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"Edo Tensei, you said?" The white-haired shinobi nodded. "Why would you create something like that?"
The Uchiha-Senju family was gathered around the dinner table, eating the delicious noodles his dad, Izuna, had prepared. Joki had been quietly enjoying his meal when the topic was brought up, but now he couldn't tear his eyes away from his parents.
"I am telling you about a project that is already underway."
"It sounds dangerous."
"The best shinobi in the nation have reviewed it. Shall I tell them it doesn't have your approval?"
"Do not speak to me in that tone, Tobirama!" Izuna snapped, slamming his hand against the table.
The older raven-haired man glared at the wood of the table, clearly agitated. Jokirama had no idea how dangerous the jutsu actually was; frankly, the concept his father had just explained sounded somewhat fascinating to him.
"Father."
Izuna and Tobirama snapped their heads toward him in unison. Wow. It seemed they had genuinely forgotten he was even in the room before putting on this little show.
"Can your jutsu reanimate my will to be here?"
Tobirama didn't answer, only leveling him with that look—the one Joki absolutely loathed. He turned to look at his dad instead, but before he could even open his mouth, Izuna beat him to it.
"Yes, you may be excused," the Uchiha sighed, fully aware of the tension.
The teenager pushed himself up from the table, grabbing his empty plate to wash it in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the sink wasn't far enough from the dining area, meaning he could hear their conversation with crystal clarity. He ran his hands under the faucet, grabbing the sponge to scrub the dish, though his head was visibly tilted toward the adjoining room to eavesdrop.
"Since when do you make these kinds of decisions without telling me?"
"Izuna. You cannot know everything. My work is classified; I am the leader of this nation."
"You couldn't have told me sooner?"
"I am telling you now."
"After the fact, Tobirama." Izuna took a deep, shaky breath. "You are welcoming death into the future of your nation."
The scrape of a chair echoed as the Uchiha stood up from the table. Through the heavy, uncomfortable silence, Joki heard the clinking of dishes being gathered, and he immediately knew his dad was heading toward the kitchen. Luckily, he had just finished washing his plate. He decided to make a quick escape to his room, but just as he stepped into the hallway, he caught the final blow.
"I hope you give me a heads-up when you finally decide to end this marriage, Tobirama."
The ensuing silence was suffocating. Jokirama slipped into his bedroom, quietly sliding the door shut behind him.
Barely a second after closing it, he caught a shadow looming in his peripheral vision just outside the shoji screen. Turning around, he realized it was his father.
He slid the door back open to face him. His expression was deadpan as he lifted his gaze to meet Tobirama's eyes.
"What?"
The white-haired shinobi made no move to enter the room when the door opened—which was fine, he never crossed that threshold anyway. The boy simply stared at him with raw curiosity, completely lost as to what was going on.
"Why are you here?"
He locked eyes with his father’s striking red gaze. He absolutely hated his silence; the man wasn't saying a single word. They just stared at each other. Finally, the older man sighed. The prolonged quiet quickly made Jokirama squirm with discomfort, and that was the exact moment he allowed his bubbling anger to rise to the surface.
"Answer me! Why are you just standing there not saying anything?"
Apparently, that outburst was the cue Tobirama needed to snap out of it and do something other than just stare at him.
"It is highly probable that Izuna will be leaving the house."