[Hashirama and Madara] Can We Save the World with the Unusual?

*Story premise: In the original, Hashirama minus Madara equals friendship.

*Content warning: Hashirama is not the original Hashirama. Out-of-character characterization ahead.

*This is another world, another world, another world. To be clear, it's a parallel universe.

*Inspired by a friend who wanted a Hashirama and Madara story with nothing tying them down, no family, relatives, clan, or ideals, just the two of them.

The Fourth Shinobi World War came to an end after Uchiha Madara's final death.

"You toyed with life and death by using the Rinne Rebirth. You have no right to enter the afterlife." The god's judgment was merciless, yet the man who had devoted his entire life to his dream had no regrets.

"Hmph. So I'll just be reduced to nothing."

Moved by compassion, the god granted him rebirth.

"That land will be driven into the depths of despair by someone. The gods cannot directly interfere in the worlds they create, so I can only ask you to save it."

"The benefit is that in this new world, you'll gain things that weren't part of your original destiny."

When Madara arrived in the new world, he discovered that both he and Hashirama had been cast out by their clans. Madara had been abandoned because he couldn't kill, while Hashirama had been driven away because he showed no respect for life and feared nothing.

Or, to put it another way, he was cruel and disrespectful toward life.

Unlike in the world he'd come from, this Senju Hashirama was ordinary-minded and as simple as a blank sheet of paper.

Shocked by the enormous Wood Release technique, Madara stormed over to Hashirama, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded, "Why did you use such a wide-ranging technique?"

"Can't you see all those civilians?! And you even used Impaling Wood! Did you think those people hadn't died beautifully enough?!"

Hashirama didn't understand why Madara was angry. He stumbled through an explanation, unable to say why he'd done it either. "I... I usually... do this..."

Under Madara's furious glare, he trailed off.

"Save the world? I am his entire world."

Theme: A story of love