Twin Leaves in the Shadow

54章

Hashirama woke up in his old room in the house he once shared with Tobirama. It took a moment for him to remember how he ended up there. Once they ache in his chest returned, everything flooded back to him.

He had confessed everything to Tobirama, and much to his surprise, his younger brother wasn't angry with him. Maybe a part of him realized he played a part in the downfall of Madara. He let Hashirama cry and grieve, while also coming up with a plan to stop whatever Madara was doing.

Hashirama raised up and forced himself out of the bed. He had so much to do, even though he felt like doing none of it. Mito was probably wondering where he was, and she needed to know what was going on. There was even a possibility she could be targeted, which only made Hashirama hurt more. He, also, needed to be there for the village. Hashirama still needed to carry out his duties.

It all felt like too much, but it had to be done.

"Hey, you. How are you feeling?" Tobirama greeted as Hashirama entered the kitchen. He looked at Hashirama with softness in his eyes. His words were soft and low, trying his best to stay delicate for Hashirama.

"I feel like a stupid piece of shit," Hashirama replied.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Why couldn't you just accept him? Why couldn't anyone? This all could have been avoided, you know? He could've been happy...with me," Hashirama interrupted harshly.

He looked over at Tobirama, who stood with his head hanging low. He knew Hashirama was right.

"The Uchiha clan will not be ostracized anymore. I will not tolerate ignorant opinions. Do you understand? I should've put my foot down before this, but I am done being pushed around," Hashirama demanded.

Tobirama nodded in agreement. "I know. I'm sorry for everything, Hashirama."

There was a brief silence between them before Tobirama spoke again. "I have sent a few shinobi to stay with Mito. They will give her a brief explanation of the situation, but I figured you would want to tell her everything yourself. I also sent a few out to search for Madara early this morning, but most of them are returning with reports of no sight of him."

"So what should we do now?" Hashirama questioned, his voice brittle.

Tobirama sighed, "Just wait and see, for now."

____________________________________

-TIME SKIP ~ 5 WEEKS LATER-

The village was bustling and going on as normal. There had been no sight or word from Madara in a while. It seemed cruel that life could go on without him in Hashirama's mind.

As Hashirama walked through the village, he was bombarded by everyone telling him "Congratulations!"

Mito was pregnant and the announcement was given just last week. Despite everything, Hashirama was happy about it. He never expected to feel this way, quite frankly. When she told him, it had been the first time he had smiled since Madara left. It was a new beginning and he needed it desperately.

As he got to his office, Tobirama was patiently waiting inside for him. He had to not only continue his part for the village, but also take the role of Madara. They had grown close again and their relationship had mended. Once again, it seemed cruel that it took Madara leaving for everything to go right.

"With the summit coming next week, I have laid out a couple of ideas for you to sift through," Tobirama explained as he presented various papers on Hashirama's desk.

"Great, I'll get on it right away," Hashirama sighed.

He could feel Tobirama's sympathetic eyes watching him as he skimmed through the paperwork.

Tobirama placed his hand on Hashirama's shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know you probably know already, but there's still no reports on Madara's whereabouts. We have scoured through everything to find clues."

Hashirama really had no words. He knew, and it hurt badly.

"I'll give you some time alone-"

Before Tobirama could finish speaking, the building shook and the windows rattled. The two brothers leapt towards the window, locking their eyes on an explosion in the distance.

"What the hell is that?" Tobirama gasped.

Hashirama knew.

"That's Madara."

Without hesitation, they geared themselves up for battle. Outside of the room, they could hear shinobi running down the halls.

The door burst open and one of the shinobi announced, "Madara Uchiha! He has started an attack on the village!"

It hurt to be right. Hashirama's stomach sank. His armor felt heavier than usual as he put it on. He knew what had to be done, but his heart didn't want to accept it.

"We need to go, Hashirama," Tobirama exclaimed.

"Protect Mito. I'll go find Madara," Hashirama ordered.

He rushed out of the room before Tobirama could protest. Deep down, he had a feeling Madara had somehow heard the news and he wasn't happy about it.

Hashirama ran as fast he could, feeling the adrenaline kicking in. He was so close now. His heart raced faster than ever.

He barreled through the smoke, looking around for any sight of Madara. As he passed through, he could see civilians and shinobi laying lifeless on the ground. It was sickening to find.

"Oh, I've been waiting for your arrival!" a familiar voice called out from above him.

Hashirama looked up, but the smoke was too thick for him to see clearly.

"Face me, Madara! Quit hiding!" Hashirama screamed out.

He heard a thud behind him, causing him to swiftly turn around. In the distance, he could hear more shinobi running to the location. He needed to act fast before there are anymore casualties.

"It's been a while...Daddy. I've heard the news and I figured it was time to pay a visit. I can't help but feel like that child is a part of me, since you know, I helped you create it," Madara smirked as he stepped forward to Hashirama.

Their faces were only inches apart. It didn't seem real. Hashirama didn't want it to be real. He just wanted to grab him and have him in his arms, but he wasn't the Madara he knew anymore.

"Why are you doing this? Please stop, Madara! This can't be you!" Hashirama pleaded.

His hands latched on to Madara's arms, squeezing hard. "Just come home and we can fix this. I'll find a way."

He kissed him, hoping it would bring some sort of feeling back to Madara. For a moment, they seemed to mold together. He felt Madara's arms wrap around his waist as the kiss deepened. It felt right. It felt good.

But then suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He stumbled away from Madara who held a cynical smile on his face.

He had shoved a kunai in Hashirama's back.

"I've missed you. Really, I have. But you chose to stay here, Hashirama, and I'm not as forgiving as you."