Chapter 322: Double Devastation
Yasushi's mocking continued somewhere nearby, but Madara could no longer process the words.
Those sharp laughs distorted gradually into distant water droplets—drip, drip, drip—striking the decaying halls of memory.
The entire world buzzed in his ears. Only Hashirama's smile remained, refusing to fade. And that promise Madara had betrayed countless times: "Let us bring peace to the shinobi world together."
The peace he'd gambled everything pursuing? A lie. But his sins against Hashirama? Real enough to drown in.
Infinite regret crashed over Madara like a tsunami, submerging him completely. Suffocation pressed from all directions—more devastating than any physical attack. Unstoppable.
His life wasn't merely negated. It had been reduced to a footnote in someone else's farce.
Madara's chakra fluctuated wildly—chaos incarnate. The energy surged to space-tearing intensity one moment, then collapsed like a dying candle the next. Each fluctuation carried soul-rending tremors.
His chakra spiraled completely out of control. The ground beneath him fractured. Debris floated and fell in the chaotic energy field—just like his shattered existence.
Yasushi had already released his control over Madara's body. But the legendary shinobi harbored no thoughts of resistance or combat now.
The battle-lust that once drove him to trample the shinobi world had extinguished completely. Only desolate ruins remained.
Self-destruction consumed his mind. But the Edo Tensei body denied him even death's release.
He collapsed to his knees, fists hammering against his own chest as though he could pulverize that bone-deep regret along with his heart.
"Hashirama... I'm sorry..."
Madara's voice cracked with suppressed sobs. Tears finally broke through shinobi discipline, streaming down his face before striking the cracked earth—creating a tiny puddle.
"I was wrong... I was so wrong..."
He recalled Hashirama's expression during their final battle at the Valley of the End. Not hatred. Regret.
That regret now transformed into the sharpest blade, flaying his soul piece by piece—as though countless chakra receivers pierced through his very existence from within.
Madara slowly raised trembling hands, staring at them.
These hands killed Hashirama. These hands built the fraud. These hands let themselves be used.
Even the lines on his palms seemed to mock him—recording his manipulated life in flesh.
The Rinnegan's purple glow gradually dimmed, replaced by the Mangekyou Sharingan's crimson.
But that crimson no longer contained its former ambition and arrogance. Only bone-deep remorse and despair remained.
"Big brother?" A surprised voice suddenly pierced Madara's awareness.
A figure flashed before him. Hands gripped his shoulders firmly, shaking hard.
"Big brother, is that really you?"
"I thought I'd died. Did you save me?"
"Big brother, why are you crying? Who upset you? I'll kill them!"
"Wait, what's wrong with your body? Why all these cracks?"
"My body looks the same... how strange."
The rapid-fire questions yanked Madara's attention from painful memories.
He moved his neck mechanically, stiffly turning toward the newcomer. His pupils slowly focused on the face before him.
That visage buried deep in memory's recesses finally surfaced again, allowing recognition.
"You're... Izuna?"
Madara's hoarse voice immediately pained Izuna, whose Mangekyou Sharingan snapped open with an audible click.
He pulled Madara into a tight embrace, eyebrows furrowing as he shouted:
"Big brother, what happened to you? Why do you look so haggard?"
"Did those Senju bastards cause trouble for the Uchiha again?"
"Big brother, let's join forces one more time! We'll slaughter every last Senju!"
"Izuna..." Madara stared at his brother—also resurrected through Edo Tensei. Nostalgia flickered in his heart, but panic and fury dominated.
He whirled toward Yasushi, who crouched nearby enjoying the show like it was theater.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Who gave you permission to resurrect Izuna?"
"Hehehe..." Yasushi completely ignored Madara's outburst, waving cheerfully at Izuna instead. "Hey there, Lord Izuna! Got some great news—the Senju clan isn't the Uchiha's enemy anymore!"
"Ta-da! Your brother made peace with the Senju!"
Yasushi bounced ridiculously high on the spot, arms raised on both sides while his body swayed left and right. He adopted an absurd sing-song voice, drawing out each word theatrically.
"The two clans agreed... to abandon hatred... creating a shared future... and founded a ninja village called... Ko-no-ha!"
"Senju Hashirama became Konoha Village's first leader!"
"WHAT?" Izuna's eyes widened until they seemed ready to pop from their sockets. His already-crimson Mangekyou Sharingan deepened several shades darker.
"Big brother, how could you make peace with the Senju clan?"
Izuna's fury erupted as he roared at Madara.
"Did you forget our clan's grudges?"
"Those fallen brothers—did you forget them all?"
"I..." Madara stammered helplessly. "Izuna, everything was for peace in the shinobi world. So more brothers wouldn't have to..."
But Izuna lacked the broad-minded vision Madara and Hashirama shared. He couldn't hear his brother's explanations.
He stepped forward, seizing Madara's collar and yanking him close. His voice turned harsh:
"If you wanted peace, couldn't you ally with anyone else? Did it have to be the Senju clan?"
"Ah..." Madara sighed heavily before continuing his explanation. "You've witnessed Hashirama's strength. You know how powerful he is."
"Other ninja clans are too weak. Even forming alliances couldn't end the warring era. Only by reconciling with the Senju—only through combining mine and Hashirama's power—could we truly end the chaos."
Mentioning Senju Hashirama's might immediately deflated Izuna's anger. His hands unconsciously released their grip.
That man proved just as monstrously strong as his brother—strength transcending normal human boundaries. Strength that completely destroyed any desire to fight him.
If that's the case...
While Izuna's expression wavered with uncertainty, Yasushi slithered back into the conversation.
He placed one hand beside his mouth, leaning close to Izuna's ear while speaking in a stage whisper everyone could hear perfectly:
"Actually, no!"
"Lord Izuna, your brother's lying to you!"
"Later on, about a dozen ninja villages were founded. Five major ones among them. Konoha Village was merely one of these five great shinobi villages!"
"So actually, the Uchiha clan could have allied with many ninja clans to form a new village. But your brother specifically chose founding Konoha with Senju Hashirama."
"Lord Izuna, why do you think that is?"
"You're so intelligent—I'm sure you can figure it out, right?"