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"He loved you," she spat at Madara.
Tsunade closed her fist in long-suppressed anger. The wish to smash the Uchiha like a rock boiled in her and even in her fury, she was aware she had far more reason to hate Madara. Reasons like the bodies, piled up in mass graves. As Hokage, it was her duty to seek justice for her people and to make sure they had not died in vain.
And yet all she could think of was her mother's face, her tears when she raged against her own mother, the famous Mito Uzumaki. Her younger self had never understood the conflicted face when her mother told him of Hashirama Senju. Nor the shame radiating from her.
("I hate you, mother. I hate you. We all know I should have never been born. You just had to be the jealous wife and crate the rift between the Clans." - "Daughter, don't talk like that in front of Tsunade." - "I care nought. Lies will not ease her life. She should know ...")
Tsunade had not known, not really. For a long time, there had been this missing piece of the puzzle, the name of the one Mito despised. Of course, she had investigated, found clues and heard rumours, but until she saw Uchiha Madara himself in person, she had never truly grasped, what Konoha's history basically was about.
("He was born in the wrong time, in the wrong place. He never really wished for the life had led, because people only ever see, what they want to see.", her mother had told her.)
For a very long time, Tsunade believed it was her grandfather she had been talking about.
Seeing Hashirama Senju's true legacy holding onto an impossible existence with nothing but his sheer burning will to live, taught her better.
It had not been her grandfather, whose name had been carefully carved out of history.
(Or rather sealed away by a very skilful Fuin Master.)
Tsunade saw an age flash by in Madara's eyes. Anger, denial, bitterness ... those emotions she expected.
Loneliness, confusion and a spark of hope, in addition, she did not.
In the tongue of his youth, Tsunade carefully repeated her words to this old creature, hoping he would understand. In a sudden clarity, the Fifth Hokage realized that all attempts of diplomacy with Akatsuki had failed because there was no one left to comprehend this ancient mindset.
"He loved thee," Tsunade swore these words in a grave determined voice and red eyes blazed with light. "He loved thee with a love that could not die. Thou wast for him greater than his eyesight, glory, fame and liberty."
For an eternity only a heartbeat could summon, Tsunade saw fire.
Then The Uchiha shifted and something akin to sense and reason returned to his eyes. He spoke a few last words to Tsunade before he simply became one with the flames surrounding him.
"Smoke on the horizon,
can the flames be far behind?
We run for cover, but it's too late.
We are engulfed,
we are the smoke on the horizon."
The fire slowly vanished into sparks and ashes, but for Tsunade, his husky voice remained.
"Watch the world pass, through broken glass,
and wonder what went wrong?"