After a winding journey, Kamitsuki and Madara finally returned to Hokage Rock.
This time, they stood on the cliff of Hokage Rock, looking down at the entire Konoha from the highest point.
The hurried pedestrians on the streets were as tiny as ants, yet they roamed around like schools of fish.
Rows of newly built houses were nestled within the vast city, and people moved with hurried steps, yet calmly went about their business, everything appearing so orderly and well-arranged.
The spring breeze was blowing here, and whether it was the trees, the villagers, or Konoha itself, all were radiating vitality and life.
It was hard to imagine that just six years ago, this place was merely a primeval forest.
Madara's heart was filled with emotion; he had personally witnessed Konoha's creation from nothing, and he himself was an irreplaceable founder of Konoha.
The distant dream from his youth seemed to be truly becoming a reality, and everything he had sacrificed for it seemed worthwhile, yet, his eyes perceived that an unbearable darkness was wantonly spreading within this Village, which was the culmination of his and Hashirama's efforts.
Madara sat cross-legged on the ground, his cold gaze looking down from above at the small, ant-like beings below the cliff, and dark, eerie Chakra surged with his extreme emotions.
If his premonition came true, he absolutely could not accept such a false peace.
Tragically, the future foreseen by these eyes, no matter how tragic or painful it was to him, would always turn into reality in the end.
Kamitsuki instinctively sensed the dangerous aura permeating the air; she forced herself to pretend not to notice the gloomy and ominous atmosphere, grasped Madara's strong arm, and familiar with the routine, obediently sat into his embrace, resting her small body in his arm, and looked up, revealing an innocent smile.
Uchiha Madara reflexively hugged the small child in his arms, and the pure, innocent smile of the naive child purified the violence that Entanglement his heart.
...You, you really aren't afraid of me at all.
Madara had always been self-aware; he knew he wasn't popular with children, even the children within the Uchiha Clan were afraid of him, but Kamitsuki was different; she really liked to cling to him, just like Izuna used to when he was a child.
Recalling his initial awkwardness when first holding this soft little thing, Uchiha Madara's face showed a hint of a smile; this tender face, trusting him wholeheartedly, reminded him of his distant childhood before he lost his brother and parents.
Why should I be afraid of Master? Master is clearly very gentle.
Kamitsuki raised her head from Madara's embrace, her black grape-like eyes full of confusion, but Madara did not answer her question, only gazed intently at the fiery sunset at the end of the sky.
By combining the powers of the Senju and Uchiha, one can obtain all things in creation.
Uchiha Madara unconsciously recalled the secret recorded on the stone tablet at the Naka Shrine once more, and as he recalled this secret, he subconsciously tightened his embrace on Uchiha Kamitsuki, who was sitting in his arms.
This child, who combined the bloodlines of the Senju and Uchiha, was an unexpected joy in his life, and also the reason he still remained in Konoha to this day; he needed a place for Kamitsuki to grow up safely, and Konoha, built by his and Senju Hashirama's own hands, was undoubtedly the best choice.
Undeniably, he had poured countless efforts and emotions into Kamitsuki; the last people he cared about so much were Izuna and Hashirama, and as for why he was willing to give so much for Kamitsuki, the reason was actually very simple.
Uchiha Madara firmly believed that Kamitsuki would find a new path for him, a path leading to true peace and ideals.
Kamitsuki, on whom Madara placed such high hopes, didn't know what he was thinking at all; if she did, she would probably be so scared that she'd immediately confess that without Indra and Asura's Chakra, she couldn't activate the Rinnegan at all.
Kamitsuki, sitting in Uchiha Madara's arms at this moment, was thinking about something else; she was pondering how to avoid the Uchiha Clan's eventual destruction decades later.
The matter of the clan's destruction, upon closer examination, was actually quite fantastical; the Warring States Period, lasting for a thousand years, failed to destroy the Uchiha, yet Konoha, established for less than a century, succeeded in destroying it.
What was even more ironic was that their old rivals with the red eyes, the Senju Clan, also didn't escape such a fate; the strong families who stood at the pinnacle during the Warring States Period actually fell in this Village they had built with their own hands.
Rather than saying Konoha was an ideal land jointly created by the Senju and Uchiha, it was more accurate to say it was a fatal bitter fruit brewed by the Senju and Uchiha together.
Before the darkness it forged, the dreams of its two founders, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, seemed so naive and ridiculous.
In this Village, children will not have to kill each other.
The reality, however, was that young children constantly went to the battlefield for the Village.
Kamitsuki remembered that Uchiha Itachi went to the battlefield at four, Kakashi at five, and a large number of children like Rin Nohara and Obito, aged twelve or thirteen, went to the battlefield and became cannon fodder.
Bodies that could still be collected in coffins during the Warring States Period, during the Ninja World War, the dead were so numerous that they piled up on the battlefields, making it impossible to count.
She vaguely recalled that tens of thousands of people died on the first day of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
The anime Naruto, at first glance, appears full of sunshine and passion, yet its underlying tone is incredibly cruel and dark; the shadows of bloodline and destiny theories constantly hover over the Ninja World; diligent and hardworking individuals like Lee can only fade into obscurity, and geniuses like Neji ultimately die due to that ridiculous and tragic destiny.
Upon closer inspection, everything in the Ninja World was so ludicrous and laughable.
Ninja, possessing great power, willingly bowed down to the Daimyo and nobles, viewing themselves as tools to complete missions; commoners lived precarious lives, yet still had to support the upper-class Ninja and nobles; children of five or six years old were taught in school the philosophy of 'doing whatever it takes to complete missions, eliminating all enemies, including killing all witnesses'; by eleven or twelve, they could become qualified killing tools, then fight on the battlefield until death.
Obito was right, what difference was there between such a world and hell?
Kamitsuki completely refused to accept such a Ninja World; she wanted to fundamentally and thoroughly change this cruel and distorted world.
This was not about any ambition or desire; she simply wanted to live openly in the sunlight as a human being, not a tool.
Master, have you thought about how to plan the Village's development?
Kamitsuki looked up, her soft, youthful face showing a maturity beyond her years, and Uchiha Madara opened his mouth, unable to answer the question for a long time.
This successfully touched upon his blind spot in knowledge; after all, before Konoha was established, Izuna handled these matters, and after Konoha was established, that annoying guy Senju Tobirama was in charge.
He, Uchiha Madara, was truly not good at politics and schemes.
I see...
Kamitsuki also didn't expect Madara to give her a decent answer; anyone named Uchiha shouldn't be expected to be good at this.
Master, let's open a school in the Village, just like the clan academy, and then all the children in Konoha will go there for school.
Are you trying to escape my training?
Madara narrowed his eyes dangerously; he lowered his head and poked Kamitsuki's forehead with his finger.
Kamitsuki, aggrieved, hugged her reddened forehead and retorted indignantly:
What do you mean? Is that the point? Shouldn't Master think this is a super great idea?
Uchiha Madara crossed his arms and pondered for a moment; he suddenly realized this was an excellent idea.
A school where all Konoha's children could attend meant that commoners' children could also become Ninja, and children from Ninja clans could also set aside their family prejudices, and most importantly, this facility, gathering all children, would be incredibly safe under his and Hashirama's protection.
Also, Master, I saw many people on the street who looked like they weren't getting enough to eat.
We can give these people some money and food, and even lend them our surplus Uchiha land; we don't need these lands for now anyway.
Kamitsuki mused that the current environment within the Village was actually very unfavorable for the Uchiha.
That Senju Tobirama fellow had stipulated that the Hokage's appointment be decided by democratic vote, which fundamentally prevented anyone from the Uchiha Clan from becoming Hokage.
There was no way around it; as an Uchiha, having to compete with the Senju for popularity, to put it plainly, what was the difference between that and self-humiliation?
Not long ago, the Senju Brothers took Hiruzen Sarutobi, that monkey, as their disciple, and also taught Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Utatane Koharu, and Akimichi Torifu.
The famous Konoha F4 were now gathered together, and the family forces behind them also gathered under the Senju banner.
For the Uchiha, it was already too late to try and unite the Ninja clan forces at this point, not to mention the Uchiha Clan's arrogant and conceited bad temper; they wouldn't lower themselves to curry favor with other Ninja clans whom they viewed as weaklings.
Kamitsuki also didn't intend to do such a thankless task; in her opinion, instead of painstakingly currying favor with Ninja clans who were already friendly with the Senju, it was better to compete for influence among the commoners.
Although the number of Konoha commoners was not large now, a large number of commoners would inevitably flock in the future, and as long as the Uchiha could firmly grasp the Ninja Academy, a large number of commoner Ninja who supported the Uchiha would naturally emerge.
You, Senju Tobirama, just seized upon the Uchiha's reclusive and arrogant lack of social skills, so I'll go give benefits and kindness to the commoners, giving them a chance to become Ninja; then we'll see whose side the commoners will stand on.
This was 'using the barbarians' skills to control the barbarians'!
That's not a bad idea, let's do as you say, Izuna...
This familiar conversation made Uchiha Madara a little lost in thought; when Izuna was still alive, he also listened to his brother's suggestions in this way.
In terms of strength, Izuna was not as good as him, but he was much smarter and more reliable than his older brother; he was always so wise, always making brilliant decisions, and unknowingly, Izuna had long been like his brain.
Only after losing Izuna did Madara realize how much he relied on his brother.
Master?
Kamitsuki's face overlapped with that of a young Izuna, and Uchiha Madara looked down at them, his expression somewhat dazed.
He subconsciously wanted to call out Izuna's name, but then remembered that his brother had long since died on the battlefield.
...It's nothing, I just thought of my brother.
Madara's voice was inexplicably hoarse, the beginning and end almost swallowed in his throat.
Kamitsuki looked up at him worriedly, but a strong hand gently stroked her head.
You are very intelligent; this is a very rare talent, do not waste this gift.
Once the Ninja Academy is established, you go too.
Remember, do not betray the name of Uchiha.
Hehe, children should study hard.
Hearing her suggestion adopted, Kamitsuki smiled with joy, the corners of her mouth and eyes curving upwards, forming a crescent moon.
Well said! Children should grow and become strong under the protection of adults.
Yes, yes! Master is right...
Mid-sentence, Kamitsuki suddenly widened her eyes in terror, her hair standing on end; this was not Madara's voice at all, who was talking to her?
She tilted her head slightly towards the source of the voice, only to see a black-haired man in a red ceremonial robe standing behind her and Madara, an open and somewhat silly smile on his handsome face.
Oh heavens, oh earth, why is this person here?! He, he, he, how much did he overhear?!
Madara was unfazed, not even turning his head to look, but Kamitsuki in his arms showed a panicked expression, wishing she could dig a hole and hide in it on the spot.
She began to regret not listening to her silly father Kakka; even staying in the clan territory forever would be better than facing this seemingly good-tempered guy in front of her.
Help, Senju Hashirama has appeared!!!