You Who Possess Such a Dream

As Yun's voice faded, the airflow sweeping through the air stirred the leaves. A single character, [Truth], floated in mid-air for a moment before scattering across the ground.

After a long silence, Hashirama suddenly chuckled and clicked his tongue: "Can you tell me... what it is you see in me?"

Yun shook his head slightly, thought for a moment, and replied: "If you are certain you want to know, I can trade information on both you and Madara Uchiha. If you take both, I'll offer a discount. How about two chips?"

Hashirama pondered for a moment and shook his head: "I only need information on Madara Uchiha, and I will only pay you one chip, and only for this one trade. Whether you want Wood Release or my massive Chakra, you must choose only one."

As he spoke, the expression on Hashirama's spirit form grew serious: "The Uzumaki Clan has been wiped out; take Wood Release or my constitution as compensation."

Yun smiled and replied: "Two Heroes of the Warring States, God of Shinobi, First Hokage. With so many titles to your name, a single chip from you is indeed incomparable to that of an ordinary ninja."

"Very well... as you wish, here is the information regarding the current Madara Uchiha. Contract."

A contract appeared out of thin air, and Hashirama scanned it before agreeing immediately.

"Although I don't know the significance of the term (current Madara), the future has always been uncertain. Trying to play word games with a ninja who lived through the Warring States period—you Uzumaki Clan members are quite clever."

Hashirama laughed as he said this; even as a spirit, one could see the confidence he held in his own power.

The contract was formed, and the trade began.

"Madara Uchiha is dead."

???

As the words fell, Yun barely managed to suppress a laugh while watching the bewildered expression on the face of the God of Shinobi.

Hashirama's spirit leaned in, tilting his head, and threatened: "Junior, playing games like this will lead to trouble. Do you know of the dangerous Nine-Tailed Fox? I once slapped a Wood Golem hand right onto its face, and it couldn't even move."

Yun stepped back, putting distance between himself and Hashirama's face.

"A deity, in pursuit of stability, divided Yin and Yang into two poles. The two are opposites that interact to create All Things. This is a truth applicable to everything in the world; in other words, two opposing forces complementing each other can achieve true peace."

As he spoke, Yun glanced at Hashirama. These were the words Madara had said to Hashirama at the Uchiha Compound back then.

They were also the information from the first half of that Stone Tablet.

"Back then, Madara told you the information on that Stone Tablet at the Uchiha Compound, but he never revealed his own interpretation of that text."

"The two opposing forces represent the Uchiha and the Senju, and 'complementing each other' can also be understood as fusion. At the end of the battle at the Valley of the End, Madara bit off a piece of your flesh."

"Under the effects of Izanagi, Madara survived. And in fact, his interpretation was not wrong. The combination of Uchiha and Senju power—or rather, the unique combination of you and him—granted the abilities of the Sage of Six Paths."

"Beyond the Mangekyou, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths... the Rinnegan!"

Hashirama asked in confusion: "Then why is Madara dead? With the power of the Rinnegan, my Konoha would certainly not have been able to stop him."

Yun shook his head slightly: "Obtaining the power of the Six Paths is not easy. In fact, because of the fusion of the two powers, it wasn't until his old age, near death, that Madara finally awakened the Rinnegan."

Hearing this, Hashirama tilted his head to look at Yun, his eyes filled with an unmistakable desire to kill.

Yun understood exactly what Hashirama was thinking: That's it? That's it? That's worth a chip? He just died of old age? How could a Madara who died of old age and whose soul went to the Pure Land possibly threaten Konoha?

Wait!

Hashirama recalled the Nine Tails Incident that had occurred previously—the events that would have happened in the original history. The space had not given any indication that the information was false.

Then...

"Outer Path, Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. The Rinnegan possesses the power to bring the dead back to life, but the price is the life of the user."

Yun continued slowly: "To resurrect others at the cost of one's own life, Madara must find someone capable of bearing the Rinnegan. And in the shinobi world, there is a constitution famous for being able to contain a Tailed Beast... the Uzumaki Clan!"

"He left behind what he believed to be a manifestation of his own will to manipulate the descendants of the Uchiha. Madara Uchiha is waiting for the final stage of his plan. When that time comes, not just Konoha, but the entire shinobi world will fall into a deathly silence."

"That is all the information on Madara for now."

Hashirama's expression turned heavy. He sighed and floated into the air, watching everything in Konoha beneath the Hokage Rock.

This was the prototype of his dream for peace. For the sake of peace, he could abandon every ounce of his dignity as a powerhouse.

For the sake of peace, he could plunge a Shuriken into his own heart.

For the sake of peace, he ultimately killed his dearest friend.

But now... the world had not moved in the direction he had hoped for.

"If the timeline is set to the present, then there must be much more information about his future. A manifestation of his own will? Behind Madara's plan, I fear things are not as simple as he thinks."

"I am merely a man who has died, my soul returned to the Pure Land yet still denied peace. But if I can only wait to be summoned by Impure World Reincarnation, and only in a state where the caster grants me consciousness, I do not know how much longer that will take."

Watching Hashirama standing before him, lost in emotion, Yun sighed helplessly.

It had to be said that some people are born with a unique charisma. By comparison, some of the First Hokage's words were more persuasive than Naruto's.

But...

"First Hokage, decades have passed. In fact, time has proven that your approach back then was wrong."

Hashirama looked over, and Yun continued: "From the first year of Konoha to the end of the Third Shinobi World War, in less than fifty years, three large-scale wars have erupted in the shinobi world."

"The form of gathering clans into ninja villages ultimately led to wars on a much larger scale. And all of this happened after you died. Do you know why?"

Hashirama shook his head slightly.

"Because of your power! The power of Wood Release influenced the entire shinobi world. The title of God of Shinobi made everyone afraid to act rashly. Because Hashirama Senju wanted peace, no one in the shinobi world dared to fight."

As the words fell, Hashirama fell silent.

After a breeze passed, Hashirama finally looked up slightly: "Absolute power breeds absolute darkness. The longer one holds onto immense power, the more darkness will grow. Perhaps I was truly wrong, but as for how the path should be walked from here on, I, a soul in the Pure Land, can only warn—I cannot point the way..."

Hashirama floated in front of Yun and smiled: "Madara is actually quite foolish. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, I could hear from your words that he must have been used by someone."

"I do not like a shinobi world of deathly silence, and I believe that you, who could speak of such a dream, would not like it either. So then..."