Chapter 11

Madara grinned, hands on his hips. Suddenly, he felt like teasing Hashirama a little, and joked, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're feeling down again! You sound like things have been going terribly. What happened?"

"What's wrong with you? I'm doing so well it's scary!"

Hashirama claimed he was fine, but his voice was deeply dispirited. Madara thought of his own situation. The loss of his mother and younger brother had been devastating, but the dead were gone, and he was still too young to be overwhelmed by grief. What troubled him more was his blind younger brother, who was still alive. He wanted someone to talk to—someone familiar, yet not close enough to report his words to his father. Of course, the other person would have to bring up their troubles first. Then Madara could use their words as an opening to talk about his own. With that in mind, he spoke again, his tone slightly challenging. "Oh, doing so well it's scary? Cut the act. Maybe you'll feel better if you tell me what's bothering you!"

Hashirama shook his head. He picked up a stone as if to skip it across the water, but instead tossed it high into the air and let it fall into the lake.

"It's nothing!"

Seeing him move as if he'd lost all his fight, Madara pressed him again. "All right, out with it! I'll be your agony aunt—though that's giving you too much credit!"

Hashirama shook his head, determined not to show his sorrow in front of Madara. After all, Madara was technically his "defeated opponent."

"I told you, it's nothing! I'm happier than ever!"

Growing impatient, Madara stepped closer and stood behind Hashirama, glaring down at him in irritation. "Hey! Don't drag this out! I told you to talk!"

"Nothing's wrong, really!"

"Hey!"

Unable to take Madara's pestering any longer, and genuinely heartbroken, Hashirama turned to look at him. His tear-streaked, dejected face startled Madara into taking two involuntary steps back. Furious at Hashirama, who had been putting on a brave front, Madara couldn't stand to see that expression. He clenched one fist as if ready to hit him at any moment and shouted, "I told you, nothing's wrong!"

"Just tell me already!"

Hashirama turned back to the river and wiped away his tears. They fell silent. After a while, the quiet stirred even Madara's normally steady heart. Just as he was about to leave, Hashirama spoke again.

"I came here because looking at this river makes me feel like my worries will flow away with it and stop troubling me. Hey, you're Madara, right? Do you feel the same way?"

Madara didn't reply. He listened quietly to Hashirama, gazing at the calm, steadily flowing river.

After waiting a long time without getting a response, Hashirama began to wonder if he should keep talking. But the grief in his heart made him treat Madara, for that moment, as the only person he could confide in. So he spoke again.

"Do you... have any brothers?"

The silence returned. Hashirama began to feel as if no one was behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, a stone skimmed past him, bouncing several times across the river before falling into the water without reaching the opposite bank.

"My family had five brothers... Well... we did."

Hashirama glanced at Madara, somewhat taken aback. As Madara spoke of his brothers, his face went blank, as if none of it had anything to do with him. It made Hashirama ache a little. He'd once wanted to be able to do the same, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his expression under control.

"We're shinobi. We never know when we'll die. We might even die at each other's hands. That's the shinobi world we live in. If there really were a way to stop this cruel world from going on, it would be to get those so-called enemies to open their hearts to each other, speak honestly, and drink the cup of brotherhood together!"

Madara's grief showed in no expression. He had buried every hurt deep inside and crushed it beneath his feet. As the eldest son and heir of the Uchiha Clan, he believed he shouldn't cry. Only then could he set an example for the children of his clan and his two remaining younger brothers. No matter whether the heavens fell or the earth split apart, he would be there as their elder brother, shielding them from the storm. Trying to persuade Hashirama not to dwell on his sadness, Madara voiced his own laughably childish idea with a hint of self-mockery.

As soon as he finished, Madara saw Hashirama looking at him as if he were a saint. He smiled and spoke again. "Heh! I guess I got a little carried away. But it's impossible anyway. The human heart... it's always hidden behind a thick wall of flesh!"

As he spoke, Madara picked up another stone and hurled it. It shot across the water, bouncing powerfully before landing on the far bank. Madara didn't laugh aloud; he seemed to regard the result as nothing special. Then he remembered the Takigawa Clan, who had betrayed his family and launched a surprise attack against them.

"Maybe the other side is furious too. They could be smiling at you one moment, then planning to wipe out your whole family the next. That's why we can never truly understand the human heart!"

Hashirama watched Madara's expression turn fierce, then turned back to the river. After a moment's silence, he realized he couldn't understand the human heart either.

"The human heart... really can't be seen?"

"Who knows? I've been thinking about that here for a long time. If there really were a way to see through someone's heart..." Maybe my brother wouldn't have shut his heart away like this.

Madara bent to pick up another stone, as if he wanted to prove to Hashirama that his earlier throw hadn't been a fluke. He tossed it as he spoke. The stone bounced several times before landing on the far bank. Madara nodded, satisfied, then looked at the silent Hashirama and said proudly, "Looks like I finally found the right angle. It's not just you—I've made it across too!" "By the way, where's that boy? Why did you come alone this time? Don't tell me..." Hashirama turned around as if searching for someone. Then he remembered what Madara had just said, and sorrow washed over his face again.

"Don't put on that act! My brother's alive and well. Could you stop looking at me like you're cursing him?"

For some reason, Madara suddenly wanted to see what kind of face Hashirama would make. He kicked him to the ground, then yelled at him. Madara could only suppress Hashirama's sorrowful expression for a moment. Soon, Hashirama was apologizing through tears. "I'm sorry! I thought... I'm sorry... He said he'd treat me to a meal!"

After hearing his explanation, Madara grew even angrier. Hashirama hadn't actually cared whether his brother was alive. He was only upset because Mingye had promised to buy him a big meal. Madara kicked Hashirama back to the ground just as he was getting up, then pointed at him and scolded him contemptuously. "So that's what you're sad about! You just want that meal, don't you? You idiot! Is eating really more important than whether my brother's alive?"

Hashirama wasn't annoyed by Madara's beating. His expression turned earnest and guileless as he explained, "People die if they don't eat! I think eating is more important than being alive!"

"You're a gluttonous ghost reborn as a person! Get lost, you idiot! What a nuisance!"

As soon as Madara finished, the two looked at each other and burst out laughing. Hashirama got to his feet and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Madara looked at Hashirama's Bowl Cut and spoke again. "Some things are obvious, even if you don't know someone well!"

Hashirama looked at Madara in confusion. "What?"

"Your hair, your clothes—everything about you is seriously lame!"

Madara's words pierced Hashirama like a sword. He immediately grew dejected. His expression and movements pleased Madara, and lifted his spirits too. It was never good to sulk alone. The best way to vent was to let all your worries out. Thinking this, Madara turned and headed back toward the woods.