Ashes...
Ruins...
And devastation that fit those words all too well.
The Purple-Clad Woman had been far too calm when she vanished, leaving Madara Uchiha unable to tell whether she had truly died or whether it was a sham.
This was the enormous ravine their earlier duel had carved out.
Everything lay ravaged, as though torn apart by a storm.
This was a natural disaster wrought by human hands.
Madara Uchiha listened to the mournful cries carried on the night wind, standing alone in the darkness.
The cold, damp air carried the stench of decay.
Had that old hag... finally disappeared?
Was this truly the end?
Or was it merely an exit? She would come back, wouldn't she?
He had not had much contact with that old woman.
But her excessively "candid" nature had still allowed Madara Uchiha to learn quite a bit about her.
That woman was pure madness.
Her objective-to toy with everyone;
Her interest-to toy with everyone;
Her hobby-to toy with everyone;
Her conduct-to toy with everyone.
Madara Uchiha could no longer concern himself with all that. He knew his time was drawing to an end once again.
Death was nothing to fear, but...
Yanbai's graceful figure flashed through Madara Uchiha's mind, and he suddenly felt a surge of pain in his chest.
Memories of his two lifetimes ate away at Madara Uchiha's consciousness like a revolving lantern.
Looking back over those long lifetimes, he had brought Yanbai many times more pain than happiness. He had never wanted that, yet seeing those memories made him keenly feel the weight of his past actions. Even guilt welled up in his heart.
That guilt stirred up a strange vortex, circling, swelling, changing, encroaching, and growing, until it swept through everything around Madara Uchiha.
All sorts of strange sounds swirled