"You are the leader of ninjas who wield Fire Release, so let's call it the Hokage."
"Since you use Wood Release, we'll name it Konoha."
Walking through the perpetually rainy and war-torn Land of Rain, Madara lifted his gaze, the air thick with the scent of gunpowder and ash.
Feeling the raindrops on his face, he couldn't help but recall twenty years ago.
"I never thought our dream would come true."
"Hah… seeing the world in this state, can you still say that, Hashirama?" Madara whispered.
He stopped near a lake, gazing at a waterfall on a nearby cliff.
He sensed someone watching him from behind the waterfall.
Inside the waterfall cave:
"Oh? What a coincidence."
Dak, who was pondering where to start, sensed a strong presence approaching.
Although Madara didn't yet possess the Sage Body or Rinnegan, he was undoubtedly the strongest in the Ninja World. Not even a Vice Admiral from the Navy Headquarters would stand a chance.
Footsteps echoed as Madara appeared in Dak's line of sight.
Just before Madara arrived, Dialga hid within a time rift, and Darkrai sank into Dak's shadow.
"…?"
Madara glanced at Dak, noticing a complete lack of chakra in him.
However, he could tell that Dak's physical strength was extraordinary—strong to an absurd degree.
"Well, this saves me the trouble of finding you, Uchiha Madara," Dak remarked, seeing Madara remain silent, just staring at him with those Eternal Mangekyo eyes.
"You know me?"
Madara's voice held a hint of surprise.
After all, he'd been presumed dead for twenty years, killed by Hashirama Senju in the eyes of the world.
"Who doesn't know of you?" Dak replied, not grasping Madara's point.
Who in the Ninja World didn't know of Konoha's Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara?
"You know I'm still alive?" Madara clarified.
"Yes, I know many things… I'm from the future."
Dak pondered briefly before admitting his origins.
"…?"
Madara's eyes reflected doubt.
This was the first time he'd heard such a claim.
"I can travel through time to any point in history, and one of the main reasons I'm here is you."
"…?"
Madara's face showed clear disbelief.
"You can ask me questions. I'll give you the answers, and you can judge their truth yourself."
Dak didn't expect Madara to believe him right away.
After all, Madara wasn't as trusting as Hashirama.
"Not interested."
To Dak's surprise, Madara wasn't even interested in asking questions. Instead, he raised his hand, seemingly ready to eliminate Dak.
"Do you want to fight me?"
"No one in this world can know I'm alive."
"How about we don't?"
"Don't worry. You won't feel a thing."
With that, Madara vanished from his spot, appearing right before Dak, his wide eyes locked on Dak's.
"What did you do?"
Madara found himself immobilized, as if bound in mid-air.
He didn't panic, though—he could still use his eye techniques and was in no rush.
"I told you I'm from the future. Do you think I'd travel to a war-torn era without any strength? Oh, though the future is the same…"
Dak waved his hand, his eyes emitting a dark red glow.
Hypnosis.
Assuming it was a mere genjutsu, Madara let his guard down.
The next moment, he fell asleep.
Hypnosis, being a Pokémon energy skill, was unaffected by chakra, making conventional genjutsu defenses useless here.
However, Madara regained consciousness almost instantly.
"Impressive."
Dak clapped.
The effectiveness of Hypnosis depends on one's physical and mental fortitude. In Madara's case, the latter clearly played a significant role.
Madara had lost his brother, been abandoned by his clan, turned against his closest friend, and walked this broken world alone in search of salvation. His will was unmatched by most in the Ninja World.
Even though Dak hadn't used his full power, Madara's quick recovery was remarkable.
"…Interesting."
Madara no longer underestimated Dak.
Dak's brief display had left him defenseless.
Had Dak intended to kill him, it wouldn't have been difficult. In that moment of unconsciousness, Madara believed that Dak, a formidable figure capable of catching him off guard, could have easily killed him.
"Do you believe me now? I have plenty of time to chat."
Dak noticed Madara's lingering intent to fight and waved his hand.
He really wasn't someone who enjoyed fighting.
"…"
Seeing Dak's lack of hostility, Madara lost interest, "You say you know the future, so you must also know the past?"
He trusted his own memories more than some unverified vision of the future.
If Dak could reveal things only he knew or that few others were aware of, he might believe him.
"More or less… though I might not know trivial details."
Dak scratched his head.
He could ask Dialga to peek into the past, but he preferred not to have Dialga traveling through time recklessly, as it could lead to trouble.
If possible, Dak hoped Madara would ask about events he was already familiar with.
"Alright. Hashirama and I once made a promise…"
"To create a village to protect children, establish a school to train them, assign missions, and set up ranks, so they could stay away from war."
Before Madara could finish, Dak interjected. "You also thought this would protect your last remaining brother, Izuna, so you agreed."
Dak chose a significant promise he knew of, hoping it would resonate.
"…"
It was indeed the very agreement Madara was thinking of, known only to him and the deceased Hashirama.
Even the reason for Madara's acceptance was precisely correct.
This convinced Madara of Dak's claims about coming from the future.
"Any other questions?"
Though Dak asked, he didn't actually wait for Madara to respond. He continued, taking control of the conversation.
"You left Konoha because its people didn't support you as Hokage. Having seen the inscription left by the Sage of Six Paths on the Naka Shrine tablet, you decided to depart."
"You knew Tobirama would become the Second Hokage and that he would never accept the Uchiha clan, so you planned to take them with you. But no one was willing to follow you."
"You felt shame because you had promised Izuna to protect the Uchiha clan."
Hearing this, Madara clenched his fists, his calm demeanor finally cracking.
He wasn't angered by Dak's words—he was beyond being easily provoked.
But Dak's words were all true, even down to his innermost thoughts.
"There's one more thing."
"You're probably wondering about the time you bit off Hashirama's flesh in battle and grafted it onto your wound, hoping to test the tablet's words?"
Seeing Madara's widening eyes, Dak knew he'd gained Madara's trust.
"…Why have you come to this era?"
Madara frowned. He sensed something beyond his understanding had entered his world.
He hadn't expected to encounter such revelations at fifty-three, leaving him feeling oddly unsettled.
"I came for peace."
"Peace?"
"Yes, true peace."
"Then why did you come to me?"
Madara remembered Dak's words—that he had specifically sought him out.
"Because the key to peace lies with you, Uchiha Madara."
Dak took a step forward, locking eyes with Madara's Eternal Mangekyo.
He did this to let Madara judge the truth in his words with his own eyes.
"…"
Madara, despite his confidence in his own strength, refrained from making a move.
Since Dak had proven he was from the future, Madara was filled with questions and concerns.
'What became of me in the future?'
'Did I find a way to save this world?'
'What happened to Konoha and the Uchiha clan?'
'If he could come here, could I go back?'
'Why didn't my body change after following the tablet's instructions?'
"…I'm the key?"
Staring into Dak's eyes, Madara chose to believe him.
He trusted Dak's claim of coming here for "true peace."
"Yes, you are the key. In the future, this world nearly falls to ruin, and you are one of the main culprits."
"…?"
Madara was momentarily speechless.
He had expected Dak to call him the most powerful person in the Ninja World, making him pivotal to achieving peace.
Instead, Dak said he was the one who almost destroyed the world?
Madara was dumbfounded. He admitted his views might be a bit extreme at times, but he didn't see himself as insane enough to destroy the world.
Besides, as he grew older, his strength had gradually waned. These days, even defeating Tobirama would be challenging. How could he possibly destroy the world?
Did the future Kages become useless?
The kind he could sweep aside with one kick?
(End of Chapter)
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