'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.'

Proverb

The two rivals settle the unspoken tension the same way they always do – by beating each other senseless. Arriving at the counsel chambers two hours later, bloody and bruised but nonetheless satisfied, Madara settles imperceptibly back into the prickly companionship Hashirama and he have developed since their youth.

The Senju leader is loudly recanting his latest mishap in Konoha's growing gambling dens. For someone so canny on the battlefield, he is surely the most hapless loser at the gaming table. Madara can't hide the exasperation that builds on hearing these antics as much as he wants to remain indifferent. But who could despise someone who humbles himself with such enthusiasm? If Hashirama is a fool, then at least he is an amusing one.

"Should you really be encouraging such illicit activity?" Madara asks as they climb the stairs. "Money is supposed to be one of the three shinobi vices after all."

"I'm just promoting new business, Madara." Hashirama grins. "It's good for the village!"

I'm sure they could run the entire industry off you. Madara inwardly shakes his head. At least he has some flaws… I think I would have knifed him months ago, Alliance or not, if he was the deity most people think he is.

"I hope we aren't late." Hashirama says, bounding up the last few flights with Madara forced to keep pace.

Damn that healing ability of his! He thinks as another step jars his injured shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want me to heal that?" Hashirama asks, catching his friend's awkward stance.

"Heal what? You never landed a clean hit." Madara lies and stalks past him, only to virtually collide with a woman at the top of the stairs.

Red hair, silk kimono, jasmine scent…and suddenly all the heady emotions that he's been suppressing come flooding back.

"Mito!" Hashirama exclaims, stealing the name from Madara's breathless lips. The Uchiha automatically looks through her, she was beneath his notice after all. Or at least he tries but his flat gaze is caught by flinty, blue eyes.

"And where exactly have you been? Or do I need to guess?" She says, arms folded. She is dressed in a light blue kimono today, depicting scenes of koi, waterlillies and morning glories. The hue makes her look as if she is floating amidst serene waters, but there's nothing calm in those eyes.

"We were training, beloved." Hashirama replies. "You remember? I told…oh…"

"Yes." Mito says, seeing the realisation spread across his guilty face. "You told me you were going to talk to Madara-dono, not that the two of you would be kicking each other around a field all morning." Her expression is controlled – the perfect, imperious lady - but anger radiates off her in waves.

"Well, I guess I got distracted…" Hashirama replies, scratching his head sheepishly "Forgive me."

He reaches out to caress her but thinks better of it after catching her look. Madara merely crosses his arms, silently amused.

The God of Shinobi cowed by a women's glare…how pathetic.

Before Hashirama can fall into one of his irritating sulks the Uchiha cuts in. "We are going to be late. Chastise him after the meeting if you wish."

"Don't think you are getting away lightly either." Mito turns those eyes on him. "Is this your fault?" She says, indicating her husband's ripped and bloodstained clothes.

Madara ignores her comment, wishing he could ignore her presence in same way. Mito purses her lips.

"Oh dear…" Hashirama says, as if he's only just noticed the state his clothes are in. "I don't think we have time to change."

Madara gives him a withering look as he gathers his chakra in a hand seal.

"Clearly I mistook you for a ninja, Hashirama." He says, transforming into a freshly washed version of himself. The wounds still throb underneath the illusion but he isn't about to admit it.

"Are you sure the clans will fall for a simple henge? They might even think we are impostors."

"Trust me," Madara replies, "as soon as you open your mouth, they'll know it's you."

Hashirama roars with laughter and shakes his head. "I don't know why I let you get away with those jabs." He says as he follows suit and transforms.

"Because I'm the voice of reason, perhaps?" Does he really need to be that loud?

"Hardly." A mocking voice pipes up.

Madara fixes red eyes on the figure that leans against the wall. Arms dressed in the browns and greys of the Sarutobi clan cross a muscular chest arrogantly displayed through a loose yukata. Brash, just like everything else about Sarutobi Sasuke - an upstart who is only as famous as Hashirama and himself because of the spread of some wildly exaggerated stories.

Naturally he can't return the Sharingan's stare but the smirk tugging the corner of the monkey man's mouth is enough to ignite Madara's dormant temper, as does the nod of respect he gives Hashirama when they approach him.

"I wasn't aware we were letting animals into the counsel chamber, Hashirama?" Madara says as he strides past, and smiles as Sasuke's fingers tighten on his arms.

"Now, Madara, don't be like that." Hashirama says, casting an apologetic glance at the Sarutobi clan leader and making Madara want to hit him even more.

"I thought you had him under more control, Hashirama-dono." Sasuke says with a grin as he joins them in the lofty chamber.

How dare he!

Before Madara can unleash his wrath, Mito glides between them, followed by the other clan leaders.

"Gentlemen, please." She says, ushering them to different sides of the room.

Make no mistake, Saru, I will destroy you for that insult.

That insult and so many others.

Madara settles down into his seat. This damn Alliance… So many of the leaders that once feared him now think of him as Hashirama's lapdog. The fact that he wouldn't even be sitting here today if not for the Senju's mercy is acid burning in his stomach. The thought makes him want to storm out but he refuses to let the lesser men get to him.

Let them think it. I'm here for my clan, for the future and it's a future he would never have without me. We are equal and soon they will acknowledge it.

He raises his eyes, back to their normal black, and meets the red gaze of Tobirama as the albino takes a place next to his brother. The strength of feeling causes his Sharingan to ignite again and the absence by Madara's side feels more acute than he can bear. Allowing his eyes to fall away from Izuna's murderer before he return the favour, Madara catches Mito looking at him. He can't quite decode the emotion in the glance but it makes him angry and strangely elated.

Damn woman…

"Thank you all for coming here." Hashirama starts off, his smile warm and slightly bewildered, as if he still can't quite believe it. Ten clan heads stare back at him, half of which he had been at war with six months ago. Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimnichi, Sarutobi, Shimura, Aburame, Hyuuga, Uzumaki, Senju and Uchiha and more joined every day.

More fools to delay action with their incessant bickering. Madara thinks as he lets the rest of Hashirama's speech flow over him.

"The most pressing matter is the one we keep refusing to answer." The doddering Hyuuga Elder says after the Senju has finished, "Who will lead this place?"

Rumbles of assent fill the room and Madara does not miss Mito and Hashirama's eyes flicking to him. Tobirama's is still fixed on his as well like a guard dog and Madara lets a small smile play on the edge of his lips despite the tremor of anxiety in his heart.

"Well the answer's obvious, isn't it?" Sasuke snorts as he rests his chin on a gloved fist. "Hashirama-dono."

Madara's pulse electrifies but still he says nothing as that wretched name is bandied around the room like a shrine offering.

"He's the one that brought us all together, he's the one that made all this possible." Sasuke continues with the same self-satisfied smirk that he then turns on the Senju leader. "I know your humility would never let you admit it, but it's time to accept your place."

The chorus is louder now and Madara's crossed arms are a vice binding his chest. Hashirama the leader. Hashirama his leader, his superior?!

"Sarutobi-dono is right, brother." Tobirama says and Madara tastes blood in his mouth but before he can respond Hashirama has raised his hands.

"Thank you, all of you, for the sentiment but this Alliance and this village has been forged from far more than just me." This time his glance to Madara is unmistakable before he sweeps it across the fellowship around him. "The time will come when the leader of this place becomes apparent, but for now I'm afraid we must rely on each other. Indeed whoever is chosen will still need to do so." The idiotic grin is back. "Now on to other business…"

Grumbles and knowing expressions flicker across the room. "Whatever you say, Hashirama-dono." Sasuke bows his head ruefully. "Latrine pits it is…"

Madara watches them beneath hooded lids, his face remaining calm but his pulse still racing. How quickly they resign themselves to Hashirama's will, in spite of his reluctance to step up to the ultimate challenge.

If a vote is called now, it is clear who would win. Once he had been loved with the same fervour, at least in certain circles. Now though…

"Advance teams from the Land of Stone should be our first priority." Kana, the fierce she-wolf of the Inuzuka cuts in.

"When are we going to discuss the Bijuu?" Aburame Shin says over her, earning himself a murderous stare. "The Two Tails in the form of a monstrous cat is continuing its rampage across the Land of Rain and sightings from the Land of Water tell of a huge Ushi-Oni off the coast that can only be the Eight-Tails. Rumours from the mountains report even the Nine Tails is on the move. Any one of them could reach the Land of Fire within weeks if not days."

Faces around the table become grave. No matter how eminent the shinobi, a tailed beast is not to be taken lightly.

"We have three shinobi here capable of taming them," Shin nods to Madara, Hashirama and Mito, "if we capture them before the other ninja then both issues will be solved. No-one would dare touch us."

Madara represses a smirk. Good to see my own strategies have friends here…Now let's see what happens when they realise they can be used for conquest too…

"It's foolish to even think of pursuing those monsters." Nara Kaito responds, his hands steepled in front of him. "I mean no disrespect to your respective prowess, but even if they could be captured, is anyone truly is capable of using them in battle? Or controlling them indefinitely?"

"Agreed." Yamanaka Aiko says. "Hubris could bring the demons right to our door and then release them at the worst moment." Of course the bosomy heiress of the Yamanaka clan would support the Nara. Gossip had it they were more than just allies, but Madara would wager those violet eyes had laid waste to as many men as his own had.

"If you possess the might of the Mangekyo Sharingan, all things are possible." He interrupts smoothly. "Even the Nine Tails is no match for me."

Sasuke rolls his eyes and Madara decides he's going to pluck them out one day but before the monkey and Tobirama can try to cut him down Mito's musical voice interjects.

"The honoured heads of the Nara and the Uchiha are both correct. However with the knowledge of the Uzumaki, passed down from the Sage of the Six Paths himself, it is possible to render the power of a Bijuu into the hands of a trustworthy person for the duration of their lifetime."

"A jinchuriki, you mean, Uzumaki-dono?" Kaito looks incredulous. "I thought that was just a legend?"

She smiles. "Are we not all legends around this table, Nara-dono? In my veins flows the blood of Rikudo Sennin as it does in my husband and Madara-dono. With our powers combined we can tame these beasts and use their might for prosperity. Indeed it is for this purpose I was brought to Konohagakure. "

Madara finds himself staring at her like the rest of the Council.

"For this purpose I was brought to Konohagakure…" She can't mean that she herself was meant to be…

"We will discuss the Bijuu in due course." Hashirama cuts her off and before the others can object Hashirama's chakra rises and their mouths snap closed.

The debates continue, moving on from that stilted moment, but Madara's mind is still whirring. Mito shows no sign of offence at her husband who has returned to his usual humble self, but her declaration still rings in the Uchiha's ears.

"In my veins flows the blood of Rikudo Sennin…"

"With our powers combined…"

"…for this purpose I was brought to Konohagakure…"

He has always known the marriage was a political manoeuvre no matter how irritatingly demonstrative the Senju is, but is he also more mercenary than Madara gives him credit for? Was Hashirama willing to sacrifice his beloved wife to demons in order to secure lasting power? The thought makes Madara livid - after all his prattle about "the Power of Love" and now he was considering the Uchiha clan's bloodiest choice?

Or is it merely, merely her arcane knowledge - fuinjutsu that even Madara isn't privy to - that ensured the match?

And the Tablet, that keeps coming back to him too. The lines of Elder and Younger Son separated by hatred, or rather usurpation, he corrects himself, glancing at Hashirama. But it also revealed that together Yin and Yang could obtain all things in Creation. Madara used to think that meant him and Hashirama working as one - this crazy venture he and the rest of the fools around this table are currently engaged in - but could it mean something different?

Could it instead explain the fire in his veins in her presence? For she too possessed the vitality of Sage - his Yang Chakra - as well as his legendary sealing techniques.

If we had wed, Madara realises suddenly, our child could have been the Sage Reborn…

Our child…Our family…

The unique alchemy of Uchiha and Uzumaki as one.

A thrill spikes through him, both exhilaration and dread. It roots him to his seat, unable to look up and see the woman who should have been his sitting next to his rival.

Usurpation. Again, usurpation. The Elder line's destiny. His fists crack under the table as he clenches them.

I need to go before I level this place.

"Does sanitation require such a serious expression?" Hashirama's voice breaks through the red mist in front of him.

"What?" Madara snaps and realises the entire room is rising to leave.

Hashirama chuckles. "You've been in a complete daze with a look like you were about to set fire to us all with Amaterasu." He leans in conspiratorially. "I never realised you took latrines so much to heart!"

"You are a complete fool."

Hashirama sighs. "So much for levity…what were you thinking?"

Madara's gaze flashes to Mito. When will you learn, desire brings only suffering. "Nothing of importance."

Hashirama's lips twist. "Walk with me a moment."

He turns and before Madara can object vacates the room with the usual bows and saccharine smiles at the other clan heads.

Mito is the last one to leave. She gives them same expression she had when they first entered, although it's mixed now with resignation.

"Don't be too long, Hashirama." She says by the door as he gives her a cheery wave.

It turns out by walking Hashirama means bounding over the village roofs using chakra. Madara uses the journey to channel the turmoil within, wishing he could funnel it into a real brawl, but every leap reminds him of their morning spar and his strained muscles snarl at him.

An elderly woman shouts at them as they narrowly avoid her washing lines. Her anger turns to shock and stuttered apology when she realises who it is but they are already speeding off, landing soon after on the top of the mountain overlooking the settlement.

The forest spans out around them - pine, cypress, maple and cherry. The Mokuton has encouraged them to grow vast - both a resource and defence. The perfect metaphor for Hashirama. He eyes his rival's broad back, watching the wind catch the white Senju robes, and waits for something to stem the tide of acrimony in his heart.

He has no doubt he will hear it, the prison isn't complete without its jailor.

"I haven't changed my mind." Hashirama says. "I still think you would make the best Hokage."

"It doesn't matter what you think, Senju, as your brother so aptly pointed out a few weeks ago. And if your opinion carries so much weight then surely you should be the Hokage."

"I couldn't have done this without you, Madara. You know that. We sat here in this very spot-"

"I know where we sat." Madara turns away, his long hair tangling in the wind.

"Just give them time. You, more than anyone, knows how hard it is to let go of old hatreds-"

Madara stiffens, guilt sliding alongside the stoked anger.

"- soon they will come to know you as I do." Hashirama continues, walking closer until Madara turns back, unable to tolerate the presence behind him.

But do you really know me, Senju? We showed each other our guts before, but do you know what I do at night? What I think when I look at your wife? That I could have killed you just now?

"I know you want more than anything to reclaim that old friendship," Madara says as he looks down on the worn rock where his younger, idealistic self had sat, "but what if you had to choose between it and the dream it created?"

He jumps as Hashirama places a hand on his shoulder. " I know how stubborn your pride is, how hard it would be for you to accept if they did choose me, but I do know you Madara, whatever darkness you are fighting. You love your clan just as you loved your brothers-"

Madara tries to pull back but the grip is iron and for once the Senju's warm brown eyes are stronger than the Sharingan.

"This village isn't just our legacy, it's theirs. I know what you promised Izuna-dono-"

"Don't." Madara hisses, his throat tightening painfully. "Don't say his name!"

"You promised him you would protect the Uchiha-"

"-And what if I can't!" Madara wrenches free, stalking to the cliff edge. "I couldn't even protect my brothers, Hashirama! What if I'm…"

What if I am what they say? What if I am the darkness and you are the light…

"I can't do this without you, Madara." Hashirama says quietly. "You see what I can't. You've always pushed me further, forced me to be better and I know it's the same for you. There may have to be one leader in name but just as we did as children let's work together as one to make this dream come true."

Madara lets out a long breath as he takes in the rows of wooden houses below him. The sounds of children playing comes to him on the breeze and the Sharingan can pick out the new Academy where youngsters of both sexes are trying their hand at shuriken throwing.

Together Yin and Yang can obtain all things in Creation…

"…Fine." Madara sighs, turning to see Hashirama again by his side. "You win. This time."

"It's not always a competition, Madara." Hashirama smiles.

"There's always competition between brothers, Hashirama." He leaps down from the outcrop before he has to acknowledge the other man's delight.

Yin and Yang it is…

Reviews are greatly appreciated :D