A/N: :( I am so sorry for this very very late update. I was on vacation and I swear I came back with amnesia and a severe case of laziness. _ Summer does really bad things to you :/

I hope none of you lost interest in the story due to this! Thank you guys for reviewing, favoriting and following. You have no idea what effect your few kind words have on me. Thank you for making me happy. I hope you receive as much happiness by reading this...or otherwise XD

Also a side note before you read: "Shin-gi-tai", according to the Naruto Databook, were Tobirama's favorite words.


"What you three are lacking is synergy." Tobirama announced to his three extremely exhausted students.

Today was the day that the sweltering heat of the sun was hitting the leaf village with unprecedented intensity, its searing waves making anyone unfortunate enough to come in contact with them severely dehydrated and drenched in sweat.

For anyone that was not Tobirama, this was the day to stay under the shade or a well ventilated area and opt out of any activity that might require them to be outside in the blazing heat. For Tobirama, this was the perfect day for training, much to his students chagrin.

"Synergy?" Hiruzen was the first to catch his breath enough to talk. He questioned his sensei unsurely, not convinced that "synergy" or anything else for that matter can really help him and his other two teammates defeat someone of Tobirama's caliber.

"Yes. You three must work with each other. You are called a team for a reason." Tobirama said as he folded his arms and looked down at his disheveled students.

Having heard the "you must work as a team" lecture innumerable times and failing to abide by it just as many times, the three younglings slumped and turned their tried gazes to the ground.

"Whenever you fight, you never fight as one, integral being, but as a gestalt of things working in balance externally and internally hand in hand." Tobirama began his discourse with a sober voice indicating utmost gravity.

"Your teammates and your surroundings are your external resources, which you must learn to use to your advantage. Internally you have your shin-gi-tai: mind-technique-body which you must also use strategically together to insure that you are victorious."

Hiruzen, Homura and Koharu listened intently, trying their best to store the profound wisdom of their sensei in their young minds.

"Let's rest for a bit now. This is a good place to take a break. " Tobirama declared and watched his students make a quick run towards the sparkling water of the river they had stopped by.

The Senju felt the uncomfortable wetness of his clothes that clung to his sweaty skin. Every movement he made ascended his unease as the sweat dripped and created damp friction between his skin and clothes.

His irritation grew strong enough to force him to take off his shirt kimono which he clumsily threw on the ground along with his sash.

The water shimmered as Tobirama cradled it in his hands almost lovingly. Splashing the cool liquid on his heated skin, he sighed as the discomfort evaporated instantly.

As he rubbed the cooling water through his hair and massaged his scalp with it he felt his affection for water grow, something that was seemingly impossible since his love for that ever trusty aqueous substance was already at its peak.

After becoming thoroughly refreshed, Tobirama checked up on his students who were busy doing what kids do. Splashing water on each other, laughing and being happy.

His lips curled slightly into a smile as he leaned back on his hands on the river side and for a moment permitted himself to forget all the harshness of his reality, letting himself revel in the bliss of his current situation.

That moment, like any other rare pleasant moment in Tobirama's life, ended far too early.

A chakra most ominous, disgusting and irritatingly familiar encroached his senses causing his smile to wither away.

'These grounds belong to the Senju clan...What is Madara doing here?'

Filled with concern and worry Tobirama stood up. His sudden agitation caught the attention of his students who stopped playing and walked up to him.

"Break time is over. I have decided that we will work on physical conditioning and we're going to start with running."

Within seconds of announcing his students' new task, Tobirama took off with blazing fast speed, intent on catching the Uchiha in due time.

"Uhhh...Sensei, you said running not teleporting!" Homura yelled as he pushed his tired bones to run after his lighting fast sensei.

Tobirama halted when he detected the tuft of black hair that no doubt belonged to Madara. The Uchiha was leisurely walking towards the direction of what seemed to be the Senju compound.

Tobirama moved away from the tree trunk that he had hid himself behind just enough to become visible in Madara's peripheral vision. He, however, stayed still and made no attempt to make his way towards Madara, waiting instead for the Uchiha to notice his presence and address him first.

Sure enough Madara stopped and turned his head slightly. A smirk quickly formed on his face, his sharingan laced gaze pierced through Tobirama's pupil-less red one.

Turning around fully, Madara faced Tobirama, his mocking grin still intact. The Uchiha stayed silent as did the Senju, the tension between them mingling with the heat around them making the surrounding temperature seemingly rise.

A small gust of wind rustled through the leaves. A little air may have been nice at some other time, but right now the wind was akin to something like the devil's breath.

Madara's eyes narrowed, his long hair blew with the direction of the wind like a cloak. Bitterness emitted so strongly from the Uchiha that Tobirama could almost taste the caustic sting of it.

"Why is that that everywhere I go you show up significantly under clothed?" Madara questioned contemptuously.

The question immediately made Tobirama become uncomfortably aware of his nudity. It shouldn't have bothered him much, knowing the fact that he had pretty much showcased his entire body to Madara not too long ago, but it did and very much so.

"Why is that that everywhere I go you show up…..fully clothed?" Tobirama retorted as he took small steps towards the Uchiha. He realized a little later and a little too late how extremely seductive that had sounded.

"And why is that you two are in such a sour mood on this fine afternoon?" A familiar voice interrupted and startled the two.

Turning their heads towards the source of voice, Tobirama and Madara were greeted with the smiling face of Hashirama.

The older Senju looked from his best friend to his younger brother and noticed the same look of what seemed like disapproval. Though a little confused about their reactions, Hashirama couldn't help but be glad that for once the two had felt mutually about something.

"Really brother? Can you get any cheesier?" Tobirama finally spoke, supporting a look that indicated that he was absolutely unamused. He didn't know what the hell was making Hashirama think that this afternoon was fine by any stretch of the imagination.

"What?! Can you be any more of a sourpuss?" Hashirama responded and ran his hand through the wet hair of his younger brother in a loving way which only caused the look of displeasure on Tobirama face to intensify.

"Madara is here to meet me. We were just..."

"I don't care." Tobirama abruptly interrupted his older brother and jerked his head away from Hashirama's hand.

"Well, I hope you would care to at least join us." Hashirama said placidly, not minding Tobirama's rudeness. After all these years he had grown accustomed to his brother's spite towards the Uchiha clan leader. Though he admonished him here and there, Hashirama knew quite well he could never make Tobirama like Madara.

"No thank you. I have students to teach. Unlike some people I actually take my responsibilities seriously." Another snide remark of disapproval and Tobirama left the two long haired men alone to meet up with his students who were making their way towards him through the woods running with all their might.

This was not looking good for Tobirama at all. The mere fact that they were together right now meant that they had met before this.

It physically hurt to realize that his previous efforts were being rendered useless so mercilessly and readily in front of him. This could not go on any longer. He had to break the two up immediately before this progressed into something unmanageable.

.

'There has to be something I can do ….'

Hashirama sighed solemnly as he watched Tobirama walk towards his students. His sweet smile made a return, however, when he shifted to look at Madara. Noticing the ungracious scowl that Madara was currently busy sending towards his younger brother, Hashirama instinctually tried to placate the situation.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that." The older Senju said mildly even though he knew that his attempt at justifying Tobirama's irrational hatred will only get the Uchiha to laugh at best or insult him at worst.

What he got, however, was something completely unexpected.

"You don't have to lie to me, Hashirama." Madara said with a somber tone and a face void of any emotion, the scowl previously distorting his face now replaced with an expressionless visage.

His eyes lingered momentarily on Tobirama before they slowly dropped to the ground.

Hashirama made up for the Uchiha's lack of expression as his eyebrows furrowed from worry after witnessing Madara in such a tragic state.

"I am not lying, Madara...really Tobirama..."

"..doesn't like me. It's okay, neither does anyone else." Madara said, interrupting the older Senju the second time today. His eyes didn't burn with the resolute crimson of his sharingan anymore. Now replaced with an abysmal black that rarely ever appeared, the shadowed orbs of Madara's eyes looked at Hashirama.

His face wasn't vacant anymore. A faint smile graced Madara's face, a smile of neither happiness nor mischief, but of complete hopelessness one that's produced sarcastically on occasions when neither crying nor laughing at misery are viable options.

"What are you saying, Madara? That's not true…..." Hashirama quickly replied, not sure what had gotten into his friend that made him make such depressing claims.

"No matter how much you want to believe otherwise, Hashirama this village will always hold unfavorable sentiments about me." Madara said and watched Hashirama become quiet with concern.

"No need to worry though, I truly don't care if they don't like me." The Uchiha declared matter-of-factly, deciding against adding 'because I don't like them either' for the sake of Hashirama.

"Well, I care. I don't know why you are assuming such things...If not anyone else then at least know that...I like you." Hashirama said in a chiding tone, completely unaware of the impact his last three words had on Madara.

Madara felt that familiar tug in his chest, his breath painfully held back as his heart began to well up with emotions that he had tried so hard to repress.

That little smile vanished leaving behind the formerly seen blank expression on Madara's face. He stared into the warm depths of Hashirama's eyes, his patience disintegrating piece by piece, and chipping away at his already perforated sanity along with it.

Speechless he stood, not knowing how to respond, his ability to produce a response to this being the least of his concerns at the moment.

His fate was not satisfied with being however bad it was right now and kept its adamant journey of making Madara's life as disastrous as possible.

A breeze, heated by the fiery sun, shuffled the leaves above them and hit them like a puff of steam from boiling water.

Hashirama had coincidentally been standing against the wind. Struck by the impact of the warm air, the long strands of his hair flew softly toward Madara.

Madara became truly aware of just how close he was standing to the other man when Hashirama's brown locks gently brushed against his arm making his heart jump.

The shroud of dark hair that covered almost half of Madara's face at all times was lifted off by the wind revealing his face in full view to Hashirama.

Madara experienced an odd sense of vulnerability take over him as Hashirama scanned his face. A frown slowly formed on the Senju clan leader's face.

And as if things weren't already bad enough, Hashirama, in his clueless indiscretion, took it a step further.

Madara felt it on the side of his face, the soothing warmth of Hashirama's coarse palm.

"God, Madara are you feeling alright? You look deathly sick."Hashirama asked in a soft voice his hand still on the Uchiha's face.

Everything in Madara went motionless, from his heart to his breathing, even his brain decided to shut down overwhelmed by the situation.

The Uchiha had single handedly fought an army of more than a hundred men without a worry or woe, not a single scratch to his body or soundness of mind. Yet he stood here, with strength less than that of a newborn child's, unable to even talk because someone he had a little crush on touched his face.

'When did I become this pitiful?'

"It's nothing. I just haven't been… sleeping well." Madara replied in a low voice as he turned to look away from Hashirama, regretting his decision to ever meet up with the Senju.

He wanted this torment to stop, he wanted to get away, he wanted to be distracted.

Hashirama got the signal and moved his hand away from Madara's face as the Uchiha turned away from him. His fingers lightly grazed against Madara's lips in the process.

Madara could almost hear it now. His tough exterior cracking and shattering at places, crumbling from the cruel blows of his reality which by every passing moment became excruciatingly hard to handle.

Straightening his head, Madara looked up ahead and almost regrettably found just what he was searching for.

There stood his distraction staring him right in the eyes, anger blazing in him like the flaring sun above them.


Thank you for reading!