The True Path to Peace

"Fog?"

Madara Uchiha walked through the forest. Though he had not returned to Konoha in many years, he truly could not remember when the forests surrounding Konoha had become so foggy.

"No, there's Chakra in the fog." Madara Uchiha spoke calmly, seeing through the nature of the mist in merely a few breaths.

Yet he continued walking unhurriedly. He knew this forest intimately; even with thick clouds and fog obscuring his vision, he would not lose his way.

"Since when did Konoha's ninjas learn the Hidden Mist Technique?"

His Three Tomoe Sharingan activated, yet it could not see through the forest beneath the fog at all.

"The Hidden Mist Technique can block the Sharingan, but this is far too dense."

Then the image of an old man flashed through his mind.

"Is it that old man from the Windcloud Clan? But when I left, he should have been on the verge of death."

As Madara Uchiha walked, he analyzed who might have created this thick fog. He had no other reason for doing so; he was simply bored.

Though Madara had left the village early on, he knew all the notable figures within it well. Naturally, he also knew that the old Windcloud man's son was useless.

Thus, Madara never considered Windcloud Mountain. No matter what, he would never have imagined that this fog had been created by Windcloud Mountain's son, a child of only seven.

When he reached a spot not far from Konoha, Madara Uchiha stopped. He wanted to look up at the moon tonight, but the dense fog concealed it.

"Then... Summoning Technique!"

Hashirama sat atop Hokage Rock, enjoying the evening breeze. At this hour, everyone was preparing dinner, and smoke curled up from Konoha's homes, painting a peaceful scene.

"Where are you now, Madara?"

Several leaves were blown wildly through the air. Hashirama casually plucked one down and played with it in his hand.

He suddenly noticed a hole in the leaf where an insect had eaten through it, so he raised it before his eyes.

"What conviction did you hold back then?"

Thinking back to how the two of them had been full of spirit as they established their own village beneath this cliff, Hashirama could not help feeling regretful.

The village remained, but regrettably, he was the only one left.

Hashirama was not a pessimistic person. After that brief moment of reminiscing, he returned to his usual state of mind.

Even alone, he could protect the village and everyone in it.

At that moment, several small white birds slowly flew over from the distance. Only when they reached him did Hashirama see clearly that they were Torikaze's Cloud Release ninjutsu.

The little birds circled around Hashirama's ears, carrying a hint of coolness, before turning one after another into streams of cloud vapor that entered his ears.

"Shishou."

"Madara Uchiha has returned."

Upon hearing this, Hashirama shot to his feet. His face was filled with joy, and for a moment, he even forgot to wonder how Torikaze, a child, knew Madara.

"Madara has returned!"

His good brother, from whom he had been separated for years, had finally returned. He had to make proper preparations.

Just as Hashirama was preparing to head home and have Mito make a good meal,

Torikaze's next words chilled half his heart.

"Madara Uchiha came from the forest."

"He bears ill intent."

How could that be? That was Hashirama's first thought. This village had been founded by Madara and himself together. How could Madara possibly come with ill intent?

But regardless, Torikaze's words did calm Hashirama down. Though he trusted his brother despite their years apart,

he still had to prepare for the worst.

Without further hesitation, Hashirama leaped down from the cliff, landing steadily on the ground before running swiftly toward home.

"What is it, Big Brother? Why are you in such a rush?" Tobirama Senju asked in confusion.

Seeing her husband like this, Mito Uzumaki sensed that something was wrong. She rarely saw him so flustered.

"Mito! Hurry and put my armor on me. Madara has returned!"

Those words exploded beside Tobirama and Mito's ears like a thunderclap. They had not heard the name Madara Uchiha in a very long time.

It seemed they had deliberately avoided that name as well, lest it make Hashirama sad.

"How do you know, Big Brother?" Tobirama asked in disbelief. A ninja who had been gone from the village for years could not possibly be returning just for a cup of tea.

"Torikaze sensed him. He said Madara bears ill intent."

As the two brothers spoke, Mito did not remain idle. She took out the armor that had been unused for a long time and quickly helped Hashirama put it on.

This armor had accompanied Hashirama throughout a lifetime of battle. He had thought it would never again have a chance to be used, yet today he was wearing it once more.

"Then I'll gather the ninjas!"

Tobirama turned to leave, but Hashirama grabbed his hand. "Ordinary ninjas are no match for him. Only I can do this, and besides, he may not necessarily harm the village."

Hashirama forced a smile. Deep down, he still believed in Madara, but he had no choice but to prepare for the worst.

"Order the clansmen to patrol the village. We cannot let anyone with ill intentions harm the village at a time like this!"

Tobirama nodded and immediately set off. He understood that he was no match for Madara Uchiha; protecting the village was his responsibility.

Those hawks of the Uchiha Clan might make a move tonight!

"Evil Uchiha Clan! You'd better behave yourselves!"

Suddenly, a thunderous boom came from outside the village, followed by an eruption of thick white smoke!

Then, within the white smoke, nine orange-red tails flailed wildly. A ferocious giant fox—the Nine-Tails—appeared outside the village and let out an enraged roar toward the sky!

"Nine-Tails!" Hashirama stood on the rooftop, gritting his teeth fiercely!

At this point, Madara Uchiha's objective was clear. Summoning the Nine-Tails outside the village was undoubtedly a declaration of war against Konoha!

"Madara, how could you make such a choice? This is our village!"

Hashirama sprang fiercely from the rooftop, launching directly into the air.

Madara Uchiha stood atop the Nine-Tails' head, controlling it as it continuously advanced toward Konoha.

"Wood Release—Wood Dragon Technique!"

A massive wooden dragon suddenly appeared in midair, catching Hashirama securely and flying toward the Nine-Tails.

The people of Konoha all heard Lord Hokage's voice and came outside to investigate, but numerous Senju clansmen were already going door to door, warning the residents not to leave their homes no matter what happened.

The Senju Clan held great prestige in Konoha. Everyone guessed that something had happened tonight, so they returned home and tightly locked their doors.

Seeing the wooden dragon in the sky, Madara Uchiha could not help laughing. "Hashirama! You've finally come!"

"Why?" Hashirama stood atop the wooden dragon's head, his voice filled with accusation.

"Why attack the village? Do you want to destroy this hard-won peace?"

Madara Uchiha smiled disdainfully. "What village? What peace? They are nothing but false things."

The three tomoe in his eyes spun and transformed! A pair of eyes bearing strange patterns appeared—it was the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!

Madara gazed at Hashirama with a calm, emotionless expression and said lightly, "Hashirama, with these eyes, I have seen the true path to peace!"