Chapter 62: Hashirama's Memories

"Brother, this time you leave, you must be extra careful."

Muye Dameng, Qianshou Feijian couldn't help but remind.

In fact, he really didn't want his brother to leave Konoha.

What if his brother runs into danger?

But he couldn't resist his brother's insistence, so in the end he had to agree.

Although he knows that in the current Ninja World, there are almost no people who could threaten his brother, he is still very worried.

Now his brother's body is not as strong as before.

What if he really does encounter danger?

It's just that the probability of this happening is infinitesimal...

Qianshou Feijian hasn't found a concrete solution regarding his brother's physical condition.

It's not only a physical issue; largely it's psychological.

He asked his brother more than once, but received ambiguous answers.

Feijian is also helpless about this; his brother seems unwilling to tell him...

"Got it, Feijian," Senju Hashirama waved his hand, "You go back quickly; Xiao Lian Ye is there."

Lian Ye: "……"

Qianshou Feijian looked at Lian Ye, "Kid, take good care of your Uncle Hashirama; if anything happens, come back quickly and tell me."

"Got it, Uncle," Lian Ye nodded.

He wanted to say that Qianshou Feijian's worry was unnecessary; how could Senju Hashirama possibly encounter danger?

No one could be stupid enough to try to assassinate the God of Ninja, right?

Lian Ye just treated this outing as a side trip during the mission...

After all, having the God of Ninja nearby is when he feels safest.

After reminding Lian Ye, Qianshou Feijian turned his head to Hashirama, "Brother, you must be extra careful."

He paused, then added, "The Village cannot lose you..."

Those words were clearly heavy.

"I understand, Feijian," Senju Hashirama said seriously.

But he quickly returned to his playful demeanor and said:

"No need to see me off, Xiao Lian Ye and I are leaving."

After speaking, he called Lian Ye and left together.

"Uncle, where are we going?"

"I don't know, just wander around."

Qianshou Feijian stood at the gate, watching the two figures gradually walk away until they vanished.

"Brother, you have to hold on..."

————————

Senju Hashirama and Lian Ye walked side by side on the winding path.

Leaving the bustle of Konoha Village, they entered a quiet, barren land.

Along the way, Hashirama said little, seeming to reminisce about something.

Lian Ye curiously surveyed the surroundings.

He felt that Uncle Hashirama wasn't wandering aimlessly, but was heading deliberately toward this direction.

When a ruin of broken walls appeared before them, Hashirama's steps suddenly halted.

Here, weeds grew thick, and broken stones littered the ground.

The former splendor had long been mercilessly eroded by time.

Between the shattered bricks, a few tenacious weeds grew wildly, swaying in the wind as if narrating past stories.

The slanted mural had long become indistinct, leaving only vague patches of color.

Lian Ye stared at the wall's pattern; unsurprisingly, it should be a Clan Emblem of some family, but unfortunately it's now indecipherable.

He didn't understand why Uncle Hashirama brought him to such a place.

Just as he felt puzzled, Senju Hashirama explained, "This is the Warring States Period, the Senju Clan's ancestral land."

Hearing this, Lian Ye suddenly realized.

He looked at the surrounding dilapidated buildings, finding it hard to associate them with the Senju Clan.

Hashirama slowly stepped forward, reaching out to gently stroke a damaged wall, feeling a rough, icy touch on his palm.

Memories surged to his mind like a tide.

At that time, the place was bustling with voices, full of vitality.

Young Hashirama ran and playfully chased his younger brothers on the clan's streets.

Clan members bustled about; some trained hard at the Training Ground, others tended the garden's flora with care...

Every corner of the clan echoed with laughter and joy.

These were also among his few happy moments.

Later, the conflict between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan grew increasingly fierce.

This clan land also became a cruel battlefield.

Flames raged, smoke filled the air, and the once-beautiful structures collapsed with a thunderous crash; clan members lost their lives in the slaughter.

Hashirama recalled that it was a night of blood and rain, when the Uchiha suddenly launched an attack; the clan rose to resist, and shouts and screams rang throughout the night.

He fought side by side with his brother Feijian, brandishing weapons and battling in a blood‑soaked fight.

But the Uchiha's assault was too fierce; the clan lands suffered severe damage, and many familiar faces vanished forever that night.

Lian Ye stood quietly at the side, watching Senju Hashirama immersed in recollection.

He could feel Hashirama's inner heaviness and sorrow; it was a deeply etched memory, bearing far too much suffering and sacrifice.

He couldn't help feeling fortunate to have been born in the early days of Konoha's founding; had he been born in the Warring States Period, that would have been true despair…

During the Warring States Period, wars were fought between families, and it was not uncommon for a mid‑level clan to be annihilated overnight.

The Uchiha and the Senju, as great clans, fought each other with especially brutal slaughter.

Children who aren't even Genin going onto the battlefield is even more commonplace.

"Back then, we, in order to survive, to protect our clan and home, had to take up arms and fight the enemy to the death," Hashirama said slowly, "but war brings only pain and hatred, countless lives lost, countless families shattered."

His voice grew hoarse with emotion, as if he were back in that war‑torn era.

Lian Ye came to Hashirama's side and whispered, "Uncle Hashirama, is this the original purpose of founding Konoha?"

"The original purpose of establishing the Village…" Hashirama looked up at the sky, lost in memory, "It was a promise with Madara…"

He recounted how he met Madara, how they eventually ended the war, and the founding of the Village, telling it all.

Lian Ye listened attentively.

Although he knew the general storyline, he was unaware of the details.

Hearing the person involved recount his own experience still felt very immersive.

Hashirama sat among the ruined walls and broken pillars, his voice low:

"We have clearly witnessed so much death together, and we swore amid seas of corpses and blood to end the war…"

He suddenly gave a bitter smile, that smile being extremely bleak.

"Madara said that only strength can bring order, that absolute power must crush all nations beneath its feet," Hashirama looked up at the darkening sky, "He always said I was too naive, that such a method could never achieve peace."

Hashirama's fingernails dug deep into his palm, his eyes blood‑red, "I regarded Madara as a close friend, but that day in the Valley of the End, for the safety of the Village, I had to kill him…"

The atmosphere fell into silence; Lian Ye had no intention of disturbing Hashirama.

He knew that voicing some thoughts would make things better.

Until dusk completely shrouded the ruins, Hashirama rose and brushed dust from his clothes, "Lian Ye…"

He turned his gaze toward the direction of Konoha Village and suddenly smiled,

"I know peace is not the norm of the Ninja World, but someone must be the first to step forward and plant ideals like towering trees."

Hearing this, Lian Ye stared blankly at Senju Hashirama.

So Uncle Hashirama had always known that this could not achieve true peace.

But he still went ahead without hesitation…