It's easy, ducking the guards, slipping by the only chakra sensor that's on duty. Finding the armoury is a little trickier; they don't follow the same logic as the Uchiha in having the armoury right in the centre of their encampment so that any potential invaders cannot arm themselves using Uchiha weapons. No, for some astronomically stupid reason, the Senju have it on the outskirts of their encampment.

Sasuke can barely believe it. Maybe it's because they had to move so suddenly, maybe it's because they've had to set up a new camp, maybe it's because they're that fucking cocky, he can't decide. All he knows is that he's benefiting from it, so that's good enough for him.

Amaterasu burns through the wooden plank of the ceiling, just enough for Sasuke to slip through after he's put the eternal flames out. True, there'll be no hiding the fact the Senju have been robbed, but he's not exactly going for stealthy-they'll-never-know-I-was-here. He's going for 'stealthy-until-I-have-my-sword-then-I'll-blast-out'. And it's going well, thank you very much. With four Biju in the village, the Hyūga metaphorically crawling back on their knees to be allowed in and the Nara-Akimichi-Yamanaka lot there, he'd felt secure enough to put the idea of retrieving his sword to Naruto.

She'd stared at him, blinked once, and muttered how she'd 'thought he'd just put it away because he didn't need it but of course he should go get it and please get some noodles on the way back'.

Naruto likes his cooking. Naruto likes watching him cook. Naruto likes him. Sasuke's happy. Not to the point where he'd die happy right now because he's got far too much going on in his life to just die now. He'd be furious with himself if he died now. At least sixty years from now, after a long, happy life with Naruto? Then yeah, that's fine. But not before then.

Not unless he has to sacrifice his life to save Naruto's. But there's no one who's that big of a challenge skulking about in the past here. Barring the Rabbit Fucker and she won't be getting out. Ever.

Landing on the hard-packed earth (more evidence of a quick move, they've not put down floorboards), Sasuke straightens himself out, sauntering over to the nearest wall full of blades. All typically Senju. Awful balance, more for muscle heads than for people who give a flying fuck about speed. Barring, Sasuke grudgingly thinks, the Second Hokage. Who is younger than him now. Heh. Baby Second.

It takes him all of forty seconds to finds his blade, nestled at the back and housed in the centre of a Fūinjutsu to alert the creator if someone were to remove the sword. Maybe to stop other clansmen from fucking about with it and screwing up the chakra signature Sasuke's sure will still be all but embedded in the metal. Maybe to alert the creator (who he's relatively certain now will be the Second at worst, though potentially Hashirama's Future Uzumaki bride... huh, a man of good taste in this time period, there's a surprise) to attempted theft.

Only, it won't be attempted because Sasuke won't fail. Not at this.

Without a care in the world, he reaches across and snatched up the weapon.

The chakra of the seal lashes at him but it's brushed off with ease.

Blasting through the western wall is even easier.

.

There's a moment of stunned silence as the Senju (all civilians, pregnant women or children: seems he came out on the day-care side of things) stare at him and Sasuke leisurely attaches his sword sheath back onto his hip, where it belongs (fucking Senju).

Then, Senju fucking Tobirama vaults over the nearest tent to launch a fuck ton of kunai at him. They're all precisely aimed, not one will hit a civilian (of which there are many at present) while doing their damn best to skewer Sasuke in the process. The closest kid will have one land at his feet and that'll be that. It'll probably give him a nightmare for a week, two tops. But fuck if Naruto would be unhappy to learn he'd inadvertently given a child nightmares.

Sasuke scoops up the brat as he flings himself away, depositing him in the arms of the woman who visually appears most like him before either of them gather their wits enough to scream. Sasuke keeps his momentum going, leaping up onto a First Hokage building. Sasuke knows the architecture, it's what the last never-knocked-down-before houses of old Konoha has looked like. But there's a new Konoha now, built with hundreds of the same hands instead of one sole pair. And Naruto... well, she's getting better at building houses, that much is obvious. The less said about the first few houses, the better.

Hey, he might worship the ground she walks on, but he can also admit when a building violates the health code regulations he grew up learning under his father's thumb. Surprisingly, it'd been one of the laws broken most often back then. Usually, unknown shinobi modification to a building that wasn't discovered until the creator died on a mission or building work begins and the workers uncover a nasty surprise as the jōnin in question stands at the back and does their damn best to pretend that's not their apartment.

Eh. Not his problem anymore.

Won't be his problem either; if anyone thinks he'll be running the police force, well. They can fuck right off.

"Uchiha."

Sasuke stands from his crouch, drawing his sword and watching the not-gonna-be-the-Second's face tighten in an impressive scowl.

"Senju. Just dropping by for my sword. I've got places to be, people to see."

"Bijū to appease," the Senju tests and Sasuke face lights up. It's not a friendly expression, for all that his lips resemble a smile. More something that could cut through rock.

"Nah. It's more Naruto works her magic and the Biju try to appease her. Not that they'd ever admit it." Not like Sasuke, who will happily admit he tries his best to keep Naruto happy because she is the bright spot in his life.

Tobirama smiles back at him, but it's just as dark, as threatening an expression as the one Sasuke had been wearing. Heh, he's impressed.

Then, they're off, meeting mid-air, swords clashing. Metal on metal screeches and Sasuke charges lightning chakra through the blade at the same moment Tobirama does so with his own. He meets the Senju's gaze for a mere moment as the civilians of his clan scream below them, eyes flashing into the Sharingan and then Tobirama is throwing himself away.

They both land on the hard packet earth, Sasuke's footing sure and steady. With all his chakra at his disposal, with his sword in hand and absolutely no worries about where Naruto is or if she needs him, he's at the very top of his game right now.

Tobirama may be good, but Sasuke's better.

They meet again, blades cutting through the air, Chidori Current forming in Sasuke's free hand. He fires it off, forcing Tobirama to disengage or be hit by the unknown-to-him technique. The civilians are still running scared; the kid Sasuke scooped up earlier is staring at him over his mother-sister-aunt's shoulder. Sasuke winks at him, just for the fuck of it and the kid flat out gawks. Heh. Brat. He doesn't know why Kakashi always complained about having students; Sasuke's almost looking forward to it. No, scratch that, he is looking forward to it. It's like a free trial on raising a child; maximum influence with none on the bloodline attachments. If he fucks it up, well, he'll know what not to do with his own children.

Speaking of children and Naruto and Naruto's requests, he does need to grab some noodles on the way back. It's probably not what she meant, but…

One genjutsu to distract, a quick body flicker, and then he's nailing Tobirama in the stomach with a brutal kick, launching him back and out over the wall. The rest of the Senju (who've just turned up now, slow response time there, five out of ten, would not trust to guard a village) follow the illusionary Sasuke who jumps after the would-be-Second, leaving the real Sasuke to his own devices. Perfect.

"The damage?"

One blooded rag pressed this his nose (because of course the fucking Uchiha had come back around to punch him in the nose on the way out, why not) Tobirama remains sitting on the floor of the emergency meeting hall, solely focused on the little boy sitting before Hashirama. His brother's still running his chakra through the kid's system, checking for any underlying genjutsus or fūinjutsus or any other nasty trap that the Uchiha could have left. This 'Sasuke' character might have had the bright idea to fuck off and abandon his clan (the one thing he appears to have got right if Tobirama has any say in it) but that's the only good thing about him. Coming in and stealing his sword back, making a mockery of all the shinobi who'd been on duty at that time, tricking Tobirama with a genjutsu of himself again; the worst is the fact he had literally been able to pick up a Senju child.

He could have killed Tora at any point, hundreds of different ways. The bastard had physically picked him up and plopped him down in his mother's arms. There had been no need whatsoever, so it has to be a threat. They're just not sure how.

"I can't find anything wrong with Tora-kun's chakra," Hashirama admits, drawing his hands back from the boy's shoulders. He's nearly four, young enough to bounce back from a fright of 'Sudden Uchiha' but not yet old enough to truly understand the danger of 'Sudden Uchiha'. Tora glances up at Hashirama, shrugging his thin little shoulders, almost as if Hashirama's announcement should have been obvious.

"Well, yeah. He was playing, wasn't he? Momo-chan winks at me when she's playing." The Uchiha had winked at him?

Tobirama is drawn from his hastily created thoughts of how a Uchiha winking could create a genjutsu when Father sends young Tora on his way, nothing but a harsh line of a frown on his face to show how stupid he thinks the boy's words to be. That he hasn't corrected Tora just goes to show how big of a threat the Bastard Uchiha presents.

He draws the cloth back from his nose and tries not to breathe too heavily through his nose, fearful of the fresh blood clot coming free.

Whatever it is their father is planning to say doesn't get a moment to come into being; Hashirama beats him there with a near hesitant question. Near hesitant because he doubts his brother knows the meaning of the word.

"Father. Have you considered potentially joining this village?"

Father stares. The three elders who sit at the back of the room stare. Tobirama stares. But no, his brother still stands tall, hair falling pin straight down his shoulders, as if he hasn't just suggested the most ludicrous idea to have ever been voiced in Senju territory. Join the village? The village this Bastard Uchiha and his probably-a-bastard Uzumaki friend are making?

"This isn't one of your stupid childish daydreams, Hashirama-"

"But they're doing it!" Hashirama retorts, cutting their father off mid-sentence, one arm thrown wide, fingers spread like he's wanting to point to the village itself as actual evidence, despite it being more than a half-day's full run away. "They're not fighting anyone; the children are safe there! Civilians are leaving their villages they've lived in for generations to go there because there's a significantly lower chance they'll get caught in the crossfire! I haven't heard of anyone who has managed to get to the village without Naruto pushing them back!"

"How do you know her name?" It's one of the elder's who ask, their voice low, controlled. Emotionless.

Tobirama swallows around the lump in his throat.

Quietly, Hashirama admits, "I've been listening out for it. She's, she's proof that it can be done. That we can stop this senseless violence."

Still silence. No one talks. Only breathes.

Father's eyes meet his and Tobirama straightens.

"That will be all, Tobirama. Make sure you set your nose correctly." Oh. He's being dismissed.

His eyes find Hashirama; his big brother just nods at him, turning his attention back to Father. Shoulders squared, jaw tight, head up.

He looks more like a Clan Head than Father.