Until Senju Tobirama carried Renya into the night and vanished, only then did two figures slowly reveal themselves from the shadows.
The bright moonlight illuminated their faces—none other than the duo of faked deaths from Konoha—
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara!
"That kid in his arms… is Tobirama's adopted son?"
Uchiha Madara glanced coldly toward the direction the two had left.
In the middle of the night, where was Tobirama taking that boy?
If his eyes weren't mistaken just now, the kid in Tobirama's arms seemed to be unconscious.
It was hard not to suspect Tobirama had some hidden agenda…
Senju Hashirama nodded, lowering his voice to the barest whisper, afraid anyone might notice their presence.
"Yes, that's Renya, the one I told you about."
The two had hidden their presence, sneaking into the village, only to stumble upon this scene the moment they reached the Senju compound.
Uchiha Madara furrowed his brows, confusion filling his gaze, unable to stop himself from asking:
"In the middle of the night, why would he take that boy outside?"
Something about this reeked of ill intentions.
Given Madara's years of understanding Tobirama, that man would never so easily acknowledge an Uchiha.
As for what Hashirama had seen before? That was just what Tobirama wanted him to see.
With that brain of Hashirama's, how could he possibly see the truth?
As expected, Tobirama would never truly recognize the Uchiha!
For Hashirama to naïvely think Tobirama had let go of his hatred—it was laughable.
When faced with the question, Senju Hashirama had no answer. He only shook his head.
Just now, he'd seen clearly—Renya's eyes were shut tight, obviously unconscious.
The scene felt strange, eerie even. Even he didn't know the real reason…
Though he couldn't explain why, he still believed Tobirama would never harm Renya.
He had watched them over the years, their time together. Tobirama had clearly accepted Renya as his adopted son. He would never hurt him!
Uchiha Madara, seeing Hashirama's lack of answer, grew even colder.
He should never have trusted Hashirama's foolish lies.
He had still put too much faith in him.
This truly would be the last time!
From now on, he would never again listen to Hashirama's nonsense.
The reason the two had infiltrated Konoha could be traced back to one day earlier.
...
One day earlier, in a forest somewhere in the ninja world.
"Enough, stop following me." Uchiha Madara shook Hashirama's hand off. "Go back to where you came from."
With that, his figure sped away into the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Madara, wait for me!"
Senju Hashirama, after resting briefly to recover, immediately circulated his chakra and chased after him.
Thus began an intense pursuit.
Knowing Hashirama's condition was poor, Madara slowed his pace without realizing, always keeping just enough distance for Hashirama to catch up.
As time passed, Hashirama finally caught up and blocked his way.
"Madara, wait!"
Uchiha Madara frowned. "Hashirama, what exactly do you want?"
He wasn't playing tag for fun.
The moment he grew bored, he'd shake off this bothersome fly.
"Madara, let's talk…" Hashirama panted heavily. "Don't leave—hear me out first."
"Talk about what?" Madara's voice was ice. "There's nothing left for us to say."
If not for their past bond, he'd have already struck Hashirama down.
Though his words were harsh, Madara didn't leave. He remained where he was.
Seeing this, Hashirama's face lit up.
He knew Madara wasn't as heartless as he pretended.
"Renya has achieved great merits on the battlefield—he's fully worthy of becoming the Third Hokage! Madara, I want you to know: through living alongside Renya, Tobirama has truly let go of his prejudice toward the Uchiha!"
Hashirama spoke sincerely, hoping to convince Madara that Tobirama had changed.
That he would no longer target the Uchiha clan.
Hearing this, a faint ripple flickered deep in Madara's eyes, as though something had brushed against his heart.
But the feeling vanished as quickly as it appeared. His expression remained blank.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
Konoha's affairs no longer concerned him.
Now, he only wished to realize his own dream. Everything else was meaningless.
Whether the Uchiha became Hokage or not was irrelevant.
"Madara…" Sorrow flashed in Hashirama's eyes.
He knew Madara was utterly disillusioned—with him, with Tobirama, with the Uchiha, with Konoha.
No matter how hard he tried, Madara would never return to the village.
"My dream I'll realize. Don't stand in my way… of realizing it," Uchiha Madara said expressionlessly, staring at Hashirama.
It was a warning: stop interfering.
"Madara, what is your dream?" Hashirama quickly asked. "Can I help you realize it together?"
Clearly, he hadn't heard Madara's warning at all.
"My dream is to achieve true peace," Madara said.
Looking at the hopeful Hashirama before him, a sudden thought crossed his mind—what if he recruited him?
If Hashirama aided him, the Moon's Eye Plan could be carried out perfectly.
But the idea faded quickly.
—They walked different paths.
With Hashirama's nature, he would never agree to such a mad plan.
"My dream is also peace in the ninja world." Senju Hashirama smiled. "We can work toward it together, like before."
Uchiha Madara sneered. "My dream is not the same as yours. You'd best return to Konoha and guard your village! The peace you created was fleeting. The moment news of your death spread, war erupted again."
Hashirama fell silent—for Madara spoke the truth.
His hopes had been too naïve.
Peace required immense strength. But peace sustained by strength alone would never last.
He himself was the best example.
Unless Konoha always had someone as powerful as him, true peace could not endure.
"Madara, then how do you plan to realize your dream?" Hashirama asked.
Uchiha Madara looked at him, then chose not to hide anything. He revealed the entire Moon's Eye Plan.
After all, with Hashirama's current state, even if he disapproved, he couldn't stop him.
No one in the ninja world could anymore.
When Senju Hashirama learned of the Moon's Eye Plan, he froze completely, his face filled with disbelief.
"Trap everyone in an illusion with Infinite Tsukuyomi? That's your idea of 'peace'?"
"True peace cannot be built on lies and control! That's desecration of life itself, the stripping away of everyone's will!"
"You're not creating peace—you're destroying everything!"
Hashirama's fists clenched tight, his face pale as paper.
His once dearest friend had walked such an extreme path—it filled him with fury and despair.
In his current state, he was powerless to stop it. He could only watch, helpless.
"Are you done?"
Uchiha Madara's voice was cold.