Chapter Text
Mito sat at her desk dimly lit up by an oil lamp, writing a letter to her correspondent situated in the Land of Fire. It was early in the morning, the darkness of night still enveloped the sky, the sound of the wind and the crashing waves the only ones discernable. However, she could not rest. The thoughts in her head swirled and the anxious feeling in her chest unyielding.
There had been recent news of a village being formed.
Konohagakure, they are calling it. Founded by the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan, two lifelong enemies that feud and hatred of one another was known throughout the lands.
She had been skeptical at first, having only heard whispers about its’ creation until one of her spies had confirmed the information. They were able to keep the knowledge hidden until it was too late to do anything against it. There was also no indication of a dispute within either clan which would have notified her spies. They had craftily kept any resistance from their clan hidden, showing an illusion of unanimous support. However, she knew that was a lie. No sane person would agree to living near their generational enemy, especially not after years of bloodshed and lives lost.
What reason could they possibly have to formed this village? Perhaps it was a way to underscore the daimyo and vie for power over the nation. Or it was a way to gain more territories and lord over the other clans. Why had they decided to build the village now? Do they expect that the quietness would lower the guard of their enemies or was it simply because the season would yield greater harvest and resources?
There had also been unrest brewing in Uzushio. Once the news had spread, so too did the rumors and conspiracies. The people are growing restless and anxious over the changes that this village will bring and the impact it might have on the Land of Whirlpool and their livelihoods. Despite this, there is little that she could do especially with a lack of information.
The feeling of helplessness irked her. She couldn’t proceed with any of her plans if she didn't have the accurate information to assess them; however, Konoha is keeping everything quiet and hardly any information can be gained.
With a sigh, she carefully rolled up the scroll and attached it to one of the messenger falcons.
Whatever the intention behind the village may be, if they posed as a threat toward her home and family, there will be consequences.
Watching the bird flies off toward the horizon, she resolved to find out more about this so-called village on her own. They do say there is always a sliver of truth in every rumor.
New information came soon enough. The daimyo had sent a private letter to her family confirming the creation of the village while also reassuring its’ peaceful intention, however, he had also made a request of her. A marriage between her and the village’s leader, Senju Hashirama.
She had given it much thought and still her heart ache with uneasiness. An alliance between Uzushio and Konoha would bring great benefits for her home; allowing them more trade routes, giving them more potential customers, and elevating the status and political power of Uzushio. However, a part of her wanted to refused the offer. Selfishly, she did not want to leave her homeland. The land that had taught her all she needed to know from painful revelations to joyful indulgent, all the skills she worked for, all came from here.
She had been working more and more these following days, anything to allow her more time to truly come to a decision. Helping her old tutor’s students, talking to her people about their worries and finding ways to resolve their issues, reviewing missions and missives. All to give her more time to contemplate. However, she knew she had to give her answer soon.
And soon it was. Her father had informed her that he wished to talk with her this evening. She had purposefully stayed longer to help people all throughout the village, however, time soon arrived.
She stood before her father’s office, knowing she could not delay this any further. Dread filled her heart as she pushed open the shoji door. Her father was seated at a low table with two teacups and a teapot on the table.
“Mito,” Her father greeted her as she moved to sit before him. He poured the tea into her cup and quietly sipped from his own.
“It seems you’ve been busy today,” he said. You’re trying to avoid this.
“There seems to be more work to be done, today.”
Her father sighed, looking straight at her. “Let’s not beat around the bush, we both know what this is about.”
This time, she sipped her tea. Allowing her a moment to collect her thoughts and washed away the bitter taste of fear in her mouth.
After she set her cup down, her father placed his hand atop hers.
“You do not have to go through with this if you do not wish to. I will not force you."
Her father truly would not force her to do anything she did not wished to do. However, this matter extends to more than just her wants. Uzushio will need a way to connect with the rest of the world especially when the winds of changes are coming faster than ever and Konoha will provide that opportunity. If they did not learn to adapt, they will be sure to perished.
“I know, father. I merely wished to have more time to ruminate over my decision,” she said, more truthfully than she would have liked.
“What decision have you come to now?”
She averted her eyes, looking into her teacup. The fear gripping her heart at the thought of leaving behind her home and all she had ever known; however, she had a duty to uphold. If she must marry Senju Hashirama for her home to thrive and live on, she will do what must be done. She was a shinobi after all, she will complete her duty to the bitter end.
“I will marry him, Father,” she said resolutely, looking her father in the eye.
Her father’s face looked contemplative as if he wished to protest. Yet after looking at her longer, his resolved slowly melted away, knowing well that nothing could swayed her after she had made her decision.
“I worry the village will not last long,” he said instead.
“Regardless," she looked at him resolutely. "I will be fine, Father.”
With a huff, he smiled. “I know.”
The conversation soon lulled to a comfortable silence. Her father had brought out his shogi board and invited her to play against him. It was nice. The slightly cold feeling of the tiles in her hand and the smell of wood, comforting. Reminding her of when she was young. The anxious fear of having to part with everything is still present at the back of her mind but it had eased after she said her peace. Now the comforting presence of her father and the strategical challenge of beating him is giving her a chance to focus on a different matter, at least for now.
The letter of agreement was soon sent to the daimyo. Then came the official announcement that will require Senju Hashirama to wed her. Konoha had readily agreed to the proposal and had sent their envoys to come and negotiate with Uzushio.
The envoys were a fairly small group consisting of two elders and four shinobis. Hashirama had sent good diplomats. She had been in various meetings and had kept a careful eye on each of them, yet she could hardly find out any more information about the village or the Senju themselves. They were professional and polite, knowing well to keep quiet about inside matters and not to spread information recklessly. However, she knew some of them were planting ideas of Konoha and its’ supposed peace into Uzushio's people by dropping casual remarks, which will increase the popularity of Uzushio joining sides with Konoha and will cause massive retribution if Uzushio were to go back on their word.
The sounds of footsteps alerted her to a presence walking to stand beside her. “They sure are lively down there,” Senju Touka said.
Senju Touka, a cousin to the main branch of the Senju. Personally sent on behalf of Senju Hashirama. Having a lot of influence over both members of the main branch and fairly popular and respected within her own clan.
“The people of Uzushio are always lively,” she said looking toward the beach where her people are.
“They sure are," she said playfully. "We only have Hashirama and I could hardly handle him."
“The noises can become a sort of comfort once you get used to it.”
Touka was quiet for a moment, just looking below. She turned her gaze back down as well. The sounds of her people talking and laughing, the sight of the children playfully chasing each other across the sand. All of it, which made up her home. Her family were known for being vibrant and loud, they were always so full of life. It made it all the more difficult to say goodbye. The Senju unfortunately possessed a quiet demeanor much like her own as opposed to her family. Even if they can be too much for her sometimes, they were still her family.
“Must be hard having to leave all of this behind?” Touka asked, glancing briefly at her.
Touka was clearly fishing for information. But, she was wrong if she thought she was an easy target. She clenched her fist within her kimono sleeves, trying hard to keep her anger at bay. “Duty is duty,” she smiled politely, keeping her voice as steady as possible.
Touka looked at her briefly before turning her gaze away. “Duty is duty,” she whispered under her breath. "You sound like a certain someone I know," she grinned.
"All good, I hope."
Touka laughed heartily; however, she made no move to clarify.
A moment of silent passed.
"Well, it's getting late. I gotta go check on my shinobis," she said as she stretched. "Duty calls," she smirk, lifting a hand up as she walked away.
Mito was now all alone.
She continued looking below, Touka's question repeating inside her head.
Her thoughts and fear started making themselves known. She took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself and push down on the swirling mix of sadness, anger and fear that arised within her. She had to stay strong for her family, for her home. Even if she wishes none of this was happening, even if she wishes she could stay home. She couldn’t be selfish, her home had given her so much already, it was time she gave all she could back. Although, sometimes, she wishes she could afford to say No without it causing major repercussions. However, duty was duty.
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes, yet she wouldn’t let them fall.
For her home, for her people. She was willing to do anything.
Mito had wondered what the man that had achieved peace would be like. But it seems she did not have to wait for long. The day that she and Hashirama would meet finally came.
Surprisingly, he had came alone without any guards or entourage. It was impressive to say the least. It would have taken days, if not weeks to travel from Konoha to Uzushio, and he seems no worse for wear except for the dust and dirt that had surely accumulated throughout his travel.
It was now noon since he arrived, giving him plenty of time to clean and freshen up. Footsteps soon sounded out over the walkway to the garden.
“Mito-hime, it’s an honor to finally meet you,” he smiled blindingly. How a man can be so cheerful, she would never know.
“The pleasure is mine, Senju-sama.”
“Please, just Hashirama is fine,” he moved to sit across from her.
“Then you can just call me, Mito.”
“I hope my shinobis haven’t been giving you any trouble,” he said playfully.
Mito moved to pour the tea into both of their cups, “Nothing that I could recall.”
They had effortlessly connected, moving from one topic to the next without pause. She was so immersed in their conversation that she failed to notice that their tea had long since been empty, and that the sun had started to dipped below the horizon, signaling the passage of time. However, before they parted, Hashirama had suddenly became quiet.
“I-” he started hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her resoundingly. “Since we are to wed, I would like to ask your opinion.”
This was the sternest she had heard him since his arrival. She, too, started to feel grave. “I will answer as best as I can.”
“Do you truly wish for this marriage to happen?” She had been prepared for anything, resistance within the village, sabotages, a political favor, anything. But she hadn’t account him asking her this. She hardly expected him to care, let alone asked her about her opinion on the topic, most would have simply gone on with the proceeding without further input from their respective other. Unless this was a test to catch her off guard? However, she didn’t think that was true. From the conversation they had just had, although brief, Hashirama seems to be a good man. So, she decided to trust her instinct and answered truthfully.
“I had some reservation about our marriage,” she glanced down at her teacup briefly, hating that it was empty. Despite this, she grasped the porcelain in her hand. Distracting herself with the fading warmth of the tea, “However,” she quickly added after seeing his expression fell before he fixed it. “After meeting you, I-” she felt her cheeks heating up. Averting her eyes, she quietly said “I would gladly marry you, Hashirama.”
“Oh,” he sounded surprised. She turned to looked at him, just to see his skin darken. “Me too,” he said quietly, smiling at her as one of his fingers goes to scratch his cheek.
A moment of silent passed between them as they avoided eye contact.
“Maybe-“
“So-“
They looked at each other, laughing gently.
He motioned for her to continued.
“Maybe," she started hesitantly. "We could do this again, tomorrow?”
“I would like that.” And that stupidly charming grin was back on his face.
“What were you about to say?”
“I was about to ask you the same.”
She smiled. What a dolt, she thought lovingly.
He looked to the sky, “I think we should head out now," he rised from his seat. "It’s getting quite late.”
“We should," she said as she rised from her seat.
Hashirama extending his arm for her to rest her hand against the crook of it.
Who knew the man that bore the moniker of ‘God of Shinobi’ was like this?
After meeting Hashirama, she could now understand how a person could bring about peace to a clan that had always known war.
Maybe Konoha wouldn’t be all that bad.
She stared at the photo held within her hand. Her fingers gently caressed the faces of those within the picture, her two little sisters, her long deceased mother, her father and her, all sitting together. A time that felt so far away yet so close she could almost touched it with her fingertips. It felt so much simpler back then, where mother and father would take away and solved all the worries while she and her sisters play and learn. But nothing was meant to last forever.
She carefully placed the photo into the sealing scroll that her sister had personally made for her. “So that I can be there with you, sister,” she had said.
She knew it would be hard to say goodbye but it never occurred to her how hard it actually was. Not until she was packing all her belongings away, not until she saw the grief hidden within the eyes of her family, how each of them clambered to spend time with her. It was all so much more difficult than she anticipated.
After she finished packing, she turned her gaze out her window onto the streets below. The cries of the gulls, the taste of the salty air, the reflection of the sky shown beautifully through the ripples of the ocean. Her home.
And soon, she will have to part with it all.
A part of her worry if she would be able to get used to life in Konoha, if she could live without the sound of the crashing waves. Another part worry if she could integrate herself within Konoha and help lead it toward a future of peace. Hashirama recount sounded very idealistic but she could see the vision, and the potential that the village held. A place for children to live and learn freely without having to face the harsh repercussion that who have surely killed them during wartime. A village where enemies can come together and build a home, if not for themselves then for the future.
And perhaps it could become a home for her as well. She looked forward to seeing how this little village will prosper and what new changes it could bring to the world.