Tobirama's Heartache

On the way back from the Naka River to the Senju Clan Territory, Senju Kyogawa and the others remained completely silent.

The whole way back, Senju Kyogawa kept thinking about what Izuna Uchiha had just said, and it left him feeling awful. He had already come to think of Izuna as a good friend, but he hadn't expected Izuna to be so resolute.

The more Kyogawa thought about it, the worse he felt. Maybe Izuna thought Kyogawa had deliberately gotten close to Uchiha Madara and him...

Izuna Uchiha was feeling just as miserable. After all, he'd been so angry that he'd awakened his Sharingan. During the time he'd spent with Kyogawa, Kyogawa had put up with his little moods, treated his injuries, kept him company when he was troubled, and even taught him how to catch and grill fish. Though the tsundere Izuna had never admitted it, in his heart he'd already come to think of Kyogawa as a friend.

But he simply couldn't accept Kyogawa's Senju identity.

His brother's death made it impossible for him to get past that.

That was why Izuna thought Kyogawa had been deceiving him. Overwhelmed by grief and anger, his chakra suddenly surged into the optic nerves in his brain—in other words, he got carried away by his emotions, and that was what triggered his Sharingan.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara remained silent on the way back, too. Their recent "falling-out" with their close friends had left them feeling despondent. They couldn't help wondering: was it really impossible to have both their clans and peace?

As for Senju Butsuma, he wasn't in a very good mood either.

He was secretly thinking that the Senju Clan had really lost on both counts today—his two sons had both been "bewitched" by Uchiha Tajima's sons, and not only had they failed to keep Uchiha Tajima's sons there, they'd even gifted them two Sharingan. The Uchiha Clan's strength would only grow now...

Senju Tobirama wore a conflicted expression. He kept glancing first at Senju Hashirama on his left, then at Senju Kyogawa on his right. He had so many questions, but when he saw how dejected they looked, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Tobirama was miserable. His older brother and younger brother had both been spirited away by someone right under his nose, and the opponent he'd already decided would be his equal on the battlefield someday—Izuna Uchiha—had now become his little brother's opponent...

Tobirama was feeling all sorts of things. He was worried about his older and younger brothers, but at the same time, he felt utterly wretched. Who was going to comfort him?

As for Uchiha Tajima, he'd been thoroughly displeased when he first arrived—because his eldest son had a "special relationship" with the eldest son of the Senju Clan across from them. But now he felt completely refreshed. They'd all made it back without a scratch, and both his sons had awakened their Sharingan!

Awakening the Sharingan at twelve and nine was an impressive feat even among the entire Uchiha Clan, and his sons still had limitless potential.

He was disappointed that he hadn't managed to kill Senju Butsuma's son, and that Senju Butsuma had somehow acquired another youngest son... But right now, he felt wonderful in both body and spirit.

To sum it up, Uchiha Tajima was the biggest winner in this clash between the two sides, and Senju Butsuma was the biggest loser.

By the time they returned to the Senju Clan Territory, it was nearly noon. But Kyogawa was still troubled by what had happened, so he had no appetite for cooking. As soon as he got home, he went straight to his room to brood.

Senju Hashirama was feeling miserable too. He wanted to work off the gloom through exercise, so he went straight to the training ground.

As soon as they entered the Senju Clan Territory, a clansman came looking for Senju Butsuma. Butsuma went off to handle clan affairs, with no time to deal with his troublesome sons. He planned to take Senju Hashirama and Senju Kyogawa to task that evening.

And Senju Tobirama...

Poor Senju Tobirama made himself a meal with tears in his eyes. Lunch tasted like nothing, and with no one to confide in, he ate his unpleasant meal alone—nowhere near as good as Kyogawa's cooking—then quietly washed the dishes by himself before heading out to train.

By evening, when Senju Butsuma returned home, Senju Kyogawa had finally gotten his emotions under control.

He tidied himself up, then prepared a proper dinner and sat at the table, waiting for his two older brothers and Senju Butsuma to come back.

When Senju Butsuma returned, this was the scene that greeted him—

Warm, dim lamplight fell across Kyogawa's fair little face. The kerosene lamp flickered, making his features look indistinct.

He sat there quietly, his white hair, now longer than his shoulders, falling down his back. One or two unruly bangs covered his eyes, drawing attention to the delicate lines of his lower face.

Senju Butsuma couldn't help stopping in his tracks, almost afraid to go any farther. In a daze, he thought he saw his late wife, Senju Haruko.

The scene was just like the countless nights when Senju Haruko had prepared dinner and waited for him to come home.

Senju Kyogawa and Senju Tobirama both took after Senju Haruko, especially Tobirama, with his white hair and red eyes. He looked exactly like his mother, as if he'd been carved from the same mold. But Tobirama's features were actually more like Senju Butsuma's—hard and stern—while Kyogawa's were softer and more refined, perhaps because he was younger.

In short, Senju Butsuma mistook Kyogawa for Senju Haruko and thought he was dreaming.

Meanwhile, Kyogawa had obediently made dinner and sat quietly at the table. When he saw Senju Butsuma return, he didn't even dare move his hands, hoping to lessen Butsuma's anger. Then he suddenly noticed Butsuma standing motionless in the doorway, and a round question mark slowly appeared over his head.

Because of the lighting and the angle, Kyogawa couldn't see Senju Butsuma's expression. He had no idea that Butsuma looked dazed, his face shifting between happiness and sorrow, as if he were on drugs.

So Kyogawa assumed Senju Butsuma was still angry and grew even more afraid to make a sound. He put on the act of a well-behaved child, worried that Butsuma would punish him.

For that moment, the atmosphere between them was unbearably awkward. One was curling his toes in embarrassment, while the other was lost in fond memories and couldn't pull himself out.

"Father, why are you standing in the doorway instead of coming in? Little Brother's already made dinner..." Senju Tobirama had just returned. Seeing the awkward, strange scene, he couldn't help asking Senju Butsuma.

At last, Senju Butsuma snapped out of his memories. He blinked and realized that the wife he'd thought he saw was actually his youngest son, Kyogawa.

He coughed awkwardly twice to cover his embarrassment and walked inside, turning to glare at Senju Tobirama as he went.

Tobirama had no idea what he'd done to deserve that glare. He was completely innocent.

Senju Tobirama:???