If he wanted to abandon the Uchiha clan in the future and wander through the shinobi world alone, surviving would certainly not be easy.
And there was still the matter of creating his own shinobi village…
Once Uchiha Madara eventually led the Uchiha toward the establishment of Konoha, Makoto could at least take advantage of Madara’s position and connections to obtain some resources for himself.
…
“Izuna…
Izuna…
I’m sorry…”
“Hashirama…
for the sake of peace between the Uchiha and Senju clans, he was even willing to sacrifice his own life…”
“I’m sorry, Izuna…
I can’t avenge you…”
Uchiha Madara took a deep breath and buried his hatred deep within his heart.
His eyes passed over Uchiha Makoto as he began his speech.
“My clansmen, Izuna was my dearest younger brother.
He died at the hands of Senju Tobirama.
I once swore that I would avenge him—that I would personally take Senju Tobirama’s head and offer it before Izuna’s grave as a tribute to him…”
“But I’ve given up on that now, because doing so would accomplish nothing.
Killing Senju Tobirama won’t bring Izuna back to life.
It would only deepen the hatred between the Uchiha and Senju clans.”
“We have been fighting for far, far too long.
It is time to put an end to all of this.”
“Hashirama and I have a dream!”
“One day, in the shinobi village jointly established by the Uchiha and Senju, members of the Senju clan will be able to sit together with members of the Uchiha clan and reminisce like brothers.”
“One day, the Uchiha clan will be able to change.
Even though many of you still object and oppose the decision I have made, perhaps one day the Senju and Uchiha clans will become family , advancing hand in hand…”
Uchiha Madara spoke with genuine emotion.
His voice was deep, steady, and powerful as he painted a vision of the future for the Uchiha gathered before him…
He was painting a vision of the future.
Yet the speech, which somehow felt strangely familiar to Uchiha Makoto, genuinely moved the Uchiha present.
The conflict between the Senju and Uchiha clans had continued for far too long, and it had grown increasingly brutal—to the point that even children barely a few years old were being forced onto the battlefield.
Children should have been able to grow up happily and carefree under the protection of their clans.
They shouldn’t have had to die on the battlefield.
If the hatred continued, their children would simply repeat the same cycle…
That was something none of the Uchiha present wanted to see.
The endless battles, constant bloodshed, and increasingly desperate circumstances had all caused a growing weariness of war to take root in the hearts of the Uchiha.
If things really could turn out the way Madara described—if the war could end and the Uchiha and Senju could live together in peace in the future…
Perhaps such an outcome wasn’t entirely unacceptable.
Those who were still alive had to look toward the future.
…
The situation was reversed in an instant.
Of course, this was already within Uchiha Makoto’s expectations.
Uchiha Madara was not only the head of the Uchiha clan, but also its strongest warrior.
He was the leader whom the Uchiha recognized and followed.
Once he made up his mind, eight or nine out of ten Uchiha would obey.
And given the current circumstances, the Uchiha were at a severe disadvantage, leaving them with very few choices.
Battle reports could lie, but the front lines could not.
The Uchiha’s defeat on the main battlefield was undeniable.
And now, even Uchiha Madara—their clan head—had taken the lead in accepting peace.
If they continued resisting stubbornly and tried to launch a campaign of revenge against the Senju, their eventual fate was already sealed.
Hashirama’s Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands and Tobirama’s Flying Thunder Technique Technique were not going to show mercy to Uchiha holdouts who refused to surrender and had no strategic value to the war effort.
“Lord Madara, it seems you’ve made up your mind.”
“In that case…
as for revenge…
I can only…”
A deeply conflicted expression appeared on Uchiha Makoto’s face.
After several rounds of what looked like an intense internal struggle, he finally “reluctantly” agreed to let go of his hatred toward the Senju.
“But…
Lord Madara, I still don’t trust the Senju clan.”
“If you want someone to completely trust you, you first have to make them believe that you’re their friend.
In other words, you have to stand behind someone before you can stab them in the back!”
“There are malicious people within the Senju clan!”
“A thousand years of hatred between our clans won’t disappear so easily…”
Makoto spoke these words with a solemn expression.
Lord Madara…
you’re going to die a truly miserable death in the future.
First, Senju Hashirama will quietly come up behind you and stab you through the heart.
Then Black Zetsu will sneak up behind you and stab you through the heart with his hand.
Consider this my warning and advice to you.
Of course, Uchiha Makoto’s words weren’t actually directed at Senju Hashirama.
Hashirama really could be considered a friend, and the Uchiha could indeed earn Hashirama’s trust.
As for him eventually stabbing Madara in the back…
Well, that was “mutual consent,” wasn’t it?
One could even call it a little “romantic pastime” between Madara and Hashirama.
But there really was a “malicious person” within the Senju clan!
Who was he?
Obviously—
Senju Tobirama.
Senju Tobirama was nothing more than a suspicious schemer lurking in the shadows, forever suspicious of the Uchiha and always harboring ulterior motives.
In Tobirama’s eyes…
The Uchiha were an extremely dysfunctional clan.
The evolution of the Sharingan required chakra born from intense emotions.
This meant that the stronger an Uchiha became, the more likely they were to descend into extremes.
And the more extreme an Uchiha became, the stronger they became.
Without proper guidance, such Uchiha could easily become dangerous elements within the village.
Therefore, people like them had to be closely monitored, and their every move had to be met with suspicion!
Senju Tobirama would constantly look for opportunities to use the Flying Thunder Technique Technique to appear behind such an Uchiha, mark them with his technique, and deliver a devastating strike when necessary!
“‘If you want someone to completely trust you, you have to make them believe you’re their friend.
In other words, you have to stand behind someone before you can stab them in the back…
There are malicious people within the Senju clan?'”
Uchiha Madara couldn’t help frowning as he pondered Uchiha Makoto’s words.
Someone I trust…
would stab me in the back?
Is Makoto talking about Hashirama…?
Could Hashirama really do something like that to me?
No!
Absolutely impossible!
This was simply Uchiha Makoto’s prejudice against the Senju, born from the hatred between their clans.
He was deliberately speaking ill of Senju Hashirama!
First of all, Hashirama wasn’t that kind of person!
Second…
he’s Hashirama.
Third…
I’m Madara.
Hashirama and Madara.
A hundred years.
Never change!
In only a moment, Uchiha Madara dismissed the possibility in his mind.
Hashirama definitely wouldn’t do such a thing.
The malicious one definitely would!
But is there really someone like that within the Senju clan?
According to Hashirama’s way of putting it, the answer should be: theoretically, no—but objectively, yes.
Then who was this malicious person?
In the very next instant, the image of Senju Tobirama appeared in Uchiha Madara’s mind.
If it’s Senju Tobirama…
then there really is a possibility!
“But that’s only a possibility!”
“I’ll personally eliminate that possibility!”
Uchiha Madara looked down on Senju Tobirama from the bottom of his heart.
In his eyes, there had only ever been Hashirama.
A mere Senju Tobirama was nothing to Madara.
“Uchiha Makoto, you’re overthinking this!”
“I will protect the Uchiha clan.
I gave Izuna my word!”
“Besides, I’ve already reached an agreement with Hashirama.
He loves peace!”
“Hashirama would never tolerate a malicious person within the Senju clan.
Hashirama and I will handle these matters properly.”
Uchiha Madara spoke with absolute seriousness.
He genuinely trusted Senju Hashirama now.
And he genuinely believed that he and Hashirama could bring the Uchiha and Senju together in peace.
But…
Uchiha Makoto merely nodded perfunctorily while internally ranting furiously.
For crying out loud…
Hashirama, Hashirama, Hashirama!
That’s all you ever think about!
Your brother Izuna personally told you with his dying breath that he wanted you to avenge him!
And all Senju Hashirama did was stab himself with a little kunai!
With Hashirama’s inhuman regenerative abilities, that tiny wound would probably have scabbed over within seconds!
There’s really nothing I can say to a hopelessly lovestruck idiot!
………
“Lord Madara, I know you and Senju Hashirama are completely open and honest with each other, and that you want to establish a shinobi village belonging jointly to the Uchiha and Senju.”
“But that’s merely turning the war in the open into a covert struggle.”
“I know the Uchiha are currently at a disadvantage…
but let’s forget about compromising just to survive.
The shinobi world is vast.
There has to be somewhere for our Uchiha clan to establish itself!”
“Once the village is established, and we become so intertwined that you have me and I have you…
that’s precisely where the Uchiha clan’s future will go wrong!”
Uchiha Makoto took a deep breath and decided to keep pushing.
Even though he knew that Uchiha Madara had already been completely captivated by the Senju Hashirama’s influence, Senju Hashirama, and had made up his mind to bring the Uchiha as his “bride price” to rekindle his relationship with Hashirama…
Makoto still had to try.
If things proved impossible…
Then he could establish his own faction with a clear conscience.
The Uchiha might be a starving camel, but it was still bigger than a horse.
If he was going to leave home and start his own venture, Uchiha Makoto genuinely wanted to take a little of the clan’s wealth with him.
Even if it was only a tiny portion…
It would still be a valuable fortune.
Makoto really didn’t want to experience the misery of starting from absolutely nothing.
Of course…
More importantly, these seemingly well-intentioned warnings were actually a long-term investment.
Because only a few years after Konoha was established, Uchiha Madara would fall out with Senju Hashirama because of Senju Tobirama.
In the end, he would leave Konoha alone as a rogue shinobi, without a single Uchiha willing to follow him.
For a clan head to end up in such a state…
That was simply too tragic.
And when that time came, whom would Uchiha Madara remember?
Without a doubt!
He would naturally remember the great prophet Uchiha Makoto!
Uchiha Madara angrily turning to join him and going up against his former “lover,” Senju Hashirama…
Just thinking about it was incredibly entertaining.
A true victory for the resident chaos enjoyer!
And there was no need to worry about Madara trying to seize power from him.
Lord Madara should have absolutely no interest in the position of shinobi village leader.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left Konoha in the first place.
After all, if he had genuinely wanted to compete with Senju Tobirama for the position of Second Hokage, Tobirama probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against Uchiha Madara.
The gap in their raw combat power was simply too enormous.
Before absolute power, even the schemes and plots of the naturally troublesome Senju Tobirama would amount to nothing.
Besides…
One could easily imagine Konoha searching for its Second Hokage.
Madara, the good brother of the future candidate, would bring food and alcohol to the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and ask him for his support.
Hashirama would probably be so excited that he’d practically wave a victory banner!
When it came to Uchiha Madara…
Senju Hashirama: “I support Uchiha Madara!
He said he would bring peace to the shinobi world!”
And beside him, Senju Tobirama…
Senju Hashirama: “Tobirama, you have so many people supporting you.
You don’t need me anyway!”
Unfortunately…
Uchiha Madara didn’t want that.
He glanced at the ancient Stone Tablet passed down through the Uchiha bloodline and instantly became as if he’d lost his mind, believing the ridiculous nonsense written upon it.
He was completely deceived by Black Zetsu—the Ōtsutsuki descendant, the ultimate filial son of the shinobi world, and the master manipulator who had spent a thousand years orchestrating his scheme!
So Uchiha Madara’s future was already predetermined.
Lord Madara, you’ll eventually come running into my arms!
Even if Uchiha Madara wanted him to join the Eye of the Moon Plan, Uchiha Makoto would still go all-in on Madara without hesitation and work alongside him to accomplish something great.
First, he’d squeeze as much value as possible out of Uchiha Madara.
After all, by the time Madara awakened the Rinnegan, he would already be extremely old and on the verge of death.
And Makoto had a cheat of his own!
There was no reason his growth rate should be slower than Uchiha Madara’s!
…
Uchiha Madara listened silently until Uchiha Makoto finished speaking.
He was seriously considering Makoto’s words.
What he said certainly sounded reasonable.
But…
Uchiha Madara had already been captured by the Senju’s influence!
“Absurd!
Simply absurd!”
“Right now, the affairs of the Uchiha are my responsibility, while the affairs of the Senju are Hashirama’s.
Hashirama and I have already been completely honest with each other.”
“As long as the two of us work together, is there anything in this shinobi world that the two of us cannot accomplish?”