Chapter 3: Senju Hashirama

Senju Hashirama is known by the employees of Konoha as the co-owner and the one who administer the restaurant in the front scene since the other owner preferred to work in the background. But, to those who personally knew him, Hashirama is actually the current Clan Head of the Senju Clan, an old family of land owners from Kyoto since the late Edo Period.

He's also known by many as a gourmand and sake connoisseur. Because with so much money to spare, his indulgence in delicious food and good sake made him somewhat of an expert in the field.

To his second brother, however, Hashirama is just someone who waste money in gambling. Fortunately, Ebisu-sama favored Hashirama, so he never lost in any betting games that involved money; his wallet is never thin.

And this habit of spending so much money began when he was young.

Normally, kids at the age of ten will be handed 200 Yen at most as their snack allowance or lunch money by their parents, which kids will stretch for a week. His parents handed Hashirama and his little brothers x0,000 Yen in a day just for their snack allowance. That's not even their lunch money, too.

Of course, Hashirama gratefully spent the money given to him, splurging on sweet shops in Jiyūgaoka and dagashi stores. Sometimes, he will secretly drop by in arcades… because he's bored and had no real friends to hang out with. The kind of friends you could show your guts and not those who wanted to be friends with him just because of his wealth, lineage and status as the clan heir.

Hashirama was eleven years old when he met his best friend, Uchiha Madara.

His first encounter with his best friend of twenty-eight years was truly unforgettable because it was hysterically tragic, in his own honest opinion. There's a lot of misconceptions about Madara, you see.

Hashirama's grades in English dropped in fifth grade. As the eldest son and heir of the Senju Clan, it wouldn't do for him to fail in one subject, so his father enrolled him in Cram School to rectify the problem.

He recalled that he was late on his first day and the only free seat available was in the last row, next to Madara. He's the only one sitting at the back of the room and no one else.

He found out much, much later that it's because the Uchiha is a neurotic, who didn't want anyone to sit or stand close behind him– that's why he claimed the back row all for himself as the Warlord's Throne and not because of the following reason below:

Two weeks had passed since Hashirama came in that Cram School. He noticed that everyone seemed to be avoiding his seatmate. When he asked (bribed with a 100 Yen fruit caramel a piece) a student who sat in a nearby row why they're acting like that, he learned that everyone found his seatmate intimidating and scary… because of his face.

It's a good thing that Madara wasn't there in the room when Hashirama conveniently asked the student while "sharing" some of his sweets because he burst into tears when he heard their answer.

'He can't avoid that, you know? He's born with that face, you know?'

Not a minute later when he thought that, Madara came back in the classroom with a cold bottle of green tea and onigiri from a nearby Conbini.

"Why are you crying?" Madara asked him, a slight concern evident in the Uchiha's voice.

Eleven years old Senju Hashirama with his stylish bowl-cut hair turned to look at his seatmate with wobbly lips and snot almost dripping down his nose.

"How pitiful!" He sniffed while wiping the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Your face is that frightening no one wanted to sit with you."

Poor Madara!

"Oi!"

Of course, that kind of response is quite rude, it resulted with Hashirama being grabbed on the collar of his uniform while Madara threatened to throw him across the room with a face that truly resembled a Noh Mask.

"I'm sorry," Hashirama whispered to his furious seatmate, sadly.

Madara slightly loosened the grip on his collar when he saw him bowing his head.

"… W-well, if you're reflecting–"

"But with your rock-skipping skills, I hope I reached the other side…"

"Wha–?! You saw that! Bastard!" Madara roared that scared the other students in the room.

Hashirama just laughed heartily at the face of the fearsome Demon King.

Since then, Senju Hashirama found a dear brother from another mother. Not that he needed more. He got three of them already, but Hashirama decided to befriend Madara because he's hilarious and it's truly fun hanging out with the Uchiha.

In the course of their friendship through the years, there's never a dull moment. Hashirama found.

Because people easily misunderstood his best friend.

Like that one incident in their second year in High School, where rumors spread that Uchiha Madara stabbed someone with a demonic and terrifying smile. That he set someone on fire, gleefully. That he was an immortal red-eyed yōkai.

But, Hashirama knew better. What truly happened was:

Because Madara was in a zone during the Economics Class' cooking practical, he eagerly chopped the potatoes, carrots and onion for beef curry with wide shit-eating grin on his face. Naturally, as a member of the Uchiha Clan of Osaka, Madara is not afraid to use fire. So, in the same class, Madara showed-off and flambéed the cubed-cut beef he marinated in black pepper, grated garlic, grated ginger, turmeric powder and plain yogurt… that grin still in place on his scary face.

Hashirama hypothesized that the "red demonic eyes" was probably the reflecting fire in his best friend's eyes after pouring whisky (where he got it, who knows) in the sizzling pan of meat.

Of course, when he heard what happened in the Economics Class from Madara and made connection with the rumors he heard about his best friend, Hashirama swallowed a sob in the hallway.

It must've been a horrifying sight for those in that class to see Madara like that.

What an imaginative bunch! The people in their high school were surely bored in their daily lives, aren't they?

However, despite his imperfections, that Madara is a very passionate person. Once he laid down a goal or task for himself, he will see it through. He will be painstakingly meticulous about it. Madara is that kind of focused individual, you could say he has a sort of… one-track mind that have plans and back-up plans in place for that single goal and/or task.

He's that kind of capable individual.

Still, there is something the talented and great Uchiha Madara could not have despite his excellent qualities (if you really looked close enough): a fulfilling romance.

It's not that Madara's face stayed creepy and intimidating since puberty punched them on the face and left them a parting gift: desirable heights, broad shoulders, defined jawlines and attractive faces– well, in Madara's case, a warrior's face.

Kidding aside, Madara had girlfriends.

It's just… once he entered a relationship, they quickly ended because Madara could be fussy, stringent and critical when the women who confessed and dated him decided to cook for him.

Evidence #1: In their first year in High School, a senpai from Literature Club confessed to Madara with a homemade Valentine's chocolate.

For someone who never received them in Elementary and Middle School, the Uchiha had the guts to be arrogant and picky.

"You call this homemade? You just melted weiji* milk chocolate and reshaped them." The senpai's face soured when Madara began criticizing the heart-shaped chocolate in his hand. "Look, you even forgot to temper the chocolate. There's white bits here."

"Just accept them." Hashirama sighed, picking up one of the chocolates that fell from the bag he's holding loaded full with homemade and store-bought chocolates he received.

Evidence #2: In second year, a girl from their year, Asuka-san, the Class Rep in Class 2-B, managed to become Madara's girlfriend despite the wild rumors about his best friend. They have a cute relationship… if only she didn't make a bento for him, one day.

"This looked like the ones you could buy in Conbini. What are you trying to pull here, Asuka?" Madara said after glancing at the opened bento box without even tasting the dishes.

Asuka-san looked like she wanted to hurl her own bento box on Madara's face. His best friend didn't know how precious it is to receive a homemade bento box from your girlfriend.

How nice~! Hashirama wanted to eat his girlfriend's homemade bento box, too. But, too bad, she broke up with him a month ago before she even could.

"Just eat them," He enviously muttered while chewing a Caramel Baumkuchen that his aunt from Kyoto sent to his family.

That same day, Madara and Asuka-san broke up.

He patted his best friend on the shoulder and solemnly told him, "You still have your hands."

Hashirama was promptly chased by a wild and enraged Oni.

Evidence #3: A year after they graduated high school, Madara met Yumi-chan in Culinary School. Yumi-chan was Madara's longest girlfriend. They went out for a year and a half. Hashirama expected that his best friend finally found the one.

But the next time they went out for a drink because Hashirama was in town for a family business,

"How are you and Yumi-chan?" He asked Madara after five glasses of cold beer.

Madara chewed a salty Edamame bean before silently replying,

"… we broke up…"

"What did you do?" was Hashirama's automatic response.

Madara slammed his hands on the wooden table, knocking the glasses and rattling the empty dishes.

"Bastard! Why did you quickly assume it's my fault?!"

"It's not?" Hashirama exaggerated his gasping before taking a bite of a crunchy Ebi-fry in his chopsticks.

Madara sat down and a few drinks later, his best friend's mouth broke: he heard that she couldn't stand his nitpicking anymore.

Hashirama thought of giving up– that his best friend wouldn't be able to find happiness of his own with his prickly and obstinate attitude. He often worried for him like an old, nagging mother who wanted grandkids to dote on from her only child, especially after Hashirama went to a miai and agreed to marry Mito.

'Madara would be lonely.'

He couldn't help but to think such things. Hashirama wept for his best friend's love life (or the lack of it thereof), awfully.

On the day of his wedding with Mito, Tobirama made a remark during the reception while observing the large avant-garde painting hanging in the spacious hall.

"I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the future, Madara suddenly evolved and asexually reproduced or split himself into two."

After saying that, Tobirama stiffened and visibly shivered in disgust at the thought. "The simulated horror."

"Stop that." He admonished his younger brother. "I bet my whole life savings that he will find a beautiful and nice girl."

"You're not in a position to recklessly gamble your money anymore. Think of your wife." Tobirama sternly responded.

Even though he just said it to stop Tobirama from making fun of Madara, the gods of fortune smiled down at Hashirama and never forsook him. He's forever glad that he made such bet, albeit, unintentionally.

Haruno Sakura was his favorite cousin's apprentice. Tsunade recognized her talent and recommended her when Hashirama tried to recruit her in Konoha again. Of course, as the usual, she declined his offer. After she ordered and drank four bottles of expensive sake, that is.

He didn't know what happened after that, but the next morning, Hashirama and Mito boarded a plane to Paris with him having a painful hangover and a hazy memory of making a bet with Tsunade.

"Sakura is an up-and-coming pastry chef. I heard from Shizune that she's already making a reputation for herself despite being an intern. They're calling her the Fée du Sweets or something there. It wouldn't be hard for my chérie to establish her own brand here in Japan. With her skills, she'll be famous. You could try scouting her. See if you could steal her away before the other restaurants and shops here could."

"Hmm… that's impressive, indeed. I bet I could do it!" Hashirama threw his head back and laughed.

"Oho! Is that a challenge, cousin? I bet you wouldn't be able to. She's stubborn, that Sakura."

"Do you know my best friend? He's the epitome of stubbornness!"

Tsunade placed a suspicious small black bag on the table, "My gambling money tonight."

"My black card." Hashirama said, sliding one of his shiny cards on the smooth table towards Tsunade.

Tsunade's honey-brown eyes glinted and the two Senju who loves to gamble shook hands.

""Deal.""

Thanks to his beloved wife and his sincere negotiation skills, Hashirama didn't need to part with his black card and the Fairy of Sweets agreed to work in Konoha for three years after she graduated school.

When he came back to Japan, of course, Madara hounded him.

"You hired a new pâtissier."

Madara hissed with the usual scowl on his face once he entered Hashirama's office in the restaurant without even greeting him. Still, he grinned brightly at his best friend and business associate.

"A talented pâtissier!" Hashirama corrected. "Our new pâtissier is just an intern for now, but she's already making a name for herself. Look here, a food magazine in Paris featured her already. She will graduate in a month and from your alma mater, too!"

Hashirama proudly waved the magazine on the Uchiha's accusing face. Madara looked skeptical when he snatched the magazine and perused the exact page, where a column featured Haruno Sakura with a picture of her tempering a melted chocolate on the white marble table with a cooling tray, four stacks of polycarbonate molds and stainless-steel bowl on the side in Shizune's famous chocolat shop.

"It's glossy." He heard Madara muttering under his breath.

Hashirama left his frowning best friend in his office, humming and smiling as he did so. It seemed Madara is still dubious, but somehow, she already left an impression on him with the way Madara was staring at the magazine.

On the second week of March, when the snows were thawing and green leaves began to sprout, spring was near and Haruno Sakura became the newest pâtissier of Konoha.

Madara was the one who introduced her to the kitchen crew and restaurant staffs because Hashirama accompanied his wife for her check-up in the hospital that day, where they found out that Mito was six weeks pregnant.

It was a joyous day!

Hashirama and Mito became busy in the next few weeks after the news of her pregnancy became known in their family and friends. And as the head of the Senju Clan, he had to deal with some matters and clan business, so the next time Hashirama saw their new pâtissier was when he dropped by in Konoha to pick up some paperwork, which Madara had to diligently manage while he was gone for three months.

The first person who saw him entering the restaurant through the back door was the relative of his wife, Uzumaki Naruto.

"First Boss!" Naruto gasped while holding two boxes of spring mountain vegetables that he's going to prep before the store's opening hour.

And because of his loud voice, Rin and Obito, the Head of pâtissier and the Sous-chef, respectively, looked their way, curiously.

The two friends were drinking coffee in the restaurant's open staff room with Hatake Kakashi, one of the bartenders in the rooftop bar of Rinne Hotel owned by the Ōtsutsuki Family – if he wasn't mistaken. The trio greeted him, so Hashirama asked their Sous-chef if Madara was already in the restaurant.

"Madara-oji is either in your office or in the kitchen making breakfast." Obito kindly informed him.

So, there Hashirama went.

He frowned a bit when he saw Obito and Rin exchanged a knowing look before he left. What was that?

Madara wasn't in his office when he took the folder of documents, order forms, bills and receipts for the month of March, April and May. As expected, Hashirama found him in the kitchen. But, not in his usual cooking station, the Head Chef's table.

He was honestly surprised to see Madara in the pastry zone with Sakura-san.

His best friend usually steered clear from the pastry zone since he trusted Chef Rin to manage that zone because she knew what she's doing and at the end of the day, she reported to Madara or Obito, anyway.

However, that early morning, Madara was there.

From the one-way glass wall that separated the pastry zone from the main kitchen, he saw Sakura-san putting a tray of freshly baked milk buns in the cooling rack while Madara carefully took a roll and broke it apart to examine.

The glass door was slightly a jar, so he could hear their voices inside.

"How is it, Head Chef?" Hashirama heard Sakura-san enquired, nervously.

Madara hummed before nodding his head with a faint smile, "It baked well."

"I've never baked a savory stuffed bread before, so I'm uncertain of its taste." She disclosed to him. "But it smells good!"

"Then, here, have a piece. It's the fruit of your labor." Madara offered the other half of the bun to Sakura-san.

Sakura-san took the proffered bread, a bit hesitant, before taking a small bite. Then, her green eyes widened a little. She turned to him with sparkling bright eyes.

"Oh. It's surprisingly delicious considering the combination of flaked salmon in miso, yuzu juice and zest in a sweet and buttery roll like the Hokkaido milk buns is quite unusual and unheard of."

Madara smirked after seeing her delighted expression while eating before stuffing the other half of the roll in his hand to his mouth.

For some unknown reason, Hashirama felt a little awkward while watching the wholesome and innocent exchange between Madara and Sakura-san. It wasn't like they were kissing each other or being intimate with one another, but why did he felt like he just saw something he shouldn't have?

Maybe it was just his imagination?

Hmm…

… but what if…? What if there is "something" there, right?

Hashirama decided to quietly take a few steps backward to leave the place, but he accidentally bumped the shoulder of the passing youngest Uchiha in Konoha who truly resembled Madara and Izuna at that age– Tobirama almost had a heart attack when he saw him: young Uchiha Sasuke.

He was about to reflexively apologize, when Hashirama saw Sasuke looked like he's uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" He asked him instead.

Sasuke was suspiciously glaring at the glass wall of the pastry zone – where Madara and Sakura-san were tasting the bread they made together – before Madara's polite nephew side-eyed him.

"I should ask you the same… after…seeing that." Sasuke quietly and vaguely replied through gritted teeth.

"Uh… what?" Hashirama was confused.

Sasuke shook his head, "Nothing."

"… I'm just probably seeing things. It's impossible…but still…? Haha…ha."

Hashirama heard him muttering. And the young Uchiha left with a shrug before he power-walked away from there.

Well, that was odd.

Hashirama stared in bemusement while slightly frowning at the young Sasuke's back before his eyes landed back to the two chefs in the pastry zone. Madara folded his arms over his chest while towering beside Sakura-san, who started measuring flour and other dry ingredients again.

While Sakura-san was prepping, as it's the job of the juniors of the kitchen no matter which kitchen they were in, they seemed to be having an amicable discussion.

Oh. It seemed there is something brewing while he was gone.

Why couldn't these things happen when he's around? He grumbled as he left the grand kitchen with no hurry.

––

Later, when his schedule somewhat came back to normal, Hashirama heard from a reliable source that in Sakura-san's second month in Konoha, Naruto-kun and Sasuke raised quite a commotion when someone made a disparaging comment about their female best friend. Of course, Madara being Madara resolved the issue by making the individuals involved to compete in an informal cooking competition after business hours.

And after that incident, Madara started to approach Sakura-san. He will either come to her with something to nitpick or he will give her an advice… or just because.

According to both Naruto-kun and young Sasuke (which explained his strange behavior that time), they suspected Madara's attraction to their pink-haired best friend. However, they haven't found any proof yet.

(…and when they did, a month later, they immediately regretted it. To quote Nara Shikaku, how troublesome.)

Hashirama didn't know if his best friend is already aware of it, but whenever Sakura-san is around, Madara will gravitate to her and slowly showed signs of attraction.

He's like the male penguins in the documentary he was forced to watch with Kawarama and Itama once.

In the next two months, he observed that instead of shiny and pretty stones, Madara brought referential books for cooks and interesting cooking tools to their pink-haired pâtissier.

There were speculations about them, of course. But Sakura-san will always say, in regards to Madara's gifts:

"It was an accidental find in a 100 Yen shop he frequented." lies. Shame on you, Madara. To deceive this wonderful girl.

Or that, "I still have a lot to learn…" in regards to the books he gifted her.

But one day, Hashirama heard her gushing to her best friends.

"Despite his sharp tongue, our Head Chef is truly a kind man. He's also meticulous!" He is, isn't he? Hashirama wanted to butt in. "Look, he's nice enough to bring this egg topper I mentioned to him once when we were discussing the difference in taste and texture of egg purin when steamed in their eggshells compared to purin cups."

"Sakura-chan, your geeky self is coming out of your… shell."

Hashirama watched Sakura-san walking out after Naruto's attempt in humor.

"Hn, dobe."

On a fine, hot day in the middle of August, Madara realized his feelings for Sakura-san while they were both drinking cold beer in an Izakaya owned by a miser acquaintance, Kakuzu-san.

"I'm planning to court Haruno Sakura."

Hashirama spat his drink. He had known his best friend of twenty-eight years, so this development wasn't really a surprise. He had seen it coming. But it still caught him off-guard.

"But I have no idea where to start." Madara lamented.

Hashirama felt nothing but sympathy. He also felt the same. If he hadn't agreed to marry his beloved wife in the arrangement their parents made, he just knew he will be miserable like Madara is now.

"Stop dissing me in your head, bastard!" Madara growled. "I know you're thinking of something rude! I know you!"

Hashirama didn't try denying anything.

"For starters, why not try asking Izuna? He's quite experienced, right? Your little brother. I heard from Tobirama once how 'smooth of a damn bas– err– talker' Izuna was during high school and college."

He tried giving Madara ideas. It somehow…backfired.

"You're going to say bastard, right?! Your brother called Izuna a damn bastard! The little shit!"

Hashirama felt offended, but just slightly.

"I wanted to say that Tobirama is not a little shit as you kindly put it, but sadly, I know who my brother is…"

"I'll avenge Izuna! How dare he!" The drunk Madara ignored him.

Hashirama sighed. It's going to be a long night. The bro-con is out; this complex seemed to run in the family.

The plates and glasses rattled when Madara slammed a fist on the wooden counter.

"You're going to pay ten times the amount of what you're eating and what was destroyed if you two broke anything." Kakuzu monotonously informed him and Madara.

He quickly apologized to the owner before he changed the topic back to Sakura-san.

"You should just spend time with Sakura-san like you usually do. Like, that time you both made milk buns for breakfast, way back in June?"

Fortunately, her name worked like magic.

"Oh? But that's not enough. I need a solid plan to get closer to her."

"How much closer?" Is what Hashirama wanted to ask because they're already close. He just needed to confess to her or ask her out.

"How about inviting her to my house to experiment some of my recipe dishes?" Madara put his idea on the table while peeling the Edamame beans from its pod.

'How about confessing to her first before inviting her to your house? Damnit!'

Instead of gaping like an idiot to what Madara had said, Hashirama just chugged down his warming beer in one go. It's really going to be a long night…

One night in September, Madara barged in his home.

Hashirama had known him for a long time, however, this is the first time he witnessed the great Uchiha Madara in a puddle of mess.

So much mess.

"I don't know what happened…" Madara groaned with a hand on his face. He was obviously drunk. "I was flirting and she either ignored it or didn't notice. Then, my mind blanked when she smiled at me and the next thing I knew, I was handing her my wallet."

"Pfft…"

"Don't laugh!"

Madara was red from the tips of his ears and his fingertips in embarrassment. His spiky ink hair was also standing like an aggressive cat's.

"So, Sakura-san could extort you with just a beautiful smile and you will gladly give her your wallet." He repeated, withholding a snicker.

"That's not the point!" Madara roared before he tiredly slumped on the low table.

Hashirama sighed at his pitiful best friend. Oh, how the mighty have truly fallen.

"Have you tried asking her on a date?" He asked in full seriousness. "Because inviting Sakura-san to show-off your skills and to taste your dishes just to spend time with her didn't seem to work at all."

"Date? Ah. I guess not yet." Madara intoned while picking up his tea cup.

"You go do that." Hashirama nodded before he sipped his chrysanthemum tea.

October became the busiest and most memorable month for Hashirama. Mito gave birth to their son and his daught– err… his best friend finally asked Sakura-san on a date.

He's not really sure if he should call it a date, though.

In the last week of October, Hashirama briefly stopped by in Konoha to take the paperwork he could do at home while helping Mito to take care of their precious son while she recovered from giving birth.

He happened to be near when he heard Madara spoke.

"Haruno, you will accompany me in the Wet Market this weekend."

Hashirama stopped in his track. So did Hinata-san, Chouji-kun and Shisui, who were taking a break with Sakura-san inside the open staff room.

That's not a date, is it?

"Uh… s-sure?" Sakura replied, obviously confused why her, a pâtissier, will have to accompany their Head Chef to the market when it's usually Obito or the chefs from the main kitchen's job.

"Do you need anything else, Head Chef?" Sakura-san asked, blushing lightly behind her animal-themed coffee mug as she peered at the Uchiha across her.

Madara cleared his throat, "No. Well then, you could go back to your break."

Haruno Sakura, that precious girl, smiled at Madara before she looked down. Madara turned his back, so he didn't see how she inconspicuously glanced at his back as he left, but Hashirama did!

He couldn't help the giddiness he felt. What's that? A turn of event, that is!

Before Madara could see him witnessing that, Hashirama went and strode to his office with a quick, light, large steps. He took the folders on the table and locked his office.

It seemed their Fairy of Sweets became conscious of Uchiha Madara. How did that happen, though?

Maa~ It doesn't matter. That is an interesting development. He wouldn't be able to be there for Madara in his anticipated date, but a proxy could… probably.

The night before Madara's date, Hashirama contacted his wife's niece, Uzumaki Karin.

She arrived back in Japan a week ago to prepare for her o'miai next month. He also sent one of his shiny black cards to Obito, just in case. He wanted juicy reports from the date. Also, even if he's not there, he's still Madara's ever supportive wingman.

Hashirama waited all day for the reports to come. He received it just in time his son fell asleep in his hold.

According to Karin-san's email, she was caught in the act while following them. Fortunately, Sakura-san knew her. They met in Paris with Karin-san's roommate, so no one suspected her credibility… except for Izuna, it seemed. Still, she was able to play her role of following them around as Sakura-san asked her to come with them.

Hashirama almost laughed and sighed at the same time. Poor Madara… it appeared Sakura-san thought it was an outing rather than a date.

Karin-san also reported how Madara and Sakura-san visited the suppliers' stores where Konoha got its ingredients. Then, Madara taught Sakura-san some cooking technique using clam shells and showed-off his knife skills in cutting fishes to make sashimi before they all have some mouth-watering seafood feast for breakfast just before sunrise.

Hashirama pinched the bridge of his nose as he read through the report from Karin-san.

'Madara, what the hell are you doing teaching those tips to a pastry chef?'

Unfortunately, on their way back to the market once more, Karin-san and Izuna got separated from others. They tried to find them in the throng of early shoppers in the weekend, but they got left behind… so she and Izuna went home.

Hashirama wasn't satisfied at the report he received from Karin-san. It's a good thing he sent his card to Obito. But, come morning, Obito sent a white envelope with his black card, some x0,000 bills, receipts and a single note with written words of "I'm paying you back. Just. Never again".

Hashirama found out from Rin and Hatake-san that Obito blocked his memories when he accompanied Madara and Sakura-san in their "date". Also, for some weird reason, Obito couldn't look or handle some octopus for two weeks.

What happened?! Really?! Hashirama is more curious now!

"How was your date?" Hashirama finally asked the person most involved.

Madara's lips couldn't stop twitching as if preventing himself from grinning when Hashirama mentioned the so-called "date". He's like a maiden in love.

It seemed springtime finally came.

Good for you, Madara! Hang in there.