"So, Sakura-san, may I call you that?" Hatake asked. Sakura nodded, staying quiet, still lost in her thoughts.
"I heard you brought back Izuna Uchiha from the dead, is that true?" Sarutobi asked from beside her, causing the girl to whip her head around to stare at him with wide eyes.
"He wasn't dead, but I did heal him from a fatal wound. Jeez, people exaggerate too much," she said with a shake of her head.
Sarutobi chuckled next to her. "Exaggeration or not, everyone seems to be talking about a pink-haired medic being the reason for the end of the feud between the Uchiha and Senju. It's part of the reason I wanted to give Konoha a shot. I had to see for myself," he said with a wink.
"Sarutobi-san, please, I'm not as amazing as you think I am, I was merely doing my job," she said softly with a faint blush.
"Man, beautiful and humble. Say, are you seeing anyone?" Sarutobi asked with a tilt of his head, causing her to blush.
"W-w, n-no, I'm not seeing anyone," she stuttered, grimacing at herself.
"I somehow find that hard to believe," Sarutobi guffawed, his eyes wide in shock.
"Mah, Sakura-san. Back at the Hokage tower," Hatake chimed in. He kept looking forward, both his hands now in his pockets as the three of them walked the streets of Konoha. "As much as I like to think that you fell in love with me at first sight," he began, causing the pink-haired girl to fluster and the other male to chuckle, "That look you gave me, I reminded you of someone important, am I right?" he continued.
"I-" Sakura swallowed and looked ahead. After a deep breath, she nodded.
"Was he an ex lover?" he asked again after a pause. Sakura made a choking sound and began to vigorously splutter.
"NO! O-of course not, he was my sensei! There's no way, he's like twice my age!," she said incredulously, making Sarutobi laugh at her reaction.
"Hey, you have something against older men?" he asked teasingly. "We have more experience you know," he said with a wink. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.
"Hmm, what a shame. Here I thought if I reminded you of your ex lover that I might have a chance," he said all nonchalantly.
Sakura stopped walking and gaped at the male. They stopped walking as well and looked back at her, both clearly amused at her antics.
Sakura then began to laugh, because really, this Hatake was a splitting replica of Kakashi, down to his flirtatious personality, that she was overcome with emotion. Both males looked at her, then at each other, amusement gone and replaced with slight worry.
"Hatake, that was too smooth. But you would need to do better than that to have a chance," she smiled, flirting back. She was really enjoying their company.
Both males lit up at her response and continued to banter as they walked the streets of Konoha.
Back at the Hokage tower….
The four males watched the clan heads walk away with Sakura, the tension in the room palpable. Tobirama cleared his throat and faced his brother.
"I have some matters to attend to. If you'll excuse me," he said as he bowed and walked off. Izuna also turned towards Madara and mentioned something about needing to take care of something and followed behind the Senju. Both Madara and Hashirama looked at each other before Madara groaned and Hashirama sighed.
Trailing behind the three unsuspecting shinobi, the white haired Senju narrowed his eyes at the way the two clan heads openly flirted with Sakura. He didn't know what prompted him to follow after them, it was completely out of character for him yet here he was, fists clenched at the sight a few feet in front of him.
"What are you doing," said a voice behind him.
"Uchiha," he said stiffly. Izuna looked past Tobirama towards the three shinobi then back down to Tobirama, his one eyebrow raised. Izuna was fighting the urge to smile, causing Tobirama to clench his jaw.
"I'm patrolling," he answered seriously. Izuna couldn't hold it in anymore and spluttered out a laugh, trying hard to suppress it with his hand so that they wouldn't get caught. Tobirama continued to glare, resisting the urge to hit him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Are you done?" he asked in an annoyed huff.
Izuna wiped the tears from his eyes and finally caught himself. "If that's what you want to call it, Senju. I'm here to make sure they don't make any moves on Sakura," Izuna confessed, causing the Senju to narrow his eyes. They stared at each other, this time without the usual killing intent that otherwise would normally be there when they face off each other.
"You are interested in her," Tobirama stated, not a question. Izuna firmly nodded. "And you?" he asked.
Tobirama looked to the side, his brows creased. He remembered the moment in her kitchen, the afternoon sun bathing her in its glow, making her look ethereal. He swallowed and nodded as well.
"Hmm," was all Izuna said.
They stayed quiet for a moment until they heard Sarutobi laugh. They enhanced their hearing with chakra, silently agreeing with each other that they would never speak of this to anyone.
"Man, beautiful and humble, say, are you seeing anyone?" they heard him ask and they both tensed. They watched as Sakura denied seeing anyone, relaxing just a little.
"Hmm, what a shame. Here I thought if I reminded you of your ex lover that I might have a chance," they heard Hatake comment and both males had to fight to control their anger. They tensed again as Sakura began to laugh a real genuine laugh. It was a beautiful sound, and both males' knuckles turned white from how hard they were clenching.
"Hatake, that was too smooth. But you would need to do better than that to have a chance," they heard Sakura reply. Tobirama suddenly scoffed and a few seconds later, both Madara and Hashirama appeared behind them.
"Never thought I'd see the day you two would willingly hang out together," said Madara with an amused chuckle.
"Tobi," Hashirama said, his eyes wide. Tobirama narrowed his eyes at his brother, daring him to continue. Hashirama cleared his throat.
"Sakura is capable of giving a tour of Konoha, you know. She was here when everything was built," he said with an amused expression. Both Izuna and Tobirama creased their brows and looked off to the side in different directions, looking like a pair of children that were getting scolded.
"So?" Madara asked, looking at his brother. Izuna stared into his eyes, understanding what Madara was asking with the simple question. Izuna nodded stiffly. Madara stood up taller and uncrossed his arms. He looked between Izuna and Tobirama, then turned towards Hashirama, who had done the same and was now looking at him questioningly.
"It seems we all have the same intention of courting Sakura," he stated, causing both Senju to widen their eyes.
"You want to court Sakura as well?" Tobirama asked, his tone disbelieving.
"Wait, Tobi, you were thinking of courting Sakura?" Hashirama asked. The four males stared at each other quietly, letting the information sink in.
"Don't act so surprised," Madara directed his comment towards the Senju brothers, crossing his arms again.
"Wait, hold on. Madara, did you know all along?" Hashirama asked, his brows creased.
"It was easy enough to figure out. Today just proved it," he answered. Hashirama looked down, deep in thought. Tobirama looked between Izuna and Madara, while they both stared right back at him, eyebrows raised.
"So," Hashirama began. They stayed quiet again, waiting for someone to speak up first.
"Hashirama, I understand that the Senju aren't as matriarchal as our clan. However, I have no qualms with sharing Sakura's affections with my brother if it came down to it," Madara admitted. Hashirama and Tobirama looked at each other and creased their brows.
"What makes you think Sakura would be willing to share?" Tobirama asked, his eyes narrowed.
"I don't, but clearly she feels something for all of us. I'm an observant man, and I can see the way she reacts," Madara said.
Hashirama looked down, his hand on his chin. 'I suppose I wouldn't mind sharing her either," he thought out loud, causing Tobirama to whip his head towards his brother.
"Hashi, what are you saying," he hissed.
"Well, Tobi, I've come to care deeply for Sakura. She's like a breath of fresh air. I would like for her to choose me, but if you guys feel the same way about Sakura as I do, then what is my right to stop you all from trying to court her," he confessed.
"If what Madara says is true, knowing Sakura, she's probably worried about hurting any of us. I'd rather share her affections than have to be outright rejected and not have the ability to be near her," Izuna confessed, looking into Tobirama's red eyes.
Tobirama swallowed and looked away, his breathing uneven. He closed his eyes and his jaw clenched as he saw the object of their conversation in his mind, standing like an angel under the moonlight and smiling brightly at him. He thought about her choosing her brother, or Izuna, or even Madara individually, and how he would be watching from the sidelines not being able to touch her and make her smile, causing him to clench his fists. But then he thought about being with her and sharing her with them, and watching her smile so brightly at the four of them, that he found he actually didn't mind the idea at all.
When he opened his eyes, it was to the three of them watching him intently. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"IF Sakura does indeed confirm that she's interested in ALL of us, I am not…opposed to the idea of sharing," he said, making Hashirama smile and the Uchiha brothers to smirk.