It made him feel as though he had never truly understood the Uchiha clan.
"It's true. We did act and annihilated them — but they brought it upon themselves. They have no one else to blame. More than that, when they decided to ally with those other clans to target us, they should have already foreseen this outcome. So, you should leave now. I don't want to fight you today. But when you go back, you can tell your father this:
If the Senju clan also plans to join the siege against the Uchiha, then sooner or later, we will meet on the battlefield — and when that day comes, I will not show you any mercy. I will kill you with my own hands."
Madara's expression was cold and unyielding as he looked seriously at Hashirama.
"What? You—you… Madara, have you forgotten what I once told you? You said you wanted to bring peace to this world. You said you wanted to build a village where the people you love would never be hurt. But now you want to use such methods? Don't you think this is turning your ideals upside down?"
Hashirama froze on the spot.
He never expected Madara to change his mind so drastically.
"Indeed… I did once have those ideals. But everything is changing now — myself included. I've seen what those clans have done to my people. They banded together to slaughter my clansmen, even gravely wounding my brother. I told you before, I only have one younger brother left.
And with the other information I've learned, I've come to understand this — if we don't completely annihilate them, or make them fear us, the Uchiha will never know peace. So my clan acted. As long as everyone fears us — truly fears us — we can still achieve days of peace."
Madara's eyes were firm as he spoke to Hashirama.
"You've changed…"
Hashirama was shaken to the core.
His own dream had always been peace. He once believed that when they grew up and took control of their clans, he could personally go to the Uchiha to talk, to shake hands and make peace with them. If the two strongest clans stood together, the others wouldn't dare oppose them, and no one would need to join any wars.
That way, they could create a village that protected everyone.
But now…
It was hard for Hashirama to believe what he was hearing.
"Maybe so… Go. Now."
Madara shook his head.
"No, Madara. If you're determined to kill me, then fight me here and now. But if you lose, you must change your way of thinking. As long as we work together, someday, the world will see true peace — not peace built on oppression."
Hashirama's tone was resolute.
He had confidence in his own strength.
Madara might not yet have fully matured, but his power was already immense.
"Hashirama, why are you doing this? I told you long ago — I will not change!"
Kaede, who had been silently watching, now looked at Hashirama with a complicated expression. His words did give him a moment of hesitation.
"Go on, Madara. I'd like to see how much you've improved lately. But if you can't defeat Hashirama… then you're not worthy of being my disciple."
Kaede had awakened at some point, sitting on a rock, calmly watching the two.
"Understood, sensei!" Madara nodded.
When Hashirama glanced at Kaede, just that single look made his back go cold. His body trembled involuntarily, beyond his control.
This was instinctive fear.
The man before him radiated overwhelming power — far beyond even that of his own father.
"So this is the strongest of the Uchiha…" Hashirama murmured.
For some reason, a wave of discouragement washed over him.
If the Uchiha possessed a shinobi of such power, then no matter what he said to Madara, he had no right or ability to sway this man.
"One more thing, Madara. If you lose, your teacher must not take part in any wars between clans."
Hashirama couldn't help but add another condition.
Because he knew — if Kaede joined the battlefield, the other clans would have no chance to survive.
"This is a duel between you and me. What does my teacher have to do with it? I'm warning you—"
"It's fine. I accept," Kaede said slowly.
"Then let's begin."
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Without even weaving hand seals, Madara launched a massive ball of flame toward Hashirama.
"Wood Style: Wood Barrier!"
Hashirama blocked the fireball. As soon as the flames died down, the wooden wall vanished, and he charged forward at once.
"Wood Style: Thorn Kill!"
Countless sharp wooden spikes erupted from his hands, shooting toward Madara, aiming for every vulnerable spot on his body.
Locked onto by the spikes, Madara didn't dodge — he charged straight ahead instead.
"A chance!" Hashirama's eyes narrowed.
"Wood Style: Tree Binding Eternal Burial!"
Vines surged up from the ground, ready to ensnare Madara.
But in the next instant, the spikes passed right through an afterimage.
"Fire Style—"
Kaede was suddenly behind Hashirama, a massive, searing fire dragon roaring toward him at unstoppable speed.
"So fast!"
"Wood Style!"
Hashirama quickly raised another wooden defense to block the flames.
But the moment the fire was stopped, Kaede appeared directly in front of him — and Madara was there as well, scythe in one hand and war fan in the other. He struck Hashirama hard, switching his grip mid-attack, blood dripping afterward.
In that exchange, Hashirama had clearly fallen behind.
"Madara… you've grown much stronger."
Hashirama touched the wound on his face. Though his Wood Style cells healed it almost instantly, he now understood Madara's current strength.
And to think — it had been only a month.
Such rapid progress could only be the work of his teacher…
(End of Chapter)
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