The Secret Scroll

XI: Disclosure

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|| Disclosure ||

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The cherry blossom trees were swaying in the breeze, blowing thousands of petals around the forest. Hashirama stood alone, surrounded by it, wearing his signature Senju hakama. He was mesmerized by the sight of the beautiful cherry blossom trees. Turning his gaze skyward, he noticed how late it was getting and that it was almost evening. He then looked straight at the serene view on the horizon of a distant mountain range, the sunset bathing the sky in orange-red light.

However, he noticed something weird. He pulled his sight away from the mountain view and looked around. It was as though festivities had suddenly appeared near him, with people making cheerful noises of excitement. What he saw that moment left him confused.

He saw some of these people were merrily drinking their sake at a small food bar, while others bought some delicious hot and cold food. People of all ages were playing games and claiming their prizes. It was something of a celebration, a peaceful spring festival with a lot of people around enjoying their own festivities. Their joyous faces made it feel as though the war never existed.

"Oi, Teme," he heard a familiar voice. His eyes slowly widened as he gradually realized who that person was. Hashirama quickly turned around.

"Madara...Sakura-nee...." He saw the two of them wearing their festival clothes. Sakura wore a beautiful yukata dress, her hair tied into an elaborate braid, while Madara wore a formal yukata in the dark navy blue color favored by the Uchiha. Sakura showed her beautiful, gentle smile while Madara stared at him with an arrogant smirk. Hashirama thought Madara still hadn't changed since then.

"W-What are you guys...doing here?" Hashirama asked, his face brightening.

Madara raised his left brow and asked, sounding displeased, "What kind of question is that? You're saying like we're not allowed to come here and celebrate for a spring festival?"

Sakura used her palm to cover her mouth, trying to stop her laughter. Hashirama had finally snapped himself entirely out of it. He waved his hands confusedly and looked uneasy. He wasn't sure why he asked that kind of question to them as it sounded like he didn't want them to be there. Well, maybe he's too happy that he finally met them.

"T-That's not what I meant!" Hashirama quickly spoke. Then, he stopped after he noticed something odd while his eyes were blinking. He looked up at them and was dumbfounded. They were staring at him in wonder. "Sakura-nee-chan, why are you holding Madara's arm like that," he said while he pointed an accusing finger at them.

"Oh...I don't know if this is weird for you, but I am engaged to Madara," Sakura answered.

Hashirama did nothing but gave them a blank look at first. Realization abruptly came to him as his mind repeated Sakura's words. His eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropped comically wide and his whole face turned a tomato red.

"Eeeehh!! Y-You two are already e-engaged?! B-But Madara -," before stopping himself. He knew Madara, and even himself one day would be forced into marriages arranged by their fathers and clan elders. It was common for shinobi clans to marry off their heirs to a future matriarch, either from within the clan or from another elite clan, for the purpose of beneficial interest or to strengthen an alliance. But this is bizarre, thought Hashirama. Madara is only a thirteen-year-old boy, and he's already engaged. Usually, the man was older than the woman when it came to an arranged marriage, but Madara and Sakura's age differences were quite rare. However, it didn't seem to matter. Hashirama noticed the two of them looked like they were...happy together, especially Madara.