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Tobirama and his squad had been running for days. Hashirama had given them a mission. They had to find Madara and bring him back. Tobirama had argued that Madara had deserted and had no intention of returning but his ever optimistic brother was convinced otherwise. And Tobirama had to discuss for hours with him to persuade him to stay in the village and do his hokage's job instead of running away in search for someone who didn't want to come back. And since Madara was the second strongest shinobi in the world, the Senju brothers couldn't just send any random squad after him.
This was how Tobirama had ended up, against his will, at the head of a small squad of elite ninjas, in search for the too stubborn and too proud Uchiha. In Tobirama's opinion, these elite ninjas would have been more useful protecting the village, and Tobirama himself would have preferred to use his skills to contribute to the village's wellness, as there were still a lot of things to put in place, but Hashirama's orders couldn't be discussed. Hopefully his exceptional chakra detection abilities would let him complete this mission quickly, if Madara let him even localize him. The former Uchiha clan leader, alone and in exile, would certainly not reveal himself unless he had no choice.
After a week of research, Tobirama suddenly detected Madara's chakra signature. Knowing that the former Uchiha clan leader had been suppressing his chakra until now wasn't surprising.
The squad carefully approached the place, hiding their chakra. Tobirama ordered his men to keep their distance. Madara was dangerous and only the young Senju mastered the hiraishin that allowed him to instantly teleport away.
Tobirama found himself in a devastated landscape. The ground was burnt, with dead tree branches scattered everywhere around, and Madara was laying down in the open. A terrible battle had taken place here, and given the state Madara was in, he had obviously lost it.
The former Uchiha leader was unconscious and severely wounded. He was still alive, but barely. Tobirama knelt next to him to examine his wounds. He had lost a lot of blood, his breathing and his heartbeat were irregular and he had several broken bones. A chill went down Tobirama's spine. There was someone, or something, out in this world, able to nearly kill the second most powerful shinobi living in this world.
Madara was no longer a citizen of Konoha, he was a traitor, and a potential enemy. He was a threat, his last words to Hashirama had made him sound as such. Tobirama was tempted to leave him for dead, but he knew that Hashirama would never forgive him. And so he wrapped him in healing chakra and motioned for his men to step forward.
"He'll live... but you should stay away. He won't be happy to find a squad of Konoha around him when he wakes up." Tobirama stated. He won't be happy to find his brother's murderer either but at least I can escape quickly. He gave them instructions to meet him on the next day and focused on the healing as the squad dispersed in the forest.
The sun was setting when Madara eventually opened his eyes. "Senju Tobirama..." he mumbled. "How lucky I am to be found by the white demon himself."
"Don't move."
Madara sighed. His limbs hurt but he could feel the pain gradually fading away. "You should finish me off instead, while you still can."
"I'd love to but it's not for me to decide. I've been searching for you for days, by order of Hashirama."
Madara let out a laugh. "Oh really? I'm surprised, given that Hashi didn't try to hold me back. Has he suddenly realized that he missed his best friend?"
"He's been worried about you, and I can understand why now... given the state you're in. Who did this to you?"
"None of your business."
Tobirama glared. "It is my business. We're in the land of fire. Whoever or whatever put you in such a pitiful state is a threat to the village and to the country."
"Kyûbi."
Tobirama widened his eyes. "The nine-tails demon? Where is it?"
"My dear Tobirama, believe me, this creature is beyond your abilities." Madara smiled. "I don't want my best friend to lose the only brother he has left. He might end up just as insane as I am now."
"If you're so worried about Hashi's sanity, you'll follow me back to the village. He's been insufferable since you left."
"He'll get over it. I'm not going back there. I did what Izuna asked of me. My clan is safe in Hikaku's hands, and there's nothing left for me in this village."
Tobirama didn't like the Uchiha clan much, but he had to admit that Hikaku was a fine leader. He only wanted for his clan to live in peace, and for this he was way more reasonable than Madara.
"Hashirama said you were pursuing your own dream. What is it about?"
"None of your business."
"If it threatens the village's safety, then it is my business."
"No, I'm not going to burn down this damn village. Happy now?" Madara rolled his eyes and sat up. "While I'm thankful that you saved my life, I want you to leave me alone now." He tried to stand up and his legs gave in.
"I said 'don't move'!" Tobirama forced him to lay down. "I'm not done healing you, your chakra is running out, you wouldn't stand a chance against a genin. You need to rest."
"And you're going to watch over me while I sleep? How sweet of you."
"As if I had a choice..." Tobirama rolled his eyes.
Madara sighed, silently watching the youngest Senju brother. If Tobirama had wanted him dead, he'd have finished him off already. The white demon was reasonable too, he would probably hide them both for the night, and certainly not drag him back to Konoha, given how dangerous and unstable he was. Knowing this, Madara eventually closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep. He didn't feel when Tobirama picked him up and ran towards the forest in search of a hiding place.
---
When Madara came to, he found himself alone in the forest, in the middle of the night. Echoes of a battle could be heard from afar, powerful fire and water jutsus illuminating the sky, and destroying the forest around.
He hurried towards the battlefield, and the sight was worse than anything he'd ever witnessed. Innumerable corpses lay on the ground, men, women and children alike, all scarred beyond recognition, burnt, drowned or impaled on tree branches. A few clan banners still remained, scattered among the dead, and Madara immediately knew which clans had been fighting here: Senju and Uchiha, again, as if Konoha had never been founded.
The air was filled with the screams of the remaining few warriors, casting deadly jutsus at their opponents. And in the frontline, Izuna was fighting the Senju brothers, alone.
Madara activated his Susanoo and hurried to the place. His reason knew Izuna was dead, he had already cried for weeks after his passing, but now he wasn't listening to reason. His brother was here and he'd slay the white demon before he lay a hand on him.
Hashirama immediately interfered, summoning a wood dragon. "About time you showed up, Madara..."
"Hashirama, stop! You're the one who wanted peace, why are you doing this?"
The older Senju didn't answer, he only attacked, relentlessly, and left no opening. The smiling and optimistic Hashirama vouching for peace was nowhere to be seen. Madara was facing the god of the shinobi, a merciless warrior ready for all sacrifices to protect his clan. And he couldn't keep up. Hashirama never stopped, throwing mokuton branches at him, too fast for Madara to burn them with katon or to strike back with Susanoo. He could only dodge, escape, and step back until he heard his brother screaming his name.
Izuna fell on his knees. Madara rushed towards him, cutting through Hashirama's wood and he caught his brother in his arms.
"Aniki..." Izuna weakly smiled. "Promise me... protect the clan..."
"Don't move, Izu... I'll save you... stay with me..." Madara begged and he engulfed him in healing chakra.
"It's too late." The young Uchiha coughed blood. His body was broken, his breath irregular and his heart was getting weaker at each second.
"No..." Madara's vision blurred, and tears ran freely down his cheeks. "I'm not letting you die..." he knew the clan's forbidden jutsus, he knew that he'd go blind in one eye but he didn't care. "Izanagi"
Nothing happened.
"Damn it, why is it not working?" Madara composed the mudras again, repeating the word.
"You'll be alright... aniki..." Izuna pat his head. "Remember... never trust... the Senju..."
With these last words, Izuna closed his eyes. Madara screamed, attempted izanagi again and again.
The sun eventually rose, and Madara still cradled his little brother's dead body in his arms. His mind was lost, he had forgotten his surroundings, discarded the fact that the Senju brothers had taken part in the fight. He eventually looked up. Hashirama was nowhere to be seen. And Tobirama was towering above him, standing still since Izuna's death. "Tobirama... I'll kill you."
He threw a katon towards Tobirama and few seconds later he found himself drenched in water, as Tobirama vanished, similarly to a shadow clone.
"Tobirama!!!!" He shouted. "Get back here! I'll kill you!!!"
He was the last man standing on the battlefield, and a deadly silence was his only answer. For what seemed to be an eternity, he screamed the Senju brothers' names, until he heard a voice calling him.
---
"Tobirama... I'll kill you!" Madara finally came back to reality, and he opened his eyes to the white demon himself, holding him in his arms.
"Madara... calm down... it's alright... you had a nightmare..."
Madara activated his sharingan. He violently pushed Tobirama away and stood. "... you killed my brother. Prepare to die." He joined his hands and started summoning Susanoo.
Tobirama instantly teleported on him to pin him to the ground. "This won't bring Izuna back!"
"I don't care. Let me go!"
The Senju tightened his grip. "Too much blood has already been spilled. If you kill me, Hashirama will pursue you to the ends of the world. And he's always been stronger than you!"
"I don't care if I die. My life has lost its meaning on the day you took my brother away from me."
Tobirama knew he meant every word. Madara was desperate. His brothers had died during the war, his clan had rejected him, and his best friend, the only person who might have supported him, had abandoned him. Hashirama's current regrets were coming too late. The older Senju hadn't realized it back then, but he used to be the last remaining barrier that prevented Madara from giving in to the curse of hatred.
The Uchiha clan was known to love deeply. But when they lost the person they loved, they fell into madness and despair. And Madara had lost everything. Except his dream... Tobirama suddenly remembered.
"You have a dream, Madara! You left the village to pursue this dream!"
Spot on. Madara instantly calmed down. I will gather the bijûs... activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi... and save this world from its endless cycle of war.
Tobirama released him and sighed in relief.
Madara stood. "Thank you. I owe you one. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be off."
Tobirama blinked and grabbed his arm. "Wait..."
Madara's eyes flashed red. "Are you going to try to drag me back to Konoha? I thought you were wiser than this."
"I'm not that reckless, but..."
"But?"
He had to wisely choose his words. Convincing Madara to come back to Konoha was nearly impossible, but he had to try anyway. Else Hashirama would blame him for years. "Kyûbi nearly killed you... if you intend to go after this bijû again to fulfill your dream, you'll need help."
Madara raised a brow. "Help, uh... from you? From your brother?"
"Hashirama... cares for you, and if you just... explain what your plan is, he'll help you... If that doesn't threaten the village, obviously."
"I've cut all ties with him and with the village. My dream is mine to fulfill and you Senjus will never understand it." And don't give me that 'Hashirama cares for you' crap.
"Damn Uchihas and their stubbornness..." Tobirama grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Of course I won't understand a thing if you don't even try to explain!"
Madara let out a laugh. Sure... you're the last person in this accursed world to whom I want to explain how the Infinite Tsukuyomi works. "I will bring peace to this world. How I do it isn't your business. And if that can reassure you, I won't kill anyone in the process."
"We've been at peace since the hidden villages were founded..."
"That won't last. Old grudges never die. I owe you one, so I'll spare your life if I see you again. But this doesn't change the fact that you killed my little brother, and I'll never forgive you for this, no matter what peaceful nonsense your dear brother comes up with."
Tobirama clenched his fists. "It was him or me. There hasn't been a day when I didn't wish we'd saved him... there hasn't been a night when I didn't see his ghost or relive this fight." He was being honest. Even now, years later, Izuna haunted him.
Madara yanked his arm away. "Shut up! You can sleep, you can breathe, you can live! While Izuna rots in his grave! And I won't hear this 'it was him or me' nonsense! Your brother wanted peace, many men of my clan had already surrendered, you had plenty of options to force him to surrender as well."
"Madara, I--"
Madara crossed his arms. "If you want my dead brother to stop haunting you, if you want me to forgive you... then here's a challenge for you: bring Izuna back to life. I'm sure you, Tobirama, genius of the Senju clan, can manage. Until then, don't bother trying to find me."
With these words, Madara disappeared in the forest.
Tobirama gulped. Madara didn't know about edo tensei. Tobirama's works on this jutsu had remained secret, known only by Hashirama who had immediately disapproved the idea. Tobirama had hidden his research and thought more than once about burning his papers. He didn't want the jutsu to be known or used.
Technically, he could bring Izuna back, in a fake body made of dust, and by sacrificing an innocent life. Izuna's spirit would just be trapped in this fake body, unable to live a normal life. Tobirama doubted Madara would want his brother back in this form.
But on the other hand, this madman had a plan that nobody knew about. Peace to the world... but that involves Kyûbi somehow... Tobirama shivered. If Madara managed to submit the nine-tails to his will, this would only bring trouble.