Part three: Turn of the tides.
Huff, huff, huff. Geeze he's fast… I so could have drawn or even won if we had a fair start!
"What an extensive view of the forest!" The brunette exclaimed in delight, holding his hand up over his eyes to shade them from the sun.
"Yeah, you can really see far!" Madara looked sideways towards Hashirama. 'Should I tell him? Eh making him guess with a challenge should do.'
"I know my eyesight is just as good as yours! Want to challenge me?"
"What makes you say that all of the sudden? You sound very proud of your eyes."
'Hehehe I have to tell him now!' "Well sure, I have the sha-" 'Wait, what am I doing? If he's a Senju or any other enemy, I can't tell him I have the Sharingan, he'll know I am an Uchiha right away, then I am done for!'
Madara averted his eyes to stare at the ground. If only we were free of this war, I could share my thoughts more freely.
Hashirama blinked in confusion. What was he about to say? "What's the matter?"
"Never mind… I guess it's not like that…"
"What is it? You are being awfully candid for once, you can tell me." The brunette urged.
"If I were better my siblings wouldn't be dead, I couldn't even protect them… So I shouldn't" 'tell you….'
"Madara…" 'If only you could talk to me, just how I do with you.' Hashirama thought.
"That stone is perfect for rock skipping. Keep it for the when we meet again."
Madara flipped his stone into the air on his walk back home. He was surprised to see Izuna coming out to greet him. "Oi, hey Izuna, what's the matter?"
"Brother, its father, he wants to talk to you, right away," Izuna spoke urgently.
"Oh?" Madara followed his younger brother home. When he entered the room his father was in, his father got straight to the point.
"Madara sit, you have been out a lot lately and with another boy I see."
"…" Madara remained silent. 'Just don't say anything, I can dig my way out of this somehow.'
"Don't fool with me Madara, I had Izuna tail you and identify that boy's clan." Tajima continued and waited patiently for his eldest son to respond.
Madara looked towards his brother sitting on his right. 'He didn't…'
"He's a Senju, brother," Izuna informed softly, with his still high voice.
"What?!" Madara exclaimed. 'Shit! This is bad! I have no way out of this!'
"There is no way that could be! He is so coy and annoying there is no way he could kill someone, kids or adults!"
"Madara, the Senju killed your brothers! Do not ever forget that!" Tajima bellowed. "Now you know what this means."
"…" 'I can't see him again after this… for the sake of my family honour. Now I really wish our dream could come true.'
"The Uchiha and Senju are mortal enemies! I haven't told anyone else in our clan about this so that you are not branded a traitor. And to not be named an enemy spy, I want you to follow him the next time you see him." Tajima lectured.
"Maybe I won't see him again! Just like that!" The young Uchiha rebutted and Tajima inwardly sighed at the equal stubbornness of his eldest son.
"You will see him again to gain intel on the Senju's plans. If he notices you are following him, you are to kill him."
"Father!" Madara exclaimed in a last-ditch attempt to change his father's mind.
"This is your mission! And it will cost you your name as an Uchiha!" Tajima's words were final.
'Crap… knew it…I have to do this. I'll tell him we can't keep seeing each other, then that will be it. Sorry Hashirama… our dream won't come true.'
Madara looked at his knees while he thought this and clenched his knuckles. With a blink, he looked up with a stern face, his hesitation gone from his features. "Yes, father."
"Good, you're dismissed, but Izuna, you stay here."
"Yes, father." Izuna's small voice sounded.
Madara stood up and quietly left the room, though inside, he was furious. He walked outside into their family's courtyard, activating his Sharingan.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" In anger, he punched his fist against the wooden training post. His punch splintered the wood where his fist hit, leaving a dent. Cracks stretched in delay out from the dent along the length of the post. The post just managed to stay intact.
"If he weren't a Senju, then none of this would be a problem! I should have known! Gah!" He pulled out the skipping stone, staring at its perfection. "He was always better than me, in everything, by just a bit more!" The angry Uchiha threw the stone at the post, fully shattering it. He deactivated his Sharingan again as he still wasn't used to how much it drained away at his chakra.
"So that is why I always want to keep fighting you. I can't let you die, so I will save you, just this once." Madara calmly picked up the stone and pulled out a kunai from his back pocket. He etched a short but blunt message for the brunette,'run'. "That should do it."
When Madara had cooled off enough not to break anything more, he went to lay down on his bed early and stared up at the ceiling, losing himself in thought.
'Sigh…. Why does it have to turn out like this? Every time life becomes bearable, someone gets taken away. I really liked Hashirama too… Hopefully, he didn't realise how much… sigh, thinking like this won't help me forget about him. I have to be strong enough to protect Izuna from now on, and that means cutting all ties we had!'
"Oi brother, there you are! Been looking everywhere for you." A young voice chirped.
"Oh- hey Izuna." The older brother snapped out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see his younger brother standing directly in the doorway.
"It's time for dinner!" Izuna informed excitedly as if he had already forgotten all about the heavy burden his brother was faced with.
"Oh yeah… I won't be joining you tonight, I am not hungry." Madara turned back to stare up at the ceiling, finished with the conversation.
"You don't want father anymore angry with you…" Izuna pouted, his cheeks puffing up a little.
'Sigh… You are always right Izuna…' "… Fine… just smile for me will you?"
"Hehehehe." Izuna giggled like he had won some sort of victory.
"…" Madara reluctantly stood up and followed his brother back to the dining room where his parents were waiting.
"Thank you for the food." Madara bowed his head and excused himself from the table. He headed straight back to his room. Izuna watched him leave and hurried to finish his bowl of rice so he could follow his brother.
"Thankyouforthefood!" He exclaimed, setting his bowl down and dashing off.
"How are you feeling brother?" Izuna's small voice asked cautiously as he walked into the bedroom and sat down on his own mat.
"Izuna… I am fine."
"But tomorrow, you will do it won't you? You'll betray the Senju?"
"His name is Hashirama." Madara tried not snap at his brother, it wasn't his fault Madara had made friends with someone outside his own clan. He didn't expect Izuna to understand.
"Oh, but Hashirama is still the enemy brother."
"I know, that's why I am not going to betray our family or our clan."
"Haha, I knew you wouldn't!" Izuna pulled up his blanket and settled himself under the covers. "I won't be far behind you when something goes wrong."
"… Thanks, Izu, I can always count on you." Madara settled himself down under the covers too, but couldn't sleep right away. He was awake most of the night thinking about how he would break his ties Hashirama.
Madara awoke early the next morning, not realising at what point in his thoughts he had fallen asleep. He looked over to see Izuna was still sleeping. He slept so peacefully without a care in the world, unlike himself; he must have heard every bird ruffling its feathers…
By the time he had finished making breakfast, Izuna and Tajima had awakened and were joining him.
"Good morning brother," Izuna said slowly, half yawning.
"Morning…" Madara half-heartedly replied. Not much other conversation was held the rest of the morning until the trio were ready to leave. To the elder brother, the air was heavy.
Madara walked slowly in silence on his way to the river that day. He still wasn't fully decided on his wording to tell Hashirama yet exactly. Neither did he know if Hashirama was even going to show up. Plenty of times he had gone to the river and Hashirama had not always been there. Eventually, as the pebbled shores came into view, he decided he wouldn't think about it too much and just let his instincts do all of the talking.
He was surprised to see Hashirama was there waiting for him already and almost stopped walking. He wasn't truly ready, but the Uchiha didn't let his surprise show for long. Remembering his father and younger brother hid not too far behind, he blanked his features and thought of something to say. Acting normal is the least suspicious.
"I know this is right off the bat, but how about we skip our stones instead of exchange greetings today?"
Hashirama was standing rather tensely and seemed to relax a fraction at the offer. They pulled out their stones and skipped them over. Cautiously they checked the stones to make sure there was no message, for Madara was still hesitant inside on his next move.
There were etchings on Hashirama's stone and they wrote:
'Trap! Scram!'
Shit, they had trailed me too! Well, thanks to that I have an idea to get out of here without the both of us dying.
The young Uchiha raised his free hand up in the air to wave goodbye. "Hashirama, I can't stay today, I remembered I have something to do!"
Back in the bushes Izuna and Tajima realised Madara wasn't going to keep his word, despite the pride of his family and clan. 'Oh no, brother!'
'What are you doing son?!'
Hashirama didn't reply for a moment as he registered what was being said to him.
"O-oh yeah? I am going home too then, see ya!" Hashirama nervously followed suit, waving back and slowly turning to walk off.
'This is it, our chance!' When their backs were fully turned then jumped up to the branches, taking off at full speed.
To the young Uchiha's surprise, his father and younger brother dashed past him after Hashirama.
'No! They're not supposed to attack! Shit! What? Hashirama's father and brother had the same plan. Now they're going to –'
"Stop!" Madara and Hashirama both yelled at the same time. 'They're not listening… I have to save Izuna at all costs, no matter what!' The young Uchiha saw Butsuma's kunai flying towards Izuna.
'If I don't block this kunai, Izuna will die exactly like Inari did that day. I can't let that happen, I am stronger than I was before!'
Madara threw the only item he had in his inventory; the skipping stone; striking hard, high and fast. It hit dead on and the kunai and stone sunk into the river. Hashirama had done the same thing and protected his own younger brother Tobirama. The boys both jumped forward in front of their relatives.
"I'll never forgive anyone who tries to harm my little brother. No matter who they are!"
"Same here!" Hashirama retorted bluntly.
'Thanks, Hashirama, you may not know it but you made me leaving you a lot easier. I have no regrets now.'
"Hey, Hashirama?"
"What is it?" Hashirama's tone wasn't as patient as it usually was.
'There's no avoiding it, it's now or never.' "Maybe it is just impossible for us to reach that pipe dream of ours."
"Madara… what are you saying?"
"It may have been brief, but I enjoyed our time together, I had fun, Hashirama." 'Please forgive me.'
"It's three against three, can we take them on, Madara?" Tajima enquired.
"No, Hashirama is stronger than me, if we fight we lose." 'Tch, I never won anything once except verbally.'
Izuna gasped in disbelief, "there's a kid stronger than you brother?"
"I see, quite impressive," Tajima commented.
"Let's retreat; so long." Madara turned to leave, his back against Hashirama's last ditch efforts to believe in his dream. Hahirama called out desperately. "You… really haven't given up, have you? You've gotten to the same point I – "
"You are a Senju." Madara's voice turned cold and activated his Sharingan. "I truly wish it wasn't so." 'Now it doesn't even matter that I show him, he knows I am an Uchiha, I show him just how proud of my eyes I really am.' "My brothers died from the Senju, and you the Uchiha." This is for you, Shin, Shirowa and Inari. "So there's no need to show our guts to each other. Our next meeting will likely be on the battlefield, Senju Hashirama. I … am Uchiha Madara."
Madara turned to reveal his crimson eyes. Since the months ago he had unlocked his ocular power, he had never told anyone. He wanted Hashirama to be the first to know. Even if this wasn't the circumstances he had imagined.
"Hey, father! Look at big brother's eyes!" Izuna couldn't contain his excitement, despite the fact he shouldn't be displaying any emotion on the battlefield.
"Yes, we may not have obtained any intel on the Senju's plans, but it seems we may have obtained something else valuable after all," Tajima replied positively. He was proud one of his sons had both lived long enough and were lucky enough to inherit the Uchiha clan's most proud kekkeigenkai.
"He awakened his Sharingan… just now?" Butsuma Senju asked aloud.
Hashirama didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to think he was the reason his best friend had awaken his clan's kekkeigenkai. He stood there staring into those ruby orbs, with no more words left to say.