613. Madara Shinden: A New Village
In 3rd year after the end of the Warring Era,
On top of a cliff outside Konoha,
A fair-skinned man with spiky, black hair with a slight blue tint to it lies on his back. His hairs are shoulder length and parts to frame the sides of his face. He is dressed casually in a blue long-sleeve shirt and white pants.
Whoosh…
A gust of wind blows, ruffling his long hair and bringing along a patch of leaves.
Swish…
The figure picks up a small pebble and throws it towards the leaves.
Whoosh…
The pebble blows a small hole through the leaves. The leaf slowly floats towards him and lands on his face. He picks up the leaf and glances at the clouds through the hole in the leaf.
"Madara!"
Hmm…
The figure turns around and notices a tall man with tanned skin and dark eyes. The man has waist-length black hair parting in the center- fringe with two bangs that frame his face. He is dressed casually in a pale green kimono under a white haori with gray pants.
"Hashirama!"
Madara murmurs lazily.
"I know you would be here!" Hashirama huffs slightly.
"Also, Hashirama, my ass! Come with me to inaugurate the new shinobi academy." Hashirama yells at Madara.
Madara places a finger in his ears to block Madara's loud noise.
"Also, not just that, even Sarutobi and Shimura clan proposed to join our settlement and expand it!" Hashirama speaks with enthusiasm.
"Ah?! Are you serious? You aren't kidding, right?!" Madara gasps in surprise.
"Not just them! There are many other clans, like Kurama, Hagoromo, and even the Hyuga clan. This settlement is going to expand even further!"
"Also, the Shinobi Academy for kids is finally complete!"
"Shinobi Academy, huh?!" Madara wonders.
"What is its name?" He asks.
"Name?!" Hashirama tilts his head in confusion.
"Name of the academy?!"
"Umm… well…" Hashirama ponders. He ponders hard for a minute.
"I don't have one!" After a minute, Hashirama shrugs his shoulder.
"…"
Madara turns speechless.
"It has been three years since our two clans established this settlement. Over the past three years, this settlement has expanded by a lot and several other clans have joined us, making it a full-fledged village."
Hashirama turns to Madara.
"We're going to need to come up with a name for the village too… Any ideas?!"
Hmm…
Madara holds the leaf with a hole in his hand and glances at the settlement from the hole.
"How about Konohagakure?! The village hidden in the leaves?"
AH!
Hashirama's eyes twitch and he drops his face in hopelessness.
"It's too simple! It's not imaginative. You called it exactly as you saw it. It's hopeless to ask you!" Hashirama shakes his head.
"Then don't bother asking me!" Madara yells at Hashirama.
"Then we will go along with Konohagakure. Now it's time to think of a name for the head of the village." Hashirama ponders.
Hmm…
Hashirama raises his head and notices a small bonfire in front of the distant academy. Madara also observes with the leaf hole.
Hashirama turns around and notices Madara's shadow on the ground.
"Fire! Shadow! The name of this country is Land of Fire." He murmurs to himself.
"I got it!" Hashirama bumps his fists on top of each other.
"What about naming the village head as 'Hokage'?"
"Ho-Kage? Fire Shadow?!" Madara's eyes twitch slightly.
"Damn it! How's the name 'Hokage' different from the 'Konohagakure' I came with? You also called it exactly as you saw it!" Madara grinds his teeth.
AH!
Hashirama's expression freezes and he lowers his head and sits on the ground, drawing circles in gloom.
"Oye! Cut it out! And you still have that habit of getting depressed easily!" Madara rebukes Hashirama.
"So, what about this hokage? What he does exactly?" Madara asks him.
"Hmm… let me see!" Hashirama ponders and after a while, starts narrating with newfound enthusiasm.
After fifteen minutes,
"So, you're saying the role of the Hokage is to stay in the village and protect everyone?"
"There's that… but he will be more significant. As village-building picks up speed, the Hokage will get busier too."
A smile appears on Hashirama's face.
"That's why I want to have your likeness carved into the cliff below our feet as a symbol of the village's protector!"
"You've got to be kidding me!" Madara's eyelids twitch and a drop of sweat trickles down his forehead.
"Hmm… you are right! Your face is too stern. So, while carving it has to be softened a bit here and there." Hashirama nods.
"Huh! Who are you calling stern? No matter how my face looks, it's still better than that sad mug of yours!" Madara retorts.
"AH!"
Hashirama's expression turns gloomy and sad after hearing Madara's words.
"Is it that sad?"
Haha…
Madara burst out in laughter.
"Take a look at yourself in the mirror. It's beyond sad!"
"Is that so?!" Hashirama pokes his face with his hands and fingers to alter his expression.
"How's it now?" He makes another face.
"You look like a clown now!" Madara chuckles.
"Then, what about this?" Hashirama makes another face.
"And this!"
He continues to make faces, making Madara burst out in laughter.
"There you are!"
Suddenly, a stern voice cut them off.
AH!
Both Madara's and Hashirama's facial expression freezes.
"Tobi-rama!" Hashirama turns around with a stiff smile.
"Stop dawdling here you two!" Tobirama sternly rebukes.
"The Daimyo from the Land of Fire will be here soon for the conference! And we have yet to settle on a name and position for the village."
"It's done!" Hashirama mutters.
"What's done?!" Tobirama frowns.
"The name of the village and the position of the head?" He adds.
"You two go ahead! I will join you soon." Madara waves Hashirama goodbye and turns towards the resident district of the Uchiha clan.
Whoosh…
He jumps down from the cliff and disappears from the Senju brother's vision.
"Brother!" After ensuring Madara's departure, Tobirama turns to Hashirama.
"What's the deal with the village name and the position of the head?"
"Come, I will tell you everything along the way." Hashirama nods and walks towards the village with Tobirama in tow.
----------
In a meeting room inside the academy,
"Madara as the Hokage?!" Tobirama's expression turns ugly.
"That's not your choice to make!" He adds.
"To nominate Madara for the Hokage position is fine… but the final decision will be made with the top officials of every clan, after consulting with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and the people of the village! Things are different from the warring era."
"But… Madara… he…"
"It won't happen!" Tobirama cuts Hashirama off.
"Madara being chosen as the leader of the village won't happen. Everyone knows… It was your effort that laid the foundation of the settlement, no village! And even the members of the Uchiha clan say that much. Furthermore, haven't you heard the rumors about the Uchiha clan?" Tobirama's gaze turns sharp.
"The members of the Uchiha clan feel stronger emotions, including love and hate. And it's their hatred that turns into their visual prowess. The stronger their hatred, the stronger their visual prowess. The Uchiha clan members are a bunch of people with unstable emotions. I don't want someone unpredictable, with unstable emotions, to lead the village. So, for the future of the village…"
"Stop talking like that Tobirama!" Hashirama's yell interrupts Tobirama.
Creak…
Suddenly. Hashirama's ears twitch. He hears a faint creaking sound.
"I felt someone's presence just now." Hashirama turns to Tobirama.
"Tobirama, you would know."
"No… I am not infusing chakra right now to activate my sensory skills. So, I don't know!" Tobirama shakes his head.
"Also, don't change the subject, big brother!"
Hmm…
Suddenly, Hashirama's expression turns ugly as he notices a leaf with a hole in it.
"Madara!" He murmurs to himself and picks up the leaf.
Swish…
The leaf cleaves in half and falls.
"From now on, things will run democratically in the village? Do you have any objection, big brother?" Tobirama asks.
"Let's talk about it later!"
Hashirama ignores Tobirama's subsequent words and opens the shutter of the window.
Whoosh…
He jumps out and vanishes from Tobirama's sight.
"Madara!" Tobirama's eyes narrow as he notices the leaf with the hole.
----------
Whoosh…
Hashirama swiftly flickers through the village and arrives near the bank of a lake near the Uchiha district.
Swish…
He notices a pebble skipping the entire length of the lake.
"Madara!" Hashirama mutters.
Swish…
Madara picks up another pebble and throws it towards the lake. The stone quickly gains momentum and skips through the water.
"Hashirama!" Madara turns to Hashirama and throws a pebble and a scroll towards him.
Whoosh…
Hashirama grabs them. He throws the pebble towards the lake and turns to Madara.
"Madara… About what Tobirama said? I…"
"Hashirama, you don't have to apologize for your brother's words." Madara cuts him off.
"I am not blind to not see my reputation in the village." Madara reveals his Sharingan to Hashirama.
He diffuses the chakra in his eyes and they turn normal.
"I… I see!" Hashirama's expression turns serious.
"Beside… I am not suitable for the position of the Hokage!" Madara shakes his head.
"This should belong to you!" He turns to Hashirama.
"Madara… but you!"
"It's fine!" Madara cuts him off.
"I will protect the village from shadows while you run the village from the light. Also…" Madara points towards the scroll.
Hmm…
Hashirama understands his gesture and unfurls the scroll. A frown appears on Hashirama's face as he reads its contents.
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