Tobirama/Kakashi - 3
Notes: Not much Kakashi this time, just plot. And I hate that I can't shorten Tobirama's name to Tobi. It might generate a confusion of cataclysmic proportions, greater even than the advent of the Tobito theory.
Tobirama leaned back on the couch and curled his bare toes on the fluffy red carpet of his brother's office in utter relaxation. Eyes closed, he imagined himself reclining on the leather chaise longue the chief psychologist kept in the Hospital (one of the sole perks in the endless routine mental health evaluations ninja had to endure, although Tobirama quite enjoyed turning the dissection back at the doctor).
"Hey, brother," he called out to the white-clad brunet who was hunching over his desk, hands supporting head as he focused on reading some report or other. "How long until we have to go to the Yamanaka doc again?"
The two Senju were on the same rotation and, responsible as he was, Hashirama would surely know. His answer, "five weeks", was both as precise as expected and incapable of smoothing the crease that had taken residence on his forehead, reaching all the way up to the red headband.
"I think next time I'll tell the guy about that research I've been doing," Tobirama continued. "His reaction should be amusing."
Hashirama looked up, frowning even more from surprise. "What research?"
"You know, that thing I've been working on with the head of the medical staff at the morgue that had your councillors freaking out a while back?" Tobirama replied, not-so-secretly pleased that his pet projects had caused grief to the stuffy men.
The Hokage's face lit up in understanding, but did not mirror his brother's emotion at all.
"Oh, you mean those experiments on a resurrection technique that had them trying to convince me to cast you out of the clan?" he asked. "They were so worried about the dark stain you'd spread on my character with your immoral actions that it was a relief for everyone when the subject finally died down. Don't tell me you're still working on that?"
"Of course! We've even made significant breakthroughs recently," Tobirama admitted without regret, savouring the exasperation he was putting Hashirama through. The paperwork on his desk had been forgotten for the time being too. "And as collateral damage, my partner has come up with at least eight new different ways to treat internal injuries that he never would have thought of otherwise."
The last bit of information seemed to ease some of the brunet's concerns, because his expression finally smoothed down from dread to interest.
"See?" Tobirama said, catching on to that look. "We're doing good work down there. You should tell that to those conservative half-wits. We'd still be at war with the Uchiha, if it were up to them..."
Hashirama almost stood up in his rush to hold up his brother's line of thought. "You will not breathe a word of this to anyone! I will not deal with the mess that that is sure to bring up a second time." Then, on a second breath, "Besides, you shouldn't judge them so harshly. We're all still adjusting to what it means to have long-term peace."
The younger of the two murmured a "whatever" to convey his assent and let himself sink an inch further into the couch. For a minute or so, the position seemed to reach even deeper muscles that needed to unwind, but then it got uncomfortable and he stood up.
"Do you respectful people have any tea here at the pinnacle of society?"
"Tea, biscuits, snacks... we have it all," Hashirama smiled and at last gave up on his attempts to read the document before him, clearing some room on the desk. "You'll find I brought half of our kitchen into that cabinet over there. Bring some stuff over. I'll take a break too."
With two masters of water-based techniques in the room, boiling the tea was a non-issue and soon both were sitting down on opposite sides of the desk and enjoying the warm beverage. Studying his younger brother's demeanour as he threw his attention into deciding whether or not to take a biscuit from the plate, a question came to Hashirama.
"How do you do it?"
A head of white hair snapped up and confused red-brown eyes quizzed him: "Do what?"
"I never see you actually doing anything, but somehow you manage to do a lot more than me for this village and your personal life. Maybe you would have been a better Hokage. I'm such a failure..."
"I'm sure every single council member in the country would take great joy in ridding you of that notion," Tobirama joked, but the Hokage was not convinced.
"I can barely find enough free time to be with my wife and children, yet Tsunade and Nawaki never fail to bring up at least three separate adventures they've had with their Uncle Tobi since last we talked. And take today: you've been around my office, in and out since morning but..."
Tobirama was quick to bring the verbal avalanche to a stop, brows furrowed in the face of so much nonsense.
"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I have time. I'm a good-for-nothing lazy bastard! It's like mother used up all the good genes on you. No one would make a finer Hokage than you, brother, no matter what your deficient brain tries to say. No one has done more for this place than you."
"That's not true," Hashirama said.
He looked out the windows of the Tower to contemplate the village spreading at its feet. It felt unreal to think that under each roof there lived at least one person who now depended on him.
"I've been so busy with diplomatic meetings and with the world outside those walls that I've hardly stopped to think about what happens inside them. The Anbu, the Military Police, the Ninja Academy, the Hospital... Those are the things that are going to sustain Konoha in the long run and those are all things that you've done, brother. Not me."
"Oh, please." Tobirama rolled his eyes and set down his tea cup. "If I'd known you were going to be in one of these moods, I would have gone home. No way you'd find me there to trouble me with your backwards sibling adoration complex."
When Hashirama slumped further on his seat without response, the white-haired Senju threw his hands in the air and got serious.
"Look, remember when father died and you took over the leadership of the clan? Do you remember when you came up to me with that crazy idea to talk with the Uchiha, looking for my approval because everyone else was calling you insane? Well, take a look at where we're standing now! It's been more than ten years and your stupid idea is working. People aren't dying all over the place any more and other clans out there are actually following the example you set and laying down the foundations for their own ninja villages. Little kids from all over the country, not just our clan, are probably playing around and trying to get each other with sticks, shouting that they're the great Hashirama Senju! You're a freaking hero and, sure, maybe you get a little too caught up in your duties to play with Nawaki sometimes, but that's because you're a better man than I'll ever be. Get it?"
"It's not like that. I..."
"Do you freaking get it, Hashirama," the younger ninja accentuated, "or do I have to drag you outside and physically pound some sense into you?"
The long-haired brunet huffed and met his piercing look with one of his own. "Who's the older one here, Tobi?"
"Screw that. I know you think you have to do everything yourself, but you don't. Running a village is a lot more work than running just one clan. That's why you have a council and advisors and me - whatever that's worth."
"I suppose..." Hashirama conceded. "I've just been so worried about what's going on with some of the other rising nations that I suddenly felt like all this effort might have been for nothing."
"What is going on?" Tobirama asked a lot more quietly.
"Takigakure still hasn't settled down. The team I sent there reported massive unrest." He pointed at the papers he had been going through before then. "I worry what their answer might be to the peace missive I sent them."
Tobirama took a moment to consider what he knew of his brother's personality. Weeks ago, he had been surprised to find out about Tsunade's permanent friend, but what he was being told now was significant enough to cast a different light on those events.
"Is that why you suddenly decided to make good on the deal with the Hatake and bring that kid into the house?"
"Yes," the Hokage revealed and Tobirama thought he might have sounded a bit relieved to be sharing that fact with someone else. "The son of the White Fang was the price the Hatake paid to get admittance into the village and become a part of Konoha. It was a shameful arrangement, I should never have allowed it then, but what's done is done and I need someone with both the skill and commitment to keep Tsunade safe now."
"You really think Taki would dare to go that far?" the jounin asked incredulously. His brother was acclaimed world-wide as the strongest ninja in the world and going up against him now that he had not one, but several powerful clans on his side was outright daring.
The nod that answered him was solemn.
"Kakashi will do his job well," Tobirama said, seeking to ease his brother's worries. "I had a little chat with him yesterday and I can tell you that you got yourself an obedient little servant. Mindless too: he's already put his whole past life behind him and settled down for the show, it seems. The council will love him."
Hashirama almost laughed at the last comment. It was so typical of his little brother.
"I'll keep an eye on them when I can too, for you," the white-haired man promised and the Hokage's smile opened at last.
That was typical Tobirama too.
Continue...
Tobirama leaned back on the couch and curled his bare toes on the fluffy red carpet of his brother's office in utter relaxation. Eyes closed, he imagined himself reclining on the leather chaise longue the chief psychologist kept in the Hospital (one of the sole perks in the endless routine mental health evaluations ninja had to endure, although Tobirama quite enjoyed turning the dissection back at the doctor).
"Hey, brother," he called out to the white-clad brunet who was hunching over his desk, hands supporting head as he focused on reading some report or other. "How long until we have to go to the Yamanaka doc again?"
The two Senju were on the same rotation and, responsible as he was, Hashirama would surely know. His answer, "five weeks", was both as precise as expected and incapable of smoothing the crease that had taken residence on his forehead, reaching all the way up to the red headband.
"I think next time I'll tell the guy about that research I've been doing," Tobirama continued. "His reaction should be amusing."
Hashirama looked up, frowning even more from surprise. "What research?"
"You know, that thing I've been working on with the head of the medical staff at the morgue that had your councillors freaking out a while back?" Tobirama replied, not-so-secretly pleased that his pet projects had caused grief to the stuffy men.
The Hokage's face lit up in understanding, but did not mirror his brother's emotion at all.
"Oh, you mean those experiments on a resurrection technique that had them trying to convince me to cast you out of the clan?" he asked. "They were so worried about the dark stain you'd spread on my character with your immoral actions that it was a relief for everyone when the subject finally died down. Don't tell me you're still working on that?"
"Of course! We've even made significant breakthroughs recently," Tobirama admitted without regret, savouring the exasperation he was putting Hashirama through. The paperwork on his desk had been forgotten for the time being too. "And as collateral damage, my partner has come up with at least eight new different ways to treat internal injuries that he never would have thought of otherwise."
The last bit of information seemed to ease some of the brunet's concerns, because his expression finally smoothed down from dread to interest.
"See?" Tobirama said, catching on to that look. "We're doing good work down there. You should tell that to those conservative half-wits. We'd still be at war with the Uchiha, if it were up to them..."
Hashirama almost stood up in his rush to hold up his brother's line of thought. "You will not breathe a word of this to anyone! I will not deal with the mess that that is sure to bring up a second time." Then, on a second breath, "Besides, you shouldn't judge them so harshly. We're all still adjusting to what it means to have long-term peace."
The younger of the two murmured a "whatever" to convey his assent and let himself sink an inch further into the couch. For a minute or so, the position seemed to reach even deeper muscles that needed to unwind, but then it got uncomfortable and he stood up.
"Do you respectful people have any tea here at the pinnacle of society?"
"Tea, biscuits, snacks... we have it all," Hashirama smiled and at last gave up on his attempts to read the document before him, clearing some room on the desk. "You'll find I brought half of our kitchen into that cabinet over there. Bring some stuff over. I'll take a break too."
With two masters of water-based techniques in the room, boiling the tea was a non-issue and soon both were sitting down on opposite sides of the desk and enjoying the warm beverage. Studying his younger brother's demeanour as he threw his attention into deciding whether or not to take a biscuit from the plate, a question came to Hashirama.
"How do you do it?"
A head of white hair snapped up and confused red-brown eyes quizzed him: "Do what?"
"I never see you actually doing anything, but somehow you manage to do a lot more than me for this village and your personal life. Maybe you would have been a better Hokage. I'm such a failure..."
"I'm sure every single council member in the country would take great joy in ridding you of that notion," Tobirama joked, but the Hokage was not convinced.
"I can barely find enough free time to be with my wife and children, yet Tsunade and Nawaki never fail to bring up at least three separate adventures they've had with their Uncle Tobi since last we talked. And take today: you've been around my office, in and out since morning but..."
Tobirama was quick to bring the verbal avalanche to a stop, brows furrowed in the face of so much nonsense.
"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I have time. I'm a good-for-nothing lazy bastard! It's like mother used up all the good genes on you. No one would make a finer Hokage than you, brother, no matter what your deficient brain tries to say. No one has done more for this place than you."
"That's not true," Hashirama said.
He looked out the windows of the Tower to contemplate the village spreading at its feet. It felt unreal to think that under each roof there lived at least one person who now depended on him.
"I've been so busy with diplomatic meetings and with the world outside those walls that I've hardly stopped to think about what happens inside them. The Anbu, the Military Police, the Ninja Academy, the Hospital... Those are the things that are going to sustain Konoha in the long run and those are all things that you've done, brother. Not me."
"Oh, please." Tobirama rolled his eyes and set down his tea cup. "If I'd known you were going to be in one of these moods, I would have gone home. No way you'd find me there to trouble me with your backwards sibling adoration complex."
When Hashirama slumped further on his seat without response, the white-haired Senju threw his hands in the air and got serious.
"Look, remember when father died and you took over the leadership of the clan? Do you remember when you came up to me with that crazy idea to talk with the Uchiha, looking for my approval because everyone else was calling you insane? Well, take a look at where we're standing now! It's been more than ten years and your stupid idea is working. People aren't dying all over the place any more and other clans out there are actually following the example you set and laying down the foundations for their own ninja villages. Little kids from all over the country, not just our clan, are probably playing around and trying to get each other with sticks, shouting that they're the great Hashirama Senju! You're a freaking hero and, sure, maybe you get a little too caught up in your duties to play with Nawaki sometimes, but that's because you're a better man than I'll ever be. Get it?"
"It's not like that. I..."
"Do you freaking get it, Hashirama," the younger ninja accentuated, "or do I have to drag you outside and physically pound some sense into you?"
The long-haired brunet huffed and met his piercing look with one of his own. "Who's the older one here, Tobi?"
"Screw that. I know you think you have to do everything yourself, but you don't. Running a village is a lot more work than running just one clan. That's why you have a council and advisors and me - whatever that's worth."
"I suppose..." Hashirama conceded. "I've just been so worried about what's going on with some of the other rising nations that I suddenly felt like all this effort might have been for nothing."
"What is going on?" Tobirama asked a lot more quietly.
"Takigakure still hasn't settled down. The team I sent there reported massive unrest." He pointed at the papers he had been going through before then. "I worry what their answer might be to the peace missive I sent them."
Tobirama took a moment to consider what he knew of his brother's personality. Weeks ago, he had been surprised to find out about Tsunade's permanent friend, but what he was being told now was significant enough to cast a different light on those events.
"Is that why you suddenly decided to make good on the deal with the Hatake and bring that kid into the house?"
"Yes," the Hokage revealed and Tobirama thought he might have sounded a bit relieved to be sharing that fact with someone else. "The son of the White Fang was the price the Hatake paid to get admittance into the village and become a part of Konoha. It was a shameful arrangement, I should never have allowed it then, but what's done is done and I need someone with both the skill and commitment to keep Tsunade safe now."
"You really think Taki would dare to go that far?" the jounin asked incredulously. His brother was acclaimed world-wide as the strongest ninja in the world and going up against him now that he had not one, but several powerful clans on his side was outright daring.
The nod that answered him was solemn.
"Kakashi will do his job well," Tobirama said, seeking to ease his brother's worries. "I had a little chat with him yesterday and I can tell you that you got yourself an obedient little servant. Mindless too: he's already put his whole past life behind him and settled down for the show, it seems. The council will love him."
Hashirama almost laughed at the last comment. It was so typical of his little brother.
"I'll keep an eye on them when I can too, for you," the white-haired man promised and the Hokage's smile opened at last.
That was typical Tobirama too.
Continue...