Madara Uchiha declared on the spot that the First Hokage had to be someone from the Uchiha clan.
But if the Hokage were chosen through a popular election, no one could possibly imagine Madara with a dark expression, wearing Uchiha clan robes with a ribbon that read "Please vote for me" hanging off them, standing at the village entrance trying to win votes.
Tobirama Senju asked coldly, "You're not planning to force people to vote for you with violence, are you, Madara?"
"Madara wouldn't do something like that!" Hashirama said. That said, cold sweat was already rolling down his back.
Madara Uchiha didn't look at Hashirama. His gaze locked onto Tobirama Senju.
"After Izuna is revived, the First Hokage will be him."
Tobirama Senju immediately exploded. "Don't make decisions on your own! The Hokage must be chosen by the will of the people—"
A hand pressed down on Tobirama's shoulder.
"Big brother?"
"Tobirama, stop repeating yourself. What Madara is talking about is still a voting-based system." After hearing Madara say he wanted Izuna to become Hokage, Hashirama couldn't help recalling the things Madara had once told him about Izuna.
He looked at Madara, his expression softening. "Madara once talked to me about Izuna. Unlike Madara himself, Izuna valued balance and harmony. He got along very well with everyone within the Uchiha clan. Precisely because of that, he cared too much about the clansmen and children who died on the battlefield and were now in the Pure Lands, so he always held a negative attitude toward forming alliances…"
At the same time, losing Izuna had cut Madara off from his clan, causing his prestige in both Konoha and within the Uchiha clan to plummet.
It had even reached the point where rumors spread inside the Uchiha clan claiming that Madara deliberately delayed his treatment just to grow stronger, all so he could obtain Izuna's eyes.
That was clearly unfair to Madara. Even though Hashirama, as his closest friend, wanted to help him, there was only so much he could do in the face of overwhelming public opinion.
"Now that we know about your future, and about Black Zetsu who's been secretly targeting the Uchiha clan, I believe that once Izuna is revived, he'll gradually come to accept Konoha. He'll love the entire Hidden Leaf Village just as deeply as he loves the Uchiha clan."
"Hashirama…"
Hashirama's words, filled with trust, stirred a faint ripple of emotion in Madara.
Hashirama grinned at him. Ever since spending time with Naruto, he felt like his way with words had actually improved.
"Big brother, you're being far too naive!" Tobirama Senju shot back. "Izuna Uchiha died indirectly because of the severe injuries I gave him. There's no way he could integrate into the village."
Hashirama just laughed and replied, "Isn't that why you're here?"
"Huh?" Tobirama Senju was about to lose his mind.
Did Big Brother really think I'm on good terms with that guy?!
"I won't help Izuna Uchiha become Hokage. You and Madara should give up on this childish idea," Tobirama Senju said flatly.
Hashirama didn't seem bothered. "It's still too early to argue about that. You didn't object to reviving Izuna either, did you? Let's wait until Izuna comes back, then sit down and discuss it together before deciding."
After thinking for a moment, he flashed Madara a big, toothy grin. "When the time comes, how about we have Tobirama carve Izuna's face onto the rock wall too, Madara?"
Madara's expression turned sour. "Izuna's style doesn't match yours. That Hokage Rock is ugly. No."
Tobirama Senju flared up. Hashirama deflated.
Madara added, "When the time comes, let Izuna find someone himself to carve it."
(At the time, none of them knew that this single sentence would later split the Hokage Rock in two, one half in JoJo style, the other in Bishōnen style…)
Hashirama turned to Madara and began telling Naruto and the others about how he and Madara first met as children.
"Back then, we couldn't reveal our surnames. Because we'd both experienced the pain of losing a younger brother, we found common ground."
As he spoke about that precious friendship from the Warring States era, the overwhelming presence he and Madara naturally carried seemed to ease considerably.
When he got to the part about their childhood training, he inevitably brought up Madara's weakness.
"Madara was a real handful when he was little. When he went to pee, he absolutely wouldn't let me stand behind him…"
The gloomy look on Hashirama's face made everyone silently complain inside. No normal person would insist on standing behind someone while they were peeing in the first place.
"Hashirama—!!!!"
Madara never imagined he'd bring something like that up in public.
"Believe it or not, next time I—" Madara cut himself off halfway through, seething.
Hashirama squatted on the ground, looking like a pitiful lump of misery.
"If you want to hit me, then just hit me. Anyway… as long as I'm standing behind you, it's fine."
What was with this sudden turn? Sudden dark shift? Suddenly dumb-cute and suddenly asking for trouble at the same time?!
Hashirama! Where did your dignity go?!
Tobirama Senju clearly seemed used to this by now. He pressed a hand to his forehead and didn't say a word.
The people from the future Kakashi team and Minato team were all completely stunned.
Naruto didn't dare ask Sasuke, so he poked Obito instead. "Are Uchiha really that sensitive?"
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Obito immediately denied it. "This is definitely just the old ancestor's personal problem!! Right, Sasuke! Itachi!"
Itachi: "..." Why are you dragging me into this?
Sasuke: "Are you an idiot?! Who would be like him?!"
At this point, Madara had no idea whether he should crush Hashirama first or strangle that brat Obito first.
His face darkened, and he didn't want to say a single word.
Hashirama continued, talking about his anger, pain, and helplessness when his two younger brothers died on the battlefield at the ages of six and seven.
"Back then, every time Madara and I met, we trained like our lives were on the line, and we improved incredibly fast," he said. "That was because we were both deeply afraid…"
The fact that even someone as powerful as Hashirama could feel fear made the adult Kakashi and Minato Namikaze sigh at the chaos and uncertainty of life and death in the Warring States era.
A heavy sadness seemed to flow around Hashirama and Madara.
Those who hadn't lived through the wars of that era could never truly understand what their generation had endured.
"I was afraid," Hashirama said softly, "that Madara and I wouldn't even be able to protect our last remaining younger brother."
As he spoke, he looked at Tobirama. These words were also meant for him, hoping he could see things from Madara's and Hashirama's perspective.
"During breaks from training, we would always talk about our brothers."
The two hopeless brother-lovers would even exaggerate shamelessly, praising their younger brothers as if they were omnipotent and unbelievably adorable…
"Tobirama, when Madara and I founded the village, it wasn't out of revenge, and it wasn't because we wanted to pacify the entire world!"
Because of Naruto and Obito causing trouble at the Hokage Rock, because of the hope that Izuna could be revived, and because he had heard people from the future talk about how, not long after his death, Tobirama struggled to hold Konoha together during the First Shinobi World War, only to eventually die in an ambush by Kumogakure, Hashirama began to reexamine his and Madara's original intentions.
That dream of putting his younger brother safely inside the village and protecting him…
When did it turn into igniting a flame of hope for the entire ninja world?
"Our original dream, our original intention…" Hashirama glanced at Madara. "Was simply to put you and Izuna inside the village and protect you properly."
He still remembered what Madara had said back then—
'When the time comes, we'll put our younger brothers in the village and protect them properly.'
At that time, both he and Madara only had one younger brother left. So when Madara said "brothers," it included Hashirama's brother as well. It included Tobirama.
Madara thought of Izuna, and of himself and Hashirama back then, but said nothing.
Tobirama's temper had eased somewhat, but he still reminded him, "Big brother, this village no longer belongs to just you and Madara."
The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.
Only they were capable of ending the wars and leading the ninja world toward peace.
"That's right," Hashirama said with a smile, pulling the topic back. "So Madara and I actually lost our way during all those long years of fighting! Our dream was just to protect you and Izuna. Once Izuna is revived, we'll hand the Hokage position over to the two of you, and Madara and I can go think about new goals!!"
"…Huh?"
This outrageous turn left both Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha staring at Hashirama in shock.
Let Izuna Uchiha and Tobirama Senju become Hokage while the two of them go off and mess around…
No, wait—
Go off and search for new goals?!
Hashirama ignored his younger brother, whose jaw was practically about to hit the ground, and instead looked at Madara, puffing out his cheeks like he used to as a kid.
"Hey! What do you think?"
"Hmm…" Madara seemed to give it some thought. "Sounds pretty good, actually."
The two of them snickered foolishly together, when suddenly, deep in his mind, a fleeting voice flashed past.
'Hashirama… you've got things completely backwards…'
"!!!"
Madara noticed Hashirama suddenly spacing out. "What's wrong?"
"Did you just say something, Madara?"
"??" Madara looked at him like he was an idiot. "I said it wasn't bad. What about it?"
"Really? I swear I heard you say something else."
"Huh? Then what did you hear me say?"
Hashirama shook his head hard, but he couldn't remember what that sudden voice in his mind had said. He only felt as though, in that instant, his heart had been tightly clenched by a powerful hand, or pierced straight through by something sharp.
"Well! Whatever!! It's decided!" Hashirama slapped Tobirama's shoulder firmly. "Once Izuna is revived, Konoha will be handed over to you two. When the time comes, don't forget to add Izuna's face to the Hokage Rock."
Thinking about Tobirama's… unique sense of aesthetics, Madara couldn't help wanting to laugh.
"Let's not, Hashirama! You want that aesthetic disaster of a little brother of yours to handle the carving? I can't even imagine what Izuna would look like. I'd probably have nightmares and wake up scared out of my mind, okay?!"
Originally, it had been Naruto who noticed that Madara didn't quite fit in. With his and Obito's plan, they'd pulled a prank on the Hokage Rock, carving the three founders' so-called surrender right into the cliff during the era of the First Hokage.
And now, somehow, they had actually helped the three of them rediscover their original dreams.
It was just that the position of First Hokage might need to change hands.
While everyone was caught up in the moment, Tobirama and Minato suddenly sensed an eerie fluctuation in space-time.
"This feeling of space-time…"
Minato realized it was the same energy ripple that appeared every time they crossed worlds, solved a problem in that world, and prepared to leave.
"But our bodies aren't turning transparent, dattebayo," Naruto said, puzzled.
Minato sorted through the scattered information in his head and finally came to a conclusion—
They were bugged.
Taking into account the historical event where Madara Uchiha led the Nine-Tails in an attack on Konoha and was ultimately killed by the First Hokage, the problem this parallel world needed resolved was most likely the unresolved knot between Madara and the First Hokage themselves.
Thanks to the mission scroll's rewards, they had also obtained even more crucial information. The extermination of the Uchiha clan was fake. Izuna Uchiha could be revived. White Zetsu components could neutralize the domineering properties of Hashirama's cells.
They should have been able to retire cleanly at this point.
But…
Minato unfolded the intelligence scroll Naruto had obtained during his previous B-rank mission once again.
The final fūinjutsu still hadn't been unlocked.
So even after completing their objective, they were stuck, bugged by this scroll itself. The problem was solved, yet they still couldn't return to their original world.