Disclaimer: All my love for this saga won't change the fact that I do not own Naruto.
English not being my native language, please forgive me for the eventual errors I might do, I'll do my best to avoid doing them in the first place or remove them after the fact.
Summary: A story of Hashirama Senju, the one who revolutionized the Shinobi world. AU.
Season I
Chapter Seven: Reality
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Light was peering through the foliage of the tallest trees, beaming through the forest as small leaves fell to the ground to and fro, a testament to the beauty of the day.
A contrast to the scowling figure of Madara Uchiha.
The day was hot.
And though he was stoic - as a true shinobi should be - discomfort was creeping its way on him, his haori starting to stick on his skin due to the sweat and lack of wind.
Plus, Hashirama was late.
How long had he been here?
Half an hour? An hour? What was the girl doing?
They both had responsibilities in their respective clans, true, but at least he was able to deal with them properly, without gnawing time on his other commitments…
He was never late for his training sessions for example, nor was he missing the kenjutsu spars he was having with Izuna and Master Daichi.
And he wasn't late to meetings with people like…
"Sorry, Madara!" waved Hashirama as she scouted quickly toward Madara, a broad smile gracing her lips.
Damn her and her girlish demeanour… That wouldn't be enough for getting away with his wrath, Madara decided on the spot…
Though his mood had just dramatically increased, he held tight onto his scowl and the outrage he felt earlier.
"Hashirama, you are late! And you sure are carefree in this area", Madara admonished her once she reached him, as they stood by the foot of a steep mountain.
The young girl was panting and dishevelled - clearly, she had been running for a while before reaching him.
"It might not seem like it, but I'm aware of the Hagoromos living nearby… I had to be careful in order to reach this place…" she justified, glaring at him. "If anything, YOU are the one who picked up a dangerous rendezvous location…"
Madara shrugged with faint disinterest.
"I know my way around here; we'll be fine in these parts as long as you follow my lead."
Hashirama looked at Madara doubtfully.
She hadn't gone into the exact details of what had occurred to her with him, but did he realise how dangerous the area potentially was?
Only weeks ago had she been here, facing deadly opponents for her and Itama' survival…
Moving carefully in that area had been the right move, and she'd only relaxed once Madara had been in sight, not before…
His criticisms over this were just unfair… That boy was too sure of himself and his skills for his own good…
Personally, she wasn't planning on another encounter with the Hagoromos, so she would keep her senses on high alert the whole time…
"You're too confident Madara," pointed out the young kunoichi. "Whatever! Next time I'll pick the meeting's location... Look, I came up with something pretty amazing the other day!" she added, changing subject and spirit at lightspeed.
"What is it?" asked Madara sourly.
"A new technique!" breathed the brown-haired girl enthusiastically. "The two of us should master it together!"
Madara had a hard time hiding his disinterest. The girl was exceptionally talented, yes, but he doubted she was the kind to pull off new jutsus like that…
"Really? Show me then", he challenged her, a deep frown settling once more on his face.
"This is a secret taijutsu technique, pay attention! It's called…
The superfirestylegenjutsuslicegiantshurikentwo-stepdrop jutsu!" assured the girl while going through a set of signs rapidly.
They were… all over the place, decided Madara.
"It's a mess", he decreed decisively. "Nothing to visualise at all! I mean, what is it in the first place?" he ploughed forward when seeing Hashirama trying to muster a response.
"Is it taijutsu? or genjutsu?"
Hashirama glowed pink and was cut off again right before saying something.
"Also, this name is awfully impractical! It's too long, Hashirama! No one can remember such a long name."
"You're mistaken!" said the girl with an eagerly tone. "Look, I'll explain and you'll see-"
"Whatever", interrupted Madara in a cruel imitation of her remark earlier and turned his back to point at the cliff beside them. "Today will mark your defeat at rock climbing! This is the perfect place."
The girl, who had been so buoyant since her arrival, deflated instantly at his words, sinking into a depressed posture on the ground.
Not that it surprised Madara very much at this point: he knew her mood was very fickle, something he attributed to her being a girl - not that he would dare say it to her face. Not in these terms at the very least.
"Aren't you tired of getting depressed all the time?" he said with an impatient tone to it. "Hashirama, that right there is your weakest point."
The girl looked-up at him with a mischievous glare.
"And you know what is yours, dear rival? Judging a book by its cover."
And before he realised exactly what was happening, the girl had taken off on the wall, dashing up at tremendous speed, a genuine laughter coming off her chest.
"I was just psyching you out hahaha! See you at the top, Madara!"
"YOU TRICKED ME!" shouted the boy with a mingled expression of incredulity and outrage."You won't get away with this!"
Darting after her, his imprecations and menaces were met with more gloating and hand-waving from the girl.
Despite his best effort at pumping chakra in his legs, Madara could only look as the girl reached the top of the cliff before him, himself landing haphazardly next to her.
He was welcomed with such a wild grin from her that he forgot about the angry remark he had meant to say; instead, he started grinning himself, and for a few moments the two of them just recollected themselves, calming their breathing and smiling to one another.
"I. Won. Yes!" Hashirama said with a self-satisfied tone.
"Of course you won, you started running before I was even ready," Madara grumbled in response.
"Madara, look at this view! It's amazing!" ignored Hashirama while pointing at the horizon.
"Yeah, we can see really far", Madara admitted while looking at the sea of green that probably extended far beyond it.
It really was spectacular.
Though he wondered how many shinobi hideouts were currently hidden right under their gaze.
Was he capable of making out the border of his clan's territory from so high?
It wouldn't be good if such a position allowed enemies to - ah! There! Very far at the edge of the horizon line, east, he could make out an unconventional tree-shaped structure - the wooden spear of Kakugaru.
Really, it was just an advanced observation post for his clan, but it marked the beginning of the territory they controlled.
The rearranged tree itself wasn't the real point of observation for the sentries posted there, but a decoy that would allow -
"You've got really good eyesight, haven't you?" said Hashirama with a bright smile.
Madara froze.
"What… do you mean?" he asked evenly, his heart pounding in his chest madly. She couldn't have possibly made out Kakugaru from here, could she?
"Well, didn't you make out the Naka River from here too?" said the girl while frowning, left hand pointing at the sprawling forest underneath. "It's barely discernible from where we are, but you have managed to pick up its trail pretty easily, haven't you?"
"Ah… Yeah, that's right" said Madara quickly, feeling somewhat relieved. "Pretty sure my eyesight is actually better than yours" he added off-handedly.
There.
He froze again.
What had gotten into him suddenly? Hashirama felt suspicious but decided the boy' smug undertone was much more irritating at the moment.
"Aren't you cocky now… How do you make that out?"
"You shouldn't challenge me when it comes down to this, I have Sha-"
Hashirama noticed how Madara's eyes widened in surprise once this sentence left his lips, though for the life of her she didn't understand why he cut himself off so abruptly.
His whole demeanour had been just bizarre to say the least, the moment they had set foot at the top of this mountain...
Or, more accurately, the moment the subject of eyesight and vision came to the table…
Funny how it happened, really…
Well, funny wasn't the right word for that, but Hashirama didn't want - couldn't! - go all the way to the end of her suspicions…
Because if she did, it would shatter everything between the two of them, she suspected… and she had promised herself she wouldn't let go of the hope Madara provided her - no matter what.
She needed to drop this immediately.
"Seems like what you have is trouble finishing your own sentences, if anything" Hashirama teased a bit forcefully.
"Forget about it, I got ahead of myself", the boy breathed uneasily.
"Madara, are you okay?" the girl asked half-seriously, half-warily, refusing a nasty silence to settle between them. "I'm the one supposed to get suddenly depressed, you know."
Madara chuckled at that.
He wasn't sure how coy Hashirama was about his slip-up, but her reaction just now proved that she was something else entirely…
His eyes wandered toward the forest below, wondering when he stopped being careful around her.
"It's just… If I were stronger, my brothers would still be alive" Madara answered truthfully. "I failed them... I really shouldn't be so carefree when I… when I feel so guilty all the time..."
Thank you, Madara… Hashirama thought internally, as she realised, he had provided them with a way to steer away from the dangerous waters around his eyes…
Maybe the saddest of ways.
Madara's name escaped her lips, barely audible… Itama's disappearance, how gutted she had felt when learning of the death of Kawarama…
She understood his anguish completely. A burden that never completely went away, no matter what she was doing, colouring her every step…
A pain known throughout every clan, she knew, even the most rival ones…
"I didn't intend to stir bad memories for you too Hashirama…" murmured Madara softly. " I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, I get it you know…" the girl dismissed with a small smile.
"I know you do", his gaze washing over her rapidly. "I have to say, I'm really happy for you Hashirama, managing to save your little brother the way you did…
I have one young brother left, and if it had been me, I wouldn't have hesitated either to go and save him, just like you did."
His hand strained on the ground, grabbing dirt while looking away determinedly.
Those last words were said with the staunchest of gravity, making the boy look much older suddenly to Hashirama.
The weight of the firstborn, as her uncle Rambuto used to tell her when she was little…
"Us, oldest siblings, we do tend to try and protect them at whatever cost, don't we?" she completed with a sad smile.
She loved her uncle who, despite her being so much younger, understood so well the responsibilities that came with being the oldest sibling, and the guilt of failing them.
He had been through this himself, knew it all too well - he had been her mother's oldest brother, the last living relative of his entire lineage.
Maybe that was the reason he was good to her, in a way that her father couldn't - or wouldn't - be completely.
Because she reminded him of himself. Or maybe of her mother, his sister that they lost so many years ago... Maybe.
"Yeah," nodded Madara intently, not missing the nostalgic tone of Hashirama's words, "no matter what..."
Then, as if on cue, her expression shifted again: eyes wide-opened, head tilted to the side, the sadness in her smile all but forgotten, face split by the biggest grin Madara had ever seen on her.
"Oi, it's settled then! Madara, let us build our new settlement here!" the girl said while clasping her hands genially.
"Eh?" reacted a confused Madara.
"Come on! Look around this place, it's perfect! '' Hashirama insisted, arms hanging aloft, presenting the forest of trees who extended well before them, to the horizon. "Imagine what we could achieve here! Imagine a place where kids wouldn't have to kill one another... Where they could learn and train together instead! We could gather the best tutors in a place for that, to make them strong! And assign missions appropriate in regard to… "
And the longer her tirade went, the more agitated she became, her speech gaining more and more speed, herself acting more energetically than ever, her smile growing even brighter if that was even possible…
Madara could only witness in a stunned silence her transformation into this small tornado of life.
" - though I believe stronger, more experienced shinobis would be more suited to do that, they would know all about the individual's abilities and strength around them, don't you think? Imagine, a place where kids wouldn't have to go on the frontlines and battle to their death!"
And as abruptly as it had started, the sudden torrent of ideas came to an end, as if the well of energy that had been alimenting it had been dried off - though Madara doubted this was a thing ever possible with that girl. He chuckled.
"And here I thought I was the one rambling," he noted amusedly while the girl next to him finally settled down. Hashirama pouted.
"Instead of being mean, just tell me what you think Madara?" she asked, a bit aggravated. "This would be great, right?"
"I have to admit, it sounds pretty great…", recognized Madara with a smirk. "A place where my little brother would be safe, and I could watch over him", he added more gravely."
His eyes turned toward the vast sea of trees in front of them.
"Yeah, that would be a great settlement, I'm sure, with unparalleled views to it", he finally declared cheekily, his grin matching her own.
Yes, that would be a great settlement, and she was glad Madara liked the idea too. Hashirama's heart had swollen at his words… and she made a vow that day - to make her vision a reality, for her sake, the sake of her family, of her clan, and of her best friend Madara. Whatever the cost.
Exchanging rocks on the riverbank, they felt like the future they wanted laid between them two, that together it was within their reach…
Above them, the sun was setting the blue sky ablaze.
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She was coming, watching the rock in her hand with a stupid grin…
Tobirama gritted his teeth.
His sister was such a fool… Consorting with an enemy shinobi… on an enemy clan's territory no less… The consequences!
Well, the consequences would be catastrophic were things to become known. Her own kidnapping by said enemy, for once…
With the barbaric consequences that would come out of it, like his father had mentioned to him all those weeks ago…
And in their clan itself? Treason and execution came to his mind…
For he knew what manner of chakra the boy her sister met had been wielding: a potent, fiery chakra that left no doubt as to its origin once combined with said boy's appearance.
Uchiha.
Tobirama gritted his teeth, now worried.
Their father had remained silent after each of his reports those last two weeks, but Tobirama could tell his anger had slowly been building up under the surface each time…
And he worried the situation would spill over to the elders at some point…
There had to be a way for his sister to recover from this situation before it spiralled out of control, to come out of it being redeemed before it came to dire consequences for all of them…
The future of the clan also rested on her! Tobirama had sworn his father he would protect her; he wouldn't let things derail to the point her life would be put in jeopardy…
Though he resented her for putting their family in such a difficult position…
"Hashirama."
The girl stopped, putting back the skipped rock inside her haori. Tobirama, here?
"What is it, Tobi?" she asked apprehensively.
"Come with me," Tobirama simply said.
And, without a backward glance, he turned on his heel and walked back in the direction of the village.
Dreading what laid ahead of her, Hashirama followed suit on her little brother.
She thought about a lot of things on the way back to their village.
About how reckless she had been to spend so much time outside the village, about how she shouldn't have skipped so many of the lessons with the village's tutors, about how Tobirama almost certainly had made them, her and Madara, and about how everyone would react if it came to be known.
Could her actions be considered treasonous?
In the current atmosphere, meeting with shinobis from other clans would look extremely bad, regardless of what clans they were from…
And she suspected what clan Madara might belong to…
And after the recent attacks on Nakasendo way, there was no way this would be tolerated by the adults.
If she had been made, at the very least she wouldn't be allowed outside the village anymore, at least without an escort.
At best.
And at worst?
Hashirama' stomach turned to lead.
Her father! The fallout would be disastrous for him! For all kunoichis she realised with more horror… What if kunoichis were never authorised outside the village ever again because of her?
And her father, who was leading their clan, how things would be for him after a scandal involving his own daughter?
She could tell Tobirama was upset with her, given the way he coldly ignored her while they walked back to the village…
She expected her father to be ten times angrier if she was right… And Itama? Would he be disappointed? He would, wouldn't he?
The village's main gates started to appear after the longest walk Hashirama felt she had ever taken.
And as she crossed them with her brother, looking around the village going through with its activities, she felt dread manifesting itself even stronger in her heart than before.
They reached their home as the sky started to turn red above their heads.
Hashirama stepped through the front door of their house.
It was a large edifice with unremarkable features really.
And the death of Kawarama the month prior had robbed it from the little heart and warmth it had left since their mother's disappearance.
Nowadays, it reeked of austerity.
"I am here, Father", the girl said as she walked into the lounge.
Butsuma was meditating, his burly figure sat in the middle of the room, immediately on the ground.
His squared jaws and tanned skin that reinforced the severity of his figure radiated contained anger.
Black eyes with stark resolve buried themselves into Hashirama's as they opened, and it was at this moment that the girl knew she was in very deep trouble...
She knew that expression all too well, had experienced that stare all too often…
"Sit", ordered Butsama without blinking. "You too Tobirama."
Hashirama obeyed.
"Tobirama has been following you on my orders", Butsuma said without preamble, cutting immediately to the chase. "It seems you have been meeting outside our village with a young boy… Quite often at that, enough for your tutors and myself to be aware of your absences."
"I… have", admitted Hashirama quietly.
There was no point in denying what was a fact. A fact with her own brother as a witness apparently…
She should have known, with sensory skills like his, Tobirama wouldn't have had any issue in tailing her and Madara, without them noticing anything…
How long had this situation lasted? Days? Weeks?
It was upsetting.
"I will not allow this", Butsuma said, arms folded in his clothing, eyes fixed on her.
"But father, I -"
"I'm not finished", her father cut as Tobirama shifted uncomfortably on his legs. "That boy… I've been doing some research on him after your brother's reports... He's an Uchiha. Not only that, but a child prodigy that has already killed several of our clansmen in battle… It seems he was born with natural talent in the shinobi arts. "
Hashirama's head dipped with worries.
She recalled the moment atop the mountain where Madara seemed to have been uncomfortable talking about sight and vision… or how he had been so at ease with suggesting such a location as a meeting place to begin with, knowing full well they were breaching into Hagoromo's territory…
Of course, he had been at ease, his clan was allied with the Hagoromos…
Madara was an Uchiha.
She had always known, if she was being honest with herself… It's just, she hadn't wanted to jeopardise the bond they were starting to build between them…
Today, she cursed fate for turning into reality what had been until now only suspicions…
The silence stretched between them, until it became unbearable to Hashirama.
"Are we… sure he's an Uchiha?" the young girl asked with such little conviction in her voice she knew her pseudo-doubt wouldn't be credible.
Butsuma scrutated his daughter, her lack of conviction telling everything he needed to know.
"We are sure… And as expected, you had figured this much on your own," he murmured, arms still crossed and air severe. "Don't tell me the two of you already knew each other's clan names…?"
"No… I didn't know his name", said Hashirama, eyes fixed on the floor. "He probably doesn't know mine either."
More silence.
"Hashirama, do you realise what this means?"
Tobirama was looking at his sister, an indecipherable expression on his face.
"The Senju and Uchiha Clans are bitter enemies", stated Butsuma with anger in his eyes. " hat boy probably knew your identity as a Senju and didn't say anything in order to gather information on you…"
"No way! He wouldn't -"
"You'd trust someone from the clan who killed your younger brother…?" asked Butsuma, astonished. "That would have killed you and Itama given the chance…?"
Hashirama lowered her head, somewhat contrite by her father's words.
Tobirama threw a side-glance at her, finding himself both agreeing with his father' statement, and sorry to see how sad it made his sister.
The silence didn't last long.
"You have no way of knowing what truly lies in the mind and heart of that boy," Butsuma said sternly. "You can't trust anything coming from him! We are Senjus; for the sake of our clan, I hope you didn't say anything compromising in front of him..."
"Father, I haven't… " Hashirama commenced, paling.
"I haven't told anyone in the clan yet; if we're not careful, you could be branded a traitor and executed," Butsuma continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "I can't allow it! Not when we have… important events occurring soon", he salvaged before his children.
Tobirama wondered what he had meant by that, but he and his sister didn't have time to wonder any further, as Butsuma ploughed through with his diatribe.
"Daughter of mine, if you don't want to be accused of being an enemy spy, after you see that boy next time, follow him", Butsuma sentenced sternly. "And bring back intel about the Uchiha Clan. This is a mission. If he should notice you… kill him!"
Hashirama froze at his words.
Kill him?
There was no way…! Madara was her hope for a better future! The key to bridge the gap between shinobi clans!
If he died, their future would remain the same as now, rife with warfare and children used on the battlefield...
Hashirama couldn't help but stare at her father in disbelief.
"Just in case, Tobirama and I will come along", decided Butsuma, nodding toward her young brother. "We'll see to it that this story gets settled definitely. Understood?"
Hashirama inclined her head, under the heavy stares of both her father and younger brother.
"Understood," she said.
She got up, and took her leave, under the worried stares of Tobirama, and the wrathful one of Butsuma.
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"Hashirama…?"
His sister didn't move.
She kept her head ahead, gazing at the moon high above them.
They were outside in the courtyard, the place where they usually meditated all together every morning.
But this evening, it was just the two of them. Their father had left for a late meeting with the elders after a messenger had come to get him at their house.
As for Itama, he went fast asleep after the three of them had dinner, blissfully unaware of what had been unfolding between his two siblings and their father.
"Tobi… I always knew you were very stealthy but to the extent of fooling both me and… and…"
Hashirama cut off, an abrupt, hysterical laugh almost escaping her lips.
"Nicely done", she finished, tone harsh.
Tobirama understood why his sister felt so betrayed.
He understood because he could feel her chakra getting agitated, as if reflecting the emotions that were mounting inside her…
From her point of view, her little brother had just betrayed her, ruining something she seemed to have taken deeply to heart.
If he was honest, Tobirama knew this was coming, this resentment…
He also knew that at the end of the day, he was still her brother, and their bond was stronger than any kind of bitterness.
That they needed between them the kind of honesty that would put familial bond and trust to the test.
This was such a moment.
"Itama and I are making progress every day, Hashi," Tobirama said calmly. "Had you spent more time with us this last month, you'd have realised that sooner… Tracking you and observing your whereabouts with the Uchiha wasn't difficult, you were careless… Though you've always been the lousy one among us, so why would that change with a stranger..."
The cheek on him! That jab would be almost funny if she wasn't so angry with him…
"Surely you knew those encounters with that boy wouldn't last," her brother continued, unfazed by the way his sister had stilled at his words. "You know that father is right, that we can't take any chances with him - not when the Uchihas are currently attacking our fellow clansmen and trade routes."
Not when they attacked you and Itama, he added to himself.
"I'm aware, Tobi'," the girl said with gritted teeth.
Tobirama remained silent, feeling the emotional anguish in which his sister seemed to be caught mounting to a boiling point: her chakra was now in turmoil, all over the place… She was upset.
Furious even.
He needed to carefully consider his next words, lest she turned on him over this…
"I know you are hurt Hashi, and I'm sorry for that", Tobirama apologised. "I truly am. All I care about is you and Itama's well-being, you know that… And at the end of the day, protecting our family and protecting our clan is what drives me; I'll always do what needs doing to achieve this… That's my philosophy! I hope you can understand..."
Hashirama seemed to relax at his words, which Tobirama took as a good sign. Said words had found their way to her heart…
She turned to eye him carefully from above her shoulder.
"Hadn't it been a mission from father… would you have done it? Report me like that?" she asked him hesitantly.
"I know you are upset about this, but father does care about you too", answered Tobirama obliquely. "When you and Itama… disappeared… there was nothing who could have stopped him from beating up the Uchihas for what they did… That mission? It came from a place where he doesn't want a repeat of what happened with Kawarama… You know how father is: he won't budge over this, and that's the reason why he ordered me to follow you around… But regardless of the reasons, that's all a moot point, sis'", her brother continued. "We are shinobis. Whether we like our orders or not, whether we find them justified or not, we are to obey them regardless…"
Hashirama sighed.
She knew he was right. She was being childish here…
She could trust Tobirama with anything, they were family! She knew he had the same hopes of a better future, where war would be eradicated, where children would live their lives as children and not as weapons to be used…
And she could tell her little brother had been worried about the whole thing with Madara, rather than being truly scandalised by it…
And their father, in his own ways, was concerned about her too… She couldn't be angry with them both over that.
She didn't want to.
Period.
Raising her head once more, she scrutinized the crescent moon high above her. Serene and immemorial, so far from the struggles of the people of this era... so far from their dreams too.
She felt envious.
"I really believe in our ability to find common ground with the other side," Hashirama murmured to her brother. "And Madara… you won't understand, but I know he feels the same way", she added, and her voice was somewhat trembling. "He and I share the same ambition to bring peace between shinobi clans… I never thought I would meet someone like that outside our clan. He's unique."
Tobirama didn't answer, wary that their father, or anyone in the vicinity, would hear his sister's outrageous comment.
At least, she seemed calm about the issue, speaking in a low tone.
"Hashi, there's a time and place for everything in life. Right now, it is not the time of harbouring thoughts that would be considered treacherous if they fell in the wrong ears... Our clan is uniting once more against the Uchihas. Be rational about this: currently, no one will listen to you and the idea of peace, let alone with them, our ancestral enemies! Not when their heart is set on war, driving everything, instead of their head… I bet it'll be the same for that Madara in his own clan."
"I know, but in time he'll be making a difference in his clan, I'm sure he will… If he were to be killed…! What then? What are you suggesting, Tobi?"
"For the time being, play your part. As a true shinobi should be doing. Tomorrow is the opportunity for you to get our father back on your side! You know it to be true. Once things have settled with the Uchihas, there will be time to think about peace again. I told you, when I lead the clan, I won't hesitate if the opportunity arises…. whether it comes from Madara or another shinobi of that clan."
A peace born out of blood, Hashirama thought darkly as her brother retreated into their home.
The kind of peace her father had supported they were fighting for at Kawarama's funeral…
Moreover, this meant betraying Madara and, possibly, leading him to his doom…
Thinking about the grim possibilities ahead, Hashirama felt the rock in her haori and took it in her hand, observing it.
With the sky fully lit by the moon above her head, the rock was almost shining in the ambient darkness.
Madara… the boy who had become her brother from another clan.
She could not… She didn't have it in her heart to betray him in such a way…
Try as she might, she'd rather die than be complicit of his demise! Hashirama clutched the rock determinedly, the strength of her own feelings on the matter astonishing her. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that, indeed, she was willing to go that far for Madara, the same length she would go for Tobirama or for Itama…
In her heart, somehow, the boy had become family.
And protecting her family was all Hashirama was about too, just like her little brother…
And, in order to do that… one option remained.
One simple option left to her.
A risky gamble that could pay off if she sold it well to both Madara and her family…
A gamble that would leave her and Madara stranded on opposite sides of the river for an indefinite length… but if it meant he would stay alive, leave the area unscathed and live to become his clan's leader… She would take it.
The choice was easily made in the depth of night.
She would not falter.
She could not.
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Author's note: All good things come to an end, says the proverb, Hashirama is going to learn it the hard way… possibly.
Thank you for taking the time to read the seventh chapter of Hashirama's journey as a shinobi!
Three chapters left before the end of this first season, things are going to wrap-up in the coming weeks regarding this part of her life...
Next chapter scheduled for next week as per usual!
Hope you had a good read, dear readers! See you next week!