The Lie Without Lies

Everything had become crystal clear!

The hidden truth of the world had been unveiled just like that!

Madara Uchiha realized that he was gradually coming to understand everything!

The information he had obtained from Shirou Emiya's words was enough to decipher the secret on the Uchiha Clan's Stone Tablet. He even knew the ultimate outcome of the Sharingan's evolution!

The powers of yin and yang...

They truly referred to the powers of the Uchiha and Senju!

The powers of yin and yang interacting with one another...

That meant Hashirama Senju's Chakra could promote the further ascension of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan's highest bloodline limit within him, ultimately evolving it into the Rinnegan, which represented the All Things of Nature Power!

"The Rinnegan..."

"I remember it was said to be the Sage of Six Paths' eyes."

Madara Uchiha recalled the legends surrounding the Rinnegan.

Legends of the Three Great Eye Techniques had always circulated throughout the Shinobi World: the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan.

The Rinnegan.

It represented the Sage of Six Paths' power.

Madara Uchiha also understood why the Uchiha Clan's Stone Tablet had been left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. The path inscribed upon it was the Sage of Six Paths' guidance for their clan.

Now...

He had truly obtained the answer!

His eyes were slowly evolving into the Rinnegan!

"Correct."

"The Rinnegan are the Sage of Six Paths' eyes."

Shirou Emiya did not hide the truth and added an explanation about the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the Sage of Six Paths. "The endpoint of your Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is the Rinnegan, because their source, the Sage of Six Paths, was the father of Indra, the Uchiha Clan's ancestor."

"..."

Madara Uchiha recalled something Shirou Emiya had mentioned before.

The Uchiha Clan's ancestor, Indra, had fought Shirou Emiya and suffered a crushing defeat. It had probably turned out much the same as when Madara himself had challenged Shirou Emiya.

Come to think of it...

The answer he had received was now even more complete.

It was precisely because the Uchiha Clan were descendants of the Sage of Six Paths that he had left the Stone Tablet with them, inscribing information that only the Sharingan could read.

"Thank you."

Madara Uchiha folded his arms and offered his thanks with an arrogant expression, extremely satisfied that his confusion had been resolved.

"You're welcome."

"In that era, everyone knew these things."

After speaking, Shirou Emiya took the initiative to explain further. "I don't know whether saying too much about your era might cause trouble. After all, Tobirama told me that I shouldn't reveal matters from the Ancient Era, such as how the ancestors of the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan were blood brothers, and how both your clans are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths..."

"Hmph..."

"No wonder..."

Madara Uchiha let out a disdainful snort, already understanding Tobirama Senju's petty intentions. "Tobirama Senju has always feared the Uchiha Clan's power. It seems he was worried that Hashirama would reject his reasons for suppressing the Uchiha in Konoha if he knew, so he refused to let the Uchiha Clan be associated with the Senju Clan. He's nothing more than a narrow-minded, shameless little man..."

What a small-minded man...

He could not even tolerate something like this.

Madara Uchiha knew very well that if this secret from the Ancient Era had been revealed, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan would certainly have eased considerably.

Unfortunately...

It was already too late.

When Konoha had first been founded, this relationship might have made both him and Hashirama Senju very happy, because they would have found the true righteousness behind uniting their two clans.

However...

It was no longer needed now.

Because he and Hashirama Senju had completely broken apart once more. When he left Konoha after their split, he had also been abandoned by the Uchiha Clan. All he had left was himself and his lonely ideal.

"Now, I only have one question left."

Madara Uchiha no longer concerned himself with the past secrets of the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan. His burning gaze fixed on Shirou Emiya, hoping to learn the answer to his final question from Shirou Emiya's lips.

"Lord Shirou..."

"I trust that you can see that the peace of this era is merely an undercurrent beneath dark tides. I want to know whether the Sage of Six Paths left behind any means for achieving permanent peace in the Shinobi World."

Madara Uchiha did not ask about the Uchiha Clan's Stone Tablet. He knew that once he awakened the Rinnegan in the future, he would be able to learn all of its contents.

Besides...

The Stone Tablet's secret...

Perhaps Shirou Emiya knew nothing about it either.

Madara Uchiha now intended to directly ask this great figure, Shirou Emiya, about the Sage of Six Paths' story. He believed that someone as softhearted as Shirou Emiya certainly would not hide anything, and the secrets he revealed could serve as a reference.

However...

Madara Uchiha was ultimately disappointed.

Because Shirou Emiya fell into hesitation once again.

It even seemed as though Shirou Emiya feared that Madara Uchiha would slander Tobirama Senju's reputation again, so before Madara Uchiha and the eavesdropping Black Zetsu, he began telling a clumsy lie.

"Sorry."

"I can't tell you the entire answer."

"Please don't misunderstand. This isn't because of Tobirama's warning."

"Because Tobirama does not know what efforts the people of the Ancient Era made to prevent Chakra from being used by humanity for conflict, nor could he possibly know the Sage of Six Paths' thoughts."

"Hmph..."

Madara Uchiha's dislike for Tobirama Senju did not lessen because of this. He was even somewhat dissatisfied that Shirou Emiya was defending Tobirama Senju.

Did he have no ability to judge for himself?

Though he had always despised and even hated Tobirama Senju, would he really blame every fault on that treacherous little man for no reason?

If he cursed Tobirama...

Then Tobirama must have been at fault first!

"However..."

Madara Uchiha narrowed his eyes as he pondered the deeper meaning behind Shirou Emiya's words. "Why can't Lord Shirou tell me the entire answer?"

"I already said..."

"Because I'm not very good at lying."

Shirou Emiya's attitude was somewhat serious, yet his words still left Madara Uchiha dumbfounded. Even Black Zetsu, hidden underground, was somewhat confused.

"There's no need to lie about something like this, is there?"

Madara Uchiha took a deep breath, feeling that his state of mind was not particularly good. "Could there be some secret that people of later generations aren't allowed to know?"

"Yes."

Shirou Emiya's gaze grew dim and unreadable, and his voice lowered. "The previous person who possessed the Rinnegan... voluntarily gave up the means he intended to use to achieve permanent peace through power, because others persuaded him that humans could understand one another, and that as long as humanity understood one another, there would never again be conflict in this world..."

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Madara Uchiha burst into loud laughter, mocking the person in Shirou Emiya's story. "The notion of hoping that humans can understand one another is far too naïve and ridiculous. He was clearly as powerful as a god, yet his will was far too weak!"

Madara Uchiha believed Shirou Emiya was talking about the Sage of Six Paths. In the Ancient Era, only the Sage of Six Paths had possessed the Rinnegan.

Madara Uchiha believed Shirou Emiya was trying to use a clumsy lie to cover up the Sage of Six Paths' mistakes, but his lie was riddled with holes.

"..."

Only Black Zetsu, hidden underground, felt somewhat downcast.

Because Black Zetsu knew that Shirou Emiya was grieving over his own past, and Madara Uchiha's mocking laughter sounded especially grating because of it.

Shirou Emiya...

Really was not someone good at lying...

Perhaps he should not have forced Shirou Emiya to learn how to lie.

"Humans are always like this."

"The human world contains all things, and human fate turns through cycles and transformations."

Shirou Emiya's voice remained calm as he began recounting another story from ancient times. "A god who once tried to use a technique capable of reshaping heaven and earth to completely alter humanity's fate was ultimately defeated by the weak people of the Shinobi World, who wished to control their own destiny."

"Hm?"

"A technique capable of reshaping heaven and earth?"

Madara Uchiha only caught the key element in the first half of that statement.

A flash of understanding suddenly appeared in the man's heart. As if he had completely grasped it, he looked at Shirou Emiya before him. "That technique capable of reshaping heaven and earth was the technique the Sage of Six Paths once tried to use to bring permanent peace to the Shinobi World, wasn't it?"

"..."

Shirou Emiya gently shook his head, regret in his voice. "That technique was a choice made when humanity had entered its worst era..."

"Then..."

The corners of Madara Uchiha's lips curled upward. He had now completely learned every answer. "The Shinobi World has already entered its worst era!"