A marriage of convenience rarely brings happiness, for in it, feelings take a back seat to duty, which the newlyweds must fulfil regardless of their desires. Tobirama cared little about being married to a girl from a clan he disliked. He cared a little more that you were Madara Uchiha's cousin, but even so, he made it clear: the two of you, and your marriage, were nothing more than a guarantee of peace between the once warring clans.

The lavish wedding, Hashirama's genuine joy, Madara's wariness, and Tobirama's cold, collected detachment. From the moment you said your vows of allegiance and exchanged sake bowls, you officially became Senju, leaving the Uchiha clan behind. Picking up a few belongings, saying goodbye to your family, moving to the Senju clan, meeting the clan elders... After all of that, Tobirama left you with conflicting feelings. 'She's a Senju now. She's my wife, and I won't tolerate disrespectful treatment of her,' his words often popped into your head, leaving you stunned, especially when you saw the coldness and what you thought was even anger in his eyes when you were alone together. The role you were destined to play did not suit you, nor did it suit your husband. Nevertheless, Tobirama was a responsible and serious man for whom resentment was an unacceptable whim, just as it was for you.

The calm did not last long, however. The attempted assassination of you deep in the night shook the delicate balance between two clans that seemed to have just reached a compromise and chosen peace. You were terrified, and Tobirama was furious. Like you, family was everything to him, and anyone who threatened his family was subject to his rare but unrestrained anger. Perhaps it was at that moment that you remembered Hashirama's words to you shortly before the wedding, 'Cold and rude, yes, but he's actually good. You'll learn to live with him, I promise.'

"The investigation is going slowly, we have too few leads. We don't know if it was someone from the Senju clan or the Uchiha clan, there are too many options, and everyone... has a reason for it."

Tobirama sighed heavily, stopping on the path of the courtyard garden. The cold concentration on his face did a good job of hiding the inner turmoil he was feeling after what had happened. The elders' meeting had gone horribly, both clans were in an uproar, and there was a palpable tension hanging in the air. He didn't like it all at all, nor did he like seeing the confused look on your face.

"I should apologise. I'm sorry that you were dragged into this political squabble and that I couldn't protect you. I mean, you could have been hurt..." his fists clenched, his eyebrows furrowed in a frown. "You should know that I have no animosity towards you specifically, and that anyone responsible for the assassination attempt will be punished. I will personally handle this, do you understand?"

Tobirama's gaze flickered to your face, momentarily softening. In his mind, he was cursing himself for not being able to catch up with the culprit that night, let alone kill him.