"I don't know… maybe it exists, maybe it doesn't."
Madara picked up a flat stone from the ground and flicked it across the river. The stone skipped and landed neatly on the opposite bank. He let out a short laugh.
"Looks like I finally got the angle right. It actually made it across."
Hashirama watched the stone rest on the far bank. Madara's words struck something in him, and a spark of clarity flashed through his eyes. He straightened, his expression firming with determination.
"You're right. Honesty… might exist, or it might not. But if we search for the right way—even if it takes sixteen tries—maybe we can make it real."
Madara blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, seeing Hashirama's earnest expression, a small, genuine smile tugged at his lips. Raizen, standing nearby, twitched at the corner of his mouth. Those two—Madara and Hashirama—fluctuating between passion and confusion, were almost amusing to watch.
"I don't know if it's possible," Madara said quietly, looking at Hashirama, "but… there's something I've wanted to say."
"Go ahead."
Madara's lips curved into a teasing smirk."From your hairstyle to your clothes… you really look like a scumbag."
Hashirama's mouth twitched, but the heaviness in his eyes eased. Even in a world like this, Madara's humor cut through like a thin beam of sunlight.
Raizen crossed his arms, weighing the moment, then spoke bluntly:
"Do you think this endless war—the Warring States era—will ever end?"
Hashirama and Madara both fell silent. How could they answer?Their entire lives had been soaked in battle and blood.
Peace sounded like a fairy tale.
"You can't answer, can you?" Raizen said with a sharp grin. He picked up a stone and smashed it onto the river's surface, sending a hard splash through the silence. Both boys flinched.
"I believe peace will come," Raizen continued, voice steady. "So I'm going to change this world. End the Warring States war. Build a village without constant fighting. A place where children of every clan can live together—grow up together—as comrades, not enemies."
Hashirama and Madara froze.Raizen's ideal sounded impossible—but it lit a small flame in them.Hope, fragile but real.
"Maybe it's unrealistic," Raizen said, turning to them, "but if I don't believe in it, then honesty itself is pointless." He paused, letting his words settle. "So… before the Warring States era ends, can the three of us trust each other?"
"Trust each other?" they echoed, unsure.
Raizen nodded. "We met without giving our surnames. That was instinct—fear. Distrust. I want to change that. Trust begins with honesty."
Silence fell.
They knew he was right.
Raizen extended his hand.
"I'm Amamiya Raizen. And you?"
Hashirama hesitated—remembering his brother, remembering loss—but then he raised his head and spoke clearly:
"Senju… Senju Hashirama."
Madara swallowed his hesitation and answered with equal resolve:
"Uchiha… Uchiha Madara."
And for the first time in a long time, the three of them laughed freely—names shared, trust begun.A spark of peace flickered against the darkness of the Warring States.