Just as those two Uchiha had toyed with Kawarama earlier, Tobirama Senju deliberately let his killing intent show, enough for the two Uchiha ninjas to sense that an enemy who could take their lives at any moment was walking right beside them.
But aside from endless darkness, the two Uchiha ninjas could see nothing.
That killing intent moved swiftly and unpredictably. Every so often, a kunai would cut across their bodies, and even more sharply across their fear-strained nerves.
The wounds were not fatal, but they were humiliating and terrifying.
It made them feel like helpless little rabbits being toyed with in the claws of a snow wolf.
Tobirama knew he could not simply smile and let old grudges go the way his older brother could.
But he also would not rely on his strength and knowledge of the Uchiha to kill these two Uchiha ninjas from this parallel world.
After returning every injury Kawarama had suffered, Tobirama Senju threw the two Uchiha near the Uchiha clan territory and left them with one sentence. "I have no intention of killing you. Even if you die, the hatred between the Uchiha and the Senju will not disappear. Only by letting go of past hatred can new hatred be prevented from being born. You two should think about that carefully."
Having grown used to treating younger generations as a mentor, his attitude was like that of an elder lecturing juniors, which left the Uchiha completely unable to figure out whose side he was actually on.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
Incredibly fast as always, he dealt with the two Uchiha ninjas in no time and returned to his younger brother Kawarama's side.
Kawarama Senju, who had survived under his protection, stood there staring blankly at the man in a fitted black ninja outfit. Whether he feared the cold or simply wanted to look imposing, the man had insisted on putting a ring of white fur around his collar.
Even young Kawarama knew that the man in front of him was extremely strong.
And that he was the one who had saved him.
But he had never seen such a powerful person in the clan territory before.
"Are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine!" Kawarama was still dazed.
"Then let's go back to the clan and get you bandaged."
"Wait!"
"Hm?"
Kawarama looked at the man before him. White hair, red eyes, and skin even fairer than a woman's.
The Senju had always had black hair, brown hair, or dark-brown hair like his own.
Some people said white hair, red eyes, and snow-white skin were signs of albinism. But everyone in the clan knew that the Clan Head's second son, his own second brother, had simply inherited their mother's looks.
Because of that, Father was always a little more tolerant of Tobirama, and he, Itama, and Hashirama usually listened to second brother Tobirama more.
So...
"Tobirama-nii-san?"
Logically, Kawarama knew the person in front of him could not possibly be his second brother Tobirama.
So the moment the words left his mouth, the child already regretted it.
He felt as though he was trying far too awkwardly to force a connection.
The other person would definitely think he was desperately claiming a relationship, right?
Tobirama said, "Mm. What is it?"
Someone he had never seen in the clan, yet who had saved him and seriously injured two Uchiha ninjas.
Could this person be... a relative from Mother's side?
He had just called him Brother Tobirama, and did he actually answer with "mm"?!!
"Is it really Tobirama-nii-san?!!"
"Mm. Did you complete your mission?"
"I did!"
"Good. I'll take you back to the clan."
Tobirama Senju was best at restraining and suppressing his emotions, but at this moment, that excessive restraint instead felt abnormal.
Perhaps because he had restrained himself to the limit, his overly stiff tone and movements betrayed what he truly felt inside.
Placing a hand on Kawarama's shoulder, Tobirama Senju used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Hashirama's side.
At that time, young Hashirama was frantically apologizing to his grown-up self.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?! Are you even okay?! Can Tobirama really save Kawarama by himself?! Hurry up! Let's go save Tobirama and Kawarama together!!"
The moment Tobirama returned, he heard his brother as a child urging his Big Brother.
Clearly, his Big Brother had already explained things to his younger self.
"No need. Kawarama has already been saved."
"Tobirama!"
"Kawarama!!"
Two voices rang out. The first belonged to young Hashirama, who had suddenly seen the grown-up Tobirama.
The second belonged to the First Hokage, who had once watched his younger brother's coffin sink into the earth beneath a sunset sky.
The great big First Hokage was holding his younger brother Kawarama, who was several sizes smaller than him, with tears in his eyes. He looked as if he wanted to bury his head in Kawarama's chest and rub against him.
Beside them, the young Hashirama with the metal watermelon-like head was trying to kiss, hug, and lift up his younger brother Tobirama, who was several sizes larger than him.
When Butsuma Senju came out of the clan territory, this was the scene he saw.
In short…
It was unbearably painful to look at.
He let out a long sigh and comforted himself. His son was grown now, and at any rate, he was the leader of a ninja village. His fists itched, but he could not hit him. More importantly, he could not beat him anymore.
Young Hashirama did not realize that his own father should have been fighting on the battlefield against the Uchiha and Hagoromo. Seeing Butsuma Senju, who had been revived by the mission scroll, he called his father over to look at the grown-up Tobirama.
"This is great! I really did protect my younger brothers and let them grow up safe and sound!"
Young Hashirama, who was clinging to Tobirama, never imagined that his words had once again stabbed Hashirama right in the heart like a sharp knife.
The dusk when Kawarama's body was buried.
The sight of himself crying uncontrollably when he found Itama's body.
Becoming friends with Madara and talking together about the dream of founding a village.
Then being torn apart by their clans.
Meeting on the battlefield again and again, until they finally became Clan Heads themselves, shouldered responsibility, and led the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan into battle.
Izuna's death shattered the balance.
Madara, who had staked everything on one final gamble, was defeated as well.
He demanded that Hashirama either kill Tobirama or kill himself, yet he stopped Hashirama's hand when Hashirama tried to take his own life.
Then Konoha was founded.
Madara became obsessed with the Eye of the Moon Plan and left him, and left the village.
When Madara returned, he brought the Nine-Tails with him and tried to destroy the village.
Hashirama killed Madara.
Then Hashirama himself died too, leaving Tobirama to face the First Shinobi World War alone.
It was not until recently, when that young man named Orochimaru summoned him back with Edo Tensei Reincarnation, that he learned Madara had used Izanagi to rewrite his death and had survived all along in the space between heaven and hell. Madara had used his own clansman and would soon trigger the Fourth Shinobi World War in the future.
Hashirama suddenly realized something.
"By changing this world's history like this, maybe Madara and I will never have the chance to become friends again."
"But Madara was the revelation heaven gave me. Without Madara, without the pain of losing my younger brothers, perhaps I would never have thought of founding Konoha at all."
Without Konoha setting a precedent, the ninja world would remain in the Warring States Period for even longer.
Perhaps for decades, centuries, or even a thousand years, until someone finally grew tired of war and hatred, united the ninja clans, and formed a village for ninjas.
Thinking of this, Hashirama suddenly had no answer.
"Maybe we've ruined this world with our actions."
But if asked whether he regretted it...
If they knew Kawarama would die and still chose not to save him, that would leave even more remorse and regret in their hearts, as well as in the hearts of this world's young Hashirama and young Tobirama.
"Sigh." Tobirama Senju sighed. "You're only realizing that now?"
"From the moment Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha also crossed into this parallel world, Konoha may very well have become impossible to establish."
"Eh?!!"
Tobirama said, "Don't forget, Madara Uchiha once regretted founding Konoha with you and wanted to destroy it. And sooner or later, Izuna Uchiha will learn that the Uchiha Clan was wiped out. When that time comes, do you think he'll agree to another village like that appearing in the ninja world?"
"!!!!"
"So whether or not Kawarama is saved is not the root issue behind whether the village can be founded."
"The real problem is that Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha also came to this world, idiot big brother."
Butsuma Senju also reminded the two that, just like him, Tajima Uchiha on the Uchiha side had been revived as well.
That made things even harder.
Young Hashirama also understood that his future self had not truly protected his younger brothers.
That line, "Without Madara, without the pain of losing my younger brothers, perhaps I would never have thought of founding Konoha at all," made him realize that because his future self had failed to protect his younger brothers, his regret seemed to have led him to accomplish something great.
At that time, young Hashirama had not yet competed with anyone at skipping stones by the Naka River, nor did he know who "Madara" was. He could not imagine that in another parallel world, his future self would be known as the "God of Shinobi," nor could he imagine that "Konoha" represented the historic first step from "zero" to "one" in the Warring States Period.
In his heart, protecting his clansmen and younger brothers on the battlefield was a far greater ideal than those dreams.
Hashirama could tell that if things continued like this...
This world might become something completely different.
At that moment, Itama Senju, who could not find his brother in the clan territory, also arrived at their location in the Senju Forest.
Looking at that small, thin figure with hair half black and half light brown, Hashirama Senju remembered all too clearly the despair of rushing through the forest back then, only to find his younger brother's body in the end.
Because of Itama's death, he and Madara had become close friends and confirmed their shared destiny.
As Hashirama and Tobirama watched Kawarama and Itama gather around young Hashirama, how could they possibly bear to let these two younger brothers, who had not even lived past the final winter before turning seven, die again for the sake of history's course?