"You said the Hokage?" Senju Tobirama furrowed his brow, staring with intense displeasure at Hashirama, who had stars in his eyes.
Whenever anything came up, his big brother could only think of that evil Uchiha. I am your brother! I am!
"Yes! I've thought it all over, Tobirama. Madara has the strength, the prestige, and the villagers really like him. He is the most suitable person to be Hokage!" Hashirama went on, growing more and more cheerful on his own, completely oblivious to Tobirama's increasingly grim expression.
"Leaving aside his strength and prestige, Brother, just where on earth did you get the idea that the villagers like him?"
"Yesterday! Yesterday, Madara and I ran into a little girl. She liked Madara so much! Not only was she not afraid of him, she even called him big brother!" Although it still annoyed him a little that Lily had called him uncle, considering how much Lily liked Madara—and that it proved to Madara that not everyone in the village was afraid of him—Hashirama decided to magnanimously forgive Lily.
Did something like that actually happen?
Tobirama was a bit surprised, but he didn't take it to heart. "One or two people don't prove anything. The final choice still needs to reflect the will of the people in the Land of Fire and the village. We'll discuss it with the higher-ups before deciding."
Hashirama opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Tobirama waved a hand, cutting him off mercilessly. "Things are different now from the days of Father and the others."
"But..." Hashirama still wanted to argue a bit more. He had just made grand boasts to Madara yesterday, telling him the position of Hokage was his and his alone... He didn't want to disappoint Madara.
"Besides, Uchiha Madara being chosen as Hokage is simply out of the question. Everyone understands that it was you, Brother, who brought this village into being. The Uchiha understand that too."
Seeing that his big brother still didn't understand, Tobirama continued, "Furthermore, Brother, haven't you heard the rumors about the Uchiha clan? Among them, the stronger the hatred, the stronger their ocular power—the Sharingan works that way. There's no telling what kind of trouble that bunch might stir up."
Tobirama paused, staring quietly into Hashirama's eyes. "For the future of the village..."
"Don't talk like that, Tobirama!" Hashirama was getting angry. The Uchiha were founding partners who had built the village together with the Senju. If everyone in the village thought like Tobirama, then in the future there would surely be irreconcilable conflicts between the village and the Uchiha, and by that time...
At this thought, Hashirama felt it necessary to have a proper talk with his brother later on, even if it only changed his brother's impression of the Uchiha by the slightest fraction.
Right at that moment, Hashirama suddenly sensed a familiar chakra. Startled, he immediately stood up and opened the window. Whenever someone he cared about was nearby, Hashirama always used his chakra to keep a constant watch on his surroundings, and if he wasn't mistaken, this chakra should be...
"I felt like someone was just out here, Tobirama. You must know who it was."
"No, I wasn't using chakra just now. Don't change the subject, Brother!" Tobirama looked at Hashirama with some dissatisfaction.
Was it just my imagination... No...
Hashirama silently lowered his head and picked up a broken green leaf that had fallen outside the window.
"From now on, we must operate in a democratic way. Do you have any objections?"
"No... That's fine." He clutched the green leaf tightly in his hand.
***
A sudden drizzle began, scattered raindrops pattering down upon the fledgling village.
"Three-flavor dumplings! Three-flavor dumplings! Delicious three-flavor dumplings!"
"Takoyaki over here! Step right up, don't miss out!"
Although the weather wasn't ideal, it couldn't stop the villagers from wanting to go out. The entire snack street of the village was bustling with lively energy, making a downcast Madara look completely out of place.
Barring any surprises, Hashirama would become the First Hokage. As for the Second—although he was confident Hashirama would want him to succeed him, the position of Hokage would undoubtedly end up falling to that naturally evil Senju Tobirama.
He had anticipated all of this long ago and had already accepted reality. It wasn't that he didn't care about these things; what truly weighed on his mind were the words on the stone tablet, and Hashirama...
"Get your sushi here! Salmon sushi! Fried tofu sushi! Tuna sushi! Tempura sushi! Fried chicken sushi! If you can think of it, we've got it! Ten taels each! Everything is ten taels each!" At Arthur's sushi shop, Arthur was shouting energetically. Just fifty more taels and he could close up for the day and go back to training!
All right! Arthur's inner cosmos is about to explode!
Hm? It's that little girl from yesterday, helping out her family by selling sushi? And she has fried tofu sushi—what a cultured child.
I happen to be a little hungry, so I'll go in and support this good kid's business.
"Welcome~ Please come in, guest. Oh? It's Big Brother Madara!" Arthur looked in pleasant surprise at the long-haired black-clad man entering the shop. He had just been fretting over how to cozy up to him and Hashirama, and now Madara had delivered himself right to his doorstep.
"Mm... How much for the fried tofu sushi?" Madara walked in and found a seat. Aside from Hashirama, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to handling other people's warmth and friendliness.
"Ten taels each, Big Brother Madara. How many do you want? Eating here or taking them to go?"
"Ten... Twenty, I suppose. Eating here." Madara thought for a moment and decided to buy ten extra to take back and offer to Izuna for a taste.
"You got it, Big Brother Madara, just a moment!" Arthur's short little legs scrambled rapidly. Fearing he wasn't moving fast enough, he even channeled chakra into them, terrified that Uchiha Madara might change his mind and run off at any second.
"..." Madara.
This kid... is really enthusiastic.
***
"All right, Big Brother Madara, your sushi~" Arthur set two plates down in front of Madara, then naturally pulled up a seat right across from him.
"..." Madara.
Madara hesitated for a moment, ultimately deciding not to dampen a child's enthusiasm and good intentions. He silently picked up a piece of sushi and began to eat.
"Big Brother Madara, why do you look so gloomy?" Arthur watched him eat for a moment. Feeling that this wasn't getting him anywhere, he decided to make conversation.
Some great man once said that cozying up to powerful figures requires two things: first, being shameless, and second, persisting in being shameless.
Madara glanced at him sideways, then shifted his gaze back to his sushi.
Should I tell you it's because you're way too familiar?
"You'll understand when you reach my age."
"..."