Chapter Text
There was no village.
Tobirama knew as much before the Naka River even came into his view. The silence instead of the blustering chakra of thousands of people called here from different clans made it abundantly clear, but he had to see it with his own eyes.
There was no village.
The banks of the river had not been touched by human hands, the trees had not been uprooted to make way for houses, and the cliff beneath Tobirama’s feet had not been tastelessly carved with his brother’s face.
There was no village.
Tobirama closed his eyes and took a deep breath of fresh evening air.
He knew it was the wrong dimension the moment he appeared here. The burning sensation on his neck, where he slapped a stasis seal to keep his body from disintegrating was a constant reminder of that. He didn’t like how much chakra it sucked from him just to keep him from dying, the demand for it kept steadily growing by the minute leaving him little time. His body was incompatible with this world and he didn’t know why. His current theory? It was because there existed a version of him here and the universe tried to delete the paradox.
He knew the dimension shift might happen with how hastily he used his new jutsu. It hadn’t been tested before, but he was seconds before his death and if it worked correctly, his consciousness would have been transported back in time. Just a day back, but that would have been enough to avoid the ambush. He took his chance and now he needed to deal with consequences before increased demand from his seal killed him anyway. If his assumption was correct and he was not only in the wrong world but in the wrong time as well, he knew where to find an immense amount of chakra. It would hopefully last him long enough to come up with something.
He spread his senses with far less input than he usually used, not enough to have a thorough sweep of the area but what he was looking for was not subtle...
His breath froze in his chest. Two huge chunks of wild energy bit into his senses. A huge inferno of fire and wind that Tobirama turned away from in disdain, and... earth and water permanently fused together, a forest full of life and fresh wood...
His brother.
He was alive.
Tobirama couldn’t hide a small smile that touched his lips.
It would be nice to see him again.
***
The Senju compound was much smaller than Tobirama remembered it ever being but seals that guarded it were of top Uzumaki quality. Tobirama had a hard time bypassing them.
Interesting.
In his time, despite Uzumaki being an old ally, they stayed out of the Uchiha-Senju war; deals with them were made only after the construction of Konoha, and here he could see seals of their origin everywhere. The ones on the Clan Head’s house were especially masterful but they were old, obsolete by his time, he knew all the loopholes they held and how to disarm them quietly.
He entered his family house without anyone noticing him.
As a shadow he was, Tobirama headed to his brother’s room. He felt Hashirama’s chakra at the other side of the house together with a vaguely familiar one. Most likely an acquaintance that had died before Konoha was founded, but Tobirama had expected to feel the familiar fluid chakra of Mito. He assumed that in this world Hashirama had married earlier, but Tobirama could not sense his sister-in-law anywhere near. To his relief, he could not sense himself either. Perhaps the local Tobirama was with her in The Land of Whirlpools? That would be a fortunate stroke of luck; he wouldn’t have let such a dubious stranger like himself explain anything. It would have been safer to just destroy the threat with extreme prejudice and then ask questions to the corpse. Tobirama didn’t have time to arrange things with caution so as not to look suspicious; his stasis seal ate his chakra with alarming speed. It was the first time in his life the Senju was glad for his brother’s naivety. Hashirama would help him if he asked, of that he was sure.
Tobirama lit a candle on his brother’s desk and sat down on the floor in the thick shadow it created. He hoped he could explain everything before he stepped into the light, so as not to create unnecessary confusion.
He heard Hashirama talking to someone in the distance as he got closer. He laughed and then said goodnight to the stranger.
Tobirama knew Hashirama had noticed him because the floor suddenly stopped creaking under his brother’s weight. As he turned the corner, Hashirama couldn’t miss the open door to his room and the light of a candle emanating from it. His elder brother tried to sense him, even though he wasn’t very good at it, being too obvious with how thickly he applied his chakra. Didn’t matter, Tobirama was hiding his presence, so Hashirama felt no one. Still, his brother approached carefully. A few seconds and he appeared at the door just as Tobirama remembered him: long silky hair, warm eyes, and sun-kissed skin.
Hashirama froze. Without skipping a bit Tobirama bowed deep enough for his chest to press against his thighs and his face to hover over his palms on the floor.
“Forgive me for this late visit and such an impudent demand for an audience, Lord Hashirama, but I need your help.”
Hashirama stared, blinked, and then made one step back, leaving the room. He leaned to the side, and without taking his eyes off him, shouted:
“Um, there’s a person in my room!”
He was answered by a distant cry from an unfamiliar voice:
“What?!”
It was followed by the sound of an opened door and quick approaching steps.
Well, he might be a bit proud of Hashirama for calling for backup before engaging a stranger.
His brother cocked his head to the side, studying him.
“Stand up. It’s impolite to hide when you already invited yourself into my personal quarters.” Hashirama smiled. “Some might suspect ill intent.”
Tobirama held back a sigh. There went his plan. He hesitated for a second but decided to show obedience so as not to provoke aggression.
“Very well,” Tobirama said, standing up and moving forward.
Hashirama’s breath froze in his chest as Tobirama’s face emerged from the darkness. Just as he stepped into the light, a new person appeared at the door.
He was glad to see his older brother again, he was truly glad... but his nostalgia was quickly overshadowed by the man standing next to him. He might not have recognized him if it weren't for his two-color hair. It was long now, tied in two tails at the end, the way Mito liked to make Tsunade’s hair lately. From his ears hung long rectangular earrings... no, not just earrings, seals, one for detecting lies the other for some sort of change he couldn’t decipher.
Itama.
His hand automatically rose up, making a sign to release a genjitsu. Accidentally or not Hashirama mirrored his gesture at the same time. Their younger brother frowned.
“Who are you?”
“Tobirama...” Hashirama breathed out and stepped forward. He was pale as if he saw a ghost. Itama suddenly turned his head towards his oldest brother, a look of utter worry and even a hint of fear on his face.
“Not exactly. Not yours Tobirama,” Tobirama answered quickly. “I had a time and space mishap, doesn’t matter why, but I found myself in this world. Unfortunately, it rejects me. I need...”
Without waiting for another word, Itama walked to him with a grim expression on his face. He put his hand on Tobirama’s arm but then he pulled it away immediately.
“You feel like a frozen explosion!”
Tobirama curled his lips down.
“Explosion is too dramatic. Disintegration is more accurate.” He pulled back the collar of his shirt, revealing the seal on his neck in full. “I put my cells into stasis to buy myself time but the chakra requirements grow exponentially with every second. I do not have much time left right now.”
Itama placed his hand in the middle of his chest and the other one on his back. They began to glow green and Tobirama felt his reserves being restored. Despite the hungry leech that was the seal on his neck he felt himself lighter.
“Thank you. It should give me a few hours of respite,” Tobirama said with honest gratitude. He wanted to hug Itama so badly but he couldn’t, he was still a stranger, an unknown variable, a possible threat...
Hashirama didn’t have his problems. Tobirama was crushed into a hug so powerful he stumbled.
“Gods, you even smell like a ghost. Barely there...” Hashirama murmured with a wet sob right into his ear.
“Elder brother!” Itama exclaimed. “This is rude!”
“Don’t care.”
Itama sighed. He looked at Tobirama with a small sad smile.
“You must forgive him. You see... Oh, how to put it... our Tobirama is dead.”
Ah.
He placed his hand hesitantly on Hashirama’s back, stroking him slowly.
It could have gone so much worse.