Outside the residence, the Uchiha clan grounds were already in an uproar.
There was no need for Yashiro and the others to go door to door—the Uchiha clan members were also watching the Sky Screen, and the news had already spread throughout the entire clan.
One by one, they emerged from their homes and gathered in the streets.
The crowd grew larger and larger, seemingly filling the streets. Fear, anger, disbelief—different emotions converged into an unstoppable torrent.
Elderly tried to calm the children, men gripped their weapons tightly, and women donned their battle gear.
"Massacred… how could it be…"
"It's Konoha! It must be the Konoha higher-ups!"
"What did we do wrong?!"
"Let's fight them to the death!"
Various voices mixed together as panic spread.
Just then, a green figure leaped across the rooftops and landed steadily on the streets of the Uchiha clan grounds.
Uchiha Shisui—the youngest elite of the Uchiha clan, a prodigy hailed as "Shisui of the Body Flicker." His face was pale, but his eyes remained calm.
"Shisui!!"
Some clan members immediately recognized him and shouted.
Clearly, in times like these, having a strong figure at the forefront was reassuring.
Shisui nodded to his clansmen and walked quickly toward Fugaku's residence.
Meanwhile, Yashiro and the others had no choice but to disregard Fugaku's arrangements and guide all the clansmen to gather within the compound.
At this point, everyone's emotions were at a breaking point. Even the radicals among them dared not light the fuse.
When Shisui entered the clan head's residence and saw Fugaku, his gaze lingered for a moment on those eyes with traces of blood—but he asked nothing.
"Lord Fugaku, I'm here."
"You saw it."
"Yes."
Shisui's tone was somewhat heavy. Though he leaned more toward the village, he had never once wished for the Uchiha to be annihilated.
"So in the future, the Uchiha will be annihilated."
Fugaku's voice was soft, but each word carried immense weight, striking Shisui's heart.
"And as the clan head, I was unable to stop it."
Shisui remained silent. After all, it was a matter of the future—the circumstances were unclear.
Also… what about himself?
Why hadn't he acted?
Fugaku walked toward the entrance and gazed at the clansmen gradually gathering in the night.
"Shisui, I know you've always believed that the Uchiha's situation can be improved through peaceful means. I used to believe that too."
Fugaku turned his head to look at Shisui. His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
"But now, the Sky Screen has told us that compromise and waiting will only lead to annihilation."
"What… is your choice?"
Shisui closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, he opened them. The Sharingan in his eyes slowly rotating.
"I am still an Uchiha," Shisui said, his voice firm.
"But I believe… this is certainly not something the Third Hokage would do."
Fugaku nodded.
He stepped out the door, walking toward his frightened clansmen, striding toward the clan grounds.
And in the sky above, the Sky Screen's voice continued, evaluating the Third Hokage's governance.
But at this moment, not a single Uchiha cared about any of that anymore.
The shadow of annihilation hung over everyone's hearts.
The Uchiha clan grounds blazed with light, a stark contrast to the darkness of night.
A storm was brewing.
And in the shadows at the edge of the Uchiha clan grounds, several figures wearing animal masks silently withdrew, racing toward the direction of the Hokage Building.
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Hashirama and Madara still stood side by side.
A gentle breeze blew across the hilltop, stirring their long hair, yet they remained silent.
Clearly, even for the God of Shinobi and the Shura of the Ninja World, the news of the Uchiha clan's annihilation was far too shocking.
After all, the Uchiha and the Senju had been locked in conflict for over a thousand years, and both clans had survived. Yet, after joining forces to establish Konoha in the name of peace, the Uchiha line was severed.
No matter how you looked at it, it was the coldest, most bitter joke imaginable.
Madara looked down at the small groups gathered below, watching the Sky Screen—Senju, Sarutobi, Hyūga, and of course, Uchiha as well. The Uchiha shinobis were living in harmony with their former mortal enemies.
And yet, the Sky Screen told them: decades from now, the Uchiha clan would be annihilated.
Hashirama took a deep breath, his chest heaving.
He had to say something—anything—to break this suffocating silence.
"Madara…"
"Hashirāma, did you see that?"
Madara cut him off instantly, but he didn't turn his head. He continued staring down at the village below.
"This is the village you dreamed of! After we die, it appears united and harmonious on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents are surging!"
"The Uchiha clan will be isolated, monitored, and driven to annihilation! Is this the peace you wanted?!"
Madara's voice rose at the end, carrying an unrestrained fury… and pain.
Hashirama opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat dry.
He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, forcing himself to remain calm.
"Madara, things might not be as you think. According to the information from the Sky Screen, this wasn't done by young Sarutobi."
"Ha! The art of balancing—bright on the surface, dark underneath!"
Madara spun around, finally looking at Hashirama.
At some point, his eyes had turned into the Sharingan, the Mangekyō spinning wildly.
"Is this how he governs the village? By indulging darkness and ignoring injustice?"
He took a step forward, almost pressing against Hashirama's face, his voice squeezed through his teeth.
"Hashirama, tell me. If Izuna was still alive, if he knew the final fate of the Uchiha was this… what would he say?"
"On his deathbed, he told me to protect the clan and not to make peace with the Senju… I failed at both!"
Hashirama's pupils contracted sharply.
"Madara, I…"
"This isn't about excuses."
Madara stepped back. His Sharingan slowly stopped spinning, and the anger in his eyes transformed into a terrifying calm.
"If you're tired, you should step aside and let someone else lead. Not cling to the position and allow problems to fester under the guise of balance."
He recalled the fleeting image on the Sky Screen: the Uchiha crest submerged in a sea of blood, those blurred corpses, those pools of coagulated blood… that was the Uchiha's future.
"I won't let this happen."
Madara said, his voice filled with finality.
He turned away, no longer looking at the village below, no longer looking at Hashirama. Instead, he faced south—toward where the Uchiha clan grounds lay.
"If that is Konoha's future, then this village has no reason to exist from the very beginning."
With that, he stepped forward to leave.
"Madara!"
A hand suddenly reached out and gripped his shoulder.
That hand was steady and firm.
Madara could feel the warmth and strength emanating from that palm.
He instinctively tried to pull away, but the hand didn't budge. It wasn't that Hashirama was using too much force—it was that Madara found that he… didn't truly want to break free.
"Let go."
Madara didn't look back, his voice cold.
"I won't."
Hashirama's voice came from behind him.
"If you leave, then there will truly be nothing left."
"Stay and watch the Uchiha be annihilated?"
Madara let out a cold laugh.
"Hashirama, my clansmen are not bargaining chips. They are not something to be sacrificed for your dream of peace."
"I know!"
Hashirama's voice suddenly rose.
"That's why we need to change! Since we know the future in advance, let's change it!"
He stepped around in front of Madara, grabbing his shoulders with both hands, forcing Madara to look at him.
Those eyes, always so full of passion, were now bloodshot and weary.
"Madara, listen to me. The Sky Screen tells us what might happen in the future, but it doesn't say it's inevitable!"
"It tells us where the problems lie—the Uchiha being ostracized, the higher-ups indulging darkness, the Hokage losing sight of his original principles… So we'll solve those problems before they even appear!"
"How?"
Madara stared at him.
For a moment, Hashirama was at a loss.
After a long pause, he spoke.
"Madara, I'll step down from the position of Hokage right now! Let more Uchiha enter the core circle and let your voices be heard. We'll—"
He paused, his voice growing softer but more resolute.
"We'll protect this village together. Madara, when we founded the village, you said you were willing to take a gamble—to bet that this dream could come true."
"Now there's a variable in the gamble—we've seen the worst possibility. But that doesn't mean we should give up on the bet; instead, we should adjust our strategy and increase our stakes."
Madara looked at Hashirama. Those eyes still held that familiar, almost infuriating sincerity.
After all these years, he was still the same, believing in those intangible things. Believing that people's hearts could change. Believing that hatred could be dissolved.
But…
Madara thought of the Uchiha working alongside Senju on the construction sites. He thought of how yesterday, when an Uchiha child had injured his leg, a Senju medical ninja had rushed over to treat him. He thought of the night before last, when elders from both clans had sat together drinking sake, telling stories from the Sengoku era, and ending in roaring laughter.
Those moments… were real.
"Hashirama."
Madara finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Do you know what I hate most about you?"
"W-What?"
Hashirama was taken aback.
"What I hate most is that you always make me see hope."
Madara said, his Sharingan slowly closing and returning to ordinary black eyes.
He shook off Hashirama's hands, but he didn't leave. Instead, he walked back to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the village under construction.
"I don't believe your dream can be fully realized, Hashirama. The barriers and prejudices in people's hearts won't disappear just because of a village."
Madara said calmly.
"But… I certainly cannot stand by and watch the Uchiha be annihilated."
He turned to face Hashirama.
"So I will stay. But this isn't for your dream. It's for my clan. I will watch this village. I will watch every Hokage. I will watch every decision that might harm the Uchiha. If one day, Konoha truly heads toward the future that the Sky Screen foretold…"
Madara's eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
"I will destroy it with my own hands!"
Hashirama looked at him. There was no anger on his face—instead, a smile appeared.
"Then it's settled. You stay, and together we'll make sure that future never happens."
Madara did not answer, merely gazing down in silence.