Hashirama wiped the sweat off his brow and looked at his work. For a few weeks now, he had been using his wood release jutsu to construct all the buildings they needed. Sometimes Tobirama helped, other times, he told Hashirama it was silly to use his skills for simple construction work.
But the fact is, they needed construction work done. Each day, more and more people were coming to the Leaf Village. At first, Madara and Hashirama were interviewing them, but eventually, it was too much, with everything else they had to do, so they appointed some trusted members of the Uchiha and Senju clans to do it for them.
After all, these two clans were the founding clans of the village. Their homes had been the first places Hashirama built, two expansive compounds on either side of the town. He looked up at the smooth cliffside, and all that was below it – what Hashirama, Tobirama, and other Senju members who were talented at wood release jutsu had spent the last few weeks building. A main building and offices, where he, Madara, Tobirama, and a few trusted others had been working. Beside it was a building that sat empty, but Hashirama had plans to turn into a medical facility. Then, the homes, a new one for every new family, spreading out and away from the main building. And now this – a ramen shop. The first business in town.
"What do you think?" Hashirama said, looking toward the young couple beside him.
Both of their mouths were still gaping open, non-ninjas who couldn't believe as they watched this man literally construct a new business and home for them out of nothing.
The shop wasn't too big or fancy, an open face front with space in the back for a kitchen and the sides to seat customers. Maybe a booth too, the young man thought, facing the kitchen and out front. Above the shop was a small apartment, with amenities and two rooms, just as they had requested.
"It's great," the young man said, a wide smile spreading across his face.
"I can't believe you did this for us," the young woman said, her smile just as wide.
Hashirama shrugged his shoulders, "We're trying to build a village here, and that doesn't just include ninjas. It includes businesses too. We're honored that you want to open your ramen shop here. Personally, I can't wait to have a bowl."
"Well, we're honored to be considered part of the village," the young man said, running his hand over one of the walls, ideas running through his head.
Hashirama smiled at that, "It's obviously just wood at the moment, but we have a lot of materials to make it home – paint, furnishings, the works. You can come pick up whatever you need when you're ready, and we'll assign someone to help you with it."
The young man smiled, "The sooner we can get that done, the sooner we can open up."
He turned to the young woman beside him with a mischievous grin, "And the sooner we can start making babies for our home."
The woman flushed, and rolled her eyes, "I'll give you a son as soon as you have a thriving business."
"Promise?" the young man asked, his voice soft.
"Promise," she replied, cheeks still flushed, embarrassed that her husband would be so openly affectionate with her in front of one of the village leaders.
Hashirama chuckled at them, happy that even the Ichiraku newlyweds felt like they had a place in the village, and that they imagined it as a place to start a family. He said his goodbyes and made his way back toward the main office.
As he did, he thought about his own life. Hashirama wasn't a romantic, as a life full of war and fighting and hardship had made it something impossible to think about. It was hard to believe that less than six months ago, he and Madara were still fighting. But things were different now, they were starting a new era. An era that he hoped would be defined by peace and growth. If you didn't count the Uchiha and Senju clans, the Leaf Village had welcomed just over two hundred people into in just two months. More people, ninjas and non-ninjas alike, were vying for a spot in the village each day.
Sometimes Hashirama had to remember that it was all real, that his and Madara's and Tobirama's dreams were somehow coming true. That they were making them happen. And maybe he could allow himself to dream of a family too.
It wasn't coincidence that he was thinking about this as he passed Mito Uzumaki's apartment, a small structure he had built for her soon after she got here. She was one of the first to arrive, and because of that, her home was one of the closest to the main building. He hadn't run into her much since then, just the occasional glance in passing, with everything that kept him busy. But sometimes, in the long hours of the afternoon, when a golden light pushed through the window of wherever he was working that day, he thought of her, and the strange energy he had felt when he first met her, like a pull that he couldn't resist.
Hashirama Senju was twenty-five years old. He had seen more death than he could count, had been responsible for a lot of to. He had waged wars and made peace, and each day, with both his hands and his mind, was shaping a new history. But Hashirama had never been in love, and he thought, maybe it was time that he was.
"What are you daydreaming about?" a voice called.
Hashirama spun around, recognized Madara standing there. He grinned and gave one last glance to Mito's apartment before walking toward him. He didn't think that Madara knew where Mito lived, and he was glad to keep it that way as he had recognized a similar look on Madara's face the day they first met her.
"Just thinking that we should do something with the mountain," Hashirama said. Of course, he had been thinking that the mountain looked strange, looming over the village all solid and empty, but just not at that moment.
"What are we supposed to do with a mountain?" Madara said, his usual grey tenor in his voice, "It's a mountain."
"You're usually the one with the more creative ideas, we did, after all, decide to stick with your name," Hashirama responded, remembering how much he had liked the idea when he first heard it, had thought it was simple but powerful – Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
"If I'm the creative one, then what are you?"
Hashirama let out a devilish grin, "The handsome and talented one."
Madara rolled his eyes, and Hashirama chuckled. They were still getting used to this, this camaraderie. Their years at battle had greatly outweighed their few years of friendship when they were younger, but in the end, they both knew this was the truer version of themselves. They were relearning how to be friends, but it felt more like falling into easy steps on a path they had strayed off rather than forging a whole new path.
"So, are you ready to do this?" Madara asked, after a moment.
He suddenly remembered why he was heading toward the main building, the meeting that was about to happen. It was a conversation they had been avoiding for months, a decision that the council needed to make, and today was the day – finally.
Hashirama knew exactly what he was going to say, knew exactly what he wanted to make happen. He smiled at his friend.
"I'm ready."
Hashirama and Madara entered the room, everyone else turning their heads to look at them. Tobirama, a few more representatives from the Senju clan and an equal amount from the Uchiha clan. Family members and friends who they trusted, who, when Madara and Hashirama brokered for peace, were the first ones to jump on board and support them. They called themselves the Konoha council, because they didn't know what else to call themselves, and at the moment, they were collectively part of this experiment, this creation of the village. They were still trying to figure out things, but eventually, each of these men would hold a prominent position in the Leaf Village, leading their own special force or team or branch of government. Before they could allocate any of those positions though, they needed to choose a singular leader, someone to sit at the head of the Konoha Council, to lead the whole village – someone to be Hokage.
Hashirama chuckled when he sat down. Everyone was so tense, he couldn't deal. "Come on guys, don't be so serious."
Tobirama shot him a look, "We're choosing a village leader. Being serious is exactly what we should be."
"He's right, you know," Madara added.
Hashirama looked between his brother and his best friend. Everyone knew, they didn't exactly get along, but there were some surprising places where they overlapped. Hashirama's laid back attitude was one of those things – and it was exactly the reason, he knew, that one of them would be better suited for the position of Hokage than he was.
"All right," he said, "I'll be serious."
He turned to everyone at the table, "As you know, when we conceptualized the village, we also conceptualized a single leader, called Hokage."
Madara picked up where he left off, "The Hokage would serve two purposes. They would be responsible for handling the administrative duties of the village – assigning missions, overseeing training, and determining who is fit to fill the various positions we imagine in the village. But more importantly, they will be the village's ultimate protector, a shinobi strong enough to protect us in potential times of crisis."
"Though the goal is to not have times of crisis," Tobirama added, "It's imperative that a Hokage be both talented as ninja but also capable of handling the day-to-day duties of maintaining the village."
"Yes," Madara said sternly, not appreciating that Tobirama interrupted him. He knew, of course, that Hashirama and Tobirama shared most of their ideas, that everything that left Hashirama's mouth in an official capacity usually stemmed from the dreams and ideas that he and Tobirama had in so many late-night conversations. It annoyed Madara to no end, the bond that they had, that Hashirama credited so many of his best ideas to Tobirama.
"Well isn't it obvious," one of the Senjus said, a name Madara couldn't remember, "The position of Hokage should go to one of you three."
"I agree," one of the Uchiha representatives added, "None of this would exist without you three."
There were nods of agreement across the room.
Madara gritted his teeth. Obviously, the position should go to either him or Hashirama. Tobirama was second to them in making this possible, and he didn't like that public opinion, even from his own clan, included Tobirama within its conception. And of course, while Madara felt he would be okay if Hashirama got the position of Hokage, he knew that he preferred it himself.
Hashirama glanced at his friend, could see an obvious discomfort in his face. He knew now was his time to speak up, to make it known, to everyone, what he believed to be the right choice.
"Well I think it's just as obvious that Madara should be Hokage."
Madara was confused for a second, he hadn't thought this is how things would go. He didn't imagine Hashirama would fight him for the title if they decided to get it to him, just as he didn't imagine that Hashirama would be declaring him as the obvious fit.
"Most of the ideas that we're building here came from Madara," Hashirama explained, "None of us would be in this room without him. He's strong enough to protect the village and has adept ideas about how it should grow. He knows what systems we want to create and has the know-how to do so. He's detail-oriented to almost perfection and can manage almost anything without distraction."
Hashirama went on, knowing this is the part that mattered most, "And most importantly, don't forget where we all were six months ago. On a battlefield, one where Madara was the first to stop fighting, to broker the peace we so desperately needed."
"Only because you were laying down your life," Tobirama said tersely, "He didn't stop the fighting because he wanted peace, he stopped it because he wasn't willing to kill you without a fight."
"You have no idea why I stopped the fighting that day," Madara spit, glaring at Tobirama. Tobirama met his gaze with equal annoyance and anger.
"I was a firsthand witness, I know what I saw," Tobirama responded through gritted teeth.
"Both of you! Quiet!" Hashirama yelled, his voice stern. He so very rarely got angry, that it shocked both Madara and Tobirama into silence. They knew just how powerful Hashirama could be when he was upset, just how seriously they should take them.
"The battle is done," he said, his voice still serious, but falling into a calmer tone, "We've all agreed that peace is the only option. We cannot allow the old quarrels to poison us. We are creating a new world, one that I know both of you to desperately believe in."
"Now, we decided that council would vote on Hokage. I'm officially nominating Madara Uchiha. Are there any other nominat—"
"You," Tobirama, "I nominate Hashirama Senju. And no one nominate me, I want it to be my brother."
"Tobirama," Hashirama said with a sigh, looking at his brother. He couldn't understand why he was letting old grudges keep him from seeing that Madara was the clear choice for Hokage. It wasn't that Hashirama didn't believe in his own ability to do the job, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this position was meant for Madara, not him.
"You deserve the position, Hashirama," Tobirama said, "You always have."
Hashirama sighed again and looked at Madara, "I think we should abstain from voting, just to make it fair."
Madara nodded, knew that he wouldn't throw his vote to Hashirama, knew what it would mean for everyone in the room to see that he would vote for himself. He knew Hashirama would be a good Hokage, he had faith in his friend. But he also knew that he could be a great Hokage, that he could elevate the Leaf Village in ways Hashirama would always be too peaceful and kind to think about.
Beside them, Tobirama was quick to do the math in his head. Without Madara and his brother, the room was unbalanced – six Senjus, including himself, and five Uchihas. He knew the outcome would come out in Hashirama's favor. This was exactly why he had nominated him. But Madara wouldn't accept that, wouldn't appeal to the vote of the council that had more Senju members than Uchiha members. If his brother was going to be Hokage, like he knew he should, he needed to prove to Madara Uchiha that Hashirama was better. The bitterness between the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan still boiled at Madara's blood, Tobirama knew it. So he needed a way to prove that Hashirama being Hokage wasn't just an issue for the Senju and Uchiha to decide, but an issue for everyone to decide – so he could prove, once and for all, that Hashirama was better.
"I don't think we should vote," Tobirama said, loud enough for everyone to here.
Everyone looked at him, confused.
"We're not daimyo's or emperors. We don't just get to claim power because we decide it belongs to us," Tobirama began. "Look around this room, all of us are part of two great clans, yes. But aren't we imagining this village as a land full of many great clans – why shouldn't they have a say in it? Already we've recruited the Hyuga clan, the Aburame clan, and the Nara clan – powerful clans who have been friends and foes in equal measures, who've decided to live together in peace with us. And not just clans, but individual ninjas and non-ninjas. They're making homes in this new world we're creating. Shouldn't they have a say in who their leader is?"
"What are you saying, Tobirama?" Hashirama asked.
"I'm saying we should have an election, but not just between us. We cannot keep repeating the old ways, where the Uchiha and Senju clans are the only clans in power. We founded this village on the idea that ninjas and non-ninjas of all types can live and grow together. Our leader should be elected in the same way. I'm saying let the people decide. Put forth both you and Madara as candidates and let our people decide who is more worthy of being leader."
There was a mummering around the room, each member of the Uchiha and Senju clan realizing what Tobirama said was true. Hashirama looked at his brother with pride, Tobirama always did have the best ideas. Of course, the village should decide. The council could choose the nominees, but the position of Hokage was meant to serve the people of the Leaf Village, so why not let them choose?
Madara was thinking too. On one hand, this just seemed like another one of Tobirama's ploys to keep him out of power. But on the other hand, what better way to prove to Tobirama and all the members of the Senju clan that he was better suited to be Hokage than Hashirama, that an ideal Leaf Village was one where he was in power, and Hashirama was by his side.
Madara looked at Hashirama and nodded at him. Hashirama grinned at him. Both old friends feeling a strange push toward the idea, an assurance that this is exactly what was meant to be. Both felt this way because they both expect the outcome to work in their favor. Madara expected to win on his own merit, and Hashirama expected Madara to win too, proving everything that Hashirama believed of his friend.
Of course, Fate had other plans. But neither Madara nor Hashirama knew just how much she had manipulated their lives so far, and just how strong her hold would be, until their dying breaths.
A few days later, Hashirama was exploring the woods on the edge of the Leaf Village. The land that they claimed, when all the fighting was over, was vast, so much bigger than the space they currently occupied. But Hashirama and Madara imagined it so much bigger, filling every corner of the land. Here on the outskirts they would have training grounds of all sorts of varieties, from simple, small spaces used for training young ninjas to vast mazes meant to stump even the best of tracking ninjas.
The plot of land Hashirama was on now would become something special, something dark, but necessary. Madara had concocted the idea, and surprisingly, Tobirama had agreed for the need for it. But it was Hashirama who would make it happen.
Hashirama felt the strange, sticky feeling in his gut that had been sitting there since the council meeting a few days before. That had not gone how he had planned at all. He was so sure that Madara deserved the position of Hokage, so sure that everyone on the council would agree, even Tobirama.
It had been Madara, years ago, who had encouraged Hashirama's ideas about ninja fighting for peace, who had decided that they needed a place to do so, who had suggested they come back here, to the valley where they had the first conversation, who had named it, who had so many of the ideas that were making it grow and expand.
And it was Madara who had stopped the fighting, who had demanded that his clansmen end the carnage, who had decided it was time for peace. Hashirama had given up, that was the truth of it. Tobirama made him sound noble, made it seem like laying down his own life had been a strategic plan in getting Madara to end the battle. But it hadn't been. Hashirama was just tired, tired of fighting and tired of his life being constant bloodshed. But those moments were darker than he could ever think of, further back in the Between than we are now, moments we'll learn about, moments that Hashirama will eventually have to face head on.
Madara made sense to Hashirama as Hokage. Tobirama did too. To him, they both had big ideas and plans, they were the ones the inspired him. They deserved the position more than he did. But what Tobirama had said had made sense, that it should be up to the people to decide, to let the Leaf Village have a say in who their leaders were. They were making something new; the Senju and the Uchihas shouldn't be the only ones with a say. A Senju and a Uchiha were the candidates, but that didn't matter. A Hokage would represent everyone, not just their clan. Whoever got the position would have to trade their clan loyalties for village loyalties and guide all their new citizens in doing so as well, to understand they had a new purpose.
Of course, Hashirama was too caught up in affection and faith, for his best friend and for his brother, to really see that he was the one who could do that best. He, more than anyone, was willing to forget the old ways, to reach for peace. It was his dream. And the idea of being Hokage didn't disturb him, in fact, it excited him. It's just there was a hesitance, a strange lack of faith in himself. The forces glanced between each other, through the strings of Hashirama's life, knowing they would have to remedy this doubt, to put their plan in action.
They nudged Hashirama forward, turning around the bend. That's when he ran into Mito Uzumaki.
"Oh, Mito!" Hashirama said, a sudden nervous energy running through him. He had been so distracted by his thoughts; he hadn't even sensed someone else was there. He was struck for a moment by how beautiful he found her, skin pale and hair a brilliant dark red. He had never seen anyone with hair like hers before.
"Hello Hashirama," she responded, a soft smile on her face.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, confused and flustered. They were miles from the center of the village, from her apartment. He hadn't expected to meet anyone, especially not the woman who had been popping in and out of his mind since he had first met her.
Mito looked around, the golden light of the sun streaming between the trees and catching the light or her dark green eyes, "Well it's beautiful out here, isn't it?"
Hashirama felt his heart rate pick up, and almost laughed aloud to himself. He felt like a little kid with a crush, giddy and nervous all at once, "Yeah, I'd say it is."
"Sometimes I just like to wonder around," Mito replied, "To get a little lost, to think about what this village could become."
Hashirama smiled at that, at the idea of her caring about what the Leaf Village could become too, "Well I could tell you what this part may become."
Mito looked at him, interested.
"I'm currently scoping out the area for a training ground, a dense forest. We plan to fence it in, fill it with traps and creatures and a lot more, like a survival course for trainees to work through or take tests on," he explained, excitement in his voice.
"Sounds like a forest of death," Mito said, her voice a little sad, imagining it.
"Well," Hashirama said softly, noticing that she seemed sad, "The point of filling it would horrors wouldn't be to kill anyone, but to prepare them to handle dangerous circumstances, to be prepared for whatever they can face. It wouldn't be something we'd let just anyone face casually."
"I understand the purpose, Hashirama," Mito said, the same sadness in her voice. She was remembering the life she had run from, the way ninjas in her clan trained themselves in darkness and strife.
Hashirama didn't like that she still looked so disappointed, "Of course, we're still figuring it out."
Mito's expression perked up then, she turned to him, "Just like you're trying to figure out the village leader? The Hokage, you're going to call him."
Hashirama felt himself flush, and again, was embarrassed by how his body and emotions were reacting, silly and strange, "Yeah, we're still figuring out the leader."
Mito smirked at his flush, which enticed him more, his heart jumping, "As if it isn't obvious?"
Hashirama understood what she was implying, from how playfully she was looking at him. It thrilled him, a rush of happiness pushing through him. But even if she believed he would be a good leader though, something inside of him was pushing him to know why, "I don't know what you mean."
"You, Hashirama," Mito said, looking at him seriously and softly, with an expression that made his heart jump, "You should be the Hokage. You're strong, but also kind. Everyone can see how much you care deeply about the people here, even the ones you've just met. And you believe in peace, more deeply than anyone I've ever met. You're the reason this village exists, and why villages just like it are cropping all over the world, why ninjas are refusing to fight each other and instead, are fighting for each other. Why shouldn't you be Hokage?"
Though neither of them noticed it, while they were speaking, they had drawn closer together. Mito stood was just inches from Hashirama as she spoke, as she described him in ways that he knew of himself but couldn't imagine through other's eyes. He stared down at her for a moment, the space between them feeling both monumental and barely there, his head spinning with everything she said about him. Only he wasn't really thinking about it at the moment, thinking instead about the sureness of her stare, the glow of her hair, and the softness of her lips. He was drawn to it all in a dizzying way.
Fate looked at Chance, shook her head. He eased up his grip, and as he did, Hashirama caught his senses, shook his head. Reminded himself what was important.
"Madara is all those things too," he said, once again letting his faith in his friend outweigh what was so obvious, "Why doesn't he deserve to be Hokage?"
Mito turned from him, losing the moment too, the one that just seconds ago had made her feel so many of the possible and impossible things that could happen between her and Hashirama Senju. She was slow when she spoke next, knowing it was a risk.
"Some men want power for power's sake, to play with it like an experiment, to see what they could make happen – whether it be good or bad. The possibility of that type of control entices them," she said, her voice dark as she spoke. When she did, Hashirama felt the same sense he had felt the first day when he had met her, weeks and weeks ago. That there was something darker buried inside of her, something he was willing to let her share in her own time.
"And other men," she turned back to Hashirama when she said this, "Other men want power because they want to see what they can make happen for others, to see what is possible when power is held humbly, not for control. Those men are the ones who create possibility for everyone, not just themselves."
Again, he felt himself caught up her hair and eyes and lips and all the other parts of her that he wanted to know and understand. He had to force himself to hear what she was saying, to listen to what she was implying.
"You think I'm that type of man?" Hashirama asked softly, knowing how silly it was, how much it seemed like he was just asking her to stroke his ego. But really, it was confirmation. Hashirama didn't believe that of himself, he needed someone to confirm it for him.
Mito nodded, "I know you are. Just as I know that Madara Uchiha is the former."
The spell broke then, the thing that had been drawing him so closely to Mito this whole time, it cracked and pulled him away. He stepped away from her, shaking his head, "You don't know him like I do."
Mito shook her head, "I don't need to know him to see it."
"Madara is my friend," Hashirama said, "He's been a friend longer than most people would know. I understand him, the way he works. I know he seems dark on the outside, but on the inside, he cares about The Leaf Village more than anyone I know."
"I'm not critiquing his care," Mito responded, "but his reasons for caring."
"You barely know him," Hashirama said, eager to defend Madara, even if disagreeing with Mito felt like treading waters he didn't want to cross yet.
Mito leveled her gaze, looking up at him with a sly smile. "I barely know you either, yet you didn't deny any of my observations about you."
Hashirama was taken aback for a moment, a hot flush spreading across his face. And then he laughed, the joy of her cleverness falling out of him a hearty, breathy chuckle. She smiled too, and then she was laughing, a soft, almost serene tinkling compared to his own.
"Well," Hashirama said, as their laughter died down, not thinking, "it's hard to deny a beautiful woman giving you compliments."
Mito's face flushed a bright pink and she turned away. Hashirama's heart stuttered, why had he said that.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice a little wobbly, "I didn't mean to be so forward."
"No, it's okay," Mito said, still looking slightly away from him, but he could still a bright smile on her face. She was just a flustered as he was, and she was happy about it too. Giddy joy pushed through him again.
"Well, um," he said, rubbing the back of his head, a bright smile on his face, "I guess I should get back to surveying the land."
"Yeah," Mito said, biting the bottom of her lip. It was enough to make Hashirama feel like he was going to go mad for just a moment. "I guess I should get back to getting lost."
For a moment, they held each other's gazes, a smile on both their faces. And then they laughed lightly again and walked in opposite directions – Mito back toward the village, and Hashirama further into the forest, casting glances back at each other. For a moment, Mito paused and called back to Hashirama.
"Hashirama."
He turned toward her "Yeah?"
"I'm going to vote for you," she called to him, "And I won't be the only one, I can promise you that."
She gave him one last smile after that, and then turned back. He watched her until she was out of sight. He knew, more than anything, that the Hokage position belonged to Madara, that his long-suffering friend deserved it more than anyone else. But something in the way Mito had told him he deserved it, something in her sureness, put an image in his head. Himself, in the office they were building for the Hokage, watching over the village. Protecting, nurturing it, and helping it through the growing pains of all that it could be. He wanted it, he realized, more deeply than he would admit to himself. And although he believed everything he said, that Madara cared about the Leaf Village just as much as he did, there was the tiniest flicker of unease in him. A tiny spark, hidden deep in the woven strands that were working deep and fast inside and around him.
The forces had done their work.
Mito was right, of course. In the following two weeks, ninjas and non-ninjas alike submitted their votes for who they believed to be Hokage, each of them thinking deeply of who they wanted to be leader. For most, it was easy – the man who built their homes, who greeted them by name when he passed them, the man who, tales said, had the power of a God on the battlefield, but enough mercy to give anyone a chance. Not the other one, the man whose power was just as strong, but whose mercy was less. Who seemed more concerned about the people could contribute to the Leaf Village rather than the villagers themselves. He wouldn't be their Hokage, the people would make sure of it.
"We've counted three times," Tobirama announced to the council at the end of the voting period, "It's Hashirama."
Hashirama and Madara both felt a rush of emotion. Hashirama was surprised, disappointed only for a second, but then he felt something else rising up in him. Joy and hope and ideas upon ideas, all the possibilities of what he could make happen as Hokage. His want of the position was suddenly realized, with a sudden sureness that this is where his destiny lied.
But then he remembered Madara, how much he advocated for him, how much, just days ago, he had wanted Madara in the position he was in now. Just as his happiness over the position was a sudden force, so was his stirring of unease, the spark that had been resting at the back of his mind was suddenly inflamed.
He knew Madara well enough to know that he was holding back anger when he asked, "By what margin?"
"Madara," Hashirama said, caution in his voice, "Is that really necessary?"
Madara ignored him, and stared at Tobirama, "By what margin?"
Tobirama let out a sigh. He was pleased with the results, they had proved exactly what he believed, that his brother deserved to be Hokage. Some part of him relished the idea of sharing the results with Madara, proving to that Uchiha just how little the new peoples of the Leaf Village thoughts of him, but another, much deeper part of him, worried about how Madara would react.
"Tell me," Madara said, his voice tense.
Tobirama glanced around the rest of the council, Senju and Uchiha alike with looks of unease on their faces. They knew exactly what the results were, as well as he, and knew just what type of trouble telling Madara could entail.
"Currently, we have 325 adult members of the Leaf Village, mostly ninjas, but some non-ninjas. All of them participated in the vote," Tobirama began. "Of those 325 votes, 248 went toward Hashirama and only 77 to you."
Everyone in the room did the math in their heads, knowing it meant that Madara had only secured the votes of his own clan, and barely a few others. Hashirama looked at Madara, but his face was blank and unfeeling. It was a look Hashirama had seen on the battlefield time and time again, the cold, sudden blankness that would draw over Madara's face right before he would kill someone.
"Very well," Madara said, his voice just as cold and unfeeling. He pushed back from his chair and stood up, everyone in the room tensed with worry for a moment, but Madara just walked toward the door, leaving them behind.
"Madara!" Hashirama called, following him out into the hallway outside of the room.
Madara continued to walk away from him but Hashirama followed.
"Madara," Hashirama said, as he caught up with him, "speak to me."
Madara paused and looked at Hashirama, his face just as blank as before, "Congratulations old friend, you'll make a great Hokage."
Hashirama hated seeing this side of Madara, "Stop that. Tell me how you feel about this."
Madara's face relaxed, just a little, "As I said, you'll be a great Hokage."
Hashirama sighed, could tell he wasn't going to get through to him, knew just how dark and broody Madara could get about stuff sometimes, but feared what would happen if he let this go to far. But then, a new idea sprouted into his.
"Be my advisor!" Hashirama yelled, excited by the sudden force of his idea. He knew this would be a way out of it.
"What?" Madara asked dully.
"Well, this village is something we're making up as we go along, so why not?" Hashirama said, his voice bright and excited, "Why not have an official advisor? Obviously the Hokage will be advised by the council, but there should be a chief advisor, someone who stands above the rest of the council and directly consults with the Hokage."
Madara shook his head, but when he spoke again, his eyes weren't as lifeless, "You can't make up positions just to appease me."
Hashirama smiled at that, "Well sure I can, I'm Hokage now."
"Besides, it's not something I'm doing for you. It's something I need, someone to help guide me and talk through decisions, and be there for the villagers if anything happens to me. There isn't anyone I would want by my side more than you."
Slowly, but surely, Hashirama saw Madara's expression come back to life, saw the ways his mind was working behind his dark eyes. It was the expression he liked best on Madara, the one that he knew would be followed by ideas and philosophies and dreams about what the Leaf Village could do.
But all Madara said, something like a smile at the corner of his mouth, was, "Don't tell Tobirama that."
It was the truth, of course, that Hashirama could picture Tobirama in an advisor position just as easily as he could Madara. But Tobirama had different ideas, bold strokes about ninja training academies that he wanted to begin working on as soon as recruitment was over, and leadership was settled. And Madara needed this, needed a position to designate him the type of power he deserved. But a kind of controlled power, a power where Hashirama could keep an eye on that sense of unease he felt.
Hashirama smiled at him, "Please be my advisor."
Madara smiled then, his expression fully recovered and so different than it had been just moments before, "Okay, old friend, I'll be your advisor."
Hashirama chuckled and threw his arm around Madara's shoulders, but Madara pulled back.
"You go tell the council about your advisor idea. I need to leave the village for a few days," Madara said.
Hashirama gave him a confused look.
"Don't worry," Madara said, a smirk on his face, "I'll be in time for your inauguration."
With that, he turned and headed out, Hashirama watching him as he did. Hashirama couldn't quite settle on what emotions he was feelings at that moment, so much happening in so little time and so much pushing through him, bouncing all around. He decided that maybe he was hopeful, the leadership of their new village finally settled, and just like he wanted, it would be him and Madara, side by side.
Unlike Hashirama, Madara knew exactly what he was feeling. And as he left the building and walked out into the dark night, he knew exactly where he needed to go.
A few days later, Mito was on her patio, staring up at the dark face of the mountainside in front of her, its vast expanse stretching into the blanketed night sky beyond it. Her eyes fell downward, landing over the main office buildings, on the windows, that after tomorrow's inauguration, would belong to Hashirama Senju.
She hadn't spoken to him since before the election, that day in the woods, but she had seen him a few times in passing. Each time, he threw a hearty smile and wave in her direction. She would always smile or wave back, but with so much to do to prepare for the inauguration, she knew she shouldn't bother him with talking.
Though she wanted to badly to talk to him. It was strange. Mito had come to the Leaf Village for a reason, had heard tales of the two men who were trying to create a new world, one where ninjas fought for peace. It had enticed her more than she could describe, and she knew, deep down, that for this new world to work, she needed to help them. That the secret she carried could either make or break a new version of the ninja world, and she would rather help make it.
What Mito hadn't expected was to feel so connected to Hashirama Senju from the moment she first met him, walking into the room they designated for recruitment. It was like something buried in her bones had come to life the moment she saw him and spoke to him, like something inside of her was always meant to meet him.
Mito had heard about Hashirama Senju before she met him, of course, the man that other ninjas called a God. In fact, the Uzumaki and Senju clans had worked together quite a few times, but their paths had never crossed, not until the day she showed up in the Leaf Village. But it wasn't just all the stories of Hashirama Senju that drew her to him, nor was it her attraction to him, as she was blunt enough with herself to admit that upfront. No, it was something deeper and older and more than she could imagine.
Mito Uzumaki had lived with an ancient creature buried inside of her for all twenty-two years of her life, but it wasn't until she met Hashirama Senju that she felt something as deep and ancient as it call to her. She was meant to be with Hashirama Senju, she knew it, and she was meant to take the evil buried inside of her and make it something new, something that planted the seeds of this new world. She didn't know how she knew – she just did.
"Hello Mito Uzumaki," a voice said, a call in the dark.
Mito turned, shocked, and caught a flash of red eyes. Then Madara Uchiha stepped out of the darkness, his eyes black, not red, standing just outside her patio.
"Hello Madara Uchiha," Mito said, her stomach dropping.
She hadn't just met Hashirama her first day in the village, she had also met Madara Uchiha. And everything she felt for him was the exact opposite of what she felt for Hashirama. Seeing Madara chilled her to her bones, uncovered every single fear inside of her that she never knew she had, called out to the darkness inside of her until she felt like she no longer existed, only it.
If she was meant to be with Hashirama, then she was also meant to be fearful of Madara, her draw to the first just as strong and potent and sure as her unease around the second. Of course, Madara had never given her reason to be fearful, just as Hashirama had never given her reason to want him so badly. At least not in that first moment, anyway, not in meeting both of them for the first time.
But in the weeks since she had moved to the Leaf Village, she had watched them both, each of them confirming her gut feelings about them. Hashirama was strong, the type of strong that assured people, made them feel protected. He treated everyone in the village as a friend, and when he spoke about what the Leaf Village could be, there was so much hope in his voice. Madara was strong too, but the type of strong that intimidated people. He only treated those who he felt he was worthy of being so as a friend, and when he spoke about what the Leaf Village could be, there was an edge in his voice, like he was hungry and waiting for the village to become something worthy of him devouring.
Right now, he was looking at her with that hungry expression too, not responding to her greeting. She felt the darkness inside of her stir.
"I heard that you went off for a few days, after the results were announced," Mito said, curious about this, but mostly just to fill space, to get him to stop looking at her like that.
He rolled his eyes, "This village is still too small, the people talk too much."
"I actually like that we're still small enough, right now, to talk to each other," Mito said, sensing the disdain he had in his voice when he talked about that. "Of course, it won't stay like that for long. New people are joining the village every day."
Madara looked around, like he could see through the darkness and shadow of the might, "Yes, it's going to grow."
"Isn't that what you want?"
He looked at her then, curious at first, and then his hungry expression returned. He walked closer, stepping unto her patio, and looking down at her. She stepped back, her heart racing.
"Yes," Madara said, "I want it to grow, though only if it does so in the right way."
Mito was scared, but she was also brave, and she didn't like what he was implying, "And let me guess, Hashirama being Hokage isn't the right way?"
Madara sighed, "Everyone is so charmed by him. Hashirama will make a fine Hokage – he's strong and organized and can get people to believe in new ideas. But he's not bold enough to see everything that the Leaf Village could be."
He gazed down at Mito, whose gaze didn't falter. She didn't want him to know her fear.
Madara continued, "He doesn't understand what real power this village has, and what he could do with it."
The way he looked at her, that deep hunger in his eyes, it was almost like he knew. But there was no way he could, no way that anyone could know.
"And you do," Mito said, "You know where the power is at?"
"I have some idea," Madara said coolly.
They stood in silence, the tension between them palpable. The tension was so different than what she had felt in the woods with Hashirama a few weeks ago. That had been warm and pulling, something she wanted to dive into. But this was cold and hard, like she would cut herself on it if she tried to break it. There was no way he could know, there was no way that what he was implying meant what she feared.
"Where do you see yourself?" Madara asked, finally breaking the silence. "You're the only Uzumaki who we've recruited, the rest of your clan is scattered to the winds or trying to start their own village, which will be a pale imitation, I'm sure. You're all alone, Mito. What will be your place in the Leaf Village as it grows?"
She had no idea what he was aiming for with that, "I guess I'll have to see as the village grows, where I belong."
"What if your place was with a powerful clan?" Madara asked, stepping closer to her. She backed up, bumping into the wall of her apartment, "What if you joined the Uchiha clan?"
For a moment, Mito couldn't grasp what he was saying. But then she saw it all, knew exactly what he was implying, what the hunger in his eyes meant.
"You barely even know me," she gasped out, in shock. "This is only the second time we've ever spoken."
Madara chuckled, "I've seen how you've watched me."
Mito gritted her teeth, relief and fear washing over her. He didn't know what was inside of her, didn't want that. Instead, he wanted her in a different way, in a way that only made the unease in her stomach grow, "If you've seen me watching you, you know who else I've been watching too."
"Oh, come on," Madara said, leaning in a little, "If he gets to be the Hokage, the least I could get in the girl."
Mito moved out from under him as he leaned in further, quickly moving to the side, opening her apartment door, stepping in, putting her hand on the handle to close it. Madara was taken aback for a moment. He had never seen Mito in action, didn't know how fast she could move.
She kept her door half open, just for a moment, "Leave, Madara."
…and then slammed it in his face.
Madara glared at the closed door for a moment, and then jumped off, disappearing into the dark shadows of the night. Of course, there's more here. More to the story of where Madara went after the results, more about why he was confident enough to come on so strong to Mito. We've been a little unfair here, existing only into Mito and Hashirama's head. We'll learn Madara's side eventually, in a Between both forward and backwards.
But for now, know this. After Madara left, Mito found herself moving, her heart racing, her head full of too much. She knew, from the moment that she met Hashirama Senju, that he would have to know. That if she ever wanted to use what was inside of her to help the Leaf Village, that he needed to know. Madara's advances had pushed something forward, had opened a part of her that was suddenly aware of how critical everything was. The Leaf Village's future depended on it.
Mito left her apartment, and ran to the far edge of the village, where she knew the Senju compound was. When she knocked, Hashirama answered, bleary eyed and surprised.
"Mito," he said, a little embarrassed by his half-asleep state.
Mito looked up at him, her eyes fearful and calm all at once, "Lord Hokage, there's something I have to tell you."
Nothing would ever been the same for them again. Not Hashirama, not Mito, and certainly not Madara. Everything has its growing pains, the Leaf Village included. This was only the beginning of a very long night, and eventually, a very long fight.