When Naruto arrived at the Valley of the End, he saw Sasuke standing on a large rock, staring blankly at the statues of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. He stood motionless, as though pondering something.
Naruto quietly walked over to Sasuke's side and gazed at the two statues as well, sinking into thought. Then Sasuke suddenly asked, "Naruto, would you say those two were great men?"
Naruto smiled. "How should I put it? I suppose they were. After all, they founded a ninja village and brought a little peace to a world that had been terribly chaotic. But their differing ideals eventually led them to fight each other. That was a loss for this world, because their battle dealt a devastating blow to the once incredibly powerful Konoha. Otherwise, with the strength Konoha had back then, it should have been able to make this world more peaceful. But whatever else you might say about them, they were great men. They ushered in a new era."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then turned back to the two statues. "Naruto, we won't end up on opposite sides like they did."
Naruto gave Sasuke a surprised look, then smiled. "Heh, of course we won't. We're different from them. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were both stubborn, and they never found the root of the problem. But we have. As long as our ideals align, I believe we'll never end up like them. Don't worry."
Sasuke suddenly asked, "What if our ideals stop aligning one day? What would we do then? Who would we listen to?"
Naruto smiled. "That's a very good question. It's also the fundamental reason Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha went from best friends to enemies. But what I want to say is that we won't face the same situation they did."