"Oh, Obito..."
Hearing his grandson's sincere and heartfelt words, Madara's body trembled involuntarily.
Obito had seen that kind of "future," yet instead of resenting him, he had been thinking of him from beginning to end.
And yet, he himself had failed to appreciate it, doubting Obito again and again.
At this thought, the anger in Madara's heart had long since dissipated, replaced by overwhelming guilt.
Looking at his grandson, who was crying uncontrollably before him, Madara couldn't help but shed tears as well.
"Obito, it was Grandpa who wronged you... It was my fault!"
Madara pulled his grandson into his embrace, holding him tightly.
"Grandpa Madara, as long as you... sniff... understand my heart, that's enough!"
Obito sobbed in his grandfather's arms, his body shaking.
"I don't care about the power of the Ten-Tails. Once you've resolved the hidden dangers in your body, you can take it back anytime!"
[Madara is just like the system—tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Playing the emotion card should work just fine.]
Sure enough, after hearing Obito's words, Madara felt even more guilty.
He ruffled Obito's hair with a sigh.
"Silly child, what difference does it make whether this power is with you or with me?"
"Since you have obtained it, then it belongs to you. What kind of grandfather asks his grandson to return something?"
Obito said nothing, only tightening his embrace around Madara.
"Wuuu... wuuu..."
[Madara, you're so kind. To have such a considerate and understanding grandfather—this must be a blessing I earned from suffering in my past life!]
After a long moment, the two finally released each other.
Sigh.
Madara let out a melancholic sigh.
Even though this incident had given him a grandson he could completely trust and entrust everything to, he had also lost his lifelong ambition—the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Emptiness, confusion, and helplessness... That was his current state.
He let out a self-deprecating laugh and murmured with emotion.
"Life flows like water, and in the end, everything is just a fleeting dream."
"Half a lifetime of struggling, half a lifetime of chasing... yet in the end, it was all just grasping at shadows."
Madara suddenly thought of something amusing and burst into laughter, his tears flowing freely.
"How ridiculous, how pathetic! Hahahahahaha!"
He had spent his whole life trying to create a "dream" for others.
But in the end, he realized—
For most of his life, he had been trapped in the "dream" Black Zetsu had woven for him!
What irony! Hah...
It turned out that living in someone else's fabricated illusion wasn't as wonderful as he had imagined!
The feeling of having everything manipulated by someone else was utterly detestable!
Watching Madara shift between dazed melancholy and furious resentment, Obito sighed softly and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Grandpa Madara, your intentions were good. You just took the wrong path."
"But that's normal. There's no need to be too upset..."
After a brief pause, Obito clasped his hands behind his back, lowered his voice, and deliberately put on an old and wise tone.
"After all, who hasn't taken a few wrong turns or made a few mistakes in their youth?"
Madara forced out a small smile and gave his grandson a light smack on the head.
"You brat, are you mocking your grandfather now?"
Obito shook his head solemnly.
"I'm serious, Grandpa Madara."
"Since we've realized this path won't work, we just need to change direction. There's no need to be troubled by it."
[Haha, here comes the chicken soup!]
( . )
Winking at Madara, Obito continued pouring the motivational speech.
"With our current strength and lifespan, we can take our time. We can guide the shinobi world toward peace step by step."
"In the days to come, we can try every possible approach until we find the right one."
At this, Obito spread his hands helplessly.
╮( )╭
"Of course, this process will definitely be time-consuming and exhausting, but I will always be here with you."
"I will help you realize your lifelong dream—to build a civilized, harmonious, free, and equal world of peace."
Madara's eyes became misty once again.
"Obito, you really mean that? You're willing to do this with me...?"
Obito nodded earnestly.
"To be honest,"
"For a long time, I've shared the same ambition as you—to find a way to bring lasting peace to the shinobi world."
"As my senior would put it, you and I are comrades fighting for the same dream and cause!"
[Stealthily trying to climb up the seniority chain.]
Madara's body trembled again.
After a moment of contemplation, he slowly asked,
"Obito, when you say 'senior'... are you referring to that boy, Nagato?"
Obito nodded firmly.
"Maybe it's because he inherited your Rinnegan, but Nagato shares our aspirations."
"Thanks to his efforts, the once war-torn Land of Rain is now a peaceful and prosperous place."
Madara's eyes became unfocused for a moment before he nodded with mixed emotions.
"I was too obsessed with the Eye of the Moon Plan before and overlooked the fact that many in this world share my ideals..."
Including the one man I should never have ignored…
You were right, Hashirama…
This time, I was wrong…
His emotions surged, but soon, a determined expression replaced his hesitation.
But don't celebrate too soon, Hashirama!
I still have a chance to set things right!
I will accomplish what you couldn't—together with Obito!
"Phew..."
Seeing Madara regain his spirit, Obito let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After all that talk, he had finally managed to break through Grandpa Madara's emotional barrier.
A few more rounds of persuasion in the coming days, and he should be fully "healed."
Obito secretly planned.
'Later, Grandpa Madara and I can play good cop, bad cop, and keep the entire shinobi world in check.'
Hmm… I already have a white mask.
I'll just get Grandpa Madara a red one when I have time.
Obito was already imagining future developments.
If any village dared to stir up trouble, all they had to do was—
Have Madara's Susanoo-clad Buddha statue block their village entrance.
Then cross his arms, grin menacingly, and say—
'Oh? Your village wants to start a fight? Feeling bold, huh? How about we test that?'
And he'd follow up, playing peacemaker—
'Come on, Grandpa Madara, let's not. They haven't actually started fighting yet!'
'If they really do, then you can level their village later. No rush.'
With this strategy, who would still dare cause trouble?
Of course, if someone insisted on courting death… well, he "couldn't stop" Madara, could he?
As his thoughts ran wild, Obito turned back to the now-revitalized Madara and spoke seriously.
"Grandpa Madara, everything else can wait."
"The most important thing right now is to deal with that first."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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