The Home I Crave

Meeting the God of Shinobi

Being that one the first time you would meet with Hashirama Senju had an effect on your nerves. Yes, your clan and his had some treating in the past, but you never met him in person: the only Senju with whom you had direct contact were his representatives and messengers when they were sent to your compound. Your surprise after being informed that he had a brother was understandable.

Now that you were already at the Hokage's office, with your parents by your side while you showed your best looks to your future brother-in-law, things were not as formal and difficult as you imagined they would be before the meeting. After all the days of preparation, the long travel to reach the Hidden Leaf Village – that seemed to deserve the name – the few hours you had to rest after your arrival and a night when you barely closed your eyes in anxiety, the meeting itself felt serene, even anticlimactic.

The Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was assisted by a group of people who carried his clan's crest. By the silence in which they performed their tasks and the way they moved around the office, you could tell that all of them were shinobi. You just didn't understand why they were so many: you had some familiarity with these kinds of negotiation, so you knew it wasn't necessary a group of people that exceeded this much the future couple and their parents right in the first meeting.

Hashirama was a man of light mood and soft manners, who came in person to open the door and greet you and your parents. He apologized for having to set this meeting so soon, which didn't give you enough time to rest and to prepare for such important appointment, but explained that with the absence of his brother, things were difficult on his side too and he didn't have a proper rest himself.

- It is not a problem for us, Hokage-sama – your father spoke for you three – We took care of our own things before leaving our compound, and the messages we've exchanged helped us with our arrangements.

- Besides, it is an honor to be invited by the leader of the first shinobi village to strengthen an alliance – your mother added with a discreet smile.

Hashirama laughed with genuine pleasure when he heard these words, and you took the opportunity to observe him with more attention before you too were involved in the conversation.

When he opened the door and you put your eyes on him for the first time, your initial thought was that he was younger than you imagined to be possible. Hearing that you were about to meet someone who carried the title of Fire Shadow, leader and founder of a ninja village, the current head of his clan and, according to what you've heard about the times when his clan and many others were at war, the God of Shinobi, you were unconsciously expecting to see a serious, intimidating middle-aged individual, not the young and good looking man he turned out to be, with his tanned skin setting off the light tones of his clothing, his long hair falling all over his back and the gentle bright in his dark eyes.

It was only natural that you started to wonder if his brother, Tobirama, resembled him. Well, this could be the case if you'd only count on his physical appearance, but you doubted that the Senju brothers shared similar personality traits: by his comment about the absence of his advisor, Hashirama inadvertently let it escape that he was having a hard time to take care of all the responsibilities without his orientation, and the whole group working in the office to replace his brother at the moment wouldn't let him lie. It was like you first supposed: men like Tobirama had too much work and no time to chill. It was really a shame that you weren't able to meet him right in this first meeting and make your own conclusions.

You were thinking of this when you noticed all eyes were turned to you. You heard your mother's voice somewhere beside you:

- Won't you answer the Hokage, dear?

You looked at your mother and saw her eyes widened in embarrassment while she apologized for you.

- Forgive her, Hashirama-sama. Sometimes she just lets herself be carried away by her thoughts.

Hashirama smiled and said it was alright. He turned to you then:

- Yn/-san, I was saying that I hope you don't mind the fact that you and my brother will not have much time to spend together once he is back. He will have work to finish and I will help him balance his time between it and the preparations for the wedding. The date of the ceremony must be settled as soon as we can.

You took a breath and chose your words carefully. That could be the only chance you'd have to speak your mind about those arrangements.

- To be honest, Hokage-sama, I was precisely thinking about this. You see, our compound is far from Konoha, so that we need extra time for any preparation, and you are informing us that your brother has work waiting for him when he comes back. I suggest we use our next weeks to finish our respective tasks instead of setting a date for the ceremony. Precipitation in any aspect of a treaty like this could only harm our plans.

Your father supported your idea.

- I was about to suggest something in this line – he turned to Hashirama – It will make things easier and calmer for both parts.

The Senju seemed to approve the idea, but some hesitation was sensed in his manners.

- Let me tell you that this was my first idea too, except for a problem that can come from a long waiting.

You three stared at him, not understanding what he meant.

- Can you please be more specific, Hokage? – your father raised an eyebrow.

Hashirama sighed.

- The idea of setting a date as soon as possible actually came from my brother. He stated that once he comes back, he will not have much time to think of anything else than finish the work he was forced to leave behind in order to attend this mission on the Land of Wind. Things kept going on in his absence, so he might find piles of paper waiting for him when enter this office. And... – at this point, the hesitation in his tone turned into embarrassment – Well, you don't know Tobirama as I do. If he sees himself trapped in an endless task list, it will not be possible to make him do another pause to take care of anything else, including wedding matters.

A workaholic, then. This is what was waiting for you in that village.

Your worries might have showed in your traits, for Hashirama turned to you and spoke in an assuring tone:

- He explained that he just wants to make sure things will happen orderly and no plans will be left aside because of his work, y/n-san. He already had everything settled on his side before he left, so that he will follow the plan when he come back.

Seeing things from a practical perspective and counting on the fact that Hashirama was familiar with his brother's modus operandi, everything made sense. The younger Senju was right: creating our own opportunity between many things that would take all our time was better than keep waiting for the favorable occasion. Still, the apparent coldness with which he arranged everything created a knot in your stomach. Was he aware that soon he will have to share a house and a life beside a person he never met before? Didn't he think that this could be even more difficult than handling paperwork or being sent to missions in distant lands?

But now you had no time to deliberate. For the good of your family, your clan and this treaty with the Senju, you replied positively to the Hokage.

- If this is the case, Hokage-sama, it is our duty to make sure things will go according to what he established. And your trust in your advisor and brother's wisdom is enough for us.