Konoha's Weasel Prince

Summary: Itachi never got to use his Susanoo in his fight with Sasuke. As soon as the Kirin hit, he was sent back through time to the founder's era and it was up to him to ensure a safer and surer future for Konoha and the world at large. KisaIta TobiMada HashiMito others mentioned

Tobirama still couldn't believe he lost that argument with Hashirama, even to this day, when the wedding in question was finally taking place. Then again, saying Hahsirama won that argument was like saying the rainbow is colorless, since it was mostly Itachi's doing, as always. Tobirama had wondered at the wisdom of using the basis of every traditional wedding and just telling Madara to deal with that while a Senju can help him plan the rest that will make it a proper Senju wedding, but then they remembered that Mito's own clan was no small deal and they had to add some Uzumaki customs as well or else they might insult her visiting relatives.

To solve that problem, Itachi had suggested they ask every clan to help them plan and make a whole new set of customs, a new traditional wedding style that will be dubbed Konoha's Wedding and that it would be a wonderful show of unity if Konoha's Hokage is the first one married under these new customs. At first, everyone thought it was just a sick joke, combining their rites like that, but Itachi, like always, sure had a way with words and he convinced the Clan Heads of every clan in Konohagakure to participate. They left the actual planning to Madara himself and Tobirama had to admit - no matter how reluctantly or the fact that he'd rather swallow sand and ashes before he voices his thoughts - the Uchiha had done a great job. Far better than anyone could have ever expected Hashirama's wedding to be.

It would seem that years of wedding planning have made Madara a bit of an expert at it. He had tackled the new customs made like it were an enemy and he fought through all the traditions, stopping people from making any part of the wedding be too partial to any particular tradition and instead focusing the customs to seem equal from beginning to end. The manner of dress will remain the same as it did for all civilian weddings, the only difference that remained was that the bride and groom will bear their clan symbols on a piece of clothing of their choosing and according to their clan's traditions. The couple will chose who they wish to lead the ceremony instead of getting a priest or whatever else do it, making the ceremony far more intimate than first planned for. When vows are made, the one leading the ceremony will tie their joined hands in a white cloth with the Leaf painted on it in red and make three circles around the hall housing the ceremony. Once their hands are untied, they are to place flower crowns on each other's head that they have made themselves for each other before mixing black and white sand to represent a union that can never be broken. Then, before freeing the bird of their choice to fly away with a single plant of their choice, they are to join hands in a single hand seal, once again of their choosing and get rice thrown at them. Later, they are to gift each other a special gift that represent what they love most about the other in front of everyone, feed each other a single honey cake before having a wedding first dance. It was such a mix of traditions that many have thought it would be more than a little unorthodox.

Madara had to be given credit where credit was due, as he had made it look natural and beautiful. And the newly officially wed couple looked so happy, they couldn't stop smiling as they chatted with their guests, arms perpetually linked and never leaving each other's side for longer than a few minutes. They were glowing in their happiness and Tobirama wondered if they had been this happy when they first got married. They hadn't looked nearly this excited back then. Even Mito's usually poised face was glowing in a way that made her beauty stand out even more than it usually did.

The silks for their ceremonial robes were made from the silk and cotton that came from the Shimura's connections. The hair decorations have come from the Kurama Clan. The flowers for the ceremony were from the Yamanaka, the chosen plant - aloe - from the Nara, the honey cakes from the Akamichi and the bird was a falcon Hashirama asked of Madara. Hashirama made a big clearing with lots of different flowers for the wedding - and all future weddings - to take place and Mito safeguarded it with seals that will prevent anything from ever destroying it. The Sarutobi wrote the wedding ceremonial words that will apply for every wedding, the music that followed the groom when he arrived at the isle was an old Hyuuga variant of the song they would have used for their own weddings, the music that followed the bride was the traditional song civilians would use but played by the Inuzuka. The Aburame made sure to clear the clearing of bugs except butterflies and the Hatake provided the fireworks in the form of their lightning just before the rice was thrown. The Uchiha greeted the couple outside of the hall with sky-reaching fireballs. There were dozens of other smaller details that Tobirama was impressed were all made equally important and he had watched as Madara puffed up in pride when he saw how much everyone was enjoying themselves at the wedding he had planned.

The wedding was truly breathtaking, coordinated and Tobirama had a hunch it went as smoothly as it did because Madara might have threatened the other villagers with bodily harm if they mess up his best friend's wedding. Mito chose Toka as her Maid of Honor and Tobirama was Hashirama's Best Man, just like during their first unofficial wedding. They had wanted to make Madara lead the ceremony but the Uchiha Clan Head had insisted that he wasn't the right person to do so and so they had all agreed that Itachi should do it, as the whole combination of traditions was his idea. He had tried to refuse but Hashirama had cried. Even though he knew it was just Hashirama being Hashirama, Itachi had still given in and he had looked so humbled when the couple came to stand before him. And Izuna had beat everyone else in throwing rice at the couple.

Seeing how he had hit Hashirama straight in the face, Tobirama suspected his glee came from finally getting the chance to hurl some sort of projectile at his Nii-san's best friend like any jealous little brother would do. Tobirama did it almost every day by throwing a paper weight at Madara whenever the older man entered his office.

''What are you doing here, brooding like this, Tobirama-san?'' Said albino turned around to face Itachi and that damn crow of his. To this day, even after a year and a half of knowing the younger man, Kuro Onyx still made Tobirama feel like he was being watched constantly. He swore that bird was more intelligent than it gave the impression of being and Itachi probably knew it.

''I am not brooding. I am pondering the life I am currently living, where Uchiha Madara - the so called bane of the Senju and the supposedly red-eyed devil spawn - was planning a Senju's wedding and made it better than anything any of us would have managed.''

Itachi, being the traitor of a friend that he was more and more often these days, chuckled at him. Tobirama scowled. Itachi wasn't moved by it. ''It makes sense, if you think about it. To the Uchiha, matrimonial union is important, since Uchiha marry only for love. Their weddings are extravagant and in the ranks of sacred. No Uchiha will ever allow a wedding to become a disaster.''

''Well, I guess if you look at it that way, it does make sense.''

''And Madara-san has apparently had quite the experience in doing this. I've spoken with a few Uchiha during the planning and preparation and they said that Madara-an had taken over his mother's duties when he was eight and he had been helping her before that.'' Itachi looked at said man instead of his companion, probably knowing Tobirama was staring at Madara as well. ''He continued with the duty even though he could have pushed it off onto Izuna-san, in honor of his mother's memory. Apparently, she really loved planning weddings and was even better at it than Madara-san, but the Uchiha appreciate Madara-san's efforts always, since he was Clan Heir and their best soldier and now Clan Head and village founder and always so busy but still set aside enough time to plan something as big as their weddings. They respect and love him for it. They would have followed him to hell had your war continued.''

Tobirama stiffened at the mention of their centuries old conflict and turned to look at the seemingly serene raven haired young man beside him. Itachi looked regal in the robes Izuna had provided for him. Tobirama had wanted to protest the almost Uhciha style of it but the robes had made Itachi smile so he had kept it behind clenched teeth, his complaints. At least there was no uchiwa claiming him. Itachi, for reasons unknown, looked more comfortable in these dark clothing than anything Mito and Touka had had him fitted for. Tobirama wasn't sure how to breach this subject but he knew Itachi wouldn't mind waiting until he found the wording he liked.

''Itachi ... If the war continued,'' he looked away, sweeping his eyes across the room and taking in all the happy and relaxed faces of all the people who he now thought of as his as much as his clansmen. ''What do you think would have happened?'' Out of the corner of his eye, Tobirama saw Itachi's lips tighten into a thin line and his jaw tense, his eyebrows coming down just slightly almost as if to glare. The younger's face soon smoothed out as if nothing had happened before he answered.

''I think you would have eventually introduced that Hiraishin of yours into the battlefield and maybe strike Izuna-san down or gravely injure him.'' Tobirama flinched, for the first time understanding what it must be like talking with him for others when he told them something bluntly and without sugar-coating it. He could not imagine his life now without Izuna annoying him day in and day out. While Itachi was still his best friend, he was also surprisingly extremely close to the younger of the Uchiha brothers. Just a little over a year ago, he would have had no problem striking him down yet now the thought left him feeling cold.

And then he thought of what he now knew of the Uchiha and paled at the thought of what would happen to Madara in his grief.

''Madara-san would no doubt go mad from losing his last brother,'' Itachi continued, as if reading his mind, still not looking at him. ''There might have been a death match between Hashirama-san and Madara-san. Maybe one of them would have died. Maybe both of them. Maybe they would have resolved their differences somehow and still would have built Konohagakure, but all those who had seen Madara go mad would be suspicious and afraid of him, further isolating him and driving him deeper into madness until he would have had enough and left. A grieving man left alone is never a good thing but a grieving Uchiha left alone ... Well, maybe he would have come back one day, but not in the way that would have been welcome.''

Meaning, he thought Madara might come back to attack Konoha. Tobirama shivered at the thought. He thought of Madara as he knew him now and tried to imagine him grieving and crazy and homicidal ... Hashirama would have been grieving and Tobirama knew himself enough that he would have definitely been partially guilty for Madara's condition and not just because he would have struck Izuna down. He would have definitely lead people in their suspicions. Just thinking that he might push Madara so far ... It made him sick. Madara was in many ways like himself, more so than he had a likeliness to Hashiram and he found some sort of solace in bickering with someone as smart as Madara. He and Madara had even become a weird sort of friends and he would never want the older man such grief.

''Hashirama-san would have had to cut him down. Perhaps later generations would look back on such a betrayal and doubt the Uchiha until they, too, are one day driven away enough for them, too, to try and betray, only to be similarly cut down. It might have become an endless cycle of hatred and war despite the good intentions that have begun it.''

''The road to hell is paved in good intentions.'' Tobirama said in a faint voice, fairly shaken by the world Itachi had painted and willing himself not to show it too much. He vowed, there and then, that he would never allow such a thing to happen.

''Indeed.''

The white haired man looked at Itachi, wondering why there was such a tight note to the younger man's voice. Even after all the months he's known Itachi, he only now realized just how much of a mystery Itachi still was. He wondered how many years will it take him to fully understand the younger. He was still trying to refrain himself from calling the other a boy, even in his mind and it was still as hard as always, but at times like these, he saw another part of Itachi that rare few caught a glimpse of. It was that part that that showed just how much this young person had seen even though they have not seen the war of the Senju and the Uchiha. It was the side of Itachi that Izuna had blurted out about three months after Konoha was officially named, when telling Toka how Itachi had made the Uchiha Elders rethink their campaign against the Senju with a single story that he then did his best to retell. A single mortifying story, but a story none the less.

Tobirama opened his mouth, the question of the origin of the story, of the amount of truth in the words, the significance of the protagonist on the very tip of his tongue when Itachi turned to look at him in the eye and he was frozen on the spot. For the first time since he had met Itachi - not even when he had been facing Uchiha Tajima and Senju Butsuma had it happened - the raven's eyes were cold and hard as steel. There was something in their depths that Tobirama knew he wouldn't ever be able to discern. He was simply not socially apt enough to understand what that something was beyond the silent request that he not ask the questions just about to leave his mouth. A mute warning to not discuss this topic, ever, to leave it alone, to let it die with time and never torture Itachi with it again.

But he knew that won't happen, even if he inclined his head towards the other that he understood. Itachi relaxed slightly, so minutely that Tobirama wouldn't have noticed had he not been standing right next to him and observing him closely.

Mito, as if sent by the gods themselves to stop awkward silence from developing between them, arrived at that exact moment with a small smile on her face. ''Itachi, would you mind terribly to come with me? My family wish to meet you, seeing as you are practically one of the founders as well.''

''Not at all.'' The younger man replied, offering Mito his arm politely and leading her away after they both nodded at Tobirama. ''It would be an honor, although I do wonder why they would be interested. I know it is widely gossiped about me but everyone knows I am not truly a founder of Konohagakure and they know I have no significant place in the village.''

Tobirama heard Mito laugh pleasantly as she started to tug on Itachi as if to hurry him. ''Don't be silly, Itachi. They want to meet you because they, like everyone, know that you are the one who actually brought about this peace and they want to meet you and thank you. They have been awfully worried for me but now they know they can rest easy. Also, they want to meet you as a friend of mine and as one of the advisors. You see, they want to found a village themselves...'' Mito's voice trailed off as she dragged the younger man further away and Tobirama would have had to strain to hear them, so he let it go. Mito would no doubt later drag him as well over to greet her father, Uzumaki Ashina, and whoever else had come with him, as was proper, him being Mito's brother-in-law. For now, he let his thoughts wander.

Itachi wanted to forget this so called Tale of Vermilion that he had told the Uchiha Elders so that it might not remind him of whatever had put that steely look in his eyes, but that won't happen. Already, children were being told and retold the story over and over again, each lesson pulled out of the story to teach them something and Tobirama had no doubt that the story will live long after the day it had first been told. The people of Konoha were already adopting it into their shared culture and before a decade passes, its origin in their culture will probably even be forgotten. Perhaps its initial significance will be forgotten, too. Maybe the story will even spread out throughout the Fire Country, if it hadn't already been a part of its culture. Tobirama had no idea where the story came from, and he had looked for it, too.

One thing was for sure: the Tale of Vermilion will stay and will be retold, again and again, whether Itachi wants it to or not. It was culture, education and a warning all rolled up in one nice legend.

Tobirama has no doubt it will have an impact on all the generation to come, starting with the young ones hearing it now.

(He has no idea just how much that story will impact the future. He really doesn't.)