When Uchiha Madara dies in the Fourth Shinobi World War, his soul drifts through the endless currents of time and space. It seems someone is waiting for him.
"Who are you?"
[The one who will take you home.]
When he wakes again, he discovers that he's returned to the Warring States period, years in the past. His father has only just been buried. He hasn't yet awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and his younger brother, Uchiha Izuna, is still by his side. There's still time to change everything, and yet there's no time at all.
Having seen through the future, Uchiha Madara makes a decision: avoid war as much as possible, lead the Uchiha clan toward gradual growth, and ultimately place the clan in Senju Hashirama's hands himself.
Uchiha Madara: "Hashirama, promise me you'll treat the Uchiha clan well, okay?"
Senju Hashirama: "Madara, don't make it sound so sad. With you here, I know they'll be fine!"
(Perhaps... not this time.)
Uchiha Madara: "Izuna, promise me you'll be kind to the Senju, okay?"
Uchiha Izuna: "Brother, why would you say that? The Senju don't deserve to be treated so well by you."
Uchiha Madara: "But you do."
In the battles that followed, Madara watched over the members of his clan on the battlefield with great concern, until that day.
Madara pushed Izuna out of the range of the Flying Thunder God technique. Everything was so familiar, except that someone else was the one who fell.
(Will you let my death buy peace for the Uchiha clan? Please take good care of them.)
Senju Hashirama: "Why? Why did this happen? Madara! Please don't die! I'm begging you, look at me one more time!"
(I'm sorry. I can't see you anymore.)
In that moment, Senju Hashirama panicked. So it was true: your heart really could hurt so much you couldn't breathe. So peace really could be this cruel. And all along, pretending not to care about casualties had just been his way of denying that he couldn't bear to lose you.
[There is no such thing as dying in battle. This was simply someone who had seen through everything in the world choosing to give up his life.]
You're so close to me, and yet still beyond my reach.
Theme: A flower, a world; a leaf, enlightenment. I'm waiting for the wind, and I'm waiting for you.
