(Who wants to be the operations manager for this book? It's powered by love alone—just promote it once in your spare time, okay? (ó﹏ò｡) )
[Tobirama Senju: "That wicked Uchiha Madara! I bet his clan ordered him to get close to my brother on purpose!"]
[Hashirama Senju: "Tobirama, can you stop blaming the Uchiha for everything?"]
[Tobirama Senju: "Brother! Did you forget how Wajima and the others died? Tortured by the Uchiha!"]
[Itachi Uchiha: "So this is what the Warring States Era was like…"]
[Sasuke Uchiha: "It's all so tragic."]
[Minato Namikaze: "Seven- and eight-year-olds on the battlefield… far too cruel."]
The Senju were burying their dead.
Hashirama stood before the graves, eyes heavy with grief.
He returned to the same river as before—alone now, silent. His little brother was gone.
Then, sneaking up behind him, came Madara.
"Hey. What's with the long face today?"
"Ah… I'm fine," Hashirama muttered, eyes distant.
"Don't give me that. Out with it."
"Really, nothing—nothing at all…"
Hashirama's words were drowned by sniffles, his tears and snot all mixed together.
"Talk," Madara snapped.
Hashirama froze, then whispered, "My brother… he's gone."
Madara's gaze dimmed. He, too, had lost brothers—
cut down by those Senju bastards.
If he ever met one again, he'd—
But instead of saying anything cruel, Madara stooped, picked up a stone, and flicked it across the river.
"I know the feeling. I had brothers too. Several… once."
He spoke softly of his clan, of the endless cycle of bloodshed.
Hashirama listened, equally burdened.
They began to talk about the world itself—
Why must people live in constant suspicion?
Couldn't peace ever exist between clans?
They thought deeply together, and for the first time, both boys found someone who understood.
Someone who wanted to change everything.
Their secret meetings grew more frequent.
But soon, both their younger brothers started noticing something was off.
[Itachi Uchiha: "So both little brothers thought their elder brothers were secretly dating…"]
[Mei Terumī: "Hahaha! Tobirama even tattled to his dad!"]
[Fourth Raikage A: "So this is the Warring States Era… You're telling me the idea for ninja villages was born when they were twelve?!"]
[Sarada Uchiha: "Unbelievable… The textbooks said the Uchiha and Senju co-founded Konoha. I never believed it until now."]
[Boruto Uzumaki: "Wait, I'm confused. If they were this close, why did they end up fighting to the death later?"]
[Minato Namikaze: "Probably… a clash of ideals."]
The boys sparred more and more often.
Though barely twelve, both already fought with the strength of jōnin.
Watching, everyone in the present-day shinobi world was floored.
These two were monsters of talent!
"Your taijutsu's not bad," Madara said, wiping blood from his lip. "You can actually keep up with me."
"I wouldn't say keep up," Hashirama grinned. "I'm the one still standing."
Thud—
A pebble hit Hashirama square on the head.
He collapsed dramatically.
"You call that not a draw?" Madara smirked.
"When did you—?" Hashirama croaked.
"Right when you flung me back. I tossed it mid-air. I'm not that easy to beat."
Their bond deepened.
To end war, they had to grow stronger—
Only then would the adults listen, and peace become real.
But they were still children.
They couldn't see how far away that dream really was.
At one point, Madara went off to relieve himself near the stream.
As he did, Hashirama quietly crept up behind him.
Madara froze mid-stream.
Hashirama snorted. "So it's true—you stopped!"
"Y-you bastard! I told you not to stand behind me!!" Madara spun, face flushed crimson.
"I found your weakness!" Hashirama crowed.
"Keep it up and I'll toss you into the same river I just peed in!" Madara growled.
The next moment, they were wrestling—
and both tumbled head-first into the water below.
The entire shinobi world watching burst out laughing.
[Sasuke Uchiha: "Are these two idiots serious? They fell into the pee river!?"]
[Naruto Uzumaki: "Can't believe the First Hokage was such a goofball as a kid…"]
[Boruto Uzumaki: "The ninja world was brutal—but these two? Beyond saving."]
[Shikadai Nara: "We're twelve and still in school… they were twelve and at war."]
[Sarada Uchiha: "I never realized how close Madara-sama and the First Hokage were!"]
Days passed.
Sunlight filtered through leaves.
A breeze scattered them like tiny prayers.
"Madara! I've come up with an incredible jutsu—let's train together!" Hashirama said eagerly.
Madara folded his arms. "What kind of jutsu?"
"The ultimate taijutsu–fire–illusion combo! I call it… Super Fire Release: Phantom Ultimate Grand Fist Explosion Mirage Technique!"
Minato perked up immediately.
[Minato Namikaze: "So even the First Hokage had a knack for naming jutsu!"]
[Hashirama Senju: "Finally—someone who understands!!"]
[Tobirama Senju: "Brother… your jutsu names are ridiculously long and stupid!"]
[Hashirama Senju: "Tobiramaaa! How could you say that to meee!!"]
Everyone watching was speechless.
This—this was the man known as the God of Shinobi?
He acted like a big puppy.
Was he really that powerful?
He just looked… hopelessly goofy.
No wonder the new gen were confused.
Because so far, the "God of Shinobi" hadn't shown anything godly.
[Oscar: "Heh. Hashirama and that crippled guy in the wheelchair—both useless clowns."]
[Nihon: "Oscar-san… maybe stop there…"]
[Himawari Uzumaki: "Enough, Oscar! Don't judge by appearances!"]
Himawari's expression hardened.
Her dad had taught her never to judge others by how they looked.
The First Hokage must be strong—he had to be.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/MugiwaraTL