Chapter 228: Can You Talk Without Avoiding Me?

"Madara, what's wrong?"

Madara Uchiha ignored Hashirama's shout, walked straight to the table, and kept his gaze fixed on the Wuku on the desk.

This sword…

Madara's hand hovered in the air, hesitated for a rare second, then grasped the hilt.

The familiar feel made his pupils contract slightly; as the blade slowly slid from its sheath, a cold glint like water illuminated his sharply chiseled face.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Madara's breathing halted, and a bright youthful voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Brother, this sword is amazing! It's far sharper than the ones issued by the clan!"

Quan Nai…

In his memory, Quan Nai's excited smile overlapped with the blade's flash; at that time they were still in the Uchiha Clan Territory, and the war had not taken everything away.

Madara remembered that this sword was a gift he had forged for Quan Nai after secretly completing three S-rank Missions behind his father's back, using the reward from those missions.

Because his younger brother often complained that the clan‑issued weapons were unwieldy, he forged a sharp Tachi as a gift for his brother.

Even now, he still recalled Quan Nai's excited expression when receiving the weapon.

"The day Quan Nai got this sword," Madara Uchiha said suddenly, his voice very soft, "he practiced in the Training Ground until late night and wouldn't rest."

He reached out and gently brushed the blade, his eyes filled with deep nostalgia, as if he were caressing Quan Nai's face.

Back then, Quan Nai was ambushed by Feijian using the Flying Thunder God and was gravely injured; Madara hurriedly took his brother back to the clan territory for treatment, leaving the sword on the Battlefield.

Later he returned to search for the sword's whereabouts, but found nothing; he hadn't expected that Qianshou Feijian had picked it up.

A flash of anger crossed his eyes: if it hadn't been Qianshou Feijian, Quan Nai wouldn't have died!

Thinking of Quan Nai's death, Madara became even more determined to carry out the Moon's Eye project.

Only if the Ninja World truly achieves peace will such cruelty never happen again.

Regardless, the Moon's Eye project must be realized; it is currently the only way to achieve Ninja World Peace.

"Madara, be careful, the sword is poisoned," Hashirama couldn't help but warn.

Although he didn't want to break the mood, he could only speak up for Madara's safety.

If memory serves, Lian Ye also bears the title "Deadly Poison Master."

The poison he originally concocted was already extremely potent, and after two years its effect would be even stronger.

If Madara were to accidentally cut himself, it would be dangerous.

He certainly doesn't want to watch his hard‑won close friend die from poisoning…

Madara Uchiha's mouth twitched, and his hand that was stroking the blade suddenly froze.

He hadn't expected Feijian to do such a low‑blow as coating the sword with poison.

However, this behavior perfectly matches his own scheming and deceitful nature.

…

Madara re‑grasped the hilt, suddenly twirled a blade flourish, moving with fluid grace.

"Quan Nai used to cling to me, begging me to teach him swordsmanship," Madara Uchiha sheathed the sword, a nearly gentle curve forming at the corner of his mouth, "He was just a little runt, his Height not even as long as the Tachi."

The blade met the guard with a crisp "ka‑da" sound.

Madara placed the Tachi horizontally across his palm, and with his other hand gently brushed the scabbard, as if soothing the forehead of a sleeping person.

Seeing the sword, he couldn't help but think of Quan Nai.

If Quan Nai hadn't died then, someone would have accompanied him out of the clan territory.

He wouldn't be alone; at least Quan Nai was willing to stay with him and leave.

Unfortunately, there is no if…

A hint of sorrow flickered in Madara's eyes.

Hashirama stared blankly at the scene; it had been a long time since he had seen such a gentle side of Madara.

Since Feijian killed Quan Nai, Madara had kept a stone‑cold expression, never showing a smile again.

He truly regretted not stopping Feijian's actions.

What had happened could not be undone, no matter how he tried to make amends.

All Hashirama could do was silently stay by Madara's side, hoping to persuade him to abandon the extreme Moon's Eye plan.

Madara Uchiha stared at the Tachi for a long while, seemingly recalling the times he spent with Quan Nai.

He pressed the Tachi to his chest for a moment, then placed it back on the table.

In that moment he was not the battlefield‑dominating Ninja World Asura, but an ordinary elder brother missing his younger sibling.

"Madara…" Hashirama called softly.

As a fellow elder brother, he understood Madara's feelings at that moment.

Several of his own younger brothers also perished in the war.

Madara turned, the sunlight catching the fleeting glint at the corner of his eye; when he faced Hashirama, his cold, proud expression remained unchanged.

"Hashirama, you cannot stop my ideal."

"Only I—Madara Uchiha! —can make the Ninja World achieve true peace!"

"Madara…" Hashirama's gaze was complicated; the words of persuasion hovered at his lips but he could not speak them.

He knew Quan Nai's death had strengthened his close friend's resolve to realize his ideal.

If Quan Nai hadn't died back then, perhaps Madara wouldn't have taken this extreme path.

"I understand, Madara…"

After a moment of silence, Hashirama sighed.

He knew that within a short time he couldn't make Madara change the plan.

It seemed he could only slowly guide Madara to abandon the notion.

"Hashirama, I will make you see that day with your own eyes!" Madara Uchiha said excitedly, "Only the 'Moon's Eye' plan can achieve true peace!"

……

Lian Ye, who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, heard that and almost cut his own finger.

Good fellow, can such a thing be said here?

He's still here, hey!

Can't you keep your conversation away from me?

If Senju Hashirama weren't there, he would constantly worry that Madara Uchiha would kill and silence people.

To prevent Madara from recalling that there are people in the kitchen, he could only lower his presence as much as possible, even softening the sound of chopping vegetables.

I wonder what Madara Uchiha will think when he later learns that Infinite Moon Reading was merely Heijue's plot to rescue his mother.

Although he wants to tell Madara Uchiha the truth, how could anyone believe him without any proof?

Take the Stone Tablet of the Uchiha Clan Territory, for example; only the Kaleidoscope Sharingan can see the hidden content on it.

He currently only has the Three Tomoe Sharingan, so he cannot possibly know the secrets on it.

If you tell Madara Uchiha that the Stone Tablet has been altered, how could he possibly believe it?

After the brief interaction just now, Lian Ye knows that even if he activates the Kaleidoscope Sharingan, Madara Uchiha will not easily change his mind.

Once he decides on something, he will go all out to accomplish it.

Even if Madara knows the Stone Tablet has problems, for the sole hope he will bite the bullet and see it through!

Unless, like Senju Hashirama, he can completely subdue Madara, otherwise he will never give up easily!

And now Uncle Hashirama is in terrible condition, utterly unable to stop Madara's plan.

This is also why Madara is willing to let Hashirama follow him...

From now on, we can only take one step at a time.

Anyway, there's still a long way before Madara Uchiha awakens the Rinnegan.

If I recall correctly, he won't awaken the Rinnegan until he's in his seventies or eighties.

By then Madara will be shuffling when he walks, making it impossible to carry out the 'Moon's Eye' plan.

Only then does he deceive Uchiha Obito into becoming the pawn to resurrect him.