Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I really appreciate hearing from all of you guys about this story, it really encourages me to keep going and hearing your opinions even inspire me. I love reading them, so thank you! More time jumps, sorry about that! In a very short time those will stop for a while. Also, take a quick look at the poll on my page for this story! I'm also interested in hearing your ideas for pairings. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the OC's I create.
Warnings: Language, OOCness, death.
Word Count: 5,754
Hashirama looks surprised before straightening his back, rolling his shoulders and lifting his chin, trying to give the impression that he wasn't afraid. But Itachi could see it in his eyes, he was afraid. Afraid of the genjutsu, afraid of what would happen if he failed, afraid of letting himself get mentally attacked by a member of the sworn enemies of his clan. But he tries hard not to show it and Itachi is immediately warmed by his strength and willpower. Itachi wished, for just a moment that Hashirama would have refused him, told him no deal and fought, physically fought, to get his brother back.
Itachi proposed the idea, but he didn't actually want to do it. Maybe, in a way, Itachi was just trying to give them an opportunity to separate himself from Itama. But no, Hashirama took the deal, and looked like he was going to try his hardest to succeed.
Itachi has no faith. But he has to honor Marume's death. His brother shouldn't have died, but since he did, it shouldn't be in vain.
"You're going to fail..." Itachi says softly, eyes wide. "You can not survive my genjutsu. Not standing..."
"I got to try," Hashirama says, smiling thinly. "Trust me, I don't like the idea all that much either, but I have to do it. I have to save my little brother. Besides," his smile becomes more genuine, "I won't waste this chance."
Itachi doesn't respond, not knowing what to say. Hashirama could see right through him. He knew Itachi was giving him an impossible choice and he took it anyway. All because he doesn't want to attempt the favorable alternative. He won't attack Itachi, not when the boy is blatantly trying to save Itama's life. Itachi wished that this war was over, that they could all just get up and walk away from this, whether they somehow become allies, or one of the clans is wiped out, or one clan becomes the slaves to the other. The former-most being the most preferable. But the fates are rarely so kind.
"Have faith," Hashirama says kindly. "Believe in the Will of Fire."
Itachi doesn't respond, just stares at him for a moment longer. The phrase is foreign to Itachi, but as soon as he hears it, he wants nothing more than to believe in it. Whatever it was. Perhaps looking into Hashirama's mind, he'll be able to learn more about it."
Itachi looks right into Hashirama's eyes, frowning before activating his most powerful genjutsu. "Tsukuyomi." It was a double edged sword for Hashirama. No one but Itachi's brothers could break his Tsukuyomi, and it was going to cause beyond reparable damage to the young man's psyche. Itachi woke up without Marume, but with the Mangekyo Sharingan and the knowledge of it's abilities and that one day, this curse masquerading as a gift will take his eye sight away. But this wasn't about him, never about him. This was about Hashirama. In the attempt to save his little brother, Hashirama was essentially destroying himself.
He didn't know that, though. He didn't know that he would be lost in the cross-fire. Itachi couldn't tell him. Someone had to pay for Marume's life. In a way, both Itachi and Hashirama were. Hashirama was going to be forever crippled and Itachi was going to have to live with destroying this genuinely pure, and kind person. It was a heavy thought to have, and soon Itachi will have to bear the brunt of it.
As soon as the jutsu was cast, Hashirama's entire body went rigid, making Tobirama and Itama call out to their older brother. His eyes the size of sausers, before the pupil's vanish, signifying him losing consciousness.
Everyone, Izuna and Madara included, all looked on in trepidation as Hashirama stands there, swaying a bit, back and forth slowly. Something about this didn't settle well with Izuna and Madara. They didn't come to the field today to destroy someone's essence, someone's personality. They came for battle. An equal chance to win or lose. This wasn't right. This wasn't honorable. This was strange and foreign. It just wasn't right.
Hashirama blinks so slowly, Itachi thought he had fallen completely asleep, before his body teeters forward, then back. It happened so slowly, everyone, not just Tobirama and Itama, tensed up, eyes widening as Hashirama falls backward. He held on a lot longer than Itachi thought he would. It actually broke his heart to see Hashirama fall backward. Not because Itachi would now have to kill Itama, but because even though he was so sure Hashirama would fail, in some ways, he really wished he wouldn't. Wished that he was wrong. That Hashirama was different. Somehow able to withstand the Tsukuyomi.
But he was wrong.
Hashirama slowly fell backward before catching himself, eyes snapping open. He stumbles, almost losing his footing but somehow managed to hold himself up and stays standing, brown eyes still pupil-less. He's still deep into the genjutsu, yet somehow he's aware enough to keep on his feet, which surprises Itachi immensely. It takes a moment before all the brothers, Uchiha and Senju, relax.
"I...I can't believe he's still standing..." Izuna says, looking over at Madara, who was staring at his one-time friend with a strange look on his face. Itachi remembered when Madara got in trouble because he was hanging around a Senju, that was the day that Marume died. It was until weeks later, in the midst of their training, that Madara finally broke down and told Itachi and Izuna about the time he spent with the Senju boy, Hashirama. He told them about their shared dream, about their competitions, about how well they got along together, he even told them about Hashirama's Will of Fire.
Izuna had scoffed loudly, proclaiming that it was a pipe-dream. Impossible to obtain while the Senju still lived and Madara was a fool to have even indulged in the idea. Madara beat him senseless after that and the two brothers didn't speak for three whole days.
Itachi didn't think so, though. He actually approached Madara later, after the boy was finished being reprimanded for beating up his brother, about more stories from his time with the Senju. Madara had smiled at him, sadly, and said that while he did beat Izuna up for saying what he did, it didn't ultimately mean it was untrue. He had come to believe in the propaganda that their father and fellow clansmen said about the Senju. Itachi was saddened to hear that there would be no more stories about the Senju boy that his brother had befriended. Despite Itachi's insistence to hear more, Madara stood firm.
With that, Itachi bowed his head and submitted to his brother's reluctance and let it drop.
But seeing Madara now, staring at his one-time friend swaying back and forth, trying so hard to stay upright while unconscious, Itachi could see that there was still something within Itachi's oldest brother that wants to protect his friend. But he fights that side, he lets Itachi torture him. Because that is what would be expected from one heir to the other.
And Hashirama looks horribly pale, face screwed up in both agony and sadness, brown eyes vacant. It's a terrible look on such a gentle face and Itachi has to look away, unable to keep staring at it. What Itachi did look at was Itama. The youngest Senju boy was looking up at his brother, tears streaming up to his hairline, lips moving in prayer that his brother would be okay. That the pain would end. That Hashirama would somehow pull through this without any detrimental after effects that would somehow change him.
Itama, as if sensing that someone was looking at him, lowers his chin, casting a shadow across the purple bruising around his neck, and stares at him with watery eyes. "Please," he begs, "please let my brother go."
Itachi stares at him for a long time, lips pressed tightly together. "I can't..." he says softly.
"You can! Just break the genjutsu now! Look at him! He's in pain! Please!" Itama cries, looking between Itachi and Hashirama. "Aniki! Tobirama!"
Tobirama physically flinches. A convulsion throughout his entire body. He blinks a few times, trying to clear his thoughts before tensing up, ready to jump into action when Madara spins around toward him, Sharingan spinning dangerous. "Move, Senju, and the deal is off! Kill the little brother, Itachi."
Itama tenses up and Tobirama freezes, muscles rippling with the strain before he eases back a bit, slowly. He glares at Madara but backs down, wearily. Itachi can see it on Tobirama's face, he's pissed that he was put in this position. And there was a lot of anger to go around, between his own brothers and Itachi and his. It looks like he can't decide who he's more angry at.
Itachi watches him for a moment before Madara turns his attention back to Hashirama, lips moving slightly. Itama looks back up at his brother, trembling in fear, tears streaming from his eyes more, whimpering his eldest brother's name. Tobirama's face screws up into an angry, pensive sneer, probably trying to find some way around this, some way to save both of his brothers. He doesn't have a lot of faith in Hashirama either, it seems.
It was an hour of them all staying as still as they could, staring at Hashirama. His facial expression hadn't shifted in the slightest but his knees were trembling so badly that he was dipping lower and lower to the ground, yet still managed to stay on his feet. Itachi has never been more astounded by someone else's willpower than he has been of Hashirama's.
"That's enough!"
All the boys jump at the sudden noise and turn to the source. It was Madara who spoke. His hands are clenched into fists and he's shaking. He's looking at Hashirama's melting under the pressure of the genjutsu that should have broke him seconds after he was caught in it. He wasn't going to go down with a fight and the strain it was putting on him, both physically and mentally was showing on his paling face.
"Aniki...?" Itachi asks.
Madara shakes his head. "That's enough, Itachi. This does nothing for us. Release the genjutsu."
Itachi's eyes flicker over to Izuna to see him looking away. It's horrible to see the kind Hashirama reduced to this shaking, vacant-eyed shell of a young man with the obvious horrors of what he's seeing written across his face. Izuna doesn't fight it. He's seen enough too. This isn't what any of them wanted. Itachi looks back over at Hashirama and releases the genjutsu, reverting his Mangekyo back to the regular three-tomoed Sharingan.
Hashirama blinks slowly, face slowly relaxing into a blank expression. His eyes open and his pupil's appear. At first he stared at the ground, vacantly, unseeing, unhearing as his brothers calling out to him.
Suddenly he drops to his knees, entire body shaking, and tears spill down his cheeks.
"Hashirama...?" Madara says slowly, shocked by his friend's sudden tears, daring to take a small step closer. He hadn't cried at all throughout the genjutsu, yet now that he's out of it, he cries, inconsolably. Izuna takes an involuntary step back, as if a mixture of greatly uncomfortable and unhappy.
Tobirama runs over to Hashirama, not at all caring if he gets stabbed in the back and drops down next to him. "Hashirama? Hashirama! Are you okay? Speak to me!" He grabs at his older brother's shoulders and gives them a little shake.
Hashirama closes his eyes slowly, letting the tears leak out from beneath the lids. Itama wiggles out from under Itachi and crawls over to his brother, shaking his shoulders slightly harder than Tobirama did, trying to pull him from whatever dark place the genjutsu had sent him to. Itachi raises himself from the dirt he was practically thrown into in Itama's haste to get to his brother and stands there, feeling horrible. He knew it, just looking at Hashirama.
Itachi broke him.
Such beauty, such light, gone. Squashed by Itachi's own hand. Lost before it had a chance to truly shine. Again.
"I'm sorry," Itachi whispers, closing his eyes, as his brothers inch closer to him, ready to stand as a united force should something happen. It's actually surprising thus far that no one has stumbled across them in their over-an-hour pause in the battle. But the sounds of their fathers' battle is long gone and hasn't been heard of in a while. In the back of Itachi's mind, he has to wonder what they were up to, surely not still fighting one another.
"I forgive you."
The voice makes Itachi jump, eyes flying over to Hashirama, who was staring up at him with watery brown eyes.
"What..?" Itachi asks softly, eyes wide.
"I forgive you," Hashirama says, voice soft. "I saw what you... what you were trying to show me." He closes his eyes again, trying to control his shaky breathing, before opening them and continuing, "I saw what happened to your brother. I saw what you've been going through and you're wrong! You're wrong, Itachi!" He jumps to his feet, now fired up rather than subdued.
Itachi blinks rapidly in surprise. "Wrong? About what?"
"You did everything you could!" Hashirama shouts, making his brothers and the Uchiha brothers jump at his passion. "I watched, over and over again from your eyes! You didn't do anything wrong when trying to save your little brother! I saw it! I saw all the different scenarios going on in your head! You tried so hard to get to him that you have to stop blaming yourself for his death! You say someone has to pay for his life, but you're waiting for someone to turn and say that it has to be you, well stop it!" He snaps, narrowing his eyes, hands balled up into fists. "If you showed that to me, hoping I would be the one to tell you that; You. Are. Wrong!"
Itachi stares at him with wide eyes. "I...I don't..." Itachi looked into Hashirama's large brown eyes and instead of seeing a broken man, he saw a fire. A fire so monstrous in strength and willpower that it nearly knocks Itachi over with the sheer power the twin orbs give off.
Hashirama is crossing the short distance between them before Itachi could even properly process what was said to him. Izuna and Madara quickly put themselves between the two, but Hashirama doesn't seem to see them as he pushes past the two older Uchiha brothers and wraps his arms tightly around Itachi, holding him tightly to his chest. Itachi is enveloped in a warmth that he hasn't felt since his brother died. The four other brothers look around confused, no one knowing how to react.
"I won't blame you for your brother's death. I won't. I'm so terribly sorry he died and that you felt like it was all your fault but you can't do that! You can't do that to yourself! In a world where you could do nothing but torture me, you showed me your own pain. I don't recognize that trap in the forest but I will study it! I will understand what happened and then prove to you that you did everything right! Did everything you could to save your brother! Wait for me!" He pulls away, walking over to his sword, picking it up and sheathing it before waving for his brothers to follow. His shaking form is slightly eased now that he's a man on a mission.
Before Itachi can even begin to understand what happened between them, Hashirama, along with his two brothers, was gone. And Itachi, as strange as it is, really missed the warmth.
Itachi's first time on the battlefield was also the last for the next couple of years. Itachi's training was kicked up ten fold after his father was given a crippling injury from his battle against Butsuma Senju. Itachi didn't know it at the time, but he was told that his father would never be able to be a shinobi again, but what he wasn't told was that the injury was killing it. It was about a year later, in the heart of the cold winter months, that the wound finally took his life.
Madara became the clan leader the following summer at fifteen years old. Unlike his father, who didn't know about Itachi's Mangekyo, Madara did, and turned his focus to training him with that. Even though the Elders of the clan insisted on sending Itachi back out onto the field, as he progressed so quickly and was becoming so powerful that people were running out of things to teach him, Madara was against it whole-heartedly. Perhaps he didn't like seeing his youngest brother on the battlefield, or maybe even the fear of what would happen if Hashirama and Itachi crossed paths again, but either way Madara is going out of his way to keep Itachi off the field.
Itachi is both okay with this and not. He doesn't want to run into Hashirama again, not while he still doesn't understand what happened that day, but also because he doesn't want to hear about what the man learned about that trap. Senju set it, so what? He knew that. There was nothing Itachi could have done to save Marume. So what, again? He knew that piece of shitty information too. But at the same time, people on their side are dying more and more each day that he's not out there helping his clansmen fight.
The winter Tajima died, brought misfortune to the Senju clan as well. A sickness hit their camps and took the life of the Senju Matriarch. The cold almost took Mikomo's life as well, but she managed to live long enough to officially crown Madara as head of the clan, as the former Matriarch, before she was bedridden. Her immune system was shot and Honda, after a few days, told them that they should spend as much time with her as they could, for she didn't have much time left. And he was right.
Itachi remembers sitting by his mother's side, watching her sleep, her face in constant pain. No one could tell them what was wrong with her, only that her sickness was destroying her from the inside out. It was right around Izuna's fourteenth birthday that she died. They didn't celebrate Izuna's birthday that year.
As repentance for wounding their father, at sixteen years old, Madara killed Butsuma Senju.
Madara was a prodigy. He was powerful, smart, talent and a great leader. But Itachi was their secret weapon. He was this ball of power that just kept getting more and more momentum as he grew older and more powerful. But he wasn't the only one that was advancing so quickly between the two clans.
Hashirama was too.
One day, Madara and Hashirama were about equal, with Hashirama being slightly superior, and then the next time they met, there wasn't any way for Madara to keep up. Hashirama has a power that was unmatched, even by Itachi. Not in a known match, but not even Itachi can beat Madara without breaking a sweat like Hashirama can reportably do.
When Itachi asked Madara to go to the next battle, he was shot down so quickly that he was left stupefied as Madara and Izuna left for battle with a strict, "You're in charge, Itachi," before leaving, giving him no choice but to stay. Madara knew that if he gave the responsibility of protecting the clan camps to Itachi, he wouldn't just up and follow after his brothers in secret.
Itachi hated that Madara knew him so well.
It wasn't until four years after meeting Hashirama, Tobirama, and Itama for the first time in that battle, that Itachi was finally able to see them again. Izuna and Itama were now sixteen, Tobirama was seventeen, Madara was eighteen, Hashirama was nineteen and Itachi was fourteen. The youngest of them. All of them were adults while Itachi felt like a child. All of them were tall and broad shouldered and Itachi felt like he was a stick in the breeze. Standing before the three Senju brothers again, it was different than before, but not in the way that Itachi thought.
Even though they were all adults now, except for Itachi, there was something... pure about their meeting again. It was strange. Ever since they were children Izuna has been the most outwardly vocal about his distaste in the Senju, but as they grew older those vocal out-bursts has been happening less and less. When Itachi made an inquiry about that, a few years ago, Izuna blew him off, saying that he wasn't changing at all.
Madara let him come to the battle field today, and Itachi is worried about why.
The six of them stand before each other, their clansmen lined up behind the two clan leaders and their two younger brothers. Itachi looks around to see that everyone really was all grown up. It was such a time skip for him, especially seeing Tobirama and Itama. Itama was actually kind of short, being only a little bit taller than Itachi when the boy was ten, now he's almost an entire head taller than him with his short, duo colored hair while Tobirama shot up. He was tall and lanky and his muscles are firm and strong, glistening in the sunlight.
Itachi's eyes slide over to Hashirama, who also shot up even more. At fifteen, he was tall, but now at nineteen, he's full grown. If he's not done growing, then he will be soon. He easily towers over most of them, with the exception of Tobirama and Madara, who were about the same height. The two of them were pretty tall with Izuna being a couple of inches shorter than them and then Itama and finally Itachi. Itachi shot up at thirteen, being the tallest of his age in the camps, and since then he's slowed down and everyone has caught up to him.
"You are going to be so short!" Izuna had laughed when Itachi had pointed out the fact that their fellow fourteen year old cousins had all but caught up to him in height. Itachi didn't like that. He just rolled his eyes and walked away, ignoring his older brother's hearty laugh that followed after him.
Hashirama stares at Itachi with wide brown eyes. Itachi is almost stunned to see how innocent and pure they still are. After what Itachi did to him, and all these years on top of that, he still looked so beautifully pure. It made Itachi so unbelievably happy to see that he didn't destroy that light in Hashirama's eyes. He didn't ruin another beautiful thing in this world. It was a relief.
"You look good," Itachi says, realizing that no one was saying anything.
"You too," Hashirama says, then smiles faintly. "I haven't seen you in a long time. How is your health?"
Itachi melts a bit. Such a strange thing for an born enemy to be worried about. But Hashirama was different. He didn't ask such things to try and somehow get under Itachi's skin. It was genuine concern from a genuine man. Something about him just attracted Itachi to him. What he did to Hashirama was horrible and Itachi doesn't see him ever being forgiven for it, but it does give him hope for that prospect when Hashirama talks to him like that.
"I'm okay," Itachi says softly. "And you?"
"Trying to convince your brothers and mine that there is a way to peacefully end this war. That we don't have to keep fighting," Hashirama says, smiling a little more broadly, "so, tired. Haha."
"Stubborn, are they?" Itachi murmurs. "Madara hasn't allowed me on the field in a long time. I wondered if perhaps the two of you were coming to an impasse, but from the scoff I just heard from Izuna," Itachi says, smiling up at his middle brother, Izuna grunts in return, "I'm assuming that is the case."
"Enough of this," Izuna snaps, stepping forward slightly but doesn't put himself before Madara, out of respect. "You wanted Itachi here, Senju, and Madara was gracious, and crazy, enough to let that happen. It's about time to let us in on why exactly that was." Madara is staring at Hashirama, not seeming to mind Izuna questioning his intentions. He too was curious as to why Hashirama insisted on talking with Itachi, especially what Madara's youngest brother had done to him. If it were anyone else in the world, Madara would assume it was a way to attack Itachi, since Tajima pulled him from the war and Madara kept that trend going, after their first time meeting.
But this was Hashirama. Kind, gentle, foolish Hashirama who wouldn't hurt a fly if he could avoid it. As much as it annoyed Madara most of the time, at times like now, where trust is suppose to go a long way, Madara knows that at the end of the day if he had to trust any Senju with his life and the life of his brothers. He wouldn't trust Hashirama's brothers to find their ass with both hands and a map, but he trust Hashirama not to go back on his word. If Hashirama hadn't insisted that all he wanted was to talk, Madara wouldn't have allowed Itachi within a hundred miles of the battlefield.
"Izuna is right," Madara says. "Get to the point, Hashirama. You wanted to talk to him, so he's here. Talk."
Hashirama nods, folding his hands in front of his waist. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry." He takes a deep breath, lowering his eyes to Itachi and pushes his shoulders back, before continuing, "I have spent a great deal of time these last four years learning everything I can about that trap that killed your brother. The seal diagram burned onto the ground is advanced, so much so even at the level I am at seals now, I can't replicate it." He hesitates for a split second before saying, softly, "No matter how I look at it, that trap set in the forest wasn't set by a Senju. If it was, believe me I would apologize... but it wasn't. I'm sorry. The trap that killed your brother wasn't set by us."
"Lies!" Izuna snaps. "Why in the world would you admit to killing a child, fool? Who do you think you're talking to? What insane idiot would admit to that? You expect us to believe you?"
"Hashirama," Tobirama says warningly. Hashirama holds up a hand to stop him, eyes still locked on Itachi.
"Believe me. I'm terribly sorry." He shakes his head slowly. "I don't know what else to say." A thought - a horrible one, judging by the look that just crossed his face - comes to him and tentatively, he offers, "You can look into my mind, if you want."
"Aniki," Itama says, stepping closer, as if to reach out and yank the long brown haired man back and shake some sense into him. "Are you insane?"
"Obviously," Tobirama snaps. "Come, let's go. You said what you needed. We're done."
"No," Hashirama snaps, making both of his brothers freeze when he glares back at them. "No," he says softer this time, before turning back to Itachi. "You've spent all these years blaming yourself for letting your brother be killed by a Senju trap in a forest you knew was dangerous. If this can offer you even the minutest bit of comfort, then I want to give it to you."
Itachi doesn't respond, he doesn't know how to. What is someone to say to that? All Hashirama is doing is making Itachi like him more. But his words do worry the fourteen year old. If what he's saying is true, then that means that someone else set a trap out in the forest and Marume and Itachi just so happen to be the unlucky pair that happened to run into it. In some ways, it does make Itachi feel a bit better, if that's true. Then it really was just a horrible, terrible, trick accident. It wasn't something avoidable to some degree. In a forest filled with traps; both Senju and Uchiha, someone managed to sneak in another trap and it managed to catch someone.
Itachi hates that it was Marume, but at least now he's got more than he did before. Someone took Marume's life, and it wasn't the Senju. If what Hashirama was saying was true.
"Are you telling the truth?" Itachi asks.
"Oh come on, Itachi," Izuna says, turning to his little brother, "you can't believe this garbage!"
Itachi looks up at his brother for a moment, seeing the desperation in his eyes. Izuna doesn't want it to be anyone else's fault. He wants to be able to blame Senju for killing his brother. Put a face to the people who ended his little brother's life. He doesn't want to believe that they have no idea who did it. That there will be next to no way to find out exactly who did it. He wants someone to pay for Marume's life, just like Itachi does. But unlike Itachi, Izuna doesn't care who it is, so long as someone does.
"I am telling the truth," Hashirama says softly. "I'm willing to let you see inside my head. Give yourself a bit of relief." He straightens up a bit. "I'm willing to prove that to you. Go ahead."
Itachi tilts his head to the side.
"You're insane," Madara says. "He'll just use Tsukuyomi. Are you really okay with that? It took it's toll on you last time." There was a touch of an incredulous tone and a worried one.
"I will," he says slowly, rolling his shoulders back. His words are strong and even, but his eyes betrays his fear. He didn't like Tsukuyomi - and rightfully so - but he was willing to go through it again, just to prove that he was telling the truth. He did work hard to figure out if his clan was responsible and as far as he knows, they aren't.
Itachi tilts his head back forward, activating his Mangekyo, making Hashirama jump slightly. He quickly freezes again, keeping still and preparing himself for the mental assault. Itachi turns his gaze up toward Hashirama's large, worried, dark brown eyes sensing both the fear and the certainty in his eyes that he is telling the truth. Itachi deactivates his Mangekyo.
"I believe you," he says. Hashirama's entire body sags in relief. At Tobirama's incredulous look sent his way, he softly explains, "If he was lying, he wouldn't want to have his mind invaded. I would have found the truth out and could just torture him again for lying. Is that look suppose to mean it was unwise of me to trust your brother?"
Tobirama looks away sharply. "No. He's not lying."
"Good," Itachi says.
"If it wasn't the Senju, and it certainly wasn't a trap set by the Uchiha, then who?" Madara asks, stepping closer, eyes narrow. "Surely you didn't want me to bring my little brother here for just that. You could have told me that." He crosses his arms over his chest. Hashirama suddenly looks sheepish. "I think I hate you more each day," Madara snaps, annoyed.
"Sorry, sorry." Hashirama says, waving his hands around before adapting a serious look. "But I am worried about that seal, now more than ever. I could be wrong, but I think that seal was designated to go off at a key signature."
"What does that mean?" Izuna asks, more pissed off now than before. "Are you saying Marume was targeted by someone?"
Hashirama looks unhappy. "Perhaps. There is... evidence that suggests so."
Izuna takes a moment's pause, obviously having not expected that answer before looking over at Madara, who now has a very dangerous look on his face. Itachi could feel both Senju and Uchiha clans shifting uncomfortably at the KI leaking out of the Uchiha clan leader. Tobirama's eyes are locked on Madara, waiting for him to move in any way threateningly toward them while Itama looks uncomfortable, unconsciously sticking closer to his elder brother, different colored eyebrows pulled together tightly.
"And..." Madara says through gritted teeth, "what evidence is that... exactly?"
Hashirama stares at him for a moment, probably debating on what to say, but probably decides the truth is the best course, seeing as Madara is currently like a coiled snake ready to strike at the next poor bastard that crosses him. He's been relatively quiet about his pain over Marume's death that Itachi in some way thought that his brother... not that he didn't care, but it was more like he was mentally prepared for the loss, but now Itachi sees it clear as day.
Madara has been silently seething beneath the surface, just waiting for the moment to rip the person who took his little brother away to pieces. But perhaps it's now a bit misplace rage, for Hashirama is convinced that the Senju weren't the cause. Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that if what Hashirama says is true, someone intentionally went after Marume, and ended his life.
And it wasn't a Senju.
For the Reviewers:
1. Enbi: Aww! I am so happy to hear that! I really do hope that you come to like him more. ^.^
2. Yukina. T: I hope you liked it. :D
3. SprinkleLover: Hehe, thank you! Maybe he will remember. XD Thank you!
4. middlechild274: Thank you for liking the chapter and for voting!
5. Guest: Haha, yeah. I wanted to show how similar the two of them are in the prospects of looking after their brothers. Yeah, sorry about that. For the most part this is set up for what's to come, so there is going to be some time skips, like in this chapter too. And this one was huge! Haha. You are right about that. I think Hashirama did pretty good. But what did you think about Madara being the one to call Itachi off, hm? XD Yeah, the adults just kind of disappeared. They have more important things to do, like fight each other. Oh no, I love questions. :D
6. Kashlazy: Yeah, his life is definitely a hard one. :C