Uchiha Madara hadn't planned on revealing his scheme so soon, but plans change when you least expect it.
That kid, Ito Hirofumi, seemed to know everything about his plans already.
And now, the Fourth Hokage had shown up.
If Madara didn't clear things up, that soft-hearted fool Hashirama—Haxi-lama, as he called him—might actually get upset. After all, Hashirama cared about the Leaf Village more than anything!
Plus, with Uchiha Obito running around using Madara's name, it wouldn't take much for people to connect the dots between them.
Madara thought for a moment, then looked up at everyone present.
"Fourth Hokage, I swear this wasn't my doing. I was long dead by the time it happened!
But… I won't lie, it's got some connection to me…"
"Hah! Typical evil Uchiha!" Tobirama Senju scoffed from the side, cutting Madara off with his usual jab.
"Damn it, Tobirama, you bastard!" Madara snapped. "Do you want to hear this or not?! If not, I'll shut up right now!"
"Cough, cough… fine, I want to hear it," Tobirama mumbled, clearly curious about what Madara's so-called plan was.
"Then keep your mouth shut!" Madara growled. "Or I'll drop a Tengai Shinsei on you and end this!"
After shooting Tobirama a death glare, Madara continued.
"The truth is, back when I fought Hashirama, I didn't actually die…"
"What?!"
"You didn't die?!"
"How's that possible?!"
Ito Hirofumi, already in the know, wasn't surprised, but Hashirama, Tobirama, and Minato Namikaze were floored by the revelation.
Tobirama, stunned, muttered to himself, "No wonder your body disappeared back then… I thought it was strange, you evil—I mean, you damned guy! You never died!"
Hashirama, meanwhile, looked at Madara with a mix of hurt and frustration. "Madara! You were alive all that time?! You jerk, if you didn't die, why didn't you come find me?!
I thought I'd lost your body or something—I cried for days over it!"
Madara shot him a fierce glare. "Find you? For what?! So you could finish me off with another one of your brutal attacks?!"
Hashirama scratched his head, a bit sheepish. Back then, he'd had no choice but to go all out against Madara. The Leaf Village was the dream they'd built together as kids, and he wouldn't let anyone—not even Madara—destroy it.
Even if Madara had changed, Hashirama was determined to protect their shared dream.
Madara waved it off, not wanting to dwell on the past. "Anyway, I didn't die. In fact, I lived for a long time—long enough to see the Third Great Ninja War."
Minato started to piece things together. His student, Obito, hadn't died—he must've been saved by Madara. And after Madara's death, Obito took up his name, carrying out his plans in the ninja world.
But the more Minato understood, the harder it was to accept.
Obito was his student!
Why would he turn against him? Why would he attack his own teacher's wife, Kushina?!
Why?!
What was it all for?!
Minato and Kushina had never treated Obito poorly—so why would he tear their family apart, leaving them broken and scattered?!
Why?!
Minato's body trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. The truth hit him like a tidal wave, too much to bear.
It hurt. It hurt too much.
Madara, oblivious to Minato's spiraling emotions, kept talking.
"Later, I found Uchiha Obito, half-dead from the war. I saved him.
Then I came up with a plan: Obito would act under my name, working to revive me. Once I was back, I'd launch the Eye of the Moon Plan, using genjutsu to bring true peace to the ninja world.
But what Obito did after that? I honestly don't know. I never told him to go after his teacher or his family. All I asked was for him to follow the plan to bring me back.
Hirofumi here knows the whole plan, so he can back me up. The Fourth Hokage's tragedy? That's got nothing to do with me!"
Madara's explanation was mostly for Hashirama's sake. He wanted to make it clear he hadn't attacked the Leaf Village or used underhanded tactics to take down its Fourth Hokage.
When he finished, everyone's eyes turned to Hirofumi, especially Minato, whose face was a mask of agony.
Hirofumi nodded. "Madara's telling the truth."
Madara had left out the part about Black Zetsu, unsure if he'd been played by it or not. For now, he kept that detail to himself.
Minato clenched his fists, his teeth gritted so hard they might crack.
"Why?!
Why did this happen?!
The one responsible for all this… was my own student?!
This is a joke! A sick, twisted joke!
Hahaha!
Hahahahahaha!
So this is the truth…
I get it now! I get it!
This world is fake!
This world is an illusion!
Madara, maybe you're right. Maybe genjutsu is the only way to bring peace and happiness to this world!
But… why?! Why did it have to turn out like this?!"
Tobirama frowned at Minato's near-hysterical outburst, while Hashirama looked on with pity. A Hokage who'd given everything for the village, only to learn that his own student caused his downfall… who could accept something like that?
Watching Minato crumble, Hirofumi let out a long sigh. This was the real Minato Namikaze, raw and human, his emotions laid bare.
Just like in the original story—Edo Tensei reanimations didn't cry, but a father would.