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
Warning: Angst! Character death!
Three years after Itachi left Konoha in the dark of the night, war finally broke out when tensions became too high and no more politics and diplomacy could settle the friction between the Five Great Nations and the smaller villages. Despite their best efforts, Konoha was dragged into the war as well and before long, it became the norm once again. Then again, half of Konoha's populations still consisted mostly of Senju and Uchiha, war weary and raised as they were, so it was to be expected. After centuries of war, the two founding clan's of Konohagakure easily slid back into that mindset and dragged the entire village along with them, which honestly saved their asses more times than anyone is comfortable counting.
Still, even the other ninja of Konoha, from all of the other clans, were uneasy and wary of the ease with which the Senju and the Uchiha took to arms.
Said clans didn't give and damn and just lead their troops in this war to win back their peace once more.
The war lasted quite a bit of time but it all soon came down to petty power plays after one incident that had nearly destroyed Konoha and it had nothing to do with any of the other nations at war. One night, as he was returning from a mission, Madara was followed by a beast unlike any other, one that was only heard of in legends and tales of the Sage of Six Paths, straight back to Konoha's gates. Wary and wounded and dead tired from his mission, Madara didn't notice its presence at all until Tobirama and Hahsirama came running out of the village gates with Mito in tow, panic on their faces. As soon as his lover called out his name, the Uchiha had turned around and activated his Sharingan, dispelling the genjutsu the beast had used to hide itself and the Kyuubi no Yoko came into clear sight.
The village panicked and attacked the best.
The giant fox retaliated, not bothering at all with whatever it had followed Madara for and instead focusing its rage on the humans trying to kill it.
Madara and Hashirama had driven the beast away from their village and forbidden anyone from leaving the walls of the village until the beast was subdued, leading the orange fox as far away as they could, all the way towards the borders with the Land of Rice Fields where the Naka River flowed out of Hi no Kuni. Mito and Tobirama didn't exactly listen and they left Izuna and Toka in charge of the village before going after their lovers, keeping a safe distance but being near enough to lend a hand should the need arise.
The battle was one of epic proportions. The biju had always been told to be creatures of pure chakra and the fight against it proved to be as such. Its oppressive presence nearly brought Madara to his knees when he felt its killing intent, but he soldiered on and clammed down on some of his senses and continued the fight. Tobirama and Mito had to work together to make impromptu seals that will block out their sensory skills for a while and instead came a bit closer so they could still know what was going on with their lovers. The Kyuubi was an equal match, if not stronger, to Madara's perfect Susanoo, although the Kusanagi Swords and the Yasaka Magatama could still hurt it. It was useless, however, as the east simply regenerated whatever wounds the two founders' attacks left on it without any difficulty, its chakra so massive and so dense that the fight could have gone on forever if Madara and Hashriama gave each other some time to rest and get their reserves back up by taking turns. As it became clear that they can't defeat the best, they tried to drive it away, but that only ended up in forming what is today known as the Valley of the Ends when the biju used a Bijudama to nearly destroy the land over their borders had Hashirama not changed the trajectory at the last moment.
The restraining method they tried out first was to capture the beast in Susanoo's armor and for Madara to try to get to its eyes so he can put it under his genjutsu and control it long enough for them to fully subdue it. A valiant effort and it worked, too, for a little while, only Madara was really exhausted, so much so that his eyes bled despite him having the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and he nearly lost consciousness and fell off of the beast to his death had Tobirama, heart thundering in his ears in fright for his lover, not dived to save him. He had never been so grateful to have placed his mark on Madara on their first night together as he was right then, when he caught his lover and transported back to Mito's side using Hiraishin.
Madara remained unconscious for three days after he finally fell asleep when they brought the biju down.
The amount of time Madara had bought Hashirama had been more than enough for Hashirama to trap the biju with his Senpō Mokuton: Shin Sūsenju and then use Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu — Kakuan Nitten Suishu to subdue the Kyuubi. When the Kyuubi all but fell asleep in hte middle of the gigantic valley the fight had formed, Tobirama then assisted Mito in creating the seal that would allow Mito to wrap the Kyuubi in her Kongō Fūsa and seal the beast within her, becoming the first Jinchuuriki since the Sage of Six Paths.
Not long after Madara fully recovered, other biju appeared and he and Hashirama went out on a hunt for them, in hopes of preventing a similar incident as when they fought the Kyuubi. It wouldn't do to need to change maps because such fights changed the landscape every other week. But as soon as their hunt ended, new trouble arose as the other countries now wanted that power and were quite ready to attack Konoha in alliances to get the tailed beasts.
Which is what lead to this battle today and the situation Tobirama was cursing from the very depths of his soul.
It had started five days ago, when Iwa and Ishi combine forces with Suna and attack from the West in the hopes of stealing a biju from them and Toka, Izuna and Hikaku, along with seven platoons of soldiers from all of Konoha's clans but mostly those specialized in fire and water techniques to counter the jiton and doton jutsus they are most famously known for. Then, two days ago, Kirigakure attacked Uzushio and Tobirama was dispatched there with a good number of his own clansmen and warriors of the Sarutobi and Hatake clans in hopes that their talents with water, fire and earth or lighting might help Uzushiogakure to defend itself. Mito had wished to go but she couldn't leave the village or her children behind. Hashirama was too busy on preventing Kusagakure's and Amegakure's forces from joining in on the western front to go and help so it was all up to Tobirama.
Madara had been sent off on his own to investigate a village that had recently been named Hoshigakure but informants suggest was older than Konoha by some hundred years or so after rumors started circulating that they had a weapon that was bound to help in fighting Konoha's forces. That was nearly a month ago, now, and Tobirama had heard he was finally returning home so he had done as much as he could to protect Uzushiogakure, wards, suiton jutsus and Kage Bunshin and all, even using Hiraishin to decimate the Kirigakure forces from their own side before he set of a punishing pace back home.
Rumors said Madara had made them a new ally but that they won't get involved in the war, so it was more an alliance through not attacking than helping. Rumors also circulated that the Uchiha has spent the entire mission being targeted by Ame's forces ever since he left Konoha's walls.
Rumors say he was injured yet he still is fighting since some of those fucking Takigakure ninja have managed to come all the way to the forests surrounding Konoha and the village had too few forces left inside its walls that aren't children to defend that far away. Mito had alerted Tobirama that Madara hadn't even returned to the village and that it was one of the Aburame's insect troops that returned with the news. Tobirama didn't allow himself to slow down lest his idiot lover get himself killed the longer he remains alone while inured and fighting a thousand enemies alone.
When he finally arrives at the battlefield, it looks more like a massacre. As was to be expected when someone with Madara's destructive powers was involved and there are no allies he needs to worry about hurting. There are craters left and right the size of the Hokage Mountain in the ground and bodies littered all around in a sickly reminder of Madara's power from when he used to use that power against Senju forces if Hashirama didn't fight him. The smell of burnt skin and hair is thick and heavy in the air and the few chakra signatures that were still alive in the section her first arrived in where filled with pain and were flickering, on the verge of going extinct. When he was a boy and he saw this sight, he had felt rage and hatred towards the one capable of doing this all on his own.
Now, he took comfort in knowing that Madara obviously hadn't been as injured as he had feared, if he could fight like this still.
He could still hear the sound of fighting and he followed it until he came to the magnificent sight of Madara using the second stage of his Susanoo to destroy as many enemies as he could while still protecting his comrades, a couple of Hatake and five Namikaze, if their hair color were any indication. Further away, he could feel approaching Hyuuga coming as a backup, meaning Mito must have sensed his approach and was sending help to finish up the battle as soon as possible so her brother in law and his lover might return for a well earned rest. He swears he will kiss her when they get back to Konoha. With how much chakra he had used up, not even the Akamichi's famous soldier pills can help him replenish his chakra enough for him to be comfortable and it was only a temporary fix, regardless.
To his left, he saw a giant cat tearing through some Ame ninja, roaring a below that suited more a lion than a cat. He recognized it as Nekomata, a kitten Itachi had found somewhere in his fourth years of his stay with them, along with a young girl of brown hair who had been hit with a poisoned dart. Itachi had took them in and looked after them for nearly three months until the girl's family found them. Nekomata had ended up being the kitten of the current leader of the ninneko underworld and he had sworn fealty to Itachi and Konoha for protecting his heir and only surviving kitten. Now, when Nekomata was full grown and the new leader, the ninneko were more than willing to fight for Konoha.
Just one more boon Itachi had given them that Konoha will never learn to fully appreciate, Tobirama thought a bit bitterly. The information and backup they got from these cats was invaluable. Like now, for instance, where Nekomata served as a replacement of a battalion of soldiers to fight at Madara's side.
''Tobirama-sama!'' A blond, a Namikaze, called out to him, drawing his attention to the group of ninja that were making their way towards him. The Senju quickly put his hands together and made the few necessary hand seals to make a water dragon and attack them, only for them to turn out to be nothing more than ordinary Bunshin. He whirled around, only to see more Bunshin rising from the ground. Some of them were induced with enough chakra to actually fool his senses a little but he knew these weren't the real deal. But there was just too much leftover chakra from the earlier battles for him to sense anything correctly. Madara's chakra was drawing his attention to it, the beacon that it was, a blazing inferno.
He grunted in pain when, suddenly, a senbon pierced his thigh. He looked down, only to find the offending weapon sticking out of his leg, bloodied and he swore when his vision swirled.
''Senju!'' A Hatake yelled, running to his side only to be cut down by a kunai to the neck thrown from an unidentified location as soon as he stepped out of the circle of Madara's protection. Whether it was the loss of a chakra signature so close to him or the scream he somehow overheard despite the roar of battle, Madara turned around just enough to look behind himself and his red eyes widened when they fell on Tobirama, wounded with a senbon that had obviously been dipped in some seriously fast acting poison. Red eyes flashed in rage and the Mangekyo Pattern gave a threateningly fast spin before Madara rounded on his enemies with a roar and started cutting at them with a mercilessness that befitted an Uchiha's ire being provoked. In a matter of seconds, with fire, Susanoo and genjutsu and taijutsu, Madara had cut down the opposing forces by three fourths before hey could even register what was going on.
Both he and Tobirama sensed when a ninja descended from the trees just behind Tobirma's back some seventy feet and charged at the younger man. Drowsy from the strong and potent poison and exhausted despite his efforts to bring his chakra back up with the Akamichi's food pills, Tobirama was more than a little helpless and he couldn't even move out of the way. Hiraishin was out of the question, as he couldn't focus on any other mark he had nearby other than the one on Madara's person and that was only because Madara himself was impossible to ignore.
He could only just turn around to face his enemy so he could meet his killer and his death like a warrior, silently asking his brother, cousin and Madara for forgiveness. And just as the ninja came within stabbing distance, there was a blur of chakra and Shunshin and then there was a sickening crack of armor breaking and the even more sickening sound of flesh being pierced. Tobirama didn't close his eyes. Instead, in the lack of the expected pain, he watched with wide eyes as the long haired figure before him lurched forward with the impact of the blow, almost doubling over as the sword came all the way through, coughing up blood, a few drops hitting Tobirama's ashen white face as dulling black eyes met his.
Silence descended on the battlefield, deafening the sounds of battle, or had it all stopped? Tobirama couldn't tell. All he could see was that handsome face he had come to love, to need like he needed air, that smiled so lovingly each morning when they woke up beside each other. He couldn't look away from those eyes, usually so alight with life and fire that they were almost painful to look into, especially knowing what hurt they carried in their depths. He wasn't even aware of the attacking shinobi being yanked away by a dark blue skeletal arm apparition or the sword being drawn out.
He was only aware that Madara was falling forward and adrenaline spiked in his body as he lurched forward to catch Madara lest her fell and hurt himself even more. But the poison had taken its effect and he fell along with his Uchiha. Thankfully, he was able to land on his knees and he ignored the pain in his thigh from the movement as he cradled Madara close, trying to channel chakra into his hand so he can heal the stab. Only, as he properly turned Madara on his back across his lap to face him, he saw that the stab went straight through the heart. Exhausted as he was, he didn't even have enough energy to stop the bleeding, let alone save Madara. Still, he didn't let that stop him and he tried, futilely, to concentrate enough to focus chakra into his hands. He tried and tried, again and again, his panic growing with each failed attempt and the wheezing breaths Madara took.
He didn't even understand his vision was blurry because of tears until the first one fell when Madara smiled at him with blood trickling down the side of his mouth. The Uchiha was now paler than Tobirama ever was but he still managed to cover Tobirama's hand with his own. The squeeze he gave was horrifyingly weak and a sob escaped Tobirama's throat before he could stop it.
''Don' cry,'' his lover slurred and tried to reach for his face but was already far too weak. The heartbeat under Tobirama's hand was stuttering and faint. Tobirama had never been this scared or felt this hopeless in his entire life, not when Kawarama and Itama died, not when he learned Itachi had left and probably wouldn't be coming back. ''Smile. You're prettier tha' way.''
A hysterical laugh had to be suppressed and he tried to smile, as he knew these were his lover's last moments and who was Tobirama to deny him his last wish. ''I should have asked you sooner. I wanted to marry you. I never gathered to courage to ask. I'm so sorry.'' I'm so sorry I was such a coward. I'm so sorry you had to save me. I'm so sorry you are dying. I'm so sorry for wanting to join you. I'm sorry it was you and not me.
''Would've said yes.'' The Uchiha said as his eyes started falling close. Tobirama was tempted to shake him but instead, he only brought his body up and against his chest. The sound of Madara's labored, wet breathing will haunt him for the rest of his days but he still wants to hear the last signs of his lover's life. ''Love you, Tobi. Always love you.''
''I love you too, Madara. Always, always, always. I love you, I love you.'' He continued whispering the words into his smiling lover's ear until his heart stopped, until he no longer drew breath, until his blood stopped soiling his clothing and the ground with the precious red liquid, He sat there and rocked back and forth, never letting go of his Madara even when his body grew numb and pain pierced something in his chest that he had thought had died with his last younger brother. He buried his face in Madara's hair and cried like the broken man that he is, oblivious to the reinforcements coming just a bit too late. The opposition was all captured and lead back to Konoha. The few wounded from Konoha were treated on sight, their scraps minor.
He didn't notice any of that.
He was too lost in his grief where his senses could no longer sense the furnace that was his lover's chakra.
He felt unbearably alone.
