Several more months passed, and the situation in the shinobi world grew increasingly tense.
Small conflicts broke out daily, while major battles occurred one after another. They had already confirmed that the Land of Whirlpools would not join the war.
Although Hashirama still tried to intervene, his efforts were weak and often in vain.
When a ninja from his own country died at the hands of the enemy, there was nothing he could do.
After all, the Senju and Uchiha clans were like that. He was not naive enough to believe they could simply let go of the sword.
The war raged on like a blazing fire, yet the Land of Whirlpools welcomed an unexpected guest.
Uchiha Madara walked along the streets of the Land of Whirlpools. Watching the peace around him and the children playing, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
This was the peace he truly desired. Yet he knew it was an illusion. After Ren's death, it would vanish.
True peace lay in the Moon's Eye Plan. That was the real peace.
The plan could not yet be activated. He needed to obtain Hashirama's cells and wait until Ren died before he could put it into motion.
This thought made the proud Madara uneasy. In his life, he had never fought Ren with his full strength.
This visit was not only to witness the peace his rival had created but also to fulfill a personal desire.
At that moment, Ren was playing with a group of children, making them laugh.
Madara watched from afar until Ren walked toward him.
"Why have you come alone to the Land of Whirlpools?" Ren asked, curious.
Though he and Madara did not share the complicated bond that Hashirama did with Madara, they had fought several times before, especially when Ren was not yet famous.
"I left Konoha," Madara said slowly, revealing his intention.
"Have you come to join me?" Ren asked, though he already suspected the answer.
"No. I've come to settle a regret."
"Settle a regret?" Ren frowned, puzzled. They had little contact—what regret could require his presence?
"Naruto Ren, we have never fought properly," Madara said bluntly, stating his purpose.
"Alright. Let's go somewhere else." Ren touched Madara and, using Flying Thunder God, transported them to a remote place.
"Madara, are you sure your eyes always see the truth?" Ren asked, standing opposite him.
"Ren, these eyes cannot see everything. The Sage of Six Paths… do you believe he exists?" Madara asked while summoning his Susanoo.
"He certainly exists," Ren replied confidently.
"The conflicts he could not resolve in life were left behind on the Uchiha Stone Tablet, with solutions he never tried. Perhaps he still trusted humanity. He failed, but at least he left a way to solve it." Madara's Susanoo shifted constantly until it became fully formed.
"Why are you so sure that plan will work?" Ren began forming hand signs, and a barrier rose around them. Their attacks wouldn't damage anything outside.
"That technique spares no one, Ren, not even you." Madara said confidently, then swung his blade, trying to split Ren in two.
Ren countered with the Adamantine Sealing Chains. The massive chains clashed with the blade, easily blocking Madara's attack.
"Ren, as long as you live, the Land of Whirlpools will follow your path, it will find peace. But have you thought about whether it will remain that way after you die?" Madara swung twice more, attacks strong enough to easily split a mountain.
"I can't guarantee that." Ren continued using the Adamantine Sealing Chains to block every strike.
Madara didn't say anything more. Ren was stronger than him, more aggressive in his methods. His words were instinctive; the real fight, the settling of his last regrets, was about to begin.
"Madara, let me show you something fun." Ren clasped his hands together. "Sage Technique, Whirlwind Sun Formation."
A barrier formed, trapping Madara's Susanoo. It seemed like Ren could end him this way.
"Ren, I admit you're strong, but…" Madara's attacks struck the barrier, but it stretched like rubber and returned to its original shape. He attacked multiple times, and each time the result was the same.
Ren stood outside the barrier, listening to Madara, and replied, "Madara, your regrets won't be fulfilled. From the start, I've only used Adamantine Sealing Chains and the sealing barrier."
When Madara realized none of his attacks could affect the barrier, he understood. He dispelled his complete Susanoo and sat on the ground, without any of his initial arrogance.
He, Uchiha Madara, for the first time, had to face someone he couldn't defeat. He had to wait for the other to die—something he couldn't accept.
Ren deactivated the barrier. "Madara, good luck."
"Hmph."
Losing was losing. Madara could accept defeat. His regrets were settled. The tailed beasts would remain with Ren for now, and he still had to find ways to acquire Hashirama's cells.
But his pride was gone at that moment. Even Hashirama had fought him for so long, yet facing Ren, he didn't even last ten minutes. The gap between them was undeniable.
Uchiha Madara arrived fast, and left just as quickly. Ren returned to the Land of Whirlpools, planning to continue farming and developing his home.
There's the thing that Madara said, and it wasn't wrong. After his death, the Land of Whirlpools might fall into war, but if the Land of Whirlpools is strong enough, none of that would matter.
News of Uchiha Madara's defection quickly spread throughout the ninja world.
The three nations clashing in the Land of Lightning began to ease off.
After all, this was someone different from Hashirama in ideology, leaning more toward someone like Ren and in similar strength to the other two. Besides those two, who would dare provoke him?
Konoha also began to change. It no longer actively mediated wars but started focusing on developing the village.
Hashirama didn't fully understand the meaning behind Madara's departure that day, but he had a premonition that the day would come soon.
All of this was tracked by the Land of Whirlpools' intelligence system.
Thanks to Ren's promise, the Land of Whirlpools wouldn't provoke war on its own. So even with big gaps in strength, the Land of Whirlpools stayed out of it.
Nara Shikaichi, in charge of organizing intelligence, furrowed his brow.
The battlefield in the Land of Lightning wouldn't last more than two years, but what puzzled him more was Konoha's side.
Uchiha Madara had come to the Land of Whirlpools, and because of the barrier Ren had cast, he naturally noticed the reason. He immediately searched for all the intelligence on Madara.
Uchiha Madara had defected from Konoha, with no clan members following him. His intentions were impossible to guess.
"What is it?" Ren walked into the office.
"Lord Ren, what does Uchiha Madara want?" Nara Shikaichi asked, still confused.
"He wants to become stronger, and then chase an illusory dream," Ren said simply, explaining his goal.
Nara Shikaichi still frowned. He had complete intelligence on Madara, and precisely because of that, he knew just how terrifying Madara's strength was.
Without Hashirama and Ren, Madara could easily dominate the ninja world. It was that simple.
A presence so powerful disappearing from sight and making small moves—who could withstand that?
Seeing that Nara Shikaichi was still worried, Ren didn't try to comfort him. Shikaichi's concern was natural; it meant he already acknowledged the Land of Whirlpools as his home.
"Lord Ren, it seems you didn't stop Uchiha Madara," Nara Shikaichi said, looking at him. He knew Madara had come to the Land of Whirlpools specifically to find Ren.
"Yes, I didn't. Don't worry. Since I acted, everything has gone according to my plan," Ren shook his head.
For him, at least it was better when things went as expected. Catching Black Zetsu ahead of time wouldn't have helped anyone.
In the end, a new Madara would always appear.
**********
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