Chapter 1
——————
Dying will always be a part of being a Shinobi so when he sacrificed his life for his students and he breathed his last, there’s no regret, he can only smile. He closed his eyes knowing that he saved them.
Tobirama was not a religious person, he never was, he always thinks that the time that the people use in worshipping can be used for research and other useful things that can benefit the clan or the village.
But when he opens his eyes after he dies surrounded by the faces of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Haniyasu-Hime and Haniyasu-Hiko, Yama-No-Kami, Ukemochi, and Uga-No-Mitama maybe he should’ve at least light some incense for them.
Though they calmed him stating that his sacrifices for the clan and the village is more than enough to appease them. “There’s no need to fret, chīsame no yatsu, let us tell you first a story and we will let you be with your loved ones.”
The Senju’s apparently was under the protection of the deities that is connected to the earth, they explained to him the ways of the creation and how Kami-sama the creator of all has a plan to re-create the world again after a war that will happen known as the Saishū kessen, though Kami-sama is the only one who knows about when it will happen.
Then Hagoromo-sama explains to him the ways of life and the afterlife, he also added that some other Deity may want to talk to him but he will be given time to adjust in the afterlife first.
When he exited the temple he was welcomed by his brothers Kawarama and Itama, he hugged them so tight and only stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up he sees the face of his father but with a younger face, apparently Kami-sama will re-create their bodies in the pure land when they were their best selves.
“I was blinded by grief” his father smiled gently explaining that the last years of his life were not his best.
He tried to coddle his brothers, earning him a kick “Our bodies may have stayed the same when we died but our souls grow up with you, we were always beside you.”
When he asked how, his father said that some other time he will explain how, but for now they will celebrate.
They did say that to a well-organized mind death is but a next great adventure but being in the Pure Lands is not really an adventure, it’s just a constant state of being stagnant.
Yes, they have everything that they will ever want; endless supplies of foods, clothing, and items for experiments, and when he requested a lab it was built immediately. But nothing really happens, unless you consider welcoming everyone that dies from the land of the living an event.
He remembers his first days in the Pure Land, he was welcomed by everyone that he knows and that’s a lot considering his position, he looked around for Hashirama but apparently his soul is still on the land of the living because of something Madara has done and because of something/someone named as Black Zetsu.
After a few weeks of nothing but sweet reunion to everyone he knows on the Senju compound in the Pure Lands comes a very weird day, Uchiha Izuna requesting for a formal meeting with him in the halls of Amaterasu the deity of the Uchiha. When he told his father regarding the said meeting his father has frowned but didn’t say anything, his brothers become very clingy though.
When he went to the halls of Amaterasu, his father and some Senju elders accompanied him but wasn’t able to enter because they don’t have an invitation, “I will wait here, promise me you’ll come back. And promise me you’ll never eat anything a Deity will give you.” His father requested which makes everything more confusing.
Amaterasu’s Hall was more elegant than the halls of the deity of the Senju’s. The main castle is in the center and stands tall almost nearing the sun, it has five towers surrounding the very large courtyard. The Uchiha compound is within the halls of Amaterasu, unlike theirs.
He was welcomed by his former rival on the second gate of the hall who grins like a madman, Izuna bowed a saikeirei towards him and when he was going to return the gesture was stopped “Tobirama-sama, as Amaterasu’s hikaru you will not bow to any Uchiha.”
“Sama? Hikaru? Uchiha are you alright? Are you well?” He asked as he touched Izuna’s forehead making sure he doesn’t have a fever. Do they get sick in the Pure Land?
When he sees Izuna face reddening he immediately gets his hand’s off “Apologies, I forgot, I got accustomed with Kagami and my other students”
“No worries Tobirama-sama. Please call me Izuna, all the people here share the same family name.”
“That is noted Izuna-san, please drop the sama.” Then the grinning face of Izuna which he was familiar with when they battle appeared again “No can do, Tobirama-sama”
As they walked into the heart of the great hall he was greeted by many of the clan members who are all bowing at him when he tries to bow Izuna has stopped him “I told you Tobirama-sama, you are Amaterasu’s hikaru.”
“But-!”
“I will explain everything later, but please for now follow me.”
Izuna has led him toward a private chamber and when the doors opened he was faced by Uchiha Tajima and many Uchiha’s of his generation, when he stepped inside the room they all bowed a dogeza towards him. He faces Izuna to question as to what’s happening but Izuna is also bowing then all of them shouted “We the Uchiha of the generation of Tajima and Madara are asking for forgiveness for all of our shortcomings towards Amaterasu’s beloved.”
Tobirama doesn’t understand the following events that have happened, he tries to make the Uchiha stand up but they don’t budge “I- please, I don’t understand, there’s nothing to forgive, please- please stand up.”
But they still remain in their position, panicking he kneeled beside Izuna “Izuna please, I forgive you, please stand up.”
Then a he felt a presence of warmth and peace, looking up to the direction of the presence he saw a woman clothed in white and red, with a golden crown in her head, with hair as black as the night and skin as pale as the moon, lips as red as fresh blood, and eyes that have a shade of bright vermillion.
“Always a gentle heart, ready to forgive even though you don’t even know what it is to forgive. I don’t understand why people didn’t see it back then”
It was Amaterasu.
Answers to his question was always a delight for Tobirama, he liked learning and knowing things that he doesn’t understand, he liked solving complex puzzles. But as to what happened that whole day is like solving a big puzzle only to see that there’s another puzzle inside.
Amaterasu-sama was pissed towards her people and was livid at Hagoromo-sama for ruining her written will on earth.
Apparently he’s a sign that was given by Amaterasu for the Uchiha to stop the war but it was not understood because they didn’t know her sign because Hagoromo-sama has forged her will.
“I didn’t forged your will Amaterasu-sama, I simply extended it.”
“Extended it? And now that Zetsu thing is destroying everything and making my people suffer.”
Not only was he’s a sign, but he’s also a blessed, chosen by the goddess herself to be her human avatar and was to be worshipped like the goddess herself. That alone makes his skin crawl, he almost bolted but was stopped by Amaterasu “I still have many things to explain Tobirama-kun.”
Being a blessed means his life was also watched by every Uchiha, his whole life was exposed to all of them, and all of his secrets was revealed, and one of those is that he had only killed five Uchiha’s all throughout his life, he didn’t even kill Izuna which is the truth because he knows the consequence if he will, but he doubted himself if he miscalculated because Izuna did die.
Apparently Izuna was manipulated by Zetsu thinking that his wound is severe. He suddenly remembers his brother’s words after knowing that Izuna died, carved as a never-healing-wound in his heart.
Amaterasu with all of her height and glory picked him up like a mother to her babe and placed his head on her shoulder “Don’t think about the past Tobirama-kun, you are loved. So much loved. I’m here now. I will never allow them to hurt you ever again.”
Her words making his heart full and eyelids heavy he falls into a deep slumber.
He was then awoken by the deep grumble of the earth, as a shinobi he was trained to be alert in every situation but he can’t seem to open his eyes, his consciousness seems to be pulled back to sleep, his body seems heavy and he can’t move a muscle. He was still being carried by Amaterasu like an infant.
He hears voices in a quiet quarrel around him.
“He belongs with his family Amaterasu-sama, he belongs to us.” That’s the deep voice of Haniyasu-Hiko
“He belongs to me, he’s mine, from the day he was conceived thru his death and thru eternity he’s mine.”
“Your people didn’t even worship him nor have given him mercy when he was alive, your claim means nothing here in our court.”
“He was not worshiped because someone has ruined my will for my people. Otou-sama, please, he’s my son, my will, my light. You cannot take him away from me or my people.”
Then sleep claims him again.
The next day time he was awoken by a gentle nudging in his face and sees a woman who looks like Izuna.
“Tobirama-sama, your father is here.”
He tries to stand up but his limbs still felt heavy and his mind is still foggy. His father then rushes inside and picks him up hurriedly and walks aways without giving a single word to the lady. As his father hurriedly walks away from Amaterasu’s hall he sees many Uchiha in the courtyard surrounding them.
“Let us pass, he’s going home.”
“This is his home Batsuma.”
He felt his father’s hold tightening. “He will return here if he wants but he will be free to go home, to us, whenever he wants. We have an agreement Tajima he’s going home now. Let us pass.”
Then the sea of Uchiha that was surrounding parted, as they pass the last gate Tobirama peeks from his father’s shoulder and sees the Uchiha bowing.
——————-