"I sense that battle has come to an end. Go and help my brother."

He was waiting for the battle to reach a point when it would be safe to send Shinobi to support Hashirama. He will be weakened and anyone could take advantage of it and attack him. Or the village. That is why he decided to stay in Konoha, sending only a few elite men to help Hashirama. He was confident in his brother's victory. But just in case Madara won, it would still be the best opportunity to finish him while he is low on Chakra and thinks he won. The men he sent proved themselves in battle countless times, they would certainly be capable of that.

They returned. Tobirama could barely sleep ever since Hashirama went to fight Madara. In the evening he was still molding Chakra when he felt familiar Chakra signatures approaching Konoha. Among them was Hashirama. He headed out of the village and met them in front of the main gate. They were carrying his brother. Finally, he felt relieved. His brother survived and Madara was dealt with. That was the most important part and anything else should be possible to solve. Satisfied with the result he greeted his brother who was apparently far too tired to answer his questions.

Immediately upon their arrival he summoned Shinobi he sent to aid Hashirama for their report. He learned that when they arrived, Madara was already defeated and Kyuubi restrained. Hashirama was not in a danger but appreciated that Tobirama sent a healer along with others. Apparently, even his regenerative powers were too much after such a battle. They brought Madara's body as well. After all, dead Shinobi can hold incredibly important information or powers. In Madara's case, that would be an understatement.

Tobirama decided to learn everything he can about Uchiha with the help of Madara's body. He certainly wouldn't miss such an opportunity. But that also meant having little time. His brother, naive as he is, would surely expect him to stop it. So he prioritized his research until his brother would resume with his duties as a Hokage. In those few days available he would learn everything about Uchiha. Well, he intended to.

"I believe Madara's body belongs to our clan." said Hikaku Uchiha.

"Madara Uchiha was the enemy of Konoha. We will destroy his body." replied Tobirama with a very calm voice. "Or at least the world should think so." he thought to himself.

Setsuna Uchiha spoke this time: "You can't be serious. He was our leader! He belongs to us!"

Hikaku added: "I will talk directly to Hokage about this. As the head of Uchiha clan I cannot approve of this."

"Go ahead. I am sure my brother will hear you out." Tobirama said with a bored expression.

Hikaku Uchiha was a truly skilled Shinobi. After Tobirama killed Izuna, Hikaku slowly proved himself and replaced him as the second strongest Uchiha. When Madara left, he was formally accepted as the head of Uchiha clan. And since Madara died, he was the strongest Uchiha still living. Tobirama knew very little about him. There was this air of mystery about him. When they were still fighting against the Uchiha, Hikaku was not exactly noticeable. Even after the village was formed he seemed far from involved in political affairs. He only went on missions and succeeded each time. Even someone like him started attracting attention. Everyone recognized incredible talent he had. Not Tobirama, though. He was far too focused on Madara who at the time was a potential threat to Konoha's peace. Tobirama did start noticing Hikaku, however, after he started meeting Madara, who at the time was not trusted even by his own clan, more often than one would expect. Interestingly, not a lot of time passed by as Hikaku became the most prominent political figure in Uchiha clan overshadowing even Madara. From then on, his reputation was only rising. His becoming the head was only a natural consequence of an already obvious situation.

And now, this man was in front of Tobirama. He was standing there as a proud leader of his clan, no doubt feeling like his equal, maybe even superior. A clan's head compared to the Hokage's advisor. Tobirama did not really care who would formally have a higher rank but he had to show respect. And to be honest, Hikaku did deserve respect. He was powerful, seemed quite intelligent and was a skilled leader. Why Setsuna was there next to him, Tobirama had no idea.

A few weeks passed. Hikaku was serious about wanting to talk to Hashirama. After Hashirama recovered enough the first thing he did was talk to young Uchiha. Hashirama convinced him that Tobirama already destroyed the body and how it was in the best interest of Konoha. Of course, Tobirama did not destroy the body. He hid it in a secret underground room below a forest. But it also meant he could not continue his research for a while. Well, he already learned many new things.

Hashirama did not only defeat Madara. He also restrained Kyuubi. Shortly after, it was sealed in Mito Uzumaki who was brought to Konoha years ago, specifically for that purpose. Everyone agreed it was the right thing to do. Tobirama agreed that the Jinchuriki should be from a clan known for vitality, such as Uzumaki. And on top of that, she was Hokage's wife, so he knew she would be loyal to Konoha. They had all other tailed beasts as well, except the Ichibi, also known as Shukaku, that was in Sunagakure. Even so, eight tailed beasts would be enough to make Konoha by far the most powerful village.

His brother had a different idea about what to do with them. He decided to divide them to other villages and nations. This would ensure balance and would allow Konoha to build trust with other villages. Of course, Hashirama was too naive to do that alone. At the meeting of five Kage, Tobirama would have to make sure that Konoha would also get something in return. So, he should be present. Or at least someone Tobirama would send, in case he could not make it. Reto, the first Kazekage would surely be the hardest to deal with because Sunagakure already had one tailed beast. But there was still enough time to prepare as Hashirama had other important matters to attend before that. So, Tobirama was at ease.

One day, Hashirama wanted to talk with Tobirama. Tobirama entered into Hokage's office and noticed Hashirama was sitting there alone. He stood up and looked through the window.

»It is a beautiful day. I almost feel sorry I have to sit here. Surely Tsunade would love to go on an adventure with me.«

»Do not forget you have your duties as a Hokage, brother.«

»Yes, I know. But I wanted to talk to you about something.«

Tobirama looked at him. He didn't know what it was but Hashirama was serious. It had to be something important.

»Tobirama, I am losing my power.«

Tobirama was surprised. It felt as if Hashirama was confessing him something. What does he mean? He couldn't tell.

So, he asked: »Are you alright, brother?«

Hashirama looked him in the eyes and continued: »I am losing my power. Ever since I fought Madara, I did not truly recover. I am getting weaker. I do not know when but someday I will not be able to protect the village.«

Tobirama did not know what to say. He was thinking about how he could help his brother.

Hashirama smiled: »And that day, I want you to become Hokage!«

I hope you liked this chapter. This is my first work and I decided to write about Tobirama. I find him a really interesting character. My idea was to write a story that would not contradict what was shown in Manga but that would still be a different kind of story. Something that one would probably not expect from Naruto Manga. If there will be interest, I might continue. Please leave a review. Thanks for reading!