A desperate journey home
The sea breeze, laden with salty, damp vapor, lashed Madara Uchiha's face. He stood on a steep cliff on the border of the Land of Water, his crimson Mangekyō Sharingan gazing out at the turbulent sea in the distance. The chakra of the three-tailed Isobu appeared and faded, like a ghost in the deep sea, unpredictable.
Hashirama stood beside him, forming hand seals with his hands and closing his eyes to sense the tailed beast's exact location. "Madara, thirty miles northeast, there's a strong chakra reaction. We must proceed with caution, as the Three-Tails' strength is greatly enhanced in the water."
Madara didn't respond. His attention was distracted by a strange, deep-seated unease. He'd been feeling uneasy since early this morning, as if something important was slipping away from him.
"What's wrong with you?" Hashirama noticed something was wrong with his best friend and asked with concern.
Madara shook his head, trying to dispel the ominous feeling in his heart. "Nothing. I want to get rid of the Three-Tails as soon as possible. I want to return to Konoha as soon as possible."
Hashirama gave an understanding smile: "Miss Aoi?"
Madara's lips curled up slightly, and the image of his sister, always smiling gently, emerged in his mind. "She's always worried about this and that. If she knew we were dealing with the Three-Tails, she'd definitely lose sleep again."
At that moment, a piercing pain suddenly erupted from his chest. Madara clutched his heart and stumbled back a step. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly and uncontrollably, casting a blood-red filter over the world within his vision.
"Madara!" Hashirama hurriedly supported him, "What happened?"
Madara couldn't answer. The pain seemed to tear him apart, and at the same time, countless fragments of memory flooded into his mind like a tide.
As a child, Aoi held his fingers as she learned to write; when he was injured during training, she carefully bandaged him; when she married into the Senju family wearing a white wedding gown, she forced a smile; when they said goodbye for the last time, she stood at the village entrance and whispered, "Come back soon"...
"Aoi..." Madara uttered his sister's name with difficulty. An ominous premonition instantly overwhelmed him like a cold tide.
Hashirama's expression also grew serious. "Could something have happened in Konoha?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a messenger hawk flew through the dense sea fog and landed precisely on Hashirama's shoulder. A black ribbon was tied around its leg—a sign of bad news.
Hashirama's hands trembled slightly as he untied the scroll carried by the hawk. When he unfolded it and saw its contents, he felt as if struck by lightning, his face turning pale.
"Hashirama?" Madara asked in a hoarse voice, suppressing the panic in his heart.
Hashirama looked up, his eyes filled with shock and grief. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could only hand the scroll to Madara.
The moment Madara's eyes fell on the scroll, the whole world seemed to stop.
"Mrs. Uchiha Aoi was murdered last night. The cause of death is unknown. Return quickly. - Tobirama"
That short line of words was like a poisoned blade that pierced Madara's heart.
"No..." Madara's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, "This is impossible..."
His fingers tightly grasped the scroll, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood seeping through his fingers, but he felt no pain. The pain in his heart had already exceeded his limit.
"Aoi... is dead?" Madara raised his head blankly and looked at Hashirama, as if seeking denial, "My sister... is dead?"
Hashirama nodded sadly, tears in his eyes: "Madara, I..."
"ah--!"
A heart-wrenching roar erupted from Madara's throat, and powerful chakra instantly exploded around him. The rocks under his feet cracked inch by inch, and the entire cliff shook violently.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly, the black magatama twisting and deforming, eventually condensing into an unprecedented pattern. It was no longer a simple three magatama, but a new form that symbolized extreme pain and despair.
"Return to Konoha!" Madara's voice was filled with devastating anger, "Right now!"
He didn't even wait for Hashirama's response. He transformed into a streak of black lightning and sped towards Konoha. His speed was so fast that even Hashirama couldn't stop him in time.
"Madara! Wait!" Hashirama hurried to catch up, but Madara had completely lost his mind.
The journey from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire has never been so long.
Madara desperately urged his chakra to increase his speed to the limit. The surrounding scenery turned into a blur of colors, and the wind whistled in his ears, but he could hear nothing and see nothing.
There was only one thought in his mind - to return to Konoha and meet Aoi.
"This must be a mistake," he told himself frantically, "Aoi must still be alive. Tobirama must have made a mistake."
He recalled the last time he saw Aoi. She was standing in the courtyard of the Senju clan, wisteria blossoming behind her. She smiled and waved at him, saying, "Brother, come back soon."
"I promised to protect her..." Madara's voice broke in the wind, "I promised..."
Childhood memories flooded back. The little girl who always followed him, the little girl who offered him tea when he was tired, the little girl who silently accompanied him after he lost Izumi...
"I've already lost Izuna," Madara's eyes shed tears of blood, "I can't lose Aoi again..."
His speed was increasing, his chakra almost burning. The villagers passing by only felt a gust of wind and could not even see his shadow.
"Faster...faster..." Madara shouted madly in his heart.
However, when he finally saw the outline of the Hidden Leaf Village, the fear in his heart reached its peak. He was afraid to face the truth and to see the reality that he was most unwilling to accept.
The gate of Konoha was right in front of them. When the ninjas guarding the gate saw Madara's figure, they immediately opened the gate, and everyone's face was solemn and sympathetic.
"Lord Madara..." A ninja stepped forward and wanted to say something.
But Madara ignored him and rushed straight to the Senju clan. Wherever he passed, the villagers gave way, no one dared to stop this man who looked like he had returned from hell.
The atmosphere in the Senju clan's territory was particularly oppressive. When Madara rushed into the familiar courtyard, the first person he saw was Uzumaki Mito standing outside the door. Her eyes were red and swollen, obviously she had just cried.
"Madara..." Mito saw him and said with a choked voice, "You are finally back..."
"Where's Aoi?" Madara's voice was terribly hoarse.
Mito lowered her head, tears welling up again: "Inside... Tobirama is with her..."
Madara pushed the door open, and the sight before him made his breath stop suddenly.
In the study, Uchiha Aoi lay quietly on a white curtain, her face as peaceful as if she were just asleep. She was wearing a purple kimono, which was a birthday gift from Madara last year.
Tobirama knelt beside her, head bowed, his expression obscured by his silver hair. But Madara could sense that the usually calm and composed man was trembling slightly all over.
"Aoi..." Madara stumbled to his sister's side, knelt on the ground, and gently stroked her cold cheek with his trembling hands.
There was no response. Those eyes that always looked at him tenderly would never open again.
"Why..." Madara's voice broke, "Why is this happening..."
He raised his head, his blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on Tobirama.
"Tobirama!" Madara's roar shook the entire room. "Is this how you protect her?!"
Tobirama slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his face showing an unprecedented exhaustion and pain. "Madara, I..."
"I trusted you!" Madara stood up suddenly, his chakra boiling around him like substance. "I entrusted my only sister to you! And you let her die in your house!"
"Madara, calm down." Mito hurried forward to persuade him, "Tobirama is also very sad, he..."
"Shut up!" Madara's roar interrupted Mito's words. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly, and blue chakra began to condense around him, gradually forming a huge skeleton - the prototype of Susanoo.
"Madara! Don't!" Hashirama's voice came from outside the door. He had just arrived when he saw his best friend about to go berserk.
But it was too late. Madara's grief and anger had reached a peak, and Susanoo's skeleton grew rapidly, and muscles and armor began to cover it.
"Why didn't you die!" Madara cried with despair of annihilation, "Why my sister? What did she do wrong?! She has worked for peace all her life! She has never hurt anyone!"
As Susanoo's complete form neared completion, a massive chakra surge shook the entire Senju clan's territory. Houses swayed, the ground cracked, and the villagers fled in terror.
"Madara! Stop it!" Hashirama rushed forward, forming seals with his hands, "Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A huge wooden dragon emerged from the ground and wrapped itself around Susanoo, trying to stop it from moving.
"Get out of here!" Madara roared, and Susanoo swung the chakra sword in his hand and cut the wooden dragon in half with one sword.
Wood Release once again formed a giant python, tightly wrapping around Susanoo's skeleton with a teeth-grinding crunching sound. Hashirama Senju stood before the rampaging Uchiha Madara, his hands locked in hand seals, beads of sweat covering his forehead. His eyes were filled with pain and determination, as if he were personally smothering his most cherished dream.
"Madara, calm down! We will find out the truth!" Hashirama's voice was trembling, not only because of the huge chakra consumption required to maintain Wood Release, but also because he witnessed his best friend's soul shattered before his eyes.
"The truth?" Madara laughed, his voice filled with sorrow and despair. It didn't sound like human laughter, but more like the wail of a wounded beast. "My brother, my sister... they're all dead! Is this the peace you promised?"
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly, tears like blood streaming from the corners of his eyes, leaving shocking marks on his pale cheeks. Susanoo's skeleton struggled violently within the constraints of the Wood Release technique, and blue chakra and green Wood Release energy collided violently in the air, emitting a dazzling light.
Hashirama felt as if an invisible hand were gripping his heart. He looked into Madara's eyes, once gleaming with idealism and passion, now filled with endless darkness and madness. This terrified him more than any other powerful enemy he had faced—not the fear of power, but the fear of losing their best friend, the loss of their shared dream.
"Madara, I understand your pain..." Hashirama tried to take a step forward, but the terrifying pressure emanating from Susanoo prevented him from moving.
"Understand?" Madara's voice suddenly dropped, but it was even more heart-wrenching than his previous roar. "What do you understand, Hashirama? When you still have your brother by your side, and my last relative lies here cold and icy, tell me, what do you understand?"
The Wood Release's restraints began to crack, and Hashirama could feel Madara's chakra expanding at an alarming rate. It wasn't just a normal increase in power, but a madness that completely abandoned himself to destruction.
"We established Konoha to protect those who mattered to us." Hashirama suppressed the pain in his heart and continued to try to communicate. "If you destroy this place now, wouldn't that be a violation of our original oath?"
"A vow?" Madara's lips curled into a twisted sneer. "By that river, we vowed to create a world where children would never have to fight. And now, my sister is dead—not on the battlefield, but in this so-called 'peaceful' village, among the people she helped with all her heart!"
One of Susanoo's arms suddenly broke free from the Wood Release technique, and the massive chakra sword slashed fiercely at the surrounding buildings. Several buildings collapsed with a resounding roar, and the dust kicked up slowly down like paper money at a funeral.
"Look at this false peace!" Madara's voice echoed over the ruins. "It can't even protect a defenseless woman! What's the value of such a peace?"
Hashirama was forced to tighten his Wood Release restraints, and more giant trees emerged from the ground, firmly anchoring Susanoo to the earth. But in the process, he felt his soul being torn apart. Every time he suppressed Madara's rampage, it was like strangling their shared dream with his own hands.
"Madara, please..." Hashirama's voice was choked with a rare sob, "Don't let our years of hard work go to waste..."
"Effort?" A hint of sarcasm flashed in Madara's eyes. "What we have worked so hard to build is nothing more than a more sophisticated cage. In this cage, hatred is hidden but never disappears. And look at it now—my sister has become a sacrifice for this false peace!"
His gaze turned to Aoi who was lying quietly on the white cloth. At that moment, the madness in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by bottomless sadness.
"She's always so kind," Madara's voice suddenly softened, as if he wasn't afraid to disturb his sister's sleep. "Even in this hostile environment, she never stopped believing that people could understand each other. In her own way, she built bridges of communication little by little..."
Susanoo's struggles gradually weakened, but Hashirama could sense that it was not because Madara had regained his composure, but because his desperation had gone beyond anger.
"And now, she's paid the price with her life." Madara's gaze returned to Hashirama, the light in his Mangekyō Sharingan gradually fading. "Is this the sacrifice you demand for peace?"
"No, Madara, this isn't..."
"Tell me, Hashirama," Madara interrupted, his voice eerily calm. "Who will be sacrificed next? When your precious peace demands more sacrifices, who will be next? Mito? Tobirama? Or your brother?"
Hashirama opened his mouth to speak, but found himself speechless. He watched as the last glimmer of light in Madara's eyes faded completely, a feeling more painful than any wounds sustained in battle. The invisible rift between them had widened into an unbridgeable abyss.
"I was wrong, Hashirama," Madara said softly, the chakra of Susanoo beginning to dissipate. "We were all wrong. The essence of humanity will never change. Hatred and fighting are curses etched into our bones. And your so-called peace is nothing but a self-deceiving dream."
When the last wisp of chakra dissipated into the air, Madara slowly fell to the ground, his figure looking particularly lonely against the backdrop of the ruins. He walked to Aoi's side, knelt on one knee, and gently smoothed the loose hair on her forehead.
"I want to take her home." Madara's voice was soft, but filled with unquestionable determination.
"Madara, wait," Hashirama finally managed to get closer. He reached out and tried to touch his friend's shoulder, "We need to talk..."
"There's nothing more to discuss, Hashirama." Madara didn't turn around, his attention completely focused on his sister's peaceful face. "From today on, you go your way, and I go mine. Konoha, peace, whatever, has nothing to do with me anymore."
Hashirama's hand froze in mid-air as he watched Madara carefully pick up Aoi's body, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a fragile treasure. In that moment, he knew he had lost this friend and foe forever, the companion who had shared his dreams and struggles.
"At least let me help you..." Hashirama said with difficulty.
"No need." Madara finally turned around, his face expressionless, as if all emotion had died with his sister's departure. "Aoi and I...will not trouble you again."
He stepped forward, and wherever he passed, the villagers spontaneously made way for him. No one dared to stop him, and no one dared to speak. Only suppressed sobs floated in the air, adding a touch of desolation to this tragic moment.
Hashirama stood there, watching Madara's figure gradually fade away. He knew that this was not just the departure of one person, but the end of an era and the shattering of a dream.
Just as Madara's figure was about to disappear around the corner of the street, he stopped and looked back at Hashirama for the last time.
"Remember this day, Hashirama." Madara's voice echoed clearly throughout the venue. "Remember the price your peace paid."
Then he turned and left, never looking back.
Hashirama fell to his knees helplessly, tears finally streaming down his face. He was not only saddened by Aoi's passing, but even more heartbroken by Madara's departure, and despaired by the shattering of their shared dream.
On the distant Hokage Rock, the portrait of the First Hokage still wore an optimistic smile, looking down at the village he had personally created. But at that moment, Hashirama felt that smile was so ironic, so distant.
The price of peace is so heavy.
And in the shadows, unnoticed, a satisfied smile played across Black Zetsu's lips. The plan was progressing towards success.
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