The Moon is White

Chapter 14

Hashirama hummed softly under his breath as he strolled through the streets of Sora-ku.

So, why was Hashirama here?

Well, word has it that there have been sightings of the Uchiha clan in this seemingly abandoned city, and while usually, Tobi would be the one who takes on these types of missions, Takeshi-san, his father's right-hand, had gotten word that Uchiha Madara had been spotted at this exact location not a day ago.

And as Hashirama was the only one who could openly fight against the Uchiha heir without losing his life, he and Kawarama had been selected for this intel gathering mission. As for why Kawa was paired with him, it was due to his little brother's proficiency in disguises.

While Kawa hid at the outskirts of the city, ready to provide back-up if required, Hashirama strode confidently around with his hair dyed black and facial structure reconstructed with makeup and clay to look more like an Uchiha. After a few days of spying on and chatting with the residents here, Hashirama figured out that Sora-ku was basically a den filled with black marketeers.

They sold their wares to anybody without caring about affiliation, clan, and status. It was no wonder the Uchiha would buy and store their munitions here.

Although he knew that the Uchiha heir was spotted here yesterday, it was still somewhat of a surprise when he stumbled across Uchiha Madara paying for one of them illegal rare goods. The Uchiha heir looked unfazed at being caught by a 'clan member', only gazing at Hashirama's disguised form for a split second before returning to his transaction.

Before Hashirama could bolt, however, the Uchiha gestured for him to stay put. As much of a loud mouth Hashirama was, he was first and foremost a shinobi, and as a shinobi, he knew how covert missions went. So not wanting to clue Uchiha Madara that he was an infiltrator, he obediently accepted the order.

As he waited for the Uchiha to complete his transaction, he decided to scrutinize the other shinobi. Whenever they met in combat, Hashirama didn't have the leisure time required to study the Uchiha despite their close proximity. That was how challenging (dangerous) Uchiha Madara was in a fight.

Uchiha, as per usual, was wearing an indigo mantle with sleeves that flow past his fingertips, standard shinobi pants and sandals, and if Hashirama could see the man's hands, probably a pair of leather gloves as well. If Hashirama did not know any better, he would think the Uchiha skin-shy.

But, of course, he knew better.

He had seen the man run around the battlefield with holes and cuts in his clothes as they fought, looking pretty much like a war god with flames and explosion whipping his long hair in the wind. Hashirama has never, however, once seen the right side of the Uchiha's face thanks to the sheer volume of his hair, but he knew that Uchiha was quite handsome just from what he could see.

Although, in Hashirama's humble opinion, he still looked much like a porcupine with his hair spiking everywhere like that.

"Name?" Uchiha Madara asked with disinterest after the seller had left them, turning fully to face Hashirama. Sweating at the unexpected inquiry, he blurted out the first name he could think of.

"Hashi," And oh, how he could picture Tobi's pinched expression right now, followed by the tirade about the benefits of pre-planning, "My name is Hashi, Madara-sama."

The Uchiha heir only hn-ed, obsidian eyes narrowed - and for a second there, Hashirama was concern that he had been exposed, but Uchiha only turned on his heels, throwing a curt, "Walk with me," over his shoulder. Hashirama scrambled to follow.

Quite unexpectedly, Uchiha led them to an eatery. The Uchiha then chose a table that allowed them to have a full view of the restaurant, where they could see the comings and goings of the customers, as well as to have easy access to one of the exits if called for it.