This has so not been finished for the last tree months...
Yay... sorry I forgot about it ^^;
Hashirama may like a good fight, but he was never one to fight out of anger, much less feel that he wanted to skin someone alive.
There was always a first time for anything, he grudgingly admitted. They had more or less just arrived at the gates. Out of the people that came back, it was the oldest Uchiha with curled hair, who had swept a happy Sakura right off the ground first.
"Shisui!" She laughs as he swung her around. He turned his now dark-brown eyes to Madara who didn't look bothered in the least by this. Akamaru jumped around them happily, even giving off a bark every now and then. As if noticing his glance, Madara whispered so only Hashirama could hear him.
"He watched over her, when I went to war she was too young to join and he was too injured, they became like siblings."
Hashirama instantly relaxed at that and gave a small happy smile towards her. He would still give anything and everything to be in Shisui's place, however. He hoped that one day Sakura would welcome him back with just as much happiness, if not more.
"I would be more worried about the blond idiot over there." He followed Madara's eyes and saw the blonde he was talking about. There he stood, mouth open with a blush on his cheeks, and his blue eyes took in all of her moments.
Hashirama knew that look. It was the same look he had on himself.
Madara cleared his throat, and Sakura was put down on the ground once more before making her way back beside him. The other Uchiha scratched his neck, a small, almost- there blush showed his embarrassment.
Itachi bowed to Madara and Sakura, and Shisui quickly followed, before both turned around, waiting for the last and youngest Uchiha to show his respect to their leader.
After Sakura watched Sasuke bow to Madara, he stopped before her, just like his brother had not too long ago. Akamaru began to growl, showing off his sharp fangs. Sasuke didn't bow to her, like any of them had expected.
No, instead, he spat on the ground right in front of her, and some of his salivate even hit her foot.
Sakura didn't even get to blink before Madara had taken Sasuke by the throat and both disappeared, leaving only some dust behind.
His Sharingan had been activated.
Sakura took a couple of steps back as all eyes turned to her. She quickly bowed and apologized for the rudeness of her clan-mate.
"So, what is going to happen to teme now?" It was the younger blonde that broke the silence.
His sky blue eyes were filled with worry, and Sakura couldn't help but wonder how Sasuke made such a great friend.
"He will be punished for his lack of respect to Sakura-Sama" Itachi simply said, but Sakura knew better than most, seeing as she grew up among the Uchihas and knew his worries.
Sakura let out a tried sigh slip past her lips. It had always been like this between them, and it seems that things would stay that way.
"Madara isn't going to kill him, I think," Sakura said, hesitating, not sure if she believed it herself. He wouldn't simply kill his own kin, would he?
Yes, Sakura admitted to herself.
He would totally kill Sasuke if she didn't send someone to stop him.
"… On a second thought, Itachi, go and save your brother before Madara really kills him this time," Sakura said, casually waving her hand.
Itachi was gone within a second.
She looked down at Akamaru who was licking her hand to try and make her feel better.
"You don't think that Madara would kill him, right?" The brunette asked her. Sakura simply gave him an unimpressed look. She turned to their guests once more before she smiled as if nothing had happened.
"How about we get to the house you will be staying in? You must be tired after such a long journey." Sakura turned around to walk back into the village.
Shisui was at her side with Akamaru walking in between them. Hashirama was just about to walk on the other side, only to be beaten by Mito.
He walked beside his brother, now in an even worse mood than before. On his left was the blonde from earlier with Tobirama was on his right talking with the two adults, leaving him with his rival for Sakura's love.
The walk to their house went without any more problems, and they left their guests to rest for the day. They could always talk tomorrow. When they turned to leave, Hashirama finally took his place beside her.
"Ne, Sakura-chan, what was that all about?" He asked her, watching as the Uchiha on her left froze for less than a second before glancing at him. Sakura looked at the older man watching him, his brown eyes that held so much worry and care for her. If she wasn't careful, she would get lost in them.
"It's got nothing to do with you, Senju scum," Shisui sneered at him. Sakura quickly punched him in the stomach and sent him a glance before ordering him to go home. He looked like a kicked puppy, the hurt was in his eyes as he bowed before turning to leave.
"Sasuke is… well, he never really liked me. Actually, I'm pretty sure he still hates me now… He might have loved me when we were kids," Sakura began slowly.
Hashirama wasn't about to rush her. He was just happy that she was sharing something so deep with him.
"Maybe we should take this elsewhere," he said softly, sending a look towards his brother, who had stopped walking. He gently placed his hand on her back and moved them towards a quieter and move private place. They didn't talk again until they were in Hashirama's garden.
"Do… Do you remember the day that Tobirama stabbed…Izuna-nii?" Sakura asked after sitting down under a tree. She sat with one of his hands on her own, she slowly lifted it bringing it closer to her, and if he didn't know better, he would say she was studying it.
"Yes," Hashirama softly replied grimaced at the memory.
Hashirama looked towards his oldest friend simply watching him. The last time he had seen Madara, he had been helping his younger wounded brother escape the battlefield.
There were dark rings under his eyes, and looked he as if had cried all night.
"Madara," he called out, taking a tentative step forward and holding a hand out towards him. Madara looked up at him with anger, hate, and betrayal… Emotions that only strengthened when he turned around to look for Tobi. He looked for Izuna as well but couldn't find him anywhere.
"W-Where is Izuna?" He slowly asked in a broken voice, moving closer to the sad man.
"Sadly," Hashirama added after some time. "I remember."
He felt her hold on his hand clench just a bit tighter. He felt pain, it was nothing that he couldn't take. He slowly got Sakura to let go of his hand, and moved it behind her back while the other went under her knees, lifting her up and onto his lap, closer to his chest.
Before taking her hand in his once more, she let her head rest on his shoulder and kami Hashirama could die a happy man right now.
He hoped she wouldn't look up to see the blush on his face or the stupid look on his face he was so sure that was there, too.
"When Madara came back with Izuna, I wasn't around because of Sasuke," Sakura softly said and the last part became nothing more than a whisper.
He watched her take a few deep breaths and shaking a bit, he held her closer to his chest and felt her breath slowly clam down.
"Because of Madara returning earlier than expected and coming straight for me…" She took a deep breath and was met with the smell of forest greenery and freshly-plucked herbs. If anyone asked her, then she was totally NOT sniffing to his scent.
"Sasuke was supposed to keep watch …" Sakura didn't move away while she talked, and since he didn't move her away, she convinced herself that that was why so she stayed.
"He got really angry with me or something… Maybe enough was enough… Love and hate are so close after all." Sakura closed her eyes, and for a moment, she saw a young Sasuke, back when Sakura loved him.
"So he snapped and used his Sharingan on me." The tears that fell from her eyes were because she got something in her eyes.
"He sent me in a genjutsu that I couldn't break out of and just left."
"Some assassin came to kill me," Sakura said softly, and Hashirama's eyes widened. His body stiffened. He watched her like a hawk, while she traced the scar on her neck.
So that was where she had gotten it from.
"When Madara found out and questioned him about it, Sasuke simply said that if I couldn't even break a genjutsu, then what right do I have to live among the Uchihas?" Sakura gave a bitter laugh at that.
When she had finally gotten the elders to accept her as a real Uchiha, Sasuke just had to go point out that she would never be an Uchiha, no matter what she did.
"I was out for a week and couldn't save Izuna-nii. It was by pure luck that I got out of the genjutsu at all. In anger, Madara sealed away Sasuke's Sharingan for life. It was either that or death." Sakura wasn't sure if he really needed to know all this, but if she stopped talking now, she would break down in tears.
"Sasuke went at me one day with the instinct to kill when I was alone and low on chakra. He attacked me and left this scar behind as a reminder. I owed Itachi my life when he sent Sasuke. He still hates me it seems, I just hope he doesn't try to kill me again." Sakura mumbled more to herself than to Hashirama.
Hashirama felt what little of his high remaining dissipate as he watched her tears fall. He got up and walked into his house laying Sakura on his bed before putting the cover over her. When her last tear dried, he began his hunt for the man that broke her heart.
