[Timeline: Second Hokage Era]
[Year: 17th Year of Konohagakure]
[Unification Progress: 22%]
"I killed Madara!?"
Hashirama's voice cracked the air like a whip.
His eyes were wide, and his tone... disbelieving.
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"
He took a shaky step back.
"Madara and I were close. We founded Konoha together! He's the one who even came up with the name of the village. How could he leave? And how could I ever bring myself to fight him—let alone kill him?!"
His voice rose again, and his gaze sharpened as it fell on his younger brother.
"Tobirama. What… exactly… did you do?"
The heat in his voice made Tobirama reflexively pull his shoulders back, bracing for impact.
But he refused to show weakness—not to anyone. Especially not when it came to Madara.
He straightened his spine and shot back, cool and stubborn.
"That was his choice. No one pushed Madara out. Not me, not the village. He left of his own accord after arguing with you. Don't act like this was some scheme of mine."
The tension between the brothers hung in the air like a drawn blade.
Then, slowly, Hashirama exhaled. His expression shifted from accusatory to conflicted.
"…He left because of me?"
He remembered. A foggy memory—still in the future for his original self—but now uncomfortably real in this world.
"Was it… that time he invited me to the Nanga Shrine?"
Tobirama didn't answer. He didn't need to.
"…I see. Then I'll fix it."
Hashirama's eyes glinted with sudden clarity.
"When I return to my own timeline, I'll make sure we talk. I'll make sure Madara doesn't leave."
Tobirama sighed. He didn't want to dampen his brother's resolve… but he also didn't want to give him false hope.
"…Do what you want. Just don't expect him to be the same as when you last saw him."
Hashirama's jaw clenched. "So… I really killed him, didn't I?"
"Yes," Tobirama said, more quietly now. "You fought him for three days and three nights. The terrain around the Valley of the End was forever changed. And in the end, you… stabbed him through the back."
"I sealed his body with my own hands."
Hashirama stood still.
There was no visible reaction—but his silence screamed louder than any outburst.
He stared blankly at the horizon, as if watching that battle unfold. The valley. The waterfalls. The endless sky above two gods turned enemies.
Madara had been more than a friend. More than a rival. In many ways… he was the only person who truly understood him.
And I killed him?
He thought back to the question Kai had asked him during their first conversation.
"What do you want to protect—the village, or your family?"
Now, the question stung.
Maybe, in the end, his answer had been the village.
Maybe it always would be.
"Brother?"
Tobirama's voice nudged him from his spiral.
"…It's just a little hard to accept," Hashirama muttered.
Tobirama said nothing. He knew the feeling all too well.
After the battle at the Valley of the End, the version of Hashirama in this world had withdrawn from village affairs for months—only returning when Tsunade was born. That child had been his only light in those years of grief.
If Hashirama had Uchiha blood… Tobirama was sure he would've awakened the Mangekyō on the spot.
"Alright," Hashirama said finally, forcing calm back into his voice. "I'll deal with Madara when I return. Now, tell me… how did the war start?"
Tobirama's brows lowered.
"It was inevitable."
"After you died, the major powers began circling like vultures. The Land of Fire occupies the richest and most strategic territory in the ninja world. Without you… the deterrent was gone."
He continued with a bitter undertone.
"They wanted to test Konoha's strength. Probe for weakness. And once they sensed an opening, they pounced. Our enemies weren't content to test us… they wanted to divide and devour the Fire Country itself."
"Typical," Hashirama muttered.
"Wouldn't have happened if you were alive," Tobirama added. "At the very least, Kinkaku and Ginkaku wouldn't have dared to act like they did."
He threw a cold glance at the red smear where Kinkaku's body used to be.
Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
I led us to victory. I faced the combined might of three villages and still forced Kumogakure to negotiate peace. I earned the title "Fastest Ninja in the World."
And still… I almost died to those two beasts.
Tobirama ground his teeth.
Kai couldn't help but imagine a completely different scenario.
If Hashirama had been at that infamous peace summit…
Kinkaku and Ginkaku walk in.
Hashirama stands up, smiling."Who are these two rude guests? Brother Raikage, please excuse me a moment. I'll go handle them."
Raikage: "At least have a drink before you go, Lord Hashirama."
Hashirama: "I'll drink when I return!"
One blink later…
Hashirama walks back in, dragging both Kinkaku and Ginkaku unconscious behind him.
"Brother Raikage! They can turn into red foxes! What a party trick! I've sealed them for you so they won't cause any more problems—ha ha!"
The Raikage nervously sips his wine, which is now boiling in his cup.
"T-terrifying…"
Kai nearly snorted out loud.
No wonder the world stayed peaceful when this guy was alive.
Hashirama shook himself from his thoughts.
"…It's true," he said at last. "My strength was a big part of keeping the peace. But I won't live forever."
"There has to be a better system. A way to replace power with structure. Something that can deter war even without me around."
Then his eyes narrowed with realization.
"…The tailed beasts."
He turned to Tobirama.
"In this world, did I… use the tailed beasts as deterrents?"
Tobirama's face darkened.
"…Don't even start."
Hashirama flinched. "That bad?"
Tobirama crossed his arms.
"You didn't just use them as deterrents. You tried to give them away for free at the first Five Kage Summit."
"…Oh."
"I had to force the other Kage to pay for them just to stop you from making it worse. We kept the Nine-Tails. The others were sold to the other villages. And guess what?"
"As soon as you died, three of those four villages turned around and started a war."
Only Sunagakure stayed quiet, Tobirama explained. They hid and focused on research—developing techniques like Magnet Release and the Feigning Sleep Jutsu.
And the rest?
Failed.
The so-called Tailed Beast Deterrence System?
Crumbled immediately.
"…So it failed," Hashirama muttered. "I really did try to use the tailed beasts to bring peace. But it didn't work."
He turned to Kai, his voice a little hesitant.
"…Sir. You knew this from the beginning, didn't you? When we first met, you already knew this plan wouldn't work."
Kai smiled faintly. "I did."
"I thought it was a good idea," Hashirama said defensively. "Maybe not perfect, but…"
"It is a good idea," Kai said. "But like most good ideas, it wasn't the plan that failed. It was the execution."
He looked to Tobirama.
"Senju Tobirama. How do you judge whether a policy is good or bad?"
Tobirama frowned, then answered confidently.
"As long as the benefits outweigh the costs, it's a good policy."
Kai nodded. "Pragmatic. That's why you were a better administrator than your brother."
Hashirama: "Hey!"
Kai ignored him.
"Now, answer this: what were the benefits of dividing up the tailed beasts?"
"…We made a lot of money," Tobirama said flatly.
"Anything else?"
"We… sort of spread Hashirama's peace philosophy."
Kai raised a brow. "That's it?"
Tobirama glanced at his brother—then wisely said nothing more.
Kai sighed.
"Then let me say it."