Time travel AU
It's only three years into peace, four since Izuna died by his blade and still everything is tainted by his death.
Madara is clearly growing more unstable by the day.
Hashirama's smiles get a little more fake every time he sees Madara struggling.
The village is prospering.
Or most of it is. The Uchiha are the most weary of the village, of the Senju really, and it affects the other clans. It makes them look at them with suspicion.
At this rate it's only a matter of time before something goes catastrophicly wrong.
And that will break his brother.
Which is something he refuses to let happen.
So he plans.
He plans, and tests theories until he's found the only solution.
It's a crazy solution, but it feels like the only option.
He's going to go back in time to stop himself from killing Izuna. They will make peace another way. If there are two of him he's certain they will find a better way.
Only he goes back further than he meant to. Instead of four years he goes back almost ten.
And there aren't two of him. It's just him in his sixteen year old body.
He has only a day to reacquaint himself with the time line he's in before he's informed they will be battling the Uchiha. He looks at Izuna and is struck by how young he is. Physical Izuna's a year older than he is right now. But mentally he's still twenty six. And somehow over the years his brain has decided that Izuna is his to protect.
Over the next two years he watches Izuna grow up, much like the first time. But instead of it angering him that he failed to kill him like it used to, he watches with fondness, happy to see him live another year.
And worst yet. He's become obsessive about Izuna. He follows his chakra constantly. He needs him to be safe. He's intervened on his missions to make sure he stays safe. Not that he's ever let Izuna see him.
It feels wrong. He's twenty eight and Izuna is only nineteen. It's a big age difference. Even if no one knows it. Everyone thinks their age difference is only a year, and iUna is the older one at that.
He must have changed the timeline because he's stalking Izuna's chakra again and he can feel he's surrounded by at least ten other chakra signatures, and Izuna is obviously injured.
He doesn't think, he just runs. He uses the hiraishin marker closest to Izuna and keeps running until he's cut down every enemy surrounding Izuna.
Before he knows it he's dropping by the younger, or older? man's side and starts healing him. Chanting please don't die, please don't die.
He doesn't know how long it is before Izuna opens his eyes and sees him. He tries to leave but Izuna's hand on his wrist stops him.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you always protect me? You're supposed to hate me. But every time I'm in danger you are there.”
“Oh.” He thought he had been subtle. That Izuna didn't know.
“For two years you have been protecting me. So why? What changes?”
“There will never be peace without you. I'll never be happy if you die.” He never meant for the words to come out but they do. And he doesn't know what to do. He can't pull them back in.
Izuna looks at him with wide eyes. “Me? Why?”
Tobirama can't exactly tell him the truth, but a version comes out anyway.
“I've seen the future and no one will be okay, happiness will fade, and eventually everything will rot if you aren't there.”
“Do you love me?”
He doesn't know what to say. Does he? Has his desire for peace changed so much?
He thinks it has.
“I could. If you'd let me.”
