Hashirama Senju !

FLASHBACK

Day 10

Ten days had passed since Hashirama Senju had returned victorious from his titanic battle with Madara Uchiha. He had been hailed as a hero by his own people and by the entire village of Konoha. Only the Uchiha clan had given him a different welcome. After all, even if they had not followed their revered leader, the result was still there, Uchiha Madara had perished against the Senju. And with this defeat, the Senju clan ensured their supremacy over them as well as over the entire world.

But such a battle required rest for Hashirama, and he felt that he needed it badly before he could once again take care of village affairs.

During these ten days, Hashirama Senju had thought long and hard about the battle he had fought against his former friend and fellow Konoha member. He had done everything to bring the Uchiha back to his senses, Hashirama was like that, he believed in peace and in the good in every human being : Madara was no exception. He had held back for most of the fight, hoping to save his friend, to remind him that they shared the same ideal, peace.

But the Uchiha didn't care about all the words the Senju poured out on him, he wouldn't change his mind. As proof, he had even invoked the Kyûbi in order to raze Konoha to the ground and put an end to what they had fought so hard for ! Seeing the determination of his friend becoming his enemy, Hashirama had no choice but to put all his skills against him. Konoha and the world had to be rid of Uchiha Madara. The fight then took a completely different turn, the Senju taking this confrontation completely seriously.

But after ten days, Hashirama Senju still hadn't recovered from his fight. He was even more weakened than when he returned from Madara's victory.

He was far too proud to admit that this battle had affected him much more than he had thought. Besides, it was a good thing his wife had been there and especially that she was a powerful Kunoichi.

Indeed, as a virtuoso of Fûinjutsu, Mito could seal the Kyûbi in her without too much difficulty. She had thus voluntarily become the Jinchûriki of the fox demon. And Hashirama knew perfectly well that if his beloved wife had not accomplished this, the outcome of this confrontation would have been quite different.

But for now, the Hokage of Konoha was trying to figure out why his chakra reserves were not replenishing ! He had to regain his strength at all costs, he had a village to lead. And even though their main enemy had been defeated, Hashirama Senju knew that peace was not yet fully achieved. Rivalries between countries were far from being settled, even with the sharing of the tailed demons.

Day 29

This could not go on ! A month, almost a month ago, Hashirama was still in the same state if not worse. Weak, weaker and weaker to the point that he had asked his brother, Tobirama, to take over the management of the village.

His younger brother had been worried about this, but the elder had managed to divert his brother's attention by giving him the task of finding ways to ease the tensions coming from the Uchiha. The Uchiha must still feel at home in Konoha, and there was no better way to make them see reason than with someone other than himself.

Hashirama had thus been able to devote himself entirely to his own recovery. He began by summoning the most eminent doctors and scholars of the Hi No Kuni region in the greatest secrecy. But none of these so-called healers had any answers about the evil that was eating away at him from the inside.

The Senju even wondered if Madara Uchiha had used a secret technique that caused him to suffer from these symptoms. He decided to search through the old scrolls of his clan and the books he had at his disposal. He discovered a Ninjutsu technique called Iryô Ninjutsu, but he realized that he had mastered this technique for a very long time. Indeed, he did not need any mûdra to be able to heal himself. In his further reading, he understood that Senjutsu could enhance Ninjutsu techniques. Based on this principle, Hashirama assumed that if he mixed Natural Energy with the medical technique, he would surely achieve a result far more effective than anything the doctors had said.

The Senju knew the difficulties of mastering Senjutsu ! It was necessary to have a very good command of chakra to be able to channel the surrounding Natural Energy and mix it with his own chakra flow. And few shinobi could achieve this very specific state: separating immobility from movement in order to impregnate themselves with the flow of nature. But Hashirama Senju was quite well versed in this exercise which required a good deal of concentration to begin with. He closed his eyes to feel the flow of energy that emanated from every living thing in the environment around him.

He could see this current penetrating him and gradually mixing with his own chakra. But as he directed these two streams of energy to his chakra coils something unexpected happened. Instead of mixing and accumulating, it was the opposite, causing a violent pain to shoot through his entire body. The man was suffering like he had never suffered before, so much so that he was almost screaming in agony.

— "Hashirama !" Mito cried out as she ran to her husband.

The scream he had suddenly let out was frightening and immediately worried the woman who had left out what she was doing. When she arrived in the room where he was, Hashirama Senju was curled up and gesticulating in all directions. He was in so much pain that he was hitting the floor with such force that it cracked with every blow. But despite this, he kept screaming and his cries echoed through their house. Mito was totally helpless in front of her husband's condition and she preferred to wait until he was less agitated before talking to him.

After several long minutes of agony, the pain gradually subsided until it disappeared completely, allowing Senju a moment's respite. Although the pain no longer coursed through his body, Hashirama was shaking from head to toe and was covered in sweat.

— "What is happening to me ?" The worried and breathless man asked. This crisis had weakened him even more and he had no idea what had happened.

Mito finally approached her husband who was still lying on the floor, his eyes looking up at the ceiling, and she knelt down beside him. She gently took his hand in a gesture that was meant to be reassuring and compassionate.

— "What happened, my love ?" Mito asked, completely worried.

The man appreciated his beloved's benevolence, it was a trait he really liked in her. Since they had known each other, Mito was not like any other woman he had ever met. He had known quickly that she matched him in every way. And even if their marriage had also been the occasion to seal a political and military agreement between their two villages, Hashirama loved Mito with a sincere love. He had chosen her as his wife, as the one who would be able to support him and follow him in his task as Hokage.

And above all, he liked that she was not submissive to him. Sure, she was devoted to him, but they both respected each other. He had never felt superior to her because of his status as a man and his stature as a shinobi. No, he recognized his wife's value as a woman and as a Kunoichi.

This was a rather rare situation in their time, as many unions were nothing more than simple bargains and political-commercial agreements. Love sometimes developed over time, but in the majority of cases, unions were simply a succession of conjugal duties to be respected.

But this had not been the case between them. They had known each other since they were young, since the Uzumaki were distant relatives of the Senju. They had gotten to know each other and the love had been born and it was still intact after all these years and had even grown along with them.

Faced with his wife's concern, he could not lie to her. Even though she hadn't told him anything yet, he knew she had been watching him since his victory over the Uchiha. She had seen that he was not getting better and that his condition was getting worse every day. But she was discreet and never interfered in her husband's affairs except when he asked her to.

— "I... I don't know," Hashirama admitted, totally disturbed by what he had just experienced.

— "You have to consult someone ! This can't go on like this !" Mito allowed herself because she knew that he was finally ready to share his fears and doubts with her.

— "I have already consulted, my dear. But no one can find what I have... even the writings of my ancestors have proved useless. There is nothing like what I have been feeling since the end of this fight."

— "Do you think he would have done anything to you ?" She asked scornfully, referring to Madara Uchiha.

Mito had never really liked the Uchiha even though she knew the history between the two shinobi perfectly. She had accepted her husband's friendship with the other. She had learned to truly respect the members of this clan because they were part of building the village her husband so desired. But when the dark-haired man had turned his back on the so-called common dream he shared with Hashirama, Mito had stopped considering him. On the contrary, because of his bloodthirsty manoeuvres, he had not hesitated to unleash the power of Kyûbi to annihilate this village, their village. And so it was because of Madara Uchiha that Mito had had to make the choice to seal the fox demon within her. She had agreed to bind her fate to that of the Kyûbi : to save their village.

— "I thought about it, but as powerful as Madara was, I don't think that's one of his techniques. Even if such a technique existed, he would have used it a long time ago !"

— "Tss, always defending him despite everything he's done to you and the village !" The woman hissed through her teeth.

— "Mito... he...," the man began in the face of his wife's obvious resentment towards the dark-haired man.

— "Yes, I know, dear ! We've already discussed this !" She stopped immediately as she didn't want to have another conversation about Madara Uchiha. "Don't you know anyone who could help you ?" she asked, returning to the main topic of their conversation.

Hashirama Senju smiled fondly at his wife as he got up and sat cross-legged in front of her. He closed his eyes to concentrate. Just this simple act took a lot of effort and as he thought about it, a thought came to him.

— "Maybe... I... I'll go," Hashirama said, remembering someone who could perhaps heal him, or at least understand what he had.

— "I'm coming with you !" Said the woman who refused to leave her husband in such a state.

— "No ! Stay here...," Hashirama quickly exclaimed. "I don't know how the world will react if they find out I'm in this state. Konoha must not lose its alliance with your father," Hashirama said after standing up with some difficulty.

— "Where will you go ?" She asked as she stood up and walked beside him towards their bedroom.

— "Hi No Tera, the monastery of Hi No Kuni. I would be safe there and I think they might be able to help me..."

Day 90

Once his decision was made, Hashirama left Konoha village without telling anyone, not even his younger brother. Tobirama had already begun to show that he was quite capable of taking charge of the village in his absence.

The distance from the monastery to Konoha No Sato traditionally took no more than a few days, but for the Senju it took him almost two months to get there.

He had no choice but to walk, without using any chakra. In any case, after several unsuccessful attempts, he had to face the fact that using chakra weakened him even more and that it took him longer and longer to regain a bit of energy.

But even though he had to move in slow motion, the advantage of being Hashirama Senju was that he could blend into nature and feel it so he wouldn't run into anyone. He used this same nature to provide for his vital needs.

However, although he did not use his chakra, this long journey made him so tired that he had to use a tree branch to hold on to and move forward step by step. If anyone saw him at that moment, he would have been difficult to recognize : the time of the splendor of Hashirama Senju, Shinobi God of the Sengoku era, was long gone. Indeed, through fatigue and loss of chakra, he had lost a lot of weight. His cheeks had become hollow and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles. Moreover, his face also bore a two-month-old beard.

Then one day, at the turn of a tree, he knew he had arrived at his destination : Hi No Tera ! He finally saw the small stone wall surrounding the monastery.

He climbed the hill to reach the double wooden door. He lifted the iron ring before hitting the door with it. Hashirama waited, positioning himself more comfortably on his staff, which he held in both hands.

Suddenly the door opened at last after a few minutes of waiting. A man in beige robes appeared with his hands against his stomach holding a string of pearls. He emanated such an aura of serenity and completeness.

— "Yes my son ?" Said the middle-aged man.

— "I request asylum," replied Hashirama, who was finally catching his breath.

— "Do you have any faults to be forgiven ?"

— "For trusting the wrong person," Hashirama said, thinking immediately of Madara. "But I'm here specifically to see Kenzo Hyûga."

— "What do you want with him ?" The man asked, not at all worried about such a request.

The monastery was a place respected by all and conflicts did not affect them. Even though they devoted their lives to meditation, the monks also knew how to defend themselves if necessary. But so far no such disturbance had come to disturb the calm of the place.

— "No one can find out what's eating me, and I feel my days are numbered...," Hashirama explained.

— "Who are you ?" The monk asked after a few seconds of reflection.

— "Hashirama Senju."

The monk looked more closely at the man before him and could see in his eyes a great weariness but at the same time a rage to fight for survival. After a moment he turned around to go back through the door and motioned for Hashirama to follow him.

Day 100

Hashirama Senju was therefore welcomed at the monastery where he complied with the rhythm of the place. He had been provided with a room of rudimentary comfort and clean clothes. It was much simpler than what he was used to wearing.

The calm of the place was not to be disturbed by the frills of the outside world. No, every person living in the monastery, whether devoted to worship or merely seeking rest and spirituality, had to detach themselves from all unnecessary material possessions. Silence was not an obligation, but the atmosphere of the monastery naturally lent itself to it. Only the sounds of the surrounding nature or moments of communal prayer disturbed the soothing silence of the temple.

Autumn was already well advanced for the season, but it was still warm enough to stay outside. Hashirama was taking advantage of these last days of warmth to wait for the return of Kenzo Hyûga. The latter was absent from the temple and no one could say when he would return.

The Senju had no choice but to wait. His condition was deteriorating day by day in a slow agony. He hoped he would not succumb to this unknown evil before the man returned. He had become accustomed to spending these days sitting against a tree, his body no longer able to withstand long movements.

That day, it was almost noon when he heard someone approaching with light steps. It would have been polite for him to open his eyes and turn his head to greet the newcomer, but even these small gestures cost him a lot of energy. Hashirama Senju was a shadow of his former self and he knew that in the days to come he would perish like this, alone, far from his beloved wife, far from his beloved village.

On reflection, if this was his fate, he would have preferred to die in battle a thousand times over. Sure, it could be seen as misplaced pride, but for a man like him, there was nothing glorious about dying of weakness.

With his eyes still closed, he felt the presence stop in front of him and bend down to place something beside him. Hashirama slowly opened his eyelids to see who was standing before him. He recognized the beige robes of the temple monks ; the individual had just placed a steaming bowl of rice and a jug of water in front of him. He was then sitting cross-legged in front of the Hokage of Konoha.

— "What happened to you Hashirama ?" A voice asked, causing him to look up.

— "Kenzo," Hashirama whispered with difficulty but with such relief.

— "I was told you were looking for me," the Hyûga said as he ate his own bowl of rice.

Seeing the one he'd been waiting for days gave Hashirama a burst of energy and especially hope.

— "Hai... I think only you can understand what's happening to me," the man revealed.

— "I'm listening to you."

— "Ever since my fight with Madara, I've felt weak ! Every day that goes by, even every minute that passes is a torment. I feel my energy leaving my body... my soul going the same way. And when I seek rest I see only the darkness closing in, ready to take me to the other world," the Senju explained as he grabbed his bowl of rice.

Even this simple gesture required considerable effort, his whole arm was shaking and he had to concentrate on not dropping the bowl. Hashirama didn't even grab the chopsticks provided and used his fingers directly to feed himself.

All of these details did not escape the newcomer who was scrutinizing the Senju in detail. He hadn't activated his Byakugan yet and he didn't need it to understand that he was indeed in a very bad way.

— "Have you consulted ?" The monk asked, convinced that the Hokage had surely done everything he could to solve his problem.

— "Without success."

— "Do you think it's the effects of a Ninjutsu technique ?"

— "I considered it thinking it was Madara who made me like this during our last confrontation," Hashirama said thoughtfully.

— "Is there anything else you can tell me ?" The Hyûga asked as he ate another bite of rice.

— "If I use chakra, I get exhausted even faster and... ah yes, the last time I tried to knead it and integrate the natural energy the effect was frightening. I have never felt such pain ! Even a blade hurts less !"

— "Describe to me what you felt," the Hyûga asked suddenly very interested in what his interlocutor was explaining to him.

— "The more I tried to integrate the natural energy, the more I felt like I was being pierced by a thousand needles and daggers at the same time. I could even say that each blow was charged with electricity. This went on for a long time before it stopped as suddenly as it had started."

The monk quickly put his bowl down and frowned. He had to check something. He placed his hands in the sign of the ram before concentrating chakra into his Dûjutsu. The Byakugan's pupil dilated and veins swelled with chakra around his eyes.

Kenzo Hyûga studied the Senju's chakra system carefully and what he saw horrified him. It was a miracle that Hashirama was still alive considering the state of his chakra system.

— "I know why you can't get better," Kenzo explained, his eyes slightly wide at what he saw.

— "What is it ?" Hashirama asked hopefully.

— "You're the problem Hashirama, your chakra, your system, your body... basically you !"

— "What do you mean ?" Asked the Senju who didn't understand what the monk was trying to tell him.

— "Your chakra coils are completely broken... it's like..."

— "Like ?"

Kenzo couldn't put it into words so he grabbed the jug of water between them before placing one of his fingers on it and making a thin hole in it with an injection of chakra. When he withdrew his finger, water flowed out of the newly formed hole.

— "Let's say the jug is a chakra coil and the water is your chakra flow, what do you see ?"

— "The jug is leaking and the water is flowing out," the Senju replied, "Are you telling me that my coils are allowing chakra to flow through ? But where ?"

— "That is the problem, my friend ! Your chakra is flowing out of the network and it's your own chakra that's affecting your recovery. I would even say it's threatening your own life," Kenzo explained gravely.

Hashirama never imagined that his own energy flow could cause him harm.

— "But I have the ability to heal myself ! I know it, this technique is called Iryô Ninjutsu and I've been practicing it since I can remember ! I do emit chakra to do it, why can't I do it on my own coils ? You could guide me with your eyes," the man offered, hopeful that he had found the solution he needed.

— "But didn't you feel pain when you tried to use this technique ? I imagine that it wasn't when you saw me in front of you that you just thought of it," the Hyûga replied ironically.

This remark made Hashirama's little hope fall away. Of course he had thought of the healing technique, it was because he had wanted to use it that he had suffered so much.

— "Don't be too quick to heal yourself my friend ! Every answer will come in its own time, isn't that what the monks have been telling you since you've been living among us ? Look, I'm standing in front of you today while you were looking for me."

The Senju frowned slightly at being scolded like a little child. He was not interested in practicing the philosophy of the temple, what he wanted was to get well and finally be with his family again, especially his wife who must have been worried.

— "Do you know what to do then, Kenzo ?"

— "I don't know, but if I don't do something, you'll die by tonight."

— "So do... as long as you prevent my soul from dying in the other world, I'm ready for anything !" The Senju said with a mixture of hope and despair in his voice.

— "You're going to get hurt," Kenzo warned, taking his friend's bowl of rice.

— "It's better than dying and abandoning the woman I love."

The Hyûga nodded and asked Hashirama to stand up.

He waited until he was the most stable. He stepped back and positioned himself with his legs apart, his arms open, one with his elbow bent back, the other pointing forward. Each hand had its index and middle fingers raised, ready to strike. The Senju immediately recognized the stance he was taking from having seen it before in Konoha.

— "Are you really going to use this technique on me ?"

— "It's the only solution my friend, or would you rather die from the flow of your chakra ?" He asked seriously. "But I assure you, it won't take too long, you won't have time to feel anything... well, I hope so," the Hyûga added calmly.

Hashirama breathed in deeply to prepare himself to take the technique the monk was about to perform without defending himself. The latter channeled his chakra, reactivated his Byakugan to perfectly visualize the location of the Senju's Tenketsu. And then he launched himself by striking in an orderly and increasingly fast way on the points he had to reach.

Kenzo Hyuga had just practised one of his clan's specific Junken techniques : Hakke Rokujûyon Shô. This method allowed him to block the 64 Tenketsu by six increasing series of strikes and thus block the circulation of chakra in the network provided for this purpose.

With each strike the sensation was particular, even contradictory. Indeed, the blocking of each coil provoked first a relief, then a sharp pain. After about ten seconds, which seemed like an eternity, Hashirama crouched on the ground, trembling.

— "Are... are you done ?" Hashirama asked with difficulty as the pain was finally unbearable and he had an irrepressible urge to plunge into sleep.

— "Hai ! Your chakra is stabilized," Kenzo replied, looking at the Senju's chakra system.

His energy was no longer flowing through his coils, they were not repaired, far from it. The only good thing was that the chakra stayed where it was supposed to be without flowing out.

— "The question I have is how did you get here," Kenzo said thoughtfully as Hashirama returned to a sitting position.

— "I... don't know," Hashirama replied, "tell me, what... what's next now ?" He asked, unable to suppress a yawn.

— "What next ? Rest my friend. There is only rest for the moment that your body requires. We'll figure out what to do next in the next few days... once I figure out how to repair your damaged coils without using chakra !"

— "Is it as critical as that ?"

— "Yes, but be patient. No one is waiting for you outside and you won't be able to do anything for days anyway. Believe me, your body is running out of breath and it's a real miracle you're still alive."

The Senju didn't have enough strength left to continue this conversation. He would have liked to contradict him on the fact that nobody was waiting for him. Indeed, his thoughts regularly led him to his wife.

He missed Mito, his reassuring presence, his strength as well, both in terms of his character and his skills as a Kunoichi. In the solitude of the monastery, the man recognized that he only felt complete in the presence of his wife. So it was with the image of Mito that he plunged into the restful sleep that his body was finally calling for.

— "Sleep my friend, it will be better when you wake up," the Hyûga said before taking Hashirama in his arms and leading him to his bed.

Day 190

Contrary to what Hashirama Senju had thought, he had not recovered his normal state at all after a few days. No, it had been three months since Hashirama had been hidden in the fire temple of Hi No Kuni.

Already, after Kenzo Hyûga's intervention, he remained immersed in sleep for four whole days before finally opening his eyelids with difficulty. It took him another half a day before he managed to sit up on his bed.

And after three months, his condition had not improved one iota and he could almost claim to be even worse than when he arrived. But this was not the opinion of Kenzo Hyûga who was formal, the Senju was out of the woods. But he was careful not to tell him so that he wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to recover. He knew Hashirama's stubbornness and he wanted to give him every chance to recover even 10% of his chakra kneading abilities.

Any other shinobi who had his coils in the same condition would have had to consider abandoning the ninja path and returning to civilian life. The fact that both men were unaware of was that Hashirama Senju was a reincarnation of one of the sons of the Rikudô Sennin and that as a result, the Senju had a higher resistance and above all the innate ability to heal himself.

Indeed, he was recovering his chakra very slowly and his body was slowly regaining its strength. But this was because his chakra coils were healing very slowly. The Hyûga was even surprised that they were showing signs of healing, hence his decision not to tell him anything about his actual condition.

That morning, as the monk finished his meditation session with the Senju, he asked him.

— "What are you going to do, Hashirama ?"

— "What do you mean ?"

— "I know that you spoke with one of us yesterday and that you have heard about the troubles that seem to be agitating the elemental nations. But I'm going to stop you right there, don't expect to become a shinobi again my friend, that time is over for you," Kenzo announced with a serious look on his face.

— "How can you say that to me ? I... I feel better already ! I assure you, I feel deep inside that my body is healing !" Hashirama affirmed, not wanting to admit the possibility.

— "So go ahead, get up and walk ! Show me how your body is healed !"

Kenzo Hyûga was not a sentimentalist, he didn't like to take the piss out of things and above all, he was deeply disgusted by human nature ! He didn't care that Hashirama Senju could be considered a Shinobi God. He also didn't care that he was a Hokage. To him, the man was nothing more or less than a human being like any other, and as such, he was full of flaws.

Hashirama didn't want to lose face in front of the monk and tried to gather the meager strength of his body to move, but he barely managed to lift himself from the floor where he was sitting cross-legged. He was obviously still in no condition to do anything.

— "Vain vanity ! That is a characteristic of men !" He replied scornfully as Hashirama settled back into his cross-legged position, his shoulders slightly hunched. "I wasn't suggesting anything ! It's the truth, forget the shinobi way !"

— "I don't know what else I can do. My entire life has been dedicated to being a shinobi !" The Hokage confessed in disbelief at the monk's announcement.

— "So yes, your body is better : aren't you alive ? Three months ago, I didn't give you more than a week to live after my surgery. Can't you be satisfied with that ?"

— "I... I can't leave my people without a leader... without..."

— "Stop listening to your big ego ! Here's the thing Hashirama, at the rate your healing is going, it'll be years before you can use your chakra again. I'm even skeptical that one day you'll be able to regain all of your former abilities," the Hyûga warned as he looked at the shrine before him.

— "But I've waited all my life for my dream of a village to be created... I can't give it up like this !"

— "And what are you going to do in your state ? Your people will be fine without you Hashirama ! The only person in the world who could be a danger to your precious people is dead and buried," Kenzo cut in, turning his gaze to the Senju. "And I might add, no one is eternal on this earth."

Hashirama swallowed at the mention of the possibility that he might die one day. Of course he knew that he was not immortal and that the day would come when he would have to leave his place. But the man could not admit that this time could already have arrived !

— "But you told me yourself, there seems to be trouble in the world. If there is tension in the world, I must do something."

— "And what should I do ?"

— "War...," the Senju answered as if that were the only option open to him.

— "And how long have you been at war my friend ?"

— "Since... Since... forever, actually," Hashirama said, realizing that as far back as he could remember, that was all he had ever known : war and its horrors.

— "And so, since you've known nothing but that forever, you think that's the solution to any unrest ? Men are quick to forget their goals !"

— "I..."

— "Hashirama ! Didn't you want peace so much ? Isn't that why you fought against your only friend ?"

— "But I have not forgotten my goals ! I allowed peace between the nations ! I shared the Bijû so that stability could exist ! I struck down Madara because he was threatening the peace we had wanted !"

— "And you are ready to go to war again ?" Kenzo replied, turning to his friend with a weary and jaded look. "Once again, man is always so fickle in his decisions ! And you are no exception, Hashirama."

— "But because there must be peace ! I did everything to avoid new conflicts ! That's why I have to intervene ! I know I can prevent this from getting any worse ! I can reason with the people who sponsor these actions."

Apart from the fact that by his excessive certainty to resolve conflicts, what exasperated Kenzo Hyûga the most was the too naive vision of his interlocutor. He might have been the first Hokage and one of the best ninjas in the world, but his vision of things was too childish.

— "Hashirama, your kindness and your naivety make you in this state."

— "What do you mean ?"

— "You reached out too easily to this man you considered your friend and look where that got you ? Stop seeing the good in people ! No one is all white or all black ! Everything is balance ! Light begets darkness, love goes hand in hand with hate, peace with war ! Everything is Yin and Yang. Too much of one destabilises the other ! This is an immutable principle and it applies totally to human beings ! And sometimes you have to cut the rotten branch of the tree if you want the tree to grow properly !"

— "You are too radical Kenzo."

— "And you too lax ! Need I remind you that you are a shinobi and your task was to maintain the stability of your people by eradicating any threat. And what did you do ? You allowed the threat to enter your home, and what did he do in return ? He wanted to destroy what you had worked so hard to build !"

— "Now I understand why my brother liked you so much...," the Senju grumbled, not too happy to have his feelings hurt in this way.

— "Yes, and I think your brother will probably make a better Kage than you."

— "I thought priests didn't deal in politics," Hashirama retorted.

— "One doesn't preclude the other... why do you think I came here to become what I am ? Because I no longer believe in the salvation of man."

— "So why help me, if you no longer believe in humanity ?"

— "Because meditation keeps me in balance with myself and with the world... but also because my divinity suggested it to me."

Day 250

Sixty days had passed without any significant improvement in Hashirama's condition. He had less difficulty in moving around in everyday life, but he was no longer as alert as before.

The war had been raging for almost a month now and the fire temple had only just heard the news.

— "What are you doing Hashirama ?" The Hyûga monk asked as he watched his friend fidget.

— "I'm going to join my people !" Said the dark-haired man as he got dressed.

— "And once there what will you do ?"

— "I will fight and protect my people !" The shinobi affirmed with conviction.

— "And you honestly think you can do that in your condition ?" Kenzo asked sarcastically.

— "You don't understand, Kenzo ! I must go ! I... can't let my people die all over the world ! I am a shinobi ! I belong in battle, not hiding in a temple meditating all day !" Hashirama protested.

— "Do you have to go there ? Who do you think you are Hashirama ? All this is just pride ! The world didn't stop turning because you're holed up here ! Life is like that : it continues to move forward and will continue to do so whether you like it or not !"

— "So what !? I should stay here and wait while my people are probably getting killed when if I were there I could save them ?" Hashirama turned around angrily.

— "Save them ? Hashirama be honest with yourself, or at least with me... you're a shadow of your former self and you wouldn't even stand up to a Genin. Is this what you really want ? To be a burden to your family and your people ?"

— "I... Kenzo, I cannot accept this. As you say, these are my people ! My people ! I can't abandon them !" The Senju explained in despair at not being able to do anything more.

He knew deep down that it was a miracle that he could stand, but his warrior's soul pushed him to go beyond his limits. The monk, on the other hand, looked intensely at the man. He had no value judgement about him, but what he saw was the obvious : men, especially those in power, were unable to accept that they had no control.

— "Sometimes you have to... accept to let go."

— "Never ! Hashirama shouted, so inconceivable was the idea to him.

— "Then you will die," Kenzo announced in a deep voice.

The two men stared at each other for a long moment. The Hyûga recognized that Hashirama was getting better, but not to the point of being able to fight. It would be dozens of years before he was fit again in the use of chakra.

— "You have no other choice, my friend. Accept it ! Your past is already dead, your future is an illusion. Instead of wasting what little energy you have speculating on what you could do, focus on what you can do right now."

— "So help me !" Hashirama begged.

— "I am doing just that my friend ! Help you on the path to wisdom and inner peace."

— "Yes, but... help me again ! I know I'm better, you told me that my coils were better and..."

— "They're far from healed," the monk said.

— "But I know I can heal them. And you can help me, I've thought about it."

— "But how ? What you have is beyond my ability and you know it," Kenzo replied.

— "Help me by guiding me, I will use Senjutsu to heal myself !"

— "Do you remember the effect it had on you ? Do you still want to try it again ?"

— "That's where you come in, Kenzo. With your pupils you can guide me to the places I need to heal... please," the Senju implored, desperate to join his own. "Understand me ! There are my friends, my family, my brother... my wife ! I can't leave them and have their deaths on my conscience knowing I could have done something, so I beg you Kenzo, if you're my friend, help me."

— "Well," Kenzo sighed as he saw that Hashirama was sticking to his guns and trying to take him by storm. After all, perhaps the recovery time would be enough to knead the chakra again and speed up the man's healing.

Hashirama immediately put himself in the lotus position before concentrating on his chakra. It had been so long since he had done this, so long since he had felt the chakra of nature flow through him, he missed it terribly. But his body had been too weak lately and he wouldn't have been able to handle that energy inside him, but today he felt ready.

Under Kenzo's concerned and professional gaze, Hashirama began by drawing the natural chakra around him. He gathered it up and manipulated it as he knew how, before pouring it into his body in one fell swoop with the intention of healing himself.

Except that as soon as the Senjutsu penetrated his body, he felt a violent pain run through his entire body as if someone was trying to heat him up.

— "Hashirama !" Kenzo shouted as he saw his friend rolling on the ground while screaming in pain. He was hitting the ground in such pain and his voice was becoming inhuman to the point of screaming. Kenzo unfortunately could not do anything, but he understood why Hashirama was in pain : Senjutsu !

Hashirama was the first known user of Senjutsu in centuries. This use of natural chakra was only possible because he was a descendant of the Rikudô Sennin and thus his body was compatible with this type of chakra. But during his confrontation with Madara, Hashirama used a lot of Senjutsu chakra... even too much and too often.

Kenzo Hyûga understood by observing the energy flows that had penetrated his friend's body that this natural energy was indeed responsible for the painful reaction that Hashirama had just experienced again. Through this experience, the monk had the answers to what he did not understand.

It took Hashirama several minutes to calm the pain. He was completely out of breath, sweaty and felt extremely weak... as if all those months of rest had been for nothing.

— "What's happening to me !" Hashirama shouted in exhaustion.

— "Did you use a lot of Senjutsu during your fight against Madara ?" Kenzo asked urgently, looking at the Senju's chakra system which was still suffering damage.

— "Yes," Hashirama answered immediately, still grunting in pain.

— "To excess ?"

— "Yes ! I remind you that it was Madara ! I wasn't going to let him take me down without doing anything ! I gave it my all when I saw I couldn't bring him to his senses."

— "So you overdosed and your body now considers Senjutsu chakra a poison," Kenzo explained as he watched Hashirama's body fight the natural chakra in his body.

— "Why ?!" Hashirama asked completely confused.

Senjutsu had been like second nature to him, why did his body now consider it a poison ?

— "Because the body remembers everything. You have visual memory, muscle memory, and you remember the damage a Ninjutsu technique does because the body remembers the pain ! And the Senjutsu you used did damage to your body... it shredded your chakra coils because you overused them with Senjutsu. So your body is rejecting the natural energy which has become a poison to it," Kenzo explained, deactivating his Byakugan after seeing all the natural chakra disappear from the Senju's body.

— "What can I do then ?"

— "Nothing... unfortunately nothing more than what you have done since you arrived here."

And for the first time in many years, Hashirama Senju began to cry with rage, for he realized that he could not help those he loved.

Day 290

Hashirama was sullen and devastated at the situation he had been in since his last use of Senjutsu. He was back to square one as all of his chakra had been used to fight the natural chakra he had wanted to store.

He had only one thing to do as it stood : wait and think.

In a way, he understood better what the monk had told him about focusing on the present moment. Even if it cost him to not think about the horrors of the war his people were going through, Hashirama Senju understood that he had to find a solution to his condition first before considering anything for the future.

And if he wanted to become what he was, he had to find a way to heal himself. He knew that he was not far from solving this riddle, how to amplify his healing technique using Senjutsu without it being recognized as a poison.

That was why he had asked Kenzo to guide him with his Byakugan, he wanted the natural energy to go to the chakra coils since they were the problem to his ability to knead chakra and simply heal. But the Byakugan could not be a guide, he had been proven wrong in his last attempt.

He had to figure out how to allow the Senjutsu to go only to the damaged areas. And after much reflection, he found the solution : Fûinjutsu !

And who says seal technique, he immediately thought of his wife : Mito !

Thanks to him, he was interested in Fûinjutsu which brought so many possibilities. Hashirama did not lose a moment and wrote a letter for his wife.

Mito,

Meet me at Hi No Tera, only you can help me.

Hashirama.