Beyond exhausted, Genesis slid the train door behind him shut. Numb, staggered steps brought him through the almost empty isle, drawn to the quiet where only the patter of uneven rain crashing against the roof could be heard. The side of his face was bandaged, blinding an eye. And when he finally sat, it was with a weight far greater than his lithe figure could carry. Loss never felt good. Whether it was in terms of a single life, or the battle they now retreated from, tails tucked between their legs, it did not merely sting like a wound to mend over time. His eye would heal. But the dead would not return. Men he had trained, men he had mentored and trusted him, gone, some in his very own hands. It just wasn't enough. The last of his mana was spent as a medic, desperately stabilizing the most critical cases, perhaps in futility. But Genesis could no longer stand the gasps of agony, moans, and rasps of the wounded SOLDIER in the compartment he had just left. He was even willing to share a space with him if it bought him a few minutes of reprieve. A single, dull eye flickered up to regard that one, Tobirama Senju, fellow First and thorn in Genesis' side. And it filled the commander with a bitter taste on his tongue, their old feud a shadow that always seemed to make itself known at his worst times. A perpetual reminder of what he lacked.

He leaves to go find his classroom. It is best if the professor is not late for his first day. It isn't until he gets to his classroom that he stops in his tracks. Right across from his room was another familiar face. He thought he should have expected it. The man's brother was the Dean.

"Your Tobirama, the younger brother?" He questions as he fishes out the keys to the room in his pockets. He has only met the younger man once or twice before.

"Your brother talked you into be a coach too?" He guesses, it was a joke but could be hard to tell with the Uchiha keeping a straight face.

The coffee this morning was bitter and provided little energy to pacify the fatigue plaguing the Uchiha Lord. His body a beacon of lead trudging around the plain boring hallways of Hokage Tower.

Little to nothing could shake the exhaustion until he heard the hymns of an alto-tenor song note vibrating first through the many wavelengths of this establishment, and then blessing his ears with song.

Tobirama? Surely not.

Oh, but it was. Unaware of himself as he busied through his bag until Madara's presence was no longer a silence obstacle in his path. The singing paused, leaving space for the Uchiha to clap, muted through the gloves.

❛ I’m not being difficult, Tobirama. I am trying to meet you halfway. ❜

Somehow, Madara felt that this — this whole village idea was not turning out like the alliance it was promised to be. Worst, Hashirama became extremely busy with forming new alliances, so Madara had not seen his friend for more than a week now … and why Tobirama seemed like such an immoveable force between the Uchiha clan and this peace that should be shared.

ㅤNot too terrible, this mortal world, despite how long it'd been; how long had it been, truly? When last he'd checked, kimonos made of the purest silk and woven into intricate patterns were the trend - only to now be classified as traditional clothing and rewarded with a few lopsided looks. Nothing to bother Tsukuyomi, however; ever one to thrive on attention, no matter of what kind. Which, in fact... might or might not explain the current state of affairs. A back-and-forth of provocations, witty comebacks, some potentially lewd comments related to that very same kimono and how revealing it was - all of it culminating, then, in the very unlikely scenario of a deity and a group of humans sharing cups of sake like life-long friends. Stranger things had happened!

ㅤIn his defense, there wasn't much else to occupy his time with, after having promised Tobirama he would behave and wait till it was time to leave the village; yet another human, but this one so very different in many a way. Overall, grumpy enough to almost match Susanoo's stormy moods, but also carrying a certain sprinkle of softness that the man so adamantly tried to conceal. Speaking of which-

«Tobirama!»

ㅤThere he was! Reluctantly making his way inside the bar, to which Tsukuyomi had responded with the cheerful call of his name and the wave of a hand; his multitude of bracelets clinking against each other and adding to the overall little ruckus. The same hand that then shamelessly clung to the mortal's own one, once close enough, as the deity offered a wide smile born equal parts from everything he'd had to drink and genuine joy in seeing Tobirama return.

Starter for @lordsecondsenju

He was starting to get curious. Since the Uchihas were the police force in the village they also guarded the prisons. There were lots of studies going on most of witch involved or needed live subjects. To keep things more civil criminal were the one subjected to such tests. Most of it showed promising results and the criminals were returned. That was not the case with the criminals Tobirama signed off on. They never came back and if they did it wasn't in one piece.

So, he decided to see for himself why. He informed his subordinates that he was going on a mission and he would return when he could. This was more to keep people asking where he was going. He makes his way up to where Tobirama would hole himself up in. He lab he guessed and knocked. It was opened by a member of his clan. If he remembered the boys name was Kagami. He paid his little mind as he asked about the boys teacher. Only to receive a nod to a room in the back.

The lab was normal, something he would expect. Nothing seemed overly wrong, so where were the prisoners going. He enters the back room and makes his presence known to the man he sought out.

ㅤIt was as though the semi-open door had been planted there just for the sake of tempting him. Not that Itachi believed in things such as fate or destiny, being a big fan of free will and self-determination even at such young age, but some things were just too much of a coincidence. What were the odds that, having left movies night for a couple minutes to go to the bathroom, he would end up staring at all the possible wonders that lied beyond this door to Tobirama's bedroom? And, yes, he could [he should!] have turned around and keep minding his own business, return to the living room and find his place again in between Sasuke's cuddles and Madara's snuggles. And yet...

ㅤBlame it on the gifted mind, curiosity was ever too strong and, at times, it served as mean to less noble ends. Silent as a cat, Itachi entered the room only to be immediately amazed by what awaited him. The room, in itself, was nothing out of the ordinary - a bed, a desk, bedside tables, dresser, all that was expected; what stood out, however, was how much Tobirama had imprinted of his personality on the furniture and the space. There was a museum catalog on the desk beside the laptop, a book entitled Wildlife, Ecology & Conservation, a few albums... but what truly captivated Itachi's eye was the literal shiny: the row of gold medals he knew Tobirama had won in actual olympic competitions.

ㅤCareful to keep his hands to himself, because the last thing he needed was to accidentally break something, he nonetheless leaned as close as possible and stood on his tippy-toes to take a good look - and that was the moment, precisely, that the door was pushed open again. Nearly jumping out of his skin from the startle, Itachi turned around immediately to find the owner of the house staring back. ...Well, what now? Being the miniature adult polite child he was, there was only one way out: with a sheepish expression, to avert his gaze to the floor as he apologized.

❛ You two go first! ❜     Madara excitedly ushered them forward on the streets as he took out his phone to ready the camera. His motions caused several bodyguards around them to direct one another to move away and give the celebrity man a wider berth.