"I won't be like you. I will definitely protect my village."
"The village is home to our beloved friends, children, and families."
"Whether they are my family, my brothers, or even children."
"Anyone who wants to harm Konoha is my enemy."
"And since they are enemies, then they should die."
A trace of guilt flashed through Hashirama Senju's eyes, but it was quickly overwhelmed by Konoha's Will of Fire. He did not believe he was wrong.
Anyone who harmed Konoha deserved to die. No matter who they were, he would not allow anyone to hurt the village.
"Hehe."
"Hashirama, you're no longer the man you once were."
"If you refuse to listen to me, then one day, the village will become incomparably dark. In the end, you were still wrong."
"Bang...!"
Madara Uchiha fell straight to the ground, his breath gone. He never rose again.
"Madara, no matter what, as long as I'm here, I won't allow anyone to hurt it."
"I'm sorry."
"Wood Release—Wood Coffin."
Hashirama Senju's gaze flickered, sincere tears streaming from his eyes. Then, he pressed his palms together and used Wood Release to create a coffin, wrapping Madara Uchiha inside before sinking it underground.
"The village in the future will definitely follow the path I envisioned."
"I will definitely let all the children live happy, joyful lives."
"Rest assured, our old dream will definitely—definitely come true."
Hashirama Senju stared deeply at the place where Madara Uchiha had sunk, then looked up at the sky and let the rain lash mercilessly against his face.
"Seriously?"
"Uncle Madara really is crafty as hell."
"He'd already used the Sharingan hidden beneath his hair over his right eye to cast Izanagi. He'd also discovered the Wood Human Clone long ago. Did he deliberately seek death?"
"But this battle was truly