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Hashirama.
You won't be expecting this message, old friend, but there are things I have to tell you.
Madara pauses, wondering how he's supposed to describe what happened to him. The ink rapidly drying on the brush in his hand is a silent demand however, and he puts it to paper once more.
After you killed me, I -
A brilliant flash fills the room and his eyes snap shut on instinct to preserve his vision even as he kneads chakra to sense for intruders.
Only to reel at the feel of someone he never expected to see again this side of death.
And possibly not even then.
"Tobirama?" He blinks open watering eyes, only to meet the somewhat embarrassed expression of the man who has, quite literally, just landed in his lap. "What are you doing here?!"
"I used you to anchor a seal matrix which would allow me to pinpoint - " Madara holds up his hand and the mouth of the magician who brought him back from the dead snaps shut before opening again. "I marked you with a seal before you left me, and then teleported to you."
Madara stares hard at the man in his arms, a man from a future so alien to him that it might have been another world entirely. "You - you traveled back in time."
Tobirama nods silently.
"To me."
A flush paints pale cheeks, beautiful as the first blush of dawn.
To leave his own time, his home, his family... the sacrifice Tobirama has made is breathtaking. As someone who was determined to return to his own home, Madara can't imagine making that choice.
At the same time, he can only be grateful.
"Thank you." He cups that face, lined in brilliant red with the seals that display Tobirama's power. "For making me your home."
"Well, you took my heart." Tobirama leans towards him, pressing their foreheads together. "I had to get it back, didn't I?"
"It was only fair." Madara grins into red eyes, loving the amusement in them. "You stole mine."
