The light and shadows on the Sky Screen shifted in a flash. Time raced forward, and the image locked onto Madara Uchiha as he left the village alone.
Ever since he had openly walked out through Konoha's main gate that day, Madara had never looked back.
He neither stopped nor lingered, nor showed the slightest hesitation. Alone, he traveled across the vast lands of the Shinobi World, crossing mountains, rivers, and wilderness, walking through the remnants of a war-torn age to see for himself the so-called "peace" that he and Hashirama had spent half their lives, blood, and tears fighting to protect.
Everything he saw along the way was cold and bitterly ironic, utterly shattering the last gentle illusion in his heart.
The village said the age of chaos had ended. Everyone said Hashirama Senju had established the right order.
But the truth Madara saw as he traveled the land bore no resemblance to the peace people praised.
Peace belonged only to those inside Konoha!
The small-scale clashes between clans had indeed disappeared, and the clan bloodshed that had once plagued the land had vanished completely.
But this was not true peace at all!
New shinobi villages took root one after another, frantically expanding their influence, secretly recruiting troops, stockpiling resources, refining their armaments, and training shinobi.
The ambitious figures lurking in the shadows had never disappeared. They had been quietly amassing strength all along, watching this land like predators waiting to strike.
The Shinobi World looked calm on the surface, but beneath it, fierce undercurrents surged.
Minor skirmishes had never stopped. Border clashes occurred every day as the villages tested, guarded against, and schemed against one another.
Everyone was holding themselves back, waiting for the right moment to ignite a massive war that would engulf the entire Shinobi World!