Home (Hashirama)
The sun was glaring down upon the land. On days like this the fire nation truly lived up to it's name. In the past, Hashirama Senju had always liked hot summer days. They somehow called out to him. They demanded of him to leave this building and find a wonderfully shady place under a tree. Feel the wind blow, hear the birds chirp. That would simply be dreamlike.
Unfortunately, he couldn't do that. He had to sit inside of the hokage tower. His office was heating up and the fabric of his white robe had too many heavy layers. How was he supposed to do all the paperwork, if they let him sweat to death first? He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Back to reality. He looked down at the scroll on his desk his brother had brought to him just a few minutes earlier without saying a word. His mood darkened, which it rarely did.
"What is your decision, brother?" Tobirama broke the silence and looked at him. His eyes were full of expectation. He waited for Hashirama's approval. As if it were that easy of a choice he was presented with.
"I'm not sure about this, Tobirama. I... I have to think about it first." Hashirama answered bluntly. He believed lying couldn't get you far and he wanted to be honest about his feelings with his younger brother.
Tobirama had a puzzled look on his face. He didn't believe what his brother just said.
"What is there to think about? The elders already approved it." Tobirama retorted, while crossing his arms and giving him an even more confused look.
"It just doesn't sit right with me at the moment. Why do you have to challenge me about this?"
"Don't be so dramatic, Hashirama. This is a chance to form a powerful alliance for Konoha. You are the hokage, a political figurehead! Act like one and do what is best for your village!" Tobirama countered with a loud voice, clearly annoyed at his brother's hesitation. He had hit a nerve.
"Do you really think I don't want to do exactly that?" Hashirama's question was unexspectedly calm compared to his brother's former strong voiced accusation. He was determined to not let this get ou t of hand. He stared into his brother's red eyes and smiled sadly.
"I know that you care about Konoha, Tobirama. I am more than happy that you do. But so do I! Just let me have time and think about the proposal. That's all I ask of you."
Tobirama's frown disappeared and he looked to the ceiling.
"I guess I have to do that." He sighed defeated. Nothing of the antagonizing tone from before was left to Hashirama's delight. "But promise me you will not take too long." With that said he turned around to leave the room.
"I'll do, what I can, but I promise absolutely nothing!" Hashirama yelled jokingly. A wholehearted grin formed on his face, even though his brother couldn't see it anymore. He heard an annoyed groan comming from the hallway, but in reality he knew Tobirama was already over it and just wanted to act tough. That was the way, how his little brother reacted when confronted with his older brother's too positive energy, but Hashirama didn't really care. He was just glad they didn't part with unresolved tension between them. Arguments with his brother always made him feel uneasy. It brought back things he wanted to leave in the past, where they belonged.
Tobirama was so much more calculating than him. It wasn't an inherently bad trait, even helpful in some situations, but it was the main reason, why their ideas, how Konoha should be run, clashed most of the time. Tobirama had this very pragmatic side he often showed, when they disagreed on something. Mostly on politics. Tobirama didn't like it, when his older brother hesitated to act just because of some gut feeling. It reminded Hashirama a lot of their father Butsuma. Hashirama always felt bad, whenever this comparison crossed his mind. It wasn't fair. Why was his father's dark shadow still looming over his son's head even years after his death?
Hashirama chuckled nervously. He knew he was beating a dead horse by this point. If his mind was doomed to be stuck in the past, how would he be able to work towards a better future? He would need to be a lot better than that.
He clearly needed fresh air and a walk. The heat in this room made him think about the weirdest things.
He looked at the scroll once more. What should he do?
He felt the sudden urge to talk to Madara about this issue. His friend always listened to him, while he was rambling about his thoughts and feelings without any judgement. He admired the fresh perspectives the Uchihan leader had on many things in life. He would surely know, what to do and if not, he would still have talked with Madara again, which was always a good thing from Hashirama's point of view. With a plan in mind, the scroll in hand and a giant grin on his face he finally allowed himself to leave the overheated hokage tower in order to find his best friend.
It was a well known fact with the villagers of Konoha, that the former Senju leader loved nature. During his childhood he had regurlarly fled to the forest to relax, but lately he had to admit, that he was filled with immense pride, whenever he saw the growing streets of Konoha. One might say to amble through the alleys, to meet and talk to new inhabitants and to see his village flourish had become one of his favourite pastimes these days. That many of his strolls ended with him being drunk in a nearby casino to passionately gamble away a large amount of his money was often left unsaid. Maybe that was for the best since he needed to be respected as the hokage. But old habits died hard, Hashirama thought.
The streets were even more lively than usual. Konoha's founding would have his two year anniversary in just a week. Hashirama wanted to celebrate that occasion. As the hokage he let a grand festival be organized. He knew the happy atmosphere would surely bring civilians and shinobi of all origins together. At least Hashirama was very optimistic about it. Tobirama had just rolled his eyes, when he was told about it by a fully convinced Hashirama, but that was just the way his brother was. Madara had been rather quiet about the whole thing. It made Hashirama worry a little bit, that this hadn't been a good idea.
But now the streets were buzzing, while people of many different backgrounds decorated their houses together with matching lanterns and flowers. Little colorful booths were being built to sell food and other things during the festival. He often stopped to marvel at all the detailed little decorations and care put into them. He was so happy, he could have cried in the middle of the street! Even a few months ago young Konoha resembled more a construction site than a real village, but now it felt vivid and lived in. It resembled the people residing in it and it made Hashirama's heart soar. He would protect Konoha and all of its people no matter the cost. Konoha was his dream come true, his home.
Hashirama was on the way to the Uchihan compound. His friend was most likely there, but he couldn't be sure. Madara liked to surpress his chakra, so that he couldn't be found easiliy by other sensory type ninjas. It always left an aching feeling to see his best friend being so withdrawn and secretive about himself as if he had something to hide. He even covered up his scent, whenever he was with other people. Even with Hashirama, his so called best friend! Did he even let his scent out, when he was alone? When Hashirama had asked for his friend's reasons for his secretiveness, he just shrugged and said he simply didn't want to do it.
Hashirama knew the identifying smell of betas wasn't usually that strong, but Madara smelled like nothing at all. He never did. It confused every new person he met, because it was weird behavior to a lot of them. It was especially problematic in political meetings. Hiding one's scent made people think their opposite was planning something behind their backs since it also covered one's emotion. Usually, this practise was reserved for dangerous missions in which shinobi didn't want to be detected by their enemies. Many clans had special jutsu to track individual scents. It must be a great strain on his chakra reserves to uphold this technique all the time. Was Madara really that paranoid?
He knew, that the war has left every shinobi with some hidden scars. Everyone was coping with them differently. Hashirama really wanted to respect his friend's privacy, but he also wanted to help Madara if he struggled in any way. Maybe Madara was ashamed that he was just a beta and not an alpha like the other clan leaders?
He still remembered the moment he presented during a training session with other Senju shinobi. Normally, people presented around nine to thirteen, but there were always exceptions in both directions. It was a symbol of the beginning adolescence, the end of childhood. He was just eight and therefore younger than most people, when it happened. His scent wasn't that strong yet due to his age and one could easily miss it, if they didn't expect it, but it was there nonetheless. The news spread like wildfire and many people of his clan congratulated him as if it were a huge achievement one had to work hard for. At least everyone seemed to be happy about it.
To be honest he felt very indifferent about his second gender at that time. He was an alpha like everyone had expected. It wasn't a surprise or anything special to him. His perspective changed when his brother, the second oldest, Kawarama Senju presented as an omega. Their father immediately forbade his son to train or to fight in any way. He also heavily restricted his son's movement. It was a huge shock to all of the four young brothers, how differently he was treated than just a few days ago. Hashirama tried to support Kawarama and worked up all his courage. He challenged his father's decision for the first time.
It is for his own good. It still haunted him, how his father said those words to him, completely unfazed by the rebellious anger it awakened in his oldest son. His father did not give an inch. He did not try to understand his sons. He wouldn't let his authority be questioned by mere brats. His beliefs were as strong as his fist, that made Hashirama's nose bleed with just one single blow. It was the first time his father had hit him, but it wouldn't be the last.
Kawarama stayed silent and played along for one whole month, until he couldn't take it anymore. He ran away. Two days later he was found dead by Senju shinobi on patrol. No one knew what really had happened, but apparently the young omega took three of his attackers with him. Hashirama felt so guilty. What should he have done to prevent this from happening?
He was weirdly relieved, when Tobirama's scent changed and let everyone around him know, that the third son of Butsuma was an alpha like Hashirama. His oldest brother would have loved him anyway, but he didn't want to imagine, how his father would have reacted. He didn't want Kawarama's fate to repeat itself. Unfortunately, his fourth and youngest brother named Itama didn't even get old enough to present. He was brutally killed in an Uchihan ambush, when he was just seven years old.
Instead of falling into despair Hashirama was filled with endless determination to chase after his dream, to completely oppose his father's path. He would get strong enough on his own to end this pointless cycle of revenge and war, stop this senseless killing. Kawarama's and Itama's deaths should be the last of their kind. To see Konoha grow into a safe haven for many felt like reaping the fruits of his labor and to have Madara with him on this journey was just amazing. He hoped his lost brothers were watching him somewhere and were a little bit proud of him. He strongly doubted his father was.
Hashirama realized he was thinking about the past again, when he suddenly heard a child screaming. Civilians around him turned their heads. It came from one of the side streets. Without hesitation the hokage took action and tried to locate the source further.
He entered the side alley quicky, but cautiously. They were behind the next corner. He used his sensory skills to determine how many enemies he had to deal with. Who dared to attack a child inside Konoha in the middle of the day? He located the child and three other chakra centers. No... wait a minute!
He walked around the corner and his suspicions were confirmed. The four people in front of him ... were all children.
The smallest one had his back to him, so he couldn't see his face, but by the sobbing he heard he could imagine how it looked like at this moment. The other three were standing in front of the black haired boy. They were taller and clearly a few years older than the crying kid. They were looming over the other's much smaler frame. One of them was emitting a strong alpha scent to intimidate the younger one. It clearly worked. They boy was terrified.
"What do you think you're doing?" Hashirama questioned them in a strict tone as he began to walk closer.
"Lord Hokage!" The three boys shrieked at the same time with high pitched voices.Their eyes widened. Their faces became as white as Tobirama's hair, when they saw who was approaching them. They instantely panicked and jumped off to the roofs of the surrounding houses. Their physical abilities made it obvious, that they were young shinobi in training, probably students of the academy. They fled the scene like terrified chickens. It would be no problem for Hashirama to run after them, catch them, but he had a more important task in front of him. He knew their faces. He could track them down later and talk to their teachers.
He walked up to the small boy and sat down to be at the same height as him. He gave him a warm smile.
"Hello, little one. Would you tell me your name and age?" He asked warmly. The boy was still crying, but he tried to get a hold of himself.
"Goo-d after-noon, Lo-ord ho-kage" The boy hiccuped. He tried to wipe away his tears with his hands, but there always came new ones. Hashirama didn't mind. He was patient.
"I am Ka-gami Uchiha" The boy slowly calmed down and the tears died down as well. "And I am eight"
"Wow, eight already!" Hashirama grinned. Kagami nodded and a weak smile formed on his face. "But why are you here, Kagami and not at home at the Uchiha compound? It is getting late." Hashirama needed to know, what had happened between those kids. The boy's smile was gone again, but he started talking.
"I-I was on the way home. I promise, lord hokage. I was at the a-acedemy and we were training with sensei Osamu for the sports c-competition. That one during the festival in a few days. After class I wanted to go home, but those three of the other class saw me a-and stopped me." Kagami was rambling fast and stumbled on his words. His posture tensed more the longer he talked. He was still nervous. Hashirama was listening closely and nodded reassuringly as best as he could.
"They grabbed my upper arm and dragged me in here. Then..." Kagami stopped. Hurt shimmered in his young eyes. It broke Hashirama's heart.
"What happened then, Kagami? You can tell me."
"They... told me really mean things. They threatened me and said I was weak, because I started to cry and that I don't belong in the academy of Konoha because I-I am an Uchiha. They said... that the Uchiha are spawns of evil and that we should all leave this village, if we value our life. That we bring nothing but destruction."
Hashirama was stunned. To be honest he hadn't expected that at all. Of course the Senju hadn't believed that every problem would be solved with Konoha's founding. The development of true solidarity among shinobi of different clans was a slow and fragile process, but never impossible in Hashirama's eyes. Didn't all humans in this world have the desire for peace and love? Therefore, the words Kagami had described felt like a punch in the gut. And the fact they had been said by children hurt even more. Obviously, they had observed this behaviour in their parents or other adults and just repeated it, acted on it.
"Is it true, lord hokage? Are... we really bad people?" Kagami's voice was weak. It held an unbearable sadness and forlorness. Hashirama needed to act. He brought his hands to the boy's shoulders and placed them firmly upon them.
"I don't believe that at all, Kagami" He said without letting room for doubt between his words. "Without the Uchiha clan Konoha wouldn't even exist. Your clan leader Madara is one of the greatest and most intelligent ninjas I've ever had the honor to know and I am sure that you can become a great and honorable shinobi just like him, if you train hard and don't give up." Then he added," And it isn't weak to cry, you know. It is okay to feel sad, when you were hurt. Sometimes real strength is not determined, whether you fall on your back, but rather if you can stand up after it happened."
"You really think that, lord hokage?" Kagami's dark eyes lightened up. Hashirama really did. He wouldn't have said these words otherwise. He had the feeling that this little Uchiha had great potential, that this kid was truly a child of Konoha. The will of fire ran through his veins and all he needed was a little confidence.
"I do think that. You said you were on your way home. I was on the way to the compound as well. Do you want to accompany me?" Hashirama rose to his feet and hold out his hand to Kagami.
"Yes!" With a yelp the Uchiha took the outstreched hand of the Senju. They were so much smaller than expected. Together they left the alley and set off. Kagami smiled proudly, when being seen with the hokage. They reached the compound in a few minutes and Kagami showed him the way to his home. Hashirama noticed the lack of decorations the other streets had. No lanterns, no flowers in the whole compound as if nothing was planned and organized in the rest of Konoha.
At their destination a beta woman around thirty opened the door. Her dark short hair and eyes were typical for the Uchihas, but her facial features resembled Kagami's so much it would have been uncanny, if they hadn't been more closely related. That boy left Hashirama's side and ran quickly into her arms. So probably his mother. She happily kissed her son's forhead and welcomed him back home. Her expression faltered reflexively, when she saw the man that had been with her son. Her glare couldn't be described as openenly hostile, but it held a cold undertone of enmity, an unspoken question, why the Senju infiltrated their little home. Hashirama couldn't fully grasp all the nuances.
After just a fraction of a second she snapped out of it and greeted him respectfully. If it weren't for the hokage's great perception skills, the hesitation in her action would have been missed entirely. She bowed down and invited him to come inside as it was a normal custom, when a high ranking shinobi stood in front of your door.
Hashirama accepted the invitation and the cup of green tea she offered. The hokage knew deep down he wasn't actually welcome, but he needed to talk to her about the incident he had witnessed. Taree Uchiha , she had introduced herself, stayed silent throughout Hashirama's story of what had accured in that side street just half an hour ago. Her eyes didn't widen in shock, her hands didn't turn into fists. Unbeknownst to Hashirama she had heard it all before. Things like that happened all the time. It wasn't just an isolated case. Many Uchihan children had to hear those hateful comments.
Hashirama finished with the promise he would find the culprits and talk to their parents and teachers. Taree smiled politely and thanked him for his promised support. She had always passionately hated the Senju clan. They took her husband when Kagami was still growing inside of her. She had always been against Konoha's existence. It felt unfair for the loss she had suffered. That now everything would be forgotten. But the Senju in front of her was so honestly concerned about her little Kagami. She smelled his sincerity in his warm scent. His promise to help felt so pure, his brown eyes looked so genuine and Taree wanted to believe in him somehow. That somewhere in the future children wouldn't hear these insults anymore. That one day all of the Uchiha might call this village home under his care. She would never forgive the Senju, but maybe she could make an exception for the hokage.
On his way out Hashirama saw Kagami sitting on the stairs in the hallway. His mother didn't want him to be part in the serious conversation. In his goodbye the Senju promised to look out for him during the competition. It made the child laugh to have the hokage as his fan.
Hashirama still wanted to talk to Madara, but the little weasel didn't seem to be at his home or the compound at all. All Uchihas Hashirama talked to said their leader had left this morning and hadn't come back. With dashed hopes the hokage left the compound again. But then he got another idea, where his friend could be.
The sun was starting to hide behind the green mountains in the distance. Finally, the temperature started drop as the sky changed his color from a light blue to a warm orange. It made it easier for the Senju to climb up the wall behind the hokage tower. The breeze up here had a cooling effect. It made his sweat inducing robe more bearable. He reached the top in no time.
There he was. Standing on the top of the stone wall was no other than Madara Uchiha. The man looked down upon their village that prepared for the night ahead. His long dark hair moved in the wind. His skin had a golden shine in the light of dawn. He wore a short-sleeved black battle tunic. His muscular arms weren't usually shown, so they captured Hashirama's eyes. Then he saw his dark eyes, they searched for something they would never find.
All in all, Madara seemed ... lonely, absent, lost in thoughts no one but him could understand. Hashirama felt like he saw a side of his friend he had rarely seen before. There was a vulnerability Madara always hid away like so many other things. So many questions raced through Hashirama's head. Why was he up here alone for the whole day? What was he feeling, when he saw Konoha from up here? Why did he seem to be so far away from their people? And lastly, was Madara... unhappy here?
Hashirama wanted to change that. Konoha was their dream since childhood and in this moment Hashirama set himself a new top priority. He would make Madara feel at home here. He didn't know, where the dark feelings of his friend had come from, but he was positive he could chase them away. That was what friends were made for!
With the new found resolution Hashirama closed the distance between them. In just a few seconds the alpha had completely forgotten about the scroll in his pocket and the issue he'd wanted to talk about.