As Yun's voice fell, a gust of wind swept through the sky, stirring the leaves. The character for truth floated in the air for a moment before scattering to the ground.
After a long silence, Hashirama suddenly smacked his lips and smiled, "Can you tell me… what exactly is it about me that caught your eye?"
Yun shook his head slightly, then thought for a moment and said, "If you really want to know, I can trade both yours and Madara's information. I'll give you a discount if you take both, two chips, how's that?"
Hashirama thought for a moment and shook his head. "I only want Madara's intel, and I'll only pay one chip. Only one. Whether you want my Wood Style or my chakra, it's one or the other."
His spirit form grew more serious. "The Uzumaki clan was wiped out. Consider either my Wood Style or my physical constitution as my compensation to you."
Yun smiled. "The Hero of the Warring States, the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, so many titles… One of your chips is indeed not something ordinary shinobi can match."
"Then, regarding the information on the current Uchiha Madara, just as you wish. Contract."
A glowing contract materialized out of thin air. Hashirama glanced at it once and agreed without hesitation.
"Though I don't know exactly what you mean by 'current Madara,' the future is always uncertain. Trying to play word games with a shinobi who lived through the Warring States era… clever little Uzumaki."
Even as a spirit, the confidence in his eyes regarding his power was unmistakable.
[Contract established. Trade begins.]
"Uchiha Madara… is dead."
???
Hashirama froze in stunned silence. Yun barely suppressed a laugh as he watched the God of Shinobi's baffled expression.
Hashirama tilted his head, leaned closer, and mock-threatened, "Kid, don't joke like that. Messing with me is dangerous. Know the Nine-Tails? Back then, I slapped it in the face with a Wood Golem, and it couldn't even move."
Yun took two steps back, widening the distance between their faces.
"A god once split yin and yang to seek peace. Two opposing forces in balance create all phenomena. That's a universal truth, meaning, by fusing two opposing powers, one can achieve true peace."
He glanced at Hashirama; those were Madara's words to him at the Uchiha clan's hidden stone tablet. The first half, at least.
"Madara shared the contents of the stone tablet, but he never told you his interpretation of it."
"Two opposing forces—Uchiha and Senju. 'Working together' can also be interpreted as 'merging.' During your final battle at the Valley of the End, Madara bit off a piece of your flesh."
"Under the effects of Izanagi, he survived. And in truth, his understanding wasn't wrong. The fusion of Uchiha and Senju powers, you and he, resulted in the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Beyond the Mangekyō Sharingan lies the Rinnegan, the Sage's very own eyes!"
Hashirama asked, "Then why did Madara die? With the power of the Rinnegan, even without me, Konoha shouldn't be able to stop him."
Yun shook his head. "It's not that easy to obtain the power of the Sage. Even with the fusion, Madara didn't awaken the Rinnegan until old age, when he was on the brink of death."
Hashirama stared at him with an expression that screamed: 'That's it? One chip for a lousy information, He just died of old age?'
Then he remembered.
The Nine-Tails' rampage, the history that was supposed to happen. The space hadn't flagged that version as false.
Which means…
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life. The Rinnegan grants the ability to bring someone back to life at the cost of the caster's life."
Yun continued, "Madara needed a vessel. Someone to inherit his eyes. And in this world, one clan is famed for enduring the Tailed Beasts' power…"
"The Uzumaki."
"He left behind a puppet, a will he believes is his own. Manipulating younger Uchiha descendants. Uchiha Madara… is waiting for the final step in his plan. And when that time comes, not just Konoha, the entire shinobi world will fall into silence."
"That's all for Madara's intel."
Hashirama's eyes turned solemn. He sighed, floating into the sky, overlooking Konoha beneath the Hokage Rock.
This was the seed of his dream of peace. For peace, he had abandoned all pride as the strongest.
For peace, he had stabbed himself with a shuriken.
For peace, he had killed his closest friend.
And yet… the world hadn't followed the path he had hoped for.
"Since the timeline is set in the present, then there must be more information about the future. That 'will of his own,' that Madara left behind, might not be as simple as he believes."
"I'm a soul already dead, stuck in the Pure Land with no peace. If I can only leave when I'm summoned through Edo Tensei and my mind is controlled, who knows how long that will take?"
Yun sighed helplessly as he looked at the sorrowful Hashirama.
Some people, he had to admit, are just born with an extraordinary charisma. In fact, compared to Naruto, the First Hokage's words held more weight.
But…
"Hashirama, it's been decades. Time has proven that your method back then was wrong."
Hashirama looked over as Yun continued, "From the founding of Konoha to the end of the Third Shinobi World War, less than fifty years passed, but in that time, three major wars broke out."
"The model of gathering clans and training civilian ninja in villages only led to even larger-scale wars. All of this happened after your death. Do you know why?"
Hashirama shook his head slightly.
"Because of your power! Your Wood Style influenced the entire shinobi world. Your reputation as the God of Shinobi kept everyone in check. As long as Hashirama sought peace, no one dared to move."
After Yun finished, Hashirama fell silent.
The breeze passed gently before Hashirama finally raised his head a little. "Absolute power breeds absolute darkness. The longer one holds overwhelming authority, the more darkness it fosters. Maybe I really was wrong… But I can only warn you from the Pure Land, I can't show you the path forward."
He floated over to Yun, smiled, and said: "Madara… was kind of an idiot. Though you didn't say it outright, from your words, I can tell he's been used by someone."
"A world of total silence is not one I want. And I believe, if you can say things like that, then you don't want it either. So then…"