Heart on Our Sleeves

Welcome

Hashirama 4
Tobirama 3
Kawarama 1
Itama 0

Hurried footsteps on wooden floor were heard inside the house. People, mainly women, ran back and forth, bringing towel and warm water in and out of a certain room located in the corner.

A cry of struggle made Hashirama stopped on his track, hesitating whether to look inside the room or not. He had been in this situation once before, around 1 year ago. Back then, he gave in to fear and quietly went back to his room, meeting his mother an hour after the labour.

This time, he had decided to support his mother and his yet unborn baby sibling. Though the scream of pain coming from his mother made him wince with every step he took. When he thought about going back to his room, he felt a tug on his clothes. He turned around and saw his little brother, Tobirama, holding on to him.

"What is wrong, Tobirama?" Hashirama asked, careful not to let his worry ooze out of his voice.

"Is mother.. alright?" Tobirama asked, eyes wide and fearful. His brows furrowed further as they heard another scream. He looked close to tears.

Hashirama glanced at the direction of the room, then back at his brother. Last year, Tobirama had stayed in their room, too. The white-haired senju hadn't known the struggle of women in labour, until now.

Hashirama forced a smile as he ruffled Tobirama's head, "She is going to be fine"

"Really?"

"Yep. I promise" Hashirama assured. He knew he shouldn't make any promise about someone else's condition, but he couldn't help it. Not when his mainly calm brother looked so worried.

"And besides, when it is over, we are going to have another sibling!" Hashirama said, punching the air with his fist. Tobirama didn't look very impressed, but his expression relaxed a little.

"Wait, now that we are talking about it, where is Kawara--" Hashirama cut his own sentence as silence fell. Then, a loud, clear cry.

A baby's cry.

Hashirama and Tobirama looked at each other for a while, and, as if on cue, ran into the labour room.

There, they saw their mother, sweaty and worn out but with the most beautiful and happy expression they had ever seen, laying on the bed. To say she was tired was an understatement, but she was smiling.

Next to her, another senju clan retainer was holding a baby. Their baby sibling.

A retainer ran outside, calling for their clan head. Hashirama and Tobirama slowly walked up to their mother.

"Are you alright, mother?" Hashirama asked, holding his mother's hand. His mother, with her unruly white hair tied on the back, didn't stop smiling, as she answered "You two were there with me, so I am"

Hashirama blinked

"You knew that we were right outside?"

Their mother chuckled, it was a music to their ears,  "How couldn't I, when both of your chakra were jumping out of place?"

Hashirama and Tobirama smiled sheepishly, remembering just how panicked they were.

Their worry was unneeded, after all, their mother was a strong person.

Not long, their father, Butsuma Senju, bursted into the room. A kid, a little bit older than one, in hand.

"Mashiro!" The Senju clan head called, walking quickly to his wife and putting a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Are you feeling alright? Is something out of ordinary?" He asked.

Senju Butsuma was a stern man, whether to his fellow clan men, his sons, and even himself. But in front of his wife, he could always make an exception.

Mashiro shook her head, and Butsuma heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he turned to the clan helper, looking at his newborn child.

"There is nothing wrong with the child, is there?" He asked, eyeing the baby.

"Not a thing, sir" the retainer answered.

"The gender?"

Hashirama and Tobirama held their breath in anticipation. Hashirama had always wanted a baby sister--

"It is a boy, sir" answered the helper.

Hashirama blinked. He had always wanted a sister.. but somehow, knowing that his new sibling was a boy, he didn't feel disappointed at all.

Butsuma exhaled, and if anyone looked close enough, they would see the corner of his lips forming a smile.

In times of war, men power were considered more valuable then women's, even though women were also higly protected to ensure the continuity and birth of the clan children.

But for the clan head to have male children was important, as they had bigger probability to grow into strong shinobi.

Hashirama stared at the retainer, who noticed the wide eyes. The retainer lowered the baby so Hashirama and Tobirama could see.

The baby was, in Hashirama's opinion, ugly. But Hashirama couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of joy inside of him when he saw the baby. He could tell Tobirama felt the same way, as the white haired boy was eyeing their newborn brother intently.

Hashirama saw Kawarama standing on his tiptoes to try and see, so he picked his little brother up to have a better look.

"His name shall be Itama" Butsuma said. Hashirama wondered if the guy had prepared it beforehand.

Hashirama smiled, followed by the rest of his family, as they looked at the new family member with fond expressions.

"Welcome to the family, Itama"