On the Hokage Rock, Madara stood alone, gazing down at Hashirama's carved face.
No one knew how long he had been there, or what exactly he was thinking.
...
Swish!
Kaito appeared beside Madara, smiling as he asked,
"How've you been these past few days, staying in Konoha?"
Madara also smiled faintly. He lifted his head to glance across Konoha, and said softly,
"Not bad."
As for Madara, Minato and the others had no idea how to deal with him.
That day, after Kaito left the battlefield, they had layered seal upon seal over Madara, almost wrapping him up like a mummy.
Fortunately, Minato had learned a good deal of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques from Kushina. On the way back to Konoha, Madara had stayed quiet, not causing any further trouble.
When they finally returned to the village, Kaito was wandering the streets with Kaguya.
The moment Kaito saw Madara in that state, he burst out laughing, and with a casual wave, he released all the seals binding Madara.
With Kaito present, Minato and the others didn't worry about Madara making a scene. On the road, they had been on edge the entire way, not daring to relax for even a moment. But after handing Madara over to Kaito, they all went home to rest.
As for how Madara should be dealt with—that wasn't even something they could consider. A figure like him wasn't someone they had the right to handle.
So Kaito arranged for Madara to stay in Itachi's home. Itachi still held respect for this ancestor of his, and gladly accepted the arrangement.
Madara spent his days watching Itachi and Sasuke live their ordinary lives, always as an outsider. During this time, he frequently thought back to his younger brother, Uchiha Izuna.
It was because Sasuke looked so much like Izuna. Sometimes, the way Madara gazed at Sasuke even made Itachi uneasy, as though Madara might try to steal his brother away.
Because of this, Itachi had gone to Kaito to voice his concern.
Kaito only smiled and told him the truth about Izuna. After hearing it, Itachi felt deep sympathy for this ancestor of his.
If it had been him, watching Sasuke killed before his very eyes, he would probably have fallen into darkness even deeper than Madara had.
So when he returned home, Itachi cared for Madara even more attentively. Under his quiet care, Madara's frozen heart slowly began to thaw.
During this time, Kaito had also visited Madara with Kaguya, explaining the truth behind the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
After learning it, Madara showed no anger. Instead, he laughed bitterly at himself.
The plan he had worked toward for decades turned out to be nothing more than a cruel lie. He, Uchiha Madara, had been nothing but someone else's pawn.
Yet he held no resentment toward Kaito for defeating him. A loss was a loss, and he accepted it without complaint. In fact, he even felt grateful to Kaito.
If not for Kaito, he would have already become the vessel for that woman's resurrection, and the Infinite Tsukuyomi would have destroyed the entire shinobi world.
Had that happened, Uchiha Madara would have become a true sinner. How would he ever face Hashirama then?
From that moment onward, Madara let go. From now on, whether the shinobi world was chaotic or peaceful—that would be up to Kaito.
As for himself, Uchiha Madara only wished to stay quietly in Konoha, living as a "normal shinobi."
Today, when he came to the Hokage Rock, it wasn't out of despair.
He simply wanted to look upon Hashirama's face once more.
Kaito could tell what was on his mind.
"What's this? Missing Hashirama?"
"..."
The corner of Madara's mouth twitched. He drew in a deep breath and said,
"I was just thinking… if Hashirama knew all of this, would he laugh at me?"
"Heh, how would I know what he'd think? Kabuto's still at the orphanage—why not ask him to help? You could use Edo Tensei to bring Hashirama back and ask him directly."
Madara actually began to consider it seriously. To him, Edo Tensei wasn't something inherently bad. In fact, he thought it was one of Tobirama's few jutsu worthy of praise.
Though Madara disliked Tobirama, he had to admit: the man was a genius when it came to developing jutsu.
After thinking for a while, Madara shook his head.
"No… not yet. I'm not ready to face Hashirama."
As he said this, Madara suddenly laughed, and looked straight into Kaito's eyes.
"When this world has stabilized, it won't be too late to bring him back."
Now that the Five Great Shinobi Villages had been united under Kaito, it was exactly what Madara had once dreamed of.
A few years from now, if the shinobi world truly became what he had envisioned—unified, orderly, free from war—then he would summon Hashirama, to prove that his own ideals had been right all along.
For now, the other villages remained quiet, cowed by Kaito's strength. Among them, Terumī Mei's Kirigakure behaved the best, almost eager to attach themselves to Konoha.
Mei even proposed moving to live in Konoha herself, though the higher-ups of Kirigakure stopped her.
What a joke—if their Mizukage really went to live in Konoha, how would Kirigakure ever save reputation?
Besides, even a blind man could see what Mei was thinking. She was simply infatuated with Konoha's Hokage, Kaito!
Even Madara had heard whispers of this, and for the first time in ages, he cracked a joke.
"Kaito, the Uchiha clan's numbers are dwindling. That Terumī Mei seems quite interested in you… how about it? Want to give it a try?"
Kaito's mouth twitched. He couldn't believe those words had actually come out of Madara's mouth.
Madara himself realized it too, coughing awkwardly. In these past days, under Itachi's quiet care, his mindset had changed. He no longer held himself so rigidly, and would occasionally let himself relax.
Kaito shot him a sideways glance and replied casually,
"You're one to talk. Aren't you well over fifty by now? And I've never seen you with a woman. Just look at Hashirama!"
Madara's face froze. He had never cared for women. With his father dying early and no one daring to pressure him into marriage, he had remained a bachelor all his life.
Hashirama, at least, had Mito of the Uzumaki clan. But Madara… had always been alone.
In Kaito's eyes, living alone like that for so long would inevitably twist someone's heart. If Madara had ever met a woman he truly cared for, maybe he wouldn't have obsessed so much over "world peace."
Of course, that was assuming Black Zetsu hadn't been whispering in his ear. That schemer would never have allowed Madara to fall in love.
Hearing Kaito's words, Madara unconsciously touched his chin, falling into thought.
He wasn't thinking about women, of course. He was still Madara. To him, women could only ever be a burden.
What he was thinking about… was that, as a Uchiha, perhaps he had lost the very thing that defined them—"love."
No brother. No woman. For years, the only love Madara had clung to was his love for the world.
But now… even that love was fading.
The realization struck him, and a deep sense of loneliness welled up inside.
He lowered his gaze again to Hashirama's face carved in stone, and let out a heavy sigh.
This time, he truly was despairing.
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