Dreams
"I don't have dreams."
"What? Not even as a child? Not even once?"
"When you've seen what I've seen and done what I've done, that's not a good idea."
"Bullshit. We're both shinobi. My hands are just as red."
"My dreams died when an Uchiha hunter squad killed my little brother. Humans dream. That night I became the monster I am today. The demon. The ghost. Nothing but a tool to be wielded for another's purpose." There was a sigh before he spoke again. "What business did you come here for Uchiha?"
Tobirama never looked at him. He just stood there, gaze far away, and words rolling out like a fog in a forest as he watched from the top of the mountain face overlooking the village. That was a look Madara had seen before. A man who had accepted their fate no matter how much it sucked. But Madara had decided that the man who helped build the village, constantly worked to better it, created an entire academy and fought tooth and nail for the missions age to be 12 at minimum, had dreams but could not see them from behind a desk.desk.
"One of my clansmen says you taught them water walking."
"They saw me doing it and refused to let me go until I helped them do the same."
"And you didn't just brush him off?"
"Why would I stunt the growth of a child? I had the time and skills to be that help."
"He didn't talk your ear off?"
"Is that why he apologized for being annoying when I made no claim of him being as such?"
"No one could keep up with him."
"Madara-sama, he's an inquisitive child growing up in a peaceful time. None of us have any frame of reference for this. We need to show them the compassion we didn't get and the patience to teach them while protecting that childlike innocence we lost far too young." Madara looked at him again. He thought maybe Hashirama had something to do with the school, but it was this man. The man who taught a child that every sensei had given up on. Who looked at a child of his clan's once enemy and chose to help."
"I apologize if I offended the Uchiha for my actions. Inter clan teachings will begin in the fall and I did it outside of the academy."
"No, stop that. I'm here to ask you to be his sensei. Formally. But I'll need to watch some of the lessons. Especially those with fire techniques or if he wants sharingan practice with you."
"You want me, to teach him?!" Tobirama's look to him was that of shock, the icy mask broken and a slight glint to his eyes. Gotcha!
"Don't act so surprised you're a genius and probably need a lab hellion or something. And I'll just help you with your share of the work the days you need to train him. C'mon. There's a new ramen stand I'd like to try and we should discuss his training goals. My treat."
Madara only momentarily registered the pink on the man's cheeks as he himself turned and began to walk away. He didn't hear much behind him so he turned back to see a calculating look on Tobirama's face.
"You okay there Senju?"
"I uh, yes." He still looked puzzled but began to follow Madara.
Madara was just happy he hadn't chickened out of his original plan of asking the man to dinner. He was fascinated by him and wanted to know even more now.