11. He sped towards the battlefield, her chakra like a lit beacon….
He sped towards the battlefield, her chakra like a lit beacon ahead of him. Wondering about the incredible speed of that young Yondaime he heard Hiruzen chuckling, calling the young man appropriately Yellow Flash.
But he was too distracted to give it any more notice. Moving at a steady pace, heart hammering in his chest, he felt hesitant. Was it fear or eagerness? Would she recognize him? Or had her disappearance not come to pass yet? It made sense since the battle was still raging on and he was summoned just like she told him he would be. Reluctant to speed up to find out, he sensed the Yondaime arriving at the battlefield already. But he felt stuck in an endless moment in time, on the verge of the edge of a knife. He did not want to know.
Feelings that were buried deep inside him stirred and he felt afraid. Afraid to lose himself completely, to feel his carefully built up control shatter and to feel the clutches of despair once again.
His brother caught up beside him. He glanced sideways at him with a small smile: "It is good to see you again brother."
A small nod, but underneath Hashirama's smile there lay worry: "Brother, do you fear seeing her?"
Tobirama's heart faltered. That was Hashirama for you, a complete oblivious dumbass most of the time, with this uncanny intelligent insight in other people's mind and feelings, especially his. Tobirama felt unnerved and sighed then. Time was too precious now to be beating around the bush: "Yes… I am scared. Brother, what if she doesn't recognize me?"
"She will brother. And if she doesn't, she will in the near future when she returns from our time. Have faith brother, and let's focus on this battle. Whatever the outcome of your reunion with Sakura, first she needs our aid in this desperate battle. Konoha needs us."
Tobirama nodded and steeled himself. Hashirama was right. If he fell apart on the eve of battle, he would be useless and his involvement in this battle would be missed, maybe with disastrous effects.
Landing on the battlefield next to Hiruzen and the Yondaime, he felt the warmth of her chakra in his back. As if he was pulled by a magnet, he slowly turned, arms defensively crossed over his chest and then he locked eyes with her.
He felt his emotions choking him, his eyes glued to her small form. She wore the same shinobi outfit that he found her in, a lifetime ago. Her hair cut short, she was bloodied and dirty, but her eyes shone with a fierce determination. Her beauty felt like a stab in his heart. While he locked eyes with her he saw no recognition in them, only amazement at the appearance of the Nidaime Hokage.
His despair ate its way through his heart, making him momentarily sick. He tried to hold it down, to fight the urge to cry and run to her and hold her. He tried to control his mind and despair and forced himself to face the battle. He was a shinobi first. Even though these were not his people technically, he was still their Nidaime Hokage.
He took deep meditative breaths and steeled his heart, locking his emotions away. A familiar feeling that he practised so many times over the years.
And then he faced his enemy.