There you have it: I shamelessly adapted the original story for my own needs. Konoha is miraculously untouched by the destruction of it, Tobirama gets second chances just like that and Sakura is missing in the end game of the war. Oh well, plenty of bottomless plot holes to complain about, but hopefully with pleasant reading material as a result. Reviews are most welcome as always!

12. He could no longer feel her chakra and it made him….

He could no longer feel her chakra and it made him feel desperate. Hashirama's last respects to Madara shook feeling back into his system. His throat clenched. Madara's atonement was late but sincere and a feeling of shame overtook him. Shame that he lacked Hashirama's faith in the power of good. Madara left this world as a warrior with honour in the end, and Tobirama, to his own astonishment, could not feel anything other than respect for his fallen enemy.

Hashirama's eyes held pain and peace at the same time. They locked eyes. Brother nodded to brother, no words were necessary. Tobirama knew that his anija had faith in his ordeal. He believed that Sakura would find him again. Just like that. Even now. Tobirama did not have such faith. Despair tugged at his heart. He felt Hashirama's chakra slip away for the second time in his life. The thought that he would soon join him was maddening but strangely soothing and he allowed himself to think of her. If not in this world he would meet her in the afterlife. Tobirama felt crushed by a raging storm of emotions and hoped that the pain of her absence would be replaced by some peace soon.

But there was no peace to be had. While the others stared at Naruto and the Yondaime, he felt Hagomoro's eyes resting on him. His look was piercing and when the Yondaime departed, Hagomoro seemed in deep thought. After a pregnant silence he said softly: "Nidaime. There seems to be some loose ends in your timeline. Please, do not worry about your cherry blossom. She will return in due time."

Tobirama felt his mouth open. How? How did the Sage know of this? He vaguely registered Kakashi's surprised look at Hagomoro's words. He seemed to realise there was something important happening to Sakura and he seemed mainly relieved that she was alive somewhere. Nevertheless he eyed Tobirama curiously.

"How do you… is she…." Tobirama found himself stammering, like a kid.… his hands shaking.

"Nidaime, I sense what my mother did and see the ripples in time itself. Somehow she nullified the precautions that you both took for the sake of the future. However, there seems to be one change that she could not touch or alter. You will stay in Konoha to await her return. Time is meddling with her arrival. Although my mother is powerless now, the aftereffects on your cherry blossom are still in effect and quite unpredictable. To give you time, I will use the loophole you created in the Edo Tensei technique. Make use of this second life Nidaime, pass on the Will of Fire once again." The old man nodded one last time and Tobirama could only bow in respect, his mind racing. What did the old man mean? What change was not nullified?

But before he could ponder on the meaning of his words, he felt an immense chakra entering his body setting him on fire. When the sensation disappeared he stared in disbelief to his arms. The skin was pink, blood running through it. He felt alive! Very much alive! Somehow, Hagomoro solved the dead end that he tried to overcome while perfecting the Edo-Tensei technique, so many years ago. He remembered building a loophole for the future in his own body structure as well as in the construction of the technique itself.

He had hoped that the next generations would be able to take his technique one step further and the Sage fulfilled his hopes with one try! Unbelievable! He stared at his hands. With every breath that he drew, every warm breath, he felt hope surfacing deep from within himself. He was given time to wait for her. He exhaled, trying to subdue the euphoria that bubbled up in him. He was alive! And Hagomoro knew that she would return!

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Tobirama stood in his old office, facing his irritated niece. She tapped with her fingers impatiently at her desk looking at him with disgust. Ignoring her mood he just stood there, arms crossed, waiting for her to stop beating around the bush.

"How do you feel uncle?" she almost spat.

"Alive." he stated bluntly while examining her face.

"Yes, uncle. I would like to know how that is possible. Your cells seem to have been regenerating after the Edo-Tensei ended. Care to explain?"

He shrugged: "I might have tempered with the structure of my body on a cellular level…"

"Really." She looked at him pointedly.

He had the decency to look slightly flustered. "Well, I felt I had to try out some modifications on Edo-Tensei to improve the technique…."

"Improve?" her voice had a steel quality.

He sighed exasperated. "Hashirama did not want me to use human test subjects Tsuna. What do you expect of me?"

She snorted. "Your methods were always unethical uncle. It is a miracle that you remained on the side of the good guys."

He crossed his arms over his chest looking stern: "What do you insinuate, Hime? It was Hagomoro that took the necessary last step."

She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth: "Let's just say that after your unethical research my own teammate did cross boundaries that you still respected. You cleared a path for his disgusting practises. It was Orochimaru, the shinobi that raised you from the dead the second time."

He looked at her questioningly: "Second time?"

"Yes, Orochimaru summoned you and grandfather to fight Sarutobi-sama. You probably don't remember because he suppressed your identities and free will."

Tobirama gritted his teeth, his temper flaring. The insolence of it!

Tsunade seemed to hesitate, eyes guarded.

"And grandfather?" She looked at her hands.

After a silence, "He is gone"

She swallowed audibly. Tears shimmering in her eyes: "I see…" Silence filled the room while she took time to recompose herself. He looked out of the window thoughtfully. He felt restless, a caged tiger. He needed to find her, but that was a useless exercise. He had no idea when or where she would resurface! It could be years from now!

He looked at his now adult niece. It seemed a lifetime ago that she was full of mischief, bouncing on his knee, demanding a horse ride and setting Hashirama's paperwork on fire in the backyard. He chuckled. "Do not mourn your grandfather, Hime. You have grown up fine, he is very proud of you. You wear the title of Hokage with dignity."

In a very un-Tobirama like fashion he leaned forward and ruffled her hair. She laughed her tears away and blushed slightly.

"That idiot managed to befriend Madara once again before the end." He said it thoughtfully. "Madara, died…. with honour. Hashirama passed a second time knowing that his friend was on the right path once again. They both went peacefully."

Tsunade blinked at him and nodded: "That gives me some peace as well, uncle. And how about your peace? Why are you still here? Why did Hagomoro regenerate your body?"

The question was legitimate and being a man of action, he decided that the best course to take was to share his information with her, just as Sakura did with him when she was stranded in his time. She trusted him because they both served Konoha, they were family in some sense, and this was even more literally the case with Tsunade as well.

Tsunade silently listened, no emotion visible on her face. Her uncle spilled his heart and she could not evade the impression that he had been hiding this story from others and himself since the death of her grandfather such a long time ago. It felt odd, hearing him talking about private affairs. Her only memories of him were childhood memories, a stern uncle, secretly laughing at her mischief, a harsh trainer. He was responsible for honing her chakra control. But now ….. here he was talking to her as an equal. He made a quick decision to entrust her with his very personal ordeal and she would not betray that trust. She started drinking sake halfway and he joined her while talking.

It felt odd to express his feelings for the apprentice of his grandniece and confessing their marital state. He felt so much older then when he fell in love with her. He had been a young man then. Not worthy yet of the Hokage title. He felt that he needed his grand-niece's blessing. He married Sakura without anyone's permission but Hashirama's, since she was alone in his time. It had always felt like wrongdoing to her. Even though she laughed it away, saying he was old fashioned. He had a vague fear that his niece would not be willing to give her blessing, but he could not sense any disgust or anger in Tsunade's demeanour, only acceptance of the truth of his words no matter how awkward.

When silence filled the office, giving room to the chirping of birds from outside, she had a frown on her face. After a while she stated: "Uncle, Sakura's marital state comes as a bolt from the blue. I must say that my instincts scream at me that it is unnatural that she is married to my great uncle. You are now almost the same age as grandfather!"

She took a sip of her sake, casting her eyes down and then looking him straight in the eyes: "She is … precious… to me, more than I can express, uncle. She is the child that I never had."

She continued carefully after a short silence: "But…. if anyone deserves her, it is you and not that bloody Uchiha boy that she had a crush on her whole life. So you have my blessing." She smiled at him. He looked flustered, with a very faint blush colouring his pale cheeks.

Trying to regain his composure he regarded her seriously: "Thank you, Hime, that means more to me than I can express."

She nodded and sighed: "I feel relieved to hear your story Uncle. This gives me hope."

"Hime, keep this hope close to your heart. She now is in my time, getting to know me and saving the future, trying to prevent this war. She misses you terribly, but will find happiness there."

He stood and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To find her."

Tsunade seemed to understand the workings in her uncle's brain but eyed him suspiciously: "Uncle, you just fought in the greatest shinobi battle of all time. Your injuries are healed by Hagomoro, but you are still exhausted. Your chakra levels are only at quarter capacity. You need to sleep first. Anyway, there is no guarantee that she will resurface anytime soon. Why don't you find a bed."

He stared at her hard. She didn't even blink.

After a while he shrugged and sighed: "Are my quarters still available?"

She stared back at him, an idea forming in her head. She got up from behind her desk, walking towards the door. "Follow me, uncle. I will take a small lunch break with you."

They walked through the streets of Konoha, shocking the citizens with the appearance of the Nidaime Hokage, alive and well, in his trademark outfit. Tobirama ignored the attention, too tired to care at all. He followed Tsunade to a few market stands where she bought rice, vegetables, soy, katsuobushi, green tea and tofu.

He felt detached from the normality of the place, eyeing his surroundings mesmerised. It felt unreal to him. He vaguely realised that the constant battle that he was in from the last days of his life until the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, was the cause of this strange feeling. He knew that it would slowly change in time. But for now he could not get in touch with his surroundings, experiencing the world like a movie in a theatre.

Slowly they walked through the streets, wandering off to buildings that stood a bit aside from the centre of town. The town was still in chaos. Food was available, but there was a lot to repair and to re-organize. He looked around at the buildings with mild curiosity. These additions were new and he was not familiar with them yet. Why was Tsuna bringing him here?

She stopped before a greenish apartment building, taking out a pair of keys. She opened the front door and climbed the stairs. On the third flight, she opened another door, stepping into a small apartment. It smelled dusty. He stood with Tsunade in the tiny hallway, wondering why he was here.

"Tsuna, you do not live in the Senju compound any more?"

"Yes, uncle I do."

"Why are we here Tsuna? What is this place?"

Tsunade looked at her uncle carefully before she spoke: "I thought it would be best to bring you home, uncle. At least the closest you can get to home."

He frowned at her, not understanding.

"This is Sakura's apartment".

She watched her uncle trying to hold his composure but failing. All sorrow of the past years slammed into him, forcing his emotions to the surface. He stumbled backwards, leaning with his back into the wall for support. To his own surprise he felt tears leaking from his eyes. Tsunade hugged him, kissed his cheek and softly put the groceries in the hallway, leaving him alone with his grief. He barely registered the faint click of the door closing behind her.

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