...

Different Pt. 3

...

Metal clanked against metal with sharp reverberating sounds. Across the battlegrounds, Uchiha clashed with Senju in bloody warfare that claimed lives by the second.

It was hard to watch, seeing the people Tobirama knew and grew up with, other clan members killed by the hands of the people he resented most. But there was nothing he could do.

No medic could save the lives of those downed now, not unless they were… no.

It had been over three years since Sakura and Tsunade left the village. Word of their whereabouts was scarce and daresay clandestine. They could do what no other medics could. Their presence here, if they made an appearance and chose a side, would leave an unfair advantage. But maybe it would level the playing fields.

Too much death had wrought the Senju clan already. Destruction that would take months to recover from. But this was war. One that would dictate just what kind of village Konohagakure would become.

Tobirama scanned the grounds as he sliced a clean cut across the chest of an Uchiha who could have been no older than him. Some had only just awakened their Sharingan as they watched family and friends die at the hands of Senju. This young man was likely one of them, disoriented by its strain on the eyes, enraged by the graveyard of clansmen that was becoming.

How difficult it had been to find remorse. Three years was enough to overflow Tobirama's Uchiha gage with nothing more than utter animosity. It had been a long time coming, much to Hashirama's dismay.

But they all knew, Uchiha and Senju alike, that one day it would come down to this. Ideals would be challenged and new leadership would emerge with the victor.

Behind him, Tobirama sensed a flare of fiery chakra. Swiftly repositioning himself to face the chakra, he released an onslaught of kunai. Behind followed one single marked kunai. A fast-incoming approach meant that the Uchiha assailant had to deflect with his own blade. Metal hit metal with a loud clank. The blade, held defensively in front, stopped all but one kunai.

No… that was no kunai.

The Uchiha's eyes dropped down, blood gathering in his mouth, as he eyes the gash across his stomach. Behind him, Tobirama stood, blade still held out offensively. As he looked over his shoulder, the dying man's blade clattered to the ground, his body collapsing over it.

It had been the infamous technique that led to Izuna's death. One of the few that the Uchiha could never prepare to counter. The Sharingan may have allowed movements to be read but was hardly helpful in realizing teleportation.

Jutsu after jutsu, blow after blow, Uchiha fell at Tobirama's hands. All too similarly, Senju and other Uchiha perished by each other's hands.

Exhaustion was setting in. Tobirama had vast chakra reserves just like his brother, but the culmination of days fighting off orchestrated sneak attacks to the all-out war that had manifested left his chakra supply severely depleted.

Still, he was confident he could take on most of his Uchiha counterparts, but one name sat in the back of his mind that he admittedly did not see ending in his favor.

Madara.

Izuna's death had given Madara pain, tragedy, evolution, and an eternal abhorrence for the man who had taken his only sibling from him. It had broken him and remade him all the same. To face Madara now, he who had awoken the rumored eternal Mangekyō Sharingan…

Tobirama was pragmatic enough to know that he would not walk away from him alive.

In this life, death lurked around every corner; it was expected at a young age. His competence was what kept him breathing long after his other two brothers were taken by war. The idea of dying today was not one that Tobirama feared, but the idea did not sit well with him.

Not when he hadn't seen her in three years. Not a word exchanged between them in the three years plus that she left. She was expected to make her return soon, but "soon" was never defined. Just the term Tsunade used when she wrote Hashirama months ago.

Amid his fighting he recalled the last encounter with her as if were only yesterday, his mind tuning in and out to his surroundings in doing so. Her last attempt at reaching him happened only shortly after. The words of her written message were ingrained in his mind perfectly. Three years of dwelling could do that to you. Not that he spent his time thinking back to the letter often. Tobirama kept busy with the fighting and politics around him. He met his brother every step of the way and occupied his mind with the same concerns and tasks he did when the woman was still present in his life.

It was more common for him to forget or at least try to forget her existence throughout the day, to not get worked up. It helped too, that since she left he never found need of her aid. He assured her no dying and as it was, he was sure said female also included major injuries on the Tobirama's banned activities list. Down to scraped knees and paper cuts.

For a year, Tobirama sensed Sakura and Tsunade worlds away. The anxiety that struck him the day their chakra signature dropped from the face of the planet was insurmountable. He feared the worst for the few minutes that followed before a messenger falcon swooped in, carrying the tiniest rolled message in the tube tied to its leg.

It was Tsunade, urging him to keep his composure. She had timed the falcon to arrive with notice of their 'disappearance'—a couple of minutes little late to avoid the minor freak-out, Tobirama noted—indicating their safety and advancement in this journey. She was nice enough to keep the brothers updated on their status every few months, but never once revealed when they planned to arrive home again.

The day he lost that ability to sense her presence, he sent out a sealed letter that only Sakura could undo. It was meant for no one else's eyes but her own. If he couldn't be there to protect her if she ever needed, at the bare minimum it would rescue her from a sticky situation… if she could figure out the technique, that was.

A forceful strike disrupted Tobirama's muscle memory. Fatigued, he stumbled back, his blade held out weakly in defense before him.

The ground erupted before him as roots sprung out, restraining the Uchiha before he could take a shot at Tobirama.

"Focus, brother!" Hashirama was stern and concerned. It was unlike Tobirama to let his guard down, even when chakra reserves were low. He leapt to his side, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I need you with me," he said lowly.

"That was foolish of me." He grimaced.

"I didn't say that either. If he's no longer a threat, don't kill him." He gestured to the wood-bound shinobi before scanning the field, overwhelmed by a presence that stifled all other chakra signatures on the battlegrounds.

The brothers made eye contact knowingly.

Madara.

No sooner than they thought his name, the Uchiha's leader made his dramatic entrance, landing behind Tobirama some few meters away.

Tobirama shifted around, not to leave his back exposed to his enemy. Coal black eyes met his, arms crossed nonchalantly. That gaze shifted to Hashirama, narrowed and calculating.

The ambience of metal against metal, groans and cries from the injured and the dying, was all that traveled between them in their stares and sizing up.

Madara's hands gripped his arms with a firm squeeze. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, black danced in red pools newly. This was the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the brother noted. The eyes that allowed Madara's vision to be restored in its entirety.

Finally, decidedly, he tilted his chin up and spoke, addressing the alpine haired shinobi. "My brother's gift to me when he died was his eyes. What will yours be?"

Everything unraveled quickly after that. Dark blue poured out around him, forming a skeletal giant with four arms that enveloped Madara whole. The form, Susanoo, swung one of its wielded blades down between the brothers, separating them effectively as they leapt back to dodge the blow.

Separation was key. Holding Hashirama back to witness the death of his own brother was the plan at play.

Two wood clones split from Madara, a technique he copied from his friend years ago. They charged Hashirama, pushing him back and putting him just enough in defensive mode that he could be of no aid to his brother.

So this is how it's going to be, Tobirama thought. It was far from the ideal but somewhere in him, he knew how personal this had become when word of Izuna's death reached the Senju.

Worse was that Madara intended to make Tobirama look nothing more than a fool. He took him seriously enough, but he would never be held to the same caliber or respect Hashirama was. Not after he had done the worst deed.

The battle was short-fought, Tobirama driven back by the equally ferocious Uchiha hellbent on avenging his brother.

As for mercy? There was none.

Tobirama stayed on the defensive, his blade shattered by Madara's gunbai. He was forced back, not in easy reach of his brother when Hashirama had his own battle to fight. But he was holding his own.

He always did. Hashirama was unbreakable in so many ways, his strength lying in his compassion, empathy, and grace. He was born to do things that not many others would ever be able to do. Shake the world if he willed it.

Their view on some things may have differed, but Tobirama would always respect his brother and admire his tenacity, even in his grave.

A gust from the gunbai sent the Senju careening, assaulted by the turbulent strikes his body took from the rocky terrain. He strained to catch his breath, the wind knocked out of him. He struggled to gain footing, collapsing onto his stomach. A thin trail of blood dribbled from his mouth as he lay battered and bruised.

Hashirama shouted for him across the battlefield, a hint of fear and desperation lacing his tone.

Limp on the ground, Tobirama's fingers caressed the bare stone beneath him. So badly he wanted to see her one more time. Just one more time before life left him.

Somewhere around him, too disoriented to tell where exactly, a clank of metal reverberated lightly as it was lifted from the ground. Slowly, distantly, footsteps followed, and then they stopped.

A dry chuckle escaped Madara. "Do you feel that?"

It took Tobirama a moment to process those words. He felt nothing.

"Try harder," he commanded.

The Senju pressed his fingers against the ground more firmly. And then a flare. Familiar and warm.

No... could that be right? Not that his readings were ever wrong, why now? She was only some distance away, likely on the battlegrounds already.

"Has she come to watch you die?"

Perhaps she has. The thought was agonizing. Either he died now or she'd kill him later for getting himself into this situation if he somehow managed to recover from this. The ounce of humor in that sentiment left a grim smile on his face.

All he wanted was to see her one last time, but not like this.

Pastel pink hair fluttered across the battlefield. She moved at an incredible speed, covering ground without an inkling of trepidation. And when one shinobi stepped in her path ready for confrontation, she threw her fist at the ground, shattering the Earth beneath her feet in giant masses, a shockwave reverberating from the strike point. The ground beneath shattered upwards, massive jagged clumps of Earth thrown in disarray. The landscape was changed, the playing field altered dynamically from its once flatter scape.

Sakura was no fighter, not that Tobirama recalled. She healed. It was in her nature to nurture people to good health, not be the reason for their despair and much less a reason the cause of altered landscapes.

But she was here. She was here and somewhere in him, he felt her looking for him.

A small surge of adrenaline coursed through Tobirama. Finding the willpower, he placed his hands firmly on the ground and pushed up. Disorientation struck him back down on one side, and he rolled onto his back, trying his hardest to force himself to sit upright.

Sakura scoped the field, her eyes landing on the men she hadn't seen in years. Her legs carried her as fast as they could.

"Pathetic, isn't it? How the only thing that has saved you all these years are your cowardly techniques. You dance well on the battlefield, but you wear yourself down quickly on illusions and running away. As sly as a fox is what you are." Distaste dripped in every word Madara spoke. "How does it feel to no longer be able to run?"

Madara twirled the hilted half of Tobirama's broken blade, grabbing it firmly in one hand. He retracted it slightly, and lightning surged around the blade, ready to deal a deafening blow.

He was going to kill Tobirama in front of Hashirama. In front of Sakura, whose pink hair blew back furiously as she sped to close the distance for whatever good that would do.

Only meters away now.

Her eyes widened, and on impulse she acted, seeing the thrust of the blade forward.

Time slowed for that instant.

"No!" she cried out.

It only took a second. Flesh ripped open and lightning charred flesh. A pained whimper escaped. Blood dripped from the end of the broken sword blade, that of Tobirama's, onto his chest plate.

Shock registered only a few seconds later. Sense came into being when a marked kunai clattered to the ground out of Sakura's hands.

That was his jutsu.

She had used Flying Raijin.

"Sakura." The name left Tobirama's lips slowly.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to collect herself and focus through the pain. Blood-stained metal pierced through her abdomen, inches from Tobirama's chest.

For Madara's part, surprise was evident in his slightly lifted brows. That was not at all how he anticipated this ending.

Sakura hunched over, heavy breaths causing her shoulders to rise and fall.

"Why—"

"You're not dying today," she gritted out. "Not under my watch."

How thankful she was Tsunade sensed his distress and was able to pinpoint his location. Had she not, well, she wouldn't have been the one stabbed, for one.

Steadying her breathing, she lifted her head, her emerald eyes piercing through Madara's as a green glow emanated around the blade's entry and dislodge points.

"Sakura-chan. You've... changed." Madara had known he officially lost her three years ago, but that had done little to dampen all and any sentiments he had towards her. Those were always genuine and always would be. They had been since childhood. There had been a time when he was optimistic that those feelings were equally returned too.

But that time was long ago now.

Madara never expected Sakura to engage in battle so boldly. His gaze hardened. "So you would die for this man?" He tilted his chin up defiantly at the female, whose body slumped forward slightly to ease the tension in her muscles as the blade remained pierced through her abdomen, and frowned at the prospect of Sakura bleeding out to death with how she recklessly began to remove herself from the blade.

His eyes narrowed at her, awaiting an answer he already anticipated.

"I would." Not an ounce of hesitation sounded in her voice; she was sure of her answer. Sakura grimaced in pain as she took baby steps back, the blade lodged through her tearing at her insides painfully despite her self-healing jutsu. The burning sensation that shot through her nerves made her grit her teeth as she stared at the man before her. "But I'm not dying today, either." As soon as the blade was dislodged, Sakura collapsed to the ground, panting heavily through the searing pain that no amount of adrenaline now, could kill. She fought threw it though, her open wound mending slowly.

"Don't think I will abandon your people, Madara-san. If I can save even one of them, know that I will do it," she said with a grimace, "No matter what happens to you."

"You would do that despite your alliance?"

Fiery eyes snapped up. "Don't you get it? I never wanted this war to happen! But I will always protect him from you."

Infuriating how someone could be so pure of heart. She would willingly defend loved ones with her life, intercept a blade intended to kill, love a man who wasn't him, but still promise neutrality in war.

The time for processing her words were long over when Hashirama barged through, inserting himself between his rival and Sakura. This was his fight now. No one else was getting hurt.

Unspoken words passed between the two leaders, their eyes communicating all they needed to know. Tonight, things would end between them at the what one day would be memorialized as the Valley of the End. That's where they were headed.

Sensing their retreat, Sakura spoke what she knew would be her finals words to the Uchiha. "If it's you," she started, "if it's you, tell Izuna-kun that I'm sorry I wasn't able to do anything for him then."

Sincerity laced every single word she spoke. There were regrets. Skills she wished she had then that could have altered the events of 'now'.

There was guilt for something far beyond her control. She would never see it that way, but Madara knew that. Little could have changed this outcome.

Words were scarce, but gratitude towards the young medic resonated within. "May we meet in the next life, Sakura-chan." Madara vanished without sparing a single glance her way.

Hashirama followed silently, knowing the depth of emotions running rampant between the four of them. No words could be spoken, not until there was resolution.

It registered then in their absence that the majority of the fighting was over. Once Hashirama and Madara left for the valley, silence befell them. It was a matter of waiting to see who emerged as victor.

In that silence, Tobirama watched as Sakura's hand hovered over her abdomen, healing it. The rate of regeneration was impressive. Even the difficult areas burned more heavily by the lightning were mending quickly, her expertise in the technique shining through so much brighter than it had years ago.

It had taken a few minutes for the wound to seal up from the inside out, but it was so much more effective than any classic medical treatments would have taken. Recovery was practically instantaneous, no tedious waiting period necessary.

Sakura peeked over her shoulder as she mended her wound to assess Tobirama clearer than she had when she sprinted for him. It was mostly physical, but his chakra reserves were dangerously low. Possibly a jutsu or two from entering a comatose state. He was at his safety limit to just prevent that.

Sakura pivoted on her knees to face him, skootching herself up towards his torso.

It was then that Tobirama saw the small lilac diamond on the center of her forehead, similar to that of his sister-in-law, Mito's.

"Can you sit up?" Three years later and little changed. She was a medic first and foremost before she let her emotions run rampant. "Let me help you," she said, supporting him into a more upright position.

Her face was near his, her eyes boring into profile from what he saw in his peripheral Black tendril sprouted around the diamond. One of her hands moved to his lower back; the other rested on his thigh. Through those contact points, Tobirama felt a surge of chakra.

"I'm transferring some of my reserves to you."

Rejuvenating. That's how it felt. Energy returned to him in quantities questionable enough he had to wonder how much Sakura was transferring. "Don't overdo it."

"I won't," she said. "This is hardly anything."

How did you speak to someone you hadn't spoken with in years? So badly he longed to see her again, and all that existed between them now was silence.

It hadn't helped that she seemed dejected from the confrontation.

"You can't expect to save everyone."

"I know." Crestfallen. "I just wish things had been different." Sakura's squeezed Tobirama's leg lightly. "But I'm glad you're okay."

Sakura's eyes swept the battlefield as she wrapped up the chakra transfer. Dozens upon dozens lay slaughtered, some in heaps from the war that had raged on. There were easily hundreds scattered at varying levels of life and death. It wasn't something she could have mentally prepared herself for, but she knew her duty to these people and the few survivors she could possibly spare.

"Wait here." Sakura stood up and took a few paces away from the Senju. She bit her thumb, and with the blood and a few hand signs, summoned a small slug.

Tobirama watched her with intrigue as she spoke.

"Tell them it's safe to approach. Please take on the most fatally injured, Katsuyu-sama. Let them handle the rest."

"As you wish, Sakura-san," the slug replied. She transmitted the message through to her other divisions before taking her position on Tobirama as issued by Sakura to help mend his minor injuries.

"I'm starting with the weakest first." She directed her words at the Senju. "Direct me to the faintest chakra signatures first."

In minutes, the field filled with other medics of varying skill levels. Sakura too, took to the field alongside Tobirama, scouting out casualties. In the distance, she made out Tsunade doing the same.

In the path she walked, Sakura occasionally bent down by a corpse, whose eyes were left wide open and slid them shut. Senju and Uchiha alike.

"It's hard to leave them alone when some of them were people I knew."

"I understand." Her relationship with the Uchiha had been no different from hers with the Senju, apart from the adoration for a Senju man over an Uchiha.

"I can't ask you to like them. I know the bad blood and the deaths your family suffered because of this clan. At the end of the day, respect for the dead regardless of their side is what matters. Both sides fought for what they believed in, and no matter whose beliefs win today, I hope you can find it in you to be a just leader when your time comes."

"Hashirama won't die."

"No, I don't think he will," she said with finality, hovering her hands over an Uchiha clansmen. "The village needs him. Madara-san knew it too. He just couldn't accept that it wasn't him."

Night had fallen when a victor finally emerged. Even in the distance, his silhouette was not to be mistaken. Long, straight brown hair fell to his back and framed his face. The slightest limp slowed his pace. As he neared, his facial features became clearer, his eyes soft and weary, and though his smile held an edge of relief, sadness lurked just below.

It was a victory for his clan, but it was personal failure. That night, he lost a friend he couldn't save.

And with that friend's death at his own hands, he lost a part of himself too.

"It feels good to be back." Sakura smiled wide inside the small hospital built in her absence. "Whose idea was it?"

"All his, our sweet little medic. Though I ought to consider that nickname after your literal ground-breaking stunt." Hashirama pat his brother's back firmly. "I'm glad it's to your liking. I built it with my own two hands, or something like that… per his request."

Sakura chuckled brightly. "Thank you both," she said, bowing. "It's wonderful to have something more permanent to treat our people, though it's a shame Tsunade-sama won't be here to make use of it." Her mentor's journey across the lands continued. It was likely she wouldn't return for at least a couple more years.

"They're—we're in good hands with you back. Thank you again for saving him," Hashirama said. "Heaven knows I need him in my life just as much as you do." He winked.

She blushed.

Tobirama elbowed him sharply.

Hashirama grimaced and squeezed out a smile. "I was only teasing." His smile faltered for a moment, replaced by a more somber façade. "I do unfortunately have some work to get to, so I'll leave you both to it. We'll catch up tomorrow, brother," he said and excused himself.

The fresh wound of losing his friend was only just on its second day. The morning following his death was full of diplomacy and negotiations, following through late into the evening. Tobirama was at his brother's side through it all, working out the most immediate of concerns. The truth was, there was still plenty left, but the truth was no one wanted to deal just yet.

Years of conflict had just ended. Days of mental and emotional recovery were to follow, the physical recovery handled on the battlefield.

For the first time in three years, Sakura and Tobirama stood face to face in a safe space, no war or tragedy to interfere.

Sakura unfolded her arms and intwined her fingers behind her back youthfully. "Well?" she said.

He furrowed his brows. "What is it?"

"Did you miss me?" Sakura asked, leaning forward and peaking up at him. Her eyes were filled with the most peculiar light as she indulged herself in the question. She longed to see Tobirama again, and now here he was, safe and sound.

"Three years is a long time."

Sakura smiled softly before cracking into a wide grin, her eyes shut tight with gentle crinkles all around them. She chuckled lightly. "I thought so, too."

"You're in high spirits today."

"Being here now, it feels like I never left."

Speak for yourself, he thought. Never in his life was he ever so speechless and so caught off guard by the woman who captured his heart years ago.

Sakura frowned, her eyes catching on a cut on Tobirama's face. It couldn't have been from a couple of days ago. She had made certain all those cuts and bruises were as best healed as they could have been.

"Do you do this on purpose?" She reached one hand out to hover over his lower jaw, where dried blood crusted over.

"Not at all."

"A little overzealous to see me, then?" she teased.

"Certainly."

Sakura fell silent, caught off guard by the blunt honesty.

"Maybe things haven't changed so much, after all," Tobirama agreed. He cleared his throat. "Would you care to take a walk?"

She smiled, regaining her composure. "I would like that."

Their stroll took them through the streets of Konohagakure. News of Sakura's return had spread yesterday, but many hadn't seen her until now. Adults greeted her pleasantly and children ran up to her happily, recognizing the pastel pink hair that that fluttered through the village streets years ago.

The love Haruno Sakura received was almost no different that of Uzumaki Mito, who Sakura remained attentive to yesterday after she sealed Kurama within her days ago.

Eventually, the stroll took them beyond the confines of the village. They spent the time easing into older ways, catching up and normalizing the familiarity of each other's presence.

"Thank you for sharing that technique with me."

Flying raijin had been Tobirama's signature jutsu for years now. It wasn't one any other person knew how to do. Only Sakura.

"I thought it might come in handy for you, but it doesn't look like you're one who really needs any saving."

"There are perks to life as a medic-nin," she said, a gentle smile on her face as her steps slowed. "But I'm really grateful you entrusted that with me. I'm glad I was able to get to you in time."

"Sakura?" he reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to face him, light pink dusting her cheeks.

"Hm?"

"I appreciate you looking out for me. You've saved me countless times and—"

"I intent to do that again and again. No matter how many times I have to do it, I'll be there."

"I don't want you risking your life for me, Sakura."

Sakura shook her head. "Don't underestimate me, Tobirama-kun." She smiled. "It'll take a lot to kill me. And," she added, "I have no intentions of dying anytime soon, not when I still have so much left to do." She poked him in the chest.

Tobirama smirked and reached out for that hand, holding it withing his. He looked down at her curiously. "I agree."

"To what part?"

"All of it. You're right. There is a lot left to do." He dropped her hands and folded his arms across his chest, casting an open glance at the forest around them. "Where do you propose we start?" he challenged.

We.

"Well, I think we need to change the way we fight. Form little units with captains and subordinates. And there should always be a medic-nin in each unit just in case things go awry."

Ironic. Tobirama had thought the same thing some time ago. It was a safe way to go but that formation hadn't come to fruition yet. What he hadn't thought about was this concept of a medic-nin to aid team members on their missions.

Come to think of it, Sakura had mentioned medic-nin once earlier. It would be tricky to incorporate them and not have them be more of a liability. Somehow though, he suspected that this was accounted for by his cousin and Sakura already. He would revisit this again when the time was appropriate.

"I will discuss that with Hashirama, but that's not what I meant."

"Oh?" She piqued her head at him and continued to walk, inviting him to follow. "What are you getting at?"

It hit him then that she was playing coy.

"I think there's a lake up ahead," she said, knowing full well there was indeed a lake ahead. "Let's go."

Before she could gain distance, he placed a hand on her shoulder. In an instant, they stood in front of clear blue waters.

Sakura's eyes widened. "How..?"

"This place was special to me too."

"You remember?" Her eyes lit up as she turned abruptly to face him. Behind Tobirama, she noticed his seal marked on the tree they teleported by.

"Where we met? That isn't something you forget so easily." How could he when she had snuck out of her house on occasion to practice walking on water while he and his brothers trained? She thought she had gone unnoticed, following them out there, but her chakra signature was well familiar to them.

And when her focus broke once upon being spotted by Hashirama, she slipped through the water only to be pulled out by the brother with white hair. He had frowned at her then, calling her careless and reprimanding her for venturing out of safety.

He should have known then that she wasn't meant to sit idle. That she would find a higher purpose and become an asset to the village.

A single light that shined in the darkness of the world. His savior time and time again.

The one person he would ever love.

That was Haruno Sakura.

"I don't believe you ever answered my question. Where do we start?" he reiterated.

She shook her head, turning back to face the still water, enveloped by the warmth of the sun on a calm day. She walked towards it, staring pensively out as she came to stand along the edge of the lake. "I think we started long ago already."

Tobirama came up beside her, the faintest smile tracing his lips. Funny how they were always on different wavelengths but nonetheless understood one another.

It just worked.

"The right question would be, where do we go from here?" She looked up at him challengingly, reversing the tables.

Tobirama turned to face her, Sakura mimicking his movements.

She had to have known he wasn't romantic with his words in the slightest already. He hoped a gesture would communicate the words that didn't come naturally to him. He asked for her hand, and when she lifted her left, he held it between both his.

Focusing on the water from the lake, he manipulated a thin sliver, which rose and twisted around her ring finger. The water continued to circulate around it in a thin band, a token of where they met and where this promise was made.

Sakura blinked rapidly, staring at the clear stream around her finger. Her head shot up so that her eyes met Tobirama's once more, and in one swift motion, he kissed her.

His hands cupped her face as hers came up to rest around his neck.

Three years.

It had been three years since Sakura left the village. But she was here now.

And as long as they lived, they vowed their lives to each other for the years to come.

A/N: (7/2/2020) Fin. Who here thinks that if Madara and Tobirama had found love, much of the crises in Naruto could have been avoided? Two bitter men.

I've recently had a longing to revisit Naruto and that brought me back here. All it has done is made me realize the love I have for all of the most anal men from the manga. Madara, Tobirama, Hidan (yikes!)... Literally. The. Worst! But I love them and that will never change.

Real talk, hope you guys enjoyed this! Ironic that it took three years to finish this chapter and for that I am so sorry. This is most definitely the final part for Different, but I am always open to other one-shots exploring these characters provided the time to write (and I hope so dearly that I can find more of it later this year).

That's all for now. Thank you for reading. Stay safe!