"Madara, what's wrong?"
Uchiha Madara ignored Senju Hashirama's call and walked straight to the table, his gaze fixed on the ‘innocence’ on it.
This Tachi...
Madara's hand hovered in mid-air, a rare second of hesitation, before he gripped the hilt.
The familiar feel made his pupils constrict slightly. As the blade slowly emerged from its sheath, a cold gleam like water illuminated his sharply defined face.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Madara's breathing stopped, and a clear young voice suddenly echoed in his ears: "Brother, this Tachi is amazing! It's much sharper than the ones distributed by the clan!"
"Izuna..."
Izuna's excited smiling face from memory overlapped with the gleam of the Tachi. At that time, they were still in the Uchiha Clan Estate, and the war had not yet taken everything away.
Madara remembered that he had secretly completed three S-rank missions behind his father's back, using the rewards to forge this Tachi as a gift for Izuna.
Because his younger brother often complained to him that the weapons distributed by the clan were not easy to use, he forged a sharp Tachi as a gift for his younger brother.
Even now, he still remembered Izuna's excited look when he received the weapon.
"The day Izuna got this Tachi," Uchiha Madara suddenly spoke, his voice very soft, "he practiced in the training ground until late at night and refused to rest."
He reached out and gently stroked the blade, a deep nostalgia evident in his eyes, as if he were caressing Izuna's face.
Back then, Izuna was severely wounded by Tobirama's surprise attack using Flying Thunder God. Madara, anxious, took his younger brother back to the Uchiha Clan Estate for treatment, leaving this Tachi on the battlefield.
He later returned to search for the Tachi, but found nothing, never expecting it to be picked up by Senju Tobirama.
A flash of anger crossed his eyes. If it weren't for Senju Tobirama, Izuna would not have died!
Thinking of Izuna's death, Madara was even more determined to realize the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Only when the Ninja World truly achieves peace will such cruel things no longer happen.
No matter what, the Eye of the Moon Plan must be realized. This is the only way to achieve peace in the Ninja World at present.
"Madara, be careful, there's poison on the Tachi," Senju Hashirama couldn't help but remind him.
Although he didn't want to break the atmosphere, for Madara's safety, he could only speak up.
If he remembered correctly, Renye also had the title of "Poison Expert."
The poisons he developed back then were extremely potent, and after two years, their effects would definitely be even stronger.
If Madara accidentally cut himself, it would be dangerous.
He didn't want to watch his long-lost best friend die from poison...
Uchiha Madara's mouth twitched, and the hand stroking the blade suddenly paused.
He didn't expect Tobirama to do something as despicable as coating a Tachi with poison.
However, this behavior perfectly matched his insidious and cunning personality.
...
Madara re-gripped the hilt and suddenly twirled the Tachi, his movements fluid and graceful.
"Izuna always pestered me to teach him swordsmanship," Uchiha Madara sheathed the Tachi, a gentle curve almost gracing his lips. "He was just a little guy, not even as tall as the Tachi."
The blade and guard clicked together with a crisp "clack."
Madara laid the Tachi across his palm, his other hand gently stroking the sheath, as if comforting the forehead of a sleeping person.
When he saw this Tachi, he couldn't help but think of Izuna.
If Izuna hadn't died then, someone would have accompanied him when he left the Uchiha Clan Estate.
He wouldn't have been alone; at least Izuna would have been willing to leave with him.
But there are no 'ifs'...
A hint of sadness appeared in Madara's eyes.
Hashirama stared blankly at the scene. It had been a long time since he had seen such a gentle side of Madara.
Ever since Izuna was killed by Tobirama, Madara had always worn a stern expression, never showing a smile again.
He truly regretted not stopping Tobirama's actions.
What had happened had happened; no amount of regret could undo it.
All Hashirama could do was silently stay by Madara's side, hoping to persuade him to abandon the extreme Eye of the Moon Plan.
Uchiha Madara stared at the Tachi for a long time, seemingly recalling the time he spent with Izuna.
He held the Tachi close to his chest for a moment, then placed it back on the table.
At this moment, he was not the Shura of the Shinobi World who dominated the battlefield, but an ordinary older brother missing his younger brother.
"Madara..." Hashirama called softly.
As an older brother himself, he understood Madara's feelings at this moment.
His own younger brothers had also died in the war.
Madara turned around, the sunlight illuminating a fleeting reflection in the corner of his eye. When he faced Hashirama, his expression was still that of cold arrogance.
"Hashirama, you cannot stop my ideal."
"Only I—Uchiha Madara!—can bring true peace to the Ninja World!"
"Madara..." Hashirama's gaze was complex, and the words of persuasion reached his lips but could not be spoken.
He knew that Izuna's death had strengthened his best friend's resolve to achieve his ideal.
If Izuna hadn't died back then, perhaps Madara wouldn't have embarked on this extreme path.
"I understand, Madara..."
After a moment of silence, Hashirama sighed.
He knew he couldn't make Madara change his plan in a short time.
It seemed he could only slowly guide Madara to give up this idea.
"Hashirama, I will let you witness the arrival of that day with your own eyes!" Uchiha Madara said excitedly, "Only the Eye of the Moon Plan can achieve true peace!"
...
Renye, who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, almost cut his finger when he heard this.
Good gracious, is this something that can be discussed here?
He was still here, hello!
Can't you two avoid me when you talk?
If it weren't for Senju Hashirama being there, he would have been worried about Uchiha Madara killing him to silence him.
To prevent Madara from remembering that someone was still in the kitchen, he could only try to minimize his presence, even softening the sound of chopping vegetables.
He wondered what Uchiha Madara would think when he eventually learned that the Infinite Tsukuyomi was just Black Zetsu's scheme to rescue his mother?
Although he really wanted to tell Uchiha Madara the truth, how could he possibly believe it without proof?
Take the stone tablet in the Uchiha Clan Estate, for example; only the Mangekyo Sharingan could see the hidden content on it.
He only had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan now and couldn't know the secrets on it at all.
If he told Uchiha Madara that the stone tablet had been tampered with, how could he possibly believe it?
After their brief interaction just now, Renye knew that even if he activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Madara would not easily change his mind.
Once he decided on something, he would desperately work to achieve it.
Even if Madara knew there was a problem with the stone tablet, for the sake of his only hope, he would still push through and complete it!
Unless someone like Senju Hashirama could completely subdue Madara, he would absolutely not give up easily!
And now, Uncle Hashirama's body was in very poor condition, and he had no ability to stop Madara's plan.
This was also the reason Madara was willing to let Hashirama follow him...
For now, he could only take it one step at a time.
Anyway, there was still a long time before Uchiha Madara awakened the Rinnegan.
If he remembered correctly, he would only awaken the Rinnegan when he was seventy or eighty years old.
By then, Madara would be tottering when he walked and would be unable to complete the Eye of the Moon Plan.
That's why he tricked Uchiha Obito into becoming a pawn for his resurrection.