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He is fourteen years old and the world drowning in war.
His older brother just died and Madara watches how the flames devour Kou's body. He is now the eldest, his father raised his status despite his opinion that his second son would not make a good heir, let alone Clan Head one day. Many inside the Clan agree with Tajima, but a third has shown their support. More respect him as a warrior at least.
Madara turns around and burns the sight of his three little brothers into his mind. It is not a pretty picture. They look small and tired. One step too far and the flames which are consuming Kou's body will take them as well.
I want them to live, Madara desperately thinks. I just want them to live.
He knows how unlikely it is that all of them are going to make it to adulthood. Togakushi is sick, his health never quite returned after he drank a poisoned tea meant for their father. Kuro is strong, but the last years are wearing on him. Already, and now the stakes are higher than they were yesterday. Izuna has the best chances, out of all of them. With him, Madara can still make time to teach him and hope the war will end before it eats his future.
Four years later, Kou's absence still burns like ashes in his lungs, but Madara has no time to linger on it.
He kills on his father's orders and tries to be a good son until Togakushi takes a suicide mission, too afraid his waning health will become a burden to the family. When he nearly dies, Madara rages for days and argues that with a little more effort, time and money Togakushi will live. That he would recover and become a warrior worth of the investment.
Tajima doesn't see it this way.
Afterwards, Madara doesn't remember what exactly his father said. He only remembers the moment his vision went white.
Three days later, the Clan unanimously names him Clan Head. Tajima is unharmed, but basically a prisoner in his own home. Madara promised his people peace and swears that he will do everything to keep the young off the battlefield.
Kuro is the first to support him, shaken by the thought that their father is so willing to dismiss his children.
"Something needs to change," Madara says to Kuro and Izuna when they sit at Togakushi's side and watch him fade.
He doesn't tell him where he is going to do. He would kill Tajima and raise him through the Edo Tensei, but his father would do more harm than good. So, he keeps Tajima as a reminder of disgrace and vanishes into the night.
On the border of the Uchiha territory, his now after Tajiama stepped down, he flares his chakra exactly once. Too short to be picked up by the patrols, but the message is enough. He would send a falcon but the Senju Clan has the habit to capture them and read the messages before they make it to Hashirama.
Their contact through the last years has been difficult. Often their meetings happen through chance and not by design, but it is enough to keep their friendship alive. Madara fondly remembers the nights where they both talked hours about wishing for better times and how everything would change if they could just twist out of their fathers' thumbs.
"How can I help you?" Hashirama asks when he arrives an hour later. With his armour not in place and his general appearance seeming worn and tired, similar to how Madara feels and it is nice that they still are on the same level, it looks like he dropped everything as soon as he got the message.
With a scowl, Madara notices that Hashirama isn't even armed. Not that he needs it, the forest answers to Hashirama's chakra just like it burns when Madara lets go of his own.
"My little brother is sick. He won't make if he doesn't get help soon," Madara admits.
Butsuma Senju is a cruel man, he heard enough tales to be glad that his own father is simply a beacon of narrow-minded incompetence, but at least the Clan Head knows how to make use of his son. Hashirama heals his own people and feeds them when he can. It creates a precarious imbalance between the siblings, Tobirama being Hashirama's greatest worry, but there is not much what they can do.
Unless Madara plays his cards right.
"Can you bring him to me?" Hashirama asks. In the past, they tried to meet up in secret places.
It got easier after Madara became the Clan Heir which gave him more leeway how he got things done. More than once, he had been grateful for Tajima's blindness. Hard work, injuries or the cost did not matter. His father only saw the results.
"I can take you to him," Madara carefully offers. He notices how quick is heart is beating against his chest, but he cannot allow himself to doubt now. "Tajima is longer Clan Head. I am."
Hashirama stares at him and Madara is afraid his friend will refuse. It would right and a sensible thing to do. Madara could be still luring the heir of the Senju Clan into a trap. It is a risky move on either side, for Madara might as well destroy his tentative hold on his Clan.
"This is good." Hashirama's astonished face turns into a smile. The reaction is a surprise, Madara never associated his status as heir or clan head as something that should be celebrated. It never will, because it was supposed to be Kou's. But Hashirama doesn't leave much room for protest. Instead, the Senju hugs him enthusiastically, "Madara, this is incredible. Think of all the things you will be able to archive now. Of course, I am going to help. Take me to your brother, we will sort everything out once he's out of the woods."
Hashirama, Madara concludes, is insane and far too trusting. It is not his fault that Madara is too desperate to go for any other option.
That Hashirama is ecstatic because this is the first time his friend openly asks for help, even it is directly for himself, completely escapes him.
The Uchiha Clan is in an uproar when they finally notice who their Clean Head just invited behind the enemy lines. A few are ready to free Tajiama from his house arrest, but they reconsider when Hashirama cures Togakushi of the chakra eating venom lingering in his veins. And since he is already at it and seeing an opportunity Hashirama offers to heal anyone in need of it as well.
Kuro and Izuna join Madara in his assessment that Hashirama is insane.
"Why is he not charging us money?" Kuro finally asks. "He must know that he could demand anything in return or his help."
"It is called paying a debt forwards," Hashirama replies without looking up.
Currently, he is healing a badly healed bone fracture of an older woman who took the chance of trusting a rival at the prospect of being free of the pain.
Hashirama turns his head and Kuro flinches, witnessing for the first time that this is the man capable of being nii-sama's equal. "It is a small act for me, but it will leave you in a better state. The Senju Clan needs a strong neighbour and personally, I would prefer it if we became allies one day."