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Hashirama doesn't figure out that he's the Avatar until he's already in his twenties. He's lived in the Foggy Swamp for nearly fifteen years by then, and has mastered their particular style of waterbending. The spirit visions in the swamp are just a normal part of life for everyone who lives there, and he never really thought about the fact that he always seemed to have more spirit encounters than anyone else. His mother was rather sensitive to spiritual happenings, as well, so he assumed it just ran in the family.
But then he earthbends. He wasn't even trying to bend at all, but he trips over his pet salamander one day, and somehow instead of landing on his face, the earth itself reaches up to catch him.
"What the fuck," he asks Bongwater, who, as usual, says nothing.
Two months later, Tobirama meets him in a little town in the northern Earth Kingdom, looking supremely unimpressed and more than a little overheated. Hashirama thinks about splashing him with water, but decides that if Tobirama wanted to be cooled down he'd do it himself. He's from the north pole, anyway, and is much better at working with ice than Hashirama is.
"So," says his little brother. "What was so important that you couldn't tell me in a letter, and had to make me come all the way down here for?"
Hashirama grins excitedly, and leans in close, whispering so no one else in the dusty tavern can hear him. "I'm the Avatar," he says, and watches gleefully as Tobirama's eyes go wide.
"You're shitting me," Tobirama says flatly, once he's recovered. "You made me come all the way down here just to play a stupid prank on me? Hashirama-" he trails off, looking at the small stone Hashirama is holding in the air above his palm. He hasn't found an earthbending master yet, but he's picked up a few tricks here and there.
Hashirama yelps and nearly drops the rock when Tobirama grabs his arm and starts dragging him out of the tavern, and towards the forest surrounding the town. "Don't do that in there, idiot!" he hisses. "What if someone sees you?"
Aww, he really does care!
"Then they'll think I'm a late-blooming earthbender! No one's seen me waterbending, Tobirama, I'm not stupid." he laughs, trying to ease his brothers worry. The waterbenders of the Foggy Swamp are used to hiding their bending from outsiders, and Hashirama is well aware of what could happen if the Fire Nation catches wind of a new Avatar.
Tobirama drags him into the forest until they're well out of sight of the town, then turns on him. He looks stressed. "You're really the Avatar?" he asks quietly. "This isn't some strange swamp waterbending technique like those vines, is it?"
"No, I'm really the Avatar," Hashirama replies, scratching his head sheepishly. "It's kind of weird that it took me this long to figure it out, but I accidentally earthbent a couple months ago and had to confirm it so I meditated on it, and ended up meeting the previous Avatar in a dream! It was pretty crazy."
Tobirama blinks. "Alright, then," he says. "So what's next?"
"I need to master the four elements and defeat the Firelord, obviously."
"Great," says Tobirama dryly. "and I assume you want me to come along?"
"That'd be nice," says Hashirama, smiling winningly at his brother.
"Wonderful," moans Tobirama, burying his face in his hands. "This is going to be so much fun…"
"Thats the spirit, brother! We'll win the war in no time with enthusiasm like that!"