Everything was becoming clear.
The hidden truths of the world were gradually revealing themselves.
Uchiha Madara could feel it—he was beginning to understand everything.
The information Emiya Shihara had shared was enough to decipher the secrets of the Uchiha clan's stone tablet. It even revealed the ultimate destiny of the Sharingan's evolution.
The power of positive and negative…
Indeed, it represented the Uchiha and Senju.
The interaction of these opposing forces—the chakra of Senju Hashirama—could enhance the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to its highest potential. Ultimately, it would evolve into the Rinnegan, the eye that embodies the power of all things.
"Rinnegan…"
"I remember… it's the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
Madara recalled the legends surrounding the three great ocular powers: the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, and the Rinnegan of the Six Paths Sage.
The Rinnegan represented the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
Now, he finally understood why the stone tablet had been left for the Uchiha clan. It was the Sage's guide for his descendants.
His eyes… they were slowly evolving into the Rinnegan.
"Indeed."
"The Rinnegan is the eye of the Six Paths Sage."
Emiya Shihara didn't conceal the truth. He calmly explained the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Sage of Six Paths.
"Your clan's Sharingan ultimately culminates in the Rinnegan," Shihara said. "Their origin lies with the Sage of Six Paths, who is the father of Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha clan."
"…"
Madara recalled what Shihara had mentioned earlier.
Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha, had once confronted Shihara and suffered defeat—likely similar to what he himself would have faced against him.
It all made sense.
Because the Uchiha descended from the Sage, the Sage had left the stone tablet, embedding messages only the Sharingan could decipher.
"Thank you."
Madara crossed his arms, his expression haughty, satisfied that his confusion had been resolved.
"It's nothing," Shihara replied lightly. "In my era, these things were common knowledge."
He continued, offering a rare insight:
"I don't know if it's proper to speak so freely in your time. Tobirama once warned me not to reveal such ancient secrets—like the fact that the Uchiha and Senju clans share the same ancestor, and that both are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Hmph…"
Madara snorted. He understood Tobirama's intentions immediately.
"Senju Tobirama has always feared the power of the Uchiha," Madara mused. "He worried that Hashirama would reject any reason to suppress them. He's just a narrow-minded, shameless villain."
What a narrow-minded man…
He couldn't even tolerate the truth of history.
Madara knew that had this ancient secret been revealed earlier, the Uchiha and Senju might have been able to unite peacefully when Konoha was first established.
But now… it was too late.
He had long since severed ties with Hashirama, and the Uchiha clan had abandoned him. His ideals remained, but he stood alone.
"Now, I have only one question left."
Madara's focus shifted from ancient secrets to the pressing issue before him. His eyes burned as he addressed Shihara.
"Lord Emiya…"
"I believe you can see that the peace of this era is fragile at best. Did the Sage of Six Paths leave any method to achieve permanent peace in the ninja world?"
He didn't ask about the stone tablet—after awakening the Rinnegan, he would understand it fully.
And as for the Sage's ultimate plan… perhaps even Shihara didn't know.
Madara hoped to draw the truth directly from this extraordinary figure, trusting that Shihara's kindness would prevent deception.
Yet… he was disappointed.
Shihara hesitated.
He seemed afraid Madara would criticize Tobirama again, so he spoke carefully, weaving a partial truth before lying in a subtle, clumsy way—while Black Zetsu listened from underground.
"I'm sorry," Shihara said. "I can't give you the full answer.
Please don't misunderstand—this isn't Tobirama's doing. He doesn't know the efforts the ancients made to prevent humans from misusing chakra in war. He couldn't possibly know the Sage's true intentions."
"Hmph…"
Madara's resentment toward Tobirama didn't fade. He even looked slightly displeased at Shihara's defense of him.
Does he really need to defend that villain?
Yet he considered Shihara's words carefully: "Why can't he tell me everything?"
"I said… because I'm not good at lying," Shihara replied seriously.
Madara and even Black Zetsu were momentarily stunned.
"Is there some secret the next generations are not meant to know?" Madara asked cautiously.
"Yes," Shihara's eyes darkened, voice lowering. "The last person to possess the Rinnegan gave up on achieving peace through force. He believed humanity could learn to understand one another. If only humans could truly understand each other, conflict would end…"
"Hahaha…"
Madara laughed, a harsh sound that echoed with disbelief. "The idea that humans could understand each other is so naive! Even one as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths… yet his will is so fragile!"
He realized Shihara was speaking of the Sage, perhaps softening the truth with a weak lie—but even the lie revealed cracks in the Sage's plan.
"…"
Only Black Zetsu felt a twinge of pity.
Shihara grieved for the past. His sadness made Madara's laughter feel even harsher.
He really wasn't a good liar…
Perhaps it was a mistake to try to teach him deception.
"Humans are always like this," Shihara said quietly. "The world is full of changes, and humanity's fate is never fixed."
He recounted the ancient story calmly:
"The gods who once sought to change mankind's fate ultimately fell into the hands of the weak—those who hoped to control destiny themselves."
"Huh?"
"A technique that could change the world?"
Madara caught the first part of the story. Suddenly, everything clicked. He stared at Shihara, comprehension dawning.
"That technique… the Sage of Six Paths tried to use it to achieve permanent peace in the ninja world, didn't he?"
Shihara shook his head gently, regret in his tone:
"That technique is far too dangerous for humanity in this era…"
"Then…"
Madara's lips curled into a grim smile.
He already knew the answer:
The current ninja world had indeed reached its darkest age.
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