These words completely overturned Renye's understanding of Hashirama Senju.
For a long time, Renye had always felt that Hashirama Senju's obsession with peace in the Shinobi World was almost naive.
In this world filled with slaughter and betrayal, those vows of peace were as illusory as Flower in the Mirror, Moon on the Water.
The "Will of Fire" advocated by Hashirama Senju had seemed to him like nothing more than the futile effort of an unrealistic idealist.
Yet Hashirama's words just now had thoroughly overturned everything he had believed before.
Only at this moment did Renye realize that he had misunderstood the God of Shinobi all along.
Hashirama was not blindly optimistic. He knew full well that the path to peace was covered in thorns, and that countless doubts and betrayals awaited him along the way.
Although Hashirama and Madara had fallen into disagreement, he still chose this difficult path, hoping to achieve peace in the Shinobi World in his own way.
Even though he knew such peace would only be temporary...
Only those who had experienced the cruelty of war could understand the preciousness of peace.
That was precisely why Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had sought to bring peace to the Shinobi World.
Renye looked at Hashirama Senju with a measure of admiration, his heart filled with emotion.
"Although the peace Hashirama achieved was temporary,
at least he achieved it, didn't he?"
Having spoken those words, much of the knot in Hashirama Senju's heart dispersed.
Seeing Renye's reverent gaze, a smile tugged at his lips. His warm palm came down on the boy's shoulder.
"Little Renye, I hope you can protect the village in the future."
His smile suddenly faded. His gaze pierced through the deep night, as though he could see Konoha ten years from now. "The