way to seal Zetsu out of there.

Tobitsuki hoped that somewhere in all the information he had found at the base, the solution to that problem would reveal itself.

⁂

With his brother nowhere to be found, Izuna ended up seeking out Hikaku instead, bemoaning how hard it was to get Kurama on board with any courting activities. He had tried to take her for a romantic walk in one of the small parks Hashirama had sprouted a few weeks earlier, but the kitsune had been quick to drag him into some bushes and proceeded to have her wicked way with him until he had to bite his own hand to keep from being loud enough to get them both caught.

Not that Izuna told the story in quite that much detail to Hikaku, he just implied that Kurama was… adventurous. And perhaps not inclined to romantic gestures.

She had also missed his point entirely when he had hinted that he would love to fall asleep beside her every night, saying that merely sleeping was boring, and that she would much rather they did more interesting things with their time.

Hikaku had listened patiently, then he patted Izuna’s shoulder and told him that as long as Kurama was still enjoying his company, then there was hope, and Izuna just had to be persistent and perhaps be less subtle. Izuna hung his head. That went against everything he had been taught as a shinobi. He wasn’t even sure if he knew how to do that.

Unfortunately, Hikaku’s sympathy could not make up for his own lack of experience when it came to courting, and he had no better suggestion than for Izuna to perhaps seek out their mother for some advice.

When Izuna had tilted his head and asked in a curious tone, “Not Madara?” Hikaku had merely reminded him that the extent of Madara’s courtship had been to suggest marriage as a deal for a treaty. The fact that the marriage appeared to work out for him was entirely coincidental, or, if Hikaku was to be generous, due to the machinations of Tobitsuki.

Izuna had absentmindedly corrected Hikaku, telling him to refer to the kami as -sama, but his mind was already on how to formulate his request to his mother, and on whether or not the embarrassment of doing so was worth it. He therefore entirely missed Hikaku’s wide eyed shock.

⁂

Half an hour after Tobirama’s success with the lock, a loud “Hah!” resounded from the outer room. Tobitsuki gave a fond little smile and hurried out, leaving Tobirama to trail after him.

Madara had indeed managed to open the lock, much to Tobitsuki’s quiet amazement. Perhaps he had underestimated Madara’s skills as a sensor? It reminded him that while he had a very decent idea of what Tobirama might be capable of, he had less knowledge about Madara’s skills and limitations. And that was something he should correct, if only so he knew how to account for it in any future plans he made.

His thoughts were distracted when the door swung open. It was a storage room! Rows upon rows of shelves full of boxes, jars, metal barrels, and crystal containers. His fingers itched to explore, but they didn’t really have time to go through it all before they should return to Konoha. Which meant that the easiest solution was to just pack it all up.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a small pile of scrolls, handing half to Madara. “Let us seal up everything and sort it in Konoha.”
Then he turned to Tobirama and handed him the other half. “Help Madara will you? And I’ll make sure we’re not leaving anything important in the other rooms. Who knows when we’ll have time to come back and go through the rest.”

Tobirama accepted the scrolls, handing back the half-full one from the room he had opened. Madara was already inside, sealing away box after box without even checking the contents.

By the time Tobitsuki had hurriedly gone through the other two rooms, being far less selective about what he was sealing away now, both his husbands had between them managed to clean out the entire storeroom.

Placing his markers inside, for ease of travel, just in case it turned out they had forgotten something or something had been hidden, he then re-locked the rooms they had cleared out, before taking them all back to Konoha. Directly to his lab in the cliffs.

There they spent another hour unsealing things and stacking them along the walls.

It wasn’t until Madara loudly declared that he was hungry that they finally left the remaining work for another day, heading home to relax and have a late dinner.

⁂

Kagami had been searching through some of his relatives’ houses for supplies for his newest prank idea, hoping to make his shishō proud, when he heard the main door of the house he was currently in open. Quickly, so as to not get caught being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, Kagami hid inside a cupboard, squeezing himself behind two folded blankets, peering out through the slats of the cupboard-doors. It wasn’t Hikaku that had returned, but his mother, aunt Fumiko. She wasn’t really Kagami’s aunt, but then, most of the women he called aunt weren’t either.

He watched her walk over to a low desk, sitting down on the small cushion there, and Kagami had to hold back a groan. If she was going to write something, he might be stuck for a while.

Reminding himself of what Shukaku-shishō had told him, that patience was a valuable skill to possess if one wanted to set up the best pranks, he steeled himself for a long wait. Only to freeze up when something really strange happened—Fumiko-obasan’s shadow started to stretch, moving up from the floor, and then sort of detaching itself from her, leaning over the desk. Then it started to instruct her what to write, in a really weird voice.

Kagami remained completely still, trying his best to memorize everything he heard like a good shinobi would, but he was also fighting back a sense that what was happening out in that room was bad. Really bad. This thing, this weird shadow creature with glowing eyes, it was wrong somehow. Just felt really creepy, setting Kagami’s hairs on end. And that said a lot considering Kagami’s shishō was a tanuki yōkai.

By the time the shadow thing retreated back into Fumiko and she got up and left—carrying a rolled up missive in her hand, presumably going to the aviary—Kagami’s legs had cramped up and he all but rolled out of the cupboard, then jumped a few times on one leg as he tried to hurry out of the house. He went straight to find Shukaku.

⁂

Hearing Kagami’s disjointed and stumbling explanation of what he had witnessed, Shukaku didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Kagami’s wrist and pulled the young boy with him towards Tobitsuki’s house, not even bothering to knock. This was too important to bother with human niceties.

Tobitsuki seemed to agree, even though Madara was blustering and blushing, gathering his yukata around himself with a loud huff. And Kagami looked confused. Given his age, it was probably not so strange that he had not picked up on what they had interrupted. Especially as his human nose was far less useful than Shukaku’s. But that was not important. Tobitsuki could get his rocks off later. Once they had sorted this.

So, Shukaku started to explain what Kagami had told him, occasionally prompting the boy to give more information or clarify something.

Tobirama had joined them from another room, clearly having dressed in a hurry, given how wrinkly his clothes were and how sloppily the belt was tied. He quietly gathered up some snacks and set about preparing tea for them all, even while clearly paying attention.

By the time Shukaku and Kagami were done explaining, Tobitsuki had maneuvered them to sit by the table, and Tobirama had pushed cups of tea towards them.

It was silent for a moment, before Tobirama asked a question that was not directed at anyone in particular. “I wonder who she was writing to, and what that letter contained? I assume Zetsu left her body so as to not affect her handwriting? That must mean that whoever she wrote to would recognize it.”
Tobitsuki gave a quick nod, then he made a handseal, and suddenly there were two of him. Shukaku had seen this before, but Kagami had not, and the boy made a small noise of surprise.

The clone held out a hand. “Can you show me where Fumiko-san lives? I might be able to extract a copy of the letter from the surface she wrote upon.”
Kagami gave an eager nod, his expression one of awe. The two of them disappeared in a shunshin.

With the boy gone, they could speak more freely, and Madara groaned. “So Zetsu is definitely in Konoha then?”
Tobitsuki, the original as far as Shukaku could tell, gave a nod. “It does sound very much like it. But this means we have an opportunity to trap it.”
Tobirama looked thoughtful, then he added “Perhaps it is time to bring in my esteemed sister-in-law? I think she and my brother have been given enough time to get acquainted with each other now.”
Agreeing, Tobitsuki nodded. “Yes, another seal-master would not go amiss. And I think it is time we explain this to Hashirama as well. His Mokuton could be of great help in creating barriers fast.”

“I will invite them over to dinner.” Tobirama stood and created a clone of his own, watching it depart before sitting down again. “Hopefully they do not have plans with our parents this evening, but if they do, I will explain why it is urgent.”

Madara leaned back on his arms, staring at the ceiling. “What… does this mean for my aunt? Is she…?”
Tobitsuki suppressed a wince. “I don’t know. She may be fine, if we can trick Zetsu into leaving her without damaging her. Perhaps, if I were to attack her, as if I intend to kill her, he will think her unimportant, and just depart her body in a hurry?”
“Won’t that make it harder to trap it?” Tobirama frowned.
“Not necessarily.” Tobitsuki didn’t say it, but the ‘but probably’ still could be heard by all present.

By the time Tobitsuki’s clone returned with Kagami, without a copy of the letter sadly, they already had some tentative plans drawn up, but most relied far too much on luck and chance for any of them to be comfortable with any of the proposed ideas. They hoped that after talking with Hashirama and Mito, there might be other thoughts worth exploring. However, they also knew that it would be a lot for the Senju Clan head and his new wife to take in, so they might need to give them time to process it all first.

⁂

Now that they knew Zetsu was in Konoha again, it was decided that none of them should go anywhere alone. Kagami was escorted home, with a promise that someone would come and collect him the next day so that he could spend time with Shukaku. They also agreed to fetch Kameko-chan.

Shukaku himself was taken back to his house by Tobitsuki, only for him and his siblings to all go to Tobitsuki’s house to spend the rest of the day there, and probably also the night, just to be on the safe side. They were given Tobitsuki’s old room, which was hardly seeing any use now that the three husbands shared a bed regularly.

With confirmation given that Hashirama and Mito would join them, Tobirama and Tobitsuki started to prepare dinner, while Madara and the bijū made notes on the various ideas they had, and what would be required for them to work.

Matatabi was the one to suggest trapping Fumiko in a seal, one that looked like it was rigged to explode, but that was really layered so that anything inside the trap would be transported to a sealing scroll before the explosion took place.

As no such seal currently existed, and nobody was truly eager to experiment on sealing living things inside scrolls, Tobitsuki revisited his idea of modifying the Hiraishin for general transport. This was a perfect chance to not only craft such a seal, but if it worked, encourage Mito to have a transport station set up in Uzushio later on.

As Tobitsuki fell into musings over how this could work, sketching out diagrams and seal arrays, quickly covering the surface of the table, Madara took over the kitchen duties, sharing a look with Tobirama. Hopefully their third would resurface from his own thoughts by the time their guests arrived.

⁂

Hashirama had not known what to expect when Tobirama invited him and Mito for dinner. It was not a common occurrence. In fact, Hashirama could probably count on one hand the number of times he had had a meal at Tobirama’s house. Usually his otouto would join him, his kids, and their parents in the main house, or they would eat at one of the many food carts, izakaya, or restaurants that had started to appear as the two clans finished moving in.

It wasn’t quite the amount Hashirama had envisioned as a child, but then, Konoha was still growing. The Aburame had already confirmed that they wanted to join, and it was only the final talk, a formality at this point, and the official signing of a contract that remained before they would start to pour in.

And then there were the Shimura, the Yamanaka, the Nara, the Akimich, the Sarutobi… Even the Hyūga wanted to join. And a dozen minor clans had sent missives, inquiring about the possibility of getting a patch of land to set up houses on. Yes, Konoha would grow a lot in the coming years, of that Hashirama was sure.

Unfortunately, the dinner with his brother and his brother’s husbands reminded Hashirama of something he had not been eager to consider—a village like that would gain attention from potential enemies. And according to Tobirama, it already had.

Listening to the explanations for what this enemy was, and how it had been manipulating both him and Madara in their previous incarnations… It was all a bit much. Hashirama had so many questions. So did Mito. In the end it was nearing midnight before they left the house, and they had not even reached any conclusions when it came to possible ways to counter the creature or its followers.

Mito did seem eager to work on the possible seal-trap, which was good he supposed, but Hashirama worried what it would mean for cooperation with Uzushio that Konoha was already under attack. Mito tried to reassure him, but the truth was that Hashirama was far more of a worrier than a warrior, despite his fearsome reputation. He just could not help it.

⁂

The following days, Hashirama and Mito came to visit with Tobirama and his husbands every evening, and, after it became clear that they should probably prioritize making sure the other bijū were safe, Izuna and Tōka were brought in as well, since they needed someone they could trust to go outside Konoha with Kurama. Nobody was eager to send her alone, despite her insistence that she would be fine. Tobitsuki had to speak to her in private and remind her that she had a weakness that Zetsu might be aware of. After that she became surprisingly agreeable. Especially after it was made clear that Tōka and Izuna would be on her team.

And then, since it was his mother they were trying to save, and it could be a good thing to have Hikaku out of Konoha for that, he was added to the team as well. As Madara pointed out, it couldn’t hurt to have another Uchiha there who might notice if the first one started to act out of character.

They plotted in a path for their search based on previous observations and areas mentioned in the past—when the bijū were still talking to each other regularly—and made estimates for approximately when they would be where, and locations they thought could be safe for camping, where they would send a signal if they had information for Tobitsuki to come and collect.

Their mission was flagged as a high value target assassination in the archives, with no mention of who or where, as was common for the files that could potentially become political headaches for the daimyō if they got into the wrong hands. They hoped that would be enough to fool any potential helpers Zetsu might manage to sneak into the archives before they caught him.

Tobirama wished Tōka an easy journey, and left a handful of Hashirama’s seeds in her pocket as a good luck charm. He was less overt with Izuna and Hikaku, just telling them “Don’t die.”

Then he came to Kurama, whom, while he was certain Tobitsuki and her were not truly related, he still considered his sister-in-law. He knew Tobitsuki had given her something for emergencies, but he didn’t know what, and he added his own little thing. “Take this scroll. If you unseal it, it will release a small lake in a concentrated area. That could hopefully buy you time to set traps or get away should it be needed. Just make sure you have an escape-route before you open the scroll, or use a timer.”

Kurama watched him for a moment, then she gave a nod, glanced towards Tobitsuki, and told Tobirama “Watch over nii-san. He’s not quite as tough as he likes people to think, and he can get fixated on some things to the detriment of others.”

Tobirama knew exactly what Kurama meant, though, he had to admit that the same could apply to himself. Perhaps that was part of why he could so easily recognize it in Tobitsuki?

He bade her good travels, and stepped back to stand next to Madara and Matatabi, with Shukaku by his knees.

Then, since it was clear to everyone with a certain sensing range that the other bijū were not within Land of Fire, Tobitsuki took the team of four to his furthest marker towards Land of Iron, where they planned to start their search, as Matatabi had met with Saiken there about half a decade ago.

As he returned alone just a moment later, Matatabi shivered, the fur on her tail standing on end. “I don’t like this.”

Nobody had a good comment to that, so they all returned to their tasks for the day, to not draw undue attention to themselves.

Chapter Text

Everything was in place, and all that was needed was to get Fumiko into position. To do that, Madara dropped by her office and casually asked if she was up to take a mission. When she agreed, he handed her a scroll. It was a made-up mission, sending her to an empty house outside a small village just two hours out from Konoha, for retrieval of a letter that didn’t exist.

Mito and Tobitsuki had set up seals in various rooms that emulated chakra signatures of civilians, and Tobitsuki and Tobirama had a few clones wandering around under henges, with seals on them to warp their signature. It made the house appear occupied.

As night fell, they watched as she snuck towards a wall where one of the windows on the upper floor had been left open. She was passing on the outside of a small bush with noisy leaves when she suddenly froze. Slowly her head tilted down, Sharingan eyes activating. Activating his own Sharingan, the glow of the seal she had stepped inside became visible to Madara. A barrier surrounding her like a pipe, disappearing into the ground and up into the sky. It would have allowed her to climb out or sink into the ground, if not for the fact that her body was currently paralyzed from the neck down, locked in position.

Standing out of view, hidden by seals, Madara watched Tobitsuki step out of the shadows, approaching the woman. He looked cold. Almost disinterested. Just looking her up and down, his voice a sneer. “So you are the one who poisoned me? I expected someone more… impressive. Not this… Oh well, it does not matter. You’ll die easily enough I expect.”

He walked over and started drawing a seal outside the one she was trapped in, giving her a smirk that had Madara shiver with how vicious it looked. Tobitsuki’s voice was low, but it still carried to where Madara stood as he informed the woman. “It would not do for any trace to be found of you, so I figured it would be fitting to use fire to consume your body. That is the Uchiha burial practice, is it not? A pyre? And this one will be quick. You’ll hardly feel any pain. As soon as the explosion hits, the temperatures will be high enough to vaporize bone.”

Something strange started to happen to Fumiko. In the moonlight, her shadow had pooled at her feet, but now it was moving, pushing against the barrier, even climbing up against it at some points. As if testing it. Briefly, Fumiko’s eyes glowed yellow, and she broke the lock on her body, punching towards Tobitsuki. Only for her fist to impact the barrier with a crack of fracturing bones. The shadow quivered, and Fumiko stared at Tobitsuki, no indication that she was in pain. Madara winced. If this worked, Fumiko would need immediate medical attention. But hopefully it would be all she would need.

Across the garden, Tobitsuki finished the seal, then he stepped back, performing a few hand-seals as he moved out of range. “I will make sure your son is told you died bravely.”

All at once, something black surged out of Fumiko and sank into the ground, following the barrier down. The woman blinked once, then she screamed, clutching her fist and staring wild-eyed at Tobitsuki. “No! I didn’t…!”
She was yanked away from the spot, and Madara rushed towards the secondary seal.

Fumiko had collapsed onto the ground, passed out. Mito was crouching beside her, already scanning her body, both to check for injuries, and to make sure every bit of the parasite was gone. Back at the seal, an inhuman screech sounded. Madara was torn. He wanted to make sure Fumiko was fine, but he should rush back in case they needed help.

Then Mito looked up, meeting his eyes fearlessly. “It took all her chakra!”
Madara’s mind made up, he fell to his knees beside his aunt, already channeling chakra for a transfer.

⁂

Clearly Zetsu had discovered the additional trap. The barrier only appeared to go on endlessly up or down. There was a bottom to it. And the creature had reached it, only to rush back up, finding the host gone. Black filled the barrier like a bucket of paint had been poured into it, undulating, stretching, making a screeching scream.

“Is this all of it?” Hashirama had started to channel Mokuton to strengthen the barrier, vines crawling over the ground to climb up the outside, creating a web of roots.
“I think so. I believe it can survive being split into two, but that is not its ideal state.” Tobitsuki was writing seals with rapid slashes of his brush.

Beside them, Tobirama monitored information that appeared in a scroll, tracking any changes inside the barrier. Suddenly the black substance stopped moving, quivering in place. Then it dove underground again. Hashirama swore. “Crap! It went below where my roots are!”

Moments later, the scroll in Tobirama’s hand stopped adding new info. The last line stood out. Black Zetsu had dispersed into some kind of mist, penetrating the barrier by oozing around the rocks that had been bisecting the barrier, creating minute gaps. It had been enough for Zetsu to slip out between their fingers.

Spreading his senses out, Tobirama was reasonably certain that the creature had fled, not willing to risk another confrontation with so many dangerous shinobi. Still, just to be on the safe side he moved closer to his brother and Tobitsuki, all three of them hurrying over to where Madara and Mito were working to save Fumiko’s life.

With a small yank of chakra, all of Tobirama’s seals in the area unraveled, leaving no trace. Moments later he could feel Tobitsuki doing the same, and, once Fumiko was stable and no longer in danger of going into shock from chakra depletion, Mito followed suit.

They gathered close, and Tobitsuki took them all back to Konoha, directly to the foyer of the hospital, where they had an emergency team on standby.

In a flurry of activity, Fumiko was placed on a hospital bed and wheeled into one of the operating rooms, where it was placed on top of a sealing array meant to boost healing for the patient the moment chakra was poured into it. They did not do that immediately however.

Observing as Hashirama and Mito carefully pieced together the bones in Fumiko’s hand, Tobirama shared his findings with the room in general. Madara was still channeling a trickle of chakra into his aunt, to replenish her reserves until she was above the threshold for exhaustion.

And Tobitsuki was scribbling something on a scroll with angry slashes.

Once he had told them all he had observed, and added a few theories of his own, Tobirama moved over to Tobitsuki, peering over his shoulder to see what he was writing. It was a new matrix for an advanced barrier.

“Won’t that be visible?” He pointed towards a few lines in the base of the seal.
“Not if I adjust the spectrum. It might still shimmer during sunrise and sunset, but during the day it should not affect the color of the sky at all.” Tobitsuki moved his hands away, allowing Tobirama to take in the whole sketch he had made.

After a moment of studying the thing, Tobirama asked, “How much chakra will it drain?”
There was a tiny hesitation before Tobitsuki drummed his fingers on the table. “I… If we tap into everyone present inside the barrier, the drain will be negligible. However, at no point should there be fewer than five people in Konoha. The strain of holding the barrier will kill them.”
Tensing his spine, Tobirama’s jaw clenched. But, they needed this, and the risk was minimal. “I don’t think that will be a problem, but we can remove the whole thing once Zetsu is gone.”
Tobitsuki nodded. “Yes. Or adapt it later on. Maybe create a storage array that can act as a battery for a while, should there for any reason be fewer than ten people inside the barrier.”

“Doesn’t Uzushio do something like that for some of their arrays?” Both men turned questioning looks towards Mito, where she and her husband were finishing up the healing of Fumiko’s hand. The appendage was still discolored, but the bruising was rapidly changing color, and all her fingers looked normal again, with no strange bulges or weird angles. The seal underneath the bed was also active at last, which suggested all the bones had indeed been put back in the right places. They would not have activated it if there was any risk of the bones fusing wrongly, since that would have jeopardized Fumiko’s ability to form handseals.

Straightening up and rolling her shoulders, Mito threw them a glance. “Let me have a look at that, and I’ll see if our array is compatible. If it is, then perhaps we can start setting it all up tomorrow, or the day after at the latest. We want to keep that thing out of here.”

Tobitsuki quickly finished the sketch, and, as Mito moved from her position by the bed, he handed it to her.

Since there was nothing more they could do for Fumiko now, they left her with three nurses who started to change her out of her mission clothes and into a hospital pajama. Hopefully a night at the hospital would see her on her feet the next day, and ready to be questioned about what she remembered of her possession by Zetsu. And if not, Madara would surely offer her more chakra to speed up her recovery.

⁂

They had been walking through a narrow canyon high up in the mountains of Land of Iron. Kurama was taking point, and every so often she would pause, turn this way and that, then keep walking. The last time she did it, she had rubbed a hand over her breastbone and muttered something. Izuna was too far away to hear, particularly over the snarking Hikaku and Tōka were doing, throwing small verbal barbs at each other in lieu of kunai or senbon. They had been at it for hours every day since this journey started, and Izuna was tempted to pull rank and tell the two of them to shut up. Or, well, at least Hikaku. He had a feeling that Senju Tōka would not recognize his authority here, and he was reluctant to push her to have that confirmed.

Suddenly Kurama perked up, and Izuna blinked. For a very brief moment it had looked like Kurama had tails. A lot of tails. Like, more than the three or four he might have guessed.

Izuna shook his head and hurried after her. Surely he was mistaken.

He forgot all about it once they crested a rise and came face to… uh… antennae? Eye-stalks? Something with a creature that could best be described as a giant slug on legs.

Alarm shot through Izuna as the creature reached an appendage towards Kurama, but his panic crashed headfirst into a wall of confusion when Kurama hissed loudly “Otouto! Don’t you dare put your slimy paws all over my shirt! If you want a hug you better control that thing!”

All three shinobi stared at Kurama and the slug-creature, because… Otouto?!

“Your family is weird.” It was Tōka who spoke, even as they watched the glistening slime on those pale appendages sort of get sucked into the skin. Presumably in preparation for a hug.
Kurama just shrugged. “You’re related to Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-san.”
Closing her eyes, Tōka sighed. “Okay, yeah, but at least they have more or less the same shape as me, just… less chest and more muscle.”

Hikaku gave her a wicked smirk. “Oh, I dunno, I think maybe Hashirama-sama has more chest than you do.”
Tōka spun towards him, a trembling finger pointed at him. “Shut the fuck up! You have no idea what you are talking about!” Then she spun back towards Kurama, incidentally putting Hikaku behind her, as she hissed, “I bind them up.”

“Uhu…” Hikaku didn’t sound very convinced.
That did nothing to improve Tōka's mood, as she growled “I could choke you with them, you asshole!”

To Izuna’s mild surprise, Hikaku didn’t give a retort to that. So he glanced towards his cousin and found the man beet red, looking anywhere but at Tōka. Huh, interesting.

He got no chance to prod his cousin about it right then, as Kurama finally, after accepting a careful hug, started to explain to the creature called Saiken why they were there.

It was a long conversation, and the shinobi ended up setting up camp to spend the night right there, so that Kurama and Saiken could catch up.

Izuna would never admit it, but he was kind of relieved when Saiken went off in another direction the next day, having opted to move further away from Land of Fire and the neighboring countries for the time being. But he did promise to listen if Kurama or any of the others called, and meet them in the Mental World for updates.

Satisfied that at least one of the missing siblings had been found and warned, they set out towards Land of Earth, hoping to catch wind of some of the other siblings on the way there.

⁂

It had been almost thirty-six hours without sleep, as they first designed the complete seal—chaining it with the battery-array and another fail-safe that would prevent tampering with any of the nodes from inside—and then they went around the entire perimeter wall, hiding seal-nodes to anchor the barrier to.

By the time the barrier actually shimmered into place, Tobirama was very ready to just grab Tobitsuki and Madara and go home to crash. But before they could do that, they needed to flush through the inner space of the seal, to make sure that they had not accidentally sealed Zetsu in with them, and they needed to talk to Fumiko, now that she was awake again. That took another five hours. However, by that time it was clear that the seals were stable, and that the battery was already charging up. For now, Konoha was as safe as it could be from Zetsu.

Which wasn’t perfect, considering that the only thing the seal actually kept out was Zetsu. Any minions of Zetsu that were not being possessed would still be able to enter and exit the barrier. They just wouldn’t get any more unwitting spies that reported on movements, sent off fake intel, or collected samples of blood from the training grounds. No, anyone caught from this moment outwards helping Zetsu were doing it of their own free will.

Though, considering how manipulative Zetsu could be… Free will might be relative. Perhaps it was time to set up an interrogation unit? Someone specializing in ferreting out the truth? Hadn’t Tobitsuki mentioned some ideas in that direction? Tobirama resolved to ask his husband about it the next day. After they had caught up on sleep.

⁂

The next major event in Konoha was the arrival of the Aburame contingent two days after the barrier was completed. Five adults, all dressed in baggy clothes, with dark glasses hiding their eyes. Madara was eighty percent sure one of them was a woman, although it could just be a really pretty man. It was hard to tell when he only had parts of the face to judge by.

They were yet again reminded that they should probably hold an election soon, as there were quite a lot of people in the room they had set aside for the negotiations, and with nobody appointed as the head there were several awkward moments when both Hashirama and Madara attempted to defer to the other one. Fortunately, Tobitsuki cut through the longest moment, pushing a small pile of papers towards the Aburame that was clearly in charge. “This is the contract we have drawn up for any clans that wish to join. The last page are suggestions for clauses specifically tailored to the Aburame. I believe you have a lot of orchards that you could be interested in moving to Konoha? That can be done with seal-work. I developed a variation of one of my own private seals that can be utilized to move both inanimate objects and living things. If you have smaller constructions you would like to bring along, that can also be arranged.”

The Aburame accepted the papers, and all five of them huddled together to read.

While they did that, Madara made some notes on things that should really have been ready weeks ago. And a few of those, months even. Like selecting someone as the leader, the one to make the final decisions. He and Hashirama had always talked about sharing the responsibility, though at one point, Hashirama had sworn that Madara would get that role. Did he want it? He wasn’t sure if he was honest. Being the head of the Uchiha clan was plenty enough responsibility for him. And considering how big Konoha might end up if Tobitsuki’s estimates turned out to be correct… That was an awful lot of people to be responsible for. Not to mention the paperwork it would surely involve...

Madara was sure he could do it, but did he want to? Or would he rather have a lesser job, one that allowed him the freedom to take missions when he felt like stretching his legs? He was not sure.

⁂

With Zetsu’s access to Konoha barred, Tobitsuki agreed with Madara that the election should be prioritized. He had dragged his feet a bit about it earlier, partially because of the worry over Zetsu, and the very real danger that the entity would mess with an election, but also because he felt a little guilty about his decision to tamper with the election himself, to keep Madara out of the Hokage office. Still, it had to be done. And preferably before too many other clans joined.

Although, now that the Aburame had signed on, they should probably wait until the clan had actually moved in, so that it didn’t look like they were hurrying to get it out of the way before they could have a say. Maybe sending out a statement about it, and getting a list from the Aburame of anyone eligible to vote among them? Which should probably be limited to anyone above a certain age, say, fifteen? They would have to set the limit somewhere. Also, perhaps there should be some requirement about being of sound mind? To prevent manipulation of voters that had sustained injuries to the head, or elderly that had started to become confused.

He scribbled down several thoughts, then he sighed. He really should bring in more people. There were just too many things that still needed to be done, and despite his ability to make clones, he was only one man. He needed to get better at delegating things.

Remembering how he had set up things for the repair of the Uzushio defenses, Tobitsuki sought out Mito, inquiring about her thoughts on how to hold the election. It didn’t take long before she had taken over the whole project, as Tobitsuki subtly pulled out. He still planned to interfere, but that would have to wait until he had more information about how it would be done, and which strings he needed to pull.

And that reminded him that he should check on his web of informants. Such a long list of tasks…

⁂

Matatabi watched Shukaku with his two little students. It looked like her brother was having fun, teaching them all sorts of tricks and traps.

Slowly she spun her cup around. Perhaps she needed to find something to occupy her time with as well. Being in this human shape had done something to her, had made her more restless. Napping in the sun was all well and good, but… Now she wanted to do something. Wanted to be useful. Just… how?

⁂

Tobitsuki had been sitting together with Tobirama, going through information from the base in Rōran. A flicker of chakra informed him that the team searching for bijū was at the next checkpoint. Getting up from his chair, he gave Tobirama’s forehead a quick peck, glad that the happuri was nowhere in sight right then.

It wasn’t until he grabbed the marker, swirling through time and space that it occurred to him what he had just done.

Landing next to Kurama, Tobitsuki frowned. When had he started doing that towards Tobirama? Those casual touches? It had been so gradual. But… he did it to Madara as well. A brush of his hand to comfort, or a quick peck on the lips before leaving to do something during the day. It was disconcerting to become aware of a habit he had not even realized he was forming.

Kurama stuck her face close to his, her golden eyes narrowing in scrutiny. “What’s wrong, nii-san?”
“Ah, nothing, I just thought about… Tobirama and Madara.” Tobitsuki waved it away, but Kurama wasn’t as prepared to drop it.
“What did your husbands do now?” She crossed her arms, looking surprisingly stern given her usual carefree attitude.

Tobitsuki gave her a soft smile. “Don’t worry, they are behaving themselves. I just realized something, and it surprised me.”
“Huh. Well, you did pick the boring brother, though I suppose I shouldn’t be complaining about that.”

Raising his eyebrows at Kurama describing Madara as boring, he tried to refrain from making a comment, but just could not let it go. “I hardly find Madara boring. In fact, I would say that all things considered, he is a far more interesting husband than I expected him to be.”

Suddenly Izuna piped up “If this is about sex, then I don’t want to hear about it. I had to listen to enough of Madara’s bragging when we were teenagers, and if even half of the things he liked to do were true, then I pity you.”

Tobirama frowned, mildly insulted on his husband’s behalf. With a huff, though clearly not serious about it, he told Izuna, “Shut up, or I will teleport you to the most miserable swamp I can think of in Land of Water and leave you there with no bug-repellent.”

Izuna just laughed. But later he snuck a letter into Tobitsuki’s hand, whispering, “For aniki.”
Tobitsuki pocketed it without comment.

⁂

Mito rolled her shoulders. Who would have thought this was so much work? Her eyes narrowed slightly. Oh, that scoundrel! He had let her take over this project with far too few protests. He had known! But fortunately for her, Mito had fewer scruples about delegating work. Possibly something to do with having been raised as a princess.

It took her less than three days, then she had a whole team helping her with everything that went into holding an election that would undoubtedly come under scrutiny by not only the daimyō, but the whole of Land of Fire, and possibly, given rumors that villages were popping up all over now, by the other major and minor countries around them as well.

⁂

Tobitsuki stared through the magnifier, a moment of elation coursing through him. It had worked! Now all he had to do was to make sure it had a perfect environment to grow, and enough nutrients.

Carefully he set up the project in a corner of his lab, setting up a protective barrier to shield it from anything that might be detrimental to the development.

When he returned home that night he was in a very good mood. He briefly considered telling Madara and Tobirama, but reconsidered. No, it would be a nice surprise later on, when there was more to see.

⁂

Yamanaka Inomaru walked through the gates, feeling a faint brush of chakra over his skin as he entered Konoha. A barrier seal? It seemed likely. Security had to be a high priority in an endeavor like this. He wondered what the seal might do, but accepted that he was not likely to ever know for sure. Even should his clan opt to join, which he felt reasonably certain that they would, it was not likely that Inomaru would ever end up in a position where such information was divulged to him.

Still, he was sure the Nara would be eager for any and every bit of information he could provide them before their talks took place, so Inomaru paid close attention to everything as he and his team were escorted to the large building that housed the Administration.

⁂

Tobirama frowned. Tobitsuki had, yet again, made a turn somewhere only to freeze, turn back, and hurry away. It was the same spot as the last time. Almost as if he expected there to be a door there. Yet that made no sense. There had never been a door at that point in the corridor.

And it wasn’t the only such occurrence. It had not been obvious earlier, as Tobitsuki didn’t spend much time in the Administration building before, but now that he came here regularly, Tobirama had noticed more and more of these incidents. Little things. Like Tobitsuki entering a room and reaching for the light-switch on the wrong side of the door. But only in two particular rooms. And he did it over and over, but only when distracted.

Tobirama wasn’t sure what it meant, but he made note of it every time it happened now, sure that it was important somehow.

⁂

In the end, meddling with the election was both easier, and harder than he had anticipated. Figuring out what to do had taken a while, but once he had the idea…

A few whispered words in the right ears, and a casual comment made while under a henge, having dinner together with a clone, also under a henge, and seated at the table next to a pair of Uchiha Elders…

Well, without Izuna there to stop them, the Uchiha Elders put the heir forward as a candidate, which meant that on the day of the election, when Tobitsuki brought the bijū-team back to Konoha so they could vote, everyone could hear Izuna’s enraged howl.

It also meant that the Uchiha votes were divided mostly between Izuna and Madara, and the Aburame votes, divided between Madara and Hashirama because those were the people the Aburame were most familiar with, ensured that Hashirama won by a decent margin. Not the landslide he had gotten in Tobitsuki’s first life, but enough for there to be no doubt.

Izuna had still been grumbling about idiotic Elders when Tobitsuki took the team back to where they intended to continue their search from. He left them with several extra sealing scrolls as a consolation, sure that they would appreciate both the food and the assorted items he had acquired for them.

Then he returned to Konoha, hoping that Madara was not too disappointed by the loss.

To his surprise, Madara was not. In fact, he appeared relieved. When questioned he had just muttered something about how Hashirama was welcome to the paperwork.

Given his stint as the Nidaime once upon a time, Tobitsuki was inclined to agree.

⁂

With the election out of the way, and Hashirama instated as the Shodai Hokage of Konohagakure, the following talks with clans wishing to join the village went smoother.

The Yamanaka had already signed, which according to Tobitsuki, and everything the Senju knew about them, indicated that the Nara and the Akimichi would probably sign as well. Though the Nara might drag the talks out unless the initial offer suited them perfectly.

The Shimura skimmed over the contract, spent four minutes discussing it, and then they signed, no alterations demanded. It made Tobitsuki wonder if his assessment of their mines had been accurate, or if they were running empty already now. In his past life, the Shimura had joined among the first, but they had kept a presence at their ancestral lands for a long time, giving rise to rumors that they weren’t quite as invested in the village as other clans were. Tobitsuki had not had access to the clan’s financial records, so he could not say for sure if the mines had been worked in the time after they joined, or if it had been some kind of ploy to try to wheedle more concessions out of Konoha. Whatever it had been the last time around, clearly they were not doing it this time. And he was not sure why. That bothered him.

The Sarutobi had arrived the same day as the Kurama clan did, and there had been some subtle scuffling over who was the more important clan. The solution had been to show each clan to a separate meeting room, and then Hashirama met with them there, along with a few advisors. As long as the clans didn’t compare notes, they would never know that one of them had met with Tobirama under a henge rather than the Hokage himself. They both thought they had been given priority.

The Hyūga had arrived after lingering in the forest for a while. Tobitsuki suspected it was because they wanted to make sure nobody else was there for talks that day, to ensure that they could have the full attention of the Hokage. He shivered a bit at the thought that they now would move in, with their eyes that could see through just about anything.

Then he stared at the wall for a while. Should not his own eyes be able to do that? For all that he had explored just about every other ability he had gained with his new form, he had been rather reluctant to test out this, his mind shying away from even thinking about it.

Determined to push past any lingering worries about dōjutsu after a lifetime of fearing the Sharingan—after all, he was married to Madara, and no longer felt apprehension when his husband activated his Sharingan, even if he was not entirely comfortable with the rest of the Uchiha yet—Tobitsuki made himself a note, then he returned his focus to the talks with the Hyūga, noticing the looks several of the ones seated along the back kept giving him. In particular, they were looking at his horns and his eyes. One of them shifted a bit in his seat, appearing almost restless, though his chakra spoke of worry. Tobitsuki gave him a benign smile, inwardly snickering a bit. He could understand where their thoughts had gone, given his appearance, and especially his eyes. Perhaps, in time, their concerns could be assuaged. Not yet though. Not until Zetsu was dealt with, and the threat of Kaguya’s return was gone.

With the Hyūga convinced to join, it was almost as if that had been the final drop and the dam broke. A steady stream of envoys from assorted clans arrived nearly daily, and contracts were drawn up, signing away more and more land inside the walls of Konoha.

Buildings were constructed, or ported in with the help of Tobitsuki and his seals, and Konoha looked more and more like the Konoha he remembered from his past life. Although, this version had a lot of changes. Things that had not worked quite as intended were changed. Some buildings moved around. And a lot of tech that had not been there the first time were added. Like the planned greenhouses. He had had Uchiha glassblowers making glass panes for it for months already. And still they were not even done with enough for the first house. Perhaps it was time to see about trading for some more? Rōran had lots of glass in their constructions. Most of it colored though, but surely if they could make that, they could make regular glass as well?

Yes, Konoha was becoming what it was meant to be.

Now, if only they could figure out where Zetsu had slunk off to.

Chapter Text

Going through the material he had collected from the base in Rōran was slow work. Most of it was reports from small towns and civilian villages, some of them centuries gone, detailing the political structures, the farming techniques they employed, and how fertile the soil in the area was. It didn’t take Tobitsuki many such reports to figure out that the Ōtsutsuki had been looking for the best place to plant the seed for the God Tree.

The most useful thing he had found so far was a lot of mineral surveys, done in preparation for a larger scale production of useful items. If not all these deposits had been exhausted, they could be secured for Konoha, as the village would surely need a lot of everything in the coming years. At least if Tobitsuki got things his way.

It had been weeks of meetings with potential settlers before Tobitsuki got a chance to dig deep in the piles of information again, but when he did, he quickly started to sort it, putting aside anything that was likely to be out of date and not useful as anything other than historical records, then a pile of resources that might not be out of date, and lastly, a pile of information that could possibly lead to other bases or other data that could help them take out Zetsu.

However, the most interesting thing he found was the specific coordinates for a secondary base, built in a deserted region of what was now Land of Iron. Briefly Tobitsuki wondered if there might be, or had been something there that had influenced the people living there into choosing to become samurai rather than shinobi. A legacy from the Sage perhaps? Given that he didn’t think it was truly important for his immediate goal, Tobitsuki just filed that thought away, to revisit later should he get the time for such things. But for now, he had to head there to check on the status of the base in… Oh!

Had there not been something mentioned about Madara—the crazy one from the other timeline—having summoned the Gedō Mazō to a location called, what was it… The Mountain Graveyard? Where he had a lab well equipped enough to save the boy who had been half-made out of Hashirama’s cells? Tobito? No, Obito! Had Madara stumbled upon one of the labs? That had to be… Zetsu had to have led him there. Which meant that Zetsu probably knew about that place. Tobitsuki might need backup if he was heading there, just to be on the safe side.

Although… Perhaps… It wasn’t exactly ethical, but maybe he could use Madara as bait? If what Fumiko remembered was correct, Zetsu might have samples of Hashirama’s blood already, and if he had been able to extract viable cells from that, then all he needed was Madara. Could they lure Zetsu to the base by broadcasting Madara’s presence there? Could they use the seals from Konoha to seal Zetsu in, trapping Zetsu in that base? It might be worth a shot.

Though, he should probably make sure to strip the place of anything Zetsu might use to escape before they did that.

⁂

Hashirama stared at his desk. He could have sworn there was half as much paper on it when he went to lunch.

Quickly skimming over the top sheaf of each stack confirmed that someone had been by to drop off more work for him. More reports to read and sign off on. More requests to consider, and approve or deny. More missions to evaluate before accepting or dismissing them. More of everything it took to run the village that had been his dream for so long. More than he had ever envisioned, even after taking over as clan head for the Senju.

Perhaps it was time to start to delegate some of the work? They needed separate branches for several different areas of administration, and Tobitsuki had left some suggestions that Tobirama had thrown himself at, scurrying back to his own office with his nose already buried in the pages. But that had been the day after the election, and they had been rather busy since then. Perhaps it was time for Hashirama to question how Tobirama was doing with his planning?

⁂

Butsuma was finally recovered enough to go for walks that took him further than his own garden or the houses immediately around it. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have gone further before, just… He wasn’t comfortable doing so until he could actually defend himself at least somewhat from an assassination attempt, as he felt reasonably sure that someone would take a shot at him, and not only because of Tobirama’s warning. No, he knew there were plenty of Uchiha in the village who had lost loved ones because of his blade, and he honestly didn’t trust that every single Uchiha was willing to let the past be the past, despite Hashirama’s insistence that they did. He knew his son was a dreamer, and could be willfully blind to the faults of other people, especially when it came to things he really wanted to be true.

Kura had been insulted that he didn’t trust in her skills as a kunoichi, but Butsuma just could not let go of the notion that he should protect her. It had been beat into him as a child that you respected and honored your spouse, and did your best to keep them alive. So it had nothing to do with him not thinking her an excellent kunoichi, and more to do with her being his wife, and precious to him.

It had mollified her a tiny bit, but she had still been harsh with him during training, pushing him till he was wheezing and dizzy. And full of bruises. His wife was not a gentle flower fit for court. She had thorns that could—and would—make you bleed if you did not handle her right.

Twenty-five years married, and Butsuma still had not learned every little thing that could set her off. It was like handling one of those shinobi puzzles, the ones meant to challenge the mind and agility of your hands... The ones that would jab you with needles if you picked the wrong option and did not drop it fast enough.

The fact that he adored her probably said things about his sanity that should never be voiced out loud.

This adoration, however, was put to the test when she refused to budge from the shop they had stopped beside when another couple exited the shop right next to them. Instead she gave the man and woman a polite little bow, and a smile that only decades of knowing her told Butsuma was not as sincere as it looked. “Uchiha-san, what a pleasant surprise.”

Uchiha Sora gave an equally polite bow in return, and Butsuma would eat his bandana if her smile was in any way more sincere than Kura’s had been. Uchiha Tajima however let out a small grunt and squinted at him. Butsuma huffed through his nose and tried to nudge Kura into moving again. She was stuck to the ground as if by chakra.

Sora’s voice sounded pleasant enough, like the chime of a dozen senbon being dropped into a pot. “What a lovely surprise. Are you here for the smoked eel? I am afraid we just bought the last of it.”

Kura’s smile crinkled her eyes, and Butsuma felt every hidden bruise on his thighs tense up at that sight. “Oh, no, we were searching for an appropriate gift to bring, you see, our son has invited us to dinner. If you would like, I could pass on your regard to him and his husband, your son? It would be no trouble at all.”

Sora’s smile didn’t look strained, but there was something in her eyes that hardened. “Oh, do not worry yourself. I’m sure we will see him soon enough. After all, he has promised to bring his husbands over for dinner at our house tomorrow. Both of them. And really, you should not disregard their third. Tobitsuki-sama really is a blessing for our village.”

Having had her gloating shut down, Kura quickly redirected. “Oh, I would never disregard Tobitsuki-sama. He is after all the main reason we can stand here today, all of us, and discuss dinners and smoked eel. Which, by the way, if you intended to leave some of that eel by his shrine, he prefers fresh fish.”

Sora thanked her greatly for the consideration, assured her that they had other offerings that were far more suitable than mere food, and then she excused herself by claiming that the food they had just purchased would not keep well in the warm summer weather they were having. She all but dragged Tajima with her as they walked away, and the sight of that was enough for Butsuma to forgive his wife for having kept him there. He even bought her a jar of plums, to show his appreciation for her.

⁂

They had packed everything ready, endured two slightly awkward family dinners, both with parents that seemed set on outdoing each other when it came to being polite to and welcoming of their son-in-laws. Hashirama had been a bit confused at Butsuma and Kura’s effusive behavior, but Mito had shaken her head lightly, looking with fond eyes at her mother-in-law, clearly knowing exactly what was going on.

In the Uchiha household, with Izuna gone, it was just the three of them and Madara’s parents. Who had been exceedingly polite, and had served fresh fish with a side-dish of smoked eel.

At one point, Madara’s mother had delicately asked after Tobitsuki’s parents, and he had thoughtlessly answered “Oh, I don’t have… I mean… I don’t know who my parents are. But I have been made to feel so welcome here that it weighs up for any grief that might have otherwise brought me.”

When they left, both Sora and Tajima had bowed just a tad bit lower for Tobitsuki than they had for either of the other two, despite Madara technically being their clan head. It had puzzled him, but not for long. They had a journey to start, and that took precedence over a minor thing like him not knowing why Madara’s parents appeared to hold him in such high esteem.

After a good night’s rest, they said goodbye to Matatabi and Shukaku, having the two bijū promise to not go outside Konoha’s walls unless it was an emergency, and to keep in touch with Kurama. Tobitsuki would be jumping back every so often to get news, and pass on messages.

He also pulled Shukaku aside and asked him to keep a special eye on Kagami, and to train the boy in stealth until he could sneak past Madara. The Ichibi didn’t know why Tobitsuki asked, but he probably knew that, like himself, Tobitsuki was fond of Kagami, and so he didn’t question the order. And, if Tobitsuki’s guess was right, it wasn’t as if Shukaku had not already planned to do that anyway.

With everything else settled, Tobitsuki put one hand on Madara’s shoulder, and the other on Tobirama’s, and then he pulled them all to the Hiraishin marker closest to their destination. It cut down the travel-time by over a week.

A subtle henge to hide his horns and the more alien features, and Tobitsuki could pass as Tobirama’s brother. That made it easier whenever they came across a settlement or wandered through a town or small village.

They could have avoided these places, but part of Tobitsuki’s plan was to have Madara recognized and for word to spread. So they rented rooms at various inns located at crossroads with heavy traffic, had meals in public settings, and shopped at busy markets to replenish their food supplies for the days they camped in the wilderness.

Tobitsuki also placed his markers at useful locations, and now both Tobirama and Madara paid him attention as he did so. He started to explain how the jutsu worked, giving them small tests to see if they could learn how to do it. It had started out as a way to subtly discourage Madara, given that he already knew that Tobirama would be able to learn it, but to his surprise, Madara kept up with Tobirama. All those big flashy fire jutsu Madara threw around had made Tobitsuki expect him to not have the touch for such finicky and delicate work, but… perhaps it was time to finally toss out the window all his preconceived notions about Madara and see him with new eyes?

It took them over two weeks to reach the area known as Mountain’s Graveyard, and upon setting foot there, Tobitsuki could immediately understand why, unlike Rōran, there were no settlements in the immediate area surrounding the base. The immense skeletons gave the area a very disturbing feel on its own, and add to that the swampy terrain, various pesky bugs, the weird hanging moss that grew everywhere… Yeah, not a nice location to decide to settle in. However, Tobitsuki considered it a boon, given that made it much easier to keep track of any chakra signatures approaching while they went through the rooms one by one and sealed away anything that could come in handy for them, or that they didn’t want Zetsu to get its slimy paws on.

However, Tobitsuki noticed to his concern that there were subtle signs that someone had been to the base recently. Hopefully, whoever that had been, they had not taken anything important, believing that they were the only ones knowing about this place. They would be in for a nasty shock when they returned.

⁂

Tajima had been avoiding leaving his house since Madara left the village a few weeks ago, but now he had to brave it, to put to rest some rumors that had started to pop up. Well, that, and to avoid the nagging of Uchiha Yaheru and Uchiha Hinote, who insisted that he should take one eye from each of them to fix his sight. He was not about to do that to them. They had peace now. He did not need to be in fighting condition for anything other than spars with his wife or sons. Not anymore.

Speaking of his wife… Sora pulled gently on his sleeve, steering him towards the budding temple district, where the various clans had, through some sort of unspoken agreement, started to set up shrines to the various kami they prayed to. And the newest addition to this area was an ostentatious display, dedicated to Madara’s husband. Of course, as the kami’s father-in-law, Tajima had to be seen to leave an offering, despite knowing that Tobitsuki was away from the village for the time being. Still, appearances must be kept.

Though, he scowled when he saw that one of the bowls already there had the Senju Vajra inscribed. He put his next to it and poured more of the rice wine into it, to the point where it was obvious who was the more generous one of them. Then he let Sora steer him home again, no longer hiding his smirk.

⁂

The third day they were at the base, Tobitsuki informed them that he would hop back to Konoha for news. It was not uncommon. He had done it at several points during their journey already. However, what was uncommon was that he was gone for over an hour this time. It made Madara worry that something might have happened in Konoha.

His relief when Tobitsuki reappeared and looked completely unruffled was quickly replaced with irritation. "You were gone for a while. Where did you go?"
Tobitsuki looked up from the thing he was writing on. "After confirming that everything was fine, I checked on some projects. Don't worry, I keep an eye on your chakra while away, so I would know if anyone approached the base."
That confused Madara. “I thought you didn’t have the range for that?”
“I don’t, but I have placed a seal on you both that lets me monitor for sudden changes in your chakra, alerting me to something happening.”
“You didn’t think to ask before doing something like that?!” Madara crossed his arms and glared.
Tobitsuki blanched, and looked contrite. “I… did not. I apologize.”

When nothing more was forthcoming, Madara narrowed his eyes. “What else have you placed on me?”
Those lavender eyes flickered to the side briefly, before fixing on Madara’s torso. “I… may have put a few seals on you to monitor your health. And my marker, so that I can come to your aid immediately if anything happens.”
It wasn’t truly like Madara wouldn’t have done something similar if he had the ability to, and it wasn’t as if he didn’t feel a flush of warmth rushing through him at the thought that Tobitsuki cared enough to want to keep Madara safe, but… “You could have asked.”
“I could have.” He sighed and continued, “I should have. Again, I apologize.”

Madara gave a short nod, before adding, “You should apologize to Tobirama as well.” “Yes.”

Tobitsuki didn’t ask where the third was, just turned and headed deeper into the base.

⁂

Tobirama had been working on emptying another storeroom when Tobitsuki approached him. He had sensed his arrival, and his proximity to Madara, and assumed they had discussed the news from Konoha, and that Tobitsuki now approached him to give him the same information.

What he had not expected was an apology. Especially as Tobirama had been aware since the seals were placed on him, and had found no fault with their presence. Though, given this opening to talk about it, he quickly grasped the opportunity to discuss how the seals were made, and how they worked.

⁂

By the time Madara found them, wondering if it wasn’t time to cook dinner, Tobitsuki and Tobirama were seated on the floor, piles of unsealed scrolls and sheaves of paper scattered around them, heads bent close together as they constructed a new variation of the monitoring seal, one that Tobirama could place on Tobitsuki and Madara. The latter joined them when he realized what they were up to, unwilling to be left out, and secretly pleased at the opportunity to learn more about seals. The Uchiha had a limited number of seals they used, and those had been passed down for generations. To have something brand new… Yes, Madara grasped the chance with both hands, plans for dinner forgotten for the time being.

⁂

A shiver ran down Tobitsuki’s spine, waking him. He sat up, frown marring his forehead. The Golden Guardian Seal had just snapped. Someone had entered the base in Rōran. Tobitsuki grabbed a marker nearer to the city, in the desert just an hour away, so that he could examine the intruder more carefully without putting himself at undue risk.

Carefully he reached out with his senses, like a spider gently pulling on threads in the web to read the vibrations without alerting the prey. When he found the intruder, he froze. Gazing with his inner eye across the void he found to his horror that someone was gazing back. Isshiki!

Frozen in indecision for far longer than was safe, a whole three seconds, Tobitsuki then pulled back. Getting confirmation that Isshiki still was alive, even if his chakra had felt exceedingly strange, was not good. Or rather, knowing that he was alive was good. The fact that he was, was not. It threw a lot of Tobitsuki’s plans in disarray. It also meant that it was possible that Isshiki had been the one to enter the base in Mountain’s Graveyard, not Zetsu. What had he been after there? What was missing? And where had Isshiki taken it? Because it was clear that he had not made that base his home.

Also, what had he been looking for in Rōran? Had it been something that they had taken, or was it still there?

He was still contemplating these things when a tremor shook the ground he was standing on, making the sand around him jump and dance. His eyes immediately sought the horizon, where the false dawn outlined the spires of Rōran. No, not the false dawn. Fire. An explosion had rocked the city. And Tobitsuki knew that Isshiki had collapsed the base, to prevent Tobitsuki from gaining access to the last few rooms. What had been there? And had Isshiki made off with it, or was it still hidden underneath the rubble?

Sparing a brief pang of sympathy for the people living in Rōran—but knowing that there was little he could do for them right then without putting them at further risk, since Isshiki would surely be monitoring the area, ready to ambush him should he go there—Tobitsuki retreated to Mountain’s Graveyard, to find Madara and Tobirama awake.

He quickly explained what he had learned, and the dangers Isshiki posed, even while not being at full power. Isshiki was both millennia older than Tobitsuki, and had tasted parts of a God Fruit at some point in the past. If anything, he could turn out to be a more formidable opponent than Zetsu, because Zetsu was fairly single-minded in his goal, but who knew what Isshiki’s goal was now, after so long hiding on a planet full of beings he certainly saw as lesser?

No, this was a serious wrench in his plans, and they would need to make more of an effort to track down any rumors of Isshiki and his whereabouts. Which would be difficult, because they had no idea what disguise he used, and most people were unable to recognize someone merely from an impression of their chakra.

Tobitsuki was torn between wanting to rush out and find Isshiki, and remaining where he was. Given that they had gone through all this effort to attempt to track down and trap Zetsu, it would be stupid to abandon the plan before they had a chance to know if the trap worked. Still, it itched under his skin to remain there. To not do something about Isshiki. But he could not ignore the fact that Zetsu was likely to be just as much of a threat, and they currently knew more about Zetsu than Isshiki.

And in the back of his mind, he worried for the people of Rōran.

⁂

Tōka had been sulking at the back of the group, glaring holes in Hikaku’s head. The Uchiha was an asshole. Far more than Izuna was, though Izuna was mostly directing his attention towards Kurama, attempting to woo the yōkai with varying success. Given that the two of them regularly offered to ‘secure the surrounding area’ whenever the four of them made camp, Tōka felt reasonably sure that Izuna at the very least had convinced Kurama to make out with him.

While she was stuck setting up camp with Hikaku. Who kept making snide comments at her, sniping at every little thing he could think of to criticize her. It was driving her crazy. What the hell had Tobi’n’Tobi been thinking when they sent her off with these goofs?

At the start she had been sure it would be Izuna she would have the most beef with, but he was bordering on pleasant compared to Hikaku. And Kurama was just plain weird.

There were times when Tōka wondered if Kurama was trying to copy what she was doing, as if Kurama was looking to Tōka to figure out how a human woman behaved. Given that everyone and their grandmother in Konoha thought Kurama was a kitsune, perhaps that wasn’t as far-fetched as Tōka had initially thought. Though, Tōka was hardly the best role-model in that case. Far from dainty, with a crude sense of humor, and more muscles than any courtly lady would ever allow herself to get.

Something that Hikaku had not been slow to point out. In fact, he kept making comments about her arms and thighs, stuff like ‘you could probably bench-press Hashirama-sama with those arms’, or ‘should we buy a melon at the next town? I’m sure Tōka could crack it open for us with her thighs.’

She was not amused, and had taken to retaliating by pointing out that while she herself would never fit in at court, Hikaku could fit right in there, as either a courtier, or a concubine. Just dab a little makeup on him and put him in a furisode and he could pass as a courtly lady. Hell, he could seduce men, as long as he bent over and let them fuck him in the ass rather than let them see that he was lacking the other hole.

Tōka smirked when she remembered how red Hikaku had turned, so angry that he could not even speak. She relished that memory, and halfway wished she had had Sharingan so she could have preserved it in minute details. As it was, she was aware that memories tended to distort over time, and unfortunately, the last few times she had pulled that memory out, Hikaku had appeared more embarrassed than angry, bordering on flustered. Not that it was a bad look on him, but… that was part of the problem.

Resolutely, Tōka pushed that thought away, not ready to touch it even with the tip of her naginata.

⁂

They had cleaned out anything of even the smallest value in the base, Tobitsuki using Hiraishin to deposit the full sealing scrolls in a warded cupboard in his private lab back in Konoha. Now they were dismantling stuff that could possibly be recycled for materials, just to have something to do while they waited for Zetsu to hopefully make an appearance.

The larger rooms echoed whenever something was dropped on the floor, and the smaller rooms were already warded with seals, ready to metaphorically slam the door shut if they somehow managed to get Zetsu into one of them. Worst case, they just slammed the outer door shut, and trapped the creature inside the base, with no way to merge into the walls like mist, or slip out through a ventilation shaft somewhere. Every seal was carefully placed to create a fool-proof barrier.

And the bait kept walking around, every so often making an appearance in the nearby villages to buy food or other consumables. Surely word must have reached Zetsu by now.

Tobitsuki was wondering if it was worth staying any longer, or if he should have gone to help the citizens of Rōran after what had surely been a devastating attack. Guilt had snuck in. He was a shinobi. He could have helped a lot. By now, any survivors trapped underneath rubble would… no longer be survivors. It pained him.

But on the other hand, if they managed to trap Zetsu… The entirety of the fourth war had been placed at that creature’s feet. Thousands upon thousands of dead. If staying here meant he could save even a fraction of those people… it would be worth it. It had to be.

Running a hand through his hair, briefly scratching the base of one horn, he turned around. The only things left in this room were rubble and junk. Nothing Zetsu would be able to make anything useful out of.

He turned around, ready to seek out his husbands, sending out his chakra to pinpoint their locations. And froze. Something… There! A flicker of foreign chakra. Just inside the base, but clearly heading in the direction where Madara was.

Moving with steady, but fast, steps towards Madara, Tobitsuki called out, “Are you guys ready for dinner?! I’m starving!”

Immediately there was a clang of something heavy being dropped, and Tobirama called back, “Gods, yes! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

Faint shuffling was heard, and then Madara stepped out of one of the rooms, feigning a casual shrug. “I could do with some food as well. Who’s cooking?”

Tobitsuki pulled on his chakra, snapping the last seal into place just as a shadow at the end of the hallway darkened. “Zetsu is, I believe.”

An inhuman screech sounded, and the darkness spread up the walls and along the floor. But Tobitsuki was faster, touching both Madara and Tobirama and grabbing the nearest Hiraishin marker to get them out of there, to a location just outside the base.

In the silence of the swampy terrain, all three stood and stared at the entrance to the base, waiting to see if the trap held. Slowly, Tobitsuki walked over to the door, swinging it open. In the gray light of an overcast sky, the barrier shimmered. And beyond it, pure darkness. Until a pair of baleful yellow eyes opened, glaring at Tobitsuki.

They narrowed when Madara stepped into line of sight, next to Tobirama. The Uchiha gave a small shiver. “That’s the thing? It’s trapped now?”
“Yes, this is Zetsu. And the fact that he has not gone for us suggests that the barrier is holding. However, I think we should set up an outer barrier as well before we go back to Konoha, just to be sure.”

He swung the door shut, cutting off whatever Zetsu had been about to say. Six hours later, Tobitsuki, Madara, and Tobirama collapsed into their own bed, safely back in Konoha.

The day after, once they had rested enough and had a solid meal, Tobitsuki took the both of them with him to Land of Wind, to Rōran, to survey the damage there. However, his first jump took them to the desert, so he could scan the area for even a hint of Isshiki’s chakra. When he found none, he took them to Rōran proper.

The damage was not quite as bad as he had feared, but bad enough. The collapse of the underground base had created a hole in the city, turning the tower Tobitsuki had entered the first time he was there into a large pile of rubble, filling the hole almost completely. It had also toppled several nearby buildings inwards. In addition, the explosion had shattered all the windows of buildings in a wide circle around the site, as well as setting alight awnings, bits of exposed wood, lanterns, and every tree and potted plant in the vicinity.

Some careful questioning of wide-eyed inhabitants put Tobitsuki’s mind further at rest. It was probably fortunate that this had been the market district, because it meant that there were fewer inhabitants in the buildings that had collapsed. Even so, the death toll was high, and the only thing alleviating Tobitsuki’s guilt over not coming to their aid faster was that it appeared that everyone who had died, had done so almost immediately. He would not have been able to save them even if he had gone there right away.

Pushing those morose thoughts away, he started to help out with clearing the rubble to rebuild. Madara and Tobirama followed his cue, silently assisting.

To his surprise, they ran into some of the shinobi from the budding settlement of Sunagakure. Someone who had been there the day he gave them access to a surplus of water. Someone who remembered. Someone who bowed low and reverently, and called Tobitsuki kami, thanking him for coming to their assistance once again.

Standing there, using the tricks he had learned from Tsunade to hold a large piece of wall up while civilians scrambled to create scaffolding to hold it, there was not really much Tobitsuki could say to refute that belief. Not much he wanted to say if he was honest. It served his plans well enough. The only regret he had was that Tobirama and Madara was right there, hearing it. Although, Madara did not appear even half as surprised as Tobirama did. Why was that? Tobitsuki got a bad feeling. Though, did he really want to know? He was not sure.

Chapter Text

Once it became clear that they weren’t really needed in Rōran, Tobitsuki took all three of them back to Konoha. It was not as if they didn’t have a lot of things they needed to do, and remaining to help out with what was more or less picking up rubble at this point would do nothing more than soothe some of Tobitsuki’s lingering guilt. If he had not emptied those rooms at that base, then perhaps Isshiki wouldn’t have blown it up.

But then again, if he had not, then Isshiki would have had all those things at his disposal. Still, Tobitsuki had always struggled with the concept ‘for the greater good’, even if he did adhere to it sometimes. It was a way of thinking that left you vulnerable to manipulation, to accepting solutions you would never have entertained otherwise. Like with Hiruzen and Danzō—sacrificing a few children for the greater good of the village. Something that Tobitsuki would never have condoned had he still been alive. Something that he still struggled to understand how Danzō had thought would be acceptable, and how Hiruzen had let himself be persuaded to allow it.

He wasn’t sure if he could ever forgive Danzō for that, but then, it would not be his problem this time around. Once the Academy was up and running, Tobitsuki would make sure that Hiruzen and Danzō were placed on different teams. And he would ensure that neither were ever placed in a position of enough power that they could enact such schemes again.

In fact, if his plans came to fruition, there would not be a need for such impromptu promotions again. Every Hokage would be elected from a pool of candidates who had displayed the skills and morals needed to run the village in a way that benefited all the inhabitants, from shinobi to civilians. Though, this was not something he should need to ponder for several years. No, his primary plan was to replace Hashirama with Madara when the time came that Hashirama was ready to step down. To give Madara the position he had been denied in his past life. Both as a recompense, and to ensure the Uchiha, and other clans, didn’t feel like the Senju were hoarding the power in the village. And then, once Madara felt he was ready to step down, then they could consider other candidates.

So many things to do, so many plans for the future, but all of them depended upon him tracking down Isshiki and ensuring he was neutralized.

Glancing around the space in his lab, just to check that his experiments were running nicely without him, Tobitsuki grabbed a marker in the southern part of Land of Fire, deciding that it was once again time he checked up on his network of spies, and perhaps expand it further into the other countries. Isshiki had to be somewhere, and whatever he was up to, surely it had drawn the attention of someone. It was just a matter of finding them.

⁂

Finding the Nanabi had been a huge shock for Izuna. It was a gigantic bug! With a gray carapace and enormous diaphanous wings glowing orange in the setting sun. He had been so close to breathing a gigantic fireball at the thing before Kurama jumped up on a stone right in front of Izuna with a happy exclamation of “Chōmei!”

A shiver ran down Izuna’s spine when he realized that this was another one of Kurama’s siblings. Kurama was related to a bug. As if the enormous slug had not been bad enough. What would be next? A maggot? An ant? Izuna wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

⁂

He was standing in the garden, watching butterflies and bees crawling over some of the flowers when it occurred to him—It had been over a year since he stepped out of the glass tube on a different planet. Over a year since he went back in time, reborn as a different species. So much had happened since then. The future he knew would never come to pass. Not in the way it had at least. Would the youngsters he had encountered during the war even be born? The young Uzumaki boy with his unconventional way of fighting… He would never have Kurama sealed inside him. Though, given the longevity of the bijū, he would most likely get to meet her, if he was born.

The Uchiha kid… He would no longer be the last of his clan. Tobitsuki would make sure of that. Had already started to lay the groundwork, by making the Uchiha an integral part of Konoha, ensuring that they were given the opportunity to make valuable contributions that had nothing to do with their strength, and everything to do with their skills off the battlefield.

And the Haruno girl… Her family had been merchants if he remembered right. Not a clan, but still, it should be possible to track them down and keep an eye on them.

So many things to do. It would keep him busy for the next decades. The next century perhaps. And wasn’t that an odd thought? In his first life he had barely made it into his forties. Had never expected to live much longer in the first place. And now… As an Ōtsutsuki, his lifespan could reach into millennia.

Except… Tobirama and Madara could not. They had, if they were lucky, half a century or so left. And so did Hashirama, Mito, Izuna… All the people around him… Except for Kurama, Matatabi, and Shukaku. That thought hurt. And not only for the loss he would feel. No, losing such gifted and learned individuals… The next generation would then spend years—decades—getting to that same level… It was such a waste.

Could he do something about it? Would they want him to? It was… possible. On both accounts. Although, he should probably make sure that his offer came with a genuine solution before he asked them. A complete reworking of their genetic makeup maybe? Or, just tweaking the parts that dealt with rejuvenation of the cells. Extending their ability to repair themselves, and how many times they could divide before they self-destructed.

Following the flight of a blue butterfly as it departed from a cluster of small white flowers, Tobitsuki’s mind was far away, leaping through possibilities and how they might affect the future. How it, in the end, could help save this world from the ravages of the Ōtsutsuki. Perhaps, in time, even other worlds?

⁂

Mito watched Kodama-kun and Koshima-chan as they played in the pond in the garden, pushing small wooden boats across the surface with a stick. Eventually Hashirama planned to put sails on the boats and teach the kids wind-jutsu, but for now they were too young to be taught things that could potentially cause harm.

Koshima had just turned four, and Kodama was five, closing in on six. Born because Hashirama needed heirs. And she had done the math. Kodama had to have been conceived shortly after Hashirama turned eighteen. His mother was no longer around. Not only had she never had any rights to the boy—just following the orders given to her by the Elders—but she had also been an active kunoichi. One who had perished in one of the last battles between the Senju and the Uchiha before the peace came about.

Koshima’s mother still lived. Had married another man after Koshima was born, and had a new child. Mito had caught her giving Koshima a wistful smile, but the woman never approached. And Mito didn’t know how to feel about that. On the one hand, this was a woman who had a child with Mito’s husband. But on the other, she was a kunoichi who had merely followed orders, providing her clan with a spare heir. And she had had to give up her firstborn. A child who by now hesitantly referred to Mito as hahaue. It filled Mito with complex feelings that were hard to untangle.

⁂

Finding that there was someone else here—another one competing with him—had not been fun. He had hurried through the desert, through the bamboo forest, and across the grasslands, into the mountains. Climbing upwards till he reached the swamp, he approached cautiously. Something was off. There was a vibrating hum to the natural chakra, as if it was resonating with… a ward? No, a barrier! Someone had put up a barrier around the base!

Fuming, he strode towards the door and yanked it open, glaring at the shimmer. If they thought they could keep him out…!

Holding his hand perpendicular with the barrier, he stretched his chakra out, trying to detect just what the barrier did. Blocking… something. And yet…

Mildly confused, he picked up a twig, tossing it at the barrier. It sailed straight through, into the corridor beyond. No apparent harm done to it, and it had not bounced off the shimmering wall.

A quick search later, and he threw a squirrel at the barrier. It too sailed straight through, twisting in the air with a small squeak, then it scurried out again, disappearing into the wet foliage around, hurrying out of the swamp, back to the forest where he had caught it. So, if it was not living things the barrier was keeping out, then what?

Hesitantly, he poked his pinky finger against the barrier, holding a kunai against it, ready to sacrifice it. But there was nothing. The finger went through, and there was no pain, no resistance when he pulled it back. Absolutely nothing.

Feeling a little braver, he pushed his whole hand through. And pulled it back. Then he took a step forward, senses wide open for any change to the resonance. But there was nothing. Clearly it was not him the barrier was supposed to keep out.

Confidence back, he strode into the base.

Only to jerk to a halt as he came to the first room. It was empty! They had stolen…! Quickly he moved deeper into the base, checking room after room. All empty.

With a growl he punched the door-frame of one of the larger storerooms. They had taken everything!

He spun around angrily, about to head out, to move to the next base. Except… The corridor behind him was black. And not the kind of black that came from the lights going out. No, complete and utter darkness of the kind you only found in the deepest caverns on dead planets. Not even a glimpse of a star or a glowing spore. Nothing.

And then the darkness enveloped him.

⁂

With seven out of nine of the bijū regularly gathering in the Mental World, Kokuō had finally noticed and joined them. He was concerned about the news, but assured the others that he would find somewhere remote and make himself a lair until things settled again. That left only Isobu unaccounted for, and while Tobitsuki felt reasonably sure that the Sanbi would not be enough for Zetsu’s forces to do anything to break their leader out of his prison, Kurama still wanted to be sure that Isobu was safe. So they kept searching.

With the information from Kokuō, they could strike a large part of the world-map from the areas they had yet to cover, but the world was big. Very big. And nobody had heard from Isobu for quite some time.

Then there was the fact that Kurama, for the first time in her life, was sick. Oh, nothing serious. Just… nausea. She had even thrown up once, when Tōka had fried some kind of lizard she had caught, and the scent of that just… Blech!

Kurama had sulked for hours afterwards, sure that it had to have been something she had eaten. Izuna had been sick some weeks earlier, after he ate something from a street-vendor that turned out to have been sitting for long before being sold. She was just glad that she didn’t get the other effects Izuna had had. The Uchiha had been mortified, and they had stayed two whole days at a ryokan, waiting for him to get better.

Kurama and Tōka had spent a lot of that time in the baths, but Hikaku had refused to join them. Had said something about it being indecent. Tōka had just snickered, and Kurama had been confused.

Still, two days with what Izuna had gotten versus what she had now… No, she would take the mild nausea over a runny bottom.

Two weeks later she was no longer so sure. The nausea had not gotten worse, but she had thrown up three more times, and there were several kinds of scents she just could no longer stomach. Izuna was hovering around her like a damn mother hen, brewing her ginger tea and checking her for fever so often that she had taken to slapping his hand away when he tried.

It was Tōka who finally solved the mystery, with an innocent question. “Has it been long since you bled?”
Bled? Kurama was confused. “I can’t remember the last time.”
Tōka paused her strides, and turned to Kurama, forcing her to stop as well. “Wait? Really? That’s… Oh. Well… uh… Congratulations then?”

Now both Izuna and Hikaku had moved closer, and Izuna had grown pale. Well, paler than he usually was. It confused her even more, and she hated feeling that way, so she snapped “What the hell are you on about?!”
Tōka made a small grimace, then she glanced at Izuna, before looking back towards Kurama. “I… You are pregnant, are you not?”

An hour later Kurama was still ranting, pacing back and forth. "I didn't think it just happened! I thought I had to decide for it to... How can I be pregnant? I haven't even had a heat?! Arrgh, human bodies are so stupid and confusing!" Kurama was not happy about the news.

Kits? She had not planned for kits! Kits meant she needed a den. Kits meant she should have a mate to help feed the kits. Kits meant… Wait! Mate! She rounded on Izuna, who had been standing close, staring at her with wide eyes, his complexion vacillating between pale and pink. “You! You better help me feed the kits! They are yours as well!”

He blinked, nodded, only for his eyes to grow wide again. “Wha… Kits? There’s gonna be more than one? That’s… We’re not even married yet! I have to…! We should…! Kurama! We need to get married, or your brother is going to curse me!”

Kurama faltered, her anger flipping over to confusion again. Brother? Curse? What? Also… “Which one of them?”

Izuna whimpered and sank down into a crouch, wrapping his arms around his knees. “Oh fuck! I’m doomed! I won’t even live to see my children born!”

It was Hikaku who finally settled things, explaining to Kurama that Izuna had been trying to convince her to marry him for a while already, and that it could all be sorted if they just visited a shrine in the next town. That way Izuna would make a promise before the gods that he would do his best to protect and care for not only Kurama herself, but any children they might have. And yes, Izuna really wanted those kids. He just needed a bit of time to stop panicking over his fear of what Tobitsuki would do to him once he realized that Izuna and Kurama had been sleeping together before they were married.

Kurama had just thrown her arms up. “He already knows! He’s known since the first time we did it! I felt his chakra brush against mine, before it retreated fast. And then he came to ask me if I had made sure that Izuna was willing, that I had not forced him. He doesn’t care what I get up to as long as I stay safe. Or, well, as safe as I can be while there’s people hunting me and I’m not in Konoha.”

The mention of that had had Izuna’s head snap up. “Konoha! We need to get you back there! Inside the barrier, where you, and the kids… kits will be safe!”

Kurama tried to stop him, but he had already dug out the seal to summon Tobitsuki, and pushed his chakra inside it.

When Tobitsuki arrived, looking like he had just thrown a hanten jacket on over his lab-clothes, Kurama was glaring at Izuna. “I’m not an invalid! I can keep going!”
“You’re pregnant! We can’t risk that!” Izuna was on his feet, pulling on his ponytail.
Hikaku had his face in his palm, and Tōka sighed, turning to her cousin’s husband. “It seems Izu-kun and Kurama-chan have agreed to get married, although they have done things in the wrong order. Kurama-chan is expecting.”

Tobitsuki’s eyes flickered to her midsection, and one of his bony eyebrows lifted. “Ah. I see.”
Turning to Izuna, he gave the young Uchiha a mildly unimpressed look. “It didn’t occur to you to use protection?”
The Uchiha promptly turned beet red and avoided Tobitsuki’s eyes. “Um…”
Kurama slapped Tobitsuki’s arm. “Stop it! He’s my mate, and we will handle this.”

Fortunately, he let it go, and Kurama relaxed minutely. Until he took her hands. “How far along are you?”
She looked down along herself, at her belly. It was still flat, but… Looking up again, she met his lavender eyes. “Ah, I don’t know?”
“Do you wish for me to check?”
“Sure.”

He let go of one hand, and it immediately flickered with green chakra as he pressed it gently against her belly. She could feel the chakra swirl inside her, then it retreated.
“I’d say about six weeks. Do you wish to know… ah… anything?”
“How many?”
“Three.”

Beside them, Izuna fell over, scrambling inelegantly into a sitting position, eyes wide and fixed on Kurama. “Three?!”
“Damn!” Tōka sounded impressed.

It took another hour before the combined force of Izuna and Tobitsuki managed to persuade Kurama that it really would be best if she went back to Konoha. At least for the duration of the pregnancy.

Given how long they had been away, it was decided that they would all go back to Konoha, to recuperate and restock, and then they would find replacements for Kurama and Izuna.

Kurama knew that one of those would have to be Matatabi. Shukaku was just too lazy. But who the second replacement would be, now that was less certain. Probably an Uchiha, since one of the arguments for their inclusion had been their eyes and the ability they had to see through henges and, to a certain extent, lies.

⁂

Sora had sort of been prepared for this. Sort of. She knew Izuna was trying to persuade the kitsune, and she was glad he had managed to, but… She was less happy that it had to happen in such a hurry. Everyone would know that he had gotten married because he got his girlfriend pregnant. And that could throw into doubt their devotion to each other. People might speculate that it was a marriage of necessity, and not love. Yes, rumors would run rampant.

Hopefully Izuna would be able to curb most of the more vicious ones, with how he was clearly doting on his wife-to-be. Her devotion was less certain, as she snapped at him, slapped his hands away, and even downright growled a few times. Though, Tobitsuki-sama insisted that she cared deeply for Izuna. That she would not even have let him get near her if she did not. In fact, he suggested that the fact that Izuna had yet to be bitten said good things.

Sora sighed and went back to preparing for the wedding. Given that it was not that long ago that Senju Hashirama-sama had gotten married, a lot of the things he had used could be repurposed. And that stung less given that those things had first been used for Madara’s wedding. By now it was almost traditional.

She turned back to the tailor that was measuring Izuna. “I think we can use Tajima’s kimono, the one he has for the daimyō's court. Izuna is narrower over the shoulders than Madara is, so it should fit him. If so, then all we need is a new nagajuban and a hadajuban. That should cut down the time to make his outfit.”
The tailor nodded, fingers moving, deftly counting knots on the rope.

Sora briefly wondered what Kurama-chan would wear, but Tobitsuki-sama had assured her that he had it under control. She would have to trust him on that.

⁂

Fumiko had been watching the children at play. It seemed like only yesterday that she had been an awkward teenager, not even twenty yet, but already a mother. Hikaku had been a mission baby. Nobody but her had known who his father was, and she had intended to take that knowledge to her grave. Yet… Only moments earlier, the very man had walked past her on the street. One of the newly arrived Nara.

She had not known he had survived the clan wars. Had not known he was still alive. And she certainly had not been prepared for peace with his clan. For them to live so close to each other.

He had not given any indication that he recognized her, but she felt certain that he had. You did not live to be that old as a shinobi without paying very close attention to the world around you. And yet… Did he know about Hikaku? Had he learned that she had come home from her mission pregnant? She had no idea. And that ate at her.

If he knew, would he say anything? Would he contact Hikaku? Would Hikaku want to have contact with him? Perhaps the last question was the most pertinent one? And as luck would have it, Hikaku and his team were in Konoha until after Izuna’s wedding. Surely she could find time to talk with him, to subtly ask him what he thought about his father, and whether he would be interested in meeting him should the opportunity arise.

Except, with everything going on, there was hardly any time, and what little time she did manage to carve out to spend with Hikaku… He looked so tired, so she didn’t want to bother him right then. And she knew she was delaying, but… it was a difficult topic.

Seated in the crowd after Izuna and Kurama gave their vows to each other, Fumiko knew she was running out of time. And yet, this moment was not the best. However, there was a solution. She knew that when the team set out to continue their search for the last of Kurama’s siblings, it would be without Kurama herself. Her sister Matatabi would be going in her stead, and they needed a fourth. Preferably an Uchiha that had awakened their Sharingan. And it just so happened that Fumiko was a kunoichi of the Uchiha clan who had a three tomoe Sharingan.

⁂

Tobitsuki had done his best to get Kurama a kimono that fit her style and was still elaborate enough to be worthy of a princess. In the end he had bought the various layers at different tailors, hopping around Land of Fire, and even dropping by Land of Wind for some extra fine silk.

Mito had helped him put Kurama’s hair up with pins and kanzashi, and she had put the makeup on, enhancing Kurama’s fox-like eyes with reds, oranges, and gold dust, sharp lines of black adding to the dramatic effect. The lips were painted a bright red, but Kurama had put her foot down at dyeing her teeth black. Tobitsuki hid his small grin behind his sleeve. He had done the same. That dye tasted and smelled awful.

Leading Kurama to the shrine where the ceremony was to be held, he had struggled to keep his expression neutral when he realized that Izuna had not turned down that dye. And given the brief wild look in Kurama’s eyes, he suspected that she too had found it hard to not laugh.

Still, she went eagerly enough to stand by Izuna’s side, and made her vows with no fuss.

Tobitsuki didn’t know any of what she might feel for Izuna, but surely the Uchiha was aware that his chosen bride was not human, and whatever her faults he had chosen her still. And she had appeared to listen when Tobitsuki explained to her what would be expected of her as a wife. He skipped most of the things a civilian wife might have to endure, but emphasized the expectancy of monogamy, and that unless otherwise agreed upon by the couple beforehand, straying was deeply frowned upon.

Kurama had given Tobitsuki a flat look and said “Of course.”, but again, he could never figure out just what she was thinking, so… he just had to have faith.

⁂

Having Senju Butsuma and his wife Kura attend the wedding had not been Tajima’s idea, but given that nearly everyone of some importance had been invited, Sora had insisted it would look weird if they excluded them. Still, Tajima had taken great pleasure in assigning them a seat next to the newly arrived Inuzuka clan head and his scruffy wife, as well as the Aburame clan head, a stern woman of few words. That the table was too far away from the main table for Tajima to even see Butsuma was an added bonus.

⁂

Kurama had been telling her stories from her travels with the humans, so Matatabi thought she was prepared. Hikaku was a sensible man, and Tōka, for all that she could be a bit brusque and crude at times, was still intelligent and easy to get along with. Fumiko, Hikaku’s mother, was more of an unknown. Matatabi knew she had been possessed by Zetsu a while back, but now that the creature was trapped, it was deemed safe enough to send Fumiko out on missions again. Thus her inclusion on the team.

Studying the dark-haired woman, Matatabi figured she would probably not be quite as strong as Tōka when it came to physical attacks, but from what she had been told, Fumiko was good at precision attacks, both with fire jutsu and with senbon. She was also skilled at setting traps. And she was a decent cook, something every team needed unless they wanted to have a miserable time. At least according to Tōka.

Though, both Tōka and Hikaku appeared a bit apprehensive about having Fumiko along. When she mentioned this to Kurama, her sister had merely giggled and said it was sure to be entertaining for Matatabi. Then she had ushered her out of the house, insisting that she and her new husband were still in the so-called honeymoon phase, and that it was her duty to ensure her husband was satisfied. Given the scent that wafted off Kurama, Matatabi was sure Izuna was plenty satisfied already, but what did she know about human mating?

She said goodbye to Shukaku and his little minions, then she grabbed her backpack and went to find her team, sensing that they were standing near the Administration building along with Tobitsuki, Tobirama, Madara, and Hashirama.

It took them only a few minutes to wrap up any last minute issues, then Tobitsuki placed his hand on her shoulder, Tōka and Hikaku putting their hands on his other arm, and they were all off with that dizzying technique of his.

Tobitsuki left them shortly after, and then it was just the four of them, out in the wilderness.

Matatabi was tempted to change back into her usual shape, but both Tobitsuki and Kurama had insisted that she was safer keeping her disguise, even if Zetsu was trapped now. After all, they did not know how many helpers he had or what orders they had been given. And she did remember her last encounter with those two brothers. Yes, fine, she would stay human-shaped for now. Even if it meant it took a little more time to travel around.

She could always change shape later, if something occurred that made that a better choice.

Chapter Text

Zetsu had experienced a flare of hope when the monk entered his trap, but as soon as he took possession and gained access to the mind, his exhilaration died a swift death. Isshiki. This would be hard.

His best hope was to get the man to leave the base and then just drain all his chakra and flee. Except… the moment the man stepped through the barrier, Zetsu was pushed out and off him, like he was nothing more than a burr stuck in hair and the barrier was a comb.

Safely back outside, Isshiki in his stolen body turned, and the two of them stared at each other for a long moment. Zetsu was considering how he could persuade Isshiki to assist him. Given the knowledge he had stolen, he knew Isshiki had more resources than he did. However, Zetsu had more knowledge than Isshiki did, since Zetsu had not spent the past nearly full millennium in a healing sleep. Or at least he had thought so.

As soon as Isshiki opened his mouth, it became clear that the theft of knowledge had gone both ways. “So, the Moon? Now that is interesting.” A slow smirk spread across Isshiki’s face. “I think we can probably help each other out. If you summon your minions here, I will head to the Moon and collect the Gedō Mazō. Together we might be able to free Kaguya-chan.”

Zetsu didn’t trust Isshiki, but what choice did he have? If this could bring back his mother, then he could not turn down the chance. And if he did summon his minions here, he could warn them that Isshiki would most likely attempt to betray them. He just did not know how Isshiki intended to do that. That knowledge had not been there when Zetsu scoured his mind. But surely Zetsu could figure out a way to turn the tables on Isshiki. Kinkaku and Ginkaku were strong. Far stronger now that Zetsu had modified them. But would it be enough? He didn’t know.

Worry gnawed at him, but still he gave a nod of assent, preparing a seal for Isshiki to set off, signaling to everyone working for Zetsu to come to the location of the seal. At this point, only the Kinkaku brothers should be within range of the seal, but eventually someone else would wander back from where they had been searching for rumors of the biju, and then they would detect the signal.

As soon as he had activated the seal, dropping it beside the doorway, Isshiki’s grin grew wider, and then ha gave a nasty smirk. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Before Zetsu could curse at him, the man was gone.

⁂

Madara stood and watched the construction of yet another one of those five-story farm-buildings that Tobitsuki had designed. With the Nara in Konoha, it had been fairly easy to convince them to help with adjusting the sunlight that entered the building, mostly done via large windows, but also augmented with large movable mirrors.

The first building was complete, and the Hatake clan, assisted by the Aburame, was already hard at work planting the first crops in there. Five floors of special conditions to maximize the yield of food they could get from this. It was honestly amazing. And once the Yamanaka arrived, they too would help out with that. When all the farm buildings were complete, Konoha would be nearly self-sufficient in terms of crops.

Especially since they had moved the entirety of the Aburame clan’s orchards to the plot of land set aside for that, meaning they did not need to wait for the planted trees to mature for years before they bore fruit. No, from the looks of it, they would be overflowing with apples, peaches, plums, cherries, and a whole slew of other delicacies already this upcoming autumn. The combined effort of the transport seals, a crew of dedicated Doton masters, and Hashirama’s Mokuton had assured that every tree survived the transplantation, and flourished in the new location. The Aburame had been buzzing with delight. Literally.

His husband was amazing. Well, both of them were. Tobirama had more or less planned and implemented the whole organizational structure of the Administration, and now he only had to check up on it every other week or so, to make sure nothing needed to be adjusted.

Their many contributions to the village almost made Madara feel a bit inferior. What had his contribution been? Accepting peace? Agreeing to the offer to build the village? Being a passive detriment to foreign aggression?

No, he felt a bit useless, and that grated on him. He ached to do something. To prove that he was just as important as his two husbands had been.

The only thing that softened this gnawing irritation was that, for all that he had been named Hokage, it seemed that Hashirama’s contributions were hardly much greater than Madara’s own. Oh, he had made some wood for construction—and like Madara, he had helped with carrying supplies around and had helped doing some of the physical work to put the houses up—but with the amount of wood they had saved from clearing the forest for building the village, there had not been that much need for Hashirama’s Mokuton.

And even though the Uchiha as a clan had contributed a lot of stone from their mines and quarries, to be used for foundations and roads, it was not something Madara himself had done.

Frustrated, Madara sensed for the nearest one of his husbands, which happened to be Tobirama, still in his office in the Administration building, and he shunshined there.

Tobirama had jumped out of his chair at his sudden appearance, but the moment Madara picked him up and pushed him against the wall, slotting their lips together, all fight went out of Tobirama. He all but melted against Madara, moaning into his mouth, soothing his ruffled feathers.

It didn’t take long before the frustrated irritation was gone, replaced with an urge to do something very different. He pulled back a little, looking Tobirama in the eyes. “Do you have fifteen minutes?”
A pale eyebrow lifted. “Fifteen minutes? What do you think you can do in fifteen minutes?”

“Five minutes to prepare you, and ten to fuck you raw over your desk.”

A burst of chakra activated the privacy seals, locking the room and preventing sounds from escaping. “Fine. Make me scream!”
Madara did not need more permission.

⁂

Tobitsuki had stilled in his lab when he felt the Golden Guardian Seal in Mountain’s Graveyard snap. Someone had entered the base. He stared down at his hands, at the work he was in the middle of. It was critical, and if he abandoned it he would have to start over. But the base… The seals should hold—would hold—but what if an innocent person found it? He should have put up warnings. Placed a different barrier outside, to block people from entering. However, not even hunters had frequented that area from what they had been able to ascertain. So, the odds were very high that whoever it was, they were an associate of Zetsu who had been ordered to meet him there. The worst thing that could happen was that Zetsu tried to get them to dismantle the seals, but that would take years even if the person was a skilled sealmaster. No, he should finish what he was doing, and then he could check. If the person was still there, he could assess them.

Going back to mixing the careful blend of nutrients, Tobitsuki kept half a mind on what could be going on in the derelict base.

The moment the mix was complete, he took the canister and slotted it into place, checking that the tube was in the correct position and the apparatus was not clogged. Then he grabbed the marker outside the base and jumped there.

The first thing he noticed was that the door was open. The second was that Zetsu appeared to be raging, throwing itself against the barrier.

Was it for show? To trick him into thinking that whoever had arrived had gotten away? Or to hide something else? He didn’t know. He could not sense anyone else nearby, but if Zetsu had drained all the chakra out of the person, they could be lying dead inside. Though, if that had been the case, would Zetsu not have displayed the corpse, in an effort to manipulate him with guilt?

“What happened?” He made an attempt, but Zetsu just glared and kept silent.

If the person was dead, then there was nothing Tobirama could do, and he was not about to step inside the seal with Zetsu to investigate. Even a clone would just be a waste of chakra. No, the best he could do was just reset the Golden Guardian Seal and put up some warnings and a small barrier over the doorway.

So that was what he did before he returned to Konoha, senses seeking out Madara and Tobirama so he could inform them of what had happened.

To his amusement, they were in Tobirama’s office, behind privacy seals. Perhaps he could give them a few minutes to finish up. Meanwhile he checked on the project, to ensure that everything was going smoothly. The pale little lump of cells spun around in the elaborate chrysalis. Progress was normal. Everything looked fine. So he placed the cover over it again, to protect it from the light. By then he guessed Tobirama and Madara should be done, so he grabbed the marker in Madara’s office, then he walked the short distance to Tobirama’s, and knocked on the door.

They were clearly disheveled, and Tobirama’s face was flushed, a little from embarrassment, and a lot from what they had just done. The scent still lingered.

Slipping inside, Tobitsuki smirked at them. “Could not wait for the evening? Well, I can’t blame you. But that’s not what I’m here for. I just came to let you know that someone found the base in Mountain’s Graveyard, and they were gone by the time I got there.”

Madara ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up more than it already was. “So, what does that mean?”
Stepping over to help fix the hair, Tobitsuki shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Probably nothing good, but hopefully nothing bad either. Worst case, one of Zetsu’s henchmen are now looking for ways to break him free. Best case, some random wanderer stumbled across the door and is now telling tall tales of the monster behind the door in the creepy swamp.”

“So we wait and see?” Tobirama had moved behind Tobitsuki and wrapped his arms around his waist, leaning his chin on the left shoulder.
Tobitsuki nodded. “Yes, that’s all we can do for now. Zetsu would not speak.”
“Okay.”

Tobirama was silent for a moment, before he added, “I kind of feel bad for doing things without you here.”
Facing Madara, Tobitsuki saw the small wince that flashed over the Uchiha’s face. Then it was replaced with determination, as Madara smirked. “I guess we’ll have to make it up to you.”

Beside him, Tobirama perked up. “Yes! That’s only fair.”
Unsure what they had in mind, but not unwilling, Tobitsuki twisted his head a bit so he could see both of them. “Oh, what did you have in mind?”

Tobirama started to pull on Tobitsuki’s obi, while Madara dropped to his knees in front of him. “I suppose we should take care of you, so that we’ll all be on equal footing come nightfall.”

Leaning back against Tobirama’s chest, allowing his Senju husband to slip his hands inside his clothes, Tobitsuki hummed his approval. Meanwhile, Madara was unlacing his pants, pulling them down to free Tobitsuki’s cock, which was by now very interested in the proceedings.

It was as Madara started licking stripes up along his wiggling cock that Tobitsuki had a bit of an epiphany—Simply the fact that he was letting Madara do this to him, letting Madara put his teeth so close to such a vulnerable part of himself, with no second thought, and, more importantly, with no worries… When had he started to trust Madara so much? It had snuck up on him. And yet, now that he was aware, it felt natural. Obvious, that this was where they had been heading right from the start.

Then his train of thought was derailed as Madara swallowed down as much of his cock as he could take. The prehensile dick pulled back, curling up inside Madara’s mouth, pressing against his cheeks and tongue, before it thrust down into his throat again, and both Tobitsuki and Madara groaned.

He had a faint notion that Madara found his dick exceedingly interesting, and that he enjoyed the feeling of it moving by itself, because the Uchiha was surprisingly eager to suck his cock every chance he got. Tobitsuki was not complaining though. How could he? He was too busy making obscene noises. Especially due to the dual stimulation of Madara’s mouth on his dick and Tobirama’s fingers pinching and pulling on his nipples. It had him peak almost embarrassingly fast, a drawn out moan slipping past his lips. Madara hummed around his dick, swallowing several times. And Tobirama kept Tobitsuki from collapsing onto the floor, boneless.

When had the three of them gotten this debauched? Sex and blowjobs in the office? During daytime? Hashirama would be horrified if he knew what had taken place just two offices down from his own. Though, none of them were likely to tell, feeling too smug about this little secret of theirs.

Opening the window and swirling a quick wind jutsu through the room took care of any lingering scents. A complex water jutsu cleaned them all up, and then it was just a matter of straightening clothes and fixing hair. Except for the blush in their cheeks it was almost as if this had not happened. Well, that, and the fact that Tobitsuki felt very mellow and sated.

Having given them the message he came to deliver, and then some, he walked back to his lab. Only to sink down into his chair and stare at the wall. Pondering the small epiphany he’d had.

Oh, he knew that personal growth was not linear. It would come in fits and starts, sometimes taking years to happen, but other times it would roll over you like waves on a beach, tossing and turning you, leaving you unsure of everything you thought you knew.

And yet, in his hubris he had thought he would recognize it as it happened. Had thought that someone as intelligent as him would be aware of it when it occurred. That someone as technically old as him should know how to recognize it. He had not.

Instead it had happened so insidiously that he had not even picked up clues until it stared him in the face, so to speak.

When he found himself back in time and decided to change the future… When he had been put in the position to marry Madara, and his Senju self, he had carried with him certain ideas about how Madara was like. What he himself was like. He had forgotten to account for the fact that with different events to shape them, both his husbands would take different paths than their past counterparts had done. Tobitsuki and Tobirama were not the same person. Would never be the same person. Not anymore.

Tobirama was hurtling down a different path, new events shaping him in ways Tobitsuki could not predict. And the same with Madara. With Izuna alive, and Zetsu trapped, Madara would possibly never turn into the hateful monster that had tried to take over the world in a twisted idea that he was doing the right thing.

And Tobitsuki had already known that. He just had not… understood it until now. Had not truly accepted what it meant. For them all.

Somewhere along the way, he had started to fall for Madara. And, if he was honest with himself, and truly accepted that Tobirama was not him, then… he could probably fall in love with his Senju husband as well.

Was that a bad thing? Or could it be the most wonderful thing in the world?

He glanced towards the corner, where the chrysalis sat behind a screen. He had already planned for his future with them. Would not love make everything both better and easier?

He didn’t know. But he wanted to hope that it was so.

⁂

Kinkaku was heading towards where Zetsu’s seal had tasked them to meet up. If he was right, it was the location they had been told to go to anyway, only later. So why had Zetsu moved the time for their meeting? Why call them now?

Behind him, Ginkaku was swearing under his breath, annoyed that he was the one who had to carry the prisoner. The only one out of the lot who had survived. The one that the doctor had blinded by putting in a pair of dead eyes from some Land of Fire shinobi that had been killed on a mission. Zetsu insisted that it would be fine. That the eyes would work regardless, but Ginkaku thought it was bullshit. Kinkaku was not so sure. After the boost Zetsu had given them, why should he not know how to make blind eyes see again?

The door was just where Zetsu had said it would be, just a few steps away from the seal that even now pulsed with chakra, drawing them towards it. Kinkaku picked it up, and it disintegrated in his hands.

When nothing else happened, he walked over to the door, frowning as he felt a barrier block his way. It was a regular one. Mostly aimed at keeping civilians and weak shinobi out. But Kinkaku was not weak. It took just a single, chakra-infused punch, and the barrier shattered. Then he moved on to the door.

He had opened it, seeing the corridor beyond when suddenly Zetsu was there, a darker shadow. “Quick! Get inside!”
Kinkaku grabbed Ginkaku and shunshined them both inside, trusting Zetsu’s word. The moment they were there, the world went black.

⁂

The seal had been broken again, and this time Tobitsuki just put down what he was holding and grabbed the marker outside. Just in time to see the back of someone disappearing into the base, but Zetsu covered the entrance so fast that he could not identify them.

He tried to stretch out his senses, to see if he recognized the chakra, but there was nothing new. Had Zetsu drained their chakra that fast?

Narrowing his eyes, he glared at the black square blocking the entrance. A pair of yellow eyes glared back, but… Was there something almost… smug about them? What had Zetsu done?

Given that there was nothing he could do on his own, Tobitsuki hurried back to Konoha to confer with the others.

⁂

The shuttle he and Kaguya had arrived in almost millennia ago had long since been dismantled for parts, but a smaller one had been built for local transport. It was that one that Isshiki had been using to move around to the various bases they had built before Kaguya’s betrayal. And now it had taken him to the moon.

Finding the Gedō Mazō had been tricky, but it had been made easier because of the tension between the two factions living on the moon. These half-Ōtsutsuki squabbled among themselves in a pitiful mirror of how the real Ōtsutsuki would fight for supremacy.

Though, their fighting gave him an opening, something that he could use to exploit Zetsu’s blind obsession. Knocking one of the members of the main family unconscious to take the man with him was stupidly easy. And those foolish people would surely accuse the branch family.

With a little smirk, Isshiki thought that if they managed to kill each other off, it would make it so much easier for him to simply waltz in and take over the whole Moon.

He tipped the unconscious man into the hold of the shuttle, along with the large scroll containing the Gedō Mazō. Then he flew back to Earth, directly to the base in Mountain’s Graveyard. So close to his goal he was getting impatient. That bitch would get what was coming to her.

⁂

Tobitsuki sent summons for Madara, Tobirama, Hashirama, Mito, Izuna, Kurama, Shukaku, and anyone else he thought might be useful, which included most of the currently present clan heads from other clans that had made the move already.

Gathered in the Administration basement room that had been dubbed the war-room, they stood around the round table covered in maps and lists and odd bits of information. But Tobitsuki was not paying any attention to those things. Instead he looked at the people there.

“Zetsu somehow managed to get someone to join him in his trap. I am not sure if he has a way to communicate out of it, or if the presence I felt earlier was someone who is helping him. In either case, we need to prepare a way to seal the entire area, to keep everyone out. Just sealing Zetsu was not enough.”

Discussion broke out, about what to do, which seals to use, and how far out they should add them. Someone mentioned relations to Land of Iron, and political repercussions, and Tobitsuki nearly groaned. This was going to take some time. But hopefully no more than a night. Because he had a bad feeling that they should not wait too long, lest Zetsu find a way to escape no matter how foolproof Tobitsuki thought he had designed his barrier.

⁂

Landing the small shuttle near the door, Isshiki took out the sealing scroll, unsealing the demonic statue in the clearing there, so that Zetsu could see it from the doorway. Then he hefted the unconscious man out of the shuttle and carried him towards the base, stopping just outside. “You plan to use cells from Kaguya’s descendant to combine with eyes from another branch of her descendants, hoping to get the Rinnegan out of that. It won’t work. Or, if it does, it will take years and years of constant infusion of chakra. No, what you should do is transfer the essence of what you have into this man. He is also of Kaguya’s line, and one that is much purer. If you combine all three, the Rinnegan should appear right away.”

“Give him here.” Zetsu’s shadow consolidated into a humanoid shape.
Isshiki shook his head. “No, I know how to do this. If you want it done right, I should do it. Where are the other components?”

Zetsu clearly hesitated, then he tilted his head. “You’ll bring Kaguya back?”
Isshiki nodded. “I swear it. I’ll bring her back from where her offspring sealed her away. All I need are those eyes.”

Lifting a hand, Zetsu indicated for someone behind him to step forward. A hulking brute of a man with silver hair. Carrying another man. A slender, dark-haired one.

Isshiki deposited the half-Ōtsutsuki by the Gedō Mazō and pointed to the spot beside him. The silver haired brute dumped the other man down there, then quickly stepped back, hand going to what Isshiki presumed was a weapon. But he didn’t draw it, just stood there. So Isshiki chose to ignore him, proceeding with the transfer, unsealing a scroll of medical tools.

⁂

Ginkaku watched as the guy dressed as a monk cut into the prisoner he had spent hours lugging along up to this godforsaken place. But Zetsu had given the guy permission.

Leaning a bit closer, he saw the monk guy stick tubes into the arms of both the prisoner, and the pale dude the monk had been carrying, connecting what looked like their blood-vessels, allowing blood from one to flow to the other, and back through another tube. Was he exchanging their blood? What for?

Then he cut into their eye-sockets, pulling out the eyeballs and severing the fleshy string that kept it connected to the head. He swapped them, and did something with green chakra.

Zetsu made a comment from the doorway, asking “Why do you put the other eyes into the failed experiment?”
The answer was a utilitarian, “Waste not, want not. I may have a need for them at a later time. They do look like Byakugan after all. If nothing else, then they will fetch a hefty sum on the black market.”

As he pushed the lids closed, and pinned them in place with a touch of chakra, he looked up again, giving Zetsu a smile that gave even Ginkaku a bad feeling. He knew he wasn’t the smartest of him and his twin, but he wasn’t stupid either, no matter what Kinkaku might claim. And he knew that the odds that this monk had a plan that wasn’t good for them was high.

Slowly he loosened his katana in the sheath, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

The monk moved around, putting both hands on the sides of the head of the guy he had brought along, channeling more chakra.

And more.

And more.

How much did this guy have?

Far more than Ginkaku had thought, that was for sure.

Suddenly the man on the ground gave a small gasp, and his eyes flew open. Except, now they were purple. With lots of little rings inside each other. Ginkaku had never seen anything like that before. Was that what you got when you combined a Sharingan with a Byakugan-user?

The monk reached out and deceptively gently pushed against the neck of the gasping man, until a crack was heard. Then he plucked the eyes out again, only to reach into one of his own sockets, pulling out his own eye. Ginkaku wasn’t squeamish. Not by far. But this… He felt vaguely nauseous.

The squelch as the purple eye was shoved into the now empty socket… Ugh.

There was the by now familiar green chakra, a few blinks, and then the monk plucked out the other eye, exchanging it for the second purple one. More green chakra, another blink. And then the guy casually sealed away his own eyes, before he stuck a knife into the heart of the eye-less guy.

He snatched the tubes out of the arm of the other guy, pressing green chakra briefly into the holes left behind, then he all but tossed the guy to the side, somehow making him land softly into a pile of moss. It almost looked like the fall had slowed at the last moment, but surely that could not be?

Turning back to the monk, Ginkaku found him grinning towards Zetsu. “Now, the ones who sealed Kaguya away were good, but they did not have the knowledge I do. Did not have access to the hereditary memory a real Ōtsutsuki has. Behold the true power of the Rinnegan!”

He turned towards the ugly statue, raising his hands wide, his grin looking almost manic. His hands flickered through seals faster than Ginkaku could track them, causing static in the air to make the tiny hairs on Ginkaku’s arms to stand on end, like the buildup to a really impressive Raiton jutsu.

Then, with the sound of glass breaking, the very air tore open into a shimmering portal.

A long moment passed.

And another one.

Then, suddenly, it appeared the monk ran out of patience and he reached forward, grabbing something shimmering in the air, and someone came flying out of the portal, straight towards him and into his hand.

The hand wrapped around a pale and slender neck, stifling a scream.

The woman didn’t look real. If anything, she reminded Ginkaku of the porcelain dolls rich brats sometimes had, or paintings he had seen in shrines, of goddesses. But no true goddess would look that scared by the face of a monk.

Even if he sneered at her, and asked, “You thought you could escape? You thought you’d won?”

The portal vanished, and the monk stepped forward until the woman’s back was pressed against the statue. And then there was a spear of light in the monk’s hand, stabbing through the chest of the woman and all the way into the statue.

“At long last you are serving your true purpose! Feed the God Tree! Give back everything you stole!”

A wail tore out of her throat, and it was echoed by Zetsu.

Ginkaku took a step back. The woman was dissolving into so much smoke and sparks, all of which was sucked into the statue, making it waver and tremble, almost looking like it was growing.

No… There was nothing ‘almost’ about it. The statue was growing. Stretching higher and higher.

From out of the blue, Kinkaku grabbed his arm, and they tried to run, not interested in sticking around. But a force caught them, stronger than they were, pulling them towards the monk, making their feet dig groves into the soil as they were dragged back. To the horrible statue and the grinning monk with the glowing spear.

The force kept forcing them closer and closer to the man, and just before they reached, he angled his spear towards them. And the force kept tugging them towards him, onto the spear. Ginkaku barely managed to twist around and grab Kinkaku, hugging him for the first time since they had been tiny children. He clutched at his brother even as he felt himself become unmade. Stars danced before his eyes. A whole universe worth of them. Disappearing into a black hole.

The last of their chakra circled the statue once, then it was sucked inside, furthering the transformation.

Chapter Text

Isshiki turned back towards the now empty doorway into the base. Zetsu had disappeared along with his mistress. He had been a part of her, and the God Tree greedily ate all that she was. Served her right. Trying to fight against her fate. This had been her end all along. She had merely been able to delay it.

Stepping back, Isshiki tilted his head up, staring at the God Tree as it reached for the sky. With his new Rinnegan he could see the chakra swirling around, getting sucked into the tree like water into a maelstrom. Like matter into a black hole. Spinning faster and faster the closer it got. It was a beautiful sight. So much chakra. Even more than had been here when he first arrived. It was nearly ironic. That Kaguya’s defiance ended up feeding the tree more.

He could not hold back the laugh. She had nearly been his end, but he had known it was not his fate to die by her treachery. No, he was destined for glory. As soon as the fruit was ready, he would use it to regain his true Ōtsutsuki form! And then he would return victorious, to crush the usurpers that had surely arisen in his absence. He could not wait to leave this backwater rock behind.

⁂

For Tobitsuki it felt as if all the chakra of the world trembled. And he knew from his ancestral memory just what that meant. But… how? The bijū were safe. The Gedō Mazō should have been safe as well. Both Madara and Hashirama were in the room with him right now. So, how?!

Then he shook his head. That didn’t matter. All that mattered was killing the tree before it drained the whole world.

He looked up at the people gathered around him. “Grab your weapons. We need to go. Now!”

Some started to voice questions, but when Madara unsealed his gunbai from somewhere, and Tobirama suddenly wielded a large sword, both moving over to Tobitsuki, placing their hands on his shoulders, the questions petered out. They silenced completely when Hashirama and Mito joined them, and even Izuna came over, placing his hand on Tobitsuki’s wrist.

One by one, everyone in the room did as instructed.

Then they were whisked away, as Tobitsuki grabbed the marker he had visited twice already this day. Fortunately Madara and Tobirama steadied him upon landing, given how much he had expended of his chakra and focus to bring all of them there. Both of his husbands were alert and immediately prepared to fight, having traveled by this means before, but some of the other shinobi looked a bit green and wobbly.

Shaking off the brief dizzy spell, Tobitsuki’s eyes widened as he took in the surrounding area. What he found was not what he had seen the last time he was there. Then the area had been a murky bog with a few pathetic trees eking out a living in the soggy ground. But now… There, just a short distance from the entrance to the base… The God Tree. It really was back, and already pulling in chakra from the world.

Movement had him push everyone away from himself with a burst of chakra, sending them tumbling and rolling, and he dodged low, avoiding the attack. Then he recognized who it was he was facing. Not Kaguya. Isshiki! And this time he had somehow acquired a pair of Rinnegan. That was bad. Very bad. But not insurmountable.

He spun, weaving hand signs for a particular technique even as he jumped out of the line of another attack. Clearly Isshiki was focusing on him, disregarding everyone else there. He could use that.

Behind him, everyone else had found their feet after the shock of the Hiraishin and the subsequent crude rescue from Isshiki’s attack, and were now returning fire along with him. Literally in several cases.

Hashirama’s Mokuton. Mito’s Adamantine Sealing Chains. Madara’s Great Fire Annihilation. Tobirama’s Water Dragon. Izuna’s Great Fireball. They all served to cover Tobitsuki’s technique, obscuring the area in steam, sparks, and choking smoke, forcing Isshiki to divide his attention between all the various incoming jutsu. The remaining clan heads had spread out, throwing themselves into the fight, but Tobitsuki called out to them to stay at range. If they got too close to the tree, Isshiki would just feed them to it.

Wisely listening to him and staying back—The Nara clan head going so far as to yank the Akimichi clan head back with his shadows—they all managed to dodge the shock-wave that blasted out from the center of their area of attack, clearing away all the steam and smoke, and snuffing out the flickering flames that had caught on the scraggly foliage.

Isshiki was laughing, raising his hands. “You think you can take me? You think you can defeat me? I, who have lived millennia! Who have survived rising through the ranks of the Ōtsutsuki! Who have partaken in the spoils of our conquest across the galaxy! Me?!”

Tobitsuki carefully made a single seal. The laughter stopped abruptly.

Eyes wild, Isshiki slammed his hands together. But nothing happened. He did it again. And a third time. Then he screamed at Tobitsuki “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Tobitsuki grinned, relieved that his gambit was successful. “Wouldn’t you like to know? It looks like, for all your experience, you failed to consider that I possess the same knowledge as you. That I, being born millennia later, would benefit from all that you had learned. And not only what you have learned, but what every other Ōtsutsuki had learned. Every time you accessed the healing halls, your memory was scanned, and uploaded. And so did everyone else’s.”

Isshiki started to tremble and shake, his eyes wide and veins bulging, as if he was trying to see what Tobitsuki had done to him.

Beside Tobitsuki, Tobirama had shifted minutely, frowning. Madara shook his head lightly, as if trying to shake off an insect. And around the clearing, several others of the Konoha shinobi were showing similar signs that something was wrong.

Realizing that his time was not quite as vast as he had initially assumed, he sped things up, activating the Kāma, the fail-safe the Ōtsutsuki had developed to save themselves should they encounter an enemy too great to handle. Which was usually another Ōtsutsuki. They were vicious like that.

However, Tobitsuki had counted on several things when he applied the Kāma seal on Isshiki.

Firstly, another Ōtsutsuki was not a suitable vessel. And secondly, Tobitsuki was not dead. There should be no soul to take over Isshiki’s body, just an echo of Tobitsuki’s. And thirdly, Isshiki was already possessing the body Tobitsuki had marked. It was bound to cause an overload, making the body seize.

The shaking intensified, and blood trickled out of Isshiki’s mouth as he bit his own tongue. His hands fell down beside him as he lost control of them, and soon he lost control of the rest of his body, falling over, landing in a twitching heap as he started foaming at the mouth.

Tobitsuki stepped over to the dying Ōtsutsuki, crouching down, placing his hand on Isshiki’s chest, pinning him in place despite how his body was thrashing now. “You underestimated me because you could sense my youth. But age does not mean wisdom. Wisdom takes effort and a conscious decision to do better, to learn what you can, and to figure out how you can use that knowledge in the best ways. Falling into the trap of thinking that you know best will leave you vulnerable. And you took such gleeful pride in dodging all the attacks you perceived as dangerous that my little Kāma slipped past your defenses.”

Isshiki’s eyes grew wide, bloodshot and wild. Tobitsuki grinned down at him. “That’s right. Your body belongs to me now.”
He tipped forward onto his knees, leaning over the Ōtsutsuki, holding his face between his hands, and reached into Isshiki’s mind with a genjutsu, searching for the one thing he needed to know before he gave his maybe-uncle mercy.

It did not take him long to find it. Since a landslide awoke him from his slumber in a cave in Land of Lightning not even half a year ago, Isshiki had been too busy building his little cult, and then tracking down what he needed to trick Zetsu. He had not sent a message to the other Ōtsutsuki. Had wanted to clear up the mess left behind by Kaguya first. So that he could present a fully grown God Tree and return in triumph. After eating the first fruit himself, to restore his body.

That meant they still had time. Could still build a defense. Maybe even manage to find a way to strike first.

Speaking of strike… Tobitsuki summoned his sword, and cut Isshiki’s head off. Given that he had yet to mark someone new with his Kāma, this would be the end of the road for Isshiki. There would be no coming back from this. An insulting and ignoble end for someone who had once been high in the hierarchy of the Ōtsutsuki.

Tobitsuki gave Isshiki one last look, as if to reassure himself that the threat was gone. Then, straightening up, he nearly stumbled.

Realizing what was happening, he glared at the God Tree. It had to go! By drawing so much chakra here, the concentrations were becoming so high that any decent sensor was affected. Was more or less getting high on it. Or drunk.

Waving his hand towards it, he called out to the others, “Chop it down! It’s eating all the chakra in the world! Kill it! Burn it! Make sure there’s nothing left!”
Around him, everyone snapped into action, attacking the tree with varying success.

⁂

Tobirama felt strange. Like he had consumed way too much sake. Or smoked his brother’s weird herbs. Glancing at Tobitsuki he suspected that his husband was likewise affected. Peering around, he found others. Even out of balance as he was, it didn’t take him long to figure out what the affected all had in common—they were all sensors.

That was the clue he needed. Tobitsuki said that the tree was eating the chakra, and to be able to do that, it had to be drawing the chakra towards itself, like a magnet pulling in iron filings. Which meant… He was getting high on chakra. And so was Tobitsuki. Who was probably even worse off than himself, given how much chakra he had expended to bring them all there. Tobitsuki’s body might be trying to draw chakra in, like the tree did, depending on how his alien physiology worked.

He stumbled towards his husband, helping to keep him steady. Then he looked around. Madara was a sensor as well. Though, he apparently had enough control to send jutsu after jutsu at the tree from where he was standing, swaying minutely.

Then Tobirama blinked, noticing something. Was the three shrinking? It was! How?

He didn’t even realize he had said it out loud before Tobitsuki replied, “It’s using chakra to repair the physical damage done to it, but since it’s made of chakra, it means that every bit of chakra it expends, in turn reduces its mass.”
Tobirama nodded. That made sense. Then he grinned. “Neat. Now, if only it wasn’t drawing so much chakra in, we could be rid of it. Unfortunately, we’ll run out of chakra before it does.”

He felt the jerk in Tobitsuki, and heard the hissed, “Oh shit! You’re right!”

Tobitsuki rubbed both hands over his face, black claw-like nails scouring pink lines in his forehead. “Shit! Shit! Shit! That’s…”
Then he fell silent. And stepped forward. Tobirama nearly fell—since he had been leaning on his husband—before he managed to keep up, legs unsteady. “What are you doing?”
“The tree drains chakra out of the world. If I can drain chakra out of the tree, I can feed it back to you, and you can pass it on to the others.”

Tobirama just nodded. It made sense. Just… how was Tobitsuki going to do it?

⁂

Being drunk when he attempted to use one of the Ōtsutsuki's techniques for the first time was not ideal, but he needed to get to the top of the tree, and fast. So Yomotsu Hirasaka it was.

He stared up, estimating the distance, and then he focused on his hands, going through every seal with great care, not wanting to mess this up. With how many hand-seals the jutsu required, it took him a good thirty-five seconds to go through them all. But he succeeded in getting it right. In front of him, a rift appeared in the air, and through it, he could see the top of the God Tree, and on it, the immature chakra fruit. He reached through, and grabbed it, snapping it free.

The whole tree shivered, and shrank further. A lot further.

Tobitsuki bit into the fruit, grimacing at the bitter taste, sort of like unripened plums mixed with old grass. But he felt the chakra from it flood his system, so he forced himself to eat it all. Then he leaned over and placed his hand on Hashirama’s shoulder, carefully altering the chakra he pushed out so that it would not burn Hashirama’s coils.

He gave the Senju Clan Head as much chakra as he dared, then he moved over to Madara, doing the same. And Izuna. Tobirama. Mito. One by one he topped up the chakra stores of everyone present. By the time he came back to the rift, another fruit had started to form, but this one was much smaller. He picked it too, and ate it, gagging at the even worse taste this time. But he forced every bit down. Then he topped up the stores of the ones still attacking the tree.

The Nara clan head had sat down, revealing that he too was a sensor of some skill. Still, he used his shadows to whittle away at the tree. The Akimichi clan head—and Tobitsuki really should make an effort at remembering their names, since this time around they had not died before the village was formed—had more success in his attacks, having increased his body-size to nearly half a meter taller and much more muscular, swinging his hands in punishing chops that sent splinters flying.

The Aburame clan head was standing back, but her bugs were flying back and forth, and if Tobitsuki’s guess was right, they were draining chakra out of the tree and transferring it to their host.

Out of everyone there, the Inuzuka was the least efficient one, but that could be because his dog had been left behind when Tobitsuki activated the Hiraishin. Perhaps he should have explained better before he used an unknown jutsu on them. But to the Inuzuka’s credit, he had not let that stop him from ferally attacking the tree with a sword.

Tobitsuki repeated the harvesting of the unripe fruits three more times, then, at last, the tree was exhausted, morphing back into the Gedō Mazō, the husk.

And the maelstrom of chakra finally stopped.

Tobitsuki fell down on his ass, giggling with the heady rush of relief. “We did it!”
Tobirama sat down heavily beside him, appearing dazed. “We did!”
Elated, Tobitsuki turned towards him, pulling him in, kissing him, not giving a damn about their audience.

Madara fell to his knees beside them and pushed himself close, turning it into a three-way kiss.

They would have kept on kissing if Hashirama had not cleared his throat and awkwardly asked, “So, what do we do with that ugly thing?”

Reluctantly pulling away, Tobitsuki gave it a glance, then he looked at the sky. “I’m going to throw it into the sun. I can’t imagine there would be anything left to summon back if I do that.”

Hashirama just nodded, not questioning Tobitsuki’s ability to do so. None of the shinobi present did.

⁂

Mito watched her brother-in-law’s husband as he got unsteadily to his feet, moving over to the corpse of the man he had defeated. The man who had brushed away the attacks of the entirety of Konoha’s elite, only to succumb to a jutsu that Tobitsuki had used on him, something that had been so discreet and subtle that Mito had not even noticed that it was there. Not until the man started trembling and seizing. What was that jutsu? And who was the man?

She observed Tobitsuki sealing away both the head, and the rest of the corpse. Then he walked over to the remains of the chakra-eating tree—that had for some unfathomable reason turned into a creepy and ugly statue—and sealed that away as well.

Behind her, someone called out for Hashirama, and she recognized the voice as Inuzuka Karafuru. Heading towards him in case her knowledge could be useful, it quickly became obvious why he wanted the Hokage to join him. An unconscious man had been found, now that they had attention to spare for more than just the enemy, and her husband was a known healer.

Hashirama made his way over after a brief stop to check on his brother and Madara, and examined the unconscious man, a frown marring his forehead while he did. Deciding that she felt more comfortable helping him—besides, Madara was supporting Tobirama to his feet, the both of them making their way over to where Tobitsuki was packing away the scrolls, so he had support there—she hurried over to kneel beside Hashirama, lending him her support and asking for a rundown on what was wrong with the man.

A quick check had revealed some eye-trauma, but given that the man looked to have the Byakugan, that was perhaps not a surprise. Surely the Hyūga would be pleased to get him back. If he was one of them, that was. They would have to check that before handing him over, because she was well aware of how violently the Hyūga protected their dōjutsu, and they needed the man alive to interrogate him.

She waved some of the others over, asking if anyone had a stretcher sealed away somewhere. A few questions more, and an improvised one was constructed. Then all they had to do was wait for Tobitsuki to recover enough from his chakra-drugged state to bring them all back to Konoha, since nobody was eager for him to push himself with such a specialized jutsu.

⁂

Watching as both Tobirama and Tobitsuki were shaking off the last of the effects from the chakra-intoxication, it occurred to Madara once more how similar the two of them were. That they had been nearly equally dazed, while he had already recovered from the effects he had suffered.

It was while Tobitsuki was walking between Tobirama and Madara towards the entrance to the base—quietly explaining that Isshiki, the man he had taken out with a hidden jutsu, had killed some woman named Kaguya, and with her, the creature known as Zetsu had died as well, since it was her creation, somehow linked to her will—that something else came to Madara, and he only waited until Tobitsuki’s voice petered out before he asked his question.

"What did you mean...? With the speech you gave that guy? That you were born later than him, but knew more than him?"
Tobitsuki placed his hand on the doorjamb, peering into the corridor beyond. "Oh, um, just what I said. We were the same, sort of, but…"
That brought a confused frown to Tobirama’s face. "He didn't look anything like you."
Shaking his head, Tobitsuki explained, "No, he possessed the guy you saw, as a last ditch attempt at staying alive about a thousand years ago, after his original body was destroyed. But he didn't do it this time, too sure of his own superiority. I know. I checked his mind before I killed him. This time he's really gone."
"Uh... Possessed?" Madara felt a spike of worry, and looked closer at Tobitsuki, a little concerned. "Can you do that too?"

Tobitsuki shrugged, like it hardly mattered. "I mean, I could, but I do not see the point. I would rather do my best to steer the future in a good direction and hope that after my death, humanity will survive whatever fate may throw at them."
Madara gave a small nod, not sure if he was mollified by that answer, but letting it slide. For now. "Okay. Although, that's another thing... He said millennia... Are you going to live that long?"

⁂

Tobitsuki froze for a moment, the thought hitting him, again, that he would indeed most likely live for millennia. "I... ah... Yes?"
But with that thought came those tentative ideas of how to extend the lives of others. Not something to discuss here, or now, but later, when he had had time to check if his theories could be valid. Although, perhaps he could start to ease his spouses into the thought that they too could live that long?

“The thought is not abhorrent. Imagine all the things that one could learn in such a long time. All the things it would be possible to achieve. With all the knowledge I already possess, I hope to build humanity up to a place where nobody has to starve, and everyone can live in comfort. A place where there is no need to fight wars over resources or land, because if everyone has their basic needs met, anyone who is greedy will not find many willing to support their greed. Will certainly struggle to find anyone willing to kill or die for their greed. And even if they do, there will be others prepared to fight back against it. Others who will have the resources to defend those who cannot defend themselves.”

Tobirama moved over to lean against the other doorjamb, peering into the tunnel as well, despite there not being anything really interesting in there. “It sounds like utopia.”
He sounded both wistful, and skeptic. Tobitsuki shrugged. “Maybe. But that won’t stop me from trying to achieve it.”

Madara stepped behind them, placing his arms over both of their shoulders, pulling them away from the doorway. “You said this Zetsu thing is gone. And even if it isn’t, there will be time to secure this base later. There is nothing inside it now that we need. Let’s go home, rest up, and deal with everything else tomorrow.”

Both Tobitsuki and Tobirama allowed Madara to steer them back towards the others. Where Mito awaited with a question of her own. “Are you keeping his corpse? Not throwing it into the sun like the weird statue that turns into a tree?”

He wasn’t sure how she had come to that conclusion, but he chose to not deny it. “Yes, I’m keeping it. The Rinnegan might be needed in the future. Though, I could probably keep just them, and send the rest of Isshiki the same way as the statue. That would reduce the chance that someone got a hold of his genetic material.”

Mito gave a short nod. “That sounds like a good plan. The last thing we want is more people with abilities like that running around.”
He gave her a wry smirk. “More people like me, you mean?”
There was a flash of contrition across her features, then her expression settled on determined. “He was nothing like you. Ever since I got to know you, you have worked tirelessly to improve our lives. If there are any similarities between the two of you, it is akin to the two faces of a coin, similar only in the general sense, but opposites.”

There were some muted noises of agreement from others, and Tobitsuki gave her a tired, but no less genuine smile. “Thank you.”
Then he looked around. “Gather up. I’ll take us all back to Konoha.”

Once he could be sure they were all distracted with debriefing, he planned to return to collect the smaller shuttle, just to keep it out of the hands of anyone else. The only reason he had not sealed it away like he had done with the statue was that he had not wanted to draw any attention to it for now. By pretending it was utterly unimportant, hopefully nobody would question it.

He did however surround the whole area with a barrier, making the excuse that he wanted to make sure none of Zetsu’s or Isshiki’s followers could figure out what had happened there before they could attempt to round them up.

Then he took them all back to Konoha, directly to the room where they had departed from. And immediately stepped out of the way as a large canine crashed into the Inuzuka clan head, toppling him backwards, into the Akimichi clan head.

⁂

Declining the request for a debrief, for now, Tobirama, along with Madara, bundled Tobitsuki back to their house, to shield him from all the questions the others had. He had promised that he would explain it all, they just had to be patient. And Tobirama would make sure they were, even if that meant plastering their home in seals to keep everyone out.

Instead of cooking dinner, he sent a clone out to purchase something, then he nudged Tobitsuki to sit down by the table, having a feeling that the… Yōkai? Kami? What even was an Ōtsutsuki? Pushing that thought aside, Tobirama focused back on his husband, having a feeling that the way he and Madara reacted now to the past hour’s revelations would make or break this marriage. And he found that he did not want it to break. He was far too fond of them both by now to let them go.

Seating himself beside him, Tobirama reached out and grabbed Tobitsuki’s hand, throwing a quick glance towards Madara, trying to convey without words that he too should join them. It did not seem that the look had been necessary, as the Uchiha had grabbed a tray with cups and a tokkuri of sake, carrying it to the table, then pouring for all three of them.

As he scooted close to the table, he glanced at Tobitsuki, pushing the cup towards him. “You only get this one cup. I think you have been drunk enough today already.”
That brought a small smile to Tobitsuki’s lips, and he let go of Tobirama’s hand so he could use both of his to lift the cup. “I can assure you that the effects of that are gone now, and it is not likely to ever occur again. As soon as I can, I will take the scroll with the statue out into space, and send it hurtling into the sun.”

Tobirama took a sip from his cup, placing it on the table, and nervously rotating it. “And those other Ōtsutsuki that the dead guy spoke of? They won’t come here?”
Emptying his cup, Tobitsuki put it down and pushed it away from himself. “Not for a very long time, if my plans have worked out as I think they have. And by then I hope humanity will be ready to fight them off. That is my ultimate goal. To keep the Earth safe.”
Madara drained his cup then, setting it down with a clink. “Good. I can get behind that.”

Hurrying to empty his cup as well, Tobirama pushed it to the middle of the table, pulling Tobitsuki’s and Madara’s cups towards it so all three touched with the soft chime of fine porcelain. “Me too.”

Given that Tobitsuki appeared to be in a sharing mood, Tobirama decided to ask something else that had been bugging him for a while. “Okay, so, your eyes… Are they Byakugan? Just, I’ve never seen you use them like the Hyūga does, and… I mean… It’s a very powerful tool to simply ignore, if they are…?”

Tobitsuki barked out a small laugh, then he used Suiton to fill the cups with water. "They are… Well, sort of Byakugan. Though, they are also sort of Sharingan. It’s hard to explain. When Kaguya had her sons, they inherited different aspects of her eyes. And that was further diluted with the next generation. The Uchiha, Hagoromo-sama’s descendants, got the Sharingan, while the Hyūga, Hamura-sama’s descendants, got the Byakugan. And, though my eyes look like this…”

He gave them a wry smile. “I’ll admit, at first I wasn't really trying that hard, shying away from even the thought of having a dōjutsu, but then, once I moved past that... I realized I had no idea how to activate them. It's supposed to be instinctual, and yet... I just couldn't get it to work. The knowledge was simply not there. So I did a little digging in the files, and from what I could figure out from the database… Only by consuming a chakra fruit would the ability be activated.”

Madara straightened his spine, eyes narrowing a bit. “And now you have…”
Tobitsuki shook his head. “It was not a mature fruit. I have no idea if it was enough. So far I have not felt any changes. Only time will tell.”

Tobirama emptied his cup of water and stood up, holding his hands out. “I think it’s time to go to bed now.”

They all knew that there would be plenty of discussions in their future, but that could wait. Right now he wanted to reassure Tobitsuki that nothing between them had changed, even though a lot had. But the important part was still the same. He was their husband, and if Madara agreed, they would spend the rest of the night confirming that.

⁂

The next morning, hours before the sun was due to rise, Tobitsuki woke up. He had intended to go alone, but after the previous evening… Slinking out of the bed, he first went to the bathroom, jumping from there to the base in Mountain’s Graveyard, sealing away the small shuttle. Then he returned to the house he shared with his husbands, and walked into their bedroom. Kneeling down, he gently shook Madara and Tobirama awake, asking them “Would you like to go to space with me?”

To their credit, neither of them hesitated, and they quickly got dressed, trusting that he would let them know if they needed anything special. While they did that, Tobitsuki spent a few minutes retrieving Isshiki’s corpse out of the scroll, and stripping it of anything he thought could come in handy, like the eyes. He sealed those in a separate scroll, put Isshiki’s corpse back in the scroll with the Gedō Mazō, and, since Tobirama and Madara was ready by then, he jumped the three of them to his shuttle. Once there, he then loaded the scroll containing what was left of Isshiki, as well as the Gedō Mazō, into a small hatch meant to be used to seed planets from afar.

Tobirama had been examining the shuttle eagerly, but only visually, while Madara had his arms crossed, a thoughtful mien on his face. “There was a similar thing outside the base in Iron. Smaller, but definitely similar. Did it do the same?”

Feeling oddly proud at Madara’s powers of observation, Tobitsuki gave him a quick smile and a little nod. “Yes, sort of. The one there does not have either the range or the speed this one does, but it is fine for local transportation. Or, ah, local in this sense means… uh… planetary local.”
That drew Tobirama’s attention like few other things could. “Planetary? As in, it can take you to other planets?”
Tobitsuki just nodded. After all, he had more things he should tell them, but now wasn’t really the time. Not so shortly after so many other revelations.

Given that there were only two seats in the shuttle, Tobirama and Madara were forced to share, which meant that Tobitsuki had to mind the acceleration, but that was fine. He wanted them both to experience this, together.

The shuttle took off, rising through the layers of the atmosphere. Both Madara and Tobirama leaned towards the screen, trying to take in the whole view. With childlike wonder they exclaimed in delight when they could see Konoha from above, but that paled to their reaction when the horizon opened up before them, curving around the planet.

Tobirama stared, eyes flickering this way and that, like he could not settle on one thing, like he wanted to take it all in. Meanwhile, Madara had activated his Sharingan, turning his head slowly, as if he needed confirmation that this was indeed real.

Right then and there, Tobitsuki decided to show them more of the Earth’s immediate neighborhood. He just wanted to get rid of their cargo first.

The shuttle shot off towards Venus, curving around the planet, then crossed Mercury’s orbit, although that planet was off on the other side of the sun for the time being. And then, just before they got so close that they would have difficulties escaping the sun’s gravity, he hit the button. On the screen he watched the scroll as it sailed through the void of space, straight towards the burning ball of gas. He watched it until his eyes hurt from staring at the sun despite the many filters that had been laid over it by the onboard computer. Watched it until it was just a speck. And then it was gone.

Oh, he knew it had not reached the surface yet. That there would still be minutes until it was truly engulfed in the inferno there, but by now it would be well and truly caught by the gravity, and nothing, not even the best spacecraft created by any of the know species—most of them long dead—would be able to get close enough to snatch it up and still make it out of there. The gravity, the heat, and the radiation would break it apart.

Secure in the knowledge that it was gone, he turned the shuttle back, deciding to circle around Venus a few times, so that his husbands, and himself, could get a good look at it, and then he set his sights on the Moon, heading there to look at the many craters up close. If he had created a protective suit for them to wear, they could even have landed. Perhaps another time? Now that he had already shown them the shuttle, he could surely take them up more times. Could alter the shuttle to have three seats, so they could all be comfortable for longer journeys. Maybe he could make dates out of it? Bring a picnic and go see the Asteroid Belt?

However, his musings were derailed as he skimmed low over the surface of the moon, and he felt something unexpected—there was an immense power-source inside it. Practically bubbling over with chakra, but a strange chakra. And… people. There were people inside the moon! How?

Tobirama appeared to have noticed too, and, because of their shared look, Madara paid attention as well, breaking the silence that had reigned so far. “Who are they? More Ōtsutsuki?”
Shaking his head, Tobitsuki admitted, “I don’t know. But we should find out. There has to be a way inside.”

He started the computer scanning the entirety of the moon, watching the screen avidly as they circled around it over and over again, in new orbits every time, covering every bit of the surface. A detailed map started to appear, and a square was highlighted. Too regular to be natural.

The moment the scan was complete, Tobitsuki steered the shuttle towards what turned out to be a docking port. One that, upon inquiry by the onboard computer, was revealed to use Ōtsutsuki protocols.

Wary, he sent the codes to open it, then docked the shuttle, watching the doors close back up above them. Then he waited until the onboard computer confirmed that the room outside had atmosphere that would be breathable for them all.

Moving outside, he motioned to Tobirama and Madara to stick close. None of them had any idea what they might encounter, and he decided to leave the shuttle-door open, for a faster retreat if needed.

Dropping several warning seals in case anyone came close, he then led them further in, towards where the life-signs were coming from. It was fairly clear that this part of whatever facility this was, had not seen use for a long time. Their feet left visible footprints in the dust.

When they moved deeper in, what they found was absolutely not what he had expected. Exiting a doorway, they found two groups of people that were facing off against each other in a world that was a pale mimicry of Earth. The people looked like they were seconds away from charging at each other, and the sight reminded him of the battles between the Senju and the Uchiha. That was the reason why Tobitsuki stepped between them and held his hands out. “Stop!”

He would not admit even under torture that he had been shocked that it actually worked, but it appeared that the people were so surprised by his appearance that they froze, staring at him. Or, well, half of them were. The other half had blindfolds on. But he could feel their senses on him. Was this some kind of religious thing? That they refused to use their eyes? Or… Did they not have eyes? Given that the other half looked like they had the Byakugan, he would not put it past them to have taken the Hyūga branch family slavery one step further.

Before he could be foolish enough to give voice to that thought, one of the people from the seeing side stepped towards him. “Who are you, and how did you get here?!”
The question was echoed by others, and both groups started to move closer towards him. Then someone noticed Madara and Tobirama, and exclamations rang out. “There are more of them! There are humans here!”

Deciding to take charge and draw their attention back to himself, Tobitsuki spoke up, hoping to distract them with something that they, as clear Ōtsutsuki descendants, should be at least passably familiar with. “I came here after throwing the Gedō Mazō into the sun. I just passed by, and I sensed your presence here.”
To his surprise, at the mention of the demonic statue, several people tensed up, some even reaching for their weapons. A cry rang out. “Thief! You are the ones who stole it!”

However, before anyone acted on the accusation, one of the more elaborately dressed men lifted a staff. “Stop! We were tasked with guarding it, to avoid it being misused. Destroying it serves to continue that task indefinitely! They have done us a service!”

Assessing the new information given, Tobitsuki had questions. Like, “Who tasked you with this?”
The man with the staff, presumably one of the leaders there, took on a slightly pompous air. “Our ancestor, Ōtsutsuki Hamura-sama himself did, passing on orders given to him by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo-sama, the Great Sage.”

Chapter Text

The tension between the two factions was slow to dissipate, but the more they talked, and the more Tobitsuki explained what had been going on on Earth, the more the people of the moon started to shift awkwardly and mutter between themselves. He caught snippets, things like “That’s not what we were told.” or “Does this mean we no longer need to monitor them then?”, which were both concerning in their implications, and gave rise to new questions.

To cut through the bullshit posturing that the Elder was doing, trying to assert dominance over Tobitsuki and his husbands, Tobitsuki pulled a card he had not used yet. “Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo-san and Hamura-san are my nephews. Their mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya-san was my sister. And my husbands are both Hagoromo-san’s very distant descendants, from two different branches.”

He paused, letting all that sink in. Then he added, “As the closest living relative, I am hereby taking charge of this settlement. I order all fighting to cease until we have sorted out exactly what is going on, because I have a feeling that something has been lost or warped over the years since Hamura-san’s death. He would not want his descendants killing each other, I’m sure of that.”

Silence fell. Then, first one by one, until, like a wave rolling over a beach, the people of the moon all fell to their knees, heads bowed towards Tobitsuki. It took a herculean effort to not rub his hand over his face in exasperation. This was not what he had intended. But, if it got them to stop fighting… He could ignore it. He already was ignoring the shrine set up in his name in Konoha. This would be no different.

Hiding his annoyance, he told them, “Rise.” He paused until they complied, before adding, “Now, I would like one person from each side here to join me, to give me a tour through the facilities, and explain the setup you have here. In the meantime, my two husbands will remain with the rest of you and make sure that no hostilities are resumed in my absence.”

To his relief, both Madara and Tobirama came over to him, playing along, and allowing the illusion to stand that Tobitsuki was the one in charge.

After some whispering, each group allowed one person to step forward. It was no surprise who the seeing half of the population elected to represent them, but for the blindfolded half, an unassuming woman was allowed to walk forward, her back slightly bent with age, but her steps still sure and her hands steady.

As he was walking away together with the elder with the staff, who introduced himself as Ōtsutsuki Tsuneo, and the elderly woman with a blindfold, who called herself Ōtsutsuki Hazuki, he heard Tobirama ask the crowd left behind, “Do anyone require medical attention?”

Feeling confident that his husbands had things well in hand there, he paid most of his attention to the explanations he was given as they moved through the facility, making sure to check with both of his guides to ensure that they agreed on what was said. The last thing they took him to, hidden behind several barriers, was the energy-source, and the Tenseigan was a revelation. The possibilities it presented had his mind spinning. Until he was reminded of the more immediate problem when Hazuki casually mentioned that they had given their eyes to power it.

He turned to Tsuneo and glanced at his eyes, still there. The older man harrumphed and his eyebrows drew down, unhappy with the implied questioning of his morals. “As one of the main family, we do not give our eyes until we are close to death. It ensures that we can keep everything running smoothly.”

To Tobitsuki that sounded like an excuse. A poor one at that. If the main family could do that, then surely the branch family should be able to do the same. It was the Hyūga slavery seal all over again. As he had suspected.

However, stretching his senses out, examining the Tenseigan, he realized something that he was sure the people here had missed. “You do realize that by constantly feeding it new eyes you will eventually overcharge it? It will become unstable. Possibly even explode. Or implode.”

He did a quick calculation in his head, based on the people he had seen ready to fight, and the few weak chakra signatures he could sense spread across the inner sphere of the moon—children, he realized—and came to the conclusion that, “In less than five generations, it would have become unstable if you kept this up. However, there are simply too few of you left to truly achieve that. Your people are dying, and not only from the fighting. No, at this point, you are all too closely related, and that will affect the children born. Might even already be affecting your fertility.”

Both of the elders with him stilled, facing him with expressions that were stiff and pinched. Perhaps they had already suspected it, but never dared to give words to the thought? In either case, it was not his job to protect their pride or shield them from psychological pain.

“If you continue to live here, in isolation, your people will die out. If you do not wish for that to happen, you need to rejoin the people living on the Earth. You need to let your younger ones marry out, or let them bring spouses in, to refresh the genetic material. All this inbreeding has weakened you.”

Hazuki straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. “You want us to go down there? To live there? We have knowledge of how they live. Their battles are far worse than ours. And their houses are no better than hovels. My people would not survive the transition. Diseases, hunger, and bandits would take the weaker ones in months, and the rest would follow.”

Tobitsuki shook his head. While he could understand her concerns, things had changed. Things were still changing. Aiming for patience he didn’t quite feel, he told her in an even voice, “That might have been so in the past, but I am building a better future, and I have gathered the clans of Land of Fire into a village. They are no longer fighting. They are working together. These days they are building sturdier and cleaner homes, they have a hospital with the best technology I can give them, and I am ensuring that they have enough food that nobody needs to go hungry. I can even grow you new eyes, allowing your entire clan to see.”

He could tell she was wavering. To his shock it was Tsuneo that came with the argument that led to the solution that eventually won her over in the end. “You want us to abandon the Moon? Then who will keep everything in order? Who will ensure that it stays in its orbit? Someone needs to remain here.”

Tobitsuki could not help but smile, triumph curling in his chest. He had already been working on the perfect solution. The modified Hiraishin. The one designed to make it possible to have instant transport between Konoha and Uzushio. It had no limitations for distance. It could allow the people of the moon to move to Konoha, and still come here every day if they wanted, to assure themselves that nothing was wrong, and that everything was still running smoothly.

Leading the elders away from the Tenseigan, and back to their people, Tobitsuki reassured them, “I have a solution for that as well. Instant transportation between the Earth and the Moon.”
He nearly stumbled when Tsuneo scoffed, “I would not call traversing through the planes instant.”

That led to another conversation, about how the existing portal on the Moon worked, and Tobitsuki’s explanation that his mode of travel was indeed instant, and did not require anyone to move through a different dimension. That the Hiraishin array would mean no more risks that people got lost along the way, or chances that uninvited people made the journey.

The existence of the portal did however bring up the question of why the Ōtsutsuki on the moon had never brought anyone with them, to avoid inbreeding too much. The need to pinch the bridge of his nose when Tsuneo had scoffed and said that that was forbidden was so great that he had to dig one of his nails into the palm of his hand to resist it. Stupid old coots, clinging to tradition to the detriment of their people, not seeing the further implications of doing so.

No, it was pure luck that he had arrived when he did. Their luck, that was.

⁂

Tobirama had walked around and healed a few minor injuries, mostly bruising but also a few cuts. Madara just stood there, looking menacing, giving off an air of controlled destruction should anyone put a toe out of line. It worked surprisingly well to keep everyone compliant and still, only nervously shuffling around on the spot they had been standing at when Tobitsuki and the elders left.

Once there were no further injuries to heal, at least none that anyone wanted him to heal, he walked over to stand beside Madara. For a brief moment he considered taking on his own menacing persona, but then he figured that Madara had that covered very well. No, it would probably be better if Tobirama appeared approachable and kind, to keep the people more at ease, stuck in a state of uncertainty rather than outright fear. After all, fear could turn people unpredictable, but executive dysfunction was a powerful tool if manipulated well. And right now, nobody there dared to do anything for fear that it would turn out to be the wrong move.

When Tobitsuki returned with his two guides, there was a palpable sense of relief from everyone, even Tobirama and Madara themselves.

However, hearing Tobitsuki’s plans, Tobirama had exchanged a look with Madara. This would be a huge change for the people of the moon. And the cultural differences between them and the people already living in Konoha would surely create difficulties. But Tobitsuki was set on his decision, and so far, his decisions had only improved their lives, so they would defer to him in this as well.

Tobitsuki chose six people, seemingly at random, and gave each of them a marked kunai, instructing them that if anything happened that required his immediate attention, they were to channel some chakra into the seal, and he would come right away. It was implied that this ‘anything’ especially related to any resurfacing aggression between the two factions, even if it was only verbal. They all knew how quickly things could escalate once a spark was set off.

Then, after further promises from the people there that they would obey his commands, he at long last took Tobirama and Madara back to the shuttle, and they returned to Earth. Making it there just as the first rays of the sun crested the horizon.

As Tobitsuki was hiding the shuttle again, he muttered about creating a better place to park it, and the smaller one he had now acquired—something along what they had on the moon. A shuttle bay with doors that could close, keeping curious eyes out. And more permanent seals to avoid break-ins.

Tobirama secretly thought Tobitsuki had enough projects to keep himself busy already, but then he remembered exactly how long Tobitsuki could expect to live. Yes, he would probably have time to do all the things he planned. And then some. A part of him felt envy. To have all that time for research and reading, for traveling and learning about new cultures and people… He would have loved to have that chance.

⁂

Hashirama had merely raised an eyebrow when Tobitsuki came and declared that he had yet another clan that wished to join the village. He didn’t ask where his brother’s husband had managed to find that clan between the battle the day before and this moment, just nodded his acceptance. “If you think they will be a good fit, then I trust your judgment.”

And so it was that a month later, after Tobitsuki had spent a few intense weeks refining his new seal, and a week had been spent building the new transport hub—situated in halls carved deep inside the cliff for ease of control—the first of the new clan stepped out of the room and into the village proper. The name he had been given for the new clan was Kuji, and from their appearance they looked to be related to the Hyūga somehow. Especially given that the ones who did not wear blindfolds, openly displayed the Byakugan.

How had they escaped the Hyūga who were notoriously protective of their dōjutsu? And why had Tobitsuki created living spaces for them inside the cliffs and below ground, creating something almost reminiscent of the termite nests the Aburame had shown him? Did the Kuji not like sunlight? Windows? Fresh air?

Hashirama didn’t dare ask, afraid of what the answer might be.

⁂

With the news that the threat had been neutralized, Matatabi’s team had been called back to Konoha. However, the time spent together, even if it had not been nearly as long as Kurama’s time with them, had endeared all the humans to her, and her to them, so she took to spending time with them whenever they would allow.

However, even after the return, the sexual tension between Tōka and Hikaku had only kept escalating, right up to the point where Izuna told then to ‘just fuck it out of your system’. Tōka had screeched at Izuna and thrown a fit, but less than three days later, Matatabi could sense both her and Hikaku together inside Hikaku’s home. Very close together. She assumed they had taken Izuna’s advice. The following weeks, they were hardly seen outside their work hours, but could usually be found by way of sensing in either Tōka's apartment, or Hikaku’s home. Presumably trying their best to ‘fuck it out of their system’.

With Izuna frequently busy doting on the pregnant Kurama, hovering around her until the Kyūbi had enough and threw him out to do something else for a while, and Kurama herself busy creating her den—no matter that everyone else referred to it as a nursery—that meant the two of them were not around all that much. Which in turn often left only Matatabi and Fumiko to hang out together.

The Uchiha woman was much like her son—mostly calm and sensible, but every so often she would get flustered and embarrassed for seemingly no reason. Like when Matatabi had been curious about a tattoo she had glimpsed, and pulled on Fumiko’s shirt to see it better. Or when Matatabi had decided to take a nap, and since Fumiko was sitting beside her against the tree they had stopped underneath, she had just leaned on the other woman. Or when Matatabi had taken it upon herself to groom Fumiko’s hair, because it was full of twigs and grass after a short spar.

Granted, sitting astride her hips, pinning her down might have had something to do with it that time. But it didn’t explain the changing scent of Fumiko. The way she would smell almost aroused at times. Was she going into heat? Matatabi wasn’t sure how she felt about that. The idea that Fumiko might seek out some random male to mate with… She knew that was how Hikaku had come about. That he had only met his own father recently, twenty-two years after his birth. And Fumiko was still fertile, despite not having had any children since Hikaku.

Pacing around in the house she still shared with Shukaku, her tails flickered agitatedly. The Ichibi, lounging in a spot of sun, rolled over and opened one eye, giving her an annoyed expression. “What’s crawled up your ass now?”

She spun around, nearly hissing at him. “Fumiko-chan is going into heat, and I don’t want to share her with anyone!”

Her eyes blew wide, shocked at what had come out of her own mouth. That had not been expected.

Falling down onto the tatami, she stared up at the ceiling, completely still now as she tried to sort through her own feelings. Why did she want to keep Fumiko-chan to herself? The woman was fun to spend time with. Lovely really. And they got along so well. Fumiko didn’t mind that Matatabi didn’t always understand human behavior. She was patient and explained it in such a way that the Nibi could grasp it. And she was soft and nice to cuddle up against.

With a small groan, Matatabi realized that she too might be going into heat soon. Her body was reacting to the thought of snuggling up against Fumiko. Although… Maybe she could convince Fumiko to share her heat with her?

⁂

It had taken them a while to track down the place Zetsu had used as his base of operation, and even longer to track down all his helpers. Even now, there were probably some that had managed to get away, but as long as they did not create any trouble, all Tobitsuki could do was hope that they had gotten the worst ones.

The same went for Isshiki’s little cult. It had been easier to find their compound, and round up all the followers. Removing the brainwashing Isshiki had subjected them to was harder, and it soon became clear that some had joined voluntarily and had not needed much of a nudge. Tobitsuki had left all of them in the Yamanaka’s care, for them to sort out who was safe to release, and who might need to be kept locked up, for the safety of civilians and others.

After they had caught as many of the helpers for those two as they could, and had secured whatever other locations that they could track down that might house dangerous technology, Tobitsuki started to relax more.

His plans were on track, and the other villages had started to pop up. With his help, through diplomacy, they could become self-sufficient when it came to food, and they could increase their standard of living and the quality of their healthcare. All things that would leave them with a debt of gratitude towards Konoha that hopefully would keep them from ever attacking, and would hopefully keep any of the Shinobi World Wars from happening.

Although, he knew that too big a debt could create resentment, so he made sure to stress to the diplomats they sent that they would need to look for opportunities for the other villages to give something back. To balance it out a bit, but not too much. They needed to keep it tipped in their favor, to avoid the other villages starting to feel as if they might be owed something, because they might be inclined to attempt to collect on that, and that would not be a good thing. A delicate balancing act, but he had faith in the diplomats they had sourced from almost every clan that had joined Konoha so far. Even the new Kuji clan.

Though that had been a small nightmare to sort. It was inevitable that the word would leak out about where they came from, but fortunately most who heard about it only scoffed and thought it was a silly lie to cover for something more sinister. Given that the clan was fairly small, the rumors varied from the remnants of a Land of Earth breeding program that had managed to steal a Hyūga some hundred years in the past, to the clan that had arisen from a Hyūga that ran away with their lover to hide out in a secret valley where they had proceeded to raise their family.

The Kuji had settled in well enough when they had been given accommodations inside the cliff, not used to windows or the open sky above them. Most of them stayed indoors there until nightfall, feeling less bothered by the night sky above, since that could almost be thought to be the opposite side of the inside of the moon, the stars similar to the flickering lights from lamps there.

However, it didn’t take long before the children had insisted they wanted to attend the newly opened Academy, and after the third time several of them had snuck out to do just that, the Elders and parents had given in. They still worried, but the more the children spoke of the outdoors, the more curious most of the adults became as well, and after four months almost all of them had ventured outside at least once during the day. It reassured Tobitsuki that they would adapt and that in time they would just be another clan in the village.

However, the thought of children brought something else to mind. His experiment… The child was grown enough that it would survive just fine if he removed it from the chrysalis. In fact, he probably should, given that he did not have the same equipment nor the database needed for hereditary learning. The child would have to grow and learn on its own. Which meant that it should probably start real soon.

⁂

When Tobitsuki had buttered them up with a delicious meal first, before taking them along to his lab, Madara had been a bit suspicious. He had seen enough weird experiments since he married Tobitsuki—well, Tobirama as well, if he was to be fair—and this reeked of a ‘I thought it better to ask forgiveness than permission’-situation. However, nothing could have prepared him for what his husband had revealed to them.

The explanation washed over him, not truly making anything much clearer, but Madara tried his best to pay attention to Tobitsuki’s voice as he patiently explained, “In rare cases, an egg can be fertilized by two sperm. I first emptied an egg of DNA, and substituted my own, then I added a carefully selected sperm from each of you. This child is ours. All three of us.” Tobitsuki sounded far too casual about what he had just informed them of. Like it was no big deal.

Madara stared at the small being that was swaddled in a pale yellow blanket, being rocked gently in Tobitsuki’s arms. “You made us a baby?!”
Beside him, Tobirama made a choked noise. Tobitsuki however just gave them a serene smile. “Yes? I mean, I asked if you wanted kids and you both agreed.”

Waving his arm through the air in an uncoordinated gesture, Madara tried to find words. Fortunately, Tobirama came to his rescue. “You made a baby using our genetic material? All three of us?!”
“That’s what I just said.” Tobitsuki smiled down at the small bundle.

Tobirama turned to Madara, catching his eyes. Madara’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. And then he let out a small wheeze. Embarrassed, he closed his mouth again. Tobirama ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. Then he moved closer to peer down at the tiny face. “So, how do we know who the baby will take after?”

Tobitsuki looked up, appearing mildly confused. “What do you mean? He should take after all of us.”
Tobirama nodded. “Yes, well, that’s the thing… We’re all very different people. Will the kid have the Byakugan or the Sharingan? Will he have Suiton or Katon as his primary affinity? I mean, I can already tell he will have black hair…” He reached out and brushed his finger ever so gently over the lock of dark hair that peeked out from the small hood, curling over the forehead of the baby. “But with the eyes closed…”
He tilted his head up, meeting Tobitsuki’s eyes. “What kind of eyes does he have?”
“He has red eyes, although there does appear to be some unusual thickness to the chakra coils to the eyes, so I do not rule out that he will be able to awaken the Sharingan at some point.”

Madara could not keep the small noise in, and both his husbands turned to look at him. All his addled mind was able to force out, was, “I’m a father…”
Then his eyes burned, but not with his dōjutsu. No, instead he blinked and felt a tear roll down his cheek.

Neither Tobirama nor Tobitsuki mentioned it, just gave him soft smiles. And Madara felt like he was welling over with love for them. All three of them. He may just have met the little boy, but he already loved him with a fierceness that nearly scared him.

They spent the rest of the day inside, learning to care for their baby, and discussing what to name him. They had not agreed on anything by the time they went to bed, but that was okay. They had time.

And if Madara had spent close to an hour just staring at the little boy, with his Sharingan active so he could memorize every little feature in that perfect baby face, nobody but Tobitsuki and Tobirama had been present to see it, and they had no leg to stand on, given how much they too had been hovering around, coddling the boy.

⁂

“You became a father before me? How?! In fact, how?! You’re all three male as far as I know. Unless… Is there something you wish to tell me?” Izuna’s eyes narrowed, taking in Madara who was cradling a baby. His baby. Whom he insisted also was Tobirama and Tobitsuki’s baby, and not by adoption. It… boggled his mind.

The explanation Madara gave did more than that. Izuna just stared blank-eyed at his brother, not understanding nearly half of it, but getting the gist. “So, Tobitsuki took some of your seed, and some of Tobirama’s seed, and then he turned an egg, which he got from gods know where, into an egg that contained his genetic material, and used both of your seed to fertilize it? Uhu, okay… So, does that make Tobitsuki the mother?”

Madara blinked, twice, then he started snickering. It soon devolved into full out giggling. And Izuna just could not cope. His brother had gone soft in the head.

Suddenly he started to dread his own future. Kurama was nearing the end of her pregnancy, and she was waddling around, her temper volatile on the best of days. What would happen once the kits were born? Mentally he winced over the fact that he had adopted Kurama’s word for the kids, but it was better than Matatabi referring to them as kittens or Shukaku calling them pups. At least with kits, he could pretend that the other party must have misheard him if he slipped up in a conversation.

Sitting down beside his brother, he peered closer at the little face that peeked out of the swaddling. And then he nearly cooed. The tiny boy had scrunched up his nose and yawned, and it was the most adorable thing Izuna could ever remember seeing.

He waited a moment, then he asked “Can I hold him?”
To his surprise, Madara didn’t immediately say yes. No, he actually hesitated. Then he winced. “Sorry, I just… I… It’s hard… To let him go, I mean. I just… I’m terrified of doing something wrong. Tobirama and Tobitsuki took to it so easily, like they were born to handle children, but I… I just feel so big and awkward and…”
“It’s okay. Don’t fret. Besides, I’ll soon have three of my own, so I’ll probably be sick and tired of carrying them around long before they start running and climbing on everything like we did.”

Madara turned a little pale. “Oh fuck! We’ll need to child-proof the house!”

Watching his brother low-key panic, Izuna was halfway tempted to use the kunai Tobitsuki had given him for emergencies. He decided to give it a try at defusing the situation on his own first, by telling his aniki, “I’m sure your husbands have that well in hand. By the time they are done, I’m sure even you will have problems accessing anything dangerous.”

The insulted ‘hmf’ that garnered him was so worth it.

⁂

Tobirama had been searching for Madara and their son when he ran into a flustered Hikaku all but fleeing from his own home. The Uchiha was so red in the face that Tobirama was briefly worried that he might be having a heart-attack. He steered the younger man over to the nearest well, and pumped some fresh water into the bucket there, letting Hikaku take a sip. Then he carefully asked what was wrong. Hikaku’s face, which had been starting to turn back into normal, immediately became bright red again and he hid it in his hands.

The words were muffled, but still comprehensible. “My mother is seeing Matatabi!”
Tobirama had realized that the two women were spending an awful lot of time together in the past months, so it was not truly that surprising. So why had Hikaku…?

The Uchiha nearly wailed, “I did not need to see that!”

At last Tobirama connected the dots. Hikaku still lived at home with his mother. Which meant that if Fumiko had brought Matatabi over for some… quality time, then Hikaku might have walked in on them.

Patting the Uchiha’s shoulder, he quietly offered up, “Perhaps it’s time you manned up and proposed to Tōka? That way the two of you could get a house of your own, avoiding further… incidents.”
Hikaku just groaned, his spine curling further forward, as if he tried to protect his softer bits. Ah, yeah, Tōka tended to have that effect on her boyfriends. But Hikaku had already lasted longer than any of his cousin’s previous amorous forays. That boded well for their future.

Tobirama informed him of that, and sent him on his way with a pat on the back. “Don’t worry. There’s plenty of space for more houses in Konoha, so even if you and Tōka don’t want to tie the knot, you can get a place of your own you know. Just say the word, and I’m sure Hashirama would be happy to build you a house.”

Marginally less distressed, Hikaku nodded and bowed, then he mentioned that he had seen Madara enter his family’s house. Thanking him, Tobirama headed in that direction. It was where he had been going anyway, but it was nice of Hikaku to offer up the information unprompted.

⁂

Tajima was staring down at the small blurry bundle that was wiggling in a basket beside the table, gripping his fingers in surprisingly strong hands for their tiny size. His grandson! Something he had not expected. At least not from his eldest. Not with whom Madara had ended up marrying. And yet… Given all the rumors swirling around about the kami, he found that he was not truly surprised. Creating a baby… Combining all three of them into one person… A child that was theirs, all of them… Yes, it made a certain kind of sense. Tobitsuki seemed very adamant about fairness and equality, and he had never given Madara reason to think that he was not valued in the marriage in the same way that Tobirama was. And the last part there was something that had worried Tajima when he first heard about the kami. That his similarity to Senju Tobirama might make him prefer the Senju husband over his Uchiha husband. But that had not happened. In fact, it appeared that the both of them, Tobitsuki and Tobirama, went out of their way to include Madara, even to the point of coming to fetch him when they had planned something. Like now.

Tobirama and Madara stood in a little bubble of silence, courtesy of seals put down by Tobirama, but Sora was narrating for Tajima what she could read off Madara’s lips, and what their body language implied. Apparently, Tobitsuki had something he wanted to discuss with them, and Madara was feeling a little bad for leaving so soon after arriving. It had to be something important, however, because Madara relented.

He promised to bring little Minoru back the next day for a longer visit, then he carefully scooped the basket up, bade them goodbye, and followed Tobirama out of the house.

⁂

The thing that Tobitsuki had wanted to discuss was something he had been putting off for a long time. Too long, if he was honest with himself. But… once he had started, it had just been too easy to keep going, avoiding the subject. However, with the changes to his life little Minoru had brought—among them that it was becoming impossible to continue to ignore the way that the rest of Konoha was by now all but revering Tobitsuki as a kami—he felt that he should bring his two husbands in on the plan with full knowledge of what it entailed. And that meant explaining about the Ōtsutsuki, where they came from… Where Tobitsuki came from. And why he needed their help in preparing the world for their eventual return.

He started with the bit that should probably be the easiest to give a good explanation for, namely where he came from.

"As you’ve already guessed, I was not… born, in the same sense that you are, but I came about in much the same way as little Minoru-tan. Grown in a chrysalis, but matured far more than him before I was ejected. And all this happened at… Well… I'm from... ah..." He waved upwards, indicating the stars.
However, Madara frowned, misunderstanding. "The moon? But they didn't recognize you?"
"No, not the moon. Beyond that. Much much further away."

Tobirama got involved at that point, curiosity shining in his eyes. "The next planet? The red one?"
Shaking his head, Tobitsuki frowned minutely. "Ah, no, even further. Look..." He bent down and picked up three tiny white pebbles from around the maple bonsai that Hashirama had gifted them, placing two of them next to each other on the low table next to where they were standing. "If this one is Earth, and this one is the moon..." He then put his hands on Madara and Tobirama's shoulders, checked that Minoru was securely held in Tobirama’s arms, and grabbed the furthest marker he had, all the way off in Land of Tea. Then he placed the last little pebble on the nearest flat surface. "Then this is the planet I come from."
Madara and Tobirama looked around, both of them honing in on Degarashi Port visible along the gently curving bay. "Oh…"

Taking them right back to their house, Tobitsuki nodded. “Oh indeed. And that was just one of hundreds of planets that the Ōtsutsuki have conquered and drained of chakra, leaving most of them utterly dead, while a few have barely enough chakra to sustain a few settlements. The Ōtsutsuki are parasites. They only take. They do not give back. There is no way to make a deal with them. Not as a whole. The only way I can keep Earth safe, is if the Ōtsutsuki out there fully believe I am dead. That this world is dead, and not worth returning to. But, eventually they will empty all the worlds in the center of the galaxy, and then they will turn their attention outwards again, and that means that they might eventually detect life here.”

He took a deep breath, and fixed his husbands with his pale eyes. “That might take millennia before it happens, but I am convinced that it is inevitable. Which is why I’ve been working on something… And… You don’t have to say yes, and you don’t have to make up your mind today, or even tomorrow or anytime soon, but… I have found a way to prolong your lives. To make it possible for you to live as long as I do. And I intend to offer this to everyone I think could prove valuable for the future defense of Earth. Anyone who can contribute, be it in terms of raw power, or brainpower. I want to build a strong defense, but I know I cannot do it alone. And so, you two are the first to get this offer, but I will extend it to Hashirama, Mito, Izuna, Tōka, Hikaku, and a whole lot of others, most of whom are probably not born yet.”

Licking his lips, he hurried on before either could speak. “At first I thought it was an amusing joke when people started to refer to me as a kami, but now… I think it was an unexpected boon, and so… Will you accept my blessing? Will you let me extend your lives, so that you can meet the future alongside me? So that you can help me defend the Earth?”

Chapter Text

Five years after the defeat of Isshiki and Zetsu, Konoha was flourishing. The tree-shaped towers provided shade during the peak of summer, while at the same time offering light and warmth during winter. Transport pods zoomed back and forth along the monorails, carrying goods and people around the city with impressive speeds. The walls had been pushed outwards two times already, and it looked like they would need to be moved again in another year or so, given the steady influx of new arrivals.

The Uchiha forges and glass-works were renowned, as were the Senju clinics, and the Hyūga silk-works. The Nara produced medicines that were sought after far and wide, and the Yamanaka sent flowers to nearly every major event in the entire country, as well as Uzushio, using the Hiraishin network for speedy delivery.

Konoha’s five-story farms employed people from lots of different clans, making use of their abilities, from the Aburame tasked with supervising pollination and pest control, to the Hatake and Yamanaka taking care of soil quality and plant cycling, making sure each crop had the best growing conditions they could have, to the Nara, dealing with adjusting the light and shadow each crop got, to ensure that they got exactly the right amount for optimum health and nutritional value.

And then, once things had been harvested, the Akimichi took care of any processing and preservation that might be needed, from selecting the best produce to seal into storage scrolls to keep it fresh, to making jams, kimchi, pickles, canned goods, and whatever else they could produce with what Konoha’s farms grew. Nobody within the walls needed to go hungry, and this was rapidly spreading throughout not only Land of Fire, but also the neighboring lands. Konohagakure’s diplomatic relations with the other countries exceeded that of every daimyō court, which in turn meant that their political power was immense.

They had used this to, while not exactly force through changes to laws, then at the very least imply heavily that it was the desired outcome, and now there were far fewer child soldiers everywhere. Far fewer wars between clans as well. And far fewer orphans created. With the decline in deaths, and the rise in living standards, populations had started to increase in just about every country. Even Land of Wind, previously an almost uninhabitable, and certainly inhospitable desert, now had several immense high-rise farms located inside Sunagakure, which fed not only their own population, but that of several nearby towns and settlements as well.

And behind the scenes, Tobitsuki was still working on his plans to bring the entire world up to speed, to ensure that they would be ready to fight back whenever the Ōtsutsuki inevitably turned their sights upon this world again, regardless of how long that might take.

⁂

Tōka glared at her belly. It was too big for her shirt now. How the fuck had Kurama managed to find clothes that fit when she was carrying three babies? One was enough to force Tōka to exchange nearly all of her wardrobe.

With a small huff she grabbed one of Hikaku’s wide-collared shirts. It was still a tight fit, but at least she could manage to pull it all the way down to her hips. And that would have to be enough. She wasn’t planning to leave the house today anyways. And probably not the next day either. With a small huff she stomped out of the bedroom.

When he looked up from where he was making tea, the special ginger blend she was favoring now, Hikaku froze, staring at her. Probably because she had stolen his shirt. She pointed at him. “Not a word! This is all your fault you know! I wouldn’t need to raid your closet if you had not knocked me up.”
He did not look remorseful at all, the ass. No, instead he tried to hide a smirk in his collar. Tōka just glared and flopped down on the tatami. Then she jerked. “Oh! Oh! The baby kicked!”

Scrambling over to her so fast that he nearly stumbled, Hikaku placed his hand on her belly. Tōka quickly moved it to where she could feel one of those tiny feet trying to force its way out of her skin. The awe that flooded Hikaku’s eyes made her own mood soften. She might grumble, but she wouldn’t trade him for the world.

⁂

Kura poured tea for Tajima, then she checked on Butsuma’s cup. It was still nearly full, clearly forgotten in favor of the game of shogi he and Tajima had been at for hours already. Neither looked likely to win any time soon, so she just shook her head.

Leaving her husband with his by now probably cold tea, she returned to the garden, to see if Sora needed a refill. The Uchiha matron was painstakingly trying to teach Koshima-chan to paint with ink. The eight year old girl had a delicate touch, but tended to forget herself and smear the ink everywhere. Currently she had three lines in her own face, and her fingers were a mess of smudges. Still, she did better than her brother. Kodama-kun, at nine, should be proficient with a brush, but… He got so easily distracted. Lacked the focus required for the finer arts. Just like his father. What he had painted so far looked more like it was meant to be a seal than a tree. Perhaps it was? She peered closer, to make sure he would not accidentally blow the garden up.

Before she could be sure, a scream rent the silence. Everyone froze. Then the reedy sound of a baby wailing could be heard from inside the house. Not long after, the sobs of Hashirama echoed through the rooms, and Kura could barely make out his voice saying, “She’s beautiful!”

Well, it looked like it was time for her to go and greet her newest grandchild.

⁂

Tobirama had not been surprised when Madara won the election. Had quite frankly suspected that both Tobitsuki and Hashirama had been meddling with the votes. Hashirama because he didn’t want another term, and Tobitsuki because he had some plot that, if Tobirama’s guess was right, was aimed at making the Uchiha clan feel more like they too had power in the village. By putting Madara as the Nidaime, Tobitsuki had ensured that any grumbling some of the Uchiha had done over the years had been firmly put to rest. He himself was just glad that he had not been saddled with the responsibility.

Smirking slightly at the memory of Madara’s disgruntled expression the moment he remembered just how much paperwork the title of Hokage really involved, Tobirama had just left his office, to find something to have for lunch with his husbands. He was scanning the offerings of a food-cart when a messenger caught up to him. “Tobirama-sama, there is a woman at the gates that wishes to see you. Or rather, she has a small child that asked for you by name.”

Curious, Tobirama flared his chakra to alert his husbands, just in case it was some kind of trap, then he made his way towards the gates. Before he got there, both Tobitsuki and Madara joined him.

As they got nearer, Tobirama nearly faltered. Beside him, Tobitsuki’s chakra flared with shock, while Madara’s had stilled in a curious manner. And then the child standing next to the guard-post looked up, unerringly finding them in the crowd. His white hair and red eyes hinted at a relation to Tobirama, but it was his chakra that gave away the truth.

Tobitsuki swore. “That meddling creature…! Did he truly have so little faith in my abilities?! Did he really think he needed a backup plan?! That’s just…!” His grumbling petered out into a growl.
Slowly Tobirama turned to look at him, then he glanced back at the child, who was by now walking straight for them, with a dark-haired woman trailing after him, looking uncertain.

Madara, probably feeling left out and more than a little confused, glanced between the child and Tobirama. “Is that… your kid?”

It was Tobitsuki who answered though. “No, that’s not… It’s… Ah…”
Before he could complete the sentence, the kid had reached them and looked between Tobirama and Tobitsuki, then he rolled his eyes and looked towards the sky. “Another one?! How many of us are there?!”

Behind them, the woman, presumably the child’s mother, asked “Tobirama-kun, who are these people?”
Both the child and Tobirama turned to the woman, and that was when it finally clicked. Narrowing his eyes, Tobirama turned to Tobitsuki. “You knew?”
Tobitsuki swung his hand out in an arc towards the kid. “Not about him!”

Fed up with being kept out of the loop, Madara growled “Knew what?! Can someone please fill me in?!”
The kid made a tch noise that was so very much Tobirama that even he himself blanched. Then the child informed Madara in a tone of voice that was supercilious and made the child sound far older than his appearance implied. “We’re all Tobirama, obviously. Though, I guess he’s the original one?” He pointed towards Senju Tobirama, but his mother quickly slapped his hand, admonishing him about how rude it was to point at people, earning her a contrite glare.

And Tobitsuki sighed audibly. “When did the thing snatch you from?”
The kid clearly understood what he was asking, because he turned back from pouting at his mother, and again sounded far older than the roughly five years old his body looked. “The end of the war. After we won. When he…” Here he all but sneered at Madara, but before he could continue, Tobitsuki was by his side and slapped his hand over the boy’s mouth, his face twisted into a disquiet grimace. “This is not the same Madara. I’ll ask you kindly to refrain from disparaging my husband.”

Those red eyes in the young face went wide, before the boy twisted away with a grimace. “Oh gods, you married him?!”
Tobirama tilted his head, understanding that there was probably a lot that Tobitsuki had yet to tell them, but he also understood that this was not the place to discuss those things.

“Perhaps we should all retreat to our home and clear up the confusion there?”

Tobitsuki was quick to nod his agreement. Madara was slightly less so, but he grumbled and nodded after a long moment. The child stared at the three of them, narrowed his eyes, then he sighed. “Fine. But you better explain…”
Tobirama nodded, giving Tobitsuki a side-eye, demanding his compliance in this. “Yes, yes, I will. We will. Just… What about… your mother?”

Even before the boy had turned around to look at her, she held her hands up in a disarming gesture. “I will visit the market while you talk with Tobi-kun. He can be… determined, and I would not wish to interfere.” She was smiling, but her chakra—slightly higher than that of a civilian, but hardly jōnin, or even chūnin material by the feel of it—was roiling with worry.

“Follow us so that you will know where he is. Then we can arrange dinner for you both later.” Tobitsuki glanced at his husbands, and Tobirama could only nod. It was probably the best they could do to calm her at this moment, given that they clearly needed to have a talk with this version of himself, to sort out what had happened, and to understand if they needed to search for more versions of him.

As they walked, he snuck glances at both this tiny version of him, and Tobitsuki, whom he now understood to be a different version of him. One who had casually asked the tiny one ‘when’ he had been snatched from instead of ‘where’, which implied that they might have originated on different timelines—something Tobirama had thought was purely a theory with no basis in reality—rather than in different universes. Or… It could be that he had come from the future somehow. The casual mention of an unspecified war was also rather worrying. Was it with the Ōtsutsuki? Was this what Tobitsuki had tried to prevent? Was still working hard to prevent?

But all those thoughts were pushed aside by the realization that he had in essence married himself.

Through all his various theories as to why Tobitsuki was so similar to himself, that had never even occurred to him. And why should it? Tobitsuki was so clearly not human, with his horns, the bony eyebrow ridges, and his nails like black claws. The eyes were not the same either. No, it was only now that he had seen the small boy that the possibility even seemed plausible.

And of course, the moment he had acknowledged that, the evidence seemed obvious. He nearly allowed himself to groan.

⁂

Settled around the large table, safely within their home, and behind a lot of seals to ensure security and prevent any information to leak out, Tobitsuki, assisted by tiny Tobirama, told their story, flipping back and forth between who told what. But their stories were eerily similar, up to the point of their rebirths. It was also clear that they disagreed on what to tell, with the tiny one far less inclined to be gentle with Madara, and Tobitsuki working hard to mitigate the blows.

At some point it had devolved into something close to bickering. Tobitsuki nearly growling at the boy, “He was manipulated by Zetsu, after Izuna’s death! And possibly before then as well!”
Tiny Tobirama, in his high-pitched voice replied, equally annoyed, “Yes, well, I would still have killed him. It was me or him, and I won!”
Madara had winced, understanding what that meant. Then Tobitsuki exhaled through his nose in a clear scoff. “Did we? Or was that Zetsu’s doing?”

The small boy narrowed his eyes. “Are you implying…?”
“I’m just saying, we’ll never know. But it is likely, given what we now know about Uchiha love. Zetsu wanted to get Madara into his clutches, and Izuna was a clear weak spot. Just like Hashirama was ours.”
The boy crossed his arms and let out another ‘tch’, clearly unable to refute that, but equally clearly not happy about it.

Before they could return to the bickering, Madara interjected, “So… you two come from the future…” Tobitsuki and tiny Tobirama nodded. “...and he is the original one?” Madara waved a hand in the direction of his husband Tobirama.
Tobitsuki held a hand out, wobbling it from side to side in a so-so motion. “He belongs in this timeline, yes, but as for original… I’d say we are all original, just from separate timelines. Or, it is possible that mini-us…”
“Hey!”
“…and I are copies of the same one. Although… I mean, we are probably… technically all… ah… separate people by now. Different lives and experiences and all that. From the moment I arrived here and interfered, our paths diverged, never to merge again.”

He held his hand out in a gesture towards the adult Tobirama. “He will never become me, because he will not live through the life I did. Will never have the exact same experiences I did. For one thing, I was the Nidaime. And I died at the hands of two extremely powerful shinobi from another village. Those won’t be an issue now.”
“They won’t?” Tiny Tobirama’s eyes had gone wide, making him look his age for once. Or, if Madara understood it right, that body’s age. While in reality, the small boy had forty or so years of life before his death and rebirth, making him technically older than Madara.
Tobitsuki’s expression turned briefly vicious. “No, they won’t. They are both dead.”

Exhaling audibly, the smaller Tobirama’s shoulders sagged with relief. “That’s good to hear. Really good.”

⁂

Understanding how he would feel about that, Tobitsuki pushed a platter of wagashi over towards the boy. “There are a lot of things that are different about this timeline. Things you should know about.”
Almost daintily picking up one of the sweets, the smaller him waved it in the direction of the only Uchiha present. “Like you marrying him.” There was a distinct scoff in his tone as he flicked a glare at Madara.

Tobitsuki sighed, wondering if he himself had really been that annoying, or if this was somehow proof that the three of them originated in parallel universes. It was not conclusive, but he started a mental list, just because he could. Then he deigned to reply. “Yes, like me marrying Madara. And Tobirama.”
“What?!” Those red eyes blew wide again, and flickered between all three of them. The adult Tobirama, having remained silent for the most part so far, just raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. The younger one wilted a bit at the sight of that, before a stubborn pout formed on his face. “Fine. So there are things I need to know about. Then tell me!”

Given that he had never told his husbands the full story, they too gave him expectant stares. And Tobitsuki caved. “Fine. Get us some more tea, because this will take a while.” Then he smirked. “The first thing you should be aware of, I guess, is that Madara is the Nidaime now.”
“What!?”

⁂

Learning about all the things that had happened in the other timeline, from Izuna’s death, to his own subsequent madness and desertion of Konoha and his dream, to how he had used Kurama to attack Konoha, how he had been killed by Hashirama, and used his clan’s kinjutsu to resurrect himself… The years Tobitsuki had no idea where Madara had been or what he had done, and the Fourth Shinobi World War—the fourth!—and all the atrocities he had committed there… It felt unreal. Like it had to be a lie. And yet… Both Tobitsuki and the young Tobirama agreed on events.

Fortunately, probably for the young Tobirama’s sake, Tobitsuki then started listing the ways had stopped most of those things from happening in this one—from preventing the death of Izuna, to the way he had worked to ensure that the Uchiha clan felt like a valued addition in the village, all in service of creating a better future than the one he had seen.

And wasn’t that a shock and a half, to learn that Tobitsuki-as-Tobirama had invented a jutsu to partially resurrect the dead, and that he had been subjected to it himself against his will.

But no more than learning that so had Madara. That he had been planning to use the Rinnegan—the eyes Tobitsuki had taken from Isshiki’s corpse and had sealed away somewhere secret. Eyes that Madara had somehow gained in the other timeline—to fully resurrect himself. In order to complete his plan to put the entire world under a genjutsu. Damn, he must have been insane there. To even think that such a thing might work? With everyone trapped like that, who would feed them? Who would give birth to new children? Who would protect them from wildlife and the ravages of nature? No, if that plan had succeeded, it would have meant the end of humanity.

No wonder that the tiny version of Tobirama despised him. No, it was far more of a wonder that Tobitsuki had taken a chance on him, that he had agreed to marry Madara. Even knowing what he did about the future that would never come to pass now.

That Tobitsuki had not simply decided Madara was too much of a risk... That he had not secretly assassinated him before forcing through peace…

Unable to find the words to express how grateful he was for the chance he had been given, Madara twisted himself around and wrapped his arms around Tobitsuki, halfway pulling him out of his kneeling position on the zabuton. Breathing in that familiar scent, he pressed a kiss against his husband’s temple, then he whispered against his hair “Thank you! Thank you for all you have done for me! You are amazing, and I love you so much!”

When he finally pulled back, the tiny version of Tobirama was, once again, wide eyed, and this time shocked mute in addition. It was Tobirama, the adult one, who nudged things into motion again. “We should probably buy some ready-made food for dinner, because I don’t think any of us are up for cooking anything right now, and I believe Kagami-kun just split from his team and is heading this way with Minoru-kun and Tsurugi-chan.”

He created a clone, not bothering to ask anyone else to handle the task he had just outlined, and Madara was grateful for that. The younger version of Tobirama did not react to the jutsu. He did however frown and ask, “Who are Minoru-kun and Tsurugi-chan?”

Madara took this as confirmation that Tobirama had not had any children in the previous timeline, and that neither had he. It had not been mentioned, but surely the younger one would have known the names if that had been the case.

Before he could tell, Tobitsuki beat him to it. “They are our children. Created from all of us.”
“Huh?” It was adorable the way tiny Tobirama wrinkled his nose in confusion, and it reminded Madara of the way Tsurugi would wrinkle hers when something was too complex for her to understand it yet.
“Let’s just say that being born as an Ōtsutsuki…” Tobitsuki poked at one of his horns. “...gave me access to some new technology.”

Those red eyes lit up in understanding, and the child turned to glance at the windows. “You! It’s your hand that has changed Konoha so much from how I remember it!”
Tobitsuki grinned and gave a quick nod. “Yes. And I plan to improve it even more.”
“How?!” The small Tobirama sat up on his knees and leaned over the table, appearing all but ready to dive into the research right away.

It made Madara realize something—the younger version of Tobirama would probably want to move to Konoha with his mother. And any other family he might have. They would need to find a way to facilitate that without giving rise to rumors.

Beside him, both the Tobirama’s and Tobitsuki all got lost in a discussion of research and the possibilities that lay ahead of them for improving on the most mundane of things in the village, from technology to create light that needed less electricity to run, to automatons to help out with tasks that were dangerous or backbreaking, like the heavy lifting in the hospital or mining or… The possibilities sounded endless.

Leaving them to it, Madara went to collect plates and cups, sensing that Tobirama’s clone was heading back from the market, and that Kagami was almost right outside the door with the kids.

He was just returning from the kitchen when there was a lot of noise from the genkan. The kids had arrived. He heard Tsurugi’s squeal, Kagami’s soft reminder of indoor-voice, and Minoru’s small scoff. It made him smile despite himself, imagining the expression his son would have as he made that noise. Setting the plates and cups on the table, he seated himself, prepared for what was an almost daily ritual.

As the trio came into the room, the young Tobirama’s eyes went wide, taking in the sight.

Minoru, at five, had grown tall for his age, with red eyes and bushy black hair cut in the same style as Tobirama. There were two small nubs high on his forehead, barely poking through the bangs. He hesitated the moment he spotted the young Tobirama.

Tsurugi on the other hand, she completely ignored the weird mood, which was probably not so strange, given that she was only three. With her mop of white hair and her nearly white Byakugan, they tended to refer to her as their little snow princess. And as she ran across the room to nearly throw herself at Madara, she was already babbling away, telling him what Kagami had shown them as he and his team watched over them for the day.

Being a fresh genin, the younger Uchiha took babysitting duties as often as he could, to make a dent in the D-rank requirement for his promotion to chūnin. That suited the three parents just fine, as the kids adored Kagami and his teammates Koharu and Torifu, and the team adored the kids in return.

Moving little Tsurugi so she sat comfortably in his lap, Madara waved Minoru towards them as well. The boy glided over and inserted himself between Madara and Tobitsuki, leaning against the latter’s side, turning his head to muffle his voice against the cloth of the yukata-shirt the Ōtsutsuki was wearing. “Who is that?”
It was still audible to the Uchiha just fine, but he still mentally commended his son for the effort.

Tobitsuki ruffled his hair affectionately. “That is someone who is considering moving to Konoha.”
At that, the white-haired boy’s eyes snapped towards him. “I’ve already made up my mind.”
The adult Tobirama was helping his newly returned clone place all the food containers out onto the table so people could help themselves, but at that he tilted his head, a small frown on his forehead. “Isn’t that up to your mother?”

The boy shook his head. “Not really. We ran away when it became clear that the town elders wanted to train me as a shinobi so that they could use me as a weapon. They were prepared to threaten her to pressure me. Settling here is the safest place for us. And she already agreed.”

Helping Minoru fill his plate, Tobitsuki gave little Tobirama a serious look. “You do realize that you will have to do what I did, and alter your name? You are already far too similar to Senju Tobirama, and there are bound to be rumors, especially given your age and your coloring.”

Another little tch sounded, and a pout appeared briefly, then he sighed and hung his head. “Yes, fine, I understand.”
Tobitsuki nodded. Then he got a mischievous smile. “So, what will it be? Something entirely new? Or will you get back at Obito for using the diminutive of our name as his cover name? Something like Tobito?”

The scrunched up expression said no just as well as words would have, but then his face smoothed out again, eyes widening slightly. “Not Tobito, but Tabito.”

Madara went over the possible meanings of that name in his head, then he groaned. Clearly this version of Tobirama had just as twisted a humor as the other ones. ‘Many people’ and ‘individual’. Telling the world that he was just one of several.

Tsurugi had looked up when Madara made a noise, appearing confused, but she was quickly distracted by Tobirama placing food on her plate and urging her to try to use the small chopsticks.

Knocking on the door had the newly renamed Tabito jump up from his place. “That’s my mother. Can I…?”
“Go let her in.” Tobitsuki waved him on with a smile.

The rest of the meal passed with conversation circling around neutral topics. Tobitsuki confirmed with Wakiko-san that she really intended to move to Konoha with her son, and then they promised to help them find a good house and a job for Wakiko. They also promised her that Tabito would be welcome to attend the Academy, at which point Tabito had thrown them a small glare. Madara could not help but smirk. Given that Tabito had, somewhere in another timeline, helped build the Academy and its curriculum, it would probably bore him to tears to have to go through that again. But he could not escape it if he wanted to be a shinobi of Konoha. After all, he had to be a good example.

And at that point, Minoru had finally thawed. “Oh, you’ll be in my class then!”
Tabito’s expression had flickered through several expressions in short order, but it settled on a careful smile and a small nod. “I guess I will.”
Madara hoped that meant that Tabito was not holding one third of Minoru’s parentage against him. That he would look out for Minoru, and support him. If for nothing else, than the fact that in a biological sense, Minoru was almost his son.

When the two new citizens of the village left for the evening, to find an inn that Tobirama had recommended for them—and attempted to secretly give them money to pay for—Tobitsuki assured Tabito that he was welcome in their home at any time.

Then the three husbands bundled their two kids off to get ready for bed.

While Madara helped Tsurugi brush her hair, and cleaned her face and hands, Tobirama supervised Minoru’s efforts to get himself ready. And Tobitsuki grabbed a marker, heading off to check on their third child, like he had done every evening for months already.

Madara had seen the pod that Tobitsuki referred to as a chrysalis only once, while Tsurugi was in it, and he honestly found the small lump of cells floating inside it a bit disturbing, so he had opted out of further checks, deciding to greet the child once it was born instead. Which would not be for another four months or so. He quietly hoped that this child would have his dark eyes, but he would love them no matter what. Like he loved Minoru and Tsurugi. He would fight the world for them.

Would do the same for Tobirama and Tobitsuki as well, though he suspected that they would be miffed if he didn’t let them fight their own battles.

Still, if needed, he would ignore their pout and defend them regardless of their sensibilities. At this point, he didn’t think he could survive if anything happened to them. And, given the notes he had seen scattered on Tobitsuki’s desk in his lab, he suspected the feeling was reciprocated. Why else would the Ōtsutsuki husband spend days working on a solution to alter his human husbands’ genetic material to make them more sturdy? After he had already extended their lives? No, the only reason Madara could think of was that Tobitsuki did not relish the thought of eternity alone and he wanted to assure himself that they could survive nearly anything that the future might throw at them.

And if he succeeded, it would only serve to strengthen the belief that was running rampant through not only Konoha now, but the entirety of Land of Fire and beyond, that Tobitsuki was a kami that had come to bring prosperity to the village, and had blessed them with his presence and knowledge. Not that it needed any strengthening. Not after it became known that he was blessing select people with extended lifespans.

Hells, even after learning the truth, there was a part of Madara that still believed that with his rebirth, Tobitsuki had ascended. He knew better than to say that to the man. Knew better than to say that to Tobirama as well. But he liked that thought. That he and Tobirama were the chosen ones for Tobitsuki the kami. And that they would continue to watch over the village in the decades to come. Perhaps even in the centuries to come, if everything went according to Tobitsuki’s plans.

Together. Always.