In that earth-shaking battle in the Valley of the End, Madara truly felt the deep betrayal that pierced him to the bone.
The blade that stabbed into his chest was like a cold venomous snake, burrowing into his heart along with the blade's edge.
His heart was completely frozen in that instant.
That hadn't been a blade. It had been the betrayal of a former close friend...
This betrayal had been even more destructive than a sharp dagger. After that battle, the blade had continued to stab viciously into Madara's heart, becoming a wound deep within him that could never heal.
It was precisely because of this betrayal that he had become so determined to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan, making it one of the important sparks that had driven him forward.
The village had been the home they had once protected together, painstakingly established to safeguard the people who mattered most to them.
For the sake of that village, Madara had even been able to set aside the grief of Izuna's death and devote all his energy to building and protecting it.
And yet, what had Hashirama done? In the end, he had actually killed his former brother for the sake of that so-called village!
Hashirama, the partner who had once fought alongside him and chased their dreams together, had changed.
His convictions were no longer the same as Madara's. With the village's establishment, they had gradually gone their separate ways.
The tacit understanding they had once shared had slowly faded beneath the erosion of time, leaving behind only endless regret and heartache.
Madara gazed at Hashirama before him, a complicated emotion flashing through his eyes...
The difference in their physiques and stature also left his heart heavy and oppressed.
*Why was the Rinnegan in his