Self Redemption

"Kawarama?"

Tobirama called out. Kawarama paused briefly, his eyebrows lowered, and he cast a glance at Tobirama before lifting his foot and continuing up the stairs.

Soon, the sound of footsteps faded from the stairwell, and the opening and closing of doors on the second floor were audible.

Tobirama furrowed his brows, contemplating for a moment before deciding to get up and head to the second floor.

The Senju residence was quite spacious, with high ceilings that made the staircase rather long. His footsteps on the stairs were muffled, one step, two steps...

As Tobirama ascended the stairs, the content of his recent conversation with Madara resurfaced in his mind.

The fragrant scent of tea filled the air, and Tobirama poured a cup of hot tea, placing it in front of Madara.

Madara didn't pick it up but instead looked at Tobirama. He said, "You seem to dislike me."

Tobirama hesitated for a moment. Indeed, he had felt uneasy around Madara.

It wasn't just the immediate urge to murder him upon waking up.

But Tobirama thought for a moment and replied, "It's not that I dislike you... it's just that you seem dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Madara chuckled and leaned back on the couch. His long hair, tied into a ponytail, fanned out behind him. He smirked and said, "I'm dangerous? What did Hashirama tell you?"

Tobirama remained silent for a moment and then asked, "Have we never met before?"

"What? Of course, we haven't," replied Madara. "I forgot, you've lost your memory... can't tell."

"… I've lost my memory, not my wits."

Madara nodded indifferently.

Tobirama felt a surge of anger, a familiar sensation.

But emotions weren't the most pressing issue now. He asked, "You said we hadn't met before. How is that possible? My brother has been saying you've known each other for a long time..."

"Since high school," Madara replied as he sipped his tea. "But Hashirama kept saying his little brother was studying abroad, and he couldn't produce any photos. It was only when you showed up that I found out what Hashirama had been saying was true."

"True about what?"

"True about him having a little brother."

The white steam rising from the teapot obscured Madara's expression.

Tobirama lowered his gaze.

"I understand now. Thank you for providing the information."

Half an hour had passed, and with Hashirama still absent, Madara decided to leave.

"Since Hashirama hasn't returned, I'll be on my way," he said, finishing the cup of tea.

Madara's long hair that spilled out from behind the courtyard wall seemed to touch a familiar corner in Tobirama's heart.

Tobirama took a step forward, climbing the last staircase. With this step, the world began to spin, and in the blink of an eye, the surroundings blended together like a painting, forming another scene.

Tobirama opened the door to the study.

As a sensor-type ninja, Tobirama's senses were always incredibly sharp. When he heard the knock on the door, he already had a feeling. In the study of the Senju clan leader's house, there was not only his elder brother Hashirama but also his close friend Madara.

Madara casually leaned back in one of the guest chairs. Upon seeing Tobirama enter, he paused in his conversation.

After a few moments of silence, he continued with their previous topic.

In fact, Tobirama had a pretty good idea of why Madara was seeking Hashirama. With the establishment of Konoha and the concurrent construction efforts, the educational aspects for the children Hashirama valued were already in progress. While the buildings and infrastructure were being set up, the personnel were yet to be fully assembled, and that included the children.

For clans that had been at odds not long ago, clashing and hunting each other down, entrusting their children to their former enemies proved to be quite a challenge.

Tobirama had initially thought that convincing the Uchiha to entrust their children – which still sounded a bit odd to him – would be a challenging task. However, it seemed that Madara had come to discuss this very matter with Hashirama.

He was about to join the conversation, but Madara abruptly wrapped up their discussion.

"In any case... that's it," Madara stated, his gaze briefly falling on Tobirama, who was leaning against the door.

Tobirama's eyebrows furrowed as a sense of unease washed over him.

As expected, Madara took a couple of steps back. "I'll be on my way."

Hashirama, with full enthusiasm, responded, "Oh, take care!"

Just as the words left Madara's lips, the next second, the curtains were flung open, the windows were thrown wide open, and a gust of wind blew in. Madara propped himself up, and with the breeze, he jumped out the window. The flapping of wings and the panicked chirping of birds filled the air as they scattered from the disturbance.

Tobirama hurriedly reached the window, only to find Madara already descending from the roof.

His raven-like hair fluttered in the wind, disappearing behind the garden wall.

"Aren't you going to use the door?!" Tobirama couldn't help but shout after the disappearing figure. His brother was laughing beside him.

Even as leaders, they were both so unconventional.

Both of them.

Tobirama felt like he was starting to understand why they got along so well.

"Stop being so serious, Tobirama!" his brother patted his shoulder, and Tobirama found it both amusing and exasperating.

"It's you who's too relaxed..."

He tried to suppress his laughter and spoke firmly.

Suddenly, the laughter ceased.

Tobirama froze.

The world seemed to flicker like a candle, flickering erratically.

He turned his head.

The laughing face of his brother gradually blurred.

The daylight dimmed. The dim orange sun once again filled the entire room.

Tobirama knelt on the floor. He knelt very straight, with his back erect, and the figure in front of him went from being blurry to clear.

It was his brother.

His brother was lying on the bed.

The First Hokage, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama had never appeared so weak before.

Tobirama felt like he had split into two. One half was watching coldly, and the other half was inside his body. An endless ocean of grief swelled within his chest. His face showed no emotion, but Hashirama smiled.

"Tobirama, don't make that face," he said, but as he finished speaking, he furrowed his brow, covering his lips and started coughing.

Crimson blood oozed between his fingers.

Hashirama's body couldn't bear to speak too much.

Tobirama's heart thudded heavily twice. Countless words welled up on his lips, and overwhelming emotions pushed him to speak.

Yet those words of sorrow, of screams, didn't make it past Tobirama's throat. To an outsider, he simply remained silent for a moment.

"Don't smile so carelessly, elder brother."

"...This isn't something that can pass with just a smile."

Hashirama didn't look at his brother, but continued to smile, as if he were narrating a story that had nothing to do with him.

"But think about it, Tobirama... What do I have left to hold on to? I'm in the village I've always dreamed of. The world is moving toward peace. Other nations have also signed treaties. This is a world of the living, Tobirama, no longer that hell."

"And there's the village... The village has you. Tobirama, you are the one I can entrust with everything... What more could I regret?"

He spoke like a petulant child. Having received the candy he desired most, he disregarded everything else. Tobirama gazed at his older brother, his serene countenance as if it were merely a harmless jest...

That pallid complexion, as if all the color had been coughed out just moments ago.

Tobirama remained silent, bowing his head.

The sharp, faint voices that had floated in the air suddenly became noisy.

Leaves tapped against the window, spiraling down.

In the twilight's glow, everything appeared like an unreal silent drama, with all the characters speaking their rehearsed lines on a meticulously arranged stage.

Hashirama chuckled and slowly lowered his brows.

He opened his mouth and suddenly said, "Actually, I hope you..."

"...Tobirama..."

He reached out, as if wanting to convey something, or perhaps, just to touch his overly precocious younger brother's face one last time.

A gentle touch brushed against his cheek, as if a soft breeze passed by.

Tobirama raised his head.

Time seemed to slow down in that moment.

Hashirama's hand suddenly lost its strength and fell in mid-air.

Elder brother.

A choked cry in his throat.

Tobirama bent down.

He wanted to grasp that outstretched hand.

But the world had become sluggish, and only his elder brother's hand remained as it was.

The fastest shinobi -

Snap. A soft sound.

Hashirama's hand landed on the tatami mat.

Tobirama opened his eyes.

He stood in front of Kawarama's door, not knowing how long he had been there.