"Alright! Spill it! What happened?"

Izuna sighed, resting his head on his arms. He eyed his irritated brother. Madara had noticed Izuna's bloody nose when he came home. When questioned about it, Izuna had lied and said he ran into a tree. Naturally, Madara didn't believe it. Ever since then, Madara had been trying to pry the truth from his little brother.

"Nii-san, stop bugging me about it. It's no big deal."

"Stop feeding me that crap and maybe I will," grumped Madara in response.

Izuna groaned. "If I tell you, will you stop annoying me?"

"I'm your big brother. It's my job to annoy you for the rest of your life. But in terms of this subject, yes; I will."

"Someone punched me. Happy?"

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Someone punched you? You mean you met someone?"

"Yeah," Izuna nodded. "But I think I pissed her off."

A devious smirk. "Her?"

"Yeah," Izuna huffed, hiding his blush. "I was going to train privately when I ran into her. I offered to help her and she nailed me in the nose."

"Wow. She's got guts. I thought girls were supposed to be all dainty and stuff."

"I know, right!? She was pretty, but she acted like an old man! It was so weird!"

"So that's why you've been moping all day? Your masculinity has been shattered?"

"No! I've got plenty of that. Besides, I actually think she's pretty cool…for a girl."

"Izuna," Madara mischievously said. "Don't tell me you have a crush on her already?"

"What are you talking about!? I don't have a crush on her!"

"That bright red face of yours tells me otherwise."

"SHUT UP!" Izuna yelled as Madara began snickering. "It's not funny!"

"So what's the name of this mystery maiden you're so fixed upon? Or were you so entranced by her beauty that you forgot to ask her?"

"Stop making fun of me!" Izuna pouted. "For your information, she wouldn't give me a straight answer. She told me to call her Tobi. I don't think it's her real name since she said it was a part of someone else's name."

"Tobi?"

"Yeah. Weird name for a weird girl."

"Not weird enough to drive off my baby brother, apparently. If she hit you in the face, she probably doesn't like you much."

"No. I guess not…" Izuna sighed. "Think I can make it up to her?"

"If she didn't want you around the first time, I doubt she'd want to see your face again. You should quit now before you end up hurting yourself, Izuna."

"Maybe…"

Madara frowned at the depressed tone in Izuna's voice. His baby brother was hopeless. He was seven for kami's sake! He shouldn't be worrying about what some random girl thought about him. He had more important things to be concerned about; like training and living to see another day. The wars did not care who the victims were as long as blood was spilled. He had already lost two brothers to the Senju Clan. He'd rather die than let them take his remaining two brothers away from him. The thought that the girl could be a Senju bothered him. If that was the case, then Izuna was already falling into a trap. He had to keep an eye on his little brother so Izuna wouldn't get into any trouble with this so called "Tobi".

"Nii-san, don't worry so much! I'll be fine," said Izuna, waving him off as if to shoo away his concern. "I'm an Uchiha! No one will get the jump on me!"

"I wish I could believe you…" Madara deadpanned.

He inhaled deeply, finding an inner peace now that he was completely alone. After the fight with Butsuma, Tobirama had retreated to his room. He had a week of preparation for his fight with Hashirama and he would need every minute of it. He needed the time to think about his current position and what the future would hold for him once he took this path. It was later on into the night now. After much contemplation, he reached a state of understanding.

Why had he been overreacting at all? Was there really an issue with being a girl?

He had gone through all possible situations; all the strengths and weaknesses now presented to him. His physical strength would be subpar compared to the men, but he had much better chakra control than before. That would allow him to utilize jutsu much better than before. He could perfect his creations this time around and possibly create more jutsu should the need arise. His figure was lither and he could potentially maneuver more fluidly than before. That would give him an edge in terms of outwitting his opponents. He had always played upon the arrogance of the enemy, fooling them into believing they had the upper hand before striking at their weak point. As a female, he would immediately be underestimated simply because he was a girl. It would always provide him the edge he would need to defeat them.

Socially, he would have to learn to accept his new role. There was no choice in the matter. He was no longer a man and therefore he could not—and should not—expect people to treat him the same way as his male comrades. There was no point in lingering on the past. What mattered was the future. From this point onward, he had to face reality and deal with it just as he did before in his first life. He had to make the most of his blessings and handle the complications with an open mind. It was only a matter of getting used to it. Getting curvaceous later on, the possibility of marriage, and childbirth were now on his list of things to expect. Whether or not any one of those things happened was still up the air. At the very least, he wanted to have a choice in how he wanted to lead his life. Most women were told what to do and they had to do it, regardless of how they personally felt. If he was forced to be a tool for battle or a seductress for information, then so be it. At least he could make his own choices while doing the profession.

He eyed the stuffed rabbit staring at him from the corner of his room. He slowly grabbed the toy before lightly placing his cheek on the fluffy fur. Yes, Usa-chan was still the same as he remembered. How he went around carrying the bunny everywhere as a child without getting laughed at by Hashirama in his first life, he'd never know. His brother was always too kind for his own good.

Child. That was another thing he had to remind himself of. He was not an adult anymore. If he continued to act like one, more would grow suspicious of his already controversial attitude. He would have to obey his father's every order from this point onward, even if he didn't agree with his father's methods.

A knock on his door snapped him out of his musings.

"Come in, Anija," Tobirama answered, knowing his brother had been standing there for a good five minutes now. Hashirama's face peeked in, looking bothered. "What is it?"

"Tobirama…" Hashirama began as he stood before his sister. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? Being a kunoichi is serious business."

"If you've come here to change my mind, your efforts are in vain. I'm well aware of the dangers of being a shinobi and I'm fully prepared to accept them."

"But I can't let you go through with this! At least you're safe here with Kaa-chan. If you go out there, you could die!"

"Anija, that's exactly why I need to be out there."

"Huh?"

"How can I just sit idly while my family is out there risking their lives? Put yourself in my place, Anija. Would you want to do something about it even though people didn't want you to?"

"…I suppose so."

"I don't want you to think of me as weak. I'm a lot stronger than you give me credit for."

Hashirama smirked. "With the way you stood up to Chichiue like that? I believe it."

"Then you understand why I don't want you to go easy on me when we fight? I don't want special treatment just because I'm your sister. I need to show everyone what I'm capable of."

"You're that serious about this?"

Tobirama stared intently at Hashirama. "Yes. I have to do this."

"Well…" Hashirama said uncertainly. "…If you feel that strongly about it, I'll honor your wish. I usually can't win an argument with you anyway."

Tobirama allowed a small smile to form on his face. "Thank you, Anija."

"Just promise me you won't do anything reckless if you do become a kunoichi. I'm worried enough about Kawarama and Itama as is. I don't want to see my little sister end up dead."

"Don't worry. I will survive. We all will. I promise you that."

The next morning, Tobirama woke up early and immediately went off to train. Once he arrived on that familiar cliff, he took a few deep breaths before deciding to go through his katas first. His main focus would be to improve the strengths he did have while working on what his current body was lacking in. Hashirama would have the upper hand in terms of raw power and stamina, but Tobirama had an entire lifetime worth of battle experience he could use to his advantage. He knew Hashirama's weakness was his soft heart, but he couldn't exactly abuse that flaw in their fight. He had already accepted the fact that he might have to resort to using some underhanded tactics if he wanted to win. It was all for the sake of Konoha, he told himself. Nothing else mattered.

"Tobi!"

Tobirama cringed at the voice. He spotted Izuna running over to him, looking overly happy to see him. The Uchiha gave him a big grin, casually placing his hands behind his head. Tobirama frowned. As much as he wanted to associate this Izuna with the one he had killed, he knew he shouldn't. That Izuna no longer existed.

"I can't believe you're here!" he cheered. "After yesterday, I thought you hated me."

"I do," Tobirama answered bluntly. "Don't talk to me."

Izuna frowned. "Aw, come on! Give me a chance, why don'tcha?"

"You had your chance. That first impression told me everything I needed to know. You're an idiot that's going to try and woo me through whatever 'skill' you have at your disposal. I'm not falling for it."

Izuna's face turned red. "Who said anything about that!?"

"You don't have to say a word. Your expressions and actions are dead giveaways," stated Tobirama. "If you have no business with me, then leave me alone. You're a distraction."

"So mean…" muttered Izuna. "What's so important that you need to be left alone?"

"You're breaking my concentration. Is that not why you found this secluded place; to train in peace? Can I not do the same?"

"So you are a kunoichi! I knew it! That's why you talk like an old geezer!"

Tobirama decided to ignore the "old geezer" part of Izuna's comment. It wasn't a lie. He had to be at least ninety by now in physical years if he counted the time he spent dead. "It took you that long to deduce something so trivial? You're a disgrace to shinobi everywhere."

"Well, oh knowledgeable superior, look who's talking," Izuna retorted. "I may not be as acute to my surroundings as you, but at least I can hold my own in a fight. Your taijutsu form is sloppy. Were you raised by animals?"

A glint appeared in Tobirama's eyes as he turned to face Izuna. "So you noticed? Good."

Izuna blinked in confusion at the sudden change in Tobi's attitude. "Huh?"

"Where we lack, the other excels at. I have a fight I need to prepare for, but I don't have a sparring partner to practice with. Since I'm not allowed to ask for help from my family, you're my only option. I need help adapting to a new style of fighting since the katas I know were intended for men. If you help me with my physical training, I can help you with your…mental reflexes. Deal?"

"Mental reflexes?"

"I can help improve your observation skills. You must always be aware and expect the unexpected in battle. Such skills would prove invaluable should an enemy be hiding a technique you have never seen before."

"Like what?"

Tobirama threw a hidden kunai at Izuna. As expected, the child dodged the weapon. Izuna was about to shout at him until he noticed Tobirama was no longer there. Instead, the kunai that he had just dodged was pressed against his throat. Izuna strained to look at Tobirama, fear evident in his coal-colored eyes.

"Like this," Tobirama explained. "I call it the Hiraishin no Jutsu. It's something I developed myself and no one knows about it. Well, no one except you now. This is the kind of thing you may have to anticipate in future fights."

"How…?"

He uncurled his hand, revealing the seal on the wrappings on the kunai. "I can teleport to anything that has this seal on it. Of course, such mobility is limited because I need this seal to make the jutsu work at all. Remember that every jutsu has a weakness behind it, even if it appears unbeatable."

Tobirama contemplated his actions as he released his chokehold on Izuna. He had shown his enemy his trump card. He had offered assistance to improve Izuna's already remarkable skills. Should they fight in the future, he wouldn't be able to completely surprise the Uchiha and those few milliseconds could prove to be his end instead of Izuna's. It was a foolish thing to do if the future proved to take the same path as before despite his actions to try and change it.

But it was a sign of trust.

By revealing something he had kept hidden, he subtly showed that he was willing to share secrets about himself to what could be an enemy. It was an act that promised mutual amity and Izuna would have to respect and keep that unspoken oath. Tobirama may have given up on Izuna before, but this was a chance to do things over. It was a gamble, but he was willing to take a risk. If he wanted to change the future for the better, he had to try a different approach when it came to dealing with the Uchiha Clan. Izuna was the reason Madara denied Hashirama's ceasefire for so long. If he could change Izuna's mentality about the Senju before evil corrupted his heart, it might help spur the Uchiha to accept Hashirama's truce earlier. This was someone he could potentially call "comrade".

"Amazing," Izuna said, awe sparkling in his eyes. "You know, I hate to admit it but you're probably right. My brother often says I act before I think and it's gotten me into trouble more than once. This…would actually help a lot. That means I also have an excuse to shove you around for all the insults you've already thrown at me."

A sly simper spread on Tobirama's face. "If you can, that is."

"Oh, it's on now! Tobi, I accept your challenge!"

To say that the following days weren't enjoyable would be a lie. Tobirama reluctantly admitted that sparring with his old rival as an equal once again was…fun. For the briefest moments, he could let go of the duties he had taken upon himself and simply act like a child. It was a chance to rekindle the old friendship he had abandoned for the sake of his clan.

He had forgotten how strong the Uchiha was, even at a young age. There were times during their spars where Izuna had almost won and only Tobirama's last minute strike during his perceived victory was enough to defeat him. Every time this happened, Tobirama would point out that his gloating would only spell his end and told him not to do it. Izuna would deflate at his words, disappointed in his apparent defeat. Honestly, he didn't see why the boy kept doing it even though Tobirama specifically noted it was a weakness. He thought Izuna would have taken his words to heart to try to improve himself. It was like the Uchiha was more concerned with attempting to show off than training.

Tobirama also saw things about the other boy he did not notice before when they met in his first life. First of all, he was too…sweet. It was uncomfortable for Tobirama when Izuna constantly asked if he was alright to continue fighting or if he was hurt after a spar. It wasn't like he was badly injured during those times; just a few scrapes and bruises at the most. But Izuna took it upon himself to bring bandages and healing ointment in preparation for those potential wounds. The second thing he noticed—judging by how much Tobirama spotted Izuna staring at his butt when the Uchiha thought he wasn't looking—was that the kid was pervert in the making. It was either that or Izuna's strange fascination with him was expanding beyond just his avant-garde personality.

He knew what those little things were leading up to and he couldn't let that happen. He did not want to kill Izuna if he could help it. If Hashirama could placate the Uchiha early on, then Izuna would have his whole life ahead of him. Tobirama didn't want Izuna's potential choices to be limited simply because of a childhood infatuation with someone who would never return his feelings. Why did kids have get crushes so quickly and so easily? It was an inconvenience for everyone involved.

"Tobi? What's your dream?"

He gave Izuna a curious look. They were both lying down on the ground, resting after their most recent scuffle. The next day was his fight with Hashirama and he was thankful that Izuna had met with him so much in the past few days to help with his training. He owed the Uchiha the truth, just this once.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Izuna said, staring at the clouds in the sky. "You told me you were going to choose how to live your life. So…I guess what I'm asking is what would that life be like? What do you have in mind for the future?"

"My dream for the future…"

"If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. I don't mind."

Tobirama stood up, Izuna eyeing his every move. "You see this huge expanse of trees? There's going to be a village here where everyone will be able to live in harmony with one another."

Izuna sat up, his interest piqued. "A village?"

"Not everyone wants these wars to continue. My brother wants to change things so we won't have to fight each other anymore. My dream…is to help usher in the peace my brother desires for this war-torn world. Part of that peace begins with the village that'll be constructed here one day."

Izuna stared, a mix of admiration and shock in his eyes. But then it dimmed away, a frown forming on his face. He started to twiddle his thumbs, looking unsure. "But what about the rival clans? The Senju and the Uchiha will never get along. There's no way that village could ever—"

"Yes, it will. I'll make sure that it does."

"How can you be so sure?" Izuna watched Tobi closely. He wanted to see whether if her words were as pure as her hair. He saw nothing but honesty in those vermilion eyes. When Tobirama finally spoke, her words startled him. She said them so openly and certainly, like she knew it would happen and it would only be a matter of time before it was made a reality. He would remember those words clearly.

"It will be because I have seen it. I will strive for that dream with all my power, even when things seem futile, and I will gladly give my life to achieve that goal if the need arises. When peace is finally achieved, I won't allow the future to be paved with hatred and blood. I owe it to all the lives that have been and the coming lives that will be."

"Do you think…there's enough room in your dream for me?" Izuna asked, his voice so quiet that Tobirama almost missed it.

"That's an ambiguous question. Care to clarify?"

Izuna was silent for a good five minutes, his cheeks flushing red. He was apparently thinking over how he wanted to word his answer. Tobirama sincerely hoped it wasn't the first interpretation that came to his mind. Izuna finally looked at him, a small spark of fire burning in his eyes; much like the kind he saw in Hashirama's whenever he spoke about the formation of what would be Konoha.

"Can I…share that dream with you?" Izuna timidly requested.

Tobirama raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You'd be willing to put aside your differences and get along with your enemy; the people who have hurt those you cherish?"

"I…don't know…"

"Of course not. You're still blinded by hatred. I never asked for your help anyway, not that I would ever need it."

"You didn't let me finish."

"And…?"

"I don't know if I could ever forgive my enemies. They took my brothers away from me. I hate them for that and I doubt I could just put that hate aside. But…what you said got me thinking. What if you're really my sworn nemesis like you said you might be when we first met? You don't line up with how I pictured the enemy to be like. I always thought they were heartless and they craved the deaths of all who opposed them, specifically those from my family. You may be mean to me, but you don't want to cause any bloodshed. If my enemy doesn't fight for the reasons I was told, why have we been fighting for so long and for what reason other than revenge?"

"I wish I knew…" sighed Tobirama.

"You say your brother wants peace. Mine does too, but I never really knew how that could ever work out. This dream of yours is nice and all, but it's so much for you to take on alone."

"I've already accepted the fact that I'd be working by myself on such an endeavor. The adults are too conceited to bother with listening to their kids. That's why it's up to our generation to make a difference. If we follow in the same footsteps as our fathers, we'll never find an armistice."

"But you won't be alone."

Tobirama blinked. "Izuna?"

"I won't forgive the ones who took my brothers from me," Izuna began, his resolve strengthening. "But I am willing to help someone I consider my friend, even if she's supposed to be my enemy."

"It's only been a week since we met. I wouldn't call us friends."

Izuna beamed at him. "Sometimes a week is all it takes. Too bad, Tobi! You're my friend and I'm gonna help make your dream come true, whether you like it or not! That's a promise!"

Tobirama smiled lightly. "…I suppose I can allow that."

Izuna laughed at him. Tobirama felt this was a nice first step in the right direction for changing Izuna's mindset. He still had a long ways to go. As daunting as it was, he would persevere. He had to. If he didn't, it was left to him to murder Madara and Izuna before they planted the seeds that would lead to the Uchiha Clan's downfall.

Madara. He originally planned to dispose of the Uchiha as soon as possible. Now he wasn't so sure that was the best course of action. Yes, many things could be prevented if he was killed. But should he be killed for things he had yet to—or may not even—commit in this lifetime?

Tobirama knew that the truce between the Senju and the Uchiha was crucial to Konoha's formation. Madara's friendship with Hashirama and their shared dream helped with that decision. The chances of that treaty happening if Madara wasn't the head of the Uchiha Clan would be slim. He'd also be taking Izuna's only family away from him, possibly leading Izuna down the same path to insanity that Madara took. He inwardly scowled. He loathed Madara, but there wasn't much choice. He had to tolerate the elder Uchiha if Konoha was to form.

Izuna was blissfully happy at that moment and Tobirama felt a pang of guilt thinking about what he did to the Uchiha before. He didn't want to ruin the Izuna's life again. Getting involved could potentially lead the Uchiha down different path, but whether that path was illuminated by lucidity or shrouded by darkness was still uncertain. Baby steps, he told himself. He had to be careful about his new "friendship" with the Uchiha.

It had to stay that way.

This pairing (along with HashiMada) gives me life, I swear. Yes, Tobirama gets over the fact that he's a girl pretty fast. That's the kind of person he is. Once he got the time to really think about it, he finds what's good and what's bad and he knows he has to deal with it accordingly. I figured this chapter would be a good time for bonding between the two lovebirds. Izuna's got a crush and, unfortunately for Tobirama, he's not gonna stop trying to impress "Tobi" anytime soon. How you enjoyed! Tell me what you think!