Disclaimer: As you can probably tell by the fact that this isn't all in Japanese, I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.
Warning: This fic contains spoilers for Chapter 538, although they're not really plot spoilers...more like a detail of the Narutoverse's culture that we didn't know about before.
Brothers in Arms
When the architects showed Hashirama the first set of designs for the statues they intended to build at the Valley of the End, Hashirama shook his head and said, "I appreciate your efforts, but I'm afraid these won't do." He also rejected the second set, and the third, and the fourth.
Eventually, his younger brother asked him what was wrong with all the concept sketches, as they looked perfectly fine to him. Hashirama explained that all of the designs so far showed him and Madara in various battle poses: raising a sword, blowing a katon, and the like.
"But...what's wrong with that? You defeated him, and saved the village. Why shouldn't people have a memorial to a hero defeating a great enemy?"
"Because that's not how I want people to remember us."
After two more failed attempts at creating a more suitable monument, Hashirama took the obviously frustrated lead architect aside. "Look, why don't you try something like this?" he said, and drew two figures on a sheet of paper that Mito had been using to practice writing her seals. They were just stick figures, and at first the architect looked like he was trying to avoid insulting the Shodaime Hokage by rolling his eyes at him, but then he squinted as he saw the one detail that Hashirama had drawn in. The two stick figures (above which Hashirama had helpfully drawn an "M" and an "H" so that they could be distinguished from each other) were holding their hands in the sign for "combat."
The architect's brow furrowed. "But Hokage-sama," he protested, "that seal isn't used for real fights. In a true battle, you don't inform your enemy beforehand that you're about to attack. The 'combat' seal is only used for friendly spars or exhibition matches. It's a sign of respect, to indicate that you consider the opponent a friend or comrade against whom you intend to fight honorably."
"Exactly."
Hashirama's hands shook as he lowered them after performing his final jutsu. The straps holding his breastplate on gave way with a snap, and the armor clattered to the ground. He didn't even notice. How could he notice a little thing like that, when his friend and rival was lying dead on the ground before him?
Hashirama trudged over to the body and carefully knelt down, wincing as the broken ends of his ribs ground together. He tried to steady his fingers as he arranged them into the sign for "combat." Then he reached down and wrapped them around Madara's fingers, which were already starting to cool.
Together, they made the sign for "harmony."
"I'm sorry, old friend," Hashirama whispered.
"What do you think?" Mito asked as they stood in front of the newly-completed statues. Hashirama marveled at the quality in her soft voice that somehow made it carry over the roar of the waterfall.
He tilted his head back, looking up at the huge stone effigies of himself and Madara, each holding one hand before its chest in the characteristic sign known to every Academy student.
"I think it's perfect," he said. "This is how I want us to be remembered."
A/N: During that flashback where Iruka was explaining about the tradition of shinobi using the hand-sign for "combat" before the beginning of a friendly spar, I remembered that Madara and Hashirama are doing that hand-sign in the statues at the Valley of the End, which made me wonder whether the statues had been built to commemorate their friendship and partnership in founding Konoha, rather than their later battle.
Thanks for reading!