AThousand Hands
Summary:The rise and fall of the man who moved nations; Senju Hashirama.
Disclaimer:Naruto Series is not mine
Arc Three:Brothers and Rivals
Chapter Nine
"Dewdrop, let me cleanse
In your brief
Sweet waters …
These dark hands of life"
-Basho
This was a rare moment for Tobirama.
The loneliness of his home, with Hashirama gone, had forced him from that hollow shelter to the top of the mountain overlooking their village. First, with nothing to bother him but the occasional meeting, he had delved into his work of creating new techniques. Where Hashirama was gifted with a connection to all of the natural universe, Tobirama understood that which was manmade. Systems came easily to him.
This fine morning, Tobirama found that he no longer wanted to fiddle with that which stemmed from the human mind. His heart, instead, lifted him from his bed this morning when he heard the sound of rain tapping against his windows. The sky was still the darkest shade of black, as if a great being far beyond them had spilled his ink over a fine blue canvas.
Tobirama wanted to watch the sunrise.
Tobirama wanted to see the celestial light of the sun reflecting off the fresh dew of a crisp summer morning. He had hoped that the rain, now just a light drizzle would cleanse his mind and his hands of the darkness of life.
First, an old man sat beside Tobirama and patted him gently on the shoulder.
"Father," Tobirama said. "I've disgraced you …"
The old man shook his head in understanding, stood and ruffled his son's hair before vanishing into the netherworld. He was soon replaced by an old woman, his mother, who kissed Tobirama gently on the cheek before whispering in his ear:
"We'll always be proud of you, Tobi …" – before vanishing too in chase of the old man.
Then came a young girl; she wore commoner's clothing but her heart and eyes were on fire with the will of the most noble heiress.
"The sun goddess reincarnated," Tobirama said to her, smiling brightly.
She kissed him passionately on the lips, making his body tingle with a sensation that he had missed so much:
"Don't you ever forget me!" she yelled angrily.
She was soon forgotten, for suddenly a pair of real arms, made of flesh and bone, encompassed Tobirama's neck and he was cheek to cheek with a porcelain skinned woman with raven colored hair.
"I never expected I'd find you up here, Tobirama," Peko said. "You don't seem like the type to wait longingly for the sunrise."
"I'm not," Tobirama said, lying. "Look out at this village … it's the perfect example of the power of the human mind when properly pushed. Why are you looking for me this late in the night? The sunrise isn't for another couple of hours."
"Well," Peko said, sighing, "I told Nodoka that I needed to speak with you about official Council business."
Tobirama laughed. "He bought that?"
"No," Peko said. "But who cares?"
Their lips met in a passionate lock, and Tobirama once again felt that feeling he had longed for. Human affection was so sweet, and so confusing. That was why Tobirama loved the feel of Peko's hips against his own. Because, he could not understand it. No matter how he tried to break it down, no matter how much he tried to make sense of it, he could not. Because there was no sense to make.
It simply was; this must have been how Hashirama lived all the time.
Tobirama lifted her in his arms like a bride, never breaking their kiss. With a single movement he leaped off the mountain. From such a height, they fell freely for almost half a minute. The raindrops seemed to be reversing their course as they zipped past them. Tobirama landed as light as a feather on the roof of his home, and within seconds had laid Peko gently on his bed.
Tobirama never got to see the sunrise.
When sunlight finally peaked through their window, they were dressed and eating at the table in the dining room.
"So, I've got an idea about a new clan system," Peko said, a piece of bread in her hand. "It came to me yesterday, as I was walking through the village. No matter where you go, no matter the time, there was always something happening! People are building things, selling things or growing things …"
"Go on," Tobirama said.
"Well … why is the village so efficient?" Peko asked.
"Because the people have incentives," Tobirama said. "They have money, and they want to buy things. None of the people are placed under any restrictive conditions, and thus they get to do what they want. When people can do what they want, they prosper."
"Right, right," Peko said. "Now why is the army so inefficient?"
"Because there are no incentives," Tobirama said. "No matter your skill, you get the same wages. Where are you going with this? We tried to change up the pay based on skill, or experience, but it's too hard to keep track of."
"My plan's pretty simple," Peko said. "There are millions of people in Fire Country who want things to be done and need ninjas to do them … but approaching a ninja is unthinkable because they might kill you. How about this? People must come to you and Hashirama for missions, and when they do, you decide which ninjas have the skills to handle that mission and send them. They get most of the pay, and the village gets a small amount. This way, the clan heads are kept out of the larger loop, soldiers have incentive to train and get better, and the village gets money to support war time needs. Also, in times of war, you and Hashirama assume absolute power over the men."
Tobirama was silent for a minute. As he chewed his food, he found many holes in her plan. For instance, conventional warfare would be nearly impossible. But, then again, who needed conventional warfare?
"Genius," Tobirama said, finally. "It's better than my plan."
"Which was?" Peko asked.
"To kill all the clan heads and threaten their men into submission," Tobirama said, a cold edge in his voice. After a brief silence he added: "I'm joking of course … not really."
Soon, Tobirama had Peko pressed against the wall. He took a moment to feel her soft, supple flesh against his battle-hardened body before leaning in to kiss her. He thought for a moment that he loved her. So enthralled were they in the moment neither of them sensed the presence in the home until it was too late; a door flung open and a member of the Sarutobi Ten rushed in.
"L-Lord Senju," the Sarutobi said, averting his eyes and blushing.
Tobirama and Peko quickly corrected themselves.
"Is there a problem?" Tobirama asked.
"There's a fire in district four," the Sarutobi said.
"A fire?" Tobirama asked, confused. "It was just raining, how can a fire have started?"
"We believe there was some ninja activity," the Sarutobi said.
"Gather the troops," Tobirama said, grabbing his Raijin from its place. "Have two platoons in every district. Have the rest of the Sarutobi Ten follow me; I'll hunt down the bastards responsible."
The Sarutobi rushed out.
"And me?" Peko asked.
"Go home," Tobirama said. "We need to protect the clan heads."
Suddenly, Peko slapped Tobirama indignantly. Her eyes were red with fury and her face blushed like a tomato.
"Don't lie to me," Peko said. "If it's serious enough that you're scrambling the whole army, the other clan heads will fight! I never thought you were a sentimental fool!"
Tobirama was silent for a second; it never occurred to him that he had lied. But, he realized, if his fears were true, that the other clan heads would be expected to fight. For a brief moment, he had allowed his sentimental heart to rein over his mind. To Tobirama the Lover, Peko was that which was most precious to him. To Tobirama the Strategist, Peko was a valuable asset because of her leadership and fighting abilities.
The Strategist won.
"Join platoon three," Tobirama said. "Ashoka is leading them, take charge and make him second in command. Wait for my order before moving."
Like a ghost Tobirama vanished from the home and was leaping over the rooftops towards district four, which was the very edge of the expanding village. He could see a massive fire licking away at many homes. Within seconds, nine of the Sarutobi Ten were trailing him faithfully. There were five homes on fire. A quick water technique from Tobirama silenced the flames immediately. Only ashes remained, and within Tobirama and his men could see the charred bones of civilians.
"Come out," Tobirama said, his voice a low growl. "I can smell your stench."
Fifteen men, hidden behind the remains of one of the houses, emerged. They were dressed in black, and undoubtedly bore the symbol of the Uchiha clan on their backs. If that was not proof enough, each of them bore a pair of Sharingan eyes that swirled maliciously.
Tobirama donned his coldest, most emotionless face. His red eyes became a cold, hard metal as he envisaged how he would eviscerate the fools who dared to attack his home and kill his subjects. It was just as he had feared. The Uchiha clan had returned, and Hashirama was too far away to return in time to repel them.
"So, the Uchiha has come," Tobirama said. "Haven't you all learned yet?"
"You fucking idiot!" One of the Uchiha, their apparent leader, yelled. "You don't stand a chance in hell this time. We're just the welcoming party."
"Your leaders are the idiots," Tobirama said. "Instead of simply attacking full force while we weren't alert, they send forward a warning. They'll come to regret that decision."
"Lord Madara told us to return to the group once we spotted one of you," the Uchiha leader said. "I say we'll just kill you now, seeing as its fifteen to ten. I like those odds, don't you fellas? W're the vanguards of the Uchiha clan, the most powerful fifteen that our clan has to offer besides Lord Madara and Lord Izuna."
"You should have listened to your master," Tobirama said, his hands flying together to form seals.
The Uchiha rushed all at once to slaughter him, and not a single Sarutobi moved to intercept them. The Uchiha barely got a step from their previous positions before they all halted immediately.
"Water Style: Binding Water Technique!"
The fifteen Uchiha stood paralyzed as Tobirama pointed his hands at them.
"You come here, still wet from the rain …" Tobirama said. "You would do well to learn that I am a master of water. Even the slightest rain drop on your skin is a dagger which I can use to disembowel you."
"Kill them now, Lord Tobirama?" a Sarutobi asked.
"And preserve their bodies," Tobirama said. "They'll prove useful."
The Sarutobi men went about the gritty work of slitting the throats of the Uchiha vanguards as the poor fools struggled to break Tobirama's bind. Every time a body collapsed, Tobirama was given a reprieve. The technique was extremely taxing, and it had nearly failed to stop them all. Tobirama walked up to the leader of the group and forced him to his knees.
"What's your name?" Tobirama asked.
"Fuck you, Senju scum!" the Uchiha said.
"Did you know that the human body is eighty to ninety percent water?" Tobirama asked, seemingly without reason. "While I can't control water in the body of a moving opponent, that's impossible even for me, if I can get someone to sit still … then their entire body becomes just a puppet at my whim. Watch."
Tobirama laid his hand gently on the Uchiha's forehead. He trickled his power into the man's chakra system. The Uchiha attempted to fight; his chakra was particularly strong and potent, but in the end no match for Tobirama's.
A chilling shriek escaped the Uchiha's mouth, followed closely by a snap as his right arm bent and broke like a twig. The other arm began to do the same.
"Senjin!" the Uchiha yelled. "My name is Senjin!"
"Now, how many of you are there?" Tobirama whispered in his ear. "And where are they?"
"Fuck you!"
Senjin's other arm snapped like the first, followed by his leg. He screamed in horror as blood began to drip from his jaws; the water in his belly was ravenously tearing apart his insides. Suddenly, his blood began to boil. His brain began to steam like a vegetable cooking and blood started streaking from Senjin's eyes like tears.
"Oh, God! Three hundred, there are three hundred! Split into three divisions! I was leading the third division; they're just a mile from here! Please, stop!"
But, Tobirama did not. Instead, he increased his chakra flow into Senjin's body, grinding his bones and cutting his insides. The cold anger he had felt at the sight of the burned down homes had transformed into a hot hatred that he did not understand. Tobirama understood only that he hated Uchiha; not one, but all of them.
"Lord Senju!" a Sarutobi yelled.
Tobirama snapped back to life, realizing that Senjin was long dead; his mouth and eyes were wide with inexplicable horror. Tobirama removed his hand, letting the hot body fall lifelessly to the ground. He wiped the blood on his hand off on his shirt.
"Ichi, Ni," Tobirama said, "I want you to get platoons one through three and gather them at the southeast corner of the village. San, Shi and Go, get platoons three through six and go to the northeast corner; tell Sasuke that he's in control of that group. Roku, Shichi, Hachi … get the last two platoons and gather them at the eastern edge of the village; I'll join you there. Kyu, I need you to go and inform the Aburame and Inuzuka clans that their Senju brothers need them. Move!"
"Yes, Lord Tobirama!"
They vanished, leaving Tobirama alone with the deceased bodies of the fifteen Uchiha. Ju, the member of the Sarutobi clan who had found him at home with Peko, found him immediately.
"Ju," Tobirama said. "I want you to gather these bodies and burn them. Before you burn them, I want you to extract a vial of their blood, do you understand?"
"Of course, Lord Tobirama," Ju said.
"I'm counting on you."
Tobirama moved quickly back to his home. He found his battle armor, blue to contrast Hashirama's red and donned it. Around the collar was the fur that his father, Tamago, had given to him months before his death.
Peko found him outside his door.
"What's going on?" Peko asked.
"It's the Uchiha invasion we've been fearing all along," Tobirama said. "Peko, take fifty men and start moving the villagers towards the base of the mountain."
"Don't insult me-"
"Shut up and listen!" Tobirama said, nearly hissing. "This is no time to be prideful. If I am to die, and our forces to be decimated, it is your job to protect the villagers until the Aburame and Inuzuka clans get here. Send someone to get Hashirama."
He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her passionately.
"Be swift and strong!" Tobirama said, before rushing off towards the eastern front.
The battle began before he arrived. Distant explosions shook the village and Tobirama down to his core. Their fledging village had finally known full scale war. He steeled his heart in preparation for what was to come. He saw it in the distance. A large mass of ninjas, his Senju warriors, facing off against a large mass of black clad figures. Even without his sensing abilities he could feel to vile creatures leading the head of the dragon.
Tobirama leaped, his momentum carrying him clear over his large mass of men.
"Water Style: Slicing Water Torrent!"
At Tobirama's whim a wall of water erupted from the ground and made a wall between the Senju and the Uchiha. He landed softly on his feet, with the Raijin's handle held delicately in his hand. The wall of water dispersed, leaving him face to face with one man he immediately recognized as Izuna and another he rationalized must have been Madara.
"You came together?" Tobirama asked. "I expected that you would split your strength."
"Where is the Senju?" Madara asked, looking at who he considered to be a buffoon with mild disgust.
"Senju Tobirama, at your service. My brother is handling more pressing matters."
"I'm disappointed," Madara said, crossing his arms. "I was hoping to meet again the man named Hashirama, and crush all that he loved in front of his eyes. You'll have to do … I guess."
"Don't underestimate him, brother," Izuna said, drawing his scythe. "He's every bit as strong as the other one."
"You overestimate yourselves," Tobirama said. "I assure you, that I'll be meet the challenge you're looking for and exceed it. You've purchased your ticket to hell and I won't disappoint on the delivery."
The Raijin blade came to life in Tobirama's hand, crackling with a powerful electricity that sought to match the rising tension of the combatants. Elsewhere, with the other divisions, the battles had already begun as fire and earth could be heard clashing in the distance. Men were screaming. But not a man on either side quivered.
Tobirama moved first; like a ghost he vanished, appearing between the two Uchiha's and attempting to cleave them in twain. Madara blocked smoothly with his metal warfan, and Izuna's scythe came descending down on Tobirama.
The scythe cleaved through Tobirama's body, which promptly dispersed into a puddle of water. The war began with a mighty war cry from an Akimichi before he rolled to crush the Uchiha. The two masses of warriors met and melded into a destructive wall of unimaginable chaos,
"Die!" Tobirama hollered, erupting from the ground.
Madara leaped away to avoid the Raijin, and Tobirama clashed weapons with Izuna sending sparks jutting into the air.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Madara released a wide, powerful flame. The flame seared the wet grass, sending steam floating into the air. Izuna moved to avoid the behemoth of a flame.
"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"
Tobirama spit up a stream of water. The water surrounded him in a stunning vortex of clear liquid, engulfing Madara's flames in a single swallow before reaching a crescendo and exploding from the top in the form of a wave. One hand motion sent a powerful wave of water rolling towards Madara. Another made a wave intercept Izuna and send him flying way, and the last crashed through a band of Uchiha.
"You dance well," Madara said. "You're a master of the water. But what is a master of water to a god of fire? Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!"
"Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!" yelled Izuna.
Two rivers of fire exploded from the brothers and approached Tobirama with devastating speed. The white hot flames eroded his water defense. With a single movement, Tobirama had the water carry him into the sky.
Madara punched Tobirama square in the jaw, sending him rocketing towards the earth. Tobirama landed on his feet and side stepped Izuna's scythe, only to meet Izuna's boot in his gut. Tobirama rolled away, once again surrounded by the brothers.
"You're beginning to bore me," Madara said. "Where are your Wood techniques?"
"Water Style: Riding Water Torrent!" Tobirama shouted.
Tobirama was suddenly lifted from the ground by a wave of water which hurtled him towards Madara. Madara blocked the Raijin, but with a smooth motion Tobirama sent both the war fan and his sword sailing away. Madara blocked two blows, and was pushed away suddenly as Tobirama punched him in the chest.
Izuna swung his scythe in a wide arch. Tobirama ducked and swept his feet. Izuna jumped to avoid. Madara erupted from the side of Tobirama's vision and kneed him in the chin, sending him skidding away with blood dripping from his mouth.
"Maybe one of us, you could match," Izuna said.
"But against us both, you're powerless," Madara finished.
Tobirama wiped the blood from his mouth; indeed he was mostly powerless to defeat them. But of course, he had tricks up his sleeve.
"I haven't mastered this technique," Tobirama said, forming a single hand seal. "But, what better time to master it than in the midst of battle."
Two small water droplets, hardly bigger than two drops of rain, appeared by Tobirama's sides. Both water droplets began to glow a bright purpled color, and when the color died down, there was a symbol in each of the droplets.
"Suijin's Heavenly Doorway," Tobirama said.
The two water droplets launched towards Madara, who made no attempt to dodge them. The droplets stopped suddenly, just short of Madara who smirked. The smirk was wiped clean when suddenly Tobirama's fist slammed into Madara's nose, shattering it and sending the Uchiha tumbling back.
Tobirama lunged at Izuna, they met in a clash of fists and before Izuna could cleave Tobirama in half, the Senju vanished, reappearing between his two droplets of water.
Slowly, another droplet of water formed near Tobirama's forehead. Two of the water droplets rushed towards Izuna, who quickly backed away. The third towards Madara. One of the droplets chasing Izuna suddenly changed directions and joined the one trying to capture Madara. The Uchiha hissed and made a single hand seal.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"
The flaming meteor caught the two droplets in midair; the water burrowed two wholes clean through the fire and nearly caught Madara, who leaped away.
"It's no use trying to evaporate the drops," Tobirama said. "They're made of a delicate mix of carbon, mercury and sulfur … the boiling point is too high for anything you could muster. You could always use your Amaterasu technique … but they're too small to properly aim at."
"But you aren't," Izuna said. "Amaterasu!"
The black flames of hell instantly engulfed Tobirama's form.
"Over here," Tobirama said, kicking Izuna in the gut before punching him in the jaw.
A single stroke of Izuna's scythe sent Tobirama away, and gave him some space. Madara landed gently next to his brother, wiping the blood from his nose. Tobirama tried to avoid shaking. The weight of the technique was devastating. Despite his efforts, their keen Sharingan eyes immediately caught sight of his dwindling chakra reservoirs.
"I see," Madara said. "You aren't fast at all. It's a trick. Amaterasu is impossible to avoid, for it merely ignites the enemy. The kanji inside are summoning markings. Wherever the two markings meet, you summon yourself there."
"It bypasses space and time," Izuna said. "Your movement through the doorway is instantaneous. A clever technique."
"Lethal too," Madara said. "But not without its weakness. Instantaneous movement is not meant for fragile human bodies. How much does it hurt, Senju, to have every particle in your body ripped apart and then reassembled? And your chakra … finding elements as rare as mercury and sulfer in the earth and mixing them must take lots of energy. You won't last!"
"I'll last long enough to send you both to hell," Tobirama said.
A final water droplet formed. Each set of droplets chased hungrily after the brothers, who tried to avoid them by splitting up. Their attempts to attack Tobirama suddenly became useless as he would vanish into thin air and reappear.
"We can run longer than you can chase, fool," Madara said mockingly.
"There!" Tobirama hollered.
He vanished, instantly reappearing in front of a shocked Izuna. Raijin, having been retrieved, struck like a cobra to pierce Izuna through the gut and end his life. Tobirama found Izuna's flesh to be hard and impenetrable. His arm nearly shattered with the force of the impact. Standing between the two was wall of purple chakra, which formed around Izuna in the shape of a massive hooded figure with a scythe of chakra in hand.
"Meet Susanoo," Izuna said, before bringing his new scythe bearing down on Tobirama; once again Tobirama was long gone.
"Oh yes, did I forget to mention?" Madara asked, vainly. "Despite your godlike speed, you're useless against our godlike defense."
Chakra erupted around Madara as well, forming his blue and four armed guardian deity with its jagged swords in hand.
Tobirama sighed, letting his water droplets disperse. A feeling of great relief came over his body. One more teleportation and he might have blacked out from the searing pain. Madara was right. Every atom in his body was instantly ripped apart, and then smashed back together. Dying might have been a more pleasurable feeling.
"Tobirama!" yelled Sasuke, landing and stumbling by his master's side. "The other two battles are streaming this way. It's about to become one fucking free for all!"
The other two battles had moved their way over to this one. Devastation was strewn about. The fourth district was in flames, and regrouping needed to be done.
"Pay attention fool!" Madara yelled, his chakra scimitar moving to kill both Tobirama and Sasuke in a single stroke.
"Water Style: Ryujin the Water God!"
Tobirama and Sasuke separated, avoiding death. Immediately, Tobirama was surrounded in a shell of water that exploded into the air and began to shape. Within seconds, Tobirama sat in the head of a massive serpent dragon of water. It opened its mouth and released the sound of rushing water. It was the roar of a waterfall.
Tobirama launched forward, grabbing Madara in his jaws. Madara's two free hands grabbed him around the neck, and Izuna came sweeping in like the angel of death. Tobirama's tail knocked Izuna in the chest, sending him careening back slightly. Madara's two swords batted Tobirama's dragon away.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!" Madara yelled.
A giant river of fire fed off Susanoo's body and erupted towards Tobirama.
"Water Style: Water Cannon!"
Tobirama's dragon opened its maw and released a massive, condensed ball of water. Followed by another. The first clashed with the fire stream and turned into a storm of steam. The second cut through the steam and slammed into Madara, sending Susano'o crashing into a line of trees.
Izuna came rushing out of the side. Tobirama fired another water cannon. Izuna cut the water ball clean in half and cleaved Tobirama's dragon in half as well. With one hand movement, Tobirama sent the severed bottom half of his dragon crashing into Izuna which sent skidding away him away.
The water dragon dissipated, and Tobirama landed on a single knee.
The two Uchiha brothers stood, their guardians vanishing as well. Both of them had blood streaming from their eyes and looked as haggard as he was.
"Retreat!" Tobirama shouted; they would not follow. "Senju! Retreat to the fourth district!"
The two armies had met at the eastern front. The call was immediately heeded. The Uchiha, also looking for some reprieve, vanished into the foliage. The Senju clan found itself hiding behind the rubble of district four.
"Report!" Tobirama said, not to anyone in particular.
Of five hundred Senju fighters, three hundred and twenty-one remained ready to battle. The rest were either dead, too wounded to continue or captured. Some of the cowards had fled upon seeing the Uchiha crests and the size of the Uchiha's army.
"Tobirama," Sasuke said, as night began to fall. "The Uchiha sent a messenger."
"What did they want?" Tobirama asked.
"A prisoner exchange," Sasuke said. "They have thirty-two of ours, and we have forty-one of theirs. They said in four hours, we'll exchange them at the battlefield."
"Is that all?" Tobirama asked.
"No," Sasuke said. "They wanna resume the battle right after the prisoners are exchanged. That leader, Madara … he's got a lot of flair to him. The damn idiot thinks he's a samurai."
"No, he's smarter than you'd think," Tobirama said. "This kind of warfare, where we meet in an open field and do head to head battle is very favorable to the Uchiha clan. If this was unconventional war, we'd destroy them with the diversity of our clan techniques. Head to head, the Uchiha are hard to beat."
"So, we aren't gonna meet them in the middle?" Sasuke asked.
"We will," Tobirama said. He paused for a long moment, looking up at the sky. Night had fallen now. The stars were shining brightly. He could see the Uchiha camp fires in the distance; they were not even trying to hide. "Do you believe in limits, Sasuke?"
"What do you mean by limits?"
"You know …" Tobirama said. "Boundaries … do you believe in moral boundaries, even when they stand in the way of a goal … or survival?"
"I … I'm not sure, Tobirama wha-."
Ju arrived at that instance, looking weary and somewhat disgusted with himself. In his hands were fifteen glass bottles with blood in them.
"Take me to the prisoners," Tobirama said.
The prisoners, all forty-one of them, were tied around a fire. Their fingers were tied together, they were blindfolded and gagged. They were being watched by a group of guards with kunai and swords ready to slaughter them for even the briefest movement. As Tobirama, Sasuke and Ju arrived, so too did Peko.
"Tobirama," Peko said. "The villagers are safe. I'm joining the fight!"
Tobirama said nothing to her. Instead, he placed his hand gently on fifteen different Uchiha warriors. With a single nod to the guards, they dragged those fifteen Uchiha to a secluded area and left them there with Tobirama, Sasuke, Ju and Peko. Tobirama sat the fifteen prisoners in a circle and walked around them methodically. He took a single bottle of blood from Ju, and poured all of it on the head of one of them.
"In this world two things have always been certain; you and you die," Tobirama said, grabbing a second bottle. "Along the way, a third certainty came along … no matter who you are, you will suffer. You live, you suffer and you die. The suffering became so bad that one day, as a species, we began to transform death from something to be abhorred to something we look forward to. Death is an end to all the suffering, and thus the ultimate barrier to progress was made.
"You don't mess with the dead. You must let them remain at peace. When I created this technique, I had hoped to end those three certainties. What if you lived, and then you lived forever more? Eventually the suffering would stop. I had hoped to revive those dearest to me. But, I see now that the dead should remain dead."
Tobirama poured the last bottle of blood on the last dry head, and then stepped back.
"Tobirama, what the hell are you doing?" Sasuke asked.
"Forgive me," Tobirama whispered into the night."But, I must protect my most precious ones."
Whirlpool Country, Uzumaki Compound …
Hashirama sat just a foot away from Mito; both were still dressed in fine white clothing. They sat on a patch of grass, surrounded by many grapevines. Just a while behind them was the gleaming Uzumaki Compound.
"Taste one," Mito said, picking a grape and plopping it into her mouth.
Hashirama did the same, and felt an orgasm of pleasure jolt through him. The grape was heavenly beyond reason. So sweet, and the texture of the flesh so supple that he thought he was chewing on something plucked directly from heaven. Before he knew it, he had grabbed five more and was eating them ravenously.
Mito chuckled lightly, and turned away.
"Forgive me," Hashirama said, smiling sheepishly. "It's just that they're so good."
"I understand," Mito said, hugging her knees to her chest. "My great grandmother planted a seal on the soil her in her day. The seal alters the very genetics of the grapes, and makes them tastier than any wine and chewier than any normal grape."
"This place is like heaven," Hashirama said. "I wish I could make the whole world like this … or at the very least my own home."
"One day," Mito said. "It's only a matter of time. This place is so advanced only because of the extended period of peace we've known. One day, this world will abandon warfare, and when cooler heads prevail, those who are truly genius can spend their time creating things that benefit all mankind, instead of techniques to kill."
"I know what you mean," Hashirama said. "My brother is a genius … he's much smarter than me. He's always finding new ways to better himself; new ways to destroy enemies. If he had gotten a chance to be a doctor, he might've cured the world's diseases. Do you have any siblings?"
"I had an older brother," Mito said, laying down and staring at the stars. "He died defending the city from pirates that came from Water Country."
Hashirama frowned: "So even this gentle place knows war."
It was hard to imagine that. Mito's father and his sages, after taking three days to seal Shukaku into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, had fallen unconscious and probably would not awaken for several more days. He had a hard time grasping that; if he and Tobirama were not be at the village's defense, he could only imagine how long it would last before bandits or the Uchiha clan razed it to the ground. He laid down as well.
"Your brother," Mito said. "What is he like?"
"Much different from me," Hashirama said. "When everything is peaceful, he's much less serious than me, and when it's rugged he's much more serious. He spends a lot of his time thinking … I don't think much."
"Why?" Mito asked.
"I prefer to feel," Hashirama said almost instinctively.
"Is he as strong as you are?" Mito asked.
"Yes," Hashirama said. "No … maybe. I think I might edge him out in terms of raw power since I can pull energy from the world. But, he's much more innovative and like I said, smarter. If it came down to a battle to the death, he would probably win, even though I'm the stronger one of us."
"Is he that much smarter than you?"
"No," Hashirama said. "It's just … a long time ago, a clan of ninjas killed his father, and his lover. Tobirama attacked the clan and killed everyone; even the woman and children. Ever since he's been very cold toward anyone standing in his way. He's got an edge that I don't have."
"So he doesn't have any boundaries?" Mito asked.
"Maybe a few," Hashirama said. "But, he'd cross any line to protect those he loves."
They remained silent after that. Hashirama tried to find the star in the sky that could see his brother, and use it as a telescope to monitor him.
"What are you doing now, Tobirama?"
Fire Country, District Four of the village …
Tobirama clapped his hands together and called on his remaining chakra. The blood on the heads of the Uchihas suddenly expanded and pooled down on the ground, creating a complex array of seals around the sacrifices and leaving them in the center. Tobirama's fellows watched in apprehension; a growing feeling of disgust was growing inside each of them.
"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation!"
The seals underneath the victims lit up like lights. The ground around them rose into the air, suddenly turned weightless. Instantly the earth converged on them and their screams were muffled before they could truly begin as the earth totally consumed every part of their being. It took only seconds for them to suffocate; as soon as their chests stopped moving, the earth fell away and the fifteen prisoners were gone.
Now, sitting there were the fifteen Uchiha that Tobirama and the Sarutobi ten had killed before.
"Stand," Tobirama said; the bodies stood.
"W-what is this, Tobirama?" Peko asked.
"Edo Tensei," Tobirama said. "I created it over the years after my father and Ayame's deaths. It allows me to resurrect the deceased, using only their DNA and a live human sacrifice."
"It … it's horrid," Sasuke said, his face pale as a ghost.
Peko suddenly hurled onto the ground, and she refused to look at Tobirama.
"I know what you must think of me," Tobirama said. "It's disgusting … but with this technique, we'll repel the Uchiha."
With a swift movement, Tobirama stabbed the leader, Senjin, through the heart. When he removed his kunai, the wound was immediately closed and Senjin was unphased.
"They're immortal," Tobirama said. "They don't tire, they don't die, and they don't feel. I have to remain close to them, however, in order to prevent their personalities from resurfacing. Sasuke, Peko, Ju … I want you to go to the men and retrieve all of the explosive tags that you can. We'll obliterate as many of the Uchiha as we can in one fell swoop."
They found enough explosive tags to put forty on each of the reanimated bodies. The zombies were gagged and bound like the rest of the Uchiha prisoners, and they were all lined up in rows. Tobirama stood behind them and made his way towards the open battlefield. His remaining warriors were following at a distance.
The Uchiha had done the same. Madara and Izuna stood in front of the Senju prisoners, who stood between the Uchiha leaders and the Uchiha members.
"Are you ready for round two, Senju?" Madara asked. "I assure you, this time around your tricks won't do you any good."
Tobirama walked forward and so did his prisoners. When they got close enough, Tobirama forced Senjin to suddenly take flight.
"Is that Senjin fleeing like a coward?" Madara asked. "I thought he was dead."
"He is now," Izuna said, growling.
In the blink of an eye, Izuna appeared in front of Senjin and split him in half. There was no blood. The top half of Senjin's body suddenly latched tightly onto Izuna's back. The body exploded! Boom! A mushroom of fire engulfed Izuna, and before the debris could even vanish the rest of the Edos had sprinted into the midst of the Uchiha clan.
Boom!
The night sky lit up as fire engulfed the Uchiha ranks. The sudden scatter of bodies was astounding as the Uchihas tried to escape the flames of their brothers' detonating bodies. Limbs went flying through the air. Izuna, having managed to erect a bare minimum of his Susanoo, was kneeling in a pool of his own blood.
Madara instantly rushed to his side and batted away the reformed Senjin.
"What kind of trick is this?" Madara demanded.
"No trick," Tobirama said, "this is your doom."
Tobirama stood perfectly still, commanding his Edo warriors as they jumped through the fray of clashing Senju and Uchiha bodies, slaughtering their former brethren without remorse or empathy. A powerful sweat formed on his forehead.
"You bastard!" Madara hollered.
Madara moved to try and kill him, but suddenly found his body frozen stiff. He followed the source of his petrification with his eyes to a skinny woman, struggling to keep him contained with her pathetic technique.
"Peko!" Tobirama said, realizing she was trying to stave Madara off. "Peko, run!"
Madara's anger reached its peak as Senjin attacked him once more. His Susano'o sprung to life, larger and denser than ever. The beast swatted Senjin away like a fly and, with a single movement, stabbed Peko clean through the gut. The blade, as large as it was, pierced through her entire torso. The blow sent her flying through the air, and when she reached her peak, she came falling down in slow motion to Tobirama.
Tobirama could hear someone screaming: "Peko! Peko! Peko!"
Madara and his ethereal guardian descended on Tobirama as he was screaming Peko's name, totally devoid of any other sensation. The blade nearly cleaved him in half, but suddenly a blur erupted from the confusion of the fight and tackled Tobirama out of the way. Tobirama barely registered that it was Koga; the Inuzuka and Aburame clans had arrived. They were saved, but yet he could not even fathom it.
"P-Pe-Peko!" Tobirama screamed.
The battle around him intensified as the Inuzuka and Aburame clans swept through. Understanding that their defeat was imminent, the Uchiha quickly began to retreat. Madara lifted his brother onto his shoulders and easily struck down anyone who tried to stop him.
"Goodbye, Senju Tobirama," Madara said. "I look forward to dancing with you again."
Within minutes, the Uchiha had vanished into the night. Koga and Kageru cleverly chose not to follow them:
"A dog is most dangerous when wounded," Koga had said to the men.
Tobirama crawled through the charred field in search of his most precious one. The bodies were everywhere, their blood watering the grass. Friends of his were among the dead, but he merely stepped over them in the search of a single body. He found her, and collapsed to his knees at the sight of her; his face contorted and his mouth flew wide open, but not a sound came out.
Peko was mangled. The blade had destroyed her entire midsection, and her body was only held together by small strings of meat. Her skin was dry, for every last bit of blood had drained out of her. Her hair was caked with mud and blood, her eyes were wide open; a single tear drop had just managed to form in her eyes. She was beautiful. There was peace on her face.
At first, Tobirama resorted to whimpering. Bitter, pathetic tears streamed down his face as he continued to stare at her still, rigid form. No one dared to grab, or try and console him. Many were too busy doing the same as he was. Many were simply trying to find their loved ones; their hopes were dashed when they found the mangled bodies of their brothers and lovers, decomposing in the grass.
Finally, Tobirama moved to touch her. Her blood caked immediately on his hands, turning them the dark color of blood.
They stayed there, mourning, until the sunrise. It was an extremely crisp morning. It was cooler than normal, despite the smoking remains of district four and foliage around it. A fine layer of dewdrops blanketed the grass, the bodies and the mourners. The dawn sunlight shone through the drops, shining brightly in contrast to the dark blood that pooled around the field in mounds.
The sweet water cleansed Tobirama's mind long enough for him to deliver orders. Akimichi do this, Sarutobi do that. Yamanaka go here, Nara go there. Inuzuka this way, Aburame that way.
He felt so cold on the inside.
Hashirama arrived two days later, and collapsed to his knees in fury and sorrow at the sight of the covered bodies. When they finally managed to calm him, he helped dig every grave without the use of any technique. They decided to bury the bodies there in the field where they had died. A speech was given, and a stone was made on which they carved the names of every victim; the memorial stone. Nara Peko was lost somewhere amongst those names.
When the funeral was done, everyone simply went home if they still had one. No one was ready yet to rebuild; first had to come the healing.
Hashirama and Tobirama sat quietly atop the mountain. Tobirama, still reveling in Peko's memory, told Hashirama of her plan for the village.
"What did you find out?" Tobirama asked.
Hashirama recounted his journey to, in and from Whirlpool Country word for word as it had happened. Tobirama had found it beyond ironic that while he had lost the love of his life, Hashirama had gone and gotten himself a fiancé.
"Hard to believe," Tobirama said. "I don't hate the Uchiha because it's in my blood … but I hate them now … I hate them so much!"
Tobirama punched a hole in the stone in his rage. "But," he continued. "The Uzumaki said they'll back us up. What exactly do we need back up for?"
"We're going to unite Fire Country," Hashirama said, as simply as if he were saying they were going to make sandwich. "By this time in five years, every clan in Fire Country will either be a part of the Senju Clan or …"
"You know the Uchiha will never fold to us," Tobirama said.
"When they see how outmatched they are, they will." Hashirama said. "They'll have no choice but to abandon their pride and give in."
"And if they don't?" Tobirama demanded, hoped even.
"Then we'll crush them," Hashirama said.
"Good," Tobirama said. "I hope they hold on to their pride for all eternity."
They looked out over their village, on its knees and broken from outside terror. They promised to each other that it would never happen again. The village beneath the mountain would stretch as far as the eye could see, and its skyscrapers would tickle the stars, and its defenses would be so powerful that the gods themselves would fear to attack it.
"This world has refused to change," Tobirama said.
"So we'll change it ourselves!"
