"Nothing in this world goes as you wish; the longer you live, the more you realize that reality is filled with helplessness, pain, and emptiness."
"…Where there is light, shadows must exist. If a victor exists, a loser must too. If you selfishly cling to peace, war will follow. If you seek to protect, love will inevitably breed hatred. Cause and effect bind everything; nothing can escape—this is reality."
After Spiral-Face forcibly brought him back that day, Fugaku moved like a walking corpse. Yet Uchiha Madara's words were etched into his mind, echoing relentlessly.
Finally, he made his decision.
"I will sever the karma of this world."
Seeing Fugaku's expression of total detachment, Madara smiled in satisfaction.
"Tell me how to create the world of my dreams," Fugaku demanded.
This life-shattering ordeal had utterly changed him; the old Fugaku would never have been so resolute.
Madara chuckled softly, unbothered. "Look into my eyes."
When Fugaku regained focus, he found himself standing in a pure-white void.
"This is my Genjutsu Space," Madara explained solemnly. "For now it is blank, but with my will, I can create and control everything."
"As long as you link to the Gedo Statue and borrow its power, anything becomes possible—great or small."
He stretched out his hand, and in an instant, his elderly form shifted to the prime of life.
Fugaku was stunned. To reverse age like this was beyond ordinary comprehension.
Pleased with his reaction, Madara continued, "Use this genjutsu to craft your ideal world, project it onto the moon, expand its influence, and draw all humanity within it."
Fugaku shook his head. "This… is too fantastic. I cannot grasp it."
Madara's idea was staggering; it was nearly impossible to accept immediately.
"To explain fully, I must start with the Six Paths Sage and the Ten-Tails."
He waved his hand, and a stone mural appeared before them.
"The Ten-Tails… isn't that a creature of myth?" Fugaku asked.
"Every myth has its roots in reality. The Tailed Beasts scattered across the world are fragments of the Ten-Tails' power, divided by the Six Paths Sage."
Fugaku pressed further. "What proof exists for this?"
Madara nodded firmly. "After obtaining Hashirama cells, I implanted them into my wound."
He opened his robe to reveal his chest. "At first nothing happened—until I neared death, when the Rinnegan awakened."
A colossal projection appeared in the sky: Madara, aged, with his Rinnegan visible.
"Simultaneously, a seal broke, allowing me to summon…"
The scene shifted. Elderly Madara summoned the Gedo Statue.
"The husk of the Ten-Tails," he explained. "I call it the Gedo Statue, and the sealing location is what humans call the moon."
Fugaku was dumbfounded. To create a moon to seal something… such power was godlike. From Madara's tone, Fugaku realized: they too could reach divinity.
Madara continued, "I used the Gedo Statue as a medium to propagate Hashirama cells, producing White Zetsu."
A colossal tree appeared in the sky, White Zetsu hanging from branches like fruit.
"These artificial humans are copies of Hashirama. Degraded, yet useful."
The genjutsu vanished. Fugaku was back in the dim underground base.
Madara, calm, said, "From today, I will teach you Yin-Yang Release and the techniques of the Six Paths."
"Yin Release," he explained, "arises from spiritual energy and imagination, giving form to nothingness. Yang Release, drawn from the body's life energy, breathes life into that form. Together, they form Yin-Yang Release. The Rinnegan you command manipulates Yin Release; the Hashirama cells within you represent Yang Release. Master both, and you wield absolute control."
He paused, then added, "As for the Six Paths techniques…"
Madara's expression was serene. From the instant the Rinnegan opened, the world within his eyes had transformed; death no longer frightened him.
After meticulously explaining Yin-Yang Release and the Six Paths techniques, he rose slowly, tilting his head toward the darkness above.
"Your body fuses Hashirama's cells with Uchiha blood. Even if you cannot awaken the Rinnegan, controlling the Gedo Statue should be within your reach."
Fugaku listened intently, while White Zetsu stood silently nearby.
Then, Madara laid his hand on White Zetsu's right shoulder. A sizzling black energy spread across half of White Zetsu's body.
"I am infusing my will into this creature. He is now half of me. When needed, you can use Yin-Yang Release to create more pawns like him. Also…"
A black rod extended from the artificial White Zetsu beneath the Gedo Statue.
"This rod, forged by my will, allows you to employ the Six Paths techniques at will."
"That is all. Now it is my turn to wait. When I awaken, the world will change."
"From this day forward, you may act in the name of Uchiha Madara."
Having entrusted everything to Fugaku, Madara snapped the vine at the back of his neck. He drew a deep breath, gesturing that Fugaku could leave. Then, he slowly closed his eyes, death finally arriving. Memories drifted before him like a river.
He saw a spiraling tower, its stairs winding ever upward, yet halted before a river—the Naka River, where he had first met Hashirama.
There, they had come to know each other and dreamt an impossible dream. Those days were the happiest of his life, yet tragically short.
After a moment of nostalgia, Madara continued climbing. Stopping again, he saw his father at the moment of death.
"Madara, I leave the Uchiha Clan to you. Lead our people to glory."
He had done so. With his Mangekyō Sharingan, he subjugated nearly every clan except the Senju. The Hyūga became vassals; the Kaguya were driven from their homeland. These were his proudest days.
Yet fortune did not last. Soon, Hashirama married the Uzumaki princess, complicating his life.
Alone, he sat by the Senju Compound until dawn. Most heroic women lament being born female; Madara lamented being born male.
He pressed on, witnessing Izuna's death by Tobirama's hand. Izuna entrusted his Sharingan to Madara, but the anguish was unbearable; he would have given his life to save his brother. Those were his darkest days.
Near the end, Madara paused before the final open door.
"We need to name the village. Any ideas, Madara?"
"How about Konoha, the Hidden Leaf?"
"Too plain, no depth."
Watching the scene, Madara allowed himself a rare smile.
Those were his most carefree days, believing his dream fulfilled. Yet reality proved otherwise.
Resolute, he climbed higher, reaching the summit at last.
Death arrived.
"Hashirama…" Madara murmured, closing his eyes.
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