It wasn’t until Senju Tobirama disappeared into the night, holding Renye, that the two figures in the shadows slowly revealed themselves.
The bright Gekko illuminated their faces, revealing them to be Konoha Village’s feigned death duo—
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara!
“That kid in his arms, is that Tobirama’s adopted son?”
Uchiha Madara glanced in the direction they left, his tone laced with coldness.
Where was Tobirama taking that kid so late at night?
If he hadn’t been mistaken, the kid in Senju Tobirama’s arms seemed to have fallen unconscious.
This made it hard not to suspect Tobirama had other intentions…
Senju Hashirama nodded, his voice very low, as if afraid someone would discover their presence.
“Yes, this is Renye, the one I mentioned to you.”
They concealed their Chakra and secretly snuck into the Village, only to arrive at the Senju Clan Land and witness the scene that just unfolded.
Uchiha Madara frowned deeply, his eyes full of confusion, and he couldn’t help but ask:
“What is he taking that child out for so late at night?”
He always felt that Senju Tobirama had ill intentions…
Based on Madara’s understanding of Tobirama over the years, that guy would never easily accept the Uchiha.
As for what Hashirama saw before? It was merely what Tobirama wanted him to see.
After all, with Hashirama’s mind, he couldn’t discern the actual situation.
Sure enough, Tobirama would never accept the Uchiha!
It was truly laughable that Hashirama naively thought Tobirama could let go of his hatred.
Facing the inquiry, Senju Hashirama couldn’t answer either; he just shook his head.
He had seen clearly just now that Renye’s eyes were closed, clearly in an unconscious state.
This situation was truly strange, and even he didn’t know the specific reason…
Although he didn’t know why, he felt that Tobirama wouldn’t do anything to harm Renye.
He had witnessed their interactions over the years, and Tobirama clearly accepted Renye as his adopted son; he would never harm him!
Uchiha Madara’s eyes grew even colder when he saw Hashirama couldn’t answer.
He should have known better than to believe Hashirama’s deceptive nonsense.
He still trusted Hashirama too much; this was truly the last time!
He wouldn’t be fooled by him again in the future.
The reason the two of them infiltrated Konoha goes back to one day ago.
…
One day ago, in a forest somewhere in the Ninja World.
“Alright, don’t follow me anymore.” Uchiha Madara pulled his hand away. “Go back to where you came from.”
Saying that, his figure quickly sped away into the distance, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
“Madara, wait for me!”
After a brief rest, Senju Hashirama’s physical condition recovered, and he immediately activated his Chakra to follow him.
Thus, the two began an intense chase.
Uchiha Madara knew Hashirama was not in good shape and was worried he would run into problems again, so he subconsciously slowed down, always maintaining a speed that Hashirama could keep up with.
As time passed, Hashirama successfully caught up and stopped Madara.
“Madara, wait!”
Uchiha Madara was stopped by Senju Hashirama in front of him and frowned, asking, “Hashirama, what exactly do you want?”
He was just messing around with Hashirama because he had nothing better to do.
Once he got tired of it, he would shake off this annoying fly.
“Madara, let’s talk…” Senju Hashirama panted heavily. “Don’t leave yet, wait until I finish.”
“Talk about what?” Uchiha Madara said coldly. “There’s nothing left for us to talk about.”
If it weren’t for their past relationship, he would have already attacked Hashirama.
Although Madara said this, he actually stood still, showing no intention of leaving.
Senju Hashirama’s face lit up with joy when he saw Madara wasn’t leaving.
He knew Madara wasn’t as heartless as he claimed.
“Renye made great contributions on the battlefield. With some of those merits, he could absolutely become the Third Hokage!”
“Madara, I want to tell you, Tobirama has truly let go of his prejudice against the Uchiha through his interactions with Renye!”
Hashirama said these words to let Madara know that Tobirama had changed.
He would no longer target the Uchiha Clan in the future.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Madara’s eyes flickered with a faint ripple, as if something had gently touched him.
But that hint of emotion vanished in an instant, and his face remained expressionless. “What does this have to do with me?”
Konoha Village’s affairs had nothing to do with him.
He only wanted to achieve his ideal now and no longer cared about other matters.
Whether an Uchiha could become Hokage was simply not important.
“Madara…” A trace of sadness flashed in Hashirama’s eyes.
He knew that Madara was completely disappointed in him, in Tobirama, in the Uchiha, and in Konoha.
No matter how hard he tried, it would be impossible to make him return to the Village.
“I have helped you achieve your ideal, and I hope you won’t stop me… from achieving mine.” Uchiha Madara stared at Hashirama expressionlessly.
These words were meant to tell Hashirama—don’t bother him anymore.
“Madara, what is your ideal?” Hashirama quickly asked. “Can I help you achieve your ideal?”
Clearly, he hadn’t heard Madara’s hint at all.
“My ideal is to achieve true peace,” Uchiha Madara said.
Looking at Hashirama, who was full of expectation, he suddenly had the thought of recruiting him.
If Hashirama was willing to help him, the Moon Eye Plan could definitely be realized smoothly.
However, Madara quickly dismissed this idea.
—Those with different paths cannot conspire together.
Given Hashirama’s personality, he would never agree to his insane plan.
“My ideal is also to achieve Ninja World peace.” Senju Hashirama smiled. “We can work together to achieve this ideal, just like before.”
Uchiha Madara sneered, “My ideal is not the same as yours. You should go back to Konoha and protect the Village!”
“The peace you created is fleeting. When news of your death spreads, war will soon break out.”
Senju Hashirama did not speak, as Madara was stating facts.
His original idea was too naive.
Achieving peace requires great strength, but peace maintained by strength cannot last long.
He himself was a good example.
Unless Konoha always had someone as strong as him.
“Madara, then how do you plan to achieve your ideal?” Hashirama asked.
Uchiha Madara glanced at Hashirama, chose not to conceal it, and fully revealed the “Eye of the Moon” Plan.
Anyway, given Hashirama’s current state, even if he disagreed, he couldn’t stop him.
No one in the Ninja World could stop him now.
When Senju Hashirama learned of the “Eye of the Moon” Plan, he was completely stunned, his face filled with disbelief.
“To trap people in an illusion with Infinite Tsukuyomi? Is this the ‘peace’ you want?”
“True peace is not achieved through lies and control! That is a blasphemy against life, a deprivation of everyone’s will!”
“You are not creating peace at all; you are destroying everything!”
Hashirama clenched his fists, his face instantly turning pale.
His former best friend had walked down such an extreme path, which made him feel both angry and powerless.
In his current state, he couldn’t stop it at all; he could only watch, helpless.
“Are you done talking?”
Uchiha Madara said coldly.