The True Path to Peace

"Mist?"

Madara Uchiha walked through the forest. Although he hadn't returned to Konoha in many years, he truly didn't remember the forest surrounding the village ever having this much mist.

"No, there is chakra in the mist." Madara Uchiha spoke indifferently, seeing through the essence of this fog in mere seconds.

Yet, he continued walking unhurriedly. He was intimately familiar with this forest; even with thick clouds and mist obscuring his vision, he would not get lost.

"Since when did the ninjas of Konoha learn the Mist Concealment Technique?"

He activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, yet he could not see through the forest beneath the shroud.

"The Mist Concealment Technique can obscure the Sharingan, but this is a bit too dense."

A figure of an old man flashed through his mind.

"Is it that old man from the Kumonaka Clan? But he should have been near death by the time I left."

Madara Uchiha analyzed the person who might have created this thick fog as he walked, having no other thoughts—he was simply bored.

Although Madara had left the village long ago, he was well-acquainted with the prominent figures within it, and he certainly knew that the old man's son was a good-for-nothing.

He didn't even consider Kumonaka Yama, as Madara would never have guessed that it was the son of Kumonaka Yama, a mere seven-year-old child, who had generated this great fog.

Reaching a spot not far from Konoha, Madara Uchiha stopped. He wanted to look up at the moon tonight, but it was blocked by the thick mist.

"Well then... Summoning Technique!"

Hashirama was sitting atop the Hokage Rock, letting the evening breeze blow over him. At this hour, everyone was preparing dinner, and Konoha was filled with rising smoke, looking peaceful.

"Where are you now, Madara?"

A few leaves danced chaotically in the wind, and Hashirama casually plucked one to fiddle with in his hand.

He suddenly noticed a hole in the leaf where a bug had eaten through it, so he held it up before his eyes.

"What kind of conviction were you holding onto back then?"

Remembering how the two of them had been full of spirit when they established their own village beneath this cliff, Hashirama couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.

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

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

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

Just then, a few small white birds flew slowly from the distance. When they reached him, Hashirama saw clearly that it was Torifu's Cloud Release ninjutsu.

The birds danced around Hashirama's ears, carrying a hint of chill, before turning into wisps of cloud and drilling into his ears one after another.

"Master."

"Madara Uchiha has returned."

Hearing this, Hashirama jumped to his feet, his face full of joy, momentarily forgetting how a child like Torifu would even know Madara.

"Madara is back!"

His good brother, from whom he had been separated for several years, had finally returned. He had to prepare properly.

Just as Hashirama was about to set off for home to have Mito prepare a feast, another sentence from Torifu made his heart go cold.

"Madara Uchiha is coming from the forest."

"He comes with ill intent."

How could this be? That was Hashirama's first thought. This village was built by Madara and himself; how could he come with ill intent?

But regardless, Torifu's words did make Hashirama calm down. Having not seen him for many years, while he trusted his brother, he had to prepare for the worst.

Without much hesitation, Hashirama leaped off the cliff, landed steadily on the ground, and then ran quickly toward his home.

"What's wrong, big brother? Why the rush?" Tobirama asked, puzzled.

Seeing her husband in this state, Mito felt a vague sense of unease; she rarely saw her husband so flustered.

"Mito! Quickly, bring me my armor! Madara is back!"

This sentence struck like a bolt of lightning, exploding in the ears of Tobirama and Mito. They hadn't heard the name Madara Uchiha in a very long time.

It was as if they had been intentionally omitting the name to avoid making Hashirama sad.

"Big brother, how do you know?" Tobirama asked in disbelief. A ninja who had been away from the village for years suddenly returning—surely he couldn't just be coming back for a cup of tea?

"Torifu sensed it. He said Madara comes with ill intent."

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

This armor had accompanied Hashirama through a lifetime of battles. He had thought it would never be of use again, but he hadn't expected to be wearing it once more today.

"Then I will go summon the ninjas!"

Tobirama turned to leave, but Hashirama grabbed his hand: "Ordinary ninjas cannot handle him; only I can. Besides, he might not necessarily harm the village."

Hashirama forced a smile; deep down, he still trusted Madara, but he had to prepare for the worst.

"Order the clansmen to patrol the village. Do not let anyone with ill intentions cause harm to the village at such a critical juncture!"

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

The hawks of the Uchiha Clan might very well take action tonight!

"Evil Uchiha Clan! You had better behave yourselves!"

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted from outside the village, followed by a massive burst of white smoke!

Immediately, nine orange-red tails thrashed wildly within the smoke, and a ferocious Nine-Tails giant fox appeared outside the village, letting out an angry roar toward the sky!

"Nine-Tails!" Hashirama stood on a rooftop, gritting his teeth hard!

At this moment, 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 leaped violently from the rooftop, soaring directly into the air.

Madara Uchiha stood atop the head of the Nine-Tails, controlling it as it steadily closed in on Konoha.

"Wood Release-Wood Dragon Technique!"

A giant wooden dragon suddenly appeared in mid-air, catching Hashirama steadily before flying toward the Nine-Tails.

The people of Konoha heard the Hokage's voice and rushed out to check, but numerous members of the Senju Clan were already going door-to-door, warning residents not to leave their homes no matter what happened.

The Senju Clan held great prestige in Konoha, and the people, guessing that something was afoot tonight, returned to their homes and locked their doors tightly.

Seeing the wooden dragon in the air, Madara Uchiha couldn't help but laugh: "Hashirama! You've finally come!"

"Why?" Hashirama stood on the head of the wooden dragon, his voice filled with questioning.

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

Madara Uchiha gave a contemptuous smile: "What village, what peace? They are nothing but illusions."

The Three Tomoe in his eyes spun and transformed! A pair of eyes with strange patterns emerged—it was none other than the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!

At this moment, Madara looked at Hashirama with a calm, emotionless expression and said indifferently: "Hashirama, with these eyes, I have already seen the true path to peace!"