"It seems neither you nor I could achieve what we wanted." said Madara in a weak voice as he laid down, his eyes having turned dull due to the lack of energy.

"It's never that easy. Our job is to do all that we can, while we are alive, and then bequeath the rest for future generations to accomplish." Hashirama replied as he squatted beside Madara's prone body.

"So naïve, as usual." Madara chuckled with his final breathe as he reminisced on the past.

"You were always the optimist. But maybe that was the correct path." Madara closed his eyes,

"My dreams were squashed, while yours still lives on." his frail voice full of regret.

"We never needed to complete our dreams ourselves. It was more important to cultivate those who came after us. So that they can complete it for us." Hashirama tried to make him understand, that it was not his fault.

"Then it means I would've failed anyways...I always hated those who stood behind me...Maybe in another life. I will be able to able to rely on...someone." Madara's voice soon fell to the empty void, his last words resonated.

"Perhaps...In the Next Life." Hashirama slowly stood up as he closed his eyes in the respect of his fallen rival and his best friend.

X ---------- X ------------X

"What...is this place? Haven't I perished?" Madara's voice full of concern, he could not feel anything, he could not see anything, he couldn't touch nor could he smell...his sensory organs stopped responding.

"Maybe this is divine retribution?" Madara slowly let himself be in the empty space, the only friend accompanying him were his own thoughts.

He tried sensing through whatever it was, but it seemed that he lacked chakra...

It would make more sense to say he had no chakra, he had nothing to sense the surroundings with, he truly felt the darkness

He kept his calm and soon tried to search another way of sensing his surroundings, but all his progress was null

'I can't feel anything, I can't sense anything. I feel as If I'm formless' Madara contemplated his thoughts as he tried to make sense of what was happening around him,

Time passed by slowly, but now...now he could feel something, he felt as if he finally had a vessel, although a vessel so fragile it would be torn to shreds by a simple gust of wind, he felt it

'I can...FEEL. It.' he felt his body from going formless to getting a form

'This...energy. It feels weird. It feels like chakra but more... potent" Madara contemplated on this new found energy, his mind working around to figure it out,

'I don't even have a physical body, so right now. It is useless to try to train it. An energy without a vessel is like mangekyou without chakra' Madara thought as he suppressed his curiosity and thought ways to kill his time,

'Instead of focusing on something like this, It is better for me to focus on my thoughts, my goal...and my new desire.' he thought as his "eyes" closed,

He was waiting for his vessel to be made, and then he would finally awaken,

Countless time passed by as he felt the energy in him grow, to something he did not expect, what grew was not his energy or the potential, but his will...

His will to completely obliterate anything that stood in his path, his will to complete his goals and desires, his will for.. World Peace,

Everyday his vessel would become a bit more complete, his will would grow a bit more stronger, his mind would grow a bit more calmer, and his goals would become a bit more clearer,

Until the fateful day finally arrived, he could feel himself getting sucked into this vessel, his mind as calm as a still water,

'So it begins' His "eyes" shot opens as he is finally brought in the world of pirates and conquerors