Chapter 308

Uchiha Madara, one of the founders of Konoha, a legendary shinobi, a rogue ninja from Konoha, and the former leader of the Uchiha clan, stepped into Konoha again more than thirty years since his last departure.

In truth, Madara was reluctant to return to Konoha.

This place held no fond memories for him—only sorrow and betrayal.

Shattered ideals.

Broken friendships.

For Madara, there was no sentiment left for Konoha.

Until the last time he encountered that boy, Hui.

It had been over four years since he met Hui.

In all this time, he had finally managed to uncover some of the possibilities Hui mentioned.

That mysterious figure was indeed a monster who had lived for over a thousand years, secretly influencing many events and nearly controlling the development of the shinobi world.

Even the rift between him and Hashirama Senju back then was not unrelated to that mysterious figure.

This realization filled Uchiha Madara with shame and anger.

He was Uchiha Madara, one of the shinobi who ended the Warring States Period, revered as a legendary ninja by his enemies.

And yet, he had been manipulated by a mysterious figure for so many years.

If not for Hui, he would still be unaware of all this, remaining a pawn in that figure's schemes.

A year ago, that mysterious figure disappeared completely.

Madara had searched the shinobi world for an entire year but found no trace of the figure.

Thus, Uchiha Madara came to the one place he had not ventured into—Konoha.

For other shinobi, entering the Konha might be exceedingly difficult, but for him, it was the easiest thing in the world.

Once inside Konoha, Madara was truly stunned by what he saw.

It was entirely different from the Konoha he and Hashirama Senju had built together.

Back then, Konoha was small, with only a few scattered areas, not many buildings, and very few people.

Now, Konoha was countless times larger and more populated than when they had first founded it.

Although he had heard rumors that Konoha was now the most prosperous place in the shinobi world, having traveled across the land, Madara had assumed it was only marginally better than the Four Great Shinobi Villages.

But upon seeing Konoha for himself, he realized it was far more prosperous than all four great villages combined!

This was a village he could never have imagined in the past.

Back then, he could not even conceive of such flourishing prosperity.

Not only was it prosperous, but in this Konoha, Uchiha Madara saw something he had been pursuing all along—peace.

This was true peace in the truest sense, where everyone lived and worked in contentment, their faces brimming with smiles.

Even when there were worries, they were only about trivial matters of life—not the fear of war that plagued people in other villages.

Madara saw elderly villagers strolling peacefully through quiet parks, playing chess on stone benches by the lake.

Some elders boasted about their glorious deeds from the past to their grandchildren—though in Madara's eyes, those feats were laughably trivial.

He also saw shinobi training diligently in the village's training grounds.

Even though there was no war, they were not complacent; each seemed full of vigor, as if preparing for something.

Madara speculated they were preparing for the future unification war of the shinobi world.

This made him chuckle to himself. In that future war, these shinobi would be of little use.

All they would need to do was cheer for Hui from the sidelines.

Because Hui alone would be enough to sweep through the entire shinobi world.

Beyond the shinobi, Madara also observed the village's children.

These children were unlike any he had seen in other villages.

They were polite, confident, and honest.

Though mischievous at times, they never caused harm.

Even in their games, they were learning and honing their abilities.

They came from different shinobi clans, yet they got along harmoniously.

Madara saw children from the Uchiha clan playing as close friends with children from the Senju, Uzumaki, and Hyuga clans.

Their friendships extended even to children from civilian families with no shinobi lineage.

The Uchiha children showed no discrimination against them, and the others treated the Uchiha children with equal respect.

They were like… siblings.

Though these children were still young, Uchiha Madara saw something in their eyes—light.

These children were truly, truly different.

Madara couldn't imagine what kind of future they would create once they grew up.

But he knew… this was what he had always pursued.

This realization left Madara with complicated emotions.

His heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Standing on the cliff of Konoha's Hokage Rock, overlooking the village below, Madara felt a rare sense of confusion.

If it had been thirty years ago, even if he had seen this version of Konoha, perhaps it would have stirred some feelings within him, but it would not have shaken his resolve or decisions.

Back then, Madara was full of confidence and pride.

Once he made a decision, nothing could sway him.

That was why he defected from the Konoha he had created and broke ties with his closest friend, battling him to the death.

But the Uchiha Madara of today was different.

He was now sixty-one years old.

When a person grows old, their thoughts begin to change gradually.

Madara had grown old.

His life was nearing its twilight; his body was aged, his hair had turned white, and he could no longer stand straight, his frame bent and hunched.

This physical transformation had deeply affected Madara's inner self.

And after learning the truth about his fallout with Hashirama Senju and discovering how he had been manipulated, his heart had been profoundly shaken.

Adding to that was the ever-elusive Infinite Tsukuyomi, which seemed perpetually out of reach.

Madara's spirit had aged.

His current mindset was nothing like what it was in the original story when he was at this age.

In the original narrative, even as an old man, Uchiha Madara would never let go of any opportunity to achieve peace.

Even when he had despaired during his wait for the Infinite Tsukuyomi, his ideals of peace remained resolute.

But now, the once-burning ambitions in Madara's heart had gradually faded under the weight of everything he had experienced.

Even his ideals were becoming clouded.

Because the scene before him, was it not exactly the vision he had once dreamed of?

This was why seeing the current Konoha, its people, and its environment had affected Uchiha Madara so profoundly.

"Hui… truly a remarkable person.

"Perhaps Hashirama and I were both wrong. Maybe that child is the one who is truly right."

Madara muttered to himself but then shook his head.

"No, it's still too early to say Hui is right.

"This peace relies on his strength to sustain it, just like with Hashirama. If something were to happen to Hui, this shinobi world would descend into war again.

"Even if Hui could achieve immortality, he himself might change. And if he changed, this peace would change too.

"So…

"How can eternal peace truly be achieved?"

Madara's voice was filled with confusion as he spoke, it was a question he had pondered since his youth until now.

But he still had no answer.

Eternal peace seemed to have no solution.

"There is no such thing as eternal peace. Over time, anything can happen.

"The only constant in this world is change.

"A world of eternal peace is like a stagnant pool of water, destined to rot into a cesspool.

"The cycles of peace and war are like the alternation of light and darkness.

"What we can do is extend the duration of peace, lengthen the time of light.

"What we should do is lead people toward peace during war and protect them as they await light in the darkness."

A voice spoke from behind him, startling Madara.

He didn't turn around, but his heart raced.

Even though it had been more than four years, this voice was unmistakable.

It was Mochizuki Hui.

join my patreon for 135+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL