Chapter 11 - Alliances

"Captain Aizen," Madara said as he rose. "We were simply having a discussion regarding the meaning of sacrifice. But before we go any further, allow me to thank you for seeing to my injuries." His eyes darkened. "Even if they were inflicted by your own hand."

Aizen inclined his head briefly, stepping through the room as the wall closed behind him. He formed a sphere of kido on his palm and gently tossed it to the ceiling, lending a golden illumination to the dark space."Please understand that I must keep up appearances when in the presence of my colleagues. Although I must admit that, had you died to my Kurohitsugi, I would have been quite disappointed."

Madara tried to cross his arms, cursing again as he remembered that outside his Tsukiyomi, they were still bound. His mood soured instantly; "Cut to the chase, Aizen. Harribel already told me that you want me to join you in this 'Espada' of yours. Tell me what you are offering in return for my co-operation."

Aizen shifted his gaze to the blonde Arrancar, who had also risen, now, and regained her composure. "My instructions were to simply nurse him back to health and await my return. What profound revelations have you gleaned from Madara...such that you were brought to tears?"

Aizen's voice betrayed no hint of emotion, but Harribel knew he was displeased. She tried to gather her thoughts, but frowned; "It…cannot be explained in words. Madara showed me some events of his past." When Aizen raised his eyebrows inquisitively, she clarified: "He can create an illusory reality through eye contact."

"Ah, so Captain Unohana's intuition was correct, then. Your power lies in your eyes," he said as he turned back to Madara. "Although…to still be able to use your abilities while bound by the reiatsu absorbing properties of sekkiseki stone…you are a fascinating hollow, indeed, Madara Uchiha."

Madara did not deign to respond, so Aizen continued. "It is true that I expressed to Harribel my desire for you to join my ranks, but is your life not enough in return?" He gestured around him. "You are in the Muken. The deepest part of the 'Central Great Underground Prison'. It is a voided space completely sealed off from the outside world. There is no escape from this place, and even if you somehow broke out, the entrance leads to the first division barracks; headquarters to the captain commander himself."

"Then I can stay a while, and bide my time in meditation. Or will you just have me executed if I refuse to join you?" Madara answered plainly.

Aizen chuckled; "No, I believe you are too valuable for that. What if I promised you power? I can give you the power you need to crush your enemies…perhaps even the captain commander himself?"

A ghost of a smile tugged at Madara's lips; "By making me an Arrancar?"

Aizen glanced at Harribel again; "Do we need to start including discussions about keeping military secrets in our Espada meetings, Tier Harribel?"

The Espada did not meet his eyes; she had let her emotions get the better of her. Either that, or Madara had somehow manipulated her into disclosing the information he wanted. "My deepest apologies, Lord Aizen. Madara…I guess he is like you in that he knows what to say to get what he wants."

Aizen looked back at a grinning Madara, and smirked; "I see." And he truly did.

"Yes, Madara. I can give you powers that go beyond the limits of a mere hollow by helping you evolve into an Arrancar. It may also regenerate that left eye of yours."

Madara's grin fell. "How did you know?"

"We could sense the reiatsu disappearing from your left eye after you put Kenpachi into a coma - that is clear to me, especially now, that your eye is almost completely dead. Kenpachi is still in that coma, by the way. Will he ever wake from it?"

"Perhaps he will. Perhaps he won't."

"Do not mistake me, Madara. I have no interest in Zaraki Kenpachi's wellbeing. I only want to know if I still need to kill him myself."

"You are the one who is mistaken if you believe me amateur enough to reveal my abilities to you."

Aizen laughed at this; "Now I am beginning to understand why you were too much for Harribel." He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Tell me, then, Madara Uchiha. What do you want? If it is something within my ability to provide then I will see to it that you are well satisfied by the terms of our partnership."

Madara nodded his head approvingly, his grin returning; "Changing your offer for me to join your ranks to an offer of partnership is a good start. I will not be your servant."

Aizen inclined his head; "Of course not."

"In truth, Aizen, Harribel explained to me your plan for peace between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society by exterminating the shinigami. It is something remarkably similar to what I wanted for my own village, though admittedly on a much larger scale. If you help me achieve my peace, I'll help you with yours. Get me out of here and I have a technique that can lay waste to the Soul Society right now."

Aizen's eyebrows shot up at this; "Lay waste to the Seireitei? If you had such an ability why did you not use it before you were captured?"

It was Harribel who answered; "I didn't have time to tell you before you had to go earlier, but Madara had summoned a meteor as big as Las Noches on myself and Barragan when we fought in Hueco Mundo. It was only Barragan's unique ability that saved us."

"I didn't use it, Aizen, because my village would have been caught in the destruction." Madara added, before scoffing at Harribel; "What I used against you and Barraran was a trifle compared to what I have in mind for the Soul Society. What is Barragan's 'unique ability', anyway?" He directed this last question at Aizen, remembering that Harribel did not want to disclose it to him.

"Barragan's power is over the domain of aging. He can accelerate the passage of time such that even kido can be dissolved. He likely aged your meteor out of existence." Aizen explained without hesitation.

Madara considered Aizen's words, remembering how his Susanoo's chakra consumption increased monumentally as he tried to maintain it while in contact with Barragan. He threw back his head and laughed loudly as the pieces clicked into place; "How stupid of me…But it does make perfect sense. Had I known that when we fought, Harribel, the outcome would have been very different," he said, but without any malice in his voice.

Harribel crossed her arms, turning away.

"Did either you or Barragan go into resurreccion?" Aizen asked.

"...Both of us," Harribel reluctantly answered, still without making eye contact.

Aizen was very intrigued, now; he walked forward and placed a hand on the stone binding Madara's wrists, releasing them with a glint in his eye. "A regular hollow who could force two of my most powerful Espada into their released states and joke about their power?" He said as he released the binding around Madara's ankles, too. "You have a deal. I will help you with the peace in your world of the living. However I would rather you not try anything rash here in the Seireitei just yet. My army is still in Hueco Mundo and there is a particular artifact that I must obtain before we would be truly ready to declare war on the shinigami."

He held out a hand, and Madara shook it.

"The two of you will be brought up to the surface for questioning soon, and I will need to put you in your separate cells before then. I will not be returning again, but I trust the two of you are aware of how to navigate an interrogation?" Aizen directed the question mainly to Harribel, but it was Madara who answered.

"Our conversation here stays between us."

"Very good. As I mentioned before, we have to keep up appearances, so you will need to be bound by the sekkiseki again." Aizen said as he clicked the stone cuffs back together around Madara's wrists and ankles. "I will try to use the distraction of your interrogation to obtain my artifact, and extract the two of you on my way out of here." Aizen waved a hand and the opening in the wall appeared again. As he turned to leave, he laid a hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"Ah, before I forget…" He began, drawing Kyoka Suigetsu slowly and holding it toward Madara; "This is my zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu. Zanpakuto are extensions of our very souls, and when you become an Arrancar, you will manifest one of your own."

Madara nodded, observing the blade. It appeared to be a regular katana with a green hilt; unassuming, just like the man himself. However, if recent experience was anything to go by, he was certain that it held some great, unknown power.

"Harribel, come with me. I will have to separate you two before the others arrive to escort you to the surface."

The two strolled along in silence through the darkness of the Muken. Aizen led the way, with Harribel following closely behind. "Harribel. Does he know about my Kyoka Suigestsu?" Aizen asked, a hint of hardness creeping into his voice.

"No, Lord Aizen. Despite what he made it sound like, I honestly did not reveal much to him at all. Madara is a master manipulator…He was in contention with Hashirama for the title of 'God' of his world," Harribel explained. For the first time, she felt vulnerable, instead of safe, next to Aizen. The comforting presence of her perfect savior had been tainted by Madara's words.

Aizen stopped, turning toward her, before nodding. "A God of his world? I suppose mortals possessing powers those two did could certainly hold themselves as such." He said, ponderously, catching her gaze. She looked away.

"You do not seem yourself, Harribel. Speak; what did he do to you to make you so uncomfortable? What did he show you?" Aizen's tone softened as he lay a hand on the Espada's arm.

Harribel instinctively recoiled, causing Aizen to raise his eyebrows in concern. "Speak to me, Harribel. You know you can trust me."

"Lord Aizen," she began, her voice low and small, "What you taught me about sacrifice that day you saved us from the hammerhead hollow - was it just to prepare my fraccion and I to blindly give our lives for the sake of your plan later?"

Aizen started. "My plan?" And then he laughed. "Is that what he told you?" He shook his head, and adjusted his glasses. "My dear Harribel, is it no longer our plan to create a peaceful society in Hueco Mundo, free from the rule of that thing in the soul palace?"

He gestured toward Harribel. "All the Arrancar have their own rooms, their own beds to sleep on, with plenty of food under the protective roof of Las Noches. Are you saying that you prefer Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun Sun to return to the savagery and lawlessness of Barragan's rule over the beginnings of civilization we now have?"

Harribel shook her head decisively. "No, Lord Aizen. Of course not. It is my plan, too, to extend that to all of Hueco Mundo. Our plan."

"Very good, Harribel. Don't ever hesitate to come to me at any time if you feel your resolve waver. The path we choose to tread is a hard one…there will be blood and sacrifice. It could be you or your fraccion, it could be any of the other Espada. It could even be myself. But for the sake of our freedom from the chains of this world, we must press on until the Soul King is destroyed."

Harribel walked up to his side. "Yes, Lord Aizen."

Aizen rested his palm on the small of Harribel's back. This time she did not pull away. "Come, then, Harribel. I cannot spend too much more time here, and Tiburon is waiting for you in your cell. Nobody will be able to see it on you, of course, but try not to use it unless you absolutely must, or the illusion will shatter."

Land of Fire - Konohagakure

The day of the Kage Summit was upon them. Hashirama pushed himself out of his Hokage's chair, leaning on the round table that had been prepared for them with his hands for support. He had physically recovered enough to move around on his own, but his regenerative ability had worked significantly slower than he'd expected it to.

"How are you feeling today, elder brother?" The deep baritone of Tobirama called out as he let himself in, flanked by his students, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura. They were barely in their teens; two of the few remaining children still alive in the village.

"Lord Hokage, it's good to see you up and about again," Hiruzen said with a smile, while Danzo bowed in greeting. Hashirama felt his spirits lift at that, smiling in response; he knew they had been spared from the calamity, but this was the first time he'd seen the two of them all week.

"You two look well! Your chakra grows stronger by the day," Hashirama complimented as he strode toward them in his Hokage garb, ruffling their hair. "Go help the clean up efforts out in the forest; the sooner we clear the ashes the sooner we can plant new trees again."

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, sir! Danzo and I will blow the forest floor clean with our wind release in no time, and then you can grow us a new forest, Lord Hokage!" He said brightly, before bouncing out the door. "Come on, Danzo - bye Lord Hokage! See you later, Sensei!"

"See you two later," Tobirama said, waving as the children leaped from roof to roof toward the direction of the ashen forest.

"How are your chakra gates recovering, Hashirama?" He asked, turning back to the Hokage.

Hashirama's smile faded. "I am starting to be able to feel my chakra again, but I still can barely perform a basic substitution jutsu without my body feeling like it's going to burn itself from the inside out."

Tobirama nodded solemnly; "I feared as much. When I noticed that the muscle tears caused by your use of the eight gates were not regenerating at the rate they normally do, I consulted our head medical ninja about it."

Hashirama sat back in his Hokage's chair. "Is the damage to my chakra gates reversible?"

"They should be. In fact the first two gates are already showing signs of improvement just over the course of this week, but…"

Tobirama lifted the Hokage's hat, putting his hand on Hashirama's forehead; there was no visible wound. "The majority of your injuries were actually only from using the Gate of Wonder. The damage inflicted to your chakra gates was not physical. We do not know how to heal spiritual wounds caused by spiritual beings, elder brother..."

Hashirama chuckled at that; "Yeah…the old bastard was fast. I didn't question it at the time, but I was surprised I was still alive after he stabbed his sword through the chakra points in my head. I guess he didn't want to kill me…just cripple my chakra."

Tobirama grimaced; "Regardless, we must not show weakness. Our scouts report they have spotted the transports of all the other Kage. They will be here before dusk."

Hashirama waved off Tobirama's concern; "I have you here with me, Tobirama. There is no need to fret about the summit." Then he, too, grimaced. "I'm more concerned about Madara. I hope he is not being mistreated, wherever he is."

Muken

Madara at last had some time to himself. He closed his eyes, regulating his breathing and feeling the waves of his chakra. He could feel his reiatsu, too, slowly being siphoned into the stones that bound his hands and feet. If he had to compare the two, his reiatsu felt like it was dispersed evenly throughout his body, whereas chakra was focussed into specific points.

It felt like an eternity ago when he'd last had the opportunity to simply sit and meditate. He turned his attention into the flow of energy within him, and, true to Aizen's words, there was an emptiness in his left eye. However, he could sense the beginnings of a few tendrils of chakra sneaking back into the area.

Perhaps they were just the remnants of residual chakra from his recent use of the Izanami, but he grew hopeful. Could the eye be regenerating itself because I awakened the Rinnegan? Madara thought as he frowned.

Since consuming Hashirama's flesh and awakening the Rinnegan, Madara had not spent much time acclimatizing to the changes in his chakra. Even so, he felt that there was something not quite right about his inner energies. Almost like a subtle disturbance. He investigated it for a few minutes, but, finding nothing of significance, chalked it up to the stress and exertion of the recent days.

He drew up the imprint of the Uchiha stone tablet, and began to work on deciphering its carvings. And so, as the days passed by in the blackness of the Muken, Madara learned of the history of The Sage of Six Paths. He learned of the existence of the Ten Tails, the God Trees, the Otsutsuki, and the nature of the Gedo Mazo.

And thus, when he arrived at words that were presented to him in his final struggle against the shinigami, a plan began to take form. He understood why he had thought to use the moon to reflect his Tsukiyomi against the captains. He understood the process of reviving the Ten Tails, and for the first time in his life, a solution to his dilemma of peace finally dawned on him. "The Uchiha will be saved through the Infinite Tsukuyomi," Madara repeated to himself. No. Not just the Uchiha; I will extend the Uchiha's salvation to the entire world - a world of love, and joy., where the very meaning of 'war' has been forgotten. A world of my creation.

He was drawn out of his reverie as the Muken opened again. Standing at the threshold was Retsu Unohana and a strange man with his face caked in thick black and white paint. He wore what appeared to be a headdress that tapered into two prongs, and extended sideways past his right shoulder.

Tier Harribel was a short distance behind them, her hands and feet bound in the same reiatsu absorbing stone as his own. Behind her, two women held onto chains that linked to the bindings.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, please be careful not to look into his eyes as you secure the hollow," Unohana said as the other man stepped forward.

"Yes, yes, yes, lest I be put into the same coma as captain Kenpachi. I trust I will be allowed to study this specimen to develop a countermeasure after this interrogation is done?"

"The head captain will provide further instructions regarding that matter." Unohana replied.

Madara allowed himself to be bound, as he allowed the captain to lead him out of his cell. Now that he was out of meditation, he could definitely sense something slightly off about his own chakra. Activating his Rinnegan, Madara sensed that subtle disturbance again. Genjutsu? He thought, before putting his fingers together and muttering; "Release."

"Are you stupid, hollow? You are bound because you are about to be brought for questioning before every captain in the Gotei 13. I cannot release you." The face-painted man's voice grated on Madara's ears, but this was not what caught his attention.

He inhaled sharply as he noticed a change in the scene before him. Harribel was no longer bound, and she carried a sheathed Tibruron strapped to her back, just as she had appeared when she first followed him to the Land of Fire through the garganta. The two women who had Harribel's restraints were still beside her, their arms slightly bent in as if still holding onto her chain…except their hands were empty.

Madara opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. What is going on here? He thought as Harribel caught him looking at her unbound hands and feet, as well as her zanpakuto. Her eyes widened slightly, and she pursed her lips.

"Don't just stand there, move along now, hollow!" The man Unohana addressed as Kurotsuchi screamed into his ear. "Nemu! Come and kick this imbecile for me until he remembers how to walk!"

The shorter, black haired woman next to Harribel made as if to release the imaginary chains she was holding, before Unohana motioned to take them from her. Madara watched the exchange with fascination until she walked up to him and threw a roundhouse kick at his belly. Sinking slightly into a defensive stance, Madara checked it with his elbow.

"Nemu!" Kurotsuchi screeched, his voice rising to an even more abrasive pitch than before, "Why can't you do anything properly like you're supposed to?!" He berated as he shoved Madara's chains into the girl's hands. He searched briskly within the folds of his garb before producing a large syringe filled with purple liquid.

"Captain Kurotsuchi. Please, the hollow must be lucid and capable of answering questions." Unohana interrupted him before he could do anything with the syringe. "Madara Uchiha. There is no reason to make this more difficult for yourself than it needs to be."

Madara nodded, stepping toward where the squad 4 captain and the other, tall, silver haired lady stood with their imaginary chains. He tugged on the ones connected to his one bindings, and heard the tell-tale clanging of metal on metal. My restraints are definitely real, he thought, looking toward his hands before darting his gaze back at Harribel. Something is definitely wrong here.

She brought a finger to her lips, as if motioning for him to stay silent. Madara raised his eyebrows as nobody else seemed to notice, and then simply shrugged and allowed himself to be escorted out of the Muken.

Land of Fire - Konohagakure

"And that, my fellow Kage, is why I propose an alliance between all major hidden villages; to present a united front against this supernatural threat until we can be assured that your own villages will not suffer the same fate as that which befell Konoha." Hashirama finished, dropping forward in a deep bow. Tobirama, standing at his brother's side, inclined his head also, but did not bow.

The Senju brothers had just finished recounting, in detail, the entire series of events that led to the deaths of the majority of their villagers; from meeting Hitsugaya, to the existence of hollows and shinigami, as well as their battle with the captains.

"How pathetic. The great Hashirama Senju, bowing to us and pleading for our aid with his tail tucked between his legs?" The First Raikage, A, spat.

"Yes," Byakuren, the Mizukage, agreed; "You bow to us to feign sincerity, but in fact you are hiding an ulterior motive, or some vital information that you have not yet shared."

Tobirama growled, taking in a breath to speak, but Hashirama silenced him with a glare. "Honorable Mizukage, you are certainly as perceptive as the rumors claim. To be completely honest, I had originally planned this meeting for a different purpose."

Tobirama slammed a hand on the table; "No, you cannot tell them this now!"

"What are you keeping from us, Hokage?" Ishikawa, the Tsuchikage, asked.

"Surely you did not call us all this way for this emergency meeting just to hold out on us?" Reto, the Kazekage, added darkly.

Hashirama sighed, and gently nudged his brother back; "Tobirama, enough. We are asking for favors, here. All we have right now is information, and promises for the future."

"You could be putting the village in further peril - you could be risking Mito!" Tobirama shot back.

Hashirama took a deep breath, considering Tobirama's words, but ultimately decided to put his faith and trust in the Kage; "After Madara attacked with the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, I captured it and it is now sealed within Mito Uzumaki - my wife."

A mixture of surprise and outrage erupted around the table. The Raikage was particularly livid; "You come to us asking for our cooperation in a united front, but hold within your back pocket the power of the Nine Tails? What's to say once these shinigami are dealt with, you wouldn't unleash the beast on our villages and attempt to subjugate us like you did with the Uchiha?"

Hashirama slammed the table. "I have not yet finished!" But he faltered in his balance and Tobirama caught him before he could fall. The room fell quiet as each Kage watched quizzically as the God of Shinobi gingerly sat back in his chair, leaning on his brother for support.

Hashirama continued, but his voice was noticeably more feeble this time; "I planned to capture all the tailed beasts, and distribute them among your villages in the form of Jinchuruki similar to Mito. Obviously, such a task must wait until the immediate Shinigami threat is over, but it would act as insurance for all of us that one village would not attack another for fear of excessive collateral damage by way of our tailed beasts."

The Raikage bellowed in laughter at this. "You expect us to believe that you could capture the tailed beasts in your current state? My sensory bodyguards tell me that your chakra points are almost completely destroyed. And looking at your pathetic state, they were not mistaken. You're an invalid now, Hashirama."

Tobirama stepped forward; "Lord Raikage, even though you are here as our gues-"

The Raikage ignored Tobirama and continued; "You have my sympathies, Hashirama, you really do. The shinobi world knows of your feats and I have no shame in openly saying that you were stronger than any of us…but now? You'd barely pass as a genin by the feel of your chakra, and your village is dead. I propose the hidden leaf split their resources and remaining manpower among the rest of our hidden villages. Then we would be in a better position to repel whatever supernatural threat may come our way."

Tobirama flared his chakra, sending a strong gust billowing throughout the room. "You dare come to our doorstep, accept our hospitality, then turn and spout such blasphemy?!"

The Kazekage, Reto, answered him; "Tobirama, was it? I find myself agreeing with the Raikage, here. We answered the summons of the great Hashirama Senju, to hear his words of unity. We did not come to be lectured by a husk of the man who can barely stand on his own, nor his weakling brother." As he spoke, the Mizukage flared his own chakra.

Once its intensity had noticeably eclipsed Tobirama's, he continued; "We have, in fact, already captured a tailed beast. Granted, it is only the One Tail, Shukaku, but what could an alliance with you now possibly offer us at this point? Your village cannot function with its numbers reduced to what it is. You should consider it a favor that we are even considering the option of assimilating you leaf shinobi into our own villages."

Tobirama was incensed. He knew he did not have the same level of power as the Kage, but for the Hokage's good will to be subverted like this; for his brother, Hashirama, to be compared to a mere genin, insulted in his own office...It was unacceptable. "If you would spit in our offer of alliance, then so be it. When the leaf rises again, you had better be sleeping with one eye open because we won't be coming to your aid when the shinigami go after you," he threatened, voice low as he glared at the Kazekage and Raikage.

"Tobirama…please, you are the one always chiding me about not letting my emotions get the better of me," Hashirama said softly. However he spoke with a tone Tobirama recognized as one that he only used when he was very, very angry.

His hands were on his lap, hidden from sight beneath the table, but Tobirama could see they were trembling. "What of you two, then, Lords Tsuchikage and Mizukage? Will you stand with Konoha?" Hashirama asked, keeping his eyes glued to the table.

"I will need some time to consider this," the Mizukage said.

"Likewise. I extend my sympathies to you and your village, Lord Hokage, but the fact of the matter is that our villages are still intact, and it doesn't sound like these shinigami were particularly interested in razing the villages of our lands." The Tsuchikage's tone was gentle and sincere, but also carried a sense of finality to it.

Nobody would be joining in an alliance today. Hashirama noted their answers solemnly to himself, nodding in silence for a few moments, before rising; "Then I extend my thanks to you all for making this journey, and regret that it was not as fruitful as I had hoped. Please enjoy the amenities of our village for the night, and I wish you all safe passage home when dawn breaks."

As the Kage left, a small pair of heads peeked into the room from outside the window behind his desk. "Sensei…Lord Hokage…"

Hashirama looked behind him, seeing the young faces of Hiruzen and Danzo pressed against his window. Tobirama let him in, before picking them both up by the back of their shirts. "You little troublesome devils. How long were you there for?"

Danzo answered him; "We've been waiting all throughout the night. We were just testing a new stealth jutsu. It was mostly my idea."

"Yeah! It was Danzo's idea!" Hiruzen said, with tears running down his face, "But sensei…is what those mean Kage said true? Is Lord Hokage…"

Hashirama walked slowly toward them, and Tobirama set them back on their feet as he did. "No, young Hiruzen, I am still recovering, but will be back to my full strength in no time. How is the cleanup in the forest?"

Hiruzen perked up at this; "Great! We've swept the ashes out almost to the edge of the forest, now. We took care to make sure our wind jutsu wasn't strong enough to blow any trees over. You can just regrow the leaves, right?"

Hashirama flashed a sad smile. "No, those trees are dead; any leaves grown from them will not receive any nutrients and will wither and die, too. We will need to remove them before I can regrow entirely new trees in the forest."

Danzo looked at him; "Hey, I've been practicing my fire release. Let's get rid of some of the dead trees and grow some new ones now?" The Shimura suggested, trying to lift the mood.

"Sure, let's see how strong the two of you have gotten," Hashirama said. "Tobirama, bring us to the edge of the forest."

The younger senju looked concerned; "Are you sure, Hashirama? Is your chakra…"

"Yes, Tobirama, I am sure. I have to prove myself still capable of being Hokage."

Land of Fire - Konoha Forest Outskirts

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" Danzo cried as he released a ball of fire, incinerating a small swathe of dead trees.

Tobirama clapped; "Very well done, Danzo! That was a beautifully controlled fireball jutsu."

Not to be outdone, Hiruzen stepped forward, crouching as he clapped his palms together in a blur of hand signs; "Wind Release: Gale Palm!" He cried as he summoned great gusts of wind that blew out Danzo's flames, leaving an empty patch of land behind.

Tobirama clapped again. "And you, Hiruzen, your wind style is becoming quite powerful. The two of you together are definitely a lethal combination already. I can't wait to see what powerful shinobi you two grow to become."

Hashirama stepped up, causing the others to look at him in awe. He had donned his red Senju battle armor, and wore the Konoha headband around his head. "Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!" He declared, placing a palm on the ground.

His body erupted in pain, and he grunted as he fought to hold still, feeling his chakra force its way out in an unsteady trickle. As his jutsu gradually took form, his vision grew dark at the sides, but still he pressed on, willing the forest back into existence.

The jutsu finally completed, he looked up to admire his handiwork. All four of them stood in stunned silence as two withered old trees swayed in the wind before them. Their leaves were brown, and as a gentle breeze brushed past, a large number of them fell to the ground.

The two children squatted down and grabbed at the leaves, lost for words, as Tobirama turned away to hide the pain on his face at his brother's condition.

And then, as if an electric shock ran through him, he realized he had missed a large group of ninjas swiftly approaching them. "Hashirama! We are under attack."

The elder senju focussed his senses, before turning to the direction Tobirama was pointing in. "The Raikage…and the Kinkaku unit." Hashirama spat, drawing his sword. "Tobirama, get Danzo and Hiruzen out of here. Alert our forces; every Konoha villager left is a powerful shinobi. I'll distract them."

"No! Let us fight with you," Hirzen protested.

"Hiruzen, we would only be a hindrance in a Kage level battle," Danzo reasoned. "We have to go and find reinforcements."

Tobirama nodded. "Yes, you two take the Hokage and find reinforcements."

Hashirama rounded on him. "Tobirama!"

"You know as well as I do that in your current condition you wouldn't last a second against the Raikage and his Kinkaku unit. You are the Hokage of the hidden leaf. It is your job to go and rally our forces .I will hold them here."

"Tobirama, don't be stupid. You cannot hope to match the Raikage for long, much less-"

"I said go! Hashirama! They will be upon us soon!" Tobirama roared, taking off in the direction of the cloud Shinobi.

For the second time in his life, Hashirama felt truly powerless. "Tobirama…"

"Lord Hokage! Hurry!" Danzo called to him, and he finally turned back toward the village.

"Hang in there, reinforcements are coming, little brother!" Hashirama whispered to himself as he willed his body into motion.

AN: A bit more scene-setting here; possibly one more chapter before the action really ramps up again, but maybe next chapter. Will see how it goes. Anyway please read and leave a review if you've got any suggestions or questions!

Responding to Reviews:

ChangeMe4574: Madara will make some allies, but I don't think there will be enough space in the story to fit every arrancar in. I've got plans for the 10 espada, though (but some are going to be replaced :O Dun dun dunnn)

MaxTrueOmnipotent1: Lol you really seem to want your Harem, hey :P Like I mentioned in an earlier response, there are going to be some romance elements in this story, but to be honest I don't even know how to really write a harem :P this story is meant to be dark and quite fast-paced. No time for women in Madara's pursuit of peace /

DSunny1: Yeah, my worry for writing long dialogue sections with clashing ideologies is one side just flattening the otherside in that 'holier than thou' kind of way. Harribel has some doubts about Aizen, but she's definitely not fully committed to Madara just yet.

awwal: Yep, I am going to do my best to keep these main characters as in character as possible. If something seems out of character then likely it's to build up to something else later :P