***
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!
Sylvester Stallone
***
The Hyuga, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Kura were not, in fact, amused by Tsume.
And Madara nailing her with a teacup didn't help. As amusing as it was.
Even Hashirama's sickly sweet sucking up didn't manage to get them back on solid footing.
The meeting had developed into furious accusations for an hour before Akimichi Chou finally called it. "This day has been wasted. Perhaps it would be best to begin again tomorrow."
They weren't leaving, which was a relief, but this wasn't a great start.
"Perhaps you would be willing to join us for dinner?" Mito bowed respectfully. "Free from discussion of the matter at hand. You have travelled a long way, and we are grateful."
Akimichi Chou nodded, and food was being brought in before anyone could even try to leave.
Mito must have planned that, Tobirama realized. Bless her.
Quiet conversation began once the sake started flowing, but there was a clear divide, as no one from either side attempted to breach the invisible line separating them.
It wasn't broken until a stunning kunoichi wearing robes from the Kura clan offered one of the most backhanded compliments Tobirama had ever heard. "The food is most delicious, Uzimaki-hime. So impressive what you have been able to do with so little."
Mito just smiled back blandly. "Pressure makes precious stones, Lady Kura." Behito and Nadeshinko looked like they wanted to leap across the table but were too well-trained to do so.
Lady Kura smiled. "Indeed." She glanced at Madara, something coy and calculating. "Lord Uchiha, pardon my curiosity, is it true your mother was a geisha in the capital?"
Madara blanked, the question not registering at first. Izuna turned red in rage, and the chakra of the Uchiha present soared.
Hashirama gaped, and even Tobirama couldn't hide his surprise.
Who the hell-
"Excuse me?" The Namikaze sitting next to Madara was frowning.
"Are you calling him a son of a whore?" The Hatake next to Hashirama asked, wide-eyed.
Even the Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Hyuga, Shimura, and Sarutobi looked surprised. Hyuga Hiro had spit out his drink when she asked.
Lady Kura turned pink, quickly bowing in apology. "Of course not! I was merely curious."
"That's a bold question for someone who's just curious." Mayu pointed out.
"This is a diplomatic meeting." Akimichi Chou stated.
"Of course, of course." Lady Kura bowed again. "My apologies."
Tobirama glanced at Madara, who looked more confused than anything else. His mother had been a geisha, inherited by the current Daimyo from his father, and had resided in the imperial harem until the day she'd stumbled across Uchiha Tajima during an outing, and the Uchiha had managed to negotiate with the Daimyo for her.
It had been quite the romantic story when it had happened, with more than a few expecting the Uchiha to be punished for Tajima's brazenness and ending up shocked when he'd walked away with their noble status intact and a new wife. While geishas were considered professional performers, they frequently ended up as concubines or mistresses to powerful families.
It was equally rare for a woman from a shinobi clan to become a geisha, because of the political implications, but also the danger someone trained by shinobi represented with the access a geisha typically had to their powerful clients.
Madara's mother had loved his father deeply and had given up her life in the capital to return to the Uchiha. While she'd never managed to fully ingratiate herself into the shinobi way of life, she'd been a fitting Lady Uchiha. Beautiful and intelligent and distant. She'd often written and recited poetry, something Madara had picked up from her.
But still, just a geisha. Women born into shinobi clans held a higher status than those born outside them; unless there was a significant break from the clan, it was rare for them to end up in positions like those of geishas.
And there were still many who saw them as little more than elegant whores.
"I meant no offense, I assure you, Lord Uchiha." Lady Kura simpered. "My own mother was a concubine in the capital. I merely thought it would be interesting to compare stories."
Madara didn't look all that interested, and Hashirama and most of the Uchiha were still bristling.
"Perhaps that would have been a better request to bring up in private." Tobirama snapped.
"Of course. Of course. My apologies, I meant no insult." Lady Kura bowed again as an awkward silence fell.
Mito was frowning, her eyes hard. As a Princess, she probably knew more about propriety and slights than anyone else in the room, given that they were all just simple shinobi and even the clan leaders only rarely spent extended periods in the Daimyo's court. She looked disapproving, but it was hard to tell from across the table if she thought it was on purpose or not.
Behito and Nadeshinko were directing the delivery of dishes and the arrival of the musicians to fill the silence. Behito looked thoughtful, but Nadeshinko, who was terrible at hiding her feelings, was glaring outright.
Madara himself broke the silence, waving at the musicians to start playing. "It's fine. Let's move on."
But even though he said that the rest of the meal remained stilted and awkward, with neither side making any real attempt to dispel the awkwardness.
It didn't help, Tobirama thought, that Madara and Hashirama were so openly and obviously pleased to have the Namikaze and Hatake present. Even Tsume eventually abandoned her seat next to Tobirama to bother the young Hatake heir, and they ended up in a physical brawl by the time the desert was being served.
While the rest of the Hatake pretended it wasn't happening, one of them, a large, hairy, dark-haired man with a bombing laugh, approached Madara, and it took a minute of lip-reading to realize they were talking about sword techniques.
And that he was very, very interested in Madara.
The Hatake had never been known for their adherence to social norms, and while most of the shinobi clans didn't have laws against same sex relationships, the same couldn't be said of some of the populations outside the shinobi world.
The Uchiha didn't care about gender, but they were fanatical about devotion. The Senju didn't care either, and even the Hyuga, with all their propriety and nobility, cared more about status matching than gender.
It was just odd to see someone so blatantly hitting on Madara of all people.
And Madara didn't seem bothered.
Neither did Hashirama, who was laughing at something with Mito, Izuna, and Shina.
Someone refilled his rice wine, and Tobirama offered a distracted thanks as the Hatake shinobi took one of Madara's hands and held it up admiringly. Whatever he said made the Uchiha Clan Leader blush.
What the fuck was he doing? And at a diplomatic dinner?
There were people watching!
Never mind that Hashirama was worse every day of his life, but at least Madara had always been better behaved.
***
Uzumaki Behito was the least attractive of her family. She'd always known it. Her mother hadn't held back her disappointment when she was a child. Her hair was a shade too red, her eyes the wrong kind of blue, and far, far too dull. Her nose was too flat, and her cheeks were too full.
Behito had barely been able to look at herself in a mirror until she met her cousins. Mito and Nadeshinko didn't like their aunt, but they adored their cousin and swept her out from under her thumb every chance they got.
Mito loved Behito's eyes and hair and made her learn how to take care of them properly. Nadeshinko had taught her how to dance and play half a dozen instruments that Behito hated but played because the two of them liked them.
She'd had one ill-fated relationship in her teens and then refused to ever risk her heart again, despite Mito and Nadeshinko's pleas. She didn't think either of them really had room to talk. Nadeshinko loved Uchiha Hikaku, but Hikaku had chosen Senju Sana, Nadeshinko's close friend, and now all three of them were an awkward, clinging mess.
Mito had two men in her bed, and it was a toss-up on which one was crazier or if she was crazier than both of them.
No, Behito was fine on her own. She liked looking after those two because they spent so much time looking after others that they forgot to look after themselves.
Behito was the least trusting of the three, having seen how quickly people could change and how well they could lie. Mito was so excited about this new adventure, this village that no one dared speak of because it set Izuna and Tobirama off so spectacularly.
Mito had always craved responsibility and leadership, and she was never going to get it in Uzisho by virtue of her birth. Behito had worried at first that Mito was taking too much of a chance, that there was no way Hashirama and Madara were going to be able to do half of what they claimed.
But it turned out she'd been wrong. Every day, Hashirama and Madara inched forward with their plans, leading the willing and dragging the unwilling into this mad new world.
They were fools in some ways and brilliant in others, but at their core, both were good men, and they wanted to protect their people above all else. Leaders like that were rare in Behito's experience, and it was even rarer that they managed to stay that way.
Power did corrupt, but even worse, ungrateful, jealous people whittled away at good people until there was nothing left.
She wasn't too worried about that with Hashirama. Most people, his own clan included, seemed to think he was a kind-hearted fool, but there were times when Behito caught a look in his eye, an emptiness that suggested he was colder, harder than people realized.
Madara had the opposite problem. He cared too much, followed his heart too easily, and was wounded accordingly. It was easy to imagine him one day so hurt and angry that he turned on the people he'd once tried to protect.
It made him the easier target of the two of them, and Behito was quick to pick up that others were noticing that too.
This Lady Kura had absolutely known what she was asking, and Behito would bet her best jewelry that she didn't have a geisha anywhere in her family. She was playing the demure lady, all gentleness and elegance, but she was playing it too well.
And in a room full of shinobi, it stunned Behito that no one else seemed to notice.
They were all too distracted.
Well, not all of them, she was relieved to see.
Madara and the Namikaze clan leader had their heads ducked together; the big Hatake didn't seem to mind too much that he'd lost Madara's attention, but he was still sitting nearby and kept giving the Uchiha starstruck looks.
Madara kept his eyes down, better at controlling them due a lifetime with the Sharingan, but the Namikaze's eyes flickered to Lady Kura just a couple of times, barely noticeable if you weren't looking for it, but enough to let Behito know she wasn't the only one who noticed.
Good.
***
The third time Tsume cut Tobirama off was when he made the decision.
He didn't know why she was suddenly so important, so untouchable. She barely involved herself in any of the decision-making, but when she did, Hashirama and Madara almost universally deferred to her.
Who the fuck was she?
Everyone kept saying she was Mayu's mother, but Mayu looked older than her.
Her chakra was strange, but he couldn't pinpoint why, and she seemed to just be laughing at everyone all the time.
Hashirama wouldn't give him a straight answer, and he didn't; he wasn't ready to try asking Madara. Things had been weird with him lately. He kept smiling at Tobirama. Kept watching him with an odd light in his eye and then immediately looking away whenever Tobirama caught him.
If he didn't know better, he'd think Madara was interested in him sexually, but that didn't align with his previous tastes or their relationship thus far, which was…well, it was nothing. Distant forced acquaintances thanks to Hashirama?
Whatever it was, it wasn't enough to make Tobirama confident in approaching Madara about Tsume.
No, he would just solve this himself.
Thanks to Tsume, the dinner didn't last long, and Tobirama ignored the polite goodbyes to follow Tsume when she slipped out early.
It was easy to lock onto her chakra. It was so different.
Different like Zetsu's.
Were they related? Was she secretly working with him?
But why was everyone listening to her?
Well, why was Hashirama listening to her, and everyone else was just following him?
Was she going to hurt Hashirama and Madara? The others?
Not while Tobirama was still alive.
He hadn't supported Hashirama much before this, but he'd been damned if he abandoned him now.
Tsume didn't seem to be going anywhere specific; she meandered through a few alleyways before reaching the training area.
And really, Tobirama is smarter than this. He knows better. Normally, he can keep the anger, resentment, and frustration under control because he knows Zetsu is responsible for most of it, and there's no use taking it out on anyone else.
But part of him thinks this has been building for a long time.
Years.
And he doesn't want to take it out on Hashirama, who's only ever been trying to do what he thinks is right, or Madara, who it's becoming increasingly obvious Tobirama massively misjudged, and he doesn't want to have to admit that yet.
Tsume, to whom he owes nothing, is different.
He doesn't have to take this disrespect from her.
He's too angry to realize it might not be his plan he's following.
"You need something, Snowflake?" Her voice was sickingly sweet.
Amused enough that Tobirama's temper sparked.
He HATED being mocked.
Butsuma had mocked him all the time, calling it training, claiming he was making Tobirama tougher, stronger, better.
All it had really made him do was cry when he was alone.
His peers had always teased him when Hashirama wasn't around to stop them. Tobirama didn't care as much about them. They were only following Butsuma's lead and their parents. And most of their teasing was more about his looks since they knew none of them could take him in a fight.
….
Maybe there's a bit more resentment there than he realized?
He cuts to the chase. "Are you Zetsu?"
Tsume blinked. "Well, that's insulting."
"If you're not him-"
"It"
"-then what are you?"
"Rude." Tsume scoffed. "Why can't I be human?"
Tobirama snarled. "Because you're not. I may be young, but I'm not stupid."
Tsume cocked her head to the side, eyes calculating. "You're not really that young. And you're definitely stupid sometimes."
Tobirama gaped. "Excuse me?"
Tsume stepped closer. "You think I'm Zetsu, who kicked your ass last time you faced him, and you followed me out here alone."
Something cold slithered down Tobirama's spine.
Tsume grinned, her lips stretched just a little too wide, her teeth a little too sharp. "See, stupid."
Tobirama swallowed, gathered his nerve. "So, you are Zetsu?"
"No, stop insulting me before you make me angry. I'm far above that little worm." She stepped closer again. She was only a few inches away, her chakra was gathering around her and sliding around Tobirama, who had to fight the urge to flee. "Do I scare you, Tobi-chan?"
She moved so quickly that Tobirama could do nothing but react on instinct.
Her arm raised, her chakra took on a suffocating weight, and Tobirama put his fist through her chest.
He didn't consciously think about it. She was a threat; she'd moved to attack and left one of her most vulnerable spots open, and he'd reacted on instinct.
And now he'd killed her.
Except…
Except Tsume didn't start coughing up blood, she didn't panic or stop breathing, or keel over.
She laughed. "Whatcha doin', Tobi-chan?"
One of the most terrifying moments for all soldiers was the moment they realized they were outclassed. That they'd finally found that opponent they couldn't beat.
Tsume's features got sharper, pulling further and further away from human. The smell of blood rose, her chakra didn't have the oily, rotted feeling Zetsu's had. It was heavy, sickly sweet like coagulated blood.
He tried to pull his hand back, but Tsume grabbed his arm, and her iron grip held him in place. He could feel her heart beating around his fingers, her blood flowing out around his wrist, and yet her chakra wasn't weakening.
"Little Tobi-chan, so smart, so desperate." She sang, and then she had him by the throat. "What's wrong? You stopped fighting back. That's no fun."
He didn't really feel the moment he impacted the ground, her grip on his throat had cut off his ability to breathe, and the blood, and how was her hand big enough to do both?
The darkness came quickly, sweeping in from the edges of his vision, accompanied by the crushing feeling of defeat.
It faded with his consciousness.
***
Behito wasn't sure what Madara was doing, but he clearly had a plan. Hashirama had taken Mito to speak with Akimichi Chou privately, and Madara had summoned Lady Kura.
Behito had been about to call it a night when she'd seen the woman enter the main house, and the only reason she hadn't immediately thrown her out was Madara's message, which Lady Kura had waved rather smugly in front of her face.
Which was why Behito was glowering at her as she poured tea in Madara's private room, as Lady Kura bowed so low she showed off some of her more ample assets.
Well, at least Behito could laugh about that. Madara was the last man to be tempted by a pair of nice tits.
Well, a woman's tits anyway.
If Tobirama had wandered around in a robe cut that low, Madara would probably have maimed himself in distraction.
"Thank you for allowing me another chance to apologize, Lord Uchiha. I truly meant no offense earlier." She straightened, her face a mask of apologetic sadness.
If her eyes got any bigger or any more teary, Behito thought she'd have to summon Hashirama to see if the woman was allergic to something in the room.
Madara, dressed casually in a red yukata, looked disarmingly harmless with his hair down and no weapons in sight.
Behito understood his reputation. Had even seen him fight during the flight from the Senju Compound. She was aware of how dangerous he was.
It was just very, very hard to remember at moments like this. When he looked soft and sleepy, with Kurama dozing in his lap. Hoshi was somewhere else, probably with Kagami, who Madara had put to bed just before Lady Kura arrived.
Behito would have preferred to have the massive wolf in the room with them. Lady Kura wouldn't dare do anything with those teeth and claws so close.
Kurama was fierce, but the tiny fox had mostly just displayed a huge attitude since she'd seen him instead of huge teeth and claws. A giant chakra beast should have been more intimidating.
Lady Kura couldn't stop looking at the fox, her eyes moving back and forth between Madara's face and the creature in his lap. She was completely ignoring Behito, even as she poured them tea and set the cups between them.
"I was pleased to receive your message." Lady Kura continued, daintily picking up her tea and batting her eyelashes so much so that Behito thought she might be trying to blow Madara's robe right off.
It was so over the top and so obvious that it threw Behito off. Lady Kura couldn't possibly think she was being subtle. Or seductive?
But maybe that was the point. Maybe she was being so bad on purpose. A way to throw them off? Confuse them?
How did the daughter of a concubine not know how to be subtle about her machinations?
Did Madara realize what she was doing? The Sharingan, according to Mito, saw through everything, but Behito didn't know enough about dojutsu, chakra, and ninjutsu to know if that included just being able to see through jutsu or if it was enough to see through someone lying through their teeth.
Madara, like Hashirama, tended to keep his opinions and plans to himself, and Behito didn't know him well enough to recognize any tells.
Mito swore up and down that both men were geniuses, had staked her entire future on backing their audacious plan to change the landscape of the Land of Fire and the world of shinobi.
Honestly, Behito was on the fence about it all, but she wasn't going to leave her cousins. And the small part of her that wasn't bitter and suspicious did want them to succeed. Wanted to see this brand-new world.
Behito had never met anyone who inspired her to follow them into battle. She wasn't a warrior, but she could see the appeal of Madara and Hashirama. So strong and so kind.
If only they weren't idiots.
She's definitely not leaving Madara alone with Lady Kura, so she pours the tea and then sits at Madara's shoulder and doesn't bother to pretend she's not glaring.
Lady Kura pays her no attention.
The smug bitch.
It doesn't bother Behito personally. Being overlooked and ignored is actually a good thing in her line of work, and she always finds it amusing that people expect her to be insulted by their lack of attention.
It says a lot more about them than it does her, and Lady Kura is just as clueless as the rest of them.
She slides the slim blade she keeps in her sleeve into her palm as Madara and Lady Kura sip their tea.
"I apologize for keeping you up, Lord Uchiha. I promise I won't keep you long."
Madara waved a dismissive hand as she set her tea down. "I told you; I accepted your apology."
"And his lordship is most gracious." Kura smoothed out her robes. The ornament hanging from her obi clinked as the pieces shifted, drawing Madara's attention.
"Are you on fire?" Madara asked, with a raised eyebrow and no move to help.
Lady Kura laughed delicately and held up the charm hanging from her obi. It was a tiny incense burner and a barely visible stream of smoke emanating from it. "It was a gift from my mother. She sends me a special incense from the capital. She insists it helps with clarity and balance." She set the small incense burner next to the teapot.
"Thoughtful," Madara murmured, and Behito caught a flash of purple in his eyes as he sipped his tea. "I didn't think the Kura would be interested in an alliance this soon. You typically keep to yourselves since you're on the border with Water."
Lady Kura nodded. "We don't like to involve ourselves in the politics of either land, but you and Lord Senju have brought such a tantalizing prospect. We could not in good conscience ignore it."
Something caught in Behito's throat, and she coughed into her sleeve.
"You're interested in joining the village?" Madara can't quite keep the surprise out of his voice. The Kura had never joined the village in that first life. They'd died out not long after Madara and Hashirama had founded it, and now that he thinks about it, he doesn't actually know how or why.
"My clan is small, but stable. We are respected, but command little influence. And while we work hard to keep our traditions, we are not opposed to change. A weapon's strength or weakness is dependent on the user's ability to use it. An expert with a pebble can still beat a novice with a shuriken."
"Wise words." Madara murmurs, setting down his teacup.
"Thank you." Her demure smile is starting to grate on Behito.
"I've heard you speak them before." Madara continues, bland in a way that feels unnatural coming from a Uchiha.
Lady Kura stiffened. Behito's blade was in her hand, but not fast enough to strike before bone tentacles erupted from Lady Kura and struck.
Madara's blade flashed, knocking them back before they could cut through Behito or him. "Zetsu."
"Madara." Lady Kura's features twisted, her skin becoming black on one side and white on the other. "What gave me away, Dai Saigai?"
"Did you think I would forget anything about the monster that destroyed my world?" Madara stepped in front of Behito.
Armed with nothing but a blade, he still seemed fearless in facing the monster that had destroyed so much already. Behito wasn't sure what they were talking about, but there would be time to ask questions later. There were hundreds of shinobi outside, just waiting for their chance to cut down Zetsu for what they'd done, and Madara had already defeated Zetsu once.
Behito was confident in their chances, but before she could speak, something caught in her throat again, and she coughed until she was spitting blood.
"Uzumaki, run!"
"No! I won't leave you to face the monster alone." Mito and Nadeshiko were so excited to build this village. Behito would not let it fail, and she would not let Madara fall.
But Zetsu simply laughed. "Running won't help you, Dear Dara. It's already too late."
Madara's face twisted in confusion, and then he grimaced, and blood started leaking from his eyes.
He started to seize.
Behito attacked, managing to stab Zetsu in his right eye before his bone protrusions forced her back. He let out an unholy shriek, and then there were a dozen bone spears headed her way, only to be engulfed in flames.
Something in her chest popped, and blood filled her mouth.
Madara's chakra exploded as he attacked, crushing the incense burner on his way. Shards of wood and bone filled the air as Zetsu defended himself. The walls and the roof shattered under the force of their combined chakra. Madara grabbed Behito around the waist and flung her clear.
She couldn't stop coughing up blood, and she was already starting to get lightheaded.
Alarms rang out throughout the compound, and Behito tried to gather enough strength to try to catch herself, but she felt Mito's arms close around her before she could.
***
Tobirama's mind came back slowly, but he couldn't hold a thought. Everything was fuzzy, the pain so overwhelming it pushed everything else out of his mind. He couldn't breathe through his nose, and his mouth was full of blood and dirt.
His injuries were too numerous to take stock of, and he could feel his chakra leaking out of him along with his lifeblood.
He hadn't landed a single blow against Tsume in the minute the entire fight had lasted.
So, at least he knew she wasn't Zetsu, given the lackluster performance Zetsu had given against Madara during the flight.
Tobirama prided himself on his self-awareness. Aside from Hashirama, there was no one in the Senju Clan who could match him. Among the Uchiha, Madara obviously, and Izuna matched him so well it was infuriating for them both.
He had not expected Tsume to be so far beyond them.
Did Hashirama and Madara know her true strength?
Even through the haze of pain and the panic growing slowly in his chest, he realized they had.
It explained so much that Tobirama wanted to be so angry about, but he just didn't have the energy.
He needed to get up, but he couldn't. He was too weak to control his chakra, so Hashirama was his only hope for healing, but he didn't have the energy to summon Hashirama.
He tried to spit out the blood pooling in his mouth, but all he could manage was a weak cough.
If he could just lift his head, just turn it a bit, he could breathe.
A cold, wet snout suddenly shoved his head to the side, and Tobirama shuddered in relief as blood and dirt dribbled out of his mouth, and he could take a breath.
"Tobirama? Tobi?" Jiro licked his face, cleaning the blood off his eyes.
"J-Jiro." It hurt to talk. It hurt to open his eyes, but what was more painful? Tobirama forced them open in time to see Kuromaru, Tsume's huge beast, step out from the shadows and let out a heart-stopping bark before snarling.
"Stand back, Jiro."
Jiro planted himself over Tobirama as the ninkin stepped into the training area and sat. "He needs a healer."
"Step back."
Jiro growled, something Tobirama had never heard. A deep, low roar, he hadn't thought the curious wolf was capable of that.
Kuromaru didn't seem intimidated, and Tobirama couldn't organize his thoughts enough to figure out why. Wolves and dogs, while distantly related, were two entirely different beasts. As were summons and ninkin.
Jiro should have been the dominant one, but the moment Kuromaru's lip curled, revealing a sharp row of teeth, Jiro shivered. His ears flattened, and his head dropped.
"Step back, Jiro."
"He's hurt, Black Bite. Let me heal him."
Kuromaru sighed, crossing his paws and apparently settling in to wait. "No."
Jiro whimpered. Or maybe it was Tobirama; he couldn't tell.
Kuromaru's attention dropped to Tobirama as Jiro finally stepped away, taking his warmth and chakra with him. Tobirama shivered and moaned.
"Tobirama." Kuromaru didn't sound particularly cruel or angry. Nothing Tobirama had seen of him before had suggested he had a grudge or some special hatred for Tobirama or the Senju. Tobirama had never even spoken to him before now. "Can you get up?"
Tobirama willed his body to move, but even the thought made the pain worse.
Kuromaru sighed. "Disappointing."
Off to the side, Jiro snarled, and a tiny part of Tobirama was relieved to realize the wolf was still there.
"You have a very important role in the future, Tobirama, but if you can't pick yourself up now, then you'll be of no use."
***
You don't lose if you get knocked down. You lose if you stay down.
Muhammad Ali
***