Madara and Hashirama's Discussion

But he survived.

"Not only alive, but ridiculously powerful. Powerful enough to suppress both of us single-handedly, powerful enough to leave the usually meticulous and rigorous Tobirama speechless, powerful enough to stand before me calmly, reveal the shattered fate of our ideals, and then calmly turn and vanish into the distance."

Hashirama spoke softly, yet every word was firm.

"If the Uchiha Shin wiped out and completely extinct, then what is the point of its existence? Isn't this the best proof that the Uchiha still exists?"

Ban remained silent, his fingers clenching and unclenching subtly betraying his thoughts—the grip on his Kunai loosened slightly in the end.

"Furthermore, he said it was Fugaku's son who did it. I don't know Fugaku, but I know that the child has Uchiha blood in his veins." Hashirama paused, then asked softly,

"Brainwashed by those above and manipulated by the Elder, his background and circumstances are indeed tragic. But have you ever considered whether he has any insight into the world?"

"It's open." Madara's voice deepened, tinged with a hint of unspoken bitterness. "It must be the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Then he must have endured extreme pain."

Hashirama's tone remained casual, without any heaviness, but his words hit the nail on the head. "You know better than anyone the price the Uchiha paid for awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan."

If he could personally wield the butcher's knife against his entire clan, he must have personally crushed everything he cherished most.

But do you really think that was the ending he truly wanted?

"Should all these sins really be attributed to him alone?"

A gentle breeze swept across the riverbank, carrying away the last vestiges of the setting sun's warmth.

Madara sat silently for a long time, so long that Hashirama almost thought he was unwilling to respond to the topic anymore, before he slowly opened his mouth, his voice both relieved and sorrowful.

"We can't blame him entirely, but it's definitely not our fault either."

He Kunai back into his pocket, raised his eyes to look at the last rays of sunset reflected on the river, his gaze distant. "It is the evil consequence of endless war, the root of disaster sown by generations of entangled hatred. Ultimately, it is that the order and the hearts of people in that world were completely distorted from the very beginning."

"So that's why." Hashirama suddenly stood up, casually brushing the grass clippings off his buttocks, bent down to pick up the unopened bottle of sake at his feet, and handed it to Madara, his eyes regaining their bright smile.

"Our world hasn't reached that point yet; we still have a chance to turn things around and a possibility to correct our mistakes."

"Here, I brought this especially for you. Don't just drink that bland herbal tea every Tenten; try the taste of alcohol once in a while."

Ban looked up at him, his face expressionless. "I don't drink."

Hashirama a gesture as if to take it back. "Give it back to me."

Ban slightly raised his wrist, firmly gripping the wine bottle in his palm. As he stood up, he retorted calmly, "There's no reason to take back what's given away."

He carried the wine bottle and turned to walk slowly towards the direction of Konoha.

He took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned his head, the Dusk blurring in his eyes, and spoke with utmost solemnity.

"Hashirama, the peace you desire, the ideal of keeping the world's children away from war, may truly be out of reach."

We may spend our entire lives without ever witnessing it come to fruition.

But if even the two of us give up and stop believing, then no one in this world will believe anymore."

After saying that, he didn't linger and strode forward.

Hashirama stood still, quietly watching that familiar figure disappear into the deep Dusk, a gentle yet firm smile slowly spreading across his lips.

He murmured, "Of course I'll believe you."

The next moment, he strode after him, his cheerful shouts carried on the evening breeze, "Hey! Ban, slow down! I haven't settled the score with you for skipping work without permission today!"

The two walked slowly along the bluestone path of the Naka River toward the Uchiha Clan District. A gentle evening breeze carried the damp scent of grass and trees from the riverbank. Hashirama's mouth hadn't stopped since they set off, chattering on and on.

He started by talking about the beautiful weather, then moved on to the new Forbidden Technique that Tobirama had been researching in Tobirama, then mentioned the sweet and delicious dumplings that had just opened in the village, and finally the conversation drifted to the mysterious Uchiha King from the Flame Ninja Village.

His thoughts jumped around haphazardly, and his fluctuating speaking speed and topics would make it impossible for anyone else to keep up with his train of thought.

Ban remained expressionless throughout, his eyes and brows cold and aloof, appearing completely indifferent.

He spoke very few words throughout, mostly just uttering a faint "hmm" or "I don't know" to brush it off.

Even without receiving the slightest enthusiastic response, it did not dampen Hashirama's high spirits for chatting.

As they walked, Hashirama suddenly stopped, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, having stumbled upon a hidden secret. His eyes brightened. "By the way, Madara, do you think that Uchiha King might also be from another parallel world? Natsu was able to cross dimensions to get here, so why can't others?"

Madara didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head; his back view exuded his usual certainty. "He is a native Uchiha of this world."

"How can you be so sure?" Hashirama quickly caught up, his face full of doubt.

"Tobirama private." Madara's speech was steady and clear. "From his birth to his first battlefield experience, and then to his battle record against the enemy, every trace is verifiable and clear. He, like us, was born to belong to this world."

After he finished speaking, he paused slightly and added a meaningful sentence, "Perhaps, he saw through the hidden dangers and consequences lurking behind this hastily established peace earlier than any of us."

These seemingly casual words inexplicably weighed on Hashirama's heart.

He remained silent for a moment, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, and quickly caught up with Madara's pace again, asking in a low voice, "Then tell me, now that he's based in Flame Ninja Village, isn't what he's doing the same thing as us? Painstakingly building the village, winning over various clans, maneuvering among the major Daimyo, desperately trying to stabilize the situation in his region..."

"No the same."

Madara abruptly interrupted him, his tone resolute and without the slightest hesitation. "He never trusted the Senju Clan, much less the high and mighty Daimyo. His efforts to win over the Uzumaki, Kaguya Clan, Yuki clans were never intended to add another peaceful ninja village to the Land of Fire."

"He's just paving the way for the Uchiha."

Ban gazed at the distant, layered houses and settlements of his tribe, his eyes devoid of any emotion. "He isn't gambling everything for a fleeting peace, but rather preparing a foolproof escape route for the war that could strike at any moment."

Hashirama opened his mouth, his throat moved slightly, but he swallowed back all the words that were about to come out.

He had to admit that Madara saw things more clearly than he did, and he couldn't refute that.