Continuum

Chapter 7

Izuna, after a few seconds of lock picking, slams the wooden door open and swaggers into his brother's office, making sure to activate the privacy seal as soon as he entered, footing the door shut as an afterthought.

"Aniki -"

He cut himself short, however, when he sees the dumbfounded expression currently on Madara's face. Utterly idiotic, even, with his eyes wide open and his jaw agape. In the Uchiha clan head's hands was a letter, crumpled at the edges, with how fiercely his brother was holding them in front of his face.

Because Izuna was a little shit, he made sure to capture his brother's hilarious expression with his Sharingan. Fun memories for depressing times. With that done, he childishly puffs out his chest and calls for his brother again, gleefully yelling louder this time around.

"ANIKI~! Pick your jaw up before you attract flies."

Madara startles, head snapping up as his expression changes into something akin to being caught red-handed with his hand in the cookie jar. A few heartbeats pass as Madara composes himself, glaring at the intruder.

"Does it not register in that empty head of yours that when I lock my doors, it means I desire space and time alone?"

"Nope~" Izuna singsonged. "Lock doors just tempt me further. Like coaxing a beautiful lady to shed all her secrets."

Madara glowers, "Careful there, Izuna. You know the sayings - curiosity kills the cat."

Izuna smirks, voice sweet as honey as he retorts, "But satisfaction brought it back. Honestly, aniki. We've been through this a million times."

Madara clicks his tongue, a sneer curling the corner of his lips, "One day, I swear I will instill the concept of privacy into you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." He swats the air as if he was physically swatting away Madara's empty promise. "Who sent you that letter, anyway? Is it a love letter? Let me see?"

Madara looks highly judging as he slaps Izuna's grabby hands away. "You are hopeless." The older Uchiha sighs despairingly, which only made Izuna blow him a raspberry.

"Glad to see that you've finally caught up. Now, tell me! The suspense is killing me," Izuna whined childishly whilst tugging at his brother's sleeve. All Madara did was roll his eyes harder. Which, ru~de.

"It's from Hashirama."

"Huh? Why'd he write to you? Or rather, why didn't you burn it immediately?!" Izuna has his hands on his hips as he glowers at the letter still in Madara's hand.

"I was curious."

Izuna jeers, "Hypocrite."

Madara snaps back, looking down his nose at Izuna, "Shut up! Besides, be glad that I succumbed and read it. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have known that he was coming."

"Who's coming?"

"Hashirama."

"Eh?" Was Izuna's intellectual response. Madara, again, looks highly judging. The asshole.

"He's coming here with an entourage of Senju, ready to talk about a cease-fire," his brother grumbles, arms crossed.

"Ehhh? Is he crazy?! No, wait. Even if he is, Butsuma will never agree to that!"

Madara deadpans, "Butsuma's dead."

Izuna couldn't help his reaction. He exclaimed his shock, really loudly, "EHHHHHH?!"