"Ah! Of course I remember. Heh, I never thought we'd really make it happen."
"You said we should build a village of our own here."
"A place where the children of the village wouldn't have to kill one another, and where we could build a Ninja Academy for them to train."
"They could grow up at the Academy and gradually become stronger. Then everyone could choose the missions they wanted based on their abilities and strength."
"We'd also elect a village leader who could clearly distinguish between mission ranks. That way, we wouldn't have to send the children to war."
"Back then, I thought you were foolish, but I also thought a village like that would be wonderful!"
Looking at Konoha before him, Madara Uchiha remembered the days of their youth. The two of them had sat right here, gazing at the village before them, and he couldn't help feeling that it was almost unbelievable.
After all, he'd never imagined that he would actually realize their old dream.
"Heh, that's right!"
"What could be better than a village like this? We can keep all our younger brothers safe here, where nothing can threaten them."
"We can protect them from harm. Anyone who wants to hurt them will have to step over our bodies first."
Hashirama Senju looked at the smiling, happy clansmen before him and smiled faintly.
They'd only established the village a little over a month ago, but countless civilians had already come to live there. They hadn't objected; they'd simply welcomed them in.
After all, a village needed people. Now they were continuing to expand it.
"Whoosh...!"
A gust of wind suddenly swept through, and Madara Uchiha caught a fallen leaf in his hand.
"I used to think it was just a dream. I never realized we could have achieved it if we'd simply worked together. Instead, I chose the most brutal way."
Madara Uchiha looked at the leaf in his hand and spoke slowly. Remembering how reckless he'd once been, he couldn't help thinking how foolish it was.
"But it's reality now, isn't it? Your brother, my brother, and all our clansmen are under our protection. No one will ever be able to destroy our village."
"We'll be the ninja leaders who quietly protect the Land of Fire from within the village. How about calling the position Hokage? What do you think?"
Hashirama Senju smiled at Madara Uchiha, then declared that the village leader would be called the Hokage. He thought it suited the role quite well.
"What are you talking about? Hokage? What does that mean?"
Madara Uchiha looked at Hashirama Senju in confusion and asked.
"The daimyo of the Land of Fire wants us to choose a leader for the village. I want you to lead it—to become the Hokage."
"Your brothers and clansmen are here, but I also hope you'll treat the other ninja and civilians in the village as your own brothers."
"I hope that once you become Hokage, you'll protect everyone in the village just as you've always protected your brothers and clansmen."
Hashirama Senju knew Madara Uchiha was both kind and powerful. There was no question that he was right for the job, so he said with a smile.
"Really? Can I do it?"
"I couldn't even protect my own brothers. Now only Izuna is left. Can I really protect them?"
Madara Uchiha gazed at the fallen leaf in his hand and murmured to himself.
He remembered his brothers dying one after another before his eyes. His heart had been filled with unbearable grief, but he'd been powerless to stop it. He never wanted to experience that feeling again.
"Heh, there's no time to back down now. I think you're the perfect person to become Hokage."
"Now even the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan want to join our village!"
Hashirama Senju smiled at Madara Uchiha and spread his hands.
"Oh?"
"Really? You're sure you're not joking?"
Madara Uchiha hadn't expected anyone else to join the ninja village he and Hashirama Senju had built. It completely overturned everything he'd believed, though it also left him feeling a little awkward. He looked at Hashirama Senju and asked.
"Of course I'm not. You haven't come out to look around lately, have you? See that area? It's all newly built. And over there, too."
"A lot of people have come to the village!"
"It'll keep growing, and it'll grow stronger, too."
"By the way, we should give the village a name. What do you think we should call it?"
Hashirama Senju smiled at him, then pointed toward a patch of open ground that had once been forest.
"Hm?"
"A name?"
Madara Uchiha paused to think. Then he noticed the fallen leaf in his hand and saw the whole village reflected in one corner of it.
"Why not call it Konoha Ninja Village?"
"That's simple...!"
"That name has no depth at all. You just named it after the leaf in your hand!"
Hashirama Senju heard the name Madara Uchiha had chosen and immediately lowered his head, looking dejected.
"How is that any different from your Hokage idea?"
"Also, when are you going to get over that bad habit of becoming dejected at the drop of a hat?"
Seeing Hashirama Senju looking so downcast, Madara Uchiha yelled at him in exasperation. He wasn't convinced at all.
And so, the name Konoha Village was settled, and it won the approval of countless people.
"Hahaha, even though so much time has passed..."
"At long last, the fighting has stopped. Looking at us now, I feel as if I've gone back to my childhood."
Hashirama Senju burst out laughing at Madara Uchiha. Looking over the whole of Konoha, he was deeply satisfied. It felt as if the two of them had returned to the happy days of their youth, a time he'd always longed to revisit.
"By the way, you mentioned the Hokage. What does a Hokage do? Do they just stay in the village and protect its people?"
They were pioneers, having built the very first ninja village, so Madara Uchiha had no idea what the village leader was supposed to do or how he should do it. They had to start from scratch, with no idea where to begin. He looked at Hashirama Senju and asked in confusion.
"That's only part of the job, not all of it. Think about it—we still need to expand the village."
"We also have to accept missions from other countries, assign ninja to carry them out, and collect the payment."
"The village is still under construction, and we'll need to speed up its development from here on."
"So as Hokage, you'll gradually get busier."
"We'll carve your face into the cliff beneath us. Though you'd better change your look a little. It's terrifying—not friendly at all. Hahaha!"
Hashirama Senju had already planned what to do next as he looked down at the cliff. Hearing him say that, Madara Uchiha froze, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
"So it'll symbolize the village's protection?"
"You've got to be kidding. You're calling my handsome face scary? Tch."
"At least it'll look better than your pathetic, lost expression, won't it?"
Madara Uchiha immediately shot back. How dare Hashirama Senju call his handsome face scary? He fired right back.
"Uh..."
"Does it really look that pathetic?"
Hearing Madara Uchiha say that, Hashirama Senju immediately lowered his head and muttered dejectedly.
"Hahaha...!"
"It's not pathetic, it's not pathetic."
"Actually, it's downright embarrassing! Hahaha...!"
Seeing Hashirama Senju like that, Madara Uchiha laughed heartily.
"Is that so? Heh, hahaha...!"
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"There you are!"
"Big Brother, we've been looking everywhere for you two!"
Just then, Izuna Uchiha and Tobirama Senju came running over. Seeing Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju laughing together, they smiled and hurried up to them.
Tobirama Senju followed close behind. The two of them soon came to a stop behind Madara Uchiha and the others.
Since the two clans had made peace, and Senju Fujima had married into the Uchiha Clan, Tobirama Senju had come to see the Uchiha Clan in a much better light. He'd even become good friends with Izuna Uchiha.
The Uchiha Clan had once been branded demons consumed by love. But after spending time with them, Tobirama Senju realized their love was about protection; it was born from the desire to protect.
It was just like the bond between him and his Big Brother. Their love was all about protecting one another. He loved his Big Brother, and his Big Brother was willing to give everything for him. It was that simple.
As the saying went, you didn't know someone until you'd fought them. Their clans had been bitter enemies, yet now they were friends. How ironic!
They had Senju Fujima to thank for that. To help his Second Uncle let go of his hatred for the Uchiha Clan, Senju Fujima had patiently explained things over and over, finally persuading Tobirama Senju with his silver tongue.
Besides, Senju Fujima thought, since he'd already come to the world of Naruto, what was the point of following the original story without changing history?
He was determined to make the Uchiha and Senju Clans live in peace. Later, they would join forces to fight the Otsutsuki Clan.
Just thinking about Naruto and Sasuke being utterly helpless against Ōtsutsuki Isshiki when their strength collapsed in the later stages made him feel afraid.
His own strength was nowhere near that of Six Paths Naruto or Six Paths Sasuke. If he ran into Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, he'd be killed in an instant.
What's more, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was possessing Jigen, and he didn't even know where the man was. The enemy was terrifying—Black Zetsu couldn't compare to him at all.
The invincible final boss hadn't even appeared yet. He had to prepare for the worst. What's more, he didn't know whether the Otsutsuki Clan had anyone even more powerful than Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
"Big Brother, why are you still wasting time here?"
"The ministers from the Land of Fire are about to arrive for a meeting. You two should hurry up and get ready."
Tobirama Senju saw the two of them laughing away without a care, while he and Izuna Uchiha had been rushed off their feet.
Before you continue