https://yeheng457.lofter.com/post/2047d798_1c7180ce4

[ Spot > Door > Pillar ]

　　It was a tree struck by lightning. The day the giant tree fell, the entire forest seemed to be shaken. Ten-year-old Senju Tobirama was the second person to discover it. The tree fell by the river he often visited. The burn marks left by the lightning were particularly hideous. He found it by following the charred wood debris washed down by the river.

　　When Senju Tobirama arrived, he found that his elder brother had discovered the tree before him. He read compassion in Senju Hashirama's eyes. His brother stroked the scarred tree. The green leaves on the branches had not yet noticed the tree's death, and they swayed in the water, just like in the wind.

　　"Brother." Tobirama called him softly.

　　When Hashirama turned around, his frown had not yet relaxed and his lips were tightly pursed. Tobirama always felt that his brother would cry in the next second because of this dead tree.

　　"Let's save it, Tobirama." Senju Hashirama pursed his lips tightly, his eyes were translucent with watery light. He looked at his brother who always had many ways of doing things. He felt that as long as Tobirama was there, there was nothing that could not be accomplished.

　　"Tobirama--" Hashirama used his usual trick to make the tears in his eyes look more realistic. He could even feel the moisture in his eyes, and to Tobirama it looked like he was about to cry out loud.

　　It's not that nothing can be done.

　　Tobirama frowned and said nothing. Instead, he walked to the fallen giant tree, cut off a branch diagonally with a kunai, and then found a clearing in the center of the forest with good lighting and near a water source to plant it.

　　Tobirama was sweating a lot after working so hard. Hashirama didn't understand much about these things, so he could only run after Tobirama, watching him busy back and forth, choosing a site, digging a hole, filling the soil, and watering. Hashirama didn't even have the chance to wipe his brother's sweat. In the end, only after the branches were transplanted, he had the chance to pull Tobirama to sit by the river. They came out in a hurry and didn't bring a kettle. Hashirama put his hands together and made them into a bowl, then scooped some water in his palms and brought it to Tobirama's mouth.

　　"I'm not a child anymore, big brother." Tobirama was somewhat dissatisfied with his big brother's behavior, even though he understood that it was due to his big brother's gentle personality. In the end, he still couldn't resist the persistence in Hashirama's eyes and his dry throat, and the sweat on his forehead almost wet his hair.

　　Clear water flows from a pair of tender hands into another mouth. The sunlight falls on the water, reflecting sparkling light, as gentle as the owner of those hands.

　　Senju Tobirama left a mark on the planted branch. His perception was enough to allow him to detect the traces he could leave, and to sense the branch. Soon it would grow into a tree again, taking root where he had planted it, and new roots would grow from the cross-cut, hugging the soil tightly bit by bit.

　　Then, live well, he thought.

　　Many years later, the tree grew up, growing from the war years to the present day. Now its lush canopy is big enough to provide a shade for people to hide.

　　A pair of hands touched the rough trunk, leaving a simple mark where the fingers touched, this mark will be forever engraved on the tree until it grows old and dies. The green branches and leaves are imprinted in the red eyes, and the mottled light and shadows between the branches and leaves are as gentle as his brother.

　　His short silver hair was fitted close to the trunk, and his red eyes were closed peacefully. Now his arms were not enough to hug the tree. When he was young, only his elder brother had done such a "stupid thing". He always looked up like he did now, and closed his eyes and pressed against the thick trunk like he did now. His perception was enough to capture the tree's every move, the direction of each leaf swaying, and every moment of sunlight intersecting. The huge canopy enveloped him like a secret shelter.

　　If trees had hearts, they would surely be able to hear another heart beating in response.

　　When Senju Tobirama left, he noticed that the plants on the ground that were crushed to death by the tree roots were turning into nutrients for the tree bit by bit. He frowned and hesitated for a moment, then bent down and pulled the rotten branches of the plant, but then let go, and the other end had been caught in the roots.

　　He looked up at the huge tree canopy that blocked out the sun, his mouth half open but he never uttered a word. He just looked down at the plants that had been deprived of their nutrients, with a trace of compassion in his eyes.

　　"Tobirama, this is my dream."

　　The only younger brother whose name was called raised his head and looked towards Hashirama Senju. There was a blazing light in Hashirama's eyes. He longed for and dreamed of a peaceful future where the children could grow up safely until they were old enough to drink. Even though such a dream sounded naive, but...

　　"That day will surely come," Hashirama said.

　　The boy at that time had long lost his childishness. His originally short hair had now grown to his waist, and the excess fat on his face had gradually disappeared in the wind and sun of the battlefield. The lines of his cheeks had become prominent and tough, and his childish voice had now become as deep and powerful as a falling rock.

　　Tobirama did not respond to Hashirama's words. He stood behind his brother and felt that looking at his brother was like looking at the tree he had planted years ago. Now the tree's crown had grown large enough to cover half the sky. He looked in the direction of Hashirama's gaze, where the village would be built in the future.

　　Then, let's make it happen, he thought.

　　The slender roots grow along the direction of the water source, the tender branches protrude from the ground, climb up the human neck silently, and the tentacle-like branches pierce into the flesh and blood chest. The crimson liquid becomes new nutrients, flowing into the roots along the veins of the stems and leaves.

　　In the fall, when Uchiha Madara first saw the tree, Hashirama told him the story about the rescue, in order to convey to him the message that Tobirama was actually a very gentle person. Hashirama patted the thick trunk, muttering "best friend" and Tobirama's name.

　　"Tobirama has taken really good care of this tree." Hashirama raised his head and looked at the huge tree crown that had not yet turned yellow. Many of the leaves were still emerald green. When he pressed his palm on the trunk, he could clearly feel the active vitality.

　　Madara leaped onto the tree trunk, and he vaguely sensed something. He was so familiar with Senju Tobirama's chakra that he found the mark right away.

　　——It is the mark of Flying Thunder God.

　　There was a short scratch under the mark. It was an old wound, not very deep, and must have been there for some time. Madara could vaguely guess something. He looked at Hashirama who was resting under the tree, and immediately understood the secret behind this mark and the Flying Thunder God mark. However, the person involved seemed to know nothing. Madara seemed to have stepped on something and broke it when he jumped down. He looked down at the dead plant that was crushed into the soil, and walked around the trunk thoughtfully.

　　Hashirama was still talking. He saw Madara standing under a tree and looking up at the sky. He looked in the direction he was looking. He squeezed up to Madara and touched him with his shoulder. "What are you looking at, Madara?"

　　"Nothing." Madara said, his dark eyes slightly narrowed, the sun shining through the gaps between the leaves onto his and Hashirama's faces, hair, and eyes. "The sun is really nice today."

　　In the autumn of the following year, Uchiha Madara "died", and Senju Hashirama died in the spring when all things came back to life.

　　On the day when the coffin was buried, countless people came to see off the First Hokage, including the newly succeeded Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and his long-lost enemy Uchiha Madara. However, he did not only come to bury his best friend, but also to see Senju Tobirama.

　　The cemetery was chosen to be located on the grassland behind the forest. Before long, the graves would be covered by weeds, and the vines growing from the soil would cover up the inscriptions on the tombstones. The legendary gods would eventually turn into soil, returning to the original source of human beings.

　　Even though the words "Senju Hashirama" had become a cold inscription on the stone, Senju Tobirama only dared to show his frown. He left in a hurry after the funeral. The speed of Flying Thunder God was very fast, and Uchiha Madara lost the trace of Senju Tobirama in just a moment.

　　But Madara knew where he would go.

　　He had no better choice than that tree.

　　The young Hokage stroked the rough bark of the towering tree. The marks he had made with his kunai were still there, not fading, and even more prominent. He placed his palms on the trunk, not hugging it like he did when he was a child, but just pressing his face against it as usual. In his heart, he imagined a beating heart wrapped in the layers of trees.

　　"Boom boom."

　　It beat again and again, heavy and real, responding to his breathing, and the calls he muttered when he looked up at the sky.

　　——"Brother."

　　Madara hid behind a tree, concealing his breath and chakra, and Senju Tobirama did not notice him. Perhaps he did not expect that someone would follow him, let alone that this person was Uchiha Madara who was already dead.

　　"Big brother." The spotted parrot mimicked the sound of a human voice. This title was very unfamiliar to him. He was the elder brother. Now he pronounced this title in a strange accent. It was unknown who he was mocking.

　　Every time he saw Tobirama Senju's forbearing sadness, he felt a burning sensation in his heart, like his frostbitten hands in winter, which felt like being burned when they touched something extremely cold. He was gloating, not making any comment. But that was too childish to say. He just wanted to see whether Tobirama Senju's fate was as he and Tobirama Senju had guessed.

　　The rejection reaction came unexpectedly, and the surging blood and qi almost caused Ban to reveal his hidden traces. A mouthful of blood gushed out of his throat, and he swallowed it with gritted teeth. He couldn't stay there any longer.

　　However, he believed that Senju Tobirama also saw that the trees around that tree, which had been deprived of nutrients, gradually withered and died, and turned into nutrients that were absorbed one by one by the huge roots of the tree.

　　So the tree became more vibrant.

　　For a while, Tobirama Senju had the same dream over and over again. In the dream, there was his brother and the tree. Hashirama was telling him about the dream of peace, and the tree stretched its branches into his clothes and pierced his blood vessels. Hashirama hugged him in the dream, and they had never been so intimate. So close that he could feel the breath on his neck, the soft temperature on his neck and lips, and the real freshness of his flesh.

　　When he woke up, he saw piles of documents and tasks that needed to be dealt with. He was even busier than when his brother was Hokage. Even so, he wanted to do everything himself as much as possible, except for the minor details.

　　There was an old photo on the desk in the Hokage's office. The corners of the photo had turned yellow. There was only one person on it, Hashirama in his youth. He was wearing red armor and standing on the protruding roots under the tree they had saved. The long sword in his hand was still dripping with blood. The faint sunlight in the early morning fell on him through the gaps between the overlapping leaves of the tree canopy. The moisture in the air had not yet dissipated. The sunlight locked him in a cage, making him look like a god descended to the world. The compassion in his eyes was too clear, penetrating his dark eyes and washing away the bright red blood that stained the battlefield.

　　At that time, Senju Tobirama always had an illusion that perhaps his elder brother did not belong to this world.

　　He hadn't had a good rest for several days. An unexplained headache crawled into his brain along the nerves. Invisible hands were torturing and crushing the taut strings in his brain over and over again, repeatedly and cruelly. He heard a "buzzing" sound in his head. He looked at the photo and bit his lips tightly. Finally, he got through the pain. His dry lips were a little chapped, and he stammered and silently recited a word.

　　——Brother.

　　Uchiha Madara read it for Senju Tobirama, and then responded immediately, as if he had been called by Izuna. His eyes were undoubtedly good, he saw the pair of lips that had lost their blood color, he touched the pair of hands that were cold to the touch, and he also tasted the unusual fishy sweetness from the hot mouth.

　　He coughed out a mouthful of blood, but was more willing to believe that it was Hashirama's silent anger.

　　But you, Senju Hashirama, what do you know?

　　Madara sneered and walked out. There were never so many guards in the Hokage Building late at night, which saved him a lot of trouble. The taste of Senju Tobirama still remained on his lips. He could barely distinguish a little salty from the sweet and fishy taste in his mouth. A moment ago, the liquid flowed out from the closed red eyes.

　　The agreement with the Kumogakure pattern marked on it was spread out on the desk. Senju Tobirama swallowed the sweet and fishy liquid in his mouth, put aside the tiredness in his eyes, picked up the pen and signed his name on the agreement.

　　"Senju Tobirama."

　　If it is peace that Big Brother wants.

　　Then, let's make it happen, he thought.

　　No one thought that the decision to go to the Hidden Cloud Village would end in a life-or-death situation. The so-called price of peace was the loss of the Second Hokage. The people of Konoha did not arrive so quickly, and everyone in Madara had to rush to the battlefield one step faster. But he was not going to help, he just came to confirm his guess. When the rejection reaction became more and more frequent, he could no longer walk out of the dungeon for too long. In the long darkness, apart from White Zetsu, the only thing that kept him going was the playful guess about Senju Tobirama.

　　When Uchiha Madara arrived, Senju Tobirama had already fallen to the ground, dying, his chakra exhausted, and the scroll of Impure World Reincarnation and the bodies of dead Kumogakure ninjas were scattered around him. Madara didn't care whether to hide his breath when he walked over, but he still did it until he raised Senju Tobirama's eyes.

　　The black magatama pattern flowed, and Uchiha Madara gave Senju Tobirama a dream.

　　Senju Tobirama had that dream again. He dreamed of that tree, and the branches had pierced his heart. Then he really heard the heartbeat from the tree, "thump thump" mixed with his heartbeat. His eyebrows drooped. His brother was right in front of him, hugging him as he was familiar with, but this time he hugged him tightly, but he was so tired that he couldn't even lift a finger.

　　Green branches and leaves wrapped around his body, and when he looked up, he felt a kiss so fierce that he could not resist. The branches of the tree held him tightly in their arms, piercing into his body, sucking every drop of juice from his body. He was so tired that he was about to close his eyes. He actually wanted to say no, but that was his brother, his tree, so in the end he just called out vaguely when he closed his eyes.

　　——"Brother."

　　The tree that belonged to Tobirama Senju still stood in the forest, and the indelible Flying Thunder God mark would never be activated again. The tree's roots were tangled, and Uchiha Madara inserted the broken Flying Thunder God kunai with blood on his hand into the mark. He looked up at the huge tree canopy, and the sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the blood stains on his body that belonged to Tobirama Senju.

　　The rejection reaction always comes unexpectedly. Madara raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips, and then smeared it on the Flying Thunder God mark that would never disappear.

　　He smiled.

　　Senju Hashirama, what you leave behind is not a peaceful future, but tangled roots that will tightly wrap up this so-called peaceful world and strangle Senju Tobirama.

　　Peace, this is your peace.

END.