Uchiha Madara looked at the earnest Senju Hashirama who had come before him, then glanced at Renya, whose face was filled with guilt.
Suddenly, he threw his head back and burst into laughter, the sound filled with bleak desolation.
"Hahahaha… make amends? Hashirama, you're still as naive as ever. And you, Renya—you really did accomplish what you once promised…"
As he spoke, he suddenly coughed up several mouthfuls of fresh blood, his aura rapidly withering.
Yet Madara's gaze remained sharp. His eyes swept over the Konoha ninja whose faces showed joy, before finally settling on Senju Tobirama.
The latter met Madara's gaze, his face completely expressionless.
"Do you really think this means it's over? That by stopping me, this shinobi world will welcome the peace you so desperately desire?"
Uchiha Madara's voice carried mockery, yet it was as if he had seen through the very essence of this world.
"Hatred will never disappear. As long as conflict still exists in this world, my ideals will eventually be understood by everyone…"
Senju Hashirama looked at his old friend, who still refused to wake up even at this point, and spoke with deep anguish.
"Madara, we can be like we were before…"
He wanted to persuade Madara to abandon the "Eye of the Moon" plan. As for achieving true peace in the shinobi world—
In the future, they could work together. One day, they would surely find a better way.
Just like back then, when they joined hands to end the wars and usher in the era of shinobi villages.
As long as everyone worked together, their ideals would eventually be realized.
"There's no going back, Hashirama."
Uchiha Madara raised his hand to interrupt him, looking at his lifelong friend and rival with a complex expression.
"From the moment you chose the village, from the moment you swung your blade at me from behind, we had already stepped onto completely different paths."
The Hashirama of the past had put the cart before the horse, forgetting the original purpose of founding Konoha.
Hashirama originally established the village to protect his family, his clan, his companions. Yet later, it became a village he would protect at any cost—even if that meant killing his own family, his clan, his companions!
Such a path was undoubtedly wrong…
Madara had always firmly believed that only the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" could bring true peace to the decaying shinobi world!
It was just a pity that, due to various reasons, he ultimately failed.
But he had never regretted his choice. The road to success was always fraught with hardship.
How could it ever be smooth sailing?
Fortunately, Madara had long anticipated that this journey would be fraught with danger, and had already made thorough preparations.
His body began to sway slightly. The tachi embedded in his abdomen prevented the wound from healing, and fresh blood dyed a large patch of the ground red.
Without timely treatment, death was imminent.
"Madara, don't talk anymore. I'll have someone come treat you!"
Seeing this, Senju Hashirama was about to call over the medical ninja to treat his dear friend, but was stopped by Madara raising his hand.
"No need, Hashirama." Uchiha Madara looked at the flustered expression of his former friend and said coldly, "Saving me is useless. I will never abandon the 'Eye of the Moon' plan because of this!"
If Hashirama hadn't been so stubborn back then, he wouldn't have been disappointed in Konoha and left the village.
At this point, the past no longer mattered.
"Madara!"
Senju Hashirama was about to continue persuading him, but Madara no longer looked at him.
Seeing this, he knew that his dear friend could not be swayed. He could only clench his fists unwillingly and slowly lower his head.
Renya endured the intense pain in his abdomen and the dizziness from blood loss, pulled out the black rod that had pierced him, and casually stuck it into the ground.
He knew that trying to persuade someone like Madara normally was completely useless.
Such people only believed what they saw with their own eyes. No matter who tried to persuade them, it would have no effect.
They were the kind who wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall.
Even if he were to summon the deceased Uchiha Izuna right now, given the nature of the Uchiha brothers' bond,
there was a good chance Izuna would actually help Madara realize his ideals.
In short, persuading Madara to abandon the "Eye of the Moon" plan was impossible.
Although he didn't want to see Madara die like this, there was no other way at the moment.
At worst, he could wait until he captured Black Zetsu and then use Rinne Rebirth to revive him.
After all, with the Rinnegan, bringing the dead back to life was no great difficulty.
"The 'Eye of the Moon' plan is the only salvation… you will understand eventually…" Uchiha Madara's voice grew lower and lower, and the light in his Rinnegan gradually dimmed. "But before that… Renya…"
His gaze focused once more on Renya. That look no longer carried icy killing intent.
Instead, it held an indescribable expectation.
Or perhaps… a entrustment?
"Use those eyes of yours to see the truth of this world clearly… see what the future of everything you claim to protect will really be like."
The current peace of the shinobi world was false—peace maintained by Konoha's overwhelming military might.
Once Konoha declined, war would erupt again!
Just like back when Hashirama faked his death and left Konoha.
One day, Renya would realize just how ridiculous it was to stop him from carrying out the "Eye of the Moon" plan!
Uchiha Madara's body could no longer hold on, and he slowly fell backward.
"Madara!" Senju Hashirama rushed forward and caught his collapsing body, his face filled with sorrow.
No matter how different their ideals were, the man before him was ultimately his closest friend.
It could be said that though they were not brothers by blood, they were closer than brothers.
Renya stood where he was, clutching his wound, silent.
The scene before him was completely different from what he had once imagined. He had failed to let Madara live out his later years in peace.
Instead, he had sent him on his way early.
If Madara hadn't been tricked and crippled by Black Zetsu, if Madara hadn't been so obsessed things would not have turned out this way.
Renya didn't resent Madara. Everyone had their own ideals and positions.
In Renya's view, the "Eye of the Moon" plan was merely Black Zetsu's conspiracy to resurrect Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, and Madara had been deceived.
But in Uchiha Madara's eyes, the "Eye of the Moon" plan was the only path to achieving peace in the shinobi world!
And Renya's interference, in Madara's view, was an act that obstructed the realization of peace.
Their ideas were completely opposed, and conflict was inevitable.
Just like back then, at the Valley of the End between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara—irreconcilable and unavoidable.
In the end, the victor realized their ideals, while the loser could only die with regret.
But this time was different from the Valley of the End. Uchiha Madara was truly dead, killed by his own hand.
...
Renya looked at Uchiha Madara's corpse, and scenes of their first meeting surfaced before his eyes.
That was, in the truest sense, the first time he had met Madara.
And later, when he used missions as a pretext to visit the two of them in the cave. During that time, Madara used his overwhelming strength to help him complete many S-rank missions.
Then later still, the scene of them basking in the sun at the Iron Country estate.
Renya had thought that in the future, he could let Madara live the same kind of days in Konoha Village.
Every day, basking in the sun with Uncle Hashirama, living a rich and fulfilling retirement life.
But things did not go as wished.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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