Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Masashi Kishimoto-sensei is the mangaka of Naruto. I own nothing. No money taken from writing this story.
Warning: OOC. Pre-slash TobiIzu. Very slightly HashiMada. Shounen-ai. A bit fluff. Inspired from the scene of Hashirama and Madara chapter from the manga (I forgot which chapter, around chapter 620s). Unbetaed and English is not my native language. Please be kind with me.
Note: I found it was a bit strange when Tobirama and Izuna met with their fathers they knew each other name. I know, maybe their fathers told them but since Hashirama and Madara didn't know each other when their first met, I was wondering...maybe (just maybe) Tobirama and Izuna have met before. And this is how I imagine their first meeting. Also, Izuna's personality was hard to portrayed coz his screen time(?) was limited and I think (the young) Izuna was kinda naive-cute type like Madara who was charmed by Hashirama, imo. I dunno the age of them so I was just guessing it.
The spiky white-haired boy closed his eyes. He was in the middle of meditating this afternoon before started his secret training. Usually he will be training with his older brother, Hashirama, but recently his brother went to somewhere else. Alone. At first, Tobirama tempted to following (or spying) on Hashirama. It was a piece of cake because Tobirama was an excellent sensor type so he can sense anyone chakra. However, he choose not to because he was rarely apart from Hashirama's over-protective behaviour since Itama was dead and he intend to use his time alone to improve himself.
He was certain this upper part of the waterfall was deserted, but he sense someone's coming closer. Judging from the relatively small chakra, he kept silent and calmed when someone showed up from the behind of the tree in front of him.
"Nii-san, are you here?" said a black-haired boy with black dark blue kimono tied by brown obi. He looked at Tobirama in surprised. His short hair that spiky at the back but straight in front framed his face. Look, more or less, the same age with Tobirama. "Oh...uhm..."
Tobirama slowly opened his eyes, the ruby met onyx eyes. It confirmed to the young Senju that something which he sense before was this boy. He could sense the chakra signature from the stranger boy.
It... was warm...
"Have you seen anyone past this way? An older boy?" He asked reluctantly.
Tobirama answered, "No."
"Oh..."
They stared at each other in silent before the stranger boy turned around and left. Tobirama who sat on the ground keep looking at the place where the boy stood then closed his eyes again to restart his meditation. Time past in silent and only nature sound could be heard, like the leaves touched by the wind, the waterfall sound in a bit further from here, also the birds chirped once in a while. Then, a footsteps could be heard along someone calling, "Nii-san! Nii-san?"
The same boy come out from Tobirama left side. He gasped when he looked at Tobirama again when the white haired boy stay still. The stranger boy turned and left again. This time, running. And shouting for his older brother.
Tobirama opened his eyes. Annoyed because the stranger boy so noisy around him. He could heard the footsteps running from his right side before the boy from before walked out from behind the tree. The onyx eyes widen in disbelief.
"How come you were everywhere?" He asked in confusion.
"I didn't move at all."
The black haired boy frowned, "It's impossible! I was running in the opposite direction!"
"Sounds you are lost to me." Tobirama stated calmly.
"I'm not!" The stranger boy running again and later he came out from the bush behind Tobirama. He pants because he was running and trying to breathe normally as Tobirama sighed. He stand up. Giving up to try meditation because he couldn't do it with company around. Invited or not.
He turned around. Staring at the boy who was a bit shorther than him which keep glancing around like he couldn't understand why his surrounding fails him to find a way. Tobirama stated to the boy who look defeated by a fact that the Senju stated again, "You are lost."
"And you are not?!" The boy looked annoyed to concealed his worries and panic at the moment with his lost status.
"I know my way to my people," said Tobirama.
"I know mine too," the boy started pacing around with panic written on his face, "I was following my brother then lost tracked of him. He couldn't be that far away from here. He must be somewhere near."
The boy keep muttering to himself, "I must be not that far from nii-san. He should be around here..."
The monolog showed Tobirama how the smaller boy situation and at their age to be lost it could be fatal if they were found by other shinobi. Worst if they are found by the enemy. The Senju that had just lost another brother couldn't ignore the stranger boy if there will be a possibility that the boy will face the same fate. Children should not be killed.
"Hey," Tobirama walked towards the boy.
The boy sounds he tried to convince himself that, "Nii-san could find me if I'm really lost, he always find me. It will be alright, I could just—"
"Hey," he stopped in front of the boy.
"What?"
Tobirama said, "Calm down. I will help you to find your brother. You are not alone."
The boy eyes widened in surprised and slightly relief but concealed it with frowned, "But, you are just a kid, how can you help me?"
The young Senju scowled, "My name is Tobirama. Not 'just a kid'. If you want to kid yourself, then fine." He turned his body and started to walked but stopped by a hand grabbed his palm.
"I'm sorry, I was... scared because I lost," the boy looked at him with honesty and with their hand touched, he could feel the chakra inside the boy reacted to the stranger boy's emotion. It got increasingly warmer than the first time they staring at each other. Unconsciously, he squeeze the hand on his palm and let his chakra run through their hands which resulted the boy calmer and less panic. His chakra not that hot anymore, just warm again.
The boy introduced his self, "I'm Izuna."
Tobirama turned his body back and both realized they were still holding hands. Awkwardly, they pulled their hands away and facing towards anything but each other. Tobirama tried to chased away the awkward silent between them by asking, "So, Izuna... which direction your brother went before you lost sight of him?"
"It's the south," Izuna replied confidently before adding unsurely, "but then my brother increased his speed then I couldn't reached him. So, I was just keep walking and calling him around."
Tobirama facing the south way. Seems like Izuna's brother were not around them because he couldn't sense anyone near them. Tobirama put his concentration full alert to the south way. He could sense something but still unsure so he walked to the south and said to Izuna, "Let's go."
Both of them walked in silent. Tobirama put all his concentration to his ability while Izuna staring at Tobirama. He could felt Tobirama calloused hand that Izuna saw in his brother and father's hand. His own was not that bad and he got suspicious about the white-haired boy.
"What are you doing in the near waterfall alone?" Izuna asked.
"I wasn't intend to fall from there. If that's what you're asking."
"You shouldn't. Otou-sama said it's dangerous to a child wondering alone."
"In case you've forgotten, you are a child too."
Izuna scowled, "I was following my brother," he pouted, "before I lost which way..."
"Did he knew you were following him?"
He shook his head, "I... since few days ago he took a walk by himself and spent time alone. Everytime I asked, he changing the topic so I want to find out why..."
Tobirama glancing to this left side where Izuna was walking beside him. The story almost the same with his own but the differences was Tobirama didn't following Hashirama while Izuna choose to done that. The young Senju could felt some chakras where they near the river. They are two chakras. One was a bit familiar with Izuna's because it felt warm in different way with the smaller boy. The other one was he knew instantly because he used to felt it at home.
Hashirama's.
He stopped with widen eyes towards the river direction. Izuna also stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
He didn't make mistake.
It was his brother's chakra and from direction he sense both chakras, looks like their older brother were in the same place. "Come," Tobirama grabbed Izuna's wrist and walked faster in the river direction. The smaller boy quite confused and want to ask but got silent when he heard a laugh in the river direction.
He knew the sound although he rarely heard it and when Tobirama stopped behind a bush near the river, he was looking around to see where the laugh come from and frozen when he found it. Unbeknown to him, Tobirama stay still beside him too. What Izuna suspected was confirmed.
The laugh sound was his brother voice. But, his brother was not alone.
He was laughing out loud with someone else.
"Nii-san...is laughing..." He stunned.
"Ani-jya too..." Tobirama seconded.
It was quite rare for the older brother to laugh so carefree. They are the eldest and more often than not they spent time to taking care their little brother. In this era, children don't get much time to acted like their age. Being the little brother, Izuna and Tobirama didn't realized that their respected brother was also a child too. Well, they were pre-teen age but still, looking at them who was not looked like a talented shinobi they actually are or a big brother who always protected their siblings was a new sight for Izuna and Tobirama.
"Is he your brother?" Izuna asked Tobirama while pointing at the older boy with short straight hair.
Tobirama nodded, "Yes... recently my brother went to somewhere else alone too. When he came back home, usually he looked so happy."
They stayed silent for a moment. Letting the information for each other sinked in and get the conclusion with the sight in front of them. Izuna felt jealousy filled his heart because he felt his beloved older brother taken from him by Tobirama's older brother. He frowned sadly and want to walked out of the bush but Tobirama stopped him by pulling his wrist.
"What are you doing?" Tobirama frowned in confusion.
"I want to talk to my brother and asked him," Izuna muttering, not looking at Tobirama. He got fearful look which consist of his brother may not care for him anymore if it keep going like this.
"Don't you see? Clearly, they were kept their meeting in secret because they don't want anyone to know! Let them be!" Tobirama whispered to Izuna. The smaller boy knew. They heard their brother saying each other name. Madara, Izuna's brother, would tell him if he want to Izuna to know. It hurts Izuna to think his big brother kept secret from him.
Izuna facing Tobirama and said, "That's why I want to go there and asked him why he keep it in secret!"
"Couldn't you see? I don't know about it exactly but maybe they want to enjoy their time alone," Tobirama glancing at the older brothers who looked at each other tenderly. Looked like a friendship but Tobirama could see the depth was deeper. He couldn't put it in words but there were something there that were not classified as friendship. "Maybe they just want to be with their own age without worried about their little brother around. It was hard to have a same age friend in this time..."
Izuna eyes widened. Like Tobirama said, at war times like this a child, especially, shinobi child hardly got friends with the age more or less the same. It confirmed Izuna suspicion that Tobirama (and his brother), "You are shinobi...?"
Tobirama looking at Izuna grimly as an answer but it was more than enough. He already know from Izuna and his brother chakra's that they are shinobi too. By asking that, Izuna knew he gave him a way that he was a shinobi because he knew the situation of shinobi child should know.
"But..." Izuna glancing at their brothers again, sadder than before, "Nii-san is the only sibling I have left..."
Tobirama following Izuna's gaze, his frowned deeper, "Me too..."
That's why he want to protect a little happiness that Hashirama felt for as long as he can. Although he knew it will not very long before their father noticed Hashirama's absent around their home for quite some time like this. No matter stoic or expressionless Tobirama was, he still care deeply for his older brother. The only siblings he have left. That feeling was the same with Izuna too, although the younger boy still afraid his brother won't care for him anymore.
The younger Senju's finger sliding from Izuna's wrist to his smaller palm. Tobirama hold it gently before squezzed it firmly and said, "You are not alone..."
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you don't mind!
I'm guessing Hashirama and Madara age was around 13-14 when they first met, so Tobirama and Izuna maybe around 10-12. Let me know if you guys knew their real age so I can change it. I know in canon Tobirama sounds like hate Madara but please take note that in here Tobirama didn't know Madara was an Uchiha. In canon, Butsuma was the one who confirmed Madara was an Uchiha, not Hashirama or Tobirama so I take it that Hashirama and Tobirama didn't know if not their father stated it.
Based on Tobirama in chapter 619 or 620, it was not uncommon to found a sensitive person in Uchiha Clan so I make young Izuna based on this. He looks so innocently surprised in canon when Madara admit Hashirama was stronger and he looks so happy his brother obtained the sharingan. So, I guess Izuna (like Madara) quite innocent and naive plus sensitive about his beloved brother.
Tobirama always a thinker person than impulsive one, that's why I'm making him the one to keep their brothers rendezvous secret because he cares about Hashirama's happiness. He always put his brother first, imho. That's why he was so strict with Hashirama to do the right thing.
I do want to write about adult TobiIzu where they have feelings for each other and keep meeting in secret like their brothers but I dunno if anyone interest in that. Let me know what you think! :)